Ambrose Bierce the Man and the Snake - 3060 Words

Ambrose Bierce The Man and the Snake Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842– after December 26, 1913) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devils Dictionary. The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto nothing matters – earned him the nickname Bitter Bierce. Despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often†¦show more content†¦Druring, the distinguished scientist. Dr. Drurings house, a large, old-fashioned one in what was now an obscure quarter of the city, had an outer and visible aspect of reserve. It plainly would not associate with the contiguous elements of its altered environment, and appeared to have developed some of the eccentricities which come of isolation. One of these was a wing, conspicuously irrelevant in point of architecture, and no less rebellious in the matter of purpose; for it was a combination of laboratory, menagerie, and museum. It was here that the doctor indulged the scientific side of his nature in the study of such forms of animal life as engaged his interest and comforted his taste--which, it must be confessed, ran rather to the lower forms. For one of the higher types nimbly and sweetly to recommend itself unto his gentle senses, it had at least to retain certain rudimentary characteristics allying it to such dragons of the prime as toads and snakes. His scientific sympathies were distinctly reptilian; he loved natures vulgarians and described himself as the Zola of zoology. His wife and daughters, not having the advantage to share his enlightened curiosity regarding the works and ways of our ill-starred fellow-cr eatures, were, with needless austerity, excluded from what heShow MoreRelatedPyschoanalytic Personalities Essay Notes9106 Words   |  37 Pageswith reserve or even distaste when he exhibits his overbearing attitude. This rejection in turn might increase his inner feelings of worthlessness, leading to even more aggressive compensation—and a maddening spiral has begun. As the satirist Ambrose Bierce put it in The Devil’s Dictionary (1911), an egotist is â€Å"A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.† The Evolution of Adler’s Theory Adler’s theory underwent a series of changes as his thoughts about human motivations changedRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages.............................................................................................. 248 Fallacy of Circular Reasoning........................................................................................................... 250 Straw Man Fallacy.............................................................................................................................. 251 False Dilemma Fallacy........................................................................................

The Graphic Memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - 546 Words

It did not take me very long to get through the graphic memoir, Persepolis not only because it is a sort of comic book, but because I could not put it down. I chose to read the interview between Robert Root and Marjane Satrapi instead of the TED talk because I love the raw dialogue between the two. Through this interview, Satrapi’s strong independence and blunt words ring through loud and clear just as her character in Persepolis. I find her honesty very refreshing, â€Å"I have always said, even verbally, orally, that I was nasty. I am very much a fan of imperfection, actually. This idea of perfection-I think really, it’s the beginning of the fascism, this idea of perfection†. The woman being interview is very much the young girl that hit her principal then said, oopsy, â€Å"I didn’t mean it!† I can honestly say, that this graphic memoir opened my eyes to the female perspective in Iran during the time of the Shah to the revolution and beyond. Before reading Persepolis, I had a single worldview of the Middle East. I thought that women would be treated the same way in most countries-as unequal to a man as it can get. I pictured women unable to have respectable jobs and never being able to show much more skin than their hands and face. When Satrapi says, â€Å"The basic culture is not that the woman is nothing—Iran is not Saudi Arabia—the women, they are educated, they are cultivated, they work. You have women that are judges, they are doctors, they are journalists, they work.Show MoreRelatedPoint Of View In Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi1498 Words   |  6 Pagescharacter development and the emotional impact of a piece of writing. Marjane Satrapi utilizes the impact that point of view has in her graphic novel Persepolis. The story, which is written as a memoir, includes Marjane herself in the images, which makes the text seem to be told from more of a limited third person point of view, while the narration of the story is told in the first person. By including herself in the images, Satrapi is better able to explain to the reader exactly what she went throughRead MorePersepolis: A Script on the Iran War Essay930 Words   |  4 Pages Persepolis is a graphic memoir of Marjane Satrapi. The book has received multiple accolades and citations for its realistic and well-written script as well as its commitment against totalitarianism. Satrapi writes (and draws) of her life during the war between Iran and Iraq. It has both literal and symbolic meanings hidden among the drawings, as it also shows the hardships she faced in other countries and even, at times, in her home country of Iran. It helps to show the past and somewhat presentRead MoreMarjane Satrapi s Persepolis 1646 Words   |  7 Pages Marjane Satrapi’s graphic no vel Persepolis is an expressive memoir of her growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, the fall of the Shah’s regime and the Iran-Iraq War. Unlike conventional memoirs, she uses the black-and-white comic book form to find her identity through politics and her personal experiences in Iran and it has become effective and relevant in today’s society because she is a normal person that has had to live through extreme circumstances. Marjane has contributed to a wholeRead MoreAnalysis Of Khaled Hosseini s A Thousand Splendid Suns 1657 Words   |  7 PagesHosseini and Marjane Satrapi know that there is more to the Middle East than terrorism. Khaled Hosseini demonstrates his understanding of Afghanistan through Mariam’s and Laila’s lives in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini begins their tale during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in the 1970’s and ties it off during the post-Taliban reconstruction of the early 2000’s. Hosseini himsel f was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and is a U.S. envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Marjane Satrapi demonstratesRead MoreMarjane Satrapi s Depictions Of How She Lost Her Innocence1613 Words   |  7 Pages Marjane Satrapi’s Depictions of How She Lost Her Innocence Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic memoir in which she shares her experiences growing up in Iran through her illustrations and captions. The majority of the memoir consists of Satrapi s childhood being spent observing the overthrowing of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the disastrous effects of the war with Iraq. She later spends her years in Vienna, but eventually, returns to her homeland as an adultRead MorePersepolis Reflection Paper1578 Words   |  7 Pagesregarding Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi the class discussed many topics. As a group, we began by talking about the genre of the graphic novel. The artistic style and technique used by Satrapi was addressed specifically. I mentioned that I appreciated the mono color, by using black and white it effected the readers by making the text more serious. Another comment was added; the use of minimal color was effective. Another main topic discussed was the characterization of Marjane Sat rapi. One classmateRead MoreWhy Marjane Satrapi Graphic Form1803 Words   |  8 PagesWhy Marjane Satrapi chose to tell her story Persepolis in the graphic form The graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was written in the graphic medium to appeal to a wider audience. Literary critic, Manuela Constantino, proposes that â€Å"the combination of a visual representation and a child’s point of view makes the story easily accessible and therefore attracts a wide range of readers.† (Constantino, 2008: 2) Another plausible reason for Satrapis choice to do the novel in this medium is theRead More Marjane Satrapis Persepolis3668 Words   |  15 Pagesthe sudden transition. As a member of the Iranian diaspora, Marjane Satrapi endured many hardships in her efforts to transition from Middle Eastern culture to a more modernist Western culture. Her series of graphic novel memoirs, Persepolis, depict her childhood growing up in Iran during both the Islamic Revolution and the Iran- Iraq War, and moving to Austria as one of many emigrants of Iran at the time. Marjane Satrapis memoir is just one example of an exile bearing the burden of memoryRead MorePersepolis : An Autobiographical Graphic Novel987 Words   |  4 PagesPersepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel by Iranian born author Marjane Satrapi. It is the story of her life leading up to, and during the Iranian revolution. In the novel, Satrapi quickly addresses an existential question, that of world justice. Even at the young age of six, she puts forward the notion that she would become a prophet, which is her way of countering the injustices that she sees as inherent in her world. This particular question is one that has stymied mankind from the beginningRead MoreAnalysis Of Marjane Satrapi s Persepolis Essay1300 Words   |  6 Pagesare not the villains the media shows. There are people in Iran that believe we have irrational thoughts about their country, and believe their country is not what we think it is. In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi discusses life in Iran because she wants people to know that there are good people living in it. Satrapi feels her entire nation should not be viewed solely on the fact of its past extreme actions. She feels like since she was a child other countries deem the whole Iranian population as terrorists

12 Angry Men free essay sample

Also, in the story, the judge seems quite a bit more serious about making the jurors really think about what is going on and having them be conscience about the fact that if there is at all any doubt then they will have to vote ‘not guilty. ’ In the movie, the judge plainly says you, jurors, have to think about how the actions you take are going to affect the defendant. During deliberation there are multiple occasions where there are similarities between the story and the movie. One occasion, how the juror members are sitting around the table in order. Another, how #3 is still a sadist. Also, juror #7 is very obnoxious and wants to leave early because he has places to go. The jurors’ votes are the same in the book and the movie. The first, second, third, and fourth vote remain the same throughout both of them. Another similarity is how the jurors think that #3 is ignorant due to the fact that he is a sadist and only wants to convict the boy of his charge so the boy can suffer. Rose endorses the 8th Juror’s ability to see things from many perspectives and condemns the 3rd and 10th Juror’s inability to do so. This reveals the significance of looking at the evidence from a variety of perspectives in order to create a just verdict. From the outset of the play, the 8th Juror exemplifies seeing things from more than one perspective by voting â€Å"not guilty† against the crowd. Many of the jury members in the case believe that the trial is â€Å"obvious† and does not need much discussion. However the 8th Juror believes in civic responsibility and the defendant’s right to a fair trial. He doesn’t necessarily believe that the defendant is â€Å"innocent†, however he understands the seriousness of the case and finds it difficult â€Å"to send a boy off to die without talking about it first. † Instead, the 8th Juror puts himself in position of the accused and imagines that he is the one on trial. This is why he decides to vote against the crowd and vote â€Å"not guilty†. The 8th Juror becomes a voice for Rose, reinforcing the need for reason and rationality during the initial vote. He insists that the jurors need to consider the case in depth and look at it from many ways, including the defendant’s perspective . Rose therefore reinforces the idea that by giving the boy a chance and looking at the case from different perspectives this gives the defendant a better chance in gaining an impartial hearing which is of prime importance. The 8th Juror sees the situation from the defendants perspective and presented by witnesses testimonies also looks at the evidence and the facts presented by the witness testimonies of the case from many perspectives. The 8th Juror actively questions what constitutes a ‘fact’ when examining the evidence. He does this by looking at each aspect of the evidence provided and considering alternative options to the explanations given in court. When the defendant is unable to remember what movie he had seen the 8th Juror suggests that the may not have been able to remember minor details after such â€Å"an upsetting experience†¦ as being struck in the face by [his] father†. He also questions the old man’s testimony. While many of the jurors believe the old man’s testimony is â€Å"unshakeable† Rose challenges the idea there is a lot of â€Å"circumstantial evidence† yet no concrete facts. Therefore he encourages the jurors to look from different perspectives at the witness testimonies, not just accept what they hear as being true. Many of the eyewitnesses may have been fallible and therefore should be subject to the same questioning as the defendant in order to have a fair trial. Therefore Rose stresses the importance of seeing things from more than one perspective. In contrast, Rose presents Juror 3 and 10 as negative characters because of their narrow-mindedness. In juxtaposition to Juror 8 are the antagonists of the play, Juror 3 and 10- whose narrow mindedness means they cannot see the evidence from any other perspective than their own. Both of them depict a form of prejudice which obscures them from seeing the truth. The 3rd Juror has a broken relationship with his estranged son, while the 10th Juror is deeply bigoted and racist. This view consequently impacts on their ability to make rational decisions or consider other viewpoints. They believe that â€Å"the boy is guilty, period† and that there are no other possible explanations. This is evinced when the 3rd Juror discredits the 8th Juror’s opinion by saying â€Å"We’re trying to put a guilty man in the chair where he belongs and all of a sudden somebody’s telling us fairy tales- and we’re listening. † Rose portrays these two characters to be violent and irrational to convey to the audience their negative qualities. He illustrates that these jurors miss out on information if they do not consider alternative ideas and if it was up to them the boy would be sent to the death penalty within 5 minutes of the trial. Hence, Rose believes that the evidence needs to be discussed with many perspectives to eliminate possible injustices. Overall, Rose highlights the importance of seeing things from more than one perspective. He reveals that an integral part in determining a just verdict having an open mind and discussing all the evidence in court. He represents this through the 8th Juror who stands against the rest of the jurors to vote â€Å"not guilty† and considers alternative explanations to the evidence given in court. This includes the old man’s testimony and the defendant forgetting the movie. Juxtaposing this is the 3rd and 10th Jurors who become antagonists because of their inability to see the evidence from other perspectives than their own. Therefore, Reginald Rose demonstrates in his play the significance of viewing evidence from different perspectives in order to overcome injustice.

Of Mice And Men Meaning Essays - English-language Films,

Of Mice And Men Meaning The fact that Curley's wife is not given a name foreshadows her own isolation. In fact, probably reason why she is not given a name, is because she is totally hidden from the world and nobody knows her as anyone else. She is always referred to as Curley's wife, a ghost to the world. This emphasizes her complete isolation form the rest of the characters in the novel. She is a character without sympathy, but she can be vicious. She is a victim of an empty life, and a meaningless one. Meaningless due to the fact that she discovers that her husband "ain't a nice fella," and that there is no one to care for her. She has wonderful dreams of being a Hollywood star, but all her dreams are crushed by the insensitivity towards her shown by the other characters. She is forever isolated on a ranch with a "bunch of bindle bums," to live out her days as a slave to loneliness. However, her loneliness and boredom lead her to discover that Lennie is the one responsible that broke Curley's hand. She approaches Lennie several times, and Lennie tries to avoid her, but later sympathizes with her over the loss of his pup. At which point a terrible coincidence appears. They both like soft things; this is when Lennie is invited to feel how soft her hair is. This invitation seals the fate of a lonely girl's soul to an early death. Now the novel takes a step toward a tragedy. With the killing of Curley's wife, Lennie has signed his own death warrant. At the end of the novel, loneliness is displayed one last time. I believe, now that Lennie is gone; George is doomed to suffer the same fate as Curley's wife. A life of complete isolation, both from his new friends and the world. George will disappear, just as his dream of his own ranch did when Lennie was killed.