...Phil found himself sitting on a worn-out sofa, in front of an old Super Nintendo game console with a small boy perched on his lap. He was surprised at how happy it made him feel. It wasn’t real. He reminded himself once more. This was just some odd dream state, a coping mechanism, something he had to escape from. Phil still had no idea where he was. “Hey, bud?” Phil questioned softly, still not knowing the little boy’s name. At first, the boy had been too transfixed on the game Phil was playing that he hadn’t heard Phil speak but after the characters on the screen stopped moving he looked up at Phil with curious eyes. “Yeah?” He asked quietly. “Do you know where we live?” The child tilted his head in a strange manner, “In a house,” Phil was internally hitting himself for hoping to get a straight answer from a four-year-old figment of his imagination. Again, Mr Sunshine was struggling to find a silver lining. He supposed that even though this boy wasn’t real, a lot of Phil wanted him to be, he wanted everything in this world to be real, right down to the part where he woke up next to his best friend and that concerned him more than anything. “I know that. I meant what town do we live in?” The boy furrowed his brow in thought like this was a very tough question for him to answer. “Reading like red… like the colour.” Phil paused but nodded his head. He had no clue why, he supposed it was close to where Dan grew up, but what happened to London or even Manchester for that matter...
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...Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Men or Children? The gangster is a fictional story written by Colson Whitehead in 2008. It is a short story about African- American teenagers and its setting is in Sag Harbor, in 1985. The story begins with a question, “When did you get out?” The opening question emphasizes the title of the story on a particular notion to the reader. In the fictional story, the gangster, Benji and Reggie are twin brothers of ten months apart. They grew up together inseparably in every aspect. It was common for them to be seen together and when they were not, people always question them on where the other is. High school and puberty brought the difference between them physically. They would be seen away from each other severally, and they even looked different physically with Benji being skinny while Reggie looked chubby. Benji and Reggie are brought up in an upper middle class family, and their parents own a beach house in Sag harbor where they go to during the summers. In the summer of 1985, Benji was 15 years old, and Reggie was 14 years old. During the summer when the whole family left for their beach house, the boys would be left alone for some time when their parents went back to the city to work during the weekdays. Benji and Reggie are described, in the story, as Siamese twins when they were young, describing their inseparable nature. This is clearly brought out by the language used as quoted “Where is the surgeon, who is gifted enough to...
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...Diaspora communities always inevitably experience a sense of loss, an absence, which is crucial to the development of a consciousness of identity and ethnicity. Thus the narratives produced by the authors of the diaspora community highlights this trauma, struggle and the sense of loss of experienced by these communities and the cultural negotiations they have to indulge. These experiences of the struggle to assimilate and integrate into the host nation’s socio-political environment result in the formation of hybrid identities. The exiled communities dwell in a space, juxtaposed with fragments of memories, imagination and a real geopolitical space, which is regarded by Bhabha as “hybrid space” and by Edward Soja as the “third space”. Hosseini’s creative imagination is fuelled by his memories of his childhood and...
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...For other uses, see Fiction (disambiguation). An illustration from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, depicting the fictional protagonist, Alice, playing afantastical game of croquet. Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical, cinematic or musical work. Fiction contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively with factual (or, at least, assumed factual) events, descriptions, observations, etc. (e.g.,biographies, histories). Contents [hide] * 1 Types of fiction * 1.1 Realistic fiction * 1.2 Non-realistic fiction * 1.3 Semi-Fiction * 2 Elements of fiction * 2.1 Plot * 2.2 Exposition * 2.3 Foreshadowing * 2.4 Rising action * 2.5 Climax * 2.6 Falling action * 2.7 Resolution * 2.8 Conflict * 2.8.1 Types of conflict * 2.8.1.1 Person vs. self * 2.8.1.2 Person vs. person * 2.8.1.3 Person vs. society * 2.8.1.4 Person vs. nature * 2.8.1.5 Person vs. supernatural * 2.8.1.6 Person vs. machine/technology * 2.9 Character * 2.10 Methods of developing characters * 2.11 Symbolism * 2.12 Metaphor * 3 Types of plots * 3.1 Chronological order * 3.2 Flashback * 3.3 Setting...
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...Literary Standards Universality Literature - appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, sex, and time which are all considered significant. Artistry Literature has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense of beauty. Intellectual Value It stimulate critical thinking that enriches mental processes of abstract and reasoning, making man realize the fundamental of truths of life and its nature. Suggestiveness It unravels man’s emotional power to define symbolism, nuances, implied meanings, images and messages, giving and evoking visions above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experience. Spiritual Value Literature elevates the spirit and the soul and thus has the power to motivate and to inspire. Permanence Literature endures across time and draws out the time factor: Timeliness – occurring at a particular time. Timelessness – remaining invariable throughout time Importance of Literature • •Studying literature is like looking at the mirror of life where man’s experiences, his innermost feelings and thoughts are reflected. • Through literature, we learn the culture of people across time and space•We understand not only the past life of a nation but also its present. • Moreover, we become familiar not only with the culture of neighboring countries but also with that of others living very far from us Literary Approaches Literary Approaches Moral or Humanistic Approach • Literature is viewed to discuss man and its nature. • It presents...
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...picture of the epic journey that the main character in the story, Valentino faces from the time that he flees the country to the time that he finally reaches what he thought would be the “Promised Land” in Atlanta, United States of America. He was soon to realize that even in America, life would not be a bed of roses but it would be marred by unexpected acts of violence and racial discrimination (Dave 28). One striking thing in the narrative is that the author brings out the culture of the Dinka people. For instance, polygamous nature of the Dinka people is clearly illustrated. The myth regarding the origin of the Dinka people is as well demonstrated (Bess). In regards to this origin, the Dinka people are given a choice by God to choose between the cattle and the “What is the What”. They choose the cattle which they understood better rather than “What is the What” which they did not as demonstrated in the line, "—you didn't tell us the answer: What is the What? My father shrugged. —We don't know. No one knows” (Dave 64). Through the narrative, a reader is informed on the historical background of the south Sudanese people. The relative geographical locations of the three African countries of Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya are well described, painting an unforgettable picture in the mind of the reader. The diversity in different cultures comes out clearly in the book as the main character traverses boundaries. Valentino’s story illuminates the story of thousands of Sudanese boys and...
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...personal chord" for him, as he had grown up with the sport while living in Afghanistan. He was motivated to write a 25-page short story about two boys who fly kites in Kabul.[8] Hosseini submitted copies to Esquire and The New Yorker, both of which rejected it.[9] He rediscovered the manuscript in his garage in March 2001 and began to expand it to novel format at the suggestion of a friend.[8][9] According to Hosseini, the narrative became "much darker" than he originally intended.[8] His editor, Cindy Spiegel, "helped him rework the last third of his manuscript", something she describes as relatively common for a first novel.[9] As with Hosseini's subsequent novels, The Kite Runner covers a multigenerational period and focuses on the relationship between parents and their children.[2] The latter was unintentional; Hosseini developed an interest in the theme while in the process of writing.[2] He later divulged that he frequently came up with pieces of the plot by drawing pictures of it.[7] For example, he did not decide to make Amir and Hassan brothers until after he had "doodled it".[7] Like Amir, the protagonist of the novel, Hosseini was born in Afghanistan and left the country as a youth, not returning until 2003.[10] Thus, he was frequently questioned about the extent of the autobiographical aspects of the book.[9] In response, he said, "When I say some of it is me, then people look unsatisfied. The parallels are pretty obvious, but ... I left a few things ambiguous...
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...change in public opinion of slavery Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book is a realistic but fictional perspective of slavery. The key characters in the story include Uncle Tom, George Harris and Eliza. Uncle Tom is slave that is trustworthy and pious. He does not wrong anybody and only hitherto obeys the master. Being a spiritual person, Uncle Tom does his best to do what is right and obey the Bible. On the other hand, Eliza is a very beautiful slave under the ownership of George Shelby Sr., who formerly owns Tom. George Harris is the husband to Eliza and he lives around the nearby plantation. The brilliance of George caused him to invent a machine that was utilized in the factory where he works. Consequently, his owner became so jealous and decided to demote George from the factory and made him to carry out hard labor at the plantation. The setting of the story is across the Mississippi and Kentucky states (Tang, Research & Education Association 6-20). Rarely does a single work of literature transform the society or sets it on the road to a dreadful conflict. One such catalytic story is Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852). Many consider it as being among the most influential American fictional works ever published. The number of copies that Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold were numerous than any other fictional title to have been published before. Five thousand of its copies were sold within its first two days, around fifty thousand...
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...in the southern part of America around the late 1800 (1864-1865). The reader is introduced to three slaves: Martha, Mikey and Tommy. They work and live at a plantation owned by their masters: Old Mrs. Gage, who is very sick and cries bitter tears over her husband’s death and the young First Lieutenant in the Confederate army, Sterling Gage, who has been in battle at the front for a year. The plot takes off when the three slaves are informed that slavery has been abolished: ”It was the day after the boy from the Union had come to the farm to let the slaves know they were freemen”. The action rises as the slaves are declared freemen and decide to travel to the north and get jobs. ”Then they could all go North, Mikey, his new wife and his brother, all working for wages in the city.” They had stopped working in the fields but Martha does not stop working. She continued to service Old Mrs. Gage. “If Martha didn’t serve Mrs. Gage, the old woman would have starved”. “”we’s free to do as we like””. They decided to stay until master Sterling Gage returned from the war. Mikey had built a grudge towards master Sterling Gage after years of poor and inhumane treatment and slavery. ”Mikey said the whole family was...
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...Theatrical adaptations of literature most often create similarities and differences between the piece of literature that it is modeling and itself. This can be seen in the short story The Most Dangerous Game and the film of the same name. Directors Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack took the job of restyling the novel. Examples of parallels and distinctions can be seen predominantly in the setting, plot events, characters, and resolution of the two fictional arts. When a director of a screenplay reshapes a novel, it would be irrational to make changes to the setting, because it could make drastic changes to the plot events. This also holds true for the film version of The Most Dangerous Game. For example, the backdrop takes...
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...Fiction we must understand what American Literature is in itself and which pieces of writing we can include within this label. It is believed that when a piece is written in North America, more precisely in the USA, it would automatically be given this epithet. But it should be taken into account that this idea is quite broad and doesn’t reflect the real essence of the term. However, there is also another definition that gathers this essence: American Literature is the one that represents the Americanism, the singularity of the USA philosophy and culture. This way, instead of focusing on who the author is, it is focused on the content of the writing. In that which concerns Fiction, the following documents are the ones considered as narrative: Speeches Letters Short Stories Essays Political Documents Sermons Novels Diaries 1 FIRST LITERARY EXPRESSIONS The first documents in which the idea of Americanism is very present are the Sermons. They respond to the strict Protestantism settled in the New Continent after the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers and Puritans in the Mayflower (1620) and the Arabella (1630). They established a theocratic community whose main and only point of reference was the Bible. That is why the idea of the ‘city upon a hill’ is still very present in American mentality. As we all know, their community was also governed by the concept of Predestination. This belief was based...
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...King Solomon’s Mines, a colonial novel King Solomon’s Mines (1885) was a popular boys’ adventure novel by the Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It was the first English fictional adventure novel set in Africa . It tells of the search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of three adventurers for the missing brother of one of the party. The story is narrated by Allan Quatermain, a kind of big game hunter and adventurer who also leads the expedition. They have a lead/clue that the missing brother is somewhere in the interior of Africa, lost on his own quest for King Solomon's mines, a legendary place. The novel is generally believed to have played a part in the British fancy for Africa, and the ‘scramble for Africa’. It is also considered to be the genesis of the Lost World literary genre, a precursor of science fiction. The major interest of the novel now may be its scholarly value, the colonialist attitudes Haggard expresses, the way he portrays the relationships between the white and African characters. 1. Haggard does portray some Africans in their traditional—from a Victorian perspective—literary posts as barbarians, and constant racist commentary can be detected throughout the novel: the mildest form it takes is the superiority complex of whites over blacks. For instance, when it demonstrates the kind of technological gap that existed between the blacks and the whites, through the exhibition of firepower, referred to as ‘the magic...
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...Summary of CT The Canterbury Tales begins with the introduction of each of the pilgrims making their journey to Canterbury to the shrine of Thomas a Becket. These pilgrims include a Knight, his son the Squire, the Knight's Yeoman, a Prioress, a Second Nun, a Monk, a Friar, a Merchant, a Clerk, a Man of Law, a Franklin, a Weaver, a Dyer, a Carpenter, a Tapestry-Maker, a Haberdasher, a Cook, a Shipman, a Physician, a Parson, a Miller, a Manciple, a Reeve, a Summoner, a Pardoner, the Wife of Bath, and Chaucer himself. Congregating at the Tabard Inn, the pilgrims decide to tell stories to pass their time on the way to Canterbury. The Host of the Tabard Inn sets the rules for the tales. Each of the pilgrims will tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and two stories on the return trip. The Host will decide whose tale is best for meaningfulness and for fun. They decide to draw lots to see who will tell the first tale, and the Knight receives the honor. The Knight's Tale is a tale about two knights, Arcite and Palamon, who are captured in battle and imprisoned in Athens under the order of King Theseus. While imprisoned in a tower, both see Emelye, the sister of Queen Hippolyta, and fall instantly in love with her. Both knights eventually leave prison separately: a friend of Arcite begs Theseus to release him, while Palamon later escapes. Arcite returns to the Athenian court disguised as a servant, and when Palamon escapes he suddenly finds Arcite. They fight over Emelye, but...
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........................... pp. 10 An autonomous language........................ pp. 10 Critical reception......................................pp. 14 The cinema: a mass spectacle.................. pp. 15 Bibliography......................................................... pp. 17 Introduction In this essay I am going to talk about history in The Birth of a Nation by David Wark Griffith. By “history” I mean: the historical filmic context of the film, which was released in 1915. I am going to show how history is represented in the film. We can see some facts that may have been changed in some aspects in order to guide our minds to what the director want us to think. We also find, as a method to support this, the introduction of fictional characters in some much known historical events of the United States. To end with, I am going to explain why this film is so important, including the technical improvements that are represented here. D. W. Griffith David Walk Griffith was born in Oldham County, Kentucky, on 22nd January, 1875. Griffith attempted to become a writer but only managed to have one of his plays performed. In 1907 Griffith moved to Hollywood and tried to sell a script to a movie producer, Edwin S....
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...slaves from children to the elderly as much as they could. Though everyone struggled, being an enslaved child could have possibly been the worst age to be during this time. Most slave children were torn from their blood families which created a lack of love and affection which every child should have in their younger years of life. Thus, these children were forced into their slave owners homes which created a new family for them, sometimes positive or negative. Most importantly, slave children weren’t given much of a childhood; they were torn from their human rights of freedom, education, equality, and many other civil liberties. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a fictional work by Harriet Beecher Stowe, accurately compares to the real accounts of former slaves on the subject of enslaved children. Along with Stowe’s book, many slave narratives talk about these unfortunate events enslaved children went through. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harry is the first child Stowe introduces to the reader. Even though his story ends up having a happy ending, his family had always been incomplete while they were enslaved. Harry is Eliza and Henry Harris’s son; due to Eliza and Henry being on different farms, Harry would rarely ever see his father. Therefore, Harry and his father could not engage in many bonding experiences white children and their fathers could enjoy. In chapter III, Mr. Harris escapes to Canada because his master is forcing him to marry another woman on his own farm, ultimately, having to...
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