Character Analysis: Momentitus

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.

In the romantic novel, Seventeenth Summer, Maureen Daly intensifies the relationship between the two main characters by making Jack confess his deep affection for Angie. This unprecedented event occurred at such a strange moment, which may have helped the author effectively catch her readers off guard.

The title, Speak most represents how the book is about Melinda’s journey to regain her ability to speak. In the beginning of the book Melinda is raped at a party. She calls the cops however does not report the rape.Melinda loses everything from her friends to her ability to speak. Incapable of telling anyone about her trauma, Melinda only has herself but the burden of her secret may be too much. Throughout the book Melinda finds her voice and will begin to put her life back together.

A Separate Peace states, “The more things remain the same, the more they change. Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even death by violence.” I agree that everything changes the more it remains the same. A tree will die or get sick if it does not change with the weather. A person will become an outcast and be labeled as “freaky” if they do not change with the trends.

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

Culture has been shaped throughout history in various positive and negative ways. Gather at the Table explores the many ways that the past has shaped the culture of two people who come from very different places. The independent stories of Tom, who is a descendent of slave owners, and Sharon, a descendent of slaves, illustrates how much history affects the world view and everyday life of the two friends. The high contrast cultures of Tom and Sharon create cultural conflicts that are a result of their unique histories. Even though a lot of conflict is brought up between the histories of Tom and Sharon, similarities are also revealed throughout the duration of the book. The cultural differences and similarities are brought up through the people that Tom and Sharon meet along the way, through the experiences that the two explore together, and simply the prior knowledge of each others cultural backgrounds.

In the novel McTeague by Frank Norris, the author touches on various themes throughout the novel. Many of the characters exhibit animalistic qualities, greediness, and/or both. Characters are often compared to as animals, while others let their greed overcome them. Some characters— McTeague and Trina—also return to a previous place and/or state of being. Of all the themes noted in McTeague, the animal-like qualities, the greed, and the reversion of the characters are major reoccurring themes that can be found in the selected passage on page 323 of the novel.

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines takes place in 1940’s, a time period of segregation. This was a time when blacks were often at fault for a crime they did not commit, such as what transpired in this book. A man named Jefferson was convicted of a crime he did not commit and was insulted during court. Now his family, friends, and even Jefferson himself were trying to prove the white community wrong about their beliefs that a black man is unequal and lacks dignity against Jefferson and the black community. Not only is Jefferson going through a period of suffering on death row, but others, like Grant Wiggins and Miss Emma, are also facing their struggles and they will try to prove others wrong and redeem themselves through knowledge,

Artie’s three key relationships - his relationship with his mother, father, and the public - are interdependent, which means that Artie’s survivor’s guilt from his relationship with his parents affects his relationship with the public. His survivor’s guilt drives him to create MAUS to try to understand his parents’ suffering. Furthermore, he feels obligated to correctly convey the unimaginable evils of the Holocaust to the public, because doing so unsuccessfully would be a disservice to his parents and all those who suffered during the Holocaust. This is a very difficult task, which is shown by the public reaction to MAUS. Although MAUS is commercially successful, Artie is frustrated by the public and feels very confused just like in his other

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.

It is the dream of all to live a life of greatness; where one belongs, and leaves only the best legacy behind. To have such a life is to have meaning, something which every person looks for. Sadly, due to relentless factors in one’s life this search for meaning doesn’t always work. In Chocolat, Lasse Hallstrom demonstrates how an individual seeks to create a meaningful life, revealing how time and opportunity affect what an individual wants in their life.

Are things ever truly black and white or is it a matter of perception? For example, when one hears the word war the mind automatically thinks of two or more parties fighting over a common cause with the use of some sort of weaponry. However, the truth is that battles are much more than some sort of physical altercation between groups of people that simply result in a win or loss. It effects every individual involved on a deep and personal level, both physically and emotionally. Soldiers in combat are internally conflicted with matters such as the difference between what is right and wrong or who/what are they fighting for. The novel A Midnight Clear by William Wharton, explores this topic in a tale of six young and highly intellectual U.S.

In John Shanely’s Doubt there are two sides the reader can take at the end of the play. The side of Sister Aloysius, claiming the Father Flynn was guilty, or the side of Father Flynn, claiming that he is innocent. For the majority of the play I leaned more towards the side of Father Flynn, however evidence that is brought up at the end of the play caused me to doubt Father Flynn’s innocence.

Marcus Luttrell, the Lone Survivor said, “Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t start planning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you can take. Don’t look ahead to pain. Just get through the day.” Live for the moment and don’t take anything for granted. Life is boring without some risk in it. That is how you learn and become better. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but never run when times are tough. You must have a purpose for everything you do otherwise there is no reason to even try. There’s a certain drive in everyone’s heart that makes them strive for something they truly care about. Marcus Luttrell once said, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards. There is a storm inside of all of us. A burning. A River. A drive.” A drive to succeed and will to get the job done for a purpose. Anything you do should be done with your heart. Put your mind to it and do the best that you can do always. There’s no point in doing anything unless you do it right and you can never do it right unless you try. In the Lone Survivor they put strong emphasis on living with a purpose and that they do the things they do with all their heart. Simply because they will never do anything without putting their minds to

our lives are a roller coaster ride with ups and downs good times and bad, but have you ever wondered why you might make the decisions you do? Some experts believe that our brains are wired to think of our lives as stories. They also believe they decisions we make are designed to make our story better. our stories give us a way to cope with the present whether it be good or bad. humans never want to be average humans want to be something great. the quest for something better than the rest. in a way our stories are a roller coaster and only you can change where it ends