...December 1, 2014 In many cultures there is the idea of religion and its ever changing. Even in similar faiths, such as all the derivatives of Christianity, there is variation in their beliefs. In Roman Catholicism their belief in salvation and the afterlife is that it must be earned by being part of the church community, basically meaning that a Roman Catholic would only gain entry into the afterlife if they attended church [Stewart]. In Baptist churches they believe that only those who believe, who have been baptized and also believe Christ is their savior may enter the afterlife [Buschart]. On the other hand there are the non-Christians, sometimes referred to as pagans; though in this age the term is more used for polytheists who aren’t Hindu believers or ancestral worshipers. In my own religious beliefs, Wicca, the afterlife varies based on the god or goddess being followed. In Greek based Wicca there is an afterlife and depending on how your soul acts in that life varies on where you’ll be sent [Marks]. In Cherokee following paganism, how my mother follows, they do not believe in a literal place like heaven but more that when a person dies they go on as ghosts, wandering the earth [The Tradition Belief System]. Then there are the non-theistic groups like agnostics and atheists. Agnostics tend to vary from person to person on death and the afterlife so it’s hard to tell what they believe [Agnostics]. Atheists do not believe in an afterlife. Taking a focus on Roman Catholicism...
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...Death of a Salesman Brian Kelnhofer English/125 April 2, 2015 University of Phoenix Online Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is one of my favorite plays growing up and one that defines history. Achieving the American dream is sought by so many people in society with little regard to what makes us truly happy. Willy Loman, the main character, works his whole life to provide financial security for his family and dreams about becoming rich only to be left with nothing at the end. The major driving theme behind the play is the American dream; which Miller points out is an allegory, the fallacy of working hard your whole lives chasing the American dream only to die a lonely and depressed man. Death of a Salesman challenges the effects of the American dream in a negative way. The American Dream All your life you are told that to be successful in life you need two things: a career and money. This I find to be the American dream falsehood that today’s society is based on. The Death of a Salesman points out the flaws in that statement. Most Americans don’t work past 72 so we spend our whole life chasing a false dream only to die an unhappy and lonely person. Allegory Willy creates an illusion of what the American dream should be like when he witnessed the accolades of Dave Singleman prolonged success. Willy pressures his children to seek the same ideals but Willy doesn’t even understand the meaning of success himself. I really connected...
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...can’t fully grasp Morries pain through experience, I know what it feels like to question why it’s so unfair for me when others are doing all these other things and yet they don’t suffer like me when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. My four I’m going to be focusing on are the world, family, death, and money. Morrie looked at the world so differently when he was slowly losing his life along with his dignity. “We’ve got a form of brainwashing going on in our country,” (Morrie 124). He talks about living this life like a routine almost as if we are slowly brainwashing ourselves into doing what this world wants. Instead of us controlling our lives, the world controls us by telling us to repeat things over and over until it’s embedded into us. Morrie was trying to tell us that this world clouds our perception of what is truly important versus materialistic things. Morries message was, in short, not to become preoccupied with death and dying, but to live the life that you still have left in a meaningful and rewarding way. He believed that although death would soon take him, he wanted to teach others and share his ideas so that they could be passed on to future generations. When I see Mitch and Morrie, their relationship went far beyond that of a teacher and student. It became a sort of bond that made Mitch part of the family sort of. Morrie taught Mitch as if he was his own son with all the lessons about about the world, feeling sorry for...
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...We all have our own way of thinking when it comes to life and death affirmations. The thoughts and opinions on this subject vary and have a variety of beliefs. They have been instilled in us by a combination of things,some being our up bringing and religious beliefs. Life affirmation is how we let our attitudes and or thoughts affect our lives. It is our mind frame on whether or not we have a positive or negative attitude towards it.. Life I believe is the time that a person is given to live on this earth and the meaning of life is what we make it out to be. Death affirmation is the view that we have on mortality and what happens to us when we die. There are many opinions about whether life continues on after death or not (Janaro,Altshuler,517). There is a religious view that is expressed through the writings in Bibles and can be seen through the artistry of the words that are used to describe many different aspects of life. Life and death affirmation is something that all of us should face willingly or we might be forced to face at some point in time throughout our lives. Throughout this discovery search about life and death affirmations I have chosen to discuss what the King James Prophesy Bible and the movie It's A Wonderful Life is able to show about their views on life and death. In my opinion these two affirmations tie in together. Literature: When describing death in literature the writings enable the readers to expand their thoughts in many ways, for example...
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...Physician Assisted Suicide Candace Riffe We all reach that point in our lives when our tickers just doesn’t tick the way they used to. When this happens most of us take many restless trips to our doctors. Time after time of visits, medicines and no cure incite patients begin to lose their will to live. Fortunately, the man from above granted us doctors. Doctors have the power to ease our minds and bodies in times of illness. At the point of no return, when you and your body have completely given up, Physician Assisted Suicide should be an option. I know, suicide sounds absolutely insane. Pick your jaw back up and keep an open mind. There’s a 74 year old male suffering with the 4th stage of pancreatic cancer. He’s retired, his children are grown and his wife is deceased. After all of these years of many doctors’ visits and treatments he’s finally come to peace with the idea of dying. His mind, body and heart could easily be put to rest with just one lethal dose given by a doctor. The idea of assisted suicide sounds absurd to some but does a slow painful death really sound like an appealing alternative? For years, doctors have been prohibited from assisting patients in taking their own lives. Doctors are trained to know when a patient’s days are numbered. Why would it ever be necessary to force someone to endure years of suffering? Wouldn’t it be more ethical to give the patient the option to say when they’ve had enough? The right to die is a given right. Nowhere in the...
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...Juan Badia English 1301 Guillory 21 October 2014 To be a Rock and Not to Roll It is easy to get caught up in the earthly possessions that we have. It is far more difficult to let go of your greed and to find your own happiness before your death. This was especially prevalent in the 1970’s when Led Zeppelin produced “Stairway to Heaven.” America was in the middle of an economic downfall that essentially left two classes: rich and poor. Led Zeppelin wrote “Stairway to Heaven” to enlighten those who have lost their way in greed and materialism. They gained their listeners attention by drastically changing their otherwise hard rock tone to a softer power ballad, using a storybook method to make their argument, and using appeals such as ethos, pathos and logos throughout the song to make a long lasting connection to their audience. When “Stairway to Heaven” aired in 1971, avid Led Zeppelin listeners were taken aback by the song’s sound. Led Zeppelin is known for its hard rock tone and musicality. “Stairway to Heaven” and its musicality begins as a very slow, depressing guitar arpeggio and a story begins to take place. Slowly and deliberately, more and more instruments are introduced to the whole of the song as the true purpose of the song comes to light, ending in a more typical, upbeat Led Zeppelin sound. The composers wanted to grab their listeners’ attention by being so drastically different. What they had to say was worth the initial sacrifice of being the opposite of...
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...Strayed travels to all over to writer’s retreats and seminars also. She served on the first board of directors for Vida: Women in Literary Arts and has been active in many feminist and progressive causes. She does give...
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...Scheduling Death with Dignity In Lindsey Bever article “ Cancer patient Brittany Maynard, 29, has scheduled her death for Nov 1” published by Washington Post on October 8, discusses some of the many problems the terminally ill patients go through during the final stages of their life. Everything in life is planned and scheduled by man, but the author reminds us of how uncertain “death” is in every person’s life, and how it can affect thyself and all the other people who surround them. Bever explains Brittany’s current illness position and how she battles her brain cancer with her own dying terms. Her argumentative point in this article is whether people should have the right to choose when they die? And she points out various options and sacrifice’s Brittany or any terminally ill patients have to make and face when they are diagnosed with extreme mortal diseases. Brittany was diagnosed with Brain Cancer on New Year ’s Day and nine days later she was performed with a surgery and given 10 years to live. But then in April again, doctors saw that her tumor had returned and that she had reached stage 4 in her brain tumor. And the result was grave, only six more months to live. At this point of time in her life, Brittany wrote to CNN stating that she is been on medication for weeks, and that she is tried all the possible treatment that is currently available, but nothing seems to be working on her illness. Doctors explained her options but none would save her life. She wrote her options...
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...circumstances, whether or not it’s to avoid emotional or physical hardship, it is morally acceptable to take one’s life. This moral dilemma is presented multiple times throughout the play, Antigone. Although all suicide cases vary, the majority of those who commit suicide take their life to escape suffering. If one is suffering tremendously, it is acceptable to take one’s life rather than live through the pain. Someone may also take their life as a form a rebellion or to prove a point, much like the character Antigone took her own life rather than let her uncle, Creon, have the satisfaction of killing her. Although they may not be attempting to avoid suffering, what they choose to do with their life and fate is up to them. All people possess the right to take their own life and choose their own fate. However, some would argue that suicide is immoral for multiple reasons. Taking one’s life may lead to the...
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...Aibhi Biswas M.A English (Final) 4 November 2013 Two need to play this game: ambiguity in Marquez’s the chronicle of a death foretold The chronicle of a death foretold is an ambiguous novella in terms of genre, narration, resolution, aim and in terms of giving agency and power to the reader/ author. The novella can be seen as a parody, a suspense thriller and a detective novel of journalistic trend. The death is the central event but there’s no mystery regarding it rather completely different questions are raised. The aim of this paper is to show that the narrator is distinct from the author but sometimes they intersect. Thus Ronald Barthes statement that the author is dead is not completely true. The authors’ present but it’s not an omnipotent presence, controlling the universal subject (the reader). But this does make the reader all powerful. Barthes implies in his essay Death of the Author. The reader follows the patterns presented by the author but the final impression, overall opinion of the text and the reader’s reaction are not prefigured or controlled by the author. Thus the author and the reader together form the overall value of the text. Raymond Williams explains the formation of the category of Literature, its ever expanding and changing parameters\paradigms are explained in his essay Marxism and Literature. This paper will show the growing value of Latin American Literature, becoming a part of the literary canon, valued as a skillful piece of art. This...
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...patients alike. Some of the main arguments people have against assisted suicide is based solely on the idea that it is “morally wrong.” There are arguments about how doctors could potentially kill the wrong people, (Feldman, 1998) referring to assisting suicide for mentally ill patients rather than terminally ill. Some argue that doctors are supposed to be healers and it’s not a healer’s job to end a life. (Feldman, 1998) Arguments about how legalizing assisted suicide for the terminally ill could potentially mean legalizing suicide for whomever requests it. (Feldman, 1998) The number one argument against assisted suicide, however, is that assisting in another person’s suicide would be playing God. (Feldman, 1998)...
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...causing the reader to feel such intense emotions through just their writing. But unlike romance or adventure, these emotions are more so fear, anxiety, or paranoia. They write books or poems that leave people checking their closets, plugging in a nightlight, and hiding underneath their blankets to go to sleep at night. Some of the most amazing authors include H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub. All of them having different writing styles and stories, yet their pieces all yield the same results. Just like all the other genres, horror can also be broken down into different subgenres. This includes types like psychological horror, which leaves the reader questioning everyone’s sanity, even their own. There’s gothic, involving a mixture of psychological terror in romantic settings, including mysteries, ghosts, castles, decay, madness, hereditary curses, and death. Also on this list of subgenres is supernatural, the main cause of people seeing things out of the corner of their eye when there’s nothing there. All of these subgenres can branch off into more specific story types. Looking at the supernatural, there are things like ghosts, aliens, magic, monsters, and even zombies. Now to bring around the main purpose of this essay to just that. Zombies. More specifically looking at where and how it started, observing the rise and popularity of it in literature over...
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...is a clear representation of life and death, as the movie’s main theme is about both and how they go hand in hand. In the first scene, the narrator and main character, Lester, played by Kevin Spacey, is pointing out how his wife’s clogs match the handles on her pruning shears as she works on her garden. We see her cut a red rose close up, and then in the next shot is from far away, showing her gardening, and all of the flowers are red roses. Even before this happens in the movie, Lester tells the audience that in a year, he’ll be dead. So we already know this movie is about Lester, his life, and then his death. With the shot pulled...
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...EVERYONE HAS TWO CHOICES—EVOLVE OR DIE. It’s that simple, and that maxim holds true for every species. Either you can change with the tides or get swept away in their wake. Either you can grow or you can stagnate. Either you can stand out or simply be another face in the crowd. With their third album, American Capitalist [Prospect Park], Five Finger Death Punch—Ivan Moody [Vocals], Zoltan Bathory [Guitar], Jason Hook [Guitar], Jeremy Spencer [Drums], and Chris Kael [Bass]—morph into the melodic heavy metal machine that they’ve been moving towards since their 2007 debut, The Way of the Fist. Not only is their sound bigger; it’s better. Not only has the music become more intricate; it’s become more infectious. Not only are they more direct; they’re more dangerous. AMERICAN CAPITALIST Evolution gave birth to American Capitalist. Since their formation in 2006, Five Finger Death Punch continue to progress in the face of all odds and opposition. Darwin himself would be impressed at their list of accolades. The Way of The Fist and 2009′s War is the Answer have both surpassed Gold status. Those two albums have spawned seven consecutive top ten singles at Active Rock Radio with “Bad Company” peaking at #1 and “Far From Home” hitting #2. Other tracks have appeared on the hit game Splatterhouse and NBC’s Criminal Minds, with a brand new track set to appear on Madden 2012. The group has graced the cover of Revolver, Metal Hammer, and numerous other tastemaker publications as well as...
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...Romeo and Juliet's death I think many people believe in Fate,but in this condition I don't think Romeo and Juliet's death can be simply explained by fate. We need to take into account everything around them, like their parents,Romeo himself.....and if their love was not a secret would it have ended in tragedy? I am going to declare why Romeo and Juliet's death can not simply explain by fate, and these are my point -Romeo is responsible for his own death. -Friar is responsible for their death. -Juliet's parents are responsible for Juliet's death. 1.First of all Romeo is responsible for his own death because he does everything without thinking , just like he shouldn't go to the party in the first place thought he knows their families hate each other , and it might get him trouble , I also think he shouldn't kill Tybalt because of the conflict between Romeo and Tybalt, it lead to Tybalt getting killed and Romeo banished , and even when he doubted about Juliet's death , his first idea is " Oh My God!!!!! I am going to die with her" He even don't want to make sure is that information correct or not , after he went to Juliet's grave he just drunk the potion , he didn't check her body . If he checked the body then he won't drink the potion it might saved their lifes , and maybe they could have devised a plan together and escaped Verona. So from the way he acted I think he lacked patience, and does everything without thinking and that cause his own death 2.Friar...
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