Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine

During the struggle of having a meaningful life, an individual must be able to define what is meaningful and how to obtain it. In the story excerpt “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert, the protagonist, Alma, explores the part of her childhood where she breaks away from routine and makes the decision to make the most of the moment. To contrast, the poem “Atrophy” by Julia Copus explores the outcome of people who do not make the most of their lives and are stuck thinking of their wasted potential. An individual must routinely reconcile their past and present to obtain the power to make autonomous choices in order to create a meaningful life before the opportunity to grasp this power reaches its expiration date.

The multifaceted nature of the human condition encompasses all aspects of human life at both an individual and collective level and delves into the notion of humanity and the values it comprises. Gwen Harwood’s poems’ “Father and Child” and “Mother who gave me life,” and Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” (1998), explore the dynamic and often contradictory nature of the human condition. Harwood portrays the transience of time and inescapable truth of mortality, illustrating the ever changing complexion of the human experience. Whereas, Jackson examines the capability of all humans to be violent and cruel while questioning whether such tendencies can be masked by a constrictive society’s heartless ideals.

In the novel The Road, paternal love and death are very important themes in the book. Paternal love is the love between a dad and his son, and you should have a close relationship with your parents. “What would you do if I died”(11). “I would want to die too”(11). This is a quote from the book that shows the fatherly love for his child, knowing he couldn’t live without him, and always wants to be with him. “I want you to wait here” (132). “I want to go with you” (132). In this quote from the book it is shown that the man wants to go into the house first to make sure no one is in there to hurt them. When, the man has the kid wait outside he is showing that he wants to keep the kid safe. “I want to be with you”(278). “You can’t”(278). Throughout the novel, the man prepares the boy for surviving on his own, by showing and explaining how to do things. The dad knows that the boy can go on without him, and he is soon going to pass. He has faith in the boy that he will

The constant death that encircles Janie is a persistent reminder that no one can defend against their finite lifespan, so instead, death should not be feared, or fought in order for new beginnings to arise. The motif of death relates to the book as a whole because both Tea Cake and Jody fear death and try to avoid it, often emotionally and physically harming Janie to their dying breath.

Desire can be defined as a strong feeling of wanting or wishing for something. The something could be an object, idea, or an event. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche Dubois believes that the opposite of death is desire. Logically speaking, the real opposite of death is life; so why does Blanche believe that it’s desire? Possibly because she relates desire to life it’s self. The lives of the main character revolve around desire. Throughout the play, the theme of death is the opposite of desire is developed through the main character’s need to be desired or desirable.

Although they lead different lifestyles, Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley both deal differently with death in Before the Birth of One of Her Children and To a Gentleman… the latter in a way that is more optimistic than the former.

Spiritual Guru, Osho once stated, “Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated”. This ties into The Fault in Our Stars by John Green because, Hazel only lived her life safely, until Augustus came along and showed her all of the excitement her life could have, if she let it. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a story that takes place in a small town in Indiana where teenager, Hazel Lancaster, is suffering with terminal cancer, which causes her outlook on life to be incredibly negative, until Augustus Waters; a boy who went from cancerous, cancer-free, to cancerous again comes along. He changes her life for the better, and shows her the importance of living and leaves her with that importance when he passes away. The theme, life should be lived to the fullest, is shown throughout the

The short story, “The Knowners,” is a fictional tale of an alternate reality where mankind has invented a technology which can divine the exact day, upon which a person will die. The story focuses on the impact upon one woman’s life from knowing her own ‘expiration date.’ The story was written by Helen C. Phillips.

Death is a recurring theme in this book. Not only is death explained as being sad, but what is kind of weird is how death can be seen as sort of a happy thing. Dying, in general, is sad. But the whole ordeal of it can bring people together, or fix relationships that have been broken. In the case of Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom, Morrie and Mitch were separated due to the fact that Mitch cared more about his job than the most important things in life; love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and the main theme, death. Now, Mitch cared too much about work when he should have cared about his family, girlfriend, and Morrie. But, Morrie teaches Mitch that there are more important things to life than working. This is where Morrie’s death comes into play.

Altogether, in essence, Dandelion Wine, gave a lesson to Douglas that was crucial for his growth as a person. Whether it’s through loss or happiness accepting it is the first step. When things aren’t planned and it almost feels like being lost, learning to trust and hold these lessons close is what changes the outlook of a situation. Even in the times that were filled with joy, like his summer, it is also filled with hardship. Things may seem hard in the beginning but, it’s never as unpleasant as it

David Sheff once said, “An alcoholic will steal your wallet and lie to you.” Rex walls did infact steal money from his own daughters and then lied to their faces about it. On page 228 of The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls came home from school to see her and her sister’s piggy bank smashed open, with their money and their father missing. When he came home drunk 3 days later, he insisted that he had no idea what happened to the money as he laughed in their faces. Rex Walls proved to his family a countless number of times, that he was not a very reliable parent as a result of his alcoholism.

This quote is set during a hurricane. Everyone is trying persevere through this hurricane. This whole book is about hope, making it through your problems, and achieving your dreams. Which is said in the first paragraph of this book. It talks about the men achieving their dreams. This quote also relates to Janie and her three marriages. Out of all of them I believe this would connect to her second marriage, which was with Joe (Jody). I would say that this marriage showed Janie why hurricanes are named after people. Joe put Janie through so much, all because he wanted to keep his “Macho man” status among the men in Eatonville. In the end, Janie made it through and found love again with Tea Cake.

Death, one of the greatest fears of any living creature. Nothing is more frightening than not knowing what will happen, how it will happen, or where the deceased go. All greet death with fear, some may not show it but it is the way humans are. The next hardest thing could quite possibly be dealing with the death of a someone close to you. Some move on and continue their lives without them, Others have a time of mourning and sorrow but eventually move on, and some never move on. Some are never the same and are in a depression for the rest of their days. Many don't understand how to cope with death and are terrified of what may happen.

There are many memories that may come to mind when someone speaks the word of adolescence. Some people recall times of gratification and innocent adventures, but for others the phrase “teenage years” holds horrific memories. For a section of the populace their “teen experiences” may be the most appalling time period, as they begin to undergo many changes. This concept of dark adolescence is present not only in the real world, but in the literary world as well. For example, in the novel A Separate Peace where a friendship turned in the wrong direction and a deadly war, mark the moments of growing up. While some readers believe that Phineas (Finny) and Gene’s separate peace shows the ingenuousness of youthful occurrences;

Aries, Phillipe. Western Attitudes toward Death: From the MIddle Ages to the Present. Baltimore and London: John Hopkins UP, n.d. Print.