Monday, May 23, 2011
Imagery in: A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Of the images in the short story, the one that stands out the most for me is Bailey’s shirt. It was yellow with bright blue birds and was occasionally compared to Bailey’s appearance. After the crash, Bailey was, “as yellow as the shirt” and later it was said that his eyes were, “as blue and intense as the parrots on his shirt”. The author used these images to get the shirt stuck in the readers’ minds so they would realize the irony of the situation – two pistol shots and Bobby Lee dragging the same yellow shirt out of the woods, then the mother and daughter were glad to into the woods to where they believe the rest of their family is. This was an example of dramatic irony that left the image of the shirt, and even the family walking into the woods, stuck in the readers’ minds.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Hurricane Film Analysis
1. One of the most significant motifs in the film The Hurricane is justice. Rubin Carter was wrongfully accused and jailed because of a prejudiced jury and police force; they disregarded moral principles, oaths and the justice system for their own hatred. The movie shows Rubin Carter’s struggle to find justice among this hatred, with the help of some outsiders willing to lend a hand. The group had to overcome many obstacles in order to find the justice that should have been served over 20 years earlier. This motif shows the fight against racism and the consequences of such discrimination. It also begs the question, was justice really served? I would argue that justice wasn’t entirely served since the criminals got away and two innocent men lost over 20 years of their lives. However, those responsible for wrongfully locking the two men should have been found and sentenced accordingly.
2. The first symbol I noticed was the typewriter; it represented Rubin’s connection to the outside world. He used it to write his book, which led to the eventual interaction between the Canadians. This interaction was carried out by the use of letters, which were also written on the typewriter. Another symbol that can be noted is the use of the boxing jacket. It was a symbol of power and self-control, as well as a link to Rubin’s past accomplishments. He became a different person when he was wearing it – he turned from talking to himself in his jail cell, to flashing back to the proud person he once was. This symbol is also metaphoric. The jacket he was wearing at the start in the boxing match was white, whereas the one in his jail cell was black. The white jacket shows the power and freedom of white people and the black jacket shows the discrimination against African Americans. Another symbol is clothing. Rubin refused to wear prison attire because that would be the same as saying he committed a crime; he would have rather rot in the basement jail cells than put on the prison clothes.
3. Like Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, Rubin Carter remained quite calm throughout the entire ordeal. He did not show the slightest bit of fear because he was confident that justice would prevail and that he would not go to jail for a crime he did not commit. He even remained calm throughout his time in jail, stating that he could only remain calm if he did not conform with the other inmates behavior and schedules that he was supposed to conform with. Similarly to Atticus who chose not to go with the ‘norm’ and instead chose to follow his own beliefs.
4. The most distinct parallel between To Kill A Mockingbird and The Hurricane is the topic of racism. As well, Rubin Carter and Tom Robinson were both wrongfully accused and were subjected to harsh racism and an unfair trial at the hand of white people. Although, both works show that not all white people are evil racists; TKM uses the Finch family to portray the good heartedness and courage of people who chose to stand up for what is right, and The Hurricane uses the Canadian’s to show that some people may help a stranger, simply because their cause is just. Either way, both works show the effects of racism and the courage of a few people who choose to fight it.
2. The first symbol I noticed was the typewriter; it represented Rubin’s connection to the outside world. He used it to write his book, which led to the eventual interaction between the Canadians. This interaction was carried out by the use of letters, which were also written on the typewriter. Another symbol that can be noted is the use of the boxing jacket. It was a symbol of power and self-control, as well as a link to Rubin’s past accomplishments. He became a different person when he was wearing it – he turned from talking to himself in his jail cell, to flashing back to the proud person he once was. This symbol is also metaphoric. The jacket he was wearing at the start in the boxing match was white, whereas the one in his jail cell was black. The white jacket shows the power and freedom of white people and the black jacket shows the discrimination against African Americans. Another symbol is clothing. Rubin refused to wear prison attire because that would be the same as saying he committed a crime; he would have rather rot in the basement jail cells than put on the prison clothes.
3. Like Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, Rubin Carter remained quite calm throughout the entire ordeal. He did not show the slightest bit of fear because he was confident that justice would prevail and that he would not go to jail for a crime he did not commit. He even remained calm throughout his time in jail, stating that he could only remain calm if he did not conform with the other inmates behavior and schedules that he was supposed to conform with. Similarly to Atticus who chose not to go with the ‘norm’ and instead chose to follow his own beliefs.
4. The most distinct parallel between To Kill A Mockingbird and The Hurricane is the topic of racism. As well, Rubin Carter and Tom Robinson were both wrongfully accused and were subjected to harsh racism and an unfair trial at the hand of white people. Although, both works show that not all white people are evil racists; TKM uses the Finch family to portray the good heartedness and courage of people who chose to stand up for what is right, and The Hurricane uses the Canadian’s to show that some people may help a stranger, simply because their cause is just. Either way, both works show the effects of racism and the courage of a few people who choose to fight it.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Two Paragraphs on Heart of Darkness
In the novella Heart of Darkness, the character Marlow does not sugarcoat the fact hat he despises lying; he states that, “I hate, detest, and can’t bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appalls me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies […]” (Conrad 38). Despite this distaste for lies, Marlow chose to deceive Kurtz’s fiancé when she asked about Kurtz’s final words. He told her that his last word was her name (Conrad 110), but they were actually, “The horror! The horror!” (Conrad 100). This information begs the question, why did Marlow set aside his beliefs and moral principles to please the emotionally distressed woman? I believe that his experience in Africa changed a lot about his views on the world and even changed what he knew about himself. He may have realized that no good would come from telling her the truth about Kurtz and his work in Africa, therefore supporting a greater good. He may have realized that, with all of the evil and darkness over seas, there was no point in bringing the gloom back home.
The true meaning of the title Heart of Darkness can be interpreted in many different ways. It might refer to a location: the center/heart of a dark place. It can also be understood as a reference to a person, an evil/dark person. Several instances in the text refer to both people and location as ‘dark’. On page 47, Marlow speaks of the land, its evil and “the profound darkness of its heart”. Marlow literally refers to Africa as the heart of darkness when he says, “we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness” (Conrad 50), and says it is “the heart of an impenetrable darkness” on a few occasions. I believe that Africa holds the heart of darkness in the literal sense, but buried in the text is the hidden meaning that people are the roots of evil and their hearts are full of darkness. The way that people treat each other is appalling and the way in which their brutality knows no resolve. The sunken heads on stakes were a very prominent example of the atrocious acts committed. Irony was frequently used when the Company referred to the native people as “savages”. The acts of the Company outline the question, who are actually the savages?
The true meaning of the title Heart of Darkness can be interpreted in many different ways. It might refer to a location: the center/heart of a dark place. It can also be understood as a reference to a person, an evil/dark person. Several instances in the text refer to both people and location as ‘dark’. On page 47, Marlow speaks of the land, its evil and “the profound darkness of its heart”. Marlow literally refers to Africa as the heart of darkness when he says, “we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness” (Conrad 50), and says it is “the heart of an impenetrable darkness” on a few occasions. I believe that Africa holds the heart of darkness in the literal sense, but buried in the text is the hidden meaning that people are the roots of evil and their hearts are full of darkness. The way that people treat each other is appalling and the way in which their brutality knows no resolve. The sunken heads on stakes were a very prominent example of the atrocious acts committed. Irony was frequently used when the Company referred to the native people as “savages”. The acts of the Company outline the question, who are actually the savages?
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