Tortilla Flat Essay Example for Free

Tortilla Flat Essay Tortilla Flat, written by John Steinbeck was set after World War One in a district of Monterey named Tortilla Flat. This story was about not only the less than glamorous lifestyle lived by Danny and his fellow â€Å"paisanos†, but the importance of friendship through bad times over material values. All of the major events carry with them a strong implication of this theme which is often reflected through the characters’ decisions. Along with an incredibly ironic yet powerful friendship based on morals, this story is also is about appreciating the simple things in life. Each problem encountered by this band of friends was meaningful in its own way. As a reader the most significant events and characters were Danny, his death, and Pilon. Danny began this tale from the beginning as more of a pathetic, alcoholic, useless man, but slowly progressed and evolved into a character that represented unity and leadership. He, being the owner of the two houses, was a clearly distinct leader and executive decision maker among these friends. His symbolic role in the aspect of unity is represented through the repercussions of his death. When Danny goes insane and leaves, the men still have hope he will be back and although it does not appear to be a loss without him they are truly nothing without Danny. These men carried with them throughout the whole story the importance of friendship in their conscience but voluntarily left that behind because it was obvious that they needed him. While Danny represented unity and leadership among friendship, Pilon was a symbol of good intentions and friendship as a whole. With every move Pilon made he always questioned it was a selfish choice or how he could help his friends with the money. Although his many deposits often resulted in drinking with his companions, they often started with the idea of paying rent, giving a gift, or making amends. Pilon was truly a good soul that did not have the funds to support his charitable ideas. His most charitable actions involved him recruiting new friends, but were ultimately his acts of kindness attempting to help ones in need. All of these were covered with ironically immoral decisions to do very virtuous deeds making Pilon seem more of a fool then a good man. These two were also portrayed the hardships faced after the world war. Danny and Pilon both embody this theme of friendship so greatly that the wrong they do is almost inferior to their good values in life, which were very influential to all of the characters in this novel. Unity and virtues became so ironically personified by Steinbeck through these characters to capture and portray his themes. This novel was very well written. The imagery and wording Steinbeck uses helped to visualize and connect while coherently getting across his point. Steinbeck’s purpose in writing this novel was to help to not only connect many with the struggles of the lower class, but to personify unity through very likeable characters. The purpose seemed vague until the connection to the characters grew stronger which was the start to understanding the book. His themes came across strongly and were accomplished very well. As for passages in which the theme was most established, many showed them in a more powerful way than others. As some of the last words describing not only the death of Danny, but the demise of the faithful companionship, when the house burns and the friends all go their separate ways can be best summarized as, Thus must it be, O wise friends of Danny. The cord that bound you together is cut. The magnet that drew you has lost its virtue†. Danny was truly the most important of the men although he seemingly did nothing but drink he was what held them together. With the fire beginning to start, it was symbolic of everything. The end, the friendship, Danny’s death, and unity were all so greatly symbolized by the fire. That scene perfectly isolated the themes all at once and ended the novel in a great way. Tortilla Flat would be a good read for kids starting in high school. Because the concept of the story is harder to connect to and there are many implications leading to humor, many younger than fourteen or fifteen might not understand the book. This book contains an extensive amount of imagery making it very easy to visualize and Steinbeck’s elaboration helps to make the story seem real.

Interrelation of Physical and Social Characteristics in Society :: Anthropology

Interrelation of Physical and Social Characteristics in Society Cultures on this planet are infinitely diverse and quite different from each other as well. Many of the customs and rituals that are practiced in the United States are diverse in nature as well, but are similar in more ways to each other than to cultures in other regions of the world. It seems that a great deal of a culture’s core stems from their surrounding environment, and the pressures that this puts on those trying to live there. A culture’s physical and social characteristics are interrelated, and play an important role in the development of a society and the personalities of the people. Marriage, jobs, and politics are all areas of a culture that are influenced by a person’s environment. In the U.S., monogamy is the â€Å"normal† structure of marriage, and is a logic choice considering the type of environment we live in. Independence training is emphasized to prepare people for obtaining the highest standard of living in the U.S. Being better than another is important in this society, and is stressed to most people from a very early age. Living away from one’s parents is not only expected but also often desired by both the child and the parents. Mobility is a huge factor in the work force, and the less one is â€Å"tied down† to, the easier it is to make the necessary transitions. In other societies, forms of marriage other than monogamy make more sense, and make life easier. For example, the !Kung San live together in small groups, in which everyone takes care of all the children, and much of life is not privately shielded from the group. Their openness and sharing of childcare and lifestyles is also portrayed in their food gathering activities. The villagers gather food and then distribute it to not only their own â€Å"nuclear† family, but to others as well. It would be too hard to survive on your own in this environment, so the group structure works well. Inheritance of lands and goods also plays an important role in the structuring of societies and families in other cultures outside of the U.S. Cultures such as the Inuit, Tibetans, and Marquesan Islanders of Polynesia, practice polyandry, the marriage of more than one man to a single woman. This is common for brothers who do not wish to divide up their father’s lands, so they will marry the same woman and both retain the entire estate.

Pillars of Citizenship in the U.S.

The pillars of citizenship in our country, the United States of America, have been constructed through three essential documents. The Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights have furnished much of our countries civil rights and liberties of the US political system. The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a document that stated official separation between the 13 colonies and Great Britain.The Declaration mainly argued for the colonies most central law, which was that â€Å"all men are created equal† and there are certain unalienable rights that governments need to respect such as the â€Å"right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. † It also argued â€Å"Intolerable Acts† would be considered unconstitutional under the new nation. It also argued if a government is not supporting the rights described in the document, citizens should and could overthrow that government as devoted citizens.The declaration of Independence was created to form a new government that’s main duty was to support the rights of citizens through only the power of the people that it represented. The US Constitution was constructed after we won our independence from Great Britain, which resulted in the formation of our new Government. It was the foundational document that setup all of our nations branches of our newly constructed Government. As a whole, this documents main purpose was the construction of our relationship between the Federal Government and the United States Citizens.When the US Constitution was constructed there was many debates between the Anti-Federalists and Federalists. The Anti-Federalists were scared that there would be to much Government regulation and the citizens would lose some of their rights. In regards to this, both sides agreed on the US constitution, but only if there would be a construction of a â€Å"Bill of Rights†. The Bill of Rights sole purpose was to maintain the United States ci tizens liberties including freedom of speech, religion and the right to a fair trial by a jury.In all, the construction of these documents each argued for the right of the US citizens to be treated with respect, fairness, and of course, equally. There were numerous abuses that were committed by King George III that are documented in the Declaration of Independence towards the colonists of the United States. In result to this, each of these documents were created because the colonists were tired of the King of Great Britain.

Shopping for Clothes in French Bilingual Story

Check your understanding of French adjectives using this easy ​learn French in context story focusing on French clothing vocabulary and adjectives commonly used to describe clothes. Looking for a Dress in French Camille a besoin dune robe pour aller à   un mariage dans trois semaines. Cest un mariage à ©là ©gant, et donc elle cherche une robe habillà ©e, mais assez confortable car elle a bien lintention de danser ! Et bien sà »r, la robe ne doit pas à ªtre trop chà ¨re, car Camille na pas un grand budget. Camille needs a dress to go to a wedding in three weeks. It’s an elegant wedding, and so she’s looking for a dressy dress, but rather comfortable because she really plans on dancing! And of course, the dress shouldn’t be too expensive, because Camille doesn’t have a big budget. Shopping in French a Store Camille entre dans une boutique et trouve une jolie jupe, longue, fluide et là ©gà ¨re. Mais si elle achà ¨te une jupe, elle devra acheter un haut, et aussi une veste pour l’à ©glise. Cest trop compliquà ©. Non, dà ©cidà ©ment, Camille cherche une robe, un point cest tout. Camille enters in a shop and finds a pretty skirt, long, fluid and light. But if she buys a skirt, she’ll need to buy a top, and also a jacket for the church. It’s too complicated. No, Camille definitely is looking for a dress, period. Il y a une robe bleue qui est pas mal, assez chic, et bien coupà ©e. Mais cest du lin, et Camille ne repasse pas. Cette robe va se froisser, et puis le lin, à §a montre aussi les traces de transpiration. Non, ce nest vraiment pas pratique. Dommage, elle à ©tait jolie et bon-marchà ©. There is a blue dress which is not bad, rather elegant, and well cut. But it’s linen, and Camille doesn’t iron. This dress is going to wrinkle, and also linen shows sweat marks. No, it’s really not practical. Too bad, it was pretty and cheap. A Good Bargain at a French Store Dans une autre boutique, Camille repà ¨re une petite robe courte, sans manche, et avec un joli motif imprimà ©. Et elle nest vraiment pas chà ¨re !  Elle est soldà ©e, cest vraiment une bonne affaire. Elle lessaie. Ah la la, cest la catastrophe. Cette robe ne lui va pas du tout. Elle est trop courte : ce nest pas de la bonne qualità © et la coupe ne lui va pas du tout. Camille trouve quelle la grossit. Tant pis. In another store, Camille spots a little short dress, sleeveless, and with a pretty printed fabric. And it’s really not expensive! It’s marked down, and it’s really a good bargain. She tries it on. Oh la la, it’s a disaster. This dress doesn’t fit her at all. It’s too short: it’s not good quality and the cut is not becoming on her at all. Camille thinks it makes her look fat. Too bad. Talking to a French Salesperson La vendeuse suggà ¨re une autre robe, complà ¨tement diffà ©rente. Elle est trà ¨s longue,  gris bleu, assez moulante avec un grand dà ©colletà © dans le dos, et des petites bretelles. Camille lessaie. Aà ¯e, à §a bloque au niveau des cuisses... l’à ©ternel problà ¨me... Camille demande une taille plus grande. Elle arrive à   mettre la robe, mais cest un dà ©sastre. La robe est trop serrà ©e sur les fesses, trop petite sur la poitrine, et en plus elle est beaucoup trop longue. Camille se trouve grosse, moche et vulgaire... pas du tout le look recherchà ©. The salesperson suggests another dress, entirely different. It’s very long,  blue-grey, rather  form  fitting with a deep low cut in the  back,  and short straps. Camille tries it on.  Ouch, it gets stuck at the thighs†¦ the eternal problem†¦ Camille asks for a bigger size. She manages to slip on the dress, but it’s a real disaster. The dress is too tight on the  buttocks, too small on the chest, and on top of  all  it’s way too long. Camille feels fat, ugly and vulgar†¦ not at all the desired look. French Shopping Day Cette journà ©e shopping ne se passe pas vraiment comme prà ©vue. Zut alors. Dans une vitrine, Camille voit une petite robe noire à   pois blancs. Elle est classique, mais a une jolie forme cache-coeur, et est ample au niveau des jambes. Elle a des manches courtes, et le tissus a lair fluide et confortable.   This shopping day is not really going as planned. Darn. In a shop window, Camille sees a small dress with white polka dots. It’s classic, but has a pretty cross-over over the chest area shape, and is loose fitting on the legs. It has short sleeves, and the fabric looks fluid and comfortable. Camille entre dans la boutique, demande sa taille, et essaie la robe. Ah, voilà   qui est mieux. Camille se sent trà ¨s bien : la robe est douce, et tombe bien sur elle. Elle nest ni trop longue, ni trop courte, et elle lamincit. Et en plus,  Camille a des chaussures noires  qui iront parfaitement avec.   Camille enters the shop, asks for her size, and tries on the dress. Ah, this is much better. Camille feels very good: the dress is soft, and it falls nicely on her. It’s not too long, nor too short, and makes her look thinner. And besides, Camille has some black shoes  that will go perfectly well with it. Finding the Perfect Outfit in France La vendeuse lui montre une veste assortie. Lensemble est parfait, assez sobre mais chic. Cest un peu plus cher que ce que Camille voulait dà ©penser, mais à §a reste  raisonnable, et en plus cette petite robe sera facile à   remettre. En fait, cest parfait ! Mission accomplie ! The salesperson shows her a matching jacket. The outfit is perfect, rather simple but elegant. It’s a bit more expensive than what Camille wanted to spend, but it is still reasonable, and besides, this unpretentious dress will be easy to wear again. In fact, it’s perfect! Mission accomplished!