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The differences between optimism and pessimism
The differences between optimism and pessimism
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Optimism is a necessary quality for the average person. It allows one to strive for the best and persevere. But, can there be such thing as too much optimism? Can it blind individuals from the harsh truths of the world? The answer to both of these questions is yes; as is exemplified by the novel Don Quixote as well as numerous instances in history, Optimism overshadows the more realistic negative consequences of achieving a dream. Protagonist Alonso Quesada, self-dubbed knight-errant Don Quixote, embarks on a rather ill conceived journey in search of a quest. Upon seeing the windmills as giants, Quixote opportunistically takes advantage of the situation and attacks the harmless contraptions resulting in his inevitable defeat. However, the moment that shows the reader the optimistic …show more content…
The naiveté of the main characters actions parallel the types of people that exist in society today. Such people strive for much more than they can realistically aspire to be with the belief of the possibility of success obscuring their perspective. On the other hand, people erring on the side of caution, or rather, pessimism, have a less biased opinion and thus mold their actions to better accommodate the possible adverse aftermath. Unfortunately for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel, they had more in common with Don Quixote than the “Debbie Downers” of the world. Miguel de Cervantes alludes to the beginning of the gradual decline of Spain to point out that such optimism is prevalent in the everyday workings of society. During the late 1400s, the Spanish Monarchy, with the goal of spreading Christianity, outlawed the practice of Islam and Judaism, forcing followers of these “abominations” to flee. The grandeur of the aftereffects concealed the extent to which the so-called “Heretics” aided and catapulted Spain’s
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a well-known Spanish novelist, had previously written several books and plays. However, Cervantes accomplished his greatest literary achievement with Don Quixote in 1605. The book, depicting a portrait of 16th-century Spanish culture, consisted of two parts; however, the second part was not published until 1615. Don Quixote is currently one of the most translated books in the world, receiving international recognition. One reason Don Quixote is considered a literary canon is it is considered the first novel written in Spanish history and one of the greatest novels ever written. Cervantes writing of Don Quixote instantaneously satirizes and makes fun of literary traditions primarily the chivalric tradition. Over
There’s optimism in all literature known to man if not optimism then it would be pessimism. They are the basis of any literature work. It’s found in many books and poems today. In the novel Fahrenheit451 by Ray Bradbury evaluates the theme of optimism. The author Ray Bradbury writes about a guy named Montag who is in a society where firemen burn houses instead of putting fires out. Montag seeks out the good in the books which are banned in this dystopian society where knowledge is forbidden to rise from society. He and other literature seekers pave the way for him to learn knowledge and the freedom of thinking which is against the law in this society. Montag falls in love with books so much that he tries to find someone who can teach him about the books and how important they are to life. The world would fall apart without knowledge no one would have a clue on what to do or how to eat since they don’t have that knowledge at hand. Optimism can also be found in the William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus”, Freedom to Breathe” by Alexander Solzheitsynand and in the speech “The Nobel acceptance by Elie Wiesel.
...too optimistic can result in sadness and despair. Optimism also has the power to blind us from seeing the harsh and cruel realities in life. Optimists focus exclusively on the bright side of life and tend to avoid all the cruel realities. However, when the time comes to face a harsh reality, optimists are unprepared and fail. Wiesel makes this argument to show us the negative effects of optimism. For example, the belief that drinking and driving or speeding is not going to end fatally. Optimists have the mindset of “death is something that happens to others.” Drinking and driving and speeding blind the driver from realizing there is a possibility of death. These optimistic people are the most likely to die due to the fact that they are not aware of this possibilities. Wiesel would agree that optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.
On reading Beloved by Toni Morrison and Don Quixote by Kathy Acker, there seem to be quite a few similarities in themes and characters contained in these texts, the most prevalent of which seems to be of love and language as a path to freedom. We see in Acker’s Don Quixote the abortion she must have before she embarks on a quest for true freedom, which is to love. Similarly, in Morrison’s Beloved, there is a kind abortion, the killing of Beloved by Sethe, which results in and from the freedom that real love provides. And in both texts, the characters are looking for answers and solutions in these "word-shapes" called language.
In The President, Miguel Angel Asturias uses madness as his initial tool to launch a social examination of evil versus good under the strains of a terrifying dictatorship. To paint a vivid picture of the political and social atmosphere under the regime of The President, Asturias wields rich and abstract imagery, repetition and metaphors throughout his novel to punctuate, foreshadow, and illuminate. Wind is one of these recurring metaphors, and is used as a representation of a storm brewing, a constant reminder (premonition of) that what is to come. Like the weather, acts of political tyranny cannot be foreseen with much clarity. The underlying corruption of government, depicted by flies, denotes the rotting, state of affairs on which the story is founded.
In medieval times, knight-errants roamed the countryside of Europe, rescuing damsels and vanquishing evil lords and enchanters. This may sound strange to many people in this time, but what if a person read so many books that he could not determine the real from that which was reading? The Adventures of Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes a prime example. Don Quixote, formerly Quixana, was not really a don at all. He was a wealthy, clever farmer who read excessive books about knight-errantry and became irrational. He persuaded a naive peasant named Sancho to become his squire, promising him fortune and a high spot in society. The book consists of many adventures these two had, both were convinced that they were doing brave and honorable acts of chivalry, when they were only two fools running around the countryside. Oedipus has a lot in common with Don as well as a lot of differences. Oedipus becomes king of Thebes. He is notorious for his intelligence and his ability to solve riddles; he saved the city of Thebes and was made its king by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, the mystical being...
Throughout his novel, Don Quixote, Miguel Cervantes effectively uses the transformation of reality to critique and reflect societal and literary norms. In three distinct scenes, Don Quixote or his partner, Sancho, transform reality. Often they are met with other’s discontent. It is through the innkeeper scene, the windmill scene, the Benedictine friar scene, and Quixote’s deathbed scene that Cervantes contemplates revolutionary philosophies and literary techniques. The theme of reality transformation does not even stop there. Sometimes the transformations of reality scenes act as mimetic devices. Ultimately, Miguel Cervantes’ use of transformative scenes acts as a creative backdrop for deeper observations and critiques on seventeenth-century Spanish society.
Optimism was an attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical question: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out: God has made everything for the best, and even though one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still helping the greater good.
In Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo, hope, or rather the lack of hope, is used to demonstrate how acceptance is an act of self-preservation, not defeat. Futile hope leads characters in the novels to despair which can only be resolved by giving up the hope which sustains it. By examining the ways in which characters in Pedro Paramo respond to either the preservation or the disillusion of their hope, this essay will determine how that response illustrates the basic principles of absurdism within the texts.
Don Quixote is one of the oldest forms of the modern novel. Written in the early 17th century it follows the adventures of Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza. In Don Quixote, Cervantes satirizes the idea of a hero. Don Quixote sees himself as a noble knight among the ignorant common folk, but everyone else sees him as a bumbling idiot who has gone mad. Therefore, the novel’s longevity in the western canon is due to the humorous power struggle and the quest of a hero Don Quixote faces throughout the story.
Garcia Marquez presents Maria Cervantes as highly respected and a powerful woman through the use religious allusions or references when developing Maria Cervantes. In the beginning of the story the narrator says that he was sitting “in the apostolic lap of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes” (5). By referring to Maria Cervantes’s lap as apostolic Garcia Marquez creates situational irony. The apostles were the disciples of Jesus Christ so by giving Maria apostolic qualities creates irony mainly because Maria Cervantes’s profession is more than often condemned by religion. By having the narrator on Maria Cervantes’s lap like a child the author creates the presence of dominance with Maria Cervantes because she shaped the lives of the men in the town. Another religious allusion is Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’s name. Her first name Maria is a reference to the Virgin Mary which creates more irony given Maria’s career. Despite the town’s use of religion as reasoning to their critique they failed to realize their hypocrisy because Jesus Christ was known to show compassion towards prostitutes like Mary...
Firstly, people who show an optimism bias feel more happy and satisfied with their life. These people are also more in control of and engaged in their life’s goal, they will not just think about happy thoughts and wait for life to pass, instead they will be engaged in a meaningful life and do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. They are also less likely to give up on a difficult situation and will cope with it. These are people who will not wait for the rain to pass but who learn to dance in the rain in order to fulfil their life’s goal. Unrealistic optimism shows an increased well-being and happiness. With this increased well-being, unrealistically optimistic people are also more able to pick themselves up after a major life
Miguel de Cervantes' “Don Quixote” is one of the finest books ever written. Cervantes makes us love Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. He puts that love to the test through various misadventures that seem to come from a place of fantasy. Instead, the Don and Sancho educate one another (and us) in reality through their conversations and cause otherwise hidden aspects of reality to appear.
Optimistic attitude is a great way to feel better, even during bad times. The interesting question is, whether it can help the optimistic person to live the happy time longer, than his / her pessimistic colleague. The scientists (Maruta, Colligan, Malinchoc, and Offord (2000)) studied this question. They made an experiment: using the data gathered in the mid-1960, they divided the patients in three main groups. The first group was the optimistic, second – mixed, and the last pessimistic. The results were quite unambiguous: for every ten points increase in person’s score on their optimism scale, the risk of early death decreased by nineteen percents. It is a very good result, because, as we can see, the level of optimism is making the life of the peop...
Throughout 'The Spanish Tragedy', by Thomas Kyd, there is a constant theme of justice and revenge. Justice is the supreme law of the land; without justice, a country would fall into disrepute and those who are readily concerned with the status of society would have no grounds to stand upon. Therefore, those in power venerate justice. Revenge, however, upsets the delicate balance that holds Spanish society together. Hieronimo does his best to maintain a civil attitude towards incrimination and justice, but his plans for revenge lay waste to the very law he professes to adore. A series of carefully plotted steps, coupled with thoughts of revenge, reveals the descent of Hieronimo into madness and thereby fueling his rejection of justice.