Human Life: A Cycle?

In nature, things happen in cycles. The weather turns hot in summer then turns cold during summer as the seasons revolve in cycles. The tides rise and then falls. The sun rises and then fall. Everything in natures works in a cycle. Is this the true for human life? I think in some aspect it’s similar to the cycles of nature. When we are born, we are naïve and barely able to walk. As we age, we begin to walk, talk and fill our mind with information and intelligence. However, as we approach 60s or 70s, our body begins to degenerate that we tends to get Alzheimer and forget things. Also, our physical body becomes weak and vulnerable to diseases that we can’t walk or talk properly. In this way, our human body works in a cycle just like a cycle of nature. However, in a spiritual way, our human life may never be in a cycle. As we grow and age, we experience many different things and intake many variety of information and memories. If we never obtain Alzheimer, no one will be able to take those memories away from us that it will never follow a cycle where we will be memory-less like when we are kids. As we leave this world, our spiritual body continues to exist even though our physical body may have disappeared. If one such believe in resurrection, then our spiritual bodies never walk in a cycle and keep moving on just in a different physical body.

A Realistic View of Life

We all once dreamt of being rich, famous, a movie star, princess, astronaut, pilot, billionaire, race car driver and etc. However, at some points in our lives, we often realize that these are all just fantasy and impossible dreams. When I’m small, I used to imagine that I would become a jet fighter pilot someday in the future. I dreamt of soaring up high in the sky and shot down enemies with advance technologies. However, as I grow up, I realize that being a pilot is not so much fun and easy. It takes more than just being able to fly a plane and have good eye sight. A pilot will have to withstand dizziness and fear while the plane is spinning upside down and traveling at a speed faster than the speed of sound. Also, it’s not so much fun to shoot missiles at people when you may also be easily targeted by other planes. When we are young, we used to believe that all stories end happily with the good guy defeating the bad guy. However, fairy tales don’t necessary happen in real life. Often times the bad guy kills the good guy and the bad guys gets kill by another bad guy and so on. Reality is cruel. Life itself is cruel. As we grow up, people begin to put more responsibility on us and life becomes more complicated than just going through school, getting a job, marrying and dying old. Life is unpredictable and often discouraging, but because of this uncertainty, we are able to treasure every moment of our life and live the best out of it.

Comparing Characters

In the Red Badge of Courage, Henry was influenced by many of the characters in the story, such as Jim Conklin, Wilson and the tattered man. Jim Conklin was a close friend of Henry that they have met each other since school. Jim Conklin mainly serves as a role model for Henry as an example of a courageous soldier. When Henry asked him about fleeing away from battle, Jim’s word comforts Henry that it’s normal for soldier to retreat and run. It gave Henry confidence and strength. Wilson, also known as the loud soldier, is also a classmate of Henry, although he is not as closed to Henry. In the beginning of the war, Wilson talks loudly and externally look like a brave and strong man. However, Wilson is actually quite afraid of death and gives his last letter for his family to Henry, afraid that he will soon get shot. It is amazing of how Wilson has transformed within only one battle that when Henry comes back to the regiment with a head wound, Wilson eagerly help Henry and tends his wounds. In the end, they become good comrades and friends. As for the tattered man, he serves as a reminder of Henry’s guilt of being a coward. The tattered man constantly asks Henry of his wounds and follows him around. For all these character, I’ll choose Wilson to write about. Wilson has the most dramatic change in his character beside Henry that he transforms into a real soldier in the end of the story.

Henry's Relationship

In the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, Henry experiences different relationship with each of the characters in the story. Henry was a close friend of Jim Conklin, since they have known each other in school. Jim Conklin primary serves as a role model for Henry. Although Jim is also a rookie in war just like Henry, Jim displays a brave, courageous characteristic that Henry admires. When Henry asked Jim Conklin whether he will flee if other runs, Jim Conklin replied by saying he will do things along with the flow and trend. This comforts Henry that even his role model is willing to flee and retreat from battle. As for Wilson, Henry has also known him in school, yet he is quite annoyed by him. Although Wilson acted as if he is not afraid of battle by talking loudly, secretly Wilson is actually quite afraid of dying. During his first encounter with the enemy, Wilson is so scared that he entrusts his last letter to his family to Henry. When Henry returns to his regiment having a wound on his head, Wilson is a good friend of Henry that he tends and takes care of him. The tattered man deeply annoys Henry by questioning Henry’s wound. Henry is deeply annoyed by the question that it reminds him of being a coward without the “red badge of courage.” In the end, Henry abandons the tattered man, feeling guilty for leaving this lonely, hopeless man wandering in the field alone.

Conscience

What is conscience? According to the Merriam Webster, the definition for conscience is “the sense of moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a felling of obligation to do right or be good.” Basically, it means that conscience is a sense of right or wrong. When one does something that is against their conscience of moral rightness, one feels guilty. Often time your conscience may disobey and interfere with your daily life. For example, if you find a poor, hungry, cute little stray dog on the street. In your conscience, it is right for you to take this poor animal home and take cares of it. However, in your current economic condition, you have no ability in having a pet that you barely have enough money to feed yourself and pay for your rent. You will face a hard decision on whether to go with your conscience or reality. Usually a person may just walk away, however feeling guilty of not being to help that poor soul. This is the same for Henry Fleming is the Red Badge of Courage. In his conscience, he knows that it’s wrong to flee from battle that he is a coward. However, afraid of dying, Henry is unwilling to test his courage. He felt extremely guilty for his uselessness and this emotion overwhelms him when he witnesses his friend’s death, which his friend has fought courageously.

The dark side

“The power of the dark side!” According to the dark Romanticists, they believe that everything has a dark side. Like Romanticists, they believe emotion overweigh rationality, however they focus on the dark side. In many modern literature and movie, dark Romanticists have a lot of influence in them. For example, in Star Wars, the antagonist is described as the dark side of the force that people use this dark power to do heinous acts, such as destroying a planet. Also, in horror movies, they talk about the irrationality and dark side of human nature that people become mass murder and blood thirst lunatics. The dark Romanticism becomes so popular in mass media today because most people don’t think too optimistic about the world. People are often frustrated about their wages, work, relationship and life. These dark movies allow them to release their negative pain that they may think themselves as doing those dark acts in the movie or they will become cautious about how destructive human nature can be when dark emotions is released. As many movie demonstrated, human’s dark side can be so wicked and destructive that it’s impossible for a person to stop this negative emotion. I believe that there always exists a dark and bright side of human nature. The side you decided to take on greatly determines one’s characteristics and personality.

The Transcendentalists

        The transcendentalists are people who believe everything is a reflection of divine soul. It’s a religious group which they believe individualism outweigh authority and rationality. They believed that people should act upon their intuitive rather than rule of the society. It is these ideas that allow some of the greatest leader in the history of mankind to be created. Ghandi, for example, is deeply influenced by the transcendentalists. Believing that India has the right to be independent, Ghandi rose up against the British control using peaceful protest despite the risk of death penalty. Also, Marther Luther King was also deeply influenced by the transcendentalists. Believing with his intuitive that all man, including African American, should be equal, he led a successful campaign in the civil rights movement, which eventually allows African American to gain suffrage right. I personally disagree with some of the transcendentalist’s ideas. It is really hard for me to believe that everything in the world has a divine purpose or soul. I don’t believe that there will be soul in paper, water bottle or my computer. I only appreciate their ideas about how we should use our intuitive over rationality. Although rationality is also very important, some time the right thing to do is not written in the guidebook, that we need to use our intuition to guide a path to the future.

Romantic Values

Romantic values are concerned mainly with feeling and intuition rather than reason. In the American Romanticism, people are romantic in a way that people wrote poetry about emotions and feelings rather than just reasons and logic. Romanticism thrives in America because the writers have the freedom to write whatever they wish to write. It is this romanticism that allow American classic super hero to come to place that super heroes are romantic in a way that they are close to nature, intuitive and innocent. People are able to let their imagination to run free and think of brand innovative ideas. What makes us human is emotion. Although people may argue how good reasons and logic are and emotion is useless, with emotion, a person is transformed into a robot. A robot is excellent in critical thinking and logic. However it lacks a human heart and mind to be romantic. Humanity is created with people dealing issues with their emotion. It is true that acting on merely emotion is disastrous. However without emotion and apathy, one becomes a machine. In today’s world, people treasure romantic value during love relationship. More importantly, we use romantic value in our everyday life when dealing with our family friends and people we concern about. For example, it may be illogical to run into a burning house trying to save your kid. However, it is this intuitive that allows miracle to happen and saves one’s life.

The American Romantic Hero

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s super man!!” This is what people usually think of when asked who is an American Romantic Hero. There are many heroes today, either fictional or non-fictional. According to our text book, the definition for an American Romantic Hero is one who is youthful, intuitive, usually innocent and close to nature. My hero, Superman is one of the classic American comic heroes. Superman possess a super natural strength, which he can lift a thousand ton tank easily and destroys it with his super laser shooting out from his eyes. He can also fly and survive up in space. To hide his superhero identity, he disguised himself as a journalist in the Metropolis newspaper Daily Planet. He will also heroically save the day and fight to bring justice to the world. According to the book, it also mentions how heroes are uneasy with. With superman, Luis Lane, a reporter, is his weak point that he is willing to sacrifice anything to save his love. There are many other American Romantic Heroes such as Spiderman, Batman, Ironman and all those Marvel comics’ super heroes. All of them share the characteristic of an American Romantic Hero that they are young, often make mistake due to their innocence, but eventually save the day in the end. American Romantic Heroes inspire the world and bring people hope that our world is peaceful thanks to these hard working selfless heroes

Freedom and Equality

The American Ideal is truly represented by freedom and equality. It is these values that the American wanted to earn in their independence. In the history of mankind, no other country except United States of America has achieved democracy in its political system. In its independence war, the Americans’ goal was to fight and die for freedom and equality. It is these values that they treasure the most. Without freedom and equality, the whole country will lose its original purpose as a land of freedom. In Taiwan, a democratic country, I take freedom and equality for granted, assuming that we are born to keep this right until our death. However, fearing the future of Taiwan, presently I’m taking these right preciously. Taiwan can be taken over tomorrow or in a week easily by China if the Chinese government wants to do so. Taiwan is now in a vulnerable state that with thousands of missiles China is currently pointing at us, Taiwanese stands no chance against such a powerful enemy. Although our government is currently trying to establish a peaceful relationship with this communist, hostile nation, who knows how long this peace is going to last. After all, as our economy is becoming overly dependent on China, our country is basically being under control. If China one day decides to kick all of Taiwanese companies out of China, which it can, Taiwanese economy will definitely fail and eventually we will have to become part of them in order to survive. Freedom and equality are fundamental values that all democratic nations treasure.  

The American Ideal

“We will walk on our own feet. We will work with our own hand. We will speak with our own mind.” This quote means that we shall be free and independent. People shall be able to work and act on their own will. People will be able to say thing with our own mind without being limited by anyone. This again reflects the American Ideal that all man shall be equal, never be persecuted and limited. However, this idealistic idea will never work in reality as long as humanity exists. It is in human nature that we discriminate others and use power to control over others in order to survive in this world. After the Americans have won their independence war, it is assumed that all man will be equal that no one is obligated to follow a single ruler. Everyone can act on his or her own accounts and do everything with freedom. However is this really true? It takes nearly 200 years for African American to win their freedom and right in this supposedly free nation and 150 years for woman to gain equal rights as man. In reality, no one can be equal. If everyone is equal, the world will become communist where everyone lives happily with equal rights, wealth and everything. This disobeys nature itself that in order to live, one must make sacrifices. It is true that we can speak with our own mind, do thing with our own hand, but can we really do anything we wanted to do? Is it legal to publicly declare that you want to assassinate the President or saying that you carry a bomb during an air flight? This is all ideal that we are always limited by the society and rules. However, it is these rules that keep our world balance today.