Ragtime Essays - Ragtime, Harry Houdini, Makers, Escapology

Ragtime In the classic E.L. Doctorow novel, Ragtime, we see the juxtaposition of many motifs to represent Doctorow's view of the early century. By combining history and fiction Doctorow allows himself to write a semi-accurate interpretation of the early 1900's while also being able to strongly express his own biases and opinions of the era. The biggest, and perhaps most important theme Doctorow applies in the novel is social tension, or the battle of the rich versus the poor. Other important themes include rebirth, racial tension, and high randomness of events. By using these themes and others, movie makers created a film, which they believe best represents Doctorow's views. It is apparent that Doctorow clearly favors the poor, lower class, in their struggle for economic and social mobility against the few, rich, upper class citizens. Doctorow's thoughts are best depicted through the novel's characters. Tateh, Coalhouse Walker and Sarah are all characters who are portrayed as ?good'. These characters, while representing a wide range of economic success, all symbolize socially challenged individuals. Throughout the novel, Doctorow always chooses these or similar types of characters to be the protagonists. Doctorow wants the reader to feel for Coalhouse's situation. He wants the reader to hope that Willie Conklin is harmed and the Model T Ford is repaired. On the other hand, Doctorow tells a different tale for the economic elite, upper echelon of society, represented by J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford. Morgan is presented as a snobbish old man, who always gets his way, and we are supposed to feel no remorse for him when his museum is broken int! o. We, the readers, are inclined to agree with Doctorow's opinion only because that is the way he planned it. Doctorow did not touch on any negative aspects of Coalhouse Walker's actions, such as innocent firemen that he killed, and their families, perhaps, because this might sway the reader's belief as to Coalhouse's innocence. The film, Ragtime, does support Doctorow's social tension beliefs, however it leaves more things open for the reader to decide. For example the book gives the impression that Coalhouse is killing the racist bad firemen. The movie shows him shooting and blowing up firemen, who perhaps could be ?good' people. The concept of rebirth is used liberally by Doctorow. Doctorow commonly has a character go through a major transmogrification, or rebirth. This rebirth ordinarily happens when moving from one social class to another. Tateh, Houdini, Coalhouse, and mother's younger brother and clearly are examples of these rebirths. When Tateh goes from being a poor street peddler to a rich movie maker, he goes through a transformation. Tateh starts dressing and acting a lot differently, perhaps also forgetting his Jewish heritage and 5000 years of oppression. Houdini's alteration is greater than Tateh's. Houdini goes from a not so well off family to a rich and famous escape artist. Through this social change, Houdini changes his Jewish name Erich Weiss to a more appropriate Christian name of Harry Houdini. As well as changing his name, Houdini also seemed to forget his background. However, later in the novel we find out that Houdini did in fact not forget his heritage. He just cha! nged his name as a career move. Coalhouse Walker's rebirth is much more dramatic and swift than Tateh's or Houdini's. Coalhouse goes from a fine upstanding citizen to a disgruntled man, caught at the end of a racist prank, and out for revenge. At one point, "He sat down with a sheet over his shoulder and permitted one of the young men to shave his head and his neat mustache. The change in him was striking," (). This symbolic and actual rebirth occurs as Coalhouse moves from being a wealthy prominent musician to a fugitive on the run. Mother's younger brother also goes through a rebirth. His rebirth involves going from a wealthy family to a fugitive gang. Because of this social change, Doctorow has mother's younger brother go through a rebirth as well. This was in the form of him putting black makeup on his face to fit in with Coalhouse's black gang. All four of these examples express Doctorow's opinion that in order to go through a social change, one must go

The Truth about Random Roommates in College

When I received the notice, I was overcome with feelings of negativity. It wasn’t so much that I was worried that I would be uncomfortable. Actually yes, it was that I was worried that I would be uncomfortable. But, it was also because I expected some sense of control, some sense of intrinsic comfort that I grew up so accustomed to. Rooming with two random guys wasn’t my first choice, but it became a reality I had to quickly allow myself to come to terms with. This isn’t to say that my two random roommates were people of similar backgrounds as I either, because it seemed as though someone in Xavier University’s Admittance Department wanted to create a melting pot in a room made for two. There was Shuhei, a 5’6†, Japanese 18 year old who, at the time, was living in New Jersey by himself. Through stalking him on Facebook, not only did I find out that he played hockey, but also that he hadn’t updated his profile since Sophomore year. â€Å"What an individual,† I thought to myself. The visualizations began to flourish. Then there was Kyle, a 6’2†, Filipino and African American 18 year old who not only had an ESPN profile, but also a few videos on Youtube performing in his Chicago based high school’s plays and participating in their morning broadcasting service. â€Å"In comparison,† I began to think, â€Å"I definitely come in second in terms of enduring characteristics. â€Å" So, there I sat, motionless on my friend’s couch, worried that college was going to be some sort of an impossible task because not only am I living in a room that’s too small for us, but also because I couldn’t be more different than both of them. I decided to do what any logical thinker with some traces of generalized anxiety would do: start a group chat. It didn’t take long for me to realize that we were all feeling the same way and we all wanted to make the best out of the hand we were dealt. Let’s just say that our best exceeded all of our expectations. Rooted in a bit of a clichà ©, we did become the best of friends. Rooming together with two other people in close quarters forces a new kind of relationship to develop. There is a constant reminder that although these people are strangers, we use on the same toilet and shower now. Although these people are strangers, we sleep in bunk beds on top of each other. Although these people are strangers, it doesn’t mean that we cannot become close. There is one, important idea to remember when you get your roommate assignment: they are feeling the same exact way you are in that situation, and chances are you share something in common. Each university attracts and accepts specific kinds of people that make up their student body. So, if you were accepted and chose to attend, you are bound to find some common ground. Open yourself up to others, so others will open up to you. Written by a student at Xavier University.

PMF Sample Essay Questions

PMF Sample Essay QuestionsPMF sample essay questions are unique in that they have multiple different types of options to fit many different personality traits and learning styles. There are more than enough essay questions to choose from, and the best thing about them is they are made to be used in smaller units rather than at the end of a long section. Using sample essay questions will give your students the knowledge and confidence that they need to learn their topic well. An effective essay can not only win you the competition but can be a powerful teaching tool.You may want to look at several different types of PMF essay question. Some of the most common choices include essay based on a movie, book, or other famous event. Another option is one on history or society. There are also question based on travel events.If you would like to make sure your students are very creative and the ideas they come up with are of a high caliber then you should consider using a PMF form question ba sed on poetry. A group question is great as well. This is because the entire essay is designed to show and explain a specific aspect of the poem.Some of the most common types of PMF questions would be on war, politics, and much more. These questions may have something to do with music, books, or some other historical area of interest. One of the most fun examples of this is the creation of an essay based on science fiction. The list is actually quite extensive.If you have a book out there, or some other famous author for that matter, consider asking your students to research the details of the book. For example, if it was a novel written by someone famous then you might find a book review online that talks about the book. Researching a piece of literature has a variety of benefits.For the classroom, consider using the PMF sample essay questions to help students learn more about the subject. Students will get the chance to put their knowledge into practice, and might learn more of th e overall subjects that they are studying. It is a great way to get them to become more academically-inclined.Using PMF sample essay questions is a great idea for teachers and students alike. It gives everyone a chance to enjoy the learning process of the assigned topic, and it can really help students use what they learn well into their own writing.