The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two stories. I have chosen The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry and Country Lovers, by Nadine Gordimer to accomplish this assignment. My intentions are to compare the author’s writing style, their differences in setting and theme, and note similarities as well. I will focus this paper on not only technical aspects of the author’s writing style, but their use of symbolism in their writing as well. The love the protagonists felt for each in both stories differed as well as the gifts they shared. In O. Henry’s love story, the love between the main characters was sweet and pure. Even though the characters were poor, their love generated precious gifts. Nadine Gordimer’s love story involved a darker theme of forbidden love during apartheid, the gifts given were in secrecy and harbored lies. Of all gifts given, it is not the cost of the gift that gives it worth; it is the condition of the giver’s heart and their intent that determines its true purpose and worth.
Each author chose to write his or her story in third-person point of view. This view made it possible for the theme of the story to be revealed with an omniscient tone. Each author made a change to first-person when needed to help reveal the resolution. By using point of view this way, both authors were able to hold the reader’s interest until the end. For O. Henry, it helped reveal a special love that made his story as precious as its characters. Nadine Gordimer did the same in ending her story with Thebedi’s interview. Even though the story was darker, it gave the reader a feeling of a hopeful new life for Thebedi.
O. Henry wrote “The Gift of the Magi” set in the time in which he lived, 1906. Nadine Gordimer wrote Country Lo...
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Godbout, Jacques T. World of the Gift. Montreal, QC, CAN: McGill-Queen's University Press, http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10141821&ppg=20
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Athens, OH, USA: Ohio University Press, 2006. p 21.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10156433&ppg=33 Copyright © 2006. Ohio University Press. All rights reserved.
Point of view is one of the single greatest assets an author can use. It helps to move the plot along and show what is happening from a character’s perspective. An author can make the plot more complex by introducing several characters that the reader has to view events through. The events can then be seen through different eyes and mindsets forcing the reader to view the character in a different light. From one perspective a character can seem cruel, yet, from another, the same character can seem like a hero. These vastly contrasting views can be influenced based on the point of view, a character’s background, and the emotions towards them. The novel Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich showcases some examples of events seen from different points
The “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and ‘”The Hand” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette are similar in theme and setting. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Kate Chopin create the theme of obligatory love and the unhappiness it entails. Both stories illustrate the concealed emotions many women feel in their marriage yet fail to express them. The two stories take place in a sacred room of the house and both transpire in a brief amount of time. The differences between the two stories are seen through the author’s choice of characters in each story. In “The story of an Hour” Kate Chopin involves other characters in Mrs. Mallard’s life, whereas, “The Hand” deals with marriage and togetherness and only involves the husband and wife. Symbolism is seen all throughout “The Hand” not so in ‘The Story of an Hour.” The similarities in “The Story of an Hour” and “The Hand” is portrayed in theme and setting. The differences are illustrated in the choice of characters involved in each story and the amount of symbolism depicted in the different stories.
2. The first reason for this thesis stems from the point of view used in the story. The point of view exemplified is one of third person, more specifically one who is omniscient. The story’s message could not be conveyed from the first person, due to the fact that virtually everyone in the writing at hand is not only unable, but unwilling to figure out the true nature of their surroundings.
Henry, O., et al. “The Gift of the Magi.” Elements of Literature, Course Three, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000, pp. 1–1066
The story is told from the third-person limited point of view, which means that the reader sees the story through the eyes and perspective of a “viewpoint character”. In such cases, this character acts as a filter, and while we can see the internal thoughts and motivations of the viewpoint character, we can only see the behaviors of the other characters through his or her eyes.
Point of view is defined as the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator's outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters. The point of view in the story The Yellow Wallpaper is first person with a central narrator. The narrator in the story is a lonely woman in a decent into madness; it makes for a wild ride as the reader follows the narrator into that madness. In the complete opposite of the spectrum the narrator in The Lottery is written in third person objective. The narrator does not go into the thoughts and feelings of the characters. The use of “I” in the story causes the reader to follow along into the lottery drawing and conclusion of the story.
Within every story or poem, there is always an interpretation made by the reader, whether right or wrong. In doing so, one must thoughtfully analyze all aspects of the story in order to make the most accurate assessment based on the literary elements the author has used. Compared and contrasted within the two short stories, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and John Updike’s “A&P,” the literary elements character and theme are made evident. These two elements are prominent in each of the differing stories yet similarities are found through each by studying the elements. The girls’ innocence and naivety as characters act as passages to show something superior, oppression in society shown towards women that is not equally shown towards men.
This style of point of view adds a new feeling while reading the novel. The reader will be looking through the eyes of someone shadowing Jennifer Government and seeing it in one style, but then on the next page, the reader will see what's happening through the eyes of someone shadowing Billy NRA. Even though the narrator may change, the story will progress. You can compare the technique to a basketball game. One moment, the person is in the audience watching the game. The next moment the person is a player on the bench. Then the person becomes a player on the court taking shots. After that, the person changes into a referee calling the game. At the end, the person becomes the coach and calls the shots of the game.
The “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a short story that has an interesting theme.
The second person point of view helps the reader to connect with the girl in this story. It shows the reader a better understanding of this character and how she is being raised to be a respectable woman. This point of view also gives us an insight on the life of women and shows us how they fit into their society. Through this point of view, the reader can also identify the important aspects of the social class and culture. The daughter tries to assert a sense of selfhood by replying to the mother but it is visible that the mother is being over whelming and constraining her daughter to prepare her for
Having this written in the first person allows the audience to have a more understanding. It also makes the reader feel like they are in the book. Although if this book were to be written in the third person the text would carry on forever and you also would not understand to its full potential.
By using the third person omniscient point of view, the narrator is able to render the characters with information related both from direct description and from the other character's revelations. This way, the description remains unbiased, but at the same time coherent with how the various characters see it. For example, after the narrator tells us that "He was an only child, eleven years old. She was a widow. She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion.", we are able to understand why the boy is so emotionally attached to his mother and, at the beginning, unwilling to ask her for permission to go to his beach and, later in the story, unwilling to let her know about his adventure through the tunnel. This also explains why the mother let him go without questions, even if she was very worried about him.
Through the duration of this course there have been many themes influenced through the works of literature that have been read and analyzed. One major theme that has been discussed is that of love. Whether the love being romantic, fantasized, or familial as a class we have seen it all. The focus of this essay will be on the familial type of love. Familial love, an overwhelming theme in some of these stories, strikes a serious type of thought in the mind of any reader. The three main stories that will be focused on are “Fences,” Oedipus the King, and “My Papa”s Waltz.” These three stories are unique and each explains a completely different type of familial love. Familial love that will make the heart warm, the head strong, and the stomach churn.
In this essay I would like to emphasize different ideas of how love is understood and discussed in literature. This topic has been immortal. One can notice that throughout the whole history writers have always been returning to this subject no matter what century people lived in or what their nationality was.
Through literary works readers are able to learn about the various meanings of human life experiences. Literary works influences each reader differently. Country Lovers and The Welcome Table are two short stories that deal with the common struggle of racism and discrimination among African American women.’’ Racism is an enduring, salient aspect of social and global structures. It is based on demonstrably false theories of racial different appropriated by a culture in order to deny or unjustified distribute social privileges, economic opportunities, and political rights to the racially stigmatized groups. Racism thus, structures social differences, power or culture or whom.’’ There are many stories that are written to show the everyday struggles of human conflicts and struggles that humans embark on in everyday life. The two stories I will be identifying the differences and similarities among the two powerful stories of two African American woman. I will be examining the content, form, Style of the literary works.