Essay on Analysis of "Beneath My House"

Webster's online dictionary defines humor as "a quality that appeals to a sense of the ludicrous (laughable and/or ridiculous) or incongruous." Incongruity is the very essence of irony. More specifically, irony is "incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result." Flannery O'Connor's works are masterpieces in the art of literary irony, the laughable and ridiculous. The incongruous situations, ridiculous characters, and feelings of superiority that O'Connor creates make up her shocking and extremely effective, if not disturbing, humor. I say "disturbing" because O'Connor's humor, along with humor in general, most often contains the tragic. O'Connor has been quoted as saying, "The comic and the terrible

The Haunting of Hill House is a novel containing many characters who possess childlike qualities. Eleanor, the main character, had her childhood stolen and therefore acts the most childlike. Eleanor’s job was to care for her ill mother, which resulted in her missing out on vital socialization along with her chance to enjoy her young life. The references to the characters and their childish behavior begins fairly early in the novel. There have been suspicions of a house being haunted, named Hill House, so a Doctor named Dr. Montague decides to look for participants to occupy the house for the summer. When the characters arrive at Hill House in order to participate in the experiment, Eleanor and another important character named Theodora immediately connect. The two girls

In her essay, she utilizes irony to add a sarcastic tone in her essay, making the essay more enjoyable for readers to read. An example of this is the use of computer jargon to explain why the pencil is the better tool. Laing states how “the software of a pencil is both cheap and simple” (332) and how you can “render it

She also uses sarcasm as a form of showing irony. The author is sarcastic when she says that her

“I want to be like the waves on the sea, like the clouds in the wind, but I’m me. One day I’ll jump out of my skin. I’ll shake the sky like a hundred violins” (60). In the story “The House on Mango Street”, the author Sandra Cisneros uses sentences full of imagery, metaphors, and word games, to show how self definition is a result of the people and places surrounding you. This is represented throughout the book when Esperanza wants to change her name, living in a male dominated society, and when she wishes for a new home.

Why does Holden continuously judge people based on their physical appearance? Could this be a projection of his insecurities or a reflection of his mental health?

The kitten also has symbolic uses, adding to the message conveyed by Barton. Cats, historically are represented as intuitive and independent. Freely expressing themselves and not relying on other for comfort. With the kitten in Barton’s image, desperately clawing at the woman’s hand, and the woman holding the kitten close to her chest, it signifies the urgent attempt for the woman, or women in general, to pertain to sexual

Holden is in a cab on his way to Ernie’s and after he asks the driver with Holden. When Holden asks why he is “sore” about it, the cab driver denies being upset. Holden seems to constantly anger people throughout the story due to his blunt way of addressing topics and his inability to see the positive side of things. The cab driver on the other hand, is clearly upset, but is instead choosing to be passive aggressive by denying his anger. I do not like when people are passive aggressive. I would much rather someone talk to me directly and maturely if they are upset.

O’Connor uses irony to bring humor to her story. For example, Crater says “I wouldn't give her up for nothing on earth” (O’Connor). What she meant was she wouldn’t trade her daughter for anything on earth, but what she really says is she’d trade her daughter for nothing at all. The irony is further shown when Crater does, in fact, give her daughter up for nothing. Shiftlet scammed her of her car and money, and her daughter is left at a diner. She wanted a good man for a son-in-law, but now she doesn’t even have a son-in-law. Another example of irony is when Shiftlet prays for God to clean the world of filth, but he himself is the filth he was asking God to clean.

Erdrich’s display of literary elements enriches her story by providing multiple possible ending to her stories. The reader is meant to think about the characters of the story and determine which outcomes seem fitting for said story. For example, Erdrich uses the cloud-like Aanakwad to cause problems within her story; her swaying personality makes the reader think. Is she the kind of mother to throw her child to wolves? Or not? The shawl was made from a comforting symbol to more of a cursed binding object because of Aanakwad. Erdrich’s advanced writing style led an ending, which contained many endings.

Shortly after, the family is about to set off for Florida. After a brief conversation, Bailey forbids his mother from bringing the cat along for the ride. Once again, the Author expresses her view of her self-absorbed, callous mother through the grandmother. Going against her son’s orders, she decides to bring the cat anyways, for fear it may miss her too much or, in a freak accident, asphyxiate itself on on the gas burners. An utterly selfish action for nothing more than getting what she wants, just because she wants it. This action would prove to be disastrous in the end, showing the self destructive behavior of a woman unfit to be called a “mother” by O’Connor.

Every day people experience ironic situations. Whether it is the bus leaving early when someone is already running late for work or an obstetrician missing a delivery because she is in labor; irony happens. Poetry is life in the form of art, and without irony, it would not be as interesting or relatable. “Irony in poetry occurs when a discrepancy exists between two levels of meaning or experience… Skillfully used, irony is a powerful way of making a pointed comment or manipulating a reader’s emotions” (445). Be it situational irony where the situation itself is opposite a reader’s expectation, verbal irony where a poet manipulates tone to say something opposite of what the words say or dramatic irony which is when the reader sees something

Having moved into a new house, the narrator happens across a black cat, which then follows him home. Nerves rattled, the narrator does his best to avoid the cat. When that fails he tries to kill it, accidentally killing his wife in the process. After sealing his wife's body into the basement wall, he is interviewed by the police. Not unlike in “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the narrator of “The Black Cat” cracks under the pressure of his guilt and gives himself up. Symbolism and suspense make “The Black Cat” worth reading.

The nipping cold hits my face as I stroll through the woods looking for the cabin that I grew up in. When I trudge through the crunchy snow it makes a sound like it is October with the crisp fallen leaves underneath my feet. Up ahead I soon spot the cabin made out of walnut wood. It looks so magnificent sitting up on top of the hill with the sun beaming its glistening rays from behind on each side. As I enter through the wooden gate surrounding the house I recall all the memories of Christmases before that were made in this house. I remember the good smells and sounds from years past and hope that they come back this year.

“Wow” My mom said, glancing to the side of the road and behind a large grey building. “It seems so barren now.” she said, shifting her eyes back onto the road, her hair fluffing up as she shakes her head. “I can’t believe they’re chopping down so many trees.” sadness bubbled up in her voice as the traffic light turned green and my mom drove the car forward. Looking back, I see the the empty plot of land, a place that used to be packed with trees, trees that had been there for hundreds of years. My head turns back forward, the desolate yard of stumps fading off behind us as we continue on home. The thoughts still roam around in my head. How many trees does it take before they stop? One more? Ten more? A hundred more? Or will the only reason to stop be the extinction of them as a whole?