The Driving Pool

The Driving Pool is a compilation of three stories written by Yoko Ogawa, an award winning novelist from Japan. The Driving Pool revolves around the experiences of Aya, a young female narrator (James 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Driving Pool specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aya is orphaned in a number of ways. For example, her parents are too busy in the wards and cannot create time to attend to her needs. It is against this background that Aya (who is emotionally abandoned by her parents) decide to shower Jun (a young athlete) with all her devotion and love. Jun has lived at the Light House for a decade now. Nonetheless, acquaintance does not rekindle disdain for Aya. Her feelings for Aya are not sisterly. Aya’s obsession with Jun is manifested when she spent most of her free time in the bleachers looking at Jun practice his favorite sport. When Aya is not in the bleachers, she idles around the home eager to bump into Jun. It appears that Jun feels the same way towards Aya (James 2). This tale could have had a merry ending if Aya had not subjected her loneliness and pain upon others. The seductive force of cruelty is manifested when Aya resorts to torture Rie (the youngest toddler at the orphanage) for pleasure. In spite of the fact that Aya’s actions are distressing, most of the readers are sympathetic with her deeds because they understand their origins. It seems the author has excelled in demonstrating how natural feelings can be overturned into anomalous ones and how benevolence can coexist with malevolence (James 3). It goes without saying that The Diving Pool examines the intensity of our intricate dark natures. Nevertheless, The Diving Pool does not sanitize anything in the process. It is a simple moral story that seems to suggest the impeding devastating revenge for the young woman (James 3). Majusi is the author of the internationally acclaimed book titled Black Rain. It astonishes that whenever a book dwells upon serious issues such as genocide, lynching, or Hiroshima bombing; it will frequently receive a rare evaluation irrespective of the manner in which subject at hand is presented. Black Rain focuses on a teenage girl who is caught in the middle of the radioactive â€Å"Black Rain† that ensued after Hiroshima was bombed. The writer based his novel on accounts of real-life records and dialogue with the victims of the holocaust. In his book, he manages to disclose the extent of suffering of human as a result of the atomic bomb (Schneider 1). In the novel Black Rain, the author narrates the manner in which the life of Yasuko that was altered forever as a result of the Hiroshima bombing.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The author describes how the attack caused him periodic bouts of radiation sickness and her suspic ions that her future generations may be affected too. Ibuse presents the horrific incident with a tinge of moderate humor which he is commonly known for. His compassion to the multifaceted web of feeling in a customary community dilapidated by the devastating attack has made the Black Rain one of the most highly recognize novel (Schneider 3). The novel talks about the survivors who witnessed the Hiroshima bomb as it unfolded. Nonetheless, the writer neither asks for sympathy from the readers nor blames anyone for the event. On the contrary, but he focuses his attention on the catastrophe itself from the human point of view. The author and those around him maintain a deep sense of self-respect and significance for human life and experience which stands out in the entire days after the Hiroshima bombing. In his account, he talks about the suffering many victims had to endure during and after the bombing and his description leave the reader less than pleasant. In the Black Rain novel, the author does not hold the back the information about the bombing nor try to overwhelm the readers with cheap words to narrate the devastating outcomes of the attack. He simply employs an exceptional narrative style that describes the suffering of the victims (Schneider 4). Pregnancy Diary is the second story in this collection. To most readers, Pregnancy Diary appears to be more complicated and even bleaker. Just like the other two stories, Pregnancy Diary talks about a displaced young female narrator. The diary in question is a vivid account of a woman concerning her sister’s pregnancy. Pregnancy Diary bears semblance to the other two tales because it is filled with horrific tales. It is worthy to mention that Pregnancy Diary does not dwell upon the foetus but on revulsion, food and greed as the narrator prepares an intoxicated grapefruit jam for her sister. Pregnancy Diary reveals the emotional turmoil that the children had to endure following the tragic and untimely dea th of their parents. According to this tale, it is very difficult to establish whose delusions are prevailing in this world of emotional haziness (James 4). All women featured in Ogawa’s tales are basically numbed and emotionless as they attempt to gain power by subjecting their weaker specimens to cruel deeds. Their disturbing inertia in reaction to their limited roles is counterpoised with vicious twists and turns which the author portrays with a distinctive coolness of tone. The sense of emotional estrangement, of cultural universality as well as the use of weird disappearance cuts across the three tales (Briscoe 7). Dormitory is the last tale in this collection. Dormitory rarely qualifies as a bedtime story because it is filled with dark twists and turns in spite of the fact that there is some ray of hope as the horrific tale comes to an end. Nonetheless, Dormitory leaves many questions unanswered (James 5).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Drivi ng Pool specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, why is the young wife not attempting to search and save her cousin? What is behind the bizarre inertia contaminating her right from the start? What would she have found behind her cousin’s bolted door? And what exactly is happening to the landlord? In Dormitory, a woman in Tokyo is busy sewing a patchwork coverlet as she waits to join her husband in Sweden. Meanwhile, her young cousin calls to inquire if she can reside in the college dormitory where she once lived as a student. In the meantime, the manager of the hall of residence is a terminally ill amputee infatuated with body parts of healthier students. As the cousin takes residence at the college dormitory and disappears later, the narrator is drawn into a distorted world full of garish tulip colors and sickly buzzing of bees that threatens to overwhelm the ordinary daily life as a background to insanity. It seems that the author has met all the preconditions that qualify a story to be regarded as horrific (Briscoe 8). Ogawa has successfully depicted the workings of human psychology in her three tales. The author has been able to demonstrate her in-depth knowledge of psychological workings through her wonderful and well-executed pose. Reading Ogawa’s tales is synonymous to entering an illusory state that is filled with frightening scenes (Briscoe 9). The narrators of both Pregnancy Diary and The Diving Pool commit dreadful acts (poisoning an expectant woman and tormenting a young orphaned toddler). They commit these horrendous acts as if by impulse and do not care of the possible consequences of their actions. It is worthy to mention that the three tales bear similarities in terms of structure and arrogance. Nevertheless, The Diving Pool is an exceptional tale that depicts an author whose evocative, disconcerting narrative style speaks more by leaving some details unarticulated (Briscoe 9). Works Cited Briscoe, Joanna. â€Å"Dark Side of the Dormitory.† 2 Aug. 2008. Web. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/aug/02/fiction5. James, Victoria. â€Å"The Diving Pool, by Yoko Ogawa: Everyday Horror in Suburban Tokyo.† 8 Aug. 2008. Web. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-diving-pool-by-yoko-ogawa-trans-stephen-snyder-887841.html.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Schneider, Jessica. â€Å"Book Review: Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse.† 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 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The White Devil Essays

The White Devil Essays The White Devil Essay The White Devil Essay In act 2, playwright John Webster uses a framed narrative to portray the deaths of Isabella and Camillo, creating a psychological horror rather than a graphical one. Through the use of a conjuror, Webster manages to show deaths via ‘sophistic tricks’ from the ‘nigromancer’. By using this character as another narrator, a certain distance is created between the audience and the actions on scene, allowing the minds of the audience to wander, questioning the events that led up to the murders, and perhaps whether the conjuror’s visions were accurate or not. In addition, Brachiano’s indifferent response to the death, calling it ‘excellent’ may make the audience horrified by his ignorance of the brutal murders. Further horror is present in the irony of Isabella’s demise as she ‘kisses†¦thrice’ the portrait of the very man who plotted to murder her, a tragic end to a character who seemed to be completely pure. Perhaps Webster uses this as a ‘shock tactic’, making a Catholic Jacobean audience question whether a higher power is really protecting them if they would allow the archetype of goodness die in such a manner. This thought would have resonated in the 17th century as new discoveries in sciences such as astronomy may have made many wonder whether ‘believers’ were actually any better than ‘non-believers’. Brachiano definitely has the qualities of a villainous ‘non-believer’ taken to a hyperbolic level, severing any ties with the chaste Isabella, referring to the man that married her as just a ‘dead shadow’ of himself. Such a strong characterization plays into the psyche of the audience; especially those with faith in religion, making them question whether worldly desires are worth the suffering they will have to face in Hell. Brachiano’s character, therefore, can be juxtaposed with Isabella’s, whose death showed the evil of society, but whose faith will lead her into heaven. This contrasting set of character force the audience into a dichotomy, almost making them choose between heaven or hell, all of which is done very subtly, and with no graphic imagery illustrating either side. This concept is relatable to the dark comedy and satire in this section of the play too. The state of Camillo’s corpse ‘folded double as ‘twere under the horse’ is possibly a sexual reference to his sexual inadequacy and a humiliating way to show that he was cuckolded. The ease at which the conjuror planned this murder and the casual tone of conversation he has with Brachiano is almost unsettling, which makes one wonder what other perverted ideas does society think of that is not shared with the public. The sense that all these characters are part of a debauched society is present again when Brachiano refers to politcians as â€Å"asses in foot cloth[s]’ and the conjuror says that Camillo has a ‘politic face’. This shows the corruption in the 1st and 2nd estate, making the audience question whether these hateful figures of government have only immorality in common. Underlying these comic dumb shows with such rhetorical questions truly makes the audience question whether it is moral to find these scenes amusing. The audiences morality is once again called into question when they desire to know more about the details of Isabella and Camillo’s death which, like Brachiano, they ‘taste not fully. ’ The audience may be facing another dilemma when they consider that such injustice in society may be happening all around them, quite horrific to know that such exaggerated scenes may be very real.

Critically assess the foreign policy of Barack Obama Essay

Critically assess the foreign policy of Barack Obama - Essay Example For those who serve the President, in this case Barack Obama, they would claim first and foremost, that they serve at the pleasure of the President. They are loyal workers within a national structure, that In the months leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, mass examples would exist as it came to general concern over the present state of affairs within the military action taking place, as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The current President, in an effort to champion change in terms of what had become the norm, would make assertions that, for many, would appear to be significant and in that case, would lead the nation in a direction that would have been different from the most recent office holder and most likely, different from the choices made of other previous Presidents themselves. In considering whether or not these individuals, both men and women, would be seen more as self-serving and/or working for the same result, the answer(s) to that, would fall within being in the eye of beholder. An individual(s) can very easily possess intentions that may overtly seem self-serving but on the inside, may have been executed with what the person(s), may have felt were the most sincere of motives. For the President of the United States, one of the placements made to his national security team, would be the very person who sought to defeat him during the previous Presidential election. An individual of considerable political strength, Hillary Clintons placement amongst the foreign policy fray of the Obama Administration, would seem to some, as being a way to ensure that, by the time 2012 came and the President would surely seek re-election, Secretary Clinton would be in the position of being unable to attempt a second Presidential bid. This can be stated by the very thought, amongst many within the political structure, that an individual would not partake in a campaign for elected office that would place them in