Character Analysis: A Long Way Home

The book, Between the Shades of Gray, takes place during World War II. The character Lina is arrested and deported by the NKVD following the annexation of Lithuania. She was then forced to provide labor in order to survive the extreme conditions of the Stalin’s camps. Her ability to cope, her relocation, and the death of her mother contributes to her development and survival.

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

Jimmy knows too well the agonies of abandonment. First, when his mother, Cecilia, ran away with Richard to pursue a better lifestyle. Then, due to his father’s, Damacio Baca, alcoholisms and violent behavior; he also had to leave Jimmy behind. In spite of the drawbacks from abandonment to being a maximum security prisoner in Arizona State Prison, Jimmy preserver’s the darkness of prison by overcoming his illiteracy. However Cecilia and Damacio is not as fortunate as their child; Cecilia is shot by Richard after confronting him for a divorce and Damacio chokes to death after he is released from the detox center(Baca 263). Therefore the most significant event in this section of the memoir, A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca is the death of Jimmy’s parents.

Grace has been told for more than half her life that she was crazy. Her mother’s death that she witnesses was an accident, there was no scarred man, and there was nothing she could do to change what had happened. But Grace knew they were wrong. With the help of her friends Noah, Megan and Rosie, she managed to discover that the scarred man was Dominic, the first love of her mother, who was there to kill her mother, but chose instead to stage her death. Grace came down just as Dominic was taking the picture, and picked up the gun that was lying on the floor. Firing blinding, she missed Dominic and shot her mother instead. The traumatic moment of shooting her mother was blocked from Grace’s mind as it was unable to handle what she did. Her family tries to protect her from this, saying it was an accident, trying to get Grace to stop pushing. When pushing too hard, Grace discovers the truth of what happened that night, and what she did, and with the

All refugees, the circumstances notwithstanding, face immense hardship throughout their lives. In time, these hardships give way to new opportunities, dreams, and perspectives, as even in the face of suffering, one always retains their intrinsic self. Kim Ha, the protagonist in Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again, experienced this through her family’s daring escape from war-torn South Vietnam. Consequently, Inside Out and Back Again serves as a fitting title for her story.

Oftentimes, when writing literature, authors tend to form story elements that follow a certain archetype. An archetype can be any common example of a character, theme, symbol, situation, or setting that reappears in various genres of writing, and is a universal pattern. Particularly, character archetypes are general models or outlines that other characters can be based on, like a ruler, a hero, or a rebel. In The Safest Lies, the story focuses on Kelsey, who grew up terrified of the wicked world outside of her secure home. Her apprehension was instilled by her mother, Mandy, who was kidnapped when she was seventeen. After not stepping outside of their house since her miraculous escape over a decade before, Mandy tragically disappeared

In our society today, we have forgotten about the art of talking with others face to face. When we talk with others, we can learn about their life lessons. When I was talking with Jim P., I learned an important life lesson. Jim P. said, "Get over the brick wall." Jim went on to talk about his wife dying from pancreatic cancer and how that was his brick wall. Since her death, he has gotten over the brick wall. Jim said that he's living life and has accepted the fact that she is gone. In the book The Last Lecture, Randy faces a similar brick wall situation. Randy is dying from pancreatic cancer, and tries to get over the brick wall. However, his brick wall is pancreatic cancer, which is a severe cancer. Unfortunately, Randy did not get over the

Race and racism are two of the most discussed topics in the book “A Hope in the Unseen”. When Cedric Jennings went to the MIT program during the summer, he was seen as the only “ghetto” student among the other minority students going through the same experience has him. This was mainly because of his ethnicity and his personal background. While he was at Brown University, he was having trouble with his roommate, Rob, because they “didn’t have anything in common,”. One of Cedric’s friends, Chiniqua, tries to encourage him to just hang out with the other black kids but he decides to broaden his horizons by interacting with other ethnicity groups.

In the book, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant Wiggins is a hero of discrimination because at first, he didn’t really care whether or not Jefferson died but after spending time with him, he started to care. In the beginning of the book, Grant was selected by Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma to make Jefferson realize that he isn’t a hog. “I want the teacher talk to my boy for me.' He looked over her head at me, standing back by the door. I was too educated for Henri Pichot; he had no use for at all anymore. But just as Miss. Emma had given so much of herself to that family, so had my aunt. So Henri Pichot, who cared nothing in the world

Identity has become a big factor throughout the history of the United States. The novel “Ask The Dust” and the textbook “Give Me Liberty” has a big focus on how individuals have different values and opinions because of where they come from and character itself. According to the novel, “… I stood and smoked them all, and saw myself a great author with that natty Italian briar, and a cane, stepping out of a big black car, and she was there too.” Arturo the main character of the novel focus on his character throughout the book because he believes that being himself in a place where he went looking for opportunities to be successful can benefit his overall career as a writer. He is an Italian American who meets a Mexican American women where he

I can relate very well to Santa Clara University’s strategic mission, which at its core stresses the importance of a positive character. Having studied in a Catholic high school, I learned that a positive character is essential to succeeding in life. Knowledge, love, and financial independence will reveal themselves to individuals with the right character traits. From that, I believe that SCU will provide me not only the knowledge to succeed in the world but also the character traits needed to make the world a better

Imagine a country plagued with war. A mother trying to support her children, and all of their needs. A young boy working endlessly day and night to try and help out his family. A young girl performing many of the duties as mother of the house in order to help keep things in the household under control. These people then flee to countries of asylum in an attempt to escape warfare. In the novel Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, a young girl named Ha, along with her family are living in Vietnam during wartime. Ha is just ten years old as she realizes everything going on around her. As the war reaches her hometown of Saigon, Ha and her family make the decision to flee in order to save themselves of the communists in North Vietnam. Ha was

What do you think about when you hear the word tragedy? Do you think about a destructive event, or an extraordinary encounter? I don’t know about you, but I’ve always categorized the word “tragic” with melancholy encounters; however, that all changed while reading the book “The Beginning of Everything.” Robyn Schneider, the author of this intriguing novel, gives us readers different point of views that most people have not considered before.

Negative stereotypes surrounding obese individuals include that they are lazy, therefore their condition is their own fault. Mama’s character feeds into this stereotype by primarily being shown sitting or eating. Mama states, “I never meant to be like this, a joke,” and apologizes for her appearance after meeting Becky. These comments contribute to the stereotypes that obesity results from one’s own lack of control and that large bodies are unsightly; thus, they necessitate an apology for being seen by others. Mama’s weight gain began after her husband’s suicide, suggesting that eating served as a coping mechanism following a traumatic event. Therefore, the film could have focused on the underlying issues that triggered her eating disorder to negate the stereotypes about obesity.

I know he has a good head on his shoulders and that he has a good work ethic. He is also an Informatics major, so he is building a foundation of knowledge in the world of technology.