Essay on the Character of Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening

The Character of Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening "The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier’s spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at the piano. Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth." (26) Madam Reisz was a predominant factor in the life of Edna, compelling her to arouse her courage and supplying her with the proper motivation to do so. She was admired by Edna, impelled to be an artist by her. Madam Reisz, in response, also portrayed a considerable amount of gratitude towards Edna and her "awakening": "You are the only one worth playing for. those others, Bah!" (26) Madam Reisz had a profound influence upon the lifestyle of Edna, along with supplying a pillar for moral support. Madam Reisz influenced the existence of Edna by acting as a form of sanctuary for her in which Edna would have to seek her when placed in a state of misfortune, or when being inundated with boredom. "It was during such a mood that Edna hunted up Mademoiselle Reisz." (58) When Edna returns to the city, she is dominated by the premonition to seek Mademoiselle Reisz, yet the purpose is indistinct. By seeking madam’s residence Edna is supplied with two factors of appeasement that are able to suppress her boredom: Robert’s letter’s, and Reisz’s music: ‘The shadows deepened in the little room. The music grew strange and fantastic, turbulent, insistent, plaintive, and soft with entreaty. The shadows grew deeper. The music filled the room. It floated out upon the night over the housetops, the crescent of the river, losing itself in the silence of the uppe... ...to earth." (83) Reisz discerns that Edna is pursuing a path that no other individual has showed the audacity to in the past, and she must remain morally strong in order to avoid a futile conclusion to this journey. The influence of Madam Reisz upon Edna is present throughout their confrontations. The Madam is one of the only characters in the novel that possesses the ability to perceive Edna’s true character, not the superficial image that she shows in public in front of shallow characters such as Madam Ratignolle. Reisz inspried Edna to such an extent in which her influence was recalled before her death. Edna, when transgressing the borderlines of society, swimming without acknowledgment of her physical state, recalls Reisz, stating, "And you call yourself an artist! What pretensions, Madam! The artist must possess the courageous soul that dares and defies." (116)

Ralph and Jack’s Conflict between Good and Evil in Lord of the Flies Essay

?Ralph and Jack’s Conflict between Good and Evil in Lord of the Flies Over the ages, human behavior has shown that purity of thought leads to a similar action and ultimately to an outcome that is consistent with the original thought. Conversely, the history of man is tainted with his inherent lust for power and greed causing great conflict. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the author contrasts the moral thoughts and deeds of his flawed hero Ralph to the self gratifying motives and actions of his adversary Jack. The ebb and flow of good versus evil on the island is driven by the waves of positive and negative thoughts in the minds of the two main characters. Ralph and Jack’s continuous struggle of good versus evil is not only between the two of them, but is within their own minds as well. Jack shows his inclination towards selfishness and violence while Ralph keeps a caring and positive mind towards the group’s survival. The boys have a meeting on the top of the mountain to discuss what to do next concerning their survival, which gives jack the opportunity to bring up hunting: â€Å"’It broke away-‘ ‘Before I could kill it- but- next time! ’ Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly† (31). Already Jack begins to reveal his aggressive and violent nature. Jack has the opinion that being dominant and seen as powerful is more important to his own survival, while Ralph thinks about the survival of the group as a whole. Jack’s hunting is more about a selfish need than about providing for others. During the first hunt, Jack goes to satisfy his craving for meat and power: â€Å"He swung his right arm and hurled the spear with all his strength. From the pig-run came the quick, hard patter of hoofs, a castanet sound, seductive, maddening- the promise of meat† (49). Jack’s hunt for meat has become an obsessive search for power and a way to demonstrate his strength to the boys. He believes that catching and killing a pig and bringing it back for the others is the ultimate way to show that he is dominant and better than them. Jack is now consciously embodying his evil thoughts into his physical appearance. After realizing his hunting methods are not adequate, Jack paints his face into a mask in order to hunt more successfully: â€Å"Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw† (66). He is consciously using the colours black and red to demonstrate the darkness and thirst for blood inside of him. Jack also shows his evil and anger in the way he aggressively slashes the charcoal onto his face. Ralph’s deeper level of thinking leads him to take positive action towards improving conditions on the island. Ralph walks along the beach and come to realization just how badly things have deteriorated on the island: â€Å"With a convulsion of the mind, Ralph discovered dirt and decay; understood how much he disliked perpetually flicking the tangled hair out of his eyes, and at last, when the sun was gone, rolling noisily to rest among dry leaves† (82). Ralph’s thoughts, while not entirely good, have helped him to realize how bad the actually situation is on the island and what he needs to do to stop the situation from getting worse. Ralph’s world of order is pitted against Jack’s world of chaos. At the meeting, Ralph tries to reestablish the rules and Jack is openly challenging his authority: â€Å"Ralph summoned his wits. ‘Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got! ’ But Jack was shouting against him. ‘Bullocks to the rules! We’re strong- we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat- ! ’† (99) Ralph expresses his good thoughts in a way to keep justice and order on the island, while Jack tries to destroy any trace of this with thoughts of rebellion and power over Ralph’s law. When Ralph realized that he cannot win, he gives into the bad thoughts that consume the island. Ralph is the last one left who still has a sense of order and is being hunted by the others for not agreeing with their ways: â€Å"But then the fatal unreasoning knowledge came to him again. The breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapour. These painted savages would go further and further† (204). He experiences bad thoughts regarding his survival and develops a sense of hopelessness and futility. Ralph, slowly losing his own sanity and at the loss of Piggy and Simon there to induce good thoughts, is left to hide and attack the others for his own survival. Ralph is entirely overwhelmed by the thoughts of good and evil. He flees from the savages onto the beach where he finds, standing before him, a naval officer with a ship at his back. â€Å"†¦ Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall though the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy† (225). All of Ralph’s thoughts crash down on him at this moment and he is overwhelmed by the truth of man’s inner evil and by the death of his loyal and good friend Piggy. The conflict between the two characters, Ralph and Jack, is underlined by the good and evil thought patters that directly lead to the actions they each take. While good thoughts bear good fruit and bad thoughts bear bad fruit, the potential for good and evil lies within all of mankind. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1958. Print.

Fiji Geography Information

Fiji, officially called the Republic of Fiji, is an island group located in Oceania between Hawaii and New Zealand. Fiji is made up of 332 islands, of which 110 are inhabited. Fiji is one of the most developed Pacific island nations and has a strong economy based on mineral extraction and agriculture. Fiji is also a popular tourist destination because of its tropical landscape. Its also fairly easy to get to from the western United States and Australia. Fast Facts: Fiji Official Name: Republic of FijiCapital: SuvaPopulation: 926,276 (2018)Official Languages: English, Fijian  Currency: Fijian dollar (FJD)Form of Government: Parliamentary republic  Climate: Tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Area: 7,055 square miles (18,274 square kilometers)Highest Point: Tomanivi at 4,344 feet (1,324 meters)Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean at 0 feet (0 meters) Fijis History Fiji was first settled about 3,500 years ago by Melanesian and Polynesian settlers. Europeans did not arrive on the islands until the 19th century but upon their arrival, many wars broke out between the various native groups on the islands. After one such war in 1874, a Fijian tribal chief named Cakobau ceded the islands to the British, which officially began British colonialism in Fiji. Under British colonialism, Fiji experienced the growth of plantation agriculture. Native Fijian traditions were also for the most part maintained. During World War II, soldiers from Fiji joined the British and the Allies in battles at the Solomon Islands.On October 10, 1970, Fiji officially became independent. Following its independence, there were hostilities around how Fiji would be governed and in 1987, a military coup took place to prevent an Indian-led political party from taking power. Shortly thereafter, there were ethnic hostilities in the country and stability was not retained until the 1990s. In 1998, Fiji adopted a new constitution that specified that its government would be run by a multiracial cabinet. The following year, Mahendra Chaudhry, Fijis first Indian prime minister, took office. Ethnic hostilities continued, however, and in 2000 armed soldiers staged another governmental coup which eventually caused an election in 2001. In September of that year, Laisenia Qarase was sworn as prime minister with a cabinet of ethnic Fijians. In 2003, however, Qarases government was declared unconstitutional and there was an attempt to once again install a multiethnic cabinet. In December 2006, Qarase was removed from office and Jona Senilagakali was appointed as the interim prime minister. In 2007, Frank Bainimarama became prime minister after Senilagakali resigned and he brought more military power into Fiji and refused democratic elections in 2009. In September 2009, Fiji was removed from the Commonwealth of Nations because this act failed to put the country on track to forming a democracy. Government of Fiji Today, Fiji is considered a republic with a chief of state and head of government. It also has a bicameral Parliament comprised of a 32-seat Senate and a 71-seat House of Representatives. Twenty-three of the House seats are reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 are for ethnic Indians, and three are for other ethnic groups. Fiji also has a judicial branch that is comprised of a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, a High Court, and Magistrates Courts. Economica and Land Use In Fiji Fiji has one of the strongest economies of any Pacific island nation because it is rich in natural resources and is a popular tourist destination. Some of Fijis resources include forest, mineral, and fish resources. Industry in Fiji is largely based on tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, and lumber. In addition, agriculture is a large part of Fijis economy and its chief agricultural products are sugarcane, coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, bananas, cattle, pigs, horses, goats, and fish. Geography and Climate of Fiji The country of Fiji is spread across 332 islands in the South Pacific Ocean and is located closest to Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Much of Fijis terrain is varied and its islands consist mainly of small beaches and mountains with a volcanic history. The two largest islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Fijis climate is considered tropical marine and is therefore mild. It does have some slight seasonal variations and tropical cyclones are common and typically occur in the region between November and January. On March 15, 2010, a large cyclone struck Fijis northern islands. More Facts About Fiji Fijis official languages are English, Fijian, and Hindi.The literacy rate in Fiji is 93%.Ethnic Fijians make up 57% of Fijis population while Indo-Fijians make up 37%. Sources Central Intelligence Agency. CIA - the World Factbook - Fiji.Infoplease. Fiji: History, Geography, Government, Culture -Infoplease.com.United States Department of State. Fiji.