Melinda, Morrie and the Struggle to Survive.

Tom Griffith Ethics English Amy Pham Melinda, Morrie and the Struggle to Survive The devastating experiences Morrie and Melinda endure change the way they view the world. In the novel, Tuesday's with Morrie, by Mitch Albom, and Speak, by Laurie Anderson, two characters go through separate, but severe experiences. These life changing events put them through terrible hardships that most people would never have to come face to face with. In their struggle to survive, Melinda and Morrie improve their lives and those of the people around them. While Morrie fights the social norms around falling to a terrible disease, he teaches Mitch about the value of life. Instead of adhering to the cultural norm of despair and sorrow at the affects of the disease, Morrie decides to accept that he is dying, and make the best of it. He becomes an inspirational influence to anyone and everyone that interacts with him. His final goal in life is to continue his teachings for his favorite student, Mitch. Morrie gives Mitch all of his wisdom on the 'meaning of life'. Mitch comes to realize what a mistake his life has been. His entire career is filled with greed, corruption, and pointless work. As a sports writer for a Michigan newspaper, Mitch has begun to lose sight of Morrie's teachings during his stay at Brandeis University. When the two reunite, Morrie improves Mitch's life significantly by

  • Word count: 641
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"A stench of kerosene" and "Veronica" :A comparison in the two short stories comparing the role of women.

"A stench of kerosene" and "Veronica" : A comparison in the two short stories comparing the role of women. When you read either of these stories, three things stand out, culture, tradition and the theme of love. This story teaches us that sometimes tradition gets in the way of your life. It can control your life or not. In both stories the women hold on very tightly to these traditions. The author is not just talking about family tradition, but the global tradition of fertility, Sati, and obedience. The major characters in the stories are Veronica and Guleri. Both of them are women, and both them kill themselves; Guleri sets herself on fire, and Veronice gives in to death, if she really wanted to survive she would have been able to, for example she could have left the village. Although there are a lot of similarities between them on the surface, there are even more underneath. Veronica is controlled by her father, to the extent that she works for him. The quality that strikes the reader the most about Veronica is her altruism. She gives up on herself at such an early age. Not once through the story does she do anything for herself, except maybe when she went to meet Okeke by the stream. But even with him she is still more interested in his life, his stories and his experiences, than she is in her own; "she asked me endless questions about my school and the town and what

  • Word count: 1630
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"By a close analysis of at least two poems, examine the way people cope with death and describe the different emotional reaction they experience. Show how the different poets convey these emotions to us."

Poetry Coursework Angela Harkin Mr. Rankin English 6 January 2005 POETRY COURSEWORK "By a close analysis of at least two poems, examine the way people cope with death and describe the different emotional reaction they experience. Show how the different poets convey these emotions to us." The two poems I have chosen are 'Stop all the Clocks,' by W.H Auden and 'Evans,' by R.S Thomas. These poems are on the subject of death, about how different people react, how they feel and about how they deal with it when a relative or someone close passes away. The nature of the relationship between the poet and the deceased are different and varies and indeed these two poems convey the different reactions successfully. Stop all the Clocks is a poem, which was used as funeral blues song. It is often said at funerals because it expresses the emotions, which are involved when someone close dies. Throughout the poem the writer's request are bizarre and impossible to actually take place. The requests is what the person grieving wants to happen, he/she wants all the clocks to stop, for dogs to stop barking... It shows respect for the deceased person. It shows how much the deceased means to the mourner. It is obvious that the person was close to the dead person. If W. H Auden was writing this poem for an actual person that he knew then perhaps the person who had died was more than

  • Word count: 1011
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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It can be seen that, in 'A Room with a View', Forster explores the nature of love and sets against the frozen English heart, the passionate, if often irresponsible and cruel Italian.

English Essay 'A Room with a View' By Carlie Waterman It can be seen that, in 'A Room with a View', Forster explores the nature of love and sets against the frozen English heart, the passionate, if often irresponsible and cruel Italian. 'A Room with a View' is an observation of a girl whose undeveloped heart is awakened by her experiences in Italy. It is a comparison between cold, English, repressed emotion and the passionate, irresponsible Italian emotion. 'A room with a View' is a discussion about love and the cross relationships between classes. The obvious example of the latter is the love experienced by Lucy Honeychurch and George Emerson. Although Lucy comes from an upper/middle-classed family and George was raised in a lower/middle classed household, they still manage to find love in Florence, while away from the pressures and expectations of their normal English society. The reader can't help but wonder if these two young English individuals weren't abroad in Florence whether they would have ever met and found true love. The first time they met they were both staying in the Pensione, in Florence. As Lucy was outside of her comfort zone, she was vulnerable to this new unknown city. As she ventures into an unknown and unpredictable environment, she exposes herself to different, more exciting opportunities and experiences. It can be seen through Forster's writing that

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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PS, I LOVE YOU is a powerful character study that focuses on grieving and healing

P.S I LOVE YOU... Holly and Gerry met through mutual friends while still in junior high school. They became sweethearts as both recognized that they had met their soul mate. Eventually they married. He promised Holly that if he ever left her, he would leave her with a list. Two months later Gerry is dead. After fifteen plus years from they met, thirty years old Gerry was diagnosed with a brain tumour. A few months after Gerry's death an almost thirty Holly remains grieving unable to leave her home. Her mom calls to tell her that she has a package addressed to Holly with the word List above her name. A stunned Holly realizes somehow Gerry marshaled his energy to give her ten months of lists to help regain her equilibrium because he loved her so much he wanted her to live. Now Holly begins to follow Gerry's list with one envelop opened per month as he reaches from beyond the grave to help his beloved return to the living. Title aside even if it is the salutation of each of Gerry's notes, PS, I LOVE YOU is a powerful character study that focuses on grieving and healing. Holly is a fantastic protagonist who begins to mend through the solace provided by Gerry. Her weird family and her best friends provide sympathy, but cannot help her overcome her dread of life without Gerry. The hero is incredible as he knew when he will die and planned accordingly for what he could do to get

  • Word count: 1116
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and Contrast 'The Sick Equation' by Brian Patten and 'Long Distance' by Tony Harrison.

Amanda Madaras Lealands High School English Literature Comparison of two Poems Compare and Contrast 'The Sick Equation' by Brian Patten and 'Long Distance' by Tony Harrison. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast 'The Sick Equation' by Brian Patten and 'Long Distance' by Tony Harrison. 'The Sick Equation' is about how two parent's intense arguing and general disrespect for each other had such a damaging effect on their son's thoughts, personality and life as an adult. Stanza one gives us some background information to the poem. The poet mentions the word 'school' in the opening line so we can assume he is between the ages of ten and sixteen. We also learn that at this time, his parents are still living together but the house is '...full of anger and pain.' Which gives us an indication of how he feels about his home life. The poet assumes from his past experience that he can't go with anyone because his equation is broken. He feels it is better being one, rather than being two and trying to make things work because someone will always end up being hurt. Up to stanza five, Patten describes how he pushed away anyone who wanted to love him and how he always thought that marriage would end in divorce. He has very low self-esteem. He would rather not be loved at all than be love by someone, only then to be rejected by them. However, in stanza six, we find out that

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What important themes arise in the Opening scene of "A Midsummer Night's Dream?"

What important themes arise in the Opening scene Of "A Midsummer Night's Dream?" "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is one of Shakespeare's many masterpieces. All of Shakespeare's plays have similar themes such as love, discord and harmony, age and youth, mythology, magic and the natural world. An introduction to the major themes of the play can be recognised in the opening scene and it is these themes that make the play interesting for both the actor and the audience. Most of Shakespeare's plays are, in one way or another, concerned with love and the problems associated with it. There are many different aspects of love: Unrequited, romantic, destructive and possessive are examples of these. Love is certainly an emotion, but the play suggests that the emotion should be balanced by reason or it could lead to lack of self-respect and loathing, therefore destructive love. Theseus and Hippolyta have a sense of mature love, although passionate it is a bond between sensible, mature adults. Theseus sees himself as somewhat of a romantic and a passionate man, which is illustrated by his impatience for his wedding with Hippolyta. The list of his previous lovers also clearly shows this side of his character. His passionate side can be seen when he says: "She lingers my desires." This is demonstrating his lust for Hippolyta. There is also a sense of conquest and possession over

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Shakespeare explore the theme of love in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

How does Shakespeare explore the theme of love in A Midsummer Night's Dream? In the play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' many aspects of love are explored. In this essay I will be exploring how Shakespeare conveys the theme of love including illusion, confusion, escape, harmony and lust. Historically, it has been suggested that 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was written for a wedding, signifying the importance of love in this play, however there is no real evidence to prove this myth. Rather, the Lord Chamberlain's men performed 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on the London stage. Shakespeare creates a situation in which two pairs of young lovers, Lysander and Hermia, are forced to elope from the oppressive authority of their Elders, here we see Lysander asking Hermia to flee to the woods, "there gentle Hermia may I marry thee; and to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us" Freedom is not permitted in Athens, therefore the two lovers plan to escape into the woods. Hermia has two options given from her oppressive father, 'either to die the death, or to abjure for ever in society of men'. She disobeys his commands. Shakespeare uses images to reflect Athens, and to magnify and to solidify Lysander and Hermia's love for each other, which is strong and cannot be broken, without the use of magic. 'Withering on a virgin thorn, grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness'.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Analysis of 'The Flea'

ANALYSIS OF 'THE FLEA' 'The Flea' is a rather unconventional love poem written by John Donne in the 1590's. The situation, in which we find the poem, is that of a man (Mr. Donne), addressing a woman (believed to be his lover). His purpose: trying to persuade her to come to bed with him. The poem incorporates an extended metaphor of a flea, which holds both his and his lover's blood, as an argument for them to enjoy a physical side to their love. The concept of using a flea as a poem's main theme was fashionable among poets of the time. European poets, such as Lopez de Vega, used this in some of his poems. This idea stemmed from an event that happened in a literary salon. This salon was run by two ladies, and on one occasion, a flea happened to land upon one lady's breast. The poets were amazed at the creature's audacity, and were inspired to write poetry about this animal. Here, there is no reference to the intellectual dimension to their relationship as with one of Donne's other poems - 'The Ecstasy' - but it is perhaps implied, given that they indeed have had a relationship without sex up until this point. The line "nay more than married are", does imply a meeting of minds as well as the physical. Although the logic of his argument is dubious, the narrator's manipulation of the metaphor of the flea is intricate and effective - he uses the continual comparison

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Love, though influenced by many of the same factors as liking, is quite a different phenomenon. It is not simply an intensification of liking. The work of Zick Rubin 1970

PSYCHOLOGY OF LOVE Love, though influenced by many of the same factors as liking, is quite a different phenomenon. It is not simply an intensification of liking. THE WORK OF ZICK RUBIN (1970) Liking and loving are not identical. In 1970, psychologist Zick Rubin found some differences. Rubin concluded that liking consists more of respect - favorably evaluating the person - and perceived similarity - viewing others as being like you. In contrast, loving involves more: * attachment - feeling miserable without the physical presence or emotional support of that person * caring - a feeling of concern and responsibility for the other person * intimacy - involving the reciprocal exchange of personal information, feelings and actions Of course, you can both love and like the same person, whether or not it is a romantic relationship. In his study of 158 dating couples, Rubin found that both men and women loved each other equally. However, the women liked the men slightly more than the men liked the women. This differences seems to be caused by women evaluating men higher in terms of intelligence and leadership potential - the respect factor. Romantic or Passionate Love emphasizes the absorption factor in love, when the flames of passion burn hotly and emotions are high. As the flames of passion drop down to a warm glow over the years, the factors of liking become more

  • Word count: 886
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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