Terry Tempest Williams 'The Village Watchman'

The following essay is based on the theme of “Expectations” in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. The novel set during the 1930’s depression in Maycomb south Alabama is based upon the ignorance and prejudice present in society. The theme of ‘expectations’ is an imperative motif which affects the events that occur throughout the novel. Social expectations were rigidly upheld in Southern Alabama in the 1930’s. These expectations determined what behaviours were acceptable for men and women, Caucasians and Negros and different economic classes in society.

When addressing the story of Storm and her parents, Williams goes at a slower pace and provides heavy rebuttal in order to prevent the loss of her readers attention. Williams’ main argument on Storm and her parent’s behalf included things such as the protection included in sealing the gender of the child, the lack of sexualization, and the lack of basic discrimination involved in gender assumptions. William does this by attacking topics such as masculinity issues, the inequality for women, and the common known assumptions such as the “females are weak” and “males are strong” complex. Williams even goes as far as looking at the mental, physical, and philosophical health of it all. Located in the fifth paragraph William states, “As a purely philosophical matter, however, the situation is intriguing. After all, it is a much under-interrogated political truism that ‘we’re all just people,’ or ‘we’re all equal’ or ‘it doesn’t matter what your religion is’ or ‘I don’t see race.’Who cares

Near the beginning of the story, the grandmother heads toward the car with “a navy blue straw hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress” (O’Connor 501). The description of her outfit allows the reader to understand that she holds herself to a certain standard compared to the rest of her family. This same idea of holding oneself to a standard can also be found in Mitchell Owen’s article “The Function of Signature in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find’” stating that the grandmother is “very conscious throughout the story of what people are wearing, because to her it is through such things as clothing that one can externally reflect internal worth, even when worth is otherwise obscured by surrounding conditions” (Owens 102). When comparing the standards of Misfit to the grandmother, it becomes obvious that he the does not hold the same standards as her with “his hair just beginning to gray and [wearing] silver-rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look. He [also] had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and gun” (O’Connor 507). The Misfit’s opposite choice in appearance in comparison to the grandmother helps establish how others view him, even though he does not care about how others view him. As the family’s road trip progressed, June Star, the daughter, noticed an African-American child standing on a house porch while seated in the back row. Questioning why the boy was wearing no “britches”, the grandmother explains to her that “little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do” (O’Connor 503). This racist statement and mockery towards the child’s impoverishment shows the reader that she too is not as well mannered as she perceives herself to be, proving that she does not uphold her moral standards. In Alex Link’s article “Means, Meaning, and Mediated Space in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find’” he shares the same view

2) The idea of judging people by their appearance in the book 'Define Normal' is evident because on the first page when Antonia walks into a room one of the first things she thinks is, "Not Jazz Luther. Your purple hair? Your black lips? Your shredded jeans?" Page 1 paragraph 1-2. How Jazz looks sets the main character Antonia right into a mind frame that makes her instantly think less of Jazz and not like/want to peer counsel

As such, the introduction might be read as contributing to the formation of two narrative constructs: that of "normality"—or at least that considered "normality" by prevailing ideology—and that of "subnormality," the remainder. In its uncompromising rejection of the former, the commentary of Ewan

A famous short story, “The Quiet Man,” by Maurice Walsh, tells the tale of the protagonist, Shawn Kelvin, who must come to a resolution both internally and externally throughout the story. Shawn experiences a rollercoaster of up and downs during the story, around the 1950’s in Ireland. Shawn finds the women of his dreams and he marries her, but her brother, Big Liam O’Grady, is the man of the town. Traditionally, dowry is given from the bride’s family to the groom's family. Shawn has no respect from Big Liam O’Grady, or the town. Shawn wants to receive his respect from Big Liam O’Grady and love from Ellen. Shawn is willing to do anything for her, even it comes down to a fight. Shawn fights himself and others, internally and externally, to

Tennessee Williams is regarded as a pioneering playwright of American theatre. Through his plays, Williams addresses important issues that no other writers of his time were willing to discuss, including addiction, substance abuse, and mental illness. Recurring themes in William’s works include the dysfunctional family, obsessive and absent mothers and fathers, and emotionally damaged women. These characters were inspired by his experiences with his own family. These characters appear repeatedly in his works with their own recurring themes. Through The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams presents the similar thematic elements of illusion, escape, and fragility between the two plays, proving that although similar, the themes within these plays are not simply recycled, as the differences in their respective texts highlight the differences of the human condition.

He grew up as the “typecast version of the middle child,” with neither the personality nor the aesthetic of his two siblings (McMichael). In society, “he struggled to fit in,” a condition exacerbated by his steadily declining mental health (McMichael). Brannan’s past experiences and personal characteristics combined to create a man who was unsure of where he belonged, and thus shut himself off from the rest of the world. In addition to Brannan’s inner turmoil, his parents put additional pressure on him to be ‘normal’ and to “[satisfy] their lofty expectations” of starting family and finding a regular job (McMichael). This trend can be seen in the writings of other southerners who also struggle to find their identity, surrounded by people who are unlike them. This pressure and confusion likely caused an accelerated degradation of Brannan’s mental health and worsened his

In 1994, a conflict the US couldn't understand, between clans and tribes it didn't know, in a country where there were no national interests, occurred. The Rwandan War of 1994 did not deserve US intervention. There are four contentions on why the US should not have gotten involved in this Rwandan war. The Black Hawk Down incident, how the UN was there previously there, there being no Possible Gain, and having nothing to do with us. Through the examination of the novel, An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, it is Obvious that these key points are valid.

HENRY - Why not?”] (81) It’s obvious that during the 1800’s slavery and racism were still a major issue, especially in the south, but we see Henry treat a random black man with such kindness and respect that mostly wasn’t shown during this time to nonwhites. Therefore, the authors show the reader once again how Henry opposes society through his actions, giving the reader no doubt about his beliefs and personality. To summarize, sometimes it is necessary to go against the grain whether it be for the sake of ourselves or others.

With the arrival of the family in Welch, the sense of disconnection was furthered by the blending of family politics. The Walls family, dependent upon the charity of Rex’s parents for food and shelter now had to contend with racism and sexual abuse. The children who had been encouraged to speak freely about their opinions now had to keep quiet. Jeanette had visited a different neighborhood which her uncle had referred to as “Niggerville,” and this blatantly racist attitude was a shock (Walls 143). The grandmother accosted Jeanette that day, commenting “keep this up and people are going to think you are a nigger lover” not only was the word offensive to Jeanette, she told her grandmother “You’re not supposed to use that word, mom says they are just like us” (Walls 143). Her opinion was not appreciated; as a result, she was banished to the basement by her grandmother without food. There was no support from Rose Mary on the issue due to their dependence on the grandparents for food and

The eldest of seven and son of a widow, Dr. Williams -at the tender age of nine- was called upon to be a man, before most little boys his age had memorized their street's address. His early introduction into personal responsibility was the foundation upon which he would build his character. Taking on side

The great state of Mississippi gained quite a treat on March 26, 1911 and that treat was a baby named Thomas. A native of Columbus, Thomas Lanier Williams would grow up to become one of the most well-known playwrights in theatrical history. Williams did not attend school regularly due to frequent and severe illness as a child. He was homeschooled for most of his life but did graduate from high school in 1929 ( Weales,7 ). The illnesses that he suffered from included diphtheria which caused his legs to be paralyzed for almost two years. Because he rarely left the house, it would not be unusual to find a young Tennessee in a pile of books in his grandfather’s library. Williams’ father was not often home because his career caused him to travel, therefore, the playwright spent the first decade of his young adulthood with his grandparents. When he was twelve years old, Williams’ family moved to St. Louis . Throughout the course of his childhood and young adulthood, Williams’ parents struggled to hold their family together. Finally, his parents separated for good in 1947 ( Falk, Chronology ). The instability in his family was both marital and medical. The psychological disturbances that appeared in many of his family members were great influences on his writings. Thomas L. King, in his journal “Irony and Distance in The Glass Menagerie” discusses the impact of

When Frances Cornford wrote “The Watch”, she must have been in an unbelievably dark place; the poem is downright depressing. However, regardless of the macabre nature of the poem, it is executed in supreme fashion, and creates a real sense of dread in the reader. Cornford, a granddaughter of Charles Darwin, was not a particularly popular poet. However, in “The Watch”, she manages to convey a powerful message to the reader, and demonstrates her poetic skill in stride. The theme of this intriguing poem appears to simply be ‘Memento mori’, a reminder to the reader that death is inevitable and inescapable. Cornford conveys this message to the reader using an arsenal of literary devices, most notably the mood, tone, symbolism, and epizeuxis.

One of the main ways Williams dramatises fantasy’s inability to overcome reality is through an