You Can 't Spell Alcoholic Without

Scott Russell Sanders’ “Under the Influence” is about a family growing up with alcoholism, mental and physical abuse. When Sanders was very young, he didn’t recognize that his father was an alcoholic, but as he grew older, he saw the bloodshot eyes, hiding alcohol, the deceptions, and the dual personalities of an alcoholic. “My father drank. He drank as a gut-punched boxer gasps for breath, as a starving dog gobbles food—compulsively, secretly, in pain and trembling.” (215). Sanders story starts at the end, where his father dies from alcoholism. The turmoil and fear this family suffered because of their father’s alcoholism, is a story a lot of families are familiar with.

She describes the disappointing effects of her father’s recidivistic alcoholism on her psyche and family income, stating that “After all he’d put himself through, I couldn’t believe Dad had gone back to the booze… With dad drinking again, and no money coming in…”(123) Walls, in clear concise language, illustrates the destructive nature of alcoholism, and its tendency to cause poverty and lead to the destruction of trust in relationships. The correlation between

Their American dream had vanished with their psychological corruption issues. George, regrets shooting Lennie, and Lennie, is overcome by fear after killing Curley’s wife. Their story illustrates their lonely lives. “The alternative to the companionship that George and Lennie share is loneliness” (“Themes” 1).

In the first chapter, we read about Bill’s story. Bill’s story describes his journey as an alcoholic and the struggles he faced in both his personal and professional life. Bill’s story genuinely gives a true insight into the struggles and challenges of addiction. His story is written in a way in which you are able to feel his isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and loss. I personally found Bill’s story impactful and insightful. Through Bill’s words, I was able to gain an inside perspective into his thoughts and feelings about his ordeal and how he shifted from having no hope to having an entirely new world of hope revealed to him through what was essentially the start of Alcoholics Anonymous. The second chapter of our text seemed to me to be a call to anyone who was experiencing a

Carver’s “A Serious Talk” is another short story that perfectly demonstrates the damaging affects of alcohol addiction on both the addict and those who surround them. In the story, a woman named Vera is visited by her ex-husband Burt, who arrives to give

During 1945, the final year of World War II, the domestic economy of the United States experienced a series of recessions. As of consequence, many Americans were unemployed and impoverished. In order to escape the challenges of society, many turned to alcohol. Therefore, due to the prevalence of alcohol consumption, alcoholism infected the lives of many people. Scott Russell Sanders describes his ability to overcome adversity as a result of having an alcoholic father by the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in his essay “Under the Influence”.

In the essay “Under the Influence,” Scott Russell Sanders uses his recollection and metaphors to portray an image of his father’s drinking customs. While certain people believe that children who are raised in a home with a drunk often follow in their footsteps, Sanders did the paradoxical and became a man whom his father was not. Although nothing but disappointment was demonstrated throughout the manuscript, Sanders made a connection with himself and his father. The relation contrived was his father 's afflicting dependence for alcohol and his uplifting addiction to working. Although plentiful children suffer from growing up with a guardian who has an addiction obstacle, Sanders overcame his misery by concentrating on himself and becoming a “workaholic”.

Alcoholism does not only affect a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state, but it also changes the lives of people close to the drinker forever. It ruins relationships and trust that took years to build up, and may never be able to be restored. In Jeannette Walls’s memoir, The Glass Castle, she tells the story of her childhood in which her father was an alcoholic. Jeannette’s father, Rex Walls, was brilliant and charismatic when he was sober, but when he drank, he was destructive and dishonest.

“Alcohol addiction stunts the spiritual, emotional and mental growth of a person”~Anonymous. Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, is a book based off the author’s teenage life. The novel is about a poor 14 year old named Junior who faced numerous challenges in his life. Junior has experienced bullying, he was called a traitor for following his dreams, got in a huge fight with his best friend and lost three very important people in his life because of alcohol. Fortunately in the end, Junior got through the pain and lived on but he learned many lessons. One of the lessons Junior learned was that the fall into addiction, in this situation alcohol, leads to a great deal of misery for the individual and those

Balance and stability are integral factors of a human life and in maintaining relationships between humans, and can be influenced by whether or not a harmony is found between an individual’s freedom and confinement. These ideas are clearly presented in Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. In this text, Haddon conveys his ideas, through tone and emotive language, that the emotional and mental stability of an individual impact greatly on his or her relationships. Through symbolism, he also describes the way in which a moderate level of isolation is a crucial part in maintaining human relationships. Together, these allow for Haddon’s audience to gain a deeper understanding of humanity and human relationships.

The essay, “Under the Influence”, was written by Scott Russell Sanders at his forty-two years old. As the son of an alcoholic, Sander described his fearful childhood memory and how his family was affected by his alcoholic father in the long run. The purpose for Sander wrote this essay is that he wants his son can be saved from the chain of influences passed by his father.

Alcoholism is a disease that not only affects the user’s behavior, but strains financial standing and social interaction (“Alcohol Problems vs. Alcohol Dependency”). Jeanette’s father in The Glass Castle, an undiagnosed alcoholic, would be the poster child for alcoholism in America with his many blatantly obvious symptoms. His relationships with the people around him, his finances, and his control over his actions and emotions deteriorate as the memoir develops. With this, Walls paints a very accurate account of alcoholism and its effect in America.

Alcohol consumption was initiated on reservations when traders in the nineteenth century started to offer it to oppressed and depressed Native Americans. Natives represent, in fact, the ethnic group with the highest degree of alcohol consumption in the United States. Confinement on reservations after displacement brought for Native Americans identity conflicts and assimilation problems. This situation promoted the abuse of liquor to mitigate the psychological pain inflicted by the dispossession of the land and enclosure in a limited and controlled space. Both the stereotype of the “Noble Savage” and the “drunken Indian” are recurrent figures in mainstream literature of the US.

Alcoholism is perhaps the most common form of drug abuse in North America today. Scientists report that the reason alcohol is so popular to people is because it is pleasant, relaxing, and is considered a "social beverage." But what individuals often do not take in to consideration is the fact that alcohol dulls the brain and confuses physical reactions. This can lead to numerous injuries, accidents, and death. Alcohol affects every part of an alcoholic's life: their body, their mind and their family life. The body has a natural chemical that gives a feeling of a "natural high". It happens in the presence of a life-endangering situation. This chemical is adrenaline, which is meant to prepare the body for defense in

“Where I’m Calling From” by Raymond Carver is a short story about a man’s struggle with Alcoholism, and his encounters at a drying-out facility or treatment center. The story itself seems very straight forward in the way it’s presented, 3rd person perspective, narrative writing style, realism (ENotes.com), but in actuality there’s a lot more to the story. The story displays numerous themes such as the narrators own self-destruction, his fight to overcome his addiction, and his possible feelings of regret and responsibility. Carver also uses tone, imagery, and symbolism to take the audience to places they might not experience in their own life. This short story by Raymond Carver is worth analyzing because there’s much more to it than what is on the surface, from the numerous themes presented throughout the story, to the use of imagery and symbolism to drive the story through its stages.