Throughout the novel Snow in August by author Pete Hamill, power words and the power of individual words are apparent. From fantasy to realistic, religious to secular, at some times in this book words are as loud and as powerful as actions. Power words are used for good as well as for evil. These words make up one of the major themes of the novel.
One of the fantasy power words presented in the book is Shazam. Shazam stands for the names Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. This magical word combines the power of all six into the mighty Captain Marvel, the legendary comic book character. When he needs to fight, "no matter how sinister his enemies were, no matter how monstrous their weapons, all he needed was to shout the magic word" (Hamill 3). Michael Devlin, the main character, who is captivated by Captain Marvel, tries the powerful word for himself but to his chagrin is does not work. Shazam is clearly one of the most powerful words in the novel.
But the theme mentioned is not just power words but also the power of words. Michael, after witnessing the beating of Mister G, has the power to send the culprit, Frankie McCarthy, to jail for what he's done. The power of the phrase "I saw Frankie beat up Mr. G" is great for Michael. But, for his own safety, he does not inform the police of his knowledge. Rabbi Hirsch informs Michael, "You keep quiet about some crime, it's just as bad as the crime" (Hamill 156). But the power Michael possesses is still great.
At the end of the novel, when Michael makes the Golem for the sake of Rabbi Hirsch and his mother, there are several powerful words that help bring the Golem to life. The first is ""emet", Yiddish for "truth." The second is the secret name of God, "YHVH." Both of these small words, as well as individual letters of the alphabet, give power and life to the Golem. The power to create the Golem is huge, because the Golem, who is there for the sole purpose of helping, is a great being with insurmountable strength With the Golem's powers, Michael can overcome the Falcons with ease, and makes them look ridiculous; "Frankie backed up his face was full of terror .
Understanding between two cultures isn't something that comes easily. More often than not, mutual fear and distrust prevent any semblance of peaceful coexistence from ever occurring. However, if someone has the courage to step forward and extend a hand in faith, another's hand may tentatively grasp...
When I moved to Flagstaff in August of 2003, I was very excited to be submerged into a wholesome college town. ... To me, this childish act brought back happy memories of winters when I was a kid playing in the snow, when it was so easy to be oblivious to the fact that you could not feel any of your limbs. ... slowly looked around me as I felt little sprinkles of white snow began to fall on my face and wet my eyelashes. ... The mountain, with its beautiful skin of aspen trees and white snow, grabbed on to me and wouldn't let me go. ...
When I moved to Flagstaff in August of 2003, I was very excited to be submerged into a wholesome college town. ... To me, this childish act brought back happy memories of winters when I was a kid playing in the snow, when it was so easy to be oblivious to the fact that you could not feel any of your limbs. ... slowly looked around me as I felt little sprinkles of white snow began to fall on my face and wet my eyelashes. ... The mountain, with its beautiful skin of aspen trees and white snow, grabbed on to me and wouldn't let me go. ...
INFORMED CITIZEN ASSIGNMENT In the article "Recovery or Snow Job?" ... According to www.wsws.org "The US economy lost another 93,000 jobs in August half of them in factory production, the Labor Department announced Friday, as at least 11 million people remained unemployed, the highest number in nearly a decade." ... Which is contrary to what we read in "Recovery or Snow Job?" Moreover as tompaine.com accuses Thomas Snow of doing a poor job in office there is evidence to repute that claim and while we look to be making the first turn in the right direction S...
When exploring African-American history, the most important things to focus on are that because of the times, black people were enslaved and treated poorly. They endured it all and worked hard to rise above the boundaries of slavery and prejudice. However, the most portentous aspect of African-Ameri...
In August of 1984, Betty Mahmoody went to Iran with her husband, an American Moslem and four-year-old daughter Mahtob, on a two-week trip to visit his family in Teheran. ... Once they hit the mountains, they hid out in a barn until they crossed the ice and snow-covered mountains that border Iran and Turkey. ...
It was formally completed on August 14, 1937. ... Several days later, they ran into a snowstorm and when they woke up the next morning the snow was up to their waist. ... The snow was still high in places but they were able to get through. ...
Unfortunately, on August 5, 1931 the most tragic thing happened, the lodge burnt down. ... The first is September, the reasons for this is because is that the weather is usually good and at night when the sun sets there is a nice glow on the snow. ... This is because the glaciers are still covered in snow. ... This is because in September there are many deep snow crevasses that you have to worry about. ... His exact words were " It was a surprise to climb for so long up a steep slope and then find yourself on a big, broad, flat expanse of snow ½ mile across. ...
Snow covered, frozen land, below freezing temperatures, and no food. ... Birds prepare early for their migration, with August through October considered to be peak months, continuing into December for birds that travel a shorter distance. ... Any way they do it, they seem to be just fine and enjoy the snow covered, frozen habitat....
