The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. It is a symbol of the country's government and a popular tourist attraction.
Claude McKay, born Festus Claudius McKay in Jamaica in 1889, was a poet and writer who is known for his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance. He was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that took place in the 1920s and 1930s and was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
McKay's poetry and prose explored themes of race, identity, and politics, and his work was influential in shaping the discourse of the Harlem Renaissance. He is perhaps best known for his poems "If We Must Die" and "The White House," both of which were written during a time of racial tension in the United States.
"If We Must Die" was written in 1919 in response to the racial violence that was taking place in the United States at the time. The poem, which advocates for resistance and self-defense in the face of injustice, became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement.
"The White House," on the other hand, was written in 1922 and is a satirical critique of the government's treatment of African Americans. In the poem, McKay imagines a conversation between the White House and a black man, in which the White House insists that it is not responsible for the injustices faced by African Americans. The poem is a powerful indictment of the government's failure to address the needs and concerns of black people.
Both "If We Must Die" and "The White House" are important works that demonstrate McKay's commitment to social justice and his desire to use his writing as a tool for change. His contributions to the Harlem Renaissance and to the broader civil rights movement continue to be recognized and celebrated to this day.
The Bet by Anton Chekhov
Later in the story, Chekhov paints the portrait of a cowardly man who lacks the courage to endure reality. The foolishness is much embossed here of an unwise man, provokers and low and base men are everywhere though and a chance encounter is a risk to everyone another. He has lost some of his idealism, even as he continues to seek to prove it, and himself, right. The only relation with the outside world was to be made through the little window made purposefully for that object. Told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator, the story follows a young banker who makes a bet with a friend that he can live in seclusion for five years without experiencing any human contact.
The Bet by Anton Chekhov Plot Summary
They are absurd propositions that emphasize a point regarding our certitude about a particular topic. Suddenly the lawyer appears, announces his love of life, declares books a poor substitute, and asks for a considerable sum of money, threatening suicide if he does not receive it. The banker, however, is not ready to renounce life; he locks the note in his safe as insurance against possible accusations. If I had been one of the guests, I would have chosen the capital punishment side because personally, as a devout Buddhist, I believe that living with inner peace from meditation can provide you with all the necessities that one requires to live a meaningful life or at least a peaceful one despite being confined. It is significant that after he sees the shrunken, miserable captive whom he had intended to kill, after he reads the letter denouncing human existence, the banker feels contempt not for the world but for himself.
The Bet Literary Elements
Line 297 states, "Do not harden your hearts" Beers 136 and further down on line 307, "We are all at fortunes beck" Beers 136 , both from his tale, tells the pilgrims that buying pardons is virtuous, even valued and they could die at any time, without pardons, and end up in⦠My 8 Plot Ideas A person with a taste for bloodshed also has a taste for being very promiscuous. He determined that the root cause of suffering was in fact the pleasure and desire of the physical world. . Had the lawyer been older and wiser, he would never have decided so impulsively to go through with this bet. This adds to the lawyer's character as it portrays him as the optimist in this situation. He is throwing a party, and there are many intelligent people in attendance.
The Bet Summary and Analysis
Therefore, he decides to visit the lawyer under the cover of night and kill him. Except for the letter written at the end of the fifteen-year period, Chekhov does not reveal the thoughts of the captive. In case he had a family, a wife or children, or someone who counts on him, he would have never let go of all his life in a single moment and would have simply denied the bet. From this point until his tenth year, 'some six hundred volumes were procured at his request. In summary, the change in character seen in the lawyer seen through the course of the story deliberately portrays the overall theme of the irrelevance of material wealth to human life. Whereas the banker is a fragile wreck of a man because of his financial losses. Is he truly wise? He cannot have any visitors or speak to anyone.