Group items tagged

Argument: The Kite Runner reflects a modern day allegory of humanitarianism. Hosseini's novel shows the shift from race and nation as primary community and national builders to the modern individual shaping to form "the human". Claims: Khaled Hosseini humanized a country (Afghanistan) many in the West find inhuman. The author combined elements of coming to age, culture, and a morality tale to bring a real-life humanization to his characters. The novel discerns between "good Muslim" and "bad Muslim" and the shaping of what it means to be a "good Muslim", especially in today's modern world.  Evidence: "The identification of "universality" in a third world work of fiction has long been a mode of praise and acceptance, and a means of selecting which third world texts are worth reading in the West; this practice clearly 'take[s] the white reader to be the norm'" - "To some degree, the novel's portrayal of Amir's turn to Islam as personal spirituality problematizes the totalizing representations of Islam in western media accounts of the so-called "War on Terror", and, more generally, in a variety of Orientalist discourses. Yet at the same time, by conforming to the narrative expectations of the western reader, and affirming the dominant cultural values of that reader (i.e. religion as personal), the novel translates difference into sameness." - "The Kite Runner opens by foregrounding the themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, which shape the narrative"

Argument: Flashbacks, if utilized efficiently, can be a revealing part of a story. Claim: Flashbacks have to have a proper transition in and out of the story. They connect with the story and give more exposure however cannot deter from the main story itself so much that events are overshadowed. Make sure flashbacks are motivated Evidence: "By all means use flashbacks, but for good reason: not because you want to use them, but because your story demands them. Ask: Does the flashback deepen our understanding of a character or a relationship? Does it provide needed background? In the end, it comes down to what a story needs."

Argument: Novels can be classifies as dystopian if it contains certain factors that reveal language and discourse as a fundamental device of power. Claim: The society portrayed in Fahrenheit 451, shows that ignorance is shared amongst all the people in order to make sure that happiness is attainable for all. The use of language and power and discourse portrays the society's flaws and the need for change. In addition, the difference of power and language between each character displays the need to rebel against society Evidence: "The government of this society has perverted the meaning of happiness into basic hedonism so that happiness is attainable for anyone who is willing to buy into the array of commercial products" (valentine). "...discourse on commercial happiness feeds into the narcissism of people by depriving them of emotions and awareness beyond their own needs"(Valentine).

Argument: The theme of the story is derived from the characters' setting and other factors, not the characters themselves. Claim: "Christmas's response to Freedman Town is not the only time heresponds to African Americans in this way. It actually echoes several otheroccasions on which he responds to African Americans, not as a mass, butas individuals whose individuality and language he fails to understand." Evidence: "Focusing on the unstable margins of Jefferson,and presenting the role of African Americans as an unbridgeable gap atthe heart of the text." "Faulkner provides in Light in August an even moreeloquent expression of the southern need for social change."

Argument: While flashbacks are helpful, often times incorporating important background information in present time storyline plays off better and keeps the reader engaged. Claim: There is no such thing as too much back story but only with certain ways of revealing the information. Flashbacks tend to slow down the story and drag out. "Less is more," find ways to cut down words to paragraphs instead of pages when explaining. Evidence: "keep background information on a need-to-know basis. Figure out what readers really, truly need to know to understand a character and her motivations--and let the rest stay underwater."

Argument: In his article, Wm. Laird Kleine-Ahbrandt, argues the motives behind Edmond Dante's reason for his actions as well as his motive behind his seeking revenge on all those who had hurt him. Claims: Along with a summary of the novel itself, Kleine-Ahbrandt also makes inferences that suggest that the author of the novel, Alexandre Dumas, saw him self as a version of Dantes, the main character of the novel. Kleine-Ahbrandt also gives more background as to why Dumas wrote the plot the way he did. Evidence: "Dantes is so consumed with a passion for revenge that he does not realize that he is in danger of losing his soul." "The official morality in Dumas's time was to punish the wicked and force sinners to atone for their sins" "Such satisfaction is worth a little moralizing"

In a literary criticism by Charlotte Hadella, she states that the Eden biblical allusion plays a major part in the development of characters and the American Dream. Nearing the end, the Eden myth haunts Lennie and George because of Curly's wife, a woman dictates the failure of their dream. Hadella claims that even before they enter the ranch that their dream begins doomed. While in the ranch, the fact that the land owners that he wants to buy from have to sell raises a red flag on their dream, that if they could make it off the land, how could they possible accomplish that same feat. Yet, that breaking point fact gets overlooked in the pursuit of their dream because if they think on their plan George will see that they are banished from Eden before they can enter. Usable Quotes: "When George talks about the actual farm that he intends to buy for himself and Lennie, he explains to Candy that he can get the place for a really cheap price, "for six hundred bucks. The ole people that owns it is fiat bust." Apparently, the present owners of George's dream farm are not able to live "off the fat of the land," a detail that both he and Candy conveniently overlook,"(Hadella). "The Garden of Eden myth "looms large" in Of Mice and Men, and Steinbeck appropriates Edenic elements to convey his personal interpretation of the American Dream,".

Main Idea: Basic book summary and review. Connects the story-line of this book to his other books (quote#1). Discusses how he writes, and the book's themes. Claims: There is an underlying theme present in the five people you meet in heaven, and for one more day. He uses real emotions and real life stories versus crazy fantasy made up stories, which make it perhaps easier to connect to then other fictional books. His writing style, although not that high of a reading level, seems very genuine and believable due to his is characters always facing hardships and trials just as everyone faces, i.e. death of a loved one, making mistakes..etc.  Evidence: "The underlying message of this book is certainly one that has been tackled before. It explores the notion that we are all connected to another so that an action undertaken by one person is destined to have an unanticipated and drastic influence upon someone else. Along these same lines, the book reminds us of how easy it is to fail to express appreciation or gratitude to those we love until it is too late to do so" "While [in heaven], Eddie gains insight into his life and, for the first time, sees how his actions impacted so many others"

Argument: In the literary critique Confession and Desire in L'Etranger, written by Gilbert d. Chaitin, the author argues that Meursault should not, first and foremost, be seen as a Christ figure. He argues against the belief that the main character's ability to live outside the temporal flow allows him to reach a deeper level of enlightenment at the end of the novel, suggesting that there is only a reaffirming of his previous beliefs. Chaitin dismisses claims that the bipartite structure of the novel aids in the characterization of Meursault as an absurd hero. Claims: The author claims that Meursault development as a character stems from his firm belief in the absurdity of life. While other critics notice a change in the character's persona in the second half of the novel, Chaitin claims that Meursault actually reaffirms his beliefs while waiting for execution, only becoming more vocal about his convictions. He states that Meursault only takes pleasure in remembering past events due to his desire to replace the situation he finds himself in the present. Evidence: "The only plausible conclusion to be drawn from this evidence is, therefore, that Meursault's famous 'prise de conscience' does not indicate a change of attitude, but a reconfirmation of his earlier posture" (Chaitin). "Instead of looking back on his past with the eyes of a romantic wishing to resuscitate and preserve it for posterity, Meursault takes an interest in the past only insofar as it informs or replaces his present" (Chaitin). "The actual mode of narration used in the novel corresponds to the Meursault who has become cognizant of his discourse. What matters, therefore, is not the specific nature of the events of his life, but their degree of presence for him; hence the often apparently trivial nature of many of the events that he records, especially in Part I" (Chaitin)

Argument: Comparison of two authors and how they depict their characters as impassioned lovers who overcome obstacles and end up married. Claims: Jane Eyre is stuck in somewhat of a love triangle with St. John and Mr. Rochester, but returns to Mr. Rochester where she knows she will be truly happy. Jane determines he is best for her in marriage because he loves her as an educated woman, and she feels a more passionate love for him. Evidence: "Both novels here conclude with depictions of the impassioned lovers overcoming all obstacles to enter into the happy and fruitful (each with a child) estate of matrimony," (Bubel 295). "This 'death to self' enables her to break free from an imprisoning triangular desire of a different kind," (Bubel 304).

Argument: A comparison of Jane Austen's writing and Charlotte Bronte's. Claims: Charlotte Bronte creates educated characters to play her female roles so that they can excercise reason. Her uneducated women are foolish. Her female leads are all reasonable and rational -two characteristics she probably appreciated in herself. Evidence: "Jane Eyre dramaticizes its manifesto that women must be educated to excercise their reason, with Adele Varens and Blanche Ingram proving that uneducated women become coquettes," (Harris 102).

Argument: Respectability can be found in all men, regardless of social status and the stigmas of the Victorian era. Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip, is the protagonist in Dickens novel Great Expectations. As the protagonist, he grows from a young orphan raised by his sister and her Blacksmith husband to a 'good christian man' showing the positive transition that is possible for all men. Main Idea of Argument: Where one comes from does not limit where they can go- a major theme in most Dickens novels. All levels of Victorian society were respectable, regardless of money- or lack therefore of- religion, and disabilities. Evidence: 1)"Charles Dickens believed that his society wrongly valued economic transactions over natural human interactions, which resulted in a minous transference of commercial interests from the public sphere into the private" (Tobin 1). 2)"Dickens himself was conflicted about his right to respectability, and many of his characters suffer the strain of not knowing where or how they flt in. Dickens's father, John, was perpetually in debt, which led to Dickens's brief employment in Warren's Blacking Factory at the age of twelve. Dickens was so ashamed of having been forced to leave school and do manual labor that he never told anyone in his own family about the incident. After his father's debts were cleared and Dickens grew to manhood, he worked his way up the social ladder, initially applying his skills as a shorthand writer at the various courts of law in London and as a journalist" (Tolbin 3). 3) "Pip's transferring onto Joe his own feelings of inferiority as well as his desires to eradicate their outward appearances signal the young man's first step toward adopting an immoral and inhumane ideal of respectability" (Tobin 5). 4)"Over time, Pip comes to recognize Magwitch as a human being with emotions and the right to be treated in a decent, humane manner. However, Pip does not completely transfer the compassion he leamed during his own

Argument: The theme of "Tender is the Night" is quite similar to other themes Fitzegerald writes about, and many of the events of this story correlate to those of his other literary works such as "The Great Gatsby." Claims: Fitzgerald devolps his themes through the dialogue of the book. Even though Fitzgerald attempts to develop a unique theme in "Tender is the Night," the similarities between this literary work and his others are vast. The emphasis of the story lies on how adult relationships originate and the understanding of the different aspects of each character. Evidence: "The novel has its weaknesses, but these result, at least partly, from Fitzgerald's attempt to express a new theme. He is here concerned, as not before, with the hidden roots of adult relationships." "The Divers have a party to which Dick invites Rosemary and her mother."

Criticism

Through out the whole play, shakespeare argues the different perspectives of madness. He is vsery intrested with the idea of mad and madness within the play. He doesnt give us a vivid definition as he wants us to define it ourselves through our own view. Madness such as being insane or just very creative. He claims that he uses "madness" to simply point out the characters. " Fetch him off, I pray you; he speaks nothing but madman" (1.5.87). "Sir Toby is -- Half Drunk" (1.6.96). "Like a drowned man, a fool, and a madman" (1.5.107.10).

Eureka, for the next entry, separate the argument for the claims.

http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=33277763&site=ehost-live Setoodeh, Ramin. "It's Still Not Easy Being Green." Newsweek 152.4 (2008): 48-50. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

Argument: The Giver is not just a 'controversial' and 'banned' book, but it also has much more depth in it that meets the eye; set within a distopic setting, Lowry uses the setting to construct a way to see into today's morality code as well as the reader's. Claims: *Irony over the censorship of the book *different views on what the book's meaning(s) are Evidence: *Lowry foreshadows this perplexing but hopeful ending when she describes Jonas as Keeper of the "memories of the whole world." Her message, finally, is that one cannot ignore uncomfortable memories; one must embrace a "whole" vision, which contains joy as well as pain, if one (or one's children) is/are ever to feel "at home" in the world. *Through Jonas, Lowry argues for the preservation of a kind of creative vision, a vision which every community needs if it is to benefit from its citizens' differences and input. *The irony of censorship attacks on the novel is that The Giver dramatizes the plight of an individual living in a society that censors its peoples' language, emotions, and behaviors. This irony is compounded by the fact that most who would like to see The Giver censored confess that they have never read the novel in its entirety.

Argument - Bradbury's work is a representative of dystopian fiction, a subgenre of utopian literature. Claims - Bradbury's protaganists begin their journey as well adapted perfect members of society. -Bradbury uses vivid and ambiguous imagery to display his point. -Bradbury uses his characters to demonstrate the differences in society and the expanding barriers between one side and the other. Evidence - Clarisse and Mildred display the differences between cold and mechanical and wild and free. -Books symbolize the ideal differences and interchange of ideas in society, in Fahrenheit 451 these are destroyed, represeting Bradbury's understanding of how society has a dark side but will always burn and be reborn.

Argument: Evidence: Claim:

Argument: King satirizes society and their dependence upon material things. Claims: The use of cell phones in the novel is effective because it is relateable to nearly all modern societies. Evidence:"King's use of cell phones as the mechanism to reduce the vast majority of Americans (the characters assume a worst-case worldwide scenario) to mindless zombies offers the opportunity for observation and commentary about the near-ubiquity of cell phones and society's infatuation with and dependence on them. Rather than develop this richly fertile ground for satire, though, King opts for a serious horror novel" (Avinger)