...Narrative Follow Up For my narrative, I chose to speak about a crucible moment—the death of a friend—and how it forever affected me. Upon finishing my story, there was little to no verbal feedback from the other members of the group. The silence, in this instance, given the subject of my speech, was taken as positive feedback. However, I do realize that my speech may have been unexpectedly sincere and honest because of the certain vulnerability I displayed in sharing a tragic story. Though this may have attributed to the silence, I believe that the lack of questions or clarifications was mainly the result of a successful speech. The goal of the narrative all along was to share a personal experience related to one of the leadership assets...
Words: 881 - Pages: 4
...examining the foundations for which it is built”(3) as well as exploring the Danielewski’s use of labyrinths throughout the novel. The thesis in this paper is the idea that House of Leaves is all about labyrinths and that everyone involved in the novel, including the reader, is faced with their own personal labyrinth which they must overcome. Hamilton is able to support this argument by pointing out that the novel is a “four level split”(4) by saying that Will and Karen, Zampano, Truant, and the editors are all on different level and that “Each level of Danielewski’s text involves characters attempting to navigate the maze of self.”(5) To bolster her argument that everyone involved with the novel on all levels faces their own labyrinth, she quotes Wendy B. Faris who says: The labyrinth is no longer a special dwelling constructed for a particular monster, but rather a house where everyone lives.” (Faris p. 181, 1998) Once it is made clear that each person has their own personal labyrinths they must face, Hamilton then goes into great detail and gives meticulous descriptions of the labyrinth that all of the characters face. She starts with the lowest level of the narratives with Will and Karen Navidson. The labyrinth that she says that Will and Karen have is their relationship. Hamilton’s explanation to what must be worked on in their relationship is Karen’s insecurity...
Words: 930 - Pages: 4
...The Death of a Friend The predominant element of Brian Haner’s “So Far Away” is the language used by the speaker to convey to the reader how he feels about the loss of a close, beloved friend. The tone used by the speaker contains a melancholy feel that shows how profound the loss of a loved one can be. The speaker switches from iambic tetrameter, when using language to describe the fallen friend, to iambic dimeter, when speaking directly to the friend as if he is still alive. The tone of the narrative helps describe how difficult it is for the speaker to move on from such a staggering loss, and also demonstrates hope that they will be reunited in the afterlife. In the opening stanza, the speaker describes the qualities that he loves about his friend: “Never feared for anything / Never shamed but never free” (1-2). These two lines speak about the way the subject lived his life, never fearing anything and also never doing anything for which he should be ashamed. The next two lines of the stanza continue to show admirable qualities of the speaker’s friend: “A light that healed a broken heart / With all that it could” (3-4). The poet uses a metaphor comparing his friend’s life to a light that tried to bring hope to anyone who is in darkness. In the first two lines of the second stanza, the speaker continues by saying: “Lived a life so endlessly / Saw beyond what others see” (5-6). With these lines, he shows that his friend’s life knew no bounds, and he saw good things on the...
Words: 1080 - Pages: 5
...Light at the End of the Tunnel “I have found many, who had not been seven years out of their chains, living in finer houses, and evidently enjoying more of the comforts of life, than the average slaveholders in Maryland.” (118) How would it feel to live in the chains of slavery for so many years and to finally succeed in escaping the cruel life as a slave? In the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Frederick recalls his personal story about his life as a slave. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, and was ripped away from his mother soon after birth. As he grows up, he is given to several masters, most cruel and inhumane. Frederick faces many cases of abuses, such as being whipped, worked to death, and feeling dehumanized. Despite a slave, he also teaches himself how to read and write, and soon, sets a goal to escape to the North. During his time as a slave, Frederick experiences friendship, love, betrayal, and...
Words: 1436 - Pages: 6
...excerpt from “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” I personally learned the cruelty of enslavers, how Douglass felt about slavery, and why he wished to be an animal. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818, and he wrote a book called “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” which was written about his unutterable experiences as a slave. I learned on a personal account of how he felt, and the thoughts soaring through his mind. In the excerpt, Douglass recalled reading was important to him. Douglass learned how to read from Auld’s wife (Hugh Auld was his slaveowner), but said that reading would make him unfit for slavery. According to Douglass, his documents “gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own...
Words: 428 - Pages: 2
...After reading both articles in this week’s reading assignments I have to say that I liked the second article by Hunter Thompson better, it not only kept my attention more, but it was relatable. The author provided a real look into how Americans felt the days following the worst day in America. The author provides a powerful narrative on how his day started out normal just like every other american did, however, the events that played out on TV quickly changed that. In fact, I conclude that those events quickly changed us all. It brings me back to the events of the day and I can say that living in the United States I remember 9/11/2001 like it was yesterday. Like many Americans, I can and always will, remember where I was and what I was doing...
Words: 395 - Pages: 2
...domestic responsibilities, work outside the home, family relationships, and social activities had to adapt. Many of the wartime experiences within families, in refugee situations, and at boarding schools challenged the traditional standards of female behavior. Initially, young women believed they would simply return to their pre-war roles, but the shift forever altered southern womanhood. The outcome of the war would decide if the young women’s roles in society were the ones they had been educated for or the ones they had adapted. In the end, the young women’s fervent patriotism wasn’t enough to spare them the dramatic societal and role shifts sparked by the loss of the...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...The expectations are what will attract/keep a man so she can take her role in life. Though the ideal is different in their cultural context, there seems to be no room for personality, or individuality for each of the ideals. These women are boxed in to this ideal with no real escape unless they want to be outcasts, branded other, alone, or married below them. Day in and day out there is an endlessness that leaves out fulfilling their own wants and needs. The repeated reference of being a “slut” in the “Girl” seems to be a reference to ignoring the personal pleasures. (2) When reading the “Broom Cypress”, the omniscient voice gives an overview of the percipients views/ different views of the same subject. Like an observer looking in, the reader is given a glimpse of something that most do not see because are focused on their part of a narrative which hinders the ability see the wholeness of the picture. This whole picture shows that the ideal is subjective and no one set of rules to follow. There seems to be fickleness of men and the double standard that they create for women in their lives....
Words: 528 - Pages: 3
...(not yet restrictive, although certainly contained) also speaks volumes regarding her ability to collect and process her own thoughts. “First Death in Nova Scotia” lies halfway between the restrained sestina form of “Sestina” and the freeform stream of thoughts of “In the Waiting Room.” Not only does Bishop hope to structurally contain the first death in hopes of understanding it, but she also attempts to reign it in the only way she knows how: her writing. The limited, compact ten-line stanzas are akin to the coffin that contains Arthur. Bishop has built in five little caskets to contain and contend with her first glimpse of death. These stanza-coffins are emblematic of the compression and compartmentalization that tightens up Bishop’s narrative as a young girl. This phenomenon of imposing structure on the unthinkable is reminiscent of Sylvia Plath’s “Two View of a Cadaver Room.” On one hand, science and medicine is a tool wielded to understand the physicality of death: how it happens to the humans and how the body responds as a result. The medical students poking and prodding the cadaver on the morgue table is not too far off from placing a single lily of the valley in the frosted cake of a coffin. On the other hand, Bruegel’s painting is a call to art and love as it braces against the overwhelming tide of death and destruction. This is what “First Death in Nova Scotia” stands for, death through the lens of art in hopes of capturing and containing it within a painting frame or...
Words: 1919 - Pages: 8
...firstly explaining the idea of mementoes and totems. A “totem” is an object that the characters in this film keep with them in real life and in the dream world. It is identified as something unique, heavy and that only the owner is allowed to handle. Its purpose is to provide the dream-invaders a way of knowing whether they are in the dream world or in reality. If a totem is expected to fall, or operate in a certain way, then any change in this indicates that you are in a dream. Most importantly, Auxier says that this serves as “a point of connection between what you’re experiencing within yourself (beliefs, perceptions, assumptions) and the way the world really is.” (Auxier, 282) The idea of a “totem” allows for continuity of time in the narrative, it acts as a guide when discontinuities are found. Furthermore, both films attempt to explore the same problem, the continuity and discontinuity in our experience, and how discontinuity affects our ability to know the truth about the world we live in. Between the time passing and the way we experience it, lies a gap; however this is where memory comes into play. Memory is the way we see our world (through our past experiences) therefore we carry it around everywhere we go, and with every new experience, we use memory as a point of reference. Our past...
Words: 1336 - Pages: 6
...both did things the Lord advised them not to do. I will illustrate how man runs a kingdom, and the other how God runs a kingdom. Let’s start this adventure by illustrating some character flaws by reenacting “David and Goliath”. David yet a youth has challenged the Philistine Goliath with the courage of ten armies and faith to match; holding five smooth stones, (1 Sam 17: 49) “sinking one into the Philistine’s forehead killing him instantly”. While Saul is acting as a giant among obedience, David is a giant among men, now paraphrasing Samuel (1 Sam 17:16) he had sequestered himself in a tent for forty days protecting himself from harm, and offering his armor to the youth David. Saul didn’t feel the need to depend on God, he had no personal experience to equate with this encounter. David defended the family sheep against marauding lions and bears, which gave him a dependency to God’s protection. Saul had a immense physique when compared to the rest of Israel, he was a warrior, and yet failed to measure a person for their inner qualities instead he measured the person for their size, capabilities and skills. David was adept to more capable forces such as the more able beasts, and he knew dimensions were not the only issue. Saul was self denying and defied his own kingship before it started. (1 Sam. 9:21). Saul's sense of his own lowliness, his own un- worthiness, becomes a mental block that prevents him from psychologically ever becoming a king. The narrator observes that...
Words: 874 - Pages: 4
...‘Untitled ‘Beneath the Roses’’ by Gregory Crewdson depicts the narrative of an instant between the past and the future - an uncertain yet familiar moment . The everyday narrative tells a partial story through surreal atmosphere of large-scale scenes and statue-like people, vivid colours, and the intricate details within the image surroundings. The mnemic traces within this image are hidden in plane sight, giving emphasis to a moment that has already passed or may be yet to come. This ambiguity of nature and tone of the image allows the viewer to explore the image that is presented to the viewer through their own perceptions. In order to further the understanding of Gregory Crewdson and his relation to the real, it is necessary to discuss the...
Words: 1786 - Pages: 8
...future • creates an empathetic tone • draws the reader into his emotional turmoil • gain a good understanding of Tom’s feelings and can account for his actions • creates dramatic irony we know more about him than other characters do • enhances the tension and effectiveness of the narration • empathy is created as we grow fond of the protagonist who shares a story of hardship • see Tom’s maturity and growth through the development of his narration moves from using expletives and a cynical tone to a more positive one as he successfully moves into the world Non-linear Structure • narration shifts continually as Tom remembers and reflects on the tragedy which changed their lives forever • helps to highlight the impact of the accident on the characters physically, emotionally and mentally • helps audience see how the characters change • presents a juxtaposition between life before and after the accident • reinforce the normality of the family prior to the accident and the message is made more powerful as the audience realises it could be any family • flashbacks fade as the novel continues • Tom spends less time reliving the horrors of the past and more time enjoying the present as he begins to move into the world • absence of flashbacks in the later stages of the novel is a clear symbol of Tom’s growth and movement into the world Imagery • metaphors and similes are used to emphasise...
Words: 624 - Pages: 3
...Catalysts act on obstacles an individual faces which assists in overcoming personal and social boundaries. This is significant as it induces growth and transitions which bring new insights and understandings about themselves, others and the world around them. The bildungsroman novel “The story of Tom Brennan” written by J.C Burke and the speech ‘From Death Row To Law Graduate’ by Peter Ouko both follow the transitions of young men who face personal and social boundaries, challenging beliefs and attitudes of both protagonists and the situations they are in resulting in growth and new perceptions. An individual’s personal and social boundaries have an impact on the perceptions of themselves, others and the world around them. The ‘Story Of Tom Brennan’...
Words: 1001 - Pages: 5
...The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a definite page-turner due to Fitzgerald’s passion, and emotion that he has captured. The novel was published on April 10, 1925; however, did not sell many copies until his death. Before his death he was believed to be a failure, but is now considered one of the best American writers of the 20th century. The story takes place in New York City and on Long Island. More specifically, the West and East Egg during the roaring 20’s. Fitzgerald reflects on his own life making The Great Gatsby more of a personal narrative. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life has influenced his writing on the novel The Great Gatsby....
Words: 620 - Pages: 3
