...Essay on Killings by Andre Dubus The story “Killings” by Andre Dubus highlights the themes of love and revenge. It is a story about the crime committed by the two characters in the story – Richard Strout and Matt Fowler and its consequences. Both committed the crime of murder. The characters, however, had a different motive for committing the crime. In the end, both crimes resulted in a tragedy for the two characters. In this story, Matt Fowler was described as a loving father to his children. He was also a protective father to all his children. He was described as a father who was fearful every time his children go out to swim in the pond or the sea, or when his children attempt to climb the oak in their backyard or when they skate in the ice during the winter season. He was also described as a good husband to his wife. When his wife was worried about their son’s relationship with a married woman he was quick to reassure her that every thing will be alright. He was also described to be a good friend to Willis. His love for his children drove Matt to take revenge against Richard Strout who was the person responsible for killing Frank Fowler. Matt Fowler was devastated when he lost his beloved son. Ever since the killing happened there was not a single day that passed that Matt did not think about taking revenge against Richard Strout. As Andre Dubus wrote, “And beneath his listless wandering, every day in his soul he shot Richard Strout in the face.” He wanted revenge...
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...Killings Analysis Style and Technique “Killings,” one of Dubus’s best-known and most respected stories, was the basis for the film In the Bedroom (2001). Although the story revolves around passion and violence, Dubus tells the tale in a flat, calm way. The first two acts of violence are dropped into the story unexpectedly and without emotion. The story opens with Frank’s funeral, then moves on to the conversation between Willis and Matt about how Matt wishes he could kill the man who murdered his son, but the reader does not know who killed Frank, how, or why. Next, in a long descriptive paragraph, Richard is introduced. He is first connected to Frank by the flat opening line of the next paragraph: “One night he beat Frank.” Only then does the reader learn about Mary Ann, and Matt’s and Ruth’s differing feelings about her. In a lovely, lyrical scene, Mary Ann joins the Fowlers for a barbeque after a day at the beach. Matt’s love for his son is mixed with a wistful attraction to Mary Ann. She is beautiful, but Matt sees in her eyes a sadness and pain that he and his family have been spared, and he wishes he could help and comfort her. The next paragraph starts with, “Richard Strout shot Frank in front of the children.” Such jarring shifts of mood are used to emphasize how quickly life can turn from sunny to violent and how swiftly the good things in life can be taken away. The story’s point of view is that of the limited omniscient narrator. The reader sees the events through...
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...“The Killing of Laura” In “The Killing of Laura” Carolyn Weaver asserts that in Laura’s romance relationship with John O’Neil, Johns will is what killed Laura and defeated her will of power. In this case of murder there were two factors that led to Laura’s death, cultural and personal. Traditional male socialization provoked the killing and Laura’s attitude and insecurity towards life made her an easy target. Social attitudes facilitate domestic violence. On the twenty-fourth day of October, 1977 Laura Ellen Weaver was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, John Oneil. Laura was dressed in her pajamas, in her parents’ kitchen, sitting at the table trying to sort out the details of her numerous attempts to end her relationshoip with John, her past lover and aggressor for the past year. Her previous attempts were unsuccessful. Laura had informed her friend the day before that she was bad at confrontation, and so this is why she was in such a predicament. Her contemplation was inteerupted by a tap to the window caused by John. She opened the door to talk to him; having broken up with the man, she still cared for him as a friend. Laura had no notion that hidden in John’s jacket pocket was a knife he had taken from his home. Laura’s father went downsatirs to turn off the kitchen light, unaware anyone in his home was awake. He stumbbled upon John and Laura’s conversation. He told John to go home and talk to Laura tomorrow, for it was far too late in the day. Her father returned upstairs...
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...Ramiro Bautista Professor Jeff Cupp English 101 10 June 2015 “Killings", involves several aspects such as revenge, morality, and murder. Elements, such as the story’s title, the order of events, and the development of the characters, are very unique. "The Killings" provides a somewhat conventional plot pattern, where the character is confronted with a problem and is then led into a climax, which late leads to the resolution of the story. The plot in The Killings also includes usage of flashback as a tool for the audience to fully understand the backgrounds of the characters. The story discusses the ramifications of the original murder, the subsequent actions of “justice,” and finally what is left when it is all said and done. “On the august morning when Matt Fowler buried his youngest son, Frank” (Dubus 112), there is where the story of a crime of passion begins, frank was only twenty-one years old and fell in love with an older women with two children "Mary Ann", who after a month of separation from her ex-partner begins a new relationship with Frank. One day “Richard Strout (Mary Ann ex-partner) shot Frank in front of the boys. They were sitting on the living room floor watching television, Frank sitting on the couch, and Mary Ann just returning from the kitchen with a tray of sandwiches. Strout came in the front door and shot Frank twice in the chest and once in the face with a 9 mm. automatic. Then he looked at the boys and Mary Ann, and went home to wait for the...
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...October 2013 Even when the majority discourage honor killing and consider it one of the most morally reprehensible acts of our time why does still continue to be part of our culture and our society? Women have been used for centuries by men to resolve their feuds but out of all the torture females have to bear because of men the worst of all is honor killing which has snatched away thousands of women lives each year. Believed to have originated as a patriarchal tribal custom, honor killings are a global phenomenon. A 2000 report by the UN Population Fund estimated that as many as 5,000 women and girls are killed each year by relatives for allegedly dishonoring their family. While the practice is often associated with Muslim cultures, it also happens among Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. However, an independent British study suggested the practice is strongest in Pakistan and Turkey. In a 2009 edition of the U.S. policy journal Middle East Quarterly, American feminist writer Phyllis Chesler argued that honor killings are distinct from domestic violence. According to Chesler, honor killings differ from domestic abuse because they are planned in advance and often rely on collusion between multiple family members (The history). In Pakistan, honor killing is when the society or family kills a person because they believe that person has somehow destroyed family honor or ashamed them in front of the society. Honor killing is locally known as karo-kari here karo stand for black...
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...Honour killing, india’s continuing shame Honour killing, india’s continuing shame SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY Prof. seema dutta AMAN BANSAL ROLL NO-212017 OBJECTIVES Every research has an objective in mind when he or she starts his or her research on any topic and in the course of the research process the researcher’s job is to fulfill his or her objective. In my present research endeavors to show why honor killing take place, the concept of honor killing, the communal aspect of honor killing,history of honor killing, and, finally, the increasing trend of honor killing in india Why Honor Killing? Honor killings are part of a community mentality. Large sections of society share traditional conceptions of family honor and approve of “honor” killings to preserve that honor. Even mothers whose daughters have been killed in the name of honor often condone such violent acts. Convicted killers often speak with defiant pride and without regret about their actions. The Concept of Honor Killing Honor Killing is one form of extreme violence perpetrated on women by men in certain societies. Most commonly, it is premeditated killing of a girl or a woman who is perceived to have besmirched her family’s honor by her sexual conduct. It is committed by the accused woman’s male kin in the name of restoring family’s...
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...Honor killing in our country An honor killing or honour killing (also called a customary killing) is the murder of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators (and potentially the wider community) that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. Honour killings are directed mostly against women and girls. The perceived dishonor is normally the result of one of the following behaviors, or the suspicion of such behaviors: a. dressing in a manner unacceptable to the family or community, b. wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice, c. engaging in heterosexual sexual acts outside marriage, or even due to a non-sexual relationship perceived as inappropriate, and d. engaging in homosexual acts. Women and girls are killed at a much higher rate than men. Recently, there has been a spate of honor killings in the country and this has led the government to decide what laws should be put in place to stop this heinous crime. Also whether the Hindu Marriage Act should be reformed or not is being debated. So what is the definition of honour killing and what leads families to commit this heinous crime so that they can protect their family honour? Is this practice prevalent only in India or is it prevalent in other parts of the world also? What are the misconceptions regarding honour killing and what are the solutions to stop this crime from spreading? These are the questions...
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...To Kill or Not to Kill, That is the Question Murderers, killers: A person who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being. When I hear these words, I think to myself, how could a human being just go out and kill another human being? A killer has to be someone who has something going on up in his or her head to make them crazy enough to murder someone. How could a person be that mad enough to even get the motivation to kill another person? Could an individual that has murdered someone not really be considered a killer, but rather the victim? In the story Killings, written by Andre Dubus, and the story A Rose for Emily, written by William Faulkner, I learned that both main characters have a motivation for murder in which they both fulfill in doing. However, after understanding these characters reasons for murder, I do not know if I can really say that they are considered murderers. In Andre Dubus’s, Killings, Matt Fowler’s youngest son, Frank, was shot and killed by Richard Strout. Frank was dating Strout’s soon to be ex-wife, Mary Ann. Strout was not happy about this so he shot and killed Frank right in front of Mary Ann and their two sons. Since Strout shot Matt’s son Frank, Matt then shoots Strout. After understanding the situation as of why Matt shot Strout, one might think that Matt shot Strout simply because Strout killed his son. However, this was not Matt’s only motivation for murder. Matt not only has to deal with his guilt over his son’s death...
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...Written in 1916 by Susan Glaspell, Trifles is a one-act play of a murder investigation of a farmer named John Wright. In the kitchen of the Mr. and Mrs. Wright, to help in the investigation Sheriff Henry Peters and his wife are being accompanied by Lewis Hale and his wife. Also in attendance is the county attorney Mr. George Henderson. Within this story, during his sleep, Farmer John Wright was killed having a rope tied around his neck. Now the murder suspect is not unknown in fact it was Minnie, Mr. Wright’s wife who committed the murder. Martha Hale as previously said is the wife of farmer Lewis Hale. Mrs. Hale is a type of woman that absolutely resents the stereotypical view of women that most men had in these times in society. At the first sign of Mrs. Hale’s dialogue in the story she is already somewhat combatant when defending her fellow women stating “There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm”, “Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s hands aren’t as clean as they might be” (Glaspell. Speech 32 & 34). This moment in the play is part of a small exchange between Martha and the attorney. Towards the end of the play, Martha Hale begins to become sympathetic towards Mrs. Wright. Although all evidence points to Mrs. Wright being the killer, Mrs. Hale remembers Minnie Wright as a sweet, lovely and cheerful girl, “She-come to think of it, she kind of like a bird herself-real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and-fluttery. How-she-did-change.” (Glaspell. Speech...
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...vaulting ambition”(1.7). This shows that the only thing that is influencing Macbeth’s actions is his ambition; however, having ambition as his only drive results in him being unaware of the damage he is causing in the world around him. Macbeth’s ambition makes him see anyone who could put his position of power at risk as a threat, one of these threatening figures being Macduff. Macbeth knows that Macduff’s loyalties don't lie with him, so he decides to “kill his wife, his babes and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (4.1). Macbeth wants Macduff’s family dead because Macduff’s children are heirs to the throne; therefore, they are threats who could potentially overthrow him, so killing them only further secured his position. Unfortunately, Macbeth’s malfeasance, the killing of Macduff’s family, resulted in him acquiring an enormous target on his back, specifically from Macduff. Infused with anger, Macduff murders Macbeth, thus ending his iniquitous reign. Macbeth’s death is directly correlated with his ambition, for it was his ambition that led him to infuriate Macduff enough to murder him. Much like Frankenstein, Macbeth’s ambitious actions were what caused his downfall. The differences in the play, Macbeth, and the novel, Frankenstein, are rooted in what drives the title character’s ambition, Frankenstein being motivated by knowledge and Macbeth by power. Throughout his whole life, Frankenstein has had a staunch feeling that he “was capable of a more intense application...
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...What way does Golding present the boys build up to savagery? The main build up to savagery in the book could be the choir. The choir began as boys who accept the discipline of a choir school and acknowledge Jack's position as head choir boy, The boys become hunters, when Jack forces this role upon them. Then, as Jack releases his savage instincts by creating his mask, they become savages. They used to wear identical cloaks and caps, a uniform designed to promote their group identity and hide individuality to make them all the same apart from Jack who was shown to be the 'Leader'. Jack orders the choir to 'take off' their 'togs' this symbolises the stripping away of civilisation. Now their identities are hidden by masks and paint, and they turn into a tribe of savage killers, living in fear of their cruel chief. Earlier into the book when they build shelter on the beach Jack description of a hunter makes him seems like an animal himself. We see him crouching, 'dog-like', and sniffing the air, 'like a sprinter, his nose only a few inches from the humid earth'. He's almost naked, apart from his 'tattered shorts' and he carries a 'sharpened stick' which he uses as a spear. Every time they kill they take a step further down the road to savagery. In the next chapter 'Painted Faces and Long Hair' Jack paints his face with clay and charcoal for camouflage when hunting, but the mask he creates has a powerful psychological effect as well. The sight of his mask...
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...Theme of Revenge in Homer's Odyssey Homer’s The Odyssey is not just a tale of a man’s struggle on his journey home from the Trojan War, but of his struggle from the consequences of revenge. The Odyssey weaves in different characters’ tales of revenge from the gods and what impact revenge actually had on those characters. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains why Odysseus’ journey was so prolonged and treacherous. A few examples of revenge in the poem include Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus. These different examples of revenge in The Odyssey show the importance of the gods’ revenge in the epic journey of Odysseus. Orestes’ revenge is the first important example of the gods’ revenge in the poem. In Book 1, Hermes told Aegisthus, “’Don’t murder the man,’ he said, ‘don’t court his wife. Beware, revenge will come from Orestes…” (Homer 260). King Nestor delivers the story of Orestes’ revenge to Odysseus’ son Telemachus, while Telemachus is visiting Nestor to discover answers about his fathers’... The Character Medea's Revenge in Euripides' Medea Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. She is the protagonist who arouses sympathy and admiration because of how her desperate situation is. I thought I was going to feel sorry for Medea, but that quickly changed as soon...
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...tasks. To fill out the remaining parts of his life he hangs out at bars finding comfort for the lack of substance in his life at the bottom of endless pints of beer. One might almost describe Stolpestad’s trivial life as a never-ending déjà vu, where the days are just passing by indifferently. When Stolpestad is called out to the boy with the injured dog however, he suddenly gets an opportunity of moving on with his life. He is asked to end the misery of the dog and the dog thereby becomes a symbol of progress in his life – a challenge about his future. If he can overcome this challenge, he can finally move on with his life and end the long-lasting cycle of stagnation in which he has been for all of his life. But as the moment of the killing of the dog approaches it soon becomes evident...
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...notion that he is a creature of that extent. Within the text, he is described as a demon or fiend. His physical appearance as well as actions may seem to justify his monstrosity, but it is due to the other factors such as the narrator and the two monsters that justify his connection with evil. Grendel is made evil when the narrator brings about his origin and connection with a Biblical figure, Cain. “Grendel this monster grim was called, march-riever mighty, in moorland living, in fen and fastness; fief of the giants the hapless wight a while had kept since the Creator his exile doomed. On kin of Cain was the killing avenged by Sovran God for slaughtered Abel…” Cain was punished by God because of this evil he commits, and having connected with Cain creates an evil aura around Grendel regardless of whether he could possibly be misunderstood. Adding to that, his killings do not help him. He is depicted as a monster. Shortly after Beowulf’s victory against Grendel, comes his mother. Just as Beowulf kills Grendel as an act of vengeance, Grendel’s mother comes to repay back the favor. Unlike Grendel, his mother has a reason to attack the people: Revenge. The same type of revenge Beowulf wanted against Grendel. Because she has this connection, she seems to be more human-like and less of a monster due to her reasoning capabilities. While Grendel is seen as a monstrous evil that was detrimental to the Danish society. The third creature Beowulf encounters happens to be his last....
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..."Killings" by Andre Dubus: The Social Construction of Masculinity. When we think of a man we usually think of a strong, hardworking, protective person. A provider for his family and loved ones. Society has set this image in our heads since the beginning of time. Men worked the farms and provided food for his family, while the wives took care of the children and the house. We know that men do get emotional, and they tend to keep it all internal and not show their weakness because it isn't part of the masculine image. Men aren't supposed to cry or be depressed, they're supposed to be tough and strong. This is the image we have come to know as masculinity. However Matt Fowler is somewhat of both Masculine and non masculine. He is described as a protective father, and a caring husband who provided for his family. He plays his parts that he is supposed to and fills his roles within his family. However on the inside he is dealing with emotions from his sons death that make him seem like a mess, and takes responsibility for ending his families grief. I believe that Matt Fowlers character both supports and negates the social construction of masculinity. So as a male I understand the emotions we go through, and brought up by my father I automatically accepted the gender role of a man. I understand Matt's need to keep his emotions to himself. As a man you don't want to let your emotions show because it makes you look weak. "he neglected his own objections…so that as he spoke to her...
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