As the common idiom goes, "Do not judge a book by its cover. " People often just view the cover of any sort of media, not necessarily a book, and judge whether it is good or bad, fiction or nonfiction, gendered or not. Markus Zusak’s, “The Book Thief,” depicts a character during a famous time in history; World War II, from the 3rd person perspective of a conscious figure intended to be Death, who makes a point on this idiom. One should not prejudge any sense of value or classification just from a quick glance of its exterior appearance. “The Book Thief,” by Markus Zusak is narrated by a consciousness perceived as Death.…
Grateful Dead theme in cultures represents ghosts' return to the living world in order to reward worthy people. In Chinese folklore, the intent of these appearances is to honor those who gave their body a genuine burial and offered their spirits continuing respect. They additionally respect fearless individuals, and glorify meriting relatives with drop-in visits (Guiley, 1956).…
When looking back at history, it is easy to blindly focus only on the distinguished individuals and most memorable events. Though these have a great amount of importance and remain influential on our lives today, it is both valuable and insightful to consider the general population and their alluring lives. Additionally, the fact that these individuals are not featured in history textbooks or taught to students as a part of a common curriculum does not make their stories any less excellent, but could potentially provide for a new outlook on our past. In 1934, as America was in the midst of The Great Depression and countless citizens were struggling to find their way through the country’s economic downfall, Ruth Green was born in in Burlingame, California.…
1. Streetcars normally would be seen as merely a symbol of destiny or fate which is impossible to prevent due to the constant running on the rails to the final destination. However, Williams views the streetcar, “Desire”, as something more than just an undefined force because what led Blanche to her overall destruction is her sexual desire and passion. "Cemeteries", however, is connected to “Desire” because it reinforces the reminder that a life driven by desire only ends in one fatal way. A).…
Ashley Reyes Forensic Anthropology Prof. Mires 11/22/17 Dead Men Do Tell Tales Dead Men Do Tell Tales, by William Maples, talks about the most horrific cases of conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Vietnam MIAs to the secretive deaths of President Zachary Taylor and the family of Czar Nicholas the second. Maples is a forensic anthropologist that worked at the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the Florida Museum of Natural history. He wrote this autobiography in 1994 and demonstrated how he can find out the age, ethnicity, and gender of any murder victim. Based on his knowledge and understanding, he is able to identify the killer as well.…
Everyone will have a final resting place unique to them whether they get buried or cremated. Some people will be buried alongside their husbands, some beside their parents or perhaps even their kids, but others are buried alone. Their loved ones are a mystery, as is their identity. These are the “Unknowns.” Collected altogether in one cemetery are Unknowns from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War (Arlington National Cemetery).…
THEY-CAN’T-DIE! Such devotion that a seventeen year old has in order to keep the last of his family alive, his sisters. In fact that same devotion which a twelve year old has to keep what is truly left of humankind in his world of script, an infant. So young that unable to eat, but so strong to understand and live in reality. Life in a world designed every inch by inch, word for word,and Life for Life!…
The Ambivalent Tragedy of a Good Death: Reflections on How to Die in Oregon By Nathan Rubene dos Santos I came to do this assignment with a veiled reluctance, not of dread but a sort of absent-mindedness. Considering the topic, this is understandable; matters of death and the process of dying tend to deter people from thinking about it too much. Often we hope to be taken from this world swiftly and, if not long in the tooth, at the very least without senseless torment. An ideal scenario would couple our passing with lasting dignity and respect too, but these are optional ornaments to a dirge played more times austere, brief, and without sentiment than otherwise. The treatment of the body at death and after is discussed about with seriousness only…
The young hero faces his grotesque enemy; finally this great conflict has come to a head, as both sides prepare for the final battle. The eyes of the hero’s faithful followers earnestly watches as the opposing forces of good and evil engage in an intricate fight; silently cheering for their hero to prevail. With a mighty swing of the hero’s blade, the foe breathed his last ghastly breath. Unfortunately, the hero did not leave the battle unscathed, his wounds were fatal. The victorious warrior closed his eyes and used his dying breath to tell his comrades how he wished to be immortalized, before he entered his God’s kingdom.…
When a warrior dies in Homer’s Iliad and Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, he loses his ability to take control of his own life. Having surrendered to his fate (moira), the duty to protect the fallen warrior falls upon his comrades. These warriors feel that they have a moral duty to protect the bodies of the fallen, particularly those who died in service to their communities and cities (poleis). If a man does not die in the line of duty, however, his body may not receive the same treatment as the warrior killed in battle. The treatment of the bodies of the dead profoundly impacts the respective communities in the two texts and strongly reflects the moral state of the communities and their individuals on a much larger scale.…
“The Book Thief” has broadened my understanding of the way that historical fiction can be used to create a sense of realism to historical events, notably through Mark Zusak’s creation of realistic characters that effectively portray what it was like to live in Nazi Germany during the second World War. This has been achieved through Mark Zusak’s successful incorporation of various literary techniques throughout the book. A number of these literary devices will be elaborated in this essay. One of the more striking techniques employed by Mark Zusak in “The Book Thief” is personification where he effectively uses Death as the narrator of the book, and creates a Humanised concept of Death.…
I have had the pleasure – or guilt – of visiting the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic. Deemed a world heritage site, the small Roman Catholic chapel hosts an underground burial site which is constructed almost entirely by bones from over 40,000 skeletons. The construction of this sight was commissioned by the Schwarzenberg family in 1870, they had a woodcarver create the macabre inspired architecture. The most shocking reaction that I have experienced was awe when I first entered into the ossuary. It was both revolting and beautiful at first glance.…
I. Introduction: “To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time” (Wiesel, 1956, 3) explains why the living (especially survivor’s children) are responsible for keeping the stories of this time period alive. a. Purpose: to inform my audience about the Jewish Holocaust and its subsequent effects on survivor’s children and their psychological composition; to inform why these long lasting effects are relevant to human psychology and our world b. The complex and traumatic series of events during the Jewish Holocaust resulted in almost two thirds of the population being killed. c. Of those who survived, there were many pretenses surrounding the remainder of their lives and their children’s lives due to a newly adopted and pessimistic…
The time period, 1950s, plays an important role in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Religion plays a pivotal role in small towns. In this…
Tennyson wrote In Memoriam A.H.H. following the death of his close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. Devastated by the abrupt loss of life, he began to doubt many of his prior convictions and beliefs, using writing as a tool to attempt at making peace with this tragedy. It is a piece filled with Tennyson’s sadness and pain from the loss of his friend. Through the elegy, we are able to see the five stages of grief as defined by the Kubler-Ross model: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. In Memoriam A.H.H. takes us on a journey through Tennyson’s grieving process as a war between God and nature wages in the background.…