Category: Literature

The role of women has been one of the most commonly discussed topics in literature during the last centuries. Despite a mutual desire to promote equality and remove unnecessary gender biases, the impact of a male-dominated society cannot be ignored. Such works as Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin reveal the theme of gross mistreatment of women in several ways. First, the authors focus on the existing restrictions that affect their self-perception. Second, they mention high social expectations through the prism of individual knowledge. Finally, the stories underline the power of men even if they are not directly involved in a situation. Although Kincaids and Chopins writings have different structures and contents, their indictments of male-female relationships in such themes as family roles, social experiences, and personal decisions remain significant.

Gender inequality continues to provoke multiple debates, and Kincaid and Chopin offer their specific contributions to understanding the existing restrictions. According to Rabea and Almahameed, Kincaids story perfectly reflects a traditional gender role of women and demanding society they are obligated to adhere to, so they become independent and respected with time (162). On the contrary, Chopin does not find it necessary to distinguish between the roles but prefers a subversive manner to hint at discrepancies in the formulation of gender roles based on social experiences (Sharma 86). Thus, the chosen stories create a solid background for recognizing the major problem and the obligation to find a solution.

Kincaid introduces the monologue of the mother to her daughter through a list of instructions to follow. Many repetitions, pieces of advice, and directions prove that girls are prisoners in the patriarchal society (Patel 67). For example, Kincaid underlines the importance of serving a table for various purposes: for tea, for dinner with an important guest, or for breakfast (321). There are also distinctions between how to love a man or how to bully a man (Kincaid 321). Still, all these recommendations prove that women are never free but depend on men and their expectations.

The extent to which Chopins story represents a gender-based indictment is also great. Distel says that Chopin uses shame as a form of discipline to monitor the womans behavior and restrain her speech and bodily movements (71). From the storys first lines, it becomes clear that women must be caretakers and obedient housewives. Mrs. Mallard was young, with a fair, calm face and had to wait for something coming to her, and she was waiting for it, fearfully (Chopin 177). At the same time, Chopin described her as a child who has cried itself to sleep, proving the despair of female life (177). The inequality and the inevitability of living in a patriarchal society tortured her, so the news about her husbands death was the only breath of fresh air. The characters life was miserable because of male control, and Chopin was not afraid to offer death as the only way out of this situation.

In conclusion, both stories, Girl by Kincaid and The Story of an Hour by Chopin, strongly indict the gross mistreatment of women in a patriarchal society. Although the authors use different methods and circumstances, the same idea of female obedience to the male order is developed. It seems that Kincaid and Chopin do not want to help their characters and change their future. Their message to the reader is hopelessness, which becomes a personal burden. Being aware of their dependence, women can do nothing but accept the years of oppression and boredom as the only social requirement and prepare their generations for similar conditions and the absence of liberating solutions.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. The Norton introduction to literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, 12th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2017, pp. 176-178.

Distel, Kristin M. Free! Body and Soul Free!: The Docile Female Body in Kate Chopns The Story of an Hour. New Womens Writing: Contextualising Fiction, Poetry and Philosophy, edited by Subashish Bhattacharjee and Girindra Narayan Ray, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 65-78.

Kincaid, Jamaica. Girl. The Story and its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction, edited by Ann Charters, 6th ed., Bedford, 2003, pp. 320-321.

Patel, Urja. Women Powerfully Submissive. Celebrating Writers and Writing in Our Communication, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 67-71.

Rabea, Reem Ahmad, and Nusaiba Adel Almahameed. Genre Crossing in Jamaica Kincaids Girl: From Short Fiction to Poetry. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2018, pp. 157-165.

Sharma, Bandana. In Annihilation Lies Liberation: Discovering Another Madwoman in the Attic in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour. Dogo Rangsang Research Journal, vol. 12, no. 3, 2022, pp. 84-94.

All the complexity and significance of the modernistic idea of style seems to be summed up in T.S. Eliots famous poem. This poem deals directly with the decline of civilization and the resulting impossibility of recovering meaning in life. In this poem, Eliot alludes to and quotes from various classic works and myths such as Greek mythology, Dantes Divine Comedy, Shakespeare and so on. These allusions to various classical works are referred in a seemingly fragmentary form that lends significance to the meaning of the poem as it is in this fragmentary approach that Eliot is able to make a comment on the nature of modern society in general.

Rather than focusing on the words of the poem itself, Leavis sees the significance of The Wasteland as residing principally in the disorganization of the poem (1932: 90). By definition, a wasteland denotes an area that has been devastated spiritually, emotionally, physically and culturally. In short, Eliot attempted to reveal the complication involved in the lapse of attention given to mentality and culture in the modern capitalist society.

Moreover, Leavis phrases the modern predicament as a breach of continuity and an uprooting of life as is expected in a wasteland. He insists that a major cause of this uprooting lies in the incessant rapid change that characterizes the Machine Age (Leavis, 1932). An important point brought out regarding Eliots poem is its strange disconnection with nature, a statement that could be made of modern society as it made its transition from a mostly agrarian society to an urban society, from the old ways of life to the new. This can be seen in Eliots poem through the disjointed, confused accumulation of traditional stories and myths.

Additionally, it can be said that Eliot, in this poem, intends not only to depict the chaotic situation of the modern civilization but also to urge us to reaffirm the significance of cultural tradition in the modern society. His idea of succession of tradition does not mean to recognize classic and old works as heritages, which are cut off from the present, nor to protect them from extinction. It is defined in his essay Tradition and the Individual Talent as follows:

No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artist. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the dead.

I mean this as a principle of aesthetic, not merely historical, criticism. The necessity that he shall conform, that he shall cohere, is not one-sided; what happens when a new work of art is created is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art which preceded it. The existing monuments form an ideal order among themselves, which is modified by the introduction of the new (the really new) work of art among them. (Eliot, 1919: 15)

Although this citation is quite long, it illustrates adequately the interrelation between the present and the past, and the fluidity of tradition. Eliot exhorts that a poet has to be aware of tradition when writing a poem. According to his writings, he felt a tradition is not acquired unconsciously but is like an image which is emerged in artificial perspective. In other words:

The time is now propitious, as he guesses,

The meal is ended, she is bored and tired,

Endeavours to engage her in caresses

Which still are unreproved, if undesired.

Flushed and decided, he assaults at once;

His vanity requires no response,

And makes a welcome of indifference.

(And I Tiresias have foresuffered all

Enacted on this same divan or bed;

I who have sat by Thebes below the wall

And walked among the lowest of the dead.) (Eliot, 1963: 235-246)

It can be said that Tiresias personifies Eliots dilemma between his attempt of a unification of the modern and traditional world as a solution to social fragmentation. This attempt to unification of the world can be shown from Eliots note on the character. Eliot explains it as follows; Tiresias as an observer instead of as a character is the most important personage in the poem, uniting all the rest. Just as the one-eyed merchant, seller of currants, melts into the Phoenician Sailor, and the latter is not wholly distinct from Ferdinand Prince of Naples, so all the women are one woman, and the two sexes meet in Tiresias.

What Tiresias sees, in fact, is the substance of the poem (Eliot, 1963: 82). As is indicated in this quote, it is in the body of this character alone that the reader is able to see modern commentary on social aspects of life in the figure of a traditional character who both reminds us that social ills are not new concepts as well as provides hope for a revival of moral outrage sufficient to bring about societal change (Weiskel, 2003: 69). This disjointed, cerebral approach to poetry represented a fundamental shift away from the traditional methods that was suited to the new era.

On the other hand, such experimental introduction of new technique and form brought the fact that a work of art of modernism, in particular poetry, is not created for the public but rather for the elite. Through this motion, Modernist art became identified as high art. As Leaves points out, the erudition and the richness of literary citations and allusions limited the range of readers (Leavis, 1932: 90). As Modernism continued to grow out of the dislocation and destruction of the war years, the works produced continued to pull together fragments of bygone eras in an attempt to create a new life of the fragments (Persoon , 1999: 92).

However, by pulling piecemeal from these previous texts, the reader was required to have a full knowledge of the original version to fully appreciate the effect of the fragmented parts. In addition, the advent of mass production had the effect of creating a throw away society in which consumers began expecting all things to be presented to them clearly, succinctly and without effort on their part, something Modern Art worked directly against.

In making the transition into the modern period, authors and artists took on a new political agenda as well as a new voice and direction. Although the art of the past had dedicated itself somewhat to the societal and political concerns of their day, they did so in a more abstract, suggestive manner. The new voice of the Modernists directly focused on these ideas, working to illustrate the chaos they saw occurring around them in both arenas.

Yet, even in this time period, the function of poetry remained a much discussed and debated topic. Eliot himself wrote on the subject: One might take up the various kinds of poetry, one after another, and discuss the social function of each kind in turn without reaching the general question of what is the function of poetry as poetry (Eliot, 1943: 4).

In discussing the various roles poetry plays in society, Eliot condenses its purpose down to pleasure first, communication of some new experience, or some fresh understanding of the familiar, or the expression of something we have experienced but have no words for (Eliot, 1943: 7) which must necessarily be unique to each society in order to convey the depth of meaning intended. Through this single poem, then, it becomes obvious that a change in voice and style for poetry was necessary as the world emerged from World War I into the almost fully mechanized world of the Industrial society and new understandings became necessary.

Works Cited

Eliot, Thomas. Collected Poems. London: Faber and Faber, 1963.

Eliot, T.S. On Poetry and Poets. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1943.

Eliot, T.S. Tradition and Individual Talent. Selected Essays. London: Faber and Faber, 1951 (1919).

Leavis, F.R. New Bearings in English Poetry: A Study of the Contemporary Situation. London: Chatto & Windus, 1932.

Persoon, James. Modern British Poetry: 1900-1939. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1999.

Weiskel, Portia Williams. On the Writings of T.S. Eliot. Blooms BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2003.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a prolific book by a world-known author C.S. Lewis. While many compare it to the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R Tolkien, it can be argued that the work has much more in common with fairy tales and childrens stories. Its plot structure, characters, world, and mechanics are similar to those employed by folk tales and are best suitable for introducing children to the world of reading. This work will focus on discussing the various aspects of Lewis book that are reminiscent of fairy tales, while also noting significant differences.

First, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe heavily features sentient animals and talking animals. This is similar to fairy tales, which often give animals human traits or an ability to communicate with each other, using specific animals and associating them with character traits. In this way, a fairy tale fox is often selfish, cunning, witty, and charming, while a wolf may be intimidating and angry. Similar to that, animals in the Lewis book heavily feature in the plot, and influence it. Animals such as foxes, beavers, wolves, and lions exist in Narnia, among other, more fantastical creatures. They are portrayed as having a considerable level of intelligence and character, capable of supporting both the protagonists and the antagonists of the book. In this way, they act as a proxy of regular human characters and bring a touch of whimsicality into the story.

In connection with the previous point, there are also many common fairy tale tropes present in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The existence of magic, greedy witches, the main characters journey to defeat evil, and moral lessons. All of these traits allow Lewis book to be better understood by young readers, who may not be prepared to read a larger book in an unfamiliar format. The narrative introduces magical portals and different worlds to capture childrens sense of wonder, help them navigate a world they dont yet understand, and provide them with the courage to ask the right questions. This type of engagement is invaluable in slowly easing younger kids into reading classical literature. The heavy presence of common narrative devices and tropes assists in building familiarity and teaches children to look for patterns in writing.

Another notable commonality between fairy tales and the work of C.S. Lewis is that children feature as main characters. While not all fairy tales use children as their protagonists, an overwhelming majority do. Not only is it a useful device to justify over-explaining common things, but it is also a great way to emotionally connect with a younger audience. Children want to see their stories told. They want to be involved in the society they live in and to see themselves as an important part of life. While living under the protection of adults, reading books and listening to stories with other children as characters gives them a sense of recognition and empowerment  something children often lack. Lewis recognized the importance of creating media for children, one that will prime them for a better future and a brighter tomorrow. Because of this, his main characters are also children, those who have to navigate dangerous, difficult, and painful situations  much like the readers in the real world. However, the protagonists also enjoy the gratification of success and the support of their loved ones, something that younger audiences need to embrace.

The history of humanity is depicted depressingly in the poem A Timbered Choir by Wendell Berry. Wendell portrays a civilization that has fallen into disrepair and is no longer helpful, a planet on which humanity now resides. The reader is left feeling a range of intense emotions and with an ardent desire for a change in humanitys core purpose after reading the poem. The poem alludes to the fact that it is now time to re-evaluate ones priorities and ones way of life. Wendell provides an intriguing perspective on the human predicament in which very few people dare to express themselves.

The first thing that comes to mind after reading this poem is the possibility that all land and homes could be destroyed in a global catastrophe caused by human ambition. Even though the poet never mentions the objective, of the poem in any way, shape, or form, the poem should still be concluded well to provide readers with the desired information. A variety of profound and innovative remarks about human nature are made throughout the poem at various stages. The poet believes that  to the inevitable rule that those who have forgotten forget (Berry). He brings the human aspect of the meaning of forget to the forefront, highlighting that forgetfulness is a common condition among humans. Most people live their lives intending to be remembered and leave their mark on the world.

Most of the time, a place in history is made up of children who have their own descendants. However, even in this best-case scenario, a persons legacy will be lost to time within a few lifetimes (Sarnowski 245). The poet refers to individuals who died in pursuit of the objective (Berry). He suggests that the aim is more important than peoples lives, but that those who sacrificed themselves for it have been forgotten. This would imply that their efforts were in vain. According to his implication, those who lost their lives for it appear to have been forgotten (Greyson 14). It demonstrates that they place a higher priority on the goal than they do on their own lives.

The poet emphasizes the struggle people face throughout their lives and how they are willing to do everything it takes to achieve their goals, despite the difficulty of their endeavors. He uses the words the once-enslaved, the once-oppressed were now free / to sell themselves to the highest bidder (Berry) to express this goal of freedom. It is an essential phrase because it suggests that liberation for formerly enslaved or oppressed people is nothing more than an opportunity for those people to sell themselves. The lines apply to all humanity who has been enslaved or mistreated throughout the whole planets history.

Wendell uses the poem to show the impact of the western way of life on humanity, primarily focused on achieving ones goals and requiring one to work to increase ones pay and wealth. In western culture, the primary focus is on amassing material possessions to achieve a sense of personal fulfilment. Greyson argues that members of the human race are willing to trade their time and expertise for monetary compensation and other benefits (31). It is evident that Wendell does not subscribe to this way of life; in fact, it seems as though he is more of a spectator than a participant in this culture centered around achieving its goals.

Works Cited

Berry Wendell. A Timbered Choir. Look & See, Web.

Greyson, Gurley T. Sacred Earth: The Role of the Natural Divine within Wendell Berrys Manifesto. DigitalCommons@USU, (May 2022): 1-51. Web.

Sarnowski, Joe. [N]ot a Way But a Place: The Discursive Ecology of Idealism and Pragmatism in Wendell Berrys Sabbath Poems. Pennsylvania Literary Journal 11.3 (2019): 205-333.

In literature, stories are very common. Since the time of William Shakespeare, many authors have delved into writing romantic stories. This is because most of works of William Shakespeare were considered very successful and were romantic.

However, the biggest question that most literature students, as well as other professionals would have is when a piece of writing is to be considered enjoyable. For instance, an individual would ask whether to consider a piece of writing enjoyable if it discusses characters only.

These questions could only be answered by looking at some of the factors that would make a piece of writing exciting. This essay is meant to look at the factors that would make a piece of writing enjoyable.

An enjoyable piece of writing is that which has a clear logical flow that is easy to follow. A story would be enjoyable if it follows the basic rule mentioned above. There should be a sequence of events.

For instance, in the morning, an individual would wake up, take a bath, take breakfast, and leave for work or school. It would not be logical to start a story by explaining how an individual took breakfast before waking up because this would not make sense.

It is also important that a story create a picture in the mind of the reader. Take for instance the story The Use of Force by William Carlos Williams. The author creates a clear setting of the room in which the patient is.

The mood in the house including the facial expression of parents, the agony that the patient is going through, and her fear of medical instruments are clearly brought out in the narration. One reading this story would have a clear picture of the environment.

An enjoyable piece of writing should have a mix narration and dialogue. It would be very boring to read or listen to a story that does not have any form of dialogue. Writing a story as if it were a report would make it very boring to readers.

In the story stated above, there is dialogue between the mother and the doctor. This makes the story lively and more realistic. Good stories should also include such literary devices as symbolism (simile and metaphors), personification, flashback, and rhetoric.

These devices are very important because apart from giving the story a sense of humor, they also help in bringing out some features that would otherwise been left out. However, the stylistic devices should not be overused. Misuse of the stylistic devices would spoil the tone of the story.

A good story should have a form of conflict. The conflict keeps a given story going. The conflict should be logical and it should be comprehended easily. It would be illogical for an author to create a conflict that is too complex to be understood by the target audience.

A story written from a third party perspective would be considered good if it is capable of capturing other characters in the play, including thoughts. This way, it would be possible to capture all-important factors. A good story is not just a romantic story.

It should be the one, which has the above core elements. Listeners would be bored if the story does not contain various stylistic devices such as similes and metaphors. Apart from stylistic devices, the author must incorporate simple, compound, and complex sentences into the story.

Battle Royal, the first chapter of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man, has been interpreted as a symbolic protest against the unjust way in which society treats blacks and women but there is more to it than that. The narrator represents his familys highest aspirations. From the deathbed speech of his grandfather onward, he dedicates himself to overcoming the problems that turned his grandfather and his father into traitors, black men who kept silent instead of protesting loudly against the injustices inflicted on them by whites. The narrator does his best to excel in his own life so that he wont be part of that tradition and models his behavior after other people until he finds his truth. The main point of the story is that if he follows his grandfathers advice, and tries to overcome em with yeses, undermine em with grins, agree on em to death and destruction, let em swollen you till they vomit or bust wide open, he will end up as degraded as the leading white citizens of his town are.

The first example of that is the woman who was hired to entertain the men at the dinner. Before the fighting begins the narrator and the other nine young men who are participating in the battle royal are made to watch a stripper perform for the men at the gathering. The way the narrator describes her makes it clear that she is a beautiful queen who has given up her self-respect just to make money: The hair was yellow like that of a circus kewpie doll, & the eyes hollow and smeared a cool blue, the color of a baboons butt, he says and notes that she has been tattooed (branded) with an American flag. While the men are tossing her up and down her eyes meet the narrators and he notices that above her red, fixed-smiling lips there is terror and disgust in her eyes, almost like my own terror, the fear that the citizens will completely lose their self-control and will swallow her whole.

The towns leading citizens all represent noble professions: doctors, teachers, fire chiefs, and the school superintendent. When they were young they must have had ideals and values but now that they are at the top of their towns hierarchy they have descended into a life of drink, voyeurism, and brutal pleasures. The most degraded of all is Jackson, the man who wants to injure the battle royal fighters after they are blindfolded and who even threatens to kill him a coon. He is surrounded by red-faced, bloated men with lips loose and drooling, whose idea of pleasure now is to watch young men fight one another. These are the men who have come together to hear the narrators speech just to hear him say that for blacks humility was & the essence of progress, a speech that would confirm their sense of superiority. The point the narrator is making is that he can become like them but they cannot become like him because no matter what else he says in his speech, this is the only point that gets their interest.

The ten black men involved in the battle royal are strong, virile, and young, everything the leading citizens are not, and therefore it pleases them to humiliate the young men by confronting them with the blonde queen, then sending them into battle against one another until only two are left standing. They turn on each other for gold coins (which later turn out to be brass tokens) even though they know that white society has always turned blacks against one another. In that way, the desire for money is shown to be stronger than their sense of morality or self-respect, and it shows once again that cooperation with the leading citizens only leads to personal degradation while making the citizens feel more superior.

The award of a full college scholarship will help lift the narrator out of his environment of poverty and discrimination to help other African Americans succeed. He believes that only these men could judge truly my ability and is moved by their gesture. However, to accept it he must first assure the white men that he knows his place and that he would never use a phrase like social equality. Like his grandfather and his father, he too will teach other Negroes to be traitors if he continues on this path.

Introduction

America, Goddam investigates the impact of anti-Black racism, sexism, and capitalism on the lives of black women and girls in the United States today. Lindsey examines the forms and histories of assault against these women and girls, and their calls for justice for themselves and their communities, using personal narratives and hard-hitting analyses. This book illuminates the gender dynamics of anti-Black violence by integrating history, theory, and memoirs. African American women and girls are susceptible to damage and death, and the circumstances and traumas of this violence go unreported and unstudied. The author demonstrates that the sanctity of life and the independence of negro women are rarely at the forefront of Black liberation movements. In defiance of this exclusion, African American women have led campaigns calling for justice. Their unwillingness to keep silent in the face of brutality against them inspired many people to imagine and work toward Black liberation via organization and radical politics throughout generations and centuries. America Goddam is a call to action on our communal road toward just futures, echoing the enthusiasm of Nina Simones burning protest song that inspired the title.

Personal Reaction

America, Goddam is a detailed representation of the struggles faced by black American women in the country. Lindsley tells the stories of negro women killed by police, their disparities in enduring harm and abuse at the hands of lovers, family members, and the system that keeps them confined (Lindsey, 2022). There are some great and important information on the brutality that these women endure in America, but some are quite tough to read. For example, the author contends that the COVID-19 epidemic is fatphobic and victim-blaming because specialists believe that pre-existing diseases increase ones chances of contracting severe COVID instances (Lindsey, 2022). There are some crucial points, like how poor infrastructure and racist systems prohibit Black people from obtaining appropriate medical treatment during the epidemic, but many compromises exist.

The book is opinionated, and the author relies heavily on emotional responses and concepts rather than facts, twisting several remarks that may have been legitimate points into a very emotional stance. Besides, the book has many repetitions as the author makes the same argument numerous times and utilizes extremely comparable sets of statistics frequently. Even if the stated ideas are very important and serious, it rapidly gets tedious to read.

The book is an honest account of the predicament of Black women in the United States. It takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster that necessitates much self-realization. This is maybe the most outstanding written example of what it is like to be a Black woman in the United States in the twenty-first century. The book demanded that author to delves deep, be vulnerable, brave and live up to the feelings of the late Nina Simones Mississippi Goddam. There is a lot of important information to learn, and the author is well-educated and skilled in her profession. It is clear that this book was written after extensive investigation and soul-searching.

Lindsey presents the material as though she believes every word; it is compelling and condemning. It is tragic, though, that we live in a society where African American women are immediately expected to be the worlds voice, yet they are not given the opportunity. They are supposed to be strong in every aspect, yet no resources are accessible even when they are most needed. According to Baker and Garcia (2019), Lindsey is the voice of a generation, speaking for people who have never had the opportunity to speak for themselves. What stands out most about her ground-breaking work is the sensitivity with which she analyzes and confronts the abuse that Black women and girls suffer. America Goddam is an intense and, at times, disturbing novel that requires ones total attention.

Racial Awareness

Racial awareness is recognizing and accepting the historical, social, political, and economic ramifications of belonging to a racially oppressed group. After reading American Goddam, I realized that racial consciousness had been employed from the period of slavery to educate black people about their inferior status in terms of human rights, economy, and politics in comparison to their white counterparts. The mistreatment of these women and girls by the police, including those who died due to failed raids, demonstrates that something must be done to rescue black women and girls from these atrocities.

Being racially sensitive should be irrelevant in todays America, a country working for the equality of all its residents. Recognizing the social, political, and economic ramifications of belonging to a racially oppressed race would only exacerbate the inequities caused by racial segregation (Bapuji et al., 2020). We are all responsible for acting quickly; hence, we must all confront the systemic inequity and entrenched prejudice that has brought us here and strive toward a future where these gaps do not exist. Everyone has an important job to perform, whether via civic involvement, personal learning, capitalizing on our privilege, positions, and platforms, or confronting our friends, colleagues, and institutions.

The Main Points by The Author

America Goddam powerfully demonstrates that the struggle for justice begins with reckoning with the pervasiveness of violence against African America women in the United States. By writing this book, the author was trying to address three main issues. First, the author was keen to ensure that the reader understands how these women who have been both victims of anti-Black violence and frontline participants are rarely the focus of Black freedom movements. Secondly, Lindsley wanted to inform her audience about how numerous forms of violence have curtailed the negro womens movements that have always demanded justice. Finally, Lindsley highlights the black liberation campaigns through radical politics due to their refusal to remain silent about violence.

The author was successful in her attempt to convey the message. American Goddam offers incisive insight into contemporary movements like #BlackLives Matter, #SayHer Name, and #MeToo (Bapuji et al., 2020). The book is written with intelligence, caring, and energy. It creates its influence via a bright and limitless sense of how we may and should come to understand the origins, forces, and opportunities for fighting violence. Lindseys voice introduces us to the books themes through the prism of her life experiences. While much of the country is aware of the many Black boys and men, who have been unjustly killed by our criminal punishment system, sadly, the stories of the girls and women who have also mainly suffered go untold. Furthermore, her research and personal accounts of misogynoir are riveting and illuminating, especially when one considers components of our culture that have been accepted as usual for decades or dismissed as harmless entertainment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, America Goddam is a well-researched and passionately recounted chronicle of the horror, brutality, and dehumanization Black women and girls have encountered, fought against, and resisted. The books concentration on twenty-first-century incarnations of the oppression and exploitation of Black women dissects simplistic tropes about advancement and change in American history, highlighting both continuity and change. Treva Lindsey offers the historical and analytical skills required to make sense of the unending media and academic narratives of abuse and neglect in the coverage of Black womens experiences. America Goddam significantly contributes to the expanding canon of Black feminist writings and studies with its unique insight and primal passion.

References

Baker, D. V., & Garcia, G. (2019). An analytical history of black female lynchings in the United States, 1838. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 8(1), 239. Web.

Bapuji, H., Ertug, G., & Shaw, J. D. (2020). Organizations and societal, economic inequality: A review and way forward. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 60-91. Web.

Lindsey, T. B. (2022). America, goddam: Violence, black women, and the struggle for justice. University of California Press.

Beyond the Crease is the autobiography of a famous NHL goalkeeper Martin Brodeur. It is written in collaboration with a distinguished sports columnist Damian Cox, who is mostly renowned for his book The Maple Leafs, which was also composed in co-authorship with a hockey manager Gord Stellick. This work features the childhood years of Marin Brodeur, his career growth, and his relations with other people, family, teammates, fans, management, etc.

We should not regard Beyond the Crease only as a narrative, because it also abounds in personal comments on the problems, which hockey players (or even athletes in general) have to face. It is possible for us to single out several very interesting facts and events, described in this novel. They not only provide deep insights into the inner world of one the greatest net-minders but also throw light on some issues which have always been vital, such for instance, the path to success, the struggle for leadership, and so forth.

The first interesting detail that we may discuss, concerns his attitude toward his adversaries, in particular to such goal-scorer as Brett Hull. While describing his play, Brodeur seems to be fascinated by his talent and skills, he says Hull is the one who always hits the net (Brodeur et al, p 211). This excerpt proves that a truly gifted is always able to give credit for his or her rival. This ability is an indispensable condition for further progress and perfection. On the whole, we have to acknowledge that only a few can value their opponents.

Another fact, which we should not overlook, is his relations with the fans. The authors argue that a celebrity must never be disdainful of people, who assist or even give strength to him or her. For example, we may refer to that the case, when he accidentally injured one of the supporters.

Despite the fact, that it was not Brodeurs fault, he felt responsible for this person and he considered it necessary to make some amendments. In this regard, we should pay special attention to his views about his teammates and other famous people, who make full use of their glory, for instance by selling articles of their clothing or if we are speaking about hockey, their sticks (Brodeur et al, p 45). It appears that he is slightly ironical about such behavior because this commercialism spoils the whole image of an athlete, who should be more involved with the play.

Apart from that, we may also analyze his ideas about the promotion of individual players at the expense of the team. In his opinion, this approach cannot be justified in any way, because it completely downgrades the achievements of the other players, whose role cannot be underestimated.

Yet, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the mass media attach primary importance only to those who make the game spectacular and entertaining in other worlds to goal-scores whereas others are virtually ignored. In turn, it has an immense influence on the salary. As a result, there is some kind of tension among the members of the team. It stands to reason, that it has only detrimental effects upon the interactions at the rink (Brodeur et al, p 112).

Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that his relationships with his colleagues can be characterized as very friendly and there seems to be no animosity among them. It appears that Martin is always willing to help the newcomer especially, during the adjustment period. Although he is one of New Jerseys leaders, he does not treat others as inferior, which seems to be crucial for any athlete if he or she wants to become to fulfill ones potential.

Furthermore, the author sets the stress on the idea that only talent is not sufficient for success, a person must be able to look at oneself in a critical way. He says that a goalkeeper must always analyze his mistakes otherwise it would be impossible for him to improve his performance. Brodeur also claims that many people can see only the results or his saves to be more exact, yet they completely disregard those aspects, which are beyond the rink. This is the reason why so many of them do not see the reality of success such as injuries, stresses, disappointments, defeats, etc.

As regards the specific traits of the language, the first thing, which immediately attracts the attention of the reader, is the absence of the other author, Damien Cox. Throughout the whole text, the pronoun I am used but there is no editorial we as it should be because this work is the result of collaboration. Additionally, we may argue that the text abounds in hockey terminology such as blue paint, tic-tac-toe play. They are used in order to lead the reader into the microcosm of a hockey team.

This book may seem interesting to everyone who keens on sports or hockey, and also to those people who intend to make some achievements in their career. Moreover, it enables us to understand there is some other side of glory, respect, success, and under some circumstances, they require great effort and the strength of will.

Bibliography

Martin Brodeur, Damien Cox. Brodeur: Beyond the Crease. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.

A significant story by American author Shirley Jackson is called The Lottery. The tale is about a community where a lottery is conducted every year. The destiny of the individual who draws the winning slip, however, is not made clear until the storys shocking conclusion. The readers are forced to confront certain unpleasant facets of human nature. The below discussion reveals how peoples deference to traditions and authority and their readiness to commit bad deeds in the name of superstitions are depicted in The Lottery.

On June 27, a gorgeous summer day, everyone in the little New England community where The Lottery is set is assembling for their customary yearly lottery (Jackson). Although everyone seems to be having a good time at first, it quickly becomes apparent that nobody wishes to win the lotto. Until her family makes the feared mark, Tessie Hutchinson appears nonchalant by the custom. She then complained that the procedure was not just. It comes out that the winner will be executed with stones by the other citizens. Tessie gets the win, and the narrative comes to an end when the townspeople, including members of her own family, start throwing rocks at her.

Jacksons deft use of opposites, which puts the audiences expectations in conflict with the storys events, is chiefly responsible for the narratives unsettling effect. The lovely landscape stands in stark contrast to the shocking brutality of the ending. The narrative begins on a lovely summer day when the grass is lushly green and the flowers are flourishing abundantly. Readers may believe that everyone has come for a fun event like a barbecue or parade when the boys start to gather stones since it appears like a normal, lighthearted activity. In the same way that pleasant weather and family reunions could make us anticipate something wonderful, the phrase lottery, which often indicates something favorable for the winner, does the same.

The villagers are hesitant when Mr. Summers requests assistance and take their distance from the chair with the container on it until the lottery begins (Jackson). One might not anticipate this response from those who are eagerly awaiting the lotto. The fact that the people speak as though writing the tickets is a laborious job that has to be done by a man also strikes the reader as odd. It is nervous during the lottery itself  nobody looks at anybody else in the room. Mr. Summers and the men were scribbling on scraps of paper, smiling anxiously and hilariously at one another (Jackson). These details may seem strange to the readers at first approximation, but there are a number of approaches to explain them, such as the fact that individuals are really worried due to their desire to win. However, viewers know there have always been conflicts and brutality in the novel as Tessie Hutchinson shouts, It wasnt fair!

The depicted individuals have obviously grown up with one another and know one another well, yet they are willing to turn against one of their neighbors just because the lottery says so. Little Dave, the smallest Hutchinson kid, may uncover his piece of paper to be empty, and the townspeople may exhale in unison in relief. However, Jackson puts the audience in no doubt that they could kill him if he was the unfortunate victim. In the same way that pleasant weather and family reunions could make us anticipate something wonderful, the phrase lottery, which often indicates something favorable for the winner, does the same.

Whichever interpretation an audience may want, The Lottery is really a tale about the propensity for violence in people, particularly when this violence is disguised as a defense of tradition or societal order. No one hated to disrupt even as much custom as was symbolized by the black box, according to Jacksons narrator. The fact is that the villages recall relatively few specifics, and the box actually is not the original, despite the locals desire to believe that they are upholding tradition. Songs and salutes are the subjects of rumors, but nobody appears to be certain of the traditions origin or the specifics.

Violence is the one thing that never changes, and it provides some insight into peoples values (and presumably those of humanity as a whole). The locals remembered to utilize stones despite having forgotten the ceremony and misplaced the original black container, according to Jackson. When the storyteller adds directly, A stone hit her on the side of the head, it is among the storys bluntest points (Jackson). Nobody in Hamlet feels individual accountability for the murder since everyone takes part  even providing Tessies little son with some stones to toss. This is Jacksons most convincing justification for why this uncivilized tradition endures.

Thus, the discussion above provides insights regarding how the dark side of human nature is depicted in The Lottery. It was found that the lottery reflects peoples inherency of violence that can arise from irrational adherence to ambiguous traditions and rituals. Jackson seems to promote the idea that humans are to assess cultural heritage critically and adapt unacceptable customs to the principles of adequacy and appropriacy.

Work Cited

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. The New Yorker, 1948, Web.

Introduction

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is a literary work that has excelled in communicating various themes to represent a story and educate. Through the book, Hesse is seen advocating for family and its importance at a time when the cases of divorce had increased significantly in the United States. In addition to portraying it as an important unit in society, she communicates other major themes such as loss, grief, and environment. This paper aims to convey the ideas and themes shared by Karen Hesse in her literary work.

Discussion

The main themes in Out of the Dust include family, loss, forgiveness, and the environment. The authors thematic messages communicate the power of the human spirit to endure as well as transcend the pain that accompanies tragedy and adversity (Hesse 7). Throughout the book, loss and grief are the predominant themes. Billie Jo and her father suffer several losses throughout this literary work by Hesse (Hesse 7). She loses her best friend, Livvie, when Livvies family shifts to California, away from the dust. Apart from that, she loses her mother, whom she greatly misses, and her newborn baby brother when they die. She cleans the dust and mud out of the house since her parent would have cleaned in case she was alive.

The author uses Billie Jos mothers absence and regrets Billie Jo to show how important the family unit is to the lives of people. She used to enjoy certain activities with her mother, which she can no longer do. She has thoughts about talking to her mother concerning daily events, but then she remembers that she is dead (Hesse 6). Individuals are blaming Billie Jo for her mothers death, which results in her losing self-respect and blaming herself. The author carefully uses every point of this characters life in the book to communicate the theme of loss and grief. Most times, an author can settle for different characters in a story to express an idea. Even if this is helpful, it could be challenging for someone attentive enough to grasp how a message is delivered to the reader (Alexander and Connie 54). Using a single being, allows Hesse to highlight various ways loss happens and the impact.

Billie Jos hands are burned badly due to an accident that killed her mother, which is the source of her grief. The author introduces the reader to the possibility that Billie Jos grief might last longer. This is clear as it is stated that her hands are scarred after trying to stop the flames from burning her mother. Normally, after experiencing such burns, there are marks left on someones body. In the case of Billie, it is her hands that will serve as a daily reminder of what happened. The reader is made to understand that some problems happening in life might have a long-lasting effect on someones life. This is the reason that the author mentions that Billie Jo regrets not doing certain activities with her dead mother. Additionally, before her mothers demise, she used to be known for her brilliance in playing piano. According to Hesse (9), after the occurrence, people view her as a poor motherless thing. This is a label that she is forced to carry for the rest of her life.

In addition to representing the themes of loss and grief through Billie Jos character, the author shows the importance of expressing another minor theme such as anger, which may help in giving a complete understanding of the story. It is normal that when someone is grieving, another emotion that they may feel is anger. Hesse (10) states that Billie Jo experiences the same and states that I am so filled with bitterness&from the absence of Ma. She knows that she is motherless and blames the situation on herself and her father. She is angry since the latter has distanced himself from her. Additionally, while trying to save her mother from fire, she lost her ability to play piano, which was her way out of the Dust Bowl. As she works through her new norm, she starts to accept what happened, which is the beginning of healing. Most of the time, when people undergo difficult circumstances that affect them psychologically, specialists track progress by determining if the victims are finally accepting what occurred (Mason et al. 151). The benefit of this is that other emotions and blame cease to exist in their hearts.

Billie Jo soon understands that the reason behind her fathers distancing himself from her is that he was grieving as well. To manage the pain, he endured at the time, he had to go to a bar while his wife was bedridden. After she starts healing from grief, she is at a point to comprehend that her father did the best he could at the moment. Additionally, despite overwhelming losses, Billie Jo forgives herself and her father. The latter can forgive himself, too (Hesse 11). The author has used these experiences to show the importance of merging two different fields, that is, literature and psychology. The two characters lose much when a woman and a newborn baby die. Their first response to the situation is to blame themselves and others due to anger and regret (Greenglass et al. 239). However, after they can manage the situation better and think, they receive emotional and mental healing.

Another major theme expressed in the book is family through Billie Jos family. Hesse (11) suggests that the family changes drastically by stating &in just a couple months after the baby is born, those apples will be ready& Despite this, they continue to conduct normal activities, which include her father farming and mother cooking, baking, and ensuring that Billie Jo completes her homework. After the tragedy, there is a great void in her and her fathers lives. They sit across from each other in the house in a manner they seem like strangers. The author explains that they are a family but one that is undergoing transition. The previous one consisting of Billie Jos mother and the newborn baby, is no longer in existence. When Billie Jo returns home after escaping, she talks with her father. They recognize that they are connected rather than divided by the accident. Therefore, they redefine their association and family and ultimately become comfortable with one another. Soon, they add Louise to the family as she is engaged to Billie Jos father.

The author has utilized the above-mentioned instances to explain the unit called family. It is difficult in times of trouble to understand each other since everyone is trying to deal with the present issues (French et al. 284). However, although it may seem difficult to connect while everyone is coping with their losses and grief in their unique ways, family members will likely reunite (Nugent 68). It is a unit that provides more than safety, as the connection to a specific problem brings togetherness since all are suffering from the same occurrence.

The third major theme is the environment and the impact of the surroundings on the people residing in the Dust Bowl. The drought that happens in the place and dust storms result in poverty since the conditions destroy wheat crops. In turn, the poor financial situation of the people decreases their morale and leaves them depressed. Living in the area under the circumstances creates tremendous hardships for everyone. The animals die, for there is nothing they can eat or drink, and dust and dirt exist everywhere. According to Hesse (15), the main characters father shows a sense of humor and comments, The potatoes were peppered plenty. In this case, he is trying to turn a difficult situation into laughter or providing hope, as the dust is the pepper in his joke. Billie Jo exhibits fear as she does not understand how they are going to live without food.

People in the Dust Bowl are nevertheless able to live there, farm, and find happiness despite all of this. The author illustrates sadness as part of life and the joy that people can have when the suffering is gone when they can forgive, and when they are surrounded by loved ones (Schwedt and Janice 2). By utilizing the setting of the Dust Bowl, the author desires that the reader appreciate their current environment.

Conclusion

The paper has communicated the ideas and themes shared by Karen Hesse in her literary work that can be applied to any society. For instance, the family unit becomes a major theme in the story after a tragedy happens. Billie Jos mother and newborn brother die after an accident, which leaves her and her father in a difficult state, both mentally and emotionally. Although they initially choose to deal with their issues separately, they find healing when they unite at such a difficult time.

Works Cited

Alexander, Robert, and Connie Nugent. Cultural Responses to the Dust Bowl. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles, vol. 6, no. 22, 2018, p. 53-56. Web.

French, Kimberly A., et al. A meta-analysis of work-family conflict and social support. Psychological Bulletin, vol. 144, no. 3, 2018, p. 284. Web.

Greenglass, Esther R., Lisa Fiksenbaum, and Ronald J. Burke. The relationship between social support and burnout over time in teachers. Occupational Stress. CRC Press, 2020, p. 239-248. Web.

Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust (Scholastic Gold). Scholastic Inc., 2012. Web.

Mason, Tina M., Cindy S. Tofthagen, and Harleah G. Buck. Complicated grief: risk factors, protective factors, and interventions. Journal of social work in end-of-life & palliative care, vol. 16, no. 2, 2020, p. 151174. Web.

Nugent, Connie. The Dust Bowl. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles, vol. 6, no. 22, 2018, p. 68-69. Web.

Schwedt, Rachel, and Janice A. DeLong. Out of the Dust (Revised), 2021, p. 1-3. Web.