...Ruth Boro Professor Hernandez ENGL 1302-71701 30 Nov. 2016 Literary Analysis of a Good Man is Hard to Find. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a short story written by Flannery O’Connor. The exposition of the story is a family from Atlanta preparing to travel to Florida for three days. The grandmother does not want to go to Florida because there is a criminal, the Misfit, aloose from the Federal Pen heading to Florida and she thinks that it is dangerous to for the family to head to Florida. The Grandmother tries to manipulate the son, Bailey to change the destination, and she prefers Tennes-see because she has connections there. The central purpose of the story is to show the rivalry between good and evil. According to an article by Alex Link,...
Words: 979 - Pages: 4
...A Good Man Is Hard To Find Flannery O’Connor “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor tells the gruesome story of a grandmother and her family on their way to Florida for a family vacation, along the way they visit an old plantation from the grandmother’s childhood. O’Connor uses witty characterization and dramatic irony in order to depict the moral of the story: good men, if not impossible, are extremely hard to find. O’Connor expresses her general view towards the male gender and their barbaric nature, while using the image of an innocent, loving family, in opposition to the antagonist in order to provoke sympathy and a deeper understanding of the moral. The use of dramatic irony, strong imagery and unique characterization...
Words: 974 - Pages: 4
...generation do not see eye to eye with the younger generations behavior because it is completely different from their time, especially those of the higher social class. In the short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find", by Flannery O'Conner, O'Conner portrays the difference between the social class of the grandmother, the misfit, as well as the her family and the actual good that is within them. O'Conner describes this through imagery in the old fashioned cultural behaviors and the present cultural behaviors. He shows the difference between the how the children act, as opposed to how the grandmother reacts to their actions. Because of her southern mindset, she emphasizes this idea by describing what it is like to be a "lady" or a "gentleman" and those of a higher social class are automatically suppose to be classified as good. In...
Words: 1023 - Pages: 5
...critic will be the best literary analysis for the grandmother in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor because her selfishness leads to her and her family’s death in the end. The grandmother lacks severe self-awareness, but she still describes herself to be a lady. The grandmother is a southern older Caucasian woman who only cares about her self-image and how everyone else sees her. She is an uptight person, who thinks the world revolves around only her. Most of it has to do with her pride and what she did not have within her life. Her way of speaking and how she dresses are indications that she considers herself to be a lady. For instance, when they are traveling the grandmother has on “a navy blue straw sailor hat...
Words: 711 - Pages: 3
...A Good Man Is Hard To Find literary analysis Tracy Wooten Elizabeth Isenkul February 20, 2016 A good man is hard to find is short story written by Flannery O’ Connor. Throughout the entire story O’Connor utilizes irony as a literary element to create multiple facets of her characters in the story such as those of Bailey's mother and The Misfit. O'Connor establishes the foundation of the irony very early in the story when she gives us the reason for the grandmother getting dressed up for the car ride, “In case of an accident anyone seeing the dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (O’Connor, 1993) . Later on in the story this could considered foreshadowing. Throughout the entire story the grandmother judges people either as good or bad solely based on how they look. For example, the first time the reader sees the phrase "A good man is hard to find," the speaker is Red Sam at the roadside barbecue restaurant where the family is having lunch. Just before that, however, Red Sam has described his willingness to allow some strangers to charge gas, and he asks himself the question, "Now, why did I do that?" (O’Connor, 1993). The grandmother's immediate response is "Because you're a good man." (O’ Connor, 1993). She makes this assessment with very little information about Red Sam, not on the basis of any meaningful knowledge about his character. When the grandmother is first introduced to the misfit, she makes one of those same judgments of him because...
Words: 784 - Pages: 4
... | |Thursday, January 16th | |In class we’ll read the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Roethke (274), practice textual analysis, and work on an | | | |outline. | | | |Homework: Pg. 276, questions 14-16, and “making an argument” 4; | | | |Read the poem, “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden (13) and answer | | | |questions 1-6. | | | | | |Tuesday, January 21st | |In class we’ll re-read the poem, “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden, look at an earlier draft, practice textual | | | |analysis, and work on an outline. | | | |Homework: choose one line from either poem that connects...
Words: 1547 - Pages: 7
...Literary Analysis Paper Flannery O’Connor is without a doubt one of the most influential renowned writers has earned her to be one of the top Literary Writers of have came out of the South. She is mostly known for her intense and jaw dropping stories on mystery and violence, to show a type of representation of salvation through obscure stories like “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”; which was still till this very day of the best known stories O’Connor has wrote in a long time. The story as a whole represents the ethics the self-righteousness grandmother in the family that had been surprised by this so called spiritual awareness by this unknown murder, which goes by the name of The Misfit, who had posses the action of committing a murderous spree...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...“A Good Man is Hard to Find” How old does one need to be to die and how old is too old to profess one’s faith and receive salvation? What does it take to have salvation and eternal life and how does one show that in a work of literature? In the process of all of the chronological references and religious symbolism, Flannery O’Connor in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” addresses this and draws a parallel to the modern moral dilemma of what it takes to be saved. Written in 1953 and based upon her Roman Catholicism roots, O’Connor conveys how each family member gracefully accepts the previous generation’s quirkiness and cynicism to maintain family unit. Although the younger generations do not respect older ones as much as their parents, her stories have characters that convey her message of religious distrust through each character’s deceptive actions and secular thoughts. Similarly, most of O’Connor’s stories make reference to the good and bad by such subtleness as creatively naming the kids after an outlaw and a founder of a major religion. By such obscurity, she wants to draw a parallel between the true believer and the hypocrites that appear to be religious in actions (May). Like a mirror’s reflection, O’Connor’s story contains several undertones of grace in how the characters are developed in the story. From the grandmother to the Misfit, there is a “forewarning of mortal death in the story as the family travels on their last trip before meeting the Misfit that carries...
Words: 2120 - Pages: 9
...Written Your textual analysis provides the background for an essay, and account or a text in another genre you are asked to write about a text. You should only use results from the analysis, which are relevant for the focus you have chosen. Novels | Short stories | A novel is a literary imaginative work whose content has been invented in an author’s imagination. It does not represent actuality and it is seldom based on facts.Novels and short stories are fiction. | A short story belongs to the genre fiction.It is epic and it tells a story in just one main plot. Often: * Exposition (eksponering, udstilling, redegørelse) * Complication * Crisis * Sad/happy/open/surprising ending.A short story is often restricted (begrænset) to one setting only; fixed place and time and narrow (snæver, smal) social surroundings. There is a limited set of characters in a short story. A decisive (afgørende) situation beyond a character’s control occurs (forekommer, opstår) and the story starts. A short story only discusses a selected part of life. It mostly shows a decisive moment in life, which can entail (medfører) a fatal blow (skæbnesvangert) | To analyse fiction is to open the text by examining its various components (forskellige bestanddele). A good analysis will cover all the following points. * However, all the points will not be equally important in all analyses. Always base your analysis on what is actually said in the text. Analysing of fiction Description:...
Words: 1257 - Pages: 6
...Literature – SYLLABUS Campbell University –RTP Campus Prerequisites: English 101 Instructor: Susan Doody Term: Spring II March 13- May1 Phone: 919.661-8414 Evenings: Tuesday (BLENDED) Time: 5:15-7:30 pm E-mail: doodys@campbell.edu OR lovetoteach48@yahoo.com COURSE REQUIREMENTS Course Description: A course designed to enhance reading, writing, research, and critical thinking skills directed toward literary analysis. Prerequisite: English 101. Required Texts: • Backpack Literature: An Intro to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, eds., 4th ed. • Aaron, Jane E. LB Brief. 4th ed., Boston: Longman, 2010. Learning Outcomes: Goals: English 102 is designed to “enhance writing, research, and reading skills directed toward literary analysis.” Therefore, the student will learn to read carefully and critically by analyzing the elements of literature—plot, theme, characterization, etc. through class discussion, short papers and research. Since analysis is key to this course, class participation is imperative. Expectations of Students: Students are expected to participate in all phases of the class, including discussions, both in class and on the Bd discussion board. Required readings must be completed before class. Homework and other assignments are due on the dates noted in the "Assignments" of Blackboard. Specific pages and due dates will be posted there. All students are subject...
Words: 1464 - Pages: 6
...Emily Nole Professor Bruce Poteet English 161 4 November 2014 “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” and “Good Country People” Literary Analysis Flannery O’Connor’s works are perfect examples of distortional point of view, and literary irony. Through her work “Good Country People,” O’Connor uses her humor and uses distortional point of view through her characters Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell, and Mrs. Freeman to “humble and expose the biases of the overly intellectual and spiritual bankrupt.” Through her work “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” O’Connor uses her humor and uses distortional point of view to convey and emphasize that we each experience reality, however distorted, through the unique, sometime morally-distorted lens of individual perception, through...
Words: 2109 - Pages: 9
...has finally come into being to meet critical eyes through two months of hard work. From the very beginning when I chose the topic till the completion of the thesis, I have benefited from many people . First of all I would like to show my sincere gratitude to my tutor, Shen Guozheng. Without his sincere and trustworthy guidance，valuable suggestions and critical comments，it would be difficult for me to accomplish this thesis．His loyalty to teaching and punctilious work style has profoundly impressed me. Moreover, I heartily thank all the teachers who have helped me in the past four years, who have provided me with incentives and direction for my study. Thanks are also due to my classmates and friends for their constant encouragement and their ways of assistance in the course of writing. Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family members, for their selfless support，thoughtfulness and encouragement． Abstract Jane Austen was one of the distinguished realistic novelists in the nineteenth- century-English literature．Pride and Prejudice is a world wide popular novel published in 1813．Austen set the story in the first decade of the nineteenth century．At that time，marriage was the only way for women to gain social status and recognition. The author of the present thesis will analyze the five marriage patterns from the perspective of sociohistorical literary criticism to explore the important role that money and love plays in marriage...
Words: 4250 - Pages: 17
...Introduction How to Write a Compare-and-Contrast Essay in 8 Easy Steps A compare-and-contrast essay might seem like the easiest type of paper to write: just find things that are alike and then find things that are different. Piece of cake, right? There’s a catch, however. It is up to you to argue why those similarities and differences matter; otherwise, you don’t have much of a paper. The following steps will guide you through the process of writing an effective compare-and-contrast essay that actually has something valuable to say. 1) So they’re alike and they’re different. So what? A good paper will not simply offer a summary of themes, characters, or plot. Your job is to think about how these comparisons and contrasts create meaningful connections to a larger issue. 2) Create an effective thesis statement. Again, you need to say why the comparison and contrast is worthy of note. Let’s say you want to compare and contrast the heroines of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. Your thesis might be this: “Although Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre are very different on the outside, their shared internal values connects them in literary history and in the fight for women’s rights.” Now you have a reason for your efforts and a compelling case for your audience’s attention. 3) Select a pattern. There are two ways you can write a compare-and-contrast paper. You can present your arguments in a "tandem" pattern or an "alternating" pattern. Tandem. Separate your pros and cons...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...Good or Bad Hypocrisy is to claim to have certain moral behaviors, but the person speaking of the behaviors does not enforce them on himself. In today’s society, many arrogant individuals feel that making themselves seem better than the rest of the crowd causes people to look up to them. In reality, the crowd actually believes that they are foolish. In the story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, the author addresses the consequences of poor judgment and how this leads to the death of the main character. The grandmother attempts to talk her son and his wife into going to Tennessee instead of Florida because a man called the misfit has escaped prison. After they stop at the tower and speak with the owner, Red Sam, the grandmother remembers an old plantation that she would like to see again, and she even exaggerates about the house so her son will stop by. After having an accident on the dirt road leading to the plantation, the grandmother realizes the house is actually in Tennessee. The spoiled old lady waves down a car for help, and the people in the vehicle turn out to be the misfit and his henchmen. She makes a mistake by announcing that she knows who they are. As a result, the misfit and his crew kill her and the rest of the family, leaving her last to die. Through the author’s use of tone, symbolism, and characterization, O’Connor proves that labeling someone as “good” is only true if he has morals and grace, not selfishness and blindness. The grandmother...
Words: 1497 - Pages: 6
...land (Bloom). George Milton and Lennie Small are the two main characters that travel together in search for work. The story took place in California, during the Great Depression, a time in history where everyone suffered from the economical problems and hardship. It was a hard era to live in, there was an extremely high unemployment rate, no one had a steady job and people had to adapt to a new living style. John Steinbeck was present at this time and had a firsthand experience working on a ranch (Leaf). He wrote about the American dream every human being wanted; through the characters of George and Lennie, who both dreamt for the same future, in owning their own land and working for no one else. These two characters are both similar in the sense of wanting the same thing, yet are completely different. Also, Steinbeck included a character, Curly, who lives every American dream and displays how he is. I am going to characterization these three major characters and show their part in the novel. The story begins with two different, thus alike men who are each other’s companion. George and Lennie are both men who work on ranches for money and do not have family, thus they both have a common future. They are both hard workers and optimistic for the future. However, George is the brains and leader of this friendship, since Lennie is mentally disabled (Leaf). George always has to look out for Lennie because he does not make the right choices, and always gets in some kind trouble that...
Words: 1632 - Pages: 7
