Analysis of Stories The Guest by Albert Camus and AP by John Updike

Analysis of Stories The Guest by Albert Camus and AP by John Updike â€Å"The Guest† by Albert Camus The story revolves around an Algerian school headmaster. This is seen in the line that states, â€Å"the school head master planned that they would take thirty minutes to reach hill†. He lived in the upcountry of Algeria for a long time. In addition, he lived next to the school he was a headmaster.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Stories : The Guest by Albert Camus and AP by John Updike specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He taught students with a poor background. To help the students, he volunteered to bring food provided by government for poor pupils. He had been forced to hide a man of an Arab origin in a nearby city. This had got him into a dilemma of making the right choice for himself. The Author Details The Author was an Algerian Journalist born in 1913. He had joined the communist party and actively participated in Algerian politics, but later he relocat ed to France. He was very sensitive to human health as he had suffered from tuberculosis at age 17. Themes The themes portrayed in the story involve human alienation, difficulty of moral choice, human life values, and responsibility. An elaboration of the theme moral choice gives an explanation to the status of dilemma that protagonist, Daru, got into. He had no choice to making his own decision. The act was against his will but he did not know what to do. The political temperatures were high and his actions could determine his destiny. In addition, there is a theme of isolation or loneliness in the story. This is seen in his residential place which was outside the city. Styles The writer uses an inside monologue. This contrasts the common third person narrative form or style. The writer applies an omniscient view point of a third person party to disclose the opinion of the central character, Daru. Symbolism Symbols, such as desolate mountain plate, has been shown to represent the a lienation of Daru. He was contented with himself. That is why he lived in the up- country side. He offered meals to pupils who were disadvantaged economically. Daru was living a simple life. He has dedicated his life to bringing up academic wise pupils. In the statement, â€Å"Untying the prisoner’s hands†, the author refers to this action as to the symbol of release of peoples will (100).Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Irony The author’s idea of freedom has been accomplished through the use of hardship and enduring steps. He acted on behalf of peoples choices and he seemed to be ready to make his own. It is ironical that Daru decides to live with a fugitive. He even goes to an extent of feeding him with the best meal. The Arab is amazed and even asks Daru the question â€Å"Why do you eat with me?† (99). The Arab is surprised at Dar u’s hospitality. Daru is a simple man who cares ad cannot commit a crime. According to Daru, he has been forced to live with the Arab who had slit the throat of his cousin, this is â€Å"a relations squabble† (89) in Balducci’s opinion. Instead of turning him to the police as quickly as possible, he dares to live and feed him. He is so caring but it is ironical to keep a murderer who is so deadly. â€Å"AP† by John Updike The story is about a boy named Sammy. Sammy is a cashier who does not like his job. However, he gets exited at three half nakedly dressed girls who get into the shop where he is the cashier. Sammy is amazed at these ladies confidence and he gets attracted to one particular girl named â€Å"Queenie† (Miller Nash 88). The story climaxes with embarrassment by Lengel, a manager at A P. Sammy tries to sympathize with the girls who do not notice his action. He pities them by saying, â€Å"Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, th ey couldn’t help it†. He feels disappointed and goes ahead to quit his job with hopes that he will be the ladies â€Å"unsuspected hero†. The Author The writer was one of the most prolific writers. He wrote a range of articles, short stories, memoirs, poetry and essays. He was born in 1932. His AP story is fictional. Theme The themes in this story demonstrate consequences, choices and transition. He is full of struggles and goes ahead to quit his job. The struggle is confirmed when Sammy says, â€Å"my belly sort of cut down as I felt how hard the earth would look like afterwards† (Miller Nash 115).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Stories : The Guest by Albert Camus and AP by John Updike specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He is doing this for the girls. He depicts some degree of love for the girls. He makes a bad choice of quitting his job because Lengel did not impress him. He is completely aware of the choice he is making and he knows that this will affect his family seriously. The manager has tried to persuade him not to quite but he has made up his mind to go away for good. Styles First person Narration method has been employed. This is seen in Sammy’s words. He says â€Å"As I looked through the windowpane, I saw Lengel in my window gap scrutinizing the sheep† (Miller Nash 98). Symbolism Sammy, the protagonist in the story shows some form of immaturity on how he makes his decisions. He has decided to quit his job. The use of symbolism has been applied on the part describing quitting. He has hesitations in â€Å"removing his apron† (Miller Nash 101). The apron once is removed it cannot be returned. This symbolizes his job quitting ordeal. Metaphor Sammy refers to the customers as â€Å"sheep†. This means that they are like stupid human beings. He shows great hatred for his job. His main influence is the life transition eff ects that he is experiencing. It has not hit his head that living without finances is quite challenging. He makes a life changing decision which would lead him into a life of absolute poverty. Irony Ogling with girls is not a big deal to Sammy. This is however ironical in that he feels disturbed when his colleague speaks with the ladies. This is confused because no one wants attention if he or she is not concerned. Comparison between â€Å"AP† and â€Å"The Guest† Theme The two stories share a common theme of decision making and free will from a philosophical perspective. Both protagonists faced a dilemma of making the right choice in their lives. Sammy made a voluntary choice to quit job. He is fully aware of the repercussions of his quilting, but nothing can change his decision. He feels that his boss, Lengel does not respect uniqueness. The fact that the three girls came to the shop in their bikinis embarrassed him. Sammy feels that the boss should understand that t heir shop is located next to the beach. On the other hand, in â€Å"The guest†, Daru faces a dilemma on which choice to make after being forced to hide a prisoner. He is just a mere head teacher in one of the upcountry schools. He has two options from the philosophical point of view. He is to either be a social being and accept the man and let him go free, or accomplish justice by delivering him to the hands of the police. Making the best choice has been the hardest thing for Daru ever since the Arab man had been brought to him.Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Irony Both stories use irony. In â€Å"AP†, irony has been employed to show Sammy’s immaturity. This is evident when at first he acts as if ogling with girls is not a big deal, but later he starts feeling attracted to the ladies. This is a sign of the adolescence stage transition. In â€Å"The guest†, irony has been used to express the free will of Daru. The fact that he was a good man and was hiding a murderer was one ironical thing. Style of Narration In â€Å"AP†, the writer has used the first person narration to give the views of the protagonist Sammy. First person narration brings a clear view of what the author wants to express (Miller Nash 121). On the other hand, the author in â€Å"The Guest† uses a monologue. This is opposed to the use of a third person narrative where one cannot read the mind of the protagonist. Metaphor Updike has employed the use of metaphors in his story line. This figurative speech brings energy to narratives whethe r fictional or real stories. On the other side, Camus has not used metaphor in his story. Both stories are fictional ones. Climax Climax has been used in both stories. In the story â€Å"The guest†, climax has been depicted where Daru decides to let the killer go. The decision released him from the hands of the state and also allowed the prisoner to choose his fate. â€Å"In AP†, Climax occurs when Sammy decides to quit his job. He could not take Lengel’s words any more hence he decided to quit his job. Miller, Quentin, and J. Nash. Connections: Composition in Literature. New York: Wordsworth Publishers, 2007. Print.

How to Decide If You Should Quit Your Job A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Decide If You Should Quit Your Job A Step-by-Step Guide You’ve had it, you’ve really had it this time. The de-stressing techniques you learned in your yoga class are no longer working, and the thought of getting up in the morning and going in to work gives you anxiety hives, the likes of which you haven’t seen since tenth grade geometry exams. But is this it? Is it time to cut bait on this job and start scrambling for something else? And if so, how does one do that without regretting an impulsive choice? There are a lot of different factors to consider. Like:If I do decide to quit, should I do it before I have a job offer?If I don’t have a job offer waiting in the wings, can I justify leaving my job in an uncertain economy?Is this really quit-worthy, or am I just reacting to a temporary situation?Am I prepared for a long job hunt?What can I do in the meantime?That’s a lot of stuff to have swirling around in your head while you try to make a major life decision. Let’s break it down a little more.Sh ould I Quit?Quitting your job is not a decision to make lightly. A new job right away isn’t a given, but there’s also your longer career to think about: if you sacrifice your position now, will that set you back in the long term? Or will it increase the likelihood that you’ll find the next great opportunity by giving yourself this push? The first step in making this decision is always, always to do a self-assessment. Thinking, â€Å"I should quit,† and then handing in your resignation that day, is more likely to lead to panic and regret sooner than later. So if you’re angry, wait until that red rage subsides a little bit, and ask yourself, â€Å"why am I so unhappy here?†According to some experts, the best place to start is a simple pro/con list:What do I like about this job?What do I dislike about this job?What’s missing from this job?What would I want from this job that I’m not getting?After you’ve got your basic rundo wn of what’s bugging you about your job, the next step is to figure out if any of the â€Å"cons† are fixable. Would reprioritizing your duties help? Would your boss be receptive to changing things to be more amenable to your needs, or talking about a raise? If you don’t see those cons as budging anytime soon, then it’s likely time to move on. Also, if the â€Å"con† list is much longer than the â€Å"pro† side, that’s a clue that the problems may not be fixable enough.RELATED:  10 Signs It’s Time to Quit Your JobAnother factor to consider is whether it’s really the job making you unhappy. If the â€Å"pro† list is substantial and the â€Å"cons† don’t seem so bad once you’ve written them out, it might be that you’re unhappy in other aspects of your life, and it’s bleeding into your work life. If it’s just the job that’s causing stress and tension, then you may wa nt to move forward with quitting. If you think it’s your relationships or financial issues or anything else in your life that’s exacerbating standard work stress, then try addressing those factors first. You may find that you’re not as unhappy at work once other issues are resolved (or at least worked on).Once you have your self-assessment complete, and have a stronger sense of what’s causing your work malaise, it’s time to do the next level of research: talking about it to someone at work.I Want to Try to Make It Work. How Do I Make Things Better?Schedule some time with your boss where you can sit down alone and talk about your unhappiness. If your compensation is the problem, be prepared to ask for a raise. If it’s your workload, ask about how you can reprioritize your duties. If it’s a conflict with other employees, you can get feedback about how to deal with it, officially or unofficially. Either way, be prepared for a frank discu ssion with your supervisor. And it’s important to keep the tone as neutral as you can- you don’t want your concerns to be dismissed as a rant, or have anyone question your professionalism. If you’re concerned that you will chicken out or will get very angry, practice your talking points ahead of time, either by yourself or with a trusted non-work person.If your boss is the problem, the politics get a little more difficult. You can speak with HR or your boss’s boss if you’re concerned about direct confrontation, but understand that the information could get back to your boss, and make things extra uncomfortable. If things are that bumpy and contentious with your own boss, it may be time to leave.You can also try some remedies on your own, without involving your manager or HR. Sometimes trying harder to approach your job with a positive and more receptive attitude can help ease things a bit, at least in the short term. Personally, I know that when Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢m already grumpy, things just kind of spiral down from there- but when I make a conscious effort to say, â€Å"Okay, maybe I’m overreacting and need to try this from a different direction,† things seem less dire. Bottom line: you know yourself and your professional goals better than anyone, so only you can decide whether these short-term fixes will hold, or whether things will backslide in a matter of weeks.I Think I Need to Quit.Issues that are unlikely to resolve themselves include:You lack passion for your job, with no exciting prospects on the immediate horizon.You have skills and experience that are going to waste.Your compensation is way under what other people in similar positions make, and your company won’t be able to close that gap any time soon.The company itself is failing, and everyone’s starting to get a TitanicYou’re being verbally abused or sexually harassed at work.You have no work-life balance, or it’s getting steadi ly worse.Your boredom or malaise has led to decreased performance.Your work stress is making you physically ill.You’re no longer learning anything new at your job.If any of these are your issue, and there’s no immediate solution that you can see, it’s time to move forward with an exit plan.Okay, I Do Want to Quit. Now What?Don’t draft your resignation just yet. Give your decision some time to marinate. That can help you work out any last â€Å"is it me or the job?† kinks, and decide definitively that you’re ready to let go. At this stage, you also have to think about what quitting means.Do you have another job offer lined up?And if so, does it address the issues you have with your current job?If you don’t have another offer yet, are you prepared to be adrift in the job market for a while?It’s best to have an offer in hand before you quit, but that’s not always going to be possible. If you’re quitting because of on e of the dealbreakers mentioned above (especially being stuck with verbal or sexual harassment), you may decide that you just can’t continue on in your current job for the average six months it could take to find a new job. If you go this route, try to shore up your financial resources as much as you can before you hand in your resignation. Most experts recommend having at least six months in savings if you’re planning to quit your job without a Plan B.RELATED:  How to Quit Your Job Professionally If you don’t have an offer yet, you can still do some short-term maneuvers to help set yourself up for your next opportunity.Start reaching out to your network. Let them know you’re looking (discreetly, if you haven’t yet handed in your resignation).Clean up your social media accounts, and get them ready for professional strangers to be peeking in.Revamp your resume.Start hitting job boards hard, and using industry-specific resources online.While coming up with your post-quitting career plan, you should also be thinking about your last few weeks at work. You’ll need to give notice- at least two weeks, but your company may require more, so be sure to double-check company policy. You will also need to decide whether you’ll be available for transition training and any final requests your boss might have as you get ready to go. It’s important to be courteous and professional at every step here, no matter how fed up you may feel. Even if you already have a new job offer in hand, you don’t want to burn bridges on your way out. It’s much better to leave with your professional rep intact. It can really help minimize regrets later on.Whether you’re feeling temporary job blues or you really need to get out and move on, the important piece is that you put the time and effort into diagnosing the problems and coming up with long- and short-term plans to make sure that you’re not hurting yourself by acting too rashly, or by giving in to inertia and staying in a bad situation too long. Sometimes quitting is the hardest and most rewarding decision you can make for your career, but you want to make sure it’s the exact right call for you at the time.