In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, Ursula K. Le Guin places the utopian city of Omelas with the misery of a single child to explore the ethical implications of societal happiness and the limits of morality. Omelas is depicted as a place of dreamlike perfection: its citizens live in harmony, enjoying art, joy, and freedom without the burdens of guilt or crime. Yet, this peace is sustained by a hidden, horrifying truth. A single child kept in perpetual suffering to secure the collective happiness of the city. Through this contrast, Le Guin forces readers to confront uncomfortable questions about the morality of happiness derived at the cost of…

In “Recitatif”, Toni Morrison masterfully uses ambiguity, especially through the deliberate absence of explicit racial markers for her two protagonists, Twyla and Roberta, to delve into themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of race. By withholding racial identifiers, Morrison challenges readers to confront their own assumptions about race and to recognize how societal biases influence perceptions of identity. To start with, Morrison’s portrayal of Twyla and Roberta’s racial identities invites readers to examine how race can be both central and separate from individual identity. Twyla and Roberta meet as children in an orphanage, where they are united by their shared status as “outsiders.” Twyla mentions that her mother “dances…

In “Recitatif”, Toni Morrison masterfully uses ambiguity, especially through the deliberate absence of explicit racial markers for her two protagonists, Twyla and Roberta, to delve into themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of race. By withholding racial identifiers, Morrison challenges readers to confront their own assumptions about race and to recognize how societal biases influence perceptions of identity. First, Morrison’s ambiguous portrayal of Twyla and Roberta’s racial identities invites readers to examine how race can be both central to and separate from individual identity. Twyla and Roberta meet as children in an orphanage, where they are united by their shared status as “outsiders.” Twyla mentions that her mother “dances…

In “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin uses jazz and blues music as a powerful motif to explore themes of identity, community, and the healing power of artistic expression. Through Sonny’s relationship with music, Baldwin demonstrates how jazz serves as a means of self-discovery, a bridge to community, and a transformative outlet for pain. Baldwin uses jazz as a symbol of community and connection, particularly in the scene where Sonny plays in the Harlem jazz club. This setting brings Sonny into communion with other musicians who share similar experiences, background and pain. As the narrator observes Sonny on stage, he realizes that the musicians “talk” to each other through their instruments, using…

In Caliban’s situation, he was enslaved by Prospero and forced into servitude. As he resents Prospero’s rule, seeking liberation, he plots against him, which demonstrates his resistance to oppression and quest for freedom. His situation shows colonial exploitation, injustice of forced labor and cultural domination which doesn’t give him liberation. But in Ariel’s situation , she was willing to serve and be loyal to Prospero by choice . Both situations reveal complexities of human nature, underscoring desires for freedom, autonomy and self-determination.