While Luo and the narrator were being re-educated on Phoenix Mountain, they met a mountain girl, known as the Little Chinese Seamstress. The Seamstress ends up falling deeply in love with Luo however, he claims she is not civilized enough for him. Through out the novel, Luo teaches the Seamstress concepts and duties that will ‘civilize’ her. In Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, “This fellow Balzac is a wizard […] He touched the head of this mountain girl with an invisible finger, and she was transformed, carried away in a dream. It took a while for her to come down to earth. She ended up putting your wretched coat on (which looked very good on her, I must say). She claimed to have Balzac’s words next to her skin made her …show more content…
feel good, and also more intelligent” (Dai 62). In this passage, Dai is demonstrating the power of literature, and how it can spark a transformation, and is also marking the beginning of the Seamstress’s transformation she takes through out the novel. Previously in the novel, Luo denies his feelings for the Seamstress claiming she is not civilized enough for his taste.
Phrases such as, “fellow Balzac is a wizard” and “she was transformed, carried away in a dream”, shows Luo praising Balzac for changing the Seamstress into a more enlightened and educated person. He says it is a miracle that Balzac’s writing is able affect a simple mind. Just as the majority of women during that time, the Seamstress is seen solely for her beauty and not for her intelligence. This passage foreshadows the upcoming transformation the Seamstress takes on through out the novel. She realizes she wants to be seen as more than just the charming daughter of the tailor; she wants people to acknowledge her intelligence and respect her for it. Dai proves that she realized who she wanted to be through Balzac’s literature when he writes, “having Balzac’s words next to her skin made her feel good, and also more intelligent.” Phrases like, “carried away in a dream”, exemplifies that the Seamstress is physically and emotional effected by this which indicates her forthcoming change. This was the Seamstress’s first in counter with Balzac’s writing, and since it had such great impact on her, the new literature she is presented with will create a greater
impact.
In the Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett, Homer and Mother Maria both display straightforward, hardworking, and stubborn character traits. Firstly, Homer and Mother Maria both display a straightforward personality by being brutally honest about their opinions. For example, when Mother Maria asks Homer to build a chapel, Homer speaks his mind by telling her he does not want to build it. Mother Maria shows her straightforward behavior during Homer’s stay at the convent. One morning, when Homer sleeps in late, Mother to becomes extremely upset and is not afraid to show how she feels about him. Secondly, both Homer and Mother Maria display a hardworking spirit. Homer is a hardworking man because after finally agreeing to build the chapel,
In The Big Field, author Mike Lupica explores the theme, "Success uses motivation as fuel." Lupica portrays this theme through the main character, Hutch. Throughout the entire book, Hutch, a young boy that has just recently joined a highly talented baseball team, displays moments that exemplify this main theme. Hutch and his team have a chance to play in the stadium of the Miami Marlins, a Major League Baseball team, as long as they can keep winning games and advancing through a challenging tournament; however, Hutch's favorite position on the field, shortstop, the position located between 2nd and 3rd base, has already been filled on the team. Unfortunately, Hutch gets a demotion from shortstop, to second base, the position located between 1st base and 2nd base. Although Hutch was disappointed and melancholy about the switch in position, he was even more upset about the downgrading of leadership, since the
Julius Caesar is mentioned throughout the book, A Long Way Gone, many times. In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael would be reading Julius Caesar or a soldier would be reciting some of the speeches in the play. In Chapter 12 of A Long Way Gone, Ishmael is called over to talk with Lieutenant Jabati. Then, Lieutenant Jabati showed Ishmael the book he was reading, which was Julius Caesar, and asked Ishmael if he had ever heard of the book. Ishmael had read the book in school, and began to recite a speech from the book. After this happened, Lieutenant Jabati and Corporal Gadafi used emotional arguments to motivate the people in the village to stay there and support the military. Also, Lieutenant showed all the people in the village dead bodies to help
...taphors, and the simplistic approach are all ways she used to express the feelings of a young fifteen year old girl, wondering when they will grow into their bodies and out of the awkward stage they are stuck in. She beautifully illustrates the longing for that perfect dress which will solve all of their problems for even just one night. But even after it is said and done with, and we have grown into our skin, we will more than likely not be perfect by Cosmopolitan standards, but perfect just the way we are supposed to be.
From the beginning of Wang Lung’s marriage to O-lan, she saved him time, money, and effort without complaint. She offered wisdom when asked and was smart in the ways of the world. During the famine, when the family went south in search of food, O-lan taught her children how to beg for food, “dug the small green weeds, dandelions, and shepherds purse that thrust up feeble new leaves”(p. 128). She raised her children prudently. She knew how to bind her daughter’s feet, and she gave them a better childhood than she had had. O-lan knew that the land was the only consistent thing in her life, so she willingly helped Wang Lung as he bought more and more land. O-lan knew her place in the family was as a wife and mother. As a wife, she fe...
Christopher Johnson McCandless, the main character in the book “Into the Wild,” had made a lot of friends even though he did not like people. Wayne Westerberg was one of Chris’s friends who he met in a bar. Chris also befriended a girl named Jan Burre. Another person who befriended Chris was a guy named Ronald Franz,
The main character in the book Savvy, written by Ingrid Law, is a girl who just turned 13 named Mississippi Beaumont. Mississippi or Mib’s just discovered her magical power that all Beaumonts get on their 13 birthday called her Savvy. Mibs embarks on a journey to go to Silina Hope Hospital so she can see her father who was just involved in a car wreck. She thinks her Savvy will be the one to save her father from the coma that he is in. But she faces many obstacles on her way to Silina. Mibs will find her true Savvy on this adventure with her friends and her many character traits such as being brave, caring, and selfish at times.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok is a phenomenal novel about two Jewish boys who live in two very discrepant worlds because of the impressions of their fathers.The Hasidic Rabbi, Reb Saunders wants his son, Danny Saunders, to perdure the family legacy and become a Rabbi. Mr. Malter, Reuven’s father, is an Orthodox Jew who is easy going about what he wants his son to do. Throughout the book, both Reuven and Danny face problems and sufferings that helped them both to become stronger and get through the hard times they faced.
Sméagol, from the movie Lord of the Rings, is a 589 year old hobbit creature who lives in the dark caves of the Misty Mountain, where his diet mostly consists of raw fish. He is lanky, pale, malnourished, and overall very sickly looking. We first saw Sméagol’s second personality when he was introduced to the “One Ring”. One day when Sméagol and his relative, Deagol, were fishing, they found the “One Ring” in the river. When Sméagol saw it for the first time, he automatically knew that he had to have it. This is the first time that we meet Gollum (in the movie). When Deagol refused to give it to him, Sméagol (acting as Gollum) strangled Deagol to death. After he was shunned by his family, he went off to live
From Hitler throughout the Holocaust, Maus the graphic novel has brought a story of a survivor, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew. Vladek has been there when the Swastika was a symbol of well-being and the goods. From the start of World War II and sustained until the war ended. Vladek survived the war because of luckiness, after that, being resourceful was the reason he lived. Lost his first born son in the process, moved to the United States. Lost his wife and lived with a fear it might happen all over again, he is a survivor of the Holocaust.
Wang Lung needs a wife so saves up the little money he has and buys a woman who is a slave named O-lan. O-lan is sold to Wang Lung so she can take care of the home, cooking and bear children. Wang Lung is disappointed when he first sees O-lan because she does not have bound feet which was a desirable quality at that time but he does enjoy when O-lan has the food ready when he comes in a night from the land. Wang Lung is very proud when O-lan makes cakes that no one else in the village knows how to makes and when his family comes to feast for the new year at their house.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend John Hale’s role in the witch trials changed from a confident and passionate proponent to a guilty and despairing dissenter. He entered the play with an eager air about him, and he was keen to use his expertise and knowledge in witchcraft and the Devil in order to dispel the evil witches who “trafficked with the Devil” (Miller 61) in the town of Salem. Furthermore, he was proud of the fact that he was called upon specifically to help out with Salem’s witch problem. However, toward the end of the play, he was “steeped in sorrow” (Miller 119) and “exhausted.” He realized too late that the accusations of the afflicted girls were just fabricated lies. Moreover, his mistake caused a countless number of innocent people to be thrown in jail and hanged. With this revelation clouding his mind and breaking his heart, he became an anguished man who regretted his actions that aided the conviction of numerous so-called witches. He fought against the witch trials after that, but his actions were inadequate. The witch trials still went on. Hale ended up being a character who opposed the witch trials, but instead of going against the court as aggressively as John Proctor, he begged the accused to confess in order to save their own lives. He believed that it was better to lie and live than deny and die.
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a Non-Shakespearan Drama which presents societal issues still affecting mankind today. This play proves the idea that major characters do not always undergo important changes; rather they reveal their true nature as the play progresses. The antagonist, Abigail Williams, proves this theory as during the hysteria of the 1692 Salem witch trials, it is her integrity that is challenged and her true character that is revealed, rather than any catalysed change.
People have many different opinions on the rights and wrongs of hunting which can reveal a person’s true character. There is proof of this in the passage The Most Dangerous Game. In the text a character grows bored of hunting animals and decides to prey upon humans instead, and another character looks down on less advanced beings. General Zaroff is shown to be self-assured while hunting people. Rainsford is perceived as an egotistical person who later becomes a self-deprecating one. The situations the two characters are in unveil their true personalities. By using indirect characterization in the passage, Connell, depicts General Zaroff as a static character and Rainsford as a dynamic character.
Noah is the one of the main characters of The Notebook. He is the hero of this novel. Noah represents true love and true loyalty. In a way, The Notebook is similar to every modern day romance movie, and Noah represents the “dream man” that all the girls always imagine of having. The characters in movies are used to symbolize ideas, and in this novel, Noah represents true, faithful, committed love. Noah remains loyal to Allie even in the situation where he is unsure whether they will ever meet again or not.