In the book “Tao of Pooh” author Benjamin Hoff uses a specific style to portray the ideas of Taoism. With the use of Winnie the Pooh characters, Hoff presents the variety of personalities that exist in the world. Hoff begins to mention the principal ideas such as the “Uncarved Block” also known as P’u. Furthermore, Hoff elaborates on the principle of the uncarved block by stating that things that are in their “original simplicity contain their own natural power” (Hoff 10). Hoff portrays Pooh as the figure for the “uncarved block.”…
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut can be described as a novel that is interesting, creative, and well-written. Kurt Vonnegut writes this novel with a satiric voice but also expresses many other emotions as well. The first chapter is very unique because of the way Vonnegut tells the story of how he came about writing this novel and introduces his wartime friend Bernhard O’Hare. Although it seems like it might not belong at all, this chapter gives an introduction that might be needed for a character like Billy Pilgrim. Many times you can see how important Vonnegut is in the story and how important the story is for him.…
It has been argued that Colin Kaepernick kneeling while the National Anthem is playing, is absolutely ridiculous, is not showing support for love of this country, and not showing support to the veterans. In “The Perilous Fight,” Jim Brown, a NFL Hall of Famer and a civil rights activist. Told Time, “I would not do anything that has to do with respecting the flag or the national anthem. I don’t think it’s appropriate.” In other words Jim Brown would challenge the normal of standing for the Anthem, no matter the severity of the situation. For this reason opponents argue that Colin Kaepernick kneeling down is not right for him to be testing the flag; but it’s not also right for the police of America to be able to go on a killing spree and have…
As a child and all throughout his life Khaled Hosseini loved reading. Khaled was born and raised, for a few years of his life, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Although Khaled has moved around quite a bit, he has lived in San Jose, California for much of his life. Khaled lived in Afghanistan during the years of the constitutional monarchy. He thought of his time in Afghanistan as very peaceful and quiet.…
Burro Genius, Villasenor (2004), is an autobiography of life experiences that Victor Villasenor had when growing up. The book focused on his years in elementary, middle and high school. Villasenor discusses how the teachers, students and family impacted the person he was to become as an adult. He explains through story telling how his experiences made his beliefs in who he was as a Mexican form and continually changed to give him the self-esteem he later developed in life.…
How does Tim Butcher emphasise the problems and possible dangers faced on his journey during this passage? (P59-63)…
Reading those chapters had revealed many unknown truths about American history. However, I was most moved by the ideas of David Walker, a free black man who lived in Boston. Takaki wondered how he learned how to write and read. The writer wrote, “Somehow, Walker learned to read and write; he studied history and pondered why blacks in America were in such a wretched condition”( Page 98). Walker promoted the idea that the whites were the true barbarians due to the practices of slavery. In addition, Walker realized that blacks in north were also struggling because they were relegated to menial labor and they were looked at as intellectually…
“The Story of Tom Brennan” is a novel reflecting our own sense of crushing a negative life experience and overcoming that with new and positive adventures into a new world. The novel written by J.C. Burke demonstrates journey of acceptance and hardship that the Brennan’s had to face throughout their stay at Coghill and their past from Mumbilli, especially for Tom.…
Around 200 BC, the Qin emperor, Shi Huangdi, wanted to protect his dynasty so he built the Great Wall of China for protection from invaders. The wall helped Shi Huangdi keep his government strong which brought many costs but many benefits as well. It is important to know the reasons for which the wall was built so we can determine if the benefits how weighed the costs. The benefits in building the wall outweighed the costs because it protected China, it created a better safety system, and it allowed China to grow.…
Death; a terror of fear Sanger Rainsford and Marshall Will Kane experienced as that got caught up into a bundle of panic. To start off with, in the film High Noon written by Carl Foreman we quickly find out that Frank Miller is coming back to town with his gang to get revenge on the Marshall Will Kane. Unfortunately Will Kane has trouble finding deputies and has to take on this challenge alone. As we read the novel, The Most Dangerous Game written by Richard Connell we observed that the protagonist Rainsford fell off his yacht to next wake up on the mysterious Ship Trap Island. With no one around to call for help he comes into contact with General Zaroff and is forced into playing a terrible "game". While analyzing both of the stories, High…
From 1200-1750, the Qing and Ming dynasties experienced changes, like the invasion of outsiders, as well as continuities, such as being deeply conservative and increasing the influence of Confucianism in order to create a stable society.…
Tao the cat impressed me with his dependable and audacious personality. According to the author, “ He crouched low to the ground, tensed and ready, and uttered a high, ear-splitting scream; and, as the startled cub turned, the cat sprang.” (pg. 35). This proves that, Tao is brave enough to face dangers and handle animals who are much larger and stronger than him like the bear cub. Throughout the journey, he became more devoted to his friends and risked his life to protect them from any harm because he loved them and wanted them all to survive the journey together. In addition, “ He was almost always hungry, but that skillful hunter the cat kept him provided with food which, while scarcely ever satisfying, was adequate by his new standard…
We are all taught that our identity lies in the roles we play throughout life, in other words, in our actions. William Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage / And all the men and women merely players. / They have their exits and their entrances..." (As You Like It, II, vii). Whenever people act outside of their parts; whenever we miss our entrance, our identity is challenged. This can be seen everyday in all walks of life and in all arenas. For example, a teen father who takes responsibility for his child is look upon with surprised admiration while a teen mother is look up with distain for becoming pregnant in the first place. Placing standards and expectations upon people can be a vastly good thing, but what happens when those standards and expectations become too rigid--to all consuming?…
What would it be like if the world as we know it fell apart? What would you do if you had to fend for yourself without any government, while people are dying around you? Stephen R. Quinn had to face these conflicts everyday in the book, “The Eleventh Plague” by Jeff Hirsch. Stephen fought through the plague, while many people around him perished. He had to learn to live without his grandfather and eventually his father, while trying to help rebuild civilization.…
The essay, “The F Word,” written by Firoozeh Dumas, fulfills its purpose to entertain with a humorous, enriching account of her interesting history of stories related to her hard-to-pronounce name. It also attempts to describe the way in which Americans respond to unfamiliar, foreign names. Dumas presents this engaging essay that holds the reader’s attention by making it a very fun piece to read. This work was originally incorporated into an excerpt titled “Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America (2003). This essay written by Firoozeh Dumas utilizes the appeal of emotion and the use of an informal, entertaining tone to draw in the audience. She starts out by using a mix of sympathy and humor and then gets serious to inform…