...Freshwater Thesis Statement: Both Greene’s “The Destructors” and Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, particularly the climax of each story, illustrate a powerful preoccupation with the ruining of lives because of a desire to control the material world. Outline: I. Introduction--thesis statement as well as introductory material regarding the two texts to be referenced. II. The Destructors--a discussion of Greene’s story a. major plot points from the story b. T.’s impulse to control the material elements of the house c. the obsession with materialism and its effect on Mr. Thomas’s life III. The Rocking-Horse Winner--a discussion of Lawrence’s story a. major plot points from the story b. the obsession with wealth, materialism, and the need to make more money within the family c. the effect that this obsession had on the children of the family, particularly Paul who would ultimately pay for this obsession with his life IV. Conclusion--tie together the impulse to control material objects with the deleterious effects experienced by characters at each story’s climax Materialism and the Shattering of Lives in Greene’s “The Destructors” and Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner” The preoccupation with materialism can take many different forms in society and literature. An examination of Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” and Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner” illustrates this point...
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...be made in order to understand the author's motives. "The Destructors" tells the story of a gang of kids who aim to tear down an old man's house. This is a bit disturbing; it is not something most kids would spend their free time doing, and starts to give the idea that the story is a depiction of something greater. Indeed, as we will discuss, Greene is using his characters to portray a microcosm of post-war Britain. Specifically, Greene targets two central themes within this microcosm. The most important is the transition of attitudes over generations. We will see that this transition is a harmful one, and this is due to Greene's second concept of the destructive nature of mankind. The combination of destructive tendencies and this transition provides the reader with the story's ultimate message: human attitudes are nearly impossible to change over time, and war can create a cascade of destructive generations to come. To establish this message, Greene employs the use of an allegory. The story itself is not just representative of the words on the page, but something much more important. In this case, characters may be symbolic of particular people in society, but more accurately, the view into the character's lives as children is symbolic of what they will become as adults. The conflicts that the characters undergo will be conflicts that they manage as adults, but on a different scale. For instance, the main conflicts for the kids are how to tear Old Misery's house down in the...
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...Laketta Hussain Professor Dow 12 June 2013 English 102 The Rocking Horse Winners & The Destructors( Fiction) Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” and D. H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner”, are very different stories, but both contain similarities. “The Destructors” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” were both written by British authors . Both stories were written after a World War, so the living conditions were still miserable. The themes of the stories are go around the characters of the stories, especially on the children in each story. The characters in “The Destructors” are not as fully developed as the characters in “The Rocking Horse Winner”. The only two characters that Green developed were Trevor, better known as “T”, and Mr. Thomas, also referred to as Old Misery. Trevor was the quickly became the leader of the gang. Old Misery was an architect that lived in a crippled house, that is pretty much the only building still standing in that area. The destruction of this house becomes the challenge and the focus for Trevor and the rest of the characters who are grouped together as the Wormsley gang. They have grown up together and share the experience of bombs falling on their town. “The Rocking Horse Winner” has characters that are a little more rounded. Paul, the boy in the story, his mother, his Uncle, and Bassett the gardener are...
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...differences through the elements of themes, symbolism, and characterization. I. Theme A. Preservation of history B. Destruction of history II. Symbolism A. Black box - Symbol of the way things have always been, and the way people settle into doing things the way they were taught rather than thinking for themselves B. House - Symbol of the way things have always been, there is always an upper class, there is always corruption III. Characterization A. Tessie 1. Jokes around, vocal about opinions 2. Backed by feeling of injustice B. Trevor 1. Quiet, withdrawn, appears indifferent, schemes on his own 2. Backed by feelings of bitterness Both “The Destructors,” by Graham Greene, and “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson offer insight to the limited wisdom of man, as well as his stubbornness and sin nature. When man is left to his own devices and limited knowledge, destruction is sure to follow. The result of human folly is shown in both stories, which contain similarities and differences through the elements of theme, symbolism, and characterization. Although in both stories the prevailing theme is that of established history, one sets out to destroy history and the other seeks to change it for the better. Steve Maraboli stated, “Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” This is a revelation that Trevor should have...
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...Compare and Contrast Essay Liberty University Character/Plot/Structure Outline I. Introduction to the Conflict/Plot/Structure II. Destructors a. Conflict of Trever vs himself b. How did the conflict unfold and the characters affected. c. How are the conflicts concluded? d. The effects of the reader III. The Rocking-Horse Winner e. Conflict of Paul vs his mother f. How did the conflict unfold and the characters affected. g. How are the conflicts resolved? Does the protagonist succeed in achieving their goals? h. The effects of the reader IV. Conclusion The conflict of The Destructors by Graham Greene and that of The Rocking-Horse Winner had some similarities and differences in regards to the conflict, plot, and structure. Both display a very invigorating tale and a mystery regarding the conclusion of each story. These shorts stories were both about children who did not have an understanding and were naïve to the ways of the world. Each displayed a very disturbing outcome and some more than others. The conflict lead to a surprising turn of events displayed itself as the stories were depicted. The Destructors by Graham title clearly described and assisted the reader in the series of events to come. One is lead to assume that in some way or form destruction will take place. The conflict that leads to the destruction is the internal turmoil going on with (T) Trevor. He was upset about his...
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...Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Destructors” English 102: Literature and Composition Fall B 2011 MLA Thesis Successfully forming your characters in fiction stories sets the basis for the story to unfold. In D.H Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and Graham Greene’s “ The Destructors” we can picture the two main characters and their perspective roles in the stories. However, the way they are developed and their description, varies to some degree. Outline 1. Motivation: a. Trevor: Wanted to be the leader of the gang b. Paul: Wanted to help his family out with money problems 2. Conflict: a. Trevor: Wanted to be a bigger part of the gang b. Paul: Wanted to prove to his family that he was lucky, and to provide financial support 3. Tone a. Trevor: Quiet and devious b. Paul: Outspoken and good-hearted 4. Characterization: a. Trevor: withdrawn to leader of the gang b. Paul: Remains mostly the same English 102 September 15, 2011 Characterization in: “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Destructors” Successfully forming your characters in fiction stories sets the basis for the story to unfold. In D.H Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner” the tone of the main character is described as young and ambitious. His physical characteristics go along with this, and the conflict that he encounters is perfect for his tone and character. In Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” the main character is a...
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...Fiction Essay Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” and D. H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner” are very different stories, but both have similarities. “The Destructors” and “The Rocking Horse Winner” were both written by British authors and set in a post war Great Britain. Both stories were written after a World War, so the living conditions were still depressed. I will compare and contrast the authors’ choice of themes and characters, emotions, materialism, use of suspense, and setting. The themes of both stories are developed around the characters of the stories, especially on the children in each story. The characters in “The Destructors” are not as fully developed as the characters in “The Rocking Horse Winner”. The only two characters that Green developed were Trevor, better known as “T”, and Mr. Thomas, also referred to as Old Misery. Trevor was the outsider that quickly became the leader of the gang. Old Misery was an architect that lived in a house that was falling apart but was pretty much the only building still standing in that area. The destruction of this house becomes the challenge and the focus for Trevor and the rest of the characters who are gathered together as the Wormsley gang. They have grown up together and share the experience of bombs falling on their town. “The Rocking Horse Winner” has characters that are a little more rounded. Paul, the boy in the story, his mother, his Uncle, and Bassett the gardener are in constant trouble over poverty. Paul...
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...Name: Polindo C.G.S BP Number : 1410732003 The Destruction Respond Paper The story made by Graham Greene takes a setting of place in London when after World War II, and introduced by a random age boy gang named the Wormsley Common Gang and the characters like Mike, Trevor, Summer, Joe and Blackie that has they place to meet in the impromptu car-park or parking lot, the site of the last bomb of the blitz, and then the other character that called old misery but his real name is Mr.Thomas, he lived alone in the crippled house. For my opinion “The Destructors” is a story of shifting power and development character in Wormsley Common Gang. Blackie initially holds the power of leadership in the gang, and he is a basically good leader. Although he encourages mischief, it is the kind that does not hurt anyone. In his hands, power is the ability to lead others. When T. takes over leadership, however, the gang changes dramatically. He gets the members to participate in a cruel plan to destroy an innocent man’s home, a home that is a treasured piece of England’s past. In T.’s hands, power is the ability to destroy. His brand of leadership is different; when Blackie arrives on the first morning of the destruction (the day after T. assumes leadership), “He had at once the impression of organization, very different from the old happy-go-lucky ways under his leadership. When Summers arrives on the second morning, voicing his preference to do something more fun that day, T. will...
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...The destructors "The destructors" by Graham Greene is a story that talks about warfare between people in the top class and underclass. There is a gang which is consisted by several kids who are all stay in the underclass. They are too young to understand what the class struggle exactly means. After their county suffers the war and their homes are destroyed, they hate the unfair phenomenon exist in the society. They hate the war leaves them such a miserable life. When they aim to destroy Mr. Tomas's house, which is the only survived house in this area after the war, their purpose is only for destroying anything that better than theirs. They don't take money from Mr. Tomas who belongs to the top of class; they only want to make this society treat everyone as the same. However, tearing down Mr. Tomas's house is not only a childhood mischief but a definitely delinquency. When Mr. Tomas loses all of his property, how poor he is. He earns money by his hard work, so he deserves to have a good standard of living. Eventually, people's jealousy and hate destroy his life. In the end of the story, when the driver, who also lives in the underclass, finds what happen to Mr. Tomas, he only thinks this is funny instead of having any sympathy for him. In his inner mind, he may be satisfied by what the kids do. However, the unfair phenomenon in the society cannot be destroy by several groups or even by time passes. This phenomenon will continue exist in the...
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...innocence. -Process was fair and objective Random. -Tradition is unfair. But why doesn't Tessie leave? Thinks she won't be chosen? Old and shabby. Symbol of the lottery's tradition. No one thinks it should be changed though. They're passive. People are impersonal and cannot imagine being chosen. So they don't try to change it. Black is associated with Death. People keep their distance. Warner says "Lottery in June, Corn be heavy soon." If they do the lottery, then they'll have more food for the harvest Superstition: Town has lots of food. Must be because of the Lottery. / correlation doesn't = causation Throwing stone: cruel, savage. Everyone participates in the killing. Blame is spread throughout the village. Change comes slowly. Destructors Discussion Questions Summary: The gang plans to destroy Old Misery's house. This is Trevor's plan. He's the newest member and his plan causes Blackie to leave the group momentarily. While Mr. Thomas was away, they snuck...
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...The gang members in Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” are catastrophic young children and teenagers who are unfortunately being greatly affected by their surroundings. Placed in wartime London, their town is in rubble from bombings. Peer pressure is no help when a destructive surrounding and vulnerable ages are strongly influencing the instinctive human behavior of the members, which causes many of their horrific actions. The characters of Greene’s short story are different in their own way. Mike is a childish young boy “at the age of nine [who] was surprised by everything” (50). Trevor, better known as T, comes off to be one of the nicer and more hushed boys in ‘the gang’. “…there were possibilities about his brooding silence that all recognised” (50). Blackie was the gang member who worried that T. was too classy for the gang. “…he was anxious to retain T. in the gang if he could. It was the word ‘beautiful’ that worried him- that belonged to a class world…” (53). However, as the story progresses it comes to be known that Blackie has taken T to be something he is not. The gang meeting “every morning in an impromptu car-park, the site of the last bomb of the first blitz” has a great impact on their actions. The destruction of the town around them leads T to propose the destruction of a neighboring house which belonged to a man known as Old Misery. Blackie begins to appear to be the more civil of the two boys when he argues against T’s proposition saying “We’d go to jug” and...
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...The Destructors, by Graham Green, has a meaningless purpose for the destructive actions that a group of teenage gang members took on throughout this story. The story gives great details about an immature teenage gang group who destroys for no reason, based on their insecure and psychologically disturbed minds. This story has a meaningless purpose of destruction, character conflict amongst self and others based on bribery. During the gang members' social time, a senseless conflict arose between the teenage members and Mr. Thomas (aka Old Misery). The gang felt that Mr. Old Misery tried to bribe them off his property. The gang members did not appreciate Old Misery's bribery. Even though the teenagers were upset about the bribery, constantly bouncing balls around Mr. Thomas' house to annoy him was meaningless. The gang members led this on to a more serious and complicated incident. Being involved in a gang requires multiple criminal acts for every gang member to commit. Gangs commit crime for money, retaliation, respect, and to recruit members for the gang. Even though this crime may seem as an act for some form of respect, there is no proof from Old Misery trying to bribe them off of his property. According to this story, the criminal act upon Mr. Thomas could have been avoided. The gang members took their obnoxious acts from bouncing their balls to destroying Mr. Thomas home. Destroying someone’s home is extremely unacceptable under any conditions, and it is just bad unnecessary...
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...The Destructors! Graham Greene! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1! It was on the eve of August Bank Holiday that the latest recruit became the leader of the Wormsley Common gang. No one was surprised except Mike, but Mike at the age of nine was surprised by everything. “If you don’t shut your mouth,” somebody once said to him, “you’ll get a frog down it.” After that Mike had kept his teeth tightly clamped except when the surprise was too great.! The new recruit had been with the gang since the beginning of the summer holidays, and there were possibilities about his brooding silence that all recognized. He never wasted a word even to tell his name until that was required of him by the rules. When he said “Trevor” it was a statement of fact, not as it would have been with the others a statement of shame or defiance. Nor did anyone laugh except Mike, who finding himself without support and meeting the dark gaze of the newcomer opened his mouth and was quiet again. There was every reason why T., as he was afterward referred to, should have been an object of mockery—there was his name (and they substituted the initial because otherwise they had no excuse not to laugh at it), the fact that his father, a former architect and present clerk, had “come down in the world” and that his mother considered herself better than the neighbors. What but an odd quality of danger, of the unpredictable, established him in the gang without...
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...Assignment: Character Analysis Worksheet Name: Assignment total: 30 marks Part 1: Questions about the character. They may not all apply. Point form answers are fine. 20 marks 1. When does the character live? Past, present or future? Future 2. Where does the character live? In the country, the city, the suburbs…? Suburbs 3. What is the socioeconomic background of my character? A middle class socioeconomic background. 4. What is a typical day for my character like? Obeying and following orders for now.. 5. Who else heavily influences my character? Members of the gang. 6. What is my character’s biggest life goal? Become the master, take charge of things 7. What is the primary emotion my character has throughout this story? Anger 8. What other emotions are affecting my character underneath that emotion? Rage, over thinking, hate towards others. 9. Does my character have mental or emotional difficulties, illnesses or tics? Yes 10. What kind of self-esteem does my character have? Low 11. How does my character relate to the outside world? Involved in a lot of things such as gangs and follows orders and does what he is told What props or scenic elements does my character relate to within the story? X 12. How do those props/scenic elements develop my character? Make him stronger 13. What emotion should the audience feel toward my character? Sympathy, hate, friendly? 14. In the beginning of the story, what do we discover...
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...Old Misery’s house symbolizes beauty and how times were before the war which he has come to despise. Although Old Misery did nothing to the boys of the Wormsley Common Gang, his house symbolizes the past. Trevor seems to hold deep resentment towards the world around him and things of his past. The boys of the Wormsley Common Gang have themselves witnessed and been a part of the destruction the World War II has left behind in London. The world the boys live in is unstable and all that the only normalcy they have is each other. The newest member of the gang is Trevor who often sits in silence with little interaction with his fellow gang members and seems ashamed of the person he once was. “He never wasted a word even to tell his name until that was required of him by the rules. When he said ‘Trevor’ it was a statement of fact, not as if it would have been with the others a statement of shame or defiance,” suggests that Trevor only speaks when he is giving orders; his answers are often short and to the point. “There was every reason why T, as he was afterwards referred to, should have been an object of mockery – there was his name (and they substituted the initial because otherwise they had no excuse not to laugh at it), the fact that his father, a former architect and present clerk, had ‘come down in the world’ and that his mother considered herself better than the neighbours,” points to the name Trevor being a name of the upper class, so by being referred to as T, he avoids being...
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