The importance of cherishing the invaluable individuals in one’s life is apparent in Matthew Teague’s personal journey of his wife’s battle against cancer and a genuine friendship. “The Friend” depicts emotional appeal, comparisons, and vivid imagery to portray the significance of valuing loved ones. There is no single definition for a loved one. A spouse, children, family, friends, the reciprocated love can build everlasting bonds, but why is it so important to treasure the relationships we have? Just because they are family, it may not signify that we love them; just because they are acquaintances, it does not necessarily indicate that we have a type of love for them either. The pure love we possess for someone is rare and never chosen or obliged, so this valuable love should be nurtured, for people are bound within unpredictable time limits. Nichole’s, Teague’s wife’s, diagnosis of cancer was a realization for him that his days with her were numbered. Along the way, Dane Faucheux, the couple’s friend, was devoted to aiding the Teague family during their struggling time. Faucheux’s undisputed support for Teague and his family surprised him numerous times throughout their experience. This love in the sublime story is seeped with appreciation for those Teague values in his life. The realization and worth of his deep endearment for his family and friend is transferred to the reader, and he or she begins to realize the reality of the given time to value those who are most important.
Love is undoubtedly one of the most frequently explored subjects in the literary world. Whether the focus is a confession of love, criticism of love, tale of love, or simply a tale about what love is, such literary pieces force readers to question the true meaning and value of love. Raymond Carver accomplishes this in his short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” As the unadorned setting and the personality of each character unfold, the reader realizes that Carver is making a grave comment on the existence of love. Carver utilizes strong contrast, imagery, and diction to ultimately suggest that love cannot be defined concretely and therefore cannot be defined in words, and because of this, it is better off unexplored.
Citizens of Pleasantville have certain knowledge about themselves and society, but because there is no exposure to differing ideas, individuals are stuck with the same opportunities and values. A specific example of this includes the community’s view on gender roles: men hold power as the head of society and women stay at home to cook and clean. There are no opportunities to change this structure, as the communication of ideas is restricted to what is known and not to anything new. The town leadership fears a true deviation from the accepted social order, and as a result, the citizens of Pleasantville conform to this system to prevent conflict. While this lifestyle provides harmony and order, conformity actually limits society from growing and enhancing. On the other hand, when individuals start voicing out their opinions, new ideas challenge the false peace that society had in their conformity. After Bud and Mary Sue introduce different and rather contradictory ideas, like sex, color, and individuality, people start pursuing their own passions as individuals, rather than as a whole society. With all these changes, individuals burst into color when choosing to leave “pleasant” behind for the freedom to express personal
Society tends to live day to day without much question of their own existence. Humans are born into the world and without second thought begin to live their lives, but there comes a time when individuals begin to question the reason for their being. In Richard Taylor’s, “The Meaning of Life”, Taylor explores the thought that our existence, when viewed externally without our prejudices, is fundamentally pointless. A thorough analysis of Taylor’s ideas will be given to understand the reasoning behind his thoughts, his argument will then be defended from counter arguments that state that the meaning behind any entity’s life could have any alternative meaning.
In both “Big Two-Hearted River: I & II” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Nick and Prufrock shared the same emotional suffering of feeling alone and isolated. Even though these two men were in a completely different scenario and in a different geographical location they both dealt with the pain loneliness. Not only is Prufrock is lonely, he also feels a sense of hopelessness of not able to seal the deal with the woman of
speaks of ways in which love helps human beings. This happens when the love for
Throughout life, many of our journeys leave us feeling despondent and unwanted. It is when we travel with another human soul that we are not left feeling so austere. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie are two wandering souls, both very different in stature and appearance, yet very alike in spirit. It is in this relationship that the true foundation of companionship is expressed.
What is the meaning of life? According to Chris McCandless living free and not conforming to the natural way of life is the meaning to life, as shown in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Similar to Chris McCandless, Ralph Emerson believes that following your dreams and making your own trail is the meaning of life according to his short story “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Emerson. The purpose of man's existence is to avoid conformity and following one's own instincts and ideas.
Two Ways of Viewing a Relationship The paper discusses the two ways that Mark Twain views the Mississippi River. When Mark Twain first becomes a steam boat pilot, the learning experience was new and enchanting to him. Twain considered marvelous, but eventually as time passes, he comes to a mature understanding that the river is very dangerous to steamboat traffic and the people that rely on him to safely navigate the waterway. Twain’s initial way of viewing the river adjusts, just like a person’s way of looking at a new relationship changes over time. At first, the beauty of a romance was wonderful and exciting. Then, as the relationship develops, one sees the flaws and differences that each person uniquely expresses. The factors in viewing a relationship are often awesome at first, but as time passes, the couple begins to recognize and even begin to resent each other’s differences. Just as Twain views the river in different ways, he begins to develop a deep familiarity, a relationship is also viewed in changing ways.
In conclusion, Bernard and Kamau both do not accomplish in seeking their true love. Their financial complications made them take consideration of the future. Therefore, the standard love is equal to the standard of living. The different attitudes within the protagonists made them have a different reaction when they both lost their wives. The male or female dominated societies bring out people’s personalities and it builds a barrier on seeking true love. Both short stories discuss on how men force the situation of losing
What is love? Is love the easy, effortless romance of a never-ending honeymoon? Or is it a constant struggle - a war between the extremes of irrevocable love and absolute loathing? Tim O'Brien's novel In the Lake of the Woods presents many types of relationships - whether familial, friendly, or romantic - in a perspective that allows the nature of love to be examined. Through the eyes of John Wade, the reader explores his relationships, particularly those with his father, his wife Kathy, and his fellow soldiers in Vietnam. Ultimately, the decision about the nature of love is left open for the reader to ponder; however, John Wade's story presents a strong case for the idea that love is a war rather than a peaceful getaway.
Steinbeck uses feelings of happiness, obligation, and love to establish the theme of friendship is
The concept of the good life is one that comes up frequently in the PULSE program because it centers on the core beliefs of the program itself; personal and social responsibility. To me, the nature of the good life entails of knowledge, happiness, justice, and introspection. Through my exploration of the good life, I hope to clarify how I view the good life in accordance to Aristotle and Plato, but also, how I perceive the good life in general. Service is an important portion of the PULSE program, which is why the good life has to be related to it. The belief that service can lead to the good life will allow me to explore the importance of service for the good life, thus, I will be able to explore how PULSE will affect my version of the good life. By connecting the good life to my own personal life, I can clarify how it differs and how it is similar to how Aristotle and Plato defined the good life. Through this, I will be able to connect the good life to my experiences and can investigate how my experiences have influenced my version of the good life. Through my examination of Plato’s and Aristotle’s work, I hope to explain what the good life means to me, and how I hope to achieve it, in and outside of my service placement.
Life as we know it could vanish within seconds. The next day is not promised to anyone that walks on this earth. As we live our everyday lives peacefully, we tend not to think what our mission or purpose in life is. Instead, we think what we must do for that to be a “successful” person. Despite this way of thinking, just think for a second. What makes life meaningful? What is life anyway? These questions dive right into the heart of the philosophical, psychological, and the biological aspects of life and what the true meaning of life is. This is a very arguable topic due to every person’s different perspective on life and what it means to them. In summary, I personally think that life is simply what you make of it and each person’s accomplishments has its own merit
Life has no meaning if you don't have the urge to wake up the next morning to see the next day. Many people live their lives unhappy since they have no purpose or meaning to fulfill or satisfy their needs. Purpose to me is something to live for and something to look forward to in life. Without purpose and meaning in life there is no point of living at all. Recently in the existentialism unit we’ve been reading, I learned that without a passion to live, one’s life means nothing and is a waste of a soul. Based on the previous books I’ve read, I learned I am happy because I have things to look forward to in life and to wake up the next morning to enjoy the new day. Three elements that give me purpose and meaning in my life are my family, my