Reflection Of Sophie's World

“There is a thing called knowledge of the world, which people do not have until they are middle-aged. It is something which cannot be taught to younger people, because it is not logical and does not obey laws which are constant. It has no rules” (T.H. White).

In the story Mirror Image, I relate to Jenny the most. Jenny’s current relationship with her sister, Alice, is like my brother and mine. Whenever my brother and I argue, I respond the same way Jenny does. Jenny and I are awfully distant. Similar to Jenny restricting her sister from reading her diary, I also have expressed harsh “whatever’s” to my brother. Just as Jenny is, I am also passive-aggressive. Jenny showed that she’s quite upset with the “new” Alice by calling her “Gail”. In the same way, I have shown disgust by dropping hints like using one-word responses. Jenny is quite reserved as am I. Like Jenny keeping her diary from the “new” Alice, I keep my journal to myself. I can relate

     Sure, some of us have this great confidence within ourselves about looking great, but that does not hold true for everyone. I understand the pain or disgust, or even disappointment one feels when they look in the mirror and say, “I wish I could change this or that about myself”. Although this piece is written about the author’s life, it holds meaning and connects with for many people; one only has to dig deep enough to find one. For me, it was to realize what is important in life can change, adapt and that we must explore our inner selves and find our own path in life.

"Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddeness that I was different from the others; or like [them perhaps] in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil. I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I held all beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it

There will always be philosophical interpretations that will create universal truths for many generations to come. In addition, these literary works enriches the audiences’ understanding of these texts as supremely important cultural and historical documents, for audiences who embrace their universal truths. Both generational audiences’ spiritual interpretations seemed to have, collectively, developed a text of extraordinary literary works that are overflowing with philosophical and truth-seeking richness.

One of the most basic philosophical questions, as well as at the same time being the most complicated, in the novel Sophie’s World is the question, who are we? This question alone is what embarks Sophie, the main character in the novel, on a never ending journey of questions and through the world of philosophy. As it is shown in Sophie’s World, the concepts of philosophy have been in constant change all throughout history, philosophers contradicting one another in a constant battle to achieve greatness, and proceeding in a constant never ending cycle of philosopher contradicting philosopher. Because of this non-stop constant change in philosophy, Democritus, one of the earliest philosophers, would have a

Take a minute to relax. Enjoy the lightness, or surprising heaviness, of the paper, the crispness of the ink, and the regularity of the type. There are over four pages in this stack, brimming with the answer to some question, proposed about subjects that are necessarily personal in nature. All of philosophy is personal, but some philosophers may deny this. Discussed here are philosophers that would not be that silly. Two proto-existentialists, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, were keen observers of humanity, and yet their conclusions were different enough to seem contradictory. Discussed here will be Nietzsche’s “preparatory human being” and Kierkegaard’s “knight of faith”. Both are archetypal human beings that exist in

The feeling of not knowing who the person really is and how they feel can be hard. This emotion was described in the story “Mirror Image” by Lena Coakley. This short story had a girl named Alice who had to go through a brain transplant. This changed her whole life. Because of this brain transplant, she sometimes felt that she was not really herself but felt that she was Gail, who was the body of the person she was in. This is also an allusion to another Alice in the fantasy world but that book was written by Lewis Carroll and the name of that novel is Alice Adventures in Wonderland. The book mentioned right above had the same type of allusion in which the main character is pretty much lost as to who she is and how

The language in Fires in the Mirror, by Anna Deveare Smith, is a microcosm for the way in which language creates reality in every community.

No matter how hard she tries to console herself, however, she is still haunted by the ghost of her deceased daughter. Sophie also experiences a great deal of guilt as a result of her choice, but she handles her feelings differently than Sethe. Instead of trying to comfort herself like Sethe does, she tries to punish herself by dealing with the mental instability of her lover Nathan. At times, Nathan is horribly cruel to Sophie, only to become sweet and loving just hours later. Even though both women cope with their feelings differently, they both cannot completely abolish their guilt.

Doesn’t everyone wish they could grow up faster when they are younger, but when they actually start to grow up, they just want it to slow down? Aging is a unique experience to everyone and each person deals with it differently. This theme of aging and how people see themselves can be seen both similarly and differently in “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. These similarities and differences can be seen through each author’s tone, each poem’s structure, and each poem’s overall message.

The imagery in this story demonstrates Connie’s perception about the world as she sees it. “But all the

For most people, to figure out who someone is and why they think the way they do, one has to step in to the other’s shoes to see who they are. Immanuel Kant was born into Pietism and was raised on traditional Lutheran values of humility and divine grace.3 He attended Collegium Frierician in Konigsberg, Russia, as a child then, later, attended the University of Konigsberg. He studied classics but, eventually, found interest in philosophy.3 When his mother passed, he was only thirteen, and his father died when he was twenty-two.3 Eventually, Kant left school and started working as a tutor for several families where he lived.3 As time passed, he found himself teaching Privatdozent at the University until he was forty-six.3 He also attained the position of a professor of logic and metaphysics.3

In Douglas Crimp’s article the Photographic Activity of Postmodernism there are several terms that have been brought up over and over again. Presence is one of them, “presence that is only through the absence that we know to be the condition of representation.” It reminds me of one of my favorite photographers --- Francesca Woodman. She once said that “I allow you to see what you couldn’t see --- the inner force of one’s body.” She recreates a space that is simulating the relationship between the infant (the subject) and the mother’s body. The child was safe and content before the alienation, but a sense of lost and insecurity occurs after leaving the mother’s inner.

In a way, they are all connected through Sophie's life experiences. There are forces behind all of the philosophy lessons, as well as in Sophie's life. These forces are able to influence and adjust how you view the world around you.