Colonization In The Theme Of Conrads Heart Of Darkness And Swift

Joseph Riley McCormack Professor Alan Somerset English 020 Section 007 Submission Date: March 22, 2000 Colonization in the Theme of A Modest Proposal and Heart of Darkness Starting at the beginning of the seventeenth century, European countries began exploring and colonizing many different areas of the world. The last half of the nineteenth century saw the height of European colonial power around the globe. France, Belgium, Germany, and especially Great Britain, controlled over half the world. Along with this achievement came a notable sense of pride and confident belief that European civilization was the best on earth and that the natives of the lands Europeans controlled would only benefit from colonial influence. However, not everybody saw colonization as positive for all those involved. Some of the most notable writers of the time produced works criticizing the process of colonization. Two of the most significant works in this area are Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Although these pieces of literature both criticize colonization, they have different themes. The theme of A Modest Proposal could be described as the negative effects of colonization on the colonized, while the central idea in Heart of Darkness is the negative effects of colonization on both the colonized and the colonizers. The differences in these themes are significant to the strategies used by the authors to explore the adverse effects of colonization. Swift makes great use of irony and imagery, to accentuate the plight of the Irish. Conrad comments on the frightening changes that people involved with colonization can go through by exploring character development and detailing a narrative of oppression. Swift uses irony in A Modest Proposal because it allows him to highlight the emotional detachment felt by the colonizing British towards the Irish. It is this emotional detached feeling that lead to the atrocities committed against the Irish citizens. The irony in A Modest Proposal is evident right in the title. There is certainly nothing modest about the proposal of eating the infants of impoverished Irish citizens. The irony accentuates how cruel and uncompassionate the powerful British Imperialists were, towards the destitute Irish population. The reader must realize that Swift is operating independently of the narrator in a covert manner (Phiddian 607). He develops the persona of the proposer to say exactly the opposite of what he feels. While the proposer suggests eating poor Irish children is particularly proper at merry meetings, particularly weddings and christenings, this could not be further from the opinion of Swift. Nor does Swift actually believe that this plan will increase the care and tenderness of mothers toward their children. (NA 1052) Moreover, the whole topic of cannibalism, is discussed with tongue in cheek and is meant to suggest that the British were devouring the Irish. Images of cruelty and evil put, forward by the narrator, weigh heavily in the theme of A Modest Proposal. Throughout the pamphlet, the reader is bombarded with disturbing imagery of Irish people and their children being treated like livestock raised for consumption. The narrator refers to the parents of the children as savages (NA 1050) and breeders (NA 1051) and dams (NA 1048). Then he compares the children to roasting pigs (NA 1050) and continues as if he were writing a cook book. He speaks of how delicious he thinks these infants would be whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled (NA 1049) or served in a fricassee or a ragout (NA 1049). He describes how the carcasses (NA 1050) of these babies could be nicely seasoned with a little pepper or salt (NA 1050) and will be in season throughout the year (NA 1050). Flaying the carcass and using the skin of these babies to make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen (NA 1050) is another suggestion he puts forward. He expands beyond just slaughtering the infants for food and leather products by suggesting the possibility of hunting the adolescents for sport. He dismisses this idea because he imagines the flesh of the adolescents would be too tough for eating and because hunting them would reduce the breeding stock. He also has concerns that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering on cruelty (NA 1051). All of the gruesome imagery used in A Modest Proposal has earned it the reputation of being one of Swift’s most potent attacks in his war on a class of civilized people who often behave like animals (McMinn 149). Joseph Conrad details a narrative of oppression emphasizing the horrible treatment of African natives during the colonization of the Congo. The Europeans claimed that they were trying to civilize the natives, and that each colonized station should be for humanizing, improving and instructing, (NA 2228) as if colonization was to the advantage of the natives. In the same voice, it was said that the natives were brutes (NA 2242) and savages (NA 2218) and that they should all be exterminated (NA 2242). Heart of Darkness described African blacks as being criminals (NA 2216) and enemies (NA 2214) and they were treated as such. The natives were forced to do intense heavy labor for the colonizers. They dug holes, tunneled through mountains, moved soil from one place to another in baskets balanced on their heads. When there was no meaningful work needed to be done, the blacks were forced to do heavy labor just for the sake of doing heavy labor. They did objectless blasting (NA 2215) and other pointless work in the whites philanthropic desire of giving the criminals something to do (NA 2216). They were treated like working animals. They were forced to carry 60lb loads 200 miles in scorching heat with inadequate nourishment. A number of them died on that trip. In the stations they worked in chain gangs where, each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected with a chain (NA 2215). They were supervised by other gun wielding natives who had apparently joined the colonizers in the oppression of their people. When the overworked natives could work no more they would simply crawl under a tree in the shade and die. If the blacks stopped working, made a mistake, or were suspected of making a mistake, they were beaten savagely. Beatings are very common in Heart of Darkness. The European pilgrims are constantly in the possession of staves, just in case they should have to discipline a native. A black man was beaten nearly to death as the result of a dispute over two hens. Then later in the story, a black man was beaten so badly that after a few days he just wandered off into the forest and died. It becomes increasingly clear as the plot develops that the colonizing Europeans treated the land and the people they were colonizing with no respect at all. Through the presentation of characters and their development through the story, Conrad examines the negative effects colonization can have on the colonizers. It makes them lazy; it reveals their weaknesses; it puffs them up with empty vanity of being white; and it fortifies the intolerable hypocrisy with which Europeans in general conceal their selfish aims (Watt 37). It causes them to hate and brings out the evil from within them. The first white man that Marlow comes across in the Congo is the companies accountant. His vanity is evident, from the way he keeps himself impeccably groomed, while other human beings around him are living squalid, unbearable lives and dying horrifying deaths. He wore a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clear necktie and varnished boots (NA 2217). Meanwhile, everything else in the station was a muddle (NA 2217) and there were people breathing their last breaths just outside his door. The development of his hatred while in Africa is clear when he tells Marlow that one comes to hate those savages - hate them to death (NA 2218). His evilness is accentuated by the flies that buzzed fiendishly (NA 2217) around him, conjuring up images of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Though his character is a minor one, the accountant gives the readers their first taste of the Congo’s detrimental effects on the colonizers. Kurtz and Marlow are sort of mirror images of one another. Marlow is what Kurtz once was and Kurtz is what Marlow could have been. Both are affected adversely by their experience in the Congo. The change in Marlow is very evident by the end of the story. Near the beginning of the story, he states that he is appalled by lies, that there is a taint of death (NA 2224) and a flavour of mortality (NA 2224) in them. He says lies are exactly what I hate and detest in the world - what I want to forget (NA 2224). Then in the end of the story, he must make a decision whether to tell Kurtz’s wife a truth that will devastate her or a lie that will put her at ease. He lies to her. It may be good intentions that caused him to lie, but he lied all the same. A part of Marlow died in the Congo and he became what he hates, a liar. Kurtz on the other hand went into the Congo as a highly respected person for whom superiors had high hopes and big plans. By the end of the story Kurtz has gone insane. While Marlow peeped over the edge, (NA 2257) and drew back [his] hesitating foot, (NA 2258) Kurtz had made that last stride, he had stepped over the edge (NA 2258). Kurtz was so damaged by his Congo colonization experience that it killed him before he made it back to civilization. It is these changes in the main characters of the story that are most influential in developing, in the reader, a sense of how colonization effects the colonizer. Colonization is a part of the theme in both Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. While Swift’s work deals mainly with the negative effects of colonization on those being colonized, Conrad’s story explores the negative experiences of both the colonized and the colonizers. The differences in these themes are significant to the strategies used by the authors to explore the negative effects of colonization. As in much of his literary work, Swift uses a great deal of irony and imagery to drive his point home. Conrad on the other hand, details a narrative of oppression and delves into character development to describe his thoughts and experiences with colonization in Africa. These works can be viewed as criticisms of events of the past, but they should also be viewed as warnings for the future. People should learn from the past and not make the same mistakes twice. Unfortunately it seems as if history repeats itself and human beings make the same error over and over again. BibliographyMcMinn, Joseph. Jonathan Swift: a literary life. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 1991. Phiddian, Robert. Have you eaten yet? The Reader in A Modest Proposal. SEL: Studies in English Literature (Summer 1996) : 603-621. Watt, Ian. Ideological Perspectives: Kurtz and the Fate of Victorian Progress. Joseph Conrad. Ed. Elaine Jordan. London: Macmillan Press. 1996. 32-47.


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Characther Essay For Lamb To The Slaughter

Character Essay Characterization, a method that an author chooses to develop his/her character, is a very important element in a story. In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Roald Dahl, effectively develops the protagonist both directly and indirectly; however, the use of indirect characterization is more dominant because it reveals her actions and how she deals with her conflict, her words, and creating a dynamic character with her words, and her personality. First, she seems like a typical house-wife longing for her husband to return, but something is odd about this particular day; “There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did…was curiously tranquil…the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger, and darker than before” (108). It was almost as if she is expecting something unusual to happen, and that she is preparing for that specific moment. In addition, her actions change from being a wife-pleasing-husband, to a self-conscious woman that knew all of a sudden, exactly what to do, as if she had been prepared for months. Also, in the beginning of the story she is described as a inoffensive, harmless person, but immediately after her husband reveals his burden, she becomes unstable and almost naturally she hits her husband. She “…simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb…and brought it down as hard as she could…” (111). And as strange as it looks, she goes somewhat through a metamorphoses, from being a content house-wife, to a maniac, possessed woman, to the point of killing her husband. Second, she reveals through her words, her duplicity and deceitfulness by exterminating all the evidence left. When the police arrived she trying to hide evidence, asks for her husband’s whiskey, “‘Jack…would you mind giving me a drink?’…’You mean this whiskey?’…’Yes, please’…’Why don’t you eat up that lamb that is in the oven?’…” (115,116), and the reader realizes that she tries to convince others with her deceitful lies, and with a concrete set of credible words, she gets away easily; “She tried a smile. It came out so peculiar…The voice sounded so peculiar too…She rehearsed it several times more…” (112). Mrs. Maloney, had thought about it even before the incident happened, for she tries to look as normal as possible, by acting it out her daily routine. Finally, her personality creates in her a dynamic characterization, and as the reader observes it when she is talking to the shopkeeper, by saying something very odd: “’I got a nice leg of lamb from the freezer…I don’t much like cooking it frozen…but I’m taking a chance on it this time. You think it’ll be alltight?” (112). What she was really referring, was what she had done just minutes ago. But when she said , at the end, to him if “it’ll be allright?” she revealed a weak, fragile nature as if she had been pulled out of a protective coat all of a sudden and left naked, for she is described by the narrator as a loving and faithful wife, who is willing to do anything for her husband. Moreover, at the end when she offers the leg of lamb to the officers, she does another extraordinary act; “And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle” (116). And by doing so, she was declaring that she was indeed independent, and was mature enough to make her own decisions based on what she thought was the best, not others. Roald Dahl, developed the protagonist successfully in “Lamb to the Slaughter,” through a way that is important in this short story. Where indirect characterization is the most predominant in the protagonist’s actions, words, and how the author creates a convincing dynamic character, which reflects it in the body itself.


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Bromden And His Changing Mind

Outline Thesis: In One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey, Chief Bromden is a character who has to work his way back to being and acting like a real human after so many years of being “dehumanized” (Porter 49) into a machine created by the evil Nurse Ratched. I. Bromden in the beginning A. Dehumanized by Nurse Ratched 1. structured 2. forbids laughing 3. controlling B. The effect that the Nurse and the ward has on Bromden 1. could not smell 2. thinks of himself as little 3. hides in the fog 4. fears everything 5. sees himself as comic 6. hallucinates II. Bromden in progress A. Gives up deaf and dumb B. Great turn - around C. Begins to smell things D. Regains his laugh E. Loosens up III. Bromden at the end A. Bromden escapes B. Bromden is a hero C. McMurphy is death; Bromden strength D. Bromden becomes big IV. Conclusion A. Modern world; machines destroy B. Nurse Ratched the machine C. Modern world is the combine Bromden and his Changing Mind In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, Chief Bromden is a character who has to work his way back to being and acting like a real human after so many years of being “dehumanized” (Porter 49) into a machine created by the evil Nurse Ratched. Bromden begins to change as soon as McMurphy tries to get the guys on the ward to open up and Bromden is the one who gets the most out of Mr. McMurphy’s “therapy” (97). Chief Bromden finally beats the evil nurse Miss Ratched by escaping from the institution. So “Broken men - however frightened, beleaguered, splintered, and dehumanized - can be restored to manhood and wholeness” (95). A six foot seven inch Indian named Chief Bromden pretense to be a deaf mute after he watched his father, Chief Tee Ah Millatoona, get ruined by his white wife. Government agents often came to visit his father about his property. The agents would walk right past Bromden like he was not even there. When people stopped reacting to Bromden, he stopped reacting to the people. At the Combine which was the name for the ward, Bromden underwent treatment for his medical condition. The Combine split the patients into two categories, the Acutes and the Chronics. The Acutes were the patients that had the ability to getting better while the Chronics had no chance of getting better because of how serious their medical condition is. In the Combine everybody definitely considers Bromden as a Chronic. While in there and everybody thinking he is a deaf mute, Bromden hear’s information from other peoples conversations that he is not suppose to hear. Throughout the novel Chief Bromden feels small and he is very easily intimidated. Without the help of the newest guy on the ward, Randel Patrick McMurphy, he would of never been able to gain up enough strength to feel good about himself again and escape the ward like he did in the end of the novel. McMurphy helps Bromden tremendously plus everybody else that is on the ward. He guides everybody to be human. McMurphy says Miss Ratched, the Nurse of the Combine, gains her power by making others feel like they have less. She controls everything they do from when they wake up to when they go to bed. McMurphy rebels against Miss Ratched and tries to get the guys on the ward to stand up for themselves too. The patients on the ward are not aloud to laugh loosely according to Miss Ratched. McMurphy says when a man loses his ability to laugh he is not a man anymore. Most of the patients on the ward are dehumanized by Nurse Ratched controlling and orderly attitude. In the novel Bromden shows the most change from McMurphy’s help. Enough change to come back after escaping and retell the story. In the beginning of the novel Bromden was at the point where he was completely dehumanized by Nurse Ratched. Miss. Ratched was the main cause of his dehumanization, but not the start of it. It began is his early childhood with the conflict between his father, the Indian chief, and his white mother that had control over his father. As it says in the Discovering Authors Modules: “Mrs. Bromden was a domineering women who cared little for her husband’s Indian heritage and was instrumental in selling his land to the government.”. Miss Ratched is in a way just like Bromden’s mother. The way his mother wore down his father by making him feel small and little is the same thing Nurse Ratched is doing to Bromden while on the ward (Wallace 8). After Bromden’s father was dehumanized by his wife it is Bromden’s turn, assuming from Discovering Authors Modules that this “novel is a fictionalized account of his childhood experience” (8). If the story Bromden told us about his early childhood background is true and sit is parrallel to the plot of the novel then we can assume that Bromden is going to get dehumanized by Nurse Ratched. So this is how Bromden starts out the novel, dehumanized and feeling smaller and weaker. While Bromden is feeling dehumanized and small Miss Ratched has the ward well structured and running smooth. She has everything running on time and if something is out of place she will fix it right away because to her there is no such thing as unorganized (Kesey 26). As Porter points out, since Miss Ratched is an ex-army nurse she is used to the high demands on order. Her life was always structured and she expects everybody and everything else to be the same way (48). With structure there comes control, because structure is highly unlikely to exist without some sort of control. If there was no control over the patients on the ward then there definitely would be no structure because that is what the patients are there for, a little structure in their lives. Throughout the beginning of the novel Bromden was always complaining that Nurse Ratched has too much control over things. For example, in the novel, Bromden says Nurse Ratched can speed up time or slow down time depending what she wanted to do (Kesey 73). He also says that she is controlling a fog machine when she sits behind the window at her control panel and sometimes it could last hours on end (75). So with all the control she has over the ward the patients really feel pressured to do what ever she says. The one thing that Nurse Ratched has control of that really hurts the Combine is laughter. As Porter says, everybody sees Miss Ratched as a machine and not as a human. They think she is dehumanized herself along with them. To Bromden the tip of each “finger was the same color as her lips. Funny orange. Like the tip of a sodering iron” (Kesey 4) (49). Bromden and all the other patients on the ward are not thought of as human beings. Miss Ratched thinks of them as just objects or pieces of machinery, so she treated them like pieces of machinery. With structure and control a playing a big part in the daily lives of the men on the ward, Miss Ratched does not see how the pressure of her control and wanting a structured environment had an negative mental effect on the patients. Bromden does not have that free laugh. As with McMurphy, Bromden’s “therapist” he had a laugh with no resistance. Porter says, “The inability to laugh therefore is a gauge of the combine’s pressure ...” (97). The patients on the ward never just laugh loosely because they feel the pressure of Nurse Ratched when she is sitting behind the glass window of her office looking at them. With the resistance to laugh Bromden also could not smell the usual things that normal men can smell. All that he could smell was the oil from the machines and the heated machinery (Porter 30). He could not only smell the machines, he often hallucinated allot about them also. Sometimes he would see machines in his room at night when everybody else was asleep. The chief is a “comic character” who literally sees “microphones in the broom handles, wires in the walls, and pernicious devices in the electric shavers” (Wallace 8). Bromden at this point is not human. Leeds says “the Combine, committed as it is to the supremacy of technology over humanity, extends its influence by dehumanizing men and making them machines” (20). The pressure from Nurse Ratched dehumanized Bromden to where now he begins to see and smell things that a normal human being would not. The final effect that Miss Ratched has on Bromden is his fear of everything. Kesey tries to get the reader to notice real quick that they are dealing with a scared and intimidated character. He also wants to produces the impression of a mind that works oddly Kesey opens up the novel with Bromden saying “They’re out there” (3). All these problems that Bromden has comes from Miss Ratched. If she was not so structured and hung up on control Bromden would not be this weak and dehumanized. In order for Bromden to gain his strength back from Nurse Ratched’s dehumanization, he has to overcome her control. One way to break the control is learning how to laugh. When McMurphy and Bromden were up stairs waiting for there shock treatment McMurphy offered Bromden a piece of gum and he took it then started to laugh. Ronald Wallace said in Discovering Authors Modules said “The chief must regain his laugh before he can regain his speech, and his first words to McMurphy when he has stopped laughing are ‘thank you.’ Having recovered his comic sense Bromden recovers his health” (9). At this point Bromden begins to show signs of sanity because he gives up the deaf and dumb role (Fish 17). As soon as Bromden regains his comic sense and gives up his deaf and dumb role everything else seems to fall right in place. He begins to smell things a man should smell. Tanner say’s Bromden begins to smell different odors. “... not until McMurphy came was there ‘the man smell of dust and dirt from open fields, and sweat, and work’(98).” Bromden is determined not to let Nurse Ratched destroy him with her “soul-destroying method” (ken@hotmail.com 1). Bromden recognizes a picture that he never saw on the wards wall of a fisherman on a mountain stream. He begins imagining the smells that the fisherman would smell (31). The things he is smelling now compared to hot oiled machines are more natural and relaxing. Tanner states that “This reawaked sensitivity to the world of nature, his home environment, is a positive sign that Bromden is developing a resistance to the machine world of the hospital.” (32) which means that Bromden is now beginning to resist Nurse Ratched’s control she has over him. Now that Bromden is creating a resistance to Nurse Ratched he is finding out there is more to life than just the institution, and McMurphy tries to show him this by taking some guys on the ward, plus Bromden, on a fishing trip. On their way they stooped at a gas station and two attendants gave McMurphy a hard time about showing up with a bunch of loonies. The patients in the car got depressed because they know what is going on. McMurphy sees in the car that the guys are getting pretty much ashamed for themselves and wanting to say screw it all and go home. From Discovering Authors Modules Ronald Wallace explained that when McMurphy saw this he helps the inmates gain more pride by freighting the attendants. He tells the attendants what the inmates are in for, describing it with great detail hoping to frighten the attendants into thinking they are so nuts they could flip out and kill them any second. “McMurphy gives him the example of standing up to and occasionally beating the apparently all-powerful Combine” (Macky 4712). Between the black boys and the other patience on the ward Bromden gets picked on right in front of his face just as the two attendants picked on them when they were in the car. McMurphy gave him one example of standing up to that kind of punishment. So no matter how much Bromden was dehumanized by all the punishment the Combine had given him, he did not let that ruin his whole life. Even though he was considered a chronic which meant there was no help for him mentally he is improving as a human being from McMurphy’s help. McMurphy is helping Bromden to improve by giving him a little pride for himself. The end of Bromden “therapy” (Porter 97) McMurphy has brought Bromden back to strength again. The guys on the ward were getting checked and cleaned for crabs (Kesey 260). One of the patients on the ward named George was scared to get cleaned by one of the black aids. McMurphy told the aid just to forget about him and move on to the next guy. When the aid refuses McMurphy starts a fight with him. One of the black aids pin McMurphy down to the floor (261). Right now Bromden sees himself in a different light then he did before. He begins seeing this when McMurphy is pinned on the floor by one of the black aids (McCreadie 505). Bromden joins in the fight to help McMurphy defeat the black boys. After more of the aids got the situation under control, McMurphy and Bromden were sent up stairs to receive shock therapy. After the shock therapy McMurphy through a party for the patients just so they would have some fun before he escapes the next morning. When morning came McMurphy forgot to leave because he fell asleep and later on he finds out that one of the patients had killed themselves (Kesey 304). Nurse Ratched blames his death on the whole ward making everybody fell like it was their fault by them playing God (304). McMurphy gets so angry that he breaks down her door and ripped her shirt off so her big breast would be shown (305). Nurse Ratched then orders for McMurphy to have a lobotomy. The next time the patients see McMurphy is when he is brain dead. At this point Bromden is fully back to strength again. It is symbolically represented when Bromden tries to put McMurphy’s hat on and it does not fit because he has grown to full size. Peter Fish said at the end of the book the chief has switched places with McMurphy (17). This means McMurphy is now becoming weak and he is beginning to lose against the Big Nurse while Bromden is making progress. McMurphy ultimately loses against Nurse Ratched when she gave him a lobotomy. When Bromden saw this he felt that since McMurphy helped him out by teaching him to become more of a human being, he would help him out and not let hum sit there in bed for the rest of his life and suffer. So Bromden smothered McMurphy with his own pillow. Ronald Wallace said in Discovering Authors Modules that Bromden is “comic, and he is also a hero. “I kept getting this notion that I wanted to sign the list. And the more he talked about fishing for Chinook salmonthe more I wanted to go. I knew it was a fool thing to want; if I signed up it’d be the same as coming right out and telling everybody I wasn’t deaf. If I’d been hearing all this talk about boats and fishing it’d show I’d been hearing everything else that’d been said in confidence around me for the past ten years. And if the Big Nurse found out about that, that I’d heard all the scheming and treachery that had gone on when she didn’t think anybody was listening, she’d hunt me down with an electric saw, fix me where she knew I was deaf and dumb. Bad as I wanted to go, it still made me smile a little to think about it: I had to keep on acting deaf if I wanted to hear at all“ (Kesey 197). The quote from the novel above proves since Bromden has written the novel, it is Bromden himself who exposes his own comedy. The plot traces Bromdens growth toward the kind of comic perspective that enables him to write such a novel. When he can turn the combine into a comedy, he has defeated it.” In the novel during the fishing trip Bromden wanted to go, but he had no way of signing up because he did not want to give up his deaf and dumb role. Bromden learns to look at his life as a “comic fiction” and then to “transform that fiction into art.” After Bromden had smothered McMurphy he lifted the control panel which McMurphy tried to lift previously in story. When he picks up the control panel he is overcoming the control that the ward had on him. He is taking all that control they had over him for so many years and he is throwing it out of the window. When Bromden escapes he does not see the dog that has always been around the window, but only the footsteps. Leeds explains that when Bromden escapes, he is associated with the geese that were flying overhead. The dog that was not there, but only the footsteps was associated with McMurphy. He says this means that when Bromden escapes he is really flying over the cuckoo’s nest following in McMurphy’s footsteps (29). So by the end of the story it is evident that Bromden did overcome the control, gained his strength, and returned to his true size. From when McMurphy arrives at the Combine, to when Bromden makes his escape he is changing all the time. He is changing for the better. He started out as a machine that just respond to stimuli in the ward, then he slowly progressed until he had enough strength to make his escape. Bromden defines the combine as a modal of the world. Miss Ratched wants to robotize the men in the ward so when they leave they are an example to society (Leeds 20). So no matter how bad Bromden got dehumanized he succeeded to come back strong. “In the modern world, machines destroy nature, efficiency comes before beauty and robot-like cooperation is more valued then the individual freedom” (15). This is the same thing Nurse Ratched is trying to do to the Combine. She wants everything to run how it is suppose to first, then if there is free time that comes last. People today are the same way. They want everything to run perfect with no error. That is why people now build robots to do the work for us because they realized that people aren’t perfect. Now since the robots are now getting all the jobs allot of people are out of work which means they are now low on money. Without money you can’t do anything in this world because nothing is for free.



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Arcadia

Throughout the play Arcadia by Tom Stoppard there is a distinct difference between the characters who have a science background and those who do not. One of the recurring themes is that those characters and actions of those characters which are against science often lead to conflict and disaster. Even those characters that are of logical thinking for the most part are prone to disaster when they let go of this rational thinking and give in to their irrational side. Bernard is a main character who is not a scientist and has basically no scientific background. From the moment he is introduced, he is portrayed as eccentric and odd. Here Bernard is described for the first time: “Bernard, the visitor, wears a suit and tie. His tendency is to dress flamboyantly but he has damped it down for the occasion, slightly. A peacock-coloured display handkerchief boils over is his breast pocket.” (73) The term flamboyant refers to his ornate and rather bold outfit and personality. He is dressed differently than most other characters and behaves much different as well. He is as well one of the most irrational characters of the play. Bernard and his constant need to be successful and famous lead him to disaster. Throughout the play he acts with little regard to the truth. He rarely looks to proof when coming up with ideas and theories. He feels that if there is the slightest proof that he is correct then he is able to tell everyone it is the truth. He completely disregards the logical way of thinking that theories can be proven wrong. He never takes the time to see if his theories can be proven wrong. Here Hannah shows her dismay with Bernard’s irrational behavior: “You haven’t established it was fought. You haven’t established it was Byron. For God’s sake, Bernard, you haven’t established Byron was even there.” (50) Hannah tries to tell Bernard that he hasn’t discovered enough evidence to publish his theory. Bernard although believes she is incorrect. He feels that all you need is your own instincts to lead you to the truth. Bernard displays this here: “By which I mean belief in yourself. Gut instinct. The part of you which doesn’t reason. The certainty for which there is no back-reference.” (50) Bernard is responding the quote by Hannah above. Here Bernard is exemplifying perfectly his idea about how his theories are founded. He uses the words “gut instinct” and “certainty for which there is not back” which shows how he doesn’t need hard evidence to prove things. He feels his own personal view is enough to make something real. He has no concept of the regular, logical format of backing up theories with evidence. Instead he relies on nothing but himself. And no matter how irrational his ideas are his feeling is that if your gut tells you it’s the truth then you should go with it. He also refers to his way of thinking as “the part of you which doesn’t reason” showing how irrational he really is. He’s admitting that sometimes no reasoning is needed in proving something. To most this seems completely foreign and quite illogical. Bernard, although, finds this to be the normal way of thinking. Later in the play Bernard is shown once again to be completely irrational. After Bernard makes his argument that Mr. Chater was killed in a duel with Lord Byron and this was the reason Byron left. Hannah reacts to this theory by saying, “Bernard, I don’t know why I’m bothering-you’re arrogant, greedy, and reckless. You’ve gone from a glint in your eye to a sure thing in a hop, skip, and a jump.” (59) Hannah reveals her disapproval of Bernard’s attitude and aggressive approach to everything. His attitude is described as “ arrogant and reckless,” proving how little regard for logic he has. She also says, “You’ve left out everything which doesn’t fit.” (59) Hannah describes how Bernard has chosen only information which has helped his case and left all other out. She is saying that Bernard ignores the information which disproves his theory and only focuses on that which does prove it. This is completely unscientific and illogical if you want to have limited doubt in your theory. Also in this scene Valentine shares his opinion, “Actually, Bernard, as a scientist, your theory is incomplete.” (59) Valentine, the main character who has a large scientific background, also states that Bernard does not have enough evidence to proceed in publishing his theory. Valentine tries to tell Bernard that although he does have some evidence that he does not have nearly enough to proceed in publishing. Despite the advice of others Bernard decides to precede with this theory and publish it no matter now much evidence might be out there to prove it wrong. This decision proves to be a big mistake. It is proven wrong just days after it is published. Not only was he proven wrong but it was proven wrong by science as well. It was discovered that Chater did not die in a dual but of a monkey bit in Martinique. Bernard’s haste to be famous caused him to make a mistake which could not be erased. His purposeful carelessness and irrational behavior cost him his credibility forever. Thomasina is another character that shows the dangers of becoming irrational and illogical. Thomasina is 13 years old when the play begins. She is a brilliant young woman especially in the field of mathematics and science. Most of her time is spent working on different problems and theories with her tutor Septimus Hodge. For the most part she is purely scientific with little knowledge of the irrational world. She bases her thoughts and ideas on logical and plausible evidence. She is constantly using logic and other techniques to prove various solutions to theories. She never concludes anything without an explanation. She wasn’t interested in love and didn’t want to study anything that didn’t pertain to mathematics. Septimus asks Thomasina why she hates Cleopatra and her response is, “Everything is turned to love with her. New love, absent love, lost love-I never knew a heroine that makes such noodles of our sex.” (38) Here Thomasina proves how she dislikes those which deal too much with love and emotion. She feels there is more satisfaction in mathematics and science. Towards the end of the play and especially in the last scene Thomasina gives in to her romantic and irrational side. In the last scene Thomasina and Septimus are talking about her theory of how the world is doomed and then they begin to waltz. This shows the mixture of science and pleasure and at the same time rational and irrational thinking. In the beginning they are rationally talking about Thomasina’s theory but by the end they are acting impulsively waltzing and even kissing. This scene we know precedes her death. We learned earlier that she died that night before her seventeenth birthday in a fire. In this scene we get an idea of why the fire started. Thomasina truly gives herself up to irrational behavior. Her self-control is lost and lets herself become the opposite of what she was determined in the beginning to be. This scene give an idea of why an explanation why never found on her theory. “ Take your essay, I have given it an alpha in blind faith. Be careful with the flame.” (96) This suggests that the essay, which could possibly have contained her explanation, was the cause of the fire which took her life. When Thomasina became reckless with her emotions she was doomed. For the most part, Thomasina has always been logical and once she became irrational it turned into a disaster that could never be reversed. Science was the root of the disaster as well. Her essay, which was filled with her scientific explanation, was what in the end what caused her death. It can be suggested that because she deviated from her usual rational behavior that the tragedy occurred. In the play Arcadia there is a distinct split between those characters that act rationally and those who do not. For the most part this split can be seen on the basis of scientific background of each character. Those characters with little science knowledge act more irrationally and those with science background act rationally. It even showed how those characters that usually act rationally can those that rationality with the lose of science.


Words: 1411

A Worn Path

Conflict in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path In Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path the conflict was not apparent at the very beginning. What was a poor, elderly sick woman doing gallivanting in the forest during the dead of winter? The reason became clear towards the conclusion of the story as the action revealed that the conflict was obtaining the necessary medicine for her grandson. When this conflict became obvious, another question came to mind. What kind of society did this woman live in that she had to go all the way from her home in the countryside to the city by herself to get the medicine? The conflict being illustrated is that of an individual versus society and the four problems that Phoenix faces as a result of this was her old age, her health, her grandson’s health and her state of poverty. Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles… (paragraph 2). This quotation was one of many indications of Phoenix Jackson’s old age. Normally, in society there are benefits for the elderly and those of the golden age. There are various organizations that help people who are over the age of sixty-five. They also provide various services towards them such as meals on wheels. Was there not someone who could have delivered the medicine to this woman of nearly 100 years of age? Perhaps Phoenix Jackson was too shy or had too much pride to ask for a service of that nature. The doctors from the medical building knew about the condition of Phoenix’s grandson and did nothing to try and help. This showed the lack of respect that was present in the society. In today’s society, someone of that age commands and deserves the proper respect. She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her, (paragraph 1). The next conflict that plagued her is that of her health. In the preceding quotation, there was one important note that readers should take into consideration. The fact that she kept persistently tapping the earth in front of her could only indicate one thing—that she was visually impaired. She may not have been completely blind, but she had to have been substantially impaired to have kept tapping her cane in a redundant manner. Someone who is even remotely visually impaired should not be traveling in the forest. Phoenix also suffered from a problem that often plagues people at an old age. This problem is senility. But she sat down to rest… She did not dare to close her eyes and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. That would be acceptable, she said. But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air, (paragraph 15). This was just one out of many instances in the story where Phoenix talked to herself and had hallucinations. Talking to one’s self in the forest is a definite sign of senility. Phoenix did not allow her two disabilities to get in her way, but had society cared for her properly she would have been in an institution for the elderly. As for her grandson’s health, the readers know that he also, was not doing well. The only pertinent information given was that he swallowed lye, (paragraph 91). He, also, should have been receiving professional care. An American society in the nineteen forty’s did not provide free health care, and that sets up the final conflict, the state of poverty of Phoenix Jackson. It’s Christmas time, Grandma, said the attendant. Could I give you a few pennies out of my purse? Five pennies is a nickel, said Phoenix stiffly, (paragraph 100) This quotation, a conversation between Phoenix and the attendant at the medical building, came after Phoenix had arrived at the doctor’s office and had already received her medicine from the attendant. Phoenix was not ashamed to ask for the extra pocket change so that she could buy her grandson a windmill made out of paper. That nickel was the second nickel that she had managed to obtain. The first five cents was basically obtained through theft. She distracted a hunter she had met in the forest so that she could pick up a nickel that he had dropped. Phoenix had no reason to be ashamed of the ten cents that she had acquired through begging and stealing. Her perspective was that society had no respect for her, so why should she have respect for society? In conclusion, poverty was probably the main conflict out of all the other four mentioned. Had she not been poor, she would have been able to afford proper care for herself and her grandson and would therefore be living a higher standard of life. Had she not been poor, she could have paid for a cab ride to the city or she could have paid for delivery of the medicine. She would not have had to beg for meaningless nickels. Without money society doesn’t care for you and has therefore no respect for you no matter how old you might be.

Essay topic: A popular place in my town

I live in Seremban, the capital of Negri Sembilan in Malaysia Seremban is just about 60 km south of Kuala Lumpur, the nation’s capital. Compared to busy Kuala Lumpur, living in Seremban is much less hectic and the residents have more time for relaxation.The most popular place where the residents go to for relaxation has to be the Lake Gardens. Situated just beside the centre of town, it has two small lakes surrounded by lush green vegetation. A jogging track through the vegetation circles the area. Just beside the larger lake are a flower garden and an aviary.The flower garden contains many varieties of beautiful flowers. This place is the favorite of shutter-bugs. One can always see people posing for pictures beside the flowers. On Sundays the place is especially busy as brides and grooms flock to it to have their pictures taken.The aviary holds a modest number of birds. There are eagles, mynahs, parrots and others. The last time I was at the aviary, there was even a peacock that would not show his glory and a crane that stood so still that at first I mistook it for a dead tree.Every morning before the sun rises, people start to go towards the Lake Gardens. The Tai Chi brigade gets there first. These are usually senior citizens who practice this ancient Chinese art to stay healthy and supple. Judging by the number of practitioners of this art, I have to say it is very popular.As the sun rises younger people can be seen jogging around the jogging track. Some just walk briskly. Yet others just sit stroll leisurely on the grass taking in the cool morning air.After 4 p.m. the people come again. This time it is mainly young men and women who come to jog or just exercise themselves. Some come to visit the flower garden and the aviary together with their families.This goes on till dusk and when night takes over, the Lake Gardens is virtually deserted except for courting couples. Then peace reigns over the Lake Gardens until the next morning when once again the place comes alive.

Essay topic: Talk about a bus ride.

The bus finally arrived! I quickly hopped onto it and chose a seat near the exit. Glancing at my watch, I realized that I would be in good time to meet Susan at the library. I then turned my attention to the rest of the passengers.The rattle of the engine and the heat of the blazing sun had sent some tired students on the bus into a deep sleep. I was amused to see them nodding like old men. One boy was even snoring away. The prim girl sitting next to him looked at him disapprovingly. I wondered how she could bear the heat in her long back gown. She alighted when the bus came to a beautiful mosque.Next to the mosque was a field where some boys were playing football. As the bus moved on, the trees and tall buildings seemed to whiz by. At this rate, I would be early for the appointment.In a short time, the bus reached the library. I alighted and walked towards the library. Construction work for an MRT station was underway nearby. Very soon, I would have an alternative means of transport to the library.

Essay topic: Talk about an embarrassing moment.

I could recall an event which happened four years ago. My father gave me a hundred dollars, for the good grades I scored in my P.S.L.E.. To enjoy it, I invited some of my closest friends to a restaurant for a meal.At the restaurant, I asked my friends to order as much as they liked. The food was delicious, the service was efficient and the food was served fast. All of us began to eat. We ate, talked and laughed at the jokes we made in school.After we had finished our food, the waiter brought us the bill. I opened my purse to take out the money. To my surprise, I found my money missing. Only then I realized that I had left the money at home. I was in such a hurry that I had forgotten to put the money in my purse. I wanted to borrow the money from my friends, but none of them could help me. They had brought only enough money for bus fare. I told the waiter that I had forgotten to bring my money. The waiter was very angry and told me to see the manager. The manager was a kind gentleman. He allowed me to go home and get the money, but I had to leave my identity card with him. I immediately telephoned my sister and told her to bring the money to the restaurant. Ever since that day I have stopped patronizing the restaurant. I am afraid that some of the waiters might remember my face. It was the most embarrassing moment in my life.

Essay topic: Describe a visit you have made to a factory and show what benefits you have derived from the visit.

Last week, under our form-teacher’s guidance we visited the Bicycle Factory.On our arrival at the factory, we were warmly greeted by the director who gave us some information about the factory.It is a long, low building with different workshops. There are 500 workers in the factory. Many of them live in the factory grounds but many others live in the nearby towns or villages and go to work by bus everyday.When we entered the first workshop, the workers, in their overalls, were cutting steel tubes with hacksaws. It was very noisy here but the workers had got used to the noise.The newly-cut steel tubes were brought to the next workshop where they were joined together into frames by soldering irons. Flashes of red and blue light sent out from soldering irons dazzled our eyes. The workers were absorbed in their work. Drops of sweat were rolling on their cheeks and their overalls were soaked with sweat. We went to the next workshop. The newly joined frames were brought there to be polished before they were painted. The final process of production was to assemble accessories together before the bicycles were put on the market.The visit of the Bicycle Factory gave us a precious lesson: the existence of a society depends largely on the working class. The workers themselves create properly and material comforts for society with the sweat of their brow. And on impulse, we thought: “If our government hadn’t imported such a large number of motorbikes and if all people had used bicycles as their means of transport, the environment wouldn’t have been so seriously polluted”.

Essay topic: Describe your best friend and tell why you like him or her

In our daily activities we often get in touch with the others and from these relations we meet some people whose interests, characteristics and behaviors are similar to ours and we choose them as our friends.To me, one of my best friends is Nam. Nam is only over eighteen but he is well developed; so he is thought to be twenty or more. He has black hair, a broad forehead, a straight nose and bright eyes. He is very good-looking. He has a kind heart and is easy to get on with everybody. We have been friends for a very long time. The deeper our mutual understanding becomes the more we feel closely attached to each other. “Birds of a feather flock together”, Nam and I are keen on learning. We are the best pupils in our class. Nam is always at the top. He is good at every subject, but he never shows pride in his abilities and always tries to learn harder.Nam’s family is not rich enough. His parents are retired workers. Realizing the hardships of his parents, although he is absorbed in his study, he often spends most of his spare time doing useful things to help his parents in their old age. He gets up early in the morning to have enough time to deliver newspapers to subscribers before going to school. After school in the afternoon, he repairs bicycles and motorbikes. Therefore the money he gets from his manual job is sufficient for his school fees and for his parents’ presents. I like Nam very much because of his honesty and straight forwardness. He is always ready to help his weak friends in their study; as a result, lots of friends, thanks to his whole-hearted help, have become good ones.In my relation with Nam, I have got precious experience: thirst for learning, patience to overcome difficulties, helpfulness and filial piety.

Essay topic: Describe a visit to an interesting exhibition

Last week an exhibition of paintings by famous artists was organized by the cultural and Artistic Association at The Art Gallery on Nguyen Hue street. Being very fond of paintings, I myself went there early in the morning.When I arrived, the Art Gallery had been packed with people. Groups by groups of people were entering the exhibition halls, their faces were radiant with joy.On the walls, different patterns of modern paintings were hung: charcoal drawings, pencil drawings and oil paintings were on display. Most of them reflect daily activities and some of them bring us into a world of imagination and dreams. As I strolled through the exhibition halls, I heard the voices of lecturers who were telling the visitors about the artists and their works.An oil painting by Lu Tong Dao, one of the most famous artists in HCM city, portraying a scene at twilight in the country attracted my attention best: on a long and lonely road, a buffalo tender, sitting astride on his animal, is leisurely playing a flute on his way home. Gorgeous glows of the twilight are spreading on the golden rice fields, turning them into yellow velvet carpets. From afar, in the blue sky, a flock of storks are stretching their white wings, gently flying towards their warm nests. The painting did remind me of my happy boyhood in my native village where I lived my happiest days in my life.Being rather tired after hours of walking I sat down on a bench and talked to others about the exhibition. The exhibition offered me precious minutes of relaxation and enriched my imagination. It brought me back into my happy and peaceful past, full of love and tenderness, among my dear ones. Before leaving the exhibition halls, I bought the postcards of my favorite paintings to keep as souvenirs or to send to friends abroad.

Essay topic: Your favorite hobby

Everybody has his or her own hobby. For me, my favorite hobby is reading books.My father was not only a writer but a researcher as well. He had a great collection of books on many fields: literature, science, art, fiction and non-fiction. After his death, I inherited the most valuable treasure which has been preserved carefully up to now.As I have a large collection of books of my own now, I usually spend hours reading and thinking about facts described in each kind of books. Sitting comfortably in an arm-chair in the library with a book open on my knee, I recall my father who was absorbed in his reading, perusing the poems of John Keats, William Words Worth, Chateaubriand and Lamartine. I still hear his sonorous voice reciting rhythmical lines of poems in Kim Van Kieu’s story while his face was radiant with ecstasy and raptures.Through books I see many countries rise and fall. Kings and Presidents pass before my eyes and I can follow the history of nations. Each book has a story to tell me of remote countries and strange people.I am greatly indebted to books indeed. For me a good book is not only a true companion but also a well-experienced teacher guiding me through my life. It has the miracle to relieve my suffering and my hardship and reveal to me strange and new horizons.Reading books broadens my mind and improves my knowledge. Instead of indulging myself in futile entertainments, I am often keen on reading books which are always a source of comfort and relief to me and I am determined to preserve my father’s valuable treasure for my posterity.In a few words, the reading of books contributes to the moral and intellectual formation of a man’s personality.

Essay topic: Your most frightening experience

My worst experience happened on an airplane a long time ago.After graduating from High-School in Hue, I was quite happy when my parents allowed me to continue my study in Saigon.Living far from my family, I longed for an opportunity to see my dear people again and at that time the best way to travel to Hue was to use DC2 or DC4 planes. It took me only one and a half hours to fly from Tan Son Nhat airport to Phu Bai Airport. I often enjoyed comfortable and pleasant flights, but one day during my air trip to Hue I experienced the most frightening incident I have ever had in my life.It was in the winter when I received a letter from my parents informing me off my sister’s approaching wedding ceremony. I hurried to Vietnam Airline Office to buy a return-ticket to Hue. I boarded a DC4 plane that morning. When I was flying over Nha Trang city, it began to rain.Looking out of the window, I saw Nha Trang surrounded in a dense veil of rain. We were making good time; but when we flew to Da Nang the weather suddenly got worse. It was raining heavily and the wind was blowing furiously. I was a little nervous. The plane was all right for about 30 minutes. I was listening to the music on the plane’s radio. Other passengers were talking. The stewardesses were serving drinks and food to the passengers. Looking out of the window, I saw masses of dense black clouds flying past and Hai Van pass was veiled in a curtain of heavy rain, dimly winding below. Suddenly lightning struck one of the engines. The plane dropped rapidly. Some people were screaming and the stewardesses were falling down. From the cabin the co-pilot’s voice was heard to advise passengers to fasten their seat-belts and keep calm. Looking around, I notice some nuns taking out their rosaries and starting to say prayers. Their faces were as pale as death.Though I was a hardened traveler and I got used to remaining calm, I felt quite frightened too. My heart was beating very fast and I was trembling with fear. I thought I was going to die. But my fear did not last long. After about 3 minutes, the pilot started the engine again. Everybody on board heaved a deep sigh of relief. We landed safely at last.I had to cancel my return to Saigon by plane and took a sea voyage and from that time on I have never traveled by air when the weather is bad.

Essay topic: Your most embarrassing experience

Our family live in the suburb of HCM city, not far from the central city. It is about 30 kilometers to the South.Last week my parents, my brothers and my sisters paid a visit to my grandparents in the country and I therefore stayed at home alone. I used to get up very early in the morning. As usual, after going to the market to buy some necessary things, I came back home to start doing the housework such as cleaning the floor, making the bed, making coffee and preparing lunch. The house now was so clean and tidy that it seemed bigger and larger. I had worked from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. I was so tired that I had to stop working for a rest. After 15 minutes of relaxation, I started working again.Right after I had taken the teapot from the cupboard, I suddenly felt something burning downstairs. I got so embarrassed and frightened that I dropped the teapot while I was hurrying downstairs. To my horror and surprise, the kettle on the electric stove was on fire. I was in such a confusing state that I was quite at a loss. Then I came up an idea: I rushed to the switchboard to cut off the electric power. The house suddenly became as dark as pitch. In the pitch-dark kitchen, the kettle turned so dazzling red that it looked just like a hot burning sun on a stifling summer afternoon.

Topic: Talk about an adventure in a forest

A few months ago some of my classmates and I made a trip to Borneo with our Geography teacher to seek adventure in the forests of Borneo.Soon after our arrival in Borneo, we made all the preparations and began our journey to the forest early one morning. After miles of travel through the forest, we arrived at an open space. As it was already late in the evening, we decided to erect our tent and spend the night there. Night soon fell on this place and we lighted our oil lamp.Feeling tired, we had our meal early and went to bed. There was silence all around; but soon, creatures that love the night world became active. The forest was now full of frightful noise. Breaking through this noise, came another noise, more frightening; the noise of native drums. And as the minutes slipped by, it seemed to come nearer and nearer. We all froze into deadly silence. The tension mounted rapidly, but still nothing happened. Then, as suddenly as it began, the noise stopped. We were alarmed. We were now sure that some natives have seen us and we would be attacked. In such a situation, we could not sleep. Death might come at any time.Minutes lengthened to hours; but in our anxiety to preserve our lives, we hardly noticed the coming of day. Then, all of a sudden, we found ourselves surrounded by half-naked natives with spears in their hands. Surprised and terrified, we remained speechless for some time. Then, one of them, presumably their leader, uttered a word. He seemed eager to talk, but there was no language in which we could understand each other.Our teacher, who is always full of ideas, then offered a cigarette to the man who uttered the word. The man, however, seemed to suspect our teacher’s intentions. He refused to accept the cigarette. Our teacher then put it between his own lips and after lighting it, began to puff at it. The man now made a sign which showed that he would not mind having a cigarette after all. At once our teacher gave him one and helped him to light it. As he was puffing at it, we observed signs of satisfaction. Realizing that in this way we could become friends, our teacher gave him a few more cigarettes. The man was so delighted at this demonstration of friendship that he uttered some words, and soon all those who came with him, began to dance and sing.After they had stopped singing, they made several gestures which showed that they had enjoyed our company. They left us after about an hour with smiles on their faces. Our journey into the interior of Borneo was indeed an adventure.

Essay topic: The importance of reading newspaper.

As the name suggests newspapers are a source of news and information. In several respects they are also a medium of communication among the peoples of the world.Today there are hundreds of newspapers all over the world. Everywhere there is a keen desire to learn more and more about the affairs of the world. This is partly the result of the spread of education which sharpens one’s curiosity to learn about distant lands.As a source of news, the newspaper is almost indispensable to those whose thirst for knowledge is insatiable. They contain news on events in distant corners of the earth. Information about such events arrives almost immediately. As a result, people everywhere are informed about the most important event in the world very quickly and almost at the same time. For example, if a war breaks out in one part of the world today, the people in the other parts will certainly come to know about it tomorrow. As a result, all the countries of the world are able to do something quickly to help those who have suffered because of the war or to persuade the countries at war to cease fighting.Newspaper also play an important part in keeping the people of the world informed about the troubles that might arise in the future, if nothing is done to prevent them from happening. For example, if a dispute arises between the two countries for any reason, the newspapers can keep the people of the world informed about what might happen if nothing is done to persuade the two countries to resolve their differences peacefully.In this way many wars have been avoided because of the intervention of some countries in the disputes of many countries which were given prominence in newspapers.When all this is considered, we feel that there is some silent communication among countries through the medium of newspapers for the common benefit of the countries of the world.Further, constant reading of newspapers improves one’s outlook on life and makes one a more reasonable person. The importance of the newspaper is therefore obvious.

Essay topic: Is Ho Chi Minh city a much better place to live in today than 10 years ago?

The Vietnamese proverb ‘dat lanh chim dau’, which means ‘wherever there is good soil, there are flocks of birds coming to settle down”, shows that people tend to move to a place in which they can live and make money in a fairly easy way. Ho Chi Minh City is one of the biggest cities in the south of Vietnam, which provides people with a great number of various jobs; therefore, people from many different parts of the country keep on moving to this city, hoping to find out their ‘paradise’. For those who have been living in this city for a long time, more than 10 years for example, their ‘used-to-be paradise’ is getting worse and worse. Sharing these ‘native’ citizens’ viewpoint, I strongly disagree with the flattering statement that Ho Chi Minh city is a much better place to live today than 10 years ago.Pollution is the first thing that makes Ho chi Minh City a worse place to live in. the layout of Ho Chi Minh City was established only for its five hundred thousand residents more than 100 years ago. Its drainage system has been overbooked to drain for a city of over seven million people nowadays. Consequently, the so-called ‘the pearl of the Far East’ is getting more and more polluted. Water pollution is only part of the pollution facing all the dwellers of this biggest city in Vietnam. The air pollution here is no less serious. Thousands of factories are still located inside this city and keep on releasing poisonous smoke. Various means of transportation, especially millions of motorcycles, do contribute to the ever-increasing air pollution in Ho Chi Minh city.The second thing that makes Ho Chi Minh City a worse place to live in is its high cost of living. Nowhere else in Vietnam do you have to pay such great sums of money just to lead a rather simple and really humble life. Food, public utility, means of transportation, tuition fees accommodation and a variety of private services such as tailoring, hairdressing, renovating, etc. here are all much higher than the so-called standard legal income of the majority of the city dwellers. Consequently, they have to struggle hard to make their two ends meet. They do not usually have time to enjoy themselves. In other words, a great number of these city-dwellers just earn enough money to be physical beings, not emotional or spiritual beings.Its increasing crime and disorder also makes Ho Chi Minh City a worse place to live in today than ten years ago. A number of the city dwellers, especially young illiterate guys of lower social classes, cannot earn their living legally. They allow themselves to rob or steal anything they can to satisfy their needs, irrespective of how serious the consequences of their frightening acts are. It is impossible for anyone who dares to live in Ho Chi Minh City to get rid of the lack of safety and order resulting from the above-mentioned kind of crime. In other words, the city dwellers have to face their fate/destiny every minute in their life.To tell the truth, I was born and grew up in Ho Chi Minh City and I am old enough to witness the tremendous, multifaceted changes and social reforms here. However, I can hardly say that I love my hometown very much because I am afraid that it does not deserve my love. Up to now, I have been trying my best to work hard and lead a simple but respectable life here. I do not dare to break any official law or well-established social rule. And I often jeer sarcastically at myself, saying how foolish I am in such a crazy, disorderly environment. Probably, you do not approve of my pessimistic perspectives; but that is me!

Essay topic: The advantages of living in the country and the disadvantages of living in the city.

Although I was born and brought up in the country, I spent most of my time in the city; however, a comfortable life in the city has never appealed to me at all. And the country with its advantages still has a call to me for good.First, the fresh and clean air of the country makes you feel healthier. How relaxed and pleasant you are when you can enjoy the pure air wafted with soft fragrance of areca and grapefruit trees in your garden! Therefore, you can take a stroll around the garden every morning and night. The stifling and polluted atmosphere of a crowded city, on the contrary, makes you suffocated and annoyed. It may breed neurosis and other fatal diseases to urban residents.Second, living in the country may feel safer while in town, the city dwellers are in state of continuously being afraid of committing violent deaths caused by careless drivers or foolhardy motor-cyclists.Third, if you have a poetic soul, you will find in the country a source of “divine inspiration”. To my mind, nothing can be compared with the moonlight through foliages or the gorgeous slow of the sunset on yellow rice-fields. I often see the moon shedding its light on the city but how desperate I feel! The moon itself has lost its natural beauty and it seems to me a pale disc hanging shamelessly in a zone surrounded by angrily dazzling neon lights. The silvery moonlight in the country has a mystic power to soothe your pains and sufferings and it does help you escape from the material world.Fourth, if you are fond of gardening, you can spend your free time digging, planting and watering. Gardening is my favorite hobby. What a serene joy I feel when I watch my fruit trees growing amid the melodious twitters of birds and how sweet and delicious their fruit are when I taste my first successful result! I cannot help feeling sorry for the city dwellers who day and night have indulged themselves in debaucheries and can never enjoy a minute of pure bliss in the countryside.Finally, in the country you can rest from the noise and bustle of the town. Even though you have to get up early to catch buses to get to work in town, you can sleep better at night without being disturbed by deafening sirens of cars or machines running noisily all the time.

Essay topic: The reason why the young people prefer to live in town

Young people are always active and keen on learning; so most of them prefer to live in town.First of all, living in town, they have many chances to widen their knowledge. Nowadays many language schools and centers open in town. They can go to any evening classes to improve their foreign languages such as French, English, Russian, German, Japanese and Chinese. Experienced teachers and professors are ready to provide them with what they want to know. Besides that, they can go to public libraries or English speaking clubs to broaden their knowledge and improve their English speaking skills.Second, living in town, they can keep abreast of current affairs all over the world by reading newspapers, magazines or by watching television or listening to the radio. In the morning, they saw Kuwait occupied by Irag troops but in the evening, they saw them driven out of this oil-producing country by powerful allied forces.Third, our country is open to all foreign investments and town is the cradle of industrial development. Therefore, upon graduating from university, they can have favorable opportunities to make full use of their ability.Finally, there are many comfortable means of communication and entertainment in town. They can go anywhere they like and after a hard day’s work they can enjoy minutes of recreation by watching interesting films on a large screen in a modern and air-conditioned cinema in town.For the above-mentioned reasons, an urban life has always been a fascinating appeal to all young men in the world.

Essay topic: Some people enjoy living in the country but others prefer big city life. Compare these two places and give your opinion.

In the country, we can live in the midst of nature. Countryside houses are spread out and there is plenty of greenery. Sometimes green paddy fields or orchards are found in the neighborhood. The beautiful surroundings with trees and shrubs are pleasing to our eyes. Moreover the air is fresh and cool, which is good for a healthy living. A country life is full of charms. The rippling rivers, the grazing cows and the chirping birds give us great pleasures in life. Country life is cheaper than town life. The people who live in the country are a contented community because they have few desires.Houses in the city are generally provided with modern conveniences such as electricity, running water, telephones and all sorts of labour-saving devices. There are plenty of means of communication: buses, taxi-cabs, etc. City dwellers have more means of improving their minds than countrymen: day schools and night courses, public and private libraries, lectures and exhibitions.There are many places in the city where you can get a bite or a drink: restaurants, coffee-houses, tea-rooms, bars and refreshment rooms, etc.Last but not least, the city provides its inhabitants with various sorts of entertainments, playgrounds and sports fields, public gardens, museums, movie-theaters, concerts…For my part, no matter how comfortable or convenient the city life may be, I till prefer living in the country. I think it is healthier and more peaceful to live in countryside than in a city.