Similarly, this process of becoming enlightened can also be also be seen in Dave Egger’s story of a dog. In this short story the reader sees the world through the view of a dog named Steven. From a young age Steven is thrown into a life changing situation that changes his perception of the world. After having been thrown into a lake and almost having drowned, it seems that he began to see the world differently. From the start of the story Steven talks about his personal view on humans and their language: “I see in the windows. I see what happens. I see the calm held-together moments a¬¬¬¬nd also the treachery and I run and run [...] I have listened and long ago I stopped. Just tell me it matters and I will listen to you and I will want
Enlightenment is something people have strived for, personally, for generations. The knowing of information is essentially to people for everyday life. In the movie The Matrix as well as in the story The Allegory of the Cave, written by Plato, being enlightened is sought after. In The Matrix you see Neo trying to find out what's going on and how everything is happening, both to him and to the people around him. In The Allegory of the Cave you see the prisoner being let out of the cave trying to find out what's going on and what's happening in a new world they've never experienced.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is told through the eyes of a fifteen year old boy named Christopher Boone. Christopher has a highly-functioning form of autism which allows him to understand complex mathematical problems, but also leaves him unable to comprehend many simple human emotions. His inability to understand metaphors, distinguish emotions, and his lack of imagination makes it possible to consider Christopher as functioning like a computer rather than functioning as a human being. Throughout the story, Christopher is faced with many challenges which he conquers using the stable and never changing system of mathematics. All of these factors suggest that Christopher does, in fact, function like a computer, but it is apparent early in the story that Christopher, regardless of anything else, is capable of independent thought which separates him from the programmed, dependent world of computers.
“You can either allow the obstacles in your life to be the excuse for your failure or make them the reason behind your success.” Although the quote’s author is unknown, anyone can connect to this quote in some way about how you can let obstacles stop you from doing what you want to do or you can use them as a reason for success. This holds true for Christopher, the main protagonist in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Christopher is a 15-year-old in the autism spectrum, and although gifted in mathematics, he struggles with communicating and has extreme likes and dislikes. These obstacles definitely make it seem as if his goals are far from reach and as secrets come out his success seems almost unattainable, but because of these hardships he learns many lessons about human nature and himself, including that deciphering facial expressions to find the emotions connected to them and that he is capable of doing anything regardless of the obstacles thrown at him.
In the short story The Dog Who Wanted to Die by Colleen Archer the protagonist, David, persecutes and desecrates his neighbor's dog for a long time for no justifiable reason; until one day he undergoes a very dangerous situation and it is saved by the same dog he victimized, Monty. Since David’s father left he has shown to be a troubled kid, on the matters of being desensitized and careless. As The Claphams had just moved in with an obese and sorrowful dog, the timing made it perfect for David to excruciate the hopeless dog. The day after David’s father left “he picked up a stone and raised his arm. Then David, who had never deliberately hurt a living thing before, bounced the stone right off the fat dog’s head”. Explicitly, it is atypical for someone who never hurt a living thing to stone a dog’s head, certainly David has some anger issues given the whole situation.
“I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly and we don't even know it.”
After years of searching, I came to the conclusion that it was never going to happen to me – I would never experience that magical moment of reading a book, seeing a piece of artwork, or even listening to a song and it becoming this miraculous, life-altering thing. I desperately wanted to have that moment of self-realization and discovery that reveals something important about myself as a person, but it never happened; it still hasn’t. I realized that reading a book (or any other “text” for that matter) and expecting it to redirect the entire course of my life was like waiting for rain in a drought. I was trying to manipulate and force a feeling that simply needed to happen on its own, because one day it was bound to come. Nevertheless, I have luckily stumbled upon texts that made me feel something deep; something close to an epiphany, but not quite.
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside,
In Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Christopher Boone’s mother tries harder to be a better parent because she puts in a tremendous amount of effort to deal with her son’s challenging behavior despite her typical low patience, she consistently tries to maintain a bond with Christopher despite tough circumstances, and she makes an emotionally wrecking sacrifice in her life for her son’s benefit. Judy’s letters to Christopher truly highlight the challenges within caring for somebody with a social disorder, which are especially difficult for Judy considering her hot temper and low patience. However, she persists through the challenges and tries to raise Christopher out of her love for him. In one letter on page 106,
Around the world it is acceptable to eat certain animals depending on one’s culture. “The French, who love their dogs, sometimes eat their horses. The Spanish, who loves their horses, sometimes eat their cows. The Indians, who love their cows, sometimes eat their dogs” (Foer 604). “Let Them Eat Dog” is an excerpt from Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. The excerpt explains the many benefits to eating dogs and the taboo behind it. The author also uses humor, imagery and emotional appeal to get across to the reader the logic of eating dogs. One chooses to eat meat based on what the culture deems acceptable. Foer questions why culture deems certain animals acceptable to be eaten, and illustrates why it should be acceptable to eat dogs. The
“…images of past humiliations flickered through my head and I saw that they are more than separate experiences. They were me; they defined me. I was my experiences and my experiences were me, and no blind men, no matter how powerful they became, even if they conquered the world, could take that, or change one single itch, taunt, laugh, cry, scar, ache, rage or pain of it.”
“That dog is so futile! All he does is sniff, bark, and whine! I can’t tolerate with such a dog!” I sighed to myself as my beagle, Puddles, circumnavigated around me, twitching his tail. I pushed him away and perambulated off to my room. I am not friends with animals, and even though I live on an old farm with my grandfather and grandmother, animals are not one of my interests. Puddles, was an old dog but with much energy. He was constantly jumping up and down on people with his muddy, and feculent paws.
When I was nine years old my grandparents adopted a two year puppy named, maximilian. We, of course, called him Max. When we went to the kennel to pick out a new dog Max didn 't seem like an option. He was a scrawny little puppy tucked in the corner of the shelter. Max was a boisterous springer spaniel mix, and when we first got him he was black and white. Overtime his white fur was masked by black spots, similar to age spots, which made him uniquely mine. Max was suppose to my grandfathers new hunting dog when he was newly adopted. However, at the very first gunshot Max bolted and my grandfather spent a three hours looking for Max in the woods. After the hunting incident my grandfather wrote Max off and, he became my dog.
This is a story of Max, who went to sleep an ordinary boy and woke up with an unordinary ability. The ability to with his dog Comet.
Some people may say a dog is just a dog, but for me they are extremely desirable. Dogs are a person’s best friend. They make me cry, laugh, and I wish never adopted one because they do smell. Although, dogs smell, it should not be a justification to not obtain one. I mean what does not smell? I never realized how taking care of a dog could change my life; until I saw how they sleep throughout the day, they are always there to comfort me, and how they provide a responsible way of living.