The Millionaire's Hothouse In The Orchid Thief
The Millionaire’s Hothouse is the first chapter from Susan Orlean’s literary nonfiction personal narrative The Orchid Thief. Orlean’s opening chapter gives her account of the main character John Laroche, a self-taught American horticulturist. In this initial chapter, the reader learns how Laroche comes to clash with the legal system for orchestrating a theft with three Seminole Indians to strip a protected Florida State park of its endangered native orchids. It has been a predominant idea that any type of change for the environment is always detrimental. However, one of the main themes of The Millionaire’s Hothouse is how an environment can adapt to change, sometimes for the better. One of Laroche’s most defining qualities is his ability to obsess. He calls it being passionate, but he also deem “life …show more content…
Just as Florida is described as both wild and tame, the orchids are wild in the fact that they grow naturally and tame in the fact that they are endangered and protected by law. The orchid species had been mutated many times by multiple amateurs, producing countless hybrids. The man-made pond that Orlean identified is also a hybrid, a product of both man and nature. At the end of the chapter, the orchid seems to personify Florida in its paradoxical existence. The Millionaire’s Hothouse is a poignant introduction to a classic in literary nonfiction, foreshadowing a story of the little-known world of orchid collecting. The chapter places Florida’s inhabitants in an endlessly evolving world, full of life and new beginning. Larouche, described equally with great detail, adds color with his rapidly adjusting preoccupations Ultimately, however, the reason for Laroche’s fixation is about him finding himself, and the amazing transformations to which people will go to gratify it. Laroche made such great changes in life to attempt to find his true
Symbolism In Sandra Cisneros The Monkey Garden
490 Words | 2 PagesThis person goes and applies for another job, this time better built and ready to face the world. This relatable moment is similar to The House on Mango Street, due to the fact that, in “The Monkey Garden”, Sandra Cisneros conveys symbolism with the garden, for people must face hard times, but it is those hard times that build people up and prepare them for the future. To begin, Sandra Cisneros’ “The Monkey Garden”, actively uses symbolism within the garden, for people
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909 Words | 4 PagesChris McCandless was born into an “upper-middle-class” life courtesy of the hard work of his father. Although he often rebuked wealth, he was given opportunities only possible through his family’s small wealth such as his education and his knack for business. However, it was this exposure to money that allowed McCandless to form his own opinions and the unnecessary value placed on social status leading to his life in the wild. He left the confines of his structured life to live out in nature as an escape from the world he was born into. No matter his opinion on the wealth his family earned, ultimately McCandless’s life could not help but be shaped by it.
Summary Of Rachel Sherman's A Very Expensive Ordinary Life: Conflicted Consumption
776 Words | 4 PagesIn Rachel Sherman’s “A Very Expensive Ordinary Life: Conflicted Consumption,” the argument centres around the “legitimization” of wealth by the New York’s upper class in order to be seen as not only rich, but morally worthy. The possession of great wealth alongside their less fortunate peers could be uncomfortable also for those that hold the city’s riches. Hence, New York’s affluent has “legitimized” their wealth and consumption, or on a more macro level, the inequality between the social classes in the city in order to feel more comfortable in their spending, and to manage the impression of the wealthy in the eyes of the greater public in the much morally contested behaviour of lavish spending in an unequal society. This is supported throughout the reading by the justification of excessive spending and consumption by the claim that the rich live an “ordinary” life. The need that they feel towards justifying their spending comes to show that their amount of spending is excessive in the eyes of the ordinary person, in which they also acknowledge themselves as well.
Summary Of The Rich Brother By Tobias Wolff
604 Words | 3 PagesIn Tobias Wolff’s story, “The Rich Brother,” the author depicts the relationship of two opposite brothers. While one brother, Pete, is seemingly content with his financial prosperity and wealthy lifestyle, the other, Donald, finds no comfort in such things. As Pete struggles to tolerate Donald’s outlook on life, Donald struggles to find his place in the world spiritually while avoiding concerning himself with the financial aspect of it. For some this spiritual sense of completion Donald seeks is more valuable to them than any financial one, while others, like Pete, find comfort in the life they live through material wealth. Although Pete’s lifestyle lacks a spiritual aspect, he is the “richer” brother since he has obtained the way of life he desired to have the most, not due to the fact that this desired lifestyle stems from much physical wealth.
Beauty In The House On Mango Street
893 Words | 4 PagesBeauty is a very powerful and prominent thing. It’s what makes you get out of bed in the mornings and makes the world go round. Despite all that, there are some negatives of it as well. “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros gives a window back in time to a point where a little girl named Esperanza grows up on the streets of Chicago. Through the numerous rapes, abusive relationships, and the absence of respect for women, Cisneros portrays a theme that beauty is a double edged sword through the characters Esperanza and Sally.
Wealth In The Great Gatsby
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Essay On Obstacles In The House On Mango Street
1002 Words | 5 PagesObstacles Numerous people stumble upon obstacles, but only a few can overcome them. Most obstacles are influenced by the values of the society. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger overcomes her lack of education and her different beliefs on Jewish people. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet both overcome the obstacle of not being able to be together because of the feud between their families. In “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza overcomes the obstacle of not fitting into her society because of her lack of money.
Rhetorical Analysis Of Serving In Florida By Gregory Mantsios
1318 Words | 6 PagesIt is unpleasant, but it was what she could afford, “By reputation, the Overseas park is a nest of crime and crack…” (274). Low income workers have limited options when choosing a home, where their best options are places like the Overseas park. Mantsios’ claims on class standing can be validated through Ehrenreich’s personal experiences living in an unsecure, but convenient area. If Ehrenreich had a better class standing, she would not live in
Symbolism In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
660 Words | 3 PagesThe world she lived in was so ugly and plain and she choose to “create beauty in the midst of [all that] ugliness" (62). This helps to create the theme because even though Miss Lottie had so little she still worked hard to care for the beautiful marigolds. In “Marigolds” the author uses diction, symbolism and point of view, to develop the theme that people can create beauty even in the poorest of situations. Through diction, Collier is able to show the reader the contrast between the beauty of the marigolds compared to the run-down town the story is set in.
Inequality In The House On Mango Street Analysis
1173 Words | 5 Pages“No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here (Cisneros 106).” This quote shows Esperanza’s unwillingness of accepting her poor neighbourhood because of the violence and inequality that has happened in it. In the House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, shows that there is a direct link between inequality, violence and poverty. The House on Mango Street shows women are held back by the inequalities that they face. Cisneros shows that racism prevents individuals from receiving job opportunities which leads to poverty and violence.
Rhetorical Analysis Of Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell
1996 Words | 8 PagesGladwell begins by writing about Maurice’s past and all his accomplishments. Gladwell writes, “ He was an elegant man who dressed in a homburg and Brooks Brothers suits. In the summer, he wore a straw boater.” The imagery and emotionally charged words like, “beautiful”, “prominent”,”vibrant.” and “ fortune” all show the state of wealth Maurice was in.
Pride In A Raisin In The Sun
1487 Words | 6 PagesWalter further shows his false pride when he flaunts his newfound sense of power when Mr.Lindner, one of the Younger’s soon-to-be neighbors, offers him an unjust deal. Now that Walter has control over the family 's money, he considers himself the head of the family and decision maker; this plays an important role towards how Walter treats others now that he holds himself to a higher standard. This theme applies to Walter when the chairman of the “welcoming committee” (115) named Mr.Lindner pays a visit to the family a couple weeks before they 're supposed to move into their new home in Clybourne Park. During this visit, Mr.Lindner makes the offer of the Clybourne Park community “buy[ing] the house from [them] at a financial gain to [the] family” (118). Mr.Lindner’s offer represents the racial oppression and how the white community looks down upon and doesn’t want African american people dirtying their communities.
Character Analysis: Little Fires Everywhere
635 Words | 3 PagesIn the novel, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, the lives of the Richardson and Warren families are tracked. The Richardons are a well-off family who have lived in Shaker Heights for generations, while the Warrens are new to the neighborhood and have never kept a residence for more than a few months. Through this expert from chapter ten, the author describes Mrs. Richardson’s analysis of Mia to communicate the theme that people of different social classes often misjudge those they cannot relate to. In this passage, Ng uses imagery, repetition, details, and diction to portray Mrs. Richardson as a person who values moral superiority through her threatened attitude toward Mia.
Comparing The Rich Brother And Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
564 Words | 3 PagesThe short story, “The Rich Brother” accounts the journey of two brothers with great different personalities. After Donald, the younger naive religious brother, is kicked out of a communal farm, Pete, the older wealthier brother, goes to pick him up. Pete feels that Donald is too carefree, and that he always has to help him out of his mistakes. The tensions between these siblings are evident--they both feel that they need to prove themselves to each other; they need to provide evidence of their “prosperity” (Wolff 324). Pete more than Donald tends to always try to impress others, such as buying expressive items.
Love And Desire In The Great Gatsby
1890 Words | 8 PagesAmbitions: Myrtle and Daisy had chased both love and money, at different point in their life. For both of them, it is their ambition and dreams that they seek to fulfill themselves with. Regardless of their backgrounds, they remain the same in their wants towards something they don’t have, or in Daisy’s case, choosing what they want over everything else, regardless of how much they already have of it. Myrtle had married Wilson, not for the money he had owned, as he did not own any, but simply because she “thought that he was a gentleman”. However, Myrtle’s ambition was money, because when Wilson neither produced riches nor at the very least, gave her the love initially wanted, she turned to Tom to receive them both.
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