Okonkwo was one of the strongest and most respected men in his society. Yet, he feared becoming an exact image of his father; therefore, embodying the values of manliness, he took on his own approach to life and how he dealt with problems in society. By adapting to his own deranged idea of masculinity he rejected everything that his father stood for, such as cowardice, gentleness, and laziness. Okonkwo stood for bravery, courage, hard work, and
My perspective on how a men should be defined is within his inner self. It doesn’t matter how he looks, it’s about what’s on the inside. There are many different types of guys such as sensitive, aggressive, good hearted, caring, etc., but it doesn’t mean that they’re not “Manly Man”. I agree with some of
In past generations people viewed masculinity differently, perhaps the most masculine was the one who earned and provided for the family, if the family was poor. Or the most masculine was the most gentlemanly, if the family was of high class. Miller introduces and relays the theme of masculinity throughout the play due to the fact that this yearning to be the most masculine is a major factor in the demise of the protagonist, Eddie. The protagonist competes against the other male characters to be the most masculine, in control and powerful. However, this backfires on him and ironically he is the one that ends up being the least masculine.
A reader will seldom find that his perception is correct in reality of the novel but that’s what makes the novel so interesting. Perceptions are said to be influenced by an individual’s senses. Through these senses a ‘truth’ is formulated. This is emphasised in the novel upon 4 young men confronting a man who is perceived due to his physical appearance as foul, dangerous and untrustworthy. Yet the reality of it is that this man is a king of great power whom they will soon bow down to.
[Title] [Introduction] [Nick] In The Great Gatsby the character Nick Carraway acts as the narrator. He starts the story off by comparing himself to the world. He claims to be a moral person who can resist the urge to judge the people around him because if he holds them up to his own moral standards, his expectations will be too high for them. He even goes as far to say that the world would be better if everyone thought as he did and withheld their judgments about their peers. Now, even though Nick is the storyteller, this arrogant self-description shows that he is not reliable due the fact that he thinks of himself as superior to the masses.
Okonkwo is a static character due to his traditional view on life and power in Umofia. Okonkwo’s motives to be a strong adult had influences actions that build the quality of character. Okonkwo’s first major motive to be strong is his mind set to be better and more hardworking than his father, Unoka. “In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (Achebe 4). The laziness of Unoka encouraged Okonkwo to rise above the live his father lived.
In other words, a man’s presence depends on the power and the potential that he demonstrates to someone else in life. No one will notice him if he does not have enough confidence to show his potential. There are half of the world are man, only few of which are able to become famous. The reason why they are well known in the world is that they show their power and potential within strong confidence and be accepted by our society. It is a superficial way to look at men through the physical power, and the best way to treat men is to admire them with the deepest honor in the inner depths of our minds.
ISSUES : The American Dream The American Dream is an issue portrayed through different aspects and characters in Death of a Salesman. Through the play, failed visions of the American Dream are contrasted with the successful ones, highlighting the abstract quality and implications of such delusions. Willy is unable to accept the disparity between his belief in his diminutive version of the dream and his own life. The failure of Willy’s dream is indicative of the fact that the bewildered circle of American society has broken down his personal relationships, and also that the society is unstable. This reveals the tragic side of the American Dream, where it does not bring anticipation, but affliction.
This is not always a bad attribute; but, these emotions end up clouding Dave’s mind and cause him to make poor decisions. His bad judgment leads him from one bad situation to another, proving that he is no man. Dave uses many tactics to get what he wants throughout this tale, including manipulation, deception, and when all else fails, taking the coward way out and running away. In the beginning, Dave seems to be a little irritated and upset from the lack of respect he receives from some of the boys around town. What Dave does not understand is that you need to give respect to get respect.
Later in their friendship, we start to see that Lord Henry is merely stirring thoughts that Dorian already had inside of himself and was just afraid to let them be known. Lord Henry is also the person that leads Dorian into his New Hedonistic ways. It’s relevant that Dorian becomes aware of the new Hedonism in chapter 2 when Lord Henry says, “No, you don’t feel it now…there is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!” Dorian starts to realize that he is a good-looking man and he should start to take advantage of it. Dorian Gray’s eyes become further open to the New Hedonism when Lord Henry begins to say that the only good thing to do is seek out the pleasures in life and to not live by morality. One should do what ever one thinks feels is good.