...The Older Waiter Like the old man, the older waiter likes to stay late at cafés, and he understands on a deep level why they are both reluctant to go home at night. He tries to explain it to the younger waiter by saying, “He stays up because he likes it,” but the younger waiter dismisses this and says that the old man is lonely. Indeed, both the old man and the older waiter are lonely. The old man lives alone with only a niece to look after him, and we never learn what happened to his wife. He drinks alone late into the night, getting drunk in cafés. The older waiter, too, is lonely. He lives alone and makes a habit of staying out late rather than going home to bed. But there is more to the older waiter’s “insomnia,” as he calls it, than just loneliness. An unnamed, unspecified malaise seems to grip him. This malaise is not “a fear or dread,” as the older waiter clarifies to himself, but an overwhelming feeling of nothingness—an existential angst about his place in the universe and an uncertainty about the meaning of life. Whereas other people find meaning and comfort in religion, the older waiter dismisses religion as “nada”—nothing. The older waiter finds solace only in clean, well-lit cafés. There, life seems to make sense. The older waiter recognizes himself in the old man and sees his own future. He stands up for the old man against the younger waiter’s criticisms, pointing out that the old man might benefit from a wife and is clean and neat when he drinks. The older waiter...
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...Since I was born I have met thousands of people, but I have never met someone as good as my grandpa. I am not the only one who agrees with that. Most people who know him agree too because of what he has done with everybody. My Grandpa showed me how to care for other people. Once we were sitting in someplace waiting for the doctor and there was an old man that came into the place. We were sitting and the chairs were full of people so the old man couldn’t sit. So the old man was tired and when he saw that there was a bunch of people and there is no place to sit he decided to leave. Then my grandpa saw the old man leaving; therefore, he quickly got up and gave him his chair to sit on. My grandpa said to this old man, “You can take my chair.” I remember that my grandpa has a pain in his back even though he gave his chair to the old man. Then he took the old man’s place standing. When we got finished from the doctor I asked my grandpa if he knows that old man, but he did not know him. I asked him “why Pa you gave your chair even though you needed it.” He said, “Son we should respect and help others and I had a chance so I helped.” Another Time my grandpa and I were in the store buying stuff for home. When we were waiting in the line to check out there was a young boy with an old lady who was his mom. They were checking out by the cashier. the young boy was talking quietly to the cashier saying, “Please I will bring the rest of money next time now I don’t have anything”, but the casher...
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...Shahzad Adil Every thing in the universe has connected each other. We can observe this connection in various forms, like crops with soil, soil with water, water with clouds, and clouds with Ossian. Due to these connections Allah invite us for knowledge, research and thinking. We should observe and learn from nature, because we have an active connection with nature and all living beings. So it is human nature to feel a need for a strong relation, to feel kinship, unconditional acceptance, love, connection and belongingness from someone and somewhere. It means we have a strong relation with nature and humanity. Our Life is relational, it is impossible to exist outside of or apart from relationships and close ones involve people we see, talk to and hear daily. The relationship we have with them can be very good, very bad or somewhere in between. These close connections change us and enable us to influence change in others. Every person will move through many different relationships during the course of their life. Relations are not a collection of peoples it is collection of care, respect and help. Mr. Leo F. Buscaglia writes a very beautiful quote. "Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't over-analyze your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness." A strong relation is like a connection between mother and child. This happens even in the womb of his or her mother. The child shares the moods of...
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...try other methods. The old man sits in the cafe for hours and tried to kill himself, while Gatsby throws posh parties at his enormous mansion. In addition, since both these characters have an abundant amount of money and live a materialistic life, it’s the need for a purpose to live that leads them to depressed. Everything Gatsby did and earned was to make an impression on Daisy and let her know that he was sufficiently wealthy to take care of her. On the other hand, the old man has no purpose due to him having no wife, being deaf, and only having a niece who cares about him. The younger waiter in Hemingway's story, frustrated that the old man won't go home, defines himself and the old man as opposites: “He’s lonely. I’m not lonely.” Loneliness, for the younger waiter, is a key difference between them. However, he does not consider that he may be lonely someday too. On the other hand, although the older waiter does not explicitly state he lonely, is similar to the old man in his habit of sitting in cafes late at night leads us to assume he too feels alone. Furthermore, the parties in The Great Gatsby symbolize confusion, chaos, and darkness, which is what Gatsby needs to clear his mind. The cafe represents the opposite since it suggests clarity and order, thus serving as a “refuge” from despair and nothingness. Lastly, at the end of both stories, each character ends up the same; alone. Daisy leaves for Tom, leaving Gatsby all by himself again and the old man goes home to sleep alone...
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...Heart’ presents us a true madman; the main character kills the old man because of the look of the old mans eye. This is highlighted by the piece, which was extracted from the story itself “I loved the old man. He had never wrong me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes it was this” Furthermore it is clearly shown that the madman liked the old man and he didn’t want old mans money. Madman committed the most atrocious of crimes because of the old mans appearance. However the main character doesn’t think he is mad and strongly believes that the old mans eye was pure evil, and this is highlighted by the quotes from “The Tell-Tale Heart”. “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him”. The main character almost tries to compensate the murder by saying that he was nice to the old man before he killed him. Moreover, the main character still refused to believe in his madness “Ha! Would a madman been so wise as this”. The main character truly and faithfully believes that he is too clever, too cautious, too driven with his ideas to be mad and yet he still admits that he murdered the old man for the look of the old mans eye. “For it was not the old man who vexed me, but his evil eye”. On-going, the main character...
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...THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For eighty-four days, Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, has set out to sea and returned empty-handed. So conspicuously unlucky is he that the parents of his young, devoted apprentice and friend, Manolin, have forced the boy to leave the old man in order to fish in a more prosperous boat. Nevertheless, the boy continues to care for the old man upon his return each night. He helps the old man tote his gear to his ramshackle hut, secures food for him, and discusses the latest developments in American baseball, especially the trials of the old man’s hero, Joe DiMaggio. Santiago is confident that his unproductive streak will soon come to an end, and he resolves to sail out farther than usual the following day. Character List Santiago - The old man of the novella’s title, Santiago is a Cuban fisherman who has had an extended run of bad luck. Despite his expertise, he has been unable to catch a fish for eighty-four days. He is humble, yet exhibits a justified pride in his abilities. His knowledge of the sea and its creatures, and of his craft, is unparalleled and helps him preserve a sense of hope regardless of circumstance. Throughout his life, Santiago has been presented with contests to test his strength and endurance. The marlin with which he struggles for three days represents his greatest challenge. Paradoxically...
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...Vonnegut. The main characters in the short story are a man and a boy. We are told that a refugee woman left her baby by the old man and then she never came back - That's how the man got the boy. The man doesn't know something about the boy and that's why they are choosing a day to celebrate the boy's birthday. As a birthday present the man wants to take the boy to a place without war. On their way to the place, they talk about the color of different uniforms when they see four soldiers. When they arrive, they eat their lunch, close their eyes and sleep for a while. In the end of the story, we are told that the man wakes up and discovers that the boy is gone. Different thoughts go through the man's head and those are interrupted by the boy when he says "Gotcha!" Characterize the boy and the old man. The two main characters in the short story are the boy and the old man. The old man in the short story feels that he hasn't been a good father, which is expressed different places in the story, such as: "I haven't been a good father, letting you go without birthdays this long… You're entitled to one every year, you know, and I've let six years go by without a birthday. And presents, too. You are supposed to get presents." (7. 30 - 32) The old man does not like the war and he does not like the soldiers. Every time the boy talks about something which has to do with the war, the old man gets a bit sad and upset. The old man does not want that the boy talks about war and things...
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...placed a thick piece of wood in my way. I felt the life from my soul go through my hands. Both of my fists struck the wood and it broke up into small pieces. Qiao smiled at me saying, “My friend, you have found the middle way,” and then bowed to me. Buddha said with a big smile on his face, “You have just learnt the Almighty push. Also, another reason we don't use it too often is because channeling the power of your soul will shorten your life with every use. It is called the Almighty push for a reason. You're pushing out the power that was given by the Almighty God. That tear that I shed was not from sadness but joy. If you have ever cried from joy, you will then find true happiness. There, Buddha told me his work was done and went back to his place to meditate. Qiao was in shock. He told me he couldn’t believe that Buddha got up to speak. Qiao started to really teach me the ways of the Buddha. He taught me about the enlighten path, it means to release one's self of earthly objects. Qiao told me the ones who try to be perfect will never be enlightened. No matter what we have and what humans do, we will never be perfect. What we fail to realize is that we are perfect our perfect imperfections make us strive for more. It makes us seek peace...
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...“Are you a man now, Adam?” Howard Fast’s “April Morning”, is set in Lexington on April 19, 1775. Adam is a fifteen-year-old boy that wants to be treated as man, but he still acts like a boy. Throughout the book, he talks about how Adam changes from an adolescent and transitions into an adult. Adam Cooper is a dynamic character. He is also the protagonists of the story. “Just tonight, I asked him as pleasant and respectful as possible whether I could go to the Committee meeting with him. Oh, no. When I was a man, I could go, and he made it plain to me what he thought about me being a man.” His father wants Adam to earn the right to be called a man by wanting to work, and using his mind and his judgement. Adam just wants to be included in the...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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...changing past events into modernization thoughts in hopes this will allow the readers to broaden the thoughts and ideas to how a man should be defied. “…seeks to reconnect a work with the time period in which it was produced and identify it with the culture and political movements of the time.” (Purdue OWL) As a...
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...been scrubbed and cleaned thoroughly in quite some time. His shoes had many holes allowing too much ventilation and they appeared to have no soles. The old man shuffled into the coffee shop and ordered his normal cup of coffee without sugar and many times, I would see him looking longingly at the delicious pastries which adorned the shelves. So, I would purchase two doughnuts and a pie for him to eat during the day and also give him another cup of coffee to take with him as well. The man’s eyes would always light up with gratitude and as he smiled, one could see the coffee stained teeth which seemed as though it was never cleaned and as he passed by, one could get the smell of garbage implying that this man lived and slept on the sidewalks. As he shuffled outside again, all the patrons turned to look at him, regarding him as a disgusting, bothersome fly. My kindness extended to the man as I made it my duty to collect old clothing which the neighbours in my street wished to discard and I would give it to the old man when he came into the store. My fellow co-workers questioned my actions and I would just consider it as a kind deed to an unfortunate human. On several occasions, when the old man came into the shop, I would notice the owner, Mr Job, speaking to him harshly and gesticulating wildly, but I never did question his actions for I thought that Mr Job was plainly scolding the man for always coming into the shop and disturbing the customers. A week later, Mr Job’s father...
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...The Old Man and the Sea is a story about an old fisherman who has not caught a fish for eighty four days, but gets a hook in the mouth of the greatest fish he has ever caught. This fish takes the old man on a journey that he will never forget. At the beginning of the novel, Santiago has been fishing for eighty-four days and has not caught a fish. This symbolizes defeat in Santiago’s life. Santiago does not intend on giving up, but instead he has determination and tells himself that he will go fishing every day until he finally catches a fish. Santiago has a lot of pride in himself, and I find this to be a very rare trait, especially in today’s world. The theme of The Old Man and the Sea is to never give up in any circumstance, because you never know what might happen next. Santiago never gave up and went fishing every day until he hooked the marlin, and he stayed with that marlin until he was able to kill it. When the sharks began to attack Santiago’s boat so they could eat the marlin, Santiago knew it was hopeless and that he would lose the fish, but he still fought them off as long as he could. Even though Santiago was defeated in his fishing trip, he emerged as a hero to not only himself, but to all the people around him as well. The Old Man and the Sea has a few characters. First, there is Santiago who is a fisherman that has not caught a fish in over eighty days but refuses to give up. Santiago is the “Old Man” in the story’s title and knows more than most people about...
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...evidence in the text, is there reason to believe, that the author would have wanted the character to do anything differently, so that the end result was successful? That is, might the author like us to think that these two situations, Santiago’s fishing trip(s) or Amelie at Yumimoto Corporation ----2. that the author never intended for the character to succeed, never cared about succeeding; the character failed in a big way because it was a story about failing; the point was not to advise the reader ‘don’t do it like this’; the point was, ‘there are important lessons people should learn about failure and humiliation. Answer Both the stories, Old Man and the Sea and Fear and Trembling have similarities. The main character go through hardships, suffering till the end, Santiago with catching the fish but losing it and Amelie getting hired at Yumimoto as a translator ends up cleaning bathrooms there. I believe that Hemingway never really cared about succeeding. I agree that the character failed in a big way but the point was not to advise the reader ‘don’t do it like this’; the point was, ‘there are important lessons people should learn about failure and humiliation.’ Santiago does not catch a single fish for consecutive eighty-four days and then when he goes determined that he must, he does. But if Hemingway showed that Santiago caught the fish after three days of non-stop struggle and came back a hero, it would end up being just like every other...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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