Over the course of our 8th-grade year, we have discussed the themes of faith, fate, and free will. This theme prompts us to examine how much control we have over our lives. By examining William Ernest Henley's "Invictus," Daniel Beaty's "Knock Knock," and Peter Weir's film "The Truman Show," we will see how this theme interplays with these works of art. In Henley's "Invictus," the speaker courageously confronts the unyielding grip of fate, refusing to be subdued. Henley's words, "In the fall clutch of circumstance / I have not winced nor cried aloud" (lines 5-6), underscore a spirit that resolutely stands against adversity. Similarly, Daniel Beaty's "Knock Knock" delves into the constraints of fate as a son is separated from his imprisoned father. The line, "And my mama takes me on a ride past corn fields on this never-ending highway 'til we reach a place of high rusty gates" (Beaty), highlights the barriers set by fate. In "The Truman Show," Truman Burbank's life is meticulously controlled by Christof, representing an omnipotent force shaping Truman's fate. Christof's manipulation is a stark reminder of how fate can script our lives, creating an illusion of reality. …show more content…
In "Invictus," the speaker expresses gratitude for an "unconquerable soul" (line 4), suggesting that faith in one's inner strength provides resilience against adversity. In "Knock Knock," the father's message to his son is imbued with faith: "Knock knock with the knowledge that you are my son, but you are not my choices" (Beaty). This line highlights the belief that everyone has the potential to shape their destiny despite challenges like a father's absence. Truman's journey in "The Truman Show" is driven by his growing faith in his instincts and quest for the truth. This faith leads him to challenge his fabricated reality and pursue genuine
Timshel; meaning “thou mayest”, holds a significant role in East of Eden. It shows that anyone can desire to surmount vile in their hearts and create morality within them self. In the novel, Steinbeck portrays the significance of timshel through the introduction of free will, the internal conflict of Caleb, and the blessing of Adam.
The view of free will has been heavily debated in the field of philosophy. Whether humans possess free will or rather life is determined. With the aid of James Rachels ' article, The Debate over Free Will, it is clearly revealed that human lives are "both determined and free at the same time" (p.482, Rachels), thus, in line with the ideas of compatibilist responses. Human 's actions are based on certain situations that are causally determined by unexpected events, forced occurrence, and certain cases that causes one to outweigh the laws of cause and effect. The article also showcases instances where free will does exist. When human actions are being based on one 's emotions of the situation, desire, and simply that humans are creatures that are created to have intellectual reasoning. I argue, that Rachels’ article, provides helpful evidence on compatibilists responses that demonstrate free will and determinism actions come into play with each other.
“He has finally learned to love big brother” was how George Orwell in his novel 1984 described Winston, conversion to the party are represented by big brother at the end of the novel. It is easy to believe that at this instance, after torturous reeducation that Winston has endured, he has lost free will and no longer be able to freely choose to love big brother but was forced to, against hiss will. Therefore Winston was never free to love big brother, and in fact not free at all after his “reeducation.” But if we are to accept a definition of free will that stipulates that we are able to produce and act on our own volitions we must accept that Winston has retained and has chosen to love big brother out of his own free will.
The concept of choice is one that humans have abused time and time again. While free will may seem like a positive, the storyteller often portrays what can go wrong when humans are making the decisions. The way in which these choices are made can happen in a variety of manners, but the fundamentals of free will are very similar from story to story. In “The Chameleon is Late” and “The Two Bundles”, free will results in death remaining on earth, but the decisions that led to this outcome were made in unique ways.
Only you make the Choice to read this! In novel The Giver by Lois Lowry she explores many themes, but one theme in my opinion stands above the rest that is free will. With free will we can shape our futures.
Harry Frankfurt is a refined and well known philosopher who has considered the issue of freedom through thought. Or in other words the debate on free will. Frankfurt has been claimed and is well known for being considered a traditional compatibilist. Frankfurt believes that there is a difference between freedom of an action chosen by the person and the freedom to commit the action through self will. Frankfurt explains this using many examples. In Frankfurt’s “Freedom of the Will and the Concept of the Person” he discusses the difference between a person and an animal. In Frankfurt’s opinion animals are only capable of first order desires and this sets them apart from people who are capable of second order desires (Frankfurt,1) . In Frankfurt’s
Throughout the hundreds of years, individuals have pondered the impact of heavenly or insidious force, environment, hereditary qualities, even excitement, as deciding how free any individual is in settling on good decisions. Fate, a result of the past, is often described as the advancement of occasions out of man 's control, dictated by an extraordinary force. In any case that someone may utilize their freewill can reflect upon their outcomes, decided upon a supreme force, whether they are positive or negative. In the novels “A Lesson Before Dying,” Ernest Gaines and “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck, the authors explore the trials and tribulations of self influenced fate controlled by an higher force.
Free will and fate are themes that occur throughout Slaughterhouse Five. The stance taken on the idea of free will is that it is an illusion, and that it is something that humans have invented as an idea to comfort themselves. Vonnegut uses the science fiction element of an alien race, known as the Tralfamadorians, as a way to portray this idea. Billy Pilgrim, the novel’s main character, is abducted by this alien race and they attempt to explain to him the nature of free will and fate as they see it, although Billy has been the victim of his lack of free will throughout the entirety of his life.
At the heart of every great tragedy lies the universal struggle between the human inclination to accept fate absolutely and the natural desire to control destiny (Stockton). Like most of his plays, in Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet one of the prevailing themes centers on the question, “Does fate and providence overrule man’s own choices and decisions?” Throughout the work, the main character Hamlet views Fortune in various differing lights as he plots and plans his revenge. This complex interpretation of Fate’s influence is also shared with Horatio, Hamlet’s most treasured friend. Their assessments seem to waver in different situations, or as they experience something in particular. Fate and Fortune, and Providence in all her ambiguity are all sometimes seemingly bound to the actions of man and other times they are inescapable.
Throughout time people have tried to prove and disprove God, all part of free will. Free will allows people to believe based on faith but can allow people to demand proof. It also allows people to decide who they are, their identity. It’s what gives people the opportunity to build relationships with people. Some relationships can cause problems with God including going against what He tells people not to do, and betraying family. Lastly, it shapes civilization to one day become a great city or it fall and be destroyed. God gave people the free will to worship Him freely instead of being forced, but being able to choose a path to follow can lead to destruction.
Is a person’s life premediated or is it choices they make with free will that determines one’s destiny? Women’s choices throughout history, for the most part, have been controlled by the men in their lives. In the novel “Summer,” by Edith Wharton, Charity Royall’s life is dictated by forces beyond her control. She is a young girl of no more than sixteen years old with a world view no larger than the main street in her town. Charity’s lack of choices are determined by where Charity’s came from, her family circumstances, naïveté, and the time period. That ultimately lead to her unfortunate position at the end of the book.
About 2 weeks ago my thoughts towards the reality of free will ceased to exist. Everything that I had previously thought did not mean a thing; I was given a new perspective that grasped me almost instantaneously. Robert Blatchford, author of "The delusion of Free Will" provided me with a new perspective that has taken over my thinking on free will. Blatchford states, "the will is not free, and that it is ruled by heredity and environment." All it took, were those words, ...
Choices made by Hamlet, which ultimately lead to his death, are all guided by his own free will. In mourning his father's death, Hamlet chooses to do so for what others consider to be an excessive amount of time. “But to persever/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness”(I.ii.99-100), according to Claudius. During this period of mourning, Hamlet meets his father’s spirit and promises to avenge his father’s death. However, upon reflection, he questions the validity of the ghost’s message. At this point he carefully goes about choosing a plan of action that will inevitably show that “the king is to blame” (V.ii.340) In following his plan, Hamlet freely chooses to kill Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius and himself.
It can be argued that Doctor Faustus is damned from the moment of conception. His innate desire for knowledge inevitably leads to his downfall. He represents the common human dissatisfaction with being human and the struggle of accepting our lack of omnipotence and omniscience. Marlowe manipulates this struggle between the aspirations of one character of his time and the implications to Christianity in relation to its doctrine of heaven and hell. Indeed, Doctor Faustus asks for more than what was intentionally made available to him through God's plan, yet it was God's gift to him of his intellect, that tempted him to search beyond his appointed realm of knowledge. Faustus, through his own free will, decides to trade his soul with Lucifer in order to gain the answers to the questions of the universe. According to the divine plan ideology of Catholic doctrine, his decision worked into the cosmic outline. The divine application of his decision implies that there are benefits or rather some other importance, outside of the connection to Faustus, of his selling his soul. This lessens the impetus behind his decision because of the emphasis on universal application as opposed to the immediate ramifications to Faustus, the human being. Therefore, one can argue as to where the responsibility or fault lies concerning Faustus' fate because of the presence of other forces who may have influenced his decision. However the responsibility for his choice remains his and his alone.
Incest is not such a clear-cut matter as it has been made out to be over millennia of taboos. Many participants claim to have enjoyed the act and its physical and emotional consequences. It is often the result of seduction. In some cases, two consenting and fully informed adults are involved. Many types of relationships, which are defined as incestuous, are between genetically unrelated parties (a stepfather and a daughter), or between fictive kin or between classificatory kin (that belong to the same matriline or patriline). In certain societies (the American Indians or the Chinese) it is sufficient to carry the same family name (=to belong to the same clan) and marriage is forbidden. Some incest prohibitions relate to sexual acts - other to marriage. In some societies, incest is mandatory or prohibited, according to the social class (Bali). In others, the Royal House started a tradition of incestuous marriages, which were imitated by lower classes (Ancient Egypt). The list is long and it serves to demonstrate the diversity of this most universal taboo. Generally put, we can say that a prohibition to have sex with or marry a related person should be classified as an incest prohibition, no matter the nature of the relationship.