The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas Essay Example for Free

The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas Essay I do not think the narrator lives in Omelas, because of the way he compares their society to ours, and â€Å"them† to â€Å"us. † He also never includes himself in his descriptions of them, although that begs the question: how does he know them so intimately if not for having been there? The Omelas society is utopian, intelligent, compassionate, respectful, having no need for law, or clergy, beautifully built; the list goes on. Everything is perfect, all except the hidden child. It seems that the narrator sympathizes with the people of Omelas and understands the quandary they are in. He points out the countless good the citizens do in order to counteract the one terrible hidden blight on their society. He practically states that the reason they ARE so good collectively and what makes it such an amazing place to be is the fact that they do share this knowledge of the child’s torment. It does not seem as though the author shares this sentiment of sympathy, and she wants the reader to abhor what is taking place in Omelas and proclaim we would walk away. The narrator views the one who walk away with incredulity. He cannot even begin to describe where it is they go towards, believing it would be even harder to imagine than Omelas. I do not think he could have been one who walked away from Omelas. He seems very resigned to the belief that idealism should be set aside for pragmatism. The willingness of the author to allow us to add any details we like to her story is added to help us visualize its possibility. These minute details don’t change the bones of the story or the meaning behind the words, they simply help us add to the visual picture in our heads. The desolate room the forsaken child resides in is the basis that the entire utopian and beautiful Omelas society rests itself on. The fact that the coming of age of each member of their society is hinged upon their realization of the child and even more tragic viewing of said child is very symbolic. In today’s world we are slowly made aware that not all are provided the luxuries that many of us are lucky to experience. We also generally learn to live with this knowledge, shove it aside and continue on with our lives. We have come to accept that the needs of the many outweigh the few. Some of us, like those who walk out of Omelas choose to stand up against injustices and walk away from it all. Many more of us use justifications as they did, believing that even if the child was let out it would never really live a meaningful life but instead be bound by fear and the mental anguish of its past in the cellar.

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Oscar E. Aguado AMULAC ID# 2166 Western Civilization II DS Prof. Baxa July 30, 2013 Bismarck: Genius or lucky Bismarck was one of the most dominant and significant statesmen of the nineteenth century. A political intellect who achieved the apparently impossible undertaking of unifying Germany without a political party to support him, despite an unsympathetic parliament and with no direct control over any army. His—Bismark— only arsenals were the utter force of his personality and his crafty ability to influence Emperor Wilhelm I. Jonathan Steinberg’s biography takes a new look at this witty, slightly hysterical despot using the diaries and letters of his friends, colleagues and enemies and he paints a portrait of a man full of contradictions. He had grand political visions that were created with subtle strategies of political genius but his pettiness and vindictiveness were never far behind. Bismarck adored conflict and he had a palate for being offensive. His â€Å"slap in the face† method to political manipulation was a tactic in itself that led him more often that not to get his own way. In the modern era minds, Bismarck is clasped together with a mix of Churchill and Pinochet. He was anything but consistent though. His conception of Realpolitik meant that anything that allowed him to get his own way was acceptable: whether or not that meant joining an Evangelical Christian sect as he did as a young man giving him a start in politics or cosying up to the Liberal party when it served his purpose. He even went so far as turn the Prussian political landscape upside-down by adopting full male suffrage much to the chagrin of his fellow conservatives. The Austrian Foreign Minister Baron Rechberg summed up Bismarck’s protean nature, when h... ...ck, through hard work and determination. He spent his life fighting liberalism and found natural allies in Russia and Austria, with their authoritarian and anti-democratic traditions but he was fighting a losing battle. The reactionary absolutism that he championed had had its day by the time he left the political stage. The great man acted as a bulwark against liberal and democratic principles while he could but when Bismarck was brushed aside, those principles flooded the political arena. So where did Bismarck’s genius lie exactly? He was the father of â€Å"Realpolitik† which meant â€Å"constantly shuffling sets of alternatives and playing off one against the other.† His real genius lay in his guile, cunning and sense of political timing – but above all in his willingness to take risks and be shockingly aggressive. Never has the force of personality alone achieved so much

Symbolism and Mrs. Mallard

In the short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† the theme is clearly stated. The theme is â€Å"Mrs. Mallard’s desire to be independent. † The theme is expressed through the story through characterization and irony. However, the theme is expressed the most though many examples of symbolism. For example a few examples of symbolism are spring time, comfortable armchair, and Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition. The first example of symbolism that is found in â€Å"The story of an hour† is spring time. In the story it says â€Å"she could see the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life† (Chopin).This helps to symbolize Mrs. Mallard realizing that her life without Brently is like a new start. The symbol of spring time also ties into the theme of the story. It helps to portray that Mrs. Mallard likes the way her new life would look without Brentley. She also realizes that she would feel free and independent. The next example of symbo lism is found in the story is the comfortable armchair. After Mrs. Mallard hears about the news that her husband had died she sat in a â€Å"comfortable armchair†(Chopin).This comfortable armchair symbolizes Mrs. Mallard’s feeling of become comfortable with her husband’s death. This symbol also helps to support the theme because it also proves that Mrs. Mallard is become comfortable with the thought of independence and freedom. The last account of symbolism that is found in the story is Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition. At the beginning of the story it is said â€Å"Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble†( Chopin). In the story heart trouble symbolizes her stress and unhappiness in the marriage.This also relates to the theme of the story because it expresses that she wasn’t happy with Brently and that would explain why she felt that sense of freedom. In the end of the story Mrs. Mallard dies of overjoy. The reason she died of overjoy wa s simply the thought of living her life free and independent. In conclusion the short story â€Å"The story of an Hour. † Symbolism is used all throughout the story in order for the author to express the theme of the story. Without the use of these examples of symbolism the theme would not be so boldy expressed.Spring time, heart condition, and the comfortable chair are just a few of the many examples of symbolism that is used to express the theme of â€Å"The Story Of an Hour† Works Cited â€Å"The Story of an Hour Theme. † 123HelpMe. com. 18 Feb 2013 . â€Å"Symbolism in The Story of an Hour. † 123HelpMe. com. 18 Feb 2013 . Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson. Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense. 10th Edition. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008. Print.

Does the Way We Act Affect How We Think or the Other Way...

There are billions of people on this earth with each person connected by the interconnected thread of thinking. Although, there are many different cultural and economic differences between each one of these individuals, not one person can deny that there are always similarities. These similarities connect humanity with the way that all of humanity is able think and have their actions influenced by said thinking. The question that arises from thinking is how exactly it is able to affect a person. Does the way we act affect how we think or is it the other way around? Through much research this question will be answered. The first part of this question asks if an individual’s thinking could affect his or her way of acting as a result. â€Å"Our†¦show more content†¦Attitudes follow behavior and this can be shown in one experiment known as the Milgram Obedience Experiment. The experiment followed the behavior roles of â€Å"student† and â€Å"teacher† and t he obedience that inevitably follows. Researchers enrolled the use of an actor to pretend to be shocked meanwhile the volunteer subject’s role was to ask these â€Å"students† a question and when, if the question was wrong, would flip a switch and volts of electricity would commence. The switches varied from â€Å"slight shock† to â€Å"moderate shock† to â€Å"danger: severe shock† to an ominous â€Å"XXX†. The experimenter would sit and look upon the volunteer and make sure they followed through. Some volunteers refused to go through with the experiment. However, many stayed through the experiment with the experimenter telling them over and over that they must continue to shock the ‘student’. Although this displayed evidence for obedience of individuals it also shows that individuals are able to follow through with small actions such as the â€Å"slight shock† or â€Å"moderate shock† and work their way up toward s the larger actions of â€Å"danger: severe shock† to â€Å"XXX†. In addition, this role-play of teacher and student can affect how a person is able to think based on this action. An incredibly fascinating exemplar of such role-play is the Stanford Prison experiment conducted by psychologist Philip Zimbardo in 1971. Researches employed the use of volunteers and split some into the role of guardsShow MoreRelatedI Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday, By Leslie Bell1334 Words   |  6 PagesIndividuality, which includes who we are and how we act, helps people distinguish themselves from others and the world around them. In the process of searching for individuality, one is shaped by his or her environment. 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