The sound and the fury by William Faulkner Essay Example for Free

The sound and the fury by William Faulkner Essay The sound and the fury by William Faulkner Introduction            The Sound and the Fury is an intransigently notorious and difficult novel that has received much acclaim and criticism in equal measure globally. Indeed, this is understandable of a book that literally transients the callous southern American tradition of slavery and racial profiling. Besides, the books depiction of a family that descents from acclaim to desolation and finally live in shadows of its past is one that most people would not love to read. Most importantly, the book traces the deterioration of an intelligent southern adolescent who, living by the traditions of the south, carries along racial conventions to his final plunge in water where he commits suicide. This paper trails Quentin along with his racism to Harvard, his new insights into racism and his family’s contribution towards his racist believes.            Indeed, Quentin Compson is the eldest of the Compson offspring. As thus, he feels inordinately obliged to carry on the family’s responsibilities and suffice its traditions of prestige and greatness. Quentin is first encountered in Chapter 2 where is currently pursuing studies at the Harvard, Massachusetts. It is through his prose that the reader develops an attitude towards him and the Compsons. Quentin is crucial because he presents the Compsons traditions and through him, the reader understands the racial profiling in the South. Interestingly, Quentin carried along the southern traditions with him to the university in the north. He, therefore, encountered feelings of abashed shame, hateful or blase. However, the university in the north is potential crucial because, through his encounters with other southern, he learns insightful details about the race.            Spoade represents one of the southerners at the university who taught Quentin on race. He was a senior student at the university and saw pride for â€Å"never [running] for chapel†. Besides, he is proud because he never wore a shirt till noon. Therefore, he did not fall into the traditions of the â€Å"Northern University†. In so doing, Spoade adhered to the mythological grace and slowness characteristic of the Southern life. Interestingly, Spoade had â€Å"five names that also bore the current English ducal house† indicating that he was a detached and self assured person. Spoade boasts in being a gentleman causing jitters of shame into Quentin because the latter lacked sexual experiences. Perhaps, this is meant to infer that Quentin was possibly a gay. Indeed, â€Å"Spoade, [called] Shreve my husband.† Shreve was Quentin’s roommate at Harvard University.            Other than Spoade, racial sense was taught into Quentin at the North by the Blands. This was an ostensibly wealthy family from Kentucky, in the south. Considering that this family shunned joining the confederacy, it distanced them from the â€Å"Lost Cause† idea. An assessment of this family’s lifestyle reveals that they are extremely arrogant and ungracious, perhaps worse than Spoade. Firstly, the she in the family is a dotty seeking her son. Mrs. Bland took an apartment at Harvard on rent to be close to her son. Her motives are questionable as she goes to great lengths to fancy her son. For instance, she sources his clothes from New York.            In addition, Mrs. Bland takes pride in the â€Å"Gerald’s niggers and Gerald’s horses and Gerald’s women†. According to her, Gerald reflected the splendid specimen that was a replica of the Old South Plantation boss. She is extremely snobbish and overly hateful and valueless to â€Å"these ignorant low class Yankees†. She shows some value only to the Southern Whites. It is through Mrs. Bland that Quentin learns of the disdain characters in Gerald, another white. Gerald features as a dashing handsome young brute who also turns out to be a virile womanizer. Gerald uses his physique to lure white women into his lair. It emerges that he is a viciously rudimental schemer who has no respect for women.            Quentin initiated a fist fight with him absentmindedly, and he ended up thrashing Quentin. This portrays Gerald in a bad light as an ungentle and respectful man as is Quentin. This is because he materialistically exploited his women rather than keep them safe and protected. Mrs. Bland inspires Quentin to think on issues of race. Her extreme obtrusiveness and condescending attitude disqualify her as a Southern lady. Quentin also questions the source of the bulk of wealth that the Blands have. Spoade’s mild hatred for the family coupled with their showiness reflects an upstart family in the guise of the Old South. Quentin is emphatic that Spoade’s image of the aristocratic family effectively concealed his mercenary and aggression Yankee antitype. Moreover, Quentin observes the imminent difference between Spoade and his ancestors who were parvenus.            Quentin takes racial insights on the insensitiveness of the Blands and Spoade. Each of them appears shallow, unkind and unsympathetic towards each other. For instance, the white Blands are detached from a fellow white, Quentin, and only the Yankee, Shreve shows sympathy, friendship and concern towards him. Interestingly, Quentin is from the South just like the Blands and only Shreve the Yankee from Canada showed interest. However, it is observable that Quentin secretly envies the Bland and Spoade for their masculinity and nonchalance. Quentin is attached to their opinions and envies their free sense of self. Therefore, he feels awkward and ashamed in their presence.            Quentin’s encounters with the blacks at the Northern University was seldom but impactful. For instance, he encountered the Deacon who was acquainted with the South’s social customs. According to Quentin, the, â€Å"Deacon could easily identify a Southerner at a glance†. Quentin expresses the dexterous skill that the Deacon had by continuing that, â€Å"once he heard one speak, the Deacon could identify your state.† This reveals that the Deacon probably resided in the South. Quentin is emphatic â€Å"de old nigger† sufficed their expectations by casting the slave role accurately and just perfect. Quentin believes that the Deacon managed to fool the inexperienced freshmen, but he had realized of his duplicity although he could not resist condescending him, although curiously. Quentin’s admiration for the black â€Å"old nigger† is evident because he searched him out and donated an old suit although he claimed to dislik e him.            In the street car, Quentin sat next to a black man who wore â€Å"a derby and shinning shoes†. He â€Å"[held] a dead cigar stub† replica to a normal, autonomous citizen. His passive demeanor of Quentin, the white, seated next to him brings Quentin to appreciating the equality between the whites and the black. It is until he is about to alight that he acknowledges Quentin by politely signaling request to pass. The incident retracts Quentin to an earlier episode in which he called a black man on a mule, in Virginia â€Å"uncle’. Quentin gladly offered a gift to him, and he humbly accepted. The two incidences with the black are a learning experience for Quentin on race issues. It irks him that he questions the stereotyping of the blacks whereby he realizes that the Northerner’s expectations influenced him. Therefore, his acquired insights were not natural but rather learned.            Quentin’s family played a major role in his build up to committing suicide. Quentin spent his early years in prestige and wealth. His family owned huge and expansive property, the plantation. He grew up observing the southern doctrines and traditions, and he became indoctrinated into them. He held the doctrines close to his heart, idealizing nebulous and abstract concepts of virtue, honor and feminine purity. The south traditions enunciated strict code of conducts and Quentin grew into these same codes. Therefore, he was stereotypic of the southern perception of the blacks.            As a Compson, Quentin thrived in the lives of commoners who owned lands and maintained plantations as well as several black servants. The commoners were aptly affluent and elite. For instance, Mr. Compson held a law degree and had an office in town. However, the Compson family degrades, deteriorates and their wealth reduces as Quentin grows into adolescence. His father had to sell off part of their plantation in order to raise money for the young Quentin to school at Harvard.            Quentin is absorbed by his sister Caddy. He is affectionate towards her and is willing to cover up for her mistakes. Quentin is thrown into disarray when he realizes the promiscuity that her sister has been exercising. He is disparaged when she turns out to be pregnant. He is infuriated and disappointed by her acts because it tarnished the family’s name. His absorption with sanctifying the family in line with the southern traditions leads him to claiming incest. He tells his father that he and Caddy committed incest, therefore, resulting to the offspring.            On realizing her sister’s promiscuity, Quentin turns to his father, Mr. Compson for guidance. However, this is a tragic because; the man who instilled the virtues of the south disregards the very pedestals that he raised him. Quentin, therefore, feels betrayed and cheated by both his father and his sister for failing to uphold the codes of the south. This torments him coupled with the deteriorated family statue. On his return to campus, he is a thoughtful, troubled and mentally ill person. He starts having disdained thoughts such as committing suicide. He thinks of eloping with his sister to indulge her into his suicide plan. His hatred and obsession with Caddy’s promiscuity made him draw a knife and lung for her throat ,sometimes when they quarreled. Worse stills, he was obsessed with Candy and the thought of Caddy sharing sexual intimacy with another man gnawed him overtly. He had occasionally threatened to kill her. His lover for her is disastrous as he draws a man into a conquest and he is willing to fight for her. Therefore, her forsaking of the south traditions by her promiscuity and out of wedlock pregnancy were unacceptable to Quentin drawing him into despondency and, finally committing suicide. References Faulkner, William. The sound and the fury. Modern Library ed. New York: Modern Library, 1992. Print. Source document

Weaponry during the Elizabethan Period Essay -- History, Long Distance

The weaponry during the Elizabethan period was the most advance weaponry known to the world. The most common weapons used were crossbows, longbows, war hammers, spears, early forms of pistol and cannons. With all this weaponry Europeans also needed armor, like chainmail and plate armor. Different types of weapons and the different kinds of armor were a key component to warfare during the Elizabethan period, in Europe. Long distance weapons were essential to European combat. The main long distance weapons used by Europeans during that time were the longbow and the crossbow. Each form of weaponry had its unique advantages and their pejorative. The long bow (shown in figure 1) was the original form of distance weapons. The term ‘bow’ means to be made from wood, iron or steel. The Welsh, who inhabited England, were the first people to use longbows. Longbows were 6-7 feet long and had a range of 250 yards, and still had the ability to pierce a knight’s armor (Byam 12). A well trained archer could shot 10- 12 arrows in a single minute. Despite these pro’s the longbow had a lot of disadvantages as well. One draw back was only skilled archers, who were costly to train, could use a longbow. Another disadvantage was it didn’t have a ready loaded arrow (Edge 34). The crossbow (shown in figure 2) on the other had been emphatically different. The crossbow had a span of 2-3 f eet and could kill a knight on horseback with one shot, because of good aim (Byam 30). Crossbows had ready loaded projectiles, while the longbow didn’t and the crossbow could be used by anyone since it didn’t require any skill. The crossbow did have a down side though, it had slow reloaded because of a crank and it was expensive. Crossbows were also used for other thi... ...n in her book â€Å"WEAPONS†, â€Å"Gold plating, or gilding, was sometimes used to embellish borders or bands of decorations and, in some cases, entire armors.† By the 15th century, knights were protecting themselves with full suits of plate armor† (Byam 41). His armor usually represented his class or authority. Each knight’s coat of arms had a different personality ranging from different helmets to different metals to different emblems. During the Elizabethan period Europeans mainly focused on warfare. War required long range weapons to slow down the approaching enemy and short range weapons were needed for combat. This era started the usage of combustion and developed cannons and pistols. The advancements of weaponry also lead to the advancements in armor from chainmail to plate armor. Various weapons and armor’s were needed for warfare during the Elizabethan period.

Henry VIII Essay

1. Did Henry VIII have the right to manage his marriages to his own advantage? In my opinion, I do not think so.   While it is understandable he needed a son to succeed him and to continue the Tudor name, he did not have the right manage his marriages for the sake of political expediency.   It is also revealed in studies made on the history of the Tudors is that Henry VIII was notoriously licentious.   His authority as king did not give him the right to change the rules. At the time, England was Catholic and it turned to Rome for moral guidance and when Henry did not get annulment, he changed policy and subordinated the church of England under him and his successors and this was all because he could not have a son.   Furthermore, he executed two of his wives and ironically, one of them, Anne Boleyn, produced his eventual successor, his daughter who would become Elizabeth I, one of England’s greatest monarchs. 2. Should a royal figure be held to a different moral code than his spouse and subjects? Why or why not? No.   Monarchs, regardless of their title, are still human.   Their title and privileges do not make them infallible.   They are also human and therefore prone to error.   They should not hide behind their authority to justify their wrongdoings as what most of them did in history.   They have to answer to someone and unfortunately, they cannot use God.   This is the reason why the philosophers of the Enlightenment eschewed the Divine Right theory when they saw it being abused. If monarchs believed they were ordained by God, how come their people hate them? If monarchs are considered beyond reproach, one needs to wonder why Louis XI was overthrown during the French Revolution or Charles I of England and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia were executed.   These examples demonstrate that the Divine Right is passà © and the reason why some monarchies cease to exist. Those that do exist are prudent enough to relinquish most of their power when they senses the changing times.

Should The United States Congress Adopt The Presumed...

Ozair Manji Dr. Moses Capstone 24 September 2015 Should the United States congress adopt the presumed consent method for organ donations? Introduction to Policy Controversy The current system of the United States as well as most of Europe for organ obtaining is through presumed refusal, which is also known as the â€Å"opt-in† system. In this system a person’s organs cannot and, â€Å"will not be removed from his/her postmortem body unless he/she has explicitly consented to this being done.† (Taylor 383) Under this system, citizens must â€Å"opt-in† to become organ donors by registering to become donors. Consequently, this method of obtaining organs does not produce very many organs up for donation. This is true for a variety of reasons, which is why many are suggesting the United States should adopt a new system of presumed consent. Totally opposed to presumed refusal, â€Å"under presumed consent it is presumed that persons would prefer to donate their organs for transplantation after their death† (Taylor 383). Perspectives on Existing Social Problems Presumed consent is also referred to as the â€Å"opt-out† system because individuals would have the option of opting out of the system and not donating their organs. On a moral level, the debate between presumed refusal and presumed consent seeks to achieve the fundamental goal of organ donation. The goal is to show that their respective systems of organ obtainment are morally and economically superior to the other methods. Issues for socialShow MoreRelatedOrgan System Of Organ Transplantation3687 Words   |  15 Pages Every Person in the United States, Not Just Legal Citizens, Should Automatically Be Considered Organ Donors Unless Otherwise Specified Rough Draft UFID: 9169-9185 June 6, 2015 I. Background According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, organ transplantation is the process of surgically transferring a donated organ into a patient with end-stage organ failure (U.S Dept of health and human services website). End-stage organ failure can be attributed toRead MoreOrgan System Of Organ Transplantation3687 Words   |  15 Pages Every Person in the United States, Not Just Legal Citizens, Should Automatically Be Considered Organ Donors Unless Otherwise Specified Rough Draft UFID: 9169-9185 June 6, 2015 I. Background According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, organ transplantation is the process of surgically transferring a donated organ into a patient with end-stage organ failure (U.S Dept of health and human services website). End-stage organ failure can be attributed toRead MoreCodes and Notes on Public International Law10497 Words   |  42 Pagesand which govern the relations of states and other entities invested with international legal personality. Formerly known as â€Å"law of nations† coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1789. Three Major Parts of Public International Law 1. Laws of Peace – normal relations between states in the absence of war. 2. Laws of War – relations between hostile or belligerent states during wartime. 3. Laws of Neutrality – relations between a non-participant state and a participant state during wartime. This also refersRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pageswithin text. Copyright  © 2011, 2007, 2005, 2002, 1998 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise