The Turning Essay

The historical context of ‘Big World’, which is set in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s in the fictional Western Australian town, Angelus. Winton also grew up in a small Western Australian town and graduated high school in 1978, around the same time the story was set. The short story makes several references that allude to its historical context, for example the purchase of a second hand 1967 Kombi, a common and desirable ‘surf van’ and also the mention of an essay written by the narrator on behalf of Biggie about the ‘demise of Led Zeppelin’.

Everyone has a desire, something that they want to achieve or obtain for them. Whether it is ethical or immoral, having desires is almost inevitable. Sometimes these desires make people go through tough times. Tragic occurrences such as death and broken relationships shape the lives of people positively or negatively. In the following essay, “Many Rivers to Cross” and the short stories, “Two Kinds” and “Everyday Use”, the protagonists of these texts struggle to achieve their desire, but because of those struggles the main characters do eventually come to a revelation.

1. How did Lovin come to recognize the opportunity for his young venture? Of the three types of start-ups mentioned in Chapter 3, which one does The Kollection fit into? What was the source of this opportunity?

In The Red Convertible, LouiseErdrich uses the red convertible to symbolize the theme of change in two brothers relationship. The changes in the car parallel with the changes the brothers go through. As the car evolves, so does the relationship between Lyman and Henry. The two brothers have a close bond until Henry is sent off to war. Upon his arrival home, the changes in Henry and how he relates to his brother is apparent.

The emotional pain of reliving the story arouses sympathy in the reader, which as a result allows the audience to identify with Tim’s struggle. He also mentions having to “live with it, feeling the shame, trying to push it away,” which evokes empathy in the reader. It is certain that throughout one’s lifetime, they will experience an event that leaves them guilt-stricken or feeling shameful. By describing his feelings towards the story, O’Brien arouses sympathy in the reader in a way similar to the “ordinary world” phase of the hero’s journey archetype.

Winton’s short story “long clear view” is about Vic Lang, a boy who has recently moved from the city to a country town and is faced with the issues of responsibility. Vic doesn’t like it in country town however their family didn’t have a choice because his father was a police officer. He was transferred to the small town to work in the community. His dad is forced to transfer again after a short period but the family doesn’t move with him so he is not home for weeks at a time. Consequently, Vic becomes the man of the house and has a lot more responsibilities such as chopping fire wood, doing the dishes and looking after his baby sister. Most of his time was at school or completing homework. Taking on these responsibilities causes him to stress a lot “you’re overwhelmed with school work” (page 192), the only time where he is relaxed is when he is staring down the barrel of his dad’s rifle. Winton manipulates the reader to feel sympathy for Vic Lang in this short story. Winton makes the reader feel the sympathy in another short story of his in “The Turning”, that

The main theme in the short story ‘The Last Spin’ by Evan Hunter is gang culture. The gangs in the story make the careless decision of putting one of their fellow member’s lives at danger. The boys didn’t seem to care that they were going to play this game at first, then as the game went on they realised what a bad mistake it was so they make a deal. They would have one last spin before they end this terrible game. Unfortunately this last spin was the one that ended Dave’s life.

Hicks, Jennifer. “Overview of the Lottery.” Chattanooga State. Detroit: Gale, 2002. From Literature Resource Center.

A young boy sits on the floor gazing up in amusement as his parents tell him stories that have traveled from generation to generation. Whether it be a tale of malicious war or brave acts of heroism, the little boy will always remember the impactful tales. But what about the parents; what is their motive for telling tales to their child? People tell stories for different reasons; a best selling author may write his story to sell books. While a parent tells a story to set their child straight, others simply want the thrill of telling tales of their adventurous life. For The Tao Jones ,or TJ, in Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk, the most impactful story he will hear and tell is his own. Someone might not solely tell their own story but, are also able to tell the story of those around them. Superficially, TJ’s story is one of brutal negativity and oppression. However, beneath the surface TJ and other peoples’ tale, is one of the unbreakable bond of brotherhood, unique self identity, and last chance at redemption.

Reflecting on this course over this semester, there have been many lessons learned that will be valuable, as we enter the business world. Our first lesson was to learn to work together, as a team, to prepare a short memo, long memo, letter, and email for use in the business world. This is a lesson that will experience many times as we do our daily work. Punctuation and grammar are so important to present to the client and other organizations that we are professionals. It could mean the loss of a sale or acquiring new business. It’s like dressing for work; looking professional or unprofessional.

` E.B White, author of famous stories like Charlotte’s Web, once said ,"The middle track was missing, the one with the marks of the hooves…”. He continues on with this phrase, trying to connect the reader to the concept that change comes with time. In “” Once More to the Lake” by E.B White and ” Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins, both writersauthors strive to make the reader understand how nothing can stay the same throughout the tests of time. In White’s story, he narrates an experience of going to the lake that he used to visit when he was young. He takes his son with him, and at first, sees himself in his son, but eventually succumbs to the repercussions of time, proving that he is closer to death than previously thought. Additionally, the poem ”Forgetfulness” address the same topic. Billy Collins, the author, describes experiences that display memories being forgotten over time. Collins, therefore, tries to show the reader that memories tend to fade, or change, over one’s lifetime. Therefore, using diction and figurative language, E.B White and Billy Collins help one better understand that the true tragedy of time is the change that comes with it.

Tim Winton's hometown, Albany has influenced his life and his writing. When he migrated to Albany, he was miserable and reluctant, ending up being fond of it. Winton’s experiences of the town have played a significant role later in his work because “The story that’s happening on the page takes [him] away”. This reinforces that it “gives him his greatest joy” because he is relieved from the conflict. Winton’s story, ‘Big World’ is a 1st person narration with a perspective of the Narrator.

“Big Two Hearted River”, a semi-autobiographical short story by Ernest Hemingway, is a story about the main character, Nick, returning to Big Two Hearted River in order to recover from his inner wounds. Nick Adams goes on a journey alone in nature for a therapeutic purpose as he suffers from PTSD. However, Hemingway purposely avoided any direct discussion regarding to Nick’s mental wounds. The absence of the discussion is contributed by Hemingway’s writing style, the Iceberg principle. Hemingway focuses explicitly on what occurs on the surface without mentioning actual theme. This indicates that the theme of self-healing cannot be uncovered by simply looking at the text itself. In order to comprehend the actual theme of the story, the character development of Nick must be examined. This is possible since Nick Adams is a recurring character of Hemingway’s stories. The two preceding stories of “Big Two Hearted River”, “Now I lay me” and “A Way you’ll Never Be”, directly discusses Nick’s suffering from shell-shock and how he comforts himself by returning to Big Two Hearted river in his mind. The two short stories will be analyzed and connected to “Big Two Hearted River” in the essay first. This will provide a strong understanding of Nick’s psyche and the reason behind his return to nature. Then, “Big Two Hearted River” the short story itself will be carefully analyzed.

Many people influenced and events my reading and writing development throughout my childhood from my mother, my elementary librarian, and Sesame Street, to getting my first pair of glasses. We all have defining moments in our lives where we can look back and say, “That moment changed my life.” This is the story of the defining moment that changed the way I read and write, and I learned it from a whale!

gorgeous and from the moment I set my eyes on her I fell in love with