In the beginning of the book Maggie mentions a scar she received after her father left her with her brother alone to go buy cigarettes. She was burned with a hot pot of beans. To her, this action by her father was neglect. She states, “But I wasn’t like my brother. I couldn’t let things go” (Rash 31).
This accident turned both of their lives upside down. Caleb was convicted of a hit and run and went to the Department of Corrections juvenile complex for almost a year. Luckily, Maggie survived the accident but her legs took a serious beating. She was in a wheelchair for 4 months and couldn't play tennis anymore. She had been playing since she was nine and as a result lost all of her friends.
Mama is very protective of Maggie. Mama protects Maggie and doesn't expose her to the outside world very much. This makes Maggie awkwardly shy of people. Mama is aware of Maggies limitations and problems are a result of the fire. Even though Mama is strictly protective of Maggie, it shows her love for her.
First off, Maggie is quiet and shy. She is ashamed about how she looks. The story stated,”She will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs …” Maggie doesn’t know how to be outspoken. She hides herself.
Maggie on the other hand, is characterized by her unattractiveness and timidity. Her skin is scarred from the fire that had happened ten or twelve years ago. Those scars she has on her body in the same way have scarred her soul leaving her ashamed. She “stumbles” in her reading, but Mrs. Johnson loves her saying she is sweet and is the daughter she can sing songs at church with, but more so that Maggie is like an image of her. She honors her family’s heritage and culture, by learning how to quilt and do things in the household, like her mother views their heritage.
I’m Helen Robinson, Tom Robinson’s wife. There was a timeframe in the book just after Tom was killed, before Helen could find a secure way to earn money for her family; it was a very unstable time for her and her children. Although Helen is portrayed as meek and kindhearted, much like Tom, the overwhelming sadness and pressure may have caused her to break down emotionally, or feel some emotions of vengeance towards a majority of the white community; especially the Ewells. In the novel, the black church provides her with funding and support while Tom is in court.
Maggie in Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” plays the role of being the nervous and ugly sister of the story, however she is the child with the good heart. Maggie was nervous ashamed of her scars “Maggie was nervous… she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs”. Living in a house with a pretty sister and being the ugly sister with scars could be the reason why she picked up on a timid personality, being ‘ashamed’ of her own skin shaping her in a way that she degraded herself from everybody else. Maggie was not this way before the fire, her mother stated, as it is quoted that she had adopted to a certain walk ever since the fire.
Also, the mentioning of Maggie’s burn scars that she has had since she was caught in a traumatic fire as a child, compel the audience to feel sympathy for Maggie as she has been through tough
“I told you not to wear my clothes anymore!” yelled Allison. “I didn’t have anything to wear! Not like you were going to wear it anyways.” argued Allison’s little sister Mary.
The life of Maggie Johnson, was full of difficulties that did not allow for her success outside of the poor living community she lived in. Maggie as an immigrant and working class female, was pushed into a difficult life were she had no other choice but to seek her own destine in the life of prostitution. Unfortunately what led her into prostitution was her boyfriend Pete who left her heartbroken and her mother who kicked her out of the house. According to Jimmie Maggie’s brother, she had gone against the cultural norms.
She is a child full of fear and envy, mainly towards her sister, who seems to always shun her for not being as intelligent or beautiful like her. The narrator exclaims about this in the story by stating, “Maggie is nervous until her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in the corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (1). This envy and awe is more related to her sister’s way of life, it is directed towards how she has always been smarter, prettier, and more educated than her. Maggie’s version of the story would be told with more emotion, which would exhibit her emotions towards the situation, as well as towards her sister as Maggie states in the story, “‘She can have them, momma,’ she said, like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her” (7). The emotional tension here shows that Maggie is accustomed to her sister always getting her way.
Maggie lived in urban New York, a rough place for anyone to live. Max Westbrook emphasised Crane’s portrayal of New York by saying “Life in the Bowery slums is shown to consist of fist fights, beer, sex, [and] poverty…”(Westbrook 587) Crane constantly referred to the city with negative language such as “gruesome doorways” or “the buildings quivered and creaked” like it was going to fall down at any second (4-5). But no matter in how rough of a neighborhood, when
These events scared their personality. Both of the girls were reminded of their mothers when they saw Maggie. This ignited the anger and resentfulness against Maggie. As they grew older they started to despise Maggie more and more. Maggie, to them, was the reflection of their insecurities
Throughout our lifetime, many of us probably heard the adage “Knowledge is Power” considered one of the most well-known quotes of all time. In the three works that I chose to read: “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, “Crazy Courage” by Alma Luz Villanueva, and “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, through these literary works, each depicts their concept of knowledge and individual power. Secondarily, each work defines the experience and own power through different ways, but the basic concept remains the same. The purpose of this essay is to showcase the evidence to support the author’s claim of knowledge and individual power as well as their use the rhetorical appeals, pathos, logos, and ethos. There are a few claims suggested inside of each of these works identified with knowledge and individual power.
Today me and Slim walked to the bunkhouse together, just chattin’ about the little pup that Slim gave to Lennie, which is moreover a kind gesture of him, since we both know that it means a lot to Lennie. Now the big guy’s got something to pet. I hope this keeps him damn busy, so he won’t do anything stupid which will get us in trouble. Slim commented on the power of Lennie, when he’s buckin’ barley, saying that he almost killed his partner. I felt proud at that moment, and as proud as I am I told him that Lennie can do anything if it doesn’t require much thinking.
