The Eerie and Bizarre of Poe Essay Example

The Eerie and Bizarre of Poe Essay Marvin Guarantor Liz Smith English B 26 September 2014 The Eerie and Bizarre of Poe Through all the deaths and fatality of his stories, Edgar Allan Poe is a man of stories that are eerie and bizarre. Poe is best known for his dark and gothic fiction where it seemed very uncomfortable to read but yet pleasing to the reader. His themes In his stones would deal with death that would include physical signs, effects of decomposition, and premature burial. In the book Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing by Edgar V. Roberts, Popes short stories are written. They are The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat, and The Tell-Tale Heart. Each of these stories have their way of representing Popes love for writing dark and gothic based themes. In The Cask of Amontillado, Poe writes about a guy named Mentors whos been Insulted by a another guy named Fortunate and seeks revenge. Mentors leaves Fortunate In a small crypt and lets him rot and die. The Fall of the House of usher tells a story about an unnamed narrator and two residents of the house named Redbrick and Madeline. We will write a custom essay sample on The Eerie and Bizarre of Poe specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Eerie and Bizarre of Poe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Eerie and Bizarre of Poe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Madeline kills Redbrick and then the house crumbles down as the narrator escapes. In The Masque of the Red Death, a disease known as the Red Death is spreading and a wealthy man named Prosper decides to throw a huge party to keep the disease away. Turns out, everyone at the party and Prosper himself dies from the disease. The Black Cat tells a story about an unnamed narrator who gets drunk very often and kills his pet black cat. He then owns another black cat and then decides to kill it. His wife defends the cat and then she ends up getting killed instead. In The Tell-Tale heart, an unnamed narrator would stalk an old man every eight at his house and ends up killing him. In an article by Jennifer Boucher, Literary Contexts in Short Stories: Edgar Allan Popes The Tell Tale Heart she describes the reason why the narrator kills the old man. Judging from all these quick summaries of the stories, Poe was a very dark and gothic writer. He had the power to make things sound uncomfortable and yet kept his stories very interesting. Edgar Allan Poe writes eerie and bizarre scenes in his short stories that seems unreal to readers. In the short story The Cask of Amontillado, a scene that Poe wrote that was Zaire was when the narrator leaves a man to die In the catacombs. The narrator, Mentors, baits Fortunate, the guy who Insulted him, to the underground in search of the Amontillado. This scheme was a trick from the beginning and Mentors wants revenge on Fortunate for insulting him. In the short story, Poe writes how Mentors chains up Fortunate to the stone wall. Poe writes in his story: In its surface were two iron staples, distant from each other about two, horizontally. From one these depended a short chain, from the other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work off few seconds to secure It. Excess (Poe 252). Fortunate is now stapled to his grave and he cant do anything about it. He is Just left there to rot and die. The bizarre thing about this scene in the story that Poe wrote is how dramatic a person can be when they are insulted. It is perfectly normal if someone gets upset when being physically or emotionally hurt and may seek revenge. Unexpectedly, Mentors went to the extreme and decides to take Fortunate to the underground and implement his sick plan for revenge. Off of being insulted, for that very reason, Fortunate must suffer and die of possibly thirst ND starvation in the catacombs Just because of some putdown on Mentors. Anybody that is a normal human being wouldnt go as far Mentors actions when being taunted by another. All in all, The Cask of the Amontillado shows Popes use of bizarre scenes in this short story. The short story The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe writes a bizarre tale of a house thats apparently haunted where 1 of its residents gets buried alive and seeks revenge while the narrator escapes. The story begins with an unnamed narrator visiting his friend Redbrick Usher at his house. Redbrick thinks his house is haunted ND he has a sister named Madeline is very ill. Redbrick is very paranoid on whats going on in his household and worries for Madeline. The narrator tries his best to comfort Redbrick but it doesnt help much. Madeline then dies off from her illness so Redbrick decides to bury her underneath the house with the help from the narrator. Redbrick is still paranoid from hearing strange noises and thinks they buried his sister alive. According to the story, as Redbrick feared, Madeline is standing at the door dressed in white and covered in blood from the struggle of getting out from her burial. Poe writes about Madeline: There was blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of some bitter struggle upon every portion of her emaciated frame. For a moment she remained trembling and reeling to and fro upon the threshold, then, with a low moaning cry, fell heavily inward upon the person of her brother, and in her violent and now final death-agonies, bore him to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated (Poe). This creates a bizarre feeling for the reader because its not normal to make a mistake on whether someone is dead or not. The thought of burying omen alive is very unreal considering Redbrick examined her before burying her. Another thing that was strange is the fact that Madeline was ill and she still had some strength get herself out from her burial. Not only Poe writes about something thats supernatural about the house, but also for Madeline. This shows that something that was not Madeline gave her power to seek her revenge for getting buried alive. Its unusual how Poe sets up a story about the death of the 2 residents of their own house. As the attack from Madeline continues, the narrator escapes as the house of the Usher family crumbles down. All in all, Poe tells a bizarre story on how a woman escapes her own grave and seeks her revenge for getting buried alive. Popes The Masque of the Red Death, tells us an eerie story of how nobody can escape death no who matter you are. The story is about a prince named Prosper, who decides to throw a fancy masquerade ball to keep away from the known disease as the Red Death. In his castle, there is a room that is black and red in color where all of his guest would try to avoid. An ebony clock in the black room would ring every the red death, and frightens everyone at the party. According to the short story, the invited guest gets revealed and everyone dies at the party. Poe writes And now was acknowledge the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And now one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedded halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay'(Poe 434). Just like any other disease, the Red Death comes in other peoples lives without ann.s consent. Poe describes the disease as a thief in the middle of the night where it represents the uninvited entry of the Red Death. This tiny description of the Red Death makes the story more eerie for the reader because the writer creates this image of a humanoid thats suppose to be a disease. When this uninvited guest finally gets revealed, everyone at the party drops dead, even the host, Prosper. Ironically, this all happens in the black room that everyone tried to avoid. As the ebony clock ticks out, the last of the party goers die. To sum up, Poe tries to create this image where no matter what you do, you cannot escape death, especially when theres a disease outbreak. The Black Cat, a short story by Poe, writes a bizarre story about an unnamed orator who is insanely cruel to his two cats and the murder of his wife. The narrator has a drinking problem which causes him to have violent mood swings towards his first owned cat, named Pluto, and his wife. One night, the narrator rages at Pluto by stabbing out its eye with his knife and hangs Pluto the next day. The narrator then obtains another cat shortly after. Just like Pluto, he attempts to injure it but the wife desperately tries to defend the cat. The narrator turns on his wife and kills her while the cat disappears. Considering the different options to hide the body, he narrator takes advantage of the damp walls in the basement and hides his wife within them. Four days after the murder, the police arrive to the narrators apartment and tries to find the dead body. In the story, the author writes that the police found the dead body through the walls and narrator finds the missing cat. Poe writes It fell bodily. The corpse, already greatly decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes of the spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman(Poe). This story is very bizarre because it describes the cruelty towards animals and domestic violence. Its pretty typical for someone to get into a vicious mood from drinking to much alcohol but the narrator goes way too far. Stabbing out a cats eye and letting it suffer for a day is already gruesome as it is. Finally killing the cat the day after its suffering takes it to the extreme. Then another attempted beating for his second cat but turns into the murder of his wife is quite devastating. Poe writes at a very disturbing level that makes his stories very bizarre. He finds ways to make his story so ridiculous but still abeles to that frightening image for the reader. At the ending of the story, he surprises the readers the second cat was with his dead wife in the walls. Also it gave it out to the police that the body was in the narrators basement. Thus Poe makes a bizarre story about the cruelty of his cats and the murder of his wife. In the story The Tell Tale Heart, Poe writes an eerie story about the narrator who murders an old man because of the look of his eye. The story is about an unnamed while he slept. One night, the old man wakes up in fear and cries out. The narrator continues to stand there like he always had but shortly after, he attacks and murders the old man. The narrator claims that the old mans eye is like the eyes of a vulture and describes it as an evil eye. The old mans eye was the only reason why the narrator despised him. According to Jennifer Buckboards Literary Contexts in Short Stories: Edgar Allan Popes The Tell Tale Heart , she describes the relation between the narrator and old mans eye. She writes Madness is an important motif in the story as the narrator insists that he is not mad while detailing his act of murder upon man with whom he had no other problem than his ugly eye(Boucher). The reason why this story is so eerie is because first of all, the narrator is constantly stalking an old man at his apartment. This can be very frightening to the reader because this can actually happen. It may not be so common, but this is something that Poe wrote thats more realistic and practical. On the other hand, stalking someone because of the look of the old mans eye seems very strange. A lot of murders happen because of what people look like but focusing their hate on Just an eye is odd. Even by this little ascription is Popes story, he creates an image of how people can be still cruel to the smallest things. Unfortunately, the old man has to suffer because of the way his eye looked. It is clear that Poe writes an eerie story about the murder of an old man because of his eye. It has been shown that Poe is a man of strange stories. He wrote a short story about leaving a man trapped and left to die. Another story was about a haunted house and the revenge of a woman who was buried alive. Poe gave us the idea that we can never escape death no mater what we do. He wrote about the killing of animals and murders with odd reason.

Any

Any Any Any By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, If a countable noun comes after any, then should it [the noun] be singular or plural? Like the indefinite article a/an, the word any derives from a form of the Old English word for one. Primarily an adjective, it is also used as a pronoun. As an adjective, any is most commonly followed by plural or uncountable nouns: In questions: Do you have any tomatoes for sale? (plural noun) Baa, baa Black Sheep, have you any wool? (uncountable noun) In negative statements: I don’t have any books by that author. (plural noun) The lion didn’t have any courage. (uncountable noun) In conditional statements: If your final draft contains any errors, it will be rejected. (plural noun) If you need any help with the proofing, let me know. (uncountable noun) Sometimes any is used to modify a singular countable noun: Any fourth-grader should be able to read that book. Any grammar book will have a section on relative pronouns. In these sentences, any is used in the sense of every: Every fourth-grader should be able to read that book. Every grammar book will have a section on relative pronouns. Sometimes a singular countable noun follows any in a question: Is there any rule that says I can’t dye my hair green? Is there any reason you slam the screen door every time you go through it? In the above contexts, the speaker does not anticipate more than one rule or reason, if any. On the other hand, a speaker who anticipates that there could be several rules or reasons would follow any with a plural noun: Are there any rules against further construction in this neighborhood? Are there any reasons we shouldn’t require job applicants to submit samples of their writing? As a pronoun, any stands for a noun that has already been expressed, or when it is followed by the preposition of: Of all the books I have read, this one is more memorable than any. If there are any of the pecans left after the sale, you may have them. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:8 Proofreading Tips And TechniquesPhrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns

Business Globalization-International Conferences on Business and Essay

Business Globalization-International Conferences on Business and Culture - Essay Example Communications problems in marriages of Japanese women and American men arose because of inadequate acculturation of Japanese women. The crisis in their marriages starts when their kids are grown up and identify themselves with American values and behavior norms. American and Japanese communications styles differ significantly as Americans are more straightforward whereas, Japanese prefer understanding feelings of each other. In this way, Americans are more expressive whereas, Japanese do not express their feelings and they assume that other person will understand feelings from subtle things. Moreover, significant cultural differences, religious differences and language barriers also create problems in the relations between U.S. and Japanese marriages. In a panel discussion on â€Å"Japanese Religion as Local Culture and its Global Relevance†, all panel members shared their experience when they in Japan. In the discussion, the establishment of Association of Sacred sites of Shinto and Buddhism in 2008 was considered as a cooperative relationship between the two traditions. The focus of discussion was on aspects of Japanese religion, Buddhism and Judaism in Japan. It has been highlighted by all of the panel members that Japanese have strong religious beliefs and most of the times Americans get amazed about miracles which are common things for Japanese. Like Japan other Asian countries are also nature-oriented and they believe that they learn from nature. People in Japan believe that senses are actions to be respectful and everything has a life source. They have a strong belief that God exists somewhere out there, but God is within us and even all individuals are different but they have been created by something greater than that. In the discussion on Social Justice and Global Strategies, internationalization and globalization were discussed. The main focus of discussion was on the

Hunger in Nigeria, Africa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hunger in Nigeria, Africa - Research Paper Example While population growth may be a contributing factor to modern hunger in Nigeria, there are other causes that relate more directly. The biggest cause of childhood hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria can be traced to the over reliance on oil exports for income. In the early 1980’s, Nigeria began to develop oil reserves in the Niger Delta. The booming oil prices at the time convinced the government that the best path to prosperity for the nation was to focus on oil exports as a source of revenue. As a result, plantations and the entire agricultural sector became antiquated. Farmers actually became less productive over time period when the government was only focusing on oil production. This approach would have worked for Nigeria if the government and business leaders were people of integrity. Unfortunately, much of Nigeria’s oil wealth ends up in the pockets of corrupt government officials and those that are already wealthy. The entire nation has not benefited from the exp loitation of natural resources so hunger has increased over the past several decades. Another cause of hunger in Nigeria is natural disasters such as droughts. Nigeria is susceptible to fluctuations in seasonal rainfall, especially in the north. Droughts have cause acute famine in some parts of the country. A final cause of hunger in Nigeria is social and political unrest. Tensions between Muslim Nigerians in the north and traditional Christian beliefs in the south have resulted in fighting that disrupts food supplies. There has also been unrest in the Niger Delta region by factions working to disrupt the flow of oil. These groups seek a larger share of oil profits for their communities. As a nation, Nigeria is trying to overcome some of these obstacles to food production. One of the efforts is centered on making Nigerian farms more productive so the nation does not need to depend on imports for feeding their population. Nigeria has a proud heritage of agricultural independence and some feel that modernizing the agricultural sector will alleviate much of the suffering. Domestically produced food will be less susceptible to fluctuations in commodity prices that agricultural products bought from abroad. Upgrading and modernizing agricultural processes in Nigeria will take a lot of money. Most of the remaining farmers do not have money to buy equipment or more land. One suggestion from opposition groups in the government is to create a fund from oil revenue that gives grants to small farmers wanting to increase productivity. Some feel that this could only be overseen by an international agency because of the high levels of corruption in the Nigerian government. A final effort being used by the government is coordinating emergency relief efforts more closely with NGO’s such as Save the Children, that specialize in alleviating child hunger all over the world. In recent years, the number of children suffering from malnutrition in the whole of Africa has incre ased. There are nearly 15 million more hungry children in Africa now than there were ten years ago. The greatest numbers of these children can be found in Nigeria and Kenya. In these places, many children subsist on diets that have low nutritional vale, featuring foods such as cassava, white rice and maize. Conditions that have contributed to the increase in hungry

Problems Related to Internet Addiction on Children Essay Example for Free

Problems Related to Internet Addiction on Children Essay Internet could be considered as one of the best useful technological invention of our time. One can find every kind of information which s/he looks for on the internet. Because it is very useful, it is used by almost everybody especially by young people. Sometimes using internet too much may cause a serious problem named â€Å"internet addiction†, which affects mostly children. Internet addiction is a serious problem affecting especially children in two possible ways. Firstly addiction to internet influences children negatively regarding their socialisation. Children are affected by internet addiction because it takes too much time. For example, children who spend too much time with computer can not spend enough time with their family. They can not have fun enough with their family. So they evaluate a weak relationship with their family. In addition, spending too much time with computer instead of reading books may cause a weak talking skill. Moreover, not playing classical children games might affect children’s socialisation. Children who spend time with computer instead of playing classical children games with their friends because of internet addiction will probably have weak social relationships in future. Having good childhood friends is vital for having a good adulthood social life. Also, they can not learn how to struggle with real people outside because of lack of playing classical children games. It may cause being unsuccessful in their work life in future. Secondly, using too much internet might contribute to psychological problems in children. Overuse may cause increasing desire to use internet related to insufficient joy. Children addicted to internet can not get the same joy with their first internet using. The jot decreases day by day. They increase their daily internet using time in order to reach the same joy with the joy which they get previous day. Overuse may also cause being aggressive and anxious when being kept away from internet for a long time. These symptoms may even turn into symptoms of depression. Furthermore, children addicted to internet could become not to able to differentiate real life from online life. They may be extremely happy when they reach a higher level in an online game. They do not care about as much as they care about online games. They also identify themselves with virtual characters in online games. To sum up, internet addiction may cause two possible problems on which are related to their socialisation and psychology. Children should be protected from internet addiction in order to be raised as a healthy generation. Parents should make their children attend real activities (such as scouting). They also should limit their children’s internet using time.

MacBeth :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth by William Shakespeare has three characters that appear to be the best developed. The first is Macbeth, the main character of the story. The second most developed character is Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife. The third most well developed is Banquo, Macbeth’s friend. Banquo and Lady Macbeth play very important roles in Macbeth’s life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth is plagued with paranoia and a thirst for power. Macbeth fears that Banquo has discovered his unclean hands and he will turn him in. â€Å"Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared. ‘Tis he much dares†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (III, 3, 53-56) Macbeth knows that he could wipe out Banquo on his own, however he knows there would be obvious consequences for him. â€Å"And though I could with barefaced power sweep him from my sit and bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, for certain friends that are both his and mine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (III, 1, 134-137) In order for Macbeth to wipe out Banquo without suspicion, he schemes to have other men take care of the matter by convincing them that Banquo is at the heart of their problems. â€Å"Know that it was he, in times past, which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self.† (III, 1, 84-86) Macbeth’s desire for power is his downfa ll.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The development of all three characters stems from the prophecies of the Weird Sisters about Macbeth and Banquo. Macbeth feels the need to murder Banquo because of his knowledge of the witches and their prophecies. â€Å"Were such things here that we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner† (I, 3, 86-88) As a result of the prophecies Banquo suspects Macbeth of murdering the king in order to take his place. â€Å"Thou hast it now King, Cawdor, Glamis, all as the weird women promised, and fear thou play’st most foully for’t† (III, 1, 1-3) Banquo believes that his children and not Macbeth’s will be successors to the throne; the thought of this moves Macbeth to murder. â€Å"But that I myself should be the root an father of many kings†¦May they not be my oracles as well† (III, 1, 5-9) Banquo’s death is a result of his knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lady Macbeth is the rock for Macbeth. During Macbeth’s times of trouble she is the one to console him. â€Å"How now, my lord, why do you keep alone, of sorriest fancies your companions making, using those thoughts which should indeed have died with them they think on?

Mona in the Promised Land By Gish Jen Essay

Cultural clashes are one of the defining marks of the early centuries wherein racial, ethnic and cultural difference are the most debated issues. Long before the entrance of globalization in the global scene, different nation-states did not really have the chance of making close relationships with their neighboring states especially when their cultures are the exact opposite of theirs. And for this reason, they tried to isolate themselves from other countries (or at most have communication or somewhat have indirect relationship toward other states that have almost similar culture and tradition) so as to preserve their cultural heritage. Fagan) But upon the outbreak of WW1 and WW2, culture, race and ethnicity became one of the pivotal prices that changed the world structure and order. On the other hand, the occurrence of the said world wars and the introduction of the concept of globalization were not the primordial root of such cultural clashes. Even during the time of the establishment of the first civilizations in almost all regions of the world, conflicts that were defined or motivated by cultural struggles were already preponderant. Hence, there is this historical origin of the said problem. Culture, Race and Ethnicity Culture is considered as a way of life. It implies that whatever man does or acts or believes it is its culture. Traditions and customs are subsets of culture. Even before an individual was born, there was already a defined culture to which he was already belonged. This culture was given to him by either his parents or his environment (or even both). Having this fact, a person cannot really say that he has chosen a particular culture for himself. But what is really true is that he was anticipated to adapt his parents and/or his environment’s culture. And only as he progresses or as he grows up that he exposes himself to other culture and tries to make some modifications on his possessed culture. Thus, one can be influenced by other foreign cultures. And that he can assimilate those cultures as he pleases. But the original cultural that he owns cannot really be thrown away. It sticks to one person as long as he lives. (Bolaffi) Race defines how man’s biological, sociological and cultural features are structured. Be it an American, an Asian or a European. But among the races that which suffers a lot are the races of the Blacks (the Africans). During the struggle of the Black-Americans regarding the slavery issue, they were perceived as the race that which is the most inferior (for they believed then that the standard for superiority can be measured through the color of the skin). As a result of such conception, the Blacks were badly maltreated and their dignity was really degraded. Historically, the Blacks received the most numbered and prominent manifestations of racial discrimination. (Bolaffi) Ethnicity comes into the picture as subset of culture (as stated earlier in this paper). It goes with the idea that every individual is either belonged to a single group which has the same affiliation and identity as that individual or has a two or more ethnic origins. That which is very evident in the concept of ethnicity is the belief that there is this one single historical origin that is common to all those members of a particular ethnic group. And as branch of culture, it entails traditions and customs as well as practices and beliefs that are exclusive to each ethnic group. (Bolaffi) Now imagine when one tries to penetrate a particular culture that is defined by a singular and specific race and ethnicity. Surely, clash of cultural differences and ideologies will arise. But such adaption to different cultures and varied customs and traditions is not really impossible. As mentioned earlier, one can define his culture by either adapting his parents’ culture or by adapting his environment’s culture. However, the latter poses much struggle and criticisms not only for individuals but also for nation-states (especially those that suffered from colonialism). On the Novel: Mona in the Promised Land  The novel was all about a girl named Mona (a half Chinese and half American) who was become so enthralled with the Jewish society that she declared that she would convert herself into Jew. Such was the conflict of the story. She was Chinese-American and yet she wanted to belong herself in the Jewish tradition and belief. That is the very thing that signaled her own conflict with her father. (Jen) Mona situated herself into a large circle of people. She was with Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Blacks and Jews. She learned and discovered many things about the different cultures that her companions and circle of friends have. At any rate she appreciated those cultures. Being a Chinese-American she knows well that her ethnic origins were somewhat in conflict. Nonetheless it did not undermine her will to live the life that she wanted. The stories that were revealed to her by the Black people inspired her to be proud of her race. Unfortunately when he became so much in tuned of the Jewish religion/tradition, her life became so much criticized not only by other people who used to sit with her and have talks but also of her own family – especially his father. Although their family – her mother and mother and herself – was more distinguished as Chinese, her father wanted her to act and project herself as a full-pledged American. Americanization became her father’s everyday reminder for her. As a result, the structure of their family, their beliefs and practices and their characters were Americanized. And that was her parents’ want. However, even if she was born in American she refused to pretend and act like a true-blooded American whom she was really not. She tried to discover her own culture. But his did not mean that she would have to throw away her original culture and solely embrace a foreign culture. This only suggested that she would establish her own preferred culture or belong herself to her chosen culture and would not try hard to be someone else just to fit in with other standards (like that of the American attitude). The climax of the story was when Mona finally declared to her parents that she would convert herself into the Jewish religion. Her father was totally against such conversion. Her family especially her father believed that the being a Jew would only make her life miserable and inferior to others. Her father believed that the American culture was the most superior culture even with that of their Chinese culture. He mentioned the entire things that the American culture brought into this world like those of the more and recent technological advancements. Yet, Mona did not bend with that argumentation. The novel revealed the undeniable role of religion in shaping the culture of a particular individual. As what was described in it, Mona found the Jewish religion as more like of her own principles and beliefs. She absorbed the Jewish doctrines and practices the way she wanted. It did not become hard for her to understand and appreciate the Jewish tradition since she was at first exposed to different cultures. But the very thing that made her decide to make herself belong in that Jewish religion is that she was in the Jewish community such that their influence was really irresistible. Not only that. It was very hard for her to stick to her original culture when all that she had was its exact opposite. The bottom line was that she pursued such conversion and lived the Jewish way. The moral lesson of the story (if it can be classified as one) is that a particular thing does not really assure you of the happiness that it could offer only through its tag or label. But what really matters is that you really like that thing and that there is nothing that pushes you to pick such choice. In short, happiness comes if a person willfully chooses it. Historical, Sociological and Political Issues The Americanization Since the coming of the globalization period, Westernization, particularly Americanization was a big issue. What does it take to be Americanized? And what is the trade-off of becoming an Americanized person? There is this big assumption that America is the world’s most superior race. Being the world’s sole superpower, people regard American culture to be the only culture that could give the people a better life (just like how Mona’s parents believed). Political stability, great economic standing and supreme influence among nations and states in the world, are the characteristics that best describe America. However, America is neither an ideal state nor a perfect sanctuary for all people. (O’Dell) America is branded as the melting pot of the world (world’s culture). This is the place wherein people of different races and different culture can freely live and pursue their goals in life without being constrained. But that is only a loose description. America surely offers and provides the world with so many things for development and progress. However, isn’t it overgeneralization to say that American culture is the best culture among other cultures in the world? Let us say that American people do not really claim such. However, other cultures regard such thing as truth. The result is that people in the world idolizes and patronizes American culture having this conception that if they would try to live the American life then their lives would really improved and they would live in prosperity. But such is only a misconception. A person can make himself improve and progress regardless of his cultural inclinations, and racial and ethnic origins. But then it still goes with the idea that the society does not limit its citizens to showcase their interests, talents and capabilities as well as their personal beliefs. In relation with the novel, Mona was constrained by her father and told that converting herself into Jewish would make her life miserable. But then Mona believed that by his faith, her life would be at peace and would be secured. Choosing a religion is a right (with reference to the Universal Declaration of Rights). And having it as a right would mean that such would not badly affect the lives of individuals. And such would not be used as standard for looking at a person’s life. Perhaps most Americans cannot be termed as pure Americans. By appealing to their original cultures, traditions and customs, Americans can be seen as a very general form of culture that which is also comprised of different cultures. The Chinese Principle Historically speaking, Chinese was known as the main land in Asia. Being revered and served by other nations. It has been said that the Chinese people regard themselves as the supreme race in the whole Asia such that everyone should pay respect and look at every Chinese with veneration. China termed those nations beyond its kingdom as barbarians. It implies that China is the central and the sole bearer of power and authority in Asia. However such conception about China was erased when it was attacked and conquered by the Western nations. No matter how China received tragic experiences and great insults from the Western conquerors, China never regard herself as a conquered and defeated nation. It preserves such principle by inculcating in the minds of all the Chinese people the great and rich history of their Chinese culture. It inspires every Chinese to be more proud of their cultural heritage even if their physical features are really different from the Western features. Nonetheless, not all Chinese remain loyal with such principle. Some Chinese people consider adapting the culture of the other nations so as to improve their way of living. In the novel, Mona’s father can be regarded as on of those Chinese people who would put aside his Chinese pride and dignity in order to assure him a life of prosperity in the cradle of the American culture. Well, it is not really bad to adapt to foreign culture as long as it would not mean a re-identification of oneself. It means that as long as a person accepts and recognizes his authentic origins while making some modifications in his cultural belief it does not entail a total denial of the original culture. Mona did not really deny her Chinese heritage. She is even proud to be a Chinese. On the other hand, Mona did not see herself as a solid Chinese whose beliefs and practices are confined with the ancient and traditional Chinese religions. She rather saw herself as a person whom can only grow in the arms of the Jewish religion. For Mona, such conversion was no big deal. But for her parents it was really a form of infidelity to her cultural heritage (well, her father did not really appear as someone who advocated Chinese principles and ideologies but more of a person who wanted to make Mona a full turned-American person). As for the story, the Chinese side of Mona and her parent was not really highlighted. It played a very little role that it could not be even considered as a principal source of cultural conflict that was evident in the novel. Mona in the Arms of the Jewish Tradition Mona rather chose Jewish culture and tradition than making herself absorbed and lived the American culture. For Mona, it was not if one was an American, a Chinese, a Black or a Jew, the most important thing was that you know what is right and you did not step on anyone’s foot. Living in such principle she pursued her life the Jewish way. Judaism is the religion of the Jews. It is a monotheistic religion since it believes and advocates that there is only one God. And this God is the supreme legislator of laws. He is the Divine Creator whom created the world and its order. And that mankind committed sin against this Supreme Entity. The only way for them to be saved from those sins is to be united with God by living a good life – and that life is illustrated by the Jewish culture. (Sarna) There is really nothing wrong with Mona’s decision of converting herself into a Jew. Her personal belief and her faith cannot really be managed by other people but only by herself. Her father was only in opposition with her decision primarily because he thought that if Mona would really move towards the Jewish way of life, she might be lost because of her initial Chinese and American culture. Having both Chinese and American culture is really a struggle for any person. It would be more complicated if one would include the Jewish culture, and that is exactly what the clash of the cultures suggests. To end this paper, the historical, sociological and political issues that can be drawn from the novel are really directed toward diversity and conflict among cultures in the world. There is really no possible way that culture can be universalized or standardized. However, such cultural differences can be managed by simply paying respect to other cultures that have different structure and tradition from one’s own culture. Only then that people would really resolve such conflict regarding the clash of cultures.