...William Cuthbert Faulkner: A Southern American Writer William Faulkner states, “If a story is in you, it has to come out.” This quote is just mind blowing, not only because Faulkner's story was such a huge impact on the twentieth century, but how he shaped the future of literature. William Faulkner (1897-1962) an original American writer very much dealt with modernism. This movement began in the late 1800 and lasted up till about the late 1900. This movement was valued by experimentation and individualism. William Faulkner, coming from a Southern society, ranks as one of America's greatest novelists due to his imaginative power and depths of his later works. After William's father passing away he looked to pay the bills. Faulkner then stepped...
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...William Faulkner once said, “Given a choice between grief and nothing, I'd choose grief” (Brainyquote). He further explains why he’d do this in “A Rose for Emily”; although the story is not about him, he details the loneliness and selfishness of a poor woman, Miss Emily. Miss Emily is unable to grip the idea of death and suffers great deals of denial. After the death of her father, the townspeople expected her to be in a state of grief but alas she is not. Instead she proceeds to say that her father is very well with her, alive. William Faulkner’s idea of grieving is clear in this story because he shows his audience that it is better to accept death than to ignore it through the accounts of Miss Emily’s journey. William Faulkner’s story takes place in the South, during a time period of racial discrimination and major political change. By using reader response criticism, a reader can analyze “A Rose for Emily” through the aspects of the secret held within the story, race found through anthropology, and gender found through anthropology. To begin with, one can analyze “A Rose for Emily” by examining the underlying hidden message found within the story. The hidden message that William Faulkner tried to convey in his story was the themes of death and change. Death looms through the story from the beginning right on through to the end as the narrator begins describing the beginning of Miss Emily’s funeral. Miss Emily herself chooses not to accept the fate of death when her extremely...
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...Professor English 1B 03 March 2014 Faulkner’s Use of Southern Gothic and Mississippi Faulkner might have well been named as one of the most influential American writers of the South while some critics despised his work. William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897 (“William Faulkner Bio”). His love for poetry early on helped shape his writing style. Faulkner became an accomplished writer producing novels, short stories, poetry, and even dabbled in screen work media. As a Novel Prize laureate, he spent most of his life in Lafayette County, Mississippi. Many of his fictional stories take place in Yoknapatawpha County, a place he created based on the setting in Lafayette. As a native of Mississippi, the American South’s culture had a big influence on him. His inspiration for writing came from his grandfather (Cruz). He not only loved his grandfather but wanted to be just like him. His passion for literature sent him on a journey to the University of Mississippi. While attending school, he worked for The Scream writing comic strips. (Cruz). Faulkner traveled a lot with his father while he was younger. Like most, he had strong Southern values and pride. He seemed to have a different stance on equality and the issues of inequality taking place. Faulkner encouraged equality amongst the citizens. His literature uses several situations where people of race, gender, or class are discriminated against (Cruz). Faulkner’s ability to write seemed to be influenced...
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...Gabriel Roncal Dr. Reginald Abbott ENGL 1102-265 28 February 2013 The Southern Book of no changes: An Analysis of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” From Lao Tzu One of the five classics of Taoism, the I Ching or Book of Changes, states that the world and life are always changing, and that only the superior man is meant to overcome these special circumstances. In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the main character Miss Emily Grierson isolates herself from reality and makes the decision of defying the human necessity to adapt. In this way, Faulkner uses this story to illustrate the audience about the incapacity of the South to accept change after the Civil War. Once the North beat the South, many southerners did not accept the fact that their lives had changed. They clung to the past and rejected the new vision of America. Emily’s personality represents this last try to stand firm to the old traditions of the South. In the beginning of the story, the reader can observe that even her property is a holdout: "But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of the neighborhood; only now Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pump-a eyesore among eyesores" (Faulkner, 91)....
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...true in southern gothic writing and in the writings of William Faulkner. Published on April 30, 1930 in a major magazine at the time, Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” showcases the life of Ms. Emily Grierson, a local townswoman, and is captured in a mysterious and eventually horrific context that allows the reader to understand the sadness and morbid side of death. The story is a set in a southern context that Faulkner knew all too well and contains implications of contrasts between northern and southern society. Faulkner uses many different elements in this work to portray death in its entire grotesque and horrifying splendor. Particularly, Faulkner uses two certain elements to accomplish this task. Faulkner successfully conveys the theme of the power of death in “A Rose for Emily” by incorporating the use of the literary elements of foreshadowing and narrative voice. Faulkner’s use of foreshadowing works to reveal the theme of death in this work rather well. The story is divided into five different passages, each detailing a progression towards death – the end of Emily Grierson’s life. Just by listening to Faulkner’s tone in the first sentence and throughout the rest of the work, the reader can easily determine there is a definite presence of foreshadowing: “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see...
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...The View of War between William Faulkner’s “Two Soldiers” and E.E. Cummings’ “my sweet old etcetera” William Faulkner’s “Two Soldiers” and E.E. Cummings’ “my sweet old etcetera” are both written about the emotions involved during a war. “Two Soldiers” is about a person watching their loved one going to war and ‘my sweet old etcetera” is about a person who is on the front lines. While each story is a reflection on war, Faulkner’s is about the despair you feel in the trenches and Cummings is about the despair you feel while you watch someone go to the trenches. William Faulkner’s story “Two Soldiers” is a heart wrenching one about a little boy age eight watching his brother, Pete, go off to war for the first time. The story is told from the little brother’s point of view and we never learn of his name. The brothers are from a small town in Mississippi when they first hear on the radio about the bombings in Pearl Harbor. You can tell in the story that the mood of Pete changes with each radio broadcast. The little brother gets more and more concerned with what is bothering Pete. Pete does not want to talk about it. Pete tells his little brother that he has to go help out with the war. The little brother decides that he will go with him. Pete tries to explain to the little brother that he is too small to go to war. The little brother replies with, “I’ll chop the wood and tote the water for you-all then!” (289). He doesn’t quite understand why he cannot go with Pete...
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...Barn Burning Although many political and economic changes took place following the civil war, it was very evident in William Faulkner’s Barn Burning that the impact on the social lives of the people living in the south were the most difficult to overcome. He utilizes the new tension between the social classes to create a compelling short story of a boy and his father, but more important, using the family to represent the change in society, the change between good and evil. The new social order after the civil war was a cause of tension between Abner Snopes and his surrounding communities. In William Faulkner’s Barn Burning Abner is portrayed as a man with much insecurity, which causes him to lash out at the people that were better off than him “‘I aim to. I don’t figure to stay in a country among people who…’ He said something unprintable and vile.” While Abner was not found guilty of arson the family is forced to leave on account of their own safety “’Barn burner!’” shouts one of the other citizens, showing the reader how much Abner and his family are un-liked. However, his choices do not change how his son sees him, yet. Abner and his way of dealing with issues begin to take a toll on the family, and most of all his son Sardy. His excessive anger and violence begin to change how Sardy feels about him, and he starts to question if his father is a good role model. Sensing this, Abner decides to intervene before Sardy sees what kind of a man he really is “’You’re going to...
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...Lisa Lyons Professor Amy Green Writing about Literature COM1102 10 October 2015 "A ROSE FOR EMILY" Visual vs. Reading William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a short gothic horror story that has also been adapted into a short film. Both story and film have been largely debated, with a plethora of opinions. Faulkner’s lack of normal chronology and situation-triggered memories generates a story that has many interpretations among its readers, but surprises everyone at the end. When asked about the title of his story, Faulkner said," [The title] was an allegorical title; the meaning was, here was a woman who had had a tragedy, an irrevocable tragedy and nothing could be done about it, and I pitied her and this was a salute . . . to a woman you would hand a rose." (Faulkner, William 1966 ;) He gave a humble explanation, for such a complex story. The film portrays the story straight forward, and leaves nothing left to the imagination. Death and transformation are the main theme in Faulkner’s short story, being a sign of the crumbling of the Old South after their military defeat by the North, as Emily’s suggested necrophilia echoes the desire to hang on to the past and its traditions. Through flashbacks and foreshadowing, Faulkner addresses the struggle of traditional versus progress in the city of Jefferson. The south being a region bound by history and tradition, class and social influence, Emily represents, to...
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...Chandria Wilhelm WRT 102 8:40 3/10/2008 The History Within William Faulkner, is a well known and very influential American writer of the 20th century, and is considered to be one of the most important Southern writers of all time. Faulkner is known for writing fictional short stories, novels, and poems about history, culture, and family traditions. In his first collection of short stories, These 13 contained the short story “Barn Burning,” one of Faulkner’s more popular short stories. The story tells of an impoverished man named Abner Snopes, who continuously takes revenge on higher class men by burning down their barns, which creates a conflict of morality and loyalty between Abner and his son Sarty. Throughout the story Faulkner provides the reader with information about how people lived in the South during the 1930’s and the post Civil War era (Hönnighausen). In William Faulkner’s story “Barn Burning,” the role of class, race, and the change from the agrarian to the industrial age arising during the 19th century is put into perspective. Understanding the setting of “Barn Burning” is crucial to interrupt the story. The story takes place in 1830’s post Civil War in the south during the reconstruction and Great Depression era. During this time the South is struggling to avoid being conquered by the North, and “…has retreated into plantation life and small-town existence, and it maintains in private the social hierarchy that characterized the region in its...
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...Literary Analysis of “A Rose for Emily” In the story “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner, Emily Grierson is well known for her sorrowful background due to the loss of her governing father and status of isolation. In addition to Faulkner’s one-of-a-kind narration, he constructs a complex chronology that allows the reader to gradually become aware of facts, motivations, events, and emotions. Though Faulkner’s technique in “A Rose for Emily” may initially be a bit confusing, it reminds the reader this story is not one that can necessarily be told with simplicity, for there can be many answers to one question and many questions to one remark. One may think that the townspeople could easily be considered the antagonist, and while this may be true, Faulkner provides perspectives of all characters allowing the readers to perhaps question if there could be more than one. The townspeople made Miss Emily the talk of the town, making sure she was constantly being secluded. They eventually stopped sending their children to her China painting lessons, and pressured her to the point where she killed her lover in order to feel she had not lost her dignity. Essentially, they played a significant role in the death of Homer Barron, ruining their relationship with talk of disapproval. The townspeople could have possibly been well informed of their action, which can lead the to fact that it was not chosen to investigate Homer’s disappearance or prosecute Emily for that matter. The town antagonizes...
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...In the short story “The Bear”, William Faulkner writes a story that includes many different characters who experience life-changing events. Faulkner demonstrates that a person’s success and failure will ultimately cause him to mistake his rightful place in society. Faulkner illustrates this theme throughout the story by using the developing characteristics of Boon. At the end of the short story, Boon’s unsteady life leads the developing world to exclude him because of his faulty success (Hess). To demonstrate how success and failure in an individual's life can steer that person to misinterpret his place in the world, Faulkner uses Boon’s strong bond with Lion as an example. In part due to Lion’s aggressive name and nature, Boon has high expectations...
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...------------------------------------------------- William Faulkner William Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was a Nobel Prize-winning American author. One of the most influential writers of the20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter. Most of Faulkner's works are set in his native state of Mississippi. He is considered one of the most important Southern writers along withMark Twain, Robert Penn Warren, Flannery O'Connor, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, and Tennessee Williams. While his work was published regularly starting in the mid 1920s, Faulkner was relatively unknown before receiving the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. Since then, he has often been cited as one of the most important writers in the history of American literature. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Biography Born William Cuthbert Falkner in New Albany, Mississippi, he was the eldest son of Murry Cuthbert Falkner (August 17, 1870 – August 7, 1932) and Maud Butler (November 27, 1871 – October 16, 1960). He later changed the spelling of his name to Faulkner. His brothers were Murry Charles "Jack" Falkner (June 26, 1899 – December 24, 1975), author John Falkner (later Faulkner) (September 24, 1901 – March 28, 1963) and Dean Swift Falkner (August 15, 1907 – November 10, 1935). Faulkner was raised in and heavily influenced by the state...
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...Jaleel Ritchwood Dr. Angela Elliot Introduction to Literary Analysis ENG1005A Breaking Free William Faulkner’s story “Barn Burning” seems just to be about an oppressive father and a son who is in the grips of that oppression. I think Faulkner explores at least one important philosophical question in this story where he asks at what point should a person make a choice between what his parent(s) and/or family believes and his own values? The main character and protagonist in this story is a boy named Colonel Sartoris, who is nicknamed Sarty. In this story, Sarty is faced with the decision of both going along with the views and actions of his ethically challenged father or assert his own ethics and independence by running away and leaving his family and his pain behind. In William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”, Sarty and his father Abner struggle with internal emotions dealing with their way of life. The antagonist in the story is Abner Snopes. Abner is a very angry and inconsiderate man who has hate and abomination for almost anybody who is not “blood-kin”, and he portrays that hatred and disapproval throughout the story. This story follows the typical format and is narrated in the third person. In the exposition, Faulkner’s skill as a writer is established through the way that he uses details to draw the readers into the story. Also, in the first paragraph we are introduced to the main character and protagonist in the story, Sarty. The setting in which Sarty’s conflict is...
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...A Close Reading of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” portrays itself as sort of a gothic sort of story. The elements of a gothic novel are meant to fashion a sense of trepidation, obscurity and unknown, which are vital in creating compelling stories. It has its fill of suspense and madness throughout its entirety, resulting in fastidious conventions in its type of writing structure, characterization, point of view, theme, and setting. Gothic novels are also known to contain an element of romance, which are often exaggerated to the extremes. I would say that the main point of view of this selected passage comes from an unknown narrator, told in the first person, who clearly is a resident of the town of Jefferson and knows the little-known life of the protagonist, Miss Emily. The “they” that is in the second sentence refers to the group of townsfolk who arrived at her house. The emotions of the crowd are a mixture of respectful condolences and curiosity. The men are present merely out of respect, giving off an air they only attend because it is an expected behavior and not because she was popular in the community. The women go out of curiosity to see the inside of the house. There certainly seems to be a general consensus among the group that she was living almost a secret life which was clearly meant to stay that way. The phrase “would have to be forced” makes it clear the group is anxious about finding out what has been kept from the...
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...William Faulkner’s, “Barn Burning,” is a story of a sharecropper, Abner Snopes, and the plight of his family during tense class times in the South. Sharecropping became a way of life in the South after the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery. It was during this post- bellum time that social class tensions were on the rise as sharecropping took advantage of poor white people, while greatly benefiting the wealthy. Faulkner uses Abner Snopes and his family as a portal to the trials and tribulations of a poor white sharecropping family. Faulkner’s, “Barn Burning,” is an excellent portrayal of the extreme disparity and injustice within the social classes in the South. This disparity and injustice is what triggers the leader of the family, Abner Snopes, to let out his aggression by burning barns. The dynamics of class system and hierarchy are well demonstrated throughout the, “Barn Burning.” Not only is it evident in the social and cultural details surrounding the Snope’s lives, but, it is also evident within their immediate family dynamics. Abner Snopes is the authoritative head of the family in, “Barn Burning.” Abner calls the shots in regards to his family, throughout the story. His position amongst society is quite opposite of the role he has within his own family. As a sharecropper and tenant of wealthy plantation owners, Abner was treated much like a slave. At one point in the story, Abner says, “I reckon I’ll have a word with the man that aims to begin to-morrow...
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