Life can change in an instant. It is impossible to know what the future has in store. In Axis by Alice Munro and Anything Helps by Jess Walter, the two main characters, Grace and Bit, are faced with crisis after there lives begin to change. In both stories judgment from society boxes in the main characters, the loss of friends and family support contributes to the characters’ miseries, and the characters are not able to cope as outcasts. Judgment from society is a major contributor in mental stabilization. It is easy to listen to other’s opinions if you are not mentally strong. In Axis, Grace lets judgment from her boyfriend get to her. She is strong about remaining a virgin with her boyfriend, Royce, until he has dinner with her family: “In the lane he tried putting his arm around Grace, but the embrace was awkward, …show more content…
This leave Grace in a bad situation because she ends up ruining her life based on a decision triggered by society’s pressures. In Anything Helps, the protagonist, Bit, is met by boys in the baseball caps who roll down their windows just to yell and violently throw spare change at him at an intersection. “Get a job, you stinking drunk” (Walter 295). They immediately assume that because he is homeless that he also is a drunk. This is a prime example of how judgment from society boxes in Bit. They have no background of his story and automatically assume that he is lazy and has never tried to get a job. This attitude most likely originated from the boys’ parents. They show no regard for Bit’s well-being or feelings. The immediately dehumanize him. Later, a wealthier man in a Mercedes drives by and decides to play a game with Bit. He asks him a series of personal questions. It seems as though the man is being friendly with the homeless man, but we quickly realize that he is messing with Bit. He offers Bit twenty
Life-changing events happen to everybody, some people manage to handle these changes well, while others struggle. The “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and “The Tequila Worm” by Viola Canales, prove this by telling us their stories and experiences on how they handle life-changing events. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut handles his life-changing event by making something of it and making people see his side. In a future world, everybody is the same, people believe that all should be the same, so they give them handicaps if they are not. Harrison has enough of this, but he gets shot while he decides to go on stage to record a broadcast of him taking off all of his handicap equipment to show people to express differences.
Jane Godwin's book, 'Falling from Grace', explores the extent that each of the main characters grow in maturity. Maturity is not determined by age, but by the experiences that a person has which effects how far someone grows. We observe the main characters; Annie, Kip, Grace and Ted in their growth in maturity and how people still stay the same even into adulthood. As the characters mature, they can also see others in the different way, thinking the other has changed, but in reality, the change is within themselves. These are fundamental aspects of 'Falling from Grace'.
What would life be like if people didn't undergo change? Many opportunities happen in life because of adjustments people make for themselves. In the short stories "Mirror Image" by Lena Coakley and "Saturday Climbing" by W.D. Valgardson the protagonists Alice and Barry both have struggles with the major changes happening in their life. Throughout their stories, they become less pessimistic, they adress their problems and they gain a newfound confidence and trust in others. Change can be extremely difficult, but its a necessary step towards a positive life.
According to Marian Erickson, “Most of life is choices, and the rest is pure dumb luck.” Real people’s lives depend on this quote everyday, which leads to the outcome of each problem individuals face. In the passages, characterization of the main personas helps one understand the theme. Conflict and symbolism also help lead to the overall idea that life is not always guaranteed to be full of success. The book The Other Wes Moore, the poem “If,” and the informational text “The Art of Resilience” all share a common theme of how choices and luck contribute to the success of life.
Our Life is a matter of choices. Live well and have faith and it will never go wrong. Our lives can be full of crazy ups and downs that shape our views on how life should be lived. With a similar ideology, author Flannery O’Connor’s depicts her own life struggles using different aspects and details throughout her novels and short stories. O’Connor lived by the basis that life must go on no matter the hardships. In her novels she represented various characters who made wrong choices and due to those choices suffered extreme negative consequences. Despite her struggles, O’Connor made the choice to continue on in her life yet many of her novels contradicted that same idea by having characters in her novels and short stories suffer consequences for making the wrong choices. Because the
Debra Brett is a 36 year old single mother housed in rented social housing on a south London high-rise housing estate. She is dependent on council contractors for repairs, with four children the flat is overcrowded,she feels invisible and hopeless.Debra Brett’s low income from benefits effect her education chances by her not being able to afford childcare, and are also effecting her older daughter’s education who is supplementing the family income by working part time while also at college.This will dictate the type of jobs possible for Debra and her family and prospective income of the family. The family relationship and future is dictated by their current “life chances”. The Confino family live geographically quite close but have very different “life Chances”, a large house which they own, both parents are in well paid professional work. Extra activities, classes, computers and educational resources also support the children learning, they have space to study. The Confino’s have choice in education, they have enough money and transport to travel to schools out of area and of their choice. The family enjoys a busy social life with theatre trips, holidays and meals out. They look forward to a good life which they can to afford to plan for in the
The Changeable nature of life affects us all somehow. Whether it be moving to a new city, having children, or losing people that we love, it can affect people in many different ways. For example, in the novel, the main character
Many people face trials and tribulations day to day that mold them into the individuals they are destined to be. These could be positive or negative trials and tribulations, but either way, experiences ultimately are the major key to people’s growth and perception of the world around them. These experiences may be brought on by external factors such as who people surround themselves with (i.e. friends and relationships), neighborhoods and what is considered the “norm” for said neighborhood (i.e. gun violence, gang involvements, drugs, etc.), influences from parents or other caregivers and the amount of time they devote to the growing child. Many people are granted the same opportunity as others, but they let these extrinsic factors sway them from their destinations and wind up in situations based on how they handled previous situations. This idea is true in the novel The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates written by Wes Moore. In this novel, Wes Moore gives the detailing truth about how people are affected negatively by their decisions everyday, but also how positive influences such as role models and caring families have a positive effect on the development and destination of a child. The paths that both the Wes Moores took in life could have easily converged and been taken on by the other. No matter one’s predetermined outcome in life, his or her life can still be drastically shifted due to external influences and resources, much
Throughout a person’s life, mistakes are made followed by lessons that can enhance the values of a person and change their view towards life allowing them to be grateful for what they have. With literature and excerpts of stories, we can learn off of the mistakes or successes the characters make and take the morals and decisions of the characters into our own life. In the short story of “Abuela Invents the Zero” by Judith Cofer Ortiz and John Boyne’s novel of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, both Constancia and Gretel know that loving someone close to you is quite hard no matter what their background is and what might happen to them in the future. After making mistakes and spending some time with these people, the girls began to realize that they
Poverty introduces a massive issue around the world for millions of people. Jess Walter and Razia Sultana Kahn hit on this problem strongly from two different cultures in their stories. In Anything Helps and Alms both characters find themselves impoverish, without families, and struggling to survive by manipulating other to benefit their situation.
How do we lose our childish way of seeing the world? How can we suddenly they see the world as it is, in all its evil? ‘The Flowers’ is a story about a young girl who goes through an experience that forces her into changing her way of seeing life, and it presents themes like growing up and loss of innocence.
All people experience changes in their life. Some of these changes are small such as the passing from one grade to another in school. Other changes are more intense, such as the transition from childhood to adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates? ?Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?? Oates goes into depth regarding the transition from being a carefree, innocent child to adulthood. In the short story ?Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?? two separate worlds are drawn to the reader?s attention. The first is the normal daily life of Connie, a fifteen year old girl living in a home with her parents. Connie?s daily life is simple
People change and grow through their experiences and conflicts. For example, just 2 years ago I was a sixth grader. There was a lot more homework than I ever had in my non-accelerated / magnet elementary school. I had to work harder and for longer hours, but as a result, I was much more mature and knowledgeable. I improved my work habits and increased my concentration. In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “First Love”, a 14 year old girl is in love with a high school senior. She does everything she can to try to see him more often. At the end, she thinks she learns the true meaning of love. In Richard Wright’s “The Street”, a boy has to go shopping for food, but he is constantly stopped by a gang who beats him up. At the end, he beats up the gang with a stick his mother gave him because he had to to return home. In both “The Street” by Richard Wright and “First Love” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the characters start out as shy and naive, but end up as aware and wiser as a result of their respective conflicts.
Additionally, the Marxist idea of “new conditions or oppression, new forms of struggle in place of old ones” is explore through Churchill’s text and literary techniques are used to support this idea. A non-linear structure emphasises the inevitability of Angie’s fate generating irony and pathos for her, “she thinks you’re wonderful/she’s not going to make it”, Churchill is suggesting that anyone can make it if they work hard enough or it may be suggesting the polar opposite. Additional to the old struggle is Nijo, Churchill’s allows Nijo to be completely oblivious to the change in society, she stays that it is “better to leave if your master doesn’t want you”. Unaware of the internal oppression and struggle she has gone through and the common human right of own choice has been taken. Contrasting this, some women are finally making decisions independently, making the choice whether to be married, to be housewife, or to have a high positioned job, the “play house” women breaking away from old struggles. However,
Now the story, “Day of the Butterfly” was written by Alice Munro and had a clear theme. The theme of this wonderful story was friendship. It showed how the main character became friends with a girl named Myra. In fact, we never learned about the main characters name but we do learn a lot about Myra. In the story, Myra is a lonely girl who has to hang out with her younger brother all the time because he doesn’t get along with the other boys. This is what separates Myra and her classmates. One day our main character confronts Myra and they quickly become friends. The main character of this kind-hearted story gives a Cracker Jack prize to her new friend. It was a glass butterfly. Now when you first read this story you immediately