Influential Voices In The Novel 'Memoirs Of A Geisha'

In chapter three of Imaginative Writing, “Voice”, Janet Burroway identifies three important concepts of voice; irony, character voice, and point of view that allows a writer to explore the inner lives of other. First, the irony is a contradiction that emphasizes the voice of someone. Burroway states, “verbal irony, is a way of using voice. It is achieved by some sort of mismatch between the tone and the content and is capable of myriad effects: serious, comic, threatening, satirical, and so forth” (Burroway, 52). The use of verbal irony involves speaking that convey a message opposite of the meaning, it’s often humorous and engages the audience to dig deeper understanding. Another concept of voice that is very important in imaginative writing

Power is a double-edged sword. It has the capacity to do positive things and be a good force, but often turns into a slippery slope. Powerlessness is similar in fashion as it serves a purpose to elevate the notion of power, acting as a sort of byproduct of power, but is often a forced position that puts the “participant” at the bottom of the totem pole.

Often time power can be understood as control of material resources and wealth, control of politics and the institutions that make up society (Hutchison,2015). It is important to recognize and identify the core concepts of power or lack of power with individuals in society. The conflict theory allows examination within the text of those who hold power and lack power. The end result of power to hold dominance over another person, group, or society. As a result of the control and power is causes those who lack power to be devalued or alienated from a setting or even society (Hutchinson, 2015).

Power is a complex multifaceted notion and people can experience or wield it in different ways. It can have negative connotations, especially when it is abused. People of course can also experience a sense of powerlessness for a variety of reasons. The poem Drifters by Bruce Dawe explores the helplessness of a family who are forced to move from place to place in search of work. This causes great distress and angst among the family. A sense of powerlessness of course can come in many forms and in the poem Mid-Term Break by Seamus Heaney we witness the extraordinary grief and anguish of a family who are mourning the death of a son and brother. The film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, directed by Mark Herman, explores the sense of powerlessness

I think Octavia E. Butler is saying that voice is power and without a voice, you cannot have power. This is represented by her character Valerie Rye in Speech Sounds and Dana in Kindred. Valerie Rye doesn’t realize until she has heard words that they give people the power to connect with others and express opinions without misunderstanding. Dana, on the other hand, has an advanced vocabulary and this gives her the power to rise above those who try to suppress her and prove to them that she’s capable of much more than initially believed.

In society, the actions humans take are controlled by the amount of power they have in comparison to others. The texts, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson showcase how communal power overthrows individual ideals. Whereas the texts, The Red Sari by Apiranna Taylor and Dear Mr Cairney by Gramae Lay discuss the experience of how people who are in power dehumanise those who are powerless. All of these texts explore the idea of how power controls an individual's process of thinking and their actions. The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas and The Lottery shows how the power of a community overrides a single individual.

Oppression of individual power leads to its irresponsible use when granted, as individual identity is lost and must be regained.

The Danger of Power Our many stories shape and define who we are and without them we are nothing. But which is worse, the feeling of not having a story or being defined by a single story? Either way, as vulnerable and susceptible as we are to each other’s judgment, society will have defined us before we even have a chance to tell it ourselves.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Giving power to a man is dangerous, it gives them the tools they need to reach their desires. The United States This is what all three of the main characters in our readings faced. Through all the reading we have completed throughout the semester, a common trend comes to the surface, and shows that power blurs the morality line with the urge to fulfill desires. With more power, murders may ensue, and the more power man gets, the more the good and bad that he does will change.

In several of the text written there has been a character that either was given authority or accepted natural leadership. Two such characters were Pangloss appearing in Candide and Master Houyhnhnm in Gulliver’s Travels. While both had authority in some way over the main characters in their book, the way they held and managed that authority was vastly different. Both characters would go on to make decisions that would go forth and alter the outcomes of many characters. However, while Pangloss and Master Houyhnhnm both have alternative approaches to how they “impart knowledge” or assume leadership; it is seen their belief in their teachings pulls characters, respectively from their own works, to follow their lead.

Through these various accounts, one witnesses how the reactions in different situations allude to an individual’s outcome and their authoritative position in relevance to others. Ultimately, power is a state of mind in this sense, for an individual’s importance in these situations is determined by the power with which they believe they behold. Not only this, but their success as individuals and how they survive their various encounters is also projected through their mentality associated with power, and it allows them to better manage their

May be enemies have similarities. Sometime, they are unconsciously same to Victor Frankenstein and Monster. Victor builds Monster because he wants to the masterpiece of his life. But the mistake involved him in a great deal of trouble. They to take revenge each other long time, finally they became to enemies.

In Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, one of the central themes of the novel is voice. In the novel Kingston through voice is able to break away from the silence that she is bound by culture and it set to discover a voice for herself. Through this novel Kingston is able to give a voice to disadvantaged females who are voiceless by empowering them to find their own personal voice and self-identities. The theme of voice is prevalent throughout the novel and is exemplified as a cultural and emotional struggle as Kingston discovers her personal voice.

My lesson from the discussion of power and authority is that now that I am aware of what goes on, I need to be able to go against it if necessary. I need to be able to stand for what I know is right, and not be afraid of what may

The results from the survey associated with VCU’s co-curricular activities highlighted the focus on one particular co-curricular opportunity, ASPiRE. The VCU Co-Curricular Program: Academic Scholars Program in Real Environment (ASPiRE), was established in 2012 to enrich and deepen students’ understanding of their capacity to create positive change in communities (Virginia Commonwealth University ASPiRE, 2012) and also due in part to a trend of low graduation rates in comparison to Virginia public state institutions; VCU identified in 2011 only 34% of their student population was graduating in four years (Hayes & DiPeppe, 2011). The establishment of the VCU’s ASPiRE program focused