Essay on the Death of Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour

Death of Freedom in The Story of an Hour In Kate Chopin’s short story, "The Story of an Hour," we are told that Mrs. Mallard, the main character, has a heart condition. Then Mrs. Mallard’s sister, Josephine, tells her Mr. Mallard died in a railroad disaster. At the end of the story, Mrs. Mallard dies when her husband suddenly walks through the door. The doctor says that Mrs. Mallard died "of heart disease—of joy that kills" (Chopin 27). Some people may agree with the doctor’s diagnosis, but I think he was wrong. I believe that Mrs. Mallard’s death was not because she was happy to see her husband, but because she was sad about the loss of her newly-found freedom. I also think Mrs. Mallard realized that love is not a substitute for the freedom to live your own life. Throughout this short story there are examples showing how Mrs. Mallard’s actions and ideas are focused on her freedom. There are also thoughts and ideas that show Mrs. Mallard realizing that love is by no means a substitute for independence. When Mrs. Mallard was told of her husband’s death she "did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance" (Chopin 25). This shows that Mrs. Mallard was not utterly grief-stricken or she would have had this so-called "glazed-over look." She also did not deny her husband’s death, which is another natural reaction to the loss of someone you deeply care about. After Mrs. Mallard is told of her husband’s death, she retreats into her bedroom. The scenery outside is not one of death, but one of life. This is how Chopin describes the scenery while Mrs. Mallard is looking out her bedroom window: she "could see in the open square before her house the tops of tr... ...Mrs. Mallard’s husband walks in the front door. She looks at her husband, but all she can see is her newly-found freedom slipping away. Can you imagine the loss of such a thing as your freedom? Mrs. Mallard had just realized that she had her independence, when it was taken from her suddenly. I think the loss independence can be fatal, and in Mrs. Mallard’s case it was. After Mrs. Mallard dies, the doctor incorrectly diagnoses her death as "joy that kills." Now, I hope you can see, as clearly as I do, that Mrs. Mallard did not die of joy that kills, but of the loss of this powerful thing we call freedom. Works Cited Chopin, Kate "The Story of an Hour." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. NY: HarperCollins, 1991. 25-27. Skaggs, Peggy. "Kate Chopin." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols.

Plastic Water Bottles Essay

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to stop using plastic bottles because of the health concerns and its harmful effects on the environment. Introduction: How many people know that in the Pacific Ocean there’s a huge island consisting of plastic bags, bottles, and even toys that’s estimated to be twice the size of Texas? For those you didn’t know now you do, environmentalists refer to this island as the Great Plastic Vortex. As plastic use increases, the vortex will only grow more and more. In 2007 8. billion tons of bottled waters were sold, so the number of plastic water bottles is only increasing and ends up accumulating to the great plastic vortex. We can start helping the environment by stopping the usage of plastic water bottles. Thesis statement: Plastic water bottles are being questioned about their safety to both our health and our environment as well. Preview: Today, we will discuss the problems that come about with plastic water bottles and the causes and solutions to help our health and our environment as well. Body: I. There are multiple problems with plastic water bottles, which include danger to people’s health and the harmful effects to our environment. A. Plastic bottles contain a toxin called BPA, which can be a danger to our health. 1. According to Kate Barrett from ABC News, retrieved on April 15, 2008, a report found that exposure to this toxin could have effects on young children and infants by causing changes in the brain development. 2. As we are being exposed to this toxin at younger ages, we stand a higher risk of diseases and health problems. B. There are several ways in which plastic bottles are harmful to the environment. In an article on October 29, 2007 issue of Blast Magazine, Jack Bell says and I quote plastic generates toxic emissions and pollutants that contribute to global warming. 2. As a result of this, promoting the usage of plastic bottles will only create more chaos to our environment. Transition: The problems of the BPA’s potential to harm people combined with the dangerous effects of plastic water bottles on the environment can be associated with two main causes, which we will now go into. I. The two specific causes can be identified as: consumer’s ignorance and the producers lack of responsibility. A.  Consumers have certain habits that don’t even faze them; it is in fact second nature to them. 1. Plastic water bottles are meant for one time use only, yet tons of people reuse them. Most of us think using the same bottle again helps the environment as well as saves us money, but it may be costing us our health. 2. According to the â€Å"Time Magazine†, Lisa Cullen says, plastic bottles are meant for disposable and for one time use only. Reusing them causes bacteria to build up, spreading it throughout the mouth. B. The food and drug administration has deemed BPA safe, but studies and research doubt their decision. 1.  According to the â€Å"Time Magazine†, Bryan Walsh states this toxin might be linked to a variety of diseases, such as cancer and reproductive problems. 2. Even though the FDA has been unintentionally endorsing the use of this chemical, they have been effectively exposing people. Transition: Now that we have explored the causes, we examine the solutions we can do ourselves personally. II. Most of the solutions have to do with a little bit of self -effort. A. One solution is to write to the members of congress, the FDA, and/or the governor to urge for stricter regulations for bottled water labeling, public disclosure, and safety. .The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recommends writing to producers to display information about whether it has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. 2. According to the natural resources defense council there approach will be to write about setting strict limits about contamination and bacteria. B. Another solution is to try to use a non-plastic water bottle. It is recommended that people try to change to either stainless steel or aluminum water bottles. Conclusion: I. Conclusively, now you are aware of the dangers of plastic, more importantly plastic water bottles. With a better understanding of what is causing these problems-consumers ignorance as well as the producers lack of responsibility- we can concentrate on solving this threat. II. As more and more water bottles are disposed, they are only adding to the already giant land fields of plastic bottles. As more and more people drink from water bottles, it is only causing a higher risk for health problems. III. We can take from this as a realization- we need to start doing our part to help save our environment as well as our health.

Changing Patterns of Migration - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 412 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/09/24 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Migration Essay Did you like this example? From 1945 to the year 2000, we saw many changing patterns of migration undertake across all nations for various reasons. A series of events in Australia’s history have lead up to the change in migration patterns. From the middle of the nineteenth century, Australia was a destination for migrants. From 1945, 6. 8 million people came to Australia as new settlers. The controversy surrounding the early migration is said to be the introduction of the ‘White Australia’ policy which was one of the first legislative actions of the new Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The effect of this policy was to reduce the extent of non-European migration so that by 1947, when the post-war immigration policy was being initiated, the Asian component of Australia’s population was estimated to be less than 0. 4 per cent of the total. However, not until 1967, when the policy had soon been changed to allow the entry of skilled non-Europeans, was there any significant gr owth. With Australia abandoning the White Australia Policy it has opened the door for countries such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia to come to Australia. From the year 1945 to 1949, Ben Chifley took the position the Australian Prime Minister. He established the Federal Department of Immigration because he found that Australia was being under populated and needed a larger population for defence. He figured that a 1% population increase would achieve all this. Migration in Australia increased largely at the end of World War 2, when many millions in Europe were displaced from their homes. Not only this, but at the same time, Australia became short of labour and soon many believed that population growth in Australia was essential for the future. Australia was in an agreement with the United Kingdom, some European countries and the International Refugee Organisation to encourage migrants to come to Australia. In the year 1950, 200 000 people had arrived. The 1970s was when the Vietnam War was coming to a close. Many Vietnamese refugees, some whom were working with the US and Australian forces during the war, arrived to Australia. Not only this but the late 1970s and early 1980s saw Middle Eastern immigrants, predominantly around the time of the Lebanese civil war begin to come to Australia. In 2000, more than 148 000 migrants were granted visas under the ‘Skill and Family Streams of Australia’s Migration Program’. Not on this, 493 000 people received temporary entry visas to Australia for specific work, business, education, sport or holiday. In addition, many were granted humanitarian entrant to rebuild their lives after fleeing persecution. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Changing Patterns of Migration" essay for you Create order