...their differences. The primary theme that persists through both works of literature is imprisonment. As Clarice Short points out in “Joyce’s ‘A Little Cloud’,” “During the dungeon days of both Byron’s and Joyce’s characters they came to some sort of terms with the smaller life about them”. “Little Chandler [sees] the children that [squat] like mice,” just as the Prisoner of Chillon “[makes] friends with spiders and [watches] the mice playing in the streaks of moonlight” (276). Both characters find ways of passing the time that are hardly mentally stimulating. Each develops a means of coping with the sad reality that their lives have inevitably become. Another similarity that becomes evident after reading both works is the idea of epiphany, an element that is consistently employed by Joyce in all of his compositions. “Both characters were brought to consciousness, or heightened awareness, by the advent of a visitant from the outside world” (Short 276). As Little Chandler walks to meet Gallaher, “A light [begins] to tremble on the horizon of his mind” (Joyce 46) just as the Prisoner of Chillon hears a bird singing and describes compares it to “A light [breaking] in upon [his] brain” (Byron 251). Little Chandler and the Prisoner of Chillon are broken out of their repetitive and routine daily lives by outside influences – in Little Chandler’s case, it is Gallaher, and a bird does it for the Prisoner of Chillon. Nevertheless, “the pleasure of both was short-lived.” Similar...
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...“Araby” by James Joyce In his short but complex story, “Araby”, James Joyce, with the use of symbolism and metaphors, reveals the journey of a young boy. “Araby” is a story of the differences between the innocent ideal and the knowledge of real life. Joyce presents us with the idea of the boy’s journey, which ends with a failure but results in the discovery of adulthood. However, looking closer, it is a story of a grown man looking back on his earlier experiences as a young boy. The boy's journey is no longer limited to his youthful encounter with first love but to a representation of a conflict of the ideal: the dream as he wishes it to be, with the harsh reality that it is. This depiction, of the boy’s experiences allows for the dramatic evolution of a story of a first love told by a narrator who, (with the adult vision), applies the sophisticated use of irony and symbolism needed to reveal the story's deeper meaning. In the beginning we learn about the boy’s character through the atmospheric setting of North Richmond Street in Dublin. He grew up in a dismal, dark, dead-end street. “An uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbours in a square ground.” Gloominess seems to be setting the mood “dark dripping gardens,” “brown imperturbable faces” and “the dark muddy lanes”. Joyce paints a picture of a somber and hopeless presence with no happiness or anything to look forward to. The young boy’s character is revealed through these...
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...Epiphany There is a time in every child’s life when they go through a difficult time either trying to inhabit to a new environment or figuring out who they are, overall being very confused. When I was nine years old my family and I came to America to start a new life. I had an epiphany a year after, when I saw a girl that was in my situation a year before on my first day of school. It was very difficult at times and starting school without knowing one word in English made the situation even worse. The first day of school was a day that I would in no way forget. I felt so alone and different from everybody else. Even though there were other Armenians in my class, they seemed to look at me like I was an alien. In Armenia I was always the top student in class, and I had many friends that I actually played and did my studying with. I was not used to being treated so dreadfully. During the first year my self esteem came down because of the way other children treated me. I kept telling my parents I was not feeling well just to stay away from school. A year later school was not the “frightening place” that made my heart pound in the beginning, but I treated everybody else the way they treated me in the beginning. I was sitting in my ESL class when the door opened and one of the teachers came in with a girl with red cheeks. When the whole class turned to look at her the teacher told us she was a new student who came from Armenia two months ago. I immediately felt a bond between us...
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...Paper August 10, 2011 What really is epiphany? How does one notice it when someone experiences it? At first glance, one might assume that “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver portrays the revival of an isolated, heartless, and insensitive husband to the “blind” world. He does not open his eyes literally, but mentally, also to the religious world. There have been many indicators in the story which lead the husband to have an epiphany. The first hint of religious epiphany can be seen in the title and the structure of the story. Also, the dialogue and the actions of the character reveal the lack of religious belief. Although the narrator had the ability to see all along, he never realized the world that could be in the eyes of a blind man resulting in deeper connection to the “blind” world as well as to the eyes of God. The first, overall indicators pointing towards religious epiphany are found in the structure and the title of the story. The eventual subject of the story is as well as its title refer towards divinity. Only by reading the title, one can already imagine the religious image. Another interesting fact is the about one third of the entire story is focused on cathedrals. This being the base of the story gives a reader the first hints of the epiphany that the narrator will experience. Reading on, the dialogue and the actions of the narrator lead to epiphany as well. Besides the obvious indicators of religious epiphany, there are also things like language and actions...
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...During my brief stint at Bing Nursery School, I have been in numerous situations where children become overly excited and completely lose their self-control. Overexcitement typically occurs within a group of children, but it can also occur when dealing with one child. A teacher will usually witness children being overly aggressive, both physically and verbally, and hyperactive. A few weeks ago, I happened to be working and observing in the block area. There were probably six children within three feet of each other. At first, all of the children were calm and happily working on their projects. There was absolutely no disorder, until a child had an epiphany. One of the children came to the realization that if the two blocks are smashed together,...
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...The Epiphany of Veggies Weatherly Composition I There is a saying that your taste buds develop over time. There is also a saying that you will appreciate things as you get older. There is also that age-old saying that everyone I have ever known has heard at one time or another from their mother, “Eat your veggies”. It is interesting to note how all of these sayings that are so common in our development just happen to ring true. This essay is about that moment of when I found that I really did like veggies. Growing up I couldn’t stand most veggies that my mother served. Outside of corn on the cob, drenched in butter, my mother had a tendency to boil all vegetables to death. I learned that was the way she was taught from her mother so naturally that way was the norm. Broccoli, carrots, and summer squash were all boiled so that they were always limp and drained of the color that proved they were once alive. No cheese sauce on the planet would save these once proud members of the vegetable community. This process was repeated for years until I met my wife. My wife opened my eyes to the fact that veggies didn’t have to be boiled and flavorless. I can remember the day, March 17, 1988 to be exact, when she decided that she would cook for the both of us. She made a simple chicken dish but she also cooked broccoli as a veggie side. At first I was apprehensive, but I told her that I would always try something once just in case I liked it. I never knew that cooked broccoli...
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...What we read of Mrs. Mallard's life before she hears that her husband has been killed makes it clear that she is already in a confused and unhappy state, and that she is not at all sure of her feelings toward her husband that "she love[s] -- sometimes." we can clearly see that her life was not a joyful one: "It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long." This makes it evident that Mrs. Mallard is ready for an epiphany that will clarify her understanding of what she really wants in life. After Louise comes to the realization that she should stop mourning her husband’s death she becomes ecstatic. It takes her just a few moments in front of an open window for her to realize her husbands death was a good thing....
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...I recall a time about three years ago when my grandpa had a stroke and I went to visit him. When I first saw him I noted that I had never seen him in the level of pain the stroke gave him, which was a terrible realization considering the fact that he was and always has been the toughest person I knew. Several hours later when I had the opportunity to deeply think about his condition, it dawned on me that he would possibly never be the same person again and this was terrifying. The dawn of something is a sudden burst of light, but metaphorically speaking, a burst of realization. When someone has a “dawn” they are hit with an extreme moment of realization, an epiphany, which is most jurrasic when it is negative. Romeo & Juliet is a tragic play...
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...In “A&P”, Updike portrays Sammy as a regular teenager working during the summer. Sammy spends his days observing how the customers act and compares them to animals or other objects. The story starts off with the key people in causing Sammy’s epiphany, three girls in bathing suits. The girls choosing to wear bathing suits inside a store shows a form of rebellion and Sammy becomes awed and inspired by the girlscausing Sammy to become awed and inspired. As he observes the girls and their behavior, his thoughts and observations change by becoming more understanding or and curious of the girls. When the manager of the store comes into the story, the epiphany occurs as Sammy feels the need to quit his job. Sammy decides that a moral line has...
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...Certain milestone events are engraved in detailed memories carved into stone. My epiphany of overcoming my insecurity was not one of those moments. In fact, to this day I do not quite know exactly what it was that helped me overcome the internal battle over myself. I was never the most out-going person that spoke eloquently when introduced to new people. Often I would sit silently through an entire conversation while friends around me made new acquaintances. More than once I would be asked in a teasing tone, “Don’t you speak?” I would just smile and bite my tongue, still not confident enough to speak to new people. I was not necessarily shy, around friends I was always seen as the talkative one, but around strangers I was someone completely different. When I was offered exciting opportunities, the same invisible muffle coerced me into silence....
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...Strips of sunlight streaked themselves across the room, shining through the blinds of the window indicating the inevitability of morning. With a swift throw of the covers, he arose from the bed quickly and efficiently, as he always does, and began to walk to the bathroom. I, in turn, slowly, but surely, traveled behind hovering against his feet. Upon arrival, he closed the door, turned on the light, and with one sudden look, there we were; face to face. Our eyes meet once again. Those deep, dark brown eyes widen as he locks on my gaze. I carefully observe his ordinary figure. His hair is as dark as night and conveys a tone of attraction accentuated by olive toned skin. A movement of his arm startles me and I quickly replicate the action, hoping the slight tardiness of my reaction goes unnoticed. It is often that I forget that such a creature before me is none other than my other half. This occurrence happens almost every morning; our endless stare always seeming to last a lifetime. I try not to let my mind wander as his eyes penetrate my own, but I can’t help but wonder if today was one of the days we would be switching places. They say we don’t get to choose who were are in this world, and I for one am living proof of such a statement. As halves go, we are simply defined; he is the better and I am the latter. Happiness, excitement, and outgoingness encapture his soul, while I am the complete antithesis. The majority of our life together, he has always been the one to take...
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...Epiphany at Death and the Road to Salvation In Everyman and Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, the protagonists are faced with their judgment day and presented with an account of their lives. Everyman is a man wealthy materialistically, while Faustus is wealthy in arts such as logic, medicine, law, and divinity. Everyman represents the men in society who are fixed in their material lives and lose sight of Christ. He befriends men who abandon him while on a pilgrimage to Christ, learning that what he once valued, his wealth, is useless to him when he has to account for his lack of good deeds. Faustus unlimited intelligence, yet he is dissatisfied with his gift; he would prefer experiment with black magic. Faustus gives his soul to the devil in exchange for the power to perform black magic, but he is ultimately damned to hell because of his decision and failure to recognize his fault. Faustus and Everyman fail to recognize Christ and their afterlife is left at stake. On the road to salvation, death serves as a groundbreaking event in the life of mortal men. Throughout their quest, Everyman and Faustus struggle to prove themselves worthy of greater afterlife through misusage of their mortal lives. Everyman is approached by the devil with a pilgrimage which he must partake, one where he will not come back alive. He seeks help in that those who befriend and abandon him during his lifetime such as: beauty, goods, and knowledge cannot help him on his journey. Good Deeds is the only...
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...“Against Epiphanies” in Charles Baxter’s Burning down the House is explaining the idea that not all stories have to end in a conclusion. He explains that, “…discursive insights are so rare, in my experience, that they seem freakish” (Baxter 49). In other words that people don’t have epiphanies after conflict, or life changing experiences and if this doesn’t happen in the real world, why should it in books? Junot Diaz does just what Baxter is talking about in his essay. The story revolves around Yunior and his puking every time he gets in the car, and his father’s affair with a Puerto Rican woman. Throughout the story we get small glimpses of Yunior’s family and his relationships with his father. One of the car trips Yunior takes with his father...
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...The Aha! Moment “You get the sense that the scene is an answer to something. It can be such an epiphany and that's what's so powerful about it. But the danger is that the very epiphany that you have initially can ultimately lead you into a trap, escaping life,” spoken by Greg Harrison. This quote underscores the nature of epiphanies as both the solution to a literary or actual problem and as a dangerous trap. In The Seagull Reader Stories,“Cathedral”, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, and “A&P,” all depict epiphanies. To have an epiphany, one needs to have an arrival of understanding and develop a new sense of intuitive realization. Epiphanies do not always have a bad ending with a trap, but each story has its own unique epiphany which creates vulnerability and or illuminates life lessons. During an epiphany, there is a sudden realization, often depicted in cartoons as a lit lightbulb floating over a character's head. Concommit with this realization, is an exposure and vulnerability to an ambush. Often, when the hidden knowledge is revealed, the discoverer is susceptible to the consequences of their discovery. Sammy, the protagonist in “A&P” by John Updike, goes through an epiphany. Three girls walk into A&P, the grocery store where Sammy is a cashier. The girls are dressed in only bathing suits and the store manager scolds the girls for their attire. Sammy suddenly realizes that he didn’t want to work for a person that is rude to girls. Sammy quits his job in an...
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...story has a couple of epiphanies that happened to different characters throughout the story that changes the way the reader thinks about those characters and brought new and new meaning to the story. Epiphany, however, according to “Merriam-Webster” dictionary, means “a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way” which in this case it’s applied to the changes in the characters personality in the story. Anyways the Epiphanies in “Daughter of Invention” in my opinion are; first when the father apologizes to his daughter the day after and brings her and electric typewriter. The other epiphany is when the mother realized that her inventions are just waste of time and she finally stopped doing them and focuses instead on her family and her daughter. Finally the most important Epiphany in the story is daughter’s character which is became obvious after she got satisfied with her English after she finished her speech and that made her more confident of herself after she was upset with her English accent. The father’s apologizes to his daughter about his attitude towards her and her mother at the end of the story shows us that he had came to full realizations of his acts and he has changed himself, his personality and became a sort of new person. The most important epiphany in this story is the main characters’ Epiphany which is the daughters’ and that’s because in my opinion I think it interferes with the other epiphanies of the mothers’ and the...
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