APLit2010

argument: Orwell's Burma experience heightened his suspicions of social inequities and his sympathy for oppressed peoples. On his return to England in 1927 he aggressively transferred this suspicion and sympathy to the British class structure. Claim: In 1936 Orwell wrote that his desire to "submerge myself, get right down among the oppressed" reflected the " bad conscience" he had acquired from the Burma experience. Evidence: where the narrator is employed as a dishwasher. Here Orwell reverted to a favorite strategy: illustrating through analogy so that British readers might apprehend a lesson about class structure.

Argument: Thomas Hardy is a gifted writer who was able to craft a masterful novel, Jude the Obscure. The novel is plagued with only a few drawbacks, including the drab setting and the overcompensated characters that often render the novel unrealistic. Claim: Thomas Hardy is a gifted writer. Thomas Hardy could have chosen a more interesting setting (Dorsetshire) but instead chose a setting with a limited history and scenery (Wessex). Hardy's novel is overall well-done. Evidence: "Jude the Obscure is an irresistible book; it is one of those novels into which we descend and are carried on by a steady impetus to the close, when we return, dazzled, to the light of common day. The two women, in particular, are surely created by a master. Every impulse, every speech, which reveals to us the coarse and animal, but not hateful Arabella, adds to the solidity of her portrait. We may dislike her, we may hold her intrusion into our consciousness a disagreeable one, but of her reality there can be no question: Arabella lives." http://go.galegroup.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CH1420014281&v=2.1&u=chandler_main&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

Argument: Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" has numerous connections to the works of Virgil and Aeneas as a commentary of ethical and moral decay. Claims:-Fitzgerald was a moralist -Fitzgerald is similar to Petronius -Fitzgerald uses Virgil as a moral guide Evidence:-"Like most moralists from Hesiod to C. B. De Mille, he set a moral type (like Nick Carraway) against a moral antitype (Gatsby)." -"Fitzgerald, like Petronius, is interested in the trappings of the wealthy of his day; both Gatsby and Trimalchio have amassed huge wealth by questionable means, and cannot entirely obscure their low origins and gross habits. When both men celebrate their material success by throwing lavish parties for hordes of dissolute neighbors, they are rewarded by being the subject of their guests' gossip." -"The farmers described in Virgil's Georgics are exemplars of Augustan morality, the same kind of values cherished by Nick Carraway." -"At the end of The Great Gatsby Nick concludes the novel by speaking of the effort to escape the past and achieve one's ambition in an image expressing the archetypal element in any struggle for a distantly receding ideal."

Arguement: Becoming a writer is a journey; Gantos used his journey in many different ways. Claim: Gantos' used the hard times in his life to motivate him to be a writer. Evidence: "It (prison) is where I went from thinking about becoming a writer, to writing." -Jack Gantos Claim: Mistakes and downfalls lead Gantos to become a more intellegent writer. Evidence: "his unsparing portrayal of his fears, failings, and false starts... is brillant and authentistic." Claim: Gantos used his journey to define his writing techniques. Evidence: Gantos' spare narrative style and straightforward revelation of the truth have, together, a cumulative power that will capture not only a reader's attention but also empathy and imagination."

Argument: Krakauer does superb research before writing his books, often digging into the past of the people or issues he writes about. This research manifests itself in his writing through an intricate understanding of the subject. Claim: In Under the Banner of Heaven, "proving his capacity for exhaustive research, Krakauer does an impressive job of chronicling the early history of the [Mormon] faith". This research can be seen in other books as well. Evidence: Krakauer chronicles how Joseph Smith went about "receiving a message from an angel named Moroni leading him to a hillside near his home in Palmyra, New York" and he "examines the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, wherein Saints disguised as Indians slaughtered 120 of 137 settlers who ventured onto Mormon turf". All this proves Krakauer's research capabilities. PURL: http://go.galegroup.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=chandler_main&tabID=T001&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=5&contentSet=GALE|H1100080168&&docId=GALE|H1100080168&docType=GALE&role=LitRC

Argument: Williams includes many symbols in his novels that make the novel the beat for the reader. Claim: The most dominant symbol in the novel is the dead end alleyway. Evidence: "Amanda, Tom, and Laura are all trapped, although in different ways, and each escapes into some kind of illusion. Laura, painfully shy because of her limp, spends much of her time with her glass animals (the menagerie of the title) and old phonograph records. Tom goes to the cinema and writes late into the night. Amanda, at a moment's notice, can escape into the past, forgetting in her reveries the brutal facts of her existence."

Argument: John Steinbeck shows not just the Great Depression in his stories but he tells about depression. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck explains his characters as depressed and lonely; even though they have each other they show signs of loneliness. In the book Lennie and George, just like everyone in American wants to achieve the American Dream. "…the gulf between the gritty struggle for survival and the ideal dream life can never be bridged, except in death." (Reith). I agree with the author that Steinbeck illustrates that the American Dream is hard to achieve without any happiness. Evidence: "The magnitude of this failure is recorded by the extent to which Lennie, a cipher for America, is denied life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." (Reith). "But for Steinbeck the American Dream of self-sufficiency and living off the fat of the land, premised as it is on a gun culture which involves brutality and the exploitation of the weak, is doomed to failure." (Reith). "While Steinbeck exposes the inequalities in society and encourages the reader to sympathies with the plight of poor migrant workers, his depiction of the inherent will to power in human nature shows us that attempts to change the social system will be futile." (Reith). Thoughts: Based on the article Steinbeck is described of having a gloomy story but having a great way of showing the life of people living in the Great Depression. It was hard enough for a man to live in this time let alone a men trying to proved for his family. Steinbeck described the friendship of two men who realized it's better to stick together then to separate in a time like this. With Lennies strength and George's smarts it seems so cliché but a well rounded story. The article provides the insight on the story and the opinions on Steinbeck's thoughts that the American Dream is almost impossible to achieve. I believe that if you live up to your standard then that's all the dreams you

The author's purpose for writing an analysis which discussed the solitude related states that the characters undergo throughout Miss Wyoming, was mainly to emphasize the personalities of the characters within this novel as well as portray certain aspects in life that Douglas Coupland symbolizes. The structure in which the argument is presented is effectively organized because the first few paragraphs summarize the significant scenes in the text as well as the importance of the individuals and their roles. The author writes background information in order to refer back to it once the author makes a valid point. In other words, the author utilizes the summary of the novel as proof toward the opinions the author addresses as the analysis continues. After the summary of the novel, the author organizes his ideas by stating one opinion of the text itself and sticking to that one topic throughout; therefore, the reader does not become confused. The author uses clear and simple organization skills in order to bring forth the argument and the organization forces the argument to become convincing. Although, the argument presented forces the reader to make assumptions of the opinions one may hold toward the meaning of the novel. The argument that the author defends pertains to the meaning of the novel and tries to depict what Douglas Coupland is attempting to voice about the society as a whole. Therefore, the author uses his opinions for others to make their own opinion of the society and Coupland's ideas. The author could have provided evidence from the text in order to support his claims. Exact quotes from Miss Wyoming would have made the author's opinions more believable and the reader would have had more proof and reasoning. But the author of the analysis states that, "I don't have much sympathy with the feeling of "tiredness of being me." In other words, the author believes that there is no reason as to why someone feels sorry for individuals who

Hilda Kirkwood's purpose is to review and talk about the short story called Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger. She explains how Salinger's writing style and techniques add to the overall effect of the short story he wrote. She also touches upon the themes of the story, which I found interesting because it was similar to the themes of the Catcher in the Rye. Kirkwood sets up her criticism in a somewhat organized manner. Her ideas and thoughts are not logically in order, however, they all relate to each other and connect very nicely. The author provides direct quotes from the story to further enhance and help her explanation of the plot and characters. She is able to focus on Salinger's writing style while still be consistent with the specific details from the book. In my opinion I think there is enough evidence to support the author's case. She includes many examples from the story to help support her case on Salinger's techniques as an author. Kirkwood concludes that Salinger is an amazing writer and his writing is unique. Also, the message of Franny and Zooey was to "connect" and somehow the characters weren't able to. Assumptions on the short story may contribute to the author's purpose because the book appeared in the New Yorker, so the author knows the story is worthy writing about. The fact that the author praises Salinger as a writer numerous times throughout the criticism contributes makes the author a little bias. The author is passionate about Salinger's writing style and I can tell simply by her explicit statements on him. I can tell that Kirkwood knows that Salinger is known for writing about being connected because that was his main focus in the Catcher in the Rye.

George Bernard Shaw was not like other writers of his time. He chose to go against the norm and push to expose immoral behaviors. In his work he attends to individual responsibility and for people to go against the conformist of society. He wanted his readers to break away from what was expected of them and find themselves in the process. The author's purpose in writing this was to recognize Shaw. Not only for the things he did but the way he did them. The author wanted to show how Bernard used his writing to connect with his audience in ways that were not typically seen. The article was much focused; it expressed the main points efficiently and organized so the reader knew what to look for and to see the main ideas. In order for this author to emphasize his points he adds quotes said by Shaw. This helps with the effectiveness of the piece as a whole. The reader is able to see the first hand evidence to back up the authors views. The author comes to the conclusion that Shaw was able to do things others could not. He points out the contemporary moral problems Shaw chose to address along with his use of ironic tone and paradoxes. The author may be in fact a huge fan of Shaw, making his criticism bias. He states all of Shaw's accomplishments throughout the piece along with all of his life work. He does not in fact state his admiration for Shaw, but it can be inferred by the elevated complimentary diction

Argument: In her article, "Anthony Burgess: An Overview," Mary Lowe-Evans asserts that in A Clockwork Orange Burgess displayed his deep concern for the epidemic of violence and freedom to choose between write and wrong. She forms her argument by mentioning unethical studies that influenced Burgess' writing in A Clockwork Orange. She also refers to the Nadsat language in the novel, stating that Burgess revealed his feelings towards free-will, good and evil through the main character, Alex.Evidence: "More troubling for Burgess was the failure of Skinner's behavior modification strategies to recognize the importance of free will (a primary tenet of Catholic theology) in a properly functioning human being." "Our pockets were full of deng, so there was no real need from the point of view of crasting any more pretty polly to tolchock some old veck in an alley and viddy him swim in his blood while we counted the takings and divided by four, nor to do the ultra violent on some shivering starry grey-haired ptitsa in a shop and go smecking off with the till's guts," (Burgess).Thoughts: The citations Mary Lowe-Evans uses further support her assertions; by demonstrating concerns the time period she adds another dimension towards Burgess' motive in writing. Her argument is coherent and organized, maintaining a logical explanation of Anthony Burgess' beliefs shown throughout his work. 

I'm having some issues with the website, but I do have the analysis saved if you end up needing a hard copy :)

In her analysis of Henrik Ibsen, Martha Fletcher Bellinger analyses Ibsen's writing style and how his personality and opinions influenced his writings. Bellinger says that Ibsen believed "honesty in facing facts is the first requisite of a decent life". I believe that this one idea influences all of Ibsen's writings because they are all attacks on problems in society, such as sexism and corruption. Bellinger says that Ibsen thought, "Society has humbugs, hypocrisies, and obscure diseases which must be revealed before they can be cured." According to her Ibsen believed that in order for the society to fix its problems they first must be brought to life, this was done through Ibsen's writing. Bellinger also argues the purposes of Ibsen's plays themselves and she states that Enemy of the People is discussing the "struggle between hypocrisy and greed on one side, and the ideal of personal honor on the other" because of this I think that the idea of corruption and hypocrisy could be a good topic to write about being that the entire play revolves around the idea that people are out for their own gains and interests. The idea that Ibsen wrote in order to bring issues in society into the light must mean that all of his books are written for the purpose of bettering society, at least in his eyes. Overall Bellinger appears to have written this analysis of Ibsen in order to explain why Ibsen writes his plays and gives examples by explaining the purposes or themes of his most important plays.

Beresford states that The Time Machine is a romance, and he uses the time machine as a literary device in order to prove that time travel is possible. Beresford argues that Wells uses the future to criticize the social status of England of his era. The Eloi and Morlocks represented the haves and have-nots. Also further into future the earth is degrading and the question arises, whether the human race had a major impact in the decline of the earth, or if the earth had reached its end of existence. Beresford argues that The Time Machine lacked certain aspects of imagination and style, but it was a brilliant fantasy. The novella represents Wells' views on the world during his time and his experiments with the improbable. It uses the improbable and imaginative to create a satire of the social system in his time.

Argument: The author aims to demonstrate that the conspicuous insertion of Yann Martel's religious beliefs in "life of Pi" is destructive to Martel's attempts to encourage his readers to believe in GOD and religion. However, the author quickly asserts that the problem is simply not very relevant! He even goes as far as admitting that he - a firm atheist - began to affirm a faith in god after reading the novel, under the pretense that the impossibility of the tale encourages the growth of the reader's imagination and therefore his/her faith in God. Evidence: "...the fiction...reveals a truth by explicit sermonising rather than as a natural conclusion drawn from the relationships and events it presents, [and] is displeasing, even 'immoral'" "As he travels through the pages...the reader[s]...atheist or already committed follower[s], experience some major revelation to the spirit, coming to, or restoring, a belied in GOD." "...the simple narrative may reveal virtues and ethics, yet is primarily concerned with entertaining the reader...in magical ways which powerfully invoke the active imagination." "...the novel occupies too perfectly 100 chapters. Yet the miraculous outcomes of this definite structure...defy explanation, logic, reality. This is magic realism in its most subversive form..." Thoughts: the author successfully uses significant support to lend credibility to his argument and does a good job of doing so. He did a fantastic job of explaining and defining his view point and overall I thoroughly agree with his criticism of "Life of Pi".

purpose: Bahareh Bahmanpour wrote her article to identify the struggles of female characters that are caught between Indian culture and the transition into Western culture in Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. Bahmanpour uses various critical terms such as Self/Other Confrontation, Hybridity, Liminality, Female Subaltern, and Diasporic Identity to classify the roles and transitions of three women's identities, Mrs. Sen, Bibi Heldar, and Miranda, in three separate stories. These terms help solidify Bahmanpour's argument that when confronting a new culture, one undergoes feelings of Diaspora, in which must choose between their culture, called Self, or their new environment's culture, called Other. Evidence: 1."Stories that deal with the suffering, pressure, and possible failure or success in the adaptation-process of these female characters in (re-)constructing their subjectivity, (re-)asserting their agency or negotiating their identities through either silence, resistance, negotiation, acculturation, or assimilation." 2. "Hence, subjects of Diasporas are snared in a process of transformation, and repositioning of new identities-identities which are always in the process of becoming and transition but never complete." 3. "There is no single way of representing the diasporic trauma involved in negotiating female identities either as female immigrant or female natives. Each individual from Mrs.Sen to Miranda has their own means of survival; one resists while the other accepts; one acculturates whereas the other escapes. Female characters of Lahiri's fiction negotiate their new unstable identities through their own different means and their own individual voice." Thoughts: Bahmanpour is logical, focused, coherent, and consistent in her argument; although she uses terms that are at first unknown, she clearly defines them and provides examples of them which recognize how the characters are redefining their identity. While the evidence is understa

Literary analyst Sumangali Morhall argues that author Eiji Yoshikawa humanizes the man Miyamoto Musashi rather than the ledgend, Musashi. In her analysis, she states, "This is ostensibly a book of swordsmanship, and includes its share of martial combat, but that element is neither gratuitous nor glamourised - it serves to support rather than blemish the story's purpose" (Morhall). Overall, Morhall delivers her argument in a descriptive manner, elaborating on the logos of the novel along with her personal opinion and perception of the novel. Her evidence is fluid and does not contradict itself whatsoever. Morhall originally states that Yoshikawa turns the legend of Musashi into the man, Musashi, and continues to support her statement while describing the accomplishments of Yoshikawa, both poetically and historically. The information provided is nothing out of the ordinary from what the majority of critical analysts agree over Yoshikawa's writings. Yoshikawa is praised for his historical accuracy on martial arts and culture included in Musashi. Morhall concludes her article praising Yoshikawa, but also explaining that the reader will get more "gracefulness" than "grisly." This statement would be hard to argue with seeing that Yoshikawa does somewhat glamorize the life of a swordsman, not necessarily in unrealistic terms, but in how Yoshikawa chooses to craft his syntax in his story as seen in this passage from the chapter entitled Art of War: "While he felt pity for this obstinate tenacity characteristic of orphans, he was aware of a void deep within their stubborn hearts. They seemed to him doomed to yearn desperately for that which they could not have, for the parental love with which they were never blessed" (Yoshikawa, 63). The only implicit bias that may be discovered within this analysis would be that Morhall does not indicate any faults present within Yoshikawa's Musashi. Morhall even goes as far to say that Yoshikawa is a "master," whi