Solitude

The Life of Solitude To many, loneliness, and solitude could be considered synonyms; however, when looked at closely, they are actually quite the opposite. Loneliness can be described as “a painful negative state where we feel alone, and cut off and estranged from other people” (“loneliness”). On the other hand, solitude can be described as, “a positive state where we are perfectly happy to be by ourselves, relish and enjoy our own company” (“solitude”). While both words similarly describe a…

One hundred years of 7 deadly sins The Bible is heavily influences Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude(OHYS). You can see each of the seven sins play a role in this book. They even show all the consequences of the sins. OHYS, can be best described as a “If you do this, this will happen,” type of book. The book doesn't have to much of an overall moral, but many of extreme mini lessons. The book begins with a description of the Macondo. Honestly it sounds more like Eden,…

when a person feels socially or emotionally isolated from others. Social isolation is distinct from the experience of solitude, which is simply the state of being alone, usually by choice. Taking time to be alone can be a healthy, rejuvenating experience that allows us to reconnect with our own needs, goals, beliefs, values, and feelings. But when a person experiences too much solitude or feels socially isolated from others, he or she may develop feelings of loneliness, social anxiety,…

Texting and the use of technology have several affects among society as a whole, and on the individual. According to Sherry Turkle, texting can alter the mood of an individual, and transform it into a more positive state. For example, Sherry Turkle received a text message from her daughter before her TED Talk and described it as a "hug". Although her daughter could not be in attendance at her presentation, the text message that she received reinforced her daughter’s support and confidence in…

The Journey of Growing Old The American writer Betty Friedan once said: "Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength." It was interesting to have the opportunity of interviewing someone in the late adulthood stage because it gave me insights to understand my mother and the challenges she may be facing during her journey of growing old. The person I interviewed for this paper is a white male age 58 named Wayne. Wayne was born in Seattle, Washington. He was raised in a…

The Moon Has No Friends Astronauts devote much of their time in solitude, with only their fellow astronauts as companions. The psychological effects of being in isolation for extensive periods can cause mental damage to the space traveler, which is why numerous hours of preparation are spent in isolation from others. On extensive galactic travel missions, communication with the individuals on earth can be entirely lost. Technology and communication systems can fail, and space travelers must…

Abstract: Magic realism acts as resistance against Western hegemony . In One Hundred years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez rediscovers the history of Latin America in an allegorical way. Magic realism is a narrative technique which acts as an identity of Latin America and on the other hand its hybrid characteristic is a protest against the conventional Western norm. Magical realism, unlike the fantastic or the surreal, presumes that the individual requires a bond with the traditions and…

The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, is a depiction of an endless journey through the eyes of a woman named Janie and her longevity of a life. Janie finds herself struggling in three contrasting marriages. In each of these relationships, evidence proves that loneliness lingers in the shadows. Some may believe that when one is exclusive with another and they are explicitly loved, it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t convey loneliness, while others would…

originally worked in drawing and painting, but I have slowly changed to ceramic and three-dimensional work. I have rooted myself here at Blackburn and have expanded myself beyond what I could see. I relate to Thoreau’s “Solitude,” because I find myself very content with solitude and simply taking in the space. Particularly, I find his second paragraph appealing. “When I return to my house I find that visitors have…

Without purpose or a place, I felt like a nuisance who didn’t belong. If I wasn’t consuming, I was somehow draining the area. Søren Kierkegaard once said “It is a frightful satire and an epigram on the modern age that the only use it knows for solitude is to make it a punishment, a jail sentence.” I believe this can be applied to this situation as well, when I was alone with nothing visible to keep me “occupied” people grew wary of me, like they’d catch the plague of purposelessness from me.…