The Daily Life And Existence of Faustian Bargains

I found in reading the play Dr. Faustus this month to be a very prevalent example of why these stories are still read today. I believe that amound the many works of each time period, the one with the strongest message or is most relatable to are those that survive. The idea found in Dr. Faustus is that one man is gaining power and pleasure through a deal with the devil. Although we as humans are not conjuring with the devil on a daily basis, many believe that the battle still remains. The want of great power and pleasure is mostly found in today's corporate world, as deals are made that can backstab someone or put them out of a job and cause them to loose their life as they knew it. For the one in control, there is a great personal being it that usually accompanies these decisions. Although many cannot resist such as Faust, some do prevail in making a decision that may not benefit them completely, but is not destroying someone else. This crossroad is also seen in the average lives of ordinary people. They can be as simple as a white lie to cheating at a game. Because of their simplicity, though, many do not find significance in preventing them. Even though these modern Faustian Bargains occur every day, not everyone recognizes them. This is how an author uses their skill to affect the masses. Here, the story of Faustus is what intrigues people to see the dangers found in dealing with the devil. Although who may be reading or watching the play may not be directly dealing with the devil, they still may have personal challenges that relate to it. Since people can relate to it generation after generation, the story is told over and over again to keep society thinking. 

The Brink of Insanity

The story The Yellow Wallpaper brings up a controversial point about insanity that we see today. This is that we as a society find some people to be insane or mentally unstable, but in fact it could only be a phase of life that is completely natural although we don't know it yet. We see this in the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper as she was not necessarily insane to begin with, but as her husband claimed to treat her, she actually began to loose her mind. Because she was born a woman, the society she lived in did not give her equal rights as a man, which allowed the man to be mostly in control. This is mainly seen as spheres of living, the woman being the small inner sphere that relies on the man being the outer sphere that decides most everything. This sphere control can be seen recently in places such as hospitals and mental institutions. We as humans have very little understanding on how the mind truly works although many have been treated successfully for various illnesses. This being said, some remodels that have been put on patients can actually worsen their condition, just as the narrators in The Yellow Wallpaper. Since the doctors and psychologists have been placed in control of the patients, they essentially have the persons sanity in their control, such as the narrators husband did. Although their intention may not be the same as his for keeping them isolated in some cases, they still could do more harm than good. Even if the patient attempts to free themself, they still are helpless because of the view society has on them, and have little hope for escape. This social captivity will most likely continue in the world, but as time goes on we have become better at giving all fair rights. 

The Journey Into Feminism

This month, a unit has started that has been talked about since the beginning of the year. Although the extremes of the feminist movement can be harsh, there are very interesting points brought up. First off is the overall role of women in society and how it is changing over the years. For example, A Dolls House provides a great comparison with today's society. In the way Nora was raised, since she was a woman, her only obligation was to take care of the family from home. This closed in feeling was present in her home by her father and then passed on to her husband Torvald. The constant isolation at home leaves Nora with a feeling of being lost and not knowing her place in the world. This is what women have now stood up to in the modern world, the dominance of men over women only based on their gender. We now view these gender dominant roles as bad and unequal in rights because it truly is, but during their time period it was more tradition based so that there was little change in lifestyle. As seen today, women fight for their rights now, just as all other inequalities in the world such as African Americans. I believe that A Dolls House is a good example of a work that presents the issues of women's rights without being overly biased toward one side or the other. Nora's departure at the end represents the fight that women began for their rights, as she was finding the right place for herself as a woman in society. Although it is very prominent in the U.S. To have this equality, it still exists in some countries throughout the world. One day there may be true equality everywhere, but as all social issues, there will always be those few who stay in their own beliefs, no matter how wrong they are. 

Who Knows What Is Truly Right

The article The Challenge of Cultural Relativism presents an interesting view on the world. It questions who knows what is truly right and poses a theory that no one is truly correct. It takes examples from history throughout the ages. One is a culture that does not eat cows, even in famine. Many see it as a crazy thought, but in their belief it makes perfect sense. They believed that humans past on to be cows, so in turn cows could be deceased family and friends. This applies to cultures and society throughout the world, no matter where or what beliefs. This can even be taken into today's society. With how the world is grown and expanded in knowledge, we as a people take most things for granted. But in truth all or none of it could be true. I completely agree with the idea that we don't know what is right one hundred percent. For example I have always wondered about color blind people. We are told if we are color blind that we differ from the normal human being and how they should see. I think that this is wrong in that we do not know what is really how a human should look or function. It could be possible that we were supposed to be color blind and that those who have 'normal' eyesight are supernatural and different. I believe that people should see the world more like this so that we can be open to eachothers ideas and not have a constant battle of who is right. 

Are Our Heroes Who They Appear To Be

The tragic play of Hamlet brings up an interesting point of view when looking at our heroes. That is if they truly are a hero or if they were just a normal person that ended up in a heroic position. Many have gone either way with it and it is up to the individual reader to decide for themselves. As for those who think our heroes are truly heroes, it is pretty simple. They view the heroes actions as being all mighty and above everyone else. Also this fact is given since they were automatically givted with whatever power it is. On the other hand there are those believe those heroes are only ordinary beings. They think that these people have come by this position by fate or chance and had notheing to do with getting there. To me this hero type resembles Hamlet. His father's death is what brings about all of the challenges he faces, therefor he did not go to face them with his own porpoise. His purpose is only a reaction to an earlier event. For me this makes the person less of a hero and more of a reactionary person. I think that a hero should have their own plan set out that cannot be affected by others. For example if Hamlet had decided to go on his own before his father's death and fight for something, I would see it as being a true hero. But since he only did it as a reaction to death, he puts himself in a normal person's spot where they would react to a death of their own. This is almost like a downgrade for me as the "hero" does what the average human being would do. 

Heroes Through The Ages

Heroes of society have been told and heard of for hundreds of years. Weather the people are in rejoice or despair, they always have a figure that they look up to. Although there has always been a constant hero throughout time, the defenition that society puts on these figures changes tremendously. Going back to Beowulf, the society had viewed him as a great hero, while we today may not find that in him. In the society of that time, many were peasants or soldiers. Since they were considered weak and defenseless, so they developed a hero to look up to. In this case, Beowulf was described as having great strength and power over people. These were admirable characteristics that gave the people someone to look up to and strive to be. This is the main feature of a hero, though, throughout any time period. As seen in modern times, we still have this strong hero represented by superheroes, but there are also those who are average people doing special deeds in our world. Today's society now bases heroes more on morals than brute force. This is because the world looks down upon mass killing and murders and looks for what a person can do for the good of humanity. This can be found in superheroes, although they possess unnatural abilities. For example Superman has tremendous strength that would be related to that of Beowulf, but he is only out to save people in the world from danger. But the fate of the world does not rest in fiction. But those everyday people who serve and protect the people of the world. A very important event in the United States history would be 9/11. The men and women who helped save all they could no matter what happened are the heroes we look up to today. These acts of selflessness and strength are what we see in a hero today, much as did the people on Beowulfs time see him. 

A Howard Roark In All Of Us

In the world we live in, growing up seems to get harder and harder. Toward the end of high school, we are faces with decisions that could change our lives forever. One of the biggest is college.  Choosing if we do or not, if so where, when, and for what majors. This all will go toward where our lives will go. Other decisions that go along with it are what to do with our time. This includes balancing family, friends, work, sports, school, and time to just relax. Our ability to make it through these challenges so that we can enjoy ourselves the most determined on our mindset on life. If it has no direction, we will not get anywhere with ourselves. But if we think about what we want and not about the rest of the world, we have a chance to come out as our own being. This way of life was show in The Fountainhead. It is found in the character Howard Roark. He goes through his life at the extreme end of this thought. He does not care about anyone, anything, or any goal except his own. This enabled him to take his life in the direction he wanted, without anyone else to worry about. He always made decisions for his own gain. Roark put himself ahead of everything else, and even if his decisions put him in a hard spot, he still did it if that is what he wanted. I think that a little bit of this personality in ourselves can help us make it through life a little easier. Now this does not mean that we should not care about people in our lives that we love and cherish. It is the other side, though, that is the most meaningful. We should always have our goals in mind and not allow them to bend or even break for someone else's needs. This is especially important when making decisions like college and jobs. These are in fact the same ones Roark faced in the novel, and because he kept his own ideas and goals he made them successful. As long as we keep a little part of this in ourselves, we should be able to be who we want to be in the world.