Gregor and Meursault heroic Essay Example for Free

Gregor and Meursault heroic Essay The prosecutor who [is] leafing through a file [ask Marie] bluntly when [Meursault and Maries] liaison begun. She [mentions] the date. The prosecutor [remarks] indifferently that it [appears] to be the day after mothers death11. We assume that Meursault experiences many stimulating physical sensations when [Marie comes] back to [his] place12 that day. Many spectators may view Meursault as a person who is indifferent to everything, in actuality, he is very in tune with his physical feelings and has a specific moral code in which he lives by. His physical sensations are the result of his actions. An example is when he kills the Arab; the heat from the sun causes him to pull the trigger of the gun. All I could feel were the cymbals the sun was clashing against my forehand the sea swept ashore a great breath of fire. My whole being went tense and I tightened my grip on the gun. The trigger gave 13 Even though Meursault kills the Arab, he is still a hero because the reader is always made aware of the reason of his choice. He is a man who believes in only telling the complete truth. He does not match his words and feelings to simply meet the expectations of others. Meursault is so far removed from the typical human conditions of life that he has his own system in which he values and abides by. Every humans action becomes justifiable when the person is able to wholly understand them; this is what Meursault is able to do. He sees no reason to pretend that he feels guilty for killing the Arab in court or pretend to grieve for his dead mother, because in his world, he does not need a reason to justify his actions. He is condemned to death merely because the world does not understand him. As a result, we sympathize for him and recognize him as a tragic hero. Although we might assume that Meursault is indifferent to his own death, he accepts it because he knows that in the end, everyone dies. His relentless insistence on telling the absolute truth is the reason that he is condemned to death, and is what he dies representing. He dies as a hero by rebelling against the order of society. Thus in the end, Meursault realizes his victory and states his last wish: For the final consummation and for me to feel less lonely, my last wish was that there should be a crowd of spectators at my execution and that they should greet me with cries of hatred. 14 He hopes that his death would make the people who he lives among angry at him, for rejecting the rules by which they themselves have to obey. Camus integrates his idea of heroism in The Outsider through Meursault, where the hero is a man who is relentless in giving up his way of life to satisfy others even if it means dying for it. The two protagonists, Gregor and Meursault, become heroes through peoples belief that they are indifferent. The perception that they are indifferent is only based on peoples ideas of what is considered acceptable behavior and emotional response towards a certain events. Gregor did not die from indifference to life, but as an act of sacrifice that would allow his family to continue with their lives happily. Both his deaths are essential to revitalize the spirits of the Samsa family, his willingness to place his family ahead of himself makes him a hero. Meursault, on the other hand, is a tragic hero condemned to death because no one understands his values. Peoples acuity on the traits of the protagonists in The Metamorphosis and The Outsiders make them valiant. Jane Kwong English A1 HL June 2003 Word Count: 1487 World Literature Assignment #1: Perceived Indifference of Gregor and Mersault, in The Metamorphosis and The Outsider, makes them heroic. 1 The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition hero 2 The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition indifferent 3 The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition indifferent 4 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 17 5 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 54 6 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 52 7 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 54 8 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 58 9 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 1 10 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 21 11 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 90 12 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 24 13 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 60 14 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 117.

Comparing Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays papers

"Dr Heidegger's Experiment" An eccentric aging physician, Dr. Heidegger, calls together his old friends and contemporaries to test his waters of the "fountain of youth." As the doctor himself sits by to enjoy the show, each of his four aged friends eagerly quaffs more and more of the magic potion, each draught further carrying them backwards into their shared youth. Having grown young, smooth-skinned and agile again, the three men begin to fight for the favors of the fourth compatriot now restored to her former beauty. In the heat of the fracas, they begin to grow tired and within minutes the effect of the "waters" has worn away. The participants in the brief respite from old age are devastated by the transience of the experience. Despite Heidegger's warning that he has learned to appreciate the advantage of age by watching the four of them make themselves fools, they learned no such lesson and resolve to make a pilgrimage to Florida to seek the Fountain. "The Birthmark" A devoted scientist, in a brief step from his laboratory pursuits, marries a beautiful woman with a single physical flaw: a birthmark on her face. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the imperfection and needs to remove it, to be happy with his wife. The tale evolves around his progressive frenzy to use his scientific skills to render his bride perfect and the faith of his submissive wife that the union can survive only if he accomplishes his goal. The author tells us that Aylmer "had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies..." and, in the secrecy of his laboratory he prepares the potion for Georgiana that results in the disappearance of the birthmark and the death of Aylmer's experimental subject. Comparison "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and "The Birthmark" can be compared in many aspects. Nathaniel Hawthorne used many of the same writing techniques in both stories. Both pieces share two common reoccuring themes. Also, the symbols in the story have like meanings. In both "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and "The Birthmark", Hawthorne uses the same writing style. In both stories Nathaniel Hawthorne writes as a realist, as opposed to a romancer. In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" Hawthorne writes about an actual event in history, Ponce de Leon's search for the Fountain of Youth on the Florida Peninsula. It does not matter if the Fountain of Youth exists or not it is a "real" legend. "Dr Heidegger's Experiment" is a situation that could have taken place. It is not a fantasy. "The Birthmark" is also a piece that could have happened. A beautiful woman could certainly be born with a

Mexicans and Discrimination Essay

Wetback, spic and beaner are a few of the words people use when talking about a Mexican. Mexican Americans have been the victim of discrimination throughout the history of the United States. Mexicans have a very big stereotype against them. One of the main reasons that they are discriminated against is because of their illegal immigration into the United States. Like many other groups Mexicans immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. Many Mexicans are left with no choice but to come to the U. S illegally because of the cost and obstacles that one has to go through to become a citizen. Because many Mexicans come to the U. S. illegally they are often forced to work physically demanding jobs for less money. Mexican Americans have a long history of experiencing nativism and racism which has resulted in a number of discriminatory conditions and consequences such as, social and geographical segregation, employment discrimination, patterns of abuse at the hands of law enforcement officials, vigilante murder and justice, substandard education, electoral fraud, exclusion from petit and grand juries, forced dislocations from their neighborhoods, voter intimidation, and language discrimination. (Galaviz 2007) Mexicans work under the secondary sector of the Dual labor market. The secondary Dual Labor market has low incomes, little job security, and little training. There are also no rewards apart from wages. Mexicans are forced to work for very low wages either because, as non-citizens, they lack options, or because they may realistically perceive themselves as â€Å"best off† here, even at very cheap wages, than they were back home. (Aponte 1990) For example, many companies offer very poor working conditions and minimum wage because they know that illegal immigrants have no choice but to accept these conditions because of their status. After the United States victory in the Mexican-American War in 1848 a forced treaty was signed. The treaty was known as Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty required Mexico to give up over half its land to the United States in exchange for 15 million dollars. Land given up by Mexico included California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo also guaranteed that Mexican citizens living in surrendered lands would be able to keep property rights and would be given United States citizenship if they remained in surrendered lands for at least one year. However, the property rights of Mexicans were ignored by the United States government and local officials. Mexicans were slowly forced from lands which their families had held for generations in many cases. Many organizations, businesses, and homeowners associations had official policies to exclude Mexican Americans. In many areas across the Southwest, Mexican Americans lived in separate residential areas, due to laws and real estate company policies. This group of laws and policies, known as redlining, lasted until the 1950s, and fall under the concept of official segregation. In many other instances, it was more of a general social understanding among Anglos that Mexicans should be excluded. For instance, signs with the phrase â€Å"No Dogs or Mexicans† were posted in small businesses and public pools throughout the Southwest well into the 1960s. Mexicans were also restricted from being jurors, even if the case involved a Mexican. Schools also discriminated against Mexican children and eventually Mexicans were made to open their own schools. Though times have changed Mexicans are still discriminated against because of the stereotype they are associated with. Many believe that all Mexicans come over here illegally and do not deserve the same rights as citizens do. Even now people believe that Mexicans should be sent back to Mexico and an example of that is Phoenix, Arizona and its Immigration Law.

Genetic Testing and Its Social Implications Essays

Probably, applied genetics most impacts on society are as a result of genetic tests. In general, genetic tests seek to detect some feature of a persons genetic constitution. This feature can be a disease causing mutation or a marker DNA sequence used to detect presence of another gene. Obviously these procedures used for testing the status of DNA, RNA or chromosomes are included in genetic tests. What is more it is possible to include some protein based tests and classical medical examinations when they aim to detect inheritance of a trait. Genetic tests have been divided into four categories in this text, and they will be examined in greater detail later. These categories are: brliPrenatal tests that are applied on fetuses during†¦show more content†¦br br3. Tests should not be carried out if there is not sufficient reason to do so. The person tested may face extremely unfavorable outcomes and this may cause psychological distress. Deciding to get married, becoming pregnant, taking some medical precautions before the first symptoms come about and taking financial and career decisions are examples of reasons that justify taking of a test. br br4. The rights of knowing someones own health status and keeping that information private to oneself should be provided to all members of a society. Only the individual should have full access to information about his own genetic constitution and others should be prevented by legal regulations. As we have said above, the results of genetic tests can sometimes be detrimental to the individual. If a person does not want to know the information, its nobodys business nor right to declare it. This includes even not explaining favorable test results without the individuals request. br br5. Influences of genetic tests can sometimes go far beyond the nuclear family. Especially in some illnesses penetrance shows extreme variability. 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