Magic realism as post-colonialist device in Midnights Children Essay

Magic realism as post-colonialist device in Midnight's Children Magic realism in relation to the post-colonial and Midnight's Children 'The formal technique of "magic realism,"' Linda Hutcheon writes, '(with its characteristic mixing of the fantastic and the realist) has been singled out by many critics as one of the points of conjunction of post-modernism and post-colonialism' (131). Her tracing the origins of magic realism as a literary style to Latin America and Third World countries is accompanied by a definition of a post-modern text as signifying a change from 'modernism's ahistorical burden of the past': it is a text that 'self-consciously reconstruct[s] its relationship to what came before' (131). The post-modern is linked by magic realism to 'post-colonial literatures [which] are also negotiating....the same tyrannical weight of colonial history in conjunction with the past' (131). Before discussing magic realism in Midnight's Children, a brief definition of the term "post-colonialism"as I intend to use it in this essay will aid the clarification of the links made between Hutcheon's theory and the following analysis of Rushdie's text. Ania Loomba argues that post-colonialism is a loose term. She notes that the prefix "post"....implies an "aftermath" in two senses - temporal, as in coming after, and ideological, as in supplanting. It is the second implication which critics of the term have found contestable: if the inequities of colonial rule have not been erased, it is perhaps premature to proclaim the demise of colonialism. A country may be both postcolonial (in the sense of being formally independent) and neo-colonial (in the sense of remaining economically and/or culturally dependant) at the same time. (7) .. ...Helen Tiffin, eds. The Post-colonial Studies Reader. London: Routledge, 1995. Durix, Jean-Pierre. "Salman Rushdie: Interview." Kunapipi4.2 (1982): 17 - 26. Hutcheon, Linda. "Circling the Downspout of Empire." Ashcroft, Bill et al., 130 - 5. Loomba, Ania.Colonialism/Postcolonialism. London: Routledge, 1998. Mishra, Vijay. "The Texts of Mother India." After Europe.Ed. Stephen Slemon and Helen Tiffin. Sydney: Dangaroo Press, 1989. 119-37. Monaco, James, ed. The Virgin International Encyclopedia of Film. London: Virgin, 1992. Pattayanak, Chandrabhanu. "Interview with Salman Rushdie." Literary Criterion 18.3 (1983): 19 - 22. Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children. London: Vintage, 1995. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. London: Vintage, 1994. Slemon, Stephen. "Magic Realism as Post-Colonial Discourse". Canadian Literature 116 (1988): 9 - 24.

Video Games Are Not a Bad Influence on Children

Majority of people think that video games are a bad influence on children and teens. Children need to know what is right from worng and the people that can teach them is their parents. Children need to realize reality from fiction. School teacher can also help the children with the reality. I believe that videos games do not have a bad influence on children.Parents need to teach their children that video games are only games and the thing that are done in the games are things that can not be done in the real world. Video games have more violence now than usual, but the parents should teach their children that violence is not the way to solve anything. Majority of the young parents accept the violence video games because they themselves grew up with those games and they want their children to go up with them as well.The old generations didn't grow up with video games and the new generation is. The factuly and staff of the school can also prevent violence, because just as much as child ren are with their parents they are with the factuly and staff at the school. When a child does or even makes a gesture its up to the factuly or staff to put a stop to it. If the factuly or staff does not put a stop to the bad gesture then the child is going to think its ok and he is going to keep doing it.

Analysis Of The Novel Dracula - 1452 Words

Analysis of Dracula Although Dracula was not the first vampire novel, the effect that Bram Stoker’s creation had on the vampire genre is undisputable. At the time, it was written intellectual revelations during the 19th century had begun to change what people fear. Archaic legends like vampire stories no longer inspired terror in industrializing areas like Britain. What made Dracula widely successful was the incorporation of modern themes and anxieties with the renowned archetype of the vampire. By analyzing what makes Dracula a formidable monster, its becomes apparent what people feared during that time it was written. This is true for modern adaptations of Dracula and the vampire monster as well. Movies like Priest (2011) and the television show, The Strain (2014) both have unique twists that play off modern anxieties. What makes Dracula appealing to me lies in his personality, or lack thereof. After hundreds of years of being a vampire, Dracula has lost his humanity. He man ipulates, charms, and uses brutal force to live. However, Mina once infected, fights passionately to keep her humanity. When reading Dracula, I often wondered how I would react if infected, to desperately cling to humanity, or plunge into the darkness? Vampires are one of the oldest and widespread monster stories in existence dating back to cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Ancient Greeks, and Romans. These ancient cultures had myths about blood-drinking spirts and demons. Although many specificShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Novel Dracula 981 Words   |  4 Pagesmany literary analyses of the novel, Dracula is full of statements regarding gender roles and gender separation in the late nineteenth century. Stoker conveys contrasting female personas through Lucy and Mina. Though these women exist in the same time period and within the same social class, they have varying personality traits that reflect their womanhood in relation to societal ideals and, more specifically, to the m en around them. Multiple times within the novel, the traits of the ideal nineteenthRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Dracula 1753 Words   |  8 Pagesthat Stoker added more upon the vampires in the stories he was told and used them as inspiration for his novel Dracula. There are several theories behind what really influenced Stoker, a common one is that his influence derived from Prince of Wallachia, Vlad III or better known as Vlad the Impaler. However, his nephew, Irving Stoker, claims that his uncle was inspired after he seen Count Dracula in a nightmare after eating too much dressed crab. Stoker is said to have added more upon the vampire charactersRead MoreDracula Seen in New Eyes760 Words   |  3 PagesDracula Seen in New Eyes Dracula by Bram Stoker which is written in the style of journal entries, newspaper clippings, and other forms of personal narratives from various characters, and their viewpoints of the peculiar events surrounding them. There are many interpretations of this novel, many different viewpoints on the themes of the novel. Carol Senf, wrote an essay called Dracula: The Unseen Face in the Mirror. In this interpretation, there are many different viewpoints and ideas about DraculaRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1148 Words   |  5 PagesIn Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there is a plethora of ways the novel can be critically analyzed, but there’s one theory in particular that I found the most interesting to apply. I used the theory of deconstructuralism to critically analyze Dracula, and to help break down the story into particular meanings and themes that can contradict the typical perceptions and first impressions of the novel. To better help complement my analysis, I read and analy zed another popular article by John Paul Riquelme, titledRead MoreGothic Elements In Dracula Essay1499 Words   |  6 PagesBram Stoker s Dracula is a staple of the Gothic Horror genre. It is a novel that has been scrutinized by countless readers since it was published in 1897. While Stoker s novel is certainly not the first example of a piece of gothic horror, or even the first example of a gothic horror story focusing categorically on vampires, it still managed to plenarily capture the attention of the public. But not only did Dracula enthrall the readers of its time, but it perpetuated to be a mainstay of the gothicRead MoreThe Good Will Always Prevail1077 Words   |  5 Pagesvampire fad came from a man who ruled Transylvania named Vlad Dracul, as known as Dracula. Bram Stoker wrote the novel, Dracula, with a gothic-style writing and a combined sense of romanticism. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, should be a chosen reading for this course because, Stoker refrains to many points such as: the good versus evil, symbolism through Christianity, and allegories to addiction. This story is a great novel that shows many aspects of the Victorian era lifestyle throughout these points. Read More Repressed Sexuality in Bram Stokers Dracula Essay1426 Words   |  6 PagesRepressed Sexuality in Bram Stokers Dracula      Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps no work of literature has ever been composed without being a product of its era, mainly because the human being responsible for writing it develops their worldview within a particular era.   Thus, with Bram Stokers Dracula, though we have a vampire myth novel filled with terror, horror, and evil, the story is a thinly veiled disguise of the repressed sexual mores of the Victorian era.   If we look to critical interpretation and commentaryRead MoreEssay on Stokers Portrayal of Women in Dracula1193 Words   |  5 Pagesliterature ever created, Dracula by Bram Stoker has been interpreted many different ways, being torn at from every angle possible. Just as one might find interest in interpreting novels differently, he or she might also find interest in the plot, prose, or theme, all of which ultimately lead to the novels overall tone. Throughout the novel, it becomes blatant that the novel contains an underlying theme of female incompetence and inferiority. Thr ough a true feminist’s eyes, this analysis can clearly be understoodRead MoreSexuality In Bram Stokers Dracula1082 Words   |  5 PagesSexuality in Bram Stoker s DraculaBram Stoker s Dracula, favorably received by critics upon publication in 1897, entertained its Victorian audience with unspeakable horrors such as vampires invading bedrooms to prey on beautiful maidens under the guise of night. The novel s eroticism proved even more unspeakable. Received in the era of repression, it remains questionable whether Dracula s readership perceived the sexuality flowing from the page. An advocate for the censorship of sexual materialRead MoreLiterary Review of Bram Stokers Dracula Essay1230 Words   |  5 PagesReview of Bram Stoker’s Dracula Prior to the creation of the literary classic â€Å"Dracula†, Bram Stoker spent his time managing the Lyceum Theatre and legendary actor Henry Irving. According to Jennifer Dorn, when the novel was first published in 1897, critics regarded it as a â€Å"pulp fiction potboiler† (Dorn). The novels declaration as a literary masterpiece came many years later. A graduate of Trinity college, Stoker came from a middle class Irish family, the son of a civil servant. The publication