Set in the mid nineteenth century in Queensland, Australia, Remembering Babylon is a literary piece that employs primarily the use of a third person point of view, as well as incorporating various creative literary techniques in order to tell the story of Gemmy, a blended and in-between raced boy. Gemmy is introduced as a mysterious figure that emerged from ‘the land over there that was forbidden’ for the white settlers (2). Gemmy was on the ‘top rail of the fence, hung there’ with his arms out and then said to Lachland ‘Do not shoot.. I am a B-b-british object!’(3). Here Gemmy presents and sees himself as being an object. An object more specifically, is merely a thing or an item. The term itself is degrading when in reference to a human being. …show more content…
Gemmy represents two cultures and two worlds: black Indigenous and the white English. The novel is chiefly concerned with the white consciousness and the reaction to the Indigenous peoples culture. The novel also explores colonial culture and is told from the white settlers perspective. It is evident to the white settlers, the country that Gemmy ‘had broken out of was all unknown to them’ and impenetrable (7). Verisimilitude (real to life) is a technique that was also employed by Malouf in order to provide evocative images for readers. Powerful imagery and descriptive language infuses Remembering Babylon in order to evoke emotion from the reader. In regards to the problem of racial difference in the novel, Gemmy himself is described as a ‘creature’ whilst is also referred to by Lachlan as ‘it’ (3). Dehumanizing and degrading, this description and reference allows for readers to be confronted and have their minds filled with ideas about the isolation and objectification that English settlement entailed and inflicted upon society during the
The ink print look of blotched shapes and heavy tonal contrast shows how these images are like records and "bare witness” to the events in the 18th century. The staggered tonal variation from white to black shows the dismay of Indigenous people to their dismal as inhabitants. The colour blue in this work is symbolic of the saturation of British culture in a foreign environment. Bennett uses not only visual but textual language to convey the effects of colonialism. The stencilled words stamp the brutality of that process.
Joyce uses diction to support the overall tone of “Araby,” through his use of words and phrases such as “had grown somber. . .” (Joyce 400) and “musty. . .” (Joyce 400). The verbiage he uses constructs a dull and increasingly gloomy image as if darkness is enclosing the town being depicted. Word choices like “waste. . .” (Joyce 400) and “useless. . .” (Joyce 400) convey the stagnant environment that encases the lifeless neighborhood the boy lives in. Joyce communicates the dreariness that cloaks Dublin by using dreadful adjectives to describe the setting. The young boy’s short lived “confused adoration” (Joyce 401) for his friend’s sister, is depicted using feminine words in association with her, such as “petticoat. . .” (Joyce 401) and “soft. . .” (Joyce 400). When the speaker is professing Mangan’s sister’s control over him, he proclaims, “[m]y body [is] like a harp and her words and gestures [are] like fingers running upon the wires” (Joyce 401). The boy reveals his ignorance by incorrectly calling harp strings, “wires. . .” (Joyce 401). This simple error portrays his confusion about his own feelings and the reasoning behind them. The author uses diction to support the tone of the short story, “Araby,” through his choice of words that reveal both the glum atmosphere of the setting and the naive affection being displayed by the speaker.
Grenville portrays how secrecy and distrust are an issue among differing people groups through the figurative language used to describe the landscapes and behaviours of various characters. One example is towards the end of the book, when Rooke is looking out into the bay. He sees how the “wide dark flatness” of the water and shore has “retreated into the night”. This darkness is symbolic of the deception and fraudulence that Rooke had been mulling. The abundance of the darkness is used as a comparison to the excess of deception among the British settlers, who were often disguising their true aims and intentions behind sincerity and inclusion. Despite the darkness the moon still shone out over the water like a “wide eye” but was unable to light up the whole foreshore. This demonstrates how even though some secrets may be uncovered there is often more deceit hidden. Grenville further establish distrust through the fear of the description of the trees as “gnarled pink monsters” with “twisted arthritic fingers”. By Rooke also referring to the land as made “according to a different logic from the world” Grenville is portraying the British settlers as viewing NSW as both foreign and terrifying because they no longer understand it therefore creating rift of distrust. The words “gnarled”, “monsters” and “twisted” also depict a fear of the land and all that it might hold because these words hold negative connotations of a horrifying and terrifying appearance or façade.
This same technique is shown where Nan Dear finds an advertisement in the newspaper in Act 2 Scene 6 and says “they’ve got this new powder that guaranteed to turn your skin white.” to Dolly. Due to the differences in skin colour and tradition Aboriginals were seen as lower class citizens and were alienated from the white society. Harrison shows this through the use of a simile in Act 1 Scene 1B where Gladys describes the hessian used to hide the Aboriginal housing from the Queen as “a band-aid over a sore”, which creates a negative image of the Indigenous people and their housing. This idea of being different from others around you is also excellently shown in Shaun Tan’s picture book The Lost Thing where the majority of the book’s images are made up of dull, unattractive colours such as browns, greys and whites that create a plain and ordinary background. The colour of ‘the thing’ is a bright red that immediately catches the reader’s eyes, drawing their attention to it. This use of contrast of colour shows that ‘the thing’ is lost, as it obviously does not belong to its surroundings. The exceptional use of these techniques to develop an idea of segregation as a barrier to self-actualisation causes the responder to explore the character’s feelings of isolation and rejection.
The author uses tone and images throughout to compare and contrast the concepts of “black wealth” and a “hard life”. The author combines the use of images with blunt word combinations to make her point; for example, “you always remember things like living in Woodlawn with no inside toilet”. This image evokes the warmth of remembering a special community with the negative, have to use outdoor facilities. Another example of this combination of tone and imagery is “how good the water felt when you got your bath from one of those big tubs that folk in Chicago barbecue in”. Again the author’s positive memory is of feeling fresh after her bath combined with a negative, the fact that it was a barbecue drum.
Curley is one of ‘Of Mice and Men’s’ major characters. Although he does not appear to hold a central role, he is very important in other respects. The first of these is the way in which he treats George and Lennie, and the ranch workers in general on the ranch. Curley is the boss’ son. Therefore he acts like he is the boss himself. He orders the others around, and, although it is true that he does hold some power on the ranch, he does not hold any respect from the workers. He is nasty towards them, treating as though they are them below him, and often trying to pick fights.
I. John Steinbeck used his personal experiences as a laborer to write many of his novels like Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.
Vivid imagery can be seen all throughout “Araby.” Vivid imagery is detailed writing that gives you a sense of an image while you read. The story begins with “North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street” and continues to say, “An uninhabited house of two storeys stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbours in a square ground. The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces” (“Araby” 1019). The way this imagery is used shows
At the start of this realization, Camus displays how the French whites, have a racially segregated perspective towards the Arabs and blacks. Camus first starts of this differentiation by having Meursault dehumanize “ the Arabs” as they were “backing away” from the colonists (56). By not giving the arab men names, Camus demonstrates the idea of “othering” them to reduce the impact of their being from the impressions of their brain. In describing the nameless men, Camus goes further to only express how the Arab men were “ lying down in greasy overalls;” demonstrating the classist view in society between races, and how the only description of the Arab men is to
Malouf and Golding’s narrative perspectives vary to portray a unique perspective on the issues of human nature. Malouf writes in third person omniscient with a narrator, however changes the focus to specific characters throughout each chapter, becoming third person limited. This allows readers to understand the mind-set of the settlers surrounding Gemmy’s arrival however for the perspective to remain unbiased. This helps display issues of human nature in an unprejudiced way as Ned Corcoran, resident of the settlement Gemmy is brought to, thought that Gemmy “was trading on” the residents’ “goodwill” (39) rather than having a positive influence on the settlement. This
In the opening paragraphs of James Joyce's short story, "Araby," the setting takes center stage to the narrator. Joyce tends carefully to the exquisite detail of personifying his setting, so that the narrator's emotions may be enhanced. To create a genuine sense of mood, and reality, Joyce uses many techniques such as first person narration, style of prose, imagery, and most of all setting. The setting of a short story is vital to the development of character.
In The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, evil transforms certain humble citizens into envious savages. It is this evil which moves the story along and adds drama. It causes the beginning of a happy spirit, but the downfall of goodness and humanity.
Derek Walcott, born on January 23, 1930 in St. Lucia, became a well renowned African-American author, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1972 for his substantial work in poetry. Many of his poems deal with the idea of race and British imperialism in the 19th century and the poem “Ruins of a Great House” is no different. Walcott reflects on the effects of slavery and British colonization in the Caribbean, continually referring to England as the “empire”. “Ruins of a Great House” is written from Walcott’s perspective in the 19th century Caribbean and tackles the destruction of the Caribbean culture using vivid imagery, allusion, word choice, and metaphors. Derek Walcott eloquently conveys the frustration of the native peoples, in the Caribbean, when he portrays the deterioration and disarray of post British rule throughout this work.
Kino a loving father and husband whom had dreams for his family, as shown in steinbeck’s The Pearl. But fate led him to a pearl of exqwizit magnificence. This pearl assured the dreams he wanted for his family, to marry ied to his wife Juana, and for his son Coyotito to get a proper education. But because of Kino’s obsessive attitude over the pearl it doomed his family to a different path, one with fear, death, and corruption. Juana his loving wife whom was spectacle of what Kino was doing and questioned him “Who do you fear?” (35) Kino answered with “Everyone”(36). You may argue that Kino’s actions are being based on greed therefore greed is responsible for the death of Coyotito and the destruction of the family, I invalidate that argument because greed is an emotion. Greed, is an emotion and emotions cannot control you, you have the ability control your emotions. DO NOT READ THE RED “In my target essay, I argued that emotions can be controlled, in the sense that we can shape or influence which emotions we have, when we have them, and how we experience and express these emotions.”
The novel often talks about the setting, time and theme in Egyptian culture through stories of various characters. The culture describes in the novel restricts the readers’ views on