Reality and Experience in Young Goodman Brown Essay examples -- Litera

In reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, many issues come up that arouse interest in topics of knowledge, evil, reality, amongst other things. During my experience reading this text, how Goodman Brown's outlook changed based on information revealed to him that may not even be the "reality" of the people he knows was fascinating. That knowledge gained outside traditional and physical realms can affect the mind and the perception of the world is a fascinating subject. I also found this interesting in conjunction with some of the concepts of literary critics we reviewed this week, as the question of what literature is and what it should do becomes important in the discussion of what happens to Goodman Brown, but subsequently what happens to the reader of his story. To begin, the introduction to Goodman Brown begins with introducing characters that seem to exemplify youthfulness, earnestness, and innocence. Interactions between Goodman and Faith, such as the "parting kiss" (Hawthorne 239), and even the description of Faith, whose cap contains pink ribbons that the wind plays with contains a sense of whimsy and playfulness that sets the reader up thinking of the young couple in positive terms. However, Goodman changes this quickly with his discussion of leaving, as well as his parting. At this point, we see the conflict within the characterization of Goodman Brown emerge, referring to himself as "a wretch...to leave her on such an errand" (239), a contrast to the initial idea presented of him. This is the beginning of what interested me so much, as the appearance of Goodman Brown was presented ambiguously and painted to be "good" by his interactions with Faith, who was described in a bit more detail. The same can be sa... ...or they were representations within an offshoot of "reality" within his own mind based on his experiences in the world. Furthering this, the reader has the same experience with the fictitious world of Goodman Brown, as even though it is a work of fiction, it is grounded in reality based on its ideas alone. All in all, I found the exploration of reality in Young Goodman Brown to be pivotal in its own right, as the function of "reality" and what defines it in literature and its effect not only depends on the author and the content of the work itself. Instead, the transactional nature of art requires a meshing of ideals and experiences to come together to create meaning independent of a single idea or concept. Works Cited Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 5th ed. New York: Longman, 2011. Print. .

A Zipped World

The modern world is filled with conveniences that people do not completely appreciate. There are numerous practical inventions, products of exceptional ingenuity and intelligence which do not receive enough acknowledgements from the public. People usually take these items for granted and fail to recognize their contribution in making life a little easier. An example of these scientifically engineered devices is the zipper. Everyone encounters this simple item in their daily environment, but people often unconsciously neglect its existence. A prototype of the zipper was first introduced during the 1800s by a man named Elias Howe. Back then, the zipper gained little acceptance and minimal commercial value. But throughout the years, this useful locking device was given more attention and finally became a staple garment fastener during the 1930s (Bellis, 2008, paragraph 2). This shows that people have long ignored the potential of the zipper in greatly impacting clothing, shoe, and other industries. Zippers are used in fastening trousers, jackets, boots, and luggage as they can open with considerable speed and efficiency, relative to the traditional buttons. Zippers are most associated with jeans as denim companies have adopted this device in their clothing and have gained much popularity with it (Bellis, 2008, paragraph 8). In this independent world, self reliance is highly needed. This is one of the primary considerations that manufacturing companies take in developing their merchandise. The zipper allows children to dress themselves up with ease. Handicapped individuals also benefit from zippers as they require minimal effort in clasping and opening (Bellis, 2008, paragraph 7). The zipper has revolutionized human clothing and has answered much of customer demands. It is regularly seen in individuals, disguising themselves in simplicity. But its development is far from simple, and people must never underestimate how greatly the zipper has improved the world.

The Mexican Revolution A Movement Of The Middle Class

The Mexican Revolution began as a movement of the middle class protesting against the long-standing dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. Diaz was an army officer who had came to power after a coup against former president Benito Juà ¡rez. Unlike Juà ¡rez, Diaz established a stable political system, in which the Constitution of 1857 was bypassed, local political bosses (caciques) controlled elections, political opposition, and public order, while a handful of powerful families and their clients monopolized economic and political power in the provinces. The new money that was obtained by rising foreign trade and investments fueled the whole system. Railways spanned the country, mines and export croups flourished. The cities acquired paved streets, electric light, trams and drains. Even though other Latin American countries also were stepping up and putting in these new improvements it was an especially big deal for Mexico because the money was going into the rich elite and it also bolstered the national government. By 1910, Diaz was eighty years old and was losing his grip on political opposition. Francisco Madero, a wealthy son of an elite family, proposed to run against Diaz. Madero believed that some democratic political reforms would relieve social tensions and allow the government to continue its economic developments with minimum unrest. This was much more than Diaz could handle and he threw Madero in jail. When he got out of jail, he called for a revolt. A general rebellionShow MoreRelatedEssay On The Causes Of The French And American Revolution1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe American, French, Haitian, and Mexican revolutions are epitomes of responsible citizens advocating for social and political upheaval in hopes of saving and furthering their states. 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