The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel
Brian Moore, and Margaret Laurence’s concern for the plight of the individual and their position in society is clearly self-evident in their novels The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel. Finding one’s place in society is a major dilemma many people face every day. Once people find their place in society they understand who they are, what is expected by them and what their roles are. Once a person has found their place in society they understand their life and which direction it is going.
The main characters are portrayed as two different individuals with very different lives who have only one thing in common- their inability to find their proper place in society. Brian Moore, and Margaret Laurence’s concern for the plight of the individual and their position in society is clearly self-evident in their novels The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel . The main characters Ginger Coffey and Hagar Shipley both struggle to survive with dignity even though their overwhelming pride often obscures reality. Throughout the novel it becomes evident that both Ginger Coffey and Hagar Shipley’s overwhelming sense of pride obscures their reality and therefore causing problems for them. Coffey the main character in Brian Moore’s novel The Luck of Ginger Coffey is portrayed as a comic hero who has endless limitations that he does not see. Ginger Coffey believes he is his own man, which is why he leaves his homeland Ireland and moves to Canada . Coffey believes Ireland would not allow him to become the person he thought he could be, " What was his aim in life ? Well...he supposed it was to be his own master, to provide for Vera and Paulie, to...to what ?...To make something of himself, he supposed." (Moore, pg.21) Coffey’s values do not seem to be unrealistic or selfish in themselves, but because he sets unobtainable and unrealistic goals he encounters numerous failures. Coffey cannot content himself with a simple job and provide for his family in this way; he wants to become someon! e important, and achieve personal status. Not realizing that these very ideas bind him to a life of repetitive failures. Because of his pride Coffey sees himself not as the middle aged man that he is, but as an attractive young boy out for new adventures.
Queer. Exile. Class (Clare 31).” When Clare writes about losing home, he is writing about the parts of his identity that pulled him away from the place that he raised, as well as the parts of his identity that prevent him from finding home in other places (Clare 41). These words, queer, exile, and class, are both driving forces behind why Clare can’t find a place where he feels fully comfortable settling, but also these words give him a place where he feels at home. Clare explains his trouble finding home best when he describes, “I was a rural, mixed-class, queer child in a straight, rural, working-class town. Afterwards, I was an urban-transplanted, mixed-class, dyke activist in an urban, mostly middle-class, queer community. Occasionally I simply feel as if I’ve traded one displacement for another and lost home to boot (Clare 46).” This telling of Clare’s displacement highlights how his queer identity drove him from his childhood home, but his rural, mixed-class background prevents him from feeling content in the city (Clare 46). His queer identity, and his desire to escape his class situation, is part of what forced Clare into the exile that he experiences. However, these identities don’t only serve as a point of alienation for Clare but also as a place where he can belong. When talking
There are thousands of versions of cinderella told all around the world in different cultures and languages. They are all similar and different in their own way and all of the similarities and differences can reveal something about the culture they originate from. Katie Woodencloak and The Irish Cinderlad have both have their own fairy godmother but they are not the same. Both fairy godmothers reveal something about the economy of the country.
“One can forgive but one should never forget.” - Marjane Satrapi. A memoir is a collection of unique memories that one may never forget. They tell the story of a person’s life and grasp experiences that may be wonderful or absolutely terrifying. In Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Marjane Satrapi narrates her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and illustrates the devastating effects it had on her life. Similarly, Elie Wiesel narrates his horrifying journey as a Jew who endured the unimaginable cruelty of the Holocaust in his novel: Night. Although these memoirs are narrated in different time periods and locations, the authors are both marginalized because of their race and must battle traditional group barriers with their community. Through ethos and marginalization, Satrapi and Wiesel demonstrate that community can be created during times of political and cultural struggle, ultimately illustrating that humans overcome traditional group barriers by including themselves with members of other marginalized groups.
Following social conventions is one critical aspect that is required to be accepted by society. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion shows that being accepted into society is based on socially acceptable behaviors and lifestyles. The novel is about a 39 year old professor by the name of Don Tillman who is in search of a wife. Don is highly intelligent, incredibly organized, and extremely fit; however, social behavior escapes his understanding and has caused him to live a lonely life. Although it is never explicitly stated, it can be inferred that Don has Asperger’s Syndrome. However, Rosie Jarman, a force of spontaneity and wild emotions, not only barges into his life but completely changes it. Through character development and plot, Simsion demonstrates the importance of social convention in the creation and maintenance of relationships in young individuals’ lives. Social conventions are the expected behaviors that dictate social interactions and are considered acceptable by the majority. On the other hand, deviant behavior will be considered weird and, as a result, people who are categorized as weird are likely to be treated negatively or ignored.
Fredrickson, Barbara L. and Michael F. Losada. "Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing." American Psychologist 60.7 (2005): 678-686. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.
Bevington, David. “The complete works of Shakespeare.” Fifth Edition, New York: Pearson Longman, 2004, 218.
‘The Redfern Address’ is a text that explores the development of belonging through connections to people and communities.
At the University of Waterloo many students do not attend the games like football, basketball, and other school sports. Rubal Singh, a third year student and avid football player says, “The stadium is mostly filled with friends and family. Not many students.” In comparison to other schools in the province like The University of Guelph and Western University there stadiums are usually filled and have many non-related supporters. After interviewing many of my friends that attend our University a mutual consensus was that our school encourages more of an academic agenda than a social bonding one. According to Maclean’s 2013 annual statistics The University of Waterloo has been ranked as Canada’s most innovative and comprehensive university. Impressive, nonetheless, could those statistics mean that the University has no time to be the best spirited as well? Could the academic workload cause negative effects on the extracurricular activities? I believe it could.
Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll's House, there was great controversy over the out come of the play. Nora’s walking out on her husband and children was appalling to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, society’s opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a “housewife” reputation to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and overwhelming control, Nora finds herself leaving her family. Today, it could be said that Nora’s decision is very rational and well overdue.
The two films, Maid in Manhattan and Pretty Woman, can be considered a modern day Cinderella story. The two plots are loosely based on the the Disney classic. The Disney Cinderella was known as innocent, naive, and passive. The main character in Maid in Manhattan, Marisa, better showcases the new traits of an improved modern Cinderella than Vivian from Pretty Woman by keeping the same innocent nature, but adding more drive and determination to the role.
Growing up, “I felt like I didn’t have a place in the world—an identity to actually call my own.”
Stringfield, S. & Teddlie, C. (2003). Mixed methods sampling strategies in social science research in Tsshakkori. Kemper, E.A., .
Morrow, V. (2013) What’s in a number? Unsettling the boundaries of age. Childhood, Vol 20.2, p151-155 doi: 10.1177/0907568213484199
Migraines may be felt specifically on one side of the head, produce moderate to severe pain, and may be aggravated by physical activity. The patients may experience auras, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. This was a major precedent when selecting patients for the study.
3. Activities -Activity statement is a description of what will go on in the building