In the two short stories “Brothers are the Same” by Beryl Markham and “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing two main characters go head to head on quests or “rites of passage”. In “Brothers are the Same,” a young man named Temas in a tribe in Africa must hunt and kill a lion in order to become a man; along with Jerry, from “Through the Tunnel”, puts himself in a position of life or death in a tunnel under water. With that, both characters put themselves in difficult situations that include many differences among them. Each boy has to discover if his mental and physical power can do the tasks and complete each obstacle. For example, in “Brothers are the Same” Temas needs to go on a hunt with another group of soon to be men and kill a lion. …show more content…
For instance, Jerry from “Through the Tunnel” had bestowed the choice upon himself to force himself how to learn to breath underwater and hold it, and forced his tiny body through the even smaller tunnel. Jerry did not only have the choice, but didn't even focus on why he was even making the decision to go through the tunnel; all he knew was to go through, it even if it killed him. For good old Temas, he had the horrible choice of having the high chance of being killed, being considered a man, or knowing, and being told he was a coward. Temas wasn't just overthinking this in the book, his old enemy and new found friend had even told him this taunting quote. “It is true that this, my enemy saw the shame of my first fear. He would tell everyone and to her” (Markham 368). As shown, Temas had the choice, but at the same time did not. As for Jerry, that was a different explanation. It wasn't just that one thing Jerry was not raised with that kind of tradition in his family; all he knew was that he did not have to earn to be a man or what he wanted to be, as far as knew he could do what he wanted as he grew up. Temas did not even come close to being raised and brought up into that more welcoming environment
The two stories "Brothers are the Same" by Beryl Markham and "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing are both about growing up and entering adulthood. " Brothers are the Same" about a boy named Temas trying to prove he was tough and could be called an adult. In a similar situation in "Through the Tunnel" a young boy named Jerry is determined to go through an underwater tunnel that he saw some older French boys go through. He wants to accomplish this goal to prove to himself that he can do it. The two stories share a similar theme, but the authors perspective on the topic differs.
Two people could be living two very different lifestyles, yet they could be very similar in the way they act and react in the same situation. Charlotte from “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson and the Mother character from “Borders” by Thomas King live very different lives but the way they deal with the problems they are faced with is very similar. Both protagonists have to deal with trying to be forced to be something they are not by society and their families, but Charlotte from “The Metaphor” has been challenged by her strenuous home, she must face her organized mother and orderly home; the Mother from “Borders” must stand up for what she believes in and fight for what she wants.
The play, Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, is a twisted tale of two brothers born on the same day and from the same womb, yet they live in two entirely different worlds.
“Boom! Boom!” I h the rifles and saw bullets from the fighting going on the Revolutionary War. In this essay, I will compare and contrast My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier and Colony of Fear by Lucy Jones Bledsoe. The topics to be discussed are the protagonist, the antagonist, Religion and Politics in the novels.
In “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” written by Wes Moore the author writes about two boys growing up in Baltimore that share the same name and similar backgrounds but end up taking drastically different paths in life due to many varying factors. The author goes on to earn a college degree, become a Rhodes Scholar, a veteran and more while the “other” Wes cannot avoid the inevitable fate of dealing drugs and ultimately spends his life running from the police and in prison. This reflects how both Wes Moore’s became products of their environment as the way a person is shaped and guided in their developmental years does unquestionably play a large role in the type of person they will become as adults. A lot of elements come into play that help to determine a person’s success or failure, but at the end of the day the most important factors are family, education and opportunities.
Other People’s Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy by Victoria Purcell-Gates recounts the author’s two-year journey with an illiterate Appalachian family. Purcell-Gates works with Jenny, the mother, and her son, first grader Donny, to analyze the literacy within the household. Throughout the journey, we learn the definition and types of literacy, the influences of society and the environment, and the impacts of literacy on education from the teacher’s perspective. In order to evaluate literacy in the household, one must study multiple types, including functional, informational, and critical literacy. As the name implies, functional literacy incorporates reading and writing as tools for everyday survival. Informational literacy is used through text to communicate information to others. The highest level of literacy, critical literacy, requires critical interpretations and imaginative reflections of text. In her study, Purcell-Gates strives to teach Jenny and Donny functional literacy.
We all experience a rite of passage in our lives, whether it be the time we learned to swim or perhaps the day we received our driver’s license. A rite of passage marks an important stage in someone’s life, and one often times comes with a lesson learned. Three selections that provide fine examples of rites of passage that individuals confront include “The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant” by W.D. Wetherell, “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins” and “First Lesson” by Philip Booth.
Much of the time, we have a great deal of control over the choices we make, but sometimes these choices are influenced by outside factors or the situations surrounding them. In Ethan Frome, certain situations greatly affected the decisions made by characters. However, the choices ultimately came down to the characters themselves. For example, Ethan and Mattie’s mutual love may have caused them to act irrationally, but it was Mattie’s choice to recommend suicide and Ethan’s choice to complete the act, which was unsuccessful. Another example is Zeena’s decision to dismiss Mattie from the house, a choice Ethan did not support but really did not have much say in. I firmly believe that although we may be influenced to make certain choices by our
When two siblings are born together, and are close in age, many people wonder whether they will be the same or different altogether. A “River Runs through it” shows two brothers who grew up in the same household, and grew up loving to do the same activity fly fishing. Both brothers were raised in a very strict presbyterian household. Norman is the older brother, and he is much more responsible and family orientated. Paul is the irresponsible younger brother; Paul as an adult was not at home much anymore. Both brothers were loved equally as children, but how they view and use love is what separates them. Paul and Norman differ in behavior and character.
Micah and Henri from Deborah Ellis’ book, A company of Fools, are a classic example of how a character’s personality can be influenced by their upbringing and background. Micah was raised in the streets and therefore has developed a wild, self-sufficient manner unlike Henri who has only ever known the sheltered but strict life of the Abbey and is very introverted and well mannered. However as the story progresses similar traits between the two boys are uncovered and they both start to lose features of their personality that at first made them seem so different from one another. This shows that the two boys who at first appear to be polar opposites are actually remarkably similar, and only differenced in background which provides opportunity
Everyone’s lives are affected by the decisions they have made and past experiences they have had. In the novel A River Runs Through It, author Norman Maclean uses the theme of experiences to portray the difficulties a person can face throughout life. Although Norman and Paul are brothers and bond through fly fishing, they are two different people who have different life paths. Norman chose to get a stable job and live a domestic life, whereas Paul chose to become a bachelor and a lower class reporter. The main character is Norman himself, and he also experiences the difficulties his troubled brother Paul is faced with. Unlike his brother, Paul has chosen a different route in life, and he has an addiction problem. As a result of Paul’s alcoholism, his life is destroyed by financial issues, family disconnects and gambling.
In conclusion, Brother shows his self-interest in how he treats his younger brother. He treats his younger brother, Doodle, as something to ‘fix’ and he cannot accept his brother as he is. When Doodle finally learns to walk, Brother’s selfish need for a more ‘ideal’ little brother is not satisfied for long. Soon he demands a little brother who can run, jump, climb, swim, swing on vines, and row a boat. When he gives Doodle lessons for these activities, he does not do so for concern about Doodle wanting to be able to do them, but because he wants Doodle to be able to be a ‘normal’ brother.
As their journeys progress, each man is forced to overcome certain obstacles and hardships. At the end
Acclaimed Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, is a story about Okonkwo, a man from the fictional village of Umuofia. Okonkwo’s attempt to form an idealized self-identity and the stress he experiences in living up to its image wears his life, and eventually destroys the very identity he so desperately sought. Okonkwo’s end is analogous to the end of his tribe and its culture—Achebe refers to the Igbo peoples’ culture as the Ibo culture in his book. Furthermore, Okonkwo’s end shows the pain experienced by the change in power balances as the rulers became the ruled, with the white man colonizing Africa. The Heart of Darkness hardly needs an introduction; Joseph Conrad, its writer, wrote the novella based on his experiences as a captain on the Congo. The protagonist is Charles Marlow, whose impression of the colonized Congo basins along with its tribal inhabitants and the raiding white men amidst the deep, dark, disease-infested forests of Congo form the basis of the story. Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness are both based around situations that instigate the awe-inspiring, and yet horrifying confluence of races and cultures. However, while the former tells the story from the colonized peoples’ perspective, the latter tells it from the colonizers’ perspective. This paper attempts to highlight the differences and similarities in these novels by exploring the underlying themes and unusual circumstances portrayed in them.
Everyone in this world has similarities and differences. This idea is shown in “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry. In the story two kidnappers, Bill and Sam, take a boy and try to get two-thousand dollars as a ransom from the father, but taking the kid ends up being more than it is worth. Sam is the leader of the operation and is a little more cool and calm, while Bill is a little bit more on the edge. The two kidnappers' similarities are interesting, but their differences are more important.