Preview

Saturday by Ian Mcewan

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
304 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Saturday by Ian Mcewan
Excerpt from Saturday by Ian McEwan:
Some hours before dawn Henry Perowne, a neurosurgeon, wakes to find himself already in motion, pushing back the covers from a sitting position, and then rising to his feet. It's not clear to him when exactly he became conscious, nor does it seem relevant. He's never done such a thing before, but he isn't alarmed or even faintly surprised, for the movement is easy, and pleasurable in his limbs, and his back and legs feel unusually strong. He stands there, naked by the bed - he always sleeps naked - feeling his full height, aware of his wife's patient breathing and of the wintry bedroom air on his skin. That too is a pleasurable sensation. His bedside clock shows three forty. He has no idea what he's doing out of bed: he has no need to relieve himself, nor is he disturbed by a dream or some element of the day before, or even by the state of the world. It's as if, standing there in the darkness, he's materialised out of nothing, fully formed, unencumbered. He doesn't feel tired, despite the hour or his recent labours, nor is his conscience troubled by any recent case. In fact, he's alert and empty-headed and inexplicably elated. With no decision made, no motivation at all, he begins to move towards the nearest of the three bedroom windows and experiences such ease and lightness in his tread that he suspects at once he's dreaming or sleepwalking. If it is the case, he'll be disappointed. Dreams don't interest him; that this should be real is a richer possibility. And he's entirely himself, he is certain of it, and he knows that sleep is behind him: to know the difference between it and waking, to know the boundaries, is the essence of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    “April Morning” by Howard Fast is a novel that takes place during the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775. The entire book takes place during a 24 hour time period. Adam Cooper is the antagonist in this novel. When Adam goes to bed on the eve of April 18, 1775 he is a boy. When he awakens the next morning he is forced to become a man. In the early hours of the morning he, along with the rest of the town, is awakened by a lone rider racing to Lexington to warn them that a British army, of maybe a thousand men, is marching their way. Immediately the town is in a frenzy to prepare for the British arrival. The book is about Adam’s journey during the Battle of Lexington.…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Angela's Ashes is a memoir written in 1996 by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt . This novel tells the story of young Frank and his family's life when they travel from America to Ireland during the Great Depression and Frank's fight making it back to America and to have a better life than the one he and his family had in Ireland.Through the novel Frank and his family face many hardships such as the loss of many family members,Frank's father being an alcoholic and spending all their income on alcohol,and getting their house taken away and having to move in with their cousin. Despite the hardships in this novel ,McCourt’s use of style ,point of view,and literary devices shows his triumphed accomplishments in a less depressing tone.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It wasn’t the soft, ethereal glow of dawn’s early light peeping through the ill-fitting curtains that gently lured Tom from a restless night’s sleep. It wasn’t the promise of a new day, free from the nightmares that still plagued his tortured mind or the pleasing chirrup of the house sparrows greeting the sun with their morning song of joy. It was something more physical, something visceral, an inherent perception of a long-forgotten pleasure slowly rising from within.…

    • 2255 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel "Jarhead," by Anthony Swafford is a first hand account of the Gulf War in early 1990. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very honest account of his experience, and while he wasn't actually in any combat situations, it was fascinating to see what life was like overseas.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this essay I will show how Edwin Morgan uses different poetic techniques to highlight central themes in the poem. The poem is about a slightly drunk working class man Morgan encounters on a public bus in Glasgow at Easter.…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Angela's Ashes, the author Frank McCourt gives his whole self in the telling of this story. It is his life's journey- the hardship, horrors, pain and suffering that he endures.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    St. Peter had always laughed at people who talked about ‘day-dreams,' just as he laughed at people who naively confessed that they had ‘an imagination.' All his life his mind had behaved in a positive fashion. When he was not at work, or being actively amused, he went to sleep. He had no twilight stage. But now he enjoyed this half-awake loafing with his brain as if it were a new sense, arriving late, like wisdom teeth. He found…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hatchet By Gary Paulsen

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dear Gary Paulsen: The first time I read Hatchet was when I was in the fourth grade. I have always liked survival stories and Hatchet made me really about how fast our world can be turned upside down. I really appreciate the section when Brian tells how his teacher, Perpich, told him to "stay positive and stay on top of things" and "You are your most valuable asset. Don't forget that. You are the best thing you have.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the film Twelve Angry Men produced by Reginald Rose begins when a young teenage boy was on trial for murdering his abusive father. All the evidence and facts brought to the trial was against him, however, the twelve jurors had to make a verdict whether the boy is guilty or not guilty, and they decision would concluded whether the boy should or should not be sent to the electric chair. In process of making a verdict, the twelve jurors came together to reason and decide the fate of the boy. The verdict began with eleven guilty to one not guilty. Juror number 8, who voted not guilty did not believe on the evidence because, he believed that the murder weapon could be available to anyone, so he had purchased a look alike knife. Which made some…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Rabbits by Shaun Tan

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Why do you think John Marsden and Shaun Tan chose this image, over all the others for the cover of The Rabbits?…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ashes By Susan Pfeffer

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Susan Pfeffer’s story “Ashes” teaches a lesson about how trust is decided on past, not relationships. Ashleigh, “Ashes”, with divorced parents, talks about how when she is with her dad, the sun shines just a little bit brighter, but according to her mother, he is just an “irresponsible bum”. Ashes was a nickname her father gave her, which her mother hates. Ashes, says that her father hardly ever keeps a promise, such as when she was a kid, he told her that the stars were her necklace. One lesson the story suggests is that parent-child relationships can quickly change, depending on the choices they make.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine if you just saw your best friend being taken in front of your eyes, and never being able to see her again? How would you react? In the book, “Rage Of The Fallen” by Joseph Delaney, a boy by the name of Tom Ward goes through that exact situation. This is a fantasy book in which there are things like worlds, magic, and other things, which is why it’s important to understand it. In order to do so you need to know about the setting, the characters, the conflict, etc.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the poem, “To This Day” By Shane koyczan he shows a bibliography about bullying and how it affects people. And how he got bullied as a kid. People need to understand that what they say doesn't just go one ear out the other. People can be extremely hurtful without knowing it. One thing that kids said from the poem is, “kids used to say she looks like a wrong answer that someone tried to erase but couldn’t quite get the job done”. That is just one of the many things kids said. The quote shows that even if people think i can't get worse that is usually when it does. But the problem is that people dont understand the scar that they leave when they do those…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Nobodies By John Truby

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “The Nobodies” is a short film that seems to follow the basic steps of John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story. Though the film follows these steps, I don’t think it’s a good story. Before Dusty and Greg ever meet each other, we recognize that they have the same desire in life. The have a longing to be loved, have attention, and to sing. Although Dusty is married, he still doesn’t feel like he is fully loved.…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the wee hours of the morning my life is the embodiment of a living, breathing dichotomy. Awakening with a wry little smile on my face, I knew I had dreamed of the river, big brown trout, and sweet 3wt bamboo rods. My body screams – “Where’s the coffee”, while my brain questions the sanity of getting up this early on a Saturday. Oblivious to the cacophony, the hairs on the back of my neck tingle. Betraying logic, they forewarn that this pre-dawn moment was the premonition of a great day ahead.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays