Similes In Norman Mailer's The Death Of Benny Paet

Next, Butler moves on to portray a close-up view of Dana’s laceration, “My blouse was stuck to my back. It was cut to pieces, really, but the pieces were stuck to me … The skin of my back stretched agonizingly, and the water got pinker” (Butler 113). The vivid visual of Dana’s injury and the unbelievable harm of the whips are so realistic to readers with the use of connotative diction such as “pieces,” “agonizingly,” and “blood.” The readers’ sympathy towards Dana and the slaves intensifies as the magnitude of pain and the disturbing level of the cut elevate.

In “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury, the author uses simple, but powerful similes as a gateway to the reader understanding the setting of the story. “The Pedestrian” is the tale of a lone wandering man walking down the street at twilight. The man is then accused of being a criminal and taken back to his home, also known as “The Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.” The similes used in the story help readers fully understand and see the setting of “The Pedestrian”.

There are many varying views of God and his abilities, that can be integrated differently into their lifestyle. Jonathan Edwards touches on merging God into your life into his sermon, “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God.” The sermon talks about God’s fury caused by the sinful actions of humans, and how they are doomed if they do not adjust their lives. Jonathan Edwards uses similes about God’s wrath, diction that describes the definition of a sinner, and repetition about the pits of hell to his advantage to make his readers realize they need to change their ways.

Journalist, Norman Mailer, in his essay, “The Death of Benny Paret”, describes his firsthand account of the beatdown, and ultimate death of the professional boxer. Mailer’s purpose is to integrate a logical, formative description of the events that took place with his emotional reaction to witnessing the profound death of a man who he supported and revered. He adopts an excited tone, which fluctuates throughout the piece and eventually turns somber, and somewhat bitter, in order to both inform and to channel the emotional rollercoaster he experienced on this night to his audience.

Compassion, by definition, is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. In our modern society, compassion plays a major role in the act of kindness. Many people believe that doing a good deed is a selfless act since they do not get nothing in return. Others believe that doing a good deed to make you feel good about yourself is selfish. It is a theory that causes you to ponder on the purpose of compassion. In Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay, On Compassion, she contemplates this theory. By using a variety of writing techniques, Ascher is able to share her views on compassion in way that speaks to the audience.

American writer and critique Edgar Allan Poe is very well known for his gothic tales of mystery, suspense, and horror. While his impressive collection of work carry thrilling themes of fear, death, and tragedy, Poe’s work goes beyond the purpose of literary entertainment and revealing his own inner demons. His writing may be heavily influenced by his own dark and tragic experiences and losses, but it also reveals unique characteristics of the disturbing nature of all people in general. One of these characteristics is explained in his short murderous tale The Imp of the Perverse. This tale explains how a significant part of human nature is driven by

Lee Jenkins explores the elements of the rhetorical triangle, tone, diction, and structure in his exceptional piece, “A Good Man Down.” Jenkins writes an article about Ed Thomas, a football coach in Parkersburg, Iowa, who was shot and killed on June 24, 2009. Jenkins looks at how Thomas led the town through the hardships that they faced, and how they reacted to his death.

In “To Build a Fire”, the man ignores the advice that he has been given to survive in the Yukon environment: “The man had been very serious when he said that no man should travel alone in that country after 50 below zero. Well, here he was; he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself. Those old men were rather womanish, he thought” (London 72). The egotistical nature of the man is harmful to his own survival, which leads to dire consequences later on in the story. Ignoring the advice he had been given, the man is used to portray how people can become very haughty, too prideful for their own good. A similar message is conveyed in Crane’s “An Episode of War”, in which arrogance leads to malicious warfare in our own society. When the lieutenant is shot and injured, his pride hinders him from accepting assistance from the men he is commanding: “There were others who proffered assistance. One timidly presented his shoulder and asked the lieutenant if he cared to lean upon it, but the latter waved him away mournfully. He wore the look of one who knows he is the victim of a terrible disease and understands his helplessness”(---). Injured and in need of help, the lieutenant warrants away assistance from his subordinates, as it would be modest to do so. His arrogance prevents his wound from receiving immediate and proper attention from those who rank below him, with the lieutenant only accepting help from other officers on the battlefield. Both London and Crane display similar examples of how human egotism and close-mindedness can lead to harmful effects, especially when people choose to ignore nature’s power. This naturalist style is incorporated in their perspectives, and helps shape some of the many ideas and themes that the reader can pick out from both author’s

In “Dead Certain” Robert Draper describes many stages of George Bush’s life, both of his early life and of his presidency. Draper uses a writing style that sounds as though Draper himself was with the president every moment of everyday. Draper also uses a heavy amount of similes and metaphors to get his point across and to help explain what he is trying to say to his readers. Many quotes are also used by Draper to enforce his outlook and ideas. Robert Draper uses a different type of writing to portray what he thinks about George W. Bush as a president.

MacNeice does not only present society as being callous but also as manipulative. Amongst other things, he explains how he fears that the “human race may with tall walls wall me”. In this metaphor, MacNeice depicts a person being imprisoned by the “human race”, as though it is one entity rather than one collection of individuals. This could indicate that he is talking about society on the whole and the effect it has on previously “innocent” people. The sense of imprisonment suggests a lack of freedom even to make decisions rightly or wrongly. The persona’s fear becoming a “lethal automaton”. Perhaps this was intended to describe the powerlessness felt by soldiers, some of which fought alongside him during the World War when they were forced

   In response to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, I have just one question. Why all the similes? There isn't a single page in the novel that doesn't display this annoying literary device. Everything is "like this" or "like that." It never ends! Similar to decoding a secret message that isn't difficult to understand, but nevertheless tiring due to the overwhelming amount of messages, the novel is frustrating to read. The following analysis acknowledges Chandler's creativity in developing his main character, Philip Marlowe, with his usage of simile. However, the excessive style of the novel creates a dominating force that ultimately leaves the reader unfulfilled at the end.

In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte represents Jane’s acts of rebellion through the portrayal of Jane as someone who challenges society’s views. Bronte uses similes in the dialogue between Jane Eyre and her cousin John Reed, "Wicked and cruel boy!" I said. "You are like a murderer—you are like a slave-driver—you are like the Roman emperors! "

Richard Cory, the name used for the title of two thought provoking works, was a man whose luxurious persona led the world from feelings of admiration to wide-ranging envy. In both poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson and Paul Simon, similar tones established esteem and praise towards their subject. However, throughout these verses, both speakers also appeared to shift their acknowledgments into a place of spite and jealously. As the reader began to unfold the nature of the literary works, tones from worship, hardship, and bitterness are all keenly painted throughout the speakers’ use of contrast, repetition, and negativity by the name “Richard Cory”. Tone, or the attitude of the writer towards a subject, is depicted equally and similarly in both poems.

Is it safe to assume that everything written by esteemed authors as truth? Authors illustrate claims that can be factual and fictitious and hyperbolic and oversimplified. As readers, we have been given the task to evaluate the truth of the writer’s statements and develop our own opinions. John Steinbeck highlights various, thought-provoking claims in Travels With Charley, but how many of these claims ring truthfully? An exaggerated claim that assumes the reader can make the comparison between physical and mental illness goes as follows: “A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ” (48). While some may find complete validity in his quote, I believe that this claim is only partially true.

Andrew stepped into the kitchen. The kitchen was certainly small. Three black stoves stood in the corner of the room, and the sink sat next to it. There was a itty-bitty table at the other side of the room. Andrew noticed a newspaper on the top of counter. The newspaper showed a picture of America’s dictator, Jack Sheldon. Thinking of Mr. Sheldon made Andrew shiver. He was a horrid, emotionless monster (Metaphor). He made unjust laws for the sake of protection.