PERIOD Lisa Longoria Chapter 11: … More That It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence

Differences between Real Life and Literature Violence in real life has no real meaning, if you get mad at someone and you slap them really hard. It just happens, no one really plans for it to have symbolism or metaphor. In literature, violence can have so much more density to it than just a slap to the face.

Metaphorical Violence In literature, violence can have witty metaphors in it. Things aren't described clearly to add pizzazz. For example; if someone were to slap another person they loathed so forcefully, their face would have an imprint of their hatred on it. The imprint of hatred would be a metaphor for how hard the person was slapped.

Symbolic Violence Example: Sally raises her gun, her hands tremble as she tries to pull the trigger, but instead, she falls to the ground and sobs. Her hands trembling and sobbing is a symbol of her weakness and realizing she doesn’t really want to shoot. Something is only symbolic when there is a meaning behind it.

Character Violence Character violence is when character(s) get hurt in literature by the other characters, themselves, or other influences within the plot. The author has no real influence in what happens to the characters. Some examples are: shooting, hitting, infanticide, starvation, sacrificing, etc.

Narrative Violence Narrative violence is when the author has a major impact on what kind of violence happens in their work depending on whatever kind of violence the author is or was exposed to. Edgar Allen Poe had a very, very sad, bloody, and disturbing past, therefore, his work was very sad, bloody, and disturbing.

Great quotes and Great Points on Violence “The violence has to have some meaning beyond mere mayhem” (Foster 89). “Violence in real life just is ” (Foster 88). “ We sense greater weight or depth in works when there is something happening beyond the surface” (Foster 91). Accidents and illnesses are not intentional, but in literature it is. Someone had to think of these things in order for them to be existent in literature for some motive.

How does violence apply to Great Expectations? Estella was very violent with the words and gestures toward Pip. She says many distasteful things when she is referring to him such as “you little coarse monster” and “you little wretch” which really stabs his heart because he really likes her (Dickens 75). It was also super violent when Miss Havisham sets herself on fire to receive forgiveness from Pip.

How It Apply to My Life? I see some form of violence every day on the news. There are people that are living violent lives without others knowing. People who get sick have to deal with brutal symptoms (Chemo, really bad allergic reactions, frost-bite, etc). Every day, people are starving and fighting for food in Africa.

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