Zadie Smith’s extraordinary, shrewd, and insightful commentary in Dead Man Talking begins with a quote by Dr. Samuel Johnson. He says, “A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good.” I – like Zadie Smith- began to contemplate and review my own history with literature (required texts and personal readings). This quote and Smith’s commentary allow me to recognize that reading, like life, is intricately tied to one’s attitude. I vehemently disagree
The two different short stories titled respectively "Sonny's Blues" and "This Is What it Means to Say Pheonix, Arizona" maintain several similarities throughout their particular lengths. Both observant tales of changing times and cultures, the novellas incorporate themes of brotherhood, loss, and the rekindling of relationships. Due to the resemblance between the themes and atmospheres of the two stories, an analyzation is necessary to draw assessments associating these particular tales. One of
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a novel which fully encompasses the motif of duality or a situation or nature that has two states or parts that are complementary or opposed to each other. These similarities and differences which coincide in the novel so seamlessly create a work which is brimming with the aspects that are relatable to all ages as well as all generations. Through theme, character and setting, Dickens creates a world which mimics the reality of the time period while also
probability. Though his tales are frequently lurid and violent, they are written with gusto and energy. Ainsworth is too shoddy to be ranked as a first-rate novelist, but he certainly impressed upon many of his readers, who would otherwise have been unaware of the fact that there is such a subject as history. His novels are readable enough though contemporary critics found fault with him for his idealization of rogues. George P.R. James’s (1801-60) James’s novel Richelieu, A Tale of France (1829) bears
are called to action in the form of an adventure, they go through many struggles, tests, and ordeals. After they complete their task, they come back with a new attitude and a changed mind. In this paper I will be comparing and contrasting two ancient hero tales: The Epic of Gilgamesh and Achilles, in Homer’s Iliad. Both of these epic stories’ main characters are demi-gods who are fighting intrinsic problems because they don’t feel normal among mortal people; they both
once proclaimed, “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule”("Buddha Quotes”). For centuries, the ongoing battle between the forces of love and hate has been a subject of many creative works. This commonly explored but intriguing subject is one of the many themes in A Tale of Two Cities, a novel written by the 18th-century author, Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities is set in pre-revolution France and England, and is centered around the lives of the people who live
code of honor, or the way they try to live as soldiers. According to dictionary.com chivalry is defined as the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. In previous texts we have read, such as, Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales, we have seen an example of chivalry. In the texts, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Marie Borroff and Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, chivalry is a major theme throughout both of the stories; chivalry is demonstrated in these texts by honor
Ancient Greek and Roman Sports “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” Unfortunately, this quote from Hippocrates ceased to represent the sentiment in Greece only two hundred years after his death. After Greek sports declined, the Greeks rose again with incredible inventions, many of which are still practiced today. Although it took time, the Greeks and later Romans, were be
Plato’s two writings demonstrated all of the elements of pre-modern worldview. These elements reflected the culture and time in which these writings took place. First, I seen that the writings were dominated by his belief in superstition. There several instances where Plato gave me the idea that superstition played an integral role in life. In Seventh Letter, for instance, he discussed how the gods and outside forces would either punish or reward people for the things they do. At one time Plato
This complex story revolves around the idea of finding yourself and breaking free of certain limits that are set for you from the very start. The main character in the story is shown to be traveling to a forbidden area to gain new knowledge while along the way breaking taboos and superstitions his tribe created. It is solely based on a journey regarding curiosity and discovery. The protagonist and main character in this short story is John, a young male who becomes a priest after his father takes