Critical evaluation - John Steinbeck-Of Mice and Men and Robert Ludlum-The Bourne Identity Essay Example for Free

Critical evaluation John Steinbeck-Of Mice and Men and Robert Ludlum-The Bourne Identity Essay Through the history of man; mathematicians, philosophers, teachers, and scientists have molded and shaped our world. These men and women, young and old, are responsible for the continually growing knowledge in todays youth. Upon studying the most influential educators, it was proven that writers and authors sustain every element of the society we live; love, passion, romance, adventure, drama, science fiction, and non-fiction. All of these categories exist for only one purpose, to entertain the minds who absorb the material. Entertaining authors make an exceptional story and none other than Robert Ludlum and John Steinbeck accomplish this feat better. In order to further understand these authors thirst to provide edge-of-the-seat entertainment, their past and present must be explored. Although these authors lived in two diverse locations, their driving desire for knowledge appears the same. Ludlum and Steinbeck attended college after high school, majoring in English. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck attended Stanford University from 1920-1925. Two years after Steinbeck left to pursue his writing career in New York, Robert Ludlum was born on May 25, 1927. Ludlum was educated privately and at the Chesire Academy, Connecticut. After appearing is school theatricals, he acted in the comedy Junior Miss on Broadway at the age of sixteen. His degree includes: B.A., Wesleyan University, Middletown, 1951. Having never graduated from Stanford University, Steinbecks life for the most part was low profile even after the publishing of his first books, Cup of Gold (1929), The Pastures of Heaven and To a God Unknown, which were all inadequately acknowledged by the literary world. Tortilla Flat (1935) was the noticeable turning point in Steinbecks literary career receiving the California Commonwealth Clubs Gold Medal for best novel. Steinbeck continued writing, and The Grapes of Wrath (1939) won him the Pulitzer Prize. The Nobel Prize was awarded to John Steinbeck for Literature in 1962 for his realistic as well as imaginative writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humor and a keen social perception. 1 Twenty-nine Academy Award nominations and four Academy Awards were given for revision of John Steinbecks stories. Literature lost one of its most accomplished and distinguished writers on December 20, 1968, in New York City; John Steinbeck died at the age of 66. However, on a more positive note, New York City was also the place where literature bore Robert Ludlum. Ludlum can be described as a modern day author. He is a well-known author writing twenty-one novels and selling over 290 million books in thirty-two different languages. Ludlum started his literary career relatively late because he was working in 1. Mobel Lectures; literature 1901-4967 the theatre as an actor and producer. One of the primary reasons Ludlum is such a suspenseful writer is due to the fact that he was born in an age where movies grabbed the attention of the public eye. In the 1950s, Ludlum worked as a stage and television actor. After producing 300 stage productions for New York and regional theatre, Ludlum wrote his first novel, The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971). Few writers are able to grasp global attention using unbelievable plots that spin into engrossing tales. John Steinbeck and Robert Ludlum are comparable writers. These two authors are very accomplished and their novels reputations speak for themselves. John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men and Robert Ludlums The Bourne Identity are the focus of this evaluation. Their works signify literary techniques that contribute to theme. The central theme in Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck: human fates are constantly controlled by outside forces. The techniques he uses for example: repetition and symbolism are extremely successful in getting across his very cynical views on this theme. Similar techniques are used in Robert Ludlums The Bourne Identity. Uniquely writing; many of Ludlums techniques are present in his writing, but the reader is too engrossed in the story to recognize them. However, Ludlum writes meticulously in his story plots. When evaluated, the reader can distinguish that repetition and symbolism are also used as literary techniques that contribute to theme. Steinbeck and Ludlum use the technique of repetition to effectively build up the climax of the tragedy. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie unintentionally killed his mouse when petting it. This situation repeats itself further in the novel when Slim gives Lennie a puppy. When playing with the animal, Lennie gave the puppy a disciplining thump for biting him and he killed it. An incident, such as this, will be the downfall of George and Lennie. Near the end of the novel, Lennie strokes Curleys wifes hair. He holds too tightly and she gets frightened. Lennie was in a panic. 2 Climaxing, he attempts to quiet her, Dont you go yellin, he said, and he shook her, and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. 2 The repetition of unintentional death foreshadows a negative outcome for Lennie, his sealed fate. This action brought upon his own murder by George who shot him in the back of the head out of mercy for everything else that was weak and helpless. In this act of violence, George would not be considered a murderer, in fact, quite the opposite. George, instead, would be deemed a savor because he did Lennie a favor. 2. Steinbeck; 91 The Bourne Identity uses repetition in a similar fashion. The central character Jason Bourne faces memory loss, crippling him from discovering his true identity. His instincts and intelligence help guide him. The quote: You are not helpless. You will find your way. 3 is repeated on several occasions, which foreshadows success on Jasons behalf. Jasons rhetorical behavior when faced with stressful and difficult situations ends in same violent manner. Bourne grabbed the Frenchman in front of him now, his left arm around the mans throat, his right hand tearing at the mans left ear. 4 Without thinking, Jason reacts to the situation with poise and precision. Jasons rhetorical skills evoke his memory enough to enable him to think and act on his own to avoid death or capture. Whenever you observe a stress-and you have the time-do your damndest to project into it. Associate as freely as you can; let words and images fill your mind. In them you may find clues. 5 This quote is nearly repeated again, Whenever youre in a stress situation-and theres time, of course-do exactly as you would when you project yourself into one youre observing. Let your mind fall free, let whatever thoughts and images that surface come cleanly. Try not to exercise any mental discipline. Be a sponge; concentrate on everything and nothing. Specifics may come to you, certain repressed conduits electricity prodded into functioning. 6 except there is added tactics, which suggests that Jason is constantly learning. Through repetition Jason persistently advances his skills to obtain his past by varying his appearance, Change your hairyou change your face. 7 Soon after his skills advanced, Jason learned that his real name is David Webb who turns out as a young Far East scholar. Webb received a new identity from the Central intelligence (CIA) as Jason Bourne, a black ops agent. His primary objective was to kill Carlos, another far more advanced assassin, but was betrayed. As the plot twists, the CIA has given Jason quite a few hoops to jump through for his own survival. The climax builds to this particular moment in the novel, when Jason reverses the situation and uses the training the CIA gave him to kill the assassin Carlos. The climax appears to have truth because not only has Jason stopped being on the defensive side of this live or die game, but also his proficient skills have drawn him to his past profession to kill or be killed; fate. The interfering CIA has lost control of Bourne; however he is drawn back to his past line of work, which could result in death, so he ultimately loses. It could be said that Jason Bourne was born to be a professional assassin under anyones control. 3. Ludlum; 39, 43, 83 4. Ludlum; 64 5. Ludlum; 50 6. Ludlum; 82 7. Ludlum; 116, 161 Another technique that demonstrates John Steinbecks view of fate is the symbolism. Near the end of the novel, A watersnake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side, and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically. 8 The heron, stationary and patient, symbolizes fate, while the watersnake, vulnerable and unaware, its victim. The watersnake would most likely symbolize George. Not only does the Heron symbolize fate, it also symbolizes Lennie the burden to their dream. Steinbeck illustrates his view on fate once more by word choice. Words like lanced, plucked, and waiting suggest that Steinbeck believes that fate strikes assertively and specifically. Similarly, Robert Ludlum uses symbolism to project the same idea. Symbolism appears not as evident as repetition; however, present nonetheless. The CIA seems to be the entity or government corporation that symbolizes fate. Every element in the novel can be drawn back to something that the CIA has caused. Ludlum and Steinbeck believe fate to be all the same. In Ludlums case, the CIAs intricate plans and organized operations parallel Steinbecks idea that fate acts in the same manner, assertively and specifically. Of Mice and Men and The Bourne Identity are literally written in identical fashions. Steinbeck and Ludlum use character driven dialogue to tell the story. The point-of-views transpose between first person (the main characters) and third person (the narrator). The first person prospective uniquely projects to the reader each of the character thoughts and actions. The first person prospective gives a clear understanding of what exactly will happen, without all of the excess narration. However, the narration does an excellent job in describing the setting among other elements, such as flow between events. The events or chapters are present in both novels. Ludlum uses three books within his novel along with thirty five chapters because The Bourne Identity is far longer than the six chapters Of Mice and Men. This technique is apparent for the sole purpose of changing locations in the story with ease; in The Bourne Identity Jason and his companion travel to different countries, and in Of Mice and Men the only change of location appears within the town and ranch. These two books were written very similarly. Both switched between first and third person depending on what the best way to tell the story was. By changing point of views, Ludlum and Steinbeck were able to develop their themes more thoroughly. The technique of changing perspectives allowed the reader to identify with the main characters, but at the same time, know vital information that would be needed to understand the story. 8. Steinbeck; 99 Robert Ludlum and John Steinbeck are exceptional authors. There novels: The Bourne Identity and Of Mice and Men, respectively, have Robert Lattas praise. Woohoo, right? There are more positive, than negative, statements to be discussed. Particularly, Ludlums story is far more intriguing than Steinbecks. The plot and characters all are attention getters. The idea that a man with no memory has instincts that are above any normal man, and has answers to every question, except his name, is fascinating. The only downfall to Ludlums work appears to be the length of his novel, five hundred some odd pages, that turns out to be a lot of reading time. Steinbecks novel length; however, fits the taste well, only one hundred some pages. The olden story in Steinbecks novel, gets negative feedback because its entire plot stimulated nothing more than closing eye lids. Praising the literary device of repetition, this gave some indication that what was being read over again would prove useful in assembling a critical evaluation essay. The repetition also forces the information into your brain, meaning it holds significance. Moreover, the theme portrayed among these two novels had some relevance with our current lives, which also served another purpose to reading them Overall, the novels ended up balancing one another. A positive recommendation can be made for both these novels because something can be learned. WORKS CITED Lectures, Mobel. The Nobel Prize in Literature 1962. [online] http://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/1962/press.html Ludlum, Robert. The Bourne Identity. New York: Richard Marek, 1975 Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1978

William Blake Essay -- Biographies Art Poetry Literature Papers

William Blake Romantic Poetry has been written since the late seventeen hundreds up past the first reform bill passed in 1832. There were many romantic poets in the Romantic Era, many who have touched the hearts of many readers and still do till this day. William Blake was one of the first English Romantic poets to exist. This paper focuses on some of the history of William Blake’s life, William Blake as a Romantic Poet, and some songs from two of his famous books, "The Songs of Innocence" and "The Songs of Experience". Included in this paper are some of William Blake’s fabulous art creations, I also have a personal interpretation of some of his poems. To view the poem just simply click on the title of the poem and you will have full access to the plate that the poem was printed on. When finished with this paper click on the hyperlinks found in my bibliography and you will have instant access to the world of William Blake. BIOGRAPHY William Blake was born on November 28, 1757; he was the first of the great English Romantic poets as well as a painter, engraver and printer. William Blake was the third son of a London hosier, he was brought up in a poor house hold and had very little schooling. "Blake lived in or near to London, a city which dominates much of his work, whether as the nightmare 'London' of the Songs of Experience, or the London which Blake saw as the 'New Jerusalem', the kingdom of God on earth." Blake obtained most of his education through readings of the Bible, of Milton and Greek and Latin classic literature. "Blake is frequently referred to as a mystic, but this is not really accurate. He deliberately wrote in the style of the Hebrew prophets and envisioned his works as expressions of proph... ... wrote the sequel The Songs of Experience. He wrote The Songs of Experience to demonstrate that, reality brings on experience. I hope that after reading this paper and browsing through the hyperlinks included, you know understand how William Blake’s poems and artwork tie into one another and why he is one of the greatest Romantic poets that has ever lived. BIBLIOGRAPHY Timeline of Blake's Life, Art and Literary Work http://camel2.conncoll.edu/ccacad/english/Blake/timeline.html The Blake WEB By: David W. Downie http://198.247.176.53/ The Poets Corner http://www.geocities.com/~spanoudi/poems/blake01.html The William Blake Page http://members.aa.net/~urizen/blake_text.html The William Blake Web Museum http://sunsite.sut.ac.jp/wm/paint/auth/blake/ The Time Line of William Blake http://camel2.conncoll.edu/ccacad/english/blake/timeline.html

Determinants of Morality Essay

The determinants are essential features of morality that point to the rightness or wrongness of an action. It enables us to perceive the specificity of morality. Only human person act for a reason, a purpose, and for an intention or goal because it is only the human persons who are created with the intelligence and the freedom to choose from good and evil. The three determinants of morality are the Object of the Act (Finis Operis), End of the Agent (Finis Operantis), and Circumstances B1. What are Circumstances Circumstances are the situational factors surrounding the concurrent of the act. These circumstances may either increase or diminish our responsibility in doing the act. There are seven types of circumstances affecting the act that human people do. These are what, who, where, by what means, why, how, and when. â€Å"What† refers to the nature of the act (Quid). â€Å"Who† refers to the person/doer/agent and the recipient of the act (Quis). â€Å"Where† refers to the locus of the act or the place where the action took place (Ubi). â€Å"By What Means† refers to the instruments used in the performance of the act (Quidis Auxiliis). â€Å"Why† refers to the reason in doing the act (Cur). â€Å"How† refers to the manner or the process of performing the act (Quomodo). And lastly, â€Å"When† refers to the time element in the commission of the act (Quando). There are also three kinds of circumstances. First is aggravating, which intensifies the gravity of the act. Second is mitigating, this lessens the culpability of the act. Third is exempting, it has culpability but is no applicable for the given time. Lastly justifying, which means no more culpability is involved. B2. Principles to Remember The principles to remember in circumstances are it is positive because it can make better an act good or even indifferent in its object and it is negative because it can make worse an act evil or indifferent in its object. It can also make less good or less evil an act good in itself. The act may be morally good, all three determinants must be without a flaw. B3. Examples Examples of circumstances is when one is poor. It is an example of circumstance because it is a situational factor which could increase one’s responsibility to work harder and earn so that he/she could have a living. Another example of circumstance is when one is sick. It is also an example of circumstances because when one is sick, the person will be more responsible in taking care of him/herself.

A Legal And Ethical Dilemma - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1648 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/18 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Ethical Dilemma Essay Did you like this example? Shady Brook skilled nursing facility is facing a legal and ethical dilemma with the care of their patient Mary Evelyn Greene. Mrs. Greene is 89 years old and suffers from the onset of mild dementia as well as other declining health issues related to aging. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Legal And Ethical Dilemma" essay for you Create order Although she became depressed over losing her independence and home upon being admitted to this facility, she seems to be pleased with her overall stay here up until her son, David, visits her. David acts as the power of attorney for his mother and deals with her personal affairs. Caring for his mother has become a major responsibility and quite difficult to deal with on his own. As of late, tending to his mother has begun to interfere with his work life. The nursing staff have become aware of his inimical attitude towards his mother and his thinning patience when visiting. Theyve documented that she seems happier in his absence and agitated in his presence. Mrs. Greene has become too weak to eat on her own and often leaves much of her food on the tray. A CNA that she has grown fond of, Susan Brown, steps into sit with her and feed her when she is able to. Even though her desire to eat has declined and she has gradually lost her appetite, Mrs. Greene has never expressed to the medical staff at Shady Brook that she would like her food to be withheld or that she wished to die. In fact, she seems to still enjoy the smell of certain foods even when she has no appetite, and also responds positively to volunteers who carry out activities at Shady Brook. Therefore, her sons request to respect his mothers wishes of allowing her to die a quick death by not eating, came to the nursing staff as a surprise. Mrs. Greene has not exhibited any suicidal behaviors or expressed suicidal thoughts, which is why the nursing home administrator, Betty Wright, is concerned with whether she should trust his decision and motives. This becomes a legal and ethical dilemma as the ethics committee must examine the patients rights, the states laws related to assisted suicide, the patients mental capacity, their best interest and stay within the legal realm of their facilitys operations. With the threat of a lawsuit coming from Mrs. Greenes son, the ethics committee must make a decision that not only reflects the best interest of Mrs. Greene but also protects their organization legally. Mrs. Greenes rapidly declining health and weight loss should have alerted the nursing staff that there was a need for reevaluation of her plan of care. A weight loss of more than 5 pounds a week should have triggered the immediate attention of her healthcare providers. It is the job of skilled nursing facilities to ensure that the quality of life for each client is maximized and to prevent their decline in ability to perform activities of daily living. While it was appropriate to monitor and document her food intake and reactions to certain foods, it is ineffective to record data without seeking ways to improve the issue. Once it was realized that Mrs. Greene no longer possessed the ability to feed herself, someone should have been assigned the task of feeding her or her family/power of attorney should have been notified that the facility was unable to provide this service for her care so that they could assess other options. Even if it meant that the sitter hired by David scheduled her hours around feeding times to assist. There are a few legal dilemmas for Shady Brook in this case. To start, Mrs. Greenes son, who is also her power of attorney, is requesting that the facility withhold food from his mother. However, doing so would be illegal as it is equivalent to assisting in murder. By law and buy contract the nursing home is required to provide Mrs. Greene with care that aligns with best care practices and avoid negligence in duty to their client. It is also difficult to determine her legitimate wishes as she suffers from dementia induced memory impairment. Therefore, her wishes/decisions for her own care could change from moment to moment. This makes it illegal to pursue the wishes that her son claims she had as we are unaware of what her mental state may have been, especially due to the agitated state that David evokes from her. On these legal basis, not even the power of attorney is able to instruct the facility to incriminate themselves. A large portion of the ethical dilemma for Shady Brook in this case lies in the sons wish to enable the death of a relatively healthy person. While his mother may not be in the best health condition, she is far from being in a vegetative state and is still full of life. The only time that the nursing staff has experienced her in an agitated state is during and after visits with her son. Ethically, the facility feels the need to alleviate any suffering that their client feels, even if she wishes to die, which in this case they are unsure of due to her dementia. They do not wish to play along and assist Mrs. Greene in a quick death and are unsure of the motives surrounding his threats of a lawsuit. They must also be careful not to allow this threat to prevent them from doing what is right. This situation has progressed beyond the point of suggesting that Mrs. Greene be moved to a different facility because they realize that this is not in her best interest and would not aid her in anyw ay. Lawfully, the patient does not have a right to die and therefore David does not have a case. Because Mrs. Greene is not in a vegetative state, withholding proper nutrition and encouraging death would be illegal. The ethics committee should continue to serve Mrs. Greene meals and provide a staff member to feed her. The previously documented reactions that she had to certain meals should be assessed to see which ones she reacted positively to. These meals should be the ones that are prepared for her to eat. Because Mrs. Greene has already loss a large amount of her body weight due to malnutrition, the ethics committee should also consider tube feedings to ensure that she is getting the proper amounts of nutrients daily and to prevent/reverse dehydration and malnutrition, especially if she has lost her appetite or has no desire to eat. It May even become necessary to solicit a nutritionist to be heavily involved in Mrs. Greenes plan of care. Many dementia patients suffer from dysphagia. If the foods are difficult for Mrs. Greene to swallow, then the nutritionist may be able to recommend foods that are easier for her to eat. They may also be able to suggest foods that have high nutritional value and aide in treating depression holistically. By serving Mrs. Greene foods that she enjoys the smell of, it may increase her desire to eat even if she lacks an appetite. In doing so, Shady Brook would be fulfilling their legal obligation to care for their patient by making provisions to provide personalized plans of care. Mrs. Greene would also benefit by being served foods that bring her joy and increase her desire to indulge. This has the potential to boost her mood as well as her weight. Both consequences work in her favor. On the other hand, providing her with a tube feeding would protect Shady Brook from negligence but increases liabilities as tube feedings have much more room for error. Mrs. Greene must also be assessed to ensure that her body will be able to properly process the feedings and use the nutrients. If not, the supplement will do more harm than good as it sits in her stomach. If she is eligible for such feedings, Mrs. Greene may welcome the idea. It would prevent her from having to deal with the frustrations associated with meal and feeding times. It would also improve her nutritional health state. By involving a nutritionist in Mrs. Greenes plan of care Shady Brook is ensuring that she receives the best nutrition plan possible for her individual condition. This protects their organization and benefits the overall well-being of their client, Mrs. Greene. Essentially, if it is Mrs. Greenes wish to die by not eating then she can. Although Shady Brooks is required to serve her a meal, she has the right to refuse to eat it, but the meal must be served regardless. She also has the right to refuse feeding assistance. These instances of refusal should be documented in the event that negligence is suspected. Because of Mrs. Greenes mental state her power of attorney, David, may need to be consulted as well. I would recommend that the ethics committee continue to serve Mrs. Greene meals, preferably those in which she has reacted positively to previously. I would also recommend that they assign someone to sit with her and assist during feedings. When available, this person should be Susan Brown since she has taken such a liking to her. Her appetite seems to improve when Susan assists her as well. This relationship and attention to detail in her care has potential to improve her overall condition. The additional attention could aid in her depression as well, as she seems to enjoy it and thrive from it. The ethics committee should take into consideration Bettys comment that David needs the money to educate his children. Being that he seems to be the sole heir to his parents estate it appears suspicious that he is so adamant about allowing her death. Although he has presented it as his mothers own wishes, it very well could be his own, especially considering that no nursing staff previously reported suicidal behaviors or statements from Mrs. Greene.