Literary Analysis Essay Unspoken words can sometimes affect the whole mood of a conversation. In the story “Trial by Combat” by Shirley Jackson and the excerpt from Summer Ball by Mike Lupica there are very tense conversations where many things go unsaid. In “Trial by Combat” the conversation between Emily and Mrs. Allen is very strained and uncomfortable for both women. Emily has come to accuse Mrs. Allen of stealing her belongings, and Mrs. Allen is well aware of this fact. In the end, Emily doesn't address Mrs. Allen about her missing items and Mrs. Allen pretends she has no idea why Emily is visiting. This causes lots of tension in their brief conversation, keeping the topics of discussion trivial and light. In the passage from Summer Ball the conversation between Danny and his …show more content…
father is also very strained. Danny has to confess to his father that he lied about his injury just to be able to go back home from the camp he was at. Since Danny’s father had experienced a real injury himself, his shock at Danny’s actions was increased even more. This caused Danny to feel great remorse for what he had done, although he kept many of his reasons for his actions to himself which caused more tensions. It also caused his father to know only the basics of why he had faked his injury. Both of these stories feature conversations where many things to unspoken causing lots of stress and tension between the characters. In the short story “Trial by Combat,” readers can interpret the underlying messages in Emily and Mrs.
Allen’s words. So much goes unspoken between them as they converse over trivial topics such as flowers and families. In the text it states “‘ It has to stop,’ Emily said. ‘If it doesn't, I'll have to do something about it.’... ‘You'll have to excuse me,’ she went on. ‘I tire very easily and must be in bed early.’” (paragraphs 29-30) This demonstrates how Mrs. Allen is aware of Emily’s intentions of the conversation and how Emily is aware of this. In the first sentence, Emily is almost threatening Mrs. Allen and telling her to stop stealing her things or else she'll have to tell someone about it. Mrs. Allen knows exactly what she means by this and she knows that Emily is preparing to accuse her of the stealings. Therefore, Mrs. Allen uses the excuse of having to go to bed to get Emily to leave and stop questioning her. Furthermore, the unspoken intent of Emily causes much tension between the two women in their brief conversation. From this passage, readers can gather that the reason for the uneasy mood of the conversation is the unspoken words and secret motives of Emily and Mrs.
Allen. Similarly, in the excerpt from Summer Ball, the unspoken thoughts of both Danny and his father lend to the uneasiness of their conversation. Since Danny doesn't open up completely and tell his father everything about why he had faked his injury, Danny and his father both have different opinions on the topic. Danny still knows that what he did was not right and he should have found other ways to deal with his issues. Yet, he still didn't tell his father everything because he didn't want to sound like he was making another “lame excuse” (paragraph 22). Additionally, in the text states “There was a lot more Danny wanted to tell his dad, to make him understand, wanted to tell him about Coach Powers saying he should switch sports…” (paragraph 22) This shows how Danny’s father may have been able to understand a little more if Danny had expressed his thoughts about his actions. Furthermore, his father’s disappointed silences contributed to this. During these pauses, Danny was wracked with guilt and shame which only added to the intensity and the stressfulness of the conversation. In conclusion, both passages, “Combat by Trial” by Shirley Jackson and Summer Ball by Mike Lupica both demonstrate how unspoken words and secret intentions can make conversations tense and stressful. These hidden thoughts influence how the characters feel about each other as well as influencing how the conversation progresses. This is shown when Emily and Mrs. Allen are having a seemingly light and care-free conversation when in reality, it is full of threats and accusations. Something similar can also be observed when Danny and his father are having their conversation over the phone. Danny was withholding information and his father was withholding his anger and disappointment at Danny. In the end, the unspoken words of characters can influence the mood of the conversation making it very tense. Maia Haiduc-Dale
Michaela DePrince’s book Taking Flight is a memoir about her journey from being a war orphan to ballerina. This book has impact society by teaching young people that they can do whatever they put the mind to, no matter their race or background.
Life is sad and tragic; some of which is made for us and some of which we make ourselves. Emily had a hard life. Everything that she loved left her. Her father probably impressed upon her that every man she met was no good for her. The townspeople even state “when her father died, it got about that the house was all that was left to her; and in a way, people were glad…being left alone…She had become humanized” (219). This sounds as if her father’s death was sort of liberation for Emily. In a way it was, she could begin to date and court men of her choice and liking. Her father couldn’t chase them off any more. But then again, did she have the know-how to do this, after all those years of her father’s past actions? It also sounds as if the townspeople thought Emily was above the law because of her high-class stature. Now since the passing of her father she may be like them, a middle class working person. Unfortunately, for Emily she became home bound.
Literary Analysis Anthem and Station Eleven are both dystopian novels. Both books relate to the citizen having little to no freedom with the government that is controlling them. Anthem was written by Ayn Rand, she wrote about how the government in this area controls what each person is destined to be whether you like it or not. Whereas in Station Eleven the world has practically ended due to a deadly flu virus and, somehow, ended up with a man as many know as the Prophet attempting to rule the word. Both dystopian novels have a very unfair dictatorship type government.
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” Clover, the main character in the story The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, Clover grows up, disobeys her mom, and makes a new friend. I think the theme of the story The Other Side is courageous because Annie and Clover are both kind to each other, they accept each other, and they are both brave.
Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. Her surroundings were comfortable and friendly. Two years after Shirley was born, her family with her newborn brother moved from San Francisco to Burlingame, California, about thirty miles away. "According to her mother, Shirley began to compose verse almost as soon as she could write it" (Friedman, 18). As a child, Shirley was interested in sports and literature. In 1930, a year before she attended Burlingame High School, Shirley began writing poetry and short stories. Jackson enrolled in the liberal arts program at the University of Rochester in 1934. But after periods of unhappiness and questioning the loyalty of her friends, she withdrew from the university. For the next year Shirley worked night and day on her writing. In doing so she established work habits, which she maintained for the rest of her life. After a year of becoming conscientious and disciplined writer, Jackson thought she better return to college for more schooling. In 1937, she entered Syracuse University. At first she was in the School of Journalism, but then she decided to transfer to the English department. For the next two years, while at Syracuse, Shirley published, fifteen pieces in campus magazines and became fiction editor of "The Syracusan", a campus humor magazine. When her position as fiction editor was eliminated, she and fellow classmate Stanley Edgar Hyman began to plan a magazine of literary quality, one that the English Club finally agreed to sponsor. (Friedman, 21) In 1939, the first edition of "The Spectre" was published. Although the magazine became popular, the English department didn't like the biting editorials and critical essays. But inspite of the department's constant watch over the magazine, Leonard Brown, a modern literature teacher, backed the students and the publication. Later, Jackson was always to refer to Brown as her mentor; and in 1959 she dedicated her novel "The Haunting of Hill House" to him.(Oppenheimer, 45) But in the summer of 1940, since Jackson and Hyman were graduating, it was announced the "The Spectre" had been discontinued. "Apparently hard feelings on the part of school authorities lasted for quite some time and may have been one of the reasons why neither Miss Jackson, even after becoming a successful author, nor Mr. Hyman, a known critic, was named as a recipi...
When her Father dies, Emily cannot bury him because she feels like she has finally tamed him. Emily's father can no longer controll her. With his demise, Emily is now in control of her life, and in control of her father. The day after Emily's father died, the local women pay a visit to Emily. "Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her fac...
Poverty and homelessness are often, intertwined with the idea of gross mentality. illness and innate evil. In urban areas all across the United States, just like that of Seattle. in Sherman Alexie’s New Yorker piece, What You Pawn I Will Redeem, the downtrodden. are stereotyped as vicious addicts who would rob a child of its last penny if it meant a bottle of whiskey.
Ishmael Beah’s memoir A Long Way Gone should stay in Sterling High School’s English 4 curriculum because it teaches the reader that recovering from a horrible situation is possible, also Beah’s complex literal devices he uses to express his situation opens it up to the mind of a more experienced reader.
Robin Cochrane Mrs. Schroder AP Literature and Composition 3 January 2018 The Awakening 1999 Prompt In one’s lifetime, he or she may face an internal struggle. Perhaps the struggle lies in a difficult choice between right and wrong. Perhaps it lies in a decision between want and need.
“Often fear of one evil leads us into a worse”(Despreaux). Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux is saying that fear consumes oneself and often times results in a worse fate. William Golding shares a similar viewpoint in his novel Lord of the Flies. A group of boys devastatingly land on a deserted island. Ralph and his friend Piggy form a group. Slowly, they become increasingly fearful. Then a boy named Jack rebels and forms his own tribe with a few boys such as Roger and Bill. Many things such as their environment, personalities and their own minds contribute to their change. Eventually, many of the boys revert to their inherently evil nature and become savage and only two boys remain civilized. The boys deal with many trials, including each other, and true colors show. In the end they are being rescued, but too much is lost. Their innocence is forever lost along with the lives Simon, a peaceful boy, and an intelligent boy, Piggy. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbolism and characterization to show that savagery and evil are a direct effect of fear.
Being able to overcome anything in life is a great feeling. There is a special feeling in the body and the mind when the body achieves a goal, and the mind gets a feeling of satisfaction. Since, the mind chooses to go against the body's will to quit, you have to be mentally strong. In Richard Connell's short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” large game hunter Sanger Rainsford is tested in the following ways: strong versus the weak, the value of life, and becoming what he fears. To begin with, Rainsford has to pose as the weak against the strong, General Zaroff.
The book “The Contender” by Robert Lipsyte was a exciting and interesting story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and a story that all middles schoolers should read.
Author James Joyce has written many short stories which were composed to explain Dublin’s way of life. The book is known to his readers as Dubliners. His short stories have been written to help readers understand the many different feelings that were established in Dublin during a time of crisis. During this time in Dublin many changes were occurring and the city was rebuilding from the tragic potato famine and certainly rebuilding as a country. In three certain stories, “The Sisters”, “An Encounter”, and “The Dead,” the literary symbols of escape and journey appear within individuals which are always trying to run from the problems of society. These actions taken help understand why the characters have feelings of escape and run from the society of Dublin in this era. Certainly, in all three stories the major theme expressed can be determined when individuals try to escape society and the reality of Dublin.
First, in the beginning of the story someone was on the phone that cared for Emily, told her mother “I wish you would manage the time to come in and talk with me about your daught...
Miss Emily’s refusal to change all started when her father had passed away and when asked about it she was in denial and “she told them her father was not dead.” She didn’t want to come to the realization that the only person in her life that loved her and protected her was gone. The fact that he was so controlling of her life and how she lived made Miss Emily afraid of what was going to happen next. She wasn’t used to making her own life choices.