Everything is an Argument

What is F. Scott Fitzgerald really trying to say? Reading the story, "The Great Gatsby", you wouldn't think the author would be presenting an argument in the traditional sense.  With close attention to the story, a few things stand out that show the authors opinion or argument. First, how the book is written and how he sets up the scene in the beginning and then one by one he releases several conclusions. I say several because every character is involved in a different situation and the conclusion of each situation is revealed at a different time. This brings me to believe that the author is indirectly stating his argument. The argument being that people can be misunderstood and can be different then they portray themselves to be.

Connotation

When you look around, what do you see? Does our world seem to be becoming more diverse or our we growing the same? Ipods, Vans, skinny jeans, cell phones, and other items seem to clump us all together. Take these things away and some would be destroyed. Seeing someone with all of there things has a very strong suggestion compared to those who don"t. Society encourages many to have a positive attitude towards material things, which is ok to an extent. Good because alot of new designs and devices appear to be assisting us in some way. We soon discover that these things are not helping us but stealing from us the things that should really matter. Our dependence on material things has grown over the years and those who have not conformed to society, are lucky. They will have a higher measure of self satisfaction and in the end will have all they need within themselves.

Where can you find solitude?

"The Box Man" gives us examples of where to find peace and solitude, and it's within ourselves but how many of us actually find it in ourselves? Having material things, in our society now a days, suggests happiness and i believe that it is a false suggestion. Many people that have less and value the real things that should be valued, are most likely to have the self satisfaction others lack. Many of us think to be happy we have to fit in and have what everyone else has. I don't know why many of us live by this concept because its like saying i rather be sad and rich than happy and poor. In the end when all the material things are gone, those rich people will definaltly be in for a surprise. We should all strive to live like the box man and value the things that really matter.

Box Man

"The Box Man", written by Barbara Lazear Ascher compares the lives of several people. She shows us how you cant judge someone by what they have or what they look like. Using a homeless man and 2 women she paints the picture of being alone vs. being lonely. The box man seems to have all that he needs and is satisfied with his life. He finds such joy and satisfaction in things that we would take for granted. The older women have homes and all the material things but are not happy. This raises the question,: why is the homeless man, who has nothing, happier than the women, who have things? Ascher wants to bring to our attention that material things can not make us happy. "She drags it out as long as possible, breaking the crackers into smaller and smaller pieces, first in halves and then halves of halves and so on until the last pieces burst into salty splinters and fall from dry fingers onto the soup's shimmering surface." The connotation of the woman eating her soup is very negative. It suggests such loneliness and depression, but the box man is described differently. "The Box Man knows that loneliness chosen loses its sting and claims no victims." The fact that the box man chose to be alone kept him from being lonely, unlike the women who are not satisfied with themselves and are victims of loneliness. The Box Man shows us how to find peace and a friend inside ourselves.

All about The Kite Runner

The words of Khaled Hosseini are raw, real, and will keep your eyes on every word on every page. "The Kite Runner" tells the story of a family who endures many challenges through out their lives, yet the love they have keeps them glued together until some things start to change. You will always want to know whats in the next sentence, the next page, the next chapter. This powerful book is the one you want to read.

All But My Life

Sure i've read more non-fiction the only one i recall is "All but my Life". The author Gerda Weissman Klein writes of all the struggles she encounters while moving from camp to camp. She seems to become more and more alone as the story goes on. She pushes through her struggles, showing how strong she is becoming. This kind of story enpowers and ecourages the reader to aspire to have characteristics similiar to a character in the book. This shows that if she can push through the tradgedies and pain, than we can conquer the minor things we encounter in our daily life.