American Fiction

Society seems to play important roles in the betterment of life of an individual. Following paper will briefly highlight the differences in themes of three novels; namely â€Å"My Antonia,† by Willa Cather, â€Å"The Age of Innocence,† by Edith Wharton, and â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† by Ernest Hemingway. Introduction ‘Age of Innocence’ written by Edith Wharton in 1920 is a story emerging from the 1870s surrounding an upper class couple in new York city awaiting marriage. Newland Archer, a young lawyer, awaits his marriage with May Welland belonging to one of the riches and best families in New York.This marriage depends on the choice of bride made by Newland Archer but this choice seems to be doubtful after his interaction with the bride’s cousin, Ellen Olenska, returning from Europe after separation from her husband Count Olenski. Countess has decided to divorce the Count, a rather unacceptable decision for her family. Persuasions are worked o n the Countess to make her return to the Count but all in vain. Instead, the interaction between Newland and Ellen grows until as decided by the families, unfortunately, Newland gets married to May.As Ellen continuously refuses to return to the Count, the Count and her family withhold all financial help and support to the Countess. This novel is based on a story and characters that are surrounded by their societies guiding these characters to do the right thing as ‘required’. Although running from typical societal rules, Newland could get married to Ellen but as the families had already arranged for the marriage of May and Newland, there was no way to refuse to the preplanned marriage and leave May, as families in those times were more terrified about being disgraced.Thereby assumptions and morals followed in the American society in 1870s are challenged in this novel with no condemnations of these rules and morals whatsoever. American writer Willa Cather wrote ‘My Antonia’ in 1918. This novel is composed of five books. The story encompasses some immigrant families from Nebraska who move to USA to start a new life. Antonia, the main character of the story, is the eldest daughter of a Bohemian family among the other immigrant families. Jim Burden, narrator of the story is the character who falls in love with Antonia.The five books of this novel highlight the life of Antonia starting from her childhood until getting married and becoming a mother. After a depression based suicide of Antonia’s father, Antonia survives a hard life on the prairie farms of Black Hawk, Nebraska. For the Harlings family in a town nearby, she works as a house cleaner and a cook gaining a reputation of the most beautiful girl in town that upsets the Harlings. Larry Donovan, Antonia’s fiance flees the town before marriage abandoning Antonia pregnant with his child.Antonia finds a happy life being married to Cuzak having ten children with him on the f arms. Jim, on the other hand, is younger than Antonia but is involved in her while Antonia still takes him as a child. Jim attends college and starts studying and after a longer period, still having affection for Antonia in his heart, returns to Black Hawk and finds that she is now a mother of ten children and happily married. All Jim decides to live with now is the memory of Antonia and an affection that he has for her family.Thereby the main theme of this novel is change and transformations of life. ‘A Farewell to Arms’ was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1929. The story emerges from the period of First World War, surrounding a nurse Catherine Barkley who falls in love with an American soldier Frederic Henry. Cynicism of soldiers and displacement of populations that follow wars have been highlighted in the novel. ‘A Farewell to Arms’ is divided into five books that highlight the life and times of these two people during the war.These five books have highli ghted changes in Henry’s philosophy about life and universe, as Catehrine brings order in his life making him understand the importance of values as morality, dignity, and honor. First book talks about the relationship in its beginning stages. The couple spends some time in Milan in summers, being the topic of second book. Third book highlights Henry returning to the battle unit and killing a sergeant for which he is arrested by the battle police for interrogation, where a possibility of Henry being executed arises which he escapes by jumping into a river.Fourth book talks about the couple reuniting in Switzerland. The fifth book highlights a quiet peaceful life being lived by the couple until Catherine undergoes hemorrhage during labor of their son that causes her death making Henry accept the sad reality of death making Henry understand the meaning of life, changing his cynical philosophy. Contrast between Three Novels A great contrast exists between three novels. ‘Ag e of innocence’ written by Edith Wharton talks about the societal rules being followed in New York in 1870s that includes an element of disgrace associated with divorce of a daughter in a family.Giving up personal desires for saving the honor and respect of one’s family is the main theme of this story. A caring aspect of society has been highlighted in this case where values and morals of a society promise to protect a woman within the secure boundaries of her family. Divorce in late 19th century was considered as a disgrace and an invitation to scandals thought of as a threat to women in their future life. On the other hand, a connection has been built between Antonia and her surrounding society in ‘My Antonia’.No caring aspect of the society has been highlighted in the story as compared to ‘Age of innocence’. Men that surround Antonia are shown to follow no rules and morals of their society, as it is evident in case of her first fiance fleei ng and abandoning Antonia pregnant before marriage, making her face shame in front of the society and her family. Changes take place in Antonia as she faces these tragedies being alone until life blesses her with a husband and ten children giving her a peaceful and a protected life on the farms.There is no connection between the characters and their society in case of ‘A Farewell to Arms’. The main reason being the background of the novel, as it was written in the time of First World War when the only matter under consideration is saving one’s own self from death. Wars are defined as tragic thereby any story emerging from these times is tragic. The story highlights a tragic love story that sets in the First World War surrounding a soldier who gives up his military career for the fear of death.Solders think about the universe as being an unordered and an unprotected existence with no God to watch over with no evidence of justice in the surroundings. Morality, dign ity, and honor are nowhere to be seen in the surroundings were war takes place. Emphasis is given to the brutality, injustice, and futility that follows the war as Henry escapes his cynical thoughts about the universe being disordered with the help of Catherine. Henry in the novel is shown to have a strong disbelief in God thereby there was no belief in faith having a relationship with life and morality.A strong atheistic belief existed in Henry and his peers linking it with nil existence of faith thus no morality, justice and no need of moral rules in the society. Henry is shown to understand the meaning of life by the ways he struggles to escape the interrogation and execution in the hands of the police. As the name of the novel indicates, Henry says farewell to not only the arms and his military career by making an escape but also to the cynical philosophy that he held about life.Understanding that struggles can be a part of life, Henry struggles to reunite with Catherina, althou gh defeat waits in the end. However, all that matters in the end is to realize the meaning of an existence of the universe and a God. Thus, there is no connection of this novel with the other two novels, as the other two novels do not talk about disbelief in the existence of universe and morality. In fact, the characters in the other two novels have been shown to live in a society built around principles of morality.A strong role has been suggested by the two novels in the lives of its characters but there is no belief in society nor its existence in the case of third novel thereby there is no role of society being played in the betterment of the life of its characters in ‘A Farewell to Arms’. Conclusion There is a prominent contrast in the three novels. First novel ‘Age of Innocence’ talks about shaping an individuals’ life based on rules and regulations that are shaped by a society and families that surrounds him; as these morals promise to protect the individuals.Second novel talks about the slow transitions that take place in the life of an individual living in a society with individuals not following morality to protect an individual. In the third novel, the main theme is a change in the philosophy of an individual about life and the universe while struggling to reunite with his love while escaping death. Works Cited Johnson, D. Claudia. , and Johnson, Elso, Vernon. The social impact of the novel: a reference guide. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002.

“a Farewell to Arms” by Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms A symbol is an idea that represents another idea that has meaning behind it. In â€Å"A farewell to arms† by Hemingway, there are several symbols that help us understand the story better. Rain, river, and the officer’s stars are some that Hemingway uses to represent another idea. Rain is a recurrent symbol in the book that represents the idea of death and lost. At the beginning of the book Lt. Henry says â€Å"At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. But it was checked and in the end only seven thousand died of it in the army† (Hemingway 4). Lt. Henry is associating the rain with the seven thousands of soldiers that died. When Henry and Catherine are in the hospital she says that â€Å"she is afraid of the rain because she sees herself dead in it† (Hemingway 126). She says this because she is afraid that his love for Henry will not last and eventually their love will die. While rain represents death and lost in the other hand the river represents the opposite. River is another important symbol in â€Å"A farewell to arms†. The river represents hope, a new beginning. When Lt. Henry is capture by the battle police for treachery he thinks to himself; â€Å"So far they had shot every one they had questioned [†¦ ] I ducked down, pushed between two men, and ran for the river† (Hemingway 225). Lt. Henry jumps into the river because he wants to forget everything about the war. He leaves everything behind except Catherine to start a new life. Officers often wear stars to represent their status in the army and show how important they are. They represent competence and duty. In chapter 15 when Lt. Henry is the hospital because of his injured leg a doctor tells him they can not operate till 3 months. Lt. Henry calls for another doctor, Dr. Valentini which agrees to operate on him. Lt Henry says â€Å"There was a star in a box on his sleeve because was a major† (Hemingway 100). Henry is knows his in good hands because of the star the doctor is wearing while the other doctors did not have stars on their sleeve. Another example is chapter 32 when Henry talks about removing his stars and uniform; â€Å" I would like to have had the uniform off although I did not care much about the outward forms. I had taken off the stars [†¦] I was through. (Hemingway 232). Lt. Henry does this because he does not want to have anything related to war, since the stars and uniform represent his duty in war he takes it off to forget about the war. In â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† the symbols such as rain, river, and the officer’s stars help us understand the story better. Rain symbolizes death and lost while river symbolizes a new beginning, new life, and finally the stars the officers wear on their sleeve represent the competence and duty.

KNBC's Channel 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

KNBC's Channel 4 - Essay Example It was almost too fast to follow and once a subject was completed, the feeling was one of wanting to know more. But the next subject was being discussed by then. The top stories covered in the April 30 newscast were, first, the Hollywood fire reported originally on April 29 and completely contained and put out by 8 am on April 30. One building and four small businesses were destroyed. It was like a firecracker that fizzled, although the anchors did try to make it interesting by mentioning familiar sites nearby such as the Pantages and Capitol Theaters and the building's location at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The name of the restaurant may have been given, but it was not repeated. It was said to be similar to the Brown Derby. Also, Lindsey Lohan was mentioned as celebrating her 21st birthday at the restaurant/nightclub known for its erotic dancers. Although there apparently was no specific charge of arson, according to the anchors, because of earlier suspicious fires that might be arson, an investigation was underway to determine if the fire was accidental. KNBC does have a Web site and the story was presented in far more detail with video and photographs (Crews Investigate). The name of the restaurant was given on the Web site-Basque Restaurant and Nightclub. The second story to be presented was the May 1 protest at McArthur Park at which it was thought 25,000 to 100,000 people might attend. Because of clashes between police, demonstrators and journalists the year before, a low profile was planned by police. Previous use of force by police in 2007 embarassed both police and city officials, and the officers were retrained for the present protest. The protest was against federal immigration laws, which the Latino population felt were dividing families and were unfair. This was followed by the border protest "Stop the Mexican Government," which was quickly noted on the broadcast but not discussed in detail. The coverage of the protest was continued on Moyer and Williams' evening broadcast on May 1 and dominated the news hour, even though only 10,000 protestors showed up, not the expected 100,000, and there were no major disturbances. Again, the story again brought to mind a fizzled firecracker. The team announced the death of a San Francisco surfer killed on Monday, the 28th of April by a grey shark when he bled to death from a thigh injury. The fact that the incident occurred in Mexico was stressed. The federal interest rate was the next topic of discussion, cut .25% , which, it was noted, weakens the dollar once again. The broadcasters further discussed the fact that the government says there is no recession, even though the rising price of food and gas and the plummeting housing market does not confirm this. Except for obvious but unspoken criticism of President Bush, Moyer and Williams' political coverage was balanced with McCain offering tax credits re health costs, Hillary Clinton credited with appealing to blue collar workers, and Michelle Obama making no comment about Rev. Wright. Obama claims 10 super deligates and Hillary only 6. The final story presented was on the firefight across 580 acres of the Sierra Madre

Business Strategy in Extractive Industries Essay

Business Strategy in Extractive Industries - Essay Example The company must improve on its reserve replacement rate. Although, the company has a good price earnings ratio, still they need to work on their return on equity values. This is significant from the investors’ point of view. Overall the company has a ‘stable’ financial state. At the same time it has enough strength to strengthen its performance in the next years. Statoil is a leading European company engaged in natural oil and gas production. It is Norway based company and has expanded in most of the major oil and gas markets of the world. It has been operating in this industry since the last 28 years and has acquired a lion’s share in the market. It is the biggest oil and gas company in Norway. The industrial structure of Norway is very competitive with high degree of governmental interference. Most of the oil and gas reserves in Norway are controlled by the government. Statoil has been no exception to it and Government holds nearly 70% of its total stake. However, now the government is looking forward to open the economy by liberalizing the market. If the government is successful in its attempts, the competition in the energy industry will be intensified further. Statoil has become one of the major players in the energy industry as it has successfully acquired the competitive advantage over its competitors. In order to develop the competitive advantage, Statoil has maintained its resources and capabilities quite efficiently. Major resources of Statoil include its vast oil & gas reserves and its up-to-date technology & innovation. Apart from these, it has also acquired sufficient skilled manpower and financial resources. These resources have enabled the company to gain an upper hand by adding value to its brand image. Overall financial position of Statoil is satisfactorily stable. The P/E and liquidity ratio and low-debt preference indicate the stabile condition of the company. However, according to

Wk1 discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wk1 discussion - Essay Example ge masters degree holder in counseling or its related mental health discipline; have completed at least two (2) years post masters clinical work with certification; and has passed the national licensure or certification examination. Mental health counselors apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of settings such as independent practice, managed behavioral health care organizations, community agencies, integrated delivery systems, employee assistance programs, hospitals, and substance abuse treatment centers. They also extend full range services in specific areas of Assessment and Diagnosis, Psychotherapy, Brief and solution-focused therapy, Treatment planning and utilization review, Psycho educational and prevention programs, Alcoholism and substance abuse treatment and Crisis management. Another helping profession other than Mental Health Counseling is the Clinical Psychology. Clinical Psychology is a specialize area and constitute the largest specialty in the field of Psychology whereby, experts or Clinical psychologists work most often in certain independent or group practices, counseling centers, hospitals, or clinics. Furthermore, they help emotionally and mentally distressed clients who adjust to life as well as may assist medical or surgical clients in dealing with injuries or illnesses. Some clinical psychologists also work in treating patients who suffer from spinal cord injuries, physical rehabilitation settings, chronic pain or illness, arthritis, stroke, or neurological conditions. There are also other clinical psychologists who help people in dealing with personal crisis, like divorce or death of a loved one (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Occupational Employment Statistics, 2009). The difference in the two aforementioned professions (Mental health counseling and Clinical psychology) is that (AMHCA, 2009) Mental health counseling basically provide more broad and flexible roles as far as mental health service is concerned. It

Venus Compared Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Venus Compared - Term Paper Example The ancient Greeks used it as a means of worship, honoring their gods and goddesses with as perfect representations as they could create. Inheriting that tradition from the Greeks, the Romans developed an artistic approach that would both honor their gods and commemorate cultural and individual achievements. It was here that the figure of Venus first came to life only to be subsumed by the Middle Ages and reborn in the light of the Renaissance which has itself been reflected in later periods. Even as the figure of the goddess herself remains relatively similar in terms of subject matter and context, depictions of Venus from the ancient period through the Renaissance and into the more modern age demonstrate vastly different approaches to the concept of female perfection. Such differences are easy to see when comparing the ancient Capitoline Venus (second century BC) with the famous Renaissance painting of her in Botticelli's painting "Birth of Venus" (1485) and the Botero's contempora ry statue of her in the form of the "Broadgate Venus" (1989). The Capitoline Venus is a marble statue created during the Roman era, probably during the 2nd century BC. The statue presents a very lifelike woman as she shyly prepares to step into a bath. She folds into herself a little bit, which is different from many of the other statues of the time which stood boldly nude and upright. Most of her weight is carried on one foot with her hips and shoulders twisted a bit in a counterpose position. Her shoulders curve in toward her chest and her upper body seems to hover over her lower body, as if she is attempting to protect it from prying eyes. This impression is heightened by her arms which fold inward with an obvious attempt at covering her breasts and pubic area even though she doesn't actually touch her body. Her pose suggests modesty and chastity, both characteristics she protects (Guerber, 1990). However, she is not the vision of perfection one might imagine. â€Å"Her modesty in covering her breasts with her hand only serves to emphasize them, while her head turns shyly to one side. However, the beauty of her body is impaired by the too large head weighed down by the hair and the common facial features† (Morton, 1990, p. 366). The beauty of her body suggests her divine nature as something worthy of worship while her pose, particularly as compared to other statues of the time, suggests her function; however, the not-so-perfect head may also be a reflection of the Roman's understanding that their gods and goddesses were not perfect. They had their own flaws, petty jealousies, and other weaknesses. The way this statue is made thus reflects the cultural beliefs in which it was made. Goddesses might be divine and have a degree of perfection well beyond the ability of normal women, but they still had their modesty, they still moved like mortal women, and they still had their own small flaws that got in the way. The period between the fall of Rome and the rise of the Renaissance saw very little art celebrating goddesses of any kind, so it isn't until the Renaissance that Venus was able to reemerge into the art world. When she did, she did so in a big way. Understood broadly as the goddess of love, Venus was reborn in statues and paintings throughout Italy with perhaps one of the most famous portrayals performed by Botticelli. While she had appeared in other works before him, Boticelli made a splash with his â€Å"Birth of Venus† (1485). In this image, Venus is again portrayed in the nude as she had been in ancient art, which was breaking the rules of the time as only divinities (Jesus, Mary, and the saints) were accepted when depicted nude. He did draw a line, though, in determining

Outline summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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