Comparison Essay

The novella House on Mango Street and the movie Freedom Writers differ very much to each other on the surface, but when the audience begins to analyze the film and the book, they notice how similar the two actually are. Freedom Writers is more serious, as the characters are gang members; they have been abused, shot at and have lost their friends to gang violence. Esperanza, on the other hand, has witnessed many horrifying situations, but she has not had to deal with them herself. A significant difference between the movie and the book is that the ‘freedom writers’ are all of various races - contrastingly Esperanza lives in her Latino neighborhood and solely mentions the disdain towards other races, and only one encounter is mentioned throughout the novella. An essential similarity between the two is how all the characters in Freedom Writers deal with and ‘digest’ their harsh lives by writing in their diaries, just like Esperanza. Themes are another resemblance between the movie and the book; abuse, lack of education, friendship, getting out of the ghetto, and the importance of family are all repeated numerous times throughout the book as well as the film. No matter if the characters are experiencing it first hand, or if they are just observing; the idea that living in the ghetto is a harsh life is expressed in both House on Mango Street and Freedom Writers.

One of the main characters in Freedom Writers is Eva, a Latino girl who faces many obstacles in her life. She reminds me of Esperanza, because they live in similar neighborhoods, and family is an extremely important aspect of both their lives. They are different in some ways though, mainly Eva faces more severe problems than Esperanza because she is a pugnacious member of a gang. Esperanza lives in a ghetto neighborhood and witnesses gang violence, but isn’t personally involved in it, which makes it more tolerable for the reader. She is also less mature than Eva, who understands the true meaning of things going on in her neighborhood, contrary to Esperanza who is often naïve in serious situations, and misinterprets the evil intentions of people.

The movie had a stronger impact on me – mostly because I could visually see what the characters were going through rather than imagining it. Also the difficulties they encounter are more serious than Esperanza’s – because they actually face the risk of getting shot every day by rival gangs, which is very intimidating and emotional for the viewer. Esperanza, on the other hand, only hears about those risks and observes the terrible things going on in her neighborhood, rather than experiencing them herself. This makes her issues a bit more tolerable than those of the freedom writers, and therefore the reader feels dubious about how serious her problems really are, or what it’s like for her because we don’t actually see what she has to deal with. Due to that fact, the movie had a more powerful effect on me.

There was a plethora of literary features used in House on Mango Street, and when the audience pays attention to the details in the film – they notice a few literary features there as well. Some examples would be when one character in Freedom Writers said that it was ‘raining bullets’. This is an analogy, because the character is comparing two like things – the bullets and rain, they are similar, because in this situation there were so many bullets in the air that it looked almost like rain. In House on Mango Street, every chapter is replete with literary features, like this sentence – Angel Vargas learned to fly and dropped from the sky like a sugar donut, just like a falling star, and exploded down to earth without even an “Oh.” There are two similes, a hyperbole and rhyme present in this sentence. As a reader, I thought the literary features the author used in House on Mango Street were very effective, as it makes the author’s writing unique, gives more information about the characters and helps us, as readers, visualize the setting. In the movie, the literary features were not as prominent, but they were definitely present. When the characters used literary features while speaking it made them seem more intelligent, and therefore it showed that they were learning in class, and improving their vocabulary. This enhanced the film, because the quality of their speech increasing is a nuance symbolizing the success of their teacher.

The settings in both stories are either very similar or completely different. The school is a key difference between the movie and the book. In the movie, the school is a vital setting in the story, but in the book it only plays a minor role. Esperanza attends a Catholic school for Latinos only, contrastingly the school in Freedom Writers is attended by various races and it has no religious affiliations. The neighborhoods are similar to each other because they are both ghettos, and are infamous for the gang activity taking place there. In some ways, they are very different, because the neighborhood in Freedom Writers is inhabited by various races, that all loathe each other – leading to much bloodshed - whereas Esperanza’s neighborhood houses only Latinos.

Both Freedom Writers and House on Mango Street effectively bring across the message that living in the ghetto is a cruel and unforgiving life that takes a lot of effort to get out of. In their own unique ways, the film and the novella capture the reader’s interest and teach us a lesson about how we should appreciate every moment of our lives because there are some people that are not as fortunate as us. Both the film and the book are very emotional and leave the audience with a sense of awe for the complex situations these people manage to get themselves out of.

Mistress of Rome Book Review

Mistress of Rome is an intense and fascinating book. Every chapter begins and ends enticingly and you cannot help but ‘eat’ it up. The characters are vicious, evil and mysterious, yet the author - Kate Quinn - manages to keep a light mood present throughout the book by weaving in humorous comments and welcome twists here and there. The amount of suspense the author managed to pack into these 500 odd pages is incredible. Once I pick up Mistress of Rome, I know I won’t let it out of my sight unless a natural disaster rips my hands away from the book, or dinner is served.
Mistress of Rome is written from the third person omniscient point of view. This greatly enhances the quality of the book – as the reader can see into the minds of numerous characters. If used incorrectly, this point of view could limit the suspense by giving away the characters’ intentions, but the author cleverly ends chapters and uses perfect word choice in order not to spoil anything. Kate Quinn’s first novel Mistress of Rome was inspired by her mother’s bedtime stories about Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. She became exceedingly interested in this subject, and following her mother’s footsteps as a historian, Kate studied history in University, were she began to write Mistress of Rome.
The main character in Mistress of Rome is Thea, a Jewish girl who is handed over from slave master to slave master until she ends up in Rome serving Lepida Pollia. A few years pass of Lepida’s wicked rule over Thea. During this period, Thea’s only solace is her love – the wild gladiator – Arius the Barbarian. Lepida finds out about their affair, and as she enjoys wrecking others lives, she sells Thea to a whorehouse in the coastal city of Brundisium. Thea is heartbroken and loses her sense of direction for a few months. Her life plunges into an even steeper downward spiral as she discovers she is pregnant and will have to abandon her child. To Thea’s relief, luck is on her side and a music lover notices her talent and takes ownership of her. Thea gives birth to Arius’s son, who she is unable to get it touch with. Years pass and her music career flourishes. Meanwhile Lepida busies herself with becoming the most prominent woman in Rome, and intends to do anything it takes to catch the eye of the emperor. Thea does so first, however, and the intense hatred between the two grows and grows as they become more involved in each other’s business than they could ever have thought possible.

The tone of Mistress of Rome is very sophisticated – as it is not a book meant for teenagers, but rather for adults. It is written to entertain and is wildly successful in doing so. The theme of Thea’s helplessness is repeated throughout the book, as she continues to serve under harsh rulers and is constantly stripped of what brings her joy. Kate Quinn manages however, to keep a rather light tone throughout the book; whenever the characters lose all hope, she surprises the reader with yet another twist.
Mistress of Rome is set in the fiery, dangerous Ancient Rome where one mistake can lead to being caught in the web of murder and destruction. I recommend this book to any lover of history and romance, and if one does not feel specifically drawn to either category- I’d recommend it to them anyways! It is beautifully written and highly addictive. Mistress of Rome is an amazing book and definitely worth every minute spent reading it.

Hercule Poirot Character Analysis

Hercule Poirot is arguably the most famous fictional detective in the world. He is the protagonist in some of Agatha Christie’s world famous mystery novels. In Death on the Nile, one of Agatha Christie’s classics, Hercule Poirot faces a complicated case when a beautiful woman is murdered on their boat trip along the Nile. Poirot observes people even when he is not on a case, and so he is a natural detective. “Hercule Poirot turned his head. His gaze rested thoughtfully on Mr. Fanthorp’s back; then it shifted to the lounging figure of Mr. Ferguson who had his head thrown back and was whistling softly to himself.” (Christie 120) This passage explains how Poirot constantly observes people. He believes that the law is always to be followed, and strictly abides by it, as described in the quote, “Yes, Mademoiselle. I believe it is the unforgivable offence – to kill.”(Christie 80) Hercule Poirot is an extremely good listener, which has an effect on people that makes them confide in him, enabling him to gain more information when needed. “He was also extremely sympathetic. She found herself suddenly confiding in him her dislike of Joanna Southwood. It eased her to talk of the matter.” (Christie 136)When observing people, he never misses a thing, and even when you think he isn’t, Poirot is watching.

Hercule Poirot is a slightly comical character, being short and round. He has a sense of humor and doesn’t take life too seriously as described in this short exchange between Poirot and one of the passengers on the boat. “It’s all right, I suppose. I think Assuan’s a gloomy sort of place. The hotel’s half-empty, and everyone’s about a hundred ----“She stopped – biting her lip. Hercule Poirot’s eyes twinkled. “It is true, yes, I have one leg in the grave.” (Christie 48)This passage shows how Poirot is lighthearted and takes the comment with humor – instead of being offended. He is stubborn – when he has set his mind on something, nothing can change his views. “You will act for me?” “No, Madame.” His tone was firm “I will not accept a commission from you….”But you will not act for me?” “No, Madame.” (Christie 74) In this passage, Poirot has decided he will not work for her, and not even her promise of a large sum of money could change his mind. Poirot also has very keen eyesight, “Hercule Poirot looked round sharply.” (Christie 81) He is used to a life of luxury, and his successful carrier has made him slightly arrogant over the years. “I am not a middle man. I am a top man,” declared Hercule Poirot with slight arrogance.’ (Christie 123) Poirot also has style, as his attire is always well kept and of obvious luxury, “He was dressed in a white suit, pink shirt, large black bow tie and a white topee.“ (Christie 114) Hercule Poirot is a gentleman and always polite, not matter the situation. For example, Poirot has just told the famous novelist on board that he does not like to read novels but when she offers him a complimentary copy he politely obliges, “That is most kind of you Madame. I will read it with pleasure.” (Christie 59) Poirot is a devout Catholic, and is used to his routines. His mustache is always kept up to perfection, he will only eat two boiled eggs if they are exactly the same height, and he is suits are always pressed. “He wore a white silk suit, carefully pressed, and a panama hat and carried a highly ornamental fly whisk with a sham amber handle.”(Christie 48)

Poirot is not necessarily very modest about his success, and is even slightly hurt when someone does not seem to recognize him. Most people do, however, recognize him and he is a much respected man in society. One of the passengers on the boat, Mrs. Van Schuyler, who is an aristocratic lady that only converses with few, exclusive people on the boat who she feels deserve her attention – Mr. Poirot turns out to be one of these ‘deserving’ people. At the beginning of the book, when everyone began to get to know each other, everyone on the boat was aware of the ‘celebrity’ on board – the famous detective, Poirot is a genius Belgian detective, with his meticulously kept moustache and perfectionist personality it is always a welcome surprise when he manages to solve yet another baffling mystery.