Mankind will only survive by living with adversity, not with perfection. Humans seek success but true growth comes from the struggles faced obtaining it. Without the challenge, mankind and nature itself withers away in boredom and sterility. Humans, as with all organisms in nature, survive by adapting to challenge, not by the lack of them. The narrator in Wallace Stegner’s “Crossing Into Eden” finds that paradise is no place for humans because it is too perfect and does not offer the adversity mankind requires to exist. “Eden” can only exist without the presence of humans because humans belong away from perfection where struggle may be found. A plant that is watered daily, soaked with sunshine, and kept locked away from the chance of abuse from the weather often grows weak and collapses in on itself. This occurs because the plant needs resistance. The wind and steady breeze …show more content…
Soon, the plant will have grown through the adversity the wind provided and found itself with strong, reinforced cell walls and sturdy roots. Mankind abides by the same principles. Humans will become bored with perfection. The narrator in “Crossing Into Eden” finds that fishing, a challenging process that requires great patience, is too easy. Instead of the thrill of the catch, he finds that “Perfection has destroyed sport.” (Stegner, p.39) Although at first the ease of catching fish is appealing, the narrator soon understands that humans require failure. There is no failing in this Paradise in which he is intruding. The narrator ponders whether there was “Any record of flycasting in Paradise?” to which the answer must surely be no (Stegner, p.39). Why would man need to fish, or even attempt to fish, when God and Paradise provided so readily whatever was needed? It is apparent that the challenge is encoded within human beings. Adam and Eve were removed from Paradise because although they were
We have chosen to believe we are the center of the universe, exempt ourselves from the rules of competition, and chosen a short life of glory, “Ishmael” explains these choices and can guide us on how we should live and continue our
What is human nature and how do young people overcome or accept it? This is the question that T. Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” asks. Between the misconstrued thoughts of adulthood and superficial attempts of establishing independence, the story walks through a short period of time where the Narrator is caught in the middle of such occurrences and through this the literary elements of setting and perspective truly shine. However, before looking into the underlying meaning of the piece, examining the plot at a surface glance is a crucial place to start.
The Grains Of Paradise The Grains of Paradise is a short story that was made into a movie later. The Grains Paradise was about a guy that eat chili and doesn't get fazed by it at all. Another guy saw him eating them like it was nothing so he said he would like to challenge him to this other guy who can eat any other chili without no fear.
Freedom of poverty and individual rights ultimately what Mexican-American cultures strive to obtain in earlier times, according to Viramontes. Although this contains accuracy to an extent, today’s Hispanic American culture fight against stereotypes and hidden oppression of full individual rights. Remedification of potential and hard work is dismissed in this novel, due to Mexican-American’s job status and minimal education. This oppression often leaves Mexican-Americans to keep living in this lifestyle, obvlious to keep working and hopefully achieve grounds to move out of poverty. In the novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, Helena Maria Viramontes emphasizes the physical labor Estrella and her family go through, and how this work reshapes their
We live to get rid of struggle, to find the quickest way possible, no matter the cost. Ultimately, I believe that our society is approaching, if not already at, being an image of Huxley’s Brave New World; a society of no inconveniences, no struggle, but also no innovation, no art, no creativity, and no feelings, which ultimately, is a society I would chose not to live
In his thought-provoking novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck illustrates the stages of Adam Trask’s life to prove that human beings have the God-given power to choose light over darkness. Although Adam doesn’t utter “Timshel!” until the final page of the novel, Chapter 31 reveals that Trask was strong enough to shake off his personal demons long before Aron’s death. Simultaneously, the chapter provides insight into Cathy’s character and quells the questions: What is a monster, and does Cathy constitute one? These revelations are collectively vital to the text’s thematic development.
But Eiseley said, “there is nothing very “normal” about Nature. Once upon a time, there were no flowers at all.” Further implicating that without the emergence of flowers, the world wouldn’t be considered as a whole. Eiseley’s main purpose is to allude the readers into thinking that there are many other possible reasons as to why the world came to be, and his reason is the emergence of the angiosperms. The Immense Journey was specifically written to discuss the history of humanity, however Eiseley’s “How Flowers Changed the World” was written in a way to combine science and humanity in a poetic manner.
It is noteworthy that this story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the foundation of the religion with the largest number of followers worldwide. Why does it continue to resonate with so many people even today? The reason is that this utopia contains archetypes that reflect the collective unconscious that is found across all cultures. This is the result of universal themes in this story about humanity’s needs and desires that we still see occurring in our society today. The story of Genesis contains three archetypal characteristics that illustrate these patterns that still demonstrate humanity’s needs.
If there’s something every country and the whole world has in common it’s that they were all home to native tribes, whether it was the Aztecs, Cherokees, Inuit, Nuer, Hadza or Incas and many more. Hugh Brody, a British anthropologist, writer, director and lecturer, writes about a tribe of hunters in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic of North America, who are known as Inuit. In his piece, “The other Side of Eden”, written in 2001, Brody argues that we still judge hunter-gatherers although we are the ones that dramatically and drastically changed their life because of our modern life styles. Ironically Brody named his piece, “The other Side of Eden”, alluding to The First Book of Moses, Genesis 2, or also known as “Genesis of the Garden of Eden”,
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, reflects the complexities in father/son relationships. The connection between a father and his son is vital to their development. The novel explores the impact of these relations is immense. The central allusion of the novel is comparing several characters to Cain and Abel, who were formed through their attempted relationship with their father-like figure, God. They struggled and vied for the attention, love, and respect of God, which subconsciously influenced their actions and thoughts.
Expulsion. The pain and suffering that accompanies it. Nobody wants to be excluded, but what if it’s the difference between quenching your curiosity and remaining ignorant? In both the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and in the dystopian novella Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the protagonists are faced with this predicament. Their actions come with immense consequences which forever change not only their own life, but that of the human race.
It was that simple” (Cisneros 96). In comparison, the story of The Garden of Eden in Genesis consists
In the Genesis, the Garden of Eden is told as a place of eternal springtime, plenty of food, and everyone running around naked with no shame; basically, the Garden is “innocent”. In comparison, the kids on Mango Street, describe the Monkey Garden as “a wonderful thing to look at in the spring.” [95] and a place that was “Far away from where our mothers could find us” [95]. Rumors spread about how “the Monkey Garden had been there before anything.” [96].
he natural imagery in "Frankenstein" is comparable to the best in the Romantic literature. Mary Shelley paints Nature and its divine grandeur with some rare strokes of a masterful hand. She deliberately juxtaposes the exalted vision of Mother Nature with the horrendous spectacle of a man-made monster and his ghastly deeds. This steep contrast sets reader thinking about the wisdom of departing away from the set norms of Nature. Mary's message to mankind is loud and clear; do not mess with Nature for your own good.
On the outside, the human brain may seem quite simple due to its pale pink color and its odd structure, but once it is cut open, “butterfly-style”, it will mesmerize the individual with its true talents and capabilities. After all, the human brain is the most complex organ, as it is responsible for life’s existence. In both short texts, When Did We Become Mentally Modern? by Alix Spiegel and from the introduction to Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan, they discuss how the human brain is the ultimate reason for the diversity in our city as a result of evolution and human communication. With that in mind, the human brain allows for humanity to advance as a society as well as to create a more complex individual.