Cristina's Writing Portfolio

Writing Portfolio of Cristina Marcella Willison

2008 2009

Table of Contents:

I. Forward

II. College Essay--“Possible”

III. Comparison Between “The Things They Carried” and “Slaughter-House Five”

IV. Position Paper on “The Destructors”

V. “Frankenstein” Essay

VI. “Helen” Essay

VII. “Othello” Literary Criticisms

VIII. “The Pawnbroker” Group Essay

IX. “Middlemarch” Prose Response

X. Open-Ended Question on “The Catcher in the Rye”

Forward

Having flourished since infancy in a bilingual environment, I received little shock

when a passion for languages, which seemed to have been cultivated in my blood,

became evident. From the moment I first etched my name on paper, the art of writing

entered my life as I scribbled on every imaginable surface, shattering any preconceived-

anxiety that my Italian mother tongue prohibit English academic success. Furthermore, I

proudly present products shaped from the skills provided to me by each intuitive and

intelligent English teacher I have had throughout high school. Through their guidance

and advice, I have been able to refine my skills, allowing me to better understand new

literary and technical techniques to create quality pieces which more effectively express

my ideas.

From allusions, multiple conflict types, tone analysis, diction refinement, and

general abstract thinking, my writing has greatly improved, transforming itself into a

crucial aspect of my academic advancement. Significant alterations to my personal

writing include more concise thoughts, better organization, and, in particularly, the

addition of detailed facts, explanations, and, when appropriate, text references to further

support my ideas.

The portfolio is a compilation of a few works written for my senior English class,

all of which were specifically assigned and are first draft essays, therefore still in need of

a few adjustments. However, they represent skills learned and depict the growth of my

writing. I look forward to continue in my language exploration, mature in my writing,

and potentially continue in the addition to the portfolio.

“Possible”

College Essay

            “I am not giving you a donation, I am merely giving back to you what your father

gave to us,” I was told by the president of the Edinburgh Post 33 of the American

Legion.  “Impossible,” I thought. 

            As an eighteen-year-old, I once thought of every miniscule error in life as the

most tragic of situations until the day I was faced with the ultimate setback, the passing

away of my best friend, my father.  Therefore, in a subtle attempt to exude the great

impact my father has had on my life and on the lives of so many others, this essay will

sing of my father’s undying legend, his vivid spirit, and the lasting impact that his lack of

presence has created: a setback that will remain etched into my soul forever.

            My dad, the true epitome of a true friend, was a source of stability, security,

tranquility, and unconditional love in my life, as many fathers are to their children.  After

finding myself with a stressful and demanding high school curriculum for consecutive

years, in addition to the pandemonium of my busy lifestyle, my father’s routine phone

calls transformed into my sole source of serenity.  Quality venting sessions stain my

memory and make evident his genuine care for, and the time he allotted to listen to, my

juvenile concerns.  Among many of my father’s valuable pieces of advice, one that lies at

the core and continues to dance amidst my thoughts is one that he uttered repetitively,

stressing its importance that I obey.  “Don’t mess up like I did; go to college.”  My father

took just as much pride in my rigorous honors courses and in the respectable grades I

received in them as I did in presenting him with them.  He made evident the importance

of prioritization in my daily life, for he took much pride in watching my sister and I

balance education with sports, such as speed skating and gymnastics.  In order to

represent the work ethic and intelligence that both of my parents had diligently instilled

in me, I worked to my fullest potential, and continuously yearned for more.  However,

the day my source of such strong and loving motivation took his last precious breath, due

to an abrupt heart failure that had the temerity to creep into our lives last December, it

seemed as though my own world, my own motivation, my own drive to be all that I can

be, took their last breaths as well.

            Consequently, the second semester of my junior year in high school presented

itself as a blur; a fury of emotion, grief, fear, and unexplainable guilt flooded my body

and kidnapped my brain, allowing myself to forget even the slightest, most simple

academic concepts.  With no hesitation will I state that such plummetting grades as those

that I received are most certainly not representative of my aspirations to attend college

and receive a solid education to my fullest potential, nor was it a representation of my

father’s standards and will for his daughter.

            In addition to the mentioned advisory, my father remained adament in his opinion

that what has been done cannot be reversed, and therefore must be taken advantage of to

make an ideal situation from the initial dilemma.  After his death, both my sister and I

cast aside academic motivations and our passion for skating, as if that were my father’s

will.  Instead, we have recently come to the conclusion that the ultimate way to deal with

such a setback is to do exactly what my father would have told us to do,  “Go, work hard,

skate, have fun, live life now and build a future because life doesn’t last forever.”

            Indeed life does not last forever, and if, perhaps, I had fully comprehended such

thoughts nine months earlier in my life, I potentially would have maintained a

commendable grade performance.  However, as I continue on in my life, I must learn to

remember my father’s motivations and utilize them to inspire myself; I must grasp what

he lent me and run into the world with it.  Instead of begging teachers to change a record

that cannot be undone, I must instead present colleges with the best of my abilities and

convince them that the promise I made to my father is a promise I will keep:  I will

overcome and use my experience to benefit myself, as well as my prospective university.

I will breathe each breath for my father, who no longer has the chance to inhale the sweet

air of life.

            “Impossible,” I thought, “that anyone can provide an equilibrium to my father’s

giving spirit, not even the American Legion.”  Unless, of course, I make him proud.

A True Story

Traditionally, the word “hero” floods the minds of humanity with cliché’ thoughts

of being one who defies human capabilities in a magical, Hercules-type quest and, bye

chance, escapes any possibilities of defeat.  However, in the anti-war novels

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien,

the universal ideas of the qualifications for a her are ultimately challenged.  From

Vonnegut’s one-dimensional, Christ-like figure, extending to O’Brien’s controversial

unfolding of a seemingly-cowardice character, the world of literature encounters two

novels with contrasting approaches, yet ultimately cimilar themes.

            Early in the novel, O’Brien already demonstrates an idea which contradicts most

conventional, particularly American, thoughts.  As the narrator, divergent from the author

himself, quote, “I was a coward.  I went to war,” (The Things They Carried, p. 60),

O’Brien defines one who goes to war as a coward, whereas typcally soldiers are thought

to be heroic.  He poises the question as to how exactly the world should define a hero.  In

contrast, Kurt Vonnegut commences Slaughterhouse-Five by presenting his audience

with a character who parallels directly Jesus Christ, portraying the illusion that because of

such a smiliar identity, he too carries with him such heroism.  Billy Pilgrim accepts both

the good and the bad in life as presented with them.  Nearly mimicking Christ’s promise

of time, Billy Pilgrim believes time is eternal and will again present itself, for every

moment occurs simultaneously forever, further demonstrating a Christ-like persona. 

When faced with death, Billy Pilgrim exutes little fear, and accepts his allotted bullet

peacfeully.  All along, as Christ foresaw his own death, Billy Pilgrim lives his life the

same while carrying with him the knowledge of his own death soon approaching him. 

Additionally, Billy Pilgrim gave his shooter another try at hitting him, which alludes back

to the famous Biblical quote, “Turn the other cheek.”  Therefore, is this not a legitimate

hero, one who foresees his unfortunate fate, yet nonetheless voluntarily stands before a

ball of led which carries with it the dullness of death? 

            Although potentially perceived as a legitimate “yes”, the response to the

previousely mentioned question remains controversial due to the additional, ulitmate

question:  What, exactly, did Billy Pilgrim die for, to protect another, for a special cause,

or in order to prove an important idea?  Although ridiculed and chosen by the

Tralfamadorians as the “chosen one” with no rhyme or reason to him being chosen, Billy

Pilgrim has never entirely overcome his delemmas.  Throughout the entire novel he

experiences ridicule simply because of his passive nature, yet is never faced with any

unbearable challenge.  From observances of character, one would not be off track to

make an inference that, if Billy had not been faced with such challenges, it is doubtful

that he would do much to take initiative to help a cause, or to martyr himself as he has

done in the book.

            Contrary to Billy’s lack of courageous tasks, young lieutenant Jimmy Cross, in

The Things They Carried,  carried an abuindance more than merely a gun and a pack.  In

fact, with initals identical to Jesus Christ, he carried quote a heavy reputation, in addition

to the emotions, grievenaces, pain, destiny, and souls of the many men alongside him. 

Additionally, his own personal, internal conflicts often overpowered the energy that

would have better been spent on determining the fate of his men.  When forced with a

challenge, rather than escaping time as Billy Pilgrim luxuriously was able to do, Jimmy

Cross attacked, or made every attempt, to exterminate his problems.  When all failed, a

heavy gult overcame Cross.  “I cared more about Martha thatn I had about my own

men.”  He had an obligation to someone, whereas Billy Pilgrim had an obligation to no

one other than himself. 

            Additionally, due to the sarcastic comments about America’s decision to bomb

Dresden in TTTC, O’Brien makes evident his anti-American, or perhaps simply anti-war

decisions.  Furthermore, by battling the lack of support at home, Jimmy Cross proves

himself as a hero.

            Although the two novels initially contradict themselves, Billy Pilgrim’s attitude

towards life parallels that of a helpless child, whereas, although Jimmy Cross never

physically “won” anything, he carried an entire army of men through one of the worst

times of their life, and of America’s history; a hero.

Position Paper on The Destructors

A universal reflection of humanity, the short story The Destructors, by Graham

Greene, presents itself as a brutal alert to the world of literature. Although evident that

beneath such unfathomable behaviors lies a message to mankind, an explicit purpose to

the author's work remains undefined.

Starring mutiny itself, The Destructors eminates the lasting impression that World

War II had on the Earth's imhabitants everywhere, particularly on young, confused

children. Reminescences of the war's brutality and horrors affecting Jews, Catholics,

soldiers and other minorites or peoples account for the majority of films and novels

recounting the war. However, lack of acknowledgment of those enduring the wretched

fears and visions of the recurring bombings, chaos, and tortures surroundng their homes,

exists. Although potentially physically unharmed, such "everyday" civilians suffered a

traumatic experience nonetheless, and a latent conclusion to the author's purpose is a

symbolic cry to the world representing the silent sufferers of war.

Although debatable, innocence of the young Wormsley Common Gang is not lost;

rather, naivety is gained. Because no anger existed towards Old Misery personally, the

boys' motives for such destruction present a shaky foundation. What possessed the

adolescents to do what they did? Referring back to the potential conclusion that, through

the story, the author represents the silent sufferers of war, an inference may be made that

the Wormsley Common Gang suffers from the inside out, paralleling their plans for the

beautiful house: destruction from the inside out. Although sporting a rough, nonchalant

facade, the gang makes evident their confusion and yearn for what they believe is "only

fair" by destroying the one thing left reminding them of what they lost. They created

themselves through the ancient home: beauty on the outside, shattered glass and nails on

the inside.

Graham Greene places the characters in a situation in which they may choose the

ever-present decision of good or evil. The mentioned idea of naivety exists and is made

evident when, after having chosen evil, the gang leaves the site never having realized

how their actions affect others. Such a thought mimics war itself, the instantaneous

gratification a country receives from bombing another, blind to the many they hurt, such

as the Wormsley Common Gang. Greene uses children because the world accepts such

internal conflict and behavior more easily from a child than an adult, for whatever reason;

however, the gang is a universal symbol of the emptiness felt by all victims of war.

Never explicity revealed, the author's purpose to the complex short story could

vary over a vast variety of ideas. However, an apparent theme eminates from the pages,

one that relates with people globally, politically, morally, and of all ages: one quick

action leaves a lasting impression on the lives of others; and, a potential purpose to the

story is to exemplify the impression made, and how people need not focus solely on the

false external behaviors of another, but rather on the deeper internal conflict that one

must work to bring to the surface.

Frankenstein               From the fantastical story of Hansel and Gretel to the 1981 classic, Siddhartha,

the preconceived notion that mystery protrudes solely in detective novels proves itself

illusory, as a large faction of literature contains the element of mystery. The epic, often

misunderstood novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, particularly shatters such literary

prisms of mystery by cyclically presenting its audience with the monster’s internal

dilemma, the mystery of his existence and purpose in society.  Shelley portrays such lust

through the monster’s internal conflicts, explicitly displayed, and his unfathomable

actions which illuminate the meaning of the work by serving as the foundation of

virtually every significant event in the novel. 

            Midway through the novel, the monster speaks with Victor and states,

“Remember, that I am thy; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel,

whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed,” (pg. 69), alluding Paradise Lost and

paralleling himself to Satan.  Through such a statement, the creature subconsciously

makes evident his desperation to ascertain his role in society, perhaps foreshadowing the

ever-increasing cry for societal acceptance, and the actions in which he resorts to in order

to accomplish such a campaign.  As the creature further seeks potential validity into

society by acquainting Victor with his tale, the monster expresses his initial phase of

frustration on page 74, also presenting a sense of irony to mankind:  “Here then I

retreated, and lay down happy to have found a shelter, however miserable, from the

inclemency of the season, and still more from the barbarity of man.”  From a

psychological perspective, the labeling of mankind as barbaric could potentially translate

into harsher, more role-suiting substitution for grief, distress, and the unsuccessful

solution for the culprit haunting him: the mystery of his purpose.  

            After Victor’s persistent abandoning of the creature, the monster displays human

emotions as seeks for love and belonging.  Upon finding a cabin, the monster witnesses

what he depicts as lucid arrays of hope and togetherness, despite the family’s poverty. 

Therefore, although the creature never perceived himself as having a purpose, perhaps his

purpose was to provide a counteraction to the plethora of readers who take for granted of

the joys life brings.  Whether or not Shelley’s intention, such a notion legitimately serves

such a purpose.

Additionally, after Victor’s refusal to continue in his creation of a female

companion, the monster promises transform Victor’s wedding night allocated for love

and joy into a night of pain, and indeed he succeeded.  The many deaths caused by the

monster suggest that, due to the misery caused by his unsolved mystery, the monster

nominated his own purpose by giving himself power, since he had no authority or

capability to control any other aspect of his life, his origin, or his companionship.  As a

result of such a power struggle, the monster attributed the power to kill, which remains

the focus of much of the novel, and which leads to Victor’s death, as well as the

monster’s own death.

            Although an unfortunate yet natural wiring of the human brain to repel diversity,

superficial or not, the majority of intelligible persons cultivate an empathetic mindset to

“legitimate” creatures or races; however, a proposed concept for the monster’s exiling is

the result of the scientific and unnatural manner in which he was created, which

legitimately, classifies as grotesque and somewhat distorted. 

            As previously mentioned, the monster did not have a predetermined purpose in

life, yet he subconsciously rendered meaning to his life.  Similarly, human beings may

not have an exact agenda as to how they should accomplish a seat at society’s right hand,

yet through genuine acts of citizenship, although perhaps not always recognized by

society, the mystery of life can be solved.  However, the solution to such a mystery may

never be revealed to anyone other than the Omniscient.

Helen

A seemingly-diluted version of Euripides’ initial text, Hadas’ interpretation of the

dramatic play, Helen, confronts its audience with societal concerns which have continued

to haunt humanity through the centuries, making evident its saturation with dramatic

effects. Gender roles and the vulnerability of mankind protrude as eminent themes in

both versions of the play, yet specific elements of Aristotle’s definition of drama directly

correlate with aspects of Helen, and perhaps encompass the previously mentioned

elements: nobility, an epic hero’s tragic flaw, and recognition of such.

In Euripides’ version of the play, Helen is depicted as the manifestation of

manipulation through appeal. The ultimatum for every man on in Sparta, the beautiful

Helen is perceivably sought after by others; however, in Rachel Hadas’ version of Helen,

her beauty establishes Aristotle’s basic element of a tragic flaw. “For the gift that Cyprus

gave to me, hath caused a sea of blood to flow.” Helen’s repeated acknowledgement of

her beauty being a curse to women, rather than beneficial, contradicts the eminent theme

in Euripides’ version, where feminine roles failed to shatter the tight prisms of mere

vulnerable oblige. Helen’s reliance of men, and at times, lack thereof, represents such an

era’s expectations, and her outrage in Euripides’ version further bestows the

interpretation that, as a woman, she speaks from emotion, rather than logic. The men’s

fighting in the war symbolizes a masculine role of protection, and sets up a distinct irony

when Helen is blamed for such tragedy; a woman capable of little until there is no one

else to blame, in which she is capable of causing such calamity. Rachel Hadas’ character,

however, depicts Helen as potentially more rational, for her tone is consistently more

precise, with piercing diction. Helen’s composure is evident as she inquires about her

husband: “Yet he said so clearly my lord was dead.” Similarities, however, remain, as

Helen’s reaction to her husband’s death motivates a dramatic speech in which she is

victimzed. “They will shut me up in prison, thinking me that Helen of Ilium, in quest of

whom Menelaus came thither.” In the latter portion of such a quote, “me Helen of

Ilium,” Helen uses ethos, or emotional appeal, and plays off her previously perceived

persona of pure beauty and naivety by convincing that she, in her reputation, has no

desire, capability, or history to conjure such a wretched act. Therefore, although Rachel

Hadas may have intended to push Helen through her feminist version as more

independent and composed, she created a scenario in which Helen, perhaps intentionally

and stealthily, utilized others’ rendition of gender to escape from possible blame.

Aristotle continued to mention that not only would such a hero contain a tragic

flaw, but he or she would also be heir to, or affiliated with, nobility. Indeed, Helen, wife

of Menelaus, King of Sparta, continually falls into such a category. However, despite the

vast role of nobility throughout the play, human vulnerability and naivety vividly

remains. As the chorus claims Helen’s husband is dead, and Helen engulfs herself in

such notions, men in Sparta fight to a death over a mere illusion. Therefore, despite all

that is true, nobility, gender, or Hadas’ affirmed intelligence of Helen, the reliance on

others is evidently a desire, or perhaps a subconscious comfort, for mankind.

Although the two directly correspond, Hadas’ feminist perception spills from the

lips of Helen as she speaks. Forceful, yet composed diction contributes to the dramatic

tone, and, in addition to irony and direct correlations to epic Greek Drama, the devices

used assist in the deliverance of universal themes facing humanity and global societies

alike.

Othello Literary Criticisms

In the article “Moor is Less,” written by John Simon, an immediate literary

technique is used through its captivating title incorporating a simple yet appropriate pun

alluding to Othello’s ethnicity as a Moore. However, one should not be fooled into

interpreting such a title to read, “less makes better,” for the author’s intentions were

stated explicitly; Othello, the Moor, has indeed been reduced to a weaker character, as

well as many of the accompanying characters. Simon claims that by choosing actors who

physically contrast and demean many of the characters’ previous grandeur, much of

Doug Huges’ play’s drama and conflict has been lost. For example, the idea that Iago

deserves perhaps equal, yet never dominant attention over Othello clashes when Iago’s

actor, Liev Schreiber, physically cowers over Othello’s character. Such physical appeal

proves significant and suggestive to the human eye, as it ties the play’s loose ends.

Philosophical and political appeal which once saturated Shakespeare’s play merely

dapples the Hughes’ newer, “poorly executed” version of “Othello.”

“A Revolt Against God With No Apology,” by Ben Brantley, surprisingly had

little to do with its seemingly-controversial and unruly title; or rather, little was explicitly

stated, yet nonetheless present. Several different versions of “Othello” are mentioned,

yet protruding above them all remains Hughes’ version, with Live Schreiber as Iago. The

manipulative Iago uses “Cyprus as his playground” and “configures his cast members in

the patterns of chess pieces.” Such statements, however, correlate with the idea of a God-

like-revolt as he plays a position of complete control. Cool and controlled, the actor

consistently holds a mask over his enjoyment of the many disasters occurring throughout

the play, yet occasionally allows it to slip, revealing his laughter. According to the

article, Iago is more conniving and scheming in Hughes’ version of the play, “playing

God,” or rather, perhaps, Satan.

The Pawnbroker

Group Essay (My paragraph is the second paragraph, or first of the body.)

In the poem “The Pawnbroker,” by Maxime Kumir, the speaker uses both

emotional and physical worlds to express the contrast between outward and inward

appearances and their connection. These contrasts are expressed through diction and

theme, which help create the two dimensions of the outside and the inside world.

Ultimately, the author tries to call to attention the importance of the inward wealth of the

spirit and the outward façade.

Immediately evident is the poem’s physical and external attributes via an

apparently diluted diction and a direct listing of detail. By stating that “the symbol inside

this poem is my father’s feet,” the speaker foreshadows upcoming, more intimate events

in the poem, rendering a taste of her father’s long journey. However, such a theme is

shattered instantaneously in line two when the speaker’s diction is made literal as she

discusses the fifty years her father stood behind a counter, causing physical pain. Poor

quality materialistic objects, or perhaps lack of entirely, flood stanzas two and three of

the poem, somewhat camouflaging the diligent work and undying love rendered by her

father. Consequently, the first sentence in paragraph three of the poem further supports

the idea of an ‘outward world’: “Every good thing in my life was secondhand,” making

the author’s external facade appear tainted. However, the poem proceeds by lucidly

reflecting the unconditional love received by her father, and depicts their intimate

relationship and her ‘inside world’ as anything but second-hand.

The speaker’s love for the father is shown through the references to his hard work

in order to provide for the family. Kumin uses powerful images such as the

Pawnbroker’s “white feet” and that the speaker “saw his time slip down like sand in the

glass” to convey the strength of her feelings. The clarity of the speaker’s love is

presented most effectively through her explanation of what is good in the speaker’s life.

In the third stanza the speaker says, “Every good in my life was secondhang,” and then in

the sixth that “Firsthand I had from my father is a love ingrown.” With the use of

firsthand and secondhand, the impact of the father’s love is presented as greater than

anything the speaker has ever known. Through his presentation of his love, the speaker

shows how much she loves er father. Though she expresses difficulties of her hard life,

she is grateful that her father worked hard so that his children could have a better life.

This expression of his love is all she ever could have wanted.

Although it seems the outward and inward appearance is in direct contrast, in

reality they combine to help form the main theme. The author speaks of how her outward

appearance reflects that of a struggling family barely making end meet on the salary of

her father. The inward appearance suggests a family rich in values and love for one

another. This direct contrast only emphasizes the theme of the unimportance of lavisg

and extravagant materialistic things and the higher rank of the inward person over her

outward expression. The heavy contrast in the diction expressing the hurt in the

speaker’s father’s feet and the “white feet” she speaks of after his death also helps to

bring to light the different views that are expressed inside and out.

Maxine Kumin, in “The Pawnbroker,” expresses the contrast between emotional

inward and physical outward extremes of the speaker and her family. By using diction

and theme, the contrast between who someone is and who one appears to be becomes

evident. The image of feet also serves as the primary expression of the journey of her

father and struggle to translate his inner values into an outward expression to the world.

“Middlemarch”

Prose Response

Despite the contradicting language in “Middlemarch,” an 1871 novel by George

Eliot, the author’s attitude towards Dorothea becomes evident almost immediately. His

recognition of the various aspects in which Dorothea, in character, earned much of he

condescending reactions from others depicts him as more reliable in his more approving

attitude towards Dorothea. Through allusions, diction, and scrutiny of society’s approach

to the two sisters, Eliot makes apparent her love of Dorothea and his feelings that her

dejection from society gives her true persona little justice.

From the beginning of the passage, Eliot immediately alludes and compares to

Dorothea to the Blessed Virgin, showing a perhaps unintended but clear perception of

divinity and grace. He compared her clothing to that of Mary, modest and bearing, and

his continuous mention that Dorothea’s beauty emanated more boldly in plain garments

continues to support the idea that he looks past the surface which the rest of society

embraces. As he alludes to Pascal’s “Pensees,” and Jeremy Taylor, he justifies the

previously mentioned notion that Dorothea’s sister had more common sense or

intelligence, showing her philosophical and literary acquaintances. He later goes on to, in

the last paragraph, depict her utopian, “very childlike” ideas, as he alludes to historical

figures who endured sdetbacks. Eliot somewhat displays Dorothea as somewhat of a

“Polyanna.”

In addition to the consecutive usage of allysions, Geroge Eliot’s diction quickly

embraced his attitude towards Dorothea. The first paragraph is flooded with mention of

her beauty through “plain dressings,” (line 15) or “poor dress” (line 2). Such diction

interprets pity for the girl, and this attitude is further conveyed several times throughout

the passage. Although her character flaws are indeed mentioned, as in the third

paragraph words such as “vanity” and “rash” characterize Dorothea’s outward

appearance, Eliot’s attitude only grows stronger as the passage progresses. Line 50

shows the author’s transition into perhaps more accusing language. Words such as

“prejudice” and “alarming heresay” are used to display society’s misconceptions about

the innocent girl, and further support Eliot’s fondness and empathy for Dorothea.

Such a notion that society has wrongly interpreted Dorothea’s character is indeed

a technique Eliot uses to convey his own personal feelings about the girl, without

explicitly stating them. In line 47 Eliot says “so much subtler is a human mind than the

outside tissues which make a sort of blazonry or clock-face for it,” representing the false

impressions one receives from first looking at Dorothea. The author’s consistent mention

of how Celia is perceived to be the more intelligent, exuberant, and sough-after carries

with it a negative connotation, which shows her loving attitude towards Dorothea’s

character.

George Eliot takes on the position of a parent, somewhat, in the passage. She sees

and acknowledges Dorothea’s flaws and sees and acknowledges Dorothea’s flaws and

setbacks, yet continuously but subtly justifies them. Such techniques allow readers to

creatively come to a conclusion independently, yet with s biased twist, a common and

commendable literary technique.

Open Ended Question

A novel saturated with psychological conflict and internal struggle, “The Catcher

in the Rye” greatly exemplifies the effects of violence, or perhaps lack of, on the outcome

of both fictional novels or non-fictional, everyday scenarios. By incorporating various

scenes of internal will for violence, yet the inability to physically create the malicious

deed, the author effectively makes evident the relevance of Holden’s, the main

character’s, struggle to the work as a whole. Readers’ ability to hear the thoughts of the

character allow for a better understanding of the conflicts not explicitly occurring.

From the very beginning of the novel, Holden’s thoughts reek of malice and

apathy, criticizing many seemingly-enjoyable aspects of his life. He mentions multiple

times throughout the novel that he dealt with issues by verbally confronting the person,

yet while he imagined very violent proceeding acts, he merely taunted his victim, almost

never physically harassing him. Such an example is found when Holden imagines how

he would deal with a situation in which discovered the thief of his missing gloves. Very

few times does Holden actually physically attack another, yet the situations in which he

does prove themselves quite significant to the meaning of the complete work.

Holden’s extroverted personality greatly contrasts his introverted emotions,

rendering deeper meaning to moments when he rejected violence, and moreso to

moments when he fell victim to violent acts. By consistently thinking such vicious

thoughts, Holden’s internal anger is displayed. His emotional state leads to reactions

much more severe than the initial problem at hand, and his ability to hold back from

actually proceeding with violence comes from the even-more-difficult task of holding

back all of the grief, anger, and loneliness he experiences. From a psychiatric standpoint,

one could deduce that Holden must feel that his emotions, including those of violence,

should remain within himself, as well as that his energy is much too drained to care to use

it in an outward expression of emotion. Such a though contributes greatly to the

overlying theme of the noel and of Holden’s character. However, when Holden out

lashes toward Stradlater , his fondness of Jane is proven. Although one may confuse the

fight for being a result of the composition, which is possible, the dominant element to

Holden’s anger is Stradlater’s mistreatment of Jane. His childhood friend, Jane appears

to be one of Holden’s few genuinely happy memories, one that h holds onto and

consistently alludes to throughout the novel. That after so much fury built up, one

seemingly-simple encounter with mere memories and talk of Jane could bring such

physical violence to Holden’s character contributes immensely to the work.

Additionally, Holden displays physical violence as the hotel’s elevator greeter

forces Holden to pay the rest of his un-used prostitute fee. Holden’s internal conflict

arose, and all that had been built up throughout his life was beginning to be unleashed.

Violence is, in fact, always the result of an underlying issue with the person’s

character. Therefore, Holden’s struggles, as well as his often lack of violence, played an

equally, often moreso, significant role.