Of all the characters in The Chosen, one of the most intriguing ones is Danny. With his photographic memory, Danny demonstrates many phenomenal qualities. Danny shows many characteristics in the novel, including traits of intelligence, curiosity, as well as being liberal. Danny’s rare talent of the photographic memory enables him to remember everything he sees, and helps him read quickly and remember the material he reads through. As Danny said, “I have a photographic mind. … I look at a page of Talmud, and I remember it by heart” (73). The special gifts that Danny possesses demonstrate his intelligence. Using his wit to think deeply, Danny often comes up with profound ideas which he debates with Reuven, who also posses an intelligent mind.
Danny even wanted to learn German so he could read the original works written by Sigmund Freud, a great phycologist. Even though his father bans nonreligious books, Danny still goes to the library to read and discuss them with Reuven because of his hunger for learning and curiosity of the outside world. Since Reb Saunders, restricts many kinds of books in the library, Danny goes secretly to read them because of his curiosity of the outside world that his father puts many. Danny reads many books about phycology, since he dreams of being phycologist instead of a tzaddik as his father expects of him. Mr. Malter, Reuven’s father, feels very surprised that Danny has such hunger and curiosity for learning, so he gives recommends for books to Danny, as well as talking about the ideas with him after reading it.
How can two people who are very different share similarities? Dally and Johnny, two greasers from S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, have distinct differences as well as similarities. They are similar because they both know what it is like to have abusive and neglectful parents. Also, they both care about each other in similar ways. Dally and Johnny are completely different when it comes to the law. Dally is the least law abiding in the gang, where as Johnny is the most. Dally and Johnny are dissimilar when they die. Dally dies a hoodlum, which is vast difference from how Johnny dies a hero. Therefor, Dally and Johnny have a lot in common, but also have great differences.
In the novel Ishmael, Daniel Quinn expresses his viewpoints of the human race through the telepathic discussions between the unnamed narrator and a gorilla named Ishmael. Through these conversations Ishmael is able to help the narrator understand the nature of things, focusing on answering the question “why are things the way that they are?” As the two characters continue to meet, the narrator is able to grasp the concepts presented by Ishmael which give him a different view of humans, or as Ishmael refers to his culture. Quinn explains the unhealthy relationship humans have with the Earth and how their way of life has negatively impacted it. Throughout the the story of Ishmael, Daniel Quinn draws attention to the concept of captivity, culture,
In chapter one of Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer discusses memory and persuades the reader of its importance. Foer’s primary claim is that memory is essential. Joshua Foer uses a variety of different voicing techniques to create intimate distance. He also uses a variety of analytical and stylistic techniques to emphasize the importance of his claim and to persuade the reader. He supports his argument by discussing the impact of memory on daily life, the positive effects of improving one’s memory, and the incomplete nature of our collective memory as a society without external resources.
All through the entire book, Chaim Potok attempted various endeavor in order to express the emphasis on developing his central characters, Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders. One of the main themes Chaim Potok tried to express in The Chosen is that true friendship plays a vital role in maintaining the welfare of any friends. To backbone his idea, Chaim Potok demonstrated several scenarios when Reuven and Danny are in difficult situations and ultimately have to sort out solutions before the problems could corrupt their relationship. Reuven Malter, son of a Modern Orthodox teacher, is smart, athletic and has a particular nick for mathematics. However, Reuven's desire is to become a rabbi of his own sect for he feels that he could " be more useful to people as a rabbi ," ("The Chosen" 74) by doing things such as to " teach them, and help them when they're in trouble " ("The Chosen" 74) Danny Saunders, on the other hand, is the son of a Russian Hasidic rabbi leader, Reb Saunders.
In The Chosen, silence plays an important aspect in the characters lives. Reb Saunders forced silence and suffering upon his son Danny by not talking to him about anything other than his studies. He says he does this because he feels that Danny is so brilliant that he might not understand the suffering of others. Reb Saunders feels that silence is suffering by imposing non-communication, however, silence is really how Reuven, Danny, David Malter, and Reb Saunders communicate with each other and the world around them.
In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, two contrasting characters are introduced—Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders. They are opposites. While Reuven is forward—speaking his mind, Danny Saunders shows a stark contrast—an inflective soul, listening to silence, and growing from it. These characters set the stage for a lasting relationship to form, to be strengthened, and to be stressed.
The first issue that needs to be addressed however is what exactly is memory? “ Without memory we would be servants of the moment, with nothing but our innate reflexes to help us deal with the world. There would be no language, no art, no science, no culture. Civilization itself is the distillation of human memory” (Blakemore 1988). The simple interpretation of Blakemore’s theory on what memory is that a person’s memory is at least one of the most important things in their life and without it civilization itself could not exist.
In “Models for Memory” by Mary Carruthers, the concept of recollection as memory explores how visual memory has the ability to create a place where things can be stored. As in the House of Fame, there are visual storehouses used to compile all of the texts, traditions, and words that the dreamer encounters. For example, the glass temple of Venus acts as a storage place for important texts, such as Dido and the Aeneid. Additionally, the foundation of the House of Fame holds the names of those who have claimed their fame, though their fate is uncertain as it rests in ice. Furthermore, within the House of Fame, spoken and unspoken words are collected and placed into groups, only to be termed by Lady Fame as famous or infamous. Finally, the House of Rumour acts as a visual storehouse, thus providing a place of a visual transformation for truth and untruth to combine and depart out into the world. These models for memory work to showcase how fame functions throughout the House of Fame.
During World War II is when Danny and Reuven first met. Within The Chosen, by Chaim Potok are three quotes. Each quote represents the beginning of a new part to the book. Each part of the book contains a little more of the story of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders’ friendship. The first quote can be related to Reuven’s obedience towards his father, quote two illustrates the Saunders’ views of silence, and the third quote explains that silence can be used as a way of communication. 4
Ferguson, M. (1994). A lot f memory an interview with Jamaica Kincaid. Kenyon Review, 163-188.
The mind is a complex entity. It is simultaneously seen as a part of the brain and as an independent faculty. The mind enables a person to be aware of the world, their experiences, and their memories. On the other hand, the brain functions as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity. Both play a significant role with memory. Memory enables a person to instantly recall and learn information. It also holds precious and insignificant moments in one’s lifetime. In Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004), Gondry explores memory and its effect on the mind and brain. In the film, Gondry uses light and color to indicate manipulation and decay of memories.
The mind is a complex entity – how can such a thing be spotless? Can something that is made to intricately hold memories and execute thoughts and actions based upon said reminiscences be so untarnished? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind discusses, through impeccable motion picture, this idea of the “spotless mind”.
Memory is the tool we use to learn and think. We all use memory in our everyday lives. Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences. We all reassure ourselves that our memories are accurate and precise. Many people believe that they would be able to remember anything from the event and the different features of the situation. Yet, people don’t realize the fact that the more you think about a situation the more likely the story will change. Our memories are not a camcorder or a camera. Our memory tends to be very selective and reconstructive.
Imagine having the ability to take a screenshot of what one sees. It sounds like photographic memory, that superhuman ability one often hears about on Dateline or movies and shows. As much as the idea of saving everything one has ever perceived, storing it away like a file in a cabinet, and recalling it at a moment’s notice sounds amazing, it just isn’t plausible. Despite the stories you may have heard from friends, photographic memory is not real. This misconception is often muddled with eidetic memory. Eidetic memory is the ability to recall certain images in great detail for a certain amount of time. The key detail about eidetic memory is that these “snapshots” are not stored forever. They eventually fade over time along with the actual ability itself. In 1964, Haber and Haber, two psychologists, conducted a series of studies on eidetic memory and found a correlation between age and the brain’s capacity for eidetic memory. In their experiments, the children were exposed to a detailed picture on an easel for approximately thirty seconds. When the picture was taken away, the children scanned the blank easel in order to recall the image. They described the image in present tense, as if it was still there (Arnaudo, 2008). Haber and Haber found that although it is relatively rare, eidetic memory occurred more in children, than adults. But upon further research, it appears there is an explanation to its gradual dissipation as one matures. Eidetic memory is more commonly found in children, because as children grow, their brains develop linguistically ,functionally, and associatively.
Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist Nineteenth century London was a city brimming with life .The largest