Tobias Wolff is a strange writer whose work is "so absolutely clear and hypnotic that a reader wants to take it apart and find some simple way to describe why it works so beautifully"(Tobias Wolff, This Boy's Life [back cover]). Although sometimes taking place in such foreign locations as Vietnam, Wolff's stories are predominantly based on banal situations and people. The magic in his writing though is the fact he draws the reader into the story at all times. He does so by connecting his characters and their conflicts to the reader, be it through quirks, qualities or quandaries. Wolff perfects these concepts by writing in his own lucid, terse style. "The tales in Wolff's [books] are seamless, their characters relentlessly ordinary"(Joan Smith, …show more content…
The point is that quandaries are yet another method that Wolff uses to draw the reader into the story. Of course, all these elements would be useless without good writing technique. Wolff's writing style is one in its own, a masterpiece in itself. The two main elements of his style are terseness and lucidity, both of which carry equal effect and importance in Wolff's writings. Their effects on Wolff's pieces are ones of cleanliness; they make his sentences and paragraphs flow more smoothly and they deliver the information in a direct and concise fashion, which makes for easy reading. Lucidity and terseness are also important because they play a large part in drawing the reader into the story. I believe all of Wolff's styles, concepts, and elements that were discussed in this paper are what make him an excellent writer. But, even though I consider Tobias Wolff a fantastic author and I tried my best to explain why and how he is fantastic, I believe that to truly understand Mr. Wolff, you must read his works. Yes, I'm sure that is the same for any author, but I believe it is more so for Tobias
Devin Friedman is a creative storyteller who incorporates observant details in his writings, which makes the readers feel like as if they are part of the adventure. Devin attended the University of Michigan, and he was awarded as the winner of the Hopwood Contest. This contest was hosted by the university committee who appoints experienced judges and the Ann Arbor community to select winners in different writing divisions. In his recent years, Devin wrote for numerous publications such as The Best American Crime Writing, The Best American Travel Writing, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Esquire, People's Stories, and GQ. Out of the many articles Friedman has written in the past, “The Best Night $500,000 Can Buy,” “Famous People: James Franco,” and “The Unbearable Awkwardness of Being” are the ones I have chosen to read because of the interesting subject matters and the different writing styles.
For example, after Mr. Link Deas gives Tom’s widowed wife, Helen, a job, Mr. Ewell tries to get revenge on Tom Robinson’s wife for what Tom supposedly did, by making it hard for Helen to get to work safely. One day, after Helen comes to work, Mr. Link Deas gets it out of Helen about why she comes from the wrong direction to work, and she reluctantly reveals that Mr. Ewell is making it hard for her to get to work everyday: “Calpurnia said it was hard for Helen, because she had to walk a mile out of her way to avoid the Ewells, who, according to Helen, ‘chunked at her’ the first time she tried to use the public road. Mr. Link Deas eventually received the impression that Helen was coming to work each day from the wrong direction, and dragged the reason out of her. ‘Just let it be, Mr. Link, please suh,’ Helen begged. ‘The hell I will,’ said Mr. Link. . . . . . ‘Ewell?’ he called. ‘I say Ewell!’ . . . . . Now hear me, Bob Ewell: if I hear one more peep outa my girl Helen about not bein’ able to walk this road I’ll have you in jail before sundown!’” (Lee 248-249). In this instance, Bob Ewell wants revenge for his credibility being ruined at Tom’s trial, so he decides to take it out on Helen by making her afraid to use the shorter route to get to work. Since Mr. Ewell intimidates Helen in retaliation for Tom’s supposed assault against
Has a Story ever made a reader want to hurt the character responsible for trouble that’s being caused? Of course; usually the antagonist is often the nuisance. Richard Connell creates these instigative characters with pleasure and diversity. In his story “The Most Dangerous Game”, He Creates General Zaroff so that he is easy to hold a grudge against. Likewise Edgar Allan Poe Creates a character that is easy to hate. In his short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, Poe creates a mastermind killer. Connells antagonist, General Zaroff, and Poe’s antagonist, Montresor, give the reader an invitation to hate them. These two characters are similar yet different in their evil persona, wealth, and challenge.
"Unit 2: Reading & Writing About Short Fiction." ENGL200: Composition and Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 49-219. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
One of the best, most valuable aspects of reading multiple works by the same author is getting to know the author as a person. People don't identify with Gregor Samsa; they identify with Kafka. Witness the love exhibited by the many fans of Hemingway, a love for both the texts and the drama of the man. It's like that for me with Kurt Vonnegut, but it strikes me that he pulls it off in an entirely different way.
Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton is a novella that follows the trouble life of a man, Ethan Frome. He is stuck in Starkfield, MA with his sickly wife Zeena, longing for a different life with Mattie Silver, the hired girl at his home. Throughout the book the reader sees his struggle to try to break free of his miserable life. At the end of the book, the reader learns that he has failed to change anything, for Ethan is still in his home with Zeena and a now paralyzed Mattie. This story can be very controversial on the issue of whether or not it is a valuable reading experience. The value of the reading experience from Ethan Frome proves that is should be a source for a high school English class, and can be understood through the creative writing techniques used, the quality of the writing, the effectiveness of the piece, and the validity of the ideas presented.
Written by Virginia Euwer Wolff, True Believer is a story that showed a window into the life of a young woman named Verna La Vaughn who was facing the maturation process. During the story Verna La Vaughn overcame many obstacles in her everyday life. As the story began when Verna La Vaughn was 15, the story had a very eventful mood because Verna La Vaughn had many lessons to learn because she was becoming a young woman.
John Grisham uses personal experience and cause and effect strategies for emotional appeals or also known as pathos to show the audience how movies greatly influence people and their decisions.
In three dynamic pieces of literature, the desperate yet hopeful characters gallantly endure the struggles of achieving their dreams as they experience the pain of desolation and the life-fulfilling happiness of a friendly companion. Through hostile resentment, the intense repulsion created by generations of territorial disputes tears apart two vengeful foes, Ulrich and Georg, in Saki’s captivating tale. Whereas in Remarque’s gory war novel, the pure terror of battle brutally slaughters the once innocent minds of soldiers as they undergo changes in their heart and soul within themselves. Although impervious to the influence of the reclusive residents tied to the ranch, as they quest for their shared aspirations, George and Lennie forge an invincible friendship in Steinbeck’s calamitous novelette.
Edith Wharton, a famous author of many outstanding books, wrote a chaotic love story entitled Ethan Frome. The story took place in the wintery town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. Wharton was a sophisticated young woman who found love in sitting down and holding people’s attention by way of a pen. Wharton wrote yet another thriller that told the tale of two love stricken people that barely found it possible to be together; which later forced them to fall into the temptation of love that cannot be controlled. Wharton had many different writing styles but for different books meant different needs. In Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, frustration and loneliness play roles in disappointment while imagery, symbolism, and individual responsibility provide the novel with a tortuous plot.
Is it not on the normal we hear about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from former veterans go through. They struggle to keep calm and collected visiting through flashbacks from war and maybe other memories that may not be true. Facing trying to have a normal life after being a prisoner of war (POW). Kurt Vonnegut writes using the setting he seen in his life, making a war drama from a first person experience making it fictional at the same time an autobiography. Being free from war is just illusive according to Kurt Vonnegut. Even though I never been to war I see him trying to show that war hinders us mentally through encounters in war.
A story of a young boy and his father as they are stolen from their home in Transylvania and taken through the most brutal event in human history describes the setting. This boy not only survived the tragedy, but went on to produce literature, in order to better educate society on the truth of the Holocaust. In Night, the author, Elie Wiesel, uses imagery, diction, and foreshadowing to describe and define the inhumanity he experienced during the Holocaust.
Many people think that reading more can help them to think and develop before writing something. Others might think that they don’t need to read and or write that it can really help them to brainstorm things a lot quicker and to develop their own ideas immediately (right away). The author’s purpose of Stephen King’s essay, Reading to Write, is to understand the concepts, strategies and understandings of how to always read first and then start something. The importance of this essay is to understand and comprehend our reading and writing skills by brainstorming our ideas and thoughts a lot quicker. In other words, we must always try to read first before we can brainstorm some ideas and to think before we write something. There are many reasons why I chose Stephen King’s essay, Reading to Write, by many ways that reading can help you to comprehend, writing, can help you to evaluate and summarize things after reading a passage, if you read, it can help you to write things better and as you read, it can help you to think and evaluate of what to write about.
The heavily proclaimed novel “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is a great story that can help you understand what living in Nazi Germany was like. Throughout the story, the main character, Liesel goes through many hardships to cope with a new life in a new town and to come to the recognition of what the Nazi party is. Liesel was given up for adoption after her mother gave her away to a new family, who seemed harsh at first, but ended up being the people who taught her all the things she needed to know. Life with the new family didn’t start off good, but the came to love them and her new friend, Rudy. As the book carried along, it was revealed that the Hubermanns were not Nazi supporters, and even took in a Jew and hid him in their basement later on in the book. Liesel became great friends with the Jew living in her basement, Max, who shared many similarities which helped form their relationship. Both of
For example in the “Tell Tale Heart” one of Edgar Allan Poe's better known stories the main character is an old man’s caretaker who hates the old man’s eye. Eventually it drives