Author's notes: This is a response to pages 110-125 of the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, about how pain is a necessary thing in life. The acts that Montag goes through in this section of the book have a big impact on his mental status and he does some crazy things. At the end of the reading, Montag gets stronger from his pain and that's what I'm writing about in this response. Enjoy.
“What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.” – Fredrick Nietzsche; Most people follow this quote when things in their lives have gotten so harsh and tormenting that it’s difficult for them to be strong. Strength is something we need in life, whether it is physical or mental strength. We need physical strength to help defend ourselves but having mental strength is the hardest thing to achieve. When we live in a world where people are cruel and conscienceless, it’s the mental strength that helps you get through it, not the physical. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, he shows us how a man can go from the lowest point in his life to someone that has so much determination and so much drive to get where he’s going that he emerges from his pain with so much concentration and poise that he seems a new man. Pain is something we need in life to get stronger and mental strength is something we need to get stronger from our pain.
Guy Montag is a victim of physical and mental distress. He is constantly beat up by himself and others and he’s getting lost in all the confusion of it. There is a scene in the novel where Montag lights his boss, Captain Beatty, on fire, killing him. Montag had been stretched to his limits; he has finally hit the wall and goes insane, if only for a second. Montag has had a hard time controlling his thoughts and organizing them so he let all of this confusion and rage come out in a single moment. Montag was so brutally in pain, mentally, that he lost all strength, mentally.
Pain is necessary but Montag lives in a world where there isn't supposed to be pain but Montag also lives in a world where a person’s thoughts are so confined and confusing that they are forgotten all together, people were made to believe that thoughts are forbidden and that they must listen to what the power says, not to listen to their own thoughts and feelings. Montag is different, he has finally let his thoughts come out of his sub-conscious and become real. He has tried to rebel but he let his thoughts get the best of him. These intense thoughts were beating at his mind so much, it made his mind overflow. These explosive actions have caused Montag much more pain but he has learned from them. The pain he went through made him smarter and more careful, or stronger, and he has become a better and more understanding person from them.
Pain is something necessary in life and we all have to live with it, no matter who we are. Pain is something that helps us even though it may not seem like it. In the novel, Montag goes through such excruciating pain that it is rare that we go through the same thing but it is still pain and it is still necessary because Montag grows from his pain, just as we do. Pain is something that will always come with life and avoiding it will only make things worse; pain is necessary so never run away from it.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Acts of Patriotism
Author's Note: I wrote this essay for the Veteran's Essay Competition. I thought that it was a good idea to introduce that patriotism is not only in the military but also in other occupations and acts. I think that it is important that we see that fighting is not the only way to be patriotic. Well, enjoy.
Patriotism is not fear; we do not cower away when we are attacked; it is not hate; we do not retaliate on the innocent; and it is not evil; our actions do not have immoral thoughts behind them; but it is love. It is such strong love and passion for a country and its people that soldiers are willing to put their lives on the line. When they sign up, they are signing a contract that says they could possibly die for their country and, even under those circumstances, they still sign their name. They leave their family and their friends so they can protect them, so they can make sure no one will ever hurt them. Patriotism is everything because we would have nothing if those people didn’t sign their names.
Patriotism, our love for our country, can be shown through many actions and ideas other than fighting. Actions like teaching and paying our taxes are considered patriotic acts. Teachers choose to become the role models and educators for the children of our country and they should be thanked because we wouldn’t have a country if we didn’t have education. These people do something important and difficult in their lives, they show us they care enough to make a difference and we should be grateful for that.
Teaching may be one alternative way to show patriotism but another important way is paying taxes. Paying your taxes is very important because it is very easy to get away with not paying them, but those people that do pay their taxes are only making our country a better place to live. When we pay our taxes we are paying for all the extra expenses our country has, like the military, health-care benefits, interest on the national debt and Social Security. If everyone in the country paid their taxes then our country would be even more advanced than it is now but we should just be grateful that a majority of our population does pay their taxes.
Our strong love for our country is our strong acts of patriotism. We can show people how important patriotism is by doing all these things and showing them the positive results we would get. The future of our country depends on our actions today whether it is in teaching, military or paying taxes; just doing these things can only make our home a better place. If those people don’t keep showing us they care, our country will keep cascading down onto itself and it will take even harder and more determined work to dig us back up. If we keep remembering that patriotism does not mean we fear and cower away from our enemies and that we don’t do these things from hate but that we appreciate and cherish what we have and that we will do anything for our country then we will truly be the best country we can be.
Patriotism is not fear; we do not cower away when we are attacked; it is not hate; we do not retaliate on the innocent; and it is not evil; our actions do not have immoral thoughts behind them; but it is love. It is such strong love and passion for a country and its people that soldiers are willing to put their lives on the line. When they sign up, they are signing a contract that says they could possibly die for their country and, even under those circumstances, they still sign their name. They leave their family and their friends so they can protect them, so they can make sure no one will ever hurt them. Patriotism is everything because we would have nothing if those people didn’t sign their names.
Patriotism, our love for our country, can be shown through many actions and ideas other than fighting. Actions like teaching and paying our taxes are considered patriotic acts. Teachers choose to become the role models and educators for the children of our country and they should be thanked because we wouldn’t have a country if we didn’t have education. These people do something important and difficult in their lives, they show us they care enough to make a difference and we should be grateful for that.
Teaching may be one alternative way to show patriotism but another important way is paying taxes. Paying your taxes is very important because it is very easy to get away with not paying them, but those people that do pay their taxes are only making our country a better place to live. When we pay our taxes we are paying for all the extra expenses our country has, like the military, health-care benefits, interest on the national debt and Social Security. If everyone in the country paid their taxes then our country would be even more advanced than it is now but we should just be grateful that a majority of our population does pay their taxes.
Our strong love for our country is our strong acts of patriotism. We can show people how important patriotism is by doing all these things and showing them the positive results we would get. The future of our country depends on our actions today whether it is in teaching, military or paying taxes; just doing these things can only make our home a better place. If those people don’t keep showing us they care, our country will keep cascading down onto itself and it will take even harder and more determined work to dig us back up. If we keep remembering that patriotism does not mean we fear and cower away from our enemies and that we don’t do these things from hate but that we appreciate and cherish what we have and that we will do anything for our country then we will truly be the best country we can be.
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