The color Purple Essay Example for Free

The color Purple Essay As the narrative perspective shifts and develops, so too does Celies view of God. When Celie writes her first letter to God, we have a very limited idea of what she means by God. At first, God is an abstract, authoritative, and dependable figure to whom Celie can share herself. White white skin and a white beard, he will be there for Celie as long as she believes in him. When Celie tells Shug that she will stop writing to God because he does not listen, Shug teaches her something highly significant. Shug does not tell her to imagine a black God instead, nor does Shug simply tell Celie to keep believing anyway because God will return in the way she remembers him. Rather, Shug tells Celie to feel loved by God by being herself. Shug explains that one does not find God in a church but through oneself. This perspective challenges the general view of God in their society, as though God is someone who can be visited or expected to come when calledor as though God is some white old man with a white-grey beard. Shug shows her own love for God by loving the things she has been given. She appreciates the world, from her own sexual ecstasies to the color purple she finds in nature. For Celie, God moves from being a person to being something (not someone) inside Celie, a goodness that inspires. Celie learns that she writes from her own view of the world and that every view must be challenged and not taken for granted. Whatever people may think about God, whether the Bible says it or not, Celie learns to find her own meaning in God. Throughout her written letters, we see her writing, perhaps rewriting, her world and the divinity it expresses. Still, it is not until the end of the novel that she most fully sees what she has been doing all along: creating her own story. One has a certain power and responsibility in creating a world or judging a world that has been created by oneself or someone else. Creative expression When Africans were taken from their homelands to America, they usually were denied education by their slave owners and were not allowed to speak their own languages, instead being forced to speak English. This meant that the slaves had to create their own forms of communication and expression. This is where the African-American oral tradition began, with style and content often rooted in the stories and tales they had grown up with in Africa. They communicated through dance, song, and gesture, passing on their stories of woe and of freedom from one generation to another. In a similar way, although Celie is forced into silence by Alfonso, by writing her letters she engages in creative expression and communication so that her story is received by all her readers. Her example of persistence in writing to God is her way of persistence in being heard, in writing instead of orally. Although she does not realize it at the time, every word she writes is an assertion that she deserves to be heard. Likewise, sister Nettie, who never knows if her letters will reach Celie, writes religiously to her, and their communication is eventually granted to them. This success is an example of the hope in human struggle, providing courage and strength for readers who do not yet feel able to communicate fully with others. During the novel several characters find their voices and their own expression: Shug recovers from her illness and continues singing, Mary Agnes starts singing and writing songs, Celie and Sofia start off by making quilts, and Celie eventually runs her own business making pants. Starting small, each enterprise is an example of courage and hard work that pays off in the end. Hope for the next generation The novel anticipates a brighter day for the black community and for black women in particular. Of all the black families, Samuel and Corrine’s is the most secure and loving. Celie’s children find their way into the bosom of that family and are protected by it. Their education, with help from Aunt Nettie, allows them to choose at an early age the sort of life they would like to live. Knowing that she does not want to be a subservient wife, Olivia (like Nettie before her) works hard to ensure that she can be independent without a man controlling her life. Within Celie’s family, we can already see change in her children, which opens up endless possibilities for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The white missionary Doris Baines also instills us with hope. Educating her so-called wives in England ensures that another family will be looked after and educated, equipped with the powers to challenge male dominance and racial prejudice. There is also change within the white communities at home. Eleanor Jane loves Sofia as she would a mother, despite her race and because of her care. When she has her son, Sofia comments that when he gets older he will be a problem for her, but we are not inclined to believe her. Sofia may think that this innocent, white, male baby will turn out like all the other white men she has dealt with, but Eleanor Jane demonstrates her hopewith her new perspective and with fresh, forward-oriented thinkingthat her son and the next generation will advance in many ways after the struggles of earlier generations. Female solidarity At the start of the novel, the young, black female is presented as about the most vulnerable person in society. Celie epitomizes this female: she is abused and denied a voice by her (supposed) father and then by her husband. Along with the racial prejudice young, black women endure, they also tend to struggle against their black, male counterparts. Sofia always fought her brothers, and we see how she has to fight Harpo to assert her equality. Likewise, the Olinka tribe do not believe in educating their women, and although there are no reports of abuse against women by men in Nettie’s letters, female subservience is unchallenged, and the debasing initiation ceremony continues without contestexcept from Nettie and her family. Under such conditions, if they want to change the status quo, these women must stick together against male oppression. In fact, the one time that Celie is too disturbed to sleep is when she betrays Sofia by telling Harpo to beat her; the disloyalty to her fellow female is more than she can bear. Usually, however, there is a strong union of support between one woman and another, and this bonding comes from a need to unbalance the male view of themselves that they have total authority over women in their society. The woman who manages to challenge this male dominance the most is Shug, who asserts her independence by living according to her own laws. It is unsurprising, given the circumstances, that Celie and Shug become involved romantically. Shug is a powerful goddess who refuses to be brought down by men, ever vigilant to maintain the upper hand. Celie is a victim of male abuse who has closed herself off from the possibility of trusting men. When she comforts Harpo, who is crying on the porch, she feels nothing more than she would for a dog. Together, these females free each other: Shug teaches Mary Agnes to sing, Albert’s sister takes Celie shopping when no one else does, Sofia’s sisters look after her children while she is in jail, Nettie writes to Celie and looks after her children for thirty years, Doris Baines sends her wives to England for their education, Eleanor Jane cooks nourishing food for Henrietta, and Celie nurses Shug back to health and inspires her songwriting. More than all this, Shug and Celie loves each other with a very strong love born from isolation, desire for something better, and acceptance of one another. By the end of the novel, these women are no longer powerless; they have joined forces and are forging their own lives. Color Shug is often described in colorful terms: she is rouged in the photograph Celie first sees of her and twice wears seductive bright red dresses during the course of Celie’s records. She also gives Celie yellow fabric for her quilt. These bright, exuberant colors are full of energy. Contrastingly, the clothes Celie is able to choose from when she goes shopping with Kate are brown, maroon, or navy blue because Kate doesn’t think Mr. ______ will want to pay for her preferred red or purple because they look too happy. When Mary Agnes first starts writing her own songs, they are songs about color: they call me yellow/like yellow be my name. As she tries to find her identity apart from her skin color, Mary Agnes explores the shades of color that lie beneath her skin, in her personalityfinding these colors within gives her the voice to sing. When Shug and Celie discuss their idea of God, Shug explains that God is in everything and that God is the beauty in nature. Shug points specifically to the color purple (traditionally a color of royalty) and wonders how such a color could grow naturally. Purple seems rare in nature. It as though the color itself were a manifestation of God. Transcendence and relationships By the end of the novel Celie has experienced love, started her own business, and learned to accept herself. She is a very different woman from the fourteen-year-old at the beginning. She becomes closer to Mr. ______ through their shared love of Shug and then by their listening to and relating to one another. The lessons both Mr. ______ and Celie learn teach them about themselves, which in turn gives them the confidence to talk to one another without any preconceived ideas of the roles they each fit into. Friendship becomes a vehicle for people to change and grow out of their original selves. Many of the relationships are disturbed over the course of the novel but are later restored: Sofia returns to her family and to Harpo, Shug returns from her travels with Germaine, and Nettie arrives home with Celie’s children. In these cases, people grow and change separately before coming back together. Although they each travel their own journey and learn their own lessons, when the relationships are restored they are bonded by family and friendships that transcend the pain of the past and the earlier roles that had caused tension.

Murder Mysteries. :: English Literature

Murder Mysteries. Murder mysteries have a motive to start off the investigation. They also always have detectives, murder, an alibi, victims, weapons, evidence, a twist in the tale, and suspense. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. The location and the setting are some of main factors for murder mysteries. If a murder mystery doesn't contain any of these, it cannot be defined as a murder mystery. You could say that these are the backbone to this genre of story. Roald Dahl wrote Lamb to the Slaughter. It was first published in 1954. Lamb to the Slaughter is written in the speech of the time the story was published. In Lamb to the Slaughter the use of present day, modern language automatically gives the impression that it is written in this time of the century. Roald Dahl is more famous for writing children's stories. In his adult stories he always writes about ordinary people who get involved in difficult situations. Lamb to the Slaughter is more prominent as an adult's story. This story is a murder mystery and is one of the two short stories that I am going to investigate. The other short story, which I will be investigating, is The Speckled Band. The Speckled Band was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was first published in 1892. The Speckled Band is also written in the speech of the late 19th century. The language of that time seemed to be much more formal, accurate English and much less colloquial language was used. Using a language like this gives the book the atmosphere of that time. It is one of the books from the Sherlock Holmes series. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle established a tradition of detective fiction and modern detective fiction tries to continue this tradition. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous and popular detectives in the world. Holmes was similar to a super hero in that time. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle cancelled the publication of Sherlock Holmes the public was devastated to read about the death of the detective. Men in London wore black armbands as a mark of respect. It got so bad that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even received death threats so he had to bring him back. Sherlock Holmes was re-born. This just shows how popular, realistic and believable Sherlock Holmes stories really are. The reason Sherlock Holmes stories were so much in demand is because of their enchanting and realistic characteristics and settings. The stories are very descriptive and it gives you a clear picture of what is happening in them and the settings create an entrancing and mysterious atmosphere. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses a formula in his

How Sassoon Captures the Brutality, Futility and Horror of Trench Warfare Towards His Audiences Essay

â€Å"I am not protesting against the conduct of the war, but against the political errors and insincerities for which the fighting men are being sacrificed.† – Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon was a well known English poet who had gained recognition by writing about his experiences in the trenches as a soldier during WWI. Sassoon uses his experience to express the suffering he had undertaken on the battlefield which were described as brutalising, horrific and an unjustifiable waste of human lives. Thus it is through these practices that allow Sassoon to capture the brutality, futility and horror of trench warfare towards his audiences. Throughout all the works of Sassoon, four poems have stood out to demonstrate these three themes. Brutality being illustrated through ‘Counter Attack’ and ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, ‘ The Hero’ and ‘Does it Matter?’ demonstrating futility whilst ‘‘Counter Attack’ and Ã¢â‚¬Ë œSuicide in the Trenches’ expressing horror. Brutality – the trait of extreme cruelty. ‘Counter Attack’ illustrates brutality through the quote â€Å"And butchered, frantic gestures of the dead,† a hyperbole and metaphor has been used to create this ferocious scene. Juxtaposition has also been used to express the soldiers’ movements’ in contrast to those from the dead. With the use of these techniques it allows the audience to visualise the brutal aftermath of an all too common battle. â€Å"Down, and down, and down, he sank and drowned,† repetition of the word ‘down’ has been employed emphasising the soldiers’ brutal death as well as generating harsh, visual imagery. In ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, the statement â€Å"The hell where youth and laughter go,† juxtaposition is utilised to reveal that war is of horror and viciousness which is comparable to hell in taking away the innocence of soldiers. Also, â€Å"He put a bullet through his brai n,† Sassoon has made this statement extremely direct and clinical giving it a dramatic effect when reading. There is the use of vivid imagery which assists in displaying the brutal reality of men in the trenches where they would commit suicide just to escape war. Futility – the quality of having no useful result, useless/lack of importance or purpose. Within the poem ‘The Hero’, quotes â€Å"And no one seemed to care except that lonely woman with white hair,† and â€Å"We mothers are so proud of our dead soldiers,† emotive language has taken place in these 2 statements enabling the audience to realize how futile war was back then because once the soldiers fought and died, no-one seemed to care that they had given up their lives. â€Å"He thought how ‘Jack’,  cold-footed, useless swine.† A metaphor has been applied to the words ‘cold-footed’ to give an idea that the solider was being compared to a hopeless pig along with the fact he was scared and a coward when going to fight. Thus this portrays futility by describing how the soldier was picked to fight for his country but lacked off – not being useful when needed. Although in the poem, ‘Does it Matter?’ this phrase has been repeated a number of times all through the poem through the utilisation of a rhetorical question inquiring the audience if going to war and fighting for your country really mean anything. As well as, a sarcastic tone has been put in place due to the questions that Sassoon asks his audiences are bizarre, such as, â€Å"Does it matter? – losing your legs?† and â€Å"Does it matter? – losing your sight?† It is through these quotes and techniques that allow Sassoon to emphasise on the theme of futility and how once you fight for your country and come into contact with all sorts of injuries, no one really cares – hence conveying the message it was pointless to go to war and a waste of time. Horror – an intense feeling of fear, sh ock or disgust. In the poem ‘Counter Attack’, the line â€Å"Bullets spat†, personification has been applied to give audiences an unpleasant image of war. Onomatopoeia has been employed to add sound effects along with creating scenery and surroundings of where the soldiers fought. It is with these techniques that the theme horror is generated as audiences would fear where the bullets would hit them – bullets coming from all different directions. Furthermore, â€Å"Wallowed like trodden sand-bags loosely filled,† a simile has been engaged here to compare the soldiers to sand bags that roll loosely when fighting. Consequently, this highlights horror to Sassoon’s audiences as he wanted to fright and remind his audience of how rough the circumstances were of where the soldiers fought. Throughout the poem ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, the line â€Å"Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,† personification is adopted by constructing a lonely and isolated background on top of symbolising fear due to soldiers sleeping by themselves in the trenches and do not know what will happen – if they will wake up dead or alive. â€Å"With crumps and lice and lack of rum,† the word ‘and’ uses repetition when listing the endless, disastrous events that Sassoon went through. Imagery has also been exploited to show the bad conditions of the trenches back then. Therefore, horror has been depicted from the bad conditions Sassoon had to live in as a result  revolting audiences. It is through these works of Sassoon that has given us and insight and understanding of what war was like back then. Through the numerous techniques used by Sassoon it has allowed us, as an audience to understand and empathise with Sassoon about the brutalising and horrifying circumstances of war.

The Case Of Jennifer And Jianshe Li - 952 Words

Case Study Journal Two The case of Jennifer and Jianshe Li would be extremely challenging and difficult for any counselor/therapist to handle and guide the couple through; furthermore, the goal would be to guide the couple thorough the difficult decisions they have to make regarding Jennifer’s prognosis and pregnancy. As a helper, there would be many issues involved; in addition, there would be some extremely sensitive material the worker would have to deal with. My main purpose would be to guide them through the process. First of all. Jennifer has been diagnosed with a progressive disorder of the on the central nervous system, which is linked to genetics. I would recommend they ask the specialist how the pregnancy could affect Jennifer. Would the pregnancy be detrimental to her health? I would suggest getting a second and a third opinion. Would the fetus survive if it was afflicted with the disease? These are questions that only a specialist in neurology would be able to answer. I would help them l ook for a specialist who is familiar with the disease; consequently, it would be beneficial to find an expert who has dealt with it before. I would help the couple research the disease, then they can take it from there. There are two routes for this couple; therefore, they can select to have their child and try to minimize the risks. It was their dream to have a child, and I can empathize due I love my children. If the specialist came to the conclusion that the pregnancy might