John Irving, a prayer for owen meany Essay Example for Free

John Irving, a prayer for owen meany Essay In the first chapter of A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving displays an expansive, articulate style that relies heavily on rich descriptions to create detailed portraits of the New England of his youth, especially the title character who inspires him to believe in God and Christ. Irving’s language throughout the chapter is articulate and his sentences long, perhaps to accommodate his rather abundant, detailed descriptions; it is almost oratorical without being florid or long-winded, reflecting the fact that the narrator is descended from a prominent New England family (including the Puritan minister for whom he is named). He also relies heavily on memories, moving from his recollections of Owen to broader discussions of his own family and hometown, creating a context for the subsequent action and thus giving his memories a deeper meaning. In addition, Irving uses Owen as a symbol of Christ-like divinity – the boy is something of a martyr for his suffering (indeed, he never tells on his peers for their abuses), and yet he takes away the narrator’s mother, however unintentionally, by hitting the foul ball that kills the narrator’s mother (hence the chapter’s title, â€Å"The Foul Ball†). Irving avoids sounding childish by using articulate adult language, but he conveys a child’s point of view by speaking in a matter-of-fact way about how he and his peers picked on the frail, undersized Owen. He conveys no immediate judgments or apologies for his actions (indeed, as a child he feels no shame for it), and he does not analyze his motivations. For example, when Owen offers a surprisingly mature complaint about church services, the narrator says, â€Å"To these complaints, and others like them, I could respond only by picking up Owen Meany and holding him above my head† (Irving 23), showing how other children are unable to comprehend Owen. He also implies adults’ stupidity by mentioning his oblivious Sunday school teacher and how the police chief and coach quarrel over the ball after his mother’s death. The author wants the reader to understand his world (hence the detailed discussions of his town, family, and relationship with Owen) and especially Owen’s complex role in it. Though he mentions his Christianity at the very start, the narrator does not preach or scold the reader, admitting that he is a rather lazy Christian but also making clear that he feels deeply indebted to him (despite Owen’s role in his mother’s death) and makes the reader feel sympathy for the victimized Owen. Irving’s language is richly descriptive without becoming tedious, and he recalls Owen’s characteristics humorously, especially his diminutive size and high-strangled voice (Owen’s words always appear in capitals). Irving communicates respect for Christianity, but not for the ritual or doctrine – he admits his laziness and calls his approach â€Å"a church-rummage faith† (Irving 2). Instead, he believes in the divine power channeled through Owen, whose intelligence and deep understanding of God set him apart from his peers. Irving implies that both the narrator and New England, despite their Puritan past, find religion uninspiring until Owen appears, and that Owen has vastly more potential to influence events than is shown in the first chapter. More explicitly, he evokes New England’s provincial values, especially the split between insiders (the descendants of Puritans, like the narrator) and outsiders (later arrivals, like Owen’s Irish-Catholic family), and Irving contrasts the region’s harsh religious past with the narrator’s spiritual barrenness, for which Owen ultimately becomes a remedy. In the book’s first chapter, Irving shows the reader a rich picture of his characters’ world, creating the context in which the narrator’s transition from nonbeliever to Christian occurs. He presents Owen in a sympathetic light, as a wise yet victimized figure whose suffering and kindness bring enlightenment into a milieu that needs it. Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York: Ballantine, 1989.

Existentialistic Analysis of the Epilog of The Tempest :: Shakespeare Tempest

Existentialistic Analysis of the Epilog of The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One may find it ridiculous to contrast between Shakespeare and existentialism in its 20th century form, however one must keep in mind, that existentialism does not appear as a single philosophical system. It is more an attitude of life, a general vision - existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre is known to have stated that existentialism was never invented, it has always existed as the ultimate foundation. Upon that light, why not seek the foundations from the work of the forefather of all dramatists? It is above all naà ¯ve to claim Prospero’s Epilogue in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest a mere conventional appeal for applause or the stripping of the imaginary glamour built up by the plays magic. Even the greatest of artists would rather give away his life than surrender his art to be judged solely by the public. Art for an artistic genius is practised for its own sake; art for the purpose of art. Existence for the sake of existence itself - stripped of meaning, of value and of subjective interpretation. In its bear meaningless form, something still remains: the necessary Natural Law, a philosophical concept considered the basis of human well-being, a system of the values that determine human existence. Throughout The Tempest Prospero’s character portrays an image of a nearly Nietzchean superhuman capable of disclaiming authority, killing God. He is in control of every situation and event as if the chain of causes and effects would be a conductible melody waiting for an artist’s touch. On the other hand he is very human: a wronged duke and a father, a symbiosis which Shakespeare displayed with the use of Prospero’s garment as a theatrical tool. An artist is the creator, the maker of realities yet he remains human, an animal with feelings and urges, ties only waiting to be cut. The view implied is not far from the ideologies that emerged from the great suffering of the second world war: a man is capable of constructing himself a framework of personal and social meaning, but his true animal nature remains unchanged. In the heart of existence, life has no predefined meaning, it is a mere passage of survival from necessary birth to necessary death. Prospero's and hi s daughter's situation on the island was hopeless, however Prospero had chosen a function for his life - revenge. Prospero created a meaning for his life, built a synthetic reality to keep him sane on the path towards the finality of human death.

How does Faustus use the magical gifts that he receives? Essay

Faustus is an extremely ambitious and clever man. This is seen to the extent that he sells his soul to fulfil his ambitions. He uses magic in order to strengthen his power and knowledge and thus this makes him dangerous. He is hubristic and aims to posses knowledge that no other mortal should have. In doing so he becomes synonymous to God. Faustus states â€Å"O what a world of profit and delight/Of power, of honour, of omnipotence/Is promis’d to the studious artisan! † This is what he intends to do with the magical gifts he receives but it soon becomes clear that ultimately everything Faustus does is for his own selfish needs. By comparing himself to a ‘studious artisan’ he hopes to gain the recognition of a scholarly work however, he fails to understand that scholars study for personal enlightenment and not material gain. Therefore ultimately Faustus achieves nothing with his magical gifts throughout the whole play. He gains no wealth, no recognition and no delight from his magic. Instead he condemns himself to death and illustrates that no man can ever be God as all men are fallible. Faustus’s attempts to use his magical gifts are futile and thus he gains nothing and is forever in debt to Mephostophilis. The pursuit of knowledge is directly linked with obtaining power. Faustus intends to acquire a greater intellect so that he can control everything. This is demonstrated by Faustus in Act one Scene one; â€Å"All things that move between the quiet poles/Shall be at my command. † Faustus exemplifies his desire to be the master of all. His reference to the quiet poles means that Faustus wants to rule the entire world, from North to South. The audience are reminded that Faustus is just a man; â€Å"Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man,† however, he forgets his place in society. Faustus wants to use his magical gifts in order â€Å"to make men to live eternally/Or being dead raise them to life again. † The magical gifts allow Faustus to take on the role of God and this hubristic nature and desire for power is his downfall. Significantly, everything Faustus says is only what he intends to do with the magical gifts. He never does use the magical gifts to commit such acts and rather uses them for trivial acts such as comedy. This is illustrated in Act four Scene six when the Horse-Courser recounts his encounter with Faustus Dick and Robin. It is clear that Faustus has done nothing with the power that his magical gifts provide him with. Faustus also wants to use his magical gifts for his own pleasure and selfish needs. He aims to accomplish this by sending spirits to â€Å"search all corners of the new-found world/For pleasant fruits and princely delicates. † This pleasure could result in pride for Faustus which is what he claims that he wants at the beginning of the play. More importantly he considers himself worthy of these ‘princely delicates’ and thus forgets his place in society. The pleasure of these new found objects shows the material gain from his magic rather than personal enlightenment. Thus this demonstrates that Faustus uses his magical gifts not as a scholar but as a sorcerer for his own pleasure and happiness. In addition, Faustus wishes to be pleasured sexually exploring the woman for new treasures. This is evident in Faustus’s conversation with Valdes in Act one Scene one. However, once again Faustus wishes are not fulfilled and his dreams are only lived in words. It is once again apparent that Faustus does not use his magical gifts at all. The magical gifts allow Faustus direct power in order to conquer the world; â€Å"And reign sole king of all our provinces. † He is obsessed with the idea of reigning supreme and become omnipotent just like God. Faustus has no intention to use his magical gifts for good omitting to mention any wish of helping the poor and poverty stricken people in Germany. His only aim is to become a ‘mighty God. ‘ This ultimate power means that there is a clear distinction between Faustus and the rest of the characters in the play; a divide between mortal and god. Thus Faustus’s power enables him to obtain considerable fame for his astonishing magic. He wishes to â€Å"be eterniz’d for some wondrous cure† demonstrating his desire to be remembered forever. His magical gifts do not allow Faustus to become immortal and it is only in literature that he becomes immortalised. One final aspect that Faustus wishes to achieve with the magical gifts is wealth. He could be a physician and â€Å"heap up gold,† or â€Å"ransack the ocean for orient pearl. † Wealth is another way in which Faustus could gain power. Faustus’s obsession with wealth also illustrates his materialistic attitude. Knowledge in Faustus’s eyes is only another form of wealth like money. He takes no pleasure in making himself a better person. Once again by the end of the play Faustus has not achieved wealth and this is another example of how he has in fact not used his magical gifts. Throughout the play it is evident that Faustus wishes to use the magical gifts to gain power, knowledge, wealth and immortality. He aims to be a creature that is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent and thus his desire is to be god. He becomes obsessed with using his magical gifts to achieve this and continually speaks about all his ideas. However, his dreams never become a reality as he never attempts to actually pursue his desires and use the magical gifts. Instead Faustus uses his magical gifts merely as a comedic tool therefore demonstrating the weakness of his character.

Acc 403 - 5354 Words

[pic] |Auditing – ACC 403 | |Student Course Guide | |Prerequisite: ACC 304 | | | | |INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL - Required | |Arens, A.,†¦show more content†¦| |Use technology and information resources to research issues in auditing. | |COURSE EXPECTATIONS | | | |To obtain the most benefit from this class: | |Follow Strayer University’s policies and procedures as well as those specific to this class. | |Class specific information can be found within the â€Å"Class Information† section within the Student Center. | |WEEKLY COURSE SCHEDULE | | | |The weekly schedule describes the learning activities that will help you achieve theShow MoreRelatedAcc 403 Week 8 Assignment 21144 Words   |  5 PagesACC 403 WEEK 8 ASSIGNMENT 2 To purchase this visit here: http://www.activitymode.com/product/acc-403-week-8-assignment-2/ Contact us at: SUPPORT@ACTIVITYMODE.COM ACC 403 WEEK 8 ASSIGNMENT 2 – AUDIT PLANNING AND CONTROL It is common industry knowledge that an audit plan provides the specific guidelines auditors must follow when conducting an external audit. External public accounting firms conduct external audits to ensure outside stakeholders that the company’s financial statements areRead MoreWeek 4 ACC 403 Essay1797 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Ã‚      Homework – Week 4 Desislava Tabakova ACC 403 – Auditing I Professor Ashley Braun Harper November 2, 2014   Chapter 7: Problems 7-29(a-g) and 7-33(a-b) Chapter 8: Problems 8-29(a-d) and 8-32(a-b) 7-29 A-G A- Recorded amount of entries in the acquisition journal 1- Documentation--consists of the clients business documents used to support accounting events. The strength of documentation is that it is prevalent and available at a low cost. Documents can be internal or externallyRead MoreSarbanes-Oxley Act Acc 403- Auditing1443 Words   |  6 PagesSARBANES-OXLEY ACT ACC 403- AUDITING PROFESSOR August 19, 2012 The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was placed into effect July 2002; the act introduced major changes to the regulation of corporate governance and financial practice. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who were the main architects that set a number of non-negotiable deadlines for compliance. The organization for Economic Cooperation and Development was one of the first non- governmentRead MoreAcc 403 Week 7 Discussion Acc403 Week 7 Discussion2290 Words   |  10 PagesACC403 Complete Course Week 1 to Week 11 Click below link for Answer visit www.workbank247.com http://workbank247.com/q/acc-403-complete-course-week-1-to-week-11/9673 http://workbank247.com/q/acc-403-complete-course-week-1-to-week-11/9673 ACC 403 Week 1 Discussion Auditors Role and Responsibilities Please respond to the following: Compare the primary auditor objectives in auditing historical financial statements to auditing internal controls over financial reporting. Identify at least twoRead MoreThe Importance of New Zealand’s Forestry Industry Essay1396 Words   |  6 Pages‘Connection’ with the land) (Gallagher Te Atawhai o te Ao, 2011). This resource, however, is under threat through poor management (Levack, Poole, Bateson, 2006), over exploitation (MPI, 2003) and the operating conditions of the Forestry Industry (ACC, 2007). This assignment will examine the impact that deforestation may have on New Zealand, and possible models for rectifying the situation. For the purposes of this assignment, attention will be given to the effects of ‘The Pine Forestry IndustryRead MoreAcc403 Assign 1-Sarbanes Oxley1057 Words   |  5 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act Student Name Professor Name ACC 403 – Auditing 8/19/2012 Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Effectiveness of Regulations. There used to be a time in the United States when there were no regulations in place to protect the public from corporate greed and deceit. Publically traded companies used the auditors they had on retainer to audit their financial statements. There was no reason to believe that such large corporations would allow their share holders to fall. That fairytaleRead MoreReporting on Two Different Pension Plans and Eliminate Two Segments1391 Words   |  6 PagesReporting Reporting Pamela Jefferies ACC 541 October 19, 2010 Christine Errico Abstract Our company has acquired a new manufacturing company. The new company has certain components, which are different from the new parent company. First, it has two different pension plans, which our company will have to research and to learn how to report on our financial statement. Also they have two different segments, which our objective is to eliminate. Our first goal is to define the pensionRead MoreThe Post Retirement Benefit of Pension Plans1968 Words   |  8 PagesThe Post Retirement Benefit of Pension Plans Marcus Womack Intermediate Accounting II (ACC 306) Professor Rick Kwan September 29, 2010 There are several different types of employment compensation. Salaries and wages that people earn while they are working provide immediate compensation for services provided and are a key factor in managing one’s day to day life. However, there are also various types of compensation that one can earn from employment after they have retired from a company. Read MoreDual ACC1 / ACC2 Inhibition9209 Words   |  37 Pagesloss of ACC inhibition. Therefore, the tert-butyl-substi- tuted pyrazole-fused core was used for the further studies. The SAR with regard to substitution at position 9 of the 1,9-diazaspiro[5.5]undecane core was determined for aroyl substituents containing a bicyclic fused heteroaryl group. Comparisons were made with compound 1c. Compounds 1d,e showed similar ACC inhibition, HLM clearance, and LipE, but only modest improvement of Papp. Compounds 1f,g showed improved Papp, and good ACC inhibitionRead MoreHeart Failure Essay6843 Words   |  28 Pagespart of clinical management. A2a. Pharmacological Treatments Pharmacological treatment for heart failure is often based on the symptom severity and the patient’s classification. The ACCF and AHA classify patients into four classes from A to D. The ACC and AHA stages of heart failure recognize that both risk factors and abnormalities of cardiac structure are associated with heart failure. Pharmacological treatment considers both. The pharmacological treatment is pretty standard throughout the United