Joan Didion - Good by to All That

Had Felice not offered up Chicago as a new place of residence, Jake would have wound up exactly how he’d started, having been “thinking a gitting away from the stinking mess [of Harlem],” a place he’d previously designated as home, to “go on off to the sea again” (McKay 322). Throughout the text, Jake frequents a variety of unique places, from Harlem to Pittsburgh to Brooklyn to the train in which he “had taken [a] job on the railroad” (McKay 125). McKay’s audience is privy to a plethora of details regarding Jake’s rousing endeavors in every new location he discovers. Home to Harlem’s audience watches as “that strange, elusive something” in Jake catches him and has him “[roaming] away” and “wandering to some unknown new port, caught … by some romantic rhythm, color, face, passing through cabarets, saloons, speakeasies,” and so on; in short, the emphasis on Jake’s travels is on his restlessness in his desire for movement rather than a search for some inner truth he may hold (McKay 41). Thus, the picaresque novel employment of the episodic form is vital for Home to Harlem as it allows for the motif of movement to be used for its potential. Not only that, though, but it can easily be inferred that Claude McKay designed his novel to be structured in such a way with a degree of intentionality. For whatever reason, McKay understood that an episodic format was the best to display Jake’s story. Thus, his audience must

In the book “Sophia’s War” by Avi, a character named Sophia Calderwood who was experienced unfortunate events and many extraordinary adventures. The following plot introduced Manhattan during the American Revolutionary War in the year 1776-1780. At the time, New York was being held under British invasions as well as strict circumstances/punishments. Sophia’s family began having a lifestyle in New York until an event Sophia’s former 12 year-old self witnessed along with her mother, that changed both their lives forever. For instance, Sophia’s emotions such as being horrified soon fled by the hanging of Nathan Hale for being a spy.

When I was a little naïve boy from a small native town, I asked my mum what would I become in the future. With much simplicity, she said: “I’m no psychic, boy!” She later adds, “It’s what you decide for the future that matters.” Truthfully, it is the same sentiment that ranged from the song “Que Sera, Sera”, by Doris Day. Although my mum is a teacher in high school, she resembled as a detective in disguise; she can thoroughly see the personality of every kid in her school, therefore, she did the screening of my friends’ list which happen in the same school.

We hear of her moving to New York to escape her life as a child bride after being orphaned at a young age. This story allows the audience to gain a sense of sympathy for Holly, and enhances the pathos of the story. This pathos puts the audience into the shoes of Holly and enables them to understand the reasoning behind her escape. The use of language features like pathos and literary allusion allow the authors of both texts to convey the theme of escapism.

What does the word home mean? In the essay “On Going Home” by Didion she recreates her feelings and thoughts about her meaning of home. Family is a big part of one’s life and important one at that and Didion uses it as the center of her work. The work itself is about re- defining what home truly is.

Dorothy Allison’s essay, Panacea, recalls the fond childhood memories about her favorite dish, gravy. Allison uses vivid imagery to cook up a warm feeling about family meals to those who may be a poor family or a young mother. Appeal to the senses shows this warm feeling, along with a peaceful diction.

When first introduced to the narrator, readers quickly pick up on how observant she is to the world around her. However as the novel draws to a close, many quick events take place with little to no explanation or commentary from the

Universal healthcare is known to be a luxury in most counties. However, in North Korea where the economy is continually struggling, universal healthcare is a disaster. The communist country has major commitments to education and healthcare which both failed once the economy crumbled. The health of North Koreans suffered dramatically with a declining economy because it created famine, malnutrition, absence of medication, and ultimately extremely limited healthcare. A recent documentary, called Inside North Korea, allowed a foreign physician to come in the country and perform cataract surgery to countless individuals. This physician was needed to not only to bring modern surgery equipment, but also education North Korean medical professionals

I Knew a Woman is about a woman who has more than just beauty. Theodore Roethke explains what he sees in this woman and the joy and pain about loving her. Roethke uses a

In 1955, Flannery O’ Connor published the short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” which became her best-known short story. Although many appreciated her work it received much criticism for its peculiar character, The Misfit. His callous violent behavior made people uncomfortable with her work describing it as consistently distorted and manipulative. The Misfit’s unsentimental and cruel behavior characterizes true psychological disturbance similar to that of Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer. Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” Is an accurate representation of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Through The Misfits recollection of his past, his trauma, and his lack of guilt he depicts a severe case of ASPD.

As a young person, I don’t really notice how quickly the world changes and advances around me, because I’m changing and growing right along with it. Lillian Boxfish, the elderly title character in the novel Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney, does. Her age, a focal point in the novel, allows Lillian to view the world as she remembers it, while at times preventing her from appreciating as it is. On New Year’s Eve in 1985, Lillian decides to ring in the new by remembering the old with a walk around her beloved New York City. As she walks, she thinks of the city as she once knew it and sees the city it has become, reliving memories both good and bad. In particular, Lillian is struck by how easily the city embraces new culture and ideas and forgets the legacy of what came before. Through Lillian’s journey, I learned that while it’s important to appreciate the past, you cannot neglect the present.

By using numerous references to places in New York City in the essay, Didion allows the reader to feel as if they are there in New York as she was. The vivid imagery, descriptions, and allusions to places in New York allow the reader to connect with Didion and the feelings she felt as she progressed from a young and naïve girl to an indifferent and depressed woman. Didion included specific references in the essay in order to precisely capture her life in New York City and depict her perspective on the places she mentions to the reader. The references let the reader view the city in Didion’s eyes, as well as better understand her evolving emotions about New York.

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick provides insight into the lives of North Korean defectors while in North Korea. Their accounts give inside information about the North Korean regime which makes it possible to analyze to what extent society was an egalitarian utopia. The interview reveals that people were discriminated by social class as evident by those who were richer, and thus in a higher social strata, having more opportunities for success. There was also economic inequity which was apparent by people having different degrees of struggle. However, the problems North Koreans faced was similar, which showed there was some equality from their struggles. Overall, the interviewees give accounts which contradict the idea that the North Korean regime was promoting egalitarianism through their accounts which give counterexamples regarding social class and economic status, so their claim of egalitarianism is mostly false.

Jonas landed in New York for the first time reuniting with his mother and sister (Gong). As we know New York today is not what it was 100 years ago, it’s constantly growing, just like in 1919 (See Figure 2). Broadway was under construction, the uprising of these new buildings made the rush through Broadway that much busier. Another factor was the snowy winters, these harsh cold seasons would’ve been a challenge for many, like the construction delays, the cold days and the industrialization of New York, represented the era of the 1990s.

In the Corner Miss Ella dedicates her time and energy to running the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. She is able to make connections with children of all ages, ranging as old as high school. The children who come are able to participate in productive after school activities, rather than spending their time on the Corner. Ultimately, Miss Ella feels that by providing opportunities at the recreation center, she is able to keep kids from being involved in the Corner, for as long as possible. While her efforts are genuine and work to some extent, the center itself is not merely enough to keep the wild-hearted boys of the C.M.B. crew off the streets. The children of the Corner lack motivation to go to school, finding gallivanting on the streets and stirring up trouble to be much more enticing. If a preventative program was implemented that focused on both prevention and the promotion of positive behaviors, such as completing high school, the potential benefits to society could include a few less criminals on the streets or tangled up in the justice system.