Leo McKern

In Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, Ivan Ilyich was a man who tried to be unique and apart from the rest of society. Whenever he tries to do something different he would always look at society and realize that he has not done anything to make him stand out from his peers. Ivan was constantly wanting more money to buy what he thought was necessary in life. Whenever Mr. Ilyich had a question of life he would constantly look to society for answers. In the end Ivan Ilyich realizes that he…

Although many of the same thing happen in both the book and the movie, they are slightly out of order. For instance, in the movie the child that gets trampled is a little boy and this event occurs after the murder of Sir Carew. In the book, however, it is a little girl that gets trampled, and it is basically how the book begins. In a like manner, the book tells of Carew’s death like this: “And the next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of…

Although many of the same thing happen in both the book and the movie, they are slightly out of order. For instance, in the movie the child that gets trampled is a little boy and this event occurs after the murder of Sir Carew. In the book, however, it is a little girl that gets trampled, and it is basically how the book begins. In a like manner, the book tells of Carew’s death like this: “And the next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of…

On November 19, 1978, the nation and the world woke to the news of the tragedy of Jonestown, learning of the carnage of the suicide and murder of over 900 people in the jungle of Guyana. What happened has been painstakingly studied however the how and the why continue to be the subject of discussion more than thirty years later. The death tapes captured much of what transpired on November 18, 1978. Jones was heard to say,” “Die with a degree of dignity. Lay down your life with dignity; don’t lay…

Throughout the semester as a class we have read multiple forms of readings varying in style and meaning. The different types of readings were meant to enrich our minds of knowledge and shape our human experience. After reading some of the forms of literature, such as Walden and Civil Disobedience, A year of Magical Thinking and the Auto Biography of an Ex-Colored Man my mind has expanded to consider different parts of life. I think about the way I live my life and the things I do as a human…

Even Genius People can be Wrong (An Argument against three points in Plato’s The Republic) “What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” (Vonnegut) Plato explains the perfect city and their perfect kind. He follows the idea of Vonnegut’s stable community and uses many different ideas to explain how to create this perfect city. Some of his best…

Parade Critique Ball State University Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of Parade shows the story of the Trial of Leo Frank, a Jew convicted of murdering a thirteen-year old girl, Mary Phagan. The white southerners in the show convict him guilty of murdering Mary. They do not have any evidence of convicting him guilty though. The convict him because he is Jew. This trial shows how racial discrimination is the overall them of the story. Ball State University Department of Theatre and…

In his final novel, Hadji Murat, Tolstoy depicts the Caucasian campaigns of the mid 19th century, condemning Nicholas I’s attacks on the Islamic people of the region, as well as the tsar’s use of violence in general. However, Tolstoy also criticizes the Islamic leader Imam Shamil, even drawing some comparisons between Shamil and the tsar. In this sense, Tolstoy condemns the Russians but in doing so does not condone the leaders of the Islamic people; rather his criticism focuses on violence and…

Leo Tolstoy wrote: The Death of Ivan Ilyich in 1886 to show his view of how life should be, how we all should live, and what actually matter most at the end of everything. According to Tolstoy, there are 2 ways to live life; one is by outer appearance which are propriety, decorum, and standards of conduct, and second, inner appearances, and spiritual life which are “the real thing” that makes one’s life worthwhile. Insincere life style is the first way human can choose to live and it is shown…

The book Into the Wild by author Jon Krakauer tells the incredible story of Chris McCandless who decided to abandon his old life and free himself from the shackles of society that dragged him down so that he may live in complete freedom and happiness, no longer would he suffer from the constraints of everyday life but could instead focus on things he felt that truly mattered so that he may live a fulfilling life. Chris was an incredibly determined young man who had a strict moral compass. From…