Gay Marriage Opinion Essay Example for Free

Gay Marriage Opinion Essay Mainwaring goes on to argue that because â€Å"Only a little more than 53%† of the signers were Republican, and the rest an assortment of parties, gay marriage is a â€Å"common, mainstream concern†, to be shared among citizens of all backgrounds. Mainwaring defends the signers of this petition, stating that because they signed an anti-gay marriage petition, their actions cannot be chalked up to homophobic motives. He says that â€Å"the vast majority simply view ‘marriage’ as an immutable term that can only apple to heterosexuals†, and that â€Å"’we’ shouldn’t mess with [the term marriage]†. I mentioned before that Mainwaring’s opinion on this topic is considerably unique. This is because he himself is, in fact, gay. It was not only the fact that Mainwaring decided to mention this, but also the juxtaposition of this statement that was mildly infuriating to me. To me, placing the fact that he is gay directly after his statements defending the people who signed the petition is a bit like an African-American saying â€Å"I think blacks should be subject to a lower standard of living than whites†¦and it’s okay for me to think this because I’m black! If a black person were to say this today, this would be considered socially unacceptable from nearly every person in this country, and it should be the same for Mainwaring and all other gays. It’s extremely difficult for me to even begin to wrap my head around how Mainwaring can even have this opinion. How he can blatantly undermine the oppressed minority he has categorized himself into, simply because â€Å"we should not attempt to force into an old construct something that was never meant for same-sex partnerships† is appalling. Mainwaring believes that simply because the term â€Å"marriage† has meant one thing for the past two hundred years, it simply cannot be open to interpretation, like many other dated laws. So many different sections of the constitution have been twisted and bent toward various opinions, just as the following should be. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The argument that Mainwaring is trying to make is ill-supported and weak. It is less credible that the late 1920’s â€Å"Separate but Equal† mantra, considering civil unions, which Mainwaring proposes for gays, are in no way even close to being equal to a â€Å"traditional† marriage. Before the Civil Rights Movement, many people were raised to believe that blacks were meant to be inferior. However, as awareness arose, people began to realize that this simply is not true; under the eyes of the law, there should be virtually no difference between a black person and a white person. Likewise, there should be no difference between a gay or a straight couple. A civil union is in no way a reasonable alternative for gays, and if us as Americans were to make that statement the new â€Å"traditional†, there one day in the future may be no limits on the term â€Å"marriage†.

Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers

Explore the role and function of the narrators in Wuthering Heights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ellis Bell was criticised not only for the novel’s blasphemous nature and violent plot but a lack of conclusive moral. It seems freedom of expression was tolerated as long as the reader was left in no doubt of the righteous path. Bronte liberates the reader from this sense of duty and distinguishes her novel from its Victorian contemporaries. Helping to accomplish this task is her style of narration, being unusually structured in the concentric circles of Lockwood and Nelly Dean.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lockwood descends on the Yorkshire moors, like the reader unaware of the turbulence that the ‘beautiful country’ conceals. I have read that Bronte’s original purpose of the book was to show Lockwood the meaning of love and her choice of name, ‘Lockwood’, implies a depth that is not on display nor easy to withdraw. (From this respect it is an ambitious novel for Emily Bronte to attempt as her life is from all accounts barren of much romantic attachment. Perhaps her impression of love mimics Isabella Linton’s adoration for a Byronic Heathcliff, an ideal never quite within reach.) Lockwood strikes me as a character who is much astonished by his own intelligence, he dilutes his account of the Heights with Latinate words and pompous expressions, ‘relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs’. Either this is an early indication of his arrogance, later confirmed by his unlikely fear that Catherine would regret a union with Hareton on observing how ‘tolerably attractive’ he was or possibly the ‘primitive’ nature of the Heights provokes him to use language that he associates with civilised society in order to feel comfortable in an evidently uneasy situation. If this be the case Bronte mocks the established politeness of introduction showing his language to be simply a faà §ade disguising his unsettled emotions. This language helps him to preserve his detached demeanour as only once is the reader given an insight to his insecure character. He relates an amusing incident in which a ‘goddess’ he professed to be in love with hinted at a reciprocation of feeling that unfortunately caused him to flee rabbit-like, rapidly lessening the warmth of his ‘glances’. This minor incident demonstrates his inability to handle complex emotions and in comparison to the forthcoming passion of Cathy and Heathcliff, Lockwood appears all the more sheltered. It is as though a distant relative of the Lintons has come to call.

Is Gatsby’s Dream Defeated by Nothing More Than Time Itself? Essay

Top of Form F.Scott Fitzgerald have set up in his novel â€Å"The Great Gatsby† the different views of how â€Å"ultimately, Gatsby’s dream is defeated by nothing more nor less than Time itself.†, such as Gatsby’s inability to diffrentiate between reality and illusion and his build-up of unrealistic dreams. However, there are also other ways in which his dream can be defeated, other than time itself. The significance and importance of the presence of time as well as other significant factors are both heightened by Fitzgerald’s skillful use of range of key techniques such as symbolism, metaphors, foreshadowing, characterisation to effectively convey the extension of my agreement towards whether or not Gatsby’s dream is defeated by time. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s inability to distinguish between reality and illusion to speak of the defeat of his dream through Gatsby’s ideal persona and through the act of his house as a metaphor. Gatsby’ s downfall seems to be result of his inablity to see through and beyond illusions- especially when â€Å"he sprang from his platonic conception of himself.† We can see that it’s the attempt itself and the firm belief that he can achieve the impossible that is more than the sum of his reality. Gatsby conforms to the ideal of himself that can transform reality to possibility. Therefore, using this to his advantage Gatsby ha crafted Daisy into the ideal woman that he wishes her to be. Fitzgerald writes: â€Å"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams–not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.† As a reader, we can all recognise that Daisy is only a regular, rich western girl. However, because Gatsby has made her more perfect than she actually is in his imagination,this suggests that the â€Å"colossal vitality of his illusions† of Gatsby, the idealized version of himself is what thrown him into the idea that Daisy is perfect. By doing this, I think that Fiztgerald intends to critisize how people in the 1920s blindly giving meaning to the idealism of the American Dream, as much as Gatsby is trying to give as much perfection to his own love, Daisy. Furthermore, another idea of illusion present in Gatsby is his â€Å"failure,  incoherent of a house.† By describing his house as a failure and by using the word â€Å"incoherent†, the mansion is suggestive of the measure of failure of the democratic ideals. For many years, Gatsby presented his house with demoractic ordeals to enhance his aristocratic image and wealth. Therefore by doing this, Gatsby has hidden away traces of himself which further deepens his illusions and driven him to live in it, as much as his house is an unrealistic object he uses to only impress Daisy. Thus, I do agree that Gatsby is driven by his illusions to an extent that when he faces with reality when Daisy leaves him, he realizes that his dream is gone forever. Fitzgerald also uses Gatsby’s desire to rewind time to show how his dream is defeated, through the manner of Gatsby and the symbolism of the clock in Nick’s house. After Gatsby’s tale with Daisy begins with he fa lling in love with her in 1917, he is devastated to see her married with Tom. When Nick says â€Å"you can’t repeat the past† and Gatsby confidently replied with â€Å"of course you can, old sport.† This determination in Gatsby’s saying manage to highlight his desperation and longing to return to the past, where all of his memories and Daisy were stored. At one point his nervousness during his first meeting with Daisy in Nick’s house, he â€Å"knocks a broken clock off the mantel, catching it just before it hits the ground†. The readers can see that this clock goes beyond Gatsby’s nervousness, but is a symbolic nature of his desire for time to stop. In a way, the clock stopped at a specific point in time and is seen to be trapped, just as Gatsby’s life stopped when he was hit with the realization that while he was poor and the fact he could never have Daisy. He’s been so busy chasing a dream rather than enjoying reality, therefore like the clock, he is emotionally stunted in his mindset when he has loved Daisy in the past. Thus, I do agree that even though Gatsby’s dream is defeated by the presence of time, but time doesn’t stop for anyone and this also allow characters like Daisy to have a change of heart-Daisy is no longer a sweet girl Gatsby knew long time ago- but now a selfish woman with a voice â€Å"full of money†. The obsession of wealth that caused Daisy to love Gatsby’s superficial image only proves to us that repeating the past under the influence of the American Dream is impossible. Other than time itself, Fitzgerald also uses comparison to show the hopelessness in Gatsby’s defeated dream even before he was bornt. Nick finishes his story when he â€Å"became aware of the old island here that  flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes- a fresh green breast of the new world.† Fitzgerald have created the imagery of explorers travelling long distances, from East to West, to escape from their corrupted nations. The use of â€Å"Dutch† people here suggests their root coming from the western, and when America was found, they â€Å"flowered† of a new nation of peace and moral status. However, we can see that America itself is now corrupted- highlighting that despite the fact the Dutch wants to create something new and of value, the fact that their root coming from corruption doesn’t go away, and instead brought karma with them here tchuo the new land. Therefore like the Americans, characters in the Great Gatsby travelled west to east in search for wealth while leaving behind the social and moral values, and thus implies how Fitzgerald successfully present to the readers how people like Tom and Daisy- their immorality and purposelessness were created. Like the others, Gatsby choose this way and since he cheated his way to success, his dream failed due to the class distinctions that were present even before his existence. Gatsby’s American Dream is seen to be achieving Daisy, but when Gatsby is no longer the man she used to love, but rather a man of great success and prosperity, this proves to us the heartlessness in characters like Daisy that’ s in contrast to the basic nobility of Gatsby’s character. Thus, I do disagree that even though Gatsby can’t defeat the power of time, his dream is already out of his reach since young. However, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s build-up of sentimental dreams overtime to prove that he’s defeated by time. Gatsby set out to reach for his dream when he met his Dan Cody. During the time he travelled with Cody, he experienced a glamorous life and began to dream of a bright future where Daisy is present in it. At the end of chapter 1 Nick saw Gatsby â€Å"stretched out his arms towards the dark water† tat is a â€Å"single green light at the end of the dock.† For a long time the action of Gatsby â€Å"stretched out† is a representation of the future that he longs for. The â€Å"green light† at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams of an ideal life though he’s oblivious to the unattainable nature of his wishes. However, Gatsby reaches not only for Daisy herself but for this idea of Daisy and the utopian future he associates with her. Nick muses that â€Å"it had not been merely the stars to which Gatsby had aspired on that June night.† In a sense, the readers can see that Gatsby is reaching for the stars as well. He heavily idealizes all of his dreams and builds  them up on a stellar level-so much to an extent that he loses track of time. I think Fitzgerald intends to do this in order to criticize and reveal the nature of the American society led by capitalist system, of creating false hopes for the nepotism in the roaring 1920s through characters like Gatsby living vicariously through the upper class society. Therefore, I agree to an extent that Gatsby is defeated by time because of his failure to pick up the facts that his dreams only exist as memories. In conclusion, Fitzgeral have displayed throughout the novel many aspects of how Gatsby’s dream is defeated by time and aspects of not only time itself. However, I think I would agree that Gatsby’s dream is largely been affected by the importance and presence of time in the novel- the last line of the book summarizes Gatsby’s struggle as â€Å"boats against the currents, born back ceaselessly into the past.† Though the green light symbolizes everything Gatsby wishes for, it directs him backwards in life instead of forwards. He never manages to understand that time doesn’t stop for anyone and move on. This also criticizes the cruel American society during the 1920s it leads to chaos and betrayals, it leads to destroying others who’s trying to reach their goals. Characters like tom and daisy were created and the American Dream failed everyone who tries satisfying themselves.

Symbols and Symbolism in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter...

Thesis Statement and Outline Thesis Statement: Nathaniel Hawthorne used symbolism to bring meaning into his book The Scarlet Letter. I. Symbolism A. Definition B. Style II. Symbolism in characters A. Hester B. Dimmesdale C. Chillingworth D. Pearl III. Symbolism in objects A. The scarlet letter B. The scaffold C. The forest D. The brook IV. Symbolic relations between characters and objects A. Characters and the scarlet letter B. Characters and the scaffold C. Pearl and the forest Nathaniel Hawthorne used symbolism to bring meaning into his book The Scarlet Letter. Generally speaking, a symbol is something that is used to stand for something else. In literature, it is most often a†¦show more content†¦He is at liberty to manipulate his materials, to shape them freely into meaningful patterns, so long as he does not violate the truth of the human heart ( Waggoner p. 69 ) . It is in the four major characters that Hawthornes powers as a symbolist are brought into fullest play. Each of his major characters symbolizes a certain view of sin and its effects on the human heart ( Dibble p. 80 ) . Hester Prynne is warm, alive, human - so much so that it is difficult to determine just where Hawthornes sympathies lie. She is a queenly figure who may have gotten her name from the biblical Esther. Queen Esther is a woman of courage, beauty, dignity, selflessness. Hester Prynne has all these qualities ( Bloom, p. 121 ) . She seems a virtual saint, a woman who walks in humility and patience but to others she is an unbending woman of pride, who glories in her sin. This glorifying of her sin is expressed the symbol she is forced to wear. Hester practices the art of symbolic overlay by which her community gives meaning and distinction to experience, and she suffers from the symbolism that she herself purveys ( Bloom, p. 130). After several years Hester, the woman taken in adultery, rises to saintliness as she becomes an angel of mercy to the community but her dreams of a new order of society can find no expression in her life and resignation is all she has to take the placeShow MoreRelated Power of Symbols and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1833 Words   |  8 PagesThe Power of the Symbol in The Scarlet Letter All classic literature uses symbolism in one way or another. Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter is no different. The very basis of every character, their personal appearance and way they act revolves around one thing, the Scarlet Letter. The scarlet letter is an A, in crimson fabric, worn by a Puritan woman for her act of adultery. Its very existence is solely to cause shame and remorse on Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl, who wasRead More Symbols and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1178 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism   in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne isnt noted for perfecting any famous literary style, for writing multiple best sellers, or even for contributing largely to classic American literature.   His only real claim to fame is The Scarlet Letter: a novel that was originally only meant to be yet another Hawthorne short story.   Because of this, it actually possesses many short story characteristics.   It is simpler and more complete than his other novels. (James 285)   It also hasRead More Symbols and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1157 Words   |  5 PagesSymbols in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In nearly every work of literature, readers can find symbols that represent feelings, thoughts or ideas within the text.   Such symbols can be found in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.   Hawthornes book about an affair between a woman named Hester and a minister named Arthur Dimmmesdale is full of feelings of sin, guilt, hate, secrecy, and honesty.   There are many symbols within the novel that can be interpreted to represent the key topicsRead MoreJosh Lyon. Mrs. Voshell. Honors English 10. 6 January 2017.979 Words   |  4 PagesJosh Lyon Mrs. Voshell Honors English 10 6 January 2017 Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Within The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses symbolism, â€Å"the use of symbols to represent ideas† (Bell 10), affluently. The amount of symbolism Hawthorne uses could lead some to believe that The Scarlet Letter is in fact an allegory. Nearly every object in Hawthorne’s novel is symbolic. Hawthorne uses everyday objects and places to symbolize many main themes, concepts, and ideas in the lives of Hester and Pearl asRead MoreSymbolism, Use Of Color, And Themes Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1657 Words   |  7 PagesSymbolism, Use of Color, and Themes in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the first symbolic novel in American Literature for Nathaniel Hawthorne s skillful use of symbolism and allegory. The novel is also said to be the greatest accomplishment of American short story and is viewed as the first American psychological novel, which makes Hawthorne win an incomparable position in American Literature. 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Often times, books will have cover art done by an artist whom has read the book to bring the book’s meanings and themes into one picture. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, has acquired many different renditions of the cover over the years from different artistsRead MoreSymbolism in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay681 Words   |  3 PagesSymbolism enhances the meaning of even a simple painting. It is when a person looks at the images in the painting and tries to understand why the painter made those images while another person looks at it and just calls it â€Å"dumb† without even trying to understand it. The latter person completely loses faith in the painting and misses the actual point. When people first read The Scarlet Letter, they notice not only the characters, but also the objects, which may be non-living, but carry tons of meaningRead More A Character Analysis of Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1494 Words   |  6 Pagesof Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Word Count Includes Outline at the End of the Paper The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel Pearl develops into a dynamic symbol; one that is always changing. In the following essay, I will explore Hawthornes symbolism of Pearl from birth, ageRead MoreSymbolism Of Forest And The Scarlet Letter1051 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism of Forest’s Aspects in Relation to the scarlet l`etter A In the Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the hurdles Hester Prynne, the protagonist, goes through due to her sinful nature with her child, the mocking Puritans, and the past always creeping up on her. Often these obstacles appear when she is in the forest, making it a very critical locality in the book. Nathaniel Hawthorne brilliantly uses symbolism to convey how the three main aspects of the forest—the stream, the logs