ipl-logo

Feast Of Snakes: Literary Analysis

1677 Words7 Pages

One of the most important aspects of “grit lit” is the violence that occurs in almost every novel. The violence that reoccurs throughout all of the “grit lit” novels allows for a more exciting plot and character conflict throughout the novel. One of the most influential and famous southern writers is Harry Crews. Crews is responsible for many different novels, short stories, and autobiographies, and almost all of his works include some type of violence. The main reason for violence in southern literature is due to the unordinary, low-life characters that the author includes to allow for a violent plot. “The “violence” that must take place in Southern literature is often a final resort of the character when all other alternatives have failed” …show more content…

In the excerpt of Feast of Snakes in Grit Lit, the main character Joe Lon is just out of high school living in a trailer with his wife Elfie. Joe Lon was the star quarterback for the Mystic Rattlers, but he was unable to go to college due to his grades. Joe Lon attends a Rattlers football game where he becomes drunk from drinking Jim Beam under the bleachers. Joe Lon decides to drive home drunk and arrives back at his trailer to see his wife Elfie. He walks inside and immediately criticizes his wife for her looks and cooking. Eventually, Joe Lon leaves his trailer to go down to the local corner store to buy alcohol in preparation for the annual Rattlesnake Roundup (Carpenter 650). The Rattlesnake Roundup is an annual event in Mystic the brings together many hunters to hunt rattlesnakes. This event brings together all the people of Mystic to compete in games such as the sac race and horse pulling contest. These events lead to many fights among the drunk people of Mystic. In addition to the alcohol, many people such as Joe Lon and Candy are often high during parts of this excerpt (Carpenter

Show More
Related

Analysis Of John Berendt's Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil

750 Words | 3 Pages

In the nonfiction novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” American author, John Berendt, gives his account of a 1981 murder case that took place in Savannah, Georgia. Even though during the 1980s, United States as a whole is heading towards prosperity as the Cold War ends in 1981, he repeatedly touches back on the undercurrent southern racism. Berendt draws a vivid picture of Southern Gothic weirdness to convey, using real life occurrences and characters, the idea of what kind of people exist in the community to readers of all places. The writer uses rhetorical devices such as description, foreshadowing, and dysphemism to successfully depict the occurrences in suspenseful yet humorous tone.

Read More

The Scarlet Ibis And The Silver Wind Literary Analysis

377 Words | 2 Pages

Can you ever imagine a world of unaccepting individuals, constant fight, and the loathe differences and disabilities? Could you imagine a world where no one could get along? Unfortunately, we as a clique and community are reaching nearing such a world. Adversely but sadly true, some communities and countries have already begun to discriminate against young adolescents and adults with special needs, or different views, turning into a constant fight for survival. James Hurst's short story, The Scarlet Ibis and Ray Bradbury's, A Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, Hurst and Bradbury discuss themes of allegory, rivalry, vanity and pride through characters in both stories, The narrator of The Scarlet Ibis and The Mandarin of The Golden Kite, A Silver

Read More

Summary Of Blood Done Signed My Name

1479 Words | 6 Pages

Before we begin to dive into the crimes that occurred in the book, Blood Done Signed My Name, we must first ask the question, what is crime? According to Michael Lynch, crime can be defined as “exactly what the law states” (Lynch 2015). Like anything else a strict definition like this can have both positive and negatives associated with it. With using such a strict definition of crime it allows people to have no room to try and get around it. If we use a loose interpretation then it allows for people to use said definition on more of a case by case period.

Read More

Symbolism In One Foot In Eden By Ron Rash

1170 Words | 5 Pages

Ron Rash’s novel One Foot in Eden tells a story of murder in a small South Carolina town. However, this novel is more of “why-dunnit” as opposed to the much more common “who-dunnit”. Rash utilizes the viewpoints of multiple characters to tell the story; this feature aids the reader in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the novel. The setting and imagery of this novel also help shape the character’s minds and, therefore, their actions and reactions as well. One Foot in Eden is the epitome of the Southern Gothic novel: it portrays Southern culture and its shortcomings, and the effect that characters have one another.

Read More

Summary Of In Louisiana By John William De Forest

823 Words | 4 Pages

Another life given, another instance of martyrdom by the North and the Union army in an attempt to “redeem the South” (40). With this in mind, the speaker continues on, with the single purpose to “march with eyes aligned”

Read More

Death Of Prince Carmen Jones Analysis

224 Words | 1 Pages

The death of Prince Carmen Jones (whose name echoes that of an important movie in the history of film’s portrayal of black characters) never achieved the wide notoriety that the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Jordan Davis did: it is portrayed here, however, as having a more profound personal effect on the author than those deaths, drawing the specter of violence towards young black men even closer to home, and arguably even closer to the life of the author’s son. Meanwhile, the references to Jones foreshadow further contemplation of his death by the author in forthcoming sections, and also the focus of his writing in Section 3, in which the author recounts a sometimes surprising, sometimes affirming, consistently enlightening

Read More

Emotional Appeal Of Night By Elie Wiesel

842 Words | 4 Pages

It is evident that the author intended this effect, which made it extremely prominent when reading the story. Finally, this book helped spark the American Civil War, which is a powerful testament to what a well-written piece of literature can do. This book was interpreted as “slanderous” and “absurd” by southern slave keepers at the time, whereas northerners viewed the book’s contents as possible and even probable. This only heightened the division that had already been formed

Read More

The Lottery And Barn Burning Analysis

1987 Words | 8 Pages

Not to mention, the story starts off in a courtroom because Abner Snopes burned down the property of Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris is landowner, who is left with a burned barn and no legal option. Snopes is advised to leave the country because the court can’t find enough evidence to sentence him. His son Sarty Snopes chooses to warn the owner. “Barn Burning” offers a helpful picture of how Faulkner sees the economics of the postbellum South, where the poor whites remain the underclass rivals of black sharecroppers (Pierce).

Read More

Frederick Douglass An American Slave Rhetorical Analysis Essay

732 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the narrative, the author includes his personal stories about experiencing the violence of slavery first-hand. For example, on page 20, he writes about the first time he witnessed a slave, his own aunt, getting the whip. “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest…I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition… It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery…” The author including his experience of his aunts whipping, in detail, appeals to the emotions of the reader.

Read More

Literary Devices In The Rattler

656 Words | 3 Pages

The Rattler In the passage The Rattler the author depicts the narrator of the story as regretful of having the obligation to take the life of the snake that could potentially harm others at the ranch. The author, throughout the story, uses literary devices and techniques to explain mankind’s power over nature. This is also seen as the narrator’s sense of duty to the ranch vs the respect he has for all life. The author’s diction throughout the passage is a clear indication and example of the overlapping theme of duty to the ranch’s inhibitors against morals for killing the snake for the man, the narrator.

Read More

Examples Of Seeing The Big Indian By Oedipus The King

464 Words | 2 Pages

The way that the narrator tells how Joe and Red act seeing the big "Indian" suggests that they are heavy drinkers. First, as they approach the three Indigenous people, which they call "winos" (King 286), then asks if they could see or hear the big "Indian" saying, " If you build it, they will come", and the second "Indian" says he would stop drinking if that happens (King 288). This suggests that only Joe and Red could see the big "Indian" because the three "winos" (King 286) could not see nor hear him. The fact that the three Indigenous people could not see nor hear the big "Indian" suggests that there is sort of wrong to Joe and Red's action because it signifies that the big " Indian" is only part of their hallucination, and which could mean that they are alcoholic because their actions of only seeing the big "Indian" while the three Indigenous do not, demonstrates the alcoholic or heavy drinkers actions, which is imagining such people and talks to them or do actions that they would not remember when they become sober.

Read More

Dweller's Snakes: A Narrative Fiction

1192 Words | 5 Pages

Leah nodded to the Adelburger leader’s question in agreement. “Yes, I am. Since you guys haven’t killed me yet, I guess it won’t hurt to take you guys to where the place is.” She gestured at the Ryanites to follow her lead. “Follow me,” Leach ordered them, and so they complied.

Read More

Southern Moral Code In William Faulkner's The Unvanquished

1864 Words | 8 Pages

Introduction The focus of this research paper is the analysis of how the Southern moral code affects the main character from the novel The Unvanquished by William Faulkner. First, there is a description of the story in which the most important events are explained. Then there is a part which contains basic information about the Southern moral code and how it is depicted in the novel. After that, the focus shifts onto the characters, especially the main protagonist and his selection of choices throughout the book and what influenced him.

Read More

Theme Of Social Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

1169 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Firstly, Harper Lee portrays Boo Radley as a victim of social inequality through adjectives and metaphor in the phrase, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;” ‘Long jagged scar that ran across his face’ tells us that Boo Radley has stereotype about his appearance, which forces to imagine Boo as a scary and threatening person. The phrase, ‘yellow and rotten’ make the readers think as if Boo Radley is poor and low in a social hierarchy, as he cannot afford to brush his teeth.

Read More

The American Dream In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

1053 Words | 5 Pages

In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion. Herbert Clutter: the character Capote describes as the epitome of the American Dream.

Read More

More about Feast Of Snakes: Literary Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document