Sunday, May 24, 2020

Analysis Of Huxley s Brave New World - 1326 Words

Rejoining Society In Huxley’s Brave New World, after struggling to fit into New London, John runs away to live in the lighthouse in isolation. In Boyle’s Trainspotting, Mark fights his heroin addiction in order to break free from drugs and his friend group to rejoin society along with the duffel bag. The lighthouse in Brave New World and the duffel bag in Trainspotting, suggest that after one is isolated from a society, he can only rejoin that society by being willing to conform to its values. At the end of Trainspotting, Mark and his group of friends have sold drugs to a dealer in return for 16,000 pounds. The money, kept in a duffel bag, is to be split between the group. Before the rest of the friend group wakes up, Mark steals the†¦show more content†¦Contrary to Mark, John is not willing to change himself at all. In fact, John is upset that New London won t change to closer to his views. John not being willing to change leads to him not being able to stay in New London and to his craving for isolation. Mark, being fed up with his friends and the impact heroin has had on them, decides it’s time to leave them for a better life. As he leaves Begbie and Sickboy in his apartment, the only thing he takes with him is he duffel bag. Mark is desperately trying to escape the heroin filled world he has lived in. Mark leaves without packing anything from his apartment. Mark only grabbing his duffel bag indicates how urgent Mark feels about moving on. Mark’s hatred of his life pushes him to rejoin society just like John’s hatred of society pushes him to wanting isolation. After speaking to the Controller, John realized he had to get away from New London, saying â€Å"I’m damned if I’ll go on being experimented with. Not for all the Controllers in the world. I shall go away to-morrow...Anywhere. I don t care. So long as I can be alone† (Huxley 243). John feels so strongly against what the Controller is doing and the way New London operates that he has to leave. John has no desires to change himself to fit in better or to be more like the rest of the people in the society. John doesn’t want to be â€Å"experimented with†; he doesn’t even see the people in New London as free people. John has to get out of New LondonShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World Essay986 Words   |  4 PagesMatlen EWRC Period: 1 December 7, 2016 Class Struggle In his text Brave New World Aldous Huxley imagines a society genetically engineered and socially conditioned to be a fully functioning society where everyone appears to be truly happy. This society is created with each person being assigned a social status from birth, much like caste system in modern society or the social or the social strata applied to everyday society. Huxley shows the issues of class struggle from the marxist perspective whenRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World Essay2257 Words   |  10 PagesGiancarlo Ricci LA 9, period 4 October 21, 2016 MAIN THEME:   It is essential to prioritize individual happiness, emotion, and humanity in order for your life to have value. OVERALL TONE: Satirical Novel Cover Art Analysis The novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, is set in a â€Å"utopian† society where individuals are born into a strict social destiny and given recreational sex and drugs to maintain universal happiness and social stability. The major theme exhibited is individual happiness, emotionRead MoreAnalysis Of Huxley s Brave New World Essay4045 Words   |  17 PagesHistorical information about the Setting: Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1931 which was during the Great Depression. The start of the Great Depression was when the American stock market crashed in 1929. Banks started closing and all the savings from the American people simply disappeared like water vapor. This market crash causes a chain reaction that lead to mass unemployment and poverty. On top of all of this, American farmers were not profiting from their crops because of a major drought inRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World 2445 Words   |  10 PagesFoundations for a Future Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World criticizes a society in which sex is a commodity, self-determination in non-existent, and happiness derives from consumerism. Huxley writes the novel as a warning to both contemporary and future generations of the dangers of progress built upon the wrong foundations. The novel is a portrayal of Huxley’s own society in which talkies, the radio and premarital sex, were on the rise and like many others of his time he believed that moralsRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World1278 Words   |  6 Pagesanother note, he said it is â€Å"a potent, even enriching.† Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, expands on this idea of exilation. Throughout the novel, several characters are faced with being exiled, whether it be from their home or community. In particular, a man by the name of John seems to experience the bulk of it. John’s experiences show that being exiled is alienating and, at the same time, enriching, whi le also portraying the effects of a world with complete government control over technology andRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World1420 Words   |  6 Pagesexcessive effort to become perfect can be counteractive and lead to dysfunctionality. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, characters live in a dystopian society that sprouted from the human yearning for perfection. Although the citizens in Brave New World are genetically engineered to be perfect individuals and are on soma constantly to keep them happy and efficient, they lack individuality.. Brave New World is a novel that clearly demonstrates that trying to create a perfect society can result in loss ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World Essay1771 Words   |  8 PagesThe World State- Do What You Are Taught This essay will be centered on two of the most important characters Linda and Lenina from Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World. The novel talks about a world which is completely different from the contemporary world. The world state in the novel is solely ruled by technologies to produce human beings, drugs to control emotions, hypnopaedic education to brainwash people with certain beliefs and thoughts. In the world state human beings are produced in bulkRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s A Brave New World1708 Words   |  7 Pagessocieties, specifically those of the fictional variety we apply our mashed set of ideals based on truth and happiness on each of these different societies . In Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World, by conventional societies ideas the citizens of the world state know nothing of traditional reality and by the standards of the traditional world are far from a state of contentment, but if examined by the ideals of the society in question the over all appearance is quite different. the population seems happy becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World1591 Words   |  7 Pagesin terms of an independent person, and because of this, people have to actively find ways to keep ourselves occupied. Aldous Huxley was born July 26, 1984. His father was a scientist that helped to develop the theory of evolution. Science was obviously a large part of his life and was most likely a key source of inspiration for his book. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Individualism is a rarity and society is structured to serve a higher class of people. Society is built around five classes;Read MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World1079 Words   |  5 Pagesthe corners of the world there are diverse perspectives , that lead to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a Universal Utopia. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley , we are able to understand the critical differences between our modern day society and th e dystopian one created in the novel. There is no such thing as â€Å"perfection† and in order to function everyone should choose who they want to be, which is the complete opposite of the society formed in the Brave New World. In this society there

Monday, May 18, 2020

Essay on Death Penalty Arguments - 519 Words

Many victims of murdered people say that the death penalty should be re-introduced in to our society. They say that the murderer doesnt deserve to live while others argue the point. I will examine the arguments on both sides. If we turn to the bible for some advice whether or not to re-introduce the death penalty we can find help in the Old Testament. The covenant recorded in Genesis 9 says, whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. This is the same as what the Old Testament teaches us stating, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Does this mean that if someone murders our loved ones that we should have the right to kill them? If we look to Genesis again we see†¦show more content†¦We do not know the pain that the victims feel knowing that the person who killed their loved one is locked up in a safe warm cell. Also think of the pain and unhappiness they go through when they hear that the perpetrators sentence has been lowered for good behaviour. Why not bring back the death penalty and let our loved ones be happy? Prisons also cost a great deal of money to run and maintain and it is all paid for out of our taxes. If the death penalty was re-introduced then taxes may be lower or the money could be put to a better cause like cancer research because there would be fewer prisoners in prison because of executions. That was all the points towards or for the death penalty. Now for the bad points. Yet again if we look to the bible this time we will look at the New Testament we will see in John chapter 8 verse 7, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. This shows us that no one should be allowed to kill anyone because they have all sinned before. Also if we look to the rules that God set us, 10 Commandments. The 6th commandment is Thou shalt not kill. Here God is saying that we are forbidden to kill anyone. So if the death penalty is re-introduced does this mean that we are angering God by not following his Commandments? How can we introduce the deathShow MoreRelatedA Argument Against The Death Penalty1647 Words   |  7 Pagespunishable by death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole when specific â€Å"Special Circumstances† of the crime have been charged or been proven in court. It is possible though to be released by the parole board aft er a minimum of 25 years if they feel you are worthy. The death penalty is a topic that the United States is divided on. Currently there are 31 states with the death penalty and California is on that list. In 2012 a ballot was proposed that would appeal the death penalty as theRead MoreEssay on Argument For the Death Penalty1310 Words   |  6 Pagesdozen recent studies, executions save lives. For each inmate put to death, the studies say, 3 to 18 murders are prevented.† Therefore, the death penalty must be upheld in the United States of America in order to protect its citizens and to properly enforce justice. The death penalty ensures fair retribution for the loved ones of the criminal’s victim. In 1977, Clarence Ray Allen was convicted for murder after arranging the death of a witness against him in a burglary case and was subsequently sentencedRead MoreAn Argument Of Opposition Of The Death Penalty979 Words   |  4 PagesAn argument in opposition of the death penalty is the cost. The word â€Å"cost† is affiliated with more than one meaning. There is the numerical value or the estimate the price of a specific piece, this piece being the death penalty. The other is the moral value which pertains to the victims and criminals emotional thought process. Dealing with the cost aspect first, many states confirm that the cost to put a criminal to death via the death penalty, is substantially more than if the criminal wereRead MoreArgument For And Against The Death Penalty1051 Words   |  5 Pagesreasonable. For this assignment, I will be arguing for and against The Death Penalty. When it comes to a topic such as The Death Penalty, many individuals cannot fathom the idea of putting another human to death because it is not permanently in out nature to want to kill. It is quite easy to grasp the fact that the physical method involves executing an individual for their criminal actions but in the same sense, emotions that follow a death sentence are beyond one’s comprehension. Although this type ofRead MoreArgument Against The Death Penalty1247 Words   |  5 Pagesnot willing to demand a life of somebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral.† When considering the issue of capital punishment, many arguments are made in favor of proponents and abolitionists. There are utilitarian arguments, retributive arguments, and egalitarian arguments. Utilitarian arguments argue against the death penalty, for they look to punish criminals for the benefit and the â€Å"lesson learned† from the punishment. They believe that this is the most effective form of deterrenceRead MoreDeath Penalty Argument Essay1983 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Brittany Sayles English 100/ Gianunzio May 23rd, 2014 Research Essay: Rough Draft Death Penalty: Unlawful An ancient proverb provides that â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†, while the Code of Hammurabi in the 18th century B.C. likewise says that â€Å"if a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out, if he break another man’s bone, his bone shall be broken.† These moral principles are the foundation of capital punishment. For centuries, the laws of many states adhere to andRead MoreAn Argument For The Death Penalty Essay1173 Words   |  5 PagesThe death penalty has become one of the more controversial discussions in America. There are two different perspectives when it comes to this controversial subject, the pros and the cons; people in America are either against the death penalty or for it. The common saying â€Å"treat others how you wanted to be treated† plays a vital part. I truly believe if a person is big enough to kill someone on purpose and take away not only a family member but a life as well, they are big enough to f ace death themselvesRead MoreDeath Penalty Argument Essay683 Words   |  3 PagesThe Death Penalty A society operates around communities of people who work together and do their part to form a functional place to live. Many people benefit from others throughout society without even knowing it. Society functions and benefits from people doing their part to keep our community safe and people benefit from society as well, but there is an exception. Criminals who have committed a crime that has placed them in prison for the rest of their life, without the possibility of paroleRead MoreArguments Against The Death Penalty Essay1482 Words   |  6 Pagesthere are thirty-one states with the death penalty and nineteen without. There are many reasons why the death penalty should be abolished, it violates the offender’s rights to life and the offense of human dignity. Yet many individuals still insist on the death penalty. Bedau argues against capital punishment through his argument â€Å"The Minimal Invasion Argument Against the Death Penalty’. His argument strongly encourages life imprisonment over the death penalty for various reasons. Below I will provideRead More Argument Against the Death Penalty Essay3418 Words   |  14 PagesArgument Against the Death Penalty Life is sacred. This is an ideal that the majority of people can agree upon to a certain extent. For this reason taking the life of another has always been considered the most deplorable of crimes, one worthy of the harshest available punishment. Thus arises one of the great moral dilemmas of our time. Should taking the life of one who has taken the life of others be considered an available punishment? Is a murderers life any less sacred than the victims

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Make Your Own Solid Perfume With This Recipe

Solid perfume is easy to make, plus its practical and it wont spill. It doesnt contain alcohol, which makes this a good perfume project for people who dont want the additive in their perfume. Solid Perfume Ingredients You can find beeswax and oils at most health food stores or craft stores. 1 tablespoon beeswax or petroleum jelly1 tablespoon jojoba oil or sweet almond oil8-15 drops essential oil (fragrance oils used for making perfume)Â  Small clean container (1/2 ounce) to hold your solid perfume If you dont want to purchase a new container for your perfume, look for lip balm tins. Lipstick or Chapstick containers also work well. Make Solid Perfume Melt together the wax or petroleum jelly with the jojoba or sweet almond oil. You can either microwave the ingredients for a few seconds in a microwave-safe container or else you can heat the mixture over a double-boiler.Once this mixture has liquefied, remove it from heat. Stir in the essential oils. You can use a toothpick, straw or even a spoon. Expect your perfume to coat the stirrer, so either use something disposable or else something you can wash (i.e., dont use a wooden spoon, unless you want it to smell pretty forever).Pour the liquid into your final container. Set the lid on top of the container, but leave it ajar. This will help prevent condensation inside your container while minimizing the chance of microbial contamination of the product.Apply the perfume by rubbing a finger on the product to liquefy it, then rub your finger on the area you want to be scented.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

James Baldwin Essays - 611 Words

James Baldwin Another Country and Go Tell it on the Mountain are two of James Baldwins most analyzed novels. Some see both novels as great additions to American literature, while others criticize Baldwins unique writing style used in both works. Another Country has been called a true American classic, and also a literary failure. At any rate, it is an extremely controversial novel filled with controversial characters. The majority of the novel is filled with either talk or fornication, and at least halfway through the novel the talk takes over and begins to control it. Baldwins Another Country is divided into categories. These categories, including black/white, hetero/homosexual, and male/female are constantly brought up†¦show more content†¦The first section concludes with Leona losing her sanity and the suicide of Rufus Scott. The second narrative covers Ida Scott and Vivaldo Moore. Ida was Rufus brother, and Vivaldo, his best and only true friend. Vivaldo is a white male who is somewhat confused about his sexuality, as most characters in the novel are as well. He somehow feels responsible for the death of Rufus, and is constantly haunted by his memories. Ida is a proud black woman who made it her goal to avenge her brothers death. Cass and Richard Silenski make up the third narrative. The couple exemplify a traditional relationship; white, married with children, however, they are not happy together. The fourth narrative involves two white homosexuals, Eric Jones and Yves. Eric is an American actor that moved to Paris for a couple of years and met Yves. The narrative concludes with Eric meeting up with Yves in America. During the novel, the characters lives are all combined with each others struggles and sexual experiences, some heterosexual, some homo- or bisexual. The most obvious victim of the novel is Rufus Scott, a black jazz musician who commits suicide at the end of the long first chapter. The other major characters also suffer as they struggle to find themselves and satisfy their craving for love and true happiness. Baldwins Go Tell it on the Mountain was his first novel, and some would argue that it was his best. BaldwinsShow MoreRelatedSonny s Blues By James Baldwin827 Words   |  4 PagesSonny’s Blues In James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† it is only when a brother loses his child that he realizes how easy it can be to lose his brother. The narrator’s little brother, Sonny, was left in his charge when their parents passed away. He neglects Sonny and leaves him to work through hard decisions on his own which leads to Sonny being picked up by the police for using and selling drugs. When the narrator’s daughter, Grace, passes he sees how suffering can affect people and reaches outRead MoreGiovanni s Room By James Baldwin1723 Words   |  7 PagesThe two novels Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin published in 1956 and Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith published in 1956 share the interest of both the main characters having trouble publicizing their sexual orientation due to the way society would view them. There location of living have a big impact on their actions of expressing their sexuality towards other people or themselves. During the 1950’s, homosexual activity was prohibited. People who were found having an affair with the same sexRead MoreExpectations in Sonnys Blues, by James Baldwin Essay1277 Words   |  6 Pagesa grim existence beneath the dispassionate stare of narrow-minded bigots. Soon, the Civil Rights Movement would gain momentum and drastically alter such social exclusion, but James Baldwin writes his story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† before this transformation has occurred. In the style of other Post-Modernist writers of his day, Baldwin invents two brothers, Sonny and the narrator, who seem to have given up on finding meaning in their lives: escape, not purpose, is the solution for suffering. Although marginalizedRead MoreEssay on Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin1316 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Sonny’s Blues† revolves around the narrator as he learns who his drug-hooked, piano-playing baby brother, Sonny, really is. The author, James Baldwin, paints views on racism, m isery and art and suffering in this story. His written canvas portrays a dark and continual scene pertaining to each topic. As the story unfolds, similarities in each generation can be observed. The two African American brothers share a life similar to that of their father and his brother. The father’s brother had a thirstRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Sonny s Blues By James Baldwin1481 Words   |  6 PagesIn reading the story Sonny s Blues by James Baldwin, we learn of two brothers and their lives growing up in Harlem. The narrator, who is the older brother in the story, narrates the trials and tribulations he and his younger brother (Sonny) had to endure growing up in such a harsh environment in Harlem (due to the drugs, violence, and Black s being looked down upon in general in the mid-1950s). We start in the future (present), with the narrator having a somewhat successful future being a teacherRead MoreJames Baldwin s Influence On Society And Relationships With Other People1249 Words   |  5 PagesJames Arthur Baldwin was a prominent author in the 1900s. He did not let his homosexuality or skin color put him down or get in the way of being himself. Baldwin wrote essays, novels, plays, and poetry inspired from his environment and relationships with other people. Although he was poor, it did not stop James Baldwin from becoming a successful author that wrote about his experiences of being homosexual and African American in a troubled society. In Baldwin’s early life, he had to work hard andRead MoreLight and Dark in the Book Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin Essay788 Words   |  4 PagesIn James Baldwin’s short story, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† there is a constant contrast between light and dark. Baldwin uses this theme to highlight the struggles that the Narrator and his younger brother, Sonny, both face. Light represents all of the positive aspects of life. Meanwhile, the darkness represents the constant struggle that threatens the characters in the story. Light and dark has a presence in both characters. The narrator lives his life in the â€Å"light†. He is a teacher, middleclass man, a manRead MoreJames Baldwin738 Words   |  3 PagesQuestions on A Talk to Teachers by James Baldwin 1. In the opening paragraph, Baldwin establishes his ethos by connecting himself to his audience as a fellow citizen and fellow American, someone who loves his country and wants it to be whole and healthy. Though he identifies the chief fear of his audience as the fear of Communist, he proposes that the ore fearful aspect of American society of the early 1960s is the â€Å"bad faith and cruelty† of generations. Baldwin builds credibility with his audienceRead MoreSonny s Blues By James Baldwin2300 Words   |  10 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, by James Baldwin there is the notion or a reoccurring theme of a conflict between light and dark between the characters. The notion is carried throughout the story of two brothers finding their own lights and trying to work towards a greater life. In the late 50’s, after the Harlem Renaissance, adolescents are faced with drug sales everywhere and crime sprees around every corner, this is one examp le of the darkness in the story. Kids began to form bad habits thatRead More James Baldwin Essay1485 Words   |  6 Pages For The World to See James Baldwin was a man who wrote an exceptional amount of essays. He enticed audiences differing in race, sexuality, ethnic background, government preference and so much more. Each piece is a circulation of emotions and a teeter-totter on where he balances personal experiences and worldly events to the way you feel. Not only did he have the ability to catch readers’ attention through writing, but he also appeared on television a few times. Boston’s

Comparative and Contrast Free Essays

Compare and contrast essay How far will you go for the person that you love? This is the question that most mates want to know before they go further with their partner. Different people have different answers and reasons for this question. Even between cupid and psyche amp; Orpheus and Eurydice. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparative and Contrast or any similar topic only for you Order Now These two Greek stories have the same topic, which is â€Å"how far will you go for the person that you love†. These love stories are different in terms of theme until the story itself. These two stories are actually easy to understand but they have similarities and differences between them. First lets discuss about similarities; they are both a story about love and also how much they love their partner and how far would they go for the person that they love, even if the way how to get back their partner is different but the main topic of the story is still the same. They did several things to get their partners back, even if in the end of the story is not always them living in the world but still in the end of these stories they went back together. The person who’s trying to get back their partner in these stories also get second chances in completing their journey, they both failed because of curiosity. Both of them are so impatient and curious so that’s the reason why they fail. Even if there’s a lot of similarities already but there are also differences in this story. Psyche was so curious and that she opened the beauty secret box and by that it made her work wasted, she wasn’t able to give back the box to Aphrodite so she failed while in the other tory Orpheus was able to get Eurydice back but then he was so impatient and curious if Eurydice is still with her or not so she looked back and then Eurydice was sent back to the underworld. There are different gods who impact the story, in the story cupid and psyche Aphrodite is the one who impact the story but in the story Orpheus and Eurydice Hades and Persephone are the two gods who is included. But above all the way how they get back their partner is the sweetest in the first story Aphrodite gave a lot of things for psyche to do and she really did everything to get cupid back while Orpheus went to the underworld to get Eurydice back, these two jobs that they did is very tiring and it needs a lot of efforts but they still do it for their partners just to get them back. Between the two stories, it shows how some people actually care so much about their partner and even the would do the hardest job that could be possible just to get them back. How to cite Comparative and Contrast, Papers

Michael Arlen Ode to Thanksgiving free essay sample

Consider the participants, the merrymakers: men and women (also children) who have survived passably well throughout the years, mainly as a result of living at considerable distances from their dear parents and beloved siblings, who on this feast of feasts must apparently forgather (as if beckoned by an aberrant fairy godmother), usually by circuitous routes, through heavy traffic, at a common meeting place, where the very moods, distempers, and obtrusive personal habits that have kept them all happily apart since adulthood are then and there encouraged to slowly ferment beneath the corn husks, and gradually rise with the aid of the terrible wine, and finally burst forth out of control under the stimulus of the cranberry jelly! No, it is a mockery of holiday. For instance: Thank you, O Lord, for what we are about to receive. This is surely not a gala concept. There are no presents, unless one counts Aunt Bertha’s sweet rolls a present, which no one does. There is precious little in the way of costumery: miniature plastic turkeys and those witless Pilgrim hats. There is no sex. Indeed, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year (a fact known to everybody) when all thoughts of sex completely vanish, evaporating from apartments, houses, condominiums, and mobile homes like steam from a bathroom mirror. Consider also the nowhereness of the time of year: the last week or so in November. It is obviously not yet winter: winter, with its death-dealing blizzards and its girls in tiny skirts pirouetting on the ice. On the other hand, it is certainly not much use to anyone as fall: no golden leaves or Oktoberfests, and so forth. Instead, it is a no-man’s land between the seasons. In the cold and sobersides northern half of the country, it is a vaguely unsettling interregnum of long, mournful walks beneath leafless trees: the long, mournful walks following the midday repast with the dread nevitability of pie following turkey, and the leafless trees looming or standing about like eyesores, and the ground either as hard as iron or slightly mushy, and the light snow a lways beginning to fall when one is halfway to the old green gate—flecks of cold, watery stuff plopping between neck and collar, for the reason that, it being not yet winter, one has forgotten or not chosen to bring along a muffler. It is a corollary to the long, mournful Thanksgiving walk that the absence of this muffler is quickly noticed and that four weeks or so later, at Christmastime, instead of the Sony Betamax one had secretly hoped the children might have chipped in to purchase, one receives another muffler: by then the thirty-third. Thirty-three mufflers! Some walk! Of course, things are more fun in the warm and loony southern part of the country . No snow there of any kind. No need of mufflers. Also, no long, mournful walks, because in the warm and loony southern part of the country everybody drives. So everybody drives over to Uncle Jasper’s house to watch the Cougars play the Gators, a not entirely unimportant conflict which will determine whether the Gators get a Bowl bid or must take another postseason exhibition tour of North Korea. But no sooner do the Cougars kick off (an astonishing end-over-end squiggly thing that floats lazily above the arena before plummeting down toward K. C. McCoy and catching him on the helmet) than Auntie Em starts hustling turkey. Soon Cousin May is slamming around the bowls and platters, and Cousin Bernice is oohing and ahing about all the fixin’s, and Uncle Bob is making low, insincere sounds of appreciation: â€Å"Yummy, yummy—Auntie Em, Ill have me some more of these delicious yams! † Delicious yams? Uncle Bob’s eyes roll wildly in his head, Billy Joe Quaglino throws his long bomb in the middle of Grandpa Morris saying grace, Grandpa Morris speaking so low nobody can hear him, which is just as well, since he is reciting what he can remember of his last union contract. And then, just as J. B. Speedy) Snood begins his ninety-two-yard punt return, Auntie Em starts dealing everyone second helpings of her famous stuffing, as if she were pushing a controlled substance, which is well might be, since there are no easily recognizable ingredients visible to the naked eye. Consider for a moment the Thanksgiving me al itself. It has become a sort of refuge for endangered species of starch: cauliflower, turnips, pumpkin, mince (whatever â€Å"mince† is), those blessed yams. Bowls of luridly colored yams, with no taste at all, lying torpid under a lava flow of marshmallow! And then the sacred turkey. One might as well try to construct a holiday repast around a fish—say, a nice piece of haddock. After all, turkey tastes very similar to haddock; same consistency, same quite remarkable absence of flavor. But then, if the Thanksgiving piece de resistance were a nice piece of boiled haddock instead of turkey, there wouldnt be all that fun for Dad when Mom hands him the sterling-silver , bone-handled carving set (a wedding present from her parents and not sharpened since) and then everyone sits around pretending not to watch while he saws and tears away at the bird as if he were trying to burrow his way into or out of some grotesque, fowllike prison. What of the good side to Thanksgiving, you ask. There is always a good side to everything. Not to Thanksgiving. There is only a bad side and then a worse side. For instance, Grandmother’s best linen tablecloth is a bad side: the fact that it is produced each year, in the manner of a red flag being produced before a bull, and then is always spilled upon by whichever child is doing poorest at school that term and so is in need of greatest reassurance. Thus, â€Å"Oh, my God, Veronica, you just spilled grape juice [or plum wine or tar] on Grandmother’s best linen tablecloth! † But now comes worse. For at this point Cousin Bill, the one who lost all Cousin Edwina’s money on the car dealership three years ago and has apparently been drinking steadily since Halloween, bizarrely chooses to say: â€Å"Seems to me those old glasses are always falling over. † To which Auntie Meg is heard to add: â€Å"Somehow I don’t remember receivin’ any of those old glasses. † To which Uncle Fred replies: â€Å"That’s because you and George decided to go on vacation to Hawaii the summer Grandpa Sam was dying. † Now Grandmother is sobbing, though not so uncontrollably that she can refrain from murmuring: â€Å"I think that volcano painting I threw away by mistake got sent me from Hawaii, heaven knows why. But the gods are merciful, even the Pilgrim-hatted god of corn husks and soggy stuffing, and there is an end to everything, even to Thanksgiving. Indeed, there is a grandeur to the feelings of finality and doom which usually settle on a house after the Thanksgiving celebration is over, for with the completion of Thanksgiving Day the year itself has been properly terminated: shot through the cranium with a high-velocity candied yam. At this calendrical nadir, all energy on the planet has gone, all fun has fled, all the terrible wine has been drunk. But then, overnight, life once again begins to stir, emerging, even by the next morning, in the form of Japanese window displays and Taiwanese Christmas lighting, from the primeval ooze of the nation’s department stores. Thus, a new year dawns, bringing with it immediate and cheering possibilities of extended consumer debt, office-party flirtations, good—or, at least, mediocre—wine, and visions of Supersaver excursion fares to Montego Bay. It is worth noting, perhaps, that this true new years always starts with the same mute, powerful mythic ceremony: the surreptitious tossing out, in the early morning, of all those horrid aluminum-foil packages of yams and cauliflowers nd stuffing and red, gummy cranberry substance which have been squeezed into the refrigerator as if a reenactment of the siege of Paris were shortly expected. Soon afterward, the phoenix of Christmas can be observed as it slowly rises, beating its drumsticks, once again goggle-eyed with hope and unrealistic expectations.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Dear Gabby Letter Essay Example For Students

Dear Gabby Letter Essay Dear Gabby, People experience many different obstacles in their life in which they have to make important and sophisticated decisions or solutions. Even though I am just 16 years old I am having one of these issues. The issue is not concerning me but a friend of mine and any advice to help me will dramatically change her life. Something traumatizing and severe is happening to my friend. Near the beginning of the school year she came to school with a black eye. Although she had a black eye I didnt worry too much about her health. On that same day we had swimming in gym class. It was almost painful to witness the bruises across her ribs and the scratches down her skinny back. Feeling concerned I quietly and privately asked her after gym class how she had gotten so badly bruised and scratched all over her body. After a moment she replied that her and her mom got in a car accident while exiting the free way. Since she was a good friend I trustfully and sincerely believed her. Life went on, her and I continued on doing social activities with each other. It was finally winter break but once I came back I was totally surprised to see my friend once again with bruises and scratches. The thing that worried me the most is the fact both her and her 14 year old little sister had bruises and cuts. Once again feeling very concerned and nervous for her I approached her and asked what had happened. She said that her and her sister went sledding and ran into a big pine tree. This was an extremely hard to believe story considering the fact that it had not snowed at all this winter vacation. I let it go because I relized she could have simply gone to a sledding hill where they make there own snow. Many more instances of bruising and scratching has happened to my friend and her sister more often since winter break. Now I am beginning to get real worried about my friend since she had no excuses to these new instances. Recently my friend invited me over to her house. The door could barely open because a bunch dirty laundry and clutter were blocking the door. My friend and I squeezed through the door and my jaw dropped to notice her mom lying on the couch drunk with a can of beer in her hand. The closing door made her mother more aware of what was happening around her. She immediately exploded and threw a baseball against the tortured wall. After that experience I spent some time thinking. It thought if her mom carelessly treated her house like that how does she treat her children? I though some more and began to think it possibly child abuse but I might not be accurate. I dont want say something directly to my friend about it or report it to the police because I could  possibly be wrong. How could I ask my friend I if this is really happening to her? If questioning her is not a good gesture what should I do? Should I consult both her and her sister of the issue? Since I have not yet spoken to my friend about this issue I am in serious need of good advice. Concerned Friend,