Chris McCandless, a.k.a. Alex Supertramp, was a man who decided to abandon the usual materialistic lifestyle to search for the actual meaning of life while roaming in the margins of society and in nature. In 1992, he met his end after living alone for months in the wilderness of Alaska. A few years later, Jon Krakauer decided to tell his story through the book Into the Wild, which was written based on interviews with family members and people who Chris met through his voyage, as well as on a journal he kept. Alternatively, in the novel Disgrace, J. M. Coetzee writes the story of David Lurie, a fictional character, and allows the readers to have a great insight into his personality and thoughts, but only assumptions regarding the intentions…
Human history has come a long way through challenges and struggles. Due to challenges encountered on a daily basis, humanity now can realize the premise of determination and use it to its full potential. The three works Shinny Game Melted the Ice by Richard Wagamese, The First Day by Edward P. Jones, and Just Lather That's all by Hernando Téllez, clearly exemplify the theme of determination through its impact on decision making, its effect upon others, and how it forms relationships between the protagonists and the antagonists. Life is primarily built around decisions.…
Every day people witness the horrors and atrocities in society caused by differing human ideologies, but what would it be like in a world where a computer could solve all of the humanity’s problems? The short story, “All the Troubles of the World,” by Isaac Asimov is a story about the super computer, Multivac and its desires to die because it can no longer stand carrying the weight of society’s problems. In the story, the author effectively expresses the theme of the story which is that no being is superior enough to solve all of the world’s problems through the use of literary devices such as setting, narration, and characterization . An additional eminent literacy device Asimov uses is the description of the setting of the story.…
Social activist, Marcus Garvey in his essay, “The Future as I See It,” explains how it is essential for the African American race to overcome their struggles to advance in society. He develop his claim by encouraging the African American race. Garvey states, “We are organized for the absolute purpose of bettering our condition, industrially, commercially, socially, religiously, and politically. We are not organized to hate other men, but to lift ourselves, and to demand respect to all humanity” (Garvey 989). Garvey’s purpose was to improve the black race altogether.…
Imagine a world where everyone has technology, whether it’s a cell phone, laptop, tablet, you name it, everyone has it. Even those living in the far away depths of America, and those who can’t even afford free school lunch. This is hard to image and poses many questions, but in general, it is unrealistic. “Our Future Selves,” an article written by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, informs readers on the importance of technology in revolutionizing our today. Both authors are highly involved with the technical world as Schmidt is the former CEO of Google and Cohen is currently the director of Google Ideas.…
“Small Great Things,” by Jodi Picoult is about a black nurse who is put on trial for murder when a white supremacist’s baby dies in her care. The speakers of the book are split between the author, and three characters: Ruth Jefferson, Turk Brauer, and Kennedy McQuarrie. Ruth is a black nurse, Turk is a white supremacist, and Kennedy is a defense attorney. The subject of the book is racism and discrimination. It focuses on the decisions of the characters and the results of their actions.…
The article under analysis is "Critical Thinking? You Need Knowledge" by author Diane Ravitch. Ravitch presents the idea that for people need to learn to value knowledge as it's required to think critically and it's an important aspect for people to have. I, as a reader and critique, agree with her point that to further grasp anything we must learn about it first. Ravitch's Idea that "Thinking critically involves comparing and contrasting and synthesizing what one has learned."…
Summary #2 In the article “What You Eat Is Your Business”, written by Radley Balko emphasizes how important is it to have personal responsibility when it comes to deciding what you are going to fuel your body with. He insists that the government should never be the ones making the choices for consumers and that people need to step up and do whats right for themselves. Explaining in detail that promoting anti obesity initiatives, removing junk food from sources, and making food labels mandatory is getting the government too involved with you and your health.…
The poem “How It Will End” by Denise Duhamel unfolds a tale of irony. The married couple watch a girl confront her lifeguard boyfriend, then soon find themselves within their own debate. Soon after, the lifeguard and his girlfriend make-up, but now the watchers take on the conflict. The female speaker realizes her newly position and finds that the argument tapped into her and her husband’s relationship. The author draws in the message that arrogance and insecurity increase the opportunity to misapprehended a situation.…
Main Points The Price of Everything is an unabridged dialogue between a seasoned professor of economics and a passionate college student that takes place as the student decides to stand against corporate greed. One of the overarching themes throughout the book is that even though a company may seek to maximize profits it is by no means malevolent or malicious. In the case of Big Box, it is easy to illustrate them as an evil corporation, capitalizing on the misfortune of others in the wake of a catastrophe. Yet Big Box was the only store in town that was able to provide the goods that people so desperately needed.…
There are many challenges and obstacles that we face, both mentally and physically in life. After reading, “Into Thin Air,” written by Jon Krakauer, he shares his, along with others experiences of climbing Mount Everest. During this journey, climbers had to mentally and physically prepare themselves for any obstacles that headed their way. Krakauer, in particular, had prior climbing experience, but wasn’t as experience in higher altitudes such as Everest. Unfortunately, some climbers didn’t make it out alive.…
On her voyage, and after, she is deeply affected by her journey across the world. The protection she got from fleeing comes in obvious and also subtle ways. First, she is physically safe, away from a warring country and the impending threat of communist take over. Less obvious she gets a new chance at life in a prospering first world country, that many can only dream of having. Now this journey does cause her and her family harm.…
In "The Art of Failure" Article; Malcolm Gladwell, the author, discussed that there are differences between panicking and choking (Gladwell, 2000). The author also considers that both panicking and choking is as bad as giving up and that they are also seen as failures (Gladwell, 2000). Choking is to be overwhelmed and under pressure. In fact, choking is a sense of overthinking. In contrast to choking, panicking is having that feeling of being underestimated and unfocused.…
Follow Your Heart, Find Your Treasure Have you ever thought how to find your treasure? Well if you are you can read the alchemist to find out. Throughout the book, The Alchemist, You learn how to find your personal treasure and what it means to you. In the novel, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago learns, “Remember where your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”…
She finally learns to accept love for what it is and not associated with beating and making her feel worthless. Her breakthrough follows shortly after she finds out she is HIV positive while living in a half way house and continuing her…