Traits of Influence - Literature Essay Samples

The novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Moby Dick by Herman Melville feature two uniquely different characters who similarly strive for fulfillment amidst uncertainty and danger, completely devoid of moral qualms about extremities taken in pursuit of this. At face-value, the two seem to be paving distinct paths as tribal leader Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart craves dominance and respect among his people while Captain Ahab of Moby Dick demands revenge for his lost leg; however, upon examining their backgrounds, behaviors, and thoughts that ultimately contribute to their outcomes, they surprisingly share more commonalities than not. As their stories unfold, Okonkwo and Ahab cultivate destruction from their own turmoils and obsessions, eventually succumbing to the overpowering nature of their own traits as they welcome its dominance over their lives. Despite the fact that Okonkwo and Ahab’s exact intentions differ, parallels are seen when comparing the development of their characters. Growing up, Okonkwo had been denied a proper father-figure by his tribe’s standards, having been raised by a â€Å"failure† (Achebe 9) of a father instead— a shameless beggar, but one who loved his son. This sincerity, contradicted by his father’s inability to display it in wealth, power, and physical strength, â€Å"[had tried] Okonkwo’s patience beyond words† (Achebe 27), and from that point on, his resentment begins to manifest, eventually resulting in his embodiment of hypermasculinity as means of overcompensation. Evidence of this mentality and the cruel behavior that it entails is seen when he personally kills his beloved, adoptive son, Ikemefuna, because â€Å"affection [is] a sign of weakness† (Achebe 30) and he â€Å"[fears] being thought weak† (Achebe 59). Okonkwo’s deci sion here is, paradoxically, more so reflection of his desperation to appeal to the conditions of his society than genuine masculinity itself. Obierika, one of the most powerful men in his tribe, confirms this, exemplifying how one can maintain power while remaining virtuous by confessing that he would â€Å"neither dispute [the killing of his son] nor be the one to do it† (Achebe 65). With him as symbol of morality within their tribe, Okonkwo’s obscured vision of masculinity is reinforced, and his fear of failure is introduced as he is seen resorting to such extremes merely to avoid emulating any effiminity typical of his father. His â€Å"fear of himself† (Achebe 17), and any regression from power to poverty, controls Okonkwo’s life, much like Ahab’s obsession with revenge controls his own. Captain Ahab of Moby Dick had lost his leg to a whale that is often perceived to be immortal, mythical, and untouchable— Moby Dick. For this sole action, Captain Ahab abandons his responsibilities as a commercial whaler and instead conducts a whale hunt, scouring all oceans in frantic search of a whale that can only be identified by its whiteness, an â€Å"all-color of atheism† (Melville 212) that is especially symbolic of eeriness as the pureness of the color disguises the evil of whale. Both this circumstance and this belief contribute to Ahab’s monomania, a form of insanity that he is far too aware of. Essentially, Captain Ahab recognizes that he’s â€Å"in the dark side of earth† (Melville 575), yet he continually caters to his madness because he believes that it is more beneficial as a driving force than it is a detriment to his mental well-being, openly admitting that it is his â€Å"most desired health† (Melville 580). Such consciousne ss is exemplified by Ahab’s inclination to parent the strange, depersonalized Pip. In his effort to ground himself to monomania, Ahab not only deprives himself of reality, but consequently immerses himself in detachment. Careful to manipulate his influences, though, Ahab ensures that nobody will distract him from his hunt, even concluding that Pip can be â€Å"too curing [for his] malady† (Melville 580) at times. Okonkwo is not as self-aware of this behavior, but like Ahab, he yearns for the virility and stoicism of his fatherland, Umuofia, during his exile at his motherland. He trusts that such qualities will secure his â€Å"great passion† in life— â€Å"to become one of the lords of [Umuofia]† (Achebe 121), so Okonkwo ignores his uncle’s advice to â€Å"find refuge in the motherland† and protect himself from sorrow and bitterness (Achebe 124), an act comparable to Ahab’s aversion from Pip’s sensibility. Without a doub t, both characters seek solace in their pursuits, as seen in Okonkwo’s previously elaborated desires and Ahab’s decision to â€Å"quietly take to ship† than to â€Å"throw himself upon a sword† like Greek legend Cato (Melville 3). These traits, however, are not the only thing they have in common. Comparable to Okonkwo’s overcompensatory doings in his effort to satisfy others’ expectations, Ahab reveals hubris stemming from a desire for fulfillment as well, wanting to achieve his self-perception of a determined, seasoned captain over his chase. The fiery â€Å"triumph† in Ahab’s eyes are validated by his instinctive sense of direction, but in reality, this direction is merely a subconscious path toward â€Å"fatal pride† (Melville 564). At this point, it is clear how such arrogance influences Ahab’s ending, and for Okonkwo, the countless omens and messages he disregards imply the same as well— death. Throughout Moby Dick, narrator Ishmael maintains the belief that the ocean is mysterious and aweing, observing its â€Å"devilish brilliance and beauty† as he considers the â€Å"subtleness† on the outside juxtaposed by the â€Å"dreaded creatures† gliding beneath it (Melville 299). These vivid descriptions only convey a fraction of Ahab’s view, as he finds all four seas— the harborer of Moby Dick— to be more confounding, and far more unfathomable, than what is described. With this being said, Ahab’s death is dignified in the very fact that he died at sea. He ends his monomania at the very place it had developed, â€Å"[spitting his] last breath at Moby Dick† before being killed by his own harpoon, a manifestation Ahab’s utter hatred. Though he never killed the whale, there is a sort of satisfaction in the fact that the hatred and insanity, the driving force of his purpose and the cause of his end, is swallowed by the mer ciful sea. Alas, his â€Å"fatal pride† (Melville 564) ends its torment, and Ishmael emphasizes Ahab’s dignity by carrying the legacy of The Pequod. Conversely, Okonkwo’s fate had not been in the hands of the universe, but in his own hands instead. Umuofia’s culture of combat, fortitude, and tenacity had been the epitome of masculinity, and that gave him purpose— â€Å"those were the days when men were men† (Achebe 184). His obsession with dominance and control would be his downfall, and as Okonkwo maintains his pride, he dismisses the cowardice of pacifists, believing that it â€Å"moves [] men to impotence† (Achebe 184), and predictably lashes out at the first white man to order peace in spite of Okonkwo’s demand for war, murdering him. â€Å"[Discerning] fright in [the] tumult† he had caused (Achebe 188) fright, the most shameful, yet most motivating factor of his being— Okonkwo decides that he is no longer useful in a culture as vapid as this, and displays his spite by hanging himself, tarnishing his once sacred land with death. Essentially, Okonkwo does not receive the dignified death that gave cause to his being. Without room for his masculinity and pride, he no longer felt cause for his presence. He could not live without being himself. In both Things Fall Apart and Moby Dick, both Okonkwo and Ahab, subconsciously and consciously, pander to their impulses as they allow indignation, pride, and wrath to control their actions without concern. Ultimately, both characters’ traits play parts in their shared narratives of self-destruction, and by the end of their stories, societal influences and personal grievances continue to prove their superiority over free-will, with both characters failing to accomplish their prime achievements as things fell apart.

Organic Foods, Healthy or Just Hype - Free Essay Example

Today I want to talk about organic foods and whether it is really the path to better health and a better environment, or if it is hype from corporate marketing as a way to get consumers to spend more of their hard earned dollars with no clear benefit. Before I started my research, I was certain the answer was yes, organics must be better because it costs more and says ?healthier right on the label! During my research however, I discovered things are not as clear as what I first thought. Now Im certainly not going to tell you that organic food is unhealthy, but if you believe all the marketing, eating organic foods should make us healthier and smarter than our non-organic eating neighbors. Buying organic is marketed that it will also stop the use of unhealthy chemicals and improve the environment (). The research studies show that those comments are all a stretch of the facts, so now lets talk about some of the facts as well as the myths. The research is ongoing, but the sales figures are clear. The Organic Trade Association reported that, Organic sales hit a new record in 2017 of $49.4 billion, up 6.4% from the previous year. With more people in America looking for the quick heath fix, sales growth of organic foods is outpacing growth in non-organic categories by a factor of 6. A March Consumer Report study, as well as the USDA, report that on average, organic food is 47% more expensive to purchase than conventional food (). However, at the same time the National Academy of Sciences report indicates organic foods only cost 5-7% more (ZME Science). While these facts dont indicate whether organic food is good or bad, it does show that there are a lot of profits for big companies to be made by promoting organic foods (). Beyond corporate profits, what else is driving this ?organic craze? There were initial thoughts that organic food was better in terms of nutritional value, but there are no consensus reports that have proven that to be true. In fact, Dr. Smith-Spangler, one of twelve researchers at Stanford University, conducted a study, where they examined almost two hundred and fifty studies on organic food that were conducted during a fifteen year time span (Smith-Spangler). Their findings were stunning, Organic foods are not any more nutritious than their conventional food counterparts (Smith-Spangler). This was a huge finding and raised a lot of question, but was not the only study to have these findings regarding nutrients. A related finding from this same study, however, which does have merit for organic foods, is the potential impact of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, growth hormones, and bacteria (). Most people are not buying organic for what they contain, but because of the ingredients they do not contain. Dr. Smith-Spangler also concluded, for pesticides residues,[we] found a 30 percent lower rate of detectable contamination in organically-grown produce. Two of [our] studies found that children who ate conventional produce had higher levels of pesticide residues in their urine, and the levels fell when the children switched to organic foods. A factor that often confuses the debate on whether there are any benefits to eating organic food is that consumers who regularly buy or consume organic food often have healthier lifestyles and dietary patterns. Those individuals have a higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grain products. And they have a lower consumption of meat, compared to other consumers. (). The overall dietary patterns are also associated with various health benefits, as opposed to any specific benefit from the organic food. Another area often discussed and more often misunderstood is the use of pesticides on crops and their impact on the environment. While many think that pesticides are only associated with non-organic foods, a food product labeled as organic often has organic pesticides used on them. (). In fact, a 2010 study by Environmental Sciences Professor Rebecca Hallett of the University of Guelph in the UK, found that organic pesticides can actually have a worse environmental impact than conventional ones. In this study they determined that the organic pesticides on soybean crops required much higher and repeated concentrations to be effective. Those organic pesticides proved to be less effective on crops, and they can kill ladybugs and flower bugs, which are important factors of the environment. These insects actually help the crop grow and become ready for harvest (). Further, supporting the UKs study is biologist Christie Wilcox. He explained in the 2012 Scientific American article that, Organic pesticides pose the same health risks as non-organic ones. ADDD INTRO TO PERSON HERE, And while natural pesticides certainly sound healthier, it again boils down to how much of a specific substance youre ingesting. A derivative of copper, for instance, is used as a fungicide in organic farming. If ingested at inappropriate levels, it can be toxic (Winter). As this is stated in his study, you do not need to worry because as consumers we do not consume an appropriate amount of these toxic substances, in organic and non-organic foods. I know this is a lot of information to digest (no pun intended). But what does this all mean to us as consumers? Well in short, if you dont mind spending some extra money, dont mind going to the store more often, and tend to be extra cautious when it comes to your health, then there is very little downside in choosing to purchase organic. On the other hand, given there are no long term consensus studies on the health benefits of organic foods, cost are much higher, and the impact on the environment is mixed, the educated consumer will make the best choice on how to prioritize what they buy and why they buy it. For me, the inconclusive benefits mean that the cost difference will help determine the choice I make on the produce isles.