According to Wittgenstein, “Only in silence can one remain in truth.” Constant events and running around hinder an individual from finding the truth or the individual is somehow ignoring the facts that surround them. This idea can be related to Jake Donaghue in Iris Murdoch’s first published novel. Jake, a character who wanders with no aspirations to the homes of friends looking for the easy way, in time comes to realize what life is about. He struggles with the idea of silence and truth merging together hand in hand. Throughout Under the Net by Iris Murdoch, Jake is challenged by the silence of people and events that surround him. This allows him to ultimately overcome this net barrier to find his true calling in life to become a successful writer.
In efforts to become a successful writer, Jake wrote a book that was based on his conversations with Hugo, a friend he met in an experiment with the common cold. After discussing such deep ideas with Hugo, “He publishes them in a book he calls The Silencer, an ironic little twist, seeing that the book is a conversation about the truth,” (Hart 2). Jake struggles with the truth because he does not understand it needs to be expressed in a certain way, most difficult with words. It is essential for it to be expressed through silence, an arduous task for a writer to document. Jake’s book, however deep into theories, flops in the bookstores and not many have read it. In an excerpt from the book, “If by expressing a theory you mean that someone else could make a theory about what you do, of course that is true and uninteresting. What I speak of is the real decision as we experience it; and here the movement away from theory and generality is the movement towards the truth” (Murd...
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Although the silence had no tangible effect in the beginning, it permeated the thoughts of the citizens as the length of the silences grew. When people realized the calming effects of the silence, reliance upon it grew, ultimately creating a political movement in which silence became effectively mandatory. The obsession with silence grew, until noise gained value through scarcity, turning the obsession towards itself. Intervals of noise replaced the intervals of silence, growing in length each time as well. Over time, noise became the major melody of time again, and the silence was all but forgotten in the din of life. Yet in the pattern and intervals of silence and noise, a cryptographer finds a message in morse code, “LISTENWELL” (Brockmeier
Years after writing this novel, Bradbury witnessed the reality of Fahrenheit 451’s futuristic society. He wrote of a real life encounter where a woman “held in one hand a small cigarette, package- sized radio, its antenna quivering. . . This was not science fiction. This was a new fact in our changing society” (Bradbury, “The Day After Tomorrow: Why Science Fiction?”). Censorship through suppression of thought or an overload of technology is increasingly present in today’s visionary world, where a person can hardly be seen without a phone in their hand or headphones attached to their ears. Furthermore, Bradbury connects the plot of Fahrenheit 451 to ethnic and moral issues of the real world proclaiming, “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. Every minority, be it Baptist/ Unitarian, Irish/Italian . . . feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse” (“Coda”). Burning a book can be physical as well as metaphorical. One could physically burn a book as the Firemen do in Fahrenheit 451, censoring society from ideas and literature. In addition, one could burn a book by changing every little thing about it to suit their taste. Bradbury applies this concept to both the discrimination against and within minorities. Fahrenheit 451 continues to influence contemporary society as a repeated pattern of social decline plagues the world. Literature, however, heals this sickness by instigating careful examination of human nature and the individual
The power of the language is noticed in numerous psychologically philosophic and social scientific doctrines of human life as the mighty tool to hide and disclose the reality; run the crowd; force and motivate people to do certain things as well as stop them from doing some actions at all. Sinclair understood the principle of language power better than anyone else in the 1900s. His works could be compared with the business of muckraker – the journalists who unfold the scandal and controversial facts about secret deeds of government. The power of the novel is in the merciless naturalistic descriptions of details and wide usage of various rhetoric techniques.
Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar
In today’s world, people need to disconnect from technology and reconnect with one another. Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, was published in 1953, but Bradbury’s portrayal of this society bears alarming similarities to the world today. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman who lives in a world where books are banned because they are viewed as a danger to society. Throughout the novel, Montag undergoes major character development that questioned his morals and beliefs. Fahrenheit 451 has a powerful message for readers today because of the similarities between our world and the novel’s world as it warns readers about the dangers of technology.
People all around the world suffer from social injustices similar to the censorship that occurs in Fahrenheit 451. Just as Clarisse McClellan dares to think differently from the masses and go against the status quo, it is important to think individually and critically concerning one’s social environment. Bradbury proves that taking action against authority is important, but it is more effective to take a peaceful and efficient approach like Granger’s rather than making impulsive decisions like Guy Montag. Clarisse, Montag, and Granger show that the only way to overcome these issues is to constantly question society and stand up to authority in order to succeed in creating a progressive
Fighting for an aspect one believes in may entitle ranting, raving, screaming, or pounding fists on the ground, yet that appears more dignified than simply giving in to fate. Ray Bradbury and Dylan Thomas, writers of Fahrenheit 451 and “Do not go gentle into that good night” pursue others to voice their opinions and portray bravery at its finest moments. Fahrenheit 451 represents a dystopian society and its one main dissident, Guy Montag, while “Do not go gentle into that good night” expresses the importance of clinging onto life during one’s most difficult situations. Ray Bradbury and Dylan Thomas display the significance of never abandoning one’s beliefs throughout their literature.
Petrie is forced to write down his thoughts and feelings, even if they would not be read by anyone. His personal experience with a sad story of a former student, had forced Petrie to publish his article in school’s Journal. Publishing his essay has specific significance to its readers, where many different audiences are addressed. These audiences are not clearly identified; only detailed investigation and full understanding of the article will allow us to see who is guilty. Because author is not directly holding responsible anybody, we can only assume various potential readers are targeted.
A successful writer is he who is able to transmit ideas, emotions, and wisdom on to his readers. He is cable of stirring emotions and capturing the reader's attention with vivid descriptions and clever dialogues. The writer can even play with the meanings of words and fuse reality with fiction to achieve his goal of taking the reader on a wonderful journey. His tools are but words, yet the art of writing is found in the use of the language to create though-provoking pieces that defy the changing times. Between the lines, voices and images emerge. Not everyone can write effectively and invoke these voices. It is those few who can create certain psychological effects on the reader who can seize him (or her) with inspiring teachings, frightening thoughts, and playful games with the language. These people are true writers…
When one fears what one does not understand, he often becomes defensive, avoiding it at all costs. This is the problem facing Guy Montag; his society absolutely deplores challenge. Anything that can be perceived as offensive is banished. In their eyes, books are cursed objects which make people think. Without literature, the public’s thought is suppressed, and they live mindless lives. In the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Beatty is the captain of the firemen. As a fireman, Beatty acts as the controlling arm for this suppression. He is the one harshly guiding the public towards apathy by burning their books. However, when seen as just a man, Beatty is not important. He is one fireman against millions of books. He is important because of what he represents to Montag, which is: the censorship of information, an impetus to learn, and what
Not everyone can express themselves with such ease. He made a good point by encouraging authors of tougher subjects such as the sciences to use analogies and terms more relatable to the audience; however, Zinsser, an amazing writer himself, provided only examples of writers, such as Dr. Lewis Thomas who have already grasped this skill. Dr. Thomas is well recognized for his skill of providing clarity to such complicated scientific subjects, but what about the other scientific authors that leave audiences baffled (158)? When I have to read scientific work, I must often consult a dictionary or the glossary to grasps some sort of meaning regarding the matter regardless of the relatable explanations. I am just not a science person. Secondly, the expression of ideas does not only require clarity in thinking, but also the ability to transform the complex idea into a more relatable form that can be well received by an audience. This skill can only be developed over time for most writers. Zinsser’s assertion is possible, but only after many years of practice for those who struggle with the ideas of transformation and
...distractions. Taking time to observe and analyze the silence can bring something to the surface that could never be confronted in any other way. We need to embrace silence presented throughout life, for we will come out with more definitive, powerful voices.
Literature has always been a universal tool used to show an individual’s perspective on society’s negative and positive aspects. It gives people the freedom to speak their mind and express their emotions on paper. It has enlightened people on problems and allowed them to form their own opinions. This influence has been ongoing for centuries, continuing to inspire those all around the world. Until now many literary styles, such as realism and modernism, are still used in many best-selling novels including Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (1989) and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951).
The construction of the text here stems from how the reader is trying to present the knowledge derived from the text, about the text. This concept harkens to Bleich’s discussion of interpretive knowledge as the motivated construction of someone’s mind (200); this is still valuable knowledge but it is dependent on the mind of the reader at the time of the engagement with the text. For example, when one discusses a story with a close friend, one can often use colloquial terminology and be honest with reactions to a text in discussion. A discussion with a friend usually focuses not on asserting a critical point, but rather as a method of sharing one’s positive or negative thoughts, feelings, or reactions to a text. The very act of discussion is allowing the reader to construct the text because she is actively participating within the reading
Throughout the course of history, ideas and thoughts have been the foundation of communication. Even when people were still living in caves, artists have been trying to jot down their ideas and experiences on walls for future reference. As time progressed and writing became more and more popular, writers such as George Orwell began to use writing to “alter other people’s idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.” Likewise, many authors write in hopes of making a lasting impression on their audience. In his book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell raises awareness about the importance and consequences of quick decision making, and encourages all people to control such decisions for the benefit of society. In order to accomplish this point,