Nicholas Lemann begins his book “Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War” with the 1873 Colfax, Louisiana massacre where a White League militia comprised of former Confederate soldiers killed black Republican voters. The Colfax massacre was perhaps the bloodiest event of Reconstruction. Lemann views this event as a startup of what would happen later in Mississippi if Federal troops did not defend black voters. Lemann blames Ulysses S. Grant’s Secretary of War, William W. Belknap, for not stopping the White Line activity in Louisiana and Mississippi. Grant had worked hard to stop the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1870s with Congress passing legislation and Federal troops putting down Klan activity. The white militias of the 1870s, established
When I first began reading Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, I thought that it would be the same story as other dystopian pieces of literature; however, after further analyzing the novel I found that Bradbury used many allusions from famous pieces of literature. These allusions show foreshadowing, irony, and the main character, Guy Montag’s thoughts about the totalitarian government in Fahrenheit 451.
Doe Zantamata, an American author, once said, “Good friends help you find the most important things when you have lost them...your smile, your hope, and your courage.” In Frank Darabont’s film The Shawshank Redemption, hope and friendship are a large part of the characters’ lives, as they are inmates in the Shawshank prison. Andy is a newcomer and intrigues Red, an inmate who has been in the prison for a long time. Although Red is not sure what to think of him at first, they soon become good friends. Someone’s identity not only shapes that individual, but also the friendships one makes. Andy and Red’s contradicting identities draw them towards each other and transform their lives forever through their unique friendship.
“Civil Disobedience” is an essay written by Henry David Thoreau about people needing to put their conscience ahead of the government rulings by criticizing American policies and beliefs. He expresses his opinion of a “government is best which governs least” (Thoreau 305) by heavily supporting his topic and by using rhetorical techniques. Rhetorical devices are used in papers for the writer to better persuade the audience or to better understand the topic they are writing about; they can also be used to play with the reader’s emotions. The rhetorical devices that have the most impact on the reader in Thoreau’s essay are allusions, rhetorical questions, pathos, imagery, and chronological narrative.
Both Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” are both books that present us with the theme of ‘men of conscience’. John Proctor and Atticus Finch, both fictional characters from the books, are considered to be ‘men of conscience’. A man of conscience is a man aware of the moral and ethical judgements he has a strong desire to do the right thing whenever possible. The life of these men is ruled by their desire to seek the truth and justice in the situations around them; these traits are displayed in both of the characters throughout both the novel and the play.
In Tobias Wolff’s short story “The Liar,” the protagonist, James, lies to help him construct a new identity outside of his family. James tells morbid lies about his mother in order to distance himself from her. Since, the loss of his father, James no longer associates with people who are like him. The lies started after his father’s death and his mother starts noticing how much differently he was acting. Since his mother is treating him like she is disappointed in him, James begins to devolve into a state of repressed bitterness. These lies are his way of expressing himself in a new reality to match his wishes. One example of this is when James says, “Felt like a failure. My lying had that effect on her. She took it personally… She thought
Malcolm X, who used X to signify his lost African tribal name, was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. He stated in his excerpt “Learning to Read” from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, “[People] will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade” (Learning to read, X,3). Malcolm X was kicked out of the school after 8th grade, and went to the prison. He learned how to read in the prison. Ever since then, he started to read books and think about the fate of black people’s. As I reading the excerpt, I was impressed by his wonderful writing skill and by how books influenced him like everybody who had read it. Two literary techniques that he used in the excerpt impressed the readers. He used
Imagine, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit by your neighbors and friends out of jealousy, and desire. This is what many people in the town of Salem had to go through during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. People's motives such as: gaining and maintaining power, and aspirations for what other people had caused them to make irrational, and atrocious decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, desire and power drive characters to create chaos in the community.
The New Wave of Science Fiction is marked by a strong deviation from the past. The authors in the era wanted to separate themselves from the poor reputation of the genre and did that by tackling heavier themes and bringing more social science into their
Khaled Hosseini in his novel the Kite Runner Explores the theme of sin and atonement
On a rainy day, a man at the bus stop asks for change. The two choices are walking past him avoiding eye contact, or giving him the change with a smile. Before even talking to this man, one may have already made the assumption that he is homeless or a drug addict wanting to buy his next high. But assumptions cannot accurately explain who he is or why he needs money. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee explores this idea of judging others before looking at the world from their perspective. Scout and Jem, although raised in a prejudice town, learn from their father Atticus that who a person is racially, does not define them as a person. Although the children make up stories about Arthur “Boo” Radley to pass the time in part one of the novel, in part two the Tom Robinson situation widens their eyes to the biased ways of their town. In the end, Jem and Scout are rescued by Boo Radley, the very person they feared during their childhood. Mockingbirds are used as a symbol in the novel to portray the fact that innocent and caring people are sometimes the most abused. The theme of presumptions and the dangers of judging others are explored through the childhood fable of Boo, the story of Atticus, and the trial of Tom Robinson; the mockingbirds.
Usually considered a controversial novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger can often express the feelings of being an outcast and the desire to find a meaning in the world. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, though often complains of the phoniness of the world around him, has a way of creating a deeper meaning within the readers. While the truth may be that Salinger purposely set the story in such a way that the readers will be able to connect with Holden, not often do readers find it easy to do so. While Holden believes that everything around him are wicked and phony, there is part of him trying to protect the innocence of those not corrupted by such phoniness. Although Holden wants to protect and save the innocence of children, can he really do so if cannot protect himself and trust those around him. Though Holden believes the world around him is phony and wicked, and while he wants to be the catcher in the rye, catching those who will fall over cliff; Holden does not only want to save those children but he also wants to save himself.
During the period of time when Patrick Henry delivered his “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention,” the relations between the British crown and the colonists were strained. The British government heavily taxed and oppressed the colonists, who were protesting against this unjust treatment. By embellishing his speech with allusions and rhetorical questions, Henry conveys his message that urges decisiveness regarding independence from Great Britain and also warns against possible deception and betrayal. At the start of the speech, Henry alludes to Greek mythology, asserting that the colonists “are apt to shut [their] eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms [them] into beasts” (Henry 2). The
In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger readers are introduced to a young man named Holden Caulfield who introduces himself and begins to tell his story of how and why he left his school; Pencey Prep. In the story, Holden explains how he is being kicked out of school and doesn't want his parents to know and so leaves school early. throughout the story, Holden explains what happens to him before he must go home and act like he is home from school for a break instead of being kicked out. When it comes to the topic of Author's purpose of The will of individual vs the will of the majority some will think the purpose is to show that Holden going against the will of society to rebel, however, I think the author’s purpose of The Catcher in the Rye was to show that the individual will manifest in his desire for isolation comes from his is fear and damage done by fear of pain, failure, rejection, and is unwilling or unable to go along with the majority. This all shown through Imagery, symbolism, and diction.
Ray Bradbury is one of the most widely known science fiction authors of all time. Many of his works revolve around the central ideas of technology, dystopias, and censorship. Some of his most famous pieces, such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, were written and published in the 1950’s during the climax of Cold War hysteria. During this time, the United States government censored books and other literature to calm the public and eliminate pro-communist writings. This time period not only shaped who Bradbury was, but it also deeply influenced his stories. His bold stories during this time clearly and effectively fight the idea that censorship is necessary. In his works “Usher II,” “The Exiles,” and “The Pedestrian,” Ray Bradbury