Self Portrait free essay sample

Shes never been called glamorous or even an enthusiastic pretty. Her acorn-colored hair hangs simply above her shoulders and sometimes catches a glitter from the reflecting sun. Shes constantly trying to keep it tucked behind her ear in hopes that it wont stray, but it usually half-covers her eye in hopes that it one day will cover her whole face and hide her emotions from everyone. Her blue eyes are like a chameleon changing with her every outfit. Sometimes as blue as the ocean on a Caribbean beach while other times they are as dark as a storm rolling across the hills. Her freckled face makes her appear younger and in the summer they serve to cover most of her nose. Her mother and friends used to tell her that they could tell when she was lying because a freckle under her right eye twitched. She now knows that they were mistaken because she has pulled a few over on them. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Portrait or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Her thin frame often struggles to endure all her emotions. She tries to encase her slender legs with baggy jeans, but her baggy jeans are still a childrens size. Most of her clothes end up being hand-me-downs from her friend, so they already have that worn-in look that she loves. Her dream is to see Michael Jordan play basketball and her goal is to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome. She has no desire to save the world or become the first woman president. She already fulfilled her greatest ambition when she proved the doctors wrong, winning her battle with cancer. Because of this she would ultimately like to find a cure for cancer and save a mother from the same worries her mother had. She longs to find her own style and not just be another face in the crowd. She has never been one for make-up. In the winter you can see a faint glitter of blush surrounding her cheekbones but in the summer her face is overwrought with red, peeling flesh. Because of her contacts it is hard to do much with her small, marble eyes. If she could make one wish it would be that she could see perfectly. She attempts to appear strong and confident on the outside but on the inside she is still that shy, insecure, pig-tailed ten-year-old. She is often crying on the inside while laughing out loud. She longs to be accepted but claims others opinions dont really matter. She preaches that self love is important while she is her own worst enemy.

Reader Response to The Good Soldier Essays - Modernist Literature

Reader Response to The Good Soldier Essays - Modernist Literature Reader Response to The Good Soldier Reader Response to The Good Soldier Ford Maddox Ford?s The Good Soldier is saturated with ironies and ambiguities. It is told through the voice of Dowell, giving his interpretation on the events that unfolded around him as well as those that involved him. ?This is the saddest story I have ever heard? is the opening line to the novel and although there are points of sadness embedded throughout the experiences of the individuals, the saddest event is the obliviousness of Dowell. The general irony that overlay the first half of the novel is the ?heart condition? that both Florence and Captain Ashburnham each suffer from. The only condition they seem to have is allowing their heart to beat for those other than the ones they are married to. The spouses, Dowell and Leonora each do what is needed in order to keep their other half comfortable, happy and healthy. Their time is spent in a health spa, where the respective couples meet one another. Dowell?s narration is all over the place, jumping from time to time without much clarification. His re-telling of the events also shifts continents, from the Americas to Europe. The Dowell?s are American, while the Ashburnham?s are English. These memories are impressions that have been left on Dowell and he recalls them with eagerness and certain sense of respect for Captain Ashburnham. Dowell?s marriage is one that has never been consummated, however his bride experienced a sexual relationship prior to her marriage. She has not divulged this information to Dowell, other than to say: ?Once I tried to have a lover but I was so sick at the heart, so utterly worn out that I had to send him away? and now her newly diagnosed heart condition does not allow for sexual activity. Dowell accepts the doctor?s orders for his lack of passion in his marriage and continues to pine for Florence as well as play nursemaid to her. Florence is an interesting character, full of secrets as well as deception. Florence understood exactly what having a heart condition entailed, since her uncle had suffered from one as well. She seemed to have observed his behaviors and helplessness and modeled her own from the experience. While leaving on a ship for Europe for their honeymoon, Florence warns Dowell that she suffers from a heart condition. From here the lie continues to grow and Dowell?s job as an attendant to Florence is secured. Dowell is kept in the dark on many activities of his new bride. He later reflects that he never let her out of his sight, however the rules that Florence had in place allowed her privacy needed to carry on extramarital affairs. Once the couple made it to Paris for their honeymoon, Florence?s affair with Jimmy was reignited. This was the man who was her uncle?s companion and who was her first sexual escapade. However, her inability to travel ironically keeps her from Jimmy in time. Her own excuse created so that she could be with him is the same one that keeps her from him. Edward Ashburnham is a man full of his own secrets and infidelities. Edward is seen by Dowell as a ?cleanest looking sort of chap; - an excellent magistrate, a first rate soldier, one of the best landlords.? Dowell is envious of Edward?s suave appearance and sexual conquests and prowess. Edward also captures the attention of Florence with his sexual prowess, as she falls in love with him. Dowell is none the wiser, as Edward is a man with whom you can trust with your wife. Dowell?s storytelling unfolds as though he mind is slowly unfolding the events and piecing them together as he tells them. At times, it seems as though he tells us of his realizations of the actions of those around him as they make sense to him. Dowell loves Florence, and wants nothing more than to care for her, but he also hates her. ?I hate Florence with such a hatred that I would not spare her an eternity of loneliness.? Dowell sees Florence for what she truly was, but never sees Edward in the same light. Edward and Leonora have no relations with one another.