Stranger Critical Essay free essay sample

This nonfiction story begins with the main character, Meursault, attending his mother’s funeral. As the story proceeds, Meursault befriends a man and becomes involved in something that will cost him his life. Camus portrays the meaninglessness of human life through the attitudes and lifestyle of Meursault. Camus uses a number of different elements of style to convey his message. Three elements of style that show Meursault’s plain indifference to life are contrast, point of view, and characterization. As the elements of the novel are discussed, the theme of Camus will become clear. Camus uses contrast to make evident Meursault’s prospective on life. Camus cleverly contrasts Meursault to other major characters in The Stranger. These characters include Perez, Raymond, and Marie. Thomas Perez is an old man who is teased for being Madam Meursault’s â€Å"fiance. † Perez took Madam Meursault’s death very hard. He struggled in his old age to walk to the burial site and is described to be shedding tears of frustration and exhaustion. We will write a custom essay sample on Stranger Critical Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The normal response to death is shown in Perez’ reaction, which is heartache and mourning. Meursault did not cry at his mother’s funeral. He did not even know the age of his own mother. Meursault’s main concern was the heat and sleeping. There is a sharp contrast in the emotional responses of Perez and Meursault in regards to this death. Raymond Sintes is Meursault’s neighbor. Raymond considers Meursault his pal, and they develop a somewhat involved friendship. Raymond’s aggression is a character trait that contrasts Meursault’s indifference. Raymond is angry that his mistress cheated on him, and in one chapter he is confronted by the police for beating her. This one example of Raymond’s aggression is enough to show how different Meursault was from him. Meursault does not seem to show any kind of emotional reaction to most things that happen to him, including anger. Marie Cardona is the women that Meursault is in a â€Å"relationship† with. Marie had plans for their future, while Meursault did not. In one of their conversations, Meursault says, â€Å" she pointed out that marriage was a serious thing. I said, â€Å"No. † She stopped talking for a minute and looked at me without saying anything. † (42). Marie wants to marry Meursault, but from this quote it is obvious that Meursault does not care about marriage. Marie’s feelings for Meursault distinctly contrast his feelings for her. All of these examples of contrast portray Camus’ overall theme that life is meaningless to Meursault. Point of view is another element of style that Camus utilizes to express the meaningless of life. This novel is written in limited first person point of view. Meursault speaks mostly of his own thoughts and prospectives on things. For example, during Meursault’s trial, he lets the reader know that he gets bored very quickly with the prosecutor’s speech. We know Meursault’s thoughts on all the things he encounters in the book. However, Meursault does not try to understand the thoughts or prospective of other characters. In other words, his point of view is subjective. Take for instance, Salamano. At one point in the novel, Salamano loses his dog. He is found waiting outside Meursault’s door, wanting to speak with him. Through their dialogue, Meursault lets the reader know that he does not care how Salamano feels as a result of losing his companion. While sitting in his apartment room with Salamano, Meursault says, â€Å"He was getting on my nerves a little, but I didn’t have anything to do and I didn’t feel sleepy. Just for something to say, I asked him about his dog. † (44). Meursault never shows genuine concern for other characters facing problems in the story. Although he was willing to talk to Salamano, he only offered him shallow empathy, if any. Meursault’s point of view can also be described as detached rather than involved. Meursault does not really care about anything he is involved in, and it is therefore made known through his prospective. We know that Meursault is detached in the relationships he has with other characters, like Marie for example. Marie goes to visit Meursault when he is in prison. Through his narration of what is going on all around him, it is obvious that he is detached from Marie. Therefore, Camus uses point of view to convey a central message of the novel. Camus takes advantage of characterization to portray the theme of the meaninglessness of life. Meursault remains a static character whose actions, personality and motivation all reflect this theme. Meursault’s actions on the day after the funeral come back to condemn him in the days of his trial. The prosecutor uses the facts of his ignorance towards his own mother’s age, the comedy he saw with Marie, swimming and taking Marie home afterwards to depict Meursault as being careless in his actions. His carelessness ties directly in with his emotionless personality. Meursault never shows sadness for the passing of his mother, or remorse for murdering the Arab. His stolid personality is only natural considering his sheer lack of motivation. This is seen in Meursault’s disinterest in the job offer of moving to Paris and in potentially strengthening his relationship with Marie. Meursault never changes throughout the novel. He remains a static character. When he is faced with the realities of death, he does not change his stance on the important of life. At the end of the novel, while still in his cell, Meursault says to himself, â€Å"Well, so I’m going to die. Sooner than other people will obviously. But everyone knows life isn’t worth living. (114). These examples of Meursault’s characterization plainly convey the Camus’ message to the reader. Through the use of various elements of style, such as contrast, point of view, and characterization, Camus strongly communicates his message of the meaningless of life. His purpose in conveying this message is not very worthwhile. Generally, not many people can connect with Meursault and his ways of life. Saying that life is meaningless is not meaningful to anyone. In conclusion, the general truth of this novel is that it does not apply to the majority of people who read it.

Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 essays

Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 essays Lowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18 The legal drinking age in the United States is set at twenty-one years of age. I believe that considering twenty-one as the legal age of maturity is ridiculous. Who is to say that just because an individual is twenty-one means that they are mature enough to consume alcohol in a responsible manner? Changing the legal drinking age to eighteen should be enforced. Eighteen year-old individuals can take on many adult responsibilities, but they do not have the right to consume alcohol. Many feel this is unfair and biased. There is a tremendous controversy over whether to keep the legal drinking age at twenty-one, or to lower it to the legal age of adulthood, 18. Congress passed the National Minimum Purchase Age Act in 1984. This law was passed to encourage each state to change their legal drinking age to twenty-one years of age. The congress believed that if they raised the minimum drinking age that it would save a significant number of lives. They figured that a twenty-one year old person was more mature than the average eighteen year-old. That, in my opinion, was a huge mistake. Just because a person lives to be twenty-one does not determine how mature they are. For example, there are many teenagers in the world that are considerably more mature than the average twenty-one year-old. The determination of legality in drinking should not be age, but rather maturity and ability to handle responsibility. The twenty-one restriction seems out of date in todays society. Many parents of todays teenagers were legally allowed to drink at the age of eighteen. Todays teenagers face more responsibility and are treated much differently from the way their parents were treated. If twenty-one is considered so mature, then why is eighteen considered an adult? At the age of eighteen, an individual can vote, serve on a jury, stay out without a curfew, leave home, drive, smoke ...

A T-shirt Epic Essay Example for Free

A T-shirt Epic Essay ? Pietra Rivoli’s delightful narrative, The Travels of A T-Shirt in the Global Economy , goes about a surprising journey around the global village to discover an entangled web of economic and political forces that move this piece of clothing around. The book is split into four parts of a t-shirt’s life.   Part one of the book deals with the cotton industry.   Rivoli’s own surprise at learning that the cotton used for her shirt comes from Texas opens up this chapter on the continuing dominance of the American cotton industry.   The book then continues to explain the reasons for these—aside from government subsidies, the larger part of America’s continuing competitive advantage is its â€Å"virtuous cycle† of governance.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the United States, the farms work, the market works, the government works, the science works, and the universities work.† (Rivoli 7). The second part of the book is about the textile industry’s so called â€Å"race to the bottom†.   Industrialization is ushered in by the textile industry, and Rivoli gives examples from 19th century England to the Asian economic powerhouses Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in the 20th century.   The third part is about the complexity of getting a textile import into the United States, with all the confusing legislation brought about by decades of political control held by textile manufacturers in America.   In the final part of the book, Rivoli examines the global market for used t-shirts, which she concedes is the final place where markets actually determine its origin and destination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is not making an argument for either protectionism or free trade.   Obviously, as a trained economist, Rivoli favors free trade, as do all her colleagues in an almost unanimous voice.   However, the book does not argue for either side, and instead illustrates that both sides of this policy divide unwittingly spur economic development. Free trade policies encourage more â€Å"races to the bottom† as production shifts to low cost countries; however protectionist policies also contribute to another type of race.   In the battle for quota imports to the United States, for example, investment has flowed into areas where there is less restriction on trade with the world’s largest consumer of textiles and apparel.   In the modern-day case with China, the relatively low quota limits that China has for its exports to the US before the expiration of the Multifiber Agreement (MFA) (Rivoli 121) has encouraged investments in other developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Sub-Saharan Africa.   As the book notes, the exclusion of one creates opportunities for another, and the humble textile industry is the first step towards industrialization for many developing nations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Rivoli further notes, when the MFA was scheduled to be taken down, a lot of other developing countries were scared of China eating everyone’s share of the textile pie.   It represents one of the few actually plausible pro-protectionist arguments in the book, which are not really argued for but just explained. The role of politics in international trade It’s a given fact that politicians will listen more often that not to their constituents first instead of to common sense.   Unfortunate as it may be, politics more often than not counter the market forces that power the global race to the bottom.   Rivoli puts it as â€Å"While the market forces powering the race to the bottom are strong, the political forces pushing back against the markets are strong as well, particularly in the United States.† (Rivoli 115) This clash between the two has made importation of textiles a very complicated business in the United States, and changes the face of international trade with it.   If an item cannot be imported from China, it is imported from Mexico instead, giving an artificial advantage to some countries that will not be there if market forces were solely in control.   The decisions that politicians like congressmen and senators in Washington make often influence the very futures of some countries in the world. Rivoli characterizes American industries that are aging as trying to escape market forces by clinging on to their political supports.   Instead of a paradise of no intervention and perfect competition, what happens is that more often politics exert a big unpredictable force that tilts the equation over completely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example was 18th century England, where to no avail Parliament tried to pass acts that would protect their domestic wool producers.   Instead of having the intended consequences (i.e. eliminating imported cotton), it just pushed international trade to adapt to the circumstances. The â€Å"race to the bottom† phrase used so much in the book is one of the most intriguing ideas of Rivoli. Basically it says that the textile industry, like all industries is governed by market forces.   On the supply side, producers seek more and more productivity for lower costs—a reaction that sparked the original Industrial Revolution.   However, as wages go up along with production costs, producers are keen on reducing costs and preserving low prices with huge markets.   These trends doom an industrial country’s textile production after it becomes less competitive than another aspiring country who is not the leader in the â€Å"bottom† of production costs. The fire of the Industrial Revolution spread to the United States, and then in the last century to Asia, where during the past twenty or so years China has held the spot as top in this ubiquitous â€Å"race to the bottom†. The other side of the argument—those activists who bring about higher minimum wages and better labor standards, hasten the fall of a country from the â€Å"race to the bottom†, but at the same time also hasten industrialization and the development of other more value-added industries.   It also makes another country leader of the race to the bottom, ready to start the cycle all over again. This â€Å"history repeats itself† phenomenon—from Britain to Taiwan leaves the reader enthusiastic of the future, and of how economics will eventually make all the people of the world feel a little bit better. Rivoli, Pietra. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy . New Jersey :Wiley, 2005. A T-shirt Epic. (2017, Mar 03).

The Giver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Giver - Essay Example The book and the movie have same ideas that they convey out. In both the book and the film there is pain being experienced by different characters involved. For example, in the film, there was a war that took place and the community went through tough times. After the war, they decided to do away with racial feelings. On the other hand, in the book, there are options on how to make things work for the community especially in decision making by the elders. The book and the film have series of similar events that resulted to the main theme of both the book and the movie. Therefore, in this review, there is no different in the plot or subplot as can be realized when watching and reading the book and the film respectively. In class structure, the movie and the book have a positive impact on students in building the knowledge of literature, hence improvement in academic standard. In addition to this, the book and the movie clearly show some types of leadership that can be copied by the most governments in many nations around the globe. This can be either positive or negative to those who put them into practice. For example, Jonas is nominated to take charge of all memories and provide them when they are needed for use by the community. However, the government has the responsibility to control the use of any written material and films. This is done by different institutions within the government at different levels. Sometimes the contents of some materials may be dangerous to peace or economic stability of the nation. In this case, the content of the book and the film have important information that is helpful to the citizens. Example is showed when the community elders seek the receiver’s advice whenever they needed wisdom to make decisions on various issues within the committee. The occasions that needed wisdom were during population increase and when the pilot always takes

The first day at a new school or college Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The first day at a new school or college - Essay Example Looking back at my life, from since I was a child, I always thought of myself as an easy-to-approach and friendly person. This made me confident about being in new environments, as I imagined people could easily befriend me. Even when I watched movies that showed how people are bullied when they join a new school, I was sure it would never happen to me. In my view, I am easy-going, cool and fun to be around, as evidenced by the fact that I have many friends with whom I play football with over the weekend or after school, if time allows. However, this all changed when my father informed my siblings and I that we would be moving to a different town since he had been offered a better job there. This meant changing schools and worse, leaving the friends that I had grown close to and shared memorable things with. My siblings- two younger sisters- were excited and sad about leaving their friends too, they were scared about joining a new school too, as they felt it would be hard to find peo ple that they could get along with easily. On the other hand, I felt that this would not be a challenge and that I would keep in touch with my old friends via phone and facebook. The fateful day of our moving came and goodbyes were said. Being on a Saturday, I made sure that I had bid farewell to my friends from school the day before and exchanged contacts, including postal address, to ensure we remain in touch. I was particularly keen on keeping in touch with my swimming instructor; he had been such an inspiration and a mentor as I hone and perfect my swimming skills. I discovered my passion for the sport through him and found someone to guide me through my studies, so he was a person I was sure I would miss. Getting to the new town and settling into a new neighborhood worked out fine; this was a larger town, much nearer to the city. I found it exciting and eagerly awaited that day which I would start at the new school and make friends. Sunday was dedicated to unpacking and being a cquainted with the new environs. I realized that there were no kids of my age but consoled myself that I would make some at school the following day and we would visit each other. My sisters were lucky enough to find their age mates in the neighborhood. I was further consoled by the fact that there was a youth hostel nearby, thus I could comfortably continue swimming. I mapped out my route to school and prepared my bag and clothes in anticipation of the first day. I had no problem getting up, as I was energized and slightly nervous; hurriedly, I showered, had my breakfast and left for the new school which was a ten-minute walk. I got to school early enough and checked in at the admissions office to get a copy of the timetable, combination for my locker and a brief orientation. Walking into my first class marked the end of all my hopes of making friends easily and simply fitting into the new environment. The class teacher felt the need to make me stand up at the front and talk a litt le about myself. As I did this, I heard other students giggle and some sneered; it was generally an uncomfortable and disheartening moment. Being an optimist, I told myself this would pass before lunchtime; however, this was not to be, as I painfully discovered through the rest of the day. My next class was Chemistry and everyone had a lab partner except for me. The teacher then paired me up with a student that seemed ‘out casted’ by the rest for some reason. I joined her and quickly introduced myself only to get a cold shoulder from her. Through the class, I realized that she was much smarter than everyone else and this made her arrogant, thus no one liked her. I suffered through trying to keep up and challenged myself to make her a friendly person. My day got worse at lunch time when I walked into the cafeteria and realized that everyone sat in a group which each had certain tables ‘reserved’ for them. I got my food and mustered the courage to sit at a ta ble that had two occupants

Steinbecks of Mice and Men and the Pearl Essay Example for Free

Steinbecks of Mice and Men and the Pearl Essay Although John Steinbeck is recognized for the themes of his novels, including the struggles of the working class and social injustice, he is also known for his excellent use of the literary elements. In two of his novels, Of Mice and Men and The Pearl, Steinbeck uses different types of tone, diction, and syntax to enhance meaning and strengthen the impact of his message. In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck presents an innocent tone through his character, Lennie, to create meaning in the piece. The tone is brought out through Lennie’s close following of George, which the reader sees when, â€Å"he pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes the way George’s hat was,† (page 4 OMM). This gives the reader the idea the Lennie looks up to George as a role model, as a son would to his father. This child-like perception of Lennie is present throughout the whole of the story and pulls out a strong emotional factor that gives the piece meaning at the close. Steinbeck uses a different tone, one of realization, to enforce meaning in The Pearl. When Kino’s, â€Å"brain cleared from its red concentration and he knew the sound the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of death,† (page 114 TP). The shift in his thought process shows the reader that Kino’s actions were in protection of the pearl, and not his family. This is one of many scenes in the book that signify the engulfing of Kino’s mind in greed. The neglecting of his family gives the reader a sense of disapproval toward Kino and deepens the meaning in the value of the moral that greed is evil. Steinbeck uses different diction in each of these stories, but it serves a common purpose of helping the reader understand the different characters’ backgrounds and experiences, which increases the meaning of each story. The characters in Of Mice and Men use the unique vernacular of American migrant workers in the 1930s. George uses words like â€Å"ain’t† and â€Å"y’all† and Lennie speaks often about living, â€Å"offa the fatta the lan’,† (page 57 OMM). These examples of informal diction give the reader the idea that Lennie and George are uneducated and poor. This colloquial diction not only enriches the meaning of the story, but also brings the characters to life. In The Pearl, Steinbeck uses calm and simple diction to better portray the depth of the characters’ feelings and moods. For example, through his words, Kino shows that the pearl has become more than just a solution to his problems; it â€Å"has become [his] soul . . . If [he] give[s] it up, [he] shall lose [his] soul, (page 87 TP) John Steinbeck uses syntax to engage the reader and set the mood of each scene in both books. By doing this, the meaning in each scene is deepened. However, the syntax used in The Pearl is different from that used in Of Mice and Men. In The Pearl, Steinbeck uses listings to portray each scene thoroughly. At one point, he describes the evils of one night, when â€Å"the coyotes cried and laughed in the brush, and the owls screeched and hissed over their heads. And once some large animal lumbered away, crackling the undergrowth as it went,† (page 91 TP). This gives the rest of the scene a sense of depth in its meaning due to the fact that the reader knows all that is happening and feels the tension in the atmosphere. Steinbeck’s description of the Salinas River at the beginning of Of Mice and Men consists of one long sentence that picks up on all aspects of the scene. â€Å"On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees—willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool,† (page 1 OMM). Through this elongated sentence structure, Steinbeck better portrays the joyfulness and tranquility of the river, which pulls the reader into the scene and creates more meaning in the actions that take place. In both Of Mice and Men and The Pearl, John Steinbeck puts his own twist on tone, diction, and syntax, which gives each novel’s message more importance and meaning. But the meaning itself is always up to the reader to â€Å"take [†¦] from [the novel], and read his own life into it,† (Prologue TP).

Discuss economic arguments for and against imposing substantially :: Economics

Discuss economic arguments for and against imposing substantially higher taxes on sale of alcohol. Governments interfere in markets and their working with the primary purpose of provision of welfare to people and preventing market failure. There are many methods of intervention such as - taxes and subsidies - buffer stocks - applying maximum and minimum prices - provision of public goods and services - provision of education and training - legislation and market reforms Applying taxes has two purposes: to generate revenue for the government and to discourage consumption and output of certain goods, usually demerit goods. Demerit goods are those goods that are usually over consumed by in a market system, and have social costs exceeding social benefit due to high negative externalities. They contrast merit goods which are desirable for the welfare of society, as positive externalities exceed negative externalities. Taxes out on goods such as alcohol are considered indirect taxes. Depending upon the price elasticity of a good, and its demand and market price, government places either - specific taxes that are of a specific number, e.g. 10 dirhams on every bottle of beer - ad valorem taxes that add a percentage of the market price onto taxes e.g. 5% of price of beer A government must analyze the effects of taxing, or increasing taxation on a good, whether or not the taxation satisfies the goals. The Social costs of alcohol involve the cost of production, cost of purchase and negative externalities such as alcohol poisoning and drunken driving deaths and violence. The social benefits are the profit made by producers, the utility gained by consumers and externalities such as prevention of heart diseases. The imposing of substantially higher taxes on the sale of alcohol may be good in two ways: Firstly, alcohol is regarded as a habit forming good. Hence it may be assumed that either it disobeys the law of demand (quantity demanded of a good is inversely proportional to change in price, all other factors remaining constant), or it is price inelastic (a percentage change in price causes a smaller percentage change in quantity demanded). Although imposition of taxes will increase the market price of alcohol, the change in demand would be substantially lower. Therefore the government would gain revenue, which it may use for provision of welfare. Secondly, alcohol is a demerit good. It has private benefits as an industry, and it provides utility and satisfaction to consumers. Its positive externalities include reducing coronary diseases, and providing amusement to others in social events. However, its negative externalities include addiction, drunken driving accidents and fights which result in property damage, and provide a burden to society. Its positive externality of preventing coronary diseases arises only from