Look me in the eye

“These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death, and to induce me to commence this laborious voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks in a little boat, with his holiday mates, on an expedition of discovery up his native

Lee’s writing is littered with descriptive and flowery visuals that truly capture both the environment and his emotions. In one such case, he recalls an evening where he “[stared] at the brightest star, viewing it not so much on this night as a beacon, something [he] wanted to believe would lead [he] out of this dark tunnel, but instead as a place [he’d] rather be” (155). His juvenile wistfulness is tangible in the words and the reader can almost feel the chill of the night air. He continues, wishing to be “anywhere but here…[wishing to have] been born anywhere but here.” (155). His yearning twists the heart with sympathy for his lonesome and pitiable plight. This moment is but a minute fraction of the incredibly intimate tale that Lee

In Chapter 5, the Johnson family went to church. John still could not decide on what to believe in, creation or the theory of evolution; but after Mr. Strom’s discussion, he believed in creation. While in Chapter 6, John was convinced by Mr. William’s lecture that everything evolved from something. After class, the trio: John, Marvin, and Pete were down by the tracks smoking. Marvin suddenly asked for John’s share of tobacco, but John said he did not afford tobacco and Papa does not smoke. Marvin shrugged and suggested him to steal some at Mr. Thorsen’s store. John was astonished by his suggestion; he could not steal now or could he? In Chapter 7, Mama had a big announcement: Hilda could take piano lessons if Mama would clean Mrs. Lavine’s house once a week. The girls were squealing from excitement but all John felt was hugging someone and getting some tobacco. In Chapter 8, Mr. Strom showed his complex watch and related it to the

The son had loved his father dearly but does not favor his way of life. His interest in school greatly outweighed his interest or desire to work on ‘The Boat’. He still had a love for the sea and in some way felt like he should carry out his family’s tradition. After his uncle had accepted a new job he took his position on the boat and promised his father that we would continue to sail with him for as long as he lived, and when his father passed despite the desires of his mother he followed his dreams and pursued education and all of its wonders. After living his life he finds himself longing for the sea again and isn’t so satisfied with his life.

The Mariner’s lifelong penance is to relay his story and message throughout the lands to the various individuals he holds a calling towards. The Mariner can only relieve his frequents bouts of extreme agony and guilt from his past by narrating his story and lesson to others, bidding them not to make the same mistake he did. Initially, the listener is reluctant to hear the Mariner’s tale, eager to get to the wedding that is about to begin. However, the listener is somehow drawn to the Mariner and yields to his tale. He becomes enchanted, and by the tale’s end, the listener is left, shocked, speechless, and in awe. He gains a new perspective of the world, and the poem ends with the words, “He [the listener] went like one that hath been stunned / And is of sense forlorn; / A sadder and a wiser man, / He rose the morrow morn.”

A choice of not putting the effort and vitality in building a relationship can make a person irresponsible, which impacts a relationship. When he discovered that Johnny doesn’t have a full scout uniform because of lack of money, his first response was “What’s the matter with this family anyway? God knows what the neighbor must think of me.” What others thought was more important to him than his own family. John Purcell's alcoholic habit has moved him far from the association with his child despite the fact that he was attempting to get near to him. "On the evening of the banquet, he was a little late getting home, having stopped in for a few drinks with a customer who was buying an industrial site," he demonstrated an absence of judgment by having a drink before he even returned home from work making him late to the scout meeting, which was a critical meeting for his son. John Purcell never puts the time, exertion and effort to

At the realization of the truth, John breaks down and sobs, not only from seeing how his race had been devastated before, but also at the realization that all the knowledge he had gathered as a child was false. In his unyielding desire to learn more, he never thought of what would happen once he gained the knowledge that he wanted, and if he would be satisfied if it revealed something he didn’t want to learn.

John Wetherton is a family man who is in search of gold in the mountains. He is searching for this gold because he wants his son to have a better lifestyle. As he would put it as “ For Tommy to have an education”, so he can have a better lifestyle and get a better career. He promised himself that when he finds the gold that he will not get crazy for it.

Throughout The Apostate, London maintains how impoverished Johnny and his family are. He notes, “two dollars represented the difference between acute starvation and chronic underfeeding”. Even as Johnny received, promotion there never ceased to be a time when he would break even. All of his earned income was directed toward the needs of his

One reason Francis is mired in abject circumstances is because of his laissez-faire attitude with money. One example of this laid-back attitude towards spending money occurs when Francis goes home after twenty-two years and receives ten dollars from his son, Billy. Knowing Francis, this ten dollars would not last long nor would the purchase be wise. He would not spend it after careful consideration to survive but would throw it away on a thoughtless splurge on the unnecessary. Francis does not disappoint by spending most of

“At that moment, when the world around him melted away, when he stood alone like a star in the heavens, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of icy despair, but he was more firmly himself than ever.” (Chapter 4, Page 41, Paragraph 2)

At each stratum of society, there is the misconception of correlating money and character. Jim’s mother risked her life and that of her only son to get her ‘dues.’ “[I]’m an honest woman,” she proclaims and intends to prove this proclamation by taking only what is owed (Stevenson 17). It is astonishing how her perception of value is skewed. She sits counting money in the face of imminent danger. She values money over the safety of herself and her son. It is when danger is at the door that Jim is able to pull her back from the brink of death and disaster.

First of all, in “The Seafarer” the writer discusses the internal conflicts he is having among the waves of the sea. Even though this self-chosen exile causes this man pain and sorrow, peace is not a common entity for him while on land. “The time for journeys would come and my soul/ called me eagerly out, sent me over/ the horizon, seeking foreigners’ homes.” (lines 36-38). The gallant mortal does not doubt that there is no fear among his heart, but his longing for the tides is far too strong to be confined to the dry, lifeless land. His experiences only bring him back to where he feels at home the most - the sea. “But there isn’t a man on earth so proud,/…/he feels no fear as the sails unfurl/…/only the ocean’s heave; But longing wraps itself around him.” (lines 39-47). The way he shows his fearful arrogance is an example again of his internal conflict.

A man chosen as a seafarer endures alone in a blue abyss and survives through the harsh winds and hostile territory alone, with none to confide his suffering to other than himself, and virtually no reasons to continue the sufferation known as life, yet, despite the odds, he lives on, and tells his suffering in a poem known as “The Seafarer”. In “The Seafarer”, the author of the poem releases his long held suffering about his prolonged journey in the sea. While the poem explains his sufferings, the poem also reveals why he endured anguish, and lived on, even though the afterlife tempted him. Besides expressing his reasons to live, more importantly, the poem narrates the huge impacts of Christianity on him.