“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, is a short story about the life of a man who ages backwards. The story covers the highs, lows, and interworking’s of his life. The author tackled the subject of life and death in a unique way. I feel the author wanted us to consider our lives as a gift. Aging is almost universally seen as a negative, past the age of thirty, sometimes before. The author uses this unique story as a way to show that aging is not only a way to bring you closer to death, but as a way to experience life. Every year that you age, another year of knowledge, experiences, and skills is added to your mental library. Another year of emotion, triumph, and defeat as a constant reminder of the years you lived.
An unknown author once wrote “Never take life too seriously; after all, no one gets out of it alive”. When reading this quote, there can almost be an immediate connection between two very good works of writing: Macbeth’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” speech from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, and the poem “Out, Out --” by Robert Frost. Both allude to the idea that a single life, in its totality, denotes nothing, and eventually, everyone’s candle of life is blown out. However, each poet approaches this idea from opposite perspectives. Frost writes of a young, innocent boy whose life ends suddenly and unexpectedly. His poem is dry and lacks emotion from anyone
William James, an American philosopher and psychologist once said “believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” Life, regardless of how close it lies to death, is worth keeping. The poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas is a son’s appeal to a fading father. He shows his father that men from all walks of life confront death, however, they still war against it. Thomas uses figurative language to classify men into four different categories to persuade his father to realize that a life, regardless of how it was lived, should be fought for.
“Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets” by Jack Finney is about a man, Tom Benecke, who is torn between two loves. Tom, the protagonist, is faced with a choice in the basic situation: work or family. He is put through many hardships that show him that he needs to prioritize his work and family life. This story, “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket”, shows its readers that if one does not prioritize their life, then they could lose everything. Life is a universal theme found in many different genres of writing. In the song “Glorious” Macklemore talks about how he is back and he takes all the chances that he can in life. The poem “Loveliest of Trees” talks about how the author does not have much time left, so he will take more chances and enjoy more things in life. The poem “George Gray” tells readers that he wishes that he had taken more chances in life. People are given many chances in life; therefore, they should take as many as they can get.
“Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” This quote from the play “Our Town” points out that many people do not potentially live life to the fullest. People always say “don’t wish your life away” because before you know it, it’s already gone. In the play “Our Town” there are many little life lessons that can be learned.
Transitions are changes with ours life step by step. It is very important in our life when we are babies and young children. I this very important to understand the impact of any transitions children. We have 4 types of transitions Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Physiological every part of this four types are very important.
Analyzing late adulthood and the death of an individual as a culmination of the life span development process one must understand late adulthood consists of. This paper will give a brief overview of ageism and stereotypes associate with late adulthood. This will explain how health and wellness techniques in the late adulthood stages can mitigate the negative effects of aging. As people age the social views and experiences changes in relationships and interactions with individuals, as he or she nears end of life. When closely approaching the end of life, a person has cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity in late adulthood.
When directors choose to adapt a novel or short story to fit the silverscreen, they often face the arduous task of keeping the author’s original plot in tow as well as, putting forth a believable product. In the case of Scotts Fitzgerald’s short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, director, David Fincher and screenwriter, Eric Roth chose to scrap the original framework of the story and start anew. Although Fincher and Roth keeps the basic idea of Benjamin Button’s existence the same, their screen adaption tells a more sincere version of how it would feel to live life in reverse. However, both the director and screenwriter acknowledge that Benjamin’s tale cannot be told without giving the audience an explanation for why he is born
Getting old and aging are things that have become difficult points for many and despite
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button written by Eric Roth and based on a short novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story of an interesting man who lives his life backwards. The movie takes place in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina and is told in a flashback perspective from the love of Benjamin’s life, Daisy and their daughter, Caroline. I have heard many times throughout my life and nursing career, including from myself, “If I could only go back and know what I know now.” Benjamin Button lived this theory, a theory that seems very similar to the Gerotranscedence theory. Scheidt (2017) states in regards to his own aging “I am dealing with the messages of friends and strangers who make me aware almost daily – most often in a
Taking pleasure in every minute of life is crucial. Despite their age, citizens can have young spontaneous spirits if they choose to do so. Life is so precious and so valuable. Many people are so worried and concerned with their present. They forget to spend life like a child who is “two years old,” which is important. Living life like a toddler does not mean a person should be immature. It only means that they should flow through the waves of where fate is meant to take them. A two year old child wants to be nurtured and loved. Human beings want to be cared for and felt affection towards. Individuals who live youthfully and make the most of their journeys tend to be the most content. They flee from their qualms. Existence in the world does have pain and sorrow, but it is important to use the organ that all of mankind was given to love, live, laugh, enjoy, and most of all relax. Doyle mentions that “Every creature on earth has approximately two billion heartbeats to spend in a lifetime.” These two billion heartbeats fragile, and each beat should be cherished. Most importantly, each beat should be spent doing something important in life, but with
In Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," the speaker is a son talking to his aging father and pleading with him to fight against death. The son knows that death is the inevitable end to every life, but feels one should not give up to death too easily. By using metaphor, imagery, and repetition, Thomas reinforces the son's message that aging men see their lives with sudden clarity and realize how they might have lived happier, more productive lives. These men rail against fate, fighting for more time to set things right.
"Out, Out," by Robert Frost is a gruesomely graphic and emotional poem about the tragic end of a young boy's life. It is a powerful expression about the fragility of life and the fact that death can come at any time. Death is always devastating, but it is even more so when the victim is just a young boy. The fact that the boy's death came right before he could " Call it a day" (750) leads one to think the tragedy might have been avoided and there by forces the reader to think, "What if." This poem brings the question of mortality to the reader's attention and shows that death has no age limit.
Once an adult reaches retirement, they begin to slow down, if they have not already, and reflect upon a long life lived. They are at the mercy of many decades worth of memories, some good and some bad. The elder will feel a sense of wellbeing if they are satisfied with their life. This satisfaction roots itself in accomplishment. Humans usually want to undertake many things in their lives. Some are able to attain these and others are not. Those that do achieve their goals are filled with a sense of gratification. Arlene Handler says that Erikson calls this “integrity” (The Developmental Stages of Erik Erikson, 2002 (revised 2009)). This also allows for a quiet acceptance of death. People who accept death as inevitable do so with grace and ease. They look at their life and see an adventure with hills and valleys, but valleys that they were able to climb out of with might and determination. Erikson thought this to be remarkable and was amazed by elderly people’s resiliency. He found that the strength at this stage was wisdom and that all the experiences
Addictive, unproven, studies not valid many of the reasons medical marijuana should not be legal. Medical marijuana has been a hot topic for nearly 50 years, recently multiple states have adopted the idea of having it for medical use. It is important that it doesn't go all legal because it is not healthy, many of the studies aren't valid, it's unproven, and it is very addictive. On one side of the debate people will argue that medical marijuana should be legal because it saves lives and it cures diseases. However, medical marijuana should not become legal because it is addictive, the studies aren't valid, and it's not proven for some of the illness it's approved for.
Another supporter of changing the way aging is conveyed is author, Margaret Cruiksbank, of the book, Learning to be Old. In her book she is a proponent of changing the way the aging process is described. Her position is that the underlying meaning of popular terms to describe aging weakens its value. She denotes that the term “successful aging” is a false phrase for the elderly as it “masks both the wish to continue mid-life indefinitely and the white, Middle-class, Western values of researchers, causing them to emphasize productivity, effectiveness and independence” (Cruiksbank, 2009, p. 2). She also concludes that the term “productive” aging symbolizes “economic usefulness and social conformity” (Cruiksbank, 2009, p. 2), especially for the female gender. More importantly, these terms can be used to measure. This ability to measure is subjective to the questioner and an individual’s self-worth. She suggests the term “aging comfortably” as it signifies easiness, and a “faint hint” of pleasurable self-indulgence which may not have been possible in younger years (Cruiksbank, 2009, p. 3).