...“A Clean Well-Lighted Place” Analysis “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, by Ernest Hemmingway, is a story of two waiters working late one night in “A Clean, Well-Lighted” cafe. The image of the café is central to the story; we get a feeling that outside this place the world is chaos. The story opens with two waiters discussing an old man who frequents the café where they work. He constantly stays late into the night drinking. One of the waiters, a younger man, expresses his dislike of the old man while the older waiter sympathizes and relates to the old man. The younger waiter wants the old man to go home while the older waiter doesn’t seem to care one way or another. This story is a tale of despair and loneliness and how different people deal with it. The older waiter defends the old man him because he can relate to his despair. Loneliness and old age are the common bonds that the older waiter shares with the old man. In time he will be old, unable to work and feel lonely because his lack friends. The old man seems to think there is no meaning to his life. It is like he has given up. There is no good or bad; no right or wrong, the only thing that may matter is making what time he has left somewhat bearable. The fact that he gets drunk every night and stays late at the café shows he has nothing better to do with his last bit of time. Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself, the situations you encounter, and your expectations for the future...
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...Being the Man or Working for Him Be the Man or Work for Him I’ve been on both sides of the track. I can tell you that there are days that I miss owning my own business and there are days that I can’t believe that I would ever consider doing it again. There are many plusses to working for someone else; however, there are many benefits of being self-employed and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them both. For the last six-plus years, I have been fortunate enough to work for one of the finest employers in my area. Fifteen years prior to that I took pride in owning several of the finest businesses in my area. We all need to make a living that makes us happy. Job satisfaction directly affects our entire lives in many ways. Based on a 40 hour work week, we spend almost twenty-four percent of our lives each week at what we do for a living. The National Sleep Foundation provides statistics that says that an average American sleep 6.7 hours per night. Taking this statistic and placing it in the equation and the percentage rises to a full 33%! One-third of our waking hours per week are dedicated to work. For many, working for the man suits them just fine. As well, many choose to pave their own road for a career. No matter what we do there is a sense of satisfaction that we all must experience in our careers. Having experienced both, I can say that there are inherent differences that divide the choice of, “Being THE MAN” versus “Working for THE MAN”. The following is a comparison...
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...symbolism of light and dark colors is still prevalent today; the connotations of a dim corner or a black cat contrast sharply against white images of angels or wedding brides. Evolutionally, humans view the sun, the most basic source of food and thus survival, as a crucial source of light, warmth, and protection. With darkness comes coldness and a fear of the unknown. In the dark, man is reminded of how alone and insignificant a life is in the vast universe. Ernest Hemingway often employs darkness in his works to convey the meaningless of existence that looms over man. Not totally void of optimism, his stories also present rays of hope that reach the reader often through literal descriptions of light. Such is the case in Hemingway’s short story, “A Clean, Well-lighted Place,” which focuses on two waiters at a café. The young waiter impatiently hurries along the last customer, an old man drinking alone, while the older waiter sympathizes with the perceptibly forlorn man. What appears to be a tale of despair and loneliness actually offers hope and strength through a quiet hero. Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” focuses on the nothingness of existence and invokes in the reader a grim realization of the inevitable loneliness of life. However, hope accrues through a growing sense of solidarity among humans and the everyday heroism of the older waiter as he battles the nihilism that could easily consume him. The first conversation between the waiters subtly introduces the...
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..."A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" Two waiters in a café in Spain keep watch on their last customer of the evening, an old and wealthy man who is a regular at the café and drinks to excess. They discuss the fact that he tried to commit suicide the week before, but that it could not have been over anything important because he had plenty of money. The old man asks for another brandy and one of the waiters brings it to him. The two waiters discuss their customer further, saying his niece found him hanging himself and cut him down to save his soul, and that without a wife he must be lonely. One of the waiters is younger than his colleague is, and expresses impatience to close up the café and get home to his wife. The other one, a middle-aged man, defends the old man, saying that he stays so late at the café every night because he has no one to go home to. Finally, the young waiter refuses the old man’s order for another drink, and the man pays and leaves. The two waiters close up the café and the middle-aged one again rebukes the other, saying he should have let the old man stay. The middle-aged waiter says he understands the old man’s reluctance to leave, and that he is always hesitant to lock up because someone may “need” the cafe because it is clean, well lighted, and overshadowed by the leaves of trees. The young waiter boasts that he has everything: youth, confidence, and a job. The middle-aged waiter says he and his colleague are indeed different, and that he himself lacks...
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...Effects Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” deals with the correlation between youth and age. Throughout the story, the symbolism and characterization prove that it’s not out of the ordinary to feel isolated and lonely with age. This is shown through the book by examining the two older men and the young waiter. The older men are represented as lonely, isolated humans; they feel no purpose in their lives. The two older characters share a sense of despair and it makes perfect sense for them to pursue a life in a direction where there is a clean well-lighted place. That clean well-lit place may be exactly what the two men need to have a meaning in their life. The younger waiter is a tad bit different in the sense that he is excited and impatient to move on with his life. The waiter being ready to move on shows no sympathy for the old man. Since the mindsets of the two characters are completely opposite, the waiter doesn’t respect the old man because he doesn’t understand his point of view. The only one who somewhat understands the old man is the older waiter. He provides the same mindset as the old man and can sympathize with him since he understands what his mind is going through. It is evident that the older men have a different approach to appreciating and comprehending the importance of life. Hemingway incorporates symbolism of the light and darkness to help understand the life of the characters in the story. The well-lit café has a deep value and meaning to...
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...Another person might think that these laws were unjust because it causes so much death and bloodshed. While the laws do cause much death, free the rules are enforced a couple of times, people would not do things that would cause themselves of loved ones harm. Instead they would follow the laws and understand that the laws were extreme to keep everyone safe. “If a man has borrowed money to plant his fields and a storm has flooded his field or carried away the crop…in that year he does not have to pay his creditor.” (Document D) This laws is just because the creditor knows that weather can be risk, and still loaned the farmer the money. When the storm hits, it isn't the farmers fault. He will have to struggle to feed his family without the crops. Neither of them are doing very well now but if the farmer has more time to pay off his creditor, it will make it better for both parties. The creditor will get paid, and the farmer will have more time to pay him. This is a balance that Hammurabi used to form his code. Hammurabi’s Code is important because it shows us what life was like in Mesopotamia 4,000 years ago. It shows what things people where doing wrong and doing right then. It shows some of the common problems people faced then, and how the rules dealt with these problems. In this day, there are many people...
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...for you to do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us." Jesus went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, "Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. Therefore I didn’t even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel." Those who were sent, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was well. The Man Born Blind John 9:1-12 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes....
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...in the things they are expected to think and believe in. Emerson calls on the fraternity of Phi Beta Kappa to become individual thinkers and scholars, Emerson tells them to keep expanding their minds and ideas. The article is used to inspire and address young Americans to create their own ideas, and without the influence of previous works, and British literature, in the hope to revitalize American literature and poetry. Through the use of metaphors, similes, repetition, imagery, as well as metonyms Emerson reinforces his idea that one should be a scholar by nature, rather than by literature. Emersons use of metaphors convey his idea that one should be an individual thinker rather than rely just on the works of others to create his ideas and beliefs. “…when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse the parrot of other mens thinking” (Emerson 470). the use of this quote portrays Emersons idea that men have come to completely relying on the works of others, and that Man is no longer and individual thinker. He encourages these young men of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity to become individual thinking men, and to base their ideas on nature and the society they live in, since one cannot base present society on a later society. Emersons idea on what a scholar should be is that one should learn from society and to write for the society they live in, “each age, it is found must writes its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding. The...
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...she thinks is the perfect husband. Not every woman wants the same thing in a man. Some women want a man who is a little rough or some want a man who is college educated. A few things all women can agree upon is we all want a man who is gives attention, committed, a good provider, great listener, educated, and handy around the house. That is just to name a few things us women want in a man. When I think of what the world says a good man is to me it is like they are looking for the perfect man. To me the perfect man cannot be found every man has there flaws. You just have to find the man with the flaws that you can deal with. Every good man is not college educated; but they know how to get up and go to work to make an honest living. To find a man that is educated is a good thing that means that they are on your level and can keep up with you. Education is important to every woman when it comes to finding a husband, because you know that their values are in the right place if going to school is important to them. What woman you know wants a man that is not committed to them. If a man cannot be committed you might as well say there is not a relationship. Woman want to know that they are the only one in a man's life. Women like to know the man is not out and about doing things that he should not do. When a man is turns into a husband commitment is important. No woman wants to find out that her man was not committed totally to her cause it hurts. A husband should not be out...
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...painted by George Stubbs. As the narrator describes the painting it was a huge painting of a big horse. ‘’And there it was, the Stubbs chestnut horse, that magnificent beast, all power and potency and from the central benches I could see it well’’ (L. 4 P. 1). The narrator expected that he/she would be alone in observing the painting, but soon an old man sat down at the other side at the bench. He was about sixty years old, well dressed, and seemed very interested in the painting. A few moments later he is joined by a younger man, who is evidently his student or younger family member. The old man starts to tell him about the panting in somehow this is annoying for the young man and he exclaiming that ‘’you can’t make a silk purse out of me, I keep telling you’’ (L.23 P.1). This shows us that the old man is trying to pass on some of his knowledge and experience, and trying to teach the young man a thing or two. However the young man won’t have it and claims that he can’t change him. You can’t make something bad into something good. If we take a closer look at the symbolic of the chestnut horse, we may see what the old man was trying to pass on to the young man. The horse symbolizes power, strength and potency or in other words, everything a man would strive to have....
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...By Ida B. Wells Lynching in one of our countries major national crimes. Lynching is the practice of a mob of several hundred people who take the law into their own hands and murder innocent people of their wrongdoing. Ida B. Wells was a domestic servant and battled for justice on behalf of the black community. In the article “The Horrors of Lynching in the South”, Ida describes how the white man would brutally kill an African American man just because they didn’t deserved to be treated civilized. Ida mentions three anticipated reasons the African American man was targeted with such ferocious actions. The author also states the true reason behind the treatment the African American man received. Ida was arguing about influencing the African Americans to stand up for themselves and fight back. She included importantly raising public awareness about the lynching situations. The terror of lynching was a movement that eventually escorted to a federal crime. Ida also saying that she and her people deserved justice. In Ida’s article she assumed the southern white people made up three excuses to murder African Americans. The first implicit reason positions that the African American man was charged of participating in insurrections and riots. This story was only an excuse created so the white man could have some justification and murder the black man. An African American man had never been trialed by jury for stating or being involved in any riots. The African American man had never...
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...Robert Frost is well known for the use of nature in his poetry to express life and humanity. By writing about nature Frost is able to give more meaning and depth to his audience as well as being able to get his point across. Frost is very popular at joining nature to ordinary human occurrences as well as experiences. Robert Frost has inspired many poets through the use of nature to express his views as well as to make his poetry interesting. Most of Frost’s poems contained nature in some sort of way either through nature imagery, nature through man, metaphors with nature, or nature as a background through human experiences. Majority of Frost poems reflect nature imagery. Frost saw nature as an alien force capable of destroying man, but...
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...until five years earlier, when it was torn down. At the time of their last meal together, the man continues, he was eighteen years old and his friend Jimmy was twenty. The two had grown up together and were the closest of friends, but the man was leaving the next morning to go out to the West to find his fortune, and Jimmy was the type of person who would never leave New York. After eating their dinner that night, they agreed that no matter where they were or what they were doing, they would both do all they could to return to that same spot at that exact same time, ten o'clock, exactly twenty years later. The officer expresses interest, asking why they had been in contact so seldom over the past twenty years. The man briefly explains that he has been busy in the West trying to make his fortune. He checks the time on his watch, which is adorned with diamonds, indicating that he has been successful in his business endeavors. The time is three minutes before ten o'clock, the precise moment that they are scheduled to meet. The officer stays a few minutes more, and it is after ten o'clock when he says goodbye and leaves. The man waits twenty minutes more. Finally, another man approaches, bundled up against the light rain that has started to fall. The new man calls the man in the doorway Bob and answers to the name of Jimmy Wells. As they chat, Jimmy points out that he has not done as well financially as Bob: he has a position in a city department. He suggests that they go to a place...
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...A shirtless young man stares out past the camera as if he is looking at the logo above his head. He needlessly clings to the rock to further accentuate his impressive body structure. The logo above his head reads “DOLCE & GABBANA” in a bold semi-transparent font. A small bottle of something is juxtaposed to his left. It is the item they are trying to sell, a sports cologne. This advertisement is very effective because of the use of ethos and pathos. Although those two parts are heavily used in this ad, logos is not present as much. Even with that being said many people are going to buy this particular cologne based on ethos and pathos. This is true because Dolce and Gabbana is a very well-known company, which plays a huge part in ethos with credibility and authority. Pathos is also used heavily with people wanting to look like that or women wanting their men to look like that; this makes the reader believe that if they wear this cologne women will be more attracted to them, and that they, too, can look as good as the model in the ad. This advertisement was featured in Muscle & Fitness magazine. This particular magazine is aimed towards classy young to middle-aged men who are professionals. This can be seen through the contents in the magazine. The magazine has lots of ads that are of watches, cologne, and nice cars. With that being said we do not believe that this magazine is geared toward younger teenage men because of what ads, pictures and articles in the magazine...
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...Shared Desolation in Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” Common among sensitive individuals, despair is overwhelming and challenging to deal with. Many people deal with their anguish through the assurance of religion, but how do others deal with these devastating feelings once their faith has vanished? Both the dignified old man and the older waiter in Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” share despair and have found methods to cope with their unhappiness. Both characters feel alone and in order to cope, they stay up late at the café. In addition, their unhappiness is caused by the loss of devotion in a country that is inspired by its religion. The older waiter and the timeworn man feel alone in a country consumed by people and religion. In the short story the younger waiters says, “He’s lonely. I’m not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me.” (97) while the older waiter responds, “He had a wife once too.”(97). These lines cause me to believe that the old man once had a lover to go home to, and now that she’s gone, he only looks forward to staying up late at the café. The older waiter similarly feels the same solitude as the old man does. Hemingway states, “… he would go home to his room. He would lie in bed…” (99), this sentence indicates to me that the waiter also has no partner because it never states that he lies in bed with someone else. Thus causing the older waiter to be desolate as well as the old man. The two characters also share another trait...
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