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John Upike A & P

Three teenage girls wearing only bathing suit entered an A  & P supermarket. Sammy who is the cashier working in the A & P was watching the girls and name the one who appears to be the leader "Queenie" because of her arrogant and regal behavior. The girls wanted to buy Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks in Pure Sour Sauce. The manager, Lengel, scold the girls as they approach the register for coming into the store and they were improperly dressed . When Sammy saw that "Queenie" was upset, he told his manager that he did not have to embarrassed the girls. Lengel responded that the girls were the ones who embarrassed him and the town at large by flaunting their bodies. Because of lengel's response, Sammy quits his job with immediate effect. He was trying to defend "Queenie's honor. "Queenie" didn't notice what Sammy did, as a matter of fact no one appreciate his gesture and he lost his job and gained nothing in return.

Everyday Use

Early in the story the author introduced a tension between the mother and two daughters. On one hand the author shows how the mother refused to accept the superficial values of her more successful older daughter. Instead, she prefer her younger daughter who has more practical values who is not as successful as her older sister. Through the conflicts the author maybe exploring the families heritage. The author portrayed the oldest daughter as a self centered beautiful and bright woman who has a superficial view of her heritage. This superficial view could be a symbol that bright and beautiful people happened to be very vocal, aggressive and demanding. The way that they speak about their ancestors is also very degrading. Also the daughter symbolize a movement which can be seen as been very Afrocentric, which wants to reconnect with their African past or African heritage. This however creates a conflict with who she really is because in order to connect with her African heritage she has ...

A Good Man is Hard to Find

The story "a good man is hard to find" is about a family that live in the south and is taking a vacation to Florida. You could say that the real journey was not  taken from one place to another but that it took place in the family's lives. One of the main question that comes up is how can a good man be defined and why is there only a few of them left in the world. Most, if not all of the characters think that they good. This could be based on the moral ethics that they live by and which helps to define and shape them into the person that they are. Some of these moral ethics are obviously flawed as we can see in the story. So another question that come up is, are these characters blinded by their own piousness. It appears as if the authors main purpose was to reveal some moral message to the reader. O'Connor used setting, plot, characterization to show human behavior can be seen in a negative light. These negative behaviors can affect our lives and the lives of others...

"The Use of Force"

The "use of force" is a short story that shows the conflicts between the basic impulses of humans, the professional role of doctors and the concerns for the social welfare of patients. The doctor is represented as the central authority, who is control and has the source of knowledge. His authority was challenged by his patient and his basic impulses kicked in and could not be suppressed. So the doctor was having conflicts with his basic impulses and his professional role. The doctor persisted because he was thinking of the social welfare of his patient, so he had to get the culture  in order to make her well.