Have you ever found yourself in an extremely tough and difficult situation and wanted to give up? What about a life threatening situation? Well, The Call of the Wild, Of Mice and Men, and The Color Purple all feature these situations. The characters are faced with arduous decisions to make, whether to give in or not. They all end up persisting and standing firm. The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker, use the different rhetorical devices of personification, similes, and tone to achieve the same purpose of showing the struggle, discrimination, and poor treatment of animals, migrant farmhands, and African American women to show the importance of perseverance and never surrendering …show more content…
Buck uses his human sense of imagination to fight and persist. Without using this personification, it is likely Buck would not be able to be where he is at. Buck needs his human head of imagination to survive. London’s brilliant addition of Buck’s personification shows just how Buck is able to keep at it and never surrender. Another example of personification in the novel is, “A chill wind was blowing that nipped him sharply and bit with especial venom into his wounded shoulder” (London 49). London’s quote is personification because the wind “bites” Buck. Wind can not actually bite, thus London is attributing it an ability it does not actually have. To show the pain Buck was in, the author uses this personification, and it effectively shows the pain Buck was in. The wind does not simply blow by him, but it nips him sharply and bites with “especial venom”. The stronger abilities that London gives the wind greatly help show the struggle Buck was going through. This quote goes right along with achieving London’s purpose of showing the struggle of Buck, a sled dog, and how he perseveres and never lets down on his quest to survive because of the how wind hits him. Instead of the cold wind just blowing by Buck, it bites him with …show more content…
No matter how tough the situation might be, London, Steinbeck, and Walker all teach the reader the same thing. They show us how to keep at it and get through a tough situation. Now that we have seen some of the most difficult situations imaginable and some of strongest responses to those situations, we now know just how important perseverance is and how strong anyone can be when they do not give
Imagine being discriminated against because of your ethnicity; or being the only woman on a ranch, stuck in a loveless marriage, when all you really want is someone to talk to. What about having to kill that friend, and bury all chances of breaking free from the life of the average migrant worker? How would you feel? These scenarios in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men illustrate the need and desire for companionship in life. There's Crooks, the negro stable buck; Curley's wife, whose marriage to Curley hasn't exactly been lively; and George and Lennie, whose friendship is strong enough to get them to a better life and out of the negetive cycle that the average migrant worker became trapped in during the Great Depression.
From start to finish, the novel emphasizes the importance of will power and determination. Will is unbreakable; you can put humans through hell and take everything from them, but as long as they make the consistent choice to remain determined and driven, the will power they possess will remain. Unbroken teaches readers that nothing is impossible. Far too often do we make such miniscule problems in life seem unbearable; however, Unbroken allows us to answer the constant question of “compared to what?” In times where Louis is forced to do things like “crawl through the filth of a pig 's sty… to save himself from starving to death” (Hillenbrand 128), one often wonders how selfish and ungrateful we truly are. Surely we can wait a few more hours before eating our next meal. The daily trials we encounter are nothing compared to the daily torture Louis endured, and his story seemingly puts our lives back into perspective. Unbroken is a remarkably powerful book because it opens up the eyes of readers and allows them to take away messages that seemed so obvious before. From a very early age we are taught to never give up and to keep your hope alive; however, we never truly understand what that means. The story of Louis Zamperini allows readers to reflect on the situations in life they deem “unbearable” and “impossible,” only to come to realize how shameful it is to complain
To the average reader, “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck may initially look very similar, but after carefully critiquing and comparing their abundance of differences, their opinion will change. Steinbeck found his inspiration for writing the novel after reading that poem. His novel is set in Salinas, CA during the 1900s and is about migrant farm wrokers while the poem is about the guilt felt by one man after he inadvertently ruins the “home” of a field mouse with his plow. Even though they are two different genres of literature, they share a similar intent. The poem is written in first person, while the novel is written in third person omniscient. The vocabulary used to provide imagery is also another subtle different. Being two different genres of literature, they are destined to have both differences and similarities, but the amount of differences outweighs the aspects that are the same.
The main characters from The Call of the Wild, The Hunger Games, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series all were on a mission. Buck from The Call of the Wild was trying to survive in the wild to so he could live his life. Katniss, from The Hunger Games, was trying to keep Peeta, her fake boyfriend, and herself alive. Percy, from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, was attempting to save his city, family, and his friends. However, all three were trying to survive to accomplish something thereafter.
Life is full of unfortunate circumstances; terrible episodes happen to people every day whether they are pious, unpleasant, or indifferent. Those individuals, then have to choose whether to come to terms with the ordeal, or ignore it completely. In the selections, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “The Man in the Black Suit” by Steven King, both protagonists face traumatic experiences that affect their lives, and they are forced to cope with it. There are times in people’s lives when a terrible event happens, and because they are so unwilling to face it, they cope in an unhealthy manner. They do not know any other way to process what they are feeling, so they ignore it. Because people are either unwilling or unable to deal with
Even though there is tragedy there-what Steinbeck seems to be saying is that the human spirit can and will endure despite immense privations. The will to live and endure will always overcome defeated hopes.
Violence is unavoidable in life, in the same way it is also unavoidable in literature. In literature violence contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck violence serves as a build-up of the plot. Violence is a major theme in this book and is brought out physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Violence is used a way to achieve justice in the story, as well as an outlet for the despair and limited possibilities that define the ranch.
Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck. It is set in California during the great depression. The story follows two ranch hands who travel together and are very poor. Throughout the novel we witness many different philosophical references. Many different types of characters from this novel are reused in today’s society. Steinbeck also writes eloquently about the many different emotions, aspirations, and dreams of man.
Authors use figurative language to express nuanced ideas, those that beggar literal description. Such language provides the author an opportunity to play with his reader’s imagination and sense. A piece of literature that uses figurative language is more intriguing and engaging than a writing that aims only to explain. Ralph Ellison’s use of figurative language in “The Battle Royal” paints a powerful and unique story of oppression and the struggle for self-discovery. His juxtaposition of literal and figural language gave the story a dream like quality, all while creating a profound and vivid image.
John Steinbeck wanted his readers to realize that people who act or have different traits than that of the majority shouldn't treated inequitably. That if the verbal abuse continues they will eventually lose sight of themselves and humanity. He proved this to his readers by using various symbols of imagery to display the lifelong damage of ridicule and persecution.
Life is all about challenges and the choices made because of those challenges. The result of this impact lives either for better or worse. This idea of challenges and choices in life is shown in literature as well. “Average Waves in Unprotected Waters” by Anne Tyler and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair have similar messages; however, each story displays these messages by using different themes, characterization and symbols.
The author of this novel, John Steinbeck portrays this very theme often throughout the story. A theme of weakness
“And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath” (Steinbeck 349). John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, portrays the migrant’s resentment of the California land owners and their way of life and illustrates that the vagrants from Oklahoma are yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee elucidates the concept that people should be treated with inclusive human dignity and be affected by good aspects rather than deleterious behavior. In addition to both novels, “Suffering with Them”, “Evil’s Fate”, and “To Hope” share the same concurrent theme. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath and “Suffering with Them”, “Evil’s Fate”, and “To Hope” illustrate a synonymous, thematic message that evil’s inhumanity, during corrupt times, induces a perception of hopefulness for good to conquer immorality.
Buck is my favorite character of the book. He had such a great life before he was
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel.