The Shipping News Book to Movie Comparison by T.J. Reagan What first comes to mind when you hear the phrase “shipping news”? To me, I would say news involving shipping most likely. However, in the words of E. Annie Proulx she thinks different. She brings in a new world to a desperate man in need of change and really changes it for the better. Yes, there are obstacles, and yes, there are some tough times, but the Shipping News not only saves the man's life but also makes one heck of a book.
As shown above Vargas had a huge task to tackle. Under those circumstances, he worked towards pursuing his career hoping this would have a positive influence in his legalization status. It is evident that in America, many illegal immigrants may become valuable members of today's society as professional entrepreneurs, artists, writers and politicians, making great contributions to the countries success, though this make it difficult to evaluate the long term societal effects of illegal immigration. Jose Antonio Vargas projects to be one living the "American Life” under his illegal status. The fact was Vargas was as an "undocumented immigrant" living in the United States but his optimistic attitude led him to see his difficult situation as an opportunity.
Burnham on the other hand is using the fair as an opportunity as a means of proving he could do something great after being rejected from Harvard (376). Burnham was a great man and a hard worker is contrast to Holmes who was evil and used murders and scams to get what he wanted. The juxtaposition between the two characters definitely improved the structure of the novel and helped it become better organized. They definitely worked well together because the two events did overlap and were connected. I however, would have preferred reading solely about Holmes and his murders because I just wasn’t all that interested in the Burnham plot.
Jeffrey Cobb Mrs. Bass English B 18 September 2012 “Love in L.A.” The story “Love in L.A.” written by Dagoberto Gilb. The story shows Jake, who is very infatuated with his ’58 Buick and all of the things that he wants to add to it. Jake like people today think that by adding these things to his car it will make him happier and actually turn his life around. Which is what leads me to believe that self-deception is the theme to “Love in L.A.” I make this statement because when we read the story we see that Jake is constantly lying to himself by saying that if his car looks better and all of these nice things in or on it, then his life would be easier, better, and he would feel and look better about himself. I make this conclusion from where it says in the story all of the things that Jake wanted to add to his car to make it look better and possibly even change his entire life (page 45).
Even though San Francisco had experienced a few earthquakes and fires prior to the twentieth century, people chose to focus on the future and look forward to the new possibilities that could unfold. San Francisco was always known for its risqué entertainment industry. Many people looked down on this trend of culture in the society. San Franciscans were determined to improve their cities’ reputation, and wanted to make the city a recognized center for the arts. With a lot of work, their determination finally paid off.
Horrors and Heroes Entertainment, in any form, often has a deeper meaning than initially assumed. For instance, one might assume that an action movie would be a typical “guy movie.” Nobody would be surprised to see fights, cars, and explosions in an action movie, in fact, it would be expected. However, if the storyline of such a movie was about love, the viewer would be caught off guard. This twist is what makes any great movie entertaining; it keeps the viewer interested and wanting to see more. Two authors that discuss this method of giving deeper meanings to stories are Stephen King (in his essay “My Creature from the Black Lagoon) and Gloria Steinem (in her essay “Wonder Woman”).
Nick does not like New York, which is apparent when he says, “So when the blue smoke of brittle leaves was in the air and the wind blew the laundry stiff on the line I decided to come back home” (176). Gatsby has everything except what he most desires, Daisy. He buys many things just to impress her and prove to her that he really is wealthy. He has a big car, a mansion, and lots of clothes. Nick comments on Gatsby’s car, "...and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes...Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of leather conservatory we started towards town" (68).
During the 1930’s the rights of minorities were limited. It was a struggle for them to gain any attention in society at all. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, he used the characters to display this thought with great originality. Steinbeck used his story to drive his point into the minds of his audience and make a lasting imprint. With a character like Lennie the reader couldn’t help but be drawn in by his loveable personality.
Rawls’ piece, “California: A Place, a People, a Dream,” he also explains to us that California is not what everyone hypes it up to be, that California is a mixture of both the good and bad. Rawls also states “opportunity and success – these promises are at the heart of the California Dream” (23). The main reason many people go to California is for the exact reason Rawls stated. The opportunity is here, albeit in the technology business such as Silicon Valley, or in the entertainment industry such as Hollywood. The opportunity comes in different forms depending on the person.
Franzen is born in 1959 and an acclaimed novelist and essayist. Throughout the essay Franzen comments on our lives, how we live them and how we personify objects to make them likeable. He introduces us to his new phone, which brings up the whole “debate” about how we treat, personify and swear to items we have with us every day. He discuss how companies and people create a sort of personality for their e.g. phone, computer or car and how we say we “like” them, but we don’t like them like we are supposed to, because since Facebook introduced the like-feature it’s gotten a whole new meaning.