I am not very good at understanding poetry and I’m even worse at writing it. I don’t entirely dislike poetry; I am just not good at poetry-based writing assignments. I think poetry can be very interesting, but most of the time I’m bad at discerning metaphors. I think writers, and especially poets, have a lot…
Module 4 Discussion 4.2
The Narrator of Sonny’s Blues mentions two darknesses, referring to the physical darkness of Harlem and the metaphorical darkness in people’s lives. Sonny and the Narrator’s lives have both been pretty dark, with Sonny being addicted to drugs and the Narrator’s daughter Grace dying young. A little while before the Narrator’s mother dies, she tells…
Module 4 Discussion 4.1
In the short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” the protagonist is the narrator of the tale. The narrator is confused by Bartleby, and Bartleby eventually causes an internal change in the narrator from his strange demeanor. Aside from the narrator’s character growth over the course of the story, the narrator is also an important to the…
Fences by August Wilson Critical Essay
Themes are an important part of any story. They impart lessons on the reader, help the reader understand the writer’s views on certain topics and in general just make a story more well-rounded. This essay will take a look at what I think are some of the most important themes in Fences by August Wilson….
Module 14 Discussion 14.2
Troy Maxson is the main character of Fences by August Wilson, and he is a Tragic Hero. A Tragic Hero is a protagonist who is heroic but has some flaw or weakness that leads to their downfall or demise. Troy is a Tragic Hero because even though he wanted to become a better man than…
Module 14 Discussion 14.1
Fences by August Wilson could be compared to Othello by Shakespeare. Both of the plays share themes of racial discrimination and are at least in part about how the main character feels outcasted by society. Due to the discrimination that both characters faced, they feel the need to prove themselves to others, so they’ll be…
Module 13 Discussion 13.2
I enjoyed the play more than the rest of Shakespeare’s works, mostly because I had never read it before. I was forced to read plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth almost every year throughout elementary, middle and high school. After a while, reading the same things over and over gets boring. I thought…
Module 13 Discussion 13.1
One of the reasons tragic plays feel so tragic is because of the hopelessness in the final act. Even though the ending may seem like it was fated to occur, that doesn’t mean the reader has to feel good about it. Othello himself is considered a tragic hero archetype due to his own flaws bringing…
Module 12 Discussion 12.2
Othello is a tragedy, and also a Shakespearean play, so obviously there is going to be bad things happening in the story. The play’s setting so far reminds me of Macbeth, with noblemen in power being the main characters. However, instead of the mastermind being the main character he is the villain of the story….
Module 12 Discussion 12.1
Lago is a charismatic character, yet he is also deeply manipulative. He uses his understanding of other people to root out their weakness and turn it against them. This means that the people he hurts are not only his victims, but victims of their own flaws. This is not unusual for a tragedy, as one…