Transitions In Texts

The phases of life and social context is predicated through the sum of personal feats and experiences as crises and adversity are the greatest motivator which propel individuals to become better than they were before. J.C. Burke’s ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ is an example of the transitional process through entering a new, unknown area which acts as a catalyst for beneficial change. Hindered by emotional and physical turmoil, the protagonist Tom Brennan alleviates his devastated life in the new town of Coghill forming relationships along the way and achieving new goals. Lisa Forrest’s article ‘Testing new waters after leaving the swimming pool’ (TNWALTS) is another type towards transitional change that explores the personal crisis and career

For this essay, I am going to be discussing the short story “Swimming” found on the New Yorker, and written by T. Cooper. I have chosen this story for many reasons, and among those reasons is the personal sadness I felt when I first read the story, almost as if the universe was placing a certain theme in my life, that only the main character could possibly understand. I am talking about running, the god given instinct felt by all men, inherent in the nature of fear, and brought out in all who feel sadness in its full intensity. Though in my short life I can not compare the sadness I have felt with that of losing a child at my own hand, but if I had been placed in that situation, if fate had tempted my soul with such a sequence of events, I would like to think I could find the strength to endure and the courage to not abandon all I had previously known. Yet I am able to reconcile the themes of grief, the mode of recovery, and the longing to escape such a terrible tale. I think in this piece, as I will discuss in later parts, the author was able to put into words a transformation we rarely get to observe in closeness, the kind of transformation that turns a kind man into a “just man” the kind of death that turns this world from a beautiful and happy place into a world that is closing in on our main character, that is forcing him to surface temporarily and gasp for air, much like he does when he finds peace in the water, wading breath after air, after sea. I firmly believe that

It outlines the struggle an individual faces in finding stability between developing a sense of forming a unique identity while still being accepted and “fitting in” with society. Erikson believed that when teenagers adequately navigated their way through this crisis, they would transpire into having a clear understanding of their individual identity and easily share this new ‘self’ with others. However, if an individual is unable to navigate their way through this crisis period, they may be uncertain of who they are which can result in a lack of understanding, leading to disconnection from society and the people around them. If youth become stuck at this stage they will be unable to become emotionally mature adults, according to Erikson’s theory. This period of an individual’s life allows them to investigate possibilities which will lead them to discovering their own identity based upon the result of their explorations.

“The Swimmer,” a short fiction by John Cheever, presents a theme to the reader about the unavoidable changes of life. The story focuses on the round character by the name of Neddy Merrill who is in extreme denial about the reality of his life. He has lost his youth, wealth, and family yet only at the end of the story does he develop the most by experiencing a glimpse of realization on all that he has indeed lost. In the short story “The Swimmer,” John Cheever uses point of view, setting and symbolism to show the value of true relationships and the moments of life that are taken for granted.

People swim through life, feeling comfortable with their surroundings and the people with them on this journey, but sometimes they might be exposed from this security blanket to realize that they aren’t who they thought they were. Extramarital affairs, depression, midlife crises, and loss of self are all aspects that might happen in someones life that eat away at relationships people form with their loved ones. In this short story, “The Swimmer.” John Cheever shows how all the literary devices of powerful metaphors, realistic imagery, and parallel diction combine into one to make a powerful story of how a person faces

Alice has now passed through her by trail by fire, and she feels like an adult from the way others treat her as an individual. She declares “I am somebody: but her real maturation is not from how others respond to her, but from wise reflections on what it means to survivors the troubled times of adolescence.

The character grandmother in O’Connor’s story has grounds the reality of the events and drives the family into tragedy. She is a central character in O’Connor’s story and is depicted to be a dynamic character stuck in the old ways. Through her actions and the idea of being stuck in the old ways of thinking, she leads her family into tragedy. Being the main character in the story, Grandmother significantly adds to the development of the plot. The author manages to win the attention of the reader from this character owing to the manner in which she shapes the storyline. Grandmother’s reminiscing of the old ways claims a distinctive curiosity from the reader and helps in

“And it hits me, not then, but today, thirty years later. Thirty years too late”(91). Those are the words of Jessamyn Hope when speaking about her experience with regret regarding her life’s decisions, the major theme for her essay. Her essay tells the story about how she failed to overcome two life challenges, one having a direct physical impact and the other having a delayed impact. The essay “The Reverse Dive” by Jessamyn Hope is a narrative essay looking to persuade its reader through the use of analogy, empirical evidence, and appeal to emotion that one should face their challenges while they can to avoid regrets.

“No one’s life is a smooth sail; we all come into stormy weather.” This statement has more truth to it than one may think. In life, everybody reaches a rough point, a point where the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim, or even nonexistent. But overcoming this adversity is what builds character. Accepting and prevailing over life’s obstacles are what separate strong, independent-minded and forward-thinking people from those who give up and avoid their problems. Anne Moody, author of Coming of Age in Mississippi, lived a life of great struggle in which she overcame adversity with great efforts and a dedicated heart and mind.

The transition towards adulthood is one teenagers eventually face and is filled with unexpected hardships. However, the people who are able to successfully transition themselves into adulthood ultimately develop into better versions of themselves. The protagonists of the Life of Pi and the Catcher in the Rye both tell of their transition. Both of their journeys identify how they develop into more mature versions of themselves. Their development is shown through how they mature when faced with adversity, the impact religious role models had on their lives and how they are able to come to terms with their situation.

This restricted view that details how one’s life can be alerted when they experience different social stages is explored in Heliodorus text tilted “An Ethiopian story “. There is a similar storyline that explores the experience that is comparable to the journey that one has when experiencing social change in Apuleius text titled “The Golden Ass”. These two text are comparable by shared concepts they both detail a struggle that the characters experience as they go through different levels of the social hierarchy. Therefore, simultaneously holding different status level which they can internalize with their selves and their

Transition Sentence for quote 2: Ass well, homosexuals need the protection for all the persons that still cannot accept these new customs Quote: Similarly, the writer claim, “Continuing personal and institutional efforts are required in order to protect gay men and lesbians from disapproval and attack and to create a social environment that embodies fewer risks” (Perrin 23). Explain quote: this show how the society is bad influence when someone see a person with different sexual orientation Closing sentence: Everyone deserve to be treated with respect and tolerance.

According to Erikson, the development of the lifespan is a lifelong process from birth to death and includes the formation of identity (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). I will cover in the paper six life events that influence my identity development from childhood to middle adulthood. Each life event will be explained based on the significance of the event as well as the impact the event had on my development. Also, theories will be discussed as they relate to my development.

The winter of 1881 was a spectacular time for Alice Le’Plore. She had just graduated from Oxford the previous spring and was waiting to finally do something grand with her life. As she was so used to only working on school, not once had she ever thought of what she would like to do with herself.

Wole Soyinka’s play, The Road, touches upon on varied issues prevalent in society. Culture, society, humanity, spiritualism and religion are some of the issues focussed upon. Life’s meaninglessness and absurdity in a postcolonial world forms the hoof of human character. It results in linguistic, mental and spiritual alienation of modern man. Quintessential man holds on to the contents within his reach. The transition is the only source on which he keeps the foothold. This paper is an effort to throw light on the predicament and dilemma of man beset with multifarious projections of self and society. It also leads the path to spiritual state of man through transition and also surfaces Soyinka’s quest in live transition between life and death.