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Now and then character analysis
Now and then character analysis
Now and then character analysis
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“Scout’s Honor” by Avi is a realistic short-story about three boys trying to move up a class in Boy Scouts and they are trying to prove that they are a man. In the beginning, Max, Horse, and the narrator, (name is unknown), are talking about going to New Jersey to camp for the night without a parent or guardian, to get the third badge to move up a class. They have to get the Scout Craft badge. Soon, the boys have trouble getting there and realize they didn't need all the stuff they took and needed different things. In the end the narrator gives up and Max and Horse join in. Then they all agree not to tell the scout leader about their journey, “Mr. Brenkman.” This story shows that the boys weren't as strong as they acted. One reason the boys weren't as strong as they acted is in the beginning Max got left on a subway by himself by accident and started crying. In paragraph 51, for example, the character plays it off like nothing happened. In paragraph 46, the narrator says, “Wait at the next station! Don’t move!” In paragraph 51, when the boys meet up again, “Naw, there was this water dripping from the tunnel roof. But, you said don’t move right? Well, I was just being obedient.” This shows that Max tries to prove to his friends/rivals that he is strong, and not scared of anything. Also, …show more content…
For example, in paragraph 78, the narrator says, “I'm going,’ I said. Trying to look brave, I started off on my own. Also in that paragraph, the text says “When I looked down, I saw fog. I could feel the bridge tremble and sway. It wasn’t long before I was convinced the bridge was about to collapse.” The narrator tried to stay calm and collected, but when he got on the bridge, he was scared out of his mind. This shows that he was just trying to “show” off in front of his friends, like he was not
An example of their adventures is when Kevin mouths at Tony D. and his gang, defending Max and himself; after of which he discovers that Max could not have fought Tony and incredulously questions, “You mean you couldn’t take him and I was giving him lip?” (31). Kevin’s words reveal his trust in Max. He incited Tony, believing Max would be able to protect the both of them. The boys’ next conflict, an encounter with Iggy, the head of a troublemaking motorcycle gang, and Loretta, his wife, show Max’s concern for Kevin and his wanting to keep Kevin safe: “I feel real bad for Freak because he hated it when people try to rub his head for luck, but I don’t say a word, I just run us home, thumping the short way back around the pond, and my big feet never trip me up because I’m on automatic, I’m this running machine” (72). Max is very attuned and sensitive to Kevin’s feelings, an important quality in a friendship. Also, his desire to protect Kevin and keep him away from Iggy and Loretta prevent his clumsiness from impeding his speedy progress to home. The conflicts Freak the Mighty encounter prove the boys’ undeniable teamwork and
In the first chapter of the novel, the author gives the narrator’s story an informal, conversational tone by using “I” frequently, short, simple sentences, basic vocabulary and conversational phrases like “you know what I mean.” (pg. 8) The narrator seems like a nice old man: happy, brave, and compassionate. The narrator is an older, grown man working in an “office” and walking in a small town neighborhood. (pg. 8). He seems generally happy and is “walking along whistling” (pg. 8) as he walks. He does not get flustered easily because he doesn’t run away when a pack of dogs is coming at time but just “moves over the the edge of the sidewalk” (pg. 9) to let them pass. He was not too sentimental at first as he was worried about the “sanitation department [having to] pick up a dead dog” (pg. 9) instead of worrying about the poor animal and his suffering. However, when the dog reminds him of a time “when an old hound like that had given his life so that [he] might live” (pg. 10), the narrator gets emotional. His “fighting blood was boiling” (pg. 11) and he decides to intervene. It is clear that he is brave because he steps into the middle of a dog fight to save the old hound dog (pg. 11). Next, the narrator is kind and compassionate toward the dog when he “almost cried” (pg. 12) at the state of the old dog, and then baths and feeds him (pg.
For example, the piece starts out explaining the circumstances of an encounter the author had with a woman on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a wealthy neighborhood in an “impoverished” section of Chicago. The author states “As I swung onto the avenue behind her, there seemed to be a discreet, uninflammatory distance between us. Not so. She cast a worried glance… After a few more quick glimpses, she picked up her pace and was soon running in earnest. Within seconds she disappeared into a cross street” (1). Through the usage of the anecdote, the author demonstrates the hostile attitude people had toward him, even though he didn’t do anything to make the woman feel uncomfortable, other than walking down the street behind her. In a similar fashion, the author mentions the confusion people have toward whether he will be trouble or not, stating the following as being the most terrifying for him: “One day, rushing into the office of a magazine I was writing for with a deadline story in hand, I was mistaken as a burglar. The office manager called security and, with an ad hoc posse, pursued me through the labyrinthe halls, nearly to my editor’s door. I had no way of proving who I was. I could only move briskly toward the company of someone who knew me” (8). This anecdote describes the attitude the general public had toward the author.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch tries to please her father, but living with no mother it’s hard to know how to act. It’s natural to follow Jem, her brother, when that is her only friend through out the years. Imagine hearing gossip about your father from friends, neighbors, and even your own cousin. Scout had to push through all of the gossip and believe in her father. Throughout the novel Scout shows how social she can be. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel that keeps you reading. Scout has a positive effect on events such as at the jail, she was the reason that the mob left. She also always curious so she is more mature than most kids her age. Through the journey of the trial she shows how hot-tempered, tomboyish, and mature she can be.
The protagonist Holden Caulfield shows a lot of bravery during the course of the novel. I disagree with the quote, but I do agree that there are many references that are similar between J.F. Clarke’s quote and J. D. Salinger’s novel. Author J.F Clarke’s quote, “The bravest of individuals is one who obeys his/her conscience” can be looked upon in many ways. It also relates to J. D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye. The protagonist Holden Caulfield shows a lot of bravery during the course of the novel.
Bravery is a very important theme in To Kill A Mockingbird. Many of the main characters show bravery in many different situations. These characters aren't always brave in the same ways, for example Atticus does the right thing even if he knows it won’t work out, Scout does scary things, while Calpurnia is courageous in general. This novel shows how important courage is in real life as well.
Summer camp is an important annual experience in many children’s lives. Some kids choose to continue with camp long past their camper years and become counselors. A program, the Camper in Leadership Training (CILT) program, exists within the camp structure as a leadership program designed to educate kids, aged fifteen through seventeen, on how to become effective counselors. Each session typically concludes with a closing campfire, which the male CILTs extinguish after the females have left by urinating on the embers. This folk ritual, affectionately known to the CILTs as “pissing out the fire,” is employed by the male CILT folk group as a strategy that allows them to reassert power, to reaffirm the solidarity of the all-male group, and to regain their masculinity, which has been altered within the camp environment, before leaving the shelter of that environment. During this transitional period, the CILTs anticipate returning to the larger social world and are socializing themselves accordingly. These kids’ experiences with gender identity at camp mirror Barrie Thorne’s point that gender is socially constructed and highly contextual (Thorne 10). This folk ritual allows these boys to regain their gender identity, the identity largely accepted by the outside culture, as they prepare to re-enter mainstream society.
As he begins telling his point of view, he states “It makes me sad to see it, the look of disbelief in each person’s eye. Trudy’s disappearance makes me sad, too… (85)” This shows he is putting a higher value on people’s confidence on his account then his own grief for his vanished wife. This already gives the account a different motive and thus seems like the narrator may be manipulating his audience in order to maintain a notion of honesty.
It should be mentioned that the story uses a myriad of figurative and metaphoric imagery. Throughout the novel the narrator injects his own views, often leading the reader to a deeper questioning of the story as it unfolds. He frequently speaks about what would happen if the main character were to do things in a different way. Also, through the interjection of varying levels of foreshadowing the reader gets a sense of where the story is headed. At one point the narrator says “…were I to t...
2. The author creates tone, which changes from peaceful and calm to horror. Words in the story like humorlessly and awkwardly help the reader feel the tension in the town. In the story, “She held her breath while her husband went forward” proved that the characters was dealing with ...
Scout was the narrator of the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" (by Harper Lee). At first she didn't know a lot about Maycomb (the town they live in), the people in the town and life. Through the book she had lots of new experiences and learned a lot. This knowledge caused significant changes in her characteristics and perspective. As the novel progressed, she has grown up. She has become a better person.
Max is big and tough, but is ridiculed and called stupid, his self-confidence is too low to verbally defend himself. When Kevin is tormented, he tends to get himself into trouble because he verbally stand up to others, but then cannot run to get away. I am trying to imagine any eighth grader who could not identify with Max's remarks while ridding on top of Kevin's shoulders, "I like how it feels to have a really smart brain on my shoulders, helping me to think." Of course, most eighth graders who saw this movie would appreciate the part about how together, Kevin and Max, was able to outsmart the local bully, the fearsome Blade and his gang. When the gang was spotted, Max murmured to Kevin, "Tell me what to do." Using Kevin's brains and Max's brawn, Freak the Mighty lured Blade into the cold pond water, thus becoming a hero.
Jem Finch, from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, plays an important role in order to develop the novel. Jem starts off as curious, sensitive, and creative individual. Throughout the novel he graduates into an understanding and morally correct personality. In the beginning of the novel, Jem’s idea of courage and bravery was spying on the Radley house. As the novel progresses and Jem developed, his prospective on bravery had changed. Jem had learned the true meaning of bravery from his father, Atticus Finch.
Paul Simon, the musician, once said, “If you can get humor and seriousness at the same time, you've created a special little thing, and that's what I'm looking for, because if you get pompous, you lose everything” (Simon 1). Racism in the 1930s and until the 1960s was a very serious issue. As stated, authors have taken this serious issue and turned it into great pieces of literature. Many of them have truly shown the seriousness of racism in society. Even though, criticism continues. Some critics have argued that Scout, in To Kill A Mockingbird, is an unreliable narrator. This is simply because Scout is a child. They suspect she is too innocent, naïve, and has an unbiased view. However, Scout as the narrator is a reliable choice because she allows the reader to concentrate more on the exterior of situations, she allows the reader to make his/her opinion, and she gives the reader direction of how to cover events and certain actions in the novel. Scout, as a child narrator, helps the reader ‘read between the lines’.
The protagonist's emotional character was described through his own words. He is shown as careful and gentle when he says “I went out to the little window and inhaled the country air… [I] dried myself a little, and making sure that no bugs were hidden in the folds of my clothes, got dressed” (163). He decided to leave the hotel and wander the streets at night, and the reader can assume that this was a foolish decision, as most people know not to roam unknown streets in the dark. He even was warned by the hotel owner, who told him that “everything’s closed. And no streetlights around here. You’d better stay put” (163), however, he thoughtlessly ignored his advice and continued on into uncertainty. His naivety was also revealed when he “thought that the universe was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings. My actions… were nothing but pauses and syllables, scattered phrases from that dialogue” (164), basically describing the world as equal to a sentence. His lack of maturity reveals that he is unable to see how complicated the universe really is. His transition is developed through his character when he thinks quickly, and reacts with maturity to his attacker, even while “his machete grazed my eyelids” (165) trying to convince the man his eyes were not blue.