The Significance of the Earth in The Good Earth
"And O-lan in the house was not idle. With her own hands she lashed the mats to the rafters and took earth from the fields and mixed it with water and mended the walls of the house, and she built again the oven and filled the holes in the floor that the rain had washed."
There can be no doubt that the symbol of earth in Buck's novel, The Good Earth, is one so potent that it permeates and binds the entire tale. It is presented repeatedly throughout the novel, either through gentle allusion or outright statement. None can dispute that the earth itself is a vital component in the livelihood of any farmer, thus it is not surprising that the farmer Wang Lung places so much value into his lands; however, there is a separate element of the earth that Pearl S. Buck brings forth in her tale about a farmer's prosperous rise in feudal China, that element of regeneration and revitalization that is so apparent within this selected passage from the book.
Many times throughout the book did the earth pull Wang Lung through hardship and difficulty, and it was the one constant factor in his life, even as things changed--people dies, great houses fell, war and famine raged, and inner turmoil plagued his very being. Throughout all of these obstacles the earth was always there, waiting for Wang Lung--whether as poor farmer or as wealthy man of the village--to return to it, and draw from it those ever-present qualities of life and healing. The very words of the selected passage are pregnant with these qualities, as Wang Lung and his family, returning from the south to his land after a great and terrible period of famine, close those horrible years through the almost magical substance of the earth. It is symbolic how O-lan the wife, tending to the structure of the farmland house (a symbol itself in the Wang family) uses the "earth from the fields" to mend the walls of the house--thus the ailments of the "house" are healed by the richness of the land.
I would like to point out that Wang Lung was never the most filial of men. Early in the novel, we saw him slip up once or twice. However, at a younger age, he felt guilty when this happened and was able to hold his tongue in most situations. Wang Lung’s uncle is able to exploit Wang Lung based on his filial piety. When the uncle, a lazy man who blames his struggles on an “evil destiny”, asks his nephew to borrow money, Wang Lung explodes, saying, “‘If I have a handful of silver it is because I work and my wife works, and we do not…[let our] fields grow to weeds and our children go half fed!’” (65). But right after he lets these words slip, he “[stands] sullen and unmovable” (66) because knows that his outburst is wrong. However, later in the novel, Wang Lungs lack of sense for filial piety grows evident as he becomes more arrogant. For example, when he is nearing the end of his life, Wang Lung asks without a second thought to be buried below his father but above his uncle and Ching. Asking to be buried above his uncle makes the statement that Wang Lung believes he is a greater man than his uncle. Before his rise through the ranks of society, Wang Lung would never have even considered being buried above his uncle, even though he always had a disliking for him. However, because of his power, he feels that he has the right to disrespect his
From the beginning of Wang Lung’s marriage to O-lan, she saved him time, money, and effort without complaint. She offered wisdom when asked and was smart in the ways of the world. During the famine, when the family went south in search of food, O-lan taught her children how to beg for food, “dug the small green weeds, dandelions, and shepherds purse that thrust up feeble new leaves”(p. 128). She raised her children prudently. She knew how to bind her daughter’s feet, and she gave them a better childhood than she had had. O-lan knew that the land was the only consistent thing in her life, so she willingly helped Wang Lung as he bought more and more land. O-lan knew her place in the family was as a wife and mother. As a wife, she fe...
It is now established that Yossarian is the central character and that most of the events told in the story are told in a third person narration from his view
This story is basic about what the different between Earth and Eyeth. This story basic how deaf had this own world.You earth has red, yellow green and blue. Explain how the earth looks like have everything one included the stars, the sun, and aminals bird flying around the earth. There this building is the while and long hallway. Communicate center and the people preparation to go there.There we many people work there, different people with responsible. They knew about the thirteen planets knew was top secret. They want to know what was going on that thirteen planets, was make lot noise there. They want to know if the live person on that plant so they agree to have met and get permission first before they could send someone there. They were
The nation and people were separated and each man fought for what they believed to be right for them. Whether the men sided with the north or south it really did not matter. Whether they believed slavery should be abolished or not, it was not too prevalent in this book. Some men fought for themselves, for their families, to protect their land, and some because it was the morally right and loyal thing to do. Whatever reasons the soldiers decided to fight that day and days subsequently, I am sure they could not have dreamed of the legacy that their heroism and bravery that The Battle of Gettysburg has left in American History. With over 50,000 casualties occurred that occurred over three days of aggressive fighting, the battle was vital turning point in the civil war.
O-lan was obviously a very bold and important woman in this novel yet never knew it. She would do what she was raised to do and try her best to make her husband happy. Through all her marriage, she helped Wang Lung to be one of the wealthiest men in his city. While O-lan endured many difficulties, she continued with her duties as wife through thick and thin. Whether it was her begging on the streets for food and money, or putting up with Lotus, her husband's concubine, O-lan remained a strong woman with good qualities until the day she died. While she usually had little to say, O-lan's impact on the Lung family is one that wont be forgotton. She accomplished all of her goals in life and fulfilled her marital duty in making Wang Lung very happy. Even after all this, O-lan still was a very modest woman.
The following in a report on the themes and action of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck as it relates to food and culture.
Amper, Susan. "'The Tell-Tale Heart'." Bloom's How to Write about Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 May 2014
...g moral. However, not all reproductions stay true to the original Gothic masterpiece. Many in fact, stray completely from Mary Shelley’s original intention and just use her characters as puppets, forgetting their original purposes. Frankenstein has been reproduced in hundreds of ways for over a hundred years, the most comedic, most horrific, or most memorable versions may not expose what Shelley's original point of the novel is. Kenneth Branagh's 1994 reproduction of Frankenstein proves to be the most loyal to the original novel. Branagh's version stays along the same plot, expands on Shelley's characters, keeps the most vital scenes prevalent and retains the novel's Gothic tragedy instead of a Sci-fi horror. From its proper characterization to its impeccable interpretation of detail, Frankenstein (1994) is a reproduction that Mary Shelley herself would be proud of.
Try to imagine yourself, sitting at lunch, enjoying your sandwich and a few strawberries along the way. Once you are done your delicious meal, you take one last drink of orange juice and head to your next class. In a few minutes you are thinking about your upcoming visit to the mall. You've completely forgotten about that sandwich you had just ate. But it is still sitting in your stomach!! Now how does this work, how did your body absorb all that food? It all goes back to the digestive system.
"Spring Silkworms" is about the trials and tribulations of an old farmer named Lao Tong Bao and his family during the silkworm raising season. The story raises the issue of the changes occurring to the Chinese agricultural traditions due to modern influences. It is a tale that "represents Mao Dun's historical dialectic that highlights the confrontation of modern machinery with provincial handicraftsmanship; of western know-how with native values; and of capitalist money with rural struggle for cultural and socioeconomic autonomy." (Wang xviii) In my paper I will highlight several confrontations between modernity and tradition. I will also analyze how modernity and tradition were portrayed in the story.
Are we, as humans, truly free or not? For me, I wake up every morning, go to class or work, go to the gym, hang out with my friends, etc., but does this mean that I am free? In order to answer this question, I believe we need to ask a few questions. For one, are the choices that I make in life free or determined by other external factors? Also, are the paths that I choose and my own actions, my own responsibility? Philosophers Baron D’Holbach and Walter Terence Stace offer two different interpretations on where humans stand with freewill. They examine nature and how other people’s own freewill play a part in our own actions and in our own fate. While both philosophers present their own intelligent opinions on the matter, I find some fault in Baron D’Holbach’s opinion and agree more with Walter Terence Stace; that humans do in fact have free will.
...specially the island that they are inhabiting. Prospero can’t see that he has stolen any type of chance that he could be the ruler of the island. Soon enough, Caliban understands that Prospero sees him as someone to be ruled. Caliban eventually realizes that he has been cheated of ever becoming the ruler. As the consequence of his realization, Caliban turns harsh and savage-like, which only confirms Prospero’s view of him. Shakespeare brings out the harsh reality of what characters believe to be “the right way” in The Tempest. With Caliban, Shakespeare showed his audience how degrading it can be to be the person who will always be considered the “savage” even though they hadn’t had a chance to show their true potential.With Prospero, Shakespeare showed the readers that he was wronged in the beginning of the play, but his quest to prove them wrong, he wronged others.
For quite some time, life on earth has been nothing but peaches and cream for several people and because of people who live a non-sustainable life, it has left others with an indistinct outlook on earth’s future. Sustainability to me is doing things that will help prevent harmful things from happening to the environment now and in the future. With the support of the sustainability and more quality ways of living, the Earth Charter is gradually introduced. Through key research I will explain what the Earth Charter is and why it was founded, describe one of its four parts along with the goals and overarching philosophy, and share the impact it has on my life now and in the future.
...rned income you will need to offset those costs. This adds up when you consider that the life expectancy of women is about five years longer than men. Combined with their greater resilience compared to men who succumb faster to chronic diseases, this results in (mostly single) women spending more old-age time getting in a savings-depleting, expensive long-term care service (such as in-home nursing care or in assisted living, rehabilitation and nursing facilities). Finally, even young women's health care is more expensive - as reflected in an average $25 per month higher premiums for individual health insurance. Accumulating adequate resources for longer lives and higher health-care expenses require substantial savings coupled with reasonably aggressive investing - both of which women have been doing even in the times of being a powerless housewife in middle-America.