Self Discovery in American Beauty and Hermann Hesse's Demian
After Jane Burnham's first meeting with Ricky Fitts in American Beauty she responds by saying, "He's so confident. That can't be real." If it isn't real, is it a dream? If it is a dream, is it Jane's dream? If it is Jane's dream, is this her unconscious wish for pleasure or happiness...to be like Ricky Fitts? There seems to be a theme running through the movie American Beauty where we see people looking to other people as a source to receive their own sense of confidence, or ultimately, happiness. This is also evident in Demian by Hermann Hesse when we see Emil Sinclair seeking out Max Demian. This paper will serve as a means to compare two similar works of art that both incorporate the idea of realizing one's dreams through self-discovery. "An enlightened man had but one duty-to seek the way to himself, to reach inner certainty, to grope his way forward, no matter where it led" (Hesse 131).
In Both American Beauty and Demian we see examples of people who are afraid to be themselves. We see this with Lester Burnham in American Beauty. He works in the confines of a cubicle in a job he hates. He puts on an act at work around his boss Brad and is afraid to be himself. At one point his boss says to Lester: "Hey Les! You gotta minute?" Lester responds in a way kissing up to his boss, "For you Brad...I've got five." This is also present in Demian with Emil Sinclair. Emil Sinclair is afraid to be himself in the beginning when confronted by Franz Kromer. Emil feels that he has to make up a story about how he stole some apples from a garden in order to win the approval of Franz Kromer. All of this changes for both characters once they meet their respective spiritual tea...
... middle of paper ...
...bag also represents chance, free association, and automatism, the techniques that were used by the Surrealists.
All of the perceptions of spontaneity are one and the same. It's nature's way. "That is the world, that is the tao, but perhaps that makes us feel afraid. We may ask, "If all that is happening spontaneously, who's in charge? I am not in charge, that is pretty obvious, but I hope there is God or somebody looking after all this" (Watts).
Works Cited
Hesse, Hermann. Demian. New York: Harper & Row, 1925.
Krishnamurti, J. Think on These Things. New York: Harper & Row, 1964.
Stevenson, Jay. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eastern Philosophy. Indianapolis: Macmillan USA, Inc., 2000.
Thompson, Mel. Eastern Philosophy. Chicago: NTC Contemporary Publishing, 1999.
Watts, Alan. Taoism. Project Unicorn: The Alan Watts Archive. Online. 10 April 2002.
While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results. Jay Gatsby, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, built his "American Dream" upon the belief that wealth would win him acceptance. In pursuit of his dream, Gatsby spent his life trying to gain wealth and the refinement he assumes it entails. Jay Gatsby, lacking true refinement, reflects the adolescent image of the wealthy, and "[springs] from his Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 104).
In conclusion both works demonstrate the theme of the American dream and materialism. Sacrifice and the American Dream are closely linked in Death of a Salesman and American Beauty. Discuss. Sacrifice and the American Dream are inextricably linked in the play, Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, and the film, American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes. The pursuit of achieving the American Dream ultimately leads to the sacrifice of individual values and morals to achieve the societal expectations of the 1940s urban context and the 1990s suburban context. The American Dream is a social dream that is underpinned by its materialism where the individual must decide whether to follow its societal values or personal ideals, and face the consequences of their decision.
A parent’s right to spank their child has been an issue of great debate for a long time. On one side of the debate are people who feel that to strike a child in any way automatically constitutes abuse. The opposing side believes that parents are within their legal and, more importantly, their moral rights to discipline their child as they see fit. As one can imagine, the former are routinely portrayed to be overly humanistic and ultra-liberal, while the latter are almost always smeared as right-wing bible thumpers and uneducated miscreants.
After Romeo’s breakup with Rosaline, Benvolio and Romeo end up reading a letter stating that the capulets are having a party. After hearing this, Romeo’s friends decide to go to the party in attempt to cheer up Romeo. Upon arriving at the party, Romeo spots juliet, falling in love with her at first sight. “...Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night”
Spanking, a fictitious form of child abuse, is an appropriate action toward unruly children. It is a popular practice used to instill discipline and values in children, and is more effective than talking to or yelling at the child or placing the child in “time out” sessions. In the long run, spanking causes no damage to the child’s mental or physical health. Instead, it creates a basis for good behavior.
Many authorities and psychologists believe that spanking breaks a child's spirit and only leads to violence. They think that it causes the child to become depressed, angry or hostile and they have conducted many studies to prove these things. This type of harsh punishment occurs often, but it is called child abuse. There is a great difference between abusing a child and properly disciplining a child. "One is an act of love; the other is an act of hostility, and they are as different as night and day" (Dobson 35).
Today, 78.1 million American adults and 12.5 million children are obese. Obesity in America is a unstoppable epidemic. Since the 1960s, the number of obese adults have doubled and the number of obese children have tripled. Because of America’s obesity problems, Surgeon General David Satcher issued a report saying; "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight," said that obesity "have reached epidemic proportions" in America. Obesity in America has no doubt reached epidemic proportions. Since 2001, America has been the most obese country in the world. This essay discusses what obesity is and how it is affecting today’s America by answers the following questions:
In this article, the author expresses the effects that spanking your child as a form of punishment at the age earlier ages of toddlerhood such as to the effects it has on the child when he or she becomes older. Spanking is a very common form of punishment at this age and used frequently across the United States as well as other countries. Many parents do not understand the effects that spanking has on their children now and what effect it has on their future and that there are other forms of punishment that can leave the same impact but cause less emotional and physical damage.
Parents use spanking as a tool to correct their child’s misbehavior. Misbehavior by children is an act of disobedience toward an adult or guardian. The correct way of spanking should be done out of love and compassion by the parent by pointing out the error in the child’s behavior. After a parent takes
T.D. Wilson (2002) makes a point of identifying several sources of articles, references and course syllabi with varying takes on knowledge management within organizations. Wilson is convinced that organizations misuse the terminology “knowledge management” and that their activities are more concerned with managing information than with the management of knowledge (Wilson, 2002). Wilson defines knowledge as involving “the mental processes of comprehension” or, as “what we know” and information as the expression of what we know and can convey through messages (Wilson, 2002). By researching the use of the “knowledge management” Wilson conveys that the terms knowledge and information are used interchangeably, which results in an inaccurate application
The belief that all our choices are determined by forces beyond our control is called determinism. Determinists believe that every event is a result of a previous one. While determinists may all agree that everything can be traced back to a cause, they don't necessarily all agree on what the cause might be. Some of the more popular explanations are human nature, the environment, social dynamics and psychological forces.
While many parents are still spanking their children when they are being naughty, they do not stop to consider how effective this method is. Is this method really working? A question Dr. Phil McGraw asks is: what does a child learn by being hit?(Three Questions to Ask Before Spanking, online) The answer to this question is different for every child, but in many instances you are telling your child that violence is acceptable and that it is an okay way to react when you’re mad .(Three Questions to Ask Before Spanking, online) Although commonly used throughout households with children, not much can be said for spanking’s long term success. To begin with, the only way to maintain the original effect of spanking, is to increase the force with which it is delivered. This can quickly escalate into abuse. (Guidance for Effective Discipline, online) Using spanking as a method can turn into a quick fix whenever the child misbehaves, rather than using other rational techniques for each scenario. Finally, positive reinforcement and other discipline techniques are more difficult to implement when spanking has been used as a primary method of discipline. (Guidance for Effective Discipline, online) As might be expected, the lack of effectiveness also leads to negative consequences and more problems.
Obesity has a longstanding relationship with the United States. The rates of obesity have risen exponentially over time, and don’t seem to be stopping. In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the U.S. population. Although, by 2010, obesity rates were 25 percent or higher in 36 states, and 12 out of those had a rate of 30 percent or higher (An Epidemic of Obesity:
Due to an ancient grudge, the tale of the downfall of Romeo and Juliet showcases themes of love persisting through all, including death. The two portray an equal lust for each other’s love, yet approach the situation differently. This reflects the contrast between their immature or realistic actions. In the balcony scene in Act II scene ii, Romeo is shown to be impulsive and impractical, whereas Juliet is more reasonable and mature. This is revealed in their attitudes toward love, their current situation, and the language they use.
The first tactic is the distribution of business cards. Vendors will utilize the tactic of handing out business cards to patrons and placing them in local businesses for customers to pick up as a method of familiarizing themselves within the community. According to Applieddesigns.com, a company’s sales will increase at least 2.5 percent for every 2,000 cards handed out (Applied Designs, n.d.). The vendor business cards will include detailed information about the type of work their company specializes in and contact information. The business card strategy will assist vendors in having a more recognizable company name throughout Starkville.