Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Death as a theme in literature
Death as a theme in literature
Death as a theme in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Death as a theme in literature
The English Teacher, by Indian novelist R. K. Narayan, tells the story of a young professor, Krishna, who must adapt first to family life with his wife and daughter and then to his wife's death. This short novel, written in simple prose, examines many large issues--love, death, loyalty, fate--but always with equanimity. Krishna teaches himself, and the novel tries to teach us, to be, as it is put by the novel's last words, "grateful to life and death."
Set a few years before India gained its independence, the novel begins with Krishna living in a hostel near his university, the same one he had occupied as a student, and going about his routine. He is not very happy as an English teacher. He soon learns that his wife and daughter are coming to live with him, and with this his life gently changes. The now-united family rents a house, and Krishna finds contentment in their daily affairs. He and his wife Susila raise their daughter Leela from an infant to a boisterous young girl, and they even think of purchasing a new, bigger house, but Susila contracts typhoid and after a long illness dies. All this occupies the first half of the novel, and provides a foundation of normalcy, of everyday lived reality, for the more philosophical second half.
After the poignantly precise imagery of the mourners' journey to the cremation grounds, the reader emerges into a vague and dismal retrospect. Feverless days pass unwanted; the professor endures his classes; the child grows. Then one day a boy accosts Krishna after class: He has a letter to him from his wife. A local man, this boy's father, has accidentally found a contact with the afterlife and has received a message specifically for some man named Krishna. So Krishna begins anew, making regular visits to this medium, conversing with his wife in eloquent detail. Although the possibility of fraud is left open until the end, when Krishna has a vision of Susila, his life and spirits improve; this second half of the novel is thematically richer, investigating just what is necessary for happiness. There is also a schoolmaster, a somewhat ineffective character, whose quasi-breakdown occasions Krishna's departure from the university to work with small children.
My reaction to the novel, the second half of it at least, was ambivalent. Death, after all of the grief it causes, proves to be nothing more than a new ad...
... middle of paper ...
... material. The point is to be accepting, insouciant. The significance of her afterlife may be mostly its own lack of a larger significance; it does not shock anything or anyone, not even Krishna. Perhaps it is simply a stroke of good fortune, no different from his earlier misfortune. The schoolmaster's family dismisses him with a shrug, so he similarly dismisses them and Narayan him. Then is the meaning of the novel in its tone more than its content? Perhaps. The dominant note is compassion (there is no violence anywhere, not even of the mildest kind, and even the least sympathetic or most equivocal characters have nothing seriously bad to say about anyone), and the one stated value of the book, indicated in the last phrase and in the original English title, is gratitude.
The English Teacher was a good and enjoyable novel, perhaps somewhat teasing. In the end, it presents a modern Indian world, filled with distractions, worries and contradictions, but nonetheless grounded by the same serene world order that has existed for millenia. The sufferings of Krishna grow and diminish, but he is always "grateful to life and death," a feeling independent of all daily exigencies.
Siddhartha progresses from an aloof and slightly arrogant youth, not unlike young Grendel, to a wise, satisfied man.
I always looked at death as such a sad thing that is eventually going to occur to everyone. However, after reading this book, it made me realize death can actually be a beautiful thing. Death allows a person to go to a next life, one where they will be loved and others will be there for them. It was interesting to be able to read about stories that these hospice care workers witnessed themselves. I have experienced a few deaths within my life and I never coped with them very well. After reading this book, I honestly believe I will be able to look at the positive side of death and be able to deal with my emotions better. I can also help others surrounding me deal with a death that they are experiencing. This book was filled with information that I loved learning. For example, I never knew that a dying person can choose a time to die. The thought of this never occurred to me before. I always thought that when it was someone’s time to go, they had no choice. But, a dying person can “put off” passing on until they see a certain person or event that has great significance in their life. Nevertheless, there are still people who will wait to die until they’re all alone in the room. This book makes you think of real life situations and think what you would do in them. Taken as a whole, it was a very in depth book that changes the way you would naturally perceive
The theme of this novel is to look at the good you do in life and how it carries over after your death. The moral of the book is; "People can make changes in their lives whenever they really want to, even right up to the end."
Readers have been fascinated with Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha for decades. Written in 1951, Hesse’s most famous novel provides the reader with a work of literature that, “presents a remarkable exploration of the deepest philosophical and spiritual dimensions of human existence” (Bennett n.p). Siddhartha takes place in India while the Buddha has first began his teachings. The book follows the life of a man by the name of Siddhartha, on his journey to reach enlightenment. The main theme in Siddhartha is reaching enlightenment without the guidance of a teacher or mentor. Siddhartha believes that he must learn from himself, and the guidance of another teacher will only distort his goals of reaching enlightenment. Siddhartha says that he must, “learn from myself, be a pupil of myself: I shall get to know, myself, the mystery of Siddhartha” (Hesse 36). On Siddhartha’s journey to reach Nirvana, the highest level of peace in the Buddhist culture, he undergoes three stages all of which are critical in helping Siddhartha find peace within himself.
The role of teachers in Hesse’s exceptional work of fiction is to aid in the achievement of the ultimate knowledge, while not taking the pupil directly there, instead giving him the skill set necessary to achieve what the student, in this case Siddhartha, feels is that ultimate knowledge.
...the surface the theme seems to contrast with the book's structure. But upon further examination, one finds that the plot isn't nearly as linear as it seems at first glance. Siddhartha is not straight line construction, but rather a series of circles. The protagonist is born and reborn, but he never abandons his original goal: to reach Atman. And at each rebirth, whether he is becoming a Samana, a hedonist, or a sage, he is reunited with his friend Govinda.
Throughout the novel death is portrayed as normal, something not too worry about. An example of this is shown when the director takes the students through the facility, “Bernard, whispering, made an appointment with the Headmistress for that very evening, ‘from the Slough Crematorium. Death conditioning begins at eighteen months. Every tot spends two mornings a week in a Hospital for the Dying. All the best toys are kept there, and they get chocolate cream on death days. They learn to take dying as a matter of course’”(109). The portray death to children as relaxing and fun so they do not fear or get sad about deaths of a loved one. Another example of this is shown when the director talks about how everyone dies when they are sixty. The world state does this because when the are sixty they do not want to work or play their expensive games. During their life the always look you, they are fit, and healthy. The people in the world state see not having too grow old as a luxury. They see the elderly as gross, fat, disgusting creatures with growths and blemishes. Both of these views are highly contrasted with what the concepts of love and marriage are like in the world today. People view death as a new beginning. We believe that when we die our spirits go on into either heaven or hell based on our actions. This makes us strive to do good in the world so we would be compensated for our actions. Another example is that People view old age. As children we are taught to love and respect the elderly because the give the next generation values and morals to help guide their lives. We all honor the elderly with medical assistance and holidays made to celebrate
The theme death has always played a crucial role in literature. Death surrounds us and our everyday life, something that we must adapt and accept. Whether it's on television or newspaper, you'll probably hear about the death of an individual or even a group. Most people have their own ideas and attitude towards it, but many consider this to be a tragic event due to many reasons. For those who suffered greatly from despair, living their life miserably and hopelessly, it could actually be a relief to them. Death affects not only you, but also those around you, while some people may stay unaffected depending on how they perceive it.
Death in books are absolutely horrible, especially when it’s your favorite character. It rips your heart and soul out of you, in simple terms: It destroys you. After that death, you are left to wonder why the author decided to such a horrible thing and you start ask yourself: What does this mean? and How is this going to affect the novel? In the educational text, How to Read Literature Like A Professor, Foster analyzes how violence and symbols affect novels.
In a place of extreme torment, this teacher is capable of bringing a light of faith in her students and from her determination she is able to show that is worthwhile to make a difference. Now days education is only about standardized testing and teaching a curriculum, rather than becoming a role model to students and change their perspectives of life. Therefore this movie teaches the enormous value and impact that a teacher can have in someone 's life and encourages teachers to exceed the limits and make education meaningful for students. In addition, the film inspires to pursuit a better future. It demonstrates that there is always hope to achieve big dreams and overcome the impossibilities. Finally, freedom writers teaches the humanitarian lesson of helping those who suffered, and being the change that they need to see. It is about becoming a hero everyday in the simplest moments of
Most parents believe that participation in extracurricular activities affects a child in a lot of good ways. My parents were no exception. After school, I was always being driven from piano to basketball to swimming and so on. At the time, I thought I was the world's busiest kid. But after all these years, I can easily see that I have gained some really important benefits from those activities. Playing the piano is probably the greatest benefit.
Teachers serve as the guiding force in a student’s life. They are responsible for molding a student’s personality and shaping his/her mental orientation. Teachers deeply impact our lives and direct the course of our future. One cannot deny the influence of teachers in one’s life. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that, till a certain age, out life revolves around our teachers. They are our constant companions, until we grow old enough to come out of their shadow and move ahead on our own.
As English governed the India , they used an efficient way to destroy the revolt from the Indian . They taught Indian English instead of their original language. Hindi is the traditional language in India, and it has thousands of the years ’ history. English gives Indian more opportunities on global business and makes Indian have higher status in the world, however, at the same time, it causes many problems. With Indian use English to communicate with foreigners, they forgot the original language. Most young people recognize that English is more fashionable. Our educational policies systematically discourage the teaching of Sanskrit, and one wonders again whether that is in deference to Macaulay, who found that great language (though he confessed ...
This essay focuses on the theme of forbidden love, The God of Small Things written by Arundhati Roy. This novel explores love and how love can’t be ignored when confronted with social boundaries. The novel examines how conventional society seeks to destroy true love as this novel is constantly connected to loss, death and sadness. This essay will explore the theme of forbidden love, by discussing and analysing Ammu and Velutha's love that is forbidden because of the ‘Love Laws’ in relation to the caste system which results in Velutha’s death. It is evident that forbidden love negatively impacts and influences other characters, such as Estha and Rahel, which results in Estha and Rahel’s incestuous encounter.
Before entering this class, I thought I was prepared for college English. I had incredibly capable high school English teachers, who taught me detailed mechanics, creative writing style, and of course, the necessity of practicing good grammar. On entering this class, I quickly realized how little I had actually learned in my high school English classes. While most of my high school English essays I wrote were based on literature, the majority of the essays I wrote in this class have been more experiential and centered on real-life issues. I expected to be writing essays on books I read and articles I analyzed, but that was not the case. This class showed me in a variety of ways that things are often very different than they seem originally