Snow Falling On Cedars - Chapter 1 Essay: Plot, Setting And Character.

Snow Falling On Cedars Chapter 1 Essay: Plot, Setting And Character By Lauren Reading The novel Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson is set on the fictional small island of San Piedro. The first chapter opens in a court room in the islands only town of Amity Harbour at the murder trial of Carl Heine. In this chapter are given insight into the ways of the island and it's inhabitants including the three main characters- Kabuo, Ishmael and Hatsue. In this essay I will discuss how Guterson establishes plot, character and setting. The story opens with the accused man Kabuo. It is immediately obvious that he has a strong character: 'Kabuo showed nothing- not even a flicker of the eyes.' The stress of being accused of murder has not visibly affected him. This may be a sign of his confidence, he knows he has nothing to be guilty of. It may also be due to his high sense of pride- he doesn't like to show weakness and therefore remains detached. With the help of the narrator, however, the readers get a view into his thoughts. 'he realized now.' Through this use of focalisation the reader learns a little about his thoughts. 'furious wind-whipped flakes against the windows- struck him as infinitely beautiful.' This highlights that he can appreciate nature but there is also a slight indication at anger. The snow may also serve as a metaphor- the fact he cannot feel or touch this

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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"Behind the Scenes at the museum" - Kate Atkinson Consider the effectiveness of the title. You may wish to consider the "behind the scenes" quality of the telling of the story and the notion of a "museum".

Coursework "Behind the Scenes at the museum" - Kate Atkinson Consider the effectiveness of the title. You may wish to consider the "behind the scenes" quality of the telling of the story and the notion of a "museum". "I exist!" So begins the novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Ruby Lennox has literally just been conceived and is already starting to narrate her life story. Although many of the chapters in the book are told from Ruby's perspective, commenting on the present, there are others that follow called footnotes. These depict stories from the past, explaining how and why certain things came to be, following various members of her family dating back to her great grandmother. At the beginning of the book, we are not quite sure how these footnotes are relevant, but realise after a short time that they are vital to the insight and understanding of many of the complicated characters in the book. The footnotes are spread throughout the entire course of the book, which means that the beautiful story unfurls gradually, leaping from past to present, fitting together magically in front of you, up until the very last chapter. To fully understand this book, you must first fully understand the title. The notion of a "museum" is interesting. Thinking about an actual museum, you can look at the exhibits, you can read the information on them, but you can never fully understand

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Both the film 'Snow Falling on Cedars' directed by Scott Hicks and the novel 'The Sea and Poison' written by Shusaku Endo embody and expose issues of racism and give the reader or audience a sense of the consequences of such hatred in different ways.

Essay Both the film 'Snow Falling on Cedars' directed by Scott Hicks and the novel 'The Sea and Poison' written by Shusaku Endo embody and expose issues of racism and give the reader or audience a sense of the consequences of such hatred in different ways. Hick's film is about a trial that reveals the prejudice that people have towards Japanese-Americans. A community that concentrated a variety of ethnicity, among them was both Whites and Japanese. As a result of the racial differences, racism has come into existences and has impacted the life of both children and adult in that isolated island called San Piedro. It is responsible for the internment of Kabuo, Hatsue, and their families to the camps during World War 2, the break-up of Hatsue and Ishmael, Kabuo's loss of his land, and perhaps for his indictment for murder. Whereas Endo's novel uses the case of the vivisections performed on the US POW to symbolise the brutality, of such uncivilised prejudice. Although both challenge racism face-to-face, Hicks' film cannot be underestimated with the effect it has. Not only is the theme of racism present within the central story of the film but it is also seen within the smaller romantic and social stories. Endo's novel on the other hand does convey strong racial themes but to the reader there are also issues relating to ethnic bias which in some parts tends to overwhelm the

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Examine the Significance of the Relationship between Offred and Moira, for the Handmaids Tale as a whole

Sarah Cowie Examine the Significance of the Relationship between Offred and Moira, for the Handmaids Tale as a whole Moira and Offred; one a non conformist rebel and a confessed bisexual, the other a hardworking dreamer who sees the values in family life. They are two very different people, yet have been the best of friends from as far back as their college days, pre Gilead, "Moira breezing into my room, dropping her denim jacket on the floor. Got any cigs, she said." Theirs is a long-term friendship, one that lasts the course of time. Within the friendship between Offred and Moira it is obvious to see that Moira is the leader, she is a role model for Offred throughout her whole life. Outwardly she is much more of a heroine than Offred, she is very domineering and outgoing, openly campaigning for gay rights, "You're crazy. Where'd you get an idea like that?" Moira's ideas and schemes may seem 'crazy' to her, yet it is these things that really inspire Offred. Her confidence is something that Offred really admires. It is in this way that Moira is a mentor to Offred, not consciously but in the way that Offred thinks of her. Whenever times in Offred's life get tough, she seeks comfort from the thought of Moira and guidance by her example. Moira's confidence and rebellion are evident throughout her whole life, both in small ways in college, and then later in much larger

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Handmaids Tale

The Handmaids Tale The Handmaid's Tale is a unique story about the oppression felt by the women of a society that has changed dramatically from that which we know today. The novel was written in 1985 and is set in 2000-2005 it tell the story of a society which revolves around women being the sacred vessels for life; ironically in this society women have no rights, or freedoms. Only those who are on the upper scale, (the wives) have power, even so the husbands or commanders control them for the most part. This novel was written by Margaret Atwood and is very futuristic for its time, it symbolizes how many women all over the world and particularly in the Middle East were and still are subjected to oppression. By analyzing the novel one can begin to see the different topics which it is meant to symbolize and what effect the presentation and format these topics are discussed in have on the reader and the novels over all effect. Although there are many characters in the novel only the real personalities of a selected few are revealed. Offerd is the main protagonist and the narrator of the novel, she is a younger woman who has lived through a great deal of change and chaos. Offred survives to make several tapes of her life's journey that serve as the story line for the novel. Offred does not seem to a particularly strong character, however she does endure a lot. She takes what

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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'Discuss The Variety Of Narrative Techniques Used In The Handmaid's Tale'

Sanjay Chopra Friday, 23 November 2002 'Discuss The Variety Of Narrative Techniques Used In The Handmaid's Tale' The Handmaid's Tale belongs to a science fiction genre of dystopian fiction. There is a combination of genres used here, for this is also a woman's fictive autobiography and a novel of feminist resistance, which includes a critical history of North Americans 'second wave' feminism and a love story. The epigraph in this novel helps us to appreciate the issues, which we face as we are given the impression by reading the epigraph of it being a satire and we gather the new cruel environment which is created as Offred we see Offred is only allowed 'one function: to breed.' There are numerous dissimilar types of narrative techniques, which are exemplified in the dystopian novel as we distinguish that Offred is a self-conscious, discontinuous narrator. Throughout the novel Offred seems to revert to her flashbacks, which take us as a reader back to the past from present. We can perceive that the purpose of these narrative techniques is to connect the reader, as we want become puzzled and want to read on. We encounter many dissimilar ways in which Offred changes her narrative techniques, as this is what makes the story complex, but engages us. We approach Offred's narrative through Atwood's own comments as a writer, 'I'm an artist...and in any monolithic

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Amir Vs Amir

Matt Schenk ENG 112 Kite Runner Amir Vs. Amir I would like to talk about a theme from The Kite Runner is that of Amir and his guilt, and the affects that this has on his growth throughout the book. Through the entire novel Amir not only struggles within his relationships with others but within his own self. His relationships with his family, servants and others all help to shape who he becomes and who he is at any given moment. Most prevalent of these relationships and situations is that of his fathers actions and feelings toward him, and vice versa, and also the guilt he feels for his actions toward Hassan. The Kite Runner is a story about a privileged class boy living with his father in pre-war Afghanistan. The story starts with Amir trying to gain acceptance from his father. The relationship is based on a sort of awkward avoidance and Amir constantly trying to please and be accepted by his father. His father, Baba, is a very masculine character. He is an athletic and aggressive man with strong opinions and ideas about things. Amir on the other is almost nothing like this, he is but a small, creative and weak character. Baba is often heard putting Amir down and generally being hard and cold toward him, more so than with other children even. Amir gets into scuffles with bullies and is too afraid to face them and runs away. This is entirely against Baba's feelings on how

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Why did Harper Lee choose to have a child narrator in, 'To Kill a Mockingbird?'

GCSE English Coursework Why did Harper Lee choose to have a child narrator in, 'To Kill a Mockingbird?' Harper Lee grew up in Alabama in the 1930s, and witnessed a great deal of racism around her as she grew up. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is also set in 1930, and contains a child narrator, in the form of Scout, and therefore the racial divisions and conflict Harper Lee witnessed may be directly represented by those seen by Scout. Indeed, the Scottsboro incident of 1931 where five black men were wrongly accused of raping two white women on a train, and the passions that were subsequently aroused may have had a bearing on her depiction of the ordeal suffered by Tom Robinson. The civil rights movement, which attempted to break the pattern of racially segregated public facilities in the South through the application of non-violent protest was well underway at the time of publication of the book in 1960, making racism a prominent and inflammatory issue at the time. For this reason a child narrator may have been used as a means of deflecting any possible controversy leading to censorship, in that those who disagreed with integration and other contentious themes in the book were able to discount any opposing views as childish naivety. Also by setting the book in the 1930s the message would not have seemed as direct for the readers of the 1960s and the book would not have been seen

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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An Analysis of Nadine Gordimer's Short Stories

Zoe Lambert 201322882 September 28th, 2011 Aesthetic Experiences and Ideas An Analysis of Nadine Gordimer's Short Stories Death is something that affects everyone and is always reoccurring. Nadine Gordimer references death in her work frequently; breaking down boundaries and stereotypes. She opens her mind on paper and tells the world as it is. She talks about subjects that are taboo, and while doing this she makes us aware of its constant presence in our lives and the world around us. In her short stories, such as "Loot" and "An Emissary", the contrast of life and death is a theme throughout each of the stories. She weaves stories about experiences that all come to an inevitable end. Life is a bunch of events that you build up for death to take it away. At the start of each story there is an unawareness of death being present. They only seem to be aware of the present, neither the past nor the future matters. The people in her stories seem to be only thinking of themselves and their actions. In "An Emissary" there is one setting where it is always summer or summer-like weather. This adds onto the lack of awareness of the presence of death, because winter is a symbol for death. I relate to these people because I often avoid the thought of death. When I actually stop to think about it I realize how much time I am wasting; this gives me anxiety, which in turn makes me

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Comment on the ways in which Rhys portrays the differences between Rochester and Antoinette's cultural backgrounds in this section.

Comment on the ways in which Rhys portrays the differences between Rochester and Antoinette's cultural backgrounds in this section. In the passage, Rhys chooses to narrate the story in another point of view, allowing the reader to see the main cultural differences between the two main protagonists. Rochester is portrayed as the Englishmen who try to oppress Antoinette by bringing his English culture since he is oppressed by his lack of understanding and knowledge about the place he is in. Antoinette is portrayed as someone who is in full control but slowly looses her sense of identity due to Rochester's Anglicisation by calling her 'Bertha'. At this stage of Wide Sargasso Sea, Rochester's agony of being in a foreign place is presented and that he can not seem to find any comfort, elevating the mood for complexity of the two characters' relationship. Rhys uses the cultural difference to explore about power and how this affects each character's dominance over the other. Rochester's unfamiliarity with the culture leads to Antoinette's dominance over him. When she uses imperative 'Taste', there is a sense of power and determinism. This creates an effect of Rochester's weakness which is shown when he says, 'to please her I drank'. It shows his inferiority to the lack of knowledge about the place and the culture. Not only does Antoinette dominate Rochester, but even the place

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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