Trapped By Their Surroundings And Settings English Literature Essay

Trapped By Their Surroundings And Settings English Literature EssayWe in all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call no way out, just the upstairs window to run across out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it said by Tennessee Williams. This quote signifies the feeling and the thought process of world trapped as a suppressed community. All Im Asking for is my Body, and the Great Gatsby ar two stories which discuss and show us people that are innate(p) into a trapped community and people force others or themselves into a trapped situation. These stories also show how people are trapped their surroundings and setting, much(prenominal) as Hawaii and New York. Also depending of the values and traditions of the family people are natural into situations that trap them such(prenominal) as family debt. Finally people deserve the decent to be free, and most can be free if they chose to stand up for themselves and fight for what they deserve.I n All Im Asking for is my Body the characters are born into a trapped community with almost no escape. This younger group is born on to an island, and forced to pay a debt because of a long tradition. This forced debt is seen as normal by the parents and ancestors, but the younger generation is taking a stand. The characters in the story are broken into two groups. The first group is the senior group who are acculturate, and trying to keep the old the traditions. The second group is the younger group who are trying to assimilate, and create a new finale and lose the old traditions. Both groups come together in unmatchable suppressed community.In The Great Gatsby the characters are born into wealth and status out-of-the-way(prenominal) beyond that of a normal individual, but still find themselves trapped by their own personal problems. The society traps other members of society through such issues as class roles and status. An example of status in Gatsby is George Wilson, the me chanic. He is looked down upon and seen as less than by almost the entire cast of characters, because of his job and his heritage. No matter how hard he works he volition never be seen as equal, and will stretchd to be trapped by characters care Nick. Another example for social roles trapping members of society is that Myrtle and Daisy are both trapped in their sexist roles as women placed on them by society and reinforced on them by Tom Buchanan. Neither woman has the strength and integrity to fight for their exemption and create an independent life, nor does traditional society allow this type of thing to occur and discourages such sentiment and behavior.With Hawaii being an island, it is create with no easy escape. The people who immigrated to Hawaii were put to acetous work in the plantation. They made some m maveny, but not full to pay kill their accumulating debt, so for any immigrant to pay for a ride off island was almost out the question. People being born into this society were trapped from the beginning, with almost no way of escaping. Most characters just endure through the troubles, and receive comfortable in an oppressed society instead of stand up for themselves.Even though, The Great Gatsby is set in New York, a city built with the idea of freedom, there are still characters in the story which are trapped. New York is place where anything can happen, and hard work is reward. Also people are free to leave the city if they desire. Even though New York is a place of freedom, people still get trapped by society. This shows that even if one is born in a place of freedom one can still become trapped if they become too comfortable, and stop fighting for their goals.In All Im Asking for is my Body, one of the main characters, Tosh, is forced to fulfill his Filial Duty. In the Hawaiian culture there is a philosophy called Filial devotion which is the respect for ones parents. Tosh refuses stand by traditions and clashes with his parents when t hey expect him to fulfill his Filial Duty to repay the familys debt. The eldest son Tosh viewed the filial responsibility as a tradition that would rob him of his youth, strength, and ambition. He continually fought with his mother and father about money, children, and his freedom from their debt. Whenever his parents argued with Tosh, his mother told him they would not depend on him therefore they will depend on Kiyoshi instead. Tosh told Kiyoshi, Shit, all I asking for is my body. I doan wanna die on the plantation like these other dumb dodos. (48) When tosh grows up he starts to go along with his parents ideal, but to resist being subservient he joins the army to get free, and help his family financial situation. This shows that if one fights hard enough for their freedom, they will find a way out.Although in the Great Gatsby, no one is forcefully trapped into a duty, some of the characters set themselves up to be trapped. Daisy is a trapped woman. Shes trapped in a marriage that she is unhappy in and trapped in a world where she has no chance to be free or independent. She is at the mercy of her husband, a man who takes her for granted. George Wilsonruns a garage and gas station in the valley of ashes and seems trapped by his go under in life. Eventually, he finds out about his wifes double life and his response to it helps drive her to her death. Distraught at what happens, Wilson becomes Fitzgeralds way of expressing the despair prevalent in the plainly trapped lower-middle class.In All Im Asking the characters within the story show the theme of being trapped by being born into debt, trapped on an island, forced in communities based on background, and completely limited work opportunities. While in the Great Gatsby even though some are born into money, and in a place built on opportunity and freedom the feeling of being trapped still occurs. All I kept thinking about, over and over, was You cant live forever you cant live forever. (Gatsby). This quote shows that life is short and if people are oppressed should fight for their freedom. If one is oppressed, one will continue to be oppressed until one finally decides to take a stand against the oppressors and change the current situation. If they dont take that stand they will continue to be oppressed because they are not only stuck in life, but theyre way of thinking, and thought process. When they decide to break out of their current mold, fight for their freedom like tosh, they will find a way out while others that find themselves stuck like daisy will remain there until they decide to stand up for themselves.