Group items tagged

Argument: Powerful and mezmorizing, The Adevtnures of Tom Sawyer cannot be traced to just one specific audience. Claim: As a book that portarys the adventures of boyhood, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is also a book for adults, as well as young children. Adults and younger kids can relate to any part of the story from adventure, to love, to a life of secrets. Evidence: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is also for those who have long since passed from boyhood: "[It] is not a boy's book at all. It will be read only by adults. It is written only for adults" (4). The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a delicate balance of the romantic and realistic, humor and pathos, innocence and evil, the book defies simple analysis (4). In contrast to Huck's self-reliant, unschooled, parentless existence, his passive preference for being a follower, and his abhorrence of civilization, Tom is adventurous, shrewd in the ways of civilization, and a leader (4).

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."

In the literary criticism by Louis Owens, Of Mice and Men: the Dream of Commitment, Owens portrays the American Dream with a biblical Eden. Owens claims that the people in Steinbeck's novel have the curse of Cain, or to wonder in isolation. That's where Lennie and George come into the picture, to defy their curse. Owens states how Lennie and George upon first introduction are different from the other characters in the novel. They have a joint dream that they are committed to see it become a reality. Lennie, according to Owens, resembles the loner of society. He threatens their commitment to the dream that reality fights. George's commitment rises when he kills Lennie, but when Lennie dies their dream dies with him. 2 usable quotes: "George must reenact the crime of Cain to demonstrate the depth of his commitment. It is a frank acceptance of the way things are," (Owens pg. 149). "The dream of George and Lennie represents a desire to defy the curse of Cain and fallen man-to break the pattern of wandering and loneliness imposed on the outcasts and return to the perfect garden," (Owens pg. 146). http://web.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/lrc/pdf?vid=3&hid=123&sid=44d44b9f-8779-4dc6-841c-0ddc9776cc45%40sessionmgr114

Argument: The media represents culture with complex stereotypes that cause a decrease in diversity along with a misconception about other cultures. Claims: There are multiple meanings of "culture", some might use behaviors/habits or personal products to describe a certain culture, however stereotypes are falsely being used to describe what these cultures obtain. Evidence: "It is largely accepted that cultural representations in the media are often based on stereotypes. These stereotypes are generalized and simplistic representations of by far more complex social groups and behavioral patterns. The continued use of these representations is largely perceived as being problematic as they can be misrepresentative of the culture in question" ( Hyde-Clarke). "Growing concerns about the continued use of cultural stereotypes in media production, and the subsequent decrease in diversity"( Hyde-Clarke). "Culture is about 'shared meanings' … Primarily, culture is concerned with the production and exchange of meanings between members of a society or a group … In part, we give things meaning by how we represent them - the words we use about them, the stories we tell about them, the images of them we produce" (Hyde-Clarke).

Argument: Bill Delaney argues the weaknesses of Dumas's work, The Three Musketeers, and how these weaknesses contribute to the effectiveness of the novel itself. Claims: Along with a synopsis of the novel itself, Delaney establishes the importance of the main characters in the story and what it is about these characters that makes their role so effective. Delaney also establishes the idea that Dumas knew how to "please an audience", which explains why Dumas was able to create characters that had a large impact on his readers. Evidence: "He had a genius for plotting and understood that the most important element in a plot is a strongly motivated protagonist who will not stop until he or she has either achieved the goal or gone down in defeat."

Argument: Asimov's knack for story telling relies on the style with which he presents his characters, and the way he makes the cosmic story of the book as much a relevent character to the plot as the humans. Claims: That his style is a very plain yet very clear one, that his characters are often plain with a touch of peculiarity, and that he can weave a story that is both surprising and not unexpected in the least. Evidence: Highlighted.

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Argument: To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel about maturation. Claims: The character goes through a series of adventures from innocence to experience and mature through their adolescence.  Evidence: Over the three years that the book covers in the lives of Scout and Jem, they come to forget about the wild accusations of Boo Radley and start to become more involved in the events in their community. In the end, Scout finally comprehends the meaning of killing a mockingbird when she alludes to it after Boo Radley kills Bob Ewell.

Argument: Joan Hope, in her literary criticism of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier", makes an assertion that Baeh highlights the complexity of human nature under strenuous conditions. Furthermore, Hope stresses the importance of political discussions on the effects of war on children. Components of Argument: 1) Hope supports her argument by highlighting Baeh's narration technique - helping the reader through story by maintaining the tone of a story teller somewhat distanced from what has happened. Hope also acknowledges the neutral tone in which the story is told which allows the reader to draw his/her own horrific conclusions. 2) Hope's secondary support lies in her recognition of the first person account by a child with little understanding of the reasons for the war. Evidence: 1) "Their conversation shows no compassion for the people they killed and no remorse for their actions" (Hope). 2) "In fact, Baeh's memoir describes a society in so much chaos that it is not clear that even the military leaders have a good understanding of what war is about" (Hope). 3) "In the end, the book gives no evidence that one side had greater moral authority than the other" (Hope). MLA Format (My choice to do this): Hope, Joan. "A Long Way Gone." Magill'S Literary Annual 2008 (2008): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.

Argument:  Ferguson writes to partially attack the diction and characteristics used in Spark's novel "At First Site" Evidence: Ferguson uses negative connotations to describe Spark's writing such as "corny" and "knuckle-bitingly bad" which are very negative. Justifies her criticisms by allowing some slack about the ending to surprise, but does not elaborate leaving an impression that she is not a fan of the story. Claim:   "Sparks's prose has the amiable, folksy rhythm of a rocking chair on a wraparound porch" Can be used to demonstrate Spark's use of slang and jargon when writing to give a southern characteristic among his characters in all his  literature.   "incurable weakness for corny characters" Can be backed up by actions or dialogue of characters from either book. This statement more personally attacks Sparks then his characters.

Argument: That the problem with trying to write a literary criticism on TKAM is that there isn't anything to criticize. Claim: That TKAM is ranked as one of the most influential books in Americans' lives. Evidence: "To Kill a Mockingbird sells about a million copies per year, for a total of 30 million to date, and is consistently ranked in reader surveys as the most influential book in Americans' lives, after, of course, the Bible."

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"

The criticism starts on pg. 332 about half way through starting with "Julie Anne Peters.." Argument- "A decade after M. E. Kerr's straight-up look at lesbian gender roles in Deliver Us from Evie...Peters's book may score lower on social realism than Kerr's... but it packs more heat." Claim-Peters sets another strong-willed butch lesbian in a small town in the Midwest, while maintaining constant dramatic appeal, "The parade of human drama is a bit excessive here..." Evidence-  "Peters translates this [Mike's acceptance] nicely by allowing Mike to introduce herself in the first chapter without mentioning gender at all."  " Her [Mike's] hunger for Xanadu is achingly apparent, and Peters plays this well; Xanadu knows what Mike wants and her responses are unpredictable, to both Mike and the reader."

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).

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Jesse, make sure to clearly label the argument, claims, and evidence to avoid losing points on the next post.

In the literature critique "Dissent, Assent, and the Body in Nineteen Eighty-Four", Naomi Jacobs analyzes how George Orwell groups the public in what is called the 'Body' in order to explain the totalitarian oppression in Oceania. Both utopian and dysutopian empires utilize the collective mind of the public in order to sway opinions, build ignorance and subjugate the masses. Utopian empires aim to build a country where "suffering is minimized and pleasure is maximized" (Jacobs 1) while on the contrary a dysutopian empire maximizes ignorance in order to keep the masses from questioning the totalitarian authority. Jacobs claims that the government in Oceania created by Orwell uses the degradation of the physical body as another way to homogenize the population in hopes of destroying any outliers that may question the government. While a utopia uses the "powers of eroticism to regenerate the [individual]" (Jacobs 4), Oceania undergoes a change towards uniformity where everyone is described as "small, dark and ill-favored" (1984, Orwell 52-53). A dysutopian government suppresses natural human instincts such as lust and desire as a way to break the all desires of humans such as rebellion and reform. Ultimately, Jacobs argues that Orwell builds a dysutopian government through the use of population homogenization and the suppression of human instincts.

Argument: Both Orwell's nonfiction and fiction works deserve further attention. His novels are able to fully grasp social and political struggles while captivating the audience. Saunder's book makes a convincing argument describing the captivating authors importance. Claim: Clerke acknowledges that many academics including, Orwell himself saw the author of 1984 as a nonfiction writer. Although many of his novels have not been studied, they deserve attention because they capture a character's conflict in a unique light. Character's are brought to life as they share real-world experiences with those living in Orwell's time. His powerful voice as analyzed by Saunder's bring economic, social, and political conflicts to for front of the reader's mind. Evidence: "Orwell was acutely aware of the political connotations of such words and the complex economic and cultural structures they attempted to describe. His use of them shifted as his ideas developed, and it was always shaped by a sensitivity to context" "Saunders's emphasis on artistry enables her to engage with the texture of Orwell's prose, even in this relatively short critical study, and she is at her best in her close readings of specific passages, which expose the varied, often sophisticated methods Orwell employs to achieve particular effects. She is especially illuminating in her analyses of his use of free indirect discourse, and the dangers of identifying the narrative voice with Orwell himself" "insisting that his own voice tended to intrude in his narratives and that he was continually tempted to incorporate accounts of experiences that interested him even when they did not fit the design of a novel"

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.