Explore the idea of historical embeddedness in The Brief Wondrous Life Research Paper

Explore the idea of historical embeddedness in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Research Paper Example The narrator therefore wonders if writing this novel is his own way of saying zafa. Every body seems to be cursed! The first chapter, which happens in 1974 to1987 in Paterson, details Oscar’s childhood and early adolescence. For one week when he is seven, Oscar dates two girls, Olga and Maritza, at the same period. However, the threesome momentarily falls apart and the life of Oscar goes downhill from then onwards. In adolescence, he was fat, dorky, and unattractive. His interest in Genre creates him even more unattractive, and his only true friends are Miggs and Al. Oscar’s sister Lola try to encourage him to lose weight to be more masculine for him to land a girlfriend, but Oscar does not regard their advice. When Miggs and Al find girlfriends and purposely dessert him out, Oscar realizes that they even contemplate that he is a failure. Oscar goes to Santo Domingo to visit Nena Inca, and starts writing science fiction as a channel. When Oscar returns he finds a girl c alled Ana Obregon at SAT prep class, instantly falling in love with her. Oscar and Ana become good friends, but never physically intimately attached. Eventually Ana’s boyfriend named Manny returns from an army mission and Ana stops having time with Oscar. Afterward, Oscar goes to Rutgers for college. He hopes life in college may be different, but in there, he realizes that still he is a loser. Oscar, the character who collects the novel together, justly perceives himself as a doubly marginalized figure. A Dominican-American boy growing up in Paterson during the 80s, he is hampered by counter-stereotypical nerdiness in addition to problems of racism and social class. Bashful, precocious, and overweight, Oscar is well versed in Marvel comics and "Japanimation" lore. His ambition is to write a space fictional. A Dominican accent manipulates "Wilde" into "Wao" wile in college. Yunior (Solis 49), his college roommate and best friend, does not quite apprehend Oscar, however loves h im and sees that there something is within Oscar that needs to be known. As the key narrator of the story, Yunior provides a loving portrayal of a tortured person within a tortured family. Redemption of Oscar â€Å"brief wondrous life† manifests at a momentous, but justified, price. Told from the viewpoint of Oscar’s sister Lola with his best friend Yunior, the story of the search for revitalization leads the reader through some of the darkest junctions of a country under severe dictatorial control. Lola pursues her own redemption, far away from her family, particularly her mother and her heritage. She only loves her younger brother Oscar and seeks protecting him from the curse which is tragically affecting their family. Saying that Hapatia Belicia was born to hard era would be an understatement. Beli’s mother died when she was only two months old, never met her father, held by her sisters a few times before they disappeared too, and spent no time in Casa Hatuey . Beli had multiple things sailing against her from the beginning of her pathetic life. She was born sick and underweight, at a time and environment where it would be difficult for any newborn to survive with her accompanied situation. She was also dark skinned, a reason that made her father’s family to absolutely dislike anything to do with her. At this juncture, her life is saved uniquely by a single woman’

Leonardo Davinci The Greatest Genius History Essay

Leonardo Davinci The Greatest Genius History Essay Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Anchiano, near Vinci in the Republic of Florence, which is now Italy. He died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux (now Clos-Luce) France. Leonardo da Vinci is believed to be the greatest genius that ever lived. Leonardo had become a master in more fields of any other before or since him. Most geniuses such as Albert Einstein or Alfred Hitchcock were masters only in a single field. It was not the case with Leonardo. He believed that all subject matter was interconnected in one way or another. Leonardo expressed a great deal of his other works in his works of art. He was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculpture, architect, engineer, mathematician, musician, scientist, a writer, and a well-known inventor. Da Vinci, the Artist Leonardo started his career as an artist in about 1469 in Verrocchios fabled workshop. Leonardo, a youth at the time was Verrocchios assistant. One of their famous masterpieces was the Baptism of Christ. This painting was started in 1472 and took roughly 3 years to complete. It is currently being housed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. A great deal of the detail of this painting was believed to be done by Leonardo himself. X-rays of the painting and comparing them to the original sketches shows that Leonardo had done the painting entirely different that the way Verrocchio had intended it to be in finished form. This may be the earliest indication that Leonardo was trying to free himself from his masters coaching to follow his own path. Verrocchio had felt threatened by the fact that da Vincis angel in the painting had seemed to be a great deal better than the other three which were painted by Verrocchio (John the Baptist) and other students) After this Verrocchio had lost in terest in painting and concentrated on his other talents such as sculpture and metal working. Suffice to say, this was Verrocchios last well-known painting and the start of Leonardos career as a famous artist. Another of his more famous works, the Mona Lisa, has brought forth much controversy over the years since its completion in 1506. It was painted in Florence, Italy on wood with oil paints and now currently resides at the Musee du Louvre, Paris. Some of this controversy includes such questioning as follows: Why is she smiling (was she secretly pregnant at the time of the painting), is this really a woman or a cleverly disguised self-portrait of Leonardo himself? If Mona Lisa was actually a self portrait of Leonardo, then the smile couldnt have been of a secret pregnancy, but most-likely of a secret that the painting is actually based on the artist. The Last Supper is another one of Leonardos great works of art. It is a mural that measures 30 feet by 14 feet. This great size mad it a great challenge for the very talented Leonardo. The work was started in 1495 and after 3 years of many sketches and preparatory drawings, the work was finally completed in 1498. This painting was done at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie on the north refectory. This job focused on a scene at the moment of the announcement Judas betrayal. Instead of seating them in a traditional seating arrangement for that time, he seated them so that one could see each of the apostles faces and facial expressions as they hear the announcement of the betrayal of Jesus. This job couldnt have come at a more perfect time for Leonardo, for he was in his time of depression. This job not only brought him out of his depression, but it also won back the Duke Lodovicos patronage and through this he acquired a vineyard and a piece of property of 16 rods located near San Vittore. Other paintings by Leonardo include St. John in the Wilderness, Benois Madonna, Sala delle Asse, St. Jermome, Adoration of the Magi, and many others. Da Vinci and his sculptures Leonardo not only had a talent for art, which he seems the most famous for, but also he had a flare for sculpture. Some of his more well-known sculptures are the Horse in Bronze and the Il Cavallo. The Bronze horse was started in 1482 when the Duke of Milan had commissioned Leonardo to build the worlds biggest horse in honor of his father to guard over the Dukes castle. It stood 24 feet high upon its completion. The sculpture started out as a full size cay model and was eventually later cast in Bronze, thus the name the Bronze Horse. Leonardos other well known sculpture, Il Cavallo, was another horse sculpture that he would not see completed. This only exists in the form of the multitude of drawings that were left behind by da Vinci. Also left behind were two issues da Vinci had with his sculpture. The first was the fact that he needed to fill the space where the horses belly was to be and the second issue was settling on the position of the rider. Unfortunately for Leonardo, this wa s one sculpture he could not complete. Da Vinci, the Inventor Leonardo had many great inventions for his time period and a great deal of them was ahead of their time. These inventions can be put into a number of categories according to the invention and the intended purpose of the invention. The first category would be flight. This category includes the parachute, the helicopter, and the glider. The second category is forgeries. In this category would be the Turin Shroud. The reason for this as being in the forgery category is the fact that people question whether it is authentic or it was one of da Vincis illusions of making it look authentic by using his many artistic talents. The third category of his inventions is maps. Leonardo had made great improvements in the area of map making in his time period. The fifth category is the military. This category includes the plans he had drawn up for an automobile (re-invention), the invention of a three-tiered machine gun, a scaling ladder (improvement), and a military tank. Even his paintings, which are the sixth category, can be considered as inventions for Leonardo in the fact that he had made improvements in the art and also in his creative techniques. The seventh category for inventions for da Vinci is statues in the fact that, just as in paintings he had made improvements and used different techniques and also invention. The last but not least category in the inventions for da Vinci is a category that I would have never even thought or known about is robots. Leonardo was experimenting with this concept in 1495. The robot is a knight in appearance and is wearing the traditional armor for the time which was Italian-German. It had realistic features as well. For instance if one were to look into the mouth of the robot one would find it looked as a real humans mouth would. Leonardo had done this to prove to himself how easily a human beings body could be imitated. This to me in itself shows pure genius. I could go basically on and on forever about the great deal of accomplishments of the great Leonardo da Vinci. He had made great improvements to the art world, helped science a great deal, made inventions and plans for inventions that would be a great help to society. He was also a great mathematician, musician and writer as well. I believe that for one to be considered the greatest genius to ever live they need to have a vast knowledge of a multitude of different subjects. Leonardo da Vinci is the only person thus far has come to mind as that such person who greatly qualifies for such an honor.

To the virgins to make much of time Essay example -- English Literatur

To the virgins to make much of time GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may, GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he's a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he's to setting. That age is best which is the first, when youth and blood are warmer; but being spent, the worse and worst Times still succeed the former. Then be not coy, but use your time, and while ye may go marry: For having lost but once your prime you may for ever tarry. I have chosen â€Å"To the virgins to make much of time† as my second poem because I feel it has much useful meaning to it and also because I agree with the title of the poem. I feel that people should live life to the full whilst they can. The first line, I think is the best of the whole poem: â€Å"gather ye rosebuds while ye may†. This image means that we should find a man/woman whilst you’re still young and beautiful. The poem has a very simple rhyming pattern of ABAB. This means that the poem is fluid and rhyt...

Passion Is Both Imprisoning and Liberating

Analyses the emotional changes of Jed and How does he Imprison Joe' One of the major characters in the novel is Jed Parry, one of the main male leads. Jed is a harsh Christian, to put it kindly â€Å"Please leave your message after the beat. And the may the Lord be with you†. After the ballooning Incident, he develops a voracious obsession with Joe Rose, who we know has a wife; Claries. Jed doesn't seem like the violent type, though the power of his obsession Is Itself a kind of violence.He ascribes his love for Joe In his various letters and phone messages, as something dictated by God. He sees himself, as the result of Joey's escape. The tension here is a slight variation of that between Joe and Claries. It revolves around the battle between science and faith. Throughout the novel, Jed expresses his love and views towards Joe very openly and seems Like the character In which he follows his heart instead of his head. From when Joe receives a phone call from Jed, enquiring whe n he shall be meeting with IM, he ends his part of the phone call with; â€Å"l can come to you. He hesitates while saying this and with no surprise Jed replies with † No. Tell me where you are. † The fact that Jed is very versatile and forgiving towards Joe tells us that he is truly in love with him. Jed Is very passionate towards Joe and portrays this deeply; â€Å"I don't know why you've chosen me. All I know is that I love you too now, and that there's a reason for it, a purpose. † Through this he seems to have put Joe in a very awkward moment. From this he feels and knows that Joe has to react in either a way of horror or agreement.Joe feels trapped and very imprisoned even though Jed is only expressing his feelings and trying to understand why Joe doesn't feel the same way. Later on In the novel, Jed starts to (In certain ways) ‘Interrogate' Joe so he starts to understand exactly how he feels; â€Å"look. You don't have to go about it like this. You could save us both so much misery. † This back fires as Joe still doesn't express the truth and his full emotions. Jed continues this ‘act' as he later on says â€Å"What have I done to you?Why are you keeping this up? † Joe has Instigated this and feels manipulated and controlled by him. Parry starts to get very affectionate towards Joe Rose, maybe trying to get through to Joe in a different way. He states; â€Å"Something passed between us, up there on the hill, after he fell, it was pure energy, pure light? † He tries to approach Rose in many ways and I believe this is his final attempt to reach Joe. This quote defines the way in which parry express' love.He believes this is the true meaning of love and how he feels towards Joe. The fact that Joe Rose Is married doesn't even cross Parry's mind even thong en Is very aware AT ten Tact; â€Å"l en only way Is Tort ten tenure AT us to talk. † From this, I think that Parry believes this is all a game; a love triangle in which he believes he van fox but Joe isn't taking it. By the end of chapter seven Joe finally loses his patience, hails a taxi and leave abruptly when Jed mentions dealing with what he sees as the ‘Claries problem'.

Definition paper on the word “Strength” Essay

Strength is more then just a physical word. It is a word of high stature. Strength can be used in three ways; physical, mental, and spiritual. Strength is the quality of being physically strong, capacity to sustain the application of force without yielding or breaking, effectiveness, and concentration. Strength is a word that is a greatly misinterpreted from time to time. To some, strength is only in physical form, but for others strength comes with emotions and spirituality. Physical strength is a good thing to have for your personal benefit. To be physically fit is good for your health and for the protection of you and others. To have physical strength is a great asset, but for some a mere burden. For the bully who abuses his physical strength, it could lead to anguish and pain for him and others. Is a man strong when he hits his wife or is a man strong when he offers comfort? That’s were mental strength comes into play. Mental strength can be one of the best things to have. To be able to control a situation is a great thing. When we get older we gain more mental strength, because our minds gain more knowledge. Karate teaches self defense, but their main focus is on mental strength. The instructors  teach their students to only use karate as self defense. That it takes more strength to not use karate then it does to actually use it. In a relationship mental strength is the top quality. â€Å"It takes a lot of mental strength to focused and stay married for twenty-nine years.†(John Hart) Teaching anything and everything involves a lot of mental strength (patience). For some having attractive features can lead to over confidence, niaveness, and broken relationships. For others having beauty is not taken lightly and put it to good use by being faithful to their mates which takes mental strength by choosing not to be a rover. Spiritual strength takes a lot of self assurance. Strength in the religious world comes from within. Faith and trust are the strong reminders for those in their beliefs. Is a pastor strong because he stays in a church that is conspiring against him and lost their ability to hear the word of God through their Pastor, or is he strong when he chooses to leave? I would have to say that a Pastor has to be wise and listen to God telling him its time to go and be a fresh voice to others. It takes strength to discern from what the Devil wants us to believe and the truth. Spiritual strength can come in hard times as well as good. Consider a mans thoughts when he suffers a tragic fall and becomes a paraplegic and has to spend the rest of his life looking up to short people, having to ask for the simplest of help (wheel chair getting stuck in a small hole), or simply having to behave or else. Spiritual weakness can come in the form of  cursing God for our misfortune and asking him why Spiritual strength is accepting that the Bible tells us there is a reason for all things. To some spiritual strength is doing good deeds and keeping a record of them. I have seen people of strong spiritual strength who never seem to waiver in challenging times. Job was a man of spiritual strength and I know personally I would not want to suffer as much or the way he did. Job was a man of all three strengths, physical, mental and spiritual.