In the short story “Bulldog” by Greg Bottoms, two adolescents are harassing a ferocious bulldog that one of them used to own. The narrator documents his friend, Mark, ranting about his familial issues, his hatred for his parents, and then taking his anger out on the bulldog. In these scenes, Bottoms uses various sensory details including auditory, visual, and tactile to create a strong overarching mood of anxiety that reaches the audience. The auditory sensory details Bottoms utilises create an atmosphere of anxiety by choosing words and creating sounds that make the reader feel uneasy, or unable to relax. He stimulates the feeling of suffocation when describing the bulldog’s breathing; “...every fourth or fifth inhale was a panicked, gasping
snort...”(Bottoms 4). This creates the feeling of choking and not being able to let anxiety out. He also creates a scene where the reader might feel fearsome of the dog and what it might do. After Mark swings the hatchet, the dog attacks him and the narrator notes, “the feral, almost otherworldly sound of her...” (Bottoms 6). The chaos of the feral, almost possessed sound the dog makes is terrifying because it’s a sound that is unexpected and unheard, making what the dog is going to do unpredictable. Visual images Bottoms creates show scenes that are revolting and people would obviously rather avoid, but cannot, thus creating anxiety. In one image the dog is, “...baring her teeth, slobbering soapy foam” and the narrator must go even closer to it, saying , “I climbed the fence, jumped. My new friend did it. I had to” (Bottoms 5). This adds to the mood by conjuring an image of being near a grossly rabid animal, and not being able to escape to comfort. Lastly, Bottoms uses the sense of touch to create the feeling of anxiety in his writing. Many of the tactile sensory details in “Bulldog” exemplify reactions of the body in which it tenses up in extreme discomfort. It is relatable to the feeling of shivers down your spine. The narrator describes, “[The dog’s] rage sent a tingle like someone’s fingers across my scalp” (Bottoms 4). This is a very delicate tactile detail that plays to the sensitive nerves and can be hair-raisingly terrifying if unexpected. Another example of a tactile sensory detail used shows an automatic physical reaction to an experience that causes fear and anxiety. The narrator reacts; “My whole body blinked. My hands curled like claws, my shoulders flinched up towards my ear” (Bottoms 5). The body is shocked and reacts quickly in a defensive manner and tenses all the muscles up.
The sound effects grabbed my attention and continued to make me yearn for what could come next. The sounds bring me to a place where I can’t help but believe in the situation that’s happening. The music heightens my mood and helps create illusion. For example, the first extraordinary sound technique I noticed that the filmmaker used was the echo effect. It was not only used to support the mood the characters were at, but also to express that idea of the ‘emptiness’ in them. This technique dominated the audio when I was taken to a story in the film of a boy who was 18 and poisoned by his own sister. Those are some of the dominant examples of sound usage throughout the movie The Poisoners Handbook. The entirety of the soundtrack is a solid cocoon for the film to stretch and grow
The film Beasts of the Southern Wild is a coming of age movie, told from the point of view of a six-year old progantist Hushpuppy. Hushpuppy is a six-year old girl living on the outskirts of Louisiana society, where HushPuppy learns to survive in an off the grid community called the Bathtub. Through the lenses and point of view of Hushpuppy, the audience is about to see the human experiences of Hushpuppy’s transition from dependence to independence. Through the use of adult figures, motifs, and overall ways Hushpuppy learn how to cope with the hand she is dealt. Hushpuppy is able to unfurl her story of how she learned how to subsist with the loss of her mother, illness and death of her father, and forced evacuation, all while learning how to
It is often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. In Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Crossing, a deep affection and fondness are established between man and animal. In a particular excerpt from the novel, Cormac illustrates the protagonist’s sorrow that was prompted from the wolf’s tragic death. As blood stiffens his trousers, the main character seeks to overcome the cold weather and fatigue with hopes of finding the perfect burial site for the wolf. McCarthy uses detailed descriptions and terminology in his novel, The Crossing, to convey the impact of the wolf’s death on the protagonist, a sad experience incorporated with religious allusions and made unique by the main character’s point of view.
Emotional discomfort can sometimes be perceived as mental instability. A person may look, act, or feel insane, when in truth they are just very uncomfortable in their own skin. The narrator has a genuinely difficult decision to make which far outside his comfort zone. He is choosing between a woman who has been like a mother to him and much needed job that he feels he may enjoy. This choice is tearing him apart from the inside out. From the ringing noises that interrupt his every thought to the skin he is scraping off. The author uses diction, syntax, and extended metaphors to express the complete and utter discomfort of the narrator, both physically and emotionally.
Owens and Sawhill use pathos to evoke the feelings of their readers. This method establishes
Narration has a profound, formative influence in conveying the complex nature of human communication. This, in turn, effects the ways in which the reader responds to the text. In ‘The curious incident of the dog in the night time’ Christopher’s father Ed understands his sons inability to interpret human emotion and reasoning and thus, has developed alternate ways in which he can communicate with his son which are accepted by Christopher. This is evident in chapter 31 where Christopher describes, “He held up his right hand.. we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other.
“There is no such thing as pure pleasure; some anxiety always goes with it”- Ovid
According to Sharp (2012), “anxiety disorders are the most widespread causes of distress among individuals seeking treatment from mental health services in the United States” (p359).
Anxiety disorders are the 2nd most diagnosed mental illness in the United States. Anxiety comes from the “fight or flight” physiological response in ones body. The fear a person experiences is an intense emotional alarm accompanied by a surge of energy in the autonomic nervous system. The surge is what motivates us to flee from danger, cueing the “flight” response. However, some anxiety is good for us in moderate amounts. Most people perform better when we are a little anxious (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). Anxiety can improve test performance or make you more energetic and charming on a date. It improves, social, physical, and intellectual performance. In fact little would get done if we didn’t have any anxiety. However anxiety can be negative as well. The most common symptoms are looking worried and anxious or fidgeting. That is pretty normal for most people. These symptoms are a physiological response that starts in the brain. It elevates the heart rate and creates muscle tension. Most of the research has been done with animals. Animals seem to experience anxiety in a similar way to ...
As an audience we are manipulated from the moment a film begins. In this essay I wish to explore how The Conversation’s use of sound design has directly controlled our perceptions and emotional responses as well as how it can change the meaning of the image. I would also like to discover how the soundtrack guides the audience’s attention with the use of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds.
If you have ever been tense before an exam, a date, or a job interview, you have some idea of what anxiety feels like. Increased heart rate, sweating, rapid breathing, a dry mouth, and a sense of dread are common components of anxiety. But episodes of modern anxiety are a normal part of the life for most people. But what anxiety is so intense and long lasting that it impairs a person’s daily functioning is called an anxiety disorder. It is a general term for several disorders that cause apprehension, nervousness, fear, and worrying. These disorders affect how we feel and behave, and they can manifest real physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating, having a serious impact on daily life.
What comes to mind when one thinks of the word ‘puppy’? It is probable describe a puppy as a lovable, adorable, and cuddly companion. However, one might also identify the animal as a menace and a liability or even as a delicious source of food. Why does this single word hold so many meanings? One’s past experiences and biases influences these conflicting views and attitudes. For instance, an individual’s fond view of puppies may exist because they were raised with puppies and consequently grew affectionate toward the animals. On the contrary, if another individual has not bonded with puppies as pets, then they will share the latter point of view. In the short story “Puppy” by George Saunders, the multiple characters view single events and objects with contrasting perceptions. Therefore, instead of painting a precise picture of the characters and the plot, the story expresses several views regarding the morals of the characters, the motivations of their actions, and the meaning of the events that take place. In “Puppy”, George Saunders explores the theory that perception is not an elementary, universal definition of an object or idea, but a complex interpretation that is influenced by one’s unique and varying past experiences and opinions. The complexity of perception is evident in one the story’s narrator’s, Marie’s, vantage point.
Do you know what it feels like to have your palms sweat, throat close up, and your fingers tremble? This is the everyday life of someone who lives with anxiety. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I hear my brain freaking out about the day ahead of me. What do I eat for breakfast? What do I do first when I get home from school? What happens if I get in a car crash on my way to school? A million thoughts at one time racing through my head. I never have the time to process all of them. Most mornings, I lay in my bed and have to take a few deep breaths to begin my hectic but not so hectic day. That’s just the beginning. It’s safe to say that I feel that I 'm an anxious person and that I have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety: “Now I am wearing this smile I do not believe in! Inside, I feel like screaming!”
Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted a dog. Never did I think that dogs would end up being by biggest fear. I was just a little kid around 6 years old when it happened. I was walking home from my friend’s house when I saw a stray dog, it was in the middle of the street blocking my way, I decided to walk past it, while I was walking it started growling at me, I hesitated but still kept trying to walk then suddenly it got up and started barking empathically towards me. I was terrified, my first initial reaction being a 6 year old kid was to scare it away, I was ignorant. I picked up a rock and threw it at the dog thinking it’ll get scared and run away. I was wrong. The dog had enough it made a whimpering noise then started barking even louder