Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay Example for Free

Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay In this assignment I am going to write about the differences and similarities of two shot stories. The first story I am writing about is called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty it was written in the late1930s by the author James Thurber. The second story is called The Poor Relations Story it was written around 1850 by Charles Dickens. The connections between the two stories are that they are both short but also they have the same topic. They are both about escapists, people who dream. The first story called The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is about a man called Mitty, and it follows him through a normal day. I get the impression that he is in his mid-fifties because his wife has to tell him to get a check up and that he is no longer a young man. He does not work and as no real skills, actually he is quite a pathetic man that spends his days running around after his dominant wife. Mitty has a special difficulty in mechanical maintenance and in most of his dreams he fantasises about being an expert in complicated machinery i.e. operating theatre machinery and jet planes. Even when his wife asked him to put snow chains on the car he got it wrong and she now makes him take it to the garage. I think Mitty is a very light headed man and never really got anywhere in life because other people just pushed him aside. For example when his wife tells him to put his gloves on he does not argue or answer back but puts them straight on although he does not want to. In the space of a couple of hours in which the story is set Mitty slips in and out of reality and fantasy and the dreams always seem to have a connection with something he passes in the street or remembers. Like when he passes the hospital he goes into a dream about being a specialists doctor that saves the life of an important millionaire banker. That shows how easily he can just forget where he is or what he is doing. Walter Mittys wife is a very domineering person and seems to have a lot of control over Mitty I have been looking all over this hotel for you, why do you have to hide in this old chair, how do you expect me to find you. I think Mitty is a very privet person, as he does not talk much, only a few lines to his wife are said. His wife treats him like a little child that is totally dependant on other people, she has to tell him to put on his gloves, buy overshoes and get a check up. She doesnt trust him anymore to do the simplest procedure as to put snow chains on the tyres that she tells him to go to the garage. This is a humiliating experience for Mitty because when he drops the car off the other men at the garage laugh at him, he says that Ill wear my right arm in a sling next time; they wont grin at me then. He obviously knows that people are laughing and mocking him but cant do much about it. Just walking down the street can be ill fated for Mitty as he slips in to a daydream and starts talking to him self. Puppy biscuits That man said Puppy biscuits. I think you could call Mitty unlucky and accident-prone by all the minor incidents that take place in this short story. They are mainly to do with his day dreaming which keep him very interested and away from reality. They seem to make up for the lack of excitement or human attention that he gets. In all of his fantasise he is the hero of the situation and praise is all around him. The first dream is about him being a pilot of a naval hydroplane, he is in control and he seems to save the day some how. That is the opening of the story and we do not know it is a dream until he is interrupted by his wife telling him to slow down. The second dream is about him being an expert doctor and d saving the day by fixing the operating machine simply with his fountain pen and then saving the life of some important millionaire. The third dream is in a courtroom and Mitty is on trial for shooting somebody, apparently he can shoot any gun from a distance with both hands and still be on target. The forth dream is set in the heart of a vigorous war and Mitty offers to fly a two-manned plane alone, people are trying to stop him but his wants to save the day. The fifth dream is at the end of the story and its Mitty getting executed by a firing squad. He takes a long pull of his cigar and dies with honour. I Everything in Mittys dreams seem to be what he wants to be like but never will. In four of the dreams it describes how he is good at machines which in real life is far from the truth. He comes across as being healthy and macho but in real life he needs a doctors check up and cant even put on snow chains. As a hero he is obviously respected and looked up to by fellow companions but also women. In one fantasy a lovely dark haired girl comes running into his arms which of course in the real world would never happen. The only woman that would look at Mitty in such a way is his wife, and she is restricting, bossy and annoying. In Mittys dreams though he can do what he wants and there is no one to restricted him. Sometimes when Mitty dreams he starts believing in them and acts them out in real life. Like at the beginning of the story when he dreams of being a naval pilot he starts speeding in his car and his wife has to tell him to slow down. And at the end of the story when he waiting for his wife to come out of the drug store he believes that he is standing in front of the firing squad. He stood up against the wall of the drugstore, smoking Mitty acts like a little child playing make believe games and a I think that is what other people treat him. Especially with the name Mitty you cant take him too seriously. Write more about how much he believes in them The second short story called The Poor Relation it is similar to the Walter Mitty story in such a way that they are both about escapists but it is still very different story. The Poor Relation is set at a Family Christmas Party where the poor relation (Michael) tells the other guest two very different stories about his way of living. The first story that Michael portrays to the family members is a description of what he thinks the rest of the family thinks of him. Perhaps before I go any further, I had better glance at what I am supposed to be. This first story is very negative about Michaels way of life and he tells the other guests at how pathetic and useless he is. That I failed in in business because I was unbusiness likeThat I failed in love, because. He goes on to relate a normal day for him and describes where he lives, both of which have not much happiness in them. The only shred of contentment or worth while belonging for Michael is his little second cousin Frank. Little Frank and I go and look at the outside of the monument -he is very fond of the monument- and the bridges. When he dies, he says that the only item worth anything to him is a picture of him as a small boy. This he wants given to Frank along with a small message of which he tells how sorry he is for leaving him. He finishes that description of his life on a sour note by saying I failed to find a place in this great assembly, I am better of out of it. Quickly after finishing that story he clears his throat and starts to speak louder. Such is the general impression about me. Now, it is a remarkable circumstance which forms aim and purpose to my story, that this is all wrong. He starts to tell the probably slightly shocked guests, of how this first explanation of his life was a fad, totally unreal. This second story has much more life to it and tells how he once lived with his cold mean but rich uncle in a castle. He used to come down each morning in the freezing cold to be greeted with the same breakfast in the long stone room. When his uncle Chill died Michael automatically inherited his wealth and castle, but Michael fell in love with someone who his uncle disagreed of. His uncle tells him that no longer is he initialled to his money if he marries Christina, so Michael leaves his uncle with his new wife and they start a happy life together. He describes of how where he lives now he does not know what loneliness is, as all his children or grand children are always about, and Little Frank regularly visits. As it turns out this second story is a total lie and the first story that we were told is the truth. Michael is the kind of person that could be lead in the wrong direction easily because all his misfortunes are the result of other people letting him down, so he is easily taken advantage of. That I failed in love, because I was ridiculously trustful- in thinking it impossible that Christina could deceive me. What makes Michael a loser or inadequate in some ways is the loss in his life. At the moment he is fifty-nine years old and is living in a small room that he must evacuate during the day. He survives on a small allowance that John the party host generously gives him. The three main things that turned his life was the loss of his inheritance from his uncle, which was due to him falling in love with Christina who only wanted him for his money. And the loss of his business. That shows how most people treat him, no one seems to have much time for him Sometimes one of my relations or acquaintance is so obliging as t ask me to dinner. Those are on holiday occasions. Out of the whole year he is only invited to dinner about twice or three times. His family know that he is poor, and at holiday time they probably feel that they have to ask him, it is not about wanting him to come. Unlike Mitty I think that Michaels misfortune is mainly his own fault, he cant see deeper than appearance and doesnt know what people think of him, thats how Christina took advantage of him and he cannot see that his relations dont really want him about. Michael dream life is a description of how he would like his real life to be because everything that has gone wrong for him is perfect in his dream. . I think he now realises why so many things went wrong for him but realises that it is a bit late in is life for much to go write in the way that he talks about dying.

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Field Of Innocence ? 27th September , 2013 Chennai : Little boys and girls , running around trees trying to catch up each other : this painting on the walls of the Juvenile Home in Kelly’s, Chennai holds no resemblance to the lives of the Juveniles In Conflict With Law ( JCL). A look at the boys here, uniformly dressed in blue, playing carrom would paint the picture of the government trying to provide a normal childhood to the juveniles. But, the cold stare the latter give visitors is proof of their innocence lost . â€Å" You better not cheat . I swear to God I will kill you â€Å",says one JCL to another . The fact that they’ve been â€Å"jailed† for crimes as severe as murder has not abated their aggression.To see 12 years olds talking about killing with so much conviction is disheartening. The procedure of charting out a JCL’s life in state run juvenile homes is on dazed grounds . â€Å"We’ve no control over the Juvenile Homes . We just catch the kids who’ve committed the crime and hand them over to the Social Welfare Department ( Defense) â€Å", says Shyamala Devi , Assistant Commisioner,Chennai...

Individual Development Plan Essay

Life is a never-ending learning experience. One of the most important lessons we can ever learn from comes from within. As we go through life, it is essential that we learn who we are, and have the ability to recognize and grow from our own personal strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what we are good at and what we are weak in is the only way we can truly grow as individuals. This knowledge helps us to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves in life. Through taking these personal inventory tests of my strengths and weaknesses, I have determined what I need to do not only to better understand who I am, but how to improve my life. All my life, I’ve been known to be serious, dutiful, and reserved. My parents instilled a great deal of order and structure upon us so that if they happen to not be around we would know what to do. Coming from a family of four girls, me being the 2nd to the oldest, I had to be a good role model for my other sisters. While my parents worked, my older sister and I were responsible to watch the younger sisters, do choirs and then homework. Coming home from school, I always made sure that all these things expected of me is accomplished before I go out to play. We used to live in a big apartment complex with maybe 150 units so there were many kids around the neighborhood to play with. Our most favorite activity is to ride our bikes around the complex, racing at times, but most of the time just riding, talking and joking around. I was always a little older than most of the kids, but they loved hanging around with me because I always took care of them and made sure that know one dared them into doing something they couldn’t do. As a teenager, I was pretty down to earth. Being the responsible and thoughtful person that I am, I always try to do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time. I felt that each person should earn one’s keep and got a part time job to help the family out. More like so that I wouldn’t have to ask for money from my parents. They should only be responsible for the livelihood of the family. I often spent the money I made on practical things  that I needed instead of fashion like most of my friends. A person should be responsible for their own destiny instead of being totally dependent on someone for survival. At the age of sixteen, I started my first semester in college. This was the right path for me and the one that I’ve been planning for. My motivation to go and complete my college education, stemmed from the fact I will be the first person in my family tree to be educated and being able to accomplish a goal. Failure was not an option and was never able to understand why so many people decide to drop out. Being a freshman, I really didn’t know what I wanted to study. I knew that majors such as liberal arts would not be something I would chose because I felt they are not practical. What will I learn from it and what job will I do using those skills? So I chose biology. Within two years, I discovered this was not for me either because science never posed concrete answers to questions. There are specific steps you need to take to acquire an answer but the answers can be different when controls are moved around or changed. Business management was my next choice because the concepts were practical and useful. After taking all the self-assessment tests on personality styles, I’ve determined that the term ‘personality style’ generally means the ways in which one is most comfortable when reacting to different situations. I also discovered that while controversy surrounds the theories of personality style assessments, the practice of self-assessment with the intent of greater self-awareness can be helpful in maximizing my ability to understand what is really important to me and the traits which will impact my likeliness to succeed or fail at various careers. If we have a good understanding of our self we can make the most of natural strengths and build on skills in areas in which we are less confident. In order to fully assess my strengths, I first determined the areas that I am most competent in. I generally consider myself to be a well organized individual. Everyday, I prioritize my daily activities by reviewing my never  ending â€Å"to do† list. I am particularly strong and careful in keeping track of facts and details. At work, my job is to plan all the activities of the operations department and report on the activities of the engineering development to upper management. Therefore being systematic, thorough and sincere is important to accomplishing any task that I do. Hardworking and dependable is how most people describe me. Given any assignment, I will get the job done or completed on schedule. When a shipment date has been committed to the customer, I will make sure that the order gets shipped to the right place at the right time. I will often take on extra responsibilities in order to maintain what I think is important. Like the Lemuel Green case presented in class, my motivation is the feeling of existence within an organization. I need to feel that what I do is important to both the company and the people I work with. I consider myself a team player. I often provide assistance to fellow employees when they are in a bind. I am appreciated by my peers for always lending a helping hand when needed. I take pleasure in offering my skills, suggestions or perspective to my co-workers when I think it would be useful to them. According to the five factor theory, I rank highest at being conscientious and lowest at being extraverted. In between are emotional stability, agreeableness and openness to experience. I think this is also right about my personality because I tend to be very aware of my surroundings which allows for flexibility when adapting to any type of environmental or situational change. I’m also emotionally stable, can easily be approached, and always open for different experiences. This is important because Another method I used for assessing personality style is the widely known and recognized, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a test â€Å"derived from psychologist Carl Jung’s theory on psychological types† (Robbins, 2001). According to this test, I am an introvert, sensing, thinking, judgment or ISTJ. For each of the words or letters that I identify most strongly with, is an opposite trait that I have less association with. For example, I am definitely much more of an introvert than an extrovert, as evidenced in quiet and reserved  personality. I am also more of a sensor that an intuitor, because intuitors love ideas, broad concepts and meanings, whereas sensors focus on facts and details. I consider myself more of a thinker than a feeler, because I value critical and logical thinking over doing what I feel is right. And lastly, I see myself as being more a judger than perceiver because like judgers, I believe truth wins out over tact. Within each of my strengths lies a weakness. One of my most noticeable and possibly destructive weaknesses is overlooking the long-range implications of the actions I choose to take. I tend to get really excited about a task at hand and find myself half way through that I should have taken a step back, thought about it, and then take action. This can affect my performance and the ability to complete tasks efficiently and on schedule in this results-driven world. As described earlier, I am able to work well within organizational structures, however there are a few things I need to work on in terms of team dynamics. I am not very personable. When meeting with teams or people, I often focus on the purpose at hand. I seldom take the time to know people and often run the danger of inappropriately passing judgment on them. Also in relation to working in teams is my tendency to expect everyone to be as logical and analytical as I am. This is an unreasonable expectation because people are different and I should look at it as an opportunity to learn new insights and ideas. Another significant weakness for me is the inability to express myself creatively whether it is written or verbal. I have a realistic respect for facts and am extremely dependent on it when performing daily tasks. I don’t feel like I rebuff creativity, I tend not to pay much attention to it. When thinking or speaking I try to focus only on reaching my point. I usually a have a solid perception of the concepts or purpose but often run into problems when trying to build a framework that links all the parts together creatively. Whether it is Myers-Briggs or the five factor model, these methodologies all  showed me that I have several strengths, which I have used throughout my life. The fact that I’m realistic, systematic and organize enables me to work well within any organizational structure. I am very thorough, hard working, and careful with particulars and procedures. My practical judgment and valuing of procedure makes me consistent and conservative. I need to assemble all the necessary facts in order to support my evaluations and decisions.

Great Expectations - A Cinderella Story Essay - 1276 Words

Great Expectations - A Cinderella Story In the profound novel, Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens, the main character Pip is put through many tests that examine the type of man Pip strives to be and the type of man Pip really is. Pips relationships with two central characters, Tom and Magwitch, are examined closely in this essay, and through these relationships, Pips character is visible. Great Expectations is, in a sense, a Cinderella story in which Pips fairy godmother turns out to be a convict running from the law. This amulet gives Pip a gift that changes Pip and his life. In the beginning of the novel, Pip is a young boy that lives in an inhospitable home with his older sister and her husband.†¦show more content†¦Over the course of many visits with these two ladies, his idea of the standard of living feels inadequate to Pip, and he longs to become a gentleman. A new insight of Pip is shown to the reader due to a glimpse the reader is given into Pips new perception of Joes and his thick boots and course hands which is revealed through Pips internal dialogue: I took the opportunity of being alone in the court-yard, to look at my coarse hands and my common boots. My opinion of those accessories was not favorable. They had never troubled me before, but they troubled me now, as vulgar appendagesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I whished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too. Through all of Toms devotion to Pip, Pip time and time again shows his ungratefulness towards Tom through his many actions. Toms relationship is important in Pips life because Tom was Pips strength, although Pip never sees this. Magwitch, a convict that becomes Pips benefactor, is the second vital person in Pips life. Magwitch devotes his life to support Pip, and becomes Pips benefactor in the novel. When Pip learns of Magwitchs benevolence, he cannot forgive Magwitch for the life Magwitch has led and the mistakes he has made. Pip cannot let go of this, and through Magwitchs many attempts to get close to Pip, Pip never yields to him. A point given by critic Christopher Morris is Pips visit to Magwitchs death bed when PipShow MoreRelatedOur Culture Is Full Of Fairy Tales997 Words   |  4 PagesOur culture is full of fairy tales. These fairy tales started out as entertaining stories, but as they were handed down from one generation to the next, they slowly became more than that. They became bedtime stories for children, and as such, they have great importance because they teach children how to be in the world. 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