The Man Who Was Almost A Man English Literature Essay

The Man Who Was Almost A Man English Literature Essay The Man Who was Almost a Man by Richard Wright, is a coming of age story that also showcases the main character, Dave Saunders, struggle with poverty and racism as well as his struggle to gain power. This short story mainly critiques the social structure of the powerful over the weak. It also as a theme of black vs. white. In the course of my essay I will give some background information on Naturalism, as well as how racism and a search for power affects Dave in the story and the journey this force takes him on. I will also demonstrate what the gun and the mule symbolize in the story. Naturalism writers such as Richard Wright write about characters that face environmental, social, or economic forces that they cannot control or overcome. In naturalist novels, humans are doomed by their own shortcomings. (Baym) Naturalism portrays humans as animals in the world. In Freudian terms, naturalist literature is written to show how the id has the upper hand over the superego and the ego. Naturalism comes to the conclusion that peoples choices are already determined by natural or scientific forces that make people behave in a certain way. In The Man Who Was Almost a Man, Wright makes the main character Dave Saunders a servant to racial hardship. He demonstrates how whites always have an upper hand over blacks. Dave is just like his parents; he is vulnerable to white men in power and money such as his boss Mr. Hawkins and the shop owner Joe. He will never have the power or the money to reach his full potential. Dave lives in a world where he has no power, whether it be personal or economic. In his eyes, he lives a life full of humiliation and abuse. He works a lowly job for money that is given directly to his mom, who with his dad, he is forced to obey. He is also subjected to constant belittling from the hands of his fellow field hands. He has a growing sense of shame that comes from the economic and social forces that keep him from going after his dreams and reaching his full potential. In turn, Dave sees that having a gun is his only option to gain respect and to establish himself in the community. In the short story the gun symbolizes all sorts of things. It stands for things he doesnt have such as power, respect, and independence. All of these things he is desperately seeking. This makes him see the gun as his only solution to overcome all of his struggles and to compensate for all of his shortcomings. He feels like the gun would make him a man even though he has no idea how to fire one. Dave also thinks that the gun would give him independence that he doesnt have. He somehow believes that the gun would get him out of the fields and give him bigger and better opportunities. The story follows along with history. Daves struggle with racism reflects the struggle of African Americans to get more rights and freedoms ever since the end of the civil war. Yes they were free but they were still lacking opportunities. Even though African Americans had tried to get equality and economic leverage in the 19th century, it did not become a movement until the 20th century. Many African Americans where stuck plowing lands for white owners with little compensation just like Dave in the story. Segregation also had a hand in making sure that blacks were kept in their rightful place. Eventually, however slowly, social patterns started to change because blacks began to move north for better opportunities. In the story, Dave suddenly leaves in the end which could pay homage to this movement or so-called Great Migration. This could also be shown to portray a refusal to accept the ways that his family and ancestors had been pushed into poverty and had hope and promise taken awa y from them. In the short story Dave says, Could kill a man with a gun like this. Kill anybody, black or white. And if he were holding his gun in his hand, nobody could run over him; they would have to respect him. (Wright) The gun serves as an equalizer. It blurs the color line making Dave think the gun will make others respect him. He thinks that if he has a gun, he will have power and respect over everyone whether they are black or white. It also is supposed to give him independence but it in turn does the opposite by making him even more committed and obligated to Mr. Hawkins since it will take him two years to pay off his debt after shooting Jenny the mule. In actuality, Dave associates having a gun with power which brings change but makes him take on a journey to adulthood that he was not quite ready for. The mule can symbolize Dave himself. The mule is a servant to the land and Mr. Hawkins. Dave feels like he is stuck just like Jenny. He is bonded to a plow with no rewards or hope of escape or becoming anything better than what he is. Dave feels that he is destined to be just like Jenny even stating, They treat me like a mule, n then they beat me. (Wright) Even though the death of Jenny is accidental, it can showcase Daves unconscious desire to get Mr. Hawkins. By getting rid of one of Mr. Hawkins symbols of power and money, Dave is lashing out at a social order and economic system that he will always be left out of because he is black. A common theme in the story is lying. Daves lies showcase that he is disconnected from the world and shows that he isnt prepared for adulthood. He is constantly trying to twist the truth to his favor. He does this to first buy the gun and then to avoid the punishment of killing Jenny. He lies to his mom to get the money to buy the gun by telling her that he plans to give the gun to his father after he buys it. He then lies about where the gun is saying he threw it in the creek so as not to give up the gun. This comes back to what Richard Wright is critiquing in his short story. He is showing that in the social order in the time that his story takes place, whites are superior to blacks. Dave is a slave to history. He feels he is destined to be just like the rest of his family. He feels like he will always be a slave to the whites. He craves respect and sees getting a gun as his way out when in turn it just makes him seem like a child, which is the opposite of what he was trying to do. By playing around with the gun instead of giving it to his mom like he was supposed to do, he shows that he is immature and not ready for manhood. It also leads to him killing an innocent animal. The story also shows that Mr. Hawkins was actually a kind man. Instead of firing Dave or demanding instant repayment, he offers him a repayment solution and lets him keep his job. However, Dave still resents him because of the power and privilege that he possesses. In conclusion, Dave is trying to overcome the social structure that is forced on him by buying a gun to make others see him as a man and not just some little boy and to give him power. His plan eventually backfires causing him humiliation and showing his immaturity. Also it ruins any chance of the adults around him showing him respect. The force that Richard Wright critiques in this story is the social structure of black vs. white and power vs. weakness. This impacts the main character Dave, who is an African American, to buy a gun to make him feel powerful over his peers including his white boss. Dave eventually tries to combat his failed plan by running away to better opportunities.

How does Shakespeare develop character, plot and theme in Act 3 scene 4 of Macbeth? Essay

In this essay, I will answer the question â€Å"How does Shakespeare develop character, plot and theme in Act 3 scene 4 of ‘Macbeth’?† by divulging into ‘Macbeth’ written by Shakespeare. ‘Macbeth’ is a play with issues such as power, villainy, assassination, deceit and chaos, which are epitomize during Act 3 scene 4 of ‘Macbeth’. This scene is where all the issues group together to form a scene of evilness of human. Macbeth was a knight at the start, became the Thane of Cawdor and assassinated King Duncan to thrust himself to power. Although he regretted for murdering King Duncan since Lady Macbeth encouraged him to murder Duncan. â€Å"He that’s coming must be provided for, and you shall put this night’s great business into my dispatch, which shall to all our nights and days to come give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.† (Lines 64 to 67, Act 1 Scene 6) Lady Macbeth used veiled words because she was afraid that direct language would make Macbeth refuse to act. This is evidence for Macbeth was originally a kind and not ambitious person, however, after Lady Macbeth’s persuasion he decided to kill King Duncan. After Macbeth became King, he send assassin to murder Banquo. During the banquet, he received the news of Banquo’s death but Banquo’s son managed to escape. â€Å"Here had we now our country’s honour roofed, were the graced person of our Banquo present.†(Lines 40-41, Act 3 scene 4) This quote made by Macbeth means if only Banquo were here, all the nobility of Scotland would be under our roof. In addition, it shows he pretended he did not know Banquo had been murdered and to show the Scottish Lords his kindness and respect to Banquo even he is the King now. However, when Banquo’s ghost suddenly appeared in front of him but no one could see Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth was terrified and astonished because he was the only one who knew Banquo is already dead. â€Å"Thou canst not say I did it; never shake the gory locks at me?†(Lines 50-51, Act 3 scene4) First, it is extremely awkward that the King suddenly say something weird that does not relate to the dinner. Additionally, from the Scottish lords’ view, Macbeth seems had done something bad and trying to hide it from them which created a feeling of chaos and unsafe. Furthermore, it is a sign that Macbeth is not suitable to be a King. â€Å"Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that which might appal the devil† (Lines 58-59, Act 4 scene4) â€Å"Avaunt and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; Thou hast no speculation in those eyes† (Lines 93-95, Act 3 scene4) I personally would believe Macbeth was mad even though his wife was trying to persuade people this is normal and all the things he said are like hints that he had murdered someone who we do not know and he is back. In my opinion, no guests would expect this from Macbeth because he had never behaved in this weird way and he is very brave man since he had killed many people in battles. Lady Macbeth was a dominant character. She was portrayed as ambitious, greedy to power by Shakespeare. When Lady Macbeth was first introduced in the play, she was reading a letter from Macbeth, which was describing the three weird sisters’ prophecy. â€Å"He brings great news† (Lines 36, Act1 scene5) At this point, her only concern was whether Macbeth is capable of fulfilling the prophecy and certainly, she would grab hold of this chance to persuade Macbeth to do it in order to satisfy her hunger to power. The following quotes made by Lady Macbeth states how she criticizes Macbeth. â€Å"If we should fail?†(Macbeth, Lines 58, Act 1 scene7) â€Å"We fail?†(Lady Macbeth, Lines 59, Act 1 scene 7) The quote made by Lady Macbeth shows she believes her husband should become ambitious and be confidence. In addition, Lady Macbeth did not insult Macbeth because this would only make Macbeth feel even worst of him. At this point, she was disappointed by Macbeth since she could not believe her husband did not show any determination to make use of this excellent chance to kill King Duncan and fulfill the prophecy and to satisfy her hungriness to power. â€Å"And live a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon I would† (Lady Macbeth, line 43, Act 1 scene 7) â€Å"I have given suck and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.† (Lady Macbeth, Line 54-59, Act 1 scene 7) Furthermore, due to emotions Macbeth is feeling at this point, he tells his wife the couple will â€Å"will proceed no further in this business†, which explains the assassination would not happen due to the respect King Duncan had recently showed him, he was not willing to carry out the plan. This frustrates Lady Macbeth and leads her using another tactic to persuade Macbeth to stand on her side. Example of another tactic is calling Macbeth as a coward, and informs him she would rather kill a newborn baby rather than break a promise like the one Macbeth has to her. On the other hand, she had tried to cover up for Macbeth even though she did not know what exactly was happening to Macbeth. The following quote made by Lady Macbeth shows her solicitude to Macbeth even Macbeth did not tell her Banquo’s death which states he did not trust her wife. â€Å"Sit, worthy friends. My lord is of often thus, and hath been from his youth. Pray you keep seat.†(Lines 53-54, Act 3 scene4) â€Å"I pray you speak not; he grows worse and worse. Question enrages him. At once, good night. Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.†(Lines 118-121, Act 3 scene 4) These two quotes are major piece of evidence, which suggest Lady Macbeth was putting huge amount of effort to cover for Macbeth and this shows she really loved him and she knew there is something that Macbeth had done but has not informed her yet which is a hint for Macbeth no longer trusted Lady Macbeth. The Scottish lords were playing a less important role in the play compared to Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. However, they were still important since they represent the Scottish government. Macduff and Ross were the two key lords in the play since they were suspicious about Macbeth (apart from Banquo). â€Å"Is’t known who did this more than bloody deed?†(Ross, line20, Act 2 Scene4) â€Å"Those that Macbeth hath slain.† (Macduff, Line 21, Act2 scene4) A supportive quote made by Macduff, which supports that Macbeth is suspicious because Macduff did not assume any other people killed King Duncan but only assumed Macbeth murdered King Duncan. Moreover, the following quote shows he dislike Macbeth. â€Å"Will you to Scone?†(Ross, Line 35, Act2 Scene4) â€Å"No, cousin, I’ll to Fife.†(Macduff, Line36, Act 2 Scene4) An extremely supportive evidence from Macduff to support argue that Macbeth was the murderer because Macduff did not want to go to the Scone and instead he would like to go to Fife. Under normal circumstances, all the lords would attend to this kind of important ceremony but Macduff had chosen to ignore it which is out of order. In my opinion, at this point of the play Macduff seems to be suspicious about Macbeth. This is mainly due to the worsen friendship between Macbeth and Macduff since Macbeth killed the guards who look related to Duncan’s death without allowing anyone to ask them a question and the guards were the only clue for King Duncan’s death. This leads other people to think why Macbeth just killed the guards who were drunk and had bloody daggers in their hand. As a result, Macbeth became suspicious to Duncan’s death. From a third person’s view, Macbeth seems to be trying to cover the truth. In addition, during the Banquet Macbeth suddenly saw a ghost of a bloody man and he was terrified about this which is unusual because he used to be a general therefore he would not be afraid of dead people. This made Macbeth became even more suspicious because after he became King, disorders and chaos has been consecutively occurring. Additionally, the lords would wonder the relationship between Macbeth and a ghost of bloody man because they would worry if Macbeth were the suitable one for this position. The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth was complex and hard to analysis because it has been changing throughout the play. At the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth was introduced as a kind and loving wife, who underneath was a scheming and deceitful person. She received a letter from Macbeth about the weird sisters’ prophecy. â€Å"It is too full o’th’milk of Human Kindness to catch the nearest way.†(Line 15, Act 1 scene 5) Lady Macbeth would like to take the fastest route to royalty by murdering King Duncan, however she knew Macbeth is not ready for this since recent respect from King Duncan makes Macbeth loyal to King Duncan. Additionally, they are friends and Duncan is a good King therefore there was no reason to kill him. â€Å"Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’s the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem.†(Line 41-43, Act1 Scene7) She called Macbeth a coward that live in thine own esteem because she is deeply desire to gain more power and the only way is to be queen but this needs Macbeth to cooperate with her, however, Macbeth was not ready to murder King Duncan. Therefore, she insulted her husband to intimidate her husband to satisfy her own need. At this point, their relationship is poor because Lady Macbeth was forcing her own husband to do something he was really willing to do. Immediately after the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth was remorseful and frightened. When she heard Macbeth was talking about his bloody hands, she says: â€Å"My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white.†(Lines 68, act 2 scene 2) This is evidence that Lady Macbeth was on the same side as Macbeth as she meant her hands are red too, but she was not regretful as she said she would be ashamed to have a heart so white. In act 3 scene 2, we know that Macbeth have not been communicating as well as before Duncan’s death, because Lady Macbeth had to ask the servant to call for Macbeth therefore she could talk to him. When Lady Macbeth asks, â€Å"what’s to be done†, Macbeth did not want to tell her and since he did not want his wife to get further involvement in this mess. Therefore, he replied: â€Å"Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest Chuck.†(Lines 45, Act 3 Scene2) This quote can be evidence for both side arguments. The first side is Macbeth did not trust his wife anymore therefore he refused to let her know anything. On the other hand, Macbeth really loved his wife and he attempts to protect her from this mess. In my own view, he did not trust Lady Macbeth because it was she who encouraged him to get rid of King Duncan and disorders and chaos had been brought in. After Lady Macbeth had asked all the guests to get out in the last part of Act 3 scene 4, I believe Lady Macbeth was in charge because she asked Macbeth all the questions and Macbeth answered all of them. At last, he listened to his wife to go to sleep. â€Å"You lack the season of all natures, sleep† (line 141, Act 3 Scene 4) â€Å"Come, we’ll to sleep.† (Line 142, Act 3 Scene4) They started to cooperate again, which is a signal that their relationship is developing because they both helped each other out in the banquet. If Lady Macbeth did not love Macbeth so much she would not in an attempt to restore order and made him act normal again. Nevertheless, she could do that for other reasons. Such as she might be more worried about Macbeth leaked out the secret about Duncan’s death than Macbeth mental health state. In Act 5 Scene 1, Lady Macbeth said she could see Duncan’s blood on her hands and tries to wash it off, but nothing could was it away. â€Å"Here’s the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia would not sweeten this little hand.†(Line 43, Act 5 Scene 1) This could made by Lady Macbeth is a strong evidence to show her she is mad because no one could see the blood and only she could. Additionally, she had been suffering from this for a period. Afterward, she committed suicide because she could not cope with the guilt of murdering King Duncan. There are many different themes. The most famous one is order/chaos and followed by the difference between the false and the real. In Act 3 Scene 4, as the banquet begin the lords were told to sit down in order because it is a formal dinner. However, during the process, Macbeth went crazy because he said he saw a ghost of a bloody man, which is odd. At the end, all of the guests were told to get out as soon as possible but all in once. The banquet had started in order, finished in chaos. This is a demonstration of the Kingdom because when King Duncan was ruling everything was normal, no chaos but when Macbeth ruled the country chaos and disorders were brought in since he had to hide the truth but he was becoming more suspicious and therefore he killed all the people who he believes is trying to get rid of him. At last, blood will only bring in more blood. An example for difference between false and the real is whether Banquo’s ghost is ‘real’. This depends on the director to decide to bring on a Ghost or not. Of all the characters on stage, only Macbeth could see the Ghost. The advantage of an invisible Ghost is the audience will know what is actually happening instead of guessing what Macbeth is doing on the stage. However, the downside is as the ghost supposed to be invisible, so no one should able to see and this includes the audience. Another tricky question of putting on a visible ghost is what does he wear and how does he move?

Accommodation Problems Faced by Foreign Students in Britain/US/Australia Argumentative Essay

Accommodation Problems I Faced When Studying in USA As any other foreign culture, the American one differs from the environment I am used to at home. First of all, I’d like to mention I’d never shared my space before, even though I understand it is my personal problem. At the dormitory we live in, this problem is easily solved by giving students a choice whether to rent single or double room. Of course, the price for a single room is higher, but in this question your comfort is at stake. Among the other problems I faced was location of our dorm outside the campus, which made everyday way to school very complicated. With changing two buses, the road took me up to an hour and a half each way. When I tried to manage this by renting a car, I faced another issue. It appeared that my student visa didn’t give me the right to get car insurance, which is obligatory to buy when you rent a car. Obviously, I couldn’t change my visa status, so my solution of the problem was to buy a bicycle. In that way I combined traveling to school and working out. The biggest complicacy was that my visa status didn’t let me obtain a tax payer ID that made it impossible for me to do things that, to my mind, are part of everyone’s daily life. For example, I could not open a bank account, get a local ID, except for the student’s one, which was invalid outside the campus anyway. Generally speaking, I could not discover local life outside the study hall. That is a major disadvantage of the student exchange program I became a member of. If I had to make any recommendations on what should be changed to help students, I’d definitely stress on the aforementioned problems being solved first and foremost.

The Effects Of Divorce On Children s Life - 907 Words

When parent choose divorce as a solution, their children become exposed to countless stressors. These children know for a fact things are about to change, but they are unsure how which can be quite a frightful experience. These kids have to learn to cope with the whole situation with no anticipation since divorce tends to be a sudden decision rather than a planned, pre-meditated option. On the other hand, some couples choose to stay together since they do not want their children to face the amount of stress brought by divorce. Children may need to change schools or move to another house, which can be very taxing on them. The stress can be increased when their quality of life decreases after moving to a different home. This can also affect the parent who becomes overwhelmed since he or she cannot provide as much as the parent with the better quality of life. Although the changes in the child’s life may vary depending on the sex of the parent they stay with and the sex of the ch ildren. Divorce has a very taxing effect on children, and presents stressful challenges to their lives. The divorce itself does not affect children in a negative way. The effects result more often from the feeling of uncertainty of what is going to happen after the divorce, from the level of conflict between the parents and from how the parenting after the divorce is done. Boys and girls tend to react differently to their parents divorce. In most cases, girls tend to become anxious and withdrawn,Show MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Divorce On Children s Life997 Words   |  4 PagesMany times when people get a divorce they tend to not take into consideration about their kids, whether they are five, ten, or seventeen. They go along with the divorce not realizing that this poor child s life is about to be turned upside down. Divorcing someone, while children are involved affects the way children develop to become adults. 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