Postmodern Literature Essay Example for Free

Postmodern Literature Essay â€Å"The Garden of Forking Paths,† by taking the form of a signed statement made by the main character of the story, Dr. Yu Tsun, has a specific instance that reverts back to the past which is the technique of flashback in postmodern literature. That precise instance is when Dr. Tsun reflects on his great ancestor, Ts’ui Pen, and recalls the life of the man. More importantly, the story itself is already a flashback by virtue of its form, a signed statement, which implies that reading the ‘signed statement’ of Dr. Tsun is already a way of flashing back to his life before his death. Apparently, the flashback scene where Dr. Tsun recalls his memory of his great ancestor also indicates a ‘flashback’ within the main ‘flashback,’ which all the more signifies the postmodern character of the short story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chinua Achebe’s â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is also a literary work with a postmodern characteristic. This can be observed from the way in which Achebe preferred not to ‘romanticize’ the story of the Nigerians by portraying the history of the Ibo tribe as flourishing while ending when the colonizers came, and is contrasted by the ‘self-destruction’ of the story’s main character, Okokwo. In sum, the downfall of the Ibo tribe has also been brought about by the self-destruction of the society’s hero aside from the harms done by the invading colonizers. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain is also an example of postmodern literature because readers can hardly identify whether it is the author who is narrating his life experiences or the characters in the story who are revealing their journeys in the so-called Rainy Mountain. Thus, readers may tend to interpret Momaday’s work as a combination of the stories of his life and his people, or readers may tend to interpret the same work as the story of the characters from the eyes of the author or the story of the author from the eyes of the characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, both Primo Levi’s â€Å"Two Flags† and â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz† indicate the blurring of the character and the elements of the story. For instance, the character in â€Å"Two Flags† mentions an â€Å"umpire† in a soccer game when in fact there is no umpire in a soccer game but a referee. Quite oddly, Levi also reveals how the main character in the story died upon seeing the two flags of the nations he loved and hated respectively swaying side-by-side. On the other hand, â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz† has a climax in the opening parts of the story which tells us that the story departs from the conventional placement of the climax in stories. These elements are just some of the notable examples as to why both â€Å"Two Flags† and â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz† are also postmodern works in literature. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor, 1994. Levi, Primo. Survival in Auschwitz. New York: Touchstone, 1996. Levi, Primo. Two Flags.   The Longman Anthology of World Literature. Ed. David Damorsch. Vol. F. New York: Pearson, 2004. 406-08. Momaday, N. Scott. The Way to Rainy Mountain. New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, 1976.

Why Wealth and Status Dont Play a Key Role in Jane and Mr. Rochesters Relationship :: Jane Eyre Wealth Social Status Essays

Why Wealth and Status Don't Play a Key Role in Jane and Mr. Rochester's Relationship "My bride is here because my equal is here, and my likeness. Jane, will you marry me?" When one talks about marriage in the Victorian society, wealth and status is first considered. Love comes last or, more often, it is never considered. In the novel Jane Eyre, the relationship between Mr. Rochester and Jane is quite different. This is clearly shown when Blanche Ingram changes her mind about marrying Mr. Rochester, preparations for Jane's abortive first marriage, their attraction for each other without the presence of money, and when Jane inherits money and she makes a surprising move. The importance of wealth and status in Victorian marriage is immense. In Victorian England parents made their girls marry men from similar wealth and position. If a woman did marry purely for love and not for wealth she risked a life of poverty, homelessness, and hunger. This factor can also be seen in Jane Eyre, because Jane's mother was married to a poor clergyman against the will of her father. She married purely for love and therefore risked a life of being poor. This was almost a punishment for Jane's mother as she married against her father's will and only married for love. Wealth and status is also important in the novel Jane Eyre, although they are important in different aspects of the novel and important to different people. There are two opposing views. Blanche Ingram, a very spiteful character is going to marry Mr. Rochester because of his wealth but when she is called to the gypsy to find out her future, she "finds out" that he is not as rich as he seems and therefore cancels all plans to marry him. "She (Blanche) considers the Rochester estate eligible to the last degree; though I told her something on that point about an hour ago which made her look wondrous grave".1 However there is another view to the importance of wealth and status. Jane Eyre, the main character says, "Were I a gentleman like him, I would take to my bosom only such a wife as I could love".2 Money and status are not important to her. In her opinion marriage should not be an act of convenience. During the preparations for Jane's abortive first marriage, Mr. Rochester wants to buy Jane expensive items e.g. clothes and jewels. Jane has no intention of buying expensive jewels and clothes, as they are not important to her. She says, "Oh, sir! - never mind jewels! I don't like to hear them spoken of. Jewels for Jane Eyre sound

Reading Response “Homemade Education” Essay

In the essay â€Å"A Homemade Education,† Malcolm X begins with explaining the struggles of how he taught himself to read and write in prison by using a dictionary and wrote from every night. He discusses how his interest and resolve to be â€Å"able to read and understand†(Malcom 227). Literature has led him to a freedom which he had never felt before. As he followed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, he found astonishing interest in black history and slavery. His tone obviously changes from the beginning which is kind of uniformed individual he once was to a powerful view on racism in America and helped him to seek civil and political rights for African Americans. While he was in prison, he spent most of his time reading and copying from the dictionary then reading it back to himself many times. As his vocabulary expanded, finally he was able to read books and understand them. As a result, he describes his feeling of success to the readers by indicating â€Å"in fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life† (Malcom 227). Teachings of Elijah Muhammad inspired an interest for Malcolm X in black history, slavery, and the white man’s brutalities and lust in the world. However, since he doesn’t consider what good things the white men have done for this world, he develops his essay by dislike towards white men. The audience can feel that as he states, â€Å"book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples every variety of the sufferings of exploitation. I saw how since the sixteenth century, the so called â€Å"Christian trader† white man began to ply the seas in his lust for Asian and African empires, and plunder, and power†(Malcom 231). Through his essay, the audience can clearly see that the literacy changed his life and encouraged him to find an interest in history. And it is not just history, but the history which white men left out. He became further interested in this topic, and found himself research more and more. The readers can know that his interest never slowed down even years later, and he gives all the credit to the homemade education that he gave himself in prison. By using his experience, historical references, and specific people, he hopes to get the readers to seek knowledge over important things that  involve their lives as a new world was opened to him from the homemade education.

Analysis Of Big Brother And George Orwells 1984 - 713 Words

Imagine living in a world where having varying ideas from the government would end your existence. You need to think the same as everyone else in order to survive. You need to find someone that shares your ideas in order to begin a Revolution. When you finally find someone, the one person you trusted turns you over to the government, and you are tortured with your wildest fears. These what-if’s become reality in 1984, a novel written by George Orwell. Orwell’s 1984 follows the story of a dystopian society and one man’s path to rebellion. The main character, Winston, wrestles with the idea of oppression implemented by the totalitarian-style government and eventually decides he must rebel. His story is one of love, trust, torture, and†¦show more content†¦According to Ellis, â€Å"Hitler was soon behind bars. But Hitler proved to be a force that could not be ignored† (2064). Basically, Hitler continued to promote his ideas and fight for power even t hough he was jailed. The citizens of Oceania and Germany were loyal to their leaders because they believed their ideas were beneficial to society. In reality, these terrible leaders tried to create a â€Å"perfect race† through control and torture. Although these leaders had similar ideas and motives, they also had different final goals. Even though both rulings were driven by prejudice, Big Brother and Hitler had varying ideas of a â€Å"perfect race†. In 1984, the goals of Big Brother and the Party are to eliminate the people of intelligence. The government wants to be able to alter the past with no backlash from the citizens of Oceania. The citizens are supposed to be loyal to Big Brother above all others, willing to betray anyone, including family, to benefit society. According to Julia, â€Å"‘They can make you say anything -anything- but they can’t make you believe it. They can’t get inside you† (Orwell 166). In making this comment, Julia urges us to believe that Winston and Julia can outsmart the government as long as they love and trust each other. This statement is ironic because the two are soon captured and sent into Room 101, where Winston betrays Julia to escape torture. Anyone in support of Goldstein’s ideas are sent theShow MoreRelated1984 Argument1249 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell’s book 1984 is a very interesting novel. The novel is set up in Airstrip One. In George Orwell’s book 1984 it has many situations. One of the many situations are that some people refer society as â€Å"Orwellian.† What does Orwellian mean? Orwellian means, of or related to the works of George Orwell ( especially his picture of his future totalitarian state.) People believe that Orwell is realistic and say his work part of our society now. George Orwell was a writer in the twentieth centuryRead MoreA Literary Analysis Of 1984 By George Orwell721 Words   |  3 Pages The essay your about to read is a literary analysis of the book â€Å"1984 by George Orwell† it was written in 1948 as a thriller. Winston Smith is the main character of this story followed by two characters â€Å"Julia and O’Brien.† The book starts off wit h main character Winston being very frustrated with what is called the â€Å"Party† lead by a man named â€Å"Big Brother† hints the saying â€Å"big brother is watching you† from â€Å"George Orwells worst fear† stated by express.co.uk. the book takes you for a rideRead MoreRhetorical Analysis : Apple Commercial1230 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis: Apple Commercial This paper will examine a particular Apple ad that appeared on television in 1984. The Macintosh was and still is very popular computer that provides a simplistic feel of creativeness and freedom. Freedom is a key concept because the ad expresses the need to have a sense of freedom to do what we want with no restrictions. Apple is well-known all over the world for the sex appeal to its products, like the iPhone, iPad, and the Macintosh series. These productsRead MoreEnglish Year 11 Essay1148 Words   |  5 Pagesthe texts you have studied? In your response you should relate to your prescribed text (1984) and ONE related text. Power can be defined as many types ranging from physical, psychological, love, status or government. With power comes great responsibility. If power is not controlled, negative consequences could be developed. This is noticeable through the 2 texts that have been analysed, George Orwell 1984 and Disney Pixar Film WALL E. In both these texts, countless types of power can be extractedRead MoreA Brave New World vs. 1984991 Words   |  4 PagesA Brave New World vs. 1984 There are many similarities and differences between Aldous Huxleys A Brave New World and George Orwells 1984. With my analysis of both novels, I have come to the conclusion that they are not as alike as you would believe. A Brave New World is a novel about the struggle of John, ‘the savage, who rejects the society of the Brave New World when and discovers that he could never be truly happy there. 1984 is a novel about Winston, who finds forbidden loveRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Brave New World1601 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout time numerous individuals have attempted to predict what the future holds for our society. If one was to narrow their focus on the past century they would see the works and predictions of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. Both Huxley and Orwell, as one could infer, composed novels that describe future societies and their inner workings. Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, where members of society originate from a lab and who’s live s are pre-determined by the controllers. The controllersRead More1984 Doublethink Analysis1237 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Doublethink in The Government of 1984 â€Å" War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength,†. The following quote originates from the infamous novel, 1984 by George Orwell. The significance of this popular quote was to display an example of the action of doublethink. Doublethink is the act of having two contradictory thoughts at the same time and believing both are true. Doublethink plays an influential role in the novel, 1984. The novel takes place in a super-state by the nameRead MoreThe Problem Of Self-Expression In 1984 By George Orwell848 Words   |  4 Pagesconscious (Orwell70). In George Orwells 1984 he shows the authority a government can have on ones life even when all they want is self-expression. Many are too frightened to rebel, yet when one does it impacts his life forever. Even though the society of 1984 by George Orwell claims to be complete and total censorship, the problem of wanting more self-expression is still evident which is shown through indirect characterization, symbolism, and themes. George Orwell 1984 utilizes components of indirectRead MoreAnalysis Of 1984 By George Orwell954 Words   |  4 PagesSophie Moore Mrs. N. Finley E209R3 – 1984 literary analysis 27 January 2015 Symbolism throughout 1984 The novel 1984 is a futuristic totalitarian society where everyone is kept under close surveillance and is forced to follow all rules and laws of the state. The novel 1984 was written by George Orwell and published in 1950. The main characters were Big Brother, Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Syme and Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston Smith is a low man on the totem pole when it came to the ruling PartyRead More1984 Propaganda1571 Words   |  7 Pages1984: Propaganda and Persuasion A) The 5 examples of different techniques of propaganda and persuasion from 1984 are: * Glittering Generality- emotionally appealing words that are applied to a product or idea, but present no concrete argument or analysis. * Ad Hominem- Attacking ones opponent, as opposed to attacking their arguments * Milieu Control- An attempt to control the social environment and ideas through the use of social pressure. * Bandwagon- Appeals attempt to persuade