...Henry James’s book, The Turn of the Screw, is a mysterious, yet well written novel that has captivated readers since 1898. Its complex characters create a dramatic tone that adds suspense to the novel. James leads the readers to draw conclusions about the characters that lure them into the plot so they will further enjoy the story. Mrs. Grose seems to be a simple character, but is essential to the novel; she possesses a degree of ambiguity that adds to the complexity of her character and of the novel. Mrs. Grose is a simple woman, a foil to the governess, and an insight to critical information, however each one of these defines her complex nature. Mrs. Grose’s ambiguity exposes her complex identity that is hidden by her simple nature. When...
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...Denis Umansky Ambiguity in understanding women characters in short stories. The prowess of a good writer lies in an area of catching reader's attention. The way author can make us think about his work, carefully analyzing events and making images of his characters. However, a real master doesn't give us exact answers to our questions, but leaves a space for our own imagination to reply on them. In the text of this essay I would like to highlight the ambiguity, in which protagonists of short stories are presented. As an example I will use images of Olenka from “The Darling” by Chekhov, Mme. Loisel from “The Necklace” by Maupassant and Mrs. Mallard from “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. It would be reasonable to start with Anton Chekhov, because he is one of the founders of a short story genre. Speaking about “The Darling”, I would like to mention my own experience and attitude towards this narrative. I first read it several years ago as a part of literature program at school. My first attitude to Olenka wasn't the most pleasant one. I judged her intellectually and found all her actions irrational and even pathetic, because she couldn't live without being addicted to someone. This is a passage, where author describes her emotional state, when she is alone: “She hardly ever went out, except for the market … and led the life of a nun”(194). So without a man near her, Olenka has no goal in her life, no need in self-realization and this is not good. Nevertheless, three years...
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...as an experimental novelist and a father of Modernism. He supplied the 20th novel with the structural and formal principles of the rhythmic juxtaposition of scenes and the skillful union of significant moments. He was the first to discover and explore the center of consciousness, the limited point of view, ambivalence and ambiguity. The pictorial method and the realism, the scenic structuring of the plot combined with the subjective reconstruction of the intelligent observer; the dramatic form combined with the field of consciousness. CHARACTERISTICS: the referential ambiguity in pronouns; the end-linking, which shows the insecurity of someone who never considers anything finished (but nothing is ever finished in Jame’s world, there’s always some word, some idea at the end of the period to repeat. James revised his works again and again after serial publication, for new editions… He is one of the most autobiographical of the great fiction writers, and when he makes his characters projections of himself, the result is ambiguity. He doesn’t use the actual events of his life in his writings but his mental life, his thoughts, conflicts and emotions, since James’s style is personal and subjective. This is clear and precise in his earlier fiction and more intricate and elaborate in his later work. James progressed from a traditional language to a highly personal one. The content in his prose is concerned with understanding and with emotional appreciation derived from...
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...popular in his lifetime, yet brought him no financial attainment. Soon reprinted, mocked, and illustrated—opinion is divided as to the poem's standing, but it nonetheless it remains one of the most famous poems ever written. The poem itself contains mystery, laid out by his style. His style, alludes mystery by the use of ambiguity. Not only is the theme itself extremely ambiguous, but this ambiguity is brought on by his use of diction—the words he chooses are ambiguous, and this hinders the straightforwardness of the theme, creating it to also be ambiguous. Some of the ambiguous vocabulary he uses are the words soul, angels, chamber, nevermore, and raven. The soul is defined as the spiritual part of a human being, regarded as immortal. The soul has multiple meanings, differing by cultures and perceptions. The soul can be denoted as the God within—the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans. It can be symbolized as survival or eternity, as the soul is believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come. Furthermore, the soul can be described as the divine source of all identity and individuality, or deeply felt emotion. Poe mentions the soul in many forms, “Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,”, “Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,”, “But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only—That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour” and,...
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...Cherifa Senouci ENGL 1302.308 Mrs. Kane Summer 2016 Research Paper Outline Work in pieces I. Introduction A good writer tends to employ a variety of rhetorical devices in order to convey his ideas and emotions of the characters that presented in the story. If the uses these different techniques well, then the characters become more real and exhilarating for the reader. In this short story, The Lottery, Jackson did a great job in conveying the emotions and the thinking roots of his characters. The lottery has been the town’s tradition for so many years where they stone a person to death every year as a sacrifice for the gods to help them grow crops. Jackson’s description is very realistic and genuine because it reflects the diverse...
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...that would otherwise remain unnoticed. Literary devices, including symbolism, using symbols to represent ideas, and ambiguity, obscurity of meaning, often portray undertones that are necessary for the reader's interpretation. The novels Chronicles of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Perfume: Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind include many references to both symbolism and ambiguity to guide what messages and morals are portrayed. These authors also include vivid imagery, descriptive language, to specify details that are essential for eliciting emotional response from the reader. Symbolism plays a substantial role in portraying the culture and time period of Chronicles of a Death Foretold. Opportunities for the reader to delve into the cultural context of 1950`s Columbia are made apparent within the first sentence of the novel. Magical realism, realistic fiction with mythical elements, brands South American literature immersing the reader in a new world regardless of their location and upbringing. The novel introduces the “protagonist” by...
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...“Words and Music: Narrative Ambiguity in ‘Sonny’s Blues,” by Keith Byerman is a critical analysis of the narrator’s discourse in “Sonny’s Blue.” Byerman argues that the use of language necessarily proves limitations. Byerman states that a “resolution can be accomplished” 1 when the message is “received or code is decipher in most case the message is withheld in some manner-through deception, innocence, or ignorance until a key moment in the narrative.” He supports this argument by pointing out how inconsistent or even misreading the narrator is, because of his incapability to read the surrounding situation of Sonny. Byerman argues that the narrator is “caught in the prison house of language.” 1 This may come from a philosophical stand point rather than normal human emotions and reactions to the view point of family members, as well as an age difference that can create a communication chaos., As the narrator sits on the train reading the paper and seeing that Sonny is in trouble. It’s harmful to his thoughts, that the narrator references his emotions to ice. While Byerman stats that this is the “narrator’s immediate action is to refract his emotion through this metaphor.” While James Baldwin uses metaphors throughout “Sonny’s Blue’s,” this is not an issue with language or misreading’s on the narrator’s part. The narrator is more afraid that the reality of his brother is addicted to drugs and that it has gotten him into trouble. For this to happen to an immediate family...
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...this short story. I found it interesting and intriguing. However, it was also extremely strange at the same time. It was interesting to read about the different members of the platoon and what they carried on their missions with them. Some funny and random objects and some you would expect someone in war to carry. If I were in that situation I would probably be like Dave Jensen, who carried all of the hygienic objects, extra socks, and foot powder. As much as I love the outdoors, I hate being dirty and would drive myself crazy even thinking about getting trench foot. In the story Lieutenant Cross is a young twenty-four year old platoon leader. He is in love with a girl named Martha. However, Martha does not return the same feelings towards Cross. Even though she never makes Cross feel as though she is interested he day dreams of her loving him and wanting to be with him. He can’t help but always think about her even in the worst possible situations. After the death of Lavender Cross can’t help but feel guilty. He loves Martha more than his own men. He cries at the thought of this, and feels a great ordeal of guilt. One of his platoon members Kiowa over hears him crying. He misinterprets Cross’s crying for showing how much he cares for his men. I feel as though there is so much repetition in the story for the purpose of making a point. The men had to carry a great deal of things, however it wasn’t just physical objects they had to carry it was emotions. Emotions can be heavier...
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...just as one cannot possess a shadow or measure distance in meaningful terms. Through this metaphor, Schrand effectively conveys the tension between the desire for clarity and the reality of life's ambiguities, emphasizing the idea that the quest for identity is an ongoing process without a clear endpoint. The Bone Road serves as a bridge connecting different generations, locales, and experiences, symbolizing the intertwining of past and present. Schrand's choice to frame his story around this road also reflects his understanding of identity as something constructed through both personal experiences and inherited stories. The Bone Road, which "bisects this triangle in a jagged gash," is not just a route through Idaho’s landscape but also a route through his family’s history, intersecting the lives of his ancestors and ultimately his own (Schrand 58). In this way, the Bone Road embodies a dual function: it is both a geographical path and a metaphorical device that helps readers understand how Schrand navigates the complexities of his family’s past while seeking to carve out his own identity within that lineage. Schrand deepens the impact of this metaphor through his use of descriptive language and imagery, which create a strong sense of place and mood that mirrors his internal emotions. The vivid descriptions of the harsh and empty landscapes of southeastern Idaho reflect his feelings of desolation, confusion, and longing for understanding. Phrases such as "A buckled plain of sagebrush...
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...memories of war and went on to tell their friends and family of the experiences of war. One such soldier named Tim O’Brien returned from the war and began writing the stories of his fellow soldiers in war. In The Things They Carried, O’Brien suggests that retelling stories creates a juxtaposition of what happened from what seemed to happen in order to induce emotion out of the reader. He composes the stories particularly to...
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...utterance of feeling, or as the products of poet’s feelings. The theory tends to judge the work by its sincerity to the poets’ vision or the state of mind. Such views were developed mainly by the Romantic critics and remain current in our time too. Wordsworth’s definition of poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility” is taken as the ground idea of the expressive theory of art. The most powerful impetus in expressive critical thought was the Romantic Movement that began in late eighteenth century. This movement has deeply affected our modern consciousness and the common sense discourse of literary commentary. The three key concepts associated with this movement are: imagination, genius and emotion. Expressive theorists firmly stick to these three key terms. They believe that authorial individuality is something to be conveyed by a literary work, and to go beyond objectivist theorists’ prescription that a poet’s effort should be to flee personality and that criticism should focus on the poem not on the poet. Wordsworthian notion that “a poem is inner made outer” puts an emphasis on the poet in a poem, and this emphasis has never eased. B. Objective Theory The term "New Criticism" defines the critical theory that has dominated Anglo-American literary criticism for the past fifty years. Its method of close reading and emphasis on the text provided a corrective to fuzzy biographical criticism and subjective enthusiasm, but for many...
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...Commentary on an excerpt from The Jade Peony In the excerpt from ‘The Jade Peony,’ Wayson Choy conveys the feelings and emotions of a little boy who has just lost his mother. Feelings of shock and awareness are created by the lack of detail present. The author uses the activity around the boy to exemplify and focus on the silence in the boy’s head. Choy uses tone, imagery and the narrative first person to convey the context and feelings of the narrative voice. A sense of distance and detachment from surrounding is established in the first paragraph with the sound of ‘footsteps’ and ‘voices.’ Nevertheless loud auditory imagery such as ‘a chair fell,’ ‘the curtains whipping,’ and ‘snapping’ illustrates the sense of an echo in the boy’s head. It conveys that everything affects him more, and that his senses are more vulnerable. This, therefore establishing that he has gone through some sort of trauma. The actions in first paragraph like ‘kept calling, rush, whip, shuddered and hesitated for a second’ are extremely quick. This is contrasting to the slow movements like ‘pull and clung’ in the second paragraph therefore illustrating the way time felt slower to the boy and the way the world spun around him. The shock he feels, is therefore highlighted. The quick movements in the first paragraph could also portray the urgency of the situation. ‘Rigid arms’ and ‘mommy’s head move’ are the first time that the reader is given some clue about the mother’s death. The rigid...
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... In every story characters pose drama, and excitement to capture the readers attention. What may be deceptively hidden behind the words of the author is the heart of the story, which is considered to be the theme. The theme is what stays in your mind, it’s what makes you wonder how and why. This literary element is a must, when constructing any style of literature. There is a need to captivate the reader while allowing their mind to roam, seeking message is direct. In Alice Walker’s short story “The Welcome Table” I found the theme to be that of sorrow. She sets the ambience with a portrayal of an elderly poor black lady. In my opinion this woman is walking with sorrow, she doesn’t have much and is looked down on as nothing though the people in her community. Even though, Alice Walker demonstrates this premise as she places the elderly lady in a church that is restricted for whites only. When most people think a church is a place we’re many can go to worship the elderly woman shown very early that it wouldn’t be as easy. “The young usher, never having turned anyone out of his church before, but not even considering this job as that (after all, she had no right to be there, certainly), went up to her and whispered that she should leave.” R.W. Clugston Journey into Literature (2010). The elderly woman cannot seem to escape the sorrow that has become her life, she searches for peace but in that moment it is interrupted by ignorance. In many stories there are several...
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...Stories told by politicians are often those that elicit appeals to logic, emotion and ethical standards. During the US Senate Hearing, Senator Booker has told the story of how China and Russia have become far more advanced with nuclear resources than the United States. This story of stymied progress in comparison to other world super powers often elicits a sense of urgency within congress. We can all agree that the US would enjoy being autonomy as the world’s leading power in every aspect of sovereignty. Unfortunately, that is not the reality for the US as Russia and China both ahead of the US in nuclear energy production. The US Senate Hearing on the proposal of NEIMA also includes examples of metaphors. Metaphors are implied comparisons that indirectly works towards a larger narrative. For example, the comparison of nuclear capabilities and terrorism by Mr. Lyman is one that could not be easily overlooked as the threat of terrorism has been exacerbated within recent years due to countless leaks of confidential government information. Mr. Lyman suggests that the proliferation of nuclear capabilities could lead to greater risk of terror. Ambiguity is another problem within the policy proposal as ambiguity creates the capacity to have multiple meanings. Ideals such as economic development and bureaucratic accountability are vague terms that politicians...
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...Explore the ways in which Keith is presented towards Stephen in ‘Spies’ Frayn binds the fragility of youth and secrecy to form the unexpected and dissolution of childhood. His frequent ambiguity eludes the author into what is really the secret, hence the title ‘Spies’. Frayn often ends the last chapters of the novel with ‘Everything is as it was; and everything has changed,’ it is Stephens reflection of his consequences in a world he does not understand; Frayn often emphasises Stephen’s age and naivety with his misinterpretations of events throughout the novel, which then prove disastrous for orbiting characters. A reoccurring theme is the influence of adults on children, the Hayward’s and their son Keith; the extreme opposites of the spectrum-parents, design Keith’s character. Frayn’s narrative begins as a light humorous read; however the consequences of misunderstanding and secrecy inflict severe harm on the book’s characters. As a result Stephen’s world shatters, disguised metaphorically and physically as Stephen’s hideout, the ‘privet’ contains all the secrets and emotions within the two children and the fracturing of their creativity provides the conclusion of the novel with the melancholic truth. Frayn often refers to Keith’s parents in order to show Keith as an individual but to also provide the reader with insight. When Keith’s father appears it evokes alarm even form his title ‘Keith’s father’ it is a distancing mechanism from everything and throughout the novel...
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