Self-Acceptance In Return To Hayneville By Gregory Orr

Everyone deals with problems differently and when going through obstacles you discover things about yourself you do not know. We can use Maslow’s ideas of Self- actualization to understand what Sonny is going through and how he deals with his issues. Psychologist Abraham Maslow believes that in order to self actualize a person have to know who one is, what one wants, and to explore. In Sonny’s Blues, Sonny discovers that he wants to be a musician because music is an escape for him to cope with the problems he is going through.

The following essay is based on the theme of “Expectations” in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. The novel set during the 1930’s depression in Maycomb south Alabama is based upon the ignorance and prejudice present in society. The theme of ‘expectations’ is an imperative motif which affects the events that occur throughout the novel. Social expectations were rigidly upheld in Southern Alabama in the 1930’s. These expectations determined what behaviours were acceptable for men and women, Caucasians and Negros and different economic classes in society.

A significant event in one's life forces a person to reevaluate their current situation and decide how they will adapt to a new situation, or cause them to look back on the steps they took to get into that situation. In life as well as in the literature Crosswalk In The Rain, and THE TENT DELIVERY WOMAN’S RIDE, people have to adapt to what is happening in their lives, despite conditions they may have been through in the past. In life at some point there will be crossroads that a person must cross, they can either look back at what they have done to end up in that position or they can look forward and see what they must do to continue moving forward.

The Past, an ever growing pool of time, is always biting at the heels of a person. It reminds him of what they have done wrong, done right, or when he did nothing. For most people, recalling the past leads to loose ends and blanks where memories should be. No matter how much a person may want to return to the past, it is not possible. It is lost forever. These forgotten moment lead to uncertainties and confusion in the present, and chaos in the future. Forgetting the past leads to spirals, spinning downwards as people look to what they have lost. They retrace their steps hoping to find a sliver of who they are and what may become of them. In the poem, Itinerary, Eamon Grennan shows how an individual searches through his past, but can never return to it. Through the poem and with a personal experience I will explain how individuals deal with uncertainties in their pasts.

After Jack has grasped the truth that every man has a long heritage of deeds both noble and sinful—deeds that have lessons to teach and consequences to give in the present day—he finds himself able to tell Anne “how if you could not accept the past and its burden there was no future, for without one there cannot be the other, and how if you could accept the past you might hope for the future, for only out of the past can you make the future" (Warren 461). The “burden” of which Jack speaks refers to the accountability of man for his past, to the

In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, it's built around the class division between the Socs and the greasers. The kids in the Socs came from privileged and wealthy families while the greaser grew up in a unstable and poor environment, and it shaped who they are and how they act. The novel deals with issues important to urban teens, and the obstacles that are part of their daily lives, showing realism in Hinton's writing. In the article ¨The Urban Experience in Recent Young Adult Novels¨ by Sandra Hassell and Sandy Guild, it discuss the importance of urban teens worlds represented in literature. The article consists of many characteristics that are established in urban youth books such as, the usage of slang, strong sense of community,

Harwood conveys the importance of reconciling with our past, memories and childhood to truly grow up and move forward as a

Self image is crucial for an individual’s sense of well being. It can also be a source for their identity and dreams for the future. As well, others’ impressions of the individual considerably affects their view of themselves. This interaction can either build their self esteem or tear it down. In his short story, “The Glass Roses”, Alden Nowlan explores the idea that when an individual is coming of age and is struggling to determine their identity, how others’ perceive them - specifically father figures - deeply influences how they perceive themselves. Stephen, the protagonist, is a fifteen year old boy on the cusp of adulthood working in his father’s woodcutting company. As he finds fascination in beauty and feels enslaved by the work, he fails to gain his father’s approval and falls to depression. Fortunately, he forms a friendship with the Polack, who provides a kinder definition of being a man as well as a hope for the future.

The Outsiders Essay – Describe an interesting theme from a text you have studied. Explain why this theme is interesting.

O. Henry’s short story, “A Retrieved Reformation,” shows a man’s journey through rehabilitation. In the story, Jimmy Valentine is in jail for robbery. He is then allowed to leave in hope he has finally learned from his past mistakes, and will stop robbing people to get what he desires. When Jimmy leaves, he robs many more banks, but does not get caught. Jimmy then goes to a small town so the cops will not be able to find him, and the town has a train station for him to make a quick getaway. When Jimmy first arrives to the town, he sees a woman named Annabel Adams and everything changes. He knows she will not like him if he keeps acting like his old self. Therefore, he decides he will finally change for the better. He changes his name to Ralph Spencer and starts acting different. This short story demonstrates change and how you affect people every day whether you realize it or not.

In the book “The Pursuit of Happyness” author Chris Gardner writes a self-memoir. He discusses about the issues of fear and the uncertainties he

now"(254).  This is a recent change in Bigger's mind set.  He knows that he has

The tone illustrates regret and acceptance. In the beginning the speaker seems to regret he is not outside with his father digging. But instead he is using his own tool, which is his pen. As the speaker reflects upon his family history and not maintaining the family customs, he becomes comfortable and confident with his pen in his hand. The speaker then accepts that his fate is writing and he is not like this father and grandfather. He does not wish to carry the customs of his family. For him the pen will represent what he will become. This simile conveys that he is comfortable with the pen in his hand; example of tactile imagery so the reader can visualize how the speaker must be holding the pen.

Holbrook speaks from first hand experience with mass incarceration since the age of sixteen. Now at the age of 34, he now gets to look back with all the time on his hands being in total isolation and solitude. One of the moments in his life he remembers back age the age of fourteen. One of the men on his block was showing off a new car. Holbrook looked up to him and knew that he was a known drug dealer seemed to have it all and that is what he now wanted to be just like. From what he describes it seems like it was the first time he had wanted anything or looked up to anyone. Holbrook reminisces to a time where kids were allowed to be kids

Albeit Ader's short films' absurdity and elusiveness, I don't think they are tributes to the meaninglessness; instead, a hidden intention can be interpreted differently by diverse viewers--some may refer to these short films as the showcasing of inevitable falling as a human nature, while others assert that they convey our constant struggles as human beings. As far as I am concerned, while there are some strong correlations among the six short films, self-consciousness is always the key word. In all of the "Fall" films, a special mention should be made of the relation between Ader himself and the objects around him--as Ader falls with an object (such as a chair or a bike) or falls within an environment that is settled with objects, he is instantly deprived of his self-consciousness, and also becomes an object. Further, Ader also does a great job provoking viewers' intersubjective consciousness--viewers are usually unconsciously compelled to speculate Ader's intention while watching these intriguingly elusive short films. Also, the viewers cannot but put their personal thoughts into these short films, in order to interpret them; while the viewers try to understand/share Ader's conscious mind.