...Abonado November 27, 2013 The two literary works that I have chosen from this course to discuss are “Country Lovers” and the other is “What it’s like to be a Black Girl”. The themes these two share are race and ethnicity. Between these two, Country Lovers is the short story and the poem is What It’s like to be a Black Girl, and tells us the background of race and also describes the dilemma of ethnicity. In the short story and in the poem race or ethnicity was distinguished and represented by the black female. The main characters in both of the literary works mentioned are the black females. Both black females in the short story and poem are seen differently in society because of their racial backgrounds and their skin color, but their character play an important role in each. The main character both the short story and the poem was about the black female. There are still racial and ethical problems witnessed and experienced in today’s society in places such as the general public, the work place, and even schools. This was not a subject that was discussed enough because it was very sensitive and the outcomes of the discussions were normally filled with anger or depression. Country Lovers and What It’s Like TO be A Black Girl use the same theme like ethnicity or race. Nadine Goriner wrote the short story, Country Lovers, in 1975. It took place in South Africa. Country Lovers is about the love between a young white boy named Paulus and a young black girl named Thebedi. From the...
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...or may acknowledge it as a worldly or personal crisis. In short story, “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gourdime and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Elswell Hemmingway, both centers around the conflict that involves the issues of forces that may threaten to end love relationships in way both couples didn't want, by exploring the use of literary techniques such as symbolism, climax, and setting. Both stories deal with forces that is causing a love crisis between each other. The theme in “Hill Like White Elephant”, the couples are dealing with the topic of their unborn child and abortion and in “Country Lovers” focus on the love of childhood friends that turn into sexual curiosity that is against society rules and expectation between blacks and whites. Hills Like White Elephants, the whole story is consist of dialogue between a young woman who is nicknamed “Jig” and the unnamed American lover, trying to talk to each other but neither are listening or viewing each other point of views. The “white elephant” symbolizes to Jig's unwanted pregnancy that in her perspective, is proving to be a unwanted gift but precious because of her statement about the setting she residing in where the “hills” located in Eros across a valley that “look like white elephants” are “lovely”, which enlightens the statements to be more of something she want to experience of having the child that is unwanted. However, her American lover only refer to it as “only[a]...
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...From ancient times, in every culture, humans have told stories to explain what goes on in the world around them, to honor people,to celebrate achievements,and to communicate human value ( Chugston, 2014). Both of these short stories achieved this goal. Each story was able to captivate you. The authors made you fall in love with the characters. You wanted to read more. “The Welcome Table” and “Country Lovers” showed sides of racism that took place in completely different parts of the world. Each author used their literary and keen writing skills in order to get the reader to completely understand the point each one of them was trying to make. In the short stories, “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer, Racism is the theme and highlight of each one. Both stories are discussing racial issues but they are two completely different stories and the authors begin each one in a completely opposite fashion. '”The Welcome Table” was written by Margaret Walker. Walker was published under her maiden name. She was best known for her poem "For My People," published in 1942, and her best-selling novel, Jubilee, based on her what her family went through during slavery and immediately after the Civil War, it was published in 1966. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama., Walker was a resident of Jackson, Miss., and was a professor emeritus at Jackson State College. She taught English and was also a director of the Institute for the Study of History, Life...
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...compare and contrast 2 short stories; “Country Lovers”(Gordimer) and “The Welcome Table”(Walker). Race and Ethncity are alive in the short stories “Country Lovers” and “The Welcome Table”. The stories place at almost the same time, in different countries, but they both show racial discrimination toward the main character. “Racism is an enduring, salient aspect of social and global structures. It is based on demonstrably false theories of racial differences appropriated by a culture in order to deny or unjustly distribute social privileges, economic opportunities, and political rights to the racially stigmatized groups. Racism, thus, structures social differences, power, and culture, as when, according to George Fredrickson, “one ethnic group or historical collectivity dominates, excludes, or seeks to eliminate another on the basis of differences that it believes are hereditary and unalterable” (Racism, 2002). It could be argued that racism is the a theme in both of these stories, but I don’t feel that way at all. I feel that Racism is a big part of each of the stories, but not the main theme of the story. In “The Welcome Table,” judgment and death are the main themes and in Country Lovers it is love and betrayal. Now yes, racism could be the third theme of the stories. Because without racism in each of the stories, you will not have a plot. The author of the each story approached the subject of racism in different ways. I will look at the tone, point of view, and...
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...Running Head: LITERARY WORK ENG 125 January 9, 2011 “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer are two literary poems that have similarities and differences. They are very different in their style, character and format. I think the most common thing that these two literary poems share is they both have a strong and excellent characterization. “Country Lovers” has events and circumstances of behavior and situations that “The Welcome Table does not have. Emphasizing the similarities in an essay defines its comparison and when you emphasize the differences in an essay you are defining the contrast. As I discuss these essays in my writing, you will note that there are some similarities but they are totally different. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two literary stories, “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer. These two stories overall message is “engages the reader in inter-racial issues from a sociological and moral perspective” in “The Welcome Table”. When we look at the “Country Lovers” I think the message “engages the reader in the same inter-racial issues from a sociological but the perspective is psychological.” (p.69) These two pieces are similar in that they are both written in third person and they both have an effect of social and racial discrimination involved in them. As the author of both pieces intentions are to show...
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...Compare and Contrast the Literary Work “The Welcome Table” VS “ Country Lovers” “The Racial Conflicts And Discrimination In The Welcome Table And Country Lovers” Katie McWilliams Instructor: Heather Peerboom 10/30/2014 Introduction I chosen to compare and contrast the literary works, “country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer and “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker, the theme being race / ethnicity. Theme: “The Racial Conflict and Discrimination In The Welcome Table And Country Lovers.” I want to explore the difference lives’ of these two woman was face with, and the way the narrator made me feel while I was reading the story of two black woman. Two strong black women that face all types of problems life had to offer them. These two stories shows feeling, pain, hate, and disappointments in Country Lovers and The Welcome Table. Both of these women had to struggled with their emotions and all they had to go through. Both stories are told in third person omniscient point of view, you can tell by the way the narrator describe the characters and how they’re feeling in both story. “The Welcome Table,” the old woman had her faith to guide her. To carrier her through the hard times. All she wanted was just to attend church. There is a rascal tension centered on both of these stories, in “Country Lovers” the black woman in this story was a pretty black woman fell in love with someone she grow up with a white man, she had a baby for him...
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...Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and the Welcome Table Zeta Donald Eng 125: Introduction to Literature Instructor: Bernadette Anayah May 7, 2012 Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and the Welcome Table The theme in a story is associated with ideas that lie behind the story. Every story narrows a broad underlying idea and shapes it in a unique way to make the underlying idea concrete. That’s how the theme is created. In other words, the theme in a story is a representation of the idea of the story. (Clugston 2110). This paper will compare and contrast the theme of the stories Country Lovers and The Welcome Table. Discrimination and racism is always an issue. Their backgrounds both had love, racism, rejection, hardship, and death. In the short stories “Country Lovers“, by Nadine Gordimer and “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker, they both talk about racism and discrimination of some form. It is not a particularly hidden message in either of these stories, but the two of them approach it from slightly different angles. The main character in each of the stories is a protagonist black female who both struggle with trying to be accepted in society due to the color of their skin. Where there is racism and discrimination of all kind around us, it is more pronounced in these two stories. Both stories express the determination of two women to survive through all adversity. The authors speak of the hardship these women had to face and suffer and understanding...
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...Racialism And Ethnicities in “Country Lovers” and “What it’s like to be a Black Girl” Racial background and ethnicities are represented in the short story “Country Lovers” and the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl”. Both this short story and this poem have a main character or protagonist black female. Both of these women deal with to some degree of discrimination because of their race. Racism is something that we see, hear, and experience in our everyday lives. It may be something that we do not speak about, just like in the short story “Country Lovers “. The short story entitled “Country Lovers” was written by Nadine Gordimer in 1975” (Clugston, 2010). This short story is about a forbidden love between a young black girl named Thebedi and a young white boy named Paulus Eysendyck; which took place on a South African farm. The main characters Paul us and Thebedi were raised together since they were kids. Paulus was a white boy and Thebedi, a black girl. The two of them played together and spent much of their childhood days with one another. As time passed they begin to grow up and the distances between the two also grow apart. Paulus Eysendyck was the son of the farm owner and Thebedi’s father worked on Mr. Eysendyck’s farm. They both knew they could not be together publicly. Throughout this short story there are many dramatic effects. The first takes place when the narrator talks about Paulus going away to school “This usefully coincides with the age...
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...Racialism And Ethnicities in “Country Lovers” Charity Johnson ENG 125 Brian Freeland August 20, 2012 The literature of African America started from eighteenth century. The writings of the African American literature have focused on racism, ethnicity, and struggles of life for the African American people and the chase of freedom along with the search of equality in the society. Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith are famous contributors in the field of African American literature. This pare compares and contrasts the short story of Nadine Gordimer, “Country Lovers” and “What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl,” by Patricia Smith. Both the literature works put light on the racial background and ethnicities. The main character in both the pieces of literature is a black woman. The women in both the poem and the story face severe discrimination because of their color and their race. Racism and ethnicity is an issue which has ruined the societies and only the African American black skinned people, particularly females have been facing the effects of racism since long. The black skinned females have been tortured by discrimination and racism. (Clugston, 2010). Racism is something that most of us do not speak about but it is has penetrated deep in our society. The short story “country lovers” depicts a love story of a black girl named Thebedi and a white boy named Paulus. Both the main characters of the story were brought together since their childhood. They used to play...
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...and talked about nothing but soldiers and toys”. He was far too childish for her. In addition Peter would drink in excess at the mere age of 16. Although she disliked him, Sophie’s marriage to Peter was her first step in becoming Catherine the Great. She unlike Peter immediately immersed herself in the Russian culture. She also converted from German Lutheran to Eastern Orthodoxy and thus she was reborn and renamed Catherine. Catherine was an intellect who learned the Russian language swiftly. The newlyweds were nothing alike. Even on their wedding night Peter stayed up all night drinking with his friends and didn’t even go to bed with his wife. Peter was also impotent and could not father a child. This lead to the first of Catherine’s lovers Sergei Saltykov supposedly picked by Empress Elizabeth herself so that there would have an heir to the throne. As soon as Catherine had her first child Paul I, the boy was taken away for the Empress to raise....
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...Star-crossed lovers is a phrase for the archetype of couples who are tragically separated by their socio-economic status, faith, culture, or family despite true love. The idea is that these relationships are already doomed from the start. Couple’s true instinct and love is pit against societal rules. The phrase “star-crossed lovers” was first coined by famous playwright William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet, “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life.” (Shakespeare 1-6). However, Shakespeare is far from the only author with this concept. This same archetype is found in many traditional stories from all over the world and is still widespread in today’s culture. We feel for these characters,...
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...Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and the Welcome Table Donna Robertson ENG 125: Introduction to Literature Lyndsey Lefebvre November 18, 2012 Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and the Welcome Table Racial discrimination has affected black people in the United States and Africa for many years. Although racial discrimination is against the law in both countries many people believe that racism still exists and there is significant evidence to support many racial discrimination claims. While many racist people has believe throughout time that their behavior is appropriate; two short stories which are Country Lovers and The Welcome Table illustrate these behaviors and allow the reader to interpret, understand and feel the suffering of two black women caused by painful racism. Both stories enlighten the reader on how one ethnicity believe that they are superior to the other and proves that racism is practiced through ignorance and hatred. This essay will compare and contrast the racial theme of the short stories “Country Lovers” written by Nadine Gordimer and “The Welcome Table” written by Alice Walker. Both of these short stories share the same theme, which is centered on racism, but the theme is not limited to racism it also includes love, hardship, rejection, and death. Both stories share racial tension between two ethnic groups, as well as pain suffered as a result of racism. Both of these literary pieces give the reader awareness...
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...The Lover-Duras The Lover (French title: L'Amant) is an autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras, published in 1984 by Les Éditions de Minuit. It has been translated to 43 languages. It was awarded the 1984 Prix Goncourt. The Lover is also a 1992 movie based on this novel, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Jane March and Tony Leung Ka Fai. The cast also included Lisa Faulkner. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Summary of the movie Set against the backdrop of French colonial Vietnam, The Lover reveals the intimacies and intricacies of a clandestine romance between a pubescent girl (Jane March), from a financially strapped French family and an older, wealthy Chinese man (Tony Leung Ka-Fai). The story is narrated by Jeanne Moreau, portraying a writer looking back on her youth. In 1929, a 15 year old nameless girl is traveling by ferry across the Mekong Delta, returning from a holiday at her family home in the village of Sadec, to her boarding school in Saigon. She attracts the attention of a 32 year old son of a Chinese business magnate, a young man of wealth and heir to a tidy fortune. He strikes up a conversation with the girl; she accepts a ride back to town in his chauffeured limousine. Compelled by the circumstances of her upbringing, this girl, the daughter of a bankrupt, manic-depressive widow, is newly awakened to the impending and all-too-real task of making her way alone in the world. Thus, she becomes his lover, until...
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...WUTHERING HEIGHTS: IDEAS AND THEMES Wuthering Heights was published in 1847 under the pseudonym “Ellis Bell”. Charlotte presented her sister Emily as an unconscious artist who “did not know what she had done”. Unlike what Charlotte thought of her sister, some literary critics agree on the fact that it is a very carefully constructed novel. The main problem of critical response was that critics could not work out its moral standpoint. Both lovers deliberately marry other partners. As Catherine Earnshaw dies halfway through the novel, which pair of lovers is meant to carry our approval, Catherine and Heathcliff or young Catherine and Hareton? Moreover their voices reach us through a medley of others: Mr Lockwood, Nelly, Isabella, who are often ignored by readers. A parable of a natural equilibrium disturbed by an external force and eventually somehow restored. The theory that a principle of calm and storm informs the novel provided a comprehensive interpretation. The two aspects (calm and storm) are not necessarily conflicting and will ultimately lead to a state of equilibrium. The world described by the novel is pre-moral, and the drives of the main characters seem to reach beyond their death and strive for transcendence. (Early Victorian Novelists, Lord David Cecil, 1934) A restless force, represented by C and H, which continually pushes against a framework of religion, propriety, social expectations. The novel represents a clash of social classes and economic...
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...Marriage, Alex Altman Thursday, May 22, 2008). The ruling prompted Congress to push through the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented homosexual couples from receiving benefits traditionally conferred by marriage. Twenty-seven states have passed constitutional bans on gay marriage, while just 10 have granted rights to homosexual couples. A lot of people may not approve of this topic but it’s all about how you look at it. Opponents of same-sex marriage may argue that the concept is oxymoronic (contradictory). One might say marriage must involve a man and a woman because that is the definitional essence of marriage or because it’s the modem Western nation-state has structured society around the assumption that only different-sex marital unions are allowed. Me, I agree with same sex marriages, I believe people should be able to express their sexuality whether or not it’s gay or straight. Proponents of same-sex marriage dispute and often ridicule these assertions. With same sex marriage there’s a lot of down falls people look at, far as raising a child, benefits each one has, or what happens when a significant other dies in some cases. “In 1989, most Americans had never even heard of gay marriage, and certainly couldn’t conceive that it would one day be legalized by popular vote” (Here Comes the Groom: Sullivan, Andrew). In the...
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