ipl-logo

Our Town By A. E. Housman Analysis

886 Words4 Pages

Cameron Simmons
Dr. Ashley Butler
English 3- Honors
9 August 2016
To Make Great Literature
Author A.E. Housman said that, “Great literature should do some good to the reader,” meaning that a reader needs to gain something for the work to be great. The play Our Town and novel Of Mice and Men are two examples of the truth behind Housman’s statement, showing the hard choices life presents and the preciousness of life. In the play Our Town, the storyline starts at the birth of Emily Webb and ends after her death. Throughout the play, you can see the important moments in most everyone’s life that Emily experiences. But only after her death does she realize the importance of savoring every moment of life that you have because life moves so fast, “I cant. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t even have time to look at one another,” (Act III, 245). As he or she finishes the story, the reader can understand that though life may move fast, if they take all life for what it is, it is nothing less than sacred. Though the novel Of Mice and Men also has the same …show more content…

Housman said that, “Great literature should do some good to the reader,” meaning that a reader needs to gain something for the work to be great. The play Our Town and novel Of Mice and Men are two examples of the truth behind Housman’s statement, showing the hard choices life presents and the preciousness of life. In the play Our Town, the storyline starts at the birth of Emily Webb and ends after her death. Throughout the play, you can see the important moments in most everyone’s life that Emily experiences. But only after her death does she realize the importance of savoring every moment of life that you have because life moves so fast, “I cant. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t even have time to look at one another,” (Act III, 245). As he or she finishes the story, the reader can understand that though life may move fast, if they take all life for what it is, it is nothing less than

Show More
Related

How Does Tracy K. Smith Create An Elegy In Life On Mars

1737 Words | 7 Pages

When her father passed then the “feeling of loss took over her life in a lot of ways” (Sheereen). This feeling of loss was evident throughout Smith’s writings. The presence of loss and grieving became a central theme to the entire book. Even the poems that had been written before her father was sick became an elegy almost residually. “The Speed of Life” nearly covers the entire second section of Smith’s novel in full memoriam of her father Floyd William Smith.

Read More

Comparing Paul Dooley And Winnie Holzman's Notes On A Marriage

857 Words | 4 Pages

Going to the store. We need milk.” (1179). One can consider that to be denial of her death, but it is, in fact, Actor’s way of coping with her death and allowing his life to continue as it normally would. Through the progression of Actor and Actress’s relationship as seen in Post-its (Notes on a Marriage), one can see how quickly life passes by.

Read More

Figurative Language In Of Mice And Men

311 Words | 2 Pages

John Steinbeck in his novella, Of Mice and Men, utilizes multiple writing strategies to develop his central idea. Numerous different main concepts can be taken from the novella. One that is extremely prominent is the perception of the “american dream,” working diligently to achieve one’s goals and objectives. Steinbeck reinforces this central idea by applying imagery, figurative language, strongly into the entirety of the novella, but especially applying it in the first chapter.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use Ethos In Of Mice And Men

640 Words | 3 Pages

When world renowned author, John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men, America went into an uproar, because he created a detailed and realistic account of the time period as he tells the tale of the main characters, George and Lennie. Readers are forced to contemplate their own past experiences and how those have affected the way they perceive their fantasies. He depicts the grit, dedication, and harshness of the reality it takes to reach our dreams. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses symbolism, parallelism, and pathos to portray the American Dream through the lives and deaths of the characters. John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men portrays the American Dream through symbolic characters.

Read More

Theme Of Death In 'The Red Convertible'

1015 Words | 5 Pages

When she learns the news of her husband’s death, she was sad and shocked by it yet it gave her a sense of freedom and feeling of opportunity of what was to come of her day to day life without her

Read More

Fear In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

834 Words | 4 Pages

Emily is mentally separated from the townspeople, and is stuck in the time period of when she was once beautiful. Because of her isolation and her actions that followed, the people around her portray her as mentally ill. The isolation from society causes people to think of them differently. As for themselves, they become unknowing to what is happening outside their mental or physical separation and grow lonely and

Read More

The Role Of Eternity In Thornton Wilder's Our Town

460 Words | 2 Pages

Readers observe the Stage Manager’s inital definition of “eternal” by noting the events of Act III. Here, popular characters such as Mrs. Gibbs and Simon Stimson exist, though not in the world of the living; rather, they silently observe mortals from beyond the grave. As they exist, time and events eternally unfold around them. The Stage Manager views “eternity” as something abstract, yet he illustrates it in every single human being. He believes eternity serves as a bridge between unappreciative and humility.

Read More

The Role Of Justice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

977 Words | 4 Pages

“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped for much, much more than a moment.”, states the narrator of the story. The most interesting feature of this passage of the book, after Curley’s wife death, is that narration – alongside with time and sound – finally stops. Opposed to the fast pace of the book, this moment reflects through words what death is like: everything stops for an endless

Read More

Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Analysis

578 Words | 3 Pages

Cruelty of the World The cruelty of life remains in an endless cycle. Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, illustrates the harsh life of migrant workers during the Great Depression. Through his use of tone, foreshadowing, and imagery, Steinbeck shows an honest and cruel world that is never changing. Steinbeck’s tone throughout Of Mice and Men is very honest and to the point, much like life.

Read More

The Strangers Who Came To Town Analysis

529 Words | 3 Pages

Acceptance and Freedom: The Duvitches To ponder the biggest freedom movement of the century, it is probable that one would think of Martin Luther King Jr’s fight in the civil rights movement; the theme is often limited to freedom but, what King was fighting for simultaneously was acceptance of black Americans. While the Duvitches’ freedom in The Strangers Who Came to Town was not lead by a civil rights movement, it followed the same concept. They required the acceptance of the townspeople to achieve their freedom. Each member of the family fought their own battles; Mrs. Duvitch and her appearance, Mr. Duvitch and his untouchable status and the torment the Duvitch children faced at school. Mrs. Duvitch rarely showed her face, causing her to be the subject of the townswomen gossip.

Read More

The Old South In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

703 Words | 3 Pages

The story is set in the post-Civil War reconstruction era where two generations are colliding on letting go of the past and trying to move forward. Emily is shown as an embodiment of the Old South. The younger townsfolk do not seem

Read More

The Strangers That Came To Town Analysis

640 Words | 3 Pages

As freedom is a life acceptance by everyone, including yourself, it makes life a lot easier. Is freedom really about being accepted? In his short story, “The Strangers That Came to Town” Ambrose Flack is revealing that true freedom is about being accepted. As in the story, Flack shows on how when the Duvitches had moved to town, they were limited in freedom around the community. I believe that true freedom is about being accepted because as the town did not accept the Duvitches at first, it became hard for the family to live and the town thought that they did not have the same value as them.

Read More

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby And My Antonia

1141 Words | 5 Pages

What Is The American Dream? To achieve any dream or aspiration, a goal must be set, and steps must be taken towards that goal. To what goal are we collectively striving towards? Rather, are we climbing up the same mountain by different means and with different results in expectancy? “The American Dream” has been referenced as a common ethos for any and all American citizens.

Read More

Literary Devices In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

910 Words | 4 Pages

Faulkner writes the story as if it is through the community’s eyes. In just the first few sentences the town finds Emily’s body. She is dead and the entire town is at her house for her funeral that is, “set on what is our most select street. CHECK QUOTE”(#) Faulkner uses the word, our, to give the town their own sense of unity. Faulkner also tends to write the town as a single character which is why the point of view can also be described as in-we.

Read More

Summary Of The Short Story 'The Knowners'

740 Words | 3 Pages

From her internal thoughts and observations, the reader is given knowledge of the exact extent to which Ellie’s own mortality affects her thoughts, actions, and enjoyment of her whole life. The impact of the knowledge is best demonstrated when the reader is told, “Yet

Read More

More about Our Town By A. E. Housman Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document