Solitude)." In this quote Thoreau tries to get his concept of self reliance across to the reader. He claims that he is his greatest companion. This idea from Thoreau is functional but there is room for improvement. Mainly because no one, not even Thoreau can be completely self-reliant, regardless of their desire to be so.
Joe Gould’s Secret by Joseph Mitchell Joe Gould’s Secret by Joseph Mitchell concerns itself with the relationship between Mitchell and a man named Joe Gould, who was one of his subjects. These two men who are completely different and lead different lives, but very much see themselves in each other. Joe Gould was from Norwood, Massachusetts and classified himself as a Bohemian because of his lifestyle, and was very well known in the Bohemian community. He attended Harvard University not because he wanted to, but because his father and grandfather did and he wanted to continue the legacy. At fifty-three years old, he looked like that of a seventy-five year old.
His father despised white people and barely ever trusted any of them, which was the stem of his paranoia. Baldwin continues his life and begins to understand where his father’s anger and hatred towards whites came from. A specific line in the essay that basically sums up the Baldwin’s reason for this story would be “I learned in New Jersey that to be a Negro mean, precisely, that one was never looked at but was simply at the mercy of the reflexes the color of one’s skin caused in other people.” What Baldwin means in this statement is that he finally understood the hatred his father had in him towards the whole white against black situation. It gives the impression that he never really knew what the big deal was and that he realized the hardship his father went through which led him to a gloomy and unhappy life. This line is very significant because James Baldwin himself is a black male.
He believes that you can try as hard as you want but you can’t make it to something that does not exist. Much like the American dream, Gatsby’s goal is just an idea created in his head and no matter how much he is shown that he can’t get to where he wants, he refuses to accept the fact that he’s not getting anywhere. “His dream [seems] so close that he [can’t] hardly fail to grasp it... Gatsby [believes] in the green light… It [eludes them]... but [they] will… stretch out [their] arms further,”(180) thus showing that he will not give up even if he can’t get where he wants. By using the word eluded, Nick is saying that the dream is escaping them. The American Dream is just an illusion that is created.
During his teenage years in Harlem, Baldwin started to realize that he was gay. In 1948, he left the United States because he was disillusioned by the prejudice in American towards blacks and gays, and settled in Paris, a city which was more tolerant. The fact that he was gay alienated many black leaders who did not want to confront a black author that was gay. Baldwin was one of the first author’s and certainly one of the first African American writers to deal openly with the issue of homosexuality in his writing. He published only a few books dealing directly about homosexuality.
The protagonist, Winston Smith, is a lower-party member who has grown to resent the society he is living in and starts to lose his rationality and sanity due to the restrictions of society. "And in the general hardening of outlook that set in ... practices which had been long abandoned - imprisonment without trial, the use of war prisoners as slaves, public executions, torture to extract confessions, the use of hostages and the deportation of whole populations - not only became common again, but were tolerated and even defended by people who considered themselves enlightened and progressive. "(p.130) Winston clearly hated the Party and all he wants is liberty of his actions and ideas. He will fight his hardest to revolt and stop the Inner Party’s “dictatorship.” To keep all of this in order, and to avoid revolts, the Inner Party has to think of creative and smart ways to control the public. This is done by introducing orthodox methods in the minds of the Party members such as with childhood.
Ethan Frome Throughout the novel Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, the main character Ethan goes through hard time in his life, internal and external which eventually lead to his downfall. Ethan is very much a tragic hero because of various tragic flaws in him. Ethan From has very poor judgment and lacks the ability to analyze situations. This flaw leads to problems, including marrying Zeena, his wife, as well as having a relationship with Mattie. Another flaw which Ethan has is his lack in ability to communicate with the people around him.
In the novel, The Catcher in The Rye, the protagonist Holden Caufield seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him. As he says to his professor Mr. Spencer, he feels trapped on “the other side” of life, and he continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong. This alienation is both the source of Holden’s strength and the source of his problems. Part of Holden’s alienation is a result of his inability, or perhaps unwillingness, to grow up. Like a child, Holden fears change and is overwhelmed by complexity, but he is too out of touch with his feelings to admit it.
It seems that he has his own principles that he puts before the interests. Obama can only lead America to its damnation and not otherwise and he has probably already signed himself in as one term president. The decisions he makes about America are all wrong for America even when the policies are good. This is like putting the card before the horse but still getting the wrong horse into the harness. Generally, Obama is bad for America and so is his presidency.
The Effectiveness of Reconstruction The end of the Civil War spawned waste and corruption, with Americans untrusting of their political system. The death of Lincoln brought upon the nation unqualified presidents, whose policies did little to ease the dilemmas that the country was facing. Most prominently was Reconstruction, which sat heavily on the shoulders of the government, and had to be handled with utmost care and tact, as it would determine the relationship between the North and the South for years to come. Nevertheless, the inept government led to the failure of Reconstruction. In the Union, though preserved, still lingered resentment between the two sides the Reconstruction failed to soften, and slavery, though abolished, still existed through different forms and the oppression of black rights ensued.