Hope and perseverance are two characteristics that can inspire just about anyone in almost any situation. Hope is defined (dictionary.com ) as “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” Perseverance is “steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement .” In The Unexpected Popularity of Dystopian Literature (2016), Finnson states that “The dystopian worlds are bleak, not because they are meant to stand as mere cautionary tales, but because they are designed to display, in sharp relief, the possibility of utopian change even in the darkest of circumstances .” All of these sources combined lead me to not only understand the elements of hope and perseverance in dystopian literature, but to also see them clearly in the dystopian literature that I have read. Within Parable of the Sower and The Road , the aspects of hope and perseverance are very prevalent themes that are shown in both novels in numerous ways and provide key details and symbols throughout the readings . In Parable of the Sower, Lauren never gives up. Throughout her …show more content…
Lauren's dad believes that God has a plan for them all and he relies on his belief of that as a way to hope that things will be okay for his family and his community. He shows this by preaching in his house on Sundays, and by risking a lot to leave the gated community to get Lauren baptized. After Lauren leaves, her faith and hope in religion sort of switches gears onto the development of her "Earthseed" religion. She adds more of the religion's goals and lessons to her journal daily and even begins to share it with her companions and starts their community based off of the teachings she's created within it. In the end she has hope of “Earthseed” growing and gaining a larger following throughout new
Hope has the incredible ability to make or break someone. People are always told to make large goals in school and employment, and try to reach those ambitions no matter how far they are. Hope is the motivation behind accomplishing dreams, but it also has the ability to break people who have hoped for something so desperately, yet never came to fruition. Only determination and personal situations can persuade hope to fly or fall. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly highlights this ambiguous hope we depend on through the use of symbolism, characterization, and inner conflict.
“Hope is defined as the action of wishing or desiring that something will occur.” Hope helps people move forward in life to see what’s coming next for them. For example, “I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support” (Wiesel, “Night”.) This quote explains the effects of hope in a pitiful situation. Eliezer Wiesel and his father were torn apart, mentally and physically from everything they
Her father biked with co-workers five blocks from the entrance but then disappeared before reaching back home. Lauren and a search party went to find Reverend Olumina ’s body but failed to do so. He was pronounced dead. After the death of her father she considers moving away from the neighborhood realizing how much worse the lack of safety is in the community. Lauren finally preaches what she feel the community should do. Lauren states, “I preached from Luke, chapter eighteen, verses one through eight: the parable of the importunate window. It’s one I’ve always liked. A widow is so persistent in her demands for justice that she over comes the resistance of a judge who fears neither God nor man. She wears him down. Moral: The weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. Persisting isn’t always safe , but it’s often necessary ” (Butler 134). Lauren is trying to explain that despite the tragedies that occurred, them as a community should stick together and stay strong. She explains to the community about the current cycle that her father and the adults created is not going to work out forever. While being under the current cycle, many outsiders snuck their way inside the community and stole money and food. Not only that, the watchers noticed that the thieves carry
Individualism plays a key role in this story and shows how being an individualistic society can be the downfall to the strongest country in the world. This essay will discuss the struggle of man versus man, man versus nature, and the author's intent in Parable of the Sower. Butler talks about many aspects of life and the struggle to survive, and this essay will explore three main ideas that occurred in this book.
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
The theoretical concept of individual resilience has been long explored. Charles Darwin a famous theorist proclaimed “It is not the biggest, brightest or the best that will survive, but those who adapt the quickest.” Essentially, individuals are able to survive, if they adapt to the world around them. Octavia E. Butler creates this notion in her dystopian novel. In the year of 1993, Octavia E. Butler wrote the novel Parable of the Sower. The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Lauren Olamina. Lauren describes the horrendous and corrupt world around her and notes of the populations response to the violent acts. The year is 2025, when the world is overrun by corruption, greed, criminals, violence, famine, thirst, slavery and division. Through all this, Lauren is able to hold optimism in the world largely due to her background, hyperempathy condition and values. Lauren creates a set of fundamental values, that she wishes she can use to shape the world and create a symbolic home.
Society can be very cruel; hopes and dreams can become reality or vanish away into the shivering winds. It is important to maintain hope when life is crumbling around you and freedom is what humans strive for in order to execute what they please during their existence on earth. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, is a clear example of freedom combined with hope, illustrated by the characters of Andy Dufresne and Red. Andy, like Red, never loses hope of leaving prison; furthermore they gain a sense of freedom when departing from Shawshank. Having beliefs, in addition to fighting for what you believe is right are virtues that help you to strive for success which ultimately, lets you reach for freedom and hope.
It is of mixed opinions as to the popularity of modern society and that of the current government. Some believe the United States is, frankly, the best and most free country. They are those who enjoy the freedoms granted by the government and indulge themselves into the American culture. Others are not as fond; always searching for an excuse to criticize the current happenings, whether they be in the government or on the streets. In previous decades, such as the 1940s, the majority of citizens shared the more patriotic view. When comparing the current United States as a whole to that of a dystopian society, it becomes clear that the former faction may be looking through rose colored glasses. The dystopian motifs in George Orwell 's 1984 stemmed
She acquired this illness because her mother was a drug addict. Unfortunately, her mom died while giving birth to her. She is being raised by her father and stepmother, Cory. Her father is a Baptist Minister. Lauren seems to disagree with her father’s beliefs. Lauren shows the one of qualities of a prodigy: essence. Essence is defined as the indispensable quality of something, especially something of abstract that determines its character. She displays essence by keeping a journal of her thoughts about God and her beliefs. Her God is a force of change that can be shaped by humans. She is beginning to find a new religion, which she calls Earthseed. As she continues to develop her new religion, she feels that nothing she says is made up, she is just discovering the truth of life. Lauren also exhibits another quality: adaptability . Adaptability is define as able to change in any situation. Lauren expresses adaptability when she realizes that their community soon enough be taken over by outsiders. The country as a whole is getting worse. She wants to make a plan that will help her community survive. Lauren also shows
Life is a struggle. All through their life meet an obstacle that they struggle to overcome, no matter what walk of life you will face struggle. Some struggles are ongoing and can only be overcome by the perseverance of those willing to fight to better themselves, and those they fight for. We see this in "The Street" by Ann Petry and "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt. Wherein the characters presented struggled to overcome the obstacle of poverty, poor living condition, and malnutrition, and ultimately persevered. When met with an overwhelming obstacle to succeed and overcome it, one must persevere and only then through their actions and strength of character will they overcome the obstacle at hand.
And though he experiences both sides of the paradox, it is ultimately the uplifting and inspiring effect of hope that pushes him to fight back against his oppression rather than continue to accept his enslavement. Grappling with hope and using it to move himself forward against overwhelming odds shows that even though it can be used to pacify people and keep them in their place, wishing for a rosy future that can never exist, it can also be the fire that motivates them to finally change their
Samuel Smiles, a Scottish author and government reformer, once stated, “Hope… is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles.” Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Holocaust survivor, saw hope in people and her future of surviving. The theme in Gerda Weissmann Klein’s All But My Life illustrates how one can stay hopeful in a world full of mistreatment through the use of figurative language, internal monologue, and dialogue.
Dystopian novels are written to reflect the fears a population has about its government and they are successful because they capture that fright and display what can happen if it is ignored. George Orwell wrote 1984 with this fear of government in mind and used it to portray his opinion of the current government discretely. Along with fear, dystopian novels have many other elements that make them characteristic of their genre. The dystopian society in Orwell’s novel became an achievement because he utilized a large devastated city, a shattered family system, life in fear, a theme of oppression, and a lone hero.
Hope is essential to survival which is described in the novels Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and Sold by Patricia McCormick. The novel Long Way Gone is a true story about Ishmael Beah. Ishmael became a forced child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. His village was attacked when he was only 12 years of age. Ishmael, his brother, and his friends sauntered from village to village trying to get the daily essentials such as food and shelter. Every day was a struggle for surviving. He would think about his family and hope those days would come back to him. The novel Sold from Patricia McCormick is about a Nepali girl named Lakshmi that was sold into slavery at the age of 12. Lakshmi’s stepfather tells her to take the job in the city to
No matter how bad things may seem, there is always hope for things to ameliorate. When people believe that the future will be promising, they can have something to look forward to as opposed to dwelling on the past or the problems of the present. This hope can give a person a positive outlook on life and motivate him or her to look past what is happening in the present. In the poems “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson and “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy, they both convey similar messages about hope. Both works display the theme of hope being present at all times no matter how bad things may seem and is a consistent option for anyone in need of help.