Category: Literary Devices

The Lion King the Musical

Since I was little, I like the movie ‘The Lion King’. The powerful music hit me every time I heard the songs. When I was little, I learned all the songs by heart. I loved the soundtrack. After the film, however, the musical impressed me, I thought that the movie was Disney’s best creation, but after the musical, my ideas changed. The film was now second next to the amazing Broadway musical. Listening to the songs of my childhood in real life struck a chord deep within my soul.

Some of Disney’s most famous music numbers are from the soundtrack of the Lion King, and real music geniuses came together to write them. Tim Rice is a lyricist who is familiar with a musical. He wrote the lyrics for Joseph and the unbelievable Coat of Technicolor dream, Jesus Christ Superstar, and avoid. At Disney, he continued to write the lyrics of the songs from Aladdin. Tim Rice’s partner, a young superstar named Elton John. If you have not heard of him yet, Elton John is a British singer-songwriter. His contribution to the pop music of the 20th century is extremely big. Together, Rice and John have written movie songs, such as ‘Circle of Life,’ ‘I cannot wait to be king,’ ‘Be prepared,’ and ‘Hakuna Matata’. Hans Zimmer wrote the score for the musical and Elton John, wrote the songs with Tim Rice. This model (score of a singer-songwriter, songs of a well-known pop artist) would repeat a few times later, but far from having this success ever again. The Lion King became the Disney musical more successful by all and the music played a crucial role in its success. Apparently, Rice did suggest John as his composition partner. His career was at its lowest, and his battles with several demons from that time were very influential. It was not an Orthodox election but an inspired movement. Together, they invented the true cornucopia of a soundtrack full of life and the spirit of the savanna.

Believe it or not, there is a lot of music in it Lion King that is instrumental. It does not really have lyrics. This music is called a ‘partition’ and usually fulfills an atmospheric function in the musical: it emphasizes the intense and emotional moments while melting into the background. The mark of the death of Mufasa is so shocking and can even make those without emotions cry. Hans Zimmer composed the score for the Lion King. In fact, Hans Zimmer composed the score for everything. Include the scores for The thin red line, Thelma and Louise, The code Da Vinci, Start, Spirit of the stallion Cimarron and The black knight gets up, among many other films and musicals. He has written scores for animated films, comedies, action films, dramas, and thrillers. To say there is a ‘Hans Zimmer style’ would be inaccurate, because it is actually a chameleon: He can compose music that fits into the atmosphere of almost all movies and musicals.

In the Lion King Zimmer focused on instruments that emphasize lightness and child-friendly style. As a result, the score of the Lion King is much stronger in wind and pipe than for example creation which has a large number of drums. It was a delicate balance, but Zimmer hit it square on. Unfortunately, the very popular soundtrack album released at the time of the movie did not pay much attention to the score. Of course, all songs were there, but only four scoring tracks and only 17 minutes lasted. Then ten years later a soundtrack of ‘Special Edition’, after the musical presented the score more fully. Then he added another song and a remix. The extraordinary album begins with the climax, the unbelievable ‘Circle of Life’: the famous reputation of Lebo M, the outstanding performance of John’s excellent song, and Rice.

The musical and the movie begin with the ‘Circle of Life’ as the beginning of a new day with the morning sun shining on the African plains. The atmosphere is very lively with happy and loud music. The atmosphere and the atmosphere are full of anticipation and emotions. This song is the opening, so it corresponds to the configuration of the songs of a new day. The atmosphere of anticipation becomes clear with the help of the music. When Simba is shown to other African animals, the music suddenly becomes stronger, showing the changing moods and emotions of the animals. The rhythm of ‘Circle of Life’ is pretty simple and rhythmic. This song uses the technique of legato, so the notes are generally long and often repetitive.

‘Circle of Life’ has an African tribal style. This piece first presents the voices of an African tribe singing an awakening in the plains. These early voices also determine the mood. This song is largely based on the voices of the African choir throughout the song. The accompanying soloists are supported by the choir. There are also several animal sounds during the song. This piece is also largely based on percussion. By adding the backup voices these instruments are combined, it is very loud and intense. When Simba is shown to the public, a panpipe starts playing a sweet melody and becomes quieter. These sudden quiet sweet sounds accompany the percussion and strong voices. The flute of bread and soft voices show the vulnerability and softness of a newborn.

The song Circle of Life has a great influence on the style of the Native African Americans. These singers can almost resemble a tribe of indigenous Africans who live in the plain and sing together in harmony. The sounds of the animals are also used in the song because the elephants are the trumpets, and I can feel how much it reflects the indigenous tribes living with the animals as they share the same territory, their friendship was therefore combined in this song. In addition to this touch of African music, the Circle of Life is also interwoven with soft rock and pop.

The melody of the circle of life varies between ascending and descending tones, especially when Simba is shown for the first time, the music goes down and falls silent. And then, when the other animals are shown, the music rises dramatically and becomes strong and powerful. Most of this song is played in major because it is loud, deep, and strong. The Simba baby scene is played in minor to reflect this helpless little animal. It is, above all, the perfect opening song for the movie and the musical. When this song first appeared in the Musical it is dark, then slowly an African sun appears.

The score then has the score ‘Did not your mother tell you not to play with your food?’ This is played while Scar is playing with a mouse. It’s a delicious mix of comedy and macabre, the exciting solo saxophone on both sides. The action of the typical room fights darker, wrongness. The Choir and everything then come back with ‘We are all connected’. This score presents the inspiring and inspiring song of the composer for the first time, a beautiful melody fuller beauty. For the first time also we listened to another Melody, a playful melody, as we hear in “Future King”. Although this first presentation is largely the complete treatment of the Lebo M African Coral. I think it’s probably the best clue.

Then in ‘Hyenas in the Land of Pride’ a black theme full of threats is present with the panpipe. In the second half of the “Moment of Light,” Zimmer will much happier, suddenly happier, and ends with a brief overview of the famous melody ‘Can you feel the love tonight’, And the next song ‘I can not wait to be king’ Almost sticky and happy and pretty charming. ‘Elephant Cemetery’ is a crazy piece, with a strange feeling in the first moments, an extravagant waltz, before the last moments are turned into a much darker area, including a particularly moving section that closes the room. Here and almost only here there is a slightly synthetic sound, which unfortunately makes it cheaper. There is no indication of the surprising ‘I tried to be strong’, full of emotions that look almost like a kind of requiem thanks to the choruses. The biggest song of the villain of the game is the next one: ‘Be Prepared.’ This song is quite dark and fast with a powerful pounding rhythm. ‘Simba is going to die’ is a very short piece that leads to another strong point in the score the spectacular piece ‘Stampede’, full of energy, emotions, and dangers. This is followed by one of the most moving pieces ‘Mufasa’s Death” This is a very emotional piece and it is really one of the best pieces in the score. The choral version of the main theme is just beautiful. The action that is completed makes this piece pretty exciting.

The theme ‘When You Come Back, We Will Kill You’ is full of tragedies and worries, real emotions, followed by a charming arrangement of the Main theme, which seems so intimate due to its minimal layout. ‘Bowling for Buzzards’ presents a great band of rides to dubno this is strange, but still it works.

Music can be responsible for many factors in a musical. The music can create the atmosphere, and develop the character and the conspiracy. The Lion King the whole musical is based on the behavior of African wildlife and is inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the life of Joseph and Moses in the Bible. Two songs that appear in the Lion King, I can not wait to be king, and Hakuna Matata are composed by Hans Zimmer and with lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, as I have said before. They show how Simba develops through sound, expressive techniques, dynamics, and timbre from a reckless young man to a respectable adult.

The sound of the musical element is an important factor in the development of Simba’s character. I can not wait to be king, it is sung by Simba, Nala, and Zazu. They take a trip to the cemetery. The song is set in the G key, meaning that the song plays in a happy atmosphere and demonstrates the innocence of Simba. The melodic outline of the piece has one geometric shape, this is the emotion that Simba needs to adopt to become the host of pride, as well as the enthusiasm of a child when he discovers something new and exciting. Harmonious features can be recognized in the song, emphasis, and emotion. Harmony uses syncopated chords to further enhance the optimistic character of Simba. There is also a reason between each sung section that highlights the playful topic. Toward the end of the song, a chorus appears and harmonizes with Simba. This shows that the animals accept Simba as their future king.

Another of my favorite songs from the musical is “Hakuna Matata”, this song shows that Simba should throw his concerns into the past where they should belong. This song plays Simba’s escape when his father dies and his uncle Scar warns him never to return. As expected, the sound is so important in Hakuna Matata and I can not wait to be king. The song is also in a tone of great happiness, which is the phrase ‘Hakuna Matata”, and ‘It means not to worry and to be happy. The past no longer exists. Hakuna Matata the melodic outline form is a wave to indicate and go through the ups and downs of life and that the past should stay in the past. Such an example exists when the sentence ‘Hakuna Matata’. Harmony occurs in this piece to emphasize happiness and in the words ‘is our philosophy without problems’. The harmonic feature is an opposite melody, suggesting that life styling problems should occur in the past and to forget the terrible things that happen in the world ‘Hakuna Matata ‘, and it is our problem-free Philosophy ‘ phrases which show how Simba has grown since his encounter with the meerkat and the boar. He does not allow his father’s death and the lands of pride to contaminate his thoughts. The tune of the counter seems to be optimistic to match the pop style of the song and the instruments. The opposite melody is very effective in describing the evolution of Simba’s character, meaning that his past does not conflict with the present. The song Hakuna Matata shows how Simba becomes a young adult who has given up his past and focuses on the future through effective manipulation of the musical elements. Hakuna Matata is a song of comic relief sung by a meerkat and a Boar voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, and it’s fun and charming.

Hakuna Matata uses dynamic and expressive techniques to demonstrate the maturity and evolution of Simba as a young adult. The text Hakuna Matata is sung on a piano when Simba is growing up and changing, this is to make an impact and to present the new lion to the public. It also shows that the ‘concerns’ of the past should not affect the future or the present. The choir uses strong dynamics, to show the words sung and give up all the burdens of Simba’s life, including his guilt. Elton John, the composer, and Tim Rice, the poet, have collaborated to describe Simba’s maturation during his stay with Timon and Pumba and therefore, how his character evolved. Speaking voices too included in this song help to show Simba, the young adult, starts to evolve. When he started singing, this shows his progress as a carefree personality and like his new-found friends has abandoned his obligations to live in the past, and lives in the moment. The style of the song is essential to demonstrate the evolution of Simba’s character. The piece has a jazz style that expresses laziness and the meaning of ‘Hakuna Matata” the song shows how Simba becomes a carefree person. With these examples of expression techniques and dynamics, Elton John meticulously described the growth of Simba as a lion.

After the song Hakuna Matata. We return to the murky waters with ‘We have a bone to choose from’, but it does not take long, until the soft and light return with the following ‘kings of the past, with a distinctive heavenly atmosphere. ‘Nala is that Really You’ This score contains a dynamic statement of melodic brass before it blends into a sweet passage. The spirit of the young friendship mingles with the song ‘Can you feel the love tonight’. From this moment the music shows the love between the two lions musically. The eight minutes of ‘Remember who you are’ included many inspirational ideas, most of the main themes of the score. This will become apparent over time. Sometime later, a second break between the scores in the musical is the moment return to open the glorious ‘It’s my home’ that has a big emotional impact, then a gigantic ending up to twelve minutes ‘The Future King, ‘which works great for the ending of the story through music and then we travel with a lot action with determination and through suffering for success by despair and hope, faith and love, some say this leads to the touching the ‘circle of life’, and then leads to the final Busa with the curtain call.

It’s a brilliant job, everything around the score and musical. John’s songs are everything and are very good with a few out of the ordinary. Zimmer’s score is even more effective with his continuity with the songs, not only because of the consistency with which he has in the organization of the musical themes. This is one of the best things that Zimmer has done with The Lion King score, in terms of their successes. Of course, they are perfect it is different from both styles. Alan Meyerson deserves a prize for his remastered music for the launch of the Lion King collection: there’s a lot of life, and much more detail, and both in the songs and the score, especially in the score there is much more instrumental clarity. Three of the Lion King songs were nominated at the Oscars and the opening ballad won predictably, as the ‘Circle of Life’ was clearly the most deserving, Zimmer came home with his first and so far only well-deserved statue. The songs are a mix of orchestra, African electronic voices, occasional calypso rhythms, bagpipes, and Elton. John works just as well as a package, but it is and it is Hans Zimmer who deserves the most credit. Certainly, he is the reason that the Lion King finally got the release, it deserves as a musical. This musical is full of cheerful humor, which makes this musical one of the easiest to enjoy.

In conclusion, the Lion King musical uses many musical techniques that help to set the mood and level of emotion. The opening song is by far the most well-known. I loved this musical and everything about it. The music had you on your toes as to what was going to happen next.

Human rights are an ongoing universal issue. They are the so-called rights inherent to all human beings regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.

Throughout time, when Human rights have been withheld from individuals, powerful men and women have sought justice. For example, America’s racial tensions were forcefully spoken about by one of the most powerful voiced men to ever live, John F Kennedy. His fights for equality were founded on the principle that all men are created equal. JFK addressed significant ideas about universal human rights we all deserve such as equal rights to vote, nonsegregated education, fairness in work and fair treatment, and so on.

In addition to JFK’s powerful words, another famous voice addresses the use of language to represent significant ideas regarding human rights. Bob Dylan, who is one of the most influential protest singers of all time, through his protest song ‘Hurricane’, uses literacy techniques to describe acts of racism. In 1967 a triple murder happened in California, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and his friend John got wrongly accused and sentenced to life in prison. Their only true crime was that they were not white. This interested Bob Dylan as he witnessed this arrest in shock. Hence his song “Hurricane” projects his disgust for the matter of racism. The narrative of the song is truly a masterpiece, and in an incredible way examines this artist’s literacy style, language, and influence on human rights justice. This small section underlines the powerful techniques Bob Dylan is capable of using.

“When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road

Just like the time before and the time before that

In Paterson, that’s just the way things go

If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street

‘Less you want to draw the heat”

Through this, Dylan explores the hardship of life as a black American. It is clear that the song twists modern social elements of race and equality through the use of metaphors. A paragraph from the song underlines the lack of human rights Hurricane dealt with.

“All of Rubin’s cards were marked in advance

The trial was a pig circus, he never had a chance

No one doubted that he pulled the trigger

And though they could not produce the gun

The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed

And the all-white jury agreed.”

Unfortunately, the lack of human rights in regard to people of color is not exclusive to just America. In Australia, indigenous communities are long suffered injustice and racial discrimination. Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating addressed this matter in his powerful speech in Redfern Park in 1992 where he states:

“Just a mile or two from the place where the first European settlers landed, in too many ways it tells us that their failure to bring much more than devastation and demoralization to Aboriginal Australia, continues to be our failure.”

Furthermore, Paul Keating’s memorable quote “I said we, non-indigenous Australians, should try to imagine the Aboriginal view.” He acknowledges all the wrongdoing and explains in a very easy way that it is not at all hard or impossible to change things over, by going on to say ”It can’t be too hard. There is one thing today we cannot imagine. We cannot imagine that the descendants of people whose genius and resilience maintained a culture here through fifty thousand years or more, through cataclysmic changes to the climate and environment, and who then survived two centuries of dispossession and abuse, will be denied their place in the modern Australian nation.”

To an extent, to continue from Paul’s previous statements, I say, that all we need to do is to imagine if things were the other way around, would make us feel. It is evident that Universal human rights are an ongoing issue that has been fought by the biggest weapon available to mankind: Literacy techniques, and a powerful voice. As the great American president, John F Kennedy once said: “The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”

In some ways, we are all trapped within our own reality. This reality is subject to our own socio-economic and political context. Where we are born and what time period we were born into we have no choice but we do we do have the choice to challenge our contextual bonds. Today I will be comparing a poem by a prolific 20th-century writer, Maya Angelou called Caged Bird to Yellow Wallpaper, a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who was an American novelist, humanist, and feminist in the late 1800s. Both texts discuss the theme of entrapment through their own personal experiences. Angelou discusses the emancipation of African Americans from a primarily white-dominant culture, and Gilman discusses the personal entrapment of a woman driven mad by the patriarchal society of the early 20th Century. Angelou lived during the height of the civil rights movement and was an activist for change. She wrote ‘Caged Bird’ to represent the oppressive nature of American society in the 50s and 60s. Gilman was an advocate during the Feminist Movement in America and published a book called ‘Women and Economics’ in 1898. This was not well received during a time when women had very few rights and no systemic power. Life is a constant struggle between the boundaries that society places upon us and our own free will, and the importance of challenging these expectations for a more just society is the universal theme that will be discussed during this presentation. These two texts are examples of society placing unjust boundaries around individuals, and they also demonstrate that societal norms should constantly be challenged to improve society. People of any age and background can relate to both of these points, which makes the overall theme of these texts timeless and relevant in today’s society.

Being an advocate for change reverberates through time. It is like the butterfly effect; a small change can have a large impact on the future. Angelou writes, “his tune is heard on the distant hill”, which demonstrates that idea by saying that even though your voice might not be heard now, it will impact the future in some way. Angelou uses the literary device called repetition throughout the poem. “His wings are clipped and his feet are tied, so he opens his throat to sing” is repeated many times throughout the poem. Even though the African Americans were placed under pressure from society and felt imprisoned and powerless in their lives, they still spoke up and tried to demand change, and that is what that line in the poem highlights. The use of repetition is important in Caged Bird since it brings forward and emphasizes the important messages that Angelou wants the reader to gather from the text. Angelou also uses metaphors throughout Caged Bird. This allows the reader to make direct comparisons between the objects used in the poem and the meanings behind them. Angelou uses the metaphor “but a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams, his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”, which represents the African-Americans not giving up on their dream of liberation and justice.

Your actions being able to impact the future is a message that is also seen within the short story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper”. The story speaks of a man who restricts his wife to the confinements of her own home. The decisions he made had a large impact on her mental health and well-being over time, and he didn’t expect that his actions would turn her insane. He was in absolute shock when she ripped off all of the yellow wallpaper in their bedroom to release the woman she saw trapped behind it, and this shows that he couldn’t comprehend what choices had resulted. Women in the late 1800s had no power and were seen as second-class citizens. Husbands ruled their wives and the fact that the men earned all the money meant that women were economically trapped as well as physically trapped. They were looked down upon and seen as hysterical and over-emotional, and this can be seen in the quote where John, Jane’s husband addresses her by saying “What is it, little girl?” (page 23), which is belittling as he is asserting his authority in addressing her this way. Degrading women is a recurrent theme throughout the short story and can be seen when John diagnoses her with “temporary nervous depression slight hysterical tendency” (Page 3) instead of believing she’s physically sick. Gilman uses metaphors within her short story to represent oppressed women. The wallpaper is a metaphor for feeling trapped in domesticity, within a powerless gender. Gilman also uses repetition, much like Angelou, to highlight how the main character is feeling. “What can one do?” (page 1) is used three times on the first page, which is a device used to cause the reader to immediately think that the protagonist has given up hope, that she feels helpless and under her husband’s control. Every action has a consequence, whether it happens in the moment or years later, it will have an impact and people should always try and push past the boundaries society places around them.

Society places unfair boundaries around individuals, which makes this theme timeless and relevant in today’s society. It is timeless because expectations and pressure from society have been around forever and will continue to be for as long as humankind exists. The Caged Bird is the main metaphor found in the poem Caged Bird. The caged bird represents the oppressed African Americans and the cage represents the white Americans (or society) that are causing them to feel entrapped within their own society. This can be seen in the line “the caged bird sings of freedom”. This represents the African Americans holding onto the hope that one day they would be viewed as equal members of society. Angelou also uses tone to help the readers get a better sense of how the Americans were feeling during the civil rights movement. She does this through the use of imagery in the line “the caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown”. In our mind, we imagine a fearful bird singing out, which represents the African Americans speaking up so that they may achieve change, even though they were in fear of the dominant culture and how they would react.

The societal boundaries of the late 1800s are seen very clearly in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’. Women were discriminated against and seen as less than men for centuries, and in some countries still are. Gilman uses metaphors to represent how the women being dominated by men were feeling during this time. The woman who is trapped behind the yellow wallpaper is a metaphor for all those women who were trapped within their own domesticity, where their free will was taken away from them and their only purpose was to “dress and entertain, and order things” (page 9). Women were classified as lightheaded and hysterical, unable to function socially. Gilman uses personification to set the dark atmosphere that Jane’s husband, John, creates in their home by trapping her in it. In the story Jane speaks of the wallpaper as if it’s alive in the line “I find it hovering in the dining room lying in wait for me on the stairs. It gets into my hair” (page 7). This brings attention to the wallpaper, the barrier stopping the woman from escaping, which is also a metaphor for the social boundaries that were placed around women of that era. This timeless story shows us how detrimental society’s expectations can be on individuals who are not part of the ruling class.

Literature helps us to better understand the human condition. Both these tests were subversive when they were written, both attempting to influence and/or change society. The struggle that humankind battles between the need for structure and power, by a few and the indelible right of free will, of the many is a time-old problem. The Caged Bird and The Yellow Wallpaper are both examples of individuals challenging the status quo for a more just future for minorities.

The story of “To Kill a Mockingbird” is narrated by Scout in an uncertain future, in the form of a flashback. That way, it is possible to monitor closely the formation of character in character during childhood. The simple narrative provides a readable to get involved quickly, where the point of view of Scout adds sweetness and a nostalgic tone to the plot. The many secondary characters are built from the discoveries of Scout, like Calpurnia, the family’s maid, and Boo Radley, the mysterious neighbor that never leaves home.

The book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ brings up a lot of metaphors and symbologies during the narrative that helps the readers to understand the message brought up by the story. The title of the book brings on itself the main meaning of this work and it’s quoted sometimes during the narrative. When Scout and his brother got air rifles, Atticus explained his point of view to Jem: ‘I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird”. And Scout empathizes with this by saying: “It was the only time I heard Atticus say that something was a sin”. The mockingbird itself represents innocence because as Miss Maudie says, it doesn’t destroy gardens or build nests at cornfields, it only sings. This is characterized in many different ways throughout the book, with several situations in that innocent people are wronged in some kind of way, for example, Tom, who did not deserve to be arrested.

The mad dog scene is loaded with all of the weight of the delicate situation between Atticus and his client Tom Robbinson. When Atticus was obligated to shoot the dog, he proves himself to be a great shooter, this scene is marked on Scout’s head for a very long time. Atticus makes it clear that he doesn’t like and doesn’t want to shoot, but he had no choice and had to do it; just like the case involving Tom, that Finch said that he would never forgive himself if he couldn’t help him. Besides that, a great shooting ability is no good with an unloaded weapon, just like Atticus’ law abilities couldn’t save Tom from a racist jury.

The ending brings a sense to the whole story’s entire message. Ewell was ridiculed at the trial, and even though he won the cause, he lost all the credibility and respect of his friends and neighbors. Since he has nothing to lose, he desperately tries to get revenge on Atticus by attacking his children. But the unexpected happens: Ewell is stabbed in his belly. Sheriff Heck decides to stifle the case and Finch asks Scout if he understands the reason behind it, and she simply answers: “It would be like killing a Mockingbird” revealing that if they turned Boo, the person who most likely killed Ewell, in, it would be the same thing as killing an innocent creature. When balancing all the events in this book, the pains, and the joys, result in this bittersweet ending, showing that in life, neither pain nor happiness takes complete control of the situation.

Native Son opens with the ringing bell of an alarm clock—a wake-up call not only for Bigger and his family but also a warning to America as a whole about the dangerous state of race relations in the country in the 1930s. Wright sees a black population that, though freed from outright slavery, still lives under terrible conditions, is unable to vote, and is terrorized by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The North is somewhat more integrated, but many blacks there still live in desperate poverty. Wright believes these conditions have created individuals who are isolated not only from the white world but also from their own religion and culture—people whose only release is through violence. Bigger is the epitome of such an individual: he is alienated from his family and friends, annoyed by his mother’s religious songs, and kept poor and impotent through the oppressiveness of white society.

On Bigger’s first visit to the Daltons’, we see the extreme discomfort he experiences when he is surrounded by white society. Bigger sees white people not as individuals, but rather as an undifferentiated “whiteness,” a powerful, threatening, and hateful authority that denies him control over his own life and identity. The structure of American society and Bigger’s own limited, restricted experiences prevent him from relating to white people in any other way. Though Bigger feels that wrong is being done to him, he has so deeply internalized the rules of race relations that he finds himself acting out the role he has always seen blacks assume around rich, powerful whites.

The Daltons demonstrate similarly conflicting racial attitudes. As a real estate baron, Mr. Dalton is a major player in the production of the “whiteness” that terrifies, oppresses, and enrages Bigger. Despite Bigger’s criminal record, Mr. Dalton gives him a job because he thinks that blacks deserve a chance. Nonetheless, there is condescension in Mr. Dalton’s manner and charity. He simultaneously profits from keeping blacks like Bigger’s family in terrible housing and expresses alleged benevolence by giving Bigger a menial job. We sense similar condescension in Mrs. Dalton’s charity as well. Her charity is not unconditional, as she wants Bigger to do what she thinks he should want to do. The Daltons may give money to black schools, but they do not acknowledge that Bigger ultimately should have the freedom and opportunity to determine the course of his own life, without their interference.

Mrs. Dalton’s blindness is important symbolically. Like Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, Native Son includes many metaphors for race relations that relate to the concepts of vision and sight. Mrs. Dalton is literally blind, but also metaphorically blind: she and her husband are blind to Bigger’s social reality. Bigger himself is similarly blinded by his hatred and fear. This blindness erects a dense wall of racial stereotypes between Bigger and the Daltons that prevents them from seeing each other as individual human beings. In Bigger’s eyes, the Daltons represent “whiteness”—the overwhelming, hostile, and controlling force that imprisons him in a world of few choices, none of which appeals to him. To the Daltons, Bigger represents the mass of needy black Americans who can be exploited but can also be used as convenient targets of charitable giving. Though Mr. Dalton effectively robs Bigger and his family through artificially high rents, he alleviates any conscious or unconscious guilt about a such robbery by making charitable donations toward black causes.

Indeed, the social divisions in Native Son are more clearly delineated along such lines of race than along lines of class. Though Peggy is a servant—and thus ostensibly Bigger’s equal in terms of social class—she is just as patronizing to him as the Daltons are. Peggy’s remark about “your people” demonstrates her belief that black Americans are foreigners or outsiders of some sort. Conversely, when Peggy refers to the Dalton household, she says “us.” Though she is of a lower class than the Daltons, she clearly includes herself as one of “us,” whereas she does not include Bigger and the previous black chauffeur. Although Peggy seems kind, she still considers herself superior to Bigger because she is white.

Bigger feels extremely uncomfortable when racial boundaries are crossed, as such situations represent the unfamiliar territory. He reacts to Mary with hostility because she crosses the tense social boundary between white women and black men. In Bigger’s limited experience, white women speak to him only from afar, with coldness and reserve. Mary, however, speaks to Bigger directly, which greatly confuses him. He thinks perhaps Mary might be trying to keep him from getting the job with the Daltons, as he is unable to comprehend the possibility that she might genuinely be interested in what he has to say. Complicating the situation is the fact that white women are utterly forbidden from black men. Though Mary is reaching out to Bigger, and not vice versa, Bigger knows that he would be the one to bear the blame should something go wrong. Mary thus terrifies and shames Bigger on many levels. He does not know how to behave in her presence because she breaks the only social rules he knows.

The story entitled Young Goodman Brown is about Goodman Brown himself. The protagonist in the story is Goodman Brown, who was three months married to Faith. He is a religious person who went on an errand, leaving his wife alone. His errand became a journey in a forest where he met an old man holding a staff, which was the devil. It is a journey of choosing between good and evil; a journey that cannot be identified if it is a dream or reality. The genre of the story is mystery and horror, as it is about witchcraft and the devil. The setting is in the Salem village and in the forest where strange events happened.

In the story, the male and the female are defined with the use of nouns and pronouns that would easily make the reader determine the gender of the characters. Meanwhile, there is no crisis about gender identity in the story. No characters in the story portray traits of a gay or a lesbian having difficulty whether to embrace it or not, and there is no desire between same sex in the story. It is just that the society’s religion of the characters attributes to their masculine and feminine qualities. Their sexual identities are shaped and formed by the clothes they wear, how they dress, their accessories, and their voices. It is in the story that Goodman Brown just by hearing the voices can already guess that it is Faith and the ministers; females are known to have this soft and high pitch of voice, while males are ‘mabangag’. Moreover, the critical assumption of essentialism and constructivism are established in the story because the gender of the characters is easily determined, that if Goodman Brown is biologically male, he will have the male gender and act masculine, and the same happens with the other characters. There is also constructivism due to the reason that the story portrayed a scene that never showed practices that are against the norms or standards of the society. This story follows the belief that a man is for women only and that a woman is for men only. In short, the relationship between men and women is what is natural, and the other relationship is unusual. It is in the story that more of the characters are religious and from the churches, which is why the story follows the rules that might be from the Bible. The Bible entails the dos and don’ts, and one of them is the statement that man is only for women. You can’t read the words gays and lesbians in the bible, so if you’re one of them, society might call you sinful, or against Christianity. Their society and religion construct the way they believe.

Additionally, gender is performative in the story, and an example is the wearing of faith a pink ribbon on her hair. She has it throughout the story, and when Goodman Brown sees it in the forest, the first person he thinks of is his wife, Faith. Moreover, Faith is dressed like how a female should be, and acts femininely; the other characters too act how they should be according to their sex. In addition, the pink color of the ribbon might emphasize the femininity of Faith because the color pink is more likely to be linked with females.

In conclusion, what’s queer in the story is not the idea of homosexuality. The story is about the idea of heteronormativity. It is the idea that two opposite sexes are the usual lovers. The reason behind it is because it is the way we are thought to think and feel. The story is bound with religious people, making the behavior of the characters according to what is believed to be.

Elie Wiesel expresses his views and his experiences through his memoir Night and in “The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech Delivered by Elie Wiesel in Oslo on December 10th, 1986.” In Night, Elie explains the struggles and hardships he faced during the Holocaust. Elie reflects on his experiences and exposes the world to many lessons during his Nobel Peace Prize speech. Both the memoir and the speech express themes relating to taking action and remembering the past.

The theme introduced in Elie’s speech is that people need to take action and not remain silent to make a difference and it is demonstrated in Night. He explains that being indifferent does not help anyone, but people fighting for their beliefs will cause positive change. He describes that people in the world “must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (118). Silence is a symbol in Night that represents a lack of emotion and fear within the characters. Staying quiet is not a solution to a problem. People going along with what everyone else is doing and not intervening in any way will lead them to a bad situation. The best way to make a difference is to question others, make effective choices, and take initiative. In his memoir, Elie describes Moishe who is a beadle that was deported from Sighet to Poland and controlled by the Gestapo for a part of his life. When Moishe returns he warns everyone that a tragedy is coming, but the people of the town refuse to believe him so he explains to Elie, “I wanted to return to Sighet to describe to you my death so that you might ready yourselves while there is still time” (7). Moishe is a prime example of someone who utilizes his voice and takes action to make a difference. He could have made a change, but the people did not do the same as him, and they remained silent and naïve. They did not listen to Moishe and when the Germans came they went along with them and did not question what they were being told to do. Elie communicates his message by showing that if the Jews were more like Moishe and fought for their rights and lives, then they may have had the chance to change the outcome of their lives.

Furthermore, in his speech, Elie communicates that one must never forget the important events in history that affect the world today. Elie describes that others are at fault when they do not remember life-changing moments and as people, it is their job to share them. Elie explains, “I have tried to keep the memory alive, that I have tried to fight for those who would forget. Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices” (118). Remembering and being aware of the important events in history, such as the Holocaust, prevents them from reoccurring. Not forgetting the victims and the tragedies keeps them alive and gives people the motivation to do the best they can to stop an incident from getting to that extreme. In Night, Elie arrives at Buna after a dreadful march, and he takes a moment to reflect on his experiences at the camp that really took a toll on his life. During his first night, Elie says in his mind, “Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever” (34). Elie uses an anaphora to show the extent and the importance of remembering these significant events. The hardships he had to overcome are horrific, but not forgetting what happened and sharing his message with others is the most important lesson that can come from it.

Elie expresses lessons that correspond with not staying silent and not forgetting important events through his memoir Night and his speech. Elie conveys two messages through his speech, but both of them are represented differently in Night. The first message of taking action is shown by other characters making the choice to implement this into their own lives. For example, Moishe and the Americans, who freed the inmates, both took the initiative to change the Holocaust and do what was right for the people. Differently, the second theme of never forgetting important events is illustrated by showing that Elie chooses to apply this in his own life after reflecting on his own experience. If the messages Elie demonstrates are executed in the world today then prejudice, racism, sexism, and more will be decreased. Martin Luther King Jr. is an example of someone who took into account horrible events of racism and decided to use his voice and speak up against it. Therefore, he demonstrated these themes and changed the world.