The Bean Trees Essay Essay Example for Free

The Bean Trees Essay Essay Life’s Journey Vijay Sherigar wrote in his poem Journey that, â€Å"From where I started to where I am today. The journey has been long tiring from nothing to something I am today. It’s not been an easy journey.† The journey and its paths that we travel are in both the poem My Rebirth and the book The Bean Tree and all three poem, book and journey lead to the rebirth of something bigger, better, brighter and most importantly new. A thematic similarity of renewal through pain, love, time and life’s journey, is found in both the poem My Rebirth and in the story The Bean Trees. Though fears can hold one back, patience, accompanied with a little love can help to overcome those worries, even those from the worst past imaginable, and can also lead to the road of finding oneself. The poem begins and later closes in stating that, â€Å"Where there were once tears of sorrow, they are no more. Body and soul, I seek potency within†¦.I must not be afraid, where there is fear, comfort will come, patience is the key†¦.Have faith, I know I am loved, I am free, this is me, this is the story of my rebirth. â€Å"Just as in the poem elegiacally puts, it takes time to heal, to overcome fears, to dry the tears of pain away and  go on with life. Turtle takes her time to, for lack of a better phrase, come out of her shell, no pun intended. She was abused in many different ways, resulting in her fear, and seemingly lack of emotion or â€Å"personality†, as Lee Ann so kindly puts it. Slowly, as she is showed love, gentleness and patience, and given time, she begins to develop a character. She holds on literally to anything stable she can find, or grip that is, and metaphorically holds steadfast to her fears and meekness. At first, she found it necessary to retract and almost be robotic or nonexistent, but as she is exposed to something in all sense of the word, though not blood linked, a loving, nurturing, family, slowly she lets go of her fear and begins to talk, play, learn, and even remember her past, and she is able to do so because of her knowledge that she is loved, free of he r former horrors. Taylor finally decides to take Turtle, on account of her abusive history, to the physician. In this visit, the doctor concludes that Turtle ceased growing as an outcome from her previous â€Å"environment of physical or emotional deprivation†. The condition is known as â€Å"failure to thrive† and though it is appalling that such a past was forced on such a small and innocent little girl the silver lining of the situation is the condition is reversible (p. 166). Turtle did just as the condition describes and failed to bloom, almost to the point of failing to exist, making herself near to invisible. But as time and love worked its magic, Turtle, realizing she is not alone anymore, slowly begins to reverse her condition. She faces her fears and begins to start again. Though not free from all terrors she is given the chance to flourish and she grasps the opportunity, with just as firm a hold as her literal grip. She finds restoration in the opportunities that patience and love have handed to her. Later on as Turtle buries her doll, Shirley Poppy, Taylor begins to explain to her that while seeds grow, dolls, on the other hand, do not. But, when Turtle pats the pile of dirt and says â€Å"Mama,† Taylor feels the need to ask her, â€Å"Did you see your Mama get buried that way?†(p. 281). After Turtle acknowledges that she did indeed see her mother buried, Taylor consoles her, later telling her, â€Å"You already know there’s no such thing as promises. But I’ll try as hard as I can to stay with you.†(p. 282).As Turtles grows, she able to remember more of her past and as she becomes more courageous, she begins to confront that horrific past. As she gains strength, she is able to give that same quality;  thus through Turtles maturing and prospering, Taylor is given the strength and reason to face her fears, in her case, tires, motherhood and depending on others . With a little time, patience and love Turtle is able to â€Å"have faith†, because she knows of that love for her and is therefore able to be renewed or freed, beginning to find herself in the process. Just as the poem states, even â€Å"tears of sorrow† and fears from the past, can be overcome with love and the knowledge of that love along with perseverance and endurance. Comfort can follow the fears that remain and sometimes eventually drive them away, leaving faith, love and freedom behind. Through the time, chances, and hopes that tribulations offer, a certain peace and happiness can be obtained and sometimes allow troubles to be let go of. The poem ends explaining the journey and prospects ahead in saying, â€Å"Behind the door lies a pool, if I trust, than will I bathe in its waters. I leave behind all misfortunes, I shall be reborn. Breathe again, all is forgiven, I appreciate this second chance. Time is what I have. â€Å"Just as in the poem, time and leaving behind all burdens has given a second chance, the same chances are offered to Esperanza and Estevan. Through their misfortunes, such as losing their daughter and being forced to flee from their country, they are offered opportunities in the United States, the â€Å"pool†; sneaking across the border, they find refuge in Mattie’s â€Å"sanctuary†, the â€Å"waters.† They trusted the doors opened for them by their plights and left behind many worries, allowing them to â€Å"breathe again† and giving them more â€Å"time†, though still not freeing them of all troubles. Estevan talks about torture methods used in Guatemala. He also tells Taylor how he and Esperanza had a daughter, Ismene, â€Å"she was taken in a raid on their neighborhood† in Guatemala (p. 183). Estevan and Esperanza’s attachment to the teacher’s union caused them to be a threat to the government, but because they â€Å"knew the names of twenty other union members† and because they wanted the names of those people, the government kept them alive for their valued information and took Ismene to lure Esperanza and Estevan into offering up the names (p. 183). But they chose saving the other union members’ lives instead of redeeming their daughter; they then fled to the United States. Neither Estevan nor Taylor cried at or during the retelling of such a horror and later Taylor defends their actions, or lack thereof, saying, â€Å"It’s hard to explain, but a certain kind of horror is beyond tears† (p. 183). Estevan continues to describe how  he finds peace in believing that his little girl is thriving somewhere else, in a safe and respectable environment, something he cannot provide in his present situation. In reminding himself that he cannot provide a safe atmosphere for a child, much less himself and his wife, he finds peace in the chance that Ismene, through the horrible conditions she has endured, is possibly able to gain opportunities that could not have been given to her if she had not been taken away. In choosing to save the other union members he and Esperanza were able to grasp a new beginning in what is thought of as the American Dream and unknowingly give Ismene better prospects. But with Border Patrol and immigration laws they are forced to sneak, hide and sacrifice, yet they are safer and still have more than before; the chances to find a fresh start still remain, somewhere and somehow. He is revitalized in his hope for chances, opportunities, dreams, and fresh starts for him and his broken family. Later, at Mr. Armistead’s office, Estevan and Esperanza pretend to be Steve and Hope Two-Two, saying they are Turtle’s birth parents and Taylor poses as Turtle’s adoptive mother. Mr. Armistead, believing the performance in front of him whole-heartedly, reminds them all of the permanence of the adoption, and asks the â€Å"Two-Two’s† to confirm that they are ready to give up their daughter. Esperanza begins to sob at this and says, â€Å"We love her. Maybe someday we will have more children, but not now. Now is so hard†¦.we have nothing, no home.†(p. 287). After the entire episode is over and Turtle is now â€Å"April Turtle Greer† all four friends head to the safe house in Oklahoma inside a church for a fresh start for both Estevan and Esperanza. Somewhere in Esperanza’s speech Taylor realizes that there is no acting needed in this situation for Esperanza; in her mind she is now letting go of Ismene and giving her over, symbolically, into safe hands, in this case Taylors care. This is her closure and allows her to finally be at peace. Now she and Estevan are able to move on and begin again, in their new lives at the safe house. In the likeness of Turtle to Ismene and symbolism of the situation of her adoption and their role-play, she is revived to someone much closer to the true Esperanza and is a step closer to happiness. Just as the poem beautifully puts, the leaving behind of troubles or better known as moving on, and time provides, even as outcomes of misfortunes, opportune  chances, not able to be reached without the trials. Even as the poem metaphorically sets up an imaginary picture, bringing faith to those in the midst of the trials, the hope and dreams of the chances of results and the future bring peace. Both the poem and book are closely tied on a theme, motif, and even character basis. Both express the need for time, love, patience, faith, hope for favorable chances, and even misfortunes and these are the needed for the journey. It was once said, by Lao Tzu, that, â€Å"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.† But what was left out was what would be needed for the rest of the journey, for as it is known it’s not enough just to take one step. Though maybe needing to take a detour to obtain these qualities, possibly crossing over few, to many tribulations, they are still needed. Once being exposed to them and or obtaining them one is ready to begin to find themselves. Therefore, leading to the rebirth of a new and matured person. In Corinthians 13:13 it says, â€Å"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.† These things, though in no way easy to possess, how we express them and if we allow ourselves to take what they offer are what define us and our life’s path or journey. This proves what Vijay Sherigar said in his poem Journey to be true, â€Å"Tried with luck; tried with hard work, tried with destiny too†¦.It’s not been an easy journey.† Works Cited: 1 Corinthians 13: Love Is the Greatest Works Cited: Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1996. My Rebirth Works Cited: Deaths, Maiden. â€Å"My Rebirth.† All Poetry. http://allpoetry.com/poem/2314032-My_Rebirth-by-Raven_Tears (20 August 2011). Journey Works Cited: Sherigar, Vijay. â€Å"Journey.† PoemHunter. February 25, 2008. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/journey-41/ (20 August 2011). The Idea of Resurrection (Restoration; Rebirth; Renewal; Revival) as a Motif Works Cited: Kingsolver, Barbara. â€Å"Literary Analysis: The Bean Trees. Helium. April 30, 2007. http://www.helium.com/items/307860-literary-analysis-the-bean-trees-by-barbara-kingsolver (20 August 11). Works Cited: SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote

Ocean :: essays research papers

Oceans Disciplines: Science (Earth’s physical characteristics), Social Studies (Physical environments), English (Research), Math (Add or subtract using decimals and percents) Grade Level: 4th Grade Duration: Three weeks Description: An urban school setting consisting of mostly minority students in a general education classroom. Brainstorming Cognitive Map: (See attached paper) Content Overview:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ocean is the great body of water that covers 71 per cent of the earth’s surface. It is also referred to as the sea. The world is really one huge ocean, broken here and there by islands that we call continents. The ocean is so large that you can sail across it for days without seeing any land. It is also very deep with the bottom lying more than six miles below the surface. It is important to have an understanding of the ocean because it directly or indirectly affects all life on earth. Although we in the United States only get a small proportion of our food from the ocean, there are many nations that border the sea and depend highly on it. There are also many nations who are struggling for fresh water supplies. Although only a small amount of freshwater can be obtained from saltwater, scientists are working on new methods that will enable them to do so more efficiently. Other products like seaweed can be used to make many food products such as ice cream, candy, jellies, and salad dressing. More importantly, it is a vital ingredient in many medicinal products. The Sea is also a source of energy. And we someday will be able to use it to light our homes and run factories. There are five oceans in the world. The three great ones are the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. The Pacific is the largest and deepest covering about a third of the earth’s surface. The word Pacific means peaceful yet some of the most disastrous storms on earth blow out of it. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest body of water in the world. The main industrial nations lie on the coasts of it making it the most important ocean for trade. The Indian Ocean borders Australia, Africa, and the East Indies. The other two oceans the Arctic and Antarctic are at opposite ends of the world. The Arctic lies on top of the world north of Asia, Europe, and North America. The Antarctic Ocean surrounds Antarctica. The Ocean is home for all sorts of plants and animals.

Anglo Saxon Poetry Of Beowulf English Literature Essay

BeowulfA is the most of import verse form in Old English and it is the first major verse form in a European slang linguistic communication, †¦ remarkable for its sustained magnificence of tone and for the glare of its manner, as has been remarked by Margaret Drabble. Beowulf has been categorized as a â€Å" Primary Epic † by C.S.Lewis. In wide footings, a primary heroic poem is drawn from the unwritten narrative stating tradition as opposed to what Lewis termed as a â€Å" Secondary Epic † which is a planned literary creative activity. A Handbook to Literature defines the undermentioned demands for a literary piece to be classified as an heroic poem: On the footing of these standards, which shall be examined in the undermentioned paragraphs, Beowulf can safely be characterised into the heroic poem genre. The hero of Beowulf is â€Å" a figure of heroic stature † . Beowulf ‘s physical stature mirrors his qualities and when we foremost see Beowulf as he arrives from his fatherland Geatland at Scyldings in the land of the Danes, attending is drawn to his stature by the Scylding guard who exclaims that he has ne'er seen a â€Å" a mightier baronial, / a larger adult male † ( 247-48 ) Beowulf is a hero of heroic strength with the strength â€Å" clasp † of 30 work forces, who kills nine sea monsters on a swim. Subsequently he establishes his strength by killing Grendel and his female parent. Though immature at the beginning of the verse form, Beowulf has all the devisings of a good leader. He reveals his line of descent to the reader when he mentions his male parent to the guard who is funny about him ( 251 ) . Beowulf besides reveals his male parents name and the name of his male monarch, Hygelac. On his meeting with King Hrothgar ( 418 ff. ) , we realise that non merely is Beowulf brave and brave but he besides is loyal and has come to refund the generousness and kindness of King Hrothgar to his male parent Ecgtheow. He besides divulges that he has cleansed his fatherland of its enemies and has killed a folk of giants. Thereafter he shows his strength when he kills the sea monsters while viing with Breca. Beowulf ‘s handling of Unferth ( 529 ) is a farther testimony to the wisdom of the immature hero. By his handling of Unferth, and the maner in which he reminds the assemblage of the certificates of Unferth and how he killed his ain brothers, Beowulf asserts himself even before he confronts Grendel. In the conflict with Grendel, Beowulf displays his accomplishments as an intelligent warrior as he allows Grendel to devour a Geat, while he lies still accessing his enemy. As a con sequence of analyzing his enemy he manages to rend Grendel ‘s right claw off from his shoulder socket. He farther strengthens his repute as a worthy and courageous warrior in the mode in which he deals with Grendel ‘s female parent. He besides shows himself as a loyal friend when Hygelac is killed in a conflict, since he does non claim the throne for himself but supports his boy. Merely when Hygelac ‘s boy is killed in a fued does Beowulf go up to the throne. The conflict with the firedrake in his old age once more proves his strength and him as a good warrior though a few critics found him reckless for non worrying about who would go up him to the throne. Beowulf besides makes the usage of the tools of heroic poems such as asides, addresss, and expeditions. There is besides a mirroring of the unwritten tradition of narrative stating in the text, as we see the â€Å" scop † who chants the occurrences of The Finnsburh Episode ( 1063-1159 ) . The asides though they appear cumbersome were feats of good known heroes and popular narratives. For case the blood-feud history of Finn and the Danes reverberations Cain and Abel in its misrepresentation, craftiness, treachery and disloyalty. The slaying of Finn to revenge the decease of Hnaf brings on the onslaught of the monster Grendel, who is eventually slayed by Beowulf. The narrative of this narrative non merely celebrates his triumph but besides highlights the triumph of good over immorality. Unlike the classical heroic poem, Beowulf does non get down â€Å" media RESs † and has no supplication to the Muse, but it is an heroic poem however, given the character of the hero, the events of great magnitude and besides the poetic composing. The verse form employs the usage of initial rhymes, which carry more significance than a rime. A important portion of the verse form does use the usage of rime as good. But over all it is evident from the scrutiny of the verse form that it was compose for unwritten narrative as opposed to a literary piece. Beowulf is a glorious merger of many subjects, viz. the subjects of Christian and Pagan rites, of light and darkness which mirror good and evil, of Men and Monsters, of Treasures, of the importance of Genealogy, of community, of Wyrd and of good Kingship which runs analogue in the narrative. In the book English Epic and Heroic Poetry, the writer W. Macneile Dixon, stresses that Beowulf is was perchance non â€Å" crude poesy † ( Pg. 14 )[ 5 ]when it was composed. Though the linguistic communication of the verse form appears to be simple, the poets have drawn on both the Pagan and Christian elements. Therefore Fitela, Scyld Scefing and Sigmund from heathen mythology are offered as defenders of demeanor and the monster Grendel ‘s household line belongs to the family tree of Cain ( 107 and 1258-67 ) . Again we see a strong heathen influence as the Anglo-Saxon construct of Wryd is a subject by itself in the text. Beowulf calls upon Wyrd when he battles the first sea monster of the nine that he killed, when he competed with Breca. Subsequently he attributes his endurance to the Christian God. ( 569-574 ) . He besides refers to Wyrd at his concluding reference. Hrothgar besides thanks God when Beowulf defeats the monster Grendel. Through the text Hrothgar ‘s advocate and warnings to Beowulf reflect the Christian dogmas of generousness and the pattern of gold giving followed at that clip. Three of the awful seven deathly wickednesss are besides mentioned as a warning to Beowulf. ( 1724-78 ) When Beowulf is deceasing ; Wiglaf tries to resuscitate him utilizing a ritual with H2O which calls to mind the Baptism. Beowulf is really heathen in the mode in which he chooses to contend the firedrake entirely, and it is in maintaining with the codification of behavior of the warrior. His subsequent funeral, with a adult female and 12 considerations mourning him name to mind, Christ ‘s adherents and Mary Magdalen forenoon Christ. Good and immorality is a nother subject running through the text and it is farther emphasised as we view the struggle of visible radiation and darkness, and heaven and snake pit. The text begins with a apposition of the light universe of the human warriors and their gay mead-hall with the dark universe of Grendel ‘s prevaricator ( 417-426 ) . The universes invariably clash as Grendel ‘s haterate and slaughter of the Danes brings Beowulf to him who is non afraid to face the darkness. ( 480-488 ) . Hrothgar ‘s soldiers though brave do non last boulder clay dawn. Where Grendel symbolises darkness, his female parent symbolises snake pit and somberness that is dark at its darkest. Continuing with the subject of dark and light is the subject of adult male and monster. While we are cognizant the Grendel is a monster ( 101-108 ) , we are besides reminded that possibly Beowulf is besides non wholly human, since he kills nine sea monsters, and about has the power equivalent to Grendel particularly s ince his feats of conveying the monsters to an terminal could easy be lines used for Grendel. ( 551-558 ) the subject of good triumphing over immorality besides runs through the heroic poem as even though Grendel is strong with crisp claws he is defeated non by the blade but by the bare custodies of the heroic Beowulf. ( 987-990 ) Again we are reminded of Beowulf ‘s strength which is more than human as he is contending Grendel ‘s female parent, and he is protected by his extraordinary armor which is adorned with two rings demoing the friendly relationship of the Geates and the Danes and their support of Beowulf. The heroic poem is rich in item since it has a hero who harmonizing to Hegel[ 6 ]the hero Beowulf is waited on manus and pes, and has to fight for basic endurance, and the necessities of life such as â€Å" Equus caballuss and arms and nutrient † . The subject of hoarded wealth therefore besides highlights the implicit in economic sciences of a feudal society while heightening the heroic poem. Harmonizing to W.P.Ker, in his book Epic and Romance, he mentions that Beowulf was likely written by two Scribes and has a construction with a â€Å" prologue at the beginning and a judgement pronounced on the life of the hero at the terminal † ( Pg.158 ) BeowulfA has an omniscient ( â€Å" omniscient † ) storyteller. The narrative voice remarks on the character ‘s actions, and knows and is able to describe on what they think. The storyteller is cognizant of things- for illustration, the expletive on the firedrake ‘s hoarded wealth ( lines 3066-75 ) -that are non known to the heroic poem ‘s characters. Beowulf portions this all-knowing narrative with other heroic poems, such as theA Iliad, A theOdyssey, A and theA Aeneid, A but remains subtly different. The storyteller ofA BeowulfA makes an expressed connexion with the audience, admiting a shared background of cultural cognition, in the gap lines of the verse form: A † WeA have heard of the thriving of the throne of Denmark † ( accent added ) . The storyteller ‘s voice is besides closely connected with those of the characters. Both use narrations in the same manner, to indicate a moral or to project†¦ ..

Spies And Commissars The Early Years Of The Soviet...

The political world paid a lot of attention to the events that took place during the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917, which brought Russia’s relationship with the West to a new level. The new communist regime attracted the attention of leaders throughout the world. In Robert Service’s book Spies and Commissars: the early years of the Russian revolution, the author guides the reader through the entire revolution and describes West’s attitude towards the formation of new political ideology in Russia. Service shows how the West used actionable intelligence in hopes of undermining Bolsheviks and influencing their politics in the Eastern Europe. The Western Allies were ready to do what it takes to bring down Trotsky and Lenin. The British, French, Japanese and Americans had sent agents to gather intelligence, but they were too small to overthrow Lenin. Nonetheless, they certainly provided valuable data to Western governments. The ultimate goal of the British cons piracy in 1918 was to undermine communist rule (5). However, it was kept secret because Western diplomats wanted to look clean in their political and military relationship with the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). The Bolshevik revolution heavily damaged the Russian economy, making it clear that the country will have to find support from the outside (4). But, destroyed economy did not worry Lenin and Trotsky, who were ready to conquer new territories because they thought that their â€Å"revolution would expireShow MoreRelatedKgb History Essay5533 Words   |  23 PagesUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics, controlled the USSR. The members of the committee were trained assassins as well as accomplished spies. Through several well-placed spies and paid civilians, the KGB was able to control the Politburo, the Soviet parliament, and the rest of the union. The KGB was in charge of the Siberian labor camps – even today, Vladimir Putin’s secret service, the FSB, is charged with the upkeep of those camps. Several of the greatest and most terrible leaders of the Soviet UnionRead MoreBorrowings from Russian in English7420 Words   |  30 Pagesothers are themselves borrowed from indigen ous peoples that Russians have come into contact with in Russian or Soviet territory. Compared to other source languages, very few of the words borrowed into English come from Russian.[1] Direct borrowing first began with contact between England and Russia in the 16th century and picked up heavily in the 20th century with the establishment of the Soviet Union as a major world power.[2] Most of them are used to denote things and notions specific to Russia, RussianRead MoreLenin13422 Words   |  54 PagesVladimir Ilyich Lenin Ð’Ð »Ã °Ã ´Ã ¸Ã ¼Ã ¸Ã'€ ИÐ »Ã'Å'Ð ¸Ã'‡ ЛÐ µÃ ½Ã ¸Ã ½ | | Lenin in 1920 | Chairman of the Council of People s Commissars of the Soviet Union (Premier of the Soviet Union) | In office 30 December 1922  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 21 January 1924 | Preceded by | Position created | Succeeded by | Alexei Rykov | Chairman of the Council of People s Commissars of the Russian SFSR | In office 8 November 1917  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 21 January 1924 | Preceded by | Position created | Succeeded by | Alexei Rykov | Member of the PolitburoRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesepochs, the twentieth century does not appear to be a very coherent unit. The beginnings and ends of what we choose to call centuries are almost invariably years of little significance. But there is little agreement over when the twentieth century c.e. arrived, and there were several points both before the year 2000 (the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, the surge of globalization from the mid-1990s) and afterward (9/11, or the global recession of 2008) when one could