A War of Self In his novel, A Separate Peace, Knowles uses the story of Gene Forrester to examine a dark aspect of human nature. Gene Forrester, the novel’s protagonist, fights an inner battle of jealousy and hatred towards his best friend, Phineas. Phineas, an athlete, charismatic charmer, and fearless boy is someone that Gene wishes he could be. Gene creates an enemy out of Phineas in his mind because of the “competition” that is their friendship.
A smile. A hug. A gift. The smallest things can brighten a person’s day or put a smile on someone’s face. Humility is a virtue that not all people possess.
Some people, who go through horrific and important historical events are sometimes given recognition for their brave heart and their courageous actions. Others, sometimes, are glorified to look like they are divine and so perfect that they resemble a God-like figure. Take Immaculee Ilibagiza into account. She suffered through the Rwandan Genocide and Steve Erwin is keen on sharing her story with the world. In her story, Left to Tell, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s temptation to elevate Immaculee’s status in the world leads to a misleading interpretation of her divinity and perfection.
Consequently, individuals push off helping others because they are overwhelmed by their own tasks. Although people today are more self-sustaining, they must remember the little deeds of kindness while they branch off into the world. Calvin was always appreciative of the sacrifices his single father made and wished for his investment to pay off. He stated, “I wanted to surprise him if I succeeded and not disappoint him if I failed”(Coolidge 78). People today should follow in his footsteps and possess admiration for every act of hospitality throughout their
Virtue, compassion, and benevolence are all qualities in our society that are considered good. In history, there are figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. that have displayed these characteristics, but then again, demonstrations of goodness are shown by people every day. Goodness or righteousness from people has always thrived, even in the worst periods of humanity. Therefore, mankind is inherently good as shown in Elie Wiesel’s novel Night, where this notion is illustrated through kind acts during his difficult times and through charities which give people hope.
“Happiness consists in giving and in others,” (Henry Drummond). This quote effectively describes the character Clarisa in the short story, “Clarisa” written by Isabel Allende because of her giving nature and adherence for helping others. In this story, Allende depicts Clarisa as the model of affection and compassion by giving absolutely everything she owns and even spends “... the last cent of her dowry and inheritance,” (Allende, 434) and, “In her own poverty, she never turned her back on the poverty of others,”(Allender, 434). It is this very reason that she is held in high esteem and portrayed as saint like by all those who know. Through the use of similes, diction, and imagery Allende does an exceptional job helping readers understand
Our world continues to grow dramatically from the past problems that have occurred. The book Hiroshima uses past massacres to show we can unify as a world to rebuild powerful, hope-filled communities by caring for others needs and being selfless. Father Kleinsorge is an example of a person who displays these characteristics in Hiroshima. One characteristic that is needed to rebuild a hopeful community is selflessness. Father Kleinsorge displays this characteristic when, “...a friend of Mrs. Sasaki’s called on Father Kleinsorge and asked him to visit her in the hospital.”
Analysis Of The Theme in Wonder Kindness is crucial in the world today. To be kind to someone means acting in a benevolent, helpful, and loving manner. Just small acts of kindness can make a day and night difference. Putting a smile on someone’s face can make his/her day a lot better. People can see kindness everywhere in the world around them, and many novels today are trying to spread this message of kindness.
During the Holocaust, approximately seven thousand two hundred Jews escaped with the help by Danish fishermen. This means that some of the Danish helped the Jews, even though it meant for their lives to be at risk. In “The Diary of Anne Frank”, everyone did something brave or, extravagant for people during a tough time. The story talked about how people can do such a little thing, but can it can help someone out greatly, which means that ordinary people can be heroes. Although people can be selfish or greedy, people can be heroes because they help save people’s lives, they want to do something nice for someone else, or risk their lives to do something that not many people would do.
In one circumstance, we may feel the need to give to those who are poor to keep them from getting in our personal space; and in other circumstances we feel that we give to others out of the kindness of our heart. I completely agree with Ascher and her views on compassion, because I have been in similar situation where I have questioned why people give money, and whether they give with a whole heart or out of necessity. Furthermore, this essay can teach us plenty of lessons that can be utilized throughout our lives so we can teach others and make them aware of the need to be more
Charity is voluntary. The volunteers get little to nothing back from your work. The Narrator, however, does. He receives the heartache. The narrator’s actions display his feelings all the while he concedes that he is doing it while, “Not loving him.”
“Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden, but never extinguished.” Nelson Mandela. In the story “The Outcasts of Poker Flats”, by Brett Harte, there’s a group of people whose names are John Oakhurst, Mother Shipton, the Duchess, and Uncle Billy. To many they are disgraceful and horrible people who only care about themselves but I believe that there’s something called hidden goodness in everyone, no matter how horrible they may be.
Throughout history, humans have greatly evolved as a species. Despite many physical changes, the inherently good nature of humankind and its tendency towards kindness has prevailed. The constant craving for both physical and emotional connections as well as the comfort humans find in each other are demonstrative of humankind’s true values. Humanity’s natural inclination toward bettering situations is demonstrative of the inherently good nature of humankind, that allows for societal advancements. In Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, the protagonist Theo Decker experiences many hardships that cause him to make questionable decisions.
The Emmons have been through torture, but they had a positive attitude to have their lives as normal as possible. (Emmons , robert). “How gratitude can help you through hard times.” greater good. University of california at berkeley, 13 may 2013.
He rescues one thousand one hundred people, but desperately attempts to help more. He grasps at inanimate objects to determine how many Jews they are worth. To him, these items are useless in comparison to the priceless lives he could save. The man who normally exudes confidence breaks down into tears. The people in front of him are not monsters; they are just people.
