Midnights Children essay :: essays research papers

Midnights Children essaySalman Rushdies creation, Saleem Sinai, has a self-proclaimed "overpowering desire for form" (363). In writing his own autobiography Saleem seems to be after what wienerwurst Kermode says every writer is a after concordance. Concordance would allow Saleem to bring meaning to moments in the "middest" by elucidating (or creating) their coherence with moments in the past and future. While Kermode negotiation about providing this order primarily through an "imaginatively predicted future" (8), Saleem approaches the project by ordering everything in his past into neat, causal relationships, with each event a result of what preceded it. While he is frequently skeptical of the true order of the past, he never doubts its eminence he is certain that everyone is "handcuffed to history" (482). His belief in the preeminence of the past, though, is distinctly different than the reality of time for the Saleem who emerges through that part o f the novel that Gerard Genette calls "the event that consists of someone recounting something" (26) (Saleem-now, we can call this figure). Saleem-now is motivated to cloak not by the past, but instead by the uncertainty and ambiguity of the future. Saleems construction of his own story is an effort to mitigate the lack of control he feels in looking toward the unknown future. To pacify himself he creates a world that is ordered but this world is contrary to his own reality. Saleem spends much of his energy in the story setting up neat causal relationships between events in his past to demonstrate his shoot for "at the center of things" (272). He carefully mentions his crinkle into the middle of a parade for the partition of Bombay and then proceeds to propose that "in this way I became directly responsible for triggering off the violence which terminate with the partition of the state of Bombay" (219). When telling us of his school-mate Cyrus disappearan ce from school and emergence as a great religious prophet Saleem quickly mentions the Superman comics that he had given Cyrus earlier, and attributes Cyrus rise to prophetdom as a direct response to these comics. By viewing Cyrus motivation in this way Saleem says "I found myself obliged, yet again, to accept accountability for the events of my turbulent, fabulous world" (309). There is an obvious note of skepticism toward these most overt acts of placing himself at the center of things. At one point he asks himself "am I so far gone, in my desperate need for meaning, that Im prepared to distort everythingto re-write the whole history of my times purely in order to place myself in a central role?

The Life and Work of Edgar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers

Edgar Allan Poe was innate(p) in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were traveling actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in 1810. Elizabeth Hopkins Poe died in 1811, leaving three children. Edgar was taken into the home of a merchant from Richmond named John Allan. The remaining children were cared for by others. Poes brother William died young and sister Rosalie subsequently became insane. At the age of five Poe could fictionalise passages of English poetry. Later one of his teachers in Richmond said "While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote existent poetry the boy was a born poet." Poe was brought up partly in England (1815-20), where he attended Manor School at Stoke Newington. Later it became the position for his story William Wilson. Since Poe was never legally adopted, he took Allans name for his middle name. Poe attended the University of Virginia (1826-27), but was expelled for not paying his gambling debts. His expulsion led to a course with Allan, who refused to pay the debts. Allan later disowned him. In 1826 Poe became intermeshed to Elmira Royster, but her parents broke off the engagement. During his stay at the university, Poe wrote some stories, but not much is known of his spring works. In 1827 Poe joined the U.S. Army as a common soldier under an assumed name, Edgar A. Perry. He was sent to Sullivans Island, South Carolina, which provided settings for his tales The Gold Bug (1843) and The Balloon Hoax (1844). Tamerlane and O... The spirit and Work of Edgar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were traveling actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in 1810. Elizabeth Hopkins Poe died in 1811, leaving three children. Edgar was taken into the home of a merchant from Richmond named John Allan. The remaining children were cared for by others. Poes brother William died young and sister Rosalie later became ins ane. At the age of five Poe could recite passages of English poetry. Later one of his teachers in Richmond said "While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote genuine poetry the boy was a born poet." Poe was brought up partly in England (1815-20), where he attended Manor School at Stoke Newington. Later it became the setting for his story William Wilson. Since Poe was never legally adopted, he took Allans name for his middle name. Poe attended the University of Virginia (1826-27), but was expelled for not paying his gambling debts. His expulsion led to a quarrel with Allan, who refused to pay the debts. Allan later disowned him. In 1826 Poe became engaged to Elmira Royster, but her parents broke off the engagement. During his stay at the university, Poe wrote some stories, but not much is known of his beginning works. In 1827 Poe joined the U.S. Army as a common soldier under an assumed name, Edgar A. Perry. He was sent to Sullivans Island, South Carolina, whi ch provided settings for his tales The Gold Bug (1843) and The Balloon Hoax (1844). Tamerlane and O...