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H a n_ _ a n

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  H a n_ _ a n In Black Swan Green, Jason develops a speech impediment, a stammer (which he clearly differentiates from stuttering). He gives this stammer a name, Hangman, which shows how Hangman causes his social “death.” This reminds me of the game Hangman, which takes letters from words if guessed incorrectly and contributes to the “death” of the person. In this sense, Hangman limits the letters Jason can pronounce out loud. There is a whole system as to how Hangman functions. He summarizes the way he works through these 4 so called commandments. Hangman’s 4 commandments 1st commandment:  Thou shalt hide from speech therapists.  2nd commandment:  Thou shalt strangle Taylor when he is nervous about stammering.  3rd commandment:  Thou shalt ambush Taylor when he is not nervous about stammering  4th commandment: Once Taylor is ‘stutterboy’ in the eyes of the world he is yours. When Jason speaks to his therapist, Hangman seems to disappear. This is perh...
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Coming out: Not so Fun responses

 Coming out: Not so Fun responses      In Fun Home, Alison comes out as a lesbian and announces this to her family. This gets ahold of somewhat similar yet different reactions from her parents. Her mother is against her coming out. Her father is not a whole lot supportive, but not against it. This shows their experiences with same sex relationships.       Her mother has had negative experiences with same sex relationships and sees it as a problem that she has to deal with. She sends Alison a disapproving letter. She states in her letter, “I have to deal with this problem in another form…” This reflects on her relationship with her husband. She has had to deal with the infidelity from her husband due to same sex affairs. This gives the mother a negative view and experiences on same sex relationships, and this affects her response to Alison’s coming out. This can be seen with the affair with the babysitter. This response is hard on Alison. However, ...
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Trapped in a Bell Jar

Trapped in a bell jar Bell Jar /bel jär/ a bell-shaped glass cover used for covering delicate objects or used in a laboratory, typically for enclosing samples. Esther Greenwood depicts herself as being in a bell jar, metaphorically, throughout the book. A bell jar is used to close off an object. She feels that she is trapped by her emotions, such as depression. As she progresses with her condition towards the end of the book, she changes the way she portrays the bell jar.  She mentions that, “I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.” Esther thinks that the new asylum she will be sent to will not have an impact on her health. She feels like there is no solution to her major problem. She acknowledges that she has her “own sour air” that does not allow her to feel positive emotions, no matter the place she is sent to.  Moreover, she declares, "The bell jar hung, suspended ... I was open to the circulating air." This shows the importance of tr...
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Holdebe in The Catcher in the Rye

  Holdebe Holden and Phoebe’s (Holdebe) relationship in The Catcher in the Rye consists of a deep connection and shows how Holden relies on Phoebe for his happiness throughout the book. They have a sweet, affectionate relationship (even though they may bicker). Holden goes to her when he feels “depressed”.  Holden and Pheobe show a special connection when he visits his sister, his choice when he was feeling down, and gives her the record he bought her. He listened to this song in school and decided it was perfect for Phoebe. This is an extremely considerate action from Holden that shows his genuineness. Even though the record was destroyed into many pieces, Phoebe decides to keep it and shows how much she appreciates Holden’s gift. This shows how strong their bond is with one another.  Holden becomes more mature and thinks more rationally because of Phoebe’s influence when she insists on going with Holden. He decides to discard his plan of going away to the west and le...
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