These dangers are produced by our history. They rest on the fact that in order to conquer this continent, the particular aloneness of which I speak—the aloneness in which one discovers that life is tragic, and therefore unutterably beautiful—could not be permitted. And that this prohibition is typical of all emergent nations will be proved, I have no doubt, in many ways during the next fifty years. This continent now is conquered, but our habits and our fears remain. And, in the same way that to become a social human being one modifies and suppresses and, ultimately, without great courage, lies to oneself about all one’s interior, uncharted chaos, so have we, as a nation, modified or suppressed and lied about all the darker forces in our history.
Primo Levi’s Survival in Auschwitz illustrates humanity at an all time low. Levi paints a vivid, morbid (but analytical) picture of human suffering, helplessness, and barbarity. His personal account questions what it means to be human, how humanity is destroyed, and if it is even possible to restore it. Throughout the text, Levi states that it is worthless to have hope in the Lager, and he frequently looks down upon his peers who believe everything will be ok in the end. In Chapter 16, Levi comes to the realization that no matter the outcome, there will be no happy ending for any one of them.
The protagonist, Vincent Freeman, disguises himself with a new identity as Jerome Morrow. He rebels against the status quo by disapproving the theory of elitism and proves of his supreme willpower although ironically, he is the weakest character physically. His determination and willpower play a large role in his willingness to rebel against the social norm, to accomplish what nobody believed he could – “You wanted to know how I did it. That’s how I did it, Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back”.
The ending of the novel is significant in showing how the society is unable to comprehend the severity of evil and darkness, it is ended with a very mistaken view, where the officer compared the ordeal of the boys had to go through with a popular book Coral Island, which is a novel featuring an exciting adventure of the 3 stranded boys. Firstly, it shows us that adults are not as wonderful and knowledgeable as the boys deem them to be. Throughout the novel, adults were portrayed as people who knew the solution to every problem, and people who were wise and logical. "Grownups know things," said Piggy. "They ain't afraid of the dark.
The reader will never find Douglass saying something such as; “Because I suffered from hunger and cold, which is clearly dehumanizing, you should abolish slavery”. Instead, Douglass leaves the facts as they are, with sentences so simple as; “I had no bed”. Douglass’ tone is so factual’istic, it is almost chilling. The way he writes so sincerely about something so horrible is truly heartbreaking, and the imbalance of tone and words, Douglass’ readers sense the logical reality to his words, which persuades them to come to their own conclusion about slavery. This quote from Douglass’ book clearly shows how Douglass
Elizabeth Salinsky Professor Blazer ENC 1101 71 October 16, 2013 “When They Get Out” Rhetorical Analysis Sasha Abramsky is all about the future and what is in store for the country when inmates are released. He puts his opinions into works in his 1999 article, “When They Get Out.” The way that he makes his point may come across as bias. Abramsky believes that punishing the inmates by putting them in very unpleasant conditions could be making them worse for when they get out. Abramsky is very opinionated in his article and fails to look into any side other than his own. Writing information that touches the reader emotionally, it feels as if Abramsky is trying to make the reader feel bad for the prisoners.
Imagine a hopeless society where everyone was brainwashed with meaningless technology, books were strictly forbidden, and the true meaning of life was long forgotten. For Montag, that is society was very real. The central idea of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, conveyed by the themes of the sections — awakening, seeking knowledge and truth, and rebirth— is that independent thought can help to overcome great obstacles, which is what leads Montag to step away from the wasteland of modern society to where he truly wanted to be. The first section, “The Hearth and the Salamander”, is where Montag begins to break away from being like an average person in society. The hearth has long been a comforting symbol of home.
We do not have any hope, and we never had any, unless we have the freedom to think about the world in which we live. If we were to lose that, then we would lose everything. Walter Benjamin would certainly support the idea that we cannot escape our fate. In his article “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Benjamin explains that, “Our taverns and our metropolitan streets, our offices and furnished rooms, our railroad stations and our factories appeared to have us locked up hopelessly. Then came the film and burst this prison-world asunder by the dynamite of the tenth of a second, so that now, in the midst of its far-flung ruins and debris, we calmly and adventurously go traveling.” So long as we are closed off within our own tiny lives, as the characters of 1984 are so closed off, then we are trapped.
The diction establishes the menacing nature of this society. The narrator also says that the “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen”. This gives us a sense of contradiction because April is during the spring. Moreover, clocks only have twelve numbers, but the author states the clock was at thirteen. These contradictions help bring in the harsh conditions, making the audience feel grief or pain for Winston.
M L C Prof. Ibrahim ENG 101 February 17, 2014 ExplainingTrue War Stories War is not a place for the light hearted or a place for people with a soft stomach. In the end, war is really a battle between beauty and ugliness. A real war story is rarely a story at all, just a sequence of events that lead to the narrator thinking about all they have lost. In the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien, the author uses vivid imagery and symbolism to illustrate the underlying theme of the chapter “war is hell” and true war stories very seldom end with a happy conclusion. The author describes the deep friendship between Curt Lemon and Rat Kiley and how everything in a single second can be taken away.