Laurika Nxumalo

Laurika Nxumalo

Laurika is freelance writer, columnist, and communication sciences student. Her favourite quote is, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

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Latest Articles

Latest Topics

1

Satire of the "Good Christian Society" in Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain's portrayal of Widow Douglas, another of Huck's guardians, emphasizes the topic of religious hypocrisy. The Widow Douglas represents a respectable, "civilized" society that seeks to reform Huck by imparting Christian moral standards in him. She educates him about prayer, urges that he be "civilized," and opposes his reckless behavior. Twain, on the other hand, gently challenges Widow Douglas' moral authority by exposing her errors. For example, she discourages Huck from smoking yet readily consumes snuff, a type of tobacco. Her own habits reveal the moral contradictions in her faith.

  • I think this could definitely address the elephant in the room with slavery and even reference the good John Brown who was killed trying to fight for the abolition of slavery. – Sunni Rashad 4 weeks ago
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  • I see where you're going, but this doesn't read as a topic. Rather, it reads as a paragraph lifted from an existing article. I think what you want to do is construct a topic like, "Widow Douglas and Other Fictional Examples of Religious Hypocrisy." You could stick to Huckleberry Finn as a main source or (my recommendation), start with her and then compare and contrast religious characters from other books and adaptations. – Stephanie M. 3 weeks ago
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  • The writer could look at why is it difficult for some Christians to stick to what their faith teaches – Laurika Nxumalo 2 weeks ago
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Mrs. Mallard's freedom and confinement in The Story of an Hour

The Story of an Hour illustrates the dual themes of confinement and freedom. Mrs. Mallard's story reveals the restricted roles of women in 19th-century society and the profound yearning for selfhood that lay beneath those constraints. The brief and intense exploration of freedom in Louise's mind highlights both the allure and the cost of autonomy in a world that does not yet recognize a woman's right to it.

  • The writer could focus on how Mrs. Mallard explored freedom in a time when women were not free to exercise their rights – Laurika Nxumalo 2 weeks ago
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The Illusion of the American Dream in 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Gatsby throws parties to entice Daisy Buchanan, the love of his life. The magnificence of the gatherings underscores Gatsby's attempt to reclaim Daisy by achieving the American Dream of success, fortune, and social position. However, the superficiality of these events highlights the novel's portrayal of the American Dream as empty. Despite the glamor, the parties are attended by people who do not know Gatsby and have no interest in him, underscoring the futility of his quest.

  • The writer could focus on how trying to please others could actually be a form of self-sacrifice – Laurika Nxumalo 1 week ago
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Linguistics in James Joyce's 'Ulysses' - Understanding Stream of Consciousness

One of the most well-known linguistic innovations in Ulysses is Joyce's use of stream of consciousness, a storytelling method that attempts to recreate the flow of thoughts and experiences in the human mind. This technique captures the fragmented, nonlinear form of mind. Characters' inner dialogues, memories, and immediate experiences combine fluidly, giving the reader a real-time experience of consciousness. For example, the protagonist, Leopold Bloom,'s thoughts are presented without clear distinctions between past and present, fantasy and reality, illustrating the chaotic and associative nature of thinking.

  • The writer could explain stream of consciousness in relation to the protagonist's thoughts – Laurika Nxumalo 1 week ago
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Self-Deception and Moral Integrity in Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible'

One of the play's protagonists, John Proctor, battles with his own type of deception – self-deception. To protect his reputation, he first avoids involvement in the witch trials, unwilling to expose his connection with Abigail, which would jeopardize his name. However, his moral integrity eventually pushes him to confront his lies, prompting him to publicly confess his faults in an effort to expose Abigail's deception. This act of honesty, while ultimately leads to his demise, reinforces Miller's condemnation of a culture that values appearance over truth, demonstrating that true integrity necessitates confronting hard facts, even at tremendous personal cost.

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    Survival in Yann Martel's Life of Pi - Using Storytelling as a Coping Mechanism

    Pi's storytelling is another method of psychological survival. The narrative itself can be seen as an attempt to make sense of his trauma and find solace in a version of events that is more bearable than the brutal reality.

    • I feel this could use a bit more context for the potential writer. – Sunni Rashad 3 weeks ago
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    • The writer could explore further the psychological element of storytelling in order to deal with trauma – Laurika Nxumalo 2 weeks ago
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    “Unsex me here” - Lady Macbeth as a Disruptive Force in Macbeth

    In 'Macbeth', Shakespeare substantially emphasizes the male-female relationship and gender dynamics. Shakespeare shows the relationship between gender and power which can be related to the patriarchal discourse of early modern England. He portrays women as major determinants in men's actions. Men are portrayed as strong willed and courageous, but a female character such as Lady Macbeth is also given a ruthless and power-hungry personality, which was, in that era, typically associated with masculinity. She is a strong character who is deeply ambitious; her role in 'Macbeth' becomes important because it further explains Shakespeare’s presentation of women characters. Lady Macbeth is associated with supernatural subversion as well as sexual temptation – the question is, how did she use her femininity to disrupt her environment and what does her character teach?

    • think this could be examined through a lens of either upward or downward comparison: does seeing depictions of suffering more significant than ours elevate ourselves and make us feel better about our own relatively insignificant problems, or does viewing suffering as adjacent to our own validate our emotions and allow us justification to be upset? – FANLOVE 2 years ago
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    • the reality is that people actually feel elevated when seeing depictions of more suffering when it is more than what they are going through – FANLOVE 2 years ago
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    The Prediction of the Future Through Art

    In the 19th century, Oscar Wilde wrote in 'The Decay of Lying' that, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life… results not merely from life's imitative instinct, but from the fact that the self-conscious aim of life is to find expression, and that art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realize that energy." According to Wilde, what people find in life and nature is actually not there, but what people find is what artists have taught them to find through art. So, does life imitate art or does art imitate life? In light of these questions, is it possible for art to predict the future? Which artwork by which artist do you think predicted the future?

    • The writer can choose any artwork from any artist, from any era to analyze. For example, Amalia Ulman masterpiece, “Excellences & Perfections”, which was dubbed by art critics as the “first Instagram masterpiece” could be an artwork worth the analysis. – Laurika Nxumalo 2 years ago
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    • People tend to idealise life, paint a picture based on their consumption of art, even in mediums like film (especially romantic films). So many people build mannerisms, plan events, do activities, based on what they see in films, what they read in books... I don't think that art predicts the future, but rather it manifests conditions for people to build experiences very similar to what they see in art, because that's what they idealise and strive towards. Does NASA continue to fund space research because of science fiction films like '2001: A Space Odyssey'? Maybe, maybe not (and if they did we'd never know). Will the events in those films actually occur? Who knows—but if they do, you might bet the people reacting to them will have seen those circumstances in art they have consumed, and respond accordingly. – Patrick 2 years ago
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    • Recursive. Wilde also talked about dreaming of things that never were. If your starting point is that the inner and outer life is a continuum then time/timing is of less relevance than occurrence. Everything will happen. At least once. – sodapop 2 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Laurika Nxumalo

    Indeed, Ramona has a lot to teach readers of all aged. Wonderful article

    The Legacy of Ramona Quimby
    Should Modern Newspapers Publish Poetry?
    Laurika Nxumalo

    I think if authors were part of the casting team, the team wouldn’t struggle with getting the right actor or actress for the role, because the author is the one who created those characters

    Beyond the Page: Navigating the Enchanting Realm of Book-to-Movie Alchemy
    Laurika Nxumalo

    I really appreciate all the comments under this article… Thank you 😊

    Mary Lennox’s Healing Journey In The Secret Garden
    Laurika Nxumalo

    Yes, the healing force of nature

    Mary Lennox’s Healing Journey In The Secret Garden
    Laurika Nxumalo

    Thank you very much 😊

    Mary Lennox’s Healing Journey In The Secret Garden
    Laurika Nxumalo

    It’s a pleasure

    Mary Lennox’s Healing Journey In The Secret Garden
    Laurika Nxumalo

    We will never know

    Mary Lennox’s Healing Journey In The Secret Garden