Alice in Wonderland Essay -- essays papers

Alice in Wonderland In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll tells an entertaining story about a young girl’s adventures in a strange â€Å"Wonderland.† This novel represents a typical girl’s struggle to break away from adult control and receive a desired freedom from their absurd society. Although the novel was written during the Victorian age and many of the events of the story are based on Victorian society, children today also feel the suffocation of adult control and a society without morals. Carroll uses symbolism and various scenes throughout the novel to show the reader the freedom that Alice strives to achieve as well as how she tries to break away from the domination and conformity. The first scene in which Alice’s struggle to break away from adult control and Victorian England’s society is in Chapter 1. After falling into the rabbit hole, Alice finds herself lost in a corridor with many locked doors. The doors being locked represents Alice being controlled by society. The reader can see Alice’s struggle to break away from this control when, finding a key, she searches right away for the door that it fits in. She finds that it fits a very small door and when she unlocks it, Alice first sees â€Å"the garden.† She believes it to be the â€Å"loveliest garden you ever saw† and â€Å"longed to get out of the dark hall, and wander about among those bright flowers and those cool fountains...† Alice’s strong desire to enter the garden is clearly evident. After trying everything she can think of to get into the garden, Alice finally realizes that she is not yet able to enter it and breaks down in tears. Not being able to get into the â€Å"lovely garden,† which represents a place Alice can be away from... ...an society, it was not considered proper etiquette to raise your voice to anyone, whether you are an adult or not. Alice rebels against the rules of the Victorian culture by expressing herself in such a manner. Free in the garden, Alice defies the Queen when she tries to execute her. It is then that Alice realized she must act against society or it would control her. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a paradoxical novel that represents a typical child’s struggle to break away adult society’s beliefs and rules. It is shown in three vital scenes of the novel how Alice struggles to enter the lovely garden of â€Å"Wonderland,† which represents a freedom from society’s rules and regulations. Alice did understand until the closing of the novel that society cannot be changed and to get away from it, you have to change yourself and rebel against it.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 32

Matt watched in horror as the phantom shook Damon like a rag dol . Elena spun around to lock eyes with Matt and Bonnie. â€Å"We have to save him,† she whispered, a fierce determination on her face, and immediately took off running, shoving her way through the piles of ash. Matt figured that if Damon, with al his vampire strength and fighting skil s honed over the centuries, was so completely helpless in the hands of this phantom – and jeez, with the way it was yanking him back and forth now, his head real y was going to pop off – then Matt, Bonnie, and Elena had less than a snowbal ‘s chance in hel of making any difference to this fight. The only real question would be whether the phantom would kil them, too. And the truth was that Matt didn't even like Damon, not one tiny little bit. Sure, Damon had helped save Fel ‘s Church from Katherine and Klaus, and from the kitsune demons, but he was stil a murderous, sarcastic, unrepentant, cocky, arrogant, nasty, usual y unpleasant vampire. Damon had undoubtedly hurt more people than he had helped over his long life, even if you generously credited him with saving every single resident of Fel ‘s Church. And he always cal ed Matt â€Å"Mutt,† pretending that he couldn't remember his actual name, which was completely infuriating. As Damon meant it to be. Stil , Elena loved Damon. For whatever reason. Probably the same inexplicable reason that regular girls loved regular old bad boys, Matt suspected. A dyed-in-the-wool good guy, he'd never seen the appeal himself. But Elena did. And Damon was part of the team, sort of, and you didn't leave your teammates to get decapitated by demon icewomen on ash-blanketed moons in other dimensions without at least doing your best to put up a fight. Not even if you didn't like them at al . Matt ran after Elena, and Bonnie fol owed. When they reached the phantom, Elena was already scrabbling at the icy blue hand clutched around Damon's throat, trying to pry its fingers up enough to slip her own underneath. The phantom barely glanced at her. Matt gave an inward sigh at the hopelessness of it al and swung a powerful roundhouse blow toward the phantom's stomach. Before his fist could connect, his target turned from ice to swirling, intangible mist, and his punch passed right through the phantom. Thrown off balance, Matt staggered and fel into the phantom's now-vaporous torso. It was like fal ing into a freezing-cold river of sewage. A numbing chil and a horrible, sickening smel washed over Matt. He pul ed back out of the mist, nauseous and shivering but upright. He blinked dazedly around. Elena was grappling with the phantom's fingers, scratching and yanking, and the phantom watched her with a kind of distant amusement, not the least bit alarmed or discomforted by the girl's efforts. Then it moved, so quickly Matt saw only a blur of bluish green, sending Elena flying, her arms and legs flailing, into a heap of ash. She scrambled to her feet immediately, blood trickling from her hairline, leaving red tracks through the ash that now coated her skin. Bonnie was trying, too: She'd worked her way around behind the phantom and was hitting and kicking at it. Mostly, her feet and fists swung harmlessly right through the phantom's mist, but occasional y a blow would connect with the more solid ice. These blows seemed like they were total y ineffective, though: Matt couldn't tel whether the phantom had even noticed Bonnie was attacking it. Veins were bulging out of Damon's face and neck, and he hung from the phantom's hand. The flesh of his neck was white around the stretched tendons. Superpowered strong old vampire or not, Damon was hurting. Matt tossed up a prayer in the direction of whatever saint looked after people pursuing hopeless causes, and threw himself back into the fight. There was blackness. And then there was pain, and the darkness reddened, then cleared, and Damon could see once more. The phantom – that bitch of a phantom – was holding him by the neck, and her skin was so cold, so cold it burned everywhere it touched him. He couldn't move. But he could see Elena standing below him. Beautiful Elena, covered in ash, streaked with blood, her teeth bared and her eyes flashing like a warrior goddess. His heart swel ed with love and fear. The brave little redbird and the boy Mutt fought beside her. Please, he wanted to say. Don't try to save me. Run. Elena, you have to run. But he couldn't move, couldn't speak. Then the phantom shifted her stance and, as Damon watched, Elena stopped her attack and clutched at her stomach, grimacing in pain. Matt and Bonnie were holding themselves as wel , their faces pale and strained, their mouths open in screams. With a wail, Bonnie col apsed. Oh no, Damon thought with a bolt of horror. Not Elena. Not the redbird. Not for me. Then suddenly, a gusting wind swirled around him, and he was flung from the phantom's grip. There was a roaring in his ears and a stinging in his eyes. Looking around, he saw Bonnie and Elena, their long hair flying around them wildly; Matt, his arms pinwheeling; and the phantom, its glass-green face for once startled instead of knowing. Tornado, Damon thought vaguely, and then, Gateway, and he realized he was being thrown upward, back into the darkness once more. The wind was howling at a deafening pitch now, and Stefan had to raise his voice to a shout to even hear himself over it. He had to keep both hands clamped down on the book – it was being pul ed out of his hands as if something alive and very strong were consciously trying to yank it away. â€Å"Mihi adi. Te voco. Necesse est tibi parere,† Stefan said. â€Å"Come to me. I summon you. You must obey.† That was the end of the summoning spel in Latin. The next part was the banishing spel , which would be in English. Of course, the phantom would have to actual y be there for that part of the spel to be effective. The wind whipping through the garage grew even stronger. Outside, thunder rumbled. Stefan watched the innermost circle, deep in the shadows of the garage, but there was nothing there. The unnatural wind was beginning to let up. Panic rose in his chest. Had they failed? He glanced anxiously at Alaric and Meredith, then at Mrs. Flowers, but none of them were looking at him, staring transfixed at the circle. Stefan looked back into it, hoping against hope. But there was nothing there. Wait. There was the faintest movement of something, right in the center of the circle, the tiniest flash of blue-green light, and along with it came a chil . Not like the cold wind that had spun through the garage, but more like an icy breath – inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale – slow and steady and freezing cold, right from that one spot. The glimmer widened, deepened, darkened, and suddenly what Stefan was looking at shifted and changed from an amorphous glimmer to a woman. An icy, misty, giant woman tinted in shades of blue and green. Inside her chest was a deep red rose, its stem a solid mass of thorns. Meredith and Celia let out audible gasps. Mrs. Flowers stared calmly, while Alaric's jaw had dropped. This must be the jealousy phantom. Stefan had always thought of jealousy as burning hot. Fiery kisses, fiery anger. But anger, lust, envy, al the things that made up jealousy, could be cold, too, and he had no doubt that they had the right phantom. Stefan noticed al these things about the phantom and forgot them again in a split second, because it wasn't just the ice-woman who materialized at the center of the circle. Confused, weeping, staggering, streaked with ash and mud, three humans had appeared there as wel . His beautiful, elegant Elena, caked in grime, her golden hair tangled and matted, lines of blood running down her face. Delicate little Bonnie, tearstained and pale as milk, but with an expression of fury as she kicked and clawed at the phantom. And al -American, always reliable Matt, dusty and disheveled, turning to peer out at them with a peculiarly blank expression, as if simply wondering what fresh hel he'd landed in now. And then one more person, a fourth figure wobbling and gasping, the last to shimmer into view. For a moment, Stefan didn't recognize him – couldn't recognize him, because this man wasn't supposed to exist anymore. Instead he just felt like a hauntingly familiar stranger. The stranger put his hands to his throat protectively and looked out of the circle, straight at Stefan. Through a bloody, swol en lip and bruised slits of eyes, the ghost of a bril iant smile appeared, and the gears of Stefan's mind slotted into place and began to turn again at last. Damon. Stefan was so flabbergasted he didn't know what to feel at first. Then, deep within him, a slow warmth spread with the realization that his brother was back. The last piece left of al his strange history was here once again. Stefan wasn't alone. Stefan took a step forward toward the edge of the diagram, holding his breath. â€Å"Damon?† he said softly, wonderingly. Jealousy snapped its head toward him, and Stefan was pinned to his spot by its glassy cold gaze. â€Å"He came back before, you know,† it said conversational y, and its voice chil ed Stefan as if ice water had been thrown in his face. â€Å"He just didn't want you to know so he could have Elena al to himself. He's been lurking around, lying low, playing tricks like he always does.† Jealousy was undoubtedly feminine, and its cool observational tone reminded Stefan of the little voice that sometimes spoke from the back of his mind, cal ing out his darkest and most shameful thoughts. Could the others even hear it? Or was it speaking straight into his mind? He risked a glance around. They al – Meredith, Celia, Alaric, Mrs. Flowers – stood stil as statues, staring at Jealousy. Behind them, the makeshift beds lay empty. When the three sleepers' astral forms had entered the circle with the phantom, their bodies must have somehow joined them, making them solid within the inner circle. â€Å"He came to Elena,† the phantom taunted. â€Å"He kept his resurrection a secret from you so that he could pursue her. Damon didn't worry for a moment about how you felt about his death. And while you were busy mourning him, he was busy visiting Elena's bedroom.† Stefan reeled backward. â€Å"He always wants what you have, and you know it,† the phantom continued, its translucent lips curving in a smile. â€Å"It's been true since you were mortals. Remember how he came home from university and stole Katherine away from you? He used al his charms on her, just because he knew you loved her. Even with the smal things: If you had a toy, he'd take it. If you wanted a horse, he'd ride it. If there was a piece of meat on the platter between you, he'd take it even if he wasn't hungry, just so you wouldn't get it.† Stefan shook his head slowly from side to side, again feeling too slow, like he had once again missed the important moment. Damon had been visiting Elena? When he had cried on her shoulder about his fal en brother, had Elena known Damon was alive? â€Å"But you thought you could trust Elena, didn't you, Stefan?† Elena turned to stare at him, her cheeks pale beneath their coating of ash. She looked sick and apprehensive. â€Å"No, Stefan – † Elena started to say, but the phantom went swiftly on, its words soothingly spoken poison. Stefan knew what it was doing. He wasn't a fool. Yet he felt himself nodding, agreeing, a slow red anger rising inside him despite his more rational self's struggle against it. â€Å"Elena kept his secret from you, Stefan. She knew you were in pain and that knowing Damon was alive would have eased that suffering, but stil she kept silent, because Damon asked her to, and what Damon wanted was more important than helping you. Elena's always wanted both of the Salvatore brothers. It's funny, real y, Stefan, how you're never quite enough for the women you love. This isn't the first time Elena's chosen Damon over you, is it?† Elena shook her head, but Stefan could barely see her through the tide of fury and misery rising up inside him. â€Å"Secrets and lies,† the phantom went on merrily, with an icy tinkling laugh, â€Å"and foolish Stefan Salvatore always a few steps behind. You've known al along there was something between Elena and Damon that you weren't part of, Stefan, and yet you would never have suspected she'd betray you for him.† Damon seemed to snap out of his daze, as if suddenly hearing the phantom for the first time. His brows drew into a heavy frown and he slowly turned his head to stare at it. He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, something in Stefan broke, and before Damon could issue whatever denial or taunt was on the tip of his tongue, Stefan lunged forward with a shout of rage, plunging straight through the chalked diagram. Faster than the human eye could fol ow, Stefan knocked Damon backward out of the circle and threw him against the far wal of the garage.

Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe

Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe Stephen Crane and Allan Poe are among the most famous authors in the world. They focus on different issues affecting the society in their works. A comparison of the stories written by the two authors portrays Crane as a better writer. He addresses realism in his stories hence the readers find it easy to relate with the stories. In addition, he focuses on factual information by telling stories that depict the real living conditions of people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although Crane’s stories are imaginary, the reader can picture houses and the community in ‘The Monster’ or the town of Yellow Sky in ‘The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.’ He vividly describes the living conditions of the people in Bowery and Manhattan. He also presents a clear description of emotions in Maggie the Girl of the Streets and the The Open Boat. The quote â€Å"Formidable women, with uncombed hair and disordered dress, gossiped while leaning on railings, or screamed in frantic quarrels† indicates the realistic nature of the stories written by Poe. This statement from page 7 describes the real situation as it was. Crane has written many stories about literary naturalism. In stories such as ‘The Monster,’ he portrays an imaginary situation since the story is fictional. He acknowledges the imagination in the story by saying, The realism is painful; one blushes for mankind.† The factors described in the stories affect the characters negatively. For instance, some of them get unrewarding jobs while others die. His works depict naturalism which can be compared with realism in the sense that realism strongly opposes idealized romance. Crane is a great naturalist who tells interesting stories that go beyond their genre. Men in his stories are portrayed as people who struggle with many f actors in a destructive world. One of the qualities that make him an outstanding author is the use of imagery in his stories. The images in his works make him a respected literary impressionist. In ‘The Blue Hotel,’ Crane brings out the issue of naturalism and community very well. He tells the story of five men making up a small community in a palace hotel. They share basic necessities such as warmth and shelter but they are threatened by nature.Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although they satisfy their needs, they are not able to control the needs due to the influence of civilization. He also explains naturalism by portraying Swede as a character who is controlled by the environment and nature. Allan Poe presents unrealistic ideas in ‘The black Cat’ when he writes, I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take it s flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fiber of my frame. His Gothic works are too imaginary such that it is not easy to see the reality in them. In the ‘The Pit,’ Poe explains an unrealistic situation by saying, I was sick- sick unto death with that long agony. He was anxious about death and nobody is anxious about death in a real world. The works of Allan Poe are not as appealing as those of Crane since he is a controversial writer. He is widely known for his ability in writing gothic literature. Many readers are interested in literature that deals with issues affecting human beings in their daily lives. This is not represented in the stories of Allen Poe since most of them revolve around the supernatural. In his stories, he seems fascinated with death especially of women. His works invoke feelings of horror due to constant reference to death. In general, the stories of Crane are better than those of Allan since Crane deals with realistic issues that affect human beings in their lives.

Juvenile Punishment essays

Juvenile Punishment essays A serious question has been posed as to whether or not children should be treated as adults when they commit serious crimes. Unfortunately, no one knows the answer. Each case should be handled based on its own facts and circumstances surrounding the crime that was committed. Should we as society allow children to commit serious crimes and get away with them? Are the parents the ones who should be held responsible? Should we allow a 15 year old who has committed murder to run free through our neighborhoods and schools? What punishment should a juvenile receive for raping their next-door neighbor? The juvenile crime problem is not a new issue; it has been on the rise for a long time. With the FBI reporting a nearly fourfold increase in the murder arrest rate of people under 17 from 1965 to 1992, juvenile justice reform has become a national obsession. (Matza 1) People are now looking at what should be done about this problem, when they should have thought about that long ago. New laws are being passed everyday and new programs put into place to try to lower the numbers of crimes committed by juveniles, but how many are really working? Juveniles who commit serious crimes should receive more serious punishments. Some of the children come from abusive homes and a person could say this is part of the problem. However, should we blame the parents or punish the parents for the actions of their children? Some people argue that children are not mature enough to be held accountable for their actions. The fact that they were mature enough to commit the crime in the first place says that they are mature enough to take responsibility for their actions. Some say that children are not capable of understanding and do not develop mentally until between the ages of 18 and 21. So how are juveniles allowed to drive if this is the case? Serious crimes should receive serious punishments regardless of whom or how old the per...

Ray! essays

Ray! essays My African American is Ray Charles, Ray Charles is one of the greatest R Ray Charles Robinson was born in September 23, 1930, He grew up in Albany, Georgia and was raised in Greenville, Florida. At age Six, Ray Charles suffered from Glaucoma after traumatically watching his brother drown in a washtub his mom used for laundry, because of this he started to lose his site. At the age of Seven he attended St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind from 1937 to 1945 where he learned Piano, Clarinet, and Alto Sax, He also learned how to read and write music in braile In 1948 he was Seventeen and took 600 dollars of savings and moved to Seattle, where he formed the Maxim Trio who had a major hit called Confession Blues. During this time in Seattle he began using Heroin. Later Ray Charles made Ray Charles Enterprises, he recorded many songs of his there, like I cant stop loving you Born to Lose and many more. Later in 1986 he was inducted to the Rock Ray Charles overcame many obstacles like when he started using heroin in 1948, and especially him losing his site at the age of six, learning to play piano clarinet and alto sax, and learning to read Braile and write music in Braile is just amazing, I cant realate to any of these but to overcome a lot of these things is just amazing. Ray charles didnt really do anything controversial but he did use heroin in 1948, he did appear in many movies and later dropped his contract. My opinion on Ray Charles is that he is a great and influential African American, he has influenced many people in his life and ...

Journalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journalism - Assignment Example According to U.S embassy in Bangkok â€Å"U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a heightened awareness when out in public; be alert for unattended packages/bags in public/crowded places and report any suspicious behavior to the nearest law enforcement personnel† (Embassy of the United States, 2012, web). However, Thailand citizens living in Bangkok have more to worry than any other persons do. The residents have taken every precaution to ensure that nothing takes them by surprise. A close interview with Thanyarat, a Bangkok resident perhaps tells the magnitude of the issue at hand â€Å"my family and I have taken the warning seriously and have done every efforts to avoid unnecessary movements. Although the government has promised to heighten security measures, I feel that it is important for us as citizens to take extreme precaution too.† Thanyarat who witnessed the Malaysia-Thailand border attack has every reason to be afraid. He claimed that his family survived miraculously from the car bomb attacks and would not want the same to happen again. Although a good number of residents are scared, some are not and have total confidence in the security measures provided by the government. Malik, a businessperson in the heart of Bangkok is has confidence in the security measures provided by the government but has changed his lifestyle. â€Å"I am scared too since I work in the primary target area. However, I have been forced to change my daily routine for safety purposes.† Thai defense minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa said that the possible targets were synagogues and the Israeli embassy. Bangkoks popular Khao San Road was also flagged as another possible target. This terror threat comes amidst the strained relationship between Iran and the U.S government over suspicious nuclear program activities. Hezbollah is claimed to be supported by Iran and Syria albeit indirectly. Thai’s deputy Prime Minister Chalerm

Future of Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Basin Essay

Future of Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Basin - Essay Example Shale gas is obtained from shale, a sedimentary rock, and in the past decade has become an important source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. North Africa possesses massive oil and gas reserves, viewed as strategically vital because of their proximity to European consumers across the Mediterranean Sea. "In terms of natural gas reserves, Algeria, Libya and Egypt contain the majority of the regional resource, except that Algeria is the main site of the reserves. Algeria is the eighth largest country worldwide in terms of proven gas reserves. Algeria possesses the majority of the gas resource at around 159 trillion ft3, followed by Egypt with 58.5 trillion ft3and Libya at 54.38 trillion ft3. Proved gas reserves have grown significantly over the past decade, with the most significant new finds in Egypt. Egypt joined the ranks of LNG exporters in 2005" (Yamaguchi, 2009) These African countries have an edge over their Russian counterparts in terms of supplies of gas to these southern European countries. The Russian companies are far away from southern European countries as compared to these African countries. In future the supply from these African countries will continue to cater to the demand of the Mediterranean region. These African countries are also encouraging foreign investments in this sector. With demand in the southern European countries rising each year, more and more European companies are entering into collaborations with the North African companies in all the segments including upstream, midstream and downstream. With these investments, new gas field are being found, more pipelines are being constructed in the Mediterranean region. On combustion, natural gas produces less harmful gases as compared to the petroleum products. For this reason, the future demand for natural gas is increasing with every passing year. In the Mediterranean region as well, this demand is expected to grow in the coming years. Europe does not have reserves which can cater to its 100% demand. Hence southern European countries are dependent on North African countries for their gas requirement. In the last decade, shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. There are speculations that shale gas may be present in other parts of the world as well. Very recently, the United States has also offered to help other nations in determining whether they have natural gas resources trapped in shale rock. This is a good move from the Government of the United States but the whole process of finding out reserves, taking out gas from shale rocks, bringing this to market; all this will take time. The countries around the world are looking at this shale gas with suspect eyes because of the technology required to extract gas from rocks. Solar energy is increasingly becoming a big source of energy supply to the ever increasing demand for energy in the European countries. North African countries have huge deserted lands where huge solar plants can be installed and energy could be supplied to Mediterranean region. But the question is, is this feasible enough It has been proved that solar power is much costlier than the power