Essays

Here are my essays, from most recent on down.

Author's Note: This is my final essay for Life of Pi to the prompt of life being nothing without death. I tried to explain it in the academic sense in the second paragraph, text evidence in the third, and real world again in the fourth. Because of that, I feel it is repetitive, and just explains the one thought from three different angles. Anyway, I did end up using at least 3 of my vocab words and made an attempt to add in semantic devices.

2/14/11
A Life Without Death is the Death of Life
Death follows you like a shadow. It is always there, cold and calculating, waiting to strike a fatal blow, a blow that can either be spontaneous or predictable. Heart attacks and car accidents are tragic, but the real tragedy is not living life in the first place, because if you live life in the moment, seize the day and regret nothing, death loses its power over you. By living life to the fullest it is possible to completely extirpate the hold of death upon you. Though we may escape spiritually, physically, death is always there as the driving force of life. Life of Pi explains that though death is the vanquisher of life, it is also the driving force behind it and, in essence, life cannot exist without death.

Fear is the best motivator. If you are confronted with a situation that is undesirable, you can be motivated to take part in the situation if confronted by your greatest fear. It is a primal reaction that cannot be changed, and though you can overcome a specific fear, there is always something to be afraid of: death. Everything that you live for is vanquished by death; all the pleasure of your years is eliminated in an instant. As far as fears go, spiders and heights are trivial compared to death, because death has an actual consequence. If you are to truly love life as you should, death should be your biggest fear, as it is ever-present. In actuality, life is an undesirable situation to enter into; it’s morose, caustic, and deadly. Fear of death motivates you to become a part of life and it encourages you to live life to its full potential. Without the constant presence of a possibility that the end of our life is near, there would be no need to ever do anything and life would lose its importance.

As Pi Patel floats on his life raft through the ocean of life, his only companions are a tiger, a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and death. From the drowning of the passengers on the ship to the carnivorous devouring of the zebra, death surrounds Pi like a blanket, smothering him. Finally, when he and Richard Parker, the tiger, are alone, death becomes even more overbearing. Both of the life raft’s occupants become increasingly gaunt, and with death by starvation about to overtake them, the raft reaches a floating mass of algae. Pi’s condition begins to improve greatly due to a large population of meerkats on the island and he contemplates creating a new life on the island where death has lost its grip on him. In the life raft, death surrounds Pi, but on the island, where there is an abundance of food, death appears to evaporate. When he discovers the teeth of a human on the island, death comes rushing back to Pi. Death is an everpresent force, and though we attempt to escape from it, there is no chance. The only thing that attempting to hide from death accomplishes is halting our lives. When we become so obsessed with death, life becomes a second priority, and though we must always fear death, it should only come after experiencing life.

If everything were to be accomplished in life, there would be no death. Not everything that you wish to do will be accomplished in your life, so you are forced to prioritize. Only what you decide is most important in life is able to be achieved before you die, but if you live in the moment, you can accomplish a large amount. When death is eliminated from the natural equation, everything becomes achievable at the same moment that nothing becomes possible. Death, or more specifically, the fear of death, is the only real motivation we have to do anything in life. Without the certainty of the next moment, we are motivated to live in the moment in order to assure ourselves that we will experience the pains and pleasures of life. When there is no possibility of death, we are not motivated by anything to live life. Without death, life comes to a standstill.

Birth and life and death move in an infinite dance, mutually dependent upon each other. Arguably, life is the most important of these three, but the Creator in nothing without the Preserver and Destroyer. In order for there to be life, death too is necessary.



11/4/10
The Identity Crisis
Since the early days of civilization, professors have been held in the highest regards. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and other Greek philosophers were revered in their time. These people didn't follow the herd; they were trend-setters. In Fahrenheit 451, educators’ thoughts are original, but they are punished for their diversity. The average citizens reject knowledge and are mirror images of themselves because of this. Knowledge is the only tool that allows us to break free from the status quo and become our own, individualized person.

Guy Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, has lived his whole life in the shadow of knowledge. His job is to extinguish that shadow; he is a fireman who burns the greatest stock of knowledge in our world- books. Though this wealth of knowledge is here, Guy rejects it, and in turn conforms to the governmental standards, just like everyone else. Because there are no books, there is no knowledge, there is no personality. Without books, technology has advanced exponentially until it dominates everyone's lives. Technology has been created so well, it has even begun to replace humans, allowing an individual to have an interactive conversation with the television, instead of another human. The only time there is individualization between two different people is when they are interacting with simulation "family", but when talking to artificial humans, the personality is artificial. Though through these conversations people appear to be their own person, it is an illusion that turns off as soon as the television does.

As opposed to technology, knowledge can allow you to create a real personality. Guy, while burning books, would occasionally pilfer a selection just to bring it home and hide it in the air conditioning duct. At first, Guy steals just for the thrill, but later on, when his curiosity wins out, he begins to read. When he reads, his faceless identity begins to differentiate itself form the rest of the crowd. He begins to do things he would never have done before. After reading, Guy snaps at his wife, shows others his hidden stack of books and even kills his boss, Captain Beatty -- things he never would have done without the enlightenment of the new knowledge he possesses. Here his personality reflects who he has become as a person: livid and frustrated with the world. Montag is a rebel because of his knowledge, knowledge he wants to share with the world through his rebellion.

Even though you have knowledge, that does not force you to become an individual. Knowledge just supplies the clay; it is your choice whether or not you mold it into your personality. Captain Beatty, because he was a fire chief, was allowed access to the wealth of knowledge that he was paid to burn. He turned his back on becoming an independent personality, leaving the clay untouched. In many ways, this happens in modern society. People who look up to others begin to adopt their idol's personality into their own. Many individuals follow the herd, accepting the mob mentality as their own ideas. Only those with abundant knowledge are able to break free of this mighty flow and craft ideas, an identity of their own.

The world Bradbury paints is ironic as it revolves around the death of knowledge. As each story has a theme, each mode of literature has a theme and irony's is to show us a world to avoid, a world to fear. When everyone becomes a clone because knowledge has been eliminated, we should truly be afraid.


10/20/10
The Burning of Beatty
After Montag's life has been destroyed, his house and spirit burned, he has lost the ability to surrender his will to Beatty. Because of this, he threatens his captain with the flame thrower he had used to burn so many books. Not even trying to defend himself, Beatty continues to joke about Montag, until Montag pulls the trigger, silencing the captain forever. Killing Beatty, who represents the government, the general populous, the ones who keep the books out of the world, is Montag's first and only serious rebellious act in Fahrenheit 451.

Though Montag had been planning to institute a full-on rebellion by burning the firemen by placing books inside the firehouses, he literally burns the firemen instead. When burning his own house, Beatty pushes Montag over the edge, repeatedly belittling and mocking his faith in the wisdom of books. He says on page 118 to Montag, "You think you can walk on water with your books." Beatty is telling Montag that books don't give him the power to perform impossible tasks, like overthrowing the firemen and their burning of books, though Montag believes they do. Because of Beatty's contrarian nature towards his faith in books, Montag burns him, attempting to burn his ideas in the process.

As Beatty burns, he is described as a manikin, a charred wax doll that is no longer a man. Beatty was never meant to be a man, though, he was meant to be "the man". When Montag brought a book home, Beatty was the one to ridicule him, the one to show him why it's wrong. When Montag had to burn his own house, it was Beatty who ridiculed him, who mocked his decisions. In the book, Beatty had only one role, to symbolize the minorities, the government, and the overall people who knew books were there, but wanted to keep them out of the world. So, as Montag burns Beatty, he burns everyone that he has grown to hate.

The burning of Beatty relates directly to many subthemes of the novel. Death, which is in play in many other aspects of the book, is very strong here. The entire scene is about death, the death of Beatty and the death of the already half-dead Mechanical Hound. After Montag kills them, he begins to feel guilty about his murders, which is understandable, as Beatty was a prominent figure in his life. Montag then remembers how his captain was joking and not even trying to keep himself alive and realizes that, "Beatty wanted to die," (page 122). Death can be accepted as a friend or an enemy, and to Beatty, Montag realizes, death was a friend, a way to permanently escape from his troubles. Mildred, Montag's wife, also saw death as a friend, so she attempted suicide as a way out of her problems. Both of these figures are lifeless, more technology than human, and have nothing to live for. Because they are already half dead, they Mildred and Beatty find death comforting instead of intimidating.

A government is a body without a face, and a body that isn't human. When the government controls its citizens, they too become faceless robots, clones of each other. Montag, a rebel, begins to take control of his body, and to differentiate his face from the crowd when he begins to read books. Beatty, a robot, a clone, wants to tame Montag's knowledge and his spirit. When Montag burns Beatty, he burns the trio that's been holding back his full potential. As Beatty burns, so does the government, and the leash that was put on Montag's knowledge and spirit. As Beatty burns, Montag begins a rebellion.


10/19/10
Patriotism - Does It Still Matter?
Whenever you speak to an elder, the stereotypical response is, “Things were worse in my day.” Mainly, that is true. Transportation, food, even entertainment were of a worse quality. But things in America were better than the conditions in the rest of the world, leading to a mass immigration from European countries. Because they were more privileged than others, Americans held America’s freedoms and ideals in the highest regards, otherwise known as patriotism. Because conditions were so bad, it was easier for our grandparents to show that they were a patriot. Though many American citizens don’t show it anymore, patriotism still matters.

Patriotism is defined as love and commitment to one’s country. The ultimate way to show patriotism is through service to America. Mailmen are patriots because they serve the Post Office which keeps Americans in touch with each other. Garbage men are patriots because they keep America clean. The true patriots though, are America’s soldiers, the ones who volunteer their time, effort, and occasionally even lives to defend America.

Veterans should be held in the highest regards, because they do what others find difficult: show their love to their country. Back when there was a draft, and the army wasn’t volunteer, people who wouldn’t normally define themselves as patriots were thrust into patriotic situations. After the draft was over and the volunteer army was back, real patriots were able to shine by dedicating their life to their country. Nowadays, though there are still patriots, their numbers have decreased, leading many to believe that the act of patriotism has died out in America. It hasn’t. Many men and women around America constantly show their devotion to their country in numerous ways proving that patriotism still matters.

Patriotism still matters, because without it, America wouldn’t be half as good as the country it is today. Serving in a war is the best way you can show your complete devotion, but there are other ways. Being a patriot can and should be shown in everyday life.



4/23/2010
The Truth Behind The Truth
When one being controls the only source of information, the truth can become a lie, and a lie can become the truth. A simple education would cure the problem, but schooling is not available or accurate, because it is run by the same individual. Napoleon, the tyrant ruler of Animal Farm, controls his subjects' minds completely because he contorts the truth. The animals he rules are none the wiser though, because they are poorly educated. Truth is the blood of the body and whoever controls it controls the rest of the being.

After they overthrew the humans, the animals of Animal Farm created seven basic commandments in an attempt to prevent any ruler from ever becoming as horrific as the humans. For a while, Napoleon and Snowball, another leader, follow these demands strictly, but when Snowball is chased off the farm by Napoleon's attack dogs, the commandments slowly get pushed to the side. Napoleon and the other pigs eventually break every original commandment. In the end, the seven rules are replaced with just one law: All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Not one animal objects to this, because Napoleon has been able to twist the truth in such a way that everyone believes there has only always been just this one order. His brainwashing is complete and he now controls the heart and mind of every animal on the farm.

Another way that Napoleon makes the truth his own creation, is by preaching it to the young and the gullible. After two dogs have puppies, Napoleon kidnaps them and instructs them to do his bidding. He makes himself a god in their eyes. The puppies were not educated enough to form their own opinions when Napoleon took them, so their thoughts were controlled by others. Napoleon uses this to his advantage, shaping their minds until they are infinitely his slaves. This tactic is applied also to the other uneducated, gullible residents of the farm. Boxer, a cart horse, is a determined worker, and a well respected animal, but his education lacks structure. Napoleon exposes this and uses Boxer's stupidity to convince the other animals that he is perfect and everything he does is perfect.

Though Orwell portrays this lesson through haughty animals, it occurs in humans. The most famous example of twisting the truth to your advantage is the Russian Revolution. Animal Farm is a satirical response to the Revolution, with Napoleon symbolize the man who seized power, Joseph Stalin. Both use propaganda to spread their opinions and stay in command, deliberately lying to their people for their own benefit. Withholding the truth should be a crime, because the Truth is what allows us to make our own decisions.

Lies can be deciphered if you have an education. If not, everything may be the truth to you. Napoleon refuses to educate his comrades, leaving them struggling to understand that not everything he says is the truth. Without knowing that he is lying, the animals of the farm cannot overthrow their tyrant. They are under his command always and forever.



2/16/2010
The Shadows of Irony
Why do we read literature? As children we read to gain knowledge or because we enjoy the escape from life that is fiction. As adults though, literature becomes a teacher of moral lessons. The true reason behind the writing of most books, we learn, have deep philosophical meanings. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, shows that the illusion of security is truly an illusion and that danger and deceit lie beneath the surface of everything.

Romance is written to allow you to momentarily escape to an eccentric world. It's not in any way related to real life, which makes it so intoxicating. Only in St. Petersburg, the town in which Tom Sawyer resides, can a man be killed and then forgotten; a man be lost and then forgotten; a man be saved and then forgotten. The way that tragedies fade to nothing in St. Petersburg makes it appear harmless. What lies beneath the surface though, is anything but perfect.

The world that Mark Twain creates is indisputably romantic, though it is filled with characters who are purely ironic. Injun Joe is so consumed with contempt that he allows it to govern his choices which causes him to take an innocent life. Even more deadly than the killer though, is Tom. His reckless decision making afflicts himself and everyone around him. When he decides to become a pirate one day, he forgets to think about how it will affect his family. Then in the cave with Becky, he throws caution to the wind and gets them hopelessly lost. Tom is truly the only flaw in an otherwise perfect society.

Finally, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is written as a fairly easy read but with moments of difficulty. With his childish voice, Mark Twain appears to have written this book for the entertainment of toddlers though the events transpire within it would most likely traumatize the poor child for life. The intense detail along with the sudden suspense of the murder shows who truly should be Twain's audience.

Think about the happiest moment of your life, the moment you wish you could hold on to forever. Did you realize that during that moment, life went on and danger was lurking right below the surface of your perfection? Even when happiest and safest, a world of danger is lying in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.



1/5/2010
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Flash forward ten years into the future. Where are you? You might be successful or barely making enough to live. The possibilities are endless. For a five year old, the coming ten years will be the most challenging of their life, because they will be filled with the transition between innocence and experience. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn shows that gaining experience is a strenuous process, though it pays off as it unlocks a vast expanse of knowledge and emotions unknown to the innocent.

Sometimes, the knowledge we gain are emotions. None of the Rommely woman knew how to read or write. They possessed a different knowledge; one of emotions. Each one of them knew compassion, hardship, life and death as well as a friend. This is the intellect that really matters, not learned knowledge. To know the world, you have to experience it. As we mature, we gain the ability to experience the world in a different way, a way that bonds us all together as humans.

Secondly, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn gives its audience what it needs. For those of us yet to experience the struggles of being a teenager, it shows us what we have to look forward to. Anyone experiencing that period of their life has their troubles drastically reduced by Francie's. Finally, the veterans of experience are able to remember their own life because of a single word that sparks a memory. The book speaks to something everyone can relate to-real life.

Over the next ten years, a five year old will experience emotions that it didn't even know existed. Fear, hate, and betrayal are the most violent of these feelings, while love, hope, and compassion are the most friendly. It may seem like everyday is the worst, yet if you keep hope, there truly is a light at the end of the tunnel.



12/16/09
Nothing Is Impossible
Nothing is impossible. Unless you are a god, this statement couldn't be farther from the Truth. Humans are designed to be able to accomplish certain feats, and are destined to fail others. I can't just stand up and fly away, because it is not in my nature. As we gain experience, we learn about limits, the things that tell us what we can and can't do. When we attempt things that are not in our nature, our limits, which we cannot control, force us to fall short of what we are trying to do.

In one of Johnny's weak yet thoughtful ideas, he attempts to teach his children the ways of the sea by taking a trip on a rowboat, although he has never been on one before. Upon arrival at the sea , he lectures the children on the correct way to enter a boat. Displaying his quasi-fisherman knowledge, Johnny gracefully leaps high into the air . . . and promptly falls in the sea. He had attempted something out of his nature, and from the beginning he had been condemned to being defeated in his attempt to reach his goal.

As we gain experience, not only do we witness limits in action, we also learn about the impossibilities of our childhood fantasies. If you walk into any kindergarten in the United States, each and every child stares at the teacher as if they can do no wrong. Because of the vast knowledge that is unlocked by maturing, people with more experience know the Truth. A teacher, or other idol, is just a human being, and they fall short of their goals also.

With experience comes a vast array of new emotions and the capacity to comprehend the things that were confusing in the stage of innocence. These emotions are both good, because they allow us to lead more complex lives, and bad, because they take away the ability to romanticize and pretend. Limits are a vital part of society, as they prevent success, and through these failed attempts, we are all alike: we are humans.



12/14/09
A Life of Death
Death. A simple word that means something quite complex; the end of a life. Everything that has been built up suddenly comes crashing down; every thought, emotion, action, and mistake. If you have an intense love of life, death is greatly feared, yet it is accepted by the community of those who live in fear, pain, and remorse. Death is the hand that strikes us down, yet it is also the hand that builds us up.


Johnny Nolan knew that he was going to die, and while we all eventually realize this Truth, he knew when. Every other Nolan boy had died before the age of thirty due to their own hazardous ways of living. When he died, he would become just another statistic. All of us have different ways to forget our problems. Becoming a drunk was Johnny's way to hit a home run out of every curveball life threw at him. Death had already struck him down before he was old enough to vote, and 'his life was finished before it had a chance to begin.' Even so, his passion for life was incomparable, and everyone he met couldn't resist his charisma. In a sense, Johnny Nolan belonged to both the group of people that embrace death and those who push it away.

Death cannot be avoided. Eventually it will catch up with us all. When it comes knocking, it can relieve you of any wrong doing, regret, or trouble, yet it can rob you of what you enjoy most in life. For this reason, death is a friend and an enemy to us all.