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Personal narratives about self
Lessons learned from writing a personal narrative
Lessons learned from writing a personal narrative
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In the short story, “The Japanese Quince” by John Galsworthy explores the idea of when an individual is trapped by routine and familiarity; they may avoid living a more fulfilling and spontaneous life. The story depicts a man, Mr. Nilson altering his daily routine by going for a stroll for fresh air to try and avoid a queer feeling. Although, the queer feeling did not improve, it managed to help him calm. However, when he went back to his normal routine, the queer feeling came back. The effect of sacrificing stability is shown through the imagery, characterization and tone of the story. Hence, John Galsworthy conveys when a person sacrifices stability and routine, they would have a more spontaneous and fulfilling life as they manage to focus on new things.
The style that John Galsworthy employs in his writing explores the idea of sacrificing stability and routine to have a more fulfilling and spontaneous life. John Galsworthy uses repetition, “peculiar sweetish sensation”, “queer feeling”, “feeling had increased” to remind the reader of Mr. Nilson’s health. Although, Mr. Nilson st...
For many people, the early hours of the morning can hold numerous possibilities from time for quiet reflections to beginning of the day observations to waking up and taking in the fresh air. In the instance of the poems “Five A.M.” and “Five Flights Up,” respective poets William Stafford and Elizabeth Bishop write of experiences similar to these. However, what lies different in their styles is the state of mind of the speakers. While Stafford’s speaker silently reflects on his walk at dawn from a philosophical view of facing the troubles that lie ahead in his day, Bishop’s speaker observes nature’s creations and their blissful well-being after the bad day had before and the impact these negative thoughts have on her psychological state in terms
Within every being exists temptations, whether it be quiescent or dynamic, which fluctuates from one individual to another. Commonly negative, temptations ascend from lesser qualities of man and expose an individual to develop even more reprehensible ambitions. The story of a one man’s dark wishes is explored in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. Properly termed, Stevenson perused the unnerving case of a respectable, proletariat-class doctor, who becomes associated and obsessed with Mr Hyde. It is this presence of the “duality of human nature that is created consistently throughout the Gothic Literature”.
Humans are born with pursuits: some search for fame, some go after money, some seek achievements in professional fields, and some only wish their lives to be content . If one wants to become content with life, one should alter one’s old ways of living and embrace new things. Both in Cathy Jewison’s The Prospector’s Trail and Eva Lis Wuorio’s The Singing Silence, the main characters used to be dissatisfied with life. In search for true happiness, they begin to try things that they have never experienced before. At the end, the two protagonists find that their new activities can bring them happiness, and they start to live satisfying lives.
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
The most significant events, the deaths of two husbands and the leaving of another, are considered by Janie until an external action is forced upon. Even though the reader may not agree with these decisions and actions, they can respect them due to Hurston’s use of elements including suspense, climax, and
At the beginning of the story, in plot “A”, John and Mary are introduced as a stereotypical happy couple with stereotypically happy lives of middle class folks. Words like “stimulating” and “challenging” are used repetitiously to describe events in thei...
Jokinen, Anniina. "Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. N.p., 1996. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. http://www.luminarium.org/
At an early age of five, Amory was already his mother’s companion; they set off to see the country in his father’s car up to he reached the age of ten. The life Beatrice and Amory were living, was not quite conventional, they are separate from most people, but unique and quite distinct from the other wealthy people around them. Beatrice was a sophisticated and well educated woman and who ensured Amory grew up the same. These are things which set him apart from his peers.
In this modern day and age, the epitome of manliness, at least to the Western world, includes a few main things – masculinity, or physical strength, mental acuity, and being an emotional rock – one who is emotionally stable and almost stoic, capable of comforting and lending strength. The modern epitome of womanliness is one encompassing sensuousness, gentility, emotion, cunning, and more and more often, strength of mind. This plays in stark contrast with the Japanese Heian-era notions of the ideal man and woman as portrayed in Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji. When assessing these ideals, one must also take into account the fact that this novel describes the somewhat atypical Japanese Heian court life as opposed to the daily life of commoners.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton anthology of English literature. 9th ed., A, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. Pp
Abrams, M.H. and Greenblatt, Stephen eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Seventh Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
The setting shows a world of opposing ideals, contrasting the weight and solidification of the port and land with the open and free sailor life that Ryuji has been living. This realm of opposites is bolstered by the physical environment in which the characters are placed. Yokohama, a busy Japanese shipping town, is an ideal representation of conflicting spheres. As the city is the ideal connection amidst land and sea, the ocean plays a vital point in connecting the differing ideologies present in the novel. As the plot begins, Fusako and Ryuji’s affair show how Ryuji attempted to overcome the grasp of sealife. The scene of consummation shows the elements of land and sea, Fusako and Ryuji respectively, in perfect harmony with each other as “the universal order [was] at last achieved” (13). The simply beautiful act of sex becomes su...
The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition Volume1. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 1993.
There is so much more to life than what you see alone. Many people live their time on Earth without ever grasping the ability to envision a deeper level of meaning. To live solely on physical vision alone is to live no life at all because human beings are much more complex than people like to believe. We possess the capability of knowing the difference between visualization and interpretation. Within this story, we discover a notion that is spoken of too often but rarely ever practiced. We follow the turning points of a man’s life when he steps into the shoes of someone less fortunate than him and learns the true meaning of being able to see. In “Cathedral”, Raymond Carver uses characterization, irony and symbolism to show the realization of a world beyond what the human eye can perceive.