My Choice Is Reading Essay Example for Free

My Choice Is Reading Essay By reading books, people can learn how to get through problems in their own lives by relating to characters. Readers can see what characters did to get out of bad situations, and what they learned from them. In Uglies by Scott Westerfield the reader grasps that what someone looks like on the outside doesn’t matter, and it is what is on the inside that counts. The Fault In Our Stars and Looking For Alaska by John Green both deal with death at a young age and losing loved ones. Love is a serious topic in all of these books, and an important lesson learned is that love is blind. The Fault In Our Stars is a love story between Hazel and Augustus who are both battling cancer at the same time. They meet at a cancer support group and fall in love, but then the cancer in Augustus comes back and ends up killing him. John Green does a considerable writing job in making whoever reads the book fall in love with both characters. That is why it is extremely sad in the end because when Gus dies, the reader undergoes the same sadness that Hazel has. Loosing a loved one is also a theme in Looking For Alaska. Miles decides to go to a boarding school, and while there, he makes friends for the first time. More importantly though, he meets Alaska whom he loves from the first moment he saw her. Alaska already has a boyfriend and she will not cheat, but she lugubriously reflected a secret love for him. Unfortunately she perishes in a car crash so their relationship will always be a great perhaps. Miles’ love story is a little different than Hazel’s in a way that Hazel got to really experience the love before it was torn, whereas Miles’ was an unexplored mystery. People everywhere love differently like in the books by John Green, but both stories are similar because the characters have to deal with the loss of a loved one. Everybody deals with losing loved ones in different ways. In Looking For Alaska the whole book is written in the parts before and after Alaska’s death. This shows that Miles is unable to separate his own life from her death. In The Fault In Our Stars Hazel deals with the death of Augustus quite differently. She tells her story building up to his death, and after his death skips to the present day to say that even though Gus is gone, she still loves him. Hazel was able to separate her life from his death in a way Miles was not able to with Alaska,  while still indicating that their love survived even his death. Looking For Alaska deals with a lot of growing up. Miles and his friends throughout the whole book are trying to grow up to be who they want to be. In The Fault In Our Stars Hazel has to find ways to cope with the imminence of her own death, and rather than growing up she has to deal with the process of dying. Hazel has to find her place in death while Miles has to find his place in life. In the book Uglies the theme of growing up to be who you want to be is very important. Scott Westerfield’s book Uglies is a dystopian book much like Maze Runner or Hunger Games. In Tally’s world people live by what they look like. At the age of 16 people get the transformation to turn them into a pretty from an ugly. When someone gets the pretty operation they look like everybody else, but they also get their brain changed. Tally is forced to grow up and get the operation but she rebels and runs away. Tally finally finds out who she is and who she loves just by being who she wants to be. This book deals with he subject of appearance, which is relevant to society today. Everybody thinks that in order to be happy, that you have to be perfect looking. This book teaches the reader that it is what is on the inside that counts. Just like in The Fault In Our Stars, Hazel does not think anybody will love her because she is dying of cancer. Then Gus does. This deals with the saying that love is blind. When someone loves someone they can look past all the flaws and only see perfection. All three of the books read deal with this topic. It is so important to read. Reading makes the reader fall in love, cry, and get angry or excited. Books open people up to reoccurring themes and make them learn really valuable lessons. The books The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska and Uglies all relate in different ways, and all deal with very diverse content. The most important lesson learned from these books is to be whom you want and to love unconditionally.

Saint Augustine Essay -- Biography

Many consider Saint Augustine of Hippo a main figure in the development of orthodox Christian doctrine during the early Christian Church. Augustine was born in Northern Africa in AD 354. His father was a pagan and his mother a Christian. Though his parents were not extremely well to do, they had enough money to allow Augustine to obtain an education in the liberal arts. This education will eventually affect how he sees Christianity, especially concerning the use of neo-Platonic ideas in Christian theology. Augustine converted to orthodox Christianity late in life. He struggled with the many earthly things he needed to give up for a complete conversion of body, mind, and soul. It is in Confessions that Augustine shows the world this struggle with and eventual conversion to orthodox Christianity. Though the conversion did not come easily, Christianity held a variety of appealing ideas for Augustine that influenced how he viewed the world in which he lived. In turn, the late conversion of Augustine allowed for his non-Christian experiences and study to have a strong effect on how he viewed orthodox Christianity and the number of heresy-sects of Christianity that continued to thrive during his lifetime. His education also created a unique view for Augustine concerning the use of pagan philosophies in Christian doctrine. Finally, all of the experiences and views of Saint Augustine eventually had a profound influence on orthodox Christian doctrine and philosophy. Augustine was actually born a Christian and taught Christian doctrine by his mother Monica while still young. However, born Christian and not interested in pagan religions, Augustine was also not particularly interested in orthodox Christianity either. He ... ...that it is God's mercy that will save him, nothing else will. Because of this belief, God's mercy becomes an important aspect of orthodox Christian belief. Augustine found Christianity appealing on many levels, though the main attraction was the ability to use logic to understand religion. Augustine also understood that God's words came in many forms, and he was not afraid to search out pagan ideas that fit into Christianity. Augustine is often seen as a major contributing force to the doctrine of orthodox Christianity. His learning and life experiences influenced his ideas about God, Christ, and religion. In turn, it is these ideas that have a long and lasting impact on orthodox Christianity. Both Catholics and Protestants believe that Augustine was correct in his views on orthodox Christian doctrine. His ideas are still used today to study Christianity.

Mary Shelley’s classic novel Essay

The second narrator we come to is Victor, who is also the central character in the novel. To begin with, Victor is adored by almost everyone: his parents; his siblings; the servants (Justine) and his teachers. For example, he makes this quote about his parents: â€Å"I was their plaything, their idol, and something better-their child†¦ † Even Walton describes him, as a â€Å"Celestial Spirit† who has â€Å"never-failing power of judgement† it is obvious that he is loved. The reader knows that this particular quote is only half true, as Victor has made some very poor judgements in the past. The reader can interpret this to achieve and open minded view of Victor and shows the imperfections and limitations of Walton. For example he must have very poor judgement to be able to describe Victor thus. The reader feels ambivalent to Victor. He is portrayed as a typical Byronic hero, a tragic, brooding hero whose personality traits make him great and powerful but also lead to his destruction. Walton describes his as † a noble creature in his better days, being even now in wreck so attractive and amiable†. He has a â€Å"thirst for knowledge† with a child’s blindness†-a dangerous combination. This is also a trait, which we see in Walton. Whilst he is buried in his work he neglects everything else, leading him to become isolated. Victor is partially aware of his faults or else unable to admit them. His ambition and passion for glory seem to be his own worst enemies. This idea is re-enforced by the quote â€Å"when younger, I believed myself destined for some great enterprise†¦ † he then goes on to describe his passion whilst creating the monster and his â€Å"senseless curiosity. † However, he still blames others for his downfall. He like Walton sees himself as a victim, the implication being that he swears to â€Å"pursue the demon, which caused this misery†. This he says without realising it was him who caused the monster to act as such. He seems to feel that fate was inevitable but he hypocritically believes Walton can change his by warning him against ambition. Although he blames the monster for his downfall, Victor alternately blames himself for the deaths of William and Justine. He also seems to believe in destiny and divine judgement, yet has no guilt over grave robbing to create his monster and believes him destined for happiness even though he has sinned. This leads us to believe that Victor is full of self-contradiction. Our feelings alter towards Victor throughout the novel. From chapter five onwards we see him as a lonely spirit, plagued by sorrow and remorse. This creates pity and in keeping the monster a secret, tension. Yet, when we meet the monster, we realise that Victor has not faced up to his responsibilities and we dislike and feel critical of him. Towards the end of the novel we dislike and pity both of them. Victor is portrayed as a typical Byronic hero right until his death. His tragic demise is very Romantic, the quote â€Å"I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed† as he parts from the world implies that he has the Romantic hope that some may succeed in ambition where he has failed. He cannot abandon his noble character, even in the face of death. Towards the middle of the novel, the monster relates his story and becomes the third narrator. Constructed from parts of corpses, Victor achieves the impossible by bringing him to life. Victor describes his appearance as such: â€Å"his yellow skin scarcely covered the muscles and arteries beneath; his lustrous black hair; teeth of pearly whiteness; watery eyes; shrivelled complexion; and straight black lips. † This description of his gruesome appearance fills the reader with both disgust and pity. His physical strength is greatly enhanced, subsequently making him invulnerable to anything but a violent death. This is how he is able to survive the dreadful conditions of the North Pole. Fitting in with his monstrous appearance, Shelley uses satanic imagery to depict the creature’s emotions, for instance, he says, â€Å"I bore a hell within me. † Victor also calls him â€Å"demon† and â€Å"devil† at various points in the novel. This emotive language describing the monster implies that he is an evil and demonic character who deserves to be hunted and feared. He seems to enjoy the murders of William and Justine, as if it justifies in some way, Victor’s neglect and hatred of him. He is only satisfied when he reduces Victor to complete despair, the same level as himself. Evidence of this is when Frankenstein has sworn to hunt the monster, he quotes â€Å"I am satisfied: miserable wretch! You have determined to live and I am satisfied. † His merciless killing of Clerval is the consequence of Victor’s destruction of his half finished female companion. He seeks to destroy Victor emotionally and mentally, rather than physically at first. This massacre of Frankenstein’s family and his fury are the result of the creature’s loneliness and rejection. He begins life as an innocent creature; a theory held by many philosophers at the time the novel was written, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He influenced the young Mary Shelley in his novel Emile. His natural attraction to humans and child-like wonder at the world around him excites our attention and evokes sympathy as we realise he is just like an innocent child struggling through the world alone. This great appreciation of nature, society and literature is evidence that the Romantic Movement influenced Shelley’s writing too. We see goodness in him when he collects wood for the DeLacey’s and saves a girl from drowning. The DeLacy family call him the â€Å"good spirit†, a total contrast from the imagery Shelley first describes him with. Our sympathy is again evoked with his desire for friendship and the prejudice he suffers from. The barrier between the monster and humans is ugliness, and the way in which Shelley writes reminds the reader of how cruel we ourselves are and makes us feel guilty. In being blind, DeLacy can accept him for who he is, but when this dream is shattered; Victor is his only hope at fulfilling his demand for a companion, subsequently providing justice, which Victor denies. The way he is mistreated turns him from an innocent creature into a vindictive, bloodthirsty monster. The three narrators are described by each other in great detail to help us understand more clearly their personalities and their characters. As the novel deals with some rather fantastical, disturbing ideas, it is understandably difficult to comprehend. However, the use of three narrators helps the reader to understand the complex ideas and breaks the novel down into sections which helps us to appreciate the complicated time and structure. It also shows us a more open-minded view of the characters. We see things from one perspective that we would not see from another, and therefore are able to independently have an opinion of the characters. Although I found the language and structure of the novel hard to comprehend, I did enjoy reading the novel and it has influenced the way in which I view the world, and brought awareness against ambition and isolation.

The Role Of Technology And Identity Theft - 872 Words

Role of Technology in Identity Theft The purpose of this paper is to inform on what identity theft is and how technology plays its role in identity theft. I feel as if this is an important matter that should be discussed and people should know about this. So I’m going to go into depth with what it is. I’m going to tell you how technology plays into it so, you should know if it has occurred to you. It s going to also show what you can do to prevent identity theft happening to you. What is Identity Theft? While use of a pseudonym or alias is not necessarily unlawful, identity theft is the deliberate use of someone else s identity, usually as a method to gain a financial advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person s name, and perhaps to the other person s disadvantage or loss. The person whose identity has been assumed may suffer adverse consequences if they are held responsible for the perpetrator s actions. Identity theft occurs when someone uses another s personally identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term identity theft was coined in 1964. Determining the link between data breaches and identity theft is challenging, primarily because identity theft victims often do not know how their personal information was obtained, and identity theft is not always detectable by the individual victims, according to a report done for the FTC.Show MoreRelatedHow Technology Has Made Individuals Identity More Susceptible From Be Stolen920 Words   |  4 Pages In the past several years, technology advancement has made individuals identity more susceptible to be stolen. I find this topic to be very interesting because I have had my identity compromised. Several years ago when I was nineteen I was completing credit reports on several popular credit reporting websites. 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