The Left Hand of Darkness
Although the author of The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
discussed in the introduction that this book is not extrapolative or a prediction of
future, the plots in the book are extraporative to some extent. Since the story
takes place in the past, Ekumenical Year 1490-97, this book is different from
other science fictions which the stories take place in the future. However, the
issues that the author deal with in the book are a prediction of the future; it can
happen. Guin also claimed that "if I could have said it non-metaphorically, I
would not have written all these words, this novel." Her metaphoric settings and
words confuse whether or not our world is natural.
Since Guin set the story in the past with extraordinary imagination, it was
very hard to get into her world from the first chapter, Winter, Hainsh Cycle 93,
Ekumenical Year 1490-97. In the first chapter, the way that Guin introduces the
story pulling the readers in mysterious or mythic worlds even beyond any
imaginative worlds. She explains her imaginative worlds in detail every once in
a while yet it is not easy to share and to understand her worlds. The main
reason might be the story takes place in the past instead of 'future.' We
normally perceive a mythic future. And also, we think that we can not change
our history.
The author of Utopian and Science Fiction by Women: Worlds of
Difference, Naomi Jacobs pointed out that Guin's theme is gender differences
and sexuality in the frozen landscape. In the story, Gethen describes the setting
as a place of gender freedom. Gender issues are sensitive issues in our culture
and will remain as it is. In Guin's imaginative world, men's pregnancy is a
natural phenomenon. This imagination is used in many other books and movies
even today. (For more info, see Jason's paper) However, Guin's use of the imagination
is difficult to share because her imaginative world has already passed.
The theme that Guin discussed in the book was similar to other science
fictions. Death and fear are always the theme in science fiction. Throughout
the story, people died in the frozen landscape and they have fear in their life.
Among a number of puzzling questions raised in the film Full Metal Jacket (1987), one of the most important is “Why did Pvt. Pyle kill the drill instructor and himself?” To answer this question, one must analyse several scenes in the first third of the film where the platoon is in basic training. Right from the start of the film, Leonard Lawrence (nicknamed Gomer Pyle) is singled out from the platoon for poor decision making and simply being physically unfit. Throughout bootcamp, a sequence of events takes place that alienates Pvt. Pyle and eventually culminates in the deaths of the drill instructor and Pvt. Pyle himself.
... sets in the book is optimistic. Kerman enforces the idea that things happen for a reason, and a person will learn and benefit from good or bad things happening in his or her life.
Odysseus, of Homer's Odyssey, is an appropriate hero and ruler of Ithaca. He does not act irrationally but contemplates his actions and their implications. Odysseus is an appropriate hero because he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. Odysseus is an appropriate ruler for Ithaca by virtue of his hereditary right to kingship as well as his diplomatic skills, familiarity with his male subjects, discipline, and his impartiality and compassion. However, he is a character that does make a foolish decision. There is a rare instance when his pride supersedes his intellectual ability.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must tell you this is no affair / of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them” (XVI, 291 – 293). Even though Odysseus is facing hundreds of men, his bravery keeps him confident that he can win the battle. Odysseus must use his physical strength when Poseidon punishes him with turbulent waves: “Odysseus’s knees grew slack, his heart / sickened, and he said within himself / Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me?” (V, 307 – 309). Odysseus is exhausted from the torrential sea, yet refuses to give up because of enormous courage and his unwillingness to surrender. Odysseus must also cope with emotional challenges throughout his journey. His emotions are tested when he ventures to the underworld, Hades, and must confront his greatest fear, death: “From every side they came and sought the pit / with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. / But presently I gave command to my officers” (XI, 45 -47). Although Odysseus is deeply fearful when he comes face to face with the dead, his mental f...
...d in Vietnam he could not imagine what he got himself into. When assigned to the platoon, he struggled to pick between Barnes and Elias which caused some resentment towards him. At the end, he does not hesitate to kill Barnes but showed some sign of guilt on his trip back to the army hospital for what he had become.
The ancient Greeks believed that there were exact rules of xenia that needed to be carried out in order for it to be valid. The requirements of the guest included that the guest must do no harm to the host; they must not steal; they must not rape, seduce, or sleep with their host’s wife, daughters, and servants or slaves; and they must not overstay their welcome at the host’s residence. In turn, the host must provide food, drink, a clean set of clothes, a washing of hands, feet or a bath, and a safe place to sleep; they must do no harm to their guest; and they must not question the guest of their name or business until all the before stated requirements were fulfilled. One straightforward example of proper xenia is when Telémakhos and Nestor’s son pay a visit to Meneláos while on a quest to find news of Odysseus. As soon as Meneláos hears of Telémakhos and Nestor’s son’s arrival, he orders his servants to treat them to all the necessities of xenia, even going so far as to reprimand a companion in arms who had questioned whether to welcome the...
When Hartman is delivering his first day speech to the platoon, he insults and or punishes all of the main characters in the story, but Leonard’s abuse immediately seems more harsh than the others. The criticism that he draws from Hartman is just a taste of what’s to come. The other men are affected by Hartman’s presence in the barracks. They are scared stiff and completely focused on not becoming a target. Leonard is grinning and requires violent physical intervention from Hartman in order to stop. From this first interaction, Hartman learns everything he needs to know about Leonard. He learns that despite being thick and slow Leonard can be molded. Hartman also learns that he’ll need to pound harder on Leonard than on most of the men in the platoon.
Odysseus is one of the very many prominent characters in Homer’s Epic poems, The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Odysseus has been famed one of the more relatable characters from Homer’s writing, as well as one of the Greatest Greek Mythology Heroes. Homer’s Epic poems highlight many periods of shame and honor for Odysseus. The character analysis of Odysseus through the poem’s timeline shows vast developments and heroic features appear to take form in him. The Illiad portrayed Odysseus as more of a secondary figure behind Agamemnon and Achilles. In contrast, The Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero in the form of an average human.
In light of this, Odysseus may be considered a traditional hero, however his heroism does not extend to the contemporary audience, bound by the restraints of the ancient Greek ideals in which he is situated. Irrespective of how well Odysseus fits the classical criteria for heroism, to a modern reader, Odysseus is the antithesis of what a contemporary hero should be. To many, Odysseus is ‘the self-serving liar, the brutal murderer, the indulgent adulterer’ (Howell 2012: p. 62) that modern audiences
Inglourious Bastards. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. The Weinstein Company, 2009. DVD.
true for initial encounters where there is a mutual high levels of uncertainty "When strangers meet, their primary concern is one of uncertainty reduction or increasing predictability about the behavior of both themselves and the others in the interaction"(Berger and Calabrese). According to Charles Berger, we all experience some deal of anxiety during initial encounters because we are unable to predict or control how the relationship will progress. That is why most of us develop an innate wish and desire to seek information in order to reassure oneself and to feel more secure.
Upon finishing the novel, The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin, what stands out the most in my mind is the strange and complex Gethenian society. There are many aspects, some of which we are accustomed to, and others we would never consider a part of our society. There are things we have never heard of, like kemmer and shifgrethor. As well things every society should have like politics and human interaction. Politics are an important part of the Gethenian society. The political structure varies from country to country, the main two countries being Erhenrang and Orgoreyn. Erhenrang has one supreme ruler, King Argaven, and the equivalent of a prime minister, whereas Orgoreyn, is ruled by a group of thirty-three commensals. Both political structures seem to only have a loose authority over their various domains, and both are concerned with what the other is doing, but neither one wants to be overshadowed. They are aware of what is going on in the opposite government, but only release to the public what they want to have known. That is, whatever makes them look better and the other look much worse.
A short novel centering around a multitude of esoteric themes and motifs, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad details how an exploration and colonization expedition is the climactic turning point in a young sailor’s life. The protagonist Charlie Marlow takes an introspective journey as he remembers the horrors he witnessed while working for an English trading company. Though all the themes in the book are relevant in their own ways, the most prevalent is the presence of an intense darkness within the world. There are many types of darkness the main character describes, such as the physical blackness of the jungle, the helplessness of Kurtz in his final moments, and the darkness that Marlow sees everywhere he looks.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, evil is portrayed through various types of situations, characters and symbols. Over the course of time, these boys demonstrate elements of human nature beyond civilized human beings as they are put in a society and environment where there are no rules or civilization set in place. Golding shows that human nature, when free from the constraints of society, draws people away from common sense into savagery. His arguments state that human beings are savage by nature, and are moved by urges toward brutality and dominance over others. William Golding shows that humans, when taken away from there society, hide the potential to be evil which slowly releases from within. The use of characterization, symbolism, and character development are literary devices that Golding uses in Lord of the Flies to illustrate that all humans are inherently evil.
Mankind lives in a physical, tangible, material world, which is influenced by the invisible, spiritual world around us. The present day spiritual world is just as existent as it was nearly two thousand years ago when Lord Jesus walked the earth. The Old and New Testaments reveal to us from time to time, glimpses of this spiritual world. These Testaments provide us with the most factual information regarding Satan. Unfortunately, many have been misinformed and do not thoroughly comprehend Satan’s origin and what his purpose concerning the spiritual and physical world. There is a great need to set the record straight regarding Satan especially in our hour with its present angel craze, channeling and a belief in spirit guides. I chose Satan as the subject of my paper because I am one who does not thoroughly comprehend who he is and what his purpose in both the spiritual and physical world is.