In the book House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, the main character, Matt, lives the life of a clone, he was brought into the world as a cell from El Patrón's skin. Matt grows up in a shack in a field of opium poppies with his "mother" Celia, but he is discovered by 3 kids who live at the estate. When he tries to meet them, he cuts his feet on the glass from a broken window and is rushed back to the estate to see a doctor. He spends the next 6 months in a room full of sawdust kept as a prisoner because clones are basically livestock. The estate owner, the richest man in the world, and the person Matt is cloned from finally finds him and rescues him. He then proceeds to live his life in the mansion, all while developing an extremely close
For example, he was traversing mountains, hiding from farm patrol, and trying to survive the wilderness all on his own. Along the way, he could've died several times, but the thought of Celia and Tam Lin helped him push forwards and make it across the border. For example, in this story, Matt has to survive the journey to cross Opium and into Aztlán. He slowly makes his way into the country to find Marίa, but when he is at his weakest, he remembers the actions of Tam Lin, one of the most important people in his life "He would go on, as Tam Lin had, without looking back" (Farmer, 250). When Matt eventually escapes, he does it with a member of the farm patrol right on his heels, and without Tam Lin, he would've lost the upper hand on the patrol, been captured, brought back to the estate, and killed. This happens several times over the span of the entire book, and especially when Matt is trapped in the boneyard and is slowly sinking into the mass of bones. "'Tam Lin says rabbits give up when they're caught by coyotes [] But humans are different. They fight against death no matter how bad things seem, and sometimes, when everything's against them, they win'" (Farmer 328). Tam Lin is such an influence in Matt's life, that when he is slowly dying, Tam Lin's words come back and give him faith that he will make it out of the boneyard and will not just curl up and die. Matt's family is the only reason why he's alive right now, and if it wasn't for them and their teachings, there would be no story and Matt would've just succumbed to each problem he had. The author, Nancy Farmer, conveys this theme incredibly well using the help of setting, her strong use of descriptive, graphic words gives this story a very real sense of actuality. Setting plays a huge role in developing this theme with setting the tone of how a place will treat Matt, as in
The Killer Angels is a historical novel that recounts the battle of the Civil War, specifically focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg. Set from June 29 to July 3, 1863 and told from the point of view of several soldiers and commanding officers from both sides, Michael Shaara effectively illustrates the sentiments behind the war that tore America in two, from the strategic battle plans to the emotional hardships endured by all.
The novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara depicts the story behind one of the bloodiest, and highly significant, battles of the American Civil War, the battle of Gettysburg. The battle consisted of 51,000-casualties between the Union and Confederate army forces. Mainly focused on letters, journal entries, and memoirs, Shaara tells the story of Gettysburg by using characters from both sides of the war. The characters chosen grasp the divergent views regarding the impending days of the war, and countless numbers of those views develop throughout the novel. Such views come from the Confederates own General Lee and General Longstreet, and the Unions own Colonel Chamberlain and soldiers from both sides. From those depicted
The novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara depicts the story behind one of the most significant and bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg consisted of 51,000-casualties between the Union and Confederate army forces. Mainly focused on letters, journal entries, and memoirs, Shaara tells the story of Gettysburg by using characters from both sides of the “spectrum”, the Confederate and Union army. These characters grasp the revolving points of view about the impending days of the war. Such points are casted from characters, as the confederates own General Lee, General Longstreet, the Unions own Colonel Chamberlain, and soldiers from both sides. From those depicted in the novel, with several
There is no question that the love Matt had for Frank was the motivation to kill Richard Strout. The story ends with two physical killings and a moral death as well. Vengeance comes at a very high price, death.
Night of the Living Dead is an iconic horror movie released in 1968 in America. The movie was directed by George Romero and premiered on October 1st of the same year. The movie follows the characters of Barbra and Ben and five other characters trapped in a rustic farmhouse in a rural town in Pennsylvania. The farmhouse is attacked by a large group of non-living human beings which are not named. They have characterized features of a monster and of a corpse. In the onset of the film, the main character Barbra and her brother Johnny drive to a town in Pennsylvania for a customary visit to the father’s grave. When in the cemetery, Barbra and Johnny encounter a peculiar looking man who had been walking around the cemetery. Fear overcomes Barbara as the deranged man walks towards her and proceeds to aggressively attack her. While trying to rescue his sister, Johnny is thrown into a gravestone and succumbs to his demise. After this occurrence, Barbra decides to escape in a car which gets involved in a mishap. This forces her to escape on foot and subsequently leads her to a farmhouse. Later, the news reports to the
The House of the Seven Gables written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that engages the reader in an intricate love story that blends history and a fanciful ancestry. Hawthorne stays true to the Romantic era’s convections through his detailed development of the plot. Through his writing, the reader can capture the emotions, morality and motives of each character. Although Hawthorne writes in the romantic style, he does not fail to go against the social norms with the plot. He defines the normal roles of women and he emphasizes the role of wealth in society. Furthermore he asserts his opinions on issues that were prevent in that time, such as, racism, slave emancipation and Jim Crow. The story was not created to just provide a creative love
This is because they are born through a cow instead of their mother, even though they still have the same DNA as a regular human. Clones are also treated like trash because they are mostly used for labor or organs. However, Matt is different. he is capable of thought and emotions which sets him apart from most clones. Matt even excels at the arts. In chapter 9, paragraph 42, Matt thinks to himself, " The ability to create music filled [me] with a joy too large to contain. [I] forgot [I] was a clone. The music made up for everything." Matt has all of the characteristics of a human yet he still gives himself the title of a clone. This shows the conflict between what everybody says Matt is verses what Matt thinks of himself. As time goes by, Matt eventually starts to see who he really is, besides a clone. Matt sees this finally when Tam Lin, his body guard tells him that "no one can tell the difference between a clone and a human. There is no difference. The idea of clones being inferior is a filthy lie"
Farmer’s novel, The House of the Scorpion, follows a character by the name of Matteo Alacrán, who is a clone living in the futuristic world where huge advances and discoveries of scientific technologies have been completed. Matt faces constant hardships from other people, and is treated poorly as if he is an animal, just because he is a clone. In The House of the Scorpion, Farmer creates a futuristic society in which a very powerful person, by the name of E...
ScreenPrism. "ScreenPrism." Why Did "Night of the Living Dead" Spark Controversy after Its Release. Web. 19 Sept. 2017.
Night Of The Living Dead a film that was in my opinion the first of its kind. It didn’t have the biggest budget when they filmed it. Yet a film I would watch again and again. The 1968 original film is a classic I really enjoyed. It didn’t have the most famous actors and actresses or the greatest acting in that case. It didn’t even have great film quality, yet I was glued to the film from the first minute to the last. I saw it as a change of scenery from the films we see today, and if you’re someone who likes black and white films you’re going to love this one.
Mark Twain once stated, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” (Brainy Quote). Despite the imaginative challenges children are faced with in reality, they are able to cope with the advantage of time and mental resilience. Stephen King in his essay, "My Creature from the Black Lagoon" from the Wake Tech English 111 Reader, compared the idea of imaginative strength in children and in that of adults to see who would better fit the horror genre audience. Stephen King recalls one particular time from his past that sends shivers down even the hardest of spines.
In the chapter we are also introduced to Second Chance, a cloned bull, which was intended to resemble his donor but ended up being nearly the exact opposite. Second Chance was very forceful and violent in comparison to his donor, who was more careful with his owner, Ralph Fisher. Fisher took advantage of the opportunity to have a replica of his admired bull but there was no real success because he instead got a bull he never anticipated to receive. (Anthes 68) Second Chance exemplifies how the outcomes are unknown and really unpredictable since the donor and the clone had two very distinguishable personality types. A clone is simply an organism that has been asexually reproduced to closely resemble its donor, which means that pet cloning is not exact when it comes to appearance or personality of the
“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” is an episode from the popular tv series The Twilight Zone. Twilight zone was created by Rod Serling, and first aired in 1959. The series is a dramatic fantasy and science-fiction anthology. The episode “The Monsters are Due on Maple street” is based around aliens. At least from the surface the episode seems to be about aliens. The average viewer would not see that the episode also has a deeper meaning, one that relates to history. This episode is a great example of a term coined in the 1950s, McCarthyism.
Mitchell, Dr. Elizabeth. "Human Clones: Created To Die." - Answers in Genesis. N.p., 30 May
A prominent theme in The House of the Scorpion is that genetics do not determine one's character. This applies to many characters, but it is demonstrated most clearly in Matt. He is El Patron's clone; his DNA is the exact same. Scientifically, they could be considered the same person. But Matt is different, because he has different experiences, different values, and makes different choices.