People’s actions and their individual perceptions can influence and develop change in another person’s character. In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy Montag, makes a complete metamorphosis with the help from his neighbor Clarisse, his wife Mildred, and his boss Beatty. In the beginning of the novel, he despised the whole idea of reading, had no thoughts or questions about his life, and was just going through the motions of life. He changes from a stolid character, incognizant of the activities of his surroundings, to a conscious person of. So enlightened, by the new world he is exposed to, he comes to the realization that there is more life than what meets the eye. There are many stimuli in Montag’s society that help him change.…
Billy is lonely in his hometown, although he has grown up there you would expect to belong. Instead, he finds happiness in the books that he reads of people much happier than he is. He manages to find happiness in others but still maintains his independence. Billy takes control of his life and is faced with life changing and moral choices. Part of Billy wants to live a life of being financially secure and another part of him wants to have a carefree way of life. He often finds his self-comparing himself to Old Bill, evaluating the highs and lows of living the ‘hobo’ life. Billy knows that Old Bill thinks of him as ‘A kid who can’t live well enough Alone’ but whilst Billy is trying to find his own independence he is helping Old Bill do the same. Old Bill’s healing process finally has begun, Becoming sober and the simple gift of friendship that Billy has provided him with. This gives Old Bill back his place in the world not just being clichéd as ‘an old drunk’…
As he fades away from his friends and family he starts to slip further and further into depression. One night when Andy tries to fall asleep, Robert comes into his dreams and tells him it is all his fault, but he forgives him for everything. Andy starts to contemplate suicide and can’t get a hold of his psychologist. Later Andy grabs his dad’s rifle and takes his own life. The theme of this story is that in life, the right choice is not always the easy choice, and small mistakes can affect not only you, but also other’s lives. Personally, I learned that it is always best to make the right decision because you never know the outcome or future events. Life is short.…
I think that one of these important lessons is that you should always try your best when you have an opportunity to change something that you want to be changed. Chase used to be a major league bully at his school until he fell off his roof and got amnesia. After chase wakes up in the hospital he remembers nothing about…
“I'm so blessed. The challenges of my past have made me immensely strong inside. I adapted quickly, learning how to survive from a bad situation.I learned the secret of internal motivation. My experience gave me a different outlook on life, that others may never know”, page 86. This quote opens up a whole new meaning compared to the rest of the book. It shows a drastic change on giving up from before to being fortunate to being a whole new person again. From having no one to hold his hand throughout the years, Stephen his son, having him maintain his dignity and wiping away his tears. Nothing is more better to Dave than knowing that he had finally let go of what was no longer good to him on his mental and physical health. Learning is a big…
When Brian was out alone in the Canadian wilderness, he needed to survive. He used survival strategies to stay alive. Some of these strategies were learning from trial and error, and being observant. Yet another, was using the power of positive thinking.…
Young people are most often guided by their parents and guardians of what they should or shouldn’t do. However, some unfortunate ones are left alone to find their own paths. In their search of making their own destiny; some young people choose to fight against all obstacles to reach goals that will lead to a successful fortune, while some will walk an uneasy way and repeat themselves in the misery of self-destructiveness and self-sabotaging behaviors. In Tobias Wolff’s memoir This Boy’s Life, the author presents a life that is built up on continuous self-destructive decisions; making himself his own worst enemy and causing all kinds of pitiful situations which he hopes to change and evolve into a better self, only to once again find him fallen into the very trap set up by no one but himself.…
The argument an author makes is not the easiest thing to pick out, particularly when the book is written about the life of someone else. I believe Hillenbrand’s main argument is that people can change their behaviors based on current situations and the environment they are in. Louie Zamperini grew up as a trouble maker. He thieved from neighbors’ kitchens and generally caused mayhem wherever he went. When propaganda regarding eugenics started to surface and a child from his neighborhood was declared to be feeble-minded, Louie resolved to clean up his act and make himself a better person. As Louie grew up, he transformed into an All-American track star and eventually a hero in the United States Air Force. Before becoming the hero Louie Zamperini is now known as, he struggled with his transformation from hoodlum to trackstar to hero. After the threat of being declared feeble-minded, Louie had realized that the hoodlum everyone knew, was not who he wanted to be. “The person that Louie had become was not, he knew, his authentic self. He made hesitant efforts to connect to others” (Hillenbrand 12). Louie Zamperini had reached the age that everyone hits. He had reached the age where he was beginning to realize what type of person he wanted to be and how he wanted to be remembered. Louie changed for the better. I believe that Hillenbrand used the book and Louie’s transformation to stress her feelings on the subject. Anyone who knew Louie prior to reading Hillenbrand’s book would have agreed that he stayed strong even in the worst of circumstances.…
When reading Bullet in the Brain, I found myself very intrigued and asking myself many questions as the story progressed up until the very end. The way Tobias Wolff wrote the story, he did not give much background on the main character, Anders, which kept you guessing on why Anders was so negative and responded to the situation he was in the way that he did. By doing this, it made it hard as a reader to make a clear decision of how to feel about what happened to Anders at the end. Leaving it up to the imagination of the readers to write in the details of Anders’ life, potentially leaves him to be set up to be perceived as something he is not.…
The point of the story was to show that many people do not know how to change the patterns of their lives despite the big dreams they have. There is no guideline to life coaching. Not every life coach does the same thing. While some people send clients an information sheet other coaches may send a client their resume. Many coaches tend to use more formal assessment tools (Collins, 2009, p.133). Part four of the book looks at the vision of a life coach. Without vision many things would not be what they are today. Gary Collins uses the circus to motivate the reader to have a vision and use that vision to be a more effective coach and leader (Collins, 2009, p. 170). One of the things that the author notes later in the book is using leadership and vision to help move a client forward. It is important to help the client not only set a goal but overcome any obstacles that may get in their way to help them reach their goals. Finding the vision may be challenging and demanding but it is important. A vision has to specific and focuses to the client’s life (Collins, 2009, p. 173). As the book continues the writer discusses some action steps that a life coach can take as well as the many obstacles that may occur during the coaching process as well. The main action step for a coach to develop a strategy and help client set goals (Collins, 2009, p. 206). Life coaching also has…
Through reading countless books that were all higher than the required levels of readings at his school, he acquired a vast sea of knowledge. He created a name for himself as an established writer because of all the knowledge he acquired from reading. Reading books allowed him to further advance him as a reader, letting his grasp the structure and diction of famous books. With that, he could become a successful writer and make it in life to “save his life.” Saving himself inspired others in his community to save themselves leading to an endless chain of saving…
When a person moves into the world, they are often met with consequences for seeking this change. Willy Russell’s “Educating Rita” and Judd Apatow’s “Step Brothers” portray both positive and negative consequences of this change. Both protagonists experience the change of moving into a new life; however they are met with different consequences.…
Bullet in the Brain is a short story about a sarcastic book critic, who allows his criticism to extend to his everyday life and soon learns why that is not a good idea.…
A Bullet in the Brain, by Tobias Wolff, is a short story published in 1995. The story’s main protagonist Anders, is a book critic by profession but shows that he is also critic of the world around him. Anders happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in this story and finds himself in the middle of a robbery at his local bank. He is ultimately shot in the head by a robber, due to his smug attitude. The story goes on to explore major events in his life, that oddly do not manifest as memories but one seemingly insignificant moment invades his last, dying thoughts. Anders character is an unlikeable fellow, and his disposition makes it difficult for the reader to muster any compassion for him, or to feel concerned about what this dying man’s thoughts might be.…
The McGill website states “If each hemisphere were unfolded, it would be the size of an extra-large pizza! For this reason, the brain must fold over on itself many times to fit into the skull (McGill “The Brain”). When a website used for academics, compares my brain to pizza I I’m Interested! Can a giant network of neurons make us who we are? The brain is one of the most complex organ of the human body. Many people over time have explored and tried to examine and explain the functions of the brain. Many people have an idea, but most still do not understand. We have read about some of the scientists and experiments they have done including Pierre Florenens, Eduard Hitzig, and VS Ramachandran.…