...Suffering is inevitable. People are inherently evil, and in a world full of these sinful beings, it's impossible to live a picture perfect life free of suffering. Throughout the book Night, Elie Wiesel uses symbolism, imagery, and figurative language to display the unavoidable nature of pain and suffering. Symbolism was used throughout the novella to prove that suffering is inevitable. Elie's suffering starts to intensify once he reaches the concentration camp, and his suffering Is accompanied with a change in character; after a single night in the camp, Elie claims that his old, religious self "had been consumed by the flames," (Wiesel 37) which was likely to happen to him at some point with him being a victim of the holocaust. After the dentist's office was shut down, elie was glad that his gold crown was safe; he begins to think about what he could do with it, like buy food one say, and he describes his desire for food, specifically bread, as "all that mattered to [him]," (Wiesel 52) which shows...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...As activist and lecturer Helen Keller once said “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it”. This is a way to tell how both books are about suffering The books Night and The Finest Hours have differences and similarities. Even though the books are similar they differ in how some key scenes are portrayed. one of the ways The Finest Hours and Night are Similar is that they share a common theme. The theme is Suffering can help individuals become stronger when facing life’s difficulties by making a goal and being self-reliance. “For the Surviving members of the Pendleton crew, the feeling of relief and joy”(Tougias 145). The reason why the people were happy was because they survived the the boat wreck. The...
Words: 506 - Pages: 3
...Throughout Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the theme of loneliness and isolation can be seen through the characters Victor Frankenstein and the Monster as well as some smaller role characters Robert Walton, Elizabeth and Safie through each of their experiences in life. A key character in the book, Victor Frankenstein is depicted multiple times as suffering through loneliness and isolation in his young life, his career and from the aftermath of his decisions. The Monster as well is depicted going through the struggle of loneliness as soon as his creation, all the way to his death. Robert Walton can be seen suffering loneliness on his journey to the north while Elizabeth and Safie can be seen suffering through loneliness in their lives. Through these characters the theme of loneliness and isolation is seen in each of their stories. A key character in the book Victor Frankenstein can be seen suffering through the constant theme of loneliness brought on by others but many times him. The first time in the book where Victor feels the suffering of loneliness is when his mother dies before he sets off to school in Ingolstadt. When hearing the news of his mother’s death he is quite shocked and come to a tough realization, “I, who had ever been surrounded by amiable companions...was now alone. In the university...I must form my own friends and be my own protector” (34). Victor had always been cared for by his parents and now with his mother gone and him moving to a new place made him feel...
Words: 1165 - Pages: 5
...84% of the world has a religion. Christian is the biggest religion, with the world being 31% Christian, Islam close behind with 23%. 15% of the world follows Judaism, a religion in which the author of Night followed. A religion that we followed, because of what we know, he rejected God because of loss of faith, he believed that God is cruel because he allowed suffering towards the ones that love him. Everyone that read the book of Night, have developed a different and unique aspect of their own, from his relationship with his father, the act of being tortured, the countless days of train rides, the horrible people that were SS soldiers or the Religion of Judaism, but my aspect is the motif of Night and what it means to him, and what he should take in for ourselves....
Words: 598 - Pages: 3
...Life of Pi Theme of Religion At times, Life of Pi reads like a defense of religion. Has science proved religion wrong? Here's a protagonist who believes passionately in both zoology and religion. What about the fact of multiple faiths? Don't these faiths contradict each other, cause wars, and other problems? Here's a protagonist who is Muslim, Christian, and Hindu – all at the same time. The book defends not only the common spirit behind these three religions, but the rituals and ceremonies of each. It's as if all three religions find harmonious common ground in this character. Seems unlikely, but then again, the protagonist argues passionately that the miraculous happens in our darkest moments. Quote #1But I don't insist. I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. (1.4.14) | Do zoos incarcerate animals in confined spaces and make them miserable? Pi doesn't think so: "Certain illusions about freedom" tempt us to this conclusion. In actuality, an animal's life in the wild is more circumscribed than "a knight on a chessboard" (1.4.8). Predator-prey relationships restrict the animal's movement. A zoo enclosure is actually more like a hearth for an animal: a place of comfort and rest. Likewise, most people think of religion as a restrictive...
Words: 14341 - Pages: 58
...enduring this suffering that one can truly be a great storyteller and it is the degree someone suffers that makes ones storytelling more powerful Katurian was forced to suffer through hearing tortured screams every night in his childhood which Michal and his parents know will make him a better storyteller His parents torture Katurians brother nightly knowing that only by suffering through fear and doubt could Katurian become great at storytelling Michal also comprehends that suffering leads...
Words: 505 - Pages: 3
...of change should be graspable and predictable. Because we mistake what is impermanent to be permanent, we suffer.” by Pema Chodron an inspiring author, who studied at the University of California at Berkeley . This is trying to say that the people who end up making mistakes, but know the right answer to it end up losing something. Everyone suffers from different situations, in “The Necklace” Mathilde Loisel had a little suffering herself. However, as author Guy De Maupassant points out the theme that stood out is that sometimes sacrifice leads to suffering. Monsieur Loisel and his desires to give up happiness for his wife’s, and Mathilda who lost a necklace and tries to hide that for a while until it came to a bad situation. What you give up doesn't always means it's a good thing....
Words: 548 - Pages: 3
...What is the tone of the opening 3 scenes of ‘Twelfth Night’? In the first 3 acts of Twelfth Night Shakespeare skillfully uses three very different characters to illustrate three types of behaviour in relation to emotional pain and suffering. Within the first two scenes of the play, the audience is introduced to two of the main themes of different types of love as well as mistaken identity/uncertainty of gender. Destructive and painful love is portrayed within Orsino character (and to an extent Olivia’s), whilst mistaken identity can be seen in Viola’s decision to disguise herself as a man. The third scene contrasts with this and the first real comedic tone is portrayed with the characters Maria, Toby Belch and Andrew Aguecheek. Scene 1’s main focus is the idea of Orsino suffering out of his perceived love-sickness. The first line “if music be the food of love, play on” suggests that love has completely conquered Orsino and is vital to his survival. He goes on to mention ‘surfeiting’ which illustrates the idea of Orsino being so infatuated and reliant upon love that he desires to overdose, and consequently acquire so much love that it ceases to exist. This idea portrays the image of love as being something unwanted and suggests that love comes up on people unexpectedly and isn’t something that can be avoided. The idea of love being a cause of suffering is also reflected upon in the way that Orsino plans to hunt hart’s. The word hart is used as a pun to imply that it’s in...
Words: 1093 - Pages: 5
...The novel Night by Elie Wiesel expresses the theme of the night-time both literally and figuratively. Elie, the protagonist , is a jewish teenager who survived through the Holocaust and lived to see human suffering at its worst. “Night” in this novel is the time of day before the plot rises, during an innocent meeting, while also depicting the “night” as a time of fear and darkness, of how he lays awake in fear in a concentration camp and the death of his loves ones. The night is expressed literally as a time of destruction and darkness. Even Though most of the book is set during the day, Elie’s most difficult internal conflicts seem most present during the night. For example, in the extended version of this book, the death of his father,...
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
...In Jasper Jones we see as we read the book the ongoing relevance for all readers due to its powerful themes which are clearly evident in the book such as Prejudice/ Racism , Love and Guilt vs innocence and insights into society which creates a realistic plot which we as readers can sometimes relate to. In Jasper Jones as we read we see the world through Jaspers point of view, being a half caste and poor treatment towards him from his father and the police. The major themes that create ongoing relevance for all readers are Prejudice / Racism and Betrayal / Trust. In the novel, prejudice and racism is seen through the exclusion and poor treatment of the Lu family because of their Vietnamese descent. Betrayal and trust is a very important theme...
Words: 1236 - Pages: 5
...“Night” Essay. The Holocaust (also called Shoah in Hebrew) refers to the period from January 30, 1933, when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, to May 8, 1945, when the war in Europe ended. During this time, Jews in Europe were subjected to harsh persecution that ultimately led to the murder of 6,000,000 Jews (1.5 million of these being children) and the destruction of 5,000 Jewish communities. The Jews were the victims of Hitler’s plan to annihilate the entire Jewish population of Europe. After the holocaust one of few survivors Elie Wiesel wrote a book called “Night” which was basically about the suffering all Jews had to go through. In this book Elie uses motifs to reveal the theme that the worst suffering comes from man’s own inhumanity to man. One of the motifs Elie uses to reveal the theme was how badly the Nazi soldiers treated their fellow human. First example was when the Nazi’s arrived at first they treated the Jews politely while living in their homes and acted quite civil then the Jews started to believe they were in no danger but Little by little, the soldiers took away their freedom—the leaders of the Jewish community were arrested; the Jewish people were put under house arrest; all their valuables were confiscated; the Jews were forced to wear a yellow star; the Jewish people were forced into ghettos; the ghettos were emptied and the people deported to concentration camps. This shows how the Nazi went from being human to dehumanizing their fellow human...
Words: 1010 - Pages: 5
...One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death ("foul"). Furthermore, Lady Macbeth's orchestration of the murder exemplifies the twisted atmosphere in Inverness. Both a woman and a host, she should be the model of grace and femininity. She is described, however, as a "fiendlike queen" (Act...
Words: 991 - Pages: 4
...The Life of the Unconquerable Through designed and a specific use of language, a writer can deliver the most meaningful experiences in their lives through the scheme of poetry. Thoughtfulness for the various fundamentals that make a poem grab your attention, such as imagery, symbolism, rhyme and setting to name a few, offers additional appreciation of what the author is trying to convey. Recognizing these fundamentals, and understanding how they come together to provoke a piece exposes multifaceted meanings and experiences for the reader. Moreover, in some poems it is just as important, and can show added appreciation for the poem, if the life of the poet is studied. Such as William E. Henley poem “Invictus.” With William E. Henley’s biography in mind, learning the utmost significant and real essentials used in “Invictus” exposes a complicated and scholarly appreciation of his writings. Looking into William Henley’s life gives the reader clairvoyance into his intentions when writing “Invictus.” Henley was born poor in England in mid-nineteenth century. “He contracted a form of tuberculosis, during childhood, which put him through a prolonged, grueling battle against the disease and resulted in an amputated leg by the age of 16” (Flora 7). During his childhood and continuing into adulthood, Henley remained in hospitals and infirmaries enduring numerous painful treatments for his illness. Because of these hospitalizations and being too poor to pay schooling costs, Henley’s education...
Words: 1769 - Pages: 8
...Dor Chavoinik Way English IV AP 6 December 2012 The Existentialist Artist In A Hunger Artist, Franz Kafka utilizes existential themes in a depiction of a man’s quest for personal fulfillment through starvation, deemed an art form. This man, the hunger artist, fasts for long periods of time as part of a circus act, but never experiences satisfaction as a result of his performance; he believes he can fast for much longer than is allowed. In his current situation, the impresario makes the decision for the extent of his fast, and as a result the artist is unhappy. The artist here loses the freedom of choice, a theme masterfully applied by Kafka here. Following the ideals of existentialism, one can only experience the happiness brought upon by his own choices. Accordingly, the hunger artist remains discontent when he is unable to test the extent of his fasting abilities. It is his art form being denied. For example, when the artist is first displayed at the larger circus, he holds conventional expectations that he will find satisfaction in a longer fast. Furthermore, due to the artist’s dejection as a result of his inability to define the terms of his fast, the hunger artist experiences the existentialist “unfulfillable desire for fulfillment.” These expectations contrast existentialism because in them the hunger artist tries to find meaning through the attention of spectators, rather than finding meaning through his own choices. Since he does not follow the existentialist...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...words. The academic definition of a myth” is discovering a way of making meaning that has been part of every human society.” I believe myths are stories that are told from generation to generation. Depending on our culture, religion, beliefs and so on would determine the moral meaning behind the story. Some myths are legends. For example,” the cross of Jesus” is determined to be a legend and a myth. Depending on how the story is interpreted by the person listening to it. Myth is used to relate and have a reason for things that we do, as a society we need a logical meaning for the purpose for things we need and believe, with this we turn to myths. 2). Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind. Stemming from different countries from across the globe there are different culture values that has meaning to our behavior. Generation to generation learn from one another that is how our brains developed intellectually. We will be able to ask certain questions about myths. Then we will be able to answer that same question with our own mythological understanding. When we study different cultures and their myths, we learn their culture, their beliefs, their way of life which subsequently broaden our mindset to a pleatherer of views on the same subject. 3). What is the relationship between belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion? Where do mythology and religion...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3