PAPER Topics

... he truly believes that he can move without the Oracle’s prophecy following him. No matter what Oedipus does, he has no control over what the gods have predetermined. The gods also punish the people of Thebes with hard times since it is these people who brought Oedipus into the land as their king. The gods do this in order to make the people see through Oedipus’ extreme pride and quick temper. The gods apparently think that the only way to get them to see what Oedipus has done is by causing the city pain and suffering. The gods use their insight to affect Oedipus’ life, family and city. Although the gods do not initially favor Oedipus, his kingdom sees him as a nob ...

... these fresh men seem the wrong ones to be fighting in the Civil War. Crane remarks on this later in the narrative: "He was aware that these battalions with their commotions were woven red and startling into the gentle fabric of the softened greens and browns. It looked to be a wrong place for a battlefield" (69). Green is an image of the natural world and of the regiment's fresh youth, while red, in the previous quote, is clearly an image of battle. At the start, however, Crane uses red to describe distant campfires: ". . . one could see across the red, eyelike gleam of the hostile camp-fires set in the low brows of the distant hills" (43). Obviously, the fires are red. But Fleming chara ...

... were brought up only knowing what they were taught by him. Eventually, as Gradgrind’s children became older, what they were taught began to turn sour in their minds. Tom, Grandgrind’s son, began to despise his father and all he was taught and thus began to rebel. He took to smoking and gambling, which eventually led to his downfall. Tom had grown up to become a sycophantic, self-absorbed parasite. He had turned out the exact opposite as hoped. Thomas Gradgrind had raised his children never to wonder, but wondering intrigued them. Gradrgind had observed his children peeking into a circus tent because they were curious as to what was inside. The children were scolded for being curious, but ...

... In the Garden of the Blind, Patrick observes the blind woman's remaining eye "darting", "moving with delight", "and alighting", all easily visualized. Later in the story, Carvaggio watches a woman in the boathouse. "In this light, and with all the small panes of glass around here, she was inside a diamond, mothlike on the edge of burning kerosene, caught in the center of all the facets" (198). Moths are part of the insect imagery in the book. These insects formed part of Patrick social network as they served as a form of communication for him. His father being a man "withdrawn from the world" raised Patrick and with no mention of a mother, any siblings or school friends, we can imagine t ...

... to see and ridicule Prynne for her “wrong-doing” This use of public humiliation for Hester was thought to be necessary to punish and teach Prynne a lesson. This puts much focus on the way people harass and torture others simply because they feel other people have done things morally wrong and deserve punishment. While the “wrong-doers” are being punished, the punishers in turn commit wrongs. Here many questions arise. Was it wrong for Hester to keep her child’s father a secret from the public? Was is wrong for her to have to live her life as a walking, breathing example of what that Boston community thought was bad? Another usage of symbol in this book ...

... at the seven gates of Thebes, their desire to have what they want continues to destroy them. At each Gate, Eteocles wins; even though Polynius leads the army. Once they reach the final gate, Eteocles and Polynius go against each other. This final gate found Polynius angry that he was not king and Eteocles angry that his brother represented himself as just. It is at this final gate that the brothers both perish. The outcome of them getting what they wanted, or the lack thereof truly did destroy them. Polynius did not receive what he wanted. Therefore, as the army leader he led his men to fight with evil. On the other hand Eteocles did receive the prize of becoming king and did get wh ...

... know why I moved here. I wish I could just die and get it over with" (p. 413). I do not think the son believes she really wants to die but she puts the idea of her dying in his subconscious. There is a gap at that point that is up to the reader to figure out. The gap is widened farther in that same scene. The son remembers thinking about a man working on a power line. The man leaned out supported only by a safety belt and the son thought about if the man fell. The son is still on the phone with his mother: "I didn't have any idea what I was going to say next. I had to say something. But I was filled with unworthy feelings, thoughts no son should admit to. 'You're my mother,' I ...

... being at this part in the book, which is the end, is completely different from his arrogant beginning of this epic. Gilgamesh has gone from arrogant to scared. Second, the death of Humbaba changes Gilgamesh. Humbaba is evil. Many people who live in the city of Uruk fear Gilgamesh. Most would say that Gilgamesh himself is, in fact, evil. He has sex with the virgins, he does what he wants, and he tends to offend the gods. He has lots of problems with Ishtar. By going into the forest and facing Humbaba, Gilgamesh makes a name for himself and changes the views of the people in his city. This is a very arguable point. Yes, the past of Gilgamesh does not change, but the great deed of kil ...

... uncontrollable certainty of mortality at the end of the tale, as well as implying the presence of a divine power of judgment without explicitly stating it. The interpretation of the seven rooms contributes to Poe's allegory of man's absolute mortality, and also offers a prime example of the ambiguity one finds in Poe's work. The omnipresent clock in the story is a clear representation of the power and presence of time. A more interesting point of notice in Poe's emphasis is on the fact that the clock consists of only the colors "ebony" and white. With the knowledge of Poe's Biblical awareness, this becomes significant. Christianity consists of absolute truths. Humanity is unable to thorough ...

... periods of joint pain and fatigue, and can attack the hearts, lungs, and kidneys. Her father died of the disease when she was fifteen (Blythe 49). O’Connor would have to walk with crutches for the rest of her life. By her death at the age of 39, Flannery O’Connor won a prominent place in modern American literature. She was an anomaly among post-World War II writers, a Roman Catholic from the Bible–Belt South, whose stated purpose was to reveal the mystery of God’s grace in everyday life. Aware that few readers shared her faith, O’Connor chose to depict salvation through shocking, often violent action upon characters who were spiritually or physically grotesque (Ryiley 334). Flannery O’ ...