...happened to be among the military soldiers participating in this war. As a soldier, not adequately trained appears in various events that surrounds his life in Dresden. The of the book, Kurt Vonnegut organizes this events in an abnormal chronological way as he fragments the events in relation to time, characters, and the structure to combine his nonlinear story. From the book, Slaughterhouse-Five, the initial details that the readers get about Billy is that he pays unsystematic visits to every event during the war period (Bloom 11). The experiences that Billy goes through are episodes that do have chronological obligations. This reflects the structure of the book that has the beginning, body and the conclusions, not placed traditionally. The author of the book says that Billy has, “come unstuck in time.” From this phrase, the author turns the time from something intangible to something tangible and therefore uses this as a fix to his own purpose (Federhen 44). The use of the word “unstuck” by the author implies that Billy is free. Apparently, Billy and Vonnegut achieve a certain level of freedom. In other words, Vonnegut and Billy have no limitations with time and the author, Vonnegut can place the character, Billy in a period of his choice. This makes the book have an effect of collage that makes the pieces and bits of the life that Billy has. However, the author of the book brings the events that occur in Billy’s closer. At one point, Billy is walking through the forest and...
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...of the things that first came to my mind upon pondering on the question 'What is Literature?'. And just lately I have known that literature also includes songs, speeches, plays, and many others in written and spoken forms. I have also known that things that are produced out of creative imagination can be referred as literary works which are the ones that comprise literature. Considering this description of what literature is, the coverage of literature seems very puzzling. If literary works are those produced out of creative imagining, then it would directly point to fictional works. But then, there are also non-fictional works that are considered literary. There are literary essays and novels that are non-fictional. Examples of these are those based on true stories. Thus, literature goes beyond just creative imagination. And also, one person may consider a work produced out of creativity while another person may not, so then can that work be considered literary? Another important factor to be taken with high regard in discussing literature is periods of time since people coming from different historical periods may have different perceptions on what they consider 'literature'. It is vital to tackle these questions since literature is present in our everyday life, though it is not consciously felt by many. Terry Eagleton, a literary critic and writer, had written in his essay 'What is Literature?', “What matters may not be where you came from but how people treat you”. He considered...
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...Beyond The First Lines Our society has reached a point where people are spoiled with a variety of entertainment particularly in literature. With variety always comes choice and extremes. Individuals can easily find the type of reading that is suitable for their taste, or they might be so blinded by variety that they will only cling to what they think appeals to them, based on a quick and very superficial judgment. Just like Slater Brown, those that judge on a superficial level are unwilling to look past the first sentence if they are unimpressed by it. Those that take part in such a quick, unfair and ineffective evaluation are the closed- minded individuals in society because it is almost impossible to grasp the authors intended meaning of the work of literature as well as the quality and depth of the author’s work . Slater Brown’s personality is contradictory to an extent. He is a writer ready to write about anything that comes to him that is worthy to be written ,yet, he doesn’t take the time to go outside his comfort zone and continue to read a book that does not draw his interest after the first sentence. Slater believes that he could easily tell whether a book is good or not just by reading the book’s first sentence without further investigation. He claims that all good sentences have a kind of vibe and “sincerity,” and yet he’s not sure what kind (Fishburne ,2009). Inasmuch as this is plausible because we live in a world where first impressions are everything, Slater’s...
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...12:00 What is Literature? Poems, novels, and stories; these are some of the things that first came to my mind upon pondering on the question 'What is Literature?'. And just lately I have known that literature also includes songs, speeches, plays, and many others in written and spoken forms. I have also known that things that are produced out of creative imagination can be referred as literary works which are the ones that comprise literature. Considering this description of what literature is, the coverage of literature seems very puzzling. If literary works are those produced out of creative imagining, then it would directly point to fictional works. But then, there are also non-fictional works that are considered literary. There are literary essays and novels that are non-fictional. Examples of these are those based on true stories. Thus, literature goes beyond just creative imagination. And also, one person may consider a work produced out of creativity while another person may not, so then can that work be considered literary? Another important factor to be taken with high regard in discussing literature is periods of time since people coming from different historical periods may have different perceptions on what they consider 'literature'. It is vital to tackle these questions since literature is present in our everyday life, though it is not consciously felt by many. Terry Eagleton, a literary critic and writer, had written in his essay 'What is Literature?', “What matters...
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...Adichie interview Literature means a lot for our common understanding of things. Literature goes beyond gender, race and class as Adichie points out in the interview. She’s reflecting how literature influences human life and takes root in her own life. She grew up reading Russian books, without fully understanding the many little details, but with a general understanding of the main things and themes. She was able to put the emotion of it in context to her everyday life. Adichie tells us how she felt as a kid, always wanting to become a storyteller, always observant and never really there as a whole person – even though it must be annoying for the people around her, she continues with a smile. She’s trying to deal with the assumptions about writers and their choices, which aren’t always deliberate choices, but often come suddenly, from the inside or maybe even the outside or with inspiration from the spirits, as she declares in the interview. Literature creates opinions and binds people together, no matter where you come from, as we can see with “The Thing Around Your Neck”. It’s simply easy to relate to. When we read “The Thing Around Your Neck”, I also pondered whether it was a story from her life or not? In this interview she discloses that none of the stories are from her personal life, but somehow they all are. Her personal life affects her writing, as on the other hand her writing affects the life of other people and their outlook on life. Adichie wants us...
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...The Story of An Hour Mary Smith Eng 125 Introduction Literature Molly Slavin (TA) August 1, 2011 The Story of An Hour Through out my study of literature it has taught me a lot about the different concept and structure of it. Learning to keep your mind focus on the different point of views that the authors provides you with can be very confusing, especially when you not into this kind of work of art. But as I started to read more in this class, it shows you how to affect yourself more with the passion of literary. Just to learn how to identify the theme of the story give the reader a message, it could be about life, society, or the human nature. The word theme can be define as “A topic of discourse or discussion, An idea, point of view, or perception embodied and expand upon in a work of art, or A short composition assigned to a student as a writing exercise.” (Webster’s II New Riverside University Dictionary). Even though understanding literature can be difficult for some people to comprehend, learning to identify the theme and the literary elements helps you to focus more on developing it meaning. Research states that the theme is a broad idea, message, or moral of a story. It even goes to say that it is the central message of a literary work. But mainly to me whenever I want to identify the theme in a story I think of it as the main idea, or ask myself what the author is saying in the story. As I read the text the author “explain”? the theme as been define as “A...
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...University of Quindío Modern Languages Program Literature and Theory Professor Gomez Julian Andres Ospina Correa The Tragedy of Macbeth: the thirsty for power In history, a vast majority of tragedies have been written causing excitement and other effects on the reader. Indeed, William Shakespeare and his work The Tragedy Macbeth is not the exception, on the contrary, great value and critics unfolded from this work. Macbeth opened up several ways for tragedy within the literature world, forasmuch as the high quality of its elements, such as its plot, thought, character, diction, and so. Hereafter, I will proceed to go beyond the lines and leave my analysis of the most relevant elements of the magnificent tragedy of Macbeth by the master William Shakespeare. Thrilling from beginning to end is how I perceive The Tragedy of Macbeth as in its plot, which I am going to analyze right after, some important moments take place which makes this tragedy brilliant upon the reader’s eyes. The story is developed during the eleventh century in Scotland lands of which Macbeth looked after as the thane, although some parts of the story take place in England. Some of the most important characters within this tragedy are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the three witches, Duncan, Banquo, Fleance, Malcolm, MacDuff, the three murderers, among others of minor relevance. The rising action initiates when both Macbeth and Banquo encountered with the three witches who predict their future telling...
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...Gabriel García Márquez was born: on 6 March 1927, in Aracataca, Colombia and and died on 17 April 2014,in Mexico City, Mexico . He was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist. García Márquez became the first Colombian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Prize motivation: "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts" He is best known for his novels One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). Jose Saramago was born on 16 November 1922, in Azinhaga, Portugal and died on 18 June 2010, on Lanzarote, Spain He was a Portuguese novelist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. Prize motivation: "who with parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality” The novels ; The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1991)and Blindness (1995) are two of his masterpieces. Saramago and Garcia Marquez have often been compared and it is interesting to see how two men from different continents were excellent writers, sympathized both strongly with communism, shared the same ideology, and had, at least, some controversies. In their personal lives Saramago and Garia Marquez both had to deal with rejections of their beliefs and ideologies by society. There are some interesting similarities in their beliefs and how society...
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...Slaughterhouse-Five is an extraordinarily figurative piece of literature via Kurt Vonnegut. The most distinguished rhetorical gadgets in the textual content are repetition, similes, and personification. Repetition is used every time the writer states “so it goes.” This motif is continuously repeated in this novel following any mention of death. A clear instance of this is in chapter 5 (pg. 106) while Vonnegut claims “A lot of people were being wounded or killed. So it goes," while talking of the “children’s crusade.” The limitless quantity of instances this phrase is presented within the novel displays the huge quantity of death Billy experienced during his life illuminating the grotesque destructiveness of war. Repetition is also molded to...
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...the fear and courage that goes on during the war (poetry foundation). Romanticism poet Nathaniel Hawthorne was an english writer who was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts (poetry foundation). Nathaniel went to Bowdoin college where he first started his writing career. He eventually wrote many American classics including...
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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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...our primal instincts to huddle together and advance forward as civilizations. With the rise of the industrial age however, more and more people sought towards the cities and left their life in the countryside and smaller towns to partake in the vast and seemingly endless opportunities the cities had to offer. Some people succeeded, but many more were confined to cramped and meager existences. The cities changed over time though, and went from places, which primarily contained the ruling class and the working class, to contain all classes, as the notion of a ruling class was disestablished during the late 1900’s. It seemed like a fine idea to start with but literature has described otherwise, issuing a warning to society about which turns it has taken and which values it as assumed. According to literature that describes the life of urban individuals in the post modern age, attributes such as greed, superficiality and narcissism play a big role. This was explicitly and effectively described in Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 Novel: ‘’American Psycho,’’ in which a seemingly harmless and normal businessman goes about his business during the day, but at night transforms into blood hungering lunatic bent on destroying everything and everyone he deems unfit for life. Another interesting aspect of postmodern life the novel points out, is the astounding contrast between rich and poor. At first Bateman (the main character of the novel), is described to be at a fancy dinner party – but only a couple...
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...essay, “Self Reliance”, is a truly inspiring and interesting piece of literature that spoke to me on many different levels. From its sometimes subtle imagery of the times to its strong well written message about relying on one’s self and not conforming, it allows me to relate it to my own thoughts for a better understanding of the material. The two passages that spoke to me the most were found on pages 208 and 213 of our text. They spoke of doing your best and not listening to those who seem to know more and yet know nothing based on my interpretation. The quote found in the passage on page 208 is the one I will go into more detail with. On page 208 of the text one of the quotes mentioned were “But do your work, and I shall know you. Do you work, and you shall reinforce yourself.” (Pearson Education Company). This quote spoke to me because of the fact I believe that education and hard work is a way to express yourself and reinforce yourself to your employer or to others in your peer group. One of the things I judge myself by is how much I work to improve myself and my situation for the better. In regards to the image that I got when I read this quote, it was of someone working their way up to better themselves and to be acknowledge by their peers. I felt it was a motivational essay with a very serious, urgent and yet light tone that pulls the reader in so that its message is delivered. He goes on to say that “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure...
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...The analysis of hagiographic texts should extend beyond the internal life of religious communities and examine the relationships among communities and lay society. “By concentrating on a specific locale, by examining the codicological tradition, by going beyond classic hagiographic texts to look at liturgy, miracle collections, devotional literature, and even the evidence of archives, they avoid artificial constructs of author and ideal.” Geary asserts that we need dozens of micro studies of the lives of individual saints, that we need to be informed of the relationships between ordinary laity and their local saints, that we need model of comportment and ideals of human existence that saints seemed to offer. In short, researchers should further cultivate the study of texts, objects, and gestures to examine the underlying structures uniting them, to bring us an understanding of their place in early Medieval...
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...I have recently attended one of the workshop offered by WCTC. It is called “Don’t eat the marshmallow.” One particular thing which struck me as interesting is the concept of grit. Grit is associated with courage, conscientiousness, long term goals, endurance, resilience, and excellence. These traits are things that a regular person never thinks about, yet many studies have relieved that successful people have the majority of these traits. I cannot help and self-reflect on these concepts and make a connection to some of the most influential people who have shaped my beliefs and state of being. I am most influenced by famous authors from the 19th century. Writers like Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Jack London are authors who...
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