Predictability of Surprise.
Predictability of Surprise Keeping the reader interested in a literary work has been the main focus of all authors who have written a novel. Several things may contribute to weather a reader is interested and absorbed in a novel. Although many other techniques are used, the elements of predictability and surprise are frequently used to effectively sustain a reader's interest. The effectiveness of using both predictability and surprise in a literary work can be easily seen in The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy, and The Makioka Sisters, by Junichiro Tanizaki. The element of predictability is not as valued by amateur writers, but is equally important in sustaining the reader's interest. The element of surprise is nothing without the reader's confidence in his or her own predictions to a story's outcome. This confidence in the reader can only be achieved through its progress over time by predictability throughout the novel. Leo Tolstoy foreshadows the style and quality of Ivan Ilyich's life by first showing the reader Ilyich's funeral. He allows the reader to find out that Ivan was not cared for by the people around him, yet he was also revered and respected by those who were associated with him. This leaves the reader to conclude that Ilyich was obsessed with business and had not developed a truly loving relationship with anyone, including his wife. Tolstoy
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Cassie Pharis 3rd Hour/ Mrs. Young Novel and Drama Essay Johnny Wheelright Although the characters in A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving were all very complex and well-developed, Johnny Wheelright, was best developed and understood indirectly because of his actions and spoken opinions found in the book. Johnny is an observer who tells the story of his friend and family in a cynical but meticulous and slightly detached manner. He is, however, passionately loathsome towards the government throughout much of the book. Furthermore, his obsession with Vietnam is an indirect obsession with the memory of Owen Meany. The detached manner in which Johnny tells the story is both alarming and attractive. It is alarming because the reader never gets a direct grasp of Johnny's true emotions with regard to his mother. He tells of Owen's undying love and mourning for Tabby Wheelright, but never tells of his own emotional struggle with her death. The form of narration gives the impression that his story is free of opinion and entirely objective, but through closer analysis it is discovered that this is not true. In his complacency to mourn, a scornful boy, full of reproach towards his mother for her concealment of his father's identity and favor of Owen, is revealed. It is evident that Johnny harbors much resentment towards the government beginning with the Johnson
'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce
'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce is a 19th Century mystery story that is set at the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865) when the Slave owning Confederate States in the South engaged in conflict with the Federal Government of the USA. The story focuses on a character called Peyton Farquhar, whom is about to be summarily hung for trespassing on the Owl Creek Bridge; his fate is to be hung from that same bridge. The story ends with a curious twist in the plot. The main part of the story is set in Farquhar's mind, though whilst reading the reader is unsure (despite careful, hidden hints placed by Bierce) of this fact. Only at the end when it is clearly stated that Farquhar is hanging lifelessly with a broken neck from the bridge that the reader will become conclusively aware of this. It is divided into three parts, which I will analyse, in detail, separately. Part I 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' 'begins powerfully by introducing a man, whom is not named until later on in the tale. This obviously adds to the mystery. It describes with detail of him in somewhat a predicament ~ " hands behind his back", " wrists bounds with a cord", "rope closely encircled his neck". Words of such like are of a lexical set of entrapment and give the impression that the man in question is in danger and is
An appreciation of a Tony Harrison poem.
Natalie Ktena An appreciation of a Tony Harrison poem Death is perhaps the only certainty that we as humans have in life. That it will come, both directly and indirectly, is inevitable and each person has their individual response to that: some are afraid, some are upset and some are even excited by the idea. In his poem, Tony Harrison expresses his own views on death generally and particularly on how death has affected his own life. One obviously does not know what the subject of the poem shall be before reading it. The poet takes advantage of this blank page and rather than bringing in the theme smoothly he chooses another method. The poem's very first line reads: 'Though my mother was already two years dead' Harrison chooses to get straight to the point. From knowing nothing, the reader now has to get to grips with the idea quite quickly. Death is quite a shocking thing to be faced with anyway so by being introduced to it in such an abrupt manner, the reader is forced to take notice. One can be sure that the poet wants us to note this due to his word order. It is far more natural to say that his mother had been dead for two years, as opposed to 'two years dead'. The emphasis falls on the word dead, not to mention the fact that the poet then changes line, and so there is an inclination for the reader to pause slightly and reflect, yet again building up an environment
Light Brigade Essay
How does 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' by Lord Tennyson and 'Dulce et Decorum est' by Wilfred Owen present differing perspectives of War? 'Dulce Et Decorum est' and 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' are two war poems which have strong views and attitude. They both were written about different wars. 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' was written by Tennyson during the Crimean war. 'Dulce et Decorum est' was written by Wilfred Owen during World War 1. Alfred Tennyson wrote 'The charge of the Light Brigade,' as a result of reading W.H Russell's report. Tennyson uses information from the report to include in his poem. The newspaper article, written by W.H Russell, was biased as it supported the British army. He described the British army as "Glittering in the morning sun." W. H Russell describes the noble British army as good even though they were out numbered by the Russian army. Tennyson wrote the poem as a memorial to the British men who died as heroes. Tennyson shows the British army as the "noble six hundred." In 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' Tennyson repeats the last line in his chorus to show clearly what is happening but even though the British army got wiped out they still ended up being heroes and "the noble six hundred." Also Tennyson talks about groups of soldiers but no individual experiences: "Rode the six hundred" suggests that by talking about
The Battle Of Blenheim
The Battle Of Blenheim. Robert Southey (1774-1843) Robert Southey's poem,The Battle of Blenheim was writen because the writer wanted to express his opinion of this partucular war through poetry. The poem is anti-war. It shows the futility of it, because all that came of it was "many thousand bodies here lay rotting in the sun" and "land was wasted far and wide", nothing good actually came of it, as Kaspar and his family are still living just as happily as they were before the war, indicating the war brought nothing good to ordinary life after. Robert shows this by setting the start of the poem in an ideal, happy atmosphere, "Old Kaspar's work was done, and he before his cottage door was sitting in the sun, and by him sported on the green, his little grandchild Wilhelmine." This sets the scene, a pleasant, peaceful and relaxed theme, When the children ask Kaspar "what good came of it at last", Kaspar wasnt sure how to reply, because he knows that no good really came because of the war, and Robert wants the reader to realize this. The Language used in the poem is informal, as Kaspar is talking to his gradchildren. Also, due to the time the poem was written in,the verbs an adjectives, words such as, "Was" an "No" are are written differently. For example, "Twas" for was, or "Nay" for no. Robert has not taken a usual aproach to portraying his view. Many anti-war poems include
Poetry : pre-1914 - Explore some of the methods your chosen poets adopt to enrich an understanding of the human condition.
GCSE English literature Poetry : pre-1914 Explore some of the methods your chosen poets adopt to enrich an understanding of the human condition. I have chosen to compare the three poems London, by William Blake, Holy Sonnet X by John Donne and a section from The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales based on the description of the Squire by Geoffrey Chaucer. These pieces of verse show a slice of British history which range from the early Middle Ages through the renaissance to the 19th century industrial revolution. They cover social issues and personal religious faith as well as demonstrating the view of the classes through the ages. In Chaucer's The General Prologue the Squire is described as a portrait of natural order with an iconic idealism built around it. The idea of his two colours being "white and reede" symbolise purity and passion, two of the qualities for a hero in the romance of courtly love for men in medieval times. These two colours also link with natural images of springtime, a period of things growing and fertility. This concept is continued with the quotation "he was as fresshe as is the month on May," which is represented of germination and growth, and appropriate time for courtship. The Squire is well educated and has a strong faith in God, an idea which implies he fought for the Christian crusades. Because he is intelligent he is associated
How is War Presented in Three WW1 Poems of Your Choice? Dulce Et Decorum Est, Fall In andThe Soldier
'How is War Presented in Three WW1 Poems of Your Choice?' In the year 1914, a global military conflict broke out, mostly taking place in Europe. The Great War left millions of soldiers, from both sides of the opposition, dead, or severely wounded. Moreover, it drastically re-shaped the modern world as a result of innovative ideas and developments. There are numerous views of war; the majority greatly vary from each other. Such contrasts, as it were, can be seen in the form of poems written at the time. Hence, from analysing the work of poets, it could be considered that the attitudes of war are presented in ways which differ, or perhaps, several of the poems may have established similar interpretations. Furthermore, most of the poets aimed to illustrate the ideas of their poem through the use of poetic techniques, allowing the reader to comprehend the various aspects of the poem with greater ease. Three poems of World War One highlight several of the different factors of war, each exploring the topic in their own way. 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' is about the horrific reality and atmosphere of war; it describes the trauma of experiencing a gas attack. 'Fall In' is a recruitment poem, which attempts to convince men to enlist war as a means of conveying elements of shame and guilt. 'The Soldier' is a poem laced with sentimentality and nationalism; a far cry from the themes of other
Death Customs and Beliefs in Different Cultures
Death Customs and Beliefs in Different Cultures Every culture is different. They all have their own beliefs, customs, and traditions. But, all people are the same. We all are born, live, and die. Every culture handles death a little differently. Even though all cultures have differences, all cultures share common beliefs and traditions with some other cultures. All of us are also human, and experience the same emotions when we deal with emotional situations, like death. But even though we all share the same emotions, people in different cultures handle them differently. By knowing about different cultures, and what they believe and do about death, we become better people and are better equipped to deal with people from these different backgrounds. There is evidence that tells us about the burial customs and practices of ancient man, dating back to Neanderthal times, all the way up to present day. Little is known about the Neanderthals and what they believed, but there is evidence that they buried their dead with flowers (Ann Turner, 3), much like we do today. This shows that the Neanderthals showed some emotion or concern over the dead. Most of the burial practices indicated that people in early times believed that the dead were "sleeping". For example, they would bind the dead bodies in a curled up position, and bury them facing the sunrise (Turner, 4). This shows they may
In The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, the correspondent is, without a doubt, a very dynamic character.
The Correspondent In The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, the correspondent is, without a doubt, a very dynamic character. In the beginning of the story, his focus in life is mainly on himself and what feels right to him, rather than on the well being of others, or on the way he lives his life. Through his near-death experience on the "Commodore", he comes to realize that the world doesn't revolve around him, and that there are other people in the world that have it much worse than he does at the present moment. In the first line of the story, it says that "none of them knew the color of the sky." The correspondent didn't view life as anything more than himself, and he didn't see the bigger picture. He didn't have any basis for the way he should live his life either. He didn't think that he deserved to die, and he "wondered why he was even there." He thought very highly of himself, and for some reason thought that he was above death. "She (Fate) dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work." He was very prideful as well. He argued with the cook "as to the difference between a life-saving station and a house of refuge." This is not a subject that must be argued. The correspondent didn't like to be proven wrong about anything, so he argued about this unimportant issue anyway. He was also prideful, along with the other men in the boat, when it came
