Individualism Essays (705 words) - Daisy Miller, Individualism

Individualism Individualism: An American Trait Individualism has always been close and dear to American hearts. Even since colonial days, Americans have fought for and displayed individualism. Americans thrive on their differences and ideals to run their daily lives. The four stories Daisy Miller, Back to Babylon, Invisible Man, and Death of a Salesman display just that. The first story Daisy Miller, by Henry James, is about an American female in European culture. Daisy, as you can see from her name, is a very plain and common girl. There is nothing royal or elite about her. On the other hand, she meets a Swiss man named Winterbourne. As you can tell from his name, he is very pristine and distinguished. This in a sense describes the vast difference in characters that compose America and other countries. The men around Daisy perceived her as a stereotypical American flirt. On Daisy's trip to Italy, she once again meets a man. Apparently, Daisy has an attraction to the foreign folk, this time an Italian chap named Giovanelli. He and Winterbourne constantly are fighting over the courting over Daisy. Finally, Daisy's flirting got the best of her. She contracted Roman fever and passed away. From that point on, men were always in arguments, blaming each other for Daisy's death. This shows how American ideals can effect other societies. Winterbourne, Giovanelli, and others were so enthralled by this American, it ultimately ended up in death. Fitzgerald's Back to Babylon also portrays Americans as different than their European counterparts. This story is about a wealthy American female who is falling for a French playboy. Here, Fitzgerald displays the Americans as individuals who are intrigued by foreigners. Americans have fought for separation for centuries, however ironically we cannot get enough of other countries. In the story, the American and Frenchman get married. They are a perfect match for one another, both drunks and separated from the rest of the world. Their life seems to keep going in the same direction, no where except down. Their drinking habits catch up to them and lose all their money in the great stock market crash. In the end, Fitzgerald shows of money, drugs, and life's individual purposes sometimes get intertwined. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man depicts an African American salve in the Deep South. Presenting individualism in the Deep South by a black man was totally unheard-of in his days. The black man, Jackson, was very smart. So smart indeed, he received a scholarship for his scholastic achievements. One very hard moment for Jackson was when he was invited to the predominately white grand ball. The ball was put on by whites, for the whites, and to recognize the whites. Jackson swallowed his pride and attended the ball. This showed great individualism from Jackson to step up to society and take one for his people. Authur Miller's classic, Death of a Salesman is very different from the rest of the short stories discussed in this paper. Rather than comparing Americans to each other, Miller contrasts one person throughout time. Willie Loaman was a struggling salesman living in Brooklyn at the end of his career. Willie has a hard time facing with reality and realizes that his time is over. In order for Individualism to be present, a person must be strong-willed and self-sufficient. During his life, Willie has been both of those. However, nowadays he is living his life through his two boys and keeps having flashbacks of when times where better. Loaman was a very proud person. He always would proclaim how much he made a week and how he could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. He kept these figures and instances close to his heart and never gave them up. It takes a strong individual to do just that. As you can see from the four stories Daisy Miller, Back to Babylon, Invisible Man, and Death of a Salesman, Individualism can be portrayed and examined numerous ways. It could be described as internal and external, personal or societal. Americans are for surely a different breed. We are unique in the fact that we express our differences and praise them. Individualism is one of the few traits that Americans can call theirs. English Essays

Free Essays on Keats And Shelly

A season of autumn is traditionally associated with dying of nature and expectations of the following winter time. For Romantic poets who are known for their extraordinary sensitivity to natural moods the period of fall becomes a great force for poetic creativity. Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" and John Keats's ode "To Autumn" are two beautiful poems which were blown to their authors by the English autumn. Both poets are influenced by the seasonal process in nature which ushers them into the mood of transience and aging. However, the two of them differently perceive the same natural manifestations. The radical poet Shelley observes the deadly changes in nature caused by the autumnal wind with an expectation for the following spring and revival. In the seasonal process he sees a symbolic prototype for possible revolutionary changes both in his own life and in the existing social structure of his country. His "Ode to the West Wind" primarily appeals to the active sublime power of the west wind to give him that energy which is able to change the world. At the same time, another Romantic poet Keats accepts the idea of aging and accomplishment. In his ode "To Autumn" he celebrates fruitfulness of the autumn and bides farewell to the passing away year and together with it to his great poetry. The Romantic autumnal odes of Shelley and Keats are born from the poetic observations of natural changes and from their ability to penetrate the mood of fall which provides them an incentive for artistic creativity. In "Ode to the West Wind" Shelley mainly concentrates his attention on his observations of the death caused by the autumnal wind. He compares the "dead leaves" to "ghosts", and the "winged seeds" to dead bodies which "lie cold and low... within [their] grave". All these images talk to the author of the "dying year", of transience of time and of ag... Free Essays on Keats And Shelly Free Essays on Keats And Shelly A season of autumn is traditionally associated with dying of nature and expectations of the following winter time. For Romantic poets who are known for their extraordinary sensitivity to natural moods the period of fall becomes a great force for poetic creativity. Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" and John Keats's ode "To Autumn" are two beautiful poems which were blown to their authors by the English autumn. Both poets are influenced by the seasonal process in nature which ushers them into the mood of transience and aging. However, the two of them differently perceive the same natural manifestations. The radical poet Shelley observes the deadly changes in nature caused by the autumnal wind with an expectation for the following spring and revival. In the seasonal process he sees a symbolic prototype for possible revolutionary changes both in his own life and in the existing social structure of his country. His "Ode to the West Wind" primarily appeals to the active sublime power of the west wind to give him that energy which is able to change the world. At the same time, another Romantic poet Keats accepts the idea of aging and accomplishment. In his ode "To Autumn" he celebrates fruitfulness of the autumn and bides farewell to the passing away year and together with it to his great poetry. The Romantic autumnal odes of Shelley and Keats are born from the poetic observations of natural changes and from their ability to penetrate the mood of fall which provides them an incentive for artistic creativity. In "Ode to the West Wind" Shelley mainly concentrates his attention on his observations of the death caused by the autumnal wind. He compares the "dead leaves" to "ghosts", and the "winged seeds" to dead bodies which "lie cold and low... within [their] grave". All these images talk to the author of the "dying year", of transience of time and of ag...