Contemporary Literature and the Events That Influenced It
In the last forty years there have been some key people and events that have shaped history and in turn have influenced the works of some of literature’s most prolific writers. During this time period some of the most powerful speeches, poems, and literary protests were written. These works of literature were sometimes written out of necessity for the times and spoke out to all that read them. It all started in 1960 when John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon, become one of the youngest men ever to hold the office of president; in the eyes of many this event began a new era in history.
When John F. Kennedy was elected he inherited the task of taking over a nation that was in the middle of many tragic events. Kennedy’s ideas and dreams were summed up in this famous line from his election speech when he stated “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” In 1963, when John F. Kennedy was only in his third year as president, the young, well liked president was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president in the wake of the assassination (Davidson 672-675). That same year Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech. In this speech he spoke out against racism and pushed towards the future, saying “I have a dream… that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Two years later in 1965 President Johnson made the decision that affected the United States and all U.S. citizens more than any other event during that time. He officially sent U.S. troops into Vietnam, beginning the massacre known as the Vietnam War. (Karnow)
During the Vietnam War in the United States young men and women started to protest mainly against the war, but also against the Establishment—the values, tradition, and views of their parents. Those who rejected the Establishment became hippies, dropping out of society to live together in communes. “Make love, not war,” they demanded and “never trust anyone over thirty.” For the first time in society, drug use became widespread and young people experimented with new freedoms.
The 1960’s was a time society fantasized of a better world. However, the horrors of the Vietnam War soon became evident; the mass amounts of death occurring because of the war became a reality. It created a “movement”, especially in American colleges, in order to stand up for what they believed to be “right”. By 1970, many Americans believed sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, however there were also various individuals becoming increasingly critical of the student antiwar movement
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States of America was the youngest man to ever win the Presidential election at the age of 43. He was a well liked president, known for his youthfulness, high spirits and the commitments he made to the Unites States (O’Brien). During his inaugural speech, he stated that the U.S. would pledge “to convert our good words into good deeds” by forming alliances with the countries that border us. In order to prosper as a nation (“The Avalon”). President Kennedy had several great plans for this country and knew they “will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin” (“The Avalon”). Unfortunately, these plans were not carried out to their full extent because while riding in an open parade car in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot and killed. Kennedy did suffer hard times as far as international affairs go, but he is known for The Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the Alliance for Progress (“John”).
He pulls off this great look, but once you get t o know him you realize that he is not the most intelligent person. Christian according to Roxane is “proud, brave, and noble.”(II.vi.178) But, Christian says “I’m so stupid, I could die of shame.”(II.x.464) Christian is brave considering he is a part of the army and he does go to war. He is noble in the way that he is willing to give up Roxane for Cyrano since Roxane only loves Christian for his looks. He tells Cyrano to tell Roxane of the plan that they had made because Roxane had told Christian that if he was ugly she would still love him. That meant that she did not just love him for his looks anymore. He is not the brightest considering that he thought he could make Roxane swoon without the help of Cyrano. He tries and fails dramatically, she does not want to talk him so Cyrano has to come to the rescue and fix it all for Christian. Christian is called “handsome”(II.x.464) by Roxane when she is describing him to Cyrano. Also, Cyrano says, “…the boy is handsome, damn him!.” (II.x.459) When he and Christian are alone after Christian was insulting his nose while Cyrano was telling the cadets his story of the fight. Roxane fell for Christian just for his looks, he is handsome and his looks and Roxane’s beauty would go well together if you were just looking at looks. The Cadets were together listening to Cyrano’s fighting story, but every time Cyrano would say something Christian would interrupt and make fun of Cyrano’s nose. Eventually, Cyrano gets annoyed with it and tells all the Cadets to leave but Christian. But, instead of killing Christian he embraces him into a hug and goes on to tell him that he is handsome and basically perfect for Roxane.Christian says that he “loves her so”(I.ii.66) when he is talking to Lingière. Then he goes on to describe what he thinks she is like saying, “I’m sure she is clever, one of those
Christian De Neuvillette is introduced as an impulsive baron with charming features. Christian can be interpreted as a naïve, and shortsighted character, although within the play, his character bonds between more than just two negative attributes. The most desirable personality traits that a character would acquire are strenuous to preserve. One of these strenuous traits includes courtesy, which readers would target their attention to. The readers’ concentration targets to characters with high qualities that differ from other characters, in this case Christian fits perfectly into the category. After Christian De Neuvillette proves Cyrano De Bergerac that he has fortitude by insulting Cyrano’s extensive nose, Christian hastily apologizes later when Cyrano acknowledged he was the cousin of Roxane. This may be interpreted as an action of remorse, considering Christian did affront the cousin of Roxane; a woman Christian felt adoration towards. The interpretation is partially correct, although stepping into Christian’s point of view, his loyalty focalizes onto Roxane. Christian’s reaction to when he figured Cyrano was Roxane’s cousin, revealed a sudden change in attitude towards Cyrano, creating a much lighter and respectful tone in his speech: “I am so glad to meet you / Believe me...
Tom Sawyer serves as a foil, or a contrast character, to Huckleberry. His ideas for adventures usually come from books he reads and is rebellious to authority. Even with this, his novel showed that he st...
American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests with their alternative lifestyles and radical beliefs or drop out of society completely. The government and the older generations could not understand their way of life.
Freedom Rides, Vietnam, and Social activism among the youths of America have left the 60’s with a very profound effect on our society. Without question, the decade of the 1960’s was one of the most controversial in American History. Throughout this period of social unrest, anti-war attitudes were gaining prevalence in a peace-loving subculture, and individuals began to question certain aspects of governmental policy and authority. This was the decade of peace and war, optimism and despair, cultural turbulence and frustration.
The middle-class youth made up the bulk of the counterculture, so they had the leisure time to focus their attention on political issues in America. At the time, the counterculture rejected the cultural standards of the United States and those older than them, specifically the initial support for the Vietnam War. The politics and government history force held a high influence during this time of change. The Vietnam War devastated the young adult population and families of those who enlisted. Some Americans found the movement to reflect American ideals of free speech and equality, while others thought of it to reflect pointless rebellious acts and very unpatriotic. In the end, authorities restricted political gatherings and the counterculture collapsed once civil rights, liberties, equality, and the end of the Vietnam War were
Cyrano is a very intelligent, noble, skillful swordsman who is full of knowledge and creativity to allow him to write his writings. Cyrano shows loving character because he delivers a letter to Roxane every day, of his own feelings and helpful when helping Christian and his struggles with Roxane. Cyrano is also brave and ambitious because he is not afraid of any challenge that awaits him.
Tom Sawyer, a mischievous, brave, and daring boy that goes through adventures in love, murder, and treasure. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is about a boy maturing from a whimsical troublemaker into a caring young man. In the "conclusion" Mark Twain writes, "It being strictly a history of a boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much farther without becoming a history of a man" Tom is now maturing throughout a span of adventures in love, treasure, and everyday life that make him more of an adult, then a boy.
Bhattacharya, K. & Han, S. (2001). Piaget and cognitive development. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Piaget%27s_Constructivism
Animal experimentation is both unnecessarily cruel and inaccurate proving that it is neither beneficial nor ethical to perform. Animals are living creatures just like people and yet are treated as though they are nothing but tools by the self-proclaimed advanced species of the Earth. Alternatives to animal testing have been developed and presented throughout the years but scientists are stubborn and stuck in their ways so they continue to experiment on innocent creatures. Testing on animals is a barbaric practice that should have been abolished long ago yet humans have continued to perform the tests for years.
When people hear the term hippie, they think of men and woman in loose clothing with flowers weaved in their hair. Although these men and women did in fact wear these things, they left a significant impact on society. Hippies were a part of the Counterculture movement, which basic ideals were to reject the ideas of mainstream society. The movement itself began with the protesting of the Vietnam War. Eventually, the movement was more than just protesting the war. Hippies promoted the use of recreational drugs, religious tolerance; they also changed society’s views and attitudes about lifestyle and social behavior. The Counterculture movement was the most influential era in the 20th century because the people of this time changed society’s outlook, and broached the topics of drugs, fashion, and sexual freedom.
A major ethical concern that has been under speculation for many of years is focused around animal ethics, and whether or not certain animal practices are just or inhuman. There are many questions that focus around fundamental issues concerning the moral status of animals. It is critical to understand the difference between a concern for animal welfare and a concern for animal rights. A current issue that is important to understand and analyze is animal experimentation, and although many consider it to be an unethical practice, there are many pros and cons to the controversial topic. Although animal experimentation has been very beneficial medically, the argument can be made that using animals to experiment is not always necessary.
Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, tells a compelling story of the mischievous and imaginative child called Tom Sawyer. The protagonist leads his friends through these creative journeys. Because of Tom’s sly personality, he ends up in trouble quite often. However, the clever young boy is able to use his charm and shrewd tricks to avoid his problems. This book displays real life struggles a boy can face during his adolescent age. The author captures the audience with a perspective on the realizations children are able to face within a community. As the story progresses, Tom grows into a mature young man while making mature choices. His childish pranks and games start to diminish throughout the book. Tom starts to learn