– Winston Churchill —
Success is defined as the favorable termination of attempts or endeavors and the accomplishment of one’s goals. When I hear the word success, I think of my friend and my teacher, Mrs. Regina Kynes. I consider her successful because she has a strong family, a favorable career, and she is the most generous person that I know. Mrs. Kynes is respected and admired by those who see her as successful. As a successful person, she has to overcome challenging circumstances, but the advice she has received helps her deal with her obstacles, and because of her challenges, she has been able to provide advice to help others with the oncoming challenges that come their way.
Regina Kynes is a successful person because she works hard, she is dedicated, and she is committed, to her family, career, and helping others reach their potential. She wants the best for everybody around her, she does not give up easily, and she is not a quitter. Because she does not give up, she helps hers…
Comparing Evil, Abuse and Escape in Oliver Twist and Great Expectations
In Oliver Twist and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, both main characters refuse to except the poor hand the world has dealt them. Pip and Oliver reach a great epiphany in regards to social injustice, and in turn rebel against the system that oppresses them. They are tired of being mistreated and neglected, and therefore decide to make a stand. Charles Dickens exhibits through Oliver and Pip that the revolt of the weak against the strong results from the oppression of the poor. As a result of their revolt against the system, Pip and Oliver are ostracized for their non-conformist ideals. Thus change in an oppressing and conformist society can only be achieved through change in moral, social, and political instincts.
In both novels the main character faces abuse and neglect which result in rebellion and distancing of them from the society which chooses to hold them down. In Oliver Twist, Oliver receives a great amount of abuse through the orphanage. While suffering from starvation and malnutrition for a long period of time, Oliver is chosen by the other boys at the orphanage to request more gruel at dinner. After making this simple request, “the master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with a ladle; pinioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle” (Oliver Twist 16). This pain and neglect caused a change in Oliver. He realized that he must rebel against the society that wishes to oppress him, in order to truly start living. In Great Expectations, Pip receives a great deal of abuse at the hands of his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery. On one occasion “I soon found myself getting heavily bumped from behind in the nape of the neck and the small of the back, and having my face ignominiously shoved against the wall, because I did not answer those questions at sufficient length” (Great Expectations 12). This anguish inflicted by the hands of his sister resulted in Pip distancing himself from any ties with his family. Thus his independence grew as a direct result of the abuse he had faced.
In both novels the main characters have to escape from harsh living conditions and evil surroundings which in turn forces them to grow as individuals, and become independent from a conformist society. Oliver finds himself residing in an orphanage that is dark and sordid. As well he finds himself in London’s lowest slums, such as the pickpockets hideout, the surrounding streets, and the bars, which are all described as dark, gloomy, and bland.