Heda Margolius Kovaly’s Under A Cruel Star is a captivating memoir that provides historical accounts during the time period when Czechoslovakia was under Nazi control and faced with Stalinism. Kovaly gives her personal first hand accounts on experiences in concentration camps, post-war struggles, and the life that she lived while under Communism. Contrasting with Under A Cruel Star, John Merriman’s A History of Modern Europe uses clear and concise mundane facts to provide the accounts of history during this era. Presenting history in a memoir makes the read effortless and alluring but it also takes away some of the factual significance that the textbook offers. History presented in this form differs from accounts during this time era written…
It was December, around Christmas time, in the 1940s. Children were running and playing in the snow. It was during the time at the end of the Civil War. After reading Eudora Welty’s, “A Worn Path,” and understanding the story we must consider an old Negro woman name Phoenix Jackson, a worn rough path in Natchez that she traveled, and the prejudices she had to endure to get medication for her sick grandson.…
In public schools, Bonnie was an honor student. She enjoyed writing poetry and reading romance novels. In fact when…
In the passage One Writer’s Beginnings, Eudora Welty’s language conveys intensity and value of the experiences she mentioned in the autobiography by showing her determination and love for reading. First she says “Her dragon eye on the front door, where who knew what kind of person might come in from the public?” This example shows intensity because she compares the librarian’s eyes to a dragon creating imagery, which makes me infer that the librarian was mean and very alert about the kind of people who came inside of her library. Another example is when she says “You could just put on another petticoat if you wanted a book that badly from the public library. I was willing; I would do anything to read.”…
In the passage from Eudora Welty’s autobiography, One Writer’s Beginnings, Welty depicts how her love for reading was influenced by the challenges Mrs. Calloway, the librarian, presented by guarding the books and by her mother’s example of continuous reading. The zeal she has towards reading creates a motivational tone for the passage, allowing the reader to deeply connect with the meaning of the text. Welty conveys that the willingness to read is established at a young age. She uses many rhetorical devices to emphasise her opinions on reading, such as figurative language, distinct syntax, and unique diction.…
The initial descriptions of setting and geography influence the purpose of any character, theme or symbol. In the book “A Lesson Before Dying” the courthouse and segregation along with syntactic balance patterns play an important role in influencing those three things…
In the story by Eudora Welty, “The Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson is a complex character who defies a stereotype in a symbolic way. Welty's story describe Phoenix as the o;d lady who had to travel miles a day in order to prove to the other characters that her grandson was not dead. Having to prove that her grandson was not dead Phoenix had three traits of characteristics. She was loving, determined, and persistent. These traits help her to overcome being stereotyped and ultimately her overcoming these stereotype made her symbolic in the journey, her name, and the time frame in which the event happen.…
The novel, A Lesson before Dying, was written by Ernest J. Gaines in 1993. Gaines was born on the River Lake plantation in Louisiana, where he was raised by his aunt, Miss Augusteen Jefferson. Racism was prevalent shown by the whites-only libraries in Louisiana. After 15 years of living in Louisiana, Gaines moved to California, although he states Louisiana never left him. California had libraries available for the blacks also. In California, he lived with his mother and which inspired him to the point of writing about six novels and scores of short stories. In 1953, Gaines was drafted into the Army, and he later went on to study creative writing at Stanford University. While in the library, Gaines…
In the excerpt from One Writer’s Beginnings , Eudora Welty recalls previous experiences of reading and books that had later impact on her craft as a writer of fiction. The descriptions and well explained situations give the audience insight into her devotion as a fiction writer. Through the employment of metaphors, diction, and imagery the experiences described with Mrs. Calloway, her mother and herself explain the intensity of her memories and the value they have.…
Confronting the truth often reveals painful realities. In “One Writer’s Beginnings,” Eudora Welty details her very sheltered life. Afraid of any dangers that may affect her, Welty’s parents attempted to shield her from the world around her. Welty’s mother made the world around her seem more dangerous. As a byproduct of her sheltered youth, Welty reveals the truth in a palatable manner. She spends considerable effort making the truth non-painful. Every person copes with pain and loss differently. In many ways, Welty hides from the truth or at least protects herself from it by detaching herself from reality. Through context, clever word choice, and rhetorical devices, Welty compares and contrasts how she confronts pain compared with her parents, revealing a greater truth about humanity’s ability to cope due to upbringing and life experiences.…
The use of diction in line nine when she says, “her normally commanding voice” allows the reader to understand more of Mrs.Calloway, the librarian, which later adds to the reader's knowledge that the librarian is the antagonist in the anecdote and opens Welty’s eyes to add the her persona. In addition to the use of the word “commanding”, the word “devouring” in line fifty exemplifies the desire and how deeply Welty wanted to read when she was a child. She also uses the word “insatiability” to showcase how she could not get enough of reading, and that it was something the she was very passionate about.…
Through Letters to Alice, Weldon discusses the importance in the value of literature. This is displayed through use of the imperative ‘you must read”. Her observing of literature linking to the transcendence of time is examined when adopting the metaphor of the city of invention, which educates the readers of what good literature is and the solid foundations that make it withstand time. Aunt Fay says “Through reading literature we learn about the way people thought and how they lived, the ways we are different and the things we share”, suggesting an implicit link to Austen’s work. Weldon writes that good literature has the ability to “transcend time and reach…
I spent my junior high days at Eureka Middle School. There, I spent an hour in Mrs. Shoemaker’s literature class. When I walked into her classroom on day one, I knew I would enjoy her. She was a middle-aged teacher with an especially soft voice. Quick to smile and tell fun stories, I knew Mrs. Shoemaker would would soon become one of my favorites.…
Through vivid descriptions of Ms. Calloway and the limitations and obstacles presented to her, Welty reveals her love and passion for reading. She describes Ms. Calloway as the “guardian” of the library by describing her, “Dragon eye on the front door.” By explaining Mrs. Calloway’s eye as a dragon looking over her “castle” Welty proves her love for books and the library. As Mrs. Calloway watches the door she also becomes a challenge for anyone who may enter, including Welty. Wetly also gives details about how Mrs. Calloway sits at her desk,Welty’s vivid descriptions reveal how she sees Mrs. Calloway as an obstacle: “She [sits] with her back to the books and facing the stairs.” Another obstacle Welty must face is, she has to go through the “dragon” to get to her “prince”, the books. Mrs. Calloway presents many obstacles and limitations for Wetly, another would be the two by two rule: “You could only take out two books at a time and only two.” When Welty brings this rule upon the reader it shows how much she loves to read. Most people would be okay with taking one but Welty has to quench her thirst and need for reading and take more than one, but she cannot take more than two. Overall Welty’s description of Mrs. Calloway and her rules show her love and passion for reading.…
I am not a professional reader, nor am I a professional writer. As a matter of fact, I don’t like writing at all, but then writing is a part of life. I was only 6 years old when I started to take an interest in reading and also started to learn how to read. My grandmother was a greater reader. She would read to me all the time and encourage me to read anything I could get my hands on. I would always see her with a book during her spare time.…