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Veronica Roth's Divergent Essay
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Recommended: Veronica Roth's Divergent Essay
Do you ever think of where your place is in society, who you are, or the difference between you and other people? The book Divergent by Veronica Roth made me think about that question a lot. Tris Prior, the main character, is a grave girl who is in the faction or social group of dauntless. Dauntless is a brave faction that is one of five. Tris is divergent which means she can fit into any faction but chooses dauntless. Her friend Four is also in the faction of dauntless and helps Tris get through intense training and what is yet to come. A major conflict in the story is that Tris is divergent and she doesn't fit in with all the other dauntless. Also she doesn't react to serums, medical tests, the same as everyone else. There are other
When reading this book I began to think of how I grew up and how I am a
In conclusion these issues connect to real life in some way or another. The conflicts that Bradbury reflects in his novel are becoming a reality in today’s
Love and hope, together are a timeless literary thematic duo, which continue to inspire countless variations and sub-genres of romance literature. For the last many centuries, romance as a genre, is arguably the most popular of all narratives. However, the theme of love often takes presentences and overarches other thematic interpretation of stories. So why then are people seeking romance in the literature they ready? Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games with the intent to introduce her young adult readership to a number of politically charged themes. Although Collins's work is acknowledged for successfully presenting themes of sacrifice, versions of reality, and power, her audience conversely identifies with the debatable sub-them of love. Social forums, such as the Official Hunger Games Facebook Website exposes an insider's perspective of sort, which reveals public perceptions and interpretations of Collins's work. Even though the purpose for the fan-website built around The Hunger games is to provide a discussion space. Participant's discussions however, unintentionally reveal a...
In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, irony is used to convey information and it contributes to the overall theme of the novel. Written during the era of McCarthyism, Fahrenheit 451 is about a society where books are illegal. This society believes that being intellectual is bad and that a lot of things that are easily accessible today should be censored. The overall message of the book is that censorship is not beneficial to society, and that it could cause great harm to one’s intelligence and social abilities. An analysis of irony in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury shows that this literary technique is effective in contributing to the overall theme of the novel because it gives more than one perspective on how censorship can negatively affect a society.
For many, literature is an escape. It creates new worlds for us to explore and ultimately teaches us lessons that we take into our everyday life. One of the main topics literature focuses on is conformity. It challenges the values society attempts to place upon people. Similarly, in life people face many challenges. They have values and standards they are forced to uphold as well see a stigma surrounding the consequences if they fail to conform. In the novel Divergent by Veronica Roth and the play Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw the main characters break the barriers bestowed upon them in their own societies and ultimately become their own persons through gaining independence, standing up for what they think is right, and choosing the path they want for themselves. Without characters like this in novels, literature would be monotonous and stagnant. Everyone would be unoriginal since they conform to the same rules.
Society often pressures individuals within it to conform to different ideals and norms. This stems from the fact that individuals in a society are expected to act in a certain way. If a person or group of people do not satisfy society’s expectations, they are looked down upon by others. This can lead to individuals isolating themselves from others, or being isolated from others, because they are considered as outcasts. The emotional turmoil that can result from this, as well as the internal conflict of whether or not to conform, can transform an individual into a completely different person. This transformation can either be beneficial or harmful to the individual as well as those around them. The individual can become an improved version of himself or herself but conversely, they can become violent, rebellious and destructive. The novels Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess both explore the negative effects experienced by individuals living within the confines of society’s narrow-mindedness. In A Clockwork Orange, protagonist Alex was the leader of a small group of teenage criminals. He did not have a healthy relationship with either one of his parents or with others around him. Instead he spent most of his time alone during the day and at night roamed the streets in search of victims he could mug or rape. In Fight Club the unnamed protagonist was an outcast in his community. He chose to distance and isolate himself from others and as a result had no friends, with the exception of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer. Due to his isolation, he often participated in nightly fights that took place in Fight Club so that he could relieve his anxiety and stress. In this way, Alex and the unnamed protagoni...
It can be very difficult being different. Sometimes being different scares people. Being judged by people have never met and who do not even know you and they have already labeled you, can lead up to suicide or depression. This feeling was described in the novel Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. There is only one reservation in Wellpoint, Washington and it is really never reached on accident because it is not on most maps and it is very rare to find this small city. One of the main characters of the novel is Robert Johnson and he tries to find the women in his dreams to get back the soul he once lost. The novel makes the audience feel what it is like trying to find your identity, race, and suffering. It also makes you realize who the people
As the lives of people progress each day, the standard of society changes as well. Each social custom molds our civilization, thus shape our nation. The opportunities that are made available to us actually depend on familiar factors, such as, the era that we’re in, our social class, and our gender. When I read all of our reading materials, I began to realize that I’m gradually aware of how society in general functions. I have learned that, not everyone in our society is catered equally and that there is this glass ceiling that separates us. Using literary lenses in reading these pieces from different authors, I enjoyed reading their works more compared to none. Looking into specific lenses in reading these materials and other literary pieces
If my life had no purpose, no individuality, and no happiness, I would not want to live. This book teaches the importance of self expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
One’s sense of identity is shaped by the conception of how one faces challenges in the world. In Octavia Butler’s science fiction novel, Kindred, Butler explores the idea of maintaining one’s identity within an oppressive society. Dana’s experiences in the antebellum South push her to draw from within and around her to persevere through not only the past, but the present too. As Dana completes a journey which is unexpected and complex, it allows her to realize how strong she is because of her ability to preserve her understanding of herself despite any alienation in the past.
“Trying to merge into mainstream society and cover her brown skin with makeup, of having no sense that she had her right to her own opinion”(Shierly) The journey to finding yourself is approached in many different aspects, which varies from person to person. As a child children we see a blurred image of ourselves not knowing exactly who we are, however as we grow older the blur becomes more apparent to us and eventually a reflection of who we truly are, is revealed. This is evidentially shown in the novel Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson, where Lisamarie discovers her new identity as an empowered and strong woman through the positive motivation from her family, role models to whom she looks up to and her acceptance to her own culture.
Set in a futuristic dystopia Chicago there is a society that is divided into five factions: Abnegation; selflessness, Amity; peaceful, Candor; honest, Dauntless; brave, and Erudite; knowledgeable. Each represents a different virtue of living one’s life. The children of this society have to decide whether they want to stay in their faction or switch to another, the choice is theirs. The young Beatrice “Tris” Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone including herself. After what seems to be the wrong choice, Tris and her fellow faction members have to go through a very competitive training in order to live with their new faction. They must go through intense psychological tests and extreme physical training that can either transform them or destroy them. If they fail to complete their training successfully they will be left frictionless and an outcast to society. While the Dauntless train, the Erudite devolve a life threatening plan that is carried out that night. They developed a serum that stops the brain’s thought process and all of the Dauntless become sleeper soldiers for they were injected with it. The serum does not work on Tris or Tobias “Four” Eaton because they are both Divergent. When they try to escape they are both caught and brought to Jeanine, the Erudite leader. She then sentences Tris to death and Tobias is sent to the control room to view the attack. Tris is locked inside a glass tank that fills with water, but moments later her mother saves her life. ...
“Everybody feels like an outcast because the world is so large and every fingerprint is so vastly different from one another and yet all these standards and beliefs, and dogmatic systems of judgment and ranking in almost all the societies of the world” -Ezra Miller. All around us, cliches and standards are seen throughout culture. This is because judgment is a constant challenge in today's society. If one dress, acts or plays out of the considered normal, then those people are put into rankings and are distanced from everyone else. In today’s world, the experience of being an outcast is universal.
When we are adolescents we see the world through our parents' eyes. We struggle to define ourselves within their world, or to even break away from their world. Often, the birth of our "self" is defined in a moment of truth or a moment of heightened self-awareness that is the culmination of a group of events or the result of a life crisis or struggle. In literature we refer to this birth of "self" as an epiphany. Alice Munro writes in "Boys and Girls" about her own battle to define herself. She is torn between the "inside" world of her mother and the "outside" world of her father. In the beginning her father's world prevails, but by the finale, her mother's world invades her heart. Although the transformation is not complete, she begins to understand and define her "self-hood."
I walked away knowing who I am and wish to be, all because of Annaleah Lankston. A silly blue haired skateboarder who I made up in my own head, who ran every aspect of my life until now. Don’t get me wrong, Annaleah is still here. I couldn 't write this story without her. But she isn 't who I wish to be anymore. She is my inner monologue, always reminding me of who I am and pushing me to do my best in everything that challenges me. Don’t get me wrong; I did try being her. She was my aim in life for so long. I tried the blue hair, but it turned to shit green and I immediately regretted it. And I do speak my mind, but I choose what to speak because I realize the stuff I hold in my brain makes conversation way more fun. I keep things in my mind because I’m a thinker. I would rather hold onto something and think about it for weeks, than blurt it out and have others give me their opinions. Opinions they force on me not giving me the opportunity to form my own opinion. Yes, she had the older brother I’ve always wanted. However, I have an older sister who I can steal clothes from and I guess she isn 't all that bad. The truth is, I spent so much of my own life wishing to be someone I thought I wanted to be when now I know I wouldn 't choose to be anyone but myself. I have Annaleah and my high school English teacher to thank for that. And who am I? I am the girl that rips the missing person sign plastered on every light pole down, not looking at the familiar face staring at me as I do so. This girl was finally found, finally knows who she is. I am Samantha Livingston and wish to only be