Oh The Places You Ll Go Analysis

443 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical review of maya angelou

Author Francise Prose, makes an argument that essentially states her belief that literary works should not be used for teaching values. Life’s values often come from various avenues but for readers these values are taught through literature. For ages, the work inside of literary work has taught readers values. Many of the books, the audience might have read since childhood, taught that peculiar person something. Readers also read books to explore the life of these historical fictional and non-fictional characters. With no value the novels, plays, and poems readers would find no interest. For centuries the work in literature has evolved, many of the works still follow us today. Children tend to have a particular book that they enjoy, some even teaching the younger readers a valuable lesson that will continue to stick with them. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Suess is great evidence for my argument. This book shows children, even young adults, Life’s values and that life will definitely not …show more content…

At some degree I can see where she would make such an argument, the way an author writes can seem to bore teens or un-germane. But to have such harsh criticism on Maya Angelou’s writing was very appalling and bold. Prose criticizes Angelou’s story and makes a spiteful comment towards teachers and says that she can see why it might appeal to the “lazy or uninspired teachers”. Francise Prose absolutely stirred up some emotions with her comments, maybe she cannot understand or find Angelou’s worthy to her insatiable style because she has no similarities to an African American young lady that was raped and disowned by other humans. A reader will find a story “boring” if there are no similarities with their own personality or interest. So to say that she’s not too sure if literature should teach values because she didn’t find interest in a couple of books unjustifiable reason to

Show More
Related

  • I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read Summary

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    The argument that Francine Prose makes is valid with the way she supports it. The importance of books is most likely know by looking at the diction and the style of writing. However, some high school teachers prevent their students from knowing the importance by the way the teach. Using literary works to teach values makes it difficult for the students in the future, like in college. By teaching students the right way in the first place or in this case, in high school, will help them

    Read More

  • The Educated Imagination, by Northrop Frye, Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott, and The Republic, by Plato

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Can you imagine a world where literature did not exist? It’s very hard, nearly impossible. Literature plays a major role in shaping society. Literature is a word used to describe written or spoken material. Literature educates, informs, entertains and influences the reader or listener in a myriad of profound ways. Broadly speaking, “literature” is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination. Writers can change one’s beliefs, thoughts, actions, indeed their entire lives. In Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Plato’s The Republic, the writers use literature to utter the importance literature bestows on society. The three writers state their opinions using different methods to prove to the readers that their opinions are valid. Since each author has a unique writing style, most envision their writing with a relatable figure. Some would argue that Frye’s writing style is much like that of a textbook, very instructional and factual, Lamott reminded them of a conversation with a friend and that Plato’s writing style is very informative, akin to a professor carrying on a dialogue with an inquisitive student.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of "The Chrysalids" and "Animal Farm"

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    In our contemporary civilization, it is evident that different people have somewhat different personalities and that novels behold essential and key roles in our daily lives; they shape and influence our world in numerous ways via the themes and messages expressed by the authors. It is so, due to the different likes of our population, that we find numerous types and genres of books on our bookshelves, each possessing its own audience of readers and fans. In this compare and contrast essay, we will be analysing and comparing two novels, The Chrysalids and Animal Farm, and demonstrating how both books target the general audience and not one specific age group or audience of readers. We will be shedding light at the themes and messages conveyed to us in both books, the point of view and the style of writing of the authors as well as the plot and the format used by the authors, in order to demonstrate how both books are targeting the general audience.

    Read More

  • Comparing Pullman And Ransom

    1983 Words  | 4 Pages

    She has enjoyed greater commercial success, longevity and popularity despite her reputation for writing unacceptable and bad literature. Blyton also fulfils the dictionary definition of prestigious as she has had influence, a reputation (which has shifted from good to bad) derived from passed achievements. She produced an enormous amount of writing in her career; at its height, in 1955, she produced no less than 70 works in a single year. She was a respected educationalist writing educational primers and with a weekly column in Teachers World (1923-27). It is hardly surprising that vast numbers of people have read her novels.

    Read More

  • In Cold Blood: Capote's New Non-Fiction

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literature; it has compelled us, entertained us, educated us, and drove us to madness. It has served as life instruction, by using the characters as the lesson plan. It is sometimes blunt, sometimes ugly, and in Truman Capote’s case, is so gruesome that we do not dare forget it.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography Of Maya Angelou

    2111 Words  | 5 Pages

    This literary critique was found on the Bryant Library database. It talks about how well Maya conveys her message to her readers as well as portraying vivid scenes in her reader’s minds’. Maya’s sense of story and her passionate desire to overcome obstacles and strive for greatness and self-appreciation is what makes Maya an outlier. Living in America, Angelou believed that African American as a whole must find emotional, intellectual, and spiritual sustenance through reverting back to their “home” of Africa. According to Maya, “Home” was the best place to capture a sense of family, past, and tradition. When it comes to Maya’s works of literature, her novels seems to be more critically acclaimed then her poetry. With that being said, Angelou pursues harsh social and political issues involving African American in her poems. Some of these themes are the struggle for civil rights in America and Africa, the feminist movement, Maya’s relationship with her son, and her awareness of the difficulties of living in America's struggling classes. Nevertheless, in all of Maya’s works of literature she is able to “harness the power of the word” through an extraordinary understanding of the language and events she uses and went through. Reading this critique made me have a better understanding of the process Maya went through in order to illustrate her life to her readers. It was not just sitting down with a pen and paper and just writing thoughts down. It was really, Maya being able to perfect something that she c...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Where Are You Going

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    An unstable home filled with broken relationships is like a shattered glass it can never be the same again because the damage is already done. Author Joyce Carol Oates portrays this in her short story “Where are you going. Where have you been?” The main character of the short story feeds off her broken home. Her family household situation motivates her to be a rebel. She ends up making so decisions that will change her life in a negative way.

    Read More

  • Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Analysis

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the main character, Connie, experiences life not having an actively participating mother or father. Most adolescents struggle with the transition from teen-age years to adulthood. For many, this is where the parents step in. Parents are meant to support and help an adolescent when needed, especially during this difficult transition; however, this is not always true. In Connie’s case, her parents allowed her to make the change alone and endure hard times. As a result, she lacked the values needed to survive. Such values are used to equip a young person for the real world and the tragedies that come with it. As seen in “Where are you going, Where have you been?”, Connie was a victim of poor guidance and empty judgment. The dysfunctional family’s behavior was reflected in Connie. Her mother envied her, and her father was not an active figure in her life. Connie 's

    Read More

  • Courage in Little Women and Treasure Island

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University

    Read More

  • Role of Symbols and Symbolism in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    It has always been amazing to realize how well the literature I read as a child has stayed with me through the years. It takes an exceptional writer to compose a narrative that maintains a storyline on the same level of a child's understanding; it takes everything short of a miracle to keep a child's interest. However, that undertaking has been accomplished by many skilled authors, and continues to be an area of growth in the literary world. Only this year the New York Times has given the genre of children's literature the credit it deserves by creating a separate best-sellers list just for outstanding children's books. Yet, on another level, children's literature is not only for the young. I believe that the mark of a brilliant children's author is the age range of those who get pleasure from the stories; the wider the range, the better.

    Read More

  • How Has Literature Changed Over Time Essay

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our

    Read More

  • A Love Affair With Books

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "A Love Affair with Books" Bernadete Piassa starts off with her childhood. In the beginning she explains how ever since she was a child, she always loved to read. It didn’t matter what genre it was, she loved the way the books took her to a fantasy world. Piassa's mother was against her

    Read More

  • Characters and Values

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two very different examples are used in showing the strength of a character’s values, and how they play a role in the story. On one side, there is a character that seems to have selfish values. This character goes and harms others to fulfill her values.

    Read More

  • A Timeline of Children's Literature

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Literature has been part of society since pen met paper. It has recorded history, retold fables, and entertained adults for centuries. Literature intended for children, however, is a recent development. Though children’s literature is young, the texts can be separated into two categories by age. The exact splitting point is debatable, but as technology revolutionized in the mid-twentieth century is the dividing point between classic and contemporary. Today’s children’s literature is extraordinarily different from the classics that it evolved from, but yet as classic was transformed into modern, the literature kept many common features.

    Read More

  • Literature and Virtue in Sidney's Apology for Poetry

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    In "An Apology for Poetry" Sir Philip Sidney attempts to reassert the fundamental importance of literature to society in general as well as to other creative and intellectual endeavors. Though Sidney's work does provide a synthesis (and in some cases an aberration) of much Greek and Roman literary theory, his argument aspires to go beyond an esoteric academic debate. Literature can "teach and delight" in a manner which other methods of communication do not possess (138). The moral/ethical impact any literary text has upon a reader is of paramount importance to Sidney. The argument Sidney presents and develops is built around the assumption that literature has the capacity to teach most effectively and to demonstrate virtue. Perhaps in better understanding how Sidney specifically supports this claim, we can better assess its strength or validity.

    Read More

More about Oh The Places You Ll Go Analysis

Open Document