Surrounding environments influence an individual’s course of action whether it is beneficial or harmful. In the short story, “Horses of the Night” by Margaret Laurence, the character of Vanessa grows to notice that some people do not change after all. She notices that what changes is the growth in awareness and self-realization. Therefore, it can be said that an individual who tries to escape reality get caught and as a result, they create their own world that only results in a temporary happiness. At the beginning of the story, Vanessa is a naïve and oblivious child.…
Forensics scientist finds Cervantes tomb in Madrid 400 years after his death. The author was buried in 1616 in the Convent of Trinitarians, located in “Barrio de Las Letras” in Madrid; but his remains were moved on to a near new construction after a rebuilt in the 17th Century. Since then, nobody knew exactly the place where the burial was sitting. “It was a difficult and laborious investigation work”, said Dr. Garcia, member of the forensics team.…
Thomas King’s “A Coyote Columbus Story” is about retelling the truth of Columbus’s history, which reminds me the question on the fairy tale my little sister asked me. Last summer, my uncle and his family came to my house for a family party, and I met my cousin. While playing with my cousin, she asked me a question “Do you know how the mother in the fairy tale name ”Coconut shell” got pregnant?” I answered “Because she drink the water from the coconut shell”.…
While referencing the terror inflicted on the people of the Dominican Republic under the reign of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the author Robert Crassweiler once said: The extent to which violence, both open and covert, is a constant factor in the life of the region may cause surprise. The incongruous and rather unreal quality of many events, whether fanciful or farcical in appearance, may also prove unexpected. Understanding the Dominican Republic’s cultural atmosphere without discussing the lasting effects of the notoriously violent Trujillato is impossible. In The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, our main characters continue to be influenced by the tumultuous Trujillo regime more than twenty years after its fall.…
The boy represents the millions of migrant farm workers living in the U.S. He argues that they face social and economic injustice because of their ethnicity. Rivera shows the significance of religion in the Mexican culture and how it was a form of strength for his family. He also argues that religion can have a negative influence because people only turn to God in times of need. The boy’s family often blamed all their hardships on God and argued that they must endure all the pain God send him.…
Often referred to a "found" poem, William Carlos Williams's piece, “This Is Just To Say,” is said to be an apologetic note left for a loved one. Williams tries to disguise the incident within the poem as something minuscule and nonchalant but deeper analysis reveals this poem is an apology for a graver adulterous crime rather than just eating some plums. It’s title and overall structure sets the initial aura of nonchalance and casualness. Although simple, the diction allows the reader to recognize an intimate connection between speaker and reader as well as setting a sensual tone as he describes the plums. Further, biblical allusions connect the plums to the forbidden fruit making them a symbol for adultery.…
“Mericans” written by Sandra Cisneros is a story about a group of children primarily a girl, who are stuck between a transitional period of their lives due to their changing environment. The short story demonstrates culturistic differences by both location and background. The title of the short story is a perfect example of detailing how the children felt while waiting outside the church. They felt ostracized due to their background and grandmother. The children 's grandmother gave them one order which was to stay outside the church and wait, however the outside world gave them another.…
Maryse Condé’s revisionist novel I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, aims to expose the bigoted society of Salem and wrote this story based on a “witch’s” testimony by a woman with the name “Tituba”. The records of the actual Salem Witch Trials have little information about the historical Tituba, showing how unimportant the officials of Salem considered her. Conde’s character, however, was not highly regarded, essentially being a nonperson to the white settlers of Salem. Her skin color, religious beliefs and practices, all terrified the Puritans and they consequently blamed her for all their problems. Maryse Condé, in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, utilizes religious imagery and the changing views of Tituba, in her descriptions of Salem and…
Both “The Devil and Daniel Webster” by Stephen Benét and “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving are classic short stories which provide commentary on spirituality, religion, traditions, and more. They provide insight into the way people from the respective eras of their publications viewed issues such as the devil and redemption. Despite these similarities, some key differences exist between “The Devil and Tom Walker” and “The Devil and Daniel Webster.” These differences chiefly lie in the way they depict the devil, portray religion and saving grace, and resolve the conflict of the story.…
On February 29, 1960, Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez was born in El Paso Texas. Twenty-five years later, Ricardo, now known as Richard, became “The Night Stalker”: enemy number one of the city of Los Angeles. Ramirez moved to Los Angeles when he was eighteen years old and slowly began his reign of terror over the city. His crimes evolved from burglaries to the extremely violent rapes and murders of dozens of women. Ramirez was not born with the skills and drives to commit these acts.…
This idea coincides with the concept of representing the unwanted change in the South. Arnett exclaims, “Faulkner accomplishes this in Sanctuary by pairing up the robotic Popeye against the more traditional Southern gentleman, Horace Benbow” (Arnett 1). As the reader can see, Popeye’s robotic features is contrastingly different from that of a Southern Gentleman. At this point in time, anything that is not comparable to that of the norm, a “Southern Gentleman”, is not accepted within the Southern society. Arnett’s critical review does an exceptional job of symbolizing Popeye as unwanted change into the South.…
With a conflict of trying to overcome racism, a nation has the capability of helping an individual triumph from a deficit. Throughout Indian Horse Richard Wagamese invites us on how Saul manages discrimination. Saul deals with many challenges, however, from help of the Aboriginal community Saul gains success. While surrounding himself with Aboriginals who have faced the same experiences, Saul relies on bonding with people of his own culture to grow as a man. Saul’s forced isolation from the First Nation creates many personal conflicts and impacts his character.…
In reading the novel, you will become immersed in this rich cultural piece of literature. Julia Alvarez is a person who has seen the depths of disparity,…
The element “Water” plays a prevalent role in all African American Literature, whether that role be in the form of tears or a huge body of water that slaves had to go across. Although water is often viewed as the chance for opportunity and a chance for better life, in some instances it is the exact opposite. In some cases water is often interpreted through painful emotion or described as a gruesome stand point in one’s mind. This controversial element is presented to us in Andrea Levy’s “Small Island”, in which the character Gilbert describes himself being pulled from “drowning in the sea”. In this paper I will examine how Andre Levy wants us to not only think about the general use of water in many text about the diaspora, but to also think about what a mental toll water takes on us.…
Man of La Mancha and Don Quixote The film Man of La Mancha is a movie that is based on both Don Quixote and its canonical collection, making it a more loosely canon piece within the canon. The film, which was released in 1972, is originally based off the 1964 musical of the same name. The musical itself is also based upon a 1959 teleplay, making the movie actually a canon piece based on a canon piece based on another canon piece based upon the original material. If that isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is.…