Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken - Making Choices Along the Road of Life :: Road Not Taken essays

The Road Not Taken - Making Choices Along the Road of Life The Road Not Taken can be interpreted many different ways. Depending on the past, present and future attitude one has at the time he read it determines the way the poem may be interpreted. As the title indicates the central theme of this poem is choices. Most people agree that in the poem that Frost was expressing the belief that it is the road or path that one takes or chooses that makes him the man who he is today and will be tomorrow. Everyone is a traveler on lives roads. In the poem there is never just one road to take. Life is a struggle to make the decision of which road to take but a choice must be made. A traveler comes upon "two road deversised in a yellow wood" He is at a cross road point in his life. He is unable to take both paths at once and must make a decision which way he would like to go or how to live his life. He must decide but is remorseful as he states "And sorry I could not travel both". This decision is always difficult to make because it is impossible not to wonder at the cost of taking this path over that one. He can not help but wonder what he will miss if he chooses this road over that one .There is regret before the choice is ever made. He relaxes that in one lifetime it is impossible to travel down both roads and he has a difficult choice to make and is carefully considering his options as well as wondering were each could lead . In attempting to make this decision the traveler "looks down one as far as I could," trying to see the future and were this road might lead. Both roads lead to the unknown and although he tries to see as far as the road stretches he ca nnot see where it is going to lead. It is the way he chooses that sets him of on his journey of life and determines were he is going. He makes his decision and chooses "Then took the other just as far and having perhaps the better claim." This road has a better claim because it was the one that appealed more to him and "it was grassy and wanted wear.

Is the United States winning the war in Iraq? Essay

Is the United States winning the war in Iraq? War is a word that brings a sad feeling in the minds of listener. This word is associated with fight, blood, death, miseries, pain and trouble for many but war is also associated with winning, freedom, and authority. Iraq is a very small country as compare to United States of America, but having a tradition of love for expansion, power and control. On the other hand United States of America, the only existing super power after cold war but seriously threatens by terrorist, expansionist and extremist forces of the world after attacks on twin towers in 2001. US has launched war against terrorism as a counter measure to curb above mentioned forces and attacked Afghanistan which was favored by most of the countries like Britain, Nato Countries etc. Attack on Iraq was also a continuation of War against terrorism due to charges of human rights violation, coalition and support to extremist and terrorist groups coupled with construction of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was facing sanctions after Iraq Kuwait war in 90’s; its economic conditions were severely awful. Being a country with plenty of natural resources Iraqi people were suffering from economic recession, political aggression, and poor international relations. Iraqi ruler was a dictator having tradition of violating human rights. These issues were not only a threat for United States but to all peace loving forces of the world. All the above facts paved ways for a new turn in War against terrorism. President Bush said it clearly in an interview with MSNBC that â€Å"Americans did not start war against terrorism but we will win it† (Bush, 2004) According to American lobby they are victims rather than slaughterers. America attacked Iraq to safe themselves and all the people of the world because if those weapons of mass destruction will left with Iraqi regime then no individual in any part of the world will be safe. It seems reasonable to the world. Therefore it gained favor from majority of nation and their population. Thomas Donnelly, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) said â€Å"The American and coalition forces invasion was justified and paved ways to a new era of democracy and justice in Middle East. † Iraq claimed that all claims made regarding weapons of mass destruction are bogus and America attacked Iraq because of American strategy to take control over Iraq’s oil reserves and enrich land. It will also give ways towards a solid position in Asia and will helpful in curbing down China. The war started and is still going on and according to officials will not end in near future. Is America winning war in Iraq need many other questions to address for having a clear, unbiased and logical reasoning like what war in Iraq has given United States specifically and to the world generally? War in Iraq brought peace and harmony in the world. It gives strength to the peace loving forces of the world and shows all the dictators and extremist forces of the world that human lives are most important assets and United States of America will not let any one play with innocent souls of innocent civilians. Taking Sadam Hussain’s into American custody gives end to an era of violation, obsession, and victimization. It also convey message to the world that justice is still prevailing in the society. On the other end war in Iraq was fought to save lives of innocent civilians of the world from cruel weapons but the weapons used in Iraq by united forces and America were also cruel because they were also not able to differentiate between terrorist, and innocent people when they explode in markets and civilian places of Iraq. Innocent people were dead due to the attacks in Iraq in fact they are still dying. In these innocent people not only Iraqi civilians are included but it also included all those military officials and soldiers those were dead in Iraq due to the counters attacks and gorilla fights between Iraqi people and United Forces. These soldiers were sent to Iraq on a war that was started to reduce miseries, trouble and pain in lives of 9/11 victim’s families but now their families are suffering with same pain, trouble and miseries of loosing their loved ones. Strategically if one calculates what United States is spending in Iraq till today, it will be equal to millions of dollars and if that money will invest on welfare activities it will resulted in better outcomes. The war in Iraq asks a very important question to all peace loving nations that â€Å"Is war a solution of all problems? † Is life of American those dead in 9/11 and other terrorist attacks are more important than lives of Iraqi and Afghani civilians? Even if America is still not able to prove it claims regarding presence of weapons for mass destruction in Iraq. Is an attack on twin towers is more vital than several attacks on Iraq? No. Definitely not and this is what general consensus is started to develop among neutral actors inside and outside USA. Vast majority in United States of America is feeling that the cause of war against terrorism was correct, genuine and need of the time but the way it was fought should be different. Because if we critically analyze the current situation we will feel that War in Iraq gave us nothing except lesson that â€Å"Any War that is fought with weapons give nothing except pain to both winners and losers. † This concept is enforce by the decision of American nation to giving votes to the democrats in recent elections rather than republicans those election campaign revolves around the effects of war in Iraq and Afghanistan on American nation and the future of war on terror. The war in Iraq was started around three years back and no body knows when it will end. Apparently Sadam Hussain and his allies are in custody, Iraq has American and Coalition forces deputed for peace keeping but there is also a doubt that this war is leading towards the same situation that has happened with USSR for America. â€Å"No one can guarantee that any course of action in Iraq at this point will stop sectarian warfare, growing violence, or a slide toward chaos. If current trends continue, the potential consequences are severe. †(The Iraq study Group report December 2006) because world has seen the what has happened with USSR in Afghanistan, how Afghanis threw them out of their country after more than 8 years and as a result USSR itself was vanished from the map of the world. The solution for this situation is address by Iraq study group in their recent report â€Å"Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of U. S. forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly. † (The Iraq study Group report December 2006) The war in Iraq is a war between ideologies, it is a war between rights and wrong, it is a war between justice and cruelty but the American Nation as one unit need to develop consensus towards the future strategy against war in Iraq because it will not end unless it will be fought on all possible grounds rather than military and force because weapons can only create destructions, they can only win lands but not hearts of people and United States of America has a tradition of winning hearts with love, sympathy and understanding. Therefore it is essential to understand that â€Å"This struggle must be fought with ideas and undertaken not just by the political leadership and the military but also by all levels of government including diplomatic, informational, economic, social and cultural mean. †(Effect based operations and counter terrorism, pg 27). The conclusion of the prolong war lies in self assessment and self realization. It includes reviewing our strategy and reassessing our goals. The targets are many but the way to achieve them is still ambiguous. The elite leadership of Al Qaeda and Taliban are still out of reach of United States. The strategy need to device through cooperation and collaboration on diplomatic and political fronts to support self sufficient and democratic Iraq where freedom and respect will prevail because peace and harmony in America cannot be kept at sake of Iraq. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1.Effect based operations and counter terrorism, Air & Space Power Journal fall 05, 2005, Diane Publishing, pg 129 2. Bush clarifies view on war against terrorism ‘We will win,’ just not in conventional way, NBC, MSNBC and news services, national journal. com, Aug. 31, 2004 retrieved on Nov 20th 2006 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/ID/5865710/ 3. Executive summary of The Iraq study Group report December 2006 4. Iraq transition to power retrieved from http://www. cnn. com/2006/POLITICS/10/23/iraq. poll2/index. html on 15th Dec 2006.

A Raisin in the Sun and What It Means To Me - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2859 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/04/02 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: A Raisin in the Sun Essay Did you like this example? Lorraine Hansberry wrote the play A Raisin in the Sun about an African American family dealing with the repercussions of racial tension between blacks and whites in the 1950s. The family struggles to achieve their dreams due to social and economic setbacks. Each family member has their own goals and dreams for themselves and their family. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Raisin in the Sun and What It Means To Me" essay for you Create order Each character experiences losses while trying to achieve their dreams, and some let their dreams get in the way of reality and family. Lorraine Hansberry has portrayed an accurate representation of the importance of family, in general, in A Raisin in the Sun through showing how the family makes sacrifices for one another, overcomes adversity together, and the consequences of their decisions. The play shows how the characters learn to appreciate each other, work through differences, and work together through hard times. Each family member makes many sacrifices for the sake of the family throughout the play. In the beginning, Ruth is pregnant but has not told Walter due to the fact that she knows it would stress him and the rest of the family out. Ruth knows they are not doing well enough financially to keep this baby, therefore she plans to abort it. She goes ahead and makes the down payment of five dollars to the woman that is going to perform the abortion. When Lena, the mother and grandmother of the household, confronts Walter about how his wife is expecting a baby, Walter is in pure shock. Lena explains to him that she thinks Ruth is thinking about aborting it, and Walter denies the thought of that and states that Ruth would never do such a thing. Lena replies when the world gets ugly enough, a woman will do anything for her family. The part thats already living (Hansberry, Act 1, Scene 2). This shows that Ruth is making the sacrifice of aborting her child so that it doesnt bring stress to her family. Lena says to Walter in front of Ruth Well son Im waiting to hear you say somethingIm waiting to hear how you be your fathers son. Be the man he was your wife say she going to destroy your child say we a people who give children life, not who destroys them (Act 1, Scene 2, pg. 523). Lena is encouraging Walter to support Ruth and try to get her to keep the baby despite their financial struggles. This shows how Mama Lena understands Ruth and Beneathas concerns about the pregnancy, but is trying to encourage Ruth and Walter to keep the baby no matter the circumstances. In my eyes, Lena is the support system for the whole family. When Ruth and Walter needed confidence in the decision to keep the baby, she was there to tell them why not to be stressed. This supports the theme of importance of family because they all act as each others support system, whether that be Ruth almost aborting her child so that she was not a burden to the family or that Lena was there to take the stress away from Ruth. Another example of sacrifices made that showed the importance of family is when Travis is in need for 50 cents to bring to school, but his mother denies having any to give. In spite of Ruth, Walter looks at her directly in the eyes and hands Travis a whole dollar instead. Afterwards he had to ask Mama for a dollar to get a ride to work, because he had just given his fare money to Travis. He didnt want Travis to know of their financial struggles and have him worried so he made the sacrifice of giving his own money in order to protect his son. This moral theme reminds me of many of Emersons thoughts throughout his literary works about cultivating family, philosophy, and friendship in life. One of Emersons famous quotes that reads Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude (Emerson). This quote in relation to the book reminds me of my values of gratitude that are grounded in my family. How would I know the things that I know to survive without my family? I am who am I because of how I was raised by my parents and with my sister by my side. I can understand why Lena needed a support system for the decision of keeping or aborting her baby. My family has dealt with many struggles of sickness and cancer-riddled pain that has ultimately brought us together. Lena, the mother of Walter and grandmother of Travis, is determined that the only way to have her family happy and connected is for them to own a house. This had been a dream of hers for a while. The Dawn Journal states real estate agents made enormous profits manipulating white fears of integration and black desires to escape the ghetto, as evidenced by the lucrative practice of blockbusting. A real estate agent would encourage a black family to move into an all-white neighborhood Nervous whites feared their property value would crash (Jose, 2014, p. 879) Therefore, despite the efforts of the government to end racial segregation, race problems between blacks and whites was still a huge problem during the 1950s and white people thought that if blacks moved to their neighborhood, their property value would go down. Lena Younger, the mother and grandmother of the family, did not let this stop her from purchasing a house in a white neighborhood with her insurance money from her husbands death. Ruth and Walter both fear moving into this all white neighborhood due to the racial tensi on at the time. The day that they move in, a man from Clybourne Park Improvement Association named Mr. Lindner comes to talk to them about the problems that he and the rest of the community have with the Youngers moving into their neighborhood stating that the Youngers are a part of the special community problems (Hansberry, Act 2, Scene 3, pg. 552). He calmly discusses with them that he and the community believe that negro families are happier when they live in their own communities (Hansberry, Act 2, Scene 3, pg. 553), and that the association is willing to buy the Youngers house from them with a financial gain to their family. Walter quickly gets angry and tells the man to leave. Later in the play, Walter (the father of Travis) realizes that he has completely messed up the money situation for their family, and decides that he will give in to Mr. Linder and tell him exactly what he wants to hear. He goes on a full out rant to Lena and tells her that he is going to act exactly how Mr. Lindner think s of their family, like stinking n*ggers (Act 3, Scene 1), in order to gain the money back that he had lost due to a scam. Linder arrives at their house and Lena advises Walter to let his son, Travis, stay in the room to listen to Mr. Lindner and Walters conversation hoping that Travis being in the room will help Walter realize that he is about to lose all the dignity and confidence that buying this house gave the Younger family. Realizing the affect that giving in to Mr. Lindners offer will have on his family, In an inspirational monologue done by Walter, he explains to Mr. Lindner that they have decided to move into this house because his father earned it for them brick by brick and states We dont want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And thats all we got to say about that. We dont want your money (Hansberry, Act 3, Scene 1). This example shows the importance of family by portraying how the family overcame adversity. Although the Youngers were faced with a decision based on the fact that they were not the same race as others in the neighborhood, they overcame it together. When Walter had second thoughts on whether or not they should take the money and leave the house, his mother quickly reminded him that by doing so he would lose his dignity and that it would set a bad example for his son, Travis. Walters selfishness and irresponsibility, however, prevent him from becoming the legitimate head of the family, and only in the end, when he vanquishes Linder and asserts his familys pride, is Walter able to achieve his manhood (Tackach, 2010). Mama Lena was scared for Walter, she thought he was selfish and immature to be giving into the financial gain deal, but he proved his maturity and masculinity to her by standing up for the family. Being part of a family means that you have to be a friend to your family members regardless of whether or not they do you wrong or if you have wronged them. Emerson say s The only way to have a friend is to be one. (Emerson). Friends support each other throughout different growing periods in life that may be unstable and people need family to stay grounded in themselves. I have been in numerous situations throughout college involving peer pressure, stress from standards, and social problems that I have had no one to help me go through. I have had to rely on my parents and my sister for advice because no one else would understand my anxiety. Without their support, I would not be on track to achieve the goals I am accomplishing now. They overcame the fact that it was a predominantly white neighborhood by together realizing that their dream was to have their own piece of land, and that no one was going to mess this up for them. This shows the importance of family by having people to count on when you need to be put back in your place, and sticking up for who your family is and their values as well. The importance of family was shown through the conseq uences of the characters decisions. When Lena decided she was going to trust Walter with the remainder of the insurance money, Walter was ecstatic. He had dreamed of opening up a liquor store that would hopefully bring the riches he needed to support his family to the full extent. He was told by his mother to only use some of the money towards what he wanted, but to leave the rest for Beneathas college tuition. Walter proceeds to use all of the money to go towards his liquor store. He gives the money to a man who ended up scamming him, leaving Walter will absolutely no money left and the guy know where to be found. When Walters mother figures out that he has spent all of the money and lost it, in a time of weakness she starts hitting him on the head. She soon realizes that is not the way to go about it as she continues to tell herself strength (Act 2, Scene 3, pg. 562). Later after finding out about her brothers decision to give away her tuition money and his fit about giving in to Mr. Lindner, Beneatha says hes no brother of mine (Act 3, Scene 1, pg. 572). In anger, Mama Lena asks Beneatha if she thinks she is better than Walter and tells her that she thought her and her husband had taught her to love him. Beneatha replies Love him? There is nothing left to love (Hansberry, Act 3, pg. 573). This somewhat distresses Lena and she replies There is always something left to love. And if you ain t learned that, you aint learned nothing. Have you cried for that boy today? I dont mean for yourself and for the family cause we lost the money. I mean for him: what he been through and what it done to him. Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and make things easy for everybody? Well then you aint through learning because that aint the time at all. Its when hes at his lowest and cant believe in hisself cause the world done whipped him so! (Act 3, pg. 573) We can conclude that Hansberry also creates an image of a woman, through the character of Lena, who is nurturing, loving, and at times inspirational. The character of Lena suggests a woman who carries a positive attitude towards most everything in her life even toward the more difficult situations in her life. Therefore Hansberry created Lena to be a very forgiving, loving person, which shows with how fast she forgave Walter, and was able to teach others how to forgive and love him. This shows the importance of having family there for you through good choices and bad choices, and the importance of their forgiveness when needed. It explains how significant it is to have family to be able to count on and receive love from even at your lowest. Although Walter made a mistake, Lena is there to show everyone that if the family is able to stay connected during these tough times, they will be able to conquer anything together. Also the consequence of the purchasing of the house shows the importance of family. While the Youngers were unsure about purchasing the house in a white neighborhood, it gave them all a sense of accomplishment and showed them all that having a piece of land was their biggest dream of all. For example, when Lena says proudly to Mr. Lindner I am afraid you dont understand. My son said we was going to move and there aint nothing left for me to say. You know how these young folks is nowadays, mister. Cant do a thing with em! Good bye (Hansberry, Act 3, Scene 1, pg. 575). She is overjoyed with how Walter stepped up and stood up for the family and keeping the house. They were forced to compromise with each other on one dream which brought them closer together and made them appreciate each other more. Mama Lenas plant is a big symbol of importance and growth in family throughout the play. At the beginning of the play when Mama first enters, she goes straight to the plant to feel the dirt and place it outside. She does admit that it doesnt get taken care of properly and might die because of it, yet the plant has not died on her yet. The plant is a symbol of how her children have also not lived in g reat conditions, but are still making it through with what they have. Lena plans to take better care of the plant and wants it to live under better conditions, just like she would like her family to. At the end of the play, it tells of the family moving out of the apartment. Once everything is gone, Mama stands in there for the last time with a sense of pride, she grabs her plant and curtains close. So the plant is kind of a symbol of started from the bottom now were here and that she accomplished what she was hoping for, for her family. The significance of the plant was to show how important family and dreams for her family were to her. Emerson parallels this underlying theme in his poem Give All to Love in his opening quote, Give all to love;Obey thy heart;Friends, kindred, days,Estate, good-fame,Plans, credit and the Muse, Nothing refuse (Emerson). This theme is important because it teaches reader that family really does come before everything else. The author shows that no matter what happens, whether it be money issues, social problems, or personal issues, family will be there for you. It is obvious that mostly Mama Lena is the one who really wants the family to be together and be good to each other through the best and hardest times. Charles Lund s peaks of why he chose A Raisin in the Sun for his studies and states it shows a familys success in resolving powerfully destructive internal conflicts (2012). Through Lenas faith in the family and her wise advice, it teaches each character how to better appreciate their family and the true meaning of supporting your family no matter what the importance of family. My family is the one thing that matters most to me in this world, and that is why this book keeps me grounded and inspires my everyday actions. Works Cited Jose, Sofia. Racism in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun. The Dawn Journal. 3.1 (2014): 876-883. Print. Gomes, Lizandra. The Visions of Lena Younger created by Lorraine Hansberry in A Raisin in the Sun. Undergraduate Review. 6. 1. (2010): 87-92. Print. Lund, Charles. Teaching A Raisin in the Sun : Literature and Life. College Teaching 37.4 (2012): 83-85. Web. Tackach, James. A Raisin In The Sun. Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 May 2016. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin In The Sun; A Drama In Three Acts. n.p.: New York, Random House [1959], 1959. University of North Georgia GIL Catalog. Web. 6 May 2016. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Give All to Love by Ralph Waldo Emerson.Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50464/give-all-to-love.