BORSTAR Essays

In the short story, “The Gift of the Magi”, written by, O' Henry, the theme is, when a person truly loves someone they are willing to sacrifice just about anything to see a loved one happy. Such message was demonstrated in the story through the usage of the following literary devices: irony, symbolism, and diction to set a tone. Irony is when the opposite of what is expected does not happen. Symbolism is a person, place, or thing that suggests more than its literal meaning. Diction is the word choice

Characterization of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Jean Louise (Scout) Finch as the narrator. Scout is now an adult and reflects on three very crucial summers during her childhood days. When Scout is first described in the novel, she is prone to violence, labels people based on class, denigrates people, uses racist language, and is prejudice (Seidel 1). All of these things show that she is childish at the beginning of the novel. A mature character would

“The Most Dangerous Game,” a short story by Richard Connell, dives into the discussion over whether animals have feelings, and if it is fine for them to be hunted for a human’s own entertainment. The main protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, an American author and hunter, and the antagonist, General Zaroff, a hunter as-well, have similar views in the concept of dominance and killing animals for their own pleasure. Throughout the events of the story, both characters, ironically, switch between being the

Throughout The Good Earth we come across many tough conflicts both internally and externally, but even so, many of them we can relate to. Wang Lung, O-Lan, Lotus, Ching, and the rest of Wang Lung’s family all must deal with conflicts between each other, with nature, and within themselves. But they aren’t so different from us and we find ourselves in many of the same situations that our beloved characters do. Wang Lung deals with guilt and greed throughout the novel and it is something that most people

The case known as the Anna O. case was the case of a women who was not actually named Anna, her name was Bertha Pappenheim. Bertha was initially a patient of Josef Breuer, however Sigmund Freud soon became interested in her case. She presented with a wide range of symptoms, including blurred vision, headaches, partial paralysis, and hallucinations that began when she was caring for her ailing father. She was diagnosed with and treated for hysteria. Under Breuer’s care, he noticed that she seemed

Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club is an amazing representation of what Chinese immigrants and their families face. The broad spectrum of the mothers’ and daughters’ stories all connect back to a couple of constantly recurring patterns. These patterns are used to show that how the mothers and daughters were so differently raised affected their relationships with each other, for better and for worse. To begin with, the ever-present pattern of disconnect between the two groups of women is used to show how

Among the three philosophies of life: Realism, Romanticism, and Naturalism, people tend to believe in one more strongly than others. After reading Willa Cather’s “O Pioneers!” and the poem she named the book after, “Pioneers! O Pioneers!”, I have come to the conclusion that she had more of a Romantic outlook. Some may say that because many of the events in her book were Naturalistic she had a Naturalistic outlook, and while I understand where this thought stems from, I have to disagree. Although

has her own battle to resist the suitors gathering in her home in an attempt to marry her. Their son, Telemachus, battles a mostly internal war in both missing his father and disliking the suitors who are ruining his home and taking over his life. In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the three main characters Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O’Donnell escape from a prison chain gang. Everett convinced his fellow inmates that he has hidden a treasure that must be recovered before his hometown is

buried there and now it is a different life…” (Buck 195). Although Wang Lung’s affection was not consistent, he ultimately realized the impact O-lan had made in his life. Now that she was gone, he felt as if his life had changed. He started to repent for not appreciating O-lan’s simple and kind loyalty toward him. Wang Lung also realized the difference that O-lan had made in his life, and the great knowledge that she obtained. Unlike other women, she delivered her children herself, and did not require

In the early 1900s, many women in the Chinese heritage were treated like slaves before they were married. Once they were married, their job was to bear the husband’s children and fulfill the household needs. However, in the novel “The Good Earth,” Wang Lung’s wife, O’lan, did not only bear his children and attend to the household needs, but she also worked in the fields with Wang Lung even when she was pregnant with his child. O’lan was always obedient to her husband and was always resourceful no

Conflicts are the central issue that makes the story move in a literature. Conflicts in literature consists of internal and external conflicts. The internal conflict is one which exist inside the character and must be resolved by the character alone while the external conflict deals with the problems of the world. The external conflict manifests as man versus man or man versus the society. In, “good people”, the story had an internal and external conflicts. The story is centered typically around

The Coen brothers write about the Odyssey in their film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?. O Brother, Where Art Thou? mimics the Odyssey in a surreal sense. The writing from the Coen brothers depicts many parallels between the two stories, almost as if O Brother, Where Art Thou? parodies the Odyssey. The Coen brothers accurately portray the Odyssey and Odysseus’ struggles. The Coen brothers take careful thought into remastering Homer’s writings. The movie, though somewhat of a parody, still crafts the

In the book “O Pioneers!” Willa Cather discusses her views on the three philosophies of life. She makes it clear as to which one she personally adheres, from a Realistic, Romantic and Naturalistic view of the world. Cather uses many circumstances of each type of philosophy. Willa uses Romanticism lots of times in her story. For instance, in Part 4, Chapter 7-8 after Frank kills Marie and Emil, Cather says, “two white butterflies from Frank's alfalfa-field were fluttering in and out among the interlacing

In the novel, “O Pioneers!”, the character Alexandra Bergson ties to the author, Willa Cather. When Cather wrote this story, she used a lot of her own characteristics to develop Alexandra. In the story, Alexandra learns that Realistic, Romantic, and Naturalistic views exist throughout everything one might go through in life, very similar to what Cather most likely experienced. Cather’s three philosophies on life go along with the topics of Realistic, Romantic, and Naturalistic. I personally think

know that it makes much difference, now.’”(O. Henry 6) Jimmy respected Ben Price’s job and responsibilities, even though it meant he would go to jail. A man who wasn’t living morally, would not have respected Ben in that way. Earlier in the story, the Adamses went into the bank to see a new vault they put in. “All went inside the high, carved oak railings into the banking room - Jimmy included, for Mr. Adams's future son-in-law was welcome anywhere.”(O. Henry 5)Mr. Adams trusted jimmy in his bank

Despite the common perception of Sigmund Freud's findings, there is no doubt that he enormously affected the field of psychology. His work upheld the conviction that not every single dysfunctional behavior has physiological causes and he additionally offered prove that cultural differences affect psychology and human conduct. His work and compositions added to our comprehension of identity, clinical psychology, human advancement, and abnormal psychology. Some of his works include research on hysteria

already lined up on the table, a new-found luxury for Wang Lung since he married. His wife, O-lan, constantly provides him with necessities for life. In this isolated area of China during the early twentieth century, a woman is expected to stay quiet and well-behaved, as a slave to men. Technology could not be more distant, and the agrarian society still reigns supreme, emphasizing the importance of the land. O-lan’s lower status, plain appearance, and simple mind have much in common with the rugged

After him and O-Lan returned home, they began to work hard on producing crops from their land. Wang-Lung began to harvest land avidly, and birth flourishing crops. He began to acquire more and more money, and built a larger earthen house, adding more courts to comfortably fit all of his children and O-Lan. As Wang-Lung is becoming wealthier, he begins to change his attitude towards O-Lan, as she, in his eyes, is extraordinarily ugly. She does not

we fall. “ -- Aesop. In the book The Good Earth, Pearl Buck uses Wang Lung’s marriage to O-lan to show that as a unified people they make each other whole, and fill the gaps that the other has. Before Olan, Wang Lung had different views on schooling, slaves, farming, and loyalty. As Wang Lung married Olan they started very different because of the different up bringings of both of them. Neither O-lan nor Wang Lung went to school when they were children, so they didn’t find it necessary for

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, tells the tale of Wang Lung as he transforms from a struggling farmer to a rich landowner. Despite the numerous struggles Wang Lung endures, his land always remains. Wang Lung’s love for his land come from the mental and physical healing the land gives to him. “Wang Lung was healed of his sickness of love by the good dark earth of his fields and he felt the moist soil on his feet and he smelled the earthy fragrance rising up out of the furrows.” (Buck 212) Wang