X. J. Kennedy Essays

  • Neat vs. Sloppy People

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    Are neat people inferior to sloppy people? This question’s answer will differ depending on the type of person you ask. According to Britt in her essay, “Neat people vs. sloppy people”, the answer is yes. She uses certain qualities, such as oral description to differentiate neat people and sloppy people, how neat people are lazier, and how neat people are wasteful. Her qualities help explain to the readers why she thinks that her answer is true. One quality Britt uses in her essay is oral description

  • John F. Kennedy and the Civil Rights Movement

    2936 Words  | 6 Pages

    In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. During his campaign he had promised to lead the country down the right path with the civil rights movement. This campaign promise had brought hope to many African-Americans throughout the nation. Ever since Lincoln, African-Americans have tended to side with the democrats and this election was no different. The Kennedy administration had noticed that the key to the presidency was partially the civil rights issue. While many citizens

  • The Enduring Allure of Tragedy

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Aristotle, the appeal of tragedy, at its foundation, is katharsis: a purgation of the emotions pity and fear (Kennedy and Gioia 1203). Although scholars do not entirely agree on his meaning, it seems Aristotle had observed something that rings true today: that witnessing a person falling from the apex of achievement, to become humbled and utterly ruined, is inexplicably pleasurable. This is seldom more obvious today than in the keen attention paid to politicians embroiled in scandal

  • D.H. Lawrence Versus Langston Hughes

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    D.H. Lawrence Versus Langston Hughes Lawrence and Langston both have been compared to many notable poets. In the poems “Piano” by D. H. Lawrence and “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes both poets use speaker, tone and form as part of their strategy in composing their poems, while they have similarities they also have vast differences. They share likenesses in their poetry, however, when it comes to the form of these two poems and the manner in which they use words; the importance of word usage

  • The Sanctity of Marriage: Equality for All

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    premise of the opposition. Works Cited "Inheritance Law and Your Rights." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. Kennedy, Dorothy M., and Jane E. Aaron. "Gay “Marriage”: Societal Suicide." The Bedford Reader. By X. J. Kennedy. 11th ed. Boston: St. Martin’s, 2012. 576-578. Print. Kennedy, Dorothy M., and Jane E. Aaron. " What's Wrong with Gay Marriage?." The Bedford Reader. By X. J. Kennedy. 11th ed. Boston: St. Martin’s, 2012. 570-572. Print. "Many Tax Benefits Increase Due to Inflation Adjustments

  • Sacrifice in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, and the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 251). The fact that the people gather and discuss everyday issue prior to the start of the lottery all point to the blind tradition of selecting some to be stoned to death. The author also points out in her story that no one

  • Literary Analysis "The Yellow Wallpaper"

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's “The Yellow Wallpaper” we are introduced to a woman who enjoys writing. Gilman does not give the reader the name of the women who narrates the story through her stream of consciousness. She shares that she has a nervous depression condition. John, the narrator’s husband feels it is “a slight hysterical tendency” (266). She has been treated for some nervous habits that she feels are legitimately causing harm to her way of life. However she feels her husband, a physician

  • Comparing Symbols and Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery The authors, Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, both frequently use symbols within their stories "The Lottery" and "Young Goodman Brown."  Symbols are utilized as an enhancement tool to stress the theme of each story. Hawthorne uses names and objects to enhance the theme, and Jackson mainly utilizes names to stress the theme, although she does have one object as a symbol of great importance to the theme.  The stories

  • Mrs. Mallard's Experience

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mrs. Mallard's Experience Mrs. Mallard, in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, lives through many revelations before ultimately leading to her demise. Mrs. Mallards’ acceptance of her husband’s passing brings rise to emotions that can only be described as a “sexual” experience as this “[…] thing […] possess[es] her” (Chopin 552) and eventually results in a new outlook on the situation. In the final seconds of her life, it was not so much a joyful shock that killed her as it was the realization

  • Character Analysis: The Birthmark

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    point of view are just to name a few. A plot in any short story, book or even a movie gets its energy from the conflict of the story. In my textbook it says, “Plot is about cause and effect.” “Plot is more than just a sequence of events happing” (Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2012). Setting is just often the time, place or occurrence of the story. Characters are your people who perform what you see happening. Tone is the author or writers attitude in the story, whereas the style is how the story is written

  • Similarities Between A Rose For Emily And The Yellow Wallpaper

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meghan Witzman Theresa Fitzpatrick ENG 155 22 February 2018 “A Rose for Emily” and “Yellow Wallpaper” Compare Contrast William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” are two enticing short stories, with numerous similarities and differences. Both stories were written between the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. During this time, the views on women were different than they are today; women were viewed as insignificant compared to men. In Faulkner and Gilman’s

  • Backpack Literature By Harrison Bergeron Summary

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    Backpack Literature by X. J. Kennedy is full of short stories that compel the readers into looking between the lines of what they read and come up with their own underlining conclusions. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is set in a dystopian future where the American government regulates the abilities of the population so no one is better than anyone else. It was an interesting read with an equally interesting theme. The theme of a story is a general idea or message that the story is trying to

  • Keillor's Prodigal Son

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    dialogues the plot makes the story much easier to comprehend. The parody includes dialogue, which the parable lacks. With dialogue, the story becomes more interesting and more real. Also, the reader can get a feel for the characters better with dialogue (Kennedy and Gioia 1362-1366). Keillor turns the famous parable into a more current parody. The second element Keillor had to work with was the characters. In both stories, the Dad is really naive and foolish towards the younger son's behavior. The dad defends

  • Comparing Poems By Mark Jarman And John Donne

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparison of Poems by Mark Jarman & John Donne In the “Unholy Sonnet; after the Praying” by Mark Jarman and “Batter my Heart, Three-personed God, for You” by John Donne, there lies very common subject matters. Both poems are expressing a feeling that the author has about his religion and it’s purpose in his life. Yet, although the subjects both poems are addressing are the same, the messages being delivered are slightly different. The likenesses within both of the poems are very great. They are

  • The Pritikin Program

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    edu/docview/204858054?accountid=39473 Sullivan, S. and Samuel, S. (2006), Effect of Short-Term Pritikin Diet Therapy on the Metabolic Syndrome. Journal of the CardioMetabolic Syndrome, 1: 308–312. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-4564.2006.05732.x Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-4564.2006.05732.x/citedby Zabell, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/pritikin-diet-review

  • love is in the air

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    unconditional their love is and should be cherished above all. Works Cited Barrett Browning, Elizabeth. “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.” Literature for Life. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Nina Revoyr. New York: Pearson. 2013. 509. Print. Bradstreet, Anne. “To My Dear and Loving Husband.” Literature for Life. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Nina Revoyr. New York: Pearson. 2013. 508. Print.

  • Mother Tongue by Amy Tan and Sacha Z

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    if the journey might be long, and in the end the journey will be worth all the effort. Works Cited Scoblic, Sacha Z. “Rock Star, Meet Teetotaler.” Literature for Life. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Nina Revoyr. New York: Pearson. 2013. 840. Print. Tan, Amy . “Mother Tongue.” Literature for Life. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Nina Revoyr. New York: Pearson. 2013. 117. Print.

  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    objects connect with the ending. Since the villagers unquestionably accepted the tradition, they have allowed murder to become embedded in their town. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. New York: Popular Library, 1949. Print. Kennedy, X. J., and X. J. Kennedy. The Bedford Guide for College Writers: With Reader, Research Manual, and Handbook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. Print. Nebeker, Helen E. "'The Lottery': Symbolic Tour de Force." American Literature 46.1 (Mar. 1974): 100-107

  • James Baldwin's Notes Of A Native Son

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    James Baldwin James Baldwin was an African-American poet, playwright, novelist, social critic, and essayist. One of his books, Notes of a Native Son, features his collected essays that deal with the understood, but unsaid, 20th century rules and distinctions between different classes and races in the United States. James Baldwin’s many books of essays and poems addressed the complicated social pressure on blacks and homosexual men. ==Youth and Education== James Arthur Baldwin was born on August

  • Carpe Diem

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    ELH 56.1 (Spring 1989): 53-79. Herrick, Robert. "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." Literature: An Introduction to Poetry, Fiction, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. 812 -813. Marvell, Andrew. "To His Coy Mistress." Literature: An Introduction to Poetry, Fiction, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. 826-827.