The past can have a negative impact on our present experiences. The past can impact our present experiences in a positive or negative way. This can cause us to experience emotions like love, happiness, and despair. Our past experiences can have a significant impact on our future. This is illustrated in Favell Paratt’s novel “Past the Shallows” as well as the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe. Both books show how characters can experience loss and become depressed, aggressive, or addicted. It is obvious that both the poem as well as the novel show how past experiences influence one’s ability and willingness to accept the world.
The power of human experiences has the unmistakable ability to have an impact on one’s life and future. The novel “Past the Shallows” demonstrates this concept. The composer shows how the character’s recollections affect their present lives. In the Curren’s family, we see the loss that the characters experience throughout the story. The tragic death of his spouse leaves the father with mental scarring. This experience leads him to become an alcoholic as well as abusive. The collective effect of his actions on his children makes this an even more personal experience. Joe, his oldest son, has to leave his family, leaving his two younger siblings to manage their own lives in constant fear. It turns out that the father abuses the boys physically. “…Miles had his eyelids all purple and cut …”.. Parrett makes use of imagery to illustrate how his abusive behavior affects his sons. It is obvious that the past human experience can impact someone’s present. “Past the Shallows,” a novel by Parrett, has a reputation for showing how their past can influence their future. Miles, the middle-aged child, is more like a father figure that Harry. This is because Joe, the father’s oldest son, becomes irresponsible and makes Miles assume responsibility for Harry. “…he seemed so young and tiny that it was hard to believe that a whole year had passed since he was a baby. Joe had instructed Miles to show kindness to Joe and help Mum. Miles thought it would be a bad idea. Harry was a different kind of person. A way that made me promise to take his care.” This quote describes Miles’ responsibility for Harry. He is reminded of Joe, who told him to help and made a promise to take care. This is what drove Miles’ actions in the present. The author of “Past the Shallows”, a novel, uses his memories to influence someone’s future. The poem “The Raven” also demonstrates the idea that human experiences have the indisputable ability to influence someone’s destiny. Edgar Allan Poe, the poet, explores this idea when the main character’s memories of Lenore’s tragic passing are constantly disrupted. “Respite, nepenthe in thy memory of Lenore!” Poe uses emotive language as a technique to tap into the character’s grief-inducing feelings. A quote by the composer that “Other friend have flown previously” demonstrates how past human experiences and memory can have an impact on someone’s current state of mind. This quote shows the widow’s fear that the raven might abandon her husband as his hope and wife left him. Lenore’s passing left him in despair and he was unsure of his future. It is clear that Edgar Allan Poe employs many techniques to show how past human experiences and memory affect one’s present. The past human encounters have the power to influence one’s present. This is illustrated in the poems “The Raven” and “Past the Shallows”, both novels. Both the father and the son are affected by the death experience, as both composers demonstrate in these texts. Favel parrett is able to show how the loss and grief of a family member can impact the decisions made by the person about their lives. The story is about the father and his children’s struggle to overcome the death and how they make it through it. The father becomes an alcoholic and abusive person, which results in the family’s dissolution. The Raven’s story is similar, except that the narrator becomes a widow and his wife Lenore dies tragically. This causes him to lose his hope and become depressed. He loses his sanity. The raven mocks and tortures him. Past the Shallows is and The Raven are both examples of past experiences that can be used to influence the present. It is possible for the past to have an impact on human experience. This is what the authors of the novels “Past the Shallows”, and “The Raven” demonstrate through their writing styles.