Shared Humanity In Literature

714 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social bonding

Some people think that, as humans, might wonder that this species is human or not. The reason some people say that, is they do not know that, as humans, are all connected by things, as humans, cannot perceive. Well actually, as humans, can sense it. Shared Humanity has 6 categories that society and literature like to present. There are four categories that are mainly shown. These are Morality, Relationship, Survival, and Emotion. In works like the Scarlet Ibis, How I Live Now, and an Invisible Thread, Shared Humanity can be experienced. The short story of the Scarlet Ibis shows the shared humanity’s category of relationship. When the narrator, a main character, got a crazy brother of Doodle, things didn’t seem like Doodle thought it be. “ Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy ever had.” (Hurst) This piece of evidence shows some emotion about his brother, and how this bond is gonna be a trainwreck. Throughout the story he just dehumanizes Doodle, because of the fact that he is the brother he never wanted. “ I want a brother.” (Hurst) So he goes through so many mixed emotions about him, that they come out as once. Even more so he is ashamed of his “ crippled brother.” “...I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” (Hurst) That is an emotion that runs through his mind. Speaking of …show more content…

When Laura, an ad executive, meets a homeless boy named Maurice. They both change their lives forever. For 3 decades, they created a bond known as an invisible thread. “Excuse me, lady, do you have any spare change?” (Schroff, Tresniowski) This shows the morality that Laura does for Maurice by spending a day with him, and showing him new things that he normally do not see. Even tho he might not show it, but he truly treasures it like gold. She could have left him and gave him money to eat, but she showed her colors by helping him at his good and bad times. That should be something that, as humans, should learn to

Show More
Related

  • Similiaries and Differences in Characters in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    Two people with two completely different characteristics have something alike. Both Dally and Johnny are mentally tough because of their parents. Johnny and Dally’s parents both do not care for them and could care less about them. For example, during Dally’s childhood he went to jail, been in a gang, and has been in many fights and his dad still would not care for him even if he won the lottery. Dally also talks about his dad's disgrace towards him in the car with Johnny and Ponyboy, “‘ Shoot, my dad don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in a gutter...’”(88). Dally could easily live without his dad and he does for the most part. Dally just hangs around with his friends and stays at their place. Similarly, Johnny's parents use him like a rag doll to blow off steam, “his father always beating him up”(14). The gang knows what happenes in Johnny’s house. Once Ponyboy was witnessing, “Johnny take a whipping with a two-by-four from his old man”(33). Ponyboy talks about how loud and mean Johnny's mom is and,“you can...

    Read More

  • Shall We Gather At The River Analysis

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, we know that the theme is, one day everything will end, so instead of wanting and wishing for more, appreciate what you have now. This is true because the quote, “I wanted more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with,” displaying that Brother wanted a younger sibling, but soon realized that his sibling William Armstrong (Doodle) would not be able to play like other children. However, he had hope. “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow. However, one afternoon as I watched him, my head poked between iron posts of the bed, he looked straight at me and grinned, I skipped through the rooms, echoing through the halls, shouting, ‘Mama, he smiled. He’s all there! He’s all there!’ and he was,” reveals that the narrator wished that Doodle wouldn’t be crazy, and that he hoped, deep down, Doodle would get better and be able to play with him. Once Doodle

    Read More

  • The Women in Richard Wright's Uncle Tom’s Children

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some critics have argued that Richard Wright’s women are “flat, one dimensional stereotypes, portrayed primarily in terms of their relationship to the male character”. (Quote, p540) However, in Uncle Tom’s Children, Wright resents three very distinct types of female characters who did not fit this description. Wright portrays women as an Avenger, a Sufferer and a Mother figure whose actions propel the stories to their final conclusion. In the story “Bright and Morning Star” Wright places the protagonist, Aunt Sue, in a domestic environment. “Her hands followed a lifelong ritual of toil” (pg222) as she cleans and cooks. Interestingly, Aunt Sue is the only heroine in the stories, who shows a different type of bravery than perhaps shown by the male figures in other stories. She is brave in the face of the loss of her two sons; she is brave as she does not show weakness to the white men who attempt to control her and make her do their bidding. She does not allow herself to be bound by the conventions of society. She speaks her mind to the white men who invade her home and states “Ah don’t care who Ahm talking t!” (pg238). Aunt Sue is portrayed as a cunning woman, who hides behind men’s perception of her as weak and uses it to her advantage. Her final act of bravery in the story is to giver herself up to death, before the white men can take her life from her. Wright also portrays women as sufferers in his work. Sarah, in “Long Black Song” suffers from isolation and is stuck in a loveless marriage. The gap between men and women is very much evident in this story. Sarah is very much dependent on Silas for company, security and items of comfort. Silas is allowed to exceed from the isolation imposed on his wife. Even when Sarah flees from ...

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis Character Analysis

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Humans are never perfect, and their emotions often conflict with their logic. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator receives a physically disabled brother, Doodle, thus trains Doodle physically so that he could live a normal life. Throughout the story, the narrator’s actions and thoughts reveals his true personalities to the audience as he slowly narrates the story of himself and his scarlet ibis, Doodle, whose existence he dreaded. In the story written by James Hurst, pride, love, and cruelty, these conflicting character traits all exists in Doodle’s brother. And the most severe of all, pride.

    Read More

  • Parallel Lives: Doodle and the Ibis

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you have many things in common with someone? Maybe you even know twins. Well, Doodle and the ibis in James Hurst’s The Scarlet Ibis have many similarities. We learn early in the story that Doodle was expected to die at a young age. When he was born he had many complications. His brother was determined to help him and eventually he had surprised his family and the people who had doubted him. The ibis was very alike Doodle in the way that they had both done things that amazed people, especially Doodle’s family. The ibis was looked as small and frail. Come to find later in the story, the ibis was very strong at heart just as Doodle was.

    Read More

  • Brother's Guilt: A Critical Analysis of 'The Scarlet Ibis'

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    In James Hurst’s short story, “the Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator is guilty of his brother, Doodle’s death. There are many pieces of evidence stacked against him. He never treated his brother right and obviously had something against him from the very start. Doodle had a lot of health problems. His weak heart made it difficult for him to do simple things like walking and standing up. His brother was absolutely mortified at the idea of the embarrassment he would endure if he was known as the kid with a brother who couldn’t walk.

    Read More

  • The Power of the Written Word: Literary Greats Paving the Way for Social Equality

    1276 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structure. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society. Writing based on their own experiences, had it not been for the works of Susan Glaspell, Kate Chopin, and similar feminist authors of their time, we may not have seen a reform movement to improve gender roles in a culture in which women had been overshadowed by men.

    Read More

  • James Hurst's The Scarlet Ibis

    497 Words  | 1 Pages

    Blood is thicker than water, but sometimes pride is thicker than both. Such is the case with James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis." This is a dramatic short story about two brothers, in which the older brother manipulates and is later responsible for the death of his younger brother, Doodle. These actions proved that he did not love Doodle.

    Read More

  • Barn Burning Analysis

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Family is a very dominate aspect in the stories that were read for this class. Especially in William Faulkner’s story, “Barn Burning,” where the blood should bond a family together forever no matter what happens. In F. Scotts Fitzgerald story of “Babylon Revisited,” a man wants to get his daughter back. In both of these stories each man experiences a sense of loss. In the barn burning, the love between a father and a son should be based on genuine respect, love, loyalty, and admiration. This is not what happened. Blood was the most important aspect. Throughout this story the boy just wants to gain his father’s admiration, but in doing so he loses his blood tie with his father. In Barn burning, Sarty’s father is being tried, but since there is no evidence to prove that he did it, he is ordered to the leave the country. A very harsh image of Sarty’s father is presented when “he followed the stiff black coat, the wire figure walking a little stiffly from where a Confederate provost’s man’s musket ball had taken him in the heel on a stolen horse thirty years ago. ” His son, knows that his father has never been a law abiding. Therefore the bond between them has been broken. It is hard for Sarty to have a sense of loyalty to his father and to do what is right especially when he knows that his father’s actions are wrong. Sarty alludes to Mr. Harris as “his father’s enemy (our enemy he thought in that despair, orn, mine and hisn both! He’s my father! ” Even with the accusations that were against his father Sarty still feels like he should protect his father. “The old fierce pull of blood” is what is preventing him from turning in his father. So here the Sarty is very torn on what he should do, but the blood binding between is father and h...

    Read More

  • Scarlet Ibis And Simon Birch Comparison

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Ibis is a story about two brothers the older brother who is a “ normal” boy and his younger brother Doodle who was born with complication and wasn't expected to live. Doodle wasn't able to walk or do anything physical. His older brother was embarrassed by this and set out to teach him how to be like every other kid his age. While in the movie Simon Birch two young boys Joe had a bestfriend named Simon who was born small. Everything about Simon was tiny and he experienced physical issues because of this. Through

    Read More

  • Thesis For The Scarlet Ibis

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brother doesn’t realize that his pride has done damage until the damage has been done. Brother looks back years later and he realizes that his pride got the best of him, and he won’t be able to get his brother back. When brother is younger he doesn’t realize how he has impacted Doodle’s life sometimes in a positive way but mostly in a negative way.

    Read More

  • Why the Brother in The Scarlet Ibis is Selfish

    387 Words  | 1 Pages

    Some people are selfish in such a way that affects only their own selves, but others’ selfishness can hurt those they care about. One of these such people is Brother in “The Scarlet Ibis”. In James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis”, Brother is selfish and only teaches Doodle to walk to benefit himself.

    Read More

  • Selfishness In The Cask Of Amontillado And Marigolds

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the Narrator that is only referred to as Brother shows his selfishness through his interactions and intentions with his

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis Death Analysis

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Scarlet Ibis,” written by James Hurst, Doodle, a boy born with health problems, experiences cruel actions from his older brother who wishes Doodle would have been born as normal as possible with no health conditions. As Doodle grows his older brother tries to teach him to be as normal as Doodle portrays to be capable to be, such as teaching him to walk, although this affects Doodle’s health severely, which eventually leads to his early death. The narrator in “The Scarlet Ibis” causes Doodle’s death by leaving Doodle in the rain, teaching him things that affects his health, and creating a sense of curiosity.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis Analysis

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    James Hurst is the author of the heart breaking short story entitled “The Scarlet Ibis”. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about two brothers; one brother is healthy, while the other is physically handicapped. The short story is centered on the idea that the older, healthier brother’s selfishness and pride ultimately led to the death of his younger brother, Doodle. Numerous quotes throughout the story demonstrate Hurst’s use of symbolism and foreshadowing to portray and predict Doodle’s untimely and heartbreaking death.

    Read More

More about Shared Humanity In Literature

Open Document