Retirement vs. Strife in Old Age Essay Example for Free

Retirement vs. Strife in Old Age Essay A man that spends many years in active service be it for himself or for a more noble reason such as his country or people, would more certainly than not find retirement a disorienting prospect once he faces it. Retirement means stopping whatever has kept one alive and working for most of his healthy years. It means realigning his goals, getting used to other, more leisurely and less strenuous habits as befitting old age, and preparing to face death with peace and resignation. In Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem â€Å"Ulysses†, the mythical hero of Homer’s epics expresses his anxiety about coming back home to Ithaca to reclaim his old responsibilities as king after years of traveling overseas and fighting the Trojan war, and his desire of undertaking a new adventure, instead. The poem begins with Ulysses dreading his return to resume the job of â€Å"an idle king† (Tennyson 1). He could not imagine the relevance of staying home â€Å"with an aged wife† (Tennyson 3) and to â€Å"mete and dole† (Tennyson 4) rewards or punishments to the people he governs—most of whom he does not know nor they of him but for his position as king. Ulysses does not like his former life of idleness and monotony even if it was a life of comfort and wealth. He prefers to travel and seek for adventures, testing life to its limits. For Ulysses, traveling means enjoying and suffering unpredictable moments. The sea and foreign lands, unlike a kingdom, presents varied and new experiences. Those that he had experienced so far have given him â€Å"a hungry heart† (Tennyson 12). His voyages have brought him to strange places, allowed him to interact with different peoples, customs and cultures, and meet creatures unimaginable if one simply stayed in one place all his life. Moreover, he has experienced the â€Å"drunk delight† (Tennyson 16) of war in Troy. Nothing in his kingdom could equal the things he did and witnessed. All that Ulysses saw and did made him what he has become and has produced a kind of restlessness or thirst upon his soul that cannot now be satiated by ruling a kingdom. This past life as king has become dull in comparison to his life as a voyager and soldier. According to him, a person who is contented with his present life is like rusting and acknowledging that the only purpose of life is to breathe. Ulysses wants to â€Å"follow knowledge like a sinking star/ Beyond the utmost bound of human thought† (Tennyson 31-32). He would like to keep exploring and test the boundaries of the capacities of an ordinary mortal, even one who is already old and less agile. He believes that one’s age is not a factor to consider because â€Å"old age hath yet his honor and his toil† (Tennyson 50). Only death can stop and end the possibilities that life has to offer. In the end, Ulysses appoints his son, Telemachus, to take his place as king, leaving him â€Å"the scepter and the isle† (Tennyson 34). Meanwhile, he prepares to embark on another journey. The speaker’s exhortations to his former companions in the final stanza may well be read as words that any man should well take heed as a personal advice, especially those who are contemplating a sedentary retirement in their senior years. The lines encourage everyone to not worry about the physical limitations that old age imposes upon every individual because the weakness of the body can easily be overcome when one is â€Å"strong in will† (Tennyson 69). This is also how a heroic life is lived.

The Strange Points of View of Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov :: Brothers Karamazov Essays

The Strange Points of View of Brothers Karamazov The novel, The Brothers Karamazov written by Fyodor Dostoevsky was first published in 1880. This book is unique because it is effectivly written in a combination of third person omniscient and first person point of view. The author seems to be a character in the book but also seems to know all. Parts of The Brothers Karamazov is in the third person omniscient point of view. Third person omniscient is when the author is all knowing. This is shown when the author is able to read the thoughts of all of the main characters. A good example of this is when Mitya, one of the main characters, is observing two Polish men that he just met. Mitya’s thoughts are displayed when he decides that "it was the little pipe-smoking Pole who was in charge" (pg. 507). This shows what is going through Mitya’s mind when he meets the Poles and is a good example of the third person omniscient point of view. The author also knows what is going on in other towns while he seems to always be at the monastery in the main town in the book. This is shown when Mitya goes to the village of Sukhoi in order to see a man about a business deal. Mitya gets a priest to go with him and the priest "suggested they go on foot, for, he assured Mitya, it was only a miles walk..." (pg. 452). This is information that could only be known to someone who was at Sukhoi at that time while the character of the author was still at the monastery that is in another town. This also shows third person point of view. The author seems to also know what is going on in the privacy of people’s homes. This is shown on page 483 when Mitya is at his friend Perkhotin’s house and they are the only two people there and yet the author is able to describe exactly what is going on. He explains how "the washing operations began" when he had no way of actually knowing. This adds to the third person point of view. The third person omniscient point of view aspect of the book makes it so that the story keeps going even though the author is not there. The thoughts and the actions of the characters are always known so that the story is more complete and therefore more effective.

Nigerian Scams – 419 Scam

Nigerian Scams – 419 Scam Information Nigerian, or â€Å"419†, scams are one of the most common types of fraudulent email currently hitting inboxes. Nigerian scam messages can also arrive via fax or letter. The messages generally claim that your help is needed to access a large sum of money, usually many millions of dollars. In fact, this money does not exist. The messages are an opening gambit designed to draw potential victims deeper into the scam.Those who initiate a dialogue with the scammers by replying to a Nigerian scam message will eventually be asked for advance fees supposedly required to allow the deal to proceed. They may also become the victims of identity theft. The so-called â€Å"Nigerian scam† is one of the longest running that I know about. In fact, it predates the Internet and email. The scams are also known as â€Å"419 scams† after the appropriate part of the Nigerian criminal code. The scammers still use surface mail and faxes as well as email.There are a great many versions of this scam. Although many originate out of Nigeria, hence the generic term â€Å"Nigerian scam†, it is certainly not only Nigerian based criminals that send them. In spite of the longevity of this type of scam and the large amounts of publicity that it has received, many people around the world are still being conned out of substantial sums of money. I regularly receive enquiries from Internet users who have received Nigerian scam emails and do not know what they are about. Basically, the scam works like this.You receive an unsolicited message that masquerades as some manner of business proposition, request for assistance, notice of a potential inheritance, or opportunity to help a charity. In fact, there is a seemingly endless array of cover stories that the scammers use in order to draw potential victims into the con. In spite of this diversity, virtually all of the scam messages share a common theme. The messages all claim that y our help is needed to access a large sum of money, usually many millions of dollars.The scammers use a variety of stories to explain why they need your help to access the funds. For example: * They may claim that political climate or legal issues preclude them from accessing funds in a foreign bank account. * They may claim that your last name is the same as that of the deceased person who owned the account and suggest that you act as the Next of Kin of this person in order to gain access to the funds. * They may claim that a rich businessman, who has a terminal illness, needs your help to distribute his wealth to charity.The messages offer to let you keep a significant percentage of the funds in question in exchange for your assistance. This percentage is the bait that the scammers use to entice potential victims deeper into the scam. Once a recipient has taken the bait, and initiated a dialogue with the scammers, he or she will soon receive requests for â€Å"fees† that the scammer claims are necessary for processing costs, tax and legal fees, or bribes to local officials.The scammers will warn the victim that these advance fees need to be paid before the funds can be procured. In reality, the supposed funds do not exist. The major purpose of these scam messages is to trick recipients into parting with their money in the form of these advance fees. Fraudulent requests for fees will usually continue until the victim realizes he or she is being conned and stops sending money. In some cases, the scammers gain enough information to access the victim's bank account directly or steal the victim's identity.

Nature Of A Man By Robert Frost - 1279 Words

Nature of a man Throughout history, literature has been studied, perfected, and created. There are multiple different dialects, forms, and grammar. In poetry, the way an artist writes their poetry shows how they wanted their work to be perceived. Robert Frost wrote his work in common folk dialect, unlike many writers of his time. Frost’s poems Design, Road not taken, and my November guest exemplify his use of diction, imagery, and word choice to show situations in a natural form, which made Frost so popular to so many varied audiences. Robert Frost’s poetry is in between the lines of modern poetry and 19th century works. In most of his poetry, he uses simple meter and verse. Frost believed that the form of a poem showed the context, therefore his poems were written in simple form to show conversation and interaction in most cases. Also, he believed that the writer and the thinker be set apart. In a 1932 letter to Sydney Cox, Frost explained his conception of poetry: â⠂¬Å"The objective idea is all I ever cared about. Most of my ideas occur in verse.... To be too subjective with what an artist has managed to make objective is to come on him presumptuously and render ungraceful what he in pain of his life had faith he had made graceful.† In this, Frost is showing the need of two directions in poems, the artist point and one from the emotional point, which he establishes in most of his works.†¨ Frost had a very hard life, dealing with multiple deaths and hardships, which wereShow MoreRelatedRobert Frost: Man and Nature773 Words   |  4 Pagesmany authors techniques and ideas of Poetry. Robert Frost was one such example, that used Romanticism in his poetry writings. Robert Frost uses his poetry to establish a relationship between man and nature, by showing how nature can console, teach and impact choices made by mankind. In Birches the connection between man and nature is the recollection of childhood memories that comforts and consoles man. For example, when the narrator observes nature he states When I see birches bend to leftRead MoreRobert Frost Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Frost Robert Frost is one of the few twentieth century poets to receive critical acclaim and popular acceptance (Magill 728). His simplistic style appeals to the novice and expert poetry reader alike. Robert Frosts understated emotional appeal attracts readers of all literary levels. Frost develops subtly stated emotions and a clever use of imagery in his poetry. Influences on his poetry include his family, work, and other life experiences (Oxford 267). Frost also works to developRead MoreRobert Frost s Writing Style1589 Words   |  7 Pages Robert Frost once said, â€Å"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion† (Robert Frost Quotes). This same kind of thinking opened the door for metaphorical poetry that helped to show the poets transparency. His love for the social outcast and the struggles of his life are exhibited greatly in his poems. Robert Frost helpedRead MoreEssay about Analysis of the Poems of Robert Frost1316 Words   |  6 Pagesthan Robert Frost. Robert Frost is a poet that is well known for his poetic contributions to nature, as well as his award winning poems. His poetic ability and knowledge make him an extraordinary author. His past; including schooling, family, and the era in which he wrote influenced nearly all of his poems in some way. This very famous poet contributed to the modernism era, had a family and an intere sting life story, and a unique poetic style as well. The literary era in which Robert Frost wroteRead MoreRobert Frost Conversational Style1720 Words   |  7 PagesDamoui Daniel Yu Writing 30 10 June 2012 Robert Frost’s Conversational Style and Mock-Heroic Tone My portfolio consists of a collection of both heroic and tragic poems that incorporate the blank verse form. These poems imitate Robert Frost’s mock-heroic dialogue and conversational style. Three of these poems in particular, â€Å"The Boxer†, â€Å"The Boy In My Dreams,† and â€Å"The Interview† draw from Frederick Turner’s â€Å"The Neural Lyre† and Maurice Charney’s â€Å"Robert Frost’s Conversational Style,† in attemptingRead MoreEssay about Biography of Robert Frost1222 Words   |  5 PagesBiography of Robert Frost Robert Frost is perhaps one of Americas best poets of his generation. His vivid images of nature capture the minds of readers. His poems appear to be simple, but if you look into them there is a lot of insight. Robert Frost spoke at John F. Kennedys inauguration. He is the only poet to have had the opportunity to speak at a presidential inauguration. Through his poetry people learn that Robert Frost is a complicated and intellectual man who has a place in manyRead More Life and Death in Frosts Stopping by Woods and Thomas Do Not Go Gentle 1545 Words   |  7 PagesGentle  Ã‚   Robert Frosts Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and Dylan Thomas Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night reflect deeply on both life and death. Frost interprets death as rest and peace from a hard and deserving life, whereas Thomas depicts death as an early end to an unfulfilled life. Contrary to Thomass four characters who rage against death because of its premature arrival, Frosts speaker accepts death but is inclined to live for promises; therefore both Frost and Thomas chooseRead MoreEssay on Symbols and Symbolism in the Poems of Robert Frost1463 Words   |  6 PagesPoems of Robert Frost    Nature has inspired countless poets from primitive times to the present. They have used it as a metaphor for virtually all human emotions-his stormy brow, her sky blue eyes, as wild as a summer storm. Very few, however, have so masterfully crafted their verse to fully express the range of nature’s power and influence, or suited the tone of a poem to encompass both human nature and ‘true’ nature. This is true in the poetic works of Robert Frost. The aspects of nature thatRead MoreEssay On Robert Frost1194 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Frosts Life and Accomplishments â€Å"Dont ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.† What a great quote by Robert Lee Frost, and there remain many of more that he wrote. Robert Frost wrote many of his best poems on several levels of meaning. He was one of best and most loved and respected poets. He did a great job capturing the hearts of his audience with his natural imagery and ability to use many metaphors to reveal the realism that he was trying to create. However, RobertRead MoreEssay on The Intricate Meanings of Robert Frost s Poetry784 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frost is considered by many to be one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Frost’s work has been regarded by many as unique. Frost’s poems mainly take place in nature, and it is through nature that he uses sense appealing-vocabulary to immerse the reader into the poem. In the poem, â€Å"Hardwood Groves†, Frost uses a Hardwood Tree that is losing its leaves as a symbol of life’s vicis situdes. â€Å"Frost recognizes that before things in life are raised up, they must fall down† (Bloom