...The Hurt Man It is the late summer of 1888, and the town of Port William is a dangerous place for a child to be wandering around. Yet that is exactly what five-year-old Mat Feltner does. Danger lurks behind every corner, horses in the road, the occasional droves of animals, and plenty of anger fuelled fistfights inside the saloons or in the street. Death is something Mat Feltner is aware of, something most boys his age nowadays, thankfully, are not. He knows his three siblings are buried in the town’s graveyard. The short story “The Hurt Man” by Wendell Berry revolves around the themes death and grief, and revolves around how Mat comes to not only be aware of the two things, but to comprehend them. The short story takes place in the town of Port William and the year is 1888, as previously mentioned. It is a small town, built along a road that used to be no more than a buffalo trace. In one end of the town is a school, in the other a graveyard. There are a couple of saloons, a church, a blacksmith, a bank, a hotel and some stores, and a dozen miles by river to the nearest courthouse. The characteristics such as the saloons, the fact that the city’s road used to be a buffalo trace, and the lack of law, as well as the names of the characters, point towards the town of Port William being an American frontier town. Anger rules the town and violence is at a high rate, especially in this particular town because there is no one to uphold the law. “And in Port William, a dozen...
Words: 985 - Pages: 4
...The Hurt Man -by Wendell Berry Sometimes in life you accomplish epiphanies. You suddenly realize something huge. It can either be something about love or something totally different. But one thing you absolutely know is that, it’s going to change the way you’re living your life. That’s the coincidence in the short story, The Hurt Man, where the young boy, Mat Feltner, realize something remarkable about life. The Hurt Man takes place in Port William which is a small town on the American Frontier. It takes place long time back in the past back in the 1880s. The situation that changes Mat’s life is started by the usual clashes in the pub. One of the men gets hurt and seeks for help on Mat’s front porch. The woman of the house, Mat’s mother, instantly helps the victim and looks beside all the blood and the smell of alcohol and saves the man’s life. That situation changes his life a lot. This short story is told in third person by an omniscient narrator. This will say that the writer knows everything and he makes us know everything. We know what is happening inside the minds of the characters, we know how they’re feeling about certain situations we know everything. Example of the omniscient narrator can be shown on p.4 ll. 89-91. The situation on those lines is that the mother is looking at the hurt man and thinking about the situation. “Looking at the hurt man, whose blood was dripping onto the bench and the porch floor, she said quietly, perhaps only to herself, “Oh my!”...
Words: 994 - Pages: 4
...The Hurt Man by Wendell Berry “The Hurt Man” is a short story written by Wendell Berry and published in 2003. It told us about a childhood memory of Mat Feltner back in the late 1880´s. Its themes are growing up from childhood becoming part of the grown up world, which is living with love and sorrow. At first glance, you would think that the title refers to the hurt man that the mother lets into their house and that is probably true. But somehow I believe that it also refers to the change in Mat how his innocent, unknowing heart suddenly learns of pain through his mother's care of the man. Mat was living in a turbulent time and place . It was a harsh world which Mat's deceased older siblings hadn't been able to overcome. (ll.37 “uncountable ways for a boy to get hurt, or worse”. Mat's mother was a strong woman, which wasn't unusual in her time and place. She loved her son, but didn't smother him, even though she had already lost three children. She knew that the hardship of life couldn't ignored, they had to be faced, so she let him grow up like everyone else, although she was careful on Saturdays, since the town became a dangerous place then. Mat was mildly surprised, when his mother let the hurt man into their house, but he wasn't surprised to see his mother treat the man. He already knew that this was what his mother would do for him, so why wouldn't she help a stranger as well? He was only surprised when he saw her face, because his mother had an expression he had never...
Words: 506 - Pages: 3
...A. . “The Hurt Man” is a short story written by Wendell Berry and published in 2003. It describes a childhood memory of a man named Mat Feltner back in the late 1880’s. Its themes are childhood, growing up, becoming part of the world and living with sorrow and love. At first glance, one would think that the title refers to the hurt man that the mother lets into their house – and that is probably true. But I believe that it also refers to the change in Mat, how his innocent, unknowing heart suddenly learns of pain through his mother’s care of the man. Mat was living in a turbulent time and place, where it wasn’t unusual to have disputes settles out of court. It was a harsh world, which Mat’s deceased older siblings hadn’t been able to overcome. There were (line 37) “uncountable ways for a boy to get hurt, or worse”. Mat’s mother was a strong woman, which wasn’t unusual in her time and place. She loved her son, but didn’t smother him, even though she had already lost 3 children – she knew that the hardships of life couldn’t be ignored, they had to be faced, so she let grow up like everyone else, although she was sensibly careful on Saturdays, since the town became a dangerous place then. In the text “Men of the West. Life on the American Frontier” the author, Cathy Luchetti, describes how men were shocked at women’s capability, when they moved to the “wild west”, since they had always thought that they were childlike and stupid. Nancy Feltner was a perfect example of how women...
Words: 1122 - Pages: 5
...The Hurt Man The short story ”The Hurt Man” is written by Wendell Barry back in 2003 and features the 5-year old Mat Feltner, who lives with his parents in the tough environment of a small American town called Port William in the late 1880’s. The story deals with a number of essential themes such as loss, love and the transition from childhood to growing up and becoming aware of the world that surrounds you. Simultaneously, the story deals with themes that are more closely related to the particular time and environment such as for instance the sex roles and the widespread violence of that time. The narrative voice is a third person narrator whose omniscience is restricted to Mat’s. The noteworthy thing about the narrator’s role is the retrospective light in which the story is told. The narrator is looking back on the events and is thereby able to let the reader in on things that have yet not occurred. An example is when Mat’s coming wife Margaret, who Mat finds no interest in at this point, is introduced: “she would begin to matter to him a great deal in a dozen of years, and after that she would matter to him all his life”. The fact that the narrator is able to give away this kind of inside knowledge lets the reader reflect upon the current events in the light of future events and thereby reach a greater understanding of that which takes place in the story. The setting of the story plays a decisive role as well. As stated initially, Mat grows up in a tough setting where most...
Words: 1269 - Pages: 6
...andre måder at spilde tiden på, ting som de unge ikke får noget ud af ifølge Amy Chuas. Men på trods af at det alt sammen lyder meget koldt og kynisk ser det hvert fald ud til at virke hvis man altså går efter de unges færdigheder. Hele tigermor metoden stiller igen spørgsmålstegn ved om det er den rigtig måde at behandle sine børn og kollegaer på, en måske meget hård og kold måde at behandle folk på men det virker åbenbart meget positivt på nogle mennesker. Dermed siger jeg ikke at jeg er enig i den måde Amy Chuas og resten af Asien håndtere deres børn og unge på, det kan godt være at de scorer de højeste karakterer i skolen angående læsning og skrivning, men der er trods alt mere i livet end det som for eksempel at nyde sin barndom og kunne tåle et nederlag engang imellem, ingen kan klare at være nummer et både i skolen og foran klaveret uden at tage sig til hoved engang imellem. Man må også huske på at der er kæmpe forskel på fx Danmark og Kina. Den vestlige verden kan ikke regne med at det vil få samme effekt hvis enhver familie begynder at omstrukturerer deres barns opdragelse på grund af nogle undersøgelser i Asien, så når Malene Lei Raben siger at Tigermorderen ender med at overtage verden mener hun det næppe. Hvis den kontroversigjle metode skal bære frugt nytter det ikke noget at man begynder på så drastiske ændringer i...
Words: 780 - Pages: 4
...The Hurt Man Life is full of loss and you cannot avoid experiencing it and well as sorrow. As people grow up they come to realize that the world is not as it seemed to be when they were younger. They get more independent and their perspective of life changes. They will have to realize that they are not going to live forever. In the short story The Hurt Man, written by Wendell Berry and published in 2003, we meet Mat who learns all of this. During the short story Mat is growing up. He is born unexpected but he is still very much appreciated. His parents watch him closely so he does not get hurt but this change as he becomes older. At the age of five, the household gets busier and Mat is now more independent. “[...] he was curious and active, when he would be out of their sight. He would stray off to where something was happening, to the farm buildings behind the house, to the blacksmith shop, to one of the saloons, to wherever the other boys were.” (ll. 31-34) This is a perfect example of a child’s natural and healthy development. In line with them getting older their curiosity and independence increase. They do more and more stuff on their own without their parents supervision. It can be extremely difficult for the parents to let go of their children but the importance of it is huge. The difficulty comes, amongst other things, with the world being filled with danger and threats. Mat’s mother, Nancy, is doing a good job even though she has experienced a mother’s worst...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...article Why it Hurts to be a Handsome Man on the Job Hunt, I was interested in the approach and results of the investigation. When reading the article I thought it was an interesting subject to study and take into account, because it isn’t something I would ever think could occur within the workplace. The common topics of workplace discussions are typically how women are discriminated against and harassed by men in the office. This new insight of another common discrimination within the workplace caught my attention. My initial thought of the piece was that it had to be a rumor that was circulating within the workplace until I read the research was done by the University College London and the University of Maryland. I feel as though the research was legitimate in portraying workplace behaviors by having participants, or managers view pictures of both attractive and unattractive men to hire for their workplace. I thought the organization, wording, and length of the piece made it an easier read than most articles I have read previously. Since English is not my first language, I sometimes have trouble understanding parts of a piece. This article had a title for each section that described what it was talking about, used basic words that are understandable to most audiences and got right to the point. This article provided interesting information on what managers are looking for in each type of work setting. It was found that it was more likely for an attractive man to be hired in...
Words: 670 - Pages: 3
...fullness of God in their lives, to reflect over their lives and see what things they need to say goodbye and good riddance to. Most often we notice the obvious, but through this message, were going to uncover was has hurt so many for so long. * On Dec 28th, in Time Square, Good Riddance Day was observed.… * This day was created, because even the world understands that we need to say “good riddance” to the pain and hurt of the past. * To do that we’re going to have to find the strength to say goodbye to anger, say good riddance to bitterness, and free ourselves of the malice toward those who have hurt us deeply. * Simply saying, we must learn to forgive. * Until we do that we can never go forward. * As long as we live in the past, we will be chained to the past, and the people who have hurt us deeply win a double victory! Once when they hurt us the first time and twice when we refuse to let go. Hurt doesn’t just happen in man/woman relationships…Hurt can happen in the church, on the job, between friends and family, hurt can happen in all areas of life. Most people stay in a place of confusion and stagnation, because they don’t know “How to Handle Anger and Bitterness.” We all struggle with broken relationships, people who hurt us, painful words, deceitful actions, friends who turn against us, and unkind words said about us or our loved ones. The following two things are true about the human condition: We always need forgiveness and we always...
Words: 2237 - Pages: 9
...Then darkness. blank walls. My skin burns. Laughter. Everything is fun. Colors. The walls are blank and colorful. Black. I can move. Trying to release sound any sound, nothing comes. Beeping- the noise hurts my ears. Beep, beep beep beep. Then no noise. I think she is waking up Can you hear us? Who is talking?.. I think someone is talking. I feel unusually giddy. Where am I? Truck! There was a truck. My legs hurt. I jolt awake. It’s four months since the blank room and I still had pleasant nightmares. The sad, melancholic, but beautifully fascinating nightmares. Maybe they were delightful, I can't tell. I reach for the water next to me; I can't reach it. I don't want to get up. My legs hurt....
Words: 1614 - Pages: 7
...Critical Thinking Worksheet Teresa Horton Com / 170 April 8, 2012 Dr. Laura Wilson Which Version Of “Hurt” Would You Prefer? Nine Inch Nails versus Johnny Cash The song “Hurt” written by Trent Reznor and originally performed by his band Nine Inch Nails is a melancholy, haunting song. Nine Inch Nails’ version was recorded in 1994 and rerecorded and released by Johnny Cash in 2002. Each of the performers has a style, which some people would argue is at opposite ends of the spectrum of popular music; one is what is referred to as “Industrial Rock”, the other is country. Indeed, the musical genres are diverse; however, the song “Hurt” transcends the boundaries between old and new, hard and soft, and especially the differences and similarities between these men. Nine Inch Nails is known for their industrial rock sound which combines synthesizers and percussion to produce sounds that remind you of a steel yard in Pennsylvania. This is probably a testament to the fact that the bands’ lead singer, Trent Reznor was born and raised near those steel yards (“The Nine Inch Nails Wiki,” 2012). Johnny Cash’s version speaks to those familiar with growing up during a rough time or not having much; people considered the down-trodden. Growing up in a religious family in Arkansas seems ingrained in the way Cash performs the song. Johnny lived a hard life on a cotton farm (“Johnny Cash,” 2012). Reznor and Cash both graduated from high school...
Words: 1422 - Pages: 6
...Critical Thinking Worksheet Teresa Horton Com / 170 April 8, 2012 Dr. Laura Wilson Which Version Of “Hurt” Would You Prefer? Nine Inch Nails versus Johnny Cash The song “Hurt” written by Trent Reznor and originally performed by his band Nine Inch Nails is a melancholy, haunting song. Nine Inch Nails’ version was recorded in 1994 and rerecorded and released by Johnny Cash in 2002. Each of the performers has a style, which some people would argue is at opposite ends of the spectrum of popular music; one is what is referred to as “Industrial Rock”, the other is country. Indeed, the musical genres are diverse; however, the song “Hurt” transcends the boundaries between old and new, hard and soft, and especially the differences and similarities between these men. Nine Inch Nails is known for their industrial rock sound which combines synthesizers and percussion to produce sounds that remind you of a steel yard in Pennsylvania. This is probably a testament to the fact that the bands’ lead singer, Trent Reznor was born and raised near those steel yards (“The Nine Inch Nails Wiki,” 2012). Johnny Cash’s version speaks to those familiar with growing up during a rough time or not having much; people considered the down-trodden. Growing up in a religious family in Arkansas seems ingrained in the way Cash performs the song. Johnny lived a hard life on a cotton farm (“Johnny Cash,” 2012). Reznor and Cash both graduated from high school...
Words: 1422 - Pages: 6
...discussion questioning the idea that “the life of the wise man must be social” (19.5). After this quick mention the wise man falls off the page and the focus of Augustine’s discussion shifts. It shifts to a talk about how human life is full of “slights, suspicions, quarrels, war, all of which are undoubted evils” (19.5). The only time human life is free of these evils is during peace, but for Augustine “peace is a doubtful good” (19.5). He makes this claim because during times of peace we spend time not with our declared enemies, instead dealing with our friends. Augustine’s claim from here is the friends may actually bring more evil than enemies because the content of their heart shifts day to day and one cannot take necessary precautions against a secret enemy. Because Augustine opens his discussion with talk of the wise man and...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...“Forgiveness is God’s command” (Martin Luther King Jr.). God says that every person deserves to be forgiven no matter what wrong they did, and every person should be quick to forgive. The action of forgiveness grows to become the major idea of the novel, The Shack, because Mack must forgive several important people in order to further his relationship with Christ. There are many cases throughout the novel where Mack must learn to forgive those who have hurt him deeply to better himself and his relationship. Research and multiple cases have continued to prove that forgiveness is a key aspect to maintaining a content life. William P. Young’s novel, The Shack, ties in this main goal of forgiveness and portrays the overall theme of forgiveness through the actions of Mack forgiving God, his father, and Missy’s killer. To begin, forgiving someone who caused severe pain and hurt can be hard, but it is definitely not impossible. Nearly every person in the world has been hurt...
Words: 1529 - Pages: 7
...Jem must have caught him in the lip, I thought. Jem rolled on the ground next to Scout. Amazingly Jem bolted up and grabbed Scout. He was trying to outrun the man! He might escape I thought hopefully. He nearly reached the edge of the sidewalk when the man caught up. That was when I knew I had to do something. Something I feared, I needed to not only help the kids escape this evil man, I was forced to be seen by the kids. Even though I was frightened, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I would have to help the kids and do it fast. I sprinted out into the open and ran towards Scout and Jem. The man scuffled with Jem and I could tell Jem was trying to avoid the black switchblade that was in the man’s left hand. The man snarled as he tried to jab the knife into Jem’s chest. I reached the two right as the man grabbed Jem’s arm and snapped it behind Jem’s back. The noise made me stop and cup my hands over my ears. Suddenly, I was filled with hatred for this man. How could this man do this to them? Why would he hurt innocent kids? Pumping with adrenaline from my new found hatred for this man, I stabbed the man in the side of his rib cage with my kitchen knife. I never had killed a man before and I never desired to; nevertheless, this was a desperate...
Words: 1067 - Pages: 5
