Tattoo—A Permanent Stigma or a Work of Art April 28, 2008

Caitlin Mayo

Mrs. Robinson

AP English III

April 9, 2008

The Tattoo: A Permanent Stigma or a Work of Art?

Growing up, tattoos never seemed to be an issue in my family—my parents did not have them, my siblings and I never spoke about wanting them, and there was never a discussion about opposition to getting one—until my older sister secretly got a tattoo when my parents were gone on vacation. Whether it be that my sister deep down knew how my parents would react and did it in a defiant rebellion, or that she truly did want to express herself through “body art,” my parents were nevertheless infuriated by her actions. My mom was willing to stop paying my sister’s college tuition just because of a tattoo of a sun on her upper back (a tattoo that can be easily concealed). I wondered, “Why would my parents get so worked up over something that one-third of Americans have, something as common and simple as a tattoo?” Are they just downright psycho or is there a deeper reasoning behind their feelings about her “expressing herself” through what she considers to be confident boosting and beautiful. When the next semester began, my parents continued to pay for my sister’s tuition and she eventually failed out of school. Could her tattoos really reflect the type of person she is? Were the assumptions that people made about her because of her tattoos (she got two more—one while she was away at college and one after she had flunked out) justified because of the outcome?

People have consistently stereotyped people with tattoos as being “drug addict[s], alcoholic[s], uneducated, and [people] tending towards ” because of the type of people that would get tattoos in the past. Criminals, seamen, and laborers all used to be the typical people that would decide to get tattoos. People with “a tear tattooed on their cheek [were believed to have] committed a , and that the number of spider web linings on the elbows represent[ed] the number of times the person [had] been to jail” (Mecozzi). Even the commonly known “tramp stamp” served a greater purpose within the early Indian tribes. The men of the tribes would generally “place his ‘branding mark’ […] on his partner’s back to discourage other males. It was placed in [an] area that would be seen during ual acts” (Maji). Since then, lower back tattoos have been known as “a tattoo dealing with a ual nature because of its area” (Maji). Even though most women decide to get a tattoo on their lower backs for the purpose of accentuating their curves and that it is an easy area to cover up, most people label her as being promiscuous. Furthermore, tattoo shops “are believed to be filthy places where men with long greasy hair, leather jackets and beer bellies camp out” (Maji). This is not an accurate assumption. The most common setting of a tattoo shop in actuality resembles “a doctor’s surgery” where the tattoo artists use “sterilized gloves and equipment at all times” (Maji).

Discrimination is a struggle everywhere. When applying for a job people long to be treated equally and given an equal chance. Russell Parrish—a 29-year old with a tattoo in remembrance of his father—states, “We walk through stores and people grab their purses and wallets. You go for jobs and most times they won’t give you an application. They tell you don’t even bother, you have too many tattoos” (Tattoos). Unfairness for tattooed people becomes a huge issue in the setting of the workplace. Disney World, Sea World, and Wal-Mart—all companies that allow their applicants with tattoos an equal opportunity when applying for a job. Bank of America’s policy asserts, “A tattoo is not a factor in hiring a skilled professional who is the right person for the job” (The Taboo on Tattoos). However, most companies see a tattoo as a stigma that brands them as a person that will not do their job as well or be as committed. Places that hire people based on their qualifications and not what they look like are successful because they have the best people working for them, opposed to the “safe” looking.

Even though my sister did fall into some of the common stereotypes of society, they can never be justified. One cannot judge another simply based on appearance. They may have chosen to get a tattoo but they should not be looked down upon or have judgment passed on them because of it. The true reasoning behind most people getting tattoos is often overlooked; they consider it to be art, not trash.

John F. Kennedy’s Persuasive Techniques: “After” January 15, 2008

Caitlin Mayo

Mrs. Robinson

Honors English III

September 16, 2007

John F. Kennedy’s Persuasive Techniques

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address is of great importance to the American people. The speech incorporates the majority values and views of our society. Kennedy persuaded the people of his lifetime to join his side and support him through the struggles of the country. Kennedy reiterated flattering of the audience, repeated words that unify the people, and created an outlook on the situation as there being no other reasonable choice other than his own. By strategically planning out his speech, Kennedy was able to effectively sway the reader to agree with his standings on immensely important issues.

Serving as the president of the United States, Kennedy’s role was to inform the people while still obtaining their support. Attempting to fulfill his duty was evident in the text. Throughout the speech, Kennedy repeatedly commends his audience and shows that he thinks very highly of the American people. Kennedy stated, “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty…”. When he said this, he was telling the people that he knew they were capable of changing the world. The recognition and flattering evoked positive feelings from his audience and set up a positive persona for him. Using this technique is strong and is popular in other significant speeches found in American history. While questions were arising about fighting the British the same flattering was used to gain support of those that wanted to rise against the mother country.

Another aspect that relates Kennedy’s speech and other historical texts is his persuasive purpose of bringing the people together. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, Kennedy’s speech emphasized the unification of the country through the use of parallelism. Kennedy excessively uses the word, “we” in his speech to the people. The clever repetition reinforces the idea of America being a country of unified people and brings out the idea that we stand together and you are not alone.

Kennedy’s word choice in voicing his position on the issues at hand put the audience in a situation where it was difficult to disagree. Kennedy stated, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder”. The importance of coming together became tremendously important when Kennedy brought to the audience’s attention that getting the job done separated would be almost impossible. Kennedy also put the people in a position where disagreeing with him would seem unpatriotic, “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe”. Kennedy used words like, “national loyalty”, in order for opposing his views would be looked down upon. American soldiers that have died in previous times of fighting are constantly seen in a commendable light. When Kennedy brought up the “graves” (a word with strong connotation) of the stood up to the plate, the people of our country felt the need to follow in their footsteps and fulfill their role as citizens of this country.

Kennedy’s intelligent tactics enabled him to gain control. Obtaining the support of the audience through unrelenting compliments, unifying the audience and bringing the together for the cause, and carefully choosing effective words all assisted him enormously and led to the vast support of the American people.

 

I chose to edit my essay on Kennedy’s speech because I felt that the mistakes that I made were careless and easy to find.  I did several things to revise my essay: I rewrote my thesis, in order to clearly state the topics that I planned on addressing in my essay; I included more quotes, to better support my arguments about the speech; I changed one of my main points in my thesis statement and rewrote one of my paragraphs, in order to follow the prompt more accurately; and I added more to my conclusion paragraph, to better summarize my essay. 

John F. Kennedy’s Persuasive Techniques: “Before” January 15, 2008

John F. Kennedy’s Persuasive Techniques

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address is of great importance to the American people. The speech incorporates the majority values and views of our society. Kennedy’s techniques used throughout the text persuaded the people of his lifetime to join his side and support him through the fight.

When he was serving as the president of the United States, Kennedy’s role was to inform the people while still obtaining their support. His attempts to fulfill his duty was evident in the text. Throughout the speech, Kennedy repeatedly commends his audience and shows that he thinks very highly of the American people. Kennedy stated, “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty…”. When he said this, he was telling the people that he knew they were capable of changing the world. The recognition and flattering evoked positive feelings from his audience and set up a positive persona for himself. Using this technique is strong and is popular in other significant speeches found in American history. While questions were arising about fighting the British the same flattering was used to gain support of those that wanted to rise against the mother country.

Another aspect that related Kennedy’s speech and other historical texts is his persuasive purpose of bringing the people together. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, Kennedy’s speech emphasized the unification of the country through the use of parallelism. Kennedy excessively uses the word, “we” in his speech to the people. The clever repetition reinforces the idea of America being a country of unified people and brings out the idea that we stand together and you are not alone.

By relating to the audience, Kennedy was gaining their trust and support. These factors were the driving force behind his speech. By obtaining the trust of the people, he was gaining the ability to voice his views and have the people agree. Kennedy said, “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I don not shrink from the responsibility; I welcome it.” Kennedy was shining these new views upon the people and telling them it is an honor to go to war when most people contradicting view it as a burden.

Kennedy’s intelligent tactics enabled him to gain control. His careful choice of words assisted him enormously and led to the vast support of the American people.

The Problematic Personified Phone January 15, 2008

In a paragraph or poem, personify an abstraction or inanimate object.

The common perception of this class period began as calm and laid-back until the moment when the screeching phone interrupted our ruthless learning with a disturbing ring. Attempting to diminish the treacherous cries, Mrs. Robinson frantically scurried to answer the phone. When she answered the phone, our frazzled and distressed teacher was astonished to discover that nobody was on the other line. It was in that moment when the phone became a devious, deceiving soul that lost the trust of everybody in room 719. As the phone gradually began to settle down, we all knew that from now on the ringing of the phone would only bring out skepticism in every one of us.

Auditory Escape January 15, 2008

Write a paragraph in which you create a scene through auditory imagery.  The purpose of your paragraph is to create a calm, peaceful mood.  Use one olfactory image to enhance the mood created by auditory imagery.

As I peered through the back door, the singing birds and chirping grasshoppers performed just for me. The whispering wind brushed past me and the sweet odor of the flowers stole my attention away from the music. Looking around the harmonious lawn, I noticed the crystallized dew, silent on each fragile leaf. The first melodious rays of sunshine illuminated the juvenile moments of the young day.

“Freedom Isn’t Free”: The True Price of Freedom January 15, 2008

 We have all heard the slogan “Freedom isn’t free”.  Do you agree?  What is the price of freedom?

The slogan “Freedom isn’t free” accurately summarizes the idea that a treacherous struggle generally precedes the obtainment of freedom. Freedom is not something that is easily attained. Most people today are born into freedom. As U.S. citizens, we have the luxury of freedom due to previous American generations fighting and dying in order to earn freedom for their country. The price of freedom is more than just dying for a cause; it is the willingness to sacrifice everything you have in order to be free. You have to be courageous enough to go against the norms, demand your rights, and stand up for what you believe in.

The Crucible vs. The Holocaust: Compare and Contrast Essay January 15, 2008

Caitlin Mayo

Mrs. Robinson

Honors English III

September 16, 2007

The Crucible vs. The Holocaust: Compare and Contrast Essay

Throughout history, millions of people have been unjustly persecuted. In the 1940s, The Holocaust became one of the most famous genocides known to man. Also, the witch hangings that took place during the 1600s in Salem are another prime example of people being wrongfully accused and punished. Although the two circumstances have numerous differences, the amount of similarities is appalling.

As the leader of the party, had an enormous amount of control over people and the decisions they made. Because had convinced them that the world would be a better place once all of the Jewish people had been killed, The soldiers were torturing and ing millions of Jewish people. In the similar situation written about in The Crucible, Abigail Williams convinced the town of Salem that select people throughout the town were practicing witchcraft. A trial was held to determine if the people were actually witches, and Abigail found she had great power when she blamed the people of her town. Despite the fact that Abigail was a child, the s listened to her accusations and were convinced that she was telling the truth. Amongst the children is where Abigail’s influence was the greatest. In every situation she found herself in with the other s, Abigail only had to lead the way in order for the s to follow. Both Abigail and have parallel characteristics that enable them to have power over people’s ideas and opinions.

Besides sharing similar traits, and Abigail both discriminated against people for not conforming to the norms of society. The people that were victimized in each incident were blamed because they were outsiders. Hitler attempted to kill off the Jewish people because they had different religious views than he did. Prior to The Holocaust, preyed upon crippled and mentally challenged children. He felt that since they had disabilities and differed from the typical child, they were unworthy of life. The people of Salem that were accused of witch-like activities were victimized because they lived their lives unlike townspeople. For example, Goody Good and Goody Osburn were both accused of being witches and neither woman had a positive reputation in the town. When Elizabeth Proctor was suggested as being a witch, she claimed that she was not a “Goody Good that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted” (31). The two women were pointed out and indicted due to their diverse lifestyles and for not being the typical townsperson. In both circumstances, the people that were living their lives outside of the standards, found themselves being persecuted.

Connections can also be found in the aftermath of the two occasions. In both incidents, the authority figures found themselves getting caught up in the numerous s. As The Holocaust was coming to an end, discovered the Soviet Army was closing in on him. The number of s was responsible for had gotten severely uncontrollable and he knew that once he was caught, he would be brutally punished for his actions. Due to the fear of his upcoming capture, committed . Correspondingly, by the end of the trials in Salem, Judge Danforth had come to realize that all of the people he had executed were actually . The people in power understood that there was great importance in John Proctor’s confession because he was a well-known and respected citizen. They had a desperate need for his signed statement of admission and they felt that his confession would keep the town convinced that the hangings were backed up by just cause. Mr. Hale stated, “It is a weighty name; it will strike the village that Proctor confess. I beg you, let him sign it.” (61). Furthermore, the men of the court recognized that if the town discovered everyone had not been guilty, they would then be the ones on trial. The people in power during both of these events became out of control and found they regretted how far they actually took the situation.

The links between the two occurrences are vast and numerous. The goal of each horrifying incident was to “purify” society and rid the world of all the people that did not fit into the normal standards of the public. The similarities between the Holocaust and The Crucible remain in people’s memory throughout their lifetimes and the martyrs that died in both situations have left people with inspiration to stand up for what they believe in.

The Lonely Winter January 15, 2008

Caitlin Mayo

Mrs. Robinson

Honors English III

October 7, 2007

The Lonely Winter

The tree that is seated next to my driveway is a massive representation of nature. On a chilly fall dawn it had reached a point of transition. The familiar tree that I had grown up around was becoming frail and exposed. As each golden leaf glided to the ground, I eagerly predicted the path that it would follow. Every journey was special and different from the rest. I handled each skeletal leaf with delicacy in an attempt not to crush its fragile exterior. When the rustling autumn wind would whoosh and swish, more and more leaves were separating themselves from their paternal branches. I proudly observed each individual leaf graduate from the tree and begin a new voyage. The once majestic and magnificent tree was being drained of it’s vibrant youth and turning into a feeble and sickly plant.

When the frigid gray winter months approached, the abandoned tree entered a time of depression. The empty braches emphasized the loneliness the tree had become accustomed to. While the bitter wind screamed through the long black nights, I could hear the tree crying for companionship. It craved the warmth of a loving hug and pleaded for the sweet sunshine that summer brought. My sympathetic feelings towards the tree made me yearn for a similar happiness.

As the relentless wintry weather was dying down and evolving into the juvenile stages of spring, the aged tree was rediscovering the pleasures it had been desiring. There was a renewal of nature and an generation of leaves was born again. The lively laughter of the young and naïve leaves provided the tree with the intimacy it needed. When the gentle whispering breeze skipped through the crowded branches and the smiling sun shimmered onto the youthful leaves, the tree was released from the sadness that had taken over its existence. The tree had discovered the absolute joy it had been waiting for.

Throughout my life I find myself reminiscing on the memories I have of the significant tree and the several seasons that we shared together. The tree has helped me to accept many changes I have had to go through. Leaving home and starting a new chapter in life can be horrifying but is exciting at the same time. The thrills of the unknown and individual paths people take are considered to be an adventure. In a parent’s eyes letting go of a child is difficult but we, as children, all reach the point when it is necessary that we leave and begin our own lives. Losing somebody that means a lot to you is always followed by some degree of despair, but there will always be new friends and second chances to start over. The childish reassurances that people formulate create a blanket of security in your darkest and coldest times. The understanding that spring would ultimately arrive kept the tree going and carried it through the severe seasonal cycle. As I continue my journey through life, I am able to take chances and make the choices that I want to make because I know that I will always have somebody there to support me. Even when encouragement and guarantees seem somewhat adolescent, we all need to know that we are not alone in life.

Addiction: The Never Ending Battle January 14, 2008

Caitlin Mayo

Mrs. Robinson

Honors English III

December 5, 2007

Addiction: The Never Ending Battle

As his fist passed up my face and punctured the delicate wall, I knew that things were never going to be the same again. Simplicity slyly slipped through the broken wall and out of our broken home. Dependence was controlling our lives and distorting a person I thought that I knew and loved. Every type of addiction causes a barrier in relationships due to a lack of trust and constant disappointment. The development of an addiction is difficult to understand; however, several factors in a person’s environment add to the risk of an addiction. Addiction takes over and deforms the addict, producing a stranger. If the addict reaches recovery, there is a huge possibility that they will discover a new “fix” and grow to have a second addiction. Falling into remission, a possibility in the stages of recovery, puts a strain on relationships and causes people to drift away from each other. Addiction causes life to spiral out of control for everybody involved; addiction causes families to fall apart.

What could have caused this? Did he not have everything handed to him? How could he have just thrown away our family? Reflecting on the situation, the causes never seemed apparent. The development of an addiction could be caused due to countless factors. Dealing with the most -related influence from their peers, adolescents are likely to acquire an addiction. The graph below incorporates the sickening fact that the majority of substance abusers fall into the age group of our country’s youth.

As a teenager, experimenting with illegal substances is not uncommon, and most people try it out because everybody around them is doing it and interest builds.

Furthermore, people begin using in order to improve their performance or because they believe that they will feel good. Most people that are searching for these benefits show academic failure or mischievous behavior in school. Suffering from depression gives people a reason to hunt for happiness. The misleading advantages of lures depressed people into addiction as well. Although the beginning effects of the seem to help, the new source of happiness will ultimately produce a more severe degree of depression. People suffering from depression use as a way to fabricate deeper psychological issues. The generic motive for initiating the use of is usually minor and due to adolescent curiosity. Meaningless experimentation should not be given a chance to develop into an uncontrollable problem.

Even though strong parental guidelines are vital in an adolescent’s life, resorting to to relieve stress is common in teenagers due to the pressure that is created by overly concerned parents and stern educational structures. Teenagers have various influences outside of their family telling them what is right and wrong, creating authoritative rules at home to be necessary in order to display a clear message. In contrast to excessive parenting, people are prone to addiction when they face a lenient setup. The easygoing environment causes a sense of approval dealing with related behavior. Most parents were raised during the ‘60s and ‘70s, a time in history when were widely accepted. Adults have continued to use throughout their lives and are now having an influence on their children:

“Some parents believe that sharing an occasional joint with their teenager can ease family tensions and make a parent seem more like a buddy in whom their teen can confide. Parents also might view it as an easy way to explain their own past use” (Leinwand 82).

Besides sharing experiences with their children that involve , parents also provide their children with a safe place to use illegal substances. Some parents, that have first hand knowledge with use, would rather have their children taking at home rather than out on the streets. Being involved allows parents to keep an eye on their children and make sure they are, to some extent, safe. When parents think they are teaching their children to practice the safe use of , they are actually supplying a deformed definition of what is ethical. A parent having laid back opinions about causes teenagers to take use less seriously. Lacking restrictions creates uncontrollable impulses that lead to addiction.

The background in which a person is raised has an enormous impact on the habits and values that they obtain. The condition of families can put a person at a higher risk for addiction. Living in an impoverished environment causes to be more prevalent and easier to access. Furthermore, when a family structure is unhealthy and has a high level of conflicts, there is a cause to search for an outlet to relieve stress. Most people are trying to escape from their problems; however, by resorting to they are only temporarily at ease with their lives. Instead of seeking a short-term source of happiness, substance abusers should face their problems head on by dealing with the deeper issues that are causing them to “escape”.

When the parental figure personally faces problems with addiction, their children have a higher possibility of suffering from addiction as well. A family history of substance abuse causes children to associate the unstable conduct as being common.

“LaKiesha, 15, of Southern California, is the third generation of a family in which members have become addicted to . LaKiesha says her grandmother smoked pot regularly and gave her a few puffs when she was 5 years old, to settle her down before bedtime” (Leinwand 85).

Addiction is not necessarily hereditary but is seen throughout generations of family’s because children growing up around substance abuse begin associating it as normal behavior. When the children of addicts become s, they often live in a setting similar to the one that they were raised in: commonly including unbalanced structure and forms of addiction. The continuous cycle of compulsion causes endless, unhealthy frictional family bonds.

Our family was being torn apart by his senseless mistakes. He outrageously put the blame on my parents, who were appalled by his actions. The guilt had captured their emotions; my parents became miserable. I don’t think he realized how much his actions would affect our family. When he was using , he was a different person. I knew that his main concern now was getting high. He wasn’t always like this:

“He started smoking pot almost every day. He began defying teachers, ditching school and skipping hockey practice. “I was taking our household pets and selling them for money for ,” says Jason, now in treatment at a Phoenix House in Orange County, Calif. “I took my brother’s 3-foot iguana and sold it for a bag of weed. That’s low” (Leinwand 84).

While people are suffering from addiction, their thought processes behave unusually and they transform into relentless beings searching for pleasure. Finding the next “fix” becomes their first priority; therefore, everything else in their lives becomes less significant:

“When used habitually, they [drugs] deplete the supply of dopamine and interfere with the feedback between different parts of the brain that coordinate desires with priorities and expectations. Eventually, desire for the may trump most other desires. The no longer provides much pleasure, if any, but everything else is providing even less” (Harvard Mental Health Lettter).

A strain is imposed on relationships due to the magnitude of the addiction. In order to obtain relief, addicts go about fulfilling their needs in a devious manner. The deception creates a lack of trust and initiates constant disappointment. During the time of confrontation and intervention, the addict typically shares the blame with the people that are close to them. By holding other people responsible for their own actions, they are able to avoid the shame brought on by their addiction. Although blaming others is easier for the addict, people that are close to them are faced with a feeling of resentment and hostility. Even though forgiveness is a struggle, an addict lacking the feeling of remorse adds to the difficulty.

When the issue of addiction is faced, people are then introduced to the battle of recovery. At times, recovery can be a harder process to overcome due to the pain that rises to the surface. For those who are close to the addict, confusion is a familiar emotion. Recovery is a time for the unanswered questions to be answered. Obstacles arise when the truth does come out and is taken in by those involved. A strong support system is necessary to heal; recognizing that recovery is impossible to go through alone is difficult to acknowledge by everybody. While going through recovery, the possibility of relapse is always present. Addicts associate as being a gratifying sensation because of the satisfaction that they provided in the past. Even when the pleasure wears off, “the brain is still receiving difficult-to-resist signals of imminent reward that command the addict to take the again” (Harvard Mental Health Letter). The difficulty of quitting is not physical but mental:

“Addicts have learned too well to expect a rewarding experience from the . After a while, the addict’s environment is pervaded with cues—reminders of the that cause the release of dopamine and predict a reward. This kind of learning is called behavioral conditioning, and the result is sometimes called cue-induced craving” (Harvard Mental Health Letter).

Addicts link the use of substances with, “people, places, and things” (Harvard Mental Health Letter, Alcoholics Anonymous Doctrine). For different people, cues could be people they were around when they were using , the sight of paraphernalia, familiar places they associate the use of with, or persistent feelings of depression, stress, and anger. Cues can initiate relapse even after being clean for several years. Recovery in substance abusers is more difficult to defeat. The continuous use of harmful materials causes weak self-control and parts of the brain to become, “less effective at incorporating the information it needs to make decisions and judge the consequences of actions” (Harvard Mental Health Letter). Relapsing causes an addict to feel that they are a lost cause and cannot be helped. When family members discover the setbacks and realize the addict’s lack of commitment to recovery, they too begin to feel that the addict is beyond the point of healing. The negative effects of relapse feed the reasons for addiction and cause the addict to lose the desire to seek help. Another possibility in the processes of recovery, is an issue known as cross addiction. Suffering from cross addiction occurs when an addict, while undergoing stages of recovery, acquires a new addiction. The new addiction may seem less severe; nonetheless, the situation is extremely harmful and misleading. Although the addict may have refrained from using dangerous substances, they are still displaying addictive traits. Cross addictions cause people to lack a full recovery and simply transfer their addiction to a new source of pleasure. Countless barriers are possible throughout the stages of recovery, creating a complicated stage in an addict’s journey.

Even if a full recovery seems impossible at times, there are numerous ways to avoid failure. Group therapy, the most common way to remain sober, allows addicts a chance to relate to people that find themselves in similar situations. The main purpose of group therapy is to work through deeper psychological issues that have been brought on by addiction and to teach relapse prevention skills. Becky Stewart—a guidance counselor at Croatan High School—-feels that, as a family member of an addict, the hardest part of helping a person through recovery is by refusing to enable them. By permitting an addict to have a small portion of a substance, you are only damaging their recovery. The most effective way to aid a person in healing is to sternly forbid them from returning to their addictive traits and provide unyielding support. A full recovery will only arise through the full commitment of everybody involved.

The treacherous journey of an addict is extremely excruciating and complex. Every circumstance involving the use of could at some point evolve into a larger, out of control crisis, one in which a person’s entire life can fall apart. The easiest way to avoid addiction is to steer clear of any substance that could cause damage to yourself or the people around you. Addicts might think that they are just having a good time or that it is their life and they can make their own decisions, but their actions affect everybody that cares about them. When people make careless decisions that lead them down a dark path, they take all of the people that love them down too. Certain substances should not be allowed to control a person’s characteristics and actions. Once the problem of addiction is faced head on, the cooperation of everybody involved is vital in order to obtain a full recovery: a person needs to want to be helped in order to be helped.

The Overcast Omen: Analytical Essay December 6, 2007

Caitlin Mayo

Mrs. Robinson

Honors English III

November 13, 2007

The Overcast Omen

With the rain beating down on the window, I knew the gloominess of the weather was correspondingly apparent in my life. In A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemmingway shapes the mood of the novel by giving depth descriptions about the different developments of weather. Ernest Hemmingway sets the mood of the novel by giving in depth descriptions of the setting. Hemmingway continuously uses weather as a foreshadowing tool to provide enlightenment about the true feelings behind the story. Throughout the novel, rain represents misery brought on by war and . Additionally, the rain is repeatedly mentioned to add emphasis to the depressing tone. Snow is also evident when Hemmingway describes a time of happiness. The snow signifies the freezing of time and an escape from reality.

Using weather as a tool to express the mood creates a clear perspective about what the true feelings of the characters are. The novel opens in the juvenile stages of war. At the time that the story takes place, most people were surprised with the establishment of war. Hemmingway highlights the lack of information about the commencement of fighting when he wrote: “there was not the feeling of a storm coming”(3). In the chapters that proceed, rain is repeatedly mentioned in descriptions of the setting. The depression brought on by war is recognized throughout the novel. Rain is a representation of loneliness due to the effects of aggressive warfare: “As we moved out through the town it was empty in the rain”(194). The war caused countries to be haunted by a dark storm that inflicted sadness upon the towns that were affected by battle. Fighting is evident in the early chapters and the rain stresses the hostile and aggressive mood. Death is surrounded by the idea of stormy weather, but is also associated with fear. While staying in the hospital, Catherine confesses to Henry how she truly feels about the rain, “I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me in it…And sometimes I see you in it”(126). The rain evoked apprehension in Catherine and produced a threatening idea of .

As the relationship between Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley progresses, the rain becomes steadily present. The two characters decide not to get married and to instead continue their relationship, living in the moment. Their choice temporarily comes back to haunt them when Catherine develops an opinion about herself as being a . While staying in a hotel together, with the rain beating down on the streets, Catherine informs Henry about the new self-image that she has developed. The darkness of the relationship was exposed and dramatized by the rain. The persistence of the occurrence of rain when mentioning their relationship reveals the flaws that the two characters share. Their lack of commitment causes an overcast to follow them throughout life.

The mood of specific occasions in the character’s lives was enhanced and clarified by specifying the distinctiveness of the weather. Deserting the war was a personal decision of Henry’s that enabled him to start a new life with Catherine. After leaving the front Henry tracked down Catherine and they were brought back together. Although there was a brief pause in the rain due to the happiness of finding one another again, the rain was repeatedly mentioned after the two characters were reunited. The previous trend of rain preceding dreadful events causes the gloomy weather to provoke worrisome emotions in the reader. The severity of abandoning the war and the vast descriptions of rain foreshadowed the fact that Henry was going to be arrested for the crime that he committed. When Henry was caught, he miraculously talked his way out of getting arrested. Escaping punishment hinted that things were looking up for the young couple and that happiness was approaching. At the time, the rain was fading away: “The rain had stopped and only came in occasional gusts”(270). Through clearing up the relentless storm, Hemmingway indicates that the pair will eventually obtain some degree of joy.

Even though Catherine and Henry had obvious issues, they still deeply loved each other and were happy when in the presence of one another. When Henry escaped from the war, he and Catherine fled to the mountains. The rain developed into snow and things began to turn around for the couple. Henry had accomplished avoiding his memories and involvement in the war, while Catherine was able to prance through her new life pretending she was married instead of an unwed pregnant woman. The snow froze time for the characters and allowed them to slip away from society, palliate the problems that they faced as a couple, and escape from the misery brought on by war. Although setbacks were still present, the snow allowed them to forget about the dilemmas that were holding them down. The distance of the war had set in when Henry said, “The war seemed as far away as the football games of some one else’s college. But I knew from the papers that they were still fighting in the mountains because the snow would not come” (291). The snow served as a remedy. In war, fighting was briefly postponed when the snow came and did not continue until the spring season. The snow was the form of weather that filled Catherine and Henry with joy and happiness. When the winter was coming to an end, the characters were inevitably going to have to return to the pain that was incorporated in their lives.

In the concluding chapters of the novel, the rain returned and consecutively brought back reality. Departure from the mountains was necessary for Catherine to deliver the baby safely. When the time came for the baby to be born, Henry was in the hospital and said, “It was dark but in the light from the window I could see it was raining” (324). The rainy weather signals to the reader that sadness is coming in the future. The s of the baby and Catherine are soon known and create a devastating end to the novel. Following the loss of his loved ones, Henry “left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain” (332). The rain emphasized the loneliness that Henry was going to have to deal with due to the of Catherine and their child. The walk allowed the misery that Henry would have to face to slowly set in.

Hemmingway purposely uses the weather to indicate the mood of the story and what events are to come. By including the rain in his text, the dark tone is continuously accentuated. Carefully distinguishing the different types of weather clarifies the feeling that Hemmingway was attempting to relay to the reader and creates an easier understanding of the various feelings of the characters. The change in weather clearly signifies the development of the character’s attitudes and the variety of moods seen throughout the book. He effectively heightens the intensity of emotions throughout the text in order to create an exceptional novel.