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Interpretation in literature
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In Alejo Carpentier’s The Kingdom of this World, many examples of recurring themes, images and symbols occur. In particular, the themes of hybridization and African versus European culture appear multiple times throughout the novel. However, it is not enough to simply look at these themes as trends occurring throughout the novel. Instead, these themes must be analyzed closely in order to provide possible insight into the author’s reasons for incorporating them so frequently in his text. For example, the aforementioned themes both relate closely to one another, and their presence alongside each other may indicate an underlying cultural or historic motive of the author. In essence, in order to truly understand The Kingdom of this World, one
Specifically, in the chapter ‘The Call of the Conch Shells”, the slave ‘revolt’ begins, and: Armed with sticks, the slaves surrounded the houses of the overseers, seizing the tools. The bookkeeper, who had appeared, pistol in hand, was the first to fall, his throat slit from top to bottom by a mason’s trowel…But, driven by a longstanding thirst, most of them rushed to the cellar looking for liquor. (67).
Upon first glance, this excerpt may appear to be a simple, reactionary act of violence by the black slaves against their white oppressors. However, through a more careful and close observation of this segment, this revolt goes beyond the simple cultural divide and exposes the deeper, underlying theme of the entire novel as a whole: tyranny. Through this act, the slaves set forth a brutal cycle of tyranny and oppression, which, upon first glance, appears to be likely to lead to their liberation. And, although they do eventually receive ‘freedom’ from their imperial masters, the black inhabitants of the island are continually held down by whomever is in power at the time. In terms of this segment and chapter, the slaves see an opportunity to seize the freedom they so desperately desire and believe they deserve. However, when they do achieve this sense of freedom, which can be represented by their successful raid of the plantation house, they immediately engage in the vices of the white men by drinking the liquor in the basement and acting in an uncivil manner. The drinking of the liquor can also symbolize the fact that once power and freedom is achieved or earned, those who earn it can easily become enamored with it and abuse it. This notion is also directly displayed by the power and reign of Henri Christophe later in the
some slaves escape and other slaves decide to burn down Marshall's big house(p351). From this
First, she explored the history of slavery and affection of it, which started from captivity. She was not convincing her reader but introduce people into the history of the old South region. She uses many detail of war as example to give her readers an image of the time. Readers would understand the link between warfare and taking captives into the Natives communities. She started at the point which colonies had not found the South, and tried to explain the exercise of slavery in the region. Before the colonies arrived, people on the South formed villages and they fought against each other for resources and food. People who have been captured in the war are captive or war prisoner. Snyder stated “captives usually arrived in Native communities as prisoners of war or as chattel via trade. Still others came voluntarily…hoping that their captors would choose to adopt them” (5) and slavery is a kind of captive. She pointed out that captive and slavery had existed long before the colonies arrived. She explained captive was a form of slave in war, which points out that slavery exist before the Colonies arrived. She said in the b...
slave’s punishment. He says, for example, “I shudder when I recollect that the birds had
In the novel Segu, Maryse Conde beautifully constructs personal and in depth images of African history through the use of four main characters that depict the struggles and importance of family in what is now present day Mali. These four characters and also brothers, by the names of Tiekoro, Siga, Naba, and Malobali are faced with a world changing around their beloved city of Bambara with new customs of the Islamic religion and the developing ideas of European commerce and slave trade. These new expansions in Africa become stepping stones for the Troare brothers to face head on and they have brought both victory and heartache for them and their family. These four characters are centralized throughout this novel because they provide the reader with an inside account of what life is like during a time where traditional Africa begins to change due to the forceful injection of conquering settlers and religions. This creates a split between family members, a mixing of cultures, and the loss of one’s traditions in the Bambara society which is a reflection of the (WHAT ARE SOME CHANGES) changes that occur in societies across the world.
The novel; “Lord of the Flies” is a highly renowned novel written by William Golding and published in 1954. The novel embodies many themes and events that are mysterious and unanticipated for the reader. During the course of the essay I will explain how the conch shell that is found at the foundation of the first chapter plays a significant role throughout the novel and how diverse themes are brought on from this influential shell. This essay will express an opinion on the conch shell, in the end has more power and order than the actual ‘beast’ that is signified on the island. I will also explore the social leadership of the conch throughout the novel which will also touch on a few themes that the conch shell plays a role in. The conch shell is one of the first real theme/symbol that readers are introduced too and stands its power for most of the novel which is why it should be explored in further detail in this essay.
Western attitudes to African people and culture have always affected how their art was appreciated and this has also coloured the response to the art from Benin. Over time, concepts of ‘Race’, defined as a distinct group with a common lineage, and ‘Primitive’ which pertains to the beginning or origin,, have been inextricably linked with the perception of Africa. The confusion of the two in the minds of people at the end of the 19th century, and some of the 20th, caused a sense of superiority amongst the ‘White Races’ that affected every aspect of their interaction with ‘the Black’. The ‘Civilisation’ of Africa by conquest and force is justified by these views.
Thornton, Carol. "Runaway Slaves: From The Revolution to the New Republic ."Umbec. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. .
In what ways do these documents support, illustrate, or contradict he chapters narrative discussion of the slave trade?
The book takes place in the 1930’s in southern Alabama. Ever since Alabama became a state on December 14, 1819, slavery has always been a huge part of their economic system as slaves were seen as property to own and sell. They had no voice and were silenced through torture of their “owner” , a white man. Although slavery was abolished on January 31, 1865, the caucasian people kept their ethnocentric views of being superior to the black community. In the eyes of the white man, black people would
“He made her get upon the stool, and tied her hands to the hook. She now stood fair for his infernal purpose. Her arms were stretched up at their full length, so that she stood upon the ends of her toes.” said Douglass “ he commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood came dripping to the floor.” Slaveholders had many different strategies to control their slaves. In both Frederick Douglass slave narrative “ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” and in Jacobs's slave narrative “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” the slaveholders were smart and had many techniques to control the slaves.
The writer paints a visual of relief and “satisfaction” and was “the moment of the highest excitement...” he’d ever experienced. However, that all soon “subsided” because of the fact that he felt “..great insecurity and loneliness.” Douglass' fear causes him to become skeptical of him finally a free African American male. Douglass talks about how uncomfortable he was to adjusting to freedom. He construed the intensity of his new freedom by comparing it to, “one who has escaped the lion’s den.” Notably, the writer compares the experience to an “unarmed mariner…rescued by a friendly man-of-war from the pursuit of a pirate..”, which was intended to try to express his joy and relief that he initially felt. He gives the reader
In the first segment of his film series, Different but Equal, Basil Davidson sets out to disprove the fictitious and degrading assumptions about African civilization made by various Western scholars and explorers. Whether it is the notion that Africans are “savage and crude in nature” or the presumed inability of Africans to advance technologically, these stereotypes are damaging to the image and history of Africa. Although European Renaissance art depicts the races of white and black in equal dignity, there was a drastic shift of European attitudes toward Africa that placed Africans in a much lower standing than people of any other culture. The continent of Africa quickly became ravished by the inhuman slave trade and any traditional civilization
In the novel, the author proposes that the African American female slave’s need to overcome three obstacles was what unavoidably separated her from the rest of society; she was black, female, and a slave, in a white male dominating society. The novel “locates black women at the intersection of racial and sexual ideologies and politics (12).” White begins by illustrating the Europeans’ two major stereotypes o...
The conch shell symbolizes the law and order among the children who trapped in the deserted tropical island. It is used to call the groups of the boys to assembly in a certain place. Ralph, the chief and the central leadership of the group is responsible to take care the conch. The conch shell represents the authority which the boys must obey. The conch is an instrument like a trumpet blowing to order the boys. Finally, the conch shell is broken down into pieces and the leadership is torn down and abandoned. The atmosphere of the island society collapses into chaos and no longer peace remind.
slaves. He narrates on the brutality of the slave masters who would mercilessly whip the