The Peary Expedition as Allegory in Ragtime
E.L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime is primarily concerned with the illustration of broken dreams. Drawing on the tradition of the Muckraker novels of such authors as Upton Sinclair, Doctorow shows the shadow side of the Jazz Age. The beginning of the novel deals with Father’s preparation for and participation in William Peary’s expedition to the North Pole. The theme of disillusionment that runs throughout the novel is foreshadowed and represented by the Peary expedition. Peary’s expedition, like the American Dream and the Socialist vision, is based on grand hopes. The expedition is however, marked with disappointment and results in the destruction of dreams and people. In Doctorow’s treatment, the American Dream as well as the Socialist vision share this fate. In this way, Peary’s polar expedition serves as an allegory for the entire novel.
The novel is filled with great dreams, sweeping visions and grand hopes. The general tone of the era and the American Dream are represented in the exploration of the Arctic. The North Pole represents the seemingly unattainable, and the search for it the great striving for dreams. The hardship and great difficulty of arctic exploration exemplify the romantic ideal of infinite striving. Even the accomplished Houdini is impressed with the grand scale of Father’s trip. This magnificent undertaking serves as preparation for the hopes and dreams expressed throughout the novel. The American Dream of prosperity is demonstrated throughout in the deification of industrialists and the fact that "there were no Negroes. There were no immigrants" (4). While Father’s ship is departing for the arctic, he sees not immigrants coming into New York Harbor, but "...
... middle of paper ...
... the ambiguous victory of the Peary expedition through the various social visions expressed and in the lives of his characters, Doctorow presents a vision of the Jazz Age which both presents and deconstructs the values and dreams of the period. At the end of the novel, as the narrator notes "the era of Ragtime had run out" and the hopes and dreams of a generation have come to nought. Only the characters who have adapted to the world by abandoning their initial visions survive and prosper. Ragtime, is a narrative, like the Peary expedition, of lost hopes, dashed dreams and the struggle to cope with the ambiguities of life. Like the blurred and darkened photograph of the explorers at the pole, the dreams described in the novel have developed into faded representations of themselves.
Works Cited:
Doctorow, E.L. Ragtime. New York: Bantom/ Random House, Inc., 1976
After fighting to gain control over his own life, Ragle Gumm finally does against the grain by making his own decisions and moving forward. Rather than hiding in his home with his daily newspaper, Ragle Gumm fights the oppression. He confidently justifies his decision to leave his old town for the moon “because [he knows] it is right. It comes first, [his] duty” (231). The doubt and confusion in Ragle’s tone from before is gone. Ragle Gumm found the facts about the formerly unknown force controlling him and from that gained power over his life. He knows what he wants to do and how to move forward. With this new sense of confidence in Ragle Gumm, Dick hints to the readers in the fifties to change their own attitude to be more like Gumm's by taking action rather than hiding from the problems of the time in so called ‘perfect’ homes with ‘perfect’ families that ruled the fifties. Dick believes people need to stop hiding from the fear of Communism and pretending everything is perfectly normal. Moreover, the people around Ragle Gumm see that he is confident now that he understands the truth rather than living in a fictional world. Mrs. Keitelbein recognizes that “‘He already made up his mind…’” to go to the moon (230). From Mrs. Keitelbein’s point of view, Ragle Gumm knows what he wants and is not going to
The novel is organized in an unusual manner that can make it seem unclear to the reader. Krakauer does not introduce the work as a whole, yet he pieces together the story through different chapters. McCandless’s journey is described out of chronological order, requiring the audience to pay careful attention in order to understand the events that unfold.
The novel is an exposé of the harsh and vicious reality of the American Dream'. George and Lennie are poor homeless migrant workers doomed to a life of wandering and toil. They will be abused and exploited; they are in fact a model for all the marginalized poor of the world. Injustice has become so much of their world that they rarely mention it. It is part of their psyche. They do not expect to be treated any different no matter where they go.
...many realities that exist within America's society and that most do not fit the typical American dream. Even those people that achieve some measure of success, as Ralph did, are often plagued by personal problems that outweigh any measure of wealth or reputation. The lie of the American dream is that it promises to fix humanity's problems with material gain – it promises happiness from things that are not capable of giving it. And so, followers are all left unfulfilled by the great American dream, left with a reality that is much different than what was so easily guaranteed. The reality that everyone experiences, whether it is the suburban soccer mom or the tired immigrant, is that the dream is mostly unachievable. The reality we think exists is only a myth – a true mythological reality.
According to Brea Darnell, cheerleading is not a sport because of “the inability to compete against an opponent. One of the most important requirements of a sport [is] to compete against another opponent, not just cheer to support your team” (Daily Republic). Pom-poms and sideline chants are aspects of sideline cheerleading that lack in contributing to the definition of competitive cheerleading. Competitive cheerleading is a different side of cheerleading that consists of tumbling, jumping, and dancing, alongside a greater amount of contact activity in comparison to sideline cheerleading. Lori A. Selke, a writer for Livestrong.com, creates the argument that, “in order to gain and maintain those athletic qualities, a competitive cheerleader must train as hard as any other athlete… In addition to attending cheer practice to practice stunting, tumbling, and dancing, cheerleaders must also weight lift and work out several times a week” (Selke). The arrogation of cheerleading illuminates why it is a sport and not just an activity because of the overall devotion to the sport and time a cheerleader must generate to practicing, refining, and executing skills, similar to any other athlete in
One of the themes discussed by Steinbeck is race. Although the dust bowl affected a large number of American farmers, those who migrated west were mostly Caucasian farmers. Nonetheless there are a few instances of racial tension in the novel that prove to be significant. The topic of race is not as much an overlying subject compared to the other themes of the novel. The subject of race is mostly visible in discussions between characters. Steinbeck subtly placed the issue of race in the dialogue of his characters. A perfect example of this is found...
Hawthorn, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown" The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. I. Shorter Seventh Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2008. 620-629. Print.
Psychological egocentrism states that people engage in interactions with other to satisfy their self-interest. In the example I used above the psychological egoist would be the one to share the resources to further improve their chances of survival that way. The ethical egoist would rather hog the supplies to improve his well-being. The different point of view both these types of egoisms share is pronounced very well. The psychological egotist would view the choice of helping the other human as part of helping themselves and their well-being. On the other hand, ethical egoist would have a view that shows that you prioritize yourself and only you even if it causes harm to others. This clearly states the only affair that matters to a person is their well-being. Psychological egoism is a theory based on years of researching individuals and seeing the choices they make to help their
To a cheerleader, this is very degrading to hear, and to an extent, offensive. To put in excessive amounts of work and literal blood, sweat, and plenty of tears, and then be told what you are doing is a sort of joke can make one wonder what is the point of doing this, if no one supports what you are doing. A common reason for believing cheer is not a sport is the lack of competition. This is false though. A cheer team can compete up to, but not limited to seven times in one season, and during these competitions, “…teams perform a 2 and a half minute routine with music that includes stunts, jumps, tumbling” (varsity.com). Others argue that cheerleading only includes yelling for other teams. While cheerleading does include this, cheer also involves “tumbling, dance, gymnastics, and stunting” (thoughtco.com). This is possibly the most frustrating claim, because if an individual looks at any cheerleading video this will be proven to be incorrect. The final argument is that cheerleading does not require any strength, like any “actual sport”. This, like other arguments, is false. “The greatest difference between football and cheerleading, is that football requires sheer strength while cheerleading also requires balance and body control. Balancing a top heavy 120 pounds in one hand takes much more coordination than running full steam into the guy facing
For he writes, “I thought good to deliver thee…that thou might not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee.” (1.5.10-13) His statement may have only been meant as an encouragement or a promise that the future looks bright for them. However, Lady Macbeth may have been just as envious of the throne as Macbeth and is quick to suggest to Macbeth to lose his innocence. In reference to preparing for Duncan’s arrival she suggests, “Bear welcome in your eye…Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it.” (1.5.75-78) Macbeth seems to brush off Lady Macbeth’s ‘command’ by commenting that they would speak
Cheerleading has the tenth highest concussion rate out of the twenty most common sports. The issue with classifying cheerleading a sport is that not everyone believes it is; Most people believe that all cheerleaders do is cheer on the football team, dance around with pom-poms and get everyone hyped up at sports games, but it's not. Cheerleading goes way beyond what others outside of the activity believe it to be. Cheerleaders not only practice and work as hard as any other sport such as football, but they also have the same injury rate as football. If cheerleading was to be classified as a sport in schools and colleges then that would mean they would have a designated place to practice instead of
A nurse must have the desire to learn about specific cultures and how to better communicate with people of different cultures. Cultures differ on things such as family
Mehdi. “How to Deadlift with Proper Form: The Definitive Guide.” STRONGLIFTS, 16 July 2017, stronglifts.com/deadlift/. Accessed 15 Oct.
Initially I thought that nursing was a career that can be taught. I felt nursing was only science and once you had mastered the science of nursing you could become a competent nurse. Since fall my view of the profession has changed drastically, I am starting to realize and appreciate the uniqueness of each quality that develops the art of nursing. For instance, I thought nursing knowledge was limited, once you have graduated nursing school you would have gained all the knowledge necessary. I now realize that knowledge does not only come from books but also from experience. With accountability, it is important for me to be able to admit to my mistakes. When I admit to my mistakes I grow as a nurse and as a person as I am able to learn from my mistakes. When being an advocate for my patients, I must not allow my own biases to interfere. I have to acknowledge my own biases so that I do not neglect care for my patients or make biased assumptions about patients rather than advocating for their needs. I always thought that sympathy is a universal value in nursing but rather empathy is. As a nurse I must understand the patient’s situation in order to be efficient rather than being sensitive to their situation. I also realize that it is very important for nurses to be adaptable as they face different and unique situations every day. I have concluded that a nurse is never done
Nursing is one of the most amazing professions there is because it offers so much opportunity in one’s life. When I say opportunity I mean it offers the opportunity for growth through more education, the