To Ban, Or Not To Ban “The books that the world calls immoral are books that show its own shame”. The final passage from The Picture of Dorian Gray by controversial author Oscar Wilde. This is a thought provoking example of Wilde’s beliefs on censorship and self-realization. Wilde states that any book the world deems immoral, or inappropriate, reveals a shameful aspect of the world that people, and especially leaders, do not support or agree with, because it has the potential to spoil the righteous reputation they consider themselves to have. Censorship of this manner has occurred for decades, but barely any books should be censored to the point where they are banned. Catch 22, a highly acclaimed American war novel by widely recognized author,
Wessler wrote his article about language and how it can create fear in individuals which can lead to, in serious cases, fearing for one’s life. Wessler noted that “The escalation of degrading language and slurs to more focused harassment and threats and then to violence was the pattern in virtually every case of serious hate violence in middle schools, high schools, and colleges”(Wessler 28). An example of this can be found in Catch 22 when Yossarian uses the degrading words, bitch and bastard, to insult Orr as stated above. Throughout the novel, when Yossarian uses vulgar language of that kind against someone else, he wants to start a fight with that individual, especially if that person is Orr due to the dislike between them. Another similar case was also noted in “Sticks and Stones”. In the incident, a young boy named “John” was harassed by four other boys of the same age, who started out by targeting John with antigay slurs. This harassment led to John being shoved into a locker, physically attacked, attacked in a bathroom and tied with a noose, and lastly; John and his boyfriend were threatened by one of the other boys by being told the child knew the location of his father’s handgun which he was going to kill them with. Wessler outlined the best ways to stop profane language from turning into violence, one of which was, “Consistent [and] firm interruptions of degrading language and slurs…breaks the pattern of escalation from language to...violence”(Wessler 31). This quote acknowledges an uncomplicated solution to the amplification of violence due to an increased amount of derogatory language. The solution includes communicating simple reminders that profanity is not courteous or sophisticated, which will teach the perpetrators that that kind of language is not
Catch 22 is a story about the different personalities that can be involved in a war. Out of all the different archetypes, the three I’ve chosen are John Yossarian, Albert Tappman, and Milo Minderbinder, although, not in that order. The first character being analyzed is Yossarian, the unwilling hero of this book. Although the book labels Yossarian as the main character, he constantly tries to coward out of going to battle. The second character that will be described is Milo Minderbinder, the archetypical business person of Catch 22.He runs the camp mess hall and controls what everyone in the camp is buying, selling, and eating. Milo is constantly trying to control or manipulate the economies around him, and after he gets a large commission from Germany to bomb his own camp. This gets him in trouble with every economy he’s dealt with, and in order to “help the syndicate”, he has to give up all of his profit. The last character that will be discussed is Albert Tappman, the Chaplain, who is best known as the corrupted innocence. Although he is one of the main characters, Al is the most neglected and, the least noticed. He receives the most trouble from the other characters in the book such as the daily verbal abuse from Corporal Whitcomb, and the confusing conversations with Colonel Cathcart. By the end of the book, he also begins to question his own faith and starts bringing lies and violence into his life after the death of Nately. Every character has their own story, and by describing three of the most differential archetypes in the story, the main story is explained better.
Catch-22’s nonlinearity not only forms this piece of literature into a higher-level novel with its intricate plots and timelines, but Heller’s style also accompanies the satirical comedy of the book, leading it to be a classic example of a satirical novel, and the term “catch-22” is still used today. Without the unique chronology, Heller’s most famous novel, often regarded as one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century, would just be another war novel. The web of events, characters, and settings envelops the reader throughout the novel, providing a unique experience unlike many other books. Albeit somewhat confusing, Catch-22 is a masterpiece of comedy, a complex satire of war, and a criticism of bureaucracy that makes exquisite use of its bewildering nature. Do not steal.
The term “gothic” comes from the name of the Germanic tribes “the Goths”, who were seen as barbarians, uncivilized, savage human beings. Later, the term was used to describe an architectural style that appeared in the Twelfth Century in Western Europe , and also to illustrate a new type of novel issued in Romanticism, in the second part of the Eighteenth Century.
words, he models his life after a work of art. The fact that Dorian's one female
The disillusionment with the novel Catch 22 has been caused by many factors, such as the completely unsentimental viewpoints of war as described by Heller, as well as a complete disregard of the romanticism of war that was popular during the time due to the heroics of World War II. Catch 22 is a novel heavily reliant on the experience Heller had from his time in the Air Force that presents a tale of war in an entirely new light. It was a highly controversial topic upon its publication, as critics either loved or hated the novel, mostly for the same or very similar reasons. Catch 22 presents a completely new vision of war, replacing ideas of well-known glories with a nightmare of paradox, bureaucracy and extreme violence (Parker-Anderson 1). Much of the glory was tainted by the extreme use of objectionable language throughout Catch 22, which created much conflict amongst teachers and high school board members as to whether the novel was an appropriate addition to school
In the essay “From Ancient Greece to Iraq, the Power of Words in Wartime” by Robin Tolmach Lakoff, Lakoff discusses the fact that words are a tool as well when it comes to wars. She talks about the differences between our natural want and ability to kill things, and the mental training soldiers receive to make it easier for them. Lakoff talks about the practice of dehumanizing the “enemy” through nicknames that make us feel superior then our foes, and the repercussions of using this type of language. In the essay by George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”, Orwell talks about the decay of the English language, especially in political writings. He discusses the fact that when it comes to writing, political being the main focus, it’s
Catch-22 is perhaps Joseph Heller’s best known work. Catch-22, published in 1961, is a satire which depicts America’s counter-cultural antiwar attitudes. One terrifying aspect of Catch-22 is life and death is controlled not by the men in the squadron, but by the frightening bureaucracy which continually defies logic in order to achieve their own personal gains. Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is somewhat autobiographical; emphasizes the literary elements of characterization, conflict, and structure of a novel; and has received extensive and through criticism.
Catch-22 is one of the most poorly constructed, and distasteful books I’ve ever read. It’s order of events, or lack of order, becomes clear after the very first chapter. In fact “It doesn’t even seem to have been written; instead it gives the impression of having been shouted onto paper” (Stern 50). By the middle of the book it seems every character in the book has lost any sense of morality they may have seemed to have. The novel “gasps for want of craft and sensibility” (Stern 50).
The classic novel by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray inspires beauty, and romance. The main focus of the novel is aesthetics, a philosophical view detailing the nature of creation and appreciation of art and beauty. The tragedy of the young Dorian Gray after becoming misled by his companion, Lord Henry Wotton, is one that causes many to reform ideas on life and purpose. Lord Henry believes in hedonism, a thought stating that pleasure is the only true good; he declares, “The only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfilment of the senses” (Wilde). This outlook is tempting for many persons, including that of the title character, Dorian Gray. In contrast to Lord Henry is an artist named Basil Hallward, whom perceives Dorian to be his muse; serving as inspiration, and purpose. Basil has many moral traits including trust, compassion, and kindness. His infatuation with Dorian causes him to change his art and style, composing an exquisite painting of the young boy. Basil states, “the work I have done, since I met Dorian Gray, is good work, is the best work of my life…his personality has suggested to me an entirely new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style. I see things differently.” (Wilde). Dorian becomes so mesmerized by the beauty of the picture and the words of Lord Henry that he wishes for the picture to depict his sins and age, rather than his physical being. To the surprise of the young Dorian, his wish becomes fulfilled. This theme shares similarity to the Faust story, as the title character exchanges his soul for pleasures
Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, is a fictitious novel that depicts life on an American bomber squadron on Pianosa, an island off the coast of Italy, during the closing years of World War II. A bombardier by the name of Yossarian, the main character in the story, is joined by many others to create a comic drama unlike any other. But aside from the entertainment, Heller uses Catch-22 to satirize many aspects of everyday life that consist of hypocrisy, corruption, and insanity. From the laziness of policeman to the fake happiness brought about by money, the novel is painted with a great number of points targeted against the faults of modern society. However, along with these smaller targets, a majority of the Heller’s satire in the novel is aimed specifically at the imperious bureaucracy in the military, the current nature of man, and the corruption of religion; all of which accentuate the senselessness of war itself. Through Yossarian, who is conscience of what is sane, along with characters who are not, Heller emphasizes his ridicule by making what is appropriate seem peculiar and what is ludicrous seem common, ultimately giving the reader a viewpoint that proves astonishingly effective.
I think this because as I was reading the book I could see that Lord
Obsession in its nature is toxic; it turns people into gods, and leaves no room for their actual selves. Celebrities are the idols of the modern world, where ever they go, a fan follows them dying to get their attention. Dorian Gray, who was loved by nearly all of London for his charm and beauty, who’s biggest fan, Basil, worship of him lead to bitterness. The theme of obsession in The Picture of Dorian Gray is seen through both those who worship Dorian Gray, and the portrait, which is the object of Dorian's obsession. Although Wilde displays obsession through Basil's worship of Dorian, and even Dorian's obsession with himself and his youth, the modern day celebrity is a parallel to Dorian, who is worshipped by many at first for their beauty, wealth or fame, but the nature of the worship eventually leads to chaos.
The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level. Banning this novel contradicts an individual's inalienable rights as an United States citizen. It limits freedom of speech and as well as other forms of expression. Although controversial, profanity is not a reason to limit an individual's rights. America is founded on principles that are not fueled by exceptions. Profanity is not an exception to freedom of speech. The Catcher in the Rye should not be excluded from curriculums at the high school level.
The French born author, Anais Nin once wrote, “We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative” ("Think Exist Quotations"). Anais is expounding upon the inconsistency all people have in aspects of their personalities. Some days a person may be hailed as a saint for their actions, while other days they seem absolutely evil. In most literature, characters are defined as good or evil based on their revealed thoughts and actions. On occasion an anomaly may be found, where a character is more ambiguous. Dorian Gray’s Actions throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray paralyzes the readers’ ability to condemn Dorian as purely good or purely evil, causing them to be more sympathetic than usual.
All throughout the countries there are individuals who have the fear of aging and becoming old. In “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Dorian was terrified that his self-portrait would stay his young and beautiful self, while he himself became aged and wrinkled. With this fear, he wished that the painting would age while he stayed young. Consequently, his wish had came true but it turned out for the worst. Similar to Dorian, the individuals who do not want to face the lessening of beauty as he or she age, have the opportunity to undergo surgery. If he or she did undergo surgery there are multiple side effects that make it not worth doing. Evermore, one needs to overcome the fear of getting older because it is inevitable.