Almárëa Laurësil
Bio
I'm an aspiring writer, artist, and musician.
Stories (24/0)
American Slavery
TheNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was written by himself during a time in America when slavery was still legal in many parts of the country, particularly the south. This book outlines the hardships that he endured while in the bonds of slavery. Douglass describes his many masters and his struggle to learn how to read as a child. While a slave he witnessed many atrocities. He saw his aunt, brother, and countless others brutally beaten.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in The Swamp
Of Mice and Meany
The most inconspicuous things can have the most significant meanings. An armless totem and soft mice are symbols that give the reader foresight into the futures of Owen Meany and Lennie Small. The stories Of Mice and Men and A Prayer for Owen Meany follow the lives of the characters, Lennie Small and Owen Meany, and their closest friends, George Milton and Johnny Wheelwright. Both Steinbeck and Irving incorporate the literary devices of symbolism, attributing a deeper meaning to an object, and foreshadowing, subtly hinting to the reader what events will transpire later throughout their books ("Symbolism”, “Foreshadowing – Examples...”). In A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving, and Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the deaths of both Owen Meany and Lennie Small are foreshadowed by their unusual obsessions with very ordinary objects.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Geeks
Blue Jay
The road to the Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota seemed like it went on for an eternity. I was four, and I could not grasp the significance of what was happening. Although I do not remember everything, I know it was the end of 2002 or the beginning of 2003. The adults would only tell me that Jay was sick, so I did not understand why this was such a big deal to everyone. The hospital was tremendous and was filled with many different rooms. The ceilings towered high above me. Years later, it felt strange going back to the Children's Hospital and realizing how small it actually is. That day, we were going to visit my 10-year-old cousin.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Families
The Father of American Literature
Better known as Mark Twain, Samuel Langhorne Clemens is one of the most renowned authors in American literature. Ernest Hemingway once said, “All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn…. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since” (“Clemens”). Twain’s diverse life, many careers, and fascinating stories have captured the imagination of many and earned him numerous awards.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Geeks
Cats
Do you need a feline earthquake-detection system? Then adopt a little fluffy kitty! Cats are one of the best furry friends you could ever ask for, and noticing seismic activity is just one of the many talents they possess. From warming your heart to warming your feet, everyone should have a cat.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Petlife
The Values of Old
Books and stories can reveal much about the author who wrote them and the period at which they lived. Whether it be their dialect or actions, characters tend to reflect how people were during that time. In the poem Beowulf, one can learn the values of the Anglo-Saxon society. For example, the main hero Beowulf and others show strong characteristics of bravery, loyalty, and faithfulness to God.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Poets
Punitive Parallels — The Genocide of Neighbors
The world has witnessed many atrocities... some worse than others. The Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust are two of the most horrific and devastating. These two acts of genocide differed in the manners by which the killings were accomplished and because of the ideologies motivating the factions. The Germans were obsessed with ridding the earth of what they believed to be substandard humans. The Hutus were out for revenge (Lemarchand). No matter the situation, the overwhelming victimization of cultures ties these events together. Although the details of the genocides do not mirror one another, each were backed by political interests with the intention to dehumanize and completely wipe out a specific group of people.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in The Swamp
As Madness Grows, The Death Bell Ever Tolls
Hamlet, like many of Shakespeare’s notable plays, is a classic tragedy, intertwined with death and darkness. In The Embassy of Death: An Essay on Hamlet, G. Wilson Knight claims that the main theme of this somber story is death, demonstrated by “subsidiary incidents, persons, and detailed suggestion throughout.” Knight highlights this, citing the actions and characteristics of Hamlet and Claudius.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Geeks
Monster or Misconstrued Mate
In Milhauser’s criticism of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, he provides evidence of the literary description of the noble savage. Milhauser believed that a reader's first thoughts about the book would be that it was a supernatural horror story, filled with Shelley’s “macabre and pseudo-scientific sensationalism.” Once the audience took more time to consider the actions and plotlines, they would see how deep each character really is and what he or she represents.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Horror
Hysterika on the Run
“All and all it’s just another brick in the wall” (Waters). For every burdensome thought or idea that weighs on one’s shoulders, the mind adds another brick to its wall of defenses. Mental illnesses manifest themselves in many ways. The mind tries to protect itself against undesirable thoughts. More often than not this onslaught of thoughts becomes too much for the mind and its walls come crumbling down. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” loses this decisive battle within her subconscious. When applying a psychoanalytic lens to “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator’s mental issues become evident, and her delusions can be explained by theories on psychological projection, postpartum depression, and early misconstrued beliefs pertaining to women’s mental illnesses and treatments.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Psyche
An American Dream
I looked around the nice restaurant. There were not many people here, just a few couples scattered around the room immersed in their own conversations. I could not remember the last time I had been in a city bigger than my hometown. My cousin, Christina, had moved to New York City a few years back. I rarely left my small home in rural Massachusetts. She convinced me to come and visit her. When I arrived, and we had caught up with each other; Christina told me that she knew a man that I should meet. I was not too anxious to meet a man. I had some unsavory encounters in the past. She believed that I was too shy. To make her happy I agreed to go on the blind date. Christina told me that he was a poet and that she had met him at one of his readings. I guessed that since he wrote, too, at least we would have something to talk about.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Poets
Indentured: Trapped In Chains
Throughout history, there has always been a "master" and "slave." This is present in all walks of life, for example, the Russian boyars and serfs, the French bourgeoisie and the proletariat, and the American plantation owners and their African slaves. Comparably, the American colonists could be considered slaves to the British Monarchy, their master. In the musical Hamilton, Miranda’s choice of actors, with the Founding Fathers as people of color and King George as white, brings to light the struggle the colonists faced against Britain, the fight to establish their rights, and the uphill battle toward independence.
By Almárëa Laurësil7 years ago in Geeks