Life is very difficult, and certain people respond to trouble differently. An example of this takes place in the book Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt. In Trouble both Henry and Chay are in difficult situations. Henry’s brother has died and Henry and his family are in a difficult time. Chay is Cambodian and he starts to date an American girl. His father disowns him and forces Chay to leave home. Henry and Chay have their own responses to Trouble. Each person has some acceptable responses and some poor responses. Overall, Chay has better responses to Trouble than Henry.
The use of children in the Sierra Leone Civil War was widespread, with up to 10,000 children taking part in the conflict and up to eighty percent of RUF forces between the ages of seven and fourteen. Ishmael is one of these children. In his memoir, A Long Way Gone, Lieutenant Jabati and his men exploit several techniques to transform these frightened children into ruthless killing machines. They do this through the use of drugs, pop culture, as well as character and emotional manipulation. Tactics like these create habits and addictions that are almost impossible to break.
Nineteen Minutes is Jodi Picoult’s staggering and heartbreaking story about the devastating aftermath of a small town tragedy. The story begins in the town of Sterling, New Hampshire, following the lives of the citizens on an ordinary day. That all changes when there is a shooting at Sterling High. Throughout the story, there are flashbacks to before and after the killings and the reader learns about the history of each of the characters, and how that has influenced their journey throughout the novel. We are shown the once close relationship between Josie and Peter, and also about Peter’s rocky home life where Peter is often outshined by his older brother whose death creates a rift that puts him even farther from his parents. . The jumps back in
The number 23 describes the famous basketball player Michael Jordan. When someone mentions Steve Jobs, they automatically think of Apple. Actress, Marilyn Monroe, became notorious for her birthmark. When one refers to Bartleby, they think of the symbols that describe his strange, mysterious character. In the story, “Bartleby the Scrivener,” a public records office begins to search for a new employee. When only one gentleman shows up for the job, the boss gives the strange man, Bartleby, a job as a filer. After a few days, the new employee will not listen to the boss. This extraordinary man merely states, “I prefer not to,” when requested to complete a duty. Consequently, the boss gets weary of Bartleby’s behavior and attempts to get rid of
It has often been said that once you spend enough time with someone and create a strong bond with them, you end up becoming very close and considering them family. What has also been said is that we find friendships when we need it most. As important as family is in real life, it is often shown that in literature, authors use this concept to offer a clear understanding on how close an individual can get to someone within months. Barbara Kingsolver demonstrates the importance of family through Taylor in her novel The Bean Trees, as she creates strong relationships on her way through life.
In The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, Missy, The novel’s main character changes. Said changes are what defines Missy as a whole. These changes occur as a result of Obstacles she comes across and conquers. Such obstacles drive on these changes through either fear or just a lack of will, suppressing her mind and then being confronted with a need for change
Forgiving someone is one of the best things you could do. However, for you to forgive someone, you must accept what has happened and be ready to move on. Forgiving someone gives them an opportunity to redeem themselves, and allows them to move on as well. By accepting the past, you might find reasoning within the mistakes of the others, and give you as better understanding of how you should act. Forgiveness is a large part of The First Stone, and within the story is a valuable lesson: By forgiving someone, you are allow both yourself and the other person to move on and grow, as well as allowing you to look back in an unbiased way. By giving someone a second chance, you have bestowed upon them an opportunity to make up for their past mistakes,
Throughout ‘A bridge to Wiseman’s cove’, James Moloney introduces to characters who are in despair. However, the reader is shown how the characters are rescued with the support of each other. The protagonist Carl Matt is in despair after moving to Wattle Beach, because his mother and sister leave him and his younger brother. Joy, a middle-aged woman is also portrayed as a character who is afraid to give love to her daughter. Another individual, Graham Duncan, commonly known as Skip is a character who is rescued from despair.
Ha’s life has turned inside out and back again. Ha’s life has turned inside out because she had been forced out of her home in Saigon due to war. Her life has also turned back again because she is settling into Alabama and starting to be smart again. Along her journey she faces many challenges because of language and other people not being friendly and welcoming to her. The book Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai is about a girl named Ha that is a refugee from the city of Saigon in Vietnam. She has to learn a new language and learn a new life in a different country. She gets bullied by the way she looks, but tires get through it at home by talking to her mother about it. One of her neighbors, Ms. Washington, helps her learn English
A Lesson Before Dying is set in a small Cajun community in the late 1940s. The story started in a courtroom where a black man named Jefferson was being prosecuted for assisting in a robbery in which a white man was killed. Jefferson was judged by white men and was referred to as a hog throughout the court session. He insisted the he was innocent; he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but a verdict was reached and Jefferson was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution. Grant Wiggins, who left his hometown for the university, has returned to a plantation school for black children to teach. As he struggles to decide whether he should
In the book “Across Five Aprils” by Irene Hunt, the author makes a few statements to portray her feelings toward the war, she uses the characters and their actions to show her emotions and thoughts about it. The views on war change throughout the book, in the beginning Tom and Jethro think war is going to be so cool, but as time went on their thoughts change. I believe one of her views from the book shows that she is passionate towards war, she uses Tom to demonstrate this.
Not many men would stand by strangers in a life or death situation, but that is just the type of man John Oakhurst is in “The Outcasts of Poker Flats” written by Bret Harte. Although his character is a professional gambler, Oakhurst carries a soft spot for his fellow exiles. He could just walk away, and save himself. He not only cares about their well-being; he acts as a leader for the outcasts. Without John the group would not have a chance at surviving. Harte writes, “The thought of deserting his weaker and more pitiable companions never perhaps occurred to him” (Harte) John Oakhurst is a man of honor and courage, no matter his profession.
Miniver Cheevy, in “Miniver Cheevy,” has a few character traits that show his true personality. The reader sees his traits as being single, of a low social status, a drunk, and being lazy. The author shows many other traits in the short story, but these three are what make his personality. His overall personality as being an underachiever is seen in the character traits.
In the book “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, it’s about a little girl who is pressured by her mother to become something she doesn’t want to be. Jing- mei , the daughter, is forced to become a prodigy(child actress), by her mother, and she doesn’t want to be one. In the story, Jing- meis’ mother uses allusions such as Shirley Temple to push her into becoming a prodigy. Although at first Jing- mei is excited to become a prodigy, she later realizes its something she just doesn’t enjoy doing. Consequently, the uses of allusion in the story help Jing- mei discover to not be a prodigy and that what her mother wants for her is not always important. However, some of the things her mother showed and did got her excited to become this.
“Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan, essentially revolves around the struggle of Jing Mei and her constant conflict with her mother. Throughout her life, she is forced into living a life that is not hers, but rather her mom’s vision of a perfect child; because her mother lost everything, which included her parents and kids, so her only hope was through Jing Mei. Jing Mei’s mom watches TV shows such as the Ed Sullivan Show, which gives her inspiration that her daughter should be like the people and actors. First her mom saw how on the television a three-year-old boy can name all the capitals of the states and foreign countries and would even pronounce it correctly. Her mom would quiz Jing Mei on capitals of certain places, only to discover that she would