If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin and John...

Andrew Bernstein, an author and professor of philosophy, once said, Nothing is given to man on earth – struggle is built into the nature of life, and conflict is possible – the hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen. Although many people transform into someone they are not and forget what they believe in during challenging times, the true man fights to remain loyal to his morals in the toughest of times. Martin Luther King, Jr.s quote about the true neighbor exposing his real character and virtue in times of challenge and controversy is revealed in James Baldwins novel If Beale Street Could Talk and John Steinbecks novel The Grapes of Wrath. In Baldwins novel, Mr. Hayward sticks to his principles in a time of controversy as he risks his reputation for the good of others; in Steinbecks novel, Jim Casy sacrifices his life for the welfare of others, while refusing to give up his beliefs. As readers witness characters remaini ng true to themselves during hardships, as well as risking a part of themselves to benefit others, they are reminded through the powerful messages in literature to be cautious of their own reactions to distress and obstacles. In If Beale Street Could Talk, Baldwin reveals that the character— in this case, Mr. Hayward—who remains honest to himself and risks his/her reputation for others portrays the true neighbor. For one thing, Mr. Hayward, the lawyer, refuses to accept the racial stereotypes

John Milton s Paradise Lost - 1371 Words

John Milton’s Hell John Milton’s Paradise Lost is most known for being one of the last epics ever to be written in literature. Milton’s epic was also extremely known for having one of the most detailed descriptions of Hell since Dante’s Inferno, written in the 14th century. Milton’s 17th century work was centered on the fallen angels of heaven, especially Satan, who were sent to Hell by God. Originally chained to the lake of fire in Hell, the devils are released by God. Milton’s epic then describes the fallen angels’ next course of action. They collaborate at the Pandemonium, the ‘capital’ building of Hell, and discussed each different alternative moving forward. Various different devils gave their opinions but finally, Satan got his plan across in which he planned to seek revenge against God. Satan, alone, was to corrupt God’s creation, Earth and humanity. During Satan’s revenge on Earth he comes to the real ization that Hell is no longer just a place but rather a state of mind which can never escape him. Milton’s description of Hell progresses throughout the epic, first becoming a concrete place that appears to be a polar opposite of Heaven, then having the devils each have their different opinions to how they see Hell, then finally revealing that Satan discovers Hell to be a state of mind. Milton wants the reader to understand that Hell is many different things rather than a place. Milton does this by making Hell’s description a paradox, having the devils disagree withShow MoreRelatedJohn Milton s Paradise Lost985 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Milton’s Paradise Lost is a paradox of morality and character definitions. After reading multiple articles, the largest concerning topic was the hero status of an inherently evil character. The issue lies within defining what a hero is and is not in terms of epic poetry. John Milton’s refusal to clarify a hero shows this paradox he has created is a something that he meant to achieve. According to Mary Nyquist in The Father s Word/Satan s Wrath, â€Å"The text seems here not just to invite, butRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1636 Words   |  7 Pagessense to the readers, but would also influence how the readers understood those topics. John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, is a series of twelve Books that tell the story of creation and the world’s first sin, and he relates that to the political distress that was occurring in the seventeenth century and his political agenda in trying to advocate a Parliamentary system versus a monarchy. Throughout his novel, Milton focuses a great deal of time creating a backstory for Satan, who is the protagonist. AdamRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1738 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Milton sought to a very ambitious thing with his greatest work, Paradise Lost. He boldly asserted himself to the epic tradition, the most difficult genre. Further, the goal of his writing was perhaps the hardest topic a human being can engage with, the problem of evil. At the risk of being cliche, the old adage, â€Å"If you lose your faith over anything less than the problem of evil, you are simply not thinking.† seems fitting. Milton seems at least, whatever his faults, to understand the weightRead MoreAnalysis Of John Milton s Paradise Lost 1071 Words   |  5 Pages Writing AP Exam Essays Advanced Placement English Literature Composition Name Juan Linares Major Work Data Page Paradise Lost Writer/Nationality John Milton/ UK 1608-1674 Theme/Meanings of the work as a whole Disobedience plays a key role in the unfolding of Milton’s poem. Satan disobeys God because God gave him free will, and causes Eve to disobey Adam, to disobey God. Justification of God. Death must happen to the world but because of the Son, DeathRead MoreAnalysis Of John Milton s Paradise Lost1442 Words   |  6 Pages(Name) (Instructor) (Course) (Date) Heroism in John Milton’s Paradise Lost There are many definitions of a hero, and establishing the hero in John Milton’s Paradise Lost has been object to scholarly debate. One definition of a hero is that by Aristotle, who defined a hero as a person who is divine and superhuman. However, other definitions encompass the aspect of virtue in heroism. Despite all the definitions for a hero, it remains factual that a hero would be someone that the readers would delightRead MoreAnalysis Of John Milton s Paradise Lost 1852 Words   |  8 Pagesnot merely summarize the plot. (2010 AP Literature and Composition) Disobedience and Exile an Analysis of Satan from Milton’s Paradise Lost John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, has been the subject of criticism and interpretation through many years; these interpretations concur in that Adam and Eve are the sufferers of the poem, and it is their blight to lose Paradise because of their disobedience; however, their exile is merely a plight brought by Satan, and it is he who suffers exile beforeRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost 1328 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Mezian Professor Mylander English 589 14 November 2016 Paradise Lost Essay In his epic poem titled Paradise Lost, John Milton describes his work as a process to justify â€Å"the ways of God to men†. In terms of the personal and individual, Milton’s main concern was between a man’s relationship and God. With this, comes the very idea of free will itself. One can define free will as the ability and freedom to choose between different possible courses of action. Not only is free will portrayed inRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1528 Words   |  7 Pagesfree world. God judges no one and forgives all for his or her sins. God is an honest being. The last statement might not be the case in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The fall of Adam and Eve is truly a tragic tale. Some suggest that their fall could have been prevented. However, after close examination, one can believe that it might not be that simple in Paradise Lost. God displays some questionable actions in the process that eventually leads to the fall. While not the popular opinion to some, God isRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost921 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Milton’s Paradise Lost continues the epic tradition developed by the ancient Greek and Roman poets. Composed in exact imitation of its predecessors, the work depicts all characteristics of a traditional epic poem—including the epic hero, a powerful embodiment of societal values. Milton presents his hero in a most unpredictable form: Satan. Despite the unorthodox oddity, the former archangel exhibits the conventions of an epic hero. Milton’s forced perception of Satan as the hero of the poemRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1686 Words   |  7 Pagesand bled into the writing it produced. John Milton’s Paradise Lost is no exception to this, as it explores human sexuality and gender roles. It has been argued that when Adam and Eve are described as â€Å"Two of far nobler shape erect and tall,/ Godlike erect† (4.288-289) there is no distinction between the two , and that they are being portrayed, even by Satan, as equal. This is the reader’s first introduction to Eve who, based on these two lines from Paradise Lost, is Adam’s equivalent in power and in

Westward expansionin nineteenth century Essay Example For Students

Westward expansionin nineteenth century Essay The Westward Expansion has often been regarded as the central theme of American history, down to the end of the19th century and as the main factor in the shaping of American history. As Frederick Jackson Turner says, the greatest force or influence in shaping American democracy and society had been that there was so much free land in America and this profoundly affected American society. After the revolution, the winning of independence opened up the Western country and was hence followed by a steady flow of settlers to the Mississippi valley. By 1840, 10 new western states had been added to the Federal union. The frontier line ran through Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas on the western side of the river. All parts of the valley except Wisconsin and Minnesota were well populated. Thus a whole new section had been colonized with lasting effects on the American institutions, ideals and ways of living. The far west was the land of high mountains, deserts, strange rock formations, brilliant colors and immense distance. Fur trade with Europe had now become a lucrative business and the fur traders became the pathfinders for the settlers. Migration was now possible by the discovery of paths over which ox-driven carts could be driven through seeking mountains and across the western desert. People wanted to move away from the overcrowded cities and this led to the migration into the uninhabited lands. Increased transportation like roads, railroads and canals and their construction created a demand for cheap labor making it easier for people to get jobs now, in contrast with the cities where there was unemployment. The pioneer movement for 70 years after the revolution roughly represented the form of 3 parallel streams, flowing westwards from New England, Virginia and South Carolina. The first pioneer groups tended to move directly westward. Thus the new Englanders migrated into western New York and along the shores of the great lakes, Virginians into Kentucky and then into Missouri and the South Carolinians and Georgians into the gulf territories. Throughout the settlement of the Mississippi valley, most pioneers did not travel long distances and as a territory had been occupied, families would move into the adjacent one. There were boom periods of great activity, during which million acres of land were sold, alternated with depression periods during which there was little further expansion of the frontier and many disappointed pioneers even backtracked from the west to the east. When the treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the Americans had thought that they had enough land between the Atlantic coast and the Mississippi river. Yet in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase, the area of the United States doubled and not long after, it was augmented by the half-purchase-half-conquest of Florida. By the end of 1820, as many as 6 states were created, east of Mississippi-Indiana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Alabama (1819), Maine (1820) and Missouri (1821). By the 1830s, the frontier line had been carried to Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas-about one-third of the way across the continent. By the 1840s, the expansionist policy, typified by the Manifest Destiny doctrine, became very strong with many sections willing to go to war to acquire more land. Slavery became a bone of contention between the Northern and southern states with the control of the senate in question. The South wanted expansion to increase slave states, the North to keep the balance with free states and the West wanting expansion to increase their land. The antagonism between the North and the South sees the beginnings of sectionalism leading to the civil war later. The spirit of equality becomes a banner with which the expansionist policy was proclaimed. Before the 1830s, most sections of the west passed through the same phases of development in a regular order. The first white men to usually enter a new area were the hunters and fur trappers, who had extraordinary skills to open up a new path through wilderness, finding food for themselves and dealing with the Indians. These men explored the country and brought news of its resources back to the east. .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 , .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .postImageUrl , .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 , .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:hover , .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:visited , .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:active { border:0!important; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:active , .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8 .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u00f4433de3f2c06cb7c4c7e86892f9c8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Changes In Pauls Character All Quiet On The Western Front Essay In many regions, the second phase was cattle ranching while some also passed through the mining phase. Parts of Missouri and Wisconsin, for example were settled .

My Changing Taste in Music

One of the invariable realities in our lives as human beings is that we are in a constant state of changing. These changes may be gradual or abrupt and can be as a result of our surroundings, education, peer influence or various other factors. One of the aspects in my life that has undergone radical changes is my taste in music. Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on My Changing Taste in Music specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This change has been gradual and while I cannot with certainty point to a particular instance in which the change occurred, the results are very evident. In this essay, I shall discuss two different types of music so as to exemplify my changing taste in music over the years. I shall examine the various factors that may have led to or positively influenced this change in taste. From my childhood years, I have been exposed to the country genre of music. This was mostly due to my parents who wer e avid fans of most of the classical country tunes by the likes of Dolly Parton and Don Williams. Despite this early exposure to country music, this music genre never made a lasting impact on me. As soon as I could choose my own music preferences, I withdrew from it until finally it was but a distant memory in my mind. The first genre of music that I can consider my own was Rhythm and Blues (RnB). The core factor that made this genre have such a strong appeal to me was the fact that I did not share it with anyone else in my family. RnB therefore made me feel different from my parents and therefore to some extent special. In my outside world setting, RnB was more of a class status as it marked me off to belong to a certain group in my school. In retrospective, I admit that RnB may never have been me â€Å"own genre of music† since my love for it was brought about by the peer influence. Regardless of the primary reasons for my listening to RnB, with time I grew to embrace it a nd love the genre as only a true fan can. Its lighthearted beats and catchy choruses were a source of joy and I constantly hummed to the latest tunes that were playing on the radio. I can still vividly recall searching for the lyrics to songs by the likes of R. Kelly and chanting them, albeit in the wrong tone and tempo, with my like minded friends. In the last three years, I have noticed that my taste in music has shifted from RnB to Celtic. While this does not mean that I have altogether forsaken it, the Rhythm and Blues genre no longer captivates me and I cannot picture myself dedicated any significant amount of time to it. Advertising Looking for assessment on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ironically, I would not have consciously listened to Celtic music in my earlier years. In the few instances that I chanced to listen to it, I found it awfully dreary and the fact that there lacked a catchy only made th e matter worse. The diction of most of the artists in this genre was mostly unclear and as such, there was no motivation for me to pay any attention to this music. However, all this has greatly changed with time. At present, most of the music that I listed to is Celtic and I find myself taking the time to search for the lyrics of my favorite songs so as to better appreciate the music. My discovery of this genre of music was mostly as a result of the experiences in my life. The many activities that I involve myself in resulted in my interacting with a wide variety of people who have differing tastes in almost all aspects of life: from clothes and colors to religion and politics. These people exposed me to different kinds of music that I would otherwise never have cared to listen to. It is from one of these encounters that I discovered the Celtic genre. While discovering the Celtic genre was a function of my experiences, my love for the music can mostly be attributed to my education. From my literature classes, I have gained a deeper appreciation of poetry and folklore. Most of Celtic music as performed by artists such as Enya and Loreena Mckenitt is presented in a poetic manner and the stories told therein have a complex plot that appeals to one’s intellect. This genre therefore ceases to be just bright tunes and catchy phrases but takes on a more intricate role as one gets to appreciate the poetic prowess of the artists. In addition to this, the music contains a wide range of instruments and the rich sound produced is a welcome change from the monotonous RnB sounds. In this paper, I set out to discuss two different types of music that highlight my changing taste through the years. To this end, I have discussed the Rnb and Celtic genre. The reasons for my change have been identified and the changing process showcased. As I stated at the beginning of this paper, the only invariable thing in life is change. As such, I acknowledge that my current taste in music may change over time. However, I am at the moment content with the Celtic genre which I feel is inspiring, entertaining and intellectually stimulating. This assessment on My Changing Taste in Music was written and submitted by user Ben Urich to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.