ENG4U
Foster
2-10-12
Naivety vs. Cynicism Cynicism, along with naivety, is one of the most prevalent human characteristics, as shown in Guy de Maupassant’s Was It a Dream? which questions the goodness of deceased loved ones by revealing their sin and deceptiveness through a contrast of the two themes.. The narrator, the protagonist of the story, is naïve as he sees his lover as perfect. He stares at a mirror in which his “perfect” lover so often saw herself in, yet did not see the flaws which a mirror should obviously point out to provide a clear view on oneself. This naivety is blinding him from the truth of the cynical theme; he cannot see any flaw in her in his memory or understanding of her. However, this changes dramatically as the graveyard scene reveals the true nature of everyone buried there. As the narrator gets lost, all sins of the deceased are revealed, all seemingly good people are actually, “tormentors of their neighbours—malicious, dishonest, hypocrites, liars, rogues” (page 153), not only this, but his lover is shown to be unfaithful to him, which was a cause of her death. This provides a direct contrast to his naivety with a cynical question: if all these people, including the “perfect” lover we sinners, could every human on this planet be a sinner too? Finally, to provide a Christopher Nolan-like ending, this incepts an idea of cynicism into the narrators head and the reader’s. The story leaves you with an ending of uncertainty, leaving questions like, “was it real?” “what was the meaning?” and, “is everyone a sinner?” The most important question is the last as it is the them in discussion; it strips away naivety and replaces it with cynicism, but also answering the two previous questions: if it is real, everyone is a sinner, and if is not, it is saying symbolically that everyone is a sinner.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The most important message of A New Kind of Dreaming is that everyone needs someone to relate to. Do you agree?…
- 463 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
One individual’s idea of good could easily be another’s evil. In a world where there is often a thin line separating all ideals from “good” or “bad,” it is difficult to actually classify one’s views. But, why are people’s views so different? One may ask, wouldn’t it be easier if each individual had the same opinions? Well, unfortunately, it is not that simple. Morals, which are principles for differentiating between right and wrong, differ in each and every human being on this planet. One’s morals are often defined by the unofficial societal code of conduct and norms, and they almost never change. Values, however, also come into this equation. They are the ideals and things that one holds dearly, usually stemming from an individual's personal beliefs. One’s values can shift radically because of life experiences. For example, a human being can strongly value love and compassion, but one too many negative experience with such values could cause the individual to abandon those ideals all together. Cyrano de Bergerac, the esteemed play written by Edmond Rostand, features a protagonist of the same name who holds great pride in maintaining his values. This swashbuckling character could be admired greatly for…
- 1019 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Introduction: I have a dream, by Dr. King. Background: Martin Luther King Jr. made one of the most famous speeches known to mankind, “I Have a Dream”. Thesis: The most effective rhetoric appeal in the “I Have a Dream” speech is pathos, show by how serious he is, it makes you motivated, and it can make you feel sad.…
- 469 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
I believe that cynicism arises from our very public disputes on non-salvation issues, not that the incarnation of Jesus is a non-salvation issue – it is. To quote an article I read recently in RELEVANT Magazine about cynicism, “things like reality, petty disputes and little vices get in the way.”3 However, to the not-yet Christian, the importance of this issue is a mystery to them and if we are to truly live out the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20, we must approach issues as such with a tempered resolve and a handful of grace. The only section of the article that grabbed my attention as speaking to the not-yet Christian, was when Strauss made point in the section, “He Came to Redeem Man” that Jesus’ express purpose was to rescue the sinner. Nothing in the rest of the article addresses the need for discipleship, the very thing that must happen to prevent wayward doctrines like Nestorianism (deemed anathema at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.) from rising up again. While I agree that Strauss lays out a strong apologetic defense in support of Jesus’ divine incarnation, the hole in his ship, albeit small, is the lack of concern to address the un-evangelized and cynical. I believe that a correct understanding of Christology is critical to salvation,…
- 846 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Jamie Riley changing for the better throughout the novel 'A New Kind of Dreaming' is thanks to many of the events throughout his stay in Port Barren. The courts sending Jamie to Port Barren on Isolated Care, I find, is the best thing they have done for him. Even though he was targeted, threatened and set-up, he managed to endure it, and come out the other side a better person. He can only owe it to Port Barren and its people for the turnaround in his life.…
- 971 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
Dorian Gray, a handsome young man, is slowly tortured by a sliver of his conscience and fear of fate in the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. When Dorian believes, thanks to the devilish Henry Wotton, that physical beauty and pleasures are the key to true happiness, he begins on his horrid journey. The flawed logic keeps Henry content and happy and seems to do the same for Dorian. Although, as Dorian does evil with credit to his newfound logic, his evil deeds paired with everlasting youth and a morphing self-portrait keep his conscience alive and his morals in turmoil.…
- 439 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Human beings have all experienced guilt, the consequence of committing a wrong, and the manipulation it has on decisions. In the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” author Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates the theme that guilt is strong and has the power to overcome conscience; he uses characterization, the conflict, and symbolism to communicate this message. The characterization of the narrator most clearly shows this theme. In addition to Poe’s use of characterization, his decision to show the struggle the narrator endures with himself reveals the causes of the narrator to succumb to his guilt. The use of symbolism throughout the novel draws attention to the narrator’s guilt and his insanity.…
- 2095 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The “Gettysburg Address” was presented by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War in 1863. The “I Have a Dream” speech was presented during the March on Washington during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963. These speeches, even one-hundred years difference in time when given, they both address a common theme for freedom and equality. The “Gettysburg Address” purpose was to urge and give hope to his audience to continue to fight for the Union so America would not perish and the “I Have a Dream” purpose of demanding an urgent change for equality for all. This paper will examine how each speaker uses rhetorical devices to attain their purposes.…
- 543 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
At the end of the story Butcher sets fire to the boat where Jamie is hiding.…
- 824 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be a Black American during this time because of the huge difference Martin Luther King Jr. has made. Even though I never experienced this era, I can feel the hatred and mistreatment that racism has caused to black people through this speech. I can sense the urgency to have equal rights, because Martin Luther is clearly speaking from his heart, his own feelings. The way he starts his speech is really clever, it begins with the “five score years ago” which is similar to Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address, which was also a speech against racism. This connection is made when Luther begins his speech and not only that but with also the fact he is standing right in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The setting tends to create a huge impact of Luther’s points in his speech. I think that Martin Luther King Jr. made his point valid and that his speech caused persuasion to those who were rooting for racism. Which is why this speech made an impact on the United States, and that civil rights were earned. What I also wonder about is how he did it, how he memorized this speech so profoundly, how he could stop in a middle of a thought and lead into a whole new speech (I have a dream…) and still create movement through his words. Movement that persuades people to believe what he was saying. It’s amazing in how much he really wanted civil rights, for an end to discrimination; I don’t think most people would have the guts to pull off what he did for what he believed in. Overall, Martin Luther’s speech was effective and has changed the way American’s view others today.…
- 309 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Edgar Allen Poe, in his short story “ The Tell Tale Heart “, published in 1843, describes, in a harried brusque tone, the effects of guilt and how the truth will always be revealed. With the use of superficial logos to reveal the deteriorating mental state of the narrator and his twisted reasoning, random repetition to show his fascination on detail and rising panic when guilt begins to set in, and juxtaposition to show the narrator’s contradicting and confused concept of love and hate, Poe himself narrates the fall of a psychopath at the hands of guilt.…
- 490 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Misty Copeland, now a soloist at American Ballet Theatre, started with almost nothing. Even though Misty was encouraged to quit dancing by her own mother because they couldn’t afford it and she wasn’t spending enough time with her family, she never gave up. Throughout the Dream Unit, we have learned about the stories of many people and about how their dreams did or did not come true. It is completely worth it to dream because no matter the outcome, we will have improved from where we started, we will push ourselves to work our hardest, and dreams can come true.…
- 891 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
“Was It A Dream?” written by Guy de Maupassant begins with a man describing his deep love for a woman, when suddenly she becomes sick and dies. All the man knew was that the woman comes home on a rainy day and was very ill. A few doctors and nurses visit and give her medicine, the woman dies shortly after. He is so distraught that he could hardly remember anything people would say to him. They hold a funeral for the woman and bury her. The narrator takes a trip and when he returns to their house the memory of her becomes too much to bare. He visits the cemetery where she is buried and sees where her tomb reads “She loved, was loved, and died.” He mourns by her grave for a while and wanders off. After walking a distance he discovers that he is lost and cannot find where his loved one was buried. Suddenly he hears a noise and the ground beneath him moves. The tomb of a deceased man rises from the ground and the skeleton of the man appears. As the skeleton reads his own grave stone he etches into the stone new words, telling the truth of his own life. The narrator realizes that every person that was buried in the cemetery has risen from the dead and is rewriting the words on their grave stones. Each of the corpses were buried with kind and loving words written on the gravestones, they write the truth of how they were malicious, dishonest, disgraceful liars to their loved ones and neighbors. As the narrator realizes that all of the corpses have come back from their graves he runs to find his love only to find out that she too had rewritten the words on her tomb to say “Having gone out in the rain one day, in order to deceive her lover, she caught cold and died.” He was found the next morning…
- 330 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Fear of judgement – or any fear of being ill-perceived or wrongly viewed – is a powerful motivator. Those who struggle with self-consciousness often surprise even themselves with what they will do to cope with this struggle. Thus, human psychology has probed the curiosity of many writers, and Edgar Allan Poe is one of them. Psychology is a prevalent subject in his analysis of human nature, and has become a vital theme of many of his short stories. That said, authors like Poe are renowned for the portrayal of their character’s psyche and the way it affects their actions. Specifically, in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator is a man deeply troubled by struggles with self-consciousness, and it is this self-consciousness that makes him kill…
- 810 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Dreams are like the deep waters of the sea, dusted with mysteries. There have been many theories and ideas as to why we dream. But the true mystery behind why we dream, has not been solved yet. Our brains and our unconscious selves create our dreams to interpret our lives, Which is why dreams is related with health. Countless of people would say dreams have no purpose, they need to realize that dreams do have a meaning.…
- 734 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays