...Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Men or Children? The gangster is a fictional story written by Colson Whitehead in 2008. It is a short story about African- American teenagers and its setting is in Sag Harbor, in 1985. The story begins with a question, “When did you get out?” The opening question emphasizes the title of the story on a particular notion to the reader. In the fictional story, the gangster, Benji and Reggie are twin brothers of ten months apart. They grew up together inseparably in every aspect. It was common for them to be seen together and when they were not, people always question them on where the other is. High school and puberty brought the difference between them physically. They would be seen away from each other severally, and they even looked different physically with Benji being skinny while Reggie looked chubby. Benji and Reggie are brought up in an upper middle class family, and their parents own a beach house in Sag harbor where they go to during the summers. In the summer of 1985, Benji was 15 years old, and Reggie was 14 years old. During the summer when the whole family left for their beach house, the boys would be left alone for some time when their parents went back to the city to work during the weekdays. Benji and Reggie are described, in the story, as Siamese twins when they were young, describing their inseparable nature. This is clearly brought out by the language used as quoted “Where is the surgeon, who is gifted enough to...
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...Character Analysis for Chris McCandless After graduating from college at Emory University in 1990, Chris McCandless changed his name to Alex and got rid of all his money and possessions. With no one knowing where he went, McCandless invented a new life for himself. He wondered around North America living as he chose, answering to on one and proving to himself that he could make it on his own. Chris’s main goal was to hike to Alaska and live off the land. Chris looked young, around 17 or 18 but claimed to be 24. His build was small but wiry,and looked to be about 5/7. “His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions. He had cheap leather hiking boots neither waterproof nor well insulated. He had a .22 caliber rifle too small for large animals which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country. No ax, no snowshoes, no compass. An old tattered state road map was his only navigational aid.” (pg5) “McCandless had been raised in the comfortable upper-middle-class of Annandale, VA” (pg19) After college he completely separated from his parents, “in fact, he hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years.” (pg6) Even though Chris/Alex didn’t get along with his parents, Chris made an impression on everyone he encountered on his adventure. Everyone liked him and wanted to help him and asked him to stay in touch. Chris was mild mannered but very determined. He was described as “determined, real gung ho, excited, couldn’t wait to get out there...
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...Again with the BB gun incident, it wasn't Watson that had gotten beat up, but his friend "This kid's bigger then all of us, and he beat up Chris yesterday" (29). Watson went out of his way to help his friends because with brotherhood there comes a sense to protect your 'family' regardless of the situation. Another incident is with his own half blood sister. Some boy had been supposedly picking on her, Watson went out and beat him up for it no questions asked "I nailed him right in the face, plowing him"(35). His feelings to protect his younger sister were so strong that he went out and started a fight with some boy based on what she said and what he had felt, had he calmed down and took the situation rationally it wouldn't have escalated so quickly, but with...
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...Nikki Jones Professor French Engl. 1301 April 3, 2013 Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self One's perception of themselves is usually influenced by their own experiences. In Alice Walker essay "Beauty: When the Other Dancer self" she describes herself over coming and gaining acceptance of herself exactly the way she is. She narrates in remembrance of the event that forever changed her and perception of beauty. Walker uses superlatives, Metaphors, and tense throughout her writing to deliver her ever-changing outlook toward her own beauty. Walker describes the accident that happens to her as a child to show that one’s mindset can be altered through an intense experience and how her attitude completely transforms from a arrogant child into a newly reincarnated woman who now sees a new kind of beauty from within herself. She uses different points of her life to develop this very idea in separate comprehensible stages. She brings the scene to life when she tells us how she manipulates her daddy into taking her to the county fair by swirling around, with her hands on her hips, in her pretty dress and biscuit polished patent leather shoes and says '“I’m the prettiest!”' As she parades around using her cuteness for her father's approval. Her attitude is further encouraged by the people of her church. She was always used to hearing “'Oh, isn’t she the cutest thing!' This makes us believe that she is satisfied with her looks and shows us that she is confident with the outer...
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...Chris McCandless was a complex individual who went on an incredible, or incredibly stupid, cross-country expedition to Alaska. In 1990, Chris started his journey by getting rid of all money and material things and changing his name to Alex. He then headed west without telling his family. Living as he chose, he wandered across America until making his way to Alaska to live off of the wild. Some believe that it was the ignorance in the lack of preparation of McCandless that lead to his tragic death, however, if it were not for a few major errors, Chris McCandless could have possibly survived. Chris looked very young, though he claimed to be 24. He had a scrawny, wiry look and only measured up to only about 5’7’’. His gear was “exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions…” He had “cheap leather hiking boots… neither waterproof nor well insulated.” He had a .22 caliber rifle too small for large animals which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country. “He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map…” (pg. 5). McCandless was an independent person. When he realized he was getting close with someone, he would move on avoiding becoming too close. He had been raised in the upper-middle-class in Virginia (pg. 19). After he graduated from college, McCandless grew apart from his parents, not speaking to them in “nearly two years” (pg. 6). Chris McCandless had a benevolent...
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...Being true to yourself is not always as simple as it sounds living in the modern world. Conflicting cultures, expectations, values, beliefs and the mindset of your peers are all obstacles to maintaining personal independence. Sometimes the world that we are brought up in to puts limits on our ability to do what we want to do. For example, in Take Me Away Please, Lily Chan explains how she has been brought up living and working in a Chinese restaurant. “Getting to work wasn’t an issue, but getting away was, as our small living quarters were attached to the shop.” Not only did she have to deal with school then working from 4:30 onwards 6 days a week, but there was no real escape for her as she basically lived at her workplace with her parents. Living in this constant working environment with no real place to relax and have time to one ’s self would greatly affect the development of a person’s independence. Personal independence is about being true to yourself and acting in a way that is not dictated by the people around you. Peer groups often play a big role in a person losing a sense of who they are in an attempt to fit in and feel accepted by others. In Sticks and Stones and such like, Sunil Badami is made fun of at school for his culture and his name. In an effort to fit in, he decides to “change” his name to sound more western, so he calls himself Neil. While this may make Sunil feel more accepted at school, it means that he is sacrificing a big part of who he is and...
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...Introduction to theme 2) Poetic techniques 3) Language to create meaning 4) Creation of character 5) Manipulation of tone and diction Page 2-3 B. Persuasive Prose: Advertisements Bibliography Plagriasm document Page 4 – 5 Page 6 Page 7 1|Page Assignment 01 ENG2602 A. Prose: Fiction Assignment Midnight’s Children is written by Salman Rashied, who was born in Bombay, India but lives in England. This is an English novel written in the first person narrative that is from the perspective of Saleem Sinia. Reading the passage it is quite clear that the theme here is Saleem Sinia’s attitude towards and the significance of India’s independence on the day of his birth.The distress and dismay of being born on this day is clearly established: ‘Oh spell it out, spell it out: at the precise moment of India’s arrival at independence, I tumbled forth into the world.’ (Rushdie, 1982). Repition is used to reflect Saleem’s irritation of having to specify his birth date. The protagonist and narrator of the story is Saleem Sinia, born at the exact moment India became an independent country. Saleem was born with telepathic powers and had an enormous and constantly runny nose with an extremely sensitive sense of smell gifts Saleem did not ask for, as he states, ‘For the next three decades, there was to be no escape.’ (Rushdie, 1982) The way the writer plunges the reader into the situation without a contrived introduction and writing from personal experience could be referred to as...
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...Interpretation of President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points I. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view. The purpose of this point is to forbid arrangements, segments of settlements or indulgences that are formed in secret with making it available to the members of the public. The expression "openly arrived at” was used by the president to disclose to the Senate that the expression was not intended to reject private strategic arrangements including fragile matters, but to address that anything that occurs through any classified arrangements or consultations might not tie, unless it shows up in the Final agreement that is made known to the world. The point also proves that in future; each bargain most be a law that covers the general public and the world as a whole by making each country accepts a sure commitment with respect to its requirement. Clearly, countries can't expect commitments in matters they are not aware of; and subsequently any mystery settlement has a tendency to undermine the whole structure of universal agreements that will be proposed in future. II. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants. The purpose of this point is to explain...
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...The pinewood derby starts with Don Murphy, Cub Master for Pack 280C in 1953. Don Murphy wanted to create a new father-son Cub Scout activity he could do with his 10 year old son who was too young to race in the Soap Box Derby, which requires the boy to drive a home made car down a hill. Don's young son couldn't wait 2 years to race in the Soap Box Derby, so "Dad" Murphy wanted to invent another activity to do with his son and the younger boys in his Cub Scout Pack. The ideas started percolating in Don Murphy's mind. His dedication to family values and Cub Scouting ideals, drove him, as stated in the quote above, to develop the idea of racing miniature pinewood derby cars down a track. He just needed to figure out a basic kit for these cars and design a track to race them on. Years after Don created the concept of the derby car, boy scouts around the world still hold derby competitions mostly for fun but competiveness does get involved. Parts List: • Saw • Derby car kit o Wooden block o Four Wheels o Four Axels • Sand paper • Paint • Carving tools • Plastic Engine • Plastic Spoiler • Plastic Exhaust • Plastic Roll Cage • Graphite • Lead • Hammer • Markers • Pencil Rules and Regulation: Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited. The car shall not ride on springs. Only official Cub Scout Grand Prix Pinewood Derby wheels and axles are permitted. Only dry lubricant is permitted. Details, such as steering wheel and driver are permissible as long as these details...
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...I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter? Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all...
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...sings about her desire to have a Hippopotamus for Christmas. In her mind nothing else will satisfy her B. Gayle Peveley sings of her joy and vision of this Hippo that she so badly desires. One of my favorite lines in that songs is the excuse mom gives The Hippo will eat you up but the child replies that the teacher said Hippos are vegetarians. II. One of my other Joys at Christmas is watching the Christmas movies. Many of the shows I like to watch. It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th ST, A Christmas Carol, and of course A Christmas Story. A. In the movie A Christmas Story Ralphy is try to convince his parents Santa Clause to bring him a BB gun for Christmas. My Christmas I. I can remember the Christmases of my own where I spent much of my time dreaming through the JC Penny and the Sears Catalogs. A. I too asked for a BB gun on many occasions. Trying to reason with my mother of why I needed one. B. It seems the more we are given the more useless the gift is we ask for. C. My mother was a very practical person. Most of the things I got for Christmas was things that I needed like school clothes, shoes, II. You yourself can remember Christmas where you tried to convince your parents to get you something you want by trying to convince them it was something you need. A. Perhaps you were a young lady and wanted an EZ bake oven, Children of the Storms I. It is only in time of trouble that we realize what is most important in our...
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...Al-Qaeda making comeback in Iraq, officials say BAGHDAD (AP) — Al-Qaeda is rebuilding in Iraq and has set up training camps for insurgents in the nation's western deserts as the extremist group seizes on regional instability and government security failures to regain strength, officials say. / Iraq has seen a jump in al-Qaeda attacks over the last 10 weeks, and officials believe most of the fighters are former prisoners who have either escaped from jail or were released by Iraqi authorities for lack of evidence after the U.S. military withdrawal last December. Many are said to be Saudi or from Sunni-dominated Gulf states. Teenage School Activist Survives Attack by Taliban At the age of 11, Malala Yousafzai took on the Taliban by giving voice to her dreams. As turbaned fighters swept through her town in northwestern Pakistan in 2009, the tiny schoolgirl spoke out about her passion for education — she wanted to become a doctor, she said — and became a symbol of defiance against Taliban subjugation. / On Tuesday, masked Taliban gunmen answered Ms. Yousafzai’s courage with bullets, singling out the 14-year-old on a bus filled with terrified schoolchildren, then shooting her in the head and neck. Two other girls were also wounded in the attack. All three survived, but late on Tuesday doctors said that Ms. Yousafzai was in critical condition at a hospital in Peshawar, with a bullet possibly lodged close to her brain. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu calls for early elections JERUSALEM...
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...Sunflower Movement in Taiwan The Sunflower Movement, which was an Anti-Globalization Movement represented a sophisticated understanding movement of globalization from the university students of Taiwan. Between March 18 to April 10, 2014, hundreds of university students and other protestors occupied the chamber of parliament of Taiwan (Legislative Yuan). On March 17, day before the occupation began, the legislature's Internal Affairs Committee was about to begin a three day debate on the Cross-Strait Services Trade Agreement (CSSTA). However, the CSSTA chairman, Chang Ching-Chung, and a member of Taiwan's governing party of the KMT (Kuomintang), had abandoned and bypassed the committee's review and moved straight forward for legislative approval. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) immediately objected strongly on the floor of the chamber once they recognized the action of the Chairman. On March 18, around three hundred students gathered outside of the Legislative Yuan building, protesting to the Ma Ying-Jeou's government for mishandling the CSSTA. They expressed their frustration by the hasty review of the CSSTA, and demanding an article-by-article review of the trade agreement before moving it to the legislative floor. Finally, the government agreed to postpone the adoption of CSSTA and allowed the Internal Affairs Committee reviews all cross-strait agreement before passing for approval. Students waited until all cross-strait agreements had passed before they...
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...China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Relations: A General Overview The topic of Taiwan’s independence has been a decidedly sensitive subject for both those who are from either implicated party and outside nations alike, since the defeat of Kuomingtang (KMT) by the Communist Party in 1949. After so many decades of debate and political conflict, there has yet to be a concrete solution – the Taiwanese increasingly identify themselves as citizens of an independent nation, while the majority of the world has yet to recognize them officially as a nation separate from the PRC. Both parties involved – the PRC and Taiwan – have taken incredibly stubborn stances on this issue for the past several years, and it does not look like there will be an easy solution in the near future. China-Taiwan cross-strait relations are quite complicated, but for the sake of simplicity, it can be broken down into the period following the Japanese control over Taiwan, the defeat of the KMT, the period between the rise of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and contemporary times, and finally, the rest of the world’s – namely the US’ – involvement in the entire matter. Prior to 1949, China’s governing group was the KMT – a nationalist party, as they call themselves. For 50 years, the Japanese controlled Taiwan – though arguably, they did more good than bad, as Taiwan developed much quicker than mainland China through their help – but was forced to relinquish its hold in 1945, when the Axis Powers were defeated...
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...aspects and that communities like to be recognised as their own state. The idea of separatism in many cases can also arise when there is a perception that exploitation of local resources by national government produces little economic gain for the region. This was the case in Scotland recently and was one of the main arguments for Scotland leaving the UK. Before its union with England, Scotland was a separate kingdom, with its own national church, separate education and legal systems and its own language called Gaelic which is spoken in parts of the country. One of the main problems the Scottish National Party felt was that the exploitation of the North Sea oil and gas had done little to develop the economy of Scotland. The drive for independence was partly satisfied by the establishment in 1999 of a parliament with limited tax-raising powers. In 2007, the Scottish National Party became...
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