Literary Analysis Of Irwin Shaw's 'Girls In Their Summer Dresses'

In George Saunders essay “thank you, Esther Forbes”, he describes how an author who he read during his youthful age helped him to understand why and how sentences can be important. The essay is written on a more personal note about a nun named Sister Lynette who helped Saunders to develop his perception of sentences. In third grade at St. Darmian School, Saunders was given the novel “Johnny Tremain” by Esther Forbes and that was a turning point for him. This was because the book provided him with a different understanding of the joys of reading as well as writing. On the other, “escape from spider head” helps in providing an analysis of the strengths of a man being put to test. The limits presented in the story are classified as physical, emotional as well as moral. The theme of the story is searching for humanity which makes the readers ask themselves, what makes us human? According to “escape from spider head” humans are considered to be innately empathetic in nature and they are considered to be people who are against the infliction of pain as well as discomfort which is caused on another innocent human being. The aim of the essay is to elaborate more on the connection existing between “Thank you, Esther Forbes” and “Escape from Spiderhead” in terms of the details presented in the two stories.

In the book, “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, a novel focused on the court of law and justice, the purpose of the book is to engage our emotions and judgment towards the Criminal Justice System, and mass incarceration. Bryan’s book highlights mass incarceration and the CJS by appealing to pathos and logos. And by describing cruel prison conditions, police violating human rights and being abusive as well as unfair, and prisoners who have suffered abuse and are still unfairly convicted. Bryan appeals the logos by describing inmates on death row or who are incarcerated that have been previously abused. This forces a new agenda and another reason why the Criminal Justice System is in need of reform.

Authors empower our understanding of the world through compassion and empathy. Meaning to make readers share and understand the feelings of another. In “Harvest Gypsies” by John Steinbeck the author informs of two families and their tussles for survival.In the same manner, Kevin Starr in his excerpt titled “Endangered Dreams” tells of a family and their daily troubles. Both taken place during the great depression they both depict the hardships of migrant families trapped in poverty. While Dorothea Lange helped readers perceive the poor living conditions of the 1900’s through her photo, John Steinbeck helped evoke the most empathy through his descriptiveness, straightforward style, and listing of dramatic events.

The world is a massive place full of endless literature, beginning from ancient scrolls to daily news articles, filled with many secrets, perspectives and surroundings that help connect literature to an individual’s daily life. Some writers use the skills of literary elements to express and discuss an event that has happened to them or what has happened to others. This helps others to comprehend the perspectives of the author’s understanding toward an incident that one might experience. For instance in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, she uses many literary elements to express her views over most of her stories. O’Connor expresses her views in her short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by using the literary elements of point of view, irony, and setting.

The short stories “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, and “Bartleby, The Scrivener” by Herman Melville, are about two outcasts and their interactions with society. Moreover the authors use common themes and similar mannerisms bringing their characters to life. Each story has different key details, and perspectives, while they communicate the same overall premise.In both “A Rose for Emily” and “Bartleby, The Scrivener”, they share many similarities, and each have key differences that conversely set them apart.

Oftentimes, when burdening or stressful circumstances begin to generate strain on an individual, they find themselves turning to literary art as a form of mental relief. This deliverance applies, in particular, to the narrator in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and the father in “The Boat,” by Alistair MacLeod. In both short stories, readers can pinpoint several instances in which these specific characters seek solace through differing formats of written language. The function of the father’s books in “The Boat,” and the narrator’s diary in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” is to serve as an instrument of escapism, rebellion, and self-expression, within the controlled existence of

Both Michael Crummey’s “Heartburn” and Lisa Moore’s “The Lonely Goatherd” explore the damaging impacts the lack of communication has on a relationship. Both Carl and Anita’s relationship in “The Lonely Goatherd” as well as Georgie and Sandy’s relationship in “Heartburn” are weakened due to the lack of communication. This idea is shown in both short stories through the use of foils, specifically Hans and Carl as well as Everett and Sandy ; It is also demonstrated through the use of symbolism of Signal Hill as well as using the excuse of heartburn to cover up the dreams Sandy has; It is shown lastly through the dramatic irony used in both stories. These elements demonstrate how the lack of communication leading to the downfall of relationships.

1. Shaw and Barry distinguish two different forms of utilitarianism. What are these two forms? Briefly describe each and use examples.

The narrator through out most of the short story comes of as a pretty shallow character. Besides his stereotyping tendencies he comes of as callous and un-imaginative. He shows his lack of

Empathy is fundamental to institute showing sympathy and understanding towards other people. The two stories, “The Lottery” and “The Interlopers”, are centered around solidifying how significant empathy is. The authors in both of the stories use specific literary devices to get their message across. The techniques they use include situational irony, characterization, and pacing. Each of these devices help create the mood of their stories, which aids in your understanding of why empathy is vital in human nature.

Kids can be  cruel when they are envious as shown in the short story, “All Summer In A Day,” by Ray Bradbury. The sun is what makes Margot happy, and when that gets taken away from her. In this short story there is several acts of cruelty to Margot by her classmates. These kids live in the planet of Venus, and they haven’t seen the sun in seven years, except for Margot. The kids are only nine years old so they haven’t seen the sun since they were two years old, but Margot moved there from Earth when she was four and she remembers the sun and that makes the other kids envious. In the beginning of the story it is the day that the sun is supposed to come out for the first time in seven years! The kids were skeptical except for Margot because she wanted to see it so bad. The kids were starting to prepare for the sun to come out but they were sitting inside waiting. While they were waiting the kids decided to lock Margot in a closet and not let her out. When the sun came out all the kids ran outside to play in the sun that felt so warm and nice on their skin, except for Margot, who was sitting inside in the dark closet. When the kids came back inside they felt sorry for leaving Margot in there. Envy can lead people to commit awful acts and cause shame as demonstrated throughout the character's actions in, “All Summer In A Day.”

In a world where showing a bit too much shoulder was forbidden, came Susan Glaspell. Glaspell was an American playwright, born in the cruel times of oppression. This influenced women’s opinions on certain subjects which caused them to be silenced by fear of rejection from society. “A Jury of Her Peers” was based on an era where women felt as though it was unreasonable to speak up if they felt it was not absolutely dire. Harboring these pent up feelings could cause a person to act antagonistic. Minnie Wright was an example of this. She killed her husband and was subjected to the judgement of her peers. As the group investigated Mr. Wright’s death, there were two stories unraveling. The in depth explanation that the women figured out and the simplistic version the men had seemed to pick up (Glaspell). People would benefit from reading this story to begin to understand the struggle of what this and other women had gone through. Penn Manor American Literature students would benefit from having Susan Glaspell’s story “A Jury of Her Peers” in their curriculum because of how she expressed feminism through her writing at a time when it was new and discouraged; her ability to emphasize the themes with her settings and characters; and her literature that follows a protagonist that navigates through a sexist world.

On November 27, 1971, in Portland, Oregon, a man claiming to be “Dan Cooper” bought a ticket for Northwest-Orient Airlines Flight 305 to Seattle, Washington. Dressed in a sharp dark suit with a pearl tiepin, this forty-five year-old man was about six feet tall with black hair (Abacha and Gilmore 233). No one would suspect him of going down in American history as the only man to ever escape capture after hijacking a U.S. plane (Warchol 1).

Irwin Shaw's short story "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses" is about a couple's marriage in danger. The man in the relationship, Michael, desires other women. His wife, Frances, knows this and is confused about her feelings in their committed relationship. Michael and Frances are jeopardizing their marriage. Both of them have different attitudes and expectations for a committed relationship therefore leading to a failing marriage.

Throughout the play, there is a bell that rings every time Bill or Betty say something that would make their conversation begin to falter. After the bell rings, Bill and Betty get the chance to recant their earlier statements and say something else that might intrigue the other person more. The ringing bell symbolizes a fresh start and a second chance to make a good impression. This ties into Ives’ theme of language being paramount because the bell rings when Bill or Betty use language that is not beneficial to their end goal - getting to know each other and going out on a date. However, because of the bell, they each get endless opportunities to change their language to successfully meet their end