From the second we are born to the final moments of life, our perception of life is recounted by our experiences—both past and present—that shape our identity. While many of us hold onto vivid memories from our childhood, such as the thrill of losing a first tooth or getting ice cream on a sunny day at the park in 2007, these memories become a natural facet of our sense of self. Yet, the course of our lives often unfolds beyond our control, subjecting us to unforeseen and sometimes traumatic events. These moments of trauma can profoundly impact our journey of self-discovery and our identity, as we try to create our own sense of who we are. In the short stories “A Rose for Emily” and “The Boat,” protagonists navigate their own traumatic experiences, …show more content…
In the short story, the narrator has a dream to pursue his education; however, there's pressure to follow his family tradition that the men should be fishermen. The narrator states “and it has been like this for six generations and sixty-five years. Before his father and grandfather and before his great-grandfather and his great-great-grandfather. Before them all, they had fished the sea." (MacLeod,2024) This indicates that the narrator feels a generational pressure and responsibility to continue and follow his family's lineage. This pressure that the narrator feels due to the generational tradition that all the men in his family lineage were and should be fisherman, obviously limits his personal growth, because he’s expected to adhere to a tradition that was passed down through generations and is judged because of the idea of wanting the opportunity to go beyond being a fisherman and getting an education; possibly exploring his own interests and passions. As a reader, you can feel the narrator’s sense of guilt, and feeling trapped in a predetermined path that he doesn't want to follow. Due to this mindset, the narrator's father showed signs of disappointment as his own son would be the one to break the family tradition causing some conflict and disassociation between the narrator and his father. The narrator claims “his father did not understand what it was that the boy wanted, but he was sure that whatever it was it had very little to do with fishing." (MacLeod,2024) The disassociation between the narrator and his father encourages thoughts of conflict and doubt in the narrators' dreams because he feels like he owes this to his father and if he disobeys
In life, people live in moments that later become great memories that they look back at and smile about. At the same time, people also experiences memories of undergoing hardships and unfortunate events that may cause them distress and trauma. In Joy Kogawa's novel about a family of Japanese Canadians, Obasan, it is seen that traumatizing experiences that one faces can carry a burden on them for the remainder of their lifetime. This is conveyed through internal conflicts faced by various characters in the story, the style the story is written in, and the setting the story takes place in.
Without extremely painful moments, we would never feel motivated to change, to become a better version of ourselves. Without pain and suffering we wouldn’t become the person we were destined to be. I went through that moment when I lost a dear friend, that lost help me discover myself and helped me grow as a person. In the story “The Children of the Sea” both Madam Rogers and Celianne went through the pain of losing the child, but at the end they went to join them. And in the story “Nineteen Thirty-Seven” Josephine found closer and inner peace with herself when she found out the truth of her mother, after her mother’s
Everyone has had to sit threw a long and overly exaggerated “fishing story”. These stories, told by family and friends, are usually epic tails of finding, luring and inevitably catching the biggest fish imaginable. For most, these tales are brief moments were their feats are brought into the spotlight. For Edward Blood, the main character in Tim Burton’s film Big Fish, these fantastical tales become his life. To the point that it is hard for Edward’s son, William, to distinguish what is fact and what is fiction, in regards to his father.
“A tan to die for” written by Claire Oliver is a letter to the editor that shows that the use of solariums can greatly increase the potential for life-threatening melanoma. Claire Oliver’s tone shows a composed, collected and complacent frame of mind at her imminent death, stating that “[she is] at peace”. Her composed tone when discussing the certainty of her impending death appeals to a sense of rationality, and writes optimistically about the remainder of her life. This optimism, and personal responsibility, comes from her wish of helping those who do not know of the health risks involved in the beauty young teens crave to acquire.
When experiencing regret, a person has the tendency to repeatedly replay the details of whatever caused that emotion. However, recounting past events is only the first step in the healing process, but it is not the end solution. This is abundantly evident in Olsen’s story which begins with the narrator’s rapid emotional descent into regret. This happens when, as she has probably done a thousand times before, an unnamed third party questions the mother about her eldest daughter, Emily, asking how they can “help” and “understand her” better (Olsen 607), for surely she would know. Unfortunately, the answer to this request sends the mother helplessly down memory lane into regret valley. With Olsen’s strong symbolism, the reader becomes more keenly aware of the inner “torment” she feels while reminiscing about her callow method of raising Emily. Consequently, as the mother “moves… back and forth” emotionally, ...
The novel, “Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove” written by James Maloney, follows the journey of two young boys who are struggling with the abandonment of their mother and sister. During their mother’s frequent absences, 15-year-old Carl Matt has to look after his brother Harley and himself when others choose not to. Throughout the narrative, Carl overcomes low self-esteem and gains confidence due to his work on the barge with Skip and his relationship with friends. As the narrative unfolds, Carl emerges as a strong and independent young man, who no longer allows his past to define him. The symbolic bridge serves as a powerful metaphor for the protagonist’s journey towards self-acceptance and belonging.
Holiday by Margaret Atwood Holiday by Margaret Atwood has a simple and familiar subject but the The real meaning behind the simple story is hard hitting and in many ways it is a warning to me. She talks of a holiday and a story shows how she is at a barbeque with her family in the countryside. However she interweaves a bleak image. of our future within this straightforward story. It starts with Atwood describes her daughter eating sausages.
In this quote it shows that the old man is a teacher he wants to teach the boy many things about the art of fishing. This quote reflects on the fact that the old man does not fish for money he fishes for pride, He fishes because he likes to be on the ocean feeling the waves and being out in the open. When the old man kills a fish he kills it with respect, he loves the fish when it's alive and when it's dead. In asking this question of the boy the old man
Have you ever been stranded on a deserted island, have a father who is miles and miles away or even cried in front of your whole class before? Well Brian from ''Hatchet'' by: Gary Paulsen, Moon Shadow from ''Dragonwings'' by; Lawrence Yep, and Rachel from ''Eleven'' by: Sandra Cisneros had faced these life-changing challenges. They all faced a turning point in their life which made times difficult and hard. This essay will support that Brian, Moon Shadow, and Rachel all faced life-changing experiences that had a direct impact on their lives.
Sydney, Australia is a city built on of the most beautiful locations in the world. Even so, this wealthy and sophisticated place has a dark beginning. “The Floating Brothel” by Siân Reen is a work of prose non-fiction set in the 18th century which explores this part of the origins of Sydney, with the crew and “disorderly girls” of the convict ship The Lady Julian taking the spotlight of the novel. Moreover, the novel goes into detail of the events which occurred on the convict ship was well of world events vital to understanding these events, including the state of the Sydney colony and the crimes some of the female convicts committed. The information succeeds in providing us the events that unfold around The Lady Julian as well as the world
You encounter many events in your life. Some may be bad, while others can be good. Some events affect us so much that we remember them throughout our whole life. Some events can even affect your whole life. In the short story “Eleven,” by Sandra Cisneros, and the poem “Losing Face,” by Janet Wong , the events in the characters’ lives affect them in different ways. The short story is about Rachel, a girl who is eleven, but doesn’t feel like she is that age when she encounters an issue at school. Her teacher assumes that the ugly and raggedy sweater is Rachel’s when it is not. When her teacher, Mrs.Price gets peeved, she tells Rachel to wear the sweater and then Rachel starts sobbing and feels like she is three years old. The poem is about a girl who cheated on an art contest to make her mother proud. Then she wants to tell her mother the truth, but also doesn’t want to lose her mother's proud face. The characters’ lives are affected by events in the short story and the poem both positively and negatively.
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is a unique piece of literature. It has a plot which seems somewhat bland, and it is not particularly exciting. However, the ending is quite suprising, and for me it made the story worth reading. I think there are some interesting aspects of this story if you look at it from a feminist point of view. The feminist movement has attempted to elevate the status of the woman to a level equal with men. Feminists have fought for the right of women to be free from the old social restraints which have been in place for so long. A feminist believes a woman should be strong and independent. In some ways the main character, Emily, is this kind of woman, but for the most part she is portrayed as weak and fragile.
It was through the wrath of the mother who ridiculed the father and her daughters for reading. But despite the father’s desire to attend university and his resentment of the sea, he abandons his dream and becomes a fisherman in order to satisfy his wife’s hate against education and her love for the sea. When the narrator realizes the motive that drives the father to become a fisherman he realizes “then there came into my heart a very great love for my father and I thought it was very much braver to spend a life doing what you really do not want rather than selfishly following forever your own dreams and inclinations” (pg 10). For the rest of the father’s life, if he is not out fishing, he retreats into his room and reads books all day. The boat that the father fishes from symbolises the will of the wife where the father has slaved throughout his life. Ultimately by conforming to the mother’s demands, the father dies during a tragic storm while he is out fishing. Hence, it eventually cost the father his life trying to satisfy his wife. The father was unable to achieve his goals and lived the rest of his life in misery. In this scenario, by following the dreams of his wife, it led the father a life of unhappiness, and eventually led to his death. Therefore, self-sacrifice does not always lead to happiness but also a life of
His beloved grandfather was a sailorman. In the text, we didn’t get to know him that well. It seems like he was gone before the text started. It is just Lloyd that keeps telling us about stories his grandfather told him and things they experienced together, for example when his grandfather left for his anchorage. In the text, it seems like his grandfather keeps old habits, traditions and cultures. Instead of using the “new” fishing gear for example pots or nets, he used a fishing line and a knife. He thought those methods were useful and a waste of time, because it catches everything from above, for example turtles, eels, and trash
I began to fall into a pattern similar to that of my father's. During the day we fished and afterwards we spent our time indulging in the wonder of the stories. I learned about my father’s dreams and I ever would have adventures similar to those that authors concocted. It was within this time that a great love for my father had come into my heart and I realized “it was very much braver to spend a life doing what you really do not want rather than selfishly following forever your own dreams and inclinations” (MacLeod, 10). It was then that I knew I could never leave him alone