The Choice after Loss
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, American psychologist. When loss hits, people’s real character is revealed. For some, like Gwilan in, “Gwilan’s Harp” and the washwoman in, “The Washwoman”, loss only highlights their naturally selfless attitude. For others, like Mr. Behrman in “The Last Leaf”, great tragedy must occur before they awake to the needs of others. Either way, the responses of Gwilan, the washwoman, and Mr. Behrman to defeat and suffering show that they are beautiful people. In the short stories “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, the theme of loss reveals a selfless attitude in each of the key characters.
Gwilan, the main character in “Gwilan’s Harp”, suffers great loss throughout her life; however in times of sadness, her resilience and perseverance shines most brightly. First Gwilan undergoes the loss of her most
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Behrman, the unlikely hero from “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, serves others when faced by loss. A drunk and failure of an artist, Mr. Behrman has lost his respectability as a man. However when his neighbor, Johnsy, decides she will die when the last leaf falls off a vine outside, Mr. Behrman rises above his losses and takes pity on her saying, “Ach, dot poor leetle Miss Yohnsy” (O. Henry). Mr. Behrman sacrifices himself and goes out into the stormy night to paint a leaf on the wall behind the vine so that the last leaf will never fall and Johnsy will recover. Mr. Behrman’s act saves Johnsy, but he catches pneumonia from the stormy night and dies. Mr. Behrman had lost his pride, but when confronted with the potential loss of Johnsy, he took his eyes off his own failure and loss and selflessly put himself at risk. Even in the wake of his own misfortune, Mr. Behrman serves
“The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events: a marriage, or a last-minute rescue from death; but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.” – Fay Weldon Imagine one Janie Crawford, back in Eatonville, once again under the watchful eye of the jealous townspeople, scrutinized and harshly judged. Janie has been in this situation before, a long time ago, but what is different this time? The difference, among many others, is that Janie has taken a look at her core values, her goals, and her aspirations, and changed her outlook on life.
Poets and other writers often express life through their works and characters. Some poems convey a depressing, gloomy attitude towards life, while others show the world as a joyful and simple place. Two skilled creative writers, Edgar Lee Masters and Edwin Arlington Robinson, wrote detailed poems describing the lives of characters with extremely different perspectives on life. Many obvious differences can be identified between the lives of Robinson’s Miniver Cheevy and Masters’s Lucinda Matlock. Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem about Miniver Cheevy paints life as miserable and useless.
The three stories to be discussed in this essay are “The Bouquet” by Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “Gimpel the Fool” by Isaac Bashevis Singer. It’s interesting to dissect these pieces of literature to see how they reflect the time period they were written in, by whom they were written, and if the stories they read have any abnormalities outside what is expected. So first up is “The Bouquet”; I sympathized mainly for the young girl named Sophie. Society’s faults stunted her growth as an individual, and kept her from bonding with those she desired relations.
Authors of short fiction always strive to communicate a message in their stories for the reader to discover. Their message makes their story memorable and it gives the reader something to take away. Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” have very comparable messages concealed behind their stories. Although these two authors share their messages with vastly different stories, the protagonists in their stories convey similar messages for the reader to uncover. The authors of both “Cathedral” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” use the protagonist to communicate that maintaining a stubborn mindset is human nature and it takes a significant experience to change one’s way of thinking.
1. Pathos is a term which appeals to emotion. It convinces an audience by creating feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is presented in the opening of “ A New Perspective” written by Janice E. Fein when the narrator talks about going to kindergarten. She mentions how her mother “is walking me to kindergarten” which appeals to the audience since it brings up memories of how their mother or father must have walked them to kindergarten too.
Ray Bradbury never seems to doubt his themes, or the way he presents them. From his first publication in the mid-1900’s to now he does not appear to falter. The same holds true for his short stories. In “Embroidery”, Ray Bradbury conveys a grim, bipolar ending to three women using symbolism, emphasis, appeal to emotion, and vivid descriptions. Bradbury’s style is very distinct and noticeable in all his works.
Rather than expressing pity for the loss of an honorable man, he is instead merely concerned
Unfortunately, his pride took over his heart, costing him everything that he had. Similarly, Wolsey had a great position as the advisor, but his “greatness” overthrew him. Through this allusion, it
All things considered, in life, unfortunate circumstances can turn into fruitful rewards. In Joe’s case, doing the right thing and saving a life turned into a beneficial outcome. From this essay, you’ve learned that Joe’s actions of saving a woman, acting heroically, and humbly turning down a generous reward caused the plot to move forward. That without the author using myth-like elements in the text, the storyline would never progress. Ultimately, in Joe looking out for someone else’s interests, he led himself into living a life with better resources and a
Grief V. Love: The Ultimate Emotional Brawl “Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim,” was once written by the author Vicki Harrison. In the short story Catch the Moon, by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the character Luis learns to “swim” with the assistance of the power of love. Cofer creates this story with the underlying message, grief has negative effects on people, however, love has the power to overcome the obstacles created by grief.
Jimmy Blevins, fatally shot, provided John with intuition about the importance of companionship. His death also provided knowledge of the consequences of the decisions a person makes. Although John had not known Blevins long, he felt a sort of responsibility for him, especially because he presumed he was younger than him by a couple of years. Even though their relationship was not a very close one, nobody wants to see anyone be executed for a mistake that was made at such a young age. This event saddened John, and made him feel about about, and even regret Blevins’ fate.
The Fate and Destiny of one’s life is determined by the actions that are taken and the paths which are chosen. John Winslow Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, examines and deepens the meaning behind the Fate and Destiny of someone to shed light on what life’s true meaning is. In this story, John Wheelwright is a member of the hierarchy and wealthy of Gravesend and he finds true friendship in the most unlikely place; John meets the unsophisticated, yet assertive Owen Meany who comes from an unfortunate family. John’s mother, Tabby, interacts with Owen more so than Owen’s actual mother does and when the Angel of Death finally comes for Tabby, the deed to end her life is bestowed upon Owen because he had interrupted the Angel.
Date TMA received: Date returned: TUTOR’S REMARKS: Content Language and Organization Earned Mark EL121: The Short Story and Essay Writing TMA: Fall Semester 2015 - 2016 The ending of every short story represent a great significance for the short story itself.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates the personal growth of the dynamic protagonist Louise Mallard, after hearing news of her husband’s death. The third-person narrator telling the story uses deep insight into Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions as she sorts through her feelings after her sister informs her of her husband’s death. During a Character analysis of Louise Mallard, a reader will understand that the delicate Mrs. Mallard transforms her grief into excitement over her newly discovered freedom that leads to her death. As Mrs. Mallard sorts through her grief she realizes the importance of this freedom and the strength that she will be able to do it alone.
Louise’s victory in accepting her husband’s death is a feeling that she now cannot live without. The ultimate death of Louise Mallard is one that represents physical and emotional defeat. In this dramatic short story, Chopin uses imagery to sew together a tapestry of emotions all encompassed in an ill-stricken widow. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.”