Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day Essay

George and all readers learn from this story about the merciless and callous effect the human nature has on mankind. The general theme of the novella highlights the voracious and often malevolent aspect of human nature. The novella in its essence flails at the idea of ‘every man for himself’. George learns many lessons throughout the book that can be applied to a reader’s everyday life. Loyalty and Sacrifice

“Harrison Bergeron, “a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., takes place in a totalitarian society where everyone is equal through handicaps forced on them by the government. Harrison, the main character, attempts to save the broken society, but ultimately fails to change anything. Vonnegut uses Harrison as a Christ figure in his novel ironically, to make a statement about our own society today and how we are blind to many political things happening around us. These ideas can be explored through analyzing Thomas Foster’s novel How to Read Literature like a Professor.

This summary paper on Christopher Browning's Ordinary Men will provide a summary and an overview of the main ideas of the text while attempting to focus on Browning's overall central argument which revolves around these seemingly “normal” and “ordinary men” and how they were transformed into murderers due to various elements. The summary paper will also be dedicated to the overall significance of the book and its significance in relation to the history of the Holocaust as a whole. Browning's novel is significant in generating a greater awareness towards the Holocaust but more specifically providing awareness towards who the perpetrators were as Browning provides an in depth examination into the ordinary men which were transformed into these mass murderers, while centering his argument on how and why did these normal and seemingly ordinary men transform into the mass murderers in which they became. The novel also takes the reader into an in depth, detailed account of the horrific actions of the German battalion towards the innocent Jewish population, as Browning details the

The narrator’s background of education conflicts with the current situation of war that he is in. The narrator has “graduated in law from St. Petersburg University”, giving him higher ground among soldiers with not only the education he possess but also the moral capacity he has. His fellow soldiers are on the other side of the spectrum in relation to the narrator. They have endured the tragedy of war, giving them vulgar personalities that allows them to express ideas and thoughts with no filter: “go and mess up a lady . . . and you 'll have the boys patting you on the back”. These contrasting personalities and cultures has set up the narrator to get test his singular moral standings to fit in with the other soldiers. Otherwise, the narrator would have to endure embaressing behavior such as: “went over to my little trunk and tossed it out at the gate . . . [and] emitted a series of shameful noises”.

Using such specific examples will help clearly highlight the difference in opinion of the two authors and the way in which Goldhagen tries to show the members of the Police Battalion as “Ordinary Germans” who were “Willing Executioners”, while Browning presents them as “Ordinary Men” reacting to a certain set of specific circumstances.

In the Memoir “Night” Elie was loyal to his father he changed his nature to a more animalistic nature. The definition of loyalty is a strong feeling of support and allegiance even in the midst of dehumanization. In fact during the Holocaust, Jewish boxer Salamo Arouch was imprisoned at Auschwitz. He was forced to fight fellow prisoners; the losers were sent to the gas chambers or shot. He survived over 2 years and 200 fights until the camp was liberated. This shows just how cruel the nazis were to the Jewish people during the time of the holocaust especially to people they knew were weak or strong, and in the case of Salamo Arouch he was one of the stronger people at Auschwitz . The Memoir “Night” Is about Elie Wiesel’s rough life during his time at Auschwitz.

As the story continues, his sympathy for Bartleby’s predicament develops. Throughout paragraph 90, the lawyer discovers that Bartleby resides in the office and feels pity towards how Bartleby sustains such “ miserable friendlessness and loneliness.” Readers can acknowledge how the Lawyer struggles with maintaining the changing attitudes he feels towards Bartleby: “melancholy merge into fear” and “pity into repulsion” (137). The Lawyer intended to fire Bartleby for his refusal to work, but did not, for he feared of being portrayed as a “villain” (138). According to Jack Getman, the Lawyer has “become a different, more appealing person, one who is more responsive to the needs and rights of his workers” (Getman 738). It is evident that the Lawyer undergoes many changes in the interest of Bartleby.

Individuality is essential to expressing our desires, passions, and talents to those around us, and the lives of Turkey and Nippers, two of the lawyer’s other scriveners, possess none. For example, in describing Nippers, the narrator includes he suffers from “a certain impatience of the duties of a mere copyist, an unwarrantable usurpation of strictly professional affairs.” Since the characters never express themselves, they can never begin to understand each other, a process that is essential to forming meaningful relationships. Furthermore, the lives of Turkey and Nippers, are dictated by submission to the rules and expectations of the Lawyer. Turkey even begins any questions addressing the narrator with the preface, “with submission, sir.” Working in an environment requiring one to solely follow the orders of a superior inevitably initiates dissatisfaction with one’s inability to ever voice their opinion and feel they’re a meaningful part of their community. As a result, the breakdown of the office community, or the nonexistence of community altogether, is

In Susan Griffin’s work titled “Our Secret”, she discusses the relationship between the present-day and the earlier life of different people. She also compares the private and public lives of other people. Her piece is set during World War Two in the 1940s. Throughout the entire piece, Griffin compares the lives of people evolved in World War Two, people who were affected by the war, and her own life. She shows how even though they lived separate lives, they are still closely related.

In this brief encounter we can sense the rudeness of the clerk as he interact with Gittes. The young man reluctantly and with apparent agitation looks up at Gittes, clearly signaling his utter disapproval of Gittes interruption. The lack of customer service is a relatable frustration that came across in this scene as making Gittes one of us, a normal person dealing with the antics of others. Gittes frustration is perpetuated by the lack of effort displayed by the young man in simply doing his job. The young man’s complete lack of enthusiasm for his job or in helping Gittes is uncomfortable to watch, and yet we see Gittes taking the impolite attitude of the Hall of Records worker with a heroic calmness. Once the worker gives Gittes the directions to the plat books he is seeking Gittes allows his tempered frustration to come alive, as he walks away from the childlike, spoiled worker. An exasperated Gittes mumbles “Weasel!” in reference to the help given him by the younger man, as he walks to off from the records desk. (Evans &Polanski, 1974).

Life as a factory worker is no easy task. The constant repetitive motion is a task that can drive any man insane. It also doesn’t help when your factory never wants you to get ahead of the scheduled routine. In the novel, “Rivethead”, Hamper spends majority of the time working in the factory for General Motors. His behavior on and off the job is extremely hyper masculine. Alcohol and exploitation play a big role in his life. The behaviors Hamper displays on and off the job are a result of depersonalizing work of the factory life. The disconnect between large factories and the individual worker, caused for a loss of freedom and hypermasculine behavior.

Vonnegut's story “Harrison Bergeron” discusses the theme equality of results, but through his satirical circumstances there is an ambiguous theme targeting Socialism and Capitalism that shines through.

William Gay’s short story, “The Paperhanger” does an excellent job illustrating the theme that, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Today’s society is so focused on outward appearances, that they tend to forget this popular idiom. This expression can be interpreted in many ways, both literally, and abstractly. While a book may appear fun and adventurous on the outside cover, the inside context may lack excitement and adventure. On the other hand, those that look sweet and innocent on the outside may be manipulative and evil at the core. Moreover, those that seem rough around the edges may be the sweetest, most kindhearted individuals on the inside. The main character in “The Paperhanger” is a great example of a man whose outward appearances and actions do not match his inner personality traits. While the paperhanger appears honorable to the outside world, deep down he is devious and spiteful.

The narrator went to great lengths to avoid a confrontation. When Bartleby refused to leave the office after being fired, the narrator chose to move his office to a different location instead of removing the eccentric man by force. The narrator informs the reader of this idea when he says, “ No more then. Since he will not quit me, I must quit him. I will change my offices.” (2422) By doing so, the narrator displays just how far man is sometimes willing to go to avoid conflict. The final theme is man’s desire to have a free conscience. Melville reveals this theme through the actions of the narrator as well as the new tenants of the office. The narrator attempts to appease his conscience by giving Bartleby money above his wages when he fired him. The new tenants of the office try to put the responsibility of dealing with Bartleby back on the narrator, but they are denied and eventually have the man removed from the premises by law officers. Herman Melville uses the actions and reactions of the characters in “Bartleby the Scrivener” to disclose three important themes, alienation, man’s desire to avoid conflict, and man’s desire to keep a free conscience. In doing so, he gives us an inside look into the workings of the human mind. The reader is left with the impression that all people, including lawyers, have compassion for other humans, and at some point, that

Reuben Warshovsky is a labor organizer from New York representing the Textile Workers Union of America is committed to convincing the workplace that unionization will increase wages and better working conditions at the O. P. Henley Textile Mill. With the assistance of Norma Rae and by working day and night he was able to pull off an impossible feat of unionizing the workers at the plant. Manipulation, bribery, retaliation and intimidation are one of the few issues Norma Rae, Reuben Warshovsky and other textile workers encountered. The film reveals what the type of strings management was willing to pull in order to prevent unionization in the workplace