...that the innocence once possessed as a child can dissipate. Innocence can be easily viewed as temporal due to its tendency to falter in a myriad amount of people. Loss of innocence is a prevalent archetypal theme in Star Wars, Grapes of Wrath, Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace, and Swing Kids. Although all novels display this archetypal theme well, the character Tom in Grapes of Wrath suffers the greatest loss of innocence due to the tragic effects of the Great Depression and the crime he participates in. In Star Wars, a young man, Luke Skywalker, who has lost his parents, lives with his aunt and uncle and is brought into a world of violence on his mission to become a Jedi. He encounters the ultimate archetypal devil figure, Darth Vader. Darth represents the darkness humanity possesses. Although Luke’s encounters with supernatural beings and death are frequent in the film Star Wars, this sharply contrasts with the isolation Tom Joad faces in Grapes of Wrath. While Luke’s loss of innocence is accepted as a way of life in Star Wars, including killing clones and destroying an entire planet, Tom’s inability to tolerate injustice, resulting in violence, is a crime in the world of his character. Essentially, Luke’s loss of innocence brings him closer to the people in the world he is surrounded by; his destroying of the Death Star is an act of bravery. Tom kills men who displayed violence and evil, but it is a crime in his world. In this perspective, Tom’s loss of innocence, which...
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...The title of a novel is an important asset for the author to present their story in a way they see fit. By allowing the author to express their emotions, the title remains a significant feature. When examining the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader can see that the mockingbird is a metaphorical symbolization of the theme of innocence, or the loss of. Published in 1960 by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird has become a literary classic. This essay will explore the significance of the title “To Kill a Mockingbird” and will endeavor to explain to the reader why Harper Lee’s novel is called To Kill a Mockingbird while also touching on some of the themes that are connected to the title, such as the loss of innocence and injustice. Revolving...
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...Loss of Innocence Ones loss of innocence can be over time or lost by an abrupt choice. In the two books Fahrenheit 451 and Catcher in the Rye both characters lose their innocence over time by the choices they make. Guy Montag the main character in F451 loses his innocence over time by collecting books without even knowing which is against the system he lives in. Holden Caulfield also loses his innocence over time by growing up into an adult and tries to save children’s innocence throughout the book. Even though ones loss of innocence can be made by an abrupt choice, ones loss of innocence in these two books is a gradual experience. The concept of innocence is one that is applied to childhood. Children, for example, are innocent because they have not been tainted by the idea that the world is not as it seems to be. But, as children grow up and mature fully into adults, the loss of this pure quality of innocence begins to be noticed in a person’s life. As this awareness comes forth, it shows that life is not always easy, it is complicated and there will be tough moral decisions that have to be made. Holden Caulfield the main character of Catcher in the Rye wants to preserve innocence so he dedicates his life to protecting childhood innocence. In Chapter two Mr. Spencer tells Holden, “Life is game that one plays according to the rules”. Holden does not believe that life is a game he believes that life is dictated by adults. These adults are phony and cruel and he does not...
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...In a short timespan Jim has to deal with issues such as loss of innocence, self-identity, the division between the elite and the working class, and the impending effect of war which further presents the issues of life and death and those of the old and the new worlds. Malouf uses foreshadowing throughout the novel to highlight key themes particularly those focussing on the binary opposites of civility and savagery. From the very beginning of the novel Malouf presents the issue of old and new worlds. The sanctuary, being the old world, has an underlying feeling of civility. ”...intensely blue mountains that were soft blue at the time of day but would...
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...b. The theme of conflict is chosen as the central topic to be discussed. I. Loss of innocence ingrained by corruption is demonstrated. II. Decision making is tested. c. Purpose of both stories I. Appreciation of dramatic symbols II. Influence of terror d. Unique techniques, styles and devices I. Paradox is demonstrated II. Ambiguity is discussed Introduction Graham Greene’s short story of ‘Destructors’ printed in the year 1954 involves a group of teenagers resolves to damage an old man’s shelter. This story is complicated introducing several themes and expounding possibilities. However, the major theme in this short story is that of conflict. Also, the short story of young Goodman Brown involves Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was born in the year 1804. Born in Massachusetts, he was raised by his mother who was a widow. This short story entails a journey made by Hawthorne. This route was considered wicked since it was also hidden. Relating the two stories, there are several similarities and differences present. This essay will explain the main theme present between two chosen stories of ‘The Destructors’ and ‘The Young Goodman Brown’ short stories.it will also focus on the purpose and unique techniques. Conflict Conflict in these stories is broken down to different sub-themes relating from loss of innocence to absurdity of life. For instance, the story of Destructors entails gang member’s moderate, but the unavoidable loss of innocence...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird is widely known and acknowledge for addressing themes of tolerance and justice, which directly contradict the racial climate in the South. Lee was one of a small amount of white writers, especially as a woman that would approach the subject of racism and segregation at a time where it was of great contention. The film was praised by the United Church Women association, who encouraged its members to see it, for it ‘handles very beautifully the whole area of race relations.’ Phillip Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times included reflections on the way racial relations are addressed in the film, stating that he believed that the prejudices that were featured in the film ‘made [us] more conscious of them, and perhaps more ashamed’. He also suspected that ‘even Southerners will take it, flinchingly or not, because they will understand it; after all, a Southerner wrote...
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...experiences in his life considerably influenced his writing style. His writings contain themes based on his life experiences such as religion, alienation, depth of understanding and sadness. Greene says that Human nature is not black and white but black and grey...
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...Support or refute the following generalization: "A major theme of the novel is a boy's loss of innocence in a world he thought good and a loss of faith in a God he thought just." Be sure to answer both parts of the prompt. The central theme of Elie Wiesel’s writing “Night” is a boy's loss of innocence in a world he thought good and a loss of faith in a God he thought just. Throughout the book, Wiesel encounters numerous situations that put him through a mix of emotions that lead him to change his belief that God is just. Originally Elie had full trust in God, shown by his devout prayers to God and his devoted study of the Talmud and Kabbalah. But over time his horrific experiences during the Holocaust started to influence his beliefs. He says in his first night at Auschwitz, “Never shall I forget...
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...elements to convey meaning and theme in an often times consolidated form. The use of such elements, such as form, imagery, and symbolism, enable the author to evoke specific feelings and thoughts in the reader. Gerard Manley Hopkins uses elements like alliteration and diction to juxtapose life and death in his poem “Spring and Fall.” The poem compares a young girl’s sadness over the changing of seasons to humans’ sadness regarding their own mortality. This inevitable fate causes a loss of innocence even before she is able to describe it with words or emotions. Hopkins alludes to the idea of the contrast of life and death from the very beginning of the poem by choosing contrasting words “spring” and “fall” for the title. Many times when speaking about the seasons, authors will use the term autumn rather than fall. This intentional decision by the author clues readers in on the theme and draws parallels to comparisons of youth versus age and innocence versus experience. Spring, often representative of youth, innocence and renewal, is depicted by young Margaret and her “fresh thoughts” (4). The speaker suggests that autumn is comparable to old age and death with the term “Fall.” The use of the word fall also calls to mind the “fall from grace” of man from the Bible. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, causing all men to be subjected to a mortal life with sin. This idea speaks to the theme of mortality and loss of innocence, as both were concepts of...
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...assignment. It was a really interesting discussion because half of the people that attended were my age and the other half was about two generations older, so there was a very diverse pool of perspectives and opinions. But because there was a large generation gap it was a bit more difficult for me to share my views, so I mainly listened and observed other people’s thoughts. The discussion itself was very helpful because of the different views people had about the memoir. One of the themes of A Long Way Gone that we discussed was the importance of hope. We mainly talked about how this theme was not constant throughout the memoir and that it changed with time. For example one person brought up how at first Ishmael’s only motivator was the hope of his parents being alive, then when he realized that he would never be reunited with them he had lost his hope. It was only when he remembered what his father had said about a person only lives if they have something to live for which gave him his hope back. As far as themes that’s really the only one that we discussed, but we did discuss a lot of other interesting aspects of the memoir. We discussed the validity of Ishmael’s timeframes given within the memoir and talked about the criticism that A Long Way Gone has received. Most people in the group thought that even if the times were off it is insignificant with regards to what he’s been through as a child soldier and the main message that he’s trying to project through this memoir....
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...Cuervos is a film following the protagonist, eight year old Ana through the troubles of coping with her mother and father’s deaths and adjusting to her new life with her aunt, maid, and mute grandmother. Following the recent death of her mother and father, she imagines them in her everyday life in everyday situations for comfort, especially her mother. Along with her parents showing up in the film unpredictably, so does adult Ana narrating certain moments sharing her retrospective perspective. The film has scenes that show Ana the relationship between her mother and father along with the moments shared between her and her sisters growing up in such a short summer. Two of the main themes in this film are about gender roles within the house, even after her father is gone, and childhood and the negative effect loss and familial problems can have on it....
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...------------------------------------------------- Themes, Motifs & Symbols Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The Threat of Codependency to Identity The central relationship in the novel—that between Finny and Gene—involves a complex dynamic of seeking to establish, yet being uncomfortable with, identity. Early in the book, the boys’ relationship seems fueled, in part, by Gene’s envy and resentment of his friend’s dominating spirit. As Finny demonstrates his physical prowess, Gene feels the need to accentuate his academic prowess. Finny’s fall from the tree, however, apparently purges Gene of his darker feelings and steers their relationship in a different direction so that codependency rather than envy characterizes it. The scene immediately following the fall symbolizes this evolution, as Gene dresses in Finny’s clothes and sees himself as looking exactly like him. From this point on, he and Finny come to depend on each other for psychological support. Gene plays sports because Finny cannot, allowing Finny to train him to be the athlete that Finny himself cannot be. This training seems an avenue for Finny simply to live vicariously through Gene. But Gene actively welcomes this attempt by Finny, for just as Finny derives inner strength from fulfilling his dreams through Gene, so, too, does Gene find happiness in losing his own self (which he seems to dislike) in Finny’s self (which he likes very much). Thus, the...
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...island, the more innocence they get taken from them. For instance, the first time that Jack tried to hunt, he stares at the pig holding a knife over him. Jack couldn't find it in himself to kill the pig which led to it get away. Later in the novel, Jack finds pleasure in the killing’s and even chants “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”(Golding 218). Jack chanting this is a symbol of his loss of innocence....
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...‘The fascination of innocence lies in its fragility’. Milton’s epic poem ‘Paradise Lost’ and Jonson’s comedy play ‘Volpone’ both explore the nature of innocence – moreover, its fragility. Through their examination of justice, societal conventions, and their relationship with their audiences both writers challenge conceptions of innocence held at their time of writing. Arguably, relationships between the notion of innocence and audiences have changed over time, yet it is that which makes both works timeless pieces of longstanding fascination. The theme of justice – and subsequently the definition of ‘innocence’ – is a field explored by both Milton and Jonson. In ‘Paradise Lost’, Milton presents governance in the divine justice of God. The authority of God is asserted in his casting Satan out of Heaven – leaving him “full of anguish” and intent on “man’s destruction”, as a means to challenge the supremacy of God. Adam and Eve are presented as “innocent” at the start of Book Nine, yet to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and to fall from grace. Milton conveys the pair’s purity through the use of natural imagery: “the humid flowers” and the “sweetest scent and airs”. However, Milton also foreshadows the Fall by contrasting the natural innocence of the pre-lapsarian couple with ideas of modern religion – “sacred light”, “incense”, “earth’s great alter”. Suggesting that Adam and Eve were predestined to lose their “innocent” nature, Milton asserts his own ideas of religion: contrary...
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... SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT___Summer 2011____________ NAME__Tammy Boylan______________ID #__L23926585_ WRITING STYLE USED_____APA_____________________ In William Blakes, “The Chimney Sweeper”, this poem is told by a chimney sweep who tells of a younger sweep that is sold into slavery by his father, after his mother dies. The main theme of the poem is that of the loss of innocence of these children, who are depicted in the poem under harsh and abusive treatment in the 1800’s. With their innocence stolen by their parents and their owners these children were forced into confined areas filled with comb webs, and dirty sooty conditions, where their lives were sacrificed to their life of cleaning these chimneys, of which they died of young ages. The narrator tells of the young Tom Dacre’s dream of the only way out of this life of misery. 1. Introduction- William Blake writes of his concern for these children’s well being 2. Body Section – The Poem Overview: 1. The boy’s mother dies at young age (Stanza 1) 2. Sold - Loss of Innocence (Stanza 2) 3. Dream (Stanza 3) 4. Angel (Stanza 4) 5. Hope of a Father (Stanza 5) 6. Their duty (Stanza 6) 3. Williams Blake, diction and imagery of the life of a Chimney Sweep 1. Tone- dark and depressing/ happiness: ...
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