Could someone assist me with choosing my class challenge essay? - 3 semi-long essays

[TheCaliforniaLife]

<p>I hope this is the correct forum to be posting this in. I visited my community college counselor today about my placement test results. I do not believe the test accurately displays my English writing ability. The counselor told me I can challenge the test with a, most befitting title, challenge form. She told me to choose one of my essays I have written to submit with my form. I don't know what essay of mine would be a proper one to submit. I have 3 of them:</p>

<p>As I Lay Dying Argument Essay by Dale Wallace</p>

<pre><code>Typically, when a husband acts out his wife’s last dying wish, it is perceived to be an act of love. In the tragic novel titled As I Lay Dying, written by the exceptional literary artist, William Faulkner, this is not the case. Instead it is a selfish act motivated by self-indulging greed.

The novel is about a rural family named the Bundrens who are motivated by their father to fulfill the mother’s last dying wish of being buried in her hometown of Jefferson, Mississippi. The father, Anse, spent the entire time trying to rush the family to Jefferson to fulfill his wife’s wish because he loved her, or so it seems as though he is doing it for this reason. Anse refused to spend any money. He had an ulterior motive behind not spending any money and going down to Jefferson. Anse - “We forgot our spade, too.” “Yes,” Darl said. “I’ll go to the hardware store. We’ll have to buy one.” “It’ll cost money,” pa says “Do you begrudge her it?” (page 235) He didn’t want to spend money on his deceased wife. For someone who persists on fulfilling his wife’s wish, he sure doesn’t seem willing to give up money. With the money he basically stole from his kids he got new dentures. Anse took money from his kids and used it to benefit himself. He wanted dentures to get a new wife in Jefferson. At the end of the novel, right next to his wife’s grave: “It’s Cash and Jewel and Vardaman and Dewey Dell,” pa says, kind of hangdog and proud too, with his teeth and all, even if he wouldn’t look at us. “Meet Mrs Bundren,” he says.
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<p>There father of the family acts like anything but a father. His actions seem to be guided by immaturity which is so evident throughout the novel. If something inconvenienced Anse, he wouldn’t do it. The physician, Peabody, even commented on the fact that Anse made his son, Cash, ride in a wagon with a broken leg and didn’t take him to a hospital: Peabody - “You mean, it never bothered Anse much,” I said. No more than it bothered him to throw that poor devil down in the public street and handcuff him like a damn murderer… why didn’t Anse carry you to the nearest sawmill and stick your leg in the saw? That would have cured it. Then you all could have stuck his head into the saw and cured a whole family.” Peabody knew that Anse wouldn’t do anything that would inconvenience him such as taking Cash to the doctors. Instead, Anse bought cement, which is way cheaper than going to the doctor, and used it to try and “help” Cashes broken leg. </p>

<pre><code>Anse cared so little about Addie being buried and anyone else in the family. Anse sold the only thing that his son, Jewel, cared for the most besides his mother, his horse. He sold his other son’s, Cash, tool box, which was the family’s only form of repair tools and Cash’s life. Anse also took the money his daughter, Dewey Dell, had: Anse - “It’s just a loan. God knows, I hate for my blooden children to reproach me. But I give them what was mine without stint. Cheerful I give them, without stint. And now they deny me. Addie. It was lucky for you you died Addie. ‘Pa. Pa’ God knows it is. He took the money and went out.” In this confrontation with Dewey Dell, Anse doesn’t even think about what she has and needs it for. He wants the money for his own gratifications and doesn’t even take into consideration that it was lent to her for another serious need. He also completely ignores her by talking over her. This shows that Anse is more concerned about himself more than he is about his children.

As shown, actions which seem as though they are done for love are sometimes done only for self-gratifying reasons. Actions which are done at even the expense and livelihood of someone’s own flesh and blood. There are deceivers out there who only do things to benefit themselves. Those types of people are able to twist event in their favor and make themselves look good and they heap the rewards as well. This all clearly displayed by the character Anse. A man whose agenda was not done in favor of his wife or child children, but himself.
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[TheCaliforniaLife]

<p>Siddhartha Argument Essay by Dale Wallace</p>

<p>It is commonly believed that events and experiences can be fully understood and perceived accurately from another person’s point of view rather than someone’s own self. Most would concur that reading an article on how the living situation is in any third world country is an acceptable way to perceive an event accurately. This common way of presumption is completely unbefitting and not acceptable. There are several aspects on coming to an adequate conclusion about a subject matter that are only acceptable. These ideals are exhibited in a novel written by Hermann Hesse called Siddhartha.</p>

<p>Siddhartha is about a boy named Siddhartha Gotama who grew up in his younger years as a Brahman. Siddhartha has already known what the eldest and most wise of the Brahman’s knew as an adolescent. He believed that living everyday with rituals and traditions, to reach bodha (awakened) when no one else has ever done so that way, was a waste of time. Siddhartha believed that there must be another path to achieve awakenedness. Finally, Siddhartha and his friend named Govinda left on a search of enlightenment. Throughout the rest of the novel Siddhartha learned things he never knew before and experienced things in person, in search of a way to achieve enlightenment, rather than perceiving how things are by yourself.</p>

<p>The Buddha expressed in the Sutra of The Four Noble Truths that enlightenment can be achieved when one possesses “the four noble truths”. These four noble truths are, know suffering, abandon origins which are a cause for suffering, attain cessations, know there is an end to suffering, and practice the eightfold path that leads out of suffering. The aesthetics attempt to achieve enlightenment by fasting, meditating, abandoning ones self. It seems logical that these methods would satisfy The Four Noble Truths. Siddharta believes these conventional methods will not help one attain enlightenment as expressed by Siddhartha “There is one thing that this clear, worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret of what the Illustrious One himself experienced—he alone among hundreds of thousands. That is what I thought and realized when I heard your teachings. That is why I am going on my way—not to seek another doctrine, for I know there is none, but to leave all doctrines and all teachers and to reach my goal alone—or die.” Siddhartha understood that enlightenment can not be taught but that it has to brought on by ones own will.</p>

<p>Inadvertently, Siddhartha subsequently possessed The Four Noble Truths at the time of his enlightenment. The first noble truth is “know suffering”. His life with the aesthetics involved losing his desire for property, clothing, sexuality, and all sustenance except that required to live. One would learn to fast, to endure terrible weather conditions, such as the extreme cold, the extreme heat, etc. This is inadvertently how Siddhartha possesses Dukkha, The first Noble Truth. Siddhartha expresses this - “Siddhartha learned a great deal from the Samanas; he learned many ways of losing the Self. He traveled along the path of self-denial through pain, through voluntary suffering and conquering of pain, through hunger, thirst and fatigue. He traveled the way of self-denial through meditation, through the emptying of the mind through all images. Along these and other paths did he learn to travel. He lost his Self a thousand times and for days on end he dwelt in non-being. But although the paths took him away from self, in the end they always led back to it.” Siddhartha even understands but doesn’t connect the fact that he is actually gradually attaining enlightenment by experiencing each of what he is learning and that what he learned while with the Samana’s was several of The Noble Truths. The second Noble Truth is to abandon origins which are a cause for suffering. When Siddhartha left his father and his whole childhood behind to become a Samana, he, again inadvertently attained Samudaya by abandoning his origins. The third Noble Truth is Nirodha, which is knowing there is an end to suffering. “And Siddhartha's soul returned, had died, had decayed, was scattered as dust, had tasted the gloomy intoxication of the cycle, awaited in new thirst like a hunter in the gap, where he could escape from the cycle, where the end of the causes, where an eternity without suffering began.” Moreover, Siddhartha learned about the end of his own suffering when he was with the Ferryman and he learned to speak to the river. The forth Noble Truth is knowing The Eightfold Path. This is the part of The Noble Truths that Siddhartha wholly learned from his traveling.</p>

<p>Siddhartha knew subconsciously that enlightenment is best not to be perceived at a distance. The Brahmans, Samanas, and the Buddha’s teachings, none of them actually evolved putting themselves in the whole cycle and making perceptions then. They actually involve perceiving how things are from a distance and believing this is adequate. This is what helped Siddhartha to become enlightened. Siddhartha actually put himself in the world. When someone reads the news, they act like it is acceptable for them to make whole hearted conclusions. One can try, but not wholly and accurately, to learn of events by themselves and not actually perceive the event in person and have the emotions acquainted with being present. This ideal makes Siddhartha actually selfless by wanting to find out the world for himself and actually evolve himself in such events.</p>

<p>Jealousy by Dale Wallace</p>

<p>In our present society we have a preconceived notion about jealously and it’s attributing emotions and circumstantial reactions to such emotions. These prejudgments are not only erroneous but simply not even relative by canon and evidence in Shakespeare’s work of literature titled Othello. What becomes a problem is what is the actual foundation for jealousy and how is it exhibited in Othello.</p>

<p>Throughout Othello it is apparent that jealousy is the predominant theme. Understanding how jealousy attributes to the majority of the tragedy involves explanation of the fundamental groundwork. Jealousy is spawned with the antagonist character named Iago and the protagonist named Othello. Othello, who is a General, appointed Cassio to be Lieutenant, which Iago believed the position to be most adequate for him per of his background in warfare. In order for Iago to beget what is rightfully his, he manufactures fallacious rumor about Cassio sleeping with Othello’s wife, Desdemona. By doing so, Othello will demote or have Cassio executed. In order to make Iago not appear related to these affairs, he uses Othello’s insecurities about his relationship with his wife to get the best of him.</p>

<p>What becomes of Othello is the fact that he believes he is obligated to be jealous. Jealousy reflects a persons view of himself and how confident they are about who they are. Even though Othello still is sexually active with Desdemona, he feels as if he is emasculated. His feelings are attributed to him feeling as if he can’t fulfill Desdemona adequately. This inadequateness is the downfall of love dote for Desdemona. Othello begins to question and examine his masculinity because of this jealousy. As Desdemona said “But jealous souls will not be answered so; They are not ever jealous for the cause,
But jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster, Begot upon itself, born on itself.” (page 80) This statement is indubitable.</p>

<p>Which essay seems to display my english ability to the fullest? The counselor told me to use a good 3 page, double spaced essay. Thank you for your time.</p>

[melli]

<p>I don't think it's wise to post your essays here.. people will easily take them. =) But having said that, I like your Siddhartha essay the most.</p>