Diverse Emotions and Struggles: A Teenager's Journey

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American History by Judith Ortiz Cofer is a short story that presents the audience with an average teenager 's emotions. The main character, Elena, lives in a cramped ghetto-like building that is looked down upon by the public eye. Elena is shy has difficulty reaching out to others to make friends, but when a new boy named Eugene moves in across the street from her, she eventually takes a step outside of her boundaries and confronts him, hoping that they can at the least be friends. However, the public view of her lifestyle makes Eugene 's mom turn Elena away and they never get a chance to meet. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell tells the classic tale of the "hunter becoming the hunted" but poses its ' own twist onto it. The story …show more content…

"He came upon them as he turned a crook in the coastline... His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial chateau,"(Connell 17) is an example from the text that gives the reader a look into the emotions and suspense that Rainsford felt. However, as stated earlier, Rainsford is well-educated with knowledge of the outdoors as he is a big-game hunter. Rainsford is thrown into a one-sided game with a lunatic man; this itself is a reason that emotion plays a large role in the entire plot of any story. Rainsford may have felt demoralized due to the unevenness of the game. At first, Rainsford sticks to his gut and tries to refuse the game, however General Zaroff forcefully persuades him to commit by telling his that "the game is worth playing," (Connell 23) which can be seen as a threat. The tip off from Zaroff really forces Rainsford to play, because as both Rainsford and the audience can see, Zaroff is obviously a lunatic and won 't just simply let Rainsford leave after the opportunity has arisen. The emotion that Rainsford feels, being trapped into a corner with only one solution that is the last thing one wants to do, can be related to by any human whether it be through a similar event, or through any other relatable experience. As the hunt concludes, Rainsford is congratulated on his skills and instincts by General Zaroff, but due to the past three days of isolation, Rainsford has himself become a breed of lunatic and tell Zaroff that he is "A beast at bay," (Connell 34). The deed is done and the final battle has concluded, Rainsford is victorious, not only in the game, but also the conflict between himself and Zaroff. Rainsford claims Zaroff 's possessions and territory like a wild animal claiming its ' territory. Not only does this story use a classic theme, but creates a hybrid of its ' own that

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