One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich Is A Story About A Man, Ivan De

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a story about a man, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, who is in a Russian Siberian prison/labor camp for expression of anti-Stalinistic ideas. The story describes the events of a single day in this man's life and his struggle to survive. I feel that the main theme of this book is survival. However, Ivan shows the reader that survival on your own isn't always possible. You can only provide so much for yourself on your own. People must work as a team, helping one another, in order to get things accomplished, overcome challenges, and survive. Shukhov withstands the conditions of the camp while it would be easy to give in to despair (Des Pres 49). When he arrived in the camp, Ivan realized that it would be hard to survive the environment. Little food was given and the prisoners only received what they needed to stay alive. They were treated as though they weren't human. Cognizant that it would be necessary to work with others in order to survive, Ivan spends some of his time daily doing things to help others. Through the good deeds that Ivan accomplishes, he earns the respect of the other prisoners and is sometimes rewarded with extra food. He does simple things like laying out other prisoner's shoes for them or bringing some of them their food at a meal. One time, Ivan waits in line to get Tsezar his parcel. Tsezar is a rich prisoner who works little or not at all and talks about the luxuries outside of the prison. When Ivan returns, he asks Tsezar if he can bring dinner to him. Tsezar instead allows Ivan to have his dinner. Shukhov helps Tsezar out an awful lot, and he is rewarded almost each and every time with a piece of food or something from Tsezar's parcel. Every little bit helped. Everyone does what he can to benefit the 104th squad (Ivan's squad, led by Tiurin) as a whole. One time, Ivan notices that the cook had made a mistake, and gave the squad the wrong number of rations. When he informs the cook of this error, the squad's rations were corrected and Ivan received some extra food. Also, an effort was made by Tiurin to prevent the squad from working in the so-called Socialist Way of Life settlement in which the 104th would have to work outside in the freezing cold, rather than in the less frigid temperature that they were already used to at the construction site. When the group went out to work, they all put in their best effort. Because it is cold at the building they are working, Ivan and Kilgas (both masons) find a piece of roofing felt and use it as insulation to help keep the 104th warm. The harder that they work, the more food they receive. They also stay warm if they work at a steady pace. Through these characters and their situations, he (Solzhenits yn) demonstrates to the reader that sometimes working for the good of the group achieves a more positive result than working for the good of oneself. (Character responses and situations in...) One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich shows that it is necessary to rely upon others to help yourself. Through our own efforts, we provide what is in our immediate need. But we aren't all geniuses. We can't possibly do everything on our own. Sometimes we need more than ourselves alone can provide. This is when we must look towards the people around us for support. Ivan lived at time in a country which provided for its citizens only if they gave their part back to it. Only those in the highest echelons of the government would receive the best care, food, and other supplies. Those that made any offense against the country, or did not do their part, were shipped of to Siberia, to a camp similar to Ivan's. Once at the camp, learning to work together with others was their best chance at survival. Ivan's ability to work with others, and provide for himself at the same time, changed the harsh life that was before him into something that wasn't that bad. He was actually

ACT Photo ID 3 Requirements You Must Know

ACT Photo ID 3 Requirements You Must Know SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ACT has implemented a number of security measures to maintain the integrity of the exam. One such measure is requiring test takers to show a photo ID. If you don't have an appropriate ID with you on test day, you may not be allowed to take the ACT. In this article, I'll detail all of the ACT photo ID requirements. What's an acceptable form of ID? What should you do if you don't have a photo ID? Read more to find out. Why Is a Photo ID Required? A photo ID is required to confirm your identity and registration. In the past, there have been issues with cheating- students have taken the ACT for other people. The information and picture on your photo ID will be checked against the info and photo on your admission ticket to ensure that everybody takes their own test. If any of the information doesn’t match or you don’t have an acceptable ID, you won’t be allowed to take the test. ACT ID Requirements Your photo ID must meet the following requirements. These rules also apply for international students and students 21 and older. #1: Your ID Must Be Valid Your ID can’t be expired and it must be an official government-issued or school ID. If you use a school ID, it has to be from the school you currently attend. #2: It Must Be the Original ID You can’t show a photocopy or picture of your ID. If you use a school ID, it must be in hard plastic card format. You can’t show a paper or electronic ID. #3: The Text Must Be in English Your name and the text on your ID must be written in English. Don't photocopy your ID. You need to bring the original. Examples of Acceptable and Unacceptable IDs Here are some examples of IDs you can and can’t use for the ACT: Acceptable ACT Photo IDs Government-issued driver’s license Government-issued ID card Official school ID from the school you currently attend Government-issued passport Government-issued military or national identification card Talent Search Identification Forms (only if you weren’t required to submit a photo with your registration). This is just for middle school students. ACT Student ID Form (must be prepared by the school you currently attend or a notary) Unacceptable ACT Photo IDs Credit card or debit card, even if it has a photograph Birth certificate Social Security card Employee ID card Any temporary ID card Missing Child (â€Å"ChildFind†) ID card Diploma Family portrait Fishing or hunting license Organization membership card Any document that doesn’t meet the requirements Not an acceptable ID What If You Don’t Have Acceptable ID? Any student that doesn't have an acceptable ID can use the Student ID Form. A current photo must be attached to the form in the area indicated before the form is authenticated. The form will be used to verify your identity like a photo ID. On the form, you just need to provide basic biographical information like your name, gender, birthdate, and current school. If you need to use the Student ID Form, talk to your counselor or any school official who can help you. You'll need a signature from a school official for the form to be valid. If you're homeschooled or not in school, the form must be notarized and signed by an official notary. If you plan on using the Student ID Form as your ID, I recommend getting it filled out and completed as soon as you register, but you just need to have it correctly completed and with you on test day. All of the ID requirements apply to the Student ID Form. The photo you use on your ID form must match the photo on your Admission Ticket and your appearance on test day. You must bring the original Student ID Form to be admitted to the test center. The Names on Your ID and Admission Ticket Must Match The name on your photo ID must completely match the name on your admission ticket. When you’re registering, make sure you submit the name exactly how it appears on your ID. Don’t use a nickname or shortened version of your name. If you submit a name that’s different than the name on your photo ID when you register, you can change the name on your ticket so that it matches your ID. You can make changes by logging into your ACT web account and selecting â€Å"Make changes to your registration.† Or you can call ACT at 319-337-1270. You must make any necessary changes before the late registration deadline. Keep Your ID on You at All Times On test day, your ID will be checked multiple times. Make sure you have it with you from the moment you arrive at the test center. Typically, your ID will be checked when you first arrive. Then, you’ll have to show your ID before you enter the room where you’ll take your test. And when you return to the room after breaks, you may have to show your ID again. Don’t put your ID in your backpack. Keep it on you. Wear something with pockets, and have your ID with you throughout test day. Keep your ID with you on test day. Final Reminders: ACT Photo ID Rules Check to make sure you have an acceptable photo ID when you register for the ACT. When you’re registering, use the name that’s on your photo ID. Don’t forget to bring your photo ID with you on test day. The night before the test, put everything you’re going to need in a backpack. Review what you have to bring. When you’re at the test center, keep your ID with you at all times. If you have any questions about the ID policy, contact ACT Student Services. What's Next? If you have any other questions about the ACT, you may want to check out our article on answers to frequently asked ACT-related questions. If you're applying regular admission to college, find out when is the last ACT you can take before the deadline. Finally, figure out how to choose the ACT test date that's right for you. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

A comparison of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers Essay Example for Free

A comparison of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers Essay ? To understand the subject of this essay, I thought it would help to briefly look at the history and background of newspapers, because I believe this gradually influences people’s decisions on buying a paper today. In earlier years, the majority of people buying newspapers were all well educated, middle – class intellectuals. As a result of this many papers actually tended to follow the broadsheet format. Most people that bought a newspaper would have full intention of reading from front to back. Most papers had between four and nine pages with a lot of columns and very small print; there were not many pictures and very little graphics. This was generally because of the lack of technology available to the publishers and their printers. As time progressed, so did the technology that went into the newspapers. With this improvement in technology this enables the publishers to focus on more specific readership. In a newspaper you can find that they can now devote sectors of the newspaper to individual interests, at the same time as having more illustrations and advertisements. We investigated how tabloids and broadsheets have appeared to combine these new ideas, but somehow still have different techniques, writing styles and format. We did this by using interviews and surveys to help us gain the results we wanted. To gain further understanding of the type of people that read tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, the pupils in our class carried out a survey. The principle was to find out if there were any links between our research and the class survey, it helped us gain more knowledge on the time that papers are read during the day and what days they are tended to be read on. When the survey was complete we collected the results to find that there was quite an even spread of readers for both the tabloid paper and the broadsheet paper. Another interesting fact was that mainly broadsheets were read on the weekend rather than the working week. I recognize that this must be because of the size and depth of the broadsheet which becomes a immediate fault of the paper has it makes it very hard for somebody going to work on the train or bus to read a large paper such as ‘The Telegraph’ in such tight compact spaces. Our class also carried interviews with their friends and family to try and find out the reason behind this predilection. In the majority of cases, the time available and the content of the newspaper were concerns. Many people believed that a broadsheet were more detailed and focused on finance and politics, whereas tabloid papers tended to be more light-hearted and entertaining. There were a lot more gossip columnists and many pages devoted to entertainment and celebrities featured in ‘The Sun’. As I expected the size of the newspapers were a big matter into deciding which paper someone would buy. According to the interviewees, broadsheets were understandably an inconvenient size if they were to be read on a coffee brake or a journey as they were just too big. Tabloid papers were popular because of the advantage of there size as they can be read at spare moments during the day and contained a television guide. Personally I tend to read newspapers at the weekend and the members of my family generally make the choice of paper, I enjoy reading a tabloid a lot more than I do a broadsheet because broadsheets cover a large quantity of business and finance and I am not interested in these subjects. I enjoy reading ‘The Sun’ as it contains a lot of sport news and celebrity news. Tabloid papers in my opinion are a lot easier to read as u don’t have to take a lot of time reading each article like you do in the broadsheet newspapers. Before we actually started to examine individual articles, we made some general assertions concerning the papers contents. We all noticed that there were a surprisingly large amount of adverts in the broadsheet newspaper, which included a completely covered double-page spread on just adverts. A â€Å"British Airways† advert, covered a page of the â€Å"Daily Telegraph† the size made it eye-catching and very effective to the reader. For further exploration we compared two articles, which at the time were concerning the situation in Saudi Arabia. The first article was featured in â€Å"The Sun†, entitled, â€Å"Saudi Aid†. The second article was found in â€Å"The Daily Telegraph† entitled, â€Å"Arab states back Bush over Iraq†. My immediate observation was the difference and contrast in headlines. The tabloid headline was much shorter than that of the broadsheet, therefore the information given was. â€Å"Saudi Aid† gave the reader a suggestion of the articles content, but did not make any kind of effort to enhance on the subject. On the other hand â€Å"The Telegraph† was more informative and had a much more detailed headline, â€Å"Arab states back Bush over Iraq†. This headline refers to a specific incident which is very straight forward it also includes one of the most well known names in the world, this is a clever way of using someone’s name involved in the issue to draw in the reader the also tone suggests controversy. â€Å"The Sun† followed its brief headline with a more detailed summary, giving us further amplification on the subject. â€Å"The Telegraph† on the other hand had a sub headline of â€Å"Way cleared for countdown to war†. Again the focus of the piece was narrowed down to ass impact on their first headline. The sub headline included and extremely emotive phrase, â€Å"Countdown to War†. This gives no definite answer to the question most people were asking themselves at the time, it just leaves the possibility that it could happen in the future if the situation deteriorates. â€Å"The Sun† also included a sub headline in its article. â€Å"Saudis to aid attack on Iraq† again this repeats the word ‘aid’ from the headline but this time expanding on the content of the article. The reporter actually uses rhyme, which increases the articles appeal, because it becomes captivating and memorable. In continuing to study the format of the article, I noticed that the front pages of both pieces were very different. â€Å"The Telegraph’s† report was split into four columns, with an enlarged quote dividing the second column. In this article there was clearly more writing, and whilst I could perceive a summary, it was not highlighted in any way, like â€Å"The Sun’s† report, which had a summary in bold type and a sub heading of ‘Weapons’ halfway through the first column, such use of a sub headline created drama and tension. The summary uses colloquial language, and emotive writing such as ‘the Saudis fear they will never be safe while Saddam rules’. With added patriotism, the summary lures the reader to read on through the article, to reach the main point of the piece. Unlike the broadsheet article, there was a picture featured in the tabloid newspaper. The picture was of Jack Straw and by adding a picture the information in the article is authentic and may entice the reader to look more closely at the piece, and maybe value the reporter’s opinion more. Another creative effect is â€Å"The Suns† use of italics. By placing a chosen phrase or paragraph in italics, the reader’s attention is drawn to the chosen area, showing that the specific phrase is important, and so the reader should pay attention to it. The general tone of † the suns† article is informal throughout the piece. The reporter remains biased and doesn’t believe that the possibility of war may be resolved. The piece in â€Å"The Telegraph† takes an objective style and presents both sides of the argument, and continually stating that there is no definite war. The miscellany in reporting styles also includes the use of more formal language with words such as ‘repercussions’. I would presume that the readers of a broadsheet newspaper are more middle-class. This is a generalisation but that the fact that there is more business, finance and culture in the broadsheet newspaper. There is one similarity between the articles it is that they both include the national security adviser â€Å"Conddeezza Rice†. Overall the broadsheet newspaper includes more concept language and is rather informal, whilst the tabloid newspaper has short headlines with a catchy theme to it, instead of a more sophisticated and simple headlines brought to us by the broadsheet newspapers. A comparison of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers. (2017, Aug 04).

The importance of the Roles Played by the Stock Market Assignment

The importance of the Roles Played by the Stock Market - Assignment Example The stock market has so many roles that it plays and the various roles are of utmost importance as a primary market  and as a secondary market  in the development of the economy. There are quite a number of the most stable, mature, and well performing stock markets around the world, for instance, London, Hong Kong and New York(Van Antwerp,W,1975)   The roles that the stock markets perform are very central to the development of any economy. By virtue of the primary markets being involved with new securities, this is where an investor interested in initial public offerings of any public company and also government bonds can easily go find them. In such a market, securities are sold to investors directly from the selling company itself. This makes trading at the stock market faster and easier. In the London stock exchange for instance ,one of the most common traded securities are the municipal bonds, this basically entails the direct purchasing of debenture from the concerned auth orities, for instance, the municipality. The London stock exchange put a lot of premium on these primary markets because to them, these markets are very important not just in strengthening the economy but also in as far as capital markets are concerned. The recent world financial crisis had, indeed, a great negative impact to the performance of the stock markets world over. The stock exchanges, for instance, does provide facilities related to issuance or redemption of securities and many other like capital events, income payment and  dividends. Securities that are traded on any given stock exchange may include  shares  that are provided by the unit trusts, companies,  derivatives as well as investment products such as bonds(Giddy,1994) Stock exchange is, in most cases considered to be the most necessary component of any  stock market. The stock market’s demand and supply is normally driven by so many factors which, in virtually all the fee markets, affect stocksâ₠¬â„¢ price. In any country the financial system tends to fund other areas from the haves and their surplus funds to the ones with a shortage in funds, by direct market financing or indirect bank finance. A country’s financial system and markets matters a lot in as far as the economic growth is concerned. The stock market plays a very big role in ensuring that the economy grows steadily. As much as some economists do not believe in the argument that the finance-growth kind of relationship between how well or bad the stock market is doing to the economic development.The economic development that is seen in any place always creates demands for certain types of financial arrangements, and financial system always tend to automatically respond to such demands. The stock market has natural mechanisms that help in addressing the issue of ensuring that a nation or a city has achieved what is considered to be the optimal financial system outlook. Overall, the stock market stabilizes th e financial system, together with other well-developed systems for instance a good legal system, and this is normally done by incorporating elements or aspects of direct market based finance and indirect banking based finance. A stable and well developed stock market ensures that that there is a stable and strong financial system in place

Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organizational Culture - Essay Example An initiative to innovate is not enough to make an organization innovative, on this basis; organizations must have certain characteristics that would encourage innovation. One such characteristic is having a clear mission, objective, aim and strategy. These organizations normally have a relevant and unique strategy that motivates their employees to be innovative. For example companies such as Google, Facebook, and Apple have a clear strategy, which are well communicated to their employees, and they relentlessly follow these strategies. For example, one of the strategies and aims of Apples is to create sleek and beautiful telecommunication technologies, which are easy to use . Looking at this vision and strategy, it is very clear what then objective of the company is, and employees of the organization will therefore strive hard, for purposes of developing high quality technology that satisfies this strategy. Another characteristic of these organizations is that they are market leaders on whatever business field that they engage in. This is because the companies under consideration use their innovative products for purposes of achieving the strategic goals of the organization. However, it is important to understand that market leadership does not always translate to being profitable. Take for example a company such as Amazon, which has always been innovative from the beginning, establishing standards that regulate the e-commerce. However, the company was able to become profitable after a considerable number of years.

Kant vs. Kierkegaard Essay Example for Free

Kant vs. Kierkegaard Essay I also believe that the issue that I am discussing is deep, and therefore interesting. Its weaknesses would be its lack of quotes. The difficulty with this paper was trying to find the idea in the first place. It took me a lot of time to find deep similarities and differences between the two. It also took me some time to figure out how I would lay the essay out and how I would flesh the essay out. As this paper is not superficial, I found myself finding new ideas and problem as time passed. This gave me another problem as I always had to rethink and re-edit. The goals for my next paper are to include more quotes, as my papers lack evidence. My other goals are to carry on writing interesting and thought provoking papers. I aim to try to make my essays as clear as possible, as tackling deep issues can sometimes make the writing quite convoluted. Love of Duty vs. Love of Choice In their essays ‘Lectures on Ethics Friendship’ and ‘Works of Love – Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor’, respectively, Kant and Kierkegaard both appear as idealists: They each portray a utopia in which friendship is universal. Kant believes that perfection can be achieved if people put love of mankind before love of oneself, and Kierkegaard believes that perfection can be achieved if you love everyone as if they were your neighbor. Ironically, both also contradict themselves: Kant contradicts his other idea that one will never be able to achieve the ideal of friendship, where partners share everything with each other. While Kierkegaard contradicts himself by saying a true Christian is completely selfless. This is a contradiction, as someone who is selfless cannot have a choice (free will), but as rational humans we do have a choice. Given these parallels, are these two thinkers ultimately offering us the same sense of utopia? No – in fact, Kant is a realist who uses a scientific approach to figure out what it means to be a friend, whereas Kierkegaard is a religious thinker who applies his religious morality on people. Their utopias look very similar on the surface, but their underlying methods to reach them are vastly different. Both Kant and Kierkegaard come from two very different backgrounds. Kant was born in Prussia, and was interested in physics and mathematics. He didn’t have a positive view of religion was also asked to stop teaching Theology at the University of Konigsberg by the government as he allegedly ‘misrepresented’ the principles of Christianity. This shows that Kant was a thinker independent of religion. Kant believed that â€Å"mankind’s final coming of age,† was â€Å"the emancipation of the human consciousness from an immature state of ignorance and error. † This is the opposite of Kierkegaard, as he was a devout Christian. Kierkegaard tried to incorporate religion (Christian morality) with reason. This is where he comes up with his idea of ‘loving thy neighbor’. Whereas Kierkegaard comes from a position that his way is the ‘right’ way, as it was mandated from God, Kant comes from a position which is influenced by Rousseau and Aristotle, in fact Kant’s idea of man having self-love and love for humanity comes straight from Rousseau’s book ‘The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality’. There is also a deeper difference: Kierkegaard’s religious morality implies duty, whereas Kant’s view on friendship implies choice. Choice lies at the heart of Kant’s philosophy. He says that man has two basic instincts: self-love and love for humanity (pity). These two instincts conflict with each other and only one can win. Kant believes that in an ideal world, all people would put love for humanity before self-love. This would create a world where love is reciprocated, and therefore man does not have to worry about losing his happiness. In essence, Kant’s version of a utopia is where man chooses to love humanity. This is vastly different to Kierkegaard’s version, where man has no choice, as it is his moral duty to love everyone as if they were his neighbor. Kierkegaard does acknowledge Kant in a way, by distinguishing between earthly love and spiritual love. He says earthly love (Kant’s type of love) is the exact opposite of spiritual love. He argues that a ‘poet’ (Kant) is absolutely right in saying that earthly love cannot be commanded. Kierkegaard believes that Christian love is better as it is ‘completely selfless’. For Kierkegaard, â€Å"Christian love teaches love to all men, unconditionally all. Just as unconditionally and strongly as earthly love tends towards the idea of there being but one single object of love, equally unconditionally and strongly Christian love tends in the opposite direction. If a man with respect to Christian love wishes to make an exception in the case of one man whom he does not wish to love, then such love is not ‘also Christian love,’ but it is unconditionally not Christian love. † (41) Kierkegaard also believes that it is quite liberating to be forced to love. As if the absence of choice creates peace. He believes that â€Å"it is encouraging in your relation to a distinguished man, that in him you must love your neighbor; it is humbling in relation to the inferior, that you do not have to love the inferior on him, but must love your neighbor; it is a saving grace if you do it, for you must do it† (50). Thus the difference between earthly and spiritual love is that earthly love is a choice and spiritual love is a command from God. Both Kierkegaard and Kant come to different conclusions because in their writing, their focus is on separate ideas. Kant, being a man of reason primarily, approaches his philosophy in a scientific manner. To explain, he breaks one thing into smaller things. Kant makes observations based on what he sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels (like his three types of friendships). However, he does also make some conceptual assumptions (discussed earlier) such as his idea of putting love of humanity before self-love will cause reciprocation of friendship. Unlike Kierkegaard, Kant does not focus on religion as it is unnecessary for someone who is only interested in empirical observations. Kierkegaard however is not concerned with empirical observation, as he believes that there is something higher and more important i. e. Christianity. Kierkegaard concentrates more on morality and what he believes is right, instead of focusing on what is actually there. Kierkegaard doesn’t even talk about friendship in his writing. This shows that he places much more importance on what his religion says is right instead of trying to observe and deconstruct what friendship is. Although both philosophers have radically different ideas on how to achieve a utopian world, their ideas as an end result are very similar. They both want a world in which everyone loves everyone. The difference is that Kant’s love comes from reason, whereas Kierkegaard’s is spiritual. For this reason Kant’s idea seems more logical to the rational human being. Kant doesn’t believe in forced love, he believes in a choice to put either love of humanity or love of oneself at the fore. Kierkegaard’s idea of loving as a moral duty is contradictory at its heart, because how can you love if you don’t have a choice who to love? If you ‘love’ everyone it stops being love because love is defined by its opposite. How can there be love without hate? If it can’t exist, then how feasible is Kierkegaard’s idea? This is the main problem with Kierkegaard, because his observations come from his faith. In the real world, love should come from understanding, not dogma. If there is no understanding, it’s like a slavery of the mind. Works Cited Immanuel Kant, â€Å"Lectures on Ethics†, Ethics. Trans. Louis Infield, Harper Torchbooks, The Cloister Library, Harper Row Publishers, New York and Evanston. Soren Kierkegaard, â€Å"Works of Love†, Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor. Trans. David F. Swenson Lillian Marvin Swenson, Princeton – New Jersey, Princeton University Press.

The Metamorphosis and Ethan Frome :: Free Essay Writer

The Metamorphosis and Ethan Frome The routine of life can bring some people a sense of stability and happiness. For others this routine can be the cause of immense discontent and a feeling of entrapment. The main characters of the books The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton both experience this feeling of being trapped by their everyday responsibilities and environment. Family obligation, societal expectation, and their internal and external appearances trap both Gregor Samsa and Ethan Frome. One main cause for Gregor being trapped is his obligation to his family. His financial obligation alone is enough to put a great amount of pressure on him. His job and his secret plan to put his sister through school also place a demand on him. Gregor is solely responsible for repaying his parents’ old debts. The weight this puts on him is demonstrated when he says, Well, I haven’t given up hope completely; once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him-that will probably take another five or six years-I’m going to do it without fail(Kafka 4). Even after discovering he has turned into a bug he still feels his obligation to his family. Society also has expectations of Gregor that he cannot escape even when he is locked up in the room that eventually becomes his grave. On one of his agonizing sleepless nights he is still thinking of his workday and of people he mingles with on a daily basis. He realizes that instead of helping him and his family, they were all inaccessible and he was glad when they faded away(Kafka 43). Gregor receives no help from the society that he is so loyal to. Gregor is obviously trapped by his external appearance. His physical limitations deepen his feeling of futility. His external appearance mimics his internal feelings, as he now feels helpless by not being able to physically carry out his responsibilities. Ethan was also trapped by obligation to his family. It trapped him when he wanted to go off with Mattie and it trapped him for the rest of his life after the accident. Zeena was the main source of the futility of Ethan’s existence. This is shown when Ethan reflects grimly that his seven years with Zeena seemed to Starkfield ‘not so long’(Wharton 64).