Big Two-Hearted River Part II Essays - Narratology, Point Of View

Big Two-Hearted River: Part II Sudden, Unexpected Interjection "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." At one point in his short story, "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II", Hemingway's character Nick speaks in the first person. Why he adopts, for one line only, the first person voice is an interesting question, without an easy answer. Sherwood Anderson does the same thing in the introduction to his work, Winesburg, Ohio. The first piece, called "The Book of the Grotesque", is told from the first person point of view. But after this introduction, Anderson chooses not to allow the first person to narrate the work. Anderson and Hemingway both wrote collections of short stories told in the third person, and the intrusion of the first person narrator in these two pieces is unsettling. In both instances, though, the reader is left with a much more absorbing story; one in which the reader is, in fact, a main character. With the exception of "My Old Man", which is entirely in the first pe rson , and "On the Quai at Smyrna", which is only possibly in the first person, there is just one instance in In Our Time in which a character speaks in the first person. It occurs in "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II", an intensely personal story which completely immerses the reader in the actions and thoughts of Nick Adams. Hemingway's utilization of the omniscient third person narrator allows the reader to visualize all of Nick's actions and surroundings, which would have been much more difficult to accomplish using first person narration. Nick is seen setting up his camp in "Big Two-Hearted River: Part I" in intimate detail, from choosing the perfect place to set his tent to boiling a pot of coffee before going to sleep. The story is completely written the in third person and is full of images, sounds, and smells. In "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II" Hemingway exactly describes Nick's actions as he fishes for trout. Details of his fishing trip are told so clearly that the reader is almost an active participant in the expedition instead of someone reading a story. He carefully and expertly finds grasshoppers for bait, goes about breakfast and lunch-making, and sets off into the cold river. By being both inside and outside Nick's thoughts, the reader can sense precisely the drama that Hemingway wishes to bring to trout fishing. Nick catches one trout and throws it back to the river because it is too small. When he hooks a second one, it is an emotional battle between man and fish. Nick tries as hard as he can, but the fish snaps the line and escapes. Then, as Nick thinks about the fate of the trout which got away, Hemingway writes, "He felt like a rock, too, before he started off. By God, he was a big one. By God, he was the biggest one I ever heard of." This sudden switch to first-person narration is startling to the reader. Until this point Hemingway had solely used third person narration, but he did it so well that the reader feels as one with Nick. It is no t definite whether this is Nick or Hemingway speaking. It could easily be either of the two. Hemingway doesn't include, "he thought," or, "he said to himself," and so it is unclear. The result is the same regardless. Using first person narration at this point serves to make the story more alive, more personal. It jolts the reader into realizing the humanity of Nick; he is no longer the object of a story but a real person. If Nick is making so much stir over it that he speaks directly to the reader, he must feel passionately about it. Or if Hemingway is so moved by the size of the trout that he exclaims at its size, I can only accept that Nick also feels this excitement. The sudden intrusion of the first person narrator makes the story more complete and its only character more life-like. It also brings the reader into the story as a listener. Sherwood Anderson's collection of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio, also has a moment of first person

How to Get Ready to Take a Compass Writing Skills Test

How to Get Ready to Take a Compass Writing Skills Test How to Get Ready to Take a Compass Writing Skills Test The Compass test is a computerized system for evaluating students’ incoming skill levels, used mostly by postsecondary institutions. It’s used to identify the courses that any given student should be placed in as well as academic areas that need more attention. One of these areas is writing skills. Each test uses two parts: a Placement Test and a Diagnostics Test. As the name suggests, the Placement Test, in the end, shows what courses you should be taking. On the other hand, the Diagnostics Test shows your weaknesses and indicates areas that you should improve. Here are the points that will be evaluated during each part of the test for writing skills: Placement Test Diagnostics Test Knowledge of mechanics: punctuation, grammar and sentence structure; Rhetorical skills: organization, style and strategy. Spelling. Capitalization. Verb agreement. Organization. Usage. Punctuation, etc. How to Get Ready Are you one of those people who prefer to deal with situations head on? Or do you want to be carefully prepared for any occasion? To show good results on any test, you should be thorough with your preparation. If you care about further education at all, some time and effort is necessary to stay prepared. Research your test: determine what kind of questions you’ll get; how much time you’ll have to respond and see what other students think about the test. This will give you a general idea of what to expect. Practice on sample tests: there are numerous similar tests, although online tests are better, because they show you where you made mistakes. If you repeatedly make the same kind of mistakes, you should work on those areas. Study: if you know your trouble areas, its best to focus on this material before the test. You dont know exactly what you’ll need, so you have to know everything. Hire a tutor: it may be an extreme measure, but it’s also a good idea to take the results of your practice test to someone who can point out your errors and explain how you can avoid them next time. These are the basic routes you can take to prepare for the writing skills test. But there are also other tricks that will assist you in the process. What Else You Can Do When you know what to expect, the Compass Writing Skills test is fairly easy, since you only need to identify errors. So, if writing is your thing and you want to pass this test with flying colors, consider revisiting everything that involves writing skills: mechanical skills, planning (brainstorming, outlining), clear and concise reasoning, constructing an argument, synthesizing information from different sources. Most of these skills apply to custom essay writing, but even if you’re taking a multiple choice test, they’ll be helpful in identifying errors. Essentially, they’ll help you to see the problem and know how to fix it. Knowing the right answer also helps to choose the right variant. Obviously, there are many things you can do to get ready to the Compass Writing Skills Test, on your own and with somebodys help. But only your motivation, efforts and promptness will help you be truly prepared.