Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (FASK Germersheim), course: Seminar, 8 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 1.Introduction "...Here I am I am tired I am tired of running of having to carry my life like it was a basket of eggs..."(Light in August 255) These are the words of Joe Christmas at the age of thirty-six. They signify tiredness and resignation. Christmas is one of the main characters and a central figure in William Faulkner's Light in August (LIA). What causes this state of fatigue? What makes Joe Christmas give up? This paper deals with several factors that become the trigger for Joe's obvious resignation. Faulkner created a character who mainly suffers from elements like the race issue, womankind, self-destruction and society. These factors belong to a stirring complex of themes which can hardly be separated. Nevertheless, I will work on them separately in this paper in order to illustrate their connections. In Joe's case these factors are not only strongly connected, they even cause each other. All his experiences, his behavior and his environment mold Christmas into an outcast from society and push him into isolation. He becomes a kind of third-rate human being who is not able to leave the vicious circle that captures him until he is killed by Percy Grimm. Christmas embodies a constant struggle for identity which already starts in his early childhood. At the orphanage dark people call him white. On the other hand, white human beings look down on him as a nigger. This period will be dealt with in the following chapter. It introduces most of the topics belonging to Christmas' fate.

Read the story of Joe through his own interviews and the memories and anecdotes of his family, including his brother Ben who was by his side in showbusiness for over forty years; his band members, including his nephews Adrian and Ray; his showbiz pals, Larry Gogan, Finbar Furey, Brendan Bowyer and Paddy Cole; his fans, friends (including Michael O'Leary of Ryanair) and acquaintances from all walks of life. Jam-packed with a treasure trove of never-before-told stories that vividly bring to life the essence of Joe Dolan: the showbiz legend, the family man, the friend, the joker and the devil-may-care character who never forgot his roots or lost touch with his people despite enjoying fame and wealth beyond his dreams.

Little Joe’s Triumphant Christmas is about a new elf, Little Joe, who struggles with his new job in Santa’s workshop. A special, kind friend helps him realize his potential and how hard work pays off.

This study of collective American memory exposes the historical phenomenon of self-directed American imperialism, still frequently ignored or denied in the United States. Over the course of the 250 years of its history, this has taken the form of African American slavery, thwarted black motherhood, same-race slavery (both white and African American) as well as the extermination of indigenous American peoples. On the literary level, the study helps to broaden, or even modify, the present perspective on the oeuvres of four major American writers, i. e., William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, and Cormac McCarthy, by pointing to the intertwining of their themes, motifs, and techniques of writing to form an intricate pattern of the intertextualized collective memory of the American nation.

This novel is the story of a boy's life, his struggles and his strange experiences with higher forces. This boy finds himself entangled in events beyond his comprehension and confronts the issues of a family tragedy when he loses his father. It begins in Atlanta Georgia when he was ten and ends in a small fictitious town named Sweet Creek when he was thirteen. Although it deals with the adventures of a ten-year-old boy, it's not a juvenile novel. It deals with issues like friendship, family issues and racism. It describes many adventures including some very strange experiences in a mysterious cave. It takes place during the decade of the sixties when racial issues in Georgia were common. The story that unfolds reflects the power of love to overcome obstacles. The Strange Adventures of Joe Freeman, Jr. is a unique and appealing piece of fiction with original ideas that would be of interest to readers of any age.