In what way is the odyssey an epic?

the excerpt from chapter 2 of "animal farm", by george orwell that is an example of foreshadowing is "these three (snowball, napoleon, and squealer) had elaborated old major's teachings into a complete system of thought to which they gave the name of animalism." animal farm is an allegory of how czarist russia developed into communist russia with all its corruption. old major's teachings represent marx's theories turned into communism, animalism, by the three pigs. this foreshadows the oppression and corruption that will follow this revolt.

sthe miracle worker  ▾search

home  >   study guides  >   the miracle worker

the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

print  print  document  pdf  list  cite  link  link

there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”