Many authors anticipate the use of "I" in their works. Often, it helps them express their point to the reader. Sometimes though, writers want to talk about their personal issues but do not want to say it directly or reveal themselves. Therefore, they use the "I" in their work to hide behind it while putting across their point. David Sedaris and Sylvia Plath use "I" in their books in different ways, although some of the issues they wrote about are somewhat similar. Both of the authors wrote about the mental disorders that they had and how their lives were affected by them. Another topic that is discussed is the influence of their family members and friends on the writers.
In his book "Naked", David Sedaris describes his life and particularly, his obsessive disorders. As a child, he had obsessions about many things. For example, he would count steps from his school to his house, peppers and other things, he would make sure the kitchen appliances and objects on his desk were placed in the right order, he would lick and touch light bulbs, doorknobs and mailboxes, and so on. The character of the book is a young boy who is dealing with his mind, which tells him to do all those crazy things. There are also issues with his family members. For example, his father had a major effect on David Sedaris. He hates his father because of the way he treated his mother. Sedaris does not even want to talk to his dad because of that. The character of the book is David Sedaris himself. He uses "I" in the book to talk about his life and experiences. Sedaris uses "I" in the simple, direct way without hiding or changing his character. This is an example of an autobiographical use of "I."
Sylvia Plath wrote a book called "The Bell Jar." The character in this book, Esther Greenwood, is a talented, smart, brave and daring young woman who is suffering from a mental illness. Her insane mind is not letting her live a normal life. She struggles and eventually decides to end her life. After an attempt of suicide, Esther ends up in a mental institution. She was a gifted writer but when her illness started to take over her mind, she could not write, read or sleep anymore: "I hadn't slept for seven nights" (The Bell Jar, p.
In the first paragraph, Mairs explains who she is. She starts off with the simple sentence “I am a cripple”. This sets off the tone as being straightforward; Mairs waste no time in stating who she is. Additionally, the use of the negative diction of the words “wince” and “brutal” adds to the straightforward tone by explaining that cripple isn’t the nicest word to relate her condition to but it is the truth. “People- crippled or not- wince at the word ‘cripple’”. Furthermore, the repetition of the word “I” emphasizes that this is Mairs opinion and that she is the one explaining who she is. “I choose this word” and “I recognize” and “I want”. The Ethos appeal is expressed though the repetition of “I” because it explains that this subject is personal to Mairs; she has
Throughout the whole poem we really don’t know anything about the second “I” other than the fact that it has, as sexton says, “been her kind.” These two “I’s” come together in one way, that they are disturb...
I have chosen to write about Virginia Woolf, a British novelist who wrote A Room of One’s Own, To the Lighthouse and Orlando, to name a few of her pieces of work. Virginia Woolf was my first introduction to feminist type books. I chose Woolf because she is a fantastic writer and one of my favorites as well. Her unique style of writing, which came to be known as stream-of-consciousness, was influenced by the symptoms she experienced through her bipolar disorder. Many people have heard the word "bipolar," but do not realize its full implications. People who know someone with this disorder might understand their irregular behavior as a character flaw, not realizing that people with bipolar mental illness do not have control over their moods. Virginia Woolf’s illness was not understood in her lifetime. She committed suicide in 1941.
Sylvia Plath wrote the semi autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, in which the main character, Esther, struggles with depression as she attempts to make herself known as a writer in the 1950’s. She is getting the opportunity to apprentice under a well-known fashion magazine editor, but still cannot find true happiness. She crumbles under her depression due to feeling that she doesn’t fit in, and eventually ends up being put into a mental hospital undergoing electroshock therapy. Still, she describes the depth of her depression as “Wherever I sat - on the deck of a ship or at a street a cafe in Paris or Bangkok - I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air” (Plath 178). The pressure to assimilate to society’s standards from her mother, friends, and romantic interests, almost pushes her over the edge and causes her to attempt suicide multiple times throughout her life. Buddy Willard, Esther’s boyfriend at a time, asks her to marry him repeatedly in which she declines. Her mother tries to get her to marry and makes her go to therapy eventually, which leads to the mental hospital. Esther resents the way of settling down and making a family, as well as going out and partying all night. She just wants to work to become a journalist or publisher. Though, part of her longs for these other lives that she imagines livings, if she were a different person or if different things happened in her life. That’s how Elly Higgenbottom came about. Elly is Esther when Esther doesn’t want to be herself to new people. Esther’s story portrays the role of women in society in the 1950’s through Esther’s family and friends pushing her to conform to the gender roles of the time.
Sylvia Plath’s novel, “The Bell Jar”, tells a story of a young woman’s descent into mental illness. Esther Greenwood, a 19 year old girl, struggles to find meaning within her life as she sees a distorted version of the world. In Plath’s novel, different elements and themes of symbolism are used to explain the mental downfall of the book’s main character and narrator such as cutting her off from others, forcing her to delve further into her own mind, and casting an air of negativity around her. Plath uses images of rotting fig trees and veils of mist to convey the desperation she feels when confronted with issues of her future. Esther Greenwood feels that she is trapped under a bell jar, which distorts her view of the world around her.
Throughout time, Edgar Allan Poe has been recognized as a famous writer that wrote about his tragedy of a life. Just thinking of his name, Poe, makes one think about his dark felt Poems. Most people believe that Poe had to be depressed or even evil to write his historic writings. He had to deal with a numerous amount of death of love ones throughout his lifetime. Though he had to deal with death and depression he became one of the United States famous authors of all times.
“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity” famous quote by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe is saying becoming insane was an escape from reality and all the problems of his real life. Edgar Allan Poe is a famous poet from the 1800s. He was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were touring actors and both died before he was three years old. He was an extraordinary and often scary writer. This was because of his tense and miserable life. It was obvious that his life affected his writings in a significant way. In order to understand his writings, it is important to know his historical background. Edgar Allan Poe brought several changes in the literary style of his time. Poe was a writer, poet, editor
Edgar Allen Poe led a deeply dark and depressing life as he watched every single woman he had ever loved die from Tuberculosis. As Poe watched his mother die at the young age of three and would continue to watch others die during the duration of his life, it is evident from his literary work that he was left psychologically traumatized. While these events in his life undoubtedly caused Poe to sink into a deep depression throughout large portions of his life, because of the time period he lived in it is unclear whether or not he was mentally ill solely because of these events, or if these events just furtherly triggered the psychiatric problems that would have been evident regardless. Considering
A huge struggle in life is trying to find ourselves and determine our identity, both in the present and the future. Now, we all may not find ourselves at such a young age, but eventually we will figure out how we are accepted into this world. Fictional characters may not get to live throughout the entirety of a story, but while present, they can keep the story going. An author may have been in a particular situation and now they are expressing their thoughts through their characters in their writing. Identity and self-reflection are natural in stories, both fictional and nonfictional. The two stories that are being compared within literary devices have similar ways in which the authors express their thoughts: “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro and “Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason. In both “Boys and Girls” and “Shiloh” readers can see the theme of the search and acceptance of self-identity in Munro and Mason’s choices of setting, symbol and characterization.
Lasn uses second person point of view to establish ethos. He employs “you” throughout the essay because he wants to connect more with his audience. The word “you” shows how informal Lasn’s essay is. He also establishes ethos with his audience by using personal anecdotes. Finally, Lasn utilizes satire as his way of poking fun
There is a saying that says “You have three selves. The self you show the world (me or Nygeria), the self your friends and family see (myself or Nygee), and the self that no one but yourself sees (I or Nusa).” This paper is gonna explain all of those sides of myself plus the alter ego (her or Nuna).
It is often thought that in order to lead a happy and fulfilled life, you need to be successful. In the book The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, we are brought to the summer of 1953 in New York City. Here we meet Esther Greenwood, a guest editor for a New York magazine. Esther lives in an all girl hotel with 11 college roommates. Philomena Guinea, a famous novelist, took an interest in Esther’s letter and sponsored Esther’s college scholarship. Esther’s failure to adapt to cultural expectations to be successful and content is what has caused her to feel deadened. The pressure of feeling like a pariah is what influenced Esther’s suicidal tendencies.
Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most prolific, acclaimed writers known today. His various, diverse writings have been studied, discussed and analyzed by many. Many of his works, from his poem “The Raven”, to his short story “The Cask of Amontillado” are extremely well-known and highly regarded. His writings are known in particular for their melancholy and often gruesome themes. Who is the man behind the literature that had become so much a part of today’s culture? What experiences may he have drawn upon in order to create his many masterpieces? Edgar Allan Poe’s mental illness impacted his life in many ways, and strongly influenced his works.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous writers in the American literary world. His stories and poems are known for their gothic style and having the common theme of death. This is certainly seen in his short story “The Cask of Amontillado.” It is speculated by many that Poe suffered from the mental illness known as bipolar disorder. In a letter to James Russell Lowell, Poe said, “I am excessively slothful, and wonderfully industrious — by fits. There are epochs when any kind of mental exercise is torture, and when nothing yields me pleasure but solitary communion with the “mountains & the woods” — the “altars” of Byron. I have thus rambled and dreamed away whole months, and awake, at last, to a sort of mania for composition. Then I scribble all day, and read all night, so long as the disease endures.” In “The Cask of Amontillado” he presents two very different characters, Montresor the spiteful, revenge seeking killer, and Furtunato the impulsive, pleasure-seeking victim. The two opposing personality types in these two characters fit the mania and mixed state characteristics of those suffering with type one bipolar disorder. Poe used the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado” to express the feelings of madness he dealt with during his lifetime.
For example, in Emily Dickinson poem " I 'm nobody! Who are you?" Shows that she is excited about being herself and not letting the society change her views. She says "How dreary – to be – Somebody! How public – like a Frog – To tell one 's name – the livelong June (line 3-5). " Dickinson point is that it 's better to be a somebody than a nobody. In addition, she thinks being a famous celebrity it would be dreary. When you are always in the public eye, you will tend to lose yourself during the process. People who want to be a someone are show offs. Not only that, but they are not being true to their real selves. “Dickinson’s poems of selfhood communicate at times a heady sense of power and autonomy of the self, by itself, without need or dependence (Howard 138).” In addition, the exclamation point expresses the confidence she has in being a nobody. Not only does Dickinson embrace individuality but also Robert frost does. In the "The Road Not Taken”, Frost is making a decision on which route to take. As the prominent philosopher Frost says "And sorry I could not travel both, and be one traveler, long I stood, and looked down one as far as I could (line 5-7)". In this poem he says "I" a lot. The I 's shows that Frost is uncertain of which path to take. Either it the less traveled one or the most traveled one. He is taking his decision in a serious