Allusions are a crucial part of most literature. It helps the audience understand the text and provides an insight into what the author might be thinking. Throughout both Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and A Farewell to Arms there are allusions ranging from the bible to 9/11. Both authors use these allusions to tell a story. First, let’s talk about Extremely Loud and Incredible Close. Throughout this book there are many allusions that point to the horrors of war and the effect of those wars on the civilians who fall victim to them. One of the most referred to allusions in here is 9/11. The whole book is based around the effects of Oskar’s dad dying in the 9/11 attacks. However, this is not the entire narrative of the book, but the author throws in ruptures like this one… “Sometimes I think it would be weird if there were a skyscraper that moved up and down while its elevator stayed in place. So, if you wanted to go to the 95th floor, you’d just press the 95 button and the 95th floor would come to you. Also, that could be extremely useful, because if you’re on the 95th floor, and a plane hits below you, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone could be safe” (Foer 3). The reason that this allusion has such an impact in this chapter is because up to that point in the book we don’t know much of who Oskar is and what he has been through. The fact that this is just thrown in there makes people pay attention. It sets a tone that this book is not going to be a
Erich Remarque uses compelling symbols in chapter six of All Quiet on the Western Front, many of them have a significant meaning, only two have a powerful meaning. A shelled schoolhouse, in a sense brings the reader this sort of comfort because the feel of school brings them back to the good ole days. It is the days when you did not have to worry about things because mom and dad were there. The shelling part is another thing, it is showing the amount and the type of war going on. The violence in this time and place is unimaginable and the shelled schoolhouse is an example of the violence is being revealed. Remarque is trying to display to the reader that in this day and age of war they did not care about what they destroyed. He describes many bloody situations because he wants the reader to feel the pain and suffering how
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel written by Erich Maria Remarque that takes place in World War I. This novel is about an eighteen-year-old German boy that enlists with his classmates to the war. All of the boys that enlisted are very excited but they have no idea what war is really like. Throughout the years of fighting, Paul realizes that war is his life. He never really had a life after school so once the war is over he will have nothing to go back to. Paul thinks that war is horrible but that is all he has. During this novel, Paul experiences lots of brutal deaths. He watches his friends die and he can't do anything about it. He also sees young men risking their lives for their country. In this essay, I will go over the brutality of war using similes and personification quotes from All Quiet on the Western Front.
In Ground Zero Berne uses many examples of imagery and metaphors to paint a descriptive picture of her surroundings and what she saw to enhance her reader’s experience. She uses the imagery to make her readers feel as if they were there and make them feel the same feelings of awareness, and sadness she did. Suzanne achieves this by recalling back to the horrid memories of 9/ll when “the skyscraper shrouded in black plastic, the boarded windows, the steel skeleton of the shattered Winter Garden.” (Berne 176), By using these extremely explicit and descriptive details Suzanne allows her readers to experience the rude awakening she had when she saw nothing in Ground Zero, but was able to recall the chaos that went on that day. Suzanne lets her readers understand what was going on in her mind , and clearly experience what she was feeling that day
Some movies have strong connections to famous books, epics, or myths. Often times, there will be many strong allusions to different epics, but there will be few weak allusions. In Joel and Ethan Coen's O’Brother Where Art Thou, The movie has strong allusion with the plot, hero qualities, and the minor characters of The Odyssey,
There are many allusion in Peace Like a River, but the most repeated allusions are the references to Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In chapter seventeen, Enger writes, “Sure, I foresaw some nerves. Dark is dark. But I remembered Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry, afraid that night in the graveyard” (Enger 223). The author writes this in the context of Reuben waiting in the woods “just past midnight” for Davy to arrive (Enger 223). In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, this scene is when Tom and Huck went to the graveyard around midnight and witnessed a murder. The author included this allusion to emphasize the fear within the boys compares to the fear inside Reuben. Another time when Mark Twain’s works are referenced is in chapter eleven. Enger
It seems that there are only a few moments when not everyone is cuckoo in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. You wouldn’t think that wacky people, like the ones in this novel, and Jesus would have anything in common, but it is actually adverse. If you are an avid reader and like to discover hidden meanings behind particular quotes or scenes, you will really like this. Scattered throughout the novel, Kesey includes allusions to Hell and its inhabitants, as well as various Christ-like figures. Kesey’s repeated use of Biblical allusions throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest shows his clever observation of society’s need for enlightenment.
In the short story, “Usher II,” the author, Ray Bradbury, uses allusion to help the reader visualize the setting of the story due to the fact that the allusions of the author places in the set out a rather dark and disturbing setting. The story is set on the beautiful red planet everyone knows as Mars. There is actually human life within that planet, the life there is fresh and healthy, as well as being just like Earth. But, there is one difference of this planet’s lifestyle and our original home’s lifestyle. The government, who is controlling both the planet and the people of Mars, decides to prohibit the reading of books, and as well burning the books, purging off of their beautiful ink-stained pages. But, all of this changes one day within the life of Mars, as a man named William Stendahl decides to take a change to this irrational lifestyle. You see, William Stendahl was the only one who has read books on Earth, and he still does have books on Mars. But, William Stendahl is a rather unique fellow, as he has a rather immense obsession with the “Prince of Horror,” Edgar Allan Poe. Of course, this man would make references to Mr. Poe. In the beginning, when Stendahl was talking to Mr. Bigelow, an architect responsible for creating his home, he explains to him how he wants his house to be just like the “House of Usher.” He says, “The House of Usher, planned, bought, paid for. Wouldn’t Mr. Poe be delighted?” (Poe 1). For those who read the short story, “The Fall of the House
An anti-war poem inspired by the events of the Vietnam War, Homecoming inspires us to think about the victims of the war: not only the soldiers who suffered but also the mortuary workers tagging the bodies and the families of those who died in the fighting. The author, Australian poet Bruce Dawe, wrote the poem in response to a news article describing how, at Californian Oaklands Air /Base, at one end of the airport families were farewelling their sons as they left for Vietnam and at the other end the bodies of dead soldiers were being brought home. Additionally, he wrote in response to a photograph, publishes in Newsweek, of American tanks (termed ‘Grants’ in the poem) piled with the bodies of the dead soldiers as they returned to the
While Moses is up at the Mountain of Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from God, the people began to become worried. They urged Aaron, their temporary leader, to make an idol because they believed that Moses had either died or left them. As a result, Aaron melted their gold earrings and created a golden calf, which the people began to worship. The Lord of the Flies by George Orwell alludes to the story of the Golden Calf, where the pig’s head served as the “golden-calf”. The pig’s head symbolizes the root of evil and corruption in humanity; sin.
Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel written by Alan Paton; the novel is filled with biblical allusions referring to II Samuel. Cry, the Beloved Country was first published in 1948 and stands as the single most important novel in twentieth-century South African literature. Cry, the Beloved Country; a work of blazing artistry, is the intensely moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, and how they were set against the background of a land and a people divided by racial injustice. Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man. The author, Alan Paton parallels II Samuel and Cry, the Beloved Country which heightens the understanding of the novel.
In Robert Alter’s literary analysis of A Tale of Two Cities, The Demons of History in Dickens’s Tale, his central emphasis converges with the ideal that the novel tends to stray from his preceding works. Alter essentially deems A Tale of Two Cities as an “uncharacteristic expression of his genius (94),” which he believes is a result of his distinctive writing style, deviating from his jollyness, humor, and warmth. He primarily believes that Dickens attempts to convey a strong sense of emotion by means of melodramatic storytelling to “persist in a kind of splendid, self-transcending unevenness (94).” Additionally, Alter claims Dickens utilizes a distinguishable contrast between the elements of “picturesque” and “dramatic immediacy” to enhance Dickens’s focus on
George Orwell’s 1984 is probably one of the most famous political novels in History. It´s strong criticism to authoritarianism, government abuses and sameness makes it one of the most analysed novels of the twentieth century. Hence, Orwell uses a lot of literary devices such as vivid imagery, symbolism of color and all sorts of allusions to convey the reader into his powerful criticism of authoritarian societies and how the promote the decay of free-thinking and individualism, which his the meaning of his narrative prose.
In the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there is a certain uncertainty, deviousness, and a riddle of wrongdoing living within the citizens of Salem. Young Goodman Brown, a very naive person, is ruined when he realizes the hypocrisy of his religion as he witnesses the truth in the middle of Salem woods. His own people worshipping a being that is not God! Ironically, when Brown confronts his fellow townspeople, he is angered by their responses; they seem to have no recollection of what occurred in the woods. Thus leaving him in a state of insanity, where all Brown senses around him are lies. The natural impulse to keep secrets and lies can harm others. This is embodied in Young Goodman Brown, who goes from a typical puritan to an unkind, judgmental, depressed man.
Is there a catharsis in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close? If so, when does it happen for Oskar, and if applicable for the reader? Discuss. To discuss whether there are catharsises and if so where, it is important to have a clear definition of ‘catharsis’, so there can be no confusion. According to ‘Oxford’s: Literature Criticism and Style’ a catharsis is: “The purging of emotions which takes place at the end of a tragedy.” A good catharsis closes a story and does not leave the audience, or reader with questions. According to the Oxford definition of a catharsis, it is important to determine whether Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a tragedy, but for this essay, the focus will
Novels published after a major war are often the most deeply emotional, profound ruminations on human nature. The authors of these novels were once soldiers, living in fear and enduring sleepless nights. These authors channel their experiences and emotions into their work, often creating masterpieces of literature. A Farewell to Arms is one such novel. Its author, Ernest Hemingway, was in the Italian ambulance corps in World War I, much like the protagonist of A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry. The themes in A Farewell to Arms reflect his mentality and the typical soldier’s disillusionment in the institutions and values he had always held close. A Farewell to Arms explores the far-reaching disillusionment that seems to plague Frederic. The theme of Frederic Henry’s disillusionment of all that he believes in appears through his desertion of the war, the deterioration of his relationship with Catherine, and his thoughts on life.