Comparison of “Life on the Mississippi” and “My Childhood on the Continent of Africa” Imagine if one could choose between one life or another. Choosing a better life, or keeping the life that one has now, would be an amazing action. “Life on the Mississippi,” by Luis Alberto Urrea, and “My Childhood on the Continent of Africa,” by David Sedaris, both focus on the possibility of being able to choose between one life or another, while the reader will become emotional from the characters, in order to keep the reader engaged in the texts. The way this possibility is shown throughout “Life on the Mississippi” and “My Childhood on the Continent of Africa” is through the characterization of the characters and imagery, which gives the reader an emotional …show more content…
The reader can view the characterizations through different examples that are provided in each text. The reader can start to see the characterization of both characters, the little boy and Sedaris, by viewing what each character wants in life. The little boy in “Life on the Mississippi” is wanting to be like Tom Sawyer, describing that, “He defined my world- after all, I was as scruffy as Tom and just as adventure hungry” (Urrea 1). The quote is explaining that the little boy is wanting to have a life like Tom Sawyer, because the little boy has had a difficult life and wanted a better life to escape his reality. The way the reader knows that the little boy has a difficult life is through the detail in the text that explains the little boy’s living area. There are details explained, one being, “My parents fought this mute resignation by smuggling books into the sunny midnight of Shelltown, our rough little corner of southeast San Diego” (Urrea 1). This quote is explaining that the area that the little boy and his family are living in is a bad part of the town, explaining that the parents have to smuggle books for the little boy and that the town is in a rough part of San Diego, which probably means that the town they all live in is the ghetto part of San Diego. The little boy shows that he has a want, which is a better life. Sedaris, in “My Childhood on the Continent of Africa,” also has a want that he is seeking. Sedaris is wanting a more exciting life, rather than one that he thinks is boring. Sedaris talks about how he wants his life to be like Hugh’s life, the other character in “My Childhood on the Continent of Africa.” Sedaris quotes that, “ “When I’m
While listening to a story, one can engross his or herself in the action, experiencing the events vicariously. By experiencing the story one can gain an understanding of the purpose that the author is trying to portray. In “A Place Where the Soul Can Rest” by bell hooks and “How to Make a Slave” by Jerald Walker the audience is taken on a journey through the progression of each of the author 's life experiences dealing with racism and sexism. Through use of anecdotes the audience develops a comprehension for both of the authors’ lives, witnessing their hardships of being subordinates in a white, male dominated society. Although both authors bring awareness to the atrocities of racism and sexism, hooks’ story’s purpose stands above
Through his work, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” W.E.B. Dubois takes the reader on a journey through the typical black man’s eyes. He creates a new meaning of the African American man as he shares personal experiences and stories of the past alike. He plays upon the heart strings of every reader, no matter the race, with his literary knowledge of words, use of pathos, and stories of his past experience to pull in emotional ties to his work. The application of dualism allows the reader, who is most commonly white men, to choose a side to sympathize with, for Dubois gives the sense of double consciousness as the African and the American throughout his entire work.
Pocahontas did (not) save John smith’s life. Im my opinion I believe that Pocahontas did save his life and he changed his story because the two version where for 2 different purpose’s. According to Leo Lemay “he did have a reason to lie” which indicates that he might have been confused on what was going on. According to document A it just say’s that they traded “He promised to give me what I wanted if we made him hatchet and copper… And so, with all of his kindness, he sent me home.”
While reading Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler, all you can think is “what if I had had to live in a culture like this?” Katherine Dettwyler is an ethnography that primarily study how children feeding and weaning customs, and continuing malnutrition directs to a higher likely hood of children being more likely to perish from life threatening childhood illnesses, for example: malaria, tetanus, diarrhea, diphtheria, kwashiorkor, marasmus and measles in Mali. She also talked about a wider array of topics ranging from culture shock, breastfeeding, population control, child care, female circumcision, women’s role in the house and communities, and the dangers of fieldwork. This novel really makes you think about what it would be like to live in a world without common knowledge of disease and how to prevent them. It also really gets your attention about the different culture customs, for example female circumcision, I feel like that would be a culture shock to any American.
Sacrificed the truth, beauty and the right to think, happiness and comfort is just indulgent, it is the discomfort brought by the misery, responsibility and the bonding give us the weight of life. The world is full of people who try hard to gain happiness, and we all have at least one time the idea of living in a perfect world, a world without pain, without misery, without getting old and without cancers. We always ignored the importance and the beauty of uncomfortableness, just as a quote in this book said, “Stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand”. After read this book, I started to be more objective at those bad things I used to hate, to understand the significance of art and to be grateful to this imperfect world we are
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." A quote by Atticus Finch a loving single father of two children in a novel by Harper Lee. The story takes place during the 1930s and the Great Depression, in a small (made-up) town called Maycomb Alabama. Scout now an adult is narrating what she experienced and felt in ages 6-9. She gives details of her family, school, and just everything she goes through. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, she also talks about her brother Jem, who starts as a careless young boy that slowly starts getting more mature. Jem changing throughout the story helps show a little bit more of how the story develops and why character development is important in making a good novel.
Imagery, detail, and symbolism play a crucial role in this work. Imagery has the function of painting a picture of the situation in the reader’s mind so that he or she is able to develop a version of the story individually. It makes the reading a more personalized experience that helps the reader to understand what’s going on. When O’Brien was just about to escape to Canada to avoid being drafted, he described the scene that was presented in front of him. “The shoreline was dense with brush and timber. I could see tiny red berries on the bushes.” In this quote, the reader can visualize the setting of the lake where he has to make his life-changing decision. It appeals to the visual sense by describing the shoreline and even the sense of
People of the early African kingdoms were able to create successful trade routes with Europe and Asia, become very wealthy from conquering and gaining land, and were able to have a strong central government. All of this was done before the Europeans had reached Africa. Trade flourished on the East African coast, especially when trading was established with India and Arabia. African kingdoms were prosperous, because of their success with not only trading but also with their ability to conquer land. A governmental structure is key to allowing any kingdom to thrive, and the African people were able to achieve this.
In the comparison and contrast essay, “Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa,” by David Sedaris, the author talks about the jealousy he feels towards the excitement present in his friend Hugh’s life. David Sedaris explores the contrast in the dullness of his own childhood with the adventurous lifestyle of his friend’s childhood. Using descriptions, personal experiences of his friend and himself, and language, Sedaris explains why he takes satisfaction in passing his friend’s stories as though they were his own since the stories were more interesting. The field trips, environment, and activities all contribute in the development of the difference in lifestyle between them.
Focusing on micro examples in order to explain a macro concept is the basis of what Donald Wright wanted to do with his book “The World and a Very Small Place in Africa”. In this text, Wright explores the concept of globalization in the small country of Niumi, a country in West Africa with the Gambia river flowing through it’s land. With it’s position in Northern West Africa, Niumi was a major part in the expansion of Europeans for a great part of world history. This expansion impacted the civilization of Niumi during the European Colonial era, and after the colonial era. Globalization, a major theme in our lectures, was a controlling theme and major concept Mr. Wright discusses throughout this book. His micro connection with Niumi & globalization can apply to other
The author also effectively supports his thesis through pathos. To evoke strong emotion in his readers, Jones appeals to the audience’s feeling of vulnerability in their youth. Recognizing that during adolescence most people feel powerless, he tells engaging stories of his own and his son’s rise to power through comic books to give the audience something to connect to. As these stories are told, readers reminisce about those days, and feel joy in knowing that there was a happy ending. The feelings created make the audience look positively at the essay and relate to it.
The world of Ernest Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River” exists through the mostly unemotional eyes of the character Nick. Stemming from his reactions and the suppression of some of his feelings, the reader gets a sense of how Nick is living in a temporary escape from society and his troubles in life. Despite the disaster that befell the town of Seney, this tale remains one of an optimistic ideal because of the various themes of survival and the continuation of life. Although Seney itself is a wasteland, the pine plain and the campsite could easily be seen as an Eden, lush with life and ripe with the survival of nature.
Everyone has a desire, something that they want to achieve or obtain for them. Whether it is ethical or immoral, having desires is almost inevitable. Sometimes these desires make people go through tough times. Tragic occurrences such as death and broken relationships shape the lives of people positively or negatively. In the following essay, “Many Rivers to Cross” and the short stories, “Two Kinds” and “Everyday Use”, the protagonists of these texts struggle to achieve their desire, but because of those struggles the main characters do eventually come to a revelation.
Dr. David Livingstone donated thirty years of his life to the people and wilds of the African interior; in doing so Livingstone inspired such love and affection in the hearts closest to him upon his death, Chuma and Susi embarked on a thousand mile journey to deliver his earthly remains and his final journal to the coast of Africa, where his remains were transported to Britain for burial; even though he portrayed the typical English worldview of the Colonial period: Africans needed English guidance and purpose to be a civilized people. Dr. Livingstone saw the need for trade, Christianity, British control and abolishment of slavery without recognizing the existence of cosmopolitan societies; while Professor Trevor Getz’s book COMOSPOLITAN
The societies in both Frank Herbert’s “Seed Stock” and Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca are much different than society in the real world today. In “Seed Stock,” the sole purpose of the people that were sent to this alien planet was to survive and make the planet like Earth. In Gattaca, a person’s life revolves around their capabilities and potential due to genetics. In spite of this, survival is not the only thing that governs their life. Both Niccol and Herbert presented the idea that although survival and success are the main priorities, humans also seek to have their psychological and emotional needs met. Furthermore, the authors of both works make it clear that human emotion is just as crucial to survival and success as is physical fitness and