A Thousand Acres Literary Analysis

In the excerpt above, Krakauer cites Roman Dial, a professor at Alaska Pacific University and renowned backcountry adventurer, to further support that people should not judge and assume that McCandless was incapable. In fact, McCandless’s ability to live in the wild for months was actually an impressive achievement. Krakauer and Dial recognize that McCandless did make fatal mistakes, but critics fail to give McCandless enough credit for what he was able to accomplish.

In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by _________, the main character, Grant, is trying to console Jefferson. Jefferson has just been framed for a murder he did not commit, and many believe it is because he is black. Two drunk, white men went into a liquor store, already drunk, and attempted to shoot the owner who, in turn, shot back. In the end of the firefight, Jefferson was the only man standing. When at the trial to convince the jury Jefferson did not actually shoot the people, his attorney realizes his attempts at proving Jefferson’s innocence were futile, and says, “What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this” (8). He is asking the jury to spare the life of Jefferson, by implying that Jefferson is no more intelligent than a hog. The attorney is white, and is voicing the common belief among whites that all blacks are animals. Throughout the novel, Jefferson becomes haunted by the

Paper by Megan Gamble. ​J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye uses literary elements to create the alienated main character Holden Caulfield. When the novel begins Holden has just been expelled from his prestigious boarding school and is headed to New York City. Salinger used certain literary elements throughout the novel to develop his lead character in way that is understandable to the readers. Salinger uses literary elements such as setting, characters, and the theme of innocence to bring to life the alienation of Holden Caulfield.

The American Civil War is one of the most impactful course of events in American History due to the massive violence, inadequate medical care, and destruction of the southern landscape. The war, which last from 1861-1865, resulted in over 625,000 casualties on the battlefield and a large unknown number of civilian and slave deaths. Due to the horrifying conditions of battle and of grossly understaffed and unequipped field hospitals, many soldiers deserted their positions and attempted to return home; such is the story of a confederate soldier named Inman in the novel Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. The Civil War also massively impacted the nations African-American populations as slaves were now free, however,

“Hard times are about losing spirit, and hope, and what happens when dreams dry up.” (225) In the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, Billie Jo, a young girl living in the Oklahoma Panhandle, finds herself in a tough situation when she sees her mother, the “glue” of her family die, and her beloved farm fail. This situation causes Billie Jo to look for hope to help her get through this tough stage of her life. Similar to Billie Jo, during a person’s life, when he or she is in a hardship or in a tough time, usually, the only thing that gets them through is hope.

Larry Cook, father of Ginny, Rose, and Caroline as well as the main landowner of the thousand-acre farm, is the next character to be analyzed. He is introduced in the book as farmer that is looked up to by his community due to his success. He is the antagonist within the novel and slowly loses his sanity as the story progresses. This loss of sanity is due to Larry’s power and greed that take over him. It begins with his idea to retire and give his land evenly to Rose and Ginny, but after this massive life shift occurs he starts acting irrationally and lashes out at his previous caretakers. The foreshadowing of the major storm aligns perfectly with Larry’s final breaking point with Ginny, “His voice modulated into a scream, ‘Or tell me what I can do and what I can’t do. You barren whore! I know all about you, you slut.” (Smiley, pg. 452). After this, Rose talks to Ginny about their father raping them for years,

He began again to daze off staring at the fire and imagining the hairy man crouched down in the summer sun. The Call of the Wild written by Jack London is an adventure book that follows the life of a once tamed dog known as Buck to a dog that has retrogressed to a more primitive state during the Yukon Gold Rush. Buck who eventually answered the call of the wild had to go through many difficulties to get there.The theme power of the primitive is reinforced by the retrogression of a dog despite the love of mankind.

What is love? Is love the easy, effortless romance of a never-ending honeymoon? Or is it a constant struggle - a war between the extremes of irrevocable love and absolute loathing? Tim O'Brien's novel In the Lake of the Woods presents many types of relationships - whether familial, friendly, or romantic - in a perspective that allows the nature of love to be examined. Through the eyes of John Wade, the reader explores his relationships, particularly those with his father, his wife Kathy, and his fellow soldiers in Vietnam. Ultimately, the decision about the nature of love is left open for the reader to ponder; however, John Wade's story presents a strong case for the idea that love is a war rather than a peaceful getaway.

Lastly, in the final two verses of “Intellect”, Emerson encourages the act of spreading thoughts and wisdom. Using symbolism, Emerson asserts that when one “scatters broad his seed” of thought, it can impact others’ “souls” (3) (4). By comparing communication to agriculture and using the symbol of “souls”, Emerson correctly alludes to its fruitfulness and appropriately declares its significance in society and human relations. Such idea is manifested in Fahrenheit 451 by Mildred’s depression and the effect of books and Faber on Montag. For starters, Bradbury presents a potential result of lacking communication through Guys Montag’s wife, Mildred, who is presented as a character suffering from depression from her initial introduction. Her condition can be accounted to many factors but the most prominent of all is certainly her addiction to the parlor walls. When asked by Montag to turn “the parlour off”, she responds by stating that "That's my family" (Bradbury 23). Mildred is fixated on her relationships with fake

There are places where the government has supreme authority over citizens, but not much like the society in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a society with a totalitarian government set in the future where people are not allowed to have books. Making citizens think that they are happy with the best lifestyle is how the government obtains power over the populous. Books are illegal to keep and read in the society, so no one knows the useful knowledge they contain. The government conditions citizen’s lifestyles as well, making them feel like they are living the best they can. The government maintains power over the populous by threatening any citizen who tries to break the law. A dog-like machine known as the Mechanical

The House of Mirth is a novel that revolves around Lily Bart’s attempts to find a husband as a way to have a successful life. Through discussing Lily’s attempts to find a spouse, Wharton gives a glimpse to upper class society in the late 1800s and early 1900s. For the first passage, Selden ponders on Lily Bart. For the second passage, Lily confesses to Gerty her true intentions of marriage when Lily experienced distress about her current state and her past choices.

In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down upon by his community all because of his race and status. He is graced with the challenge of turning Jefferson into a man before his execution date. It is only a matter of time before they both realize that they cannot change the past and they have

In East of Eden, John Steinbeck explores human knowledge of good and evil, and the power of free will man holds. This book is about choices and understanding - the struggle to grasp and understand the fight between moral extremes, and the choice man has to pick and choose on what side of the spectrum he lies. East of Eden explores extremely differentiating types of people - some with a nature holy enough to mirror prophets, and some disturbed to their very core, only to be described as ‘monsters’. But every character, regardless of background, faces questions of morality, whether they are indulged in out of personal growth or interest, or thrusted upon them by unholy circumstances.

“Is there, then an evil that is innate, that is the little piece of monster in all of us.” (Cusatis). Every person has two sides, no one is completely good or completely evil. In the East of Eden, John Steinbeck uses a biblical metaphor to illustrate the innate good and evil that humans encounter. The novel includes several characters that are purely evil or do evil deeds. The Trask family is directly correlated to the Garden of Eden and other biblical narratives. “Steinbeck puts more into his stories than Genesis 4” (Fontenrose). Steinbeck illustrates the concepts of good and evil, family, and love to describe the frailties of the human experience.

Eveline's father is the second most important character in the story, yet Joyce chooses not to reveal his name. That is because he is only a father in a biological sense, falling short at every other fatherly duty. Mr.Hill is a failed provider who takes his offspring’s earnings only to hand it back, allowing him to feel like a “man of the house”. He is abusive and flaunts his dominance by “threaten[ing]” (Joyce 73) Eveline well into her adulthood. The threats seem unprovoked and random, indicating father's attempts to instill fear rather than curb or abolish an offending behavior. Compensating for his failures, the father uses aggression and control to get what he wants. “Her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her” (Joyce 75), the narrator draws our attention to the aging of the father and impending helplessness following it. Though Joyce does not clarify how the father will miss Eveline, judging by his past conducts, it is safe to assume that he would miss Eveline’s help around the house and money the most. Still, as she contemplates leaving, Eveline sees good in him and “tries to balance her father's increasing capacity for violence by remembering three random acts of kindness”(Trudell) that seemingly undue all the wrong he has done in the past. No matter