Alone in the Dark

The stagnant air creeps down the hallway, maneuvers its way through each bedroom, bathroom and living room and makes a permanent residence in the walls that surround each room. The energy that the house is swallowed in is dreadful -- something inside of it needs to be hidden from the outside world, like a secret. From the exterior, the house is a normal, regular looking house among the others around it. On the inside, however, a small child is hidden in the basement of the house, for no one's eyes to see unless to glare. No one's hands to touch unless to beat or slapped. No one's ears to listen to unless to make sure that they are unheard from the outside world. 

Abuse has been going on for as long as anyone can remember -- whether it be emotional, verbal, or physical abuse, it unfortunately happens a lot in today's society. It is talked about in books, the media, movies and in real world situations as well. In books, for instance, abuse can be talked about in fictitious stories, for people who haven't been abused to see what a situation would be like. It would be a story about someone who wants the reader to realize what would possibly happen from a person getting abused. Stories of nonfiction abuse, on the other hand, explain more about a realistic situation that happened to them or someone that they knew. It's a plea; a way to cry out to others and share their story. Both readings are very different, but at the same time, share many similarities.

An example of a fictional story that contains abuse is Flowers In the Attic by V. C. Andrews. Throughout the book, all four of the main characters are locked in an attic for 3 years, 4 months and 16 days. The long while that they are forced to live in the attic, they undergo a series of abuses, from verbal attacks given by their grandmother, to physical whip lashings, beatings and labor. The abuse that the four characters undergo is visible later on when two of the four characters die from neglect and trauma, and the other two both have obvious relationship and trust issues with everyone around them, which makes it hard for them to move on from their past. The abuse that is given throughout the book is portrayed as scenes that haven't actually happened, but could possibly be seen as a real world situation.

Fictional stories can be portrayed in several different ways, and are usually written to portray a specific mood about the abuse that is given. But in a nonfictional story, like A Child Called It, the abuse that is told through the text actually happened, and is being told first hand by Dave Pelzer. Like Flowers In the Attic, Dave suffers tremendous amounts of physical abuse -- being beaten senseless, kicked, punched, and slapped. Unlike a nonfiction story, the emotional abuse that Dave suffers comes from real emotions that he felt as a kid, and as he feels now, reflecting on the abuse from the past. The images that haunts him are graphic, and very very real, which differ from the pictures that are painted for readers on fictional stories.

No matter what genre of book that is being read, the theme of abuse shows emotions of bitter hurt, pain, and lack of a normal lifestyle. They can hit a reader hard at home, or they can show a reader what abuse is actually like: small hands shaking and trembling in fear, waiting for the next verbal, physical, or mental lash.

The stagnant air creeps down the hallway, maneuvers its way through each bedroom, bathroom and living room and makes a permanent residence in the walls that surround each room. The energy that the house is swallowed in is dreadful -- something inside of it needs to be hidden from the outside world, like a secret. From the exterior, the house is a normal, regular looking house among the others around it. On the inside, however, a small child is hidden in the basement of the house, for no one's eyes to see unless to glare. No one's hands to touch unless to beat or slapped. No one's ears to listen to unless to make sure that they are unheard from the outside world. 

Abuse is something that has been going on for as long as anyone can remember -- whether it be emotional, verbal, or physical abuse, it unfortunately happens a lot in today's society. It is talked about in books, the media, movies and in real world situations as well. In books, for instance, abuse can be talked about in fictitious stories, for people who haven't been abused to see what a situation would be like. It would be a story about someone who wants the reader to realize what would possibly happen from a person getting abused. Stories of nonfiction abuse, on the other hand, explain more about a realistic situation that happened to them or someone that they knew. It's a plea; a way to cry out to others and share their story. Both readings are very different, but at the same time, share many similarities.

An example of a fictional story that contains abuse is Flowers In the Attic by V. C. Andrews. Throughout the book, all four of the main characters are locked in an attic for 3 years, 4 months and 16 days. The long while that they are forced to live in the attic, they undergo a series of abuses, from verbal attacks given by their grandmother, to physical whip lashings, beatings and labor. The abuse that the four characters undergo is visible later on when two of the four characters die from neglect and trauma, and the other two both have obvious relationship and trust issues with everyone around them, which makes it hard for them to move on from their past. The abuse that is given throughout the book is portrayed as scenes that haven't actually happened, but could possibly be seen as a real world situation.

Fictional stories can be portrayed in several different ways, and are usually written to portray a specific mood about the abuse that is given. But in a nonfictional story, like A Child Called It, the abuse that is told through the text actually happened, and is being told first hand by Dave Pelzer. Like Flowers In the Attic, Dave suffers tremendous amounts of physical abuse -- being beaten senseless, kicked, punched, and slapped. Unlike a nonfiction story, the emotional abuse that Dave suffers comes from real emotions that he felt as a kid, and as he feels now, reflecting on the abuse from the past. The images that haunts him are graphic, and very very real, which differ from the pictures that are painted for readers on fictional stories.

No matter what genre of book that is being read, the theme of abuse that is given off is sent to show emotions of bitter hurt, pain, and lack of a normal lifestyle. They can hit a reader hard at home, or they can show a reader what abuse is actually like. Both fiction and nonfiction stories give off specific moods and show different aspects than each other, but both can be tied to together to show the same thing. 

A Boring, Dimly-Lighted place

The short story and the film that portrays "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" share both the same and different characteristics. Is most cases, a visual on the story that is read is beneficial, and more liked than just reading it, but not in this case. I didn't like the film to the short story at all, I don't think that it portrayed the mood and the effect that the story was supposed to have. Also, I think that picturing the setting and the characters would have been more accurate to the story if there wasn't a film. Lastly, I don't think that the message that was given off was given off to it's full potential in the film. 

Our imagination can describe and depict stories the way that we think that they should look--if it takes place in the 1920's, the setting that we picture in our head is going to look different than what takes in the 1990's. The scenery inside of the cafe is completely not what it looked like in my head; that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the way that it looked wasn't the way that it was supposed to look. The lighting was completely off and the characters that were deemed to be the waiters were completely in the wrong character--they didn't play the role right whatsoever. Overall, I loved the writing part of it, but I did not like the film that as made.

A Clean, Well-lighted Place Responce

There are a lot of lighting and shading that effect the image that is being given off from the passage "A Clean, Well-lighted Place" The words "light," "dust," "shadow," "night," "shining," and "daylight" are used many times throughout the passage and each of the words that are used are made to better describe the picture that the reader paints in their minds while reading this. Shadowing sets the mood for a lot of things-- in restaurants, there is dark lighting to set a specific mood, there is a lot of lights in a Wal-Mart to set a specific mood, and candle lighting obviously sets a specific mood. Personally, the description paints a very vivid image in my head when I read the lighting that is taking place; it sets a mood and makes things more realistic to read.

Splashes of Faith

Religion plays a huge role in almost everyone's lives- Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and even Atheism. It is something that is everywhere, no matter where you live, what language you speak, or who you associate with. Even if you don't believe in the same God or greater being that someone else does, it is still talked about and openly brought up a lot in daily life. Not surprisingly, religion isn't brought up a lot in the book Fahrenheit 451; however, there are examples of subliminally placed messages throughout the book that provide proof that there is some sort of faith or belief in the dystopian and seemingly doomed world that Guy is living in.

Religion can be interpreted many different ways in the book; it can be seen as just as constricting as the government, but it also can be seen as a vent, or proof that there is something to believe in within the life that Guy is living in. One way that religion is sincere in the book isn't very subliminally placed -- Faber. From the first page that Faber was introduced in the book to the last page, he was a seemingly mellow person, and very forgiving of Guy's "sinning" of hoarding books. Guy obviously confides in him when he doesn't have a house or anyone to go to, and Faber explains to him that Guy was once just like everyone else, and that he should be displaying pity more than he should fury towards everyone.

From the get go of the book, fire has also been a huge part of the book -- almost an inspiration for fire fighters. A complex thing to look at is how fire ties in with religion, Christianity to be more specific. In the Bible, fire symbolizes presence and divinity. In Fahrenheit 451, fire has many contradictory meanings. On the first page of the book, "It [is] a pleasure to burn. It [is] special to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (3) is described in brilliant colors and the hands of the burner being a conductor. Through the course of the book, the meaning completely changes when Guy uses his instrument of passion, fire, to burn Beattie.

Finally, the bible plays a somewhat important role in the book, starting off when he saves the Bible from the old woman’s house  that was being burnt down. Periodically throughout the book, it is mentioned that Montag is holding the Bible, fiddling with it in his hands, and touching it while it is in sight of him. Also, it is clear that Montag has emotions and expression towards the book when he goes out of his way to show the book to Faber. Lastly, at the near end of the book, Montag agrees that he will memorize the verses of the book, so that in another day, he can reprint it again. Tied in with the ending of the book, as him, Granger, and the others walked up with the river to find survivors of the ultimate atomic destruction of the city, he clearly remembers verses from the Bible; tying in the apocalypse in his world to the apocalypse that was envisioned in the Bible.

“There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.” (51) From beginning to end, religion has been thrown in by Bradbury for many indefinite reasons: maybe to show that there is hope in the seemingly doomed world that everyone lives in, or maybe to let people view religion in different angles than just the stereotypical way that religion is portrayed. For whatever reason, the splashes of faith and belief that are painted into the book make the pages so much more creative and mind boggling. With religion added into the book subliminally, the dystopia that is created in the book, doesn’t seem so dystopian and dark. 

Lu$t

Everyone has some sort of greed and selfishness-- whether it be the food in their fridge, their friends, or the money that they have. But imagine being so greedy that you leave your children to virtually die in an unfamiliar attic, just so you can have a less stressful life filled with money and wealth. One of the strong themes that are in Flowers in the Attic by V.C.Andrews is the point that there is greed going on throughout the entire book. The selfishness and greed that is being captured in the book is always masked with gifts, presents, and ideas that things will change, but they never really do.

The main character, Cathy, lives in unusual circumstances when she and her three siblings are left to virtually fend for themselves for more than 3 years in an ancient, dusty attic that is home to a grandmother that is more wicked that the Witch of the West. The daughter to the wretched grandmother is the mother to the four kids that are locked in the attic. The irony of the whole situation is that the mother isn't anything like her own mother, they are exact opposites--up until they move into the attic. Something about the creaks in the floor boards, or the empty chill that lingers on the attic stairs changes the mother into something else.. a clone of her own mother.

From the beginning to the end, nothing about any of the kids or adults lives are the same, some for the worse and some for the better. The mother got the better end of the deal, left with endless amounts of money, a mansion beyond belief in size, and a charming 24 year old husband that fancies her. But with all of the riches she has become of, her heart grows smaller and smaller to the things that really matter; her children. Her lust and love for her money has left her forgetting about her own kids-- her starving, malnourished kids that haven't seen the light of day for 3 years.

"You will be out of here in a few days, darlings. This is only temporary  for I need to get my father back onto my side and love me again. I promise, this will all pass in a few days. Your grandmother will take care of you." She covers her own greed and selfishness with kisses and expensive games, but keeps pushing the time that the kids can leave the attic further and further down the road, promising escape soon, but never actually providing it. When will she think about someone other than her and her husband? When will she realize that there are four kids..her own kids..that are on the verge of death just in the other room? When will she understand that money doesn't buy health?

Who's Who?

I miss her dearly, but I know she is having fun. My mom and father are taking care of her, and keeping a watchful eye on her. She'll be fine. With the dad's stroke, though, I don't know if everything is alright with them. She'll be okay--she knows what's right and what's wrong. I mean, what's the worse that can happen? Mom can get mad at her attitude? Dad can get irritated with how energetic she is? The madness here at home is something she shouldn't need to deal with. I love her so much, and I trust her enough to know that she's making her grandparents happy.

Poor little girl, having to sit here with us. I feel bad for her, sitting with her grandparents all summertime. She's a good girl...although she is gone all of the time. And she always is hanging out with "Chris," whoever that is. Me and Clifford love having her here to talk to, she's always so easy going, so low maintenance. I wish she was home at night time, in fact, I'm not sure where she even is right now. Oh well, off with friends, I think it's a teenager thing. She'll be excited when she's home to see that we are visiting Tyler tomorrow! Such a good girl deserves good rewards!

I'm done. I can't deal with this anymore. The LSD, the weed, the acid. I don't want to live like this anymore. I don't even know where I am. Should I call grandma? Should I call mom? Where is Chris? Why aren't these people listening to me? Why are these people here? I don't know what to do--this isn't healthy living. No body wants to realize, wants to notice that I'm not the same. My friends aren't the same, my physical appearance isn't the same, my character isn't the same. I need to get home, back to my home, not the slob of the cottage that I'm staying at. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

---

The point of the view of the book Go Ask Alice would be different if someone else was the main character. If it wasn't 1st person of the girl going through all of the troubles, Alice, and if it was someone she knows, like her mom, nothing in the book would have been the same. Her mom knew nothing of the Alice's struggles with drugs, alcohol, self harm, prostitution or suicide until towards the ending of the book when the girl moves back in with her. If the story were to be told through her mom's eyes, the story would be a bit boring, considering she doesn't see the Alice until the ending and she has no connection to anything that is going on with her.  

If it were in the point of view of another character in the book that was actually with the main character like her friend, Chris, that would be a whole different story. Since Chris has been through almost everything that has gone on with Alice, if she was the one that was writing the diary about the Alice's life, she would explain how she sees her, other than Alice talking about herself. The main character may has a different perception on things that Chris would, so if the story on Alice's life was told through Chris, the places they went to would be the same, but the times they had and the things that they experienced would not.