To Improve Is To Change
1. Life is composed of a touch of sadness and a hint of happiness. We spend every day with little excitement, with some anticipation, and occasionally in silent disappointment. In this complex world, we experience feelings of suffering, loneliness, and torment, but sometimes also cheerfulness. Painful experiences are an unavoidable constant in our lives. However, everyone’s personality has its strengths and weaknesses, as there is no ideal person on the planet. In the short story “Tooth and Claw” written by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the protagonist, Junior, is a man who lacks motivation and is full of disappointment. He falls in love with a girl named Daria who brings him happiness. He also wins a wild cat in the bar where Daria works. However, Daria eventually leaves Junior. “I steeled myself, pulled open the door, and slipped inside. And then- and I don't know why- I pulled the door shut behind me” (Boyle 83). This is a meaningful ending that makes people think more deeply about life. I hope that Junior finds a way to change himself. In the story, he loses himself, but in a way he also finds himself. I have had a similar experience to what Junior went through because I also used to be a disappointed person without any
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As an unconfident child, I experienced constant difficulties in communicating with other people, even those who wanted to support me because of my loneliness. It is rather difficult to believe now, but I did not see any sense to life during that period, and it seemed that my life was meaningless. The only thing that made my life different and more interesting was reading. I adored reading books, and reading took up most of my free time, saving me from negative thoughts and obsessive ideas. Before, I did not appreciate life for itself, and I did not pay attention to the surrounding world or other people who might need some immediate assistance or ordinary human support. Undoubtedly, I was a small child who needed love and
When individuals face obstacles in life, there is often two ways to respond to those hardships: some people choose to escape from the reality and live in an illusive world. Others choose to fight against the adversities and find a solution to solve the problems. These two ways may lead the individuals to a whole new perception. Those people who decide to escape may find themselves trapped into a worse or even disastrous situation and eventually lose all of their perceptions and hops to the world, and those who choose to fight against the obstacles may find themselves a good solution to the tragic world and turn their hopelessness into hopes. Margaret Laurence in her short story Horses of the Night discusses the idea of how individual’s responses
The story describes the protagonist who is coming of age as torn between the two worlds which he loves equally, represented by his mother and his father. He is now mature and is reflecting on his life and the difficulty of his childhood as a fisherman. Despite becoming a university professor and achieving his father’s dream, he feels lonely and regretful since, “No one waits at the base of the stairs and no boat rides restlessly in the waters of the pier” (MacLeod 261). Like his father, the narrator thinks about what his life could have been like if he had chosen another path. Now, with the wisdom and experience that comes from aging and the passing of time, he is trying to make sense of his own life and accept that he could not please everyone. The turmoil in his mind makes the narrator say, “I wished that the two things I loved so dearly did not exclude each other in a manner that was so blunt and too clear” (MacLeod 273). Once a decision is made, it is sometimes better to leave the past and focus on the present and future. The memories of the narrator’s family, the boat and the rural community in which he spent the beginning of his life made the narrator the person who he is today, but it is just a part of him, and should not consume his present.
As we are born, we develop natural instincts that we evolve and grow over time. One of these instincts is love. Love can be full of sunshines and butterflies, but with love also comes pain and sacrifice. The book Salvage the Bones contains at least five big examples of loves as pain or sacrifice. Throughout the book, we will see examples of this theme of love as sacrifice and pain through different situations. I am going to walk through these situations. For instance, Death during childbirth, giving up a lifestyle due to teen pregnancy, sacrificing a close relationship, illness and flood.
While buried, so deep beneath the cavity of adversity, finding hope is nearly impossible. But, it is the ability of decisions that aids as the last gleam of hope retrievable. After facing many struggles, it becomes almost involuntary for someone to put up a guard. With using that strategy, and the transgression of time without progress, there’s a certain ignition of comprehension. Change needs to occur, and a complete remedy of that
Life is filled with memories and experiences that eventually, maybe even without any realization, determine the person an individual becomes. While the majority of people would prefer to be influenced by the positive moments (accomplishments, birthdays, graduations, etc.) the reality of the situation is that most individuals face experiences they would rather forget then accept as a part of their journey through life. Authors Brent Curtis and John Eldridge discuss this understanding in their novel, The Sacred Romance. The message of the arrows is one that many people try to avoid at all cost simply because they do not want to deal with the pain that accompanies each arrow. Throughout life, one of the most constant realizations is pain accompanies
Love caused his logic and sensibility to fail him, and provoked him to commit monstrous acts that destroyed many lives. Through analysis of “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood, it can be concluded that one of her many intended lessons was to show the value and the powerful effects of love. Atwood successfully proved this lesson by using powerful examples of both successful and disastrous relationships to illustrate the positive and negative effects of love. Atwood truly demonstrated what it is like to follow your heart.
After Junior’s sister Mary dies in a terrible fire, he feels sad and alone. At school, his fellow students and friends make him feel better by giving him hugs and small slaps on the back. “They were worried for me. They wanted to help me with my pain. I was important to them. I mattered. Wow,” (Alexie 212). Back on the Reservation, Junior never felt important, which really put a damper on his confidence. However, at school he knows people care about him and it makes him feel good and appreciated. This experience impacts Junior’s identity and makes him a better, and more confident person. Junior goes to his first school dance, and afterwards him, his girlfriend, and a few of his friends go to a Denny’s to eat pancakes. He is poor and obviously cannot pay for the food, but he orders it anyways. Later that evening, his friend Roger finds out that he does not have enough money to pay. Instead of getting mad, Roger lends him forty dollars and goes on his way. When they got back to the school after having pancakes, Penelope, Junior’s girlfriend, finds out that he is poor and kisses him on the cheek. “But then I realized she was being my friend. Being a really good friend, in fact. She was concerned” (Alexie 127). This entire event shows Junior that being poor is not a bad thing. It lets him know that people will still be his friend even when they know he is
Overcoming obstacles in one’s life can lead someone along the path of ultimately taking pride in themselves. This is apparent in William Bell’s novel Crabbe, in the case of young Franklin Crabbe. Firstly, Crabbe’s ordeal in nature teaches him to put others before himself. At the beginning of his journey, he is self-centred whilst making decisions, whereas at the end of his journey, he is able to consider others first. Secondly, during Crabbe’s time in the wilderness, he gains self-satisfaction from hard work. Crabbe learns about how good it feels to accomplish something in his waking hours, and continues to realize this after his encounter with nature. Lastly, throughout Crabbe’s time in the wilderness, he learns to take responsibility for his own unhappiness. In his bounty of moments for reflection, Crabbe realizes his parents are not to blame for his every moment of depression. During Crabbe’s journey in the bush, he overcomes frequent obstacles which send him back to civilization as someone he can be proud of.
In Civilization and Its Discontents (Ch. 2), Sigmund Freud argues that happiness is routed in two basic ideas: the first having to do with no pain and the other having to do with pleasure. Along with his idea of what the root of happiness is, he also describes multiple ways this happiness can be attained. Freud states that love and beauty are both means of achieving happiness. Although love and beauty cannot completely prevent all worldly suffering, they both offer a powerful explanation that can help an individual determine the true meaning of their life. In this presentation, we will argue that this argument succeeds because true happiness is difficult to come by in this life, but things such as love and beauty provide a basis for passionate strife in an individual, while also causing an intoxicating kind of sensation that may lead to a definite meaning to Earthly existence for a human being.
The author argues that the Spanish were completely at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears, the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs, but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory, is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance, the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities, which showed the Spanish had total control of people. The Aztecs also held a ritual ceremony for the arrival of the “god” that included a human sacrifice, which was seen by the Spanish as a disgusting act, this trigged Spanish hatred for the Aztecs. When the Spanish saw the resources that the Aztecs had, they quickly started taking advantage of the Aztecs weaknesses. The Spanish had more power; they were better equipped than the Aztecs and more advanced. The Aztecs’ leader Montecuhzoma was a weak leader, he was more of a coward, more concerned with his well being and safety than the safety of his people and kingdom so he quickly surrendered under pressure. The Spanish used surrounding enemy tribes to take over the Aztec lands, then began to massacre men, women and children. When the Aztec became angry and started to fight back, they were quickly wrecked by the diseases the Spanish ...
Death is inevitable; if you want happiness in life, try A. Margaret Atwood, the author of “Happy Endings,” uses six separate short stories to depict outcomes with different scenarios. The author practices the use of flash fiction, which adds to the entirety of each version. Though this short story has portions of unusual context, the content can teach a reflection on life. As the reader analyzes all six versions, the gender roles are evident as the story progresses. Atwood starts the short story by introducing the two main characters, John and Mary, and then proceeds to tell a variety of options as to who they are and what happens to them.
Tooth and Claw, by T.C Boyle, is a short story about the main character, Junior, a man who only depends on others to get by, and struggles in life because of it. In life, we all find ourselves searching for alternative reasons as to why things don’t always workout the way we hoped they would; however, more often than not, the real reason lies within ourselves, no one or nothing else. It is up to that person to make something happen, and junior fails to do this, always relying on others. As if the title wasn’t enough, the short story is packed with symbolism, one of which being that, like the wild cat he had won, Junior is nothing without someone to take care of him, and he fails to be the change he wishes to see in the world. This is displayed in multiple Scenarios throughout the short story.
In the novel, “you” become “infatuated with a pretty girl” (38) despite the narrator’s warning: “don’t fall in love” (35). Love was a side goal the main character had. He wanted to be with the pretty girl and courts her with their shared interest in films. Unfortunately, their relationship at the time never escalated to anything more than friends. The pretty girl runs away because of her own goal of becoming a model and “you are distraught” (53). This illustrates that it is acceptable to not always get what you want. This circumstances did not ruin the main character’s life. He continued to follow his primary goal and later on in the novel, the main character, as a successful adult, pursues the pretty girl again and they become closer than before. In my statistics class, I did bad on almost every test resulting in countless failed tests and quizzes. But I kept working hard and I was able to barely pass. If I didn’t pass the class, I would be sad, but I would that wouldn’t be the end of the world. Not every goal in life will be successful, but failures should not be the end. They can motivate an individual to make the failure a learning experience and they can focus on their other goals or make new
Too many people go about their days unhappy and they don’t understand why. They try their best to act how their elders tell them to act. They try their best to compete with their peers. They try their best to dress socially acceptable. They try their best to do all they are pressured to and then wonder why they end up depressed. The fault in this lifestyle pattern is addressed by writers: Basavanna and Summer at Shatter Creek. The writers’ poem and song both display a theme of self acceptance, that leads to a greater realization.
People don't truly accept life for what it is until they've actually tasted adversity and went through those misfortunes and suffering. We are put through many hardships in life, and we learn to understand and deal with those issues along the way. We find that life isn't just about finding one's self, but about creating and learning from our experiences and background. Adversity shapes what we are and who we become as individuals. Yann Martel's Life of Pi shows us that adverse situations help shape a person's identity and play a significant role in one's lief by determining one's capabilities and potential, shaping one's beliefs and values, and defining the importance and meaning of one's self.