Composition II
Research Paper Rough Draft title In “The Bear” by William Faulkner, there are several different personalities and attitudes that come into play at various times in the story. The story is told from the perspective of Isaac McCaslin, the boy of the story and one of the main characters as well, and many critics feel that this was “probably a projection of Faulkner’s own youthful self”(Monarch Notes 5). Isaac was of the aristocratic class of people who were a part of the South, and who also played a significant part of the stories that Faulkner wrote. Another class of people that were a consistent part of Faulkner’s short stories were the poor-whites such as the Snopes family in “Barn Burning.” Abner Snopes is a man who seems to blame everyone but himself for his problems. Being a Civil War veteren from the Confederate point of view, he was bitter about the War and the way that the Southerners were treated, though it appears that he brought his particular condition upon himself. During the War, the only loyalty was to himself and he remained that way Another class of people that are a significant part of Faulkner short stories are the non-whites which include the Negro, the Indian, and any mixture of the different races found in the South. Abner Snopes gave no regard or respect to the “nigger”(155), who was the de Spain servant and door man, when the Snopeses came to announce their arrival for the sharecropper job, but muttered “get out of my way, nigger.” Sam Waters gained more kindness and respect than that, though he was still a mixed blood in a wealthy, white world. He was
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. “The Bear.” Big Woods New York: Random House, 1955. 11-97.
Faulkner, William. “Barn Burning.” Short Story Masterpieces Ed. Robert Penn Warren and
Albert Erskine. New York: Dell, 1954. 148-68.
“Works of William Faulkner: Introduction and Bibliographical Scetch(sic).
The Adventures of Huck Finn is a very controversial book which brings much debate on whether it should be taught to children in America. The main reason for this debate is because the offensive word ‘nigger’ is used commonly throughout. The book is a classic and is seen to some people as such a great book that we should overlook the offensive word to understand the real lessons Mark Twain wanted to get across. One solution to this ongoing debate is something called the New South Edition, which substitutes ‘nigger’ for a ‘slave’ a word that is less personal and describes the history of America. Dr. Alan Gribben writes about the controversy and how the change effects the new edition. He uses personal anecdote, emotional appeal, historical references.
The stories that the author told were very insightful to what life was like for an African American living in the south during this time period. First the author pointed out how differently blacks and whites lived. She stated “They owned the whole damn town. The majority of whites had it made in the shade. Living on easy street, they inhabited grand houses ranging from turn-of-the-century clapboards to historics”(pg 35). The blacks in the town didn’t live in these grand homes, they worked in them. Even in today’s time I can drive around, and look at the differences between the living conditions in the areas that are dominated by whites, and the areas that are dominated by blacks. Racial inequalities are still very prevalent In today’s society.
William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" is an intriguing story about a young boy named Colonel Sartoris's (Sarty) love and hatred for his father, Abner Snopes. Ab is a brutal and frightening man who instills fear into whom ever he seems to be close to. What is the cause of Abner Snopes's cruel-heartedness? Maybe it's his alienation from the higher class in society that causes him to act in this manner. When such a separation occurs in a community one can feel that he doesn't belong and because he does not belong that the only way the higher class will give him the time of day is if the person acts out and tries to prove that he doesn't need law and conventional society, much like Ab Snopes. Another possibility is that Sarty's father has not developed the intelligence to conform to societal formality. He might feel that law is unnecessary for a husband and father who can, for the most part, get by and protect his family on his own. The cold hearted side of Ab Snopes is what causes the internal conflict in Sarty. Sarty loves his father because of the simple fact that Ab is his father. No matter how evil a father is a part deep down inside, no matter how small, will always hold the door open in case that person ever decides to change. That of course is the only thing that even remotely resembles Sarty's true love for his father, because Abner Snopes does nothing but abuse anyone who ever loved him throughout the entire story. We know that he is harsh to his wife, his sons, his daughters, and even his stock, and in the end this is why Sarty betrays his father. He simply would not take it any longer.
In the story, “The Wife of His Youth,” Chestnutt describes the racial discrimination in America. The author utilizes the primary characters as a gateway to reveal hypocrisy in declaring social equity and identity. Mr. Ryder runs away from his black heritage to become a part in a white society, while his wife from slavery uses her past to assert her faithfulness to her husband. The writer uses Mr. Ryder to reveal hypocrisy in social equity. Sam Taylor was a light skinned slave before the civil war. While his wife was at home cooking, he was always at the field working. During the civil war, he managed to escaped and moved up to north. After being free in north he decided to change his name to Mr. Ryder and joined the group called Blue Veins. Blue
In the short story Barn Burning by William Faulkner, a man by the name of Abner Snopes personifies the struggles within the social class system involving the lower classes attempting to retain and achieve equality with and among the higher classes through the action of burning barns. Snopes tries to gain powers by diminishing the standings of those around him who he considers to be unfairly placed above him class wise. His pyromaniacal tendencies of burning barns represent his efforts to burn down the class structure, alleviate his feelings of inferiority, and work to further give this story meaning by providing a complex yet straightforward conflict.
The cruel dominance of a father, can extinguish any flame of hope that builds in the people around him. In William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," Abner is that father. The story portrays a nomadic life of a family driven from one home to another. Abner had a craving hunger to belittle those around him that thought they were "better than him." Although the family accepts the nomadic life, Sarty (the son) dreams of having peace and stability. To have this peace, it only requires a lack of conflict. The Snope family was doomed to struggle due to Abner's constant instigation of conflict, the ongoing domination of his family and his complete lack of respect for the law.
"The Bull Moose" is a poem by one of the great Canadian poets, Alden Nowlan. It is a finely crafted poem by a very talented poet. It reminds us how far away from Nature the lives of ordinary men and women have strayed. This is something common to all of us who live so much our lives in buildings and who so rarely experience Nature in its raw form. Nowlan creates powerful layers of images, and contrasts them in a way to make us feel just how damaging to our minds and souls this separation from Nature has been. His poem is Romantic in the way it tries to remind us of how far we have fallen and how hollow our idea of progress is. Indeed, Nowlan suggests that we may be more of a beast than the moose.
Throughout the movie, social injustice is seen. A clear example of this was the search of Jesse Hunter by the sheriff and men of Sumner, after Fanny lied about being assaulted. Shortly after this, the men of Sumner went to Rosewood where they went to the home of Mr. James, dragged him out and eventually lynched him because the hound dogs lead them there. This is a clear example of social injustice because rather than investigating, and putting Mr. James through trial; they said he was guilty of hiding the man that raped Fanny and the reason behind it, as the sheriff said, “hounds don’t lie.” This showed that they trusted and animal over what Sam Carter said simply because he was black and the dog had lead them to his house. Social injustice was seen also when the city of Rosewood was burned down to the ground by angry white mob. Because of a lie by one individual who was white, all the blacks were targeted and forced to run for their lives; those who were captured were killed. No one in Rosewood was safe regardless of whether they were guilty of any crimes of
“Barn Burning” is a story filled with myth. This coming of age story features a boy stuck in a family with a father who can be thought of as Satan, and can be easily seen as connected to myths of Zeus and Cronus. The connection to Zeus is further elaborated when William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is also considered. These two stories along with a few others provided an amazing view of the south. Many characters or families can be viewed as groups that lived in the south during this time. The story is rich in mythology which includes a boy coming of age facing the challenges of morality, and southern life.
"Yes sir. Jesus, we had fun. They let the nigger come in that night. Little skinner name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn't let him use his feet, so the nigger got him. If he coulda used his feet, Smitty says he woulda killed the nigger. The guys said on account of the nigger's got a crooked back, Smitty can't use his feet."(Steinbeck 20). Steinbeck used “nigger” to describe an African American. But, there are plenty words to describe how African Americans were treated in the early 1930’s. Schools cannot accept the disrespectful word that describes African Americans and let the students to read this book. The idea that John Setinbeck thought about women was also disgraceful and blasphemous. George, when he saw Curley’s wife for the first time, he told Lennie, “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen’em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be”(Steinbeck 32). George judges her even though he didn’t know Curly’s wife. The way John Steinbeck used Curley’s wife in this book reveals Steinbeck’s perspective on women in general. His point of views toward the woman was that women should be in lower position than a man The way Steinbeck described racism and segregation in the early 1930’s was creative and unique , but the description of these subjects were unsuitable and ignorant toward African American and
In "Barn Burning," Faulkner portrays a boy, very nearly moral awareness, who ends up cut off from the modern world of which he is beginning to understand. The boy, Sarty begins to feel his alienation take root in connection with his father, who ought to be his moral compass and lead Sarty into this new modern society. On account of his father's criminal impulsiveness and a knack for starting fires, Sarty ends up, in the beginning of the story victimized and insulted by a kid, who he attacks back. His father has taught him to see others as the "enemy" (X.J. Kennedy). When Sarty’s father is charged with arson by Mr. Harris, he consequently labels him as "our enemy . . . hisn and ourn” (X.J. Kennedy pg. 147). The story closes with Sarty alone on at night on a hill viewing the stars. Faulkner depicts the Sarty’s loneliness, learned through his years of abuse and neglect. Yet on this hill, he has a moment of clarity and...
The American Black Bear is the smallest, yet most common species of Bear in North America. People have a propensity to think that Bears are very dangerous, especially to humans. In reality, Bears are harmless creatures, and have a very friendly demeanor.
Tenant farmers in the post-Civil War South were at the bottom of the socioeconomic totem pole, and landowners were not always the most honest employers. William Faulkner outlines the frustration and struggle of one such family in his short story: “Barn Burning.” Patriarch Abner Snopes is an angry man who drags his family from one tenant farm to the next; barely scraping by. Disenchanted with the Southern system, Abner is convinced that all wealthy land owners are corrupt and unpunished. Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” addresses injustice and inequality between the social classes during the 1930’s.
The wind wailed through the towering pines of Grand National Park. The sun illuminated the landscape. Those pines were more than five hundred years old. They stood unchanging like the forest itself. The animals lived in a flawless balance with nature. No humans had ruined this pristine wilderness for some time. The trails overgrew with shrubs. Gathering, clouds brought an ominous dread to the forest. It became darker by the minute. Suddenly, lightning brightened the terrain. As the rain pummeled the forest, most of the animals darted in fear. Not all the animals were terrified of the storm. The bear roared in delight.
The Polar Bear is a huge and powerful animal, they are also the top predators in the Arctic and the world's largest land living carnivore. But sadly there is not so many of Polar Bears that live in the Arctic for it is found to be an endangered spies. Polar Bears are endangered/ threatened due to the burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil releasing high amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps the sun's energy and causes the Earth’s climate to get warmer. Without these greenhouse gases Earth would be too cold for life to survive, but the huge amount of carbon dioxide being release is all caused by human activates pushing the Earth's climate out of balance. This climate change has causes the Arctic’s temperature to almost rise twice as fast as the average global temperature. This has already effected the Arctic today. The ways these rising temperatures are affecting the polar bear by interfering with their habitats and there hunting in the sea. Due to this polar bears have to swim farther just to find ice platforms from which they...