Custom «A Review of the Book the Norton Reader» Essay Paper Sample

Education Frederick Douglas - Learning to read

The story unfolds with the white narrating the ordeal together with the events he has to go through in his mistress's house. He remarkably captures the transformation of his mistress who was once known for her tender heart and possessing a lamb like disposition soon changed now possessed tiger like fierceness. The writer as the slave in the house of his mistress is denied education with the simple explanation that education and slavery are incompatible. He admits that slavery is a powerful vindication of human rights. He abhors and detests the acts of enslavers who he portrays as successful mean and wicked band of robbers. Furthermore, learning to read had brought torment and unutterable anguish to him and he thought learning to read was a curse rather than a blessing

William Golding - Thinking as a Hobby

The narration is about the subject of thinking and how different or rather well we perceive our surroundings. The writer employs imaginary in his piece of work to rely the three aspects of human life. The three statuettes in the principal office each is a representation of a different dimension in the whole of human life. The naked lady, Venus of Milo, seems to care less about what is happening to her and her interest was in being in love and looking beautiful. The leopard on the other hand, symbolizes nature by posing naturally. The naked muscular naked gentleman was not miserable. Rodin's thinker, his name was an image of pure thought. The writer sufficiently supports the aspect of never being whole even if from the outside someone's life appears blissful.

Adrianna Rich - Taking Women Seriously

The narrator begins by trying to put across the importance of stressing the point that by the virtue of some nice ladies being women, they are compelled to take secondary school teaching jobs, despite being doctorate degree holders. There exist harmony and unity between the two learned friends and their counterparts. They are portrayed as having the willingness and the inner drive of assisting anyone who spark interest into the intellectual world.

William Zinsser - College Pressures

The narration unfolds with several notes being addressed to the dean to consider their plea of not sitting for the exam. The introduction is about the various excuse notes written by students from Branford College seeking postponement either to a particular exam or lecture by providing vague excuses. There exist notable differences between the student in the modern and those of 1960's. This is in terms of how study, involvement in extracurricular pursuits. The former is characterized by more economic hardship than the former, with more courses to choose from. As a narrator's advice, young people should not be prisoners of their parents' dreams nor their classmates' fears but rather they should strive to fit in to the best slot that is the best paying slot.

Gloria Naylor- "Mommy what does Nigger Mean"

Gloria defines language as the written form by which she has managed to keep the "wolf away from the door". First the narrator perceives a different perception other word nigger. According to the context within which the word is used, first nigger as a sort of distinguished man who in some situation call for approval due to strength, intelligence or drive. Other times when used in the possessive form it could mean somebody's boyfriend or husband. The ladies could not be called niggers but rather girl was what fitted them. It symbolized the ounce courage and wit of approaching a situation head on. There is an argument that the use of the term nigger was a form in internalizing racism, but cool enough the dynamics worked the opposite. The word nigger underwent a transformation, magnified the varied complex human being they are known to be.