Friday, November 29, 2019

An Analysis of the Final Scenes of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Essay Example

An Analysis of the Final Scenes of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Essay Example An Analysis of the Final Scenes of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Paper An Analysis of the Final Scenes of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Paper Essay Topic: Death Of a Salesman In this scene, Linda also talks about the house being empty now, without Willy, and with the boys finally growing up and making something of themselves. Earlier in the play Willy and Linda are reminiscing about paying off their mortgage and bringing up their children, and Linda says well, it served its purpose, referring to the boys childhoods. However, Willy is dismissive of this, questioning this achievement and wishing if only Biff would take this house, and raise a family At this point, Willy is still unhappy that his sons, and especially Biff, have never really been successful in their lives or careers, having had such promising starts. So, the house has gone from a home for the children and the family, to an empty home with only Linda. In my opinion, the most important part of this scene is the discussion of Willys dreams. Linda is a little excluded from this, partly due to the fact that she is still completely unaware of Willys affair, but there is enormous value in the comments of Charley and Biff. Happy is fierce in his determination to fight for his fathers legacy for the first time in the play. Biff believes that his father was a man of the soil, and was following the wrong dreams. In my opinion, Willy was following the wrong dreams, as I believe that he was following the stereotype of the American Dream, a successful businessman, a large house in suburbia, a big car and a perfect family. He seemed to feel that it was the dream that he had to follow, there was no other. I believe that what he really wanted was to live a simple life with his family, and to be respected and loved by all for what he was. However, Charley makes some very interesting arguments as well. He says that no man only needs a small salary, indicating Willys stubborn pride, which is slowly diminishing as he begs Howard for his job. Also, he does agree in part with Biff, saying that Willy was a happy man with a batch of cement in reference to Willys simple and honest soul, that desired nothing more than an easy life. The most important point that Charley makes, however, is when he talks about the life that Willy has to lead. For a salesman, he explains there is no rock bottom to the life. He dont put a bolt to a nut, he dont tell you the law or give you medicine. Hes a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back- thats an earthquake. And then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and youre finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream boy, it comes with the territory. In my opinion, this is one of the most stirring and revealing speeches in the play, and shows a lot about the pressures that Willy was under. Charley is basically reiterating his point that this was the only dream that was available to Willy, and so he had to follow it. Also, when Charley talks about spots on a hat, I believe that links can be seen to the change in Willys personality after Biffs discovery of the affair. Willy becomes irritable, withdrawn and paranoid, and when a salesman has to sell himself to make a living, the consequences are bound to be disastrous. There are also some very strong links to earlier moments in the play in this scene. Just before his death, Willy became very concerned with planting seeds, or as I see it, forming a legacy to leave behind. He seemed to realise that he was never as respected as he believed, and was so desperate to be remembered that he had to lay the foundations for life after Willy Loman. The seeds also have another aspect to them, in my opinion. To me, they represent the dream of a simple life. Earlier, in the play, we are told that nothing will grow in the dusty back yard because of the hard apartment blocks that crowd the house. These apartments represent to me what might be called The American Reality, where this sense of adventure beyond the constraints of urban, restricted and repetitive life, is drowned out. As I mentioned before, this sense of adventure is personified by the character Ben, who had been restrained while Willy had his job and was settled in his lifestyle. However, towards the end of his life, Ben re-emerges in a last desperate attempt to break through the barriers and restraints that have been set. On the stage at the end of the play, the scene is one of darkness and of false hope in my opinion. It basically sums up the harsh reality of Willys life. This is done using the flute, which is present throughout the play, and to me represents the hiding of reality behind a false dream, such as when Willy returns to previous memories, when all was good, or so he could pretend. This flute appears in harsh contrast to the cold, hard reality of the daunting apartment blocks. These blocks represent the oppressive uniformity which has spelt the end for men like Willy Loman, men with character and spirit, not men who wanted to follow the same, stereotyped dream. Ironically, however, this is exactly what he had found himself doing for so many years.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Neil armstrong essays

Neil armstrong essays When Neil Armstrong was two years old he loved going to the Airport to watch the planes take off and land. He got so excited just watching. When he was five years old he pretended that he was hovering over his bed. He wanted to fly! He loved airplanes and at six years old he had his first airplane ride. He was so smart in school that they moved him from second grade into third grade because he was reading at a fifth grade level. Every airplane book he got his hands on he read. He always liked building model airplanes. When Neil was in high school he worked in the Chemistry lab. In his basement he made a wind tunnel. And on the roof of his garage he built an observatory where he had telescopes to look at the moon and the stars. He learned so much and was so excited that he couldn't wait to fly. He worked in a pharmacy to pay for his flying lessons. When he was only sixteen years old he got his pilots license! He graduated high school and went to Perdue University on a US Navy scholarship. He learned everything he could about planes and rockets. After college graduation he was a pilot in the Korean War. After the war he went back to Perdue to learn even more. He became a test pilot for experimental X-15 rocket planes which flew to the end of the earth's atmosphere. He didn't want to stop there, he wanted to just keep on going. So in 1962 when NASA was taking applications for astronauts he applied and was accepted. His first mission was on Gemini 8. He and David Scott orbited the earth three times and docked with the Agena. There was a problem with the rocket rolling, but Neil Armstrong didn't get scared and they were able to stop the rolling and return to earth. He was on Gemini 11 and then on Apollo 10. Apollo 10 was launched from Cape Kennedy, orbited the moon, and came within ten miles of the moons surface. On July 16,1969 Apollo 11 blasted off with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

PERSONAL PAPER IBEW LOCAL 3 Electrical Apprentice...How Electrical Essay

PERSONAL PAPER IBEW LOCAL 3 Electrical Apprentice...How Electrical Theory Class should be more of a hands on learning class the - Essay Example By stimulating my mind, not only does my interest and desire for what I am working on or with grow, but my learning is also affected in as much as I will learn and retain more information. Whereas in the case of lecturing only, it leaves the mind the opportunity to wander and not absorb as much information as it could. Lectures, books and training videos are all excellent sources to glean information. The problem remains, without a more hands-on approach, the information will likely become stagnant and ultimately forgotten. It is my desire to be an electrician, and forgetting vital information is not an option. In addition, I think it is essential in the overall learning process that by using a more hands-on approach, my teacher will also create an atmosphere of learning how to handle myself in a hazardous situation. If my teacher only gives me the education on how and why electricity works and acts as it does, how am I, in such a volatile environment, going to learn how to handle my self and act or react appropriately? My teacher is very highly educated, is fully aware, and understands the activity of electricity. That is vital, but it is equally important that I learn how to demonstrate what I have been taught in a safe, calm and professional manner. Often, people who have not received enough hands-on training overreact, panic or create a feeling of dread when they realize the true dangers they are dealing with. According to Dr. Michael Burke of Tulane University, this feeling is referred to the â€Å"dread factor†. given a more hands-on â€Å"training environment, †¦[we] are faced more acutely with the †¦dangers of the job and they are †¦more motivated to learn about such dangers and how to avoid them.† this applies to everyone in my class, because our actions and words will have a large impact on how we handle a given situation, and could be the difference between life and death. The hazards that any electrician faces are dauntin g, but with proper training and understanding, they are highly attuned to what is going on around them and act accordingly. In a more hands-on learning setting, it is more motivating to the apprentice to learn and use the knowledge gained. Hands-on learning also provides a social aspect to learning that would otherwise not occur. This social construct provides more details concerning the hazards and consequences of not acting or reacting responsibly. People in general are motivated by self-preservation and not knowing and understanding potential dangers is perilous to them as well as others. This lends itself to another aspect of hands-on learning that a lecture simply cannot provide. We as humans understand our weaknesses, no matter how strong or weak we may perceive ourselves to be. This understanding of our vulnerabilities is key to understanding how we learn. It is a huge motivator to learn actions, words and feelings that are unfamiliar, and address them in a controlled environ ment where a â€Å"life-threatening† situation is occurring. This way of learning will not only improve knowledge of electricity, its components and capabilities, but will also show, through experience, how to handle volatile situations.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Mayor Bloombergs Dedication to Arts in Education For New York Citys Essay

Mayor Bloombergs Dedication to Arts in Education For New York Citys Schools - Essay Example The 1970's were a time of fiscal crisis in New York City's public schools. Among the first items to be lopped from the education budgets were classes in the fine arts (Mandell, 2005). While the money would later return, the attitude at the top toward the arts did not change much - Mayor Giuliani even established a "decency commission" to determine what art would and would not be acceptable for public support, and even for public display (Steinhauer, 2005). Mayor Bloomberg, in stark contrast, has demonstrated a serious commitment to the arts in New York City. He has established Percent for Art, a policy that requires the consultation of the arts commission for any significant public-works project. Additionally, he has borrowed sculptures and paintings from galleries and museums across the city and placed them in public areas. He has donated more than $40 million to the Carnegie Corporation, for distribution to 162 cultural organizations in New York City (Steinhauer, 2005). ... Sharon Dunn, the new head of Arts Education for New York City schools, has said that "One of the areas identified as most in need of development is the need to acquaint school administrators with the benefits and elements of arts education." (Mandell, 2005). Under Mayor Bloomberg's leadership, the Department of Education secured a $1 million grant from the Bank of America, aimed at educating the leaders of New York City schools about the importance of culture in learning. Over 400 principals and local superintendents benefited from the Cultural Pass Program, which gave them free admission to 25 cultural institutions in New York City, as well as discounted admission to performances and concerts. According to Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, this program will "better acquaint principals with the many cultural and arts institutions available to their teacher and students across the City" and promote the idea of cultural organizations as "instructional resources" (NYC Department, 2004). Other objections to Mayor Bloomberg's education policy have included the following: an instruction plan that does not cover enough of the arts; insufficient and inequitable distribution of resources, and insufficient facilities and supplies; a shortage of qualified art instructors; and a "variation" in the quality of partnerships between schools and cultural organizations (NYC Council Report, 2003). A lot of these concerns boil down to one issue: money. While the current education budget includes $70 million for Project Arts, and while Mayor Bloomberg is committed to "focus on arts education to ensure that students learn about the arts and fully experience" the cultural life of New York City (Bloomberg, 2005), the City has a mammoth lawsuit to

Monday, November 18, 2019

Unit 1 Case Study Assignment 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 1 Case Study Assignment 1 - Coursework Example The recommend specifications are 1 gigahertz 64-bit processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM and 500 gigabytes of hard disk space. The operating systems they can choose from are windows 7 or windows 8 which are running a current Microsoft office software such as Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013. An antivirus program such as Kaspersky or Norton is a useful add-on. There are several types of server brands to choose from such as Dell, IBM and Oracle. The minimum hardware for 5-25 users is a server with a 2GHz, 64 bit processor, 2GB memory (RAM) and a 160 Gigabyte hard disk (Micorsoft, n.d.). The recommended hardware is a 3.1 Gigahertz, 64-bit processor, 8GB RAM and a 500 Gigabyte hard disk. The recommended server software is Windows Server 2012 Essentials which is built to cater for small business environments (Technet, n.d). Fault tolerance requires that there is a spare part that takes over in case the original part fails. To make the server fault tolerant recommend options are: having spare memory modules in case the memory fails, having to network interface cards(NICs), having a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID), having a dual power supply and having two servers clustered so they appear as one

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Six Steps To Make Complex Decision Effective Decision Education Essay

Six Steps To Make Complex Decision Effective Decision Education Essay Decision making is a process of selecting from several products or ideas and than taking action on that .All of us have to make decisions in our day today life. Some decisions are straightforward, simple and easy to understand and some are too complicated to understand. Simple decision can be taken easily, whereas complex decision involves uncertainty, complexity, high risk consequences, alternatives, interpersonal issues. There are six steps to make complex decision into an effective decision. Create a constructive environment. Generate good alternatives. Explore these alternatives. Choose the best alternative. Check your decision. Communicate your decision, and take action. (Source:-www. Minds tools .com) Problem solving means whatever we do in order to achieve our goal. In todays world each and every person is facing problem. Some problems are familiar, reflecting the concerns of most people in our culture, while others will be problems with which you are unconcerned yourself. All problems are having two things common. They all specify goal and the solver is not immediately able to achieve the goal due to lack of resources or knowledge. First and foremost is to define the problem and than try to solve it with different approaches. Theoretical, behavioural, quantitative, qualitative and practical aspects are all reviewed, examined and applied for solving the problem. By using such a model, you can take huge decision in a simpler way. Solution of the problem is the first step for taking any good and effective decisions. Well-defined problem helps the solver in providing information needed in order to solve the problem. Many problems can seem quite different on the surface but they are having same underlying problem structure, as a consequence they are having same solution. As we all know that United Kingdom is facing a problem for accommodation and jobs. I was facing a problem for getting a job in United Kingdom. Moreover, it adds fuel to fire by inviting hundreds of thousands of student for further education. As I was fairly new to this country and change in systems I was struggling to get a job in U.K. I was roaming in shops and supermarket in search of a job, but there was no positive response from any side. I also visited Essex for a search of job but everything was waste of time for me. Many people had given me advice and help for a search of job but all things were going negatively. I decided to leave with my relatives to cut down my expenses as I was not getting job. APPROACHES ADOPTED TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM: As I have stated earlier that, I was finding difficulty in looking for a job. With the help of logic and magic given by Rayment in Mind Morphing I have tackled my problem. Firstly, I try to find the basic small-small problems, to solve the problem. As I gradually know the requirement for achieving job, like national insurance number. So for that I have faced interview on phone, they have ask me some basic question related to my house and academic. I made an observation that hows other are applying for jobs? Many students told me to make good curriculum vitae for hunting a job. So I simply started to concentrate on such topics. For tackling complicated problem into effective decision I had followed following steps. Understanding the problem Devising a plan Carrying out the plan Looking back(conclusion) (www.teacher.scholastic.com) Understanding the problem: My major problem is to find the job in UK. As we all know that there is lack of jobs in United Kingdom as its economy is going down day by day. Many people are losing there job due to bad economy. For finding a job I was roaming in shops and seating in a hope of getting a job through the reference of my relatives. This was my big mistake to seat idle in a hope of getting a job through relatives. Ultimately I realised that I have to struggle for my own to get a job. As I am fairly new in UK, there is lack of information with me. Afterwards I tried to gather all information from all area for getting a job. Devising a plan: After gathering all the information related to the job, I started preparing a plan, so that I can implement it in near future. Finally, I decided to stay in Cambridge and decided to search for a job. I decided to register at employment bureau, which is located in my university. Later on, I decided to post my C.V. in the major areas of Cambridge, where most of the bars, restaurants and shopping malls are located. I also decided to register at job centre plus as well as search on internet on regular basis. Carrying out the plan: After making constructive plan, I simply implemented it to succeed in getting job. I always read news paper and searched on internet as a daily routine in search of job. One day I saw a job vacancy for cleaning purpose in a school, I simply applied online after that they gave me a call for an interview. Fortunately, I succeed in achieving job and along with that my tension of getting a job without affecting my studies got released. Looking back(conclusion): Therefore, I can say that every thing went according to the plan. As I was looking for a job in Cambridge itself as my university is in Cambridge, I got double benefit from my decision, the first one is that I got a job and the second is that I was able to concentrate on my studies. THE DEGREE OF ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN PLAN: As we all know, that success of any person depends on its hard effort put by him. I succeeded because; I was focusing on my plan in serious way. I was worried about my job in Cambridge, I was not able to focus anywhere as I was worried of, that from where I am going to pay my rent and food expenses. But I followed my plan in a systematic way and achieved success. Therefore, I can say that if a person plans anything systematically than he can get success in life as I got. The moment I got a job, I felt really relaxed and peaceful because the biggest problem of job has been solved. On the other hand, I can easily commute to my university and home. Moreover, as university is nearer I can use library for course work as and when required .so that I can give more importances to my studies. Furthermore, Cambridge is a nice place for education as well as residing. Finally, at the end of the third month I succeeded in getting a good job and got an opportunity to study and work in the home tow n of management i.e. Cambridge. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF APPROACHES: There are different approaches of problem solving and decision making which could enhance your decision making abilities and improve your problem solving scenario. Many psychologists, after their long years of researches, have given outstanding and useful techniques and methods which can also be implemented not only by big organisations but also by individuals in solving their day to day problems. One such technique is ASK SIR L given by John Rayment in mind morphing According to ASK SIR L: A ppreciate: Appreciate is the first stage in this model, that helps in finding existing problem. We should indentified the problem with the help of SWOT analysis and examine internal strengths and weakness as well as external opportunity and threats. So effective steps can be taken to tackle or avoid the problem. Despite of having information technology and modern techniques, some problems are difficult to solve. In this stage I have detected that my problem is to get a job in UK despite of having extreme competition. S pecify: In this stage we should be specify what the problem is, for that you should be aware what is going wrong at the time of generating solution. It is necessary to establish as many facts about the problem as possible and experimentation may be required. Onces you indentify the problem, cause and solution become easy to define. Considering all things how and why the problem occurs, attempts to specify the problem in this way will move into the area of causes. In this stage solver can get a clues how to solve the problem but not a solution. We should also think about 6 classic questions: who, what, where, when, how and why? For finding causes of problem, underlying logic should be used: exactly how would the problem result? You should recall the length of problem in this stage, so it will help to indicate the amount of effort which should be put into solving it. K auses: Causes mean some specified event to occur like any bad event. It is important to distinguish between cause and effect .so that when we come to look for solutions, we do not mistakenly attempt to treat symptoms instead of the underlying causes. There are three types of causes that is: potential, possible, actual. Potential cause means considering all events that could result in a situation Brain storming is done to list potential causes, including those you might be tempted to reject out of hand. Possible cause should be separated from potential cause so that unnecessary things can be eliminated, if they are not requiring for further application. Actual causes should be abstract from potential causes so it becomes simpler to take decision from actual causes rather than to take from potential causes. S olutions: Solution is depending upon the kind of problem you are facing. For solving the problem not only approaches and ideas are require but adequate intelligence and practical implementation is also require. We require the solutions which help in solving our problem and achieving our goal. Any problem can be solve in different ways it totally dependence on person how he/she want to solve it. But be aware, that the solution accepted by you should be properly tested before implementation. Solution selected by you should avoid serious adverse events in the future. In complex decisions, it will be necessary to establish and analyse the relative merits of each option. Solution must be fair, equitable and acceptable to all affected parties. To overcome from this problem I had find many solution. For instance, if I live in Essex with my friend than it helps me to reduce down my cost and keep it away from homesickness. On the other hand my commuting fare has been increasing and its a tedious job to commute three days in a week. Finally, I decided to stay in Cambridge and to concentrate on my studies and job. So you have to select effective solution out of many solutions. R eview: After implementing the solution next step is to take review about what is happening. Review is an assessment of the effectiveness of a particular decision. It is necessary to establish the extent to which it is being successful. Generally review is requiring when there is a complicated situations, it helps us to find a clear -cut outcomes. Sometimes solutions may not give immediate results, so their ultimate effectiveness cannot be known. In such circumstances we should asses whether particular aspects of the solution are working with the help of review. From this one can know about their degree of success, they can realise their positive achievement. In my case I call for job interview, after completion of my interview, I was taking a review of my interview whether I have made any mistakes or not. After thinking lot I conclude that it was a satisfactory interview. L earn: Problems can be solved after a great deal of thought, time and effort. We learn more and more things by solving such a complex problems. Getting success or failure in making effective decision is the matter, but if we want to avoid problems of this nature in future, and improve the quality of our problem solving, we need to identify any shortcomings in our current processes. Main focus should be on learning how we can improve our future decision making. Having extracted all available learning points, we must ensure they will be carried forward into our future decision making. (source:-mind morphing) Application of ASK SIR L technique would have improved my degree of success. If I would have known this technique earlier, I would have applied in my problem solving. Then, it would have gained me success much earlier and I could hopefully be able to get my job with a span of 45days or so. CONCLUSION: Everyone is facing difficulties in their life, but it totally dependence on persons abilities how he/she turns complex problem into effective decision. As a student life and that too not in your home country is full of problems and anxieties. If I had not use such modern techniques, than I cant solve my problem in such a simpler way. For solving this complex problem I had done lots of brainstorm by reading books and searching on internet. But by solving this problem and reading lots of references, I had understood how to tackle the problem and effective decision can be taken from that. Make your problem as simpler as you can, try to analyse each and everything you can . Note down all your opinion and than extract unnecessary ideas from that. Therefore I would use ASK SIR L and other similar technique in my future to overcome with such a problem.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Comparing Innocence in Grendel, Neil Young and Portrait of a Lady Essay

Fall from Innocence in Grendel, Neil Young and Portrait of a Lady      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the Bible, God created man pure and innocent, oblivious to good and evil. The serpent of evil lured them to the tree of knowledge, however, and its fruit proved too much of a temptation. With a bite, their "eyes... were opened," and the course of their lives, and the lives of mankind, were changed (Gen. 6-7, 22). Whether or not one accepts the Christian concept of creation, countless works of art are patterned on this account of the "fall from innocence." The novel Grendel by John Gardner shows us a side of the "beast" the epic Beowulf never considered - the child-like innocence before the brutality. The song "Country Girl" by Neil Young is a subtle commentary on the effect the sexual revolution had upon one woman. In addition, The Portrait of a Lady, a film by Jane Campion, an adaptation of Henry James's novel, shows the downward spiral of a headstrong American girl in the late 1800's. These three distinct pieces cut a swath through the art world, repre senting an established author, a modern musician, and a feminist filmmaker, yet central to their relevance is one theme: the fall from innocence.    Innocence? In Grendel? Grendel is a monster, right? Wrong, in the eyes of John Gardner. Taking the role of the Shaper, Gardner makes us see Grendel as an ostracized person, one so lonely he "relishes the thought of acceptance," even though the idiocy of their society repulses him at times (Milosh 221). He is just a naà ¯ve teenager, searching for his role in life.    In The Portrait of a Lady (POAL), Isabel is searching as well, traveling where her caprice leads her. "You're drifting off to some great mistake," her friend Henriett... ...    Gardner, John. Grendel. Vintage Books, 1989.    Kneubuhl, James P. Written interview. 12 April 1998.    Milosh, Joseph. "John Gardner's 'Grendel': Sources and Analogues." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. 221-222.    Portrait of a Lady, The. Dir. Jane Campion. Gramercy, 1996.    The portrait of a lady production notes. [Online] Available http://www.hollywood.com/movies/portrait/text/1.html, April 13, 1998.    Strehle, Susan. "John Gardner's Novels: Affirmation and the Alien." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. 218 -219.    Travirca, Chet. Written interview. 12 April 1998.    Young, Neil. "Country Girl." Perf. Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash. Dà ©jà   vu. Atlantic, 1970. Comparing Innocence in Grendel, Neil Young and Portrait of a Lady Essay Fall from Innocence in Grendel, Neil Young and Portrait of a Lady      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the Bible, God created man pure and innocent, oblivious to good and evil. The serpent of evil lured them to the tree of knowledge, however, and its fruit proved too much of a temptation. With a bite, their "eyes... were opened," and the course of their lives, and the lives of mankind, were changed (Gen. 6-7, 22). Whether or not one accepts the Christian concept of creation, countless works of art are patterned on this account of the "fall from innocence." The novel Grendel by John Gardner shows us a side of the "beast" the epic Beowulf never considered - the child-like innocence before the brutality. The song "Country Girl" by Neil Young is a subtle commentary on the effect the sexual revolution had upon one woman. In addition, The Portrait of a Lady, a film by Jane Campion, an adaptation of Henry James's novel, shows the downward spiral of a headstrong American girl in the late 1800's. These three distinct pieces cut a swath through the art world, repre senting an established author, a modern musician, and a feminist filmmaker, yet central to their relevance is one theme: the fall from innocence.    Innocence? In Grendel? Grendel is a monster, right? Wrong, in the eyes of John Gardner. Taking the role of the Shaper, Gardner makes us see Grendel as an ostracized person, one so lonely he "relishes the thought of acceptance," even though the idiocy of their society repulses him at times (Milosh 221). He is just a naà ¯ve teenager, searching for his role in life.    In The Portrait of a Lady (POAL), Isabel is searching as well, traveling where her caprice leads her. "You're drifting off to some great mistake," her friend Henriett... ...    Gardner, John. Grendel. Vintage Books, 1989.    Kneubuhl, James P. Written interview. 12 April 1998.    Milosh, Joseph. "John Gardner's 'Grendel': Sources and Analogues." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. 221-222.    Portrait of a Lady, The. Dir. Jane Campion. Gramercy, 1996.    The portrait of a lady production notes. [Online] Available http://www.hollywood.com/movies/portrait/text/1.html, April 13, 1998.    Strehle, Susan. "John Gardner's Novels: Affirmation and the Alien." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. 218 -219.    Travirca, Chet. Written interview. 12 April 1998.    Young, Neil. "Country Girl." Perf. Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash. Dà ©jà   vu. Atlantic, 1970.