Life of Pi

A Close Analysis of Chapter 53 (Pages 150-153) In chapter 53 of the novel 'Life of Pi' Richard Parker surfaces. In this chapter, Yann Martel writes in a very descriptive style and uses many literary devices such as imagery, repetition and similes which allow the reader to realise the themes of the novel. Throughout the novel the question is raised whether Pi is actually Richard Parker, which is an alternative reading to the text. In this section that I have chosen to analyse, Pi encounters Richard Parker for the first time and from this point forward readers wonder whether or not Pi and Richard Parker are in fact two separate entities. Several themes are explored in this section such as religion, the will to survive and the loss of innocence. From the moment Pi invites Richard Parker on the boat is the moment when Pi loses his innocence, "A tiger aboard and I had waited three days and three nights to save my life!" (page 150) Pi allowing the tiger on the boat represents Pi reaching out for what Richard Parker symbolises and that is his own survival instinct. Also, readers start to believe that Pi is Richard Parker because the tiger arrives at the time when Pi needs him the most and disappears when Pi is rescued and the tiger is no longer needed. From the point Pi and Richard Parker are on the boat together their companionship grows and their bond strengthens as they are

  • Word count: 1218
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Shadow of the minotaur essay

Shadow of the Minotaur Critical Essay 'Shadow of the Minotaur' is an adventure novel written by the author Alan Gibbons. In this essay, I will be writing a descriptive analysis about two of the books characters, writing a short summary of the book, a plot analysis and a writers craft. Summary: 'Shadow of the Minotaur' is about a schoolboy named Phoenix who loves Greek legends. He finds himself experimenting with his dads new work project, 'The Legendeer' and Phoenix and his dad soon find themselves literarily sucked into the game along with his best friend, Laura and his school bully, Steve Adams. There is no way out and they find themselves in ancient Greece slaying both the minotaur and Medusa and after being trapped in 'the game' for days, they find their way home after facing death many times and leave Steve Adams behind. The main character in the book is a boy named Phoenix. At the start of the novel, he is not a very strong character; he gets bullied at school, he doesn't have many friends and the only thing that cheers him up is when he is playing guinea pig of 'the game': "Nobody would believe me when I told them what a freak of nature you are. Now they've found out for themselves... Go on free knickers, give us all a laugh. 'The name,' Phoenix growled, 'is Phoenix." This shows how bad he gets bullied in school and he is not strong enough to fight back. He may

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  • Word count: 794
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Use of Symbolism in Catcher in the Rye

James Merz March 10, 2008 The Use of Symbolism in 'The Catcher in the Rye' The book "The Catcher in the Rye" may, at first glance, appear to be the typical novel about a troubled teenager who is struggling to become an adult. However, if we are to view the book in a more analytical form we can see that many of the main events in the book have much more important and deeper meanings because of the use of symbolism, a technique that works through a pattern of recurring motifs to convey a message. This novel uses symbolism to impart its main messages. Three central symbols throughout the novel which are important to understanding the theme had to with Holden Caulfield (the main character), and the moral of the story. These symbols lay behind the title of the novel -- 'The Catcher in the Rye', Holden Caulfield's name and Holden's most significant possession - his red hunting hat. The red hunting hat is first introduced to us in the fifteenth page of the novel and it can be deduced from it that Holden is searching for something, hence the name Hunting Hat -- he is 'hunting' for something. The hat tells us much about Holden Caulfield himself and much about one of the books' themes, Holden's hunt and search for true identity, to find his purpose and meaning in life. After Holden receives this hat it becomes very significant to him and important because of what it represents to

  • Word count: 1303
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Oh Mary Dont You Cry Any More. The short story by Fay Weldon is about a small family of three, the mother Shirley and her daughters Gracey and Lisa, their life on the small island Tasmania and it is about their attempt to achieve happiness.

Oh Mary Don't You Cry Any More The short story by Fay Weldon is about a small family of three, the mother Shirley and her daughters Gracey and Lisa, their life on the small island Tasmania and it is about their attempt to achieve happiness. * In the beginning of the story we learn, that the girls Gracey and Lisa doesn't wear shoes or even new clothes, because their mother believes, that their feet will grow better without shoes confining them, and that they shouldn't spend their money on new clothes, as the well-worn clothes show it of the girls' pretty bodies. We learn that Gracey is the prettier and elder one of the two girls. The family doesn't have a lot of money, as the girls' father has left them to start a new life on the mainland. He finally had finally had enough when Shirley cheated on him. He had been the family's main income, as Shirley doesn't work. The father, having started a new family on the mainland, doesn't visit much nor is he generous in paying alimony. When the girls don't have a father figure, it is Shirley's responsibility to raise the girls. Shirley wants to raise them to be optimistic and she tries to make sure, that they don't suffer from her mistakes, in regard to their 'dad'. Shirley feels that Tasmania is paradise and that it will always protect her and the girls, but Gracey is skeptic; she's seen how hard and inhumane the pretty island

  • Word count: 1110
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Women in 'Tickets please' and 'Turned' behave in an unacceptable and unreasonable manner, how far do you agree with this statement?

Prose Comparison Women in 'Tickets please' and 'Turned' behave in an unacceptable and unreasonable manner, how far do you agree with this statement? The short story 'Tickets Please' was set in 1918, which was the final year of the war, and was written by the author D H Lawrence in the mid 20's. Society during this period was in a state of flux, having women do traditional male jobs due to the war. The central characters in this story are 'Annie' and 'John Thomas'. 'Annie' is a strong-minded individual who works in the railway industry as a conductor. These girls that work in this industry are known as 'Fearless young hussies', the meaning for this is that they don't fear anybody. Before this period in time women used to wear big persumtustuas gowns. Having the women in this time scale to be very proper and well mannered, but now society being in state of flux and was called the 'wild time', since women had to go to work in these strange environments, from wearing a pretty dress to an 'ugly blue uniform'. Another main character in this story is 'John Thomas' who worked in this protected industry and being unable to go off to the war his occupation was the chief inspector of the railway and he was also known to be fairly good-looking amongst his fellow employees, such as Annie. The other prose comparison story is 'Turned' written by Charlotte Perkins-Gilman, a feminist writer

  • Word count: 1568
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Examine how James creates the atmosphere and tension of a ghost story in the opening chapters of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw

Examine how James creates the atmosphere and tension of a ghost story in the opening chapters of 'The Turn of the Screw' The Turn of the Screw is a Victorian ghost story. It is written in the gothic style and is structured as a story within a story. It is about a man telling a ghost story to a group of house guests in front of the fire on a dark Christmas Eve. The man, Douglas, tells the guests a story about a newly appointed governess who has been taken on by a mysterious bachelor to look after his two young wards. However, that is only the beginning. Although it fits some of the obvious clichés found in Victorian ghost stories, it is different to most typical Victorian ghost stories because it involves two young children causing harm. That was unheard of at that time. This essay will look at how the author, Henry James, creates the atmosphere and tension in the story by the way he structures the story, the language he uses and the descriptions of the characters and scenes. When people think of ghost stories today, we often expect the usual stereotypical styles. For example, we imagine a dark stormy night in a big old country house, where everyone is remarkably posh. In Victorian times these were key elements to a ghost story. In modern day times we expect different things though, a weird twist and a different plot, otherwise people will think it is boring and not really

  • Word count: 1707
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The short story called Father and Son was written by Bernard Maclaverty, an author who uses his stories to transfer real life problems.

Father and Son The short story called 'Father and Son' was written by Bernard Maclaverty, an author who uses his stories to transfer real life problems. Such as in 'Father and Son' Bernard conveys the theme of a story between a father and son and their family relationship together which is also accompanied by a third person who details what they say more clearly. The plot is about father and son both trying to communicate with each other but fail. For what they both want to say they mutter what they want to say, in their head. The father is the one who desires his son for he wishes to talk to him and make sure that the son loves him, since their wife/mother is deceased. The story is set in Northern Ireland and the area they live in, is full of intense noises: "The sound of ambulances criss - cross the dark." This expresses the area as being very violent for the ambulances going passed their house very so often for them needing to give care of injured people. Another quotation that shows the area they live in: "The door swings open and he pushes a hand-gun beneath his pillow." Here it conveys that the area is so terrible, that a young man has a gun to protect himself against harm. The son is introduced to us in the first paragraph as the author transmits his feelings of the father waking up by the son. The son is imaged to the audience by him having orange

  • Word count: 1141
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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an inspector calls- discuss the dramatic affect the inspector has upon the play

Discuss the dramatic affect the Inspector creates in the play. An Inspector Calls was set in 1912 and was written in 1912. The play was set in times when the Edwardian class system was in order. The Edwardian class system was much more amplified than it is these days. During the play the Inspector seems to have a total disregard for this system, which is unusual for these times. The Inspector exerts great dominance over the Birling family and controls their actions adeptly. He does this by dealing with 'one line of enquiry at a time'. This controls the pace and tension of the investigation, which is integral, as the story Eva's life begins to unravel. The Inspector's dominance is astonishing in the play, on his own he brings down the whole family. At times when anyone wants to question him, usually Birling, he strays from answering it, which brings up early questions about his identity. At the beginning of the play, the Birling family and Gerald Croft, who is marrying into the family through Sheila, Sit down and enjoy a quiet celebratory meal. The evening is dominated by Mr Birling who, throughout the night, keeps making speeches displaying his extreme capitalist views. "...a man has to make his own way". The Birlings as a whole look like they are enjoying their wealth and high class, as they seem to feel at home wearing very elegant clothes and sitting around their

  • Word count: 1448
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Commentary: An Astrologer's Day

A Commentary on 'An Astrologer's Day' The writer's description of the astrologer leaves us in no doubt that he is a charlatan - his equipment, costume and appearance all have a deliberate, theatrical quality designed to convey the impression of a mystic power which he does not possess. Notice the author's wryly ironic comment that the abnormal gleam in his eye is "really an outcome of a continual searching for customers" and his dry observation that "even a half wit's eyes would sparkle" between such a painted forehead and dark whiskers. The deliberate artifice of the astrologer is further underlined by the author's use of phrases such as "To crown the effect" and "This color scheme". The illusion is enhanced by the fact that the astrologer works in the eerie glow of a smoky flare which adds to the "enchantment" of the place. The astrologer's customers are depicted as gullible creatures who are irresistibly attracted to him like bees. But although the author portrays the astrologer as a fraud, his innocent customers are not shown in the light of hapless victims. The writer does not condemn or deride the astrologer as a parasite but sees him as a businessman who gives his customers value for money: he said things which pleased and astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice and shrewd guesswork. All the same, it was as much an honest man's labor as any

  • Word count: 1171
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How the techniques used by Jane Gardam to create the narrative in 'Stone Trees' support the presentation of her themes.

Gill Mould How the techniques used by Jane Gardam to create the narrative in 'Stone Trees' support the presentation of her themes This essay will cover the themes portrayed, and techniques that Gardam has used in this short story to covey her ideas. 'Stone Trees' is about a widow coming to terms with her grief, and combines flashbacks and the random thoughts of the narrator to convey the story, this then does not need a lineal story line. We learn how the narrator is feeling by Gardam's use of interior monologue, 'we shall talk you/I later', as if we are reading her fragmented thoughts. As the story is written in the first person narrative, it allows the reader into the mind of the narrator, and shows the story from her point of view. The narrators recent loss of her husband dominates the story, it begins on a journey to meet old friends on the Isle of Wight. The journey reminds the narrator of the 'gold peace' of her holiday that she had spent there previously with her husband, and compares it by saying, 'it was September like now'. Throughout the first few paragraphs, the narrators mind jumps from flashback to flashback this shows us her agitated state. However, the stream of consciousness works well within the piece, and is portraying the narrators thoughts. We are travelling through the narrators thought process as she prepares to meets the old friends Tom and Anna,

  • Word count: 793
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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