Personal choices are very important in one’s life. The stories that will be compared are, “The Use

The Unbearable lightness of choosing “Because you are in control of your life. Don't ever forget that. You are what you are because of the conscious and subconscious choices you have made.” -Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000 I personally agree with the writer Jon Spayde on all the aspects he has mentioned in this paper. The writer has discoursed various facets regarding the importance of alternatives in one’s life. But, a very significant point mentioned in this article is, that when a certain individual is in a position to make his own choices or take his own decisions he must keep in mind that he alone will not be the one to face the consequences, but many people will be a part of his decisions. So one must give a serious thought when making a choice, which may have an impact not just on one life but, on the lives of many others. Mr. Spayde points out the fact, that having a choice is the luxury of the privileged class. The unprivileged class cannot afford the luxury of choice. Now the situation is not that bad but we all know that they have limited choices and this lack of choice causes a problem for them in certain situations. According to my own experience, though the lack of choices may cause hurdles at times, still, there deficiency is sometimes ‘a blessing in disguise’. When a person is confined to a certain number of options he has no other way out, but to choose amongst them. This might be the making of an individual. Like we consider an example of a

Throughout our lives, many of us are presented with difficulties and experiences that shape who we are and what we believe in. Eventually, these characteristics solidify, becoming the guiding force in our decision making. Many may argue that this conditioning to a certain behavior takes away the freedom of choice; all decisions are a direct cause of our habituation. This assumption is false; every choice we make with regard to the characteristics we take upon ourselves, or rather personal virtues, is a free choice. We choose our responses to stimuli, and eventually this habituation allows us to act within a set of bounds conforming to our identity and gives us even greater freedom by releasing us from the pain of indecision. By acting in accordance with our set of personal virtues, not only is one free through their choices, but they are also happy.

In the poem “Choices” by Allen Steble and the book Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers a common theme was presented. Throughout the poem “Choices”, it was explaining that everyone was a choice in life to do what they want. In the book Scorpions, Jamal is a twelve year old boy growing up in Harlem, his brother is in jail for murder, everywhere Jamal goes he seems to get into some sort of trouble. He is bullied at school by a bigger boy, labeled by his teacher as trouble maker and his brother tells his gang that Jamal needs to be the leader of the Scorpion gang. Jamal and his best friend Tito are later found in a dangerous situation. The theme of “Choices” and Scorpions are related. A common theme between these two is making decisions.

The notion of choice in an individual’s life is subject to constant questioning. We have what we like to call the freedom of decision-making, but often it simply seems like a facade. Many believe that one’s morals and ethics are solely responsible for the decisions they make, major or minor. Others attribute the external pressures surrounding them and societal factors as the facilitator of choices. Unquestionably, both personal characteristics and societal factors influence the the majority of choices of individuals everywhere. We must consider, however, that one plats more of a role than the other. Pieces of writing such as Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, Michael Bess’ Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II, and Milton Mayer’s No Time to Think explore the idea of both influential aspects. Nonetheless, more influence can be attributed to societal factors and this idea is supported throughout all of the pieces of writing. Societal factors, for the most part, are composed of a plethora of external pressures that we either actively acquiesce to or subconsciously conform to. Societal factors play a much larger role for the average individual in regards to decision-making and this goes for individuals of all backgrounds and beliefs. This is shown in the lives of the Chambonnais, the Reserve Police Battalion, and the two famous experiments known as the Milgram Experiment and the Stanford Prison

Humans enjoy choices. Whether that choice is putting on a coat in the morning or choosing to participate in an exhilarating activity like skydiving, every decision starts with the idea of free will. The question of free will essentially asks who is in charge of our choices. While the origin of fate and free will remain a mystery, these ideas can be traced back for centuries and found in our daily lives: in our code of ethics, politics, and religions. Kurt Vonnegut wrestles with the coexistence of fate and free will, ultimately arguing fate dominants.

The decisions people make often have a significant impact on their lives. They may seem insignificant now but could change your whole future. Everyone has to make decisions on a day-to-day basis, some are simpler than others but the fact is everyone makes them. In fact Elie Wiesel had to make some tough decisions. Which involved life or death, due to the Holocaust.

In stories of all kinds, a common theme is “choices”. Choosing what to do with your life, choosing who you want to be with, choosing to defy stereotypes and doing things nobody would expect you to do. In our English course this year, we have read the story Everyone Talked Loudly in Chinatown and watched the film Into the Wild, both of which deal with important choices in life.

Although several aspects of life are predetermined, there are moments people have control over their fate. For example, no one has control over death, and even though many refuse their undeniable fate, it cannot be avoided. However, there are choices we make that mold our future, thus, changing our fate. On various occasions, there will be a fork in one’s path, and that person will have to choose which journey to take. In life, there are small, ineffective decisions you have to resolve, but there are also larger, life altering choices. Of course, others may feel the same way about fate, or entirely different. In fact, since the beginning of time, authors of literature have discussed their ideas on such matters, a few examples being Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allen Poe. These authors, famous for their thought provoking literary work, provide differing opinions on the fate and destiny of a human being through the use of allegory.

Choices, they change us as humans and can greatly affect our lives. There is a book that showcases this completely describes this perfectly, this book is Tangerine. In the book Tangerine, many choices are made by the main character, his friends and his family that affects what happens and other people's feelings. Choices, even small ones can change lives.

In this essay I will take the time to review two stories both of the fiction nature. I will discuss the conflicts of both stories as well as the plot structure. I will talk about the characters and give my point of view. Both stories are very thought provoking which should make this very interesting to compare and contrast.

J.K. Rowling states, “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” A person may have the capability to do extraordinary things but if one decides to not use their abilities, a person simply cannot prove anything. Life choices not only define who you are, but can determine the rest of your life. The two short stories, “Hills like White Elephants” written by Ernest Hemingway and “A&P” written by John Updike along with the One-Act play, “Trifles” written by Susan Glaspell show how important choices are and how they can represent a person.

In the Poem “Certain Choices” by Richard Shelton, the cause and effect text structure develops the theme that some decisions can make way to subsequent choices. Mr. Shelton states “He died, of course, because of the way he lived”(Richard shelton). His friend made the choice to

People’s actions result from their nature and their situation in life. Through hardships and triumphs, and person’s morality may change to adapt to their new reality. Through the filter of their morality, people may make different choices depending upon their situation in life. In the 17th century tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses time to demonstrate how circumstances influence people’s actions. Life’s circumstances can contribute to the corruptness or the virtue of a person’s heart.

The choices that we make today will impact our tomorrow. Whether we realize it or not, every single time we do something, we are making a choice. Many of these choices are subliminal, such as the direction we walk or the way we carry ourselves, but some choices impact the way people look at us. More importantly, some choices impact how successful we are in various things. I chose to write about choices because choices are single handedly the most important thing in the world. Everything we do on a daily basis is a choice, and choices are important to me as a person because they are something I am trying to get better at. The choices made in preparation for assorted events are undoubtedly the most important choices that can be made in our

Williams has a recurring gripe with the ideas of utilitarianism. He believes that in making a utilitarian decision one must forget his integrity, for in making his decision, it is not his personal reputation which takes priority.