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The novel goes through many recurring themes such as child abuse, social and economic differences, and legitimacy. These themes not only impact the main character but all the characters as a whole. It is the harrowing story of how Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright, a child must learn to cope and deal with the many terrible atrocities that are inflicted upon her by her stepfather, “Daddy Glen.” Before Bone could even coherently make a judgment upon herself she was labeled as an outcast. She was a sin and mistake that should be labeled as such for the world to know about it.
On June 10th, 1912 a tragedy happened. A family of 6 and 2 guests were murdered in Villisca, Iowa. The police have no idea who it could be but they did find the Axe by the 2 guest in between their beds. They all had severe wounds. The crime remains unsolved.
The history and reconnecting with her family were both appealing to Marta, but it was the meaning that Santeria gave her current life and set her on a path for the future is what seemed to stand out the most to her. Marta enjoyed learning about Santeria because each time she learned and talked about an Orisha she was able to apply it to her own life. For instance, as Marta was preparing for her initiation wrote down what she was learning in a journal as she narrates “My journal became my bible, helping me to understand Orula’s advice, and the guidance of the orishas that were now essential principles in my life….We must internalize the teachings of the orishas and use them in our lives” (233). Marta having guidelines to follow in a way helped keep her life more structured and give her a purpose. For instance, Marta says the “The process
The sacrifices an individual makes for the sake of others really says something about them as a person. For example, in the story The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, Caroline takes in Phoebe to be her child, putting her whole life on hold so Phoebe has a chance of having a happy life. To begin, after Phoebe’s birth, David Henry instructs Caroline to take Phoebe to an institution. When she arrives at this run down building, she can’t get herself to do it.
The story takes place at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in America, when desegregation is finally achieved. Flannery O’Connor’s use of setting augments the mood and deepens the context of the story. However, O’Connor’s method is subtle, often relying on connotation and implication to drive her point across. The story achieves its depressing mood mostly through the use of light and darkness in the setting.
Though Dana is highly educated in her own time, her studies of history do nothing to prepare her for the reality of living in the time. Harriet Tubman, being that she had suffered through a lifetime of the oppression of slavery, was able to use her own intelligence of her experience to escape and aid others in doing so. This comparison between the educated and uneducated shows the importance of experience aiding in a true understanding of a situation. “Butler’s Kindred suggests, in fact, that ignoring the similarities between the past and present is not only pointless but dangerous” (Mitchell) due to the persistence of racism in society. Dana understands racism as she deals with it in her relationship with Kevin in her own time; however, her knowledge of history’s systematic racism only aids her in understanding how to deal with her antagonists, not how to escape from their oppression.
Cofer begins her essay by reliving an interaction she had with an Irishman on a trip to London, where the man re-enacted “María” from West Side Story. It was Cofer’s Hispanic appearance which led to the incident and the extra attention caused her to feel like an “island”. She felt out of place and insists that the same situation would not have likely occurred
My Antonia: Jim and Tony’s Unrequited Relationship “I’d like you to have you for a sweetheart, or a wife, or my mother or my sister, anything that a woman can be to a man (206).” Jim Burden, a young man, narrated his memories and friendship with a young immigrant named Antonia Shimerda. My Antonia was a novel that showed incapable relationship between two characters, but displayed the real beauty and love in life. Willa Cather’s book illustrated how the main characters created a strong friendship, but, were separated from a relationship by societal norms and expectations.
Her final act towards the Misfit was not out of charity, but in attempt to save herself. Set in the South in the 1950s, the grandmother dutily satisfied the stereotypes that blossomed within her generation. She speaks of the older days, when children were more respectful, and good men were easier to find. However, she never expresses what defines a good man, which suggests her unsteady moral foundation. The grandmother also explicitly articulates the racism that was unfortunately common in the South, ironically prevalent in the religious and upper middle class circles like the ones she belonged to.
Her tragedy reflects not only the sexism in the African American families in early 20th century, but also the uselessness
In My Antonia by Willa Cather the theme is that freedom is attained through selflessness. This theme is prominently displayed when Grandmother Burden selflessly provided the Schimerda family with chickens and countless other provisions, thereby freeing the family from dire poverty and starvation. Due to her self-sacrificial labor “binding sheaves or working with the thrashers,” Antonia provided for her family allowing them the liberty to subsist on the harsh prairie after the death of Mr. Schimerda. Wishing to give Yulka the privilege of new shoes, Antonia self-effacingly thought not of her own needs when asking Lena Lingard for the high-heeled slippers for her sister. The theme of the novel is that only in self-sacrifice is independence
Nella Larsen’s Passing is a novella about the past experiences of African American women ‘passing’ as whites for equal opportunities. Larsen presents the day to day issues African American women face during their ‘passing’ journey through her characters of Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. During the reading process, we progressively realize ‘passing’ in Harlem, New York during the 1920’s becomes difficult for both of these women physically and mentally as different kinds of challenges approach ahead. Although Larsen decides the novella to be told in a third person narrative, different thoughts and messages of Irene and Clare communicate broken ideas for the reader, causing the interpretation of the novella to vary from different perspectives.
The Aztecs have a very known reputation for their sacrificial practices. They are known to be cruel and terrifying, but looking past all of their human sacrifices, they had a great civilization, in fact, their human sacrifices were very spiritual and religious. Also, the Aztecs were the only civilization that not only provided free education to all, but required all to attend school. Along with that, they also had a very innovative agricultural system.
The quintessential image of the American dream is that of a house with a white picket fence and Mama thinks the house she buys in Clybourne Park will allow the Younger family fulfill that dream. It’s a symbol for belonging in America; it can also represent an acceptance of American cultural values, such as capitalism. In addition, it’s an emphasis on the Youngers’ value on family and the home because the Youngers rely on each other during hard times, and they are not afraid of what may happen in the new neighborhood they know they are not welcomed in because they know they have each other. Moreover, Lindner and the other residents of Clybourne Park who offer to buy the house the Youngers bought represent the discrimination against African Americans at this time, and possibly a reason black Americans, like the Younger family, need to fight for a sense of belonging. “And we have decided to move into our house because my father- my father- earned it for us brick by brick” (Hansberry 148).
The movie clearly exposes the many ways that the human dignity of African- American maids was ignored. They had suffered daily embarrassment but were able to claim their own way dignity. The film described about empowerment of individuals as well as about social justice for a group. It is a moving story depicting dehumanization in a racist culture but also the ability to move beyond the unjust structures of society and to declare the value of every human being.
