The Girl with the White Flag

High is the author of the book The Girl With the White Flag. The book depicts the realities of war through the eyes of the protagonist, who is a little girl known as Tomtit. Tomtit lives on the island of Okinawa and resides with her family. When the war of Okinawa starts, she is separated from her family and struggles to survive. She has to forage for food, shelter, and her lost sisters.

She delves within to find the strength and courage to survive. In this narrative, the author uses literary devices to reject the travails of the refugees in the Battle of Okinawa. The narrative is in a first- person mode using implicit and explicit quotes which allows the reader to empathic with Tomtit’s thoughts and emotions. Through the use of implicit and explicit quotes, Tomtit High is able to uncover the harsh realities of life such as facing death and is able represent the transformation of a young timid girl into a mature and fearless person.

In the beginning of the story, Tomtit is depicted as a naive girl who is sheltered by her family. In her book, Tomtit High projects her father as a strict caparisoning, determined to ensure that his children learn the lessons needed for life. This is reflected in the quote, “It must have hurt. But you’ve got to learn that seeds are next in importance to life. If you eat them up, you won’t have any beans next year. And not only you, but Hooks and Hatfuls and Choosy. None of you will have any beans to eat. Do you understand! You mustn’t ever eat seeds again” (High, P. 31).

This quote is explicit as it directly states that Tomtit Fibular 2 should not eat the beans, so the reader doesn’t have to make any inferences about what is happening in the story. Also, this quote shows the strictness of her father. In life, fathers always have to look after their kids and create rules for them to follow. A girl’s father is a significant person in her life. A father guides and protects her by all means. Afterwards, Tomtit portrays her father as a very brave and courageous man who fulfills his responsibilities towards his family, which is depicted in this quote, “Now I want you all to listen carefully.

There’s going to be fighting here in Okinawa very soon. Life’s not going to be peaceful for us any more. You must be prepared, so hat when the time comes, you’ll be able to keep your head and know what to do” (High, p. 36). This quote is also explicit as in the quote Tomtit voices that her father is guiding his children for their survival. In war, there is isolation, and no one knows whether the family is alive or dead. Family is important to us as they help provide the support and comfort needed to prepare for life.

When Tomtit lived with her family, she was protected, and she was sheltered by her family. The war transformed her into a brave and courageous person. When the war started, she had to face many tough obstacles. However, these hurdles eloped her grow as an individual. She had to cope with her brother’s death, see many Japanese soldiers commit suicide, and witness the deaths of many innocent civilians from the destruction of war. Also, she was separated from her family and had to survive on her own. Tomtit grew as a person from these hardships.

She reflects this change through the following lines, “Poor man, I thought as I started to walk past him, he must have been pulled by one of those bullets. By that time, I had seen so many dead bodies here and there that I had become quite used to the site and was not frightened” (High, P. 55). This quote is explicit as it expresses that Tomtit doesn’t have Fibular 3 to feel uncomfortable when near the sight of dead bodies. This quote depicts the transition of a fearful girl to a courageous person.

If Tomtit would have experienced this earlier in the narrative, she would have not been able to cope with the dreadful sight of dead soldiers. Afterwards, Tomtit comes across an experience that displays one of the toughest memories in her life, which is Illustrated by the quote, “l said to myself as I walked along, resigned to my fate, staring at the round hole from which I expected a bullet to come toward me any minute” (High, P. 1 10). This quote is implicit as the reader doesn’t know if Tomtit is going to live or die.

It helps her grow and learn how to take life as it comes. This quote is strong as it reflects the statement that Tomtit has no problem accepting her fate of life and death. This is very courageous as our society is shown to not have the will power to make a choice that big. Tomtit is able to then enlighten the reader on the realities of life presenting that Tomtit doesn’t have a problem of facing death. After living through these experiences, Tomtit was transformed into a fearless and confident person, who no longer depends on others to take care of herself.

In this story, Tomtit reflects to the reader about the outcome of her experiences by citing, ” I resolved then and there to write about my experiences in the hope that such suffering might never be repeated” (High, P. 127). This quote is explicit as Tomtit is exhibiting to the reader that she had resolved her experiences about war. This also explains that the suffering of war is so harsh, that a person does not want it to happen to them again. War can have an effect on a person’s mental health which can cause a definite increase in the incidence and prevalence of mental disorders.

War also impacts women more then men emotionally. In the end, Tomtit was transformed from a sheltered girl to a woman capable of living on her own. Fibular 4 After the war ended, Tomtit writes that she must move on with her life and forget the cruel memories of the war. She presents this to the reader by citing , “It was a scene straight out of hell. There is no other way to describe it. And sad and painful though it was, we could not afford to linger, and so we set off again trekking south” (High, P. 48). This quote is implicit as we don’t know what scene Tomtit is offering to in the book.

Some readers may believe that it may be describing only one specific scene in the book, others may think that it is talking about Tomtit’s experience of war as a whole. I believe that this quote in the book reflects Tomtit’s experience of combat as a whole. This quotation also uncovers the truth that Tomtit is determined to move on. She expresses to the reader that having written about her experiences of war is a catharsis, and she is going to have to move on. In this story, Tomtit is able to depict in her writing that through the brutal experience of battle an innocent, timid girl can become a dauntless and gallant individual.

From this story, Tomtit is able to represent the truth of a female utilizing her experience of war to turn herself into a valiant and risk taking individual that will do anything to survive in life. Like Tomtit, if we confront our tough times with courage, we will be able to face our obstacles with bravery. It can also transform us and helps us evolve. I feel life as like a roller coaster, if we don’t take risks and keep going on the same pattern then we would not be able to ascend in our character. Fibular 5

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Differences between Genders Not Created by Social Conditioning

This paper intends to observe males in social settings, as well as, in the workplace. In addition to that, it will try to identify the differences between opposite genders in terms of those not created from social conditioning. Finally, it will also enumerate social conditions promoting gender inequality that adversely affects the society. Observations The following are some of the ones I noticed among the males in social settings and in the workplace:

In the office, there was a man who didn’t care how excellent the result of his work will turn out to be, what he is focused on is accomplishing is (Marriage Missions International n. p. ). It doesn’t really matter to him if his colleagues will approve of his work just as long as it is done (Marriage Missions International n. p. ). Another man speaks of his desired promotion and salary increase which shows how important money and power are to him (Marriage Missions International n. p. ).

Finally, there was a man at the party who did not seem to care how badly ironed his clothes were (Marriage Missions International n. p. ). His hair was even too messy to look at (Marriage Missions International n. p. ). It is clearly evident that he cares less about his appearance (Marriage Missions International n. p. ). Differences Based on the observations carried out, the differences among genders which are not brought about by social conditioning are the following: First of all is preference.

The “outward show” of an individual is not taught by somebody he or she is with. This depends on what the person wants or desires. Another is known as innate ability/attitude. A man was not trained or taught to want money or fame, this is instilled in him. It’s an attitude he already has. The same is true with his performance; a man may be innately lazy and not motivated to work excellently. Social Conditions The social conditions that may promote are the following: The first is gender roles.

This may create adverse effects on the society because gender roles are behaviors which a particular culture or group of people expects from people (Net Industries, LLC n. p. ). Therefore, if a certain person acts contrary to whatever expectations their group may have then it creates chaos and bias from these people (Net Industries, LLC n. p. ). For example, in certain cultures only the men/husband are expected to work and earn for the entire family and so if there is anybody female/wife is the one earning/working, this somehow creates bias from the culture/society they belong to (Net Industries, LLC n.p. ).

The problem with this is that the women may tend to be abused and may be looked down upon because of their expected role (Net Industries, LLC n. p. ). Another is based on “materialist theories” which means that genders are linked to the economic output of both genders (Eitzen et. al. 251). Here, women are constantly discriminated upon because in the past women are paid much less than men (Eitzen et. al. 251). The society is affected believing that up to now this is still the case (Eitzen et. al. 251).

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Analysis of Girl Interrupted

Table of contents Girl interrupted is a gripping tale of a girl’s maladaptation to the challenges of life. The movie focuses on a young girl named Suzanna Kaysen growing up in the 1960s and struggling with the world around her. Suzanna is admitted to Clarmoore institution after she consumes a whole bottle of aspirin and […]

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The Girl In Dream Of The Designer

Fan Bing bing, a Chinese actress, singer, producer, and wickedly awesome dresser. She is 31 year old, stunning beauty with height 168 cm and weigh 52. 5 kg. Known for her very large eyes and small proportional face, Fan has been dubbed “goddess” by her Chinese fans and is a lightning rod in the fashion […]

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A Girl with a Pearl Earring

Samantha Fain Dr. Elizabeth Wise CHM 165 3/15/2012 Book Report: Girl with a Pearl Earring The Girl with a Pearl Earring is a historical fictional novel about the famous painting created by the artist Johannes Vermeer. The story takes place in the 17th century in Delft, Holland. The novel chronicles the actions that led up […]

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The Message in Girl in Translation

There always have been immigrants since the early days in the United States. The number of immigrants continues to grow throughout periods of time. “As in 2006, the number of immigrants is 37. 5 million. After 2000, immigration to the United States numbered approximately 1,000,000 per year. A recent survey by Gallup showed that there […]

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Maggie: a Girl of the Streets

Stephen Crane wrote many short stories, one of which was Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. His stories contained various aspects of Naturalism, a literary movement that sought to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment. Poverty, abuse and a survival of the fittest way of life created an environment which Maggie was negatively influenced by. Her environment is made up of many circumstances that affect her, one of which is poverty. Maggie grew up in poverty, living out her childhood in a shabby apartment in Rum Alley.

This poverty influenced her beliefs. The story says “when Pete arrived Maggie, in a worn black dress, was waiting…,” (18). In comparison, Pete was said to wear nice clothes such as “his blue double-breasted coat, edged with black braid, buttoned close to a res puff tie, and his patent-leather shoes,” (14). Maggie has her “worn dress” and as such she sees herself as lowly. The effect of the poverty is emphasized when Maggie, while observing Pete, ponders “She vaguely tried to calculate the altitude of the pinnacle from which he must have looked down upon her,” (16).

This statement shows how, at this point in her life she sees other people above her. The poverty caused her to think this way- it influenced her in ways so subtle and yet so big. It was this thinking caused by the poverty which led to her seeking out Pete’s strength. The poverty stricken environment in which Maggie lived is one in which only the strong survive or one who adapts. The women are described as “formidable women, with uncombed hair and disordered dress,” (4). They are survivors. They have no time for looking nice, they are working to be strong and survive.

Maggie, on the other hand, “grew to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, ,” (13). She is not strong in that aspect and as such she sought out a strong person, Pete. When seeing him she thinks “Here was a formidable man who disdained the strength of a world full of fists. Here was one who had contempt for brass-clothed power; one whose knuckles could defiantly ring against the granite of law. He was a knight,” (16). She became enamored with his strength and defiance. He proclaims how great of a fighter he is and as a result she gravitates towards him so he can be her knight.

He could protect her. This thinking that she needed a strong man was a result of her environment. It was survival of the fittest and her attempt at survival was attaching herself to a strong man. Another time in which she had to adapt in order to survive was when she was walking down the streets “Soon the girl discovered that if she walked with such apparent aimlessness, some men looked at her with calculating eyes. She quickened her step, frightened. As a protection, she adopted a demeanor of intentness as if going somewhere,” (47). This quote emphasizes the fact that in order to survive she needed to adapt to the streets.

Throughout all of Maggie’s life there was, on top of the poverty and the primal instinct for survival, violence and abuse in her home. Violence and abuse was a constant in Maggie’s life. The violence and abuse affected her psychology. Both the physical beatings and the lack of parental figures as a result of the abuse cause her to act differently than she would if she had a mother who loved her and a stable household life. Maggie repeatedly refers to her mother as ‘the woman’ or ‘the mother’ such as in the quotes “the eyes of both were drawn, by some force, to stare at the woman’s face,” (10).

She does not talk of Mary as her mother; instead Maggie refers to her as another woman. This happened as a result of the violence shown to her from Mary; she does not trust her mother. Her mother then proceeds to, later on in Maggie’s life, kick Maggie out of the apartment because she does not like Maggie’s boyfriend, Pete. Mary tells Maggie “Yeh’ve gone the deh devil, Mag Johnson, yehs knows yehs have gone the deh devil. Yer a disgrace the yer people, damn yeh. An’ now, git out an’ go ahn wid dat doe-faced jude of yours.

Go the hell wid him, damn yeh, an’ good riddance. Go the hell an’ see how yeh likes it,” (27). This verbal abuse is something which Maggie has lived with all her life. This quote is the climax in Maggie’s life. The abuse from her mother pushes her out of the apartment and to her subsequent death. All of the abuse and violence influenced Maggie and caused her to have a messed up life. Ultimately throughout Maggie’s life, she was influenced by her environment. Her life would have evolved in a completely different way than in Maggie: A girl of the Streets.

The environment in which one grows up in is crucial in life. The environment is one where children learn from and it influences who they will be. For some people their environment influences them for the better, and in other cases, like with Maggie, it is for the worse. All abuse, the poverty and survival of the fittest environment lead to her early death. Had those factors not been there she most likely would have lived a long and great life. But, those factors where there in her environment and that is the , not everything is perfect.

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