The Wasp Factory and American Psycho Protagonist Comparison

â€Å"The authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists Patrick Bateman and Frank Cauldhame to have very similar personalities. † How far do you agree? ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are two controversial dark novels in which the protagonist gets away with murder. They were published only seven years apart, ‘The Wasp Factory’ being the first. ‘The Wasp Factory’ was Iain Banks first published novel, and was released into the conservative United Kingdom in 1984, which would have coolly accepted it.This era of the United Kingdom did not approve of horror, especially when the protagonist remained uncaught. However, the book gained a great deal of attention and publicity via its controversy, and has maintained popularity throughout the years. ‘American Psycho’ by Bret Easton Ellis was originally published in 1991. At this time there was great controversy over its extent of gore and pornographic scenes, so much so that Ellis received numerous death threats and hate mail after its publication.Both protagonists narrate their author’s novel and each appears to mirror their author himself. However, the protagonists clash with each other when it comes to their settings, needs and reasons for behaviour. This demonstrates how the personalities of both Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame are presented differently by their authors. On the other hand, there are ways in which Bateman and Frank are presented to have similar personalities. For instance, they are both obsessive, misogynistic, have the desire to kill and have an abnormal mind set.These factors suggest a strong similarity between Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho' and Frank from ‘The Wasp Factory', even though their upbringing and personal characteristics more than often differ. Due to this, the true extent of similarity between their personalities is hard to distingui sh. Through Bateman's narration in ‘American Psycho’ the reader learns of his career on Wall Street and everyday life in great detail. For example, when describing to the reader his morning routine, the yuppie states how he uses â€Å"a deep pore cleanser lotion [†¦] a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub†.This shows the true extent of unnecessary detail that he will go into. As well as this, from the very start of the novel the reader is introduced to this rich and perfected lifestyle in New York of this â€Å"self-absorbed† character who thinks of himself to always â€Å"look great†, be superior to everyone else and constantly try to maintain his hierarchy within society. Ellis starts the novel with Bateman and his friends at a posh dinner party; this immediately demonstrates his wealthy lifestyle that Ellis is trying to portray.As well as this, Bateman showing off his â€Å"platinum American Express Card† demon strates his feeling of superiority. This provides the reader with a strong rather negative impression of Bateman as a rich, selfish, predatory man living in New York. This lifestyle can relate to that of Ellis himself, a man who isn’t affected by the recent recession, in his late twenties and living in the city that never sleeps. As well as this, like Ellis, Bateman’s parents are divorced. Validating this, Ellis has even admitted in an interview that â€Å"Patrick Bateman was about me†.In contrast to Bateman's lifestyle is Frank's. Frank is half-educated and lives in an isolated unnamed island off the Scottish coast. Frank is only sixteen, unemployed and greatly controlled by his father. This can be said to relate to the life of Iain Banks, who lived in a small village on the Scottish coast and moved around due to his father’s work. As well as this, Banks was sixteen when he completed his first book, indicating why he might have chosen this age for Frank. He also spends most of his time with the wildlife torturing, killing, collecting and â€Å"sacrificing† animals.In addition to this Frank entertains himself with his imagination and talks to his wasp factory. When Frank plays games such as building the dams and chooses which of the imaginary people live or die. Here the reader sees his childish and dark side as well as how there is little for him to actually do on the island. This also relates to Banks as he must have been very imaginative at Frank’s age as he was writing. In relation to this, making him seem incapable of his own choices, Angus has a huge amount of control over Frank.For example he home-schooled him, limiting his contact with society; he constantly tests him on the measurements of the furniture in their house; and uses the story of their dog, Old Saul, to cover up Frank's real identity. This shows the great contrast between Bateman's busy city life and of Frank's in the rural; as well as the contrast of their author’s lives. However, the protagonists Frank and Patrick do have things in common, such as obsessions and their love of control. Both Patrick and Frank have obsessions which are seen throughout through the novels. Ellis uses Patrick Bateman to demonstrate the obsessions which one might have.Most of Bateman's obsessions are very artificial, such as his obsessions over designer brands and technology. Patrick’s obsession to keep up to date with the latest technology, such as VCR, CD’s and Walkman’s, reflects the lifestyle of many American’s living 1980s-1990s. This demonstrates Ellis using Patrick’s obsessions to connect with the readers of his novel. Patrick also obsesses over â€Å"taking care of [himself]†; which can be shown via his â€Å"balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine† and his detailed daily movements which link to his obsession of detail and routine.His comment stating how he only uses â€Å"an afte r shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older†, further validates his obsession over appearance and health. Ellis places the information of Patrick's obsessions from the very start of the novel to increase their impact upon the reader and to truly reveal their importance to Patrick. Throughout the novel, Ellis also portrays Bateman's true love and need for control. The reader sees this many times, for instance the control he can have over people's lives. He is always control of a life.Even when he â€Å"can't control [himself]†, (which often occurs when committing murder), he is still controlling the life of his victim. This idea of control is used by Ellis to demonstrate the power Bateman feels, and needs to feel, he has. Similarly to Patrick, Frank's obsessions are frequently mentioned throughout ‘The Wasp Factory’; however some of Frank's obsessions are different to Patrick's. Frank appears to have an obsession with animals and torture. Throughout the book we see how Frank is fascinated by animals and collects their remains suggesting that Frank is obsessed with animals.In addition to this, Frank is shown to be obsessed with killing and torturing. For instance, within the novel he states how he once tied wasps to the â€Å"striking-surface of each of the copper-coloured bells† on his alarm clock â€Å"where the little hammer would hit them† when the alarm went off, and that he always woke up before his alarm went off, â€Å"so [he] got to watch. † This shows Frank's dark mind consisting of thoughts about death, torture and the need for control over others, like Bateman.This shows the reader how even young minds can think this sadistically. Similarly to this, the reader learns of Frank's need for control when he is placing signs around their â€Å"private property† to warn off â€Å"intruders†. This demonstrates a way in which Frank feels ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s essential to control people and his father's property. Frank’s overly meticulous attention to detail also connects with Patrick’s obsessions. Like Bateman this can be seen in the description of his grooming routine which, like Patrick, is the same every time.These obsessions show a similarity between Patrick and Frank's personalities, demonstrating how Ellis and Banks present their protagonists in a similar manner even though they have different lifestyles. In conjunction to this, both Ellis and Banks show their protagonist’s to have misogynistic attitudes; further presenting them to have similar personalities with one another. Frank states how his â€Å"greatest enemies are Women and the sea† and that Women â€Å"are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them†, expressing Frank's misogynist view towards women.Showing Bateman's views on women are his comments such as â€Å"you're a fucking ugly bitchâ⠂¬  and â€Å"you piece of bitch trash†. These comments are used by Ellis to portray Bateman to have an aggressive misogynistic view. This shows a way in which the authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists to have similar personality traits as they are both sexist and have anger towards women. However, saying this both Bateman and Frank show misogynistic behaviour for different reasons. Frank's hatred towards women has stemmed from his father who independently brought Frank and his brothers up.Angus dislikes women so much so that he changes Frank's gender from female to male and leads him to state how he hates his mother â€Å"her name, the idea of her†. In contrast to this, Bateman's misogynistic behaviour is based more on the idea of dominance, lust and control. This shows a way in which Ellis and Banks portray their protagonist's to have contrasting personalities with each other, disagreeing with the statement. Altho ugh Bateman and Frank have contrasting lifestyles; a ten year age gap; different obsessions and versions of hate towards women; they both have one pastime in common: killing.Their murderous ways and attitudes towards it present Frank and Patrick to have mental disabilities like that of a sociopath and psychopath. For instance, Bateman and Frank both display symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, (which is a factor of both psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour). As well as this, they both display a high predisposition to violence, maybe Patrick more erratically, and a tendency to act impulsively when it comes to crime, which a psychopath can display. In addition to this, both protagonists find it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy.This, and his psychopathic ways, can be shown when Frank states how he â€Å"must be lots of different people inside [his] brain†. Banks uses Frank's psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour to show the importance of parenting, stab ility and connections within society that a child needs to be able to function adequately. Patrick’s confusion with reality is also shown to the reader. For instance, as said by Andrew Jacobsen, (a literacy critic), â€Å"the supposed ‘real’ world around him becomes as one with his insane imagination world.†As well as this the mystery of the bodies at the end of the novel can be said to demonstrate Bateman’s misperception of reality. Due to this, Ellis and Banks can be seen to portray their protagonist’s to have similar personalities. This is because they are presented to be mentally ill and confused with reality. In connection to this, both protagonists show a lack of empathy towards their victims, and are able to commit a crime and act as though it's the norm and not really a crime at all. For example in ‘The Wasp Factory' Frank states how he killed Esmerelda because she was â€Å"simply the easiest and most obvious target†.Thi s simple view and minimal motive for murder displays Frank’s lack of empathy, and expresses his absence of perception that murder is abnormal or morally wrong. Iain Banks presents Frank in this way to illustrate how cold, cruel and absent-minded humans can be, even the young. In relation to this, Bateman sleeping with and killing girls whilst in a relationship with Evelyn as well as the homeless and young shows his lack of moral rights and care towards others. Furthermore, Patrick crimes are opportunistic with little or no motive, normally due to urges, lust or as a means of superiority.Bateman commits these crimes without hesitation, suggesting that to him it is just the norm. Also demonstrating Patrick’s dark personality, lack of empathy and morals he jokingly says how he is â€Å"into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly†. This comment and others similar to it demonstrate to the reader Patrick’s sinister view on his murders; thus, they are used by Ellis to cause the reader to despise Patrick yet be slightly amused by his satirical sense of humour. These similarities suggest that the personalities of the protagonist’s from ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are presented in the same way.To conclude, I believe that the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists to have personalities which are similar with each other as well as dissimilar. Aspects such as their lifestyles; having different obsessions; and reasons for being misogynistic present a complete contrast between Patrick’s and Frank’s life, and their personalities. This is because their lifestyles can lead them to desiring different effects. This links to obsessions, as for example, Frank obsesses over animals but Patrick doesn’t, as there are a lot less in the city.Also, Bateman, who unlike Frank has frequent contact with people, obsesses more over appearance and health. As well as this, there reasons for being misogynistic are due to their upbringing and the environment surrounding them. This shows how lifestyle and upbringing can affect ones personality traits such as their obsessions. Therefore, this demonstrates how lifestyle is a key subject which has been used by Ellis and Banks to present their protagonist’s personalities in different ways, which also results in other personality traits being different too.However, both the protagonists have similar obsessions with one another; have a desire to kill; personality traits suggesting they have mental issues; and misogynistic views resulting in them having similar personalities with each other. These are very strong personality traits which all connect Frank and Patrick closely together, even though there are some ways in which they are dissimilar. Therefore, I believe to a great extent that â€Å"the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Fact ory’ present their protagonist’s Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame to have very similar personalities†. The Wasp Factory And American Psycho Protagonist Comparison â€Å"The authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists Patrick Bateman and Frank Cauldhame to have very similar personalities. † How far do you agree? ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are two controversial dark novels in which the protagonist gets away with murder. They were published only seven years apart, ‘The Wasp Factory’ being the first. ‘The Wasp Factory’ was Iain Banks first published novel, and was released into the conservative United Kingdom in 1984, which would have coolly accepted it.This era of the United Kingdom did not approve of horror, especially when the protagonist remained uncaught. However, the book gained a great deal of attention and publicity via its controversy, and has maintained popularity throughout the years. ‘American Psycho’ by Bret Easton Ellis was originally published in 1991. At this time there was great controversy over its extent of gore and pornographic scenes, so much so that Ellis received numerous death threats and hate mail after its publication.Both protagonists narrate their author’s novel and each appears to mirror their author himself. However, the protagonists clash with each other when it comes to their settings, needs and reasons for behaviour. This demonstrates how the personalities of both Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame are presented differently by their authors. On the other hand, there are ways in which Bateman and Frank are presented to have similar personalities. For instance, they are both obsessive, misogynistic, have the desire to kill and have an abnormal mind set.These factors suggest a strong similarity between Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho' and Frank from ‘The Wasp Factory', even though their upbringing and personal characteristics more than often differ. Due to this, the true extent of similarity between their personalities is hard to distingui sh. Through Bateman's narration in ‘American Psycho’ the reader learns of his career on Wall Street and everyday life in great detail. For example, when describing to the reader his morning routine, the yuppie states how he uses â€Å"a deep pore cleanser lotion [†¦] a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub†.This shows the true extent of unnecessary detail that he will go into. As well as this, from the very start of the novel the reader is introduced to this rich and perfected lifestyle in New York of this â€Å"self-absorbed† character who thinks of himself to always â€Å"look great†, be superior to everyone else and constantly try to maintain his hierarchy within society. Ellis starts the novel with Bateman and his friends at a posh dinner party; this immediately demonstrates his wealthy lifestyle that Ellis is trying to portray.As well as this, Bateman showing off his â€Å"platinum American Express Card† demon strates his feeling of superiority. This provides the reader with a strong rather negative impression of Bateman as a rich, selfish, predatory man living in New York. This lifestyle can relate to that of Ellis himself, a man who isn’t affected by the recent recession, in his late twenties and living in the city that never sleeps. As well as this, like Ellis, Bateman’s parents are divorced. Validating this, Ellis has even admitted in an interview that â€Å"Patrick Bateman was about me†.In contrast to Bateman's lifestyle is Frank's. Frank is half-educated and lives in an isolated unnamed island off the Scottish coast. Frank is only sixteen, unemployed and greatly controlled by his father. This can be said to relate to the life of Iain Banks, who lived in a small village on the Scottish coast and moved around due to his father’s work. As well as this, Banks was sixteen when he completed his first book, indicating why he might have chosen this age for Frank. He also spends most of his time with the wildlife torturing, killing, collecting and â€Å"sacrificing† animals.In addition to this Frank entertains himself with his imagination and talks to his wasp factory. When Frank plays games such as building the dams and chooses which of the imaginary people live or die. Here the reader sees his childish and dark side as well as how there is little for him to actually do on the island. This also relates to Banks as he must have been very imaginative at Frank’s age as he was writing. In relation to this, making him seem incapable of his own choices, Angus has a huge amount of control over Frank.For example he home-schooled him, limiting his contact with society; he constantly tests him on the measurements of the furniture in their house; and uses the story of their dog, Old Saul, to cover up Frank's real identity. This shows the great contrast between Bateman's busy city life and of Frank's in the rural; as well as the contrast of their author’s lives. However, the protagonists Frank and Patrick do have things in common, such as obsessions and their love of control. Both Patrick and Frank have obsessions which are seen throughout through the novels. Ellis uses Patrick Bateman to demonstrate the obsessions which one might have.Most of Bateman's obsessions are very artificial, such as his obsessions over designer brands and technology. Patrick’s obsession to keep up to date with the latest technology, such as VCR, CD’s and Walkman’s, reflects the lifestyle of many American’s living 1980s-1990s. This demonstrates Ellis using Patrick’s obsessions to connect with the readers of his novel. Patrick also obsesses over â€Å"taking care of [himself]†; which can be shown via his â€Å"balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine† and his detailed daily movements which link to his obsession of detail and routine.His comment stating how he only uses â€Å"an afte r shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older†, further validates his obsession over appearance and health. Ellis places the information of Patrick's obsessions from the very start of the novel to increase their impact upon the reader and to truly reveal their importance to Patrick. Throughout the novel, Ellis also portrays Bateman's true love and need for control. The reader sees this many times, for instance the control he can have over people's lives. He is always control of a life.Even when he â€Å"can't control [himself]†, (which often occurs when committing murder), he is still controlling the life of his victim. This idea of control is used by Ellis to demonstrate the power Bateman feels, and needs to feel, he has. Similarly to Patrick, Frank's obsessions are frequently mentioned throughout ‘The Wasp Factory’; however some of Frank's obsessions are different to Patrick's. Frank appears to have an obsession with animals and torture. Throughout the book we see how Frank is fascinated by animals and collects their remains suggesting that Frank is obsessed with animals.In addition to this, Frank is shown to be obsessed with killing and torturing. For instance, within the novel he states how he once tied wasps to the â€Å"striking-surface of each of the copper-coloured bells† on his alarm clock â€Å"where the little hammer would hit them† when the alarm went off, and that he always woke up before his alarm went off, â€Å"so [he] got to watch. † This shows Frank's dark mind consisting of thoughts about death, torture and the need for control over others, like Bateman.This shows the reader how even young minds can think this sadistically. Similarly to this, the reader learns of Frank's need for control when he is placing signs around their â€Å"private property† to warn off â€Å"intruders†. This demonstrates a way in which Frank feels ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s essential to control people and his father's property. Frank’s overly meticulous attention to detail also connects with Patrick’s obsessions. Like Bateman this can be seen in the description of his grooming routine which, like Patrick, is the same every time.These obsessions show a similarity between Patrick and Frank's personalities, demonstrating how Ellis and Banks present their protagonists in a similar manner even though they have different lifestyles. In conjunction to this, both Ellis and Banks show their protagonist’s to have misogynistic attitudes; further presenting them to have similar personalities with one another. Frank states how his â€Å"greatest enemies are Women and the sea† and that Women â€Å"are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them†, expressing Frank's misogynist view towards women.Showing Bateman's views on women are his comments such as â€Å"you're a fucking ugly bitchâ⠂¬  and â€Å"you piece of bitch trash†. These comments are used by Ellis to portray Bateman to have an aggressive misogynistic view. This shows a way in which the authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists to have similar personality traits as they are both sexist and have anger towards women. However, saying this both Bateman and Frank show misogynistic behaviour for different reasons. Frank's hatred towards women has stemmed from his father who independently brought Frank and his brothers up.Angus dislikes women so much so that he changes Frank's gender from female to male and leads him to state how he hates his mother â€Å"her name, the idea of her†. In contrast to this, Bateman's misogynistic behaviour is based more on the idea of dominance, lust and control. This shows a way in which Ellis and Banks portray their protagonist's to have contrasting personalities with each other, disagreeing with the statement. Altho ugh Bateman and Frank have contrasting lifestyles; a ten year age gap; different obsessions and versions of hate towards women; they both have one pastime in common: killing.Their murderous ways and attitudes towards it present Frank and Patrick to have mental disabilities like that of a sociopath and psychopath. For instance, Bateman and Frank both display symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, (which is a factor of both psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour). As well as this, they both display a high predisposition to violence, maybe Patrick more erratically, and a tendency to act impulsively when it comes to crime, which a psychopath can display. In addition to this, both protagonists find it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy.This, and his psychopathic ways, can be shown when Frank states how he â€Å"must be lots of different people inside [his] brain†. Banks uses Frank's psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour to show the importance of parenting, stab ility and connections within society that a child needs to be able to function adequately. Patrick’s confusion with reality is also shown to the reader. For instance, as said by Andrew Jacobsen, (a literacy critic), â€Å"the supposed ‘real’ world around him becomes as one with his insane imagination world.†As well as this the mystery of the bodies at the end of the novel can be said to demonstrate Bateman’s misperception of reality. Due to this, Ellis and Banks can be seen to portray their protagonist’s to have similar personalities. This is because they are presented to be mentally ill and confused with reality. In connection to this, both protagonists show a lack of empathy towards their victims, and are able to commit a crime and act as though it's the norm and not really a crime at all. For example in ‘The Wasp Factory' Frank states how he killed Esmerelda because she was â€Å"simply the easiest and most obvious target†.Thi s simple view and minimal motive for murder displays Frank’s lack of empathy, and expresses his absence of perception that murder is abnormal or morally wrong. Iain Banks presents Frank in this way to illustrate how cold, cruel and absent-minded humans can be, even the young. In relation to this, Bateman sleeping with and killing girls whilst in a relationship with Evelyn as well as the homeless and young shows his lack of moral rights and care towards others. Furthermore, Patrick crimes are opportunistic with little or no motive, normally due to urges, lust or as a means of superiority.Bateman commits these crimes without hesitation, suggesting that to him it is just the norm. Also demonstrating Patrick’s dark personality, lack of empathy and morals he jokingly says how he is â€Å"into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly†. This comment and others similar to it demonstrate to the reader Patrick’s sinister view on his murders; thus, they are used by Ellis to cause the reader to despise Patrick yet be slightly amused by his satirical sense of humour. These similarities suggest that the personalities of the protagonist’s from ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are presented in the same way.To conclude, I believe that the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists to have personalities which are similar with each other as well as dissimilar. Aspects such as their lifestyles; having different obsessions; and reasons for being misogynistic present a complete contrast between Patrick’s and Frank’s life, and their personalities. This is because their lifestyles can lead them to desiring different effects. This links to obsessions, as for example, Frank obsesses over animals but Patrick doesn’t, as there are a lot less in the city.Also, Bateman, who unlike Frank has frequent contact with people, obsesses more over appearance and health. As well as this, there reasons for being misogynistic are due to their upbringing and the environment surrounding them. This shows how lifestyle and upbringing can affect ones personality traits such as their obsessions. Therefore, this demonstrates how lifestyle is a key subject which has been used by Ellis and Banks to present their protagonist’s personalities in different ways, which also results in other personality traits being different too.However, both the protagonists have similar obsessions with one another; have a desire to kill; personality traits suggesting they have mental issues; and misogynistic views resulting in them having similar personalities with each other. These are very strong personality traits which all connect Frank and Patrick closely together, even though there are some ways in which they are dissimilar. Therefore, I believe to a great extent that â€Å"the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Fact ory’ present their protagonist’s Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame to have very similar personalities†.

Film Report on the Movie Signs Essay

I chose to do my film report on the movie signs. This movie featured Mel Gibson as Graham Hess, Joaquin Phoenix as Merrill Hess, Rory Culkin as Morgan Hess, and Abigail Breslin as Bo Hess. This movie takes place in Bucks County Pennsylvania which is about 45 miles from Philadelphia. It is about a Rev. whose wife passes away and he starts to deny his faith until he realizes that sometimes bad things aren’t as bad as this may seem at the current time. The movie starts off with weird things happening, crop circles being first. The crop circles are first noticed Graham Hess calls the local sheriff. They think that it is a prank by the Prichard brothers but they realize that it was too perfect and the stocks were bent over but not broken so it could not have been done by a machine. Then the dog starts barking ferociously at Bo and ends up dead because it falls on a grill fork that Morgan has in his hand. Bo is always asking for water because she says there are monsters keeps sitting glasses of water all over the house. They realize that something is wrong whenever Graham sees an alien looking creature on top of the barn then when they go out and runaround they cannot find anyone. The next day the news comes on and talks about crop circles popping up all over the world and Morgan says â€Å"extraterrestrials† pWhen they go to town and come home they start hearing voices on a baby monitor that Morgan found in the basement. Graham has a talk with his brother when his brother asks do you think this is the end of the world. He answers yes is that the answer you wanted. Graham says: People break down into two groups when they experience something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than a coincidence; they see it as a sign, evidence that there is someone up there watching out for them. Group number two sees it as pure luck, happy, chance deep down they feel they are on their own and that fills them with fear†¦ Group number one deep down they feel that whatever is going to happen there will be someone there to help them and that fills them with hope. So what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you, the kind of see signs and sees miracles were just believe people get lucky†¦ Is it possible that there are no coincidences? (Gibson) Morgan got a book about Aliens when they went in town. The book depicts a house that looks exactly like his. The book says that the aliens are either coming to harvest resources or to invade and that one of two things will happen if it’s the latter, they will be defeated and return many years later or they will win. According to the book, crop circles are landmarks used for navigation. A cut scene depicts how Graham’s wife died and why he lost his faith. Ray Reddy, the man that fell asleep at the wheel and ultimately killed his wife apologizes and says why at that moment did that happen, why not before or after he passed her? He says he don’t remember the exact moment that it happened. Her last statement to her husband was; tell Merrill to swing away. At this point it makes no sense to anyone. Once they come to realize that an invasion is imminent, they start boarding the house up to keep the aliens out. This is after they decide to stay put and not go to the lake. They eventually head to the basement where they think they are safe until they realize that there is an old coal chute that accesses the basement from the outside. Before they can find where the old coal chute comes in at, an alien reaches from behind and grabs Morgan by the face causing him to have an asthma attack. His inhaler is upstairs where they cannot get to it. His dad keeps him calm and stable. After they think the coast is clear, Graham carries Morgan upstairs and lays him down so he can get his medicine. To their surprise when they come back into the room, Morgan is being carried by an alien. Graham says to Merrill, swing away, swing away. The statement by his wife finally makes sense to him. As Merrill grabs the baseball bat off the wall mount, the alien gives a puff of green gas into Morgan’s face out of something on its wrist. As Merrill smacks it with the bat it falls into a stand and a glass of water spills onto its shoulder and melts the skin off of it. They then realize this is why Bo has been sitting glasses of water all over the house. As Graham picks Morgan up, he says his lungs where closed, the poisonous gas did not enter his lungs. This is when he realizes that there was a reason that his son was born with asthma. The end of the movie shows him getting dressed as a Reverend, so I assume he was returning to Church as a Reverend. The characters in this film are Episcopalians. The father a Reverend and his brother and kids are devout followers. They cherish the value of family and being together. Graham questioned his faith and even quit practicing due to the death of his wife. It made him question if there is a god, why would he do this to him, a reverend. He got so angry at god that he denied him and blamed the death of his wife on him only to eventually realize that god has his reasons for doing the things that he does even if it is not popular with the people that it affects at the current time. Nothing is left to chance. He lost his wife in one sense, but god saved his son after praying, so this brought him back to his faith. The statement about there being two groups of people in the world has a lot of insight in the real world. If you believe in a higher power, then you will, or at least should always have hope. It is a great thing knowing that you always have someone there to talk to, even in the darkest hour, no matter what. I think another major point to the movie is that not everything is god’s fault and that he has reasons behind the things that he does. Sometimes people get lost from their faith, that is a normal occurrence, but hopefully you find your way back one way or another. I think that the movie gets its point of faith across pretty well in this movie, it shows both sides, losing your faith and reconnecting with it. It displays a reason why one might lose their faith.

Edward Estlin Cummings Essay

E. E. Cummings is a poet who is undeniable unique and the majority of his work highly stylized, modern, and controversial. The bulk of his work is usually recognized and noted for his awkward use of letters, structure, and mislaid punctuation. While Cummings is most known for variation on form, his poetry has great depth and meaning. Cummings is the quintessential 19th century poet who stated â€Å"The day of the spoken lyric is past,† and warns that â€Å"The poem †¦ it builds itself, three dimensionally, gradually, subtly, in the consciousness of the experiencer† (Kennedy). Embodying transcendentalism completely, he understood that to live is to constantly be experiencing, changing, and growing. This theme is revisited in his work again and again. Therefore, E. E. Cummings is most strongly influenced, like so many other authors by, by events of his life. Eve Triem, in American Writers, explains that Cummings was born to Edward Estlin Cummings to Edward and Rebbecca Cummings in 1894, both of which were highly intelligent and respected in the community. His father was a professor at Harvard University and his research centered around studying people. He had also been trained as a minister and preached at a local church. Cummings mother, Rebecca, came from a very prestigious family and play a major role in all the social, political, and cultural ongoings in her community (Triem). Cummings had the luxury of the perfect childhood. They spent their winters in Boston and summered in the beautiful farms of rural New England. Triem explains it was here that Cummings, as a youngster, fell in love with nature. These beautiful childhood images would become so embedded in Cummings memory that they were the central images in many of Cummings’ most memorable poems. As explained in Contemporary Literary Criticism, Cummings’ parents encouraged him to study and read as often as possible and offered him their â€Å"full support†. Kennedy states that Cummings, as a young adult. kept a â€Å"journal† of his inner most thoughts at his mother’s request. His mother believed, almost from birth, that Cummings would become a great author and take his place among the ranks of Longfellow. She ensured that his bed stories were from the greatest writers of the time, Dickens and Stevenson. Cummings was highly educated. His home life was focused on literature. Cummings would memorize and recite pieces of stories, and poetry. In addition, he was also a very capable painter who enjoyed illustrating his own writings (â€Å"E. E. C ummings†). As an adolescence he became very involved in his high school newspaper and also the Cambridge Review. â€Å"While Cummings was in school he helped to found the Harvard Poetry Society. He and some of his friends in the society put together Eight Harvard Poets (published in 1917)† (Triem). The Cambridge Review would be the very first place to publish Cummings’ early writing. However, his poetry was still passive and not entirely well received. Though this initial experience of actually being taken seriously inspired Cummings to keep writing and to push the limits of what was considered proper and acceptable. After graduating high school, Cummings followed in his father’s footsteps and entered Harvard. He received a traditional education and earned degrees in Literature and the Classics. Cummings â€Å"was educated in public schools and at Harvard University where he received an A. B. , magna cum laude, and an M. A. for English and classical studies. † (Triem). His analyzing his skills were unparalleled. Much of his interest during this time centered around Shakespeare. He would closely with literary historians who studied Shakespeare’s use of narration and literary devices. It was during this time that Cummings became to experiment with allegory in his poetry. Kennedy asserts that Cummings utilized his formal education and his father’s religious writings to author many essays, short stories, and poems. His work was regularly published in the Harvard Advocate and Harvard Monthly. However, Cummings questioned his skill and wondered if his position in life had effected how people viewed his poetry. In the early 1900s, Cummings was exposed to Cubism and Impressionism. Both of which influence his writing style. He believed that his poetry had home within the modern art movement. â€Å"But by 1918 Cummings had created his own poetic style. Because he was a painter as well as a poet, he had developed a unique form of literary cubism: he broke up his material on the page to present it in a new, visually directed way† (Kennedy). It was during this time that he practiced and created his ever popular variation on poetic structure that he is famous for. He was inspired by the aggressively unique modern artists, specifically Czanne and Gaudier-Breska. Similarly, he looked to modern poets and particularly related to the work of Sandburg and Whitman. Cummings loved lyrical poetry and manipulated the standard structures – intentionally using words, punctuation, and syntax in awkward ways. Cummings’ goal was for poetry not to just sound a particular way, but also have a unique and meaningful visual style (Kennedy). His poetry became extremely tight and well built. He carefully constructed each poem with specific word choice and arrangement creating poetry which was both visually stimulating and meaningful. He visited Paris often and was constantly inspired by the European art movements. Kennedy explains that these â€Å"influences that appear in his increasing experiment with language and ventures into irrational modes of expression in his poem. † Cummings used repetition, extended songs, and words in written in lines to give the allusion of action. An example of his unique style is below: mOOn Over tOwns mOOn whisper less creature huge grO pingness (excerpt from Cummings poem No Thanks, as quested in Triem) Triem explains that Cummings uses this unique structure and style â€Å"to focus the reader’s attention a capital letter may be thrust into the middle of a word. In the opening poem of No Thanks capitals are used to imitate the roundness of the moon and to imply the eternity of the circle. † Though Cummings’ poetry was popular, he made his living in the publishing field. After graduation he took a desk job at a publishing company. This type of job allowed Cummings to focus almost completely on his poetry and prose. It was during his time here that he had the chance to review and be influenced by the world’s news events and read obscure history. Triem believes that this type of exposure produced his famous poem, Buffalo Bill s defunct. He was a prolific writer and continud to hone his skills as a painter. Contemporary Literary Criticism reports that as the first great war approach, Cummings, with the urging of his family decided to volunteer instead of being drafted. He served in a medical division in France. This particular assignment worked well for Cummings because he did not agree with war. â€Å"Cummings was completely charmed by the bohemian atmosphere of Paris and its abundance of art and artists† (â€Å"E. E. Cummings). In addition, France was a place he had never been and full of new adventures and people. Simply by accident his military paperwork was temporarily lost and he had some extra time to visits the streets of Paris. It was in Paris that Cummings, for the first time was away from the oppressive and prudish nature of American society (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). Contemporary Literary Criticism reports that â€Å"during this period, Cummings eschewed upper-class Cambridge values and frequented circuses, bordellos, pubs, and vaudeville and burlesque shows† . Within the burlesque halls and streets lined with prostitutions, Cummings experience a sexual freedom which is well documented in his most controversial poetry. His time in the military was extremely tense. Cummings was intentionally obtuse and did not make an effort to fit in. Cummings was openly artistic and spoke openly about his political views. He often complained about the other men he worked with and was constantly writing to his family about his uncomfortable conditions (Triem). Cummings was so outspoken that the French government actually read and censored his letters home to his family and friends. He became a target of the authorities who watched everything he did and wrote very carefully. The authorities believed that Cummings might be some type of spy and he was placed in a French jail for a couple of months (Kennedy). Cummings found a common bond with the people he was imprisoned with this was the inspiration for his novel called The Enormous Room (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). With the help of his prestigious family he was released and sent home in 1918. The Enormous Room is â€Å"considered a classic of World War I literature, this work concerns the preservation of dignity in a degrading and dehumanizing situation† (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). Contemporary Literary Criticism reports â€Å"it also examines themes that Cummings would pursue throughout his career–the individual against society, government, and all forms of authority†. Cummings went to live in New York where he surrounded himself with friends and peers within the arts (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). Many of which supported and encouraged Cummings to keep writing and painting. Cummings’ painted his most well known piece called â€Å"Traffic†. He continue to write and his uniquely structured poetry was published in local papers and was often debated (Kennedy). Cummings soon fell in love with Elaine Thayer. It was Elaine which is the basis for the majority of Cummings erotic and sensual poetry. His love and desire for her is undeniable. Elaine soon became pregnant, and was still married. The situation was extremely tense because Cummings could not openly father his baby daughter, Nancy. Years later, Elaine divorced and the couple was married in overseas (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). Kennedy explains that their relationship lasted one year and then they divorced. Cummings separation from his daughter was related in much of his poetry and paintings. Cummings’ first novel, The Enormous Room, was about his experiences during the war. While the novel was not actually publish until 1922 and it received a great deal of positive feedback from the literary world because Cummings presented such a horrific subject in an unique and first person perspective. During this time his poetry was also gaining popularity. Cummings’ poetry was being published in the Dial,Vanity Fair as well as other literary journals. It was not until later 1923 that Cummings published his first volume of poetry called Tulips and Chimneys (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). In the next two years he published two more volumes of poetry. With each volume of poetry he became more and more popular. The most intriguing part of Cummings’ works is that he is an author with many talents and tools. He had the ability not just to write poetry but also dramas, prose, satire, and journaling. He was a great painter and sketch artist. Cummings was witty and charming with a quick intellect which is obvious in his poetry. Puns, satire, and slang are often seen in his poetry to create humor while incorporating his comments about political, social, and cultural issues (Kennedy). Many of the themes Cummings developed and the literary tools he used set him apart of his peers during his time and throughout literature as a whole. Cummings have the ability to confront many parts of American life, especially Puritanism and Philistinism as well as a holistic approach to mankind. Contemporary Literary Criticism reports many of his poems preach independence and reliance which are the basis of transcendentalism. â€Å"Cummings effects a softer, more elegiac note, displaying his affinity with New England Transcendentalism and English Romanticism† (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). Cummings asserts that man must live alone to be free and when man lives among other men, he loses his humanity and soul. However, many of his poems are just about the basics- nature, romance, and the seasons. Cummings is easily separated by his peers by his use of lower case letters. His name alone foreshadows that his poetry is something different. â€Å"Cummings made varied use of parentheses: for an interpolated comment or to split or combine words as a guide to his thought. Frequently they occur, in poem-parables, to clarify the relationship between two sentences that run simultaneously through the poem† (Triem). According to Kennedy, Cummings often used alternative methods to express his what he was thinking and feeling. Cummings concentrated on misuse of syntax, often the verb and nouns are transposed. Kennedy continues to explains Cummings also used broken sentences combined with strong street dialect and popular sayings to create poetry most people had never seen before and his poetry as a whole was a â€Å"gathering of work in traditional verse forms as well as in his newest unconventional forms of expressiveness†. He even used traditional poem structure combined with free verse which has become associated with Cummings. â€Å"Cummings is remembered for his innovative, playful style, his celebration of love and nature, his focus on the primacy of the individual and freedom of expression, and his treatment of, in his own words, â€Å"ecstasy and anguish, being and becoming; the immortality of the creative imagination and the indomitability of the human spirit. (â€Å"E. E. Cummings†). It is the combination of the topics as well as his unique style that has created a reputation for Cummings as a modern poet. His poetry is often copied by young poets who are trying to find a style of their own. American lyric poet, a typographical innovator whose contempt for modern, collectivized society and love individuality is reflected in the novel arrangement and punctuation of his poems.

Reflective Pieces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Pharmacokinetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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A mother duties - Essay Example ace in your life an earthquake would not quite be able to describe until the aftershock – being left with different kinds of ruins with which you are the epicenter. Now this is the time when every bride realizes she actually dedicated all her carefully thought of vows to a routine of feeding, cleaning, gardening with every emotional quotient on the side. As opposed to popular belief, being a mother never makes you only a mother. It only makes you the mother of all trades. If before motherhood you have never imagined the possibility of doing something you think is hard work and at the same time doing something fun without depleting the satisfaction or productivity you can get from both, being a mother will now turn you into a Jedi. Mothers never simply rock a chair to put a baby to sleep. They do the rocking in a much more pleasurable way without having to feel guilty. Mothers may have lost their to-die-for bodies and a calendar full of fun activities but they sure still got the female hormones that need a little bit of tingling. Aside from that, motherhood is not a free-Willy cause where you can just trample in the sea all day long. A lot of mothers today, most of which seem to be a Stepford wife personified, are able to help pay the bills in the house and at the same time manage a family despite the many physical and emotional challenges they face in a daily basis – sometimes the hardest of which would be to tame a wistful second child, the husband. However, one thing I am sure of, behind every successful woman is a bag of dirty laundry. Thus, coining mothers who work a â€Å"working mother† is an implication of redundancy. At home, mothers perfectly exemplify that sleep is not a part of human life. Based on observation and experience, mothers could very well be considered the right hand of God. They are the household omnipresent, omniscient, and all-knowing beings who could very well deliver on every demand of each person in the house that makes the job of

ARTICLE CRITIQUE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ARTICLE CRITIQUE - Essay Example just in front of the period. 0.25 error in period. No need for double period after bracket.) It very carefully pointed out that the study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration of 1975(Meunier, A., Lisander. B., and Good. L.2007).. (0.25 there should be a space after1975, just before the bracket. 0.25 there is no need for double period after the bracket and there should be a space just after the period infron of L. erro in double period)The authors even indicated what hospital that the study was done at(Meunier, A., Lisander. B., and Good. L.2007).. (0.25 no space after at just before the bracket. 0.25 there is no space after the period in front of L. There is no need of a double period after the bracket.)The study even indicated how the capsules of medications were processed and delivered in envelopes prepared by this certain Swedish pharmacy(Meunier, A., Lisander. B., and Good. L.2007).. (0.25 error in spacing after pharmacy. Ther should be a space after pharmacy. 0.25 there should also be a space after the period in front of L. 0.25 there is no need of double period after the bracket)The study determined that Celecoxib does not increase perioperative blood loss but reduces pain during the postoperative period after total knee replacement(Meunier, A., Lisander. B., and Good. L.2007).. (0.25 no space after replacement. 0.25 no space after the period infornt of L. 0.25 no need for double period after the bracket) So it is not necessary to discontinue celecoxib before surgery(Meunier, A., Lisander. B., and Good. L.2007)..  (0.25 no space between surgery and the bracket. 0.25 no space after the period in front of L. 0.25 no need for double period after the bracket.) The use of lidocaine and fentanyl in spinal anesthesia has been found to be very safe, effective, and efficient anesthetic but it has frequently caused nausea, vomiting, and pruritus, which then can lead to a delayed