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Literary Analysis #4-Nineteen Minutes Throughout the literary critic of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, the main theme supported by author Jessica Stites was that Jodi Picoult uses background and further information than an average writer to convey her full story and add to it's depth as a whole. She states, "If empathy is an inoculation against violence, then Picoult's own compassion for her characters goes beyond good storytelling to political statement; she models the deep sympathy that might have averted the tragedy." Stites goes on to explain that in Picoult's writing she tends to convey a specific message to her readers, leaving them with a second opinion or thought on the overall conflict or main topic of the story. In Nineteen Minutes, Stite's states, "She takes us inside prickly adolescents whose every action screams "Keep out!" and inside the adults afraid to brave their children's barriers." Though several of Stite's comments on the novel and author are directed positively, the author also states that Picoult lacks in empathy. The author goes on to state that though Picoult analyzed numerous aspects of Nineteen Minutes and did a quantity of research, she yet lacks the characterization and development of main character Peter. Stites believes that in order to add dynamic perspective to the overall novel, Picoult should have developed Peter as a character by learning of the killing spree from Peter's perspective and reading why he shot a teacher that had been kind to him. Though Stite's emphasizes the lack of characterization from the perspective of Peter, she later goes on to support Picoult once more when saying that the lack of characterization should actually be intentional, stating that once you loose boys, they go somewhere you can not follow.

The author Bonnie of the critical analysis of Wuthering Heights feels that the characters in the novel were all naïve and foolish. This may describe Emily Bronte's life during the time she wrote it. It is known that she carries some of her real life experiences into her writing. It may show the struggles of her life and how she was able to overcome them. The purpose of this criticism is to display how real life can play a big role in an author's life and how they write their novel. Characters can be based on themselves as well as people involved in their lives. The way the author feels about their life can reflect in their themes of the novel because it's what they are used to.

The Survival of the Fittest Throughout The Handmaid's Tale, a major ideal is a strong feminist stance. The author is trying to convince other critics that Offred, a character in the novel, portrays a strong woman fighting for survival against politics. While others believe that Offred is "no hero," "a wimp," this author is convinced that she continuously "proves her consistent efforts not only to survive, but also to maintain her individuality." With the evidence the author has given to support his ideas about this ideal to survive, the evidence he provides proves to be logical. When the author states, "an examination of her more subtle rebellion against the oppressive totalitarian regime," he is persuasively showing that Offred portrays the strong nature of the human spirit. The focus the author commits on the argument is obvious. The author repeatedly compares Offred to other strong characters in other Margaret Atwood novels and in The Handmaid's Tale itself. This proves the author's consistency with the evidence he provides to prove his purpose. These also help show the pros of his persuasive side of the argument about how strong a feminine hero can be through human spirit. The evidence this author provides significantly supports his perspective. He starts out by attacking other arguments that have been stated, using it as a tactic to show that his perspective is more "correct." There is plenty of evidence provided in this article to help support his argument. With statements like "the Republic of Gilead is a typical totalitarian society in that it promotes terror tactics while enforcing its rigid dogmas," the author is setting up for his next piece of evidence. He uses the typical case where he sets you up for the next argument, uses evidence from text, and then attacks the opposite side of the argument, but all with a twist. Most authors would have used quotes from the novel itself or a source to attack the opposite s

The "Killers" In Margaret Atwood's novel, The Blind Assassin, there are many struggles that the main narrator addresses to represent the "killers" in the novel. The "killers" are all of the characters in the novel because they are blinded by love, family, duty, jealousy, vengeance, and other inescapable, socially defined tyrannies that comprise the fabric of life. These represent human nature and how much simple emotions can affect that fabric of life. J. Brooks Bouson criticized that Iris, the main narrator in the novel, had "linear but interrupted installments of her family and married history with her comments on her present daily life as an octogenarian" (Bouson). Iris's comments about family throughout the novel about her life are crucial to the fact that she is blinded by her duties to her family. When she was young, she was forced to marry a wealthy man in hopes that the union would save her father's factory. In fact, it did not, but Iris let herself be blinded to the fact that she would be miserable and that it would make her life more stressful. Also, within society, human norm is to "carry ourselves perfected--ourselves at the best age, and in the best light as well" (Atwood 311). Iris's comment shows that in society, even she keeps a shield on reality and that this bliss is an inescapable tyranny that keeps others from accepting who they are. Another societal tyranny shown in this novel was jealousy. "Iris's guilt stems partly from jealousy and partly from conventionality" (Watkins). She found it hard to find reason on why it had to be her that had to watch over her younger sister, Laura. In the confines of her relationship with Richard, Iris finds herself not actively participating. She was blinded to the fact that Richard was the one who progressed Laura's illness because she was jealous of Laura during their sibling rivalry throughout the beginning of the novel. "The nove

The Secrets and Lies of the Glass Menagerie By: Tyler Thomas In his criticism, Mr. Debusscher tries to prove the personal struggles with alcoholism and how those struggles affected the writing of The Glass Menagerie. The way that he formats his essay makes it very effective. He begins by stating his thesis and providing page upon page of supportive content. I think he does an excellent job of proving his theories. He also pontificates on the lack of truth shared between the family members. The family seems to be built on a foundation of lies. Debusscher feels strongly about his opinion on Tennessee William's playwright that most people consider to be his autobiography. When researching Tennessee Williams and his background, I found that he was an alcoholic. He spent many years dealing with the disease. In the Glass menagerie Williams also takes aim at the way the heterosexual society functions. After further research I found that Tennessee was a "closet-gay." He didn't admit it until later in life that he was in fact a homosexual. I found this article incredibly helpful in understanding the meaning of Williams play. It was an article that wasn't that hard to read either. The article was full of quotes that really supplemented the reading.

Literary Criticism about the play, An Enemy of the People. This helps support my arguement on societal issues in which Ibsen presents in his work.

In Laszlo K. Géfin's criticism of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Géfin explores the satirical elements which lie beneath the characters in Kesey's novel. Géfin focuses his ideas on the Big Nurse, who captures the archetypal monstrous, castrating woman. Some saw the novel as an "Oedipal family romance", named for the mythological king Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother, which captures several dark elements. The Big Nurse represents the bad mother, McMurphy is the good father, and the mental patients are the children. Others suggest that Kesey's ideas are a reflection of the male fear turned aggression of the Eisenhower era. Either way, family dynamics can be found within One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This article makes it evident that the Big Nurse's character has been and will continue to be interpreted differently from person to person. The clearest idea that Géfin communicated was that the character of the Big Nurse should not be interpreted literally. It is vital to understand that these characters were created from a man's viewpoint because Kesey's ideas were translated through the Big Nurse. This is why feminist critics often try to downplay the menacing aspects of her character. This article was written quite awhile ago, so many of the media references are a bit outdated, although still applicable. Géfin most likely possesses similar views as Kesey as he was defending the nature of Kesey's characters. According to Géfin, Kesey's Big Nurse is another classic archetypal woman in literature, which will continue to influence further works.

Branislav L. Slantchev's purpose of discussing Eiji Yoshikawa's, Taiko, is to relate this work to Yoshikawa's more popular title, Musashi, and to also show the few faults Yoshikawa has made in his writing. Slantchev's opinion is that since so few people know of Yoshikawa, those who are familiar will become enthralled and find his work flawless. Slantchev is one of the few to finally go against the majority critical opinion and voice his personal issues with Yoshikawa. The article begins with a general summary of Taiko with an explanation of the tale as one that is about bringing "prosperity to the ravaged land is an inspiring, if bloody, tale of courage, imagination, and political intrigue." This statement already sets up the beginning with the multiple literary similarities between Taiko and Musashi. The article even discusses the "historical reality" still being "fictionalized." Nevertheless, Slantchev still continues to praise Yoshikawa when speaking of the engaging narrative and attention to battles until he reaches the character development. Slantchev argues, "Hideyoshi is so likable, he appears terribly one-dimensional." This statement is supported by the fact that even though the main character, Hideyoshi, has a "monkey face" he is still able to have success when it comes to the opposite sex. Slantchev recommends many other novels that would actually contain a more balanced point of view. Ultimately, Slantchev still ties his argument back to how Yoshikawa is still a stunning author that has the ability to write a complex mixture of "loyalty, honor, calculation, and greed that is bound to baffle the foreigner." There is a perfect consistency of admiration as well as points of dissatisfaction within the article. Thorough evidence is provided for all of the arguments made. Slantchev does appear to possess a slight bias in writing his article, as he occasionally slants his writing in comparing Taiko to Musashi almost too often. Al

Argument: Jon Krakauer is too emotionally invested in the tale of Chris McCandless to write an unbiased and factual book. Claim: In his book, Into The Wild, author Jon Krakauer "makes his presence known throughout the novel" and "fails to see that in fact his authorial presence is both inescapable and distracting to the reader". Evidence: Krakauer writes about the emotions and feelings of McCandless in his, Krakauers, own words, instead of simply relaying facts. The author of this article, 'erinberman' writes that "If Krakauer had wanted to remain a silent author, he would have let Chris's words speak for themselves, instead of try to capture the essence of his fleeting thoughts and emotions." PURL: http://erinberman.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/into-the-wild-by-jon-krakauer-book-review/

According to Cheryl Reed, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a multi-generational story that spans a 45 year time span, told from dual perspectives of powerless Afghani women. While The Kite Runner was a story of redemption, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story of survival in a war ridden country where women are beyond powerless and must hide behind their burqas. Hosseini uses many of his own experiences to build his stories of fictional characters. From his recent visits back to Afghanistan, A Thousand Splendid Suns was made. Reed states her argument clearly although it isn't presented until the end of her critique. Her critic is logically and coherently written starting with the emotions reading this book makes one feel. Overall she is fairly focused in the entire essay making sure to give examples of interviews with Hosseini. There does not appear to be any biases in Reeds critic except for the main one that A Thousand Splendid Suns is written about two women who must endure many hardships in Afghanistan and Cheryl Reed is a woman. The one thing about this critique that also got in the way of her argument was the long summary she put before she actually critiqued the novel. "Readers will certainly wince at the brutality of this book--the bruises beneath the burqa, the grotesque murders--but ultimately their faith in humanity will be rewarded." This statement is true about this novel, it is hard to endure and imagine that this happens to women everyday in Afghanistan but the fact that some humans are still good inside is also seen. The best quote though, in my opinion of this essay is when Reed notes the main difference between The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns: "There is a subtle difference, of course, between imagining the depravity of war and actually smelling the orphans left in its wake. That is the difference between these two haunting novels."

Argument: In his criticism, Froelich states that the novel Going After Cacciato gives the true realities of war through the experiences of the main characters in the story. He believes that O'Brien described the events in way that actual veterans of the war would. He also appreciates the technique where O'Brien combines the confusion in the story where the characters go back and forth between actuality and imagination. He would go onto agree that the book was well deserving of the National Book Award it received. Evidence: "…it innovatively combines experiential realism of war with surrealism, primarily implemented in the fantasy journey of escape by the novel's protagonist, thoughtful and sympathetic soldier Paul Berlin." Thoughts: I would go onto agree with all of the claims that Froelich made in his criticism. I believe that the way O'Brien explained the events, as if a veteran was telling the story, brought much life to the novel and characters. He showed true confusion, emotions, and thoughts that shows how truly harsh war is and was in Vietnam.

Joyce Carol Oats is the author of this critical analysis of Wuthering Heights. Oats explains how Emily Bronte's writing is unique and anticipated, but still brings in the basics of a romantic novel. She feels that it evolves well through loss and love. The novel also uses the time period it was written in very well through many examples. The purpose of this critical analysis is to prove Bronte's writing and show how well she can fit everything together. Wuthering Heights has a storyline to it, where it could seem like there are two tales in one. One tale would be of the romance and the second would be of maturing through life's challenges. Oats determines that Bronte includes nature into society, which makes up the theme of the novel. Passion is also incorporated into this romantic, gothic novel through various generations of people falling in love. The purpose of this was to prove the theme, in Oats' eyes. Joyce Oats feels that Wuthering Heights has to be understood on two levels to obtain the entire meaning. Emily Bronte has a writing style that gets her point across, but most of the time has an underlying meaning pertaining to the historical aspect and also the romantic aspect.

The Immigrant Generations Argument: In this article the author, Mandira Sen, focuses on the major themes that Lahiri presents in her short stories found in her novel "Unaccustomed Earth." Sen focuses on the Indian immigrants desire to distance themselves from their families and the Bengali traditions. There are several different short stories, and in each, although detailing various lifestyles and events, common themes and ideologies can be found. For example, Sen reveals that all the short stories generally tell of tragic, unhappy, and sometimes depressing actions, contrary to a lot of writers. Lahiri's characters tend to grow distant from their family and in some cases break all ties with them. And in other cases, their American friends, spouses, etc. do not fully understand them because they are living in between two cultures, and it becomes hard to relate to/follow both cultures at the same time. Evidence: "Lahiri depicts uncertainty, betrayal, cruelty-and the looming presence of death in a culture that shies away from it" (Sen). "Does being torn asunder between two worlds, the one left behind, the one sought, heighten a consciousness of loss and death, as the fragments of existence do not quite come together?" (Sen). "Consisting of five short stories and a novella in three parts, Unaccustomed Earth focuses on relationships in which communication is often partial, and what is unsaid is perhaps more important that what is said. This is especially so between the generations; both seek refuge in concealment" (Sen). "The children are embarrassed at being different and are careful almost never to reveal any details of their home life to their American friends" (Sen). "Despite Sang's emotional turmoil, obsession, and isolation, she refuses to ask for help, perhaps because she has not informed her family that she has dropped out of graduate school at Harvard--Asian families would see this as unacceptable 'failure,'" (Sen). "J

From a young age, Pip went to the Satis House and played cards with Estella. That's where he fell for her and where his desire for nobility began. Parkinson submits that while games are typically played for enjoyment, Pip did not enjoy playing cards, or his life as a gentleman. Pip's approach to his life as a nobleman is similar to his approach to cards. He does neither for enjoyment, he does both to impress Estella, and in the end fails to do either. Pip's wealth brings him no happiness, only discomfort and debt. Parkinson suggests that economic standing is determined by chance in addition to skill, which is accurate in Great Expectations, Pip and Estella get rich through luck, while Magwitch gets rich through mostly hard work and only a little help from luck. In addition, Pip loses at every game, no matter how hard he tries, and he blows through his fortune and ultimately loses it all. Life is just one big game, and playing for the wrong reasons can leave you destitute.

http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=48303388&site=lrc-live. This tells me about a couple biographies about Shakespeare so I can understand what envoked him into writing comedies and tragidies. What was he really like?

Julia, Please see my example below. You must include the argument, at least one claim of the article, and a quote that you intend to use as evidence for your argument in your paper.

Argument: Bram Stoker's relgious and cultural customs influence the characterization of the women in his novel Dracula; there are two types of women he writes about - the New Woman and 'classical' woman - and makes clear distinctions between the two. Claim: Stoker choses to salvage the only woman pure at heart - Mina - and condems the other women because of the characteristics associated with the New Woman, reflected in the Vampire character. Evidence: "The living woman is full of 'sweetness and purity,' while the un-dead vampire is associated with voluptuousness, carnality, and wicked desire." http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=48218147&site=lrc-live.

Argument: H.G. Wells writes about science fiction, more specifically, a higher power or a powerful controller in his books War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. Claim: Wells was a Totalitarianist who beleived one ruler would benefit mankind. And also during the Industrial Revolution, the world was changing more than ever. Evidence: "(Wells) eagerly awaited the global catastrophe that would destroy civilization as we know it and allow...technocrats to enslace hapless humanity."