...different types of narrative and also different types of irony being used. Each individual author has their own way of telling a story; also they have a certain way to portray their story to an audience. For two specific short stories Everything That Rises Must Converge and Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter we can analyze to see what point of view and voice is being used. Everything That Rises Must Converge is a story that takes place in the 1960’s. A recent college graduate, Julian who escorts his mother to her weekly weight-loss class at the YMCA. His mother attends these classes to reduce her high blood pressure. He escorts her there every week because she refuses to take the bus alone since integration. His mother is extremely prejudice and Julian was the total opposite. In Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter this story is about the life of Mrs. Dutta, an old, widowed Indian woman who had moved into her son’s American home two months prior. Mrs. Dutta struggles with not running a house and in the midst is writing a letter to a dear friend back home contemplating weather to be truthful or to be honorable to her family. First I would like to review witch point of view is being used both stories. For the first short story Everything That Rises Must Converge, the story is being told from a third person point of view. The story has someone who is not any of the characters stating the events that are happening or events that had happened. Also the third person point of view is giving the dialog...
Words: 1293 - Pages: 6
...Cotina Moore English 1302 Essay #1 Southern Gothic Fiction 02 March 2015 “What Is In A Title” A Literary Analysis of Flannery O’ Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “Good Country People,” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge” “I am not afraid that the book will be controversial, I’m afraid it will not be controversial-Flannery O’Connor Flannery O’Connor is considered one of the best short story authors of the 20th century. Born in Savannah Georgia in 1925, O’Connor was a devout Catholic. Her writings incorporated religious themes and her southern life (Bio). When reading O’Connor’s short stories, it is very surprising and shocking that the stories are often dark and controversial. Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “Good Country People,” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge” use macabre, grotesque violence, irony, and grace through the depiction of her characters to illustrate that when an individual is faced with “grave” circumstances; those are the moments when grace is realized. Flannery O’Connor incorporates the use of macabre and violence in her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” masterfully to elicit an unforgettable moment of grace from a character when faced with her “grave” circumstance. The use of grotesque violence is vividly displayed as a southern family is horrendously murdered by an escaped convict, The Misfit and his accomplices. An “eerie” sense of foreshadowing is realized when the protagonist, the grandmother...
Words: 1211 - Pages: 5
...Flannery O’Connor’s works “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Everything that Rises Must Converge,” the distinct similarity of class can be distinguished between the grandmother of the family and Julian’s mother. The two characters share the static notions of how each class is represented in regards to race and propriety through the racist southern traditions which they were raised. In “Good,” the grandmother of the family is viewed as an older woman who clings to racism and traditional southern standards which dictated how a person was to act due to the social class which they belong. The grandmother’s static belief that race and class are joined becomes apparent during the scene when the family passes the Negro child on the side of the road which states, “‘Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!’ she said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack. ‘Wouldn’t that make a picture, now?’ she asked and they all turned and looked at the little Negro out of the back window. He Waved. ‘He didn’t have any britches on,’ June Star said. ‘He Probably didn’t have any,’ the grandmother explained. ‘Little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do. If I could paint, I’d paint that picture,’ she said” (O’Connor, “Good” 3) In this scene, the grandmother objectifies the Negro child as if he were a caged animal to watch and then she classifies him as a lower class because he is a Negro and therefore must unable to afford pants. The objectification of the boy is a...
Words: 1129 - Pages: 5
...Taylor Bennett 9/16/2015 English1101 T&TR Everything that rises must converge In This novel it has culture and customs written all in to it .Julian mother seems racist on page 275-276 she was asking about slaves Julian quoted “there are no more slaves ,he said irritability , to his mother . When she said that his grandfather had a plantation and two hundred slave’s .Julian and his mother are two different generations .so they bump heads when his mother talks about her time period. In the beginning of the book they was having complications with the ugly green hat. The mom wanted to put it on but she kept taking it on and off like she have insecurities or as it didn’t fit her present or use to be life style. Not only that she wore the hat it was an African American women also wearing it .Back in Julian’s mom days it would’ve put her on a higher pedestal because just to go to a YWCO class she puts on gloves and hats as a symbol of wealth and riches I think that probably opened up Julian mom eyes understanding that now in times we are more united than separate. Everything is equal. Appearance is also in this text Julian mom thinks that appearance is everything she wears fancy looking clothing to had the fact that her family is no longer rich .But she still has that mindset she always look down on people but mostly blacks like referred before with the lady with the same hat as hers .A well-dressed African American man sit by Juliet with a professional suit even though...
Words: 337 - Pages: 2
...The Importance of Reading I had an epiphany about reading and it changed my life. It was a day only several years ago when I first realized the numerous benefits I could realize from reading. Of course, I had been told all my life that reading was important. I was forced to do it in class after class beginning in elementary school and on up through high school. I had never read for enjoyment, had never gone to a book store and surveyed the stacks of tomes with pleasure, had never been to the library except when it was required for researching a particular assignment. To me reading was drudgery, a chore which interfered with more important things in life, like eating and sleeping. It wasn’t until I took an English class in my senior year, however, that the importance of reading finally penetrated my brain. I realized my teacher for that English class, Mrs. Smith, was different from others I’d had in the past from the first day I walked into her classroom. While she looked like a typical, older lady with her graying hair and pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses continually perched on the end of her nose, it was her attitude that set her apart from other instructors. From her roost atop a stool at the front of the room, Mrs. Smith ruled the classroom with short legs swinging to and fro above the rungs while her arms – complete with flabby “schoolteacher arm” – would wave about to lend emphasis to her words. Mrs. Smith could tell I was uncomfortable in her...
Words: 1246 - Pages: 5
...lupus erythematosus, a rare and fatal autoimmune disease, she and her mother lived alone. She received a general education at Georgia State College for Women and then continued to study creative writing at the University of Iowa. After receiving an M.F.A. degree in 1947, Flannery spent time in an artists' colony in Saratoga Springs, New York, and then with friends in Connecticut. She finished writing Wise Blood in 1950. Later that year, Flannery developed the same disease that had ended her father's life. Though crippled by lupus, Flannery was able to enjoy a modest lifestyle on her mother's ancestral farm, raising peacocks and writing. Her short stories are collected in A Good Man is Hard to Find, and Other Stories (1955), Everything That Rises Must Converge (1965), and Flannery O'Connor: The Complete Stories published posthumously in 1971. Her only other novel was The Violent Bear it Away (1960). Flannery O'Connor was a devout Catholic. She approached her work as a novelist and short story writer with a realistic understanding of her audience. The society around her had separated physical fact from spiritual reality and was left without any ground for belief. As Flannery wrote of spiritual experiences, she was careful not to "approach the divine directly," but rather to "penetrate the natural human world as it is." (O'Connor 68) She had a keen ear for common speech and used her observational powers to portray grotesque characters and bizarre situations reflecting man's broken...
Words: 309 - Pages: 2
...a whole. The art of ending short stories has been hotly contested for centuries. As humans we naturally desire firm conclusions that tie up the story’s various loose threads and leave us with a sense of satisfaction. Many writers, in modern times, have tried to challenge this convention, preferring to leave endings open for interpretation and development of thought. This is connected with the developing idea that a short story is, in essence, a brief glimpse into a character’s life. In this sense, there is a future outside of the ending, which negates the requirement for an effective conclusion. Flannery O’Connor is an example of a modern writer who sought to challenge the conventions of a story’s ending. Her tale, ‘Everything That Rises Must Converge,’ is told from the perspective of Julian, a college graduate who is being supported by his mother while he seeks employment. The plot revolves around a ride on an integrated bus, and the crisis point comes in the form of a confrontation between Julian’s mother and a black woman wearing the same hat. Julian repeatedly conveys his wish to be rid of his mother, going so far as to dream about her being seriously ill. Despite this, his reaction upon her stroke shows exactly how dependant he is on her: ‘His voice was thin, scarcely a thread of sound. (p23)’ We find ourselves empathising with Julian’s mother, despite her apparent racism. Her desire to offer the black woman’s child a penny is kind, and we find ourselves questioning...
Words: 3113 - Pages: 13
...humans will receive a sort of judgement or karma, again, leading to the Catholic belief of an afterlife of reward or punishment (Galloway). During a lecture in 1943, O’Connor stated, “Belief, in my own case anyway, is the engine that makes perception operate.” (SparkNotes) O’Connor continued to elaborate on the influence faith has on her writing by declaring, “I feel that if I were not a Catholic, I would have no reason to write, no reason to see, no reason ever to feel horrified or even to enjoy anything.” (SparkNotes) The last quote in particular illustrates how tied she is to her belief system. Unarguably, her writings revolved around her faith. Besides the work, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” other works of hers such as, “"Everything That Rises Must Converge," underlie key messages or morals that O’Connor wishes readers would extract. In the end, Flanner O'Connor was successful in merging her Catholic faith into the Southern Gothic fiction. Her introduction of religion in her writings portray her desire to combine the two in order to spread triumph the faith. According to Galloway, O’Connor identified the faultiness of preaching and suggested a less overlooked way to honor her faith. ...
Words: 582 - Pages: 3
...Conrad aiken tragedy, Aiken was taken to Massachusetts to live with relatives. He graduated from the Middlesex School and Harvard, where his classmates included T.S. Eliot, with whom he established a lifelong friendship. He lived in England for several years, but his main home for most of his life was Massachusetts. During his last 12 years, however, his home was the brickfront rowhouse in Savannah next to the one in which his parents died. Aiken wrote or edited more than 50 books, the first of which was published in 1914, two years after his graduation from Harvard. His work includes novels, short stories (The Collected Short Stories appeared in 1961), criticism, autobiography, and, most important of all, poetry. He was awarded the National Medal for Literature, the Gold Medal for Poetry from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the Pulitzer Prize, the Bollingen Prize, and the National Book Award. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, taught briefly at Harvard, and served as Consultant in Poetry for the Library of Congress from 1950 to 1952. He was also largely responsible for establishing Emily Dickinson's reputation as a mayo SWAG SWAG SWAG THIS IS NOT MINE AND I DO NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT. Flannery O’connor Writer. Born on March 25, 1925, in Savannah, Georgia. Flannery O'Connor is considered to be one of the greatest short story writers of the twentieth century. She faced some hardships growing up, losing her father as a teenager. He died of systemic lupus...
Words: 710 - Pages: 3
...Jenna Canam Dr. Rhoda Zuk ENGL 1170 2 February 2016 Gender Roles and Social Class in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “Revelation” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-Paper” illustrates the hardships that woman suffered during this time period, physically and mentally. John is the perfect example of what a dominating spouse is like, a man who is in complete control over his wife. “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage” (Gilman 3). John laughs at his Wife’s ideas and thoughts, he never took what she had to say in a serious matter. It is clear by Jane’s statement that this is what what was expected in society during that time period. The authors views on feminism are shown through both the dialogue and thoughts of Jane. Jane’s need to express her thinking breaks through some social barriers during this time period, “I did write for a while in spite of them” (Gilman 3). Jane feels depressed when she is unable to express her thoughts through writing, as writing was the only way she felt free of those thoughts. She feels tired of hiding from her husband and society, but Jane also feels societies pressure to remain under the care of her husband. “He takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more” (Gilman 4). Even though John has eliminated all control from Jane’s hands, making her feel like a prisoner, she feels societies pressure to worship him and agree with his way of thinking of being in complete control. ...
Words: 868 - Pages: 4
...Flannery O’Conner’s short stories are all characterized by a moment of grace. Many of these moments of grace occur due to a significant, life-altering event. Her main characters are portrayed as flawed and their moments of grace are often the result of some kind of violent or sinister incident. Julian from “Everything that Rises Must Converge” and Hulga from “Good Country People” are two of these imperfect characters that experience a moment of grace. These characters are alike in their vain personalities, which cause their comparable downfalls. Their similarities convey the message O’Conner plants in her short stories. This message says that if one thinks that only they know best or that they are superior to others, they will learn the hard way that this is just not the case. The most obvious similarity between Julian and Hulga is that they think they’re superior. Julian often retreats into a mental bubble when he doesn’t want to be a part of what was going on around him. He does this to judge the others around him from the safety of his mind. “He could see out and judge but in it...
Words: 797 - Pages: 4
...O’Connor blatantly expressed her religious views in her stories and consistently critiqued controversial themes and real-world issues in her writing, such as racism, Catholic doctrine, finding meaning in life, and possessing world-influenced, consumeristic views about how life should be. As a result, she experienced harsh criticism from the majority of people who read her work. This essay will give examples of the ways Flannery O’Connor’s used two of her short stories to provided commentary and challenge and change the thinking of American readers in order to prevent their apathy. O’Connor illustrates her outspokenness and disregard for stepping on toes in her short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” In the beginning of this story, Julian’s mother’s weight is mentioned and the narrator states that “…she must lose twenty pounds on account of her blood pressure…” (O’Connor 1) It quickly becomes clear that this weight Julian’s mother is carrying is not physical alone. It represents a burden that is as much psychological as physical, and it is a result of her outdated ideas about how things should be. Throughout the story, Julian’s mother makes racist statements and when she says that black people were better off as slaves Julian simply asks her to change the subject because he has become desensitized to her speaking this way. (O’Connor 2) This is a representation of people not standing up for what they believe in and shying away from controversial discussions, simply because...
Words: 1381 - Pages: 6
...Pam Butusov Midterm 1160 Section A. Number One. The short story “Hands” written by author Sherwood Anderson is a story about a former school teacher named Wing Biddlebaum, with a troubled past. The story is narrated by his friend George. Wing, you see, has no control over the nervous movement of his hands. This has been a source of embarrassment for him since he relocated to the small conservative town he lives in. In an earlier part of his life, Wing taught at an all-boys school. He was gentle man, touched the boys shoulders and hair. This turned out to be misconstrued by one of the boys. The boy had dreams about his teacher and himself. When he told his father, he searched Wing out and beat him up. Is he a child molester is left to interpretation. After the beating from the father, Wing decided that his hands were the offending part. He started fidgeting them and never stopped until one day he was having a lively conversation with George about dreaming and thinking of more than the narrow minded town allowed. Wing touched George for the first time ever. Wing was completely freaked out by this and ran away in horror. Okay, but can you clearly identify the climax? What is the resolution? 20 Section B. Number 3. The theme of "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is that people should let go of the past, and live in the present. Our first evidence is Emily lived in the past in her very old house, which she didn’t think she had to pay property taxes on. Second, she...
Words: 840 - Pages: 4
...Lacrisha Lewis Patrick Anyanetu Eng.120 11/18/10 Research Paper “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor who is a Southern American novelist and short story writer, O’ Connor’s career expanded in the 1950sand early 60s, a time when the South was dominated by Protestant Christians.O’Connor was born and raised a Catholic. She was a fundamentalist and aChristian moralist whose powerful apocalyptic fiction is focused in the South.Flannery O’Connor was born March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. O’ Connorgrew up on a farm with her parents Regina and Edward O’ Connor. At the age offive, she taught a chicken to walk backwards. O’Connor attended Georgia StateCollege for women, now Georgia College, in Milledgeville, majoring in sociology.She had showed a gift for satirical writing, as well as cartooning since she wasa child. By the end of her undergraduate education, O’Connor knew that writingwas her true passion. She spent two years at the prestigious School for Writersat the State University of Iowa on scholarship. She received a master’s degree infine arts in 1947. In 1950, she had a near fatal attack of systemic lupus erythematosus, a chronic inflammatory connective tissue disorder that causes periods of joint pain and fatigue, and can attack the hearts, lungs, and kidneys. Her father died of the disease when she was fifteen. She would have to walk with crutches for the rest of her life. By her death at the age of 39, Flannery O’Connor won a prominent place in modern...
Words: 1357 - Pages: 6
...important that students are taught to see the “value of literary masterpieces” for more than the main idea, which is what will “awaken them to the infinite capacities and complexities of human experience” (para.42). Students should be able to distinguish style, diction, syntax, tone, etc. from author to author. Focusing on the complexity of literature with the added discussion of values will be the bridge that leads students to make use of their capabilities. Prose mentions a number of books that could be discussed as alternatives to engage discussion while also serving the primary purpose of providing a clear and quality example of literature. She gives suggestions such as “Hilton’s Al’s The Women, Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, or any of the stories in James Alan McPherson’s Hue and Cry” (para.35). Prose describes these works as “direct(ly) address(ing) the subtle, powerful ways in which race affects every tiny decision and gesture” (para.35). The literature mentioned is exactly what will provide students the opportunity to fully make use of and expand their intelligence. Prose presents an argument in which she effectively explains how values interpreted from a book are serving more of a purpose than the language and style of the literature itself. In classrooms, literature has taken the role of a parent rather than a mechanism to better understand writing and language. Literature should be analyzed and studied to further enhance the mind and...
Words: 1125 - Pages: 5
