Written by Gary Shteyngart, Super, Sad, and True Love Story is a fictional novel describing the vicissitudes of two lovebirds, Lenny Abramov and Eunice Park. Both are a generation of American immigrants during its political turmoil with unstable economy. However, the only means of communication is through electronics like instant emails or electronic journals.
Although it is an imaginary story, the current society is facing the reality of the story in different ways. The use of social sites like tweeter, facebook, to go, and meebo have both negative and positive impacts on relationships whether in family, school, or at work.
Lenny is a Russian immigrant while Eunice is a Korean immigrant. The two fall in love at the time when America is under political instability with a poor socio-economic status. On the hand, each of them comes from strict families, which influences them to have low self-esteem and always feel insecure.
Eunice accepts Lenny and even moves in with him in order to seek love. Although the love is fragile due to poor communication, they endure all and start loving each other. Eunice accepts to cohabit with Lenny but the only means of communication is through switching between instant messages and electronic journals. The two hardly see each other because Lennys job takes much of his time. Unfortunately, the political upheaval in America catches up with them straining their relationship.
The story is realistic and portrays Americas future as being under the influence of electronics and frequent political turmoil (Kakutani 8). For instance, in the relationship between Lenny and Eunice the only means of communication between them is through electronics devices like apparati; email messages or letters and journals (Shteyngart 4).
Therefore, their relationship is not stable due to lack of face-to-face communication. Due to poor communication, Eunice hardly sees Lenny, which makes her to think that he dislikes her. There is no romantic and close relationship between them. Additionally, there is little or no face-to-face communication between people in America rather there is the use of texts and images.
Likewise, in the current society the emergence of electronic gadgets like computers, cell phones, and television is the cause of poor communication between people. For instance, most relationships whether family or romantic are accomplished using cell phones (Williams and Edge 5).
This leads to too many divorce cases and break up of family ties. This is similar to the relationship of Eunice and Lenny where communication is through messages and journals hence making it to be unstable. Additionally, the current employment system is by computers (emailing system) and cell phone.
Therefore, most employers do not know much about their employee leading to poor work relationship and eventual unemployment. Most employers keep the curriculum vitae in computer databases; therefore, anybody can access personal information and leak it. Likewise, in the story, the leakage of Aiden M personal information to the public interferes with his job.
The story highlights poor communication methods due to influence of technology in a poor socio-economic society. Due to poor communication Eunice view her father as oppressive and decides to look for love from somewhere else. Unfortunately, she ventures in a relationship where the only means of communication is through electronic journals and email messages.
Unluckily, when there is political instability in New York they go separate ways and due to lack of proper communication, their relationship is on the verge of breaking. In summary, the author brings out the negative impacts of information technology in family relationships and ties.
Works Cited
Kakutani, Michiko. Love Found Amid Ruins of Empire. New York: New York press, 2010.
Williams, Robin, and Edge, David. What is the social shaping technology? Research policy. London: Longmans Publishers, 1996. Print
Shteyngart, Gary. Super Sad, True, Love Story. US: Random house, 2010.
The task of writing is tough but the most demanding aspect of writing is connecting with the reader. Convincing or persuading the reader to believe what the author has written is always tough and this is due to the fact that different readers have different opinions and perspectives about life.
For many centuries now, the world has seen many great writers who were or are able to hold the reader spellbound persuasive writing. The ability of a writer to use moral ideas and attitudes that belong to a particular society to convince his/her reader is described as ethos. Ethos is generally used by authors to capture the attention of readers by writing reputable or credible essays, poems or articles.
This essay will consider specifically the use of ethos, or display of personal character in the rhetorical strategies and practices of Sidney, Blake and Dubois. William Blake was described as an author that was radically innovative and politically engaged while, Sir Philip Sidney was described as an author who wrote fully within the classical tradition.
W.E.B Du Bois on the other hand exemplified the humanistic liberal arts education and advocated for all who were able to engage in intellectual pursuits. The essay will show how these three writers also employed ethos and other forms of persuasion like; logos and pathos in their writings. However, persuasive forms like logos and pathos will be brought in only as far as they are relevant to clarifying how ethos is used by Sidney, Du Bois and Blake.
An Apology for Poetry
An apology for poetry was written by Sir Philip Sidney in 1579 but it was published after Sidneys death in 1595. Sidney was renowned for his defense of poetry and he did this by combining philosophy and history. He was also known to be a critic of bad poetry. In all his works, Sir Philip Sidney used ethos to gain a reputation for himself.
An apology for poetry analyses the reason for the existence of poetry, its essence and beauty are vividly explained. Sidney describes a poet as a creator then he highlights the beauty of poetry in his usual classical traditional manner. (Sidney, 211) The ability to capture the readers attention and earn a reputation due to an author character can be termed or described as ethos.
In the book An apology for poetry Sidney appeals to the readers conscience by critically analyzing the good and ugly sides of poetry. (Sidney, 266) Throughout the course of the work, Sidney communicates directly to the reader by explicitly explaining how poetry is an art and skill. He explains to the reader so that he/she can understand that, the poet is an original creator and is therefore not tied to any subjection. (Sidney, 514)
Sir Sidney also employs other modes of persuasion like pathos and logos which enable him win the readers confidence and trust. The reader is at this point left with no choice but to fully comprehend Sidney point of view as the correct perspective about poetry. Usually, the public tend to respect and believe people whom have earned themselves an impressive reputation. (Sidney, 465) This is no different from Sir Sidney as his massive readers totally support his views about poetry.
In his book an apology for poetry, Sidney explains that a poets mind usually has concepts that are not limited to nature. (Sidney, 615) Literally, this means that, poetry creates or is capable of creating things better than they appear naturally. This is an example of the author persuading the reader by the use of logic reasoning and this can be described as logos. All through the book, Sir Sidney is able to capture the readers attention with different modes of persuasion which he employs.
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
William Blake is an English poet, play writer, essayist and an author who was able to build a reputation for himself through his outstanding works. Blakes works or books always seem to have some religious convictions and his book the marriage of heaven and hell is no different. But the most unique character of Blake is his ability to persuade or convince his readers through different persuasion modes to understand and believe in his opinion about righteousness or religion. (Blake, 353)
The marriage of heaven and hell is a book about Blakes view of hell. Contrary to the general perspective of hell as a place of punishment, Blake portrays hell as rather a source of energy and he explains this point using different modes of persuasion. (Blake, 614)
The book is widely believed to be his most influential work and he shows great character here by describing his visit to hell. While describing his visit to hell, Blake is able to persuade the reader by appealing to the readers emotion and urging such a reader to break free from religious oppression. (Blake, 815)
Due to Blakes convincing character which impresses a reader because of his unique view of hell, he is able to convince the reader by use of ethos. His ability to show strong moral character makes him endearing to the reader. It is very unusual for a reader to write about hell in such positive light and people tend to appreciate the new twist.
The fact that he used himself as the visitor to hell makes William Blake absolutely outstanding and the manner which he describes his visit to hell is also impressive. It is worthy of note that, very few authors will have the courage to write about or even use themselves as the character that visited hell.
People tend to shy away from things which they believe to be bad and hell has always been termed as a bad place for bad people. So, Blake willingness to be the character that visited hell earns him the respect of readers and they tend to appreciate his view. The book also, persuades the reader to break free from the bonds of oppression in any form be it political, or religious. (Blake, 453)
The souls of Black Folk
The souls of black folk is written by William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. The book addresses the issue of racism in the twentieth century. Racism has been a global issue for many centuries but without using the right modes of persuasion to explain its magnitude, a reader will not fully comprehend the extent which racism has reached. (Du Bois, 622)
In Du Bois book the souls of black folk, he is able to explain and describe vividly how it felt like to be an African American 40 years after the civil war in the United States of America. (Du Bois, 414) Been African American or coming from any other race is a natural thing which no human being has control over but other people tend to think differently.
Oppressing and harassing somebody who has little or no control over his/her race is highly inhuman and totally unnecessary. Unfortunately, skin color was a serious issue in America after its civil war and the then American government showed laxity towards this issue. (Du Bois, 233)
By combining his personal experience with poetry, history and sociological data, Du Bois is able to convince the reader by appealing to the readers emotions, his/her sense of reasoning and Du Bois uses his personal character to make the reader understand the problem of racism. (Du Bois, 299)
By narrating his personal experience, particularly the loss of his first son, Du Bois convinces the reader through the use of ethos and by describing the ordeals or dilemmas of African Americans, he persuades the reader by simultaneously appealing to his/her sense of reasoning and emotions.
Conclusion
Sir Philip Sidney, William Blake and W.E.B Du Bois are all great writers and all three writers have respectively used ethos at one point or the other to express their views to readers. For Sidney, he defends poetry and gives the highlights of how a poet is supposed to think and act. (Sidney, 415) While for William Blake, it is about convincing the reader that hell is rather energetic instead of the traditional believe that it is a place of punishment. (Blake, 330)
Lastly, Du Bois is able to show his readers the pain and sorrow that Africa Americans encountered in the 20th century 40 years after the US civil war. (Du Bois, 266) Using ethos and other modes of persuasion like pathos and logos, these three authors were able to establish their points effectively.
Writing could be a tasking and demanding work particularly the aspect of convincing or persuading readers to understand the authors point of view. To enable a writer effectively capture the attention of readers and to earn a reputation, it is advisable for a writer to employ any mode of persuasion to bridge the gap between the authors work and the reader.
Works Cited
Blake, William. The marriage of heaven and hell: Oxford: Oxford University press, 1975. Print
Du Bois, William. The souls of black folks: Chicago: McClurg, 1903, print
Sidney, Philip. An apology for poetry: A literary criticism. London: Westminster, 1579. Print
The manner in which any author sets the stage for his story forms the basis upon which the literary value his work may be measured. Camus suggests a philosophy that is distant from the religious belief and common man concepts of morality. Sentience and individual integrity are at the heart of a content and accountable life.
Literature review
Merusault the narrator in the novel The Stranger tells the story from a rather detached and unemotional tone the revolutionary concerns of the post war period of apparent random violence devoid of strings of morality amidst the glare of the irrational world. Even so he still maintains a sense of touch with the object of nature and reality despite the absurdity of the human condition.
Even more compelling is the protagonist attitude attached to the monologue that persists to the end of the novel with simplistic narrative style. The novel projects death as inevitable and arbitrary and in effect life is therefore only relevant to the present and its demands and no more. He makes an emphatic entrance to into the story with a significant sense of resignation associated to the lack of ambition at work as well as the indifference in the personal and interpersonal relationships he participates in (Camus 1970)
The plague on the other hand is rooted to the bubonic plague that hit the Algerian city of Oran. Owing to the illiteracy and ignorance linked to the narrators day and age, the members of society are slow to realize this potential mortal danger. When the strokes of reality finally come down on them they are faced with a need to strategize on what measures to undertake to curb its effects. The obvious response is one of panic coupled with fear and compassion for the affected and infected (Forsdick 118130).
This state of affairs does nothing to one citizen of Oran who unlike all others had lived a life of fear and hiding from the police who put a bulls eye on his back. To him the arrival of the plague is a window of opportunity away from his lonely life of fear and into a new community of fear.
He makes good of the plague by exploiting the community by being a smuggler which brought him a live worth of fortune. Sooner than later the community realizes that the epidemic would only be solved if they all put aside self interest and come together with a common objective of eliminating the plague. This sense of rebirth of society into unification survives even after the passing of the plague (Ignace 606- 21).
Substance
The two stories present an ideal platform for the analysis of Contrasting attitudes of the individual and community. To put this to perspective several attributes will form the subject of interrogation
Goals and objectives of the community
The diversity presented by the community and the different participants in the various social divides presents a simplistic but aggressive sense of selfishness and individualism. It is typical of any social setting to put self interest before the societys interest. The societal unity is therefore a vehicle of convenience that the members create in times when these interests depend on each other for successful utility. The objective of a community like the individual is self preservation by all means.
Communal values
Community means an assembly of common interests that are motivated by constant reaction and interaction between its participants. In effect Communities may entail trust, communication, involvement and membership. In a strict sense it means that the participants should do more than attend or appear in the community. They are under an obligation to undertake an amount of sacrifice which sometimes demands a large amount of motivation brevity and pro-activeness.
Such was the character portrayed by characters like Enjolras. Often the community entrusts its management to a political regime which occasionally or in its entirety may be oppressive. The French government enacted suctions and policies that were offensive to the community. Sometimes the community in its self is oppressive since the first objective is self preservation. The community will therefore be willing to group up and segregate on the basis of differing ideology.
Role of religion
The relevance of religion to the individual may differ from that of society. The concept of civil obedience is not merely financed by the threat of sanction. It is to a great extent based on a moral sense of belief. Religion feeds this perception and keeps alive the need to maintain a socially accepted standard of morals in society. It provides a guideline for this standard and criticizes disobedience.
Collective responsibility
The compromise here is that the Community is less moral than an individual. This is based on the precept that the individual forms the community and not the other way round. As it were the community will be willing to may help others who cannot help themselves.
This kind of aid streams from the Power of Community in influencing Individual behavior as well as the allegiance of the individual to the community. In the absence of this loyalty the community will not hesitate to dispose of the individual as was evident in the A ghetto is a community of like minds
Social disobedience
Society has a capacity to define what should and should not be done. Depending on the type of community its principles and objects they will attract various rewards and punishment for obedience and disobedience respectively. Criminal gangs are in a strict sense communities and like all others they have their basic standards and requirements.
The community will therefore undertake to inform its participants of the limits of their freedoms and the essence of the leadership. The concept of community is to develop a tool for constant motivation and hope for objectivity in life. It therefore benefits from the diversity that accrues to this Communitment or even so communication.
Conclusion
The chronology with which the ideas and perspectives of the community in connection to the society and in contrast to the individual are presented in the two books build on the authors campaign for the abstract approach to life and community. It is common ground that the community is the individual but the individual is not always the community.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert. Lyrical and Critical Essays, The Plague and The Stranger. New York. Vintage Books. ed (1970)
Forsdick, Charles. Camus and Sartre: the old quarrel. In Edward J. Hughes. The Cambridge Companion to Camus. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. (2007). pp. 118130
Most post modern literature writers delve into highlighting the change that comes with modernism more especially in the family level and Delillo is not left behind. In his book White Noise , he creates a post modern family comprising of Jack Gladney the protagonist in the story, his wife Babette, and four children. Jack is a professor of Hitler studies at The College on The Hill and together with his family lives in the small town of Blacksmith.
The story develops with an emergence of several members of the fragmented family coming up, that is spouses as well as children. His is not like any ordinary family because of its composition. It is so fragmented such that there seems to exist no biological connection among all the family members. Their immersion into consumerism put them in a compromising situation such that family values are generally overtaken by it.
Jacks is a fragmented nuclear family with father, mother, and children from different mothers and fathers. The family therefore can be said to be greatly impacted by modernity by this virtue. Traditionally, a family was made up of a trio, that is, the father, the mother and children, both were to be biologically attached to each other, for instance, the children were to be belonging to both the father and the mother.
But in the case of White Noise, Delillo brings to our attention a fragmented family seamed together from different marriages. The dignity of the family has been eroded and corrupted, it has been put to a point of questioning whether the family is upholding the values expected of it or not, that is, the modern society in a conservative society.
A question comes up whether this is the definition of family by the modern society and whether this is the way to go? Whether the children are comfortably brought up getting the love and attention expected from their parents and whether the parents are giving their children the best of their love and attention and care. The family set up is considered corrupted. A disjointed modern nuclear family in White Noise by Don Delillo
No one seems to care of the number of times one gets married, this is an example of how modernity has greatly impacted the level of family ties. The family has children arising from different marriages (Delillo, 4).
The children in their marriage have got different fathers and mothers yet all of them are living together as a nuclear family but the fact that remains is that there is no biological link that unites all the children and the parents in the story. It does not matter anymore how many fathers or mothers a child can have as long as the child gets good care and attention which is the kind of message that the parents of the four children from different marriages are passing across.
In regard to the context, Delillo has covered the American culture, the family has lost focus, and it is engulfed in the confusion of white noise. It is completely immersed in the material things of the world characterized by modern consumerism. The consumerist culture has taken over from common respect for God and also for man and the family institution.
The supermarket is the place where the family derives joy from and shopping gives it inner peace, therefore the supermarket has taken the role of the religious beliefs. Consumerism, which is characterized with technology and the economic factors, is the driving force behind the change of family values. Shopping gives Jack a kind of satisfaction that he gets from nowhere else, it rekindles the importance and appreciation for other family members especially the children (Delillo 83)
Love among the family members is not the way it is naturally expected to be, not that there is no love, but when it is expressed, it has got strings attached to it. For instance we see in Jacks mind, I wanted to be near the children, watch them sleep. Watching children sleep makes me feel devout, part of a spiritual system.
It is the closest I can come to God. If there is a secular equivalent of standing in a great spared cathedral with marble pillars and streams of mystical light slanting through two-tier Gothic windows, it would be watching children &. (Delillo 36) he gets attached to the children not because it comes naturally out of love for them but rather because it makes him feel part of a spiritual system and close to God.
The society in the text is a reflection of the American Popular culture. Education seemingly is an indicator of success in this society, and school is where people go to get education with which the future certainly is expected to be successful. Money is what gives people satisfaction and this is seen clearly when Jack tells Babette that they have grown comfortable with the money (Delillo 6) and that they genuinely believe entitled to it. This kind of conviction gives them a rude kind of thinking. This makes wealth to be the ultimate reason for their happiness and that their children were part of their assets, which is a characteristic of a consumerist society.
Children after some time and as the plot grows, come to hold an important role in the family, specifically in the family of Jack. . After getting knowledgeable, they help their father in making major decisions an example is seen when they are in their shopping spree and they help in making major family decisions (Delillo 83).
When they visit the supermarket together to shop, this is the time that they can share as a family and by virtue that the children are given the chance to make decisions that encompass the family interest shows that children are now considered to be part of the decision making process. When Babette engages in the consumption of a drug called Dylar, it is Denise their daughter who unearths the secret.
She goes ahead and goes through the physician prescription and finds that the drug is not listed. His father thus describes her as her as wasteful or dangerous, and is forced to defend his wife against his stepdaughter, like a boy might defend his sister against parental chastisement (Delillo 7).. This means that children as seen through Denise are more watchful and keen of all that is happening around them.
Knowledge in the family is considered a breakthrough into independent thinking. When Jack and his son Heinrich argue about whether there exist rain on the car windscreen, Heinrich tends to differ from his fathers school of thought. While Jack feels that whatever one sees is privileged and is due to the use of senses, Heinrich thinks that the media plays a major role in the way in which people should perceive things (Delillo 23).
Heinrich seems to dismiss the use of the senses but rather advocates for logic, he says Our senses? Our senses are wrong a lot more often than theyre right. Dont you know about all those theorems that say nothing is what it seems? Theres no past, present or future outside our own mind.
The so-called laws of motion are a big hoax. Even sound can trick the mind. What good is my truth? My truth means nothing (Delillo, 23), yet his father tends to believe in what he sees, the role of knowledge in the family is therefore shown to be a source of enlightenment and independent thinking by all the members of the family.
Overly information is seen to be harmful, it leads to misinformation. With a lot of information, things can easily be confused. During the shopping spree, all the family members seem to be overly excited with the so many commodities that are in different brands and even shop in excess. The whole book brings out the impact of the popular culture which is seen to have taken toll of the happenings throughout the book.
Over relying on information gotten from other characters whether true or false is taken seriously by the other characters. The family and society is fully immersed in consumerism and its effects loom till the end, as they continue shopping (Delillo310) life continues and the issue of death still remains. All family members in their own independent ways are depicted differently, the parents never wanted to believe in the truth and the children a whole lot of new people with different thinking rationales.
Works Cited
Delillo, Don. White Noise . United States. Viking Adult. 1984
William J. Edwards lived in Snow Hill, Wilcox County in Alabama. Williams mother married his father in 1864 and bore three children, two boys and a girl. William was born on 12 September 1869 and was the youngest. Poor education, injustice, and ignorance towards the laws of land were the causes of problems to the South.
Twenty Five years in the Black Belt gives a clear picture of the conditions of the black people and the nature of race relations in Alabama at the time. In addition, the book explores Williams willpower to strengthen his race, particularly through education, through many years of transformation.
William lived in the southern part of the United States that was home for black people hence it name the Black Belt. The south of America was highly affected by slave trade because of the presence of the cotton plantations. Poverty, poor education, poor health care, poor housing, high levels of crime and unemployment characterized many black people who settled there.
As a child, he grew up without a mother and a fathers love but in the hands of his grandmother from his fathers side. In 1880, his grandmother too died leaving him under the care her daughter Marina Rivers. William experienced child labor since he started working at a very tender age to help Marina, his poor aunt. William says, at times we lacked food yet we had worked from the rising of the sun until dark without anything but water (15).
Williams childhood was that of a typical African American in the nineteen century in the South. William visited the city and faced a life different from the one he was used to in the village. In the city, William got a job in the cotton company. Later on, he fell sick and his aunt took him back to the village. William suffered just like any other Negro in Alabama.
William enjoyed reading his grandmother the bible and his passion for reading books made him to long going to school. He planned to go to a Tuskegee school in 1888. In order to raise his fees, he rented an acre of land and worked on it to acquire the required fees. When his crop was ready, William sold his share and saved the money for his school fees only to spend the money to settle a family bill. He worked in the plantation for another year, he saved enough for his school fees, and finally, he went to Tuskegee school in 1889.
Williams experience in Tuskegee was eye opening; for instance, he says, I found things there very strange indeed (21). He saw hundreds of students going back and forth. Some were playing football; others were practicing band while others sat doing nothing. Some rough boys in the school molested him.
He felt like running away. However, he met Mr. Washington who changed his room. William loved Mr. Washington as if he was his own father. In the dinning room, William did not know how to use forks and knives. He just watched his fellow students while they ate. When it was time to sleep, he heard boys talking of nightshirts and could not figure out what they meant. William had never seen a nightshirt leave alone wearing any. He knew the idea of using a toothbrush hence it was not hard for him to use one.
Williams did different menial jobs but he enjoyed his stay in school especially given the fact that he could have three meals a day. During his senor classes, he enjoyed Mr. Washingtons lessons for he admired his subject mastery. The completion of hi studies heralded a graduation something that worried Williams greatly for he knew Marina could not afford the Commencement suit. However, he borrowed money from Mr. Simpson and bought his suit. Finally, the big day came and Williams graduated and went home to his aunt
William returned to Snow Hill where he influenced his society as taught in school. He built another room for his aunt. He helped his aunt to clear the weeds, worked for his neighbors for food, carried out close research on his people conditions and toured the other neighboring countries, which consisted black families.
This trip revealed to him how the blacks missed many opportunities, abused many constitutional rights; the people were ignorant and illogical. At this point, he thought of an industrial school in the Snow Hill. The school started in a one-room cabin.
Practical arts, English language, simple arithmetic, and Agriculture were the main syllabus items in the institution. According to William the black belt was a farming area with ninety fives percent of its habitant depended on agriculture for a livelihood (35). The main objective of this institution was to enable its community utilize the available resources.
A lot of money was required to fund the school but with the help of his white friends, Mr. Simpson and Booker Washington, Williams e the funds. Mr. Simpson gave him several pieces of land while Booker connected him with his friends. Booker Washington invited Williams for a trip to the North.
Williams was not a singer but Washington saw it as a great opportunity for him to share his Snow Hill school idea with the society. Many of the white liked the idea and they gave him a lot of money, which he invested his school. Through Washington, Williams made a chain of friends who assisted him in raising money for his school.
He also did house- to house campaign where he says &one meets some of the finest people that have ever lived& I dont think that I am a very successful money raiser& on April 5th, 1906, at the 25th anniversary of Tuskegee&Mr. Andrew Carnegie gave the Snow Hill Institute ten thousand dollars (Williams 47). Williams dream became a reality. The school moved from a rented cabin to its own land and the number of teachers increased tremendously.
One student who has excelled in music says, &I was enabled to develop my musical talent to the extent that I was selected to play for my home church, and that inspired other students to attend Snow Hill Institute (Williams 64). It is a clear indication that Snow Hill School produce good results just like its mentor did.
Williams used the first person narration to depict and provide a snapshot of the African American experiences in the late nineteen and early twentieth century. Speaking from his experience makes things to appear real to the readers thus convincing them to sympathize with him on his suffering and rejoice over his successes. It is easier to touch the readers heart when things appear real. Williams style of first person speech has contributed greatly in winning his readers hearts especially when he speaks of his childhood experiences.
Conclusion
Twenty Five years in the Black Belt is a great book since the writer, Williams is able to connect with his readers and make them enjoy and appreciate his work. As readers explore the book, they get a clear picture of what happened to Williams as he was growing up; his life challenges and what motivated him to achieve what he has accomplished in life.
According to my opinion, the book motivates the youth to work and influence their society coupled with its unrelenting mantra that even the less advantaged like Williams can still make it in life provided they weather the storms and remain focused in pursuit of their goals.
Works Cited
Edwards, William James. Twenty-Five Years in the Black Belt. Boston: The Cornhill Company, 1869.
The story of pride and pain, the story told with the stifled sobbing and interrupted too fast, the piece created by Coleridge leaves much more mysteries than a reader can handle.
With the power of his imagination Coleridge makes the reader see the despair which the poem is shot through, yet he leaves very much to the imagination, leaving the real facts behind and telling only what lies on the surface. In spite of the fact that the poem was never completed, and despite Coleridges passion for talking mysteries, one can see the outlines of people and events on this beautiful canvas of poem.
With no end and with tangled beginning, the poem needs explanation of the author, which Coleridge realized well enough. In addition, the female character placed in the center of the story raised a number of debates among critics, which added to the mystery about the poem.
As Kroeber recalled, Often when Coleridge discusses Christabel, his poem becomes a lady whose character needs protecting or explaining. (204). Indeed, unfinished and filled with various mysteries, the poem offers much food for the readers fantasy, yet it answers none of the questions the latter asks.
Among the contradictory and debatable issues of the poem, its characters are one of the most complicated issues to discuss. In spite of the fact that their number is not great, the complicacy of their natures offers many grounds for discussion. The two most contradictory and controversal ones, Christabel and Geraldine, fill the entire poem with the air of grief and compassion. To lift the veil of mystery over the two maids faces,
Feeding Vampires: Mother and Her Daughter
No matter how petrifying that might sound, Christabel and Geraldine can be positioned as a mother and her child. Draining the energy from her new friends veins, the Lamia of the XVII century England is a child hungry for warmth and feelings. It is obvious that this bloodthirsty child of the parents sunken in vice needs the energy of her victim as a baby needs its mothers milk.
Surprisingly, this idea proves right if considering the characters closer. In spite of the fact that the terrifying lamia drains the soul of her new victim, leaving an empty shell of Geraldine, she does not treat the latter merely as a source of energy on the contrary, Christabel displays keen interest in Geraldines life and becomes indignant with the people who brought suffer and sorrow to poor Geraldine.
As Hollinger argues,
When we envision the vampire feeding, we see the victim and predator, seduced and seducer: why not Madonna and the child? Is the vampires lust for blood an extension of a more natural desire for sustenance and is its quest for victims and for others of its kind really a search fro mother and family? (Hollinger 45)
Terrified himself o the terrible parallel drawn between motherhood and the vampires desire to be fed and warmed, Coleridge depicts the actions of Christabel as if observing the dreadful mischief from a secret lair. In spite of all the terror of the situation, the poet realizes that there is certain petrifying beauty in this scene the beauty of a baby sucking its mothers breast:
And lo! the worker of these harms, That holds the maiden in her arms, Seems to slumber still and mild, As a mother with her child. (57)
Drawing the Line between a Victim and a Seducer
Expecting that the poet placed each tile of the story into its own place, the reader would be surprised to know that there are a number of ways to interpret the poem.
Although it seems obvious at first that it was insinuating Christabel who managed to subdue poor Geraldine to her will, further on it becomes evident that the problem is more than skin deep. Looking hurt and innocent, the girl found in the forest proves much more dangerous a guest than the family could have imagined. Considering Hoffmeisters point of view, one can suppose that it was Geraldine who became the seducer of the daughter and her father:
In describing how Geraldine first seduced the daughter and then the father, the narrator reveals several subtle shifts in sexual roles: Christabel as bridegroom carrying Geraldine over the threshold; Geraldine embracing Christabel as a mother with her child ; Sir Leonile embracing as a young bride the wrong daughter of his friend and resenting his own daughters jealousy (49)
Who was the lamia, then? On the one hand, it seems that in the given situation Hoffmesiter sees what he wants to see in the poem, making it thus even more complicated if this is actually possible, for Coleridge already tangled it to the hilt and sees hidden implications where there is nothing to be concealed? It is obvious that Hoffmeister considers the description of passing through the gates of the castle and Geraldine fainting as the main proof that the girl is a lamia:
The lady sank, belike through pain, And Christabel with might and main Lifted her up, a weary weight, Over the threshold of the gate: Then the lady rose again, And moved, as she were not in pain. (Coleridge 47)
Still it seems that the hint is far too subtle. Even though Coleridge could mean that there was something wrong about Geraldine, he would have showed it in a more explicit way, judging from the manner in which he depicted Geraldines woes.
A Witch or a Child?
Of course, there is that certain piece of witchery in every woman yet it seems that Coleridges character comprises the traits of both the most virtuous and the most sinful woman ever. Christabel, the angel that dragged Geraldine out of the depth of her despair, becomes suddenly filled with mysterious fire burning her from within that does somehow remind of auto-da-fes of the Inquisition epoch.
However, Coleridge is far too delicate to mention this in his poem. Despite all the implications and the underlying idea of witchery, he mentions the very word only once, seemingly not connected to the idea of the poem. However, as the word is sounded, it gains certain shape and becomes one of the leitmotifs of the poem:
In Langdale Pike and Witchs Lair, And Dungeon-ghyll so foully rent, With ropes of rock and bells of air Three sinful sextons ghosts are pent (Coleridge 60)
Gaining even darker shades of mystery closer to the abrupt ending of the story, this idea of witchery becomes increasingly evident. Who could have thought that vice can take shapes of the most virtuous things and people? As Christabel breathes in the virus of sin, she is practically turning into a witch. As Twitchel marked,
The lamia myth takes on special importance in the scene where Geraldine and Christabel spend night together. For although there is no mention of any sexual act of bloodletting, we do see the results of some energy flow between them. (45)
Compared to Christabel, Geraldine is a lost and lonesome child. Her soul is restless, and she is looking for a shoulder to cry on and find oblivion in someone as strong as her. However, she does not see that her new friend is rather a monster in disguise, a witch to beware.
Conclusion
Although the story of Geraldine and Christabel is way too blurred to decide which of the maidens was a real monster in disguise and if any was at all, one still can read a piece of truth between the lines of the poem. Mysterious and weird, it drags the reader to the bottom of endless sorrow to see what compassion and sympathy is. With help of the controversial plot, the poet asks another important question: what is virtue and what is it worth? While the story unwinds in front of the readers eyes, a number of various relationships start to structure, among them the ones between a mother and a daughter, a victim and a seducer, a witch and an innocent child.
In his peculiar manner, Coleridge does not preach, but paints the pictures of his visions to show the reader, which is even more impressive than moralizing. Leaving the pleasure of wandering in the twists of the poem labyrinth to the reader, Coleridge creates the parallel world where the wildest and the most frightening fantasies become true for a moment to prove that virtue is one of the most precious gifts.
Works Cited
Coleridge, Samuel T. The Poetical Works of S. T. Coleridge, Including Dramas of Wallenstein, Remorse and Zapolya, in Three Volumes. Vol. 2. London, UK: W. Pickering, 1828. Print.
Hoffmesiter, Gerhart. European Romanticism: Literary Cross-Currents, Modes, and Models. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1990. Print.
Hollinger, Veronica. Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary Culture. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997. Print.
Kroeber, Karl and Gene W. Ruoff. Romantic Poetry: Recent Revisionary Criticism. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1993. Print.
Twitchel, James B. The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1981. Print.
One of the most striking characteristics of post-industrial living is the fact that currently dominant socio-political and cultural discourses grow increasingly marginalized, in intellectual sense of this word. In its turn, this explains why, as time goes on, more and more people are being tempted to seek answers to lifes secrets in tabloid press and in the books by self-appointed experts on morality, known for their tendency to utilize sophistically sounding but essentially meaningless New Age phraseology.
The validity of this statement can be well illustrated in regards to continuously growing popularity of Rhonda Byrnes book The Secret, first published in 2006. Despite the fact that in this book, Byrne had proven herself possessing a clearly defined anti-scientific outlook onto surrounding realities, it nevertheless did not prevent The Secret from becoming a bestseller, within a matter of a week, after its initial publishing.
As it was noted by Smythe: The Secret props up faltering dogma by relying on charismatic representatives and a lot of smooth talk, which is so expert and cleverly edited it is easy to miss the false premises, tautologies& and other varieties of fuzzy thinking .[1]
The earlier articulated suggestion corresponds to the discussed subject matter (can literature tell the truth better than other arts or areas of knowledge?) rather directly, as it helps to expose the potential fallaciousness of would-be positive reactions to assignments question, due to the sheer extent of questions contextual inappropriateness.
After all, there is fictional and scientific literature, with these two types of literature differing from each other qualitatively. And, as history shows, it is only the scientific literature that is being potentially capable of telling the truth. In our paper, we will aim to explore this hypothesis at length.
Analytical part
There is a number of so-called eternal questions, which never cease puzzling the majority of growing adolescents, endowed with genetically predetermined ability to indulge in abstract philosophizing, such as what is the universe?, what is love?, what is the purpose of life?, what is death?, etc.
And, even today, many people continue to firmly believe that it is namely by reading the works of classical and contemporary fictional literature that youths would be able to find answers to these questions. The fact that as of today, the dogmas of political correctness are being forcibly imposed upon people in Western countries, created additional preconditions for the growing number of citizens to refer to the very process of reading as intellectually beneficial, regardless of the actual content of what it being read.
As Griswold had put it: Women readers of formulaic romance novels& whom academics formerly regarded as passive vessels into which mass culture poured its most mindless drivel, are now reconfigured as agents, cultural actors making decisions and insisting on their rights .[2]
However, the works of fictional literature cannot possibly tell the truth, simply because, as practice shows, they are being written by as much of dilettante individuals as most readers themselves. The only difference between the author of some emotionally-charged bestselling novel and the readers is the fact that, unlike readers, he or she was able to turn its graphomaniac urges into the tool of generating money pure and simple.
Fictional literature is only partially able to tell the truth only for as long as it contains empirically valid psychological observations, which in their turn, confirm natural laws full objectiveness. Yet, with the exception of Jack Londons Social-Darwinist short stories and novels, there are virtually no fictional literary pieces that explore scientific motifs, in relation to the qualitative essence of peoples existential mode.
It is specifically scientific literature, which is being rarely read but mostly studied, that does offer people scientifically legitimate answers to lifes dilemmas. The reason for this is simple even though science does not provide answers to just about all the questions that people might have, the answers it does provide are absolutely legitimate, because their legitimacy can be proven in practice.
For example, one may go about gaining an insight on the essence of love by reading countless romantic novels. And yet, the chances for such an individual to become enlightened on the subject of love, as the result of having read these novels, would still remain rather slim.
Alternatively, one may go about reaching the same objective by the mean of studying relevant scientific articles as a consequence, it would not take too long for such an individual to realize that, under no circumstances may the essence of peoples romantic amorousness be referred to as divinely but rather chemically predetermined this is the actual truth.
Given the fact that by reading fictional literature, people seek to experience aesthetic pleasure, which in their minds is being closely associated with the attainment of emotional comfortableness, they naturally tend to think of such literature in terms of blue pill of ignorance, as opposed to referring to it in terms of red pill of truth.
Therefore, it will only be logical, on our part, to suggest that literatures ability to tell the truth relates to the extent of such literatures emotional sounding in counter-geometrical progression. To put it plainly the more a particular author expounds on the subject of morality, for example, the greater will be the chances for authors insights, regarding the discussed subject matter, to be fallacious.
The reason why the works of fictional literature, concerned with exploring the matters of morality, cannot possibly be assumed of being capable of telling the truth is simple as practice shows, in these works, authors usually build their line of argumentation upon a so-called moralistic fallacy.
In their article, DArms and Jacobson define the essence of moralistic fallacy with perfect exactness: The most blatant way to commit the moralistic fallacy is simply to infer, from the claim that it would be morally objectionable to feel F toward X, that therefore F is not a fitting response to X .[3]
One does not have to be particularly smart to be able to realize why fictional pieces of literature usually feature clearly defined moralistic themes and motifs by indulging in moralistic reasoning, authors simply strive to divert readers attention from the fact that they are nothing but essentially primates, with the layer of their cultural sophistication being only skin-deep.
After all, just as it is being the case with apes, peoples foremost existential priorities appear to be solely concerned with sexual mating, attaining dominant position in social hierarchy and accumulating material riches. In its turn, this partially explains why; whereas, we tend to associate the reading of fictional literature with pleasure, the reading of scientific literature invokes in our minds the notion of work apparently, the realization of truth can rarely be emotionally pleasing.
Therefore, even though the semiotic significance of fictional and scientific literary works can be formally discussed within the conceptual framework of literature, it would be so much more appropriate to talk of fictional literature in terms of entertainment and of scientific literature in terms of science.
And, it is needless to mention, of course, that these two notions are being only superficially related whereas, the concept of science of being synonymous to the notion of truth, the concept of entertainment is being synonymous to the notion of diversion from truth.
What it means is that that are no objective reasons to believe that, when compared to arts or other areas of knowledge, fictional literature is being more capable of telling the truth that is, of course, for as long as we think of truth in terms of scientifically validated facts. If we were to adopt a relativist perspective on the notion of truth, the suggestion that literature is being more truthful, as compared to science or art, for example, would not appear completely deprived of a rationale.
And yet, the adoption of such a perspective would prove methodologically inappropriate, since literature is nothing but one among many of peoples three-dimensionally extrapolated intellectual byproducts. In its turn, this implies the full objectiveness of the notion of truth.
Conclusion
We believe that the earlier provided line of argumentation, as to the fact that fictional literature cannot be considered a particularly legitimate pathway towards truth, substantiates the validity of papers initial hypothesis.
Only scientific literature contains empirically obtained insights onto the essence of dialectically predetermined interplay between causes and effects, to which people never cease being exposed, throughout the course of their lives. However, since scientific books and articles deal with thematically narrow and utterly abstract subjects, they cannot be considered as the part of conventional literature per se.
References
DArms, J, & Jacobson, D, The moralistic fallacy: On the appropriateness of emotions, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 61, no. 1, (2000), pp. 65-90.
Griswold, W, Recent moves in the sociology of literature, Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 19, 1993, pp. 455-467.
Smythe, IH, The secret behind The Secret, Skeptic, vol. 13, no. 2, 2007, pp. 8-13.
Footnotes
IH Smythe, The secret behind The Secret, Skeptic, vol. 13, no. 2, 2007, p. 10.
W Griswold, Recent moves in the sociology of literature, Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 19, 1993, p. 457.
J DArms & D Jacobson, The moralistic fallacy: On the appropriateness of emotions, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 61, no. 1, (2000), p. 75.
Henry David Thoreau was born in the year 1817 in Concord Massachusetts where he grew up. He graduated from Harvard University in 1837. Between 1835 and 1836, he was a teacher in Canton a school in Massachusetts. He contracted tuberculosis in 1835 and which finally caused his death in 1862.
Davids writings have contributed a lot to todays literature. His works provided people with knowledge in some aspects of life, which are still valuable in todays society. Based on the works that he did, Thoreau should be included in the modern literature. This is because his works are closely related to that of modern writers since he used the same styles that are being applied in todays writings.
Discussion
Thoreau wrote his first book A week on the Concord and Merrimack rivers in 1849.The book was about a journey he had taken with his brother john from Massachusetts to New Hampshire. Unfortunately, the book failed to sell as he had anticipated and therefore in the end, he remained with many copies, which were a great loss to him both in terms of money used in printing and time he had put in to write.
The journey was divided into eight sections, the concord river and other seven sections showing activities of the week. The first section describes the flora, fauna and the location of the river. In his trip, they made use of a hand made boat, which they had designed. He gave description of the marine and plant life that he had came across in the sea. He carefully thought about matters of religion, nature and poetry.
He compared ancient gods in traditional religion with the modern religion based in the belief of Christ. In his book, he compared eastern and western ways of life. This work is important in modern literature because it makes use of metaphor an important stylistic device in writing modern literary works.
The book is actually not about a journey. The story is used to show changes in aspects such s region, which took place in England because of industrial revolution. Thoreau is against the occurrence of those changes because they contributed to changes in societal values (Thoreau 45).
In 1849, he wrote another essay entitled Civil disobedience. This book is about a particular night in 1849 when Thoreau was taken to jail because of his refusal to tax. He wanted the Mexican war to be ended as well as slavery and that is why he rejected to pay taxes. He taught people and wrote articles about the disadvantages of slavery as well as organizing for the release of then slaves.
Many people were leading desperate lives because of slavery. He praised himself for being able to stand against negative changes in his life. One of his principles was that, individuals should reject the desires of the government if they are against their own desires. According to him, people should follow their interests.
His message inspired Mahatma Gandhi who mobilized Indians to fight against the Britain population, which had already occupied their land forcefully. Ideas of this book are still important in modern literature because they acted as an inspiration to the people, that they should not allow the government to oppress them. If people do not agree with the policies that the government passes, they should feel free to demonstrate.
The book teaches about individuals rights. Issues like high taxation rates and slavery should be abolished in societies. In addition to this, people should be ready to achieve their rights under whatever situation. Being jailed did not stop Thoreau since he did not surrender. Through his writings and teachings, his ideas influenced people. In them it way, works of modern literature should contain information, which passes important ideas to the people (Thoreau 145).
Walden an American book written by Thoreau was about declaration of his personal independence, the experiments that he did and spiritual discovery journey. The use of irony as a stylistic device is common in this book. The book contains his details over 2 years, between1845 and 1847.
He stayed alone in a cabin, which he had constructed near a Walden Pond in Concord owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson his friend and a teacher. He did not want to seclude himself from other people because he was oftenly visited and he too visited them. What he wanted was to isolate himself to get a better chance of learning and understanding the society. He wanted to live a simple life and be in a position to satisfy his own needs. He took two years, two, months and two days staying in a simple house (Thoreau 90).
He wanted to demonstrate the importance of living a simple life. He was in a position to cater for the four basic needs including food, clothing, shelter and fuel through the help of friends. Mr. Ralph and his wife employed him, which made it possible for him to build a small house.
He also planted crops in a small garden he had cleared. He managed his income well and he was in a position to cater for his expenses. This book is helpful for societies and people who do like the idea of civilization. Civilization involves adoption of modern changes (Krutch 60).
For example in the civilized nations, traditional religious systems have been replaced by modern religions like Christianity. Thoreau was very ironical because there is no way, in which he could have learned about the society, and yet he was living alone. In order to learn the society well, he should have stayed closely with the society he intended to study and interacted with people. Staying alone makes it hard for him to be self-sufficient.
He has to be assisted in some issues by other people. On the contrary, Thoreau disagrees with the notion that poverty makes people inferior. Poor people should make use of available resources, which will boost them economically. One does not need to be employed to be in a position to get his basic needs. This work is important in modern literature where unemployment cases are high. It is not a must that people get employed since self-employment is very useful in modern societies (Thoreau 106).
The Bedford hand written by Diana Hacker provides literature writers with the knowledge in writing good grammar in essays, citing documents and analyzing texts. The book is divided into several where samples of essays are given. The book contains samples of essays, which make use of the main citation styles in writing. These include MLA, APA, and Chicago. This book is of help in essay writing as it teaches people on good use of grammatical words.
For example, where and when to use a which is usually confused with the article an , the first section teaches about the processes of writing. It highlights the process of exploring a topic effectively and creating a draft before the final, presentation of work. It is also about composition of good sentences and paragraphs. The design of the document depends on the style it uses. For example, the format of a letter is different from that of a resume. Ideas on how to write different essays are clearly elaborated.
Sentence structure is very important in writing (Krutch 66). For example, different ideas are joined together with a conjunction. Sentences should be neither too long nor too short. Phrases should be used properly in a sentence so as not to lose the meaning of the sentence. The largest part of the book is covered by grammatical usage in sentences. Verbs and pronouns, conjunctions should be properly used in a sentence.
The subject should agree with the verb in a good structured sentence .Other important sections include proper use of abbreviations, punctuation, numbers and capital letters. Knowledge of writing argumentative papers as well as evaluating arguments is conveyed in the book. Finally, the book has examples of citing articles, magazines and books in APA, MLA and Chicago (Hacker and Sommers 25).
Conclusion
This book is very useful in writing modern literary works. Henry David Thoreau based his works on the above aspects. This made his works influential and famous. Based on the principles he used in writing, he should be included in the modern literary canon. Most of these topics are in use in the modern world. His works are interesting and they carry with them meaningful information just like any other literary work (Hacker and Sommers 25;Krutch 66).
Works Cited
Hacker, Diana and Sommers, Nancy. The Bedford handbook. London: Bedford Books, 1998.
Krutch, Wood. The modern temper: A study and a confession. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1956.
Thoreau, David. Civil disobedience. Washington: Hayes Barton Press, 1964.
Thoreau, David. Walden. New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1854.
Thoreau, David. A week on the Concord and Merrimack rivers. London: Ticknor and Fields, 1868.
Rawlingss The Yearling is A Pulitzers price winning novel, one of the most popular works disclosing a challenging and difficult life of the boy called Jody coming of age. At the end of the nineteenth century, the story describes one year from life of a twelve-years-boy and his experience of living in the backwoods with his mother and father. In the novel, the author provides her own view on the problems and challenges of growing up as well as childrens goals and dreams.
Hence, Jody adapts a deer in a hope to find at least one friend and someone who will understand his childish concerns. He feels the necessity to favor someone with warmth, love, and care (Rawlings 22). Therefore, it is not surprising that the novel is often labeled as children or juvenile literature because it sheds light on the problems of adolescence as well as constrains that children face while becoming adults. In this respect, the illustrations presented by N. C. Wyeth only complement the main idea of the story.
They also describe Jodys adventures and his searching for self-determination. Finally, the pictures also provide the readers with a clearer image of boys maturing while encountering challenging situation and making important decisions. This is why the novel appeals greatly to children of the same age who have similar problems and who do not know how to make a right choice.
Wyeths illustrations render a patently personal interpretation of a novel, including its mood, aspirations, precipitations, and hopes. His pictures create a strong narrative sequence that modifies readers experience in many important ways. Moreover, Wyeth illustrations also enable readers to construct a story obtained from the presented visual performances.
While discussing the illustrations, the artist has provided for other stories, and the ones concerned in particular, Wyeths representations of different stories contribute significantly to achieving the fullness and completeness of the narrative (Gannon 92).
With regard to the illustrations provided for Rawlingss novel, one can notice that both textual information and visual representations are closely intertwined with each other creating a harmonic tandem. It also reflects the interaction between images and the text through enhancing the main protagonists experiences and feelings, his primary intentions, and his attitude toward his family and the surrounding world.
According Silvey, Wyeths illustrations to The Yearning, lent glamour to classics that lured even indifferent readers and kept some of the titles in print for generations (481).
Though illustrations deviate from the classical representation of a coming-of-age novel in certain examples, the artist still manages to attract the readers and make them more interested in the story development (Rawlings 12). For example, the title of book mostly renders all information about the boys life and his endeavors to find place in life, as well as his desire to have someone he can look after.
Taking a closer look at Wyeths other illustrations dedicated to the novel, it is imperative to emphasize the authors perspicacity and emotional filling under the influence of which all story-related images are created. These illustrations significantly contribute to the recreation of the novel details and the authors intention to convey ideas and describe specific scenes.
Wyeths illustrations significantly enhance the power of narration because each image presented in book discloses the way the artist understands Rawlingss story. More importantly, the illustrations render Wyeths own experience because he carefully considered most of his ideas before presenting them in a particular publication.
Particularly, the illustrator travelled to Florida to study the local peculiarities as well as the landscapes and this exploration greatly contributed to the representation of the main characters of the novel (Luce 77). While evaluating the picture depicting Jody Baxter sitting near the hearth and embracing the fawn, the reader is able to evaluate the realism of the story and imagine the hardships that young people may encounter to make their dreams come true.
The fawn depicted in the picture is also quite realistic and contributes to better understanding of the story (Luce 79). One can also notice a ray of hope in Jodys eyes and the reader can understand that even without reading the text. Despite the completeness of the image, there is still a necessity to refer to Rawlings text to find deeper sense of visual representation.
Wyeths accent on realism is also presented in all his illustrations even if some fictional characters are presented in the picture. Such a realistic approach provides the readers with a broader experience while contemplating the historical and social background existing in the end of the nineteenth century.
In addition to realistic emphasis, the artist also introduces a melodrama component being an integral condition for conveying the authors main idea. Looking at the pictures, one can understand that Wyeth realizes the importance of this component because exaggerated clarity is a priority for illustrative techniques (Nemerov 37).
In addition, Nemerov states that, Wyeth was an obvious or theatrical painter because as an illustrator he is what he was supposed to be (36). Hence, each scene depicted in the book provides a realistic and vivid picture of all events happened in the story (Nemerov 39). It is not a surprise that this realistic and vivid representation of literary scenes appeals greatly to children because some of the displayed motifs are quite close to the problems that children face in real life.
Reviewing all illustrations to the Rawlingss book, one can state that N. C. Wyeths soft, warm images successfully manage to capture the epoch of sweet survival and rough subsistence. Existential notes expressed through rough strokes in the picture contribute to a realistic representation of the novel (Heller and Arisman 11). The realism is especially seen in the picture describing a boy holding deer near the hearth.
More importantly, the artist also successfully renders the emotional background of the picture when playing with shadows and incorporating specific elements. Despite the dimness and homeliness of the time described in the novel, the author still resorts to a full-color pallet to highlight the most salient episodes of a literary work, which also contributes to better understanding of social and historical underpinnings of the novel (Heller and Arisman 11).
It should also be stressed that N. C. Wyeths major goal was storytelling rather than representing images because picture often precedes the text and language, which is the main essence of illustrations (Heller and Arisman 13). While reading Rawlingss novel and previewing the pictures first, a reader can be immediately introduced to the details that will be further described and explained in the text.
All his childish, exaggerated, and romantic interpretations, therefore, have significantly enhanced the power of classical coming-of-age novel because the majority of the pictures represent maximalist tendencies in depicting landscapes and portraits where the major focus is made on the radical representation of certain episodes that are specifically highlighted by the writer (Silvey 482).
At the same time, Wyeth does not provide some additional elements that distract the viewers from the original content. On the contrary, his images enrich emotional, social, and historical background of the depicted events.
Being absorbed with romantic representation, Wyeth is significantly committed to the heros endeavors to overcome the existing adversities. With regard to the above, the mode of representation attracts young readers and makes them more involved into the plot of the story. This is natural because childrens inner world and imagination can be significantly enhanced by the visual representations of the novel characters.
In conclusion, novels affiliation to the childrens literature is evident because it represents a classical narration of the boy coming of age and searching for a better life. His dreams and overwhelming expectations are hilariously rendered by Rawlings and significantly enhanced by N. C. Wyeth.
The illustrations also shed light the problem of adolescence that most youngsters experience at the age of twelve. Consequently, the usage of full-color palette, exaggerated clarity of representation enabling the readers to read the information contributes to understanding the main idea of the novel.
In addition, the visual information about Jodys experiences in treating a fawn and the severities the hero confronts when he has to abandon the animal because of famine and lack of means for existence can be more explicitly understood while looking at the illustrations. Furthermore, some of the drawings look quite realistic because of the true scenes and landscapes illustrated.
Work Cited
Gannon, Susan. The Illustrator as Interpreter: N. C. Wyeths Illustrations for the Adventure Novels of Robert Louis Stevenson (Gannon). Childrens Literature. 19 (1991): 90-106. Print.
Heller, Steven and Marshal Arisman: The Education of an Illustrator. US: Allworth Communications, Inc., 2000. Print.
Luce, Henry, Ed. Childhood Idols: Jack, Jody, Hans, and Heidi. Life. 43.24 (1957): 75-79.
Nemerov, Alexander. N. C. Wyeths Theater of Illustration. American Art. 6.2 (1992): 36-57.
As the plot of the story unwinds in front of the reader, there is only a single thought throbbing in the readers head, the pity for the leading character. However, there is mote than merely the conflict between the society and the fat girl exposed to the reader in the book. A clash of cultural viewpoints, the novel offers plunging into the enticing world of peoples prejudice, secret fears and the everlasting confrontation of an individual and a crowd.
As the plot of the story unwinds, the conflict gains more shades; starting from the confrontation between Louise and the society, it slowly glows into the confrontation within Louise herself: subject to the evaluations of the others, uncertain and weak-willed, the heroine of the story finally comes into the conflict with her own self, as if one piece of her self told her to listen to the others, while the other would cry for self-respect and the needs of Louise. Thus, it would be more reasonable to consider the conflict within Louise.
Paving the Road with Good Intentions
On the other hand, it is quite natural for the members of Louises family and for her husband to demand that she took care of her health.
However, if taking a closer look at the situation, it becomes evident that each of the well-wishers except Carrie were guided by their own egoistic ideas the mother was ashamed to have such clumsy and ugly daughter, the husband stopped loving Louise because of her weight did he love her, after all, or were these merely the job prospects that enticed him? and only Louise was deeply concerned with her friends health and troubles.
To drive the parallels between the attitudes towards Louise, pay attention to Richards acid remark: I dont want to touch you. Why should I? Have you looked at yourself? (Dubus 175) and contrast it to Carols soft: I want you to be loved the way I love you. Louise, if I help you, will you go on a diet? (Dubus 168). Impressing, isnt it?
However, it is still obvious that the support of Louises friend was of little help it was merely natural for her to keep her fat physique. Demanding that she should change was as unreasonable as, say, demanding that a cat stopped being a cat and turned into a dog. The rest of the people did not understand it, though.
Down with the Norm!
Another idea which Dubus suggests to the reader is that the norm created by the society is still required. Although it was quite reasonable for Louise to demand as much personal space as she wanted to, without restricting herself to the rules established fro God-knows-what purposes, there was still the problem of esthetics which Dubus raised. It was not in vain that the author depicted the despicable way Louise looked as she was fat: Her cheeks had filled out, there was loose flesh under her chin, her arms and legs were plump (174).
Thus, Dubus raises even more important question: how to correlate personal freedom and esthetics? Van a man balance between the two? The sole person in the novel who managed to find the golden mean between body and soul was Carol. Louise lacked grace, her relatives and her husband lacked humanity, and it seems that the latter is much greater a problem.
Conclusion
Unlike most of the moralizing esthetes, Dubus does not hurry to support either of the opponents, leaving the pains of the choice to the reader. If considering the story closer, all the participants of the uneasy life situation are well worth sympathy they are all merely people, with their sore spots and prejudices.
Living in the modern society presupposes following the norm. Those who do not agree with the opinion of the society become outcasts. However, Louises viewpoint seems the most convincing though outcasts have little fun in their lives, they still are well worth respect, while those agreeing with the majority opinion look merely pathetic. It is the matter of choosing ones own lifestyle, not the matter of being right.
Works Cited
Dubus, Andre. The Fat Girl . The Tyranny of Normal: An Anthology. Ed. Carol
Donley. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1996, 164-177. Print.