Abstract
The paper examines how, in Richard Wright's short story "The Man Who Was Almost a Man", the character of Dave struggles with growing up and proving his manhood. The paper explains how Dave desires a gun to prove his manhood and masculinity. The paper shows, however, how Dave's immature behavior with the gun proves him to be more of a boy than a man.

From the Paper
"Before Dave buys the gun, he shows early signs of not being mature. He begs his mom like a little child for a gun and even says he'll give it to his father, which according to John Loftis, could be a "tactic association... between manhood and owning a gun" because Dave's father is a man so he should have a gun (439). He wastes his hard earned money on the gun that he doesn't need just to feel masculine, even though it's an immature move to make. After he buys it, instead of giving it to his father right away like he promised, he comes home late and claims he hid it outside, which he didn't. He disobeyed and lied to his mother like a child would do, not an adult."

Tags:boyhood, youth, gun, masculinity, responsibility

Abstract
This paper examines the difficult transition of adolescents, as seen in the novel "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright. It summarizes the story and the main character's gun use. The paper investigates what is masculinity and what makes a man a man.

From the Paper
"The theme of "The Man Who Was Almost A Man" is masculinity and what makes a man a man. In an essay about gender in literary works, Jehlen recognizes that masculinity is not something men have but something they "construct" (Jehlen 270). Dave's construction of this masculinity is the theme of "The Man Who Was Almost A Man." The first point that suggests that Dave is not really a man, is his means of attaining the gun."

Tags:gun, masculinity, adolescent, run, away, boy, gender, identity

Abstract
The paper focuses on the young protagonists in Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" and Richard Wright's "The Man Who was Almost a Man" who are different in almost every aspect of personality and motivation except in the desire to be their own man. The paper describes Dave's central obsession of becoming a man and owning a gun, and Paul's determination to gain independence and freedom from his mediocre life. The paper contrasts their respective upbringings and situations but shows how their passionate desire to reject their society gave rise, in the end, to very similar outcomes.

From the Paper
"The coming of age story is almost as old as literature itself. There are elements of it in the Arthurian legends, The Canterbury Tales, and even the Bible. The American short story has also been used to explore this topic, often in radically different ways. Willa Cather and Richard Wright are two of America's preeminent early-twentieth century authors, and their individual takes on the age-old story of youth have some surprising twists, revealing new lessons to be learned in a rapidly changing world. Their stories could not help but be colored by their own lives and experiences, and much of the prejudices that these authors perceived, either openly or tacitly, shows up in the frustrations of their young characters. But it would be foolhardy to look at any piece of literature as purely biographical, and the main characters of Willa Cather's short story "Paul's Case" and Richard Wright's "The Man Who was Almost a Man" show a clear independence from their creators."

Tags:independence, freedom, respect, violence, gun, adolescence, manhood

Abstract
This paper examines how "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo is about Joe Bonham, a soldier who went to war believing in one thing, and returned a forever-changed man. The paper discusses how the novel is simply an antiwar novel that contains a good many messages. The paper relates that, using everyday language, Trumbo offers the reader a novel rich in symbolism and theme that may cause even the most devoted military person to rethink his or her commitment.

From the Paper
"Trumbo gives great insight into the inner working of Joe by giving us his extreme point of view. Trapped within his own thoughts, he rethinks his actions and how naive he was to believe in such a word as "liberty." In the novel, Joe says, " What the hell does liberty mean anyway?...a guy says let's fight for liberty and he can't show you liberty. He can't prove the thing he's talking about so how in hell can he be telling you to fight for it?" Joe is angry, first at himself, and later at the military and the government who trick simple working class fools into fighting for an abstract concept, which has no concrete meaning. Because Joe is on the brink of death, he has nothing to lose by angrily attacking those who made him this way, he has nothing to lose by feeling like he should be the new face of war, and he has nothing to lose by wanting to tell the truth about what he has learned, if only there was a way to get the message outside his head and into the minds of others."

Tags:Joe, Bonham

Abstract
This essay analyzes "The Man Who Was Almost a Man," by Richard Wright. The essay discusses the symbols Wright uses to express the allegorical theme of the piece, and explores the meaning of the gun, the mule, the catalogue and the train. The essay finds that Wright uses these symbols to express that a man is only a man once he has gained maturity and intelligence, with no regard to age.

From the Paper
"The gun plays a lead role in Richard Wright's short story. Throughout the tale, David identifies a gun with manhood and autonomy. "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" ironically completely contrasts such ideas. As an illustration, David introduced himself in the story with the lines, "Them niggers can't understan nothing, One of these days he was going to get a gun and practice shooting, then they couldn't talk to him as though he were a little boy" (Wright). Wright's characterization of David compares to an agitated eighteen- year old son anxious to get the hell out of his parents' house."

Tags:allegory, symbols, theme, short story

Abstract
This paper will have a dual purpose, the first will be to discuss briefly the advances made in weaponry. The second purpose will be to place that technology in a human context by using the works of two writers, Erich Maria Remarque and Siegfried Sassoon, both experienced first hand the effect of this burgeoning weapons technology.

Abstract
This paper discusses how "Men with Guns" is the story of Humberto Fuentes an aging doctor in Latin America who has recently lost his wife. He is concerned that after his death he will leave no legacy behind, except for the medical students he trained for a humanitarian effort to help the rural Indian population of Latin America. In particular, it looks at how the film mixes politics and religion, or more accurately espouses the idea of liberation theology through the characters and story.

From the Paper
"In Men with Guns we have subtle religious themes and images that relate the idea of liberation theology. The first is the main characters as the Holy Trinity. Domingo the soldier advises Dr. Fuentes to say that the child is the doctor's son, and that he is his driver. So we have the Father and the Son. Later when the group comes upon Padre Portillo the Trinity is complete, because Portillo refers to himself as the Ghost. He does not say Holy Ghost, but we know he is a priest when he relates his story later and these two facts imply his divinity. These three individuals, not counting Domingo who is the Christ figure, travel the mountains witnessing the oppression and social injustice the army is perpetrating against the Indians. The very thing Liberation Theology was created to fight. "

Tags:religion, state, Humberto, Fuentes

Abstract
This is a compare/contrast essay. It compares Dave from Richard Wright's "The Man who was Almost a Man" and Andre Dubus from "Giving up the gun". It shows that their experiences with guns were very similar despite the great differences in their background and upbringing. Their motives for the use of the gun, however, were far apart.

From the Paper
"Another important difference between the two characters is in their goals for having a gun. Dave wants to be a man. Because he has a job and earns his own money, he considers himself a man. Even though he is seventeen, his parents still treat him as a little boy. He can t even manage his money. Not only Dave s parents, but his neighbors treat him as a little boy. He sees that almost every man in the village has a gun. He believes that owning a gun will bring him some respect that Dave has never gotten from anyone. He dreams to get one and practice shooting. He asks his mother: Ma, ef yuh lemme buy one Ah ll never ask yoh fer nothing no mo (Wright 388). Dave believes that the only way to prove himself as a man is to get a gun. On the other hand, he is not planning on a very dangerous action. After buying the gun from Mr.
Hawkins, Dave does not bring it to his mother as she had told; instead he had stayed out in the fields, holding the weapon in his hand, aiming it now and then at some imaginary foe ( 389). Without realizing that he could hurt someone he kills a mule. Because of this accident he will never get respect from people in his community"

Tags:1940, 1997, almost, andre, dave, dubus, giving, gun, man, richard, wright

Abstract
The paper examines the films "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Red River" and claims that one can realize the false mythos of American past that sought to redefine a far more glorious history of the Old West. The paper points out that in actuality, the historical use of gun fighting was low in relation to the greater degree of violence caused by wars and Indian battles. The paper discusses that the myth of the gunfighter may be a popular iconic view of life after World War II, but surely it does define a true and historic national vision for America in the 19th century.

From the Paper
"The scope of this film and historical study will present the facets of western film making, which do not coincide with the actual precedents of gun fighting in nationalistic Hollywood adaptations of the Old West. By examining the film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) and "Red River" (1948) one can present the genre of the gunfighter in film genre, but the national aspects of America were founded on differing historical principles. In essence, the rarity of gun fighting or dueling was a localized and rare phenomenon, which does explain accurately the manner in which America was founded in the Old West."

Tags:western, ford, gun

Abstract
This paper reviews the protagonists in the three short stories, "Babylon Revisited", "The Chrysanthemums", and "The Man Who Was Almost A Man" and how they resort to more subtle forms of communication, such as symbolism, in order to express themselves. The paper goes on to describe how each of the novels also highlights the role that nonverbal communication plays in creating perceptions. Quotes from all three novels are used to illustrate the points made in the paper.

From the Paper
"However, successful communication is almost as much about the interpretation of the receiver, as it is about the ability of the sender to reason out the right manner of communication. Indeed, the fact that successful communication hinges on a two-way interactive process plays an important role in Charlie, Elisa, and Dave's failure to achieve their goals. For Charlie Wales, his one drink a day may represent his ability to control his alcoholism. But, to Marion, the action seems to be cause to doubt the fact that he is a reformed alcoholic, even though Charlie tries to explain the symbolism inherent in his action: "but all that's over. As I told you, I haven't had more than a drink a day for over a year, and I take that drink deliberately, so that the idea of alcohol won't get too big in my imagination. You see the idea" (Fitzgerald, p. 329) Unfortunately, though, Charlie fails to convince Marion of the true meaning underlying his drink a day, as evidenced by her later asking, "How long are you going to stay sober, Charlie?" (Fitzgerald, p. 330)"

Tags:reason, think, individualism, communicate, charlie, wales, elisa, allen, dave, gun, expresses