Spoon River Themes

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Nelson Mandela).Nelson Mandela inspired many people through his fearless acts of courage. However, Nelson Mandela is just one example of a courageous individual. In “Hitler Youth” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, and Elie Wiesel’s “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” both Elie Wiesel and character Sophie Scholl endure situations when courage is needed to survive. Courage is the best way for individuals to respond to conflict.

The theme of “Blood on the River” by Elisa Carbone is that working together is an important skill for life. One event that shows this theme is when Captain Smith and Samuel watched a Swordfish and a Thresher shark kill a whale. This shows the theme because when you work together with someone you can accomplish anything you both set your minds to. On page 37 Captain Smith states, “You might have been born the biggest fish in the sea, but the skill and perseverance of those lower born can take you down and destroy you.” Another place in the story that supports the theme is when Captain Smith punished Samuel and made him stand on one foot to teach him a lesson because he didn't work together with the other boys. In this scene, the theme is

The novel and movie have a countless number of similarities. In both the movie and novel the main character, Christopher McCandless is set out on an adventure into the wild which leads to both consuming poisonous berries and starvation which are the cause of his death. Both stories were told with the scenes or chapters being narrated and transitioned in past and present. The two stories were strong and important factors in depicting

Courage is something most people think they do not have, but when the time comes, they will eventually find it inside them, like me when I let go of my hatred for a person, who was another friend of Meadow. They thought that I wasn’t good enough, and criticized my good grades.

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” (Lee 149).

Lastly jackson had the same main message for both stories. The theme is not to judge a book by it's cover because although the town in The Lottery and Miss Strangeworth both seem innocent and quiet they are not who them seem to be.

Of all the characters in Spoon River, only one has the key ingredient that makes the book complete; that person is Zilpha Marsh. Even though Zilpha is mentioned only once within the book, she represents a controversial issue debated everywhere and can be related to people in real life. Zilpha represents mystery, supernatural, and spiritual beings, every word that is written about her suggest a deeper and more complex meaning; her entire character permeates an eerie feeling that adds the extra spice to Soon River. Zilpha is the only character that follows a different pattern and has the most character within a poem. Although the poem stated nothing about her death, family, friends, or even her life, the

A River Runs through It, by Norman Maclean,is a story about a family of a Minister father, a mother and their two sons living in a small town in Montana. The film begins with the narrator Norman, the older brother of the two explaining how his father had asked him to write their family story. As the film continues it becomes clear how different the brothers become. In A River Runs Through It brothers, Norman and Paul are very different; Paul tends to act before thinking while Norman on the other hand, tends to think about his every move with precision, Paul became a reporter while Norman became a professor and poet, Paul is more attracted to Fly Fishing and Norman is more drawn to his religion.

Courage can be found in everyone big or small, mean, or nice. But sometimes it is hard to find your courage. In "Touching Spirit Bear" and " Maniac Magee" the author teaches us that people can be courageous by being friends with people they may not like at first and going to a place you might not want to go.

In the 1850's, more American pioneers moved west, bringing with them slavery that would ignite the Civil War. Tactics that had defeated the armies of the South would then begin to be used against the Native Americans of the West. In "Bleeding Kansas," abolitionists battle for free soil. In Utah, federal troops march against Mormon their practice of polygamy. The war between North and South unleashes visceral savagery in the West, and leaves behind an army prepared for total war against the Native Americans of the plains.

In the novel Speak, the author uses the protagonist, Melinda, to teach the reader the importance of verbal expression. Melinda refuses to speak up about an event that occurred in her life; therefore her classmates cannot show empathy towards her. Melinda never spoke up about why she did what she had done during an event in her life, so people judge and bully Melinda for her decisions. Melinda’s silence slowly erodes her self esteem and leaves her alone to handle her depressive behavior and decisions.

The director M. Night Shyamalan used different methods to construct and format the theme of the film, “The Sixth Sense”. He uses foreshadowing, symbolism and motif to help the viewer understand the movie and see that it is more than what you first perceive. In “The Sixth Sense” a boy named Cole Sear has a sixth sense that is haunting him at the beginning of the movie. He sees things that other people can’t see. He can also hear things that other people can’t. He can see ghosts, among people as if living like nothing ever happened. A Doctor named Dr. Malcolm Crowe tries to help Cole with his “problem” until he realizes that Cole is very much like one of his other patients, Vincent Grey, who was a boy that had the exact same symptoms. Ultimately the director uses foreshadowing, symbolism and motif to construct the theme of communication within the film.

In the novels that I have chosen to study, several themes are prominent in both. Both novels deal with a brutal murder of a young female, and the impact surrounding her death. They also deal with the idea of the dead, directly or indirectly communicating with the living. The novels address the theory that ‘ghosts’ cannot move onto the next life until they have resolved unfinished business on Earth. The idea that the living are tied to those who die and untimely death is also present in both novels. As well as these themes which are present in both novels, the novels also share a similar non linear

The theme of Blood on the River is to make friends not enemies. One event that shows this theme is “ The Powhatan people, whom we have at a time considered our enemies, new treat us as their own. They bring us deerskins and bear skins to keep us warm.” This shows the theme because the Powhatan tribe has once attacked the Jamestown colonies and almost extinct them, now the Powhatan are bringing them bear and deer skin because the fire burned down their houses. Now that they are friends, the Powhatans are saving them from extinction.

The theme of “Blood on the river” is to make decisions out of love, not anger. One event that shows that this theme is true is when Samuel stole his mom’s old locket from the jewelry store owner. This shows the theme because when he stole it because he was angry that his mom had died. He was punished severely by being forced into the orphanage and by being sent to the new world. This proves that when you make decisions out of anger, it will not benefit you.