The Lovers by Marguerite Duras

The Lovers by Marguerite Duras In this paper we are going to analyze, to try to look deeper or even may be to feel the main ideas, concerns, themes of the famous novel of Marguerite Duras The Love. In order to do this, we have to stop a little on the personality of the author, this is really important for understanding the style and main ideas of the novel. She was born in Saigon French Indochina. Later on she decided to take up law in the native county of her parents – France, but instead developed her talent as a writer. She wrote a number of novels, plays, short stories, was the director of several films, but her best selling book was The Lover ( L’Armant in French). This novel was translated into 43 languages and in the year 1984 it received the Prix Goncourt reward. There was also a movie shot after this novel, the director of which was Jean-Jasques Annaud. Some time later, Duras also published another book, which was a little bit different from the first one under the name – LArmant de l a Chine du Nord. Mostly her works were of an unusual style and full of romanticism. She was considered to belong also to Nouveau roman literally movement in France. The Lover is without double an autobiographical novel and there are some facts confirming this. For example the real lover of the author was also Chinese and his name was Lee. The last information that she received about him was that he became born Christian and that he really loved his family. He died at the same city where they met for the first time. The main heroine of the novel is 15, the same was the age of Duras when she had this love affair. The book is written in an unusual manner, not presenting the chronological sequences of the events and thoughts, this is more a collection of memories, feelings and dreams. The novel mixes up the present events with the past events. The short book of around 100 pages looks like an experiment, due to its style of recollecting ideas and images. At the very beginning the reader is not able to catch the thread of narration, however, really quickly he is amazed by novel. The author perfectly shows how human mind can rapidly recollect the events of the past and mix them with the present surrounding world. The memories seem to be so deep and so emotional that a person would never be able either to forget them or to get rid of them. The novel is absolutely far from simple romantic stories with happy ends, somehow it seems even to break the limits of the permitted relations for such a young girl, but this never makes it perfunctory or obscene. The story is told from the third person and then suddenly from the main heroin herself. This also contributes probably to the feeling that there are two worlds: the usual one, most people used to believe in living in and the other subtle and hidden world of persons desires and feelings. Happiness is hardly separated from violence, love and hated are mixed up, thus neither the themes nor the message of the novel are simple and transparent. The story is told in the way that sometimes there is a feeling that you are listening to a person who is talking in the state of hypnosis. Certainly the main portion of attention is drawn from the very beginning till the end of the story to the young girl, who is always sad, sad because of the situation in her family, because of lack of tender and real love from her mothers side, because of her responsibility for the youngest brother, later because of her involvement into the life of a grown up woman. She belongs to a French family, but living in Indochina, the status of the family is rather poor and low due to the death of the father. From one side this is still a very young a little naive girl, she is not able to have an affair based on pure sexual relations without falling in love. On the other hand, in many senses, this is a mature personality, psychologically older than her physical age. But it is not possible to state whether she is so wise or just gets into such situation only due to her curiosity. At the school, which she attends, other girls and she herself are not much interested in taking care of lepers, the cholera stricken. From the very beginning we have to pay attention to the appearance of the girl, because it is the same dual as her inner world: she has plaits and funny man’s hat, but on the other hand, her transparent dress and shoes make her look like a young prostitute. Thus there is also a contrast, because she is not stunningly beautiful and at the same time, when somebody looks at her he can not just pass by without noticing her ugly beauty. And exactly dressed like this she is noticed by a wealthy Chinese guy, who in a way is a contrast to her, to her clothes, appearance, manners, status. Actually, he could probably find another girl or woman who would be right for him, but he could not stand the temptation to have this one. And he starts conversation with her, though in reality the conversation seems not appropriate, she is far from his business and his compliments she accepts with childish easiness. When the girl agrees to be taken to Saigon by him, it is again not quite clear, weather she just wants to check her charms and ability to attract mens attention, or she is in really interested in this man. Maybe she is just sick and tired of her family situation, of lack of interest and care towards her and is looking to get it from a stranger. Concerning the young man and his motives for the relations with a girl, it is also hard to judge only from one side, he was probably fascinated by her image, by her youth, by her feelings, however there was no intention from his side to marry her, although he was desperately wishing to see her and to be with her. As their relations continue to develop, the girl falls in love, most likely she didn’t expect it and she didn’t want it, as she wanted first of all to be loved, but in reality she gives her body and a part of her soul to a man, who became her lover. In the event that happened after the restaurant, we again come across the duality common for the novel. On the one hand the lover hits and rapes the girl, she feels pain, humiliation, but on the other hand there is some kind of cathartic pleasure for her. Before the situation seemed to be under her control, now the man got what he wanted without her permission. But when she makes him pay the same sum of money that he would have to pay to the prostitute if he had sex with her, and he paid, in a way she manages to take her power back. The man is obsessed by the girl, not however wanting to marry her. Once the girl says that the real reason for her to be with him was money, the reader feels that it is not in this way, she probably doesnt love him deeply, but she is without doubt also attracted to him and nothing is so simple as just money. She maybe chose him for more important mission than being her man or her husband, she chose him as a person who would help her and push her to be reb orn from her old life into new one. At the end of the story it is absolutely clear that there will be no usual happy end, and that they won’t be together and would have to part sooner or later, but they still have love for each other, which is probably far from that classical feeling described by poets and shown in melodramas, but if they are strong enough to part, that doesnt mean that their love was not deep enough and that many year later the lover will not appear in the life of a writer, saying that he still loves her. At least Duras wrote the book later, when she was a quite famous writer. Overall, The Lovers is a deeply emotional, sensitive and subtle story about a man and a girl, about their love and the power of this love, about the psychological fight and about erotic desires. In a way it can be also called a feminist novel, because it mainly underlines the strength of a very young girl, woman, who has little or even no idea about relations between men and women and still she is able to attract and somehow even to control a man who is much older than she.

Capitalism and Our Society

Capitalism and Our Society Essay From the very dawn of intelligent human interaction to the present day,the concept of capitalism has dominated the way we trade goods andacquire wealth. Except for the necessity of a simple communist society inpre-modern times, or the noble humanistic notion of a socialist society,the free market has always been the most efficient way to run the economyonce the most basic needs of life have been satisfied. Only during thelast several hundred years has the idea of a modern democracy beendeveloped and applied through the modern state. These two concepts arethought by some to be interrelated, but contemporary critics of theliberal form of democracy seek to separate the two notions of capitalismand democracy. However, when examining the evidence of the relation ofthe two, let us not use the altered conceptions or versions of theseterms, but rather analyse them by their base meanings as we have come tounderstand them. After this analysis of the terms and a resultingstipulation of what the ir base meanings are, critics may say that anyfurther analysis of the relationship between the two terms would betainted by their supposed definitions. The problem with this is thatwithout a common frame of reference between the two, no comparison wouldbe logically possible without considering an infinite range of possiblemeanings. With this technical matter aside, the analysis will continuewith an investigation into arguments both for and against the separationof the two terms, and then an evaluation of the true nature ofcapitalismrsquos relationship with democracy. Specifically the freemarket economy dictating the actions of any democratic regime. After thistask of evaluation is complete, the argument will conclude withillustrating how capitalism will actually lead to a more liberal form ofdemocracy. The first step of this investigation is to make some attempt to achieve acommon frame of reference between the two terms. Literally, democracy isthe rule of the people. Specifically, it is the organization in place toallow people of a specified area, through organized elections, to givetheir uncoerced opinion on who they want to represent them in government,or what they want government to do for them. The underlyingpresupposition is that government will always obey the command of themajority of voters. There are many limitations to democracy, such as thefact that people can only vote YEA or NEA on a specific topic area, thusproducing a dichotomy of choices that may not necessarily offer asolution to a problem. Also, people must leave most decisions to thepeople they elect, since they donrsquot have enough time to continuallyvote. However, the focus of this work is not to delve into this area ofcontroversy, but rather to take this understanding of democracy as thestipulated definition for this work. One critical distinction must bemade regarding Bergerrsquos understanding of the term, and that is thatthe term democracy does not include all the civil and human ri ghtsassociated with liberal democracy. Similarly, by capitalism, this work will not use any other connotation ofthe term other than describing the free market economy, where there isprivate ownership of property, and the economic freedom to buy, sell, ortrade with whomsoever you chose. The critical element of the term is thatthere is limited government in place to enforce contracts and to providea safe trading environment. Another specific meaning given to capitalismis by Friedman, who describes capitalism as economic cooperation, whereboth parties are benefiting from the trade, provided that the trade isvoluntary and informed on both sides. READ: Freedom and Opression in Literature EssayThe next step in the investigation is to analyse some of the argumentsthat capitalism is separate from democracy. Dryzek argued that anindividualrsquos consumer preferences wereproperly expressed in the economy, while the same persons politicalpreferences were expressed in politics3. This perspective indicates thatthe capitalist economy is a separate entity form the democratic politicalsystem, because these are two different institutions into which anindividual can state his or her preferences, depending on whether theyare economically or politically motivated. On the other hand, history hasgiven many examples of how a personrsquos economic preferences have beenstated in the political forum, such as voting for a politician that haspromised to reduce taxes or to establish free trade between two states. That same person could only express those preferences in the politicalforum, because they alone would have no power to change the structure ofthe economy such that it would seem advantageous to lower taxes

Strategic Analysis and Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Strategic Analysis and Choice - Essay Example The analysis includes political, economic, social and technological factors. Political factors affect the marketing and strategic growth plans of a business. Legislations and regulations of a country affect the plans of the business. This can be control of ingredients used, price changes and different views of the party in power compared to the former one. For e.g. in Pakistan, after the emergency was imposed on 3rd November 2007 the media was curbed and shut down until they signed a deal not to talk against the present government. Thus, GEO Pakistan a channel that is aired in Pakistan, Dubai, UK, USA and Canada. This organization is a multinational since it is aired in three continents around the world. The company uses all the latest technology in media like news room automation service, graphics system, automated play out system, media server systems, GEO firsts (interactive program) and training on international standards; and it is a market leader at home in Pakistan. It is huge since it employs the most people in Pakistan. The company is young. The company is family owned. The channel refused to abide by the regulations and has not been aired in Pakistan up till now. The channel was a leader in the market but now they have suffered huge losses due to the close down of the channel. Eventually, they had to abide by the regulations to avoid further losses and downsizing of employees. Now the channel will be aired soon. GEO is a good example of a company that tried to go against the industry norms and comply with the rules in order to differentiate but it all went wrong and they suffered. This was a risk and they had to pay for non compliance of industry norms. This example is a fitting example in this case because their strategic... This essay is a strategic analysis of how the companies respond to changes in their internal and external environments. Also that companies often plan to use such strategies to gain a competitive advantage over their various competitors since an edge over the others always helps them stand at the highest peak and successfully manage to balance and avoid falling disastrously. Often companies plan and forecast but the actual result is different from the forecasted one. Theories are often good to study and get a proper understanding of the situation but they do not necessarily fit in real life. Uncertainty is part of life and a proper analysis to take a decision is important for companies. Thus, businesses aim to grow and gain competitive advantages since expansion is an industry norm but then they have to face problems while operating in the internal and external environments and these businesses tend to use these strategies to their best advantage and even by manipulating these at tim es to fit their conditions and markets. This helps them grow and gain an edge over their competitors. Competitive advantages are essential to businesses for continuous growth in the existing and new markets in order to expand and turn into giants. Managers need to have a clear vision of the future of the company.

This house support mandatory vaccinations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

This house support mandatory vaccinations - Essay Example t only important to us but also very crucial to the citizens since they will greatly benefit from the activities as it is seen that by mandatory vaccinating we are at a good position to deal with future diseases that are greatly brought up by poor vaccination method at the moment. Refutation: Mostly from the research conducted by the government parastatals it has been proven that some diseases are because of UN vaccination .This disease once un vaccinated against they tend to spread from one individual to other. For that reason it is a high time we conduct the mandatory vaccinations to greatly reduce the spread rate. Claim: By vaccinating generally leads to a very health y future generation which is directly related to strong and healthy working force that will greatly stimulate the country’s economy as healthy bodies always are fully of innovations and great working potential. 2) From the motion, it is very formal that for this to be attained the government and its official should always be involved in attaining its missions and visions, thus a strong campaign needs to be done in order to educate the citizens and must always limit the rate of immigration or always be involved in screening the

Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and The Welcome Table Essay

Discrimination and Racism in â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer and â€Å"The Welcome Table† by Alice Walker Discrimination and racism is always an issue, but the hardship these women had to face and suffer is something that is still being discussed. Understanding the fear, struggle and hardship that women of color went through during this time period is very important. Both â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer and â€Å"The Welcome Table† by Alice Walker discuss race and the struggle with trying to be accepted in society. The short story â€Å"Country Lovers† written by Nadine Gordimer, who in 1991 received the Nobel Prize for Literature, writes about forbidden love and racial politics between a black girl and a white boy on a South Africa farm. This story takes place during the time South Africa was dealing with racial segregation and is filled with irony and a theme that is clear from the start and that is deeper than racism, but the love between the two of opposite race. Thebedi and Paulus have grown up playing together is childhood. He is the son of the farm owner and she was the daughter of a farm worker for the farm. As they grew older, Paulus went off to boarding school and Thebedi would eventually drop out of school and help on the farm. It was known that â€Å"once the white children go away to school they soon don’t play together anymore.† (Clugston, 2010). When Paulus went off to school, they were entering adolescence and body changes were uncommon to all. Paulus was a popular boy at school and with the â€Å"sister† school that the girls went too. When Paulus would return from school on break he would bring Thebedi gifs and she would give him a handmade bracelet in return, and this is where they grew closer and th... ...oing on in this day in age, and it will always be an issue. With so much negativity, that we see and deal with on a regular basis is a consent battle, which influences us and the way we handle things. However, we have come a long ways as to what it used to be as if people have learned to accept each other. References Chopin, K. (1894). The story of an hour. Vogue. Clugston, R. W. (2010). Country lovers (p. 3.1). San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books Racism. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism

Differences in the Myths of the Toad, the Snake, and the Medicine

The Limba people of Africa live in different villages, and each village puts its own spin on the myths that are passed down from generation to generation. One of these myths focuses on the god Kanu making medicine to immortalize the Limba, and the destruction of that medicine by the toad. There are three versions of the myth of the destruction of the medicine, but they vary in several ways. The first myth, â€Å"The Toad Did Not Love Us,† suggests that the toad dropped the medicine Kanu gave him on purpose.Although most Biblical tales paint the snake as a dangerous creature, in this myth the snake loved the people. This myth implies that Kanu finds it strange that the people kill the snake, but not the toad, considering that the snake loved them. This myth is also different because it mentions the â€Å"white people,† so the reader can be fairly sure that this myth was either thought up after European colonization, or it was modified to add them. The second myth,  "The Toad and the Snake,† tells that Kanu wanted to save both animals and people.Again, the toad insisted on carrying the human portion, and again he spilled it, but not out of ill will. The snake carried his portion, and arrived with it safely. While this myth is still about why the people die, it also points out that snakes live forever because of their medicine. Perhaps this idea came from seeing molted snake skins. The skin might come off, but the snake lived forever. The last myth, â€Å"The Toad and Death,† is a short version of the same myth, but it only concentrates on how the snake and toad feel about each other.They are enemies because they perpetually argue about who should have carried the medicine. This is not because one loved the people more than the other. It is simply a rivalry that goes on for eternity. This myth serves more as an explanation of why snakes and toads do not get along rather than why people die. These three short myths show how stories c hange as they are passed around and told by different people with different influences. It is intriguing to see how one tribe could have such varied views on the same tale.

Opiate Drugs And Opiate Addiction - 1205 Words

Since their development, Opiate painkillers have proved invaluable in the healthcare industry. The need for analgesia has been prevalent since the beginning of time itself and opium has been used as early as Ancient China and fought over in wars such as the Opium Wars. More modernly, this substance has been synthesized for potency and purity in achieving the ultimate pain reliever. It exists in drugs today such as OxyContin, Norco, Percocet, morphine, Dilaudid, Opana, and Demerol. In addition to relieving pain, these medications also produce euphoria and bind to opiate receptors in the brain which contribute to the development of forming an addiction. Opiate Addiction only grows as an issue in the United States due to its availability and lack of knowledge regarding addiction on behalf of patients receiving pain medication. This is why finding an effective cure or treatment to opiate addiction is imperative. Individual treatments for opiate addiction such as replacement therapy, reha bilitation, and support groups are flawed by themselves, however, in combination provide the most effective treatment for opiate addiction. Replacement therapy can generally be defined as substituting one substance for another and in this case, one opiate for another. A double blind study conducted by P.J. Fudala tested the efficacy of buprenorphine and concluded that it is effective in getting patients off of other opiates by reducing their cravings (2003), however, it is counter productive inShow MoreRelatedSuboxone Therapy1568 Words   |  7 Pagesprescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s soci ety combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designerRead MoreIntroduction . Addiction Is An Incontrollable Need For728 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduction Addiction is an incontrollable need for a substance. When someone is addicted, the feeling of being hooked to a substance makes you psychologically believe you cannot go without that substance. These addictions are not only hurting the person doing the substance, but it can tare families apart. Opiate addiction is a disease that is looked down upon by society. If substance users to not get the treatment they need, they will continue to do everything in their power to get ahold of theRead MoreOpiates And Its Effects On The United States1588 Words   |  7 PagesOpiates Should be Outlawed in the United States Opiates, otherwise known as prescription painkillers, have become an enormous problem in the United States. Addiction, overdoses, and death are only a few of the problems caused by opiates. Painkillers can be prescribed to help lessen chronic pain, pain from surgery, pain from serious accidents, or pain from terminal diseases. Opiates are highly addicting and have become highly abused in the United States in the past few years. Prescription painkillersRead MoreDrug Addiction : Drugs And Drugs1017 Words   |  5 Pagessomebody who has a drug addiction especially to opiates. A drug addiction is a mental disorder that the person can no longer control their actions. The person addicted to the drug will no longer care about the outcome of their actions as long as they can get that high they are seeking. **from textbook pg. 303** â€Å"Opioids are classified as narcotics- strongly addictive drugs that have pain relieving and sleep-inducing properties. Opioids include both naturally occu rring opiates (morphine, heroin,Read MoreOpiate Dependency1141 Words   |  5 PagesOpiate Dependency vs. Opiate Addiction Today the recent growth of prescription opioid painkillers has made opiate use far more domesticated and widespread than ever before.   Even though heroin use has declined, the use of prescription opiates has increased. The use of prescription opiates for people who are dependent on the drugs for pain reduction has lead to an increase in abuse. When a family member or friend begins taking the drugs, not because they need them, but because they want to feelingRead MoreDrug Law Violations And Its Effects On The Lives Of Individuals1151 Words   |  5 Pagesarrested every year because of drug law violation. For the longest time in our history the practice of drug wars have led to exceptional rates of incarceration and marginalization of many Americans, targeting poor people and people of color-while failing to lower the actually issue at hand of drug use and other drug-related harms. In this paper, I will address and define the terms â€Å"decriminalization† and â€Å"harm r eduction†. Also will reflect on the sale/use of prescription opiates, in parallel to the useRead MoreVarious Brain Structures : Informed Consent Forms1325 Words   |  6 PagesIndividuals from a drug treatment service will be informed by the service staff of the study being conducted. The study will include thirty opiate dependent subjects as well as thirty healthy individuals (15 males and 15 females over the age of 18). Opiate dependent subjects will be required to have no current psychiatric diagnoses and to also abstain from using any substances, aside from their usual opiate prescription, twenty-four hours prior to their scanning sessions. Materials Informed ConsentRead MoreMethadone Versus Suboxone1055 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom opiate abuse? Having witnessed my 24 year old son go through these, while I was experiencing them right by his side, was an eye opener. Even though Methadone and Suboxone both treat opiate addiction, their use is controversial; however the benefits of their use outweigh the controversy. Even though Methadone and Suboxone both treat opiate addiction, their use is controversial; however the benefits of their use outweigh the controversy. Especially the benefit of thousands of healthy drug freeRead MorePain Killers Analysis987 Words   |  4 PagesThesis: â€Å"Prescription Painkillers Seen as a Gateway to Heroin† article illustrates the possibility that opiate prescriptions open the door to addictions such as heroin. Summary: The article starts with the role prescription opiates might play in encouraging patients to become a heroine addict. Last week Philip Seymour Hoffman died at 46 of an heroin overdose. His heroin addiction ended 20 years ago and as years passed he struggled with a habit involving painkillers. The heroin addict pre-1990s usedRead MoreThe Addict By Michael Stein1746 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The non-fictional novel The Addict offers a current perspective through the author’s eyes, Michael Stein, into the trials and tribulations that one has to go through when being an opiate addict. The processes that addicts go through becomes instantly examinable, offering insight into how individuals become addicted and what they go through while trying to become rehabilitated. Lucy Fields is the main patient described by Michael Stein in this book. Lucy is addicted to Vicodin and has