Guilt and Innocence in The Last Night of the World

Guilt and Innocence in 'The Last Night of the World' In Ray Bradburys The Last Night of the World, a husband and wife realize that they and all the adults they know have been having identical dreams: that tonight will be the last night of the world. They find themselves surprisingly calm as they discuss why the world is ending, how they feel about it, and what they should do with their remaining time. The story was originally published in Esquire magazine in 1951 and is available for free on Esquires website. Acceptance The story takes place in the early years of the Cold War and in the first months of the Korean War, in a climate of fear over ominous new threats like the hydrogen or atom bomb and germ warfare. So our characters are surprised to find that their end wont be as dramatic or violent as they have always expected. Rather, it will be more like the closing of a book, and things [will] stop here on Earth. Once the characters stop thinking about how the Earth will end, a sense of calm acceptance overtakes them. Though the husband concedes that the end sometimes frightens him, he also notes that sometimes he is more peaceful than frightened. His wife, too, notes that [y]ou dont get too excited when things are logical. Other people seem to be reacting the same way. For instance, the husband reports that when he informed his co-worker, Stan, that they had had the same dream, Stan didnt seem surprised. He relaxed, in fact. The calmness seems to come, in part, from a conviction that the outcome is inevitable. There is no use struggling against something that cant be changed. But it also comes from an awareness that no one will be exempted. Theyve all had the dream, they all know its true, and theyre all in this together. Like Always The story touches briefly on some of humanitys bellicose propensities, like the bombs and germ warfare mentioned above and the bombers on their course both ways across the ocean tonight thatll never see land again. The characters consider these weapons in an effort to answer the question, Do we deserve this? The husband reasons, We havent been too bad, have we? But the wife responds: No, nor enormously good. I suppose thats the trouble. We havent been very much of anything except us, while a big part of the world was busy being lots of quite awful things. Her comments seem particularly trenchant given that the story was written less than six years after the end of World War II. At a time when people were still reeling from the war and wondering if there was more they could have done, her words could be construed, in part, as a comment on concentration camps and other atrocities of the war. But the story makes clear that the end of the world isnt about guilt or innocence, deserving or not deserving. As the husband explains, things just didnt work out. Even when the wife says, Nothing else but this could have happened from the way weve lived, theres no feeling of regret or guilt. Theres no sense that people could have behaved any way other than the way they have. And in fact, the wifes turning off the faucet at the end of the story shows exactly how hard it is to change behavior. If youre someone looking for absolution which it seems reasonable to imagine our characters are the idea that things just didnt work out might be comforting. But if youre someone who believes in free will and personal responsibility, you might be troubled by the message here. The husband and wife take comfort in the fact that they and everyone else will spend their last evening more or less like any other evening. In other words, like always. The wife even says thats something to be proud of, and the husband concludes that behaving like always shows [w]ere not all bad. The things the husband will miss are his family and everyday pleasures like a glass of cool water. That is, his immediate world is whats important to him, and in his immediate world, he hasnt been too bad. To behave like always is to continue to take pleasure in that immediate world, and like everyone else, thats how they choose to spend their final night. There is some beauty in that, but ironically, behaving like always is also exactly what has kept humanity from being enormously good.

How to Identify Email Spam

How to Identify Email Spam How to Identify Email Spam How to Identify Email Spam By Mark Nichol I received the following email message recently. Actually, it went to my spam folder, but other recipients may not be so fortunate or so discerning about its deceptive nature. But if you read carefully, you’ll find plenty of clues that the writer is not a native speaker of English, much less an FBI agent. My editorial interpolations are in brackets. Anti-Terrorist and Monitory Crime Division. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Daniel McMullen (Special Agent in Charge) Attn: , [Mac, you forgot to fill in my name, or a generic term.] This is to officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly investigated with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal Transaction with Impostors. [The Intelligence Monitoring Network System could be a brand-name system meriting initial capitalization, but it also could be and is, according to an online search a phrase that comes up only in reference to its inclusion in this message, a classic example of the Nigerian email scam. Furthermore, Rampant Initial Capitalization of Very Important Things, also seen in the phrase â€Å"Transaction with Impostors,† is a common occurrence in email-scam content.] We the Federal Bureau Of Investigation want you to stop further communication with any Impostors claiming to be official. [The FBI would never use the royal we, it doesn’t capitalize the of in its name, and it wouldn’t simply tell you to â€Å"stop† anything.] During our Investigation, [not just any investigation, mind you, but an Investigation] we noticed that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled your Financial Obligation given to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment. [More outbreaks of Raging Capitalitis. Also, even FBI bureaucrats know that â€Å"we noticed that the reason why you have not received your payment is because† is more elegantly rendered â€Å"we noticed that you have not received your payment because.†] Therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry of Finance [of(?)] Nigeria on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by coordinating your payment in total $5,900,000.00(Five Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars). [The only place you will find monetary amounts rendered to the last decimal place followed by the spelled-out rendering, with words initial-capped, in parentheses is in Nigerian scam emails. No one else treats references to money this way.] Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation [Mac, can you just call it the FBI, like everyone else does? But thanks for lowercasing the of this time.] is involved in this transaction,you have to be rest assured for this is 100% risk free it is our duty to protect you. [The main clause of the previous sentence is a mess. Messages to the public from government agencies are better written than this.] We the Federal Bureau Of Investigation [there’s that royal we again, and a reversion to the initial-capped of] want you to contact the ATM CARD CENTER [All-caps = VERY IMPORTANT AND AUTHORITATIVE, but just what is the â€Å"ATM CARD CENTER†?] via email for their requirements to proceed and procure your Approval Slip on your behalf which will cost you $150 and note that your Approval Slip which contains details of the agent who will process your transaction. [This runaway sentence starts out coherently but eventually devolves into meaninglessness.] CONTACT INFORMATION NAME: Mr. Kelvin Williams Address: 18 Koffi Crescent Apapa Lagos Nigeria [Is Nigeria, or the FBI excuse me, the Federal Bureau Of Investigation suffering a comma shortage?] EMAIL: williamskelvin857@yahoo.com [Why am I emailing someone in Nigeria? Oh, right because it’s a Nigerian email scam.] Do contact [â€Å"Do contact†? The FBI sure sounds fussy these days.] Mr. Kelvin Williams of the ATM CARD CENTER with your details,and you full information So your files would be updated after which he will send the payment information which youll use in making payment of$150 via Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram Transfer for the procurement of your Approval Slip after which the delivery of your ATM CARD will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay. [There’s evidently a period shortage, too.] We order you [You order me? Have I been conscripted? Oh, and, excuse me, sir, but you left out another word.] get back to this office after you have contacted the ATM SWIFT CARD CENTER [Oh, now it’s the ATM SWIFT CARD CENTER.] and we do await your response so we can move on with our Investigation and make sure your ATM SWIFT CARD gets to you. [What’s an ATM SWIFT CARD? Something available, evidently, only from Nigeria.] Thanks and hope to read from you soon. [No, you will not be reading from me soon, Mac.] Daniel McMullen Special Agent in Charge Criminal Division FBI Los Angeles Suite 1700, FOB 15000 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, California [Oops, you forgot your ZIP code, Mac. But that’s OK I double-checked your street address, and it’s wrong. In an online search, it came up only in wait for it references to a Nigerian email scam. (This one, in particular.)] Note: Do disregard [Fussy!] any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Mr. Kelvin Williams of the ATM CARD CENTER who isthe rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation. [Again, the FBI does not condone run-on sentences or comma splices.] Note: There is actually a Federal Bureau Of Investigation agent named Daniel McMullen, but he’s stationed in Mississippi, not Los Angeles. Perhaps he was sent there as punishment for his atrocious writing skills. (That’s just a harmless little joke, denizens of the Magnolia State.) Are you on the lookout for written passages to use as rewriting and editing exercises? Look no further than your email program’s spam folder. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsList of Greek Words in the English LanguageEspecially vs. Specially

Who discovered America First Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Who discovered America First - Essay Example On the other hand, the history of Ericksson who is believed to be one of the first Europeans to visit America has not been documented in written form like that of Columbus. It has been mainly recorded in oral form. 2. The discovery of America has had both positive and negative impacts on the western hemisphere. The movement of the Europeans to the western hemisphere resulted in depopulation of the Indian Americans as a result of skirmishes that took place between the Europeans and the native people of America (http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/history/ch1.htm). This became known as the great dying as they introduced various organisms that caused diseases which lead to death of the native Americans. However, on appositive note, the western hemisphere significantly benefited from the discovery of America. The place witnessed rapid industrialization since it had abundant of resources such as corn which was a staple food in this region. On the other hand, the discovery of America led to religious and civil conflicts between the native Americans and Europeans. As such colonies were established and this led to slavery of the native people. positive benefits were later to be reaped but the early years o f American discovery had negative impacts on the lives of native people in both