Death of a Salesman Idealism and Truth Essay Example for Free

Death of a Salesman Idealism and Truth Essay ?Idealism describes the belief or pursuit of a perfect vision often based upon unrealistic principles. This pursuit is often contrasted and opposed by truth. The truth and reality in an individual’s life is what enables this person to remain grounded and down to earth. An individual must set themselves high expectations in order to be their best, but they must also acknowledge the fact that everything they desire is not achievable. The imbalance of idealism and truth in an individual’s life can have calamitous effects. It is significant in an individual’s life because it can lead to the deterioration of an individual’s sanity, destruction of family relationships and ultimately death. This is exemplified in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, by Willy Loman. Willy spends his whole life pursuing the American Dream. This pursuit leaves him in debt and lacking less than a sliver of sanity. This man lacks the capacity to face the truth; the reality of his situation. The negative effect that his dream has on his family and life is simply overlooked and ignored. As Willy’s life swerves out of control, he tumbles deeper into the abyss of his idealism, to a point of no return. The inability for an individual to achieve a single-minded dream can lead to the deterioration of their sanity. In Willy’s case, he has spent his whole life pursuing the American Dream; a dream that is impossible to achieve. His inability to cope with the failure of his life at first simply causes him to feel lost, but eventually causes him to go insane. Ironically enough this man, so set on having the perfect life, has an affair with a secretary of one of the buyer. This is simply a financial transaction of gifts for sex and access to the buyers. Willy does this to escape the truth of his life, and in the process completely contradicts his goals. In an attempt to protect himself from the reality of his life, he goes into self-protection mode. His own mind morphs his memories to achieve and establish his desires. Willy’s constant flashbacks lay the groundwork to support that he is becoming senile and that his idealistic tendencies caused him to lose the ability to recognize reality from illusion. Willy is a very insecure individual, and he tries to make himself look better by lying to himself and his family. In his world of delusion, Willy is a hugely successful man. He disguises his profound anxiety and self-doubt with extreme arrogance. Biff nails it on the head when he points out the fact that Willy â€Å"had all the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong. † The overpowering pursuit of idealism over truth can lead an individual to lack the ability to cope with reality. Willy has a lot of potential, but he also has a whopping case of self-deception paired with misguided life goals. He has based his whole life on supporting others and does not know how to live any other way. The effect of lacking a manly figure during his youthful development is substantial effect in how Willy raises his own sons. In Willy’s pursuit of the American Dream, he clearly instills in his sons that being well-liked is more important than character. By emphasizing likability as being the most desirable quality for success he places a higher premium on outward projection over inner strength of character. He simply passes on these unrealistic qualities to his sons. â€Å"I never in my life told him anything but decent things. † Willy’s memories reveal that the values with which he raised his sons has made Biff comes to consider himself exceptional and entitled to whatever he wants regardless of how hard he works or whether it harms others. Biff’s perfect illusion is shattered when he discovers that his father is having an affair and he feels hateful and confused about his father’s actions. His excessive pursuit of idealism shatters Willy’s relationship with his son; this is something that he does not have the ability to repair. Willy’s pursuit of idealism in his life was extremely unrealistic and eventually prevented him from having the ability to see the truth in life. He spent his whole life trying to provide for his family. He wanted the life of a salesman. To be well-liked and have a massive funeral when he dies. The reality is that he spent his whole life pursuing unrealistic dreams based on negative personal values. Willy himself points out that he’s â€Å"worth more dead than alive. † It’s quite tragic that Willy believes he has to kill himself to feel that he is worth something to his family. The reality of the situation is that his death is in vain. The Loman’s only had one more payment left on the house, and don’t actually need the money anymore. But in his blinded illusion, Willy cannot see through or cope with his failure. This causes him to believe that he is worth nothing more alive and kills himself to enable his family to collect his life insurance money. The unevenness of idealism and truth in an individual’s life can lead to the loss of sanity, deterioration of relationships and even death. By having a good balanced of idealism and truth, there is a greater potential that an individual will discover contentment in life. While pursuing an ideal, an individual may be confronted with truth that must be recognized, and if ignored will have cataclysmic effect. Idealism provides a good source of motivation to strive for excellence and truth reminds us that we are all flawed. Together, with an appropriate balance of both, you have the tools to live a life happy.

Approaches to the Study of Religion Essay -- Theology Religion Sociolo

The sociological approach looks at religious belief and practice in relation to the society. Sociologists are interested in two themes, the centrality of religion in society and the diversity of forms it inhabits (Hamilton 1995/2001:1). It regards religion as a social fact subject to empirical observation, which produces empirical evidence (Dillon 2003:7). The sociology of religion is a product of the enlightenment, from which it inherited a tendency to dismiss religion as incompatible with rationality (Dillon 2003:6). This dismissal has had significant impact on the attitude towards religion and it is the basis for the most influential paradigm in the history of the field; secularisation. The secularisation theory claims that religion is or will be on the decrease in society. So profound was its impact that modern sociology often aims to account for the continued presence of religion in society and has generally held a rather negative view of religion as being an unworthy subject o f study(Davies 2007:2). The reason for the secuarlisation can be seen in the fact that sociology is a theory both guided by and aims to build theories (Wuthnow/Dillon 2003:21). Theories require analysis and generalisation. It is impossible to analyse a subject without first defining the subject (Robertson 1970:34). Definition is a contentious issue because different definitions entail different criteria which lead to different patterns being indentified in data. Theories are created by the identification of patterns in data which are then generalised.(Davies 2007:5). Thus a definition will vastly affect the content and concept of a theory. Definitions of religion in sociology fall into two categories, functional and substantive. This essay will assess... ...in the answers but in the question. Works Cited Davie, Grace (2007) The Sociology of Religion. London. Sage Publications Dillon, Michele (2003) Handbook of the Sociology of Religion. Cambridge. Cambridge university press Hamilton, Malcom (1995/2001) The Sociology of Religion: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives. 2nd edition. Routledge. London Hunt, Stephen J (2002) Religion in Western Society. London. Palgrave McGuire, Meredith B. (1997) Religion: The Social Context 4th edition. Wadsworth Pickering, W.S.F. (1984) Durkheim’s Sociology of Religion: Themes and Theories. Routledge. London Robertson, Ronald (1970) The Sociological Interpretation of Religion. Blackwell Sociology Series. London Steinsaltz, Adin (2000) A Guide to Jewish Prayer . New York Wuthnow, Robert (2003) ‘Studying Religion, Making it Sociological’ in Dillon (2003) pp.16-30

Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin Essay

‘Non-fiction texts only deal with facts.’ Discuss the validity of this statement. In your essay response, you should discuss how composers of non-fiction texts present their point of view with specific reference to your non-fiction text. Autobiographies, as a narrative non-fiction text, generally rely on the conventions of factual historical evidence while presenting a personal point of view. Non-fiction texts therefore, rely on objective detail and a subjective perspective. Throughout the autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer the composer Li Cunxin offers a personal evaluation of actions and speculates on the significance of certain actions and events. To engage and entertain the responder the composer uses opinionative language and emotive language throughout. Recounts rely intensely on memory, which can be fragile and misleading, and therefore one should question the validity of such a text. Such an autobiography also deals with factual events but includes a level of subjectively. By saying non-fiction texts only deal with facts is partially wrong because non-fiction texts such as autobiographies do deal with the things other than facts and it contrastingly brings immediacy to events that have been simply narrate d by secondary versions. Consequently, non-fiction texts are not always objective when dealing with the events in a person’s life and this proves right through the novel. Autobiographies by their very nature rely back on memories from the past. This can be fragile and can ignore certain facts. In Li Cunxin’s text, most of his writing relied back on his memory. He exaggerates and reinforces his points quite strongly. Hyperbole is used in this line, â€Å"My leaps were high†¦It felt like as if I was flying†¦gliding through the open sky, and if the music allowed it, I would have stayed in the air all night,† (p314) adjusting the truth to portray him in a positive light. Furthermore, Time does have an effect on memory as it can be clouded over time and cannot be as strong. For example when Li has a conversation with Teacher Xiao he includes the exact dialogue, which was spoken. â€Å"Cunxin I understand your anger and I think Teacher Gao was wrong. He shouldn’t name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (p182) The reader must question how the author remembers each detail from his past.  This adds to the subjective nature of this genre. Li reflecting from his memory also shapes his emotion, full on life. Emanating from Li’s personal emotions this indicates that this is a subjective recount as well as objective, â€Å"My feelings about leaving her and going back to China became unbearable† (p289). Aspects of the story also describe how his parents were feeling before he was born through the short dramatic sentences, but is not essentially factual as he was not actually there, â€Å"She knows her family will no longer be her main source of comfort†¦looks back at her familiar village for the last time, she has no tears,†(xiv) and so this relies on memory and perspective once again. The use of first person, it interoperates non-fiction texts such as autobiographies, an unreliable source of information. The purpose of writing in this style is to give the responder a personal effect, while reflecting back on their life story. Therefore, this reiterates the fact that the autobiography is only set on the personal and selective events being conveyed by the author. By doing so, the reader is presented with bias and limited factual content explored within Mao’s Last Dancer. They persuade the reader into believing its true; it could give the reader a wrong perception of true events and places because there is nothing else to judge them from. Aspects of one-sidedness are presented to us in Mao’s Last Dancer, which suggest the narrator is unreliable. The use of omission is brought to our attention at the start of the ‘afterword’. The fact that the author finishes writing on the page about a particular event which occurred in the distant past (being released from the Chinese Government). And then starts a new page erasing a whole stage out of his autobiography. â€Å"My new life with Elizabeth began like an East meets West fairy tale†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p308) simply reassures the readers that the legitimacy of the text is not all true. What has happened in the release and the meeting of Elizabeth? The reader does not hear what her point of view is on the circumstances or what she thinks about it, such as why their marriage failed, â€Å"but it didn’t work out the way we both had hoped.† (p308) This merely gives the reader a one sided point of view. As we hear Li’s thoughts and emotions towards Elizabeth, the reader is manipulated into sympathizing with Li. Therefore Elizabeth is not given adequate characterization. â€Å"Our marriage eventually failed. We suffered  greatly and I felt terribly alone in the world. I had no one to go to.† (p308) The use of this personal style makes this genre a subjective text. However, autobiographies do include factual detail and are not all subjective. In Mao’s Last Dancer, the author includes an appendix, which outlines the historical events mentioned in the book. These include reference map, a historical timeline of China in the 20th Century and black and white photos with captions. These endorse Li Cunxin’s life story and set it within a historical context. Related evidence for the reader that these events actually occurred, â€Å"In 1921 the Chinese Government party was founded.† (p328). This references to historical figures, such as Chairman Mao Zedong, and the use of dates provided. However one must question why the author and their purpose selected these examples. The written style of non-fiction text both deals with facts and emotional theories. Thus all this occurring by nature. Emotional theories, which are focused on in the text, Mao’s Last Dancer, involves the idea of memory in which the events occurred. Throughout the novel we witness from the author the numerous times the fragility in memory. The one-sidedness in autobiographies often gives the reader a bias view on all events and the author usually alters the truth. By saying non-fiction texts only deal with facts is highly debatable as facts are intertwined with the personal.

The Second Amendment Americans Have the Right to Bear Arms!

The United States Constitution says that U.S. Citizens have the right to bear arms.nbsp; Even though this guarantee was written with no constraints,nbsp; there are now laws that limit certain aspects of gun ownership.nbsp; The reasons for gun control fall under the flag of public safety.nbsp; Though there are many safety reasons why private ownership of firearms should be banned, these arguments are outweighed not only by the need for protection, but because the limitation of ownership rights could become dangerous to personal freedom. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; When the U.S. Constitution was written, some delegates thought Militia was†¦show more content†¦nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; A big problem with keeping guns in the house is the curiosity and ignorance of children.nbsp; Children are more capable of finding guns than they are given credit for.nbsp; Children under the age of 15 suffer approximately one-third of the deaths caused by guns in the honbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; me (Cruit, 18). Even if a child is well behaved and listens when they are told not to touch a gun, they may still cecum to peer pressure and let their friends play with a gun.nbsp; Not only is a gun dangerous to children, but the ammunition is as well.nbsp; A child could be seriously hurt by an exploding bullet which can be set off by being hit by a rock, a nail, or being thrown into the fireplace.nbsp; Children are unpredictable and they do not know the effect of a gun on themselves or their friends. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Having a gun in the house can also be dangerous because of temperament, rage, and impulse because murder is usually a crime of passion. If you or someone in your family has a hot temper that leads to rather violent reactions, you should not keep a gun around (Cruit, 23).nbsp;Show MoreRelatedThe Rights Of A Free State1118 Words   |  5 PagesLobenstein American Lit 2 December 2014 Amendment II â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† The Right to Bear Arms According to the Second Amendment, in the Bill of Rights, the rights of the people to keep and bear arms have been enacted since December 15th, 1791. Across the 223 years this amendment has been around, there has been an abundance of history behind the Second Amendment. Over thisRead MoreEssay on The Right to Bear Arms a Constitutional Conflict 1666 Words   |  7 Pagesbearing a firearm was initially represented as a duty in England, up until King Alfred converted this duty into a right. 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