Literary Criticism
Nimmo, Jenny. Midnight for Charlie Bone. New York, New York City: Orchard Books. 2003. 401 pages.
Midnight for Charlie Bone is a story about a school for prodigy children who each
have a special magic skill. Charlie Bone has no idea that he has a special power, until he
finds out he can see and hear people talking in photographs. Although he wants to use his
power for the good, his classmate Lucretia Yewbeam does not. She has the power to
brainwash people. She brainwashes her classmates and commands them to do her
homework, make food, borrow money, etc. The local police department in Charlie’s
town asks him to observe the criminals’ photographs. Charlie can find out what the
criminals are thinking in the photographs. As the story gets serious, the characters get
serious. It is said that there is a treasure buried somewhere on the school ground.
Lucretia brainwashes anyone who might know something about the treasure, including
the janitor who has been working for a long time, the principle and even teachers. While
Charlie finds photographs of the architect and builders that built the school. Literature
deals with man’s inhumanity to man. Sometimes, it deals of them being noble.
For example, to lead a more responsible life you need to have some acquirements.
Among them are courage, manner, unselfishness, and caring for another even though
someone might dislike you. When Charlie is in the old and dark school dungeon alone, he
realizes that no one is going to rescue him because they do not know if he is under there.
If he can not be courageous here, he will probably die. To survive he must keep going. Lucretia is can be considered a bully in school. But just because she is a girl, everyone
thinks that she is weak. Boys around school make fun of her for being a tomboy. If the
boys did not make fun of Lucretia, she probably did not have to order them to call a
teacher a bad name. Without being well mannered, the society and people can dislike you.
At the end, Charlie is the one who finds the treasure, and Lucretia finds him about to
open the treasure. Before Lucretia brainwashes him, Charlie quickly tells her that he will
In Richard E. Miller’s essay, The Dark Night of the Soul, he first focuses on two teenage boys, boys who murderously rampaged through Columbine High School in Santee, California. Then he further discusses who was to blame, but most importantly would this event not had transpired if education had a more adamant impact if these young men had read more. Simply, would Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold killed if there was a more proactive approach to the educational system or government to “reduce or eliminate altogether the threat of the unpredictable or unforeseen [the amalgamation of elements that would result in a mass shooting] (Miller 421).”Additionally, if McCandless, a young man who eulogized the idealisms of authors that he used to make sense
from under his feet,he starts to think of alternative ways in which he can be saved from
...sees is death around him. He begins to wonder how easy it would be to give up, but he doesn’t.
In considering Charlie Wales plight in Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited," I believe Charlie is a victim of his own success. As a successful businessman two times over he has burned many bridges behind him and for his well intentions he is blind to that continued fallacy. He does not seem to realize that the success he enjoys now is the envy that brought about Marion and Lincoln's contempt prior to Helen's death.
Unfortunately, bullying is often used as instant gratification to build ones own self-esteem by putting down others and making them feel insecure, so that ultimately one feels superior – which is highlighted by the character of Matt. People are in awe of instant gratification and need it to feel satisfied. For this reason we become ignorant to the consequences of our actions, and bullying becomes a norm in society. Picoult uses her novel to appeal to society to open our eyes and see the truth, in hope that one day she will cause a change and provide guidance to her audience.
Written by Robert Frost in 1928, “Acquainted with the Night” uses symbolic imagery, metaphors, and the terza rima rhyme scheme to pay homage to Dante. It refers to the style of the “Divine Comedy” and the conflict of religious politics in Italy during that time period.
Hughes, Langston. “Lenox Avenue: Midnight.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 3rd Compact ed. New York: Longman 2003. 760.
is sent to his room. Even though his intentions are the best, he still comes up
Ben Sherwood’s piece titled Charlie St. Cloud originally published as “The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud” explains about his brother’s death. Charlie’s brother, Sam, was killed in a car accident, blaming himself for the incident. Charlie begins to work in the graveyard to take care of his brother and feels connected. In the novel, it states that Charlie is about to see his brother in spirit to play ball with him every day. Thirteen years after Sam’s death, Charlie meets a girl named Tess Carroll, helps him to comp with the lost his brother. He learns to experience his life now that Tess appears giving him hope and joy after many years of doubt. Tess makes an impact in Charlie’s life which no one has been able to accomplish. The use of “loss” in Charlie St. Cloud illustrates the character’s difficulty to cope with seen throughout the novel.
Evans, Robert C., Anne C. Little, and Barbara Wiedemann. Short Fiction: A Critical Companion. West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill, 1997. 265-270.
Chapin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Concise ed. Boston: Houghton, 2004 1524. Print
Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. In the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel, the narrator talks about his and his father’s experience in a Nazi concentration camps during the height of the Holocaust. Elie and many others struggle with keeping their faith throughout the novel. The silence from God doesn’t make sense to Wiesel, and why him and his father are living in hell. Elie Wiesel’s faith changes and get affected by the many horrors in the life he went through.
continues to speak to her in a childish manner because he views her for her appearance
Olds, Sharon. “Last Night”. Literature to go. Ed. Meyer, Michael. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. Print.
The good teacher works with all students.A friend of mine told me how her maths teacher tolerates only students who are good at mathematics or those who have special interest in the subject.Towards the rest of the class my friend says she`s very exacting.She gives homeworks and tests without bothering to ask about difficulties.She doesn`t try to explain it and as a result many students keep getting bad marks.