Liminality in Dracula Essay Example for Free

Liminality in Dracula Essay History has taught us that rebelling against your people or religion almost always results in displeasure, as the members of the community usually frown upon it. Throughout the novel Each Man’s Son by Hugh MacLennan, there are two themes which are linked to this topic of defying your origins, though never plainly affirmed: the Celtic identity and the Puritanical predestination-like values. Not conforming to these ways of life demonstrates two themes at which Archie the fighter and Ainslie the dreamer display: the attempt to foster new values will doom you to failure and resisting your religion will only let you yearn for escape but haunt you forever. This paper, will first analyze the meaning of these two themes; second show that Archie fights against the Celtic identity and that Ainslie tries to escape the Puritanical values. First, it is suitable to grasp onto these concepts with the history from the novel concerning the Celtics and the Puritans since it frames the foundational richness of the story. In Each Man’s Son the symbolic references on the history concerning the Celtic identity is manifested as â€Å"a Homeric people† in ultimate solitude, which proves to be symbolic due to the fact that it ties meaning to the Highland people as a â€Å"desperate and poetic/race of hunters, shepherds and warriors† (MacLennan 1, 2). The novel is full of richness, which provides ironic information about the people: who were found â€Å"older than France† with â€Å"no organization† (MacLennan 25-5). This characteristic given to the men of Cape Breton is highly relevant to the plot as Archie choses to literally fight the regulatory social norms of the Celtic identity when he follows his dreams to become an American boxer. In the novel, the Celtic identity is in direct conflict with Puritan values within certain characters, especially Ainslie. Presbyterians note that they â€Å"live and die under the wrath of an arbitrary God who will forgive only a handful of His elect on the Day of Judgment† (MacLennan 2). The value of the quote symbolizes an underlining view on the Puritan religion as it describes how the Calvinists must live a basic life in order to be resurrected with eternal life. In the Bible, which Puritans follow unfailingly, it is written, â€Å"you must be born from above† meaning that you must have â€Å"been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father† (John 3:7, 1 Peter 1:2 NIV). Furthermore, religion takes a crowning importance in the novel as it acts as the basic yet powerful feature of the story. Numerous characters struggle to adopt their identity, namely Doctor Ainslie for he attempts to darken his religious distinctiveness. The lacing of the Celtic identity and the Puritan religion represents tension, which Archie the fighter and Ainslie the dreamer must overcome. Second, Archie is a clear example of a character who conflicts with the Celtic identity because although he is acclaimed as the â€Å"bravest man in Cape Breton†, â€Å"fierce and unpredictable†, unlike the flock of people, he was a â€Å"hero whom nobody understood and everyone admired†; unfortunately, he is also destined to fail (MacLennan 12-8-6). â€Å"Archie is a hero† with grandiose â€Å"physical strength† who was loved â€Å"because he was giving significance, even a crude beauty, to the clumsy courage they all felt in themselves† (MacLennan 19-9). Generally Celtics feel that destiny works against them; they feel that luck must have been against them. This illustrates that the repercussion of rebelling against the Celtic identity is absolutely forbidden. The Celtic character is normally condemned to a life of simplicity, total depravity and unconditional fellowship of God and as Archie ventures the unknown he distorts the norm. Animalistic Archie emphasizes that some men will â€Å"live their whole lives like oxes and cows and that he is â€Å"not one of them† this statement, in other words, means that Archie does not intend on living a reclusive life as he fully intends on going out into the world, in spite of the consequences, to create a new life for himself and his family. He had â€Å"left his home to find wider opportunities in the United States† (MacLennan 3). Ironically, as Archie attempts to make money and follow his dream of becoming a boxer he refuses to obey the Celtic norm and is doomed to fail; he is left defeated by his embedded Celtic identity. The final character, which shows prominent struggles, concerning following norms is Ainslie: the dreamer. This is due to the fact that he is resistant to his Puritan religion, which leaves him yearning for an escape from societal pressures. Quite like Archie, Ainslie is also hopeless, yet in different matters: his religion haunts him not only consciously but also unconsciously in dreams as he is disturbed by religious stories. Traditionally, Puritans live a life in profound guilt, constant criticism and austerity because they believe in predestination at which God has chosen the elect to enter heaven. Though he is living in the pressures of this community he continuously denies his belief in God however it is hard to believe that he is a nonbeliever for he continuously shows signs of religious identity. Ainslie craves for a purpose in his life, an attainable goal a dream to escape this community, yet as the novel unfolds he is left haunted forever by his religious mental state. Ironically, because of the fact that he resists his religion and yearns for an escape, he will be left him undeniably haunted forever. In summary, historical details, Archie and Ainslie in Each Man’s Son emphasize conflicts between the Celtic identity and the Puritan religion. Contrasting the two characters, I find it much more rewarding to explore who you are and discover your identity instead of fighting or denying it because then you will not become a failure or be tormented by it. Unlike Archie and Ainslie, I had opportunities to participate in accomplishments that have given me a positive understanding of my identity while I was growing up, which undeniably shaped who I am today. Works Cited MacLennan, Hugh. Each Man’s Son. Toronto: The New Canadian Library, 2003. Print. New International Version Holy Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986. Print.

Obon :: essays research papers

The Japanese cultural holiday Obon is short for Urabon and can be traced etymologically to the Sanskrit word Ullambana, literally meaning to â€Å"hang upside down†. It implies that one must withstand unbearable suffering while being hanged upside down. In the Buddhist script Urabon Sutra, a story is told where a son saves his mother from Hell by making offerings to monks. Through the merits of his actions, his mother was saved from Hell, ascended into divinity, and became a Buddha. Thusly, to save people from Hell (being hanged upside down), one’s family and/or friends must make offerings to the deceased. Obon is held usually in the mid August or July for a week in which the spirits of the deceased are supposed to come back to the land of the living. Being held since the 7th century, it is especially enjoyable to the Japanese people. One of its key features involves offering food items to the deceased. Vegetables, fruits, rice, candy, rice wine, and among others are offered to the deceased. (But not only the deceased receive food; special foods are made to give away to neighbor, friends, and family.) In addition, respect is shown with floral decorations on the altar or gravesite along with incense burning and prayer. Particularly, prayer is said for wayward spirits that have passed away in the recent year, as it’s said they need more guidance to find their way. The Festival of the Dead, as it’s sometimes called, is a celebratory and social event. While this is not a national or public holiday, plenty of people from the city go back to their hometowns to polish up and cle an their ancestor’s gravesites. On the actual day of the celebration, a menagerie of lanterns, in a multitude of colors, are hung all around the town and specifically on houses. The logic is this – since spirits come back, the lanterns will guide them to and from the spirit world. However a more realistic use for these is lighting the area where the bon dances will take place. The bon dances have religious undertones also. In the story above, the dancing signifies the joy and elation the son felt when his mother was offered divinity. Now, in the center of town, a makeshift tower is erected. A Taiko drummer is on top and speakers play special Obon music and dancers below dressed in yukata (summer) kimonos circle below in dance.

Personal Wellness Planning Essay

Copy and paste the questions into a word processing program. Answer all questions completely and then submit them to your instructor. Warm-Up (Questions to help you prepare to write your goals) 1. Describe your current level of physical activity. How often do you participate in moderate to high intensity activity in an average week? Moderate, I participate in About 3 or more times a week of physical activity 2. Discuss at least three physical activities you enjoy participating in or wish to participate in. I am on Soccer team for orlando city soccer I practice twice a week and have games once a week I do Horses ridding once a week for about a 1 and half Swimming I have a pool in my yard so I swim a lot and enjoy it Goals 3. Create at least one goal for each of the following wellness categories. Personalize each of your goals for the time enrolled in the course. Be sure that each goal is measureable, attainable, and has a specific deadline. Also, be sure each goal is written in complete sentences. Physical Wellness Goal: My physical wellness goal to run at least a mile every day to stay in shape. Emotional Wellness Goal: My emotional wellness goal is to attend yoga classes once a week.to reduce stress and be relaxed. Social Wellness Goal: My social wellness goal is to join a club at school before the end of the year . Academic Wellness Goal: my Academic Wellness goal is to study for every test and quiz day before   Cool Down (Reflection questions based on the goals you’ve written) 4. What do you think will be the most challenging goal for you, and why? My Academic wellness Goal will be the most challenging goal for me its hard for  me to reamber to study days before a test at least every single day till I take it. 5. Describe any challenges or hesitations you have about your goals or the activity requirements for this course. The challenges or hesitations I have about the goals and activitys for this course is having to work our all the time and record your work outs. 6. Explain how fitness testing and test results can affect your overall fitness. Test results and fitness testing can affect your overall fitness by showing you want you need to improve on and what you do better at. 7. No matter your living situation, it is up to you to make daily decisions that affect your well-being. What is your role and responsibility for maintaining and improving your health? My role and responsibility for maintaining and improving my health is maintaining a healthy body weigh, eating heathy and working out.

The American Dream - 767 Words

The American dream is defined as the idea that every American should have an equal opportunity to achieve their goal in life through hard work, determination, and initiative. The novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck explores this idea throughout his story. Through the characters in the story, it shows the many different hardships of each character trying to pursue their dream. John Steinbeck believes that the American Dream is a goal that every American has in life, but it is impossible to achieve. The novel displays several aspects of the American Dream of â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.†. For example, George and Lennie dreamed of owning a farm and being self-sufficient. † â€Å" ‘An live off the fatta the lan, Lennie†¦show more content†¦Additionally, George and Lennie’s dream provides them work the hope that things will be better in the future. With us it aint like that. We got a future.† (14) This shows how their belief in their dream helps them get through their ruthless life. Similarly, when the other characters hear about George and Lennie’s dream, they feel as if they have a purpose in life. Candy was lonely at the ranch, and he knew he was not going to stay at the ranch much longer because he was old. Candy went on excitedly, â€Å"How much they want for a place like that?† This demonstrates how Candy became more animated and full of life as soon because he had an ambition to be a part of the dr eam. To summarize, as exhibited in the novel, a dream can give people a dedication in life. The novel’s setting in the Great Depression shows why the American Dream is not able to be accomplished. For example, George, a poor migrant worker, tried pursuing his dream â€Å"—I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her.† This exhibits how no matter how much George and Lennie worked, they would never attain their dream, just like many poor Americans during the Depression. Furthermore, Crooks represents the reality of many African Americans during this era. Crooks wants to be a part of George and Lennie’s dream; however, he revokes this as soon as he realizes that he wouldShow MoreRelatedImmigrants And The American Dream1362 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants and the American Dream In the article â€Å"The American Dream†, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. 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