Fire On His Mind
Is it possible that being too protective over your child may cause an outcome that is disappointing rather than one that makes a person proud? In some situations, letting a child learn on their own is better than always telling them what to do. In Fire on His Mind, by Pamela Carter Joern, the theme of how our young ones affect us is fully explored through the use of plot, character and setting. Through the use of plot, the narrator gives us an early picture of who the boss is. In this short story, the boss is the dad Tom. As readers, we find out early in the story that he is very controlling. Tom demands, “When you hear this whistle, I want you to see fire. I want you to smell fire.”(40) While reading the story, we are informed
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“He could be dangerous.”(43) Before Tom has a chance to say a word to the new kid, he immediately wants to protect his boys from him just because of something he saw that kid do. Tom doesn 't let his boys say much about the new boy, Manson, even though he is is Trent’s class. No matter what his kids say in any situation does not affect the way Tom’s thinks. Tom truly just believes what he is doing will always help his boys. Another piece of evidence that shows how character has an impact is when Tom hears his son say, “I tried to be a fireman.”(48) This affected Tom horrendously. It got his thoughts flowing, making it so he could not even bare to sleep. Just by six words said by Trent changes the way Tom looks at the situation and goes up to the hospital. He sits with Manson’s parents and realizes how his dad is sitting, “He fisted his hands on his thighs. Big hands and hard, like knots of wood.”(48) With Manson’s dad sitting like that it makes a picture for the readers on how the dad feels and how his son being hurt is really affecting him but little does he know he is talking to the boys dad who hurt his son. With Trent hurting Manson it really plays a huge role in how young ones affect their parents because it now is making Tom think about the situation as if it was one of his …show more content…
Knowing that his kids know what to do in a situation if there was a fire does have a positive impact on his thinking. As readers, we call tell that having Tom’s family know what to do when there is a fire has a huge impact on him because of the situation he was in and having to drive by the house that burnt down to see, “The concrete foundation lay exposed, littered with blackened wood and debris. Particles of ash drifted through the air whenever the breeze stirred.”(43) This setting tells us why he has such a fright about fires and being able to sleep at night with his family knowing what to if a fire were to occur. I believe that since two kids did not make it out in that fire that he never wants to be put in that situation with his own. Tom’s boys play a huge concept on Tom making sure they are all safe. One last piece of evidence to wrap up Joern’s short story is the last place we visualize where Tom is, which is at the park on a swing just sitting and thinking.
Fire is one of, if not the, main motif that Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury revolves around. The world that Montag lives in is dominated by fire. As Montag said, “The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the firemen, and the sun burnt Time, that meant.that everything burned!” Ray Bradbury clearly conveys in this passage that Montag thinks that fire is very important and that it is something that everything revolves around. Ray Bradbury also talks about the idea of something burning, and that once you completely burn something, it is gone and there is no going back to get it. Just like time, books that are burned can not be retrieved no matter how hard you may try. In this quote, Ray Bradbury is also referencing how Montag has a sudden revelation at the time that he says this quote. This happens many times during the novel, and fire really is the main idea that changes Montag and all the other characters in Fahrenheit 451.
“Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” -Stephen Chbosky. Fire has many symbolic meanings throughout the novel and throughout history. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, he uses fire symbolism to represent Montag’s view of fire throughout the novel. Warmth, purification, and censorship are symbolic meanings of fire relating to Montag’s journey throughout the story.
Throughout history, the concept of “Bad Bosses” has been displayed in various types of literature. These various types of literature range from plays, to poems, and even short stories. Although the literature stated above may be different types, they all have potential to share the same aspect. The aspect that is similar to all the literary works we have reviewed over the course of the semester was bad bosses and how bad bosses have changed for the better or for the worst as time progressed.
Also, it seems Tom does not care if he gets fired or not judging by the amount of time that he spends writing poetry at work. Tom does not appreciate what he has or that his family is provided for. Tom also shows a hint of selfishness when he tells Amanda that there is nothing in that house that he can honestly call his own. Tom also goes to the movies or gets drunk almost every night and he knows that Amanda and Laura are worried about him but that changes nothing. He still goes out without thinking of how it affects his mother or sister.
Tom can now start to show his maturity everywhere, including at home. In the beginning, Tom is running from Aunt Polly's punishments, hurries through chores, and plays hooky from school. When he convinces kids to do his job of whitewash the fence for him, it shows immaturity. Also when he runs away from home to the island, he doesn't leave a note.
Tom has been living for thirty years, hiding and scared of his Vietnam incident. He's scared of facing his fears. It made him live a dead, hidden life for all these years and
“It was a pleasure to burn” this quote represents the opposite of our society because our society hates fire and thinks it is very dangerous. Fahrenheit 451 has a different society then our because our society has firefighters who stop fires and not start them, they burn books and our society Allows book and the houses in Fahrenheit 451 are fire proof and ours burn fast once it touches a flame.
At the beginning, Tom is very self-centered and preoccupied with his work. He finds what he wants to do more important than what his wife wants to do that night. Once faced with the reality of death, he realizes how important his wife is to him. This forces him to be strong and stay alive, for her sake. The only reason he made it back into his house was because of how much he cared for her. Tom then decides to go find her at the movies, which shows that he has become less self-centered and more aware of his wife’s feelings.
It is only once in a while a book comes along so great in its message, so frightening in its inferred meaning’s of fire as in Fahrenheit 451. Fire which is used as a symbol of chaos, destruction, and death can also lead to knowledge. Fire has 3 different meanings. Fire represents change which is shown through Montag’s symbolic change from using fire to burn knowledge into using fire to help him find knowledge; fire can represent knowledge as demonstrated through Faber, and fire can represent rebirth of knowledge as shown through the phoenix.
The story provides many sources for the boy's animosity. Beginning with his home and overall environment, and reaching all the way to the adults that surround him. However, it is clear that all of these causes of the boy's isolation have something in common, he has control over none of these factors. While many of these circumstances no one can expect to have control over, it is the culmination of all these elements that lead to the boy’s undeniable feeling of lack of control.
Tom Wingfield is a determined young man. He has decided against everyone else in his family's wishes that he wants to leave the dismal life of a factory job, to pursue a chance in the Merchant Marines. He realizes that he would be running off like his father and this is probably the only thing that kept him from leaving this long. Amanda, Tom's mother, deep down knows the day is coming that Tom will leave. She says "But not till there's someone to take your place." She wants Laura, if not herself to be taken care of. At that moment in the play Tom is the breadwinner in the family and up to this point Tom is the underpriviledged child that wants to move on. He wants to pursue his dream, a more adventurous life. Tom was a likable character until we find out he didn't pay the electric bill with the intended money. When Jim is over and he says "I paid my dues this month, instead of the light bill". At this point, Tom becomes a more selfish character. There is less sympathy given in his direction. In fact, this is probably where we feel a little more sorry for Amanda.
At first glance, the story “Barn burning” seems just to be about a tyrannical father and a son who is in the grips of that tyranny. I think Faulkner explores at least one important philosophical question in this story were he asks at what point should a person make a choice between what his parent(s) and / or family believes and his own values?
The third and final reason Tom is unhappy and wants to leave, is due to his dreams being put on hold to support his family. Tom envisions a life of adventure, something of which he feels his life is meaningless without. After his father leaves, though not his obligation, Tom takes over the role as the man of the house. Tom feels that he is now responsible for taking care of his mother and sister. Even though Amanda and Laura need him, Tom decides anyway to leave them in search of his own adventures. Tom does not necessarily want to be unlike his father, he thinks of his wanting leave as a gene of sorts, a destiny, something he is supposed to do. When Tom’s coworker, Jim, is invited to dinner, Tom even confides in Jim that Tom is “like my [his] father” and that he is “the
In the beginning, Tom is blinded by the chance to impress his boss and possibly get a promotion at work that he does not realize he is jeopardizing his relationship with his wife. Although he feels guilty about leaving Clare alone in order to work and after she reminds him, “You work too much… and too hard” (Finney 1), he continues to lie, saying he must stay home to work. Not only does this prove that he places work above everything else, but he is willing to lie to his wife, ultimately showing his true values. This is an important aspect since it reveals to the audience that he is letting the chance to succeed get in the way of his personal relationships. Even after the wind takes his work, his mind is focused merely on the possible raise it could bring rather than considering the danger he would put himself through to get it back.
Karen Rhodes analyzed to build a fire in a cultural context. He believed "London's works were written so that he could survive in a world he increasingly came to see as "red in tooth and claw""(1). It is obviously the story of a man fighting the stresses of Nature. According to Rhodes, to build a fire was drawn from the year London spent in Canada's Yukon Territory. London depicted arctic and very cold conditions throughout the story. Rhodes believed to build a fire represented London's Naturalistic Flavor. "It pits one man alone against the overwhelming forces of nature"(Karen Rhodes, 1). He also believed to build a fire can either be interpreted as the Pioneer American experience or can be read as an allegory for the journey of human existence (Karen Rhodes, 1). According to Rhodes, there are two versions of to build a fire; the first one was written in 1902 while the second one was written in 1908. We are studying the 1908 version." It has come to be known as everyman trekking through the Naturalistic Universe"(Karen Rhodes, 1). To build a fire is indeed the story of a man trekking through the universe alone except for his dog. The man's death at the end was the culmination of the story. " His death came through no lapse of observation, no lack of diligence, no real folly but the nature of himself and his environment" (Karen Rhodes, 2). I think his is a fine criticism of London's to build a fire. London had made use of his life experiences in writing the story.