But the readers knows from both these words spoken above, and his childhood story, that his past was not one of positive nature. Maybe in a way this was a buildup of anger that Smith had just finally decided to let out, even on the innocent family of four. This is where the reader goes from being understanding of Smith, to almost feeling resentful and sorry for…
The Journey of Survival Through Life and Nature “ Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about.” This quote by Rollo May sums up the theme of this book perfectly. Throughout the story Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen Cole learns how to survive in life and in nature. Cole is a troubled teen who has had far too many run-ins with the law. Now Cole has the option of joining the circle of justice and being banished in hope for him to heal and straighten up his act or Cole can face a long prison sentence.…
When faced with extreme poverty and hunger, people adapt and develop new traits to survive. Whether it be drinking to escape reality or stealing food, destitute living conditions force kids to mature and develop unorthodox solutions to the struggles they face. In Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, young Frank does not understand the concept of death. It is not until his sister dies that he is exposed to it, and from then on death is an overlaying presence in his life.…
The character Bobby is an example to readers that no matter how great the loss was, you will get through it and move…
Acceptance is one of the main themes that contributed to the protagonist’s new understanding of change. Within the chapter ‘Life After Death’, Conor O’Malley finally reveals the truth and stops trying to manipulate and endure it. He then confesses to the monster that he has been denying himself about reality “I’ve known forever she wasn’t gonna make it… and I believed her. Except I didn’t”, as Conor clarifies that he needed to believe his mother that she would get healed, due to the fact that it is too painful to actually accept the truthfulness of the loss of his mother. As it shows that the composer illustrates Conor’s mother to represent his hope.…
Ah- so Harry was one of ‘those’ types of people. The fix it people, the self-proclaimed pseudoscientist who would mean the best by trying to talk things through, trying to get him to look at a Rorschach test and to tell him all his problems, then that would make everything magically better. Louis tried not to be so bitter but honestly there…
Death always comes full-circle. Everyone will die at some point, and that moment is not predestined. Life is never guaranteed, and it could be taken from a person abruptly. Surprisingly, almost no one lives in constant fear of death, even though it’s presence is always lurking. The effects of death on people are obvious, and can be seen in their emotions.…
Everybody goes through at least one traumatic experience in their lifetime. Katherine Philips, the writer of “On the Death of My First and Dearest Child, Hector Philips”, and Frances Burney, the writer of “Mastectomy” are no exceptions. One way to deal with the grief that comes along with such traumatic experiences is to write about it. Philips deals with the grief of losing her son through writing a poem. Burney also deals with her grief, but by writing about her mastectomy in the form of a short story.…
Isabel and Tom have two miscarriages and a stillborn baby. These situations are hard for everyone to cope with, and some never heal from these situations. These situations are devastating for one but good for another. It takes time and strength to heal, and after years of loss and grief some characters find happiness in end and within themselves. Hannah Roennfeldt…
Catherine wants to come out of her famous father’s shadow, but does not attempt to because she is too afraid to fail. Due to this fear being subconscious and internal, Catherine blames her missed opportunities of success on those around her. Catherine is not aware that her lack of success is due to her fear of failure, so she blames her father and sister. This fear is also influenced externally,by societal…
Grieving is an important part in life. Without grieving one can never move on from what they are grieving about. In the short story Catch the Moon by Judith Ortiz Cofer, it follows the life of Luis Cintron and his process through grief from the loss of his mother. On the other hand, a review, A Review of “On Grief and Grieving? Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss” by Lori A. Bolden goes into depth about the stages of grief and how grief impacts a persons everyday life.…
In Paul Kalanithi’s memoir When Breath Becomes Air, he teaches the reader that although time is limited and death is inevitable, life can still be meaningful and have a purpose, even if it is as simple as helping an individual find the strength to overcome whatever hardships they may be forced to face. The beginning of the book starts off with Paul reflecting on what death is and what it means. In one event at the beginning of his book, years before being diagnosed with lung cancer, he was working as doctor and helping a pregnant woman who was having distress with her unborn twins. The twins ended up being born prematurely and since there was a lack of development in their organs, neither newborn survived longer than twenty-four hours.…
The Locale of a Grieving Mind “Men are all condemned to die with various reprieves” (16). In most novels, the setting serves as an environment that influences the plot of the novel. However, in Victor Hugo’s, The Last Day of a Condemned Man, the setting of the novel is a means of symbolically representing an abstract idea. Hugo utilizes the setting of the novel as an extended metaphor to represent the man’s condemned mind through the stages of grief.…
Of Mice and Men is a novel about two men; Lennie and George. They are traveling partners and they look out for each other. Lennie and George have a dream about getting a farm and “living off the fat of the land.” Lennie is especially ecstatic about tending the rabbits on their dream-farm and George constantly tells Lennie about the story of how they’ll live together and have a good life. Unfortunately, Lennie and George’s dream dissipates when Lennie’s strength gets the best of him…
Everybody in the human race always asks the question at some point, why do bad things happen to good people? Bad things in life occur to remind us that we are human. Everybody in their lives will experience loss one way or another. Loss isn’t a good thing but it makes us take pride in the value of a single life. One day it will all come to an end, that is the primitive law of life.…