Imagine a perfect morning—no alarm clocks or neck cricks—just fresh coffee brewing and a nice bacon breakfast. But could this fit every individual’s description of a perfect morning? Of course the no alarm clocks and neck cricks sound nice; however, a vegetarian would easily reject this particular view of a perfect morning. This subjective idea parallels both LeGuin’s and Vonnegut’s warped examples of constant happiness and equality in a society. Ursula K. LeGuin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergergon” both illustrate a blinded utopia where a seemingly good idea results in an undesirable outcome. Though only a few characters grasp this concept, these stories clearly show the ideology of extremes—good and bad—imposing a negative impact on a society.…
While Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum are two completely different stories; nevertheless they do also share some similarities. Among similarities that I found is a similarity between two main characters in the stories - Holden, the main character in Catcher in the Rye, and Charlie Dalton from Dead Poets Society. Charlie and Holden are very similar starting from their financial situation to their general interests in life.…
Night by Elie Wiesel and "Hangman" by Maurice Ogden both make strong points of view towards the battle between mankind and evil. Wiesel 's personal experiences give the reader very specific and down to the point accounts of the Holocaust. In contrast, Ogden musical poem gives the reader a very indistinguishable idea of what is taking place. One must examine rhyme over and over to be given the full impact of the poem. The battle against evil may be compared on the basis of their narration, their subject, their language usage, and their tone and mood.…
During the 19th century, Britain was the most powerful and influential nation in the world; its Empire was spread throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Explorers were constantly going to these newly conquered lands to spread English culture in an attempt to “civilize” the natives that were living there. Joseph Conrad was an explorer who traveled around the world to the various regions under Britain’s control. Even though he may have taken pride in the extent of the British Empire’s territory, it does not mean that he agreed with their method of “civilizing” the natives after experiencing it first hand on his trip to the Congo. One might ask, how does Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ feed the concept of postcolonial criticism? Throughout the entirety of the work, we are shown British Imperialism through…
Change is an inevitable process of life and can be the most complexing and difficult thing we come to face in our lives. It is something we must overcome in many aspects, shapes and forms. However in whatever form it comes our way, we must embrace it and not be afraid because a fear of change can lead to an unfulfilled life. In my opinion change is a very complex thing and can be embraced though it is a hard process it is also a fact of life. The Catcher in the Rye, The Door and Dead Poets Society contributed to my new understanding of change.…
In the beginning Marlow is remembering what it may have been like to be a young Roman conqueror exploring through the jungle. He would have had to deal with “…cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death...” Marlow mentions how the soldier would have had a “fascination of the abomination” . Later in the book this same fascination overcame Kurtz after his long time in the Congo, “he hates sometimes the idea of being taken away” . Even when Marlow finds Kurtz, he can’t “break the spell – the heavy mute spell of the wilderness – that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts”…
In this quote, when Marlow was traveling, he notices a bunch of people were chained up. He notices they look like slaves. He knew they were labors, by seeing them locked up together. The first thought that came up to his mind, was they are enemies. He had a picture in a mind that these people…
Allen Ginsberg’s revolutionary poem, Howl, is a powerful portrayal of life degraded. It represents the harsh life of the beat generation and chronicles the struggles of the repressed. Howl is a poem of destruction. Destruction of mind, body, and soul through the oppression of the individual. Using powerful diction, Allen Ginsberg describes this abolition of life and its implications through our human understanding of abstractions like Time, Eternity, and self. The poem’s jumbled phrasing and drastic emotion seems to correspond with the minds of the people it describes. Ginsberg uses surprisingly precise and purposeful writing to weave the complex themes of religion, destruction, and eternity into his masterpiece.…
The poem by T.S. Elliot, The Hollow Men and The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad embody apathy and indifference. Both Conrads Station Manager and Elliots hollow men present a profound intellectual and emotional lack of interest or concern as well as being devoid of distinguishable humanity. The two texts highlight the grave characteristics of both the station manger and the hollow men by embellishing the details of their vacant eyes as well as deaths other kingdom, of which they both inhabit, their indefinite characteristics and their hollowness.…
In J.D Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye a young adult named Holden Caulfield experiences going into adulthood. Holden fears the world of being an adult because he fears he will lose all of his childhood. In the 1950’s people couldn’t be classified as a teen or teenager you were either a kid or an adult. Holden shadows behind the fact that he’s very intellectual because he doesn't want people to be disappointed in him or, others to be disappointed in him.…
Darkness, in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, functions as a dynamic extension of Marlow’s altering values. Prevailing at its attempts in conveying the various phases of Marlow’s changing mindset, darkness provides a breeding ground for contention—mainly, the questioning of its inherent meaning as the plot and text unfold to form a myriad of clashing ideologies. Despite what many consider to represent solely the depths of human indecency, darkness pushes the bounds of that conclusion and takes on the many forms of greed, despondency, primitivism, and eternal damnation as Marlow’s feelings begin to conflict with standard European ideology. Marlow, perhaps the most complex character, finds himself in the middle of this debate with the eventual…
"'And this also,' said Marlow suddenly, 'has been one of the dark places of the earth.'" Part 1, pg. 3…
Although this lengthy poem was not one of a God fearing man, Ginsberg knew the Bible well enough to place references into “Howl”. Ginsberg writes, “who retired to Mexico to cultivate a habit, or Rocky Mount to tender Buddha or Tangiers to boys or Southern Pacific to the black locomotive or Harvard to Narcissus to Woodlawn to the daisychain or grave” (1360). Without having an understanding of the Bible, a reader may not understand that Woodlawn is the ancient place in Judea where Jesus Christ is believed to be where he had been crucified. Without an understanding of this, the reader or readers would not understand the image, nor the allusion in which Ginsberg was delivering in…
“America” by Allen Ginsberg was written in a very trying time, right after World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War. This was a time of controversy and taking a stand for personal beliefs, and Ginsberg did just that. Although America has been known by many as “the best country” and the country most accepting of other ethnicities, Allen Ginsberg shows that Americans are not all accepting and as good as many people believe. America, just like every country has had its problems and flaws, leading to many people being angry or upset with their nation. Ginsberg, by irregular meter, scattered and spontaneous thoughts, roller coaster emotions, and personified countries, shows the dark side of America and Americans, specifically focusing on international relations, racial unrest, and personal problems.…
"Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a center for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing" (Conrad 548-64). The character Marlow, from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, can be seen as similar to Nick Carraway, a character from Scott F. Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Both men are beginning a new journey in their lives; with Marlow beginning his trip in Africa and Nick starting his new life in New York City. At first they are both incredibly naive and oblivious to their new environment and the true natures of the people around them. As they learn more about their surroundings their morals and perceptions on society are altered. Despite being in similar situations, and facing moral delemas, both men change in completely different ways.…