Analysis Of Norman Macford's A River Runs Through It

Using scientific prose, Barry reveals his deep interest in the unusual physical properties of the river. Its natural characteristics are what sets it apart; the Mississippi does not conform to standards set by other rivers. Instead, it exceeds most major rivers in variation, depth, and volume. In fact, the Mississippi is so outstanding that “theories and techniques that apply to other rivers … simply do not work on the lower Mississippi” (Barry 25-28). Looking beyond its external features, the river also contains an intricate internal system unlike any other. In addition to the complicated internal circumstances that normally occur within rivers, the Mississippi also stands out because of its “size, its sediment load, its depth, variations in its bottom” and “its ability to cave in the riverbank and slide sideways for miles” (Barry 20-23). As he describes the unusual corporeal aspects of the Mississippi, Barry brings to light his own wonder in the face of such a daunting natural force. Characterizing the river with its physical properties allows

When the Canal was built towns all along the route from Buffalo to Albany prospered from the revenue and the attraction the Canal brought with it. Whether the Canal was being used for business people, immigrants, settlers of the region, or tourists, the border-towns all had some appeal to these persons. After some time the state was continually asked to expand the Canal from the original route to include connecting canal routes. However, the same towns along the route from Buffalo to Albany had already been established along the lines of the original canal. These towns would need to be relocated in order to obey these new requests. This presented a major problem because the people in these towns had formed a life around the Canal and many of them made their income based of the Canal. The inhabitants of the towns changed their mentality from not wanting the Canal to invade on their lives, to it being an essential part of their lives they depended upon.

This is a book about a young woman named Sundara who is from Cambodia. Chamroeun is a guy who Sundaras parents want her to marry because it is custom in Cambodia that the parents pick who their children will marry. Sundara falls in love with Chamroeun but that has to end because he goes off to fight in the war. It is about how she lived with a group of people (tribe) and one day Khmer Rouge came and tried to take over their village, Phnom Penh. Sundara, her family and the rest of Phnom Penh ran to a boat and they sailed away, planning to go to America. Back then people from different countries were lead to believe that America was a perfect place and you could be or do anything you desired, well that obviously isn't the

When the Macleans, especially Norman speaks of the river they are also referring to life, their lives, and themselves. When Norman couldn't

For Maclean, the river was always highly personal he even refers to it as “my family's river” multiple times demonstrating the profound effect it had on his upbringing. The deepest familial moments such as Norman offering Paul help, discussing life plans, or Norman finding common ground with his father, all occur while fishing on the Blackfoot or in transit to it.

Have you ever needed easier access to the essential items to stay alive? This is specifically what the residents of the North-East thought around the year 1817. Carol Sheriff argues in her book, “The Artificial River” that the residents of the canal corridor actively sought after long-distance trade and therefore consumer goods that markets brought to their homes. The fact that people supported the Erie Canal at all "suggests that at least some aspired to engage in broader market exchange" (p. 11). The transformation of this region because of the Erie Canal is organized around six topics, each of which is covered by a chapter. They include the; Visions of Progress, the Triumph of Art over Nature, Reducing Distance and Time, the Politics of Land and Water, the Politics of Business, and the Perils of Progress.

A River Runs Through It is about two brothers, Norman and Paul, who grow up in Montana with religious, and somewhat strict, parents. The Big Blackfoot River runs beside their town of – and becomes the focal point as the story progresses. The brothers grow up fly fishing on the Big Blackfoot river with their father and their love for fishing continues into their adulthood. The Big Blackfoot River has significance throughout the movie because it impacts the brother’s relationship with their father, each other, and Paul’s decision to stay in Montana.

“Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation” By Dan Fagin explores the economics, scientific, political, and personal tragedy of how a chemical giant known as Ciba-Geigy and entrepreneurs failed to properly dispose the industrial waste which eventually contaminated the ground water of a coastal town. The book delves deeply into the history of the dye industry and the lesson learned from the environmental disaster. Fagin takes on complex issues to address the history of industrial processes in both Europe and the United States. He then explores further about the long struggle that parents and public officials took in Toms River, N.J., to scientifically identify the cancer cluster in children and then to determine the best way to handle the discovery.

In the Lake of the Woods is a fictional mystery written by Tim O'Brien. Through the book we learn that our lovers, husbands, and wives have qualities beyond what our eyes can see. John Wade and Kathy are in a marriage so obscure that their secrets lead to an emotional downfall. After John Wade loss in his Senatorial Campaign, his feeling towards Kathy take on a whole different outlook. His compulsive and obsessive behavior causes Kathy to distance herself from him. His war experience and emotional trauma are a major cause for his strange behavior. We remain pondering about Kathy's mysterious disappearance, which becomes fatal for her. Possible scenarios are presented in eight

“Wade in the Water” is an excerpt from Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. His masterpiece Revelations was created in1960 and it reflects his experience and memories of growing up in Texas. “Wade in the Water” is a dance within Revelations that shows us a traditional baptism ceremony that takes place in a river. Alvin Ailey’s “Wade in the Water” shows us the hope that blacks had of someday being free. The baptism signifies the faith and hope of blacks being free from slavery and beginning a new life with freedom. For example, in (1:23-1:40) we see three male dancers with what look like tree branches “cleansing” the air from evil spirits before the baptism takes place. In (1:16-1:23) we see seven dancer taking two steps forward and two steps back with their hands together, like they were praying, and two other dancers with their hands up, as if they were asking god for help.

This fact is very important to understanding the story itself; as while the text is based firmly in the experiences of Norman Maclean, he made it clear even within the story that River is the result of Maclean looking back on his own life, and using his own experience as a literary critic to poeticize the real events that happened between him and his brother. As such, it should be taken as a distillation of the essence of its subject, not as an accurate retelling. At the end of the story, there is the following exchange between Norman and his father, the Reverend Maclean: “’You like to tell true stories, don’t you?’ he asked, and I answered “Yes, I like to tell stories that are true.’ Then he asked, ‘After you have finished your true stories sometime, why don’t you make up a story and the people to go with it? Only then will you understand what happened and why.’”

Imagery, detail, and symbolism play a crucial role in this work. Imagery has the function of painting a picture of the situation in the reader’s mind so that he or she is able to develop a version of the story individually. It makes the reading a more personalized experience that helps the reader to understand what’s going on. When O’Brien was just about to escape to Canada to avoid being drafted, he described the scene that was presented in front of him. “The shoreline was dense with brush and timber. I could see tiny red berries on the bushes.” In this quote, the reader can visualize the setting of the lake where he has to make his life-changing decision. It appeals to the visual sense by describing the shoreline and even the sense of

Religion and tradition are two ways that families come together. However in Norman Maclean’s novella, A River Runs Through It, the Maclean family’s devotion to their Presbyterian religion and their tradition of fly-fishing is what undeniably brought the family together. Under the father’s strict Presbyterian values, his sons, Norman and Paul used fly-fishing as the link that brought them closer together and helped them bond with their father on a different level. The family’s hobby of fly-fishing was started just for fun. It was a sport that was taken up every Sunday after church to take their minds off of the worries in life. After a while, going fly-fishing every Sunday turned into a tradition and soon a

Through our exploration within class, Andrew Bovell’s adaption of The Secret River has shown us its righteous place as a remarkable Australian play. The various themes throughout the novel highlight issues revolving around ownership and dispossession as well as reiterating how important reconciliation amongst white and indigenous Australians is. Bovell’s adaption is captivating, poignant and opens the door for a conversation of our nation’s history that has been silenced on many occasions.

Alistair Macleod, a Canadian author, enjoys writing about the Canadian culture in Nova Scotia. He is the author of the novel No Great Mischief and many short stories including The Boat. Both creations of his have a common subject: Culture in Nova Scotia. It is also noted that “Macleod’s short stories are pervasively somber in that they depict a culture that is an gradual loss or erosion of value” (Riegal 133) In his short story, The Boat, the reader senses this mourning of the decline of this culture that comes with the newer generations. The message received in this short story is to never let anyone stop you from doing something you love and the importance of doing what you want to do. This message is important because it allows the reader to realize that if they are not happy they might not have enough time to do anything about it. Through out the story, the reader senses the struggle the narrator has which is to pick between the traditional life of a fisherman and the new life of education. After he was a fisherman along side his father’s he then followed his father’s dream of having an education and became a professor. However, the short story’s narration is nostalgic as if regretting his final decision. The narrator’s lack of connection with a loved one, a loss of culture and his reminiscing of his past experiences with the sea demonstrate this nostalgia.