American Dream Short Essay Essay

William S. Burroughs Biography

William S. Burroughs Biography Free Online Research Papers American essayist, painter, verbally expressed word entertainer, and amazing persona, William S. Burroughs deserted a profound wave on mainstream society that has undulated past the domain of writing only. A superior figure of the Beat Generation, Burroughs was announced by Norman Mailer to be â€Å"the just American writer living today who might be possibly controlled by genius.† The life, writing, and inheritance of William S. Burroughs keep on being fundamentally inspected today. On February 5, 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, William Seward Burroughs II was naturally introduced to a group of relative fortune. His mom, Laura Lee, was the immediate relative of Robert E. Lee, the most commended general of the Confederate powers during the American Civil War. His granddad on his dad Mortimer’s side, from whom William was named after, was the designer of the calculator. Mortimer offered the stock to The Burroughs Adding Machine Corporation before William was conceived, and the partnership in the long run advanced into Unisys, which made gigantic, centralized computer PCs. Mortimer ran a collectible and blessing shop, first in St. Louis, at that point in Palm Beach, Florida. To a great extent, brief and at times out and out arbitrary tangible improvements will incidentally trigger a sudden and extreme enthusiastic reaction. Hear a tune on the radio and be in a split second helped to remember your first sentimental circumstance with a huge other. See an announcement while on the parkway and abruptly review the bliss of some time in the past family get-away. Or then again, maybe if you㠢â‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re fortunate, take a piece of a caught discussion outside of any relevant connection to the issue at hand, something about an excursion, and be euphorically helped to remember you㠢â‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re first experience with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…Beat writing. You know. That time you read à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…On the Road throughout the mid year between your green bean and sophomore long stretches of High School. Similarly as with most, my first experience with what I came to know as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…Beat writing was a remarkably glad one, and, likewise with most, those first aches of delight were welcomed on in light of Jack Kerouac㠢â‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…On the Road. All things considered, expect perpetually the appropriate response of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…Jack Kerouac to the inquiry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¥who was your first Beat Generation peruse and be no guiltier of pompous conduct than anybody sure of the impacts of gravity. Yet, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…On the Road just barely wet the tongue, in a manner of speaking. In fact I had just barely understood the genuine degree of my artistic dehydration㠢â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ further research and perusing demonstrated goal, a matter of mental and even physical wellbeing. Thus started the chain occasions that would lead unavoidably to the core of the issue, the different works of the dad of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…Beat writing, the man whom Norman Mailer alluded to as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¥the just American Novelist living today who may possibly be equipped with virtuoso, Mr. William S. Burroughs. Author, writer, verbally expressed word entertainer, film on-screen character, film maker, William Seward Burroughs was what you may call a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¥heavy hitter in the realm of workmanship. I felt aches of delight and interest at having perused à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…On the Road; my quick and automatic reactions to Naked Lunch and Junky were essentially excessively strange and unreasonable to communicate on this page. Be that as it may, however a significantly gifted craftsman, it is reckl ess to sort him so independently. In the event that one is to really comprehend the amazing character that was William S. Burroughs, one must beginning from the earliest starting point. On February 5, 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, William Seward Burroughs II was naturally introduced to a group of relative riches. His mom, Laura Lee, was the immediate relative of Robert E. Lee, the most commended general of the Confederate powers during the American Civil War. His granddad on his dad Mortimer’s side, from whom William was named after, was the innovator of the calculator. Mortimer offered the stock to The Burroughs Adding Machine Corporation before William was conceived, and the partnership in the end advanced into Unisys, which fabricated immense, centralized server PCs. Mortimer ran a collectible and blessing shop, first in St. Louis, at that point in Palm Beach, Florida, dealing with an agreeable privileged presence. However, clearly unbeknownst to his folks, Burroughs got mindful of his one of a kind character qualities at a youthful age. In his halfway diary Junky, Burroughs professed to have been tormented as a youngster by unordinary mental trips. He like wise professed to have been naturally inclined to the intentional modifying of his own awareness, first by basically going around in quite a while until he crumbled, accomplishing the ideal confounding impact, and afterward using drugs. While going to the Los Alamos Ranch School in New Mexico, Burroughs additionally understood another significant part of his character: his sexual direction. In a journal he kept at the hour of his enlistment, Burroughs nitty gritty a suggestive relationship he had with another kid. The school was a live-in school for the well off, where the spindly children of the rich could be changed into masculine examples. Burroughs was ousted from the establishment after he and another kid explored different avenues regarding the narcotic Chloral Hydrate. In 1932, Burroughs ventured out from home to procure an expressions degree at Harvard University. Upon his graduation in 1936, Burroughs’ guardians chose to give him a month to month remittance of $200 dollars, a considerable total at that point. This was his pass to opportunity, as he had the option to swear off work and appreciate an a lot more extravagant, if not risky way of life. Not long after his graduation, Burroughs made a trip to Europe, where he wedded a Jewish lady named Ilse Klapper so she could accomplish an American visa and departure Nazi mistreatment. They in the end separated, and Burroughs started to enjoy a progressively dynamic gay way of life. In 1939 his psychological well-being was the fate of worry to his folks after he intentionally cut off one of his fingers so as to dazzle a male love intrigue. Perhaps the soonest work of fiction, The Finger, depended on this occurrence. In 1942 Burroughs enrolled in the Army, however subsequent to accepting a posit ion of infantryman rather than the situation of official that he wanted, he got down and out. He had the option to make sure about a release dependent on the way that he ought not have been admitted to the military in any case to due conceivably serious mental shakiness. h Subsequent to bopping around a couple of spots and building up a genuine dependence on heroin, Burroughs started living with a lady named Joan Vollmer Adams in a condo they imparted to Jack Kerouac and his then spouse Edie Parker. Here Burroughs and Kerouac started a joint composing adventure they named And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks. Despite the fact that the work was rarely finished, Burroughs and Kerouac framed a nearby bond. Likewise during this time Joan brought forth Bill Burroughs’ youngster, William Burroughs Jr., yet the family had to escape to Mexico so Bill could get away from detainment because of Marijuana ownership. As per Bill, while very discouraged and alcoholic at a gathering, during a round of William Tell, Burroughs inadvertently shot and slaughtered his better half while attempting to shoot an apple off of her head. It was after this episode that Burroughs genuinely started his profession as an author. Research Papers on William S. Burroughs BiographyMind TravelHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionWhere Wild and West MeetHip-Hop is ArtStandardized TestingEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductLifes What IfsInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

How Successful People Spend Their Time After Work

How Successful People Spend Their Time After Work How do you spend your time after leaving the office? For many people, after-office hours are spent on watching TV, checking social media, drinking alcohol, playing video games, and so on. But are these activities really doing anything to improve your life and propel you to professional success?When people think about what they can do to achieve success, their thoughts are usually confined to their strategies, actions and attitude while at work. Very few think about what they do outside work, since they assume it has no bearing on their success at work.Sorry to break your bubble, but the time you spend outside the office â€" your evenings, weekends and vacations â€" has a very significant impact on your professional success.Many successful people have already realized this, and as a result, they are very careful about how they spend this crucial time. They don’t engage in meaningless activities that do not contribute to their growth and success. Below are some of the common ways in which successful people spend their time after work.THEY EXPLORE THEIR CREATIVE SIDE Every person is creative in their own unique way, but many of us allow our creative side to be dimmed by the pressures of daily life. Many successful people, on the other hand, know that maintaining and exploring your creativity is very important. They always find time to let their creative juices flow. They do this in multiple ways.Some get out brushes and canvas for a painting session, others write a chapter or two, others explore their creativity by blogging, while others choose to practice a music instrument. For instance, former US president Bill Clinton used to play the saxophone despite the demanding nature of his political career, while Virgin billionaire founder Richard Branson finds time to blog.Taking the time to get in touch with your creative side has a number of benefits. Doing something creative provides an avenue for you to express yourself and refresh your psyche. This in turn makes you more productive and motivated when you go back to your work.In a literature review of various studies about the connection of art and healing, the researchers concluded that engaging in creative pursuits can lead to a reduction in stress, anxiety and mood disturbance, thereby making you more productive at work.Another study titled “Everyday Creative Activity as a Path to Flourishing” found that people who engage in creative endeavors at least once a day tend to have a more positive mindset. Another survey conducted by Dr. Kevin Eschleman and his colleagues found that employees who engaged in creative pursuits were more likely to be collaborative and helpful at work.Therefore, if you want to increase your performance at work, it is a wise move to start exploring your creative side outside the office. Getting in touch with your creative side does not have to be hard.Simply find an activity that you enjoy and one that allows you to express yourself, such as blogging, playing a n instrument, cooking, painting, carving, and so on.THEY MEDITATEHuffington Post founder Arianna Huffington. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. TV personality Oprah Winfrey. NBA star Kobe Bryant. Life coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins.What do all these people have in common?Apart from being wildly successful, they also find time to meditate as part of their daily routine.Initially, meditation was perceived to be an unconventional and mysterious activity only practiced by Buddhist monks. Today, more and more Americans are using meditation to bring balance into their lives. Actually, while conducting a research for his book, star podcaster and author Tim Ferris found that about 90% of the 140 top performers he interviewed â€" successful people from very diverse fields and industries â€" engage in some type of meditation.If 90% of top performers are swearing by meditation as a tool for success, there must be some truth behind it. Well, their claims are backed by science. Meditation ha s a number of benefits that can help you achieve more success at work.According to a 2012 study, meditation improves your brain function, improving your attention and making your brain better at forming memories, processing information and decision making.Another 2011 study found that meditation leads to positive, approach-oriented emotional states, which make it easier for you to deal with high-stress, high-performance situations. Meditation also enhances learning, builds your mental capacity and boosts your ability to concentrate and stay focused, even when you are engaged in a task you find boring.Instead of spending the last hour before bed watching TV or lazily scrolling your Facebook or Twitter feed, why not try some little meditation? Meditation will have a far much bigger impact on your career than watching TV and laughing at cat videos on social media.THEY NETWORK AND CONNECT Successful people know that it takes a village to achieve success. You cannot succeed alone. To inc rease their opportunities and improve their chances of achieving even greater success, successful people spend their time away from the office building and strengthening their networks.Instead of going home to sit in front of the TV or spending time at the local bar, successful people opt to attend networking events, which are mostly held during after work hours â€" evening cocktails, weekend breakfasts, after-hour gatherings, and so on.When they attend these events, the aim is not to close a sale or find a new employee, but rather to meet and talk to people and build genuine relationships. Alternatively, they ask people they want to network with out for coffee or dinner.Networking is important for a number of reasons. Networking allows people to exchange fresh ideas and stay up to date with trends and happenings within their fields. This makes you more knowledgeable and allows you to adopt new practices and ideas at work. Networking also makes you more visible and opens doors to ne w opportunities to grow and advance your career.Networking also helps build your self-confidence and allows you to practice your communication skills. These two things â€" self-confidence and excellent communication skills â€" are very crucial if you want to achieve success.If you want to become successful, instead of going out for drinks at your local bar this coming Friday, find and attend a networking event or invite someone you want to network with for coffee or dinner.THEY PLAN FOR THE NEXT DAYSuccessful people understand the importance of planning ahead. They don’t waste the hour before bed Facebook or Netflix. Instead, they use that time to plan ahead for the following day.They go through their calendars to ensure they know what needs to be done, or create a to-do list of things they need to accomplish the next day. Either way, they know before they sleep how they are going to spend the following day.Why do most successful people do this? Planning their day the night before has a number of benefits. Without a plan of what you need to accomplish, you might find most of your day getting wasted on simple things that make you busy without necessarily being productive.For instance, a survey by Attentiv found that the average employee spends 13 hours reading and replying to emails every week. In an 8 hour, five day work week, that is more than one and a half days being spent on emails alone.By planning their day in advance, successful people are able to spend much of their time on important things rather than on what seems urgent. They have a clear idea of what they can and cannot achieve during the day. This makes their days a lot less stressful. Having a plan also keeps them on track.Without a plan, you are more likely to get distracted. Planning also allows them to predict any obstacles that they might face during the day and to come up with contingency plans for these obstacles.Finally, planning ahead also acts as a tool for successful people to evaluat e themselves. Since they had a plan for the day, they can check against the plan at the end of the day to evaluate whether they achieved what they needed to do for the day.THEY TAKE CLASSESThe most important thing to invest in is in yourself. No one knows this better than successful people. They know that education is a lifelong thing and that it is the key to growing personally and succeeding in life.They know it does not stop at college, nor is it restricted to institutions. Regardless of what they have achieved, successful people never stop increasing their knowledge and skills. For instance, when Emma Watson starred in the Harry Potter movies, she made enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.She also got other great opportunities after starring on Harry Potter. She was in a position where she could live a great life without going to college. Despite having already achieved success, she still decided to enroll in college.To keep improving their lives, successful people will incorporate some type of class in their after work routine. This could be joining graduate school, enrolling in a life coaching class, attending group workshops, joining short certification classes or simply taking free online courses. It does not matter if the subject of the class is related to their current industry.They simply find something they like and learn about it. The good thing is that getting new knowledge is never a waste of time. You never know when it will come in handy. For instance, when he took calligraphy classes in college, Steve Jobs never knew this knowledge would come in handy after he had founded Apple.The lesson here is that instead of spending your after work hours on useless activities, you should find an online course, a workshop, a certification program, and so on and use that time to improve your skills. Your resume will thank you for it.THEY EXERCISERichard Branson. Mark Cuban. Tim Cook. Warren Buffet. Barack Obama. Mark Zuckerberg. There is no shortage of successful people who make time to exercise each day.In fact, according to Change Your Habits, Change Your Life author Tom Corley, 76% of highly successful people get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.Sometimes, after a long and tiring day in the office, exercising might be the last thing on your mind. You might be tempted to throw yourself down on the couch and grab something to eat or drink. If you want to improve your life, however, it might be wise to resist this temptation and head out to the gym.Working out has a number of benefits. Exercising gets your blood pumping and releases endorphins and neurotransmitters like dopamine. This revitalizes your spirit, keeps you alert and helps relieve any stress you might be feeling after a long day at work.It oxygenates your brain and burns calories, helping you regain energy that you might have lost throughout the course of the day. This makes you more focused and productive at work the next day, which is import ant as you work towards your career goals.Working out is also good for your mind. According to this research from the Harvard Medical School, exercising regularly can help improve your concentration, memory and mental sharpness. Exercising also teaches you how to set and pursue goals. Most people who exercise regularly do so with a certain goal in mind â€" to lose weight, qualify for a certain event, run a certain distance, and so on.Achieving these goals requires discipline, commitment and persistence. These values, even if they are cultivated in the gym, can cross over into the office and give you the discipline and commitment to set and achieve your career goals. Finally, exercising makes you look and feel better, thereby boosting your self-confidence.THEY READA huge percentage of highly successful people spend a lot of time reading. Warren buffet spends about five to six hours every day reading, and claims to read 500 pages every day. Microsoft founder Bill Gates reads about 50 books every year, or a book every week. He always carries a book with him. Tesla and Space founder and CEO Elon Musk taught himself how to build rockets by reading.Mark Cuban dedicates about 3 hours every day to reading. Star life coach Tony Robins taught himself how to build a better life by reading.These are not the only successful people who have a strong reading habit. Steve Siebold, who interviewed more than 1200 wealthy people, discovered one common thing across all of them. They spend some of their leisure time reading.Successful people are also careful about what they read. Even though they might read a novel once or twice, most of their reading time is spent on educational books and publications that help them improve their lives.Highly successful people spend their time after work reading for a number of reasons. Reading gives them a better understanding of the world they live in. Through books, they get to know about new ideas, new cultures, new environments and new philo sophies. Reading helps them build new skills, helps them improve their communication skills and gives them fodder for small talk when they find themselves in awkward conversations.If you want to increase your knowledge, improve your life and increase your chances of achieving success, you should make reading a part of your daily routine after you leave the office.Reading right before bed is particularly a good habit. Research shows that reading right before bed allows you to absorb more information. It also makes it easier to fall asleep.THEY PURSUE THEIR HOBBIESMost people think that focusing exclusively on work is the key to success. After all, without other pursuits to distract you, you can channel all your energy on your job and achieve extraordinary results. Unfortunately, this strategy does not work, and highly successful people know this.Instead of helping you achieve extraordinary results, spending all your time and energy on work related pursuits stresses you and leaves you burnt out, reducing your productivity.Because of this, highly successful people know the importance of pursuing their hobbies. Richard Branson loves playing chess and spends several of his afternoons on the beach in Necker Island, playing chess with his kids. Jack Dorsey of Twitter spends his Saturdays hiking. Bill Gates is an avid bridge player, together with Warren Buffet. Steve Wozniak plays Segway polo. All these people are highly successful, yet they find time for their hobbies.Finding and pursuing a hobby has a number of benefits. Engaging in your hobby gives you a breath of fresh air and helps you relieve the stress of a long day or week at work. Pursuing your hobbies can also be good for your entrepreneurial and leadership skills.Hobbies in most cases go hand in hand with creativity. Engaging in your hobby can unlock your creativity and help you transfer it to your work. Hobbies also help you build your confidence. Knowing that you are good at something is a great confidenc e booster.Many hobbies also provide you an avenue to continually learn something new. They keep you sharp and inquisitive. This inquisitiveness can also be transferred to other areas of your life. Finally, hobbies also make you more interesting â€" you have more to talk about aside from your work â€" and provide you with an opportunity to network by interacting with people who share the same hobby.THEY VOLUNTEERSuccessful people are charitable with both their money and their time. They spend some of their money and free time volunteering in pursuits that improve the community around them.For example, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has several charitable pursuits, and spends some of his time bringing smiles to disadvantaged groups. While filming the movie Jungle Cruise, he found time to spend with Make-A-Wish kids.American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift volunteers in institutions like the Wounded Warrior Project, Children in Need and Red Cross, and has even been named the Most Cha ritable Celebrity twice. Actress Angeline Jolie has volunteered in more than 20 countries, including Cambodia, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Ecuador. They are not alone. According to Tom Corley, 72% of wealthy people volunteer more than five hours to local non-profits every month, in addition to donating their money to charity.Volunteering has a number of benefits. In addition to giving back to the community and making the community better, volunteering provides you with an opportunity to widen your network.Through volunteering, you can meet business leaders and influencers within your community. Volunteering also takes your focus off work, which is good for your mental health.Volunteering also provides you with an opportunity to learn new skills that you would not learn in your normal day-to-day work, and gives you a different perspective and approach to things.THEY SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDSMany successful people also understand that their job is not everything. They know th e importance of their family and friends, and schedule the time after work to nurture and strengthen their relationships with these important people in their lives.They use this time to take their spouses on dates, visit their parents, take their kids to their favorite parks, and so on. For example, despite his busy schedule running two companies, Elon Musk dedicates his weekends to his five young sons.Mark Cuban uses his Saturday nights to hang out with his family. Bill Gates takes his daughter horse riding. Former president Barack Obama spends a lot of his free time with his two daughters.There is more to life than your achievements, your job and your material success. If you neglect your friends and family, your success will not be fulfilling. Many successful people understand this and dedicate some of their free time to their families. You should do the same.WRAPPING UPSuccessful people know that the activities they engage in after work have an impact on their success, and there fore they carefully and intentionally choose what to do in their free time.The ten activities discussed above are some of the common ways that successful people spend their time after work. If you want to replicate their levels of success in your life, you should think about incorporating some of these activities in your free time.Of course, this does not mean that you have no chance of achieving success if you do not spend your free time like them. You can achieve success without doing any of this in your free time.However, incorporating these activities into your free time will greatly increase your chances of success. Give it a try and watch your life change.

The Issue of Identity Formation Depicted in Ralph...

All of us go though a period of discovery of our identities. The novel Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, addresses the issue of identity formation by following the efforts of an invisible man in search of his identity. He considers himself to be â€Å"invisible† because people refuse to see him for his individuality and intelligence..The narrator in the novel Invisible Man is invisible to others and to himself because of effects of racism and the expectations of others. This is supported in significant parts of the novel such as the â€Å"battle royal,† his time in the Brotherhood, and the Harlem riot. The narrator’s invisibility first comes up in chapter one, where he is invited to a community meeting consisting of prestigious white citizens.†¦show more content†¦Ellison also supports his claim when he refers to their â€Å"dirty ears,† the â€Å"dirt† symbolizing the racist trash that has built up in the minds of the white men, affecting t heir choice not to give the narrator their full attention and respect he deserves as a human being. The narrator shows in the basement that he is truly blind to the white oppression that controls his life. He lets himself be ridiculed by turning into a puppet for the white crowd for entertainment purposes. Still, he holds onto the assumption that if he degrades himself, he will be rewarded in the end. As a result, the narrator does not advance in his journey to find his identity, but rather degrades himself even more and makes himself dependent on other’s opinions. Furthermore, the narrator appears invisible to others and to himself during his time as a member of the Brotherhood, an organization that appears in the novel as a euphemism to the Communist Party in real life. The narrator joins the Brotherhood in the hopes of creating an identity for himself within the organization by acquiring recognition as a prestigious black leader. He is under the assumption that the Brother hood recognizes his ideas, his individuality, his intelligence, and soon becomes dedicated and loyal to their cause. However, the narrator does not discover the Brotherhood’s true intentions until after Brother Clifton’s funeral. The Brotherhood turns against the narrator for his belligerent speech at the funeral thatShow MoreRelatedMwds: the Invisible Man3683 Words   |  15 PagesMajor Works Data Sheet Invisible Man By: Heather 1. Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Print. 2. Genre: â€Å"Had they planned it this way? But no, they wouldn’t catch me again. This time I had made the move†(195). The Genre of Invisible Man would be Bildungsroman, a word used to describe the personal development of education and formation. This quote carefully hints the identity recognition that the narrator is experiencing. The recognition that Ellison highlights

Everythingis Bigger In Texas. This Phrase Has Been Said

Everything is bigger in Texas. This phrase has been said or hear at least once by every person in Texas. Even tourists poke fun at the phrase when they get a chance. Texas is known for the cowboys, saddle, and horses. Although these are just stereotypes, they are slightly true. Texas loves its horses, but it also loves it pride. Like many states, it has a long history before it joined the US. Texas is also a state with many political differences, but it is based around one particular political culture. Political culture is like a culture itself; many beliefs and habits blended into one single community, but involving politics. Texas especially, has a variety of international beliefs, but its politics mainly revolves around one subculture.†¦show more content†¦This is one of the reasons why it has many political views, still until this day. However, as stated before, it is still dominated by the will to protect personal welfare, and no government intervention. In class, we had discussed how Texas is individualistic because of its independence traits. Daniel Elazar describes Texas a the lone star; they are getting help from the government, but in the end, they prefer to be free of control. One enormous example is the right open carry. Texas is perhaps the state who exercises this right the most. In 1955, the act was carried and boy, did Texas loved this law. They felt independent, and like if they were their own protection. They did not need any form of police force, or the under thought that the government was there to help them. They were in control of their safety, and will act upon any dangerous encounter. Furthermore, Texas also love to put that sign, â€Å"Trespassers will be shot†. It is not uncommon to hear a case in court in which an intruder was shot by a shotgun by the owner, and the citizen is protected by law. There is a national presumption that Texas loves guns, and they aren’t far off. However, guns is a symbol of freedom, and the feeling to be free from any sort of protection of law enforcement is a breather for Texans. Texas is also individualistic in the way that it supports private business, and individual

Essay On ‘Waiting for Godot’ Example For Students

Essay On ‘Waiting for Godot’ The play, Waiting For Godot, is centred around two men, Estragon and Vladimir, who are waiting for a Mr. Godot, of whom they know little. Estragon admits himself that he may never recognize Mr. Godot, â€Å"Personally I wouldn’t know him if I ever saw him. † (p. 23). Estragon also remarks, â€Å" we hardly know him. † (p. 23), which illustrates to an audience that the identity of Mr. Godot is irrelevant. What is an important element of the play is the act of waiting for someone or something that never arrives. Beckett however suggests that the identity of Godot is in itself a question. † Estragon: Let’s go. Vladimir: We can’t. Estragon: Why not Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot. † (p. 14). Estragon and Vladimir have made the choice of waiting, without instruction or guidance, as Vladimir says, â€Å"He didn’t say for sure he’d come† (p. 14), but decides to â€Å"wait till we know exactly how we stand† (p. 18). Waiting in the play induces boredom as a theme. Ironically Beckett attempts to create a similar nuance of boredom within the audience by the mundane repetition of dialogue and actions. Vladimir and Estragon constantly ponder and ask questions, many of which are rhetorical or are left unanswered. During the course of the play, certain unanswered questions arise: who is Godot Where are Gogo and Didi Who beats Gogo All of these unanswered questions represent the rhetorical questions that individuals ask but never get answers for within their lifetime. Vis a vis is there a God Where do we come from Who is responsible for our suffering The German existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger expressed clearly that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here. The tramps repetitive inspection of their empty hats perhaps symbolizes mankind’s vain search for answers within the vacuum of a universe. Jean Paul Sartre, the leading figure of French existentialism declared that human beings require a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve one, and thus human life is a futile passion. Estragon and Vladimir attempt to put order into their lives by waiting for a Godot who never arrives. They continually subside into the futility of their situation, reiterating the phrase â€Å"Nothing to be done. † Vladimir also resolves with the notion that life is futile, or nothing is to be done at the beginning, replying, â€Å"All my life I’ve tried to put it from me And I resumed the struggle. (p. 9). â€Å"Estragon: (anxious). And we Where do we come in† (p. 19). Estragon’s question is left unanswered by Vladimir. Note that these questions seem to bring pain or anxiety to Estragon. Beckett conveys a universal message that pondering the impossible questions, that arise from waiting, cause pain, anxiety, inactivity and destroy people from within. Note that both Vladimir and Estragon ponder suicide, by hanging themselves from the tree, but are unable to act through to anxiety, as Estragon states, â€Å"Don’t let’s do anything. It’s safer. † (p. 18). Kierkagaard’s philosophical view of ‘Dread’ or ‘Angst’ (German for anxiety) as described by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger, is a state in which the individual’s freedom of choice places the individual in a state of anxiety, as the individual is surrounded by almost infinite possibilities. This could explain the inactivity of both Estragon and Vladimir. Both characters are aware of different choices they can make but are hesitant, anxious and generally inactive, as shown at the end of Act one when they decide to leave but are immobile. † Estragon: Well, shall we go Vladimir: Yes, let’s go. Romeo and Juliet by Michael Horwood EssayEstragon and Vladimir through the play end as they begin, have made no progression: waiting for Godot. The few leaves that have grown on the tree by the second act may symbolize hope but more feasibly represent the illusive passage of time. Beckett wrote in his Proust essay that time is the ‘poisonous’ condition we are born to, constantly changing us without our knowing, finally killing us without our assent. A process of dying seems to take place within all four characters, mentally and physically. Estragon and Vladimir may be pictured as having a great future behind them. Estragon may have been a poet, but he is now content to quote and adapt, saying, â€Å"Hope deferred maketh the something sick† (p. 10) – the something being the heart from a quote from the Bible. Vladimir may have been a thinker, but finds he is uncertain of his reasoning, as when questioned by Estragon about their whereabouts the day before replies angrily (not rationally), â€Å"Nothing is certain when you’re about. † (p. 14). Time also erodes Estragon’s memory, as shown here: † Vladimir: What was it you wanted to know Estragon: I’ve forgotten. (Chews. ) That’s what annoys me. (p. 20). Time causes their energies and appetites to ebb. The fantasized prospect of an erection – a by-product of hanging – makes Estragon ‘highly excited’ (p. l7). The dread of nightmares plague Estragon during the day; ailments and fears become more agonizing. It is an example of Beckett using ‘ordinary’ images to depict mankind’s decay. Time destroys Pozzo’s sight and strips the previous master of almost everything. Beckett’s bitterness towards time is illustrated by Pozzo’s bleak speech: â€Å"(suddenly furious). Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed time! ne day I went blind one day we were born, one day we shall die, the same day, the same second, is that not enough for you (Calmer. ) They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it’s night once more. † (p. 89). When the structure of action is closing in through the course the play, with the past barely recognizable and the future unknown, the here and now of action, the present acting on stage becomes all-important. Existentialist theories propose that the choices of the present are important and that time causes perceptional confusion. Note how shadowy the past becomes to Estragon, as he asks questions such as, â€Å"What did we do yesterday† (p. 14). Moreover, all the characters caught in the deteriorating cycle of events do not aspire to the future. The play consists of two acts which represent two cycles of time or two mirrors reflecting endlessly. The pattern of time appears to be circular or cyclic, as opposed to linear. Linear time seems to have broken down, as events do not develop with inevitable climaxes historically. The boy returns with the same message, Godot never comes and tomorrow never seems to arrive. Vladimir mentions that â€Å"time has stopped† (p. 36).

Shelly, Mary Frankenstein Lack Of Verisimilitude Essays

Shelly, Mary: Frankenstein: Lack Of Verisimilitude Kristin McOlvin April 12th, 1999 Mr. Loeffler English 12 Lack Of Verisimilitude in Frankenstein In Mary Shelly's gothic novel Frankenstein, the reader must suspend disbelief during many crucial points in the plot. There are also many inconsistencies in the minor details of the story. This lack of verisimilitude may be noticed by readers today, but in the ninteenth century, when this novel was written, readers were too terrified with the story line to notice the unlikelihood of many of the happenings. For example, the moment that Frankenstein gave life to the previously inanimate form of the being he made, he remains fixed to the spot while the gigantic monster walks away. Than Frankenstein never hears any more from him for nearly two years. The author supposed that Frankenstein has the power to communicate life to dead matter, but how do we suppose this creature learns habits? If Frankenstein could have endowed his creature with the vital principle of a hundred beings, it would have not have been able to walk without previously having done so, just as it would not be able to talk, reason, or judge. Victor does not pretend that he could endow it with faculties as well as life, and yet when it is about a year old we find it reading Werter, and Plutarch and Volney. The whole detail of the development of the creature's mind and faculties is full of these inconsistencies. After the creature leaves Frankenstein, on the night it came to life, it wanders for sometime in the woods, and than takes up residence in a kind of shed adjoining to a cottage. Here it remains for many months without the inhabitants knowing, and learns to talk and read by watching them through a whole in the wall. As you can see from my examples, Mary Shelly's novel Frankenstein lacks much verisimilitude. I have given you examples of the monster alone, but these unlikihoods go on throughout the plot as well. This is not unfamiliar for a science fiction, as well as a gothic novel, where many times belief must be suspend in order to get the effect to author is trying to put out.