Heart of Darkness versus MacBeth Essay -- Joseph Conrad William Shakes

Heart of Darkness and MacBeth  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph Conrad and William Shakespeare are not traditionally paired up for a critical analysis. However, the characters MacBeth and Kurtz in MacBeth and Heart of Darkness, respectively, prove to be worthy of comparison. MacBeth and Kurtz share many common characteristics: both have vaulting ambition that leads both to their success and their demise, a superiority complex, and both make similar sacrifices to achieve their goal. Despite their many similarities, MacBeth and Kurtz differ in many respects. The way the authors present each character varies greatly, and the way each interacts with his surroundings contrast a great deal. The circumstances that follow their actions also differ since the societies in which they live are not similar in any aspect. Through their many similarities and differences, MacBeth and Kurtz prove to be characters filled with evilness, and upon a closer examination, the differing degrees of that evilness are seen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both MacBeth and Kurtz’s initial actions are dominated by ambition. MacBeth chooses to overthrow King Duncan for the sole purpose of his own political gain. He even admits that he "[has] no spur/ To prick the sides of [his] intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on th’other" (Act I, sc. 7). Despite many other good reasons for overthrowing a king, such as for the good of the state or if the king is infringing on the people’s rights, MacBeth claims only selfish intentions. Like MacBeth, Kurtz, too, starts his road to evil with ambition. Kurtz, in order to earn his Intended’s hand, goes to Africa to make something of himself. Instead of going on a "heavenly mission to civilize"(Conrad, 70) the savages, Kurtz’s intentions, from the start, are to make money as quickly as possible. And he does. This "vaulting ambition" leads both met to climb the ladder of success at a quick pace. MacBeth is named "Thane of Cawdor" after one brave battle; Kurtz is given control of the Inner Station because of his success in bringing in ivory. Ambition, though traditionally looked at as a positive characteristic cause both men to perform evil deeds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With ambition and success comes a feeling of superiority. Both MacBeth and Kurtz are portrayed as men who think themselves to be above God. MacBeth knows that the crime of killing a king goes a... ...compassed he has become by evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both MacBeth and Kurtz share the same qualities of ambition, superiority, and the sacrifice of their life because of the lives they have taken. These connections can be made because of the evil that is intertwined in both characters. The evil in them is brought forth through the evil deeds they commit. Where the two differ, though, is in their behavior after the murders have been committed. In MacBeth, an almost apologetic behavior is seen. His guilt, through the hallucinations, proves that he, at least subconsciously, is sorry for what he has done. In Kurtz, no sympathy or guilt is seen. Through this apathetic behavior, one must question whether Kurtz is really sound in mind. It is a natural human instinct to at least have some guilt after committing an offense against another human. The evil that is in both these characters ties them together, but their morals after the acts are committed sets them apart as MacBeth is seen as more of a human being; and Kurtz, mo re of an animal. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: NAL Penguin Inc., 1983. Shakespeare, William. MacBeth. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.

Joyce Carol Oates “Golden Gloves” Story

Yu-Tzu Lin Instructor Emily Plicka English 101 6, October 2012 In Joyce Carol Oates’ story â€Å"Golden Gloves†, it is about the growth of a boy to becoming a man. This boy who was a born with deformed feet, he had couldn’t walk until 3 years old. His dad was a little shameful of him being handicapped. He didn’t like people to touch him or help him. When he was eight, he had a surgery on his feet. He suffered a lot of pains during his rehabilitation . His father took him to a boxing match and he fell in love with boxing right away.He told himself that He would box one day at the Golden Gloves tournament and people would see him standing there in that ring, not in a wheelchair. He began his training at the YMCA. He worked out every day in order to keep himself in the best shape. All he thought about was boxing. He was told that he had talent and had a future. He won many local matches. At the young age of eighteen he boxed in the semi-finals of the Golden G loves tournament, and it was the game that ended his boxing career. A few years later, he married a woman, Annemarie, who desired to have children so bad.She always wanted to have a family even after her first miscarriage; she still persisted to be pregnant again. Finally, Annemarie got pregnant again. They took natural childbirth classes together. But her husband never told Annemarie about his past—about his amateur boxing. He even wasn’t honest about his premature birth and deformed feet. It is a deep shame he struggles with. Joyce Carol Oates â€Å"Golden Gloves† story, the main character struggles with insecurity, even as an adult who eventually achieves success and happiness in his career and marriage.His insecurity haunts him his whole life through: First, insecurity as a child, he was suffering a lot of pain from his deformed feet. He was being bullied by the kids at school. He would grab them and hurt them and made them cry when he got older. Those child hood experiences built up his personality more like shy, showing none of his emotions in him, even a little bit self-abased. As a child, there was not much things that he could do about it, so he keeps his hurt and anger bottled up inside. (P. 774) Second, as a boxer, he lies awake at night worrying about the â€Å"punch out of nowhere† and worries about disappointing his dad.When he was training at YMCA, he was constantly thinking about what did other people think about him and if he challenged other boys, could he knock him out? He also practiced with boys that might be older than him. He improved himself, he knew his weaknesses. (p776) From that example shows that he was insecure that he would be fail. Although some readers might think that it showed his humility, actually here is a mixture feeling of being humble and afraid of not being the best boxer. His father made the statement: â€Å"Either you have the talent or you don’t, It can’t be fake. (p. 776) t his pointed out that he had to win to show that he had talent in boxing. Also his dad put bets on him and that gave him more pressure and worried about letting his dad down. That is probably why he would wake up in the middle of the night and confused about himself. Here, Oates wrote â€Å"His fists when he woke would be clenched so hard his fingernails would be cutting into his palms, his toes curled in tight and cramped as if still deformed, secretly deformed. † (p. 779) because character here was physically healed, he was not crippled anymore.But he still had the same reaction as when he was crippled before. Moreover, the last word, â€Å"secretly deformed†, makes readers feel like that he is still deformed in some way. Maybe he is not physically deformed; maybe in deep down his heart, he is still that crippled boy. Third, he was also insecure as an adult in his strength —admire the strength of his wife, her willingness to try again reminds him of his failure at eighteen, and his insecurity haunts him. Annemarie, his wife, was miscarriage the first pregnancy. She suffered a lot physically and mentally.Annemarie was persistent to be pregnant again but he hesitated. Annemarie’s persistence made him think of his boxing career, made him think of his failure. The main character told himself that â€Å"It’s just physical after all it doesn’t mean anything. Such failures of physical life don’t mean anything. You take the blow then get on with living isn’t that the history of the world? Of course it is. † This part showed that he was trying to comfort himself and made himself feel better about trying again. And the next he said he is an adult now, not a boy any longer. (p. 82) He compared Annemarie’s miscarriage to his failure at eighteen, and he admired the strength of his wife and persuaded himself that he can take more now. Even though when the baby due in less than a week, he was still insecu re about the punch out of nowhere. (p. 783) Maybe he was worried about that he couldn’t control what would happen next. Throughout his life, things were always happened unexpectedly. â€Å"He hadn’t been a fighter at all, merely a victim. † (P. 783) This phrase from Oate’s story pointed out that his biggest insecurity is from life, since he was a premature baby who had deformed feet.He worked so hard to be able to walk; he got bullied by other kids. When he finally became a boxer, he was worried about disappointing his dad, and failure in boxing. He still struggled with insecurity about things happened to his wife. Actually he had a good life when he grew up. But why does he continue to feel insecure in his life, in his happiness? Is it because deep down inside of him he is still that little boy with deformed feet that people pitted or made fun of? Hopefully, he would learn from strength of Annemarie. And maybe when their baby is born, he can feel more se cure in his role as a father and a husband.

Why Do College Textbooks Cost So Much

In high school, books were generally provided by the school district at tax payer expense. Not so in college. Many new college students are shocked to find that their college textbooks can cost over $1,000 a year, and getting by without books obviously isnt an option. The Cost of College Textbooks College books are not cheap. An individual book will often cost well over $100, sometimes over $200. The cost of books for a year of college can easily top $1,000. This is true whether you attend a pricey private university or an inexpensive community college—unlike tuition, room and board, the list price for any given book will be the same at any type of college. The reasons books cost so much are many: Sheer number: Compared to high school, a semester of college uses a lot more books. Youll have longer reading assignments and many courses will assign readings from more than one book.Copyright: The publishers of large anthologies of recent writings need to pay copyright fees to every author in the book. A poetry anthology for a literature class, for example, may involve clearing hundreds of copyrights.Highly specialized material: Many college textbooks are highly specialized and the material is unavailable in any other book. The low volume of published books and the lack of market competition drive publishers to jack up prices.Current material: While the text of Shakespeares  Hamlet  doesnt change from one year to the next, many college subjects are continually evolving. Publishers need to keep their books up-to-date by releasing new editions frequently. A textbook on biomaterials, astronomy, terrorism, or abnormal psychology will be painfully out-of-date if it is 15 years old.O nline companions: Many textbooks are complemented by online resources. The subscription fee is built into the cost of the book.Supplies: For art, lab, and science classes, the estimated cost of books often includes supplies, lab necessities, and calculators.Lack of used textbooks: Publishers make no money when too many used books are in circulation. As a consequence, they will often release new editions every few years in order to make the used books obsolete. Youll need to talk to your professor to see if earlier editions of a book are acceptable for your class. Some professors wont care what edition of a book you use, while others will want all students to have the same book.Review and desk copies: Book publishers make money only when college professors adopt their books. This often means that they send free review copies to potential instructors. The cost of this practice is offset by the high price students pay for books. In recent years these review copies have often been elect ronic, but publishers still need to put money into promoting their products to professors.Faculty control: Books are one of the significant differences between high school and college. In high school, the choice of books if often decided by a department, committee, or even state legislature. Price and negotiations with publishers may be part of this process. In college, individual faculty members usually have complete control over their choice of books. Not all professors are sensitive to cost, and some will even assign expensive books they authored themselves (sometimes collecting royalties in the process). How to Save Money on College Textbooks College textbooks can easily cost more than $1,000 a year, and this burden can sometimes be a significant impediment to academic success for financially strapped students who cant handle the cost. Not buying books isnt an option if you plan to succeed in college, but paying for the books may also seem impossible. While there are many reasons for the high price of books, there are also many ways to make your books cost less: Buy used books: Most college bookstores sell used books when they are available. Savings are often around 25%. The information in a used book is as good as a new one, and sometimes youll even benefit from a former students notes. Get to the bookstore early - used books often sell out quickly.Buy books online: Online bookstores, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, often discount books up to 20 percent of the standard retail price. Sometimes you can pick up a used copy online for even less. But be careful. Make sure youre getting the correct edition, and make sure shipping costs arent more than youre saving.Buy an electronic edition: Many textbooks are available as e-books, and the costs will often be less since there are no material, printing, or shipping costs associated with an e-book. Make sure your professors wont mind if you are using a laptop or Kindle in class.Sell Back Your Books: Most colleges have a book buy-back program. If a book is one that you arent likely to need in th e future, you can often get part of your investment back by selling it to the bookstore at the end of the semester. You can also try selling your books to fellow students at your school, or use eBay or Craigslist to sell to students at other schools.Buy from Fellow Students: If one of your peers is taking a class this semester that you are planning to take next semester, offer to buy books directly from the student. You can probably get a significant discount yet still offer a better price than what the college would pay through its buy-back program.  Go to the Library: Some books may be available from the college or community library, or your professor may have put a copy of the book on reserve. Just dont write in a book that isnt your own.Borrow a Book: Can you find a student who took the same class in a previous semester? Or perhaps the professor has an extra copy that he or she would be willing to lend you.Photocopy: Some professors use just a small portion of a book. If so, y ou may be able to photocopy the assigned reading from a classmates book rather than purchasing a book yourself. Realize, however, that copying large portions of a book is often a copyright violation.Rent Your Books: Book rentals have grown in popularity in recent years. Amazon offers rentals for many popular textbooks often with a savings of 30% or more. Chegg.com is another popular rental option. Just be sure to take good care of your books so that you dont end up with extra fees, and be careful about renting books in your major for you may want them for future reference in other courses. Some of these tips require that you get the reading list well before a course starts. Often the college bookstore will have this information. If not, you can send a polite email to the professor. A final note: Its not advisable to share a book with a student who is in the same course as you. In class, each student will be expected to have a book. Also, when paper and exam times roll around, you are both likely to want the book at the same time.