Short Story Sixth Grade Self By Julie Orrigner - 972 Words

The short story that is being analyzed is titled, â€Å"Note to Sixth Grade Self† written by Julie Orrigner. The central idea of this short story is a grown woman reflecting the troubles she faced in the time that she spent in the sixth grade. The main focus was the author trying to illustrate the struggles she experienced as an adolescent girl growing up in a world where she felt she was outnumbered by the popular students and the girls that were more pristine than she. This story beautifully illustrates the challenges many women face growing up and the insecurities that people face as they develop as humans. The author faced troubles being viewed as an awkward social outcast; the story is written in a way that illustrates the thoughts process and anxiety that a typical sixth grader would feel in a position where he or she feels out of place. One of the themes that is present in the short story is the constant feeling of anxiety that the girl is facing in her every day battle in the eight hour school day. She is constantly acknowledging the presence of the popular kids and the mannerisms they have in the battlefield known as school and how she should try to go and adapt them. In the introduction of the story the narrator immediately explains the struggles she deals with just in the realm of figuring out with whom to eat, â€Å"Dont even bother trying to sit with Patricia and Cara. Instead, try to sit with Sasha and Toni Sue. If they won’t let you, try to sit with Andrea Shaw. And

On the Road with Racism Langton Hughes Life Experiences

What is racism? In â€Å"On the Road† by Langston Hughes racism is characterized in an unemployed African American. The African American depicted in this story is known as Sargeant. Sargeant is a character that Langston Hughes had little relativity to as being homeless as well as in search for food, but he undoubtedly identified with in culture. Langston Hughes childhood, heritage, and involvement in the African American community led him to create a strong willed character. Born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902, James Mercer Langston Hughes childhood was not one that would be noted in a Hallmark card. Hughes like many other African Americans had drawbacks. His mother, Caroline Mercer Langston and father, James Nathaniel Hughes divorced only a few†¦show more content†¦Published in The Nation in 1926, The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain: Hughes wrote â€Å"The younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or s hame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly, too. The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain free ourselves.† Sergeant relates to Hughes manifesto because as revealed in â€Å"on the Road† he fearlessly walked up to an â€Å"All White† church without any thought of shame. Sergeant disregarded whether or not the white community would accept him, he only felt the need to see tomorrow as another day. So when he stood there watching the debris fall upon the white society, he felt free. He was Free, Free! References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes http://www.stanford.edu/group/SHR/5-2/stoval.html On the Road by LangstonShow MoreRelatedThe Road That Ran Down The Center Of E atonville2025 Words   |  9 Pages The main road that ran down the center of Eatonville was a major transit route for people traveling to and from Orlando and Maitland. This route gave Hurston the opportunity to sit in her yard and watch the â€Å"white folks† drive by. There was definitely racial turmoil and segregation in the Central Florida due to Jim Crow laws at the time, however Eatonville was able shield white oppression, to an extent (Tiffany, 36). Her father, John Hurston, was a jack-of-trades having worked as a carpenter, farmer

Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay Example For Students

Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay In this essay I will be focusing on act four scenes one, two, three and four of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. This section of the play is highly significant, several major issues are raised which have an enormous impact on the whole play. Throughout these scenes we also learn alot about the characters and how they deal with and overcome their difficulties. I will study each scene individually pinpointing various themes and concentrating on moments of dramatic tension. Leading up to act four the story so far is; Romeo Montague has met and fallen in love with Juliet Capulet. This relationship is forbidden to both the sets of parents, Romeo and Juliet are starcrossed lovers. However Lord and Lady Capulet have some delightful news, a relation to the Prince of Verona, Paris, wants to marry Juliet. Juliets parents together try their best to persuade Juliet to marry him and want the wedding as soon as possible, unbeknown to them Juliet is secretly married to their enemys son, Romeo, by Friar Lawrence. As the result from a gory street brawl Romeo gets banished, Juliets cousin Tybalt brutally kills Mercutio, Romeos friend. Romeo and Juliet contently spend their wedding night together, but Romeo has to reluctantly leave for Mantua in the morning. Juliet trys to persuade him to stay Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. Romeo has to go. Juliets mother confronts Juliet and orders her to marry Paris, Juliet is appalled and refuses to do so. Lord Capulet i s infuriated on hearing the news of Juliets rejection to marry Paris and threatens to disown her if she continues to disobey him. The scene turns nasty and gains a high climax as the Nurse interrupts and defends Juliet. At the end of act three Juliet is frustrated, already a married woman she decides to seek Friar Lawrences aid. Act four begins with Paris visiting Friar Lawrence about his wedding arrangements. Paris comes across as a pleasant, courteous young man, who is certainly fond of Juliet. He thinks hes being thoughtful and helpful in trying to forward his marriage to Juliet, as he believes she is grieving for Tybalt and wishes to marry her soon, Lord Capulet has faith this will ease her sorrow. Juliet arrives at Friar Lawrences cell feeling terrified but showing great composure. She has a tremendous amount of bother on her mind, she visits him to try to resolve her problems, instead Paris is there unexpectedly, him being the reason she has gone to see Friar Lawrence. There is dramatic conflict, its the first time Juliet and Paris have been together. Paris is genuinely overjoyed and pleased to see her. He cheerfully greets her with hope she will soon be his wife. Friar Lawrence announces he needs time alone with anxious Juliet, there confidential conversation is now delayed. There is little polite conversation (through gritted teeth from Juliet) and Paris leaves saying God shield I should disturb devotion! and blows her a kiss. In this scene it is plain to see that Juliet is very apprehensive and dreadfully worried about the position she is in, Shakespeare makes this known to us by allowing Paris to appear in the opening of this scene causing dramatic tension. Juliets true character is revealed in this scene she is learning to deceive by using words to disguise rather than to inform. She craftily holds Paris at a distance with some of her remarks, That may be sir, when I may be a wife. Juliet is then left alone with Friar Lawrence to discuss her options, she threatens to kill herself if she has to marry Paris. Although Friar Lawrence obviously couldnt let this happen. He is in the wrong, he has married Juliet, a child of fourteen without parents consent. At the time he believed he was doing the right thing, but now he realises what he did was wrong and he has to think of a way out of his mess. So using his knowledge of herbs and drugs he devises a plan to reunite Juliet with her husband Romeo and ruin any future between her and Paris, although he did not think this through thoroughly. If the plan is successful it will eventually reveal his own complicity, if Romeo arrives in time to collect Juliet and take her back to Mantua, the subsequent explantions would have no doubt in involving Friar Lawrence. He overlooks this point and gives her a powerful drug which she must take the night before her wedding with Paris. The drug will make Juliet seem dead, its effects wil l last up to forty-two hours. In detail he explains to her that he will write to Romeo to tell him whats happening, and will arrange for him to be in the tomb where Juliet will lye for when she awakes and he will then take her back with him to Mantua. In desperation Juliet accepts Friar Lawrences plan. Hades EssayThere are a lot of elements and characteristics in the play that make it popular and successful. One of the points that gets critics attention is that despite the plays Italian setting, the language, customs and attitudes are generally English (Brian C). Another characteristic thing for the Elizabethan age is that there are no sudden and original plot turns. Elizabethans werent so interested in that, how the story was told was more important for them (Brian C). The good rhyming lines are much frequent in the play, which is another positive element (Rowse 68). Music and references to music are also used a lot in the play. In fact, musical elements in this play are greater than in any other one (Rowse 73). Romeo and Juliet is rich of different and contrasting personages, who eventually become persons and this personality continues throughout the play (Ward 267). One of these characters is Romeo, who is an excellent example of a person with the lovesickness and stereotypical attitude towards love (Brian C). Some of the finest poetry in the play is given by Romeo, when he sees Juliet for the first time (Brian C). The play also contains a mix of high tragedy and comedy, displayed in another character the Juliets nurse (Brian C). Romeo and Juliet has been a very good target for critics of the past three centuries. Some critics have praised this play for its beautiful and easy-reading language, interesting plot and touching theme and characters. Others have found some faults with certain aspects of the play (Scott 410). But despite these faults, most of the critics have been saying that Romeo and Juliet is one of the best works of Shakespeare and it has had a big influence on the development of the English drama (Scott 410). In general, Romeo and Juliet has been a really good topic to discuss and criticize. But however it has always been and will remain a work proving Shakespeares perfect talent and a great love story to read, watch and admire. BibliographyBrian, Paul. Study Guide for . 1997. URL: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/romeo.htmlRowse, A.L. The Annotated Shakespeare, Volume 3: The Tragedies and Romances. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc./Publishers. 1978. Scott, Mark W. Shakespearean Criticism, Volume 5. Romeo and Juliet. Detroit: Gale Research Company. 1987. The World Book Encyclopedia 17: S-Sn. William Shakespeare. Chicago: World Book, Inc. 1997. Ward, A.W. and A.R.Waller. The Cambridge History of English Drama, Volume 5: The Drama to 1642, Part 1. Shakespeares Plays. London: Cambridge University Press. 1970. Shakespeare

Television How Has It Changed Essays - Communication,

Television How Has It Changed TELEVISION HOW HAS IT CHANGED SINCE ITS INVENTION? How has television changed over the last 25-50 years? This question can be answered in a variety of different ways ranging from the technological changes and advances it has gone through to the question of whether it has any type of affects on the way people perceive it, or if society is manipulated by what they see on television. This report will hopefully uncover and discover television then and now. The first aspect that will be uncovered are the technological advances that television has made over the years. Naturally to see into this, we must look to how television originated. Television broadcasting was first introduced in 1936 when it was available in London. It was not until 1954 when the FCC authorized the NTSC standard for color television broadcast in the United States. The question raised at this point is what was the television actually like? How many channels were available? Naturally the availability of what we have today was unthought of and in most cases seemed impossible, but most television sets were capable of providing at least up to four basic channels. However, these channels were only received clearly in larger cities. It was very difficult for television signals to pass through the mountains and rural areas. In order to resolve the problem what is known as cable television was introduced in 1948. The purpose of cable television was to be able to bring exist ing broadcast signals to rural areas with community antennas placed at high elevations, usually on mountains or on top of tall poles. Since the invention of cable television, it has grown rapidly. By 1960, there were nearly 700 cable systems. In 1971, 2,750 systems were serving almost 6 million homes. Now in the year 1999, the number has risen to more than 65 million. Of course, the invention of cable television was by far if not the only major technological development for television in the early days of television. Today, cable still continues to advance with new developments with satellites. There are over 80 different channels available to cable subscribers ranging from 24 hour music channels, 24 hour movie channels, and 24 hour news channels, and 24 news channels. In addition to being able to have these types of channels, pay television services or better known as premium channels are also associated with the advancement of cable television. These services offer a variety of po pular movies, original programming and sports without commercial interruption. Soon after this, interactive television evolved. Interactive TV describes a range in two-way communication services between service providers and end users. Finally, direct broadcast satellites were introduced to further expand cable television. Direct TV and Primestar are just a few companies associated with direct broadcast satellites. It is clearly easy to figure out that television has and will continue to advance. Now that a few various technological advances and developments have been described, they must be tied into what is most important, and that is how viewer perception and societal influence has been changed from television changing over the past 25-50 years. The main change in television has become the command center of our culture. Because television is quite different from other media such as film, theater, or music, it must be examined carefully and more in depth. People go to movies to watch movies, they go to the theaters to watch plays, and they buy music to listen to it, etc. However, we go to television for almost everything. Politics, literature, music, religion, news, commerce, you name it and television has it. Therefore, this makes us known as television people, because for anything to be legitimate, it has to come through television. Has American society become so dependent on television that in order to be an American, you have to watch television in order to make contact with whatever is happening in the culture to be familiar with what is on the television? In other words, if we didn't have television, do you think that people wouldn't know what was going on or people wouldn't be able to follow events that we see on telev ision? If this is the case, then how