Individuals often experience unfortunate sufferings and difficulties through their life; some may continue to persevere and endure these arduous circumstances in hopes of achieving a more desirable, comfortable way of living. While attempting to fulfill their own objectives, individuals may also unexpectedly receive the attention and assistance from others which instigates a change in their previous attitude towards life. In the short story “Divisadero”, Michael Ondaatje suggests that when individuals receive unexpected forms of kindness and understanding from others, they may suddenly realize their own individual potential and capabilities they possess as they aspire to attain greater possibilities and goals. These unforeseen acts of compassion …show more content…
and thoughtfulness cause an individual to gradually begin to forget their former negative, impotent outlook of life as they soon recognize the numerous positive prospects of life which deeply affect their individual identity. During times of distress and misery, individuals often feel helpless and powerless as they believe they are incapable of overcoming their adversities. In “Divisadero”, initially Marie-Neige experiences despair and distress as she struggles to attain her basic living needs while viewing in a negatively, bleak prospect. Due to her pessimistic perception of life, she continuously “believed she herself did not have much more than the fate of a mule” (pg.6) after discovering the loss and ruin of the harvest she had eagerly planted, further demonstrating her lack of self-confidence. The thistle Marie-Neige notices after the sight of the calamity symbolizes the constant hardships and difficulties she has confronted throughout her entire poverty-stricken life. The growth of the thistle illustrates that Marie-Neige’s farm has been utterly destroyed and will be extremely difficult to revive again. In addition, the planted cross on the roadside illustrates the sense of respect and inner gratitude she feels towards her past determination and perseverance while tending the farm. The destruction of her crops also further amplifies her current poverty adversity. Her continuously increasing burden to properly afford her basic needs, now that her crops are destroyed, also justifies her serious thought of suicide as she “kept staring down into the well.” (pg.6) Marie-Neige’s attempted suicide emphasizes her extreme state of depression and despondency where she lives a life with no happiness due to the lack of attention and care from her violent husband, whom “she had wept when she married” (pg.5). This implies that her marriage with her husband was involuntarily in which she has continuously been suppressed and barred within a poor, powerless lifestyle. Because of her husband’s violent and irresponsible attitude towards their marriage, Mary-Neige is required to fully voluntarily dedicate herself towards all of the farm work, adding to the burden of her current difficult life. All of these unfortunate sufferings negatively influence Marie-Neige’s identity where she begins to completely lose faith and confidence in herself. As a result of her heavy burden and initial unawareness by her neighbors, her contemplation to commit suicide demonstrates the extreme lengths some people will go to when they are driven to the brink of hopelessness and distress. As individuals continue to struggle against their adversities, sometimes, they will receive unexpected assistance from others, which in turn allows them to discover their own individual capabilities and potential.
When Marie-Neige believed that she was in the extreme depth of hopelessness, the unexpected generosity and kindness from Lucien allowed her to re-evaluate herself regarding her previous negative outlook of life. Lucien’s decision to purchase her property and sign it under her name after realizing all the pain and miseries Marie-Neige experienced instigated a substantial change within Marie-Neige’s character. This revelation caused Marie-Neige to transform from someone who had “been given nothing in her life, on even the slightest scale” (pg.6) to someone who began to “recognize the sudden lightness” (pg.6) in life by discovering the limitless possibilities of her own farm. Because of Lucien’s compassion and kindness, Marie-Neige realized how such a simple act could greatly positively influence her view of the world. This feeling of hope and optimism has allowed her to destroy the barriers encompassed around her poverty-stricken life and discover her true aspirations in society filled with endless opportunities. In addition, the allusion to Cornelius also demonstrates the importance of the farm to Marie-Neige since it is an essential for her way of living. When Marie-Neige was still living a poverty-stricken, difficult life, she attempted to cultivate her plants successfully in order to one day be able to enter society and forever leave her destitute, poor state. Now that she has rights to her own land, she believes that she is now able to “enter the world of the grower of the black tulip” (pg. 6). This means now that Marie-Neige has possession of her own property, she will be able to properly tend her own flowers by herself and compete within the mainstream, competitive society while abandoning her previous sufferings and
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It is peaceful and beautiful there, life is laid back and simple. The farm symbolises tranquility and reflects uncle Nathan’s character. In The Skating Party Summer writes, “ You’ve got no worries on a load of hay, ‘she said.’... take in the clouds in the sky and the bees buzzing in the air and the red topped grasses string in the wind ” (Summers 195). The farm life is much more simpler and relaxing. It is similar to Nathan’s lifestyle and that is why he prefers it over the city. The farm life symbolizes tranquility and reflects uncle Nathan’s character. Uncle Nathan is calm and he makes laid back decisions. For example, when he is faced with choosing between wheat or stone, he prefers not to make the tough decision and says he wants both instead. Another example of when uncle Nathan made a laid back decision is when he sends off Delia and Eunice to go skate in the darkness. He did not think of the consequences he would face when making this decision. Nathan just tried to find the quickest way possible to get them to stop arguing. The farm life is simpler and calmer, it mirrors Uncle Nathan’s desired lifestyle and his decision process in the
Even though Marie couldn’t see she loved to read. She went to the museum everyday with her father. On every one of her birthdays her father got her a brail book to read. Growing up Marie had to learn how to count her steps and to feel things to know where she was at and where she was going. Marie really had to become strong when moving to Saint-Malo. Her father had become distant from everybody. Marie started to become close to her uncle Etienne and his care taker Madame Manec. She was so eager to leave the house and walk around Saint-Malo and feel around. Her father refused and wouldn’t let her leave the
Compassion has became something rare in our society, and something that a lot of people lack. The author, Barbara Lazear Ascher, explains to us that compassion is not a character trait, but rather something that we learn along the way with the help of real life situations we encounter, such as the ones she encountered herself. Ascher persuades her audience that compassion is not just something you are born with by using anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and allusions.
Life is like a game of blackjack where we unknowingly are dealt good or bad cards. This unpredictability makes it difficult to gamble decisions. Unfortunately many factors can lead to the bad card where in both the game and life, people are trying to prevent us from achieving the goal. There are two choices to change the outcome however, we may either give up (fold) or we may take a chance (call). The beauty of taking the risk is that if lucky, life gives you that much-needed card. When dealt that winning card, a person is immediately uplifted. That one good hand drives a person to outweigh the pros from the cons and continue to strive for the winning pot or in this case, the goal in life. Enrique in Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” is dealt both the good and bad cards in life, as he undergoes a battle of being pushed internally to continue while also being pulled externally to quit, thus leading him to unearth himself as a worthy human being while on the journey to the U.S; sadly however, his arrival in the U.S refutes what he clearly envisioned for himself.
Adversity affects the lives of many individuals. Through facing adversity people tend to show their true selves. In the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse-Anderson, the main character Melinda, faces a few different types of adversity. One form of adversity that she faces is that she was sexually assaulted. Another type of adversity that Melinda goes through in this novel is that she loses all her friends and starts to lose her family as well. Throughout my life, I have faced many different types of adversity, one major thing that I have dealt with in my life is depression. Those who face adversity in their life can choose if they want to face it or to ignore it, and the outcome will prove what they chose to do.
A human being is a complicated entity of a contradictory nature where creative and destructive, virtuous and vicious are interwoven. Each of us has gone through various kinds of struggle at least once in a lifetime ranging from everyday discrepancies to worldwide catastrophes. There are always different causes and reasons that trigger these struggles, however, there is common ground for them as well: people are different, even though it is a truism no one seems to able to realize this statement from beyond the bounds of one’s self and reach out to approach the Other.
Our first introduction to these competing sets of values begins when we meet Sylvia. She is a young girl from a crowded manufacturing town who has recently come to stay with her grandmother on a farm. We see Sylvia's move from the industrial world to a rural one as a beneficial change for the girl, especially from the passage, "Everybody said that it was a good change for a little maid who had tried to grow for eight years in a crowded manufacturing town, but, as for Sylvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at the all before she came to live at the farm"(133). The new values that are central to Sylvia's feelings of life are her opportunities to plays games with the cow. Most visibly, Sylvia becomes so alive in the rural world that she begins to think compassionately about her neighbor's geraniums (133). We begin to see that Sylvia values are strikingly different from the industrial and materialistic notions of controlling nature. Additionally, Sylvia is alive in nature because she learns to respect the natural forces of this l...
Fuentes, Carlos. Myself with Others: Selected Essays. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1988. Print
Despite any hindrances in one’s life, it is important to treat every individual as an equal, functioning member in the community. It is simple to act the way society wants you to, but it is important to stray away from debilitating stereotypes and prove that individuals who are different and may have more complications in their life can be powerful and make a difference in the world. As I continue through life, I will take with me an important lesson that I have been told before, but did not quite understand the significance of until now: despite any obstacles, everyone is capable of achieving greatness.
Humanity fantasizes the act of kindness through the hope of a ripple effect that will create a domino of kind acts. “The Grateful Foxes” actualizes this effect as a part of life. The man who rescues the fox because of his moral obligation is rewarded his son’s life (Freeman-Mitford). The lesson of the story is to pursue the obligation of human good—it explains that a kind act is the means for having kindness in one’s life. “However, good deeds can be engaged in for either altruistic or egoistic motivations” (Kulow 560) and this raises the argument whether pursuing this obligation is true. In a study done by Katina Kulow called “In Pursuit of Good Karma: When Charitable Appeals to Do Right Go wrong” the pursuit of good karma is brought into question. The studies did conclusively argue the link between the belief in karma and one acting for future rewards (Kulow 560). The choice to act to be rewarded is deemed as egotistical—the choice to act kind for the benefit of one’s self is a fault of one’s character. Contrasting, the thesis of the study is the reasoning behind the man’s kind act in “The Grateful
The Tree of Heaven is crucial to the novel as it represents the lives of poor people and it also suggests that Francie will grow up to become much stronger despite her struggles surrounding her impoverished family. There are multiple references to trees in the first third of the story. Multiple character refer to the tree in order to talk about strength and the hardships of growing up. The setting of the story is also very important in shaping Francie as a character because it allows the audience to see Williamsburg through Francie’s eyes and create more of an understanding of her situation and feelings. In the beginning of the novel, it is also evident that Francie takes great pleasure in books and reading which displays her childlike wonder. The idea of imagination and childlike wonder is very important to Francie as a character because it shows the reader that even though she is in this very difficult situation, she is still a young child having to deal with people in her community shaming her family. Mary Rommely, Katie’s mother, also discusses the importance of imagination with her just after Francie is born. She tells her “the child must have a valuable thing which is called imagination. The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary that she believe.” The theme of gender difference is also an important part of the story. Normally in a household, the man would be in charge of the house and finances, but because of Johnny’s alcohol problem, Katie must become much stronger and take control in the house. After Francie is born and Katie is having her discussion with her mother, Mary grows upset because she believes being born a woman leads to a life of
There’s an event in everyone's life that changes you, whether it be a simple hello or a death in the family. Tragically, mine begins with my mother marrying her second husband. The lessons I learned from this man shaped me into the person I am today. I came from a bad situation and he took my family in and and showed me that not every man is the same. Perseverance, the ability to forgive, and willingness to change your life for the better are just some of the things he taught me. If it weren’t for the little talks we had I wouldn’t be hopeful that I am, that I will turn my life around.
Through Nieve, Guerra shows that she becomes a hollow person who has lost faith in herself and the possibility of leaving her country. The only control Nieve has over herself is her feelings of disappointment. There is no hope; Nieve accepts her isolation. No matter how much she wants to be free, the unexpected obstacles in her life stop her from doing so. Some may argue that Nieve is not able to leave Cuba because she does not try hard enough or it is her own fault. Though, it is clearly demonstrated in the novel that Nieve has a deep desire to leave the island with all her friends, but is unable to because of the circumstances she is placed in. The court case puts Nieve under her father’s custody, in the hands of danger. She is not able to travel to Sweden with Fausto and her mother because her father will never allow it to happen when he has custody over her. Another obstacle that stands in her way would be the orphanage. After Nieve frees herself from her father’s clutches, she is turned away from her mother and put in a place where she knows no one. The last obstacle standing in Nieve’s way, allowing her to obtain her freedom, is when her father leaves Cuba, as it limits her opportunities. Guerra reveals the theme of experience connecting to identity and growth through Nieve’s development in the novel. Due to her experiences, Nieve relinquishes her innocence to the realist created by her disappointment and isolation. Challenges are truly what determine what type of person someone will become in the
Rejection and denial of one’s situation often hinders improvement. Conversely, acceptance allows improvement to occur; this is demonstrated by Rukmani, the protagonist of Kamala Markandaya’s novel, Nectar in a Sieve, who survives a stream of misfortunes by accepting, rather than denying, her situation. When she accepts misfortune as having occurred, she is able to seek for improvement. Through Rukmani’s plight and struggles, it is shown that in order to survive through periods of struggle and hardship, one must accept one’s situation to be able to improve from it.
At the young age of ten, I was faced with a situation that has had one of the largest influences in who I am today. My parents’ divorce has and still currently plays a role in my life that has affected my drive for motivation bringing diverse perspectives. At such a young age, I was filled with such remorse, discouragement, and fear. My educational abilities were collapsing, along with some of my common social activities. I was absent-minded due to my adolescent understanding and confusion of the situation. I became emotionally depleted coming eye to eye with what I was promised would never happen. My personal connections with my family gradually became diminished, from what I kept so valuable. I was placed in a situation that tore apart my contentment, arrogance, and self motivation. It wasn’t until years later, I took my position as a chance to transform my bleakness into a strong desire for greatness.