Analyzing Denise Levertov's 'The Sharks'

In John Bauer’s short story, “The Truth About Sharks”, Beth is treated unfairly by the security guard. To begin with, the security guard shouts at Beth due to the misunderstanding about her shoplifting, which caused her to cry and become uncomfortable. As Beth is talking to the security officer, the officer angrily shouts and causes Beth to say “ you’re hurting me!”(133). Beth is treated unfairly because of the misunderstanding due to her shoplifting. She is terrified of the consequences that could happen such as going to jail, losing her son and being charged. Beth is uncertain about her future and the next moments. This situation will drastically change the daily lives of all three characters and put them in uncertainty. Next, Beth is violently

Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp is an essay written by Joy Williams, about the overwhelming complacency that todays culture shows towards nature.Williams argues in a very satirical way, that todays culture has all but completely lost touch with what nature really is, and that unless we as a nation change our morals regarding the role that nature plays in human existence, we may very well be witnessing the dawn of our own destruction.

The suspense is if any of the lights will stay lit. The sound of the vicious waves crashing against the lighthouse was evidence of “the lighthouse…being swallowed by the angry ocean.” This quote reveals visual imagery of the waves crashing against the lighthouse. In addition, to depicting a fearful mood, it creates a mood of apprehension since the question of the safety of the character arises. Vivid imagery enhances the mood of uneasiness throughout the

Upon Stewart's arrival to the Galapagos Islands, his boat came across sixty feet of illegal fishing lines. Attached on the end of the lines were over one-hundred and sixty dead sharks. In the background the sound of a slow piano played, adding to the intense scene. Stewarts instinct was to spring into the water and offer immediate help to the sharks, he shifted through the dead animals trying to find one that might be alive to let it loose. “I feel like a part of my family is dying.” Stewart stated once he returned to his crew on the boat. This scene evokes emotion of sorrow and pity for Stewart since he has such a strong emotional connection for the lives he's lost. Robert stated that Hammerheads are “The most misunderstood species in the world.” As the hammerheads swam circling around him it was evident that they were keeping their distance from Stewart. If he slightly moved his arm or leg, the sharks would add more distance between them and him. Robert explained that Hammerhead sharks are extremely shy and can sense others feelings, if you're scared then they will be too. Once Stewart said this, the typical stereotype of a ruthless shark was gone. During the film Sharkwater there are several scenes where Stewart expresses his emotional connections to sharks,

As Abraham Lincoln once declared, “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” Nevertheless, there are many people who embody this quote in our everyday lives and even in literature. In the short story The Truth About Sharks composed by Joan Bauer, it perfectly elucidates such a character. In this short story the main character Beth is forced to go to her Uncle Al’s birthday party although she doesn’t want to. She also doesn’t have anything she thinks she can wear; therefore, she goes to a department store called Mitchel Gail’s where she finds a pair of black pants she likes. While she enters the store, she passed the sentinel and there was a sign that read, “Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” Beth thought that

The author uses hyperboles to create a picture of his experience of coneing in the river. An example is when the storm is first approaching, the author is saying that the river is talking to him and telling him to be prepared. On lines 25 it says “ get ready, get ready”. This shows that the storm is “talking” to him and telling him to get ready for the storm. The author also uses personification

As much as humans don’t want to admit it, the world wasn’t solely created for us. The novel, Ishmael, written by Daniel Quinn has given us an insight on how the world has been treated by man and how it could end. In a time where the world is being destroyed we need to step up and protect the earth from total destruction.

In the short story, “The Boat” by Alistair Macleod, symbolism is used to represent an abstract idea. The boat, being a major symbol of the story was the way of life for the family. As the story goes on, the boat starts to make the family feel confined giving them a choice to leave or stay with the boat. There were symbols that impacted the story that had connection towards the boat. Chain bracelets, the father’s clothes, the books that the father read are all symbols that tied to the boat. The father's chain bracelets and clothes represent the father feeling trapped as a fisherman since he never changes out of them. We find out more about the characters and their personal connection with the boat and the other symbols and what it means to them. The family starts to fall apart due to the kids learning about the father’s books leading to them moving away from home. Symbolism is used when one thing is meant to represent something else adding meaning and emotion to the story which is well represented throughout the story.

Tragedy is defined as an event that causes suffering, destruction and death. When one is not fully aware of their knowledge, terrible events will correspond to what one has done. In the short story Mermaids by Richard Van Camp, the human suffering of Torchy resembles an Aristotle tragedy. Firstly, Torchy demonstrates hamartia when he is gambling. Additionally, the outcome of Torchy’s hamartia leads him to peripeteia which Torchy runs out of medicine. Lastly, Torchy wonders if he is a villain and this shows anagnorisis. Torchy’s actions ultimately lead his life to a downfall that is caused through accidental events, and this overall demonstrates the concept of an Aristotle tragedy.

A tragic story in its own right, is a story that deals with tragic events, including an unhappy ending that usually involves the death or demise of the main protagonist. Although “Mermaids” is a truly sad and unforgiving story, it does not classify as a tragedy. Mermaids by Richard Van Camp has close to none of the aspects that make a tragic story, truly tragic. The characters development, ending, and tragic pattern, all support the fact that this story is sad, but not tragic.

Imagine a world without your favorite foods you have ever consumed. Imagine a world where you cannot even enjoy your favorite beach on vacation because of unmanageable algae taking over our coasts. Imagine a world with a huge spike in greenhouse gases, and a dramatic decline of natural oxygen production. This is a world without the most feared and misunderstood creature that rules our oceans, the Shark. In an advertisement published by WWF, it conveys the message of what we should actually be fearing, the fall of our marine ecosystems and what that will do to humanity. The advertisement uses all three appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to push their targeted audience to further their education on our world and to spread the word to everyone

The narrator begins this story stating, “None of them knew the color of the sky” (338). He refers to the cook, the correspondent, the captain, and the oiler, the main characters. This quote means that all of them are focused on fighting for survival, paying all of their attention to the waves. They fight against the waves, trying to stay alive. However, the author states, “A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats” (339). The waves are a symbol of the uncaring nature; it does not matter how hard the protagonists try to fight against the waves because nature continues its course; the waves continue to flow. However, the characters are determined to stay alive. They continue to face this external conflict that is nature, even when they realize that nature is

With most of the 20 elements and principles evident in the painting The Divers (Red and Black) by Fernand Leger, we can achieve a better understanding and cohesiveness of this piece. Additionally, alongside with his other paintings, the medium used for this painting was also oil on canvas. In this painting, Leger incorporates a specific style called Cubism and incorporates a strong simple imagery. The artist’s personal style consists of bold use of color while combining his art as something that everyone can enjoy. A brief formal analysis of this painting will show us how he used the main principle of emphasis to showcase the characteristics of the human body progressing in space.

There is also a shark that is “playing around” near the boat; curiously, it does not seem to even acknowledge their presence. The realization that they have no purpose brings them to the brink of despair. In the beginning of the story, the author describes the “dawn of seven turned faces.” These are faces of the “seven mad gods” who are apathetic towards the men; moreover, they are part of nature. Towards the end of the story, the correspondent recalls a childhood verse that helps him to understand nature’s indifference. Through their experience together, the four men realize that all they have is each other. The correspondent feels sympathy suddenly for a dying soldier, one who does not even exist, “The correspondent, …dreaming…was moved by a profound and perfectly impersonal comprehension. He was sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers.” Being in the current situation, the correspondent finally understands the tragedy of the dying soldier. He realizes what it is like to be alone in a cruel world and more importantly, he realizes he does not have to be alone. When he first heard the story, he was also indifferent towards the soldier, just as nature is indifferent towards the rest of the world. He now understands what it is to be human. Crane opens a view of reality that first seems bitter, but in the end, stands as

The swimmer finds himself past the point of no return in the quest, so to speak, and at the mercy of whatever he encounters, such as the shark Connelly suggests in the imagery of the last stanza. Finally, Connelly ended the poem by writing “But what we own beyond a shadow of a doubt is our fear of being eaten alive, torn apart in depths we have entered willingly” (20-27). This part of the metaphor uses the violent image of being attacked by a shark to represent the severity of our encounter with the sublime. In the quest for the ideal the only thing we can be certain of is that it will not be easy and the uncertainty of what will be there waiting for you. The shark in the ocean’s depth is an apppropriate symbol for the sublime as defined by Rousseau’s explanation of Kant’s philosophy: “something that is fearful and incomprehensible that one wants to resist” (“Kant’s Beauty and the Sublime” 1).