Mason “Puncake” Fields Literary Essay
“‘All right,’ she said. ‘We’ve listened to your proposition, Mr. Brooke. Now you can listen to my answer. It’s NO! Forget it! You said it yourself. These people are dangerous. Two of your spies have already been killed. There’s no way I’m going to allow Alex into that. Alex made up his own mind already and he said refused!’” When I first heard what Jack Starbright was saying about Alex Rider’s decision to not go and save the lives of thousands of people when he has the ability to, even if it means risking his life, I thought that he was a complete coward. As I kept reading, I discovered how wrong I truly was. Alex Rider is the main character in the book Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz, an action book that
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The setting affects the story because to survive in this tough environment when you are just a fourteen year old trapped in a horribly litten crate with twenty strangers that might even be criminals, it requires a lot of courage. Evidence from the text that supports this idea is, “He pulled himself into the container, and seconds later the trapdoor slammed shut behind him. He heard the bolt slide across with a loud clang. Now there was no way out. It was only as he straightened up that he realized he could see. There was light inside the container. He looked around. Two dozen anxious faces stared at him. It seemed he wasn’t going to make this part of the journey alone.” This text evidence supports the idea because when you are surrounded by refugees who live a life completely different from yours, it might be okay to them to do something that might never ever be done in your country. Overall, this whole book has moments everywhere that show Alex’s courage because of the setting and how courage is essential to survive in this setting and plot as it …show more content…
Alex Rider made it very clear near the middle of the book that he is not the cowardly character I truly thought he was. He changed a great deal from the beginning of the story from a fearful fourteen year old boy to a courageous young man at the end of the story. Alex learns about how sometimes, you should put other’s needs (and in this case lives) in front of his own. This is a great lesson he learned because the people who follow this teaching are the people who make a difference in society today. This whole idea links all the way back to my thesis that courage is necessary and is measured by someone’s ability and willingness to express courage, not by their size or strength because that lesson definitely requires courage. In the story, Alex conveys courage by risking his life when he escapes the crate onto the heavily guarded ship and looks to go and disarm a bomb, nicknamed the “Royal Blue”, that was intended to kill thousands of people. By the end of the story, Alex changed a great deal throughout this whole
Another prevalent symbol to me is the idea of sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper just suddenly one day shows up to church wearing a veil. At first the people are sort of angered by it. People soon start to flock to his congregation to view the spectacle, and go so far as to test their '"'courage'"' by seeing who will go and talk to him. I think that the veil could represent sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper was either trying to hide his sin from the people so that they could not judge him, which is god"'"s job, or maybe he was trying to protecting his self from the sins of the people. In the end of The Ministers Black Veil Hooper dies, and sees his congregation all wearing black veils, which would probably hint that maybe it represented the sin in all of us. In The Birthmark Georgiana"'"s birthmark could represent, as some religions believe, the original sin which is bestowed on all by the '"'hand'"' of god. But, unlike Hooper, Georgiana could not help her markings.
A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning. Symbols can be very useful in shedding light on a story, clarifying meaning that can’t be expressed with words. It may be hard to notice symbols at first, but while reflecting on the story or reading it a second time, the symbol is like a key that fits perfectly into a lock. The reason that symbols work so well is that we can associate something with a particular object. For example, a red rose symbolizes love and passion, and if there were red roses in a story we may associate that part of the story with love. Although many symbols can have simple meanings, such as a red rose, many have more complex meanings and require a careful reading to figure out its meaning. The first symbol that I noticed in Ethan Frome is the setting. It plays an important role in this story. The author spends much of the first few chapters describing the scene in a New England town Starkfield. When I think of a town called Starkfield, a gloomy, barren place with nothing that can grow comes to mind. As the author continues to describe this town, it just reinforces what I had originally thought.
Symbolism can be defined as “the representation of a reality on one level of reference by a corresponding reality on another” (“Symbolism” 564). The word symbol comes from the Greek word "symballein," which translates literally into “to throw together” and suggests the combining of two unrelated worlds. Much...
When coming across near Bullhead City, Alex was “holding down a full-time job, flipping Quarter Pounders at McDonald's on the main drag, commuting to work on a bicycle” (Krakauer 39). In order to free himself from work for a while, his work ethics were boosting higher. His working habits towards the money he earns express individualism because he trusts his own instincts. Alex, then entered “the wilderness purposefully ill-prepared, and surviving a near-death experience does not make you a better human, it makes you damn lucky” (Krakauer 71). Alex expresses individualism because his life lessons were in survival activity but he, unfortunately, did not last when he arrived in Alaska. Alex has “escaped unscathed and gone forth to other adventures” (Krakauer 92). His self-reliance was proved adventurous and talented when he first left to explore nature. He has surprisingly survived without rations handed to him back at his house. Consequently, Alex’s self-reliance helped him believe in all values of every individual in the
In the book Insurgent by Veronica Roth, setting is one of the most important and influential aspects of the story. The setting of a book or story is one of the most important things to the reader as it allows them to imagine the environment surrounding the characters. It creates a tone and an attitude which change the way the reader feels as they continue further into the writing. Roth is able to use the setting of Insurgent as a parallel to the book’s plot and her character’s emotions which helps the reader relate to them. The setting foreshadows most of the plot and helps to develop the characters/factions through small amounts of symbolism.
In many stories, authors use symbolism, which is using symbols to represent something, to show a moral. “The Masque of the Red Death,” is a fictionalized story about a deadly disease that pervades through a country, killing many people. A young prince, in an effort to save himself and his elite friends and family, he withholds them all in his grand castle. The castle is unique in that it has seven very distinct rooms, that all seem to represent something important. In the short story “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, the seven colored chambers symbolize the cycle of human life, from birth to death.
One symbol is the snake that symbolizes wickedness and evil and is a recurring symbol throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, we find Sykes scaring Delia with a bullwhip knowing it resembles a snake that induces terror in Delia. “Just then something long, round, limp, and black fell upon her shoulders and slithered to the floor beside her. A great terror took hold of her.” (564). Sykes was on a crusade to rid himself of his wife. He uses snakes to intimidate Delia, and the snake becomes more agitated and deadly as it grows hungrier; a sign of coming drama. “Look in de box dere Delia, Ah done brung yah somethin’!” (569). ”You take dat rattlesnake’ way from heah!” After Delia entered the house and
Symbolism, helps even the uneducated to understand even the basics of the morals of life.The bible is a very religious journal which has many symbols such as a rainbow representing a promise and many others. "Tell the angel who will watch over your life to pry now and then for a man who, like Satan, believed himself for an instant to be equal to God, but who realized in
Symbols surround people daily in society. Symbolism take various forms; a distinctive meaning of deepness and more significant than what it appears in the surface. Furthermore, symbols covey society deep hidden true feelings into an object. Symbolism impacts individuals in multiple ways. In “Invisible Man” Ralph Ellison uses symbols to argue the philosophy is correct and white supremacy over the mind, body and future.
The first symbol is the briefcase itself, as it represents the “Battle Royal” that he and some other blacks were made to compete in. The narrator is made to participate in a sickening ritual where he and others are made to fight in a boxing ring, and then made to fight for money on an electric carpet. The narrator shows up to this expecting to make a speech on booker t Washington. After being beaten and shocked in front of a crowd of jeering and drunk white people the narrator is expected to make the speech, after which he receives a college scholarship and the briefcase. This is a part of the book that represents both betrayal and Invisibility. The betrayal that takes place in this part of the book is quite obvious. The narrator is told to go deliver a speech, but when he gets there he finds out he is about to be subjected to the battle royal by the group of white people who arranged the social gathering. But after the fight when the narrator is making his speech some drunk whites from th...
Another easily recognized symbol in this story is that of the snake. "Sykes, what you throw dat whip on me like dat? You know it would skeer me - looks just like a snake, an' you knows how skeered Ah is of snakes" (Hurston 678). The snake is the main symbol in this story, it ties it together because it is mentioned at the beginning of the story and at the end. Sykes decides to bring a snake into their home, "Look in de box dere Delia, Ah done brung yuh somethin'.Syke! Syke, mah Gawd! You tak...
Symbolism is a major literary device that helps people see a book through symbols that often have a deeper meaning. A symbol is used to explain something in a different way, using images, objects, etc. instead of just saying it in words. As you search for a deeper meaning in a work of art or literature it can help you understand the authors intentions and the deeper significance of a work. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, symbols help reinforce the major themes of the book.
To begin, Alex is one out of the four characters that reveals self-awareness broadly. Alex begins by stating, “What’s it going to be then, eh” (Burgess 1). The use of this quote explains to the reader that Alex is not only self-aware of himself, but he is careless, and he is an outlaw. Another quote that Alex states throughout the novel is, “O my brothers” (Burgess 5). “O my brothers” reve...
Alex exerts his freedom of choice in all aspects of his life. From the time he wakes up in the morning, until he goes to bed at night. Every decision he makes belongs to him. The only person who controls Alex is Alex. He does what he wants, when he wants to. He doesn’t care who he hurts along the way as long as what he is doing makes him happy.
It is important to find a symbol in life, for it can dictate one's importance in a world full of hatred and