Connected Texts Essay
“Discuss how John Green and Nicholas Sparks show how ordinary people are capable of extraordinary courage, effort and self-sacrifice.”
Texts: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks and A Fault in Our Stars by John Green
A Walk to Remember and A Fault in Our Stars tell a uniquely different yet achingly similar coming of age story about two teenagers who share their journey in fighting cancer. The main characters; Hazel and Jaime, take their first ambiguous steps into adulthood by treading the unknown waters of friendships and relationships for the first time. Throughout both novels, it is apparent to read the strong use of setting, narrative perspective and minor characters which play an integral role in portraying the theme of courage and self-sacrifice. These literary techniques make the reader intensely aware of the dilemmas that are explored in the novels and also allows the reader to make their own judgements and conclusions about the personalities of each of the characters. Both authors successfully applied these effective literary techniques of setting, narrative perspective and minor characters to enhance the responsiveness of the reader and to show how average people are capable of astounding feats of courage and self-sacrifice.
The technique of setting in each text assists both authors in establishing the foundation of the difficulties that are explored throughout the novels. The fault in Our Stars is hypothetically set in Indianapolis; yet it is not the Indianapolis that is depicted from the viewpoint of the tourists or even the citizens, it is portrayed as the Indianapolis of the unwell. This setting is described from the perspective of Hazel who is a long term cancer patient. There is an immediat...
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...s and John Green have used the literary techniques of setting, narrative perspective and minor characters in their novels to create awareness around how ordinary people are capable of extraordinary courage, effort and self-sacrifice. They have achieved this by using a setting that explores the difficulties that the characters face throughout the novel. Narrative perspective illustrates to the readers just how relatable and ordinary these characters are, and yet they perform astonishing acts of audacity. The technique of using minor characters also reveals the feats of courage that regular people make, so that it is clearer for the reader to understand the personality of each character. Sparks and Green have both done an insightful job of raising awareness to the acts of bravery the characters demonstrated which resulted in two incredible and heart-warming novels.
Many typical adventures in classic novels follow a pattern of events using the archetype, the Hero, which defines the nature of the protagonist’s journey. However, some stories don’t fit the layout of a Hero’s journey. The nature of this story structure often limits itself to the interpretation of a male’s heroic quest involving accomplishments in order to prove one’s masculinity. The alternate story pattern, a heroine’s journey, was created to satisfy the type of journey a female would experience. The heroine's journey defies the general perspective of heroism, instead highlighting the bravery in defying expectations of one’s character and refusing to be held back by the expectations of others. Walk Two Moons is a book written by Sharon Creech which tells the story of Salamanca Hiddle, a teenage girl who retraces the journey of her mother who left her. On her journey, Sal is able to relive her own story through her friend, Phoebe, whose mother also left. The book Walk Two Moons is representative of a heroine’s journey rather than a hero’s journey because Sal must leave her home to escape
Throughout “A&P” and “Gryphon” the two characters found themselves facing a challenge that they had never had to face before. Reading both of the stories has shown that although different adversities were represented in the books they both had challenges and reactions that were similar to each other as well as very different. Sammy’s was about a store called “A&P” where the manager confronted three girls in bathing suits and Sammy had to stand up for them. Tommy’s was about a unique substitute teacher who he quite enjoyed and his journey with her, and his defending her to the other kids when one of the children gets her fired. Together and separately these two dynamic characters make up these unique stories that ensnared their reader with their thoughts, adversity and heroic actions throughout the story.
Literary works are always affected by the times and places in which they are written. Those crafted in Western America often reflect conflicts that occurred between advancing civilization and the free spirited individual. The 1970’s was a particularly popular time for authors to introduce new ideas for living in the modern world. There are few authors who captured the essence and feeling of culture quite like Tom Robbins. Robbins comments on the differences and similarities between Western civilization and Eastern philosophies. His text offers philosophical and cultural meaning that is completely original. Certain beliefs are threaded through out the content of the story. He includes significant content reflecting the laws of physics; how motion and force affect the life process. Through the dialogue and action of his characters, Robbins illustrates how two very different ideals can coexist. Robbins intentions are to expand cultural perspectives and awareness through his novels. His use of metaphors and stylistic diction emphasizes further how thoughtful and awesome his work is. Tom Robbins writing offers an insightful perspective into cultural themes of our modern world.
The author skillfully uses literary techniques to convey his purpose of giving life to a man on an extraordinary path that led to his eventual demise and truthfully telling the somber story of Christopher McCandless. Krakauer enhances the story by using irony to establish Chris’s unique personality. The author also uses Characterization the give details about Chris’s lifestyle and his choices that affect his journey. Another literary element Krakauer uses is theme. The many themes in the story attract a diverse audience. Krakauer’s telling is world famous for being the truest, and most heart-felt account of Christopher McCandless’s life. The use of literary techniques including irony, characterization and theme help convey the authors purpose and enhance Into The Wild.
This book was about the struggles and hardships that the soldiers went through in the Vietnam War. The general vision of soldiers are seen as brave and heroic. In all actuality, soldiers go through so much more than just fighting for our country. They fight mental illnesses and physical illnesses as well. They deal with things like PTSD and many other mental disorders. Us Americans don’t give them enough credit. While we’re thinking they’re heroic and brave for fighting for us. They feel like they would rather die than be out in battle. This story shows us the other side of war, the side that most people have no idea
This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
of how John Steinbeck uses extraordinary circumstances to create appeal and realism to the reader.
Green drags the reader right into the text from the very beginning, and very skilfully keeps the reader engaged to the end of the introduction. With varied techniques to convey his message, Green is able to summarize the novel and grab attention in the few opening pages.
...inds love along the way. She makes rash decisions in bad situations, faces the truth that she has been avoiding, and finds her place in the world. While her journey takes some unexpected twists, Lily learns to make the best of what she has, and go for what she wants. She learns to move on from the past, and make a brighter future. But most importantly, Lily learns to accept that life is unpredictable and that by doing her best Lily is living life the way she wants to.
The type of narration, the plot’s rising action, and the overall imprint that is left on the reader, pushes this book above and beyond. Whaley creates a picture for the reader by using third- person omniscient point of view. This method helps the reader better understand the main characters. The rising action development was extremely easy to follow. The descriptions of the characters and the background information helps explained how the story was laid out. Also, the author seemed like he wanted the reader to realize the purpose of the three-way friendship. It represented how a relationship allows everyone to learn from their flaws and unwarranted decisions from other’s reactions. This book is truly unique, from the composure to the character’s
“The Hero’s Journey.” Ariane Publications, 1997. Course handout. AS English I. Dept. of English, Woodside High School. 26 October 2013.
Throughout the history of literature, several narrative elements become prevalent in order to effectively create an appropriate literary framework unerring to each contributing piece. In various cases, setting often marks a considerable plot drive. The two individual pieces, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, by Flannery O’Connor, appear entirely unrelated on the surface; however, they share an undeniable thematic parallel- the innumerable facets that setting encompasses often prompts individuals to persist in a specific manner impartial to their well being. Whether fighting for life in the desolate ocean, or vulnerably anticipating death, surrounded by the seemingly endless woodlands, characters must learn to adapt to their given circumstances. As leading protagonists, Pi and the grandmother adjust to their environments and process what remains to contend with, evolving accordingly for survival. Although in Pi’s situation he battles physically, both he and the grandmother emotionally confront their hardships, coping with both inward battles and personal seclusion. Their minds create an imaginative world which they utilize as a form of protection.
3. I felt that The Age of The Literary Memoir Is Now by James Atlas has had an impact on me as a writer because the introducti...
'Tender Mercies,'; written by Horton Foote, is a screenplay, which presents to the reader ordinary people, who are trying to live decently in an unpredictable and violent world. The reader comes to be aware of many dramatic scenes where the central characters have come to experience many complex but yet fascinating situations in their lives. Reading this screenplay the reader will come to acknowledge one of the centralized themes in 'Tender Mercies,'; which is the theme of redemption. For those who are unaware of the word, redemption as it applies to the screenplay 'Tender Mercies'; is the literary word meaning to be saved or saving someone from an experience or a situation. The reader can observe this redemption at various times through many characters, such as: Mac, Rosa Lee, Sunny, and Dixie. Each one of these characters has been redeemed by other characters or has been the redeemer of other characters. Thus, in the paragraphs to proceed, the reader will be introduced to these exact characters and to the situations from which these characters were redeemed from or whom they had redeemed. Alongside, the reader will also come to recognize how this theme provides the clearest reason why 'Tender Mercies'; is neither a Tragedy nor Pathos.
...and through an unfolding of events display to the reader how their childhoods and families past actions unquestionably, leads to their stance at the end of the novel.