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Literature as the mirror of society
Literature as a mirror of society
Literature as a reflection in society
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It’s the year 2028, and the world we used to know as bright and beautiful is no longer thriving with light. A disease similar to the plague broke out and caused great havoc. Although it may seem like forever ago, sickness spread only a few years ago. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is about a man and his son who fortunately survived this sickness; although they made it, the struggle to keep going is tough. Before most of the population became deceased, people went insane. They started to bomb houses, burn down businesses and towns, and destroy the environment. Anyone who had the disease was bad blood. Many saw it as the end of the world, which in many cases was true. The man had a lovely wife. Unfortunately, his wife took the easy way out and
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, written by Ken Kesey in 1962, is a book about a lively con man that turns a mental institution upside down with his rambunctious antics and sporadic bouts with the head nurse. Throughout the book, this man shows the others in the institution how to stand up for themselves, to challenge conformity to society and to be who they want to be. It is basically a book of good versus evil, the good being the con man R.P. McMurphy, and the bad being the head nurse, Nurse Ratched. McMurphy revitalizes the hope of the patients, fights Nurse Ratched's stranglehold on the ward, and, in a way, represents the feelings of the author on society at the time.
Though fictional, this novel illustrates the fear surrounding disease, viruses, and contamination and how if uncontrollable, could lead to a global spread that could jeopardize the human race. Traveling internationally, World War Z represents a zombie epidemic that brings forth infection, which can be considered an unconscious actor during this time of confusion and destruction. Scientifically, fear is defined as a natural response found in almost all organisms that revolve around the emotions and feelings induced by perceived threats and danger. Max Brooks illustrates the societal interaction with fear, “Fear of aging, fear of loneliness, fear of poverty, fear of failure. Fear is the most basic emotion we have. Fear is primal. Fear sells. That was my mantra. ‘Fear sells.’” (Brooks 55). The fear of a zombie virus spreading in fact just produces more fear into the mind of the individual. Through research and scientific advancements, fears and anxieties have been proven to put an individual more at risk of developing health issues. How ironic, right? Our fears and anxieties surrounding diseases and the spread of them cause our society to be more susceptible to obtain and contract more health related problems. The fight against the zombie metaphor within World War Z gives the reader a purpose for finding a way to hold
Throughout a lifetime, one can run through many different personalities that transform constantly due to experience and growing maturity, whether he or she becomes the quiet, brooding type, or tries out being the wild, party maniac. Richard Yates examines acting and role-playing—recurring themes throughout the ages—in his fictional novel Revolutionary Road. Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple living miserably in suburbia, experience relationship difficulties as their desire to escape grows. Despite their search for something different, the couple’s lack of communication causes their planned move to Europe to fall through. Frank and April Wheeler play roles not only in their individual searches for identity, but also in their search for a healthy couple identity; however, the more the Wheelers hide behind their desired roles, the more they lose sense of their true selves as individuals and as a pair.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all” - Dale Carnegie. In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the father continues through a multitude of intense situations along with his son, because of his desire and need to survive for his son in a post apocalyptic world.In order for one to survive, a person must be able to have and never relinquish the vigor and hope to withstand daily negative situations and to truly connect and create relationships with other humans.
Another part of the story that came off surprising was how her husband gave her up so easily. Instead of feeling bad for his wife, Mr. Hutchinson quickly admitt...
In the novel, The Road, Cormac McCarthy illustrates the expressions, settings and the actions by various literary devices and the protagonist’s struggle to survive in the civilization full of darkness and inhumanity. The theme between a father and a son is appearing, giving both the characters the role of protagonist. Survival, hope, humanity, the power of the good and bad, the power of religion can be seen throughout the novel in different writing techniques. He symbolizes the end of the civilization or what the world had turned out to be as “The Cannibals”. The novel presents the readers with events that exemplify the events that make unexpected catastrophe so dangerous and violent. The novel reduces all human and natural life to the condition of savagery and temporary survival. McCarthy uses colour imagery to describe how grey, pale and miserable everything was. He uses “carrying the fire “which represents people who have a flame of humanity left alive in their hearts. The metaphor explains the readers about how most of the people were dishearten in the journey of horrid remnants of humanity. In the novel, The Road by Cormac McCarthy elaborates not only the settings and the actions but also the love between a father and a son which is present even around the time of ultimate inhumanity and the stubborn desire to struggle to stay alive in the apocalyptic world and manipulate different writing techniques such as literary devices and characterization to explain the negative aspects of humanity.
In the story “After the Plague” the author T. Coraghessan Boyle, states that we never know when things can turn upside down and our whole life can change in very little time. Francis went into the mountains to hike and write a novel. But he doesn’t realize that while he was busy up in the mountains hiking and writing his novel. The world below him was coming to end due to a really aggressive virus called Ebola. He heard reports about the virus on the radio and thought he should go down and try to save the people that were dear to him. But of course he did not want to risk his own life doing that. He decided to stay in the mountains and stay away from humanity so that he doesn’t catch the virus. After a few days when almost the entire population
In the classic short story, "Hills like White Elephants,” by Earnest Hemingway, Hemingway tackles a subject that has plagued society for decades. Though throughout the story it remains unspoken, the subject of the story is abortion. The story was written in 1927 at a time when abortion was illegal. Abortion was something that nobody talked about openly. It was a something that would be looked down upon. Hemingway writes “Hills Like White Elephants” with multiple metaphors to mask the idea of abortion.
Roughing it was written by Mark Twain. This book is a journal of Mark Twain and his brother's trip to Carson City, Nevada. They went because Mark Twain's brother had a job as the Secretary of Nevada. This book, journal, started when they were leaving to go to Carson City; and ended when Mark Twain decided to move to New York instead of living in San Francisco or any part of the wild west.
plague or war can lead to people feeling a deep sense of doom and an
Cormac McCarthy’s novel, No Country for Old Men, is a tightly written, captivating thriller that unfolds in a straightforward, low-key way. This style of writing builds tension and impact as the novel progresses. Told in an old, relaxed, Western style of English, the language immediately sets the stage for an old Western. The writing style is very relaxed and the grammar simplified, often dropping letters at the end of words and leaving out punctuation entirely. Written in the first person from the perspective of Sheriff Bell, the novel contains frequent interludes that serve as a look inside his character. The book is thematically consistent due to the Bell interludes, which are present throughout, making it more clearly about him and his
The Road by Cormac McCarthy embeds issues throughout the novel such as the will to survive, the power of love, and the ability to trust in vital situations. In the novel, McCarthy illustrates a person has no physical or mental boundaries when protecting the one they love. The power of love and the extent to which one will do for love is prominent in creating the relationship between the father and the son. When entering certain conditions, the son had to be able to trust the father to do what was morally right. The strenuous situations McCarthy creates within the novel deepens my belief that the will to survive, love, and trust can and will overcome the struggles of life. The father is motivated by his need to protect his son from the dangers
How much time is wasted every day? In "Our Town" by Thorton Wilder two children destined to marry go through life ignorant and blind but, when confronted with death their eyes are opened revealing the small things in life they never get to enjoy again. Furthermore, In an excerpt from "Macbeth" life is depicted as a brief, fragile candle that soon dies and is lost in the shadows. Lastly, In an excerpt from "Endymion, it is told that life is full of highs and lows, and to enjoy what time is gifted. The passages all create a similar theme about living life to the fullest by emphasizing the brevity of life and the time wasted on trivial matters, as well as the importance of enjoying the small things in life.
The Road, a thrilling novel about a post-apocalyptic world, demonstrates a great understanding of the reasoning behind the choices humans make. While living a normal life with his wife and child, some unknown disaster occurs leaving the world in ruins and a father caring for his son by himself. He continues to raise his son, facing difficult decisions everyday, but inclusively decides to continue living. Also after discovering a bunker full of nonperishable foods, the father makes the tough decision to leave. Finally, the father choices to take a robber’s clothes; which presumably leads to the thief’s death. However, the son states his disagreement with his father’s choice leading to a change of heart. The incredibly difficult choices the father makes throughout the novel demonstrates his commitment to a strong relationship between him and his son.
The stories setting takes place in Western Colorado. In Western Colorado in a home of a retired nurse named Annie is where the whole story takes place. Annie's home is a two story log cabin out in the middle of nowhere. The closest neighbors are miles away. It takes place in the middle of winter snow storms.