Marqus Nguyen

Ms. Pasche
ENG Language and Comp AP
Summer Work Part 1-Crtca! Essay
A man "y the name o# Peter $rode has once sad% &'hat !asts s 'hat s 'rtten.
We !ook to !terature to #nd the essence o# an age.( )t s a #act that e*eryone has and '!!
!*e n a certan age n hstory. +hs does not on!y nc!ude humans% "ut e*ery anma!%
'hether the speces has gone e,tnct or not. Wrtten 'ork has "een around snce
herog!yphcs and sym"o!s #rom manknd. +hough these marks 'ere 'rtten n d##erent
!anguages and tme% 'e 'ere a"!e to trans!ate such 'orks to !earn #rom. Stores 'ere to!d
#rom *oce unt! someone 'as a"!e to trans!ate to 'hat 'as spoken a"out nto somethng
'rtten. -ust !ke a"out e*erythng% hstory has "een "u!t upon stages. )t 'ou!d "e
e,treme!y d##cu!t to !earn the ages #rom on!y speech. .o'e*er% !terature has a!!o'ed us
to o"tan kno'!edge o# the ages 'th a more resource#u! and re!a"!e approach.
E*erythng 'rtten #rom certan ages has "een passed do'n so the present can understand
a age/s cu!ture0 kno' o# a past that has "een !ost% apprecate ache*ements% and to !earn
#rom humanty/s mstakes.
+he no*e! Animal Farm% "y George 1r'e!!% 'as 'rtten a"out the 2ussan
2e*o!uton. Wth the kno'!edge o# the e*ent% George 1r'e!! s a"!e to su"sttute0 2ussa
#or a #arm n Eng!and% certan type o# peop!e o# 2ussa #or anma!s% and #armers "eng a
tyrannca! po'er that has once o*erru!ed 2ussa. 1r'e!! s a"!e to sho' that though the
1
1
2ussans 'ere #ree #rom an o!d tyrannca! go*ernment% they 'ere s!o'!y "eng contro!!ed
"y a more #am!ar and 3ust as tyrannca! po'er #rom pgs that 'ere once equa! as the
#arm anma!s. Long story short% the message o# the no*e! s summed up on a ne'
Commandment #or the #arm% statng% &a!! anma!s are equa!% "ut some anma!s are more
equa! than others( 41r'e!! 1156. +he "road yet understanda"!e theme s a"!e to sho' the
corrupton that s he!d rght a#ter the 2ussan 2e*o!uton. E*en 'th the su"sttutons o#
man #or anma!s st!! s a"!e to make the reader understand that the e*ents a#ter 2ussan
2e*o!uton 'as corrupt% merc!ess% dark% and #!!ed 'th hard 'ork that seems to not pay
o## #or the anma!/s #reedom.
Another quote that depcts the #ee!ng o# the 2ussan 2e*o!uton s &the creatures
outsde !ooked #rom pg to man% and #rom man to pg% and #rom pg to man agan0 "ut
a!ready t 'as mposs"!e to say 'hch 'as 'hch( 41r'e!! 1786. +hs means that certan
men can turn nto anma!s 'hen g*en po'er% '!!ng #o!!o'ers to #arm% and the urge #or
!*ng n !u,ury. +hs #ee!ng s a"!e to make the reader rea!9e the peop!e 'ere he!p!ess
and ho' corrupt the po'er 'as n 2ussa. E*en though you mght ha*e "een nterested n
ths type o# "ook #or the anma!s% you '!! !earn n the end that a certan age n tme 'as
#!!ed 'th "etraya!% s!a*ery% tyranny% and death a#ter the 2ussan 2e*o!uton started and
'as 'rtten.
+he no*e! Invisible Man% "y 2a!ph E!!son% 'as 'rtten a"out a tme many years
a#ter the 2econstructon era 'here the South st!! !*es 'th notcea"!e segregaton. +he
story s a"out a young "!ack man 'ho s kcked out o# co!!ege rght a#ter the co!!ege/s
presdent sends hm to Ne' :ork to "e dstant #rom the schoo!. A#ter hard 'ork% the
7
7
narrator "ecomes qute an mportant speaker and act*st #or .ar!em. Ne*erthe!ess% he
rea!9es that he s n*s"!e snce the peop!e 'ho assgn hm ro!es a!'ays g*e hm
d##erent denttes and don/t ackno'!edge hm as an nd*dua!0 "ut as another
component to a group. +he narrator s haunted "y peop!e/s 'ords% especa!!y hs
grand#athers !ast 'ords "e#ore passng; & ) 'ant you to o*ercome <em 'th yeses%
undermne <em 'th grns% agree <em to death and destructon% !et <em s'o!!er you t!!
they *omt or "ust 'de open( 4E!!son 1=6. As you can see% the narrator cou!dn/t !*e
"eng hmse!# snce some peop!e% 'hte and e*en "!ack% 'ere 3ust usng hm and he
cou!dn/t do anythng to them or he 'ou!d end up no'here n !#e. +he age n 'hch the
storyte!!er 'as n had A#rcan-Amercans rotng aganst 'htes% "!ack act*st rsng up%
and some 'omen #ghtng #or su##rage. Wth a!! ths contro*ersy strrng% the narrator
'anted to "e somethng great to hmse!# and #or the peop!e "ut 'as "eng used.
)n ths tme much !ater a#ter 2econstructon% ha*oc 'as spreadng n .ar!em0
especa!!y 'hen a "!ack man named +od C!#ton 'as shot dead n #ront o# the narrator.
+od 'as qute #amous #or speakng !ke the narrator "ut 'ent do'n h!! a#ter "eng kcked
out and re*oked o# an dentty #rom an act*st group he 'as n. Any'ays% a#ter ha*ng no
dentty% the narrator s !e#t on!y 'th a part o# a speech #or +od at a #unera! gatherng;
&So he ded0 and 'e !o*ed hm are gathered here to mourn hm. )t/s smp!e as that and as
short as that. .s name 'as C!#ton and he 'as "!ack and they shot hm( 4E!!son 8>=6.
+he tmes 'ere separated "y segregaton and t 'as an age 'hen "!ack #reedom 'as
#ought 'th rots0 not c*! dso"edence. Lookng through Invisible Man, you 'ou!d !earn
a"out an age that 'as st!! !*ng 'th notcea"!e racsm% act*sts% rots% and groups
#ghtng #or certan rghts.
?
?
E*eryone has and '!! "e!ong to an age% snce e*ery"ody "e!ongs to hstory. We
go "ack to !terature to !earn a cu!ture/s ache*ements% mstakes% and mportant #gures.
Learnng #rom the past he!ps the present prosper to a "etter #uture. )n other 'ords% the
past that has "een 'rtten he!ps the present !earn #rom 'hat has "een ache*ed and 'hat
needs to "e ache*ed. E*ery 'rter and author o# hstory has 'rtten #or the #uture to gan
kno'!edge o# a past tme that 'as ether #!!ed 'th good or "ad. +he kno'!edge o# a
certan tme n hstory '!! "e passed do'n to each reader and e*entua!!y the readers '!!
dsco*er a de#nte sprt the authors ha*e !e#t them to #ee!. Lterature a!!o's us to 3ump
nto a perod o# tme that has made the 'or!d a more "etter or 'orse p!ace. +he 'or!d
'!! a!'ays "ecome "etter or 'orse so t s up to the present readers to accumu!ate
kno'!edge #rom the past to make the #uture prosperous.
8
8
Works Cted
E!!son% 2a!ph. Invisible Man. Ne' :ork; @ntage )nternatona!% 1AA>. Prnt.
1r'e!!% George. Animal Farm;. Ne' :ork; .arcourt% $race% 1A>8. Prnt.
>
>