Summary Of The Chosen By Chaim Potok

In his book The Promise Chaim Potok leads the reader on a heartbreaking journey full of spiritual conflict and decision. As a sequel to The Chosen, The Promise picks up with Reuven Malter, the main character and a Jewish man now in his mid-twenties, attending Hirsch University, a Jewish seminary in Brooklyn, New York. Reuven keeps his friendship with Danny Saunders, whom he met on a baseball field during his teenage years and later went to college with, even though they now go their separate ways as Reuven becomes a rabbi, and Danny practices psychology. During the summer Reuven dates Rachel Gordon, the niece of Abraham Gordon, a man excommunicated from the Jewish society, and meets Abraham’s son, Michael, a stubborn teen with a mental issue. Also, over the same summer Reuven’s father, David Malter, wrote a controversial book about the Talmud. These people along with Reuven’s ranting teacher, Rav Kalman, form the intricate web of conflicts and friendships in The Promise.

The definition of intelligence is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.” Chaim Potok has created many incredibly intelligent characters in his novel The Chosen. These characters have many trials they must overcome. Some must overcome sickness, or possible overcome losing a dear friend, even one may be helpless to what his father wants. Nevertheless, they overcome these obstacles. There are three specific characters that demonstration brilliant intelligence; David Malter, Reuven, and Danny.

The Chosen makes it quite clear that Danny has a brilliant mind. So brilliant, in fact that Reuven’s father calls him “a phenomenon.” “Once in a generation is a mind born like that.” (110) Danny’s photographic memory and instant recall allow him to have a

Abraham Lincoln said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” A person’s character defines them. In Chaim Potok’s book The Chosen, the reader gains an understanding of the character qualities of Reuven Malter. Reuven proves himself a kindhearted young man through his behavior towards Danny Saunders as well as many others. Throughout the book, Reuven displays forgiveness, intelligence, and determination through adversity.

It starts with a baseball game, a flying baseball and a nearly blinded eye. That is how The Chosen by Chaim Potok starts. Throughout his wonderful book there are many themes that are tied through the book, Religion, Friendship, but most important of all is the theme of the eye. From literally seeing to the figurative eye, Potok ties the eye wonderfully throughout the entire book, making it a wonderful book to read from young to old.

“ I want to be smart and I’ll try real hard”. This is Charlie Grodman he is the main character I will be talking about today. He is from the book “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. I will tell you why he should of had the operation. I think that it was substantial for him to get a taste of being normal.

In the realistic fiction novel The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, two boys make their transition into adulthood. In the beginning of the novel, Reuven, a Modern Orthodox Jew and Danny, a Chasidic Jew barely know each other, but start to after Danny hits Reuven with a baseball. After this, Reuven makes friends with Danny and they spend much time together. Danny wants to become a psychologist, against his father's wishes, and Reuven helps him achieve that. Their father's, David Malter and Reb Saunders often give insights into the pasts of Danny and Reuven. David Malter is an imperative character in the development of Danny and Reuven's friendship, allowing them to follow in their own paths

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” The author of this quote, Michelangelo, explains how many can achieve a goal almost effortlessly, but few actually try to achieve something that requires toilsome work. Such work that is not always successful, but when it is, the result is superior compared to an insufficient effort. The extraordinary man who wrote this quote achieved greatness by striving for excellence. Michelangelo Buonarroti is easily understood by others, even though he has surpassed the average expectations. In the novel “The Chosen” written by Chaim Potok, a main character named Mr.Malter claims that “great men are difficult to understand.” Mr.

In Chaim Potok’s book, The Chosen, blindness is a reoccurring theme throughout the book. The first example of blindness is Danny and Reuven live within five blocks from each other for fifteen years and have no idea that the other person exists. Because the boys have such a different culture, they live in their own world and are blind to each other. When they meet at the baseball field they judge each other based on rumors they have heard or by the actions of the team. Reuven thinks of them as the “whole snooty bunch of Hasidim” (Chosen 62).

“The ways in which the characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A raisin in the sun, are affected by racial imbalances and respond to the injustices engendered by such inequities are solely influenced by their gender.” I agree with this statement to an extent. Although it is correct that gender plays a big role in this play, there are other factors to consider.

In the novel The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, readers are introduced to Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders and the relationships between the teenaged boys and their fathers. David Malter, Reuven’s father, is a teacher and a voice of reason to Reuven throughout the novel. Reuven and David have a very close relationship that involves them talking often and questioning what the other is doing throughout their lives. Reb Saunders, Danny’s father, is a rabbi for Danny’s group of Hasidic Jews in their neighbourhood and is raising Danny to be the next rabbi for their people. Danny and Reb Saunders speak only while they are studying the holy books together and Reb Saunders has not spoken directly to Danny since he was four years old. Reb Saunders and David both have a different way of communicating to their son, they both have the same common goal to pass

There is an important theme in the story Flowers for Algernon By Daniel Keyes. It is a fiction novel about a thirty year old man who has been battling to overcome an intellectual deficit all of his life and has an opportunity to become more intelligent than he ever had imagined through an experimental operation. He takes the opportunity and in a few weeks he becomes a genius for a short time before his itelligence receded as fast as it increased. The author includes many important themes throughout the passage. Daniel Keyes develops the theme that intelligence doesn’t affect who you truly are through Charlie’s experiences both before and after the operation.

John Knowles’ fictional novel, A Separate Peace, centers around the story of Gene Forrester and his friend Finny, two teenage boys enrolled in a private boarding school during the early 1940s. While the actions and events in the text allow the reader to gain an understanding of the characters, the setting itself provides a great deal of insight about each character’s personality, especially Finny’s. In numerous ways, Knowles uses the setting of his novel to help reveal various aspects of Finny’s character, such as his natural leadership abilities, his peerless athleticism, and his innate charisma.

He describes the knowledge he gained from this as a different form of intellectualism. Going in depth of his youthful environment, he talks of the neighborhood he grew up in and the community around him. There were the clean cut boys, and the working class boys. He refers to the working class as,” the hoods.” Be commonly surrounded the hoods, he was desperate for their approval, and so he negated the book smart lifestyle to blend better with a crowd that looked down on intelligence.

In the sci-fi story, “Flowers for Algernon”, written by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon partakes in an experimental surgery to manipulate his intelligence. The experiment ends up backfiring, and his brain begins to deteriorate at triple the normal rate, but he doesn’t let that stop him from trying to be smart again. Despite him trying so hard, he still doesn’t understand what he once did when he was so brilliant. And so the question arises: is intelligence more important than motivation? Motivation is far more critical to possess than intelligence.