Appreciation for the smaller things in life allows one to make the best out of a bad situation. An appreciation of these things may be vulnerable to the influence of one’s mood. This becomes apparent to Alain de Botton when he states, “When we are in a good mood and it is sunny, it is tempting to impute a connection between what happens inside and outside of us, but the appearance of London on my return was a reminder of the indifference of the world to any of the events unfolding in the lives of its inhabitants” (59). There is a common misconception that the external environment can affect one’s internal mood ones, though it is moderately the opposite happening: mood affects how we perceive the weather; however, that is not the case. The environment can play a major role in one’s mood, but in another aspect; a person’s temper is a factor in how they perceive the weather.
Jamiel Pittman Professor Williams English 111 FE 30 October 2013 In this paper I will draw the parallels of good villains and bad villains. Often we characterize the “bad guys” as characters whom are not liked and not appreciated. However they are more likely to be more interesting than the heroes or “good guys”. I believe “bad guys” make stories more intriguing for a bunch of reasons. The idea of incorporating a fictitious character in a story that goes to great lengths to be “destructive” is always suspenseful.
Both “The Prelude” by William Wordsworth and “London” By William Blake” convey strong ideas and feelings about a place. Blake’s poem is most subjective about the city, contrary to the title. The reader would think that the title “London” is objective and unbiased; however Blake’s condemnation of the city is apparent from the start of the poem. On a simple level, the poem is a description of the misery Blake sees as he “wanders” around London. On a deeper level however, he is criticizing not only the condition of the city itself, but the monarchy and government who oppress it.
I would argue that in this excerpt of Ask the Dust John Fante's character Arturo Bandini is very fascinated with the city of Los Angeles and is hoping for success and fame, not giving up on his dreams, but will still not find fulfilled happiness or inspiration in the city. His story also shows a certain slight features of the School of Noir. This will point out that even in the late 1930’s Los Angeles was already connected with dreams and hopes for a better life but that there is a different side of the city that is not as glamorous. "Ask The Dust" is a novel written by John Fante and published in 1939. It is about the young writer Arturo Bandini from Colorado, who came to Los Angeles with the dream of becoming a successful writer.
However Medea is the anomaly out of the four plays, as it is less driven by the will and power of the gods but rather by human emotion & actions. Sophocles’ introduces Oedipus as a proud and respected King, as during the plague that has befallen his city he prioritises his efforts to helping his citizens in any way possible. “I am ready to help, I’ll do anything. I would be blind to misery”. His swift action is also seen as an admirable trait as he sends Creon off to the Delphic oracle to find out the cause of the plague immediately.
The Role That Envy Plays in A Separate Peace Morgan Vejdani English II Honors October 20, 2011 Envy is a force that can alter the dynamics of a friendship, as well as transform one’s personality. In this essay, I will display the role that envy plays in the novel A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles. Throughout this novel, it is clear that Gene is very envious of Finny. At times, this even brings out a side of Gene that he is not proud of. Through Gene’s actions and the characteristics of Finny and his friendship, I will prove my theme of envy being a force that can alter the dynamics of a friendship as well as transform one’s personality.
Etienne De Leon Professor Prietas R. English III 2/27/2014 The Great Ambition Dream, love, and unreachable- pretty depressing concepts. You see them in life, witness them in action, and notice how many people suffer. They long for love, and their dreams, but to some, such ideas are unreachable. Although, to others it may be more mental thoughts of pessimism, but the rest, they literally can’t reach for their goals. In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, we meet a wealthy mysterious man named Gatsby.
Paul Dunbar’s poem Sympathy uses an extended metaphor to compare his feelings of isolation and oppression to that of a caged bird. This poem has a depressing tone however it is hopeful too; as he never gives up on the hope of being free one day. Carl Sandburg’s poem Chicago uses a different approach; he uses personification to present the city as a strong, proud, and fierce person. He speaks of the negative aspects of the city such as crime, poverty, and prostitution because he wants people to know that it isn’t perfect but he loves it anyways. Paul Dunbar believes in the American Dream and that many can reach wealth and social success, just not him because of the racial oppression at this time.
The use of events within ‘Romulus, my Father’ also allow us to view Romulus himself as a sort of tragic hero, since his fatal flaw is being too trusting of people’s karacter. The novel depicts Romulus as a unique character, who has a deep sense of integrity, yet this integrity ironically destroys his soul. He is wise, yet in a sense illogical since much of his judgement takes place on an irrational basis. The novel not only uses the idea of a romantic tragedy, but also takes other forms such as eulogy, bildungs roman and biography. This use of shifting language modes represents Raimond himself changing, both in pace of the story and his opinion regarding his father.
Taking an idea as abstract as thinking, it's animated as he describes them like a flowing river that has lost the strength of its current. A reviewer states, “his love affair with language breathes life into the people, places, and events he describes, making them true and essential” (Moniz). At times Baca can really exaggerate his descriptions, but it works for what he wants to convey and that's what makes his book such a mastery of imagery. The Glass Castle does have descriptions of objects and characters, but not as visceral as A Place to Stand. Descriptions were used to just describe, but in Baca's story the descriptions and imagery had an emotion that the reader felt even though it wasn't stated clearly.