Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” Essay

The elders who are used to reminiscing and looking back at the times of their younger years would usually counsel young people of today to treasure, cherish, and make the most of their youth while it is still there. They would often say that, just when a person thinks everything about youth is so wonderful, one’s youthfulness will eventually slip away and that person can never get it back. More often than not, the adventurous activities, fantasies, dreams, and endeavors are the most precious memories the elders reminisce about their youth. This could be why it is often told that a young person’s story is the most precious, the richest, and the best to remember. Many people are often grateful that once in their lives they were able to play, explore, fall in love, and discover great things. However, there are some who would just sit with regret as they look back and see nothing about their younger days but their naivety. But how would it feel like if a person had everything in his or her younger days but nothing beyond that because his or her life ends at the peak of his or her adolescence? One of the shortest yet most colorful stories ever told is that of a boy named Oscar Wao in a moving and entertaining tale by Junot Diaz called, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This is the story of a boy who had all the play time, adventures, and challenges a child can ever experience in his childhood, but it also tells the story of a boy who wished to become a full-grown man but never became one. What the Story is About A Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao tells the tale of Oscar, a young boy with the most colorful and adventurous childhood. The story is set in a humble village living an ordinary way of life in the United States. Oscar is described in the story as an overweight ghetto nerd who is always scolded and advised by his sister, Lola, to work harder on having a better physique in order to attract girls (Scott). The story opens with a retelling of the difficulties experienced by his mother, Beli, during the regime of an abusive and feared dictator, Rafael Trujillo in 1930 and 1961. Trujillo is tagged by Oscar himself as the â€Å"dictatingest dictator who ever dictated† who then became his most hated person because of how he brought sadness and bad luck to his family’s life (Diaz 80). This is where the concept of fuku appears. Fuku, as how Oscar puts it, is the mother of all bad lucks that can affect a person and his or her family not only for one generation but also for the rest of their lineage’s existence. Because his mother once dared to go in the way of Trujillo, Oscar believes that fuku has affected their family ever since, so he thinks of fuku as the reason why his family never really had a completely happy life. Aside from being a normal teenager who daydreams of the typical teenage fantasies, Oscar also dreams of becoming an accomplished sci-fi writer and a successful lover boy as well. As an adolescent, Oscar goes through the usual dilemmas and adventures of young boys such as being busted, having absurd sexual fantasies, and falling in love with a person he knew he could never have. Oscar’s story is filled with exciting adventures of a boy who tries to discover his place in a foreign land. It is also loaded with exhilarating escapades of a young boy with friends and women. Although the story has two different narrators—which makes it a little bit confusing in some parts—the language is nonetheless creatively utilized to make the text more dynamic and at the same time captivating (Flanagan). Analyzing the Themes Depicted in the Story Love and Obsession Although love is considered an eternal theme that has grazed the pages of innumerable literary works, Junot Diaz successfully captures the interest of a lot of readers in this work because of how complex, difficult, and impossible it is presented in this story. Unlike other works of fiction, Diaz chose to present the concept of love under the light of a certain reality. Diaz depicts the reality of love in this story as something which other people can only dream about; thus, he portrays the reality that the joy and bliss love brings cannot be for all, and that there are just some people who may have really been struck by fuku and can never enjoy the goodness of true love. Beli is presented as the first victim of this miserable reality of love. Her story involves that of a girl who simply fell in love with the wrong person, in the wrong time, and under the wrong circumstances. Beli was a typical kind of a mistress. She fell for a man who was married to not just any other woman, but to the sister of the feared dictator of Dominican Republic during that time, Rafael Trujillo. Her love was that strong that she was ready to face the harsh consequences that may come her way. She was ready to accept the fact that she can never be the first lady in her man’s heart no matter how painful it becomes. However, danger came really close when Trujillo and his sister finally found out about Beli. Although Beli did not want to leave her country, she was forced to do so due to her fear of losing her future and at the advice of her concerned foster mother. That was when Beli had to flee to the United States where she was to start a new life. Indeed, love can really be very bitter and unjust to some people. While other people are throwing away all the goodness love can bring, there are those who yearn for the freedom of loving someone, yet they can never do either because they were struck by fuku, or they are just simply not meant to be. Aside from Beli’s sad experience on love, Diaz’s notion about love is also illustrated in Oscar’s experience: â€Å"Love was a rare thing, easily confused with million other things, and if anybody knew this to be true, it was him† (Diaz 321). As Lola and her boyfriend Yunior narrate Oscar’s story side-by-side, it becomes apparent that Oscar was able to meet several girls in his short-lived life. Even at the young age of seven, Lola describes him to be someone who developed a great fondness for girls who wore lipstick. All the other boys his age avoided the girls like they were a bad case of Captain Trips. Not Oscar †¦ The girls – his sister Lola’s friends, his mother’s friends, even their neighbor, Mari Colon, a thirty-something postal employee who wore red on her lips and walked like she had a bell for an ass – all purportedly fell for him. † (Diaz 12) Thus, Oscar apparently had such an easy time attracting women even at a very juvenile age. However, although this was the case when he was younger, his love life meets a great turnaround during his adolescent years when he encounters a prostitute by the name of Yvon. Yvon is a prostitute whom everybody knows as the â€Å"property† of a corrupt police captain. Although this was clearly understood by Oscar, he seems to be unable to do anything about his growing feelings for Yvon—a feeling different from what he felt for all the other girls he met in the past. At first, love may seem as an exaggerated term as a label to what Oscar feels for Yvon. It may be natural for the readers to think that what he feels is an ordinary case of sexual attraction brought by his own sexual frustrations as an overweight adolescent, and also conclude that Yvon is the kind of girl who can be considered a master in seducing men. However, it becomes clear that Oscar has indeed developed a special kind of affection towards Yvon when he became so possessive and insistent on being with her despite the possible dangers it imposes upon him, knowing he is actually trying to steal the captain’s lady. Oscar even comes to a more serious point of asking Yvon to get married, but Yvon hesitates and always turns him down due to fear of what may happen to both of them if they choose to give in to their feelings. At this point, Diaz’s intention to portray love as an impossible and a difficult thing appears very clear. Based on how much Oscar fought for his love for Yvon, it is evident that he and his mother share the same unlucky fate when it comes to love. Hence, it can be inferred that they both fell for the wrong person (who belonged to the â€Å"wrong† people) at the wrong time and under wrong and unlucky circumstances as well. Considering this, the readers may not help but think that Diaz is trying to say that fuku may indeed exist as it appears to have set upon Oscar’s family. However, love, as many would say, often comes with another miserable reality called obsession, and this theme can also be observed in the entirety of Diaz’s work. Considering the love felt by both Oscar and Beli for their lovers, it can be safe to say that it was obsession, aside from love, which kept them holding on to their feelings. Indeed, both can be seen to have specific obsessions. In Beli’s case, her only obsession was her love for the man who can never give back the same amount of love to her. She knew it was not right to love a man who is already married, yet her obsession for that person and for his affection made her feel that the world is but an unjust place, unable to distribute the freedom to love evenly among all its inhabitants. On the other hand, Oscar also appears to be obsessed with love as much as how was obsessed with women in the past. While other kids his age considered women as a vice which needs to be avoided, he looked at them with so much delight that he considered them as the next sweetest thing to candies that can as well vary in size, shapes, and colors. He became so used to women calling him hombre because he was seen as a lover boy who knew all about women’s weaknesses and soft spots. He became so addicted to this kind of relationship that he never knew getting together with a girl like Yvon would be such a difficult thing to handle. As it appears, love has indeed become Oscar’s greatest obsession. He became blind to Yvon’s natural beauty and appeal which prevented him from seeing the reality that they can never be together since she is already a property of someone else—someone else who is much more powerful than him. Thus, the circumstances of Beli and Oscar suggest that oftentimes, love and obsession go hand-in-hand. Sex Oscar’s character is introduced to the concept of sex during the early years of his adolescence, just like what typically happens to average teenagers. This theme reverberates throughout the story—from Oscar’s own retelling to Lola and Yunior’s. Like average teenagers, Oscar is described to have such a glorious impression about sex as something that reflects manliness and strength. However, although he knew this, it is mentioned repeatedly in the story that Oscar thought he might possibly die a virgin. Throughout the entire story, Oscar talks and fantasizes about nothing but the image of him making love with a woman he loves. Yet, there are also times when he becomes so desperate that he just wanted to do the act with anybody just to prove he would not die a virgin. This seems to be the biggest frustration of Oscar. He leaves their home for college as a virgin and he comes back a virgin still. Thus, it can be inferred that Diaz attempts to imply that in this modern age where sex is being popularized by the mass media, it may seem hard for a typical teenager to go on without experiencing it when all the boys are considering it as a trophy and a great achievement. Aside from this, considering that Oscar is overweight, Diaz presents how hard it can be for an adolescent who is not physically attractive to dream of something like sex when everybody else in the neighborhood seems to be doing it as a normal activity. Only in the last lines of the novel would reveal that Oscar indeed has done it with the love of his life, Yvon, and he chose to describe it this way: â€Å"So this is what everybody’s always talking about! Diablo! If only I’d known. The beauty! The beauty! † (Diaz 339). Reading â€Å"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao† is like looking deep into the frustrations and fantasies of every teenager. Oscar’s characterization as a desperate overweight adolescent who enters and leaves college as a virgin, his natural tendency to wear his â€Å"nerdiness† the way a master swordsman wears his sword, as well as his occasional suicidal tendencies can be seen as honest and true-to-life representations of the challenges adolescents face (Kakutani). Moreover, Oscar’s views of love, obsession, and sex also reflect the popular notions and impressions of teenagers regarding such topics. Hence, this work of Diaz may serve as a mirror to all the young people who cannot identify with their environment either because of their color, nationality, weight, and/or personality. Oscar Wao’s fantasies, challenges, failures, and frustrations definitely show the readers that an adolescent’s life is not always plainly about play, adventure, and leading a happy-go-lucky life. All of his heartaches, mishaps, and adventures shaped his desire to be accepted by his generation, since being accepted in his age may mean having several girlfriends, being physically fit, and especially not dying a virgin. In this short-lived yet dynamic life of Oscar Wao, the reality of youth being the most colorful and upbeat period of a person’s life is once again justified. Thus, considering how Oscar’s life ended, it can be inferred that childhood is the happiest time of life, and although Oscar’s life ended there, his life tells that childhood is also the period of life that one should enjoy to the fullest. Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. London: Riverhead Books, 2007. Dickens, Charles. â€Å"A boy’s story is the best that is ever told. † Quote Junkie (British Edition). Ed. Hagopian Institute. California: Create Space, 2008. 16 Flanagan, Mark. â€Å"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. † About. com. Sept. 2007. 29 July 2009. . Kakutani, Michiko. â€Å"Travails of an Outcast. † The New York Times. 4 Sept. 2007. 29 July 2009. . Scott, A. C. â€Å"Dreaming in Spanglish. † The New York Times. 30 Sept. 2007. 29 July 2009. .

Orchid Partners: Executive Summary Essay

Orchid Partners is a Venture Capital firm being founded by give general partners Todd Krasnow, Susan Pravda, David Friend, Bill Nelson and Jeff Flowers – who have known each other for many years in various professional and personal capacities. All four partners are driven and committed to this  venture and bring the strength of prior experience in venture capital industry, entrepreneurship, operations (hands-on running of businesses), raising capital to fund ventures, familiarity with the deal making process on either side of the table, as well experience in multiple industries. Moreover, their strengths are complementary such that they overcome individual weaknesses – eg. Friend prefers to be a visionary and rainmaker, while Krasnow has operational expertise and Susan holds the fund together. The timing and personal goals of the partners also align during the founding of Orchid. However, neither individual has experience being a general partner in a venture capital fund, and the group needs to work together cohesively and decide the best strategy for the fund. Individual strengths and weaknesses are detailed below Name Todd Krasnow Susan Pravda David Friend Bill Nelson Strengths Extensive experience and understanding of retail operations and marketing in food-grocery, office supply and dry cleaning industry Proven leadership and entrepreneurship skills Ability to lead operations from conceptual to executional stage and drive growth across geographies with hands-on, analytical and unemotional approach Experienced in raising money for entrepreneurship ventures Networking skills along with ability to create and sustain alliances with multiple firms Known for strategizing and negotiation skills along with legal prowess Ability to multitask while overseeing smooth functioning of firm managing operations, budgeting, finance and compensation Systematic and great at time management Successful entrepreneur and angel investor in technology sector with CEO experience Fundraising skills and great network. Sits on boards of companies Innovator, with varied interests and respected public figure, leading to network across horizontal strata of society Veteran with valuable operating expertise along with CEO experience across multiple companies in lifetime Reputation of being turnaround specialist with experience in operations and giving businesses a new lease of life with spectacular growth Valuable network, since sits on boards of companies and educational institutes Skilled negotiator Main Weakness Perceived as wild card with little tech  experience Taking on the partnership may be too much on  her plate Wants to be rainmaker and visionary and  doesn’t like to be involved in day to day  operations Market savvy and ability to understand and foresee technology trends Well experienced entrepreneur having served as CTO of three companies Innovator and holder of patents in technology sector Jeff Flowers Due diligence expert for technology retreated aspects of VC firms Orchid’s fund-raising activities Each of the general partners committed $2 million towards the fund. Initially, Orchid directed its fund-raising efforts towards personal  contacts of the partners, wealthy people they believed may be interested in investing in their firm. Friend could get commitments of $50,000 to $500,000, but that was miniscule in comparison to their initial target of $50 million. The major problems with this approach were: 1. During the first round of fundraising, it is difficult to convince individual investors of the viability of the deals the firm has in the pipeline and hence get their buy-in without having other investors. It leads to a cause and effect problem, where people are reluctant to invest since they do not have sufficient funds from other investors already. Also, individual investors typically invest smaller amounts as compared to larger institutional investors. 2. Also, Pravda, Krasnow and Flowers were not able to spend dedicated time to fundraising activities, since they were working full time. Thus, initially, the effectiveness of fund-raising activities was limited by Friend’s activities alone. Once they realized that these initial efforts may not be so effective in raising the requisite amount, they decided to target institutional investors, raise a large chunk of the target amount and then approach individual investors for the remaining amount. Similar to other industries, VC fund investors also constitute of different segments, i.e. innovators, early adopters, resistors (laggards). This had a huge implication on Orchid’s fund raising activities. It was essential for them to raise the initial few millions through institutional investors enough to reach critical mass, following which the laggards and the other skeptical investors follow into innovators’ footsteps. Thus, they should engage with friendly institutional investors at first. This essentially meant two major changes in their fundraising strategy: 1. Revise the target upwards: The initial target of $50 million was too small for them to sustain the fund through consecutive rounds of investing. Also, since institutional investors tend to invest in larger amounts (increments of $5-20 million), a larger fund would make it easier for them to participate. 2. Revise the Pitch: Their initial pitch was targeted at individual investors, and thus delved deep into the nuances of the VC market, which was not relevant to the institutional investors. Thus, they decided to focus the pitch more on their core competencies. Deal Sourcing The company started with the assumption that other VCs would be an excellent source of new deals. It believed that the expertise they had in varied sector and emerging technologies was not very common amongst VC circuit and they could pick up companies in the early stages of operation and needed small funding. Friends from other VC companies would suggest the companies that do not fit their criteria or need small funding in series A. Orchid partners felt that the approach was in their best interest considering that fact the market would not trust a new VC fund start up easily and established limited partners might not take a chance with such companies. Orchid Partners were following practices common for deal sourcing in the venture capital universe. Their strategies dealt with by focusing on long-term relationships built with sellers and management teams in the local region of New England. To start with, Orchid’s plan to leverage industry contacts of its partners and VCs to provide a pipeline of deals might be good in the short run. In future, as the size of the fund grows, sustaining a steady pipeline would be rather difficult. Orchid devised a strategy to concentrate only the areas that it was knew best since each partner had unique background and was a specialist is their field. The approach was to assign a partner to every sector in which the company had expertise. The partner was then responsible for carrying out the due diligence and also comprehensive study of the industry and exit option of the firm. The issue with this approach is that the partner already has heavy involvement in the deal before pitching it to all the partners. Since the firm size was small  and every partner was an expert in their own field there is a chance that they could get too attached to their views and push for the investment. In  addition, this model assumes that the partner would be able to analyse every aspect of the business i.e. taking into consideration the legal, financial, administrative and operative aspects of the business which might not always be feasible. Orchid Partners could build a specialist team trained in outbound origination programs who would be experts in scouring industry forums and the upcoming internet. Matching historical deal to the industries in focus with investment financing from banks might also help in generating leads from financial institutions. Dealing with Limited Partners In 2003, the PE industry is just recovering from a downturn and the Early-stage investing part of the market is largely underserved. Also, the Orchid Partners team is well diversified and has strong experience with them w.r.t. growing, managing and turning-around businesses. However, since their fund is new and doing the first round of fundraising, they don’t have the liberty of being too demanding from the Limited Partners in terms of the deal terms. It is advisable that they focus on the following deal terms: Fund term: The Partners should look at a fund term of at least 5-7 years which will have an investment period of 3-4 years. They can start the negotiation with 7 years fund term and as a worst case look to close at 5. Since they are focusing on technology and technologyenabled businesses, a term of 5-7 years should be enough to close the fund. Management fee: Orchid Partners should look at management fee of 3% considering the fact that they are raising a small fund and they would need sufficient capital to hire a team, rent an office and cover other administrative costs. Post negotiation, they should look to keep this component at 2.5% at minimum. Hurdle rate: Since the fund is new in the market, it will be advisable to offer preferential returns to the LPs before the GPs can carry a part of the profits with them. Orchid Partners should set this rate at 8%, the industry norm. Carry: Orchid Partners should offer a straight, non-negotiable carry contract of 20:80 where-in they will keep 20% of the profits and distribute 80% of the profits to the LPs, once the Hurdle Rate has been met. Distribution waterfall: Orchid Partners should propose that the returns generated by exit from the investments will be distributed to the LPs in a pro-rata to amount of the LP’s money invested in the business which is being exited. GP’s contribution to the fund: This is important as it signals the commitment of the GPs to the fund and ensures incentive compatibility between the LPs and the GPs. They should invest at least 10% of the fund size to the fund to assure the LPs that the GPs have enough skin in the game.

The Cathedral Of Canterbury Cathedral - 1209 Words

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Assess Functionalsu and New Right View of the Family

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Culture, no doubt one of the most complex words of the...

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Bottled water Essay Example For Students

Bottled water Essay Bottled WaterBottled water is the new wave of the future. Millions of Americans are buying it. Here are some facts you should know about bottled water before you buy. Of course, when people go to the store to buy water, they think they are getting the freshest most pure water on the earth. Well, even though almost all of the water is safe, the question is where does it come from. When the consumer picks up the bottle from the store, they see mountains. Most bottles contain some comment about clean glacial water, taken from high in the mountains. Most bottled water doesnt even come from the mountains. It comes from places like Nebraska, out of 12-inch pipes. One major brand also gets their water in Los Angeles, right next to the freeway.(freep.com, Sept. 28) Even though the water is taken from these places it goes through many cleansing processes. There are a couple of different types of bottled water. One is the 5-gallon returnable jug. These are mainly used in offices and large businesses. The 5-gallon jugs are usually lower in minerals and therefore are good for making coffee, tea, etc. There are also 2 and 1 gallon bottles used mainly for supermarket distribution. There are also bottles ranging from 6 ounces to 1 liter. These are usually the premium waters like Poland Springs and Avian. These waters are usually an alternative to a soft drink or an alcoholi c beverage. (waterweb.com, Sept. 28). Bottled water is extremely safe. It is regulated on the federal and state level. The Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration also regulate it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, bottled water has never been responsible for a water born illness (water.org, Sept. 28). One reason it is safe is because bottled water must come from protected sources such as aquifers and springs. Tap water comes from rivers and lakes. So why do people drink bottled water? It is seen as Americas most affordable status symbol. On the average, bottled water drinkers in the U.S. are richer than tap water drinkers. (freep.com, Sept. 28). They are seen as being well enough off to pay for something they dont need. The only logical reason for someone to drink bottled water, other than taste, is people in chemotherapy and people with AIDS etc., which are sensitive to sodium, chlorides, and sulfates. 1.(freep.com) www.freep.com/news/health/qwater19.htm, Sept. 282.(waterweb.com) www.bottledwaterweb.com, Sept. 283.(water.org) www.bottledwater.org, Sept. 284.www.clo2icom/reading/waternews/bottle.html

On Violence by Hannah Arendt

The book On Violence by Hannah Arendt is an investigation on the nature, reasons, and significance of violence from the 1950s to date. The author also gives an analysis of the association that exists between war, politics, violence, and power. The book is incisive, thought provoking and well written, and this makes it to give the best representation of the violence that takes place in the modern period.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on On Violence by Hannah Arendt specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the book, Hannah put forth a number of arguments in analyzing the issue of violence in the second part of the twentieth century. Her writings were addressing two audiences: the authorities who were searching for remedial actions to restore calm in campuses in America and the students who were creating turbulence all over the country. She argued that the authorities had the ability to resist violence if they used the po wer vested in them appropriately. The consequence of her arguments was to illustrate the unreasonableness of the New Left’s grip of violence as an end in itself or even as a way of realizing transformation in the power structure. Hannah condemned the failure of the New Left activism to comprehend Marxism and demonstrated further that they are basing their ideas on turbulence on unsupportable reasons. Hannah’s main argument was that the theories that were equating violence with power were wrong. The book explains that the ancient perception of violence, reinforced by the Judeo-Christian custom of an angry God, was illogical as violence mainly enforces compliance through physical coercion. Hannah supported her position by positing that violence is most of the time vital for the service of power and as such, it can never be the foundation of governance. On the contrary, she argued that power is the capacity of a social entity to act in concert and it enables individuals t o work together; thus, it is the essence and end of all governance. On Violence is concerned about the current historical context in which acts of violence occur on a daily basis. In writing the book, Hannah wanted to examine the acts of student violence that were causing havoc in various institutions of learning in the U.S. and around the world in the late 1960s.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though the book was written during that time, it is a true representation of the acts of violence that are still common in our contemporary society. On the social setting, the author argues that those who lack adequate power most of the time try to control or exert influence over others using violence. Thus, violence assists individuals to manage or temporary exert their will on others. On the economic setting, the author is concerned about the use of violence to reinstate economic p ower. A state may want to increase the sphere of its economic influence using violent means if it feels that its strength is slipping away. The book is very relevant to contemporary issues. The current society is full of violence, as many people have falsely believed that it is the most appropriate way of solving problems. However, it has proved to be useless, as it has continued to create havoc all over the world. More so, in our current society, â€Å"every decrease in power is an open invitation to violence–if only because those who hold power and feel it slipping from their hands†¦have always found it difficult to resist the temptation to substitute violence for it† (Arendt, 87). Thus, violence is usually used in our contemporary society as a means of sustaining power. The current youthful society has turned to violence in order to address their grievances with the society. The public has been astonished by the rebellion that is being manifested by the youths in an outrageous way. Violence seems to be the order of the order; thus, Hannah’s wit and piercing logic is still a force to be reckoned with in understanding violence in our current society. The book is relevant to peace and conflict resolution. It gives an understanding of the idea of violence; thus, eases the process of conflict resolution in case violence takes place. The text provides an examination of violent behaviors with the intention of understanding the mechanisms that can result in the betterment of the human condition. In the book, she says, â€Å"Violence can always destroy power; out of the barrel of a gun grows the most effective command, resulting in the most instant and perfect obedience. What never can grow out of it is power† (Arendt, 53). Therefore, in the process of peace and conflict resolution, understanding the difference between power and violence is of importance in averting further conflicts.Advertising We will write a custom essay samp le on On Violence by Hannah Arendt specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Further, the book advocates for conflict resolution through peaceful means as it will ensure the satisfaction of all the contending parties, and this is an essential element in peace studies. In addition, it is important to note that the book is not trying to refrain individuals from taking action, but it gives a warning that the use of violence to resolve conflicts is not beneficial in the end. Works Cited Arendt, Hannah. On Violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace World, 1970. Print. This essay on On Violence by Hannah Arendt was written and submitted by user Terrell Huber to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.