... evil, violent, and "fallen- being. William Golding's own experiences with a devastated world led in part to the dark picture of humanity painted in his novel. William Golding was born in St. Columb Minor in Cornwall, England. He started to write at age seven, but ended up studying science at Brasenose College, Oxford. During World War II he served in the Royal Navy ... as commander of a rocket ship. During the war, he experienced firsthand man's inner savagery. After the war, he was left to ponder ... dad won't know, nobody don't know - -. Piggy's feelings of loss and hopelessness echo...

• Word Count: 4223
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School

... no good to anyone. Paul proclaims, "We agree that it's the same for everyone; not only for us here, but everywhere, for everyone who is of our age; for some more, and to others less. (Remarque 87) Those of this generation who the war didn't kill or slaughter, it crippled, shattered, or used up. Paul says himself, "I am young, I am twenty years old ... ; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow." (Remarque 263) the war has shattered their illusions. Their innocence is ... gone, and only a meaningless skeptism is left to ...

• Word Count: 926
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the novel in many respects because of the future hopes and dreams the men lost, the youth and innocence that was taken away from them, and the families and friends that were removed from their lives for good. First, the young soldiers in World War I were a lost generation. They were sent off to war at a young age wasting their youthful years. In the ... preface of the novel, Remarque maintains that, "a generation of men...were destroyed" (Insight 202 ... like influenza and dysentery. The deaths are merely more frequent, more varied, and terrible," (Insight 321). Paul was able to mainta...

• Word Count: 828
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... forever. Elie's experiences at the camp have a dramatic impact on his faith, his relationship with his father and his innocence. "Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never I shall forget the nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my ... !" Eliezer, a fifteen year old Jewish boy, is forced to come face to face with the terrors of the concentration camps which result in the loss of his innocence. While he is with his father at the camp he bec...

• Word Count: 1085
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... that come to my attention. First, the main character's name is Billy, not William or Bill. This, in my opinion, is used to show his childlike innocence. He is not the typical soldier; he has never fought and will never fight. Second, the only real soldiers, the two scouts are only mentioned briefly. I ... see Adam and Eve. Though Billy has never heard the corporal's claim, he looks into the boots and sees Adam and Eve and loves them for their innocence, vulnerability, and beauty. A blond fifteen-year-old boy helps Billy to his feet; he looks as beautiful and innocent as Eve. In the dist...

• Word Count: 7795
• Approx Pages: 31
• Grade Level: High School

... , imagery, and style. GENRE FICTION Escapist literature goes hand in hand with serious concerns all through the twentieth century: the comedy of Wodehouse lasts through the Jazz age of the 1920s; the threat of Fascism, the fascination with Communism, and the Depression of the 1930s; the War and later austerity in the 1940s and 1950s. The trend has continued through to the present day. Novels ... . His situations are often extreme and test human beings to their limits. Lord Jim (1900) is the story of a young Englishman who panics and deserts his ship. Lord Jim later dies an honourable deat...

• Word Count: 10566
• Approx Pages: 42

... concentrate on the common conflicts associated with war, but rather the inner conflicts of adolescence. A Separate Peace was written by John Knowles and was published in 1959. The genre of this selection can be described as both a coming-of-age story and a tragedy. The strongest feature of this selection is the development of a love-hate relationship that can be easily related to by the reader. Also ... , another powerful feature of the novel is Knowles' ability to make the reader both sympathize and ... - - a game where everyone competes furiously but no one can ever win. In the novel, ...

• Word Count: 3096
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... innocent tongues'. This is saying that the pain will never heal. The word innocent also has two meanings. Firstly, I think that they are the soldier's innocence refers to the fact that they are so young and inexperienced, secondly because they are the innocent ones in this war, they have done nothing wrong. Owen ... from this that Owen feels the soldiers have been betrayed. Owen describes the soldiers in charge as Smiling' when they wrote the wrong age down. I think that Owen is angriest with these people because they knew what was happening on the front line, whereas the people at home ...

• Word Count: 1305
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... II created for Japanese-Americans caused Hatsue to break off her relationship with Ishmael, who then came to hate the "Japs" he fought as a result of the rejection. In fact, Ishmael's grudge ran so deep that when he discovered evidence of Kabuo's innocence in the climax of the novel, he was caught between his conflicting desires to help and hurt Hatsue. Another underlying theme ... are careful not to overtly make enemies or cause conflict. Snow Falling on Cedars is a dramatic web of complicated relationships. By writing without bias, Guterson provides us with an understanding of the soc...

• Word Count: 1004
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... , Ultima, is a classic tale based upon Mexican- American culture and folklore. The author, Rudolfo Anaya uses Mexican names and Spanish words to give the reader a true sense of the Latin culture. The story is based around young Antonio who was coming of age at the conclusion of World War II. His family lived in a quiet and isolated New Mexico valley that was in a state ... vaqueros and their lifestyle. He also learned about hard work and leading a respectable life. Gabriel taught Tony that growing up is a fact of life and means the loss of one's innocence. His father believed that Tony s...

• Word Count: 1132
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... at Aunt Gloria's breasts through her nightgown and the envy he felt for Uncle Frank as he listened to the rhythm of bedsprings through the wall into their bedroom. Grandpa knew of these feelings, after all, Frank was just about Davy's age when Bud caught him down by the stable with that" little Indian girl" Grandpa thought that was good for Frank, a release ... for Frank. Being an only child, Davy felt comfortable with adults. Even his sexual thoughts were for adults, Marie and Aunt Gloria, not young "farm girls" as other boys his age chased. Davy thought Maria was his friend and peer, ...

• Word Count: 1693
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... Tanks came into play in 1917. The British were the first to incorporate their use into battle. They launched a massive assault in the Battle of Cambria on November 20th, 1917 using 324 tanks. (Glennon 128) The Tractor, which revolutionized farming rolled out in 1917 and completely changed the way ... reserved to property holding men in Britain. Due to many reformers and activists, parliament granted all men over the age of 21 the right to vote. They also allowed women over the age of 30 to vote in 1918. (Glennon 132) These changes were controversial and rapid but couldn't even compare to...

• Word Count: 954
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... ;rez is six years old when Ultima, an elderly curandera and a healer with the power of the ancestors, comes to live with his family. Her arrival marks the beginning of his coming of age. His parents disagree about the proper life and education for Antonio. His mother, the daughter of farmers, wants him to follow the Luna family tradition and become a farmer or a priest. ... well as the fact that the people he loves and trusts do not have all the answers. Neither Catholicism nor the pagan religion of Cico and Samuel provides satisfactory explanations for these deaths. Throughout Antonio's ...

• Word Count: 812
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... doing it for hate, because hate requires a certain degree of passion and each and every one of them was cold-minded, and just followed the orders of their leader: Trevor, who was a mastermind of evil. It's clear that the gang wanted prestige, distinction ... doing it naturally and consciously and most significant: for fun. Destruction was part of them, maybe because they were "the sons of war" and they were living a period of transition when many important changes take place; but as far as I"m concerned, ... episodes (with proportional consequences) happen nowadays. This leads me to thin...

• Word Count: 602
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... American government to prevent the spread of Communism both inside and outside of the United Sates. Above all the American government was determined to prevent the spread of the Communist Party in the United States. This determination would give rise to the most feared man of the time, Joseph McCarthy, and thus the age of McCarthyism would be born. The fear of communism spreading would also make ... Congress take some extreme measures to keep communists out of the Federal Government. Joseph McCarthy was an unknown Senator until February 9, 1950 when he announced to the ... husband. The...

• Word Count: 1455
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... usually means that they are rough and to swim in them would probably cause you to drown. The "w" alliteration in this line enhances the feeling of the motion of the waves, constant and continuous in and out motion which could eventually lead a person to "folly", or madness. The "desert" is also ... tendency to exclude everyone else from their happiness and love, thinking only of each other and forgetting the rest of the world in an act of selfishness. Ideally no one should be superior or inferior in any way; whether it is in age, job status or appearance. Everyone should be treated as an...

• Word Count: 2163
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... , and no one was". Later in this section, Cecilia, who has always believed in Robbie's innocence leaves the family home to be with him? The third section of the novel continues with the winding down of the war. Briony begins to realize that she can devote her every waking moment to the dying ... no matter how much she attempts to make amends, she cannot. This is a turning point for this character and prepares her to move toward the eventuality of her life's work: writing. The interesting question is asked about the novelist, and that would be fictionist. In the writer's world, the writer...

• Word Count: 1611
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... failed in the attempt to carry out his emperor's wishes and the Japanese military continued on its campaign throughout China which eventually pleaded to the League of Nations for intervention who then voted 42-1 against Japan with the only vote coming from Japan supporting the action. Tensions grew between Emperor Hirohito and ... lied to by General Tojo about the events which were unfolding. Life in Japan was changing drastically as most men of age were off fighting the war and women began taking over jobs once done solely by men. It was in the spring ... and on August 10, 1945 Japan de...

• Word Count: 5382
• Approx Pages: 22
• Grade Level: Undergraduate