Death And The King 's Horseman

This paper can analyze the context within which the work of art, "Death on the Pale Horse" was created. The discussion also will determine the medium that the creator selected still as highlight a number of the additional fascinating aspects of this Benjamin West painting.

The short story “Horses of the Night” by Margaret Laurence is told from the point of view of a young girl named Vanessa but mostly focused upon her older cousin Chris. Chris begins as an imaginative, optimistic, and hopeful boy set on his dreams for the world. As the story progresses, Chris is demoralized by life to the point where he no longer seems to be what he once was. The final breaking point appears when he begins to fight in the war and is sent home to a mental hospital after eventually going insane. A skillfully woven horse motif gives insight to Chris’s inner thoughts as well as the theme of the piece.

In the story “Horseman,” by Richard Russo, a young English professor, Janet Moore, explores the complexities of her marriage, academic, and social life. The plot of the story, which jumps around the presence and the past memory, may seem diverse and confusing. However, in the end, Russo deliberately combines those layers, illustrates the interrelations of Janet’s experiences and relationships, and efficiently delivers Janet’s thoughts and her self-evaluation.

Change is a reoccurring theme throughout history. It destroys and creates. It displaces and introduces. It can cause death and life. The movement of imperialism in Africa brought great change to the native tribal life. Forcing the indigenous people to turn away from their century-old traditions caused violent rifts between the European settlers and the tribes, as well as internal problems between once amiable members of the Ibo culture. With the introduction of the foreign Western Society in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the tribe’s life and ideals are drastically altered as the new ethics and principles collide with the old traditions and laws, causing the members of the society to either adapt or be crushed underneath the foot of colonialism. Achebe’s character, Okonkwo, was impacted immensely by the cultural collision, as his previous way of life was pulverized before his eyes, and he found no reason to live any longer.

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe it is demonstrated how the Ibo culture slowly deteriorated from their own culture. The Western ideas influenced a different impact on certain characters, this also included characters like Okonwo and his son Nwoye. Many from the Ibo culture were confused by the merge of the European people slowly but subtly trying to enforce and covert their religion upon them. The books ending explained why the book was written in the first place, which was to “break the silence” that existed from the unheard side of the colonized people. The novel explained the impact Nwoye encountered with Western ideas was a clear and positive one. Nwoye felt like he resonated, was wanted, and more suited in the new culture

Kurt Vonnegut is able to put a man’s face on war in his short story, “All the King’s Horse ”, and he exemplifies that in a time of war, the most forgotten effect on nations is the amount of innocent lives lost in meaningless battle due to unjust rulers fighting each other against a nation’s will. As Americans, we are oblivious to the fact that we have people fighting every day for our country. In addition, we ignore the fact that we do a lot of collateral damage and hurt innocent people unintentionally in order to get what we want. Vonnegut shows the reader in Pi Ying’s own sadistic way of demonstrating how he feels about war brings attention to the point that war, while unruly and cruel, is nothing

A phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. To a phoenix, death is merely the birth of something new. Similarly, in All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, death represents the beginning of something new. It is what causes change in the characters, and can explain why they act as they do. The novel begins with the death of John Grady Cole’s (the main character) grandfather. This death leads to John Grady leaving for Mexico. So in a way, this death really does mark the beginning of this novel- literally and figuratively. Furthermore, halfway through All the Pretty Horses, John Grady’s ill fated companion Blevins is killed. This death represents a change in the characters,

In the book Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, we are able to read about the social changes the white missionaries had on an African tribe. Mr. Achebe describes the way of life before the missionaries arrived and then records some of the changes, which occurred due to the changed belief system introduced by these missionaries.

European Imperialism and Colonization of Africa created many social and economic changes including superiority over different people, technological advances, and new territories for European countries.

First, the standard of living and quality of life would be raised drastically just as it did in Africa. Because in Africa when they were being colonized they were brought better stuff/needs to survive. For example, found in Document 3 the text states "By railways & roads, by the reclamation of swamps & deserts; by a system of fair trade & competition" (Lugard, 1929). The example given above was saying they had built railways and roads in replace of swamps and deserts, and also putting a better system in their economy. Another example of why the standard of living and quality of life bringing raised is in Document 2, and they basically were selling their own people for goods (Things Fall Apart Literature Guide, 2012). Now I know you might say that's bad but they did what they had to do to get the

Consider how Africa’s geography has changed over time. What positive and negative effects would these changes have had on human populations on the continent? As their new homes changed they were able to adapt due to their innovative mindset. This can be attributed to the new found organization thanks to language. Allowing Africans to grow and expand throughout the entire continent. Other factors that can be attributed are the change in geography for some parts such as the Sahara drying out and swamps and lakes disappeared.

Have you ever felt a need for a change in your personal life? Some people are very set in the ways that their culture goes about daily life, whereas others feel like they are destined for change and the discovery of new ideas, which is being exemplified in this specific novel. In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, there is a cultural collision that occurs between the U.S. and Africa, specifically the white missionaries of the Christian faith and a specific person in the Ibo culture, Nwoye. The interaction between the Western culture and the Ibo culture is based around the differences in religious beliefs of the two cultures and the meaning of the Evil Forest to the missionaries.

Do you believe that two cultures can exist right next to each other? In The story, Things Fall Apart, it shows that this may not be possible. Okonkwo’s sense of identity was challenged with the introduction of Western ideas into the Ibo culture. Okonkwo started out in the novel as a rugged minded leader of his community, but the cultural collision of the British colonist and Ibo people affected Okonkwo to the point of where he got lost within himself. The reason for Okonkwo’s change in the sense of his identity was because of the new religion, the westerners judicial system, and just their presence itself. Overall Okonkwo’s response to the introduction of Western ideas shaped the meaning of the work as a whole by showing us

William James, a famous American philosopher, once stated, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives”. This quotation effectively illustrates how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives. This concept is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, authored by Chinua Achebe, by establishing a connection through the development of its characters and the change in traditional African tribal villages seen in the Nineteenth Century. It will be established how various characters demonstrated by the author throughout the novel exemplify how change

In an interview with The Guardian (2009) Wole Soyinka explained that the motivation behind writing Death and the King’s Horseman was a bust of colonialist, Winston Churchill. To Soyinka, Churchill signified the breaking of the Yoruba culture and traditions. The idea for the play came from an instance during the colonial period in Nigeria, when the British intervened in the traditional suicide of a king’s horseman.