Violence And Absence Of Beauty In My Brilliant Friend

Two young girls, coalescing on a grass-laden field while lying on their stomachs, dig a hole in unspoken harmony. A picture of youth and innocence, this scene depicts an innocuous moment which the two girls share as a result of their juvenescence--or does it? In Toni Morrison 's Sula, this scene, among others, appears at first to be both irrelevant to the novel’s underlying theme and out of place with regard to the rest of the plot. Yet, when analyzed further, the literary devices that Morrison uses in these scenes bring readers to a vastly different conclusion. These scenes serve as windows into the mind of Morrison and even into the larger themes present in the text. So, perhaps two girls sharing a seemingly casual experience is not as

Many characters’ lives are enveloped by a mental issue and they are a representation for these issues. Art covers these multiple issues. The Holocaust affected millions of people and of these millions, Vladek, Anja, and Mala all were left with

The symbol of marigolds represent the innocence that a child has, specifically how that innocence can be ripped apart and how empathy can replace innocence. The symbol of a potted geranium represents the complex emotions that replace innocence after a person becomes an adult. Collier shows the reader that this transition is tough and will come with many challenges, ultimately resulting in a loss of innocence that will shape the readers whole life. These ideas are very relatable to many teenagers, as they see old friends drift away because they “just aren’t the same person anymore” and depression in teenagers due to severe challenges is becoming increasingly common. For many, the loss of innocence is full of fear and confusion, but the resulting gain of empathy is

The majority of the characters in this novel express themselves through a form of art. For Miranda it is through writing, while for, Arthur it is acting. Art is powerful in this novel because this is one way which lets the audience understand and connect to the world. One key point that the novel focuses on is “survival is insufficient” (Mandel 116). This quotation shows humans need more than just primal survival instincts to live. Art is also a way which we can connect with each other and one way things cannot be forgotten. Art is a great way to remind ourselves about our

In the excerpt of Crazy Brave written by Joy Harjo, the readers are presented with the life story of the author. In this story, the author depicted the calamities she faced and the opportunities afforded to her through those calamities. The story portrayed a hostile and unsafe environment where the author was not accepted; however, she persevered until she had no other option except to run away or move to a boarding school sponsored for her ethnicity. After careful consideration, she was able to choose the answer that led her to discover art, a discovery that changed her life.

Violence plays an incredibly important and pervasive role in Toni Morrison’s Sula, working to dramatically shape many of the figures in the novel, including two of the prominent characters; Shadrack and Sula, and the less central characters of Plum and Eva. It is violence, and how the characters respond differently to it that influences how they are perceived and how they affect others. Violence changes Shadrack from a normal young man to a death-obsessed outcast. It shapes Plum from a young boy to a drug addict, and subsequently changes Eva from a caring mother to a murderer. And most importantly, violence changes Sula from an ordinary young girl with a bright future, into a feared, leper-ish figure. How each of the characters responds to

There are some images and events that stick with a person forever and can change their entire outlook on life. Sometimes these events are experienced indirectly, through the media, but that does not mean that it impacts the person any less. Audre Lorde is one of those people who is indirectly affected by a tragedy that she witnesses through the eyes of the media and her society. For Audre Lorde, the brutal murder of a young African American boy sticks with her and inspires her to write an emotional poem entitled “Afterimages.” The image of the boy, Emmett till, is forever engraved in Audre Lorde’s brain (Lorde 48). Her poem clearly expresses how distraught she is, not only with what happens to Emmett Till, but also with the views of society as a whole. The theme for Audre Lorde’s “Afterimages” is traumatic events can reflect the attitudes of members of a society and can also significantly impact the lives of young people.

“A&P” and “Girl” both symbolized the protagonists’ oppression by an older, more experienced generation. However, Kincaid’s “Girl” was artistic with an undercurrent of selfless love and hope while Updike’s “A&P” was uninspiring with selfishness and lust. The protagonist of “Girl” discouraged her daughter’s dreams out of love. The protagonist of “A & P” encouraged the antagonists’ out of a selfish desire for self-promotion.

Art itself is a symbol of both freedom and failure.  In her attempt to become an artist, Edna reaches the zenith of her awakening.  She begins to truly understand pure art as a means of self-expression as well as self-assertion.  In a similar way, Mlle. Reisz sees the path to

Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, documents the author's discovery of her own and her father's homosexuality. The book touches upon many themes, including, but not limited to, the following: sexual orientation, family relationships, and suicide. Unlike most autobiographical works, Bechdel uses the comics graphic medium to tell her story. By close-reading or carefully analyzing pages fourteen through seventeen in Fun Home one can get a better understanding of how a Bechdel employs words and graphic devices to render specific events. One can also see how the specific content of the pages thematically connects to the book as a whole. As we will see, this portion of the book echoes the strained relationship

“While survivors often feel shame in talking about abuse, talking about their artworks is an experience of finally coming home.” The first picture I created as a little girl, the second as an art student in college, and the other three in my adulthood. Painting, for me, is an affective methodology, a force of feeling life. Being an adult does not erase the childhood memories of abuse. The paintings presented here, convey psychological emotions of how a Black girl who witnessed domestic violence became a Black woman and how these paintings still give me space and freedom. The exploration of these paintings gives me a sense of accomplishment that I certainly would not have had if my father had shot me. I created a safe space for myself by focusing from my inner resource using my artwork and being self-empowering rather than being a victim. My journey taught me that I do not need to fear the past or give into negative criticisms about how I live my plight. Like Picasso, who felt wholly alive when he was painting and, only then, was it possible for him to taste freedom. What is significant for me now is how this little girl survived severe trauma and how I survived today as a Black

Human emotions remain as one of the world’s biggest secrets. Like sleep, we know what happens to our body when we experience these emotions whether it be a release of hormones or a certain area on the body becomes more sensitive. But we don’t know why we have them, experience them, or what purpose they serve. All we know is everyone’s emotions behave differently. Different types of arts can elicit completely different emotional response from people. Some art may have the ability to appeal to dangerous emotions in certain people. Whether it be the corruption of a once faithful and beautiful young girl, plagued by the desire for romanticism and lofty ideas, or a handsome young nobleman who is obsessed with living life to fullest. Both are fueled by the emotion that a certain type of art elicits in them, leaving them in a never ending chase that ruins there life’s. In the Novels Madame Bovary and The Picture of Dorian Grey the protagonists in these stories perfectly exemplifies the danger of arts emotional appeal by showing the corruption and eventual downfall of two once young and beautiful souls by exposing them to art that pleases dangerous emotions such as desire, pleasure, entitlement and disappointment.

Elena uses art to cope with her own (often distorted) reality, with her darkest dreams, producing pictures that are mainly dark in theme and tonalities, conveying deep feelings such as fear, pain (physical and mental) and loneliness.

Popular Culture has used works of art to promote feminism. The purpose of art is to communicate ideas from all aspects, create a sense of beauty and explore the natures of perception; for pleasure or to generate strong emotions. Educational institutes are exposing today's generation to so many different types of art. Throughout these recent years, we have seen how artists have used art to promote feminism, which today's generations are

Good art allows me to flee the realms of reality. In my mind's limitless consciousness, I can escape the mundanity of everyday life. It opens a door in my head to a world only limited by my imagination. I am no more a slave to gravity, chained down on the earth when I am reading. I can be a bird and soar high above the clouds, or be a fish and swim deep down in the darkest depths of the ocean. I am there, I am that person, and everything else around me regardless of what it is, fades away. Sometimes these people are the one's I'd like to be but sometimes I encounter nefarious characters I wholly condemn. I am able to feel the emotions that the artist intends for me to feel. However, it is not merely reading or listening, but understanding