Anton Chekhov

Imagination plays a role in everyones traveling, whether they realize it or not. Taking the time to stop and observe others, as well as asking some questions of those around us, can show us what role imagination plays in traveling. Everyone views traveling in their own way. The more experienced travelers usually seem to realize the deeper meaning of traveling, whereas the less experienced take it for face value, simply getting from one place to another. Looking deeper at what traveling is…

Metaphor and Symbolism in Langston Hughes’s My People My people is one of Langston Hughes’ poems which is about working class black African American people. In this poem, he compared the beauty of nature to the beauty of his people. My people is a very short poem, built in three stanzas which consist of two lines in each stanza. This poem was written in simple language, therefore, the readers can easily understand what he is trying to convey. I believe, beneath its simple words, this poem…

One's ability to see is often taken for granted as it is in "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver. The title suggests that the story deals with a cathedral, but it is really about two blind men; one physically, the other mentally. One of the men is Robert, the blind friend of the narrator's wife, and the other is the narrator himself. The narrator is the man who is mentally blind, and unknowingly describes his own prejudice. Carver writes the husband as a man with a very narrow mind. Two instances in…

In the song “Swimming Pools” by Kendrick Lamar, he writes “Some people like the way it feels/ Some people wanna kill their sorrows/ Some people wanna fit in with the popular/ That was my problem”(Lamar), we see a very similar description of alcoholism in The Swimmer, by John Cheever, who also uses swimming pools as a metaphor for the hardships of being an alcoholic. Throughout The Swimmer, Cheever, writes using many motifs to show the narrator, Neddy Merrill’s, decline into becoming an alcoholic…

Ignorance is the worst form of blindness. In the short story, “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver creates a dynamic character who is judgmental and lacks insight, but ironically, a blind man soon helps him see. This character, never actually given a name, is also the narrator. Carver’s decision to withhold his name is intriguing since he gives the blind man a name, Robert. The narrator in “Cathedral” himself produces an antisocial, prejudiced personality for others to interact with, but shows the…

He’s not dead, he’s sleeping forever: Characterization in “A Small, Good Thing” In “A Small, Good Thing”, Raymond Carver describes the events of a small boy, Scotty, getting injured and being hospitalized. His parents, Ann and Howard, then need to internalize the situation each in their own way until they finally accept Scotty’s death after meeting with a baker that has been giving the parents foreboding calls. Carver uses characterization in “A Small, Good Thing” to convey the idea of how Ann…

In the two short stories, “Tiredness of Rosabel” and “Miss Brill”, the female characters fantasize to escape their reality. Through out the stories, both female protagonists [Rosabel and Miss Brill] realize the negative impact of fantasying in their lives. Both characters want to find happiness in their lives; yet daydreaming is a method to ignore their current living situation of being lonely. In the case of Rosabel, her current living situations is not having a partner to be with. In the…

Ivan Ilych with Ivan Ilych’s character. Chekhov and Tolstoy implement illness in each of their stories as an obstacle for each of the character’s development, such that it illustrates physical pain to complement with their conflicting mentality. Ivan and Pyotr display symptoms that not only foreshadows their illness, but also shortcomings in their character. Overall, Chekhov and Tolstoy use illness as a medium to convey a character’s development. Chekhov and Tolstoy presents their…

In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator uses sight to make himself feel superior to Robert as he is threatened by Robert's ability to make deep connections however, this hinders the narrator's ability to connect with people as he is not able to see below their superficial attributes. Because of his insecurity and lack of understanding, the narrator is constantly criticizing and making Robert, the blind man, feel inadequate. This is because the narrator feels threatened by…

Miss Brill to me is a story about a lady who is mentally challenge. It appears that life revolves around the conversations and festivities that happen every Sunday in her neighborhood. She most definitely looks forward to them. Each Sunday she dresses up in garments that she believes is her most stunning to the publics and her eyes. She has a fur that she takes extra special care of. She wears this fur on Sunday’s and places it in a box neatly when she’s done and tucks it away, until next…