T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" and Yulisa Amadu Maddy's "No Past, No Present, No Future"
Time and circumstance change everything. When we are young, the world is fresh, exciting, and pure. As people age, we begin to realize how corrupt the world is. Our old center, one based on trust, breaks down. Everyone in the world is looking out for their personal well-being, not the well-being of others. With this knowledge, people’s perspectives change. Rather than trusting every thing, we question the meaning and motive behind it. Our once happy, innocent world is now polluted and depressing. All things fall apart because the center cannot hold. It must change to accommodate life’s changes.
T.S. Eliot and Yulisa Amadu Maddy are two authors who deal with this theory in their writings. Eliot published "The Waste Land" shortly after World War I. The horrific war drastically changed the mentality of the world. Thousands died. The living were left with endless questions: Why did so many die? Did the life of the deceased have any meaning? What is the meaning of any persons life? These questions prove that the center of society is changing. Not long before this period, people were content. They lived their lives day to day without questioning their actions. Now, they must second-guess everything, not just daily choices, but the entire reason that they must make such choices. The war to end all wars did not end the internal battles of it’s survivors. They are confused and helpless in the wasteland left by destruction.
In No Past, No Present, No Future, Maddy proves it does not take a war for things to fall apart. His story is of three men who make some life changing mistakes. These circumstances are not as globally traumatic as a war. Still, they cause each character to question his every action, just as the war caused society to question every action. Their centers change as their ways of thinking change. Each person suffers through their own internal battles. Things begin to fall to pieces while their centers transform.
Sex is the catalyst for all destruction. As children, we are oblivious to it. Our bodies have not reached full maturity. Therefore, we have no desire for sexual indulgence or experimentation. The Thrills of prepubescent life come from exploring surroundings. We play and develop our personalities and imaginations. The entire time, we are learning and growing physically and intellectually.
	The novel illuminates light on the situation not just during the Vietnam era, but also rather throughout all history and the future to come. Throughout mankind’s occupation of earth, we have been plagued by war and the sufferings caused by it. Nearly every generation of people to walk this earth have experienced a great war once in their lifetimes. For instance, Vietnam for my father’s generation, World War 2 for my grandfather’s, and World War 1 for my great-grandfather’s. War has become an unavoidable factor of life. Looking through history and toward the future, I grow concerned over the war that will plague my generation, for it might be the last war.
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Benjamin R. Foster. Text. Martin Puncher. New York: W.W and Company, 2013.Print.
Humans have believed this since the beginning of time, valuing their survival and existence over animals, nature, and anything else that came in its way. Annie Dillard is an American author who has written many award-winning pieces in various genres, as well as been awarded a Pulitzer Prize. In Annie Dillard’s creative non-fiction essay “The Wreck of Time”, she discusses the effects of human life on the planet and human population within the last century. She introduces the idea that “there must be something ultimately heroic about our time, something that sets it above all those other times” (Dillard 56). This idea is that people value human life that is spent here on earth and the lives of everyone around them. People believe that each century becomes more and more valuable and impactful towards the progression of our society. People see that in ‘those other times’ people were not as smart as they are now and didn’t contribute as much to the world. Due to this, the value of human life only continues to increase as the impact that one human being can contribute also increases. During one’s life they will form connections and relationships that they value and find to be extremely important within their personal
Mortal and immortal women inspire many of the events that take place in The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh. For example, without the harlot, who “tames” Enkidu, the story of Gilgamesh would not be, as we know it. A chapter entitled, “Women in Ancient Epic” from A Companion to Ancient Epic by Helene Foley compares Ishtar in Gilgamesh to Calypso and Circe in The Odyssey. By comparing the role of immortal and mortal women in both The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, one will be able to discern how the feminine figures have played a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the epic heroes, as well as, understanding the interrelation amongst the female figures of both ancient epics.
Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land and Other Poems, New York, London, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers, 1988
War always seems to have no end. A war between countries can cross the world, whether it is considered a world war or not. No one can be saved from the reaches of a violent war, not even those locked in a safe haven. War looms over all who recognize it. For some, knowing the war will be their future provides a reason for living, but for others the war represents the snatching of their lives without their consent. Every reaction to war in A Separate Peace is different, as in life. In the novel, about boys coming of age during World War II, John Knowles uses character development, negative diction, and setting to argue that war forever changes the way we see the world and forces us to mature rapidly.
Women, on the other hand, play many more roles than men in this classic. Take Ninsun, the mother of Gilgamesh, for example. She plays the role of the loving, caring mother and also that of the wise counselor that provides guidance. From the very beginning of the book, Gilgamesh seeks guidance from his mother. When he has two dreams about an axe and a meteor, full of concern, he seeks the advice of his mother. At this point, she plays the role of the guiding, comforting mother by analyzing his dreams and relating the two objects to something good, Enkidu, that will soon come into Gilgamesh's life. "My son, the axe you saw is a friend...and I, Ninsun, I shall make him your equal. A mighty comrade will come to you, and be his friend's saviour..." (George, I, 288-291).
Hazel, M. "Change is crucial in a person’s life." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2008. .
in a patriarchal society, women lie at the bottom of the social hierarchy. A patriarchy judges women for their beauty and innocence rather than merit and intelligence. Throughout the twenty-four books of The Odyssey as well as Game of Thrones, a modern day rendition of medieval society written by George. R. R. Martin, women struggle for power in society. In these societies, in order to be accepted and respected, women need to submit to society.
The ancient Mesopotamian writing, The Epic of Gilgamesh, gives readers insight into the traditions and customs of the people who wrote it. Like all epics, The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of a heroic national figure: this epic gives the story of the life of Gilgamesh from his birth as two-thirds god, one-third man to his death. Throughout the epic the importance of loyalty is addressed. In The Epic of Gilgamesh readers see that loyalty is the most important aspect of a Mesopotamian relationship and that there are always consequences for violating trust.
...ildren for experimenting with their sexuality; to discover who they are once they become of age, because in their rebellious phases they might decide to do this just to spite you. As research indicates and from personal experience, parents who are able to talk honestly to their kids about sex tend to be those with open family communication styles and whose parents talked with them about sex. Adolescents who feel close to their parents and who believe that their parents support them are likely to adopt sexual attitudes similar to their parents’ and to limit or delay their sexual activities. There are many things that can be learned from Randa Jarrar’s A Map of Home, and the importance of sexual awakening is just one of those themes.
The writer's purpose in this piece is to inform their audience that if one changes oneself they can make a difference in the world, hence inspire people to change their ways to "make the world a better place".
This stage of the psychosexual development allowed the child's sexual desires and conflict to repress. The child's ego was relatively free from the interference by the id impulsive but at the same time still need to be managed for they were still growing. They tended to control these desires through extracurricular and socially acceptable activities such as school, sports, arts, and technological distractions; and there was to be no penalty for fixation at this stage.
Children is an early age needs to be informed of the dangers that come with life in regards to sexuality. Some students have never learned about the diseases that are possible by not being safe about sexual activity. That’s why it is important that they find out about it at an early age. It is important to know about the consequences of not being safe. Another reason, what if a teen has a disease? Sexual education will hopefully help the individual with seeking treatment.
According to the Advocates for Youth organization, “sex education is the cause of healthy sexual behavior and results in the decline of teen pregnancy.” This could be because sex education teaches young people about sex from a biological and scientific standpoint. Thus, explaining why teens physically feel a certain way when puberty happens. It answers lingering questions about the b...