The Fatalist Essay -- Literary Analysis, Singer, Schwartz, Irony

In â€Å"The Fatalist† written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, verbal and situational irony is used to highlight Benjamin Schwartz’s (the Fatalist’s) strange views of fate and pre-destiny by pointing out the absurdity of fatalism in different ways. Verbal irony is used by certain characters to almost mock the Fatalist’s view on preordainment. Situational irony is used in â€Å"the Fatalist† by giving us a shocking ending, and ultimately reversing our original perspective on fate. Singer’s main purpose by using irony in â€Å"the Fatalist† is to contradict our previous outlook on a specific occurrence in the story and give us a totally new perspective achieved by sarcasm or just plain old incongruity between what we expect to happen and what really happens. There are many instances in â€Å"the Fatalist† that exemplify irony, but they must be broken down in order to understand their significance. The Fatalist and his controversy amongst the townspeople are introduced shortly after his arrival. He would give speeches on his beliefs about fatalism and fielded questions, complaints and retorts from his audiences. People began to be too familiar with fatalism even so that â€Å"a new word was added to the town’s vocabulary†¦everyone here (there) knows what a fatalist, even the beadle of the synagogue and the poorhouse attendant† (190). This example of verbal irony demonstrates how big of a deal Benjamin Fatalist was to the society. Even though some may have not agreed with him, he was certainly a newcomer that others were interested in. This also defines an introduction for the fatalist; we now can understand why he was welcomed and treated the way he was. The most important antagonist in â€Å"the Fatalist† is Heyele Minz. She is responsible for the majority of the v... ... end results in marriage. They evidently still despise each other, but a deal is a deal. â€Å"The Fatalist† is a story of sarcasm and irony. Verbal irony and situational irony are the playmakers in this novella, but they each play a different role in reversing our general perspective on events in â€Å"the Fatalist.† Verbal irony is used to reverse our opinions on a certain character or their actions while situational irony is used to reverse our original thoughts on the outcome of the story as a whole. Eventually all the examples of verbal irony come together to form the final result of the story, which ends up completely reversing our original perspective about the conclusion. Without a protagonist (the Fatalist) and the antagonist (Heyele), there is no possible way to lead a story to a dramatic and ironic ending. Most often, words must be spoken to change the outcome.

“Banana Peelings as Charcoal Briquette” Essay

Prior to the industrial revolution charcoal was occasionally used as a cooking fuel. Modern â€Å"charcoal briquettes†, widely used for outdoor grilling and barbecues in backyards and on camping trips, imitate this use, but are not pure charcoal. They are usually compacted mixtures of sawdust with additives like coal or coke and various binders. Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen (see pyrolysis, char and biochar). It is usually an impure form of carbon as it contains ash; however, sugar charcoal is among the purest forms of carbon readily available, particularly if it is not made by heating but by a dehydration with sulfuric acid to minimise introducing new impurities, as impurities can be removed from the sugar in advance. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal. Charcoal is a carbon-containing substance made from wood, naturally black and powdery. Charcoal is made from wood by heating it in airless space in high temperature. The wood will not burn, but instead turn into charcoal. The by-product of making charcoal is tar and turpentine. People use it for different things such as cooking on a barbecue grill, and in painting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal Charcoal is a desirable fuel because it produces a hot, long-lasting, virtually smokeless fire. Combined with other materials and formed into uniform chunks called briquettes, it is popularly used for outdoor cooking in the United States. According to the barbecue Industry Association, Americans bought 883,748 tons of charcoal briquettes in 1997. Basic charcoal is produced by burning a carbon-rich material such as wood in a low-oxygen atmosphere. This process drives off the moisture and volatile gases that were present in the original fuel. The resulting charred material not only burns longer and more steadily than whole wood, but it is much lighter  (one-fifth to one-third of its original weight). Read more: How charcoal briquette is made – material, making, history, used, components, product, industry, History, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing Process of charcoal briquette, Byproducts/Waste, The Future http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Charcoal-Briquette.html#b#ixzz1ybbwzLNy Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. It is one of the oldest cultivated plants. They are native to tropical South and Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea.[1]Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.[2] They are grown in at least 107 countries,[3] primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fiber, banana wine and as ornamental plants. Its fruits, rich in starch, grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. They come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific names of bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana or hybrids Musa acuminata Ãâ€" balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. The old scientific names Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca are no longer used. Banana is also used to describe Enset and Fe’i bananas, neither of which belong to the aforementioned species. Enset bananas belong to the genus Ensete while the taxonomy of Fe’i-type cultivars is uncertain. In popular culture and commerce, â€Å"banana† usually refers to soft, sweet â€Å"dessert† bananas. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called plantains or â€Å"cooking bananas†. The distinction is purely arbitrary and the terms â€Å"plantain† and â€Å"banana† are sometimes interchangeable depending on their usage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana Organic Matter Organic matter is the peel’s principal constituent. Proteins account for 0.9 percent by weight of the peel, lipids are 1.7 percent, carbohydrates are 59.1 percent and crude fiber is 31.7 percent. This composition makes the peel a good animal feedstock. Carbon When heated, the organic content of banana peels breaks down to its constituent carbon and gases to produce banana charcoal. The product originated in Uganda to substitute dwindling wood supplies as a cooking fuel. Read more: Components of a Banana Peel | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_10033568_components-banana-peel.html#ixzz1ybeTnZCH

“Bless Me, Ultima”: The Role of Parents Essay

The novel â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† by Rudolfo Anaya shows the complexity and changeability of human nature and destiny. The author reveals that in the process of maturation and development every person is being influenced by parents, friends and acquaintances. Anaya tells a story of a young boy Antonio who is troubled of uncertainty of his destiny and parents’ influence on his life. Gabriel and Maria Merez are Antonio’s parents, but they have conflicting views towards the future of his child. Therefore, it is very difficult for Antonio to accept either mother’s or father’s belief system. Antonio’s mother is very religious and she is devoted to Catholic Church. She teaches Antonio to follow God’s commandments, as well as to accept values and beliefs of the church. Moreover, she wants her son to become a priest following her Luna family traditions. Maria thinks that it is a sin to grow and she doesn’t want Antonio to choose his own destiny. But the heart prevails and â€Å"the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart†. (p.34) Antonio’s father is rather important for his spiritual growth. Despite the fact that he wants his son to become Llano vaquero, he wants Antonio to feel independence and freedom. From the first glance Gabriel seems a common drunkard, but with the novel progression we see the depth and dignity of his relations with Llano. Antonio inherited father’s inquisitive and questionable mind. When one of the villagers dies Antonio asks: â€Å"God! Why did Lupito die? Why do you allow the evil of the Trementinas? Why did you allow Narciso to be murdered when he was doing good? A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the Voice within me did not answer†. (p.23) Maria forces Antonio to follow her family traditions, whereas Gabriel wants him to choose the life of vaquero only if he wants. He doesn’t want Antonio to be in a state of regret as he is. In such a way, Gabriel is the first person who teaches Antonio to make his own decisions about the future. Works Cited Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1994.