The English Poet Joseph Addison said “reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”, with that Addison wanted to tell us that reading is the perfect exercise to the mind. Reading is one of the most important and useful activities that human beings can done throughout their life because as all other intellectual activities, reading can help us to develop several skills such as large lexicon and knowledge. Karen Swallow said that “Reading is one of the few distinctively human activities that set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom” so it is an exclusive activity of human beings, only living beings who have been able to develop it. In addition, the importance of reading also lies in the fact that it is through it that humans can begin receiving knowledge and thus formally enter into the complex but useful process known as education. Some time ago, reading did not mean too much for me, I only opened a magazine when I …show more content…
Ernest Hemingway was a pioneer of this methodology, better known as “the iceberg theory”, every story must reflect only a small part of the story, leaving the rest of the reading and interpretation to the reader, that means we must to know and to dominate all points of the story in our thoughts; for example, Hemingway in his story “Hills Like White Elephants” showed us a couple during a meeting, planning an operation, but the lack of details made me think two things: they were planning a robbery, or they were talking about a surgery. When there is not enough details, we start to analyze between lines, and that analyzing could become in so many ideas, depending of the reader; for that reason, what I can analyze could be different to the others. Reading could begin discussions due of what we understand, being different thoughts or same thoughts, a simple lecture can be processed in many
“There's nothing worse than finding yourself in a situation, a very demanding piece of work, and knowing that you're not a true ally to the person who's in charge of all that” (Lewis). In “Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, Jig searches for her identity as she makes a challenging decision. In the drama A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter searches for his identity by demonstrating his love for money throughout the play. To begin with, in “Hill Like White Elephants”, Jig is searching for herself. Jig does not know whether to have an abortion or to keep the baby.
Reading is on the decline and our reading skills are declining right along with the amount of reading we do. This is happening right across the board through both genders, all age groups and education levels, people are busy and they just do not have time to read books that they are not required to read for school or work. There are serious consequences to this neglect of reading that will continue to worsen if ignored. We need to take notice of what is happening to our culture and stop this situation from continuing, we must act to correct these issues that we are faced with. These things are discussed in the essay “Staying Awake’’ by Ursula K. Le Guin who uses the NEA essays “To Read or Not to Read’’ and “Reading at Risk’’ to support her argument that there is a decline in the amount of time that we are spending on reading and our ability to understand what it is that we are reading.
Life is a series of crossroads, major and minor, and each decision plays a key part in analysing the character of a person. In “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway tears back the curtains and exposes one of these moments in full ingenuousness. A man and a woman, named Jig, are at an impasse. They have to decide whether or not they are going to abort their child. The man wants no change in his life, and so he wants no child. The woman wants a change in lifestyle, but in order to keep the child she has to break the autonomous lifestyle that has surrounded her for her entire life. She, in essence, must change her identity in order to follow her aspirations. By juxtaposing the character’s perceived identity to the character’s hopes, Hemingway provides the reader with certain axioms of life. These axioms that Hemingway presents fit into the curriculum of Junior Year by relating to specific values and social conventions, by having literary merit and lastly by transcending time by influencing modern society’s media themes and motifs.
“Hills Like White Elephants”, published in 1927, gives insight into a couple struggling with an unexpected pregnancy. The woman, Jig, is deciding if she should get an abortion or not. Throughout the story, the man pressures Jig constantly. Stating that, “it would be no big deal [to have the abortion] and that everything will go back to normal” (Hemingway 312). The woman, confused enough, soon realizes that if she does decide to keep the baby, the man will not support her. This short story has a strong impact, not only in the 1920’s, but also in today’s society. Although the story is purely fictional, Hemingway engulfs the readers by giving reference to real world things such as cities. The story deals with real life situations such as abortion,
“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way” (E. Hemingway, Brainy Quote). It is evident that this is why Ernest Hemingway writes the literary pieces he writes. Hemingway proves this by writing his short story, Hills Like White Elephants. Hemingway also quoted, “I never had to choose a subject - my subject rather chose me” (E. Hemingway, QuotesPedia). This also relates to Hemingway composing Hills Like White Elephants along with many of his other works.
Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway is a short story that deals with the idea of conformity and the conflict caused by internal desire and pressure from another party. The short story is very subtle, and often uses these subtleties in combination with incredible amounts of symbolism interlaced throughout the narrative to cause the reader to look and think deeper into the motives, values and convictions of the conflict between the two protagonists respective desires. When two parties are at an impasse of desire, the conviction of their opposing beliefs become increasingly unshakeable. This results in dissension due to the severe lack of understanding between the parties involved and furthermore, they refuse to be held responsible
The short story “Hills like white elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, is centered around the vivid argument that a man and a woman are having whilst waiting forty minutes for a train at a train station in Spain. The argument that is taking place is about a “simple operation” that the man is trying to convince the woman to have. Although not explicitly stated, the “simple operation” that the man is referring to, is an abortion. The main theme in this short story is decision making and the impact that it can have on the outcome of our decisions; whether good or bad. Hemingway, masterfully uses implicit imagery and symbolism throughout the story to portray the uncomfortable and difficult decision that the couple has to make.
People face difficult decisions every day. Some, however, face more difficult decisions than others. In the short story Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism, dialogue, and the iceberg theory to highlight a conflict between the American guy and the girl facing a strenuous decision. Symbolism plays a prominent roll in Hills Like White Elephants.
The story I chose to write a reflection is on "Hills Like White Elephants" written by Ernest Hemingway that is about a young lady grappling with the possibility of having an abortion because of the weights and impacts of the man in her relationship. The expression which emerged and was rehashed regularly all throughout the story of the hills resembling "white elephants. "The man she is with wishes for her to get an abortion so he can proceed on traveling to different places on how he needs with no genuine respect for her emotions or prosperity at first. Gradually, he appears to steadily begin to think more about her welfare. The lady appears to be significantly more introvert on communicating her actual emotions and wants.
Communication, especially effective communication is crucial to maintaining personal and business relationships. Some may consider it fundamental to maintaining success but poor communication may cause trouble. Ernest Hemingway was born in Cicero (Oak Park), Illinois in the early 20th century. Like many men in the era, he served in World War I. After the war, Hemingway moved to Paris and became a key part of “The Lost Generation”, a group of writers in the 1920s who wrote about the death of the American Dream and the lifestyles of the wealthy. During this time, Hemingway and his wife began touring the Festival of San Fermin in Spain, which influence his first novel, The Sun Also Rises.
Hemingway is a very interesting writer and a unique one indeed. His work on the “Hills Like White Elephants”, is very intriguing because of the literary elements he used to portray his story. This sort of reminds of when I read the bible, especially the book of Revelation, there are many passages that are parabolas, metaphors, and illustrations that require a second look to understand the true meaning of the reading. And to me Hemingway did that on “Hills Like White Elephants”. Hemingway starts by setting the setting of the story by saying that The American and the Girl are in a station waiting for the express train towards Madrid, Surrounded by hills, fields, and trees in Spain.
The use of theme and point of view in short stories vary based on what the author is trying to accomplish through their work. Some stories, such as “Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer, has multiple points of view through the duration of the story, while others like, “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, keep one point of view the entire way through. Themes can be harder to decipher than the point of view for certain stories. Nonetheless, both elements are important parts of storytelling and can make or break the understanding of a story. “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway uses one point of view through the duration of the story- third person (objective).
Settings Make a Difference Ernest Hemingway's short story, Hills Like White Elephants, is primarily communicated in dialogue, with little sections dedicated to explaining the specifics of the setting. Hemingway sets “Hills Like White Elephants” at a train station to highlight the point that the association between the American man and the girl is at an intersection. The station is a stopping point between Barcelona and Madrid, not the destination. Travelers at the station must decide where to go in their life. In the story, it symbolizes, to go with each other and continue their relationship or part and go different directions.
Nowadays, many people think reading is not necessary, since there are so many sources of information and types of entertainment, such as TV, cinema and the Internet. I believe they are wrong because reading is very beneficial in many ways.
Reading – we do it every day. In almost every aspect of our lives and often take it for granted. Reading is essential for human communication and increasing knowledge. However, because reading is so important even a small change can have a significantly large impact on our modern society. We are currently in a midst of a cultural revolution. In which the printed word is being transformed by the digital.