This American Life

a novel featuring uniquely American characters. The novel itself begins and ends in the present, that is the time that the book was published, but the bulk is told in flashback. The flashbacks serve to explain how Ethan has ended up as he has and filling in the back story, which includes no shortage of pain and suffering to the point that it is beyond any possible justification. The book itself is also moral in many respects and while these can be considered American themes, that is,…

joined forces to help me piece together this picture of that famous Sunday” (Lord, 213). Walter Lord, the father to a legion of best-selling historic books, is most avowed for A Night to Remember, the culmination of buoyant eyewitness descriptions from the sinking Titanic. Day of Infamy is an enthralling non-fiction delivering a chronicle of singular takes from the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Lord brings the tragic event of the attack to life with a minute-by-minute report of…

complete all biological functions. In a more existentialistic and humanistic approach it could be said that death is the end of a life, that is why at time it can be referred simply as passing away. When it comes to the end of life care definition may vary from the length of the life ending issue. It can range from taking care of someone from a few hours up to several years. This relates to those patients that may have a terminal condition or a condition with a very low prognosis and death is…

originated from Japanese belief of liquid life. Liquid life is the idea that aborted or lost fetus return to the water and wait to rejoin the Earth. During the ceremony people, especially women, pray to and adorn small statues that resemble a child or a small monk. The chanting and praying during the ceremony helps women make peace with their lost child, show moral remorse, and gain closure. Although rooted in Buddhist beliefs of Mizuko jizo, leech child, and liquid life…

One of our strongest sources of pride as American citizens is the fact that America is a land of opportunity; that one can pull himself up by his bootstraps and make something great of himself; that each individual has power over his own destiny. This represents the American belief system of self-determinism. With it comes a responsibility. Each person is also to be held accountable for his own actions, both good and bad. This represents the American value of retribution, or justice. In addition…

writers use in almost every novel. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald just so happens to be a great example. Through the development of a morally ambiguous character development modernist author Fitzgerald displays his pessimistic view of the American dream. Throughout the novel the author spaces the mind of the reader by unraveling a character as it unfolds. At the beginning of The Great Gatsby the character Gatsby seems to be mystical, the storyline builds up an almost tension to see…

depicted in the American film Ghost World and the Japanese anime The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. What social pressures are put on them? How do they react to this pressures? What does each film seem to prescribe as acceptable behaviors and outcomes for the girls? Both cultures are really different. Japanese people have a more defined culture than North Americans. The mixed of many other cultures and different political views have created a complex and not very well defined North American…

it is clear to see that these cultures hold a strong belief in the afterlife. As archaeological evidence has shown, many special burials of ancient leaders were buried with artifacts. It was believed that these dead leaders would go on to another life and bring these artifacts with them. The artifacts also served as an indicator of the importance of these leaders. In 1987, grave robbers unearthed a spectacular, gold-laden burial near the village of Sipan. Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva…

house as “a small eyesore” which has a view of “the consoling proximity of the millionaires” (Fitzgerald 5). Nick is surrounded by ostentatious mansions owned by wealthy men, but he still seems to quite fit in, as well as his house harmonizes well in this environment. Nick is part of the upper middle class and works in the bond business which means that his financial situation is good. However, his personality is drastically different from The Buchanan’s, Gatsby’s or Jordan’s. He isn’t…

Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. “Identity.” PoemHunter.com, PoemHunter, www.poemhunter.com/poems/identity/page-1/524149/. Loss of identity is shown in a unique way in this poem by Thomas Aldrich. His poem entitled "Identity" briefly describes his interpretation of identity after death. An extreme loss for the deceased. The subject of spirituality and its connection to identity is difficult to communicate in writing but as a poet, Aldrich produces profound ideas that are open for interpretation to…