In the past year, I have read many books for pleasure. One of that I enjoyed most is The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Even though the protagonist, Celie, is mistreated by other characters, she is still optimistic. I feel like optimism is an important factor that motivates individuals to overcome the hardships and obstacles they are facing. Celie is an optimistic character because she does not let the negativity in life to prevent her from achieving what she wants.…
For this paper, I researched two peer reviewed articles which discusses the effects of optimism and psychological health. The first one that I found is called Optimism and Physical Health: A Meta-analytic Review by Heather N. Rasmussen, Ph.D., Michael F. Scheier, Ph.D., and Joel B. Greenhuse, Ph.D. It was published in 2009. The second article that I located is called Perceived Academic Control: mediating the effects of optimism and social support on college students’ psychological health by Joelle C. Ruthig, Tara L. Haynes, Robert H. Stupnisky, and Raymond P. Perry.…
The Enlightenment period was a time of new ideas and philosophies. One of the philosophies to emerge from this period was Philosophical optimism. The theory revolved around causes and effects and the belief that we live in the “best of all possible worlds” and that everything happens for the best (Voltaire). Voltaire was an enlightenment writer/philosopher and he was largely influenced by both early enlightenment and the current enlightenment philosophers and writers of the era. However, he vehemently disagreed with many of the ideas, most specifically the theory of philosophic optimism. Throughout Voltaire’s novel, Candide, the optimism of the main character is tested repeatedly to exemplify his belief that philosophical optimism is illogical considering the events that occur in this world. Voltaire satirizes philosophical optimism throughout the entire novel, primarily by using using irony and exaggeration.…
In The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent, the main character is quickly forced to rid her 9 year old views and see the world in a mature perspective. Being exposed to something as horrific as the Salem Witch Trials, Sarah learns the difference between acting like an adult and actually thinking like one. Her youthful perspective grows into a mature outlook during the course of her harsh journey that consisted of the problems bore by her family thus resulting in Sarah’s better understanding of the cruel world that surrounds her.…
misuse of imagery to depict woman and black men in the story. Nurse Ratched who is the head nurse of the mental ward in the story, rules with an iron fist, has descriptively large breasts in the story and is portrayed as a stereotypical mean old woman. Vera Harding is another good example; she is the openly sexual and attractive wife of dale Harding, also a patient at the ward, who goes around when at the ward and flirts with other men. There is also the issue of the friends of main protagonist McMurphy, two prostitutes who show up occasionally in the novel and are depicted as mere objects. All of these women are portrayed negatively; the women are depicted as either frigid monsters or…
Despite the very deficient world set in the novel three characters still have the will power to overlook all of that and find the good, these characters are Clarisse, Granger, and Montag. Clarisse, a seventeen-year-old girl, is depicted happy because she can still find good things in people and…
Both Matilda Loisel and Mrs. Mallard feel like they have been cheated by life. Mathilde suffers from her lifestyle of being middle-class. She has been cheated by life from all of the wonderful things it has to offer. "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after." Mrs. Mallard, on the other hand, is a fragile woman afflicted with heart trouble. When she learns that her husband has been killed in a railroad disaster, she is overcome with intense grief, yet she feels a sense of liberation and mourns her lost years of freedom rather than her husband's death.…
Violence and human cruelty are two horrible things that occurred a long time ago and continue to be an ongoing issue in our society today. Everyone has either experienced, been apart of, or witnessed these awful acts at least once in their lifetime. Author Shirley Jackson coveys both violence and human cruelty in her well known short story "The Lottery". "Jackson's The Lottery" states, "The date of the lottery, its location, and the symbolic or ironic names of its characters all work to convey a meaning that is even more disturbing than the shock created by its well-known ending" (Yarmove 242). In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", she uses techniques such as symbolism and irony to reveal…
In the Memory Keeper’s Daughter written by Kim Edward, the main character, David Henry, made a decision that has impacted not only his life but the rest of his family also. David was a very confusing character. Henry’s character played an important role because the decision of giving his daughter up changed his whole life and broke his family apart. When his wife went into labor he delivered the twin babies, Paul and Phoebe. When Phoebe entered the world he noticed she has defects in her face and hands that lead him to diagnose her with autism. He decided to give up his daughter, because he was afraid of what society would think and was afraid that an abnormal child would destroy his current family; just like his sister did during his childhood. Due to the result of giving up his daughter, one very major secret has stood in the middle of their family. Deception, secrets, and regrets have shaped the family and caused major problems throughout their life.…
Old Woman Magoun is a woman who refuses to be disobeyed or disagreed with. She has a peculiar command over all those in her company. "No one had dared openly gainsay the old woman" (Freeman, 362). The only person she cannot make "visibly cower" (361) is Nelson Barry, Lily's father. He is the only one that shows any disregard towards the old woman. Old Woman Magoun and Nelson Barry never agree with each other in any way. The old woman has been especially cautious of Barry ever since her daughter died and she had to take care of Lily. After an undesired and unforeseen encounter between the girl and Barry, the old woman is informed that she must hand over the girl. Feeling helpless and having no control over the situation, she feels forced to make a major decision to prevent the young girl from, what she feels, would be a grave predicament.…
Raikkonen, K. & Matthews, K. (2008). Journal of Personality. Do dispositional pessimism and optimism predict ambulatory blood pressure during schooldays and nights in adolescents? Retrieved November 6, 2010 from EBSCOhost Database…
Making up half of the husband wife team that protects the preserve, she is calm and knowledgeable. Capable of making calculated decisions quickly. She is not a powerless old woman as may be expected. She knows her way around a crossbow. Gran is wise but not infallible, her overconfidence results in her whole family (excluding Kendra) being captured.…
Lucinda Matlock is an optimistic person compared to her husband, Davis Matlock, who is a pessimistic person. The attitudes of the characters caused them to see different views when it came to living life. Lucinda felt she lived her life fully and happily, all because she worked, helped people, and loved her husband and kids. Davis, on the other hand, felt that he was only going through the motions of living and never truly lived. According to Lucinda, “It takes life to love Life” then by definition, one must do something for his/her life if s/he wants to fully love and enjoy it (224). Davis’ pessimistic view on life causes him to believe nobody truly enjoys life. Given Davis’ metaphor, “Suppose it is nothing but the hive: that there are drones…
One of the main dilemmas in Candide is that of optimistic vs. pessimistic views of the world. The optimistic viewpoint of world is related to the Christianity which Voltaire critiques throughout the whole story. Voltaire satirizes religion by means of a series of corrupt, hypocritical religious leaders but he does not condemn the everyday religious believer.…
Rather than acquiesce to the family's plan for a trip to Florida, she wishes to visit some of her "connections" in east Tennessee. The grandmother unexpectedly leads her family into the face of danger. Although she is depicted as a seemingly "good" character, the grandmother truly is like the “The Misfit”.…