Carnal Knowledge by Boyle Essay -- Carnal Knowledge Boyle Essays Paper

Carnal Knowledge by Boyle In the story â€Å"Carnal Knowledge†, by T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jim is the main character who loves to eat meat. He would love nothing more than to enjoy a dinner of â€Å"Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs†. (1107) However, Jim’s cravings for â€Å"Kentucky Fried or Chicken McNuggets† were no match for Alena Jorgensen. (1108) Alena is an obsessive animal rights activist whom Jim met while laying on the beach feeling sorry for himself. When a person has feelings of depression and loneliness it can be very easy for another person to come into their life and change their whole persona. Jim had just turned 30 and was feeling depressed for not having anyone in his life. After dozing on the beach awhile Jim awoke to an â€Å"unmistakable odor†, he’d been pissed on.(1108) He first heard Alena’s voice after cursing the dog. Alena is a very attractive girl and Jim fell for her immediately. Alena and Jim left the beach to go clean the piss off his clothes at Alena’s house. While waiting for the clothes to dry, they began a conversation about animal rights. Animal rights are a huge issue in Alena’s life. Jim never paid much attention to the issue but because of Alena’s beauty and kindness he was willing to listen. Jim’s feeling of loneliness has a big impact on his view of Alena. If Jim met another girl that day on the beach, and who was not as attractive he would have acted very different. Jim was very vulnerable at that moment and needed som... Carnal Knowledge by Boyle Essay -- Carnal Knowledge Boyle Essays Paper Carnal Knowledge by Boyle In the story â€Å"Carnal Knowledge†, by T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jim is the main character who loves to eat meat. He would love nothing more than to enjoy a dinner of â€Å"Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs†. (1107) However, Jim’s cravings for â€Å"Kentucky Fried or Chicken McNuggets† were no match for Alena Jorgensen. (1108) Alena is an obsessive animal rights activist whom Jim met while laying on the beach feeling sorry for himself. When a person has feelings of depression and loneliness it can be very easy for another person to come into their life and change their whole persona. Jim had just turned 30 and was feeling depressed for not having anyone in his life. After dozing on the beach awhile Jim awoke to an â€Å"unmistakable odor†, he’d been pissed on.(1108) He first heard Alena’s voice after cursing the dog. Alena is a very attractive girl and Jim fell for her immediately. Alena and Jim left the beach to go clean the piss off his clothes at Alena’s house. While waiting for the clothes to dry, they began a conversation about animal rights. Animal rights are a huge issue in Alena’s life. Jim never paid much attention to the issue but because of Alena’s beauty and kindness he was willing to listen. Jim’s feeling of loneliness has a big impact on his view of Alena. If Jim met another girl that day on the beach, and who was not as attractive he would have acted very different. Jim was very vulnerable at that moment and needed som...

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 7

Maggie could have made it to the path aboveif she'd been by herself. It was an easy climb, thirdlevel at most. But she wasn't alone. And there was no way to guide Arcadia up a cliff like that. No time to double back to the forest, either. They're going to get us, Maggie realized. â€Å"Get down,† she whispered to Cady. There wasahollow at the base of the boulder pile. It would only hold one of them, but at least it was shelter. Even as she shoved Cady down into it, she hearda shout from the edge of the forest. Maggie pressed flat against the rock. It was slippery with moss and lichen and she feltasexposed as a lizard on a wall. All she could do was hang onand listen to the sounds of two men getting closer and closer. And closer, until Maggie could hear harshbreathing on the other side of the boulders. â€Å"It's a dead end-† Gavin's young voice began. â€Å"No. They're here.† And that, of course, was Bern. And then there was the most horrible sound inthe world. The grunts of somebody climbing uprock. We're caught. Maggie looked around desperately for a weapon. To her own amazement, she found one, lyingthere as if it had been left especially for her. A dried branch wedged in between the rocks aboveher. Maggie reached for it, her heart beating fast.It was heavier than it looked-the climate must be too wet here for anything to really dry out. And the rocks are wet, too. Wet and slippery.And there's one good thing about this place-they'llhave to come at us one at a time. Maybe I can push them off, one by one. â€Å"Stay put,† she whispered to Cady, trying to makeher breath last to the end of that short sentence.†I've got an idea.† Cady looked beyond exhaustion. Her beautifulface was strained, her arms and legs were shakenby a fine trembling, and she was breathing in silentshudders. Her hair had come loose in a dark curtain around her shoulders. Maggie turned back, her heart beating in her throat and her fingertips, and watched the top of the boulders. But when what she was watching for actually came, she felt a terrible jolt,asif it were completely unexpected. She couldn't believe that she was seeing the close-cropped top of a man's head, then the forehead, then the cruel face. Bern. He wasclimbing like a spider, pulling himself by his fingertips. His huge shoulders appeared, then his barrel chest. And he was looking right at Maggie. His eyes methers, and his lips curved in a smile. Adrenaline washed over Maggie. She felt almost disengaged from her body, as if she might floataway from it. But she didn't faint. She stayed motionless as the terror buzzed through her like electricity-and she tightened her grip on the stick. Bern kept smiling, but his eyes were dark andexpressionless. As she looked into them, Maggiehad no sense of connecting to another mind likehers. He's not human. He's†¦ something else, a distant part of her mind said with absolute conviction. And then one of his legs came up, bulging withmuscle under the jeans, and then he was pullinghimself to stand, looming over her, towering likea mountain. Maggie braced herself, gripping the stick. â€Å"Stay away from us.† â€Å"You've caused me a lot of trouble already,† Bernsaid. â€Å"Now I'm going to show you something.† There was a little noise behind her. She glancedback in alarm and saw that it was Cady, trying toget up. â€Å"Don't,† Maggie said sharply. Cady couldn't, anyway. After a moment of trying to pull herself outof the hollow, she slumped down again, eyes shut. Maggie turned back to see Bern lunging at her. She thrust the stick out. It was completely instinctive. She didn't go for his head or his midsection; she jabbed at a fist-sized pit near his feet,turning the stick into a barrier to trip him. It almost worked. Bern's foot caught underneath it and his lunge became uncontrolled. Maggie saw him start to unbalance. But he wasn't the huge muscle-bound apehe looked like. In an instant he was recovering, throwing his weight sideways, jamming a foot toarrest his fall. Maggie tried to get the stick unwedged, to use itagain, but Bern was fast.He wrenched it out of herhand, leaving splinters in her palm. Then he threwit overhand, like a lance. Maggie heard it hit the ledge behind her with explosive force. She tried to dodge, but it was already too late. Bern's big hand flashed forward, and then he hadher. He was holding her by both arms, looming overher. â€Å"You trying to mess with me?† he asked in disbelief. â€Å"With me?Take a look at this.† His eyes weren't cold and emotionless now.Anger was streaming from him like the strong, hot.scent of an animal. And then†¦ He changed. It was like nothing Maggie had ever seen. She was staring at his face, trying to look defiant, whenthe features seemed to ripple. The coarse dark hair on his head moved, waves of it spreading downhis face like fungus growing across a log. Maggie'sstomach lurched in horror and she was afraid shewas going to be sick, but she couldn't stop looking. His eyes got smaller, the brown irises flowing outto cover the white. His nose and mouth thrust forward and his chin collapsed. Two rounded ears uncurled like awful flowers on top of his head. Andwhen Maggie was able to drag her eyes from hisface, she saw that his body had re-formed into ashapeless, hulking lump. His broad shoulders weregone, his waist was gone, his long legs bulging with muscle were squat little appendages close to the ground. He was still holding Maggie tightly, but not withhands. With coarse paws that had claws on the ends and that were unbelievably strong. He wasn't a person at all anymore, but something huge andvaguely person-shaped. He was a black bear, andhis shiny little pig-eyes stared into hers with animal enjoyment. He had a musky feral smell that got into Maggie's throat and made her gag. I just saw a shapeshifter shift shape, Maggiethought with an astonishment that seemed dim andfaraway. She was sorry she'd doubted Jeanne. And sorry she'd blown it for Cady-and Miles. Sylvia had been right. She was just an ordinary girl, only maybe extraordinarily stupid. Down on the lower boulders, Gavin was laughingmaliciously, watching as if this were a footballgame. The bear opened his mouth, showing ivory-whiteteeth, darker at the roots, and lots of saliva. Maggiesaw a string of it glisten on the hair of his jowl.She felt the paws flex on her arms, scooping hercloser, and then Lightning hit. That was what it looked like. A flash that blindedher,as bright as the sun, but blue. It crackled infront of her eyes, seeming to fork again and again,splitting and rejoining the main body of its energy. It seemed alive. It was electrocuting the bear. The animal had gone completely rigid, his headthrown back, his mouth open farther than Maggiewould have believed possible. The energy hadstruck him just below what would have been theneck on a man. Dimly, Maggie was aware of Gavin making a thinsound of terror. His mouth was open as wide as Bern's, his eyes were fixed on the lightning. But it wasn't lightning. It didn't strike and stop. It kept on crackling into Bern, its form changingevery second. Little electrical flickers darted through his bristling fur, crackling down his chestand belly and up around his muzzle. Maggie almostthought she could see blue flames in the cavern of his mouth. Gavin gave a keening, inhuman scream and scrambled backward off the rocks, running. Maggie didn't watch to see where he went. Hermind was suddenly consumed with one thought. She had to make Bern let go of her. She had no idea what was happening to him, butshe did know that he was being killed. And thatwhen he was dead he was going to topple off the mountain and take her with him. She could smell burning now, the stink of smok ing flesh and fur, and she could actually see whitewisps rising from his coat. He was being cooked from the inside out. I have to do something fast. She squirmed and kicked, trying to get out of thegrip of the paws that seemed to clutch her reflexively. She pushed and shoved at him, trying to get him to loosen his hold just an inch. It didn't work. She felt as if she were being smothered by a bearskin rug, a horrible-smelling pelt that was catchingon fire. Why the lightning wasn't killing her, too,she didn't know. All she knew was that she wasbeing crushed by his size and his weight and thatshe was going to die. And then she gave a violent heave and kicked ashard as she could at the animal's lower belly. Shefelt the shock of solid flesh as her shin connected. And, unbelievably, she felt him recoil, stumblingback, his huge forelegs releasing her. Maggie fell to the rock, instinctively spreadeagling and grabbing for holds to keep from slidingdown the mountain. Above her, the bear stood andquivered for another second, with that impossibly bright blue energy piercing him like a lance. Then,just as quickly as it had come, the lightning wasgone. The bear swayed for a moment, then fell likea marionette with cut strings. He toppled backwards off the cliff into thin air.Maggie caught a brief glimpse of him hitting rockand bouncing and falling again, and then sheturned her face away. Her closed lids were imprinted with a blazingconfusion of yellow and black afterimages. Herbreath was coming so fast that she felt dizzy. Herarms and legs were weak. What the hell was that? The lightning had saved her life. But it was stillthe scariest thing she'd ever seen. Some kind of magic. Pure magic. If I were doinga movie and I needed a special effect for magic, that's what I'd use. She slowly lifted her head. It had come from the direction of the ledge.When she looked that way, she saw the boy. He was standing easily, doing something with hisleft arm-tying a handkerchief aroundaspot ofblood at the wrist, it looked like. His face wasturned partially away from her. He's not much older than me, Maggie thought,startled. Or-is he? There was something abouthim, an assurance in the way he stood, a grim competence in his movements. It made him seem likean adult. And he was dressed like somebody at a Renaissance Faire. Maggie had been to one in Oregon two summers ago, where everyone wore costumes fromthe Middle Ages and ate whole roast turkey legsand played jousting games. This boy was wearingboots and a plain dark cape and he could havewalked right in and started sword fighting. On the streets of Seattle Maggie would havetaken one look at him and grinned herself silly.Here, she didn't have the slightest urge to smile. The Dark Kingdom, she thought. Slaves andmaidens and shapeshiftersand magic. He's probably a wizard. What have I gotten myself into? Her heart was beating hard and her mouth wasso dry that her tongue felt like sandpaper. But therewas something stronger than fear inside her.Gratitude. â€Å"Thank you,†she said. He didn't even look up. â€Å"For what?† He had aclipped, brusque voice. â€Å"For saving us. I meanyou did that, didn't you?† Now he did look up, to measure her with a cool,unsympathetic expression. â€Å"Did what?† he said in those same unfriendly tones. But Maggie was staring at him, stricken withsudden recognition that danced at the edges of hermind and then moved tantalizingly away. I had a dream – didn't I? And there was somebody like you in it. He looked like you, but hisexpression was different. And he said†¦he saidthat something was important†¦. She couldn't remember! And the boy was stillwatching her, waiting impatiently. â€Å"That †¦thing.† Maggie wiggled her fingers, trying to convey waves of energy. â€Å"That thing thatknocked him off the cliff. You did that.† â€Å"The blue fire. Of course I did. Who else has thePower? But I didn't do it for you.† His voice waslike a cold wind blowing at her. Maggie blinked at him. She had no idea what to say. Part of her wantedto question him, and another part suddenly wantedto slug him. A third part, maybe smarter than boththe others, wanted to run the way Gavin had. Curiosity won out. â€Å"Well, why did you do it,then?† she asked. The boy glanced down at the ledge he was standing on. â€Å"He threw a stick at me. Wood. So I killedhim.† He shrugged. â€Å"Simple asthat.† He didn't throw it at you, Maggie thought, butthe boy was going on. `Z couldn't care less what he was doing to you.You're only a slave. He was onlya shapeshifterwith the brain of a bear. Neither of you matter.† â€Å"Well-it doesn't matter why you did it. It stillsaved both of us-† She glanced at Arcadia for con firmation-and broke off sharply. â€Å"Cady?† Maggie stared, then scrambled over therocks toward the other girl. Arcadia was still lying in the hollow, but her body was now limp. Her dark head sagged tonelessly on her slender neck. Her eyes were shut; theskin over her face was drawn tight. â€Å"Cady! Can you hear me?† For a horrible second she thought the older girlwas dead. Then she saw the tiny rise and fall ofher chest and heard the faint sound of breathing. There was a roughness to the breathing thatMaggie didn't like. And at this distance she couldfeel the heat that rose from Cady's skin. She's got a high fever. All that running andclimbing made her sicker. She needs help, fast. Maggie looked backupat the boy. He had finished with the handkerchief and wasnow taking the top off some kind of leather bag. Suddenly Maggie's eyes focused. Not a leatherbag; a canteen. He was tilting it up to drink. Water. All at once she was aware of her thirst again. Ithad been shoved to the back of her mind, a con stant pain that could be forgotten while she wastrying to escape from the slave traders. But now it was like a raging fire inside her. It was the most important thing in the world. And Arcadia needed it even more than she did.†Please,† she said. â€Å"Can we have some of that? Could you drop it to me? I can catch it.† He looked at her quickly, not startled but withcool annoyance. â€Å"And how am I supposed to getit back?† â€Å"I'll bring it to you. I can climb up.†`†You can't,† he said flatly. â€Å"Watch me.† She climbed up. It was as easy as she'd thought;plenty of good finger-and toeholds. When she pulled herself up onto the ledge besidehim, he shrugged, but there was reluctant respect in his eyes. â€Å"You're quick,† he said. â€Å"Here.† He held out theleather bag. But Maggie was simply staring. This close, thefeeling of familiarity was overwhelming. It was you in my dream, she thought. Not justsomebody like you. She recognized everything about him. That supple, smoothly muscled body, and the way he hadof standing as if he were filled with tightly leashed tension. That dark hair with the tiny waves springing out where it got unruly. That taut, grim face, those high cheekbones, that willful mouth. And especially the eyes. Those fearless, blacklashed yellow eyes that seemed to hold endless layers of clear brilliance. That were windows on thefiercely intelligent mind behind them. The only difference was the expression. In thedream, he had been anxious and tender. Here, he seemed joyless and bitter †¦and cold. As if hisentire being were coated with a very thin layer of ice. But it was you, Maggie thought. Not just somebody like you, because I don't think thereis anybody like you. Still lost in her memories, she said, â€Å"I'm MaggieNeely. What's your name?† He looked taken aback. The golden eyes widened,then narrowed. â€Å"How dare you ask?† he rapped out. He sounded quite natural saying â€Å"How dareyou,† although Maggie didn't think she'd ever heardanybody say it outside of a movie. â€Å"I had a dream about you,† Maggie said. â€Å"Atleast it wasn't me having the dream; it was moreasif it was sent to me.† She was remembering details now. â€Å"You kept telling me that I had to dosomething†¦.' ? â€Å"I don't give a damn about your dreams,† the boysaid shortly. â€Å"Now, do you want the water or not?† Maggie remembered how thirsty she was. Shereached out for the leather bag eagerly. He held onto it, not releasing it to her. â€Å"There'sonly enough for one,† he said, still brusque. â€Å"Drink it here.† Maggie blinked. The bag did feel disappointinglyslack in her grip. She tugged at it a little and hearda faint slosh. â€Å"Cady needs some, too. She's sick.† â€Å"She's more than sick. She's almost gone. There'sno point in wasting any on her.† I can't believe I'm hearing this again, Maggiethought. He's just like Jeanne. She tugged at the bag harder. â€Å"If I want to share with her, that's my business, right? Why should it matter to you?† â€Å"Because it's stupid. There's only enough forone.† â€Å"Look – !' â€Å"You're not afraid of me, are'you?† he saidabruptly. The brilliant yellow eyes were fixed onher as if he could read her thoughts. It was strange, but she wasn'tafraid, not exactly.Or, she was afraid, but something inside her wasmaking her go on in spite of her fear. â€Å"Anyway, it's my water,† he said. â€Å"And I saythere's only enough for one. You were stupid to tryand protect her before, when you could have gotten away. Now you have to forget about her.† Maggie had the oddest feeling that she was beingtested. But there was no time to figure out for what,or why. â€Å"Fine. It's your water,† she said, making her voicejust as clipped as his. â€Å"And there's only enough for one.† She pulled at the bag harder, and this timehe let go of it. Maggie turned from him, looked down at theboulders where Cady was lying. She judged the distance carefully, noting the way one boulder formeda cradle. Easy shot. It'll rebound and wedge in that crack,she thought. She extended her arm to drop the bag. â€Å"Wait!† The voice was harsh and explosive-andeven more harsh was the iron grip that clampedon her wrist. â€Å"What do you think you're doing?† the boy saidangrily, and Maggie found herself looking intofierce yellow eyes.

Critical response to ‘Z for Zachariah’ by Robert C. O’Brien Essay

The book I read is ‘Z for Zachariah’ by Robert C. O’Brien. I enjoyed this book because it contained few but excellent characters and is full of mystery and suspense. ‘Z for Zachariah’ is about a sixteen-year-old girl, called Ann Burden who thinks she is the only person to survive a nuclear war. However, as her diary entries progress, you learn of a person in a green suit who is pulling what looks like a trailer covered with the same green material as the suit approaching Ann Burden’s valley. Later in the diary you find out that the person is a man who had been an industrial chemist before the war, working for the Government designing a suit to protect people in the event of a nuclear explosion. His name is Mr Loomis and he is wearing the only one of these suits. When Mr Loomis finally arrives in the valley, he is amazed by the fact that there is water, which appears to be safe but Mr Loomis makes one severe mistake. When he checks the water for the level of radiation with his Geiger counter he in fact checks the clean water in the stream but then goes on to venture further down the valley, where he finds Ann Burden’s home where the polluted Burden Creek is nearby. Once Mr Loomis has seen inside Ann’s house (where Ann has cleverly hidden any clues that could show the visitor that there has been people living there recently) he then proceeds towards Burden Creek in the hope of getting his first bath in probably months. However, not realising that the stream and Creek are not connected and in fact the Creek runs into the valley from over the hill where the pollution is, he jumps right in. Within a very short period of time after Mr Loomis has had his bath he became very ill, as he had been exposed to a lot of radiation. When Mr Loomis becomes sick Ann then realises she will have to help him and that is when she first shows herself. Ann’s diary entries take you through the events that happen when she is and is not in the company of Mr Loomis. My favourite part of the book is the first three diary entries. In these diary entries Mr Loomis has not yet arrived in the valley however Ann has seen smoke from over the hill for three days, which she presumes is from a human made fire because it is in a thin column that it rises. The smoke comes at the same time everyday, in late afternoon. Each afternoon the smoke is nearer to Ann’s home. I like this part of the book the most because in it you find out what it has been like for Ann being alone for so long because her family left her to look for other people and had never returned. It is interesting to read Ann’s thoughts of being excited and scared that she may in fact not be the only person left in the world. It is obvious why Ann would be excited about someone else coming into the valley but maybe not so clear why she would be scared. Ann is scared because after the nuclear explosion some radio stations had still broadcasted, but towards the end of them broadcasting the presenters seemed to be going crazy. Here is a quote from the second diary entry which will explain why Ann is scared â€Å"Suppose a car came over the hill, and I ran out, and whoever was in it got out – suppose he was crazy? Or suppose it was someone mean, or cruel, and brutal? A murderer? What could I do?† After this quote, you realise that Ann is a very sensible and careful person because she decides to move her things to a cave nearby her home and make it look as though no one has lived in her house. That way she can watch whoever is coming into her valley and if they are crazy or mean she can stay in the cave unbeknown to the visitor and wait until they leave. At the end of the third diary entry Ann has still not seen anyone but knows that they are camping at the crossroads and exploring North, South, East, West and when they come into the South they will find Ann’s valley. The most remarkable character in the book I think is Ann Burden. She is careful, mature, kind, helpful, sensible, confused, and strategic/logical. In the following paragraph I will explain why Ann Burden is all of the things I have just said: The reason I think Ann is careful is because when Mr Loomis is first entering the valley she goes to the cave to live there as she does not know if Mr Loomis is ‘safe.’ During the book ‘Z for Zachariah’ you realise that in fact even though Ann is only sixteen she is more mature than Mr Loomis who is quite a bit older than Ann. The proof that shows this, is all of the words I am using to describe her and she also thinks about having children to begin the human-race again. The words kind, helpful and sensible describe Ann well because when Mr Loomis is ill with radiation poisoning she helps him and is kind to him even though he’s a stranger. Also Ann still helps Mr Loomis after he tried to rape her – she gives him half of everything i.e. eggs, milk and chicken and lets him have the comforts of her home while she moves into the cave. It is obvious that Ann is confused, as she does not know why Mr Loomis is being so horrible to her especially when she has done everything she can to be nice to him and to help him. The last words to describe Ann are strategic and logical; I think these words describe Ann well because when she does not want Mr Loomis to find her she thinks about what he can and cannot see e.g. when she builds a fire she thinks about where and how to build it so Mr Loomis can’t see it – she also thinks about what time of the day to light it. The style of ‘Z for Zachariah’ is in diary form. Throughout the book there were not many figures of speech, however, there were a few similes, here is a quote from the book that describes Ann’s dog Faro when he has returned from the dead lands where there is radiation, in it there is a simile â€Å"as thin as a skeleton.† The structure of ‘Z for Zachariah’ is in chronological order, each event happening in an order that makes sense and makes the story more intense and interesting. During the book, there is not much direct speech as the genre of the book is in diary form so it contains more of the thoughts and feelings of Ann Burden. The themes in the book are effects of modern technology, survival, dominance, bullying, age against youth, optimism/realism, breeding, art v science and religion v atheism. In the following sentences, I will discuss the themes that occur in ‘Z for Zachariah.’ The first theme ‘effects of modern technology’ is the theme that allowed the story to occur because nothing in the book would have happened had there not been a nuclear explosion. The themes of survival, dominance and age against youth are all linked together and are in a way very similar to each other. These three themes are perhaps the strongest and most occurring ones throughout the book, I will explain why: survival of course is going to be a major issue, Ann is the one who thinks about this the most having thought of growing her own crops, so when the supplies run out in the shop she will still have food to survive, and that is just one example. Throughout the book Mr Loomis tries to be the stereotypical ‘Alpha male,’ he wants everything to be done his own way and to be done by him. For example when Ann said she would go into the town with the safe suit to collect books, even though Mr Loomis is still ill he refuses to let her go, perhaps thinking she is incapable or he could have been worried she wouldn’t come back with the safe suit, although I think the first scenario is more likely. The only time Mr Loomis seemed to let Ann do things her way is when he could not do things for himself, however, he never admitted it. ‘Age against youth’ is another strong theme as throughout the book you realise that Mr Loomis even though he is older he is not always wiser and more mature, in fact Ann is definitely the more mature of the two characters. Optimism and realism are two words that can explain Ann and Mr Loomis’ completely different personalities. Ann being the optimist who thinks that the results of an action will always be good and Mr Loomis being the realist he makes decisions based on facts and not on false hope. Throughout the book breeding is a theme, but more with Ann – she thinks towards the future and beginning the human-race again. The theme of art v science is one that occurs throughout the book. As Ann is interested in art and Mr Loomis is interested in science, a few quarrels occur between them. However, ‘quarrels’ is perhaps the wrong word because Mr Loomis always seemed to get his own way. Again, I will use the example of when Ann wanted to use the safe suit to collect some engineering and physics books for Mr Loomis; she also suggested that she get some for herself. Such as poetry. Yet Mr Loomis refused and said, â€Å"You could not go. Understand that. Keep away from the suit. Never touch it.† After Mr Loomis had given Ann his lecture, she could not understand why he had become so angry. It was alright if he wanted something but as soon as Ann wanted something to do with her interests, it was too much of a risk. Religion v atheism is a theme in the book. Ann being the religious one and Mr Loomis the atheist. I don’t think Ann is strongly religious, I just think she finds going to the church and praying a ‘comforting factor.’ Earlier I said Mr Loomis is an atheist. This means that he doesn’t believe that any god or gods exist, therefore he does not understand why Ann would want to go to the church and ‘waste her time’ praying. I enjoyed this book because there were few characters, which allowed you to get to know them better. I also liked the style of the book being in diary form because you didn’t have to read the minute by minute accounts of what is happening in the book you only get to read the exciting and more intense parts which would be written in a diary. The thing that made the book a little boring was the fact that there weren’t many different figures of speech. The length I though was too long, some parts of the book seemed to be dragged out to give it a longer length, for example when Mr Loomis is sick the book got a little boring because in the diary entries you really were only told what Ann had did that day, there wasn’t enough character interaction. One thing that I thought ruined the book was the ending, I thought it was exciting when you were told that there was hope that there could be other people still living and you wanted to keep reading and know if there was anyone else out there, but it just stopped. Taking the entire book into account my opinion is that it is quite good as I think it gives a good insight into what could happen if there is a nuclear explosion – it is realistic.

buy custom Ideas of Plato and Aristotle essay

buy custom Ideas of Plato and Aristotle essay In spite of the fact, that Plato was Aristotles teacher their political ideas seem to have a slight difference. It is natural to start the comparison from analyzing Platos views, since he was the one who gave the knowledge and base to Aristotle. Plato considers philosophers the key characters in the formation of an ideal state. In his most famous essay "The Republic" he identifies a particular group of philosophers, which is not subject to the laws by which the rest of society lives. Exactly this point allows them to be wise leaders of society. We have to admit, that Plato was the founder of the school of idealism, thus his views on such matters were not very realistic. However, Plato emphasizes that the world must be built by those who have taken a long path of knowledge and have gained much of experience. It must begin with the sciences, which produce harmony of thought, depth and breadth of thinking. Basics are in mathematics, geometry and astronomy. But Plato sees the basis of wisdom beyond the "mathematical cycle. As a true idealist Plato is against the two evils in any society - wealth and poverty. The only wealth to him is wisdom and virtue. While gold is the equivalent of evil. According to Plato, if gold is highly prized in a country, virtue and kindness are prized less. The poor are also perhaps the main enemies of the ideal state, because if the poor and disadvantaged get access to public goods, hoping to snatch a piece there, it wont make any good, the philosopher thinks. Plato insists on the nessesity of education from the early childhood. However, he means volunteer education. Plato believes that everybody should do only what they like, what they tend to do. But this does not mean that the youth wont get to know about other sciences, he will optionally get acquainted with them. According to Plato the most successful in their studies are the future elite (only a principle of its formation is acceptable to Plato, he talks about the need to avoid the diffusion of social classes, for each has its place and role in life). However the history the history has proved the irrationality of this approach. After all, desire to "jump higher" has been giving birth to great people. Nevertheless there is one strong principle that only old and wise people may be aloud to govern. The ideal age for philosophy and politics is fifty years, when a person already know a lot, and have seen a lot. And the philosophy with the help of his authority will be able to raise a successor. Having determined for himself the image of ideal politician, Plato proceeds to the analysis of existing types of government. It is known that Plato himself was an active supporter of the slave-owning aristocracy. Noblesse - this is a wise philosopher, who are guarded by not less wise guards and are supported by landowners. Hence, it is a matter of fact that individual happiness and justice is actually the essence of Platos political approach. He presented the version of ethical politics to get the peace prosperity and progress in the society. At the same time, his wisdom of a second parallel world in his theory of form tints out the ethical approach in the politicians. That is why he has been always known as a humanistic personality and insightful scholar. Hannah Arendt is neither ancient nor philosopher. But, she has been called a philosopher by a large amount of people. However, she herself denied that fact. Her blend of ancient, old and current political, public and social theories provide comprehensive wisdom to understand the overall human life and its political scenario. The most unacceptable to Plato type of state is oligarchic. Such a state is dangerous primarily for its citizens, those who are not too rich. However, Plato does not see any merit in a democratic system either, because such state is not concerned of what kind of life did the person, who became a governor, had led before. In the democratic state, there is no place for philosopher and his thoughts, because the crowd is not able to understand his reasoning. In a democracy, violates the principle of everyone being their places, which they have been belonging since their childhood. And the main fault of democracy according to Plato is freedom, or rather the excessiveness, and people can not accurately use this right, because democracy doesnt teach them to. People can not be happy in democracy because they are too free and suffer this freedom. However, if they were taught by the wise philosophers of how to manage their freedom, how to use their rights, the state would be able to provide a much better life. Man is like the state, hence it has its own and all the diseases and vices of the latter: the tyranny he is poor, oppressed by demons, it ruled by evil forces, he has no choice. Vices leads to disease of the soul. Just as the body destroys the disease, they destroy the soul. Plato argues that the human soul is virtually immortal. It can not kill the influence from the outside, it can only be destroyed from within, the actions of the man himself. But everything that happens to him on the outside it - ultimately it is for the benefit , even if man suffers poverty, sickness, or else of what is evil, all this will eventually be him for the good in ife and after death. Plato and Aristotle were the authors of many works, but if the works of Plato are preserved in a sufficiently large volume , in the case of Aristotle, a complete collection has been preserved. Many works have survived only in fragments. Despite all of the views of Aristotle, the basis of his philosophy is the doctrine of Plato, as he held the same view on the nature of knowledge, which has its origin in the mind. The state, according to Aristotle is "work of nature", a product of natural development. It is based on the needs of people. Aristotle have pointed out the famous definition of man as "animal political" or public, and the policy is society. The meaning of this definition is that a man can not live alone, he needs contact with others, in association with them. Isolated people, says Aristotle, must possess the qualities of God, to remain human. Because of these qualities man becomes a beast. According to Aristotle there are three levels of associations that people make in their natural desire to communicate. The first - a family consisting of men, women and children. Then the village or town, and finally the policy. As we expand the terms of association, its complexity, climbing the ladder of social life increasing the amount of benefits of a persons communication and security. The division of labor becomes increasingly important for it gives benefits. The relationship of master and slave are, according to Aristotle, part of the family, not the state. The political authority is derived from the relationship between freedom and equality; it is fundamentally different from his father's authority over the children and from the master's authority over the slaves. The state, says Aristotle, - is a complex concept. In form, it represents a certain kind of organization and brings a certain set of people. From this angle he no longer means such primary elements of the state, as an individual, family, etc., and the citizen. Protection of private property did not prevent Aristotle from condemning greed and over-enrichment. He identifies two forms of wealth accumulation. First - our work, through production, wealth creation - increases overall wealth and favorable policy. In the second form - through trade, speculation, usury - nothing new is created. This is nothing but transfer of ready-made values, selfish enrichment. The ideal of Aristotle is private property, which fruits are used for the common good. Man by nature seeks to communicate with others, and this leads to family at first, and then to the union of families - the village, and several villages form the state as the highest form of human communication. Aristotle considers, that human nature manifests itself in state. While outside the state there are only gods and beasts. In its genesis state includes primary non-civil unions - the family and village. Historically, these elements, including the man himself, preceded it. However, the nature of the state as a whole, says Aristotle, is determined by the nature of its elements. Therefore the idea of state (not historically, not in the origin) precedes all other forms of human communication, and seem to have existed before the individual. Thus a living organism, having formed, dominates over its parts, and separate organs. The bottom line is, according to Aristotle, first the ability of state to give all its people a good life, which covers all separate elements of the state. Aristotle distinguishes two kinds of justice: equalizing and distributing. The first is based on the equality (arithmetic - in the case of the division of subjects amenable to the account), the second inequality implies and justifies it. Here Aristotle agrees with Plato. He spoke of the inequality. Aristotle prefers a formula of "unequal" ( distribute) justice. The same principle, according to Aristotle, should be applied at the organization of the policy. The aim of the policy - the common good. To ensure an equitable distribution of power, honor, rights and responsibilities, must take into account the contribution of each to the common good. He is determined not only by their state and spending on social needs. As an important indicator of the lack of justice, Aristotle considers the absence of extremes between rich and poor, the golden middle. His ethical principle - nothing excessive. In the policy he seeks to achieve a balance between rich and poor, common people and aristocrats, philosophers and ordinary peoples brain power. Aristotle considered middle-class people, not poor, but not too rich, the best in the policy and its reliable support, for they are able to understand the common good, not prone to extremes. Following well-established tradition, Aristotle divides the number of states participating in the management of three groups - where one person dominates, the few or the majority. But to this "arithmetic" principle, he adds a quality and ethical criteria. Depending on whether the governors think of the common good, or only of their own interests. And in this he is not entirely original. Such a classification was made by Plato. Aristotle makes some of the nuances in the definition of the six forms of the state, obtained by combining the two above-mentioned criteria. Aristotle states that correct the power of one man called monarchy, incorrectt tyranny, proper government by the few - the aristocracy, wrong - the oligarchy. The correct rule of the majority is polity, and wrong - democracy. In such a way it is clear that the views of Aristotle and Plato dont differ that much. In a democratic society the ideal government refers to the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The democratic characterization of government would be the idea of three prominent philosophers; the good government could also be built on the same characterization. Therefore, people are a core of government because people make the governments by participating in political process. And, people in the government are actually those people who participated to form a government. The concept of a democratic government also refers to the notion of Aristotles scholarly approach of cities or community, Platos approach of republic, and Hannah Arendts concept of public and private realm. Therefore, altogether, government is a conception of a public or a community and its activities are based on public and community. The formation of government and its functions are governed by the public and the community. So, it is an activity of public realm to build good community, republic or government for the people, it should be formed of the people, and it has to be formed by the people. It is clear, that Plato gave a broad picture of how a perfect state should be arranged(it should be aristocratic), every person should a child, and do what he intended and should not expose his or her body and soul to various temptations in the form of excessive love comfort or hobbies. If such a state and such a person actually existed, then perhaps it would be nice, though it was boring to communicate with only aristocratic citizens. The ideas of Plato embodied with precision in real life (especially with regard to the oligarchy, tyranny and democracy). One can rebuild the state machinery and make it perfect, but to it is impossible to subdue a man's soul with the same rules. And the whole history of the past century has proved this when totally failed attempts to "create a new man." Aristotle points to the main purpose of the state as the common good. Because every state is a kind of communication, while all communication is organized for the sake of good (after all, every activity has in mind the expected benefit). This sort of communication is called the state or political communication, and Aristotle pays great attention to it, for expects it form the foremost strong bases for the good state. For Aristotle, the polis (state) is a certain unity of the whole and its constituent elements, but he criticizes Plato's attempt to make the state "over one". The state consists of many elements, and an excessive desire for their unity leads to the destruction of the state. Aristotle stands as staunch defender of individual rights, private property and family. Aristotle, unlikely to Plato sees the political system (government) with the right to require the freedom of members of the political and legal communication. Thus the policy (the state) and the law are, according to Aristotle, the forms of liberty, of free men forms of communication, but not dependent individuals who are in the oppressive subordination or slave state. The doctrine of Aristotle has not lost its relevance in today's world and seems to be more realistic than Platos one. Aristotle in his treatise "Politics" emphasized the State's responsibility for the maintenance of cooperation and the overcoming of division between people. Thinker believed that power should belong not to the poor and not very wealthy and middle-slaveholders politicians, which dont necessarily have to be philosophers. The essence of this essay is also about happiness of citizens for having good laws and good administration around them. For without justice a nation cannot achieve the status of a civilized nation. And, without civilization no society can be treated as a community. Therefore, justice is deemed the basis of achieving the status of a civilized nation. For a. member of community and for the whole community justice is something that gives social, political and the domestic/in house equality. Therefore, justice is an utmost and ultimate requirement of a stable and lawful government. No government can run its system and procedures in a proper manner without justice. Plato has presented very good notion of just and unjust man in his theory of politics. He justified the importance of justice and denied the unjust prevalence in the society. On the other hand, Aristotle has add-on ethics in his politics theory that also means the justice and respect in the system and process of politics. So, justice is basic to achieve a status of a civilized nation. I personally believe that a good city concept presented in the theories of above-mentioned scholars is critically important to individual happiness. The reason behind my opinion is a cooperative community; it is a guarantee of communal happiness to the individual. There are several examples of united individuals and independent individuals. The outcome civilizations get from these experiences is the united individuals or the community system, which is much better for the independent individuals. Buy custom Ideas of Plato and Aristotle essay

Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate Biography

Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate Biography Major Stede Bonnet (1688-1718) was known as the Gentleman Pirate. Most of the men associated with the Golden Age of Piracy were reluctant pirates. They were desperate but skilled sailors and brawlers who either could not find honest work or who were driven to piracy by the inhuman conditions on board merchant or navy ships at the time. Some, like Black Bart Roberts, were captured by pirates, forced to join, and then found the life to their liking. Bonnet is the exception: he was a wealthy planter in Barbados who decided to outfit a pirate ship and set sail for riches and adventure. It is for this reason that he is often referred to as the Gentleman Pirate. Early Life Stede Bonnet was born in 1688 to a family of wealthy English landowners on the island of Barbados. His father died when Stede was only six years old, and he inherited the family estates. He married a local girl, Mary Allamby, in 1709. They had four children, of which three survived to adulthood. Bonnet served as a major in the Barbados militia, but it is doubtful that he had much training or experience. Sometime in early 1717, Bonnet decided to abandon his life on Barbados completely and turn to a life of piracy. Why he did is unknown for certain, but Captain Charles Johnson, a contemporary, claimed that Bonnet found â€Å"some discomforts in a married state† and that his â€Å"disorder of mind† was well known to the citizens of Barbados. The Revenge Bonnet purchased a seaworthy ten-gun sloop, named her the Revenge, and set sail. He apparently implied to local authorities that he was planning on serving as a privateer or even a pirate-hunter while he equipped his vessel. He hired a crew of 70 men, making it clear to them that they would be pirates, and found himself some skilled officers to run the ship, as he himself had no knowledge of sailing or pirating. He had a comfortable cabin, which he filled with his favorite books. His crew thought him eccentric and had little respect for him. Piracy Along the Eastern Seaboard Bonnet jumped into piracy with both feet, quickly attacking and taking several prizes along the eastern seaboard from the Carolinas to New York in summer of 1717. He turned most of them loose after plundering them but burned a ship from Barbados because he didn’t want news of his new career to reach his home. Sometime in August or September, they sighted a mighty Spanish man-of-war and Bonnet ordered an attack. The pirates were driven off, their ship was badly beaten and half of the crew dead. Bonnet himself was badly injured. Collaboration with Blackbeard Not long afterward, Bonnet met Edward Blackbeard Teach, who was just then setting out as a pirate captain in his own right after having served for some time under the legendary pirate Benjamin Hornigold. Bonnets men begged the capable Blackbeard to take over the Revenge from the unstable Bonnet. Blackbeard was only too happy to oblige, as the Revenge was a good ship. He kept Bonnet on board as a guest, which seemed to suit the still-recovering Bonnet just fine. According to the captain of a ship plundered by the pirates, Bonnet would walk the deck in his nightgown, reading books and muttering to himself. The Protestant Caesar Sometime in spring of 1718, Bonnet struck out on his own again. By then Blackbeard had acquired the mighty ship Queen Annes Revenge and didnt really need Bonnet anymore. On March 28, 1718, Bonnet once again bit off more than he could chew, attacking a well-armed merchantman named the Protestant Caesar off the coast of Honduras. Again, he lost the battle and his crew was extremely restless. When the encountered Blackbeard again soon after, Bonnets men and officers begged him to take command. Blackbeard obliged, putting a loyal man named Richards in charge of the Revenge and inviting Bonnet to stay on board the Queen Annes Revenge. Split with Blackbeard In June of 1718, the Queen Annes Revenge ran aground off the coast of North Carolina. Bonnet was sent with a handful of men to the town of Bath to try and arrange a pardon for the pirates if they would give up their thievery. He was successful, but when he returned he found that Blackbeard had double-crossed him, sailing off with some of the men and all of the loot. He had marooned the remainder of the men nearby, but Bonnet rescued them. Bonnet swore revenge, but never again saw Blackbeard (which was probably just as well for Bonnet). Captain Thomas Alias Bonnet rescued the men and set sail once again in the Revenge. He had no treasure or even food, so they needed to return to piracy. He wished to preserve his pardon, however, so he changed the name of the Revenge to the Royal James and referred to himself as Captain Thomas to his victims. He still didnt know anything about sailing and the de facto commander was quartermaster Robert Tucker. From July to September of 1718 was the high point of Bonnets piratical career, as he captured several vessels off of the Atlantic seaboard. Capture, Trial, and Execution Bonnets luck ran out on September 27, 1718. A patrol of pirate bounty hunters under the command of Colonel William Rhett (who was actually looking for Charles Vane) spotted Bonnet in the Cape Fear River inlet with two of his prizes. Bonnet tried to fight his way out, but Rhett managed to corner the pirates and capture them after a five-hour battle. Bonnet and his crew were sent to Charleston, where they were put on trial for piracy. They were all found guilty. 22 pirates were hanged on November 8, 1718, and more were hanged on November 13. Bonnet appealed to the governor for clemency and there was some discussion of sending him to England, but in the end, he, too, was hanged on December 10, 1718. Legacy of Stede Bonnet Stede Bonnets story is a sad one. He must have been a very unhappy man indeed on his prosperous Barbados plantation in order to chuck it all for the life of a pirate. Part of his inexplicable decision was leaving his family behind. After he set sail in 1717, they never saw one another again. Was Bonnet lured by the supposedly romantic life of the pirates? Was he nagged into it by his wife? Or was it all due to the disorder of mind that so many of his Barbados contemporaries noted in him? Its impossible to tell, but his eloquent plea for compassion to the governor seems to imply genuine regret and contrition. Bonnet wasnt much of a pirate. When they were working with others, such as Blackbeard or Robert Tucker, his crews managed to capture some genuine prizes, but Bonnets solo commands were marked by failure and poor decision making, such as attacking a fully armed Spanish man-o-war. He did not have a lasting impact on commerce or trade. The pirate flag usually attributed to Stede Bonnet is black with a white skull in the center. Below the skull is a horizontal bone, and on either side of the skull are a dagger and a heart. It is not known for certain that this is Bonnets flag, although he is known to have flown one in battle. Bonnet is remembered today by pirate historians and aficionados mostly for two reasons. First of all, he is associated with the legendary Blackbeard and is a part of that pirates larger story. Second, Bonnet was born wealthy, and as such is one of the extremely few pirates who deliberately chose that lifestyle. He had many options in his life, yet he chose piracy. Sources Cordingly, David. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates. Edited by Manuel Schonhorn. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1972/1999.Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: The Lyons Press, 2009

Ghana Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ghana - Assignment Example The Ghanaian economy is highly dependent on external trade. According to the BBC World news source, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Ghana in 1990s was estimated at 7 billion US $ ($ 430 per capita); that in CÃ ´te d Ivoire is $ 1500, in Togo - 900, in Burkina Faso - $ 700. If comparing with the present period, from that time the GDP has rised to 48 billion, so the level of low income has also grown. In GDP the share of agriculture, forestry, and fishing is about 50%, industry and construction - about 16%, the rest falls on the service sector. Among the countries of sub-Saharan Africa Ghana in the general level of economic development and per capita income ($ 425) is one of the most developed countries, but still not as developed as the world leaders - the USA, China, the UK, Canada, etc. But the economic situation of the country wasnt always good. Since the mid-1950s to mid-1970s Ghanas economy has developed rapidly and in the period of 1955-1974 the annual GDP growth averaged 4%. After 1974 the economy has deteriorated significantly, and until the mid-1980s continued deep recession. The relative economic recovery began in 1984, and until 1995 the average annual growth rate of 4.7%. Annual population growth during the same period was estimated at about 3%. The reason for this is the predatory use of the rich natural resources of Ghana. Its economy has adapted exclusively to the needs of exploitation of the country by foreign monopolies. In their hands were entirely bauxite, gold and manganese ore, almost all logging and mining of diamonds. Foreign companies have also been buying cocoa beans from farmers. All these goods were exported from the country only in the form of raw materials, which hindered economic development of the country. The situation was no better in agriculture. Colonizers encouraged the introduction of the cocoa culture,

Comparison of To Live and farewell to my concubine Essay

Comparison of To Live and farewell to my concubine - Essay Example It highlights the achievements that have been developed in these nations in competing in the industry to contribute towards entertainment industry. Zhang in the book analyzes the contribution of the film industry in promoting cultural values and ideologies (Zhang 103). The depictions of actual values within the plot of the cinemas have issued contribution towards the development within the society and a rich history that has been highlighted in production. In these regions, there is a strong provision to uphold cultural values that define the basis of formation in the nations. The development of the plot and the characters uphold societal values and help in selling the culture as are characteristic of the society. This paper is based on a comparison of two such films, To Live, and Farewell My Concubine, to compare the contents that they present. This was Zhang Yimou’s sixth production whose plot development is centred on the struggles presented in the union of a married couple. The setting is based on a period that was marked with the tyrannical rule of the ruthless Mao Zedong, as had been presented in some movies of the time. Zhang (287) explains, â€Å"To Live highlights the absolute necessity of tolerance as a time honoured survival skill for ordinary people in socialist China†. The other films from Beijing film graduates had stressed on the regime of the turbulent era in China highlighting; the positions held in the government that promoted the unjust presentations. However, the film had been based on the consideration placed on the people under the government. Zhang breaks the tension as he prepares a plot that is based on the family level in the struggling individual. The film delves on the intimate thee as it presents the effects of the struggling family class. Through the family of Fugui and Jiazhen, the effects of the affected economy and societal struggles of the Chinese