The author emphasizes the black box so much because it is meant to be a mystery or surprise, like any box appears to people. The fact…
Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Horla” is a great example of the notion that art sometimes imitates life. In 1887, while battling the end stages of syphilis and institutionalized for insanity, de Maupassant’s last story “The Horla” was published. In the pages his fictional character, the narrator, chronicles his journey into madness while fighting an unseen beast. The protagonist can be compared to de Maupassant and his own struggle with syphilis and psychosis.…
People sitting by themselves at lunch, people who never go out with their so-called friends, and people who avoid association with anyone unless necessary. All of these are examples of individuals who one may try to help because of an automatic assumption that they are lonely and in need of a friend. This assumption is flawed, as their is both chosen and unchosen solitude, as expressed in Barbara Ascher’s essay, “The Box Man,” from her book Playing After Dark. Through the juxtaposition of the homeless man and the two lonesome women, accompanied by an admirative tone used in regard to the homeless man and a tone of sympathy toward the women, Ascher expresses the idea that one’s material standing in society is irrelevant to one’s state of mind…
In the first paragraph, Cooper expresses his infatuation with his ninth-grade classmate Theresa Sanchez. Every week he evaluates with curiosity the new books she hides under her copy of Today’s Equations and he is intrigued with the fact that she is more mature than everybody else. However, as the reader moves through the body paragraphs, the subject shifts from Theresa to Cooper’s personal experiences with his friends. Cooper intentionally organizes the essay between the two characters to show contrast, to keep the reader entertained and interested, and to also provide the reader with consistency while reading the essay. Even though Cooper jumps back and forth between characters, it is effective because interchanging between the two characters keeps the reader entertained and at ease. Behind his writing, Cooper retells the untold story of every boy who has ever had trouble accepting their selves.…
Bruce used dialogue to portray people, places and ideas in his poem to reflect on his personal values and moral. Discuss using o ne poem.…
In this essay I intend to explore the narrative conventions and values, which Oliver Smithfield presents in the short story Victim. The short story positions the reader to have negative and sympathetic opinion on the issues presented. Such as power, identity and bullying. For example Mickey the young boy is having issues facing his identity. It could be argued that finding your identity may have the individual stuck trying to fit in with upon two groups.…
In Invisible Man, the narrator is in a continuous search for his own identity as he passes from one section of society to another, taking on different roles within each as he questions his place to find his own true self. He is forced to make a choice of whether he will go against society to find himself, or if he will stay obedient to that society, in conforming to the stereotypes that he is given and go with the expectations of him in society. The narrator portrays many qualities of outward conformity while at the same time is inwardly questioning his own actions as he searches for his identity and place within society. However the main character presents these ideas in unique ways through the main character’s awareness of the standards he is conforming to. The narrator from Invisible Man is not aware of his conformity or his rebelling against it until the end of the novel.…
Ascher describes the Box Man to be content with his life. His boxes are more than enough for him and are described as “…comforts to fill a doorway”. He is certainly comfortable with his lifestyle as he stands “unselfconsciously in the white gleam of an overhead light.” He carefully picks the boxes that go into his home, “Three were tossed aside. They looked perfectly good to me…” knowing which are good and which ones will not do. He has probably lived this way for a while seeming as he could pick just the right ones to “… ease himself with slow care onto…” and read the Daily News, proving that he is content.…
“Poetry helps us to see ourselves and our world more clearly”, the poem “Enter Without So Much as Knocking” by Bruce Dawe, published in 1950 is true to this quote because it is outlining the passage from the hospital to the grave. It makes the reader realise that when you die you will eventually be forgotten, unless you have made an impact on the world.…
Manhood is defined as a time in life when the body has transitioned from boyhood into puberty and has taken on male secondary sexual characteristics. But on the other hand, to be considered a man also involves certain gender roles such as leadership, responsibility for actions, and careful decision making. In Richard Wright’s “The Man Who was Almost a Man” , a plethora of representations assist in disclosing the primary focus of the story. The Sears Roebuck catalog, the gun, and the train serve as three of the symbols that help to reveal that Dave has much more to learn about life, responsibility, and what it takes to be considered a man.…
We are also introduced to the main character's family, such as his wife Elaine, and his son Jamie. We also see what each person's role is within the family.…
The short story, “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara, portrays one of the most interesting themes in literature, the initiation story. The story illustrates a group of kids who live in the slums in New York city. They are unaware of their environment, and Ms. More is conscious of this situation. In a basis, she teaches the kids life lessons to help them strive for success and attempt to better themselves and their situations. In this occasion, she brings them to a toy story, but not just a common one. Ms. Moore is an educated woman, and she knows that going to an ordinary toy story would not make a footprint in the life of those kids. Ms. She brings them to F.A.O. Schwarz located on Fifth Avenue, the most exclusive and expensive store in the…
Imagine a 30 year old man being sent back in time to the mid 1800's. Of course he would be baffled by the lack of technology, clothes, food and the like but would he know how to conduct himself around friends, foes, and politicians? Chances are even if he were to completely blend into his surroundings he most definitely would have no clue how to go about communicating with his fellow man. Had Greenberg not offered his translation of this unspoken language one would be inclined to think these men were crazy.…
school and developed a deep love of books and of reading. Alexie’s father filled their home…
Full of snark and vinegar, Dr. Gideon Box is a sort of avenging angel--or devil. Cross him and you'll end up on his list. Just hope you don't end up in his hospital! I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend in spite of the raunchy cover, and am I ever glad I did. Locke writes very conversationally--Dr. Box could be a guy you meet in bar, or maybe in anger management class. The characters are realistically developed, and the action never slows down. The language can get a bit salty, but that is true to the character of Dr. Box. This book makes me want to check out Locke's other books. This one is a quick and easy read, and hard to put down. A great book to escape into as long as you don't have a doctor's appointment soon!…