Friday, January 24, 2020

Stream of Consciousness in Ernest Hemingways A Farewell to Arms :: Farewell Arms Essays

Stream of Consciousness in A Farewell to Arms      Ã‚  Ã‚   Many important American writers came to prominence during the Jazz Age, but their commonalities often stopped there. From lyrical to sparse, many different styles can be seen among these authors, such as those of Henry James, Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway. One stylistic technique, stream of consciousness, was most associated with Joyce. Yet, Hemingway also used this technique with regularity and it is an important element in his war novel, A Farewell to Arms. This technique uses the interior monologue of a character to convey information, and thus the reader is allowed a more fluid picture of the true thoughts of the character, in this case, Lieutenant Frederick Henry. Also, the information contained in these stream of consciousness passages would not have been as effectively expressed in traditional prose style.    There are six specific passages in A Farewell to Arms that exemplify the stream of consciousness technique. Each of these is related to one of the themes of drunkenness and confusion, escape and fantasy, and disillusionment. These themes are presented in a progression, as Henry becomes more demoralized about his life and the war. The first passage comes early, as he relives the experiences of his weeks on leave. The Lieutenant has been drinking and his memories flow like the speech of an intoxicated person; continuing on from one subject to the next without regard for the listener. Of course, the reader is the only "listener" here, but there is a sense that Henry truly is lost in his own thoughts. His reeling thoughts attempt to summarize the previous few weeks in the following passage:    I had gone. . . to the smoke of cafes and nights when the room whirled and you needed to look at the wall, nights in bed, drunk, when you knew that that was all there was, and the strange excitement of waking and not knowing who it was with you, and the world all unreal in the dark and so exciting that you must resume again unknowing and not caring in the night, sure that this was all and all and all and not caring (13).    This description is in direct contrast to a previous description of the cold, clear, scenic Abruzzi, Henry's alternative vacation spot, emphasizing his confusion as well as the sensory overload of the Cova.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Principles of Life Essay

â€Å"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.† -Thomas paine .This thinking of Paine’s motivated the uneducated man forward despite his fallen human condition and bring hope to the common man, a secuatious nation, and the entirety of mankind. We all have some sort of principles that we at least claim to have, whether or not we actually live by them. If you want to have a principle driven life, the first thing you have to do is determine what your principles are. The way to begin determining your principles is to try to think of things you would always or never do, regardless of circumstances. The list of â€Å"never do† and The list of â€Å"always do†When you look at these lists, there should be some core things that join them togetherThese things that lie behind the actions on your â€Å"never do† and â€Å"always do† lists are your principles.Well, the first thing to do is commit them into your memory and your heart. That way they are always with you, and you can always consider them when deciding which path to take at any particular point in life. A good start to living by your principles would be these ten pillars of a principal driven life: Honesty Integrity Priorities Commitment Persistence Learning From Your Past Be Yourself Courage. Self-confidence When all ten are intact, keeping the focus of your life on your principles is, easy With each one that falls, it becomes harder and harder to keep your focus Ethics and ethical principles extend to all spheres of human activity. Ethics serve to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct and provide reasons for conclusions.When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule (â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you), or a wise aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius. A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living. Charles R. Swindoll Most people learn ethical norms at home, at school,or in other social settings. Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong during childhood, moral development occurs throughout life and human beings pass through different stages of growth as they mature. Ethical norms are so omnipresent that one might be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality were nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society? One plausible explanation of these disagreements is that all people recognize some common ethical norms but different individuals interpret, apply, and balance these norms in different ways in light of their own values and life experiences. Most societies also have legal rules that govern behavior, but ethical norms tend to be broader and more informal than laws. it is important to remember that ethics and law are not the same. when Mohandas K. Gandhi was assassinated, George C. Wallace, the United States Secretary of state said that â€Å"Gandhi had become a spokesman for the conscience of all mankind a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires† Gandhi promoted simple living, non-violence, and forgiveness as a way to unite all people peacefully. These principles helped him to liberate his people As quoted by Napoleon Bonaparte† Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them. â€Å"