Short Story Alive But Not Living - 1484 Words

Alive but Not Living All around the world, it is believed that men are superior to women. In some countries it is worse than others but nevertheless, almost every woman in the world has or will have to face gender discrimination at least once in her lifetime. In nineteenth-century China, since the day a girl was born, she was taught that she was useless. She was told that as a child, her job was to obey her natal family and as a married woman, it was to obey her husband in-laws. In a remote Hunan County, Lily is a girl who, her whole life, has longed to be loved. However, as a girl and later a woman it was considered wrong of her. At the age of seven, Lily is paired with a laotong or â€Å"old same†Ã¢â‚¬â€an eternal friendship that bonded two girls as kindred sisters who are even closer than a husband and wife. Her laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan where she has written a poem in nu shu, the unique and secret language created by Chinese women. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on the fan and compose stories, on handkerchiefs, to share their hopes, dreams and accomplishments. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See shows the pain, the hardships, and the pressure that girls and women, like Lily and Snow Flower, living in nineteenth century China had to go through because of their culture’s beliefs. In nineteenth century China, almost all girls had to go through the pain of footbinding—a custom in which the toes and arch of theShow MoreRelated The Short Stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez Essay969 Words   |  4 PagesThe Short Stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez Short story writer. Novelist. Journalist. Political activist. Nobel Prize winner. Most beloved of 20th century Latin American authors, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1928, in the small coastal town of Aracataca, Colombia. He published his first story, The Third Resignation, in 1947 and began studying law and journalism. His first novel, Leafstorm, was published in 1955, the same year the Colombian government shut down his employer, theRead MoreA Rose for Emily and a Cask of Amontillado1131 Words   |  5 Pages2 In the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† by William Faulkner (79-84), Emily Grierson has no concept of time. She is living in the past and refuses to accept the death of her father. She lives in an isolated fantasy where she convinces herself that her father is still alive. Emily has no intentions of accepting reality. She refuses to acknowledge the death of her father and also the death of her lover, Homer. Her character could be perceived as psychotic because she has lost contact with realityRead MoreEssay on The Story Of An Hour765 Words   |  4 Pagesplaces one might not think to look. The roles of women in short stories have changed from a typical voiceless human being to one that dominates a story. In the short story The Story of an Hour; by Kate Chopin, the character Mrs. Mallard demonstrates a transformation that is necessary for a woman to have. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The character Mrs. Mallard defies the traditional role of women in the 1800s. In the beginning of the short story Mrs. Mallard is depicted as a weak and fragile womanRead MoreInterpretation Smile1417 Words   |  6 Pagescould a smile have been more disgraceful for Matthew than the one he bared in the short story Smile, written by D.H. Lawrence. Matthew, the main character, receives a telegram informing him of his wifes critical health. Then, he goes to see Ophelia, his wife, in the convent where she resides. The relationship between the couple is problematic; they have separate 12 times. Once at the convent, the setting of the story, the Mother Superior informs Matthew that his wife is dead. He is not able to containRead MoreThe Box, By Richard Matheson And The Film `` Button, Button ``864 Words   |  4 Pagesreally worth throwing your beliefs all away? is there a price on ended someone s life now? For example in the short story, â€Å"Button, Buttonâ⠂¬  by Richard Matheson and the film, â€Å"The Box† the Lewis family was put through some issues. In both the short story, â€Å"Button, Button† by Richard Matheson and the film â€Å"The Box† have many things that relate but also have differences. In the short story, Norma was vile, egotistical, she didn t take anything her husband said into consideration. One reason whyRead MoreThe Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin658 Words   |  3 PagesThe Story of an Hour deals with language and sentence structures to help revel the true untreated emotions that all the characters feel inside. The story also displays the inner mental strains of women whom were restrained and undervalued by unacceptable social expectations upon marriage. This story is about Mrs. Mallard’s husband’s death that turned into her freedom. Mrs. Mallard was both depressed and repressed. Mrs. Mallard thought she had found her way but in the end her husband was alive andRead MoreEssay on Life and Death in Literature868 Words   |  4 PagesLife and death is usually the plot in short sto ries, plays, and poems. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner; â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin; and â€Å"When I have fears that I may cease to be† by John Keats all uses life and death as a plot. The short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† begins with the death of her father. The trauma of her father’s death puts her in a denial stage. She can not accept his death. After, accepting his death she went on living her life for the first time. The summerRead MoreThe Writer in the Family1237 Words   |  5 PagesFamily† by utilizing symbolism. To Jonathan, it’s as if his father did not die a ‘complete’ death and that haunts him. This pain is shown in a unique way throughout the story. Jonathan, as he tells this first person narrative, does not come right out and put words to his feelings concerning his father. At the start of the story Jonathan plainly states that his father died in 1955 and he explains the situation of how Jonathan’s aunts on his dad’s side choose not to tell Jonathan’s grandmotherRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allen Poes The Premature Burial1048 Words   |  5 Pagessensationalized accounts of being buried alive that employed descriptive language. As I read more of these articles, I noticed that the texts seemed very similar. I then realized that these supposedly â€Å"true stories† were actually the full text of Edgar Allen Poe’s short horror story â€Å"The Premature Burial.† Poe’s work was originally published in The Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper in 1844, and I found it again in The Spirit of Democracy in August 1845. Before the story, the newspaper states that â€Å"some ofRead MoreMexico City970 Words   |  4 PagesMexico City The short story Mexico City from 1950 was written by Ray Bradbury. The original name for this story was The Window. It was later named Mexico City and Calling Mexico. All three names make sense considering what the story is about. This short story is about an elderly man, Colonel Freeleigh, who lives at home alone. He has a nurse visit him because he is ill. He never goes out and experiences things. He has not been out for ten years. The only excitement in his life is the phone in