A Life Changing Story Essay Example for Free

A Life Changing Story Essay Apple Speech June 10, 2010 On September 20, 2002 1 bought my first classic pink iPod. On October of 2005, I bought my first iPod Nano in yellow. Last summer, I bought my first laptop computer, the Macbook Pro, and my first iPod touch. Wow! I have shared many of my first experiences with Apple and I am your loyal customer, and l, Ana Plascencia, am truly honored to be given the opportunity to address you (the men and women) who have contributed to the success of the Apple and who have contributed to my success in high school. Lets face it your ingenious technology assisted me with my homework nd research projects, allowed me to compose my own music, and allowed me to gain exposure to the outside world. You are the greatest innovators in the world, and you have been important to me because simply through your products you helped me succeed through high school and you have helped me make some of my dreams From an early age my mother inspired me to use values such as come true. passion, perseverance, and discipline to make my dreams a reality. My mother always says that the mind puts limits on ones dreams, but the heart has the power to overcome those limits and make those dreams come true. I have seen, in my mother and myself, this power of will to persevere and to strive to be greater than one thinks they can be. But I have also come to realize the deeper and truer meaning of my mothers saying. My mother emigrated from Mexico and raised me by herself with little education and little understanding of the English language. I believe strength and love motivated her as she worked three Jobs, seven days a week earning no more than nine twenty-five an hour. At the age of six, I began to work several times a week at restaurants and community events as a Mariachi singer thanks to an uncle of mine ho taught me how to play this great music from an early age. I performed for several hours during the weekends, earning as much as fifty dollars an hour, in order to help my mother make ends meet for the both of us. I loved Mariachi music then and still do now. But as I look back, Im am struck by key values such as working diligently and disciplinarily, along with the power of knowledge a power of the mind that also enabled me to help support my family even from a young age. As I grew older, I saw that my mother, too, recognized that passion and working diligently were mportant, but by themselves they were not enough to fulfill ones dreams. Along with passion and hard work, she believed the power of knowledge was a crucial key to realizing ones goals. She worked very hard so that I could go to school, to study, so that I might accomplish my dreams. But my mother and I didnt have the same vision at that time. I thought that by working and being focused on making money I could easily help support my mother. But my mother had bigger dreams for me; she knew that an education was crucial for my future. She knew that I needed to have an ducation to open new doors and have the opportunities she didnt have. Of course this tension between my mothers dreams for herself and her dreams for me was not something I reflected upon until later. My mother also instilled in me a dedication to my family and my community. Therefore at Mitty I got involved because it is was important for me to explore and take advantage of the opportunities offered at Mitty. and share the diverse Latin American cultures with the Mitty community. I was also a Mitty ambassador and an active member of campus ministry. In my local community, y passion for helping younger generations develop and strengthen their skills in reading lead me to co-found the S. T. A. R. S. reading program where I tutor children from low-income families and ignite in them the love for learning. Attending Mitty gave me the confidence to co-fund this program and help make a difference in a childs life, who through reading obtained confidence and a power of knowledge. My dedication for serving my community and my passion for learning have successfully transformed me into the young lady I am today. Today, this young lady that stands efore you Just graduated a few weeks ago from Archbishop Mitty High School, thanks to a scholarship that awarded me with the opportunity to attend a college- preparatory institution. The young lady that stands before you is a now a proud woman who will be the first in her family to attend college and who will be attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts this upcoming fall to obtain a dual degree in biochemistry and biomedical engineering so that I may train to become a medical doctor. My dream to become a doctor began when I started volunteering at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and was touched after a special incident. During mid- July of 2008, I was handed a set of personal history questions and asked to interview Spanish-speaking patients. I wasnt worried about having to translate because I expected the questions to be rather basic, but they were deeply serious. The patient I interviewed was Mrs. G. Mrs. G was a forty-five-year old, obese, Hispanic woman suffering from diabetes. The first few questions were neutral enough, but then I translated, have you attempted or have thought of attempting suicide because of your health condition? To my surprise, Mrs. G said, mies. Then I had to ask Mrs. G if her health condition made her feel useless, insignificant, or invaluable, and again she responded, mies. Suddenly her face was covered with a flood of tears, and she began to plead for my help. She wanted me, a fifteen-year-old girl, to help her restore not only her health, but also her faith in life. At that moment I became frustrated and upset. I felt useless. I felt insignificant. The only thing I knew to do was to give her a hug and tell her with all my heart that everything was going to be okay. But I knew that was not enough. How could I restore her desire to live if I didnt have the knowledge or skills to make her healthy? Ever since this incident I felt powerless. The idea that I could help and make a difference in an individuals life through being a doctor was exciting. But at that moment I also understood I didnt Just wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to travel the world and offer pro bono healthcare to people who lacked the resources. I also wanted to be a doctor who gives inspiration and desires of hope. I believe that with this education I can follow my heart and be truly useful to my family and my community. If you had met me 5 to 6 years ago, my accomplishments would not have seemed possible or even realistic because I lacked the confidence to believe that a single individual can lead and change the world, especially if that individual was a minority with little money. Now I understand that I am as capable as anyone else to become a leader for my community and I have the power to transform the world I live in. All of you present here today, are successful (businessmen and businesswoman) you have realized some of your dreams had to experience to achieve success was difficult, but you have an education, an xtraordinary Job, and a great future ahead of you. More importantly I feel honored to stand before men and women who have the power to affect so many lives through the Apple products. In all you are, and all you must have done to be where you are, you have the power to make a difference in peoples lives. Dont limit yourself; and try to be the best you can be because you have the opportunity to continue to deepen your knowledge, achieve personal growth, and make a difference in your communities. You see, Just four years ago, I was given the opportunity to change my ife by attending Mitty, but I was naive and close-minded. I was afraid. I was afraid that by attending Mitty and striving to follow a different path than my neighborhood friends, I would have to leave behind my identity and betray my culture. I was afraid of being successful because in the neighborhood I grew up in, Mexicans never amounted to anything important which caused me to believe that I would fail like everyone around me did. I truly lost a sense of who I was and who I wanted to be. It may come as a surprise to you, but during middle school I was involved with gangs. Although I wanted to run away from the neighborhood I grew up in and I wanted to change who I was at that time, I was afraid that I could never become a better person. I had big dreams, but I was afraid that I would always be that person somehow. But in the end I realized that my past didnt have to define me and that I could change today and be the person I wanted to be. I realized I couldnt let this opportunity go away and that I at least had to try to change. In the end I realized that because of my fear I was creating excuses and setting limitations for myself, but that n order to grow, I needed to find the courage to overcome my fears. Many of you may be wondering, what motivated me to leave behind my fears and pursue a different path? What motivated me to overcome by own limitations? My family was a key factor, but I was most enlightened to change my path after a visit to Guadalajara, Mexico. A few weeks before the deadline for registration at Mitty, I traveled to Mexico during the summer. During my trip, I was shocked by the poor conditions my family members lived in. In my families nearby ranchitos (small towns), I saw children alking barefooted with ripped clothing begging on the dirt road in the rural countryside. As I saw the look of the childrens faces, I began to picture myself as the child begging on the dirt road. At the moment I understood why my mother worked as hard as she did and encouraged me to strive for greatness. At that moment I began to appreciate the food, the shelter, and the life my mother provided for me in the U. S. My trip to Guadalajara also taught me to value education. In the rural countryside in Guadalajara, I met an older cousin named Roxana; she is the second youngest of her six siblings. At the time, she had graduated from high school 3 years ago, but had to abandon her dream of becoming a physician because her family lacked the financial resources to pay for college. Roxana sacrificed her own dream to help her family survive. Once I heard my cousins story I felt insignificant. I felt ashamed of who I was at the time and how I was wasting my life because I knew that my cousin would have given everything she had to have the opportunities I did. At that point, I felt as if God was purposely rescuing me and offering me a second chance by blessing me with the scholarship. Almost instantly, my anxiety and fears wondering if my cousin ended up accomplishing her dream, and she did. After dedicating herself four years to work for the survival of her family, Roxana was awarded with a four-year scholarship that enabled her to pursue her dream. The hunger Roxana demonstrated to break free from the cycle of poverty, motivated me to also break free from my past and attend Mitty. My experience at Mitty was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. When I began my education at Mitty I was not very good at speaking English. I was an outcast. I entered a new environment here I experienced a culture shock because more than 56% of the student body was white and only 10% was Hispanic at that current time. In addition I didnt know anyone, I wasnt catholic, I didnt know the rules, and I felt imprisoned in a complete different world where it was hard adjusting emotionally, physically, and mentally. After spending the first month eating in a bathroom stall and preventing myself from integrating into the Mitty community, I said enough and I found the courage to break my shell. I had to work hard everyday and even though I grew tired of having to fit in nd adjust to the workload, I couldnt let anything or anyone stop me. I was given an opportunity to become an educated and well-rounded person, and how could I not do it, I couldnt let myself down. Despite the rigid workload and the many sleepless nights, Mitty truly transformed my entire life. I am intellectually competent and a leader of the Mitty community, but I am also a young lady who is passionate for social justice. In my four-year experience at Mitty, many didnt believe I would make it. Many didnt believe I even deserved to be given an opportunity such as attending a private high school with a full ride. Thanks to the support of my teachers, my counselors, my principal, and friends, I learned to believe in myself and that was all I needed to continue to fight. I am greater than I ever thought I could be, and I know I will continue to grow as I begin a new stage of my life in college. If I am successful, it is my heartfelt belief that my success will be by some combination of heart and mind. Passion and love may drive the values of sacrifice, hard work, and dedication, but insight, thought and knowledge will focus those values into the actions needed to realize my goals. Insight, thought, and knowledge along with hard work and edication are values that have helped you realize your own goals. You work in an extraordinary environment where your work each day transforms the world we live in. You are leading the way towards a future full of opportunities and new discoveries. My only wish is that from my speech today you remember two things. First, take advantage of the limitless opportunities Apple offers. These opportunities will allow you to deepen your knowledge, realize your greater potential, and become empowered to not only to achieve the seemingly impossible, but also achieve personal balance in your overall success. You are all already successful businessmen nd businesswomen, but dont feel afraid to take an extra step to find new, innovative ways to contribute to Apple. And finally, I feel privileged to have shared my story with such a special breed of people who can make such a difference because of all of the opportunities you have that others dont. I think you have power and you can pay it forward to others in our society. Look at how my life changed because one school believed in me and took a chance, and each one of you has the power to do the same. This is why I am so excited to be here with you, you are truly the greatest innovators power. Thank you.

Common Racial Themes Shared in Faulkner and Morrison

Common Racial Themes Shared in Faulkner and Morrison Common Racial Themes Shared in Faulkner and Morrison In spite of obvious racial and gender differences between William Faulkner (1897-1962) and Toni Morrison (1931-present), both authors approach race as a means of social separation. American society throughout history has focused on such separations to establish a defined hierarchy, based both on race and gender. In Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, race is used to demean black Americans; standards of beauty were based on what appeared to be the closest in resemblance to white Americans. Traditionally African features such as broad noses and full lips were deemed unattractive and therefore socially inferior, as evidenced by The Bluest Eyes protagonists with the fair-skinned Maureen Peal. William Faulkners Light in August approaches race as a means of gendered power. Faulkners works showcase the ambiguity in gender lines, and Light in August is no different. Miscegenation, a central topic, melds with gender differences in empowering white characters as masculine and black characters as ne utered. Joe Christmas, a character whose racial background is shrouded throughout most of the novel, is constantly berated and indirectly belittled by powerful white figures such as his stepfather and a later lover. His death, presented at the apex of the novel (also coinciding with verification of his mixed-race background), is most significant in its portrayal of Joe Christmas castration and murder at the hands of authorities. The Bluest Eye Morrisons portrayal of race touches on several important points reflecting the social climate of the time. First, being white is aesthetically more desirable than being black. Second, being black equivocates to hardship, and third, being white transcends all aspects of being black in the social hierarchy. Race and Ethnicity Claudia and Frieda encounter the phenomena of racial aesthetics with the introduction of Maureen Peal, a fair-complexioned black girl who, despite being born with an unusual amount of birth defects, is preferred by the black boys and girls. Maureen is born with six fingers on each hand with slightly noticeable stumps where her extra fingers used to be, a significant mutation and something that would erstwhile earn her the cruel taunting of most all the children had it not been for her fair skin (Morrison 63). More noticeable is the contempt Maureen garners from Claudia and Frieda, who take closer notice to her dog tooth, relishing what physical imperfections they can find (Morrison 63). If anything, the girls spite is a jealousy harboured because they too desire to be as light-skinned and supposedly beautiful as Maureen. Further accentuating the social favour of white aesthetic superiority, Maureen denigrates Claudia, Frieda and Pecola, screaming that she is cute [and they are] black and ugly black e mos [sic], presumably differentiating herself from the three by pointing out her fairness in comparison to theirs (Morrison 73). Identity Other forms of childhood naÃÆ'Â ¯vetÃÆ'Â © serve to further Morrisons grim portrayal of black race as being synonymous with a life of hardship and inferiority. Introducing Pecola in a narrative from Claudias perspective, Morrison demonstrates the perversion of a black society that would, in a blue-eyed Baby Doll, personify what adults assume to be a childs fondest wish (Morrison 20). Still worse is the infuriating tone Morrison evokes in her three protagonists upon Mrs. Breedloves interaction with a white girl smaller and younger than them who refers to their revered matriarch as simply Polly; told from Claudias point of view, what infuriates the protagonists and the reader is that not even the elder Pecola refers to Mrs. Breedlove by her first name (Morrison 108). Still more self-deprecating is Claudias implied realisation that she is at the bottom of the social chain. Stuck below her mother in age and black men in gender, she is further demeaned when she realises the white girl s transcendence of the black social order altogether. As a young, black woman, Claudia sees how inferior even her own people perceive her. A Light in August Identity Unlike Morrison, Faulkner uses race as a means of sexual empowerment. For example, Joes feelings of self-hatred as a man of colour is reflected in his beating of the shenegro in the barn, a means of projection against the demons he faces as an adopted boy (Faulkner 514). As a black man, Christmas further feels inadequate and filled with self-deprecation. He is demeaned into emasculation under the sexually charged Miss Burden, a reflection of black inferiority to the white race in all interactions. Christmas emasculation is complete in his murder at the hands of Grimm, who shoots Christmas five times and then castrates him in a kitchen, a symbol of the relegation of blacks into servitude and powerlessness. Faulkners inherent message is that to be black is to be not only socially inferior, but to also be genderless and dehumanized, a fact evidenced by his most gruesome and torturous death. Though Joe Christmas is not noticeably black as a product of miscegenation, he is forced into a b lack identity by a society who will not accept a white man with even a drop of black blood in his lineage. Race and Ethnicity Morrison and Faulkner both draw upon the inequities of American racial relations in order to communicate his disdain for the institution of racial discrimination. However, Faulkner is more fatalist in tone, evoking a manner of apathy and helplessness at the situation. Like Morrison, Faulkner demonstrates how racial association compromises character. Reverend Gail Hightower is shamed in society initially because of his wifes infidelities; however, what ostracizes him from the white community is a contemptuous rumour that he, as a reverend, had an affair with a black woman. People who wished to distance themselves from Hightower could not do so simply with the knowledge that he was a cuckold; instead, a far more negative rumour involving sexual relations and possible miscegenation was spread. Faulkner further shows the power of racial separation in the indictment of Joe Christmas by Joe Brown, who is questioned by Hightower and the sheriff. Unable to sway them from assuming his guilt a t the murder of Miss Burden, Brown spitefully accuses the two of [accusing] the white man trying to help [them] and letting the nigger run (Faulkner 470). BIBLIOGRAPHY Faulkner, William. Novels 1930-1935: As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Light in August, Pylon. New York: The Library of America, 1985. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.

Relationship between development and freedom

Relationship between development and freedom Sen, A (2001). Development as Freedom. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Chapter 1. The author conceptualizes development as ‘the gap between an exclusive concentration on economic wealth and a broader focus on the lives we can lead (p.14) emphasizing that the theory of development goes well beyond wealth accumulation and gross national product growth. The chapter examines the relationship between development and freedom, the way in which freedom is a component of development and an extensive view of ‘freedom encompassing both opportunities that people have and processes that allow for ‘freedom of decisions. The main arguments of the author is that development should be assessed by ‘freedom of accessibility to factors such as social opportunities, health care, clean water, economic security, civil rights and political freedom. Lack of accessibility means ‘unfreedom. Development therefore should mean that people can live the lives they want to live and precisely, how can a nation say in all entirety that it has ‘freedom when its citizens cannot afford the very basic necessities of life or fulfill the rights they are entitled to? Sen goes on further to compare different views of poverty in both developing and developed nation by analyzing ‘freedoms through values, poverty and inequality, income and mortality, markets and freedom, tradition and culture. The author sees the process of development beyond economic growth or physical and human capital and concludes by linking the understanding of a broad view of the development process to the substantive ‘freedoms of people. Sens write up contains intriguing views but he hasnt mentioned what justifies his classification into these ‘freedoms i.e. experience of developing countries, factual historical evidence or how far ‘freedom has progressed within each context he identified. His definition is quite different from Rapleys in which Rapley describes development as more concerned with flexibility and adaptability (Rapley 2007 pp 5) and so raises a question. Can development be measured only by individual happiness without economic growth and stability? Happiness, in my opinion is geared more towards Rapleys definition and should be adapted into the process of economic growth. Willis, K. (2005) Theories and Practices of Development. London. Routledge. p. 32-42. Willis chapter 2 of theories and practices of development analyses development theories and practices and how these theories were attached to the economic, social and political theories that developed in Europe from the 18th century. Williss interpretation raises some interesting facts about historical development of theories and she divides her study into various theories. The classical economists such as David Ricardo, an advocate of free trade and Adam Smith, in his famous book, Wealth of Nations ‘responded to the trade focus of economic policy at that time (p.32) when trade was a major factor of economic growth. Here, protectionist measures such as high tariffs were highly used by merchants. Willis goes on to say Adam Smith was not in favour of this form of regulation and that it was harmful to the countrys economic growth. Instead, greater focus on production and division of labour which will be regulated by the ‘invisible hand of the market (p.33). The Great depression of the 1930s and other economic happenings gave rise to Keynes argument of the free market not necessarily a positive force but government intervention in the promotion of economic growth while postwar reconstruction period was a time to reflect on the economic crises that occurred at that time and provide solutions to their re-occurrence. This led to the creation of the Bretton woods institutions to assist in the promotion of ‘stable economic growth within a capitalist system (p. 36) Willis describes the linear stages theory and makes emphasis on Rostow, the American economist and political theorists stages of Economic growth to development. Here, development was seen as a state where a large number of the population could afford to spend largely on consumer products and development was viewed as modern, moving from agricultural societies to an industrial economy. While she tries to decipher early theoretical ideas, Willis has not made clear linkages between some of these theories and how they have come to evolve in economic debates and discussions over time. Chang, H., and Ilene G. (2004) ‘Reclaiming Development from the Washington Consensus, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, 27(2), 274-291. The fundamental of this article is to correct the notion that there is no alternative to the Washington Consensus. The authors argue that ‘neoliberal policies have failed to achieve their goals in developing world (p. 274) and so discuss the major development myths for justifying neoliberal policies that have been harmful to developing world and perhaps as a complacency to the reader, possible alternatives to these policies. These myths, evaluated individually, describe how these policies have lacked credibility. Myth 1; In contrast to the neoliberal policy success, the reality is that the policy has not promoted its main aim of economic growth. Myth 2; Developed countries gained success through free market policies whereas records claim they relied upon interventionist policies for development. Myth 3; Only neoliberal policies can succeed in todays global environment whereas in fact there is evidence of ‘continuing institutional and policy divergence across national boundaries (p. 277) Myth 4; Discipline imposed by international institutions to keep them honest whereby placing policy making authority in the hands of these organizations. Myth 5; The East Asian model cannot be replicated when in fact most developed countries utilized this model. Myth 6; Developing countries should imitate the Anglo American model of capitalism which fared poorly in the economic boom of the 1990s. The authors went ahead to put forward alternative policies for faster economic development which includes the financial system providing adequate finance quantities for investment projects at appropriate prices, enforcing strict laws on new foreign loans incurred by domestic borrowers, defocusing on budget balance and maximizing FDI potentials to promote economic and industrial development in developing countries While arguing for these policies, it will be sensible to note that economies are different and there can be no ‘best practice policy that everyone should use (Chang 2003). Policies for development should not be ‘fixed but depend on stages of development of a developing nation and other factors such as resource capacity, economic, political and social conditions. Pender, J. (2001) ‘From Structural Adjustment to Comprehensive Development Framework: Conditionality Transformed? Third World Quarterly, 22 (3), 397-411. Pender reviews how the World Banks approach to development has changed over decades and brought about important shifts to its conditionality approach. In the light of new changes between the 90s and today, the World Bank formulated a Comprehensive Development Framework, based on a relationship of partnership to replace its erstwhile structural adjustment lending (p. 397). The author examines why the World Banks perspectives of development changed through different periods; In the 1980s to early 90s, GDP was used as a measure of development as the Bank was mostly concerned with rapid economic growth and sustenance for least developed countries (LDC) and the adoption of policies such as restriction of state spending, controlling inflation, commodity exports and privatization as factors to achieve development. The 1990s drew lack of confidence in these policies and there were strong doubts about its competence judging from the success of the Asian Economies that developed rapidly without the World Banks policy prescriptions. This informed the Bank to change its 1980 view about minimal state role in development and that ‘growth by itself is not enough (p 401). Thus in 1990, a formulation of an approach based on both ‘labour intensive growth and ‘widespread provision of basic social services (p.401). In spite of these alterations, there were criticisms that the Bank reforms were not aiding Africas growth but rather, increasing stagnant economies through the implementation of the Banks policies. According to Pender, the Bank lost confidence in its policy framework in early 1995, with the Asian miracle and LDCs failure and was forced to critique its own policies and re-orientate. This modification was experimented between 1995-1997 with ‘improvements in the understanding of economic development and poverty reduction as the central focus. The author gives clear informed views of the process of policy change within the World Bank at different times but fails to analyze the impact of this new focus of poverty reduction and its success to the development of todays third world countries. Chang, H. (2003) Kicking away the ladder. Development Strategy in Historical Perspectives. London, Anthem Press. Chapter 1. Changs analysis centers around one question, ‘How did the rich countries really become rich? He uncovers some myths about developed countries developmental experience and argues that developed countries did not develop through the same policies that they recommend to the developing world. This pressure from developed countries to the developing world to adopt a set of ‘good policies that they adopted when they themselves were developing is faced with criticisms because ‘historical evidence suggests otherwise and goes on to say that they are trying to hide the ‘secret of their success (p. 2). Some of these policies include liberalization of trade, privatization, restrictive macroeconomic policies and deregulation but facts show that most of the developing countries used export subsidies and industry protection, industrial policies that the WTO disapproves in the present world. The USA and UK were examples of ardent users of these same ‘policies frowned at in contrast to the free trade policies and free market they preach. Chang quotes List, the German economist that ‘Britain was the first country to perfect the art of infant industry promotion which is the principle behind most countries journey to success (p. 3). He argues that developed countries, while alleging to recommend good policies to developing countries are actually trying to ‘kick away the ladder of their own economic development. A conclusion is drawn on some methodological issues of David Ricardos neoliberal policies to Friedrich Lists infant industry argument that while developed countries preach Ricardo to developing nations, they actually pursued Lists policies in the past. Although Chang did not confront and compare works of economic historians e.g. L.E Birdzells How the West grew rich in relation to his How did the rich countries really become rich to identify similar or different conclusions, his examination of historical materials to reach important and interesting conclusions is a contribution that is immensely valuable to the current debates on development that will evidently challenge contemporary policies and enrich development theory. REFERENCES Chang, H. (2003) Kicking away the ladder. Development Strategy in Historical Perspectives. London, Anthem Press. Chapter 1. Chang, H., and Ilene G. (2004) ‘Reclaiming Development from the Washington Consensus, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, 27(2), 274-291. Pender, J. (2001) ‘From Structural Adjustment to Comprehensive Development Framework: Conditionality Transformed? Third World Quarterly, 22 (3), 397-411. Rapley, J. (2007) Understanding Development: Theory and Practice in the Third World (3rd edition). Colorado. Lynne Reinner. Sen, A (2001). Development as Freedom. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Chapter 1. Willis, K. (2005) Theories and Practices of Development. London. Routledge. p. 32-42.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner :: Sound fury william Faulkner Essays

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury is a novel that depicts the loss of traditional Southern values after the Civil War. This corruption is shown through the Compson family, whose notions of family honor and obsession with their family name are the driving force in severing all the ties that once held them together. Mr. Compson tries to instill these notions into his four children, but each is so occupied by their own beliefs and obsessions that this effort results in a house that is completely devoid of love and consumed by self-absorption. Caddy is perhaps the most prominent figure in the novel. The three Compson boys obsess over her, looking to her as a mother figure and source of love and understanding but ironically, it is Caddy that serves as the family’s downfall. Engaging in sex and getting pregnant, Caddy not only shames her family but also tramples all the ideals of the old South, as does her daughter after her. Quentin relies on his knowledge of Souther n codes to provide order, yet Jason cares only for himself and his personal gain. These traits are pivotal in explaining Faulkner’s purpose, using one family’s corruption as a symbol of the downfall of the old South. Time is also an important concept in Faulkner’s novel. Time’s influence on human interaction and thought is depicted through the three Compson boys. Benjy, who is mentally retarded and has no concept of time, uses his disability to escape the Compsons’ obsession with their name and honor. Quentin meanwhile is obsessed with the past and is trapped in these thoughts, eventually committing suicide to escape the ticking of time. Jason concentrates only on the present and future, believing that time can never be wasted and letting greed consume him. Time’s influence on the family also helps to showcase the novel’s purpose as it slowly eats away at the family and further contributes to its corruption. Though The Sound and the Fury is about the downfall of the old South, Faulkner uses the Compsons’ servant Dilsey as a symbol of hope for the future.

A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer :: essays research papers

A Child Called â€Å"It† 1. In the book, the father tries to help the son in the beginning but then throughout the book he stops trying to help and listens to the mother. If I had been in this same situation, I would have helped get the child away from his mother because nobody should have to live like that. The father was tired of having to watch his son get abused so eventually he just left and didn’t do anything. David thought that his father would help him but he did not. 2. When David, was stabbed he went to his father for help. His father just told him to go back and to do the dishwasher. Father said that he would not tell David’s mother that he told but he should get back to work. 3. The abuse that I thought was the most difficult was the gas chamber. He had to sit in the bathroom with the ammonia and it was really hard for him to breathe. The only reason he survived was because there was a vent in the bathroom. I think that I could have also survived this because I am good at getting myself out of bad situations. I can think quickly. 4. I think I probably would have given up when the mother stabbed me. I think it would have been too painful for me to care anymore. I would have suffered too much. 5. I think that the difference between 30 years ago and now is that it could be stopped now. David could have been taken from his mother to live somewhere else because she was not a fit parent. He could have lived with his father. 6. I think that his mother just randomly decided to abuse David. Since she was an alcoholic she did not always realize what she was doing to him. She also probably didn’t want to do all the things around the house and thought it was too much to do so she had David do all the chores. She punished him by doing dreadful things. 7. When the mother wanted David to lye on the stove and burn, David decided to see if he could trick her. He watched the clock and decided to see how long he could keep her from making him get on the stove until his brothers got home. He succeeded and from then on he decided that he would not give up and he would always try to outsmart his mother.

Ralph changes †How does Golding show this? Essay

Golding uses several ways to describe and show what is meant. One of the characters that Golding has used writing to show how he has changed is Ralph. Ralph is firstly described as a child with no sense of responsibility. After he is selected as leader and several situations occur on the island, he becomes a good realistic leader. Ralph is one of the first characters described in the book. Before anything else, Golding introduces two characters. One we later find is called Ralph, another named Piggy. When Ralph first finds himself on the Island he doesn’t appear to have a vast sense of responsibility, or to be very mature in his thoughts. We can see this as when Piggy asks ‘All them other kids†¦Some of them must have got out. They must have, mustn’t they?’ Ralph’s reply is to get up and casually walk over to the water. Golding, instead of having Ralph reply ‘I don’t care’ or another known ignorant phrase has written that he just gets up and casually walks over to the water. This is not only a different way of showing that Ralph is not too bothered about being responsible, but creates a question in the readers’ mind. ‘What is it with this character?’ and can cause them to become tense, wanting to find out more. In the same conversation with Piggy, Ralph is again shown to have no real sense of maturity. Piggy is showing Ralph a cut on his arm and Ralph again doesn’t seemed to be bothered by it. ‘The fair boy (Ralph) reached out and touched the jagged end of a trunk. For a moment he looked interested’. Here Golding has said straight out that Ralph almost looked interested but really could not care less. Ralph again shows his ignorance by relying on his father to save him, whereas Piggy knows that is not going to be the case. ‘I could swim when I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come rescue us.’ I feel Golding chose this section of Speech from Ralph to show that he is relying on other people and does not think that he has to be dependable. He thinks that everything will be alright because his dad will come and rescue him. He is making no real effort to do things for himself, or for the others. As the book continues, Ralph and Piggy meet more children on the island and they all decide to elect Ralph as leader. At first Ralph does not appear to have been a good choice for a strong leader as he rushes into things. He gave Jack control of the choir straight from the beginning of his leadership, ‘The choir belongs to you, of course’. Golding has shown here that Ralph is trying to think responsibly by giving Jack control of the choir so that he doesn’t have to control everything himself, Democratically. But also that Ralph rushed straight into this decision. If he had stopped and thought about it, he could have had time to think of all the consequences of this decision. The fact that Jack could use this power to overthrow him. Later, however, Ralph does realise that he has to think over his decisions before he enforces them. He says ‘Listen, everybody. I’ve got to have time to think things out. I can’t decide what to do straight off. If this isn’t an island we might be rescued straight off’. This quotation also shows that he is beginning to think about being rescued since he has had the power of leadership. He is beginning to think more maturely, responsibly. Ralph shows signs of a strong leadership as the story goes on. Golding shows these by implementing them in Ralph’s speech and reactions. After he has become leader, his reactions to certain situations change. One of which is the situation that exists when the boys need to find out whether the island is actually an island. Ralph says ‘So we’ve got to decide if this is an island. Everybody must stay round here and wait and not go away†¦. Three of us will go on an expedition and find out.’ Here Golding is showing Ralph’s thoughts are starting to be trained and precise, reacting upon a situation. Earlier on in the book Ralph showed that he did not care to hear about Piggy as he stood on his head whilst he was talking to him. Golding later writes ‘There was no place for standing on one’s head. This time Ralph expressed the intensity of his emotion by pretending to knock Simon down; and soon they were a happy, heaving pile in the under-dusk’. This is explained by Golding to show that Ralph’s behaviour has also changed since he has had to become more responsible as chief. After Ralph has decided that a fire must be kept alight on top of the mountain to send smoke signals to a passing ship and that there had to be somebody maintaining the fire, Piggy took the conch. He stated that the firewood was piled up too much for a small fire. At that moment, the fire began to spread into the dead wood and across into trees. The island began to catch fire. In all the commotion, a smaller child was caught in amongst the fire and wasn’t seen again. ‘That little ‘un†¦.. him with the mark on his face, I don’t see him. Where is he now?’ Ralph was not able to say or act upon this case but was all part of his learning. Golding shows that Ralph realises he has done wrong and needs to think more before he acts by having him repeat part of his speech in amazement and shame. ‘Ralph muttered the reply as if in shame. â€Å"Perhaps he went back to the, the—–â€Å"‘. Later in the story Ralph remembers the little child and acts upon the situation that caused the memory to appear in the front of his mind. Another situation that causes Ralph to act and use the power of his leadership is when Jack takes the two twins, who are on fire watch, off to go hunting for meat when they are not really needed. Ralph and Piggy notice that a ship passes the island but at that point there is no smoke from the fire. They rush up to the top of the mountain and try to get some smoke before the ship passes. Unfortunately the ship passes before any smoke was made for signalling. When Jack and the others get back from a successful hunt they are all boasting. One of the first things that Ralph says to Jack is ‘You let the fire out’. Again, this shows Ralph’s change in attitude when he has to react to a situation. He has a sense of responsibility and a rage inside him because nobody listened to his reasoning and rules about the fire. Ralph continues to show his anger at Jack as he repeats his point that he took the twins away from the fire and let the fire out. He then said to relight the fire ‘Ralph’s final word was an ungracious mutter. â€Å"All right. Light the fire†. Here again, Golding is showing Ralph’s realisation of the situation by stating that Ralph is acting maturely with his power even though he may want to just shout at Jack for it. Ralph later uses his authority to show that he is taking charge. ‘I’m calling an assembly†¦.even if we have to go on into the dark’. This shows that Ralph does not care for messing around and immaturity at this time. He cares about his rules, keeping the fire alight and doing something about being rescued. In contrast to the beginning of the book, Ralph has taken it upon himself, along with his leadership, to start thinking about being saved after bad situations have occurred and he has realised that daddy won’t save him, its up to him to get everybody saved.

“Dr Jekyll is a victim of his time and deserves our sympathy.” Do you agree? Essay

Dr. Henry Jekyll was born into an age of respectability, religion, and morality. The Victorians believed in â€Å"progress†, self discipline and strict, stern morality. Writers like Samuel Smiles wrote about â€Å"Self Help†. The Victorian age was one of polarisation of the lifestyle of the people. There were always two kinds of people, the respectable Jekylls and the destructive and filthy Hydes. â€Å"Pleasures† like prostitution and gambling, were frowned on by all of high society. Even so, many respectable people indulged in these activities in secret by night and then by day take part in a communal criticism of these actions. The Victorians were hideous hypocrites. Famous people such as Dr. Banardo were biefly suspected of the 1888 Ripper murders. The Victorians had a rigid social structure. There were the middle and upper classes who owned the vast majority of the nation’s wealth. There were the lower classes who often lived in abysmal conditions, meanwhile the rich people lived in luxury. Stevenson was fascinated by this polarisation, this was maybe because his father was a strict Protestant calvinist. In his writing Stevenson highlights the extremes of society because this was something which was a feature of his life, he had been known to be a â€Å"slum adventurer†. Dr. Henry Jekyll held a very high position in Victorian society. However, he was truly a rebellious character who wanted to do exactly as he pleased. It was incredibly difficult for him to do as he liked, because of his high social status. Jekyll created Hyde to let Jekyll be a rebel without the risk of being caught. At the other end of the spectrum there is Mr. Utterson. He was a lawyer and very respectible, but he does not indulge in â€Å"pleasures†. We see that â€Å"†¦though he enjoyed the theatre, [he] had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years†. Mr. Utterson is a vicarious person. In a way, Utterson is the opposite of Jekyll, he constrains himself and ensures his respectibility. Jekyll, on the other hand, wants to have everything, so he creates Hyde. One of Jekyll’s friends was Dr. Lanyon. He was a very conventional doctor, whereas Jekyll was very experimental and inventive in his profession. We see that Lanyon did not think much of this â€Å"unscientific balderdash†. There are some cases where sympathy for Jekyll is needed. He just wants to do what he wants, so he creates Hyde, this makes us feel some sympathy because of the desperateness of his situation, but at the same time he loses some sympathy because not everyone can have everything they want. Initially he doesn’t know what the consequences of taking the drugs will be, he is risking death for the furtherment of science, which may give us some sympathy. Also what he doesn’t know is that it matters what state of mind you are in when you take the drug†Had I approached my discovery in a more noble spirit†¦an angel instead of a fiend†, an evil person comes out of the experiment. Instead of just using Hyde from time to time, Jekyll gets addicted to Hyde (through some fault of his own he needed slef control) and soon the transformation becomes almost independent of his taking the drugs to change into Hyde. Hyde is without a doubt a terrible person. The incident where he tramples over the small girl reinforces this. It is a demonstration of the duality of nature of man where a respectable doctor can trample a small girl and not think twice. However, Hyde’s wrong doing does not stop at this. There is the brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew, who was an MP, so very high up in society. In Dr Jekyll’s full statement of the case he admits that it was Hyde who murdered Carew; â€Å"It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone that was guilty† This ease with which he accepts Hyde’s guilt and tries to shift the blame for this terrible act makes us feel less sympathy for Jekyll, as surely he should be more than a little upset if something that he has created can to such an awful thing. When he first discovers that he can change into Hyde spontaneously, he is absolutely mortified â€Å"I must have stared upon it half a minute†¦I rushed to the mirror†¦ my blood was changed to something exquisitely thin and icy† We may feel some sympathy for Jekyll because of this, but on the other hand, Jekyll maybe could have seen what’s coming and stopped using Hyde. We also may feel less sympathy because it’s not that Jekyll can’t remember what Hyde’s been doing; â€Å"My two natures had memory in common† so maybe Jekyll should have realised that Hyde was being too evil and tried to stop unleashing him on the world before Hyde does any serious damage, as we see he does when he murders Carew. To some extent he does limit himself, he stopped using Hyde for two months, this makes us feel a lot more sympathy for Jekyll. When Jekyll goes into hiding after the murder of Carew he feels very remorseful about the death of Carew, and this makes us feel a little sympathetic towards him. He does not, however, turn himself in immediately for fear of the death penalty, he is rather selfish; â€Å"I think I was glad to have my better impulses thus buttressed and guarded by the terrors of the scaffold.† Jekyll thinks about trying to relieve his pain by having his pleasures as himself â€Å"No, it was in my own person, that i was once more tempted to trifle with my conscience†, and he does so. This makes us feel a bit of sympathy for him, as all he wants is to be free. Later on in his full statement of the case, he says â€Å"A change had come over me . It was no longer the fear of the gallows, it was the horror of being Hyde that racked me.† This gives us some respect for Jekyll, it shows he is altruistic. He doesn’t mind being hanged so much, more he feels that if he lets Hyde loose again he will do even more evil. This is the reason why he turned himself in, and we have to respect him for this action. Victorian society of obviously partly to blame for the demise of Dr. Jekyll. We see that if he had been allowed to indulge in his pleasures without being criticised and becoming a social outcast maybe his bad side would have come out more slowly, not through the terrible deeds that Hyde does; â€Å"My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.† Nowadays we tend to tolerate depraved activities. If the addictions get too bad we try and help those affected; we don’t expel them from society. I think that the incident of Jekyll was partly Jekyll’s fault, but mostly society’s fault for not letting him be free. I do agree that Jekyll is a victim of his time and deseves out sympathy.