Question
Having completed this course of study, prayerfully reflect upon the literature and share how 1 of the literary pieces, characters, or authors studied in this course can be used as a Christian witness or salvific tool to fulfill the Great Commission. Identify the title, character, or author of the chosen literary piece and begin with a cogent thesis statement; offer detailed support and show control over the topic.
Sample paper
The Rocking Horse Winner
The story The Rocking-Horse Winner focuses on the life of a young boy by the name of Paul who rides a rocking horse to predict the winner of the horse races. Paul is born in a family of three, and he has two other sisters. They live in a modest family although his mother Hester is not happy as she believes that she should be living in a luxurious house. Although the parents do not discuss their financial woes in front of the kids, the children can easily tell that everything is not okay. When Paul asks his mother of their situation, Hester tells his son that their further is not lucky and that he cannot make enough money. This situation motivates the young Paul to concentrate on his betting with the help of Bassett and Uncle Oscar (Miles, 2009). The rocking horse winner explains the lives of a young couple who had no luck but raised a lucky son who won bet and bet. Unfortunately, Paul died after winning the derby stakes after suffering from brain fever.
The story The Rocking-Horse has five main characters that include;
- Paul: in the story, Paul is described as a young boy with some big emotions, and on Christmas, he received a rocking horse he uses to turn the luck of his family. Notably, Paul is so emotional to the extent that he cannot control his emotions which prompt him to turn to the rocking horse to help keep his mother happy through betting. Paul strains with his predictions which eventually lead to his death at an early age.
- Hester: Hester can be described as a spendthrift woman who is unhappy with her husband as he is not lucky enough to provide a luxurious life. It is correct to say that she is unlucky herself as she cannot keep any job and this makes her frustrated. However, she is caring mother and concerned about Paul’s health (“‘The Rocking-Horse Winner’ in Five Genres,” n.d., p.).
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- Oscar Creswell: Oscar is presented as healthy and living the life Hester wants and desires and laughs off Paul’s gambling. However, he is not the father like figure that Paul needs as he is self-centered and only wants to win despite understanding that gambling is unhealthy for Paul.
- Bassett: he is the humble gardener who thinks that Paul’s talent of picking racehorses is a gift from heaven and Paul seems to be the master despite being a boy.
- Paul’s father: Paul father is not a present figure in the family, and he is not lucky enough to give his family especially his wife the life she desires.
D.H. Lawrence the author of the story The Rocking-Horse Winner is a famous English novelist and a poet who focused most of his work upon the dehumanizing effects of the industrialization and modern life. Among his major concerns of the modern society are emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. The author shows control over the subject in the story by narrating the events of a young boy for his mother’s love goes to the length of endangering his life and focus on gambling just to make his mother happy. Moreover, elaborating of Hester’s actions of bringing her son to his bereavement with her confusing language with words such as love, cash, and luck (Miles, 2009). The emotions that come with these words are too big for Paul to handle and eventually succumb to brain fever.
References
Miles, K. (2009). D.H. Lawrence’s Short Stories: “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” and “The Rocking Horse Winner”. A Companion to the British and Irish Short Story, 183-192. doi:10.1002/9781444304770.ch15
‘The Rocking-Horse Winner’ in Five Genres. (n.d.). The Forgotten Film Adaptations of D.H. Lawrence’s Short Stories, 149-225. doi:10.1163/9789004309050_006
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