“The Mystery of Heroism” and “Flags of our Fathers” Compare and Contrast Essay The short story “Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane and the photo “Flags of our Fathers” have many similarities and differences. The sounds, visions, and actions of war are all elements that make a terribly wonderful topic on which many novels, short stories, and poems are based. Situational Irony and the battle field show contrasts between the two works, but heroism and soldiers behavior are similar. Situational irony is when what takes place contrasts with what is expected. Irony is used by Stephen Crane to add an element of humor and surprise to a seriously written drama.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold”. This is a quote I am sure Edgar Allen Poe has herd after reading his short story “The Cask of Amontillado”. “The Cask of Amontillado” is the story of man, Montresor, and his brutal revenge against his former friend, Fortunato, who had insulted him. Poe’s story is riddled with examples of dramatic, verbal and situational irony which highlight the brutal revenge and brings humor into the story. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows something that one of the characters does not.
Hence, Faulkner’s quote is brilliantly satisfied with this example. Faulkner’s words could be additionally satisfied by “The Barn Burning”. This story, displaying young Sartorius Snopes as a protagonist, shows him at a Judicial Court with his father, Abner, on trial for the burning of his master’s barn. At this point of time in the story, Sarty is taught to be loyal to his family. However, he struggles within himself since he knows that his father is wrong.
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” Essay In the essay “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence, Lawrence uses irony as well as symbolism to aid him in reinforcing major themes of the short story. He uses these literary devices to reinforce the theme that modern man’s greed and materialism robbed him of his noblest instincts. This theme has, if anything, gained poignancy over time, as the human race becomes increasingly materialistic and superficial, causing one to wonder if mankind is really any better off than before the Industrial Revolution. “The Rocking-Horse Winner” had several points in the story in which irony is used, mostly to serve the purpose of creating pathos in the story. One instance of irony is where, when Paul tells his mother that he is lucky, and at the end of the story (Page 34), Paul asked: “Did I never tell you?
Prominent themes of disappointment exist in John Steinbeck’s award winning novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937. They are as deeply rooted in the story as the plot itself and as superficial as the individual character’s qualms. It is fitting, as the tragedy is set in the universally disappointing Great Depression and documents the lives of two migrant workers with a seemingly unattainable dream. However, the main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small, are not the only ones with a reason to be disappointed. Steinbeck masterfully interweaves the dashed hopes and dreams of all his characters to create a community of hopeless ranch hands and regretful wannabe actresses.
The years 1949 and 1953 mark the beginnings of the two most glorious tragedies playwright Arthur Miller has ever composed. The Crucible tells the story of John Proctor, a man who was wrongly accused of witchcraft, and his struggles to prove his innocence without tarnishing his family’s name. Death of a Salesman tells of Willy Loman, an unsuccessful salesman caught up in high hopes for his sons, who both soon become failures as well. In reading these plays, one may find that both The Crucible and Death of a Salesman were intended to criticize the frailties of society and human nature. While the settings and theatrical elements of the two plays may differ, one thing that I found particularly interesting was the amount of similarities between John Proctor and Willy Loman.
Wilmer Ortiz Ortiz 1 John Benvenuto English 102 March 8, 2013 The Unseen Line Between Life and Death Throughout history we have seen evidence of man’s obsession with mortality. In an effort to understand the unknown, writers create stories through literature that give readers an explanation they can grasp. This writing about our impermanence shows just how insecure and un-accepting we can be of this unavoidable fate. Literature often has the ability to show just how vulnerable humans can be, and yet somehow manage to find elegant, beautiful and dignified ways to show. Three
Alshammari, Adel English: 1102 08/09/2011 Essay#4 “Adventure” by Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), a naturalistic chronicler of small-town America is famous as short story writer and the novelist. Most of his literal works, especially the short stories are the story of Weinsburg, Ohio and so his “Adventure”. He is trying to depict the influence on love and relationships due to the way we think and perception we create to view it and how difficult it will be if we try to idealise ourself by our philosophy. Anderson born on Ohio, into a poor family, worked for Spanish- American war, even worked as laborer in Chicago, become successful writer and business person but later rejected all his conventional life style for writing and gives us the novel Winesberg, Ohio (1919) which is considered as his master piece in his literal work. Generally his short story are of simple language and he tried to exile the events and incidents of his real life as the story of his literal works.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the character of Roger Chillingworth was transformed from a well educated scholar into a fallen, unrighteous man. Roger Chillingworth was once kind, then becomes the symbol of vengeance, and finally becomes the personification of vengeance to the extent of losing his humanity. Roger Chillingworth (Prynne), a “kind, but never warm hearted man,” was not always a vengeful and diabolical creature, but once he lusted after the idea of love and kindness. During “The Interview” with Hester, he admits his fault of trying for love: “It was my folly! I have said it.
Although in the novel Carton spends majority of his life in idleness with an uncaring attitude, the selflessness of his death brings hope for humanity to change. The novel spends much time describing the outrageous acts committed by the privileged and the outraged peasants; it expresses the fact that throughout these violent actions there will be a better society. Dickens expands his theme with the character of Doctor Manette. Early on in the novel, Lorry has an imaginary conversation with him in which he says that Manette has been “recalled to life.” As this statement implies, the doctor’s eighteen-year imprisonment has formed a death of sorts. Lucie’s love enables Manette’s spiritual renewal, and her cradling of him on her breast reinforces this notion of rebirth.