Anita Desai Essay Example for Free

Anita Desai Essay The main characters who struck me the most are Uma and her brother Arun; to them are dedicated the two parts of the novel. Personally I think they have a lot of things in common and I’m not only considering the fact that they belong to the same close-knit family: they are somehow subjected to a reality from which they both want to escape. Uma is the plainest character of the novel, I think: she always obeys her parents and makes everything they want her to do. This is not completely a negative point but, reading the first pages of the book, I admit that I would like to react for her to the commandments of her MamaPapa, as they are often mentioned†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Go to the cook†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Prepare the packet for your brother†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Write a letter†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦but how can she manage to do all these things together?! In my opinion Uma is also naà ¯ve, she seems to be somehow tied by a sense of duty to her parents, especially after the failure of her two arranged marriages, and what about the dowry she has squandered?! as her father reminds her. The only â€Å"pause† of her life is given by the visits of Mira-masi, a particular woman who deeply fascinates Uma for the stories she tells her: she represents a ray of hope into the life of the girl, although her parents don’t approve the complicity created between them. Arun, whose birth was really longed for, is sent to the USA where he attends the college: being the only son of the family he has the honour of receiving a good education and he has also the possibility to live far from the oppressing reality of his homeland. But his life remains very unhappy: also the family to which he lives while in America is a sort of weight for him. The second part of the novel seems to me a long digression about food, I think that the food itself is the only reason for a link between Arun and the new family, Mrs Patton in particular. I think both brother and sister are oppressed voices who want to live in peace and to escape from the world they live in, although they aren’t able to rebel against it. For this very reason I would like them to write to each other, what does not happen in the novel. Dear Arun, Maybe for the first time in my life I admit that I’m very sad but what troubles me the most is the fact that I’m not able to find a way out†¦ Our cousin Anamika is dead. Everybody here is trying to give an explanation but†¦what for, she won’t ever come back and there are no acceptable explanations for her death†¦ I absolutely can’t imagine that the urn in front of me contains her ashes†¦she is dead†¦ but I’m dead too. Her awe for the family led her towards death, but what about me? I will stay forever with MamaPapa, I can’t abandon them, they are†¦my life! When mama grips my hand I know, I feel that there is something strong between us and I can’t, I can’t leave†¦ MamaPapa is calling me†¦I have to go. I don’t know if I will ever send this letter to you: perhaps I will burn it. Uma Dear Uma, A new semester at the college is beginning and my stay with the Pattons is over. I’m happy because I can leave this strange family: it wasn’t my place, I didn’t feel comfortable with them, I felt oppressed and obliged to be part of it, maybe only because I felt sorry for Mrs Patton and I didn’t want to disappoint her. This is the reason why I gave her the presents you sent me (but please don’t reveal anything to MamaPapa!): I didn’t want her to be worried about me when I silently walked out of her life. Arun Alice Bravin 5 H Liceo Scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Pordenone Anita Desai â€Å"FASTING, FEASTING† The novel by Anita Desai appeared insipid to my eyes. If I were asked to collect all the emotions that the book has stirred in my heart, I would find myself in anguishing troubles, for I’m quite numb to it as well I am frustrated by each work of art dominated by a sense of heaviness. The characters are imbued with, or even better, they are emblems of this heaviness which reveals itself mainly in the temperament of Uma, who is the best-built character of the novel. Anita Desai succeeded in the enterprise of creating a character without personality, a woman deprived of her soul. She is the designated victim who is doomed to endure the burden of life, symbolized first of all by her parents. Uma doesn’t strike my sensibility: I don’t feel pity for her, nor would I establish a sort of sympathetic relationship with her; her ineptitude doesn’t arouse my anger, nor would I shake her out of the status of torpor she experiences. I am quite interested in one of the psychological aspects of Uma, that of repression. Uma is not free to be what she wants to be, to do what she wants to do, so she is utterly repressed in her passions, in her feelings, in her personality; this last dimension is completely neglected to her. These inner forces run inside her veins and arteries, like water permeating through the cracks of a rock and when temperatures gets colder, it becomes ice and causes the explosion of the rock. The same happens inside Uma and the implosion is disguised as a sort of disease. Convulsions, nausea which leads to vomit, suffered cries, these moments are the most involving – and at the same time disturbing – moments and situations of the novel. I would have appreciated if Anita Desai had developed this edge of the prism of Uma. Sigmund Freud stated that mental patients are like diamonds, whose structure is based on its corners. In these lines the diamond would break in case it fell on the ground. Uma is like that. Her body seems possessed by a demoniac spirit, her limbs, her bowels are rocked by the unique act of rebellion which is allowed to her. I wonder why the writer has snobbed this issue, which probably assumes a religious and philosophical value and is strictly connected to Indian culture. The heaviness that haunts the book is expressed even by the settings. Concerning this point I would like to recall the image of Uma and her aunt who leave together on a spiritual trip. The bus they catch is incredibly crowded: this episode evokes the image of mingled noises and smells within the dusty and sandy air of India. The writer enables us to appreciate each aspect of the setting – thanks to her detailed language – so that the reader manages to broaden his sensorial perceptions and is caught by the use of synaesthesia. ( The description of the believers bathing in the Gange becomes meaningful in this sense ). Before starting reading the book I thought it would be quite precious for me in order to learn more about the Indian world, even appreciating it by means of the parallel Anita Desai draws with Northern America. But I was wrong: â€Å"Fasting, feasting † doesn’t seem so representative of India: the impression I get is that of a character – Uma – who might be possibly Irish or even Italian. Westerners share the same common imagery about India and this common imagery is banal and dominated by prejudices. The book is ambiguous, in the sense that neither supports this statement, nor deny it. The same ambiguity lies in the second part of the novel – that dedicated to Arun – which takes place in the United Stated of America. Anita Desai gives us tenets and traits of the American Society coming in the story of an American family. Here there aren’t crowded busses or temples, but televisions, junk food, couches, barbecues, baseball matches and people who enjoy all these objects and events. The same dusty air is breathed by Arun when he goes back home walking on the boundaries of the street. The same atmosphere of heaviness which degenerates into disease. For these very reasons I state that Uma and her story are not so â€Å"Indian†. Moreover, I have some perplexities about the last chapter – really shorter than the first one – which doesn’t find a proper literary justification. It is a sort of appendix, even if only almost at the end of the book there’s the precise reference to the tile â€Å"Fasting, feasting† and is embodied by the bulimic girl. Alessandra Crimi 5 H Liceo Scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Pordenone Anita Desai – Fasting, Feasting Fasting, Feasting is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Thanks to the brilliant descriptions and the elegant narration the reader has the opportunity to create an imaginary but precise setting were characters develop during the story. I think that this novel is like a mirror because it gives the opportunity to reflect, in both meanings of the word. We can reflect ourselves in the protagonists (mirror-like effect) and we can reflect, think, about the different values and importance that people from different societies give to ideals they believe in. In my opinion the rhythm of the narration is sometimes too slow, but I can understand that it is due to the fact that, once again, it mirrors the context where the story takes place. In India, in fact, there is no frenetic life, no stress, no anxiety of living and for this very reason people can pay attention to little events that we probably ignore. When the father asks for his drink, it seems to me that everyone in the family has to stop and be there for this event; when a guest arrives unexpectedly, all the attention is directed to him; even the choice of one kind of food rather than another seems to be one of the most important problems of the day. . The character of Mumdad is what emotionally touched me most, maybe because to a certain extent I can detect in them some traits my parents have. The image of Mumdad on the swing describes their indissoluble bond. Mumdad are a unique person/entity made up of two different souls. These two souls are always at unison, they never take opposite decisions, they argue but they always find a compromise, they are, in a word, complementary. I always admired this ability to build little by little a life together even if, for a child, sometimes it’s not so easy to accept their decision, or rather, their impositions. Uma is my favourite character. In some parts of the novel I felt really involved in her problems, in her thoughts and desires. She loves school even if she isn’t able to get good marks; she loves learning, she wants to try again, to spend another year at school, she’s sure she will improve. She suffers when Mumdad decide she should give up her studies. She suffers when she understands she is not as beautiful, intelligent as her sister Aruna, and so she is considered a lesser woman. Uma suffers silently, she accepts her condition of inferiority, yet she is always looking for a moment of glory that, unfortunately, never comes. She is like the most humble flower that grows up silently, that is trampled from the gardener that gave her birth, because a rose is blooming next to the humble flower and he must be there to praise the perfection and beauty of the rose. I’m not saying that I reflect myself in Uma , absolutely not, on the contrary, I’m saying that all my life I have been an Aruna, and I didn’t know about it. I’m an only child, there is no Uma in my family, but thanks to the juxtaposition of the two characters I have understood that I have always been loved and pampered and nursed and highly considered and I don’t really know if I deserve all this. This book has really been a great opportunity for me, it has made me reflect on my values and on the meaning of my â€Å"little† life: too often we don’t realise what is around us. But now I want stop talking about me. I would love to write a few lines about arranged marriages. In our Western society, marriage is generally viewed as a value strongly linked with the concept of freedom, the freedom to choose the person with whom we would like to spend all our life. We have this great opportunity and we often waste it. We are free to love a person for his peculiarities and not for his money and often people choose the partner for his richness, we get married and then we divorce and kids are treated as merchandise, we often get married for reasons that sometimes are far away from love and we claim to judge a society where parents choose a spouse for their children. I think that Western people are more contradictory than what they want to admit and perhaps less happy. Perhaps it is this very feeling that leads plenty of us to judge other cultures. DA PIEVE LUCIA 5 H Liceo scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Anita Desai â€Å"Fasting,Feasting† This is the first book by Anita Desai I have ever read. Her observations are astute whether they are on living conditions in India or USA. Anita Desai uses her words perfectly to convey exactly what she feels,but even if it could seem a contradiction,I think that the problem with the book is its dry, clinical approach in chronicling the lives of the characters, the book lacks passion. I was always on the outside, looking into the lives of people. The book offers few chances of getting involved with the characters ,in fact while reading the book I didn’t feel the compulsion of finishing it quickly. The part I liked better is the first half of the book that deals with life in a small, slow town in India, with rigid parents and well-drafted routines. The †Indian half† is more detailed than the other half which deals with the rule-less† life in suburban USA. In the first half there is a partly successful, proud father, who goes through life, with set patterns and no passion. A mother who goes along with her husband, doing what is supposedly right and expected of her, curbing and killing all her innate desires. Three children. The eldest, Uma, clumsy . The middle daughter Aruna, pretty, ambitious and smart, but eventually also a victim of her choices. The last, a son, Arun, on whom the parents put all their dreams and energies. All of them, along with members of their extended family, go through some form of deprivation (of will, of fun, of passion and of love). I think that a merit of this book is the way it highlights the Indian traditions, cultures and mostly the place of a woman in an Indian family. I liked the character of Uma in the book because she is both willing to take a chance with life and at the same time dedicated to her family.She takes whatever happens to her life with such grace that she does not give me a chance to cry for her. I like her inner strength. The story in itself is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Uma, who starts out as a wideeyed child at a convent who shows an enthusiasm for education but with the birth of her brother Arun, Uma takes on the role of nanny. Here, one encounters the distinct preference parents have for the male child. Desai next explores the conventional belief that ties a womans worth to her physical appearance. A woman who lacks beauty is often rushed into the first marital offer she receives, only to pay a heavy price later on. Desai shows the challenges a single woman faces regardless of how successful she is. By contrast, Umas cousin is portrayed as the ultimate success because she is able to marry well thanks to her looks. She makes the reader wonder how happy she truly is, when she eventually takes her own life. Uma is the main character in the first half of the novel. She is a clumsy, uncoordinated woman who finds it difficult to succeed in almost everything she does she fails in school, cant cook, spills food and drink and cant find anyone worthwhile to get married to. Her father feels that Uma is incapable of fending for herself, as she is too clumsy, uncoordinated and proves a failure in almost everything she does.Uma fails in school, in the kitchen and she even fails to find anyone worthwhile to get married to. The father asks Uma to interrupt her studies in the Christian convent when he find out she not doing very well at school. He feels that it was a waste of time and money to provide Uma an education ;he has other plans for her.She will look after her baby brother Arun and take care of the household while her mother rests after giving birth. Uma’s life is constantly planned by her father.Uma cannot resist her father’s oppressive patriarchal ideology, as she is afraid of the consequences that would befall her if she angered the colonial characteristics of her father. Uma’s entertainment comes in the form of her cousin, Ramu. When Ramu is around, Uma feels at ease. But the father feels that Ramu is a bad influence on Uma. He does not want Uma to be influenced by other men who are capable of brainwashing her to resist the demands of his patriarchal nature.

Water and Management Precipitation Input

Water and Management Precipitation Input Abstract: One of the key issues in flood management is knowledge of the precipitation input into catchments for hydrologists knowledge of this serves to mitigate hazardous and environmental catastrophes, it is thus imperative to adequately determine precipitation input with appropriate and applicable statistical tools. The objective of this study is to determine the actual precipitation input and suggest the most appropriate method of determining precipitation input for the model catchment provided. Standard and commonly used methods of obtaining the areal precipitation input over a catchment area from rain gauge measurements at the precipitation stations are the Arithmetic mean, Thiessen Polygon, Isohyetal, and the Hypsometric methods. These methods serve as good approximations where the topography of a catchment is flat, if the gauges are uniformly distributed and the individual gauge catches do not differ extensively from the mean. Arithmetic mean: This is the simplest form of giving a value of the average rainfall over a certain area, and works well under the following conditions: When the catchment area is sampled by many uniformly spaced rain gauges When the area has no marked diversity in topography (Davie, 2008) Applying this measurement tool to the arithmetic mean: There are 7 rain gauges with the mean value being 27.14 The total catchment area is = 456km 456 million square meters, 27mm = 0.027 meters So 456,000,000 x 0.027m  § = 12,312,000 m3 Thiessen Polygons: The method was devised by an American engineer, the method provides for the non-uniform distribution of gauges by determining a weighting factor for each gauge. This factor is based on the size of the area within the drainage basin that is closest to a given rain gauge. These areas are otherwise known as irregular polygons. The method is straightforward and easy to use: The catchment is divided into polygons by lines that are equidistant between pair of adjacent stations The lines/polygons are bisected Workout the area of each polygon by counting the squares within each Sums up the areas Compare to arithmetic method to confirm the two are the same Convert the individual polygonal areas to million sq meters and multiply by the converted precipitation rain gauges for example: o 178,000,000 x0.055 =9,790,000 Once this is done add them altogether to derive the total volume of precipitation input within the catchment. Isohyetal method This considered one of the most accurate methods; however as one will often find the method is subject to individual abilities and the knowledge of the general catchment. (Shaw, 1994) The method is more complicated than the first two: To derive of an accurate estimation of the rainfall input one must first find the distance between two rain gauges in mm and eventually interpolate and extrapolate the line to give the adjacent rainfall levels, which can later be plotted back onto the catchment sheet. i.e. method of summation: get the equidistant line between the two rain gauges take for example the distance in mm between gauge A and B 8.5cm-convert to mm- 85mm find the difference between the two rainfall gauges 55-30=25 now to work out the a  ¼ of 85, one would divide 85/100 and multiply this by 25  § =21.25 Which is subsequently a  ¼ of the equidistant line between the two rainfall gauges This figure can be used to derive the 2/4 point, the  ¾ point etc. By simply doubling the 21.25 figure you arrive at the 2/4 or 50% point and then to get the 75% point adds 21.25 to the 50% point. One must now expand on the quartiles between the rainfall gauges: This is done by using the difference (25) calculated earlier. Half of this gives 12.5 which when added to the first gauge, or gauge B (30mm) you get 42.5. Half of 12.5 gives 6.25, which when added to 30 gives 36.25, and so on until it matches against the adjacent measuring line. (*see supplementary sheets to see for techniques and further explanation) -once this is done plot the rainfall values using the adjacent measurements and join lines of equal rainfall Then progress to count the areas between the isohyets and find the average the two. Convert the individual areas to million sq meters and multiply by the converted average precipitation values for example: 31,000,000 x 0.059 = 1,829,000 cm3 Do the same with all the values; add them to get the total volume of precipitation input. Hypsometric Method The method uses catchment topography and the rainfall measurements to derive of a total weighted precipitation input. It fairly accurate however is also dependant on the abilities of an individual, whilst drawing the hypsometric curve. The hypsometric curve allows for adjacent precipitation values to read from the graph. The area underneath the curve of precipitation gives the area of an individual gauge, and can be calculated thereafter in the same system as the previous two methods: Analysis/Conclusion: It is clear from the results that the arithmetic mean is the likely to be less accurate than the other 3 methods, this is due to the catchment having qualities, such as topography and well distributed gauges which are characteristics that prove desirable to the other three methods. I have averaged the precipitation inputs to get a more accurate figure: Averaged 15,027,250 Total volume cm3 It has been very difficult to observe a trend of between the methods, however three major patterns have been observed, the arithmetic mean varies much from the Thiessen weights and other two weights, showing that on one level the arithmetic mean is less accurate and takes the values into a much broader scale, whereas the other three methods are much more specific. The relation between the weights is very spread because the precipitation input is governed by various factors and complex activities, and each method also demands certain qualities within a catchment for it to be applied appropriately, take for example the Isohyetal method which is subjective to individual abilities and knowledge of the catchment area, which in this case is not entirely possible, given the limited background information. References: Davie, T., (2008) Fundamentals of Hydrology Volume 1 of Routledge fundamentals of physical geography series, 2, illustrated, Routledge, pp28-30 Brooks, K. N., (2003) Hydrology and the management of watersheds, ed.3, illustrated, Wiley-Blackwell, pp30-34 ASCE (1996) Hydrology handbook, Iss. 28 Vol. 28 of Time Life Complete Gardener, American Society of Civil Engineers Publications, pp 40-48 Shaw, E.M., (1994) Hydrology in Practice, Taylor Francis, illustrated, 3rd ed., pp208-212

An American :: essays research papers

What is an American? What does it mean to be "American?" What makes it "American?" And how does it make us "American?" American stands for the beliefs, the music, as well as the people that come from this great nation. The beliefs of this great nation speak every language. These beliefs stretch from the furthest reaches of Africa to the city life of New York. These beliefs are pride, freedom, and equality. American means to be proud. It means to stand up for what you believe in and to fight for it wholeheartedly. American also means to have freedom, freedoms to do what you wish, to practice your own religious ceremonies, customs, and beliefs. With these freedoms comes a responsibility, a responsibility to be accountable for your actions. Equality is the basis of American society. Before equality for all, there was slavery. With this slavery came accounts of cruelty and disillusioned violence. Without help from first hand accounts of slaves such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, we would have never emerged from this dark era in American history. American music is the envy of nations around the world. From Frank Sinatra to the Beatles, American music continues to diversify and grow. American bands develop large masses of followers in nations of all different ethnic backgrounds. From Asia to Germany, American music continues to influence the music styles of the rest of the world. Proud American men and women joined the armed forces to serve the country that they love and protect. These people show what it means to be American. Just as the colonists fought the British for Independence, they risk their lives, for something they believe in and cherish. These same people also stand for exploration and discovery.

Inconsistency in The Character of Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shak

Inconsistency in The  Character of Hamlet The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be.   He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation. Hamlet seems incapable of deliberate action, and is only hurried into extremities on the spur of the occasion, when he has no time to reflect, as in the scene where he kills Polonius, and again, where he alters the letters which Rosencraus and Guildenstern are taking with them to England, purporting his death. At other times, when he is most bound to act, he remains puzzled, undecided, and skeptical, until the occasion is lost, and he finds some pretence to relapse into indolence and thoughtfulness again. For this reason he refuses to kill the King when he is at his prayers, and by a refinement in malice, which is in truth only an excuse for his own want of resolution, defers his revenge to a more fatal opportunity, when he will be engaged in some act "that has no relish of salvation in it." "Now might I do it pat now he is praying; And now I'll do 't; - and so he goes to heaven; And so am I reveng'd? - that would be scanned: A villain kills my father; and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge ... Up sword; and know thou a more horrid hent, Whe... ... explaining the cause of his alienation, which he hardly trust himself to think of. It would have taken him years to have come to a direct explanation on the point. In the harassed state of his mind, he could not have done much other than what he did. His conduct does not contradict what he says when he sees her funeral, "I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers Could not with all their quantity of love Make up my sum" - [Act v., sc. 1.]   In conclusion, Shakespeare has been accused of inconsistency with Hamlet only because he has kept up the distinction which there is in nature, between the understandings and the moral habits of men, between the absurdity of their ideas and the absurdity of their motives. Hamlet is not a fool, but he makes himself so. His folly, whether in his actions or speeches, comes under the category of impropriety of intention.

Acid Rain Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Normal rainfall is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolves in the raindrops to produce hydrogen ions. Yet, normal rainfall is not considered acid rain. Acid rain is a form of air pollution in which airborne acids produced by electric utility plants and other sources fall to Earth in distant regions. The corrosive nature of acid rain causes widespread damage to the environment. The problem begins with the production of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil, and from certain kinds of manufacturing. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water and other chemicals in the air to form sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and other pollutants. These acid pollutants reach high into the atmosphere, travel with the wind for hundreds of miles, and eventually return to the ground by way of rain, snow, or fog, and as invisible â€Å"dry† forms. Damage from acid rain has been wide spread in eastern North America and throughout Europe, and in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Acid rain leaches nutrients from soils, slows the growth of trees, and makes lakes uninhabitable for fish and other wildlife. In cities, acid pollutants corrode almost everything they touch, accelerating natural wear and tear on structures such as buildings and statues. Acids combine with other chemicals to form urban smog, which attacks the lungs, causing illness and premature deaths. The process that leads to acid rain begins with the burning of fossil fuels. Burning, or combustion, is a chemical reaction in which oxygen from the air combines with carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and other elements in the substance being burned. The new compounds formed are gases called oxides. When sulfur and nitrogen are present in the fuel, their reaction that occurs with oxygen yields sulfur dioxide and various nitrogen oxide compounds. In the United States, 70 percent of sulfur dioxide pollution comes from power plants, especially those that burn coal. In Canada, industrial activities, including oil refining and metal smelting, account for 61 percent of sulfur dioxide pollution. Nitrogen oxides enter the atmosphere from many sources, with motor vehicles emitting the largest share—43 percent in the United States and 60 percent in Canada. Once in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides undergo c... ...ts. The targets established in laws and treaties are being met, usually ahead of schedule. Sulfur emissions in Europe decreased by 40 percent from 1980 to 1994. In Norway sulfur dioxide emissions fell by 75 percent during the same period. Since 1980 annual sulfur dioxide emissions in the United States have dropped from 26 million tons to 18.3 million tons. Canada reports sulfur dioxide emissions have been reduced to 2.6 million tons, 18 percent below the proposed limit of 3.2 million tons. Monitoring stations in several nations report that precipitation is actually becoming less acidic. In Europe, lakes and streams are now growing less acid. However, this does not seem to be the case in the United States and Canada. The reasons are not completely understood, but apparently, controls reducing nitrogen oxide emissions only began recently and their effects have yet to make a mark. In addition, soils in some areas have absorbed so much acid that they contain no more neutralizing alka line chemicals. The weathering of rock will gradually replace the missing alkaline chemicals, but scientists fear that improvement will be very slow unless pollution controls are made even stricter.

The Brief Wondrous

To experience passionate feelings for the first time is invigorating, maybe on the grounds that it increases to a startling level of self-change. We're all impacted by our loved ones, however a few of us all the more so. Evident in the novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, there are some people in the world who have extreme attachment and stress-related anxiety with being left alone, also known as Oscar in the story, ask themself of their own happiness. When the author, Junot Diaz, writes about self-growth throughout the novel, he explained that sometimes self-development can force you towards unfortunate propensities, making you more on edge, and even confused. In entering a relationship, there's a possibility that you might turn into someone you might not wish to become; which often causes individuals to make illogical decisions that configures their lives, in this case, Oscar being the individual making irrational decisions. Oscar had girlfriends as early as the age of seven, he was dating two girls from his school both Maritza Chacon and Olga Polanca at the same time. In spite of the three way relationship between the young lovers being an actual thing, it only lasted for a week. One day after school, Maritza wanted to face reality and confronted Oscar saying, â€Å"It's either her or me!†(Page14,Chapter1), Oscar being the player that he was with his Dominican Republic blood at age seven, wanted to share, having the best of both worlds, but Maritza wasn't accepting any of Oscar's nonsense. Maritza was different from the other girls Oscar had interacted with. She was beautiful and easy going with the guys, while the other girlfriend, Olga was unattractive and quiet. So it was pretty easy for Oscar to choose who to be with, Maritza. Only to be dumped not even a week after Oscar had dumped Olga! Oscar was doleful. So heartbroken to the fact that, he did not interact with another girl for years. After the whole situation of being dumped by Maritza, over the next couple of years Oscar became depressed, leaning towards food for comfort, in the end leading him to obesity, and when he got into the stage of early adolescence no one could really call him that cute little Dominican Republic boy anymore. Oscar got uncomfortable with his overweight body and no longer could go anywhere near girls, because they always â€Å"shrieked and called him gordo asqueroso.†(Page17,Chapter1). However, Oscar had become so desperate that if a girl talked to him for even a split second, he would fall in love with her. He â€Å"became a social introvert†(Page22,Chapter1), not having many friends throughout high school. â€Å"[Oscar's] affection-that gravitational mass of love, fear, longing, desire, and lust that he directed at any and every girl in the vicinity without regard to looks, age, or availability-broke his heart each and every day.†(Page23,Chapter1). As a result, he became very unwoeful with his life, abusing himself not only mentally but physically by lowering his self-esteem and self-confidence. As it came towards Oscar's Senior Year, â€Å"Oscar fell in love with a girl in his SAT prep class.†(Page33,Chapter1), Ana. Ana was a conversationalist, and in Oscar's perspective â€Å"[Ana] had beautiful Carribean-girl eyes†(Page34,Chapter1). She was a bit strange compared to the other girls, yet good-looking, making Oscar fall head over heels in love with her. Until one day she talked about her ex-boyfriend, Manny. Although things were going well between Ana and Oscar, the thought of Ana talking about Manny kept roaming in the back of his mind, pestering him.- â€Å"My parents loved Manny. My mom used to cook dinner for him all the time.†(Page35,Chapter1) Oscar liked Ana, but it didn't seem that Ana had the same feelings. Poor Oscar. When Ana had told Oscar that she and Manny were dating again, his heart got broken once more. Although this isn't the last time Oscar gets his heart broken, it sure is a starting point to deep, dark thoughts. As we read about Oscar's life in the novel, we can identify that due to the strong impression from Oscar's surroundings, he believed that a person needed to be loved, naturally he received stress from not succeeding, and in the end lost touch with reality. With peer pressure of having been told to lose his virginity more than several times, he became desperate, wanting to prove to himself that he too, can get a girl and be happy with life. However, due to the fact that Oscar couldn't really succeed in that area of expertise, it led him to numerous accounts of attempted suicide and eventually death.

Executive Coaching: Humanistic Perspective Essay

It is a matter of fact that executive coaching is of great importance in our swiftly changing business and everyday life. Actually, I agree with Mary’s point of view that humanistic perspective should be used in business environment. I think that future leaders and top managers should pay more attention to this perspective. Moreover, working people should be encouraged to realize that they are provided with choices which direct their life. And executive coachers help people to choose the best suited options for them. As for me, humanistic perspective of executive coaching is that it refers to psychoanalysis aimed at finding the most effective ways of performance because coaches don’t simply tell how to behave or what to do; instead they allow you to realize what you need to do. Executive coaching assists many people in sharpening their skills. Coaching helps people who know what they want, but don’t know how to achieve the desired outcome. This approach also helps when sudden or unexpected changes occur in work environment as coaching helps people to adapt to innovations and to cope with new challenges. Furthermore, executive coaching finds new ways of solving old problems. I think that Mary is right when saying that â€Å"the humanistic perspective of executive coaching is when people are seen as having a choice in how they respond to their environment† as humanistic approach suggest wide range of possible choices and directions of one problem. It is argued that awareness helps many people to see that they are provided with choices and I am sure that we have to cultivate this skill. Awareness gives the sense of responsibility and power over the choices to be made. Due to humanistic perspective people realize that choices are inevitable part of work environment and everyday life. The primary benefit of executive coaching is that it makes people think of their own experiences, not others. Summing up, I support Mary’s opinion and think that executive coaching provides really positive viewpoint of human nature.