Fire! :: essays research papers

I remember the night all too well. It was an August evening and my parents left my younger brother Steve and I home alone as the rest of my family went to one of my younger sister, April’s, softball games. They left the two of us together thinking that they could trust us since I was the ‘older brother’ and that I’m going to be a senior in high school. I guess that eventually proved to be quite the mistake.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I recall it, Steve and I became bored after watching a few minutes of television. Our cable was disconnected the week earlier, and so the only channels we received weren’t too exciting for teenage boys. Out of desperation, Steve begged me to find something for us to do. I decided that since it was still pretty nice outside, we could go out and create a little fun of our own. And that is exactly what happened†¦ We grabbed the barbeque lighter and began circling our house and driveway looking for flammable objects. Since I was the one in charge, of course I was a little nervous, but I knew, or at least I hoped I knew, that Steve had an idea of what he was doing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paper, leaves, and an occasional cat got pretty monotonous, so I told Steve that we should just head back into the house. Now please take note that Steven thrives on attention, and albeit he’s not the brightest crayon in the box, he loves to have people around to laugh and joke with as he attempts his insane adventures. So he suggested that we move onto bigger and better things, promising me that it would be well worth my time. I got a bit curious as to what he had planned, so I went along just for kicks. Besides, how bad could it really be?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pleased that I was joining him, Steve grabbed a can of bug spray that was lying on our back deck. He also asked me to run into the garage and grab as many aerosol cans as I could find. All that I could gather was a can of Lysol, Raid and a half-empty can of wasp-repellent. I wasn’t exactly feeling too good about this, but Steve assured me that because of scouts, he was a professional pyromaniac. I was as curious as ever by now, and so I was concentrating on his every move.

In present time Essay

In present time, women have obtained more freedom to express their thoughts  and more privileges to achieve their goals. Their social status had a qualitative leap in the United States compare with the last couple of centuries; this subversion will continue lead women to enter a world which their talent and ability can be completely recognized. Different from today’s value, women who lived in previous centuries do not have the rights to do things the way they prefer. Social morality and family obligation force them to obey others and renounce independent. This inveterate principle stifled generations of women and their freedom. Both works include The Revolt of â€Å"Mother† and A New England Nun by Mary Wilkins Freeman showcased that in order for a woman to regain the pleasures in her life, she has to be intrepid and determined under certain social pressure. By descripting both characters Louisa and Sarah’s detailed inner world such as their characteristics and other social aspects such as other’s judgments, Mary Freeman provided the reader with vivid sense of equality that led the society into deep consideration and introspection of why feminism is necessary. Bothworksservedasimilarpurpose,tospreadtheconceptoffeminism,but with different approaches due to different social status of both characters in The Revolt of â€Å"Mother† and A New England Nun. Mary Freeman’s Puritan way of living had a huge impact on how she considers the world differently. In The Revolt of â€Å"Mother†, Mary Freeman portrayed a married woman, Sarah Peen, who has been serving for the 1 Sun family for forty years without any complain, had an emotional outburst about the new farm that her husband was building. Her husband, Adoniram, promised Sarah that he would build her a house when they are financially improved. Instead of building her the dream house, he planed to build another farm without informing her. She then decided to move into the new barn to live when her husband had gone out. (Freeman) In Freeman’s other work, A New England Nun, she depicted Louisa Ellis, a woman who waited for her fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s returning from Australia for fifteen years, had decided to end the relationship with him after she hears that he has no love to her. (Freeman) This may be an excuse for her to escape from the relationship that will eventually force her to ingratiate others and put her own needs second. However, Louisa made up her own mind and went the way she preferred. By observing the behaviors of these two characters, it is certain that both of them have their own belief and rule of life that is beyond reach. Sarah Peen wants changes in her life, changes that can overturn her current life. As the story begins, Sarah provides service for her family everyday hoping to move into a new house like her husband promised her to. (Freeman 666) Moreover, She is a woman with ideas and goals. Freeman writes, â€Å" ‘There ain’t no use talkin’, Mr. Hersey,’ says she. ‘ I’ve thought it all over an’ over, an’ I believe I’m doin’ what’s right. I’ve made it the subject of prayer, an’ it’s betwixt me an’ the Lord an’ Adoniram. There ain’t no call for nobody else to worry about it.’† (670) This is what Sarah replied to the minister when he came to convince Sarah not to disobey her husband. After 2 Sun forty years of waiting, Sarah decides that she is strong enough to take a stand for the change. She is surprisingly independent and rebellious. Her rebellion does not only exist for against her husband, but also for against the social role that she is suppose to play as a submissive wife. Even though she accepts her responsibilities as a wife and a mother, her determination and resistance to the power of tradition was never stifled. As a wife whose husband often ignores, she opposes her husband’s male dominance over hers and remains integrity, courage, and privation overall. However, Louisa Ellis from A New England Nun had an opposite lifestyle with Sarah has but the same perception of individualism. LouisaEllis,unlikeSarah,isafraidofchangesandunknowns,butshestill forwards her life regarding what others would think. Her engagement with Joe Dagget is full of uncertain. Freeman did not deliver Louisa’s remorse of engagement directly. Instead, she implied some details to inform her readers that Louisa is satisfied with her own life by enlarging her trivial acts such as using china. Freeman writes, â€Å"Louisa used china everyday – something which none of her neighbors did. They whispered about it among themselves.† (654) This indicates that Louisa lives her own quiet life and enjoys her own pleasure. All of sudden, Joe Dagget shattered Louisa’s peace, the peace that only belongs to her. Freeman writes, â€Å"He remained about an hour longer, then rose to take leave. Going out, he stumbled over a rug, and trying to recover himself, hit Louisa’s work-basket on the table, and knocked it on the floor.† (654) All his acts reminded Louisa that she has to put herself at second after their marriage and 3 Sun renounce her independent. She then realized that she wants to be who she is, not to be a wife of a man who she has less love with. She is mainly descripted as a dainty and methodical woman; she pays most of her attention to details and perfections. Therefore, after she overheard that Joe has no love to her either, she quickly made her decision that she is not going to marry Joe because she desires for remaining alone. (Freeman 661) Even though both Sarah and Louisa have similar lives, they have different characteristics. Both women have comparable lives. Louisa and Sarah both reside at rural area where men do most of the working, and women do most of the housework. (Freeman 654, 662) This is one of the reasons why both characters chose to make astonishing decisions of their own. Initially, they must identify themselves, and then make decisions regarding tradition that has been persisted for centuries. Both women are also conflicted with men in a relationship that lasted a long period of time. Louisa waited her fiancà © for fifteen years while Sarah waited forty years to move forward of her life. Eventually, they both have achieved their goals and won the victories. However, in A New England Nun, the social influence is less conscious. There is less portrayal of judgments made by other members in the society. Instead, Freeman inserted implicit approach such as Louisa’s pet, Caesar, to display how the community would tie her up in a promise of engagement. (Freeman658) Different from Louisa, the community that Sarah lived in for forty years does not allow her to determine her own life. Her husband and son ignore her by not answering her questions; the minister 4 Sun came to her house to criticize her â€Å"inappropriate† conduct; people in her community also talks about her rebellion against her husband. Freeman displayed how they treat Sarah like a woman who should not have equal rights and dignity with a straightforward picture. Consequently, the two characters Sarah Peen and Louisa Ellis in both Freeman’s work The Revolt of â€Å"Mother and A New England Nun overcame dilemmas effectively. Both stories are relevant to the concept of feminism, which is equal justice between both sexes. The endings are similar: Sarah moved to the new barn while Louisa lived her own stilled life. Their encounters influenced and united generations of women to go forward together and break rules and instructions in order to live in freedom. Works Cited Freeman, Mary. A New England Nun. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2013. 653-661. Print Freeman, Mary. The Revolt of â€Å"Mother†. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2013. 662- 672. Print 5

Is Odysseus a Good or Bad Leader - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1269 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/07/30 Category People Essay Level High school Tags: Odysseus Essay Did you like this example? As we grow up, we need to know what makes a great leader because we need to choose people to lead us to create a better country. In The Odyssey, Odysseus shows the qualities of a great leader: he is brave, clever, and caring. By using Odysseus as an example, we would know what good leadership is. To be a great leader today, he or she must be fearless. By showing fear, it can affect the entire team. According to the article, The 45 Qualities Every True Leader Must Have the author, Kate McKay, states that, Such fear, once apparent, is contagious, and the exercise of self-control and willpower are necessary not only to harness the fear in ones self but to prevent the spread of others. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is showing bravery so that his team would also feel courageous. If Odysseus was showing fear or panic, his team and he would not have survived Polyphemus, the Cyclops, Circe, the witch-goddess, Scylla, a six headed monster, and Charybdis, a monster that can sink their ship. However, he did not show any type of fear when overcoming difficult challenges. He became courageous and defeated them with confidence, which is what a great leader should do. If todays leader were to show fear, our country would also be terrified and may be in chaos. However, by having a brave and fearl ess leader, like Odysseus, our country will feel more secure and confident, Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Is Odysseus a Good or Bad Leader" essay for you Create order Another quality that a great leader should have is, he or she needs to be quick-minded and clever. The reason is because they would need to quickly solve problems to constant change. A great leader should be able to think ahead of their team, in case something sudden happens (McKay, The 45 Qualities Every True Leader Must Have, page 9). They must be able to adapt to sudden change and quickly learn how to solve it. According to the article,A Primer on Greek Mythology: Part IV The Odyssey and Applying What Weve Learned the author states, Odysseus is known for being wise and clever. In The Odyssey, when Odysseus and his team encounter the cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus tricked him into thinking that Odysseus name is Nohbdy and stabs him in the eye. When the Gods heard Polyphemuss cry of help, they thought that nobody is tricking Polyphemus, which made them not help Polyphemus. If Odysseus said his real name, his team and himself wouldve been cursed or killed. However, the Gods did not curse them, since they heard the name Nohbdy as the word nobody. Another scene that Odysseus showed his cleverness is, when Polyphemus was blinded, Odysseus and his men used his rams to hide themselves to escape. Odysseus quickly thought of a way to escape from Polyphemus without getting caught, telling his men to do the same, so that they wouldnt get caught and killed. By using his quick-mind and cleverness, he and his team survived and were able to safely escape. This proves that Odysseus is quick-minded and clever, which are traits of a great leader. Odysseus used his head and quickly learned how to solve problems fast, for him and his team to survive. Lastly, to be a great leader for todays generation, he or she should care for their team and show empathy to them. Showing empathy and being kind, help make a connection between the leader and their team. According to the article, 7 Character Traits Exceptional Leaders Have In Common by Sherrie Campbell, she stated that, Empathy is the most extraordinary superpower. It is the one emotion that fosters an authentic connection between one human being to another. This quote means that if we can understand each other, it can help build a better connection, communication, and teamwork. Odysseus shows selflessness towards his men (Contributor, A Manly Guest, The Odyssey Meaning and Life Lesson page 4). He doesnt leave them, he encourages them when they were afraid, and made an important decision to risk some of his men instead of all of them. At the beginning of The Odyssey, two of his men ate the lotus flower at The Land of the Lotus Eaters and became entrance to staying on the island. H ome and family, in ancient Greek culture is very important. Which means, when his men suddenly wanted to stay, Odysseus knew that his men were entranced by the flower and knew that in the inside, they didnt mean it. He took them and tied them to the ship, so they wouldnt escape. Later, when his men feared Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus told them that they shouldnt be scared. Saying that if they passed a big angry cyclops from its own cave and survived, they shouldnt fear them. Odysseus encourages them and lifts their spirits. Lastly, when asking Circe if there is another way to escape Scylla and Charybdis, without having his men killed, she said there isnt. Scylla and Charybdis are immortal destroyers. Meaning, if Odysseus wanted to kill them, he wouldnt have a chance to and would get all his men and himself killed. Which made Odysseus choose to sacrifice six of his men, instead of all of them. Campbell states that People of exceptional character shine from within, are approachable, willing to listen and always contribute to raising the morale of everyone around them. To be a great leader, we must come to appreciate all people. From looking at what she said, this describes what Odysseus is to his men. Overall, this shows how dedicated or connected he is to his men, which is a quality we would need to have for a great leader. Although Odysseus made mistakes, he still showcases great leadership. According to the article, Soapbox; An Odyssey by Marcia Worth-Baker, who is also a teacher, made her students imagine themselves as Odysseus, to persuade their classmates, who is acting as Odysseuss men, to come to the front of the room if they showed good leadership. One by one, the students came to the front of the room. The last student, Jennifer, came to the front and stated her speech. She stated, Look, I know that I havent been the greatest leader so far, but Im going to learn from my mistakes. If we meet another monster like Cyclops, Ill try to talk to him as an equal instead of going for violence. Then maybe the gods will help us get home. Im also going to ask for help from Athena and Zeus and listen to what all of you say about which way we should try to go home. I know that you want to see your families. I want to get back to Penelope and Telemachus. So, I promise that well sail straight home with Athenas guidance. (Worth-Baker, Soapbox; An Odyssey, page 2). When she finished, she watches her classmate join her in the front of the classroom. This article shows, that even though Odysseus made some mistakes along the way, his men still trusts him. Odysseus has great leadership for his men to be able to trust him a lot, even with the mistakes he made. From reading The Odyssey by Homer, the traits that Odysseus showcase throughout the story, showcase great leadership. Odysseus is brave, clever, and caring. The leaders today, have a lot to learn from Odysseus. From these many difficult challenges that came to Odysseus, he still overcame them and showed a good model to his men. If our leaders now were to act like Odysseus, younger generation can look up to these inspirational role models and help our country to become an even better one.