##ative Capability In Tendai Wiesel's 'The Hairdresser Of Harare'

Adversities are a natural part of an individual’s journey through life, but what is it that empowers us to persist through such hardship despite feelings we have reached the end of our capacities? Perseverance. Perseverance is the foundation that enables individuals to push through challenging situations. Both the novel, Walking Home by Eric Walters and the novel The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis are two works of literature that prove how perseverance is the key foundation for individuals to pass barriers set in their way. Muchoki and Parvana are characters who both persevere through family trauma that hits their household, they are able to preserve getting over the discriminatory mental barriers within their damaged countries and additionally are able to persevere through the physical agony faced upon them in their journey.

Throughout the world, an undeniable, yet perpetual force is responsible for tearing nearly everyone apart: hopelessness. Often caused by instability or vulnerability, hopelessness plagues those who refrain from combating its vile side effects. Hopelessness loves company, producing an inseparable bond between itself and self-doubt. During wartime events, it’s imperative to display some form of resistance towards the crippling despair. Although on the surface hopelessness seems insurmountable, it can be fought. In All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr emphasizes how the vital tool of resilience can be used to conquer hopelessness in all situations.

“In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.” stated motivational speaker, Les Brown. In explanation, this quote relates to life and the challenges it throws at us. Even when life gives us every reason to be negative, the importance of being positive always outshines being pessimistic. Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, shows a perfect example of being positive in the hardest of times. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’ Brien, through his experiences in the war, exhibits how one should always find the positive even in the most negative of situations.

Life is full of challenges. In the stories, “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity” and “Neighbours,” written by Jim McCormick and Lien Chao, the main characters illustrate benefits derived from taking risks. Even though both people in these texts undergo personal challenges, in “Neighbours” the character, Sally, receives greater benefits from taking risks than McCormick in “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity”.

Throughout the literary works of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Maus by Art Spiegelman, and “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, different characters deal with adversity differently. In The Glass Castle the characters must overcome family hardships. Likewise, Spiegelman writes about his father’s struggle during the Holocaust. Lastly, in “Mother to Son” the speaker informs her son about her own hardships she had to face. Challenges that characters face can impact them both negatively and positively. Characters from all three literary works deal with adversity by having courage, being resilient, and making poor choices.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a novel about a boy, his friend, and his friend’s father who all struggle to survive following the arrival of a carnival fueled by fear. One of the underlying themes developed by the novel is also manifested in the texts “If-”, by Rudyard Kipling, and the article, “The Art of Resilience.” The poem,”If-”, focuses on the qualities that all men should possess. Similarly, “The Art of Resilience” encompasses the idea of resilience and how one can develop this trait. The same universal theme is developed through the use of literary devices throughout all three texts. To elaborate, the significant theme that is developed by the authors’ uses of conflict, figurative language, tone and mood is that the ability to

Throughout life, one is faced with many experiences, and how one deals with those experience shapes one’s life. Laurie Channer’s Las Mantillas and Margaret Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers share the same theme of action versus inaction, however they define it from opposing perspectives. Action and inaction are complete opposites thus leading to completely different results. Whether taking action or remaining passive, strong feelings occur that can impact one’s life. Distance is also a huge factor in whether a person takes action or not, which is explored in both texts. While Channer’s Las Mantillas emphasizes the positive impact taking action has on an individual and society and Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers critiques the effects of inactivity, both agree that when faced with injustice it is vital to take action for one’s beliefs.

Constraints often have negative connotations, however in many situations they can be comforting and provide people with a direction. Both physical and conceptual limitations provide comfort especially when they provide a sense of familiarity. Literary devices such as imagery and irony help to convey this theme throughout the poem. In Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room William Wordsworth uses literary devices, as well as examples of comforting confined spaces, to prove that having conceptual limitations can be beneficial as well.

“The Power of Vulnerability” is one of Brené Brown’s “most popular talk” in TED (“About | Brené Brown, Ph.D.,” n.d.) Here, she discussed what she have found and learned from her long research in human connection, specifically about the concept of vulnerability and its essential role in our everyday life. Brown (2010) started off with the idea that we relate vulnerability to negative emotions and towards the end, she showed that it is the “birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love” as well and the “way to live.” Moreover, she suggests that if we “let ourselves be seen,” we expose ourselves to the different things in life that give “purpose and meaning” to us and live a better life out of it (Brown, 2012, par. 1).

Imagine living in dramatic fear, someone who loves you, puts you through abuse, depression, and demolishing your self-esteem. How does a person grow from such a traumatic experience and become brave? Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on September 15, 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria. During her senior year at Eastern, she started working on her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, which was released in October 2003. Adichie demonstrates bravery and growth in humanity. Kambili and her family’s lives are followed throughout Purple Hibiscus. Kambili and her family live through fear of Papa, they are silent and are afraid to stand up for themselves. Fear suppresses our individuality and confidence- thus; it controls humanity and hinders us from bravery and growth.

He begins with comparing the scenario that “ there is nothing to be done when the temperature outside is 85 degrees, and indoors the air conditioner has broken down; obviously when that happens there is nothing to do, except perhaps curse the day when one was born.” With the polar opposite of “ But when the temperature outdoors is below freezing, it takes a positive act of will on somebody’s part to set the temperature indoors at 85 degrees” (3). The usage of these sarcastic remarks shines light of the issue that society could be in control of the very factor that is oppressing them, yet choose to relay silence in fear of creating a bigger affair then

Death is the end. Some are born to misery, then die, while others are born to live, then die. The difference is some aren’t able to have a lasting, enjoyable life due to the indifference that causes suffering. In, “The Perils of Indifference,” by the Jewish Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, indifference is spoken upon which denotatively means “lack of interest, concern, or sympathy.” Being a Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, claims that indifference is “dangerous” and in fact “more dangerous than anger and hatred.” Furthermore, the author describes that many would prefer an “unjust God than an indifferent one.” Why? Because to be the victim of indifference is to feel “forgotten” and “abandoned,” which harms the human mind as it goes

To have hope is to be able to see the light amid the darkness. This is a notion shown in Ned Vizzini’s “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”. The protagonist is a teenage boy named Craig, who struggles with depression. One night, Craig checks himself into a hospital because of his suicidal thoughts. He then gets placed in the adult psychiatric ward called Six North. The novel “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” demonstrates that it is crucial to remain positive during hard times as there will be better days, with the usage of conflicts and characters. This is important because everyone undergoes hardships at some point in their life and must be able to prevail.

A majority of us squander our time fantasizing about a faultless society, a place where sorrow has not meaning but is replaced with harmony, compassion, and riches. Essentially, we want a place where dreams come true. On the contrary, how often do we reflect on the worst? A place where sorrow is the only meaning and harmony, compassion and riches have no existence. Susceptibility, combat and abhorrence- the contemplation of our future. Glimpses of these are shown through demoralizing literature, where the dire stuff is an extrapolation of our world.

Has anyone lived a life without misfortune? Doubtable; even the person with what could be described as the ideal life deals with some form of adversity. The novel, Speak, and the short story, The Third and Final Continent, both use plot as a way to convey themes of hardship. Moreover, these texts both use symbolism in order to develop their themes as well. The Art of Resilience and Speak utilize characterization as a method of developing their respective themes. Speak, The Third and Final Continent, and The Art of Resilience each deal with the theme that all people must learn to cope with adverse situations.