Preview

Ace Joyce Carol Oates Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1045 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ace Joyce Carol Oates Analysis
Patricia Owens
Professor Amy Dallmann-Jones
HUM 2250
05 August 2014

Ace vs News Today

“Power and violence are opposites; where the one rules absolutely, the other is absent. Violence appears where power is in jeopardy, but left to its own course it ends in power 's disappearance -Hannah Arendt.” After reading the story Ace by Joyce Carol Oates it is very clear to seek out the message behind the story. What Oates writes is a story of a violent act that is unnecessary, and gives and inside look into how the victim feels going through each step. News today lacks the type of emotion truly needed to understand what is happening. The way the violence is described in Ace is heartfelt and emotional. This paper will compare how news today has …show more content…
When the leader is grazed with a few bullets she paints the picture of mass chaos that you can visualize greatly. What Oates does that is truly amazing is she continues the story from the point of view of the victim, she describes the horrific aftermath that the victim has to face on his own. The way she describes how his heart is beating, how he is weak in the knees, the way he feels as the doctors and nurses are trying to help him. Not only is it important to know what the violent act is but I believe it is very important to understand the effect that it has on the person who experiences the event. Every detail that is written is almost as if you were side by side during Ace’s entire journey from beginning to …show more content…
Oates does not focus on the violent act as much as she focuses on the after math of the violent attack. She describes the attack in more of an emotional matter than a gruesome bloody act. Her follow up with how Ace feels as he is walking looking to find help but afraid to accept it is almost hear wrenching. She paints a picture of this strong man who is a tough guy, someone who doesn’t need help, someone who can do anything on his own. When this man is faced with a violent attack he has no idea what to do or how to handle it, that the very thought of people helping him panics him even more. Everything leading up to his tachycardia attack at the end is a pure picture of the types of emotions one would feel after such a traumatic event. The best part of the story is Ace being back at the park overcoming his fears, ignoring the laughter and critics and being able to take a step forward in life. Something as simple as knowing that he is ok and is heading in the right direction is something our news articles lack. Oates did a wonderful job by putting emotions and violence together in this story, giving a true perspective on how most news articles should be. Why should it always be depressing? Why not follow up with how well someone is coping, or how an act of violence is overcome by strength, love and
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Double Killer Kill Harris Analysis
    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Double Killer Kill Harris Analysis

    Alan Hall creates a lot of emotion within the article. He refers to the perspective of my different peoples understandings as to what they saw happen. He is apparent about wanting us to comprehend the agony and torment that the ‘killer’ had come across during his trial, however Hall did…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Kenneth Bianchi and the Hillside Strangler
    • 5388 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Kenneth Bianchi and the Hillside Strangler

    Newspapers and television stations talked of rape, torture, abduction and murder. The collective consciousness of a populace numbed by violence was suddenly and unpleasantly engaged. The city went into a panic.…

    • 5388 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ishmael Beah Imagery
    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ishmael Beah Imagery

    Beahs experiences things no child should ever have to experience: “My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed… My childhood had gone by without my knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen”(126). With losing his own family, Beahs tries adjusting to his new soldier friends and bonds with them. Also, his weapons can mean life or death. However, his rough childhood made Beah grow into a person who can accept change. In addition, Beah changes physically and emotionally, he is now a killer and cannot control his state of mind: “The corporal gave the signal with a pistol shot and I grabbed the man’s head and slit his throat in one fluid motion. His Adam’s apple made way for the sharp knife, and I turned the bayonet on its zigzag edge as I brought it out”(125). Here, the author illustrates that a person can change within a matter of time. This part of the memoir can have a huge impact on students because of how gruesome one human can be.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Social Media Analysis: Trapped In Violence In Movies
    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Social Media Analysis: Trapped In Violence In Movies

    The more we are exposed to violence the less we take it seriously because of what is seen in movies, read in books, and accessed on social media. According to Barbara Osborn “TV and film criminals are 100% bad and they have no families…they deserve no sympathy and they get what they deserve”. So it says that as the story unfolds, outbreaks of violence against people and property make sure that viewers stay in their seats which means they take this as entertainment and not as a serious view. The movie producers want you to stay there and watch the violence instead of you resolving a problem with it if you do have to deal with the situation. It also indicated that no one mourns their death which means they want you to not start cry about it when it’s happening to you. It says “their lives are unimportant” so if someone that you care about dies it’s not important. They shouldn’t say someone dying is unimportant because people matter.…

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tim O Brien Literary Analysis
    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tim O Brien Literary Analysis

    There are instances when imaginary stories are more powerful than those that actually happened. The fictional reality present in O'Brien's The Things They Carried adds more realism to his writing than any amount of actual details every could. Even though the stories recounted in the book didn't physically happen, they still hold as true as any actual war story. Furthermore, many of the characters and experiences found in these stories have been created from composites of real people and places. Essentially, the stories are first-hand accounts of things that never happened. Tim O'Brien uses this fictional world to negate death, to emphasize meaningful events and character traits, and to enrich the stories with feelings as oppose to factual details.…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Review Of Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Review Of Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

    In Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and Estrella Alfon's "Servant Girl, firm actions brought by male characters caused women to reveal their true nature. Rosa, from Estrella Alfon's Servant girl is a very humble lady who is consciously aware of two men having interest in her. First is the cochero, whom he calls Angel, is the man who lived in her fantasies after their encounter and second is Sancho, the other guy, is her admirer who seems to possess the the opposite trait of his ideal guy. Joyce Carol Oates' story describes a girl named Connie, who, in her acts, is obviously at the stage of adolescence. She is the type of girl who views only one side of her nature. She would prove her maturity through seeking…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis Of Bullet In The Brain By Tobias Wolff
    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Character Analysis Of Bullet In The Brain By Tobias Wolff

    For my third major writing assignment, I focused on the short story “Bullet in The Brain” by Tobias Wolff. In this assignment, I analyzed the story and was able to understand what theme Wolff created and why he portrayed Anders, the main character, a certain way. Anders was first introduced as an unsympathetic character; however, towards the end of the story, the reasons for his behavior become understood. Wolff describes the tragic events that Anders has gone through in order to explain why he acts so cruel. In the beginning, readers have a hard time caring for Anders’ character, but as we soon learn what he has been through, we cannot help but feel sorry for him. Throughout the story, Wolff is able to use many elements that justify Ander’s behavior and create the theme of appreciating life. I chose this…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Violence In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Role Of Violence In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    Violence takes a major role in most famous works of writing. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Lennie took the life of Curley’s wife away without realizing it. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor’s creation controlled him to the point of willing to make another, but he soon changed his mind. Quick decisions can change the course of a character’s life as seen through the choices of Lennie and Victor.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    South L. A School Ethos
    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages

    South L. A School Ethos

    Beatty began teaching at the school as a person unaware of the frequency or dullness of the news of shootings. She highlights this in her article by drawing the readers’ attention to how routinely the students processed the news. There was no emotion for the students because it was a reality of life, however, for the author and the majority of the reading audience it is not a common occurrence. Beatty uses the mundane reaction of the students to strengthen her pathos by highlighting how desensitized the students are to violence. This point is further proven by the author’s shock to how unemotional Angelica is that her brother had been shot. In doing this she utilizes pathos by introducing readers to the horrible idea of the emotion of a loved one being shot being negligible. In addition to this, Beatty calls to the attention of the readers the lives of slain students. She shows readers how innocent they were and after citing their innocence the author bluntly relays the cause of their horrific death. This writing by the author introduces a character only to rip the image of innocence out of the readers head and replace it with the horrifying reality of murder and death. This use of imagery effectively triggers emotion in readers and is a use of pathos by the author. However, perhaps the most effective use of pathos by Beatty was bringing to the attention of readers that the lives of these kids are not only afflicted by violence, but are hopeless. Beatty features this sentiment saying: “They know how the world sees them, these teenagers with no cars, and no prospects for college.” By bringing the hopelessness of the kids to the attention of the reader Beatty is able to make readers think about their own lives and goals and understand that if they swapped lives with…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Anne Beatty's The American Scholar
    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Anne Beatty's The American Scholar

    In The American Scholar: Survival Skills at a School in L.A., kids are exposed to violence, and death. These kids are becoming numb to such acts of violence and know no different. When most people think of Los Angeles, they think of Hollywood, the glitz and glamour of celebrities, not the violence that surrounds the area and threatens the kids and young adults, creating an upsetting situation because kids experience death as a part of their lives. Los Angeles appears as make-believe land to many people, where all act as positive and happy all the time; however that is not the case. Furthermore death creates numb kids and has the potential to make them violent criminals as well. Anne Beatty’s effective ethos brings attention to the violence…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Bully Film Analysis
    • 922 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Bully Film Analysis

    Alex Libby, a twelve year old boy from Sioux City, Iowa, is brutally harassed in school and on the bus. Hirsch shows clips of Libby being punched and stabbed on the bus, alarming the audience with the violence Libby undergoes. “They punch me in the jaw, strangle me, they knock things out of my hand, take things from me, sit on me. They push me so far that I want to become the bully” (Libby). The spectacle of a child being physically injured is shocking to the audience and a pang of guilt emerges when nothing is done to stop the…

    • 922 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Horror And Violence In American Literature
    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Horror And Violence In American Literature

    Throughout American literature, many writers have used the subject of horror and violence within the many styles of writing during this time. The topics of Horror and Violence have been seen during slavery where it was expressed through story and autobiography about the brutal punishments of slave ship, kidnapping and beatings from the slave owners to slaves. We have also seen the use of Horror and Violence in more storytelling styles of writing where the writer writes about unrealistic topics to in a sense to scare or bring the feeling of fear to the reader. Horror and Violence has been see many times throughout the span of American Literature in writing such as The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, The Devil and Tom Walker,…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Oversimplify Tragedy Analysis
    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Oversimplify Tragedy Analysis

    He not only starts with those two reactions but he talked about the Newtown school shooting and how the people had a choice between two reactions. He started with that specific event because it is the reason that he wrote this piece. Another reason he used this event is because it is heartbreaking and traumatic for any person to hear about since it was “the mass murder of little children in Newtown, Connecticut” (Chopra). It was a hook that drew his readers in so he could inform them from there on out on his viewpoint. He then describes why a person has those two reactions, so his article flows from one paragraph to the next. He then goes onto to talk about medical science and how they feel that a tragic event affects a person. He then brings up 9/11 to discuss how he remembers his own experience, so he tried offering advice to others during the Newtown tragedy. Then he discusses how tragedy affects men and women differently since the mindset of each gender is different. He then goes back to talk about the brain and the different stages a person goes through after they experience the shock after a tragedy. He finishes his article off by stating how healing needs time. The article flows from one paragraph to the next so in that piece his structure is well…

    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis of Tusk by Joyce Carol Oates
    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis of Tusk by Joyce Carol Oates

    Abnormal and captivating. These would be some of the keywords of the essay Tusk by Joyce Carol Oates. It tells the story of a young boy named Roland Landrau, but he addresses himself as Tusk. Tusk is somewhat Roland’s alter-ego where he in his mind is the cool guy at school. Already in the first sentence of the story, it pulls the reader in and reeks of something wrong and something exciting.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Michaito Ichimaru has made his essay, "Nagasaki, August 9, 1945", effective? What details does Ichimaru interpret or comment on? Would these details have the same impact without his commentary?
    • 881 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Michaito Ichimaru has made his essay, "Nagasaki, August 9, 1945", effective? What details does Ichimaru interpret or comment on? Would these details have the same impact without his commentary?

    It is quite obvious that blast cause destruction, people die and the survivors get injured. The commentary of the writer vividly portrays what actually happened before his eyes and through which a reader can visualize too. The details he has given are thought provoking as the reader feels the terror and pain. Without his commentary the reader may not feel the intensity and "magnitude" of the horrors.…

    • 881 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics