To what extent have the burden of duties and responsibilities catalyzed Gregor’s metamorphosis Essay Example For Students

To what extent have the burden of duties and responsibilities catalyzed Gregor’s metamorphosis? Essay Franz Kafka, born in 1883, a Jewish Austrian author, published the novella ‘the metamorphosis’ in 1915. He has portrayed a life of failure in the extraordinary sequence of metamorphosis of a decent man into a worthless bug. The extravagancy of the story and the powerful themes presented in the book was the reflection of the consequences of Kafka’s private life. Somehow, he has injected his social and political views in the fictional character of the story, and has tried to narrate his experiences and criticize certain political and cultural issues. The author has attributed the main character using his own characteristics, as effects of medium-level schizoid, a personality disorder, has been appeared in the traits of the persona, which it supposedly influenced Kafka in most of his works. We will write a custom essay on To what extent have the burden of duties and responsibilities catalyzed Gregor’s metamorphosis? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Franz Kafka has created a surreal world for the main protagonist, where the character has lost its senses, and has been metaphorically entered into an emotional black hole and does not know that his good intentions to support his family and be a decent employee has been the influence of his metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa has been described to be a â€Å"man of duties†. Military services, at the younger stages of the character’s life, as the author has described, is the character’s only â€Å"good memory† left, as Gregor had a picture of himself as a lieutenant, â€Å"smiling and worry free, with his hands on his sword, demand respect for his bearing and uniform†. The author, by the use of diction makes the reader to instantly realize the bizarreness of the main character, and foreshadows the decay and deterioration in the character’s life, as the irony of ‘good memories in military services’, opposes readers expectations. However, t his might be an allegory to the famous events of war, during the early 20th century. Kafka, has tried to portray Gregor’s life as a war, where a feared, selfless man would have no chance surviving from the fierce flames of fire. By that means, aggression is the only solution of survival from the life of an insect, which is a sign of rebellion from the author to objectify the purpose of war, and the society’s belief in physical power to be the critical key of success. Gregor is â€Å"concerned about his parents and his sister†, and the fact that he has given up everything on his private life, and works to pay off his family’s debts, shows his true love for his family. Kafka illustrates his beliefs in independency and freedom of the societies, by debilitating the persona from bearing the burden of his family’s debts. This signifyies the immorality of a dependent society, as his family is powerless and vulnerable in a capitalistic society, which is the cause of his alienation. Consequently, â€Å"a slight indisposition, a dizzy spell†, prevents Gregor to be an ordinary human. Although, Gregor has been using different factors and reasons to excuse his reluctant behavior towards a change in his lifestyle, his parents have affected his situation tremendously, whereas â€Å"if it wasn’t for his parents’ sake, he could have quit ages ago†. Despite that he has been alienated from his family, they still live under the same roof, simply because of the financial weariness of the family. Despite Gregor’s gratis efforts for his family, the perfect example of a dramatic irony is when he has not been appreciated by his parents, and has been treated as a worker as they have â€Å"simply got used to it†. The author escalates the dramatic tension, as a socially ill person who is incapable of communicating with his environment has to bear the excruciating pain of the ignorance of his parents towards himself. Kafka might have been influenced by his own life, as the settings and the characteristics of the novella is very similar to that o f his own. Gregor’s relationship with his father, may have been a slight indication to Kafka’s family and his inability to correlate with his parents especially, his father. .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab , .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .postImageUrl , .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab , .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:hover , .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:visited , .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:active { border:0!important; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:active , .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u29bd3d33d4337db3c13bed38901f7fab:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Telephone Conversation EssayGregor’s sister, Grete, is another character that Kafka has used to illustrate Gregor’s dependency, and his abnormal metamorphosis into a beetle. Grete is the person who takes care of Gregor, which clearly indicates the unconventional circumstances of Gregor, literalizes the metamorphosis, and removes the story from the shed of dreams, and surrealism, as if he was really transformed into an insect. Gret is the only character that shows pity for Gregor, and treats him as a human and most important of all as her brother. However, Kafka moderately changes the views of Grete on Gregor, as Gregor reveals himself to the boarders. Grete f eeds him and helps him in ordinary things, but she gets disgusted by his bug like, sordid actions. She gave up on her and realized that â€Å"the only solution was that, Gregor must go†, and that’s where the effects of schizoid emerges in Kafka’s distinct writing style. He isolates Gregor and tortures him, as he turns Gregor’s sister, his only nurturer against him, which the abandoned feeling touches the readers mind and creates a claustrophobic mood, as a ‘human bug’ not only loses his job and identity but also his family. Gregor’s only occupation is his job, although â€Å"travelling is exhausting for him, but he couldn’t live without it†. Kafka by explaining Gregor’s â€Å"demanding job†, his tremendous â€Å"work stress† and â€Å"joyless life† is a symbolization of a prisoner who is being tortured everyday and cannot escape in any sort. However, his workaholic character and persistency in his job, endorsed his boss to be dominant towards him. Kafka, has exposed his political views, and has indirectly objected Nazism and also capitalism to some extent, by the use of diction and strong phrases such as, â€Å"with his fist†, or â€Å"behind his desk†, which explicitly elucidates the idea of the â€Å"power of a boss†, and the disastrous discriminations that Jews were suffering from, during Nazism in Austria. The author by explicating Gregor and his boss compares an ineffectual person in a capitalistic society, where power of a perso n defines his personality, to a bug, which is almost useless and incapable in an animalistic environment. Gregor had â€Å"nothing in his mind but business†, and his fear of losing the job has made his boss to take advantage of his paralyzed situation, therefore the sordid conditions would carry on until he would stand up to him, but Kafka showed no signs of rebellion, as the character Gregor, carried on living reluctantly. Although one cannot disregard the protagonist view of the author, as the Gregor finds himself in an extraordinary situation that challenges his will. The unsympathetic character, Gregor, initially struggles to redeem himself, and in the process of the novel, his identity gradually develops, as his positive qualities become evident to the reader. Of all the factors and characters’ role in the Gregor’s life, it is Gregor himself that has been the most heinous towards himself. Gregor’s characteristics, has made the other characters to be manipulative and to some extent the greediness of their actions towards Gregor, is the cause of ‘the metamorphosis’. The author describes Gregor’s career as a failure, whereas â€Å"other salesmen live like a harem women, and enjoy their life.†If he were to try to live the same life as them, his boss would â€Å"throw him up on the spot†, which again the power of the boss and his dominance against the employee has been emphasized, and is an indication to the Gregor’s over responsible nature, which has been recognized by his family and especially by his boss, whereas once being late from work, surprised his boss and caused him to go over to Gregor’s house to find out that â€Å"how could Gregor miss the train?†. The effe ct of Gregor’s duties and responsibilities on him was the preliminary cause of the metamorphosis. However, in an ordinary life, a responsible man, who provides for his family and tries to concur with his boss, in order to become a good employee, would not be treated as feckless beetle. Therefore, duties and responsibilities were not the only incites that provoked the metamorphosis, but the surreal environment, the ungrateful family, the financial situation, and most importantly Gregor himself were the catalysts of the metamorphosis of Gregor into a beetle.

The Blair Witch Project Essays

The Blair Witch Project Essays The Blair Witch Project Essay The Blair Witch Project Essay Essay Topic: Film , The Blair Witch Project can be said to be a landmark in the history of the horror film. It introduced a new kind of horror, as it gave us the story of real people in real situation filming real events. This had not been done before, and it scared people in a completely different way than previous horror films. It brought back the audience screams that came about during screenings of Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho (1960.) It is said that people watching The Blair Witch Project were vomiting and passing out during the screening. For the first time in a horror film, the entire film was filmed on hand held camera. This added extraordinary realism to the film as there was no script, only scene direction. Even more strangely, the actors in the film did all the filming themselves, which was totally unheard of until this film was released. Again, this can be seen as disturbing for the viewer as the aspect of realism is even more evident. The Blair Witch Project was an independent film produced by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick. The story revolves around three film students filming a documentary on the myth of The Blair Witch. Subsequently, they disapeer whilst filming the documentary, and the footage they filmed was found a year later in a duffel bag also containing empty film cans, and personal items. This footage is what is shown in the film. The Blair Witch Project was created extremely well as Sanchez and Myrick only had a budget of $25,000 and eight days to film, using low cost 16mm black and white film. On the closing day of the film at cinemas across the globe, the film had taken an estimated $140,000,000. Making it the most successful film of its kind. Sanchez and Myrick chose not to use a script, but to intentionally scare their actors, and film what reactions they received. It is said that on one night of filming, when the actors were asleep in their tent, Sanchez and Myrick went up to the tent and played a recording of children screaming and crying and banged the sides ofd the tent in. the reaction of the actors is great. They get out of the tent and run off into the woods screaming and shouting. This is just one example of how Sanchez and Myrick developed a new kind of filming. Even more cleverly, a website was set up in 1998, www.blairwitch.com which included TV reports of three missing film students in the woods near to Burketsville, interviews with the family of the students, aswell as with members of the search party sent out to look for them. Scientific analysts were also interviewed. They gave their views on what was found in the duffel bag. Photographs of the students and places they visited can also be seen on the website. Even posters were put up around the USA informing people of the students disappearance . Although the town of Burketsville is fictional, the town that was used for filming has received thousands of visitors thanks to the success of The Blair Witch Project .All of the above made people believe that the film was true and that three students had actually gone missing. This website received over 50,000,000 hits even before the film had been released. As, you can expect, with all the hype surrounding the film, a large amount of money was taken on the films opening weekend. $1,500,000 to be exact. The actors used in the film used their real names to add realism to the story. If they had been given false names then the USA might not have believed the story to be true. According to the website www.aintitcoolnews.com The Blair Witch Project is the scariest film ever produced. They claim that because the film plays with your mind, you are more likely to be effected by it rather than if it was a film with lots of blood and gore content. They also go on to say that because many boy scouts and families go camping in the woods, it has an unbelievable effect on the USA. As, the film is filmed in a real environment, such boy scouts and families have visited such places and this helps the reality of the film to hit home hard. The Blair Witch Project can be said to have re-invented the horror genre as it can be held responsible for the rise in audience figures for horror films post Blair Witch Project. E.g. Freddy Vs Jason has just been knocked of the top of the box office chart after a month at the top. So, who knows what the future holds for horror? I anticipate that more experimental films will be produced following the success of The Blair Witch Project, helping to keep the genre alive and as strong as ever.

Why the Rainforests Destruction Should Be Prohibited

Why the Rainforests Destruction Should Be Prohibited The most important thing we can do – is to care. We have to care about the world we live in, the beauty we are surrounded by, the life that flourishes around. Forests Are the Lungs of the Earth Earth is beautiful. The 30% of its land area is covered with forests. These are the environs that play an important role in the planet functionality. They help control climate, regulating atmospheric gasses and maintaining rainfalls. More than 50% of the world’s species consider rainforests to be their home. But. Every minute, forest the size of 20 football fields is felled. Every day we lose about 80, 000 acres of tropical rainforests. Experts agree, that in 100 years the remaining forests will disappear. We surely can plant another tree. But can we plant another ecology? WARNING! GLOBAL WARMING! Nowadays the largest forest fell occurs in the following countries: Brazil Indonesia Democratic Republic Congo Malaysia Bolivia Columbia Peru Myanmar Cote d’Ivoire Madagascar Venezuela Cambodia Vietnam Laos Why Are the Rainforests so Important? Rainforests help control the weather and the overall planet temperature. Only Amazon produces about 20% of the oxygen. But that’s not the full list:   Rainforests had been evolving for about 100 million years, thus they came to be home for more than 35 million species of animals and plants. Deforestation will kill them all.   Forests provide oxygen humans cannot live without. Moreover, they absorb the harmful carbon dioxide, WE release. What do we have? We release carbon dioxide that kills us and we kill rainforests that could save us. The irony of fate.   A quarter of all the medicines we have today come from the plants grown in the rainforest. And this is only 1% of all the plants explored! What if we explore 100% of the rainforests plants? Probably we would have cures for all the diseases bothering us today. But again – we kill what can really save us.   Forests regulate rainfalls, filtering water and supplying it to the rivers and irrigation systems. Our planet must be extremely thankful, so must be we.   Rainforests are home for indigenous people, as still may tribes live in the heart of the rainforests all around the world. The whole scope of deforestation process is horrifying. By killing the oldest ecosystem on the planet, we are losing the chance to live a fulfilled life on this planet. Our planet is such a beautiful place in the universe, we cannot let it die. Why Are the Rainforests Felled? The main cause of deforestation is humans. We find so many reasons for the rainforests cutting down: Agriculture Wood for hardwood Road establishing Pulp for paper making paper Land for living Grazing land These motives tell only one thing – people want the civilization to rule, but in 100 years, when rainforests disappear, we will prefer something different at all. Now we still have time for the big change to happen. WE must be this change. Otherwise, it will be too late. See also: What Electric Cars Are Doing to Reduce Global Pollution Levels? What Can We Do about Global Deforestation? So, what should we do to help save at least some of the remaining forests? Tip 1. People are consumers in nature. Now we have to consume wisely. Recycling the products that made from trees (like paper) allows using them repeatedly. In such a way, we decrease the need for these products, thus – in the trees. Tip 2. There  are companies, that are environmentally friendly, they do not make any damage to nature and are of high quality. Many companies also sell products made out of recycled material. Such items are more expensive, but ecology is priceless. Tip 3. Try to eat less meat. Lower demand for meat is lower demand for grazing land. Fewer grazing lands – more forests. Tip 4. Read newspapers and magazines online. Tip 5. Plant a tree, or two, or the forest. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND GREEN CITIZENSHIP The most important thing we can do – is to CARE. We have to care about the world we live in, the beauty we are surrounded by, the life that flourishes around. Indifference will never make a change. We are the ones who can do it. My grandparents lived at the forest. When I was little I used to play there, have picnics with my family and friends, read my favorite books, dream big or just listen. That was a great time spent with the closest people in the amazing place. A year ago, it was felled. Every tree of my dream-place was cut down. Birds do not sing there anymore. I do not walk there anymore. It’s just an empty spot on the map and the hole in my heart. They fell our forests to construct the road, but they ruined much more. It’s not only the problem of the rainforests disappearing. It’s a matter of every tree growing at the house or in the park.   We have a big problem which needs an immediate solution. We cannot stay aside from this. Together we can stop the deforestation disaster.

The impact of globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The impact of globalization - Essay Example Globalisation has impacted every aspect of human life. Globalisation has been through different stages of evolution and at each stage changes have taken place rapidly. The term ‘globalisation’ not very common thirty years ago, is today a major point of discussion all over the word. According to Giddens (2006), globalisation could be defined as an external force, which is an outcome of the changes in the economical, political, social and cultural conditions. These have contributed to enhanced global relationship. Appaduria (2008) believes that advance technology, such as industrialism and transport, have contributed significantly to the globalisation process and the development of the hospitality sector as well. This essay will examine relationship between hospitality industry and globalisation process focusing on economic, social and cultural viewpoints. After discussion of the concept and definition of ‘globalisation’ and ‘hospitality’, the his torical perspective on social, cultural and economical aspects of the hospitality sector’s development is presented. Next, the inter-relationship between globalization and hospitality is discussed. Lastly, the positive and negative impact of globalisation on hospitality industry is discussed. Concept of globalisation Globalisation means differently to different people. It is the integration of nations through international trade of goods and services (Frankel, 2006). It is the concept of moving towards one world, one single society, one economy. The aim was to open the world market to everybody with the expectation that it would contribute to the social and economic disorder prevailing in the world. Globalisation is also the ‘intensification of worldwide social relations which links distant localities’ and it has also been as the ‘compression of the world’ and ‘a social process in which the people become increasingly aware that they are recedin g’ (Mak, Lumbers & Eves, 2011). All these definitions imply that globalisation leads to worldwide interdependence and integration, in addition to an increased global consciousness. The major drivers of globalization according to Singer (2004) include social-demographic (regional, cultural), technological advancement. These imply changes in telecommunication, internet, transportation, profit motives, market share, foreign direct investments, ecological and environmental factors such as pollution and green laws, political-legal factors like reducing trade barriers, and political stability. Technological changes have brought about upgradation but have also increased income inequality between highly skilled workers and unskilled workers. As Singer states, the welfare of one individual cannot take place without affecting another individual. Globalisation has widened the gap between the rich and the poor; it has increased competition, liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation but it has undermined the economic prospects for millions of people around the world (Frankel, 2006). Globalisation is also seen as the dominance of western and cultural interests over the rest of the world (Brinkman & Brinkman, 2002). It is also seen as the penetration of capitalism in every corner of the world thereby enabling the entire population to participate in the fruits of international division of labour and economy. Globalisation is a restricting process that affects every aspect of human life – capital flows, political collaboration and flow of ideas (Hjalager, 2007). It also includes environmental pollution, criminal behaviour, diseases and terror. Defining ‘hospitality’ The word hospitality is used by different groups in different ways. Similarly, various definitions of the word ‘hospitality’ are provided. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as, ‘the act or practice of being hospitable: the reception and entertainment of guests or st rangers with liberality and goodwill’ (Hepple, Kipps & Thomson, 1990, p306). Some also consider hospitality to be a provision of physical and psychological

Managing People, and Marketing sections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing People, and Marketing sections - Essay Example Cummins Westport Inc. manufactures in China with Dong Feng Engine Co. They are headquartered in Indiana, Columbus USA and have 500 Distributor locations, they have a presence in 131 countries and have 24200 employees worldwide. Cummins has been providing CNG, Diesel and other engines to Bus manufacturers. Their basic product line is manufacturing of electric generators powered either by diesel or even by LPG. Due to the lucrative margins in the CNG bus manufacturing market, Cummins is evaluating the possibility of launching their own CNG bus. Their long term vision is to diversify into the production of alternate fuel heavy vehicles. They believe they have the necessary market intelligence, technical experience and knowledge, manufacturing edge and the brand â€Å"Cummins† has a repute of quality and reliability in the engine & generator market. However, there are pitfalls in this seemingly lucrative opportunity including the marketing of the new product and its launch and most importantly the human resource aspects including how to motivate employees? Finding the right leadership? And team friction. As identified by the management of Cummins in their brief to Creative Chaos, they would like to explore the CNG bus market manufacturing potential in which they already operate and are well-known for their high quality and reliable CNG engines that they manufacture. The only difference is that this time they want to manufacture & assemble the complete bus. However, the current market for CNG buses in USA is waning and has reached saturation. This is a statement supported by the following facts: A high number of Alternative Fuel Vehicles made available every year include the E 85 type vehicles (hybrid technology). CNG vehicles comprise of a very small number(AFDC Alternate Fuel Development council) It has been observed that from the year 2002, when the CNG buses manufactured were as many as 1200,the number of CNG buses

Pride, Gender, and Inaction in Antigone

Pride, Gender, and Inaction in Antigone Pride, Gender, and Inaction in Antigone The central theme of Sophocles play â€Å"Antigone† is the dilemma that one faces, in adhering to ones own conclusion or to abide by the existing laws of the land. The play highlights the fact that men have been bestowed with independent thinking, and have been blessed with the capacity to analyze situations; Man must therefore consult his mental faculties and think rationally before making a judgment. Therefore, the four major themes of the play Antigone are Pride, Gender, Individual versus State; Conscience versus Law; Divine Law versus Human Law, and Inaction. There is no question that pride, in Antigone, is a trait loathed by the gods, one that is punishable without mercy. Sophocles describes the type of pride that allows men to create laws that substitute for divine principles. When Creon creates a law because he believes it is divine will, it is the ultimate display of punishable pride, for no man can ever form a law that is equivalent to or greater than divine right. Consequently, when Tiresias comes with the news that Creon will be punished, Creon realizes that he has made an awful mistake, and yet still refuses to admit it. Creon bends to the prophets message only because he wants to save his life, not because he knows hes gone too far. As a result, Creon must suffer the loss of his family. Individual versus State, Conscience versus Law, and Divine Law versus Human Law are three major conflicts in Antigone that are closely intertwined. Antigone and her principles pair with the first entity in each conflict, while Creon and his standards line up with the second. Antigone is a risk to the status quo; she invokes divine law as justification for her actions, but is implicit in her position on faith. She sacrifices her life out of devotion to principles higher than human law. Creons position is an understandable one, for example, in the stir of war, and with his reign so new, Creon has to set an example by showing his citizens that his power is supreme. On the other hand, Creons need to triumph over Antigone seems to be tremendously personal. The order of the state is not only at stake after Creons mistake, his sense of self as king is also in peril after his detrimental mistake. Antigones sex has profound effects on the significance of her actions. Creon himself says that the need to conquer her is vital because she is a woman. By refusing to be submissive, Antigone defies one of the basic rules of her society. Ismene is Antigones foil because she is intimidated by the rule of men, she believes that women should be subservient to men. Ismene says that men are stronger, and for that reason must be obeyed. In due course, we see that she has naively bought into the problematic concepts that Creon adopted. When Creon realizes he may be incorrect, he changes his argument, he claims that if he was wrong, he couldnt confess that he was beat by a woman, for that would upset divine law more than reneging on his principles would. It is this original fabrication that Sophocles play seeks to correct, primarily through the retribution the Gods inflict on Creon as a result of his insensitive and sexist thinking. When faced with prejudice, Antigone and Ismene react quite differently. Ismene is not so much frightened of injustice as she is terrified of her own downfall, she cannot bear to incur the fury of men for fear of being damned to the same fate as the rest of her family. After witnessing her father and brothers death, she thinks that the best course of action is to obey. In the case of Ismene, it seems inaction is unified with fear, she then willingly offers to die next to Antigone, at which point we recognize that she is not so much inactive as she is uncertain of her position as a woman. Accordingly, while Ismene is characterized primarily by doubt, Antigone is one who plunges ahead purely on self-confidence and her firm convictions about right and wrong. In the end, its because of these fundamental differences in philosophy that they cannot die as one. In the end, it is apparent that Antigone has received the best reward. Upon her death, she is reunited with her loved ones, her mother, her father, her brothers and even her affianced, Haemon. The fact that Haemon takes his life after Antigones death solidifies the idea that the gods truly are rewarding Antigone. While her family members are already present in the afterlife, her death robbed her of her adored spouse to be and â€Å"Denied [her] part in the wedding songs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but this rejection is undone upon the death of Haemon. Creon and Ismene, with their narcissistic intentions, are both left alone and are eventually punished for their self-serving actions. While both Creon and Ismene experience the loss of family and must live out their lives in isolation, Creons punishment is fueled by the fact that his community loses admiration for him and soon after, his empire is taken over by a second war, leaving his life in complete ruin. Works Cited Sophocles. â€Å"Antigone.† Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, Robert Funk. 8th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 2007. 738-773.

Saving Sourdi Summary Essay

Analysis character †Nea of Saving Sourdi† by May-Lee Chai â€Å"Saving Sourdi† by May-Lee Chai, theme discusses a classic plot of the metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood. In her story, the two main characters Sourdi and Nea develop in stark contrast to one another. Nea, the younger sister, has difficulty growing up and maturing as her own life, as well as her sister’s life, progresses. Her naivety, aggression, and anxiety influence her decisions throughout the story in a negative way. Chai’s character is easily believable and relatable, everyone has had a point in their lives where they didn’t want to grow up, handled a situation poorly, or realized that their relationship with someone has changed drastically to the point of no repair. Nea, the protagonist in â€Å"Saving Sourdi†, is a tragic hero. We experience her attempts at protecting her sister and watch as they fail time and time again. Nea is a flat and static character. Throughout the story she does not change, she remains childish in her act ions and decisions. Their mother addresses this issue early on by saying, â€Å"You not thinking. That your problem. You always not think!† (Chai 70) Chai does not show us another side to Nea making her a flat character. We see her in the same light despite the life lessons she experiences in this short story. Nea is the same drastic, hardheaded child in the beginning as she is in the end. Growing and maturing is crucial in life. Some people, however, suffer from a sort of Peter Pan Syndrome. Nea can be described as an impulsive, strong-willed, and selfish adolescent who will never truly grow up. The family has never had it easy, always having to work and tolerate prejudice due to their foreign culture. Nea was forced to become a fighter early on no matter the situation. If she was a mature character, she could distinguish between when it was most sensible to simply avoid confrontation and back down. Nea is extremely protective of Sourdi. Her desire to fend for her â€Å"China Doll† sister (69) is the stem of all her decisions throughout the story. Sourdi is the prettier and more desirable sister. Chai highlights the incongruity of the sisters’ looks by solely depicting Sourdi’s beauty. By depicting Sourdi  as a China Doll so early in the story when the two men are harassing her in the family’s restaurant, Chai sets us up to believe that she needs defending and isn’t strong enough to do it herself. Nea thoroughly believes that is her role in life. As the plot progresses, however, it is easy to see that Sourdi is in fact quite strong and unbreakable. As Nea interacts with the other characters, she is always brash and rarely takes the time to understand their side of a situation. In many cases, she lies to manipulate people and her situation to achieve her selfish goals. Nea fakes her remorse about attacking the customer just to please her sister: â€Å"I was glad I’d stabbed that man. I was only crying because life was so unfair.† (72) When Nea needs to find a way to Sourdi’s home she lies to Duke about the severity of the situation because she knows deep down that it is not as bad as she wants to believe. If Sourdi was in trouble, it would ultimately mean that Nea could get her sister back. Nea fabricates this story to make up for the loss she felt when Sourdi moved on and abandoned her. She would rather believe that it was someone else who caused her sister to mature and move on than to believe it was her own fault or that it was Sourdi’s choice. â€Å"I would stay awake all night pinching the inside of Sourdi’s arm, the soft flesh of her thigh, to keep my sister from falling asleep and leaving me alone.† (72) Although her overall purpose at a glance is for Sourdi’s safety, her true ambition is wanting to keep her sister all to herself. During the story, May Lee Chai Saving Sourdi paints a picture of two extremely close sisters who have been put to the test. The pair has been relocated, put to work, and expected to mature quickly in their harsh new world. Nea is the narrator of the story, and she shares: â€Å"We used to say that we’d run away, Sourdi and me.† (72) The sisters would whisper their secrets back and forth at night, and lock themselves in the bathroom together and hide away together. As children the girls were inseparable but soon the age difference comes between them. Sourdi finds comforts in her first romance with a dishwasher, Duke, and slowly but surely Nea is left by the wayside. This distance is increased when Mr. Chhay is introduced and Nea quickly realizes that her sister is being severed from her life: â€Å"It was the beginning of the end. I should have fought harder then. I should have stabbed this man, too.† (75) In America, everyone is supposed to be equal. People are s upposed to be able to have the â€Å"American Dream† and have a successful career as well as support  a family without any trouble despite race, age, gender, or any other factors. In Ma and Sourdi’s eyes, however, they have seen their traditional culture and are still tied to those beliefs instead. Nea is much more Americanized than the other two women. Ma works very hard to support her children and in an effort to give Sourdi a better life, she makes sure she marries someone who can support her financially instead of someone like Duke who may not be as financially successful. Although she is unhappy, Sourdi understands her role and obeys her elders. Nea, who has been exposed to mostly American culture with little memories of their true roots does not understand this arrangement. As a result, she acts out and rebels against her entire family. The climax of the story occurs when Nea makes a daring attempt at saving her sister’s life. Nea’s irresponsible actions lead to an awkward situation for everyone. Nea refuses to believe that Sourdi is simply a busy woman with a child and a home to care for and immediately jumps to the conclusion that her husband is hurting her in some way. Her over active imagination gets her into trouble. She leaves home without telling her mother, lies to Duke about her true ambitions, blames Mr. Chhay for something he did not do, and creates a huge conflict over a slightly distraught phone call from Sourdi. The moment when Duke punches Mr. Chhay is the cultivation of Nea’s ill thought out plan crumbling before her eyes. Her immaturity caused an easily avoidable confrontation. Near the very end of the story, Chai shares Nea’s insight on her situation. â€Å"Sourdi looked at me then, so disappointed. I knew what she was thinking. She has grown up, and I had merely grown unworthy of her love.† (83) Nea finally realized she was being foolish the whole time. Chai’s protagonist in â€Å"Saving Sourdi†, Nea, is naà ¯ve, impulsive, and brash. She is unchanging and narrow-minded. Nea’s journey seems solely based on saving her sister when in actuality she is trying to find excuses to avoid growing up. The tragic hero fabricates false dangers to compensate her desire to be needed by her sister who has moved on with her life. Nea feels abandoned becausen Sourdi matures while she remains a child. Ma and Sourdi remain connected with traditional customs that Nea simply cannot understand due to her exposure to American culture. Her over active imagination, anxiety, and aggression get her into trouble. When Nea tries to rescue Sourdi from her husband, it is the last straw and she knows that she has lost her dear older sister for good. â€Å"She had made her choice,  and she hadn’t chosen me.† (84) Sourdi has matured and moved on while Nea is stuck in the memories of her childhood. Works Cited Chai, May-Lee. Dragon Chica: a Novel. Boston, Gemma, 2011. Fichter, M. M. et al. â€Å"Anorexia Nervosa in Greek and Turkish Adolescents.† European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, vol. 237, no. 4, 1988, pp. 200–208.