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Portrayal of masculinity in arts
How is masculinity presented
Portrayal in masculinity
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“A Secret Lost in the Water” by Roch Carrier and “The Maiden Wiser Than the Tsar” retold by Idris Shah are both short stories rich in their plot and conflicts. The narrator and the Maiden both faced different conflicts, each associated with its own life lesson. While the differences between the internal conflicts of the narrator and the Maiden are striking, there is an important similarity.
The narrator faces an internal Man vs. Himself conflict in “A Secret Lost in the Water” when he realizes that he no longer remembers his father’s gift. “Somewhere along the roads I’d taken since the village of my childhood I had forgotten my father’s knowledge. ‘Don’t feel sorry… nowadays fathers can’t pass on anything to the next generation’” (Carrier, 96). This impacts the narrator because it gives him a sense of regret. Consequently, the statement made him feel like he, who is a father now himself, may not be able to pass down any of his knowledge to his kids. Although, this teaches him that it is important to hold onto certain knowledge passed down because it is the only way that it can be remembered and preserved.
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Circumstances challenge because she has many impossible tasks that require wisdom to solve. In addition, not only are the challenges a test, but they are major stressors for the Maiden and her father. “The next day the Tsar sent a courtier to the poor man with a bundle of flax, saying ‘This flax must be made into sails for my ship by tomorrow; otherwise, you will be executed’” (62). However, the poor Maiden overcame her conflict by using her wisdom to her advantage. “The Tsar, seeing that she was wiser than himself, asked that she be brought to court forthwith” (62). The Maiden and readers learn from this conflict that one’s financial status does not determine how wise one is or can
Historically, women have been treated as second class citizens. The Napoleonic Code stated that women were controlled by their husbands and cannot freely do their own will without the authority of their husband. This paper shows how this is evident in the "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and " A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. In both stories, the use of literary elements such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and significant meaning of the titles are essential in bringing the reader to an unexpected and ironic conclusion.
Thomas Jr.’s issues are mainly related to having an absent father throughout his life, as well as the impact it left on him. Due to Thomas Sr.’s absence, Thomas Jr. acquired several fixations which are shown through his explanation of the story of “The Sixth Borough”. As mentioned in Absent Fathers, Lost Sons by Guy Corneau, the term “absent fathers” refers to both the psychological and physical unavailability of fathers and it implies a spiritual and emotional deficiency. Thomas Jr. had an non attending father throughout his life, therefore he had a fixation on missing what he never had, a present paternal figure. Throughout the analysis of Thomas Jr., we can see that he relates his story about “The Sixth Borough” to himself as a child with
In the thought provoking stories “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, certain characters experienced tragic loses. These stories all sadly portrayed tragic moments that the main characters experienced. In the story “Gwilan’s Harp” Gwilan loses her harp, but she is able to find redemption at the conclusion. The both inspiring and touching story of the “The Washwoman” reveals an important life lesson and shows strong examples of aspiring attitude. Finally, “The Last Leaf” surprises the reader with an unpredictable ending of Behrman, who is very poorly treated but he acts as a great influence throughout the story. Without doubt, these stories demonstrate respectable principals
Firstly, one’s identity is largely influenced by the dynamics of one’s relationship with their father throughout their childhood. These dynamics are often established through the various experiences that one shares with a father while growing up. In The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner, Jeannette and Amir have very different relationships with their fathers as children. However the experiences they share with these men undou...
Carrier’s protagonist who is motivated by a feeling of regret at not having learned from his father before his death. Conversely, Salinas’ speaker is motivated by a desire to pay respect to his father while he is still alive. At the end of “A Secret Lost in the water”, Carrier’s protagonist “has forgotten his father’s knowledge” (Carrier 36) which means he fails to inherit his father’s “sense of piety” (Carrier 35) and loses the way to find water. On the contrary, Salinas’ speaker still has very strong feelings of affection for his father, notwithstanding his poor treatment of his father while he was alive. The speaker “’d gladly give his life for his father” (Salina 21) because although his father is a “worker and provider” (Salina 30) with “a sixth grade education”, he is a
Women have traditionally been known as the less dominant sex. They have been stereotyped as being housewives, and bearers and nurturers of the children. Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men. This tension is derived from men, society, and within a woman herself. Even though these stories were written during the 19th century when modern society treated women as second class citizens, in “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin illustrates how feminine power manifests when the female characters are able to discover their freedom.
In the short stories, Marigolds by Eugenia Collier, and The Bet by Anton Chekhov, both Lizabeth and the Lawyer, along with their understanding of life, are similar, as well as very different. While both Lizabeth and the Lawyer develop a deeper understanding and knowledge of their situations by the end of each story, the processes that lead them to these realizations are very different, as race, gender, and social class all play a role in how the two characters develop.
The conflict between good and evil is one of the most common conventional themes in literature. Coping with evil is a fundamental struggle with which all human beings must contend. Sometimes evil comes from within a character, and sometimes other characters are the source of evil; but evil is always something that the characters struggle to overcome. In two Russian novels, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, men and women cope with their problems differently. Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment and the Master in The Master and Margarita can not cope and fall apart, whereas Sonya in Crime and Punishment and Margarita in The Master and Margarita, not only cope but pull the men out of their suffering.
The role of a father could be a difficult task when raising a son. The ideal relationship between father and son perhaps may be; the father sets the rules and the son obeys them respectfully. However it is quite difficult to balance a healthy relationship between father and son, because of what a father expects from his son. For instance in the narratives, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences” both Willy and Troy are fathers who have a difficult time in earning respect from their sons, and being a role model for them. Between, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences,” both protagonists, Willy and Troy both depict the role of a father in distinctive ways; however, in their struggle, Willy is the more sympathetic of the two.
Jonas hates how his society decides to keep memories a secret from everyone. Jonas says: “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared” (Lowry 154). Jonas feels that memories, whether it be good or bad, should be shared with everyone. Furthermore, memories allow the community to gain wisdom from remembering experiences of the past. As for The Giver, The Giver disagrees with how the community runs things. He believes that memories should be experienced by everyone as well, because life is meaningless without memories. The Giver says: “There are so many things I could tell them; things I wish they would change. But they don’t want change. Life here is so orderly, so predictable–so painless. It’s what they’ve chosen [...] It’s just that… without memories, it’s all meaningless. They gave that burden to me” (Lowry 103). The Giver is burdened with the responsibility to not share memories even though that is what he feels the community deserves. In addition, he believes the community lives a very monotonous life where nothing ever changes. Everything is meaningless without memories because the community does not know what it is like to be human without feelings. Overall, Jonas and The Giver’s outlooks on their “utopian” society change as they realize that without
A father ultimate role is to maintain structure in his household. However, in the One Hundred Years of Solitude the role of patriarchy has reverse int...
Thus, story and memory remove humans from the horrible brevity of mortal life by bringing existence into a realm outside of time. Humans die, but through story their fellow humans can make them immortal. Even amidst life’s tragedies, stories allow us to transform what seems an unbearable reality into something deeply beautiful. And yet their power is not merely retrospective since stories impose moral responsibility on our every action. Forgetting, therefore, is among the worst evils; not only because of the “moral perversity” it permits, but also because of the meaning it denies.
In the story, the narrator is forced to tell her story through a secret correspondence with the reader since her husband forbids her to write and would “meet [her] with heavy opposition” should he find her doing so (390). The woman’s secret correspondence with the reader is yet another example of the limited viewpoint, for no one else is ever around to comment or give their thoughts on what is occurring. The limited perspective the reader sees through her narration plays an essential role in helping the reader understand the theme by showing the woman’s place in the world. At ...
“We just want you to be happy, we know what is best;” This is how many parents justify setting goals and having expectations of their children as they grow up. In “The Drowned Son,” by David Guterson, the manly duck hunter of a father, Hutchinson, was blamed for the death of his son, Paul, because of his constant push to be doughty. Hutchinson strived for his son to grow up to be a man and not a coward, which pressured Paul to prove himself. Because of his father’s expectations, Paul eventually took a dangerous and adventurous fishing trip which ultimately ended his life. Like Mr. Hutchinson, all parents have hopes and dreams for their children; however having too high or even low expectations of them can be detrimental to their development as they grow to become more fulfilled human beings.
In actuality, she was defiant, and ate macaroons secretly when her husband had forbidden her to do so. She was quite wise and resourceful. While her husband was gravely ill she forged her father’s signature and borrowed money without her father or husband’s permission to do so and then boastfully related the story of doing so to her friend, Mrs. Linde. She was proud of the sacrifices she made for her husband, but her perceptions of what her husband truly thought of her would become clear. She had realized that the childlike and submissive role she was playing for her husband was no longer a role she wanted to play. She defied the normal roles of the nineteenth century and chose to find her true self, leaving her husband and children