Free Essay

Elephant Essay

In: Novels

Submitted By mann2630
Words 957
Pages 4
Elephant essay
A
Life isn’t as easy as it seems. Some people would love to see you fail, while your closest would love du see you succeed. Everybody have a dream. A dream about becoming something big and great. Having a nice job with a good salary, an expensive car and house. And if you don’t achieve any of this, your life will feel like a mistake. You will feel like a complete fail. You want to isolate yourself from others. Even those who support you. You are pausing your life, because you don’t know what to do.

This story “Elephant” is written by Polly Clark in 2006. It starts in media res, because we are unexpectedly standing in a dark room where a person named William is sitting with a computer, some notes and facts. A third person narrator tells the story, but we hear Williams’s thoughts through out the story, and because of that we directly recognize us with him. William Is married to Ginny and have 7 children, all of them which are girls. “He glanced up at the bookshelf above his computer at his girls: Sophie, Witney, Norah, Becky, Christine, Maria, Britney. “Page 1 line 16-18. His relationship with his wife is almost only about making children. ”Well done, darling, she said. Then, “I know this isn’t much fun for you.” Page 2 line 82. She loves it, and thinks he doesn’t. Their relationship is seems to be like a more like “Friends with benefits” than a marriage, because right after they had sex Ginny would leave again. Williams job is writing about biographies of pop-singers, whom he doesn’t enjoy. He would have preferred to write about the film stars, but wasn’t quick enough to get the job and therefore, he has dedicated his life writing about singers. It is also told he can’t write. This has a big effect on his life. He is feeling down and don’t really feel happy, and try to forget it “Writing was Impossible for William if there was a view onto the garden, even if it was a plain distracting one like theirs;” Page 1, line 7-9.

So he’s trying to forget the fact that he has a writing issue. Even though he also is trying to fulfill a dream. A dream about being a important writer, like Leo Tolstoy and James Joyce. It doesn’t matter if it he doesn’t get just as good as them. If only he was near as good, it would be a blessing. William knows he’s falling behind in what he’s living of. It makes him dream a lot, and want to forget what he has written. He lives in a dream world where flashbacks of his life I what is keeping him happy. Like when his wife Ginny reminds him about then he was six or seven years old, when his mother brought him the blue elephant. At this time it all becomes too much for him, because he’s tired of living the same life over and over again, day by day, so he decides to write about something he’s passionate about. Christine.

I have chosen to compare this story with “Introduction on the 1999 edition of the Pillars of the earth.” Ken Follet wrote it in 1999. Both of these texts explain why things don’t always end like you want it too. The difference is that Ken Follet is talking about a book he have written, where William is talking about his daily life as a writer. Ken is talking about that change is not always good. In his case he tried to change genre, which ended badly. He lost many readers and it made his potential carrier disappear. Whereas William becomes happy and feels like he is restarting his life, and breaking the barrier which he have been living in the past years. It also tells that William started from not being someone appreciated for his work a appreciated person. But when he broke the barrier he became famous and acknowledged. Whereas Ken started out good as a acknowledged person, to be forgotten for his new work, which didn’t live up for the standard of his fans. Because of that, he tells its best to stick too the genre you had success in. “Clowns should not try to play Hamlet; pop stars should not write symphonies. I should not have risked my reputation by writing something out of character and overambitious”. Page 1 line 5-6.

B

The end of a story is very important; it tells if there may be a sequel or if it stops. It can end out of nowhere, or end with “They lived happily ever after” for an example. It gives context to the given text, and the ending give you a sort of feeling, that you want more. You don’t want the text to stop there. Or maybe you think it’s a very bad ending to a good story. But it is your opinion. Maybe you think it is bad, but other may think it’s the ideal and best ending. In the “Elephant” We hear about how William feels numb and bored. Because he doesn’t write about things he love. But at the end, when he finally writes about something he likes, he becomes very happy “Tears filled his eyes. His fingers flew faster and faster. That his career in pulp biographies was definitely over did not matter a bit,…” page 4 line 143-144. It ends greatly, whereas if you compare it to the book “Yahya Hassan” It may end well for him because Gylendal publishes his book, but he doesn’t fell happy. He sounds like he doesn’t care. Almost like what William felt in the beginning.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Essay - Elephant

...A ”Elephant” is a short story written by Polly Clark. The theme in the text is the desire to fulfill your dreams. However it’s not always as easy to succeed in the things you want the most. “Elephant” opens in medias res, as we’re being thrown into a world where William is sitting by his desk, surrounded by a pile of notes and facts. Already in the beginning of the text we’re able to see that William encounters problems with his writing. He states that the skill to being a good writer is commitment, and not inspiration. “This inability to write a word had gone on for weeks. His own adage that writing was 99 percent about commitment not inspiration had not helped him shift a single page in all that time” this also indicates that he may have lost the motivation to write. The reader also becomes more aware of the kind of depressing feeling in the house. “The house was quiet. It was early afternoon, drawing towards a shining evening. The closed curtains of his study glowed with brilliant sunshine. Writing was impossible for William if there was a view onto the garden…” . The short story is told by a third person narrator, but we also hear about William’s thoughts and therefor we relate to him. Whilst reading the story we feel sorry for him. William is not happy with what he writes a about. He writes biographies of pop singers, when all he really wants is writing about movie stars, but someone where quicker to get the job. “William wrote biographies of pop singers. Female,...

Words: 826 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Essay on Shooting an Elephant

...Shooting an elephant - By George Orwell Imperialism is the appellation for a policy, where a ruler in a country attempts to oppress another country. This is mainly the theme and point in the essay “Shooting an elephant” The story is written by the author George Orwell, and centers about this problem which was going on between the British and the Burmese. The essay is written as a metaphor describing the British imperialism, and gives the readers an insight in how George's opposition against the imperialism is expressed. Another theme in the story is the meeting between two cultures – in where it describes the burmese, that despise the British. Apart from that, George himself is going though a process of self-deception, which is showed clearly in this story. George Orwell was born on 25th June 1903, and was a well known English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. George Orwell was one of the most influential English writers in the 20th century, and is mostly known for the novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and the novella “Animal Farm”. George Orwell was working in The British Imperial Police from 1922-1927, where he wrote the essay “Shooting an elephant” as a reflection about the British imperialism in India. The setting is in Moulmein in Lower Burma in the 1920's, and is taking place in a poor city. “It was a very poor quarter, a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched with palm-leaf, winding all over a steep hillside.” (Page 112, line 12-14) The society...

Words: 989 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Shooting An Elephant Essay

...Peer Innocence (An Analysis of Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell) Pressure is a common obstacle throughout the journey of life. Whether it is stress, a big due date, or peer pressure, it is experienced nearly every day. Peer pressure is defined as getting forced into something that was not wanted by other people, friend or not. It is considered a form of bullying. In the story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, is a personal narrative of what happened to him when he was a police officer in Burma, India. Peer pressure was what made him make the decision he did and due to that he has to live forever with the consequences. Certainly, we have all fallen to some form of peer pressure. Peer pressure can greatly influence decisions, always...

Words: 618 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Essay

...themes from George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant. Peer Pressure, peer pressure is when one person does something against their morals/beliefs or even wants because the people, usually a group of people, tell or expect this person to do. There are many ways to be pressured into doing something that one may not agree with, and there are many people who would push for whatever task to be done. George Orwell was an early twentieth century poet, he lived from 1903 to 1950. Orwell is most commonly known for his novel Animal Farm, which was set in 1984. As well as an established writer, Orwell also was the creator of the common terms such as, “big brother,” and “newspeak.” One of Orwell’s essays called Shooting...

Words: 820 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Bottom Up Theory

...systems. In Steven Johnson’s essay, “The Myth of the Ant Queen,” he argues that the queen is not the leader of the ant colony, but the colony instinctively protects her from danger because it is in the colony’s best interest. In “An Elephant Crackup,” by Charles Siebert, the elephants instinctively grouped together in a herd so they could survive from extinction. In Rebecca Solnit’s essay, “The Solitary Stroller and the City,” people organized themselves to make their city successful. The absence of authority may have been a reason why successful systems were created by individuals working together. Someone who has authority is a person who exercises control over others. If one being was in charge, then everyone under him/her would only follow his/her instructions. People would not be able to think of their own plans, but instead they would follow only one plan that was given to them. Without an authority figure in control, individuals would rely on their instincts to guide them. Their instincts would unconsciously respond to their environment and adapt to it, so the individuals can create a successful system. They would instinctively merge their ideas together and a self-organizing system could emerge. The lack of an authority figure allows the opportunity for individuals to instinctively work together to build a successful system. The success of the animal species depends on their instincts to work together. The system described in Johnson’s essay is the ant colony and it is...

Words: 1932 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Classifying of Anaimal

...In this essay, I am going to be looking for how animals differ depending on where they live in the world. Animals can be grouped in many different categories. Some categories could be things like where they live. For instance animals could be categorized, such as safari, jungle, and arctic. In the arctic, some animals that could be found there include narwhals, polar bear, arctic fox, snowy owl, and artic hare. Most animals from the artic have a warm coat of fur, which helps them survive in these harsh conditions. Narwhals are wale like creatures that have horns on their head, which are actually two teeth that form a tusk. Narwhals have a hide that keeps them warm when in the artic water. Polar bears dig out large caves out of snow to have their cubs in. Polar bears usually have only two cubs, and only come out in the spring. Polar bears usually eat seals, waiting under the ice breathing from holes in the ice. Baby polar bears usually starve before their third birthday; other polar bears often die from oil spills and melting ice. In the safari, some animals that could be found are, zebras, crocodiles, African elephants, and rhinos. These animals live in some warmer climates and have adapted for survival. Zebras have any natural predators such as loins, spotted hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs. Zebras prefer to eat short grass, but will eat tall grass if needed. Zebras are more likely to have a chance to escape predators if in a herd, rather than if alone...

Words: 563 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Stakeholders In The Poaching Crisis

...countries in the world, was approved by The World Bank to receive a $46 million grant to help alleviate poverty, and $700,000 portion of the grant has been designated to increase elephant trophy hunting. Madji Seck of World Bank stated that "When properly regulated, hunting is an important tool for sustainable management of parks" (Can Killing more). The issue of poaching is clearly contested by a wide range of representatives and sectors making it an increasingly difficult matter to address. One group of stakeholders in the poaching crisis are the citizens of the local communities as well as the business owners, specifically in the tourism sector. Although these stakeholders are legitimate and directly affected, they are mostly unaware of...

Words: 426 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Can Endangered Species of the World Rely on the International Law for Their Safety? Discuss

...Can endangered species of the world rely on the international law for their safety? Discuss This essay will attempt to discuss how the international law protects endangered species of the world. Using academic commentary and legislation it will also review the ethical, philosophical, economical and moral aspects of this area of law. The essay will also draw attention to the current issue, which has been a controversy in the preservation of endangered species of the world, but will particularly pay more attention to the protection of whales. Ever since the days of illustrious philosophers such Plato, Aristotle, Descartes to the modern scientists there has been a lengthy wait in fighting for laws and acts to protect animals in keeping them in good health and their populations high in numbers. Long ago, most animals became extinct because of natural events, like earthquakes or volcano eruptions. Climatic changes were also a threat i.e. like the ‘beginning of the Ice Age which also led to the disappearance of certain species’ . Today, animals are in danger mostly because of human beings. In the 17th century Descartes and Plato both portraying animals as mere objects, held that ‘animals have no conscience and humans should have no moral obligation’ towards them. However, through the advancement of technology and science Charles Darwin came up with his theory of evolution, bringing new developments and protection to endangered species, with his effort in his work there...

Words: 2564 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Rhino Case

...Case Discussion: Rhino Capture in Kruger National Park Assignment Questions: 1. What is SANParks / Kruger National Park’s objective and vision? Is selling rhino consistent with their objective and vision? If not, then what should it be? * Kruger National Parks objective: Population control, broadening of the range for populations, spreading the risk of managing wildlife, making the populations more resilient and viable, and fund-raising for specific conservation and land-expansion programs. I think that selling is within their objective, population control, fund-raising for specific conservation and land expansion. 2. Who are the suppliers of rhino and what was the average selling price of a rhino? * The suppliers of rhino are South Africa National Parks (SANParks), the rhinos are worth between 30,000 and 35,000. 3. What is different about selling to a safari company and a hunting company? 4. How does a sale to a hunting and safari company affect the economy? 5. What are the driving forces behind poaching? Asia and India * The driving forces behind poaching include: rhinos horn, Asians believe that rhinos horns are very beneficial aphrodisiac and Indians desire rhino horn daggers. 6. How would you reduce poaching? * I would impose a jail sentence of 10-15 years in prison and fine of $500,000(US). 7. How would you reduce poaching if a rhino’s horn could be cut and re-grown in six years? * I would allow for the rhino’s horn to trade...

Words: 290 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Invasive Species

...1. Give 3 examples of endemic and 3 examples of an invasive species. Endemic species invasive species Blue fin tuna snakehead fish Asian elephant stink bugs Sperm whale Zebra mussels 2. Pick one species (endemic or invasive) and discuss its role in the environment. I choose an endemic species the Asian elephant. The elephants importance is that they assist with logging forests, carry heavy material, and assist as transportation. They have the ability to walk in areas where machines are unable to go, their vital role in an ecosystem is they modify the habitat that affects all other plants and animals. They provide water for other animals by digging water holes in the dry seasons (they can easily locate water underground). They make paths in the forest by pushing brush and pulling down trees and also disperse seeds of fruits by depositing them in their dung. 3. What economic impact does it have on human society? Endangerment affecting humans is due to the destruction of habitats there’s not enough food in the small forest for the elephants so they go and look for other food sources which are crops in nearby fields. Attempts were made to locate these animals but because of change in habitats they’ve raided villages and destroyed homes and crops not only do they pose a danger to human society we also pose a danger to...

Words: 267 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Elephant Dung Paper

...------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- “Green economy and My responsibility” ------------------------------------------------- Elephant dung paper Class: Advanced Program 51 Name: Le Dieu Linh Chi Le Minh Phuong Nguyen Thu Thao Tran Huong Tra Tran Hai Yen Hanoi, October 21, 2012 ------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY A PROJECT OF ELEPHANT DUNG PAPER Presented to: The English Competition “Experience and Enjoy” – “Green economy and My responsibility” Prepared by: Lê Diệu Linh Chi Chiledieulinh@gmail.com Nguyễn Thu Thảo ngthuthao91@gmail.com Trần Hải Yến tranhaiyen152@yahoo.com Lê Minh Phương lephuong1230@yahoo.com Trần Hương Trà thtra279@gmail.com October 21th, 2012 Contents I. Introduction 1 II. Content 2 1. Current situation in Vietnam 2 2. Business project 4 a. Background 4 b. Challenges and Opportunities 4 c. Process 5 d. Product 6 3. Impact evaluation 6 a. Impact on environment and ecology: 6 b. Impact on the local economy: 7 III. Conclusion 7 Abstract Green economy is the economic model that aims at sustainable development of the economy while improving social equity and...

Words: 3295 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Portugal

...imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.”(page72) This quote offers Marlow’s first impression of the Central Station. The word “ivory” seems to be something he hears all too often now that he works for this company. To them, it is far more than just the tusk of an elephant or rhinoceros; it represents an economic freedom that companies have never seen or experienced. These companies are running amuck doing as they please with no thought of how their actions affect the people or animals of Africa they simply only care about “Ivory” and its economic value. Marlow’s reference to a decaying corpse is both literal and figurative: elephants and the African people both die as a result of the European’s pursuit for ivory and the entire enterprise of the ivory trade is just rotten at the core. This is true in the cruelties and the greed that are both part of a greater evil of how money corrupts the soul of every human, instead of thinking of each other you start to be selfish and be narcissistic to the core of your humanity. I see these companies creating an “African Holocaust” as Joseph Conrad says himself. This quote is why I see the book is titled as Heart Of Darkness, the Ivory trade is routed...

Words: 539 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Water for Elephants

...2013 Elephants belong in the wild and not in captivity in Deborah Nelson’s “Cruelest Show on Earth” and Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants In the “Cruelest Show on Earth” the author Deborah Nelson states that elephants are extremely intelligent creatures. She also claims that elephants are supposed to be in the wild, and not treated poorly in captivity, which, unfortunately, frequently seems to be the case. In Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants, the historical fiction characters think that Rosie the show elephant for the Benzini Brothers Most spectacular Show on Earth is stupid, but soon learn that she is actually very intelligent. Jacob Jankowski a main character in the book is a veterinarian and is the first to realize that Rosie is extremely intelligent. Rosie spent most of her time on a train traveling from show to show, or being hit with a bull hook. This is no life for an elephant, and Jacob realized this so he helped save Rosie. Nelson describes elephants as highly intelligent creatures that develop at a similar rate as humans: “Kenny, a three-year-old Asian elephant, was supposed to perform his usual adorable tricks in The Greatest Show on Earth: identifying the first letter of the alphabet by kicking a beach ball marked with an "A," twirling in a tight circle, perching daintily atop a tub, and, at the end of his act, waving farewell to the audience with a handkerchief grasped in his trunk.” This performance by Kenny shows how extremely intelligent elephants are. This...

Words: 965 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Dumbo

...MASSAGE The 1941 Walt Disney movie Dumbo is an example of both cripping and ableism. This popular cartoon film is about a baby elephant born with most unusually large ears which makes him an outcast in the elephant community of the travelling circus. His mother Jumbo comes to his rescue while he is being mocked and abused by a boy who ironically also had noticeably large ears, and she is driven into a rampage which lands her in solitary confinement. Dumbo is heartbroken but is adopted by Timothy Q. Mouse who marches in to scare the other elephants who engage in cripping as they blame the “F.R.E.A.K.” (Dumbo, 1941) for his mother Jumbo’s wild behavior. In a display of ableism the mouse announces that there is nothing wrong with Dumbo, and that his ears will be an advantage for the elephant show. Dumbo’s ears cause him to trip and knock down the great elephant pyramid during the show which causes a major disaster that destroys the entire circus tent and sends the audience out in a screaming panic. In the aftermath the elephants discover that the circus ringmaster in another demonstration of cripping, demotes Dumbo to working with the clowns, and in yet another instance of cripping the elephants swear that from now on Dumbo is no longer an elephant. In an example of ableism Dumbo is welcomed into his new community of clowns and both he and the mouse accidentally get drunk on champagne that spilled into a water bucket. They wake up the next day and find themselves high up...

Words: 1500 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

English Le

...EXERCISE I. What is a paragraph? Some of these groups of sentences are paragraphs and some are not. Read them carefully and answer the questions. 1- Iceland is not a place for the ordinary tourist. The landscape, for example, is bare and strange—though many consider it beautiful in its own way. Then, too, the far northern climate is not ideal for tourism. The winter weather is extremely severe and the summers are short and cool, with constant strong winds. The remote location also means that many products have to be imported and so they are expensive. However, the few tourists who do put up with these difficulties are warmly welcomed by the Icelanders. Is this a paragraph? _______ If it is a paragraph, what is it about? _____________________________________________ 2- For fewer tourists, lower prices, and more beautiful scenery, head for the Sagres Peninsula. The regional museum has a rich collection of costumes, weapons, and handicrafts. Buses will get you to most places, but for long trips, trains are cheaper and more comfortable. The Portuguese economy has expanded very rapidly in recent years, but it still has many problems. In the fifteenth century, Lisbon was a worldwide center of political power, religion, and culture. Is this a paragraph? ______ If it is a paragraph, what is it about? _________________________________________ 3. The two peoples of Belgium—the Flemish and the Walloons—are divided by language, culture, and economics. Hotels in Brussels are expensive...

Words: 3867 - Pages: 16