Narrative Essay on a Good Day! free essay sample

I was going with my family. So finally, the day was here and I was in India on December 19th 2012. My friends and cousins were at the airport to pick me up, they were very happy, and surprised to see me after a long time. It was a very warm welcome with handmade flower necklaces. They knew I was coming so they already cleaned my house and it was ready for me. It was very different feeling living in that house after living in United States and also the weather was different than United States. After they dropped me off at my house, I got freshen up, and then all my relatives, friends, and neighbor started coming to my house to see me. They were very happy. Then my mother’s family who lives in India, they came to see from another city. I got so emotional after seeing them. It was the best feeling seeing your family after so many years and my mom cried so much after seeing her mother. We will write a custom essay sample on Narrative Essay on a Good Day! or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It’s a very different experience talking to them on phone from U. S. A and meeting them face to face in India. Then we all went out to have lunch with my mother’s family and my friends. I was craving for pure Indian food taste so I had so many different kinds of dishes. We had South Indian food, Gujarati Thali (full Dish), and my favorite Indian Chinese cuisine. We had so much while having lunch. Everyone was sharing their stories and taking about random stuff. Then we all came back to our home and took a nap since we were excused from flying in plane for 16 hrs. By the time we woke up it was a time for a dinner. Our neighbor invited us for dinner at their house, so we all got ready and left to their house. By the end of the night we had a wonderful experience and overall it was an interesting day. India has changed a lot since I left seven years ago. Now, they have shopping malls, huge buildings in the city, so many movie theaters, and also people are changing their living styles. It really was a different experience. I will never forget this day in my life, it was and it will be the best day from my entire life.

Tyler LeBlanc Essays (1134 words) - Enron Scandal, Free Essays

Tyler LeBlanc Essays (1134 words) - Enron Scandal, Free Essays Tyler LeBlanc Prof. Sullivan CRJ 362 2/6/2017 Enron's Scandal Dismantle Enron was a Houston based corporation founded in 1985, that reached the peak of the business world in the late nineties to early Two thousands. Enron was known for their business savvy techniques, on the other hand it was notorious for their demise resulting from their audit scandals. The aftermath was imprisonment of large amounts of CEO's, as well as thousands of employees losing their jobs. This all transpired when there was constant change of CEO's and CFO's , and unsystematic plumet of $137 million loss in stock in which attracted the attention of many forcing the justice to investigate. In this paper i will evaluate the facts of this case,and analyze the scandal using the rational choice theory. The rational choice theory ties into the Enron scandal as executives took into account the large benefits prior to participating in this infamous disparagement,as the rational choice theory states that individuals make decisions with the greatest benefit or satisfaction. They took into mind the pros in this situation, and Found loopholes around being caught . These executives thought that there would be no way they would be caught, and even if so they believed they personally would not be held accountable for fraud if in fact they were exposed. Anderson Litter was the Auditing company that was in charge of checking frequently on Enron's books, however the company rarely did so. This factor led Enron accountants to believe that if no one was checking the books that they could purposefully undermine the rules by misfiling, and not reporting Enron's problems. Anderson litter and other auditors had all the reason in the world to keep quiet of the scandal that was taking place bas ed off the fact that they let all Enron's messy business slide under the radar they were now considered accomplices. Enron felt they had more to gain then lose, when analyzing the cost benefits. The benefits would be auditors could live lavishly as there was large amounts of income filling there pockets from the scandal. The cost if they were to come clean they would be tarnishing the corporation's reputation as well as their own. Waste Management's jail free scandal was the staple for Enron's executives when taking in consideration the cost benefits in the corporation's fraud scandals. Waste management was a corporation that bought out hundreds and thousands of garbage companies, increasing their sales and profits year by year. The Company was a skyrocketing business as their company stock profit soared higher than any other big time corporation. The Waste Management business hit the fan when the company could no longer expand as they ran out of garbage companies to buy out. This large problem did not stop waste management as they turned to a counting fix fooling wall street to believe the company was still growing by stretching depreciations. Waste Management changed the life span of their assets such as garbage trucks,landfills, and garbage containers. The typical lifespan of these assets is twelve years, Waste Management changed it to eighteen years saving over one hundred million dollars. This was all possible from the help of Anderson auditing company as they did not report the Waste management financial mistakes. In 1997 Waste Management and Andersen's auditing company was exposed for its $1.7 billion exaggerated stock earning. Both corporations were fined $457 million which is like paying a typical bill for the average person. Anderson Auditors did not stop after their exposure from this big scandal as they came to the table with the same approach with Enron. Enron's executives took in account if they did get caught in there scandal they would only be faced with a minimum fine compared to the billions of dollars they would make from the fraud scandal , they believed they wouldn't receive jail time as well. Anderson Little Firm was the direct Auditing firm in which Enron had ties too. Although the auditors based from Anderson's knew Fastow was embezzling money, they would sign off on tax statements within Enron. The auditing company became one of the same with enron holding the same beliefs and morals in respects to accounting. Anderson became so

Employment Law for Business Today and Tomorrow Research Paper

Employment Law for Business Today and Tomorrow - Research Paper Example The employment laws came into being as a result of the untiring struggle of laborers for the better working conditions, wages and their right to raise through trade unions and to present a charter of demands to the management when due. In order to strike a balance between the employers and the employees, the positive role of the trade union cannot be ignored. It is a matter of fact that without the cordial relationship between the employees and the employers, running the affairs of an organization smoothly is a big question mark (Deakin & Morris, 2005). The infrastructure of employment law around the globe is more or less the same in terms of rights and obligations of the employees and the employers. The rights and obligations of the employees and the employers are implemented through a contract of employment (Deakin & Morris, 2005). ...In many countries of the world, minimum wages of the employees are determined by their respective governments. We may cite here the example of Sweden where minimum wages are negotiated by the Collective Bargaining Agent on behalf of the employees with the management, keeping in mind the profitability of the organization/other factors. The CBA strives hard for a better deal for the benefits of workers (Deakin & Morris, 2005). Here we can mention the minimum wage laws that were introduced in different countries seriatim: USA (1938); Brazil (1940);Â  India (1948); France (1950) and last but not the least, UK (1998). Today 18 out of 25 members are part of the European Union where minimum wages for the workers are in vogue (Deakin & Morris, 2005). While looking back at the era of the Industrial Revolution, we observe that at that time workers were forced to work approximately up to 14 hours or even longer. Along with adult employment, children employment was also common with drastic features. In England, children had to work 8 hours a day in the textile factories. The Factory Act of 1802 and subsequent acts addressed the issues rela ted to children employment and the minimum working hours of an employee. According to the said act, the racial and sexual discrimination is unacceptable and considered illegal (Selwyn, 2008). The subsequent employment act, which came to surface in 1938, set a maximum of 44 hours and later on 40 hours a week. Even the immigrant workers are benefited from the mentioned act. There are areas where this act is not implemented. For instance, in the agricultural field, working hours can be spanned to 72 hours a week in the harvesting season.

Othello, the Moore of Venice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Othello, the Moore of Venice - Essay Example He is portrayed to be physically strong and admired by the people who know him. He is considered to be an asset for the government of Venice and he is important for the Duke as well as the other senior members. On the other hand, Roderigo is highlighted to be very weak and is dependent upon others for his decisions. He is rich but is not as strong as Othello by any means. Thus, Othello and Roderigo strike a balance in the play where Othello portrays strength and Roderigo portrays weakness. Othello is a very brave soldier and his suggestions and recommendations are given importance by the senators and the Duke of Venice. He is a man who is loved for his strength and determination. He holds the strong position of the general of the armies of Venice and has authority to promote people. Othello marries the woman he loves, Desdemona secretly. He explains that Desdemona chose to marry him after listening to the story of his achievements and attainments in his life. It is seen that Desdemona loves Othello for what he is and she chooses to stand by him. The accomplishments of Othello are so impressive that when the Duke listens to the story of Othello that he told Desdemona, he is compelled to say, â€Å"I think this tale would win my daughter too.† Thus, the life of Othello displays strength and his character is the most noticeable character of the play. Roderigo is a rich man who lives in Venice. He is a weak man who does not have his own decisions and judgments. He rather relies on deceitful people like Iago for support and help. Roderigo loves Desdemona but does not approach her through the right means. He rather pays Iago to assist him in marrying her. This can be seen as a step that displays his weakness. He cannot express his love for Desdemona by himself and win her love by his qualities. He is disappointed when he learns of the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Despite of their marriage, he

The Buddhist No Self Doctrine Philosophy Essay

The Buddhist No Self Doctrine Philosophy Essay The Buddha taught that there were no persisting identity and there are no permanent stable identities. We are just a complex experience streamed through time. We are just short lived, temporal, historical beings in the process of becoming. There is no difference between you and your life: you are your life history. thoughts were the thinker and experiences were the experiencer The Buddha taught Ksanika-vada which is an anti-substantial doctrine that the world is in a continuous flux and is impermanent. There is nothing more than movement and change in the world (Anitya). There are no fixed or permanent, absolute or independent substances. The Buddhist universe is the same as Heraclitus simile of a river as you cant step twice into the same river due to the constant changing of water. The phenomenology of reality, objects, events and self are not what we think they are. They are in fact a temporary interconnected stream of some fundamental elements. This is the Buddhist ontology that everything occurs through causes and effects. All these things we believe to be persisting entities, including self, are just a stream of events. The effect doesnt exist when the cause existed and the cause stops existing when the effect comes to exist. This results in everything in the world having a cause and nothing existing unconditioned. The idea of Atman is the metaphysical self or soul which is everlasting. The Hindu religion uses this idea of the soul thus they adopt the Eternalists view. This is that the soul is immaterial, infinite and immortal so it will continue to exist for ever. Atman has various meaning such as soul, self, being, ego or personality. This is what Buddhism rejects, a persisting and enduring entity in humans. The doctrine of Nairatmya-Vada teaches us that to recognize ourselves as a persisting entity is an illusion. We are actually a phenomenon of human experiences (dharma) so we are temporal being (Ksanika). What we call the self is actually a temporary interconnected stream of thoughts and desires. So why do we believe we have a self and why do we cling onto the idea of a self? The early Buddhist believed individuals were an arrangement is a composition of five aggregates (skandha). None of these phenomena contain an actually sense of self: The body (rupa) Feelings of pleasure and pain (vedana) Sense-based perceptions of objects (vijnana) Conceptual thoughts (samjna) Volitions, inherited dispositions and habits (samskara) To clarify, conceptual thoughts are not the mind but just the thoughts themselves. They are not a substance or an enduring self. Also consciousness is not found in these five aggregates as the Buddha rejected the idea. Rather consciousness is named by the cause. It is dependent on all five and it cant exist without them. For example the eye gives visibility which gives rise to visible consciousness. This is a mental consciousness. Consciousness is always an effect of the aggregates and always in flux. . The self is not actually real as none of these five aggregates show that there is a persisting and enduring identity in humans. What gives rise to individuals feeling of self is just the aggregate of these factors replacing each other. For example, a body touch a red hot poker, this will give rise to a feeling of pain, this will give rise to a thought of pain and the memory of what it felt like. It is a conventional designation for a becoming compound of the five aggregates that gives rise to the feeling that we are selves. Descartes believed that I think therefore I am, whereas the Buddha taught that I am because I think. Therefore Buddhism is an impersonalist teaching showing us that the self doesnt actually exist so we are not what we think we are, we dont matter. Nagasena explains this concept in Question of King Milanda through a conversation between Menader (a king) and Nagasena (a monk). Nagasena asks the king if the axle, wheels, chariot body, flagstaff, yoke, reins or goad-stick is the chariot. Also he asks if all of these are the chariot. All of these were answered negatively. Thus the chariot is not the same as the parts and is not the parts conjointly. He concludes that the word chariot is only a name for the parts in a certain way formation. He applies this to self and postulates that his name is just a construction of his five aggregates but not actually a self: As the various parts, the different adjuncts of a vehicle, form, when united, that which is called a chariot; so, when the five khandas are united in one aggregate, or body, they constitute that which is called a being, a living existence. The Buddhism doctrine of Pratiya- Samutpada, often translated as dependent arising taught that thirst or desires, attachments and commitments are causally related to suffering (duhkha). This is where the Buddha explains the process where enduring world phenomenon arises. Even though cause and events (dharmas) are separate in Buddhism they are still interconnected and this is the same for the continuous cycle of rebirth (samsara). It is just life a flowing river or an ever turning wheel. There is no need for the self, all phenomena, our experiences, substances and events, can be explained by caused and effect. Life is one causal sequence made of Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (nidanas). This shows that no beings exist independent of any other beings. Therefore it describes one enduring identity from birth to death and also reincarnated lives: 1. Ignorance 2. Volitional Actions 3. States of Mind 4. Name and Form 5. Sense Sources 6. Contact 7. Feelings 8. Attachment 9. Grasping 10. Becoming 11. Birth 12. Aging and Death Yet again this process shows us that nothing can exist by itself. This is because the Buddha taught that if something has a dependent origination then it cant be independent: If something is fundamentally dependent then it must be devoid of having a nature that is independent of other phenomena, of existing independently. Anything that is dependently originated must in fact be empty. Everything that we experience is a result of a cause and the nature of them is being dependent. This means that all of our phenomena are empty of having an independent self. To be enlightened is to take away the first link of ignorance and be aware that all our phenomena are empty and once we are aware of this we will become enlightened. This is becoming aware that we arent actually what we think are. Our self or personality is a constitution of feelings and attachments to objects which is what causes our process of becoming. This is the aim of Atman, to escape from this unsatisfaction that the phenomena of the persisting self causes. When we grasp an object we want we may feel happiness but this never last and even if we get an object we want we always crave for more or are scared of losing it. We need to become enlightened that these are not actually real and are only a product of our phenomena. The four noble truths teach us that you can realise your true self and aspire to a higher living. When you understand that ignorance, volitional action, attachment and feeling and grasping are empty then you will let escape the circle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth (samsara) and find peace in nirvana. As we have seen, early Buddhism analysed experience into five aggregates but later schools developed the process of reduction analysis. The Abhidharma, a later reduction analysis text, develops some of the fundamental teaching of the Buddhism. The Abhidharma analyses phenomenon and experiences, reducing them into minute essentials (dharma) by complex lists. This rejects the sustainable self as an independent entity because it is actually a changing construction dependent on complex connection of mental and material components. The Sarvastivada Abhidharma doctrine teaches that only impartite entities truly exist. If atoms make up an object then the object doesnt exist as it is just an aggregate. The impartite entities in phenomenon (dharma) have a permanent identity of their own (svabhava) and exist in the past, present and future. Each dharma has its own essences or intrinsic nature (svalaksana). This idea is Atomism, where the basic constituent ingredients for all mental thoughts an d physical materials are all reducible to this. Yet again this breaks down our habits of attachment as we are just a mass of material elements and just as the Lotus flower will fade and die so will us. As the dharmas which have no cause and effect dont include the self, this must mean that all aspects of our experiences are impermanent and dependent on many causes and effects which arise and pass. This ontology of dharmas shows us that the world we live in is not what we think it is. Hence our attachments, commitments and desires for objects of this world are false: Try to grasp the world and it runs through ones fingers. The Abhidharma lists conditioned realities (samskrta) which are made from temporary fluxes. These phenomena are conditioned: 1. Material phenomena 2. Mind 3. Mental phenomena 4. Elements which are neither material nor mental The mind is conceived as a complex cognitive process consisting of a succession or related momentary mental states. Mental states arise dependent on its cause therefore forming a mental flux. The mind is always rapidly changing, streams of consciousness is made up of streams of awareness. Every moment of cognition relates to a particular object therefore intentionality and consciousness are inseparable. Our phenomenon of consciousness is therefore a stream of immaterial and impersonal events; it is associated with the body in life but will come to exist dependent on another body after the death of the body. This is not a persisting self but an impersonal series of mental events. Our reality is made up of a connection of momentary events. So mind and matter are not substance but events, and mental and material events interact in a flux. The Sautrantika teaching are different from the Abhidharma teachings as it rejections dharma as actual reality. The Abhidharma introduced the idea of permanence in the world through dharmas and the Sautrantika rejects this unconditional reality. This is because the Abhidharma dharmas go against the Buddhist principle of impermanence (anitya). They retain the notion of dharma but eliminate the notion of svabhava. They believe that our basic reality is just flashes of momentary energy (svalakshana). Therefore all things momentary exist only in the minute when they are produced. This is a radicalisation of impermanence as everything is instantaneous and has no duration. All materials are also impermanent as all things decay. Decay needs no external causes as it is a self destruction of the material. So there is only ever a present, there is no past or future as everything is instantaneous. An enduring and persisting self can certainly not exist as there is only momentary existence. Thus consciousness actually is just a flux of momentary flash of energy hence there is no need for a conscious self with a past, present and future. The doctrine of sakaravada teaches us that we are never in contact with the material world but only perceive an aspect based upon the sense organs and sense consciousness: It asserts the mediated character of cognition, the recognition that perception apprehends its object through the mediation of a mark left by the object on consciousness. Therefore reality is not what we think it is as there is a gap between our minds and what is actually occuringf. It is not a self being confronted by a world of objects. It is actually our sense consciousness taking on the form of the sakaravada. Before there was a need for a self for something to be consciously perceived by the senses but in this theory there is no need for this as we are not in direct contact with the world (bahyartha-pratyaks). The Nyaya- Vaisheshika taught that the world had an objective structure, that we are permanent, that there were persisting entities and they were substances. Dignaga, a Buddhist scholar believed that these categories that have been discovered in reality are just imposed by the workings of the mind and dont actually exist in reality. Through the process of our imagination (kalpana) is what we are giving words to. It is our language that imposes structure of reality. The mind groups svalakshana together. So words for generalities, for classes, for types, for qualities and words for individual substances all would seem to have repeatable properties are just our interpretation of the world and not actually real. Our minds are linking together different particulars and imagine them as an enduring and persisting entity. We forget that we are part of a process and talk in terms of us being stable observers not matter or quantum self, however we are not except from processes. Thus the belief of the self is just a word invented by the mind for the different processes in flux. Yogcara, another School of Buddhism, rejects the Sautrantika and Abhidharma idea of there being a reality independent of the mind. These ideas are interconnected and give rise to other ideas whilst being self illuminating. The unenlightened believe they have a self or they are conscious but this actually arises from a stream of conscious self illuminating ideas. This is because these self-conscious ideas may wrongly believe they have a self when actually they are part of a flux. It is the mind-set that makes us have this belief as this establishes how we perceive the world. Even though the world is mind only, the ideas cast themselves as external resulting in the misconstrued belief that we have a self. People dont feel individual because of the external world but because of the certain habitual mind-set they have, their feelings and moods.

Love, Choreography and Passion in The Movie Step Up :: essays research papers

In the summer of 2006, a movie by the name of â€Å"Step Up† came out. This movie soon would change the meaning of the teamwork, dedication and passion. Millions of dedicated fans from different age groups attended â€Å"Step Up† at its opening weekend. The plot plays out that a guy loves to dance, but is not involved in any professional groups. One day he gets into trouble with the law and has to complete his community service hours at an Art School. There he meets a girl and seeks his passion of dancing professionally. Love, choreography and passion are three qualities about the movie which moved and interested me. Tyler comes from a poor foster family who is always in arguments. On the other hand, Nora comes from a high class family whose parents urge her to giving up oh her dreams of dancing and pursuing a career in law. When Tyler takes the blame for the destruction he caused fooling around in the school, he receives community service as a punishment. One day while he is completing his duty, he meets Nora. Sparks fly as she auditions him for the main role in her dance. The love interest in this movie makes it all the much better to watch. Furthermore, the choreography in â€Å"Step Up† makes it so interesting and lively to view. Watching them perform the choreography they have been taught is just so amazing. As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect!’ Throughout this movie, the audience noticed how much of a drive each character has to perform to their absolute fullest. The way the characters move and dance draws the viewer’s attention even more. Lastly, the passion all the characters exude is spectacular. Tyler comes from a beat down home and strives for success after seeing his potential in the world of art. His passion for dance makes him all the better at what he does. With the help of Nora, he is well on his way to victory. While Nora comes from a formal family whose father passed away, her mother thinks she knows what is best for her. However, her father always encouraged her to purse her dreams of dancing. But her mother is very skeptical about this, thinking that she cannot get anywhere with dance alone, when her mother realizes Nora’s passion for dance, she easily gives in and wants what makes Nora happier. Love, Choreography and Passion in The Movie Step Up :: essays research papers In the summer of 2006, a movie by the name of â€Å"Step Up† came out. This movie soon would change the meaning of the teamwork, dedication and passion. Millions of dedicated fans from different age groups attended â€Å"Step Up† at its opening weekend. The plot plays out that a guy loves to dance, but is not involved in any professional groups. One day he gets into trouble with the law and has to complete his community service hours at an Art School. There he meets a girl and seeks his passion of dancing professionally. Love, choreography and passion are three qualities about the movie which moved and interested me. Tyler comes from a poor foster family who is always in arguments. On the other hand, Nora comes from a high class family whose parents urge her to giving up oh her dreams of dancing and pursuing a career in law. When Tyler takes the blame for the destruction he caused fooling around in the school, he receives community service as a punishment. One day while he is completing his duty, he meets Nora. Sparks fly as she auditions him for the main role in her dance. The love interest in this movie makes it all the much better to watch. Furthermore, the choreography in â€Å"Step Up† makes it so interesting and lively to view. Watching them perform the choreography they have been taught is just so amazing. As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect!’ Throughout this movie, the audience noticed how much of a drive each character has to perform to their absolute fullest. The way the characters move and dance draws the viewer’s attention even more. Lastly, the passion all the characters exude is spectacular. Tyler comes from a beat down home and strives for success after seeing his potential in the world of art. His passion for dance makes him all the better at what he does. With the help of Nora, he is well on his way to victory. While Nora comes from a formal family whose father passed away, her mother thinks she knows what is best for her. However, her father always encouraged her to purse her dreams of dancing. But her mother is very skeptical about this, thinking that she cannot get anywhere with dance alone, when her mother realizes Nora’s passion for dance, she easily gives in and wants what makes Nora happier.

The Clashing of Wills

Conflict between generations is a common them to many novels. In the novel†Bread Givers†, by Anzia Yezierksa, the clashing of wills of two generations is one major theme. We see clashes through culture, generations, community, religion,generations, and many others. The most prominent clash of wills is that of the protagonist Sara with her father Moisha or Reb Smolinsky. Some may say that these two characters clash because of their differences. Others might say that it their similarities that cause the clash between them both. It seems that it is a combination of their similarities and their differences that cause their clash and, in fact, binds them closer than At the beginning of the novel we learn that Sara†s father has nick named her blood and iron recognizing the fact that she has a strong will. It is Sara†s strong will that causes the most of the conflict with her and her father. Sara gets her strong will and drive from her father. She is not like her sisters who follow the cultural expectations of early marriage, but she, instead, has greater ambition for her life. Sara plans to get an education which is not in her fathers plan for her life. Reb wants Sara to marry like her other sisters, and live a â€Å"holy† life according to the Torah. Sara†s will to educate herself, and Reb†s will to have Sara married is what causes the conflict in their relationship. Like Sara†s blood and iron will, Reb also is driven for his daughters to live their life according to the Torah. It is the strong will of these two characters that cause their connection. While Reb is bound to the laws and traditions of the Torah, Sara is bound to the drive to be educated or make herself a better, more successful person. One incident that exemplifies the strong will of both these characters is found at the beginning of the novel. The rent collector for the landlord comes to the apartment to collect rent, but Reb does not have the money. The two argue and Reb finally hits the collector, who is Jewish, and shouts, â€Å"I†ll teach you respect for the Holy Torah† (p. 18). Reb is then taken off to jail for assault. Then Sara decides since none of her sisters are bringing in enough money, that she would go out and make some. She buys a some fish for twenty five cents and then hit the street to sell them for double what she paid. We see by this that Reb has an iron will when in comes to his religion and the Torah, while Sara has a will to make herself a better and successful person. He strives for religious perfection while Sara strives Sara follows the orders of her father until she reaches her breaking point in the unsuccessful business he buys. Sara walks out on her mother and father, leaving behind all connections to her old life. This is her chance to start out in the world to attain her goal. This is a difficult thing for a girl to do in that time and place. She would face many bumps on her road, the greatest being resisting the old world that her family is bound to. While her sisters question her actions, they praise her for getting away from their father. Her sister Bessies says, â€Å"Thank God you had the courage to break away† (p 142). Bessie is praising her for not letting her father marry her off as he did her and his other two daughters. A long time after leaving the home Reb goes to visit Sara in her small apartment. The sight of her father is something she had longed for so she was happy to see him. She thought he would understand her because, as she says, â€Å"He had given up worldly success to drink the wisdom of the Torah† (p. 202). When in fact he came to chastise her for not accepting a marriage proposal. He feels this is her only chance to live a holy life and get into heaven. After her continued refusal and argument with her father Reb responds with, â€Å"I disown you. I curse you. May your name and your memory be blotted out of this earth† (p. 208). Sara had hoped for recognition, and even identification with her sacrifice while her father came only to shun her sacrifice. Her lifestyle, although much like his, was against his religious beliefs. This is a point were we see how the similarities between the two is what is breaking them apart. Sara says to her father, â€Å"All my selfishness is from you† (p. 206). Just like her father, Sara had given up her life to attain success through an education, but it is the education of her father that divides them. Reb sacrificed and educated himself in the Torah that tells him that a women is to be in the home. Sara is also sacrificing but, to her father, her sacrifice in sacrilege to their religion. Sara has an overwhelming will to educate herself in order to make herself a person. She sacrifices just about everything in her life in order to attain her goal of becoming a school teacher. She is willing to live alone, work and starve herself nearly to death, and give up all things other girls her age covet like going out on dates or wearing make-up. She address the sacrifice she makes within herself to her college dean, Sara says, â€Å"Why is it that when a nobody wants to get to be somebody she†s got to make herself terribly hard, when people like you who are born high up can keep all their kind feelings and get along so naturally well with everybody?†, (p. 231). Sara know that she had to become somebody else in order to attain her goal. She sees that she has to become â€Å"hard† in order to be a success. We see also in Reb a sacrifice. He has to sacrifice a life of frivolous living. He has dedicated himself to his religion, as Sara has dedicated herself to education. He acknowledges the fact that he has an obligation to live a model life. Some may say he was selfish in his dedication. This selfishness may be true but it was a selfishness that took a lot of dedication. Most could never live their lives to the letter of any law. Reb lived his life as a living example of what the Torah intended life to be. Whether we agree with it or not, his dedication is to be commended. We see that Sara and her father share many traits. They are both selfish to the cause of their own education. They both hold an intense dedication to what they set their minds to. So much so that it exceeds their need for anything else. They also have an intense connection to the tools of their dedication, in other words, their books. After Sara turns down a suitor she says, â€Å"I seized my books and hugged them to my breast as thought they were living things.† (p. 201). Reb also shows his connection to his books in dedicating a room in the small apartment just for them. Imagine, this family is crammed into a tiny apartment without room for light even, and he dedicates a room entirely to his books. We see that they both have a connection to learning that is stronger than any other. We see that the greatest divide in Sara and Reb†s relation as a reflection of the expected gender roles. Reb†s religious belief says that a women†s place is in the home and that being unmarried is sinful. A complete women to Reb is a married one while to Sara a complete women is an educated on. Reb wanted Sara married over anything else, while Sara wanted her education over anything else. They both had their own best interest at hear. Reb wanted his daughter to marry to secure a place in heaven, and Sara wanted an education to secure her place in the world. It is towards the end of the novel that we see how Sara and her father are so closely related. It is maybe at this time that Sara sees the connection as well. She comes to see how her father, like herself, had to make himself hard in order to obtain his goal of religious perfection. She says of her father, â€Å"In a world where all is changed, he alone remained unchanged-as tragically isolated as the rocks† (p. 296). She now sees how her father had to isolate and make himself hard in order to be the man he is. Sara sees that through education she is a person, and now sees that for her father to be a person he had to be the religious person. They say that opposites attract and we must, therefore, assume that likes repel. I think this is what we see with Sara and her father. They are essentially the same yet there outlook on life is different. They share a similar drive it is just their ideals that are different. Sara acknowledges that her connection would be there for the rest of their lives in the last passage of the book. She says, â€Å"I felt the shadow still there over me. It wasn†t just my father, but the generations who made my father whose weight was still upon me† (p. 297). Sara realizes that she is who she is because of her father, and he is the way he is because those who came before him. It is the burden we all bare with our families. We argue because we are so connected, and are essentially cut from the same cloth. Maybe this is why similar poles repel, it is because we see in our reflection what we don†t like in the reflection.