(Aurelius, n.d.) Book Two in The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is about how to live your life. It is from the wisdom that his grandfather, Verus, taught him as he was growing up. “Every moment think steadily as a Roman and a man to do what thou hast in hand with perfect and simple dignity, and feeling of affection, and freedom, and justice; and to give thyself relief from all other thoughts. And thou wilt give thyself relief, if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last, laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the
He used whatever little money he could get to purchase books. These illustrations show that it is never too early to make the choice to focus on the necessary things of life. Franklin at the age of twelve became an apprentice at his brother’s print shop even though he desired the sea. Instead of leading his readers to believe that he was miserable because of this somewhat forced decision under the coercion of his father, he points out the advantages. He now has access to better books and the occasion to make new acquaintances who aid him in his self-improvement tasks.
Larry Platt tackles the journey of Allen Iverson and attempts to explain how he has crossed over into mainstream American without changing his self image in the book title “Only the Strong Survive Odyssey of Allen Iverson.” This book started out of conversation between Platt, Ann (Iverson’s mom), and Allen about writing the Iverson’s family autobiography but instead turns into what Platt says “an originally reported, part bio, part meditation on the phenomenon that is Allen Iverson.” Mr. Platt is author, reporter, and editor of a Philadelphia magazine. His background aids him when writing about Allen Iverson because he goes in to grave detail about events that effected Iverson, one being bowl alley incident that lead to Allen’s incarceration at the age of seventeen. The reason I stumble across the subject that is Allen Iverson because what he means to black youth, in all hoods across America Iverson is thought as one of them a real nigga were it be through all of his tattoos of self expression or how he keeps it all the way real, or easier put take me as I am attitude. Allen is not only one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, he also a hip hop icon and represents the misunderstood youth of America. Iverson’s historic contribution to the NBA are what we believe is the new defenses such as how teams can now run zones (we the youth thinks this a ploy just to slow him down from scoring baskets), the increase calls on carrying the basketball which took away his crossover dribble which help propel him into mainstream, fashion need we say arm and leg sleeves that players now wear in both basketball and football.
The voice of Frank shows the immaturity of him during his childhood. That juvenile voice magnified the intensity of the book and grabs a hold of the readers attention. Frank McCourt, it seems, intended to write this book for anyone who has lived, or is living a hard childhood. This audience could relate with what he went through. I think Frank is trying to teach that the struggles that you go through only make you stronger when you have to face the world.
Ishmael Daniel Quinn’s novel Ishmael takes a new approach to the teacher-student relationship. Quinn starts of the novel with a newspaper ad that says that the teacher is seeking the student and the student must have an earnest desire to save the world. This ad originally annoys the narrator because this ad reminds him of his childhood. The narrator as child always had the desire to change the world and he remembers how during his childhood there was a big movement for change, but always hated giving up on his dream This is the point when the narrator decides to go and apply to be the student and where the whole setting of novel changes. Once the narrator arrives in the room he learns that his teacher is a mind-reading gorilla.
During this course to wealth and respect, he does admit to making mistakes. Franklin describes these mistakes as his “errata” and uses these instances to highlight his ideal of self-improvement as a virtue. Franklin's story of his road to success from humble origins, work ethic, and virtues makes his life an allegory for the American dream. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest boy in his family and the fifteenth of seventeen children. His older brothers were prepped to be men of trade and begin apprenticing at an early age.
Gogol finally changes his “good name” to Nikhil; the one his parents wanted him to have when he was small. Nikhil spent his full life in exploring, searching and transforming himself. However, as he grows older, he comes to appreciate what his parents went through while moving to this country and how hard it was for them to adapt to their adopted country. It won’t be wrong to say that it is a novel of self discovery and is very well written. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The Namesake takes the reader behind the closed doors of people who have immigrated to find a better life and the challenges they unexpectedly discover in the process.
So the cultural background of these boys had trained them to see life in a much different way until they have Mr. Keating for an English teacher and he gives his “Carpe Diem “speech which greatly changes their perceptions of school, the future, and life. One of the characters Neal Perry struggles with his own demons after the free thinking Mr. Keating has inspired him to discover that he does not want to be the doctor that his father has so much pushed him to be but rather an actor. Acting is what he is passionate about. Neal was motivated and controlled all his life by his father’s wishes. It was a learned response that to get his father’s approval, he must go the route of prep school, medical school, and then a career as a doctor.
Baker also is the author of the book “Growing Up”, which also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1982. In Russell Baker’s writing called “Becoming a Writer” Baker documents the early start of his writing career. Baker explains that at the young age of sixteen years old he knew he was destined to become a great writer, which is solidified with a retrospective evaluation of his career. Baker’s quote “The only thing that truly interested me was writing, and I knew that sixteen year olds did not come out of high school and become writers.” Showcases his predetermined choice of career despite the obvious opposition of the society in which he lived. Put simply, Russell Baker examined the mitigating circumstances of his career choice and remained determined to achieve his goal of becoming a writer, despite his youthfulness.
When he came back he says “...I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention for ever” This suggests that he experienced immoral behaviour and wants change. The beginning of the chapter is structured in a way that Nick jumps from topic to topic, after talking about his upbringing he briefly talks about Gatsby, then goes back to talk about his family and his job before coming back to the present to discuss his current life in the East, before going back to discuss Gatsby’s mansion . One way to consider these ideas of Nick being connected is the fact that Nick craves a strong male role model, first his Father and then Gatsby. Later in the chapter Nick goes to visit his cousin Daisy and her partner Tom for a dinner party. This random party is another way in which Fitzgerald tells the story.