The Best Way for Women to Survive Essay Example for Free

The Best Way for Women to Survive Essay â€Å"I hope that she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool†, Daisy says in the book The Great Gatsby written by F.Scott Fitzerald (20). In her mind, to be foolish is the best way to survive in the 1920’s in America, an era when women are not treated as fairly as men. Based on Nick’s narration, Daisy is an extraordinarily charming, desirable, but careless and selfish character who is married to a wealthy and, powerful, young man named Tom Buchanan. Daisy breaks the promise with Gatsby, as a smart and subtle woman, who only concerns herself with her own benefits. However, she acts superficially as a poor fool since she always lives in her own illusion, and doesn’t know what is she really wants. When Daisy confronts a situation that she needs to make choices between things, she always runs away from them and prefers to keep everything unchanged and controlled, in order to get rid of the pressure, insecurity and conflicts in her deep inside. None but a fool would do such a thing since everyone knows that nothing lasts forever. To marry Tom is what Daisy has to do because she is tired of waiting, waiting for Gatsby to come back. She feels satisfied and secured when she decides to marry Tom. However, on the night before her wedding, Daisy pulls out â€Å"a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars†, and wants Jordan â€Å"tell’em all Daisy’s change her mine†, and she â€Å"cried and cried† (91, 92). Finally, â€Å"the pearls were around her neck and the incident was over† only â€Å"half an hour later† (92). After Daisy receives a letter from Gatsby, she does try to change her mind for Gatsby. However, this sudden letter breaks Daisy’s plan. Daisy can’t accept this change because she wants a steady life out of her illusion, which is in her control. As a result, she is married to Tom to finish what she plans to. After the marriage, even though Daisy suffers from the betrayal and abandonment from Tom, she still stays with him. She puts her real feelings away and walks into her â€Å"well-designed†Ã‚  illusory world. For instance, when Tom receives a call from his mistress, he goes inside to pick up the call without a world, Daisy then â€Å"suddenly threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into house† (17). In other words, Daisy clearly knows the affair of her husband. She just buries her miserable emotion inside and doesn’t complain. Moreover, on the day when Daisy’s daughter is born, Tom is â€Å"God knows where† (20). This implies one of the causes why Daisy feels â€Å"cynical† about everything and becomes more careless (19). It is torturing that her husband does not stay with her even on the day her daughter was born but what Daisy does is just turning away her head and weeping hopelessly. There is no doubt that Daisy understands her marriage is based on the money. She doesn’t gain happiness even though she gets her so called security and wealth from Tom. Ironically, she pretends that everything is going well and doesn’t face the problems in her life. Isn’t she a fool? Apparently, she just tries to obtain what would make her life easier, without realizing what she really wants. Daisy knows about her life as a certain way: calm and stable. Therefore, she would never choose Gatsby before she met Tom nor after her marriage. When Gatsby requires Daisy to tell Tom she never loves Tom, Daisy cried to Gatsby, â€Å"You want too much. I love you now—isn’t that enough?† (158). The word â€Å"cried† vividly exhibits how scared and nervous Daisy is at that time, which also reveals that she doesn’t even know how to deal with the problems that happens beyond her illusion. Additionally, she â€Å"sobs helplessly† and says to Gatsby, â€Å"I did love him once—but I loved you too† (159). To keep her marriage with Tom and affair with Gatsby at the same time definitely is a silly, bad idea, which foreshadows that Daisy would have chosen one of them eventually. What’s more, Daisy runs away with Tom after the car accident. After all Gatsby is the one who takes the blame of killing for Daisy, but she neither calls Gatsby nor goes to his funeral. Once again, from the beginning to the end, Daisy never thinks about to elope with Gatsby because she can’t accept the truth: the appearance of Gatsby is about to ruin her life which is supposed to be stable. Daisy realizes that she is living in her illusion, but she is still unwilling to face the truth. After struggling with the conflicts in her mind, she always chooses to escape from the reality. She gets what she wants from Tom, but at the expense of losing her morality and the ability and right of enjoying the true love and pursuing  what she wants. As a woman living in 1920s when women are tend to be ignored, Daisy’s destiny can be said as a misery, or tragedy. When Daisy is being lured to go away from husband and family by Gatsby, her marriage is put into the edge and, she is blamed for the affair. Being a product for which the men are fighting further emphasizes that, Daisy’s sadness and all her careless, foolish actions are resulted from the cruel society. From all of Daisy’s sufferings, it is not hard to understand that why she says she wants her daughter to be a little fool at the beginning of the book. Truly, only being a fool can she avoid herself from a ll the unnecessary problems. Work Cited Fitzgerald, F S. The Great Gatsby. 1st ed. Toronto, Ontario: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Print.

Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved - Freedom and Independence

Freedom and Independence in Beloved  Ã‚      Toni Morrison’s important novel Beloved is a forceful picture of the black American experience.   By exploring the impact slavery had on the community, Beloved evolves around issues of race, gender, and the supernatural.   By revealing the story of slavery and its components, Morrison declares the importance of independence as best depicted by Sixo.   The combination of an individual amongst a community sets forth the central theme of moving from slavery to freedom and reconnecting with family and community. Sixo is one of the nine slaves living on Sweet Home, a Kentucky plantation.   A young man in his twenties, Morrison introduces him as â€Å"the wild man† (11) without explanation.   Later, Paul D describes Sixo as â€Å"Indigo with a flame-red tongue† (21).   He is closer to the African experience then the other slaves.   Morrison portrays Sixo as the odd man out in an attempt at underlining the idea of an individual in a community.   Community at Sweet Home is the only reassuring object possessed by the slaves.   The relationship among fellow slaves creates a â€Å"mock† community, which is enough to satisfy everyone.   Morrison utilizes Sixo as rebellious and clever, one who refuses to conform to his predicament.   Physically a slave, Sixo rejects his position and remains a spirited man who takes night walks and dances among the trees to keep his bloodlines open.   Although black sexuality is dominated by slavery, he chooses his own woman and controls his own destiny.   Sixo â€Å"plotted down to the minute a thirty-mile trip to see a woman.† (21) Despite the bounds of slavery, Sixo asserts his independence and searched for a better life and family of his own.   In an attempt to free himself from the restrai... ...Sixo’s characterization defines how slaves managed to remain people despite slavery.   Morrison places Sixo in the novel Beloved, to express the manifestation of community as well as individualism.   Sixo uses the strengths of the Sweet Home community to independently search for an identity of his own.   Without the consistent community of Sweet Home, Sixo could not of ventured upon journey after journey in search of personal freedom. The steady community enabled Sixo to express a rebellious independence, that otherwise would have been lost.   Sixo maintained a sense of self, lost by many others.   Beloved explains that the independent spirit and the belief in personal self worth can not be maintained without the presence of an impermeable community, and the individual desire for freedom. Works Cited: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York, Penguin Books USA Inc, 1988.

Effect of Institutional racism on Essay

Racism is the discrimination or negative attitude of people against other people purely because of their race. Institutional racism is a form of racism structured into political and social institutions. The institutions include schools and collages, while political include government and other government Parastatals or corporation. The consequence of this kind of social segregation is always negative. It some times leads to wars, hatred and in some instances low self esteem by the subject in this case. Racial discrimination stated long ago and its effect has always been negative. In page 3 of The Guardian that is dated 5th September 2008. The heading of the newspaper is: â€Å"Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools, says study† written by Editor Polly Curtis. The essence of the story in this case is to highlight the rampant racial discrimination of Caribbean children in English schools. This has largely undermined their academic and social life, further researcher had uncovered evidence that teachers routinely under-estimate the abilities of some black pupils, suggesting that assumptions about behavioural problems have overshadowed their academic talents. The findings on a survey which tracked 15,000 pupils through their education also add weight to the theory that low achievement among some black students is worsened because teachers don’t expect them to succeed. This relates well to the topic of Institutional racism because in this case racism is in a school setting where all pupils are supposed to be treated fairly irrespective of their race. But in this case black Caribbean’s are discriminated upon and this has subsequently resulted to their poor performance in school. The significance of this story in the Guardian is to put in light what is happening among the students in this particular school concerning the racism issue. This is elaborated by the statistics that show how racism has affected the black Caribbean in this particular school. Such as a third of capable black Caribbean pupils are not entered to take the hardest papers in tests at 14. Hence the issue being addressed by this statistics is institutional racism in English schools. This story affects me in different ways, its sad to note that at this age people are still being judged by the color of their skin rather than by their character and abilities. It frustrates me to hinder other people from achieving their full potential because of racism. In my point of view, its vital to note that none of us decided their race and that all humans are created equal and their variation in melanin content should never be a judgment factor but rather an ideology of the past. It’s vital for people to know that our abilities, talents are independent of our skin color. This story not only affects me but it also affects the society involved because they loose potential people in from optimizing their potential because of their unworthy discrimination of their color. This story encourages me to do something different by advocating against racial discrimination not only in schools but rather in the entire society. I will accomplish this by giving examples of how people of different races have won the Nobel peace price. Whites, Blacks, Asians have won the price. This vehemently states that the color of our skin has nothing to do with our ability. Sources Polly Curtis, Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools, says study The guardian newspaper on the web 5th September 2008

The American Of The Revolutionary War Essay - 2253 Words

In the years leading up to the revolutionary war, there was much conflict over the rights and wrongs of the British Empire towards the colonists. There were a few important factors and a few more minor factors that influenced patriots’ decisions to turn against their homeland and beloved monarch back in England. Thomas Paine’s childhood in England left a strong impact on him and influenced his mindset when he turned against the British. The unfairness of political and societal norms made him desire a new society that disregards social classes and allows more people to vote. Again, much of his decision to turn patriot, and his writings convincing most others to turn patriot was caused by life circumstances of being on the bottom rung of society and suffering the injustices of the government towards the common folk. Little Tom was born to Joseph and Frances Cocke Pain on the 29th of January 1737, in the village of Thetford, in Norfolk county, England. Little did they know that in years to come he would change the course of History with his literary works. While most children in Thetford village were apprenticed as young as seven years old, Thomas learned how to read and write first- fostering his intelligence from a young age. His teachers noticed his natural tendencies towards learning and lent him literature. These books ignited a desire to visit the new world, as he later said: â€Å"My inclination from that day for seeing the western side of the Atlantic never left me.† TheShow MoreRelatedThe American Revolutionary War796 Words   |  3 PagesThe American Revolutionary War was a long hard fought war that lasted about 8 years. Many Countries were involved in the war, such as The United States, France, Great Britain, Spain, and The Dutch Republic. Not all countries actually fought but they provided either side with weapons and supplies to help them have a greater chance of winning the war. More than 70,000 people were killed during the great American Revolutionary War. The Americans were tired of the loyalist British taking advantage ofRead MoreAmerican Revolutionary War781 Words   |  4 PagesAMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR It all started at Jamestown when people first started to colonize America. When the 13 colonies were formed America wanted to separate from Great Britain. The former King George III wouldn’t allow this though. With the onset of the ministry, Britain increased its political power in the colonies in more direct ways. Colonists were bombarded with such policies that many considered to be unjust. Policies such as the Sugar Act of 1764 brought an increased awareness of BritishRead MoreThe American Revolutionary War Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesStates of America the American Revolution is called the American War of Independence but in Europe it is more commonly referred to as the American Revolutionary War. Though it is a minor terminological difference it impacts how a reader will view the war. Naming plays a large role in the perception of an event. With this said, one must also note that Sarson, though teaching in Britain, received his PhD at John Hopkins University in Baltimo re. This would give Sarson an American viewpoint on many aspectsRead MoreThe War Of The American Revolutionary War1104 Words   |  5 Pages18th century America had its contentions with the British which led to the American Revolutionary war. Some of these contentions were; The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and The Declaration of Independence. These events were the cause of the establishing of a new free country called The United States of America. The first troops came to Boston in October 1868 from that point on the colonists (which were Americans) were not happy with them because of the corrupted mischief that took placeRead MoreThe American Revolutionary War1223 Words   |  5 Pagesabout the American Revolutionary War, however, the answer is clear. While the War certainly brought about change within the United States, it wasn’t necessarily very revolutionary. The most important aspects of the colonies, such as ideas about government, various types of societal equality, slavery and freed blacks, and the rights of women remained for the most part, unaffected. The theories and ideas about government that initially gave the war a purpose were definitely revolutionary. One notableRead MoreAmerican Revolutionary War2411 Words   |  10 Pagesthe revolution was the American embrace of a political ideology called republicanism, which was dominant in the colonies by 1775. 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American Revolution Prompt: Analyze the extent to which the American Revolutionary War was truly ‘revolutionary?’† The American Revolution, which occurred approximately from 1765 to 1786, is also known as the American Revolutionary War and the U.S. War of Independence, for good reason. The conflict rose from rising tensions amid the people of Great Britain’s thirteen American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. ClashesRead MoreThe Revolutionary War And The American Revolution915 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Revolution was an important turning point in that process as it marked the beginning of the end slavery in the northern states and, by contrast, its intensification in most of the southern states. When I think about how the Revolutionary War affected enslaved African Americans it was quite interesting. After reading the testimony of one the ex slave right around the the time of the Revolutionary War still seemed harsh. Samuel Elliot was born into slavery and was a farmer. When many of