True Grit Character Analysis

The award-winning author, Luis Alberto Urrea, creator of The Hummingbird's Daughter, Into the Beautiful North, and The Devil's Highway, describes The Devil’s Highway which occurred in May of 2001, one of many that impacted the desert on undocumented immigrants. which is a desert located beyond Sonora, Mexico. It is a desert which few turn to in able to cross over. A group of illegal Mexican were left for dead after attempting to cross; they were left stranded after traveling for days in the wrong direction, through mountains, desert and only a small amount of water along with a few personal items. The Devil’s Highway name was set out to one’s belief “bad medicine” (5). Even though the desert is an obstacle itself, there are still other physical

Randy Pausch. Who is he? What does he stand for? The day he gave the last lecture... His last lecture he only had months to live. He packed a lot of lessons into his lecture. The claims he gave that stood out were to be optimistic, to be determined, and to take risks.

Throughout True Grit Mattie is shown to be obsessive, which is shown through her devotion throughout the novel. "That is my father. ' I stood there looking at him. What a waste! Tom Chaney! Would pay for this! I would not rest easy until that Louisiana cur was roasting and screaming in hell"(24). Mattie ultimately is enraged at the fact a drunken coward kills her father, She set 's out to find her father 's killer, since she has an obsession over her father 's death. Another piece of evidence from the text that shows this is when, a Sheriff tells Mattie about the toughest U.S Marshall, "The meanest one is Rooster Cogburn. He is a pitless man, double-tough, and fear don 't enter into his thinking. He loves to pull cork. Now L.T Quinn, he brings his prisoners alive... He will not plant evidence or abuse a prisoner. He is a straight as a string"(37). The Sheriff in this quote has just answered Mattie 's question on to where she could find one of the toughest U.S Marshall 's to track down her father 's killer, she then becomes obsessed with this man, and it become one of her goals to set out and find him.

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

“True Grit” is about a fourteen year old girl trying to bring justice to the man who killed her father. She hires a sheriff named Rooster to help her. Through characterization, setting, and law enforcement, Charles Portis in “True Grit” sets an accurate portrayal of the time period know as the old west to create a more riveting story.

Set in the American frontier in the latter half of the eighteenth century, the tale of True Grit reads like the diary of a precocious, headstrong, and mature fourteen year old girl. Mattie Ross, the main character, recruits the callous, no nonsense U.S. Marshal Rooster, Cogburn to aid her in tracking down Tom Chaney, her father’s killer. Cocky, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, needs Cogburn to guide him through Indian Territory because he too seeks justice, as well as a monetary reward, for capturing the same outlaw. Mattie demonstrates her strength of will as well as her resourcefulness, as the troupe takes on the unexpected in their adventurous wilderness journey. The three main characters; Mattie Ross, Rooster Cogburn, and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, all demonstrate true grit in some similar and some dissimilar ways in both the 1968 novel by Charles Portis and the 2010 film adaptation by the Coen brothers.

My uncle promised he would buy me a real coconut if only I could say it right in English. I had not savored real coconut water in what seemed like years. Apparently, here in Yakima you could not simply stroll to the beach and grab one like in my hometown. In fact, there was no beach. But I had arrived to the United States only a week ago and I was already enrolled in kindergarten. I had to learn the language no matter what it took, so I studied. I gritted my teeth and sat down with a book and a mug-full of determination. After a whole lot of crying, learning, failing and more learning, I could finally not only say the word, but I was able to demand my coconut all in English. I accepted the challenge, set my focus on the goal, and did not stop until I succeeded. Many people say I am stubborn, and perhaps I am, but that coconut was the best delicacy I have ever enjoyed. Therefore, it is certain that it is not intelligence or luck but perseverance and grit that yields success and although my story is nothing like the compelling tale Charles Portis describes in his novel True Grit, they both express the true meaning of grit. In this novel, fourteen year old Mattie Ross and marshal Rooster Cogburn go on a life changing quest to find Tom Chaney, the murderer of Mattie’s father. The meaning of true grit is explored through Mattie Ross’s revenge seeking journey. Essentially, true grit refers to being strong-minded, determined, and unafraid of confronting difficult situations.

If had to choose a Character from the book Schooled By Gordon Korman to be my best friend it would have to Capricorn Anderson.I would pick Capricorn Anderson (known as Cap) because he is very nice and he is not like the usual boys at the school mean,jockey,and reckless.Capricorn is nice,friendly,and generous.Just like when Capricorn found a dead bird in his locker and in the middle of school he host a ceremony for the dead bird that some kids at his school put in his locker.Also Cap really loves his family and the foster home he had to go live in.Sophie is the daughter of the foster mom and her dad left her when she was a little girl.Every year she waits for him to show up at her door on her birthday.Well this year Cap was living there when

“People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood.” (Portis 11) And many people still do not imagine that a story like that is even close to being realistic. Even though, True Grit is fictional; it seemed real as the reader saw Mattie Ross came of age. Coming of age is the transition from youth to adulthood. Throughout the novel, True Grit, the protagonist, Mattie Ross, develops courage, common sense, and bravery as she comes of age from her experience of hunting down the man who murdered her father. The fourteen-year-old faced many challenges that marked the growth of her maturity.

One literary element the author uses is setting. True Grit takes place in the Wild West. The Wild West setting is known to be a place with a significant amount of crime and drama, and Fort Smith is an example of a Wild West location. Fort Smith was surely not a place for an average 14-year-old girl. Even Mattie Rosses Lawyer said this in the book. “Fort Smith is no place for a young girl alone, not even a ‘Mattie’.” (Portis 78). Living in a dangerous city like Fort Smith may be impossible for an average 14 year old girl, but not for Mattie. Mattie Ross proves him wrong and survives the dangerous place. She built up her strength and level of maturity in the town. She sold horses for $325, watched three people get hanged to death, lived with a random old lady and hired a Marshal, that she had never met in her life, to help her kill Tom Chaney. Charles Portis uses the setting of the story to show us the struggles and hardships Mattie had to go through in Fort Smith. He portrayed that a small girl that can live in a town like Fort Smith is no match for evil bandits and murderers.

In Charles Portis’ novel, True Grit, the protagonist, Mattie Ross develops new characteristics of maturation as she hunts for her father’s killer. She is very brave and mature for a fourteen year old girl, even in the wild west. Mattie goes on a journey to look for a man by the name of Tom Chaney, a murderer and robber known to many officials in the west. This man killed Mattie’s father and robbed him after a gambling problem. Mattie shows maturation throughout the novel True Grit, by showing bravery, standing up for herself and not letting Rooster and LeBoeuf hold her back, and by developing true grit as she ages through the novel.

Can there be some good in villains even though they are contrary to heroes? In the book “True Grit,” there are two kinds of villains. Ones with a code of conduct, and ones that just do as they please. It is thought that all thieves and bandits are considered purely evil, some villains like Lucky Ned Pepper; a character in the book “True Grit,” and Leonard Snart from the TV show, The Flash, have specific rules they go by that could suggest otherwise.

2. Mattie was a young girl with grit throughout the book, True Grit. She had grit in when she wanted to find Tom Chaney and bring him back to Froth Smith to get justice for her father. She did not think fear nor she did have any attention in not going with to make sure Tom Chaney is brought back or killed. She also wants to Tom Chaney, the man who shot and kill her father. She is going do what she can to get him and this is something that she sure will get done. She had also had found a man for the job which was Rooster Cogburn, who she was told her true grit. She wants him to help her find Tom Chaney. When Rooster asks Mattie about the gun she had, she told him that belong to her father and Mattie also let Rooster Cogburn know that she intend to kill Tom Chaney with this gun if the law fails.(pg60) Mattie shows that she have strong intention in getting justice and paying a price is something that she was willing to pay to make sure what happened to Tom Chaney is done the way she wants it done. Mattie is also fearless. Mattie also makes sure she let everyone know her attention

A Journey in Courage: Characters of True Grit Very few people have “unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger” (Merriam-Webster). Charles Portis uses this concept of grit to create interesting characters that influence events his novel True Grit. Mattie Ross, LaBeouf, and Rooster Cogburn are a few characters that display true courage through their actions and dialogue. Mattie’s assertive and stubborn personality contribute to her grit, which creates new challenges she overcomes. In the novel, she discusses debatable ideas with other characters and appears convincing through her confidence and certainty.

True Grit begins with Mattie Ross, a 14 year-old girl, who is determined to track down the murderer of her father. After receiving her father’s corpse at Fort Smith, Mattie decided to stay alone to find someone to help persecute the murderer, Tom Chaney. Finding out that he has escaped to the Indian