Modern Fiction – Short Story and Essay
James Joyce
Irish writer James Joyce was born in Dublin in 1882. His father suffered from alcoholism and his family lived in poverty. Joyce had to move frequently and even had to drop out of school when there was no money for tuition. Fortunately, he was able to continue his formal education and later graduated from University College in Dublin. Knowing that it would be difficult to support himself on a writer's income, he tried his hand at a variety of careers. After he met a girl named Nora Barnacle in 1904, he fell in love and soon married her. The couple traveled around Europe but never returned to Ireland. Despite severe vision problems, he persisted in writing and produced such famous works as A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Ulysses (1922).
Access and read the short story "Araby" by James Joyce. The setting of this coming-of-age story was inspired by Joyce's own childhood growing up in Dublin, Ireland. In fact, the word Araby was the name of an actual bazaar, or charity market, that came to Dublin when Joyce was a child. As you read the short story, determine the goal or motivation of the narrator. Also, pay close attention to how the narrator changes by the end of the story. Based on your knowledge of Modernism, do you predict that his change will be physical or psychological?
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair, more commonly known by his pen name George Orwell, was born in India in 1903. He was educated in Britain but went to Burma in 1922 and joined the British Indian Imperial Police as an assistant superintendant. Once he saw how the Burmese people suffered lack of political and religious freedom under British rule, he soon became disenchanted with British colonialism and advocated for the rights of the poor and downtrodden. He later fought against the anti-Fascists in Spain's civil war and was wounded. Among Orwell's most famous works are Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). Unfortunately, Orwell died at the peak of his career in 1950 while battling tuberculosis.
Access and read the essay "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell. Before reading the essay, you should be aware that it not only contains profanity, but also depicts violence and disturbing deaths of both human and nonhuman animals. In 1922, Orwell went to Burma where he was stationed as an officer for the British Indian Imperial Police. Burma was under British rule at the time, and in this essay (which researchers cannot corroborate as being factual), Orwell explores the theme of British oppression through the metaphor of an animal's death. As you read, consider whether or not the narrator had free will in shooting the elephant. Note lines within the text that support either free will or fate.
Modern Short Story and Essay Review
Now that you have explored both a Modern short story and a personal essay, it is time to review your knowledge and practice what you have learned. In this non-graded activity, read the statements and decide whether they are true or false. Click the player button to get started.