Love as an impairer or love as an enhancer. As I went along reading these literary pieces, such as Proust’s Swann In Love, and Marquez’s Love In The Time Of Cholera, I couldn’t help but continuously see love being implicitly depicted as an impairer. I did manage to find a great example of love as an enhancer in Nussbaum’s Loves Knowledge. Love impairs our judgments and makes us do ridiculous things that we only do whilst in love. The impaired nature of our minds can be both beautifully displayed in the most innocent of ways or completely strange and misguided. But when enhanced, beautiful cognition of one’s self occurs. A jolt of something so real and all knowing happens, cataleptic impression.
In Nussbaum’s, Loves Knowledge, love shows itself as an enhancer. In this particular case it was love as an enhancer of knowledge of one’s state of heart. Marcel, when he hears of Albertine’s departure, says, “I had believed that I was leaving nothing out of account, like a rigorous analyst; I had believed that I knew the state of my own heart” (Nussbaum, 162). Marcel believes that he is not in love with Albertine, but it requires “this sort of scrutiny…for the requisite self-knowledge” (Nussbaum, 162) for him to come to terms with the truth of his heart. The scrutiny described is a form of self-deception, Nussbaum says. Marcel had to go through a cataleptic experience; anguish, an immense new jolt, a physical blow…to the heart, like a thunderbolt, in order to render himself responsible for the true way he was feeling about Albertine and her departure. This all comes as an “acknowledgement of his love” (Nussbaum 268). Nussbaum explains that there are elements of both discovery and creation here when Marcel has this experie...
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The duty of proving faithfulness or its counter inundates Swann’s mind with thoughts of who, what and why Odette is doing this. The constant searching for evidence exhausts Swann and has him going mad. Just one more example of how at times your duty whilst in love can backfire and cause cognitive dissonance in your thoughts resulting in resentment or overthinking.
Works Cited
Garcia, Marquez. Love In The Time Of Cholera. New York: Vintage International 2003. Print.
Proust, Marcel. Swann In Love. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, INC, 2002. Print.
Krishnan, Rahul. Timothy Reckart’s Head Over Heels. Columbus, OH. 2014. Essay.
Garcia, Marquez. Love In The Time Of Cholera. New York: Vintage International 2003. Print.
Nussbaum, Martha. Loves Knowledge. Print.
Proust, Marcel. Swann's Way. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, INC, 2002. Print.
I enjoyed reading Disciplined Hearts by Theresa O'Nell because i find that many people today do not know a lot about the Native American culture and what they have been through. Their cultures history is not talked about as much the African American or Hispanic's are. Most Americans know about the hardships that the African American and Hispanics had to overcome to assimilate to the level that they are today. I think O'Nell is trying to talk about the history of the Native American culture because, she believes that the reason that their culture is not well-known because of the fact that they have chosen to keep living like their ancestors and not assimilate to the American culture.
Every individual has two lives, the life we live, and the life we live after that. Nobody is perfect, but if one works hard enough, he or she can stay away from failure. The Natural is a novel written by Bernard Malamud. It is Malamud’s first novel that initially received mixed reactions but afterwards, it was regarded as an outstanding piece of literature. It is a story about Roy Hobbs who after making mistakes in his life, he returns the bribery money and is left with self-hatred for mistakes he has done. Hobbs was a baseball player who aspired to be famous, but because of his carnal and materialistic desire, his quest for heroism failed, as he was left with nothing. In the modern world, the quest for heroism is a difficult struggle, and this can be seen through the protagonist in The Natural.
Traditions, heritage and culture are three of the most important aspects of Chinese culture. Passed down from mother to daughter, these traditions are expected to carry on for years to come. In Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, daughters Waverly, Lena, Rose and June thoughts about their culture are congested by Americanization while on their quests towards self-actualization. Each daughter struggles to find balance between Chinese heritage and American values through marriage and professional careers.
In Aphra Behn’s Oroonko, and Voltaire’s Candide, love is a subject of prominence; it serves as a starting point for both of these characters. For example, if Candide hadn’t fallen in love with his insatiable beauty, Cunegonde, he would not have been thrown from his home, castle Thunder-Ten-Tronckh, and sent on his dreadful journey across Europe. “The Baron of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh passed by the screen and, talking note of this cause and this effect, drove Candide out of the castle by kicking him vigorously in the backside (Voltaire 356). Throughout the entire story, Voltaire discusses Candide’s impalpable feelings for Cunegonde; he even commits twice to be with his fair maiden. Throughout the entire story, Candid, discusses his impalpable feelings for Cunegonde; he even commits twice to be with his fair maiden. “It was a quick, clear chain of reasoning; without giving the inquisitor time to recover from surprise, he ran him through and laid him beside the Jew” (Voltaire 367). Candid will even leave the “best of all worlds”, Eldorado, to retrieve Cunegonde, from the Governor of Buenos Aires, whom Cunegonde willing accepted a proposal from, thinking only about her own wellbeing. “We have enough to pay off the governor of Buenos Aires-if indeed; a price is placed on Miss Cunegonde” (Voltaire 385). Likewise, Oroonko’s’ love for his beautiful, Imoinda marks the starting point of his unfortunate journey. For example, Oroonko’s lover Imoinda is sent a veil, from his grandfather, the king; the veil signified that Imoinda was now his wife, therefor, she and Oroonoko, were no longer able to pursue marriage. “He sent the royal veil to Imoinda; that is the Ceremony of Invitation: he sends the lady, he has mind to honour with his bed, a vei...
Amy Tan’s ,“Mother Tongue” and Maxine Kingston’s essay, “No Name Woman” represent a balance in cultures when obtaining an identity in American culture. As first generation Chinese-Americans both Tan and Kingston faced many obstacles. Obstacles in language and appearance while balancing two cultures. Overcoming these obstacles that were faced and preserving heritage both women gained an identity as a successful American.
Suggesting that people are often blind to love, Bram Stoker, in his novel, Dracula, depicts the unwillingness of Arthur to believe the words of Van Helsing indicating that Lucy has become undead. Despite seeing the physical evidence of Lucy being undead, Arthur was still almost taken by Lucy’s vampirism when he saw her. His illogical action to run towards danger indicates his desire to ignore the truth. The perfect image of the woman he loves has become tainted and he refuses to acknowledge this. This indicates that love can deceive the minds of people. Instead of acting rationally, people may ignore the faults of their lovers and fail to see reality. Although love may be a beautiful emotion between people, love can also be fatal to one’s sense
The short story What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, by Raymond Carver, is about two married couples drinking gin and having a talk about the nature of love. The conversation is a little sloppy, and the characters make some comments which could either be meaningless because of excessive alcohol in the bloodstream, or could be the characters' true feelings because of excessive alcohol in the bloodstream. Overall, the author uses this conversation to show that when a relationship first begins, the people involved may have misconceptions about their love, but this love will eventually die off or develop into something much more meaningful.
In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself. The daughter must deal with an internal and external conflict. Internally, she struggles to find herself. Externally, she struggles with the burden of failing to meet her mother’s expectations. Being a first-generation Asian American, I have faced the same issues that the daughter has been through in the story.
Breaking rules is what makes humans learn. This is what David Levithan interpreted in his 322-page fictional novel, Every Day. David Levithan uses characterization, vivid imagery, and irony to convey to readers that systems don’t follow rules.
There are many policy issues that affect families in today’s society. Hunger is a hidden epidemic and one major issue that American’s still face. It is hard to believe that in this vast, ever growing country, families are still starving. As stated in the book Growing Up Empty, hunger is running wild through urban, rural, and even suburban communities. This paper will explore the differing perspectives of the concerned camp, sanguine camp, and impatient camp. In addition, each camps view, policy agenda, and values that underlie their argument on hunger will be discussed.
As any romantic will assert, love is by far the most powerful force known to human hearts and minds. This sentiment is espoused throughout history, almost to the point of cliché. Everyone has heard the optimistic statement, “love conquers all,” and The Beatles are certain, however idyllic it may be, that “all you need is love.” Humanity is convinced that love is unique within human emotion, unequalled in its power to both lift the spirit up in throws of ecstasy, and cast it down in utter despair.
In the story, The Natural, certain characters and events are portrayed in a distinctive way that makes this story unique to other books and shows the typical writing style of the narrator. The author uses a repetitive writing technique that is impossible to overlook. The writer of this book is able to catch the reader’s eye with his concept of the importance of beautiful description. The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, uses great imagery that makes the story appealing.
English is an invisible gate. Immigrants are the outsiders. And native speakers are the gatekeepers. Whether the gate is wide open to welcome the broken English speakers depends on their perceptions. Sadly, most of the times, the gate is shut tight, like the case of Tan’s mother as she discusses in her essay, "the mother tongue." People treat her mother with attitudes because of her improper English before they get to know her. Tan sympathizes for her mother as well as other immigrants. Tan, once embarrassed by her mother, now begins her writing journal through a brand-new kaleidoscope. She sees the beauty behind the "broken" English, even though it is different. Tan combines repetition, cause and effect, and exemplification to emphasize her belief that there are more than one proper way (proper English) to communicate with each other. Tan hopes her audience to understand that the power of language- “the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth”- purposes to connect societies, cultures, and individuals, rather than to rank our intelligence.
Ever wondered how love can bring you happiness and pain and make you sane and crazy at the same time. How this emotion can change you and make you accept things you are not used to. How this emotion can overpower you in many ways in which you did not know existed. In Lancelot by Chretien de Troyes, the power of love is a commanding driving force that can dominate a person’s mind, body, and soul and one who is courageous enough to love sometimes undergoes serious consequences. Consequences that are driven from the power of love that harm and cause hardship to the one who is determined to seek love.
Love is classified as the stereotypical eccentric and bubbly emotion with a fairly positive connotation. When you feel love, you feel like you are walking on air and you don’t understand it but all you know is that you are feeling the quintessence of happiness. In a relationship, love makes you feel a oneness with another human being. You feel like you are the only two people in the world and nothing can break it apart. Love can do all these things but it's not all happy. When you feel love you can feel pain and sadness similar to that of hate. The chemical the body release as a result of love and affection is called Oxytocin. Oxytocin cause our bodies to feel pleasure but this isn't the only thing it does, it also lowers the levels of stress hormones in the body, reducing blood pressure and can even increase tolerance of pain and the speed at which wounds heal. One of the worst feelings you can have with the sadness of love is experiencing unrequited love. This is a common occurrence in many relationships. One person may feel for the other and the other just does not think they are the right match. Unrequited love is a major theme that is seem throughout media especially in the play "Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare. After Puck accidentally gives the love potion to Lysander and Demetrius and they both fall in love with Helena, Hermia feels a brief stint of unrequited love now that the man she loves, Lysander, is now in love with Helena and not her. Another exa...