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Character analysis nothing but the truth
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Entitlement in “The Lie” In his short story, “The Lie”, Kurt Vonnegut suggests that status should not entitle people to special treatment. When Doctor Remenzel learns that Eli hadn’t been accepted into Whitehill, he tries to use his connections to get Eli into the school. After hearing his request, all of the Board members refused to make an exception for Eli because of his family name. Subdued, Doctor Remenzel returns to his family to tell them what he tried to do. When Eli hears of his father’s actions, the author writes “‘Now I am ashamed,’ said Eli, and he showed that he was. Doctor Remenzel, in his wretchedness, could find no strong words to say. ‘I apologize to you both,’ he said at last. ‘It was a very bad thing to try’” (12). At the
beginning of the dialogue, Eli emphasizes the word “am”, which shows that he is more ashamed of his father’s actions than not getting into Whitehill, the school that his parents pressured him into. By emphasizing this word, the author suggests that it is more shameful to use one’s status as power than to not live up to one’s expectations. Also, the author states that Doctor Remenzel “could find no strong words to say”. Doctor Remenzel is a strongly spoken character; his beliefs are always pushed across in a powerful way. To say that he couldn’t find ‘strong words’ shows the significance of his regret for his actions. Finally, the story ends with every character in agreement that status should not give one entitlement, which shows the author’s belief in this argument. The Board does not lift their standards for families that have contributed a lot to their school, and, in the beginning, Doctor Remenzel disagrees with this, and thinks that he is superior to others. In the conclusion of the story, Doctor Remenzel realizes that status shouldn’t buy special treatment, and this shift in mindset puts emphasis on the author’s argument. Instead of starting with every character in agreement, the characters go through a process to realize that a name shouldn’t be used for power, which the author uses to draw attention to his claim. Overall, the author of “The Lie” claims that status should not be used for entitlement, nor should it give people better treatment.
“I repeatedly forgot each of the realizations on this list until I wrote it down. For me, white privilege has turned out to be an elusive and fugitive subject. The pressure to avoid it is great, for in facing it I must give up the myth of meritocracy. If these things are true, this is not such a free country; one’s life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own.”
Richard Gunderman asks the question, "Isn 't there something inherently wrong with lying, and “in his article” Is Lying Bad for Us?" Similarly, Stephanie Ericsson states, "Sure I lie, but it doesn 't hurt anything. Or does it?" in her essay, "The Ways We Lie.” Both Gunderman and Ericsson hold strong opinions in regards to lying and they appeal to their audience by incorporating personal experiences as well as references to answer the questions that so many long to confirm.
Oscar Wilde, an acclaimed Irish Poet, novelist, dramatist and critic once aptly commented, “Men become old, but they never become good”. The philosophical aspect of this quote relies on the basis that human beings are inherently malevolent. Through his pessimistic perspective, Wilde clearly captures the ill-disposed mindset of mankind. Moreover, there are various deductive arguments that discredit the optimistic depiction of human nature. One of the prime examples can be found in Kurt Vonnegut’s literature. In Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat's Cradle, through the illustration of his characters, the author symbolizes the four elements of human fallibility.
In his book Night Mr. Elie Wiesel shares his experiences about the camps and how cruel all of the Jews were treated in that period. In fact, he describes how he was beaten and neglected by the SS officers in countless occasions. There are very few instances where decent humans are tossed into certain conditions where they are treated unfairly, and cruel. Mr. Wiesel was a victim of the situation many times while he was in the camps. Yet he did not act out, becoming a brute himself, while others were constantly being transformed into brutes themselves. Mr. Wiesel was beaten so dreadfully horrible, however, for his safety, he decided to not do anything about it. There were many more positions where Mr. Wiesel was abused, malnourished, and easily could have abandoned his father but did not.
Returning to his old high school after having had graduate ten years ago, Shamus Rahman Khan came in with one goal: to study the inequality of a school that claims to be more “diverse.” St. Paul’s School located in Concord, New Hampshire claims to have become more diverse over the years, accepting people of different racial backgrounds and social classes to their prestigious boarding school. However, as described in his book, Khan found that this claim made by the school is false. He also found out that the elite that used to attend his school is not the same as the elite attending it now. Nonetheless, it was the elite that were succeeding because they were the ones who could afford the school, had family linages that already attended the school, and mastered “ease” which made them privileged in society. Separating his book into five different chapters, each focusing on a different topic that helps support his claim, Khan describes this change in elite and the inequality that still accompanies St. Paul’s. In the introduction to Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul’s School, Khan states the three most important points he will refer to during the rest of the book: hierarchies are natural and can be used to one’s advantage, experiences matter more than inherited qualities, and the elite signal their status through ease and openness. These are discussed thoroughly in throughout Privilege.
Known today as two of the most prominent American satirists, Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut both served time as soldiers during World War II, Heller serving as a bombardier in Italy (Scoggins) and Vonnegut as a soldier and prisoner of war in Germany (Parr). Not coincidentally, both Heller’s 1961 novel Catch-22 and Vonnegut’s 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death follow the journeys of young men in combat during the Second World War – Captain John Yossarian of the US Army Air Forces and soldier Billy Pilgrim, respectively. While it is evident that these fictional novels are both set during the World War II era and convey bleak images of war, closer inspection of both texts brings to light the common
There is some evidence that connects our protagonist's line of thinking with his upbringing. Our protagonist's mother tells him, "The best blood of the South is in you," (page 8) when the child asks whom his father is. Clearly, his mother was proud of (and perhaps still in love with) this genteel white man who gave her a son. So his bold pronouncements make much sense in light of his own condition.
From a young age we are taught the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While this may be helpful for grade school children that are being bullied by their peers, it has some problems as it trivializes the importance that words can have. The words that people choose for themselves, as well as the words that others ascribe to a person, have an unmeasurable importance to how people can understand themselves. These labels can be a significant source of oppression or liberation for many people who identify within them. In Eli Clare’s memoir, Exile and Pride, looks at the importance of words as he explores the labels he’s associated with. He does this through mixing discussion of the histories and modern representation
All three texts “I Have a Dream,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “If We Must Die,” by Claude McKay , and “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. share different ideas of equality. While Dr. King decides to introduce a sharper idea of equality by proposing that all black men had the right to be treated the same as the white. Claude Mckay on the other hand has a more complex way of showing readers his view on equality. In his poem he uses numerous instances of metaphors and similes which portray his desire for equality regardless of the color of people’s skin. Kurt Vonnegut shows an entirely different point of view of equality itself. Unlike the poem and the speech by Dr.King and Claude McKay he believes equality isn’t something worth fighting so hard for. He believes it’s risky to force equality onto the people. Whereas vonnegut’s essay’s idea of equality isn’t the most conforming, Dr.king’s
Satire in American literature has evolved in response to the development of the American mind, its increasing use of free will, and the context that surrounds this notion. Satire is the biting wit that authors (labeled satirists) bring to their literature to expose and mock the follies of society. Satirists can be divided, however, into two groups with very different purposes. One type mocks simply for the enjoyment of mocking. These satirists are found almost everywhere in the world, on every street corner, household, and television sitcom. It is the second type of satirist who is a strong force in the world of literature. The satirical author will mock to heighten the reader's awareness of the problems that threaten to destroy the world that they believe has so much potential. They do this with the hope that their satire will encourage others to better society. "I have often hoped that the arts could be wonderfully useful in times of trouble" (32) says the writer who is perhaps the king of this second type of American satire, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Vonnegut uses his literature to help guide a disillusioned America, in which free will has been fundamental since the writing of the Constitution. As a humanist, Vonnegut uses the idea of free will as a constant motif in his writing. He believes that every soul has the freedom to do anything, but that the problem with society is that people lack direction. Free will, used as a theme in Timequake, is an enormous responsibility. Acknowledging the free will that one has also involves accepting the responsibility that is necessary to use this privilege in a way that will benefit humanity. In several essay...
At the beginning of the story, Dr. Remenzel has no faith in his son to be respectful and humble. For example, during the car ride to Whitehill Preparatory School, he says, “Let me tell you in no uncertain terms … that you are not to ask for anything special Eli- not anything” (Vonnegut 6). Dr. Remenzel knows that his last name carries weight at the school they are going to, but demands that his son, Eli, does not take advantage of this. Dr. Remenzel is adamant about this and says it several times to ensure that his son receives the message. Once he discovers that Eli didn’t get into Whitehill, the prep school that Remenzels have been attending for decades, he lashes out and asks the board members and headmaster to reconsider. After doing so, he explains to Eli, “I asked them to make an exception in your case- to reverse their decision and let you in” (Vonnegut 12). Upon hearing that news, Eli responds, “You shouldn’t have done that!” (Vonnegut 12). In the end, Dr. Remenzel is the one who doesn’t follow his own advice. Eli scolds his father for acting so inappropriately. He is wise in choosing to respond to the bad news calmly and he teaches his father that it is tough, but necessary, to accept failure. Eli also shares with his parents the idea that other opportunities will present themselves and that there will be a school for him
Abraham Lincoln once stated “These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This is, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have it.” It is widely believed that fairness cannot be achieved without placing parameters upon others. This idea destroys our differing perceptions of what it means to shape a “fair” community. Equality and fairness often coincide, and with that, their respective definitions are commonly misinterpreted. In “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Junior, it is essential for the reader to acknowledge that one 's perspective of an ideal society reflects their measure of self-worth, because it affects the way we interpret events in our daily lives, resulting in insecurities, restricted freedoms,
The Mind of Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut is one of the preeminent writers of the later half of the twentieth century. His works are all windows into his mind, a literary psychoanalysis. He examines himself as a cog in the corporate machine in "Deer in the Works"; as a writer through the eyes of Kilgore Trout in several works; and most importantly, as a prisoner of war in Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut created short stories and novels that dealt with events in his life. One of the most obvious self examinations is in "Deer in the Works".
The Artful Deception of Socialistic Practices in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Holden’s lies and imagination in the last third of the novel are less extreme than previously. Previously Holden’s lies were focused on the people around him and he did not actually believe them. However, as the novel progresses, Holden begins to lie to himself about the present, past, and future in order to cope with the disarray his life is falling into. Holden wishes to escape his life and attempts to create plausible plans to run away. When on his date with Sally Hayes, Holden offers to take her with him; “‘what we could do is, tomorrow morning we could drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont, and all there, see’” (Salinger 146). This idea is entirely ridiculous as Holden is only sixteen and does not have the means to carry out this plan.