Mandible's Skepticism

Throughout life, one faces with many experiences, and how one deals with those experiences 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.

It was a free drawing activity, where we could draw anything we wished to. The boys always drew cars and robots on the blank canvas given to us, while girls usually drew nature with animals. On my blank sheet of paper, I wanted to draw a natural scene with flowers and puppies; however, in order to be accepted; I drew cars and robots instead. Needless to say, my cars and robots did not turn out too well at all. In this example, George’s morals, as a child, are on a huge blank canvas, undefiled by the world. However, in my case, through the peer pressures, I drew something I did not want to draw. Meanwhile, through the influence of his mother, George becomes someone he does not want to be. When George stole, he feels uneasy and is described as having “closed faces and hard eyes,” (Sebold, 188) which shows tremendous doubt on his part. Even though, George does not want to steal, he does it anyway in order to gain the acceptance of his mother, while I simply drew cars and robots in order to gain the acceptance of my peers.

Imagine yourself shipwrecked upon an uninhabited island. The experience of being stranded will cause you to pose many questions, with the possibility of only one of those questions to being answered. One answered question is: what is the purpose of literature? Northrop Frye, within “Motive for Metaphor”, uses the analogy of being within an uninhabited island to examines the purpose of literature by connecting it to the purposes of language and their use within the different worlds and levels of the mind Frye sees present.

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.

In “The Dew Breaker,” a reoccurring tone of redemption of evil acts is something that Danticat comes back to time and time again. Throughout the novel, redemption comes in different forms, especially for the two strongest representations of violence, with that being Claude and the “dew breaker.” Through Claude, the reader can argue that his character helps give insight to the “dew breaker.” A question can be asked, is redemption possible when someone has committed evil acts of crime and violence? In her novel, Danticat does not come out to give the reader that answer; however, the reader observes through the text that redemption is possible. The text shows this through the conversation between Dany and Claude, through what is exposed about the “dew breaker,” and how Dany’s feelings might have changed after meeting Claude.

In the poem “The Writer” by Richard Wilbur and the short story “Saturday Climbing” by W.D. Valgardson, both of them describe children’s growth in parent’s point of view. Somehow, parents realize children always meet difficulty along with their growth, and parents sometimes are unable to help them, whereas both parents and children have to struggle for themselves.

The universe doesn’t owe you, me, or anyone a thing, except for death. Though as kids most of us were led to believe that with enough effort and hard work were going to become whatever we wanted to be, we were going to have whatever our little hearts desired, and we were going to do whatever we wanted to do. However, as we grew up we realized that this is not the case. There are millions of people who did not become professional athletes, models, or billionaires, people who never got to have the mansions, cars, and fame that they always longed for, people who never got to travel the world, cure cancer, or fly into space. These are all mostly childlike dreams, which were probably imposed unto us by either our parents or society. There’s nothing wrong with children having these sort of improbable dreams, however, there comes a time where we can no longer be children. In the story Tandolfo the Great, written by Richard Bausch, we are introduced to Rodney Wilbury aka Tandolfo the Great, who is a suitable example to demonstrate what life can be like for those who are unable to grow out of their childlike mind sets. In this analysis I will be inspecting how Tandolfo the Great’s childish mind set, from his strong sense of entitlement to his inability to let go of the past events, has almost destroyed his life and how it can destroy anyone else’s.

In Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Dave finds himself throughout the course of the story. Throughout the story, Dave is constantly seeking the pleasure of obtaining and then eventually shooting a gun in order to be a man and find himself. However, Dave does not expect the consequences that are to follow the pursuit of pleasure. The moral of the story pertains to the role pleasure and its consequences have in development and finding oneself. The story narrates a common, but little talked about problem, that runs rampant in today’s society. In the story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Richard Wright illustrates Dave’s development, or lack thereof, through the symbols of the gun, the train, and the mule.

Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell daughter who is an atheist and has a Ph.D. in philosophy, has a wooden leg and a heart condition. Her heart is weak in physically and emotionally because she does not have the ability to love. When she meets Manley “[it] is clear in her plans for Pointer that she sees him as someone who is calculable, someone she can quantify and classify in order to use for her own ends” (Hubbard par.25). Hulga believes that her intelligence is superior to everyone and she can use it to get what she wants. Little does she know that Manley also does not believe in God and that makes him “outside her means of calculation and system of ordering as “standing reserve”-leads to her devastating humiliation and loss” (par.26). Manley is just like her, but worst. While she tries to take advantage of him, he plans to take advantage of her. While on their picnic “Manley Pointer, a boy with eyes as sharp as "two steel spikes", realizes how superficial her intelligence is, how easily it can be taken away from her, and how meaningless it is in the real world” (Oliver par.4). Just as the serpent was successful in making Eve believe that was okay to eat an apple of the Tree of Knowledge, Manley make Hulga believe that it is okay to go out with him and that she will be safe.

The following section connects Hyde’s acknowledgment concepts: call of conscience, reconstruction, calculating thought, as well as, social death with select scenes from the novel Les Misérables in order to prove that stories teach people how to live a fulfilling life. “…the future is constantly calling us to acknowledge and make use of our “response-ability” for making thoughtful decisions about how to build and live a meaningful life” (Hyde, 2006, p. 49). Again, this paper argues that Les Misérables teaches people the communicative lesson of acknowledgment, specifically, call of conscience, reconstruction, calculative thought, and social death which explain how people can live responsible and meaningful lives.

In his essay, “Thought,” Louis H. Sullivan illustrates the importance of real thinking and creative thinking. He asserts that words are not really necessary to use to express our thoughts. He presents other wordless forms of communication to translate our thoughts into loud expressions. Music, painting, images and other wordless forms are the solution the author suggest, as better forms of communication. “Real thinking is better done without words” Sullivan argues. “Words” cut off the inspiration of creative thinking, and disturbs the imagination when someone tries to translate their thoughts into spoken language. According to the author, images are the best way to translate our creative thoughts without the interruption of finding the perfect word to describe an idea. Sullivan attempts to persuade his audience to avoid reading because it deprives them from real thinking: asserting that it must be only done in the present. He discusses that writing is a slow process: many thoughts dissipates as one struggles to put their thoughts into words. Another point that Sullivan argues is that one should only think in the present, and focus in the present alone because the present is the only thing that matters. Sullivan explains, “You cannot think in the past, you can only think of the past… you cannot think in the future, you can only think of the future” … “One is dead and the other is yet to be born.” The author argues that it is not good idea to expand our imagination onward and

O’Connor takes her main characters through an epiphany in which therefore helps the characters to become aware of their own ignorance. The characters eventually gained knowledge or better yet became self-aware of their attitudes towards others through some form of an unexpected tragedy. O’Connor wants her readers to see how no matter how much you try to cover or justify your ignorant ways whether it be through grace, judgment is still imminent. “In A Good Man is Hard to Find”, O’Connor reveals in this story both grace, redemption and pride. The

(Hook) Motivation, when used to push a person to their highest potential, can cause both greatness and disappointment. (Bridge) In James Hurst’s story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” Brother pushes Doodle to the limit teaching Doodle activities that he would have never had the opportunity to do without the motivation and determination to reach greatness. (FS1) Throughout the journey of learning to walk, swim, and run, Brother motivates Doodle to keep pushing so that he could be like the other kids before he started school. (FS2) Doodle, born physically impaired, tries his best to follow his brother’s orders and make him happy, but this leads him to his death. (FS3) The motivation in this short story is represented by three symbols: the scarlet ibis, the wagon, and the coffin, which all demonstrate the motivation Doodle and Brother have to use to overcome the obstacles they face. (Thesis) Motivation can be used as a compelling force to strive for greatness, but can lead to upsetting results when it is used to the extent as it is in the “Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst, which is demonstrated by the symbols of (I) the scarlet ibis, (II) the wagon, (III) and the coffin.

   “Why do some people persist despite insurmountable obstacles, while others give up quickly or never bother to try” (Gunton 118)? A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, is a commentary on life and our struggle to comprehend and control it. The last scene in the play between Asagai and Beneatha contrasts two contemporary views on why we keep on trying to change the future, and reaches the conclusion that, far from being a means to an end, the real meaning of life is the struggle. Whether we succeed or not, our lives are purposeful only if we have tried to make the world a better place for ourselves and others- only, in other words, if we follow our dreams.

If there is anything that sparks my imagination, it would be computers. I always enjoyed searching through the lines of code and examining the logic behind the software: the unseen stage hands behind the play, the construction workers behind the skyscraper, the painter behind the painting. However, there was something inside of me that made following my dreams particularly difficult: an inability to speak freely in front of my fellow companions. This was not an ordinary case of stage fright, but an actual medical disorder known as selective mutism. Even so, the world from which I come from was relentless, allowing even the timid a place among the masses. What this world did was empower me pursue the dreams that I now hope to accomplish in my life.