The Bottoms By Joe R. Hardy

‘‘Fleshmarket’’ is set in Edinburgh in 1828. Two of the main characters are Robbie and Essie who are brother and sister. They live in an awful, poverty stricken environment in the old town after everything changed when their mother died at the hands of Doctor Robert Knox. Robbie Blames Knox for his horrible life and suffering as he believes Knox has not suffered yet and he took away the good life Robbie nearly had before Knox operated on his mum and this leads to his deep obsession with Knox.

Can an ego be big enough for one to “trip over?” Ego-tripping is something undertaken to boost or draw attention to a person’s own image or appraisal of himself, and or something done primarily to satisfy one’s vanity. Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7. 1943. She graduated with honors from her grandfather’s alma mater Fisk University. The poem Ego-Tripping is about what she perceives as the true identity of an African American women. She explains how being powerful can open so many doors for a person if they just believe in themselves. This poem was written when Giovanni took her first trip to Africa in 1972, the same year the poem was written. The poet explains her past experience to show how lost she was during

This is a book about love -- not only human love for an animal, but the love of a parent for a child, a man for his home, and a special love between two animals. Billy's family is extremely close-knit. His mother teaches Billy and his two sisters to read and write because the school is too far away, and when he turns eleven. Billy's father lets him help out in the fields. To complete the happy nest. Grandpa lives right down the road, and has the family over every Sunday afternoon for supper. There is security in this atmosphere of love. After leaving home for three days to pick up the puppies, Billy's mother breaks down and cries at his return -- this is punishment enough for Billy, and he

The book Last Man Out by Mike Lupica the boy in the book (Tommy) has many memory moments/flashbacks about his dad, the memory shows us about the conflict he has with his father and having to deal with him being gone.

As a child Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother; a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games that left one of her sons nearly dead. She no longer considered him a son, but a slave; no longer a boy, but an 'it'. His bed was an old army cot in the basement, his clothes were torn and smelly, and when he was allowed the luxury of food it was scraps from the dogs' bowl. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare played out behind closed doors. Dave dreamed of finding a family to love him and call him their son. It took years of struggle, deprivation and despair to find his dreams and make something of himself. A Child Called 'It' covers the early years of

'Keeper N Me ' by Richard Wagamese, is a novel based on the necessary balance between life and the culture in which one belongs to. This is a necessary aspect in order to maintain a steady relationship with one 's self. In this novel passing on traditions or a certain way of life from generation to generation is one of the most important aspects of guiding someone of the Ojibway culture, as the Ojibway people have very strong beliefs and take their culture very seriously. The people of the Ojibway culture believe that through storytelling and dreams one can realize the importance of tradition and its influence on their identity. Wagamese throughout his novel tries to teach the readers the power of one 's community and traditions as he

Amy Tan’s short story, Fish Cheeks, outlines the general idea of self-acceptance. As the narrator, fourteen year old Tan declares her love for her minister’s son, Robert, who unlike herself, is “as white as Mary in the manger” (Tan 1). This crush is anything but healthy, primarily because Tan is reluctant to reveal her true self to him. This hesitance she portrays is strikingly recognizable in the teenagers of today’s world. Amy Tan 's story, "Fish Cheeks," is significant to the adolescents of today 's society through the overall structure, quality, and applicability of the piece as the struggle to accept oneself as an individual is still as present as it ever was.

Under the lights by Abbie Glines. There are three teens that grew up together in a southern small town. Willa’s mom had her when she was a teenager. Willa had gotten into some trouble at a young age and had to stay with her Nonna. Willa’s two best friends were Gunner and Brady. Willa has made some bad choices in her past life which made her go down the wrong path in life. Brady’s a high school quarter back now and with the choices Willa has made Brady sees Willa as a different person. Gunner is also a football star in high school. Gunner is living a good rich life the only matter though he cares about himself only, except for Willa. He understands the person she has grown into over her time. As they were known to be child hood friends secrets start to come out and the truth may be the reason of them losing each other.

The Novella “The Body” by Stephen King is about a group of boys who all come from abusive dysfunctional families and this book is their journey to discover a dead body. They are young and their immaturity makes them excited to see a dead body but along the way, they begin to realize various things and begin to grow. In this book the four boys Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy come of age. In this essay, there will be brief descriptions about three of the four of the boys from this novella. Chris came from a bad family and was thought to come out the exact same way as his family and was doubted his whole life. Teddy came from an abusive family where his father burned off his ears and took away his hearing. Gordie’s older brother Dennis had died and his family began to treat him like he was invisible and that their only child had died. “Coming of age is when an adolescent protagonist comes to childhood by a process of experience and disillusionment. These characters lose their innocence, discovers that previous preconceptions are false or has the security of childhood torn away, but usually matures and strengthened by this process” (Matthew’s Quote). In Stephen King’s novella “The Body” King shows through Chris, Gordie, and Teddy that a person cannot come of age unless they are able to come to contact with their emotions and reality and be able to forgive to move forward in life.

In the book She’s Come Undone by author Wally Lamb, we travel on a journey with a young girl Dolores Prices, as she matures from early childhood to adulthood and all the terrible things that accompany her along her voyage. It was rather intriguing the Wally Lamb did such an excellent job of writing in a first person perceptive as a woman. He accredits his ability to his older sisters. Wally Lamb wrote this book to help emphasize one’s journey to self-discovery. This book’s theme heavily shows the loss of innocence and a coming of age story. Lamb was able to write in a way that many of us could relate to or may have found ourselves in similar situations. Regardless of Lamb’s purpose for writing this book, he was able to create a relatable

A character in the novel Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai, changes from the beginning of the novel to the end. The character who changes throughout was Ha. Ha is a 10 year-old girl from Vietnam, who had to leave because of Vietnam War. Ha had to move from a place in which she was so comfortable to go to a place where things were unfamiliar and confusing. Two examples of how Ha evolved was becoming more mature and finding different ways to show her intelligence.

The fundamental characteristic of magical realism is its duality, which enables the reader to experience both the character’s past and the present. In the novel, Monkey Beach, Eden Robinson uses this literary device to address the the trauma and mistreatment of the Haisla community in Canada by unveiling the intimate memories of the protagonist, Lisamarie, and the resulting consequences of this oppression. Monkey Beach illustrates how abuse in the past leads to another form of self-medication in the future - a neverending, vicious cycle for the members of the Haisla community. Many characters in Monkey Beach are scarred from childhood sexual abuse and family neglect, and resort to drug and alcohol abuse as a coping mechanism. These

In Dave Barry’s article “We’ve Got the Dirt on Guy Brains” and the Deborah Tannen’s “Sex, Lies, and Conversation” , the authors discussed the difference between men and women in terms of specific issues. However, their opinions of what reasons have led to certain differences diverged. This essay aimed at providing a detailed examination of both articles by comparing some of the points. First of all, I will discuss the shared point of both articles regarding the differences of men and women. Then the I will move on taking about the major different opinions the two authors held. Once these have been done, a brief examination of the the evidence in both articles.

Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson novel Target accounts the life of a sixteen year old boy name Grady West . Grady was your average high school sixteen year old who hung out with a group of friends, very outgoing, and likable. But, everything changed on a tragic uneventful November night. While walking home Grady was attack, beaten, and raped. From that very moment Grady’s life changed. He would no longer became the Grady he once was to his friends, family, and even to himself. Grady tried to escape his friends, old school, and what happened that night. But, every so often the memories reoccur. A year later, he now attended Thomas Jefferson High where no one would know who he was and what had happened to him. His journey at his new school is

“Black Bottom Stomp” is a complex piece in which Jelly Roll Morton deftly incorporates multiple solos, each performer infusing his own personality and improvisation into the tune. For the first section of the song (00:00 to 00:20), the band is playing the first part of the piece in unison, which certainly sounds composed – but that is essentially when the sheet music is thrown out the window. After Morton establishes the general melody for the piece, he lets his musicians’ creativity take over, and each takes his turn at improvising a solo. Although there is no video associated with this piece, you can almost see the accompanists tapping their feet and nodding their heads along with each skillful feature.