T. Coraghessan Boyle’s short story “Carnal Knowledge” evokes a sense of yearning for meat, as the protagonist in the story expresses this hunger for the meaty provisions he denied himself in order to be with a woman that he was infatuated with. Boyle’s use of diction in this short story suggests that the text is a focus on the flesh in its varying forms. “Carnal” which is known to represent the flesh, lustful desires, and sexual needs, is represented in this story as the protagonist expressed his cravings for meat, and his lustful desires for the woman of his interest. Though the text of this story followed the protagonist and his love interest’s adventures as vegan activists against animal cruelty, it is clear that the protagonist constantly …show more content…
craved meat with the same hunger that he craved Alena, his lover. Boyle’s choice of diction in this text helps the reader gather a better understanding of the experiences of the protagonist. This hunger the protagonist felt for meat can be seen early on in the text as the narrator described the way he ate a sandwich he possessed while on the beach; “I found a sheltered spot in a tumble of boulders, spread a blanket, and settled down to attack the pastrami on rye I’d brought along for nourishment.” (580) The author uses this diction on purpose to express the protagonist hunger for the consumption of meat. The use of the word “attack” evokes a feeling of aggressive behavior that the protagonist possesses towards meat products and animals. This can also be seen as the protagonist expressed how seeing images of animal cruelty did not deter him from consuming animal product. It can also be seen as the protagonist expressed, “I was thinking of all the turkeys I’d sent to their doom, of the plucked wishbones, the pope’s noses, and the crisp browned skin I used to relish as a kid. It brought a lump to my throat, and something more: I realized I was hungry.” (588) Boyle’s use of diction to graphically express the protagonist memory of all the meat he once consumed was very effective in allowing the readers to understand his inner struggle of not being able to consume meat, and the hollow unsatisfied feeling the protagonist had because of it. The hollow feeling of hunger as he substituted his carnivorous diet for a vegan diet was one of the prices the protagonist paid in order to be with his love interest.
The protagonist, Jim, was engulfed with lust for Alena, and decided to do whatever it took to be with her, even if it meant changing himself to fit a mold of what he felt he needed to be to have her. This lust becomes apparent as the author introduced a simile to express the lustful feeling Jim had for Alena as he stated, “I was moved by the emotion she’d called up, I was moved even more by the sight of her bending over the box in her Gore-Tex bikini; I clung to the edge of the chair as if it were a plunging roller coaster.” (583) The choice of this expression is noted to express the rush Jim felt as he stared at Alena’s barely dressed figure bending and searching for documents. This choice of words captured that thrilling, but terrifying adrenaline filled feeling of falling to my doom that I have when I’m on a rollercoaster; In the context of this story I took it to represent that Jim was overcame with some of those same feelings and as he sexualized Alena’s body. This, was also seen in the narrator expression of Jim’s thoughts as he stated, “She smiled. On your own wavelength: the words illuminated me, excited me, sent up a tremor I could feel all the way down in the deepest nodes of my reproductive tract.” (584) This choice of diction shows that Alena’s comment along with the sight of her smiling at Jim further excited him in a sexual
way. The sight and very being of Alena was being sexualized as Jim plotted on ways to deceive her, and impress her in order to devour the pleasures of her flesh as he would the enjoy the pleasures of his meals. This is seen as the narrator expressed the various activities that Jim had partaken in with Alena in order to win her approval, and the affection that came with it. Boyle used figurative language to express this affection that Alena showed Jim as the narrator stated, “The deep throb of the ocean seemed to settle in my bones as we lay there in bed that night, Alena and I, and I learned all about the fluency of her limbs and the sweetness of her vegetable tongue.” (584) Boyle’s choice in diction suggests that Jim and Alena had become intimate, and shows how Jim indulged in his carnal pleasures of Alena’s physical being. Every action that Jim took part in with Alena was all done or motivated by the intentions of experiencing the pleasure of that indulgence again. This is apparent as the narrator expressed, “… but then I thought of all those innocent turkeys consigned to death, and finally I thought of Alena, long-legged and loving, and the way she came to me out to the darkness of the bathroom and the boom of the surf. I took the tin snips to the wire” (589) This shows that Jim motivation for doing the thing he did with Alena was not truly because he believed in the same cause she did, but because he was motivated by the possible rewards she offered. This choice of words expressed also shows a correlation between when Jim and Alena are intimately involved, and the use of the description of the surf to expressed the intimacy, and Jim’s feelings of it. Boyle’s effectively use diction to give the readers a sense of the protagonist feelings as he sacrificed one carnal endeavor for another. His play with words throughout the story gave a deeper understanding of why Jim behaved the way he did after meeting Alena. I’ve gathered from Boyle’s choice of words in this story that Jim was infatuated with Alena’s physical aspects, and the way she made him feel when they were intimate. Jim was happy with what he had with Alena however Boyle made it apparent for the readers to also realize that he was still not satisfied, as he constantly felt a hunger that being with Alena could not diminish; his love for meat. The relationship between Jim and Alena was destined for disaster as Jim neglected a huge part of himself, and conformed to be all the things he thought would win Alena’s affection. Relationships built on deceitfulness are bound to go sour. Works Cited Boyle, T. Coraghessan. “Carnal Knowledge” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2010. 756.Print.
In Galway Kinnell’s poem, “Blackberry Eating,” assonance, alliteration, and refrain are used in reinforcing the poem’s meaning that just like the speaker’s interest for “ripest” blackberries as described throughout the poem, words are also rich and intense, thus one is eating straight from the tree of knowledge.
The state of Maine is a huge tourist spot known for it’s rocky coastline and seafood cuisine, especially lobster. Annually, the state holds the “Maine Lobster Festival” every summer, and is a popular lucrative attraction including carnival rides and food booths. The center of attention for this festival is, unsurprisingly, lobster. The author of the article “Consider the Lobster”, David Foster Wallace, mainly uses logos and pathos, and explores the idea of being put into the lobsters perspective by describing how the cooking process is done and informing us on the animal’s neurological system in a very comprehensible way. He effectively uses these persuasive devices to paint a picture for the audience and pave way for the reader to conjure
Nature has a powerful way of portraying good vs. bad, which parallels to the same concept intertwined with human nature. In the story “Greasy Lake” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the author portrays this through the use of a lake by demonstrating its significance and relationship to the characters. At one time, the Greasy Lake was something of beauty and cleanliness, but then came to be the exact opposite. Through his writing, Boyle demonstrates how the setting can be a direct reflection of the characters and the experiences they encounter.
Norcross, Alastair. “Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases.” Philosophical Perspectives 18, (2004): 229-245.
T.C. Boyle’s “Top of the Food Chain” is a narration about man’s selfish mistakes. The narrator's tone is used to show man’s disregard for organisms that have little to no benefit to them or are considered a nuisance. “The thing was, we had a little problem with the insects…” The narrator’s tone is quickly shown as selfish and works for only his comforts and is indifferent to the chaos that his choices make.
Chandler goes into great detail describing the different characters--most notably, the women. There are many sections where the shrewd detective is quick to notice (and make analogous) certain physical features of the Sternwood daughters; not that I blame him. Early in the novel he observes Mrs. Regen's legs in the following manner. "They were visible to the knee and one of them well beyond...The calves were beautiful, the ankles long and slim and with enough melodic line for a tone poem" (17). I think that every guy reading this book perked up when reading of Vivian's legs. In this sexual sense, the similes work. Those long sentences would be much easier to read if there were more comparisons of Vivian's legs to a "melodic line for a tone poem".
”The History of Sexuality” is a three-volumes book, published around 1976 and 1984 by the french historical philosopher Michel Foucault. The three volumes are “An Introduction” (which later is known also as “The Will of Knowledge”), “The Use of the Self” and “The Care of the Self”.
Wherein lies the odd attraction and power of the freakish? Just as often as it introduces us to expressions of common human experience, study in the Humanities also introduces us to the decidedly uncommon--to writers, artists and thinkers who push conventional limits of language and narrative, vision and imagination, memory and history, or logic and rationality. For our Freaks of the Core colloquium, we explored the outer limits of human expression and experience. What, we asked, defines the abnormal or the outlandish? the fanatical or heretical? the illusory or the grotesque? Why are we commonly drawn to the very uncommon? "Nothing, indeed, is more revolting," wrote Thomas De Quincey in his famously freaky Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, "than the spectacle of a human being obtruding on our notice his moral ulcers or scars, and tearing away that 'decent drapery' which time, or indulgence to human frailty, may have drawn over them" (1).[1] But De Quincey chose to tear away that drapery in his Confessions nevertheless, believing that his outlandish experiences with addiction, poverty and illusion would teach his readers valuable lessons that outweighed any offense. "In that hope it is that I have drawn this up," wrote De Quincey, "and that must be my apology for breaking through that delicate and honorable reserve, which, for the most part, restrains us from the public exposure of our own infirmities" (1). The essays below also tear away the "decent drapery" which covers the sometimes unsightly extremes of human experience, and they do so with similar hopes and reasons.
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins, my sin, my soul” (Nabokov 9). Quoted from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita, Humbert Humbert briefly describes his sensibilities towards his love Lolita. I’ve italicized love for the reason that this book is perceived often as not a true American love story but as a pedophile’s lust. The reasoning for the italicization is because I wanted to emphasis on the point that this book offers more than that of a pedophile’s love. Nabokov’s novel does a very good job of creating an interesting yet unorthodoxed plot. What Nabokov might find acceptable in today’s society, some people might find very offensive and disrupting. He does this to grab the reader’s attention; therefore, building their interests by having them see the other side of things. Why many readers may find this book to be associated with pornography or just another literary piece surrounded around pedophilia, Nabokov hits you with textual evidence, which may sway reader’s minds. As a reader of this novel, I am compelled to show you how this book is a true American “Love Story.”
Delany, Samuel. "Aversion/Perversion/Diversion." Longer Views: Extended Essays. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1996
When a person becomes fascinated with a certain object or thing, their attention is irresistibly drawn towards it. They become enticed and overly interested in the object, trying to study it more, in hopes of learning and gather more information from it. However, when this fascination violently preoccupies every second of our time then it is no longer just a captivating interest but now an obsession. When someone is obsessed with something they are devoted and completely infatuated with the idea of that object, becoming powerless to resist the temptation that the object compels over them. It becomes an aggressive fixation and in some cases they may even lose themselves or their own sanity in the process. This idea that obsession leads to insanity is furthermore explored in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart” in which the narrator becomes so enthralled with the eye of his old neighbor, that when he kills his neighbor in attempts to get rid of the eye, he cannot keep himself together and reveals to the authorities his secret, which in turn can be assumed to result in the narrator’s own death. In “The Tell Tale Heart,” Poe uses great symbolism and a distinct style to reveal that obsession ultimately leads to insanity.
In this paper I will look at the argument made by James Rachels in his paper, The Moral Argument for Vegetarianism supporting the view that humans should be vegetarians on moral grounds. I will first outline the basis of Rachels’ argument supporting vegetarianism and his moral objection to using animals as a food source and critique whether it is a good argument. Secondly, I will look at some critiques of this kind of moral argument presented by R. G. Frey in his article, Moral Vegetarianism and the Argument from Pain and Suffering. Finally, I will show why I support the argument made by Frey and why I feel it is the stronger of the two arguments and why I support it.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Poe aims to reach into the stratosphere of mythological patricidal figures. Even though the main character of this story isn’t as ill-fated as Oedipus, or as godly as Cronus, his inner conflict is just as epic. The main character’s inner conflict is just as interesting as Poe’s actual life is. In particular, Poe’s relationship with his foster father may shed some light on the reason why the main character’s disposition is so hostile, murderous, and yet, oddly loving towards is father. Psychoanalytical criticism will help shed light on the repression, denial, and intellectualization of the main character and how it corresponds with Poe himself.
This essay will analyze and critique Michel Foucault’s (1984) essay The Use of Pleasure in order to reveal certain internal weaknesses it contains and propose modifications that would strengthen his reading of sexuality as a domain of moral self-formation. In order to do so, it will present a threefold critique of his work. Firstly, it will argue that that his focus on solely the metric of pleasure divorced from its political manifestations underemphasizes state power as a structuring principle of sexuality. Secondly, it will posit that his attention to classical morality privileges written works by male elites and fails to account for the subtexts that would demonstrate other forms of morality. Finally, it will argue that the nature of actors’ resistance to moral codes, explicated through Butler’s concept of iterability and signification, is an important factor that should also be considered. As a result of this critique, this essay
When analyzing Freud’s psychosexual theory it is vital to note that he connected human drives to those of animals, thus indicating that these human drives can be broken down to a basic need for survival. Freud believed sexuality to be the most dominant biological force in determining human behavior. Freud’s theory becomes exceedingly convincing one is able to grasp the concept that his theories on sexuality and drive energy correspond more to drives and fulfillments rooted in bodily activity, than that of erotic stimulation or sexual satisfaction (Anderson & Taylor, 2007,