O'Connor's The Lame Shall Enter First
"The Lame Shall Enter First" concentrates on the relationship between Sheppard and, on the one hand, his son Norton, and on the other a boy in a reformatory, Johnson. Sheppard's wife is dead and Norton misses his mother. Sheppard can't understand Norton at all and chooses to spend all of his time helping Johnson, who tells him that Satan has him in his power (150). Sheppard of course does not believe in Satan and tries to rationalise the whole situation.
He brings Johnson home and Johnson interferes with Norton's mother's belongings which, of course, greatly upsets Norton. Sheppard's reaction to this is that Norton really needs to learn how to share things. Johnson reacts very badly to this and plays Sheppard off against his son. When Sheppard leaves the room after he has told Johnson that he thinks he's good for Norton because Norton needs to share things, Johnson says: "'God kid . . . how do you stand it? . . He thinks he's Jesus Christ!'" (161).
As the story proceeds Johnson tries to get Sheppard to see that evil exists and that Satan actually runs the world as he sees it (164). The outcome of the story, as might be expected from the rest of O'Connor's stories, is that Sheppard is unable to use reason to change Johnson. Despite Sheppard's attempts to help Johnson walk better (hence the title "The Lame Shall Enter First") by giving him a wooden leg, Johnson sticks by his notion that what is really wrong with him is evil:
Sheppard said . . . "I am going to save you."
Johnson thrust his head forward. "Save yourself," he hissed. "Nobody can save me but Jesus." (180)
A little later Johnson says to Sheppard: "'The Devil has you in his power'" (185). He then disappears.
At the end of the story Johnson is caught by the police in further wrong-doing and Norton commits suicide by hanging himself from the window through which he has been trying to find his mother amongst the stars with a telescope. Towards the end Sheppard realises that he has confused good works with Christian faith. Works won't save you but great faith will:
Norton's face rose before him, empty, forlorn, his left eye listing almost imperceptibly toward the outer rim as if it could not bear a full view of grief.
“The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone” (Miller 35). When Hale says this it proves that there is with our a shadow of a doubt he has entered the town of the Devil
Johnson is using a very logical and rational approach towards the woman's request throughout the entire letter. He warns the woman that hope immoderately enjoyed will be expiated by pain. Johnson is being somewhat critical of the woman's request by grounding her in reality. He is explaining that her hope and request is not a valid reason for admitting her son. His tone is used with a direct and objective reasoning to the negative consequences of excessive hope and expectation which she indulges in.
I was a little taken back when I realized that the entire book is a Christian testimony, following the familiar pattern: man experiences trials, man denies God, man finds God. The focus on spirituality overshadows the cold case study and hard facts on DNA evidence that the reader expects. Even so, the sheer power of Johnson's story overcomes the narrative flaws and keeps the reader interested throughout. Plus, the sincerity of his Christian beliefs adds a completely different level to his compelling story. It becomes an account of a man, not just finding truth in the legal system, but also discovering a spiritual truth which guides him out of the darkness of captivity, freeing him mind, body, and soul.
Johnson had become a member of their family. Losing him was like losing a son. Joe Robert had taken on the role of father figure already but “The Telegram” marks the point where he really begins to grow up and look at life as an adult. Loss and grief are inevitable parts of life and they jolt Joe Robert into awareness. At first he resists the news just like the rest of the family does but one by one they come to accept it. The book says Cora took it the hardest but the grief of losing Johnson stays with Joe Robert for some time. The Kirkmans never once blame Joe Robert for Johnson’s
The devil's speech asks the people to awaken to the reality that virtue isn't possible, that Evil is man's true nature. By welcoming them to the "communion of your race" he emphasizes that people are unified under the fact that everyone is evil. The devil figure is like a puritan minister trying to tell everyone that they are evil, but he tells them to accept it, that "Evil must be your only happiness." People can live happily if they only realize that evil is the way we are meant to be, trying to fight it is futile. The congregation accepts his welcome "in one cry of despair and triumph.
redemption for Connie. Her twisted fate is all there is for her. This nihilistic close leaves us with
When members of congress, to include the president, will have to face the decision on what ethical implication with health care will effect, patients, providers, and healthcare leaders. In the article, “Five Top Ethical Issues in Healthcare,” by Jennifer Larson (2013) covers issues that leaders will be facing over the next several years. The first issue that leaders are facing is whether or not healthcare is both quality and efficient. If the proper values are driving the focus of the healthcare system this should not be an issue. However, with so many contradicting values having the proper balance between quality and efficiency may never be reached. The second issue is how to improve the care so that it is accessible to everyone. With such a large gap in those who can and those who cannot afford any health care; a better plan must be created to help those who cannot afford it. Thirdly, the controversy of building and sustaining the healthcare workforce of the future is brought up because there are not a lot of healthcare professionals ready to help those who are chronically ill or need other services. This is becoming a larger issue now, especially with the baby boomer generation aging. Along with the aging baby boomers, the changes with addressing end-of-life issues because a very ethical fight. This fight includes making the decision for the person, who will pay for the end-of-life care, and other issues that affect several people. The last main issue is allocating limited medications and donor organs to the right people. There are several shortages in different types of medication and organ donors and even with several advances, “the Food and Drug Administration still expects shortages to occur” (2013). All of these issues are current ethical issues the healthcare leaders face today, the next step for the leaders is how to solve them without over stepping ethical
In conclusion, James Kelman's unnamed character is lead down a trail that is an allegory to his life and the end of his life. The forest, the stream, the obstacles, and the shadows of the characters he meets along the way displays the social construct that lead him to inner turmoil and later, his prophetic conclusion. And, through the narrator’s announcement of the characters inevitable demise, Kelman shows that although throughout the story he highlights the universality of the condition of "everyman" he superimposes the individuality of the end.
Throughout a person’s life many tough decisions will be made. The outcomes of these decisions aren’t always up to us. In the book the “Last Song” a young girl named Ronnie is very conflicted and has continued to make poor choices which resulted in her moving to her dad’s house for the summer. When Ronnie arrived her at her dad’s she was mad at the world and she refused to engage with anybody. One day Ronnie met a local boy named Will and to say he took her life for a turn would be an understatement.
Leaving Eddie wanting to know more, he then finds himself with the Captain, his second person in Heaven, and his commanding officer in World War Ⅱ. Vowing to never leave a man behind, the Captain teaches Eddie about his lesson, Sacrifice, an essential part of life. He tells Eddie about his death, and how nobody ever dies for nothing. “Death is not the end… it is merely the beginning”, the captain tells Eddie while they sit in a tree on a World War Ⅱ battlefield.
that his life causes nothing but grief and evil to those around him. Mrs. Joe uses threats
Everyone changes as they grow up and become who they want to be. In the great expectation Pip changes throughout the movie. At the beginning of the story Pip is a boy that lives with his sister and brother in law. During his early child hood he wanted to become a blacksmith just like Joe. Pip goes through a big change as he meets Miss Havisham and Estella. His goals changed his values of life change throughout everything. This is how Pip and his story begins and changes so drastically.
Pip recounts on his impression, "How much of my ungracious condition of mind may have been my own fault, how much Miss Havisham's, how much my sister's, is now of no moment to me or to anyone"(Dickens 111). In the novel, Great Expectation, the speaker of the novel is the main protagonist, Pip, who is reflecting back on his life. As Pip retell the story of his youth and the life-altering events that causes him to become a wise and mature person, Pip is acknowledging how the changes in his life are not solely relying on a particular person or event. Though Pip can easily blame others for the loss of his innocence and his superior attitude, Pip's humble and repentant attitudes showcases the consequences of the hardships and temptations in his life. From his relationship with a convict, to his experiences both at the Satis House and with wealth, the constant changes in the life of the protagonist, Pip, cause him to experience a Bildungsroman, which concludes with Pip becoming a mature and sensible adult.
In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Pip grows up to live a much gloomier life then he lived at his young age. At the first introduction of Pip, we see him as an innocent child but over time with events not always going his way, there begins to be a change in attitude of Pip due to him not being able to get over the issues he faces. From Pip having to move to London to become more of a gentleman, to an obsession to Estella and thinking he needs to marry her, to Magwitch dying leaving all of Pip’s funds to go to the government. And all of the hardship Pip was put through from Mrs.Havisham. Pip has definitely had a rough time and he has let these negative attitudes and experiences get the best of him.
Some more core values of mine are teamwork, compassion, cleanliness, family, persistence, stability, positive attitude, punctuality and determination. It is important to enjoy teamwork because that can help make certain jobs less of a burden. Having compassion for others is important because you can learn new things from others and possibly get a different view on things. Cleanliness is important to me because It keeps my body healthy and fresh of foul odors. Family is a big one for me because they are what can usually always come back to for support and help with things in life.