The Complex Relationship Between Faith Essay Example for Free

The Complex Relationship Between Faith Essay The Complex Relation between Faith and Fate In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, numerous themes present themselves to the reader. Irving uses the idea of the relationship of faith and fate to question whether or not faith directly shapes our fate, creating the idea that believing in God in a world with no faith completely absurd. As the novel unfolds, you begin to understand ‘special purpose’ each character serves can only be told in the way God decides. When Owen Meany is on stage portraying the ghost of Christmas yet to come he approaches the gravestone prop, stops, and suddenly faints. He later awakens, as the curtains fall only to realize that the name he read on the gravestone is his own. Scared, he knew he had been given a glimpse into his future. â€Å"It made (Owen) furious when I suggested that anything was an ‘accident’ – especially anything that happened to him; on the subject of predestination, Owen Meany would accuse Calvin of bad faith. There were no accidents. (Irving 66) Owen has a very strong sense of faith and believed that this directly affected his fate and the fates of others and because Owen believes he is an ‘instrument of God’ and that there are no accidents. Everything dealing with Owen is fated to occur. As did others in the novel, Sagamore, John’s mother (Tabitha), John’s grandmother, and others all become symbols of things foreshadowed to die because they los t their faith at some point throughout the novel. Another example of faith shaping fate is when Mr. Fish taught Owen and John to play football because he had no children of his own. Irving uses this biblical allusion to show how faith is directly tied to fate. Mr. Fish had given up hope in Owen’s ability to kick a football and this led to the fate of Sagamore because, those who lost their faith became ill willed or suffered a fate only destiny could have imagined, much like Sagamore and the diaper truck. As Owen Meany became ‘God’s instrument’ in the death of Sagamore, he also served the same role in taking the life John’s mother, Tabitha, who suffered the fate of a baseball to the head. But was this an accident of fate or was it a lack there of? At the end of the novel Rev. Merrill revealed to John that he was his father, and it was John, who in the end restored his faith. It however, was the death of Tabitha that caused his lack of faith. The Rev. Merrill believes that he caused her death because, he had wished for it. Or maybe, it is his fate, that Tabitha was destined to die. Owen Meany believed that there were no such things as coincidences and that fate is the ultimate reason. Irving wrote it this way to show how faith and fate are interconnected. Most people have faith that God decides what happens to you; this is fate. There were many people in this novel that lost their faith. John’s grandmother had lost her faith after John’s mother had died which, foreshadowed her death. And maybe Owen himself, who had confidence in John to believe in faith, fated that Owen too would become another victim of fate. Which makes us think, what is it that actually contains a story of religion and fate, are they linked, or are they two things we can never know together? However, one thing is certain, the belief that if faith is lost; fate will not be so kind. Works Cited Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. Print

Jurassic Park :: Essays Papers

Jurassic Park A very wealthy man has created a technique to clone dinosaurs. He is able to do so with the left behind DNA that his genius team of scientists and experts can extract. He is able to grow the dinosaurs in labs and lock them up on an island behind electric fences. He has created a sort of theme park on the island, which is located off the west coast of Costa Rica. The island is called Isle Nublar. He plans to have the entire planet come and visit his amazing prehistoric marvels. He asks a group of scientists from several different fields to come and view the park, but something goes terribly wrong when a worker on the island decides to be a traitor and shuts down the power. The main characters in the book are: John Hammond who is a billionaire developer who has used his resources to create the dinosaur filled island known as Jurassic Park. He is an old grandfather, and he dies in the book by a dinosaur known as a Procompsognathus. Dr. Alan Grant who is a famous paleontologist who agrees to visit Jurassic Park only to find out it is the home of several Dinosaurs. Unlike the movie Dr. Grant loves kids in the book. He also had a beard. Dr. Ellie Sattler is a Paleobotinist, who is also among the first people to tour Jurassic Park. There is also Tim, who is the 11-year-old grandson of John Hammond. He is kind of geeky, into computers and loves Dinosaurs. His 7-year-old sister is Alexis. She has a tomboy attitude and loves baseball. Ian Malcom is the Mathematician that uses "Chaos Theory" to predict disastrous results. He only wears black and gray. He is presumably dead in Jurassic Park the book, but somehow he shows up in the sequel, The Lost World. Finally there is Dennis Nedry. He was the computer genius who's greed and ambition bring chaos to Jurassic Park. There are many other characters that played a big part in the book, but I thought they were the best and the plot revolved around them. The characters show the greatest difference in the movie and the book. There were many opposites in the characters and even the roles and personalities of Tim and Lex were reversed. The book starts off when some of the dinosaurs have escaped form the island.

Death on Pine street Essay

In this essay I will be comparing two detective stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story ‘The Speckled Band’ was written in the 1890’s and set in England. It follows Sherlock Holmes as he investigates the unusual death of a young woman. Through clever logic he manages to solve the case entirely by simply investigating the scene of the crime. ‘Death on Pine Street’ was written in the 1930’s and set in America. The detective in this is a more â€Å"street-wise† roughed up detective, investigating the murder of a woman’s husband. His sly and even dishonest methods of investigation solve the case, however there are a few complexities. Both stories are first person narratives. In ‘The Speckled Band’ Dr. Watson is the narrator but in ‘Death on Pine Street’, the Op himself tells us the story. This means that in the Holmes story the reader is kept in the dark about what is happening because we only know what Watson knows and, therefore, have to wait to the end of the story for Holmes to explain how he solved the crime to Watson. In the other story, because the Op is the narrator we know what he is thinking and what is happening to him. This different style works well, because although we know what he is thinking, we still have to wait to the end for the Op to explain how he solved the crime to the police; this way it doesn’t ruin the element of interest that keeps the reader going on. The detectives in the two stories, Sherlock Holmes and the Continental Op, have some things in common, but are also very different characters. This is due to the very different places and times in which the stories are set. Both are private detectives solving crimes for money. They are both loners with no wives, families or girlfriends. They are both quick thinking, clever and observant – they see clues and evidence that nobody else can see. They are both brave and strong, and can use weapons and know how to defend themselves. These are important factors in a good detective, which I think is why they share these traits whilst being from such different places and times. Sherlock Holmes was the first fictional detective ever, so it is probable that some of the inspiration for the Continental Op came from him. However they differ in many ways. Holmes is a more upper-class, well spoken and well-educated man. The Continental Op is more of a slang-talking, lower-class working man. He works for a company, and has to travel to meet clients. Holmes works from home; Miss Stoner comes to see him. He seems to do detective work simply for enjoyment, he tells Miss Stoner she need not pay him. Holmes seems more calm and collected, he doesn’t carry a firearm or get into fisticuffs – the Continental Op does both of these. Since Watson is narrating ‘The Speckled Band’, we get a good description of Holmes; the Continental Op does not describe himself at all – infact the only description of him is given by the Tenant, referring to him as â€Å"our little fat friend†. The Continental Op is always skulking around bad areas and apartments, Holmes usually takes a safe journey to the scene of the crime (in this case a mansion). It is the difference in location and time that plays an integral part in shaping these completely different characters that share similar and almost universal traits. ‘Death on Pine Street’ is set in America in the 1930’s; this was during the Great Depression when times were very hard on people. Unemployment was high, many people could barely afford to live and so naturally people were more highstrung or ill-tempered, and crime rose. It was this kind of tough way of life that forms the environment and the character in ‘Death on Pine Street’. ‘The Speckled Band’ is set in England, in the 1890’s, a fine period for upper-class people. Holmes would have been raised comfortably, and it would not have been a necessity for him to be â€Å"tough† like the Continental Op. He does not deal in the same way as the Continental Op; he quietly investigates a single place, and works without any interrogations or interviews. This greatly seperates the feel of the story from ‘Death on Pine Street’, as the Continental Op interracts far more, with many more characters.

Tips for Urban Stargazers

Stargazing in the city? Why not?  Just because someone lives in an urban environment doesnt mean they cant do a little sky observing. Sure, its a bit tougher because of bright lights and overall light pollution, but it can be done.   Most articles  about stargazing  recommend finding a good, dark-sky observing site. But for someone living in the city, who cant get to a dark-sky reservations, its tempting to just stay inside and look at the stars on a computer screen. However, it turns out, there are ways to do some city observing, despite the problems posed by light pollution. Much of the worlds population lives in or near cities, so enthusiastic city stargazers can and do find ways to do back-yard or rooftop observing.   Explore the Solar System The Sun, Moon, and planets are readily accessible because theyre bright. The Sun is an obvious choice, but observers do need to take some strict precautions. NEVER look directly at the Sun with the naked eye and especially NOT through binoculars or a scope that dont have solar filters. If an observer has a  telescope  equipped with a solar filter, then they can look at it through the eyepiece, to see the sunspots and any prominences that might be moving up from the Suns surface.  As it turns out, however, theres a very low-tech way to see sunspots without filters. Heres how it works: let the Sun shine through the telescope, and direct the bright light onto a white wall or a piece of paper. The observer gets to see sunspots without burning their eyes out. In fact,  a number of successful sunspot observers use this method all the time. That method also makes it very easy to sketch sunspots since all the observer has to do is direct the view onto paper and then trace what is projected. Checking out the Moon The Moon is also a great target for city viewing. Watch it night after night (and in the daytime during part of the month), and chart how its appearance changes. Its possible to explore its surface with binoculars, and get really finely-detailed views with a good telescope. One popular pastime is to explore all the large basins and craters on the surface.  Another one is to look for mountains and cracks on the surface.   One thing to look for during an observing session is an iridium flare. Thats a glint of light from the surface of an Iridium satellite. These usually happen not long after sunset and are very bright, so bright then can be seen from cities. However, as Iridium satellitesd are gradually phased out, such flares will happen less and less frequently. Seeing Planets from the City The planets are also good targets for city skygazers. The rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter  are popular targets. Plus, they show up well in binoculars or a telescope. There are good observing guides to the planets in the pages of Astronomy, Sky Telescope, SkyNews  magazines, as well as many sources online in other languages. A  digital astronomy program or app, such as StarMap 2 or Stellarium also provide precise positions of the Moon and planets in the sky.   The Deep Sky From the Big City Unfortunately, many people who live in light-polluted areas have never (or rarely) seen the Milky Way. During a power outage, theres a chance of seeing it from the city, but otherwise, it can be very difficult to spot unless they can get a few miles outside of town.   But, all is not lost. There are  some deep-sky objects that city dwellers can try to find. They just need to get out of the way of lights. One trick that many urban observers use is to stay up after midnight when some building owners turn off their outside lights. That might allow a view of such things as the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades star cluster, and some of the brighter star clusters. Other tricks for city observers: Find places to observe from that are shielded from bright nearby lights, such as a corner of a porch, the top of a roof and next to a wall, or from a balcony;Some put a blanket over their heads and their telescopes to block out the direct light;City astrophotographers take long-exposure images of deep sky objects;Use  good star chats  that help a skygazer hop from star to star as you search out a cluster or a nebula.   Ask the Locals Local planetarium theaters often offer stargazing shows, where people can learn the night sky.  They might also have classes for stargazers, so check out the nearby facilities to see what they offer. They are often found in science centers, but also at universities and some school districts offer public access from time to time. Amateur astronomer groups in and near big cities often have observing nights where people can gather with others to do some sky exploration. For example, in New York City, the Friends of the High Line organization have weekly observing sessions from April through October. Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles holds star parties each month, and its telescope is available each week for a peek at the heavens. These are just two of many, many stargazing activities in towns and cities. Also, dont forget the local college and university observatories—they often have observing nights, too. The city might seem like the least likely place to catch a glimpse of the stars, but in cities from downtown New York to Shanghai to Bombay and beyond, people can still often see the brightest stars and planets. It may be a challenge, but the rewards are worth it.