A Pet’s Life Individuals in today’s world seem more driven by money and “things” rather than experiences. The strength of relationships is often undervalued. However that is not the case in Marley and Me, “Packing the Car For Our Western Camping Trip” as well as “Mourning the Death of a Pet”. In these pieces, relationships are valued highly, even if they are not human. The value of life is not determined by material wealth, like it is in today’s society, but rather the relationships that are formed. In the world today relationships are not valued very highly. However the pieces of Marley and Me, “Packing the Car For Our Western Camping Trip” as well as “The Mourning the Death of a Pet”, all show the importance of relationship. All of these …show more content…
These pieces stress the importance of all lives, even animals. For example, “Packing the Car” shows the value of a dog’s life in “And when he died in Minnesota…we smelled those marvelous paws”(5 “Packing”). This quote clearly illustrates that it doesn’t matter that the dog was just a dog; the pet owners’ had built a serious bond with the animal. The bond that was created is much like a brother or sister, representing that the relationship between animals and humans is just as important as humans with humans. The importance of relationships is also stressed in “Packing the Car” during the lines of “We tried to take the dog, packed around him, making a cozy spot at the back of the Subaru” (3-6 “Packing”.). This quote illustrates the importance of the family’s dog in connection with their entire family. It is evident this family sees the dog as another part of the family, like a brother or sister. The family sees no reason why they can’t take him, since he is a valued member of their family. This scene illustrates that all relationships are important, not just the human …show more content…
In this increasingly fast paced world individuals have one goal in mind: getting ahead at all cost. This type of mentality is even evident in high schools today. Students are trying to cram more and more extracurricular activities and honors classes into their schedule to try and get ahead of their competition. With little free time, it is almost impossible for students to build relationships if all their focus is trying to get ahead of other competitors. Through this type of mentality, relationships are not formed and students become addicted to material goals such as good grades, and how high their GPA is, rather than the importance of connections with others. The value of life is not determined by material wealth, like today’s society, but rather the relationships that are formed. Through Marley and Me, “Mourning the Death of a Pet”, as well as “Packing the Car For Our Western Camping Trip”, the importance of relationships is stressed. However that is not entirely true with the fast paced world around society today. Many individuals see relationships as a second tier aspect in their lives, coming after material success. However, one won’t realize how much relationships matter until they don’t have
I have learned that, interpersonal relationships are difficult to maintain. I often ask myself why, relationships require so much work. Why do I, stay in a relationship where the bad outweighs the good? The social exchange perspective argues, according to Monge & Contractor, as cited by West & Turner that “People calculate the overall worth of a particular relationship by subtracting its cost from the rewards it provides.”
Love is undoubtedly a universal theme with numerous characterisations in different genres. David Solway illustrates unrequited love in his poem The Dream as agonising, bewildering and hard to accept by the use of ideas, perspectives and language. In a similar way, Marc Webb’s film 500 Days of Summer and Gavin Degraw’s song Not Over You expresses this representation of unrequited love through their use of ideas, perspectives and language. They effectively translate this representation of unrequited love in their genres in order to create an emotional response from their audiences.
The feelings of loss, or the void of a distant love are both attached to forms of grieving, and are symbolically tied to darkness, melancholy, and other negative things. The loss of a loved one, either to death, distance, or disagreement results in distress that often is expressed in many different ways. Solitude, longing, woe, and lament are the usual results of lovesickness, or grieving, and are forms of dealing with a loss of a relationship either physically, mentally, or both. When first reading “Zero Degrees” by Elizabeth Spires, my initial image was of the upcoming winter; cold, dark and long. The image of a person lamenting the absence of a loved one during a cold night, where the bedding itself is a reminder of what is lacking evokes feelings of solitude and sadness. These concepts all express a lack, or a void, something as humans we all strive to fill, and in the process, fear. In this essay I will look to uncover how ”Zero Degrees” conveys the concept of void and mourning in the context of relationships and nature.
Would you have ever thought that a friendship or relationship could tremendously alter your entire life? Friendships and relationships can positively or negatively impact an individual’s life is the theme expressed in the three selections. In the Uglies, written by Scott Westerfeld, Tally faces a life- changing situation which questions her chance of becoming pretty. Furthermore, E. E. Cummings expresses the speaker’s feelings of love in [i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]. In The Third and Final Continent, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, an Indian man strives for a successful new life in America with the assistance of acquaintanceships. Undoubtedly, the theme-friendships and relationships can positively or negatively impact an individual’s
Based on their evidence, the focus on athletics contributes to lower dropout rates and higher test scores; however, they do note that students participating in athletics are obligated to be extremely focused and dedicated. It is no secret that achieving in athletics and academics is challenging and demanding. Additionally, communities achieving success in the athletic field have a greater social capital. Social capital is “the norms, the social networks, and the relationships” that individuals have within one another (Bowen and Hitt). Social capital is pertinent for children growing up to be prosperous adults. These relationships help build academic success. Likewise, most schools have equal success in athletics and academics. This direct relation has been researched and speculated to prove that athletics do not take away from academics but rather facilitate
Friendships and relationships often bring out the best in people, but they can also be painful and challenging; especially when a person has to end their relationship or friendship against their own desire. Rolf Carlé meets a young girl who causes him to recollect his miserable childhood memories. Rolf Carlé forms a special bond with this young girl because of their connection of helplessness they have both felt at one time or another, but his connection is broken when the young girl dies. Similar to Rolf Carlé, the princess from “The Lady or the Tiger” has someone whom she dearly loves forcibly taken away from her when her father finds out about their relationship. Rolf Carlé and the princess are relatable to one another because of their genuine love for someone that is taken away as their loved one is coerced into being separated from them.
A vignette called Beautiful and Cruel written by Sandra Cisnero is related to the importance of companionship because once a person realizes they can live a happy life without any company they will grow to do bigger and better things. “I am an ugly daughter. I am the one nobody comes for”. People get to live their life with freedom and how they choose their lifestyle while others have to follow a set plan that they do not get to
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
"McEwan Enduring Love and Postmodernity." Information System of Masaryk University. Web. 21 Oct 2013. http://is.muni.cz/th/64771/ff_m/McEwan_Enduring_Love_and_Postmodernity.txt>.
Love is one of the most liberating connections two people can hold between each other when it is authentic and sincere. Many find completion and satisfaction when they find this ideal, true love in another. However, when love is turned into a façade in order to create the image of an perfect, fulfilling relationship, it can be alienating and destructive. In Walker Percey’s essay, The Man on the Train, he claims that love is ultimately a source of alienation instead of an escape into wonderful satisfaction. This theory is exemplified in Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night, a story of a woman, Ellie, on a journey to fill her void of true love and escape her feelings of alienation. only exacerbates her sense of alienation instead of functioning as a cure. Until Ellie can find real love within herself she will never be fully satisfied with her life. In the mean time she involves herself in many different scenarios with various men seeking some form of love, her distraction from alienation.
In relationships, there are many very important qualities that one may look for when searching for a partner. He or she may prefer the individual to be tall and athletic, or maybe very charismatic and down-to-earth. Some may even go for a male or female who keeps them on their feet; who is always adventurous and constantly bringing new things to the relationship. However, that sense of not having any restriction and a devout level of freedom can lead to some very complicated and touchy-subject talks after a while. After a while there may be a sense of abandonment or even discomfort coming from one side of the relationship which may be stemming for the other individual being too inconsistent. Today, there have been countless movies, plays, books and poems written on trust and the basic stability of a relationship. Two of those happen to be The Vow, written by Kim and Krickett Carpenter and Kim Addonizio’s First Poem for You. The theme of permanence is a reoccurring topic in both the movie and Kim’s poem, which I plan to explore individually. By comparing these two separate works, we are able to see through the author’s writing techniques and different styles of writing, how they illustrate this captivating issue of permanence and its significance to the characters in the works and the overall emotions that readers feel for the characters.
All in all, the emotions one feels from the death of a loved one can either make or break one’s relationships. Through various characters, the author further demonstrates the possible ways a person can react to adversity, and how their decisions and character influence their relationships. The ability to maintain relationships through adverse situations reveals the internal strength and determination in the person’s character.
Love is often perceived as romantic, the love and lust two shares with each other, but there are many dimensions to love. Love is also dejected, patient and jubilant. These type of loves were explored through the heartfelt poem ‘The Power of the Dog’ which explores unconditional love as being dejected, questioning the reader if they would ‘risk their heart for a dog to tear’. Rudyard Kipling ultimately questions his audience ‘why do we choose to do things that are only going to hurt us in the end’. Similar concepts were also explored through Shaun Welling’s short film, ‘If I Could Bark’, which explores the patient love of a dog and his owner. Jubilant love was explored through the highly loved novel Marley and Me, written by John Grogan, shows
We always hear that close relationships are crucial to having a happy and healthy life. I believe this statement is true but I find that the challenge for myself is being able to do the work needed in keeping the relationship going smoothly and also finding the time to connect with these special someones. At this point in time my life things are relatively peaceful and my relationships seem to be going on an even keel, therefore I’m a happy person. I recognize the extreme importance in having wholesome, loving people around me which is why relational maintenance is very important. Relational maintenance is using a variety of behaviors and techniques to sustain and strengthen different types of relationships. Out of the various relationships that I currently have, there are two people that take more maintenance than the others and I would like to discuss these in my paper. The first relationship is with my boyfriend and the second is with my brother. Staying committed to the ideas I write about below, helps me focus on
Are the new standards and expectations the world has for teenagers really creating monsters? The amount of stress that is put on students these days between trying to balance school, homework, extra curricular activities, social lives, sleep and a healthy lifestyle is being considered a health epidemic (Palmer, 2005). Students are obsessing over getting the grades that are expected of them to please those that push them, and in return, lose sleep and give up other aspects of their lives that are important to them, such as time with friends and family, as well as activities that they enjoy. The stress that they endure from the pressures of parents, teachers, colleges, and peers has many physical as well as mental effects on every student, some more harmful than others. The extreme pressure on students to get perfect grades so that they will be accepted into a college has diminished the concept of actually learning and has left the art of “financing the system” in order to succeed in its place (Palmer, 2005).