A Portrait of Modern Life in Carnal Knowledge
T. C. Boyle's "Carnal Knowledge" is a very funny, and at the same time truthful portrayal of some of the things which are going on in the world today. His description of the narrator and the way he thinks, as well as his portrayal of Alena Jorgensen, leaves the reader wondering if they have ever believed so strongly in something or acted the same way to help reach their goal. What makes this story so unique and is that takes place in our world, in a world were some people are "fond of Kentucky Fried Chicken or Chicken McNuggets" (245) and others "don't eat meat or fish or milk or cheese or eggs, and they didn't wear wool or leather or fur" (248). T. C. Boyle uses his sarcastic, yet at the same time believable, style to make the reader feel as if he was in the main character's shoes. The author guides the reader through the different stages of the character's evolution and shows how different aspects of society influence his thinking. In the end, the character concludes, just as I have, that no matter what people say "it's only meat" (257).
The story begins with the narrator being a man in his mid-thirties, with a stable job, and a normal life. The only thing missing in his life seems to be a female companion. He wants to find somebody he likes, understands and has something in common with, and he is sick of making the "acquaintance of a divorced computer programmer in her mid thirties with three kids and bad breath" (246) and her like.
Thus when he meets Alena Jorgensen he becomes bewitched and begins to try to impress her, and establish common interests. He becomes almost totally submissive as their relationship grows and unconsciously begins to do things he never thought of or cared about doing before. T. C. Boyle shows this progression in the narrator's character by describing the character's changing behavior and aspirations. Thus he shows how a normal man with "twentieth century urban American sensibility" (Utley) becomes a radical activist for animal rights. "Something was happening to me I could feel it in the way the boards shifted under me, feel it with each beat of the surf and I was ready to go along with it." (249).
Neither life nor culture can be sustained without food. On a very basic level, food is fundamentally essential for life, not simply to exist, but also to thrive. A means by which carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, nutrients, and calories are introduced into the body, food is a mechanism of survival. However, on a more abstract level, food is also fundamentally essential for culture by establishing its perimeters and dimensions and in shaping its authenticity and character. Food becomes the carbohydrates and calories that maintain any culture. Food offers a dynamic cross-section of man's tendencies. "Nourishment, a basic biological need," argues anthropologist Sidney Mintz, "becomes something else because we humans transform it symbolically into a system of meaning for much more than itself" (7). By examining food consumption and preparation, much is discoverd regarding the intricacies of culture. The preparation and consumption of food in Puritan society are reflected in Mary Rowlandson's The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. Rowlandson's view of food and admissions of hunger in the infancy of her captivity cast a revealing light upon the roots of her conceptions and ideas about food and, more generally, about her culture's conceptions and ideas about food. As the conflict between her soul and her stomach raged over food, Rowlandson's attitudes toward the Native Americans' preparation and consumption of food reflect the socialization of the Puritans to believe that every meal ...
Throughout the entire book, O’Brien makes several references to how normal men can completely change their persona if placed in such an environment. I picked four instances, which truly represented how the mind changes. When Dave Jensen broke lee trunk’s nose, he became absolutely paranoid about every aspect of his life. The young lady who be...
In the story “Carnal Knowledge”, by T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jim is the main character who loves to eat meat. He would love nothing more than to enjoy a dinner of “Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs”. (1107) However, Jim’s cravings for “Kentucky Fried or Chicken McNuggets” were no match for Alena Jorgensen. (1108) Alena is an obsessive animal rights activist whom Jim met while laying on the beach feeling sorry for himself. When a person has feelings of depression and loneliness it can be very easy for another person to come into their life and change their whole persona.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, portrays the hard–done-by life of two California labours, who form an unlikely bond and cling together in the face of alienation. The Novel exhibits the idea of the thirst for companionship when cast into the abyss of loneliness, while unveiling the horrors and strife that the labours of the south endured during the 1930’s. Throughout the plot, one of the protagonist, George, continuously carries through with several decisions that define him as a character and subsequently, as a human being. For example, at the beginning of the story, Geo...
As Mark Twain once stated, “The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.” This sentiment is often echoed by general society; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic opinion about “the perfectibility of man” by suggesting how man can improve. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, two tenants called George and Lennie go through many hardships all while chasing their dream of possessing their own farm. While they work at a farm, they meet an old swamper called Candy who offers to help them achieve their dream; he does so to ensure that he will have a future after he is fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy discusses the recent death of his dog and asks to join in on George and Lennie’s dream. Through this passage, Steinbeck proves that humans have an animalistic tendency of eliminating those who are weaker than them. This is depicted through the details connecting Candy to his dog as well as Candy’s diction when describing his potential future life. Steinbeck’s negative attitude towards man’s predatory nature implies that society needs to improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring.
The title of the historic tragedy Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare implies that Caesar is the tragic hero. Although Caesar is a universal character, William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar should have been titled Brutus because he is the real tragic hero.
Ruth Ozeki’s debut novel, My Year of Meats, follows a year in Japanese-American Jane Tagaki-Little’s life, during which she worked on a documentary series called My American Wife. The show aired in Japan and intended to promote meat, particularly beef, among Japanese households. In this novel, Ozeki very adeptly illustrates with her characters the relation between meat, women, and sexuality. Meat and its production, marketing, and consumption, is a key aspect that affects the depiction of most of the female characters, particularly the wives, in the novel, and the problems that many of them are facing. In the novel, meat is not only what causes Jane and Akiko’s infertility problems,
Throughout the essay, Berry logically progresses from stating the problem of the consumer’s ignorance and the manipulative food industry that plays into that ignorance, to stating his solution where consumers can take part in the agricultural process and alter how they think about eating in order to take pleasure in it. He effectively uses appeals to emotion and common values to convince the reader that this is an important issue and make her realize that she needs to wake up and change what she is doing. By using appeals to pathos, logos, and ethos, Berry creates a strong argument to make his point and get people to change how they attain and eat food.
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
Novels that exhibit what the life is like for the people at ranch can help readers reflect on how they might react in comparable situation. George and Lennie who struggle to transcend the plight of inerrant farmworkers are followed by the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Readers are positioned to respond to themes through Steinbeck’s use of conventions that are dispirit. Themes such as Freedom and confinement, loneliness, and racism are pivotal in the novel and draw out a range of responses from the readers.
Even at a relatively young age, I can attest nobody is perfect. Everybody I have ever met has proven this notion time and time again; it is one of the many inevitable downfalls of human nature. Lust, one of the seven deadly sins, is a common point of controversy at the moment. Due to an unseeingly uncontrollable physical attraction toward someone or something, this feeling and action never seem to result in a positive outcome. Currently, marital infidelity is at an all time high, caused from various sources including some of the following: a larger availability and accessibility to divorce, a higher value placed on other aspects of life, and publically available pornography for younger individuals. Nevertheless, a global, upward trend of infidelity is evident with some very obvious reasoning behind it.
She was able to evoke emotions by her choice of negatively charged words towards the other author, Stephen Budiansky, and his work, Math Lessons for Locavores. By the end of the article, the reader developed strong negative views concerning the other article solely on Trueman’s diction and her tone. By writing, “Throw in a bunch of dubious and/or irrelevant statistics that appear to be truly locally sourced-i.e., pulled out of your own behind,” and “What’s so maddening about sloppy op-eds like this is that they give fodder to folks who hate the very notion that their food choices have any consequences beyond their own waistlines and bank balances”, Trueman expresses her dislike of Budiansky’s thoughst on the topic. She describes his article in such a dismissive way that her audiences adopts the same views as her. As a whole, her way of writing creates an overall negative tone towards the article being criticized. While doing this, she also points out flaws in his argument and exposes his faults in reasoning. As a result, his argument becomes invalid in the eyes of the readers and they are left with a clear winning perspective on the issue of the Local Food Movement. Kerry Truman's use of pathos in her critical analysis of Budiansky’s Math Lessons for Locavores was successful in the aspect that she evokes emotions in her
I think every man between 20 and 40 needs to read Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man". Without going into details (like I said, you should read the book), this is a biography/profile of Eustace Conway - a man who is, among other things, capable of and prefers to (or would prefer to) live the kind of frontier lifestyle we have read about: hunting and gathering his food, living in a house he built using his own hands, making his own clothes from the skins of animals he captured, etc. I suspect that for many people the story, at least initially, will arouse the sort of Romantic feelings that tend to come with fantasies of a "simple life" of rugged self-sufficiency. However, even for those who are quite certain that they prefer their modern urban lifestyle (air conditioning, direct deposit, grocery stores, ebay, cable TV, &c.), I think this book raises fundamental questions about what it means to be a man at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Both Cassius and Brutus play major roles in the play Julius Caesar. Cassius and Brutus both plan Caesar’s death. Although they are working towards a common goal, Cassius and Brutus have very different motivations for doing this. On the one hand, Cassius sees it as a way to gain more power for himself while destroying the king and all his power. On the other hand, Brutus believes that in killing Caesar he is preserving peace for the Romans’ future years. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses different techniques to create biased characterizations of the two men so that readers and viewers develop identical attitudes towards each of them. In Julius Caesar, Cassius is portrayed as a greedy villain while Brutus is depicted as an honorable hero.
Macbeth’s pressure for greater power ultimately leads back to his wife, Lady Macbeth. What she personally wanted, more power, she pressed upon Macbeth, even though that was not his ultimate goal. Lady Macbeth used guilt, to tell Macbeth he is not man enough to murder King Duncan. Her remorseful wo...