A Difficult Life

his book Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt describes his childhood in Ireland. After the death of his sister in New York, his family relocated to Ireland, where his parents had family, hoping to receive assistance from their families and have a better life. Instead, they find themselves living in abject poverty. Having an alcoholic father who was unable to hold down a job and drinks away his earnings, the family was forced to survive in horrible conditions, living only on the meager amount they…

Stoicism. Founded by Zeno in Athens, the tenets of Stoicism focused on the eradication of emotion, and particularly fear, which would lead to a life committed to self-betterment. Seneca and his contemporaries took these ideas and expanding on them, marking a shift from the Epicurean philosophy studied a generation previously. While Seneca lead an active life as tutor to Emperor Nero and friend to many powerful political elites, he spent his retirement expanding on his philosophy and composing…

for Death---” poet Emily Dickinson depicts two beliefs (views?) regarding her vision of death and dying. She also expresses her view of life by looking through the lens of death. In Emily Dickinson’s poems, she portrays two different views on life. In “I heard a Fly buzz---when I died---” she uses a fly as a metaphor for humans and their journey through life. When the poet says “With Blue – uncertain – stumbling Buzz-” (13) she is stating that humans are insignificant, just like the fly. We…

are. Being a “Stranger in the village” is difficult to endure, and some people are not capable of handling the desolation. When moving from state to state, it’s understandable that one might feel alone, but in most circumstances after spending sometime in a new place, a person will begin to befriend new people and separating themselves from others. Most certainly that does not always happen, and in those situations is where the real problem comes to life. When Donna Williams switched schools…

father gradually changing in a negative way, as they talked more about his experiences. Murray Fisher began to loose sleep, and wasn’t able to carry on a conversation with his daughter. Karen also noticed how her father began to struggle, with his life. Karen’s perspective on her father’s thoughts about war, dramatically changed. Before, she thought her father just didn’t feel like explaining his lifetime, during war. Also, she thought the reason for her father not explaining, was true. He…

pain was quite difficult, and seeing her pass away I knew that she was at rest finally. Watching this documentary has given me insight into integrity and despair, the several stages of the Kubler-Ross model of dying, the role of a caregiver from a family member’s stand point, and how others grieve the loss of a family member. At the beginning of film Sarah experiences integrity as she begins to face the ending of her life. She is satisfied with her marriage, children, and her overall life…

the emotions I felt when being told once again that we are moving. The idea I am trying to express throughout the poem is that moving houses and schools regularly can be difficult to tolerate. Ask teacher what to write. Poem WE ARE MOVING?! URGH! WHY NOW? How can 6 letters, a word that takes under 1 second to say Change my life, my emotions and just change everything so much? When my parents say we’re moving again all I really hear is: New friends, new school… Will I even make friends?…

Seuss. The quote, “Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities,” was one of her favorites from Dr. Seuss. She lived as many may have liked to have lived, loose and carefree. She didn’t let life’s harsh realities…

It plays a role in the birth of stars and planets and is a necessary component of sustaining life. Because water is such a common element, it is often overlooked when featured in stories or novels. Water can symbolize several characteristics, add depth to a tale, and can say a lot about characters without saying anything at all. Water is crucial for life and is often used symbolically to represent life. In The Love Suicides of Amijima, Jihei and Koharu decide to end their lives alongside a…

It has been said that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. One could argue that there are, in fact, three certainties in life. Life will always present you with adversity. In the books Tuesdays with Morrie and Night, Mitch Albom and Elie Wiesel present the absolute epitome of adversity. Tuesdays with Morrie is a book all about Morrie Schwartz teaching Mitch Albom the absolute necessities in life. Morrie is suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as ALS. In this…