Category: Literature

Introduction

James Langston Hughes is regarded as one of the most prominent black writers of the early 20^th century. He was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1 1902 (Pericles 2). During his lifetime, he was a force to reckon with in the literature field, having been an established poet, novelist, playwright, columnist among other accomplishments.

He is especially regarded as an influential and iconic figure during the Harlem Renaissance during the early and mid 1920s. At his death as a result of cancer in 1967, he had several books, poems, plays and other works of art under his name.

Nikki Giovanni is another black writer who is famous for contributions in the American and African literature. This woman who was born on June 7, 1943, is many things rolled into one. She is a prolific poet, an accomplished writer, a civil rights commentator and activist as well as an educator. Today, she is a distinguished professor of English (Thompson 8) at Virginia University.

Background

This paper is going to compare two poems from these two poets. This author is going to analyze I Too by Langston Hughes and Ego Tripping by Nikki Giovanni. The themes of the two poems, their literary elements and versification are some of the areas that will be comparatively analyzed.

Thesis

The following is the thesis statement for this comparative poem analysis:

Langstons and Nikkis poems are differently similar as they address identical theme of race in different structures and expressions

Summary of the Two Poems

I Too

Langston wrote this poem in 1932 (Pericles 1), and the theme of the poem reflects the situation of the American society at the time. In 5 stanzas and 18 lines, this poet talks of racial discrimination in America during the 1930s (American Poems 2).

It is noted that it is at this time that racial discrimination in the American society was at its worst as a result of the Jim Crow laws. Using imagery and other literary elements, Langston, the persona in the poem, talks of how he is shunned and made to &&eat in the kitchen/when company comes (American Poems 4,5).

This is because he is the darker brother (line 2), and the family, or the American society at large, is ashamed of him. However, he does not despair. He sees a brighter tomorrow, when he will &&be at the table/(and)/Nobodyll dare/say to (him)/(to) eat in the kitchen [lines 8-13] (American Poems 8-13). He sees a tomorrow where black man will be equal to the white man.

The mood of the poem varies from stanza one to the last. Stanza 1, which is made of the line I, too, sing America, conveys a patriotic tone to those who may be doubting Langstons and the black Americans patriotism. It depicts the national anthem and ideal unity of all races in the country. In the second stanza, the tone changes to that of anger and call for strength (Pericles 9). The persona is not amused by the treatment the society affords him.

The third stanza assumes a cautionary tone, where the persona is cautioning the oppressors that things will change in the future. He will no longer be told to eat in the kitchen. The fourth stanza assumes a sneering tone, where the persona sneers at the reaction of the whites in days to come. The final line assumes the tone of triumph, where he proudly declares that I, too, am America (American Poems 18).

Ego Tripping

Like in the case of I Too, racial theme permeates in this poem by one of most prolific female black writers in America. However, this poem is longer than that of Langston. Whereas Langstons has 5 stanzas and 18 lines, Nikkis has 9 stanzas and 51 lines (Nikki 2). Like in Langstons poem, Nikki uses the first person narrative to talk of her pride as a black woman, equating herself to Allah in beauty and might. She talks of all the beautiful things that are African, from the gold mines to the oil deposits (Thompson 9).

Unlike in I Too where the mood of the persona changes as they progress through their narrative, the mood in Nikkis poem is the same throughout. She assumes an arrogant mood, and this is vividly depicted in stanza 2, where she says that I got hot and sent an ice age to Europe/to cool my thirst [lines 11-12] (Nikki 11-12). Here, she is showing her arrogance regarding the sunny weather of Africa as compared to the winters in Europe and other countries in the northern hemisphere.

Versification of the Two Poems: A Comparison

As earlier indicated, the number of lines and stanzas in the two poems are different, with Ego Tripping been longer than both in lines and stanzas than I Too. The meter and rhyme of the two poems is also different.

For example, Langston uses no rhyme scheme in his poem, and the meter used is more relaxed (Pericles 4) than in Ego Tripping. Each of the lines is made up of between one and nine syllables, with the third line, They send me to eat in the kitchen (American Poems 3) been the longest line in the poem. Lines 8, 14 and 15 are the shortest, having one word each.

Langston appears to break the lines in the poem as a way of emphasizing some of the phrases. It appears that, by keeping the lines short, he attracts the attention of the reader to those lines, and allows them to think deeply about them. This is the case in some of the lines such as But I laugh/And eat well/And grow strong [lines 5,6,7] (American Poems 5-7).

On the other hand, Nikki appears to favor a lot of rhyming and a tighter meter in her poem. A case in point is line 19, where she appears to use rhyming to create a flow in the poem. The line reads with a packet of goats meat (Nikki 19), a technique that is repeated in second last stanza when she says &&..so ethereal so surreal (Nikki 48).

Nikki also appears to use a mixture of long and short sentences in the poem. Lines like the sphinx, I am bad and Jesus are some of the shortest (Thompson 7). These lines are used to create a breather for the reader, for example in the case of I am bad, or to create emphasis, like in the case of Jesus.

Literary Elements in the Two Poems: A Comparison

The two poems seem to conspicuously use the word I. In Langstons poem, this word is used to create a meaning that is deeper than its literal one. The importance of the I is also emphasized by the fact that it is in the title of the poem, and Langston uses it as the first word in the poem. The use of the word in the first line I, too, sing America (American Poems 2) is an indication of the fact that though Africans may be different in skin color from the whites, they are all part of America.

When used in the line But I laugh, the word carries the meaning of the lightness with which the Africans take the segregation they are subjected to. Rather than crying and sulking, they are just amused by the antics of the whites, safe in the knowledge that with time, this will change.

Nikki also uses the word I copiously in the poem, appearing at least twice in every stanza. Where it is present, the word is placed at the beginning of the line to draw attention to the self, or to the persona in the poem. The only exception is in line 50, where the last I appears inside the line. But even here, the word is emphasized by isolating it from the other words.

The two poets also use a lot of imagery and metaphors in the two poems. For example, Langston refers to the future metaphorically as tomorrow, and uses the image of the table to represent the American society in stanza 3. Nikki also uses the same style when she says that I am a gazelle so swift/so swift you cant catch me (Nikki 34). She uses imagery, for example when she talks of My bowels deliver uranium (Nikki 35).

Conclusion

This comparative analysis points to the fact that the two poems are differently similar in how they handle the themes of race in the society. One of the things that make them similar is for example the fact that they all address the same issue of race in America, albeit at different times in history. Some literary elements such as use of metaphors and imagery make them similar also. However, their differences are highlighted by the varying structure, length among other things.

Works Cited

American Poems. Langston Hughes-I, Too, Sing America. American Poems. February 20, 2003. April 21, 2011 <https://www.americanpoems.com/poets/langston-hughes/i-too-sing-america/>

Nikki, Giovanni. Ego Tripping (There may be a Reason why). Nikki Giovanni. 2002. April 21, 2011 <http://nikki-giovanni.com/page_51.shtml>

Pericles, Hamlet. Poetry Analysis: I, Too, by Langston Hughes. Helium. January 29, 2008. Web.

Thompson, Mellisa. Ego Tripping. LEDA. December 17, 2007. April 21, 2011 <http://ledascholars.blogspot.com/>

Gender identity in Robert Kings Green Grass, Running Water is constantly overlapping and is developed from a native point of view. This deals majorly with the context of the invasion of the native values of communalism by the western ideologies of Christian patriarchy. The role of both men and women in the text is shown but women are the major ones who interest is centered on. Their role in the developing society mainly in the Blossom community is one that is highly remarkable and important.

In the case of the first woman, she depicts a society where women are given respect because of their intelligence and in helping in maintaining good relationships with other members of society. Women really try to maintain cohesiveness in society and this can be seen in the case where the first woman wants to share apples (King 70).

Hence we can say that in the book Green Grass, Running water, King paints the female character as one who wants to maintain good relationship between both living and non-living beings in the world. This can be seen to be the native values of communalism.

The idea about braiding strands of air is also depicted as a way in which the strength of women is shown when they are together, this helps withstand the outside forces and this can be seen as a resistance towards the new cultures. Women in this context are used a symbol to form a unit, which is to bring unity in society with which a people can fight external forces.

A literal example of braiding in can be seen in Lionels mother in her recipes, whenever she misses an ingredient, she finds a way of blending in some native ingredient to substitute the missing ingredients. This helps her prepare meals that are tasty and liked by all who eat them. For instance when Lionel asks her

What is it?

Vegetable soup and artichoke omelet

Whered you get the artichokes?

I had to substitute.

So, whats in it now?

Elk (Kings 81).

She is therefore innovative; she can use both native and modern recipes, an indicator of how both native and modern ways can be braided together for a better life.

The women in the story are brought out as epitomes that are overturning stereotypes and seeking to secure a respectable space in the Society of Green Grass, Running Water, for instance, Norma contributes towards the growth of the Blossom community.

As a woman in the community, she is the one who organizes other members in the rebuilding of Elis cabin together with that of her mother when the dam bursts its banks (King 170). She is also a source of counseling and guidance on Eli and Lionel. This shows how a woman can rise against all odds to be a visionary member of society and helpful to fellow women and men alike.

In as much as King uses men throughout the text, they have also contributed greatly to the growth of the plot to its climax but one thing that is for sure is the fact that women are the ones used to bridge the gap that has been created by the two worlds, that of the natives and that of the non-native. All aspects of both worlds are just but part of the great whole and therefore if both are taken positively, then both can stand each other.

Works Cited

Kings, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. New York, Houghton Mifflin, 1993

Introduction

Louis L Amour was a talented man: He was a merchant seaman, miner, professional boxer, a recipient of the presidential Medal of Freedom and an author of over 90 novels (Swaim 1). He wrote books including Crossfire, The Walking Drum, Trail, Hondo, Last of the breed and Sackettes land.

He was one of the best writers as well as one of best seller who sold over 225 copies of his work. His talent was nurtured by his family background. His parents had a library where he started reading at a young age. He had heard many stories of pioneers and Native Americans. His books are now in many different languages and have been made into 30 films (Liukkonen 1). An analysis of Louis L Amour writings reveal violence and boldness to be the means of wealth and freedom acquisition.

Louis L Amour

In Radigan, Louis L Amour brings out the story of a man who was very hardworking. His hard work had earned him a ranch. Later on, the rancher Tom Radigan was faced by a tough battle that threatened to take away his land. Angelina Foley was determined to take away the labor of Tom Radigan by claiming to be the legal owner of the ranch.

This beautiful woman went further and hired gunmen to fight him from the ranch. This was a significant writing that reflects our society today. Violence of people to gain what they have not worked for is the order of the day. This story still finds a place from the past to present (Peters 1).

The broken gun book is characterized by violence. Dan Sheridan was doing a research on the disappearance of the Toomey brothers and other 25 young men who had disappeared at Arizona with a herd of 4000 cattle. Manuel Alvarez had sent a note to Dan Sheridan which said that he had information about the brothers disappearance but he was brutally murdered before he passed the information (Lamour 1). This story ventures in brave men and women who stood out as leaders.

Louis writings had poetry and words of wisdom within them His quotes are important in the society from the past and even today. They gave instructions and guidance which are key elements in leadership and success. He said in Sacketts Land that, I would not sit waiting for some vague tomorrow, nor for something to happen.

One could wait a lifetime, and find nothing at the end of the waiting. I would begin here, I would make something happen (Goodreads 1) Another inspirational quote said that a time comes when a person sees that everything is finished but is the beginning of something. He also encourages people to read by saying that when one learns he is able to know the level of his ignorance (Goodreads 1).

Louis LAmour writings are mostly straight to the point. He developed most of the stories gradually without first setting the stage. This can be well explained by his story, Down the Long Hills when he starts by, When Hardy Collins woke up, Big Red was gone.

Hardy had picketed the stallion Himself, and with sudden guilt he remembered that in his hurry to return to the supper fire he had struck the picketed-pin only a couple of sharp blows (Jacobsen 1). His style keeps the reader glued to the book as one gets the suspense to know more. He unveils his thoughts and ideas in a clear manner that a person is able to understand. However his creativity is consistent with simplicity (Jacobsen 1).

Intelligence of this man was seen where he is writing about other professionals in his story. In his story of Ride the River, he brings out a teenager, Echo Sackett who got an inheritance form a far off relative. Echo Sacketts character is upright and reliable. The betrayal of the lawyer to this intelligent girl was seen when his motive was to get away with this girls inheritance.

His hunger for wealth and money caused him to compromise his value and taint his career. He was supercilious in his work. The lawyer, Mr. White has coldblooded gangs who attacked Echo Sackett so as to get the money she had just received (Johnson et al 1).

Kilkenny was another novel that expressed violence and intelligence of the characters. The man known as Kilkenny was famous of his ill deeds. He decided to escape from his residence to a place that he could not be known by people. He set off to Colorado so as to have a new start. Soon after, a man named Jared Tetlow followed him. Tetlow learnt that Kilkenny had been involved in the killing of his son and was so furious with him.

This caused him to take matters in his own hands as he sought to revenge against him (Johnson et al 1). This novel is interesting to the reader as it has suspense all through. He mostly used third person to narrate this story with its setting gin the ranch. The intelligence and the struggle to bring ones justice are brought out clearly, though the characters took the wrong option of violence against their enemies.

Survival strategies were well explained in most of L. Amour stories. In his story of Last of the Breed, Major Joseph Makatozi was a man who was brought up Idaho Snake River. He was well trained on survival tactics and hunting during his childhood.

This helped him because at some point of his life; he was arrested and needed these skills to help him escape from the prison. As a pilot in the U.S. Air force he was shot, arrested and imprisoned in Siberia. He was determined to escape from the prison which he successfully managed because of his skills.

He walked through the cold forest with very low temperatures. He met other people in the forest, a beautiful woman and her father. This story was significance as it showed how a person can overcome challenging situations. The essence of sharp skills is upheld in his novels. The motivation of the story was power (Johnson et al. 1).

A society where murder is thriving its way in the community is a theme in the novel Borden Chantry. Borden Chantry was formerly a rancher who changed his career to become a policeman. His new job was characterized by various events of getting out the criminals from the society.

He had new interactions with the drunkards, thieves and murderers. At one instance he found himself in a fix. He wanted to get the killers of a man who had been murdered in the streets. After an intensive research in the area, Chantry came to discover that the murderer was just a person in that community.

The murder was panicking and it became clear to him that he was not going to escape at that time. This criminal got the informants who were giving information which could lead to his arrest. The murder was in short of time and the only thing that was left for him to escape from Chantry was to kill him. This story also displays the events that the police go through showing the risks involved in the nature of their work (Johnson et al 1).

Young boy Johannes Verne, 6 years old together with his father were travelling to California in the novel, Lonesome Gods. This was a journey to take the young boy to his grandfather since the father had a grave disease. As they approached the grandparents place, his father was shot by the men of his grandfathers ranch together with their grandfather.

Johannes father was left at the scene to die while Johannes was taken by them to a distance of forty miles. This boy thrash about to live and was determined to survive. This story setting in the desert and a young person is an expression of great challenges that people face in life regardless of their age (Johnson et al. 1).

Conclusion

The writings of Louis L. Amour are mostly set in nature. Deserts, ranches and forest were his major settings. His writings are straight to the point, spiced with poetry. Many characters were involved in violence and killings. Criminals and police fights are seen in his stories. Defense skills are upheld and reveal that violence and boldness to be the means of wealth and freedom acquisition.

Works Cited

Goodread. Louis L. Amour. 2011. Web.

Jacobsen, Roy. Writing Clear and Simple. Writing Clearly, 2011. Web.

Johnson et al, Louis L Amour Books. All Readers. Web.

Lamour, Louis. The Broken Gun. Powels, 2011. Web.

Liukkonen, Peter. Louis LAmour (1908-1988)  originally Louis Dearborn LaMoore; pseudonyms Tex Burns and Jim Mayo. Kirjasto, 2011. Web.

Peters, Tony. Book Review- Louis LAmour- Radigan. Authortony, 2011. Web.

Swaim, Don. Audio Interview with Louis LAmour. Wired Books. Web.

Edward Albee focuses on the lifestyle of two couples as he writes the play, who is Afraid of Virginia Wolf? Nick and Honey make up the younger couple while Martha and George are a bit older. The marriage between Martha and George is full of insults; blame game and disrespect, which is contrary to Nick and Honeys marriage. The author uses the younger couple as a negative reflection of the older couple.

Although Martha and George are old, they enter the house at about two in the morning drunk and shouting, Martha is so loud that George decides to silence her. Surprisingly, they do not go to bed and Martha continues to drink alcohol up to sunrise. Martha reminds George about the visiting couple, Nick and Honey; a fact that he does not like. Finally, Nick and Honey arrive and overhears as George and Martha throw insults at each other.

Due to fear and embarrassment, Nick suggests that they go back home; if anything they should not have shown up in the first place; nevertheless, they gather the courage to enter the house. Nick is calm as George teases and makes fun of his career as a university professor and for the second time running, Nick raises the issue of going back as the home of the old couple is not habitable. Nicks request to leave the old couples house implies that his (Nick) home is habitable and peaceful compared to that of Martha and George.

Additionally, George lacks civilization as he despises his visitors (younger couple), he describes Honeys figure as hipless and finds fault in Nicks research on genes. However, Nick remains calm and does not despise his profession and such underscores how the young couples highlight the negative side of the older couple.

Martha is 52 years old; however, Nicks youthfulness turns her on. She goes ahead and changes into attractive dress to attract Nick and she incessantly flirts with him openly.

Surprisingly, George does not comment on her behavior and overlooks her flirty escapades; this shows the old couples marriage is void of happiness, love, and respect. Additionally, Martha talks about her husbands lack of success opening their marriage secrets to another couple. Similarly, George blames Martha for forcing her into marriage simply because her father has a reputable position at the university.

Nick and Honey helplessly watch their hosts as they tear each other apart; actually the environment is so inhabitable that Honey throws up probably because she cannot stomach the insults exchanged by the old couples. The younger couple continually remains mum about their marriage secrets whether they are happy or not. The author deliberately paints this contrasting picture to show the older couples negative side as portrayed by the younger couple.

Georges marriage is on the rocks because Martha has been unable to conceive throughout her life. Although Nicks marriage is in the similar situation, he corrects George that marriage is not all about children. He asserts that besides kids, there is a career and wealth to build on.

However, Nick confesses that Honey tricked him into marriage with a false pregnancy a fact that he has put up with. There is a blame game between the two couples. However, Nick is unable to face his wife directly and tell her what he thinks about their relationship, a fact that George openly does. Not that Nick is afraid of his wife; no, he respects her something that outstandingly lacks in Georges marriage as he blames his wife for the failure of their marriage.

The intoxicated Martha ridicules her husbands upcoming novel and brands it trash. George is so angry that he picks up a fight with his wife; however, Nick tries to separate them again exposing the negativity that dominates the old couples marriage. To cool things down, George suggests a sarcastic game but ends up insulting Nicks marriage. He calls Honeys father a womanizer cum a preacher. Martha is unhappy with Georges game and declares war against him (Albee 7). On the other hand, Honey goes to rest and Nick is back after ensuring she is fine. However, Martha takes advantage of Honeys absence to seduce Nick. Interestingly, when George gets them kissing, he does not raise a finger.

Even though Nick falls into Marthas trap and goes to bed with her, he fails to erect perhaps because of the love and respect he has for his wife. Again the issue of exposing the negativity in the old couples marriage comes out; Nick fails to erect because he loves and respects his wife; on the contrary, Martha has the guts to take Nick to bed even in presence of her husband. Clearly, the author uses the young couples marriage to expose the negative side of the older couple.

Honey is still in love with her husband and thats why she monitors his steps all the time. Lack of respect and infidelity is rampant in the older couple; something that is conspicuously lacking in the young couples marriage as evidenced by Nicks failed erection in presence of Martha.

The younger couple treasures happiness in their marriage as opposed to the older couple. Honey keeps all her emotions and awful intrigues to herself not because she cannot publicize them, but because she knows the price one has to pay to keep a marriage intact; actually she takes alcohol to forget all the problems in her marriage. The older couple is a poor example to the younger couple who still have a brighter future ahead.

The reluctance of Nick to follow Georges footsteps is a clear indication of him knowing the cost of maintaining a marriage. People do not stay together because they do not face problems; far from it, people stay together because they learn to appreciate each other for what they are not what they have or can do. The rift between Nick and George on matters concerning how to keep a relationship together underscores the authors move to expose the old couples shortcomings through the young couple.

Nick and Honey are unsatisfied with the older couples behavior especially their fantasies about a son. If anything, Honey does not have a child just like Martha; however, she handles the situation soberly not as Martha who sees her husband as a wolf and conventionally wolfs cannot sire sons and daughters. On the other side, Nick handles the issue of childlessness with a lot of understanding and maturity not like George who thinks his wife is a good-for-nothing woman who cannot bear children.

In few words, the old couples marriage is an epitome of a failed marriage but the young couples marriage symbolizes how a marriage should look like; even in midst of chaos, partners should show maturity and address issues soberly. Therefore, throughout the story the author uses the good deportments of the young couple to underscore the negative behavior that defines the old couples marriage.

Works Cited

Albee, Edward. Who is afraid of the Virginia wolf? New York: New York press, 1962.

Living in a brand new world can turn out less pleasant than one could have expected, leading to the gloomy jail of anti-utopia. Telling the story of Offreds miserable life and frightening liberation, this dark anti-utopia gives plenty of food for thoughts. Because of the aggressive environment and the oppressive atmosphere that Offred was growing up in, and the fact that she did not even have the real name,  there will always be a speck of doubt inside her, no matter how much time passes or what world she would run away to.

Once a miserable character that could not think of disobeying the orders of the Commander, Offred overcame the influence of her husband and the society; however, this journey has been long and complicated.

It is amazing to watch Offreds personality developing with every page turn; starting from the faceless creature that she has been turned into by her husband and the society, she finally starts searching for her true self  but her attempts are far too weak to turn into a revolt. Even tasting the freedom, she still cannot overcome the feeling of strain within. This is how Offred responded to her freedom: Moira was like an elevator with open sides. She made us dizzy (45). Liberty made Offred feel uncertain.

Indeed, the Offred that the reader sees in the first chapter does not look like a fighter at all. Considering the role that she played in the Gilead society from the very beginning, one can claim that this was an intimidated and forsaken woman, just like the rest of the girls left with their serving to those beholding the power.

That is what Offred was at the beginning of her journey  one of the girls, felt-skirted as I knew from pictures, later in mini skirts, then pants, then one earring, spiky green-streaked hair (3). Does Offred change? There is no doubt about it.

Like a caterpillar that is to become a butterfly, the woman changed from within; she does not have the name yet, but this is no longer an Offred we used to know  this is a personality changed unrecognizably. However, she still remains the slave of those beholding the power, and there is hardly anything that Offred can do about it. I have failed once again to fulfill the expectations of others, which have become my own (Atwood 73)  these simple words filled with regret and shame, show that Offred still remains a slave from within.

It is clear from the very beginning that her identity has not been wiped off  Offred still asks herself the questions that help her define her role in the society and find her real identity, her own self. Compared to the helpless subject of the male kingdom, the Offred, changed, looks much more decisive and determined: There is more than one kind of freedom& Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from.

Dont underrate it (24). One of the most important moments in the novel, this small dialogue reveals the essence of Offred; the woman is not certain whether she wants to be free  in fact, she is not certain of herself at all. Her personality, hurt and crashed, is aching too much to be ever healed. As Commander orders her to dress in Serena Joys clothes, she still follows his orders, and there is not a single feeling stirred in her heart.

Despite her peculiar and authentic thinking, Offreds desire to get rid of her humiliating shackles is not strong enough  the woman lingers, she is still hesitant. Not knowing what she wants, Offred is not ready to gain the freedom she longs to  and even brought to another place where she would be given all her rights, she will never shake off her bondage. That is the cost of living the life of a slave.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaids Tale. New York City, NY: Anchor, 1996. Print.

Written by Michael Cunningham, the hour is a novel that focuses on the lifestyle, attitude, personality, and reputation of women. Although there are many characters in the novel, the author explicitly majors on three of them especially women who include, Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown, and Clarrisa Vaughn. Through description of their daily errands and activities, Cunningham describes vividly the characters of the three women.

Virginia Woolf is a writer and at the same time married while Laura Brown is a mother and a wife. Although the daily lives of the two seem to be smooth, none of them is happy in her marriage and therefore struggles to escape from the reality of life. In addition, the sexual life of the women in the novel is refutable. Despite being married, the women have relationship with fellow women while others take comfort in kissing their female friends. Therefore, Woolf and Brown have many similarities in their characters with a few differences.

Through analytical description of the daily events and behavior of Woolf and Brown, Cunningham is able to draw a number of similarities in their characters.

The attitude and feelings of Brown and Woolf describes their character as extremely sensitive. For instance, when Mrs. Woolf wakes up in the morning she is reluctant to look herself in the mirror because she thinks her reflection will remind her of her failures and discourage her from writing. Her sensitivity propels her to refuse speaking to Nelly because she thinks she might be a bad omen.

Although her husband loves and appreciates her, Mrs. Woolf believes she is not well and her cure lies in London. Furthermore, she decides not to eat to keep her mind alert but her decision is not a remedy to her because her husband can foresee her anguish. Therefore, Virginia is sensitive to very tiny events that another person might not even notice. She thinks the only way to focus her mind on writing is by detaching herself from the surrounding environment unfortunately her decision characterize her as a sensitive person.

Likewise, it is in the morning and Mrs. Brown is not yet up but she is reading a novel from her bed. She feels guilty for not being up as early as her husband who is making breakfast for the family. If her husband is not complaining, why is she being so sensitive about the issue? The day is still young but she already foresees the difficulties during the daytime. Her sensitiveness makes her to prepare a cake to make up for the breakfast. Moreover, the sight of her husband and son automatically annoys because she views them as a burden to her.

Her indecision to accept the situation at hand especially as a mother and wife detaches her from her immediate family members. To escape from her daily routine she decides to read Virginia Woolfs novel. Therefore, Browns extreme sensitiveness always puts her in guilt and she tries to compare herself with other women like Virginia. Browns sensitive nature is similar to Virginia because their ability to notice or consider unnoticeable issues separates them from their immediate environment.

Cunningham is able to describe the character of Virginia and Laura as incompetent especially in their role as mothers or wives. In the morning, Virginia is unable to wake up early and serve breakfast for husband. Furthermore, she reverses the roles of a husband and wife in the family.

Contemporarily, the woman ensures her family members eat healthy but in the novel, her husband monitors her to ensure she feeds well. When her husband and his employee (Ralph) fall out, she is unable to shield and nurture a healthy relationship between the two but rather calls plainly for peace.

The issue of her acting as a mother in the family irritates her. In addition, she is unable to maintain a good relationship with her servants, especially Nelly. In the morning, she refuses to speak to her and therefore does not instruct her on how to plan for other meals, which should not be the case with mothers. She decides to give her the plans for the day when it is too late, which not only annoys Nelly but also creates a quarrel between them. Due to her incompetency as a mother, she is unable to love and maintain peace in her family.

Similarly, Lauras incompetency comes out when she refuses to prepare breakfast for her family but rather leaves the work to her husband. Though not complaining the role of cooking in the family belongs to the mother. As a mother the society expects her to love yet she hates her husband and son. She dislikes their company and thinks that Virginias Woolf novels might be her perfect companion.

Instead of spending quality time with her son, she leaves him under the care of a babysitter and decides to spend her time alone in a hotel. The responsibility of being a wife and a mother annoys and she plans to run away from her family. When her son becomes angry, she feels like deserting him and not comforting him as a mother should. Through the comparison of the two characters, the author describes the failures of motherhood, as both of them are unable to fulfill their roles as wives and mothers in their families.

Laura and Virginia are always emotional, which makes them fall under depression. Lauras thought always give her two options; either to commit suicide or ran away from her family. When she remembers the responsibility ahead of her as a mother and wife, she becomes unhappy. Due to her unhappiness, she decides to kiss a fellow woman and feels attached to her. Moreover, she leaves her home and checks into her hotel to read a novel.

As she reads the novel, she compares the subjects of the writer with her personal life. Because the author of her novel talks of suicide, she also thinks that committing suicide might be the only way for her to achieve freedom. Finally, Laura attempts to commit suicide, which backfires. Therefore, she decides to leave her family and live alone in Canada. Lauras emotions drive her to think that the duty of being a wife or mother takes away ones happiness.

In the same way, Virginia is not happy with her career as a writer, she thinks that she has not done enough yet she is intelligent. Her emotions make her to detach herself from the people surrounding her and drive her to stop eating especially when she is writing. She always experiences a consistent headache due to her mental illness.

Additionally, she hypothecates about committing suicide but concludes for one to be self-destructive he/she must be brainiac. Ultimately, her emotional turmoil drives her to commit suicide by drowning in the river (King 15). Therefore, due to their emotional character both Virginia and Laura commit suicide. Although Laura does not die, she eventually leaves her husband and son.

On the other hand, Laura and Virginia have contrasting characters. Although Virginia dislikes all the people in her house, she only loves her husband and her sister, Vanessa. In the morning, she refuses to communicate with Nelly but communicates happily with her husband.

When her sister visits her, she is happy and chats with them. According to the author of the novel, it is Virginias mental problem that makes her sad and not marriage life (Cunningham 73). While in the house, she constantly checks on her husband and even settles his scores when he disagrees with Ralph.

Before she commits suicide, she writes a letter to her husband thanking him for his love and kindness. On the other hand, Laura hates her husband and son because she dislikes their company. She is tired of being a mother to Richie and decides to leave him under the care of a babysitter. Due to hatred, she does not want to make love to her husband and therefore, decides to commit suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. When the suicide attempt fails, she leaves her matrimonial home and starts to live in Canada.

Comparison of the two characters reveals that Virginia loves her relatives while Laura hates her family members. Additionally, it is the mental instability or frequent headaches that Virginia was suffering from, that propelled her to separate from her husband. While for Laura, her irresponsible behavior separates her from her family.

Since high school, Laura was always antisocial. In high school, she spends most of her time reading books because she calls herself a bookworm. When she compares herself with her husband, she describes him as a social man who loved sports. Similarly, after getting married she is still antisocial because she stays in bed while her husband and son are preparing breakfast. Moreover, she is happy to read a novel rather than joining the family for a meal and decides to read more novels during her free time.

Instead of taking care of her son, she employs someone to take care of him and a room in a hotel to spend her day away from people. She regrets being with her family and dreams of the day, she will start living alone. Eventually, her antisocial behavior motivates her to desert her family. On the contrary, Virginia is social and she becomes unhappy when nobody greets her on the streets. While in her house, she is in constant touch with her husband who is working indoors.

She invites her sister Vanessa to the house with her niece and prepares tea for them .The two of them chat and go for a walk in the garden. Finally, although she is reluctant to commit suicide, she writes a letter to her husband and her sister Vanessa explaining why she has to die.

Virginia is observant and notices everything that is in her immediate environment. On her way to the river, she passes a farmer and concludes that he is happy. While at the river, she picks a stone and carefully studies its beauty before putting it into her pocket (Cunningham 200).

As she was wading through the river, she notices the current and the suns reflection on the water surface. While drowning, she sees an angler with a red jacket but ignores him. At the bottom of the river, Virginia can hear vehicles passing and people talking, she watches as cars or trucks driving over the river. Therefore, Virginia is alert yet she is dying because is able to describe the environment while at the bottom of the river.

Virginia character as observant contributes to her writing skills and intelligence. On the other hand, Laura is not as observant as Virginia is, but rather always plans on how to solve her problems. For instance, when she takes her son to his caretaker she does not even notice the people or vehicles passing in the streets. Her mind detaches her from environment therefore, making her not to have any career skills because she ends up as a homemaker.

Virginia is a professional who has written several books. She has excellent writing skills and her husband describes her as an intelligent woman. Her character as rational and intelligent makes her to defy the headaches and concentrate on writing.

Due to her mental instability, she loses her concentration thus, it becomes unable to read or write another novel (Quentin 14). The inability to fulfill her writing skills saddens her because she calls herself lazy and decides to kill herself to take away the shame.

On the other hand, Laura is irrational because she is not only a homemaker but also decides to desert her loving and caring family. Lauras husband and son always strive to make the family happy but on the contrary, she does not appreciate any of them. Mr. Brown always works hard to ensure he meets the familys needs but Laura is blind to notice her husbands love.

Finally, Laura is too secretive that she does not reveal to anyone about her plans. She secretly plans to commit suicide and does not share with her husband or friends about her emotional turmoil.

The responsibilities as a wife and mother seem to her as a burden making her to suffer silently. When her suicide attempt fails, she moves away from her family and starts living a lonely life. Contrarily, Virginia is open-minded; she tells her husband about her headaches and writes down what is in her mind. Before, committing suicide, she writes a note to her husband and sister to explain why she did so.

The sexual character of Virginia and Laura can neither be described as straight nor lesbianism but rather bisexual. Virginia is in matrimony with a loving and caring husband. Sadly, when she kisses her sister Vanessa, her mind keeps thinking about the incidence (Hermione 18). She likes her kiss and fantasizes about describing it as complex and mysterious. What is more is that in her books, she describes some of her characters as either lesbians or bisexual.

For instance, she comments that Clarissa one of the characters in the book had a woman lover whom she had ever kissed. Through out her marriage Virginia does not give her husband a child but the author does not describe whether it is a medical condition or her personal choice. In conclusion, the author describes the sexuality of Virginia as bisexual because besides being married, she dreams of kissing fellow women.

In a similar way, Lauras sexuality is questionable. Although she is married, she dislikes her husband and declines making love to him. She hates her husband and considers him a burden to her life, which should not be the case for a straight person. On one occasion, she kisses her fellow woman, Kitty and immediately starts to like her.

She notices Kittys personality and promises to herself to kiss her again. Additionally, Kittys kiss renders not only emotion but also confused because she is unable to prepare a cake. Therefore, she moves to a secluded place like a hotel to fight her emotions. Cunningham highlights her sexuality as bisexual, which propels her to kiss a woman and motivate her to initiate an intimate relationship in future.

In summary, through describing Virginia and Lauras daily events, Cunningham is able to compare and contrast their characters. They have similar characters in that both of them are incompetent in as mothers, always sensitive to any event and emotional. Nevertheless, each of them has contrasting personalities because while Laura is secretive, hateful, and unintelligent, Virginia loves, communicatory, intelligent, and observant.

Unfortunately, none of the two women is happy with their daily routine because they try to commit suicide, which leads to the death of Virginia. Laura deserts her marriage and begins to live in London in a secluded place. Finally, the author also describes the dynamic sexual lives of Laura and Virginia in that despite being married they dream of having relationships with other women.

Works Cited

Cunningham, Michael. The Hours. United States: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1998.

Hermione, Lee. Virginia Woolf. New York: Vintage, 1996.

King, James. Virginia Woolf. New York: W. W. Norton, 1995.

Quentin, Bell. Virginia Woolf. New York: Harvest books, 1974.

The two short stories Ionych and Ana on the neck by Antony Chekov portray a shift in power where a once powerless and easily manipulated character takes a quick turn and all of a sudden becomes the power to reckon with. The protagonists however in these stories ascend to power and their lives become completely changed in the process (Eaglewood 45).

The paper explores the manner in which the short stories portray power and in particular, the similarities and differences in the extent in which the lives of the protagonists drift in the two stories.

In Ana on the neck, the protagonist who is an eighteen year old girl is forced to marry an elderly man in order to change her situation of poverty. Her father is an alcoholic and her mother from whom she inherited some several traits had passed away some years back.

She marries in order to become wealthy a thing that does not happen at first since she is afraid of the husband who is always yarning for power and whom she is not attracted to but only his wealth. Her situation takes a turn while at a dance she attracts the attention of almost all men who are present and more so the attention of a rich man influential man.

She becomes his mistress and her condition takes a sudden drift as she takes charge since her husband now depends on her to rise in ranks and to gain the favors of influential men in the country. There is a visible change in power relations from the vulnerable young girl who takes control from her once powerful husband who dictated her actions to a strong woman who manipulates the husband and has an affair in the face of her husband.

In Ionych, the protagonist Startsev falls in love with the young girl, Ekaterina Ivanovna when invited to visit the Turkins. The young girl also known as Kitten disappoints Startsev by refusing his marriage proposal a thing that completely changes his life. At this age Ekaterina is interested in nothing but her music and yearns for freedom and power once she becomes a renowned musician.

She portrays a sense of manipulation as she is in control where she hands the desperate Startsev a note indicating that they meet at the cemetery at midnight a thing that he complies with but she never turns up. When asked, she tells him coldly that it was meant to be a joke and that he suffered because he did not understand the joke.

Four years later, when she comes home during the birthday of her mother, she tries to reconcile with him to no avail since he remains cold to her feelings and attractions. When she writes to him telling him to pay them a visit, he ignores and vows never to visit them again. According to Eaglewood, this shows a shift in power relations where by the feelings of affection are transferred from Startsev to Kitten (56). She suffers under the manipulation of the now changed man.

The two stories portray the manner in which power can corrupt a person to the extent that they forget where they come from as they pursue personal fulfillment.

Anna changes completely and despite the fact that she married to change the situation in her family, she does not change anything as her brothers continue walking in torn shoes and her father sinks deeper into alcoholism. Startsev forgets the manner in which love does to people and ignores Ekaterina Ivanovna despite her having realized the mistake she made and being reformed.

The difference in the turn of power in the two short stories stands out at the end of the two stories. In Ana on the neck, the protagonist lives in happiness afterwards having discovered a secret to her happiness while in Ionych the protagonist leads a lonely, solitary and distressful life and has a shift in his mood whereby he becomes ill tempered and grows old as an angry old man.

Works Cited

Eaglewood ,Cliffs. Chekhov: A collection of Critical Essay. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1967.

Introduction

Kate DiCamillo is a renowned American writer for childrens literature. She has climbed the ladder in this field and has found her way to the New York Times bestsellers list. She has received numerous awards in line with her work. A good example was the Newbery Honor. She works in a bookstore and writing is her part time job (Margolies, 2006).

Background Information

Kate DiCamillo was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and grew in Florida. Kate DiCamillo together with her mother and brother moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Florida because she was suffering from chronic pneumonia and Florida was much warmer for her condition. In Florida people talked slowly and had an accent. She also had a dog called Nanette. She loved it so much and spent most of her time with it.

Her sickly nature contributed to her growth as a writer. This is because she used story books to entertain her self at that early age. This developed a reading culture in her and she would read everything she laid her hands on.

She went to the University of Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. In 2006, she delivered the commencement address in the same university. Since early in her life, Kate DiCamillo had a desire to write. This dream was later realized when she was employed in a book warehouse and was based on childrens department.

It was then that she started reading childrens literature. She developed interests and she decided to write in this line. Up to date, Kate writes novel s as part time and she usually write two pages a day for five days in a week. In addition, she works at books store in childrens department.

The job at the warehouse not only gave her the inspiration to write but also gave her the opportunity to meet the right people in the field. For instance it was during this time that she met Candlewick press personnel who later took her first novel draft for processing to the complete novel.

According to her, Florida was a great inspiration for her. Unlike what she was used to at her early age, Florida was small and thus people existed as a single family. At her twenties she moved to Minnesota and it is during this time that she missed the warmth that she had experienced in Florida.

Her first novel was Because of Winn-Dixie which is a praise hymn to dogs and friendship of the south. She wrote it in Minnesota. It was one evening when she was going to sleep when she heard a young girl singing the same praise hymn with southern accent. She listened to what India Opal Buloni was telling her and wrote her novel (DiCamillo, 2000). She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Childrens Literature

Kate DiCamillo has won many awards. Her first novel; Because of Winn- Dixie led her to receive Newbery Honor. The second one, The Tiger Rising was a National Book award Finalist. The Tale of Desperaux, her third novel also won an award by the name Newbery Medal. In addition, Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride received Theodor Geisel Honor.

Every novel she has written has had different inspiration. The Tale of Despereaux novel of 2003 was inspired by a friends son. From a single statement of a hero who had extra ordinary ears, Luke Bailey gave Kate an idea that developed into a whole novel (DiCamillo, 2003).

Because of Winn-Dixie resulted from homesick for Florida. She missed her lovely dog. In some circumstances, characters just come from nowhere and they help in development of a story. Her childhood also influences the way she writes in one way or another. For instance separation from her father shaped who she was and is and the way she perceives the world.

Her novels are among the favorite in the market and this has continued to create more opportunities. For example her novels have been translated to films by other big companies. 20^th Century Fox translated her first novel Because of Winn-Dixie into film. The Tale of Despereaux was made a film by Universal Pictures in 2008. New Line Cinema released the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane film (DiCamillo, 2006).The 20^th Century Fox is working on her latest book The Magicians Elephant.

Conclusion

Much of Kate DiCamillos time goes to creating of stories. She concludes that it has nothing to do with talent as she used to think in college when she was being complimented for her good writing. She now believes in hard work. Kate puts it that she never want to write but she is always glad that she has done it.

The rewarding of it all is when the stories have an impact on the reader. Her greatest inspiration is when she feels that the small stories she writes impacts positively. In addition, Kate DiCamillo never fails to encourage upcoming writers. She urges them to write in smaller chunks every day. She also tells them that the stories are around them and that they only need to look around and develop novels.

References

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

DiCamillo, K. (2006).The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

DiCamillo, K. (2003). The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Margolies, J.( 2006). Pleasantly Stunned, a Star Childrens Author Hits the Tour Trail Again. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/books/pleasantly-stunned-a-star-childrens-author-hits-the-tour-trail-again.html on 19^th may 2011.

The lesson learned

By reading The Making of a Quagmire by David Halberstam, there stands a possibility that the truth was after all not told during the Vietnamese war, as both the government and the press reported differently on the then happenings taking place in the same country. The U.S. press seemingly stood in support of the cold war ideology, opposed to the government, thereby making the believers of the idea that the media lost the Vietnamese war never to relent in the accusations.

The actions of Ngo Dihn Diem

People consider Ngo Dihn Diem, the Vietnamese Catholic leader who stood against the expansion of communism and as a result benefited from the support he garnered from the United States Government, the cause of the happenings that triggered the highly controversial war. As the son of Vietnamese elite, Diem seemed familiar to Catholicism at a tender age despite the high domination of Buddhism in Vietnam.

Upon receiving his western education, Diem scooped an appointment as the prime minister of Vietnam with the presentation of his government happening in 1954 after garnering the support of the US to put pressure on the French government to do so.

He then turned against Bao Dai, the then the appointed head of the Vietnamese government by organizing a plebiscite where the people had to choose between him and the then leader Bao Dai by force. This then ushered the authoritarian government that he headed after proclaiming himself the First president of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN).

His campaign aimed at dealing with suspected communists and his authoritarian rule system made his support to dwindle as time went by. This rule even alienated the non-Buddhists who in turn chose to rebel against his rule. His opponents, with the help of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), formed the national Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF), which aimed at overthrowing his government.

As Halberstam reported, the alleged killing of 130,000 Catholics by the Buddhists in 1840 stands out as a thing taken to as an excuse by Diem to treat the Buddhists badly considering that one of his ancestors was a victim in the massacre (56). As pressure intensified in Vietnam, the United States then allowed the staging of the coup against Ngo Dihn Diem in 1963, followed by his assassination the next day together with one of his brothers.

Halberstam gives a description of the happenings on the parade day On our way to the parade, we noticed a curious phenomenon: the police were turning away thousands of people&After the parade . Jim Robinson of NBC&pointed out that the public had been barred but [Ambassador] Nolting refused to believe him (145). This controversy illustrates the manner in which the government officials and the press viewed the events in Vietnam differently.

The Press or the Government

Considering that the media and the government gave very conflicting reports about the same happenings, it proves hard therefore to deduce satisfactorily on whom to declare as right and wrong between the press and the government in giving the account of the events as they happened.

However, by considering the commentary about a single happening during the war, it seems possible to come up with the deemed motives of either sides and therefore conclude as to who said the truth as opposed to who. For instance, the similarity that the descriptions given by Halberstam and that of some government officials proves that since the media had little to benefit from their reports, they might after all have aired true reports all along.

The description of the battlefield of Ap Bac by Halberstem and that of general Harkins provides a working example where a South Vietnamese armored and heliborne force was badly mauled by a smaller Vietcong Unit. General Harkins declared that Weve got them in a trap (78) a sentiment that echoes Halberstam. General Harkins superior later was on record saying as I understood it, was a Vietnamese victory (79).

Yet, this was a defeat that everyone knew except for those who are deemed to have been in dire need of the knowledge. It is apparently right to conclude that Halberstam gives a finely honed description of the events in the war as they stood then.

Works Cited

Halberstam, David. The Making of a Quagmire. New York: Random House, 1965.

Introduction

DSouza strives to explain why people are attracted to America through some physical observations and opinions stated by the immigrants. On the other hand, Schlesinger uses a doctrinal approach to discuss the concept of Americas greatness.

Dinesh DSouza on Americas greatness

Dinesh DSouza explains why immigrants are drawn to America in such great numbers. He explains that this is one country in which even the poor live a relatively comfortable life. People from poor or developing countries around the world are eager to make it into the US because everyone seems to be living contentedly.

He cites an example of an anti-Reagan administrations depiction of the poor during an economic recession. When the Soviets viewed this documentary, they did not sympathize with the poor in Reagans administration; they envied them.

Most were surprised that the so called poor Americans had cars, microwave ovens and other material possessions. This was a far cry from what the poor in the Soviet Union could afford. Even the writers friend described the US as a country in which poor people are fat. D Souza believes that America is different from other nations in the world because of the lack of aristocracy. This is one place where the poor will not be at the beck and call of the rich.

In fact, life for the rich is much better in other countries than it is in the US. He contrasts this with situations in India where a rich person is spoilt for choice when selecting people who will cater to his needs. D Souza (95) affirms that it is the egalitarian beliefs of the American people that make equality a reality. Almost everyone is treated with respect in the US even if they perform seemingly minor services such as waiting in restaurants.

In fact, the American state has extended the advantages of affluence to almost everyone in society. In other words, most people in the US have access to medical healthcare even without insurance. They are educated and have a great chance at tertiary education. The poor are well dressed and do not have to expose their nakedness because of lack. Some of them can even go for holidays around the world or purchase high class products.

D Souza further explains that immigrants are not just drawn to the US for material pursuits; most respect America owing to its rich democratic culture. This is a country which allows every man an opportunity to create his destiny regardless of ones background. Such values are captured in the concept of the American dream and will keep drawing more people to this great land.

Immigrants often contrast the lives of the poor in their own countries with lives of the poor in the US and realize that they will be better off in America. They are drawn to the fact that equal opportunity is presented to all in the US irrespective of ones birth. DSouza contrasts this to his place of birth i.e. India.

This is a land where ones access to opportunity is determined by ones caste. He was lucky to come from a higher caste because that meant that he could live and work in relatively better positions than someone from a lower caste or tribe. In the US, it is possible for people of the same family to live completely different lifestyles because they have the liberty to do so.

The US is also appealing in terms of its social values; it is a place that gives everyone freedom of choice. People can decide on their social life because they choose who they will marry or what opinions they will hold. The same cannot be said about other countries of the world. In India, ones spouse is selected even before one reaches puberty. Indeed, the US is a country where one can exercise free will without being bogged down by traditional or cultural obligations.

How Schlesinger expounds on this

Arthur Schlesinger wrote a book called Liberalism in America: a note for Europeans and he basically wanted to do the same thing that D Souza did; explain why America is so unique. In attempting to do so, Schlesinger believes that the US is unique because of its concept of liberalism. He asserts that Americans were born into freedom. They did not have to fight for their ideals through a social revolution because it was there by default. In other words, the American is a gradualist who looks to solve problem by reason rather than revolutions.

America does not have the baggage of other European countries which had long histories of injustice and corruption. Americans had the liberty to curve out their ideals without having to radically alter social and economic conditions. Schlesinger therefore puts a name to the assertions made by D Souza or he gives a firm insight into the observations made by this author.

DSouza (115) explained that people were attracted to the US because of the equal opportunity that it offers all its citizens. However, DSouza did not explain why this was the case. Schlesinger therefore expounds on the former mentioned authors ideas by explaining how this came about or the reasons behind the American dream and the freedoms in the country.

Schlesinger (4) further says that America lacked one distinct feature that made it so difficult to get ahead in some of those other wealthy countries and that is feudalism. Many European nations were confined by feudalism because it defined who could access wealth and could not. The rich were born into wealth and continued to be wealthy because they had the ability to control political and social conditions. Feudalism therefore took away the ability of European governments to restore equality amongst their citizens.

DSouza made this same observation in his article when he said that America is characterized by the absence of aristocracy which is quite rampant in other parts of the world. However, he did not explain how this ties in with American values. Schlesinger forms a bridge between the social order prevalent in the US and its relation to American values.

In the book Liberalism in America Schlesinger, explains that liberals in America have this firm belief in the concept of change. They suppose that society must continually strive to improve; an issue that can be done by applying reason to solve economic and social challenges. In order to understand this better, one can contrast liberals to conservatives.

Conservatives tend to oppose change as much as is reasonably possible. They hold that change will threaten power or wealth distribution especially because things are already going so well. Therefore, the American liberal is always someone who strives to improve society. This is someone who believes that it is worthwhile to pursue such improvements even if the results will be marginal.

The author further explains that in America, liberalism is more committed to the end goal rather than the doctrine. Its objective is to accord equal opportunity to all. Sometimes this can occur in the form of a laizzes faire approach as was the case during Jeffersons era but in other circumstances it can occur in the form of continued government regulation as was the case during the industrial era.

In this regard, Schlesinger is illustrating that there is a firm correlation between American social  economic values and their propensity towards equal opportunity. He has therefore given a good background explanation of why Americans appear more respectful of one another irrespective of social status or why one can rise up the ranks of any business or corporation irrespective of the family or birthplace.

Conclusion

DSouza talks about the reasons behind immigrants positive perception of the United States. He mentions equal opportunity and freedoms but does not clarify where these freedoms come from and why they exist. Schlesinger bridges that gap by giving these values a name i.e. American liberalism and by explaining where they were derived from and what causes them to exist.

Works Cited

DSouza, Dinesh. Becoming American ed. Kirszner, Laurie & Mandell, Stephen. The blair reader: exploring issues and ideas. NY: Longman, 2010

Schlesinger, Arthur. Liberalism in America: A note for Europeans. Boston: Riverside press, 1962