Stranger in a Strange Land

African Colonialism in Conrad and Achebe In the minds of many Europeans, Africa was known as the “Dark Continent,” not because of the color of the skin of its inhabitants, but because large sections of the interior were simply unknown. By the late 19th century, British imperialism was beginning to penetrate into some of those unknown regions, bringing European government, religion, and attitudes to people otherwise deemed “savage.” The effect of this process of colonialism has been famously…

Change is a constant in the universe and in the innumerable worlds of science fiction. In these worlds, Science Fiction is used to predict the outcome of the most unimaginable changes in ourselves and our worlds. Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall, for example, predicts what would happen if night only came once every several thousand years. Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild speaks of a future where descendants of human colonists become the hosts of a parasitic race, and are cared for in return. The Witches of…

American novelist Patricia Highsmith once wrote in her novel Strangers on a Train, “People, feelings, everything! Double! Two people in each person. There 's also a person exactly the opposite of you, like the unseen part of you, somewhere in the world, and he waits in ambush” (Highsmith.) Duality is simply defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, as the quality or state of having two parts. The duality of human nature deeply explores how a person cannot be be good without having the ability…

A New Country, a New Journey The moment I woke up, I smelled the chicken sandwiches and coffee that were served to the passengers on board. I regained my consciousness due to the loud snoring of the person sleeping beside me. I opened my eyes right before the flight attendant asked me, “Can I get you something to eat, sir?” I said, while suppressing a yawn, “A chicken sandwich and a cup of coffee, please.” She handed me the last meal on board with a smile and said in a merry voice “Here you go,…

golden apples in his hand. Whenever he would shake the branch, it`s music would cause a deep sleep and relief from all the pain. When the grey haired man told the king about his land where exists only truth, no age, sorrow, or strife, Cormac made a friendship pact with the man. After a short period of time, the stranger took away king`s family though left him the silver branch. However, King Cormaic chose not to use the branch and alleviate his pain from the less, but he decided to fight for his…

lonely because he was afraid to trust anyone knowing they could decide to turn him in at any moment. His use of repetition reinforces the way he felt upon arriving in the North. He states that he “was in the midst of thousands, and yet a perfect stranger; without home and without friends, in the midst of thousands of [his] own brethren-children of a common Father, and yet [he] dared not to unfold to any of them [his] sad condition” (lines 16-20). Loneliness conquered him and he had nowhere to go…

and are typically very troubled, with strained familial relationships. But, beyond that, his characters are always unique and interesting. He is very particular about choosing an actors to play one of his characters. But, he is able to constantly land top tier actors in his films in large part due to his memorable characters. His films are typically complex and depressing at points, however, interestingly enough, the endings to Anderson’s films are typically happy and unambiguous. A major part…

In the beginning was pain. Or perhaps it was end that was suffused with pain, its distinctive indigo tint. Color of old bruises, color of broken pottery, of crumpled maps in evening light. But, no, not like them, ultimately. For although men have tried for thousands of years to find the right simile- and women too- ultimately pain is only like itself. (VD 3) So begins Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel The Vine of Desire. Divakaruni textures the experiences of Calcutta born and raised sisters,…

reality that in time the land will disappear and not be enjoyed by the future generations. To look out at everything you love and know one day it will just be swallowed up by the sea would be a strange feeling. It is one that should cause alarm in our country along the coastlines, but we seem to ignore it in the name of profit. Our short-sightedness makes me angry, I just don’t understand it. How so many are fine with the loss of clean drinking water, loss of large masses of land and serious…

“Only the family, society's smallest unit, can change and yet maintain enough continuity to rear children who will not be 'strangers in a strange land,' who will be rooted firmly enough to grow and adapt”. Salvador Minuchin suggests that children shouldn’t be treated or approached in a manner that is different to what they know as it can make them uncomfortable, however they need support from adults in order to achieve prosperity in life. Although most families come from very different…