The Outcast Of Poker Flat Analysis

Self-awareness allows one to understand their own flaws and shortcomings. The ability to assess one’s weaknesses in character allows for reflection introspectively, creating valuable realizations about one’s own identity. However, some members of society lack this innate ability, rendering them unable to understand their own corruption. In an excerpt of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The House of Seven Gables,” the narrator crafts the appearance of morality in Judge Pyncheon, constructing the illusion of respectability, then increasingly displays contempt of the dark reality that “some one wrong act” truly defines Pyncheon’s character.

People don’t realize or understand the truth about someone until they actually get view the true meaning of that someone’s life and what they have to deal with every day. In Harper Lee’s story (TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD) Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus states that, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” But as the kids age they start to realize that life is not as fair and understanding as it used to be. Through the use of Scout standing on Boo’s porch at the end of the story and the interaction that Scout, Jem, and Dill had with Dolphus Raymond outside of the courthouse, Jem and Scout to begin to realize you can’t truly know a man until you stand in his own shoes.

In this novel “A Long Walk to Water” Uncle Jewiir is a good-natured person and is passionate about caring for Salva. Uncle Jewiir has always stuck to Salva ever since he joined the group, even when Salva felt like comply to the desert Uncle Jewiir always carried him onward. For example “As if by magic, Uncle was suddenly at his side” and “ Uncle pointed out a clump of rocks up ahead and told Salva to walk as far as the rocks”.This means that Uncle Jewiir expressed his compassion for Salva by always motivating to continue on his journey. “Uncle had always shared the animals and birds he shot with everyone in the group”, by this quote it shows that Uncle Jewiir cared about the people around him. While other people saw Salva as “weak and useless”, Uncle Jewiir always cheered him onward and he was only one out of most people to see the potential in Salva. This matters to Salva because even

“Traded my soul for rock and roll. I made a deal with the devil. Fortune and fame, fire and flames. I made a deal with the devil”. This lyric is a originates from the song “Deal With The Devil” by Winger. This song and lyric annotates how this boy sells his soul to the Devil to obtain what he yearns for [money and fame]. The topic of selling your soul can interpret to losing your self conscience of what is really important in the world. This lyric and concept very much kindred to the famous folktale of “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving. The folktale in a nutshell is the journey of a zealous man who sells his soul to the devil to retrieve fortune. Hence, “The Devil and Tom Walker” epitomizes a folktale based on the inclusion of the folktale characteristic stereotypes, unlikely events, and lessons to be learned.

“It is a sin to write this,” begins Anthem, and the digression of the society around him slowly falls. The argument asks if I reason about the Equality’s sins being evil or marvelous. The outtake of his decision decides his fate on the community around him, lifeless slaves being controlled by the government. So, I believe his sins are for the greater good. It shows that he is not a enslaved monkey in a science lab, but the arrogant monkey who refuses to do the tests. He shows the people around him what it feels like to be independent, and the feeling of color. Here is a quote to represent the curiosity about him, “What -- even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the pyre -- what is the Unspeakable Word?” (Rand 57)

Societies and cultures often contain one thing that can exponentially affect one’s life: stereotypes. Brent Staples, author of “Just Walk On By” creates the message that many are being held to certain stereotypes that often make life difficult. He conveys this message through the persona he creates along with his emotional appeal.

Characters throughout The Great Gatsby present themselves with mysterious and questionable morals. Affairs, dishonest morals, criminal professions, weak boundaries and hypocritical views are all examples of immorality portrayed in The Great Gatsby. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, lies and mischief fill the lives of many and significantly damage numerous relationships.

In the story “ The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, the theme of greed is exaggerated through Tom Walker’s life story. Throughout the story, Walker’s estranged and miserly relationship with his wife, his self-beneficial life choices that harm others, and his unfortunate and pitiful death, demonstrate horrible occurrences in a greed-filled lifestyle. Irving also elucidates to readers that consistent desires and the feelings of dissatisfaction towards everything will eventually lead to an undesirable ending. Emphasis on the above aspects of his life however, is placed to inevitably reveal that Tom Walker’s consistent and developing greed throughout the story suggest how human beings have an instinctive desire that invariably grows.

After childhood, people come to realise that the world is a cruel place. People misjudge others; thus, over time, people grow to accept the amount of brutality in the world. Parents often tell their children that first impressions count, mainly because others are quick to judge. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, first impressions of people are never correct, as we judge people after mere seconds, and we are often incorrect in our assumptions of people.

In 1869, Bret Harte wrote a short story “The Outcast of Poker Flat.” This time period was during the gold rush, and he believed the Americans had no right to kill the Indians. He decided to write a short story explaining to the Americans how inhumane it was to kill the Indians and take over their territory. In “The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” Harte represents Mr. Oakhurst’s personality as easy going, calm, and unselfish. In “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte, Mr. Oakhurst’s caring personality is tested multiple times throughout the short story, but he never gets upset or overwhelmed.

Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby debuted in 1925– before the Great Depression– it serves as a prophetic exemplification of the the material excess of the 1920s that drowned out signs of the coming Great Depression. The book’s plot follows the bootlegger Jay Gatsby as he pursues his old love Daisy Buchanan through flaunting his new extravagant lifestyle, mainly by throwing ostentatious parties. Yet, in the end, Daisy chooses her unfaithful husband Tom over Gatsby. Through Fitzgerald’s use of wealthy, materialistic characters, he comments on the effect of the material excess of the roaring twenties: moral corruption.

High School. The epitome of how poorly someone can be treated based on what they like, or what they wear, or say and do. The doors you walk through each day are the entrance to the jungle; it seems harmless at first, but as soon as you enter you are stalked and watched by the predators. Any high school looks great to an outsider, but deep down they all consist of a ludicrous social hierarchy. In The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci, Victor “Torey” Adams experiences these things first hand after he pulls away from the scum he once knew and loved, those who contributed to Christopher Creed’s disappearance. He sees how they beat people down and how ruthless they can be with him and his newfound friends. In her writing, Carol Plum-Ucci poses the question, “How does judgement of others affect how a person

“When people rely on surface appearances and false stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of heart, mind, and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” – James. A. Forbes. As Forbes states, when “people rely on surface appearances” and do not look beyond, they often times fail to realize how deceiving looks can be. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, Mrs. Maloney uses her image as leverage to get away with the murder of her husband. Throughout the story, Mrs. Maloney betrays multiple people after being betrayed by her own husband. Her thoughts soon become clouded with animosity which leads her to make rash decisions. Although Forbes says “the way people assess and understand others is compromised”, the reader sees how these stereotypes can be used to a character’s advantage when getting away with wrong doing. The story “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl depicts how betrayal can provoke characters to commit crime in order to emphasize the inaccurate perception of women. The author uses irony and characterization to portray how once betrayed women may not be as innocent or fragile as they seem.

At the beginning of The Outcasts of Poker Flat, the character John Oakhurst is introduced as a gambler, who has a calm tone and handsome face, with a compassionate, generous, honorable attitude, along with valuable leadership skills. Throughout the story, John Oakhurst shows qualities of being the strongest and then the weakest character. He shows his noble side when he returns money to Tom Simson, also known as “The Innocent”, after he won a gamble. Mr. Oakhurst considered it to be an unfair match due to Tom’s little experience with gambling and returned his money to Tom and told him to not gamble. However, the town of Poker Flat “a secret committee” gets rid of the improper citizens and Mr. Oakhurst was designated as one of them due to strong and lucky gambling skills.

In the scenario of Karl and Bob, they are both wrong in their actions. Their problem started when they decided to flee town in order to run away from their problems. As a result, Karl and Bob’s situation became more severe because Karl decided to steal a thousand dollars from a store and Bob decided to cheat an old retired man into giving him a thousand dollars. Karl’s actions may seem worse in the eyes of society and the law; however, when considering the morality of the situation, I am convinced that Bob was worst in his actions to cheat the elderly retired man.