Free Public Radio International Essays and Papers

The Glass Menagerie is a tale of a family caught up in their own deep struggles and sometimes selfish dreams. Throughout this memory play, the Wingfield’s struggles and conflicts lie deep within themselves, but also with each other. Laura and Tom each have profound conflicts with their mother, Amanda. What Laura wants for herself is completely different from what Amanda wants for her, as it is with Tom and Amanda. Laura’s quiet, timid life with her glass figurines greatly differs from the vivacious

The Destruction of Laura in The Glass Menagerie In Tennessee William's play, The Glass Menagerie, the character of Laura is like a fragile piece of glass. The play is based around a fragile family and their difficulties coping with life. Laura unable to survive in the outside world - retreating into their apartment and her glass collection and victrola. There is one specific time when she appears to be progressing when Jim is there and she is feeling comfortable with being around him. This

Sarah Waters’ Affinity reflects the subjection of the main character, Margaret Price, to the ideology of her parents and the high society of England. In the passage from pages 209-210, Margaret’s subjection comes out in her discussion with Selina Dawes of the function of the women in society. This passage shows Margaret’s acknowledgment of herself outside the normal guidelines of women in society; this belief in herself as an outcast, ironically, further subjects Margaret to the position of women

Teen Activism Teen activists stand up for what they believe. They see their goal and want to achieve it. But what lies in the way is full of haters, and problems. The thing with these activists is that they laugh at their haters and don’t let them take them down. Their goal doesn’t come easy, but with many sacrifices and dedication. Take Alex Lin, Malala, and Zach Affolter for example, they fought for what they believed. Like all teen activists, they been through thick and thin, sunny and rainy

The world has always noted the physical effects the environment has had on people, but it is rarely documented the way it has affected society’s mentality. Both Nydia Velazquez and Roy Scranton show in their pieces “In Search of Justice” and “Learning to die in the Anthropocene” how, often, change is feared because the outcome is uncertain and it is evident that the environment, what people are surrounded by, has affected the way people respond to change or life in general. Although the physical

There are numerous books on the science fiction market, that deal with the myriad of possibilities involving the technology of the future. John Brunner's book, 'Shockwave Rider,'; is one of the most popular, as well as one of the most famous, books dealing with this issue. Brunner presents many different realities to the reader, and they are all potentially very realistic in terms of the current state of technology. For the most part, Brunner seems to illustrate that technology, as it relates to

As we sit here this evening, knowing not what lies ahead, but feeling satisfied that we have completed this challenge, we start to wonder. What have we gained from these last 13 years of school? How often have we asked ourselves: Why do we attend school? What do we expect to accomplish? And what do we gain? Questions, whose importance we may not fully understand today, but which have drastically molded our futures. Sure, this path hasn't been the easiest to follow, but we navigated through the

Can’t Go Home Again – All Quiet on the Western Front During his leave, perhaps Baumer’s most striking realization of the vacuity of words in his former society occurs when he is alone in his old room in his parents’ house. After being unsuccessful in feeling a part of his old society by speaking with his mother and his father and his father’s friends, Baumer attempts to reaffiliate with his past by once again becoming a resident of the place. Here, among his mementos, the pictures and postcards

Service. BBC World Watch, 12 Jun 2006. Web. 18 Nov 2013. . "11 Facts About Child Soldiers." Do Something. N.p., 26 Mar 2004. Web. 22 Nov 2013. . "Life after death: Helping former child soldiers become whole again." Haravrd School of Public Health. Harvard School of Public Health, 6 Oct 2011. Web. 22 Nov 2013. .

In Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice”, it presents an all out debate about the end of the world. It is clear that, through the title, the poem demonstrates the distinctions in which the world will either be engulfed in flames or covered in ice but the idea of the “lost paradise” is interpreted in a different manner. Frost’s poem is described as humorous or sardonic but there is a bit of irony in the speaker’s tone (230). Frost’s use of “natural lyrics provide a comparison with the outer scene and

Dimension 1: Family (Very Important) My family been a critical piece of my life and has an impact on my personal context. My parent separated during my high school years. I had remained close by to both of them. They are probably the uttermost important people in my life. They have supported me during fragment of the darker moments of my life with their emotional and financial support. Also, I have three siblings. My bother and I am closes in age and grew up doing everything together, even thought

The Struggle for Self-Definition in Boys and Girls When we are adolescents we see the world through our parents' eyes.  We struggle to define ourselves within their world, or to even break away from their world.  Often, the birth of our "self" is defined in a moment of truth or a moment of heightened self-awareness that is the culmination of a group of events or the result of a life crisis or struggle.  In literature we refer to this birth of "self" as an epiphany.  Alice Munro writes in "Boys

I slowly drift in and out of sleep as obfuscated images dance in and out of focus. I find myself falling farther and farther into the darkness of oblivion where nothing is limited. How long will it last? I never know. Time appears to extend beyond all dimensions. The interstice between reality and fabrication widens, and out of the darkness a dim light forms. Objects begin materializing from beyond the ghostly shadows, and a vast new world is created. Looming in the infinite mist, a girl

Impact of Western model of growth On Bangkok The amassing of the world's populace in urban territories is developing at a gigantically fast rate, and inside that wonder, projections call for significantly more quick development of megacities, as of now characterized by the United Nations (UN) as urban communities of in excess of 10 million individuals (Parker, J. 2002). The meaning of what is a megacity is unmistakably self-assertive, as the populace focus that separates megacities from other urban

The first article that I read was “Work Pressure Demands more Downtime than a Fleeting Week Off.” It was a very interesting take on how the world that we live in can become a place of pressure and breakdowns. The workplace and the home place no longer exist. The people that this study was conducted on became a product of their work and could no longer separate themselves from it. According to “Work Pressure Demands more Downtime,” “A 13-year study of four cohorts of investment bankers illustrates

In this world today, things are so much different than 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. Judgments have become so much harsher. Today you can read people 's ways. For example, if you walk by someone and they stare you down and scrunch up their face, they have something negative about you. However, if you walk past someone and they smile and wink or continue looking at you they are thinking something platitude about you. But, because the world has changed so much in the last few years, how do we

Now, although both Kanda and Paru Amma are in two different settings and circumstances, both have some similarities on their opinions of issues going on around them. Kanda’s point of view is mostly reflected in her letters to her husband, and being a protester, her views shape her thoughts and actions about almost every aspect of her life. Most of Kanda’s letters or thoughts take on more of a symbolic tone which are really due to her working as a protester and possible influence form Gandhi. She

In the article “Teenagers Leading Happy, Connected Lives Online” KJ Dell Antonia argues that the online world gives teenagers the opportunity to expand their social circles. While the thesis statement does have hints of truth to it, the author never truly responds to the dangers of online communication and friend making; creating what seems to be a one sided argument bringing no sense of depth to the article. Online bullying is a hot topic trend in the cyber world that surrounds the internet and

To some madness can be a comedy, but to others it is a deadly tragedy, and these two opinions are shown in Hamlet and Don Quixote. Both Hamlet and Don Quixote are men who deal with their minds descent into madness, yet their stories are different. One is a dark tragedy that explores how one man’s madness can impact all those around him, and another is a light comedy about the adventures of a deranged and confused man. Both are opposites in regards to how the world treats their madness and the

Explenetoun uf thi mithud (eruand 500-600) Accurdong tu thi onfurmetoun frum Thi Wurld Cefé (2008), thi pruciss uf Cefé cunvirsetoun sterts et smell cefé-styli teblis woth fuar tu fovi piupli iech. Indovodaels woll swotch tu enuthir tebli un iech ruand uf cunvirsetoun whoch tekis eppruxometily 20-30 monatis. Aftir cumplitong thi forst ruand uf cunvirsetoun, uni pirsun woll rimeon et thi tebli end bicumi thi “hust” fur thi ixplenetoun uf thi meon odies, thimis end qaistouns frum thi privouas cunvirsetouns