...Milano 1 Elizabeth Milano English 1102 Professor Crowther 9/11/2014 " “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” Literary Analysis “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a story that all teenage girls can relate to. It really reminded the readers how difficult life can be for a teenage girl because of all the pressure and feelings that come along with these angst-filled years. “Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right” (145 para. 1). Joyce Carol Oates does an amazing job creating such scenes that do happen to girls in their early teens years. In the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” the main character Connie deals with many coming of age situations including her parents and sister, social situations, and Arnold Friend, a boy. Connie’s mother is always trying to bring her down. She always compares her to June, Connie’s older sister. “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?…” (145 para. 2). This can lead Connie to having a horrible self esteem issue since her mother obviously does not see the best her youngest daughter can be. She is very jealous of how beautiful of a young woman Connie is becoming, and that gives her a reason to tear her down. “Her mother had been pretty once too…but now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Milano 2 Connie.” (145 para. 1). Her...
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... it relates much of what the author went thru. In the novel it’s expressed that is in wartime in PortofSpain, Trinidad. The story plot involves man vs. society. All the social problems in this novel make the setting as a barbaric one, but it’s the same society that visualizes “these problems” as something normal to their everyday living. Social Aspects ∙ Masculinity: There was a constant need to prove this, in any way possible in many aspects: women, work, money, etc. ∙ Disregards towards women: as a way to prove masculinity, men had no respect whatsoever with the woman. ∙ Gender Identity: throughout the novel this works out with socialization and how both genders clash with each other, as masculinity needs to prove itself over feminism. ∙ Visualization of social problems by the narrator: it’s quite interesting when the narrator that grew up with all these problems, and how can he distinguish them as he grows up. Being a witness of this since childhood it what makes this a cycle of path, making these problems “seem okay”. Plot Summary Note: Consider every chapter as its own short story narrated from the point of view of the speaker. Chapter 9: Titus Hoyt was a natural guide, a philosopher, and an active member of the local board. First man the main character knew in Port of Spain. The narrator met him one day when he got lost, coming back from the market to get to Miguel Street. This man helped him get home, and he said “Cheerio”...
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...Should Octavia E. Butler’s “Bloodchild” be classified as a slave story? The author claims that “Bloodchild” is not a tale of slavery, but rather a love story and a coming-of-age tale. Does “Bloochild” conform to the conventions of the slave stories, love stories, or coming-of-age tales with which you are familiar? What other classifications—in terms of literary genre, form, or mode—apply to “Bloodchild”? Readers can easily deduce why Octavia Butler's won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for her story “Bloodchild.” The reader in a way is compelled to finish reading because of Butler's way of using heavily sensual description and mutliple themes in the story. “Bloodchild” is an unusual spin of a coming-of-age tale in Gan's experience throughout the story. Although Octavia Butler asserts “Bloodchild” is not about slavery, there are specific themes that can be identified as slavery in the story. The story contains analogies between human life with the Tlic and European slavery. Humans are inescapably used in the Tlic's reporductive cycle. “Bloodchild” does contain a love story albeit twisted in the sense of role reversals and co-dependency. As Butler claims, “Bloodchild” is a story about maturity and the introduction of adulthood. The story starts with the line, “My last night of childhood began with a visit home.” which without a doubt signals the last of innocence (Butler 3). At the beginning of the story, Gan is confused as to why his mother shows some dislike towards the...
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...In her short story “Bloodchild,” Octavia Butler presents a dystopian society in which humans draw little agency. Isolated from Earth, Humans (who are referred to as Terran throughout the story) are stranded animals on a far away world and are used by Tlic as birthing vessels. Despite its very overt science fiction elements, Bloodchild is as much as story about a far off dystopia as it is a story located in present conditions. That is to say, Bloodchild embeds enough elements of current Western civilization within its narrative that the story positions itself as a dystopia of the present day. First, Bloodchild confuses the reader’s notion of space and temporality by gradually revealing its science fiction and dystopian elements. The story opens with the line, “My last night of childhood began with a visit home” (3). Here, Bloodchild positions itself as a coming of age story. This is critical because immediately, at the stories inception, the story posits an exploration of distinctly human themes: rites of passage, coming of age, loss of childhood, etc. This is juxtaposed with the way the gradual revealing of dystopian elements in Bloodchild. For instance, it is not until page 25 (out of 32) that the reader finally learns that the story does not take place on earth. T’Gatoi says, “And your ancestors, feeling from their home world, from the own kind who would have killed or enslaved them – they survived because of us” (25). The overall effect of the gradual development...
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...Mortality can best be defined as the quality and state of being mortal; being susceptible to death. So how does Mortality form the very basis of Attwood’s “The Age of Lead”? In this story, we are very often presented with the re-occurring motif of one’s own mortality. To be even more specific, in this story we can see a reflection of how we all deliberately avoid this very basic aspect of our own lives- our own mortality. This motif is evident in many parts of the story, but in particular is quite evident in the following segments of the story. Firstly, we have the protagonists main focus of interest, the documentary on the life and death of John Torrington. This documentary in its self is a very literal presentation of the theme of mortality. We also have a progression of events that are covered in the protagonists life. Much like one’s own life, these events are all based around mortality. Finally, we have the climax of the story, that is the protagonists coming to terms with the nature of mortality. So now, let’s begin to focus on the first aspect of mortality in this story, John Torrington. From the first paragraphs of this story, we are subjected to the concept of mortality. We are immediately brought into the world of John Torrington and the failed Franklin Expedition. The atmosphere of the story is thick with the concept of death and mortality. We are given very vivid descriptions of mortality and death. One such example is how the body of John Torrington...
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...Coming of Age There comes a time in each person’s life when they reach a point in which they are no longer children, but adults. The phrase coming-of-age is typically associated with this period in a teenager’s life. Some teens reach this point by simply growing older and obtaining a better understanding of the world surrounding them. Others reach this stage by experiencing an event or events that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Examples of coming of age can be found in many stories, books, and magazines throughout literature. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and “Beautiful Brains” by David Dobbs are excellent examples of literature that contain the trait coming-of-age. Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives....
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...more tragic than when that relationship falls apart. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Annie John” is about the relationship between a mother and a daughter that slowly breaks apart in postcolonial Antigua. Their relationship deteriorates, because Annie (Miss Annie Victoria John's daughter) is coming of age and is exposed to death at a young age, which causes her to become distant from her mother since she does not tell Annie much about death and Annie is eager to know. Kincaid shows that death, coming of age, and post colonialism are important themes that are explored throughout...
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...Jeffery Burton’s The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun is a board book for young children through preschool ages that tell the story of a young leprechaun using “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” rhythm. The leprechaun is joined by his forest friends as they hide a pot of gold and search for a four leaf clover. Sanja Rešček’s illustrations are colorful and displayed the story in a delightful manner. Throughout the story several words are highlighted by being in different colors then the surrounding text. This variance in text will draw the children’s attention to the words and help them develop print awareness. At times the story felt a little forced to fit into “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” rhythm. With that being said, the selection of St. Patrick’s Day board books are...
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...Literal Analysis Essay Time, a subject as universal and engaging as life itself. In a sense, without time the world would be a vastly different place. The way in which we perceive our lives based on this unifying concept plays a strong role in how we go about our days, months, and even years. The idea of time not only plays a factor in our everyday lives and productivity, but it can also take shape in our literature, media, and an overall means of expressing ourselves. Time is what helps organize us and our hectic schedules, the fortifying force that keeps our lives from falling into chaos. The progression of age is seen as a biproduct of time, a change in the senses. In a way, the idea of time is as crucial to us as breathing. The imagery and emotion shown in Ernest Hemingway's short story “A Clean, WellLighted Place” address the importance of time in a powerful and depressing manner through the characters of a drunk old man, two waiters, and the setting of a night cafe. The idea of the vastness of time can be intricately depicted in his detailed imagery, from the way the old man remains in a sense of aged loneliness while retaining his sense of self, as well as the sympathetic relation the older waiter holds towards the drunk man. As crucial, and sometimes fearing, as time is in the natural aging cycle of life, it can also be a gatekeeper of youth and social engagement, as depicted in the younger waiter. In the on going race...
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...Age and EWT 1. Describe the aims, procedures, findings and conclusions of Poole and Lindsay’s (2001) study of the effects of age on EWT – science demonstration Aims- The aims of their experiment were to assess whether children were able to source monitor. Procedures- They used child participants aged 3-8 years of age. They were shown a science demonstration throughout the day; later that day their parents read them a story, which contained aspects of the science demonstration. The next day, the children were questioned about the science demonstration and then were further asked to think about where they got their information from (source monitoring). Findings- It was found that the younger children were unable to source monitor as they could not identify where they learnt the information whereas the older children could. Conclusion- Poole and Lindsay concluded that the younger children are poorer eye witnesses than the older children as they are unable where they learnt the information. This means that they aren’t able to distinguish between original eyewitness memory and post event information. 2. What does this suggest about age and EWT? This suggests that age does affect EWT. 3. Explain why the story told at home could have been an extraneous variable… Interview bias (how the parents read the story) could have influenced the accuracy of the child’s response. The parents could have unintentionally prejudiced the child by how they read the story; techniques...
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...Green” Robert Penn Warren’s short story “When the Light Gets Green” is full of interesting images and themes. We led by a young boy who is looking back at an important period in his life. It is time that a child loses his innocence. The critic Paul West put it best when he said that “Most of Warren’s best stories are painful, guilt-ridden commemorations of some young person’s rites of passage.” This story is no different. We see a kid return to the farm he loves, only to be met with questions. His grandfather, Mr. Barden, is not the same as he remembered. The grandson has trouble understanding his grandfather’s sudden flaws, and by reexamining his grandfather, is not capable of loving him anymore. At the beginning of the story we follow the grandson’s memory of what his grandfather looked like. The first line says “My grandfather had a long white beard and sat under the cedar tree.” This was how he imagined his grandfather while he was at school, but when he returned he was shocked to see that the beard was actually “gray and pointed.” This opening paragraph sets the tone for the entire story. The grandson had a majestic image of his grandfather in his mind, but the passage of time sheds light on imperfections that were previously unimportant. Paul Runyon says that “’When the Light Gets Green’ is a strongly autobiographical reminiscence of his grandfather Penn.” Runyon point helps show that this story is about the coming of age period in a young man’s life. The...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird Seminar Essay Guiding Question 2 In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explains Scout’s coming of age story through a point of view lesson and a lesson about society. After Scout’s first day of school, Atticus justifies Miss Caroline’s extreme behavior regarding Scout’s early reading skills by claiming “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view(Lee 39)”. At this point in the novel, Scout thinks little of what Atticus says and refuses to believe any justification for how Miss Caroline treated her earlier in the day. However, Scout quickly becomes reminded of this lesson time and time again. At the climax of the novel, Atticus justifies Bob Ewell’s reaction of the court proceedings as “some kind of comeback(Lee 292)” when putting himself in Ewell’s shoes. Scout begins to relax, but is not reassured completely by Atticus’ explanation of Bob Ewell’s bland threats. Scout finally truly understands this coming of age lesson when putting herself in Boo Radley’s...
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...A Separate Peace Essay Introduction John Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace is the story of Gene Forrester who struggles to come to grips with the guilt over his role in a traumatic event from his childhood. The novel, told as a flashback from the perspective of an adult Gene, looks back on his friendship with a private school classmate and Gene’s destructive feelings of jealousy, fear, and anger. Assignment Write a 3-5 page literary analysis that explores one of the attached essay topics. Structure You might want to think of a five-paragraph structure, but because of the length requirements, you may need to expand on that to adequately explore your topic. Intro: This should include a “hook,” background information, and a thesis. It should clearly lay out what you are going to discuss in your essay. Body: Provide analysis and supporting evidence. Mention several key events or moments from the novel. Include at least three carefully chosen quotes to help capture larger ideas from the novel. Blend them in with your own writing. Conclusion: Finalize your argument with final thoughts related to the main idea. Reminders: This is a literary essay so there should be no uses of “I” or “you.”Include an original title to capture interest. Requirements Your essay should have the following: ✓ A clear argument of opinion and purpose expressed in a thesis statement and introduction...
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...In Balaka Basu’s, The Pleasure of Being Sorted in Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Basu states, “Whatever else they may do, all heroes of young adult fiction- and by extension, their readers- are eventually asked to consider the two great questions of adolescence; ‘Who am I now? And who do I want to be when I grow up?’ As they do so, they inevitably embark upon a quest for identity, an apparently innocuous pursuit that lies at the very core of the genre.” (The Pleasure 19) In each of the three books, the reader can see individual or groups of young adults having to unite to achieve a certain goal. In class Professor Walker discussed how rebellious many young adults become as they reach their mid-teens and twenties. Becoming rebellious as a young adult is often seen by our parents as a reckless, impulsive eruption of emotions from within that allow rash decisions to be made. However, in each of the young adult, dystopian novels being reviewed, the main characters are considered rebellious by the law makers and rulers even though they are pushing for change in their unjust society. This essay will discuss three dystopian young adult novels, Divergent, The Hunger Games and Unwind and how each of them reflects on possible futures for humanity and the way young people are called to respond to the changes in the worlds they live in. Before getting started with the novels themselves, getting a brief overview of dystopian societies in Young Adult fiction is necessary. In, Contemporary Dystopian...
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...Mark Upchurch English 255 Professor Kalauli 3/6/2014 A Painting for the Mind Juliet Kono effectively conveys the devastation, horror, and depravity in Japan circa 1940 to 1950 through her unwavering sense of staying true to the imagery and setting of Japan during World War II as well as post war Japan. By effectively telling the story through the eyes of the protagonist Hi-Chan, she allows the reader to personalize not only with the main character but the setting that surrounds the main character as well. The continual turmoil and conflict that the protagonist undergoes contrast the underlying theme (the path to enlightenment) of the novel and remains consistent from beginning to end. There is no question that the author’s effectiveness in delivering the elements of fiction in her novel Anshu: Dark Sorrow creates in the reader’s mind a vivid portrait of the time and place the main character Hi-Chan was living in. By effectively conveying the setting of the novel, the persistent use of conflict with the protagonist, establishing a first person point of view, and the use of effective characterization, Juliet Kono is able to paint within the readers mind the thoughts and emotions within Hi-Chan as well as the world around her. By descriptively establishing the setting in Hawaii at the beginning of the novel, Juliet Kono allows the reader to assume a more peaceful and serene time when Hi-Chan was youthful and care-free on an island of abundant beauty, freedom, and most...
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