Abstract This paper compares these two works and goes through the mental states of the characters. The writer shows how Bobbie Ann Mason's "Shiloh" is the definition of a normal short story, with its easy to follow plot as well as clear beginning and end. However, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper", makes little to no sense on the first reading. What contributes to making "The Yellow Wallpaper" so difficult to clearly understand at first is the unorthodox storyline and complex language used by the narrator.
From the Paper "The simplicity of Shiloh is clearly evident after reading the very first paragraph of the story. An example from the first page of the text is, "Leroy is a truck driver. He injured his leg in a highway accident four months ago"? Nothing spells mundane more than those lines from this text. The name Leroy in addition to his truck driving career equates to normality in the reader's mind. People can identify with such a common name, and his average profession. Leroy has a wife Norma Jean, and a mother-in-law who annoys both of them. Leroy is rehabilitating from the aforementioned injury he obtained while on a long drive in his truck at which time he was under the influence of the drug Speed. People get in automobile accidents, and people often take drugs to make their lives appear better than they really are. Leroy is like a lot like these people, who work less than spectacular jobs, and want to take drugs as a way to lessen the feeling that they are wasting away their lives."
Abstract This paper is a review of Bobbie Ann Mason's "In Country" , a novel that deals with the Vietnam War on a personal level. The paper considers the message of the book, that everyone was affected by the war whether they were directly involved or not, and whether using the character of Sam to narrate the story effectively conveys that message.
From the Paper "As it is a very important part of our country's history, many books have been written about the Vietnam War. Whether they are novels or history books, fiction or non-fiction, these works explain the history of the war and its impacts on the United States and its citizens. Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country is one novel that deals with the Vietnam War on a personal level. It is told through the viewpoint of Sam Hughes, a teenage girl whose father was killed in Vietnam before she was born. Through her narration, readers learn that the Vietnam War affected everyone on some level, whether they were personally involved in it or not."
Abstract The paper provides an understanding of the ordinary characters in this short story and a summary of the plot. The paper describes the simple story of a Kentucky couple with a failing marriage. The author writes that the characters in "Shiloh" are decent simple everyday people, who are trying to find meaning in a changing world and feel alienated from their own lives.
From the Paper "On first reading, the short story "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason, seems like a simple story of a Kentucky couple whose marriage is about to break up. Initially the reader may not be sure these characters are much worth caring about. After further consideration it becomes obvious that the story is packed with deeper meaning that can be discovered by closely examining the details. Living in a changing society, the characters in "Shiloh" feel alienated from their own lives and attempt to do something about it. The ways that the characters search for meaning are significant to Mason's mission of portraying every day people facing everyday life in today's changing world."
Tags:Bobbie, Ann, Mason, Kentucky, couple, marriage, changing, society, alienation, today
Abstract The two novels, "A Rumor of War" by Philip Caputo and "In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason, both concern the Vietnam War and its devastating effects on individual lives. The paper describes how, in these novels, the main characters, Caputo ("A Rumor of War") and Sam ("In Country") both undergo a journey towards greater understanding of the war and their lives. The journey of a hero in is described in three basic steps. The first is the "departure", followed by the "initiation" and ending with the "return". When returning, the "hero" is furnished with greater insight about the adventure and about life as a whole. The two characters, Caputo and Sam, are discussed in this paper in these terms. The author of the paper then gives a personal view of what these journeys can teach us.
From the Paper "After reflecting in this manner for ten years, Caputo's return comes to a conclusion with his published work, A Rumor of War (1977). He has had a chance to think about his experiences, what they mean and how they affect his life in the present. He has come to a deeper understanding of what a hero is. Thus he provides for the world an in-depth and detailed view of what it was to fight in the Vietnam war. In this way he has served not only his contemporaries, but also future generations who are curious about the war. He has used his knowledge and his journey to create something of value upon his return."
Tags: United, States, Marine, Corps, enemies, VC, swamp
Abstract Analysis of Bobbie Ann Mason's novel as a coming-of-age story. Aspects of the Vietnam War that inform the plot and characters. Discusses novel's 18-year old protagonist who needs to exploe her past to make the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Role of popular culture in the novel.
From the Paper "Bobbie Ann Mason's novel In Country is a war novel in that it deals with many aspects of the Vietnam War including the legacy of Vietnam. The novel, however, is more a coming of age story than a war story. Set in the summer of 1984 in a small Kentucky town, the novel's protagonist is an 18-year old high school student named San (Samantha) Hughes whose father was killed in Vietnam before she was born. Sam lives with her uncle Emmett, a Vietnam vet suffering from flashbacks, has a boyfriend she no longer likes, a pregnant friend she is trying to help, and basically is faced with growing up, making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. She is at the stage where she has to make choices about her future as well as deal with the present. Her solution is to explore the past, to try to understand the Vietnam War and the father she never knew. Like ..."
This paper looks at Bobbie Ann Mason's book "Shiloh" in which the two main characters, Norma Jean and Leroy, search for meaning in their empty working-class lives.
Abstract This paper discusses themes of quest for meaning in life and sense of self, pain, alienation, a changing world, feminism and the American dream in Bobbie Ann Mason's short story "Shiloh." An analysis of the two main characters, husband and wife Norma Jean and Leroy, also reveals aspects of Mason's writing skill.
From the Paper "On first reading, the short story "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason, seems like a simple story of a Kentucky couple whose marriage is about to break up. Initially the reader may not be sure these characters are much worth caring about. After further consideration it becomes obvious that the story is packed with deeper meaning that can be discovered by closely examining the details. Living in a changing society, the characters in "Shiloh" feel alienated from their own lives and attempt to do something about it. The ways that the characters search for meaning are significant to Mason's mission of portraying every day people facing everyday life in today's changing world."
Abstract This paper will discuss the story "Shiloh" by Bobbie Anne Mason and how she uses details to show the climactic build up of the story's main reference to characterization. By understanding this style of creating tension and learning the way that an author can build up a story, the basic elements of character development come into being in this tale. When realizing this factor about her style, we can learn much about the characters, as well as learn how they interact with each other in this way.
Abstract The paper briefly reviews the history of the Civil War battleground at Shiloh, when a drunken General Grant battled to preserve the Union, then moves into an analysis of the story. The paper makes a comparison of the history of the battle with the battle between the husband, Leroy, and wife, Norma Jean; the drunken General Grant is contrasted with the stoned Leroy. In conclusion the writer, noting the unresolved tension in the story's abrupt ending, hopes that Leroy will keep battling for his own continued union with Norma Jean.
From the Paper "In historical terms, the title setting of Bobbie Ann Mason's, Shiloh, was a Civil War Union camp under General Grant's command. Grant's aim as a military representative for President Lincoln was to keep the nation united. The camp turned bloody battleground in 1862 when the Confederates' made a daring attack in attempt to gain freedom from the Union. There "General Grant, drunk and furious, shoved the Southerners back to Corinth," successfully thwarting a stab at secession by the "boys in gray.""
Abstract In this paper, the author compares how the theme of love is represented in two stories, "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, and "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason. One story describes how love builds between two spouses while the other shows how love can fall apart. The author cites additional sources to describe the theme in the two works. The paper concludes by stating that both stories show the incredible epiphanies associated with love, and the destructive force of emotional pain.
From the Paper "In his article in "eThoughts.com," Travis Gibbs asks the question, "Is love some absolute, a fact of the universe that can be discovered and copied onto and into human lives? (Gibbs). The two stories, "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, and "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason, illustrate that love is constructed in dissimilar ways. Carver constructs love as a positive manifestation of growth and understanding in an unlikely setting, while Mason shows us love destroys itself, as manifested between two people who fit into a normal "construct," that is, being man and wife."
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of serial killers. Specifically, it looks at Jeffrey Dahmer, Arthur Shawcross, Randy Craft, Aileen Wuornos, Bobbie Sue Terrell and Jane Toppan and explains their behavior from a psychological standpoint. It examines how they all meet specific psychiatric profiles and how serial killers have several commonalities that set them apart from the rest of the population.
From the Paper "Aileen Wuornos also fits the pattern of a serial killer, as she believed her victims all deserved to die. So did Jeffrey Dahmer and Arthur Shawcross. Wuornos was a prostitute in Florida who killed seven victims after having sex with them. Unlike most of the other killers, she did kill for a motive; she wanted the victims' money. She, like the other killers, preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in society - men who wanted prostitutes, and, like many others, she was a sexual predator, killing after having sex. Dahmer and Kraft preyed on young men or homosexuals, Shawcross preyed on prostitutes, and Terrell and Toppan preyed on the elderly. All of these people had little or no defense, and so, they chose victims they knew they could dominate. "
Abstract The paper focuses on each of the four different types of characters James Dickey presents in his work "Deliverance". The paper describes Lewis Medlock, Drew, Bobby and Ed Gentry and highlights Dickey's message that a true survivor can only depend on himself.
From the Paper "Austrian-English psychoanalyst and daughter of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud once quoted, "Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training." Even though today's society is veering away from the Darwinian Naturalist Theory of Survival of the Fittest by advancing further in the food chain, the concept of survival is still present but in a different form. The competition for survival is mostly in terms of welfare. James Dickey's Deliverance especially illustrates this fact by presenting characters with different views on life that most people can relate to. This paper will illustrate the different views presented in the novel using outside sources as a guide."
Abstract This is an essay that compares Ellis's novel "Less Than Zero" and Mason's novel "In the Country". It shows the similarities of how the characters are adversely affected by socioeconomic conditions and wars that rip society apart. The author also discusses some differences in the writing styles of the novels.
From the Paper "In both books Less Than Zero and Bobbie Ann Mason's book In Country, characters are adversely affected by socioeconomic conditions and wars that rip society apart. There are significant differences between these two novels. Less than Zero's protagonist is the son of a wealthy family while In Country's lead character is not. Moreover, Less than Zero war is a societal one against drugs. Contextually different, In Country's conflict, stems from the Vietnam War. Each character struggles to overcome their image of an outsider and gain freedom through community, love, and genuine acceptance."
Tags: society, socioeconomic, character, war, impact, family
A discussion on the Industrial Revolution and the multitude of changes in civilization that arose as a result of it, with particular reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes.
Abstract The following paper discusses how Doyle and "Sherlock Holmes" entertained generations of readers with the pure delight of escapist detective fiction, paired with the historical diaries and documents written by actual "bobbies" of the day. The writer examines how these famous detective stories give us a vivid picture of how both an author and his major character were shaped by the time, the conditions and the crime of their days.
From the Paper "When people moved from farming to city and industrial jobs, change came in the ways workers were compensated, in their levels of independence from, or interdependence on, their neighbors, and, probably most noticeable of all, in the sheer amount of space each man could call his own"or maybe more precisely, the lack of space. Many of the teeming crowds in London's streets in the nineteenth century were made up of people living in dire poverty. And all too many were far too familiar with the dark side to this new form of civilization: the rise of more, and different, forms of crime.?
A comparison of four serial killers: Bobby Joe Long, Henry Lee Lucas, Otis Toole and Edmund Kemper, using their backgrounds to discuss many different sociological and criminal theories.
Abstract This paper presents in great detail, the life and crimes of four serial killers. By using various theories, the author tries to find reason or cause for these crimes. Sociological and criminal theories include - head trauma, Patterns of Episodic Aggressive Behavior, Picquerism, Theory of Violence & Childhood Abuse, mental retardation, the Triad, cross dressing & cannibalism and finally environment of abuse, childhood trauma & isolation.
From the Paper "Robert Joe Long was born on October 14,1953 in Kenova, West Virginia. He had a rather unremarkable childhood as serial killers go - he was not a victim of any psychological or physical abuse. Bobby Joe was however, a victim of a series of physical injuries. These injuries are what eventually led Bobby Joe down the bloody path of rape and murder."
Abstract This paper discusses the prevalent irony in the short story, the situational irony and tragic irony. The writer examines how the story meanders through the mundane and the humdrum, but eventually reaches heights of drama and sadness. The paper describes how a story that started out as a family story with a subtle touch of humor, culminates in a devastating tragedy.
From the Paper "Flannery O?Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is a poignant story of the cold-blooded murder of a family of a Georgian man Bailey, his wife, a new born baby, and two children: John-Wesley and June Star; and, Bailey's mother. The killers are: a possible serial killer known as the Misfit, and two accomplices, Bobby Lee and Hiram?all three escaped convicts."
