Short Cuts

the reader realize that surviving is human nature. And the actions needed for survival can be anywhere and at any time. By using ‘the lottery’ to choose a human sacrifice, Jackson is able to directly convey a theme of survival. Each character in her short story has a different tactic in the way they survive to show that survival is more than avoiding immediate death, it is in our everyday decisions. A quote from the book Starship Troopers says it best, “The instinct to survive is human nature…

In her poem “Daddy,” Sylvia Plath illustrates the struggle between a victimized daughter and a towering, menacing father. Written at the end of her life, this work of art shines out among Plath’s other poems while still relating to her previous works. Throughout her life, Plath experienced many life changing events, taking what she learned from them and amplifying the knowledge by writing it down into a beautiful piece of art. The resulting poems and novels reflects the deep wounds embedded…

that led to loss of hope but the protagonists dealt with this loss in different means. Finally, the characters wanted to live a respectful life but due to the harsh reality, could not fulfill it. The theme of change in identity was present in both short stories but was different in how the protagonists approached their identity and grew throughout their journey. In ‘The Lamp at Noon’, Ellen suffered…

In this novella, John Steinbeck used four short stories to portray how a naïve young boy transformed into a man through his encounters with different unfortunate events. These harsh truths brought young Jody out of his fantasy perfect world and showed him the tough reality of life. Through these various events, he has learnt what disappointment is, what death and life is and how life does not always go his way. He also learnt that despite all these negative aspects of life, these were exactly…

during the dull moments of combat. The other men have it easy, while they spend time reading and writing letters. I never learned how to write even the smallest words, and reading might as well be sorcery to me. The little time we had to relax was cut short as one of the spotters yelled in the distance, “RED…

Hillbilly Elegy, a book written by J. D. Vance, is one of the more recent New York Times bestsellers. The book itself is essentially a memoir of Vance’s (the author’s) life growing up In the Appalachian region of the United Sates. Though it is possible to provide a thorough summary on what this set of memoirs is, it will probably be made easier after it is explained what they aren’t. Despite what the title of the New York Times’ and other sources with the likes of the same title “Review: In…

The Moon’s Curse By - Lexia Hennings There once was a girl named Miyu, she lived in a quaint village directly in the middle of the forest. The village was Known as Ferncrest. It is called this because large ferns formed wall looking structures all around the small village. The village of Ferncrest was magical and was filled to the brim with many wonders. Miyu turned out to be a fairy which was rare. Most of the villagers were Elves or Goblins. To be more specific, the people that founded the…

in mainland China in a little town called Shangshe. He came to the states when he was 6 years old and spent his life looking for where he could fit in. His English was still broken after all these years while his personality helped make up for any short comings he faced in life. Chang turned to his 8 year old daughter who was playing behind the counter where he could keep an eye on her. “Hide now!” She understood from the tone in her father’s voice that he wanted her to hide under the counter. …

Click. Select. “Ava Grossmann” Type: click, click, click, click, click. “Clocked in at 3:27 pm” I Looked up. “Hi, Ava!” “Hey!” “What are you eating?” “A caramel roll, I made them last night”. “I’m surprised you made it to work, since I guess you had to leave the kitchen and the bedroom to make it here.” Stop. Look up. I asked, “how is that funny?” He replied, “Well, Ava you should know…” Stop. Snarky replies flashed across my mind. No. Smile. Turn-around. Walk-away. My…

In addition to how much Emily’s father had structured her life and held her back, there is the issue of Emily’s love life to consider. Her father never allowed her to have a man, for he was the only man he felt she needed in her life. This idea was so prominent that even the townspeople knew that Emily’s father was the reason Emily ended up unmarried and alone: “We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which…