The Chrysalids by John Windham Essay Example for Free

The Chrysalids by John Windham Essay By the time David is sixteen, he has undergone a major change in thinking. Not only is he more sure of his views towards Waknuk society and its beliefs, he is more self aware of the dangers of being found out. He has matured greatly; his views are not influenced by his teachings, he has his own opinions. The first time Davids first small doubts started to emerge was after he met Sophie. Upon meeting her, she had seemed absolutely normal; even upon seeing her foot, his rote learned teachings did not come to mind; he simply felt sorry for Sophie. Upon being confronted by Sophies mother, about the importance of keeping her secret to himself, he does not really understand the reason of the emphasis being put on keeping the secret. It is only after he sets off for home that he realizes that Sophie does not conform to the true image, and is therefore classified as deviant. David does not understand why a small toe should make a difference, and so continues his friendship with her. They are very close; he picks a fight with the stronger Alan Ervin for her, and only gives away her secret after a huge beating. For him, it is not the beating that causes him so much pain, than the pain of self-contempt, of having given her secret away. He even tells the inspector a bit of what he thinks about Sophie being a mutant. Though David is not seen thinking about her later in life, his brief friendship with her has a huge impact on him. His conversation with the inspector is the first time his views have differed from those that he has been taught. Till the very end, he refuses to accept that Sophie is the work of the devil. He also begins to realize the danger that he might be in if found out. If she could be treated the way she was, so could he. Therefore, indirectly and directly, Sophie plays a huge part in helping Davids views evolve and change. Another character who greatly helps shape Davids views is Uncle Axel. He is Davids best friend and confidante; and David looks up to him like a father figure; trusting him greatly and even telling him about his telepathy, something he had not told even Sophie. It is therefore not surprising that Uncle Axels views greatly rub off on David. Uncle Axel is different from other people; his views on the tribulation and the old people have been influenced by his travels as a sailor. He believes that if the old people were so great, why would God punish them by Tribulation? Therefore, should Waknuk society even try to be like them? It is his opinion that what makes a man a man is not his physical attributes, for everyone has different ideas on the True Image(as Repentances was written after Tribulation). What makes a man a man, is his mind. It separates and elevates him from the level of a beast, thus, as David has a new quality of mind, he might actually be closer to the true image than most people. As David listens to these views, he agrees with most of them, as firstly they answer a lot of his questions, after the Sophie incident. Indirectly or directly, Uncle Axel creates a lot of self awareness in David; awareness of the dangers of being found out. He warns David many a time, and by murdering Ervin he impresses upon David the importance of keeping the secret hidden. This, too, influenced Davids thinking as it helped him separate himself from the other people, as well as recognize that societys views are really different from the truth.

What is love? Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare

The word Love may mean many things to different people. For some it can be dangerous and complex, whereas for others it can be simple, yet fulfilling. Many have also attempted to prove the meaning of love, some successful, others not. In the poems A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne and Sonnet 147 by William Shakespeare, both authors view love from opposite spectrums. They both attempt to argue what the meaning of love really is. They do this, by using imagery and symbols, and by writing in extended metaphors. In both A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Sonnet 147, Donne and Shakespeare’s use of imagery and symbolism are well used to describe the meaning of love according to them. Death is a recurrent image in both poems. In Sonnet 147, Shakespeare compares the love he has for a woman to a disease. Oftentimes disease is associated with death. He uses this imagery, first when he states â€Å"Desire is death† (8); meaning the desire or love he has for this woman, is indeed deadly; a disease which is figuratively leading to his death. Shortly after this, Shakespeare refers to this woman as â€Å"Black as hell, as dark as night† (14) although this may not seem like death right away, one must remember that the colour black and night often signify the idea of death. The line before this states â€Å"I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright† (13) Therefore the idea he had of this woman, used to be bright and loving, however he now finds her in a way, evil a nd associates the metaphorical death of his heart to her. Despite using death imagery, Shakespeare also uses medical imagery in the poem. Ultimately disease is associated with medicine. There are a slew of words in the poem which symbolize medical imagery; the words Shak... ...(31-34) In this metaphor, his wife is the fix’d foot which â€Å"in the centre sit†, as she always remains in the same spot, waiting for her husband, the other foot, to return home. Donne writes this, not so much as a love poem, but more as a plea for his wife not to worry about his absence, that their love will only grow stronger, and for her not to be scared that he wont return as (the compass) â€Å"makes me end where I begun.† (38) Despite not being classified a metaphysical poet, Shakespeare like Donne, was very famous for his wordplay and metaphors. Although both authors take different stands on the meaning of love, Donne a positive one and Shakespeare a more negative view; both authors attempt to prove this using imagery and symbols and extended metaphors. The use of metaphors in both Donne and Shakespeare’s poems are intricately intertwined with genius wordplay.

Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

The early 1920s art movement of surrealism was founded by Andre Breton, a French writer. Compared to other art groups or movements, surrealism focused on evoking the unconscious in painting. Members of this group showed immense importance in illustrating a â€Å"more profound reality revealed by the unconscious mind. † Most of the surrealists have unusual portrayal of images in their paintings. They create visuals that go â€Å"beyond mere painting to reach a new level of reality. † This extraordinary approach in creating a provocative image is derived from the surrealists’ dreams. The products of their subconscious mind combined with the concept of â€Å"enigma or mystery† have been their inspiration in producing eccentric but remarkable masterpieces (Artbeyondsight. com). One of the famous Surrealist painters who is well-known for his bizarre ideas and eccentric behaviors was Salvador Dali. Most of his artworks became and integral part in the advancement of the Surrealist aesthetic. His main objective was to â€Å"materialize images of concrete irrationality with the most imperialist fury of precision. More so, Dali’s paintings illustrated dream-like images but these were treated with precision and fine details that made the viewers enter a hallucinatory landscape. Dali named these paintings with dream and fantasy theme as â€Å"hand-painted dream photographs. † In these artworks, unusual placement of images and the modification of a specific form into another completely new form were evident. Because of this composition, it appears that most of Dali’s paintings defy the principle of Physics. He created images that represented the â€Å"irrational and unpredictable world of the dream† (Artbeyondsight. om). In the painting Persistence of Memory, Dali presented the unusual images of melted watches. Dali said that the elements present in this particular painting are â€Å"nothing else, but the Camembert cheese of space and time; tender, outlandish, solitary and critical-paranoiac† (3d-dali. com, 2008). This painting can be classified as a landscape painting, a self portrait or a still-life painting. It all depends on the viewers’ perception and knowledge on how to understand and interpret the painting. In terms of the visual elements exhibited, the background is a beach landscape while the foreground consists of the strange images of three melted pocket watches, the rectangular box and an animal-like creature. The unusual objects created a mysterious effect while the realistic lighting and coloring added a realness factor to the painting. At first glance, these may all seem meaningless and peculiar but if viewers would look closely and try to find out the rationale for putting these elements together, they could get a better grasp of understanding of the paintings and the inner workings of Dali’s mind. According to Robert Bradford, the bare, hard outline of the cliffs and the crystal light of the sky are there, but the empty, desert-like expanses of the painting are much closer to the topography of the min, to a dreamscape. The viewer’s anxiety is fermented precisely through the lack of clues of distance, of recognizable landmark, of time of day, of temperature-it could equally be as hot, or as cold as an unknown planet. We are in an arena of silence, a frozen nightmare, in which nothing moves or make a noise. (p. 146) Overall, the Persistence of Memory is an artwork that takes the viewers into a very interesting world wherein they are transported from the predictable realm of reality to a place filled with ambiguity and peculiarity. The techniques in coloring and brush strokes employed by Dali were conventional but it is the compositional aspects that stand out are the placement and the choice of objects displayed in the painting. This painting ingeniously juxtaposed the real with the make believe which are the primary characteristics of Surrealism. References 3d-dali.com. (2008). Salavador Dali Painitngs. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from http://www.3d-dali.com/dali_paintings_analysis_interpretation.htm Artbeyondsight.com. (n.d.). Salvador Dali and Surrealism. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from http://www.artbeyondsight.org/ahtts/dali-read.shtml Radford, R. (1997). Dali. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.

Essay on Animal Rights - 442 Words

Animal Rights The 20th century has had more medical breakthroughs than any other hundred years in history. But there is a price. No significant discovery in this time has occurred without the use of animals in biological research experiments. Heart surgery, polio, osteoporosis, diabetes, AIDS, and cancer have all had significant breakthroughs thanks to these experiments(McCarty 15). The use of animals in today’s world is highly controversial. Our society eats animals and their products, wears them, uses them for entertainment, and kills some species, such as rats and mice for being a nuisance. In a society which uses animals in all these different ways, it is ethical to use animals in medical research. Many medical advances rely†¦show more content†¦Even though the direct cost of the animals is small, around 20% of all projects will involve an element of animal studies in amongst the other research techniques. When animals are used in research there are strict regulations to ensure a minimum of pain and suffering for the subjects(UNMC). Ultimately our overall understanding of diseases rests heavily upon studies of living systems, including animals. In the fight to save human lives, animals are vital. The Hot Zone reveals that animal research inadvertently led to an outbreak of Ebola near Washington DC. But this is a unique case where research has harmed humankind. The U.S. has recognized the importance of animal research and were it not for the Animals (Scientific) Research Act of 1986 most scientists would have been charged with cruelty to animals by now. Because of these laws new drugs are tested on approximately 1,000 animals before they can be released on the market(McCarty 81). This law would not exist if government officials thought these experiments would harm their citizens. In fact due to animal research the human life-span has been increased by an average of 28 years(McCarty 15). Though animal research has benefited millions of people world-wide it has its detractors. Hollywood celebrities are using their free time to pose naked for billboards. To protest the use of animals in their make up and garment’sShow MoreRelatedAnimal Rights And Human Rights923 Words   |  4 Pages Animal Rights â€Å"Nearly as many, 68 percent, were concerned or very concerned about the well-being of animals used in ‘sports’ or contests as well as animals in laboratories (67 percent) (Kretzer, 1).† Many people question whether an animal is capable of thought and emotions. Others feel as though animals are the equivalent of humans and should be treated as such. Since the 1800’s, animal rights has been a topic that has several different sides including two extremes. If animals can react to theirRead MoreThe Debate On Animal Rights910 Words   |  4 PagesThere are two major schools of thought on animal protection. First, is the tenet that animals should have rights and the second, more radical view, is that animals should be liberated. Many of the rights that are promoted for animals are similar to the rights of human democratic societies. The basic rights, which are recommended by a number of advocates, are that animals should be free from suffering, be in posses sion of their own life, and their basic interests should be given the same considerationRead MoreAnimal Rights Essay886 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal rights - moral or legal entitlements attributed to nonhuman animals, usually because of the complexity of their cognitive, emotional, and social lives or their capacity to experience physical or emotional pain or pleasure. (Britannia encyclopedia online, n.d.). The definition of animal rights is so clear to us. Human rights need to be protected, so do animal rights. In 1976, in New York City, thousands of cat lovers were beaten when they heard a painful test to be taken for pets’ sexualRead MoreEssay on ANIMAL RIGHTS790 Words   |  4 PagesAnimals have their own rights as do to humans and we should respect that and give them the same respect we give each other. Animals deserve to be given those same basic rights as humans. All humans are considered equal and ethical principles and legal statutes should protect the rights of ani mals to live according to their own nature and remain free from exploitation. This paper is going to argue that animals deserve to have the same rights as humans and therefore, we don’t have the right to killRead MoreAnimal Rights Philosophy768 Words   |  4 Pagesissue of animal rights, Carl Cohen takes on the perspective of a reformist. This means that he accepts animal experimentation and meat eating, but believes that these institutions need to be improved upon. Cohen approaches the issue of animal rights using the ideas of obligations and rights, with not only the reformist perspective, but with the speciesist perspective. The conclusion he draws is that animals do not necessarily have rights just because humans have moral obligations to animals. CohenRead MoreThe Argument Of Animal Rights2068 Words   |  9 PagesSeems rhetorical, but the fact is animals live through this everyday, without even given the choice. As humans, we establish our authority among all living beings, but for what reasons? Are humans better than all other species? Or is it true that we should hold a precedence over nonhuman animals? The ultimate question then remains, should animals have as much or equal to the same rights as humans? Their are endless arguments for and against this question, and many sub arguments that go hand in handRead MoreAnimal Rights And The Rights Of Animals1843 Words   |  8 Pagesthe rights of animals and if they think and feel like humans do. Many people see animals as mindless creatures or as food, while others think they have emotions and can feel pain. In other countries animal protection laws are in place that are strictly enforced and seem to work well with the system. In the United States however; some of the anima l rights laws are considered to be useless and under-enforced (Animal Legal Historical Center). More people today are beginning to see that animals shouldRead MoreThe Issue Of Animal Rights Essay2300 Words   |  10 PagesAnimals have the right to equal consideration in regards to their being used for human needs as most people use animals for their own needs on a daily basis even if only indirectly whether to entertain us, or to attain the product we are using, or on our dinner plate. The controversy of the treatment of animals range from some activists and philosophers that are outspoken against animals being used by humans in any way for our own personal needs, while others are candid in their belief that animalsRead More Animal Rights Essay2330 Words   |  10 PagesAnimals and man have shared this planet since humans first appeared on earth. Animals have provided transportation, food, clothing, shelter, companionship and entertainment throughout the ages. Therefore, it is our duty to treat animals with respect, care and kindness and not cause them undue suffering, because they have, in many ways, made it possible for man to survive on earth. However, because normal adult humans have superior mental abilities in the hierarchical scale in nature, animals haveRead MoreArgumentary On Animals And Animal Rights1523 Words   |  7 Pagesclass was crazy! There was so much information regarding animal rights†¦ Sasha: I know. But I don’t know if any of that changed my views. I still think becoming a vegetarian is the way to go. Devon: You think? I still think that it is okay to eat meat. The animals just need to be raised in a humane manner. Sasha: Eh†¦I don’t know. Animals should just be left alone and be free to roam around in the wild. They should not be tortured like those animals that I saw while visiting that â€Å"kill floor†. Devon: