Personal Narrative My First Day at School Essay - 1722 Words

My first day at school My first day at school was a new adventure for me. I had to wear a school uniform: a blue dress and handmade leather sandals. Having run around all but naked for the first eight years of my life, it was very exciting. At school we learnt about Australian culture and its social classes as well as social classes worldwide. Throughout my studies I learnt that Australia wasnt a classless society. The class to which a person belonged determined how they were treated and we learnt through two particular films: Educating Rita (Willy Russell, 1983) and My Fair Lady (Bernard Shaw, 1964) that it is indeed possible to break the mould and change where you end up in life. Rita is a twenty-six year old hairdresser from†¦show more content†¦Frank has a good job, owns a grand house and hosts impressive, sophisticated parties. He speaks in a very intellectual manner: ?I am afraid, Rita, that you will find that there is much less to me than meets the eye.? To which Rita replies: ?See, y can say dead clever things like that, cant y? I wish I could talk like that. Its brilliant.? Through Frank and Trish the film is putting forward an assumption about the upper class which is that they lead very pretentious lives, a faà §ade that masks a saddening and deep emptiness. This is further accentuated when Trish attempts suicide and says ?When I listen to poetry and music, then I can live?.the rest of the time it?s just me, and that?s not enough.? Also, the film is putting across an assumption about the lower class which is that it takes little to make them happy. This is further emphasized when Rita exclaims,? You think because you pass a pub door and you hear us all singing we?re okay, that we?re surviving with the spirit intact? Another very noticeable assumption that the film is putting across is the differentiation of morals and values of the lower and upper classes. The upper class is illustrated as having very questionable morals and ethics, and this is best understood through Frank, Frank?s partner Julia and her lover. Even though Julia is in a relationship with Frank, she blatantly cheats on him with one of his collogues. Also, Rita further explores this concept when she says, ?oh yeah,Show MoreRelatedPersonal Narrative : My First Day At School989 Words   |  4 PagesBEEP! My digital clock struck 7:00, my light turned on, and I got ready. â€Å"Oh, it’s my first day of second grade,† I remembered while putting on my hat. The sun was shining through my bedroom window, lighting up the corners of the room. This is 2011 in September and I was ready for my first day of second grade. I walked out of my room, seeing my entire family arisen from their peaceful slumber. I sat down at the table, pouring in a bowl of Kix and scarfing them down like I haven’t eaten in days. OnceRead MorePersonal Narrative : My First Day At School73 2 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Come on Jason, get in the car!† Mom yelled. I raced upstairs to get my backpack and darted out the door. Being late on my first day at a new school was not something I wanted to happen. Mom started driving right as I closed the door because she didn’t want me to be late either. As we approached Fairfield Jr. High School I got the butterflies in my stomach from seeing all these new faces. Someone dressed in black dress pants, black shoes, a white button up, and a black tie was greeting everyRead MoreMy Family And Education Is Important For Your Future1221 Words   |  5 Pagesthemes in my family’s narrative. The first theme in society that contradicts the values of my family is homosexuality. As mentioned above, religion is a large part of my family, therefore, homosexuality is not part of the catholic religion. With that being said my family has a strong opinion and belief about same sex relationships. The second theme compliments my family’s values and that is getting and education. In broader culture getting and education is important for your future and in my familyRead MoreThe Narrative Theory / Paradigm1477 Words   |  6 PagesThe narrative theory/paradigm states that everything we do can be laid out as a story (Fisher, 1984). The main points of the theory/paradigm are the following: humans are essentially storytellers; decisions that humans make are based off of good reasons rather than proof; what we do and how we think is swayed by accounts of history, biography, culture and character; our rationality is determined by our sense of probability (the coherency of the narrative) and narrative fidelity (whether the storyRead MorePersonality Can Be A Hard Concept To Pinpoint, Considering1315 Words   |  6 Pagesextravert. For me I believe my personal narrative has had a large impact on my personality and so I am going to start there. I believe that an individuals personal narrative can be one of the most telling signs of one’s true personality, or at least what got them to how they are today. Most of the theories and the personality tests are used to apply to the masses and they are then able to portion off smaller groups to certain personalities. With a personal narrative however, this really dives deepRead More I Hate Narrative Essays1154 Words   |  5 Pagesdue in a scant 4 hours and I had all week to do it. The radio had stopped working because my brother got on the Internet and thus cut off my connection. That was the least of my problems working on this paper. I got it done, though. My life changed with one trip of a teacher to the chalkboard and one phrase, narrative essay. God, I hate narrative essays. My day was going well. I devoured a big breakfast, my brother, for once, got out of the shower quick, and no major assignment was pending. LifeRead MoreBiological Narrative1617 Words   |  7 PagesPERSONAL POTRAIT: A BIOLOGICAL NARRATIVE 2 John C. Carter Capella University Dr. Janice J. Caron August 29, 2010 Abstract Eric Erickson is best known for his studies with psychosocial development, or the development of a person within a social context. Eric Erickson’s theories focused primarily on the correlation of the release of sexual tension and psychosexual development. The purpose of this paper is for the author to develop a personal portrait integrating Erickson’s developmentalRead MoreA Short Story1483 Words   |  6 Pageslong day of school work. My body sagged with fatigue, arms unable to rise above my waist, and my head drooped in eagerness to meet my bed. Of course I was eager in turn to meet my head’s throbbing expectations, leaping into bed to a night long and full of eventful dreams. Then I heard those fatal words, courtesy of my darling mother ,† Did you have good day? Did you get everything done that you needed to?† â€Å"Mrghm†¦ In-a-bit†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , came my mumbled, muffled, reply. As much as I anticipated giving my bodyRead MoreNarrative Essay1497 Words   |  6 PagesThe Narrative Essay *What is a Narrative Essay? †¢ Narrative writing tells a story. In essays, the narrative writing could also be considered reflection or an exploration of the authors values told as a story. The author may remember his or her past, or a memorable person or event from that past, or even observe the present. †¢ The author may write about: -An experience or event from his or her past. -A recent or ongoing experience or event. Read MorePersonal Narrative For The Nebraska State Writing Test761 Words   |  4 Pagesgrade language arts where my main focus is to prepare my students to write a personal narrative for the Nebraska State Writing Test in January. Reading and writing are intertwined in my area of professional responsibility as I motivate my students to write a well-organized, creative personal narrative. As I have taught writing, I have found reading, writing, speaking, and listening go hand in hand when composing a personal narrative (Bruning, 2011, p. 299). First of all, reading is an important

Literature questions Free Essays

1. What is the nature of Feudal society in the Middle Ages? How might Aquinas’ concept of Natural Law reflect the more general medieval belief in hierarchy and a hierarchical universe? How does Dante’s Inferno also reflect the medieval belief in hierarchy? In other words, how does the poem structure the punishment of sin in relationship to God’s love (or its absence)? Provide two examples to illustrate this relationship, one early, one late, to show the change as we descend. The nature of Feudal society in the Middle Ages was very much that the roles of people of various classes were very much defined. We will write a custom essay sample on Literature questions or any similar topic only for you Order Now The feudal lords would rule over the peasants and each person’s role in society was defined by his rank and his birth. The concept of Aquinas’ Natural Law philosophy reflects the more general medieval belief in hierarchy and hierarchical universe because this philosophy implies that there is a natural state of things; for example, the poor should be beneath the rich. Also, the concept of what is right versus what is wrong is part of this Natural Law. This idea is evident in the beliefs of the medieval period and within that particular society. In literature this belief is also reflected, such as in Dante’s Inferno, a poem that deals with hell and damnation. In this literature the medieval belief in hierarchy is connected to the idea of man’s sin. The idea of purgatory is important to the medieval belief in hierarchy because it leads one to believe that there is a natural order in the universe as well as on earth. Just as the main character in Dante’s Inferno must go through various stages of hell and purgatory before he can be reconnected with God’s love, so is this seen on earth in earthly institutions and society. 2. What are the key features of Renaissance Humanism? How does it view the capacities of humanity in distinction to the views of the Middle Ages? How might Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing reflect the new Renaissance view of humanity? Renaissance humanism is a philosophical movement that put a great deal of emphasis on what mankind can accomplish. In direct contradiction to the traditional Christian beliefs in Europe at the time, which focused on the sinfulness of mankind and that he was nothing without God, the humanist movement steered people towards the liberal arts and the humanities in hopes that the potential of mankind could be appreciated. This philosophy was almost heretical because it places such an emphasis on beauty, art, and humankind and not completely on God. While the Middle Ages saw all things that mankind accomplished as being, by nature, sinful because of the sinful nature, humanism was all about appreciating what mankind can accomplish. In â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† by William Shakespeare the ideals of humanism are definitely reflected because of the strong emphasis on the arts and the importance of the individual as opposed to the group. In this play we see a lot of elements that are a precursor to the Romantic era, with the relationships between the lovers and the way that each of the characters interacts with each other. 3. How does the Enlightenment tend to view mankind and society? What do these thinkers believe will promote progress, happiness, and justice? How does Voltaire’s Candide both express and critique these Enlightenment assumptions? The Age of Enlightenment was a time when people were beginning to reexamine the accepted ideals and beliefs of times past. It was a time of reason, when they began to really look for their own answers and not relying solely on the Church to tell them what to believe, or the monarchs. The Enlightenment viewed mankind and society as having free will, not having innate virtues given to them automatically by God. Society was supposed to help create equality, liberty, and fraternity, and even accepted forms of government were reexamined. The thinkers of the Enlightenment believed that true progress, happiness, and justice could only be achieved by creating societies that nurtured mankind’s search for reason and establishing equality among people. In Voltaire’s Candide the writer shows the audience the transition from the beliefs of the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment in the difference between the attitudes of two of the characters. In this story Pangloss sees the world as being naturally right, while Candide feels that it is not fate that makes a persons life, but their own actions. This idea is seen throughout the story of these two characters as they progress through El Dorado, where gold is not worth anything because there is so much of it. This idea is also very rational in nature and reflects the Enlightenment view. 4. How does the Romantic movement represent a revolt against key Enlightenment values? How might Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights express some reservations about some extreme Romantic assertions, particularly about the passions of the â€Å"natural† self as opposed to the artificial constraints of civilization? The Romantic movement represents a revolt against key Enlightenment values because it was during this period that there was a shift in values and core beliefs from the logical and rational emphasis of the Enlightenment to a period that focused more on the natural passions of each individual person. While the Enlightenment focuses more on the head, the Romantic period definitely was all about the heart, and people projected that shift in values through their art and writing. Everything about the Romantic period challenged the view that science, reasoning, and society were what needed to dictate one’s actions. Instead, the focus should be on one’s own wants and needs. In a novel like Wuthering Heights, written during the Romantic period, these extreme Romantic assertions were even challenged. In this novel the characters are fighting with their inner passions and their natural selves. The love story between Heathcliff and Catherine is a perfect example of a Romantic relationship: she’s rich, he’s poor, and he is very much the antagonistic type of character and yet she loves him because of what is in her heart. While the Romantic period was all about opposing the artificial constraints of civilization and not worrying about what society dictates but instead depending on their own feelings to dictate them, this novel challenges this by posing questions about whether or not the relationship between these two main characters is really a good one. 5. Andre Gide’s Straight is the Gate, published in 1909, is set in the period just before World War One: in other words, at a time when it was still possible to hold nineteenth-century ideals. Even though Gide was unaware of the catastrophe about to fall on Europe, he still seems to sense that there is something wrong with the bourgeois world of the age. What does the story suggest is wrong with this pre-war world? How might Gide be classified as a modernist? In Andre Gide’s Strait is the Gate seems to suggest that there are problems existent in the pre-war world of Europe, mostly having to do with the bourgeois world of the age and the way that people viewed each other. This story at first glance is a love story that deals with the way that dedication to God can change the way people relate to each other, particuarly in the relationship between Alissa and Jerome, but it shows that the Romantic ideals of the 19th century were still being held onto by many people in Europe. Gide can be classified as a modernist because his style was very modern but, more importantly, his themes were modern in that he was a humanist that was moving away from the 19th century beliefs that were prevalent at the time and dealing with issues in society, especially issues dealing with homosexuality and challenging religious beliefs. How to cite Literature questions, Essay examples

12 Angry Men Boy Is Innocent Essay Example For Students

12 Angry Men: Boy Is Innocent Essay 12 Angry Men: Boy Is Innocent Essay Gentlemen of the jury, I would like to point out to you three pieces of evidence that prove this young boy is innocent. I would like to revewthe purchase of the knife, the old man hearing a yell, and the movie theater. The future of this young boy is in your hands now, make the right decision. Find him innocent. First off, the knife that was purchased the night of the murder. After fighting with his dad, he wanted to get away from his house. He lives in the slum, a very dangerous place. Feeling he needed defense, he went to the shop and bought this knife. He is very knowledgeable of knives, and here is something to think about. The wound that was found on his dad cut at a strange angle. If this boy had stabbed him, it would have been a an underhand cut. Not like the overhand wound found on his dad. What about the old man claiming to hear the boy yell? How could this be possible? The old man does not have that good of hearing. Also, at that same time, the train was going by his house. This train is very loud. How could an old man with poor hearing hear this? . This old man is not a believable witness to the murder of this man. You cant believe what he said. The train was just too loud for him to possibly hear the yells of the boy. After leaving his house, the boy went to see a movie to get away from all of this. He was under total stress. I am sure he did not care to look at the title of the movie. He probably just wanted in to get away. This way his mind was focused on other things other than his father. He thought that if he got away. he would come back in a better mood to be with his father. I have presented you with the three best points of evidence to prove the innocence of this young boy. Think of this, how could a young boy do this to his father? Even though he was a victim of abuse, l love is still inside him. That is why this boy is innocent. Now remember, Jury, this is a life and death situation that sits in front of you. Make the right decision, or the young life of an innocent child will be ruined forever. The defense rests. English .