Question 5: “Texts construct characters who represent the best qualities in human nature, as well as those who represent the worst.” Discuss how at least ONE character is constructed in a text you have read or viewed. (Sem 2, 2016) Through the experience of the young character, Bobby, the short story Catapult by J. A McLeod is a good example in which characters in texts are constructed to represent the best and worst qualities in human nature. In this short story, Bobby is constructed to convey just how easily we are able to destroy our innocence and to represent some of the uglier qualities in human nature, like how we crave power, are greedy and how easily we are able to kill if given the power paired with a lapse in judgement. It shows how we would rather pin the blame on something innocent rather than accept our faults and also suggests that our lack of judgement could be our downfall. At the same …show more content…
time, this story also contrasts the good qualities that we have such as our innocence, kindness, our belief in faith or God and the judgement of right and wrong as well as the gift of our imaginations. In this text, an eight year old boy, is given the power of destruction through the means of a self made toy, a catapult. Bobby is excited by the new-found power he possesses with his new catapult and decides to test its power. The idea that people are drawn to power and destruction is a recurring theme in this short story and how we use that power against others for our own. Bobby embraces an basks in this power that he has but this power is something he does not know the danger of. Being a child he does not realise that the catapult is capable of death. Bobby is just a boy who like any other is in his own world and wants to play pretend. He tries out this new weapon, flinging a stone and by doing so he kills a poor little sparrow that was beneath the rowan tree, killing it instantly. This highlights just how easily we are able to kill with just a fraction of lack in judgement. If Bobby had thought about the consequences of his actions, even though he is only eight, he would have realised that he might seriously hurt or injure the bird. If he had thought about how much power the catapult posessed he might have not shot the bird with the stone. He might have used a smaller stone that wouldn’t have hurt the bird as much if he really wanted to play with the catapult. When Bobby realises that he killed the bird his loud, boisterous self became frightened, confused and reserved. The theme of growing up, or coming of age is shown here. Bobby feels guilty and worried and he does not understad the extent of his actions. When he realises what he had done, he grows through this experience. He feels the urge to make things right by taking a cross, a candle and bible along with the catapult in his pocket to the bird in order for both Bobby and the sparrow to find a sense of peace. The author suggests the way in which we look up to a higher authority or figure for forgiveness from our sins. The cross and bible represents his faith in Christianity and wants forgiveness for killing the innocent bird. This is a good quality as we believe in a higher power which keeps in check our more worse qualities such as arrogance and superiority. Even if we do not believe in such thing the people around us who do shape us and keep us humble. Bobby’s good intentions unfortunately are short lived, when he sees his sister’s cat preying on the dead bird.
In anger he strikes at the cat, also killing it on the spot. The idea that we do not learn from our mistakes and have no control over our worst emotions is evident here. It reveals how we make rash decisions that we regret in the future. He feels even more guilty and saddened by his actions. He turns to blame the cat for becoming his victim; if only the cat hadn’t preyed on the sparrow it would still be alive. This implies that we by nature do not want to accept our faults and take the blame and that we would rather blame someone else or something else for our misdeeds. If only the cat had not made his angry or upset, it would be alive. Bobby didn’t have control over his feelings and let his emotions get in the way of his decision making skills. Which led to him acting in a violent manner and ended up killing another innocent creature. Bobby does not want to accept that it was his fault and how his emotions got the best of him which resulted in his
actions. After he grieves, he fixes the cross and candle as a tribute to both the sparrow and the cat. And in doing so the author cleverly gives us an indication of fogiveness when the earth and the wind are shown to draw away his sorrow and forgive his sins. The faith and values he has been brought up with allows him to be true to himself and allows him to grow as a person. He becomes his old childish self again and runs of to the sea this time pretending to be a red Indian which shows the boys innocence and childish nature as well as his active imagination. Though he destroyed the pure innocence he had before killing the sparrow and cat, he still possesses the innocence of a child. He is only eight years old which means that he wants to play and be free of duty. He does not know much better because of his age. His vivid imagination allows him to create the scenarios that he imagines, such as the game he plays as a red Indian, and the character he plays with his catapult. When Bobby talks to the dead cat stroking its fur, he does so in a soft manner. This touching scene show cases Bobby’s kindness and compassion towards the animal, which belonged to his sister. He sheds a few tears which exhibits the humanly emotions that he is going through, which leaves him in a vulnerable position in which he is able to think much clearly to when he was furious at the cat. Bobby is a prime example in which characters in texts are constructed to represent the best and worst qualities in human nature. He is constructed to convey our best qualities such as our innocence, our kindness and compassion, and our ability to feel emotions as well as our faith in a higher power, the good values and morals that we are brought up with and the gift of imagination. These are contrasted with some of the uglier qualities in human nature, like our craving for power, our greedy and the consequences because of our lapse in judgement. Bobby displays how we do not like to accept blame for our wrong doings and how we blame someone or something else instead. The text also suggests that our judgement is easily influenced by our emotions and so are our actions.
Are humans natural born sinners? Are we content with our self-indulging human nature? Flannery O’Connor shows us through her stories that the worst quality in a human is selfishness. Through grotesque characters, O’Connor demonstrates the common theme of selfish human nature to display the ability it has to ruin/drive people crazy and that people only look to religion when they are desperate.
In the human nature, naive ignorance of the world's imperfections eventually yields to the recognition that the world does contain hatred and violence. John Knowles places his novel A Separate Peace in situations which necessitate this emotional transformation. The characters become increasingly aware of the nature of the world. In addition, symbols help show the interrelation of ideas and events as they appear in Gene's subconscious mind. In this novel, setting, character, and symbols develop the theme of loss of innocence.
Heroes are not always credited for their honesty and righteousness. This is the view towards society that Robert Cormier exhibits in the novel ¡§I am the Cheese¡¨, where the individual is punished for standing up to himself. In this society, the non-valiant are rewarded for their ignorance and compliance, narrated through the characters of Grey and Whipper. Moreover, Robert Cormier portrays this society to be void of truth and justice. This is seen through exploring the innocence behind Adam¡¦s parents¡¦ suffering and death. Nevertheless, the author holds reserve for truth and justice when Adam tries to complete the puzzle of his past.
When viewing the atrocities of today's world on television, the starving children, the wars, the injustices, one cannot help but think that evil is rampant in this day and age. However, people in society must be aware that evil is not an external force embodied in a society but resides within each person. Man has both good qualities and faults. He must come to control these faults in order to be a good person. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding deals with this same evil which exists in all of his characters. With his mastery of such literary tools as structure, syntax, diction and imagery, The author creates a cheerless, sardonic tone to convey his own views of the nature of man and man’s role within society.
Graham Greene, a Canadian actor, once said, “Human nature is not black and white but black and grey.” Carver brings this quote into light, when he describes the outcome of an argument that a couple has. Carver, the author of “Popular Mechanics,” uses imagery, symbolism, and voice to convey that humanity is inherently bad, violent, evil and in times of darkness. One can easily destroy ones own beautiful creations, but in all it’s just a part of human nature.
All three texts portray leading characters who suffer due to flaws within their own personalities; however, it could be argued that the flaws these individuals fall victim to are directly a product of their environments rather than being innate within themselves. These texts were written between 1623 and 1989 and depict figures from all levels of the social hierarchy; from a King in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale to a servant in Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day and a socialite in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, showing that falling victim to a weakness within one’s own character is not an experience exclusive to one era or one class of people.
'Young Goodman Brown,' by Hawthorne, and 'The Tell Tale Heart,' by Poe, offer readers the chance to embark on figurative and literal journeys, through our minds and our hearts. Hawthorne is interested in developing a sense of guilt in his story, an allegory warning against losing one's faith. The point of view and the shift in point of view are symbolic of the darkening, increasingly isolated heart of the main character, Goodman Brown, an everyman figure in an everyman tale. Poe, however, is concerned with capturing a sense of dread in his work, taking a look at the motivations behind the perverseness of human nature. Identifying and understanding the point of view is essential, since it affects a reader's relationship to the protagonist, but also offers perspective in situations where characters are blinded and deceived by their own faults. The main character of Poe?s story embarks on an emotional roller coaster, experiencing everything from terror to triumph. Both authors offer an interpretation of humans as sinful, through the use of foreshadowing, repetition, symbolism and, most importantly, point of view. Hawthorne teaches the reader an explicit moral lesson through the third person omniscient point of view, whereas Poe sidesteps morality in favor of thoroughly developing his characters in the first person point of view.
The Road is a phenomenal example of how raw human nature shapes peoples’ decisions. It addresses the behaviors of people neither informed nor controlled by a social order. In the essence of The Road, people’s actions are highly dependent on the person’s basic needs. A lack of basic human needs often results in the more disturbing view of human nature. (Gilbert pg. 43) Betrayal, suicide, and cannibalism are all examples of behaviors that human nature can bring out of people.
This paper will explore the three elements of innate evil within William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, the change from civilization to savagery, the beast, and the battle on the island. Golding represents evil through his character's, their actions, and symbolism. The island becomes the biggest representation of evil because it's where the entire novel takes place. The change from civilization to savagery is another representation of how easily people can change from good to evil under unusual circumstances. Golding also explores the evil within all humans though the beast, because it's their only chance for survival and survival instinct takes over. In doing so, this paper will prove that Lord of the Flies exemplifies the innate evil that exists within all humans.
A character is a person in a story that plays a particular role. Stories require characters so that it forms conflicts, tensions and resolutions. Characters also carry certain traits to make the story interesting and unique. Each character might have different attributes. Others could have similar and different qualities. Those who read many novels might notice that characters from various books are similar to each other to an extent, but are not completely the same. The old English poem, Beowulf, and Shakespeare's Macbeth contain characters with similar characteristics. Beowulf and Macbeth share similar traits, but do not have the same objective. Comparing and contrasting determine the similarities and differences of things. Comparing and contrasting is an excellent tool to determine what is right and wrong. When choosing the best car to drive, comparing and contrasting helps in the choice of the best vehicle. Macbeth and Beowulf demonstrate that a warrior's motivations matter for both soldiers and the people.
Through discovery our perception of human nature changes alongside the world we live in. this is shown in Micheal de Montaigne’s “of cannibals” and the Tempest written by William Shakespeare. Both show, when man is left alone in a natural state, humans grow to perfection, compared to the state of a civilized man whom is corrupt and alters human nature to an animalistic form. The tempest portrays human beings in a civilized state, whom the characters do inhuman acts for material gain and Micheal de Montaigne’s “ of Cannibals” represent man in a natural state whom when left untouched grows to an paragon society. Yet, which is better? a man in a natural state or a man in a civilized state.
In Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell Tale Heart, both protagonists are stricken with hypersensitivity. And ultimately, the acute senses of Roderick Usher from FHU and of the narrator from TTH prevent them from recognizing their own culpability. One would expect that through their acute awareness, Roderick Usher and the narrator would acquire a greater recognition of their own faults. Yet, strangely, both characters are unable to recognize their own culpability in the deaths of those around them. Once readers analyze the distracted behaviors of both characters as well as the parallel language of Poe, they will realize that Usher and the narrator accuse their peers of their own flaws because they are truly unaware of their own weaknesses. It becomes clear that both character’s hypersensitivities cause them to be overly distracted by their surroundings; and they are therefore too distracted to recognize their own faults. Usher’s inability to perform basic human functions gives evidence to the magnitude with which his hypersensitivity disrupts his daily life. Similarly, the narrator in TTH’s obsession with the old man’s eye distracts him from thinking rationally. The narrator’s distracted state causes him to rationalize his crime, rather than recognizing his responsible for the murder. Ultimately, the hypersensitivity of both characters is a hindrance to their self-awareness, as it causes them to be in a perpetual state of distraction, and consequently both characters are unable to recognize responsibility for their own missteps.
Evil is a commonly used theme in literature; it is used to provide contrast between the protagonist and his/her trials. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Shakespeare’s Othello, and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, the horror of evil is manifested into the plot, affecting the characters in the story. Evil is embodied into story because of those who neglect it, its concentration into one character, and its manipulative power.
...s, the reader can see that the men base their actions on what nature throws at them, proving that nature dominates man’s actions and man is completely vulnerable against nature.
Lii, Thereaa. "Defining Characters by Their Chosen Environment." Defining Characters by Their Chosen Environment. Brown University, 23 Feb. 2008. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.