Frankfurt explains that what is essential to the self are the desires and cares that the self identifies with. In order for a self to transform then it must change its desires or cares therefore self transformation is possible through the modification of which it desires or cares for. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, claims to have transformed herself throughout the three years that the novel takes place, but did she actually transform herself?
Elizabeth Gilbert was born in Waterbury, Connecticut July 18th, 1969, and grew up on a small farm. She graduated from New york University and graduated with bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She migrated to New York City and began to work as a journalist for Spin, GQ, and New York Times Magazine. Her deteriorating marriage to an ideal American husband formed the beginnings of what would become the travels of her novel, Eat, Pray, Love.
Gilbert had found herself stricken with panic as she evaluated her life while in her early thirties. What she had cared about was not necessarily the things she wanted to care about (which Frankfurt calls “second-order volitions) but were the things American society had made her care about. For example, her ex-husband, or the big home that they bought or even the career she had as a magazine writer. I cannot say that she was not her true self during this time because these all could have been things which at one point she had desired for to be in her life but it is evident that who she is in the beginning of the novel is not exactly the same person at the end of the novel. While going through the nasty divorce procedures, Gilbert starts to find her inner self in a situation that is almost like “trial by fire.) During this time, which she c...
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...rder desire because it means that she will never have a permanent home, but will have four temporary homes, and a home is something that most people will find defines who they are, which is something Gilbert had expressed displeasure with when arguing with her ex-husband.
The way one adapts to the external change is by changing their first-order desires and second-order volitions. Her first-order desires and second-order volitions had changed significantly enough so that it was possible for her to have undergone self-transformation. According to Frankfurt, Gilbert had undergone self-transformation because she was able modify her first-order desires and second-order volitions to adapt with the external change in her life. Those changes in first-order desires and second-order volitions had founded the basis of the self-transformation that Elizabeth Gilbert undergone.
The Changeable nature of life affects us all somehow. Whether it be moving to a new city, having children, or losing people that we love, it can affect people in many different ways. For example, in the novel, the main character Taylor Greer changes her name from Marietta and moves...
Many people have transformed, or changed, throughout their lives, either in a positive or a negative way. But what does it mean to transform? That can be different between people and the way they think. Some think it's something unacceptable and you should try avoiding it, others want to transform themselves. To transform, you just need to see the true meaning of things and be happy. It is possible to change, but you need a reason to change. You need motivation, just like how you need the motivation to do the things you love to do.
"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often" (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_change.html), this quote by Winston Churchill is something I can connect with as I often feel the need to improve myself which can only be done with change. It also relates to the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, of the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," by Richard Connell. Sanger Rainsford changes his views on some matters after being trapped on an island with a madman with no method of escape. He undergoes a major change in his character due to an awful experience in isolation with the psychopath, General
...ion. Also, it was expected that if she was to move in together with Kevin, it was her who had to give up her books. She clung to her job at the agency so as not to lose her independence to Kevin who offered to get her a better job and take care of her in the meantime.
She always wanted a house she could point to and say, “I live there”. But when she moved into the house on Mango Street none of her wishes came true. When the narrator thinks about what happened at her house on loomis she knows the new house she lives in is not good, “ ‘Where do you live?’ She asked. ‘There,’ I said, pointing up to the third floor. ‘You live there?’ There. I had to look to where she pointed - the third floor, paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn’t fall out...I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it.” From this you can observe that the narrator is very uncomfortable from an emotional standpoint living in the house on Mango Street. She wants a home she can point to proudly and optimistically, but she can not point to the slowly decaying house on Mango
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” -Socrates. Therefore this quote must mean that this paper is about change, right? Through the Influence of Zero’s friendship Stanley changes from unconfident to confident.
In the novel, the women look at their individual housing situations as a giant disappointment. To explain, even though Kyra and Delaney housing situation brings both families closer together and they each have their own separate house, there is still that need to have an even bigger and a much better living condition for their families. Although, Kyra and Delaney both agree with their significant others dissatisfaction with the current situation that they find themselves in. I also believe that yet again the significant of this goes back to the American Dream and how we as Americans strive to make better in our life.
“She was his forever, too- imperfect as she was. Take it or leave it, she thought. She was who she was” (Sparks 326). I choose this excerpt from the novel to portray a very beautiful moral of the story: that self-acceptance is challenging to come to terms with and should be celebrated when seen, especially in women. The Lucky One follows U.S. Marine Logan Thibault on his journey cross-country to thank a woman whose photograph appears to have saved him in several life-or-death situations in Iraq. Elizabeth is a divorced mother from North Carolina with a young son, and as they start to get close, Logan keeps the circumstances of his arrival a secret from everyone, including Elizabeth and her family. In the coming paragraphs I will be predicting
A big reason for her wanting to do this is because she has been in that situation before and she knows how it feels to not have money to afford a nice house. “People who live on hills sleep so close to the stars they forget those of us who live too much on earth. They don't look down at all except to be content to live on hills. They have nothing to do with last week's garbage or fear of rats.” This quote shows how she doesn’t like the way that upper class distance themselves from the lower working class so when she gets successful she probably wouldn’t want to do the same. “One day I'll own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask, Can I come in? I'll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house.” This quote solidifies the statement that she knows how it feels and wants to help out people that were in her
The last but not final adjustment that I have changed myself would be the way I feel affectionate towards something or even someone, but all that has changed so far has made
Change is a major key in life. Without change, many would not learn from their mistakes, nor grow as an individual. Although, at times change is never just for the best – but for the worst. In, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, change is shown within the main character, Macbeth. Macbeth’s character develops drastically between the murders of King Duncan and Banquo.
changing attitudes toward life and the other characters in the play, particularly the women; and his reflection on the
One of the most important strategies used in this work is cause and effect. Gilbert begins her story by explaining that her urge to travel was brought forth when she gave an young girl who was
In the play, Macbeth, Shakespeare uses conflicts to develop the idea that every person has the will to change their fate if they don’t want it. Lady Macbeth is a female, but she’s against that, she wants to change it or become more like a male. Lady Macbeth knows about the prophecies from her husband that he would be the king and she also finds out that the king is going to their house, so she decides to become masculine and make the prophecy come true. Then, she started to talk to the imaginary spirits to “unsex” (1.5.48) her so she will be a male or have male characteristics to fulfill her desire for the prophecy to become real. The conflict she has between herself is causing her to don’t like herself. Lady Macbeth also wants to change her
In many of our stories characters transform. This is one main topic of transitions. In our short little essay “Sleep Paralysis” one girl had a transformation. She kept having episodes of sleep paralysis. It was getting out of control. She then found someone with similar problems and she researched it, and after she learned about it the episodes started slowly going away. Another example of human transformations was in the story “Fall of the House of Usher”. Rodrick Usher had some transformations. He was a sick ill boy. He then ended up dying which was his transformation where he