The Inevitable Pursuit of Beauty - 1173 Words

The Inevitable Pursuit of Beauty. Beauty can be defined as â€Å"a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the senses, especially the sight† (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). Beauty has a lot to do with how the world works, it is interpreted in many different ways across the nation. It is part of much larger issues such as the constant problem of discrimination, and divides the world in some ways because our instinct is to judge right on the spot. What would be praised by society and considered beautiful in one country could as easily be considered unattractive and strange in another. These different perceptions make up the cultures of the world and are all based on their own values and history. Beauty is portrayed as a physical thing.One person’s beauty may differ from another, but that does not mean one is superior whilst the other is inferior. Beauty lies within the truth, good ethics, and from this comes a good life. If one lives life in an ethical manner so that they apprec iate others and live to do good towards others, then they are a good person and thus, are beautiful. Beauty truly does lie in the eye of the beholder, not in the eye of the media. Syliva Blood would argue in her book Body Work, that measuring and treating women’s â€Å"eating disorders† and problems related to the cause of body disapproval is located in the minds of women. This is based on the following assumptions: that there is a â€Å"natural mind-body split† with the body being anShow MoreRelated The American Way to Boost Self-Esteem Essay1281 Words   |  6 Pagesbattles over self-image. With images of Janet Jacksons breasts, Britney Spears tummy, and J. Los booty filling television screens and invading magazine stands across the country, its no surprise that Americans are filled with false impressions of beauty and self-worth. Plastic surgery has turned into a mainstream trend, just as flare jeans and VW Beetles once were. We all have insecurities about our bodies. Whether its our stomachs, our thighs, or our noses, there will alwaysRead MorePoetry Analysis: Ode On a Grecian Urn Essay1145 Words   |  5 Pagesof quietness†, thou â€Å"foster-child of silence and slow time†. (Lines1-2) The speaker is implying that the lasting beauty of lays truth. Indeed, art stands the test of time figures frozen in time never aging. Nevertheless, for us mortals love is indeed fleeting and aging inevitable. Next, the speaker gazes at the depiction of a group of lustful men in pursuit of women. What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? (Lines 9-10). For me, the ten lines of thisRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1295 Words   |  6 Pages It is apparent that vanity, sin, and beauty are the key elements found in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. But, where do these elements originate from? What is the reason behind manâ €™s internal need to pursue sin or his ideal sense of beauty that, on occasion, leads to his vanity? In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde explores naturalism through the use of symbolism and the tools of characterization, such as speech, action, interiority, the narrator, and the actions of other charactersRead MoreArchival Project : Antebellum Literary Journal1127 Words   |  5 Pagesin the following short story, a Bohemian legend personifying beauty as a goddess reflected in various cultures. Venus, Aphrodite, and Minna are one, a beautiful ethereal woman who’s descent leaves her rejected by a society valuing ambition. This short story indicates a respect for classical mythology working in conjunction with a pursuit for relative personal triumph. Beauty is maintained, but accepted as second to ambition and the pursuit of greatness. Readers during this time period could read thisRead MoreEssay about Beauty Pageants1090 Words   |  5 Pagesideals. Beauty pageant s represent one of these efforts in their endeavor to define femininity and grace as well as ever-changing gender roles in society. While some believe beauty pageants to be harmless social events that provide educational and national advancement, spawn awareness for charitable causes, and encourage confidence, others suggest that such competitions confuse societal morals, exploit women, and instill insecurity in young girls worldwide. Since their conception, beauty pageantsRead MoreBeing A Treasure For Every Single Human852 Words   |  4 Pagespatient achieve a satisfactory life. This area of research emphasis is called positive psychology. Positive psychology brings attention to the factors of happiness. It highlights the ways in which growth, hope, and resilience motivate a person to face inevitable challenges (Sinnott 6). In order to clarify their questions, positive psychologists classify the factors of happiness in multiple categories. Martin Seligman is a leading authority in the fields of positive psychology. He divides the theory intoRead MoreA Treatise Of Human Nature1562 Words   |  7 PagesDorian Gray, for example, is a character consumed by the conflict between the aesthetic values that were intrinsic to the Fin de Sià ¨cle, and morality. Indeed, aestheticism offers no distinction between moral and immoral acts, tending explicitly to the pursuit of pleasure. This is demonstrated in Dorian’s superficial relationship with Sibyl Vane. Dorian’s description of his infatuation with Sibyl, ‘I loved you because you were marvellous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realised th e dreamsRead MoreThe Gatsby s Dream Of Receiving The Love And Affection From Daisy, By F. Scott Fitzgerald1059 Words   |  5 PagesDaisy, through the use of allusions and symbolism throughout his novel. However, Fitzgerald’s explanation of Gatsby dream seems to contradict the novel as a whole because there are many moments where Gatsby is willing to throw away anything for the pursuit of an unrealistic dream. During the passage, Fitzgerald uses many different elements to evoke deeper meaning and interpretation for the passage. Fitzgerald uses the elements of allusion and symbolism to help the reader analyze and interpret the passageRead MoreHuman Condition Essay1057 Words   |  5 Pageshumanity maintains the ability to bring about their own happiness, which as a whole, demonstrates to the audience that life can only ever be worth living when we have found our own contentment and joy, as encountered only through our imaginative pursuits. As the poem concludes, the importance of maintaining happiness is reiterated as the persona wishes his lover to rejoice, asking for joy to become the â€Å"eddying of her living soul,† which again expresses the concept of inner contentment, which atRead MoreEssay In the Kitchen815 Words   |  4 Pagesstraightened, they would earn acceptance as true Americans. The notion however, is an illusion, a bubble that breaks so soon as the hair †[be comes] kinky again the second it even approached some water†. Henry in this part of his article praises the beauty of wavy hair and the marvel of the process, but then allows readers to understand the ephemerality of the transformation. The kitchen, used to be the place where mom straightens her hair and others’, has another definition: â€Å"the very kinky bit of