Choosing Destiny

Throughout life, one will encounter many ups, downs, highs and lows. It's quite obvious that some will handle the downs and lows better than others. These problems can range anywhere from something serious such as family conflicts, or it may be something foolish like laundry issues. Others find that their lows in life are due to the fact that they face the same daily obstacles, and tend to get annoyed with the repetition behind them. Life all of a sudden seems to have no particular meaning, and a person begins to feel worthless. Life in itself is repetitive, however a person can only take so much until they begin to need a serious modification. The concept stated above is demonstrated in A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence and The Book of Eve by Constance Beresford-Howe. In A Jest of God, Rachel is deprived of a fulfilling lifestyle mainly because of the limits she is placed under by her mother. Day in, and day out, Rachel is living a confined life and feels there is no possibility of changing it. Her sister Stacey has married and moved away and Rachel is the only support her mother has. Rachel feels obliged to provide and care for her. After her affair with Nick Kazlik, Rachel begins to have a different outlook on life and therefore decides to change it drastically. In The Book of Eve, Eve is restricted to some of life's simple things such as going out for walks. Her husband Burt is afraid of fire and resents being left alone even for short intervals. After Eva decides to leave, she experiences a whole new lifestyle. Eva now has enough time to go out for strolls, 'shop', and is still left with too much time in which to contemplate her situation. In each novel it's evident that the protagonists are getting fed up with their lives and are taking matters into their own hands. In A Jest of God the protagonist is Rachel, a thin, tall, lanky teacher in the town of Manawaka. Rachel lives with, supports and cares for her mother despite her somewhat negative feelings towards her. Rachel's sister Stacey does not care to visit her mother, and clearly does not have any intentions of attending to her medical needs. Therefore, Rachel is left with an awfully irritating mother who criticizes and controls her life wherever, and whenever she gets the opportunity to do so. At the age of thirty-four, Rachel is unmarried and living with her mother. Her life revolves mainly around her grade one class at the school she teaches, and her wonderful mother. She doesn't exactly associate with many people except for Calla, a teacher at her school and Willard Sidley, the principal of the institution. Rachel rarely goes out except for the occasional movie with Calla. Calla frequents a local Tabernacle, and quite often invites Rachel to go along. However, she does not feel comfortable attending such a place and rarely agrees to going. Willard also invites Rachel to dinner with his wife and a friend, but Rachel doesn't necessarily appreciate their company and declines the offer. As a result of her ordinary life, Rachel begins to long for something different, particularly a husband. The person to thank for Rachel's change is Nick Klazik. He comes into her life as a wake up call! As Rachel's sexual affair with Nick becomes more intense, the reader notices a significant change in Rachel's outlook on life. Until Nick came along, she kept more to herself and thought of nothing more than living a day to day humble life. However, Nick brought out the best in her and it's clear that Rachel's ideas about her future begin to change drastically, particularly regarding children. Rachel mentions quite often her studies of babies and their mothers. Rachel will speak of a baby and automatically give reference to a book she read regarding the same topic. For the first time, Rachel feels loved and begins to consider marriage and a family. For Rachel, the only family she has is her mother. She has no sense of having something of her 'own', such as a husband and children. Nick has been the change in Rachel's life. He was the one responsible for taking Rachel out of her daily routines. Nick was the source of amusement for Rachel. Rachel changed mainly after her close encounter with motherhood. Regardless of what society would think of her, Rachel was willing to keep her child. For Rachel it would be an escape from her present life. This baby is just what Rachel needed, someone she could love and care for, someone that was part of her. After Rachel discovered that she wasn't pregnant but actually had a tumor, she took 'her' life into 'her' hands. Until then it had been partially or almost fully controlled by her mother, but things were just about to change. Life had to change for Rachel. The whole concept of living in the same small town, with the same people was getting to her. Rachel was watching everyone else grow up, except herself. She barely recognized students she had taught in grade one because they had obviously changed. However, her students recognized her, same old Miss Cameron! That's exactly why things were getting out of hand. Rachel was getting older and nothing was changing. That's why she decided to move, because it was time. For once, Rachel did not consider her mother's suggestion to stay in Manawaka. She insisted on leaving and that would be the final say. A new city would bring a new job, new friends, and hopefully, a whole new lifestyle. In A Jest of God, the reader is guided through Rachel's problem throughout the novel as the plot unfolds. The reader only finds out how Rachel intends to deal with her dilemma at the end of the book. In The Book of Eve the novel begins with 'the' drastic change and we get to live through Eva's different lifestyle with her. Every so often she mentions what caused her to leave, and so we are not informed all at once of her reasons for leaving, but gradually throughout the story. In The Book of Eve, Eva is getting frustrated because her sick husband is treating her as a servant. Eva finds herself following a very strict lifestyle due to Burt and she therefore runs away. She runs not only from the servitude of nursing Burt, but also from running the house, shopping, cleaning up and that dull routine. It's actually quite selfish of Eva to leave Burt after being devoted to him for forty years, however, she had to act quickly because her life was slowly being consumed. Eva has changed in order to accommodate to her needs. In this case, her needs are nice and simple. What Eva needs is solitude; she needs time to be with herself. Now that Burt is no longer a burden to her, she can lead her own life and make her own decisions without the constant worry of his harassment. Due to Eve's spontaneous departure from home, she had to begin a new way of living. Now Eva is not as financially stable as she was with Burt, yet she still manages. She deprives herself of some things that would've been essential to her in any other situation, in order to save money. She eats soups and other foods that are cheaper, but not necessarily healthier for her. Eva declines money that her son Neil offers to her. Since Eva was the one to leave Burt, she feels that it's in her best interest not to depend on any money from him or from her son. If Eva did receive any donations from her son, it would be as if she had lost her battle. If she accepted them, it would be like saying that yes she couldn't support herself. One of Eve's quests was to be able to take care of herself and therefore she was not susceptible to any offerings. All the suffering and economizing that Eva goes through is basically to prove not only to others, but mainly to herself, that she doesn't have to put up with other people's problems. In this case, since the problem is her husband, it makes it that much more difficult to restrain herself from returning home. Eva must have complete dedication to herself and to her goals to allow for such heartless behaviour towards others. Eva is better off in the sense that she has her solitude, yet she still has friends. Not only does Eva have friends, but she also still has a sex life. Leaving Burt did not mean Eva was now going to become a nobody, and she made sure of that. Over the course of the novel, Eva did change considerably. Change isn't possibly the best word, but rather recognition. The most important outcome of Eve's escape was discovering more about herself. Had she not been so incredibly courageous to leave Burt, she wouldn't have been able to learn from her life experiences. When comparing Rachel's character to Eve's, it's ridiculous to assume they were under the same circumstances. Eve's life and Rachel's were two completely different sagas. However when seriously thought out, they are both pursuing the same thing. Both women were indeed struggling to achieve their own wants and needs when surely these needs were in conflict with other family members. Life is like a movie. When the movie comes to the end, it's rewound and everything starts all over again. Every day in life can be compared to a movie quite easily. Day after day, the same routine tends to occur. Whether or not one wishes to modify that routine, is based on their strength, courage, determination and physical and mental capacity. BibliographyBeresford-Howe, Constance. The Book of Eve, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Inc., 1966 Laurence, Margaret. A Jest of God, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Inc., 1989 Walker, Alice. The Color Purple, New York City: Washington Square Press, 1988


Words: 1640

Carnivalism And Its Effect On Literature

Carnivalization is the term used by Mikhail Bakhtin to describe the shaping effect on literary genres. The idea of carnivalism is the discourse of structuralism. Carnivalism is the opposite of everything deemed normal. Bahktin describes it as: ...the true feast of time, the feasts of becoming, change and renewal. (45) Carnival originated from the Feasts of the Church. The feasts were a serious, formal occasion in which strict patterns were closely followed. Emphasis was placed on social standing. It was considered a consecration of inequality (45). However, during Carnival, everyone was considered equal. The festivities of Carnival were very popular, everything was turned upside down (the smart become stupid, rich become poor, etc.; fantasy and reality become one). The jolly relativity of all things is proclaimed. (45) Carnivalism is evident throughout literature, but it is very noticeable during the Renaissance. The Socratic dialogue is an example of the earliest carnivalised literary forms. Two of the most familiar forms of carnivalism are Alisoun; the Wife of Bath from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and Falstaff, from Shakespeare's Henry IV. Alisoun, asserts her own overbearing assessment of the roles of women in society and relationships. The Wife has often been written off as a shrew-like bombast simply sprouting her dissatisfaction. She is the opposite of what women were expected to be in her time. She seems to take pride in being so contradictory to societal ideals. Falstaff, like the Wife; enjoys being the center of attention and shocking people with his outlandish proclamations. He is a con man, coward, and thief. Although people would never admit it, they secretly enjoy hearing the lewd stories told by the Wife and Falstaff. The Wife and Falstaff could be described as grotesque realism. Grotesque realism has no lower level. It is the dark side of society. The term perfectly describes both characters. They represent the subconscious of people- the things and ideas that people are afraid to say or do. Falstaff and the Wife both use apologia to justify their actions. The Wife has her own unique interpretation of the Bible. She asks where in the Bible is virginity commanded. She also questions the traditional moral values of medieval British culture in asking, ... to what end were reproductive organs made, why are people made so perfectly? Falstaff justifies his actions by saying banish plump Jack, banish all the world. In essence, everyone is just like him; the only difference is that he doesn't hide it. Bakhtin's emphasis on carnival goes against the idea that literature must be unified. He suggests that major literary works may be multi-leveled and resistant to unification. (41) In his essay, Discourse of the Novel, he states when someone else's ideological discourse is internally persuasive for us and acknowledged by us, entirely different possibilities open up.(43) This is the case with the Wife and Falstaff. They represent the idea that life does not have to be so rigid, it is o.k. to bend the rules a bit. The Wife of Bath and Falstaff are examples of carnivalism, grotesque realism, and authoritative discourse. The characters appear to be larger than life when they are actually only one side of the coin of society. Heads shows society as it is expected to be, tails shows life as it really is. BibliographyRivkin, Julie and Michael Ryan, eds. Literary Theory: An Anthology. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc, 1998. Thomas, Michael et al. The Complete Anthology of Literary Theories. London: W.W. Norton and Company, 1979. The Effect of Carnivalism on Literature and Society By Monquita Ransom Literary Theory May 5, 2000 Dr. Lavazzi


Words: 600

Bradstreet Feminism

As a female in a highly patriarchal society, Anne Bradstreet uses the reverse psychology technique to prove the point of her belief of unfair and unequal treatment of women in her community. Women who wrote stepped outside their appropriate sphere, and those who actually published their work frequently faced social censure. Compounding this social pressure, many women faced crushing workloads and struggled with lack of leisure for writing. Others suffered from an unequal access to education, while others were dealing with the sense of intellectual inferiority offered to them from virtually every authoritative voice, that voice usually being male. Bradstreet was raised in an influential family, receiving an extensive education with access to private tutors and the Earl of Lincoln's large library. She was part of an influential family who encouraged her writing and circulated it in manuscript with pride. That kind of private support did much to offset the possibility of public disapproval. Bradstreet believed that women in her society were treated unfairly, and that gender should be insignificant. In her Prologue she addresses conflict and struggle, expressing her opinion toward women's rights, implying that gender is unimportant and male dominance is wrong. Bradstreet asserts the rights of women to learning and expression of thought, addressing broad and universal themes. The Prologue has a humble tone with slightly hidden surprises, containing a muted declaration of independence from the past and a challenge to male authority. Bradstreet also uses a rather apologetic tone to draw in the reader so that they will form an interest in her writing despite her gender. In the beginning she refers to wars, captains, and epics, written specifically by male writers, worrying that her poems will shame the art of poetry. Continuing her self-demotion with an apologetic tone she talks about the Great Bartas, admiring his works, and sarcastically admitting that she will never be as talented as he is. The sarcastic tone of these lines cause the typical reader to reconsider that maybe women are not as bad as she portrays them to be, which is exactly what she has schemed for the reader to think. Continuing, Bradstreet mentions regret for her lack of skill, in which she laments the fact that A weak or wounded brain admits no cure (stanza 4, line 24). As the reading progresses, she discusses the prejudice against women, knowing that if she expresses her true feelings, no one will look at her poem. Stanza 5, lines 25-30 implies that she despises anyone who thinks that women are better as housewives, and that if their work proves well, men will say it is stolen or is by chance, explaining unfair treatment of women. Following, she mentions the Greeks as appreciative of women, blaming the current society for the manipulation of women. She laments that the Greeks had fewer arguments on women's rights and were more peaceful, contrasting it with the current values of society, namely that the Greeks are wrong and women are inferior. Bradstreet uses sarcasm to express her emotions toward the male dominant society, saying that men are eternally correct, and women are inferior to them. She sarcastically says that men are better than women, implying the exact opposite, that women are in fact, equal in ability. She ends by stating that she does not think her work is worth a critic's time, telling us that although she thinks women are not inferior, she cannot do anything about it, and that her works making men's glist'ring gold [work] but more to shine. Bradstreet was a very gifted and talented poet, recording early stirrings of female resistance to a social and religious system that was prevalent at the time. She used different tones, moods, and sarcasm to bring her poetry to life, giving a vivid, clearly worded image of what she wants her reader to know, a strikingly radical notion that her writing could be as competent as any male's. Although much of her work was conventional puritan poetry, it shows a sensitivity to beauty that male writers of the time lacked.



Words: 674

Aquarium Set Up

Setting up an aquarium This is a step-by–step instruction for setting up an aquarium. We will discuss pertinent topics such as location, purpose, and setup. There are a several items you will need for your aquarium. I recommend at least a 20-gallon aquarium to start, but the size is up to you. You will need an undergravel filter, gravel (1.5 pounds per gallon). One to two powerheads depending on the size of your aquarium, a heater, stand, and an aquarium hood with light. The first thing you must think about is location. Find a spot that will make the aquarium stand out in the room. Try to keep your aquarium away from windows that receive a lot of sunlight. Too much sunlight throughout the day may create an over abundance of algae in the aquarium. Once you find the right location set up the stand and make sure it is level. You also need to decide what purpose the aquarium is going to serve. Will it be for entertainment? Do you want it to be a living picture? Is it for educational purposes? You will need to know this for the type of fish and filtration system you will need. Before you start to set-up the aquarium or do anything else, you must wash out the aquarium, gravel, and all other equipment being used in the aquarium with regular tap water. After washing place the aquarium on the stand and assemble the undergravel filter. If you look on the box that it came in, it will tell you how to put the filter together. Place the filter on the bottom of the tank and insert the enclosed lift tubes. Once that is done you are ready to start putting in the gravel. Try not to pour all of it in at once, take your time. After all the gravel is put in, smooth it out so that you can have a level surface to put decorations on later. The power heads will go in next. They will be used to direct the water flow in the aquarium by circulating the water through the gravel. Place the powerheads on top of the lift tubes. Make sure you put the suction cups on the powerheads and secure them to the glass on the side of the aquarium. Once all of this is done it is time to add the heater. The heater should be placed in an area where the water will be circulating the most. I always place them in a corner; this is where most currents are the best. The temperature should be around 78-83o F for most fish. Ask your pet store what is the best temperature for the type of fish you will be buying. Do not plug in your heater for about an hour after you have filled up your aquarium with water. Doing so may cause the heater to shatter since the glass is not at the same temperature as the water. Your set-up is almost complete. Now you may start adding water. Place a bowl on the gravel and pour the water into the bowl. This will stop the rock from being pushed around during fill up. Fill up your aquarium till the water level is around two inches from the top. The reason for stopping two inches short is if you add a large rock as a hiding place for the fish, it will take up a lot of the space. Too much space displaced will push the water level up over the sides. Now is the time you want to add any decorations. Now that the aquarium is full of water, plug in your powerheads and add some dechlorinating solution in the water. The rule for dechlorinating solution is one teaspoon for every 10 gallons of water. It is probably still not time to plug in your heater. The last thing you will do is place the aquarium hood on the aquarium. Now you may add your fish. Do not go out and buy a dozen “fish” and throw them all in at once. Start off with two or three fish of a compatible type or same type of inexpensive fish. For now we must seed the aquarium with bacteria. Bacteria is what makes your undergravel filter work by disposing of all waste. After a month you will notice the tank getting cloudy. This is a sign that the bacteria are blooming, which is what we want. Some of the fish dying during this period is normal, remember we bought inexpensive fish. Replace the fish and continue. After another month has passed, you may start to add more fish, two or three fish a week is fine. There are a lot of rules on how many fish you should place in your aquarium. Most people follow the one-inch fish per gallon rule, which is a good rule to follow. But I suggest you do your own research for the type of fish you have and see how they like to live. If you take care of your aquarium and practice a good maintenance regimen, you will be able to enjoy your aquarium for many years to come. Good luck and I hope your aquarium brings you as much happiness as mine does.


Words: 879

Aquarium Set Up

Setting up an aquarium This is a step-by–step instruction for setting up an aquarium. We will discuss pertinent topics such as location, purpose, and setup. There are a several items you will need for your aquarium. I recommend at least a 20-gallon aquarium to start, but the size is up to you. You will need an undergravel filter, gravel (1.5 pounds per gallon). One to two powerheads depending on the size of your aquarium, a heater, stand, and an aquarium hood with light. The first thing you must think about is location. Find a spot that will make the aquarium stand out in the room. Try to keep your aquarium away from windows that receive a lot of sunlight. Too much sunlight throughout the day may create an over abundance of algae in the aquarium. Once you find the right location set up the stand and make sure it is level. You also need to decide what purpose the aquarium is going to serve. Will it be for entertainment? Do you want it to be a living picture? Is it for educational purposes? You will need to know this for the type of fish and filtration system you will need. Before you start to set-up the aquarium or do anything else, you must wash out the aquarium, gravel, and all other equipment being used in the aquarium with regular tap water. After washing place the aquarium on the stand and assemble the undergravel filter. If you look on the box that it came in, it will tell you how to put the filter together. Place the filter on the bottom of the tank and insert the enclosed lift tubes. Once that is done you are ready to start putting in the gravel. Try not to pour all of it in at once, take your time. After all the gravel is put in, smooth it out so that you can have a level surface to put decorations on later. The power heads will go in next. They will be used to direct the water flow in the aquarium by circulating the water through the gravel. Place the powerheads on top of the lift tubes. Make sure you put the suction cups on the powerheads and secure them to the glass on the side of the aquarium. Once all of this is done it is time to add the heater. The heater should be placed in an area where the water will be circulating the most. I always place them in a corner; this is where most currents are the best. The temperature should be around 78-83o F for most fish. Ask your pet store what is the best temperature for the type of fish you will be buying. Do not plug in your heater for about an hour after you have filled up your aquarium with water. Doing so may cause the heater to shatter since the glass is not at the same temperature as the water. Your set-up is almost complete. Now you may start adding water. Place a bowl on the gravel and pour the water into the bowl. This will stop the rock from being pushed around during fill up. Fill up your aquarium till the water level is around two inches from the top. The reason for stopping two inches short is if you add a large rock as a hiding place for the fish, it will take up a lot of the space. Too much space displaced will push the water level up over the sides. Now is the time you want to add any decorations. Now that the aquarium is full of water, plug in your powerheads and add some dechlorinating solution in the water. The rule for dechlorinating solution is one teaspoon for every 10 gallons of water. It is probably still not time to plug in your heater. The last thing you will do is place the aquarium hood on the aquarium. Now you may add your fish. Do not go out and buy a dozen “fish” and throw them all in at once. Start off with two or three fish of a compatible type or same type of inexpensive fish. For now we must seed the aquarium with bacteria. Bacteria is what makes your undergravel filter work by disposing of all waste. After a month you will notice the tank getting cloudy. This is a sign that the bacteria are blooming, which is what we want. Some of the fish dying during this period is normal, remember we bought inexpensive fish. Replace the fish and continue. After another month has passed, you may start to add more fish, two or three fish a week is fine. There are a lot of rules on how many fish you should place in your aquarium. Most people follow the one-inch fish per gallon rule, which is a good rule to follow. But I suggest you do your own research for the type of fish you have and see how they like to live. If you take care of your aquarium and practice a good maintenance regimen, you will be able to enjoy your aquarium for many years to come. Good luck and I hope your aquarium brings you as much happiness as mine does.


Words: 879

And Then There Were None Themes

Trust, Deceit, & Immorality in And then There Were None And Then There Were None, a mystery novel by Agatha Christie, discusses matters of trust, deceit, and immorality. These two words and intertwined within each chapter, and they come to us in ways that do not meet the eye right away. They require a certain level of thought in order to be understood clearly. It which Agatha Christie hopes to bring out. Trust is a key element of life. We need to choose who we can confide and believe in. If the ten people on the island want to stay alive, they need to be aware of those who are truly loyal, but they need to choose wisely, for one out of the ten is a murderer. Everyone in the house has their suspicions. “One of us... one of us... one of us. Three words, endlessly repeated, dining themselves hour after hour into receptive brains.” (chapter 13, page 239) No matter what the circumstances are, they remain immutable about not trusting each other. Having no trust makes all of them a nervous wreck, making each of them more susceptible of being the next victim of murder. Having no trust only dings us a deeper hole to the inevitable, and when we trust the wrong person, the inevitable happens sooner than expected. Deceit, unfortunately, is also a part of life. Deceit inside And Then there Were None, however, is a part of death. Lombard and Vera face the facts when they appear to be the last ones alive on the island. “So we know where we are don’t we? ...This is the end.” (chapter 16, page 297 & 298) Instead of being the nice man he seemed to be, he turned out to be a miscreant. Lombard fools a lot of people with his act of being paranoid of having the killer looking over his shoulder. It is his self that he needs to guard, and he is not doing a good job of that, because Vera kills him instead. Death comes about in many ways. Murder is one of them. This immorality is the basis of the whole entire book. One by one, each one of the ten people die by someone else’s immoral actions. Even at the end of the book when Vera shoots Lumbard, she had committed a brutal crime. Yes, she was defending herself, but she still chooses to use her hands to take someone else’s life. Immorality plagues society today deeply. We have twisted morals so much that the may think the most wrong action is OK. And Then There Were None is a book that applies lives ways in forms that come to us unconsciously. Trust is something that is so valuable to life, that if we don’t have it, we can fail in something that matters greatly to us. Deceit and immorality are part of lives inauspicious human nature. These words intertwine each chapter just as they intertwine some of our own lives. We need to pick and choose which ones we want to eliminate. Bibliographyand then there were none


Words: 511

Absurdity Of Catch-22 Through Comedy

ABSURDITY OF CATCH-22 THROUGH COMEDY The novel, Catch-22, is a comedy about soldiers during World War II. However, this comic scenes and phrases are quite tragic when they are thought about, as most things related to war are, which makes this comedy completely absurd. The best way to represent this idea is through the characters in the book, specifically, Yossarian, Huple, and Nately’s whore’s kid sister and the events that occur with their thoughts and their actions. Clearly, the main character and one whose life is chiefly described, is Yossarian. Yossarian has a slightly sick sense of humor and way of looking at things. In the first chapter, Heller tells us that letters sent by the soldiers had to be reviewed in order to prevent any secret information going out to the public, or, even worse, to the enemy. Yossarian, from lack of anything better to do, censors all the letters. Sometimes he crosses out everything but a, an and the, sometimes adjectives, whatever he feels like that day. For his final gag he signs these letters as Washington Irving to totally confuse the readers of these letters. This is funny, however it is ultimately tragic. These are the letters that every wife, mother and daughter runs to the mailbox for in order to see that their husbands, fathers and sons are all right. This is a letter that could say: “Honey, I’m coming home”, or “I love you. When I come home I want to marry you.” These letters could change the whole lifestyle of so many people and Yossarian alone is tampering with them. The absurdity of that is immense. A gag of slightly higher consequence occurred in Chapter 12, when Yossarian decided to move the bomb line over Bologna. What I believe is the most ridiculous in the whole process was his reason for doing it. Everyone did not want to go on this mission to capture Bologna. They prayed the rain would never go away, or that the bomb line would mysteriously move, anything just mot to go on this mission. Clevinger, in disbelief at the stupidity of these men, tells Yossarian: “They really believe that we wouldn’t have to fly that mission tomorrow if someone would only tiptoe up to the map in the middle of the night and move the bomb line over Bologna. Can you imagine?” So Yossarian figures “Why not?”. As hysterical of a joke as this may be, an important city that was taken by the enemy had to be bombed, and now everybody thinks that it was captured already. This “joke” could have and may have lead to the deaths of innocent people, which is yet not only absurd but is also catastrophic. Two character that, for me, expressed the highest, but the most true absurdity in life are Huple and Nately’s whore’s kid sister. These two characters have one thing in common. They both want to be adults too fast. Huple is only fifteen, and lied about his age to get into the army. The kid sister is twelve years old, but wants to be just like her older sister and seduce men. However the absurdity of this is not at all that they want to become older, because everyone at that age does. The absurdity is that the things they want to do as adults are the things that most adults resent most about being adults. The last thing most men want to do is to be drafted, and the last thing that most women want to do is to become a prostitute in order to support themselves. It is clear that Joseph Heller does not write in a certain pattern visible in the works of other writers. he has his own unique way of expressing the absurdity of the universe in a comic way. This style, in my mind, is very commendable because he makes us laugh, yet understand the meaning and maybe even seriousness of the idea he is trying to get across. The alternative would be to write a tragic novel about men at war which really would not grab the reader’s attention as comedies do and as this book did.

A Seperate Piece

A Separate Peace - Gene's Journey Gene Forrester's difficult journey towards maturity and the adult world is a main focus of the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene's journey begins the moment he pushes Phineas from the tree and the process continues until he visits the tree fifteen years later. Throughout this time, Gene must become self-aware, face reality and the future, confront his problems, as well as forgive and accept the person that he is. With the jouncing of the limb, Gene realizes his problems and the true person he is inside. Fifteen years later, when revisiting the tree, he finally accepts and forgives himself. This journey is a long and painful one. At the end of this long and winding road filled with ditches, difficulties and problems, Gene emerges a mature adult. Gene jounces the limb and causes Finny's fall and at that moment becomes aware of his inner-self and learns of his true feelings. This revelation comes to him back in his room before he and Finny leave for the tree. It surrounds him with the shock of his true self until he finally reacts by jouncing the limb. Up in the tree, before the two friends are about to make their double-jump, Gene sees Finny in this new light. He realizes that Finny feels no jealousy or hatred towards him and that Finny is indeed perfect in every way. Gene becomes aware that only he is the jealous one. He learns of his animosity and that he really is a savage underneath. Over a long period of time Gene had been denying his feelings of hatred towards Finny, saying that it was normal for him to feel this way. Now all of the feelings come back to him and he sees how terrible he really is. The realization that these feelings are one-sided causes Gene to to fall dramatically in comparison to Finny (he paints himself black for these feelings and because Finny doesn't share them, he puts a halo around Finny's head), concludes with the neccessity for Finny to be brought down to his level, and results with Gene jouncing the limb. After the realization of the person he truly is, in his room and up in the tree, Gene must now confront his problems, face reality, and deal with the future. He must learn that communication is very important in a relationship and that he must express himself instead of keeping his feelings inside, as he had always done with Finny. He must learn to listen to himself rather than to others. These were just a few of the many problems there were in his relationship with Finny. He must face reality and acknowledge the fact that he isn't as great as Finny, that he is his own individual person and that Finny isn't as perfect as he thought. Gene must accept the guilt for Finny's difficulties after his injury and must help Finny as a punishment and act of repentence for his deed. Gene does this by giving a part of himself to Finny as we see with the case of sports throughout the rest of the novel - how Gene becomes Finny when it comes to sports. Although the above are all of great importance, the greatest hurdle Gene must overcome is learning to live with what he's done. This painful step is the one which will allow him to completely mature. The final stage of Gene's maturation is his self-acceptence and self-forgivness. He has to accept that he isn't perfect and that he, like any other normal being (even Finny), has faults. Accepting that his innocence has been lost helps Gene move on into another part of his life and realize that he can never return to the days of his innocent youth again. He can now become a man, enter the war and adult world and leave his youth behind. Forgiving himself is the step which allows Gene to lead a normal life and enter society. He must finally forgive himself completely for his blind act and allow himself to come in out of the rain. By accepting as well as forgiving the person that he is, Gene enables himself to move on and join the adult world. Gene's maturation is long, painful. It is a painful and difficult process that reveals a darker side of Gene that he doesn't neccessarily wish to see. However painful, Gene is made a better person during his maturation through his suffering. Through his pain and awful revalations about himself, Gene matures from an insecure child to a self-knowledgable adult.

A Modest Proposal By Swift

A Modest Proposal was a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift depicting the horrific conditions of Ireland and the lives of the Irish people in 1729. The author portrays and attacks the cruel and unjust oppression of Ireland by its oppressor, the mighty English and ridicules the Irish people at the same time. However, Swift's opposition is indirectly presented. Jonathan Swift is able to do so by using the persona, irony, and wit in order to expose the remarkable corruption and degradation of the Irish people, and at the same time present them with practicable solutions to their unscrupulous and pathetic lives. The author uses a satire to accomplish his objective not only because he is able to conceal his true identity but also because it is the most effective way to awake the people of Ireland into seeing their own depravity. Swift creates a fictional persona because by hiding his true identity he is able to convince the readers of the significance of Ireland's problem and allow them to see truth and reality. The persona is a concerned Irishman who is very intelligent, sound, and serious. He appears to be a brute and a monster for proposing something evil and immoral very calmly as if it is normal to consume the flesh of another human being. What makes his proposal to be even more depraved is that he proposes to eat the babies. The persona declares, and at exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them, in a such a manner as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding and partly to the clothing of many thousands. The persona justifies his proposal with numerous reasons. Besides the prevention of voluntary abortions and infanticide, it will also prevent the loss of money for maintenance of children and the abuse of women and children. The number of Papists would be reduced and the children will not become beggars, thieves, or prostitutes. The proposal will aid in the increase in the status of the peasantry, promote love, and care from the mothers towards their children. However the persona alone is inadequate to make the narrator seem too plausible. The persona must utilize irony and wit in order for his essay to be more efficacious. A Modest Proposal is so effective and appealing because of the authors' copious uses of irony throughout his essay. The title itself is definitely ironic. It provides the reader with false expectations of decency and sensibility on the part of the writer. The butchery of innocent babies and the use of their skin for clothing is way beyond being modest. It is brutal and insane. The proposal is intended to shock and throw the reader off balance. The narrator also ridicules the Irish. His proposal would be a great incentive for marriage, not because the Irish will marry for the expected reasons, of love and happiness. Instead they will marry for money. As the persona pronounces, this would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by rewards or enforced by laws and penalties. Moreover, this proposal if put into effect would aid in establishing love and care in families, between spouses and towards the children. The mother would provide her babies with better nourishment. Since, plump, fat, and juicy babies are worth more than the lean and abused ones. The husbands will become fond of their wives and refrain from abusing them, to avoid a possible miscarriage. Furthermore, normally the child is introduced to Christianity to celebrate his or her birth and introduction to Christianity. However, ironically Christenings will celebrate a baby's impending death. The baby must be murdered in order for the parents to profit. Thus, the primary motive of the Irish is money. The persona's ingenious display of irony serves a purpose for attacking, scorning, and exposing the vices of the Irish people. The narrator's brilliant and clever use of wit is definitely noteworthy throughout A Modest Proposal. In order to make cannibalism sound like the most practicable solution, the author wisely uses his wit. He is implying that cannibalism cannot possibly be more barbaric and unethical than what the Irish are already doing to themselves. Swift is reproaching the Irish for their indolence and pride. The people of Ireland are being reviled and scorned for their lack of action in order to mitigate the current circumstances. The narrator proclaims, for we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; we neither build houses, nor cultivate land. The responsibility of being oppressed is blamed on the Irish more than on the oppressors, the English. Incredibly, the narrator is able to enthrall the readers' attention through his accurate use of sarcasm and mockery. What makes the persona so credible is the precise and skillful use of diction and wit. The author characterizes the mothers as breeders, swine, and cattle. The children are described as numbers, statistics, and debased to mathematical computations. The author does so shrewdly, because statistics are facts and the truth in peoples' minds. The narrator writes, the number of souls in Ireland being usually reckoned one million and a half. Then further goes on, the question is how this number shall be reared, and provided for. People are living like animals and are dehumanized. The persona is also plausible because he appears to have everything planned and well researched. He even goes into specific details. The narrator's states, a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled, and I make no doubt that it will serve in a fricassee, or a ragout. The brilliance in the use of witticism and sarcasm by the persona play a critical role in awakening the Irish to the physical existence of their debauched environment. By convincing the people of Ireland to reform, Jonathan Swift proved his satire A Modest Proposal to be an effective means for accomplishing his intent. The people of Ireland went through a stage of awakening due to Swifts' scintillating portrayal of their corrupted, exploited, and dehumanized lives. The satire gave the Irish a better scope on the reality. They were able to see the severity of their crisis and that they were complicit on their oppression. Jonathan Swift fabricated a fictional character in order to persuade the readers to approach his essay and his proposal with endmost seriousness. However once Swift took off his mask, the readers finally realized that they were being derided and scolded. Once Swift took off his mask he stopped his criticism and presented the Irish with applicable solutions. All he wants the Irish people to do is tax their absentees, purchase only Irish goods, become more wise and thrifty with money, and be less haughty, futile, and indolent. Also, Swift asked the landlords to be more lenient on their people. Furthermore, Swift impelled and inspired the Irish into rebelling by presenting them with feasible solutions to cease the anguish of Ireland's people.

Essay topic: Reading is fun

Since young, my parents have always brought me to the library to borrow books. At first, I thought reading was boring. However, I soon learnt to love reading.The first books I read were fairytales. I still remember those delightful tales like “Beauty And the Beast” and “The ugly Duckling”. One thing I like about fairytales is that the kind-hearted always get rewarded in the end.Now I prefer books on adventures like Enid Blyton’s “Famous Give” series and mysteries like “The Three Investigators” series. Once a fortnight, I will visit the library to get some books to read. I always find it difficult to put down a book once I start reading it.Reading has improved my command of English. I also gain a lot of general knowledge, especially from reading non-fiction books. I like reading books on subject that I am interested in. like dogs, horses and outer space.Reading also provides a world where we can experience things which we may never in real life. For example, I may not have the chance to travel in caravan. However, reading Enid Blyton’s “Five go Off In A Caravan” tells me what it is like to stay in a caravan. Therefore, I think reading is both fun and beneficial.

Essay topic: An imaginary encounter

One night, while I was about to sleep, I noticed an extremely bright star in the sky. Its dazzling glow lit the dark night and its beam fell on my bed. To my surprise, a tiny human-like creature walked down the beam. It had wide blue eyes and sharp-pointed ears. A small star shone on its forehead.“Hello, I am Starlet form outer space,” said the little creature in a high and musical voice. From the high voice, I guessed that Starlet is a female.Starlet continued, “Today is my birthday and Star Papa gave me a new spaceships. Would you like to ride in it with me?”I was filled with curiosity and followed Starlet up the beam into her spaceship. Together, we zoomed off to outer space. Looking out of the spaceship, I could see fish-like creatures rushing about in space and looking very busy.“that is the fish market,” Starlet informed me.Soon, we arrived at a restaurant, McSpace, which was floating in space. It served food which looked like starfruits but which tasted like a mixture of mutton and vanilla ice-cream. It was such fun visiting Starlet’s kingdom.Starlet sent me back to earth before dawn. Before she left, she promised to visit me again on her next birthday.

Essay topic: It was not such a good bargain after all

Sitting at a corner of my favorite coffee-shop one morning, I heard some noises behind me. On directing my view to the opposite side of my table, I saw a crowd holding a few expensive watches. The pieces of diamond on the watches glittered under the sunlight. With the urge to investigate, I dragged my lazy feet towards them.To my amazement, there were about half a dozen Rolex watches costing not less than three thousand dollars each. A slim, well-at-tired man curtly interrupted me and tried to clear my dazed mind with a whisper. “My boy, don’t be fooled by that charlatan or you’ll get into trouble.” Saying so, he left me without giving me a chance to reply. Being easily tempted and influenced, I found myself standing in front of the crowd directly facing the man who was then the center of attraction. In spite of the unidentified man’s warning, I inquired the seller for the price of the watches.He was probably taken aback by the question coming from a young schoolboy like me because he stared at me in disbelief. However, he held out to shake hands with me. He asked me a few questions; I guessed he was trying to see my earnestness at owning the watch. Convinced of my intentions, he told me that he got those watches from his former employer, year after year for he was hardworking and diligent. As he was then financially tight, he had to sell all the watches. I was convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt when the man produced copies of certificates proving the genuineness of the watches.After inspecting the watches thoroughly, I again inquired about the price. To my astonishment, the man was willing to sell the watch for a thousand dollars which was only thirty percent of the cost price. My heart almost leapt into my mouth when I thought of this bargain. “Well, son, seeing that you’re still schooling and not earning yet, I’ll let you have it for $850,” said the man. “Wow! What a bargain! I’ll take it,” I replied without second thoughts.I excused myself and ran to the Cash-On-Line teller across the road. I withdrew the required amount and turned my head towards the watch seller only to find him being held by two police constables. A large crowd has by then gathered in front of the coffee-shop. The police then seized the diamond-studded Rolex watches and led the watch dealer away in their van.I traced my steps back towards the coffee-shop where my coffee which had turned cold by then still patiently in the cup, waiting to be drunk. I was disappointed at what had happened. The young, mysterious man who had warned me before came again and this time he said mockingly. “You see? I told you to be careful. That man was a thief. He stole the watches and some jewelry from a goldsmith shop. Police have been tracking him ever since and thank goodness, at last they found him. The nerve of him was trying to cheat a young boy like you. It was lucky that you didn’t buy the watch.”Without a single word, I nodded and shook hands with the man. I suppose that gesture was worth a thousand words. The man stroked my hair and said, “Well son, it wasn’t such a good bargain after all!”

Essay topic: Lost luggage

One fine day, as I was engrossed in my reading, the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and was greeted formally by an unfamiliar voice that asked to speak to me. My hands trembled for a while and strange ideas of imaginary offences shot into my mind.My worries were unfounded as I received the most wonderful news that I could ever dream of. I had been chosen to study on an overseas scholarship. I was told to reply the offer by the next day.When my parents came home that night, I broke the wonderful news to them. My father was overjoyed as it was his dream to send me for studies overseas. My mother was, however, not very pleased as she would miss me and she feared that no one would take care of me in a foreign land. After much comforting from my father and me, my mother was finally persuaded.My father had left the choice of course to me. I chose to take up the course for a Diploma in “Pure Physics” at the Oxford University for duration of three years. The next day, I called the scholarship board, expressed my thanks and informed them of my choice of course. They gave me three weeks for preparation before they would send me off.Preparation began at home without any waste of time. My mother started making a list of the things I would need. She herself went shopping for the necessities. Finally, the day for my departure arrived. My mother had prepared a large suitcase stuffed with all my belongings. She had also put in a ruby brooch which she had bought for me.My parents sent me to the airport. After a tearful farewell from my mother and some encouraging words from my father and relatives, I left for England. The plane trip was not as long as I had expected. The plane touched down in England in the evening. I took my luggage from the airport, walked out and hailed a taxi. I asked the driver to take me to a respectable restaurant near my hostel as I was starving.He stopped in front of a small but clean-looking restaurant. I paid him the fare, grabbed my handbag and hopped out of the taxi. After my dinner, I realized that I had left my extremely valuable suitcase in the taxi’s boot. I was at a loss. I neither knew the taxi’s license number nor anybody whom I could ask for help.I walked slowly towards the hostel, my mind in a mess. I thought of making a long distance to call to my mother but I decided against it. I knew better than to worry her with my own troubles. I walked into the hostel and introduced myself to the lady at the information counter. With tears in my eyes, I told her my plight hoping that she could help me regain my lost luggage.The lady was very helpful. She immediately contacted a few centers and informed them about the loss. She told them to return the lost luggage to the Oxford University Hostel, if it should be found. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart. She then showed me to my room and told me not to worry.I could not sleep that night. I remembered my mother’s advice to me to be careful about the suitcase. I knew that it would break her heart if she were to learn of my carelessness. I cursed myself for being so careless. I began to think of all my documents in the suitcase without which I could not enroll for the course. Not withstanding all the worries, I fell asleep at last, with complete exhaustion, I guess.The first thing I remembered the next morning was my suitcase. I got dressed and rushed down the seemingly endless flight of stairs to the information counter. The lady greeted me with the sweetest smile I have ever seen. She told me to come behind the counter. I did and there, behind the counter stood the too familiar red suitcase. I almost screamed with joy. I squeezed her hands and expressed my deepest thanks.I picked up my suitcase and ran with it to my room. I knelt down and humbly thanked God for having saved me from the mess I was in. I have learned my lesson and promised myself to be extra-careful in future. I was also determined not to let anyone at home know about this incident forever!

Essay topic: Acting as a substitute

Anxious faces peered out fourth storey classroom window. A half of the class were outside the classroom. Some of them were at the balcony; some were waiting at the steps while some went even further to wait at the school-gate. Being the class monitor, I tried to call them back to class. My teacher was at the staff room, walking up and down in front of the telephone. She was waiting for a telephone call from Brenda’s mother.Brenda, the brain of our class, was hospitalized. She had a sudden attack of asthma during the previous night and was immediately rushed to the hospital. She was to be the last speaker for our class at the finals of the interclass debate to be held that very day. We were confident of her. We were sure that her unbeatable ability to summarize and to rebut would win for our class the prize. This was precisely the reason for everybody’s anxiety, waiting for her with hope.A little while later, my teacher walked into the class. By the look on her face, we could immediately guess the outcome. She said in a quivering voice, “Brenda won’t be discharged today. So… I’m afraid… I’m afraid that we will have to find a substitute.” There was dead silence in my class. I was standing at the back of the class. Then, painfully, I felt as if sharp pins were piercing my body, pinning me to the wall. Slowly, my eyes met the eyes of forty-two others.“But… but I… I’m not prepared,” I said stumbling over my words. Suddenly, an idea struck me, “Surely… surely you won’t want m… me to s… stutter like this, do you?” I said, faking the stutter. To my utter dismay, nobody said anything. The forty-two pairs of eyes kept staring at me. My teacher then broke the silence by the sound of her footsteps, walking up to me. She caught hold of my shoulders and said, “Only you can do it. Please don’t let us down.” Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, I nodded quietly. I thought I heard thunder roaring across the sky, but I soon realized that it was a tremendous round of applause by my classmates.There was not much time left. The three other speakers and I rushed to the library. They quickly briefed me on the motion of the debate which was, “Parents should not over-burden their children with home tuition.” We were supposed to propose the motion. I felt that this was the most difficult task as I relied on a lot on my home tutor. It was certainly difficult to argue for something which we ourselves were against.At last, the hour arrived. Everybody assembled in the school hall. Backstage I was sitting at the right hand corner of a semi-circle. Directly opposite me was the last speaker from the opponents. I managed to pass a crooked smile to him. My hands shivered as I held on tightly to the cards which contained the points for my arguments.The curtain parted. Right through the introduction I kept my head down. Not daring to look at the audience. Time seemed to fly, at a tremendous speed. Before I realized it, the debate was open to the floor. I looked up for the first time as I heard a voice from the corner of the hall rebutting a point made by my third speaker. Suddenly, I felt myself on the defensive. I quickly jotted a point on my card. I glanced through the card and realized that I had written quite a lot of points for rebuttal.The moment arrived. I stood up, my knees knocking vigorously against each other. I forced my voice out. Beginning with the formal greeting, I found my self speaking, pouring out argument after argument. I began to enjoy myself especially when the audience clapped at my good points. I did not even want to stop speaking when my time was over, but I had to. I sat quietly, looking at some of the unsaid arguments on my card. I heard the opponent pouring out his final arguments.The chairman said excitedly. “The long awaited moment has come. I will now call out the winner of this debate. The best speaker is… Maria of Secondary 4/2.” The other part of the announcement was drowned in the applause. My classmates rushed up the stage, hugging each other. I knew who had won without even listening to the verdict.I felt elated with pride. My teacher patted me on the back and all the others gathered around me. After the prizes were given away, my classmates again stood up to shout three cheers for 4/2. when every-body else had dispersed from the hall, my teacher unexpectedly shouted, “I knew I had chosen the right substitute.”

Essay topic: A vivid dream

I could not sleep. I kept remembering about the awful fright I had had that day. I kept wishing that Aunt Mariam would not tell Mom that I had been to the huge, old house down the hill.I remembered walking down the winding path through the thick woods, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I kept thinking of Mom cooing softly down at my born baby brother and then turning sharply to scold me for forgetting to do my chores. The rain drops from the drizzle washed my tears. The ground was already wet as it had rained earlier. I slipped many times as I made my way through the winding track to the huge, burnt house.I was panting by the time I reached the front gate of the house. It stood like an empty sheel, black and burnt from that fire long ago. There was an eerie silence about the place secluded from all sides by tall menacing trees. Only my heart throbbed away as I recalled the village children telling tales of the house being haunted by a girl and her brother who had died in the fire.It was very dark inside. I groped around for a while to get used to the dark. The place smelt of dampness and mildew. I stood in the middle of the massive, empty hall and stared at the dusty ruin and decay that had gathered. The place was full of dark, shadowed corners covered with cobwebs. I noticed that the left wing of the house was untouched by the fire. I made my way lightly through the debris toward the left of the house.This room was surprisingly bright. All around there were oil painted canvasses, some hung, others covered with white sheets. I uncovered one to find a water color painting of a girl of about my age, standing pensively, grinning widely by a fountain. It was the sad, wistful look in those expressive eyes that held my attention for a long while. Then carefully I covered it. I was about to uncover another when a dark shadow crossed the room.I looked up sharply in the dim light. Holding my breath I moved back slowly without turning around. I almost expected a vampire to come out among the shadows. There it was again, huge black wings flapped towards me, screeding loudly. I lifted my sweaty palms to cover my eyes, swung myself around and cowered on the floor.Lightning flashed into the dimness of the room, thunder cracked through the walls. I got up slowly. Something must have hit my head when I swung around. There was an awful lump at the side of my head; it throbbed painfully.Outside it was raining heavily and the wind howled loudly. There was something else too. I smelt something strange. It was smoke!The house was on fire again. From inside the room I could see tongues of red flares. I looked around desperately. Lightning flashed again. Then before me was a rocking horse and a cot on fire. I stood there not knowing what to do. Then the fire went out.Before me was the burnt remains of the cot and as I gazed, I was horrified to see what looked like the charred remains of a baby boy, black and lifeless.I sat up, breathing hard, clutching my blanket. Looking around the familiar sights, I sprang out of bed to my parents’ bedroom. There he was, my baby brother sleeping soundly; but my parents were not there. I still smelt smoke and heard fire crackling. I walked into the living room and there it was – the fire.Across the road, the shop-houses were on fire. I stood there, clutching my mother’s hand watching the firemen do battle with the blazing monster for a long while. Then my mom carried me back to bed and tucked me into bed again.

Essay topic: A pleasant surprise

The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. At the doorway stood a fair and pretty girl with rosy cheeks.“You Mona? Me Yoko, you pen-pal from Japan,” she said in broken English. I could not believe my ears. What a surprise! Yoko explained with difficulty that her family was stopping over in Singapore for two days before flying off to Australia for holidays. I was glad that my elementary Japanese helped in our conversation.I was also surprised to see the many beautiful presents Yoko had brought for me from Japan. It included a kimono, a Japanese paper lantern, some beautiful badges with faces of popular Japanese singers and lots of delicious Japanese foodstuff.She also took me to Hotel New Otani where her family was staying in a suite. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka, were very friendly and generous. They treated me to a sumptuous Japanese meal in a cozy Japanese restaurant.I took the Tanaka family on a brief tour round Singapore before inviting them to my home for dinner. Meeting Yoko and her parents had certainly been a pleasant surprise.

Essay topic: A treasure hunt

One afternoon, I received a letter which contained a map of the park near my house. A big cross was marked at a corner. Right at the bottom of the piece of paper were two rows of strange words:“Frut eht rednu gidEvresed uoy tahw dnif lliw uoy”It must be a secret code! After looking at it for a long time, I realized that the message could be found if I read it backward. The secret message was:“Dig under the turfYou will find what you deserve”Immediately, I ran to the park. I found the corner where the turf was and started digging with a fallen tree branch. Soon, I saw a small box. In a state of great excitement, I opened it and found a piece of paper. It said: Dig harder!I shouted with frustration and started digging again. I began to perspire and I felt my arms aching. I was about to give up when I spotted another box. Holding my breath in excitement, I opened the box… and found another piece of paper. This time, there was a picture of an idiot and the words: “This is what you deserve. Hee! Hee!”I was mad with anger. However, when I calmed down, I realized that I had indeed been a fool, wasting one afternoon on dreams of getting rich without working for it.

Essay topic: A good deed

There is an overhead bridge in front of the block of flats where I live. An old lady sits there selling sweets and peanuts. She told me that she had been abandoned by her grown-up children. Out of sympathy, I buy a packet of peanuts from her whenever I cross the bridge.One day, as I was crossing the bridge, it started to drizzle. The old lady packed her things and hurriedly went down the stairs. Before I could run forward to give her a hand, she missed a step and fell. By the time I reached her, she had already fainted; I was shocked to see her head bleeding. Unfortunately, there was no one around to help. Thus, I left her and ran to the nearest telephone booth to call for an ambulance.In the hospital, the doctor told me that the old lady would soon be well again as she had not lost too much blood. I was relieved. As her family would not care for her, I asked my father for help. Soon, she was sent to live in an Old Folks Home.I feel glad to have been of help to the old lady. I intend to visit her often at the Old Folks Home.

Essay topic: Courtesy begets courtesy

One afternoon, my cousin and I went for a movie. Before the movie started, I went to the public washroom. It was very crowded; I joined the queue and waited patiently for my turn.When I was about to enter an empty toilet, the girl who was standing behind me asked me if she could use the toilet first. Her face was pale and she seemed to be having a terrible stomach upset.“Sure!” I said without hesitation. I could tell from her face that she was very thankful.After the movie, my cousin and I were supposed to meet my uncle at the airport. We decided to catch a cab there. At the taxi-stand, I saw the girl whom I met in the washroom. This time, she was ahead of me in the queue.We started a friendly conversation while waiting for our cabs. My cousin and I began to get worried when we had waited for quite some time and no cab had passed by. Finally a cab came. We waved good-bye to the girl because she offered to let us go in the cab first.We thanked her for being so considerate. She even helped us carry our shopping bags into the cab. From this incident, I fully agree that “courtesy begets courtesy”. It certainly pays to be courteous.

Essay topic: Daylight robbery

My neighbor Mrs. Wu and her daughter Lily are rather vain. They are fond of wearing expensive jewelries and displaying them in public. Whenever any friends drop in to visit them, Lily enjoys showing them her collection of jewelries.One afternoon as I was returning home from the library, I noticed a strange looking man lurking outside Mrs. Wu’s house. I was curious to find out what he was up to. So I hid myself behind a huge tree. When it was time for Mrs. Wu to go for her stroll, the man quickly hid himself behind some bushes. When she walked to the gate and was about to open it, the man rushed up and pointed a knife at her. Mrs. Wu screamed. When I saw what was happening, I quickly ran to get help.I managed to stop a passing patrol car. When I told them what had happened, two burly policemen followed me. Mrs. Wu was slowly taking off her jewelries and giving them to the robber. The two policemen overpowered and arrested him. Mrs. Wu thanked me for my help. She learned a good lesson. After that terrible incident she never wore her jewelries.