Tragic Optimism By Victor Frankl

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs is a crime fiction book, where, a forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan tries to unveil the identity of three skeletons that were found in the basement of a pizza parlor in Montreal, Canada. Brennan works with homicide detectives Luc Claudel and his partner, Michel Charbonneau, and Andrew Ryan, who is also her lover. Throughout the book, both Brennan and Claudel doubted each other’s competence to solve the case. According to Brennan institution, she believes that the three skeletons might be recent, however, Claudel speculates it to be century old due to findings of three antique buttons near their bodies. As a result, Claudel puts very little effort in this case, whereas, Brennan is determined to identify the year of death so to validate her inspection and to drew attention of Claudel and her other colleagues to this case. In the process of solving this investigation, she finds herself dragged to other homicides that were affiliated with the three skeleton remains.

The author thinks that many characters have lost their innocence. Raymond was awake the whole time, aware of what was going on around him. Page 98, paragraph 7, tells us that Raymond was speaking, and therefore, must have been awake. Kate was in a situation endangering the lives of the children on the bus and her own life as well. From the reading, we know that Kate knows she is going to die. Bill felt as if he has failed both his country and his father. Robert Cormier tells us how Bill felt and how he reacted to these feelings. These three characters have lost their innocence in some way.

In the article "Chance and Circumstance" by David Leonhardt he speaks about a lot of subjects. These subjects ranged from hockey players in Canada to Bill Gates and Malcolm Gladwell. Malcolm Gladwell was a man who graduated from University of Toronto. He had then moved to the United States to try journalism (578). Bill Gates was a man with a advantage over many because he himself states that he had more exposure to software then maybe anyone at the time (579). David also states things about teenagers being born in the beginning of the year are stronger, older and taller than their peers. David interviewed a parent at the championship game at the Canadian junior league, which he later found out that the son of the man was born January fourth. He then discovered that the son, hockey player of the man was big for his age (580). A challenge that I have always gone through in baseball would be that I was always the shortest, youngest and at times the weakest.

Unwise Passions by Alan Pell Crawford, first starts by introducing the issue that this novel is centered around, Richard Randolph and Nancy Randolph. Who were accused of killing “their” child in the middle of the night, a child created out of wedlock who was buried in the backyard. As the novel opens up, it introduces the two families caught in the middle of this controversy. Nancy Randolph was born Anne Cary Randolph, named after her mother and was born on September 16, 1774 at her family’s plantations. Colonel Thomas Mann Randolph and his wife had a total of thirteen children, six boys and seven girls. The Randolph family were great friends with the Jefferson family because of Nancy’s grandfather who implored his good friend Peter Jefferson to assist his son with the plantation upon his death; this resulted in the Jefferson family living on the plantation for seven years. The Randolph family descended from the John Rolfe and Pocahontas relationship which is something that they took great pride in. Around the summer of 1788, Judith and Richard fell in love leading Richard to ask for Judith’s hand in marriage. The couple simply waited for Judith’s mother to change her mind of her disapproval on the marriage, however; Ann Carry died before this could happen and the couple married at the age of seventeen and nineteen.

One must not settle for anything when finding out who he is. Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it is the right choice. In order for a person to make a unique place in society and not just conform to what everyone else is doing,

“You know what I’ve found out about disappointments? I think that if we face them down, they can become our strengths.” (Bauer 113) In the novel Hope Was Here written by Joan Bauer, the main characters go through some difficult struggles. One of the main people, Braverman and Addie both had to overcome disconsolate times. Braverman chooses family over education. Addie goes through hard times when she losses her husband along with three unborn babies. This reminds me of the time where my mother’s friend, like Addie, lost a child, and had to overcome that. While people go through difficult struggles everyday, they learn to learn and grow from them. Like William J. H. Boetcker said, “The difficulties and struggles of today are but the price

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, tells a story about a father and a son traveling alone through a burned America. McCarthy writes this story telling us how humans struggle to create a perfect, flawless world, but in reality, no ideal world exists despite human hope. Furthermore, this story deals with different aspects of processing sacrifice and loss. As the father and son walk together on their journey, little changes as they go from place to place across this waste landscape. Everywhere they walk, the surroundings remain filthy and full of ashes. The dusky sky forms dark fog and clouds, and when it snows, it turns gray. They have almost nothing, except one gun to protect themselves, the clothes that they wear, a cart full of food, and the love they have for each other. Despite the bleakness, McCarthy creates a story about the redeeming power of personal generosity and selflessness in an imperfect world.

People sometimes have tough ordeals. Some may act negatively toward the problem, but the people that act positively toward the problem are able to see hope in places where they wouldn’t expect it to be in. People have been through cruelty, yet they continue to stay positive. People still have the positivity to cling onto their last hope, or even continue to think positively when there is no hope at all. People like Anne Frank, in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, continue to stay positive throughout the horrible ordeals that have happened. Some of the Japanese in Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference have continued to stay hopeful while in internment

Dorothy Allison’s essay, Panacea, recalls the fond childhood memories about her favorite dish, gravy. Allison uses vivid imagery to cook up a warm feeling about family meals to those who may be a poor family or a young mother. Appeal to the senses shows this warm feeling, along with a peaceful diction.

Studying obedience to authority most often reveals human nature repugnantly; however, it teaches society individual capability and, thus, it can prevent unethical actions. In the film, A Few Good Men, Col. Nathan R. Jessup, the commanding officer at Guantanamo Bay Cuba orders a “code red” – an unsanctioned disciplinary action against Pfc. William T. Santiago. Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey, two U.S. Marines, are the fellow platoon members that implement the code red, and Lt. Daniel Kaffee defends Dawson and Downey in court. Erich Fromm, author of “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” and a social psychologist analyzes the origins of obedience and disobedience as well as different kinds of obedience

In the chapter,” Prisoners of Hope” Cornel West argues that black America is a despite state of inequality and corruption that’s jeopardizing the quality of life for the blacks. He focuses on the escalation of wealth inequality and class polarization to emphasize his argument with solid evidence. West gives a brief description of America as a mother whose care is eroding and being replaced by injustice all in the means of financial satisfactory for the elite. He begins by examining the struggles of the middle class through their fear of further underemployment and unemployment. West gives historical context for the need to speak up for equality through inspiring stories of Martin Luther king Jr. and Rosa Parks. On page 296, West says “We’ve forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it” trying to advocate the message that we should be helping each other make the world better, helping our race stand as one and advance as one. However, the oppression of black by white supremacists is slowing the process of advancement, rather its placing Blacks in an absurd situation, one where their anger is manifesting as physical violence. His strong call for action in the name of justice is emphasized in the tone and her use of important people who have made a contribution toward equality for blacks c, such as Malcolm X and Mohamed Ali.

Frankl’s book can help those who are prone to despair because he doesn’t just talk about the physical hurting that is different for everyone. He talks about the mental and psychological suffering that is going on. He goes into very deep discussions about taking control of your problems and never giving up on hope. People who are prone to despair have the chance to become desperate for help and lose their hope. They don’t look for the future; they are set on that exact moment.

In life people learn from their mistakes and sometimes, like Frank McCourt, from hard times that, while painful, can be of the greatest benefit from among their experiences. It shapes them into the people they are and brands them, leading them to be high achievers in life. Moreover, their achievements are more remarkable than those whose childhood were happy; they were marked by adversity and their drive to overcome and exceed expectations. A good life was not handed to them, but rather earned.

Professor Paul Bloom states he is against empathy. He believes it is wrongfully used in our society and should not be used in certain situations. He still thinks it is important sometimes, but should not be primarily used as a result of anger, depression or retaliation. He believes compassion is the solution to empathy. In the long run, Bloom states that empathy will fail or burnout in a person. Hannah the extremely empathic person will eventually burnout according to Bloom. The use of empathy everyday as a core moral code will eventually be overwhelming and burned out and used up. The person will change direction and use empathy less in their lifetime. This essay will explore Paul Bloms opinion of empathy in his article, “Against

In Frankl’s book, he discusses what drives people to continue to exist. It is mentioned what other famous psychologists think: will to power and will to pleasure, but Frankl’s will to meaning was the most logical from a subjective standpoint. This school of thought also aligns itself with Tillich, because if one has the courage to overcome adversity to pursue one’s own path, then that courage allows him or her to surpass his or her anxiety. Frankl knew first hand what courage was due to the fact that he survived Auschwitz by finding his own will to meaning. In Lear’s book, he created a concept known as radical hope.