...It is a fact, Life is too short and statistics show that on average people live to be 75 to 85 years old and already 15 years of my life has gone by. That’s why we must all learn to enjoy life as much as we can. Enjoying life can mean anything, it can mean spending time with family or friends, or it can simply be having some alone time to relax. It can also mean getting a good education to go to university and to get a good job in the future so you don’t have to worry about money. I know for a fact that I have lived my life well so far. Growing up in Iran, I remember making my first friends and going on adventures with them. I also remember the first time I went camping with my parents, all memories that I cherish. As I grew up, I adapted my ways from the past. With every step I took, came new opportunities and I learned to accept them. This thought me lessons about the world and how to deal with life every day. Now that I am 15, I know how to make smart decisions. I have also come to realize how important friends and mostly family members are. They provide support for you and are always there for you when you need them. This ideology that I have lived by has given me confidence and most importantly how to respect others. Respecting others earns you respect for your self which make you successful. Success earns you trust, trust earns you the truth and the truth earns you honesty. I think a person can truly enjoy life with these key terms. So in conclusion I consider my self lucky...
Words: 355 - Pages: 2
...Paradox of Our Age We have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways but narrower viewpoints; we spend more but have less; we buy more but enjoy it less; we have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, yet less time; we have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge but less judgement; more experts, yet more problems; we have more gadgets but less satisfaction; more medicine, yet less wellness; we take more vitamins but see fewer results. We drink too much; smoke too much; spend too recklessly; laugh too little; drive too fast; get too angry quickly; stay up too late; get up too tired; read too seldom; watch TV too much and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values; we fly in faster planes to arrive there quicker, to do less and return sooner; we sign more contracts only to realize fewer profits; we talk too much; love too seldom and lie too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less; we make faster planes, but longer lines; we learned to rush, but not to wait; we have more weapons, but less peace;...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...crucial period in his childhood development; Vonnegut’s literary pieces are a reflection of what he observed the world to be through his own life experiences. The majority of his works are science fiction used to “[help] lend form to the presentation of this world view without imposing a falsifying causality upon it (Reed),” as Peter Reed mentioned in an autobiography about Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut believed that science fiction offers a perception into an everyday society, rather than escaping it. The extraordinary events he experienced throughout his life served as motivation and influenced him to write stories about the world; as a result, Vonnegut showed an immense appreciation about life in his literary pieces. Kurt Vonnegut continued to pursue his goal of demonstrating to the world how wonderful life is through creations in the graphic arts. In 1950, Vonnegut published his first short story, “Report on the Barnhouse Effect” followed by “The Sirens of Titan” (1959), “Cat’s Cradle” (1963), “Slaughterhouse-Five” (1969), and “Breakfast of Champions” (1973). The society in which Kurt Vonnegut was a part of highly valued the ideal of equality; the short story “Harrison Bergeron” was written to foreshadow the oppression that such a society can cause if these ideals are taken too literal. In 1961, this short story was one of the most impactful short stories he has ever written, “Harrison Bergeron” critiqued an authoritarian government by using tone, theme, and symbolism. Vonnegut uses...
Words: 1202 - Pages: 5
..."The Arena" is a short story written by Martin Golan. I am going through this task to analyze and interpret this text. The text sheds light on several different areas. This means that the text comes in on topics, such as nervousness, stress, discomfort, family, children, etc. In rough outline deals with text around a father who has promised her that drive him over to an arena where ice hockey is played. The majority of the novel takes place in the car where the danger and the son sit and talk and discuss how far they will achieve it or not. For the son's point of view, it is not a disaster, whether they reach it or not, but in the father's heart, it is different. But getting through the text hints that there is a reason to believe that this incident has happened something cruel. In the text do you get as a reader to know that the father in the past have lost a son, and that he has gone to therapy. You may be able to call it his earlier life when this occurred. Through the short story will be told that the father has got a new wife, and thus also a new child. Although he is married, and "happy" there are still some different traits that makes you as a reader, becomes aware that he is not happy. It will be told in the short story, to his father's new wife is very similar to his previous wife. This can be a symbol of unrequited love and need. I believe that his new wife is a symbol of his old wife. He would like to have the Lady, which he lost, and the closest he comes to this is...
Words: 815 - Pages: 4
...The short story “The Veld” by Ray Bradbury was published in 1951. The dystopian focuses on a family and their two children, who become too attached to their magical nursery wherein everything they think becomes near-real life. The story touches upon themes such as virtual realities, the dependence on technology and dysfunctioning families. One of the themes explored in the short story is the notion of virtual realities. The children, Wendy and Peter, spend most of their time in the nursery, where their thoughts become to life. The psychologist, David McClean, tells the father what the room was intended for and what it has turned into. “One of the original uses of these nurseries was so that we could study the patterns left on the wall by the child’s mind, study at our leisure and help the child. In this care, however, the room has become a channel toward – destructive thoughts, instead of a release away from them.” (p. 25). The children’s names are references to the main characters of the fairy tale Peter Pan, where Peter and Wendy live in a fantastical world called Neverland that is a creation of their minds. In the same way in the “The Veld” the interactive nursery becomes their Neverland as the children use the room to escape to the African veld they have envisioned for so long. The significance of the room being called a nursery is also vital. Traditionally, a nursery is where small children and infants are taken care of by their parents and in the short story, the love...
Words: 895 - Pages: 4
... this is the exact case in the short story “Where the Gods fly” written by Jean Kwok, in 2012, where a small Chinese family moves to USA where they face a lot of difficulties, adapting to the new society. The structure of the short story, “Where the Gods fly”, is quite significant. The story begins in medias res “I kneel here before the gods and the thought of what I am about to do stings in my eyes like incense”. This beginning is in fact the ending of the story, as the decision, that the mother makes, is going to be irreversible. The rest of the story until the end focusses on how the mother came to this crucial decision. Throughout the story, the narrator goes into details about the struggle Perl’s family faced when they immigrated to the United States of America. The narrator uses Pearl’s life as a timeline. Basically, the short story starts in the present tense in the first couple of lines. (ll. 1-8). After which, the text changes into the past tense, as we are introduced to the struggle the family stumbles upon every day. “Pearl was too young, or so I argued[…]” (l. 9). At the end of the story, we are back in present tense: “The monks are ringing the gong”(l.153), where she prays to Buddha about letting her daughter understand why she will take her greatest passion away. Finally, at the very end, the story turns into the future tense, when the mother decides how Pearl´s future is to come. You could argue that the structure of the short story is a bit complicated compared...
Words: 1092 - Pages: 5
..."The Arena" is a short story written by Martin Golan. I am going through this task to analyze and interpret this text. The text sheds light on several different areas. This means that the text comes in on topics, such as nervousness, stress, discomfort, family, children, etc. In rough outline deals with text around a father who has promised her that drive him over to an arena where ice hockey is played. The majority of the novel takes place in the car where the danger and the son sit and talk and discuss how far they will achieve it or not. For the son's point of view, it is not a disaster, whether they reach it or not, but in the father's heart, it is different. But getting through the text hints that there is a reason to believe that this incident has happened something cruel. In the text do you get as a reader to know that the father in the past have lost a son, and that he has gone to therapy. You may be able to call it his earlier life when this occurred. Through the short story will be told that the father has got a new wife, and thus also a new child. Although he is married, and "happy" there are still some different traits that makes you as a reader, becomes aware that he is not happy. It will be told in the short story, to his father's new wife is very similar to his previous wife. This can be a symbol of unrequited love and need. I believe that his new wife is a symbol of his old wife. He would like to have the Lady, which he lost, and the closest he comes to this is...
Words: 815 - Pages: 4
...I believe in life lessons. Life lessons are something i believe, because no matter what you do you learn something. Also they help us understand what this world is all about.life lessons will help you through out your whole life time. Life’s too short don’t worry about what happened in your past. You can’t change what has already been done. Taking risk is easier than what most people may put it out as. When taking risk you will learn what you like and what you don’t like don’t waist your time being scared. Try to just live before it’s too late. Living life before it’s too late means to never be scared of what people may think about you. Living by yolo is plan out there. You only live once so do you and say whatever to the world. We are who...
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...black people were therefore undermined, and they worked as slaves. This problem is processed in the short story “The Journey to the Brothers’ Farm”, in which we are introduced to a girl named Annelie. She lives in South Africa, and has experienced terrible things, where she has experienced apartheid at first hand. The composition of the story is very interesting as it is build up in two parts. The part written in italic contains a statement received by the Tweekopfentein Police Station, and contains the things that are important to cover the police investigation and nothing more. The part written in normal typing contains a story of the whole course. It is a special way of building a short story, and it works very effectively, because you become aware of the fact that a criminal act has taken place. The first part of the story contains a description of her childhood. A lady named Miss Kotzee reads a story about a girl called Dulcina, a beautiful girl with white skin, flaxen hair of the purest silk, and fine bones. As she has read the story Annelie starts to wonder whether if she can obtain same fortune herself. She therefore asks Miss Kotzee if she can:“Do you think a prince would ever want to marry Bettina? […] her path in life” (Ll. 11-17)At this point, the reader starts to wonder what makes Annelie unable to obtain same fortune as Dulcina. At first one might think that Annelie is too ugly to marry a prince. But if you start to reflect on what has been said, you quickly stumble upon...
Words: 1765 - Pages: 8
...Because it is running by – essay A. “Because It Is Running By” is a short story which was published in 2009 by Jo Lloyd. It is a short story because there are few people in it, it is short, the action is simple, realistic and it has an open ending. This short story is about Wil who is in a place in his life where he has to choose where he wants to be and he has to let the past go. The main character in the story is Wil who lives with his mother. (Page 1, line 8): “The B&B’s the only thing making money, his mother had said. We just need the weather, he had said, the veg’ll pick up”. Wil does not like changes and in the start he is sceptical about the new helper Edie. Wil and his mother’s lives “stopped” when Wil’s father died. (Page 1, line 14): “The guests had breakfast in the room that used to be the family sitting room. […] Wil had hardly been in that room since the B&B started.” (Page 1, line 25): “Sometimes, on her way out, she’d see Wil working in the field, planting, digging, stacking boxes of veg into the back of the old van”. It sounds like Wil is a person who works hard and maybe he tries to take over his father’s role. It is not mentioned that Wil has other siblings and maybe that is the reason, why he wants to have the father role. Wil’s father died when he was sixteen and it is the age where you have to find yourself. Edie from London is very different contrary to Wil. In the start she is turned inwards but he tries to make her outgoing. (Page 2, line...
Words: 1123 - Pages: 5
...Essay on “A Journey” by Colm Tóibín. 1. Life is a never-ending circle, when someone dies, someone else is born. It is a pattern that we all follow; it is a growth that we all go through. Though the choices we take in life make us individuals, there is a basic growth pattern that we all endure. Being born, growing into a teenager, into an adult, into an elderly, and last we will finally become one with the very earth we came from. The journey of life, from we are born till we die is one of the main themes treated in Colm Tóibíns short-story “A Journey”. The short-story’s protagonist is a married, middle-aged woman named Mary. The story takes place in a car with her and her depressed son, whom she is driving home from the hospital. Before this we are told, in the beginning of the short-story, that David was born nearly after 20 years of marriage between Seamus (Mary’s husband) and herself. David’s first encounter with grave topics such as death was at a young age of merely four. He became the replacement of Mrs Redmond’s (a woman who lived in a nearby cottage) husband, who we are told passed away, just before David was born – this illustrates perfectly my point that when one life pass away another one enters the scene. Mrs Redmond began coming everyday to help Mary, and babysit at night if the she and Seamus were out of town. This is of course is Mrs Redmond’s way to get her mind on something else after the death of her husband, and in that way David becomes a sort of a...
Words: 1279 - Pages: 6
...The Decline of The West Short story by: Hanif Kureishi The Decline of the West is a short story written by the English, half Pakistani writer Hanif Kureishi in 2010. The main theme in the short story is the capitalism and how material we have become in the West in the year of 2010 and how we strive to gain material comfort ahead of true happiness and greater meaning in life. The short story’s main character is a forty-five year old man named Mike who is on his way home to his family. It takes place in the upper class of the outskirts of London. Mike thinks that his family will appreciate that he is home early from work, which is not something that occurs since he is not working less than twelve-hour shifts. Mike seems as a hard-working man who does not spend much time with his family and we get a very negative picture of his family. There is a very cold attachment between him and he family since he is never home. But they can be demanding and the content that fills up their lives is material goods. At the short beginning the atmosphere and language is described very positive. Mike has endured the most desolate tube trip home and is looking forward to come home to his family and their home which is described as a nice and warm home he is looking forward to come home to; “Opening the door to a warm hall hearing the voices of his wife and children”. Though he has to tell his wife, Imogen that he got fired from his job. The language is well written in informal language...
Words: 1090 - Pages: 5
...you profoundly. It takes the meaning out of peoples lives when they are done with the war. It can totally change a person mentally and make people erratic, and how it makes a person mentally ill. War takes the meaning out of people’s lives. When people return home from war, they have issues dealing with their loss of purpose in life. Tim O’Brien shows this with the character Norman Bowker. This quote is from Tim O’Brien about a letter he received from Norman Bowker. When he was going through a difficult time of his life after the war, dealing with the emotions from it, and having no...
Words: 646 - Pages: 3
...turned upside down and suddenly we see the world around us from another perspective. This is the exact theme in the short story “My Mother and Her Sister” by Jane Rogers, 1996, which tells the story about a girl who finally realises that the people around her, after all doesn’t match the illusions from her childhood. ”My Mother and Her Sister” is told from a 1st person narrator’s point of you, limited to the unnamed main character of short story. This is being expressed already in the first line of the short story: “My aunt Lucy…”(l.1). Reading the short story you get the feeling that the main character is a woman, because of her feminine values and behaving in life. The short story is set in modern time, and is characterised by a lot of flashbacks, throughout the story. The flashbacks reflect the main character’s life, as it was before she became a grown-up woman. Especially here, we get to know her aunt Lucy, and her deceased mother Dorothy, who are sisters and not to mention each other’s opposites. Both are included in the main character’s sweet childhood, where everything is portrayed with joy and happiness. Here Dorothy, the main character’s mother, is described as person who enjoys life as a free woman, and not to mention an eternal optimist (l.90). Opposite, her sister Lucy is the perfect housewife and mother who is settled in life. A person, that the main character has spend all her holidays with, enjoying her motherly qualities “When I strain now to...
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...Wood The short story by Naomi Wood was written in 2012, and is about Pia, who is a middle-aged woman and the day where the short story takes place, is her 40th birthday. In this story we meet Pia, her partner Daniel and random people from the streets and of course Pia is our main character. The short story starts in the middle of Pia’s day, she just finished working and she is about to leave the car park at work. She is on her way home, where her partner Daniel waits to take her to a restaurant to celebrate her birthday, but on her way home she is reflecting over what it means to turn 40. The short story is told in a chronological order, but with flash back-like situations “Giving in, she ghosted back through memory. She drank the coffee, ate the omelette, took down the laundry...”. What’s most important is the middle and the ending of the short story, how Pia starts by thinking that turning forty will only be the first of many depressing situations, but actually comes to the conclusion that it is only as depressing as you make it. It is kind of an open ending where the author puts in a line saying “Time waits for no man” which sums up on every reflections Pia had during her drive home. The atmosphere of the story is to begin with really tense and dim because of how Pia feels about herself. Turning 40 should be something to celebrate but for Pia it is the same as starting digging your own grave. When she hears the news of the neutrinos she “…wondered, too, if their course...
Words: 950 - Pages: 4
