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Thunderwith Essay Everyone goes through a grieving stage in their lives. Lose of a loved one like a mother or just personal problems can cause a person to be upset and grieving. In the novel Thunderwith by Libby Hathorn, the main character Lara gives an example of the stages of grieving. And how she learnt to overcome her mother's death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the novel, Lara is faced with the death of her beloved mother. She is sent to live with her father that she has not seen since she was a child. Lara is also going to live with her father's new family that she has never met. Larry her father has a new wife. 'Lara has the impression that the Man will care for and look after her, saving her from his wife and kids.'; When Lara eventually meets her new stepmother, her half-brother and half-sisters, she immediately knows that she is not wanted and that they hate her. So Lara thinks that the Man will look after her and save her from his family. This is further denial of the pain and loneliness she feels. Thunderwith the novel expresses a young girl grieving over her mother's death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon afterwards Lara meets a dog. She decides to call it Thunderwith because she thinks that it is a gift sent down by her mother. Lara is so happy that she can have one moment of happiness. 'She had just met Thunderwith and somehow by caring about him meant she didn't care about being by herself. She 'was not really alone at all-Thunderwi...

Materialism in “Fifth Business” by Robertson Davies Essay

Life embodies those whose dreams are involve success. For this definition in Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella, Ray lives a fulfilled existence by following his dreams and pursuing the idealistic path. He helps others fulfill their meaning of life by traveling miles to find them and to bring them back to his field of dreams. He risks his fortune to do so, ultimately being successful. On the other hand, in the novel â€Å"Fifth Business†, by Robertson Davies, Boy Staunton believes that he will be very successful and will get what he wants if he is rich. Although boy succeeds in getting money and living a life of luxury, he is never truly happy. He always tries to reach his vision, but never seems to achieve it because he does not live in a way that makes his vision a possibility; Boy lives the life he wants. Throughout the novel, the rich possesses a sense of carelessness and he believes that money yields happiness. His neglectful view of money and his materialistic attitude, even tually lead to the destruction and downfall of his character. Authors, W.P Kinsella and Robertson Davies contrast materialistic and idealistic values in their novels. ?At the beginning of the novel Shoeless Joe, W.P Kinsella portrays the protagonist Ray as a good father and husband with an ambitious image. Ray Kinsella is called upon by forces left unknown to the readers and himself, to go on both a physical and heart-felt journey. â€Å"If you build it he will come† (Kinsella, 3). When Ray first heard the voice he knew that it had a special meaning and it was telling him to do something. At the beginning it seemed to Ray that the voice is just his own imagination, but when the voice constantly repeated he knew that it was real. From that moment Ray knew that his goal would be to build a baseball field and ‘he’ referred to Shoeless Joe. Throughout the novel, Ray Kinsella starts to believe more and more in his dream. Initially, it seemed almost impossible, but as his belief grew, he realized that it might soon be a reality. This idea of believing in one’s dreams is integral to the novel and is shown ideally in Ray’s character. In opposition, Robertson Davies characterizes the antagonist Boy Staunton as a materialistic individual who only cares about him self. When Percy Boy damaged Mary Dumpster’s brain, which caused premature birth, he quickly moved on and forgot about the incident. After many years, he was asked about recognition of Mrs. Dempster and he replied:† Not at all. Why should I?†(Davies,261). He focused on the negative aspects of his life. Boy is still finishing school and in the  process of stealing Dunny’s girl while he was away. By avoiding problems in his childhood Boy became a successful materialist. ?Ray Kinsella’s journey began when he left his family and risked his fortune to fulfill other people’s dreams. At the end he succeeded in accomplishing his goal, but did not expect any award. â€Å"I did it all. I listened to the voices, I did what they told me, and not once did I ask what’s in it for me† (Kinsella 230). He was not doing anything to please himself, but thought of others instead. He spent a lot of money to build the field and treated other men like guests. â€Å"This is my corn. You people are guests in my corn.† He proved that in order to be happy there is no need to have a lot of money and material objects. He chose an ideal path rather than a material one. While Ray is in a search for inner truth and idealism, Percy is searching for outer beauty and satisfaction with his appearance. Boy is more concerned with increasing his great wealth and all the possessions money can buy, rather than his ideal well – being. There is nothing more important for Boy than himself and his success. He is an egoist. â€Å"We looked into each other’s eyes and I knew that he was afraid, and I knew also that he would fight, lie, do anything rather than admit what I knew. And I didn’t know what in the world I could do about it.† He believes that he can control life by exerting his willpower. He does not clutter his mind with useless information, and also never forgets what is useful to his advance through life. He knows women only as sexual objects, and thinks only in terms of the surface appearance of things. ?† I feel rotten†¦ I’ve done just about everything I’ve ever planned to do, and everybody thinks I’m a success†¦ But sometimes I wish I could get into a car and drive away from the whole damned thing.† PIOTREK! Daj tu citation!! As he gets older he realizes the sterility of acquiring more things, but unfortunately doesn’t do anything in order to change. In the book Shoeless Joe, W.P. Kinsella wrote about how some people were missing something in their lives, but they found what they had been looking for when they arrived at Ray’s field. Ray built a baseball field to fulfill his unfulfilled dreams of the past. Ray’s father died when he was a teenager, so Ray did not get to spend much time with him. Ray had always longed to see his father again and this dream came true when he built the field. Others had unquenchable dreams like Ray. Archibald Graham never got to bat in the majors, and that was what was missing in his life. â€Å"Well, you know I†¦ I never got to bat in the  major leagues. I would have liked to have that chance. Just once.† (Kinsella, 165). When Archie Graham came to Ray’s field, he found the thread that tied the meaning of his life. Eddie Scissons also had an unrealized dream, all his life he had lied about himself being the oldest living Chicago Cub, but he was only looking for the recognition that he had always dreamt of having. When he came to Ray’s field, he no longer had to lie about himself being the oldest living Chicago Cub, for that’s exactly what he became. Ray’s field of dreams helped fulfill the dreams of other men besides himself, and it made all the men very happy to finally find what they have been looking for all their lives. On the other hand, in Fifth Business, Boy’s materialistic values destroyed his marriage and lead to his downfall. â€Å"To him the reality was of life lay in external things, whereas for me the only reality was of the spirit – of mind. â€Å"(Davies, 114) Percy wants everyone, and everything in control, in his control. He is not able to form warm, lasting human relationship. When Boy realized that his wife is not what he wants he decides to abandon her. When Leola commits suicide Boy’s guilt became so great that he could no longer face it. When Boy realized that his acquisitive way of living destroyed his family and lives of others, suicide was the only way out. â€Å"He was killed by the usual cabal: by himself, first of all; by the woman he knew; by the woman he did not know; by the man who granted his inmost wish; and by the inevitable fifth, who was the keeper of his conscience and keeper of the stone.† (Davies, 237). Both authors R.W. Kineslla and Robertson Davies contrast ideal vs. material values in their novels. They show that life based on material values is shallow and unrewarding, while believing and never giving up on dreams is the only true path to happiness.

Media Bias Of The United States - 1389 Words

I agree with you in the fact that media in the United States is indeed biased. The mainstream media particularly all seem to have a majority of the same viewpoints with little variation on their beliefs, but I must disagree when you say all journalists and writers are biased because, â€Å"they push their agenda in news and entertainment.† Media bias comes from a multitude of factors, who enters careers in writing and journalism, where journalists get information from, and how audiences receive news and media. When looking at how written work is biased, one must look at who is doing the writing. On the whole, journalist are white, upper class individuals (Williams). This is because of how graduates get journalism jobs. Newsrooms want to hire†¦show more content†¦How stories are written and where stories come from also a major force of media bias, this bias comes from how and where journalists get sources. Good, knowledgeable, well-connected sources are hard to come b y, so when journalists get access to such sources, they often return to them again and again for comments on stories. This is problematic as, â€Å"this journalistic inclination toward certain routine sources might result in a bias in terms of the framing of the event and an imbalanced coverage† (Reich; van der Meer et al.). When journalists return consistently to the same individuals for comments on stories, the viewpoints of those sources get saturated in the media. These source’s opinions, thoughts, and perspective on the events in the news get more representation through media, causing a bias via overrepresentation of a single viewpoint. Another way sources bias media, is who journalists seek as sources. Journalists seek out influential, well connected, and powerful individuals to be sources. This is in no way a bad practice, as journalists want people who are involved in newsworthy events to be informing what the public knows, it can also lead to bias. The media c ontrols what events are covered, in which way, and when. The people of the United States rely on the media to inform them about the happenings of the day. The voice of the media is powerful in its gatekeeping role. If information or commentary about happenings in the worldShow MoreRelatedEssay on Liberal Media Bias in the United States 1356 Words   |  6 Pagesstories that have been published, they count on the media to portray both sides. However, you cannot believe everything that the media reports. If you were to pay attention to the reports given by journalists, you will find that they report on the stories that they feel they want to get out. And when it comes to politics, they have a way of leaning more towards a democratic view. 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