Raymond Carvers Cathedral Essay -- Raymond Carver Cathedral Literatur

Raymond Carver's Cathedral Raymond Carver utilizes his character of the husband, who is also the narrator, in his short story "Cathedral." From the beginning of the story the narrator has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, has a narrow mind, is detached emotionally from others, and is jealous of his wife's friendship with a blind man named Robert. He never connects with anyone emotionally until the end of this story. At the beginning of the story the husband is telling of a blind man coming to visit him and his wife. The narrator?s wife had worked for the blind man at one point. Since then they have maintained a strong friendship and keep in touch with tapes. The narrator talks about not looking forward to the blind man?s visit. The narrator, his wife, and the blind man spend the evening talking, but eventually the wife falls asleep. The narrator is uncomfortable about being left alone with a blind man. There is something about cathedrals on TV and the blind man asks the narrator to describe what a cathedral looks like. The narrator only describes physical things and so the blind man decides that they should try drawing one instead. As they draw the blind man and the narrator connect and a transformation in the narrator?s character takes place. Throughout the majority of the story Carver uses a variety of devices to portray the narrator negatively. One reason is that he lacks compassion. At the beginning of the story he says, "I wasn?t enthusiastic about his [the blind man?s] visit. He [the blind man] was no one I knew. And his [the blind man] being blind bothered me." The narrator also feels intimidated by his wife?s relationship with the blind man. When he is telling of her friendship with Robert h... ...r so long, after he stepped out of it he got uncomfortable and reverted back. Robert tells the narrator to find some heavy paper and pencils so they can draw a cathedral together. As they drew Robert tells the narrator to close his eyes. There was a connection made between Robert and the narrator and he says, "it was like nothing else in my life up to now." Robert tells him to open his eyes, but he doesn?t because he doesn?t want the experience to end. A transformation took place during the story and it is evident through the narrator?s character. In the beginning he was lacking in compassion, he was narrow minded, he was detached, he was jealous, and he was bitter. Carver used carefully chosen words to illustrate the narrator?s character and the change. Throughout the story his character undergoes a transformation into a more emotionally aware human being. Raymond Carver's Cathedral Essay -- Raymond Carver Cathedral Literatur Raymond Carver's Cathedral Raymond Carver utilizes his character of the husband, who is also the narrator, in his short story "Cathedral." From the beginning of the story the narrator has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, has a narrow mind, is detached emotionally from others, and is jealous of his wife's friendship with a blind man named Robert. He never connects with anyone emotionally until the end of this story. At the beginning of the story the husband is telling of a blind man coming to visit him and his wife. The narrator?s wife had worked for the blind man at one point. Since then they have maintained a strong friendship and keep in touch with tapes. The narrator talks about not looking forward to the blind man?s visit. The narrator, his wife, and the blind man spend the evening talking, but eventually the wife falls asleep. The narrator is uncomfortable about being left alone with a blind man. There is something about cathedrals on TV and the blind man asks the narrator to describe what a cathedral looks like. The narrator only describes physical things and so the blind man decides that they should try drawing one instead. As they draw the blind man and the narrator connect and a transformation in the narrator?s character takes place. Throughout the majority of the story Carver uses a variety of devices to portray the narrator negatively. One reason is that he lacks compassion. At the beginning of the story he says, "I wasn?t enthusiastic about his [the blind man?s] visit. He [the blind man] was no one I knew. And his [the blind man] being blind bothered me." The narrator also feels intimidated by his wife?s relationship with the blind man. When he is telling of her friendship with Robert h... ...r so long, after he stepped out of it he got uncomfortable and reverted back. Robert tells the narrator to find some heavy paper and pencils so they can draw a cathedral together. As they drew Robert tells the narrator to close his eyes. There was a connection made between Robert and the narrator and he says, "it was like nothing else in my life up to now." Robert tells him to open his eyes, but he doesn?t because he doesn?t want the experience to end. A transformation took place during the story and it is evident through the narrator?s character. In the beginning he was lacking in compassion, he was narrow minded, he was detached, he was jealous, and he was bitter. Carver used carefully chosen words to illustrate the narrator?s character and the change. Throughout the story his character undergoes a transformation into a more emotionally aware human being.

Continent & character Essay

â€Å"Every man has in himself a continent of undiscovered character. Happy is he who acts as Columbus to his own soul. † I have always lived by that principle. There is a vast untapped territory within us. All we need to do is to uncover the mysteries that are resting within the confines of our persona. We need to understand ourselves better so that we can easily accomplish the goals that we have set to achieve. The need to educate ourselves can never be outgrown. Learning is synonymous with life itself. While we are still breathing, we are learning. It remains with us until our last breath. I have always embraced challenges; they are wonderful occasions to educate myself and raise the awareness of my strengths and weaknesses. With a firm familiarity of my personal assets and liabilities I can make a distinction which areas of my life need to improve and which necessitate closure. I value optimism amidst adversity. I always try to discover the brighter side of life and think positive. I believe that things always happen for a reason. They are, in a way, interconnected to create the best that each one of can be. Challenges, problems, and difficulties are present in our lives to ultimately shape the best future for us. â€Å"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant. † I have a strong penchant towards sports. The values that one can get out of playing basketball, soccer, or golf are remarkable and priceless. Values like sportsmanship, perseverance, and self-control are extremely essential in the real world as well. You build a much stronger and noteworthy character. I begin to feel confident about my chances in other areas of my life. When I was in New Zealand, my homestay family owned a golf course. I had a great opportunity to play golf everyday. The sport taught me patience and self-discipline. It was enough to get me through six tournaments and propelled me to two victories. Winning two tournaments is quite a feat for my standards. In high school, I joined the basketball team. Like golf, the sport offered a whole inventory of merits and positive values. I have been playing as the starting forward since junior high school. Through countless ups and downs our team managed to keep our optimism and solid teamwork. There were times when taking the easy way out was unbelievably enticing but we fought with all we got to stay with the game. Hard work and determination tempered with faith in our abilities brought us out of our doubts. As a result, our high school team placed 9th in the national high school basketball level. Again, it was quite an accomplishment. Currently, I am a member of a soccer club here in America. I widely enjoyed playing the sport. Essentially, the values that I learned from the previous sports are the same but soccer provided me with additional values. The sport entails more discipline. It demands a more focused approach. Training and practice are extremely important to hone the basic skills necessary to successfully tackle the game. True enough, my team came in second place in the regional tournament. Practice truly makes perfect or as close to it as possible. Through soccer I met wonderful people that eventually became my best friends. A great friendship is a priceless investment. I see to it that I present the best of myself to people but not in a condescending way. I value my personal relationship with others. I am a very friendly person. I know its genuine meaning- true friends are going to be by your side through thick and thin. I discovered its true essence when I got ill and my best friend stayed with me and took care of me. Your friends will stand by you no matter what. They will praise your triumphs, overlook your failures, and point out your shortcomings. To fully become the person that you need to be, you must cultivate a sense of spirituality as well. You need to go beyond the superficialities of the physical and embrace the warmth and wisdom of the soul. I am a very religious person. I recognize the presence of a higher being that grants blessings and opportunities to everyone. I believe that ultimately everything will come to full circle and the spirit will triumph. Thus, I joined the praise team in my church. I know the essence of religion and how it helps shape true character. Each person is unique; everyone has something new to offer. I am a unique being and I have some good qualities that I can bring to the university. Words can only describe so much; actions speak louder. â€Å"Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart. † I want to show through concrete and substantial performance what I am truly capable of.

Power and Politics In 1984 - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 850 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: 1984 Essay Did you like this example? George Orwells 1984 is a novel of social science fiction that was written in 1949. Notably, the book talks of a totalitarian super state known as Oceania that will come to control the world. The author describes Oceania as a state that was controlled by an arrogant government that concentrated more on manipulating the way of life of the citizens, affecting the peoples lives adversely. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Power and Politics In 1984" essay for you Create order Additionally, Orwell states that the people in Oceania were strictly governed by influential leaders, who expected the citizens to submit to their authority completely. The essay will explore the theme of power and politic more profoundly and analyze how elements of the totalitarian system he writes against manifest in our world today. It is evident that the state described in the novel has some striking similarities to our current government. The way of life the government of Oceania had adopted is not too far off to the world we live on a daily basis. For instance, the author shows how deteriorated the standard of living of the people in Oceania was, yet their dictatorship government made the people to believe that their living standard was better than others and to ensure that they received to contradicting information the government blocked information from other regions. The author shows how citizens were brainwashed into believing in a reality that never existed, despite that anyone who tried to oppose the government received harsh punishment and in some instances, one was sentenced to death. Additionally, people were imprisoned for giving their opinions. Similarly, in todays world, the government is in control of everyone, for instance, spying is out of control, from Facebook to Net Neutrality. Additionally, NSA spying is depriving citizens the privacy to emails, text messages and phone calls (NPR Choice Page). Also, free speech is under attack. A government that is entirely in control of not providing citizens the freedom to privacy is similar to a government that brainwashes its citizen to only accessing what the government wants. Additionally, the spying relates to the author consistently used a slogan that big brother is watching you. In our world today people get charged for their opinions leaving people with fear to oppose the government. Additionally, people are being muzzled, and the conservative information is suppressed, this is a clear indication of the kind of totalitarian system citizens are undergoing. Concerns about having a government that controls the media to curb the flow of information have been witnessed in our world today which is similar to what Orwells talks about in his book. A reporter, Politico, reports about the possibility of the White House trying to put a stamp on the Voice of America, the station that pushes democratic ideals across the world (Kakutani). Notably, this is a clear indication that the people are being suppressed from information to blind their judgment and only receive what the government sees as appealing. His novel Nineteen Eighty-Four presents a world that where the government uses fear to control individuals who dont conform to the usual political orthodox. The authors statement can be related to what is happening where the government is using the war and defeating of an enemy as a reason for the increased surveillance. In general, the way is used as an excuse to give the government a way to look into peoples lives. Orwell indicated talked of the value of confusion that was brought about by the government. Orwell would not be surprised by the confusing state of affairs in the government (McCrum).Notably, this confusion is brought about by the denials, and the counter denials passed to the citizens. The government is continuously denying that they are spying on citizens and then going ahead to convince people the only reason its conducted is due to the terrorist attacks. In the novel, Orwell calls some people as the proles citizens who help the state to keep an eye on people to be able to be in control. That kind of totalitarian system can be seen clearly in todays world, especially with the advent of smartphones and the widespread of surveillance cameras, makes peoples movement or conversations in the public sphere not to be considered as private. The United States current state of war is similar to the state in 1984. Where in Oceania the people were made to believe they were always at war and they were the victims though at times they were the ones causing war. The party members were the only ones who knew what was happening. Similarly, citizens of the US have become oblivious to actual issues, where most times people are not aware who they are fighting with and why (McCrum). People are currently living in a world where they dont know what peace is much like the slogan war is peace. The novel offers a thought-provoking learning experience. People can see the similarities between Oceania and the current state of affairs. The book makes it clear how the government is hypocritical but with a twist to make citizens believe their motive. It is a clear basis for learning and building people to be better leaders.