Do you know what it is like to have your life revolve around something, then to have that something ripped from you by the very people who gave it to you in the first place? To be told that your whole life was a lie made up by scientists who saw you as ‘genetically damaged’ and dangerous? Well, the exclusive Allegiant group from the Chicago genetic manipulation experiment knows how it feels. In Veronica Ross’ Allegiant, Beatrice “Tris” Prior, Tobias “Four” Eaton, Christina, Uriah Pedrad, Cara, Caleb Prior, and Peter Hayes all escape their home inside the fence for the first time, leaving behind their lives in hopes of new, better ones outside the fence. But, the lives they find outside the fence are even more frightening than the ones they left behind. From wars and multiple rebellions, to narrow-minded scientists and death serums, the Allegiant must work together in order to stay alive, because in the end, all they have is each other. They jump from lie to lie, conflict to conflict, rebellion to rebellion. They experience immense feelings of betrayal and despair, of hopelessness an...
She presents two contradictory images of society in most of her fiction: one in which the power and prevalence of evil seem so deeply embedded that only destruction may root it out, and another in which the community or even an aggregate of individuals, though radically flawed, may discover within itself the potential for regeneration. (34)
Throughout the novels we have read this semesters, one can makes observation that many of the characters from each novel have gone through fear whether it was due to racial strife or threat to life. We then see the characters go out and find their salvation or in some cases leave their homes before being faced with the consequences they have brought upon themselves.. Finally, most character are then faced with their fate in life where in most situation it is death or freedom. We see these variations first develop by author Richard Wright 's in his novel and movie Native Son. Each variations can been seen within different characters from both Cane and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. The variations are shape within
Throughout Marilynne Robinson’s works, readers are often reminded of themes that defy the status quo of popular ideas at the time. She explores transience and loneliness, amongst other ideas as a way of expressing that being individual, and going against what is deemed normal in society is acceptable. Robinson utilizes traditional literary devices in order to highlight these concepts.
Modern society is different from a Dystopia because knowledge that is being withheld is turning the protagonists’ community into a dystopian approach, while our modern
Society often pressures individuals within it to conform to different ideals and norms. This stems from the fact that individuals in a society are expected to act in a certain way. If a person or group of people do not satisfy society’s expectations, they are looked down upon by others. This can lead to individuals isolating themselves from others, or being isolated from others, because they are considered as outcasts. The emotional turmoil that can result from this, as well as the internal conflict of whether or not to conform, can transform an individual into a completely different person. This transformation can either be beneficial or harmful to the individual as well as those around them. The individual can become an improved version of himself or herself but conversely, they can become violent, rebellious and destructive. The novels Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess both explore the negative effects experienced by individuals living within the confines of society’s narrow-mindedness. In A Clockwork Orange, protagonist Alex was the leader of a small group of teenage criminals. He did not have a healthy relationship with either one of his parents or with others around him. Instead he spent most of his time alone during the day and at night roamed the streets in search of victims he could mug or rape. In Fight Club the unnamed protagonist was an outcast in his community. He chose to distance and isolate himself from others and as a result had no friends, with the exception of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer. Due to his isolation, he often participated in nightly fights that took place in Fight Club so that he could relieve his anxiety and stress. In this way, Alex and the unnamed protagoni...
with a mortal frame” (Hawthorne 354). By tracing the tipping scales of perfection vs. dissatisfaction, readers of “The Birthmark” witness the slow demise of Georgiana and Aylmer, and gain important insight into human nature.
The biggest psychological portion of the book has to come from the character Cyrus Finch. He goes by CyFi for short and is also sometimes referred to as just Cy. He is one of the few mentioned characters that has received a body part from an Unwind. Unfortunately, often times the parts people receive from Unwinds keep or retain tricks or habits the original owners or people had, and Cyrus is an individual who received a part like this. Now, an important fact about CyFi is that he’s smart, and he talks a lot. But he “talks funny” according to Lev. CyFi explains that he is umber and used to be called “black” in times past, and that he talks that way to respect his ancestors, adding to the fact that past experiences (in this case learning about his ancestors) can change how people act. One day, he is talking to Lev about how smart he is and how losing his right temporal lobe and gaining someone else’s has affected him. He says to Lev (the numbers are his IQ), “My dads made sure I got an entire temporal lobe from a single donor. But that kid wasn’t as smart as me. He wasn’t no dummy but he didn’t have the 155. The last brain scan put me at 130. That’s in the top 5 percent of the population, and still considered genius. Just not with a capital G.” (126). Usually, a person will only receive bits and pieces of the brain, but CyFi’s dads paid an excessive amount of money to get a whole and intact temporal lobe and it is obvious that CyFi loves and is proud of his dads by the way he talks about them. Something else he feels strongly about is stealing. Cy hates it and is adamant against even the very thought of stealing. And while it is strange just how strongly he feels about stealing, it is soon explained.
Similarly, the book’s three leading protagonists ultimately possess a common objective, escaping their unjust circumstances in pursuit of seeking the “warmth of other suns.” For this reason, they abandon the laws of Jim Crow and the familiarity of their hometowns as they flee to a better life. In the process, they all assume a level of risk in their decisions to rebel against the system. For example, Ida decides to embark on a precarious journey while in the beginning stages of a clandestine pregnancy. Any number of unpredictable events could have resulted from this judgment, including fatality. All of the migrants shared an unspoken agreement that the rewards would far outweigh the dangers involved.
Schwartz, Leslie. Surviving the hell of Auschwitz and Dachau: a teenage struggle toward freedom from hatred.. S.l.: Lit Verlag, 2013. Print.
Among carpenters, it is a well-known fact that building a house upon a solid foundation is imperative. When beginning the construction of a home, the foundation is always the first step leading to success, for without it, the house will become unstable. During extreme weather, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other conditions, a slight fault in the foundation of a home will most likely guarantee significant damage, if not complete destruction. Similar to a house, a person’s identity must rest upon a firm foundation; otherwise, it may not be capable of withstanding the ominous conditions of the world. When trials and burdens threaten to crumble people’s identities, their foundations must stand their ground and overcome the various tribulations. Although there are billions of inhabitants of the world, no two people share the same identity; rather, each person has unique memories, stories, events, and artifacts influencing who they have become. Some people’s identities may reflect a difficult childhood of discrimination, poverty, and hatred similar to the one described by Malcolm X in his article, “Nightmare.” Other people may associate with Katie Pederson and her article, “Identity,” in which they are defined through a simple artifact such as an identification card. In addition, numerous unfortunate people may struggle from the devastating effects of memory loss similar to those Floyd Skloot experienced, and they are helpless as their memories and identity slowly slip away from them. Still other people may find themselves desperately searching for acceptance and identity similar to the homeless man in Gina Berriault’s article, “Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am.” Unlike the homeless man and Malcolm X, I was fortuna...
Victims face mental distress and are placed into a subordinate position when they attempt to conform to society’s expectations. They struggle because the expectations are impossible to achieve, yet are enforced through dehumanizing methods, to the point where the victims are forced to create a persona, masking their true self, to fit into society. Unfortunately, neither Elaine nor Suzie is able to come to terms with their abuse, severely hampering their psychological development. However, what is important is that they are able to survive these traumatizing events. Perhaps that is the strength of humanity; not the ability to destroy obstacles, but the ability to brave through them.
PASSAGE 1: The first passage I would like to discuss is “A short, sleeveless shift was all that covered her, but she wasn’t cold. The temperature in the room was precisely calibrated to keep her comfortable. Punishment was meted out in other ways: in increments of solitude, monotony and, harshest of all, self-reflection, both figurative and literal. She hadn’t yet seen the mirrors, but she could feel them shimmering at the edges of her awareness, waiting to show her what she’d become.” (page 1) There is something to be said about the indomitable human spirit when faced with outer turmoil. I believe that when people outwardly subject others to torture, it is easier for the tortured to identify the torturer and outwardly resist. Survival instincts kick in and a person does whatever it takes to endure the process by focusing and both the pain and the person who is inflicting it. However, when there is no active act of torture and one is left to their own dark thoughts the mental anguish can be harder to endure then the physical pain. Before the protagonist is released into society, where she will most likely be stigmatized as she had stigmatized the “Reds” before, she must endure her own stigmatization, self-loathing and dejection, all while feeling very publicly exposed. Studies have shown that solitary confinement causes psychological issues as well, so it may be extremely difficult on her mental state and have long term psychological effects.
In the South, a person’s identity is a critical factor in determining who he or she is as a person as well as their part in society, much like in the novel Bastard out of Carolina. To understand a person’s identity, Thompson and Walsh gave the definition of a “fluid process” rather than a person’s “fixed” personality (380). Therefore, identity is self-based on choices people make as well as what they go through. Identity also evolves as people mature while numerous factors affect a person’s identity. It is through this novel that the readers will understand how the affects of sexual child abuse force children to negatively alter their identity based on a traumatic experience.
One is struck by the extreme cruelty and hardship he faced while only an emotionally vulnerable child and adolescent. As Wright generalizes his own experiences to show how the society functioned at the time, one may wonder how many individuals were crushed by similar circumstances.
“What do you call a fake noodle?” “An impasta!,”as I laughed with my friends, we were all having a fun time. Jubilant, carefree, and outgoing is how they would describe me. Those words are how I am as a person now, however this wasn't always the case. In the past, I’ve kept a secret from them. Something so secretive and devastating, that would have changed our lives. In 8th grade, I had developed depression. Keeping it concealed from everyone was a huge problem in my adolescent life. Everyday was like a battlefield, a one-sided battlefield that nothing I could do would turn the tide. Everyday, I had to put up a face to all my friends and teachers hiding the fact that I had a problem. Depression had me, it had it’s hands around my throat choking