“The Charmer” by Budge Wilson is a short story about a Canadian family that finds misfortune and conflict within their lives. Conflict being the predominant theme which directly affects all the participants in the family. The story is written in third person and narrated from the young girl Winifred’s point of view. Budge Wilson uses Zack’s smothered childhood, charming personality and irresponsible behaviour to create emotional conflict between members of the family.
In certain parts of the novel Wonder by RJ Palacio, the readers better understand August’s transition to life at school through the parts of the book narrated by Summer and Jack. During Summer’s narration, the readers can perceive how she feels ashamed by the actions of her classmates when they call August a freak without even getting to know him; “[i]f they knew him, they wouldn't call him that” (Palacio 119). The readers must have other perspectives, not just August’s, to demonstrate the constant ridicule, judgement, and cruelty that goes around behind his back. Few students at Beecher see August as a normal kid who only differs in looks, while the majority of the children think of August as a freak, not worthy of their respect. While pondering
After the Others by Bruce Weigl
With a new century approaching, Bruce Weigl's twelfth collection of poetry, After the Others, calls us to stand on the millennium's indeterminate edge. This book, opening with the last four lines of Milton's "Paradise Lost," parallels our departure from this century with Adam's fearful exit from Eden, beyond which is "all abyss, / Eternity, whose end no eye can reach" ("Paradise Lost"). Weigl posits that we stand at the century's uncertain gate naked, cold, and greedy; he refers often to a looming future, to give our collapsing present more urgency. We've forgotten, he says, how to love and live simply, how to write honestly and well.
With all this forgetting, we've also forgotten that God gave Adam and Eve a chance to recreate a world mirroring the beauty and goodness of the lost one.
Perhaps no other event in modern history has left us so perplexed and dumbfounded than the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany, an entire population was simply robbed of their existence. In “Our Secret,” Susan Griffin tries to explain what could possibly lead an individual to execute such inhumane acts to a large group of people. She delves into Heinrich Himmler’s life and investigates all the events leading up to him joining the Nazi party. In“Panopticism,” Michel Foucault argues that modern society has been shaped by disciplinary mechanisms deriving from the plague as well as Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, a structure with a tower in the middle meant for surveillance. Susan Griffin tries to explain what happened in Germany through Himmler’s childhood while Foucault better explains these events by describing how society as a whole operates.
“Wind-blighted letters barely visible on her flayed skin: Hyperion” I breathed, “It’s her,” (Oppel 13). This quote is talking about the exalted Hyperion. The Hyperion is an airship (zeppelin) that has great treasures inside. The main character, Matt Cruse, who is a shipmate on these airships, spots the Hyperion. Cruse is the only person on the planet earth who knows the coordinates to the ship. This is very bad because many people will try to kill or beat the coordinates of the Hyperion out of Cruse during the book. Cruse assembles a team consisting of Kate de Vries, Hal Slater, Nadira, Miss Simpkins, and fellow ship crew. Rath a red-haired man comes and tries to negotiate with Cruse to get the cords, but Rath is unlucky. During the journey
In "Our Secret" by Susan Griffin, the essay uses fragments throughout the essay to symbolize all the topics and people that are involved. The fragments in the essay tie together insides and outsides, human nature, everything affected by past, secrets, cause and effect, and development with the content. These subjects and the fragments are also similar with her life stories and her interviewees that all go together. The author also uses her own memories mixed in with what she heard from the interviewees. Her recollection of her memory is not fully told, but with missing parts and added feelings. Her interviewee's words are told to her and brought to the paper with added information. She tells throughout the book about these recollections.
THE QUALITIES OF CREON
As readers, we have to make judgments and interpretations of different characters. In
the book, Antigone, translated by David Greene, there is a character by the name of
Creon. While reading Antigone, some important descriptions about Creon become
apparent. He views himself as the perfect leader, believes he is always correct, and wants
control over people.
Simplicity by William Zinnser
In William Zinnser’s essay “Simplicity” he states that “clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other.” He believes that people speak more complexly then they have to and that the key to good writing and speaking is simplicity.
I wish people would stop turning this into something major”, If you can get through middle school without hurting anyone’s feelings that’s really cool beans”. he reveals to us that Summer doesn't care what August looks like, and she knows that she will be socially excluded but still cares and keeps her head up high and ignores the hatters.It’s very important that we realize that no matter what someone looks like or where they're from, they are still human and are not different from us so much, and we should stop being mean and selfish towards others just because they're different. We can see that the theme Kindness is very important throughout the book and that it’s important for others to see August as a normal human being.
Paradise by Toni Morrison
Nine patriarchs found a town. Four women flee a life. Only one paradise is attained. Toni Morrison's novel Paradise revolves around the concept of "paradise," and those who believe they have it and those who actually do. Morrison uses a town and a former convent, each with its own religious center, to tell her tale about finding solace in an oppressive world.