Half-Life

Oprah Winfrey once stated, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” But is luck really a combination of preparation with you being presented an opportunity? It is my belief that a majority of the time the answer is a resounding no. However, there are instances where if you are prepared and the right opportunity does present itself luck can sometimes be perceived as having a role. The most common opportunity that I myself have experienced as well as anyone else is having a job…

In Edward O. Wilson’s newest book Half Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, he argues that if we conserve half of the earth’s land and water for nature, we are likely to save 90% of the remaining life on the planet. At Wildlands Network, we have long advocated for essentially the same vision for the biodiversity of North America, long before Dr. Wilson so eloquently put it into words at the global scale. We’re putting these ideas into practice with the formation of our Eastern Wildway Network,…

helps us to understand why war and conflicts exist. 2. Realism is often considered the pessimistic or negative approach to things. One with a realistic perspective would take the approach of seeing the glass as half empty, as opposed to the liberalist approach, which is more of a glass half full…

already have, some of those might seem different to you now. Some places I have gone to get books are Barnes and Noble, Half Price Books, and I have gotten some on my phone/Nook. Half Price Books is where I go when I don't have a lot of money to spend on books, plus you can bring old ones in there and sell them back to them and get money to spend on the “new” ones you get. At Half Price Books they are normally used but all in good conditions. Barnes and Nobles is very expensive I personally…

Chimamanda Adichie illustrates the impact and role religion can have on one’s identity. In Purple Hibiscus, Adichie uses characterization and direct statements to implement the theme of religion and identity. The presence of religion in certain characters’ life strictly defines them and can affect them in a negative way. Papa Eugene is a character that embodies the extreme impact that religion can have on one’s thoughts and actions. After Kambili and Jaja return from visiting their Aunt Ifeoma’s…

only represented people that were white, blue eyed and ate apples. As she grew up she realized that -more often than not- only one side of a story is displayed. A young boy who worked for her family and lived in poverty was the first example in her life of another side of a story. Though he was thought to be lowly to her family, they had richness in their hard work. When she grew up, and went off to the U.S., her roommate only saw Chimamanda as a woman from Africa who listens…

Chenyang Li 110527822 AWE194-09 According to the TED talk, “the Danger of a single story”,by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I found that the “danger stories” are almost everywhere in our lives. The “single stories” always focus on negative parts of thing and they definitely cause some really serious consequences. If other people show one thing over and over again, people may think it is true, although it was not true. I agree with Adichie. I think people should not judge anybody or anything…

Have you ever been to a new country and felt small and difference than the rest? Have you ever felt like there was a sudden drop of unpredictability on your shoulders, fearing how the new country would change your life? In the story “The Thing Around Your Neck,” Nigerian Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells a story of an immigrant girl in that exact same situation. By winning the American visa lottery, Akunna is given the chance to move to America by herself to live with her uncle in Maine.…

The acts of cruelty, alongside religion, execute important concepts into the theme of the novel, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Cruelty revolves around the theme of the novel, which can be stated as “one’s religion influences their overall behavior, and disturbs the lives of people in their environment when not adequately controlled.” When the phrase “adequately controlled” is used, it is to refer to the properness of one’s behavior and how well a person consumes the religion…

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote her book, Purple Hibiscus, through the eyes of a teenage girl, Kambili. Papa’s two children, Jaja and Kambili start out as extremely sheltered and structured children. As the novel progresses the two of them go to live with their aunty Ifeoma for a couple of weeks. As soon as they arrive, they begin to change drastically as they both begin to find themselves. Both Jaja and Kambili start to become more independent because their aunty Ifeoma allows them to have…