Sockey's Xombytes

Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1837. In the allegorical tale, Dr. Heidegger experiments on four of his friends by offering them water from the fountain of youth. This gives them the ability to grow young once again. All four, who have led wasteful lives, vow never to repeat the mistakes of their youth and to be the perfect individuals they have always imagined. Still, almost as soon as they grow young again, the four friends return to their old wasteful practices. The theme which is created from this is, although humans may greatly believe in and desire complete perfection, it is an impossibility and any quest for it is futile. Hawthorne uses a variety of literary devices to exemplify this theme.

The Chinese Cultural Revolution was launched by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966. It was an attempt to rid China of so-called “capitalist roaders” and to restore Mao’s power within the party. In the end, the Revolution intended to save the country ultimately destroyed it. The Cultural Revolution eliminated the freedom of people all over China for a time span of over 10 years and greatly injured the country both economically and culturally; from this we can learn that stifling a group’s free will can have negative effects on the stability of the entire country.

In the episodic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, the author, uses the first person point of view to illustrate the book’s theme: man can often be inhumane to his fellow man. The use of first person throughout the story allows Twain to show events as they happen from Huck’s point of view.

Throughout history many different military groups have used children. From ancient Greece to the Middle East today, child soldiers have been used for a variety of reasons. Two particular conflicts in which child soldiers have been used are World War II with the Hitler Youth, whose young boys brutally attacked Allied soldiers, and Colombia’s ongoing Armed Conflict, in which children are trained to kill for guerrilla insurgencies and paramilitaries. Sometimes these children are forced into fighting. Other times they are persuaded by the idea of creating a better future. Whatever the reasons, the use of children in battle is wrong and efforts should be made to help end the practice.

After Apple-Picking

After Apple-Picking is a short poem written by Robert Frost. It tells of an old dying man looking back on his life in regret for what he did not accomplish. The author uses metaphors, symbols, and diction to create different tones. The tones contrast and create a theme of life’s work and the desire for success and meaning.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous American poet, essayist, and lecturer, once said, “Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.” This quote seems to imply that a student can be more successful based on personality. This is, however, not true. In fact intellect is just as, if not more, important in many fields. Although a student’s character is important he can not rely on it alone to become a successful individual.

Author's note: This article is a response to the Ministry of Reshelving Project.

For years writers have written novels about dystopian futures as a warning to modern society. In recent years many of the grim predictions made by these stories are beginning to come true. Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World was published in 1932 and seventeen years later George Orwell followed with 1984. Due to similarities in the societies depicted in these novels and our own, both books should be reshelved in book stores and libraries under the category “nonfiction.”