Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees Essay Example for Free

Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees Essay In Sue Monk Kidd’s novel The Secret Life of Bees there is a psychological allegory present, which is proven by the characters in the story. The psychological allegory is based on the theory by Sigmund Freud, this theory states that in the human brain there is three major psychological portions, the id, the ego, and the super ego. The id is the portion that induces selfishness and hatred and other â€Å"bad† actions, the super ego is the opposite of the id, putting others before ones self and caring for others, the ego is the perfect balance between the two and is almost always the psyche portrayed be the protagonist. In this novel it is T. Ray who illustrates the id, through his bad treatment of Lily, his lack of commitment to Rosaleen, and his selfishness when Lily is gone. May Boatwright is the character who illustrates the super ego by her innocence, her caring and by her need for perfection. The ego is portrayed be Lily, through her good decision making, her panning abilities, and by the way she stands up to her father. All of these characters are uniquely important to proving the psychological allegory that can be found in this novel. In this story it is the character T. Ray who fills the role of the id in the psychological allegory, T. Ray fills this role by the way he treats Lily, the way he doesn’t care about his worker; Rosaleen, and by the way he only thinks of himself during lily’s absence. T. Ray’s only family left to him is his daughter Lily, yet he still treats her poorly. T. Ray finds Lily outside in the dark and without any proof of misbehaviour he punishes her rather severely â€Å"He poured a mound of grits the size of an anthill onto the pine floor â€Å"Get over here and kneel down† (p24) T. Ray seems to almost enjoy punishing Lily, perhaps because he still blames her for his wife’s death. This is a trait which fits the id portion of the psyche. T. Ray does not seem to care about the only other adult in the house he lives in; Rosaleen. Rosaleen is the closest thing he has to a friend and T. Ray couldn’t care less for her. Lily is trying to convince T. Ray to let Rosaleen out of jail, and T. Ray refuses â€Å" What I ,mean is, I wouldn’t be surprised if he flat out killed her â€Å" (p30) T. Ray know Rosaleen might die but he still wont try to help her because it would mean standing up to the people of his  community. He is only thinking of himself, which is a quality of the id. T. Ray also only thinks of himself when Lily leaves him, instead of considering the fact that she might be happier without him. T. Ray has found Lily at the Boatwright house and is insisting she come back â€Å"I spent half my summer looking for you, and I’m taking you out of here† (290) T. Ray spent half his summer looking for Lily because he was happier with her, instead of thinking of Lily and considering the fact that she might be happier with out him. In this he was only thinking of himself and was demonstrating the id. Through all of these excerpts it can de determined that the character of T. Ray demonstrates the id in the psychological allegory, through his bad treatment of Lily, his lack of caring with Rosaleen, and the way he only thinks of himself. In this novel the character of May Boatwright portrays the super ego, by her unbiased caring, by her innocence, and by her need for perfection. May cares for every one no matter what race or gender, and created a wall to pray for the people of the world. May has just heard that Zach is in jail and is upset â€Å"I’m going to the wall† (p187) May knows Zach is in trouble so she immediately starts praying for him, this shows a great amount of caring which is a super ego quality. May is also extremely innocent when it comes to the people around her. May becomes very upset when she sees a Negro man dead with a widow and her family â€Å"that’s all right, May. Let all misery slide right off you† (p89) May is demonstrating the super ego be the way she is putting other people before herself and is feeling their misery. May has a need for perfection which is in keeping with her super ego character. May is making pancakes for every one and shows Lily’s to her â€Å"This ones yours† â€Å"L for Lily† (p103) May is not going to be happy with just a plain pancake, she is making a perfect L for Lily. This is a quality of the super ego. Each of these quotes shows the ways the character May Boatwright acts as the super ego in this story, through her caring, her innocence, and her need for perfection May fits this potion of the psychological allegory. The last character who completes the psychological allegory is Lily herself who portrays the ego. She does this through her calm decision making, her panning ahead, and the way she stand up to her father. The character Lily  has good calm decisions making. Lily is at home after Rosaleen’s encounter with the men â€Å"In a matter of seconds I knew what I had to do-leave. I had to get away from T. Ray who would be back soon† (p41) Lily does not panic, she does not give up, she simply makes the best decision available to her, which is an ego trait. Lily also has good planning skills; she thinks ahead and does not get stuck in the present. Lily and Rosaleen have just reached the outskirts of Tiburon â€Å"If we can find some place open when we get into town ill go get us some food† â€Å"if they don’t have a hotel we’ll have to rent a room† (p60) Lily is portraying the ego by the way she is planning for the future to insure she and Rosaleen will have food and shelter. In the end of the novel Lily displace the Ego by the way she stands up to her father. T. Ray has come to The Boatwright house to find Lily and bring her home â€Å"I’m Staying here† â€Å"I’m not leaving† (p296) Lily is standing up for what she wants and is taking control of her own life, and is portraying the ego. By her decision making, planning and standing up for herself, it can be determined that Lily is the ego of this novel. Each of these characters has uniquely contributed to the psychological allegory that is present in this novel. T. Ray representing the id by his bad treatment of lily, his lack of caring for Rosaleen, and his selfish ways. May demonstrates the super ego by her caring, innocence, and perfection. And Lily portraying the ego, by her planning, decision making, and the way she stands up for herself. Through all of this proof it can be determined that there is a psychological allegory present in this novel.

The accident Essay -- essays research papers

The Accident Every once and awhile I'll look back on my life and I'll laugh. Particularly at the times I spent with my best friend Nate and all the mischief we caused. I look back now and I think what the HELL were we doing? How did we not die? Have you ever sat down and had a conversation with a male teen between the ages of 14-17? I should've been locked away for that period of my life, I swear I was temporarily insane. I had NO concept of "consequences" or "repercussions". I did whatever, whenever. Unfortunately this little package of immaturity also came with other misleading thoughts such as a sense of invincibility, a total disregard for any authority, and taking pretty much EVERYTHING in my life for granted. What's also unfortunate, is that I had to learn all of these life lessons the hard way, and in one horrible night when I was just sixteen and a half years old. As I said, Nate and I are best friends, a little out of touch now, but best friends nonetheless. I guess it was the fact that we were both rebelling against the environment we were slowly growing up in that it made us so much alike. In a town where white-pride isn't just common, more like a way of life, we were just a couple of 12 year old kids looking for an escape. What's strange about growing up in a small town is that it encourages a sense of self-value, independence, and creativity which can be lost in large towns or cities. I mean, if you're not doing something creative in our town, what the hell else would you be doing? So, Nate and I developed a VERY similar sense of humor. A dry sense of humor that I assume no one else really appreciated because we didn't have all that many other friends. We entered middle school with hopes of new experiences and meeting new interesting people. This was when I met Jeff, my other life-long-hetero friend. Jeff and I played hockey together when we were eight. He quit, and I hadn't seen him since. Once I introduced him to Nate, we all became very close friends. Finally the day came that every 16 year old dreams about. Jeff and I got our licenses. We were both a little older than most people in our graduating class, so we were a couple of the lucky kids. And on top of that, we both had very nice cars. Mine a ... ... at Nate, he was clutching his chest from a deep cut he got from the seat belt, I was almost too ashamed to look directly at him, his face covered in blood. He looked at me and said â€Å"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have egged you on, I’m sorry†. Before I could respond Jeff interjected, â€Å"Nah, I shouldn’t have taken you guys down here, this was a stupid idea, I’m an idiot. I‘m just so glad you guys aren‘t dead.† I couldn’t believe this, I screwed up, almost killing one of my best friends and here they were trying to make excuses for MY mistake. The car was totaled, we drove through a fence, hit a tree and then a mound of dirt which was what tossed the car on its side. The backseat had collapsed, everything in the trunk was now in the front of the car. Most of it hitting Nate on the way there. We stood there. Quiet. In shock from all the life lessons we had just learned in about 5 seconds. You could almost feel the childhood slip away. It was then that I realized how lucky I was to have such great friends, and how precious life really is, and how it can be altered, permanently, so quickly. I’ll think about this night every once in awhile. It reminds me how happy I should be to still be alive.

Explore and compare the characters, achievements and deaths of Lennie Small Essay

In this essay I will explore and compare the characters, achievements and deaths of Lennie Small, from John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and Bill Sikes from, Charles Dickens ‘Oliver Twist’. I have read both novels and enjoyed them immensely because of the wonderful characters, language and techniques used by the authors especially when describing the worlds they conjured within their novels. These two books also express perfectly the pioneering views of Dickens and Stienbeck; they both used their writings in an attempt to make their socialist views subtly heard by the masses. In the eras of Dickens and also Steinbeck, problems such as, racism, sexism, poverty and the class divide were simply accepted by society. These two authors saw the problems of their social structures, the discriminative attitudes of the people and wanted to make the public aware, being greatly frowned upon by some. Dickens and Steinbeck were soldiers of the same struggle and that is where the similarities between ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ begin. Most of the characters in both novels represent the poverty that plagued both countries at the time the books were set, especially George and Lennie in ‘Of Mice and Men’; the epitome of poverty in the USA. Their lives are an endless trek around California constantly looking for work, scratching a buck or two a day from the back breaking work they do on the ranches. The poverty Oliver lives in (and that Dickens also experienced as a youth) is just the same, with a different back drop, which is why these novels relate so well to each other. Where these two stories really raise a lot of similarities, but at the same time a lot of paradoxes, are definitely the murder scenes and the deaths of the killers themselves. The characters and situations appear to be very alike, but once you read deeper you can see the differences that sneak through. Lennie Small is a very big, powerful, strong man; Steinbeck describes him as a bull. Sikes is also a large burley fellow, but where Sikes is pure evil, Lennie is childish, innocent and inhibited, a man who entirely relies on someone else to guide him, like a dog and master; their personalities are almost an antithesis. They are like this to bring out certain emotions in the reader to make us feel, hatred towards Sikes (and ultimately satisfaction when he dies), but sympathy, love and empathetic humour for Lennie. Their victims, on the other hand, are almost identical; Nancy is a prostitute and, in a way, so is Curley’s wife; she gives her body to Curley in exchange for marriage and money. We have to feel sorry for Curley’s wife when she when she confesses her sins to Lennie in the barn and the unfortunate way she has been mistreated and abused in the past. The sad thing is she is so naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve that she doesn’t realise. She confesses that she doesn’t love or even like Curley: â€Å"I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is exactly what she says to Lennie, something she has never told anyone. Nancy also repents before she dies and pleas with Bill to do so too: â€Å"†¦ let us both leave this dreadful place, and far apart lead better lives†¦ It is never too late to repent.† She even breathes a short prayer of mercy before she dies. In actual fact the whole reason Sikes kills Nancy is because she has been trying to do the lawful, honest thing and try to work her way out of this life of crime and sin she has lived in for so many years. We feel a lot more sympathy for Nancy when she dies because of this and for other reasons. To start with she is killed by a man contained with pure malice, hatred and evil, who is supposed to be her lover. Contrastingly Curley’s wife’s death is a complete accident or if anything, her fault. Also Dickens writes Nancy’s murder scene so graphically and violently it is almost impossible not to feel sorry for this woman: â€Å"†¦ Beat it twice upon her upturned face.† She must have died in agony and terror when Sikes killed her in cold, merciless blood. Nancy had to wait for her death in absolute terror for a minute or so, knowing she would be violently murdered, which must have seemed like an age, she even gets down on her knees and begs for mercy before she is savagely and callously slain. On the other hand Curley’s wife dies quickly and painlessly. There is a simple reason why this is. Dickens wants us to feel nothing, but pure, unadulterated hatred for Sikes when he kills Nancy, so when Sikes finally dies we feel justice is done. This is slightly because of Dickens’ audience, the Victorian public, being so religious and believing themselves to be so good hearted, would have demanded the death of Sikes and enjoyed the novel more without Sikes shadow hanging over the proceedings. Dickens being the man he was gives the people what they want. I prefer the way Steinbeck handles his murder scene purely because I think it is extremely clever. Steinbeck’s’ characterisation of these two characters has been leading up to this moment and it comes together perfectly. He intends us to feel sorry for Curley’s wife, but no hatred of any kind towards Lennie. Even though we have just heard of all the false promises she has been made in her life along with her failed ambitions, her belief they could still come true, all the times she has been sexually abused and the fact that she is still oblivious to all of this, we still can strongly empathise with Lennie. He is as innocent as the day he was born, a child trapped in a mans body. Lennie doesn’t have a scratch of malice in him and we could never feel anger toward a character we have come to love. After reading this scene I actually found myself almost as sorry and sympathetic towards Lennie as Curley’s wife, but not only Lennie, Candy and George too because I knew that any hopes of their long awaited dream had now been shattered. Finally in the two murder scenes to makes us feel complete hatred for Sikes and sympathy for Lennie the two authors both use similar metaphors to give the final impression that the two confessed and repented women are forgiven. With Nancy she is released from this world in the form of one of her hairs being cremated above the glowing embers and symbolically having her soul rise to Heaven. The scene after Curley’s wife is killed is heavenly enough, with the soft light of the mid-afternoon sun penetrating between the planks of the barn and the golden straw almost ceremoniously spread across the fallen maidens body, utter peace. A single dove, the messenger of God, flies in through the open barn door circles, almost giving the site its blessing, and exits with Curley’s wife’s soul on a journey to the heavens. Now I will move on to Lennie and Sikes’ deaths. In contrast to Nancy, when Sikes dies he falls straight to hell. His death is showered in chaos and fear twice that of what Nancy felt. It is a chase through the lowest and darkest place of London. A mad crowd of angry people screaming for Sikes’ blood, holding torches aloft like a crazed lynch mob. This ‘hue and cry’ of gentlemen, policemen, thieves and citizens of all kind all share a hatred and loathing of Sikes and what he has done. The way Dickens describes this scene is superb. When reading I could hear the shouts and screams of the crowd, feel the heat of the torches and feel Sikes’ fright: â€Å"†¦ a waving crowd in the outer darkness like a field of corn moved by an angry storm!† is probably one of the best pieces of description he uses and it really does make you feel the sense of chaos and vengeance that spurs on this ‘hue and cry. The satisfaction that it gives the reader when Sikes accidentally kills himself is enormous. In his efforts to escape he ties a rope around his waist and falls 40 feet as it moves to his neck and hangs him. Sikes dies in more agony than anyone else in either novel; not from pain, but fear. In the time he falls, his body experiences sensory overload; a panic and fear so great it is enough to kill a man on its own. He falls towards the crowd of flames and symbolically hell, the complete antithesis of the deaths of Nancy and Curley’s wife. Hanging would also have greatly contented the puritan population of Victorian England as hanging was the accepted capital punishment of the period, perfect for Sikes. To eradicate completely any emotion for Sikes his loyal dog also jumps for his master, smashing its head on the ground below. Any empathy we may have is transferred to Bullseye. This is probably the most dramatic of the entire novel. If one scene in ‘Of Mice and Men’ could match the pure drama and tension of Sikes’ death it would have to be the final chapter – Lennies death. The build up of tension in the scene is literal genius. When George produced Carlson’s’ Lugar I was on the edge of my seat right up until the end of the novel. Sikes’ death had to be quick to give a real sense for the excitement of the chase. Lennies death had to be draw out and milked for all it is worth, not solely for tension, but to give a character we have become so familiar with and very fond of, a memorable and proper send off. Thanks to George’s skill with words and his love for him, Lennie could not be more content when he dies. The last thing I wanted was for Lennie to die, but it is inevitable. I found myself sating ‘don’t do it George,’ but it is much better that he dies like this than face the men from the ranch. He must die; he cannot go on being tortured by what he has done. Lennie’s death shares some similarities to Curley’s wife’s; they both die quickly and painlessly and like Curley’s wife his soul is take to heaven. The gunshot rolling up the heavenly hills of Salinas makes you feel that Lennie has been released. To summarise, these to classic novels have many things in common, but also sharply contrast each other. It’s this that makes comparing the two so fascinating, as you new things they share and interesting differences every time you read them. It seems strange, but pleasing that two such comparable novels could come from different centuries, different, different countries, but share the same messages and morals.

American Visions of Foreign Policy, 1750-1913 - 2300 Words

American Visions of Foreign Policy 1750-1913 Introduction The United States has been, from its inception, a country that was interested in expansion and of growing its influence abroad. The original administration, that of George Washington, contained a member of the cabinet who is said to be the progenitor of American foreign policy, Alexander Hamilton. Throughout the years others Jefferson, Quincy Adams, Polk, Teddy Roosevelt have led the country based on a vision for expansion and diplomacy that set the table further for those who came after. One man, James Blaine, was also a member of a presidential administration who had significant influence as to the present look of the United States and how the country now conducts international dealings. Early on the expansion had a feeling of empire because many of the founders and men who came after believed that the values of the United States should be spread at least from sea to sea. This paper is a look at how American foreign policy was shaped during the years from 1789 through 1913, and how the nation changed as a result of the spirit of conquest and empire. Alexander Hamilton Most historians would say that the Father of American foreign policy was Alexander Hamilton. That is, actually, present foreign policy. Hamilton was not as much of an expansionist as Jefferson and some of the other founders who believed that the US was endowed by God to bring as many other people into the fold of democracy as possible. He was theShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Read MoreHemp Cultivation in China42289 Words   |  170 Pagesready in early 1996, so if you want to be included, please renew your membership soon. Remember, you must join at the Sustaining/Business level of US$ 100 to be included in the directory under your business or organization name. We have continued our policy of active participation in both the hemp domain directly and at events that overlap these concerns. Examples of these efforts include the following. ---Textile Forum magazine, published by the European Textiles Network, devoted most of their JuneRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 PagesI 111TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3962 To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 29, 2009 Mr. DINGELL (for himself, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. STARK, Mr. PALLONE, and Mr. ANDREWS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education