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Social Issues In William Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury

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Despite never graduating high school and living through the Great Depression and the suffering that came as a result, William Faulkner established his own literary fantasy and a new approach to the style of writing while addressing social issues as portrayed throughout The Sound and the Fury. William Faulkner faced a multitude of challenges and hardships throughout his life that influenced his literary works. Faulkner was involved in a complicated love affair with an engaged Estelle Oldham. Following Estelle’s divorce from Cornell Franklin, Faulkner promptly relinquished his feelings for Estelle and the two were later married. In January of 1931, Estelle gave birth to a baby girl. The premature baby named Alabama met a tragic fate, living for …show more content…

One distinguishing factoring of Faulkner’s style is his thematic creativity. The trademark theme present in The Sound and the Fury is the past. The character of Quentin Compson searches for means of halting time at a moment of pure bliss and fulfillment, an instant when he and Caddy could be together eternally in the simplicity and ignorance of their childhood relationship (“William Faulkner”). Faulkner also omitted the typical linear narrative approach and portrayed the plot of his stories through the individual consciousnesses of his characters, creating multiple perspectives of the same novel. With the use of interior monologue, Faulkner developed the method of “stream of consciousness” (Hathcock, “William Faulkner”). Faulkner uses stream of consciousness to narrate the degradation and downfall of the Compson family. The Sound and the Fury is divided into four sections each told through a different viewpoint. The first chapter is narrated through the understanding of Benjy who has no sense of time. The next chapter is told through the thoughts of Quentin who in contrast to Benjy obsesses over time. Then the oldest son Jason who is only focused on making a profit. The last section is told by an omniscient narrator who describes the ultimate fate of the Compson family plight (Hathcock, “William

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Miss Emily comes from an old wealthy line of family in the deep south. Faulkner story is highly symbolic, enhancing miss Emily’s values and character. “Miss Emily is described as a fallen monument to the chivalric American South”(Allmon). Faulkner uses the setting of the story to show the emotional state of Emily. The female-male relationship between Emily and her father is strict, oppressive, and controlling; Their relationship has a major impact on Emily’s character Throughout the short story.

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“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” (Pele qtd. In Soccerlens). Countless people have done amazing things through perseverance. Sonny was an average boy in a mining town, but he started building rockets and learned a valuable life lesson.

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The Nobel prize speech by William Faulkner and novel, As I Lay Dying , both enhance how the author intends to fulfill his own vision of the writer’s duty. Faulkner’s duty is to encourage writers to focus on problems that deserve attention which are not introduced in other texts. The tone of the Nobel prize speech is assertive yet grasping around the idea of the future for literature. Through both sources, Faulkner speaks not only to the writers, but the individuals that can be empowered by his words and actions. In the Nobel prize speech, Faulkner is directly speaking to writers who have a desire to follow his footsteps, which is writing.

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His descriptive words play with the reader’s senses and transport them to his dramatic setting, the African Veldt. “And here were the lions now, fifteen feet away, so real, so feverishly and startlingly real that you could feel the prickling fur on your hand, and your mouth was stuffed with the dusty upholstery smell of their heated pelts” (Bradbury 2). This example of imagery engages the reader’s senses, which makes them more open to the events that will come later in the plot. The author also incorporates tone into his text. For example, a deathly tone is used to detail the feeling of the automated “Happylife” house when it was shut off.

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540 Words | 3 Pages

One of the best ways William Golding uses a literary devices to create the intense tone is by diction. For example, “Ralph flung back his hair. One arm pointed at the empty horizon. His voice was loud and savage, and struck them into silence” (Golding 70). Anger causes tension when characters become unpredictable.

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1880 Words | 8 Pages

Intercalary Chapter Literary Analysis During the Great Depression, the nation as a whole was stripped of financial security and forced into a survivalist way of living. This changed the ways that people interacted with one another and the overall mentality of society. In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is torn from their land and find themselves with nothing, a common story for migrant farmers of that time, derogatorily called “Okies” by Californians. But this is not the only group that is struggling, the entire county was in a state of panic and bruteness, no matter how “well off” they seemed to be.

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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.

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In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck follows the Joad family as they suffer the hardships caused by the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. The most important lesson people can learn from the novel is the value of a human life. Although the 1930’s was a low point in American society, the ill-treatment of human beings is still relevant today. Just like Jim Casy’s philosophy, it is important to fight for the rights of the people and their dignity. There are several examples of oppression in The Grapes of wrath.

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In William Faulkner’s story “Barn Burning”, the reader sees a young boy who struggles with his relationship with his father Abner Snopes. Sarty, the young boy, knows what his father has done is wrong. Because of this he is stuck in between being faithful to his father and family and telling the truth about what his father has done. As the story progresses it is easy for readers to see him struggle more and more with trying to keep his father’s actions a secret. He begins to think about himself and the consequences he could face for what Abner is doing.

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By using unconventional plot structure, Faulkner has created a complex method of storytelling to explore the moral shortcomings of Southern values and ethics during the American Civil War through the means of Emily, a character who is socially and mentally trapped in the old

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Conformity is a change in behavior, which is normally caused by another person or a group of people’s thoughts or opinions of someone. When an individual is constantly told that they are a certain way, the individual will eventually begin to believe it and conform to other’s views without even realizing it. This happened to the young Emily Grierson, by a numerous amount of people, and continued to happen until the day of her death. Many can probably say that it was the main reason for her deteriorating mental condition, instability, and the strange approach of how she handled death. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is an unusual story about a girl with a troubled mind who is eventually pushed over the edge by the constant gossip of the townspeople and the heartbreak of a lover.

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William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” critiques the American South Describing Emily’s vibrant life full of hope and buoyancy, later shrouded into the profound mystery, Faulkner emphasizes her denial to accept the concept of death. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the South during the transitional time period from the racial discrimination to the core political change of racial equality. Starting from the description of her death, “A Rose for Emily” tells the story about the lady who is the last in her generation (Emily Grierson). Being strong, proud and a traditional lady of southern aristocracy, Emily turns into an evil, unpredictable and mysterious old lady after the death of her father. Even though “A Rose for Emily”

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1143 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the entire novel, the author’s use of literary devices is very clear. These literary devices, specifically similes and personification, help the reader get a better idea of the exact sounds and feelings which will allow them to know what it feels like to be there in that moment. “ I stood there, trying to think of a comeback, when suddenly, I heard a whooshing sound, like the sound you get when you open a vacuum-sealed can of peanuts. Then the brown water that had puddled up all over the field began to move. It began to run toward the back portables, like someone pulled the plug out of a giant bathtub.

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This is a key point in understanding the narrator’s character and the overall meaning of the

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The titled short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is set in the post-civil war era in a southern town named Jefferson. The story discusses the themes of race and social class through the characters, Tobe and Miss Emily. Miss Emily Grierson is a distinguished woman in southern society while Tobe is her black manservant. Tobe stays with Miss Emily until her death and suddenly disappears afterwards because their relationship is a remnant of the race relationship in the antebellum South: master and slave. He no longer has any obligations to stay in Jefferson because his duty to Miss Emily is no longer needed since she died.

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