The voice of Faulkner

The voice of Faulkner Introduction William Faulkner’s writing in three short stories (‘A Rose for Emily’, ‘Barn burning’, and ‘As l lay dying’) is highly emotional, complex, gothic and has an unconventional choice of narrators. These attributes denote two literary elements and they are: language and style. One can analyze those two elements in order to understand William Faulkner’s voice.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The voice of Faulkner specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More How Faulkner uses language and style in ‘A Rose for Emily’, ‘Barn burning’ and ‘As I lay dying’ Emotional and poetic language Faulkner has the ability to be intensely emotional in most of his pieces without really sacrificing the story line or the strengths of his characters. In ‘Barn burning’, the author evokes emotions by compressing deep meaning in jus t a few lines. In one scenario, Sarty says ‘Father! Father!’ (Faulkner, As I lay dying 14)These might seem like simple words, but they are packed with meaning. The reader is able to feel a sense of loss, sadness, and a hint of relief as the speaker makes this statement. The author allows his phrases to possess some level of ambiguity in order to give his readers room to interpret or create their own meaning. In ‘As I lay dying’, the author uses one of his characters to convey literary or poetic language. Darl is extremely articulate and his language is quite innovative. Gothic style Faulkner has the ability to bring out elements of death, decay, destruction, isolation and darkness in a unique way. This component in his writings caused him to stand out from his contemporaries. In ‘A rose for Emily’, Faulkner creates an image of a woman who clearly does not belong to her world. She refuses to leave her house for years on end; she stops talking to everyone, has an affair with a disapproved male, and finally murders her lover. Here was a woman who was trapped in the past, and had alienated herself from life. Emily had a lush and beautiful environment outside her house; she never bothered to look at it. She chose to live in darkness, both literally and metaphorically as she never drew her curtains. This depiction of deep darkness was something that Faulkner always focused on; it added a gothic element to his writings and made it distinctive. In ‘As I lay dying’, the author selects a relatively poor family- the Bundrens. Although the group is ignorant and has a series of other weaknesses, the author still conveys their experiences with empathy and grace. The setting of the community in which the Bundrens live has an element of grotesqueness because it focuses on members of the lower class. The death of Addie is also one of the dark and disturbing components of the narration. Additionally, Faulkner describes the des truction of Darl in such a tragic and dignified manner. One cannot help but feel the same devastation that surrounded that development. The gothic style in this narrative is therefore reflective of the author’s preference for dark tales. In ‘Barn burning’, the author’s preference for the bizarre is seen through his choice of characters. This is a dysfunctional family whose head has a need to burn houses. He causes his children to participate in his wrongdoings by instructing them to help him out with a few things.Advertising Looking for critical writing on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It only gets worse for Sarty when the Major chooses to kill his father before he can destroy his barn. Eventually, the young boy keeps running until midnight, when he stops to sit at the crest of a hill. This must be a dark moment in Sarty’s life because he did not have a fathe r anymore, yet he also ran away from people who love him. These are all depressing issues that cause the reader to empathize deeply with Sarty. Complex style Faulkner had a complex style of writing owing to his treated of time, his use of long sentences and unconventional sentence structure, his preference for ambiguity, and his use of stream of unconsciousness. One of the most interesting component’s of Faulkner’s style of writing was his complicated treatment of time. He achieves this by changing from narrator to narrator and from character to character. The lack of chronology in his pieces is the reason why some unseasoned readers find his work difficult to follow. In ‘A rose for Emily’, the story commences with the main character’s death. This is followed by many events that occurred in the modern age to the period just before the Civil war in the South. The present is sometimes interrupted by events in the past and the past sometimes appears to be the present. One is able to deduce this interweaving of events through phrases such as: ‘thirty years before’ or ‘eight years later’ (Faulkner, A rose for Emily 17). It is almost as if Faulkner is giving his audience little pieces of a puzzle that must be put together in order to understand the whole narration. The time movements have been achieved through the use of flashbacks and foreshadows. The end of the story illustrates that the entire piece has been a flashback since it talks about the discovery of the corpse of Homer in Emily’s house. Faulkner did not just choose this non linear approach in order to make his work interesting or to confuse readers; he did it in order to make his readers engage more with the text. As one goes through the story, one is likely to be inspired to compare chronologies with other people so as to detect any possible misreading. In these discussions, one can then analyze the thematic repercussions of those chronol ogies. This unconventional style has a way of making readers more engrained in the narration, and hence more likely to admire his work. The same thing occurs in ‘As I lay dying.’ Although the story spans through a couple of days, the author utilizes the perspectives of several voices in order to bring in a different dimension to the story. Faulkner manages to create a sense of wholeness despite the fragmentary nature of the story. The various sub plots that are added from time to time seem to add more strength to the story. The ambiguity of the narrators requires meticulous analysis of their descriptions because not all of them are credible.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The voice of Faulkner specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Complexity is also created in ‘Barn burning through the use of long sentences. This method has also been employed in ‘As I lay dying’. The long sente nces can make it difficult to follow the narrative, if one does not pay close attention 9Faulkner, as I lay dying 65). He is fond of this style of writing because he wants to capture the action and emotions that his characters are going through. When Sarty starts chasing after de Spain, the author describes this experience using very lengthy sentences. As one reads them, one gets lost in the events of the moment. One can feel the confusion and sense of loss that Sarty is going through using this technique. Faulkner therefore achieves his objective by causing readers to get carried away. Since there is no slowing down in the sentences, there is also no slowing down with the actions being described. Unconventional choice of narrators as an element of style In ‘A rose for Emily’, the writer uses the town as the main voice in the short story. As the story continues, one learns about the habits and values of the people in Emily’s hometown. This narrator does not pre-e mpt anything in the short story. He seems to discover new things along with the audience. For instance, in one scenario, the narrator states that there was an awful smell from Emily’s house, and adds that it occurred as soon as her sweetheart died. He does not provide any correlation between these two components of the tale. It is only until the end of the story that the reader is able to know where the smell came from. The narrator, provides additional information, but still strives to maintain suspense in the story. In ‘Barn burning’, the author picks an omniscient narrator who seems very close to Sarty. The purpose of selecting such a voice was to make the main character get closer to readers. At one point, one feels as though one has entered Sarty’s mind. Since he is someone who understands things through symbols, the writer presented or explained things through such a perspective. For example, when Sarty went to court, he describes the crowd as having ‘a lane of grim faces’. Numerous metaphors have been used, that relate to a child’s perspective. In another instance, he describes his father’s voice as being harsh as tin and lacking heat as tin. However, the author manages to illustrate that Sarty was not in fact the real narrator when Sarty and his family are out camping and his father makes a small fire. It is noted that Abner does not hesitate to create large fires when burning other people’s barns. The narrator muses that had Sarty been older, he would have asked himself why this was the case. The author therefore plays with reader’s minds by providing more than one possibility for the narration. This kind of style was fundamental in providing essential details to the story while providing a mechanism for understanding the main character’s actions.Advertising Looking for critical writing on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Perhaps the most complicated choice of narrators occurred when the author wrote ‘As I lay dying’; there are fifteen narrators in the story and each of the descriptions is highly subjective. Each narrator has his own kind of language and tone. Some of the narrators re confessional and seemingly neutral, but they end up loosing credibility later on. For instance, one of the first ones –Darl is an immensely articulate individual who seems to know what he is talking about. However, he is treated negatively by his family members who eventually take him to an asylum when he goes mad. To Faulkner, truth is debatable and depends upon the individual under consideration. The purpose for choosing such a complex interplay of narrators was to create a platform for adding more information to the story. Instead of depending upon one individual to describe everything, the author decides to use both real and interior monologues that the characters have with themselves and others in order to concretize the story. Objectivity is evasive in ‘As I lay dying’, and this causes readers to think a little bit more intensively about the developments in the story (Blotner 44). Stream of consciousness is also an important part of Faulkner’s complex writing. In ‘As I lay dying’, a number of narrators think about the death of the main character and they do this through continuous internal reflections. The same thing occurs in ‘Barn burning’. Sarty often describes his experiences as if they are flowing right out of his mind. For example, when his father walks in, he first describes what his father is wearing before he realizes that his father is in the house. Conclusion Faulkner was unsparing in his pieces; his words, plot and descriptions were intense and bold. His choice of characters and the lives they lived has grotesque or gothic inclinations. This author’s work was complex because of his sentence structures, his preference for ambiguity and his treatment of time. Lastly, the author’s choice of narrators was unconventional, but meaningful. Together, these components make Faulkner’s language and style exceptional in the literary world. Blotner, Joseph. Faulkner: A biography. NY: Random House, 1984 Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying: The corrected text. NY: Vintage publishers, 1991. Print Faulkner, William. A rose for Emily. NY: Dramatic publishing, 1983. Print. Faulkner, William. Barn burning. NY: Harper and brothers, 1939. Print.

2016 Presidential Race - Candidates and Results

2016 Presidential Race - Candidates and Results The 2016 presidential race concluded on the evening of Nov. 8, 2016, with the election of Republican Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. Trump, a billionaire real-estate developer, businessman and reality-television star, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. senator from New York and secretary of the Department of State under President Barack Obama.   Trump was widely portrayed as the underdog right up to Election Day given his lack of political experience -   he had never before served in elected office -   and polls that showed he was trailing Clinton badly in key battleground states. Trump, however, stunned the American political establishment and observers around the world by leading a voter revolt against the Beltway elites he railed against on the campaign trail.   Trump won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote, becoming only the fifth president to get to the White House without winning the popular vote.  The only other modern president elected with fewer actual votes than his challenger was  Republican George W. Bush in 2000, who carried 30 states and 271 electoral votes to defeat Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore. Issues in 2016 Presidential Race The 2016 president race was decided by working class white voters, including women who tend to vote for Democrats and were expected to side with the first female presidential nominee from a major party. Those working class white voters  felt left behind by the modest economic rebound from The Great Recession and voted for Trump  because of his promise to renegotiate trade deals with countries including China and levy stiff tariffs on goods imported from these countries. Trumps position on trade was seen as a way to stop companies from shipping jobs overseas, though many economists pointed out taxing imports would drive up costs to American consumers first.His message resonated with white working-class voters, especially those who live in former steel and manufacturing towns. Skilled craftsmen and tradespeople and factory workers have seen the jobs they loved shipped thousands of miles away, Trump said at a rally near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Voters also distrusted Clinton because of the many scandals surrounding her during her tenure as secretary of State and first lady to President Bill Clinton. Clinton could not escape criticism of her use of a personal email account during her time as secretary of State, which appeared to be in violation of the Federal Records Act, a 1950 law that mandates the preservation of most records related to conducting government business.   Late in the 2016 presidential race - many called it the October Surprise of 2016 -   the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced unexpectedly it was conducting a  review Clintons emails, an unprecedented move that enraged her supporters and threw the contest with Trump into doubt.  FBI Director James Comey made the announcement 11 days before the 2016 presidential election, a move many critics said cost Clinton votes. Comey later said the email contained no new information. Still, the damage was done, and the disclosures only served as a reminder of the scandal-ridden Clinton years in the White House. Vice Presidential Running Mates in 2016 Trump chose as his running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a former member of Congress known as a ​conservatives conservative. In choosing Pence, the Trump campaign sought to portray the Republican ticket as the  law and order candidates, drawing a stark contrast between themselves and an opponent they portrayed as untrustworthy.  What a difference  between crooked Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence ... Hes a  solid, solid person, Trump said in introducing Pence. Clinton chose as her running mate Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Kaine was a Democratic Party insider who was seen as a safe pick, one who would help deliver the swing state of Virginia to Clinton, just as a did for Obama in 2008. Kaine is a  Harvard Law School graduate who served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and previously was governor of Virginia. Key Dates in the 2016 Presidential Race Here are some of the most important developments during the 2016 presidential election. April 12, 2015: Clinton announces her candidacy, stating:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion.†Ã‚   June 16, 2015: Trump announces his candidacy, stating: We need somebody that literally will take this country and make it great again. We can do that.July 22, 2016: Trump accepts the Republican Partys nomination, stating: My message is that things have to change, and they have to change right now. July 26, 2016: Clinton accepts the Democratic Partys nomination, stating:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Standing here as my mother’s daughter, and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come. When any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone.† Nov. 8, 2016: Trump wins the presidential election, stating: Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. Polls in the 2016 Presidential Races Polls consistently showed Clinton leading Trump in the national popular vote. In the spring of 2016, when the primaries were still ongoing, Clinton was leading Trump in a then-hypothetical election race by double digits, between 10 and 11 percentage points.   Clintons popular vote narrowed and expanded following the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But Trump never led the national popular vote, according to an average of all reliable surveys compiled by RealClearPolitics. Those national polls turned out to be accurate; Clinton did win the popular vote. But statewide polls failed to gauge the surge for Trump in the final days of the 2016 presidential race. In Pennsylvania, for example, most polls had Clinton holding a solid lead, but Trump won by a narrow margin. Polls conducted in Michigan, too, had Clinton up by more than 3 points, but Trump narrowly won that state. Pollsters have said their surveys failed to detect a late surge for Trump, and that many Trump supporters who were skeptical of political polls and the media refused to participate, suppressing the Republicans performance in their results. Spending in the 2016 Presidential Race Spending in the 2016 president race totaled nearly $2.7 billion, according to projections from the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C.  That includes spending by the presidential candidates and their campaigns, political parties and independent interest groups trying to influence federal elections. Thats actually a decline from the $2.8 billion spent in the 2008 president race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Federal Election Commission data show the presidential candidates raised about $1.5 billion; Clinton led the pack with $564 million. Trump raised about $333 million. Super PACs raised about $615 million.   Electoral and Popular Vote Results of the 2016 Presidential Race Trump won 306 electoral votes to Clintons 232 electoral votes. Though Trumps win was stunning to many, it is not considered a landslide. In presidential elections, a landslide election is  one in which the winning candidate secures at least 375 or 70 percent of the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College. While Trump won about 57 percent of the electoral vote, he captured less than 46 percent of the actual votes cast. Clinton won the popular vote with 65.9 million or 48 percent of the the votes cast to Trumps 63 million. Trump won 31 states in all to Clintons 19 states. He won a handful of big battleground states that hadnt been captured by a Republican presidential nominee in years, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Michigan. This mismatch between the electoral and popular votes came about because Trump won several large states (such as Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) by very narrow margins, gaining all their electoral votes in the process, even as Clinton claimed other large states (such as California, Illinois and New York) by much wider margins, wrote Drew DeSilver of the Pew Research Center.  Trump’s share of the popular vote, in fact, was the seventh-smallest winning percentage since 1828, when presidential campaigns began to resemble those of today. The biggest surprise  of the 2016 presidential race was Trumps ability to recapture key states that had tended to vote for Democratic nominees in the previous president election including: Pennsylvania, where Trump won by less than 1 percentage point to take the states 20 electoral votes.   Florida, where Trump won by a little more than 1 percentage point to carry the states 29 electoral votes. Ohio,  where Trump won by about 18 percentage points to carry the states 18 electoral votes. Michigan,  where Trump won by less than 1 percentage point to carry the states 16 electoral votes. Wisconsin,  where Trump won by less than 1 percentage point to carry the states 10  electoral votes. Iowa,  where Trump won by about 9 percentage points to carry the states 6  electoral votes. The 2016 Presidential Primaries   While Clintons candidacy was years in the making  - she began laying the groundwork for 2016 when she dropped out of the Democratic primaries against Barack Obama  - Trumps candidacy for the White House was quickly dismissed as a lark. He began amid the largest field of presidential hopefuls in 100 years; 17 candidates were seeking the Republican presidential nomination at one point. The unsuccessful Republican candidates were: Jeb Bush, a former Florida governor.Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor. Ted Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas.Carly Fiorina, a former business executive.Jim Gilmore, a former Virginia governor.Lindsey Graham, a U.S. senator from South Carolina.  Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor.  Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana governor.   John Kasich, the Ohio governor.George Pataki, a former New York governor.Rand Paul, a U.S. senator from Kentucky.Rick Perry, a former Texas governor.Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida. Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin. Clinton struggled to close her partys presidential nomination. Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders drew large crowds during the party primaries because of his passionate speeches about income inequality in the corrupting influence of money in the American political system. Where Clintons campaign suffered from a lack of enthusiasm among young voters, Sanders was benefiting from a similar youth uprising that Obama experienced in 2008.   The  unsuccessful Democratic  candidates  were: Lincoln Chafee, a former governor of Rhode Island.Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard professor.Martin OMalley, the governor of Maryland. Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont.Jim Webb, a former U.S. senator from Virginia.