Symbolism In A Dark Brown Dog By Stephan Crane

Toni Morrison’s main purpose of animal imagery throughout Beloved is to more deeply connect the underlying question of self-identity that African Americans experienced as a result of slavery. This question specifically relates from the widely accepted subhuman treatment of African Americans in the South even years following the emancipation of slavery, and it provides a deeper understanding of the brutal dispositions of white slaveowners. Characters in Beloved, including Sethe, Stamp Paid, and Paul D, who have directly experienced this type of animalistic dehumanization as former slaves find themselves frequently question their own fundamental self worth and identity. Through constant abuse and antagonization, these slaves unavoidably accept themselves as subordinate to animals. This sentiment derives from several instances throughout the novel where these characters directly confronted with comparisons to animals as a result of this sub humane treatment by former slave owners. Toni Morrison uses animal imagery to more effectively emphasize the relation between the brutal and dehumanizing experiences in the South with the actual barbaric dispositions of white slave owners.

In the United States, racial segregation has been a controversial issue throughout the years. The colored and the white were separated not only in residential regions but also in educational systems. Students were unable to attend their prefered school due to the color of their skin. The fight for equality was difficult to achieve, but cases such as the Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education pushed for the equality of all men and women. These cases were not the only factors for racial equality. Novels, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, aided the push for equality as it made the audience aware of the inequality put upon colored men and women. The idea of one race being superior to the other still exists. Although the common world may not think of it, racial prejudice is a common issue. There are many towns that continue to be segregated due to the societal views on race. To this day, the concept of “separate but equal” is continued rather than alleviating the problems of prejudice.

To show first hand to the whites the inequality’s and hardships that the blacks face, the entire first section is in a narrative and a descriptive format. The use of these types of essays lets the readers feel more involved in the story and feel things for themselves. Split into two sections within itself, this first paragraph juxtaposes two stories — one about a “young Negro boy” living in Harlem, and the other about a “young Negro girl” living in Birmingham. The parallelism in the sentence structures of introducing the children likens them even more — despite the differences between them — whether it be their far away location, or their differing, yet still awful, situations. Since this section is focused more towards his white audience, King goes into a description of what it was like living as an African American in those times— a situation the black audience knew all too well. His intense word choice of describing the boy’s house as “vermin-infested” provokes a very negative reaction due to the bad

Within the Christian faith, there lies the belief that all mankind are born sinners and through their faith can seek redemption. This belief can be found in more detail within the Christian text known as the Bible. An example of this can be found in the Genesis chapter of the Bible which portrays that even the very first Humans ever to be created in God’s image, named Adam and Eve, defied God despite his pre-emptive warnings not too because of their natural tendency as humans to sin. Not only can one chose with their own will to disobey God but one’s faith can be easily swayed by the evils of the world therefore sin can forever bind them in chains for eternity. “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, reveals a similar

Primarily, Ellison’s appeal to the audience's emotions greatly sways how the view of the reader views it in his perspective. Originating with his father dying at an early age and his mother having to work diligently to take care of her two children, began to paint a picture of how difficult his life was. The author is able to convey his point across through the repetition of the word “you” which intentionally puts the reader into the perspective of the main character, making it seem like the course of the events were happening to them. Throughout the course of the story the reader will feel as if they are the one who is personally being discriminated against. When the boy tries to go play with the band and is singled out with “Then you heard a man’s voice exclaim, ‘I’ll be damn, it’s a little nigger!’” (Ellison, pg. 7) the author conveys an atmosphere of alienation of how the child is unable to express his talents. Additionally, the author provides first hand experiences throughout the work in order to envelop people’s emotions into the individual’s life. The author emphasizes the harsh tone used by a police officer enforcing racial discrimination at the zoo by mentioning the actual conversation, “‘Girl,’ he shouted, ‘where are your white folks!’” (Ellison, pg. 4) the explicit words allow the readers to sympathize for the main character. His story regarding his experience at the zoo was heartbreaking due to how the cops were dehumanizing the family and making them feel like criminals and trespassers. The reader is able to come to the conclusion that humans should be treated in a more respected manner.

The book Neither Wolf nor Dog, written by Kent Nerburn is an attempt at bringing American Indians and non-Indians together. The point the author makes in the introduction, is that even though we are all different, we share a common place of residence, and that is mother earth. There are vast amounts of history regarding America and the land, but everyone’s past is “intertwined,” and we cannot deny this. This book is to connect the lives of very different people, instead of continuing the division we see in the country today. There are many important issues pointed out throughout the entirety of the book. The terms white supremacy, racism, and symbolic violence, are all pointed out as you read the story. Using these ideas and terms, a larger issue can be brought up, and that is that Native Americans were put into the shadows, and the country slowly became what it is now, filled with racism and white power. Other terms that arise throughout the reading are discrimination, skin-color privilege, and the 1887 Dawes Act. Together, the use of these terms shows the reader the adversity that Native Americans face and the importance of preserving cultures. Neither Wolf nor Dog is a powerful book that shows the unknown life of American Indians, and rids the myths and stereotypes, while pointing out important issues in America today.

In the poem ‘Southern Cop,’ Sterling A. Brown uses an array of rhetorical devices to reiterate the poem’s purpose. One of the rhetorical devices he uses is parallel structure, which he uses to express the the other two rhetorical devices in a more expressive way. He also uses sarcasm throughout the poem to show the underlying harm being caused by the casual approach to the problem. . Brown also uses understatement, expressing the shooting of the negro as lesser than it should be taken (if it was real.) Sterling A. Brown uses these devices to express the poems purpose.

Nelson Mandela, an anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who focused on dismantling racism, once said, “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it,” (“AZ Quotes”). In Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper uses the epistolary novel style of writing to present problems teenagers face. In the novel Andy, the protagonist, is unable to forgive himself after his drinking-and-driving accident kills his friend, Rob. Through this tale of teenage tragedy, the author conveys some themes about death, depression, guilt/blame, and racism. The characters have to learn to not only deal with these situations thrown at them, but also to live through them as well. Draper uses symbols to represent and show the life problems teenagers face on a daily base.

One of the factors that shaped the New World was religion; it was a pillar in the fledgling society and a reason for migration for so many Europeans. Puritanism was a major belief system that held strongly throughout the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a nineteenth century American novelist and short story writer, composed the story of “Young Goodman Brown” which takes place in Salem. All Puritans were to take a journey which was supposed to lead them to a conversion experience. This journey takes them through the spiritual heart. It is intended for self – examination; the elimination of the three vices: boredom, vice, and

In this essay, both texts, “To kill a Mockingbird” and “The Help”, will be looked at in depth, and the range of literary devices and techniques used in order to portray the theme of racism will be analyzed. The emotional attachment between protagonists, and the positive perspectives shared by characters portray the overall theme of racism and how this is oppressive for all people involved.

Although Brown spent most of his life far from the notorious deep south, the horrific conditions and legal abuse that slaves endured were not lost on him. Beaten, abused, separated from his family, and forced to do things he would never choose to do, Brown went on to become a free man, an author, historian, and an abolitionist, and his writings on the life of a slave provide an insight into the darker side of what many Americans consider to be a happy period in American

In “ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, American Slave” the author, Frederick Douglass, uses personal anecdotes and comparisons to wild animals to show that slavery is a grave matter by not only dehumanizing slaves, but the slave masters too. Through rhetorical devices, he stresses his own feelings and harsh experiences being treated as an animal might, how others were treated through slavery from his own eyes, and his feelings about the cruel master’s capabilities, resembling mostly wild beasts.

The book, The Spirituals and the Blues, by James H. Cone, illustrates how the slave spirituals and the blues reflected the struggle for black survival under the harsh reality of slavery and segregation. The spirituals are historical songs which speak out about the rupture of black lives in a religious sense, telling us about people in a land of bondage, and what they did to stay united and somehow fight back. The blues are somewhat different from in the spirituals in that they depict the secular aspect of black life during times of oppression and the capacity to survive. James H. Cone’s portrayal of how the spirituals and the blues aided blacks through times of hardship and adversity

At a young age the free African-American slave faced difficult situations. He became an orphan before the age of 8. Two years later his uncle sent him off to work for a plantation owner named “Captain”. At the age of 18 he attempted to run away, but Captain found him. The author had voilated the contract by running away and was whipped. At age twenty-one he signed a contract with Captain under the circumstances that he would be treated better. He married Mandy, one of the maids. It was not until the death of Captain, five years later that things went downhill. Captain’s son, which was now a Senator that took control

     Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism throughout his short story Young Goodman Brown to impact and clarify the theme of good people sometimes doing bad things. Hawthorne uses a variety of light and dark imagery, names, and people to illustrate irony and different translations. Young Goodman Brown is a story about a man who comes to terms with the reality that people are imperfect and flawed and then dies a bitter death from the enlightenment of his journey through the woods. Images of darkness, symbolic representations of names and people and the journey through the woods all attribute to Hawthorne's theme of good people sometimes doing bad things.