Post your essay here. Then take some time to read at least two other essays. Comment on something positive that you see the author using from the lessons we had in class.
Everyone in life needs to treat others with respect. We all want others to treat us with respect regardless of our race or our lifestyle. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, citizens are not treated fairly. The main characters Scout and Jem are experiencing first hand how rude people are. Scout and Jems’ dad Atticus, a lawyer, is chosen to represent a black man. Tom, is accused of rape but a white family. Since Atticus represents an African American against a white female, the town is not happy. Many people do not treat Atticus fairly and call him many bad names. Scout and Jem are also treated and spoke to differently because of Atticus. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee uses symbolism and dialogue to make the reader feel remorseful and guilty.
One of the most obvious author's craft techniques in the book was the use of symbolism. The author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” uses symbolism through Arthur Radley. Arthur lived differently than most people did. Since he chose to live differently, people decided to treat him differently. For Instance Scout, Dill, and Jem were always pestering “Boo.” They did things like knocking on the house, trying to get Boo to come out, and trying to talk with him. Lee wanted Arthur to represent African Americans. This is because it shows that many people were not treated fairly during this time. Lee also used symbolism while talking about the mockingbird. At Christmas when Scout and Jem got air rifles, they had fun shooting birds. As they were shooting, Atticus said that “remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. The children later asked Miss Maudie about this and she added “Your Father is right. Mockingbirds don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy.” Lee wrote this to symbolize African Americans. If Lee hadn’t put this use of symbolism in, the reader would not truly understand that people were treated differently based on how they acted, who they were, and the color of their skin. Lee uses this craft move to make the reader feel a sense of guilt. She wants the reader to think deeply about what has happened in the past and that it is not ok. She believes that by informing the reader with this knowledge will help with this discrimination to never happen again.
Everyone in life needs to realize how helpful a good friend can be, especially when going through hard times. In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, two unlikely friends embark on a journey together, with a shared dream getting them through it. Although they can sometimes become frustrated with each other, in the end friendship pulls them through. In “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck uses description, repetition, and dialogue to show the importance of friendship.
One of the most obvious craft moves in the book that shows the message is the use of dialogue. Multiple times throughout the story, George talks about how much easier his life would be without Lennie. On page 12 he says, “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy.” He then later says, “I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me.” Even though George knows all the opportunities waiting for him if he left Lennie, he still chooses to stick with him. Furthermore, it shows what being a true friend is because George truly cares for Lennie’s well-being. Evidence for this is on page 23, when the boss of their job says, “Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.”
The second craft move used to show the importance of friendship is description. Throughout the book, there is a lot of description of setting and characters. On page 4 it says, “Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face…” This description shows that George and Lennie are opposites, making them an unlikely pair. This could possibly be interpreted as opposites attract, but it clearly means friendship because friendship is what is needed for opposites to get along with each other. The vivid descriptions that are scattered through the book show that George and Lennie can get along in any situation, despite the setting.
The final craft move signifying friendship is repetition. Throughout the book there is frequent repetition about George and Lennie’s dream of living on and owning a farm together. This shared dream is a constant reminder throughout the book of their friendship. A big part of the dream is Lennie owning rabbits. Lennie is constantly bringing them up, and on page 6 George tells him, “That’s all you ever can remember is them rabbits.” Lennie probably associates the rabbits with George, which is why he so often talks about them. It seems almost strange when there isn’t an instance when Lennie isn’t thinking of or speaking about rabbits. This corresponds with how Lennie is rarely without George.
Steinbeck used dialogue to show the importance of having a true friend that you can trust in. In addition, he used description and repetition to show us that people can get along no matter their differences. Having a friend who you know will always be at your side, who is like family, is incredibly important. It isn’t about the amount of friends you have; it’s about their qualities. At the end of the story, the reader is left wondering; how strong is the power of friendship?
Sometimes people need anxiety to help them see the best option. In “The Chain of Destiny” by Bram Stoker, Frank goes home to learn that his adopted mother has chosen a wife for him, but does not tell him anything but her name. He is left to ponder what she looks like and how she is, and soon builds up his anxiety the more days that pass by. When he sleeps, he dreams of his soon-to-be wife crying out in fear, even though he doesn’t know her. In “The Chain of Destiny”, Bram Stoker uses the dream to symbolise anxiousness.
Paralysis is a state when one is awake, but cannot move. Often it comes with visions that are caused by prior events. Frank’s vision, or dream as he refers to it, was caused by the anxiety of meeting Diana. He would meet her in three days, so in his dream he conjures a Fiend. “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, the fairest and the best [will die],” the Fiend warns. Frank’s anxiety from the event forces him to believe that the Fiend means Diana.
As a result, Frank anxiously tells Diana about his dream the night before the warning was to come true, and passes on his anxiety and fear. Although it could be argued that Frank does this out of passion and not anxiety, it’s his anxiety that causes him to act passionately, which then creates more anxiety. “I heard from the room below me a sharp scream -- a cry of surprise rather than fear. Miss Fothering had no doubt been awakened by the striking of the clock, and had seen outside the window the very figures which I had described to her.” The passing of Frank’s anxiety to Diana causes her to believe there is a Fiend after her as Frank said. This shared anxiousness between the two creates that same uneasiness in the reader.
Frank’s walk through the yew walk strikes restlessness in him, “There was a sort of vague melancholy and ghosliness in the place that made me shiver, and I hurried on.” The yew walk itself is described in a way that is quite similar to the feeling of anxiety; “...and in the midst of the dark, gloomy walk between old yew trees. I could not see through them on either side on account of their thickness, and as the walk was curved I could see but a short distance either before or behind me. I looked up and saw a yellowish, luminous sky with heavy clouds passing sluggishly across it.” Anxiety to most people can feel how the yew walk is described; dark and gloomy, with a sense of being lost and not being able to see past it. It also describes Frank’s feelings about Diana, as he does not know what to do past the place he stands. Whether to go backwards and forget about it, or continue on in hopes of a brighter outcome. He’s in that sort of dark, grayish area that makes him feel almost overwhelmed with anxiety.
Stoker used symbolism to show us that anxiety comes in many forms. I personally have anxiety, and it’s not easy. It can make one feel out of their element, and not know where they are going or what to do. The end can have unpredictable outcomes, like the end of this story, but when you’re feeling it you don’t know what the outcome will be, which in result creates even more anxiety. When I get anxiety, I, like Frank, forget myself and get lost in this anxious bubble. In the end, Stoker relieves us of this and gives us a brighter outcome.
A craft technique that the author used that took a bit more work to uncover was dialogue. The dialogue in the story showed that African Americans were not respected. When Atticus was chosen to represent Mr. Robison, he was made fun of. He was called a “ni**er-lover”. Also, people spoke to Atticus’s children behind his back. During one of the confrontations between Scout, Jem, and Mrs. Dobuse, Mrs. Dobuse said: “Your father’s no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for!” These quotes show how poorly African Americans were treated. As if that wasn’t enough, Atticus’s family members questioned his choice. At a family gathering, one of Scout’s cousin Francis called Atticus a “He’s nothing but a ni**er-lover!” Also, Aunt Alexandra attempted to change Atticus’s past choices. One of those being his housemaid Calpurnia. Atticus refused to listen to his sister. He added “Alexandra, Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise but I couldn’t have gotten along without her all of these years. She’s a faithful member of this family...” This shows that African Americans are normal people and should be treated as such. Atticus’s believed that all people are equal. Hadn’t Lee chosen to use this dialogue, the strength of her writing would not have been as good. Although it could be argued that the dialogue was to make the reader feel angry, but when you look closely, you can see that this is to make the reader feel remorse and guilt about our nation's past.
Lee used the power of symbolism to make the reader feel remorse and guilt about our nation's past and how we used to and still do treat people in our world. She also used dialogue to show that people did not respect each other and believed that it was ok to treat people poorly. The dialogue also shows that some people were not treated or thought of with any respect. Treating people fairly is a problem in our world from the past and in the present. If Lee had not shown the reader how poorly people were treated, she would not get the same reaction from her readers. The techniques that she used left the reader wondering if treating people fairly can lead to a new and better world.
Everyone in life needs to show respect to everyone, no matter who they are or what they believe in. It doesn't even matter how old the person is, what matters is that everyone is getting the respect they deserve. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, Boo Radley and Tom Robertson were not respected the way they should have been, with Jem and Scout trying to get Boo Radley out of his house, and Tom Robertson is getting called racial slurs by Mr. Ewell and not getting a fair trial by Judge Taylor. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses these two plot lines to inform us on how everyone should be shown respect.
One of the two major plots in,”To Kill a Mockingbird,” is the events that go on in the trial. This trial is about Tom Robertson, an african american man, was accused of raping a nineteen year old women. During the trial Mr. Robertson is not being treated like he should be. He is being called racial slurs and is being treated like he is less than human. He is not getting the respect he deserves. He didn't do anything wrong at all, but African Americans during the 30s were not respected. Although he wasn’t treated well, he was still allowed to have a lawyer. His lawyer was Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father. Even Atticus wasn’t respected by Mr Ewell because we were trying to defend Mr. Robertson. Also at this trial, there is a specific section for african american people. They weren't even able to sit next to the white people. Yet again they weren’t being treated with respect. In the end Mr. Robertson was convicted of this crime. He was innocent but because he was an african american, he didn’t get a fair trial. Him along with all of the other african americans that were living in Maycomb at the time were not respected. Although it could be argued that african americans were the ones that weren't being treated with respect, it is clearly shown Boo Radly was also not treated with respect.
The smaller plot line shown in the story is the events that have happened with Boo Radly. In,”To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee Jem and Scout are trying to get Boo Radly out of his house for people to see him. Keep in mind he hasn't come out of his dwelling in quite a few years. The people of Maycomb just think that he doesn’t like to go outside.The kids are not really respecting the fact that he doesn’t want to go outside. The kids try to get him to come outside by sneaking on his property and asking him to come out. They are completely invading his privacy and it was wrong on their behalf. The result of this is someone in Mr. Radley's house shoots a shotgun to scare the kids away. By the person shooting the gun, it is almost common sense that he doesn't want them on his property, let alone try to get him to come outside. Although people really didn’t know him because he has never been outside, He ended up doing something amazing. He saved Jem from Mr Ewell who was trying to kill him to get back at Jem’s dad Atticus. This shows us that not only were African Americans disrespected, so were white people.
The author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” uses two main plots to show how we need to respect everyone. The one way this is shown is through the events of the big trial involving Tom Robertson. This is shown by Mr. Ewell being mean and disrespectful to the person that he doesn't like. The other way it is shown is through the kids Scout and Finch trying to get Boo Radley out of his house. They were not respecting the fact that he doesn’t like to go outside. Harper Lee wrote two main plots to show us that we really do need to respect everyone no matter who they are or if you don’t like them.
You have to be thankful for what you have because others might not have the same things. In “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, there is a family living a rough life. One day their newborn gets bit by a scorpion. This family couldn’t go to the doctor because they were Indian. This shows the representation of being thankful. In The Pearl, John Stienbeck uses symbolism to make you feel thankful.
Symbolism is shown all through out this book. In chapter 1, Coyotito is a baby minding his business. All of sudden a scorpion comes up and bites him. Kino and Juana come running over to see that the bite could kill Coyotito. This scorpion is representing the bad luck that is going to come to the family. I see this when the scorpion comes slowly like its a warning. In the bible a scorpion represents evil. They were living their regular life, until one day the pearl came into their life and changed it all.
When Coyotito dies all of their hope dies too. Juana had so much hope in Coyotito. He was her pride and joy. But the pearl took it all away. When Coyotito dies his father, Kino says his last words to him,“Go with God.” This is showing how all their hope had been given up.Even though they were devastated, they knew the only thing that they could do now was to throw the pearl away.
In the book,the pearl represents bad luck. The pearl came into Kino and Juanas’ lives and they thought it would bring them luck. But throughout the time everything started to go down hill. They had lost everything they had because of something they thought would make their life better and more successful. They lost their friends, their house, Kino’s family canoe, and their son to a object that was just bad luck. Kino’s brother had mentioned how this would bring them bad luck. This all happened because they weren’t able to go to the doctor just because of their nationality.
John Steinbeck used symbolism to make you feel thankful for what you have. You may be luckier that others and have more than what they have. What would have happened if Kino and Juana never found the pearl? Would Coyotito still be alive? What if they had kept the pearl and not through it away? Would they have more bad luck? Or would their life go back to normal?
Even total fantasy stories can sometimes teach important lessons. In “The Magician's Nephew” by C.S. Lewis, young Polly and Digory discover a shaft. When they go through that shaft, they discover their Uncle Andrew, which is Digory’s uncle. The next series of events changes Polly’s and Digory’s lives forever. In “The Magician’s Nephew”, C.S. Lewis makes the reader smarter through Digory’s, The Witch’s, and Uncle Andrew’s actions.
The first character we will be going through is Digory. It is shown through many ways, but we will be going through only a few. One of these is not eating a silver apple that will make him live forever and using it on his dying mother instead. This teaches us to not be greedy and be kind to others in times of need. Another way is when he strikes a bell that wakes up the witch, which sets up the rest of the book and the second book. This teaches us that curiosity can sometimes get the best of us. As well as that, it also teaches the reader that Digory is very curious.
The next character we will be going through is The Witch. The first of her actions is when she ate a lot of silver apples. It shows us to not to be greedy, because every good thing has a bad thing. The thing about these apples is because The Witch, to put in Aslan’s words, “She dare not come within 100 miles of the Tree, for its smell, which is joy and life and health to you, is death and horror and despair to her.” The next action the Witch has done is right after Digory rings the bell. She tells him that she used a word that killed everyone in the land except her, and she didn’t even care about it. Again, she was only thinking of herself. The last thing she did is that when she arrived on Earth, she expects to be treated like a queen; like she was on her homeworld. All of these clearly state that the Witch is a greedy, horrible person.
The last character I am covering is Uncle Andrew. He is, as the name suggests, Digory’s uncle. He is also a magician. His first action is when he meets the Witch, he rushes directly to his room and gets on his fanciest clothes, and also gets a little drunk. This shows that he does not care for his wife and is also very greedy. The reason why he is greedy? The reason why is because the Witch, to put it in Digory’s words, “was the most beautiful woman he ever saw.” As well as that, the Witch is very tall. So if you think about it right, Uncle Andrew was almost cheating on his own wife. You may think to yourself: “Wow, when they introduce Uncle Andrew he seems like a very greedy and horrible person, not when you are talking about it.” I can tell you firsthand that this is not it. Rather than that, it is his actions. Why, you may ask? This is why: because everything that happens that enforces that Uncle Andrew is a greedy person is towards the middle, not the end.
In “The Magician’s Nephew”, Digory, The Witch, and Uncle Andrew all have a very important role in the story and the message the story gives. The message they do give makes you smarter. If you want to know what the message is, you may need to read the book yourself.
Everyone has something they’ve always wanted and gets greedy about. Although, when greed starts to be more important than your family, problems start to occur. In “The Pearl”, by John Steinbeck, there’s a family living in poverty. When their child gets hurt, they struggle to pay for the doctors bill. Until one day they find a pearl, and getting the money for it overtakes their families safety. John Steinbeck uses symbolism to show that greed can get in the way of family importance.
One morning Kino and Juana, the parents of Coyotito, wake up and spot a scorpion near their child. When sudden movements happen, their child gets bit and the atmosphere changes. They always hoped for their son to have a good future and to get what they never had while growing up. In a way, Coyotito represents their family, while the scorpion represents the greed getting in the way. When the family makes their way to the doctor, they run into the question of how they’re going to pay for the visit. This is when greed starts to form, and their interests shift into finding a pearl to pay. When Kino finds the pearl, he makes the importance of it very clear. Although the reader might view this as excitement for finding the pearl, John Steinbeck uses this symbol to show that greed can take over family importance. The author says, “Kino had found the pearl of the world.” When Kino goes to sell his pearl, he gets an offer that is lower than expected. He is angered by it and storms off, leaving his family to walk behind him. Kino got greedy on getting all this money for his pearl, and stopped focusing so much about his son’s health.
Another symbol that John Steinbeck uses to show greed is the pearl. When Kino finds the pearl, a storm of greed comes into his perspective of life. He starts to think of all the amazing things he could do with the money from the pearl. He wants to purchase a gun and new clothes, almost forgetting the future he wants for his son. When greed starts to play a role in your everyday life, it sometimes pushes away other things that are important to you, including family. The pearl, the greed, brought Kino’s family an evil that destroyed his home, his canoe, and his attitude. As this evil begins to take over Kino’s safety, he starts realizing that his family has been with him the whole time. While Kino is on his way to steal the gun and doubt grows in his mind, the author says, “But the Song of the Family has become as fierce and sharp and feline as a snarl of a female puma.” The support Juana and Coyotito have for Kino is driving his determination to keep his family safe, meanwhile that greed is fading.
Family is always going to be with you and is long term, but is greed? That one thing you always wanted and had greed for, is going to mean nothing to you in the future. John Steinbeck clearly shows that in the pearl by Kino’s family sticking by his side, even though he chose to keep the pearl, the evil, in his life. When greed starts to be more important than your family, problems start to occur.
In, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, a lawyer, Mr. Utterson is investigating a strange case, as the title suggests. Dr. Jekyll, a scientist, is proved to be a mad man, who turns himself into another person he named Edward Hyde, through the means of a single potion. His colleague, Dr. Lanyon, unknowingly helps deliver the potion to Jekyll. In, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Robert Louis Stevenson uses symbolism and dialogue to create the effect that the smallest of details can make the biggest differences.
Just as the climax approaches, Robert Louis Stevenson uses dialogue to strike the anxious feeling in the reader. As Jekyll threatens to drink the potion that would turn him into Mr. Hyde, Lanyon strays away in terror. Right, when Jekyll consumes the potion that would turn him into Edward Hyde, Lanyon screams “O God!” over and over again to paint the picture in the reader’s head of just how horrifyingly ugly Mr. Hyde is. This raises anxiousness in the reader.
The next chapter is Henry Jekyll’s full statement of the case. The entirety of this chapter is told by Jekyll himself. He proceeds to explain the story of how he discovered the potion and how it drove him mad. One may potentially view this as the most powerful and important chapter in the entire story. It is important because it provides a background for the reader, and it is powerful because it makes the reader feel anxious.
Earlier in the story, Lanyon sent a letter from Jekyll telling him to complete a very specific task. After providing extremely unnecessary and very specific instructions, Lanyon is asked to bring a drawer to Jekyll’s lab. What Lanyon didn’t know was that the drawer contained the very substance that would turn Jekyll into Hyde. This is a symbol of the plotline of the story. How Lanyon is oblivious to the fact that he is helping a mad man, is very similar to how Mr. Utterson was oblivious to key details in the murder case. This raises anxiousness in the reader. You might think that these actions, as well as the dialogue, would raise fear in the reader, but I don’t think that is the case. While the ugly face of Hyde might be hideous, it was not meant to scare the reader because, at that point in the story, Jekyll already feels bad for murdering the little girl, and is trying to move past it.
In, “the Strange Case of Dr. Jeyll and Mr. Hyde,” Robert Louis Stevenson uses symbolism and dialogue to create the effect that the smallest of details make the biggest differences. Stevenson wants to teach the reader to be more observant. This is because of how Utterson and Lanyon were completely oblivious to such key details on the case. All in all, Stevenson leaves us with a seed in our heads to be more careful, and more observant.
Deception can be committed by anyone at any time. Mistrust happens before you trust and it can happen after you trust someone if they break your trust. Both can happen at any time, anywhere. In King Lear by William Shakespeare, King Lear gives out his land and wealth to two of his three daughters. Then the Earl of Gloucester’s illegitimate son, Edmund, uses deception to get a better chance of getting his father’s wealth. Both King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester do not see the tactics of their children, so they end up getting outwitted by them. The mistrust of their children never comes, for they both suffer a tragedy before they find out about their children’s schemes. William Shakespeare uses symbolism, dialogue, and character actions to give the feeling of deception and mistrust throughout the book.
Shakespeare uses two symbols to show the deception that Regan and Goneril use on King Lear. He uses the Earl of Gloucester’s blindness as a symbol of King Lear’s own blindness towards his daughters’ intentions. He also uses the King’s land and wealth as a symbol of the trust that he has for Regan and Goneril at first.
The blindness of the Earl of Gloucester is a symbol of the king’s own blindness toward his own daughters. His daughter’s used deception on him to get his money and land. While his blindness towards his daughter’s actions shows that he is as blind as the Earl of Gloucester.
King Lear’s money and land are a symbol of the trust he has for Regan and Goneril. He gives them his land and riches because they say that they adore and love him, while he feels that Cordelia doesn’t show that same love and admiration towards him. So, he gives her nothing. He trusts that Regan and Goneril will carry on his legacy while he feels Cordelia will not.
William Shakespeare also uses dialogue to get the overall effect. In act one scene one, Goneril’s speech about the love for her father she says “A love that makes breath poor and speech unable.” This is supposed to be a devotion of love toward King Lear, but with that little bit of a paradox, it seems as though Goneril doesn’t really love her father. The fact that it is well hidden within a speech about love shows that she is trying to deceive her father to get her inheritance.
There is also another character that comes with lies and deceit. Edmund wants what his “father” has. He deceives not just his “father”, but other people as well. Like in act one scene two, he says, “I have heard him oft maintain it to be fit that, sons at perfect age and fathers declined, the father should be as ward to the son, and the son manage revenue.” He lies about Edgar to Gloucester so that he has a higher chance of getting the wealth from his “father”. The reason he may have done this is that he isn’t the real son of Gloucester while Edgar is. So, Edgar has a higher chance of getting Gloucester’s fortune, if Edmund didn’t lie.
One might interpret these instances as “not to trust words, rather trust actions.”, but “deception and mistrust” is really the superior effect of this play because Regan, Goneril, and Edmund used deception on one or more characters in this play. The victims should mistrust Regan, Goneril, and Edmund, but they do not. There is also the fact that “not to trust words, rather actions” is part of the mistrust.
Part 1: Today, many people are obsessed with money and think that wealth will make them happy. The book The Pearl by John Steinbeck is about a poor, happy family of Kino, Juana and their newborn son Coyotito. Everyday they go out and look for pearls in the ocean hoping that one day they will find a huge pearl that will make them rich. One day Kino finds a giant pearl and becomes consumed by the wealth of the pearl. The family takes the pearl to the local market, but the buyers at the market will only give them one thousand pesos. Kino thinks he deserves more, so he decides to go to the capital to try to get more money. In The Pearl, John Steinbeck uses symbolism, revealing actions and dialogue to make the reader understand that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth.
One of the most obvious author’s craft techniques in the book is the use of symbolism. The author uses symbolism to show that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth. The pearl is the main symbol in the book and it represents wealth. The pearl represents wealth because it is considered very valuable by the people in Kino’s community. Evidence for this reason is the fact that the doctor will not treat Coyotito’s scorpion bite until after they find the pearl. Before the pearl came, Kino and his family were poor, but happy. When the pearl comes they think it will bring good fortune, but as the story goes on they discover that it brings greed and unhappiness. When Kino finds the pearl he immediately becomes greedy and only wants the money from the pearl. The pearl ruines Kino’s family. For example, his son gets shot, he hits and kicks his wife, his house burns down, his boat gets ruined, he kills people and people start to dislike Kino. It says in the text, “...he became curiously every man’s enemy.” Kino basically destroys his family, because he wants the money from the pearl so bad. John Steinbeck uses symbolism to show how when wealth comes to a person, the person can become unhappy and greedy.
and Edmund, but they do not. There is also the fact that “not to trust words, rather actions” is part of the mistrust.
With symbolism and dialogue, Shakespeare also uses character actions to get at the overall effect of deceit and mistrust. He has Regan, Goneril, Edmund to put deception and mistrust into the story. These people use deception to get what they want. Regan and Goneril use it so that they get King Lear’s land and wealth instead of their sister, Cordelia. While Edmund uses deception to get a better chance at getting Gloucester’s fortune than his illegitimate brother Edgar. The King and Gloucester should not trust them, but instead, they don’t trust the good children, Cordelia and Edgar.
Shakespeare uses symbolism, character actions, and dialogue to show the deceit of King Lear’s daughters. He uses dialogue and character actions to show the dishonesty of Edmund towards the Earl of Gloucester. He also uses symbolism to show the obliviousness of the king and earl, but also the blockage that stops them from seeing what their children are up to. Unfortunately, the play King Lear ends in tragedy. One might wonder is deception and mistrust a basic need or are they somethings that can be thrown out the window?
Part 2: John Steinbeck also uses revealing actions to show that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth. One revealing action is when Juana tries to throw away the pearl. Certainly it could be said that this evidence points to perseverance as the main idea because Juana has tried to tell Kino to get rid of the pearl before. Although she is persevering, the reason for her perseverance is because she sees that the pearl brought unhappiness to her family. Juana’s action of trying to throw out the pearl reveals that the pearl might be a misfortune and may change their happy life. Kino also kills four people in the story. He kills one person because they try to steal the pearl and three others because they are trying to stop him from going to the capital to get his money. Kino is obsessed with the pearl and really wants the money from it. Another revealing action that the author uses is Kino’s determination to go to the capital to get money from the pearl even though it could mean danger for his family. Kino is greedy because he wants the money more than he cares about keeping his family safe. He could have taken the thousand pesos that were offered to him, but instead he wanted more, so he had to go to the capital. Kino’s responses and determination to keep the pearl result in violent actions. The author uses revealing actions to show that Kino wanted the money and chose the money over his family’s happiness several times in the book. These three revealing actions show that the desire for wealth causes happiness to be replaced with violent actions.
A final craft move that John Steinbeck used to show that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth is dialogue. When Kino is trying to decide whether or not to go to the capital, his older brother Juan Tomás warns him that maybe that isn’t the best choice. He gives many hints as to why Kino shouldn’t go. One thing he says is, “But I wonder if you will find it any different in the capital. Here you have friends and me, your brother. There, you will have no one.” Kino still chooses to go even though Juan Tomás warns him against it. Although this could be interpreted as John Steinbeck trying to tell us to listen to our elders, as the story goes on it becomes clear that the author is trying to show us that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth. Right after Juan Tomás warns him, Kino says, “What can I do?” and, “My son must have a chance.” Kino wants the money and he is remembering that the reason he wants the money is for his family. He is remembering that he was happy without the pearl, but there is a chance that if he goes to the capital he might make his family a little bit more happy. The author is mostly trying to teach us that happiness doesn’t come from wealth, not that we should listen to our elders. Another way that the author uses dialogue to show us that Kino is obsessed with wealth is when Kino says, “This pearl has become my soul...If I give it up I shall lose my soul.” Kino needs the pearl’s money. Juana tries to tell Kino twice in the book that she wants to throw away the pearl. One time she says, “The pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us...Throw it away, Kino,” but he says, “No one shall take our good fortune from us,” one time and, “Our son must go to school,” the second time. In conclusion, the author uses dialogue to show us that people who become focused on wealth may forget about their family’s happiness.
All in all, John Steinbeck used symbolism, revealing actions and dialogue to try to make the reader understand that happiness doesn’t always need to come from wealth. Many people today spend too much time working for money and obsessing over wealth just like Kino did. The author reminds us to look for value in relationships and family not just in money and wealth.
Growing up is a very crucial thing for everyone. Everyone grows up, just not all at the same time. The novel “Little Women” revolves around 4 sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, and their lives. They face certain challenges that don’t often show up in our world today. In “Little Women”, Louisa May Alcott uses symbolism and description to teach us about growing up.
Symbolism is a big part of the novel “Little Women”. In Little Women, each sister symbolizes a part of a whole person. Each sister has a different personality that makes each of them unique. Jo is the adventurous one who isn’t afraid to try new things. She is the wild side of a person. When she needed to, she wasn’t afraid to sell all of her hair to pay for her father's medical bills. Meg on the other hand always uses manners and is very respectful. She is the proper side of a person. When it comes to an event or anything fancy, she always wants her and her sisters to dress nice and be respectful. Amy is the youngest, and is the most sassy and playful. She always wants to be involved with whatever is going on. She is more the curious side of a person. And finally, Beth is the most child-like sister. She loves to play with her cats, and is very loving and kind. She is the part of a person that is still a child at heart.
As time goes on, each sister starts to fall in love and gets married. However, Beth never does. Near the end of the book when everyone, but her, is starting a family, she dies. When she died, it symbolized letting go of the child inside of you. Even to her death, she never changed. She still loved to play with her cats and her new nieces and nephews. While she was on her deathbed, all she wanted were her cats and her family to comfort her. “...in it was gathered everything that she loved most...and her beloved pussies.” When Meg, Amy, and Jo got married, they couldn’t act like children anymore. They lost their carefree lives. Of course they were very happy with their decisions because they got married and were in love, but they weren’t able to be child-like anymore. Beth dying symbolizes moving onto the next chapter in your life.
In the story, Jo is the last to get married. As her being the adventurous one, it is hard to picture her settling down. She doesn’t get married until after Beth dies. The symbolism with Beth shows us that the child-like part inside of Jo slips away, and now she is ready to be an adult. The feelings that Jo felt losing her sister were very well described.
Description made finding the theme of “Little Women” easier to find. Louisa May Alcott is very descriptive when it comes to the characters' personalities and the setting. Each character and their actions are described really well. We are able to feel what they felt in the situations they were in. The setting takes place in New England, and though it is never stated most people believe it takes place in Concord, Massachusetts around 1868. We are able to see what peoples lives used to be like back then and the types of struggles they dealt with on a daily basis.
Part 2 In the scene of Beth’s death, there is a lot of symbolism but also description to back up that symbolism. Beth started to get sick in the dark, dreaded winter but as spring came she was ready to move on to the after life. “But a bird sang blithely on a budding bough, close by, snowdrops blossomed freshly at the window, and the spring sunshine streames in like a benediction over the placid face upon the pillow- a face so full of painless peace that those who loved it best smiled through their tears, and thanked god that Beth was well at last.” That is a very powerful sentence. Not only does the spring sun coming to melt the winter snow symbolize moving on to another chapter in your life, but the description is very strong and the readers can picture this scene in their mind.
In “Little Women”, we learn about growing up and moving on to another chapter of your life. We get to see that everyone moves on from their childhood at a different time, but is always still deep down in their hearts. It is okay to let go of your childhood. If Beth hadn’t died, would her life be different then it was when she was alive? Would she still act like a child? Growing up is important because it happens to everyone, just not all at the same time.
Mystery and blackmailing happen everyday whether you notice it or not. In “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle showed how Sherlock Holmes and John Watson solved the case of the King of Bohemia. When the King of Bohemia was to be wed to another, Irene Adler, a past lover, threatened to blackmail him with a picture of the two. The King then went to Sherlock to help him find and steal the portrait from Irene’s home. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used tone, dialogue and first person narration to have the effect of mystery and suspense on readers.
Dialogue was a vital part of “A Scandal in Bohemia”, it showed that Sherlock knew what he was doing and yet every other character was confused. There was an exchange between Watson and Holmes about halfway through the story. It went as follows, “But how will you look?”, “I will not”, “What then?”, “I will get her to show me.” Sherlock then shared an intricate plan with John but did not share how Irene would show him where the portrait was. After the plan was carried out they had another conversation John asked, “And how did you find out?”, Holmes then answered, “She showed me as I told you.” Readers are still unaware of how Adler showed him where the portrait was and are suspicious at this point. When the king and Holmes go to fetch the painting though Irene, her lover, and the painting are all missing and readers are again confused as to how and why.
In the beginning of the story, Sherlock is introduced by another character. We later learn that this character is Sherlock’s companion, John Watson. As the story progresses we are somewhat left in the dark about what is going through Sherlock’s head and how he is solving the case.Through John’s exchanges with Sherlock we learn more of how Holmes goes about solving this case. John also states “To me, who knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their own story.” Watson claims he knows what Sherlock is feeling and thinking but readers are still clueless to how the case is solved until the end.
Throughout “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Doyle used a tone that made the story mysterious and urgent. At the beginning Sherlock was described “pacing the room quickly, eagerly,” this is portraying how the case is troubling or intense. When the King first arrives there is a “slow and heavy step” that makes the King seem dark and mysterious. Later it is revealed that the King is concerned about his issue with Irene.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mostly used dialogue to portray a certain effect. He also used a 1st person narrator and tone to show that mystery and suspicion were an overall effect. Although the story was written hundreds of years ago, and is in old English it’s easy to see that dialogue and tone were important to “A Scandal in Bohemia ''. The use of John’s perspective was also vital to the overall effect. It kept readers from knowing what was going on in Sherlock’s head and left them with even more mystery. Usually issues or crimes come with a bit of mystery and confusion even nowadays. That mystery can then lead to suspicion and it’s always fun to have a little mystery in life.
In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Harper Lee uses symbolism and events to create the overall effect of trusting your conscience. The book is split into two parts, part one is about the younger years of Scout and Jem Finch. And part two is about the Tom Robinson rape case along with the investigation of Bob Ewell and ‘Boo’ Radley. Harper Lee used symbolism and events that happen in the book to show that you should trust your conscience.
Harper Lee uses a mockingbird and a bluejay to show the theme. A quote from the book is ”Kill all the bluejays you want, if you can catch them, but remember it a sin to kill a mockingbird”. This relates to the ‘rape’ case. As the book implies this is taking place before the civil rights movement in the ’60s, blacks didn’t have a good rep. Bob Ewell was blaming Tom Robinson for the “rape” of his daughter. The bluejay is Tom Robinson because in this quote you can kill/ harm others that don’t have a good rep without adding guilt to your conscience. The mockingbird is Bob Ewell white in the book, white people had a good rep so killing him would not be a good addition to their conscience.
As Jem and Scout grow up they encounter many different events. Miss Madie’s house fire, Miss Douse’s death, and Boo Radley saving them. Miss Madie’s house fire was one of the first main events that happened. Jem and Scout were told to stay by the Radley house and not go anywhere. They stayed there and were safe because they listened to their conscience. Miss Douse’s death was another event where they trusted their conscience by not asking her about her ‘fits’. Boo Radley saving them is one of the last events. They did say that it was Boo who killed Bob Ewell, they kept it to themselves consciencely.
Why is trusting your conscience harder in today’s society than in the 1930s? All in all, the symbolism and events in the book helped with the overall theme of trusting your conscience. Harper Lee used all this to help the readers understand the theme.
Oftentimes in today’s society, people are pressured into making decisions based on what other people do. One may base their decisions purely on what the majority doesn’t do. Although going with the crowd may seem like the correct and easiest thing to do, many times the majority isn’t always right, and one must choose their own path. In “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, Montag, the protagonist, lives in a society where books have been outlawed, and it’s illegal to possess or read them. Despite the laws that have been put in place and his position as a fireman of burning books and book owners, Montag steals books and reads them, slowly unraveling the wrongdoings the leaders of his country have done to its citizens. In “Fahrenheit 451,” Bradbury used dialogue, tone, and revealing actions to create suspense in readers.
Oftentimes throughout the book, suspense is created through repetition of dialogue. An example is seen early in the story, when Montag reveals his collection of books that he’s has hidden behind a ventilator in his house. Soon after his wife’s initial shock and dismay from the reveal, Montag’s fire chief, Beatty, rings the doorbell. At this point in the scene, all the chaos seemingly slows down into silence, the only thing seeming to happen being the ringer going off at the door, repeating the same phrase. “Mrs. Montag, Mrs. Montag, someone here, someone here.” Another example can be seen in a later scene, when Montag is reading the bible on a train. He tries to read the book, but the other people on the train slowly begin repeating “Denham’s Dentrifice,” seemingly barging in on his thoughts and focus and repeating themselves more and more. This repetition creates suspense because as the dialogue begins to repeat more, things seemingly become more chaotic. A sense of nervousness is instilled in the reader, an expectation made that Montag could end up doing something wrong.
Similarly to how the repetition of the dialogue was executed, the pacing was often used to set up a suspenseful tone throughout the book. Scenes sped up and slowed down often, creating a somewhat unstable speed during the story that can create unnerve. As dialogue, inner thoughts, and descriptions continued to repeat themselves, the pace began to speed up, making the reader wonder what might happen next. Similarly to the pacing, the setting can be seen as unstable, some characters and places not staying for long while others were somewhat constant throughout the book, such as Montag’s house.
Suspense and nervousness can also be created from uncertainty in the plot. An example of this would be revealing actions. In some instances throughout Fahrenheit 451, past or future actions of Montag’s are hinted at, but not truly revealed until the last minute. An example of this is when Montag’s collection of books is initially revealed. Up until this point in the book, it’s implied that Montag is hiding something where he had the books stored, since the ventilator they’re hidden in was specifically pointed out a few times beforehand. An example of a future action that, although it is less hinted at throughout the book, is foreshadowed slightly by Montag’s actions, would be when Montag burns Beatty and some of his crew members after his book collection was discovered.
Fast-paced and repetitive dialogue, tone, and revealing actions are used by Bradbury to form an effect of suspense. Many times in the story, dialogue and scene pacing work together to make the reader nervous, but also leave them with anticipation for what might happen next. The revealing actions that are used work similarly, being hinted at more and more and creating suspense. Like in the story, life may seem fast-paced and flash by at times, rarely leaving you with time to slow down and think about the decisions you’re making. However, although it may seem difficult, it can help you, in the long run, to stop and make your own decisions, rather than just doing the easy thing and going with the crowd.
In today’s society wealth has taken control over peoples’ lives. The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a story about a man named Kino, his wife, Juana, and their child, Coyotito. In the beginning, Coyotito is stung by a scorpion. Juana and Kino immediately go to find pearls to sell to buy medical attention for their ill son. When Kino is diving to find pearls he sees the largest one he had ever seen. The family then goes to sell it but is turned down by the buyers. Many horrible events start to happen to them and they eventually end up devastated. In his novel, Steinbeck used many craft techniques to generate an overall effect. Using symbolism, tone, and revealing actions, he was able to give the reader the impression that greed is very controlling and influential.
The first craft move John Steinbeck used in The Pearl was symbolism. The symbol he used to create a theme was the pearl. In the novel, the pearl symbolizes greed. When Kino finds the pearl, he wants to use it to purchase medical attention for his poisoned child. Kino soon goes to the town nearest to him to sell his lucky pearl. He soon finds out that the pearl buyers will not buy the stone because it is too big. As the story goes on Kino says he is going to sell the pearl, but never ends up doing it because greed consumed him.
One of the other craft moves Steinbeck used to give the reader the feeling that greed is very powerful, was tone. The tone the author created gave the reader a sense of tension. For example, a snippet from the text is, “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side.” This helped give the reader the feeling of greed’s powerfulness by showing how consumed Kino was in the pearl. Kino was so distracted by his greed that he struck his wife multiple times, just to keep his wealth for himself.
The last way the author created a feeling in his novel was through revealing actions. As the book went on, Steinbeck introduced many new events that contributed to the overall feeling the book gave off. Some of the events that took place were Kino’s house burning down, his boat being destroyed, and him having to kill a man in the brush. These events helped the reader understand the sense of how powerful greed is by showing that greed comes with karma. Kino was very caught up with his greed that eventually horrible things started to happen him and his family. Others may think this piece of text gives off a sense that good fortune is not always what it seems, but there is more evidence leading to the feeling of greed. Many people may think this because when Kino got the pearl, he thought of it as good fortune, but soon many bad things began to happen. Although this would make sense, it makes a feeling of greed because most of the novel is based upon how Kino is driven by his wealth.
In conclusion, John Steinbeck used symbolism, tone, and revealing actions to form the feeling that greed is very powerful. These craft techniques helped show the reader how greed and selfishness can easily take over and persons life and what lengths they will go to just to keep their wealth and good fortune. Remember to always recall what is most important in life before you let yourself go.
Everyone feels that in some way people are defining you. Especially people who are being defined by their family’s money or what their family can provide. In the book “The Pearl'' by John Steinbeck he uses the setting to create empathy which creates an overall mood of anger towards the main character Kino. It all starts when Kino’s son Coyotito, gets poisoned by a scorpion and needs help. Kino then finds a pearl that can bring great fortune to his family but instead the pearl had only brought the opposite effect. As the story goes on John Steinbeck uses the anger brought upon the readers to teach them a lesson that money should not define you.
One of the many ways the author creates frustration towards Kino is by using a certain tone through the characters. When Coyotito was bitten by scorpion Kino and his wife Juana were urgent to seek help. The sense of urgency had helped show the readers how important and intense the situation was, and that they were desperate to seek help. At the start of the book the scenery surrounding the family’s house was described which let us know that the family didn’t have much money and they weren’t easily considered when they needed help which creates the feeling of empathy towards the family in the start of the book.
Kino then finds a pearl that will bring great fortune to him and his family that could help cure his son Coyotito. The whole village ended up finding out about Kino’s great fortune that he had found and the doctor was now willing to help the family’s firstborn son. The family had a chance to use the pearl to help Coyotito as well as giving themselves a better life.
Instead of using the pearl to help his family for allowing them to provide for them and to give their son a better future. Kino got greedy and he took every chance he could to show off his valuable pearl. Now that Kino is throwing away the great possible future he could provide his family with, it brings upon anger that continues throughout the story.
Besides tone another craft the author had used was symbolism. We were brought upon many symbols throughout the story that added to the overall effect it had on the readers. Each symbol showed a part of how money can define you even though it shouldn’t. John Steinbeck made the symbols harder to find but once you found them they mean something powerful and contribute to the anger felt towards kino.
One representation that the story is based on is the pearl. The pearl symbolizes the greed brought to the family. Back in their time that pearl was worth a great fortune and could have completely turned their lives around. But others keep pearls and save them as a treasure. Some say what you do with your money and valuables define you but that shouldn’t be the case. But in today’s society that is true. Once the family had found the pearl they were defined. Such as the doctor wouldn’t help Coyotito before finding the pearl due to the family’s social class. However, once the pearl was found the wealthy doctor said: “Coyotito is my patient, and I’m gonna cure him!” That evidence just shows how money did define people in this case but that shouldn’t be the case because both ways the family was still in need and either way people should be willing to help no matter the family’s status.
John Steinbeck used the characters' actions that were brought upon by the pearl that proves how the pearl turned everyone's life around for the worse. The pearl brought greed to Kino. Kino made bad decisions to due if he ended up hurting Juana and Coyotito. This showed that Kino's actions contributed to the mood of the story and the tone carried on through the book.
The author from The Pearl used different crafts to show the many ways that Money ended up defining the family. Every craft contributed to how Kino made choices that made the readers feel angry at him. Though it may be misinterpreted that money doesn’t define you it is actually that money “shouldn’t” define you. Because in today's society we are judged daily and a huge part of it is money. We see that in this story money shouldn’t define you because it can tear apart your family. But will that every change?
In a book that happened ages ago it is shocking to see that all of these lessons and morals still manage to fit into todays society. In Scarlet Letter the author uses inner thoughts and talks about how the characters feel and give their actual thoughts to make you feel almost as if you´ve actually met the character. The character development build up characters and shows the true aspect of who they are and the mood and tone date back to around early century america. Even though this dates back to this time period the actions still focus on the characters feeling very vengeful throughout the story.
Another essential aspect to the story is that the author involves character development to give a general idea about the characters. Hester Prynne is the protaganist of the story and she is a vey strong woman. I think that she is a very strong woman because she was able to endure a lot of pain from the many people that have judged her throughout the story. The person that she cheated with, Dimmesdale, is very guilty for what he had done. He keeps everything that he had done a secret and tries to move on. Eventually he caves and then manages to tell everyone what he had done. Her husband is in disguise as Roger Chillingsworth.
¨Roger¨ is trying to find out who Hesters lover was and he is trying to seek revenge for what had happened. The characters and the book take place with parallell plots and multiple points of view.
The author chooses to give inner thoughts of the characters as the story progresses. The way that it is being incorperated is the author decided to start the book off with one of the main characters (Hester) commiting adultery with (Dimmesdale). Adultery is essentially the same thing as cheating on someone. Even though the two characters were able to be sneaky about and hide for a bit of time, Chillingsworth eventually found out that Hester had betrayed him. The characters had thought that they were in love but that was later proven to be wrong. Hester had a plan for her and chillingsworth to be able to move somewhere far away back in London where no one would have to know about what she had done. But they couldn´t because as time passed and they were nearing with the execution of their plan Arthur found out he didn´t feel the same way as how he used to. He backed out of the entire plan and confessed his sin for the people to hear. Eventually Dimmesdale died and left everything to his Daughter Pearl and his Former wife Hester. This meant that she was able to escape with her daughter and go back to london where no one would have known about what she had done, and for a while she did that but she decided to come back and live out her life back where she had started so that everyone would know and see that she is able to move on with what she had done.
The mood and tone are a huge part of this story. The author starts the story´s setting in 17th century America. In this time there is a more punishable time, this is due to the fact that they believe in Puritanism. Hester was eventually caught as the adultress. Since she was caught, as punishment, she is forced to wear a big ¨A¨ on her clothes. Even though she was being punished she was still able to have at least a bit of happiness in her life. She was able to have a daughter named Pearl, she had named her daughter Pearl due to the fact that she was a very valuable person and aspect to Hesters life. The tone that is used throughout the story continues to give a creepy and dystopian place.
Even though this main topic in the story dates back to ages ago the ideas and concepts are still the same. The only thing that is really changing is the way that we are choosing to execute our ideas. Hester had cheated on Dimmesdale but she was able to move on even though Chillingsworth was planning to find and kill her former lover. Even though Dimmesdale ends up dying and leaves everything to Hester and her daughter Hester still feels that she should stay where she began because she isn´t afraid of who she is or what she had done and she just wants to be able to continue her life normally as if nothing really happened.
Frequently in life we forget to think about how others are feeling because we tend to put ourselves first. Putting ourselves in someone else's shoes can help us understand what they are going through or feeling; this is called empathy. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon was born with an unusually low IQ and was chosen for an experimental surgery in hopes to increase his intelligence. Throughout his intelligence journey he gained a lot of knowledge about life and the people around him. Using inner thinking, flashbacks, and symbolism the author creates an overall feeling of empathy in the book.
One of the most relevant author’s craft techniques in this book is the use of inner thinking. The main character, Charlie Gordon, narrates the book through his progress reports. Early on in the book, Ms. Kinnian, Charlie's teacher at the center for retarded adults, recommended him for an experimental intelligence surgery because of how good he worked in class. The particular reason he wrote the reports is so that the scientists that are testing him can refer back to his old behaviorism. They are also testing a mouse named Algernon who had gotten the same surgery done. When Charlie found out he was thrilled. He wrote, “All my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but its very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot.” We notice from this report that before the surgery Charlie struggled with writing, spelling, and remembering things that he’s learned. Often at his bakery job his coworkers mistreated him because he didn’t understand. When someone else would do something that they considered foolish, they referred to it as a “Charlie Gordon'' and Charlie laughed because he didn’t know any better.
After the surgery Charlie expected results immediately. Because of this, Ms. Kinnian constantly assured him that it would happen over time if he worked hard to learn. Although he struggled at first gradually his knowledge grew larger without him even realizing. As the book progressed, he got extremely brilliant and when he began going back to the bakery nobody wanted to associate with him. He wrote, “Nobody at the place talks to me any more, or kids around the way they used to. It makes the job kind of lonely.” This upset Charlie because when he wasn’t intelligent they would pick on him but when he was they didn't like him. Charlie also wrote, “It had been all right as long they could laugh at me and appear clever at my expense but now they were feeling inferior to the moron.” It seems that no matter what Charlie does he is hated for it and this makes the readers feel bad because it is hard to be happy when everyone despises you. Some may think that this points toward a feeling of anger because Charlie is constantly being hurt and he’s angry. Although it is a good point, it fails to account for the sadness he is feeling and the crucial details the author uses to express it.
The next craft technique the author uses is flashbacks. A majority of the flashbacks reveal how Charlie's family treated him during his childhood. Despite his disability, his mother, Rose, treated him as though he could be normal if she pushed him hard enough. When she would push him to his limits he would often urinate in his pants which upset her even more. She would scream, snatch things out of his hand, and beat him which haunted him for the rest of his life. On the other hand, his father, Matt, believed that the way his mother acted was outrageous and would tell her to stop. When Matt would try to convince Rose that Charlie wasn’t like everyone else she would say, “He’s just slow, that’s all. But he can learn like everyone else.”
When Rose and Matt had their daughter, Norma, Charlie was neglected even more because she was not challenged like him. He would try to hold her and help his parents but his mother refused to let him. She would become furious whenever Charlie touched or even looked at Norma. When Norma started getting picked on at school for being Charlie’s sister she told their mother. Rose told Norma that she could tell everyone that Charlie wasn’t even her brother because she doesn’t want her daughter’s life to be “destroyed”. Eventually, Rose had an outburst and told Matt to get rid of Charlie even though he didn’t want to. Rose shouted, “I don’t care. He goes out tonight. I can’t stand looking at him anymore.” After this, they send him to the Warren State Home forgetting about him permanently. These detailed flashbacks from the story make the readers visualize another challenging part of Charlie's life that is devastating to fathom.
The last important author’s craft technique is symbolism. Algernon, the mouse that got the same surgery, is very similar to Charlie. At the beginning of Charlie's tests, he would do races against Algernon to test both of their mental capabilities. At first, Charlie despised Algernon because he constantly lost to him but when he became smarter they were very close. During Algernon’s life after surgery his intelligence began deteriorating which the scientists had not originally predicted. They then knew that it could happen to Charlie as well.
At a scientific convention relating to their surgeries, Charlie realized something more clearly than ever. He wrote, “The constant juxtaposition of “Algernon and Charlie,” and “Charlie and Algernon,” made it clear that they both thought of us as a couple of experimental animals who had no existence outside the laboratory”. After this, he let Algernon out of his cage and took him back to his apartment to take care of him. Sometimes in his cage that Charlie built him Algernon would act erratically. He would even bite people which he was not known to do. When this happened Charlie knew he had to take him back to the laboratory to be correctly taken care of by the scientists.
At this point it was obvious that Algernon was dying. Charlie told Dr.Nemur that he wanted to keep him when he passed, and he did. When Algernon passed it was hard on Charlie but also the reader’s who had gotten to know him so well. He put his body in a small metal container and took him home with him. Then, he buried him in the back yard and wept as he put wildflowers on the grave. Although people told him it was silly he continued to put flowers on Algernon's grave.
Those flowers represent the strong bond between Charlie and Algernon because no matter how many people told him it was silly he never gave up on putting flowers on Algernon’s grave. At the end of the book, Charlie has accepted that he might die soon or be sent back to the Warren State Home so he writes a letter addressing everyone in his life. In this letter he writes, “P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the backyard.”
Keyes used these craft techniques to express how important it is to simply be kind. The inner thinking and flashbacks let the readers get to understand the part of Charlie’s life that was extremely crucial to his words and actions. In addition, she used symbolism to show that friends are essential in life no matter what or who they are. You never know what people are going through or have been through. It is important to think before you speak and imagine how you would feel if you were them. As Judith Orloff once said, “Empathy is the medicine the world needs.”
People need to know how to treat others. Would you want to be put down when you are already having a hard time coping with losing a friend? In Flowers for Algernon Charlie loses Algernon and in the end, he puts flowers on Algernon's grave. Mrs. Mooney tells Charlie that it was silly to put Flowers on a mouse's grave but Charlie didn’t care what she thought because Algernon wasn’t only a mouse to him. At the end of Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes uses symbolism, description, and inner thoughts to make the reader feel empathy for Charlie.
The symbolism in Flowers for Algernon makes the reader feel empathetic for Charlie. The main symbol is found right in the title, the flowers that Charlie put on Algernon’s grave. Daniel Keyes uses the flowers to help reveal the connection between Charlie and Algernon. The flowers indicate and explain how Charlie feels about Algernon, and how he views him as special. Charlie doesn’t only see Algernon as a smart mouse, he sees him as a friend. For example on page 311 of Flowers for Algernon Charlie says ,P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard.” Charlie does this because that mouse was more than just a mouse to him, Charlie loved Algernon he even cried at Algernon’s grave where he buried him. This part of the story made me feel empathy for Charlie because he just lost his best friend, how descriptive the author was, helped me feel empathy for Charlie as well.
The author also uses description to help the reader to understand the story a lot better. However, the description also helps the reader feel as if they were in the same situation. Just like page 59 of Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes was very descriptive in the flashback that he used. The paragraph states “The warm sweet smell, the white walls, the roar of the oven when Frank opens the door to shift the loaves. Suddenly falling...twisting...everything out from under me and my head cracking against the wall.” The author was using the five senses to help the reader know what it was like to be Charlie then and there. These five senses helped me to feel as if I was Charlie in that situation. I felt empathy for Charlie because of the way it was explained when Charlie's “friend” Frank kicked Charlie's legs out from under him in the bakery. Ever wonder how it makes Charlie feel when this happens to him? Well, we can find out in his inner thoughts.
Charlie has a lot of inner thoughts in Flowers for Algernon, mostly all of the progress reports are inner thoughts. Although there are many inner thoughts, in some spots in Flowers for Algernon his thoughts are a little more upsetting or intense. Throughout the book, some flashbacks involve Charlie's mom, Rose. Charlie doesn’t have a strong connection with his mom because his mom doesn’t like him. Charlie claims that ever since his mom had his sister Norma she changed toward him. On page 168 there is a flashback that explains why Rose’s actions changed towards Charlie, “That was before she had changed towards me, and now I realize it was because she had no way of knowing yet if Norma would be like me or not. It was later on, when she was sure her prayers had been answered, and Norma showed all signs of normal intelligence, that my mother’s voice began to sound different. Not only her voice, but her touch, her look, her very presence-all changed.” Other flashbacks outline this devious relationship between Charlie and his mom. Because of his bad relationship with his mom later on in the book when Charlie sees his mom's face in the newspaper this is what he was thinking “I suddenly hated her. It would have been better if she had ignored the doctors and teachers and others who were so in a hurry to convince her that I was a moron, turning her away from me so that she gave me less love when I needed more.”
Overall this book is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, however, the emotion I felt was empathy. The author helped me feel this empathy by using craft moves such as, symbolism, description, and inner thoughts. Although it could be argued that there are many craft moves in this book, the craft moves that created the overall effect of empathy were symbolism, description, and inner thoughts. What I want people to learn from reading Flowers for Algernon is that it’s not only your opinion that matters and counts you need to observe the whole situation and include everyone's feelings.
Injustices are happening every day to so many people in this world. In Animal Farm by George Orwell the animals of ‘Manor Farm’ have started to revolt against Mr. Jones, the man running the farm. The animals slowly start to forget what they fought against for their freedom and let themselves be corrupted by greed and start making unjust decisions. They slowly start becoming the ones they fought to be rid of. In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses revealing actions to create an overall feeling of frustration at the injustices being committed in Animal Farm.
The revealing actions in Animal Farm play a key role in creating a feeling of frustration about the injustice being committed. On page 45 Napoleon, a large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar, also one of the leaders of the revolution, slowly starts to reveal his true self when Snowball, the second leader of the rebellion, was showing everyone his plans, Napoleon who was against the windmill from the beginning, walks in and suddenly urinated on the plans, “Only Napoleon held aloof. He had declared himself against the windmill from the start. One day, however, he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans. He walked heavily round the shed, looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice, then stood for a little while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans, and walked out without uttering a word.” The chunk shows that if Napoleon doesn’t like something he will try to ruin it and make it so it fits his benefit.
Another revealing action is on page 31 when all of the milk and apples went into the pigs' mash, they then lied about it saying that they didn’t even like milk and apples and that milk and apples are beneficiaries to pigs, “The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs’ mash… The animals had assumed as a matter of course that these would be shared out equally; one day, however, the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs… All the pigs were in full agreement on this point, even Snowball and Napoleon. Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others. “Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples… Milk and apples (this has been proven by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig… It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples… Jones would come back! Yes. Jones would come back!...” The pigs lied about not liking milk and apples, the other animals don’t realize this, but this slowly starts changing the pigs and it’s not for the best.
On page 21 the seven commandments of Animalism are listed; they are, “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. No animal shall wear clothes. No animal shall sleep in a bed. No animal shall drink alcohol. No animal shall kill any other animal. All animals are equal.” The seven commandments are what the animals base their ‘society’ on and what they live by. It is what they all agreed on in the beginning. On page 118 after many years at Animal Farm Clover has realized that things have changed drastically and they only have one commandment, and one commandment only, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is now what all the animals live by and Napoleon is the king of Animal Farm. This is now when Napoleon is talking to Mr. Pilkington, another farmer Jones was acquaintances with, Napoleon reveals that he has changed the name Animal Farm to ‘Manor Farm’. Napoleon says that it is the true name of the farm and should be restored to what it was before.
One may interpret this as don’t bite the hand that feeds you. It is clearly history will repeat itself if you let it, because all of the evidence points to history will repeat itself. Napoleon slowly starts acting like man, as do the other pigs. They start going against all of the original seven commandments. This is why the effect is frustration.
When Napoleon is talking with Mr. Pilkington and his men, they are drinking and talking and making toasts to each other. “Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” This paragraph shows that Napoleon and the pigs have become exactly like men.
History will repeat itself if you let it and don’t try and do anything to stop it. Revealing actions can make people very frustrated with what is going on in the world. People can also be frustrated with the injustices being committed by certain people. In Animal Farm the animals let history repeat they don’t realize that they are now exactly like Jones and his friends. Napoleon makes animals who don’t work as much for whatever reason fewer rations, the talk of retirement for the animals has long since past, which is exactly what Jones did when he ran the farm. In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses revealing actions to create a feeling of frustration about the injustices being committed in Animal Farm.
Everyone is different and no two people are the same. Sometimes though people treat others differently because they are different.Those people who treat others different think that because they themselves aren’t different, that means they are entitled. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Scout and Jem, the children of Atticus Finch meet Dill. Dill is a very curious boy and as soon as he sees the Radley house and never sees Aurthor Radley(Boo) he wants him to come outside. While the children are trying to do this a much bigger problem is going on. A trial between the Ewells and Tom Robison. Tom is being tried for something he didn’t do, but he is different so no one believes him except Atticus. Atticus is the most empathetic person in the story. He makes Jem face up to his actions against Mrs.Dubose’s yard, he makes the children stay away from Boo, and he never once doubts Tom Robinson unlike everyone else. Throughout the story Harper Lee uses inner thinking, dialogue, and symbolism to create a churring sense of empathy.
Scout’s father Atticus is a very noble man, he takes care of his children and doesn't let the way others think about him get to him. One night when Scout is supposed to be in bed, but instead stays up to listen in on her father and uncle talking. They are talking about the trial and how Atticus representing an african american man will affect Scout and Jem. Scout and Jem won’t be affected by it personally, but it’s the other people in the town who will treat them badly and call them horrible names because their father is choosing a black man’s word against a white man’s. Atticus can’t not do the trial because he won’t be able to face his kids if he didn’t. After everything he has taught them that all folks are equal, will mean nothing. It’s when Scout says to herself after she was caught listening, “It was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said”, that you realize Atticus was empathizing with Scout and he thought she needed to know that just because others are different you don’t treat them differently. The same goes for Jem when he destroys Mrs. Dubose’s camellias. He does this because she called his father an awful name. Lack of empathy in Jem shows because he doesn't stop to think for one second maybe she is just a crazy old lady and these camellias are all she has left. Later when he has to own up to the consequences of his actions, Scout because she is just a child doesn’t empathize for Mrs.Dubose, but for Jem because as she said in her head, “I did not for the life of me understand how he could sit there in cold blood and read a newspaper when his only son stood an excellent chance of being murdered…” Scout does show empathy just not to the right person. It isn’t until after Mrs.Dubose dies and the children no longer see her that they finally feel empathy for her because Atticus explains why she is the person she was. In other words, “It was Jem’s turn to cry”, Scout’s thought of empathy for her brother who had understood the trial and knew how wrong it was. She is so young that she doesn't fully understand what happened during the trial and why it was so wrong. Her father taught her well enough though that she empathizes with Jem even though he is acting different and she doesn’t get him.
Scout is a very hot headed little girl and when someone makes fun of her she is ready to fight. So when her cousin Francis starts making fun of her dad and calling him terrible names, she has had it and she fights. When her Uncle Jack however stops the fight he takes Francis’s side because Francis lies and says Scout was calling him names, and then she started hitting him. Jack doesn’t hesitate to automatically start wiping Scout. He doesn't listen to Scout until she starts saying, “You ain’t fair,...you ain’t fair”. He responds with, “Not fair? How not?”, Scout then goes on to explain the truth and what actually happened. Her uncle immediately feels bad and is sorry for her because he didn’t listen to her side of it. It could be argued that the author wanted to show sympathy and not empathy, because Jack felt sympathetic for Scout. However the author though doesn't choose to show it that way she shows that when you don’t walk in someone else's shoes you’ll never really know them. You feel sympathy because you don’t understand what other people go through, but when you walk in their shoes you feel empathy. When Atticus is questioning Mayella he feels major empathy. He really feels empathy when he asks her questions only to get no response, “Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father? No answer”. After he is done he sits down and Scout says, “He looked like his stomach hurt…”. His stomach hurt because he put himself in Mayella’s place. He knew how much it must hurt to be blatantly exposed like that, but he had to do it anyway. The children also feel empathy for their father. After the trial Mr.Ewell Mayella’s father threatens Atticus’s life. The children are more scared for him then he is for himself. Atticus finally sees this and asks what's wrong only to get, “Nothing happened. We're just scared for you…” His kids because their kids are feeling empathy for someone who doesn’t need it, but their kids so they don’t know any better.
Boo Radley never leaves his house. Because of that, he gets a whole lot of rumors about him. The rumors to say the very least are very morbid. Jem, Scout, and Dill don’t care what the rumors are they want to see him anyway. All summer long they try to make him come out. They attach a note to the end of a fishing pole and when it doesn’t work they try more dangerous measures. They try to sneak into his yard at night and when all goes a rise they have to quickly escape. As Jem is crawling under the fence his Pants get stuck and he has to leave them behind. Later in the night he goes back to find them and when he does they are all stitched up and washed. When school comes around again Jem and Scout pass by a big oak tree with a little hole everyday. Everyday after school they find little gifts that have been left for them. At first they are cautious but when they find little soap sculptures of them they know someone has been looking after them. Near the end of the story Jem and Scout get jumped. Jem’s arm breaks and they both were almost killed, but thankfully a mockingbird saved them. A mockingbird didn’t actually save them, but Boo did. Boo is a symbol for a mockingbird because he never hurts anyone like the whole town says, he isn’t dangerous, he just sings his beautiful song for Jem and Scout. At the end Scout is sad because she realizes that she has never done anything for him. It’s not until she is standing on his pouch and sees through his eyes that she realizes she and Jem have done more than she thought for him. Like she says, “Atticus was right... you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them”. Boo was more than just a neighbour he was a mockingbird and after all “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”.
In the end you learn that people are different from each other and that’s ok. Harper Lee’s book helps to show that just because people are different that doesn’t make them bad. Everyone thought that because Boo never went outside he was bad, Mr.Ewell thought because Tom was black he could easily get away murder. Through inner thinking, dialogue, and symbols the author shows that not being different doesn't make you better than anyone else, because one may think they’re not different but to others you are no more the same than you are different.
In the past few centuries, decades, or even years, times have changed because technology is getting in the way of spending time with your loved ones. The author wanted to make sure we are aware of the block that is getting in the way of a family being together. Technology wasn’t a resource back then, and that forced families to become closer and spend more time together. Over the years, slowly and slowly, families and friends have started separating. The communication has lessened because our culture has changed us. In the story, “Little Women” there are 4 children: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. They live with their mother, and their father is in the army for the Civil War. Everyone has to work during the day, even the kids. Still, the March family is very poor. On the other hand, their neighbor, Mr.Laurence and his grandson Laurie, are very wealthy. Laurie becomes good friends with the March children, especially Jo. During the book, Mr. March becomes ill, so Mrs. March has to go away and be with him. This worries everyone in the family and the children are left alone to take care of each other. However, Beth gets ill with the Scarlet Fever. The children did not want to cause more problems for Mrs.March, so they did not tell her about it. Throughout this book, everybody stepped up and became better people; people who appreciated the little things, were grateful for what they had, and who were simply kind to everyone, no matter how much they had. In “Little Women”, Lousia M. Alcott uses empathy, symbolism, and character actions to show that our society has become more selfish.
One of the more obvious author’s craft techniques in “Little Women” was the use of empathy. The author uses empathy to show how everything used to be in the past. Alcott used this craft move to make you feel guilty for being in a society that isn’t so kind. In the time of “Little Women”, everyone helped everyone, no matter how much money they had. Mr. Laurence was a kind soul who liked helping out the March family. He did little favors that meant more than they seem. He was kind enough to let little Beth come over to their house to play the piano because she simply loved music. “...so come and drum away as much as you like…” The March’s might have not had that much money, but they sure were just as kind. When Laurie was stuck inside with no friends or anybody to talk to, Jo was as friendly as a puppy to him. “‘Isn’t there some nice girl who’d read and amuse you?!’ ‘Don’t know any.’ ‘You know me,’ began Jo.” Even the rich young girls were kind to the less wealthy, like Meg. Sallie was a wealthy girl and she wanted to help Meg with getting a new dress. “‘Now do let me please myself by dressing you up in style.’” The world was good back then, and empathy shows that. For example, family helped out family and they did anything for each other. The March children’s father had gone away into war, and he had become ill. Jo, as a selfless human being, had decided to cut off all of her beautiful hair to receive money for her father. In this day and age, the probability of people doing that for their family is a lot less likely. Empathy was used very strongly in this book and it leaves you with a perfect feeling of guilt; guilt because we live in a society today that isn’t as kind as it used to be.
Having empathy for others can create gratefulness. In the 1930s, life was different from now. African Americans were treated badly, and even white families were struggling in the Great Depression. We can put ourselves in their shoes and feel grateful for what we have now. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, the Finch family went through some tough times. The story begins with Jem and Scout, who are the Finch children, trying to figure out why a man stayed in his home his whole life. Then, in part two of the book, with Atticus, the dad, being a white lawyer in Maycomb County, he was assigned a trial with a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. The town knew he didn’t do it, but it was a white woman's words against a black man’s. At the end of the book, the women’s father went after Jem and Scout and ended up hurting them pretty badly. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses first person narrator, dialogue, and revealing actions to create empathy for how times have changed.
Throughout the story, one of the most obvious craft techniques used was building suspense. Lee uses suspense to set the reader up for events that won’t happen, or won’t make sense until later in the book. She uses this to make us feel for the characters and people in this time period. On page 101, Atticus had been talking about the trial, and how he doesn’t understand why people have to be so bitter about African Americans. He says that he wouldn’t be able to face his children if he didn’t fight for Tom Robinson. At the end of the conversation between Atticus and Scout’s uncle Jack, Atticus tells Scout to go to bed. Scout then states, “...I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.” When finishing the book, we can look back on this quote, and many others, and feel empathy for the Finch family and people like Tom Robinson. Building suspense allows us to have stronger emotions when reading the book. All of this leaves us with a very strong sense of empathy.
Another craft technique Lee used was having a first person narrator. She uses this to fill the story with detailed descriptions of what Scout thinks, hears, and sees. This can help us picture what it would be like to grow up like her. Scout takes us through a few of her childhood years from her perspective. We find out about Boo Radley, life in Scout’s first school days, the trial, and the big ending. “Atticus, I wasn’t scared.” Scout and Jem had been through a lot that night, but she claimed she still wasn’t scared. Those kids had gone through some tough times. Their mother died when Scout was young, their father was a lawyer who fought for an African American, which was considered bad at the time, and they were beaten at the end of the book by Mr. Ewell. Overall, seeing the world through Scout’s eyes was eye opening to me. I saw how different times could be. I felt empathy towards Scout, Jem, Atticus, and all the people in Maycomb County. Some may argue that the story not only creates empathy, but sympathy too. You may feel sorry for the kids, families, and town, but in the end, Harper Lee uses descriptions to make the reader put themselves in those characters shoes as opposed to feeling sorry for them. The final craft move Harper Lee used was Revealing Actions to create empathy in the story. During the trial, the actions of Mr. Ewell makes you feel disgusted at how things went in this time period. African Americans were mistreated and didn’t get the same rights that any white person did. Tom Robinson got convicted of raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter, even when the jury and town knew he didn’t do it. People even suspected Mr. Ewell did it. But, it all came down to Mr. Ewell being white, and Tom Robinson being black. It wasn’t remotely fair, but during this time this is how things went. “How could they do it, how could they?” Jem, Scout, and many people in the town thought the same thing. But, it wouldn’t be until many years later that things started getting a little fairer.
Harper Lee uses first person narrator, dialogue, and revealing actions to create empathy for how times have changed. Having empathy for others from different times helps us to be grateful for how we live. Atticus, Jem, and Scout Finch have persevered through tough times to represent having empathy and being grateful for what we have.
Another craft technique that the author put in the story, one that took a little more effort to figure out was symbolism. Each one of the March children are a symbol. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are all needed to make this story succeed. They are each one part of a whole. They are like a body; each child represents a different body part. They need a brain, heart, lungs, and liver to survive. They all have such different personalities that are needed to complete each other. Meg was the pretty one, she’s grown up and on the path to adulthood. “‘The pretty one is Meg…’” “‘...bearing a great bridal looking bouquet for 'Mrs John Brooke'’”. On the other hand, Jo was a tomboy who loved writing and she was good at it. She was a very friendly person too, especially to her new friend Laurie. Beth represents childhood; the childhood that everyone misses because it is young and innocent. She liked playing with dolls and she was shy too, but she was a very intelligent young woman. She enjoyed playing the piano and helping others. She was not selfish and there are many good things said about her. “‘...Beth; she’s my girl, and a regular good one she is too’.” On an opposite note, there’s the youngest March child, Amy. Amy can be selfish and sassy, but when she puts her mind on something, she can achieve it. In fact, Amy wanted to change because she was afraid of being unloved. When the parents of the March children were away, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy had to take care of each other. However, Beth had received the Scarlet Fever from a baby that she was taking care of. When Beth was sick, everyone cared so much about her and felt the pain as Beth did. Each girl helped each other experience what it’s like to be a family and be there for another. They spent time with each other and were there to help Beth get through her sickness. “Margaret, sitting alone, with tears dropping often…" ”...Jo, living in the darkened room, with that suffering little sister learned to see the beauty of Beth’s nature…” Each sibling was very worried about Beth and they understood the problems that came their way, but they hoped it would get better. Although it could be argued that this evidence was added to show that you should always have hope, as the main idea, but clearly this evidence is showing that family does anything for each other. Alcott makes the reader understand the feelings of someone who cares deeply about a sibling and would do absolutely anything for them. “‘...Can’t you and Meg have it over again?’ asked Beth anxiously. ‘I guess not; don’t care if I do; serve me right…’” Jo was ready to risk getting the illness too, just to help out little Beth. However, while Beth was sick, Amy was thinking about how she wanted to change from selfish to loved. She thought that people wouldn’t care as much if she was sick because of her selfishness. Amy stated, “She’s so good, and we all love her so much…” “Beth isn’t selfish, and that’s the reason everyone loves her and feels so bad at the thought of losing her.” Every single one of these girls is needed in this family, and they symbolize the importance of having one another. They become a better family, better friends, and better people.
A final craft move that was used to show that our society has become more selfish is character actions. Throughout the story, character actions have been used to show how structured the world used to be. The kids weren’t on their phones or social media, they spent time with their family and helped out their community. The wealthy were kind to the poor, as well as the poor were kind to the wealthy. The families at this time would have done anything for each other. They had each other’s backs and fronts. At Christmas, they didn’t have a lot of money and the money they had they could only buy a gift for themselves. However, they pooled in their money to buy their mother different gifts. They were not selfish kids, they were little women. They might have hated each other at points, but they made up. In the story, Jo did not allow Amy to go out with Laurie and herself, and Amy was not happy about it. She went to the extent of burning one of Jo’s writing stories in the fire. The story that she burned was not recoverable, and Jo felt very upset and angry. However, Jo forgave Amy even though she was really upset with her. “...hugged one another close, and everything was forgiven and forgotten in one hearty kiss.” Certainly, it could be said that this evidence points to family is the most important factor as the main idea. While this is an important point, the craft moves that the author is trying to make us see that it’s more than just family that is important. You have to help your family, your friends, your neighbors, and everybody, because if everyone only cared about themselves and their family, the world would have turned out selfish back then. People need to learn to forgive and forget when the little problems come around, and overall this helps families and friends stay close. Other tasks that children had to do included chores, working all day, and they got a few hours of playtime. All of the March children did this; they all worked well and they were productive, even the little ones. They may have complained once and a while, but they did the work anyway. They had a strong work ethic that we don’t see as much today from kids. The revealing actions used in this book shows that the actions of the children, the adults, the rich, and the poor, none of them had selfish intentions. The world was a kind place, family meant more than technology, and neighborly kindness was appreciated. The actions that people took in the time period of this book show how friendly the world used to be.
Louisa M. Alcott used empathy, symbolism, and character actions to show us that our present-day society has become selfish. She uses empathy to make us feel the way the characters felt when they spent all of their time with family. She used this author’s craft to make us see that family used to be very close to each other. She also used symbolism to show that the girls are one part of a whole, to show that without one another they would be broken. Finally, she used character actions to make the present-day society see that everyone used to be kind to everyone, that being rich or poor didn’t affect the friendliness that people had towards each other, and that the people in this world used to be so much more pleasant. Now, technology has gotten in the way of family time and the closeness that people shared with one another. The characters in “Little Women” didn’t have a perfect life; they struggled with war, sickness, and they went through a lot to get our present-day earth where it is right now. Their world wasn’t the best, but they were grateful for everything they had. They were friendly to all people: rich, poor, young, old, pretty, sassy, and the majority of all people. The world back then was a lot kinder than it is today. Alcott made sure to inform us about how times have changed and she subtly gave us a goal to reach. One day, there's a possibility that we can beat this goal that Alcott set for the amount of friendly hearts in the world. We, as a society, should personally understand that people don’t live forever, and we should spend as much time with our family and friends because once they’re gone, they’re gone and they aren’t coming back.
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ReplyDeletevery well done
DeleteEveryone in life needs to treat others with respect. We all want others to treat us with respect regardless of our race or our lifestyle. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, citizens are not treated fairly. The main characters Scout and Jem are experiencing first hand how rude people are. Scout and Jems’ dad Atticus, a lawyer, is chosen to represent a black man. Tom, is accused of rape but a white family. Since Atticus represents an African American against a white female, the town is not happy. Many people do not treat Atticus fairly and call him many bad names. Scout and Jem are also treated and spoke to differently because of Atticus. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee uses symbolism and dialogue to make the reader feel remorseful and guilty.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most obvious author's craft techniques in the book was the use of symbolism. The author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” uses symbolism through Arthur Radley. Arthur lived differently than most people did. Since he chose to live differently, people decided to treat him differently. For Instance Scout, Dill, and Jem were always pestering “Boo.” They did things like knocking on the house, trying to get Boo to come out, and trying to talk with him. Lee wanted Arthur to represent African Americans. This is because it shows that many people were not treated fairly during this time. Lee also used symbolism while talking about the mockingbird. At Christmas when Scout and Jem got air rifles, they had fun shooting birds. As they were shooting, Atticus said that “remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. The children later asked Miss Maudie about this and she added “Your Father is right. Mockingbirds don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy.” Lee wrote this to symbolize African Americans. If Lee hadn’t put this use of symbolism in, the reader would not truly understand that people were treated differently based on how they acted, who they were, and the color of their skin. Lee uses this craft move to make the reader feel a sense of guilt. She wants the reader to think deeply about what has happened in the past and that it is not ok. She believes that by informing the reader with this knowledge will help with this discrimination to never happen again.
Everyone in life needs to realize how helpful a good friend can be, especially when going through hard times. In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, two unlikely friends embark on a journey together, with a shared dream getting them through it. Although they can sometimes become frustrated with each other, in the end friendship pulls them through. In “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck uses description, repetition, and dialogue to show the importance of friendship.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most obvious craft moves in the book that shows the message is the use of dialogue. Multiple times throughout the story, George talks about how much easier his life would be without Lennie. On page 12 he says, “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy.” He then later says, “I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me.” Even though George knows all the opportunities waiting for him if he left Lennie, he still chooses to stick with him. Furthermore, it shows what being a true friend is because George truly cares for Lennie’s well-being. Evidence for this is on page 23, when the boss of their job says, “Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.”
The second craft move used to show the importance of friendship is description. Throughout the book, there is a lot of description of setting and characters. On page 4 it says, “Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face…” This description shows that George and Lennie are opposites, making them an unlikely pair. This could possibly be interpreted as opposites attract, but it clearly means friendship because friendship is what is needed for opposites to get along with each other. The vivid descriptions that are scattered through the book show that George and Lennie can get along in any situation, despite the setting.
The final craft move signifying friendship is repetition. Throughout the book there is frequent repetition about George and Lennie’s dream of living on and owning a farm together. This shared dream is a constant reminder throughout the book of their friendship. A big part of the dream is Lennie owning rabbits. Lennie is constantly bringing them up, and on page 6 George tells him, “That’s all you ever can remember is them rabbits.” Lennie probably associates the rabbits with George, which is why he so often talks about them. It seems almost strange when there isn’t an instance when Lennie isn’t thinking of or speaking about rabbits. This corresponds with how Lennie is rarely without George.
Steinbeck used dialogue to show the importance of having a true friend that you can trust in. In addition, he used description and repetition to show us that people can get along no matter their differences. Having a friend who you know will always be at your side, who is like family, is incredibly important. It isn’t about the amount of friends you have; it’s about their qualities. At the end of the story, the reader is left wondering; how strong is the power of friendship?
I like your evidence and craft moves
DeleteI like how you ended with a question.
DeleteI like the way you compared Lennie and George
DeleteSometimes people need anxiety to help them see the best option. In “The Chain of Destiny” by Bram Stoker, Frank goes home to learn that his adopted mother has chosen a wife for him, but does not tell him anything but her name. He is left to ponder what she looks like and how she is, and soon builds up his anxiety the more days that pass by. When he sleeps, he dreams of his soon-to-be wife crying out in fear, even though he doesn’t know her. In “The Chain of Destiny”, Bram Stoker uses the dream to symbolise anxiousness.
ReplyDeleteParalysis is a state when one is awake, but cannot move. Often it comes with visions that are caused by prior events. Frank’s vision, or dream as he refers to it, was caused by the anxiety of meeting Diana. He would meet her in three days, so in his dream he conjures a Fiend. “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, the fairest and the best [will die],” the Fiend warns. Frank’s anxiety from the event forces him to believe that the Fiend means Diana.
As a result, Frank anxiously tells Diana about his dream the night before the warning was to come true, and passes on his anxiety and fear. Although it could be argued that Frank does this out of passion and not anxiety, it’s his anxiety that causes him to act passionately, which then creates more anxiety. “I heard from the room below me a sharp scream -- a cry of surprise rather than fear. Miss Fothering had no doubt been awakened by the striking of the clock, and had seen outside the window the very figures which I had described to her.” The passing of Frank’s anxiety to Diana causes her to believe there is a Fiend after her as Frank said. This shared anxiousness between the two creates that same uneasiness in the reader.
Frank’s walk through the yew walk strikes restlessness in him, “There was a sort of vague melancholy and ghosliness in the place that made me shiver, and I hurried on.” The yew walk itself is described in a way that is quite similar to the feeling of anxiety; “...and in the midst of the dark, gloomy walk between old yew trees. I could not see through them on either side on account of their thickness, and as the walk was curved I could see but a short distance either before or behind me. I looked up and saw a yellowish, luminous sky with heavy clouds passing sluggishly across it.” Anxiety to most people can feel how the yew walk is described; dark and gloomy, with a sense of being lost and not being able to see past it. It also describes Frank’s feelings about Diana, as he does not know what to do past the place he stands. Whether to go backwards and forget about it, or continue on in hopes of a brighter outcome. He’s in that sort of dark, grayish area that makes him feel almost overwhelmed with anxiety.
Stoker used symbolism to show us that anxiety comes in many forms. I personally have anxiety, and it’s not easy. It can make one feel out of their element, and not know where they are going or what to do. The end can have unpredictable outcomes, like the end of this story, but when you’re feeling it you don’t know what the outcome will be, which in result creates even more anxiety. When I get anxiety, I, like Frank, forget myself and get lost in this anxious bubble. In the end, Stoker relieves us of this and gives us a brighter outcome.
I liked the examples you used to support your claim
DeleteA craft technique that the author used that took a bit more work to uncover was dialogue.
ReplyDeleteThe dialogue in the story showed that African Americans were not respected. When Atticus was chosen to represent Mr. Robison, he was made fun of. He was called a “ni**er-lover”. Also, people spoke to Atticus’s children behind his back. During one of the confrontations between Scout, Jem, and Mrs. Dobuse, Mrs. Dobuse said: “Your father’s no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for!” These quotes show how poorly African Americans were treated. As if that wasn’t enough, Atticus’s family members questioned his choice. At a family gathering, one of Scout’s cousin Francis called Atticus a “He’s nothing but a ni**er-lover!” Also, Aunt Alexandra attempted to change Atticus’s past choices. One of those being his housemaid Calpurnia. Atticus refused to listen to his sister. He added “Alexandra, Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise but I couldn’t have gotten along without her all of these years. She’s a faithful member of this family...” This shows that African Americans are normal people and should be treated as such. Atticus’s believed that all people are equal. Hadn’t Lee chosen to use this dialogue, the strength of her writing would not have been as good. Although it could be argued that the dialogue was to make the reader feel angry, but when you look closely, you can see that this is to make the reader feel remorse and guilt about our nation's past.
Lee used the power of symbolism to make the reader feel remorse and guilt about our nation's past and how we used to and still do treat people in our world. She also used dialogue to show that people did not respect each other and believed that it was ok to treat people poorly. The dialogue also shows that some people were not treated or thought of with any respect. Treating people fairly is a problem in our world from the past and in the present. If Lee had not shown the reader how poorly people were treated, she would not get the same reaction from her readers. The techniques that she used left the reader wondering if treating people fairly can lead to a new and better world.
I like how give good background info on what the book is about
Deletevery rad
DeleteEveryone in life needs to show respect to everyone, no matter who they are or what they believe in. It doesn't even matter how old the person is, what matters is that everyone is getting the respect they deserve. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, Boo Radley and Tom Robertson were not respected the way they should have been, with Jem and Scout trying to get Boo Radley out of his house, and Tom Robertson is getting called racial slurs by Mr. Ewell and not getting a fair trial by Judge Taylor. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses these two plot lines to inform us on how everyone should be shown respect.
ReplyDeleteOne of the two major plots in,”To Kill a Mockingbird,” is the events that go on in the trial. This trial is about Tom Robertson, an african american man, was accused of raping a nineteen year old women. During the trial Mr. Robertson is not being treated like he should be. He is being called racial slurs and is being treated like he is less than human. He is not getting the respect he deserves. He didn't do anything wrong at all, but African Americans during the 30s were not respected. Although he wasn’t treated well, he was still allowed to have a lawyer. His lawyer was Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father. Even Atticus wasn’t respected by Mr Ewell because we were trying to defend Mr. Robertson. Also at this trial, there is a specific section for african american people. They weren't even able to sit next to the white people. Yet again they weren’t being treated with respect. In the end Mr. Robertson was convicted of this crime. He was innocent but because he was an african american, he didn’t get a fair trial. Him along with all of the other african americans that were living in Maycomb at the time were not respected. Although it could be argued that african americans were the ones that weren't being treated with respect, it is clearly shown Boo Radly was also not treated with respect.
The smaller plot line shown in the story is the events that have happened with Boo Radly. In,”To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee Jem and Scout are trying to get Boo Radly out of his house for people to see him. Keep in mind he hasn't come out of his dwelling in quite a few years. The people of Maycomb just think that he doesn’t like to go outside.The kids are not really respecting the fact that he doesn’t want to go outside. The kids try to get him to come outside by sneaking on his property and asking him to come out. They are completely invading his privacy and it was wrong on their behalf. The result of this is someone in Mr. Radley's house shoots a shotgun to scare the kids away. By the person shooting the gun, it is almost common sense that he doesn't want them on his property, let alone try to get him to come outside. Although people really didn’t know him because he has never been outside, He ended up doing something amazing. He saved Jem from Mr Ewell who was trying to kill him to get back at Jem’s dad Atticus. This shows us that not only were African Americans disrespected, so were white people.
The author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” uses two main plots to show how we need to respect everyone. The one way this is shown is through the events of the big trial involving Tom Robertson. This is shown by Mr. Ewell being mean and disrespectful to the person that he doesn't like. The other way it is shown is through the kids Scout and Finch trying to get Boo Radley out of his house. They were not respecting the fact that he doesn’t like to go outside. Harper Lee wrote two main plots to show us that we really do need to respect everyone no matter who they are or if you don’t like them.
I like your essay. It brings up many valid points.
DeleteI like that you chose plot lines :)
Deletevery easy to understand
DeleteYou have to be thankful for what you have because others might not have the same things. In “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, there is a family living a rough life. One day their newborn gets bit by a scorpion. This family couldn’t go to the doctor because they were Indian. This shows the representation of being thankful. In The Pearl, John Stienbeck uses symbolism to make you feel thankful.
ReplyDeleteSymbolism is shown all through out this book. In chapter 1, Coyotito is a baby minding his business. All of sudden a scorpion comes up and bites him. Kino and Juana come running over to see that the bite could kill Coyotito. This scorpion is representing the bad luck that is going to come to the family. I see this when the scorpion comes slowly like its a warning. In the bible a scorpion represents evil. They were living their regular life, until one day the pearl came into their life and changed it all.
When Coyotito dies all of their hope dies too. Juana had so much hope in Coyotito. He was her pride and joy. But the pearl took it all away. When Coyotito dies his father, Kino says his last words to him,“Go with God.” This is showing how all their hope had been given up.Even though they were devastated, they knew the only thing that they could do now was to throw the pearl away.
In the book,the pearl represents bad luck. The pearl came into Kino and Juanas’ lives and they thought it would bring them luck. But throughout the time everything started to go down hill. They had lost everything they had because of something they thought would make their life better and more successful. They lost their friends, their house, Kino’s family canoe, and their son to a object that was just bad luck. Kino’s brother had mentioned how this would bring them bad luck. This all happened because they weren’t able to go to the doctor just because of their nationality.
John Steinbeck used symbolism to make you feel thankful for what you have. You may be luckier that others and have more than what they have. What would have happened if Kino and Juana never found the pearl? Would Coyotito still be alive? What if they had kept the pearl and not through it away? Would they have more bad luck? Or would their life go back to normal?
I like how you showed what techniques te auther used.
DeleteGood job! I like how you have questions in your conclusion.
DeleteEven total fantasy stories can sometimes teach important lessons. In “The Magician's Nephew” by C.S. Lewis, young Polly and Digory discover a shaft. When they go through that shaft, they discover their Uncle Andrew, which is Digory’s uncle. The next series of events changes Polly’s and Digory’s lives forever. In “The Magician’s Nephew”, C.S. Lewis makes the reader smarter through Digory’s, The Witch’s, and Uncle Andrew’s actions.
ReplyDeleteThe first character we will be going through is Digory. It is shown through many ways, but we will be going through only a few. One of these is not eating a silver apple that will make him live forever and using it on his dying mother instead. This teaches us to not be greedy and be kind to others in times of need. Another way is when he strikes a bell that wakes up the witch, which sets up the rest of the book and the second book. This teaches us that curiosity can sometimes get the best of us. As well as that, it also teaches the reader that Digory is very curious.
The next character we will be going through is The Witch. The first of her actions is when she ate a lot of silver apples. It shows us to not to be greedy, because every good thing has a bad thing. The thing about these apples is because The Witch, to put in Aslan’s words, “She dare not come within 100 miles of the Tree, for its smell, which is joy and life and health to you, is death and horror and despair to her.” The next action the Witch has done is right after Digory rings the bell. She tells him that she used a word that killed everyone in the land except her, and she didn’t even care about it. Again, she was only thinking of herself. The last thing she did is that when she arrived on Earth, she expects to be treated like a queen; like she was on her homeworld. All of these clearly state that the Witch is a greedy, horrible person.
The last character I am covering is Uncle Andrew. He is, as the name suggests, Digory’s uncle. He is also a magician. His first action is when he meets the Witch, he rushes directly to his room and gets on his fanciest clothes, and also gets a little drunk. This shows that he does not care for his wife and is also very greedy. The reason why he is greedy? The reason why is because the Witch, to put it in Digory’s words, “was the most beautiful woman he ever saw.” As well as that, the Witch is very tall. So if you think about it right, Uncle Andrew was almost cheating on his own wife. You may think to yourself: “Wow, when they introduce Uncle Andrew he seems like a very greedy and horrible person, not when you are talking about it.” I can tell you firsthand that this is not it. Rather than that, it is his actions. Why, you may ask? This is why: because everything that happens that enforces that Uncle Andrew is a greedy person is towards the middle, not the end.
In “The Magician’s Nephew”, Digory, The Witch, and Uncle Andrew all have a very important role in the story and the message the story gives. The message they do give makes you smarter. If you want to know what the message is, you may need to read the book yourself.
Everyone has something they’ve always wanted and gets greedy about. Although, when greed starts to be more important than your family, problems start to occur. In “The Pearl”, by John Steinbeck, there’s a family living in poverty. When their child gets hurt, they struggle to pay for the doctors bill. Until one day they find a pearl, and getting the money for it overtakes their families safety. John Steinbeck uses symbolism to show that greed can get in the way of family importance.
ReplyDeleteOne morning Kino and Juana, the parents of Coyotito, wake up and spot a scorpion near their child. When sudden movements happen, their child gets bit and the atmosphere changes. They always hoped for their son to have a good future and to get what they never had while growing up. In a way, Coyotito represents their family, while the scorpion represents the greed getting in the way. When the family makes their way to the doctor, they run into the question of how they’re going to pay for the visit. This is when greed starts to form, and their interests shift into finding a pearl to pay. When Kino finds the pearl, he makes the importance of it very clear. Although the reader might view this as excitement for finding the pearl, John Steinbeck uses this symbol to show that greed can take over family importance. The author says, “Kino had found the pearl of the world.” When Kino goes to sell his pearl, he gets an offer that is lower than expected. He is angered by it and storms off, leaving his family to walk behind him. Kino got greedy on getting all this money for his pearl, and stopped focusing so much about his son’s health.
Another symbol that John Steinbeck uses to show greed is the pearl. When Kino finds the pearl, a storm of greed comes into his perspective of life. He starts to think of all the amazing things he could do with the money from the pearl. He wants to purchase a gun and new clothes, almost forgetting the future he wants for his son. When greed starts to play a role in your everyday life, it sometimes pushes away other things that are important to you, including family. The pearl, the greed, brought Kino’s family an evil that destroyed his home, his canoe, and his attitude. As this evil begins to take over Kino’s safety, he starts realizing that his family has been with him the whole time. While Kino is on his way to steal the gun and doubt grows in his mind, the author says, “But the Song of the Family has become as fierce and sharp and feline as a snarl of a female puma.” The support Juana and Coyotito have for Kino is driving his determination to keep his family safe, meanwhile that greed is fading.
Family is always going to be with you and is long term, but is greed? That one thing you always wanted and had greed for, is going to mean nothing to you in the future. John Steinbeck clearly shows that in the pearl by Kino’s family sticking by his side, even though he chose to keep the pearl, the evil, in his life. When greed starts to be more important than your family, problems start to occur.
I like how this essay leaves me with something to think about.
DeleteLit. Essay Number 2
ReplyDeleteCooper Atkinson
In, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, a lawyer, Mr. Utterson is investigating a strange case, as the title suggests. Dr. Jekyll, a scientist, is proved to be a mad man, who turns himself into another person he named Edward Hyde, through the means of a single potion. His colleague, Dr. Lanyon, unknowingly helps deliver the potion to Jekyll. In, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Robert Louis Stevenson uses symbolism and dialogue to create the effect that the smallest of details can make the biggest differences.
Just as the climax approaches, Robert Louis Stevenson uses dialogue to strike the anxious feeling in the reader. As Jekyll threatens to drink the potion that would turn him into Mr. Hyde, Lanyon strays away in terror. Right, when Jekyll consumes the potion that would turn him into Edward Hyde, Lanyon screams “O God!” over and over again to paint the picture in the reader’s head of just how horrifyingly ugly Mr. Hyde is. This raises anxiousness in the reader.
The next chapter is Henry Jekyll’s full statement of the case. The entirety of this chapter is told by Jekyll himself. He proceeds to explain the story of how he discovered the potion and how it drove him mad. One may potentially view this as the most powerful and important chapter in the entire story. It is important because it provides a background for the reader, and it is powerful because it makes the reader feel anxious.
Earlier in the story, Lanyon sent a letter from Jekyll telling him to complete a very specific task. After providing extremely unnecessary and very specific instructions, Lanyon is asked to bring a drawer to Jekyll’s lab. What Lanyon didn’t know was that the drawer contained the very substance that would turn Jekyll into Hyde. This is a symbol of the plotline of the story. How Lanyon is oblivious to the fact that he is helping a mad man, is very similar to how Mr. Utterson was oblivious to key details in the murder case. This raises anxiousness in the reader. You might think that these actions, as well as the dialogue, would raise fear in the reader, but I don’t think that is the case. While the ugly face of Hyde might be hideous, it was not meant to scare the reader because, at that point in the story, Jekyll already feels bad for murdering the little girl, and is trying to move past it.
In, “the Strange Case of Dr. Jeyll and Mr. Hyde,” Robert Louis Stevenson uses symbolism and dialogue to create the effect that the smallest of details make the biggest differences. Stevenson wants to teach the reader to be more observant. This is because of how Utterson and Lanyon were completely oblivious to such key details on the case. All in all, Stevenson leaves us with a seed in our heads to be more careful, and more observant.
Deception can be committed by anyone at any time. Mistrust happens before you trust and it can happen after you trust someone if they break your trust. Both can happen at any time, anywhere. In King Lear by William Shakespeare, King Lear gives out his land and wealth to two of his three daughters. Then the Earl of Gloucester’s illegitimate son, Edmund, uses deception to get a better chance of getting his father’s wealth. Both King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester do not see the tactics of their children, so they end up getting outwitted by them. The mistrust of their children never comes, for they both suffer a tragedy before they find out about their children’s schemes. William Shakespeare uses symbolism, dialogue, and character actions to give the feeling of deception and mistrust throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare uses two symbols to show the deception that Regan and Goneril use on King Lear. He uses the Earl of Gloucester’s blindness as a symbol of King Lear’s own blindness towards his daughters’ intentions. He also uses the King’s land and wealth as a symbol of the trust that he has for Regan and Goneril at first.
The blindness of the Earl of Gloucester is a symbol of the king’s own blindness toward his own daughters. His daughter’s used deception on him to get his money and land. While his blindness towards his daughter’s actions shows that he is as blind as the Earl of Gloucester.
King Lear’s money and land are a symbol of the trust he has for Regan and Goneril. He gives them his land and riches because they say that they adore and love him, while he feels that Cordelia doesn’t show that same love and admiration towards him. So, he gives her nothing. He trusts that Regan and Goneril will carry on his legacy while he feels Cordelia will not.
William Shakespeare also uses dialogue to get the overall effect. In act one scene one, Goneril’s speech about the love for her father she says “A love that makes breath poor and speech unable.” This is supposed to be a devotion of love toward King Lear, but with that little bit of a paradox, it seems as though Goneril doesn’t really love her father. The fact that it is well hidden within a speech about love shows that she is trying to deceive her father to get her inheritance.
There is also another character that comes with lies and deceit. Edmund wants what his “father” has. He deceives not just his “father”, but other people as well. Like in act one scene two, he says, “I have heard him oft maintain it to be fit that, sons at perfect age and fathers declined, the father should be as ward to the son, and the son manage revenue.” He lies about Edgar to Gloucester so that he has a higher chance of getting the wealth from his “father”. The reason he may have done this is that he isn’t the real son of Gloucester while Edgar is. So, Edgar has a higher chance of getting Gloucester’s fortune, if Edmund didn’t lie.
One might interpret these instances as “not to trust words, rather trust actions.”, but “deception and mistrust” is really the superior effect of this play because Regan, Goneril, and Edmund used deception on one or more characters in this play. The victims should mistrust Regan, Goneril, and Edmund, but they do not. There is also the fact that “not to trust words, rather actions” is part of the mistrust.
Part 1:
ReplyDeleteToday, many people are obsessed with money and think that wealth will make them happy. The book The Pearl by John Steinbeck is about a poor, happy family of Kino, Juana and their newborn son Coyotito. Everyday they go out and look for pearls in the ocean hoping that one day they will find a huge pearl that will make them rich. One day Kino finds a giant pearl and becomes consumed by the wealth of the pearl. The family takes the pearl to the local market, but the buyers at the market will only give them one thousand pesos. Kino thinks he deserves more, so he decides to go to the capital to try to get more money. In The Pearl, John Steinbeck uses symbolism, revealing actions and dialogue to make the reader understand that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth.
One of the most obvious author’s craft techniques in the book is the use of symbolism. The author uses symbolism to show that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth. The pearl is the main symbol in the book and it represents wealth. The pearl represents wealth because it is considered very valuable by the people in Kino’s community. Evidence for this reason is the fact that the doctor will not treat Coyotito’s scorpion bite until after they find the pearl. Before the pearl came, Kino and his family were poor, but happy. When the pearl comes they think it will bring good fortune, but as the story goes on they discover that it brings greed and unhappiness. When Kino finds the pearl he immediately becomes greedy and only wants the money from the pearl. The pearl ruines Kino’s family. For example, his son gets shot, he hits and kicks his wife, his house burns down, his boat gets ruined, he kills people and people start to dislike Kino. It says in the text, “...he became curiously every man’s enemy.” Kino basically destroys his family, because he wants the money from the pearl so bad. John Steinbeck uses symbolism to show how when wealth comes to a person, the person can become unhappy and greedy.
and Edmund, but they do not. There is also the fact that “not to trust words, rather actions” is part of the mistrust.
ReplyDeleteWith symbolism and dialogue, Shakespeare also uses character actions to get at the overall effect of deceit and mistrust. He has Regan, Goneril, Edmund to put deception and mistrust into the story. These people use deception to get what they want. Regan and Goneril use it so that they get King Lear’s land and wealth instead of their sister, Cordelia. While Edmund uses deception to get a better chance at getting Gloucester’s fortune than his illegitimate brother Edgar. The King and Gloucester should not trust them, but instead, they don’t trust the good children, Cordelia and Edgar.
Shakespeare uses symbolism, character actions, and dialogue to show the deceit of King Lear’s daughters. He uses dialogue and character actions to show the dishonesty of Edmund towards the Earl of Gloucester. He also uses symbolism to show the obliviousness of the king and earl, but also the blockage that stops them from seeing what their children are up to. Unfortunately, the play King Lear ends in tragedy. One might wonder is deception and mistrust a basic need or are they somethings that can be thrown out the window?
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteJohn Steinbeck also uses revealing actions to show that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth. One revealing action is when Juana tries to throw away the pearl. Certainly it could be said that this evidence points to perseverance as the main idea because Juana has tried to tell Kino to get rid of the pearl before. Although she is persevering, the reason for her perseverance is because she sees that the pearl brought unhappiness to her family. Juana’s action of trying to throw out the pearl reveals that the pearl might be a misfortune and may change their happy life. Kino also kills four people in the story. He kills one person because they try to steal the pearl and three others because they are trying to stop him from going to the capital to get his money. Kino is obsessed with the pearl and really wants the money from it. Another revealing action that the author uses is Kino’s determination to go to the capital to get money from the pearl even though it could mean danger for his family. Kino is greedy because he wants the money more than he cares about keeping his family safe. He could have taken the thousand pesos that were offered to him, but instead he wanted more, so he had to go to the capital. Kino’s responses and determination to keep the pearl result in violent actions. The author uses revealing actions to show that Kino wanted the money and chose the money over his family’s happiness several times in the book. These three revealing actions show that the desire for wealth causes happiness to be replaced with violent actions.
A final craft move that John Steinbeck used to show that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth is dialogue. When Kino is trying to decide whether or not to go to the capital, his older brother Juan Tomás warns him that maybe that isn’t the best choice. He gives many hints as to why Kino shouldn’t go. One thing he says is, “But I wonder if you will find it any different in the capital. Here you have friends and me, your brother. There, you will have no one.” Kino still chooses to go even though Juan Tomás warns him against it. Although this could be interpreted as John Steinbeck trying to tell us to listen to our elders, as the story goes on it becomes clear that the author is trying to show us that happiness doesn’t need to come from wealth. Right after Juan Tomás warns him, Kino says, “What can I do?” and, “My son must have a chance.” Kino wants the money and he is remembering that the reason he wants the money is for his family. He is remembering that he was happy without the pearl, but there is a chance that if he goes to the capital he might make his family a little bit more happy. The author is mostly trying to teach us that happiness doesn’t come from wealth, not that we should listen to our elders. Another way that the author uses dialogue to show us that Kino is obsessed with wealth is when Kino says, “This pearl has become my soul...If I give it up I shall lose my soul.” Kino needs the pearl’s money. Juana tries to tell Kino twice in the book that she wants to throw away the pearl. One time she says, “The pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us...Throw it away, Kino,” but he says, “No one shall take our good fortune from us,” one time and, “Our son must go to school,” the second time. In conclusion, the author uses dialogue to show us that people who become focused on wealth may forget about their family’s happiness.
All in all, John Steinbeck used symbolism, revealing actions and dialogue to try to make the reader understand that happiness doesn’t always need to come from wealth. Many people today spend too much time working for money and obsessing over wealth just like Kino did. The author reminds us to look for value in relationships and family not just in money and wealth.
I like how you had a lot of quotes.
DeleteGrowing up is a very crucial thing for everyone. Everyone grows up, just not all at the same time. The novel “Little Women” revolves around 4 sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, and their lives. They face certain challenges that don’t often show up in our world today. In “Little Women”, Louisa May Alcott uses symbolism and description to teach us about growing up.
ReplyDeleteSymbolism is a big part of the novel “Little Women”. In Little Women, each sister symbolizes a part of a whole person. Each sister has a different personality that makes each of them unique. Jo is the adventurous one who isn’t afraid to try new things. She is the wild side of a person. When she needed to, she wasn’t afraid to sell all of her hair to pay for her father's medical bills. Meg on the other hand always uses manners and is very respectful. She is the proper side of a person. When it comes to an event or anything fancy, she always wants her and her sisters to dress nice and be respectful. Amy is the youngest, and is the most sassy and playful. She always wants to be involved with whatever is going on. She is more the curious side of a person. And finally, Beth is the most child-like sister. She loves to play with her cats, and is very loving and kind. She is the part of a person that is still a child at heart.
As time goes on, each sister starts to fall in love and gets married. However, Beth never does. Near the end of the book when everyone, but her, is starting a family, she dies. When she died, it symbolized letting go of the child inside of you. Even to her death, she never changed. She still loved to play with her cats and her new nieces and nephews. While she was on her deathbed, all she wanted were her cats and her family to comfort her. “...in it was gathered everything that she loved most...and her beloved pussies.” When Meg, Amy, and Jo got married, they couldn’t act like children anymore. They lost their carefree lives. Of course they were very happy with their decisions because they got married and were in love, but they weren’t able to be child-like anymore. Beth dying symbolizes moving onto the next chapter in your life.
In the story, Jo is the last to get married. As her being the adventurous one, it is hard to picture her settling down. She doesn’t get married until after Beth dies. The symbolism with Beth shows us that the child-like part inside of Jo slips away, and now she is ready to be an adult. The feelings that Jo felt losing her sister were very well described.
Description made finding the theme of “Little Women” easier to find. Louisa May Alcott is very descriptive when it comes to the characters' personalities and the setting. Each character and their actions are described really well. We are able to feel what they felt in the situations they were in. The setting takes place in New England, and though it is never stated most people believe it takes place in Concord, Massachusetts around 1868. We are able to see what peoples lives used to be like back then and the types of struggles they dealt with on a daily basis.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteIn the scene of Beth’s death, there is a lot of symbolism but also description to back up that symbolism. Beth started to get sick in the dark, dreaded winter but as spring came she was ready to move on to the after life. “But a bird sang blithely on a budding bough, close by, snowdrops blossomed freshly at the window, and the spring sunshine streames in like a benediction over the placid face upon the pillow- a face so full of painless peace that those who loved it best smiled through their tears, and thanked god that Beth was well at last.” That is a very powerful sentence. Not only does the spring sun coming to melt the winter snow symbolize moving on to another chapter in your life, but the description is very strong and the readers can picture this scene in their mind.
In “Little Women”, we learn about growing up and moving on to another chapter of your life. We get to see that everyone moves on from their childhood at a different time, but is always still deep down in their hearts. It is okay to let go of your childhood. If Beth hadn’t died, would her life be different then it was when she was alive? Would she still act like a child? Growing up is important because it happens to everyone, just not all at the same time.
Mystery and blackmailing happen everyday whether you notice it or not. In “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle showed how Sherlock Holmes and John Watson solved the case of the King of Bohemia. When the King of Bohemia was to be wed to another, Irene Adler, a past lover, threatened to blackmail him with a picture of the two. The King then went to Sherlock to help him find and steal the portrait from Irene’s home. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used tone, dialogue and first person narration to have the effect of mystery and suspense on readers.
ReplyDeleteDialogue was a vital part of “A Scandal in Bohemia”, it showed that Sherlock knew what he was doing and yet every other character was confused. There was an exchange between Watson and Holmes about halfway through the story. It went as follows, “But how will you look?”, “I will not”, “What then?”, “I will get her to show me.” Sherlock then shared an intricate plan with John but did not share how Irene would show him where the portrait was. After the plan was carried out they had another conversation John asked, “And how did you find out?”, Holmes then answered, “She showed me as I told you.” Readers are still unaware of how Adler showed him where the portrait was and are suspicious at this point. When the king and Holmes go to fetch the painting though Irene, her lover, and the painting are all missing and readers are again confused as to how and why.
In the beginning of the story, Sherlock is introduced by another character. We later learn that this character is Sherlock’s companion, John Watson. As the story progresses we are somewhat left in the dark about what is going through Sherlock’s head and how he is solving the case.Through John’s exchanges with Sherlock we learn more of how Holmes goes about solving this case. John also states “To me, who knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their own story.” Watson claims he knows what Sherlock is feeling and thinking but readers are still clueless to how the case is solved until the end.
Throughout “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Doyle used a tone that made the story mysterious and urgent. At the beginning Sherlock was described “pacing the room quickly, eagerly,” this is portraying how the case is troubling or intense. When the King first arrives there is a “slow and heavy step” that makes the King seem dark and mysterious. Later it is revealed that the King is concerned about his issue with Irene.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mostly used dialogue to portray a certain effect. He also used a 1st person narrator and tone to show that mystery and suspicion were an overall effect. Although the story was written hundreds of years ago, and is in old English it’s easy to see that dialogue and tone were important to “A Scandal in Bohemia ''. The use of John’s perspective was also vital to the overall effect. It kept readers from knowing what was going on in Sherlock’s head and left them with even more mystery. Usually issues or crimes come with a bit of mystery and confusion even nowadays. That mystery can then lead to suspicion and it’s always fun to have a little mystery in life.
In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Harper Lee uses symbolism and events to create the overall effect of trusting your conscience. The book is split into two parts, part one is about the younger years of Scout and Jem Finch. And part two is about the Tom Robinson rape case along with the investigation of Bob Ewell and ‘Boo’ Radley. Harper Lee used symbolism and events that happen in the book to show that you should trust your conscience.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee uses a mockingbird and a bluejay to show the theme. A quote from the book is ”Kill all the bluejays you want, if you can catch them, but remember it a sin to kill a mockingbird”. This relates to the ‘rape’ case. As the book implies this is taking place before the civil rights movement in the ’60s, blacks didn’t have a good rep. Bob Ewell was blaming Tom Robinson for the “rape” of his daughter. The bluejay is Tom Robinson because in this quote you can kill/ harm others that don’t have a good rep without adding guilt to your conscience. The mockingbird is Bob Ewell white in the book, white people had a good rep so killing him would not be a good addition to their conscience.
As Jem and Scout grow up they encounter many different events. Miss Madie’s house fire, Miss Douse’s death, and Boo Radley saving them. Miss Madie’s house fire was one of the first main events that happened. Jem and Scout were told to stay by the Radley house and not go anywhere. They stayed there and were safe because they listened to their conscience. Miss Douse’s death was another event where they trusted their conscience by not asking her about her ‘fits’. Boo Radley saving them is one of the last events. They did say that it was Boo who killed Bob Ewell, they kept it to themselves consciencely.
Why is trusting your conscience harder in today’s society than in the 1930s? All in all, the symbolism and events in the book helped with the overall theme of trusting your conscience. Harper Lee used all this to help the readers understand the theme.
Oftentimes in today’s society, people are pressured into making decisions based on what other people do. One may base their decisions purely on what the majority doesn’t do. Although going with the crowd may seem like the correct and easiest thing to do, many times the majority isn’t always right, and one must choose their own path. In “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, Montag, the protagonist, lives in a society where books have been outlawed, and it’s illegal to possess or read them. Despite the laws that have been put in place and his position as a fireman of burning books and book owners, Montag steals books and reads them, slowly unraveling the wrongdoings the leaders of his country have done to its citizens. In “Fahrenheit 451,” Bradbury used dialogue, tone, and revealing actions to create suspense in readers.
ReplyDeleteOftentimes throughout the book, suspense is created through repetition of dialogue. An example is seen early in the story, when Montag reveals his collection of books that he’s has hidden behind a ventilator in his house. Soon after his wife’s initial shock and dismay from the reveal, Montag’s fire chief, Beatty, rings the doorbell. At this point in the scene, all the chaos seemingly slows down into silence, the only thing seeming to happen being the ringer going off at the door, repeating the same phrase. “Mrs. Montag, Mrs. Montag, someone here, someone here.” Another example can be seen in a later scene, when Montag is reading the bible on a train. He tries to read the book, but the other people on the train slowly begin repeating “Denham’s Dentrifice,” seemingly barging in on his thoughts and focus and repeating themselves more and more. This repetition creates suspense because as the dialogue begins to repeat more, things seemingly become more chaotic. A sense of nervousness is instilled in the reader, an expectation made that Montag could end up doing something wrong.
Similarly to how the repetition of the dialogue was executed, the pacing was often used to set up a suspenseful tone throughout the book. Scenes sped up and slowed down often, creating a somewhat unstable speed during the story that can create unnerve. As dialogue, inner thoughts, and descriptions continued to repeat themselves, the pace began to speed up, making the reader wonder what might happen next. Similarly to the pacing, the setting can be seen as unstable, some characters and places not staying for long while others were somewhat constant throughout the book, such as Montag’s house.
Suspense and nervousness can also be created from uncertainty in the plot. An example of this would be revealing actions. In some instances throughout Fahrenheit 451, past or future actions of Montag’s are hinted at, but not truly revealed until the last minute. An example of this is when Montag’s collection of books is initially revealed. Up until this point in the book, it’s implied that Montag is hiding something where he had the books stored, since the ventilator they’re hidden in was specifically pointed out a few times beforehand. An example of a future action that, although it is less hinted at throughout the book, is foreshadowed slightly by Montag’s actions, would be when Montag burns Beatty and some of his crew members after his book collection was discovered.
Fast-paced and repetitive dialogue, tone, and revealing actions are used by Bradbury to form an effect of suspense. Many times in the story, dialogue and scene pacing work together to make the reader nervous, but also leave them with anticipation for what might happen next. The revealing actions that are used work similarly, being hinted at more and more and creating suspense. Like in the story, life may seem fast-paced and flash by at times, rarely leaving you with time to slow down and think about the decisions you’re making. However, although it may seem difficult, it can help you, in the long run, to stop and make your own decisions, rather than just doing the easy thing and going with the crowd.
In today’s society wealth has taken control over peoples’ lives. The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a story about a man named Kino, his wife, Juana, and their child, Coyotito. In the beginning, Coyotito is stung by a scorpion. Juana and Kino immediately go to find pearls to sell to buy medical attention for their ill son. When Kino is diving to find pearls he sees the largest one he had ever seen. The family then goes to sell it but is turned down by the buyers. Many horrible events start to happen to them and they eventually end up devastated. In his novel, Steinbeck used many craft techniques to generate an overall effect. Using symbolism, tone, and revealing actions, he was able to give the reader the impression that greed is very controlling and influential.
ReplyDeleteThe first craft move John Steinbeck used in The Pearl was symbolism. The symbol he used to create a theme was the pearl. In the novel, the pearl symbolizes greed. When Kino finds the pearl, he wants to use it to purchase medical attention for his poisoned child. Kino soon goes to the town nearest to him to sell his lucky pearl. He soon finds out that the pearl buyers will not buy the stone because it is too big. As the story goes on Kino says he is going to sell the pearl, but never ends up doing it because greed consumed him.
One of the other craft moves Steinbeck used to give the reader the feeling that greed is very powerful, was tone. The tone the author created gave the reader a sense of tension. For example, a snippet from the text is, “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side.” This helped give the reader the feeling of greed’s powerfulness by showing how consumed Kino was in the pearl. Kino was so distracted by his greed that he struck his wife multiple times, just to keep his wealth for himself.
The last way the author created a feeling in his novel was through revealing actions. As the book went on, Steinbeck introduced many new events that contributed to the overall feeling the book gave off. Some of the events that took place were Kino’s house burning down, his boat being destroyed, and him having to kill a man in the brush. These events helped the reader understand the sense of how powerful greed is by showing that greed comes with karma. Kino was very caught up with his greed that eventually horrible things started to happen him and his family. Others may think this piece of text gives off a sense that good fortune is not always what it seems, but there is more evidence leading to the feeling of greed. Many people may think this because when Kino got the pearl, he thought of it as good fortune, but soon many bad things began to happen. Although this would make sense, it makes a feeling of greed because most of the novel is based upon how Kino is driven by his wealth.
In conclusion, John Steinbeck used symbolism, tone, and revealing actions to form the feeling that greed is very powerful. These craft techniques helped show the reader how greed and selfishness can easily take over and persons life and what lengths they will go to just to keep their wealth and good fortune. Remember to always recall what is most important in life before you let yourself go.
Pt 1.
ReplyDeleteEveryone feels that in some way people are defining you. Especially people who are being defined by their family’s money or what their family can provide. In the book “The Pearl'' by John Steinbeck he uses the setting to create empathy which creates an overall mood of anger towards the main character Kino. It all starts when Kino’s son Coyotito, gets poisoned by a scorpion and needs help. Kino then finds a pearl that can bring great fortune to his family but instead the pearl had only brought the opposite effect. As the story goes on John Steinbeck uses the anger brought upon the readers to teach them a lesson that money should not define you.
One of the many ways the author creates frustration towards Kino is by using a certain tone through the characters. When Coyotito was bitten by scorpion Kino and his wife Juana were urgent to seek help. The sense of urgency had helped show the readers how important and intense the situation was, and that they were desperate to seek help. At the start of the book the scenery surrounding the family’s house was described which let us know that the family didn’t have much money and they weren’t easily considered when they needed help which creates the feeling of empathy towards the family in the start of the book.
Kino then finds a pearl that will bring great fortune to him and his family that could help cure his son Coyotito. The whole village ended up finding out about Kino’s great fortune that he had found and the doctor was now willing to help the family’s firstborn son. The family had a chance to use the pearl to help Coyotito as well as giving themselves a better life.
Pt. 2
ReplyDeleteInstead of using the pearl to help his family for allowing them to provide for them and to give their son a better future. Kino got greedy and he took every chance he could to show off his valuable pearl. Now that Kino is throwing away the great possible future he could provide his family with, it brings upon anger that continues throughout the story.
Besides tone another craft the author had used was symbolism. We were brought upon many symbols throughout the story that added to the overall effect it had on the readers. Each symbol showed a part of how money can define you even though it shouldn’t. John Steinbeck made the symbols harder to find but once you found them they mean something powerful and contribute to the anger felt towards kino.
One representation that the story is based on is the pearl. The pearl symbolizes the greed brought to the family. Back in their time that pearl was worth a great fortune and could have completely turned their lives around. But others keep pearls and save them as a treasure. Some say what you do with your money and valuables define you but that shouldn’t be the case. But in today’s society that is true. Once the family had found the pearl they were defined. Such as the doctor wouldn’t help Coyotito before finding the pearl due to the family’s social class. However, once the pearl was found the wealthy doctor said: “Coyotito is my patient, and I’m gonna cure him!” That evidence just shows how money did define people in this case but that shouldn’t be the case because both ways the family was still in need and either way people should be willing to help no matter the family’s status.
John Steinbeck used the characters' actions that were brought upon by the pearl that proves how the pearl turned everyone's life around for the worse. The pearl brought greed to Kino. Kino made bad decisions to due if he ended up hurting Juana and Coyotito. This showed that Kino's actions contributed to the mood of the story and the tone carried on through the book.
The author from The Pearl used different crafts to show the many ways that Money ended up defining the family. Every craft contributed to how Kino made choices that made the readers feel angry at him. Though it may be misinterpreted that money doesn’t define you it is actually that money “shouldn’t” define you. Because in today's society we are judged daily and a huge part of it is money. We see that in this story money shouldn’t define you because it can tear apart your family. But will that every change?
In a book that happened ages ago it is shocking to see that all of these lessons and morals still manage to fit into todays society. In Scarlet Letter the author uses inner thoughts and talks about how the characters feel and give their actual thoughts to make you feel almost as if you´ve actually met the character. The character development build up characters and shows the true aspect of who they are and the mood and tone date back to around early century america. Even though this dates back to this time period the actions still focus on the characters feeling very vengeful throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteAnother essential aspect to the story is that the author involves character development to give a general idea about the characters. Hester Prynne is the protaganist of the story and she is a vey strong woman. I think that she is a very strong woman because she was able to endure a lot of pain from the many people that have judged her throughout the story. The person that she cheated with, Dimmesdale, is very guilty for what he had done. He keeps everything that he had done a secret and tries to move on. Eventually he caves and then manages to tell everyone what he had done. Her husband is in disguise as Roger Chillingsworth.
¨Roger¨ is trying to find out who Hesters lover was and he is trying to seek revenge for what had happened. The characters and the book take place with parallell plots and multiple points of view.
ReplyDeleteThe author chooses to give inner thoughts of the characters as the story progresses. The way that it is being incorperated is the author decided to start the book off with one of the main characters (Hester) commiting adultery with (Dimmesdale). Adultery is essentially the same thing as cheating on someone. Even though the two characters were able to be sneaky about and hide for a bit of time, Chillingsworth eventually found out that Hester had betrayed him. The characters had thought that they were in love but that was later proven to be wrong. Hester had a plan for her and chillingsworth to be able to move somewhere far away back in London where no one would have to know about what she had done. But they couldn´t because as time passed and they were nearing with the execution of their plan Arthur found out he didn´t feel the same way as how he used to. He backed out of the entire plan and confessed his sin for the people to hear. Eventually Dimmesdale died and left everything to his Daughter Pearl and his Former wife Hester. This meant that she was able to escape with her daughter and go back to london where no one would have known about what she had done, and for a while she did that but she decided to come back and live out her life back where she had started so that everyone would know and see that she is able to move on with what she had done.
The mood and tone are a huge part of this story. The author starts the story´s setting in 17th century America. In this time there is a more punishable time, this is due to the fact that they believe in Puritanism. Hester was eventually caught as the adultress. Since she was caught, as punishment, she is forced to wear a big ¨A¨ on her clothes. Even though she was being punished she was still able to have at least a bit of happiness in her life. She was able to have a daughter named Pearl, she had named her daughter Pearl due to the fact that she was a very valuable person and aspect to Hesters life. The tone that is used throughout the story continues to give a creepy and dystopian place.
Even though this main topic in the story dates back to ages ago the ideas and concepts are still the same. The only thing that is really changing is the way that we are choosing to execute our ideas. Hester had cheated on Dimmesdale but she was able to move on even though Chillingsworth was planning to find and kill her former lover. Even though Dimmesdale ends up dying and leaves everything to Hester and her daughter Hester still feels that she should stay where she began because she isn´t afraid of who she is or what she had done and she just wants to be able to continue her life normally as if nothing really happened.
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ReplyDeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteFrequently in life we forget to think about how others are feeling because we tend to put ourselves first. Putting ourselves in someone else's shoes can help us understand what they are going through or feeling; this is called empathy. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon was born with an unusually low IQ and was chosen for an experimental surgery in hopes to increase his intelligence. Throughout his intelligence journey he gained a lot of knowledge about life and the people around him. Using inner thinking, flashbacks, and symbolism the author creates an overall feeling of empathy in the book.
One of the most relevant author’s craft techniques in this book is the use of inner thinking. The main character, Charlie Gordon, narrates the book through his progress reports. Early on in the book, Ms. Kinnian, Charlie's teacher at the center for retarded adults, recommended him for an experimental intelligence surgery because of how good he worked in class. The particular reason he wrote the reports is so that the scientists that are testing him can refer back to his old behaviorism. They are also testing a mouse named Algernon who had gotten the same surgery done. When Charlie found out he was thrilled. He wrote, “All my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but its very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot.” We notice from this report that before the surgery Charlie struggled with writing, spelling, and remembering things that he’s learned. Often at his bakery job his coworkers mistreated him because he didn’t understand. When someone else would do something that they considered foolish, they referred to it as a “Charlie Gordon'' and Charlie laughed because he didn’t know any better.
After the surgery Charlie expected results immediately. Because of this, Ms. Kinnian constantly assured him that it would happen over time if he worked hard to learn. Although he struggled at first gradually his knowledge grew larger without him even realizing. As the book progressed, he got extremely brilliant and when he began going back to the bakery nobody wanted to associate with him. He wrote, “Nobody at the place talks to me any more, or kids around the way they used to. It makes the job kind of lonely.” This upset Charlie because when he wasn’t intelligent they would pick on him but when he was they didn't like him. Charlie also wrote, “It had been all right as long they could laugh at me and appear clever at my expense but now they were feeling inferior to the moron.” It seems that no matter what Charlie does he is hated for it and this makes the readers feel bad because it is hard to be happy when everyone despises you. Some may think that this points toward a feeling of anger because Charlie is constantly being hurt and he’s angry. Although it is a good point, it fails to account for the sadness he is feeling and the crucial details the author uses to express it.
The next craft technique the author uses is flashbacks. A majority of the flashbacks reveal how Charlie's family treated him during his childhood. Despite his disability, his mother, Rose, treated him as though he could be normal if she pushed him hard enough. When she would push him to his limits he would often urinate in his pants which upset her even more. She would scream, snatch things out of his hand, and beat him which haunted him for the rest of his life. On the other hand, his father, Matt, believed that the way his mother acted was outrageous and would tell her to stop. When Matt would try to convince Rose that Charlie wasn’t like everyone else she would say, “He’s just slow, that’s all. But he can learn like everyone else.”
Part 2
ReplyDeleteWhen Rose and Matt had their daughter, Norma, Charlie was neglected even more because she was not challenged like him. He would try to hold her and help his parents but his mother refused to let him. She would become furious whenever Charlie touched or even looked at Norma. When Norma started getting picked on at school for being Charlie’s sister she told their mother. Rose told Norma that she could tell everyone that Charlie wasn’t even her brother because she doesn’t want her daughter’s life to be “destroyed”. Eventually, Rose had an outburst and told Matt to get rid of Charlie even though he didn’t want to. Rose shouted, “I don’t care. He goes out tonight. I can’t stand looking at him anymore.” After this, they send him to the Warren State Home forgetting about him permanently. These detailed flashbacks from the story make the readers visualize another challenging part of Charlie's life that is devastating to fathom.
The last important author’s craft technique is symbolism. Algernon, the mouse that got the same surgery, is very similar to Charlie. At the beginning of Charlie's tests, he would do races against Algernon to test both of their mental capabilities. At first, Charlie despised Algernon because he constantly lost to him but when he became smarter they were very close. During Algernon’s life after surgery his intelligence began deteriorating which the scientists had not originally predicted. They then knew that it could happen to Charlie as well.
At a scientific convention relating to their surgeries, Charlie realized something more clearly than ever. He wrote, “The constant juxtaposition of “Algernon and Charlie,” and “Charlie and Algernon,” made it clear that they both thought of us as a couple of experimental animals who had no existence outside the laboratory”. After this, he let Algernon out of his cage and took him back to his apartment to take care of him. Sometimes in his cage that Charlie built him Algernon would act erratically. He would even bite people which he was not known to do. When this happened Charlie knew he had to take him back to the laboratory to be correctly taken care of by the scientists.
At this point it was obvious that Algernon was dying. Charlie told Dr.Nemur that he wanted to keep him when he passed, and he did. When Algernon passed it was hard on Charlie but also the reader’s who had gotten to know him so well. He put his body in a small metal container and took him home with him. Then, he buried him in the back yard and wept as he put wildflowers on the grave. Although people told him it was silly he continued to put flowers on Algernon's grave.
Those flowers represent the strong bond between Charlie and Algernon because no matter how many people told him it was silly he never gave up on putting flowers on Algernon’s grave. At the end of the book, Charlie has accepted that he might die soon or be sent back to the Warren State Home so he writes a letter addressing everyone in his life. In this letter he writes, “P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the backyard.”
Keyes used these craft techniques to express how important it is to simply be kind. The inner thinking and flashbacks let the readers get to understand the part of Charlie’s life that was extremely crucial to his words and actions. In addition, she used symbolism to show that friends are essential in life no matter what or who they are. You never know what people are going through or have been through. It is important to think before you speak and imagine how you would feel if you were them. As Judith Orloff once said, “Empathy is the medicine the world needs.”
Great Job Abby!! You used really good word choices and it sounds really sophisticated.
DeletePeople need to know how to treat others. Would you want to be put down when you are already having a hard time coping with losing a friend? In Flowers for Algernon Charlie loses Algernon and in the end, he puts flowers on Algernon's grave. Mrs. Mooney tells Charlie that it was silly to put Flowers on a mouse's grave but Charlie didn’t care what she thought because Algernon wasn’t only a mouse to him. At the end of Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes uses symbolism, description, and inner thoughts to make the reader feel empathy for Charlie.
ReplyDeleteThe symbolism in Flowers for Algernon makes the reader feel empathetic for Charlie. The main symbol is found right in the title, the flowers that Charlie put on Algernon’s grave. Daniel Keyes uses the flowers to help reveal the connection between Charlie and Algernon. The flowers indicate and explain how Charlie feels about Algernon, and how he views him as special. Charlie doesn’t only see Algernon as a smart mouse, he sees him as a friend. For example on page 311 of Flowers for Algernon Charlie says ,P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard.” Charlie does this because that mouse was more than just a mouse to him, Charlie loved Algernon he even cried at Algernon’s grave where he buried him. This part of the story made me feel empathy for Charlie because he just lost his best friend, how descriptive the author was, helped me feel empathy for Charlie as well.
The author also uses description to help the reader to understand the story a lot better. However, the description also helps the reader feel as if they were in the same situation. Just like page 59 of Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes was very descriptive in the flashback that he used. The paragraph states “The warm sweet smell, the white walls, the roar of the oven when Frank opens the door to shift the loaves. Suddenly falling...twisting...everything out from under me and my head cracking against the wall.” The author was using the five senses to help the reader know what it was like to be Charlie then and there. These five senses helped me to feel as if I was Charlie in that situation. I felt empathy for Charlie because of the way it was explained when Charlie's “friend” Frank kicked Charlie's legs out from under him in the bakery. Ever wonder how it makes Charlie feel when this happens to him? Well, we can find out in his inner thoughts.
Charlie has a lot of inner thoughts in Flowers for Algernon, mostly all of the progress reports are inner thoughts. Although there are many inner thoughts, in some spots in Flowers for Algernon his thoughts are a little more upsetting or intense. Throughout the book, some flashbacks involve Charlie's mom, Rose. Charlie doesn’t have a strong connection with his mom because his mom doesn’t like him. Charlie claims that ever since his mom had his sister Norma she changed toward him. On page 168 there is a flashback that explains why Rose’s actions changed towards Charlie, “That was before she had changed towards me, and now I realize it was because she had no way of knowing yet if Norma would be like me or not. It was later on, when she was sure her prayers had been answered, and Norma showed all signs of normal intelligence, that my mother’s voice began to sound different. Not only her voice, but her touch, her look, her very presence-all changed.” Other flashbacks outline this devious relationship between Charlie and his mom. Because of his bad relationship with his mom later on in the book when Charlie sees his mom's face in the newspaper this is what he was thinking “I suddenly hated her. It would have been better if she had ignored the doctors and teachers and others who were so in a hurry to convince her that I was a moron, turning her away from me so that she gave me less love when I needed more.”
ReplyDeleteOverall this book is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, however, the emotion I felt was empathy. The author helped me feel this empathy by using craft moves such as, symbolism, description, and inner thoughts. Although it could be argued that there are many craft moves in this book, the craft moves that created the overall effect of empathy were symbolism, description, and inner thoughts. What I want people to learn from reading Flowers for Algernon is that it’s not only your opinion that matters and counts you need to observe the whole situation and include everyone's feelings.
Injustices are happening every day to so many people in this world. In Animal Farm by George Orwell the animals of ‘Manor Farm’ have started to revolt against Mr. Jones, the man running the farm. The animals slowly start to forget what they fought against for their freedom and let themselves be corrupted by greed and start making unjust decisions. They slowly start becoming the ones they fought to be rid of. In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses revealing actions to create an overall feeling of frustration at the injustices being committed in Animal Farm.
ReplyDeleteThe revealing actions in Animal Farm play a key role in creating a feeling of frustration about the injustice being committed. On page 45 Napoleon, a large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar, also one of the leaders of the revolution, slowly starts to reveal his true self when Snowball, the second leader of the rebellion, was showing everyone his plans, Napoleon who was against the windmill from the beginning, walks in and suddenly urinated on the plans, “Only Napoleon held aloof. He had declared himself against the windmill from the start. One day, however, he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans. He walked heavily round the shed, looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice, then stood for a little while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans, and walked out without uttering a word.” The chunk shows that if Napoleon doesn’t like something he will try to ruin it and make it so it fits his benefit.
Another revealing action is on page 31 when all of the milk and apples went into the pigs' mash, they then lied about it saying that they didn’t even like milk and apples and that milk and apples are beneficiaries to pigs, “The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs’ mash… The animals had assumed as a matter of course that these would be shared out equally; one day, however, the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs… All the pigs were in full agreement on this point, even Snowball and Napoleon. Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others. “Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples… Milk and apples (this has been proven by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig… It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples… Jones would come back! Yes. Jones would come back!...” The pigs lied about not liking milk and apples, the other animals don’t realize this, but this slowly starts changing the pigs and it’s not for the best.
On page 21 the seven commandments of Animalism are listed; they are, “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. No animal shall wear clothes. No animal shall sleep in a bed. No animal shall drink alcohol. No animal shall kill any other animal. All animals are equal.” The seven commandments are what the animals base their ‘society’ on and what they live by. It is what they all agreed on in the beginning. On page 118 after many years at Animal Farm Clover has realized that things have changed drastically and they only have one commandment, and one commandment only, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is now what all the animals live by and Napoleon is the king of Animal Farm. This is now when Napoleon is talking to Mr. Pilkington, another farmer Jones was acquaintances with, Napoleon reveals that he has changed the name Animal Farm to ‘Manor Farm’. Napoleon says that it is the true name of the farm and should be restored to what it was before.
ReplyDeleteOne may interpret this as don’t bite the hand that feeds you. It is clearly history will repeat itself if you let it, because all of the evidence points to history will repeat itself. Napoleon slowly starts acting like man, as do the other pigs. They start going against all of the original seven commandments. This is why the effect is frustration.
When Napoleon is talking with Mr. Pilkington and his men, they are drinking and talking and making toasts to each other. “Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” This paragraph shows that Napoleon and the pigs have become exactly like men.
History will repeat itself if you let it and don’t try and do anything to stop it. Revealing actions can make people very frustrated with what is going on in the world. People can also be frustrated with the injustices being committed by certain people. In Animal Farm the animals let history repeat they don’t realize that they are now exactly like Jones and his friends. Napoleon makes animals who don’t work as much for whatever reason fewer rations, the talk of retirement for the animals has long since past, which is exactly what Jones did when he ran the farm. In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses revealing actions to create a feeling of frustration about the injustices being committed in Animal Farm.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is different and no two people are the same. Sometimes though people treat others differently because they are different.Those people who treat others different think that because they themselves aren’t different, that means they are entitled. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Scout and Jem, the children of Atticus Finch meet Dill. Dill is a very curious boy and as soon as he sees the Radley house and never sees Aurthor Radley(Boo) he wants him to come outside. While the children are trying to do this a much bigger problem is going on. A trial between the Ewells and Tom Robison. Tom is being tried for something he didn’t do, but he is different so no one believes him except Atticus. Atticus is the most empathetic person in the story. He makes Jem face up to his actions against Mrs.Dubose’s yard, he makes the children stay away from Boo, and he never once doubts Tom Robinson unlike everyone else. Throughout the story Harper Lee uses inner thinking, dialogue, and symbolism to create a churring sense of empathy.
Scout’s father Atticus is a very noble man, he takes care of his children and doesn't let the way others think about him get to him. One night when Scout is supposed to be in bed, but instead stays up to listen in on her father and uncle talking. They are talking about the trial and how Atticus representing an african american man will affect Scout and Jem. Scout and Jem won’t be affected by it personally, but it’s the other people in the town who will treat them badly and call them horrible names because their father is choosing a black man’s word against a white man’s. Atticus can’t not do the trial because he won’t be able to face his kids if he didn’t. After everything he has taught them that all folks are equal, will mean nothing. It’s when Scout says to herself after she was caught listening, “It was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said”, that you realize Atticus was empathizing with Scout and he thought she needed to know that just because others are different you don’t treat them differently. The same goes for Jem when he destroys Mrs. Dubose’s camellias. He does this because she called his father an awful name. Lack of empathy in Jem shows because he doesn't stop to think for one second maybe she is just a crazy old lady and these camellias are all she has left. Later when he has to own up to the consequences of his actions, Scout because she is just a child doesn’t empathize for Mrs.Dubose, but for Jem because as she said in her head, “I did not for the life of me understand how he could sit there in cold blood and read a newspaper when his only son stood an excellent chance of being murdered…” Scout does show empathy just not to the right person. It isn’t until after Mrs.Dubose dies and the children no longer see her that they finally feel empathy for her because Atticus explains why she is the person she was. In other words, “It was Jem’s turn to cry”, Scout’s thought of empathy for her brother who had understood the trial and knew how wrong it was. She is so young that she doesn't fully understand what happened during the trial and why it was so wrong. Her father taught her well enough though that she empathizes with Jem even though he is acting different and she doesn’t get him.
ReplyDeleteScout is a very hot headed little girl and when someone makes fun of her she is ready to fight. So when her cousin Francis starts making fun of her dad and calling him terrible names, she has had it and she fights. When her Uncle Jack however stops the fight he takes Francis’s side because Francis lies and says Scout was calling him names, and then she started hitting him. Jack doesn’t hesitate to automatically start wiping Scout. He doesn't listen to Scout until she starts saying, “You ain’t fair,...you ain’t fair”. He responds with, “Not fair? How not?”, Scout then goes on to explain the truth and what actually happened. Her uncle immediately feels bad and is sorry for her because he didn’t listen to her side of it. It could be argued that the author wanted to show sympathy and not empathy, because Jack felt sympathetic for Scout. However the author though doesn't choose to show it that way she shows that when you don’t walk in someone else's shoes you’ll never really know them. You feel sympathy because you don’t understand what other people go through, but when you walk in their shoes you feel empathy. When Atticus is questioning Mayella he feels major empathy. He really feels empathy when he asks her questions only to get no response, “Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father? No answer”. After he is done he sits down and Scout says, “He looked like his stomach hurt…”. His stomach hurt because he put himself in Mayella’s place. He knew how much it must hurt to be blatantly exposed like that, but he had to do it anyway. The children also feel empathy for their father. After the trial Mr.Ewell Mayella’s father threatens Atticus’s life. The children are more scared for him then he is for himself. Atticus finally sees this and asks what's wrong only to get, “Nothing happened. We're just scared for you…” His kids because their kids are feeling empathy for someone who doesn’t need it, but their kids so they don’t know any better.
Boo Radley never leaves his house. Because of that, he gets a whole lot of rumors about him. The rumors to say the very least are very morbid. Jem, Scout, and Dill don’t care what the rumors are they want to see him anyway. All summer long they try to make him come out. They attach a note to the end of a fishing pole and when it doesn’t work they try more dangerous measures. They try to sneak into his yard at night and when all goes a rise they have to quickly escape. As Jem is crawling under the fence his Pants get stuck and he has to leave them behind. Later in the night he goes back to find them and when he does they are all stitched up and washed. When school comes around again Jem and Scout pass by a big oak tree with a little hole everyday. Everyday after school they find little gifts that have been left for them. At first they are cautious but when they find little soap sculptures of them they know someone has been looking after them. Near the end of the story Jem and Scout get jumped. Jem’s arm breaks and they both were almost killed, but thankfully a mockingbird saved them. A mockingbird didn’t actually save them, but Boo did. Boo is a symbol for a mockingbird because he never hurts anyone like the whole town says, he isn’t dangerous, he just sings his beautiful song for Jem and Scout. At the end Scout is sad because she realizes that she has never done anything for him. It’s not until she is standing on his pouch and sees through his eyes that she realizes she and Jem have done more than she thought for him. Like she says, “Atticus was right... you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them”. Boo was more than just a neighbour he was a mockingbird and after all “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”.
ReplyDeleteIn the end you learn that people are different from each other and that’s ok. Harper Lee’s book helps to show that just because people are different that doesn’t make them bad. Everyone thought that because Boo never went outside he was bad, Mr.Ewell thought because Tom was black he could easily get away murder. Through inner thinking, dialogue, and symbols the author shows that not being different doesn't make you better than anyone else, because one may think they’re not different but to others you are no more the same than you are different.
In the past few centuries, decades, or even years, times have changed because technology is getting in the way of spending time with your loved ones. The author wanted to make sure we are aware of the block that is getting in the way of a family being together. Technology wasn’t a resource back then, and that forced families to become closer and spend more time together. Over the years, slowly and slowly, families and friends have started separating. The communication has lessened because our culture has changed us. In the story, “Little Women” there are 4 children: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. They live with their mother, and their father is in the army for the Civil War. Everyone has to work during the day, even the kids. Still, the March family is very poor. On the other hand, their neighbor, Mr.Laurence and his grandson Laurie, are very wealthy. Laurie becomes good friends with the March children, especially Jo. During the book, Mr. March becomes ill, so Mrs. March has to go away and be with him. This worries everyone in the family and the children are left alone to take care of each other. However, Beth gets ill with the Scarlet Fever. The children did not want to cause more problems for Mrs.March, so they did not tell her about it. Throughout this book, everybody stepped up and became better people; people who appreciated the little things, were grateful for what they had, and who were simply kind to everyone, no matter how much they had. In “Little Women”, Lousia M. Alcott uses empathy, symbolism, and character actions to show that our society has become more selfish.
ReplyDeleteOne of the more obvious author’s craft techniques in “Little Women” was the use of empathy. The author uses empathy to show how everything used to be in the past. Alcott used this craft move to make you feel guilty for being in a society that isn’t so kind. In the time of “Little Women”, everyone helped everyone, no matter how much money they had. Mr. Laurence was a kind soul who liked helping out the March family. He did little favors that meant more than they seem. He was kind enough to let little Beth come over to their house to play the piano because she simply loved music. “...so come and drum away as much as you like…” The March’s might have not had that much money, but they sure were just as kind. When Laurie was stuck inside with no friends or anybody to talk to, Jo was as friendly as a puppy to him. “‘Isn’t there some nice girl who’d read and amuse you?!’ ‘Don’t know any.’ ‘You know me,’ began Jo.” Even the rich young girls were kind to the less wealthy, like Meg. Sallie was a wealthy girl and she wanted to help Meg with getting a new dress. “‘Now do let me please myself by dressing you up in style.’” The world was good back then, and empathy shows that. For example, family helped out family and they did anything for each other. The March children’s father had gone away into war, and he had become ill. Jo, as a selfless human being, had decided to cut off all of her beautiful hair to receive money for her father. In this day and age, the probability of people doing that for their family is a lot less likely. Empathy was used very strongly in this book and it leaves you with a perfect feeling of guilt; guilt because we live in a society today that isn’t as kind as it used to be.
Having empathy for others can create gratefulness. In the 1930s, life was different from now. African Americans were treated badly, and even white families were struggling in the Great Depression. We can put ourselves in their shoes and feel grateful for what we have now. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, the Finch family went through some tough times. The story begins with Jem and Scout, who are the Finch children, trying to figure out why a man stayed in his home his whole life. Then, in part two of the book, with Atticus, the dad, being a white lawyer in Maycomb County, he was assigned a trial with a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. The town knew he didn’t do it, but it was a white woman's words against a black man’s. At the end of the book, the women’s father went after Jem and Scout and ended up hurting them pretty badly. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses first person narrator, dialogue, and revealing actions to create empathy for how times have changed.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story, one of the most obvious craft techniques used was building suspense. Lee uses suspense to set the reader up for events that won’t happen, or won’t make sense until later in the book. She uses this to make us feel for the characters and people in this time period. On page 101, Atticus had been talking about the trial, and how he doesn’t understand why people have to be so bitter about African Americans. He says that he wouldn’t be able to face his children if he didn’t fight for Tom Robinson. At the end of the conversation between Atticus and Scout’s uncle Jack, Atticus tells Scout to go to bed. Scout then states, “...I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.” When finishing the book, we can look back on this quote, and many others, and feel empathy for the Finch family and people like Tom Robinson. Building suspense allows us to have stronger emotions when reading the book. All of this leaves us with a very strong sense of empathy.
Another craft technique Lee used was having a first person narrator. She uses this to fill the story with detailed descriptions of what Scout thinks, hears, and sees. This can help us picture what it would be like to grow up like her. Scout takes us through a few of her childhood years from her perspective. We find out about Boo Radley, life in Scout’s first school days, the trial, and the big ending. “Atticus, I wasn’t scared.” Scout and Jem had been through a lot that night, but she claimed she still wasn’t scared. Those kids had gone through some tough times. Their mother died when Scout was young, their father was a lawyer who fought for an African American, which was considered bad at the time, and they were beaten at the end of the book by Mr. Ewell. Overall, seeing the world through Scout’s eyes was eye opening to me. I saw how different times could be. I felt empathy towards Scout, Jem, Atticus, and all the people in Maycomb County. Some may argue that the story not only creates empathy, but sympathy too. You may feel sorry for the kids, families, and town, but in the end, Harper Lee uses descriptions to make the reader put themselves in those characters shoes as opposed to feeling sorry for them.
ReplyDeleteThe final craft move Harper Lee used was Revealing Actions to create empathy in the story. During the trial, the actions of Mr. Ewell makes you feel disgusted at how things went in this time period. African Americans were mistreated and didn’t get the same rights that any white person did. Tom Robinson got convicted of raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter, even when the jury and town knew he didn’t do it. People even suspected Mr. Ewell did it. But, it all came down to Mr. Ewell being white, and Tom Robinson being black. It wasn’t remotely fair, but during this time this is how things went. “How could they do it, how could they?” Jem, Scout, and many people in the town thought the same thing. But, it wouldn’t be until many years later that things started getting a little fairer.
Harper Lee uses first person narrator, dialogue, and revealing actions to create empathy for how times have changed. Having empathy for others from different times helps us to be grateful for how we live. Atticus, Jem, and Scout Finch have persevered through tough times to represent having empathy and being grateful for what we have.
Another craft technique that the author put in the story, one that took a little more effort to figure out was symbolism. Each one of the March children are a symbol. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are all needed to make this story succeed. They are each one part of a whole. They are like a body; each child represents a different body part. They need a brain, heart, lungs, and liver to survive. They all have such different personalities that are needed to complete each other. Meg was the pretty one, she’s grown up and on the path to adulthood. “‘The pretty one is Meg…’” “‘...bearing a great bridal looking bouquet for 'Mrs John Brooke'’”. On the other hand, Jo was a tomboy who loved writing and she was good at it. She was a very friendly person too, especially to her new friend Laurie. Beth represents childhood; the childhood that everyone misses because it is young and innocent. She liked playing with dolls and she was shy too, but she was a very intelligent young woman. She enjoyed playing the piano and helping others. She was not selfish and there are many good things said about her. “‘...Beth; she’s my girl, and a regular good one she is too’.” On an opposite note, there’s the youngest March child, Amy. Amy can be selfish and sassy, but when she puts her mind on something, she can achieve it. In fact, Amy wanted to change because she was afraid of being unloved. When the parents of the March children were away, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy had to take care of each other. However, Beth had received the Scarlet Fever from a baby that she was taking care of. When Beth was sick, everyone cared so much about her and felt the pain as Beth did. Each girl helped each other experience what it’s like to be a family and be there for another. They spent time with each other and were there to help Beth get through her sickness. “Margaret, sitting alone, with tears dropping often…" ”...Jo, living in the darkened room, with that suffering little sister learned to see the beauty of Beth’s nature…” Each sibling was very worried about Beth and they understood the problems that came their way, but they hoped it would get better. Although it could be argued that this evidence was added to show that you should always have hope, as the main idea, but clearly this evidence is showing that family does anything for each other. Alcott makes the reader understand the feelings of someone who cares deeply about a sibling and would do absolutely anything for them. “‘...Can’t you and Meg have it over again?’ asked Beth anxiously. ‘I guess not; don’t care if I do; serve me right…’” Jo was ready to risk getting the illness too, just to help out little Beth. However, while Beth was sick, Amy was thinking about how she wanted to change from selfish to loved. She thought that people wouldn’t care as much if she was sick because of her selfishness. Amy stated, “She’s so good, and we all love her so much…” “Beth isn’t selfish, and that’s the reason everyone loves her and feels so bad at the thought of losing her.” Every single one of these girls is needed in this family, and they symbolize the importance of having one another. They become a better family, better friends, and better people.
ReplyDeleteA final craft move that was used to show that our society has become more selfish is character actions. Throughout the story, character actions have been used to show how structured the world used to be. The kids weren’t on their phones or social media, they spent time with their family and helped out their community. The wealthy were kind to the poor, as well as the poor were kind to the wealthy. The families at this time would have done anything for each other. They had each other’s backs and fronts. At Christmas, they didn’t have a lot of money and the money they had they could only buy a gift for themselves. However, they pooled in their money to buy their mother different gifts. They were not selfish kids, they were little women. They might have hated each other at points, but they made up. In the story, Jo did not allow Amy to go out with Laurie and herself, and Amy was not happy about it. She went to the extent of burning one of Jo’s writing stories in the fire. The story that she burned was not recoverable, and Jo felt very upset and angry. However, Jo forgave Amy even though she was really upset with her. “...hugged one another close, and everything was forgiven and forgotten in one hearty kiss.” Certainly, it could be said that this evidence points to family is the most important factor as the main idea. While this is an important point, the craft moves that the author is trying to make us see that it’s more than just family that is important. You have to help your family, your friends, your neighbors, and everybody, because if everyone only cared about themselves and their family, the world would have turned out selfish back then. People need to learn to forgive and forget when the little problems come around, and overall this helps families and friends stay close. Other tasks that children had to do included chores, working all day, and they got a few hours of playtime. All of the March children did this; they all worked well and they were productive, even the little ones. They may have complained once and a while, but they did the work anyway. They had a strong work ethic that we don’t see as much today from kids. The revealing actions used in this book shows that the actions of the children, the adults, the rich, and the poor, none of them had selfish intentions. The world was a kind place, family meant more than technology, and neighborly kindness was appreciated. The actions that people took in the time period of this book show how friendly the world used to be.
ReplyDeleteLouisa M. Alcott used empathy, symbolism, and character actions to show us that our present-day society has become selfish. She uses empathy to make us feel the way the characters felt when they spent all of their time with family. She used this author’s craft to make us see that family used to be very close to each other. She also used symbolism to show that the girls are one part of a whole, to show that without one another they would be broken. Finally, she used character actions to make the present-day society see that everyone used to be kind to everyone, that being rich or poor didn’t affect the friendliness that people had towards each other, and that the people in this world used to be so much more pleasant. Now, technology has gotten in the way of family time and the closeness that people shared with one another. The characters in “Little Women” didn’t have a perfect life; they struggled with war, sickness, and they went through a lot to get our present-day earth where it is right now. Their world wasn’t the best, but they were grateful for everything they had. They were friendly to all people: rich, poor, young, old, pretty, sassy, and the majority of all people. The world back then was a lot kinder than it is today. Alcott made sure to inform us about how times have changed and she subtly gave us a goal to reach. One day, there's a possibility that we can beat this goal that Alcott set for the amount of friendly hearts in the world. We, as a society, should personally understand that people don’t live forever, and we should spend as much time with our family and friends because once they’re gone, they’re gone and they aren’t coming back.
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