Literary Theories In Literature

Admittedly before reading The Norton Introduction to Literature section of our reading homework my perception of literature is mostly based on stereotypes and misconceptions. For instance, I am not sure why despite the fact that I genuinely enjoy reading I have avoided literature to a degree. I am not sure if I thought I might not comprehend the books content or author’s intent. Or because social stereotypes suggest literature to be the property of Harvard elite and English gentleman instead a common man such as myself? Either way after reading the books introduction to literature I now understand how it can reflect perceptions, preconceptions, and most importantly misconceptions in human society from both the author and readers views point.

Power and control plays a big role in the lives many. When power is used as a form of control, it leads to depression and misery in the relationship. This is proven through the themes and symbolism used in the stories Lesson before Dying, The fun they had, The strangers that came to town, and Dolls house through the median of three major unsuccessful relationship: racial tension between the African Americans and the caucasians in the novel Lesson before Dying, Doll’s House demonstrates a controlling relationship can be detrimental for both individuals and The Stranger That Came To Town along with The Fun They Had show that when an individual is suppressed by majority they become despondent.

In the book Everything I Never Told You, there are many different elements and techniques used within the book. The technique that I want to go into more depth on is the use of symbolism. I specifically want to focus on the symbolism in regards to Lydia, Hannah, and Nath’s love of astronauts and space.

In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down upon by his community all because of his race and status. He is graced with the challenge of turning Jefferson into a man before his execution date. It is only a matter of time before they both realize that they cannot change the past and they have

Many people believe that material things will bring you peace and happiness. That is not always that case though.Everyone at some point in their life had gone through something that they thought would have a major positive impact on their life, but ultimately, it affected them very negatively. These can include anything from money, to power, even to women. Bernard Malamud explains these example in his book, The Natural, with his character, Roy Hobbs. Roy is the Knights star baseball player, when all goes wrong. He starts to chase different women, believing that those people will lead him to happiness in the end. Roy Hobbs is the main character in the book, The Natural, who finds himself in tough situations, and finally discovers that what he wanted from the start, won’t actually make him happy in the end.

In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by _________, the main character, Grant, is trying to console Jefferson. Jefferson has just been framed for a murder he did not commit, and many believe it is because he is black. Two drunk, white men went into a liquor store, already drunk, and attempted to shoot the owner who, in turn, shot back. In the end of the firefight, Jefferson was the only man standing. When at the trial to convince the jury Jefferson did not actually shoot the people, his attorney realizes his attempts at proving Jefferson’s innocence were futile, and says, “What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this” (8). He is asking the jury to spare the life of Jefferson, by implying that Jefferson is no more intelligent than a hog. The attorney is white, and is voicing the common belief among whites that all blacks are animals. Throughout the novel, Jefferson becomes haunted by the

This essay originally titled Studying Literature in Grade 12, has an abundance of information regarding and convincing the readers that the grade twelve English course should be composed of Canadian literature. The grammar in this essay however, was weak. The subject did not agree to their pronouns, making many sentences awkward. Overall, improvements could have been made. Some of these include MLA format, the title, introduction paragraph, grammar, punctuation and the citation format.

Everyman, by the anonymous writer, is a play that can truly be analyzed under a literary theory lens. Everyman can be analyzed under a performance theory lens, not only because it is a play, but also that the actions of the character fall within the several categories of the theory. The play can be seen as following the structure of the religious ritual while following Everyman through his completion of the sacraments. Secondly, Everyman encounters many sacred characters, including, Death, God, and an Angel. The characters portray performing objects in which throughout the play these characters are personified. The characters are personified as human companies to Everyman, although they are actually a part of him taking on the role of seven deadly sins the characters portray different influences within Everyman’s life. The goal of these morality plays were to entertain the audience, which is an aspect of performance theory, but that these players were also used as a way of teaching the

Has someone ever noticed that one of their family members was alike a story character? My Grandpa Al was similar to Jefferson in the book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. This story gives a pleasing insight into Jefferson’s journey into becoming a man. Jefferson and my Grandpa Al are related in the way that they both never valued the joyfulness of life enough until it was too late. The two also resemble each other on the level that they are held back by the environment they are growing up in. They each needed to strive to become true to themselves.

Living in worlds of racial and societal oppression had the effect on 4 different characters in 3 different books. Each character was impacted differently, and as a result, sought for a solution through different adventures. For Janie, she went through 3 different husbands in an attempt to find love and to please her Grandmother and the society. For Huck and Jim, they ran away from their problems. Huck wanted to get away from his society, and feel free to think in his own way and grow on his own, and not from the help of the law or people around him. Jim wanted to be free and so he ran away from slavery. For Maya, her oppression helped her grow as a human being, and all of the experiences that she went through while growing up had helped to

Women are often looked down upon or even portrayed as the weaker partner in a relationship or in society. However, there’s the idea of feminism: women having equal social, political, and economic power in relations to men. There are women who believe in equality between genders while there are those who are simply ashamed of their gender and in result try to take away others masculinity. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter includes an important feminist, who is characterized as a powerful female in literature with strong ideals based on feminism. In contrast, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest includes a female character who does not seek equality between her and the men in the mental hospital. Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter

Set in pre- Civil Rights South Louisiana, Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying is a captivating story about dignity, injustice and redemption. Gaines stylistic elements effectively takes us back to a time when racial segregation caused black people to lack hope for recognition of their humanity much less find justice in a court of law. Gaines manipulation of time, symbolism and motifs keep the readers gripped word for word with his heart-wrenching tale.

Devices In works of literature, authors are presented with a world of possibilities in how to arrange their story. The final decisions will ultimately determine a single outcome of many other possible end results. The use of literary devices control and affect every aspect of the work, conveying different tones or emotions. In Anthony Doerr’s, All the Light We Cannot See, he uses a very wide range of literary devices to take the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride.

Imagine you are an African-American woman living in Chicago during the 1950s in a tiny apartment with two children and a grandson. You finally have some money, but you have to decide if I risk giving my son the money to invest in a business, give my daughter the money for college, or use the money to buy our first house? In the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Lena (Mama) Younger, a hard-working, resilient, family-oriented mother, lives in a tiny apartment with her family, oversees her adult children and helps them learn how to make level-headed decisions. If she risks giving the money to Walter he might possibly lose it all. If she invests the money in Beneatha's college only she will find happiness. If she uses the money to buy a house, she is making everyone in the family happy. She will have to keep a level head in trying to persuade her children that they need to spend the money on a house.

Feminist theory aims to understand the nature of inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality. To do Feminist Research is to put the social construction of gender at the center of one 's inquiry. Feminist theory is about seeing gender as a basic organizing principle which profoundly shapes/mediates the concrete conditions of our lives. In the play The Tempest, by William Shakespeare Miranda is a perfect example of a woman 's role in literature from a feminist theorist perspective. In The Tempest, Miranda 's prescribed gender role and physical stature account for her naturally being subordinate to males.