American Literature Group at eNotes

IN the story Tell-Tale Heart is the narrator reliable?

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:53:36 PST

IN the story Tell-Tale Heart is the narrator reliable?

In reply to #1: One of my favorite Faulkner short stories is "Two...

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:12:37 PST

In reply to #1: One of my favorite Faulkner short stories is "Two Soldiers." It reveals as much about the author as the characters. I love this story, and my students always "get" it, which shows how timeless and universal it really is. If "A Rose for Emily" is Faulkner's view of the South, then so is "Two Soldiers." In other words, I don't think his purpose was to criticize the South so much as to examine it through many lives in search...

The Walking Woman by Mary Austin

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:36:37 PST

Can anyone tell me what is the deepest meaning or moral of Mary Austin's short story "The Walking Woman"?

Ever notice how people of shared ethnicities or backgrounds can get...

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 09:14:15 PST

Ever notice how people of shared ethnicities or backgrounds can get away with certain behaviors that a person from outside could not? Think for a moment about your African-American students: For them to call one another the infamous "n-word" is a sign (in some circles) of comradery. Hispanic students refer to one another in various slangish ways, but if a person from outside that cultural community attempted to do so, they would immediately...

Hello again, I did some more reasearch but still can't answer this...

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:46:43 PST

Hello again, I did some more reasearch but still can't answer this question.The only thing that I found regarding this is Halie's declaration of hope at the end of the play. "You can't force a thing to grow. You can't interfere with it. It's all hidden. It's all unseen. You just gotta wait til it pops up out of the ground. Tiny little shoot. Tiny little white shoot. All hairy and fragile. Strong enough. Strong enough to...

Burried Child, S.Shepard

Sat, 10 May 2008 05:14:31 PST

I came across a very interesting question regarding this play I can't seem to find an answer, hope you can help me:)

Is Halie from Burried child an embodiment of mother Earth?

thank you!

I tend to believe that Faulkner was somewhat critical of the South, yes,...

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 22:26:25 PST

I tend to believe that Faulkner was somewhat critical of the South, yes, but I also believe he dearly loved the South, as well. I found "A Rose for Emily" to have several implied criticisms of the South, including how the South lagged behind the North in some ways in the years following the Civil War, etc.

People keep saying the we need to forget "the war"--as if there has only...

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:44:49 PST

People keep saying the we need to forget "the war"--as if there has only been one! But I think we've done a great job. Was the south reluctant to change? Some southern states were. I really think Faulkner was writing about the quirks of people he knew and not so much about civil rights--though he was critical of racism. He wrote about his time and the way things were then. If I were to write about poor old Miss Emily and her negro manservant...

Symbolism, symbolism, symbolism. You can't tell me that Hawthorne...

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:34:53 PST

Symbolism, symbolism, symbolism. You can't tell me that Hawthorne didn't do the same thing with the Puritans who weren't so darned pure. I agree with you, Linda. The south isn't perfect, but neither is anyone else. The north hides just as many dirty little secrets...it's not specific to geography, it's the greed and sinful nature of humanity as a whole.

Faulkner isn't picking on the antebellum south.. he is criticising on...

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:51:36 PST

Faulkner isn't picking on the antebellum south.. he is criticising on mankind and using the south as a tableau. He uses the heritage of slavery as the inherited sin of the country.... but stil he is talking about all mankind.

Faulkner: Social Critic?

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:14:21 PST

Maybe I'm too sensitive, but being a southerner born and bred, I just have to wonder: Does every Faulkner story have to have some hidden criticism of the old south? Can't he just be telling a story and using "local color"? If Poe had written "A Rose for Emily" would we debate...

Of all the ones listed, I would most recommend "Bartleby". ...

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:18:26 PST

Of all the ones listed, I would most recommend "Bartleby". With the mirror effect of Bartleby on the narrator, known only by his position as a lawyer and not by any name, readers can really see the destructive nature of urban society and capitalism.

How about "The Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King?

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:00:35 PST

How about "The Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King?

Thanks a lot for all of your help!

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:36:32 PST

Thanks a lot for all of your help!

How about these?"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard...

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:46:28 PST

How about these?"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell"The Red Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"By the Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benet"The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant"An Occurrance at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce"In the Vault" by H.P. Lovecraft"Rappacinni's Daughter" by Nathanial...

If it's the individual, as opposed to man, against (patriarchal)...

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:25:38 PST

If it's the individual, as opposed to man, against (patriarchal) society, then Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper, would be great. It would make a good comparative study with Kate Chopin's The Awakening.

Some of my favorites are "Hands" by Sherwood Anderson"The...

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:47:22 PST

Some of my favorites are "Hands" by Sherwood Anderson"The Worn Path" by Eudora Welty"The White Heron" by Sarah Orne JewettIs that last one a bit of a stretch? I'm thinking values of the individual as expressed by the little girl, vs. values of society as brought in by the visitor...

Desiree's Baby, by Kate Chopinhttp://www.enotes.com/desirees-babyThe...

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:09:02 PST

Desiree's Baby, by Kate Chopinhttp://www.enotes.com/desirees-babyThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurberhttp://www.enotes.com/secret-life/The Outcasts of Poker Flats by Bret Hartehttp://www.enotes.com/outcasts-pokerBartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melvillehttp://www.enotes.com/bartleby-scrivener

How about these? "The Lottery" (Jackson), "Battle...

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:54:07 PST

How about these? "The Lottery" (Jackson), "Battle Royal" (Ellison), "The Cop and the Anthem" (O. Henry), "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" (Hawthorne), "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg: (Twain, "The Blue Hotel" (Crane), "The Displaced Person" (O'Connor), "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" (Harte), "Unlighted Lamps" (Anderson), "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"...

There should not be much of a problem finding stories. Man vs. society...

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:04:52 PST

There should not be much of a problem finding stories. Man vs. society is the foundation of much of American letters. Some of my favorites are:"The Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan http://www.enotes.com/rules-game"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving http://www.enotes.com/legend-sleepy"A&P" by John Updike http://www.enotes.com/and-pa"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner ...