Joseph Grand was portrayed to us as being the meek, indecisive, poor citizen of Oran. He didn’t have much but a failed marriage, a municipal job, and a one-sentence novel. Despite his faults, he is among the first to volunteer with the “sanitary squads” without a moment’s hesitation. Grand does not look at what he is doing as a hero’s work; he looks at this as being a necessary duty. In fact, when Dr. Rieux thanked Grand, Grand states; “ Why, that’s not difficult! Plague is here and we’ve got to make a stand, that’s obvious. Ah, I only wish everything were as simple!” (Camus, 134). Grand’s job on the “sanitary squads” may have been a small sacrifice, yet it represented something so much larger than himself. Since he was an older man with not much to give, he gave all he was able to because it was the right thing to do. The narrator states; “Grand was the true embodiment of the quiet courage of the sanitary groups” (Camus, 134). At this point, Grand’s virtue of courage is enacted. It’s as if no one had really given him the chance to show how brave he really was in the past. Grand is marked with so many failures and deficits, that it is hard to look past all of that and think of this man as being courageous. However, Dr. Rieux gives Grand that second chance to prove his worth and remind Grand, as well, just how much he has to offer.
Eventually, Grand contracts the plague and is spared death. His recovery marks the turning of the tide for the citizens of Oran. Grand’s recovery gives a sense of hope to the citizens of Oran. The narrator tells us early on; “and if it is absolutely necessary that this narrative should include a “hero,”it should be one with “goodness of heart” and “a seemingly absurd ideal” (Camus, 137).
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...he beginning that he wants to write a literary masterpiece, on which he works on diligently. He is a very careful man and works thoughtfully and thoroughly. This would be a strength if done in moderation and if he knew how to stop, but he gets so caught up in his work that he often misses what is most important in life. He has not had a close relationship with anyone since his wife was around. Grand wants to write that best-seller, he wants that ideal marriage, and he wants to keep to himself. That is why it is somewhat surprising that he goes to Cottard’s aid, to the extent of wanting to cover up his attempted suicide from the authorities; and he also joins Tarrou’s troop of volunteers, coming in after work to help in the fight against the plague.
Grand’s name seems to be ironic in the beginning of the book, but as we read on his gestures become as big as his name.
No matter what, protecting the people we care about is the most important thing we can do. Regardless of our outcome, as long as we protect the people that shed hope on our lives, everything will turn out okay. In the Great Gatsby, this hope is ultimately diminished with the death of Gatsby. The book sets up the reader to wish for Gatsby to finally get a break, but instead his death helps to dampen the traditional fairy-tail ending, leaving the story with a void unfillable by the
Dr. Rieux is absolutely an absurd hero because he does what he has to do. He still works as a doctor instead of hiding in fear, hoping to not get the plague like many other of the citizens. Of course, he does not want to fall ill, but he knows that should not stop him from completely ignoring his duties. Unlike many of his fellow citizens who just cowered in their home, he realizes his responsibility and lived up to his specific duty. Everyone’s belief was that the whole city is condemned to die, which was influenced by the priest's sermon, stating this is punishment for the sins of the townspeople, but Dr.Rieux ignored that and stayed to fight. "There's no question of heroism in all this. It's a matter of common decency. That's an idea which may make some people smile, but the only means of fighting a plague is – common decency." (Camus, The Plague). He does not give up and he does not show weakness. Dr. Rieux has a very similar personality to the character Sisyphus in The Myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus is sentenced to roll a rock to the top of the mountain and then watch it roll back down, for eternity. “Man...
In “The Plague”, by Albert Camus, Joseph Grand experiences a creative stagnation. He cannot get past his opening sentence: “One fine morning in the month of May an elegant young horsewoman might have been seen riding a handsome sorrel mare along the flowery avenue of the Bois de Boulogne.” Having revised it and rearranged it for years, he cannot make sense of it and fails to generate a story. His idea of perfection ruins his creative side. He frantically wants the precise words and thinks that learning Latin will make him a better writer. He uses all of his time and energy creating a first perfect sentence, something that he never achieves. Every time he finishes the sentence, he is unsatisfied and writes it again. He does not allow himself to create his masterpiece since he is so preoccupied with the degree of correctness and clarity.
Throughout the course of events in The Great Gatsby, the watchful eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg stare into the depths of each character, while the Doctor serves as a god of conscience from his middle ground between two worlds. As the creations of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters whose stories unwind before us live twisted webs of lives in which there is a distorted view of a greater force outside their worlds. Dr. Eckleburg merely watches over the "grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it" at the spot where "when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour" (27-8). This is where Dr. Eckleburg reigns; this is the site of a final...
John Smith was born in either 1579 or 1580 in Lincolnshire, England. This was so far back in time that it makes it hard for historians to be able to retrieve medical documents for people. After Smith had been a merchant’s apprentice, he had decided he wanted to live in combat, and he joined the English Army overseas. Smith had proved to be highly successful in the army and he joined in on a campaign against Henry IV, he also went against the Turks in Hungary. When Smith was in Hungary he was captured and enslaved. He was sent to serve a kindhearted mistress who didn’t want Smith as her slave, so she sent him to her brother’s, where he was forced to do farm work. He later killed the farmer who was holding him captive as a slave and made he made his way back to England.
... horrors of war such as, his parents who still view war as glamorous and idealistic. War takes a heavy toll on soldiers who fight in it and in these dangerous moments anybody would have gone insane. It takes a very special type of soldier to be able to handle both the psychological and physical challenges that a soldier has to face in everyday battle. A soldier such as this must be capable of handling the sight of a mutilated comrade and not immediately chatter to pieces. The author conveys this message in his extreme use of words with negative connotation such as shells, typhus, dysentery, and trenches. In this portion of the novel a great deal of emphasis is placed on the word death which is repeated several times and standing on its own it holds a great deal of negative connotations. Therefore, due to the severity of the situation and the extensive use of words with negative connotations the overall tone of the novel appeared to be very depressing or serious. This selection also demonstrates just how mythical the character of war that many individuals who have not experienced the tragedy of battle believe to be true by illustrating just how appalling and grim war is in reality.
The word “great” has many meanings – outstanding, eminent, grand, important, extraordinary, and noble – that vary with the intent of the speaker and the interpretation of the listener. Someone may perceive something as great, while someone else may consider that same thing horrendous. The greatness of a being is not determined by the individual, but by those around them who experience and perceive their greatness through actions and words. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick Carraway, believes Gatsby to be a great person with a “gorgeous” personality. It is Nick’s perceptions of Gatsby that encourage the reader to also find him “great.” Gatsby, through his actions, his dreams, and his heart, distinguishes himself from the “foul dust” and makes himself “worth the whole damn bunch put together.” Gatsby creates an illusion for others, as he manages to appear to belong to a higher class than he really does. He fools “the spectators” around him by throwing extravagant parties that give off a sense of great wealth and stature. While the person of Jay Gatsby himself is a masterful illusion, James Gatz, although a flawed character, is essentially great.
The Great Plague was a pandemic that killed many people, and for the people from the olden times the plague equaled painful death; it was torture. As a result, many people categorize ‘the Great Plague’ as a catastrophe that had caused huge damage in Europe, but without this epidemic, we many not have had substantial changes that lead us to the modern day we have now.
The French Revolution can best be described by Dickens in the opening phrase of his novel A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens 1). A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens in 1859, takes place in London and Paris during the French Revolution. The book tells the story of a circle of people living and fighting during this dangerous time. These characters include Dr. Manette, a doctor and prisoner of the Bastille for eighteen years who is just reunited with his lovable daughter, Lucie, for the first time since his imprisonment. Mr. Lorry is a banker and family friend of the Manette’s and Charles Darnay is a kind, generous man with a corrupt, noble family who marries Lucie. The Defarges are a married couple who lead the peasants’ revolt in the Revolution, and Sydney Carton is a lawyer’s assistant with a seemingly wasted life, but finds his life’s worth in the end. From these characters and this story, the theme of sacrifice is well displayed, especially the sacrifice for loved ones. The book shows us that love overcomes evil every time through the sacrifices of Miss Pross, Dr. Manette, and Sydney Carton.
...sserted that though the whole Revolution’s phrase was “Republic One and Indivisible, Liberty, Fraternity, Equality or Death,” the results were completely different of this phrase. Firstly, the Revolution did not produce a Republic where citizens elected leaders, but instead wherespecial citizens set themselves up as leaders. It was elitism, not a republic. Secondly, the Patriots did not promote liberty through their actions. Instead of their rebellion ending the tyrannical reign of aristocrats, the Patriots made only greater tyranny through ridiculous laws, and unjust sentences of death and imprisonment. Finally, though the Revolution did indeed result in many men dying, one man, Sydney Carton, ended up escaping death by resting upon Christ’s sacrifice. Through the course of A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens demonstrated the great painful irony of the French Revolution.
The movie runs on about the idea of who Jay Gatsby really is and is overlooking his background. When people read the book they understand Jay Gatsby and his history, they understand the irony in the book. The entire theme of irony is left out of the movie. The novel title is ironic; the title character is neither “great” nor is he name Gatsby. He was a criminal named James Gatz, and the life he gave himself was fake. The whole book goes on the idea that he is not who he say he is.
Charles Dickens writes this book explaining the French Revolution, in which the social and economic systems in France had huge changes and the French monarchy collapsed. This causes high taxes, unfair laws, and the poor being mistreated. Charles Dickens shows that cruelty of other people will lead to a revolution and in addition to the revolution more cruelty will occur. He explores the idea of justice and violence through the use of ambiguous characters with positive and negative qualities, meaning that they have to different sides to them; for example, Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton, and Dr. Manette. Throughout the story of A Tale of Two Cities, Charles dickens uses ambiguous characters to shows how violence and cruelty can be stopped through the power of true sacrifice.
The theme of sacrifice is portrayed in A Tale of Two Cities in several ways through the actions of Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton, but all acts of sacrifice display audacity and show how much love and compassion there must be for that person. Giving up something or risking your life for another person or name is one of the hardest and bravest acts a person can do. Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton’s actions showed just how much they love Lucie Manette and their acts of sacrifice showed how they would do anything to please her. Sacrificing yourself or your name for someone not only lets you achieve inner happiness, but shows how courageous a person must be to do so.
It was some time before Louis Charles remembered the small lump protruding from his inner coat pocket. Moments before he and his mother had been separated, she had gifted him with a tiny, wooden soldier that she had kept for him to play with during their stay at the Temple. Its face was adorned with chipping paint, acrylic black eyes, and a splintered nose. A thin line was painted on for the mouth, and gave the appearance that the soldier was always heroically grimacing. Its body was composed of three cylindrical wood pieces, one intended for the head, one for the torso, and the last split in two for the legs. It was forever frozen in a position of solute, its right hand drawn to its forehead and left arm at its side, in respect of its commanding officer.
People often give up their life to save another as an act of courage or valiancy. In the novel Tale of Two Cities, Sidney Carton’s death saved Charles Darnay. However, when Carton gave his life it was not a noble act nor did he die merely to save Darnay. Carton committed suicide to immortalize himself in the eyes of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay’s wife and Sidney Carton’s obsession. The fact that this event saved Charles Darnay’s life was just a fortunate coincidence.