Abstract This paper examines Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story, "The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the World", which is about a corpse washing ashore and how it changes those who find it. In particular, it looks how the story is ironic in that it revolves around the fact that a dead man brings the village to life and how things that were once viewed with a dullness and complacency are suddenly seen with an attitude of appreciation and value. It examines how Marquez forces us to consider how we view unexpected events in our lives.
From the Paper ""The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" is ironic in that is takes a dead man to bring the village to life. His presence told them a story of loneliness, which they respond to by giving him a home and a place to feel welcome. Esteban also becomes a symbol of change for the villagers because his presence inspires them to alter certain aspects of their lives. For instance, they are inspired to dig for springs and plant flowers on the cliffs "so that in future years at dawn the passengers on great liners would awaken" (560). It takes a dead man to bring them back to life."
Abstract The paper relates a review of a novel in which the author takes a complex journey through various literary themes. The book "Saving Fish from Drowning" by Amy Tan, is a political satire directed at the cultural clash between the West and the East. The paper relates that the story is a monograph of the insincerity and tensions that often pervade human relationships, especially when there are also race or gender differences involved.
From the Paper "Turning to her own family, the Bibi Chan reveals even more of these stereotypes related to gender and gender roles. In a Chinese family, these tend to be even more poignant. Thus, her father is portrayed as a self-centered person, very little preoccupied with his own family, who is worshipped by the household women simply because he is a man: "He read much, but seldom spoke, and truly, there was no need in a household whose women worshipped him and anticipated his needs before they ever occurred to him."(Tan, 29) The insincerity of the family relationships described by the ghost narrator is striking: the father is the typical male dominator who rules over his family and expects all his wishes to be fulfilled by the women even before he voices them, the stepmother is cold and tyrannical and the communication between members is virtually inexistent. With her usual sarcasm Bibi Chan notices that, as a child, she interpreted the lack of communication as a token of perfect harmony typical of the ideal marriage: "I was thus left to assume that a good marriage was one in which the husband respected the wife's privacy. He did not intrude in her life, visit her rooms, or bother her with questions. There was no need to speak to each other, since they were of the same mind."(Tan, 30) More stereotypes about women appear in Sweet Ma's description of Chan's natural mother, who, as she says, always used her feminine charms, paired with a submissive attitude, to gain something from her husband: "She was a schemer. She'd put on her rose-colored dress, twirl her favorite flower hairpin, and with eyes dishonestly lowered, she would raise that simpering smile of hers toward your father. Oh, I knew what she was up to."(Tan, 33) The woman in a traditional Chinese family is seen thus almost as an ornamental object, without a will of her own, who is necessarily a good breeder and is capable of becoming pregnant every year: "According to Sweet Ma, my mother proved true to her breeding and excelled at becoming pregnant every year. 'She gave birth to your eldest brother,' Sweet Ma said, counting on her fingers. 'Then there was your second brother. After that, three blue babies, drowned in the womb, which was a shame but not so tragic, since they were girls.'"(Tan, 34) As Sweet Ma evidences, no tragedy occurred if out of the many children bred by the woman, a few newborn girls died, since the girls had no importance. Thus, the ghost narrator of the story is a very witty and sarcastic feminist, who captures a sum of powerful stereotypes related to womanhood, motherhood and masculinity in her book. The female and the male worlds appear at some points as completely irreconcilable, both for the Chinese and for the Americans. "
Abstract This compares the works of two Afro-Caribbean writers: Jamaica Kincaid's "Angie John" and Junot Diaz's "Drown". The paper focuses on the theme of alienation present in both novels, specifically focusing on the marginalized role of the father figure. The paper summarizes and compares each work as well as how each work treats the father figure and concludes that, despite the differences in both the works, there exists a common patriarchal order in both, which makes the reader question the woman's place in it.
From the Paper "Most families represented in Drown can be sharply contrasted with Annie John's family. Five out of ten stories fluctuate between abandonment and return of fathers. The rest are practically fatherless families. The number of single mothers through the collection is proof enough of the sexual irresponsibility of the men. The first sentence of Aguantando strikes the note of longing for an absent father - "I lived without a father for the first nine years of my life". The plight and the helplessness of the narrator is heightened when he says, "He had left for NuevaYork when I was four but since I couldn't remember a single moment with him I excused him from all nine years of my life" adding that "the only way I knew him was through the photographs my mom kept in a plastic sandwich bag under her bed". "
Abstract This paper discuses how Gabriel Garcia Marquez's story, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World", illustrates neatly, how the process of acquiring knowledge through the logical structures of critical thinking is limited by a variety of perceptual blocks that effectively pre-filter new information into already functional categories of knowing. In particular, the paper looks at how, by placing a primary emphasis on visual perception, this story articulates the logical processes that take the children in the story from initial perception (seeing the bulge) through to full knowledge.
From the Paper "It is important to understand, as Michel Foucault points out, that the mediating process of logic - the linking through induction or deduction of newly perceived with the already known - is not a gesture that can stand alone as an elementary unit, but must be seen as a function that is linked horizontally to that which has come before (the already perceived) and that which has yet to come into perception as the not-yet seen and, by extension, the not-yet known. (Foucault, 1972, p.107-8). Put another way, even with the finely-tuned process of deductive logic in place, an individual's range of knowledge (what he or she can know) is in many ways limited by what has already been perceived. In this sense, logic works, like metaphor to a literary theorist or linguist, to locate a new perception in terms of the structures of the already known and the already perceived. "
Abstract The paper discusses Junot Diaz's "Drown," a collection of stories that tell of the contemporary misery and urban despair that can grow from poverty and distance from one's own cultural setting. The paper looks at the intersections of race and immigration in American history and then looks at the protagonists in Diaz's "Drown." The paper argues that the issues faced by the characters - poverty and racism - were quite similar to the ones faced by the earliest immigrants to this country. The paper concludes that the United States has long benefited from this cycle of immigration, assimilation and change. The paper argues that immigration is therefore an intrinsic part of the American Dream and as such, it should be allowed to continue.
Outline:
Race and Immigration: A Historical Perspective
The New Immigrants in Diaz's "Drown"
Conclusion
From the Paper "By the 1800s, one-third of the American population was composed of immigrants and their children. These figures show that there was actually much diversity at the dawn of America, and that immigration was an intrinsic part of the American Dream from the very beginning. Even more important, not every immigrant prior to 1900 was considered "white." Variations in European ancestry may seem trivial today, but in the 1790s, there was much tension and dissent among the people of various European descent. Americans who were of English extraction were very critical of how ethnic diversity was threatening the culture of the new colonies. Many even sought to limit immigration and criticized the newcomers for maintaining their own ethnic enclaves and clinging to their own language."
From the Paper "Drowning ranks second only to motor vehicle accidents as the most common cause of accidental deaths among children. Almost 5 children per 100,000 drown each year in the United States alone. Infants and toddlers are most at risk: as many as 45 percent of all cases involve children not yet one year old. This research focuses on reasons behind drownings, how they can be prevented and medical problems resulting from near drownings. For the purposes of this research, near drownings are classified as a life threatening incident in which children are found face down or under the surface of water. Cases in which children are found floating and breathing, or struggling, are not included.
During 1989, swimming pools accounted for between 55 and 80 percent of all childhood drowning deaths in the United States."
Abstract This paper introduces and discusses Primo Levi's concept of "the drowned and the saved" in chapter nine of "Survival at Auschwitz." Specifically it compares two individuals that are not mentioned in that chapter, as examples of men that Levi might put into those two categories, and what it is about these men that put them in these categories.
From the Paper "Levi's concept of the "drowned and the saved" is simple. He describes those who make it through living in the concentration camp of Auschwitz, and those who do not. The bottom line is, those who make it are the saved, and those who do not are the drowned. There is much more to it than that, and Levi tries to delve into the people themselves, and what made them give up, or not give up, but essentially, the principle is the same, there are saved and drowned individuals in each of the camps. "?the drowned, form the backbone of the camp, an anonymous mass, continually renewed and always identical, of non-men who march and labour in silence, the divine spark dead within them, already too empty to really suffer" (Levi 82)."
From the Paper "Stevie Smith's "Not Waving But Drowning," Karl Shapiro's "Auto Wreck," and Frank O'Hara's "Poem" each focus on violent death, although in very different ways.
Smith writes in part from the viewpoint of the man who "was much further out than you thought" (Smith 989). This is a drowning man's thought, a perspective which sets it apart from the other two poems.
The violence of drowning, and the fact that he is seen as waving rather than signaling desperately for rescue, are metaphors in this poem for his life. Those who hear of the drowning reflect that the water was too cold, that his heart failed. These others see the fact that they mistook the man's signals as waves as evidence that he "always loved larking" (Smith 989)."
Abstract This paper lists the objectives of the aquatics director of the Wonder World day care center in order to prevent children from drowning. It discusses how she intends that all her staff are fully trained in CPR and First Aid in order to save lifes and for the good of the personnel in order to advance their careers. It details the costs and funding for these training plans and how they will be implemented without impeding on current workload.
From the Paper "As aquatics Director at Wonder World Day Care Center it is my job to ensure that the children placed in our care are kept safe. A situation has come to my attention that could not only cause a safety concern for the children, but could have potential liability issues attached to it for the center. Aquatics is a dangerous area for the children due to the potential for drowning. It is necessary for children to have direct and constant supervision in this area. Another part-time nurse and myself are the only personnel trained in CPR and First Aid care at the facility. When the part time person is not present, I am the only person trained in life-saving techniques."
Abstract This paper examines the story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World: A Tale for Children" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It looks at three passages in the story that have ambiguous meanings and discusses their importance to the story overall. It looks at how it is not really a story about the stranger who is washed up on shore, but a story about the women of a place who take matters into their own hands and change things for the better. It shows how each of the ambiguous passages is not really ambiguous at all but serves a distinct purpose in the story. They give dramatic details, they explain the actions of the characters and they help make the story more vital and alive. It evaluates how Marquez shows a wonderful understanding not only of people but of the use of language to create a marvelously unusual story.
From the Paper "Again, the words here do not seem to mean anything, Marquez simply strings them together in a sentence whose meaning is vague at best. The man is so large he cannot fit in the women's imagination? What does that mean? It is an interesting analogy, and becomes clearer as the story is reread. This man is so important to the women, for whatever reason, that his size is not really the issue any more. He is a large man, but even more important, he has filled up the heads of the women until he is the only important thing in their minds. Clearly, from this point on in the story, none of the other men in the village will be able to compete with this man, either physically or emotionally. He has something special the women have seen, and they love him for it."
Tags: women, village, husbands, shore, sea, boats, imagination
Abstract Analysis of themes and motifs in the 10 connected stories of DROWN by Junot Diaz. Cultural and cross-cultural experiences of Dominican Republic family members searching for the good life in the USA. Experiences of poverty, abandonment, sexual abuse, drug addiction and emotional insecurity of major character Yunior. Relationship with father.
From the Paper "In Junot Diaz= collection of short stories, ADrown,@ the main character, Yunior grows up in a poverty stricken environment, surrounded by filth, sickness, physical and emotional abuse and neglect inflicted upon him by his father and mother. His mother works long hours to feed and house the family and doesn=t have the energy to parent her children. She is barely surviving herself. She sends the children to their aunts when she is unable to take care of them, hence abandoning them like their father has done. They live in a barrio with rats and suffer from intestinal worms. They have no choice but to choose between food and medicine. They have to reduce their food intake in order for their mother to be able to afford medicine to eradicate the worms. Yunior lost a safe, secure childhood and suffered for it as an adult. His father went to New..."
This paper covers a series of motifs that can be found in Melville's novel. The four motifs explored in this paper are: Diving, Falling, Returning, and Drowning.
Abstract This essay was designed to explore recurring motifs in Herman Melville's most famous novel: "Moby-Dic"k. The essay covers a very large portion of the book, and focuses mainly on instances of Diving, Falling, Returning, and Drowning. In addition to the motifs, it also explores the characters of Ishmael, Queequeg, and Captain Ahab and delves into the reflective nature of the novel as it pertains to self-exploration.
From the Paper "There dwells in the lineage of individual creation a defining genesis in which rudimentary elements congeal and emerge from the tempestuous pandemonium of a primordial sea. The oldest of earthly wombs, the ocean reigns sovereign to all portals of existence. In the most tranquil of lulls, and whispering softly through the grand tumultuous gales, the sea remains a boundless lung of all existence. Inhaling death, she recycles the discarded refuse that even scavengers deny. And, exhaling life, she matches souls with empty vessels in one all-encompassing breath. Herman Melville believed that God shaped the universe around an endless web of purpose and meaning. According to Melville, man's innate sense of futility is rooted in his impulsive desire to grasp for purpose and meaning in randomness. At the beginning of the novel, Ishmael's breath is growing faint. His soul is steeped in "a damp, drizzly November"(12), and his spirit longs for an escape from monotony. Rather than fight this lethargy head on with "pistol and ball"(12), Ishmael boards a ship and quietly sails away. As Ishmael drifts into the fathomless expanses of two unpredictable seas, he falls from the comforts of his former life into the harsh complexities of an unknown world. Diving deep into the core of his substantive elements, and sometimes drowning in the darkest shadows of humanity, Ishmael successfully completes his protracted voyage of self discovery."
Abstract This paper looks at some of the controversial works of Andres Serrano such as "Piss Christ"; "Pneumonia Due to Drowning" and ?Grand Dragon of the Invisible Empire.? The paper discusses how, when reviewing Serrano's works, it is important to look beyond the historical, monetary and political controversy for a moment and to evaluate his productions of art as works of art in and of themselves.
From the Paper "The photography and other works of the artist Andres Serrano have, in many ways, become synonymous with the 1980's and 1990's cultural wars, specifically with the fight of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) to secure continued funding and to secure its continued existence from the United States Congress. The images of Serrano such as his "Piss Christ" in which an image of Christ on a crucifix was submerged in urine was used as a kind of "look at what the NEA hath wrought" proof of the organization's funding. Of course, even the greatest work of art can be rendered in a verbally reductive sense, as in ?Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" is just a picture of a woman with a funny smile, what's the big deal?? It is important, when reviewing Serrano's works, to look beyond the historical monetary and political controversy for a moment, and to evaluate his productions of art as works of art in and of themselves."
Examines Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" and G. Garcia Marquez's "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" to explore the catalyst character in both stories.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 71.95
Abstract This paper examines the figure of the "catalyst character" in Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" and in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World". The catalyst character can be seen as the instigator of the action in these stories, but they are also characters that do not contribute to the action itself.
