The Civil War was the most divisive war in American history. In the early 1800s, the United States experienced a growth of nationalism and unity, but it was replaced by sectionalism, leading to the Civil War. There were many reasons why the South wanted to secede, reasons the North wanted to maintain the Union, and the controversy surrounding slavery and steps taken to abolish it.…
The title of this narrative is “Grace is a Gift.” Author Laura Durham wrote this after learning an important lesson about grace.…
Melinda Sordino’s freshman year is off to a horrible start. She busted an end of summer party by calling the cops, and now her friends, and even strangers, all hate her. Months pass and things aren’t getting better. She’s a pariah. The lowest of the low. Avoided by everyone. But eventually she’ll reveal what happened at the party. And when she finally speaks the truth, everything will change for her and her life as of now.…
In the novel ‘Space Demons’ by Gillian Rubenstein, Elaine Taylor is one of the protagonists who displays a range of temperaments throughout the novel and she supports other protagonists. Overall, Elaine has a flexible and friendly behaviour towards everybody especially her peers. However, she is also lonely due to her father’s constant change of dwellings which results in her not making friends as she never stays in one place for long.…
Sarah Layden’s, “For Good” she uses imagery and hyperbole to reveal that often when one becomes frustrated due to a lack of emotional satisfaction, it causes one’s own desperation to allow others to dictate their own feelings, creating regret as those dictated feelings do not reveal one’s own truth. Cece’s emotional frustration comes from her unreciprocated love from Juan. When visiting the art museum with her class Cece notices that Juan is stomping on, “the fragile sculptures and the modern art splatters and tiny army men holding up the world, a zillion little figures.” [comment] The negative pressures Cece feels about accepting her feeling about Juan, causes her to detach herself from her love. Cece’s classmates discovered her private diary…
Writers of modern stories are interested in portraying life. Often, in their stories, we get ideas and find the chance to see, examine, and question ourselves. For example, in James Joyce’s “Eveline,” we observe how fear of the unknown affects a young woman’s future; In Richard Wright’s “The Man Who was Almost a Man,” we see how a young boy’s inability to accept moral responsibilities impacts his life, too. “How would we handle their challenges?” Who is the stronger individual? The answer lies within.…
Adversity can bring out the positive and negative sides in a person. In “The Proof of Worth,” Edgar Albert Guest demonstrates how challenges in life can help someone understand what he or she is capable of during a hardship. Similarly, “The Importance of Adversity in Growth and Development” written by Patrick Kohan exemplifies how children will never learn how to conquer an obstacle if they are always given assistance. Furthermore, Laura Hillenbrand’s novel, Unbroken, indicates that experiencing problems can affect the way a person’s body reacts and thinks about a difficult moment. Ultimately, the authors highlight that obstacles can be a complex or helpful task, as well as benefit people in the future when they need to know their true talents.…
Kellie Young begins her story "The Undercurrent" right away with rich descriptions, setting the reader's emotions for what she is about to tell. Immedietly you are able to invision Kellie's surroundings and gauge her emotional state; as she plunges through the cold Pasific Ocean, listening to her mother's panicing voice in her head. The tone through the story is candid, as Kellie tells of her mother's overbearing feelings, towards her actions, and Kellie's responses to her mothers concern is apethetic , giving two opposite thoughts to different actions. It is effortless to follow her story, as she gives a balance of detail and truth; putting you in the middle of her intenal…
Describing his surprise is becoming a writer and originally wanting to be a pediatrician (30) he now uses his writing to help his community. Alexie overcame not only his local traditional low expectations as a child but now he visits the same schools and teaches kids creative writing on his reservation. Even today kids in rural areas are not taught how to write poetry or stories and are still held to this low standard. Alexie is a changing wave to raise the standards for these kids so they now longer fall victim to stereotypes of what they should be and can instead follow big dreams. I myself almost fell victim to low expectations, but as I aged I learned my potential. While everyone expected me to fail, I have succeeded. This should be the expectation for all. Books can dramatically change lives “throwing my weight against locked doors” (30). As he teaches these kids he is creating a new identity for them. Alexie continues to break down doors for others the same way he taught…
When one writes a piece of literature with the ability of choosing what to write, one is unable to prevent putting their own self into it. Depending on how well the person knows he or herself, with experiences that are unique or even relatable will determine how well their piece will impact the world. One does not want to read textbooks that are all factual, unless forced too, they want to read stories within a event. The interest goes deeper than just the surface, we may not realize it, but we crave for information. We tend to want to know more than we need or should, but that curiosity drives us to places we wouldn’t expect to find ourselves. Whether the place is good or bad, we are to deal with it the best we can. John Steinbeck capitalizes…
Susanna Kaysen’s, Girl, Interrupted is a literature piece that discusses the topic of mental illness, specifically borderline personality disorder. The novel shows a perception of the issues surrounding mental illness and how individuals within society are repressed due to their health conditions. Society’s negativity towards mental illness is showcased through Susanna’s personal experience when she finds a job or when she goes out on a walk with nurses from the hospital. Individuals within her community would use terms like ‘crazy’ and ‘insane’ to describe mental illness. Ultimately, Girl, Interrupted reflects the misconceptions of mental illness and the unjust treatment that came along in the hospital for Susanna.…
In Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”, the hero Odysseus faces several perils on his journey to return to Ithaca. My own life models this path, with my goal of success being hindered. I face several perils; temptation, longing and coming of age. All of these elements attempt to discourage me from ultimately achieving what I desire most.…
British moral philosopher, Bernard Williams once said, “Man never made a material as resilient as the human spirit” (Williams). Here Williams tells of the insurmountable human spirit. Through all hardships the will to live prevails, rising above the forces of evil. In the anthology Nine Stories each character has to overcome and cope with evil. From absentee parents, to coping with the effects of war, many of the characters are able to rise above their struggle and continue living with hope.…
Throughout time, many people have faced adversity, with varying outcomes in their lives. Some believe that this adversity has the effect of uncovering abilities that would not otherwise show themselves. This is a view that holds abundant of truth, but is far too large of an idea to make a black and white analysis of. Overall, while it is indubitable that adversity has the ability to break people as well as uncover their worst attributes and character flaws, predominantly, adversity helps any given man to unveil their most remarkable attributes and abilities that would have otherwise remained latent.…
Stories that are told by a powerful character can provide vital information and be a major source of characterization. These stories, more specifically: embedded narratives, serve as a tool frequently used by authors. Embedded narratives have the ability to change a character immensely, from a boring blank canvas to someone that is intricate, perplexing and intriguing. This is exactly what Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Homer’s Odyssey Book Nine: In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave do, they both utilize embedded narratives to depict the tales of two men: Frankenstein and Odysseus, and what we learn from these tales immensely shapes our depiction of these characters.…