Humanity enjoys structure, from the streets with numeric organization, the times we wake up and go to sleep, to when we eat certain foods; if order is disturbed then people feel threatened and unsure of what to do. The twentieth century, with its chaotically quick changes, often made people uncertain about basic principles. To combat chaos, society had imposed a strict structure for people to follow. Society expected women to be in the kitchen, blacks to be servants to whites, the only love possible was between a strong man and a weak woman, and other conventions; everyone had a place in society and knew what the public expected of them. In the twentieth century, people began to rethink this traditional enforced organization. People began to wonder if a woman could become a businessman rather than a mother, might a colored person lead a white one, could love extend beyond the heteronormative structure, and many more questions that were radical. During the time that society was tearing down the old oppressive ways of living, some people often felt afraid without the “normal” traditional structure. To combat this fear, authors often wrote stories that taught people how to live comfortably in a world of rapid change. Authors of the twentieth century taught readers to live with chaos and change, rather than fight against it.
One method of living with hectic changes is to be open-minded to differing lifestyles. Reverend Jenkins, in Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas, exemplifies tolerance when he does not judge Polly Garter for her song about her past lovers, but rather sees the beautiful musicality of the town. In the position of reverend, he knew of some of the sin that was happening around the town, but chose to see...
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...of a black leader distressed Harry because society taught him that blacks were his lesser and the idea of a superior black man was a comedy to him at first. To tell a person that their livelihood is immoral is like pulling a flaming rug from under their feet that previous generations had glued. Storytellers of the twentieth century offered glue removal to help with the pulling process and even explained to the people why landing on their butts is better than catching on fire. The stories that they wrote still help the people of today come to acceptance with changes in societal values. Some of us are still standing on fire hazard rugs that will catch on fire soon. Issues like gay marriage or global warming are rugs that are practically doused in gasoline and stories of the twentieth century still offer help by teaching us that it is easier to accept change than burn.
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.
Heroism and villainy are two things that every story has. There is no escaping it. Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, there is always a protagonist and antagonist, hero and villain. What a lot of people might miss is the heroism and villainy in the history of humanity and our present day lives. I think Lawrence Hill was able to capture this commonly overlooked concept in The Book of Negroes. Although the book shows the evil villainy behind the slave trade, its main focus is on acts of heroism as the main character is a heroic “black” in a world made for “whites”. Before even reading one passage from the book, it is easily perceivable through history that the white peoples are the villains of the slave trade and the 1700’s in general. Hill magnifies this opinion while also creating a protagonist to show how the black
Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society. He clearly displayed how blacks were stereotyped, devalued, and considered to be inferior to whites. He showed how people associated themselves with certain religious beliefs, but only practiced those beliefs at their own convenience. Unfortunately, the issues Twain wrote about still exist in today’s world. Society has made some progress; however, overall, not much has changed since Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Society has always functioned on the premise that a person must adjust their behaviour in accordance with what is deemed socially acceptable at that time. If administrated to the fullest extent, the theme of conformity can be detrimental to the stability and growth of a community. Through analyzing the dystopian narrative elements of Sherri Jacksons’ works, readers are able to distinguish how the theme of conformity is still prevalent to humans today as it expresses the need for order and organization, eliminates fear of the unknown, and promotes society functioning as a whole with limited individuation. The author depicts this reoccurring normative event, to stress the notion that there is something fundamentally wrong with society.
Racism, a major issue in society for hundreds of years, even after the abolition of slavery, still affects millions of people. African Americans today still sensitivities towards racism, and the reading of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates the pertinence of racism today similarly to two hundred years ago. When reading novels containing nineteenth century racism, African American readers are exposed to the torments their ancestors were put through, and the novel can have a positive or negative effect in that the reader may enjoy the learning of their history but may also feel humiliated in relation to their classmates of other races. In the literary novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the apparent racism in the book affects
Throughout time people have encountered dilemmas that result in change in society. Perhaps change is something that is mistaken as an unwanted struggle for development, but in fact, people overlook their own fear of uncertainty in what benefits change can bring. Countless times in American history, change has been forced upon the people, rather than embraced and accepted with open arms. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain shows Huck Finn’s struggle to alter his values and go against what he’s been raised to believe in society his entire life: African Americans are inferior to whites. In the novel, Twain pairs Huck with a runaway slave, Jim, who is a key character to helping Huck change how he views other people in society. Twain
When reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” or Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” the audience might notice how they are stories of men who become detached from the society after a notable change in how they act towards the world. However, while Bartleby’s disconnection stems from work-related changes, Young Goodman Brown’s disconnection is caused by a “spiritual” experience. I want to focus on how many things these characters have in common, to show what may have caused their change of view in the societies around them.
With the end of the first World War in the year 1918, many soldiers, young and old, came home to their families dark and cynical. Many famous authors of this time, like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, wrote short stories not of their times at war, but of how material the world truly is. These were considered the “Lost Generation,” due to their lack of belief in humans in general and their dreary outlook of life in general. F. Scott Fitzgerald is famous for his book, The Great Gatsby which showed how he as an author viewed the Roaring Twenties, as one of the main themes is the idea that the American Dream is dead and humans are fickle and obsessed with material things, like money. On the opposite end of the spectrum, though, was the bright young generation, which “came into power” shortly after the Lost Generation. These young people were full of bright ideas and with the American Economy is a good place, everyone seemed to be happy. Art and fashion changed drastically, w...
The Modernist Fiction period took place during the 1920’s and revolutionized the American way of life in literature, economically, and socially. There was a national vision of upward mobility during this time that represented the American Dream. The upward mobility was seen through the consumerism and materialism that dominated this decade economically. Popular novels of this time reflected the mass consumerism in the lives of those wrote them. During the American Modernist Fiction period, Americans became increasingly materialistic throughout the roaring twenties; therefore, the American Dream was to obtain upper class status through the possession of material goods, which was reflected in many of this period’s works.
Ferguson, Margaret W., Salter, Mary J., and Stallworthy, Jon. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. fifth ed. N.p.: W.W. Norton, 2005. 2120-2121. 2 Print.
One of the main reasons this novel is relevant today is the theme of tolerance in the book. Tolerance is still something we have a large problem with today. In the novel, women, blacks and even Boo Radley are not thought of as equals or are just not accepted into mainstream society. Today, we have the same issue. One simple example is how you will see blacks sit at one lunch table and whites sit at another.
...ition, she presents the reader with the differing generations of the old and new south, and she illustrates the contrasting views between the two. O’Connor is not afraid to question Christian theology or the Southern culture. Her irony and satire add depth to ther stories, and her deep cultural analysis of the South brings a higher level to her writings. O’Connor also explores the concept of fallen human nature and how it is brought about. Overall, O’Connor’s works prove to be very in depth in both her social and cultural analysis of the South. She is not afraid to critique the society in which she grew up and lived.
All in all, Chris McCandless is a contradictory idealist. He was motivated by his charity but so cruel to his parents and friends. He redefined the implication of life, but ended his life in a lonely bus because of starvation, which he was always fighting against. Nevertheless, Chris and the readers all understand that “happiness only real when shared.” (129; chap.18) Maybe it’s paramount to the people who are now alive.
Kidder, Rushworth M. Dylan Thomas: The Country of the Spirit. Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1984. 94, 187-190, 197.
In conclusion, the individual and society; living in the 20th Century has changed from people thinking the world was over and that life was pointless and meaningless whereas now there is hope so people will not think the way they did before and have changed. That is why Wall E and Waiting for Godot are texts which prove my thesis.