Prologue:
History has always been an area of interest. How can we live our present and anticipate the future if we don’t have a fundamental base? In other words, how did our past shape us and led us to be who we are? This abstract, almost ineffable question has been the focus of man researches and theories. To demonstrate one of many interpretations of this debate, let the earth and our lives be a house of cards; each piece of information or a memory is a card that is added each day above the cards that already exist. Thus, some kind of a pyramid is created. Yet it is so fragile, that if the house of cards is not built properly and if it doesn’t have a powerfully built base, new cards will only cause damage. Elaborating this theory, in order
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Without the history, this well-oiled machine that is the human race and the earth will cease to exist. As new cards are added, the base is less strong, and less destructible. This is a story of an eager, courageous, eccentric child who prevented the destruction of the historic house of cards.
Chapter 1:
It was a dreary night when Jean just couldn’t sleep. It was already 1am, and, desperately, he opened his eyes, while realizing his night is ruined. Since the street was blocked by the police, memories of the past have been haunting him; chasing him; torturing him. That is, seeing what he saw was so unusual to the regular world. Yes, he was completely sane, thank you for asking. It wasn’t merely his imagination which produced these stories. “Did you get me a Mummy” asked Adrien, disparaging Jean who insisted he visited Ancient Egypt the night
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She has been there for him in his hardest years, after his grandfather, or her husband, Francois, passed away because of the very same enemy. This led to his father’s addiction to alcohol. And yet, he has had joyous memories from his home. He remembered the annual Christmas feast, for example, when the overpowering, tempting smell of his mother’s cinnamon Palmiers just wouldn’t leave the house. Furthermore, he remembered how his mom, Margaux, of whom he was so proud, bought a Père Noël custom, and every year, unsuccessfully attempted to pretend to be him and bury the Christmas presents in the shoes. He appreciated his mother. She was a woman in her forties, quite short, and slim. She was neither muscular, nor weak, and always wore velvet clothes and a small handkerchief. As appropriate to a French woman, she was meticulously well-kept; her eyebrows perfectly shaped as a narrow semi-circle, her eyelashes, long and straight, her long, black, wavy hair, her almost-perfect, straight teeth, and that one askew tooth which is her identifying mark, and symbolizes even she wasn’t perfect. And she wasn’t. Despite her compassionate, ultimately-smiling face, Margaux espoused tough love, as her way of education. It wasn’t too hard to make her scream, but at the end, Jean knew she loves him. After these crises, his mother gradually began to be more and more
The study of past events have been a common practice of mankind since the verbal telling of stories by our ancestors. William Cronon, in his article “Why the Past Matters,” asserts that the remembrance of the past “keeps us in place.” Our individual memories and experiences shape how we act in our daily lives. In addition to influencing us at an individual level, our collective history binds us together as a society. Without knowing where we have been or what we have experienced, it is nearly impossible to judge progress or know which courses of action to pursue. The goal of the historian is to analyze and explain past events, of which they rarely have firsthand memory of, and apply the gained knowledge to make connections with current and future events.
However as Jeanette and her siblings quickly lose their innocence and are pulled into the reality of life, her idolization of her parents, (especially her father) gradually lessens and she comes to terms with their flawed lifestyle. As she begins to lose hope in her parents, she begins describing them in a more negative light. For example, she exposes the intensification of her father's drinking problem. “He staggered off to the bathroom, came back, ordered one for the road, slammed the shot glass down on the bar, and walked to the door. He lost his footing trying to open it and sprawled on the floor. I tried to help him up, but he kept falling over”(page?) This repugnant and embarrassing description of Rex, contrasts how Jeanette tried to showcase his admirable qualities earlier in the story. In the sentence she also no longe...
To begin, In the text on paragraph 10 page 326 the author states”Mother regarded me warmly. She gave me to understand that she was glad I had found what I have been looking for, that she and father were happy to sit with their coffee and would not be coming down.”This is important because she realizes they
When I wake up in the morning and see my mother, I find every characteristic of a perfect woman in her. She is a strong willed, confident, and attractive woman. She has wavy, black hair and dark brown eyes. Her face has a slightly rectangular oval, which makes her look both gentle and strong. She has high, arching eyebrows and a slightly turned up nose. Her chin is smooth and luminous. She is not tall, about five feet, but she is slim and graceful.
It is easily inferred that the narrator sees her mother as extremely beautiful. She even sits and thinks about it in class. She describes her mother s head as if it should be on a sixpence, (Kincaid 807). She stares at her mother s long neck and hair and glorifies virtually every feature. The narrator even makes reference to the fact that many women had loved her father, but he chose her regal mother. This heightens her mother s stature in the narrator s eyes. Through her thorough description of her mother s beauty, the narrator conveys her obsession with every detail of her mother. Although the narrator s adoration for her mother s physical appearance is vast, the longing to be like her and be with her is even greater.
What is history? Many believe that history is what is read in textbooks, or what is seen on the news. If Susan Griffin were asked that question, she would probably argue that history is much more than that. It is about the minds and souls of the people who went through the historical event, not simply what happened. In her essay, Griffin incorporates stories of people from totally different backgrounds, and upbringings, including herself, all to describe their account of one time period. Each person’s history is somehow connected with the next person’s, and each story contr...
The relationship shared by Pierre and Helene is best described as a lustful charade. It is no coincidence that Pierre, one of the most introspective characters in the novel, first marries a shallow, inwardly-ugly adulterer. His first recorded attitude towards Helene is one of admira...
she was pretty and that was everything” (225). This captivation with herself along with the constant looking in the mirrors and thinking her mother was only pestering her all the time because her mother’s own good looks were long gone by now (225) shows a sign of immaturity because she believes everything revolves around whether or not someo...
The patterns of living that the world witnesses today are greatly influenced by history. This is because of the fact that history plays an immense role in forming one’s future; the abundant interactions socially, economically, politically, result in repercussions that can hardly be unraveled. However, this does not in anyway mean that one cannot trace today’s state of affairs back to its roots. Tracing today’s occurrences back to their origin is possible due to the fact that the agents’ (nations) origins are known.
Mrs. Reilly is Ignatius’ mother. She has arthritis of the elbow and shows a genuine interest in the well being of her child while on the same time feels a slight feeling of resentment of his overpowering each and every conversation as well as the trouble he finds himself in.
Introduction The past is another country, where it is only possible to go as a tourist, and which we will never fully understand. We can describe what we see, but it is far more difficult to know why people acted in the way they did, or what they believed, and why they believed it.
Is the narrator of “The Tell Tale Heart” sane or insane? “Sanity: a sound of mind; not mad or mentally ill (Webster Dictionary pg. 862).” In the short story, “The Tell Tale Heart.” the narrator tries to convince the audience that he is sane; he says “... but why will you say that I am mad (Poe pg. 202).” I believe that the narrator is sane. He tries to prove that he is sane throughout the entire short story that he is not mad. For example, he was very wary during the seven days that he stalked the old man, he felt an intense amount of guilt, and that he made this brilliant plan of murder.
When women are kept in their classical role of mother and caretaker, all is well and their lives are simple. Children relate positively to their mothers in this typical setting; while Dantés was in prison, during a time of distress, he remembered something his mother had done for him. For example, Dumas writes, “He remembered the prayers his mother had taught him and found meanings in them which he had formerly been unaware.” (41). Mothers teach their children to the best of their ability, evidenced in Dantés, as well as when Caderousse says Mercédès is instructing her son, Albert. It is in these moments that a mother’s love, compassion, and necessity are revealed. Lives are calm and enriched as long as women are in their niche. This includes non-maternal nurturing roles, for example, Mercédès attentiveness to Dantés father and Valentine’s special ability to care for Nortier. This loyalty is valued and shown as essential for the stability of life. Though The Count of Monte Cristo depicted women as best suited to the home, they intermittently stepped further out of that r...
Though our history may bring back horrible memories of the ?grimmest dimensions of human nature? (Limerick 472), it is necessary to have a good historical background. History gives us the ability to improve future outputs, satisfy our unending need for knowledge, and understand how many policies and regulations have come to be. Without history mankind would be very primitive and ununified. Our complete molding of the world today is almost completely dependent on the fact that we study our history. Without history present day humans would be nothing more than cavemen.
As the story begins the narrator tries to convince the reader that he is not insane. This goes on throughout the story. He says he suffers from over-acuteness. “And have I not told you that what you mist...