Character Analysis: The Shining

Ben Arnold Warren departed this world on Wednesday November 4th, 1979. Ben was just 6-years-old and currently a resident in Denver, Colorado. He lived with his parents and younger brother, Tommy Warren, in a small cottage just south of Denver. Ben is survived by his mom; Jennifer Warren, father; Matthew Warren, brother; Tommy Joe Warren. He is also survived by grandparents Janet Warren, Tom Warren, Barbara Johnson, and Carl Johnson. Also his Aunt Julie Warren and Uncle John Warren, and their children Joey Warren, Abby Warren, and Sally Warren. Born and raised in Breckenridge, Ben’s favorite hobbies were skiing and snowboarding. Ben was currently attending Early Shiners Elementary where his teachers said “he shined brighter than any student

in the class.” Ben was apart of multiple clubs and activities at school including: “Snowball Cleaners”, where he helped clean up after lunch, Jump Roping Team, and Young Mathletes Club. Ben was currently at the top of his kindergarten class. His mother, Jennifer Warren, said “Ben had a bright future ahead of him, it is a shame he lost his life this early.” Ben was a very loving and respectful child and always put others before himself. Ben will be missed by many.
On November 4th, a funeral service is scheduled for 1:00pm at North Forest Baptist Church off Main Street. Reverend Stephen King will officiate the service. Following the service will be a private burial. Flowers and condolences may be sent to the Overlook Funeral Home on 1432 Mountain Ridge Street.

Word Count: 251
Newspaper Article

Ben Warren, a 6 year old resident of Colorado, was fatally killed early Wednesday morning by an intoxicated driver. Investigators determined Warren had escaped his home off 5th Avenue around 12 am, Wednesday morning. The only things found with Warren were his bicycle, a red jacket, and blue jeans. He presumably was riding his bicycle on the freeway when a drunk driver hit him. The drunk driver was later found in his car that crashed into the woods approximately 2 hours after the child was hit. Two people were found in this car, both with a blood alcohol count of 0.914. Both drivers are still alive and currently in a coma at Wake Colorado Springs Hospital. The released name of the driver being convicted of manslaughter is “Al Shockey”. The passenger riding on board was “Jack Torrance.” His mom told reporters the following, “My son did not deserve to die this way. All because of someone’s bad choice to drive intoxicated. I have come to the conclusion that alcoholism always has bad effects on society.” Ben’s father told reporters, “Society, please look out for your children, in the blink of an eye they can be gone just like that.”
    A funeral service is scheduled for 1:00pm on November 4th at North Forest Baptist Church off Main Street. Reverend Stephen King will officiate the service. Following the service will be a private burial. Family asks that only close friends and family attend. Flowers and condolences may be sent to the Overlook Funeral Home on 1432 Mountain Ridge Street.

Word Count: 259
Endnotes

My original poem “Let Alcohol Shine” was inspired by Danny Torrance, the young boy in Stephen King’s novel, The Shining. This poem creates a connection between how the effects of alcoholism are similar between “The Shining” and society. Starting with the negative impacts of alcoholism in The Shining then ending with statistics of modern society today.
In “The Shining,” Jack’s alcohol addiction is reflected in how he treats his family.

In  “Here Comes………,” each object in this image represents something. The whisky bottles represent the alcohol Jack drinks continuously, making him an overall alcoholic. The woman in the image represents Wendy, Jack’s wife. The fear on her face shows the concern she has for Danny being around her psychotic husband. This is similar to the fear parents have today when their child is subjected to alcoholic environment. The location of the whisky bottles placed above Wendy represent how alcohol comes before family for Jack. The reason I gave the picture a dark tent was to represent the solemn environment alcoholics live in. Lastly, the expression on Danny’s face demonstrates the fear children feel when their parents

drink.
This obituary of “Ben Arnold Warren” was inspired by the mysterious boy on a bike Al Shockey and Jack claimed to hit late one night after drinking. The possibility of hitting a child created a major influence on Jack’s life. This obituary reflects the emotions from families that are hit with tragedies like this today. Drunk driving accidents create a chain reaction. Not only is the immediate family and friends of the victim affected but also anyone who can relate to their situation.
The newspaper article of Ben Warren, a 6 year old who was fatally killed by an intoxicated driver, was inspired by Stephen King’s “The Shining.” This newspaper article reflects the DWI car accidents that are occurring in today’s modern society. The article also reflects the charges drunk drivers are charged with when they commit these types of crimes. Jack Torrance’s drunk driving scenes from “The Shining” inspired me to create this news article.

Works Cited

King, Stephen. The Shining. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977. Print.
"Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)."
             U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 30    
             Nov. 2016.
Daniel, Hugo, and Daniel Beekman. "The Boy from 'The Shining' Became a Pig Farmer and a
              Science Teacher." NY Daily News. N.p., 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
"Alcohol Addiction: How To Battle The Problem." No Bullying. N.p., 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 2
               Dec. 2016.                             
1379. "AA, Al-Anon Owe Debt of Gratitude to Lois Wilson -- Hazelden." AA, Al-Anon Owe
              Debt of Gratitude to Lois Wilson -- Hazelden. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
@AAC_Tweet. "What Are the Problems & Effects of Alcoholism on Families & Marriages."
              American Addiction Centers. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
"RIA Reaching Others: Does Drinking Affect Marriage?" Does Drinking Affect Marriage? -
             Research Institute on Addictions - University at Buffalo. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Unifying Elements

In this multi-genre research project I took most of my inspiration from the author of The Shining, Stephen King. His incorporation of alcoholism in the main character, Jack Torrance, is reflected in each of my elements. I tied in the results of Jack’s drinking disease and how it affected the environment around him to fully explain each of my elements. In the first element, I wrote my poem based off the abusive relationship between Jack and his son Danny. In my second element, I created “Here Comes………” by visually incorporating the idea of how alcoholism separates a family by locating the family apart from one another. In my third element, I wrote an obituary based off the young boy that was supposedly killed by Jack and Al Shockey while drunk driving. Likewise, in my fourth element I created a news article based on the young boy killed. For my final fifth element, I used what I learned from each element to combine it into an overall expository piece.

Self-Reflection

Upon completing this project, I found that alcoholism is a serious disorder that can destroy a family.

I very much enjoyed creating this multi-genre research project because it gave me a chance to broaden my horizon on the facts of alcoholism. Something I found most surprising during my research was that more than 10 percent of children in the United States live with a parent who has alcohol related problems. This is just one of several statistics I found very shocking. I also enjoyed customizing each of my creative elements. At first I was concerned about writing my own poem, because I usually have a hard time doing this, but after incorporating my sources within it, I had no problem. My favorite element was creating my own image for the visual element portion of the project. I not only used my creative skills to structure my image but I also learned how to use photoshop for the first time. This element was very beneficial for me. When completing my expository piece, I found using multiple sources was very useful. Originally I was trying to keep my sources to only five but I eventually discovered the more the merrier. When finding my sources, I made sure they were all accurate and legitimate. I did this by making sure none of them consisted of blogs/wiki/about.com. Overall, after comparing textual evidence from The Shining with research from online sources, I have concluded that alcoholism can have tremendous effects on the people around the

alcoholic.