An Analysis of Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery Essay Example

An Analysis of Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery Essay Example An Analysis of Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery Paper An Analysis of Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery Paper Essay Topic: Everything I Never Told You The Lottery and Other Stories Young Goodman Brown and Other Hawthorne Short Stories An Analysis and Comparing of Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown and Shirley Jacksons The Lottery There was a time when majority of Americans were preoccupied with religion. Well, it can also be argued that even in the 21st century most Americans are still into religion but nothing compares to the sincere devotion and strict adherence to religious precepts by those who lived a century ago. They were sometimes called Puritans or Quakers or simply devout Christians. And the atmosphere of religious zeal influenced every fabric of society and as a result literary figures in that era and even those who rose to prominence in the early part of the 20th century could not help but write about God, his saints, and the consequences of righteousness or sin. As far as literature is concerned everything turn out for the good for in the same age classical works flowed from the pens of great writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Shirley Jackson. Two of their respective works will be analyzed in this study. This paper will take a closer look at Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown and try to understand it using basic rules of characterization. The proponent of this paper will also try to figure out what Hawthorne was trying to say to his generation and the implications of such insights in todays world. Moreover, another classical work will be examined, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson as it is also one of great works out there with religious undertones and yet complicated enough to challenge even the most wary of readers. Characterization It is a fact that it is much easier to describe what happened to the characters in the story rather than to describe the characters as in doing a characterization. Arp, Johnson and Perrine were able to put it succinctly when they made the following remarks: Analyzing characterization is more difficult than describing plot, for human character is infinitely complex, variable, and ambiguous. Anyone can summarize what a person in a story has done, but a writer needs considerable skill and insight into human beings to describe convincingly who a person is. Even the most complicated plot in a detective story puts far less strain on our understanding than does human nature (2006). To aid in the understanding of the characters in the two short stories, British novelist E. M. Forster pointed out that there are two types of characters: 1) flat and 2) round ( see Arp, Johnson and Perrine, 2006). Flat characters were never developed by the author for a reason and one reason is to allow the reader to focus on the protagonist of the story. Round characters on the other hand are described more in detail and the author allowed more space to describe the development of this particular character because in most cases they are the main characters. It is interesting to note that while a typical story requires the presence of both flat and round characters there are others that can still be as effective even if the story is populated with only â€Å"flat† characters. This is the case with Jacksons The Lottery according to Arp, Johnson and Perrine (2006). And indeed it is interesting as to how Jackson was able to get away with, presenting the reader with only two dimensional characters lacking depth and juicier details that would have satisfied the curiosity of the reading public. But Jackson was not deterred and it added to the power of the narrative about a small town agog about a game of chance with lethal consequences. The Lottery Now, there may be some who will disagree with the idea that Shirley Jacksons masterpiece has religious undertones. Well, that is understandable because there is no mention of any deity in the story. In fact the only major landmark that the author pointed out was the post office and the bank in the middle of the town, suggesting that it is a typical small town during that time. On the other hand it is very clear that Shirley Jackson was trying to economize in her use of words and she omitted the obvious knowing fully well that the audience are well aware that America during this period are very used to another major landmark aside from the two already mentioned. The fact that Jackson did not mention the Church building speaks loudly about her assumptions – the audience already knew the people in the narrative were religious, if not deeply religious. But there is also another reason why one can deduce religious undercurrents and it is the usage of stoning a person to death – or simply stoning her to cause extreme amounts of pain as no one knows if the character died or not – as a ritual to satisfy a religious command. Again, others may counter that Hutchinson was stoned not because it was a religious edict but simply because the people were irritated by her complaints. But there are other evidences that will point to the contrary first of all the stones were already prepared beforehand. The instrument of death was conveniently located where the people can have access to it – piled near the square. Secondly, the word lottery has nothing to do with its modern connotations of grand prizes and multi-millionaire winners. No, on the contrary it was a mechanism to single out a person from a group. And one is reminded of Biblical story where Achan a soldier in the Israelite army refuses to confess his sins, a â€Å"drawing of lots† had to be done to figure out who among the multitudes was guilty of a despicable sin. In the Biblical narrative the offending party had to be narrowed down by first finding out what clan and then what family and finally the lot fell to Achan. Now, there is just so much similarity. In Jacksons tale it was narrowed down to the Hutchinson family and then finally it was narrowed down to the mother, Tessie Hutchinson. And that explains the reason for concluding that religion is the basis for stoning the woman in the story. The attempt to get a good grasp of the story can sometimes become frustrating. And there is only one simple explanation, there is a scarcity of information or seen from another angle there is too much information but not enough to make any connections. For instance there is the Dunbar family which was placed in the narrative for a purpose but it is not obvious to the reader as to the exact reason why Jackson included them in the narrative. But the simpler explanation is really the dearth of information that gives plenty of room for speculation and the possibility of getting lost in ones thoughts as he or she tries to piece it all together. Very little is known about the characters in fact it is very hard to determine which one is the main character. Others would conclude that the heroine was Tessie Hutchinson because it can be argued that she was murdered unjustly as a result of a game of chance. But prior to the stoning there was nothing written to help the readers achieve a deeper understanding of Mrs. Hutchinsons character. When things began to make sense, the story was ended abruptly. Now, others praise the economy of words and infer that it must have been designed that way to create a modern day parable but even going this route does not satisfy because a basic study of parables does not leave a person wanting for more. In fact Biblical parables although much shorter than Jacksons tale does not leave the audience guessing as to what was the moral of the story. In the popular Sunday school parable of a The Foolish Builder – a man who decided to build on sand was rewarded with calamity as the shifting foundation could not hold up the recently completed structure. At the end of the story, those who are eager to listen were admonished to build on the rock which is more stable and much stronger than sand – and no one can miss that lesson. But in the lottery story what was the point of all that? Some critics find common ground in saying that the moral of the story is to resist the evil of herd mentality where the power of the mob rules over reason and also the stupidity of not questioning traditions. Beach et al. explains this phenomenon, â€Å"The townspeople blindly adhere to community traditions regardless of their destructiveness; when some townspeople begin to question this practice, noting that a nearby town discontinued the lottery, an older man comments, Weve always had a lottery, reflecting blind adherence to status quo community norms† (2006). This is an acceptable argument but there are still some unanswered questions, such as whether the stoning was part of the tradition or was it merely a violent reaction to Mrs. Hutchinsons protest? Young Goodman Brown Although Nathaniel Hawthornes work is arguably a byproduct of genius it can be said that this one is easier to understand than Jacksons short story. In Young Goodman Brown the reader is taken to familiar territory. There is one round character and a host of flat characters whose interactions blends well to create a fictional world able to instruct the reader about the danger of falling away from their faith. Unlike the previous work of fiction there is a wealth of background information that can be used to fully understand Hawthornes work. For instance Michael McCabe research allowed a glimpse into old world America where Puritans were a great influencer of society and McCabe wrote, â€Å"Puritan doctrine taught that all men are totally depraved and require constant self-examination to see that they are sinners and unworthy of Gods grace. Because man had broken the covenant of works when Adam had eaten from the tree God offered a new covenant to Abrahams people which held that election to Heaven was merely a possibility† (1998). This piece of information illuminates, it gives the reason as to why the story was told that way. Goodman Brown was vexed with an almost schizophrenic existence always suspicious and imagining that everyone around him is not one hundred percent sincere with their motives and this is because he is merely reflecting the anguish he is feeling inside as a result of the legalistic pressure coming from the Puritan society. Conclusion Two works of fiction can be compared and contrasted by simply studying the characters. In Jackson’s masterpiece all the characters are flat characters and she did not allow one to develop more fully than the others. It was already late into the story when the reader realized the importance of Mrs. Hutchinson and by that time the story was ended abruptly. This technique added to the popularity of the story as more and more people find it a challenge to interpret it correctly. On the other hand Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is very much interesting in two ways. The first one is due to its ability to bring the audience into a place where he can get a glimpse of what America was like a few centuries ago; the impact of religion constructive and destructive – able to build and at the same time destroy if paranoia and legalism are allowed to roam free. Secondly, Hawthorne was able to demonstrate his genius by manipulating rules about characterization. It has been said that flat characters need no further description because the reader had enough stock knowledge about this type of character. For instance the Sheriff is tough and yet fair, a symbol of law and order. But in the story of Goodman Brown the flat characters did not stay true to the assigned roles. The minister did not stay pure but became the leader of the witch coven and that the pure young ladies in Church where actually guilty of abortion.

Combining Sentences

Combining Sentences Combining Sentences Combining Sentences By Mark Nichol One cure for flabby prose is greater attention to more lean, muscular writing by, whenever possible, creating a subordinate clause for one sentence by combining another sentence with it. Here are five examples of this approach. 1. Robert Gordon Sproul was a member of the University of California’s class of 1912. He was appointed to serve as comptroller of the university in 1914 and then served as president from 1930 to 1958. The two pieces of biographical information can be unified into one sentence by deleting was in the first sentence and making the rest of the statement a parenthetical, then deleting the subject of the second sentence and combining the subject and parenthesis of the first with the rest of the second: â€Å"Robert Gordon Sproul, a member of the University of California’s class of 1912, was appointed to serve as comptroller of the university in 1914 and then served as president from 1930 to 1958.† 2. â€Å"Senate Bill 7 had been written by the Water and Forest Association. It called for the creation of an unpaid three-member commission.† These sentences can be combined with the same procedure as used in the previous example, but the context may require the addition of which and the retention of â€Å"had been†: â€Å"Senate Bill 7, which had been written by the Water and Forest Association, called for the creation of an unpaid three-member commission.† 3. â€Å"The group meets once a week. During each meeting, students participate in a mini-lesson that explains specific conventions or spelling patterns.† Here, cannibalize the first sentence to insert modifying words or phrases based on the two nouns into the second one: â€Å"During each weekly meeting, students in the group participate in a mini-lesson that explains specific conventions or spelling patterns.† 4. He started work on a project he called Real Life/Reel Life. It was based on a book called Screen Test: How Movie Stars Separate Real Life and Reel Life. Alter the first few words of the second sentence to change it to an introductory subordinate clause, then attach the first sentence to it as the main clause: â€Å"Inspired by a book called Screen Test: How Movie Stars Separate Real Life and Reel Life, he started work on a project he called Real Life/Reel Life.† 5. â€Å"The documentary was based on Major Alexander De Severksy’s book Victory through Air Power, which was published in 1942. The book made the case that the nature of war was changing dramatically.† The easiest revision, â€Å"The documentary, based on Major Alexander De Severksy’s book Victory through Air Power (published in 1942), made the case that the nature of war was changing dramatically,† changes the meaning somewhat, attaching the thesis to the documentary rather than the book (which may be valid, as both the book and film may make the case). Here’s an alternative that preserves the intent of the original sentences: â€Å"The documentary was based on Major Alexander De Severksy’s book, Victory through Air Power, published in 1942, which made the case that the nature of war was changing dramatically.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†Among vs. Amongst10 Types of Hyphenation Errors

The Power of Story - A Game for Adult Students

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The Summary of African Queen Movie Applying Thomas Fosters Terms Review

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Organizational Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Organizational Behavior - Essay Example Becoming a better leader is an important and worthy cause. Good leaders are able to motivate and improve the performance of the employees. Being a charismatic leader can be beneficial, but charismatic leadership is not the only effective form of leadership. Other leadership styles such as transformational and transactional leadership can help a manager lead a company in a productive manner. Behavioral theories and situational contingency theories can also be used by managers to improve leadership. Workplace diversity is a critical driver of innovation in an organization. The reason that diversity helps foster innovation is because a diverse workforce is more creative than a homogeneous workforce. The human resource department is responsible for hiring a diverse workforce composition within an enterprise. I believe that a lot of innovative companies have a diverse workforce. Due to the globalization movement many multinational firms operate in various countries simultaneously. These firms have to be adept at dealing with workforce diversity issues. Creativity within a workforce leads to product innovation. Do you think that motivation is best fostered with extrinsic rewards such as money or do you think that organizations and leaders should strive to develop intrinsic motivation (love of job, making a difference, etc.)? I believe that the most effective motivator is the use of extrinsic rewards. People at work are motivated by financial rewards. Some financial rewards often used by corporations include bonuses, commissions, and stock option plans. Intrinsic rewards can be effective as a secondary type of motivator. A firm can become more â€Å"asshole resistant† by recruiting employees that have strong moral character. The implementation of a code of ethics can create standards of conduct that the employees of a company must follow. High ethical conduct is desirable in all the

Compare and contrast California's 2011 Statewide Redistricting Process Essay

Compare and contrast California's 2011 Statewide Redistricting Process with the one done in 2001. Will the new process live up t - Essay Example Would 2011 redistricting when appropriately done help to ensure that every voter is equally represented unlike previous redistricting of 2001? This paper thus compares the 2011 and 2001 redistricting of California State. Introduction As compared to 2001 redistricting the 2011 redistricting disagreements appears to start again in California (Rosen). This has been sparked by the recently redistricting reform proposals that were offered by Governor of California state, Democratic legislators as well as lobby groups and ordinary citizens. Throughout their proposals, these legislatures and activists embrace that redistricting should be done by an independent commission. According to researches, this observations redistricting by 2011 would result to be one of the best ever experienced California. This would be because the opportunity the process would allow citizens to decide democratically the mapping of their administration through the independent commission elected by their leaders bas ed on the authority vested to them (Maviglio 38). These commissions are as established by the people and the federal government. For instance: Advisory Commission: establishes suggestions which are handed over to legislative. These suggestions can be adopted or rejected by the legislature. The advisory commission is practiced in Vermont as well as in Maine. Primary commissions: this team has the independent mandate to formulate and implement redistricting projections. States that practice this type of arrangement are New Jersey, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Alaska, Arkansas, Washington, and California (Cressman 6). Backup Commissions: convenes only when the legislature has failed to enact redistricting program. In such events, this commission has the capacity of drawing new district boundaries. This type of commission is active in Connecticut Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas and Mississippi. Thomas of Brookings Institute observes that after every ten as stipulated by the governme nt of the United States, a census is conducted in the all States which is used to readjust population figures throughout the country (Statewide Database). These established population figures would then applied to determine redistricting which is the re-drawing of state legislative district and Congressional leadership. Evaluations indicate that immediately the census outcomes have been released, states would be commissioned to carry out the redistricting activities. In considerable number of states the activities of redistricting are led by the state governor and legislature. In California boundaries determine administrative lines of Board of Equalization districts and Assembly. Currently, the California State Legislature draws those lines themselves. However, due to politicization this has resulted to decreased number of persons turning out for census as well as redistricting (Bickerstaff 45). For instance, Thomas of Brookings Institute (Maviglio 43) intimated that some Congressio nal Districts are systematically crafted inkblots. In such districts, voters might be made to think that they choose elected officials, however it’s the elected leaders who choose them. However, the legislative redistricting, carried out by an independent commission comprising partisan appointees, would be less egregious. This arrangement has received consent from political scientists who agree that an independent co

Eating disorders Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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