The Law of Life, by Jack London

Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be certain, expect death and taxes”. (www.brainyquote.com). Death is something a lot of people are scared of, even though it a natural life cycle and it happens to everyone and everything. Everybody agrees death happens, but not everyone agrees what happens after death. Different people have different views of what happens after death, but one thing they all agree on is that it happens to everybody and there is no way around it, you don’t know when or where it’ll happen but it will always happen.

Although the circumstances nature thrust at the man were immortaly dangerous, the man’s deficit of imagination and negligence innately led to his death. Psycologically, the man was no match for the treacherous conditions around

Within the short story “On Morality”, Joan Didion examines and redefines morality in a manner that strays from defining it as a feeling to do right than wrong through the tales of a driver, diver, and widow from Death Valley. Didon attempts to convey to the audience that each individual defines and views mortality differently. She provides a great example of the latter that dumbfounded me, “‘I followed my own conscience.’ ‘I did what I thought was right.’ How many madmen have said it and meant it?” Thus, the matter of what is right and wrong in universal standards does not exist even though, mortality is shared amongst one another.

““There was witchcraft in little Pearl’s eyes, and her face, as she glanced upward at the minister, wore that naughty smile which made its expression frequently so elvish.” (Hawthorne 145) This, is a misleading description that Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts of Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne, in his classic novel The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is the living product of sin for her mother. Born out of wedlock, Pearl is a unique child that tends to be very moody and unpredictable. However, Pearl, at such a young age, demonstrates outstanding knowledge and exhibits curiosity to her mother’s scarlet letter, and the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Although Pearl portrays devilish characteristics and performs mischievous behaviour, she

Throughout the novel Common Sense, Thomas Paine is very transparent with his views on British parliament and their what seems to be never ending control over the colonies. He emphasizes that the American colonies must gain their independence in order for them to progress as a whole. When talking about the system of the British parliament, Paine states “Absolute governments have this advantage with them, that they are simple…But the constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies…” Additionally, he shows his disapproval for the British parliament because he believes the system is unreasonable and puts on a façade as if they were.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee writes, “Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody.” Black lives matter and all life matter contradict each other when they are used incorrectly. Overall, saying that all lives matter is more true than black lives matter. Even though it’s true black lives matter, all lives matter shows we cannot discriminate against individuals. Some feel that all lives matter is racist because of the way it was used to show

To start the book, we find that a young woman has committed adultery and when standing in front of a mocking crowd, she is ashamed of her actions. Continuing through the book we find that the adulteress, Hester Prynne, displays many examples of positive outcomes arising from negative situations. She becomes more and more aware of the faults of society and becomes wiser as she deals with the consequences of her actions. Even though Hester made a terrible decision that came with many extremely negative effects, she gained personality traits, perceptions, and people that rose from her mistake.

Embedded in the human spirit is the notion that people possess an innate sense of being an individual, free to think, act, and understand the world surrounding them. In George Orwell’s 1984, individuality is removed to support the Party’s abilities in controlling and exploiting the masses. Yet, despite their success in suppressing the citizens of Oceania there is something rooted in humanity that although can be repressed, still remains implanted within the deepest parts of a person’s mind. In the novel, while the Party attempts to annihilate all human instincts in order to acquire pure and absolute power, it is unknown to them that despite their best efforts there lies something much more dominant in the human mind which although can be inhibited may never be entirely eliminated. As Winston ponders revolutionary ideas, his physical body unknowing to his conscious mind, is complacent with his innermost thoughts to rebel in any way possible. Winston’s thoughts of unorthodoxy become enhanced through Julia because he discovers someone who desires and understands him, conjuring up something instinctual in him which has been waiting to be released. To care and protect someone else becomes instinctive when he/she experiences suffering or pain and this kind of understanding is acknowledged through the only people Winston believes express any sanity in a corrupt world: the proletarians. A person’s impulse to resist an oppressive nature is instinctual and this is validated through

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.” (Unknown) People’s lives are plagued by loss, disease, and tragedy. How they surviving such adversity shapes who they are as individuals, but more importantly, it brings out their inherent ability to step up to the challenges life presents. When given a cause to fight for, one can survive through grim calamities that would otherwise be fatal.

Survival can cause people to do things they’ve never done before and never thought of doing. There are many ways to survive and push yourself to survive. Lying, selfishness, and hope are major keys to surviving any situations. The text Night by Elie Wiesel, proves that with certain choices and acts, you can survive no matter the situation.

Survival stories are constantly broadcasted across the nation. People who hear these stories always think of the horrors of the situation and grieve for those who did not make it through. But people are often not found contemplated the thought of survival being a selfish choice. Are survivors selfish for choosing themselves instead of the people around them? The truth is that the answer to this question is complex.

In 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published a pamphlet—a crucial vessel of informing the public of news and ideas in this era—into the Pennsylvania Magazine, called Common Sense that revolutionized the way Americans saw themselves, their country, and government as a whole. Paine lived as an Englishman for thirty-seven years before moving to America in 1774. Common Sense is known as Paine’s greatest work and also one of the most essential writings of the revolution. His renown comes from the boldness of his words, as well as his incredible ability articulate his thoughts without delay or apology. Within the first paragraph he introduces words worthy of British outrage: “Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the

What does it mean to be human? Is it having emotions? A beating heart? Instincts that you cannot evade? Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is a science fiction novel that addresses the question of what it means to be human and how humans react in catastrophic situations. The human race has destroyed itself through war, and an extraterrestrial species have stepped in to help keep a handful of humans alive and restore the Earth back to it’s living state. Once humans are sufficiently prepared for the newly modified Earth, they would be sent “home” to reinstate the human population, but at what cost? Humans are born with the natural instinct to fight for survival and to not give up, but the instinct becomes obscured when they are forced to live an unnatural life amongst aliens, instead of having a “dignified” death with the rest of the human race. The interference that the Oankali, the alien race, commits against the humans can be juxtaposed with the invasion of Siberia by the Russian Empire in the 17th century. This is because the humans would have not been able to survive without the Oankali, while the Siberians wouldn’t have been affected without the invasion of the Russian Empire. Though the human race would not have survived without the Oankali’s assistance, they would not have been subjected to a life sentence of no longer being authentically human.

John Hersey, the author of the book “Hiroshima”, recounts the tragic events surrounding six survivors living in Hiroshima at a time the atomic bomb was being dropped. “The characters in his account are living individuals, not composite types. The story is their own story, told as far as possible in their own words” (Hersey VI). Part of Hersey’s goal was to emphasize how catastrophic events can foster a need for survival and bring communities together as they lean on each other for support. Although cultural behaviors differ around the globe, the basic needs in which to satisfy for survival are surprisingly similar. For this analysis, we will take a brief look at what is inherent in each of us, the need for survival.

Law and Order. They should operate in perfect harmony, but we often do not see this harmony. Laws can get in the way of order, and order can sometimes trump laws. The problem arises to know when it is better to follow the law or to follow natural order. Socrates found himself in this situation many times, but his decided outcomes seem to contradict himself in both the Crito where he says he cannot break the laws and the Apology where he says he would violate the law in specific cases. Philosophers and readers are left trying to decide where he draws the line. Many interpretations have tried to resolve this issue. Thomas Brickhouse and Nicholas use their understanding of Socrates to give their own interpretation that they say resolves Socrates contradiction. With their interpretation, it becomes easier to understand and resolve the scrutiny between Socrates’ choices.