Portrait Of A Lady Essays - The Portrait Of A Lady, Chains

Portrait Of A Lady It is an unquestionable fact of life that human nature is flawed. Human beings have a variety of weaknesses that may differ from one person to the next. How one deals with this ultimately determines whether it will or will not destroy the person. The faults that humans possess stem from an open field of possibilities that they are able to choose from as they build their own character. However, as much as individual free will is desirable, as all other parts of the natural world, it can include negative aspects, as well. Probably, the most difficult element is being able to make good choices, keeping in mind what Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err." Once a state of freedom is attained, all of its sides are encompassed. This essential human cycle of freedom has progressed along with the changing times, views, and values in society. It is depicted by many authors in countless novels. Henry James' perception accurately describes the shifts that occurred in society during the late nineteenth century. He uses colorful characters in his writings to express his opinions on actual revolutionary outlooks of the time and to comment on human nature. The Portrait of a Lady is an example of his view on freedom. The quest for personal freedom destroys Isabel Archer in Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady. Isabel Archer is introduced instantly, in the novel, as a woman with strong and uncompromising convictions. The first glimpse of Isabel shows that she is "quite independent" (James 27). This early description sets expectations for her character. When Isabel herself appears on the lawn of Gardencourt, where she is met by the family she has never known, she strikes Ralph as having "a great deal of confidence, both in herself and in others" (James 31). Isabel's charisma could be felt by people that were strangers to her. Her attitude and stubborn personality shine through and can be visible in everything she does. A little later at Gardencourt, Isabel is appalled at the very idea of being considered "a candidate for adoption" after her aunt takes her away from her home where she had no parents: "I'm very fond of my liberty," she says (James 35). Clearly, Isabel is not afraid to let others know how she feels, no matter how disagreeable her views may be. One such subject is liberty, which means to know everything, including all the possibilities ahead in order to choose freely, confidently, responsibly; as when she tells her aunt that she always likes to know the things one shouldn't do, "so as to choose" (James 86). Such frank language is what makes Isabel who she is, a person who takes risks, often thoughtlessly. Unsurprisingly, Isabel reveals she is afraid of becoming "a mere sheep in the flock" because she wants to be the sole free master of her own fate (James 182-183). In other words, Isabel declines to be anybody's puppet. Choosing the direction that her life heads is only her decision, even when she cannot make that choice skillfully. Although Isabel cherishes it, her independence is not necessarily always best for her. With the passing of time at Gardencourt, Isabel Archer reveals more of her headstrong qualities. Her uncle's passing allows her to reveal this. When Isabel's uncle dies, he gives the humble, yet sharp, girl a large amount of money which changes her life. Isabel's newly acquired fortune brings her an enlarged freedom, however problematic. Consequently, Isabel believes that she is now freer than ever before. However, she is scared of the burden of tremendous responsibility involved in complete, unquestionable freedom. She is free- she thinks- to choose her own fate. And so she believes she does when she fulfills her "one ambition- to be free to follow out a good feeling" (James 374). The heroine follows this principle of freedom throughout the rest of the novel. Constant anxiety surrounds Isabel about the use she would ever make of her freedom, which she never doubts or questions. By accepting the consequences her free acts, Isabel is satisfied by doing herself the justice of always being considerate of herself. "She has chosen with the sense that the ordinary benefits of life are not likely to satisfy her, and her major acts [will be] refusals to accept the ordinary" (O'Neill 39). Keeping this in mind, Isabel proceeds throughout the novel with this single ideal. Still, when Isabel becomes really free to make a decision on her own,

The United States Declaration of Independence essays

The United States Declaration of Independence essays The United States Declaration of Independence is a very important American text adopted on July 4, 1776. In fact, thirteen British North American colonies use it to proclaim their independence from Great Britain. 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence equally pledging to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and has three main parts to it which include a proclamation on the rights of man and the authenticity of revolution, criticism against King George III of England, and a formal claim of independence. The American colonists were announcing to the world their independence from Great Britain and they hoped this would gain support and assistance from European powers such as France. The declaration of independence was all about the unalienable rights, rights that should never be taken away, for the people. The people officially gained the right to alter or abolish any government that threatened their unalienable r ights and to install a new government that could uphold these principals. The British King had taken many of these rights away and the Declaration listed these numerous ways in which he had done so. On July 2, 1776, the delegates voted that the colonies were free and on July 4th they officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was then read to a crowd in front of the Philadelphia State House, or Independence Hall. As the years have passed since the Declaration of Independence has passed, it has made a great impact on American history. It flat our states that all men are created equal and when it was written, it expressed the common beliefs that free citizens were political equals. Although it did not mention any specific minority groups, it presented ideals that would later help groups such as slaves or women later. The first draft actually contained an attack on the cruelty and injustice of the salve trade but South Carolina and Georgia o...

Analysis of Saudi Mutual Funds Regression Results Speech or Presentation

Analysis of Saudi Mutual Funds Regression Results - Speech or Presentation Example The significant predictors are MSCI Asia Equity Index, b = 0.1971, p It is also worth mentioning that the other four benchmarks namely, MSCI North America Equity Index, MSCI Europe Equity Index, Saudi Large-cap Growth Equity Portfolio Returns, Citigroup/Salomon Brothers World Money Market (one-month) Index, are not statistically significant predictors of total weekly returns. It can be interpreted to mean that whatever effect these benchmarks seemed to have on total weekly returns are not supported by any statistical evidence. Rather, these effects may simply be due to chance. In addition, the constant coefficient is also not significant. Upon closer inspection of the values of the coefficients of the twelve benchmarks, it can be observed that there are six positive predictors and two negative predictors of total weekly returns. The positive predictors are MSCI Asia Equity Index, MSCI GCC ex-Saudi Arabia Equity Index, Barclays Capital / Lehman Brothers Global Corporate Bond Index, Saudi Large-cap Value Equity Portfolio Returns, Saudi Small-cap Equity Portfolio Returns, and S & P / Goldman Sachs Commodity Index. This means that as these benchmarks become higher, total weekly returns generated by Saudi mutual funds also becomes higher. Furthermore, among these positive predictors, it can be seen that Barclays Capital / Lehman Brothers Global Corporate Bond Index has the highest effect of all, contributing