Through the Eyes of the Blind in Cathedral by Raymond Carver Essay Example for Free

Through the Eyes of the Blind in Cathedral by Raymond Carver Essay Through the Eyes of the Blind in Cathedral by Raymond Carver You can never seem to know whats going on in another ones life, unless you put your feet in there shoes, so to judge, is simply ignorance. Raymond Carvers Cathedral is a story about how the narrator is uncomfortable with having his wifes blind friend, Robert, over. Roger has lost his wife, and to cope with her death, he planned to visit the narrators wife. Without any knowledge whatsoever on how to act in accompany towards a blind man, the narrator seems to get a glimpse of what it is to truly fit into the blind mans shoe. The narrator starts his story very unenthusiastic about Rogers visit. He based his ideas mainly from movies he remembered watching, In the movies, the blind [moves] slowly and never [laughs]. Sometimes they [are] led by seeing-eye dogs. (209). With these ideas, it made it clear on how unaware he was towards blind people. It seemed as though he believed that blind people didnt have much to do with their lives. He felt sorry for Robert, and basically pitied Roberts wife. The Narrator comments, Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one. A woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved. A woman whose husband could never read the expression on her face, be it misery or something better. (213). These were such shallow words to say to someone you have never even met yet, face to face. How can he forget that these were two people who fell in love with each other for who they are, for better or for worse. Beauty is only skin deep. The narrator then anxiously awaits the arrival of Robert as he sips back his drink and watches television. They meet on a high note as the narrators wife introduces the both of them to each other. As they find there selves having small talk, the narrators wife seems to find herself being e mbarrassed as the narrator asks Robert, Which side of the train did you sit on, by the way? The wife then angrily responded What a question, which side! Whats it matter which side as if she werent sure that her husband was mature enough to handle company who supposedly is blind (215). As the night fled by Robert and the narrators wife caught up on old times. Time passed and the narrators wife had left the room, getting ready for bed. The narrator seemed to feel uncomfortable as he was left alone with Robert. He then offered another drink, and also offered to smoke some dope, and Robert accepted the offer. I guess this was the narrators way to lighten up the air, for the narrator to sort of loosen up. His wife comes back, and they all participate in having a little smoke session. The narrators wife ends up falling asleep and Robert suggests staying up late with the narrator. With the television on, the narrator chitchats with Robert. Theyre showing the outside of this cathedral now, as he explains to Robert what cant be heard on television (223). As the television was airing this cathedral, the narrator wondered whether Robert actually knew what a cathedral really is. The narrator asks him and finds out that he only knows what he has just been informed through the television. Robert tries desperately to describe what a cathedral really is, To begin with, theyre very tall, he says, and then continuing on with as though his life was dependent on this (224). It seems as though the narrator wanted to give Robert a vision, he wanted to put Robert in his shoes for a change. The narrator then seemed to realize how bad he was doing, Im not doing so good, am I? he tells Robert as if to see whether or not he really wasnt doing too good of a job or what (225). Robert urges him on, and he continued with which seemed to be a great amount of effort. Robert then suggests a different approach. He gets the narrator to draw the cathedral on a construction paper like shopping bag. Robert follows through the motions of the narrator and seemingly tries to make out the cathedral. The narrator gets all into it and tries hard to draw a picture that will give at least a hint of what a cathedral is like. The narrator finishes up the drawing and Robert suggests that the narrator closes his eyes and continue to draw. The narrator agrees as if to try to see if he could be able to still draw the cathedral with his eyes shut. I think you got it, take a look. What do you think? Robert asked (228). But the narrator decided not to open his eyes, for I believe he has just seen how remarkable it is to be blind. In conclusion I believe the narrator went through a life learning experience. He was afraid of the unfamiliar. He judged another being that he had never even met. He then got to be familiar with the unfamiliar. He then made a friend. I believe this story took the reader through the narrators eyes, the eyes of the blind.

Descartes Proof of God Essay -- essays research papers

Rene Descartes’ arguments in â€Å"Meditations on First Philosophy† are questionable to exactly how valid and sound they really are. His proof for the existence of God in the fifth meditation is an example of one of his invalid and therefore unsound arguments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the meditations Descartes refers to clear and distinct ideas. Descartes first introduces doubt to the reader by saying that one cannot trust these clear and distinct ideas. â€Å"I have noticed that the senses are sometimes deceptive; as it is a mark of prudence never to place our complete trust in those that have deceived us even once.† (Descartes, 60) He introduces doubt through the senses, dreams, and through the possibility of an evil genius at work. For instance he states that â€Å"There is no sure sign that I can tell that I am awake. If there are no sure signs that I can tell that I am awake then there is reason to doubt I am awake. Therefore there is reason to doubt I am awake.† (Descartes 60)This is how Descartes shows that we may be dreaming even though during these dreams we can experience authentic truths. He also he goes on to state that, â€Å"If there is reason to doubt that I am awake then there is reason to doubt that I am sitting by the fire. So then there is reason to doubt that I am sitting by a fire even though I see and feel a fire.† (Descartes 60)This Descartes believes could be true because there may be an evil genius at work, whose sole purpose is to put his entire effort...

How does Arthur Miller present the flaws and limitations of the American Dream in ‘Death of a Salesman’ Essay

The American Dream is an object of desire for many Americans as it is what they strive for their whole life. The American Dream is based mainly on wealth and materialism. The sense of freedom is what people are striving for. Freedom from bills and debt is what Willy Loman is striving for in ‘Death of a Salesman’. The American Dream is seen as a perfect life, which consists of a house with a white picket fence and perfect family: husband, wife, two children and a dog all living happily and comfortably without any financial troubles. But very few Americans achieve that goal in their lifetime, because there’s also competition if everyone’s aiming for it. Every person is competing with their friends and neighbours. These flaws show through in ‘Death of a Salesman’ as Willy tries to get to grips with his life and trying to pay off his house. ‘Death of a Salesman’ has been used by Arthur Miller to show what the American Dream is really like. The play is based around an average family man, Willy Loman, who has struggled all his life to make something of it; to strike it lucky, but his chance never came. He is presented as a ‘normal’ character; the average ‘middle American’, who wants to pay off all his debts and bills. This shows the lack of contentment in his life. He’s not content having a roof over his head, or having a job, because he wants more. Willy wants to achieve more, just like his brother, Ben, who struck it lucky, because he happened to get lost and stumble upon some diamond mines, but Willy blames himself for not going to explore the world with him, ‘There’s just one opportunity I had with that man†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Willy regrets not going with his brother, but what he doesn’t realise is that he was too young to go with him; he was only 3 years old, when his brother left, whereas Ben was 17. But, despite this fact, he still admires his brother. Yet, there’s barely any mention of his father, who earned his living and fulfilling the American Dream by working hard. Willy has a very flawed way of trying to fulfil the American Dream. He does everything the wrong way and what he doesn’t realise is that it takes some hard work. This may be the reason as to why there’s a feeling of failure in the play. Both, Willy and his sons Biff and Happy are failures in achieving in what they wanted and this shows how Arthur Miller is presenting the flaws of the American Dream, because it can really take its toll on people’s lives and practically ruin their relationships with other people, such as their friends and neighbours. Willy has constantly been competing with his neighbour, Charley. However, Charley is running his own business, whereas Willy is still in the same job that he’s been in for years. Selling. The character of Willy Loman is perfect for presenting the flaws of the American Dream, because he’s just an average man; an average ‘Joe Bloggs’ and basically a nobody, because he hasn’t achieved the things that he wanted to achieve. He continues dreaming of making it big and he keeps on chasing this dream, because there’s a feeling of hope in him, everytime his sons go for a job interview or have an appointment with their boss. He refuses to listen to what his sons have to say, because it’s not what he wants to hear. So, instead he just fills their mouth with words or keeps on interrupting them. Willy holds a lot of false hope of something that he won’t be able to achieve and this is reflected within the play and its setting. The play is set in Willy’s house and this is one of the main reasons as to why there is a lack of contentment in the play, because he hasn’t been able to pay off his mortgage for the house. The setting gives off a boxed in feeling, because of the towering apartment buildings and the lack of greenery is a representation of a metaphor, as nothing can flourish or grow. This is why it is regarded as a limitation of the American Dream, which Arthur Miller presents in the play and through Willy. The lack of contentment is also shown through both sons. Happy’s name is pretty ironic, because his life doesn’t seem to be happy, even though he pretends to be. Both, Biff and Happy have a vengeful streak in them as they both take revenge on their bosses in one way or another. Happy has a tendency to sleep with his boss’s girlfriends/fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s/wives, whereas Biff steals from his boss. But the reason they are like this is because their father has made them think they can do anything and get anywhere without qualifications, ‘You filled us up with hot air!’ however, Biff seems to go against his father, probably due to the fact that he knows about his father’s affair. He has always gone against his father’s wishes, such as wanting to work with his hands rather than work in an office job. But, Willy is still very stubborn and proud. He doesn’t realise his children are happy doing what they want. This is why his pride has got in the way of him not being able to achieve anything. He has also made his sons proud; too, by making them think that it’s their personalities that will get them a successful job. This represents another limitation of the American Dream; people have to work hard to get where they want. Bernard, Biff’s high school friend, is an example of a hard working person because he worked hard to get where he wanted and yet he never mentioned it to Willy, ‘The Supreme Court! And he didn’t even mention it!’ This shows that Bernard isn’t the type to boast about how well he’s doing even though he climbing the ladder towards the American Dream. He’s overtaken Biff and Willy regrets that, but isn’t quite sure who to blame. Himself or Biff? Willy is blinded by false hope and great aspirations of striking it rich, but he’s doing all this for his children, so that they don’t have to struggle the way he did. But Bernard and Charley show that people have to do things themselves to achieve what they want to achieve, because Bernard is a top lawyer and he did this without anyone’s help. He doesn’t need Charley to provide for him, nor is he working for him either. The only things that Willy has ever been able to achieve in his life are solid material goods, such as his house, fridge, car and vacuum cleaner. But he doesn’t think that it’s enough, so he decides to go and crash the car and kill himself, just because he wants his children to lead a comfortable life. His death brings in money for his children, but it shows what lengths Willy went to just so that his children could lead the perfect life of an American Dream.

Opec Organization Of The Petroleum Exporting Countries

The region I chose is OPEC, which is the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC was established in 1961 with 5 countries. Since then, it has expanded to 12 countries: Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. As technology improves and the production of oil and natural gas fluctuates, changes in the economy will occur and create tensions and conflicts, as well as opportunities. Because of OPEC s impact on the global economy for natural gas and oil, the strengthening of these countries connections open the door for the emergence of a new world region. There are many economic indicators that affect the OPEC organization. This chart is a†¦show more content†¦In a speech made by Mr. Mohammad Barkindo, OPEC is focused on Securing an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on their capital to those investing in the petroleum industry. The organization holds meetings to discuss what is going on in the global oil and gas economy to establish a reasonable price per barrel. Each country holds a different number of the global oil reserves so the price effects them differently. If the market can stabilize at the right price, the countries can move past tensions and build stronger relationships and create a larger global impact. According to the U.S. Energy Information Association, OPEC member countries produce about 40 percent of the world s crude oil. Equally important to global prices, OPEC s oil exports represent about 60 percent of the total petroleum traded internationally. The other 60 percent of production comes from non-OPEC countries. According to opec.com, the OPEC countries are in control of 81 percent of the crude oil reserves. The demand for oil is increasing exponentially. The United States alone is expected to increase by 1.6 billion barrels by 2016. The organization contains a spare capacity on hand in case of an oil crisis. The number each country can reserve is based on the refinery capacity, which can be seen in the OPEC