Manipulation is the primary theme of Joyce Carol Oates' short story, "Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Through the careful development of her characters, Oates presents us with details that enhance a tale of violent manipulation thrust upon an innocent girl. This paper will examine Oates' technique and how it contributes to the overall effect of the story.
Oates spends a considerable amount of time describing Connie. Our first indication that this might be a tale of terror is the first sentence, which tells us that her first name was Connie instead of is Connie. Connie is a typical young teenager, filled with typical emotions. For instance, just as every teenager, Connie does not always get along with her mother. We are told that sometimes Connie's mother would pick at her "until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over" (Oates 2075). Connie tells her mother white lies and wonders if it is "cruel to fool her so much" (2076). In these scenes, Oates is providing us with enough information to know that while Connie is growing up, she is still naive.
Connie is also coming of age in this story for she is beginning to realize that the world is full of possibilities and promise. Connie does typical things with her friends, such as going to the movies and to the drive in restaurant "where the older kids hung out" (2075). Her and her friends sit at the counter with their legs crossed at the ankles, "their thin shoulders rigid with excitement, and listened to the music that made everything so good" (2075). She experiences new and exciting emotions that are hard to explain. For instance, as she is walking with Eddie, we are told that her face is gleaming "with a joy that had nothing to do with Eddie or even this place" (2076). She spends time talking with boys and basically feeling good. Connie is also aware that she is becoming a lady. She enjoys her...
fences' is precisely that 'fences' and yet whilst some handicaps seem impassible, there are others that are built on mental schemas, personal experiences, and the way that we instinctively and unconsciously interpret the world. A recent book that I read (unsuccessfully traced) conveyed the author's conclusion from his years of psychotherapeutic practice which was that people construct narratives of their lives in order to make meaning of them. Frequently,
Revelation According to Dr. David L. Cooper, in order to interpret the Book of Revelation in regard to its numerous themes and symbols, one must "follow the Golden Rule. . .for when the plain sense of the Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense. . . take every word as its primary. . . literal meaning unless the facts. . . studied in the light of related passages and.
Great Gatsby the old rich and the new rich. The power play between these two sectors at the East Egg and the West Egg is one of the most immediate themes of the novel. The old rich or traditional aristocracy is represented by Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan Baker who behave with ingrained grace, simple taste, subtlety and elegance. They are suspicious about, and discriminating against, the new
emerged from the various sources above about how often a review of data should take place? In principle, review of data should occur continuously and, more importantly, at intervals contemporaneous with ongoing lesson delivery to confer the maximum benefit to learners. By contrast, retrospective review of the data completely excludes current learners from the benefits of even the most prescient data analysis and any corresponding changes to the educational program
The Jews, of course, were as antagonistic to hearing Stephen preach the life of Christ as they were to Christ Himself -- Who is the way of salvation, and Whom they have rejected. Stephen's speech is fiery and full of love and fury -- love for Christ, fury for the Jews who rejected Him: "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised." (Here Stephen as much as
Sleep is often a poetic euphemism for death; Utanapishtim even says as much when Gilgamesh finally catches up with him... "How alike are the sleeping and the dead..." In any event, Gilgamesh's foreboding deepens as they face the entrance to the forest. Gilgamesh and Enkidu find and confront Humbaba, and Humbaba tries to pursuade Gilgamesh to make friends with it, but Enkidu advises him to kill it, for fearing the
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