Free Essays on Briefing For A Descent Into Hell

Taken from the novel, Briefing for a Descent Into Hell, the quote, â€Å"†¦in pulsing dark, crouched, I holding on, clutching tight, †¦rocking, somewhere behind the gate, †¦and a dark red clotting light and pressure and pain and then OUT into a flat white light where shapes move and things flash and glitter.† (135) is a description of the miracle of birth. Birth symbolizes the beginning of an entire lifetime; a lifetime in which a person will have the chance to make important choices that will shape not only his or her future but who they are as an individual. Briefing for a Descent Into Hell is a story about the personality of a professor by the name of Charles Watkins, who is suffering from amnesia. Found wandering the streets, Charles was admitted as a John Doe by the police into Central Intake Hospital of London, England, where he underwent various treatments, struggling to regain not only his forgotten memories of the life he used to live, but the forg otten memories of the person he once was. Throughout the novel, Lessing frequently calls to question who or what forms an individual’s personality, and where characteristics and traits are established and acquired to form who a person is. The author Doris Lessing, uses the protagonist’s extra sensitivity and perception as a handicap in a society organized as ours is; one that favors conformity, the average, the obedient, however restricting his character, personality and actual self, therefore creating the conflict between achieving the standards and normalities determined by society or maintaining the individuality of one’s true self while deviating from the expected; ultimately calling to question personality itself. Made up of both physical and personal traits and characteristics, a personality takes shape in many ways. The physical characteristics such as height, hair color, facial features, and weight are all characteristics that we naturally have no control ove... Free Essays on Briefing For A Descent Into Hell Free Essays on Briefing For A Descent Into Hell Taken from the novel, Briefing for a Descent Into Hell, the quote, â€Å"†¦in pulsing dark, crouched, I holding on, clutching tight, †¦rocking, somewhere behind the gate, †¦and a dark red clotting light and pressure and pain and then OUT into a flat white light where shapes move and things flash and glitter.† (135) is a description of the miracle of birth. Birth symbolizes the beginning of an entire lifetime; a lifetime in which a person will have the chance to make important choices that will shape not only his or her future but who they are as an individual. Briefing for a Descent Into Hell is a story about the personality of a professor by the name of Charles Watkins, who is suffering from amnesia. Found wandering the streets, Charles was admitted as a John Doe by the police into Central Intake Hospital of London, England, where he underwent various treatments, struggling to regain not only his forgotten memories of the life he used to live, but the forg otten memories of the person he once was. Throughout the novel, Lessing frequently calls to question who or what forms an individual’s personality, and where characteristics and traits are established and acquired to form who a person is. The author Doris Lessing, uses the protagonist’s extra sensitivity and perception as a handicap in a society organized as ours is; one that favors conformity, the average, the obedient, however restricting his character, personality and actual self, therefore creating the conflict between achieving the standards and normalities determined by society or maintaining the individuality of one’s true self while deviating from the expected; ultimately calling to question personality itself. Made up of both physical and personal traits and characteristics, a personality takes shape in many ways. The physical characteristics such as height, hair color, facial features, and weight are all characteristics that we naturally have no control ove...

There Are Lots of Ways to Say I Love You in German

There Are Lots of Ways to Say I Love You in German A widespread clichà © of Americans among Germans is that they tend to love everybody and everything and do not shrink from telling everybody about it. And to be sure, Americans do tend to say â€Å"I love you† more often than their counterparts in German-speaking countries. Why Not UseIch Liebe Dich Liberally Sure, â€Å"I love you† translates literally as â€Å"Ich liebe dich† and vice versa. But you cant sprinkle this phrase quite so liberally throughout your conversation as you might in English.  There are many different ways to tell people that you like or even love them. You only say â€Å"Ich liebe dich† to somebody you really, really love- your long-term girlfriend/boyfriend, your wife/husband, or somebody you have very strong feelings for. Germans dont say it rashly. It is something they must feel sure about. So if youre in a relationship with a German-speaker and waiting to hear those three little words, dont despair. Many would rather avoid using such a strong expression until they are completely sure its true. Germans Use Lieben Less Frequently Than... In general, German speakers, particularly older ones, use the word â€Å"lieben† less frequently than Americans do. They are more likely to use the phrase Ich mag (I like) when describing something. Lieben is considered a powerful word, whether you are using it about another person or an experience or an object. Younger people, who have been more influenced by American culture, may tend to use the word lieben more often than their older counterparts. Just a bit less intense might be â€Å"Ich hab’ dich lieb† (literally, I have love for you) or just â€Å"ich mag dich† which means â€Å"I like you†.   This is the phrase used to tell your feelings to beloved family members, relatives, friends or even your partner (especially in an early stage of your relationship). It is not as binding as using the word â€Å"Liebe†. There is a huge difference between â€Å"lieb† and â€Å"Liebe†, even if there is just one letter more. To tell somebody you like him as â€Å"ich mag dich† is just not something you would tell everyone. Germans tend to be economical with their feelings and their expressions. The Right Way to Express Affection But there is another way of expressing affection: â€Å"Du gefllst mir† is hard to translate properly. It wouldn’t be suitable to equal it with â€Å"I like you† even it is indeed rather close. It means more than you are attracted to somebody- literally you please me. It can be used to mean you like somebodys style, their way of acting, the eyes, whatever–perhaps more like â€Å"you are lovely†. If you have made the first steps and acted and especially talked correctly to your beloved, you can go further and tell him or her that you have fallen in love: â€Å"Ich bin in dich verliebt† or â€Å"ich habe mich in dich verliebt†. Rather ponderous, right? It all comes together with the basic tendency of Germans to be rather reserved until they really know you.