Reasons for Returning to College Essay -- Personal Narrative, Admissi

Returning back to school was a very natural decision for me. It seemed to be the next logical step in my personal and career goals. My ultimate goal is to be happy and healthy and be a good provider and role model. With that set aside for now, my next goal is to be financially stable and able to provide for my family in ways that my family was not able to provide for me. I definitely expect to work for what I want and earn every bit of it. The most recent motivator was that my company was willing to contribute a huge chunk of the yearly tuition, therefore removing some financial burden. This makes me feel like they truly care about my future and they really want to see me succeed. I have several personal reasons for returning to school. I take my personal goals very seriously. Some might say that I am my own worst critic and I am very hard on myself. I simply feel that I can and will do better and I do not settle for anything but the best out of myself. Ultimately, I have to live with myself and the decisions I make on a daily basis for the rest of my life. I must fulfill my own personal goals otherwise I am not giving myself to others completely. I have very clear and specific personal goals. To begin, I want to be financially stable. By having my degree, I want to be able to get a better job through a promotion thus making more money. I want to be able to help my child pay for college so he doesn?t have to struggle as hard as I did to put myself through school. Plus, m...

Mary Shelley’s Essay

Here we see how Victor’s changed. He used to be able to strive for his ambitious dreams and what he aimed to achieve and look forward to his unrealistic dreams in his sleep that in reality would never happen. Now, he has to rely on his dreams at night to get any sort of self-satisfaction. In chapter five there are themes that are again evident throughout the novel. As I mentioned previously, we see in chapter five that Victor creates the Monster to obtain glory. This glory disappears as Victor realises what he’s done. Here we see the danger of what a thirst for ambition can lead to. Similarly, in Walton’s first letter we see that Walton too will risk everything for glory-he says, â€Å"I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path†. He the goes on to say that he’s prepared to risk everything for success. Walton later had to turn back his ship, because he knew where to stop and didn’t want to put other peoples’ lives in danger. Victor, however, didn’t know where to stop, and his original ambition led to the deaths of many people. The theme of responsibility is seen in chapter five and later throughout the novel. We see Victor’s complete lack of responsibility for the first time in chapter five. Victor abandons the Monster, and says that he â€Å"did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited†-he’s running away. When Clerval arrives, Victor tells him that he’s better now that he’s, â€Å"length free†. He’s trying to forget about it, and therefore can’t face up to it, move on or even begin to take responsibility. We see this again in chapter eight. Here, Victor talks about his feelings of guilt when Justine is sent to prison, but does nothing about it. In chapter twenty Victor begins to take responsibility when he describes the Monster’s creation as â€Å"selfish†. After Elizabeth’s death, however, Victor continues to blame anyone for himself for her death, and talks about how the events had been a â€Å"take of horrors†. What he doesn’t seem to realise that he’s brought all of these horrors on himself-after all, it was him who made the Monster. I think that this theme running through the novel is Mary Shelley’s way of saying that until you accept your mistakes and take responsibility for them, you can’t move on. Therefore, not taking responsibility can have disastrous consequences, which is seen in this novel. Mary Shelley also shows us the importance of friends and family in chapter five. When the Monster first comes to life, Victor is obviously quite unstable and depressed. When Henry Clerval arrives, Victor says that, â€Å"Nothing could equal my delight on seeing Clerval†. He then goes on to say that Clerval brought back thoughts of his home and family, and that he now felt, â€Å"calm and serene joy†. As Victor recovers, he says that his father, â€Å"knew that I could not have a more kind and attentive nurse than himself† regarding Clerval. I think that this shows that it was Henry who helped Victor recover, and without him Victor would probably have remained ill and mentally unstable. This was Mary Shelley’s way of showing what the effect of a good friend can be. We also see the themes of family and friendship throughout the novel. In chapter one, Victor talks about how his first recollections were his father’s smile and benevolent pleasure. In chapter two, Victor talks about friendship with Henry Clerval, and goes on to say that, â€Å"No human being could have passed a happier childhood† that himself. His friends and family were the reason for this. Victor’s friends and family were always there for him when he needed it most; when Victor is held in Ireland, his father travels to see him. Victor says that, â€Å"Nothing could have given me greater pleasure† than his arrival. However, when the Monster needed Victor the most, Victor abandoned him completely. This has devastating effects. When the Monster sees the De Laceys smiling with, â€Å"such kindness and affection† at each other, he’s unable to cope. He withdraws to the window, â€Å"unable to bear these emotions†. The Monster goes on to commit atrocious crimes as a result of this abandonment. I think that this is Mary Shelley’s way of saying how important friends and family really are. In chapter fifteen, De Lacey says that, â€Å"to be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate†. I think that Mary Shelley is trying to put this across throughout the novel. Without friends and family, a person won’t be able to get through the hard times in their life with sanity. This is what happened when the Monster took away Victor’s family and friends. Victor had nothing left. Finally, the theme of knowledge is evident in chapter five and then throughout â€Å"Frankenstein†. In chapter five, Henry Clerval talks about his father’s view on knowledge. Henry viewed knowledge as good, but he talks about how his father had a â€Å"dislike† of learning. Henry goes on to say that his father believed learning stopped at bookkeeping, and therefore university and excessive knowledge was unnecessary. Henry and Victor, however, view knowledge as a good thing. Henry describes the quest for knowledge as a, â€Å"voyage of discovery† and Victor often talks about his thirst for knowledge. Victor also talks often about his desire to learn the, â€Å"physical secrets of the world† and, â€Å"the secrets of heaven†. Similarly, the Monster also has a desire to learn. When talking in chapter twelve, he says that he, â€Å"ardently desired to become acquainted with† the ways that people communicated with each other-especially when it came to talking. This shows how similar he was to Victor himself. I think that Mary Shelley had similar views on knowledge to Henry Clerval’s father, and that she tries to get them across to readers in chapter five and then throughout the rest of the novel. After all, it was ultimately Frankenstein’s thirst for knowledge that led to him creating the Monster, and as a result of his lack of responsibility that the Monster killed so many people. Therefore, I think Mary Shelley is trying to say that knowing everything is anything but good and that we need to be aware of that. I think that there were many hidden meanings in the novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, and that many of these seem to be apparent in chapter five. â€Å"Frankenstein† was very innovative for its time; it’s viewed by many as the first piece of science fiction. It shocked people when it was published because at the time very few people spoke out about society in the way that Mary Shelley did. There were many scientific advances at the time the novel was written. People had begun to realise the potential of electricity. In 1802, scientist Galvani ran a current through a frog’s leg and made it move, and in 1803 scientist Aldani attached a battery to a corpse and claimed that it had moved. This caused some scientists to believe that eventually, with the power of electricity, man could be able to live forever. I think that Mary Shelley is trying to get this point across in†Frankenstein†. She was trying to say that humans should not attempt to â€Å"play God†-who is, after all, the only thing that has the right to give or take life. I think that she is trying to say that as soon as man begins to give or take life, there could be disastrous consequences and it therefore should not be experimented with. Mary Shelley is also considered one of the first feminists. By putting across the point that only God can create life, she may also be trying to say that only women can give life. Men don’t have that ability, and should not try to change that. Whilst she was writing â€Å"Frankenstein†, Mary Shelley was reading a book called Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He argued that when they were born, all men are harmless but it is in fact society that makes them evil. It was as a result of Victor’s initial rejection of the Monster in chapter five and other peoples’ rejection of him throughout the rest of the novel that the Monster turned evil-and that was all because of his appearance. I think that Mary Shelley was trying to say how wrong this was. Victor himself was extremely prejudiced towards the Monster in his narrative. Right from after his creation, Victor referred to the Monster as â€Å"the Monster† and â€Å"daemon† as opposed to even just giving it a name. He rejected it because of the way it looked, and the rest of society went on to do the same. It was this prejudice that began in chapter five that Mary Shelley was trying to say was wrong throughout the rest of the novel.

The, By Judy Blume And The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part...

Two of the most elusive components of adolescent development are identity and sexuality. The discovery of identity is a puzzling and frustrating experience, especially during adolescence. The pressure to conform is constant and sometimes inescapable. Unfortunately, many young adults collapses under the peer pressure and it takes years for them to find their own uniqueness and individuality. Sexuality is a quagmire of ambiguity and frustration, especially during adolescence. The unpredictable hormonal ups and downs of puberty are difficult enough, without the societal pressures of abstinence versus promiscuity. The double standard of boys sowing their wild oats and slut shaming are still as prevalent today as they were in the 1950’s.†¦show more content†¦Junior believes that pictures are universal, â€Å" If you are speaking and write in English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or any other language, then only a certain percentage of human beings will get your meaning. But when you draw a picture everyone can understand it.† (5) The drawing of cartoons provides his ticket out of the reservation. He receives a scholarship to the all white high school, Reardan. However, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine, by accepting the scholarship, Junior is labeled a traitor and ostracized by his only friend and community, he becomes a â€Å"Part-Time Indian. † He transforms into Arnold Spirit while attending Reardan. At first he is bullied by the jocks, but after a sharp right hook to the jaw of the leader, he shows his courage and fortitude . Arnold Spirit is dating the most popular girl in school and is on the varsity basketball team. Through his metamorphoses, Junior, aka, Arnold is able to overcome his self-deprecation and accept his new identity, along with being true to his roots. Young adults seeking to lift themselves out of tough situations can identify with the events of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. They should see in Junior the resilience and determination to achieve a better life and improved their self esteem. Alexie’s use of modern language and humor is applicable for the YA genre. His style of prose is laid back and conversational. Comparable to Junior, the lead character in Judy Blume’s Forever,