The Lives and Works of Raymond Carver - 1692 Words

With a unique and brilliant style of writing, Raymond Carver has left a lasting and outstanding impact on the history of short stories. Even though Raymond Carver left a long impact, his life was of the opposite. Like Raymond Carver’s famous award winning stories, his life was short. Raymond Carver was born on May 25th, 1938 in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mill town on the Columbia River. Carver grew up in Yakima, Washington. Carver had three members to his small family, his mother, his father, and brother. Carver’s only had one sibling, his younger brother, James Franklin Carver. Carver’s mother worked as a waitress and a retail clerk while Carver’s father worked as a fisherman and a saw mill worker. Many say that a skilled sawmill worker and†¦show more content†¦I really wanted to hang in there for the long haul. I thought I could outlast the drinking. Id do anything it took. I loved Ray, first, last and always. Even though she loved him, Maryann cou ld not take it anymore, and eventually ended her marriage with Carver. This time period was known as the time of Carver’s â€Å"first life.† Carver found himself in a very dark place. Carver now suffered from alcoholism, many different drug addictions, and even depression as a result of his divorce. Although Carver’s life was looking down, he did not give up. Three years later, Carver decided to pull his life together. He attended many Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a decided to take up writing. Carver even got re-married. After finally getting his life back together, Carver decided to start writing again. This time in his life is the time that he created some of his most famous short-stories. The following are some of those stories: â€Å"What We Talk about When We Talk about Love†, â€Å"The Cathedral†, and â€Å"Elephant.† Carver’s second marriage, turn around with his alcoholism and drug addictions, and new writings are all included in what is known as Raymond Carver’s â€Å"second life.†(King) During Carver’s â€Å"second life.† Carver wrote many different types of short stories. The style and themes of the stories vary greatly. Many of Carver’s first short stories were influenced by his early life when he grew up with an alcoholic as a father. HisShow MoreRelatedMy Fathers Life By Raymond Carver858 Words   |  4 Pages† by Raymond Carver illustrates the difficult task of a son trying to find his own sense of identity and individualism while watching his father’s life unravel. Carver explores the relationships of his parents and his own struggle with sharing the same name with his father and the similarities and differences between them. THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WESTWARD MIGRATION Clevie Raymond Carver Senior moved to Washington state at the height of the depression in 1934. The author Raymond Carver Jr. speculatesRead MoreThe Most Important American Fiction Writer1661 Words   |  7 PagesRaymond Carver has been called â€Å"the most important American fiction writer in the second half of the twentieth century† and â€Å"the most influential American short story writer since Ernest Hemingway† (Kleepe vii). He was very successful despite his many difficult life experiences. Carver grew up during a very difficult time in America. However, early on, Carver and his wife believed their hard work would eventually pay off despite the challenges in the world around them. They thought it would fix almostRead MoreRaymond Carver1583 Words   |  7 PagesRaymond Carver (1938-1988) was a poet and a simple realist writer of short stories. His prose addresses the average working-class citizen. Bill Mullen describes the book that contains the short story â €Å"What We Talk About We Talk About Love† to the â€Å"distinctly post-modern fate of contemporary working-class Americans† (Bloom). The writings are depressing and riddled with failures in life. The textbook calls his school of writing â€Å"Alcoholic Blue-Collar Minimalist Hyperrealism† (Bayam). This is evidentRead More Carvers Realism From Fires Essay1174 Words   |  5 Pages How does Carver create precision of reality with his characters, focusing on Fires? When looking at the works of Raymond Carver, one can feel a sense of autobiography, that the characters in his stories are struggling against the same circumstances that Carver himself once struggled through. How true this is, is marginal to say the least, for Carver tells us in Fires that anything from a phone call to living in a seedy apartment in Jerusalem for four months is cause to influence his writing. Read More`` Cathedral `` By Raymond Carver992 Words   |  4 Pageswritten by Raymond Carver in 1981. Raymond Carver is most well known for his short stories and is even an writer credited with reviving the then dying form of literature. A part of a collection of short stories, â€Å"Cathedral† was the last to be published and was included in 1982’s Best American Short Stories. â€Å"Cathedral is different from the other works of Carver due to the humanistic realism that is given to his characters, which had not been seen before in his works. This shift earned Ca rver the criticalRead MoreCathedral (by Raymond Carver)1131 Words   |  5 PagesCathedral: A Lesson for the Ages Raymond Carver s short story, Cathedral, portrays a story in which many in today s society can relate. We are introduced from the first sentence of the story to a man that seems to be perturbed and agitated. As readers, we are initially unsure to the reasoning s behind the man s discomfort. The man, who seems to be a direct portrayal of Raymond Carver himself, shows his ignorance by stereotyping a blind man by the name of Robert, who has come to stay withRead More The Power of Carvers Little Things Essay808 Words   |  4 PagesCarvers Little Things      Ã‚   To a reader unfamiliar with his work, Raymond Carvers short story, Little Things may seem devoid of all literary devices owning to good writing. Fortunately, these people are mistaken. With his minimalistic style, it is what Carver doesnt write that makes his work so effective. Most of Carvers short stories describe situations that many people could find themselves in and that is why his work is so appealing to readers. They are not restricted to harsh explicativeRead MoreAn Analysis Of Cathedral By Raymond Carver1441 Words   |  6 Pages Cathedral Research Paper The short story â€Å"Cathedral†, by Raymond Carver, is a thought provoking piece that focuses on the transition a man goes through to see the world with his soul. The story gives hope that people can change if given the chance to be better people. Over the course of the story, Carver uses both diction and description to explore themes in religion and morality. â€Å"Cathedral† depicts a husband and a wife as they prepare and entertain a friend of the wife. The husband, the narratorRead MoreRaymond Carver and his Works1402 Words   |  6 Pages No matter what we do in life we all as human beings find a way to show what we have been through in our lives. Raymond Carver was no different just he had a really tough road that he traveled and it showed in his stories. According to an interview with William, Stull in â€Å"Matters of Life Death: An Interview with Raymond Carver† Carver also understood that his life showed through in his work, â€Å"Wolff said in a review of my first book of stories that he felt he could pick out a story of mine withoutRead MoreMy Fathers Life1094 Words   |  5 Pagesedge of destruction. This is exactly what Raymond Carver describes in his novel â€Å"My Father’s Life† from 1984. In his novel, Raymond Carver describes his father’s life, starting with his death and continuing with how he met his wife. The story goes on, telling about their poor life, his alcoholism, gambling and his unfaithfulness. The father is named Clevie Raymond Carver and he is roughly described as a drunkard, who has a hard time finding work and staying faithful to his wife. He has had

One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey - 1705 Words

The book I chose is entitled â€Å"One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest† written by Ken Kesey. It is important to start off by providing some of Ken Kesey’s background. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Kesey ended up at Stanford in a creative writing program. He ended up volunteering in an experimental drug program where he was used to test the different effects of the drugs at the Local Veterans Administration hospital. This was where he began to experiment with LCD. During his experimental time, He ended up taking a job as an orderly in the mental institution where he got to witness how the mentally ill were treated by the staff and how the facility was run. He could not have written a better work of fiction to illustrate his experiences.†¦show more content†¦By standing up for themselves and leaving, Nurse Ratched’s authoritarianism has been overthrown and she is left with a limited amount of power. The narrating character is Chief Bro mden. He is a tall Native American who is known as â€Å"Chief Broom†(page 3) to the orderlies who make him sweep the floors. He has been in the Institution for ten years. Both the patients and staff call him â€Å"deaf and dumb†(Page 3) because he hasn’t spoken so therefore, they assume he is deaf. Kesey describes how Chief is treated by the orderlies by saying, â€Å"The least black boy and one of the bigger ones catch me before I get ten steps out of the mop closet, and drag me back to the shaving room. I don’t fight or make any noise† (p. 6). However, unbeknownst to anyone, the Chief can hear and speak, but between being heavily medicated as well as bullied, he is left feeling fearful as well as frail. He thinks that if he remains quiet, then no one will bother him and he can just hide in the shadows remaining out of the spotlight. Right in the beginning of the book as Nurse Ratched enters the ward, Kesey describes Chief Bromden’s reacti on by writing, â€Å"She slides through the door with a gust of cold and locks the door behind her and I see her fingers trail across the polished steel - tip of each finger the same color as her lips. Funny orange. Like the tip of a soldering iron. Color so hot or so cold if she touches you with it you can’t tell which†. This is the first description KeseyShow MoreRelatedOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1534 Words   |  7 PagesThe portrayal of women and minorities in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, shows readers the opinions of a majority of the population during the 1960s in which women in power were ridiculed. The book’s antagonist Nurse Ratched is presented as machine-like, and robotic. This shows how author Ken Kesey dehumanizes women who are in power, and decides to take away all their feminine qualities when they are in power because to Kesey it simply doesn t make sense that a female can beRead MoreOne Flew Ov er The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1925 Words   |  8 PagesPatient: Bromden, Chief For many years in modern history, what occurred in mental institutions were not well known and discussed about widely. One book that actually brought the reality of what happens inside mental institutions to public attention was the book entitled â€Å"One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest† written by Ken Kesey. The book shows the lives of the people residing in an Oregon mental asylum through the perspective of the patient named Chief Bromden. In the book, it isn’t stated exactly whatRead MoreOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1860 Words   |  8 PagesThe book titled, â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest† written by Ken Kesey is what I chose to read and evaluate. Before I go any further, it is important to share some of Kesey’s background in order to better understand why he wrote this book. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Kesey ended up at Stanford University in a creative writing program. During his time at Stanford, he volunteered himself to be in an experimental drug program where he was used to test the different effects of the drugs atRead MoreOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1332 Words   |  6 Pagesboth a bully or that one individual that we simply didn t need to be around or even anybody they knew. Additionally, every person has had that one character they favored, for sticking up for themselves and declaring what they wanted, even though it intended sure punishment. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest by author Ken Kesey, these attributes stick out in the story. A dialogue of the setting, theme, and character situations into the story will help one capture how ones’ feelings fall into lineRead MoreKen Kesey s One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest1629 Words   |  7 Pages1962, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is a timeless classic. This novel has been subject to analysis through many different literary lenses: feminist, Marxist, and of course, psychoa nalytic. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest provides a plethora of evidence when it comes to using the psychoanalytic lens. The lens in question deals with the teaching of Sigmund Freud. When reading this novel, the audience sees quite clearly that the world of psychology plays an impactful role in One Flew OverRead MoreOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1579 Words   |  7 PagesIn the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest by Ken Kesey we are taken into the mind of a mental hospital patient who does not seem to cope well with reality. The whole book itself, revolves around the issue of either being sane or not. We are met with the thought of whether the narrator themselves are sane. But when it comes to our world today, we must ask ourselves how can we define someone as insane or sane? If if we can, who should be in charge of saying that they are? The first character thatRead MoreOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1873 Words   |  8 PagesThe novel I chose to read was entitled â€Å"One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest† written by Ken Kesey. First off, It is important to provide some of Ken Kesey’s background in order to better understand why he wrote it. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Kesey ended up at Stanford in a creative writing program. He ended up volunteering in an experimental drug program where he was used to test the different effects of the drugs at the Local Veterans Administration hospital. This was where he began toRead MoreKen Kesey s One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest1716 Words   |  7 PagesThe Geese in the Wolf’s Nest â€Å"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.† (Orwell). Although animals might only look like animals, they are symbols of deeper meanings. Throughout the fiction novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, many symbols/motifs are presented in the form of animals that represent characters. These animals give meaning to the story and illuminate the plot by givingRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1622 Words   |  7 Pagesor someone. Leadership on the other hand, may be a tool used to overcome authority which is depicted when McMurphy is admitted into the ward and effectively changes the patient’s lives for the better. Throughout the novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, written by Ken Kesey, McMurphy’s leadership dominates Nurse Ratched’s authority due to his success in transforming the patie nts into better people from the second of his arrival and giving them the option to live a better life. McMurphy, a gamblerRead MoreOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1625 Words   |  7 PagesWorks of literature innately embody the author’s ideology and the historical context of the given time period. Within the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the author furthers his ideals against the issue of oppression as he attempts to take stabs against its deteriorating effects and support those who rebel. Set in the microcosm of a small mental hospital, he establishes man’s external struggle to overcome tyranny. At the head of the head of the ward is the corrupted character

The Reality of Married Life Free Essays

John J. Robinson in his book â€Å"Of Suchness† gives the following advice on love, sex and married life. â€Å"Be careful and discreet; it is much easier to get married than unmarried. We will write a custom essay sample on The Reality of Married Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now If you have the right mate, it’s heavenly; but if not, you live in a twenty-four-hour daily hell that clings constantly to you, it can be one of the bitterest things in life. Life is indeed strange. Somehow, when you find the right one, you know it in your heart. It is not just an infatuation of the moment. But the powerful urges of sex drive a young person headlong into blind acts and one cannot trust his feelings too much. This is especially true if one drinks and get befuddled; the lousiest slut in a dark bar can look like a Venus then, and her charms become irresistible. Love is much more than sex though; it is the biological foundation between a man and a woman; love and sex get all inter-twined and mixed up†. Problems Almost everyday, we hear people complaining about their marriages. Very seldom do we hear stories about a happy marriage. Young people reading romantic novels and seeing romantic films often conclude that marriage is a bed of roses. Unfortunately, marriage is not as sweet as one thinks. Marriage and problems are interrelated and’ people must remember that when they are getting married, they will have to face problems and responsibilities that they had never expected or experienced hitherto. People often think that it is a duty to get married and that marriage is a very important event in their lives. However, in order to ensure a successful marriage, a couple has to harmonize their lives by minimizing whatever differences they may have between them. Marital problems prompted a cynic to say that there can only be a peaceful married life if the marriage is between a blind wife and a deaf husband, for the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and a deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of his wife. Sharing and Trust One of the major causes of marital problems is suspicion and mistrust. Marriage is a blessing but many people make it a curse due to lack of understanding. Both husband and wife should show implicit trust for one another and try not to have secrets between them. Secrets create suspicion, suspicion leads to jealously, jealousy generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation, suicide or even murder. If a couple can share pain and pleasure in their day-to-day life, they can console each other and minimize their grievances. Thus, the wife or husband should not expect to experience only pleasure. There will be a lot of painful, miserable experiences that they will have to face. They must have the strong willpower to reduce their burdens and misunderstandings. Discussing mutual problems will give them confidence to live together with better understanding. Man and woman need the comfort of each other when facing problems and difficulties. The feelings of insecurity and unrest will disappear and life will be more meaningful, happy and interesting if there is someone who is willing to share another’s burden. Blinded by Emotions When two people are in love, they tend to show only the best aspects of their nature and character to each other in order to project a good impression of themselves. Love is said to be blind and hence people in love tend to become completely oblivious of the darker side of each other’s natures. In practice, each will try to highlight his or her sterling qualities to the other; and being so engrossed in love, they tend to accept each other at â€Å"face value† only. Each lover will not disclose the darker side of his or her nature for fear of losing the other. Any personal shortcomings are discreetly swept under the carpet, so to speak, so as not to jeopardize their chances of winning each other. People in love also tend to ignore their partner’s faults thinking that they will be able to correct them after marriage, or that they can live with these faults, that â€Å"love will conquer all†. However, after marriage, as the initial romantic mood wears off, the true nature of each other’s character will be revealed. Then, much to the disappointment of both parties, the proverbial veil that had so far been concealing the innermost feelings of each partner is removed to expose the true nature of both partners. It is then that disillusion sets in. Material Needs Love by itself does not subsist on fresh air and sunshine alone. The present world is a materialistic world and in order to meet your material needs, proper financing and budgeting is essential. Without it, no family can live comfortably. Such a situation aptly bears out the saying that â€Å"when poverty knocks at the door, love flies through the window†. This does not mean that one must be rich to make a marriage work. However, if one has the bare necessities of life provided through a secure job and careful planning, many unnecessary anxieties can be removed from a marriage. The discomfort of poverty can be averted if there is complete understanding between the couple. Both partners must understand the value of contentment. Both must treat all problems as â€Å"our problems† and share all the â€Å"ups† and â€Å"downs† in the true spirit of a long-standing life partnership. How to cite The Reality of Married Life, Essay examples

A Raisin In The Sun Essay Racism Example For Students

A Raisin In The Sun Essay Racism In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry portrays obstacles that the Younger family and other African Americans had to face and over come during the post World War 2 era. Obstacles that had to be over come by the Youngers were economical, moral, social, and racist obstacles. Lorraine Hansberry, the author of the play had to face one of these as well growing up. Born in Chicago on the south side in an all black neighborhood, Lorraine Hansberry and her family had to deal with segregation. Moving to a white neighborhood in Chicago, her family had to deal with threats of violence and legal action. Her father defended the case successfully all the way to the Supreme Court.(sparknotes1) Her parents were well known in national black culture and political circles, which probably sparked her to latter become a reporter and editor for the Freedom, a black newspaper in Hansberry relates her life situations through her play by having the Younger family deal with a similar circumstance. In the play Lena Younger or better known as mama, receives a 10,000-dollar check because her husband had past away. She decides to buy a house in Clybourne Park, which is an all white neighborhood. After finding out a black family is moving to Clybourne the so-called Organization Committee sends out a Mr. Lindner to welcome the Youngers. He doesnt do much welcoming but rather trys to discourage them and make them back out of their plans on The four main characters in the play all deal with other obstacles as well. The other main obstacles are economical, social, and moral. Lena Younger or mama, is the head of the household. She works in other peoples kitchens as a cook. She probably works for very little but she puts her daughter through college. Im sure she would rather not be working for someone basically as a slave or for very little money but she accepts her job because of the time period that she was raised in. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the north if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of Walter Younger is the son of Lena. He is a chauffeur for a rich white guy. He dislikes his job, and wants to buy a liquor store, with the 10,000 dollars his mother is collecting. He thinks if all black people tried there own thing like opening a liquor store then they Ruth Younger is Walters wife; t hey have 1 child named Travis. Ruth does the same work as Lena does. I think Ruth probably dislikes it more then Lena because of the ages, but Ruth accepts it because she knows their poor and Beneatha Younger is the daughter of Lena. She is a straight edge type. Shes the only one in the Younger family to go to college, and she shows it to with her educated speech. She talks a lot about her heritage and how every one should know about where they came from. Economically in the play Beneatha has to deal with the lose of her school money that her brother loses. He puts it in the trust of one of his friends hoping to start the liquor store, but his friend runs and her medical school money is Loraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun dealt with real life conflicts that were truly happening at the time she lived in. She didnt write the play to grab any one, especially white peoples attention, but to educate everyone on what was happening in the segregated areas. Bibliography: