We are ready to represent the best custom paper writing assistance that can cope with any task like Identity even at the eleventh hour. The matter is that we posses the greatest base of expert writers. Our staff of freelance writers includes approximately 300 experienced writers are at your disposal all year round. They are striving to provide the best ever services to the most desperate students that have already lost the hope for academic success. We offer the range of the most widely required, however, not recommended for college use papers. It is advisable to use our examples like Identity in learning at public-education level. Get prepared and be smart with our best essay samples cheap and fast! Get in touch and we will write excellent custom coursework or essay especially for you.
Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal,” is a short story of a talented young black male’s struggle to find his identity through the lies and racism of the whites, and his own people, who believe his actions, are those of a sell out, of African-Americans. This is true in a way because the narrator does take advantage of the white sponsored education, but in another sense, he is also taking advantage of the education to elevate himself in the white society and ultimately suppress white authority more effectively. Although the narrator was deceived into giving a speech at a gathering of the town’s leading white citizens, mislead into fighting in “battle royal,” a boxing match, and tricked into gratitude of the white’s gift of a scholarship to a “college for Negroes,” in the end he will discover his own identity and that neither the whites nor the blacks hold the key.
When the narrator showed up hotel to give his speech, he was told that he might as well take part in battle royal, which came before his speech. He was lead on the front of the ballroom, and in front of his stood a naked, blonde, white woman with an American flag painted on her stomach. The narrator was attracted to her, “had the price of looking at her been blindness, I would have looked,” but at the same he despised her. She was there to tease the men, both blacks and whites. The blonde represented something that the narrator couldn’t have, in more ways than one. He couldn’t have her sexually, because at the time, a black man couldn’t be with a white woman. Another reason that she represented something he couldn’t have was because the American flag on her stomach represents freedom. The narrator didn’t have true freedom yet. But in a sense the narrator can relate to this woman. At the time, both the blacks and women were treated as property and not humans.
After the blonde left the room, the boys were all ordered to get into the ring. “All ten of us climbed under the ropes and allowed ourselves to be blindfolded with broad bands of white cloth.” The boys literal blindfolding in the ring parallels the men’s metaphorical blindness as they watch the fight. The men view the boys not as individuals, but as inferior beings, as animals. The blindfolds also represent the boys’ own metaphorical blindness-their inability to see through the false masks of goodwill that barely conceal the men’s racist motives as they force the boys to conform to the racial stereotype of the black man as a violent, savage beast. The narrator, blind in so many ways, has not yet learned to see behind the masks, behind the surfaces of things, behind the veils put up by white society.
One by one the boys began to leave the ring leaving only the narrator and Tatlock, the biggest of the gang. The blind folds were removed and the narrator was forced to fight Tatlock. The narrator clinched with Tatlock and told him to fake a knock out and Tatlock would be able to keep the prize. Tatlock didn’t agree, at that point he didn’t care about the prize, he was after the narrator. “I’ll break your behind,” he whispered, “For them?” “For me, sonofabitch.” He was after the narrator because he was light skinned, in that time, known as ginger-colored, aiding in the fact that his own people, African-Americans, think he’s a sell out. The narrator believes that he is superior to the other boys there. He views himself as a guest of the white people; while the other boys are there because of the money that they may win from fighting in battle royal. As the narrator started to fight back, he had a chance to knock out Tatlock and win the fight. However, when he was about to move in for the win, he heard a voice in the audience yell out, “I got my money on the big boy.” The narrator almost dropped his guard, he started to get confused, wondering whether he should go against the voice, isn’t it going against his speech? And in his doubt the narrator was knocked unconscious, and lost the fight. As the narrator lied on the floor, he blood soaked onto the floor. “And I lay there, hazily watching a dark red spot of my own blood shaping itself into a butterfly, glistening and soaking into the soiled gray world of the canvas.” Just as a butterfly dies shortly coming into the world from its cocoon, a part of the narrator dies because the voice of the white man caused him confusion and he started to doubt himself. He wasn’t able to show who his truly is, and what he is capable of.
The narrator still has not learned to see behind the veil of the white society, and lunged on the rug for a gold coin. Only too late does he discover the falsity of the supposedly gold coins and of white generosity, the painful electric current ran through the rug, it was electrified. He tried to avoid touching the rug, but the men began to push him onto it. “It seemed a whole century would pass before I would roll free, a century in which I was seared through the deepest levels of my body to the fearful breath within me and the breath seared and heated to the point of explosion.” Just as he is rolling through the rug, his ancestors had endured such pain, and much greater, when they were slaves.
Finally, after enduring the pain of the naked blonde, Tatlock, and the rug, the narrator is allowed to make his speech. “Whenever I uttered a word of three or more syllables a group of voices would yell for me to repeat it. I used the phrase “social responsibility” and they yelled “What’s that you say, boy?” After having to repeat the word so many times, and trying to swallow the blood in his mouth, the narrator accidentally and unconsciously said, “social equality.” The crowd began to get unpleasant, and shouted hostile phrases at him. They started to put him back in his place. “We mean to do right by you, but you’ve got to know your place at all times.” The moment he exhibits an individual opinion, the men demand that he reassume the good slave role. By rewarding him with the briefcase and scholarship only when he does so, the men restrict his social advancement to their terms.
As the narrator matures, he will develop new conceptions of race relations and come to a new understanding of how to assert his own identity within and against these relations. Each one of our journeys through life is different. Accordingly, there are no hard and fast rules to guide those of us who seek a better understanding of ourselves and life in general. Much of what we are is beyond our power, such as our genetic inheritance. However, we all have the same drives such as those for power, food, and social contact. These drives all vie for satisfaction and their varying strengths and weaknesses determine our core characteristics. Advances in technologies in the past centuries have increased each persons ability and likelihood of interacting with people of cultural backgrounds quite different from his own. However, it is still ones own duty to cope with the growing world, and to discover one’s identity.
Mind that the sample papers like Identity presented are to be used for review only. In order to warn you and eliminate any plagiarism writing intentions, it is highly recommended not to use the essays in class. In cases you experience difficulties with essay writing in class and for in class use, order original papers with our expert writers. Cheap custom papers can be written from scratch for each customer that entrusts his or her academic success to our writing team. Order your unique assignment from the best custom writing services cheap and fast!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Heroism in literature
We are ready to represent the best custom paper writing assistance that can cope with any task like Heroism in literature even at the eleventh hour. The matter is that we posses the greatest base of expert writers. Our staff of freelance writers includes approximately 300 experienced writers are at your disposal all year round. They are striving to provide the best ever services to the most desperate students that have already lost the hope for academic success. We offer the range of the most widely required, however, not recommended for college use papers. It is advisable to use our examples like Heroism in literature in learning at public-education level. Get prepared and be smart with our best essay samples cheap and fast! Get in touch and we will write excellent custom coursework or essay especially for you.
Heroism in Literature
Stories of yesterday have defied time in the essence that they are eternal. From as early as the tenth century, English authors have found ample ways of sharing their stories with the world. These timeless stories usually involve a threat of some kind with a character who defeats this threat. That character is often called a hero. The epic poem Beowulf and Shakespeare’s tragedy of Hamlet are just two of these eternal stories. These two stories have a character that is often referred to as a hero. Beowulf and Hamlet, although written at very different times, describe what the concept of a hero is, how the hero is viewed by society, and how heroes can differ depending on their personality.
The concept of a hero in is a man with unusual strength. This strength is both physical and mental. A hero is thought of as a fearless leader. Heroes are brave, self-less, powerful men who will stop at nothing to rid the world of evil (Tucker). A hero cannot be afraid of death he must face it head-on. Beowulf and Hamlet are both considered heroes of their time, though for different reasons.
The society that Beowulf represents is one of great turmoil. It is a male-dominated society based on warfare. During the time the epic was written, men were expected to be honorable and brave. For a warrior, the purpose in life was to die in battle. Those who did not die would gain honor and glory. People believed that their lives were predetermined. There were some who were meant to die and some who were meant to prosper. For these people fame was the highest honor. “I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. / As I sat in the boat with my band of men, / I meant to perform to the uttermost/ what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, / in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfill that purpose, / prove myself with a proud deed/ or meet my death here in the mead-hall”(Heaney, 18).
The society that Hamlet represents is quite different from that of Beowulf. Hamlet is living during the time of the Renaissance in England. The society is experiencing a rebirth of ideas. Education is valued highly and the concept of humanism is being explored. Humanism is “human centered” thought. Man is thought of as innately good. The major “war” was between the Catholic Church and the Protestants. Men did not battle daily; there was time for reflection and leisure. The people of the time were not looking for someone to “save” them. They were looking for a strong leader to assure them peace and safety. At this time a hero could be someone of superior mental strength. “Let me be cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none”(Miller). Hamlet has decided to use his mind rather than his might, to defeat his uncle.
The personality of the hero in a story can be reflected in his actions. Beowulf was a fierce warrior who was trained to fight. This is why he feels no fear when challenging the monsters. He is not consumed by the fear of death, but rather relishes in the fact that he could die in the most honorable fashion. Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat evil. He believes it would be braver if he were to fight without any weapons. Beowulf completely disregards his own safety for the safety of others. He pursues the danger until he is able to conquer it. Beowulf is a man of action. He understands that something needs to be done quickly and he does it. Beowulf sees a threat and demolishes it. Beowulf is arrogant in the sense that he does not respect death. He does not think death will get him. This air of confidence could be just the thing that gets Beowulf killed.
Hamlet on the other hand is a man of inaction. Had Hamlet been an instinctual character, like Beowulf, he would have immediately run and committed murder (Andrews). Hamlet displays psychology under extreme stress (Tucker). Hamlet did show some heroic characteristics. He demonstrated a lack of fear when he spoke with a ghost. He also acted boldly by plunging the sword into the stranger behind the curtains. Hamlet spends most of his time pondering what to do. He loses the motive of revenge because he is consumed with hatred for his mother. Hamlet is led by his mind, not his heart. He has opportunities to kill Claudius but his conscience gets the better of him. “At times he allowed himself to fearlessly speak back to Claudius, while others feared to do so because of his powerful political position” (Andrews). He makes plans to avenge his father’s murder, but little is followed through until the last act of the play. Hamlet finally comes out of his shell of fear and contemplation to kill both King Claudius and his mother.
Some scholars would even refer to Hamlet as an Anti-Hero. Hamlet shows many signs of weakness and immaturity. He refuses to accept the fact that his mother has remarried and that his all-powerful father is dead. He suffers from the Oedipus complex, he envisions his father to be the best thing in the world. Hamlet is not overtly angry with Claudius. His anger is for his mother alone. Hamlet is definitely not self-less. The person he is mostly concerned for is himself. He wonders why his father was taken from him, not why his father was murdered. He does not seem too concerned with the fact that his father’s soul has to dwell in purgatory. He cannot fathom why it has to be him who suffers so greatly and not someone else. Another characteristic of an anti-hero is the fact that Hamlet draws sympathy, as well as admiration from the reader (Tucker). A typical hero would not require sympathy. The fact that Hamlet’s life is not directly in jeopardy attributes to his “hero” status. In addition, his major fault is the desire to avenge his father’s death, an act considered completely honorable by the reader. However, Hamlet’s negative attributes including his rudeness towards others, and a violent nature when he kills Polonius with no remorse, causes a reclassification from the classic hero, to the more appropriate label of anti-hero (Andrews).
The authors of both works accurately depict the concept of a hero during that time, how each society views its heroes, and how the personality of the hero is revealed in the actions or inactions taken. Heroes of today are people who put others first, who are not afraid to risk their lives for the greater good of man. Heroes are born everyday; those who exude honor and valor are those who will be remembered in the future. The concept of a hero changes slightly with every generation, but one-thing remains, the willingness to never give up.
Mind that the sample papers like Heroism in literature presented are to be used for review only. In order to warn you and eliminate any plagiarism writing intentions, it is highly recommended not to use the essays in class. In cases you experience difficulties with essay writing in class and for in class use, order original papers with our expert writers. Cheap custom papers can be written from scratch for each customer that entrusts his or her academic success to our writing team. Order your unique assignment from the best custom writing services cheap and fast!
Heroism in Literature
Stories of yesterday have defied time in the essence that they are eternal. From as early as the tenth century, English authors have found ample ways of sharing their stories with the world. These timeless stories usually involve a threat of some kind with a character who defeats this threat. That character is often called a hero. The epic poem Beowulf and Shakespeare’s tragedy of Hamlet are just two of these eternal stories. These two stories have a character that is often referred to as a hero. Beowulf and Hamlet, although written at very different times, describe what the concept of a hero is, how the hero is viewed by society, and how heroes can differ depending on their personality.
The concept of a hero in is a man with unusual strength. This strength is both physical and mental. A hero is thought of as a fearless leader. Heroes are brave, self-less, powerful men who will stop at nothing to rid the world of evil (Tucker). A hero cannot be afraid of death he must face it head-on. Beowulf and Hamlet are both considered heroes of their time, though for different reasons.
The society that Beowulf represents is one of great turmoil. It is a male-dominated society based on warfare. During the time the epic was written, men were expected to be honorable and brave. For a warrior, the purpose in life was to die in battle. Those who did not die would gain honor and glory. People believed that their lives were predetermined. There were some who were meant to die and some who were meant to prosper. For these people fame was the highest honor. “I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. / As I sat in the boat with my band of men, / I meant to perform to the uttermost/ what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, / in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfill that purpose, / prove myself with a proud deed/ or meet my death here in the mead-hall”(Heaney, 18).
The society that Hamlet represents is quite different from that of Beowulf. Hamlet is living during the time of the Renaissance in England. The society is experiencing a rebirth of ideas. Education is valued highly and the concept of humanism is being explored. Humanism is “human centered” thought. Man is thought of as innately good. The major “war” was between the Catholic Church and the Protestants. Men did not battle daily; there was time for reflection and leisure. The people of the time were not looking for someone to “save” them. They were looking for a strong leader to assure them peace and safety. At this time a hero could be someone of superior mental strength. “Let me be cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none”(Miller). Hamlet has decided to use his mind rather than his might, to defeat his uncle.
The personality of the hero in a story can be reflected in his actions. Beowulf was a fierce warrior who was trained to fight. This is why he feels no fear when challenging the monsters. He is not consumed by the fear of death, but rather relishes in the fact that he could die in the most honorable fashion. Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat evil. He believes it would be braver if he were to fight without any weapons. Beowulf completely disregards his own safety for the safety of others. He pursues the danger until he is able to conquer it. Beowulf is a man of action. He understands that something needs to be done quickly and he does it. Beowulf sees a threat and demolishes it. Beowulf is arrogant in the sense that he does not respect death. He does not think death will get him. This air of confidence could be just the thing that gets Beowulf killed.
Hamlet on the other hand is a man of inaction. Had Hamlet been an instinctual character, like Beowulf, he would have immediately run and committed murder (Andrews). Hamlet displays psychology under extreme stress (Tucker). Hamlet did show some heroic characteristics. He demonstrated a lack of fear when he spoke with a ghost. He also acted boldly by plunging the sword into the stranger behind the curtains. Hamlet spends most of his time pondering what to do. He loses the motive of revenge because he is consumed with hatred for his mother. Hamlet is led by his mind, not his heart. He has opportunities to kill Claudius but his conscience gets the better of him. “At times he allowed himself to fearlessly speak back to Claudius, while others feared to do so because of his powerful political position” (Andrews). He makes plans to avenge his father’s murder, but little is followed through until the last act of the play. Hamlet finally comes out of his shell of fear and contemplation to kill both King Claudius and his mother.
Some scholars would even refer to Hamlet as an Anti-Hero. Hamlet shows many signs of weakness and immaturity. He refuses to accept the fact that his mother has remarried and that his all-powerful father is dead. He suffers from the Oedipus complex, he envisions his father to be the best thing in the world. Hamlet is not overtly angry with Claudius. His anger is for his mother alone. Hamlet is definitely not self-less. The person he is mostly concerned for is himself. He wonders why his father was taken from him, not why his father was murdered. He does not seem too concerned with the fact that his father’s soul has to dwell in purgatory. He cannot fathom why it has to be him who suffers so greatly and not someone else. Another characteristic of an anti-hero is the fact that Hamlet draws sympathy, as well as admiration from the reader (Tucker). A typical hero would not require sympathy. The fact that Hamlet’s life is not directly in jeopardy attributes to his “hero” status. In addition, his major fault is the desire to avenge his father’s death, an act considered completely honorable by the reader. However, Hamlet’s negative attributes including his rudeness towards others, and a violent nature when he kills Polonius with no remorse, causes a reclassification from the classic hero, to the more appropriate label of anti-hero (Andrews).
The authors of both works accurately depict the concept of a hero during that time, how each society views its heroes, and how the personality of the hero is revealed in the actions or inactions taken. Heroes of today are people who put others first, who are not afraid to risk their lives for the greater good of man. Heroes are born everyday; those who exude honor and valor are those who will be remembered in the future. The concept of a hero changes slightly with every generation, but one-thing remains, the willingness to never give up.
Mind that the sample papers like Heroism in literature presented are to be used for review only. In order to warn you and eliminate any plagiarism writing intentions, it is highly recommended not to use the essays in class. In cases you experience difficulties with essay writing in class and for in class use, order original papers with our expert writers. Cheap custom papers can be written from scratch for each customer that entrusts his or her academic success to our writing team. Order your unique assignment from the best custom writing services cheap and fast!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)