Everyone has a different way to deal with overwhelming situations. It can be more difficult for people with mental illness to cope with the hardships of life. For instance, in “Horses of the Night,” the character of Chris has dissociative symptoms that can be linked to his depression. Margaret Laurence’s short story tells the story of Chris, a young teenager who moves to from a small farm to the town of Manawaka in order to go to high school. The story is told by his younger cousin, Vanessa. As she grows up, she learns that Chris is depressed. The author uses the theme of fantasy to show that he does not cope well with reality. The horses, Shallow Creek, and the children are symbols that show us the fantasy that Chris lives in. The author uses the symbol of Shallow Creek to show how Chris needs to escape reality. Chris embellishes his description of the old shack he lived in because he can’t live in poverty. He describes the ranch in the way he wished it was: “It’s made out of trees grown right there besides the lake.” (page 579) He does this not to impress Vanessa, but because he is incapable of accepting the reality he lives in. In the fantasy world that he lives in, everything is how he dreams it was, even the lake: It’s more like an inland sea. It goes on for ever and ever amen, that’s how it looks. And you know what? Millions of years ago, before there were any human beings at all, that lake was full of water monsters. All different kinds of dinosaurs. They all died
Teenagers are seen as the most apathetic age group time and time again; with growing problems in today’s world concerning politics, the economy, and social issues, it’s no wonder the youth of today are they way they are. There is little to no hope for them to completely change everything for the better without help from the older generations. The youth should be able to live freely, as they choose without the restriction of older generation’s strict standards like the absolute necessity of a good reputation. Some choose to live their lives to the fullest, like John Grady from All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy. He and Alejandra risk overwhelming prejudice to be together. The passionate environment of the lake scene is reflected using
In the short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, by David Herbert Lawrence, there is this family, as the family wants to keep their economic status, the mom want’s to have money all the time. The Mom has a mental mindset of the family being rich, as she believes that she has money, but in reality, the family is not rich and they have no money as they are in debt. The mom is unhappy as the parent's marriage is unsatisfactory, the mom thought she was lucky before she got married to her husband, so she thinks that her husband gave her bad luck. Both parents have no luck. The mom does not like her own children. The mom tells his son Paul, that she and Dad have no luck. This short story has many secrets that various of the characters keep from one another. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, the theme is a Moral Obligation as Hester the mom does not like her kids and only her and the kids know, Paul keeps from his mom that him, uncle Oscar, and Bassett have been betting on horse races and that the “Rocking-Horse” gives Paul luck.
‘The Horses’, by Edwin Muir, is a poem which forced me to think about the unthinkable – the annihilation of humankind as a result of a nuclear war. Paradoxically, however, Muir seems to me to take an optimistic view of such an event. In my essay I intend to give a synopsis of the poem and discuss some of the techniques that Muir employs to get his message across. I will discuss his use of Biblical language and imagery, the structure of the poem, his rhythm and rhyme and his use of symbolism.
The short story “Horses of the Night” by Margaret Laurence is told from the point of view of a young girl named Vanessa but mostly focused upon her older cousin Chris. Chris begins as an imaginative, optimistic, and hopeful boy set on his dreams for the world. As the story progresses, Chris is demoralized by life to the point where he no longer seems to be what he once was. The final breaking point appears when he begins to fight in the war and is sent home to a mental hospital after eventually going insane. A skillfully woven horse motif gives insight to Chris’s inner thoughts as well as the theme of the piece.
The course of action an individual pursues is due to one’s motivation, weather that may be personal influences, or influences from others in the community. The motivation one finds helps them to jumpstart their chosen course of action, and guide them through the journey. In Margaret Laurence’s short story “Horses of the Night” Chris, demonstrates how his motivation conducts him through his excursion of life. The varying sources help to influence and guide him through these decisions and impact hid course of action. Chris’ motivation is revealed through his need of escapism, hints of pathetic fallacy, and how his family situation affects him and helps develop his chosen actions.
Analysis of a poem- Horses by Edwin Muir It is said that one should forget the past and live in the present It is said that one should forget the past and live in the present. However, Edwin Muir’s ‘Horses’ is a poem of past memories only. The interesting part is that it deals with many conflicts and issues which are prevalent even today.
In the story “Horseman,” by Richard Russo, a young English professor, Janet Moore, explores the complexities of her marriage, academic, and social life. The plot of the story, which jumps around the presence and the past memory, may seem diverse and confusing. However, in the end, Russo deliberately combines those layers, illustrates the interrelations of Janet’s experiences and relationships, and efficiently delivers Janet’s thoughts and her self-evaluation.
The lake itself plays a major role throughout the story, as it mirrors the characters almost exactly. For example, the lake is described as being “fetid and
Quite literally, a brick house. The location of which a lot of the story happens. Owned by Vanessa’s grandfather. “Looked huge and cool from the outside… inside it wasn’t cool at all.” Could possibly represent Grandfather Conner’s cold, ignorant, arrogant attitude and demeanor.
The decimation of a Community is an important aspect of how stability and control are lost in both Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) and Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse (2012). In these culturally unique texts, both protagonists experience the transition from being a part of a community to being unwillingly pushed away from it and seeing it slowly being destroyed. The result of both protagonists being forced out of their beloved communities causes them to go down a spiral path thereby losing control and stability in their lives. The progression in which stability and control are possessed and then lost in both novels forces the characters to adapt to the changes at hand.
One 's actions are first sparked by their goals and passions, but as they grow, outer forces invade those thoughts and make them clouded, their passions start to fade and eventually disappear. As children, we dream about what we want to be when we grow up. We have hope in our eyes, and nothing can hold us back. As we grow and learn, we are forced into realization of the harsh realities we live in, making our dreams sink. We must decide if we are going to let these forces knock us down, and conform to them, or stand strong and not take 'no ' for an answer. Margaret Laurence allows us to follow the development of Chris and how outer forces effect him in the short story "Horses of the Night".
The author symbolizes the water as transition and spirituality, the lake is symbolized as the elusive badness the boys want so badly. The narrator notices that none of them are as bad as they try to act. After that night the narrator realizes he cannot make it in that life, rather the narrator wants to go to the safety and security of his home and parents.
The retelling of spooky ghost stories has been a favorite activity in many cultures, wether it be around a campfire of written in various articles and book. Perhaps one of the most mysterious supernatural activities can be reported on the islands of Hawaii. Known as the Night Marchers, these spirits have been known to roam the land, revisiting ancient war sites and significant historical landmarks. In the book, “Marchers of the Night” by Helen P. Hoyt, a renowned Hawaiian author, he describes his first experience with the Huaka’ipo, or the Night Marchers. “In all the hundred years of my life I have seen the Marchers of the Night, the Huaka’ipo, only twice…” (Hoyt 1969). He then continues to explain how “on the night of the sixth of August, 1918, a night sacred to Ku, ancient god of all warriors” the Night Marchers, which their torches and pounding drums came to his house in the town of Waianae. Based on the many stories about the Night Marchers and the other cultures around the world who have similar spirits, I will attempt to demonstrate that these ghosts are more fact than fiction.
In his essay, “Horse and Gentlemen,” T.H. Breen describes the cultural significance of gambling, specifically in relation to the quarter-horse races, in late 17th century Virginia. Breen primarily argues that the three main aspects of gambling – competitiveness, materialism, and individualism – reflected and reinforced the socio-economic structure of Virginia in this period. The high stakes wagers of the affluent planters reinforced their dominant status in the social structure and the gentry’s right to rule over this colony. Breen’s argument to this effect is supported by letters, court transcripts, documentation of wagers, and other written first-hand accounts. Breen’s case for the cultural significance of gambling has persuasive arguments for its representation of competitiveness and materialism. However, his argument for individualism has contrary elements and his essay would have been improved with the inclusion of women’s role in the gambling culture.
In a time period where things are evolving and changing, the Author Cormac portrays John Grady as someone living within the old western “cowboy civilization”. Although John Grady is moving into a much progressive era, he would rather engage himself in the life of the land, cattle and that of his passion, the horses. The world John was used to is becoming more modern and although he is not blind, he is unwilling to give up the past and accept the present. Grady still embraced his desire to be a true cowboy even in his journey to Mexico he attempted to act on that philosophy but the new time and his experiences came to a fore front as he was forced to mature and to proceed through life abiding by the new rules before him.