Free Essay

Reader

In:

Submitted By xPersian
Words 611
Pages 3
A journey- Colm Tóibin

No one can ever garantee us that our lives will turn out the way WE want it to be. And accepting something that kills us on the inside like sorrow does, is never an easy thing for us to do. Everyone yearns for the perfect future and eventually when/if we approach to what we thought would be perfect but isn’t that perfect at all we start to put questionmarks in our actions. Where did I wrong? How did I end up here? Is it MY fault? Those kinds of question can really take over our minds and leaves us with a feeling hopelessness and guilt. We feel like we have failed big time and we believe that it is our fault if anything in life goes the wrong direction. We’re so good at taking all the blame on our own shoulders and walk on with such a big burden. This is what Mary is going through in the text “ A Journey”.

She used to live a normal life back in the days and everything seemed to be perfect for her. But as time passed her by, her life began to turn upside down. Her husband (Seamus) has gone through some strokes and one of those strokes paralyzed his one side and the miserable condition of her son is still a mystery to her as it seems that she can‘t figure out what has caused his depression.
Although David has made it clear that he doesn’t want to talk with Mary “No questions, Ma, I said no questions”, Mary still makes an effort to reach through him instead of getting his back against her.
During his childhood David was spending most of his time at Mrs. Redmond in the evenings while his parents were out. Their absence could be the reason why David is so depressed. They don’t really know their own son too well. “they were used to being free.”
He’d rather stay at Mrs. Redmond than being with his own parents. He doesn’t even react when Mary tells him that his father have had another stroke. He just ignores her and if he had anything to say, it would only be few words or a little smile.
Mary tries to keep her head up no matter how harsh he goes on her. Every now and then she memorizes back to when David was a little kid and always would ask her about everything and also when her husband used to be a principal in the school nearby. Now it’s all different. Her husband and son are selfish.
David won’t help her on right track so she can “safe” him from his miserable condition and her husband just wants to get his son back home “Is he home? Did you bring him?”. She is the wife and mother, she can’t be as selfish as them. She is there to take care of them and she knows that pretty well. End the end she also starts being silent as Seamus and David although she is falling apart on the inside. She feels that it’s all her fault. But to live “along” with them she thinks that being silent and leave questions being unanswered behind just like THEY (husband and son) does, she thinks that life will be just as simple as it was once back then.
Throughout the story she is searching for answers and by memorizing the past so she can find some “clues” that can help her make her son and husband happy again, she goes on a inner journey hence ‘A journey’.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Readers Response Journal

...The Violence in Beloved Beloved is filled with violence, but it’s relevant in making the story what it is. In order to make and emphasize her point and affect the reader, Morrison laces her main character’s timeline with violence, vulgarity, and sadness. It’s probably one of the most affective instruments the author uses in my opinion. She manipulates the readers feelings and expectations by insinuating flashbacks within her story without warning, all the while providing the reader the necessary information on how her main character, Sethe, had gotten to where she is in present day. Violence plays a huge role in the storyline and the emotional aspect that’s portrayed to the reader. When the speaker describes the tree embedded into Sethe’s back, and how she got it, the description allows the reader to really understand how badly she and the others were treated and be made aware of the circumstances that she had to live in. As the author describes the gruesome injustice done to Sethe by the inhumane man that had brutally beaten her to the point of her back being torn, it makes the reader feel sorry for Sethe. The symbolism behind the tree truly is literary genius. The author was able to take a traumatic event, a horrific one at that, and manage to symbolize it as something as peaceful and simple as a tree. By the author providing violence within her storyline, the violence proves to be more affective in terms of moving the audience. When Sethe prostitutes herself in order...

Words: 766 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Communication - Writers to Readers

...Communication – writers to readers In order for writers to communicate with their readers, they use different language in a way that links to their specific audience. For example, a news journalist will use different language to what a beauty magazine journalist will use. Using different language can affect many different aspects, such as creating a relationship and influencing their readers. The writer must also adapt his/her style, tone and clarity to the reading audience to ensure they communicate well. One way language is used to affect the audience, is the formality of it. The formality of language should match the formality of the situation and the relationship between the writer and reader. For example, when someone’s writing an email to a friend, it will be rather informal. Email tends to be written less formally, often with sentence fragments, poor punctuation, and with lots of abbreviations. A good example of formal pieces of writing would be gossip or music articles. Although the subject matter wouldn’t be too serious or too important, the writing still has to have a professional tone to it, to make sure every reader understands the writing and will want to carry on buying the magazine, so, the writer will make the article formal. Newspaper articles can be seen as formal or very formal, depending on the subject, but all in all, it’s the news and it has to be written in a highly professional and clear way. A letter or a CV/Covering Letter can be a good example of...

Words: 1053 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Factors Affecting Readers

...Good Reader/Bad Reader C.S. Lewis explains the differences between good and bad readers best in his book on An Experiment in Criticism. Here is a paraphrase: Bad Readers Read only once and move onto the next. Though they may read often they can take it or leave it and will quickly abandon reading for the next thing that comes along. When they have finished a book nothing, if anything at all seems to have transpired. They are ready to move onto the next. Seldom reflect at all on what they read. Never read beyond the non-narrative. Their interests are purely by events in the plot. Something must always be happening and they have no patience for internal dialogue, character development, or descriptive passages. Cannot differentiate between good and bad style. Good style with strong descriptive elements seems to put them off Enjoys only vicarious happiness or some kind of escapism. Use books as assistance to your own preconceived ideas. Good Readers Read many times over and over revisiting book over the course of a lifetime. Always looking for a chance to read more and feel impoverished when they have been denied the opportunity over time. The first encounter with a new work is often a deeply moving encounter that leaves the reader changed in some way. “They have become what they were not before”. What they read is constantly on the frontal lobe of a good reader. They quote lines and reflect on particular moments. Scenes and characters provide a kind of iconography by which...

Words: 482 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Readers Response to the Change in Ontological Levels in Metafiction

...Readers Response to the Change in Ontological Levels in Metafiction In works of metafiction, literary works address the devices of fiction to uncover the fictional illusion. Sometimes these works have a voice interacting within the world or review a contemplation of thought. Some works utilize different scenarios to emphasize metafiction such as; a reader reading a literary work, an author writing a literary work, or a narrator intentionally exposing him or herself as the author of the story. These works could also address the specific conventions of story, such as title, character conventions, paragraphing or plots. The various ways of creating a metafictional work is meant to capture the reader by making them aware that the story being told is made up, preventing a connection to their reality. One must question how do readers respond to the metafictional work? Can this response change when a different media is being used? These questions must be evaluated first in order for the metafictional to be comprehended in the second reaction. After the reader has had time to pose certain questions it will help them understand the work of leiterature. Using reader’s reactions to Beckett’s “A Text for Nothing, Number 4,” “The Magic Poker” by Robert Coover and Virginia Woolf’s Orlando , we can evaluate the responses to these works and acceptance of the evident fictional world. In the first round of reading Samuel Beckett’s “A Text for Nothing, Number 4,” the reader might start off with...

Words: 3057 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

The Importance Of Making The Reader Wait In Toni Morrison's Beloved

...plan of making the reader wait to build interest in the book. This is used by both Toni Morrison and George Orwell in their novels Beloved and 1984 respectively. The idea of making the reader wait plays a large part in these novels to drive the plot forward. In the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison, the idea of making the reader wait for plot details is apparent. Through the entire novel, allusions to the slavery that all of the characters have gone through are plentiful. However, it is only as the novel goes on that the reader is able to learn all of the information that surrounds these characters and their past lives. This helps to keep interest building in the reader as they must now keep reading to gain the closure that they desire while trying to learn about the characters. An example from this novel that shows this to be the truth is the information on how, Sethe, the main character's kids died. From the beginning of the novel we knew that they had died by the hands of Sethe herself. However as the reader moves farther into the novel, more and more information...

Words: 834 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Author, the Text, and the Reader

...A study of reader-response theories, and some views on how the objectivity of the literary text is or is not distinguished from the subjectivity of the reader's response by Clarissa Lee Ai Ling In the academic study of literature very little attention has been paid to the ordinary reader, the subjective individual who reads a particular text. David S. Miall and Don Kuiken, in their paper The form of reading: Empirical studies of literariness state. Almost no professional attention is being paid to the ordinary reader, who continues to read for the pleasure of understanding the world of the text rather than for the development of a deconstructive or historicist perspective. The concerns that an ordinary reader seems likely to have about a literary text, such as its style, its narrative structure, or the reader's relation to the author, the impact on the reader's understanding or feelings - such concerns now seem of little interest. In this paper I should like to study a few kinds of reader and the subjectivity of their responses to the objectivity found within literary texts, quoting some views found within reader-response criticism. Before I begin, I should like to consider what is meant by the term 'literary text', and what is meant by the objectivity of it. According to Terry Eagleton, [1] the definition of 'literary', as advanced by the Russian formalists, (who included in their ranks are Viktor Shklovsky, Roman Jakobson, Osip Brik, Yury Tynyanov, Boris Eichenbaum...

Words: 3773 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Reader Response of Araby

...Brittany Charpentier 18 October 2011 Reader Response Criticism of James Joyce’s “Araby” Though there are many different theories to interpret the short story “Araby” I have chosen a reader response theory known as transactional reader response. In doing so I hope to show the connection between text and reader and how our emotions and state of mind directly reflect on how we interpret works of literature. In transactional reader response theory, presented by both Louise Rosenblatt and Wolfgang Iser, I will be using the text of “Araby” as my blueprint to guide me to my conclusions and how I interpret the text. According to Iser the text provides readers with two kinds of meanings determinate and indeterminate: “Determinate meaning refers to what might be called the facts of the text, certain events in the plot or physical descriptions clearly provided by the words on the page. In indeterminate meaning or indeterminacy, refers to “gaps” in the text – such as actions that are not clearly explained or seem to have multiple explanations…” (Tyson 174) By using both indeterminate and determinate meanings within the blueprint of “Araby” I will construct and describe the reading process I undertake. In the beginning of the blueprint we are introduced to the narrator’s surroundings in which he lives. He describes the street he lives on as isolated and goes on to include telling of the previous owner of the house being a deceased priest. The surroundings of the narrator and the...

Words: 1482 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Wolfgang Iser's the Act of Reading: Implied Reader

...Wolfgang Iser’s The Act of Reading: Implied Reader Wolfgang Iser’s The Act of Reading presents a list of the various types of readers possible when it comes to interpreting literary text. These readers have different interpretations of the text. These interpretations are affected by how the author appeals to each of the readers, either through the text itself or through the beliefs that the reader brings to the text. One reader Iser focuses on is the implied reader. After carefully examining what an implied reader is, Iser’s main assumptions about this role are easily noticeable. Iser’s implied reader allows the text to be broken down in such a way that the structured effects of a text can be described. Also, the implied reader allows for all predispositions to be mentioned so the text can achieve its meaning effectively. In fact, Iser says it best when he writes the implied reader “embodies all those predispositions necessary for a literary work to exercise its effect.” An implied reader is a part of the text. And this part is extremely imperative to the text. Iser himself states that this implied reader concept “designates a network of response- inviting structures, which impel the reader to grasp the text.” In other words, the implied reader is a backbone to a person reading the text. Without the implied reader, the text will have no sufficient value present. Iser’s implied reader also has structured acts which help make...

Words: 852 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Explore the Effects Shakespeare Was Trying to Achieve by Creating a Character Like Lady Macbeth. What Reactions Might the Reader Have of Lady Macbeth?

...Explore the effects Shakespeare was trying to achieve by creating a character like Lady Macbeth. What reactions might the reader have of Lady Macbeth? Shakespeare portrayed Lady Macbeth in many ways in different situations. However, readers would believe her to be manipulative, scheming, deceptive, ruthless and going down the path of evil for power and position overall. Creating the character Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare has made her the catalyst, (including the witches) as Macbeths evildoings and leading towards the downfall of him and herself. He has made her a very significant part of the play. This is because she is always with Macbeth telling him what she thinks he should do, and structuring the deed. When he calls off the whole plan of killing Duncan therefore not gaining full power, Lady Macbeth has the confidence to call her husband a coward and ridicule his masculinity in order to persuade him to commit the murder. She challenges his feelings of guilt and pity for Duncan and replaces them with malicious and spiteful feelings. This shows Lady Macbeth can go to extremes as she has the courage to question his coward-ness and masculinity. The readers can admire or look down on her ruthlessness and her power in the relationship. Also her persuasive skills. Not only taunting him, but using her femininity to her advantage as she sexually touches him while persuading him. Shakespeare has achieved to make Lady Macbeth unique as most wives wouldn’t argue with their husbands however...

Words: 530 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Reader

...Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes en dergelijke en en zo Tosti Met saus en sambal stukje pinda nootjes...

Words: 286 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

A Reformation Reader

...Introduction A reformation reader is a book edited by Denis Janz in which he brings lesser known documents and figures to luminosity. Janz makes the context reformation clearer by including the pre-Reformation Catholic sentiments authors and discussing about the Counter Reformation and the Catholic Council of Trent. He brings up different scholarly arguments on how to interpret the Reformation. Janz tries us much as he can to stay neutral and give explanations on what the questions are. He therefore, provides documents that hold the ability to place challenges on both viewpoints and supports a study of the texts themselves. In his book, Janz includes opinions explaining the significance of both Martin Luther and John Calvin. This paper is therefore, intended on highlighting the significance of these two individuals and contrasting the opinions contained in writings of each. The significance of Martin Luther Many people wonder why there exists a great fuss over martin Luther and the Protestant reformation. They also don’t understand how and why this German monk turned out to be a lightning rod for change in religion and community in Europe during the Renaissance. Many people also do not comprehend the significance of the circumstances and the importance Luther and his persuade on the Reformation and how it affects them in the present days. Back in 1520 Luther was thought of as an insightful church leader and other thought of him as an ecclesiastical terrorist. His thoughts...

Words: 2257 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Reader Meter

...neighboring Mitchell County. This  expansion concerned Judy. The company workforce had increased by 30 percent the previous year, and Judy had struggled to recruit enough qualified job applicants. She knew that new expansion would intensify the problem.  Judy is particularly concerned about meter readers. The tasks required in meter reading are relatively simple. A person drives to homes served by the company, finds the gas or electric meter, and records its current reading. If the meter has been tampered with, it is reported. Otherwise, no decision making of any consequence is associated with the job. The reader performs no calculations. The pay was $8.00 per hour, high for unskilled work in the area. Even so, Judy had been having considerable difficulty keeping the 37 meter reader positions filled.  Judy was thinking about how to attract more job applicants when she received a call from the human resource director, Sam McCord. “Judy,” Sam Said “I’m unhappy with the job specification calling for only a high school education for meter readers. In planning for the future, we need better-educated people in the company. I’ve decided to change the education requirement for the meter reader job from a high school diploma to a college degree”.  “But, Mr. McCord,” protested Judy, “the company is growing rapidly. If we are to have enough people to fill those jobs we just can’t insist that college graduates get paid to do such basic tasks. I don’t see how we can meet our future needs...

Words: 1396 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Meter Reader

...think that there should be a minimum education requirement for the meter reader job, at least a high school diploma holder, as it is for the purpose of the company to have good communication skills and well-educated meter reader workers. On the other hand, for meter reader workers with high school diploma holder allows themselves to have opportunity to be promoted or benefit on further education in the future. Also, with high school diploma certificate increase the employment possibilities where minimum education provided to fill in their job with specific skills that enables them to start as soon as possible on their job whereas its helps employer to reduce the cost on training and development. 2. Basically, Sam’s effort to upgrade the people in the organization is really good changes for the company in the future. On the contrary, Judy already had difficulties in keeping the 37 meter reader position filled as the pay $8.00/hr was high for an unskilled worker in the area, in addition there isn’t have the job required the employees to work on weekends too and she is thinking ways maintain the job applicants with high school diploma certificate for the company. If Sam insisted that Judy take on the changes would cause those current meter reader workers with high school diploma holder facing unemployment. Furthermore, it makes Judy re-changes hers idea on how to attract and employ those meter reader workers with college degree and also the salaries for the new workers. Thus...

Words: 433 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Course Reader

...CourseSmart Reader User Guide This document provides key screenshots, instructions and feature of the CourseSmart Reader. Key highlights include * Bookmarking for fast navigation to specific pages within course materials. * Highlighting and copy of content within eTextbooks to capture key information for review. * Notes management options allowing users to view notes alongside page content or in a summary view. * Search and navigation within a book and view results in line with page content. * Multiple viewing options enabling content displays providing flexible reading and navigation of course content as well as multi-level zoom of images and text without losing page clarity. Revision History Author | Description | Date | Brenda Bravener-Greville | Prepared for ITT | 6.1.13 | Table of contents Before launching the Reader Showing the Offline Reader Showing the Online Reader Showing the Table of Contents Navigating through eTextbooks Notes, highlighting, sharing and content capture tools Zooming into and out of content Content management tools Before Launching the Reader 1. “CourseSmart’s Reader provides an efficient and interactive user experience through flexible content management tools and viewing options to offer the best path to consuming digital course materials”. 2. Access your eTextbook through The ITT Technical Institute Learning Management System – or – sign directly in to http://CourseSmart.com using your...

Words: 2272 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Reader Benefits

...Reader bennefits adalah : manfaat yang di dapatkan dari readers yang menggunakan service , membeli produk .mengikuti aturan atau mengadaptasi ide kita . Mengapa readers bennefits ini bekerja ? Reader bennefits meng-improv attitude dan sikap orang-orang yang bekerja dengan hal tersebut .hal ini membuat sudut pandang orang berubah menjadi lebih positif. Dan akan memudahkan kita untuk mencapai tujuan yang ingin di capai . Cara-cara yang bisa di lakukan untuk mengetahui keinginan yang di inginkan customer 1 . pikirkan feeling , ketakutan dan kebutuhan yang mungkin bisa memotivasi pelanggan anda . 2. Identifikasi fitur objektif dari produk atau peraturan . lalu pikirkan bagaimana fitur ini bisa bermanfaat bagi audiens . Menurut Vroom’s expectancy theory, perilaku yang diharapkan dalam pekerjaan akan meningkat jika seseorang merasakan adanya hubungan yang positif antara usaha-usaha yang dilakukannya dengan kinerja (Simamora, 1999). Perilaku-perilaku tersebut selanjutnya meningkat jika ada hubungan positif antara kinerja yang baik dengan imbalan yang mereka terima, terutama imbalan yang bernilai bagi dirinya (Nelson, 1996). Abraham Maslow (1943;1970) mengemukakan bahwa pada dasarnya semua manusia memiliki kebutuhan pokok. Ia menunjukkannya dalam 5 tingkatan yang berbentuk piramid, orang memulai dorongan dari tingkatan terbawah. Lima tingkat kebutuhan itu dikenal dengan sebutan Hirarki Kebutuhan Maslow, dimulai dari kebutuhan biologis dasar sampai motif psikologis yang...

Words: 459 - Pages: 2