A&P by John Updike Essays - AP, Free Essays, Term Papers

A&P by John Updike A&P by John Updike In the story "A&P," by John Updike, the main character Sammy makes the leap from an adolescent, knowing little more about life than what he has learned working at the local grocery store, into a man prepared for the rough road that lies ahead. As the story begins, Sammy is nineteen and has no real grasp for the fact that he is about to be living on his own working to support himself. Throughout the course of the story, he changes with a definite step into, first, a young man realizing that he must get out of the hole he is in and further into a man, who has a grasp on reality looking forward to starting his own family. In the beginning, Sammy is but a youth growing up learning what he knows about life in small town grocery store. His role models include, Stokesie, the twenty-two year-old, supporting a family doing the same job Sammy does yet aspiring to one day have the managers position, and Lengel, the store manager who most certainly started out in the same place that Stokesie and he were already in. Stoksie, the great role model, continues to be as adolescent as Sammy, with his "Oh, Daddy, I feel so faint," and even Sammy sees this noting that "as far as I can tell thats the only difference (between he and I)." Sammy whittles away his days looking at pretty girls and thinking about the ways of people. He hardly realizes that this is how he will spend his entire existence if he doesnt soon get out of this job. During this day that will prove to change his life, he makes the step towards his realization. He decides that he doesnt want to spend the rest of his life working at an A&P competing for the store managers position. Sammy thinks to himself about his parents current social class and what they serve at cocktail parties. And, in turn, he thinks about what he will be serving, if he stays at the A&P, "When my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if its a real racy affair Schlitz in tall glasses with Theyll Do It Every Time cartoons stenciled on." He must get out and the sooner the better. He is still just an adolescent who hasnt completely thought through his decision and yet his mind is made up. He quits his job using the girls merely as an excuse to get out. His final journey to manhood is a short one. He looks around for his girls and notices that they have already left, but he knew that was a futile cause to begin with. And he steps outside to see the world and its opportunities as well as its responsibilities in front of him. Although, Sammy could see "how hard the world would be hereafter," he knew that what was done had to be done. In hindsight, Sammy still knew he had done the right thing as shown by "Now here comes the sad part of the storybut I dont think its so sad myself."

Social Justice Issues Concerning Minority Children in America Term Paper

Social Justice Issues Concerning Minority Children in America - Term Paper Example This cannot and should not be understood to mean that minority children are somehow irrevocably different or predisposed to certain strengths or weaknesses. Rather, environmental factors as well as the pervasive views within society, uneven allocation of resources, and the alternative approaches that certain cultures take with regards to the topics which will herein be discussed are the most powerful factors in shaping the way that minorities must integrate with the overall application and importance of such determinants. With regards to the cognitive development that takes place within minority shareholders, it is the very strong belief of this author that this determinant/measurement is fundamentally and absolutely no different than the level of cognitive development that takes place within white/affluent shareholders. The greatest level of differentiation with regards to this is realized as a function of the quality of the educational system itself and the degree to which the fami ly impact upon this cognitive development. ... Strident members of one side of the argument state that minority students are nearly an entire standard deviation away from their white counterparts with regards to their overall level of scholastic achievement. Those in disagreement with such a stance pointed the fact that the gap is necessarily smaller yet nonetheless extraordinarily important to focus upon and seek to fix. The ugly truth at the heart of the matter is with regards to the quality of the teachers, the overall level of funding, and the importance that education and scholastics is able to realize on the home front of these minority families (Deo, 2012). With regards to the first two of these determinants, they can be understood to integrate most closely with a level of tacit racism that exists within the educational system. Due to the fact that the US Department of Education, and community shareholders, must seek to allocate limited resources in order to affect limitless needs, minority neighborhoods/communities are of tentimes deprived of fundamental and necessary technologies, high quality teachers, and monetary resources with which to effect positive growth on the overall level of academic achievement that their students can reflect (Pilkington, 2013). However, this last determinant which has been listed is with regards to the level of importance that education plays within the family unit. Although the first two of these determinants can be affected from a governmental/community level, the third is one that must necessarily take place within the home. It is the further understanding of this particular author that the tests and metrics that are used to measure students are not in and of themselves biased; rather, the appropriation of funding, resources, and

Principles Of American Bible Society Research Paper

Principles Of American Bible Society - Research Paper Example The virtues are not values like honesty or loyalty that one recites in grade school. These virtues mentioned in Galatians are the hallmarks of maturity that one should seek when looking for a spiritual mentor. For one, the aforementioned virtues are not deliberately adopted by a person to become his personal virtue since it is the Spirit that implants these virtues within a person. Looking at the background of these verses, these virtues were listed to serves as concrete examples that contrasts the acts of the flesh such as â€Å"envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings† (Gal.5:21). It is also significant to state that â€Å"the flesh lusteth against the Spirit† (v.17). which explains that since people are made of flesh, it is natural for humans to lust for vices like wine, gossip, money, or illicit sex. But, when a person has spiritually matured, he has struggled over this vices and starts exhibiting the virtues mentioned. What makes these virtues grow? Walking in faith with God makes these virtues thrive within ourselves. Therefore, when one is a matured Christian he or she manifests the virtues in his way of life. It is conclusive to say then that a Christian who has attained spiritual maturity will reflect these virtues in his daily affairs whether it be at work, or at leisure time. Among the virtues that were listed as fruits of the Spirit, I chose love, joy, and peace. I consider them as hallmarks of maturity since they are the basic foundation of all virtues yet they are the hardest to cultivate when one does not walk in God’s word. The first virtue is love which is known as â€Å"agape† in Greek. This love2 is as â€Å"agape† refers to brotherly love that should exhibit mercy and benevolence.