Although most assume Death looks like the Grim Reaper or a scary skeleton thing, in The Book Thief, Death is not. In fact, he even tells us what he looks like when he says, “I do not carry a sickle or a scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold. And I don’t have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance… Find yourself a mirror while I continue” (Zusak 307). Essentially Death is saying that because all humans die, we all resemble death. Humans can and will die, and thus he is one of the things that is constant between all humans. Due to this reason I drew a man looking into a mirror to show Death. I just…
In high school, students often face challenges that force them to grow up. From their first break up to peer pressure, they slowly begin losing their innocence. Similarity, in A Separate Peace two boys are exposed to hatred and violence in a military academy. During World War II, Gene and Phineas begin with a normal friendship, but throughout time they both face new conflicts. Through jealousy and paranoia, they change from friends to rivals. When challenges come face to face with Gene he attempts to get rid of them in the worst ways possible, which eventually leads him to a loss of innocence. In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene lives in his own world, but through his friendship with Phineas, he learns he has to face reality.…
Ray Bradbury, author of “The Pedestrian,” uses word choice to convey a dreary tone. Bradbury makes it evident that Mr. Leonard Mead is walking a desolate path by his feeling of being “alone in this word.” The author describes charming cottages as “walking through a graveyard”(The Pedestrian). This contrast gives the reader a feeling of lifelessness from what could have been an inviting neighborhood. There would be a different impact on the reader if the neighborhood was simply described as silent. Mr. Leonard Mead also notices how everyone is sheltered in their “grey and silent” homes(The Pedestrian). By describing the houses in this way, Bradbury is creating a dull atmosphere which supports the dreary tone of the short story. The author would…
After reading the story, “I Can Speak” by George Saunders, many readers would happen to realize that this story is not like every other story that is just picked up and read. In order for someone to fully apprehend the story, reader must stay consistently focused on the text. The story is about a reply letter from the company for a compliant letter that was sent by a customer named Mrs. Faniglia to a company named KidLuv Inc. regarding a product manufactured by the company known as I Can Speak!™. I Can Speak!™ is a robotic mask that the parent glides over their baby’s head and functions by responding to something in more advanced manner than corresponding to the baby’s age.…
I genuinely did not expect to learn this much from the book Unbroken. The story of Louie Zamperini was unexpectedly much more understandable and relatable than I first imagined. Seeing the main character was a former war hero, I found it surprising I was able to connect to him as I happen to be fourteen. In my opinion, readers can easily compare similar situations in their life, regardless of their age. A point often overlooked, Louie is a true survivor. He was stranded forty-seven days on a crammed raft, as well as beaten without remorse at a prison camp for two years. Louie was stripped of his friends as he watched them either be transferred or slowly die. He witnessed many accounts of sexual abuse to innocent and helpless animals, as well…
In the novel, Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer, the main character, Alex or Chris McCandless walked into the wilderness to escape from civilization and experience the beauty of nature. Chris sees things differently and wants to things his way. Ever since he was a kid, Chris doesn’t want to follow rules or laws. When he was in high school, he got an F for his physics class because he didn’t write lab reports in the format that the teacher told him. He thought the rule was stupid and ignored it. Chriss was good at almost at everything he did and had a natural talent. He was in many clubs, played sports and musical instruments including piano,guitar and french horn. However, the fact that he doesn’t like to follow rules stopped him from…
Throughout the novella I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Robert Neville, the last human who is immune to this disease, is an anti-hero. For instance, towards the end of the story, during his state of confusion after he woke up, he felt pain that he had not ever felt before and thought that it must mean it was the end and said to himself ‘’I am going to die’’ (p.164). This statement shows that he accepts that his life will end here and he will not try to fight it in any way in order to continue surviving. In addition to this, after he realizes where he is and what happened, Ruth came to check on him and asks him why he did not leave beforehand like she told him to in the letter she left him. Robert explained to her ‘’I…couldn’t […] I almost…
After a few days of gathering berries, Chris already knows that the poison is in his system, so he rips out a page from his diary to right a poem about his death and how he is grateful and thankful for everything, he also wrote a goodbye to his family. “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!”. Then right after he wrote the note he took a photo of himself beside the bus. according to krakauer, he was smiling in the photo stating that he was happy and grateful and thankful, and that Chris was at peace and that God have taken an angel to heaven. Also according to krakauer, he crawled to his sleeping bag that his mom had made for him, and then a few days later, he died miserably.…
When Montag meets Clarisse he realizes there is something different about her. Clarisse's personality is something Montag has never seen before. After going on a walk with Clarisse, Montag has many thoughts. On page 9 it says, “ What incredible power of identification the girl had; she was like the eager watcher of a marionette show, anticipating each flicker of an eyelid, each gesture of his hand, each flick of a finger, the moment before it began. How long had they walked together? Three minutes? Five? Yet how large that time seemed now. How immense a figure she was on the stage before him; what a shadow she threw on the wall with her slender body!” Montag thinks this in his head when he gets home from the walk with Clarisse. This is the very beginning of Montag’s realization that there is more to life than what his society is telling him.…
In the book Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson, Psychological forces such as depression, anxiety, trauma and fear can control people's emotions and actions, rather than themselves controlling their emotions and actions. In the book Speak, Melinda faces a major trauma causing her emotions to control her life instead of her controlling her own life such as depression controls her emotions, fear controls her actions and anxiety controls her social life.…
Every building has their ghosts, the Overlook Hotel just happens to have more than you would expect. Jack just lost his job thanks to his temper and drinking problem. In an attempt to keep his family together, he finds a job as a caretaker for the Overlook Hotel. At first, everything seems fine. Though as the up coming winter approaches, Jack will soon find out that the hotel has more problems then he bargained for, and that his son is a little more special then he was expecting. Visualizing, predicting, and ___ is what will be seen in this paper.…
In the short stories “The Pedestrian” and “The Whole Towns Sleeping” by Ray Bradbury the idea of conformity is shown with the usage of characterisation in the short story “The Whole Town’s sleeping” with the characterisation of Lavinia Nebss. Similarly in the short story “The Pedestrian” the usage of imagery is portrayed through the description of the deserted town and the enslavement of people due to the introduction of television to present the idea of conformity.…
Every story has a main character that introduces change called the protagonist. In the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, it is made clear that Sylvia is the protagonist. Not every story has an antagonist, a character with views that stand in opposition of the main character of the story, but in “The Lesson” Miss Moore can be clearly seen filling that position. Throughout the story both Sylvia’s and Miss Moore’s conflicting ideals passively clash on several occasions revealing their individual complexities. Miss Moore is the most complex of the two.…
Judith Guest’s Ordinary People conveys the complex emotional and physical hardships that can arise from an unexpected tragedy among a seemingly average family. The development of seventeen-year-old Conrad Jarrett, the book’s protagonist, is dire in determining how his family and friends respond to the death of his brother, Jordan. The evolution of Conrad’s character throughout the novel provides insight on the five stages of grief and the multitude of ways they can be experienced. Though teeming with pivotal moments in Jarrett’s development, one instance in particular, the death of a close friend, Karen Aldrich, is significant in determining his choice to continue to live with grief, or die without exposure to feeling. Karen’s death is indicative of Conrad’s shift towards dependency on others, anticipated…
“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality” (Nikos Kazantzakis). The statement Kazantzakis made relates well with the topic of this novel. Bradbury uses the character of Faber to prove that when people are brave enough to make a change, they can change problems in society such as the reliance of instant gratification.…