Death and Dying in DeLillo's White Noise Among other things, Don DeLillo seems completely preoccupied with death and the arduous task of living with the knowledge of death in his novel White Noise. Acceptance of our finite, fragile existence over time is certainly not a phenomenon unique to a single civilization or historical era. Rather than discuss the inescapable mortality that connects all humankind with broad, generalized strokes, DeLillo is concerned with the particular (peculiar?) late Twentieth Century cultural and psychological mechanisms that attempt to define, recast, or obscure the relationship between the self and death. Technology, he asserts, has fostered a material culture of consummation, of insatiable appetites which simultaneously confirms and allows us to temporarily escape knowledge of our mortality. "We've agreed to be part of a collective perception...To become a crowd is to keep out death. To break of from the crowd is to risk death as an individual, to face dying alone" (12,73). Whether the dominant system is desirable or reprehensible, there seems to be an almost primal need for a structure of some sort. The very human impulse to order, "to break things down,...to separate and classify" as Babette puts it, is an integral part of establishing an identity (192). Jack Gladney is, thus, ironically a critic and a victim of this very dilemma. Technology distances Jack from death as well as life. The scientific method upon which technology is based begin with a fundamental assumption of objectivity. Observation at a distance is necessary to form legitimate conclusions, to construct knowledge of an "invisible... impressive... disquieting" truth (46). Jack's mind is attuned, sensi... ... middle of paper ... ...elf of products and past possessions which are reminders of his previous or alternate identities. This residue of past lives drags him down and makes "escape impossible" (294). Jack does seem either incapable or unwilling to stand apart from the consumer culture, presenting the reader with the supermarket checkout line as a compelling metaphor for life and hope. "Here we don't die, we shop...This is the language of waves and radiation, or how the dead speak to the living. And this is where we wait together, regardless of age, our carts stacked brightly with goods" (38,326). It seems he has found his demographic niche in the cosmic marketing scheme (50). Jack is thus capable of critique, but is no less susceptible to the convenient fantasies and self delusions which surround us as well. Works Cited DeLillo, Don. White Noise. New York: Penguin Books, 1985.
the head - which is what most of you are going to get." This is
One of the most closely watched and widely debated conflict of our time is the one occurring In Northern Ireland. It has been a hot debate for over a century now, yet the root of the conflict is still unclear. There have been many theories over time, yet none have been able to adequately describe what is really happening on the matter. This conflict is divided by many lines; ethnically between the Irish and the British, and religiously by the Catholics and Protestant denominations.
The true causes of unrest are sometimes difficult to determine. Frequently, there are a mixture of political alliances, economic differences, ethnic feuds, religious differences and others: This paper looks at the unrest between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
Violence, terror, suffering and death. The conflict that has been burning in Northern Ireland seems to be an unstoppable battle and it has flooded over the land of Northern Ireland. The struggle for power and the persistence of greed have fueled the raging fires of the opposing groups. The conflict in Northern Ireland has been discussed continually over the past few decades. Ever since the beginning of the “Troubles,” organizations have been scavenging to find a plan that will cease the violence. Throughout my research for this project, the questions of what are the main sources of conflict in Northern Ireland and why have they continued today guided me to many fascinating pieces of evidence that provided me with a more compassionate view of the situation of Northern Ireland. My research topic was very broad and to get down into a more explicit viewpoint, I chose to search for my sources by selecting three disciplines.
In this passage, Jack is doing his nightly routine of saying goodnight to different objects in Room that are important to him. He is taught, through the choice of his Ma,...
The Infiltration of Popular Culture in DeLillo's White Noise. In Don DeLillo's satirical novel White Noise, we become acquainted with what we might call a "postmodern family" - a group of people loosely bound together by birth, marriage, and common residence. But as we observe this family, we notice that the bonds between them are strained at best, and that their lives have been taken over by some insidious new force. This force is popular culture.
Siminski, L. (2014, October 10). Cultural implications at the end of life. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
In modern society, the outstanding technology has brought human to a bright new age that people are more likely to value the materiality. Then more problems are raised from the technological development and further implicated with human emotions and basic desires. For example, in Don Delillo's novel "White noise", the fear of death is emphasized and given a new definition that fits into this lopsided modern society, which is overwhelmed by all kinds of information from mass media. People unconsciously dedicate more onto the stories that media made up for them, distracting the awareness of death by focusing on the mass media culture that as a ramification from this modern society. Eventually, people are swamped by those "plots" of mass media for getting away from something that are ironically weaken their basic abilities in life.
I slide out of bed switching on my lamp on the nightstand next to me. I dragged myself to the bathroom switching on that light as well. I start running the cold water and splash myself in the face several times. I place my nervous and shaky hands on the counter gripping it hard. My knuckles start to turn white. I take another deep breath in and out.
Islam as the Fastest Growing Religion in the World [1] Shahid Athar, an American physician and devout Muslim said of
I then work my way down to the tub and scrub the gunk out of it.
...reedom. Although certain groups of people located in the country have taken military action against the British government I do not in any way condone these actions as just. With a new peace treaty signed between the British and the IRA peace would once again come to this beautiful land. As you will see in my map the British will completely vacate all of Northern Ireland and allow the country with such national pride to be reunited. I beg you to give these wonderful people their own land back. Thank you.
tea and go back to the dining room. I sit at the table and listen to my
Before getting in the shower, I stood staring at myself in the mirror because I started to feel
I 'd be totally fine doing this if I actually woke up by myself. With enough force, I push back the quilt and lug myself out of bed. My feet make contact with the cold tile floor and I march toward the small bathroom. The sound of Elvis Crespo’s voice and the vacuum blare from the living room make up a classic Hispanic home setting. Typical during the weekends. I pushed past the door, flipped on the shower, and the cold water greeted my skin. Great. My mother always hogged the hot water to wash the sheets. I let out a deep sigh and faced the low-pressure cold water. On a dime, it changes to high pressure and feels like Satan’s hugging my back once the washing machine shuts off for a spin cycle. I washed my hair, scrubbed my arms and face, quickly toweled off, and