Xia are warriors of the Shadows, the martial underworld, living below the radar and above the law. Each warrior chooses to walk either the Glory Road, that of duty, honor and victory, or the Wayward Way, that of freedom and personal gain.
The Shadow clans each practice their own form of combat skills. Some, like the Two Dragon Family and the Death Dealer, practice extraordinary chi disciplines such as the Swift Step and the Silent Speech. Others, like the Beggar Clan, depend on military-like strategy and superior weapons. All seek to gain supremacy over the other clans.
From birth, Paul Lau was raised to walk the Glory Road. On the death of his father, he became the Dragon Son, head of the Two Dragon Family, the embodiment of their unity and prosperity, and the channel through which they communicate with the long-dead Ancestor Dragon. But Paul is sick of the internal politics and external violence of the Shadows, and tired of his cousin, Tony, trying to make him over in his own image. A congenital heart disease makes him reluctant to have another close encounter with Ancestor Dragon since the first one almost killed him. He rejects the Two Dragon Family’s claim on him. Instead, he opens an art gallery and becomes involved with Rhian Nolan.
Rhian is an Irish Traveller with ties to the Beggar Clan. After a childhood spent walking the Wayward Way with her gypsy parents, she moves to America with her mother and stepfather. Rhian’s repentant mother keeps her children away from the Shadows, hoping they’ll lead normal lives. Rhian dutifully steers clear until her job as a designer places her in Paul's office to build a web site for his gallery. She falls hard for the handsome, secretive artist and is thrilled when he returns her fe...
... middle of paper ...
...oesn’t blame him. He blames Auntie and his parents for their deception and for keeping him and Paul at odds with each other for so many years. They renew their pledge of brotherhood.
A decision by the Elders is reached. Because Ancestor Dragon is no more, there is no need for the Dragon Son to be his direct descendant. Tony will be allowed to participate in a competition to decide the next Dragon Son. Before he can do so, he must prevail over the Beggar Clan. Paul is banished from the Two Dragon Family. Tony protests but Paul stops him, not wanting to jeopardize he chance at becoming the next Dragon Son. Still, Tony swears to find a way to revoke his banishment. Paul swears that when he can, he will return to San Francisco and help Tony regain his birthright.
Paul and Rhian are reunited. They get married and leave city to begin their journey on the Wayward Way.
As the novel goes on, Paul develops and stands up to Erik and Arthur. On pages 263 and 264 of Tangerine,
plot of the novell itself. He offen does this by describing the death of Paul's
...s appealing it is not without consequence. Clare, and those who choose to pass, are not free to embrace their whole identity and will always remain a threat to those they come in contact. Clare exemplified the archetypal character of the tragic mulatto, as she bought tragedy to her own life and all those she came in contact. Clare’s presence forced Irene to contend with feelings of internalized racism, and thus feelings of inferiority. Through diction, tone, and imagery Larsen makes it luminous to readers that "passing" may seem glamorous, however, the sacrifice one makes to do so is not without consequences for themselves and those they care about. Larsen does not allow her readers to perch on the belief that once a member of the dominate group ones life is not without pain and suffering. Every action, even those that seem to make life easier, have consequences.
When her parents die when she is still very young, innocent Ruth Hilton is sent to the city by the guardian she does not know. In the city she is to learn the trade very common for young girls during this time, that of the seamstress (Ugoretz), but events take a drastic turn when she becomes noble Mr Bellingham's mistress. Only 16 years old, Ruth is thrown into the for her unknown adult world and in this world, she cannot separate right from wrong and is thus considered to be a sinner. However, life is never simple and straightforward and in this essay, I discuss the moral aspects of the novel to decide if Ruth really is a bad person.
strong parental figure in his life. Dorian was raised by his rich uncle who left Dorian to live his life the
to normal. In the middle of the book, Paul goes home on leave, only to
to ever have existed. During the war, Paul had to end the lives of many people. He believes that
One topic Paul finds out the truth is about his eyesight. Paul is considered a blind kid . But he can actually see. Having this issue Paul has lots of problems. Like on the first soccer team he was on he got kicked off of it because his eye IEP.He also is living a lie that he was looking into an eclipse and that how he got blind. But what really happened was that his brothers friend that does all his dirty work sprays him in the eye with white spray paint. Knowing the truth of what happened
that they were fighting on different sides. Paul then starts to feel he killed himself and wishes no more of a part in the war.
Maggie, the protagonist, lives in a slum on the lower East side of the Bowery in NYC. She lives in the tenement housing with her mother, Mary and her brother, Jimmie. It’s the turn of the 18th century and this Irish immigrant family is poor. Mary is a drunk and her brother, Jimmie drinks and fights with everyone. Maggie doesn’t go to school because everybody has to work. She works in the sweatshop, sewing clothes. Her life is filled with poverty and gloom. Maggie meets Pete and she is impressed that Pete wears nice outfits. Pete likes her too. He takes her to the live theater plenty of times. She’s sees his clothing as a symbol of wealth and that he takes her out to places where she never been before. She sees Pete and the money he spends on her as a way out of her dreary life. She leaves her home and goes to live with Pete to have a better life. She thinks he loves her, but she has gone to devil. Soon after Pete meets Nellie and he dumps Maggie. She has nowhere to go and so she goes home. Her family doesn’t allow her to come back. Mary tells her she is a disgrace and they ridicule her in front of all the neighbors. Even the little children are warned to stay away from her. Maggie leaves with nowhere to go. Pete tells her not to bother him; he doesn’t love her, now he’s in love with Nellie. No one is kind to her and so she begins to walk the streets. She turns to...
We have all heard the African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The response given by Emma Donoghue’s novel Room, simply states, “If you’ve got a village. But if you don’t, then maybe it just takes two people” (Donoghue 234). For Jack, Room is where he was born and has been raised for the past five years; it is his home and his world. Jack’s “Ma” on the other hand knows that Room is not a home, in fact, it is a prison. Since Ma’s kidnapping, seven years prior, she has survived in the shed of her capturer’s backyard. This novel contains literary elements that are not only crucial to the story but give significance as well. The Point-of-view brings a powerful perspective for the audience, while the setting and atmosphere not only affect the characters but evokes emotion and gives the reader a mental picture of their lives, and the impacting theme along-side with conflict, both internal and external, are shown throughout the novel.
Medieval Japanese warriors known as samurai follow a strict and orderly belief system. Not only were they one of the most elite warriors in human history, but they are one of the most morally structured fighters. Not only were they strong physically but they were spiritually strengthened as well. Being a samurai meant that what you stood and fought for had to come first and be prominently implemented into your life.
Then, a scene of horror occurred for the nine-year-old Diana Spencer. Her father decided to send her to a boarding school. Diana was so shy, so vulnerable that it took her a long time before she could finally feel at ease in her new enviro...
The concept of loss and renewal is well depictive in Paul D’s life in Alfred Georgia. Paul D goes through many losses in his transition into reality. However, he receives the ultimate reward, his survival. Paul D encountered many people and objects that could have killed him and the other 46 men. The irony is that the things that should have killed him helped him survive. Morrison’s use of irony, symbolism, and imagery all showed the journey of the 46
The conflict of this story is shown with Paul trying to deal with his father’s death in the Portrait of an Invisible Man, and his divorce in The Book of Memory. As Paul received the sudden news of his father’s death, he was taken back by the fact he actually passed away. Paul then made the trip with his wife to clear out his father’s possessions from the house, so they could pu...