Our Previous Samples

The state has 13 special courts to hear cases of atrocities against women. The state government has decided to start 100 fast track courts in the next five years. The procedure of reserving 25 of these 100 fast track courts to exclusively deal with crimes against women is underway.

These are extensive steps taken by the Legislature to safeguard the women of state, to protect their modesty and endow them with a free environment. The amendments were made in accordance with and in such a form that would empower women themselves against the offences.Explanation of the term ‘Sexual Intercourse’ and ‘Penetration’These two terms are redefine after the amendment of 2013 before 2013 intercourse only meant to be penile-vaginal penetration.

The courts interpreted the term sexual intercourse as "mere slightest or partial penetration of the male organ within the labia majora or the vulva or pudenda is sufficient to constitute ‘sexual intercourse’". The courts have stressed on the fact that the depth of the penetration is immaterial. It is also laid down that there is no requirement for injuries to be present on the private part of the woman to constitute rape. The hymen need not be ruptured. Thus the essential condition of rape is penetration and not ejaculation. Ejaculation without penetration will constitute as an attempt to rape and not rape actually.

These conditions were expressly mentioned by the Supreme Court in the case of "State of Uttar Pradesh v Babulnath". The court in this case while delving into the essential ingredients of rape made the observation that "To constitute the offence of rape it is not at all necessary that there should be complete penetration of the male organ with the emission of semen and rupture of hymen.

Even slightest piercing by male organ within the labia majora or the vulva or pudenda with or without any emission of semen or even an attempt at penetration into the private part of the victim would be quite enough for the purposes of section 375 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code. That being so it is quite possible to commit legally the offence of rape even without causing any injury to the genitals or leaving any seminal stain".

An important issue of widening the ambit of section 375 to include the any bodily penetration as rape was raised in the case of Smt Sudesh Jhaku v KCJ & Ors. The petitioners wanted to increase the ambit of the definition to include penetration of any male body part into any orifice in the woman’s body. This however was rejected by the court which was not in favour of tinkering with the existing definition of the term. The court said that it was necessary to prevent chaos and confusion in the society with regard to the changed definition of rape and hence Section 375 should not be altered.

If the logic of the Supreme Court verdict making marital rape of a child is considered sound, adult marital rape should no longer have legal sanction. The court said it cannot make a distinction between a married and an unmarried child in the context of rape as it would create two classes of people, leading to discrimination and a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before law. This reasoning too would apply to adult women.Besides, if the Supreme Court believes marriage is personal and not institutional, the same standard should apply in the context of adult women as well. If tradition cannot be used as an excuse to exempt sex with a minor wife above 15 years of age, can that same tradition be used to justify non-consensual sex between two adults?

Attempts were made in order to criminalize marital rape in India but on the different ground declined the plea. After the delhi gang rape case, the verma committee suggest to penalise marital rape but government pleaded that penalising marital rape will destroy the institution of marriage. Gender-neutral or Gender-specific OffencePast few year the sexual assault was not gender specific but now it is women centric. Now it is considered that men are only capable to perform these act against the women.

The aspect of gender neutrality was required in following aspects:Neutrality with respect to the victimOften the members of the marginalised sex like ‘Transgender’ are also victim of this offence and as such they cannot claim any protection because the crime of rape is not gender neutral. Neutrality with respect to the perpetratorDuring the war in Iraq it surfaced that many women officers also involved themselves in torturing the prisoners by variant sexual assaults[xxv]. This strengthened the assumption that even women can be perpetrator of such crimes.

There are two occasions when the need for gender neutrality arises even in India. Firstly, when during some communal or casteist violence a women is found to be participus criminus. Secondly, when a transgender person is an offender. The recent case of Pinki Pramanik, where her partner filed a case of rape against her, shows the very real possibility of female to male transgender persons or male to female transgender persons (either pre- or post- transition) causing sexual assault on a woman.

False Accusation Of Rape And Punishment For False Complaints In IndiaRaising concerns over the "misuse of rape laws" for implicating men, a special fast-track court acquitted a man of rape charges and has directed the court official to initiate proceedings against the woman for giving false evidence.If with some malafide intentions any false complaint is registered against any innocent person or any false proceeding carried against that innocent person, the Indian Penal Code has codified certain offences wherein falsifying has taken place and the following defences can be taken.

Weight loss is the major concern for anyone in this generation, which should be. The kind of lives we live, demand us to be fit and up on our feet 24/7. We have to be up for the challenges always. The ways we resort to, to fulfil our goals of weight loss are just too many. Some of them work and some of them don’t. being an Indian most of them don’t because we are accustomed to eating high calorie food. All of this just shows how much we need to change the way we live and eat.

Never go for meaningless diets that make you eat air. None of that will ever help you. A good combination of exercise and diet together is what you need to lose weight quickly. Eating right is the way to go for a diet plan. You could choose the diets that suit you the most. So many diet plans now include Indian ingredients. You could easily cook up something with common ingredients in your house and have a good meal.

The fastest way to lose weight is actually putting in effort. Laziness just becomes a huge barrier in our ways and overthrowing it, should be our first step. Today, we have so many sources through which we can learn to lose weight. The options are just unlimited for us. YouTube channels like Eat More lose more shows us the right way to do it and in the most efficient way. You could refer to their Indian meal plans of 1200 calories as well. This way you don’t have to do something that’s just totally foreign because you will be eating Indian food only and your diet will start in a good way.

Don’t rush into anything suddenly. You can’t go from eating pizza one day to being totally vegan another day. Give your body time to adjust to things. Plan a diet in which you kick off bad things for the body one by one. This is the fastest and best way to lose weight. If you try diets that just make you skip food then you will surely lose weight, but that weight will surely come back. Go with seasonal diets that actually help you reduce weight. Our bodies change with seasons so our food has to too. You could refer to monsoon diet plan or summer diet plan on YouTube from eat more lose more to kick start the diet.There is no other way to go about it, if you want to lose weight. Drink up at least 2-3 litres of water in a day. Without water your body will dehydrate and no function will be performed well. Our bodies are 70% water so we just can’t ignore its needs. You don’t have to drink plain water. You could whip up smoothies or drinks that you like. Point is to keep yourself hydrated.

Dieting is all about following up on a plan. Planning helps you accomplish goals and without it you wouldn’t know your next step. Give yourself goals or milestones to cross, like by the end of the month you have to lose 5 kgs or 10 kgs. Keep in mind, the best way to lose weight is by listening to your body.

Losing weight is 80% dieting and 20% exercising. You got to put in that whole 100% to accomplish the goal. Both of them have their own importance. Not eating right is what our system needs and a little exercise just gives it a harder push towards being fit. When you put effort in both ways, you will see wonders being achieved by yourself. Always keep yourself motivated and keep reminding yourself about the reason you are doing it. It just makes it easier to achieve what you started and you will definitely have a fitter healthier body.

In his minimalist short story Save as Many as You Ruin, British author Simon Van Booy comments on the human concept of fate, and how a series of random life events can bring forth the feeling of inevitability. The story is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator who is closely tied to Gerard, the main character, and has insight into his past and thoughts and feelings. Thus, the actual plot of the story is supported by Gerard’s continuous stream of consciousness which allows the reader to always know what he is thinking. In the first part of the short story, Gerard is walking around New York City. This serves as an introduction to Gerard’s way of reasoning and, more importantly, the past events which shaped him as a per- son. The actual story line is sparse and does not begin until Gerard sees his old flame, Laurel, through a shop window.

Gerard is a man of a great contemplative nature. His thoughts reveal that he thinks deeply about everything, and associates and connects the things which he has experienced. His streams of thought are associative as he jumps from one idea to another, revealing a complex inner life where he is constantly aware of himself and his surroundings. In the very beginning of the short story, as Gerard walks through the streets of New York as night is falling, the sight of his footprints in the snow invoke the lively image of an Indigenous American who once inhabited the forests and came to be Manhattan. Shortly thereafter, Gerard's mind wanders and he contemplates the fugitive nature of his own existence;

“Gerard thinks of his own footprints and how soon they will disappear. He exhales into the world and his breath disappears (...) He wonders if his life is an extraordinary one.”

Among other things, it is contemplations like these that give the short story an air of melancholy. The mood is generally downbeat, as Gerard seems to be haunted by a slight Weltschmerz due to the passing of Issy, the mother of his child, and his separation from Laurel, the only woman he ever loved. Though as his daughter, Lucy, crosses Gerard's mind, he “feels stabbing love” – a powerful image which reveals his excruciatingly strong attachment to the little girl. As a way of making up for his past problematic relationships with women, Gerard is secure in his devotion to his child, one of the few things in life that makes him happy. He has set his mind on being a good, single father.

In addition, weather symbolism adds to the short story’s inherent sense of nostalgia and dis- piritedness. As Gerard wanders around the city, it is cold and snow is coming down, creating the perfect backdrop for a nostalgic stroll tinged with sadness. However, when Laurel and Gerard are about to exit the shop, the weather has turned into an icy blizzard from which they must seek refuge in a taxi, which helps to move the story forward. Contrary to quietly falling snow, a blizzard it creates an sense of drama, which suits Gerard’s emotional response to his reunion with Laurel. At the same time, when one is inside watching a blizzard rage through a window, it can be strangely calming, inspiring tender closeness with loved ones. Quite fittingly, Gerard and Laurel make love next to lit scented candles during the blizzard.

Van Booy also uses the symbol of footprints throughout the story. The footprints which people leave in sand or snow have become common symbols of the physical impact human beings leave behind on Earth. Gerard is concerned with his own legacy which he regards as short-lived and, most likely, ordinary. The reference to the movie The Invisible Man reveals that footprints can just as easily be testimonies to human wrongdoings in spite of the fact that they are as evanescent as the snow that holds them.

The short story ends with an episode where Gerard is overwhelmed by a feeling that can best be described as Kierkegaardian angst;

“All of a sudden he feels a chill like cold water down his back. The tumbler of scotch slips from his fingers and shatters on the floor (...) His heart leaps into his throat. Someone was there, he could have sworn it.”

At midnight in the raging blizzard, Gerard senses the presence of something in his apartment. At first, this scares him enormously but when he realises that what is present at that very moment is not a person, nor a divine being, but fate itself, he experiences an epiphany; all of life’s events, however tragic or unfortunate they appeared to be as they unfolded, are but blessings in disguise:

“Gerard feels as though he is being followed, that there are voices he can’t hear, that the foot- steps of snow on the window are just that, and like Lucy’s conception – life is a string of guided and subtle explosions.”

With reference to Lucy, thelight of his life who, at the time of her conception, seemed a great tragedy, Gerard realizes that life events are guided by fate because they all serve a purpose. This also explains Gerard’s newfound confidence in the fact that Laurel will soon move in with him – his encounter with fate leaves him more sensitive to understanding its plan and heightens his intuition for knowing what is to come.

Save as Many as You Ruin is thus the story of a man whose self-doubt and unlucky destiny is turned around in a matter of hours. The encounter with the love of his life goes well and leaves open the possibility that a flame will be relit between them. His relationship with his beloved daughter is also as good as ever, and though a blizzard is raging outside, these positive events lead to Gerard experience an intense feeling of order in his life. The occurrences, which seemed unfavorable and pointless at the beginning of the story, suddenly feel foreordained; cosmos has been restored. The short story seems to suggest that love and a confidence in life’s overall goodness is needed to avoid feelings of depression and anxiety. If we believe strongly enough and guard ourselves with patience, coincidental happenings can become meaningful moments in the path to future happiness. Like Kierkegaard, who created the concept of angst as a profound anxiety caused by a disbelief in life’s meaning, the short story suggests that life can only be understood backwards, though it must be lived forwards.

Fate is shown to be a common concept throughout ancient and modern works. From Oedipus Rex to Walt Disney’s Brave, the power of fate is highly recognized within our culture; whether it is accepted or not is another story though. Through the use of remembrance, repetition, and the concept of fate, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is able to tell the story of the creation and destruction of the town of Macondo as it struggles through trials of historical, biblical and fantastical nature. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel of magical realism in which the inhabitants of Macondo follow paths that have been taken before and reach the same conclusions, implying that their fates have been set since the beginning of the town’s creation. Aureliano even reads a prophecy of the town’s destruction and as time progresses, the people and locations play out their assigned roles and fade away, drifting on up to heaven or being led away by a ghost.

The purpose of One Hundred Years of Solitude is to show that the future can be already pre determined, but will still be a mystery to those experiencing it. The world can“exist in a state of flux; they assign purpose and meaning to some lives while, simultaneously, draining the same from other lives” (Isip 133). This allows for history and memory to be manipulated to serve the purposes of each of the characters. Repetitiveness is shown throughout the novel and madness is served up as a result of this. “I was thinking the same thing, but suddenly I realized that it’s still Monday, like yesterday. Look at the sky, look at the walls, look at the begonias. Today is Monday too” (Garcia Marquez 77). This scene is slightly realistic for if one thought that everyday was the same, it would be likely they would believe that they were losing their mind. This shows that time isn’t always quite as it seems and that it can easily slip away from you. The idea that the future may be predetermined is continued to be shown because“ One Hundred Years of Solitude has a circular structure - an enclosed totality - tying the end to the beginning and vice verse” (Stavans 274). Even the characters realize time has repeated itself and the novel continues to tie one character to one from previous generations. This creates the illusion that everything is connected by more than blood and that each fate has been determined by a previous experience. Another purpose of One Hundred Years of Solitude is to show that Macondo has been built out of hard work. Garcia Marquez writes, “The primitive building of the founders became filled with tools and materials, or workmen exhausted by sweat... exasperated by the sack of bones that followed them everywhere with its dull rattle” (Garcia Marquez 55).The beginning of the town was one much more positive and pure than the way it ends, which is within a massive storm, completing the cycle from man-made back to nature.

Repentance continues to play a major role as Garcia Marquez pulls from major historical events when he builds One Hundred Years of Solitude . Seaman states that the “perspective on the glories and follies of humankind and the perpetual ‘veracity of nature’ are newly arresting and freshly relevant” (Seaman 39). The perspective gives a view on the struggles and high points of the town’s existence and shows its realism. Throughout time there have been many destructions of towns and cities through the works of nature and many cities and towns have also been built just as Macondo was. Garcia Marquez even makes direct references such as “on the eve of the elections, Don Apolinar Moscote himself read a decree that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages and the gathering together of more than three people who were not of the same family” (Garcia Marquez 95). Here he is referencing how in the 1920’s and 30’s there was the Prohibition, which also banned the sale of alcohol. This scene also shows the strict control over the town, which exists as an unhealthy and rigid control that bans a common way people use to relinquish bad memories. Memory is shown to be quite powerful because “history and memory are only useful to those who understand the unreliability of the terms ‘history’ and ‘memory’ (which... are interchangeable as both are mere constructions)” (Isip 139). The only choices for a character are to be the victim of a past cycle or to be the one who creates the cycle. This means one can never be a bystander to the past. For example, the Banana Plantation revolt that ends with a massacre that no one in the town seems to know about. Here, the massacre begins as what is described as surreal. It is as if the rioters have experienced this before, which is ironic because the event really did happen.

Alongside referencing historical events, Garcia Marquez also references The Bible . “Western familiarity with the Bible would explain why it has been the focal point of research into the novel's mythological sources, even though One Hundred Years is bereft of a Noah-like figure and the construction of a boat, and no figure of Mount Ararat in the background where such a boat might land ” (Corwin 65). This implies that the reason that Macondo may not have been saved is that there was not a Noah-like figure that could save some inhabitants like Noah did. The conclusion of the novel may have allowed the town to survive, or at least be rebuilt just as Noah rebuilt what had been wiped out. There is also a time when the town has reverted back to a time similar to beginning of the creation of the world when Adam and Eve were said to have had to name all objects. This was when the town was struck with amnesia and everything was given a new name within the town of Macondo. A sense of purity is shown as everything must be renamed and the world seems to have reverted back to when it was first created with Adam and Eve. Luckily though, everyone manages to regain their memory of the objects that surround them. This is especially fortunate for it is unknown how much the town could have regressed. Even the main labeling of God could one day have no longer been understood if the town had, for instance, lost their ability to read as they regressed. As Stavans says, “The Buendias are defined by the biblical curse of incest from the beginning of the narrative” (Stavans 273). This shows that the curse is known as a generational curse. The names of each of the characters even repeat, making father literally just like son. Just as it is in the bible, there is always a punishment for sin, which is shown to play out as Macondo is destroyed.

Memory is shown to be one of the most powerful themes within this novel, for “neither history nor memory provide an absolute reliable truth about the past and future, but are, instead, constructions of the individual” (Isip 133). Even if the previous experiences had been recorded, there is no promise that the advice would be clear or even be taken. There is no guarantee that the past won’t repeat itself, but it is likely that it will with no attempt to look back. In the modern era, when history repeats itself it is much more easily seem. The current use of technology allows for the past to be easily recorded and then distributed all of the world. In an isolated town like Macondo, where the inhabitants are mostly related and have not come from especially far, new is less likely to come from far away and reach in a timely manner. On the other hand, one would think that the communication of the past within the town would be quite good since it is quite the tight knit community. This seems not to be the case though, for the whole novel is centered around the start and end of Macondo, showing how the repentance of history can truly destroy generations on generations. If each fate had been recorded, the fates would probably not have been repeated. Because no fates were recorded, the town was doomed to repeat the same fates until the end. Isip states that “though Garcia Marquez reveal(s) history and memory to be fallible, [he does not] deny the usefulness of constructions of history and memory that build self-worth and strength for individual characters” (Isip 136-137). The past is taken slightly into account as it does help build the characters. The characters do advance throughout the novel, but this is not enough to save them from their fate.

Although this novel contains many outlandish and slightly disturbing scenes, it could almost be believed if it wasn’t for the fantastical elements that it contains. Garcia Marquez creates a “magic realism by blending the everyday with the supernatural and embodying emotions in the physical manifestations” (Seaman 39). This allows the the fantasy to become more realistic and to seem almost normal in day-to-day life. The book seems almost realistic, but this fantasy element stops one from wondering if it could actually exist. This is why the novel would be classified as magical realism, instead of just fantasy of realistic. The elements instead exist as if they could just be metaphors from the perspective of the author or another character in the novel. For example, Remedios the beauty floats off into the sky, for she is a symbol of purity too good for this earth. This shows that someone of such purity cannot live within the normal world without flat out stating this. This also raises the question of whether or not she really did float off into the heavens. The author could simply have been using rhetorical language in order to show the true ethereal beauty and purity that Remedios beholds. There could have also been an event in which another character in the book believes that he or she is seeing her rise from the sky when really something quite different could be occurring. The “Fantastical occurrences with matter-of-fact authority, exemplifying the literary style”(Seaman 39) which allows for them to blend in with the rest of the novel. The magical events occur as if they were common occurrences, making the reader question whether or not the event actually happened. In fact, magic is shown from the very first chapters when the“beams creak from the desperation of nails and screws trying to emerge, and even object that had been lost for a long time appeared from where they had been searched for most and went dragging along in turbulent confusion behind Melquiades’ magical irons” (Marquez 1). Here the town is introduced as almost illogical, especially since this town with a lot of magic had absurdly been wiped away without any trace.

Keep in mind:
This is only a sample.

Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.

Garcia Marquez shows the destruction of Macondo as something that could have been avoided with more of a glance back into the past. His realism is tipped just by the fantastical elements hidden within the lines and the glimpses into possible insanity. The realism can be doubted though, for if it wasn’t for the quantity, it could be master rhetoric by Garcia Marquez. Either way, One Hundred Years of Solitude is truly a incestuous masterpiece with a cyclical nature that creates a hidden beauty that shows the value of the past.

In the thrilling epic Beowulf, the theme of fatalism is very apparent throughout the poem. "Fate will go as it must." (Line 455) The Anglo Saxons believed that people lived life as an everyday struggle against undefeatable odds and that a man's "wyrd" or fate would be what it would be (Chickenring 269). The Anglo-Saxon's understanding of fate is that it is a force that controls a man's life regardless of his actions. Beowulf is a valiant hero in this poem; he has fought many battles and won many wars. He understands that his life is in the hands of fate. Beowulf knows that no matter how well he fights or how many weapons he uses, if wyrd is not on his side he is therefore doomed. In the beginning of the poem Beowulf is introduced as a fearless hero who has the might and strength of thirty men. As the story unfolds, Beowulf slowly loses his vitality until he is fatally defeated. He cannot escape his deadly fate. The author demonstrated the power of fate by showing Beowulf's gradual decline of strength through the outcomes of his three battles with the monsters.

Beowulf's voyage brings him to the land of the Danes where he is first confronted by a guard who immediately upon seeing him, remarks on his impressive appearance. "Never have I seen a mightier noble, a larger man than the one among you a warrior in armor." (Lines 247-249) Once he and his men are allowed in Denmark, Beowulf reunites with his deceased father's old friend Hrothgar in the mead hall. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he is desperate to get rid of the ferocious beast, Grendel. He says, "It gives me great shame to have to reveal/ disaster Grendel has brought me in his persecution. / my men are less. Fate swept them off."(Lines 473- 477) Beowulf promises to help Hrothgar and pledges to fight till his death if need be. He says "that I would entirely fulfill the desire of the Danish nation or else fall slaughtered in the grip of the foe. Tonight I will do a heroic deed or else I will serve my last day of life here in this mead hall" (Lines 632-638). His speech to Hrothgar shows Beowulf's courage and confidence in his abilities. So, confident of his incomparable power, he chooses to not use any weapons or armor of any kind. When Beowulf fights Grendel he simply grabs onto the monsters arm and rips it off. Grendel goes back to his liar and dies. Beowulf returns to the Danes and with Grendel's arm and is thanked profusely by the people and Hrothgar.

This fight illustrates how strong and brave Beowulf is at this time. Fate has brought him success in his battles and he is at the peak of his life. He may be strong and powerful, but without fate on his side he is damned. He says, "Fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good." (Lines 572-573) Unfortunately the death of Grendel brings another battle for Beowulf, Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother becomes enraged by the death of her son and wants to avenge his death. Before going into the water to fight Grendel's mother, Beowulf shows that although he "has no care for his life" (Line 1443) he knows that there is the possibility of death. Beowulf approaches this battle with confidence as before, but this time he covers himself in armor and uses a sword for protection. "Across his chest lay the iron net; it saved his life as she hacked and stabbed" (Lines 1547-1549) Beowulf's original sword proves to be useless against this beast. He sees an ancient sword in the monster liar and slays her. Had there not been a sword in the liar, Beowulf may have not been victorious.

Beowulf's wyrd was to defeat Grendel's mother, but he may not have succeeded if fate did not allow him to find the other sword. "Not very easily did I save my life in battle under water/ at once the fight was decided against me, except that God saved me. In that battle I could not use Hrunting, though that weapon is still good/ the ruler of men granted the favor that I see on the wall a bright sword hanging, gigantic heirloom / so that I found the right weapon to draw.(1655-1665). Compared with the defeat of Grendel, where he only needed his bare hands to finish off the monster, Beowulf seems to be slowly becoming weaker. Hrothgar warns Beowulf that his strength will not last forever. "Oh brave champion! Your fame lives now in, one strong time. Soon in their turn sickness or war will break your strength, or the grip of fire overwhelming wave, or swords swing, or hateful old age the lights will darken that were your eyes death overcomes you all at once warrior. "(Lines 1762-1769) Hrothgar shares his wisdom to remind Beowulf not to let pride overcome him for everything in life is eventually defeated due to the power of fate.

After slewing the two monsters, Beowulf gains great respect from the Danes and returns to his home land, Geatland. He and his men are reunited with their king and queen, Hygelac and Hygd and tell them of his adventures in Denmark. Over time, the great King, Hygelac is killed in a battle against the Shylfings. When Hygelac's son dies, the queen offers Beowulf the throne of the Geats. Beowulf becomes a wise and noble king. He rules for fifty years, bringing wealth to Geatland. However, when a thief disturbs a barrow, where a dragon lies guarding a pile of treasure the dragon becomes infuriated and begins killing the Geats and causing havoc all over the land. After Beowulf received news of the angered dragon his reaction was expected to be similar to how he responded to Grendel and Grendel's mother. Nevertheless, his reaction to the news was a sense of something bad to come. He is not completely sure of himself. "To the great king it was great anguish, pain deep in mind." (Lines 2327-2329) At this point the narrator warns the reader that Beowulf will die in the upcoming battle. "The king long good, was to read the end of his seafaring days, his life in this world together with the serpent though long it had rules the wealth of the hoard."(Lines 2341-2344) Beowulf puts aside his fears and gathers his men to fight the dragon. Before embarking on his fateful mission, he tells the Geats a sad story of the death and the sorrow it caused the Geat people. This story is an indication that Beowulf is aware of his old age and diminished strength and seems unsure of his fate. "His spirit was sad, restless, death ripe; immeasurably near the fate that was coming to the old man to seek out his soul parting the two, his life from the body" (Lines 2419-2423).

Beowulf prepares himself for the fight against the dragon by protecting his body with armor, realizing that it is unlikely he will defeat the dragon without protection and weapons. When he fought Grendel so many years ago, Beowulf was sure of his abilities and fate and chooses not to use weapons. Beowulf fights the dragon with all his might and succeeds in killing the dragon. Unfortunately Beowulf's time has come and dies by the dragon's venomous bite. Beowulf's tragic death signifies the great role of fate in life for the Anglo Saxons. No matter how great the warrior, fate prevails "He could not in the world, much as he wished, keep any life in the old spear-leader nor change the course of the Ruler's will. The judgment of God then ruled the deed of every man as He still does now." (Lines 2855-2859)

The author of Beowulf used the Anglo Saxon concept of "wyrd" to exemplify how each battle that Beowulf fought would affect how he fought the others. The author also showed how a person's fate is death and how each battle that Beowulf fought brought him closer to his dying day. During the first battle, Beowulf is strong, powerful, and very confident. He fights and kills Grendel without a weapon and is very proud of his glory. He knew that fate was on his side, but always stated that he was aware that the end of his life will one day come. In the second battle, this time against Grendel's mother, Beowulf chooses to use a weapon, but the weapon fails. Thankfully, fate allows him to see a sword in the monsters liar and Beowulf decapitates the monster. Beowulf knew after his first battle that fate was on his side, but would he have the power of "wyrd" again while fighting Grendel's mother? This is why he may have chosen to use a sword. Beowulf's last brawl was against a dragon that was terrorizing the Geatland. Beowulf was very unsure of himself. His tone had completely changed since the beginning of the poem. He therefore, protects himself with armor and weapons, so that he feels more secure while battling the dragon. Beowulf's feeling of uncertainty and fear indicated that his death was near and that it would end with the dragon. As the story ended Beowulf's fate was to overcome and kill the dragon, but was not to live another day.

Paul Bauschatz and James Earl both confirm in their writings that the use of the word "wyrd" suggests the deciding power of all past actions on present events. It is then reasonable to say that the hero's death is directly connected or predetermined by his earlier actions. The Christian religion states that God determines whether a hero will live or die. In Beowulf, it appears that it is no longer God who determines whether the hero will succeed or perish. It is wyrd, the collective pressures of Beowulf's previous actions, which makes his death inevitable.

Keep in mind:
This is only a sample.

Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.

In the poem Beowulf, wyrd, the eternal power of all past actions on present events, determines Beowulf demise. It was Beowulf's fate to fight the two monsters and the dragon. It was also his fate to die a hero. Throughout the story it seemed like Beowulf constantly tested fate. He did not appear to care whether he lives or dies. He knew that he could not control his destiny. Although, Beowulf did know, on his dieing day, that through courage he can live on in the memory of those who will live after him.

References

1. Hamilton, M. P. (1946). The religious principle in Beowulf. PMLA, 61(2), 309-330. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/abs/religious-principle-in-beowulf/092C8C3FF56B317E2E5F7C74BB512C20)
2. Spencer, M. (2017). Something Wicked This Way Comes: The Supernatural and Unnatural in Macbeth. Undergraduate Research Journal, 21(1), 7. (https://openspaces.unk.edu/undergraduate-research-journal/vol21/iss1/7/)
3. Sharma, M. (2005). Metalepsis and Monstrosity: The Boundaries of Narrative Structure in" Beowulf". Studies in Philology, 247-279. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4174821)
4. Inankur, A. (2002). Blending of Strengths: The Convergence of Christian Themes and Epic Motifs in Beowulf, The Faerie Queene, and Paradise Lost. (https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Blending-of-Strengths%3A-The-Convergence-of-Christian-Inankur/99f68d185d66b4c10e6daa857956257edd513d8f)
5. Sayers, W. (2020). Rhetorical Coercion and Heroic Commitment: Beowulf’s Reception at Heorot. English Studies, 101(6), 651-664. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0013838X.2020.1799164)

In Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, family becomes the central theme that shapes the world in the novel. A reader follows the story of the single-parent family: the father and his son travel across the post-apocalyptic land and fight for their survival day by day. While the father is a loving and caring person devoted to his child, the mother prefers to retreat and commits suicide. In this dog-eat-dog world, these characters reveal their nature and turn out to be polar opposites through a broader lens. The author contrasts the paternal and maternal roles and presents them as two possible attitudes toward the life hardships. While the mother is the person who cannot stand ordeals and escapes, the father figure is the one who manifests unconditional and invisible love through typical family activities, the new world behavior, and guidance.

The image of the mother is blurred, and a few details suggest that she is the personification of those who are unable to adjust themselves to brutal external conditions and choose to give up. From the first moments of the story, one can see her absence, and there is always some gap that the characters feel deeply. One night, after another coughing fit, the father talks to the boy saying he is sorry he has woken him up, and the boy suddenly admits he wishes he were with his mom. Although the father and the son rarely mention her aloud, they both often think about her. This memory is torturing, but it gives them a chance to keep moving because they have nothing else left. For the father, this memory is a reminder of his inability to take care of his wife and letting her die alone somewhere, and the vivid dreams intensify the suffering. For the son, again, it is natural to dream of her presence, just as any motherless child does, even though he tries to keep face straight. Thus, the figure of the mother becomes the evocation of the past that fuels the characters.

However, beyond the family yearning, there is one more idea associated with the mother figure – the attitude towards struggle and hope. The woman expects the worst – being captured, raped, and killed at some point of the family existence, and she can only seek comfort in controlling her own life via suicide: “As for me my only hope is for eternal nothingness.” It is the lack of faith in the face of no hope that distinguishes the woman from her husband. She is unable to go beyond the present because there is no evidence of future wellbeing. In other words, the maternal role is specific because it implies protection, as the woman actually believes, that objectively has nothing to do with motherly love. By means of the mother figure, the writer pictures the opposite of hope rather than genuine motherhood.

Unlike the woman, the man possesses the best qualities of a father. The multiple situations described in the story identify him as a person of sincere love, courage, and self-sacrifice. The book contains several moments in which the writer exhibits the ideal relationship between a father and son that belong to a normal, untouched by the catastrophe world rather than the post-apocalyptic, hostile environment. For instance, it is a common practice for a father to teach his child how to swim – in the present world. In The Road setting, such events are extraordinary, and their value increases. In this episode, the father acts as a caring, supportive parent who encourages his son and makes sure there is no threat: “The man went back and got him. He held him and floated him about... You're doing good, the man said. You're doing good.” This moment proves that the characters’ family bonds are strong, and the simple activity becomes a substantial evidence.

Another illustrative example of the father and son’s closeness is the moment when they encounter a bunker with many useful supplies. Although both of them are on their guard since “bad guys” might appear, it does not prevent them from having a rest. The father shaves and cuts his own and son’s hair, and these seemingly ordinary activities turn out to be a precious moment of the long-hoped-for tranquility and uneasy family happiness. Such episodes prove that the father’s attempts to delight his son are sometimes successful, even though it is a momentary success. On the one hand, the book does not offer anything in the way of escape or comfort. On the other hand, one cannot ignore such moments because they provide a reader with the firm evidence that the man managed to do much for his child.

Further, the father not only engages his son into pleasant activities but also guards him throughout the story till his last breath. Indeed, it is the only possible way of survival for a small child, and the man has been taking care of him since his birth. It is peculiar that he has to deliver the baby when the catastrophe is taking place, and the fact that the clock stopped may be the powerful symbol of the new time marking – now taking into account the son’s presence and caring of him. Since this moment, the appalling conditions and greater responsibility require specific behavior, and it is not always about being heroic or having fun together. Practical affairs, for instance, looking for food, become one of the most urgent activities. In the new world, there are still some opportunities to find forgotten places where cans and other supplies are available. The father worries not about himself – his main concern is about the food for his child. The minor details demonstrate that he catches at every straw when it comes to obtaining food as it happens in the old apple orchid: “He felt out the spaces about the trunks and filled his pockets full and he piled apples in the hood of his parka behind his head and carried apples stacked along his forearm against his chest.” As the man of the new world, he understands that he should use every opportunity because he has to feed his son.

In addition to these prosaic details, the author also demonstrates that the father’s behavior modifies when some circumstances expose his son danger. The most telling example is probably the moment when he shoots one of those bad men who were threatening his son and uses a valuable bullet because, as he tells the boy, his job is to take care of him: “I was appointed to do that by God. I will kill anyone who touches you.” Indeed, the boy is the only reason for the father to live, consequently, he should keep his boy alive no matter how. Overall, it is the new world reality that makes the man use every opportunity to survive regardless of the costs. He is not afraid to go down in his son’s estimation and kill someone because, in his worldview, his son’s life is the most precious thing.

Finally, the father serves as the teacher for the boy, not only in terms of material matters but also shaping his worldview and answering his questions about life. The dialog in the darkness helps a reader scrutinize the father and the son’s relationships:

What would you do if I died?
If you died I would want to die too.
So you could be with me?
Yes. So I could be with you.

In this example, one can see that the man cannot imagine his life without his son, and he tells it him directly. As he sees the son as someone sacred, he tries to shepherd him despite the unavailability of food, home, safety, company, or hope. By his own example, he teaches him to be honest, admits he does not have all the answers, and still tries to provide the explanation why the life is sometimes so hard. As the father feels he is going to die, he reassures the boy and remains a good father until his last moment.
To conclude, the novel’s characters, the man, and his wife represent two alternatives. The author illustrates how different they are not only in terms of parenthood but also their perception of the harsh reality. The father figure is the parent-fighter type: despite the challenges the family has to face, he makes every endeavor to protect his child whom he views as his reason for being. He is strong and determined, and love is what gives him the power to continue the way. In comparison with her husband, the woman exemplifies the weakness as she cannot accept the new world in which danger and death lurk in every corner. This feeling is more powerful than the motherly feelings that one could expect of a mother. Thus, the fraternal and maternal roles are notable for their ambiguous meaning: they pertain to real people’s relationships and simultaneously are abstract forms of the worldview.

Despite the lack of a strong paternal figure in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, two separate father-daughter relationships play an integral role in the central plot of the play. The strained relationship of Venetian moneylender Shylock and his daughter Jessica, as well as the nonexistent association between Portia and her deceased father, lead the two young women to act as they do, in turn affecting the entire cast of characters. As a common theme in the works of William Shakespeare, suffering in the name of love also applies to the two heroines of The Merchant of Venice. The delicate subject of love is further complicated by the demanding, unwavering standards set by the respective fathers of Jessica and Portia. It is these strict rules, decreed by the two powerful patriarchs, which bring Jessica and Portia together as sympathetic characters in the eyes of the reader; two women deeply in love, unable to consummate their feelings with the men they care for because of the iron rule of their fathers. However, as the play progresses, it becomes apparent that the two women are quite different. While love consumes Jessica, clouding her judgement and eventually bringing harm upon Shylock, Portia chooses to respect the dying wish of her father, letting the situation work itself out correctly. It is these choices, along with others, which play an important role in the conclusion of the play.

Throughout the play, Shylock is portrayed as a selfish man, concerned only with monetary gain, often at the sacrifice of others. The moneylender takes his love of money to such an extreme, it permeates his daily life, as well as the lives of his family. When Jessica successfully elopes with her Christian lover Lorenzo, stealing her father's gold and jewels on the way out, Shylock is equally upset about the loss of his daughter as his is about the loss of his money. Solanio witnesses Shylock's outburst in the streets of Venice after the robbery, quoting the incensed Jew as saying, ³My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! Justice! The law! My ducats and my daughter²(II.8.15-18)! The reader has no way of knowing what Shylock is more upset about: Is he upset because his daughter has escaped his rule, to be wed to a Christian? Or is he more perturbed about the loss of a portion of his great fortune, the one thing he loves more than life itself? Shakespeare never really answers this question, leaving the reader to decide themselves. However, in the end, it appears as if Shylock's fortune supercedes everything, including family and love. In addition to this apparent apathy towards his daughter, Shylock sees Jessica, his only female offspring, as a commodity, vital to continuing the family name. She becomes just like the jewels and gold he owns, another possession he can keep locked away. In fact, he does just that, exiling her inside the house, assuring she will not be sullied by Christian suitors. However, Jessica will not be imprisoned while her true love is waiting for her. She both despises her father and feels sorrow for him, saying ³I am sorry thou wilt leave my father so; Our house is hell, and thou a merry devil didst rob it of some taste of tediousness²(II.3.1-3). Because of his belief that his daughter is a possession, Shylock is doubly hurt by Jessica's marriage and subsequent conversion to Christianity. He has lost gold, jewels, his daughter, and finally, the ability to continue the family name in the form of a grandchild. As the couple prepares to flee Venice, Jessica tells her fiancé ³O Lorenzo, if thou keep promise, I shall end this strife, become a Christian and thy loving wife²(II.3.19-21)! It is evident that Jessica's hatred for Shylock is so great, she is willing to do anything, including leaving her homeland and converting religions, just to escape his maniacal control. As we see later in the play, this decision, perhaps unavoidable, will have a great affect on Shylock and the entire story.

At first glance, it appears Jessica and Portia are in similar situations, two women in love, their desires being withheld because of the demands of their fathers. However, after closer examination, there are glaring differences between both the situations and the two characters themselves. Portia is a wealthy heiress, left in charge of Belmont by her deceased father, the former king. Before his death, Portia's father added a condition to his will, stating that his daughter could only be married to the suitor who selected one of three caskets. The caskets, bearing three separate inscriptions, are meant to separate the gold diggers from the true suitors, a final helpful measure taken by the king to ensure that neither his daughter nor his fortune is taken advantage of. Of course, Portia cannot understand the precaution, instead desiring freedom from her deceased father. She wants total autonomy while selecting a groom, complaining to Nerissa, ³I may neither choose who I would nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father²(I.2.22-24).

While Portia's father is obviously looking out for his daughter's best interests when he writes the addendum to his will, the same can not necessarily be said for Shylock's maniacal behavior. Shylock sees Jessica more as valued property, a collectable that will one-day produce a grandchild, thus carrying on the family name. Portia's father, on the other hand, has experienced years of unscrupulous people, eager to get a piece of his fortune. He realizes his daughter may encounter problems separating well-meaning suitors from greedy con men. Therefore, he devises a test, a way in which Portia will be sure the man she marries is noble and good intentioned.

A set of three caskets, one gold, one silver and one lead are set before any potential suitor. The perspective husband and future king of Belmont must choose one of the three caskets. If the correct one is chosen, the man will receive all that accompanies the title of king. However, an incorrect choice means the man must go the rest of his days unmarried, a punishment for making the wrong decision. The Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Argon go first, selecting the gold and silver caskets, respectively. The Prince of Morocco sees the scull of death in the gold casket, while the Prince of Argon, an old and decrepit man, sees the picture of a fool in the silver casket. When Bassanio, the true love of Portia's life, appears, she begs him to take his time so as to insure he will make the correct decision. However, Bassanio, ever the gambler, insists on selecting immediately. He chooses the dull lead casket, a decision, which wins him the hand of Portia. It is at this point that Portia realizes her father's intentions are pure, as she is destined to be with the one she had always wanted.

As the play concludes, the reader begins to see how intrinsically different Jessica and Portia really are. In turn, this makes the tyranny of the two fathers different as well. Shylock holds Jessica hostage, a mere possession to be counted amongst the rest of his fortune. On the other hand, Portia's deceased father is only looking out for his daughter's best interest, ensuring she find a suitable groom. Shakespeare makes this point in Act V, when Jessica and Lorenzo discuss their relationship in terms of three love stories, each of which ends in tragedy and heartbreak. While Portia, at the behest of her father, forces her suitors to earn her love, Jessica hands her ³casket² freely to Lorenzo, without a test to prove his affection. Like the unsuccessful love stories of the past, Jessica and Lorenzo's love is fated to be a failure, while Portia and Bassanio's love will flourish.

Through the use of modulating points of view, Art Spiegelman pieces several stories into one in order to portray his father Vladek’s Holocaust story as well as his experiences with Vladek as he wrote the book. The conflict between Art and his father is one major theme of Maus which may be analyzed in terms of Vladek’s belittlement of Art, Vladek’s dissatisfaction with Art’s occupation, and Vladek’s frugality.

In the first several pages of the graphic memoir, Art presents a comic which, from the start, demonstrates a tension in the paternal bond between his father and himself. When young Art’s skate breaks and his friends abandon him, he walks sullenly to where his father is working in the garage, seeking paternal love. When Art tells his father about his friends skating off without him, his father replies, “Friends? Your friends?... If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week… Then you could see what it is, friends!” (6). While it is true that compared with the vast atrocities Vladek has experienced Art’s problem is of minor consequence, his reaction is not suited well as a response to a young child’s plea for help. The belittlement Art felt on that occasion lasted beyond his early childhood into adulthood. When Vladek upsets a bottle of pills during one of many interviews with his son, he blames it on Art. Art is obviously frustrated by this but he offers to help pick up and recount the scattered pills. At this Vladek says, “You don’t know counting pills” (30). It seems that Vladek trusts only himself to care for himself. While this is unfortunate, it is nonetheless sensible because during the most trying time of his life he could count only on himself for survival. As he told Art, “It was everybody to take care of himself!” (114). Janina, Vladek’s first son’s governess, had always offered to help the endangered Spiegelmans. However, even she abandoned them as she found her own life put in harm’s way by their presence on her doorstep . Because he is accustomed to doing things in his own way, Vladek sees only fault and immaturity in his son’s actions. From being forced to finish everything on his plate to being upbraided for dropping cigarette ashes on the carpet, Art’s father constantly treats him as a child.

Unfortunately for Art, Vladek’s dissatisfaction with him extends also to his chosen occupation. Art tells Mala, “He never reads comics… He doesn’t even look at my work when I stick it under his nose” (104). A slightly more humorous example of his lack of understanding of Art’s career occurs when he identifies him with Walt Disney, a well-known child’s cartoonist. To identify the writer of Maus, a deep and moving piece of scholarly literature, with Walt Disney, the artist behind countless low-brow cartoons, is laughable but also unfortunate if the association is made by the author’s father. The conditions causing Vladek’s lack of appreciation for comics is brought to light when he tells Art, “Better you should spend your time to make drawings what will bring you some money” (12). It may be true that, prior to the publication of Maus, Art did not make as much money as his father would have liked. However, making comics is what satisfied him so it is what he did. Having been born during the baby boom, Art is associated with a group of people that grew up in relative economic comfort and rebelled against the practical ways of its parents. The parents of the baby boom, survivors of the worldwide depression preceding the war as well as the war itself, saw more value in money and a pragmatic way of life. Thus it is not only Vladek and Art that lived in both separate worlds and the same house; instead, it must be considered a widespread phenomenon.

Vladek’s appreciation for money can be further explained by his war-time experiences. Money and its clever usage is what allowed Vladek to survive the war. Throughout the story one sees a constant recurrence of financial concerns and it seems as if all other matters fade when it comes to surviving a greedy enemy. In order to be bailed out of prison he has to “make signs to show [he can] pay” (114). Valuables are traded throughout his experience in exchange for food, a hiding place, or a way out of arrest. On one occasion his black market business associate and Polish hiding place hostess Mrs. Motonowa claims to have no bread when Vladek cannot put enough money together to buy any. Despite a long history of good credit, Mrs. Motonowa refuses his credit because money is more important than friends. Vladek is not offended by this because he understands the nature of the time. The temporary role reversal of friends and money is permanent for Vladek, as evidenced by his second wife’s exclamation, “He’s more attached to things than to people!” (93). When Art pays seventy-five dollars for a tape recorder he is criticized for spending forty more than he should have (73). This annoys Art, as does the collection his father keeps of every material belonging he has ever acquired. An interesting example of this takes place when he picks up a piece of telephone wire from the road and keeps it because of its potential good use (116). This habit, while strange to all but the most neurotic of individuals, serves Vladek well during the war as we find that he has kept valuables such as a fourteen karat cigarette case and a similar lady’s powder case in a safe box at the bank since shortly after the war. He attempts to place these items in Art’s care in order to keep them away from his wife, Mala, of whom he is suspicious. His suspicion, like his frugality, was warranted during the Holocaust. As he tells Art there was “no such thing as families” during the time because, if it meant survival, one would not hesitate to steal from or sell out his closest relatives (114). Vladek became caught up in this value system not because of immorality, but because of survival. This cannot be deemed immoral because it is a basic human instinct that drives him to the placement of material possessions above his family.

The persona of Vladek is a complex one. When one sees his poor parenting of Art it causes the reader to dislike him, but after realizing what he goes through in his time it becomes apparent that all of his negative words and actions are easily explained. He is merely a product of his environment and, unfortunately, the individualistic determination, pragmatism, and frugality that saves his life in the 40s makes it difficult to have a satisfactory relationship with his son in the 70s.

References

1. Mandaville, A. (2009). Tailing Violence: Comics Narrative, Gender, and the Father-Tale in Art Spiegelman's Maus. Pacific Coast Philology, 44(2), 216-248. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/25699568)
2. Brown, M. (1993). Of" Maus" and Men: Problems of Asserting Identity in a Post-Holocaust Age. Studies in American Jewish Literature (1981-), 134-140. (https://www.proquest.com/docview/1300016432)
3. Hathaway, R. V. (2011). Reading Art Spiegelman's Maus as postmodern ethnography. Journal of Folklore Research: An International Journal of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 48(3), 249-267. (https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&u=googlescholar&id=GALE|A280302679&v=2.1&it=r&sid=googleScholar&asid=2b4fa140)
4. Pípalová, K. (2013). “Father, You’re Driving Me Mad”: Transmission of Trauma from Father to Son in Art Spiegelman’s Maus. American & British Studies Annual, 6, 174-182. (https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2233)
5. Austin, H. J. (2017). Time flies: Remnants of Auschwitz in art Spiegelman's' Maus'. Colloquy, (33), 25-38. (https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.562143814705222)

Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart both emphasize the complexities of father-son relationships. The major theme of parental conflict is developed throughout the course of both texts and serves to illustrate the impact of Western imperialism on Igbo culture. While Adichie openly acknowledges that she was inspired by Achebe, a closer look at the nuanced differences between the two novels illuminates Adichie’s own voice. Okonkwo, the misogynistic character with a masculinity complex, is a man still scarred by his father’s pathetic reputation in Things Fall Apart. His father’s ill repute and lack of titles spur Okonkwo to pursue a better life in an attempt to dissociate himself from his father. On the other hand, Eugene, the antagonist and father figure in Purple Hibiscus, ostracizes his father on the basis of religious disagreement. Adichie uses the differences between Eugene’s and Okonkwo’s paternal conflicts to comment on the changes that Western colonialism has brought about in Nigeria.

Even though Achebe’s and Adichie’s works of realistic fiction share many similarities, the reasons for and methods by which Eugene and Okonkwo respond to paternal conflict differ, thus allowing Adichie to portray the transition from Igbo to European-influenced Nigerian culture.The enmity between Okonkwo and his father, Unoka, is founded on the unadulterated standards of Igbo culture. More specifically, the instability is the result of Unoka’s lack of determination and wealth : “When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him?” (pg.8). Unoka’s failure in becoming a notable member within Umuofia is what gives Okonkwo the drive to strive for greatness. The standards present in Umuofia have not yet been impacted by European colonialism, and, as such, give insight to the “original” values of Igbo tradition. As a result, Adichie is able to use these standards as a foundation to create her own father-son dynamic by representing the relationship between Eugene and Papa Nnukwu through a different lens.While Okonkwo’s society in Umuofia underscores the importance of titles and status, Eugene’s more contemporary society in Enugu prioritizes Catholic principles, those which were derived from colonialism. The discord between Eugene and Papa Nnukwu is due to a fundamental difference in religious ideology. Eugene, who is Catholic, instills in his children the notion that taking part in or even observing any Igbo tradition is a sin. This belief makes a stable relationship with his father impossible, and leads to the estrangement of Papa Nnukwu in Eugene’s life. Eugene credits his prosperous life not to the guidance of his father but to the missionary school he attended as a child: “I didn’t have a father who sent me to the best schools. My father spent his time worshipping gods of wood and stone. I would be nothing today but for the priests and sisters at the mission” (p. 47). He believes that Papa Nnukwu, who practices Igbo traditions, is a heathen and goes as far as to severely limit Jaja’s and Kambili’s interactions with him. Papa Nnukwu never wronged Eugene; in fact, it was Papa Nnukwu’s decision to send Eugene to the missionary school. However, after being indoctrinated into a set of stringent beliefs prohibiting him from coming in contact with a non-believer, Eugene distances himself and his family from his father. Papa Nnukwu falls short of Eugene’s standards and is consequently shunned. The transition of Nigerian society is evident not only in Eugene’s preference for the white pastor, Father Benedict, over the Nigerian pastor, Father Amadi, but also in Eugene's fabricated British accent when speaking to Father Benedict.

The ways in which each character responds to parental conflict are also dissimilar. Okonkwo espouses a set of ideals that are entirely opposite to those of Unoka in an attempt to differentiate himself from his father’s undesirable legacy. Umuofia does not judge an individual on his or her ancestors; rather, judgment is predicated on the actions of the individual. Umuofia’s leniency allows Okonkwo to pursue a better life, and he ultimately accomplishes his goal: “Although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the greatest men of his time. Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands so he ate with kings and elders” (pg.8). Through perseverance and determination, Okonkwo is able to establish himself as one of the “greatest men of his time.” His character differs completely from that of Unoka; Unoka was cowardly, lazy and of slight build. In contrast, Okonkwo was the greatest wrestler in all nine villages, steadfast in his work ethic, and respected throughout the community. Okonkwo is said to have “washed his hands” suggestive of the fact that he has dissociated himself from the bad name of his father and has become a revered member of Umuofia. The struggle that Okonkwo faces can be categorized as an external one, in that it is largely societal pressure which motivates Okonkwo.

Adichie alters the underlying reasons for conflict seen in Things Fall Apart in her depiction of Eugene and Papa Nnukwu to demonstrate the loss of cultural identity as a result of imperialism. The dissension between Eugene and Papa Nnukwu is a paradigm for the cultural clash occurring on a larger scale within Nigeria. While Eugene practices Catholicism, a product of Christian expansionism in Africa, Papa Nnukwu practices the age-old Igbo tradition. Adichie contrasts Igbo tradition with European tradition throughout the text to symbolize the transformation of postcolonial Nigerian society. Eugene’s forthright disapproval of Igbo tradition is ubiquitous throughout the text, to the extent that he urges his family to refrain from speaking in Igbo: “He [Eugene] hardly spoke Igbo, and although Jaja and I spoke it with Mama at home, he did not like us to speak it in public. We had to sound civilized in public, he told us; we had to speak English” (pg. 16). Eugene’s attempt to inculcate in his children the notion that English is the “civilized” language is indicative of the deep-seated imperialist influence in Nigeria and the degree to which Eugene has internalized it. Adichie uses Eugene’s relationship with his father as a means to further develop the notion of an ideological conflict between generations as a result of colonialist influence.

The differences in Adichie’s and Achebe’s portrayals of father-son conflict exemplify Adichie’s own expression of the effects of European influence on Nigerian society. While both Eugene and Okonkwo have unstable bonds with their fathers, the core of each feud varies. While Okonkwo’s relationship is affected by the standards of untouched Igbo tradition, Eugene’s relationship with his father is affected by the standards of postcolonial Nigerian society. By shifting the context and nature of Eugene and Papa Nnukwu’s relationship, Adichie essentially resumes the novel where Achebe had stopped. Given that Purple Hibiscus takes place after Things Fall Apart, Adichie uses the time gap to convey the cultural change. The heightened importance of Catholicism that Adichie depicts symbolizes the impact of colonialism on Nigerian and furthermore Igbo culture, the contention between “white man’s” and “black man’s” ideology. On a larger scale, Adichie subtly illustrates the convergence of indigenous Nigerian culture and imperialistic European culture and shows the shift in religious ideology as a result, doing so through the microcosm of father-son relationships.

In Greek myth, Sisyphus repeatedly rolls a giant boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down the peak every time. He serves a sentence of eternal suffering for trying to escape from Death and Hades. Like Sisyphus, the warriors of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey suffer consequences when they push the limits of human achievement. The men attempt to win glory for their fathers, glory for their sons, and above all, glory for themselves (The Iliad 6: 529). They pursue power and omnipotence - an unattainable, ultimate goal. Fathers reap honor and set difficult benchmarks, and their sons strive to surpass them. This never-ending pursuit is at the center of the father-son relationships involving the heroes Hector and Achilles of The Iliad. Similarly, in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his son Telemachus also face important responsibilities in a world that embraces lineage and recognizes a man's superiority in the honor amassed by his line. The fathers and sons embark on endless quests for glory. In the Sisyphean challenge of winning power and glory that underlies father-son interactions, Homer's two epic poems mirror each other and provide a greater understanding of the patriarchal society of ancient Greece.

According to M.I. Finley in The World of Odysseus, the "perfect symbol" of power is the "father" (Finley 81). Patriarchies promote the rule of the father as a social ideal; fatherly relationships are not strictly biological but extend to all power-dynamics. In The Limits of Heroism, Mark Buchan asserts that Homeric society's male-centered, stratified, power-based structure makes a man's status as a father the cornerstone of "masculine identity" (Buchan 171). The status is the basis on which a man's worth is judged. Being a "father" inherently entails having great influence over his son and over men, in general. A father works to fulfill his position as the hero in his son's eyes. He earns his son's idolatry through gaining the respect of the men around him - through gaining honor for his strength, for his wisdom, or for his talents. His essential aim is to become "the great tactician" or "the swift racer" (The Iliad 10:173, 22: 230). Being his son entails succeeding him. The accepted tenet for all father-son relationships is that a father's world is perpetuated by his son. The son must fit, for example, the patronymic "Laertes' royal son Odysseus" or "Peleus' matchless son" Achilles (The Odyssey 18: 29, 11: 630). Once a son comes of age, he is expected to live up to his lineage, protect his father's honor, and perform deeds that he himself can pass on. A son must strive for greatness - in chariot racing, in war, in politics, in one form or another. Paradoxically, the expectations that are laid out for the father and the son pose a problem. There is no limit to honor. How does a man end his quest? A man accomplishes unimaginable feats, and even after he has become a hero among the people and a father of many sons, he is still invested into attaining greater glory. It is a ceaseless struggle similar to Sisyphus'; generations of men - fathers, sons - climb an insurmountable cliff, hoping that their names will be etched in history and power will be stored in their lines.

To have power - "whether over things, over men (by other men or some god), or over men and gods together (by Zeus)" - is the main goal of both fathers and sons of The Iliad and The Odyssey (Finley 81). In patriarchal Greek society, the father is the head "by might" (Finley 81). The men of Homer's epics, in hopes of fitting or of taking on one day the father figure, seek to prove their "might." Hector, for example, "staking all" on his might, tries to assume his role as father to Astyanax and as son to King Priam (The Iliad 22: 128). Hector pursues the complementary goals to be the glory-winning warrior and to be a father and a son. In the end, Hector does not fight the Achaeans out of social obligation; "the honor of the hero is purely individual...fought for only for its own sake and his own sake" (Finley 119). Since glory is transferred from generation to generation, fighting for his own sake is also fighting for his son's and his father's sakes. Every father dreams of glory for his son "when he comes home from battle bearing the bloody gear  of the mortal enemy he has killed" (The Iliad 6: 572-573). At the same time, every son hopes to have "the bravest fighter  they could field, those stallion-breaking Trojans" as his father (The Iliad 6: 548-549). The honor gained by father and son will inevitably be compared and will immortalize them both. The Greek notion that internal worth is reflected externally and that the duty of a son or a father (at his prime) is to seize honor and power drive Hector. For Astyanax, for Priam, and for himself, Hector confronts Achilles and fate. When Hector dies, Priam laments in the presence of his surviving sons: "If only you'd all been killed at the fast ships  instead of my dear Hector" (The Iliad 24: 300-301). Priam's condemnation of his surviving sons as "good-for-nothings" epitomizes Hector as the ideal son, recognizing him for fulfilling his role (The Iliad 24: 284). Through the character of Hector, the destructive quality of the father and son relationship is evident. There are no limits to greatness - there is no cap to power - and men often find themselves in a Sisyphean undertaking. Hector is willing to die for Troy and his family, even though his death condemns both.

In a similar manner, the father-son relationship between Peleus and Achilles has a devastating impact on the "hard, ruthless" warrior (The Iliad 9: 771). At Troy, Achilles' thoughts often drift to his old father in Phthia, "with no one there to defend him" (The Iliad 24: 573). Achilles cannot physically "defend" his father; however, he can protect his and his father's honor. Because Peleus does not have a direct influence at Troy, an "adoptive" father illuminates more clearly Achilles' relationship to his father (Buchan 173). As Achilles' "adoptive" father, King Priam makes an appeal to Achilles:

Remember your own father, great godlike Achilles- as old as I am, past the threshold of deadly old age! but at least he hears you're still alive and his old heart rejoices, hopes rising, day by day, to see his beloved son come sailing home from Troy. (The Iliad 24: 570-576)

With these words, Priam draws a parallel between himself and Achilles' father, Peleus. Priam's situation resembles Peleus' on a broad scale. Hector is Troy's bulwark; Achilles is Phthia's bulwark. Moreover, unknown to Priam, Peleus also will never see his son alive again, for Achilles' fate is to die at Troy. "The old man's words arouse in Achilles 'the desire to mourn for his father.' The killer , for a brief moment, is a man again, burdened with childhood and death," describes Rachel Bespaloff (Bespaloff 80). He is reminded of why he is willing to shed his blood - it is for glory for himself, for his father. The triangle formed by Priam, Peleus, and Achilles reflects the tragedy sprung from a son's pursuit of greatness. Achilles is consumed like a wild animal by the Sisyphean struggle to prove his worth. Left unchecked, a son's desire for glory ironically disrupts the very patriarchal order that fosters it. An early death - a loss of the chance to be a better son or father - may accompany the glory won in battle. Thus, The Iliad does not repudiate the patriarchal order but exposes its destructive potential when its imperatives are pursued to extremes.

From where The Iliad leaves off, The Odyssey begins the exploration of the father-son dynamic and its malignant nature through Odysseus and Telemachus. R. B. Rutherford claims, "There seems to be a deliberate contrast between and juxtaposition of Odysseus and Achilles, the planner and the warrior, the pragmatist and the romantic..." (Rutherford 124) But, it is this juxtaposition that reveals the similar circumstances of the heroes. "Hungry" for glory, Odysseus "...rig ed and rode his long benched ship  on the barren salt sea, speeding death to enemies" (The Odyssey 17: 315-316). His exploits in Troy elicit more admiration than love from his son (Telemachus was only an infant when Odysseus left Ithaca). Because he places Odysseus on such a high pedestal, for him to come to terms with himself, Telemachus must "make his name" and validate that he is Odysseus's son (The Odyssey 13: 482). He must wipe way any doubts, including his own: "My mother has always told me I'm his son, it's true,  but I am not so certain" (The Odyssey 1: 249-250). In Odysseus' absence, Telemachus tries to honor his father and preserve his estate - to "hold the reins of power in his house" (The Odyssey 1: 414). Telemachus leaves home for news of his father and searches for the beacon of light to guide him in "becoming" and fulfilling the responsibility of Odysseus' son. That Telemachus' name, "far-away fighter," describes Odysseus and Neoptolemus' name, "young warrior," describes Achilles demonstrate how sons are considered their fathers' extensions. When fathers cannot act, sons act for them. However, with such a father as Odysseus, it is difficult to equal - and much less top - him in strength, which is usually expected of a son for the preservation of a lineage. His house having been seized by his mother's suitors, Telemachus unsuccessfully persuades the plunderers to stop and helplessly witnesses his father's honor being disgraced. It is only with the prophesied homecoming of Odysseus that justice prevails and "no line more kingly than his" returns to its reign. Thus, another light is shed on the dark side of the father-son dynamic. If the achievements of a human being are bounded, sons will be unable to outshine their fathers and defend the glory of their line. Their never-ending struggle corresponds to Sisyphus' futile efforts in pushing his boulder. The Sisyphean challenge undertaken by men is costly; it drains the blood from their enemies and from themselves. Ultimately, lineages will break off and the heroes of the ancient Greek patriarchy will be forgotten. What remain will be the legends of men, scattered throughout history, and a void once filled by the all-important father-son relationship.

Keep in mind:
This is only a sample.

Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.

For the Homeric audience, the father-son relationship governs heroic interaction and is a pivotal cultural construct. The contrasting, and at the same time very similar, father-son depictions of The Iliad and The Odyssey suggest deliberate, complementary construction. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey depict in a connected progression the problems of the patriarchal society of ancient Greece. Fathers are the admired role models of their sons. At the same time, there are dangers produced by the father-son dynamic; the dynamic alters the concept of glory, making an unachievable end seem achievable. Indeed, it is tough to define "clearly the achievements and limitations of mortal men" (Rutherford 123). It is inevitable for heroes to be "...bound to their own torture/...heaving, hands struggling, legs driving... ...time and again" - heroes are filled with an insatiable desire for glory (The Odyssey 11: 681, 683, 685). Conceivably, all in all, the flaws of the patriarchal ideology are presented through the father-son relationships of The Iliad and The Odyssey to forewarn men who seal their Sisyphean fates and lose themselves in seeking glory.