The Bonesetter's Daughter: An Analysis

In conclusion, Jazz is life: it is hectic, fast paced, spontaneous and can fall apart at any moment. Colum McCann brilliantly captures these feelings and implements them into his story to give life to the characters and the plot. Many authors search for ways to give a heartbeat to their ideas but McCann took advantage of music. He understood the reader’s intimate relationship with this art form, regardless of their background, and pressed play. His use of jazz was incredibly appropriate and complex given the story that needed to be

The art of writing is a complex and difficult process. Proper writing requires careful planning, revision, and proofreading. Throughout the past semester, the quality of my writing has evolved significantly. At first, I struggled with the separation of different types of paragraphs, and I found writing them laborious. Constant practice, however, has eliminated many of my original difficulties, and helped to inspire confidence in my skills. As a collegiate writer, my strength lies in my clear understanding of the fundamentals of writing, while my primary weakness is proofreading my own work.

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas C. Foster extensively teaches literary conventions that teach a reader how to read between the lines. The main goal of this guide is to help a reader read to a level such as a professor, which entails being able to read analytically. Throughout Foster's literary guide, he sets out essential elements of literature that aid in the ability to read analytically. How to Read Literature Like a Professor focuses on not only external influences, but also in text elements such as structure, themes, and setting. Throughout Foster's guide there are many valuable keys to reading, some of the most prominent in literature being biblical reference, character quests, and character baptism. Chapters

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster is a book that explains there is more to literature than just a few words on a paper or a few pages in a book. Thomas Foster’s book portrays a relatable message to a wide based audience. This book is relatable for two reasons, the way it is written and the examples it uses. The book is written in a conversational manner, as if the reader was in a group discussion about books and writing. As for the examples, they are informative, descriptive, relative, and entertaining.

Thomas Foster is an American novelist who has been writing many pieces of literature every since graduating the University of Michigan-Flint in 1975. Thomas Foster wrote the book How To Read Literature Like a Professor in 2003, a how-to book written in second person tells readers how to identify commonly and frequently used elements in literature. Foster has many chapters in this book about different trends and styles embedded into literature, and where you can expect to find these different trends and styles. Veronica Roth’s book, Insurgent, connects to Thomas Foster's How To Read Literature Like a Professor through the main character, Tris. In Insurgent, readers might identify the similarities Tris has with other characters, the importance

In the novel, "The Bonesetter’s Daughter" by Amy Tan, she expresses communication and silence, by tone, theme, and the use of symbols. Amy Tan effectively portrays a melodramatic tone and a theme that shows a development of mother and daughter relationships, as well as symbols that describe communication and silence, such as the ink and the sand box.

In Russell Banks’ Rule of the bone the main character, Bone, struggles to control his life as a young homeless teenager from Plattsburg, New York. Bone’s views of the world are similar to mine in most aspects, but there were times throughout the novel that Bone’s views differed from my own. I fully understand and view this novel as a Bildungsroman, but not any young person would grasp the complexity of Bone’s journey through misfortune.

While many books attempt to conquer the monster that is grief, most fail to properly convey the topic to readers, however, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is a rare gem that handles it with respect and grace, and its message resonates through all readers. In the novel, readers are introduced to 14 year old Susie Salmon, who was murdered before the book begins. Susie spends her time in heaven making friends and watching over her family, who are trying to come to terms with her death, each in their own way. As the book progresses the readers become immersed in Susie’s tale, as each scene is designed to educate readers on the process of accepting loss. Sebold’s masterpiece is --one-- crafted with such care, and every detail aids her in her mission

Alice Sebold, the author of The Lovely Bones, paints a dark, mysterious picture at the beginning of the novel and emits a suspenseful mood. Susie Salmon, the protagonist, is a young teenager who gets tragically raped and murdered. She looks down from heaven where she is the only one who truly knows her killer. The murder of Susie Salmon becomes an interruption and disturbance to those that were linked to Susie in a way that the mystery of her murder drives them to the edge. The irony of Susie’s feelings of her “perfect world” is that she grows lonely in a place where all her wishes or desires become a reality. Even though Susie is gone and alone in heaven watching the life she used to know, she has a lasting impact on the lives of her friends and family

Ambiguity is manifested differently for everyone. It is significant in novels to allow the reader a choice, to give him a unique perception of the novel different from any other. Ambiguity shows that not everything has a definitive explanation; ambiguity shows that answers are opinions and beliefs, not fact and law; ambiguity shows that life is full uncertainty and the

While reading Rule of the Bone by Russel Banks, you will notice different themes that are shown throughout the novel. After reading the novel I realized that the search for independence is the most important theme in this novel. People will have different explanations of what they think independence means. Independence is being able to complete tasks on your own. You do not need somebody there to hold your hand whenever you do something. Independence is not having your actions, opinions, etc. controlled by somebody else. How is the search for independence in Rule of the Bone considered the most important theme in the novel? Russel Banks answers this question with the events Chappie (Bone) encounters throughout his journey.

While I’ve never met her, Mrs. Schmuck has helped me break the “good grade habit” and has helped me to truly excel in English. Even though I have a different—and yes, less interesting—teacher this year, I still process the material in the ways that she taught me. “Explore not only the character’s life, but your own”, I tell myself before every piece of literature we tackle. It is so easy to be disconnected with the things of old without realizing that the ways of man

Chapter 6 discusses the importance and techniques of structuring your writing for your readers. To properly structure your writing for its' intended audience you need to understand your audience. Factors such as education level, position, title, and more must be taken into account while structuring your writing. Memos, letters, even emails are structured differently depending on their recipients. I have learned through my own experience, that incorrectly structuring your writing can be very detrimental to your appearance to others and in some cases it can be very embarrassing. However on the opposite side of the spectrum, if you structure your writing in such a manner that it is to simple to your audience, you give the impression that you

“It is only in his music [ ... ] that the Negro in America has been able to tell his story.” James Baldwin.

Throughout the 15 years of my academic career, academic writing has become a much larger part of the curriculum. The writing assignments have gone from simple, one- line sentences describing a picture to a simple, 3- paragraph persuasive essay on the state exams in high school; all the way to a 25 page comprehensive research essay during my freshman year at East Stroudsburg University. As the years and assignments progressed, I developed a set of writing weakness and strengths that still shape the way I write today. Additionally, I have had many opportunities to experience the different styles of writing available. Both of those factors will help me achieve the rigorous goals that I have set for myself and this class.