‘Barn Burning’ (by William Faulkner) Essay, Research Paper
A critical approach to ?Barn Burning? (by William Faulkner)
?Barn Burning? is a sad story because it very clearly shows the classical struggle between the ?privileged? and the ?underprivileged? classes. Time after time emotions of despair surface from both the protagonist and the antagonist involved in the story.
This story outlines two distinct protagonists and two distinct antagonists. The first two are Colonel Sartoris Snopes (?Sarty?) and his father Abner Snopes (?Ab?). Sarty is the protagonist surrounded by his father antagonism whereas Ab is the protagonist antagonized by the social structure and the struggle that is imposed on him and his family.
The economic status of the main characters is poor, without hope of improving their condition, and at the mercy of a quasi-feudal system in North America during the late 1800?s. Being a sharecropper, Ab and his family had to share half or two-thirds of the harvest with the landowner and out of their share pay for the necessities of life. As a result of this status, Ab and his family know from the start what the future will hold — hard work for their landlord and mere survival for them.
No hope for advancement prevails throughout the story. Sarty, his brother and the twin sisters have no access to education, as they must spend their time working in the fields or at home performing familial duties. Nutrition is lacking ?He could smell the coffee from the room where they would presently eat the cold food remaining from the mid-afternoon meal? (PARA. 55). As a consequence, poor health combined with inadequate opportunity results in low morale. A morale which the writer is identifying with the middle class of his times ?that same quality which in later years would cause his descendants to over-run the engine before putting a motor car into motion? (PARA. 20)
The Snope family manages to survive and find work. However, the work offers little other than a chance for survival ?I reckon I?ll have a word with the man that aims to begin tomorrow owning me body and soul for the next eight months? (PARA 40). Like nomads they were forced to move constantly. Due to seasons and crop rotation, in order to secure work they had to reserve land with different landowners.
Ab?s emotional instability is a predominant factor contributing to his erratic behavior throughout the story. The family has moved a dozen times from farm to farm, and at times forced to forfeit their agreement with the landlord due to Ab?s unacceptable behavior. A behavior which throughout the story is transformed into a rebellion, by Ab smearing the landowner?s carpet with horse manure and then suing him for charging him too much for the damage. These acts symbolize frustration with the system and a radical approach to rebel against it. Knowing that punishment could not be avoided when committing such acts, Ab?s actions take on a more dramatic meaning as if he is trying to convey a message. He is aware of the economic injustice and he must respond even at the risk of him and his family being prosecuted or ostracized.
Ab?s constant rebellion is displayed by a rough, sour character and exemplified when he burns his landlord?s barn down. He feels despair and loss, and inflicts damage to whomever he happens to be working for.
Although the story centers on the feelings and thoughts of Ab?s youngest son Sarty, the economic implications of his entire family play a vital role in justifying (not condoning) his father?s behavior, which is the pivotal reason for Sarty?s controversial feelings on which the whole story is based.
Sarty?s main dilemma is his loyalty to his family which collides with his disappointment and suppressed dislike of his own father. He tends to hide his feelings by denying the facts, ?our Enemy he though in that despair; ourn! mine and hisn both! He?s my Father!? (PARA. 1) and ?The boy said nothing. Enemy! Enemy! he thought; for a moment he could not even see, could not see that the Justice?s face was kindly.? (PARA. 10).
The story?s emotional turns are clearly defined by Sarty?s thoughts and Ab?s actions. Sarty?s dilemma and Ab?s frustrations continually grab the reader, serving up a series of emotionally laden dilemmas: Given the circumstances of the story, is Ab?s barn burning justified? Should Sarty tell the landlord that Ab was responsible for burning down the barn? Is the outdated sociological ?Blaming the Victim? theory valid? Is the lose-win arrangement between sharecropper and landowner a morally acceptable one?
Burning a barn or any act of economic despair in the form of vandalism is definitely not condoned. However the strange thing is the all of these questions need not to be asked, if economic injustice was not prevalent
Другие работы по теме:
Booker T. Washington V. W.E.B. Du Bois
Essay, Research Paper Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were both influential leaders in the fight for desegregation. Booker T. Washington led the less violent and subtle crowd. W.E.B. Du Bois directed his followers in more of a let s get something accomplished now , rather than Washington s more subdued approach.
The Eyes Of An Author Essay Research
Paper As a comparison of both content and the corresponding ways in which both Davis and McNeil fit within the historical paradigm .Liberalism versus Political Economy x this paper will examine both the viewpoint from which each author writes from, and also build a critical analysis using a common theme from both .something new under the sun, x and .Let Victorian Holocausts. x The common theme from each book to be examined will be .Water x and how water has been exploited by both Liberalistic governments and to exactly the same extent by governments based on Marxism.
Apa Crit Essay Research Paper APA Critical
Apa Crit Essay, Research Paper APA Critical Analysis: Teaching Students How to Learn Vol. 31, No. 6, June 2000 In ?Teaching Students How to Learn? it showed the correlation between high-achieving students and their self monitoring in classes. The article goes on to say that unlike high school, college students do not have the regulation in their classes.
Roman Essay Research Paper
“Romanesque – Gothic” 50 Minutes/ Rating 9 The difference between Gothic and Romanesque architecture is the spiritual approach. In Romanesque the emphasis was on transcendental and feudalistic systems whereas in the Gothic this approach was humanized and individualized. The Gothic architecture emphasized upward movement towards god, a feeling that cannot be found in a Romanesque basilica although it might have already pointed arches, a key element of gothic architecture.
Flashing Red Lights Essay Research Paper FLASHING
Flashing Red Lights Essay, Research Paper FLASHING RED LIGHTS ?Help, help!? cried the little girl, ? my mommy is on the floor and she?s not breathing.? The 911 dispatcher tried to calm the little girl. She told her that everything is going to be ok and that the paramedics were on their way. As soon as the paramedics arrived they quickly took control of the situation without a moment to spare.
Critical Lense Essay Research Paper Critical Lense
Critical Lense Essay, Research Paper Critical Lense American essayist Logan Paersall Smith once said, What I like in a good author is not what he says but what he whispers. I believe this means Logan thinks a good author doesn t always say things directly but uses literary elements like characterization and symbolism to get a message across to the reader.
Critical Essay On The Eagle Essay Research
Paper Critical Essay The name of the poem I am writing about is called ?The Eagle? by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is in figurative language form. The poem is divided into 2 Stanza?s with 3 lines each. And there are an
The Art Of Teaching The KWL Approach
Essay, Research Paper The students background information is extremely important. What the child knows will give them a better chance to develop understanding of the vocabulary and of their concepts. A teacher can find out how much background information each student has by using the K-W-L approach. This approach will not only let the teacher know what they already know, but also what they want to learn about the subject and finally what they have learned though their reading.
Pratt Friere Essay Research Paper In Mary
Pratt Friere Essay, Research Paper In Mary Louise Pratt s Arts of the Contact Zone she speaks of a course at the school at which she works entitled Cultures, Ideas, Values. This course used, what is in ways, a radical new approach to teaching the schools Western-culture requirement. The course was designed to function as a contact zone.
Critical Lens Essay Research Paper In life
Critical Lens Essay, Research Paper In life we come to many conflicts. Some are easy some are hard. The quote, “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph” by
What Is Critical Thinking Essay Research Paper
Critical thinking is taking the information that you receive from the media or any source of information, and analyzing it to determine its value. By determining it’s value, I mean differentiating between useful, cogent, information that will help you build your knowledge structures, and information that could be fallacious, and doesn’t have sufficient evidence or support to be cogent.
Dream Interpatation Essay Research Paper DREAM INTERPRETATIONThere
Dream Interpatation Essay, Research Paper DREAM INTERPRETATION There are many different interpretations of dreams and dreaming. These interpretations tend to fall into two main categories. There is the physiological approach or the psychological approach. The physiological approach deals with the brain’s interpretations of nerve actions.
Economic Methods Essay Research Paper MethodsThe majority
Economic Methods Essay, Research Paper Methods The majority of the info that we found was form the website of The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.gov). Tables A-1 thru A-5 give the per capita income from 1995 until 1999, respectively.
Critical Issues Relating To Cit Essay Research
Paper Critical issues relating to CIT: experimental studies have have limitations. 1)Theory applies to ‘behaviour’ conducted through choice unintentional behaviour such as ‘clumsiness.’
Critical Thinking Essay Research Paper Critical thinking
Critical Thinking Essay, Research Paper Critical thinking would be important to the well being of our society for many reasons except for the fact that hardly anyone ever uses it. If people used critical thinking all the time society would be a very different place. People would actually think about what they were going to say and what it means before they said it.
Critical Thinking Vs Systematic Thinking Essay Research
Paper The first and fundamental step in the creative process is to have a clear notion of what the problem is and to be able to state it clearly. The effective thinker begins by first focusing on the structure of the problem, rather than its technical detail. Also brought into working memory from creative operations are the potential solutions.
The Approach Of Hermeneutics Essay Research Paper
The Approach of Hermeneutics The approach of hermeneutics does not assume that all reasoning can be considered within some foundational belief, but rather must be interpreted in their own terms. Hermeneutics is therefore in conflict with many current cultural traditions descended from the dialectic.
Grant Wood Essay Research Paper During the
Grant Wood Essay, Research Paper During the 1930’s, this American regionalist pianter was in his prime. Grant Wood was born on the day Febuary 13 , 1891 in Anomosa, Iowa. He won much acclaim including both critical and popular for his element. During his four visits to Europe in the late 1920’s Wood was strongly influenced by the work of 16th century flenish painters such as the Van Eyck brothers.
Critical Lens Essay Research Paper Critical Lens
Critical Lens Essay, Research Paper Critical Lens: Loyalty is the test of a true friendship A true friendship is filled with though times, during these times loyalty is expressed and you learn who your true friends are. Life is all about ups and downs, the highs are high but the lows are even lower. Friends are the only things close enough to hold your feet to the ground and their loyalty is the sobering force in an otherwise hectic world.
Richard Hofstadter
’s The American Political Tradition Essay, Research Paper Richard Hofstadter’s The American Political Tradition, like all his other writings, was greatly influenced by the ideology of the time period in which
Athlete Dying Young Essay Research Paper The
Athlete Dying Young Essay, Research Paper The Critical Analysis & Summarization of "To An Athlete Dying Young", by A.E Housman This poem is telling the reader that you can not
Untitled Essay Research Paper A critical approach
Untitled Essay, Research Paper A critical approach to ‘Barn Burning’ (by William Faulkner) “Barn Burning” is a sad story because it very clearly shows the classical struggle between the “privileged” and the “underprivileged” classes. Time after time emotions of despair surface from both the protagonist and the antagonist involved in the story.
Freud Essay Research Paper Freud
Freud Essay, Research Paper Freud’s Personality Theory The development of gender roles in deifferent forms of feminsm gives us a revealing overview of Freud’s personality theory. It is relatively
Schools Of Psychology Essay Research Paper Schools
Schools Of Psychology Essay, Research Paper Schools of Psychology There are seven major schools of psychology Behavioral, Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Cognitive, Neurobiological, Sociological, and Industrial. First off behavioral psychology emphasizes the scientific study of behavior and its environmental determinants.
A Critical Analysis Essay Research Paper A
A Critical Analysis Essay, Research Paper A Critical Analysis of Evelyn Waugh’s “Bella Fleace Gave a Party” In the introduction to “Bella Fleace Gave a Party”, extensive background is revealed to help the reader understand the times in which the character lived. It is a time of enormous change in the political and social structure of these people’s lives.
Object Orientated Computing Essay Research Paper The
Object Orientated Computing Essay, Research Paper The object orientated approach has changed the way in which computing and programming has been done in the past. These changes affect almost everyone and with computing technology becoming more and more integrated with business and every day life it is useful to look at the importance of these changed to the technology industry.
The French Sociologists Essay Research Paper The
The French Sociologists Essay, Research Paper The French sociologists (holistic approach), during the eighteenth and nineteenth century were much concerned with the nature of society and of the human social institutions. Their interests