“This is where I Leave You” The movie “This is where I Leave You” is based on a dysfunctional family who is faced with the death of their father, family and infidelity. The movie unravels in episodic fashion over seven days of shiva, capturing the odd assortment of neighbors, distant relatives and friends of the family who come to the home to revel in the life of the late Mr. Altman. Mom agrees to uphold her husband wishes to have all of the children under the same roof for seven days. Family…
In Ghosts the Father reminisces about his daughter’s new life in America and the grandson he will never know. He does not want to live in America with her, because “I will be forced to live a life cushioned by so much convenience that it is sterile” (67) It is a life “littered with what we call opportunities”. This sense of “sterility” is reinforced by a sense of loss — of traditional customs, culture and lifestyles. That life lacks passion, vibrancy and intensity is often highlighted in…
Justin Evans’ A Good and Happy Child and Stephen King’s The Shining both use the theme of uncertainty to say that things aren’t always what they seem. They show this by using a scene with a baseball bat, generations of people, and by having characters see something that isn’t there. Evans’ and King’s works both portray the theme of uncertainty, that says things aren’t always what they seem, by using a scene with a baseball bat. For example, A Good and Happy Child goes back and forth between the…
Literary Analysis Collection 1 Characters, conflict, setting, and theme are examples of literary elements. In the stories of “The Trip,” “The Leap,” and “Contents of a Dead Mans Pocket.” The authors use these literary elements in a similar and different ways. Characters are any person, animal, or figure represented in any literary work. Conflict is when two forces oppose one another in a literary work. Then there is setting which is the time or place in which a story occurs in a story. Theme is…
In a compare and contrast essay you are looking at the details between several things and comparing. In Contents of the Deadman’s Pockets, The Trip, and The Leap there are similar details in the characters, conflicts, and settings that make them comparable. Along with those details there are also many more that make them different from each other. The character, conflict, and settings in the stories have that have different effects on the way the story goes. Every story is different, but you…
“The world is made up of two classes- the hunters and the hunted.” This famous quote can be found in Richard Connell’s short story The Most Dangerous Game. This quote is also mentioned in the film version of this short story. This is one of the similarities between these two versions. However, there are also differences between the two, including characters besides the two main, Robert Rainsford, and General Zaroff, plot events, setting, and resolution. The most differences are in the…
Anahis Figueroa Both My Home and My Happy Place It was a bright, sunny day in Chicago. The temperature was perfect. It wasn’t too hot but hot enough that it wasn’t overwhelming. I turned my attention to Lake Michigan. I looked at the water glistening and the waves moving forward in unison. And that's when I noticed that I was blanking out. As I continued drowning in my own thoughts, I stopped when I heard my sister’s voice say, “Come on we’re leaving.” As she was dragging me along I notice my…
In stories of self-actualization there is most often an incident that is written off as unimportant, and in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” this trend continues. Janie’s relationship with Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods is generally regarded as the point where Janie discovers who she is as an individual, while her relationship with Joe Starks (Jody) is often overlooked. What seems to be overlooked is the fact that because of her relationship with Jody, Janie discovers what she…
Often times, authors include themes in their works in which they convey their opinions on certain topics. John Steinbeck, author Of Mice and Men, and John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace, include a number of themes in their written works. The realistic fiction novels give the reader similar portrayals of the same theme. In both, A Separate Peace and Of Mice and Men, the theme of friendship is similarly portrayed. Knowles has illustrated the tensions that can arise in a friendship, because…
Armstrong, Nancy. How Novels Think: the Limits of Individualism from 1719-1900. Columbia University Press, 2006 This book discusses the thematic structure of how an individual is created within a novel. In this work, the critic is making the argument that, historically, novels and individuals are one in the same. According to Armstrong, the character must first find a frustration with their position in the social order, and then work to change it. How Novels Think also reveals how the new…