Literature and Life

Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Choose a novel or play and, or considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole.

There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and

Racism is a big part of this book. It shows the absurdity of what people thought back then, which is an important lesson. It is important for us to learn what people’s views used to be, and how important it is not to go back to that mindset.

Reading the content in this book made me get a picture of what it was like to be a colored person in this time. My eyes were opened to the meaning of the word “nigga”. Nigga is such a derogatory term, yet now-a-days it is used by people so much. Kids in this generation use it as a term of endearment when they see their friends, or they say it when they are shocked by something. Frankly, I don’t believe they know how serious it really is. The fact that white people could look at a person and see less than a human being when they did nothing wrong distresses me. They (white people) treated them as if they were property and below them. Even though we don’t have racism to this extent

After reading the intense story of Emmett Till in the Mississippi Trial, the romantic, yet engaging Pride & Prejudice, and depressing, yet confusing story of Hamlet, have taught me that you really need to look twice before you completely understand what’s happening in the novels. Thought my essay you are going to see reasons why I’m choosing to write about the three stories I listed above and how they have influenced my life and how I gained more of a perspective on the different times throughout the centuries and how they have evolved going from Emmett Till’s segregation age to Pride and Prejudice’s romance during the renaissance age to Hamlet’s Medieval Times.

3. His eyes widened and, accentuated by his __________________________________, you could tell he was sickened by the sight of his wife in the room. 4. The __________________________________ philosophy is to use a practical approach to problems, rather than theories. 5. She __________________________________ conversed with her friend on phone. 6. The room was hidden behind the __________________________________ green curtain. 7. He and his __________________________________ hung out at the bar smoking. 8. He could feel __________________________________ anger building inside himself. Matching: Match the antonym to the vocabulary word. _____ 1. concerned _____ 2. compliant _____ 3. clear, truthful _____ 4. ornate _____ 5. tiny _____ 6. beneficial _____ 7. harmful _____ 8. ideally A. austere B. equivocate C. mulish D. cynically E. benignly F. colossal G. apathetically H. pernicious

The reason I chose this book was because the title jumped up at me and my curiosity was aroused. I wanted to find out more about it. I was also drawn to the fact that the book was based on a true story. True stories interest me a lot and I instantly knew that I wanted to read this book. I also noticed that the book was a best seller and sold thousands of copies. As I read this book I’m glad that I choose it because it broadened my perspective on racism and the lengths that an individual is willing to go to in order to personally experience or understand a situation. This book has clearly

The memoir “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, was first published in 1928, and recounts the situation of racial discrimination and prejudice at the time in the United States. The author was born into an all-black community, but was later sent to a boarding school in Jacksonville, where she experienced “race” for the first time. Hurston not only informs the reader how she managed to stay true to herself and her race, but also inspires the reader to abandon any form of racism in their life. Especially by including Humor, Imagery, and Metaphors, the author makes her message very clear: Everyone is equal.

One instance of racism that was very well known was the shooting and murdering of Philando Castile back in 2016. Philando Castile was in the car with his girlfriend

Patricia Smith's "What its like to be a black girl is a breathtaking poem to read as it gives the real picture of what a black American girl who is faced by racial prejudice, inner struggles and slavery. This poem will be compared and contrasted with Nadine Gordimer's country lover which is also a heart-rending story about a young black skinned girl-Thebedi finding herself in love with a white skinned Afrikaner boy-Paula whose parents are the young girls' masters. She is also faced with slavery, prejudice, racism and pursuit for freedom (Brown, 2009). This paper will critically compare the two literary works in terms of content, style and form.

Literature is the window to realizing the negatives of society and how destructive certain norms can be. Readers are brought into a completely different story than their own, but by using similar issues in today’s world, the readers can actually learn from the story and its overall message. All writers write for a purpose, whether it’s for a new meaning to life, to live a different life than our own, or to impact others on an emotional level by teaching them to see the importance of the little things. As a reader, you search for pieces of literature that interest you whether you find the story like your own, or wish you lived the life in the story. By using issues in today’s within their works, authors are able to grab the reader's attention long enough for them to get across what they wanted to get across. Often in many works of literature, writers use societal issues as their basis for the work’s themes and symbols. By doing so, this allows the reader to question the morality behind social norms and how impactful certain ideals can be in people’s lives.

King presents a realistic example when he talks about hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize and kill your black brother and sister, and your speech stammering as you explain to your six year daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park.(732) King writes this to present a realistic example of segregation and the pain that people of color were going through. Also, Nafisi writes, “ Female students were being penalized for running up the stairs when they were late for classes, for laughing in the hallways, for talking to members of opposite sex.”(495). These examples present the reader with evidence and unconsciously get the reader to think about how he or she would feel if that should happen to them. Also these examples evoke sympathy for the oppressed because of the picture created in the reader’s mind as he or she

As a white person, I will never understand certain circumstances in life that a black person would. I have never had to deal with thoughts such as Is the people in this store watching me because I am Black and might steal something? Or Does my teacher think I read slower because I am black? There is no way for me to relate to circumstances of that matter. You can feel the anger of the author in his writing, Black English is considered wrong. His emotion is noticeable and realizing the reality of what he is speaking is more moving than his actual words. A society and its culture effects how language is used and understood. It allows one to relate or separate from one

As a young child growing up in Eatonville, FL. Zora never really had to worry about her race, she was always confident in who she was, that’s was until she turned 13yrs old and moved to Jacksonville, FL for school, she encountered a obstacle she never had before, that obstacle was racism. Five years from now the story I will remember the most is Zora Neale Hurston’s “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” this story is such a stand out and really drew me in because of the conflict regarding race that she faces when reaching her teen years, and the connections from Zora’s life then, until my life on present day.

Another example of racism would be in the movie "Crash". In one scene, a white couple had just been threatened at gunpoint by two black men and had their car stolen. They return home and immediately change the lock on the doors as a means of feeling safe. The wife insists on changing the locks again in the morning, but the husband refuses, saying there is no point. An argument ensues and eventually, it is revealed the reason she wanted the locks changed was because the person changing the locks at the moment is perceived as a gangster due to his shaved head and tattoos across his back. The wife was afraid that the