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Concept of american dream in american literature
Concept of american dream in american literature
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Colton Gillespie Mr. Rutledge English III DC - Period 3 11/30/15 Literary Comparison Essay-Draft 2 “The Clemency of the Court” written by Willa Cather for the Hesperian magazine, and “Clothes” from Arranged Marriage written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, both discuss immigration to the United States. Although both authors write about the same subject, the author's’ point of view on the subject differ from one another. In “The Clemency of the Court” Cather is showing that the United States is failing in protecting its immigrants, while in “Clothes” it is showing the impact that the “American Dream” has on immigrants, and how it has the power to changes lives. In both stories, the main character struggle with the idea of the “American Dream” …show more content…
The “Clemency of the Court” was written on October 26, 1893 by Willa Cather for The Hespian magazine. This story is about a boy named Serge Povolitchky. He lived an unappealing life, but to him he did not know any different. Serge was without a father figure his whole life, and in his early childhood, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in a puddle. He was left on his own. A man once told him “ the State will be a father to you, my lad, and a mother." A woman, whose name was Skaldi, took Serge into her home. Though she treated him poorly, giving “him what her children would not eat, and clothed him in what her children would not wear” (Carther) at least was left with a roof over his head. Skaldi beat him and he cried, but as he cried, he listened to the stories that she would tell to her children. These stories …show more content…
His innocence is what caused him to trust in this false hope. Throughout his life he had been taught that State would be there to protect him no matter what he did. “He thought he owed the State a great deal for something, he did not know what; that the State would do something great for him some day, because he had no one else.” This is what Serge believed. Up to his dying day, he had faith that the State would save him. As he was being tortured and began hallucinating, Serge says, “the State must come soon now” (Cather). This hope that he had, was hope that protection would come from the State, but instead it is what ultimately caused his
...his seemingly routine case of fornication and premarital pregnancy proved to be significant for early American legal history. The unfolding of this story and the legal changes that it brought about makes evident that by the end of the seventeenth century, The Eastern Shore had shaped a distinct legal culture. The characters involved in each case also revealed the extent the powerful players were able to shape the law to their own self-interests. The goal of the powers to be was to protect property interests, protect personal reputation and liberty, and to maintain social order.
In this paper I will explain and discuss the historical events that took place in a small rural town in early Massachusetts. The setting for which is Irene Quenzler Brown's and Richard D. Brown's, The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler. I will explain the actions and motives of Hannah and Betsy Wheeler in seeking legal retribution of husband and father Ephraim Wheeler. I will also discuss the large scope of patriarchal power allowed by the law and that given to husbands and masters of households. Of course, this will also lead to discussions of what was considered abuse of these powers by society and the motivation for upholding the Supreme Court's decision to hang Ephraim Wheeler.
“And the court had strong reason to believe in this judgment that the prisoner was Martin Guerre, not only because of what was said, but in addition because this opinion favored the marriage, the children, the issue of it, and the cause of the accused. De Coras calls out the court favored the societal construct of marriage, and the wish to have everything settled, was willing to settle in favor of the imposter, even with the lack of evidence to support such a
Moving from the unpleasant life in the old country to America is a glorious moment for an immigrant family that is highlighted and told by many personal accounts over the course of history. Many people write about the long boat ride, seeing The Statue of Liberty and the “golden” lined streets of New York City and how it brought them hope and comfort that they too could be successful in American and make it their home. Few authors tend to highlight the social and political developments that they encountered in the new world and how it affected people’s identity and the community that they lived in. Authors from the literature that we read in class highlight these developments in the world around them, more particularly the struggles of assimilating
A well-discussed debate in today’s economy is the issues concerning immigrants and their yearning desire to become American citizens. As displayed in The Jungle, a rather perturbing novel about the trials and ruthless temptations early America presents to a Lithuanian family, adjusting to a new surroundings and a new way of life is quite difficult. To make matters worse, language barriers and lack of domestic knowledge only seem to entice starvation and poverty among newly acquired citizens, who simply wish to change their social and economic lives to better themselves and their families. Such is the case of Jurgis Rudkus and his extended family, consisting of cousins, in-laws, and their multitude of children. Natives to the country of Lithuania, Jurgis and his family decide that, after Jurgis and his love, Ona, marry, they will move to Chicago to find work in order to support their family.
In “My Two Lives”, Jhumpa Lahiri tells of her complicated upbringing in Rhode Island with her Calcutta born-and-raised parents, in which she continually sought a balance between both her Indian and American sides. She explains how she differs from her parents due to immigration, the existent connections to India, and her development as a writer of Indian-American stories. “The Freedom of the Inbetween” written by Sally Dalton-Brown explores the state of limbo, or “being between cultures”, which can make second-generation immigrants feel liberated, or vice versa, trapped within the two (333). This work also discusses how Lahiri writes about her life experiences through her own characters in her books. Charles Hirschman’s “Immigration and the American Century” states that immigrants are shaped by the combination of an adaptation to American...
Throughout the years there has been limitless legal cases presented to the court systems. All cases are not the same. Some cases vary from decisions that are made by a single judge, while other cases decisions are made by a jury. As cases are presented they typically start off as disputes, misunderstandings, or failure to comply among other things. It is possible to settle some cases outside of the courts, but that does require understanding and cooperation by all parties involved. However, for those that are not so willing to settle out of court, they eventually visit the court system. The court system is not in existence to cause humiliation for anyone, but more so to offer a helping hand from a legal prospective. At the same time, the legal system is not to be abuse. or misused either.
On Friday, President Obama announced grants of clemency to 42 prisoners serving sentences for non-violent drug offenses. Nearly half of the prisoners whose sentences the President commuted were serving life terms. Most of these prisoners are expected to be released on October 1, while others may have to wait until next June.
The death penalty is the lawful killing of a human being after a trial by
In “The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the unnamed female protagonist is going through a rough time in her life. (For now on, this paper will refer to this unnamed character as the “the narrator in ‘Wall-paper,’” short for “The Yellow Wall-paper. The narrator is confined to room to a room with strange wall-paper. This odd wall-paper seems to symbolize the complexity and confusion in her life. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard must also deal with conflict as she must deal with the death of her spouse. At first there is grief, but then there is the recognition that she will be free. The institute of marriage ties the two heroines of these two short stories together. Like typical young women of the late 19th century, they were married, and during the course of their lives, they were expected to stay married. Unlike today where divorce is commonplace, marriage was a very holy bond and divorce was taboo. This tight bond of marriage caused tension in these two characters.
Mary went from not even attending school in Russia, to star pupil in America, illustrating the promise that America had to offer immigrants. American afforded Mary with opportunities that were impossible in her home country of Russia. Even though Frieda also lived in America, her circumstances represent the realities of the Old World. For instance, Frieda’s only way of learning about American history was through Mary, as she was not afforded time to read while working. By not attending school, Frieda did not only became stuck in the Old World mentality in terms of education but also in terms of marriage. Her father “had put Frieda to work out of necessity. The necessity was hardly lifted when she had an offer of marriage, but my father would not stand in the way of what he considered her welfare” (Antin, 218). Frieda was not given the opportunity to marry for love, as was the American way, but was married out of necessity for her welfare, reminiscent of the Old World mentality. Public education provided Mary with the opportunity to marry not because she had to in order to survive, but because she wanted to. The stark contrast between the lives of Frieda, representing life in the
Hurston, Zora Neale. “The Conscience of the Court”. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Cassill, RV. New York: Norton & Company, Inc. 2000. 340-350 Print.
Bharati Mukherjee’s story, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, is about two sisters from India who later came to America in search of different ambitions. Growing up they were very similar in their looks and their beliefs, but they have contrasting views on immigration and citizenship. Both girls had been living in the United States for 35 years and only one sister had her citizenship. Bharati decided not to follow Indian traditional values and she married outside of her culture. She had no desire to continue worshipping her culture from her childhood, so she became a United States citizen. Her ideal life goal was to stay in America and transform her life. Mira, on the other hand, married an Indian student and they both earned labor certifications that was crucial for a green card. She wanted to move back to India after retirement because that is where her heart belonged. The author’s tone fluctuates throughout the story. At the beginning of the story her tone is pitiful but then it becomes sympathizing and understanding. She makes it known that she highly disagrees with her sister’s viewpoints but she is still considerate and explains her sister’s thought process. While comparing the two perspectives, the author uses many
The grounds of judicial review help judges uphold constitutional principles by, ensuring discretionary power of public bodies correspond with inter alia the rule of law. I will discuss the grounds of illegality, irrationality and proportionality in relation to examining what case law reveals about the purpose and effect these grounds.
Life or death, a decision that is in the hands of God was at one point settled by the powers of the community. Executions were a part of daily communal life that would bring the people together through fear and excitement of seeing a death occur. The importance of executive clemency is within religion. The goal for religion was to not only strike fear into citizens and deter them from committing crimes, but they could find new life through their religion. Executive clemency also showcased the true extent of the king 's power. Although clemency was essential to law for centuries the importance of clemency began to disintegrate once the state took over executions instead of local counties. No longer was the life of an individual decided by his