Comparing the Books a Raisin in the Sun and the Great...

There are many similarities involving the main characters in the books The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun. For example, they are similar because their entire lives revolve around money. Also, they define their lives by determining what social class they live in. Another main likeness between the two is that they reside in large cities. Which leads to problems that people in rural communities wouldn’t have. On the other hand, they also have major differences. One is wealthy, the other lives in poverty. Jay Gatsby lives in a paradise-like community in New York, while Walter Younger and his family live in the slums of Chicago. Another difference between them is their race. Jay, being a white, is a well respected individual in his part†¦show more content†¦These examples support the idea that both Jay Gatsby’s and The Younger Family’s minds revolve around money. Social classes play a massive part in society today, just like it has throughout history. Mr. Gatsby, being an entrepreneur and bootlegger, was an upper-class individual with tons of wealth. Because he was so wealthy, he could afford a mansion and an expensive car (unheard of in the 1930’s). Respect came in droves for him because of his social class. He had parties for which some he did not even attend, he took people out to fancy restaurants, and many other things that people of that class do. Walter younger and the rest of his family were poor nonetheless. Because of their life in poverty, they are part of the lower class in the city of Chicago. Although they have a few friends, such as Bobo, they are not of the same â€Å"caliber† of the friends Jay Gatsby has the pleasure of knowing. Because of the Youngers’ poverty, they also have certain conflicts with people of their same social class. For example, Walter was â€Å"in on a great deal† with an busine ssman. Although it sounded like an amazing deal with amazing wealth in store for him, Walter was cheated out of the deal and was left without the ten thousand dollars his father left him. Living in big cities also lets problems arise. As seen in The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is subject to many problems people living in rural parts of the country wouldn’t have such as family issues and unnecessary drama. In A Raisin inShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1741 Words   |  7 Pageseven during the beginning of our wonderful country, and it was relatively the same as it is now. More than a century after the Declaration of Independence, the American Dream was still alive and well. In the 1950s, Lorraine Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun. This play is about a financially troubled African-American family and the problems they face as they try to achieve all of their versions of the American Dream. The play itself is centered around the American Dream and how hard it can be to

Cultural Aging Free Essays

This paper is designed to illustrate a cultural or ethnic group of my choosing and how they feel about the aging process. Also, to give detail of their background, their perspective and how it coordinates with the group, how they feel it effects aging on the older population, the elderly role in this cultural or ethnic group and and historical information in the group perspective if they immigrated in the United States. Within my findings I found out that African American woman (in particular) are concerned with aging but are not as concerned as Caucasian women. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Aging or any similar topic only for you Order Now Being that African Americans have more melanin in their skin, wrinkles are not as common at the age of 65 as it would be of women who are the same age but of the Caucasian race. For my paper on the perspectives, I chose to research African Americans and take a look in to how they perceive aging, how they feel it effects aging on the older population, their roles and if there are any historical changes in their perspective. Most African Americans are the descendants of captive Africans held in the United States from 1619 to 1865. Blacks from the Caribbean whose ancestors immigrated, or who immigrated to the United States, also traditionally have been considered African American, as they share a common history of predominantly central Africans roots or west African, the middle passage and slavery. In the past, it was these people who were referred to and self-identified collectively as the American Negro, who now generally consider themselves African Americans. The history of African Americans are highlighted and celebrated annually in the United States during February, which is respectfully known as Black History month, and their history is the sole focus that time. Others who some times are Americans who descended from slaves, are referred to as African Americans, and who may self identify as such in United States government censuses, include relatively recent black immigrants from Africa, South America and elsewhere who self-identify as of African descent. A big percentage of African Americans descended from slaves, most of which were sold by African states or kidnapped by African, Arab, European or American slave traders. The existing market for slaves in Africa was exploited and expanded by European powers in search of free free labor for New World plantations. Are African Americans less concerned with the consequences of aging? Let’s take the cosmetic world for example to emphasize my points to come. The cosmetic world is filled with all sorts of products designed to keep women (and occasionally men) look (and feeling) young. The products are primarily geared towards skin care and more specified for wrinkles. Let’s take a look at cosmetic commercials and ads, you mist find something very interesting: there are few black women. Of course, there are women of different ethnic groups, which by way of sending a message that all women, no matter ethnicity are concerned with aging. For the most part, it seems that Caucasian women (more so than black women) are concerned about the aging process. To aid in my point, I’ll use the statistics from the Society of Plastic Surgeons that proves that African Americans are still one of the smaller groups requesting plastic surgery. Whites account for 69% while blacks have only 8%. There is a very popular phrase within the African American community affirming that â€Å"black don’t crack†. This phrase is an exact implication that African Americans typically look younger in age versus other ethnic groups, mainly the white ethnic group. A person’s physical health, one’s lifestyle and health definitely play a role in this. It is usually quite common for people to mistake a black women who may be 65 and be mistaken for 55 and for women in their 40’s to be mistaken as being in their 30’s (Yeo, 2001). The most common and scientifically proven reason for this is because African Americans typically have more melanin that a person has in their skin, the more complex it is for the skin’s harmful rays to penetrate, creating wrinkles, spots, lines and other anomalies. For some reason, it has not been until recently that cosmetic companies begun targeting African-American women for anti-aging products. In a 2006 article in Essence magazine, it purports that the cosmetic industry in general has seen a marked increase in toiletries and cosmetic advertising in general, marketers choosing non-black publications to reach an additional demographic. â€Å"The myth is that women of color don’t care about aging,† the president of Essence, Michelle Ebanks has stated. â€Å"We don’t wrinkly as early, but we care about it†. That confirms it! That statement is a pure indication that black women are just as concerned about their aging physical appearance as other ethnic groups. However, Ebanks also shed great insight on another important note; women of color are more likely to share information about beauty products by word of mouth, rather than through heavy media commentary. This in and of itself may give the impression that black women are less concerned with aging. The general theory that black women give birth at a younger age than other ethnic groups also might have a little something to do with the perception that they care less about aging (Yeo, 2001). While this may sound stilted and just outrageous, do consider the fact that if a woman gives birth to her first child by the age of 20, by the time that child is able to enter college, the mother is still at her youthful age, barely reaching 40. If this birth cycle (or similar variations of it) continues, then the mother will be able to call herself â€Å"Grandma† before she even reaches the age of 50. Although, black women who become grandmothers rather early very often feel less inclined to be concerned with aging; because they have already completed a life cycle that others take many years to establish. It could be said that as stigma of young motherhood becomes more irrelevant, so do the women’s concerns about growing old. The elderly are treated with high regard and respect in the African American community. Those women who enter this â€Å"elder† phase of life early (25 to 38 years old) feel the pressure of role conflict and tension in the social support they receive(Dorthy, 2004). They perceive grand parenthood as a â€Å"tenuous† role. Those who enter grand parenthood â€Å"on time† (42 to 57 years old) have less conflict but can also feel the pressure of integrating family and occupational roles(Ada, 1998). Women in this age usually occupy a traditional family role, that â€Å"lofty† and respected position of a grandmother. She is also the nurturer and disciplinarian of children, the family historian, the hub of the family network in which decisions are made, and the convener of family events. How to cite Cultural Aging, Papers

What would Victor Hugo make of this Essay Example For Students

What would Victor Hugo make of this? Essay In his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame,  Victor  Hugo  decried the numberless degradations and mutilations the Notre Dame cathedral had suffered at the hands of remodelers. If  Hugo  were alive today, he might have a similar opinion about what Disney has done to his classic work. Disneys cartoon version, which opens in theaters Friday, is a sanitized, politically correct retelling of  Hugos grim tale. In the studios hands,  Hugos grotesque hunchback becomes cute and endearing, and the novels gruesome ending turns happy and uplifting. Disney changed the villain, Frollo, from a priest to a judge and transformed gypsies from baby stealers into an oppressed minority. The novel is one of many examples of books of the past that have been betrayed by translations and interpretations, said  Hugo  scholar  Victor  Brombert, of Princeton University. Disneys version is the fourth Hunchback movie. While previous films also took liberties with the story, they at least didnt turn the the title character, Quasimodo, into a cuddly little guy. Thats a far cry from the original vision of  Victor  Hugo  (1802-1885). He was a prolific French poet, novelist and playwright who dominated 19th century literature. Although most respected in France for his poetry, hes best known elsewhere for his novels Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In the fall of 1830,  Hugo  locked his formal clothes away, so he wouldnt be tempted to go out, and penned the 500-page Notre Dame of Paris in 4 1/2 months. (The title was changed to The Hunchback of Notre Dame in the English translation.) The historic novel is set in Paris in the late 15th century. . . . Warning: Dont read on if you dont want the novels plot revealed. Gypsies steal a baby girl, Esmeralda, and in her crib leave behind the grotesque Quasimodo. Esmeralda grows up a beautiful gypsy dancer, while Quasimodo is adopted by the demented priest, Frollo. The reclusive Quasimodo becomes the cathedrals bell ringer, which causes him to lose his hearing. Frollo lusts after Esmeralda, but she loves Phoebus, a captain of the kings archers. Phoebus seduces Esmeralda, cynically professing his love. Frollo stabs Phoebus in a jealous rage. But its Esmeralda whos charged with the crime, and shes sentenced to hang. Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from the gallows and brings her to the cathedral, where shes given sanctuary. A mob attacks the cathedral, and while Quasimodo is fending them off, Frollo kidnaps Esmeralda. Frollo offers her freedom in return for sleeping with him. She refuses and is sent back to the gallows. This time, Quasimodo is unable to rescue Esmeralda. He sees her dangling at the end of the rope while terrible convulsions travel down (her) body. Enraged, Quasimodo throws Frollo off the cathedral. Quasimodo disappears, and about two years later, authorities discover his remains in a cellar where Esmeralda and other criminals are buried. Quasimodos skeleton is clutching Esmeraldas skeleton. Not exactly a Disneyesque ending. Disney rewrote the story from start to finish. The movie leaves out the part about gypsies stealing a baby, as well as passages in which Esmeralda is horribly tortured and locked in a rat-infested dungeon. For comic relief, there are three talking gargoyles, two of whom are named  Victor  and  Hugo. Phoebus is transformed from an unprincipled cad into a brave and handsome lover. In the end, Quasimodo saves Esmeralda, kills the hated Frollo and is carried through the streets a hero. Nevertheless, the movie is grim, at least by Disney standards. The music is heavy, the colors are dark and some parts may frighten small children. Especially scary is a scene in which Frollo sees Esmeraldas image in a fire and vows shell face the fires of damnation if she wont have him. Since the book isnt read much anymore in American schools, the Disney version likely will supplant  Hugos story in popular culture. And thats too bad.  Hugos novel is a great work, said French lit professor Robert Morrissey of the University of Chicago. When my students read it, they loved it, Morrissey said. Its got everything sex, power, blood, and Quasimodo, whos a great character. And theres more to the novel than its compelling plot.  Hugo  ruminates on themes such as architecture, the futility of acquiring knowledge and the French Revolution. The mob attack on the cathedral, for example, is a metaphor for the storming of the Bastille.