Frederick Douglass’s Narrative :: Essays Papers

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative In Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, Douglas himself narrates the novel using story telling to bring both the reader into the story, and the theme into focus. Through his narration, Douglass also uses narrative strategies like anecdotes, and plot twists. Even with it being a true story, Douglass brings the readers’ attention to a peak with these techniques making the story interesting and appealing. The most influential technique used by Douglass is story telling. He uses little stories, or stories-within-a-story, to make the reader pay attention. With descriptive tales of the plantations he worked on, the beatings and torture of slaves, and learning to read and write, he not only gets the attention of the readers, but he gets them to understand his point of view. For example at the beginning of the narrative Douglass tells a story of his aunt being beating, â€Å"I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rendering shrieks of an own aunt of mine,† (3). He goes on and gets even more graphic and descriptive, â€Å"The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest.† (4). Also early in the novel, Douglass writes of the plantation he grew up on, â€Å"There were no beds given the slaves, unless one coarse blanket be considered such,† (6). Soon after being sold to Mr. and Mrs. Au ld, he was taught the alphabet. He uses this experience to show to his audience that he is very literate despite his masters’ wishes, â€Å"If you teach that nigger how to read there would be no keeping him,† (20). So this story shows some more cruelty from his master. Just for reading he would be sold, which shows unfair treatment to the reader. Another similar technique used by Douglass very effectively is anecdotes. He uses anecdotes throughout the story to bring a humorous or interesting little side story into the readers’ minds. One good example of this is when he is talking about slave songs, â€Å"I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness.† (9). This shows the readers of his concerns by just adding a brief story in to interest the reader.

A Review of ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in 1939, during the Great American Depression. It tells the story of two men striving to understand their own unique place in the world. Traveling in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and the dream they share: to one day settle down in a farm of their own and count out their days. Eventually they find work on a ranch, their hopes are doomed as Lennie becomes a victim of his own strength leaving their dream to be crushed. Much of Of Mice and Men is based upon Steinbeck’s life and experiences. He highlights many social issues which he experienced first hand. For example, the climatic changes in the West of America resulting in destruction of fertile land, this had supported the homesteaders represented in the novel by the ‘promised joy’ dreamt of by the workers in the story. Another problem shown in the novel is the great financial collapse of 1929 which heralded the Depression that increased unemployment and poverty through the United States. Because of these problems intinerant American workers were exploited by farm owners on low pay and appalling conditions. They were only in demand for short periods of time causing them to have to save enough from seasonal work to support for the rest of the year and their extreme mobile lifestyles. Most of the characters in the book face many of these problems or are suffering from them especially the main characters, George and Lennie. George is a small, intelligent man. He is very strong-minded but also like most of the characters in the book very dreamy. He is very keen to change the monotomy of his present situation. Lennie, is a huge, lumbering, kind but child-like man. Although he has a terror of violence he is a man of great physical strength, something he is quite unaware of causing him to be clumsy. Lennie has an obsession with petting small animals that occurs throughout the book. He is very passive it is for this reason, in my opnion that George and Lennie are the incomplete halves of one whole person. George keeps Lennie by his side partly for comfort and friendship, but mainly as he is very strong and can work on a farm better than most people. Lennie is both an advantage and hindrance to George. George also supports Lennie, helps him and puts ideas in his head, wh ich keep him motivated but mainly acts as a fatherly figure. On arrival at the ranch one of the first characters George and Lennie meet is Candy, the oldest ranch worker who is coming to the end of his life. Candy is a very warm character in my opnion. He shares the dream that George and Lennie do, and therefore they become attractive ‘friends’ to him. He is a gossip and tells the newcomers of the ranch workers and owners. He tells George and Lennie about Curley and his newly wed wife. Curley is a small man, because of his height disadvantage he dislikes tall men. He is continually agressive and always trying to show his masculanity. He is humilated by his wife’s disastifaction and needs to boost his confidence. Curley’s wife’s name is never mentioned in the book it is for this reason she comes across as Curley’s possession. She is portrayed in the book as a tarty, flirtatious woman, who is ‘friendly’ to the men who work on the ranch. She claims not being understood in the book. Curley†™s wife has often been caught by other members of the ranch giving Slim and Carlson the eye. Slim is a friendly and gentle character compared to the others. He is a dignified master craftsman. Slim in my opnion is descibed by Steinbeck as an idealised character, however, his words and actions are quite realistic. Carlson is the more agressive character, we do not know that much about him but he usually appears in violent scenes. He is not a very sensative man. One of my favourite characters is Crooks. Crooks is a literate black cripple who tends horses. He interests me because his natural personality has been taken away from him by years of racism which I am very against. He is a very lonely character and has been automatically rejected in the novel by the other characters. My other favourite character is Lennie because of his unusual personality and need for a father figure despite being a fully grown man. In my opnion one cannot help but to feel sorry for Lennie. Within the story their are many themes, important ideas that run through the book. One of my favourites is dreams, each character has their own dream which is used throughout the book. The majority involve the ‘American Dream’, to be able to ‘live off the fatta the lan’. Curley’s wife’s dream revolves around Hollywood and being a moviestar but her dream she believes was ruined by her mother. She is also lonely just like many of the other characters, this is another theme in the book. Each of the workers is an induvidual and works for themselves. They all seek comfort in different things such as Candy in his dog. However, quite early on in the book Candy’s dog is killed, this is the first mention of violence. Throughout the book the world of the men is filled with unneccesary violence. The killing of the dog is quite similar to that of Lennie at the end of the book. Alot of authority is shown within the book aswell such as the condition of the worker’s living area and the Boss’s clothes, black and severe. However I feel the book is centred on the idea of mutual dependence. Each of the main two characters depends on each other hugely. But this relationship, at the end of the book, is breached and George takes advantage of Lennie who trusts him, and kills him, so that his dream is secured. The book is written in an easy to read form, it is not in the country language they would of spoken, but in proper English the majority of the book. The story is out of date of course, but the actual language and style used in the book is quite modern. I really like the way that Steinbeck at the beginning of each chapter gives you a vivid description of the surrondings. It is for this reason that although there have been many films made of this book nothing can compare to the pictures the pages of this book generates inside your mind’s eye and as you turn the final page these pictures stay with you. At first glance the story was not very enthralling but as I got deeper into the plot I started to really enjoy it. As I got more into the book I started to think more about the themes and characters of the book which drew me in to it even more. It is the kind of book that is not only a story but also holds an interesting background behind it and applies to the history of America and the Great Depression. It is for this reason I feel it deserves its title as a classic and I would recommend it to any reader.

17 Possible Career Paths for Biology Majors

Are you thinking of getting (or are you in the process of getting) a degree in biology? Fortunately, students who graduate with a degree in biology have more career options than just teaching or going to medical school — although those can be awesome careers, too. 17 Careers for Biology Majors Work for a science magazine. Interested in all kinds of biology? Or maybe just one particular field, like marine biology? Find a cool science magazine you love and see if theyre hiring.Work at a research company. There are some amazing companies out there doing some pretty amazing research. Use your degree and training to get in on the action.Work at a hospital. You dont always have to have a medical degree to work at a hospital. See what options are open for those with a science background.Work at a non-profit focusing on science. You can work for an organization that teaches science to kids or that helps improve the environment. And you can sleep well at night knowing that youre really doing good work all day, every day.Teach! Love biology? You probably do because you had an awesome mentor introduce you to it at some point during your education. Pass that passion on to someone else and make a difference in the lives of kids.Tutor. If full-time teaching isnt your thing, consider tut oring. While science/biology might come easily to you, it doesnt for everyone.Work for the government. Working for the government may not have been what you imagined yourself doing with your degree, but it can be a cool job you enjoy while also helping your country (or state or city or county).Work for an environmental company. It can be a non-profit or a for-profit, but helping  to protect the environment is a great way to put your biology degree to work.Work in agriculture and/or botany. You can work for a company that helps improve farming or one focusing on biomimicry.Work for a science museum. Consider working for a science museum. You can be involved in cool projects, interact with the public, and see all the neat stuff that happens behind the scenes.Work for the zoo. Love animals? Consider working at the zoo and having the kind of job that rarely, if ever, requires the stuffy suit-and-tie routine.Work at a veterinary office. If the zoo isnt your thing, consider working at a veterinary office. You can put your biology degree to work while also having an interesting, engaging job.Work at a food research company. Many companies need food researchers with a background in science. Jobs like these are definitely non-traditional and super interesting.Work at a pharmaceutical company. If youre interested in medicine but arent sure if medical school is your thing, think about working at a pharmaceutical company. Your background in biology can be put to good use as you work to create products that will improve the lives of many people.Work for a perfume or makeup company. Love makeup and perfume, or at least find them interesting? Those pretty little products have a lot of science behind them — science you can get involved in.Work at a college or university. You dont necessarily need to be a professor or have a doctorate to work at a college or university. See what departments are hiring that can put your training to use.Consider joining the military. Th e military can be a fantastic place to put your degree in biology to use, continue your training, and help your country. Check in with a local recruiting office to see what options are available.