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In this book Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper, our main character Andrew Jackson and his friends Tyrone Mills, B.J Carson, Gerald Nickelby, and Andrews's best friend, Robbie Washington. Andrew starts out as a regular high school kid. His biggest troubles were how many points he'll make in a basketball game and if he'll be chosen for college basketball team. Pretty soon, though his life gets a lot more serious and complicated, because of a few bad decisions and a car accident that leaves Andrew's best friend dead. Which left everyone devastated and depressed. The person who really supported Andrew throughout the story is Keisha who is Andrews's girlfriend and sticks by Andrew through tough times, even though he's dealing with some exceptionally …show more content…
She was the only one I could cry in front of and not be embarrassed". This story mainly takes place in Hazelwood High, a fictional high school that does a great job of as if it could be any high school in America. But while there are basketball games and talent shows and other ordinary high school stuff to be found at Hazelwood High, there are also big, traumatizing events, including a deadly drunk-driving car accident and a student suicide. This setting contributes to the story in two ways: by reminding us that though high school students are young, they're still dealing with major life issues, and it also makes it super clear that the trouble at Hazelwood can happen anywhere. One theme in this story is that your choices matter, Andrew's choices throughout the story caused terrible events to happen. First, they lead to Robbie's death, then he stays on a path of destruction instead of getting help, and ultimately, Andrew makes the choice to end his own life. The figurative language used in this story are symbolism, imagery, and allegory. One example of figurative language in this is when Gerald writes down what he wants to change about the world, the five-dollar bill come to
In the nonfiction book My Losing Season by Pat Conroy, he mainly expresses all the trials and tribulations he goes through as a child and in his current livelihood as senior at Citadel college. Conroy never had a good relationship with his father, no matter what he did the constant banter and hurtful play from his father always lingered. Conroy had a military family which meant that they were constantly moving every year to two years, this never gave him the chance to really settle in with the community and create steady friendships. This also made it hard for him to adjust to the way that certain area played basketball and how well he fit in with the teams. Basketball made him happy and having such an all-star basketball player as a father
Throughout life, there is always a person who one strives to beat, be better than or rise above. Little does each of them know that in the end the two actually make each other stronger. In John Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace (1959), he addresses just this. The novel, told from Gene Forrester's point of view, is based on a friendship and rivalry between him and his friend, Finny, during World War II. The two sixteen year olds attend Devon School, a private all boys' school, in New Hampshire. Finny, a very athletically talented youngster, continually but unintentionally causes Gene to feel inferior and insignificant, producing inevitable anger and jealousy inside Gene. During their summer session in 1942, the boys form a Super Suicide Society; anyone wanting to join the group is required to jump from a specific tree into the running river below. On one particular night, Finny tears the irritated Gene away from his studies for no reason other than to make a plunge from the tree. After arriving at the river, the two creep out on one of the tree's limbs. Balancing as if they were on a tightrope, Gene gives a quick little bounce to the limb, causing Finny to plummet to the riverbank below, severely breaking his leg. No one is aware of Gene's intentional bounce of the tree limb, encouraged by his resentment toward Finny. Gene's jealous action causes Finny's life to change forever. He feels terrible about what he did but cannot bring himself to tell Finny the truth. Faced with many great challenges, Gene struggles through the remainder of the novel trying to find himself and develop into his own person. The truth about the tree incident is finally revealed shortly after Finny bre...
In David Foster Wallace’s essay, “How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart,” he argues that the true talent of star athletes is to completely engross themselves in playing the game. While worshipping the “abstractions like power and grace and control” of Tracy Austin, he notes the contradicting quality, her inability to articulate such abstracts (143). He continues by writing, as people’s expectation while reading the autobiography of a successful athlete is to take a peek at the secrets of their god given gifts, whereas the expectations are rarely met, making spectators, such as himself, disappointed. As a matter of fact, Wallace suspects that the exceptional talent of athletes may be brought out by their apathetic and ignorant nature when it
Survivor. This can be defined as “a person who survives, especially a person remaining alive after an event in which others have died”, or as “a person who copes well with difficulties in their life.” Being a survivor is having the ability to experience a difficult or traumatic situation and still being able to progress and contribute to the environment. Each person has a different mental and physical capacity of how much they can suffer through. A survivor can be both selfless and selfish. There is typically a happy medium between all survivors in which they balance worrying about themselves and worrying about others. A person who coped with difficulties was Mrs. Schindler, she dealt with the process of cancer and the aftermath. In the article “ Beyond Secret Tears “ by Lili Silberman, Lili would deal with the mental difficulties of a child and be separated from her mother and father. In the book Hiroshima by John Hersey, it talks about how the survivors of a nuclear bomb had to work together to stay alive and be physically well after being
-Toni Morrison uses strong diction to resonate the central message that the most unexpected people/places have the deepest meaning in life. In the novel it states,“ In the safe harbor of each other’s company they could afford to abandon the ways of other people and concentrate on their own perceptions of things.” (Morrison, 55) Toni Morrison shows how they were important in helping each other understand the world around them. By the author using the word abandon, she displays how they needed to escape the world when it came to focusing on their relationship. She could have easily used “they left the world” but by using the word abandon it adds more depth to just how powerful they were to one another. Toni Morrison used perceptions to help relate to the powerful bond of their friendship. In the novel, Sula and Nel saw things very different. Sula perceived the world with its imperfections by rebelling against society. Nel perceived the world in a warped sense and felt the need to follow society’s rules. Sula was an unexpected force in Nel’s life, which impacted her view on the world and her future.
In the novel Beloved, Toni Morrison focuses on the concept of loss and renewal in Paul D’s experience in Alfred Georgia. Paul D goes through a painful transition into the reality of slavery. In Sweet Home, Master Garner treated him like a real man. However, while in captivity in Georgia he was no longer a man, but a slave. Toni Morrison makes Paul D experience many losses such as, losing his pride and humanity. However, she does not let him suffer for long. She renews him with his survival. Morrison suggest that one goes through obstacles to get through them, not to bring them down. Morrison uses the elements of irony, symbolism, and imagery to deal with the concept of loss and renewal.
Cruelty: the Double-edged Sword “Where does discipline end? Where does cruelty begin? Somewhere between these, thousands of children inhabit a voiceless hell” (Francois Mauriac, Brainyquote 2016). These statements posed by French novelist Francois Mauriac can be applied to Toni Morrison’s Beloved. The novel centers around Sethe, a former African American slave, who lives in rural Cincinnati, Ohio with her daughter named Denver.
In the featured article, “Beside Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy,” the author, Judith Butler, writes about her views on what it means to be considered human in society. Butler describes to us the importance of connecting with others helps us obtain the faculties to feel, and become intimate through our will to become vulnerable. Butler contends that with the power of vulnerability, the rolls pertaining to humanity, grief, and violence, are what allows us to be acknowledged as worthy.
“I thought she would die right along with him,” (Flagg, 37). How would it feel to lose a sibling or close friend? Would one feel depressed and keep to themselves or would they emerge as a stronger person? In Tears of a Tiger, the author, Sharon Draper, exposes Andy as a depressed teenager who lost his best friend, Robert, in a car accident with the use of alcohol. The author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Fannie Flagg, exhibits withdrawal through her character, Idgie, after she loses her brother, Buddy, in a train accident. Following the death of two people very close to Andy and Idgie, in two separate novels, the authors depict the two characters comparably.
Love is a very powerful emotion which is achieved by overcoming many hurdles and acting with courage. This bravery can be shown towards anything and anyone, including humans and animals. In Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants, courage is a key aspect for characters that portray their love for other individuals and the animals. The characters, Jacob and Marlena love each other bravely, despite knowing the consequences for their actions. Not only does Marlena love Jacob, she also portrays affection for her horses as she protects them heroically. However, she is not the only one that admires the animals. Jacob is also fond of the animals in the circus and portrays it with valour.
In Thomas Wolfe's The Child by Tiger (reprinted in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 9th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2006] Page 625). The story as told through the eyes of a child will show many different ways to view Dick Prosser, the main character, as a man. The child Spangler shows how the children feel about Prosser, how he resembles a cat and how he turns from a good person to bad.
Analysis of The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks. For this assignment, I chose the poem "The Mother" by Gwendolyn Brooks. This poem is generally about abortion and the feelings a mother has. It's about the remembrance of the children aborted and the little things children do that the mother will miss.
The book Slam, a Coretta Scott King Award winner5, was a very interesting book. Derrick Shore, Slam6, was the main character in this book. Being one of the best hoopsters1, Slam was very cocky in basketball. Losing his dad when he was little1, he tried really hard to help out his family. Slam was very aggressive, trying his hardest to do well on the court2. In school he wasn't the greatest, confused by all of the different things he had to remember4. Stunned that he failed some classes3, he realized he might not be eligible to play basketball. He studied hard to be eligible, worried that he might not be able to play the sport he loved4. Hoping to pass the test7, he studied really hard. His mom, Carolyn6, was very excited that her boy passed the test. Slam, a wistful young man5, had finally done well in something other than basketball, but that was the least of his challenges. Knowing he would have a hard time making college7, he studied hard his last couple years of high school. Slam made it threw high school, maturing enough to realize that college was important2. Slam ends up getting a good job and helping his family out, he always remembers the rough times he had when he was in high school, and uses that to push him every day.
In a neighborhood filled with hate, crime, and violence Troy, a 17 year old boy from the cold hard streets of North Philadelphia is just trying to make a name for himself and become the first athlete to make it big out of his neighborhood. His mother is very sick but keeps it hidden from him because Troy has big dreams to be recruited by a D-1 school and very close to make it out of the streets of north philly.Mind you no one has ever made it out of these streets, They’ve either been killed or thrown in jail. But Troy wants to overlook those statistics and rise of all the hate and make it to the NBA. The only way Troy gets away from all the violence and crimes is by playing basketball. It is his passion, he attends Barton high school and plays starting point guard for the Barton high warriors. He is the only freshman to ever average a double-double and lead the team in scoring . Unlike anybody else that lived in Troy’s neighborhood he was the only it seemed like with potential. He was being looked at by many top colleges for a full scholarship to play basketball. Troy hadn’t had many friends except one who he was close to since he was in kindergarten, Jacob Watson him and Troy were best friends and had nearly been through everything together . Jacob was 6’2 , brown hair, and a very distinctive scar above his right eye where he claimed to have fallen but everyone already knew what went on at home with his step-father. Jacob wasn’t a bad kid , he did pretty well in school and was nice to everyone. But it seemed like every time his step-father would have a bad day at work he would just lash out at Jacob like a raging bull when seeing red . He was often vague about his life so know one really asked him anything. Like ...
The novel Sula by Toni Morrison exemplifies the new feminist literature described by Helene Cixous in "The Laugh of the Medusa" because of the final portrayal of the two main characters Nel and Sula. However, it is clear throughout the novel that both Cixous's and Gilbert and Gubar's descriptions of women characters are evident within this novel. The traditional submissive woman figure paradoxically is set against the new woman throughout the novel. It is unclear whether the reader should love or despise Sula for her independence until the very last scene. Although both the perspectives of Cixous and Gilbert/Gubar are evident within the text, ultimately it is the friendship of the two women that prevails and is deemed most important. This prevailing celebration of womanhood in all of its dualistic and mysterious aspects is exactly what Cixous pushes women writers to attempt.