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Changes in american culture
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
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Throughout history, the American novel Cold Mountain has been described as an American Odyssey. Theses two stories describe a young man set on a journey to ultimately return home. During the journey they meet many new people and learn great things. While the two pieces of literature are very similar, but looking at the finer details they do have many differences. Charles Frazier uses the change of attitude of Inman and Ada to ultimately make Cold Mountain an American Odyssey.
First and foremost, the change in attitude of Ada represents the heart of American people. Ada was a city girl. She did not understand a lick of how to survive in the real world as an independent individual. She was "educated beyond the point considered wise for females"
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and she was completely reliant on her father to get her through life.
With the help of Ruby, she was given an opportunity to make it on her own it in life. America is a land of opportunity. People come to the United States of America to start a new life and that is exactly what Ada did. Although she was a little fed up with all the work she had to do, she cooperated with Ruby and decided it was time for a change for the better. Ada was able to develop and prosper through the farm. She plowed the fields, built a fence, and harvested crops. The knowledge that she gained through this opportunity was immense. She never gave up, never gave in, and remained unbroken. Like in America, she was given an opportunity to succeed. Ada took this opportunity to a new height as she never lost faith in herself. She knew that she could achieve success as an individual. Similarly, in the Odyssey, Penelope never lost faith in the return of her husband. She kept her faith when no else did. She knew that he would return despite the fact she has not seen Odysseus in twenty years. Both characters use an instance of faith, however, Frazier is able to make Ada's faith similar to that of an American’s. Ada …show more content…
never lost faith in herself and Penelope never lost faith in Odysseus. Americans tend to keep faith in themselves rather than that of someone else. Charles Frazier showed how Ada never gave up in herself and believed that she could make it on her own. She was able to accomplish the American dream of opportunity. By allowing Ada's faith to be more in herself rather than her faith to be more that of Inman's return, simply adds to the viewing of Cold Mountain as an American Odyssey. Another character that displays a change of attitude is Inman.
Inman, initially, sees the war as great and exciting. All he wanted was the war and couldn't wait to leave for the fight. However, he soon discovers that this is not what he expected. Unfortunately, he learns that war is a cruel and horrible game. It is filled with death, cruelty, and sickness. The war drives him mad and leaves a permanent mark on his character. He soon realizes, "Cold Mountain . . . soared in his mind as a place where all his scattered forces might gather. Inman did not consider himself to be a superstitious person, but he did believe that there is a world invisible to us."(Ch. 1 pg 8) Inman knew he had to return home away from war, pain, and suffering. His change of attitude of war and decision to leave makes him a hero. Whether it be the army, firefighters, teachers, etc America is full of heroes. Heroes physically, but more so of heroes mentally. Throughout history, the knowledge and decisions of some former Presidents has allowed this country to thrive. The decisions they made is what defines them as a hero or as a villain. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was not a hero in the mental fate but in that of a physical state. He was strong, fast, and very skilled. He proves his strength and fighting skills throughout book. Specifically, at the end he slaughters all the suitors. He takes them all on and proves the victor in the battle. A true physical hero is what best defines that of Odysseus. However,
Charles Frazier is able to swap this feature through the character of Inman to make his novel an American Odyssey. Inman's gutsy decision to leave the war makes him a hero. He realizes the violence and killing is not the thing for him. He has seen so much that he has grown so used death and it doesn't even have an emotional effect him anymore. He can't stand the things he has seen in this different "world." It was a big step for Inman in his life to leave war and it gives him a quality of boldness. This decision truly made him a hero as he chose the path less traveled by. Not a hero with strength, speed, or skills, but a hero of true mental toughness. Attitude is defined as a settle way of thinking or feeling about someone or something. Throughout the novel, Cold Mountain, the characters of Ada and Inman display an immense change in attitude. This ultimately is why Cold Mountain today is defined as an American Odyssey. Ada was someone who didn't know how to live by herself. She was always some who depended on others to get her where she is. With the help of Ruby she learned that trait of individualism and never lost faith in herself on her journey to it. Penelope in the Odyssey displays a trait of faith in someone and not herself. Its the trait of faith in yourself in Ada that contributes to the point of an American Odysseus. Inman shows a change of attitude in war when he realizes its not for him. His bold decision is what made him stand out and proved his heroism. Odysseus was a hero not mentally, but physically. He was a hero that beared strength, speed, and fighting skills. A hero of intelligence; not strength is what differs between Inman and Odysseus. Heroes of intelligence is what emerges as a hero in America. An American Odyssey is a name Cold Mountain should truly bear.
In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus has many different qualities that classify him as a hero. He is brave and courageous as shown when he murdered all the suitors who were disrespecting his property even though he was outmanned by them. Despite this, he is by no means all brawn and no brain as he shows his intelligence and cunning numerous times during the epic. A few example of this would be when he was able to blind the one-eyed Cyclops while the rest of his crew didn’t know what to do. Odysseus in many ways is similar to a flowing river, because whenever there is a problem (dam in the river), he would first try to go through it, but if he can’t he would then find a way ar...
Odysseus, during his long journey, exhibited many heroic qualities including bravery, strength, and determination. He was determined to return to his family after hs journey, and he bravely fought to stay alive during the cyclope situation, as well as other situations, and showed strength by being able to battle the cyclopes in self-defense. However, Odysseus was also obnoxiously arrogant about his victory and was actually very selfish throughout his entire story; he almost did not leave his town to help with the war because he did not want to leave to protect his family. Although Odysseus exemplified heroic qualities, this does not make him a true hero.
Cold Mountain is a popular book and movie written by Charles Frazier. Cold Mountain is a book about two lovers, Inman and Ada, during the Civil War, who depart on separate journeys in hopes of reuniting with one another. The novel is viewed as the physical journey of Inman from the Civil War to Cold Mountain and the inner journey of Ada, but people neglect the sheer importance that Inman’s spiritual journey has on the book. Inman’s physical journey is really non-connected episodes that are linked together by the thread that is Inman’s spiritual sense. Inman regains his spiritual sense, gradually, through the entire novel ending where he achieves redemption and self-completeness with his death. Inman’s journey is that of a spiritual sense where he crosses the void from the world of war to the world of spiritual belief which he left behind at Cold Mountain.
A hero is someone who would sacrifice himself for others, someone who is selfless and caring. Odysseus from Homer’s, “The Odyssey” does not have these traits. Throughout the book, Odysseus displays many negative character traits that show he is not someone to be admired or treated like a hero. He is too proud, he does not listen, and he constantly puts his needs before that of his men.
...n our country. She’s saying that the advancement of women is getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. This was such a strong point in her speech because it shed light into the logical thinking, and made a historical connection to slavery. By making this connection, she was able to help many see that women were convicted slaves to the current state of the union.
The novel Cold Mountain is about two peoples’ independent journeys through different struggles and situations at the same time. One of these people is Inman, an injured soldier who is trying to find his way home after deserting from the fighting. He meets a lot of strange people along the way. Some of them help and some of them hinder. However, they all teach him something about himself, or something that he can relate to himself. There are some characters that are more significant in this respect than others and they have more of an actual influence on Inman’s journey.
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
In Homer's Odyssey Odysseus is a character who, sometimes behaves like a proper hero and also as a very self-centered character at other points. He earns the respect of his men during the Trojan War by making good sound decisions and caring about the welfare of his men. But, in his adventure home Odysseus is definitely not taking the responsibility of a hero among his men. On almost any page you turn to in the epic, you can find some act of greed or foolishness coming from Odysseus. He plays with the lives of his men with no regard for the well-being or their families. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must tell you this is no affair / of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them” (XVI, 291 – 293). Even though Odysseus is facing hundreds of men, his bravery keeps him confident that he can win the battle. Odysseus must use his physical strength when Poseidon punishes him with turbulent waves: “Odysseus’s knees grew slack, his heart / sickened, and he said within himself / Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me?” (V, 307 – 309). Odysseus is exhausted from the torrential sea, yet refuses to give up because of enormous courage and his unwillingness to surrender. Odysseus must also cope with emotional challenges throughout his journey. His emotions are tested when he ventures to the underworld, Hades, and must confront his greatest fear, death: “From every side they came and sought the pit / with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. / But presently I gave command to my officers” (XI, 45 -47). Although Odysseus is deeply fearful when he comes face to face with the dead, his mental f...
Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not
In the film Cold Mountain, based on the book by the same title by Charles Frazier, the lives of a farmer, Inman, and a city girl, Ada, are told by showing their personal journeys as each comes to live in a world--unfamiliar. Inman and Ada fall in love after meeting each other, but Inman goes off to fight for the Confederacy just as their love begins. Ada learns to live in the country while Inman is at war and when he comes back they have one last moment together before tragedy happens. Romanticism and Realism clash because Romanticism involves a more idealized life that focuses on the individual and his or her emotions, but Realism involves accepting what happens and dealing with it accordingly. Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier, addresses the conflict between Romanticism and Realism through symbolism, characters, and imagery.
“Men hold me / formidable for guile in peace and war (Homer 488).” The quote in the beginning of Book 9 perfectly sums up Odysseus because he does indeed fulfill what he states. Odysseus is a hero that would be known for his effectiveness in war and, generally, his great ability to overcome other troubles. He cleverly maneuvers his crew eventually back to their homeland surmounting many perils that any other person could not. He never loses hope and he never lets it get in his way. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because Odysseus is loyal to his crew, he is a clever and intelligent man, and he is a courageous soldier and leader on the voyage back to Ithaca.
Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus the King of Ithaca is given a complex personality to an extent where it is hard to identify whether he is a true hero or not. True heroism is only achieved when a person achieves certain qualities that portray heroism. Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle because of his actions of sacrificing his men, killing the suitors and being ruthless throughout the Odyssey. Along with many others qualities these three are helpful and necessary in a hero. A hero must be willing to do service for others and put the needs of others safety and protection before his own. Odysseus does not even come close to matching these qualities because he is a person, who only serves of himself, and he sacrifices his allies to achieve his goals and often he takes action ruthlessly.