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Essay on being an outsider
Racism in literature
Essay on being an outsider
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Though unbeknownst to many, the experience of being an outsider is a sensation that everyone can go through. In the world, it is entirely possible for a person to be judged on physical appearance, opinions, and status among other things. It is simply how humans have adapted; they experience society by forming social groups that they are comfortable in. Generally, this group is seen to those involved with it as the “inside group”, and those not directly related to it are seen as “outsiders.” Even in literature, it is clear that the feeling of being one of these outsiders is universal. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Fences by Pat Mora, and The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield all properly display how anyone can be an outsider. Firstly, the elephant in the room should be properly acknowledged; there are people who believe that because a person is involved with the “inside group”, …show more content…
The Kelvey family’s low income and less fortunate lives made them experience different treatments from many people. For example, “Even the teacher had a special voice for them, and a special smile for the other children when Lil Kelvey came up to her desk with a bunch of dreadfully common-looking flowers.” In their lives, people treated the Kelveys differently from others just because of their financial situation. This helps further make it evident that many different things factor into the experience of being an outsider. For the Kelveys, it was social status and how they were seen because of their lifestyle. As seen from the 3 different texts, the universal feeling of being an outsider stands as something to be learned from. Although everyone may be an outsider in the regards of someone else, it is not hard to treat a fellow human as if they were not an outsider. Anyone can be an outsider, but everyone can be an insider if enough effort is
is that there are outsiders in today’s society. When one is made into an outsider, the bias
People from different social classes lead different lives and treated differently by others. Society never promotes equality but categorizes them. In Bastard Out of Carolina, unfair treatment provokes characters who are in the bottom of the society and destroy them mentally. The author, Dorothy Allison tells in the novel of how anger could build up from the social inequities and personal insecurity that possibly burns one's true identity.
”Because most people identify as separate from other people, they have what we call some "concept" of themselves. Self-concept refers to how people “think about, evaluate, or perceive” themselves.” Self-concept can be split into categories that make people who they are. Throughout “The Outsiders”, Ponyboy the protagonist, describes his brother and his friends in relation to him, giving insight on what makes each of them who they are. After reading an article on this topic “Self-Concept “by Saul McLeod (1), and reading chapters 1-3 of the novel “The Outsiders” (2). One can see the major reasons that make people who they are: self-image and self-esteem/self-worth.
During the nineteenth century, a time of rapid growth and development, a profound and accelerated changes took place, which allows women, men, and color people to be treated a little differently; However, injustice, inequality, segregations, and discrimination where still common. Women were still not given equal opportunities (right to vote, borrow money in their names, or working outside of their homes) like men, and also black people especially men, were still being treated unfairly in terms of jobs opportunities, and other activities such as baseball. The stories, “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen and “Fences” by August Wilson took place during that time of the century. The two stories revolve around how these social injustices affect and influence the behavior of the characters during that time. Although the two stories have some similarities in common, however, they also have some major differences that make each story unique.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.” The content of this quote embodies A Doll’s House and The Glass Menagerie because of the sexual control in both the plays. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee William, the characters, although from different time periods, face the hardships of sexual control through the men they admire. Nora is written as the naive protagonist of A Doll’s House, who embodies the themes of the novella as she matures throughout the play. Nora learns that her husband, Torvald, uses her as a doll for his own pleasure and does not truly care for her. In The Glass Menagerie, Laura, the main character, is also
This novel by S.E Hinton , “The Outsiders” shows a crucial point that everybody is special is some way and be known as who they are not as a group. The important message of the story is that individuals should not take people for granted. Instead, treasure those close to you and understand them.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard were famous for the way in which they depicted the changing of cultures. Both plays act as a sort of social commentary during times of widespread liberation, and use the contortive nature of these seemingly stereotypical characters’ actions to speak about groups of people as a whole. Throughout the course of both plays, this subversion of how different groups of people were typically perceived created a distinct contrast which often shocked and appalled audiences of the time. However, the effects of these plays were felt long after they were presented.
Time can have a way of changing people sometimes. It can cause people to forget, learn new things and even change views on topics. Such was the case in my own life over the course of two years. When I was a junior in high school, I read A Doll’s House (1879) by Henrik Ibsen for a literature class. The play is about a woman who illegally borrows money to save her demeaning husbands life. Later being blackmailed by a banker, she reveals what she did to her husband who is horrified. In the end, she decides to leave the family to further find herself. After reading and analyzing it as a class, I came to the conclusion that Nora was right in what she did. She was a pioneer of her time in that she spoke her mind and was able to voice her independence. However, two years later after rereading it for this class, my view has changed of Nora. Instead of being strong and independent, I am now viewing her as childish and a poor mother. By using a Readers-Response approach to analyzing literature, I will compare my views between each time of reading the play. Just as I have viewed Nora differently, other readers can create their own take on the play based on their knowledge and life experiences. Due to many views on the play’s ending, Nora can be viewed as either a strong, independent woman or a childish woman that does not realize the impact of her actions.
Without freedom, the urge to escape is prevalent. When a lady’s husband is too overprotective and smothers his wife, she may eventually end up running away from her problems. In the play, A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, and in the story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the main characters, feel trapped by their husbands. Both of these stories demonstrate that during the time period that the stories were written, some men behaved in an authoritarian manner which caused stress and trauma to women. The women in these stories each take drastic action.
While the Burnells talked of their doll house they showed their cruel and prejudice nature by excluding the Kelvey children from the group. “And the only two who stayed outside the ring were the two who were always outside, the little Kelveys. They knew better than to come anywhere near the Burnells.” The way the people treat the Kelvey family is less than equity. They gossip of the Kelveys creating rude remarks of their outer appearance and making up harsh tales of them and the father of the young children. “Many of the children, including the Burnells, were not allowed even to speak to them. They walked past the Kelveys with their heads in the air, and as they set the fashion in all matters of behavior, the Kelveys were shunned by everybody.” The people handle the Kelveys as though they are rodents that take their disregarded clothing and scraps from their tables. They may think of them as rodents by how they wear clothes made from table cloth, curtains, or the second hand clothes from the rich families’ homes. Even the aunt of the aunt of the Burnells shooed the Kelveys away just as though they were unwelcome animals. The children of high society ranked
The Struggle for Identity in A Doll's House A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that was written ahead of its time. In this play, Ibsen tackles women's rights as a matter of importance. Throughout this time period, it was neglected. A Doll's House was written during the movement of Naturalism, which commonly reflected society. Ibsen acknowledges the fact that in 19th century life the role of the woman was to stay at home, raise the children and attend to her husband.
A Doll 's house is one of the modern works that Henrik Ibsen wrote. He was called the father of modern drama .He was famous for writing plays that related to real life. A Doll 's House is a three-act play that discusses the marriage in the 19th century. It is a well-made play that used the first act as an exposition. The extract that will be analyzed in the following paragraphs is a dialogue between Nora and the nurse that takes care of her children. This extract shows how she was afraid not only of Krogstad blackmail, but also of Torvald 's point of view about those who committed any mistake. Torvald says that the mothers who tell lies should not bring up children as they are not honest . Nora is also lying to her family and to Torvald. So she is afraid because she thinks she maybe 'poisoning ' her own children. The analysis of this extract will be about of Nora 's character, the theme, and the language in A Doll 's House.
“Everybody feels like an outcast because the world is so large and every fingerprint is so vastly different from one another and yet all these standards and beliefs, and dogmatic systems of judgment and ranking in almost all the societies of the world” -Ezra Miller. All around us, cliches and standards are seen throughout culture. This is because judgment is a constant challenge in today's society. If one dress, acts or plays out of the considered normal, then those people are put into rankings and are distanced from everyone else. In today’s world, the experience of being an outcast is universal.
If drama is tension, then Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House must be an all-out war, with Ibsen taking on the role of a Realistic Period Patton. The play, first published in 1879, tells the story of Nora, a middle-aged house wife living in a society in which she has no rights or voice. However, with disregard to societal norms and the law, Nora forges her father’s signature to borrow money so that she and her family may go on a vacation that is responsible for saving her husband’s life. With Nora’s action unbeknownst to him, Nora’s husband, Torvald, fires the man from whom Nora loaned the money. Ibsen foreshadows, introduces, and resolves the conflict flowingly, leaving the reader in suspense throughout the entire play.
A Doll House was one of Henrik Ibsen's most controversial plays. He wrote this realistic play in 1879. Ibsen's writing style of realism was clearly shown in this play. This play was controversial at the time it was written, shocking conservative readers. But, at the same time, the play served as a rallying point for supporters of a drama with different ideas.