Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks is most well known for her poem We Real Cool, written in 1966. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn Brooks received many literary honors over the course of her writing career, including an appointment as the Poet Laureate for the state of Illinois.
This essay will explain that the poem We Real Cool is preferable to the poems Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas, Harlem by Langston Hughes and Because I Could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson, because it employs simple and direct language to express an emotionally compelling narrative that centers on the story of seven young men in an urban environment.
Essentially all of the poems have related themes. Each poem deals on one level with death: Gwendolyn Brookss poem expresses the death of urban youth; Dylan Thomass Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night speaks of the death of the aged; Emily Dickinsons Because I Could not Stop for Death speaks of the inevitability of death, and Langston Hughess Harlem expresses the death of a dream. Gwendolyn Brookss We Real Cool stands out because of its simplicity and directness of style.
The basic story of the poem We Real Cool concerns a group of seven young men playing pool in lieu of attending their classes at school. Gwendolyn Brooks described these seven young men as dropouts, or at least theyre in the poolroom when they should possibly be in school, since theyre probably young enough, or at least those I saw were when I looked in a poolroom (Stavros 72).
These young men entertain smugness in this perceived act of rebelliousness, as evidenced by the lines We real cool. We Left school (Brooks 1). The word Left is capitalized to highlight the young mens pleasure in getting away with it (Brooks 1).
The poem successfully employs simple and direct language to offer the reader a piercing insight into the quality of these young mens activities: We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June (Brooks 1). The young men stay up late, avoid school, indulge in alcohol and sin, and listen to jazz music (Brooks 1).
We Real Cool expresses an authentic emotional experience of urban life as felt by disenfranchised youth; the reader understands through the language of the poem that these young men have essentially given up. Though the words real cool attempt to portray indifference, the final line, We die soon, shows that these young men do not believe in their own future (Brooks 1).
Lofty language creates an impenetrable wall in the work of Dylan Thomas, as evidenced by the lines because their words had forked no lightning (Thomas 1). Similarly, Emily Dickinsons Because I Could not Stop for Death has a slightly chilly intellectualism, as evidenced by the lines Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me, The Carriage held but just Ourselves, And Immortality (Dickinson 2).
Langston Hughess poem is the closest to Gwendolyn Brooks in the sense of its simplicity and authenticity, as seen in the lines Maybe it just sags, like a heavy load (Hughes 2). However in terms of penetrating language delivered in a simple and accessible style, the poem most suited to emotional authenticity is We Real Cool, as shown by the following lines: We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon (Brooks 1).
Works Cited
Brooks, Gwendolyn. We Real Cool. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.:Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Dickinson, Emily. Because I Could not Stop for Death. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.:Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Hughes, Langston. Harlem. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.:Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Stavros, George. An Interview with Gwendolyn Brooks. Contemporary Literature 11.1: (1970). 72. Print.
Thomas, Dylan. Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.:Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith is a novel about two special families united by destiny. Is seems that fate has played a hand in the whole matter and condemned the two families together for life. However, the story also satirizes multiculturalism and upholds fundamentalism. Smith presents multiculturalism as a dilemma that is inevitable but almost impossible to perfect. No more has the author of the novel successfully satirizes multiculturalism than in the two twin brothers Millat and Magid Iqbal.
The two men are a representation not only of the perils of multicultural communities but also mirror individuals fighting identity crises. Despite the fact that the two are twins Millat and Magid are not the friendliest of brothers and do not shy away from fighting out their differences in public. The irony of it is that despite the fact that the twins are so different it can also be said that they are mirror images of each others.
Magid and Millat are polar opposites. Despite the t the two being twins, the differences play out in public from the onset of their birth. Magid is the elder of the twin by the virtue of him being the born first. This causes Millat to develop deep seated feeling of personal inadequacy and feels less of an Iqbal than his first born twin brother Magid.
Millat feels that this is the reason why his father develops a special liking for Magid and as such feels like he is the lesser of the Iqbal thus: What is the root cause Millats feelings of inadequacy? Magid. He has been born second because of Magid. He was the lesser son because of Maqid (Smith 462). It is through this sense of inadequacy that Smith brings out the issue of identify crisis.
Millat feels the lesser iqbad, and as such seeks attention of his father in negative behaviors. His father doesnt help thing and shows Magid more favoritism driving Millat further into rebellion.
Smiths satirization of multiculturalism is seen in the cultural identity crises in the two brothers. Samad, the twins father, wants his sons not to lose their cultural heritage and as such pushes them to learn his traditional Mangal Pande Islamic faith just as he had done. As such he sends Magid back to Bangladesh so as he can be taught while Millat remains in England.
The irony of this is that the two rebel against their fathers wishes. Magid, intend becomes more English and a largely philosophical atheist and is only interested in pursuing law in England.
Millat who grows up in England rebels against the English culture and joins a rebel Muslim group, Kevin. In this way the Magid and Millat can be seen as identical: identical in that they are both rebels. Samat blames the western culture for corrupting his sons and thus laments: I should never have brought my children here so far from God (Smith 145).
Magid and Millat are thus emblematic of the perils of multiculturalism through their identity crises, as well as fundamentalism. They both rebel against the wishes of their father to join radical groups. Magid becomes an atheist while Millat becomes a radical Muslim. This is quite the opposite of what their father intended of them to be. The twins can be seen as a representation of the challenges of a global community that is increasingly becoming multicultural.
Works Cited
Smith, Zadie, White teeth. New York: Random House, 2000. Print
There are a lot of different pieces of work aimed at dwelling upon human virtues and those which criticize those and show how people may behave. Reading Pamela by Samuel Richardson is possible to make a conclusion that the novel is the guide aimed at showing the world that living in the cruel and immoral world it is possible to remain virginal even when it seems that there is no another way out.
The book should be used as a guide for youth who live in the modern world and do not think about their future lives. It is important to read such books as they help think about some particular themes connected with virgin, pride and prejudice.
The main idea of the novel is to show the heroine feelings and emotions, to express her personal attitude and thoughts. The book is written in a form of letters from Pamela to her parents which helps the reader to understand the thoughts of the heroine better and deeper. Letters are used as the dairy as writing those a girl is unable to send them to her parents and she does not know whether she will be able to do it or not.
Such novels must be written as being presented in the forma of the letters from the main character, the reading appears to be as the consideration of the dairy of a person, as something forbidden and as a result more interesting and exciting. Reading diaries of others makes people feel acknowledged about the private life of others. Dwelling upon the main idea of the letters is it important to stress on the moral doubts of a woman.
She understands that her behavior must be strong and she should not submit to the masters desire, but she also feels that it is strong for her not to obey. However, having read the novel up to the end, I was glad to see that Pamela managed to remain firm in her decision and the marriage she managed to reach was the confirmation that people should always try to follow their desires.
However, comparing and contrasting Pamela by Samuel Richardson with Moll Flanders by Defoe, it is possible to compare and contrast two lives absolutely different and opposite. Moll Flanders, apart from Pamela, was a prostitute, she was in jail, she had to rob, in other words, she did all the things and actions which seemed inappropriate for Pamela. Still, the question appears, whether these women were happy? The conclusion seems obvious.
Each of the heroics was satisfied with the life and was happy during a definite period of life and each of them suffered. Everyone should choose their life positions basing on their inner considerations and firm statements. The examples of these two novels show that people can live as they want, but at the end of their lives they get what they deserve.
Therefore, Pamela by Samuel Richardson and Moll Flanders by Defoe may be used as the guides for those who appear in the situation of tension and choice. When people have to decide whether to be temped for the personal benefit or remain firm, they are to read these two books. As for me, people should follow their inner desire and listen to their inner considerations which were applied to them from childhood.
The Australian author David Malouf based his novel Ransom on the myths from Homers Iliad, including the death of Patroclus (Book 16), episode when Achilles kills Hector (Book 22), the funeral of Patroclus (Book 23) and visit of Priam to Achilles (Book 24). However, although the author uses the ancient stories, his attention is concentrated on the demonstration of the spiritual evolution of the heroes and the nature of their relations.
For Homer, the major explanation of the all events is the power of gods and fate, while Malouf emphasizes the human side. In this case, the essence of titles, class and identity plays a significant role in the narration as the explanation of the human behavior and the reasons of the social conflicts.
For Malouf, the superior position of the mediator is a key moment of the war. While many people are involved in the conflicts, while they suffer and die, it is possible to find a peaceful solution. The author emphasizes a role of negotiations as well as the importance of the leader who can start or stop the war using his authority and power.
Thus, the author describes the relations between king Priam and commoner Somax, demonstrating that the social status is not the main reason of being leader or to start the war. Although Priam is a king, he is too young to be leader. In this situation, Somas is seen as the more competent, experienced and knowledgeable and, thereby, more authoritative. However, in the ancient Greece, titles were the main element and royalty was seen as the superior and even mystified.
Malouf describes the personal search of three men for the self-determination. They feel the limits of their social roles and want to be etched in the annals of history. For instance, Achilles who has a divine origin and lives on the border of the mortal world and divine identifies himself as a human and wants to protect his folk. He is a great warrior and, at the same, time he is a human-being with its strong and weak sides.
In case of Priam, even his name highlights his royal origin and destination as the great king. He indicates himself as the protector of his country.
Malouf indicates an absence of the differences between the personal and social and political interests of kings. The royal class in this story is shown as the great rulers, protectors of the population who do not divide the personal and public.
For the heroes, the personal is considered only jointly with the public and for the ruler only that event is good which is good for the whole nation. It is a nature of the heroism in the era of wars and violence. Priam tries to understand when will be the time for him to expose the humanity.
Analyzing novel Ransom, it is possible to conclude that the author sees the titles as the key element of the authority and leading position in the ancient Greece. At the same time, all representatives of royal class in this novel are brave and selfless, in some extent, they even better than the ordinary citizens.
They identify themselves as the defenders and they are ready to die in order to protect the country. Obviously, such humanist thoughts emphasize the legend-making nature of the story.
It is difficult for an honest man to live in a corrupt world. This is the premise of Marcel Pagnols play entitled Topaze. An honest man in a corrupt world is like a fish out of water. In the said play the protagonist adhered to a set of values that are alien to the people that have adapted to a belief system that was rooted in corruption (Pagnol 10).
If this is the case, then, the future looks bleak for those who aspire to follow the right path. It is therefore important to answer the query with regards to the difficulty of living in a corrupt world. However, a closer reading of the play will reveal that Pagnol did not write about the difficulty of living in a corrupt world, instead, he focused on the difficulty of attaining success.
An honest man is an alien in a corrupt world. He possesses values that are counter-intuitive to a corrupt man. This can be seen in the early part of the story wherein the reader is cautioned about the foolishness of seeking after immoral gain (Pagnol 9). In the case of the protagonist named Topaze, he was naive enough to believe that the world he lived in shared his values (Popkin 164).
His name symbolizes a precious stone in the midst of useless decaying matter. Corruption in its basic form means something is unable to survive till the end. A piece of meat left in open air cannot see the end of the week because the decomposing flesh is consumed by elements of decay.
A precious stone on the other hand is precious not only because of its beauty but its staying power. Thus, a corrupt man may enjoy the trappings of wealth but unable to enjoy the true meaning of life. The rich man in the play wore beautiful clothes but endures the pain of a broken family (Pagnol 15).
The wife of the wealthy patriarch possesses all the fine things that money can buy but goes home to an empty house because her husband spends the majority of his time with his mistress. The author said that it is better to suffer evil rather than to enjoy the fruits of immoral actions (Pagnol 9).
An honest man may not be able to afford gold and diamonds but he can go home to a family that loves him. He can enjoy life with a wife that treats him with respect. In addition, an honest man can produce children that treat him with respect.
There is one thing that can be expected in the life of a corrupt man and that is to replicate the same manner of thinking through his children (Pagnol 10) Consider for instance the way the son of the rich man tried to manipulate the system as he desired to achieve academic excellence without putting in real effort in his studies (Pagnol 11).
Going back to the query regarding honesty, one can argue that an honest man can live in a corrupt world. However, it is difficult to attain success. Topaze can survive in a corrupted world, but he found out that it is impossible to succeed (Pagnol 139). There is a big difference between the idea of survival and success.
Survival means the ability to live in a society with just the bare essentials. It is living in constant worry that there may not be enough food for the family. It is a life without assurance of permanent shelter and access to healthcare. This is illustrated through the transformation of Topaze from a poor teacher to a man of wealth and power (Pagnol 135).
A successful person on the other goes beyond survival. He and his family enjoy privileges that are inaccessible to other people Success is understood as the accumulation of wealth and everything that goes with it. Success is the capability to provide comfort for the family. Success means the assurance of access to solutions for almost every conceivable need.
This was illustrated by the evidence of accumulated wealth when Topaze displayed the fruits of his labor like an office with all the trappings of power and titles that speak about his status in the community (Pagnol 183). Nevertheless, Topazes life was also an example of the price that has to be paid in terms of exchanging a happy and peaceful life with one that is full of stress and inner turmoil (Pagnol 141).
A successful person provides all these things. But a poor man does not have access to resources that enables him to attain success. As a result there is great temptation to bend the rules and sometimes to break them in order to accumulate wealth that leads to success.
At the end Topaze succumbed to the temptation because he could not resist not only the charm of wealth but the beauty of women (Pagnol 183). In the end Topaze was not only seduced by wealth but also by the charms of a seductress (Pagnol 183). Thus, it can be said that an honest man can live in a corrupt world but it would be very difficult for him to find success.
Conclusion
The play entitled Topaze seems to argue that an honest man cannot live in a corrupt world. But a closer reading of the play will reveal that an honest man can live in a corrupt world but will find it difficult to attain success. The difficulty lies in his decision not to violate the principles instilled in his mind and heart. Although an honest man may not find success, he can survive in a corrupt world. Nevertheless, he may find it extremely difficult to remain honest for long.
Works Cited
Pagnol, Marcel. Topaze. Paris: Aux Grandes, 1930. Print.
Popkin, Debra. Modern French Literature. MI: Ungar Press, 1977. Print.
The following essay will analyze five poems: two from Emily Dickinson, one from Dylan Thomas, one from Langston Hughes and one from Gwendolyn Brooks. These five poems run the gamut of style, theme and imagery.
Each poem has been chosen because it is indicative of a certain aspect of the poets work, and will be analyzed from the perspective of imagery, followed by a discussion of each individual poems theme. The poets themselves differ greatly in life experience and subject matter, all of which the reader sees reflected in this sampling of poetic works.
The poets have been chosen because they all created work that came from their personal experience and crafted it into poems that have stood the test of time and continue to be studied and interpreted years after their initial publication. The poems under discussion include Because I Could Not Stop for Death and Wild Nights_Wild Nights! by Emily Dickinson, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas, Harlem by Langston Hughes and We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks.
Because I Could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson was chosen for this paper because it is the most famous and most successful example of her proleptic poems, wherein the narrator addresses the reader from beyond the curtain of death. Critics and biographers have attributed the impetus for the poem Because I Could not Stop for Death to the death of one of Emily Dickinsons friends, Olivia Coleman, who succumbed to a tuberculosis attack while riding in a carriage in 1846 (Joyner 1).
After this event Emily Dickinson wrote to a friend named Abiah Root and remarked in that correspondence that she almost wish[ed] there was no Eternity. To think that we must live forever and never cease to be (Joyner 1). As many poets do, Emily Dickinson drew from her life experience to develop her work and the deaths of her family members and friends factor greatly in many of her poems as a result (Joyner 1)
The most arresting image in Because I Could not Stop for Death occurs in the stanza Since thentis Centuriesand yet, Feels shorter than the Day, I first surmised the Horses Heads, Were toward Eternity (Dickinson 2).
According to critic Nancy Joyner this stanza might imply that the speaker is remembering the day of her death from beyond the grave, or that her escort has betrayed her by keeping her riding in limbo, or that she is expressing a death wish, or that she merely distinguishes between finitude&and timelessness, or that she finds the humans lot of the realization of death to be so overwhelming that it makes time stand still (Joyner 1). The multiple interpretations that this image supports speaks to the brilliance of Emily Dickinson as a poet.
The image itself is simultaneously chilling and compelling, largely because the narrator addresses the reader using the pronoun I (Dickinson 2). The narrators realization is made that much more personal and arresting using first person and the imagery tis Centuriesand yet, Feels shorter than the Day places the poem in a state which accurately describes the experience of being beyond time (Dickinson 2).
The theme of Because I Could not Stop for Death speaks to the human propensity to avoid the subject of death. The narrator could not stop for Death (Dickinson 2). Given the reality of human life that we are mortal the irony of this line implies that the narrator has entered a state of denial toward death which makes her believe that she might actually escape it if she continues to deny its existence.
Wild Nights_Wild Nights! was chosen because it represents a pure expression of the dizzying emotional heights attained by those in love. Love poems in the work of Emily Dickinson are rare; her work was largely intellectual in nature. Yet Emily Dickinsons poetic gift was perfectly able to communicate loves passion, and her expression is full of abandon. According to Emily Dickinsons niece Madame Martha Bianchi, who was the poets first biographer, love poems such as Wild Nights_Wild Nights! were created from the poets love affair with a married man that the poet met while away on a trip (Powell 1).
The affair was solved in the ideal Victorian manner. The lovers made the great renunciation. The man took his family and went west, [and] Emily returned to Amherst to&live that life of seclusion which is always associated with her name (Powell 1). Nonetheless, Wild Nights_Wild Nights! remains a passionate declaration of love.
The most arresting image in Wild Nights_Wild Nights! occurs in the stanzas Futilethe WindsTo a Heart in portDone with the CompassDone with the Chart! Rowing in EdenAh, the Sea! Might I but moorTonightIn Thee! (Dickinson 3). The poet compares her heart to a ship that has returned home after long voyage and has no intention of returning to the ocean, having found an idyllic harbor.
The theme of the poem is love, and the use of punctuation, particularly the exclamation points, suggests to the reader that these feelings of love are new, given their intensity. As Powell explains, much of Emily Dickinsons works makes little sensuous appeal at all, using images which are purely intellectual, yet Wild Nights_Wild Nights! stands apart as a testament to the passion that lived in the poets heart. (Powell 1)
The poem Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night was chosen for this paper because of its vibrant use of imagery. The poet wrote this poem for his dying father, and according to Hochman, entreats his father not to accept death quietly, but instead, to fight it (Hochman 1). Dylan Thomas never sent the poem while the old man was alive, yet it has become one of his most famous works.
One particularly arresting image found in the poem occurs in the stanza Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright, Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night (Thomas 1). Dylan Thomass imagery here suggests an epic wrestling with the cosmic forces of mortality by enlisting the ocean and sun. These stanza also create tremendous movement within the poem.
Death is the theme of Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night, and the poem offers Dylan Thomass uncommon counsel not to accept the good night that death represents passively, but to go down fighting (Thomas 1). Typically the fodder of poetry is a quiet resignation to mortal forces beyond our control; many poems with death as their theme encourage readers to accept&death peacefully and gracefully (Hochman 1).
However in Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night Dylan Thomas offers something far more incendiary in that he suggests that mortals should not accept this core fundament of our being. In Hochmans words, perhaps it is this contradiction, unreconciled, that gives this poem its power, its ability to paralyze rational overcoming and obstruct the desire to make polarities meet at some middle ground (Hochman 1).
Harlem by Langston Hughes was chosen for this paper because the poem speaks to the urban experience of the socioeconomically oppressed underclass of modern cities.
One arresting image from the poem occurs in the last line or does it explode? (Hughes 3). Hughes ends the poem with an ambiguous image which could be construed equally as death or violent anger. When interpreted as violent anger, the final line may be read as a call to action that portends the Civil Rights movement in the United States.
Hughes clearly describes the theme of Harlem in the rhetorical question that opens the poem: What happens to a dream deferred? (Hughes 3). The dream put on hold describes the psychological suffering of a generation of human beings deprived of human rights on the basis of skin color.
The poem We Real Cool was chosen for this paper for two reasons: one, because the simplicity of its language provides an arresting contrast to the other poems, and two, because similar to Harlem, it has a grounded, urban quality that speaks to the real issues faced by socioeconomically disenfranchised city dwellers.
One arresting image in We Real Cool occurs in the line We Sing sin (Brooks 1). This one line contrasts the other lines of the poem that describe resignation because it speaks to a desire for life in these young men. The fact that they Sing sin means that they revel in pleasure, and reveling in pleasure means that they want to experience life, and contradicts the idea that they are simply waiting for death (Brooks 1). The reader understands this because Sing has been capitalized (Brooks 1).
There are two ways to interpret the theme of We Real Cool. The last line We / Die soon, suggests a tragic statement revealing the short violent nature of the lives of these young men. Conversely, however, as critic Joe Sarnowski points out, We / Die soon, could also be a reminder that life is short and needs to be lived to the fullest (Brooks 1).
In Sarnowskis words, the pool players seem to say that life is too short: that we all die too soon, so why not enjoy life while one has it? (Sarnowski 2). The theme of We Real Cool could then be interpreted as a calling for young and old alike to face death without fear or regret (Sarnowski 2).
The poems under discussion in this essay Because I Could Not Stop for Death and Wild Nights_Wild Nights! by Emily Dickinson, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas, Harlem by Langston Hughes and We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks represent a sampling of some of the most provocative poems of the last two centuries. Rich in imagery and rife with multiple themes, these poems continue to be studied and read long past the deaths of their creators due to their universal appeal.
Works Cited
Brooks, Gwendolyn. We Real Cool. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Dickinson, Emily. Because I Could not Stop for Death. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Dickinson, Emily. Wild Nights_Wild Nights! Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print
Hochman, Jhan. An Overview of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night. Poetry for Students. Mary K. Ruby, ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Web.
Hughes, Langston. Harlem. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Joyner, Nancy Carol. Because I Could Not Stop For Death: Overview. Reference Guide to American Literature. Jim Kamp, ed. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Web.
Powell, Desmond. Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism: Volume 171. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker, eds. Detroit: Gale Group, 2006. Web.
Sarnowski, Joe. Critical Essay on We Real Cool. Poetry for Students. Mary K. Ruby, ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Web.
Thomas, Dylan. Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night. Reading for English 2. Mark Connelley and Joseph Trimmer, eds. Oxford, U.K.:Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
The novel Harm by Brian Aldiss is a science fiction discussing the fear-drenched government systems in the fight against terrorism. Reflectively, the author introduces a thin line beyond which the west should or should not cross in its war on terror (Aldris 31).
Narrated in prose, the author is raging at policies of war on terror and illiberal response of liberal democracies. Adopting an independent approach, he resonates on the perceived acceptable limits of action in the mission to protect citizens and interests of the administrative institution (Gerke 36).
In the process of achieving this goal, the author identifies unified approach in combating terrorism through illegalized glorification of terrorism by directly challenging laws on terrorism. Brian has created several characters in this fiction novel and assigns traits that eventually enable them to survive and thrive in their quest for self-fulfillment in the unbearable conditions and challenges. Thus, this reflective treatise attempts to analyze character survival of the main actor, Paul Fadhil Abbas Ali.
The main character is Paul Fadhil Abbas Ali who is introduced as a young British writer married to a Scottish woman. This protagonist pokes holes into the political system of the British government in his comic novel. Sired by Muslim parents, the young lad has a published comic novel which has sold few copies yet draws controversy with a government organ.
In the comic novel The Pied Piper of Hament , Ali reflects jokingly on the possibility of the death of the Prime Minister through assassination and draws the attention of the whole powerful Hostile Activities Research Ministry (HARM) assigned the role of investigating terrorism activities and threat to national security.
Upon their investigations, HARM discovered that Ali had just returned from Saudi Arabia on a holiday trip and immediately detains him on the charges of being a suspected terrorist. Unfortunately, the investigative process is so brutal and inhuman since the law permits HARM to establish the truth from him by any means possible in a system that creates monsters (Aldris 22).
In response, Ali constructs a world of fantasies to escape from the torture and degradation into an imaginary planet. This planet is called Stygia. In the fantasy world, passengers of a gigantic ship from planet Earth make it to this planet in inactive form controlled by the molecular assembly (Aldris 67).
Unfortunately, upon reaching their destination, transformational process failed to materialize and the passengers end up developing brain damage, language inconsistency, and confusion. In Stygia, Ali is called Fremant and has the position of a bodyguard to Astaroth who is the leader of this colony.
Astraroth has initiated a genocide war against the inhabitants of this planet who double up as Fremants friends just as it is happening on the planet Earth where Ali has been subjected to brutal torture without a substantial reason. Consequently, Fremant is in the dilemma of allocating loyalty to the two parties (Aldris 87). He is caught between being fully loyal to his repressive boss and supporting the course of the subjects facing extinction threats.
Having been a victim of intimidation as a result of the inhuman torture by the HARM, Ali hides from the reality by switching off the conscious mind into the subconscious being as the torture transcends to unbearable level. In the other world, Ali is a member of the ruling class who colonized that planet before human being discovered its existence (Aldris 49).
Reflectively, Ali has developed a self consolation tactic to survive the unfair treatment in the contemporary society. Interestingly, Alis interaction with members of the imaginary planet is more or less similar to what is happening within the boundaries of HARM. Just as it is happening in the society controlled by HARM, authority in the fantasy world is also oppressive on its subjects who are due to face extinction from an arrangement of conspiracy genocide.
Also, imagination is presented as a form of survival tactic (Aldris 39). The main character uses intrinsic imagination to present an ideology without necessarily having to experience the oppressive intimidation adopted by the government organ. In doing so, he pokes holes into the oppressive system which is meant to protect citizens of this society.
In a quest to survive and thrive in the inhuman society, Ali is satirical and displays radical fragmentation personality. The two personalities representing the same character in different worlds share same technical and astonishing strong will (Peterson 21). Though the situation seems unbearable in the imaginary world, Fremant sets out on an adventure to establish existence of any survivor of the genocide (Aldris 39).
This is motivated by the inner need to set his mind free from the guilt of conspiracy to clear a race initiated by his boss. Further, the imaginary planet is unwelcoming following the population explosion of the horse-size ants. Somehow, the main character survives the unfavorable conditions due to strong will (Black 43).
Conclusively, in the prison, Ali is not sure whether he subconsciously planned the assassination of the Prime Minster or he is just a victim of an oppressive system. Despite the ignorance of people surrounding him in prison, Ali ends up achieving dismal gains (Aldris 67) in the dream for self fulfillment.
Works Cited
Aldris, Brian. Harm. Indiana: Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 2007. Print.
Black, Joseph. The Broadview anthology of British literature. London: Broadview Press, 2008. Print.
Gerke, Jeff. Plot Versus Character: A Balanced Approach to Writing Great Fiction. New York: Writers Digest Books, 2010. Print.
Peterson, Christopher. Character strengths and virtues: a handbook and classification. New York: American Psychological Association, 2004. Print.
The book by the title Born on a Blue day is a story describing the journey through the life of a character who is also the author-Daniel Tammet. He is a person whose life, character and ability can be termed as unique. Tammet was born on January 31, 1979 in East London, England and he was the oldest in a family of nine. He was brought up in a poor family where only the father had a job to cater for the family needs. In his book, Tammet narrates his early life and how he grew up and all the challenges he faced.
When he was young, Tammet cried continuously for long hours to an extent that the only way to silence him was through breastfeeding. At other times, the father would hold him in his arms and walk along the streets during the morning hours as a way to sooth and relieve the crying (Tammet 15).
According to Tammet (16), his crying was so loud that his parents consulted a doctor several times and after diagnosing the infant, the doctor claimed that the infant was suffering from colic- prolonged crying of a kid and thus, hard to sooth. Despite all these, his parents never got tired of looking after him. They always wanted to see their kid healthy and happy and when the right time came, Tammet was taken to school.
While at school, Tammet became a completely different pupil. He wanted to live his own life without interacting with the other kids. In many occasions, he was scared of watching television programs and dancing with other children and for this reason, he was isolated from his schoolmates.
Finally, the crying ceased something that the parents took positively not realizing that their kid was suffering from autism, a disorder in the development of the mind that was less known by then. According to Farrell, (112), autism makes the affected to have an odd repetitive behavior and usually view the environment as strange to them.
He spent most of his time in libraries since he had a great passion to learn. The fruits of his passion to learn are evident as he can express himself through speech and writing, something that was not possible before then and this is not common to many who have the same kind of disorder.
It is evident that Tammet is obsessed with the need to go by orders and routine in all what he does. For instance, he eats exactly 45 grams of porridge each morning for breakfast and using an electronic balance, he makes sure that this is the exact weight. On top of this, he takes a cup of tea exactly at the same time each day or else, he suffers from stress.
However, he understands how to control himself and get out of stress by counting numbers after which his mind settles. As a routine, he cannot leave the house having not counted the number of clothes he has worn. This is actually an unusual way of life for a normal being. However, despite all these disorders, he lives an independent life unlike many others with such a problem.
As a savant, he is mentally handicapped in certain areas, but he shows strong abilities in some other fields. For example, he is gifted in memory, mostly in mathematical calculation and in languages. He memorized the value of pi which has 22,517 digits in three months. Tammet completed his high school education and performed tremendously well in English Grammar, Literature and Mathematics by scoring grade A in the three and a C in Woodwork.
This is a clear reflection of his strengths and weaknesses; he is weak in Woodwork. Afterwards, Tammet opted to teach English for one year in Lithuania before joining university. During this time, he took a challenge of learning Icelandic, a foreign language in just one week and he emerged successful to an extent of conversing fluently in a national television station in Icelandic.
Tammet is such a gifted man; he has the ability to see numbers in colors, shapes and motions. He has also some emotions and feelings towards certain numbers. He says that these colors and shapes of numbers assist him to know the solution to a mathematical problem such as multiplication.
However, he experiences difficulties to recall some numbers such as six and eight because to him, they seem tiny dots which are black in color. He associates some numbers to certain occurrences in life. For instance, 89 remind him of falling snow, and the number 9 seems blue in his mind. He also believes that all Wednesdays are blue and that is why he says that he was born on a blue day on January 31, 1979, a Wednesday.
It is not a surprise to many who understand much about savants to say that Tammet is a homosexual. Savants are those people suffering from Aspergers, who, for example in the case of men, they have little or no sexual feelings at all towards the females, but are sexually attracted towards their fellow men.
Following his trip to Lithuania, Tallet met Neil, a man who they became lovers and later formed a partnership and established an internet-based company where they specialized on teaching languages. He is able to come up with new ideas and implement them creatively and innovatively.
We come to learn that later, in the year 2002 during a Christmas day, Tammet was converted into a Christian, but the funny thing is that in his testimony speech, he hardly talks of the sins that he has committed there before and says nothing to do with a change of his behavior. With this, it is not worth judging whether he committed a sin by being a homosexual or not. This is because the act itself is considered sinful in most Christian context and we have no evidence of the act whatsoever mentioned in the text in order to judge him.
The role of this book in bettering peoples understanding of special needs children cannot be ignored. It is of great importance for all people to understand and accept others regardless of their weaknesses for they do not know the fabulous gifts and abilities they possess.
For decades now, children as well as adults who are either physically or mentally challenged have faced discrimination in most countries. To curb this, the government and non-governmental organizations should intervene and ensure that all get their rights met. Those with disabilities such as mental and speech retardation, vision impairment and emotional problems should be provided with special education in order to realize and achieve their careers.
When educating students with special needs, they can either be included or excluded from the rest of the students. When excluded, a student is taught from wherever he/she is through an outreach programs. This is a highly effective method since a kid can learn even from the hospital and thus, he is not left behind by the others as they learn.
Through the inclusion method, chances are high that a kid with disorders may be pulled up by the others as they interact. However, some may be affected negatively as they are likely to face rejection and thus feel inferior.
From the book `Born on a Blue day, we learn that Tammet required special education and since he was not given, he faced a lot of discrimination from other kids at school. However, this did not kill his dream, but if special attention was offered to him, things would otherwise have been different. To effectively cater for the needs of the special needs kids, Kirk et al (5), asserts that organized efforts from various stakeholders are needed.
Tammet had a mental disorder and an expert would have improved the condition for the better. Such things as simplified and short assignments, extra tuition and skipping of hard tasks depending on the minds capability would have rehabilitated his mental development. However, having gone through all this, Tammet still made it.
This is also as a result of his parents dedication to educate him. Although they earned very little salary and had a big family to cater for, they sacrificed the little they had and paid the fees for their kid. This should be a lesson to the present day parents who see it a shame having given birth to a mentally or physically challenged infant.
Works Cited
Farrell, Michael. 2006. The effective teachers guide to autism and communication difficulties: practical strategies. New York: Taylor & Francis. 2006. Print
Kirk, Samuel, Gallagher James, Coleman, Mary and Anastasiow, Nick. Educating Exceptional Children. New York: Sage. 2008.
Tammet Daniel. Born on a blue day: inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant: a memoir. England: Simon and Schuster Publishers. 2007. Print.
Ithaca is a complicated chapter in James Joyces book Ulysses. The chapter gives details about two protagonists Bloom and Stephen. Bloom returns home together with Stephen. The chapter is written in form of questions and answers. The chapter does not follow the conventional writing style. Joyce gives an outline of events that happen instead of giving a linear plot (Lawrence 559).
Style
The chapter is written in a radical style that does not follow the convention literary style. James goes against the rules of prose and writes in his own unique style that makes the chapter difficult. For instance, as the chapter begins, Joyce uses a narrative style full of repetition. The style shows that Blooms homecoming is not triumphant, as it would have been expected after being away from home form such a long time.
The narrative style does not go up to the end of the chapter but changes to encyclopaedic narrative (Ulysses 1). The encyclopaedic narrative does not lead to a climax in a story like the way the narrative style does to give a lesson or meaning of the story. At the end of the chapter, no meaning can be derived and a reader can have many conclusions. At the end, Bloom finds out that his wife has been unfaithful.
The evidence of her infidelity stares him in the face but he does not do anything New clean bedlinen, additional odours, the presence of a human form, female, hers, the imprint of a human form, male, not his, some crumbs, some flakes of potted meat, recooked, which he removed (Joyce 1).
Molly his wifes affair with Boylan does not seem to bother Bloom much even though he thinks about divorcing her or confronting Boylan. The two ideas play in his mind just as fantasies. He thinks about the other things that are worse than adultery and the idea that a man sleeps with a woman thinking he is the first in her life but in reality he is one among previous men.
Therefore, Bloom decides to forgive her. A reader has to decide between Bloom being a very forgiving man for overlooking his wifes betrayal or a foolish man who does not have the nerve to stand up for the right thing. Moreover, one can forget about Bloom entirely with his flaws.
Joyce does not lead the reader to any moral at the end story but he leaves ends hanging loose. The chapter does not give answers to the questions that arises in the readers minds about the happenings. The explanation and happenings in the chapter are many and demonstrate futility (Gibson 16).
The chapter employs anti-climax. The opposite of our expectations happen because we expect Bloom and Stephen to form a meaningful friendship but at the end, they drift apart. Stephen shows he has no consideration for his friends feelings when he tells Bloom an anti-Semitic narrative. The narrative shows a lack of understanding between the two friends. Moreover, Stephen declines the offer to sleep over at Blooms and does not seem enthusiastic about meeting in the future (Ulysses 1).
Third person narrative
Joyce uses the third person narrative in Ithaca. The story is told in a cold manner and often repetitive by a narrator who sees the characters minds. The details given about ordinary things make them very complicated and the details do not seem important. He employs a scientific style and uses complicated words that often leave a reader wondering what the author is writing about in the story.
For example, Joyce describes how water gets into the tap that Bloom fetches. The details about how the water runs through the water system in the town is explained in detail making the process look very complicated. Ordinarily, a person just fetches water without thinking about how the water gets to the tap.
In another instance, Stephen explains to Bloom his reasons for declining to take a bath. He says he has hydrophobia and hates either partial or total immersion in water. The words used in the explanation are complex and not used in everyday conversation by mundane people (Ulysses 1).
Catechism
Joyce employs catechism style in Ithaca. Catechism is a style used in the Catholic Church to teach using questions and responses that students memorize. The students are asked questions and expected to give the memorized responses to show that they have strong faith. Ithaca is written in form of questions and answers.
The responses are not a sets of believes like in Christian catechism but the responses give details regarding people, and how they live their lives in spite of their faith or what it may demand of them. The responses are long and wandering in the strained conversation between Stephen and Bloom. The language used is theoretical and scientific.
It makes Blooms spiritual appear as observations and orderly formulas. Bloom shares characteristics similar to other human beings as portrayed by his experiences (Ulysses 1).
Stream of consciousness
The stream of consciousness shows the thoughts of a person in an edited form. Through the technique, Joyce shows us the thoughts of some characters and explains their action. The characters thoughts are shown to us unedited and we are able to connect their thoughts and actions to make better judgement about their character traits.
Through Blooms thoughts, we see how he sees himself through various perspectives such as in a lifetime work, single night sleep or universes lifetime. He is able to shift his perspective and judge himself hence he avoids condemning his wife. The stream of consciousness is embedded throughout the chapter (Report on James Joyce Ulysses 1).
Structure
The structure of Ithaca is complex because of the question and answer technique employed by the author. The words used in the denotative language are complex to understand. Furthermore, Joyce uses sentences from other languages such as Irish and Hebrew. The structure of the chapter is further complicated by use of gibberish words. Some of the sentences are difficult to understand and a reader has to think hard about what the author means.
In other words reading Joyces works becomes an active process. The sentences are like riddles or knots that one must undo to understand their meaning. However, once the knots are undone the sentences become clear and the meaning easily understood. For instance From outrage (matrimony) to outrage (adultery) there arose nought but outrage (copulation) yet the matrimonial violator of the matrimonially violated had not been outraged by the adulterous violator of the adulterously violated is a difficult sentence (Joyce 1).
The sentence means that Bloom has accepted his wifes adultery. He thinks that the affair must have occurred because he was not around to take care of his wifes needs. Therefore, her action is justified because she needed a man and she must have enjoyed the affair. He shifts the blame from his wife to himself and decides to accept her. He uses the passive form of English a shift from the active form to arrive at the acceptance of his wifes action.
The chapter has many facts but it also contains nothingness. Some of the words have no meaning and leads to disorderliness. The purpose of the chapter to lead to a system fails, as one gets lost in language.
The author uses awkward words and combines a deliberate effort of employing an incorrect method of writing (Gibson 18). The chapter shows many imperfections such as Blooms marriage and his injuries to the head. Joyce uses the errors and imperfections in the chapter to shutter the illusion of objective reliability (Gibson 18).
The author also incorporates repetition in the structure. The repetitions help the author to play with words and bring about a sense of humor. For example when Bloom remembers how he turned down an invitation to visit Stephens family Very gratefully, with grateful appreciation, with sincere appreciative gratitude, in appreciatively grateful sincerity of regret, he declined (Joyce 1).
Conclusion
Ithaca shows us how Bloom becomes the hero through his action of selflessness forgiveness of a sin many would not consider forgiving easily. Joyce takes us through the characters lives and shows us how real life is, and how human beings respond to the things, they encounter along their journey through the world.
The chapter is long and the many questions can leave one confused about what the characters are saying because sometimes the narrator does not give all the details. However, the chapter remains an important one in the book as many questions are answered through the catechism style.
The theme and concept of place is widely used in literature. This is because the characters and objects used by the author have to be placed somewhere. In this particular work of literature, the author starts with a mention of a place (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009).
The main character is depicted as somebody who is willing to settle in a nice place. In this particular instance, the main character desires to be in a particular geographical place described as a village. This is the place that she used to live in seven years ago.
The picture of the place is only constructed in the mind. This is because the character does not make a drawing for a visual and real understanding of the place. However, with a vivid description of the serenity of the place, the geographical area comes to mind. It is a place that anyone reading the work of Jane Urquhart is be able to describe.
The author is successful in bringing in a big sense of description for the purposes of clarity. The author starts the description of the place in the title. This title mentions a return to the village, and therefore, a reader gets a vague description of the place right from the start.
The use of space is brought in by the way the character brings in various aspects together. For example, the studio and the church are mentioned in the description. Also the village being the larger place is qualified by the kind of environment surrounding it. For example, the place is serene meaning that there are possible trees swinging forth and back bringing in coolness and fresh air.
There are also some activities which are used to describe this place. For example, the use of fire, cleaning of the house, attending various seminars, collecting fire sticks and attending the religious services help in providing a quality picture of the place.
Since the main character is just reminiscing about this place, it can be therefore understood that she gives lots of importance to the place. The main character wants to put herself back into the place and do what she always liked doing; exploration (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009). By this therefore, it is clear that the place or the village is vast to be explored.
The author is also successful in describing the place by placing some importance. For example, the reason why the main character is keen to go back to the village is because it was a place that helped her start writing. She is a novelist who gained her art skills from the village. Being outside the village had made her alienated from the real world; a world that made her what she is today. Generally, the author has used the place as her main theme, and uses different forms to bring this out.
Easter in Sicily by Mary Taylor Simeti
The author starts by mentioning a place, Prizzi. Even though the attention is on the Easter Afternoon, and where the Easter Afternoon takes place is Prizzi. Mentioning the activity without the place would have left a vacuum of thoughts in the minds of the reader. The author quickly turns to another place, Selinunte by using the main character as the narrator.
This place is mentioned because it is important in the overall place description by the narrator. This place is Sicily in Greek which is the overall place described by the author.
However, Selinunte is the place that attracts the attention of the author and the narrator. It is a place that was deserted 20 years ago but which now has revived, Sicily City. Various forms make the reader understand that the place had been deserted. For example, there is the use of bare bones, careless heaps and abandoned building blocks (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009).
The narrator notes that it is a place that cannot be accessed easily. The present day has seen the place becomes live again. Today, it cannot be accessed because there are many people who gather making the place quite crowded.
The place is described as having improved as time progresses. According to Buscemi, Smith and Wiznura (2009), there was only a handful of people in this place 20 years ago. However, the place cannot now be accessed because there are lots of people and the packing slots are all occupied. Therefore, other than the concept of place, the author is successful in describing time.
The mentioning of particular names of the place helps in describing more the Easter and Sicily as the overall place intended by the author and the narrator. For example, the narrator mentions Caltabellotta as one of the areas in this place. The author in this case not only describes a mental picture but also qualifies it by giving names to it.
This is good because, since it is a place on the world map, the reader can visualize more. This is different from a situation where the author only gives general titles such as village, or city, or market place. The name Caltabellotta is on the map of the world, and therefore gives the readers a clear picture of the roads and the overall place where the narrator had gone.
The author is also successful in painting a vivid picture of the descriptions of the place. For example, the narrator mentions Norman Church, which is described as having weathered gray stone (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009). This does not only show the general religious affiliation of the place, but also gives a general picture of outlook.
Even though some mentioning such as Gothic Portal may not describe the whole region or place, it is a good way to show how important parts of the place are. For example, it can be said that people in this region adhere to some cultures. The mentioning of some individual names is important in describing the place; for example, the narrator mentions Michael as part of the entourage to the city.
Reference
Buscemi, S. V., Smith, C. & Wiznura, R. (2009). 75 Readings Plus. New York: McGraw-Hill.