Examining The Guest By Albert Camus English Literature Essay

Examining The Guest By Albert Camus English Literature Essay The modern work I chose to examine was The Guest by Albert Camus. I chose this piece because I felt that it was easy to relate to the sense of isolation that was faced by the character Daru. The political theory and psychology in the piece were self evident as it played a big role on the actions of the character in his lonely state. In my opinion the title The Guest, suggests that there is more than one person that Daru doesnt know about. The main character Daru can be examined to be a self-righteous, trusting, full-hearted person. His caring for the prisoner and actions toward him made him feel like he was doing the right thing to help out a fellow human being. The political theory around this piece can be described as volatile in the sense that it assumes to the reader that a war is about to happen. Then Ill wait for the declaration of war! and there is talk of a forthcoming revolt. bring awareness of the actual political unrest among the two feuding parties, the Algerian French colonial government and the Algerian Arabs. I believe this feud is what places Darus post in such a remote environment. The idea that Daru doesnt know what exactly would be the reason for him having a gun would be further supported by the fact that his shotgun is in his trunk which means he obviously doesnt use it. When Balducci told him that he ought to have it near his bed because if there is an uprising no one is safe, were all in the same boat. I believe he is hinting towards the fact that I think he knows people are following him to retreave the prisoner. I feel that the severe political unrest will begin to happen after the end of the story. The psychological impact involved in Darus isolation was that he was caught up between the legal system that imposed itself on the Arabs family quarrel and his emotions to do right as a man. When Daru said every bit of this disgusts me, and first of all your fellow here. I believe he was fighting with his inner morals which to him were to do the right thing and to not turn the Arab over but in turn, set him free. He doesnt have any problem with his choice in refusing to turn him over and firmly stands by his decision. Instead of taking the prisoner off and setting him free, he wished that the Arab would just run away that way he would be alone with no decision to make. The statement that mans stupid crime revolted him, but to hand him over was contrary to honor supports this entirely. The statement, he could see nothing but the dark yet shining eyes and the animal mouth, in my opinion means that he didnt see the prisoner as a monster or a killer but just as a normal person incapable of murdering another human being. I believe that when Daru was feeding the prisoner and treating him like an actual human being the Arab developed some sort of Stockholm syndrome while in the custody of someone who I believe he grew to trust in a short amount of time. I think that when the prisoner asked Daru if he would come with them to the prison, he knew that his fellow Arabs were following him to get him back. I believe he was trying to protect Daru from what was going to happen. When Daru was walking the Arab south to the nomads where he would be safe, his heart grew heavy and I honestly dont think that Daru wanted him to leave since they formed a very strange and mysterious bond among men. When Daru returned to find the message you handed over our brother. You will pay for this. written on his black board I believe he was unsure why they would be after him considering that he just let their brother go, not only with food but also with money. He finds himself felling misunders tood and what I believe is frightended when he dosent see anyone in sight. The psychological impact in my opinion is greater on the concept of isolation more so than the political theory involed with the character and his struggles. I think the author did a good job dehumanizing the prisoner in an attempt to make Daru seem like he is still alone although someone is there. The imagery and detail also given make it easy to visualize just how alone and torn Daru actually is. I believe that the storys title should be changed from The Guest to The Unseen Guest just to make it play a little more to the psychological aspect of the piece. (words: 1024)

Curley in Of Mice and Men Essay

Curley is the son of the ranch boss. He is portrayed as a small, semi-privileged man with a very short temper and something of an inferiority complex. He is always itching for a scuffle and is constantly seeking the opportunity to prove himself on the ranch among other bigger, â€Å"better† men. From the moment we are introduced to Curley we discover this, due to the way in which he acts when he meets George and Lennie, â€Å"His eyes passed over the new men and he stopped. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. † This illustrates that he is not mentally secure about himself, and quickly goes into a poised posture as if he is willing to lash out on the two new men to prove his manliness and authority. After a deliberately elongated stare down, Curley speaks but in short menacing sentences. â€Å"You the new guys the old man was waitin’ for? And when George is the only one to reply he quickly retorts in a provocative manner â€Å"Let the big guy talk† Once again this justifies the fact that Curley is insecure and is always trying to prove himself as the alpha male on the ranch, so he tries doing so by badmouthing Lennie as he feels that by doing so he will be regarded as strong, manly and valiant. When Lennie refuses to speak the situation hastily increase due to Curley’s short temper. Unlike most other characters in the story Curley is probably the only one that does not develop much over the course of the book but he stands out as a character with whom the author simply does not sympathize. While everyone else is struggling, Curley’s busy picking fights and trying to throw his weight around his dad’s ranch. He seems outside of the economic struggle and even the personal struggle of the Depression. Curley’s the kind of jerk you need in contrast to the other characters, so he maintains this â€Å"bad† reputation with the reader from the beginning right to the end. The next encounter with Curley is in chapter 3 when all the men are in the bunkhouse. Curley is clearly frustrated and agitated by the fact that he can’t find his wife, a sign of weakness and lack of authority, and when he is told that Slim is at the barn he rushes out and starts interrogating him but when Slim shows that he is in control, Curley’s fake ego is quickly shattered and it is obvious that he is quickly forced back into his place. â€Å"Well, I didn’t mean nothing, Slim. I just ast you. † But Curley being the short fused jerk hat he is could not just leave it there and in a matter of seconds he is all up on Lennie punching him in the face. He did this because he evidently lost the argument with Slim and knowing Lennie’s friendly, unaggressive nature finds him the best solution to blow of some steam, as well as prove his dominance by overpowering a huge, defenseless man. But once Lennie retaliates and breaks Curley’s puny hand he finally realizes that he has lost twice and he should just leave it there. Our final encounter with Curley is when his wife is killed by Lennie. It is apparent that he does not care about the death of his wife and is simply too absorbed into his own world were only he and his reputation matter. â€Å"Curley- maybe you better stay here with your wife† â€Å"I’m goin, I’m gonna shoot the guts out of the big bastard myself† This shows that the death of his wife is not very significant, but gaining fame and revenge by shooting the man that killed her would seem far more favorable, it would certainly be more manly than staying back and weeping over a dead female.

African American Minority Group Essay

Among many of the ethnic groups that experienced a combination of segregation, racism, and prejudice; African Americans is one of the few that is still faced with one or more forms of discrimination today. The majority of African Americans came to the United States from Africa to be slaves, while others are citizens or residents of the United States from partial ancestry a form of the native population. In 1619, the first recorded Africans were recorded in British North America in Jamestown, Virginia, and the numbers began to increase as more English settlers died from harsh conditions and the Africans were brought to work as laborers. In the late 1700s the American Revolution occurred, which landed approximately 3 million Africans in slavery in the United States by the mid-1800s, (Centerwall, Brandon, 1984). In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln declared that all slaves in the United States from a Union were free. Meanwhile the declaration of Africans being free from slavery was joyful event, it was also the beginning of a growing battle that lead to a different approach of discrimination including; segregation, prejudice, and racism. By the 1900s, the African American population increased, which majority of the population lived in the Southern states of the United States. The Southern states enforced the Jim Crow laws, which mandated racial segregation in all public facilities giving white Americans advantages over black Americans in public schools, public transportation, restrooms, restaurants and drinking fountains. In order to eliminate the control that white Americans had over African Americans, African Americans began to build their own schools, churches, and communities. Although, African Americans building their own communities was the intention of avoiding the humiliation of the Jim Crow laws, it still didn’t prevent the African Americans from becoming victims of racially motivated violence. African Americans experienced countless acts of violence incidents that lead blacks battered, beaten and even dead in some cases. White Americans begin to form organizations that promoted white power, leading the organizations to practice out violence and destroy African Americans property. A popular white power organization called themselves the Ku Klux Klan and performed acts against blacks that included; lynching cross burnings, physical violence, and house burnings towards African Americans. Although, the Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1867, it has been rumors that there are people that are still secretly members today. African Americans experienced a wider range of discrimination, segregation, and racism more so in the later days but still arise in society today. In a perfect world, no one would be judged by the color of their skin and society would focus on a person’s individual true character. Often times African Americans miss out on opportunities because they are being judged by the color of their skin, rather than their abilities. The United States has tried to provide Americans the rights to equal opportunity, by creating the Affirmative action. The affirmative action eliminates people being granted opportunities based on their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin and ensures that minority groups within a society receive equal opportunities. Although, the affirmative action was intended to diminish situations which cause people to participate in different forms of discrimination, but unless it could be fully proven that African Americans were being passed up for jobs, education, income and other forms of advancements there will never be a way to fully prohibit this form of discrimination. Today, there is still unequal opportunities and discriminatory treatment that occurs in the United States especially with African Americans. African Americans were affected by many forms of discrimination that decreased advancement to equal other races in society. They were faced with dual labor market, forcing blacks to work in lower labor market areas. Redlining was enforced by keeping businesses from helping African Americans simply because of the area they lived in. Many African Americans wanted to better themselves by furthering their education, but suffered from institutional discrimination and given less information and aid for education. Knowing the history of the African American struggles on; prejudice, discrimination, and segregation allows me to understand my roots and accomplishments of my ethnic group. Personally the history of African Americans affects me greatly, because it is the combination of struggles that has played a huge role to my advancements and opportunities performed daily. The African American ancestors fought daily through all counts of discrimination helps that allows all groups of different minority groups the same equal rights for advancement opportunities. Although, the majority of the world views of African Americans has changed there are still people that choose to discriminate against African Americans by choosing not to change with the ways of the world and maintain prejudice. Acts of discrimination is performed but not as greatly as many years ago. African American culture has had a rough past journey, but in the long run the majority of the United States has made it possible for all African Americans equal rights and opportunities in life.

Cosmetics Depicting False Femininity in Vogue Essay

In today’s contemporary society, magazines, such as Vogue, depict women utilizing cosmetics to enhance their natural features in order to achieve the central goal of attractiveness. This idea of a consumerist society causes women to become objects of desire and victims of suppression, impacting their individual identities. The concept of consumerism allows Vogue to profit materially, targeting certain aspects of culture through three methodological tools of research, such as ethnography, textual, and political/economic analysis. Through the methodological tools of cultural research, I will analytically critique, how, through the use cosmetics in Vogue, the female gender is objectified and leads to profiting political, economic and social†¦show more content†¦Through these multiple interpretations of ideal femininity, different cultures portray the ideal woman in different ways. Vogue is just one of the many examples, illustrating the idea of femininity and how societa l structures enforce women to look and act in a certain way in order to be accepted in society; however, I believe women should be accepted as their natural self, reinforcing the concept that culture should be freely expressed. Connotations of the representation of cultural objects such as, the female gender as illustrated in Vogue, articulate the concept of the ideal femininity. Subsequently, leading people to formulate interpretations of gender roles into their everyday lives. It can be assumed that the articulation of women’s alluring biological features, which are depicted on Vogue covers, symbolize the power of enchantment a woman holds in a heterosexual society. Thus, the binary opposition negatively distorts the social identities which construct specification between both genders roles. This distortion causes heterosexuality to be the only norm accepted in society. As a result, homosexuality is portrayed to be a concept of gender roles that lies beyond the acceptance of society. One problem that is associated with binary opposition, is that women become envious of the flawless features of the ideal women. Whereas, men become victims of attractiveness, compelling themselves to set up expectatio ns for their ideal sex partners to have falseShow MoreRelatedManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesbe understood differently by different groups. In one sense, perhaps, this could be seen as a sort of falseness, but that may be too narrow a view. Nixon reflected on this aspect of de Gaulle’s leadership: â€Å"General de Gaulle was a facade, but not a false one. Behind it was a man of incandescent intellect and a phenomenal discipline. The facade was like the ornamentation on a great cathedral, rather than the flimsy pretense of a Hollywood prop with nothing behind it† (p. 60). Source: R. Nixon, Leaders