Trivial Pursuit

and Mr. Erskine label him as “very dangerous”, “a bad influence”, and “a person whom everyone calls wicked.” Henry even states, “I quite forgot what I said” (45) implying that he doesn’t take his life seriously. Lord Henry had a great mind, but a trivial existence and reputation. Alan’s scientific interests got him blackmailed into destroying Basil’s body. Alan had tried to sever his ties with his old friend Dorian, as he greets him by saying, “I had never intended to enter your house again”…

Heroes have found their way into our oral tradition and the written record throughout human time. In fact, one of our oldest written text is the Epic of Gilgamesh. From fireside whispers of folk tales, to Greek mythos and war stories, maybe it is the human need to have hope personified that has mankind setting individuals on to pedestals. Flawed, or shiny perfection, they represent the ideal of a savior from whatever harrowing situation we are in or our minds can create. Yet, heroes are…

In his novel The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, The author Mark Twain writes about the society of 1890s where Huckleberry Finn, the main character runs away from civilization and joins the journey with a run-away slave, Jim. The book is regard as one of the most wildly read book in America. It has been highly praised by some. For example, Ernest Hemingway once said that all American literatures come from the book. However, it also receives much criticism for its offensive vernacular language and…

To this day, philosophers chew on an age-old question: “What is the meaning of life?” In The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner portrays the fruitless result of this basic human pursuit. Based in the early 20th century American South, the novel follows the members of the Compson family and delves into each of the Compson’s deeply-rooted psychological problems. Faulkner uses each of the book’s narrators to spearhead the issue of meaninglessness of daily troubles. Each of the four unique…

Socrates was renowned for his ugliness, and the Minotaur – being a grotesque monstrosity of two species combined together – was not likely pleasant to view. While this certainly may seem trivial and seem coincidental, it does further the strength of the analogy between the circumstances of the Phaedo and the µῦθος of Theseus and the Minotaur as here…

Hip hop is a genre of music born over 50 years ago in the South Bronx in New York City by young African Americans. It is a sensation today and widely consumed and enjoyed by many across different age groups and a myriad of racial and cultural backgrounds. Despite its widespread popularity, it is often associated with negativity, criminality, drug use, violence, guns and most of all, it is considered as a genre of music that debases women and blacks in general. Others argue that hip hop is a tool…

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, arguably author and journalist Mark Twain’s greatest achievement, is perhaps its author’s most profound work. Composed in the late nineteenth century subsequent to the abolition of slavery nationwide, Twain’s controversial novel audaciously tackles several taboo topics of the Reconstruction era, propelled by the author’s own unorthodox - and highly debated - beliefs. Twain’s iconoclastic ideas regarding the southern United States and its notoriously…

education to support their needs. Other audiences could include readers interested in enrolling in a French class instructed by a teacher from France. This audience could potentially harbor spontaneous thoughts of adventure. Being excited by the pursuit, they may insist that every aspect has been considered in the decisions they make. They could refuse to accept the potential for anything to go wrong when they choose to pursue their…

States of America, there are many obstacles to move up the ladder of success. It would be brilliantly ideal for people residing in the United States of America to move up the ladder of success with little to no hindrances; would it not? Isn’t the “pursuit of happiness” one of the United States of America’s founding principles? Many will say that through hard work anyone can move up the hierarchy of success. “Consistent hard work leads to success.” (Dwayne Johnson) This quote means exactly what…

Part 1: Buddhism The goal of this paper is to analyze 1 of the 10 major fundamental questions we have gone through in class. Excerpts from the book Anthology of World Scriptures by Robert E. Van Voorst will be used in this paper. Solution: The question of Solution addresses what if anything, can be done to fix the world and humanity. In Buddhism, their religion is based on the “life and teaching of the Indian sage Siddhartha Gotma, The enlightened one, or Buddha.” In this religion, they…