Summary Of Pat Conroy's The Lords Of Discipline

The author’s diction illustrates Douglass view of the world around him and his feelings about a community created by fear and injustices. “The wretchedness of slavery” provoked Douglass to “trust no man”, which gave him the sense of feeling “perfectly helpless.” Being imprisoned in slavery for so long caused Douglass to witness the evils of man and experienced the cruelty of being alone. Even more when the “ferocious beats” showed their “greediness to swallow” it left Douglass “toil-worn and whip-scarred.” As time passed by Douglass’ desire for freedom has grown. However, when he does escape he puts himself in his own state of slavery that is run by fear. Douglass’ desires has not even freed him, but it also allowed him to live in life without

To further illustrate the impact of the uncle’s stereotyping of Teddy, the author shows Teddy completely giving in as he breaks the kingdom he had created, and even more, Teddy cries as he completes this

Douglass uses vivid imagery to depict the gruesome and ungodly nature of slavery. For example, in chapter six, Douglass describes the death of his grandmother “…She stands-she sits-she staggers-she falls-she groans-she dies-and there are none of her children or grandchildren present, to wipe from her wrinkled brow the cold sweat of death…” (59) This quote helps the reader imagine the grandmothers death and how helpless she felt. The fact that the slaveholders made it impossible for her children to be there when she died, contributes to the inhumane image Douglass has already been painting throughout the

To display the common treatment of slaves, Douglass develops pathos when describing his first exposure to slavery and the brutal treatment of Aunt Hester. He gives a detailed description of her “heart-rending shrieks” when she was forced to endure countless lashings and beatings (Douglass, 24). Additionally, he describes the mentality of Captain Anthony, the slave owner, by stating that “the louder [Hester] screamed, the harder he whipped” (Douglass, 23). By describing the punishments that his aunt was forced to face and the deliberateness of Captain Anthony’s actions, Douglass develops pathos, which exposes the audience to the harsh nature of slavery and makes them pity the slaves who were forced to endure this treatment. It shows the audience that slaves were forced to endure pain if they did not listen to their masters and could not

While reflecting his experiences Douglass mentions one of the heinous acts of “justified violence” committed by this particular master. He says, “I have seen him tie up a lame young woman, and whip her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders, causing warm red blood to drip; and, in justification of the bloody deed, he would quote this passage of Scripture--’He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes’” (Douglass 33). Douglass deliberately uses the word “lame”--a word associated with animals--to yet again make the connection to the dehumanization of the slaves. The visual imagery in this passage is used to invoke pity in the audience, yet this section also would trigger an angry response in many of Douglass’s readers. Douglass’s intended audience was mainly comprised of religiously inclined northern men and women, who would have been outraged to hear a gross perversion of holy words used to justify the practice of slavery. A more encompassing use of imagery is utilized in a passage about Douglass’s grandmother. He states, “She gropes her way, in the darkness of age, for a drink of water. Instead of the voices of her children, she hears by day the moans of the dove and by night the screams of a hideous owl All is gloom. The grave is at the door…. She stands--she

In any great work of literature, each action and thought should contribute to the underlying meaning of the entire work. No action should exist for its own sake; it must instead advance the plot and reinforce the symbolism of both the characters’ actions as well as the truth of what the composer or author is trying to convey. This is especially true of acts of violence; great literature must carefully articulate the violence into a logical meaning. Most importantly, violence and acts of extreme passion work best when communicating a character’s inner-struggles as they relate to the motive and effect of each scene and action.

The two books both suggest that people love routine and continuity, and they despise anything that goes against their idea of normality. Douglass mentions, “He is a desperate slaveholder, who will shock the humanity of his non-slaveholding neighbors with the cries of his lacerated slaves” (Douglass 49). Essentially, Douglass implies that the relative kindness of the slaveholders in the city is due to their fear of ostracism, rather than compassion. The slaveholders merely do not want to disrupt the normal lives of those around them. Similarly, Bradbury writes, “Montag reached inside the parlor wall and pulled the

The use of the word wretched connotes anger or an unfortunate state, suggesting the incorporation of this term means his identification has an inescapable negative association. His identity, therefore, is dependent on the societal structure that encapsulates him into consistent negativity and penalizes him regardless of the amends he makes to escape the imposed negative association. For example, if Douglass were to advocate for change of his slave-like condition, he would become viewed as rebellious against the governing structure that encapsulates him. In turn, he would then become identified as shameless and a plague for going against the imposed the governing structure and white moderate, even if it were in civil intentions. If Douglass were to wait out his existence, it becomes wretched through shame of becoming associated with the African American identity through the labeling of ‘otherness’ enacted by society which forces the native African American to denote anger for his unfortunate state.

Overall, the speaker of “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point” reminds us that the system of slavery destroys lives. We see this notion play out in the narrative as the speaker talks of a female slave at Plymouth Rock. Here, we bear witness to her lack of respect for life that not only flaws her judgments as a mother, but perpetuates a sense of violence or

Douglass gives detailed anecdotes of his and others experience with the institution of slavery to reveal the hidden horrors. He includes personal accounts he received while under the control of multiple different masters. He analyzes the story of his wife’s cousin’s death to provide a symbol of outrage due to the unfairness of the murderer’s freedom. He states, “The offence for which this girl was thus murdered was this: She had been set that night to mind Mrs. Hicks’s baby, and during the night she fell asleep, and the baby cried.” This anecdote, among many others, is helpful in persuading the reader to understand the severity of rule slaveholders hold above their slaves. This strategy displays the idea that slaves were seen as property and could be discarded easily.

In Tamburlaine the Great, the Song of Roland, and Othello, the protagonists face a myriad of external trials to test them, yet some of their most challenging struggles relate to the clash between their self-perceived and externally recognized identities. Each of these characters must reconcile their own self-perception with their projected image recognized by the world at large. For Tamburlaine, his outward projections of divinity played counter to his ever growing, driving awareness of his own essential mortality. For Othello, the composed and confident demeanor he presented would crumble and shatter under

As a whole, these figures are symbolic of the corrupt and dark nature of humanity, with some appearing to have descended straight from hell and others functioning as mockeries of humanity. Most notable are the three men in the lower right-hand corner which Bosch has placed in close proximity to the viewer, who is immediately confronted by these horrors [Fig. 1.7]. In particular, the group’s placement to the right of a bold red round object has

“You can’t,” Leander said, swallowing hard. If Conroy went to the warden, it would be a death sentence, so as usual he came up with a brilliant idea. He turned his back to his friend briefly, and stuck himself in the eye with his finger. When he turned back around, he was crying.

Placing this young solider under his father, demonstrates the power and rank that differs within the family and in the social order, yet the contrast of their intentions is not the only image the poet provides. In following the poet’s pattern of appearance, readers ‘see’ the Squire well-dressed compared to his father, “as fresh as is the month of May/ Short was his gown with sleeves long and wide” (92-93). This attention to his appearance plays into this dedication to battle versus winning a woman’s heart quite well, further reinforcing this contrast between father and son. While the two differ in their service to their Lord and their nobility, the representation of character continues as the poet describes the Prioress and the Monk, two differing religious figures within this journey.

Many of the characters we studied in this summer had a very difficult situation caused by themselves. Undoubtedly, each person has their own defects, however this does not mean we have to be slaves of our weaknesses and fears. Pitifully, some fears can become so strong that they can turn a person's life miserable. In addition, people who are victims of their own fear and sins can commit insane things to the people who are around them. Some clear examples of this type of people are Mathilde Loisel, Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator of the Black Cat.