Humanity In Rosenblatt's Essay 'Man In The Water'

In David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech, This is Water, addressed to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College, he aims to encourage his audience to be aware of the world around them and to be conscious of their attitude towards others. Wallace’s underlying purpose is to reveal how genuine learning permits people to recognize their default setting and it allows them to alter it. To convey these messages, he uses pathos by placing the reader in relatable situations and establishing a connection with his audience Wallace begins his speech by referring to a metaphorical story about fishes and although its meaning isn’t crystal clear until the end, it causes the reader to find interest in his speech and opens their minds to listen. He also establishes credibility with the audience by reminding them that he is just like them and admits his own mistakes. This credibility is vital for the remaining of the essay because it helps the audience not to feel emotionally manipulated through his use of pathos.

An intriguing and important remark of the Roger Rosenblatt’s “The man in the water” appears at the end of this article. After he mentions the person who acted to sacrifice himself for other survivors in the river when the disastrous airplane accident occurred, the author claims “Everyone feels the possibility in himself.” This statement reflects his observation of the hero, who, as the author points out, fought against the nature bravely. Even though the man was beaten by the relentless cold water, his extraordinary behavior makes people confident about the faith that humankind is by no means weak existence.

Superman is represented as a symbol of strength and courage, representing the heroic act of destroying barriers and overcoming adversity.

For this essay, I am going to be discussing the short story “Swimming” found on the New Yorker, and written by T. Cooper. I have chosen this story for many reasons, and among those reasons is the personal sadness I felt when I first read the story, almost as if the universe was placing a certain theme in my life, that only the main character could possibly understand. I am talking about running, the god given instinct felt by all men, inherent in the nature of fear, and brought out in all who feel sadness in its full intensity. Though in my short life I can not compare the sadness I have felt with that of losing a child at my own hand, but if I had been placed in that situation, if fate had tempted my soul with such a sequence of events, I would like to think I could find the strength to endure and the courage to not abandon all I had previously known. Yet I am able to reconcile the themes of grief, the mode of recovery, and the longing to escape such a terrible tale. I think in this piece, as I will discuss in later parts, the author was able to put into words a transformation we rarely get to observe in closeness, the kind of transformation that turns a kind man into a “just man” the kind of death that turns this world from a beautiful and happy place into a world that is closing in on our main character, that is forcing him to surface temporarily and gasp for air, much like he does when he finds peace in the water, wading breath after air, after sea. I firmly believe that

      Superman, also known as Clark Kent, is the most popular modern day hero. Superman spent most of his time saving people from natural disasters and corrupt businessmen. He would level slums to force the city to build decent housing, and he would use his powers to terrorize munitions makers.

People are born into this world crying and wanting only for themselves. As children, humans retain the same selfishness. Without regard for the others around them, they throw tantrums and fight until they obtain the object of their desire. This behaviour was essential for survival when humans were at their most primitive state, left to fend for themselves against the hostile world and each other. But as humans have united together, communities have been created where selfishness is not needed; due to the generosity and kindness that is valued by the community's members. Although humans have put value of kindness and generosity well above selfishness, it has not combatted the “default-setting”, mentioned in This is Water by David Foster Wallace.

In the story “Boston Kind: Stories of Compassion”, we learn that in circumstances of agony, people are willing to put others before themselves even if they receive negative effects: “While life is marred by acts of human cruelty and violence, there are also countless people engaged daily in deeds of kindness”(Rose 3). The writer states that as the world seems to be polluted with inhumanity and savagery, there are still a few groups of people that fill the emptiness with only positive acts. This signifies the pure intention of compassion in humans when the world tolerates the unthinkable. Because of this, malicious intentions are outweighed by the authentic determination to do well for

For centuries, man has struggled with the concepts of good and evil and have produced astounding works as a reflection of it. This is ideally the foundation of early fables and folklore dating back to ancient civilizations. Stories about famed heroes and the battle of good and evil woven into extravagant tales of danger, destiny, and triumph. These stories were often assimilated into individual societies, told from generation to generation until eventually finding themselves becoming an integral part of the culture. In 1938, a new era began to emerge known as the “golden age” of superheroes. Superman made his first appearance in action comics, forging a unique identity as the first comic book superhero in American culture and quickly

People have two basic assumptions when it comes to human nature. We assume collectively that human nature is inherently good, or that human nature is inherently evil. The way these assumptions are made is through the experiences and perspectives that people have on certain situations. People can choose to believe in the good or believe in the bad, which makes humans unique from the rest of the life on Earth. No one will be able to look at a person and automatically understand their backgrounds which allows people to surprise others with their actions.

Despite this, Superman isn’t real; he’s flawless, too good. This makes for good media, but he isn’t truly a character that we can relate to, because we as humans are flawed. When I think of a flawed, troubled hero one of the first characters that comes to mind is Batman. Batman was set on the path of becoming a hero after experiencing a

Therefore, Superman is a respected figure who has the heroic abilities to accomplish the maintenance of laws in society, which exemplifies one of his major themes as

“The Swimmer” is a short story written by John Cheever and publish in 1964. The short story is about a man names Neddy who one summer decides to get home by swimming across all the pools in his county. What makes this short story so appealing is Cheever’s theme of sociological and psychological insight of one main character. Over the long haul the short story is about persona and inner corruption with a sort of conflict. “Why was he determined to complete his journey even if it meant putting his life in danger? At what point had this prank, this joke, this piece of horseplay become serious?” (Cheever 127). The short story was great because it was psychologically heavy and metaphorically real. It was also great because it shows how many people live their lives today.

How hard is it to do the right thing? In the article, “The Man in the Water”, many people did the right thing right until the end. “The Man in the Water” takes place in Washington D.C., where there was a blast of winter. It was a chaotic disaster that caught the nation’s attention. In reality, not everyone is willing to be the “good guy”. Everyone have once, thought of themselves more than others but, in this article, not everyone was selfish. Not being selfish, showed heroism and bravery. In the article “The Man in the Water”, Roger Rosenblatt uses conflict and setting to develop moral courage.

Superman: America’s Savior The name Superman encompasses the resonating factors that have contributed to Superman’s lasting cultural impact, the fact that he is able to be superhuman while retaining an undeniable sense of humanity. Since his first comic book appearance nearly 80 years ago Superman has been portrayed across many diverse platforms, in many forms, in many countries. For the purposes of this paper the focus will be on the 2006 film Superman Returns and the 2013 film Man of Steel, which being targeted for American audiences, present the characters through a lens of American values. In their respective films Superman Returns and Man of Steel, Brian Singer and Zack Snyder each present decidedly different versions of Superman, yet they are both ultimately guided by the theology that an American savior needs human characteristics.

All over the world, there is a cry, a cry for leadership, a cry for survival, a cry for justice, a cry for love. Furthermore, every community in the world is in need of something, whether it’s basic needs like food and shelter, or if it’s something deeper than simply physical existence. Surprisingly, even well-off communities suffer as people waste their lives away in selfishness and pleasure, only to discover that it only leaves a gaping hole in their heart. Our technological world today is more connected than ever before, but there’s little trust or genuine care. Sadly, the essential humanness which connects and defines us is slowly