A powerful quote in the novel Pulse by Jeremy Robinson is said directly after Pierce discovers that he is invincible, but at the same time savage. He looks into a reflection in a metal cabinet and sees “green-tinged skin and bright yellow eyes. As the face in the reflection mirrored the expression of horror on his own face, he realized the awful truth. He was the monster,” (Robinson 154). This was a powerful quote because throughout his entire time working at Manifold, Pierce thinks of Ridley as a horrible person, and a monster. Now that Pierce looked was literally a monster and Ridley was still human, the roles were reversed, and this is a traumatic change for Pierce. However, this quote also puts things in perspective for the reader. It
Authors in many instances use the main elements in the story such as setting and narrative to prove a point in the story. For example, writers often use characters, their actions, and their interaction with other characters to support or prove a theme. In the short story “Our Thirteenth Summer”, Barry Callaghan effectively uses characters to develop the theme that childhood is fragile and easily influenced. One of the ways that Callaghan makes effective use of characters to develop the theme is by describing the tension between Bobbie and his parents. This usage of characters supports the theme because Bobbie’s childhood is no longer free to do what he wishes, but has to bow down to his parents’
Our actions and interactions with others and society are what define us. Society’s perception of an individual may contrast with that individual’s perception of self. Our actions and interactions with others create certain stigmas which may not change despite progression and change an individual has undergone. But however at the end of the day we are our own creators and we chose who we interact with.
Humans are born with an undeveloped brain and that allows us adapt to our surroundings easily. Our brain also shapes us into who we are by our very own experiences. “Sorry, Wrong Number” by Lucille Fletcher and “Heartbeat” by David Yoo give examples of how a single experience can change a person’s perception.
In John Updike’s short story “A & P”, a dynamic and round character expresses his subjective attitude towards his views, a plot twist causes him to realize his future. Sammy an opinionated cashier at A & P grocery store does not agree with his Lengel, his manager after he reprimands a particular group of customers at the store. Sammy’s further actions cause him to face the true reality of his future.
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.
A Lesson Before Dying A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines tells the story of a black man, Jefferson, with unequal rights, being accused of killing a white man. Although, the accusation was far from being right, he is a black man, and blacks were treated unfairly. Throughout the journey of the trial, Jefferson and Grant became very close, and they both learned a lot from each other and the trial. Grant learns the lesson of being a man, because he develops feelings, and becomes humble.
Do you believe that problems make you mature? In the book Watson’s Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis it is about a black family that goes to Alabama during a critical time
There are many forces in life that can affect a person’s character and perspective of life. The novel “The Watson Goes to Birmingham” by Christopher Paul Curtis is based on a loving African American family, living in the town of Flint, Michigan in 1963, where the oldest son, Byron, begins to get into a bit of trouble. The parents decide he should spend the summer and possibly the next school year with Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama. The entire family travels there together by car, and during their visit, tragic events take place that affect the whole family. Both external and internal forces have cause Byron to grow to a better person.
Stealing food and using it to feed someone is an example of what is used throughout the fictional novel, A Long Way From Chicago, copyright date 1997. Joey and Mary Alice visit Grandma Dowdel’s home from Chicago every summer. Each year for seven years they learn that kindness can be shown in different ways. Similarly, Grandma Dowdel displays acts of kindness by stealing, cheating, and lying however in the end, changes the peoples’ lives for the better. Richard Peck uses the events of his novel, A Long Way From Chicago to convey the universal theme, kindness can be shown in many ways.
In the book Out of My Mind, author Sharon M. Draper creates a character named Melody. Melody was born with a gift; she was gifted with brains and with a photographic memory. She was also born with a disability, cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder which causes Melody to be bound to a wheelchair because of the severity of it. She does not have control of her limbs but has figured out a way to maneuver her electric wheelchair with her thumbs. Melody is faced with challenges that cause her to lose and gain socially, physically, and emotionally aspects through out the text.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is a novel about death, survival, and relationships. There are several themes that are visibly evident in the story. A theme is the subject of a piece of writing, as described in the novel. Some of these themes are, “trusting one another is what makes us human”, people are defined by the choices they make”, and “Family is worth dying for”. Each one of these themes are indisputably established as the story progresses.
This is noted when “Pierce had a moment of profound rage that this final step in the plan should be, in the end, the only thing to go irretrievably wrong. The fact that the error was entirely his own doing merely increased his fury” (222). Pierce’s arrogance is noted by his increased fury with himself in that the possibility of an error was his doing and not that of one of his cronies. By the end of the novel, Agar confessed to the robbery and incriminated Pierce. As Pierce was being apprehended, he greeted Agar amiably and stated, “Turned nose, did you?” with which Pierce replied, “Doesn’t matter, I’ve thought of this as well, you know.” (250). Once again, Pierce was able to demonstrate both his masterful ways and daring nature in his escape from