East of Eden The Nature of Human Choice - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1735 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/08/15 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: East of Eden Essay Did you like this example? Circumstances can only shape a persons life to the extent that they allow them to. The truth is that peoples lives are determined by their choices not their circumstances. This is not to say that circumstances like a tragedy that occurs in ones life does not play a role in shaping an individual. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "East of Eden: The Nature of Human Choice" essay for you Create order However, an individual always has the ability to choose their response, despite not being able to choose their circumstances. The power of choice produces lessons and values that form peoples overall characteristics. Over time, people realize that who they become is not determined by outside sources, but instead dependent on their responses to the outside influences they face. A simple example comes from a set of children being raised under similar conditions, yet they develop different types of characteristics due to the different life choices they make. Larger scale examples can be found in the texts used in this analysis. Texts used to further dive into this analysis are the Bible and East of Eden by John Steinbeck. The main topics being discussed in this paper address mans nature versus mans nurture, and how nature plays a more significant role in a character being good or evil. These topics ultimately aim to show how mans nature of choice develops an individuals character more than the amount of nurture they receive during their life time. First is an overview at how the nature compares to the nurture of an individual. Next is an explanation of how free will is given to man by God and how the power free will is determined by choosing good or evil. Lastly, the focus shifts to how mans pursuit of good or evil choices shapes the individuals character. This break down highlights how every human being has the same nature, which includes choice and good and evil. Man can choose good or evil, because he has the power to pursue the life he wants. An individuals character is dependent on mans nature of free will, which is man being able to choose good or evil more than people or circumstances that may play a role in his nurture. The significance of a short introduction into both books is important as it shows the idea of human choice and good and evil. The Bible gives some of the very first accounts of God presenting man with having to make choices for himself. Looking at the story of Cain and Abel, found in the book of Genesis, each brother develops a character based on the choices they make. Cain and Abel are known for having a long-standing testimony of brother rivalry, focused on the idea of human free will. When God asked these men to bring forth the best of what they had to offer, Abel follows the instructions given to him by God and automatically wins favor with him. Abel gives what is asked of him to God gaining Gods favor; The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look (NRSV, Genesis. 4:4). God favors Abel because he gave what he had and more. Cain only gave half of what he had to God, causing God to look past Cain for not being true to his request. This irritates Cain for he does not understand (NRSV, Genesis.4:7). Cain grows jealous of his brother Abel because he holds a stronger relationship with God. An anger inside Cain grows and he develops a solution to the problem by killing his brother Abel; Listen! Your brothers blood cries out to me from the ground (NRSV, Genesis. 4:10). In East of Eden, Steinbeck devotes much of the plot to the exploration and championing of human nature. For in East of Eden also has a family of two generations, the Trask family, and its ultimate triumph is about overcoming the forces of evil. The two brothers, Adam and Charles, have a jealous relationship fraught with tension and violence. Charles envies his brother Adam because he feels that their father Cyrus treats him with preference. The second generation of Trask boys Cal and Aron struggle will similar issues. Steinbeck mostly examines how the nature of man is developed through the concept of Timshel. The novel is concerned with the idea of self-determination as the true measure of mans moral character, and his key to triumph in the eternal struggle between good and evil that takes place within him. It particularly celebrates the power of human beings to determine their own destiny through exercising free will. This novel shows the unique development of human potential and gr ants a power of action and responsibility to man. One of the major questions being addressed in this paper is how the development of the characters in the East of Eden connect to the nature of good and evil. In the way that East of Eden depicts generations struggling with the choice between good and evil, it might be referencing a call to salvation. It comes as no surprise, that many say that the tale has close ties to the old testament story of Cain and Abel including how it mirrors Cains offering being rejected, Cain murdering his own brother, Cain becoming guilty and Cains punishment for his choice. Both the theme and structure of East of Eden come from biblical influence. A central biblical idea Steinbeck uses in East of Eden is the Hebrew word, Timshel, to demonstrates the idea of overcoming evil. Timshel is defined as the idea that human will is the strongest force on earth and can overcome anything. Steinbecks novel tries to escape evil and do good by focusing on the end of the story of Cain and Abel: thou mayest rule over sin (NRSV, Genesis. 4:7). Steinbeck sees this in the Bible as a key term for men to remember. East of Eden was different from many of Steinbeck earlier novels t hey never rose to such a height of glory in their view of what human begins can be. East of Eden reveals the source of human evil, and its forms. Nothing compared to the word Timshel that says, the way is open (Steinbeck 303). This idea was completely new to Steinbecks writing. First of all, nature is more influential to ones character because an individuals nature gives them the power of making choices as passed down from one generation to the next. When Steinbeck introduces the characters of Adam and Charles Trask, he describes the two boys. Adam is described as: Young Adam was always an obedient child. Something in him shrank from violence, from contention, from the silent shrieking tension that can rip a house. He contributed to the quiet he wished for by offering no violence, no contention, and to do this he had to retire into secretness, since there is some violence in everyone. He covered his life with a veil of vagueness, while behind his quite eyes a rich full life went on. this did not protect him from assault, but it allowed him an immunity (Steinbeck 20). Charles on the other hand, is strong and closer to the perfect child that his father would want: his half-brother Charles, only a little over a year younger, grew up with his father assertiveness. Charles was a natural athlete, with instinctive timing and coordination and the competitors will to win over others, which makes for success in the world (Steinbeck 20). The description of these two brothers is key because it plays a role in showing that physical and personal traits exist but are not the only things that shape the character. Further character development comes from the choices that they make between good and evil. Both of these men have the ability to choose between good and evil due to the fact that this is their nature. They have the same nature but not every mans nurture is the same. Since Adam Trask was the weak one, he always received more love and recognition from his father; whereas because Charles was the stronger brother, his father never felt the need to give him as much affection. Both these characters are developed by circumstances and relationships showing that mans nurture influences a piece of who they become. Although nurture has a slight influence on the way these characters develop, their nature forms a stronger foundation towards their overall character. As previously stated, nature has to do with genetics, but more importantly nature has to do with free will. In the old testament, the story of Adam and Eve begins with God giving humanity free will ,And the LORD God commanded the man, you may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall, not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die (NRSV, Genesis. 2:16-17). Free will was given to man in the form of choosing between good and evil, which can be translated as mans nature. If Adam and Eve were to make the choice to go against the one restriction that God had for them, they would be bringing sin into the world. Adam and Eve did bring sin into the world by later eating of the tree of knowledge, thus man is faced with having to overcome sin. Mans nature comes from God, which means that God gives all man free will. This gives man the opportunity to use free will to overcome sin. Therefore, the key element to nature having more influence on an individuals character is free will. This being said man has control over whether or not he becomes good or evil because he has the ability to choose between good and evil. Man can never choose his circumstance, but he can choose how he is going to responds to things that are out of his control. He is able to do so because God has given every man free will. Even though Adam is favored over Charles, which leads to conflict between the two, both are able to make a choice on how to deal with the conflict. The same can be said for the conflict that Cain and Abel find themselves having to resolve. Each of these examples of character of dealing with conflict points back to the key concept of Timshel in Steinbecks novel. When facing adversity, a character will be developed by his choosing of good or evil.

Manifestation of Latin-American Gender Roles in American...

Manifestation of Latin Gender Roles in American Media Objective The objective of this study is to examine the manifestation of Latin gender roles in American Media. Towards this end, this study will examine the literature in this area of inquiry. Introduction Gender roles are reported to be generally defined as sex-based categories that specify appropriate rules of conduct for males and females in a particular culture or society. Although grounded in biological differences between males and females, gender roles are social constructs. Simply put, based on the anatomical difference between men and women, each is prescribed varying and often stereotypical social roles that are reinforced at the individual level and by larger society. (Womens Health Encyclopedia, 2012) The work of Wood (1994) states that among the various influences on how society views men and women media are the most pervasive and one of the most powerful. 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Sharecropping free essay sample

I wanted to learn more about it. I realized that most freedmen could earn a better living for themselves and family by sharecropping. After slavery ended many of them had no money, food, or shelter to support them. Also I thought about how much America has changed, since the Industrial revolution. I dont know anyone who does agricultural work anymore, but I know there are still a few. Most of the work that Is needed to be done now for agricultural work has been taken over by machines. Antonio Vivaldi, George Frederic Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach were all great music composers. Although theyre all are quite famous, Valid was one of the greatest. There are some differences between the composers that make them all unique. Vivaldi played the violin while Handel and Bach both played the organ. Vivaldi and Handel both are Italian and Bach Is German. This source of different backgrounds Is what makes their music style different. We will write a custom essay sample on Sharecropping or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Vivaldi grew up being a part f the priesthood, and Bach grew up not having very many people like him because of the way he saw things. Handel combined the Italian style with a unique French melody and created his own kind of music. Although there are many differences between these composers, they all were not famous during the time they were alive. Bach and Vivaldi were known more as a performer rather than as a composer because of the way they performed. All of these composers produced a style of their own, in a way to please and suit there audience.

Simon Kimmes Essays (1005 words) - Biology, Conservation

Simon Kimmes The Story Behind the Story of Trophy Hunting 909 Trophy Hunting ? What a barbaric activity! How could killing endangered animals help them? T rophy hunting can be defined as when hunters pay money to people, clubs or organizations with the objective of selecting indivi dual animals with exceptional physical attributes (e.g., large horns, tusks, body size, mane or skull length) and usually in the company of a professional hunting guide . Trophy hunting promotes the removal of the older males or other animals in the group that would have crossed the line into the non -reproductive stage. Through a quota s ystem approach, trophy hunting promotes sustainable "thinning of the herd" by removing a fraction of natural population growth rates. A rguably this process falls within the compensatory mortality range and has a negligible impact on overall population sizes . Many people believe that trophy hunting is a terrible thing . The truth is, it can play an essential role in the conservation of African wildlife. I n the 23 African countries that allow sport hunting, 18,500 tourists pay over $200 million (U.S.) a year to hunt lions, leopards, elephants, warthogs, wat er buffalo, impala, and rhinos. The study also found that the p rivate hunting operations in these countries control more than 540,000 square miles (1.4 million square kilometer s) of land. ( National Geographic ) That is equivalent to 22 percent more land than is protected by the current United States National P arks Service . As demand for land increases with swelling human populations, some conservationists are arguing that they can garner more effective results by working with hunters and taking a h and in regulating the industry. Trophy hunting can be sustainable if carefully m anaged . " Trophy hunting is of key imp ortance to conservation in Africa by creating incentives to promote and retain wildlife as a land use ove r vast areas." ( Pickrell , National Geographic ) C onservation-minded people agree that trophy hunting is no t exactly a n ideal model of animal welfare. But many of those same people also acknowledge that it can be a solid model, if executed properly wit h oversight and strict quotas, making it a useful wildlife management tool. I n other places, the fees derived from legalized trophy hunting can fund important animal welfare and conservation efforts on the ground. As W orld Wildlife Fund (WWF) researcher Robin Naidoo points out , in a new paper in the j ou rnal Conservation Biology , the Westerners opposition to trophy hunting is a bit ironic , given how much funding legal hunting generates for wildlife management and conservation in North America. ( Naidoo, Complementary ) Although there are arguments that trophy hunting does not impact economics and conservation efforts equally, Naidoo and his colleagues from the WWF decided to see how Namibia Africa has been e conomic ally impacted by trophy hunting . U sing the information they gathered , they were able to infer what the possible conse quences for the nation might be, if trophy hunting were to be banned - something many Westerners would like to see. As a comparison, they did the same for ecotou rism. ( C onservatio n ) Historically, t rophy hunting has been institutionalized and has evolved since the early 20th century and is currently practiced worldwide in most continents to help conserve species. In recent years, trophy hunting proponents in America , Europe, Australia , Asia, and Afric a are leading the way into a monitored trophy hunting system that can successfully control the numbers of trophy animals brought in by a single hunting license . Often times one license can bring in more dollars than several dozen tourists can. Using scientific oversight, licenses could be given for specific animal species who were already aging or who had already contributed their genes to the population's future. If an an imal must be killed, at least the animals can be chosen based on their genetic age and usefulness to the herd . Proponents will also remind naysayers that hunters would tend to be more willing to travel to out -of-the-way destinations to successfully complete a hunt. These