"Metafiction is a term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality." --Patricia Waugh‚ Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction.New York: Methuen‚ 1984. In many respects‚ Tim O ’Brien ’s The Things They Carried concerns the relationship between fiction and the narrator. In this novel‚ O ’Brien himself is the main character--he
Premium Fiction Short story Meaning of life
The Nature of Control Is it the common human nature to feel power over others? A totalitarian government seeks to utilize its message of confinement and authority to control the many aspects of life. In the novel 1984‚ Orwell portrays totalitarianism through psychological manipulation‚ physical control and the control of language. The totalitarian party manipulates and invalidates the minds of the outer party and proles. Orwell describes the surroundings of Winston‚ showing totalitarianism‚ writing:
Premium Nineteen Eighty-Four
The Odyssey is a heroic tale of a man on a mission with many obstacles to overcome. When called away from his homeland and his family to fight in a battle against Troy‚ Odysseus‚ king of Ithaca‚ overcomes several different obstacles and portrays many different heroic characteristics over the ten years he is away in order to reach his beloved wife‚ son‚ and homeland again. Throughout his journey home‚ he encounters many things such as an uncivilized giant with one eye called a Cyclops‚ a witch-goddess
Free Odyssey Odysseus Trojan War
Individualty Symbolizes Happiness Prompt: In the final chapter of Anthem‚ Prometheus writes that he now understands “why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins.” What has Prometheus come to understand about himself? Why does his society regard the “best in him” as sinful? “It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon paper no others see.” “It is a sin write this.” So begins Ayn Rand’s Anthem‚ a dystopian novella
Premium Ayn Rand
Atonement “Abandonment As The Central Theme” While the title of Ian McEwan’s novel is Atonement‚ atonement itself can not be the driving theme of this work. The fact that atonement is ever achieved or even sought out by Briony can be greatly debated. This is because of the effects abandonment‚ the true theme‚ has on her. Abandonment not only plays a driving role in Briony’s character but also greatly impacts every character in the novel. Although abandonment
Premium Mother Father Parent
Dying seems to be a very common theme in these stories weather it’s physically or emotionally. That’s where Shakespeare’s famous quote from Hamlet‚ “To Be or Not To Be” comes into play. In “What‚ of This Goldfish‚ Would You Wish” Sergei kills Yonatan because he believed Yonatan would steal his best friend. Sergei loves the fish dearly but the fish does not feel the same way. As time goes on the more the fish is becoming annoyed and ignorant towards Sergei. Since Sergei is lonely he wants to keep
Premium Hamlet Characters in Hamlet Gertrude
In The Veldt they show us that the nursery the family has in there house is a danger to the parents. “...Happylife home‚ which had cost them thirty thousand dollars installed‚ thi s house which clothed and fed and rocked them to sleep and played and sang and was good to them.” This shows that having your house do all these things that you could do yourself is a little odd‚ but that is how the Hadley family liked to live or so they thought. This is important because it’s showing us how much they would
Premium Family Mother The Ray Bradbury Theater
In his short story Araby‚ James Joyce ties together symbolism like light and dark‚ sight and blind‚ to characterize his protagonist’s rough journey to maturity. Joyce uses the theme of light versus dark to show how one must go through the dark‚ or tough times‚ in order to mature. He lets his character to be metaphorically blinded for a brief period of time‚ in order to learn a painful lesson. Joyce’s unnamed protagonist is starstruck by a beautiful girl‚ and he considers her to be his light. He
Premium Dubliners Fiction John Updike
Coming to America Imagine this‚ living in a very small town; with only one store where you can make and receive phone calls‚ there are no public phones‚ no residential phone lines‚ no electricity and no running water. The roads are not paved until you get to the main road where people travel the most. The next town is about thirty minutes away‚ and there is only one bus that comes to this small town once a week‚ so people can go shopping and do other things. In this small town there are hardly any
Free Immigration to the United States United States High school
There have always been challenges that a young adolescent must make to become an adult. Whether it was one hundred years ago‚ or today in this day and age‚ the challenges are ever so present. Unfortunately‚ the challenges faced back then were far more harsh and difficult for the young adults compared to the present. They lacked the technology‚ resources‚ and knowledge we now possess today. Most jobs one hundred years ago had to be physically done by people‚ not machines‚ which the 21st century seems
Premium Adult Mind Education