Margaret Laurence

misconception of humans is that we are born good or evil. However, a much more significant factor other than genes is nurture. Who molded you into who you are today? Was it your parents and your friends? In the short story “The Half-Husky”, by Margaret Laurence Vanessa is raised in a very caring environment and she turned out to be a very caring human being, while Harvey was raised by an aunt who did not even want him, this resulted in him becoming a “bad egg”. In the novels of the “Grisha…

The Fire-dwellers, a novel by Margaret Laurence demonstrates Susan Maushart’s theory of the Mask of Motherhood, through the portrayal of the main character Stacey MacAindra. Stacey is the mother of four children, age of thirty-nine and has been married to Mac (Clifford) MacAindra for sixteen years, from the outside world everything seems fine in her life but at a closer look one can see the daily internal and external struggles Stacey goes through. The Mask of Motherhood is a theory that…

The Love, Hate, and Remorse of Ambition Ambition is the desire to achieve or do something with the intent of creating an end result of pride and accomplishment. In the time we come across the ability in achieving a sense of pride, we go about using our own individual thoughts and ideas in specific ways to enact goals we have established for ourselves. Almost always, these ideas and thoughts that we’ve produced can push our sense of ambition, directing us on one of two paths. Either an…

In the short story “The Half-Husky” by Margaret Laurence, Harvey is treated unfairly by his aunt which makes him want to do the same things to Nanuk. Segun Akinsanya’s family was not their to support him and that's why he followed the path his friends took. At first glance, my aunt’s friend and Segun…

Twenties. The years leading up to the Depression was filled with hedonism with no oversight, so its arrival led to national disenchantment, causing everyone to escape the whirlwind of the past decade and plunged themselves into a new era of hardship. Margaret Laurence’s “Horses of the Night” shows the mental deterioration of a boy who wrapped himself in self-made lies to make his despondent past better than it seemed. An individual will create an impossible dream in the midst of societal…

British Broadcasting Corp. in London in 1956. Since the 1950's, Nigeria has witnessed "the flourishing of a new literature which has drawn sustenance from both traditional oral literature and from the present and rapidly changing society," writes Margaret Laurence in her book Long Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists.…

reported that: Laurence Jennings Appears to have got into a turbulent disposition. Rejecting the advice of his friends and reporting things that appears to be false, part of which he saith he hath heard but Conceals his Author, and also Neglects to Attend our Meetings. Apparently Lawrence could show some temper, not a desirable trait for a Quaker and was also not adverse to gossip, another frowned upon activity. After more months than usual to deal with such matters the ‘Committee in the…

Going back to the Elementary and Middle School days, we remember continuously glaring at the black and white analog clock, hoping those last 15 minutes would flash in a blink of an eye. Having to do the same routine five days a week, and ten months a year, eventually starts to get old and children start getting bored of constantly having the same schedule. In John Taylor Gatto’s “Against School”, he talks about the weakness of public schooling and how it can be detrimental to a students…

Margaret Laurence’s novel, The Fire-Dwellers, evidently illustrates Susan Maushart’s theory, the Mask of Motherhood, through the protagonist, Stacey MacAindra struggles to cope and maintain a balance between her internal and external self, the pressure to be a “good” mother, and her consistent self-blame. In her theory, Maushart discusses how the mask of motherhood oppresses women and their ability to freely talk about how they really feel. Furthermore, she talks about the side-effects that may…

these are two contradicting statements. The question of whether or not mankind is inherently good or evil has been debated for centuries. Are we truly virtuous? Or does the wicked nature overtake us? Harvey, from the story “The Half-Husky” by Margaret Laurence, demonstrates how living in a poor environment affects how you are mentally and physically. “The Giver” by Lois Lowry shows a utopian world where both morality exists and iniquity lurks as well. Furthermore, the two perspectives shown in…