Truth: Ideas Which Reflect Personal Belief Essay, Research Paper

J. Douglas Boyd 11/4/99

Society, Literature, and Truth Period 5

Truth: Ideas Which Reflect Personal Belief

When a author composes a piece of literature, his exclusive undertaking should be to convey

the truth of the capable affair he is discoursing, no affair what the medium of his authorship

may be. A true thought for me is authenticated by my ain, personal beliefs, but non one

thought can be true to all. Sophocles, George Orwell, Joseph Conrad, and W.H. Auden,

portion what they believe to be true thoughts with their audiences. Through a authors

ability to verbalise thoughts, and with the usage of their personal authorship manner, what is true

to that author can be conveyed to that authors audience, it is up to the audience to make up one’s mind

whether what the author believes to be true is true to them.

Sophocles was a great Teller of truth. This is shown to me in his dramas Oedipus

and Antigone, Sophocles was able to set into words the true feelings of despair

one may experience. Both Creon, from Antigone, and Oedipus were shown the truth of what

their lives have come to, for Creon, his hapless judgement direction led to the decease of

some of his loved 1s. Oedipus dealt with the horrid realisation that his belief in the

thought that he was the accountant of his ain destiny, was false, and that the prophet was right.

Both of these tragic figures did non to the full understand the drastic effects of what they had

brought upon themselves. I, at times, show some of Creon s hapless judgement, and

deficiency of precedence direction. From what I accept as true from Sophocles narrative, I learned

that I should believe things through so as non to make anything that could subsequently be damaging.

Many people believe in destiny, I personally do non, but I do believe in wretchedness, and if

person brings it upon themselves, they must cover with it consequently, by whatever

agencies necessary. On juncture, I do some things that take less encephalon power than your

mean bear, so to talk, and either convey myself to mild shame, or some other kind of

heartache. Although I may non accept a chief thought of Sophocles Oedipus Rex as true, I

make happen that penalizing myself can be more fruitful and consequence procuring than holding

person jeer in my face, or have person else allot me a penalty.

George Orwell is another great author who uses a alone manner to demo what he

believes as being true, and it merely so happens that I agree with some of his truths. In

his short narrative, Shooting An Elephant, Orwell demonstrates the truth that, excuse my

Gallic, the multitudes are buttockss, and the power of group force per unit area can be so overpowering

it makes one exercising acts they would usually disapprove of. It is clear to see that

Orwell objects to killing the elephant, and he has grounds as to why the elephant should

non be killed. He grounds with himself, and the force per unit area of the indigens causes him to move

restlessly, and kill the elephant. This violent death could hold avoided wholly, had the

component of equal force per unit area been removed. I know that when I am given clip, sensible

cause to move or non move, and small outside force per unit area, I tend to move every bit sagely as I am able to.

When I am influenced by outside forces, I tend to move recklessly, and self saving

takes a back-seat to making what everyone expects of me, to move like an immature

17 twelvemonth old male. In another illustration of Orwell s authorship, Politics and the

English Language, he illustrates what I believe is traveling to take to the ruin of

literature and all authorship in general. It seems as though he jabing merriment at bigheaded professors

and politicians who use enormous words to explicate even the most fiddling thoughts, many of

these people incorporate several adjectives and nouns, with one verb in a 67

syllable sentence, incorporating eight words. So many, excessively many, politicians, professors,

and self righteous people with expanded vocabularies tend to perpetrate these Acts of the Apostless, and will

do our linguistic communication rather hapless and unserviceable. It is my ain belief that the English

linguistic communication will shortly attach to Latin and Sanskrit in the dead linguistic communication class. I am in

full understanding with Orwell in the truth of this affair, and in all honestness I think it is a dire

affair, and should be corrected. With the usage of the manner lacking, overpowering

sentences, no point is reached, an writer of these types of thoughts or Hagiographas arrives at

obscure replies, and does non make any convincing except converting me that they are a

walking, speaking, excellent-at-memorizing, Thesaurus. I find that Orwell writes with

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great manner, and tends to make a decision, his words flow, his sentences form head

spread outing decisions, and I agree with his thought that the English linguistic communication is easy, but

certainly deteriorating.

The English linguistic communication is going so easy to pull strings, even those who learn it

as a 2nd linguistic communication tardily in their lives are able to work it. Joseph Conrad, writer of

An Outpost of Progress, has been able to absorb some of the common traits of authors

that I despise. Although I agree with some of his thoughts and happen them true, I can non

agree with his composing manner, or deficiency thereof. Conrad brings up a good point, that when a

adult male is brought up in what modern adult male has understood to be civilisation, he is incapacitated if

he needs to return to the wilderness. I find that slightly true, adult male has developed

things called ethical motives and societal norms, and has traded replete and endurance for those

things. Man is no longer suited for petroleum life, natural life, his appendix is no longer

utile for digesting tough stuffs, he must work to develop a indurate, alternatively of holding

one of course form from changeless usage of his custodies. I do agree with Conrad in that

everything that builds up a modern adult male, and gives him assurance, comes from the

society in which he lives, non from himself. Peoples compare themselves to presume their

standing in society, we have All-State athletic competitions, and universe renowned

instrumentalists, ne’er could one happen person who is difficult working adequate to last in the

wilderness for 30 old ages, today, one would inquire themselves, Why would anyone desire

to make that? Conrad, although wordy and showy of this new linguistic communication he has learned,

conveys some thoughts I think about all the clip, and he has offered some more thoughts for me

to see, although I doubt, and hope that I do non happen a decision, instead I would

appreciate non cognizing all the replies, and possibly I will be able to larn something new.

The Unknown Citizen is a poem written by W.H. Auden, and I find so many

truths behind what is said, I can merely trust that it justifies my logical thinking. It appears that

W.H. Auden rejects the thoughts of going a conformist. I feel that conformance is a

awful thing, and that one should be free to research their thoughts and sentiments, but should

sometimes be centered so as non to go brainsick. Line 9 of this verse form reads & # 8230 ; he

wasn T & # 8230 ; odd in his positions, from what I understand of my past schooling, poesy is written

for the poet to reflect, and the reader to construe. I tend to use poesy to my ain existent

life state of affairss. I feel line is showing that this Unknown Citizen has ne’er had an

original idea, which I believe is a deplorable thing, if what I think Auden is stating is

what they are stating, this individual will decease miserably, accepting what he is told. Without

an original idea there is no demand for a encephalon, other than to spit out whatever nefariousness

has been forced upon a individual throughout their life in traditional school. Auden seems to

have hit the nail on the caput, and I find that this verse form is the prototype of what society

should try to reason. I found this verse form to be full of ineluctable truths, and

although I disagree with some of society s determinations, I know that I am a merchandise of the

province, and can merely trust that the educational conveyor belt I am siting will assist me

go an original individual.

Originality is cardinal to go a full, thoughtful individual, and through good, thoughtful,

wholesome literature, one can pull from a broad array of thoughts to see true, and

to follow and use throughout their lives. Sophocles, Auden, Orwell, and Conrad are

really good at conveying thoughts they believe as truthful. One must to the full understand an thought

of person else, before they can to the full accept that thought as true. I do non to the full

understand every facet of every thought of each of the aforesaid writers, but of the

thoughts I do understand, I find that most are true. Oedipus and Creon s agonies, and

Orwell s inability to move as a ego, non as a group. Conrad s thought that adult male has taken

himself excessively far from his beginnings to of all time last in the wilderness, and Auden s cognition

of adult male s version to each other, and thereby cut downing the ability to raise up any

original political orientation. I found that my failings are non my ain, that they have existed in

the times of the authors of the yesteryear, and will be throughout clip. The failings of

adult male are dateless, and that failing is adult male s changeless ability to do errors, but

reflect on them through other people doing the same errors, and happening truth in that.