The Destructors by Graham Greene Essay Example for Free

The Destructors by Graham Greene Essay The word ‘allegory’ means that which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. These are typically moral or politically based works of†¦ writing, in this case. †The Destructors† explores and focuses on the former rather than the latter- the aforementioned ‘morals’. This is majorly done using microcosms to reflect on the condition of England and its people within the actions and thoughts of the characters. It may sound a bit complicated at first, but basically the things that the characters in the story do and see are symbolic of the state of England at the time- after the second world war. Now, coming to the story itself- it follows the Wormsley Common Gang, a group of children living in Eastern London in 1956. The city is basically dreary, bleak, and lacks any type of warmth or compassion. Yep, it’s downright dreadful. â€Å"Beauty† is a thing of the past; unheard of! It is a word that belongs to the â€Å"class world†-which is now a joke, and â€Å"parodied†. This is where the new generation has grown up, and it is all that the children have known. Greene begins the story in an almost childlike tone of voice, and establishes the sense of innocence that should be present in all of the children. But then he goes on to introduce the â€Å"gang† and their lives, forcing the reader to wonder about the circumstances which have led to these young boys acquiring qualities of â€Å"danger†, of the â€Å"unpredictable†. Greene then answers this question, going on to explain that the story is set in the place that has been the worst for wear- having been dealt the worst blow in the war- and will continue to suffer due to the aftermath of the war. Here he refers to â€Å"the first blitz†; a period when London was continuously bombed and left in a state of disarray. Again, this is the environment that the children have been brought up in (not a very healthy one) without even the memories of the prosperous times that they missed. This- the memory of better times- is a key element in the story and will develop late r, so keep it in mind. The gang consists of several characters with highly contrasting attitudes except for one shared sentiment (I’m sure you’ll be able to identify it as the story progresses). The most fascinating character is probably that of T., short for Trevor, who is introduced as â€Å"the new recruit†- someone of little importance- who â€Å"never wastes a word† and is a typically silent, yet cunning member. However, there are â€Å"possibilities about his brooding silence† that give him an element of mystery. It is important to remember that one important factor which differentiates him from the others is that he is well educated- an uncommon trait- which is indicated by the fact that he correctly identifies the shared style of architecture of two different buildings: a house, and a church. Blackie is the leader of the gang in the beginning of the story. He is mature, practical, and a good leader, but lacks any form of refinement and is doubtful of his own capabilities. This is apparent when he replies to T.’s comment about St. Paul’s Cathedral with an indifferent â€Å"who cares?† Mike is the youngest of the group, very obedient and respectful, but only with the other gang members. He is not old enough to be scarred by the brutality of his city, but on the other hand he is not old enough to have formed a real bond with any of the other boys. He follows their orders not because he is driven to do so by motivation, but simply because he doesn’t know better- something we call naà ¯vetà ©. His innocence is the only somewhat comforting concept in a world where everything is broken and the one remnant of the past is the house of a man named â€Å"Old Misery†. This house had been built by Wren, whose most famous construction- St. Paul’s- had also miraculously survived the horrors of the war. This makes the house seem even more of a foreign entity in the boys’ lives. â€Å"Old Misery† is the man Mr. Thomas, who lives near the impromptu car-park where the boys meet each morning. He is actually well meaning and kind, but the boys, who have only learnt to be distrustful, struggle to cast him in a negative light. When Thomas gives them chocolates for no obvious reason, they naturally assume the worst of him for it and believe that they are being bribed to stop bouncing their balls on the walls of his house. Therefore, they devote the entire following day on doing just that- bouncing their balls on the walls of his house- something that only Mike is â€Å"young enough to enjoy†. The boys are obviously doing this out of spite for Thomas, and desire respect in the eyes of adults and the other gang members. Blackie once claimed that he had actually heard the first-blitz, but no-one notices that at the time of the bombing, even Blackie would have been only one year old. He said this in order to strengthen his position as the leader of the gang, and so the boys would respect him as an authoritative figure. T., whose name is actually Trevor, is referred to as T. but not because it is an endearment, but so that his ‘posh’ name wouldn’t set him apart from the other members of the gang. However, Thomas does not mind these antics, for in the children he sees his own childhood and he has hopes that they will someday renew his country’s former glory. This is extremely ironic, considering that their behavior towards him completely contradicts this. The boys’ lack of empathy can be quite a bit associated with their parents’ examples, who had been forced to live through the war, and as a result becoming bitter and shrugging off their responsibilities. For instance, T.’s father had â€Å"come down in the world† and his mother considered herself to be â€Å"better than others†. We assume that he has had an unloved upbringing. Mike’s parents tell him to go to church on his own, as his mother â€Å"felt ill† and his father was â€Å"tired† (after a late night of drinking!) Mike recognizes these excuses and his impressionable mind gradually becomes influenced by lies. The boys are, in essence, left by themselves, a nd without the guidance of their parents, become hateful and aggressive. Of all the members of the gang, T. is probably the most radical and frightening. At first, when he calls Old Misery’s house â€Å"beautiful† we are relieved to know that at least one of the children still appreciates beauty. Believe it or not, the other boys think the same thing, and rebuke T. for not stealing something while he had the chance. However, this statement is not one of appreciation. Far from it, it is an accusation! T. can identify beauty as something he never had a chance to experience, and he wants to make sure that no-one else appreciates it either. He decides to propose that the boys tear the house down, as Old Misery is leaving for the weekend. Not only does he become the gang’s new leader with this suggestion, (remember the common emotion the boys share? Well, it’s jealousy. They are jealous of anyone who has experienced the happiness and compassion to which they are strangers and, as revenge, they want to destroy the few things that act as reminders of the past or can be described as ‘beautiful ‘. Hence the name Destructors) and the â€Å"fickleness of favor† is symbolic of the changing opinions in the society of London at the time. When T. states that he doesn’t â€Å"hate† Old Misery, the reason behind his actions is unclear. But then he goes on to say how if he did, the demolition of his house would not be â€Å"fun†. He makes sure that the boys carefully destroy only the interior of the house, and goes so far as to burn all of Thomas’ savings! The efficient, militaristic manner with which the boys tear down the house is microcosmic of the efficiency with which Germany completely obliterated some parts of London. When Blackie enters the house at their first meeting, he immediately notices that the demeanor of the boys had changed from the â€Å"happy-go-lucky† ways of before to something greater than them all. He gets the impression of â€Å"organization†. â€Å"No-one speaks† and there is a sense of â€Å"great urgency† as they carefully destroy the innocent man’s house (Greene almost makes the boys seem similar to terrorists in this way). They work â€Å"with the seriousness of creators† and stating that â€Å"destruction is a form of creation† only further supports the sentiment that man has become increasingly destructive, almost to the point of self-destruction, after the horrors of war and the resulting bitterness. The words Greene uses to describe the condition of the house; â€Å"pillaged†, â€Å"ripped† and â€Å"smashed† are reflective of the appearance of the city after the bombings, and can also be linked to its description in the beginning of the story, where the entire lane was â€Å"shattered† and glass had all been â€Å"sucked out of the window frames†. When Summers, a skinny ‘yellow’ boy asks whether they have done enough, T. replies adamantly that they must utterly destroy the house until â€Å"there won’t be anything left†. They are later interrupted by Mike claiming that Old Misery is well on his way back, and T. states that â€Å"It isn’t fair† which is an ironic statement coming from him as Greene states that it â€Å"mimics the childhood he never had†. T. doesn’t want to leave the house as it is because there is still a possibility that it could be rebuilt, this time even more beautifully than before. T. struggles to remain composed, and it is obvious that his authority has started to crumble under the immediate threat of discovery as he â€Å"begs† the boys to â€Å"please† give him a chance to â€Å"fix† this, which is an interesting choice of words as T. lacks the ability to create and would obviously lack the ability to â€Å"fix† as well. Surprisingly, it is Blackie who steps up to help T. and this action clearly portrays how to people, no matter how different in ideologies and opinions, can work together to achieve a common goal (here, this goal is destructive).The boys devise a plan to keep Old Misery occupied and T. manipulates Thomas into following him to the loo, where he claims that a boy has fainted. The fact that Thomas follows T. not only hints at his trusting nature, but also his desire to help the boys to which they are oblivious. Not only does he do this, but T. even persuades Thomas to climb the wall of his own garden, even though he states that â€Å"It’s absurd†. His climbing over the wall shows a shift in control from the older generation to the younger generation, of which they take advantage. As Thomas opens the door of the loo, he is pushed inside and the door is bolted. As he sits inside, occasionally receiving food and blankets, Thomas is aware that due to the Bank Holiday, everyone would have gone out and his cries for help would not be heard. As he wonders what is happening outside, Greene explains how the older generation is now trapped; they can only sit idly as they watch the new generation destroying their legacy, unable to protect their home. Meanwhile, the boys continue to â€Å"penetrate† into the house, leaving it â€Å"gutted† (These words create an effect of a process like ‘dissection’ taking place). Greene describes the house as â€Å"balanced on a few inches of bricks† and this is apt to describe the state of Britain’s economy; â€Å"in shambles†. The fact that it is ultimately the driver who actually â€Å"destroys† the house shows that although the initial idea of destruction was the boys’, their plan is finally executed by the generation that is responsible for their destructive nature. The line â€Å"It’s nothing personal† is repeated twice in the story, once when Thomas is sitting in the loo, and once after the house has fallen, indicating that the driver did not feel the slightest hint of compassion for Thomas as he tries to control his laughter and for the children, who are responsible for the destruction of his house, it is an impersonal act borne of man’s aggressive nature. However, to Thomas, who can still remember the Britain of old, it is the loss of ties to the past and the annihilation of any hopes for the future for the second time; first to Germany, and second to the children of his own country, for which he had such high hopes. The final act of destruction demonstrated the transition of power over the generations, and expresses how the bitterness of war causes bitterness to fester in man’s heart until he becomes what he ought to despise.

The Need for Recycling Essay -- Recycle Reuse Landfill Trash

The Need for Recycling This essay has problems with the format People Need to Recycle In the United Sates, where the population is inflated every year. The amount of space for landfills decreases every day. The need for recycling should not be asked, it should just be done out of habit. Everyone in America needs to recycle, to help the lamdfill problem, help the environment, and help produce new products from recycled goods. In America there is about two-hundred and eight tons of residential and commercial trash generated a year, 4.3 pounds per person a day (Prichard 1A). This is an overwhelming amount of trashed produced yearly. When people recycle this number can be drastically cut. But many people do not practice and use recycling. Consumers and businesses should use the three R’s; recycle, reuse, and recharge (Prichard 1A). Consumers and businesses are producing more garbage than ever before. As a result, we are rapidly running out of landfill space. In 1979 America had close to 18,500 landfills, and by 1991 that number was nearly cut in half (Prichard 10A). Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois will reach their maximum limit on landfills by the year 2005 (Prichard 10A). This whole garbage problem has forced us to try other options. Many of these options have been very unsuccessful. People have tried burning their garbage, that cause pollution to the environment. Some states even resorted to dropping their trash in the ocean, only to have the very same trash float ashore later. Dumping it on other states leads to feuding neighbors. Indiana passed a law to block imports of out-of-state trash, but a federal court ruled the law illegal (Prichard 10A). Instead of trying to find new ways to dump our trash, we need to find b... ...se cans out of our rivers and parks. Everyone should get involved with a local recycling program of some sorts. Every city has recycling bins for newspapers, paper, cans, bottles, plastics, almost everything there is. When people get involved, the landfills, and the environment will all be greatly inproved. So take the time to recycle and America will truly be a beautiful place to live. Works Cited Hall, Cindy. â€Å"Trash and Back.† USA Today 14 November 1997: 1A. Lipkin, Richard. â€Å"Recycling, King of the Trash Heap.† New Tech 26 February 1990: 48-49. Pendleton, Scott. â€Å"Sellers Tickled by Demand for Recycled Paper.† The Christian Science Monitor 26 August 1997. Prichard, Peter. â€Å"Bottle-Deposit Laws Fight Litter and Waste.† USA Today 29 April 1990: 8A. Prichard, Peter. â€Å"Trash Glut Demands Recycling Solution.† USA Today 19 February 1994: 10A.

The World Tomorrow

In a dimly-lit alley filled with strewn garbage and nondescript graffiti over the walls, a magnificent sight somewhat overpowered the rather dismal scene. A bright city that was once filled with concrete buildings, stood gleaming against a dark evening sky. The building are pearly-white, sleek, patterned after many ultra-modern designs of the day. Yet the city still retained vestiges of the past, with many obsolete yet historic buildings scattered around the city. Cars still fill the busy highways in and around the city. The luxurious-looking cars are environment friendly, has the most up-to-date safety features, while remaining affordable to most of the citizens. And yet, in spite of all these advancements, the human race envisioned something better than themselves – creating artificial intelligence in order to decrease the woes of manual labor. Humans then have the power of god himself, not only creating life but also creating consciousness. This intelligence is implanted on machines that replaces manual labor that human beings usually do. Highly-efficient, low-maintenance and cheap, human life may have become marginally easier than in the past. Yet, society remains. Humans, motivated by individual will, still create problems that eventually destroys themselves. There is still much squabble of power, sphere of influence and domination over other countries. Political power becomes the forefront of every country, always trying to prove dominance Even with the disguise of modern development, the essence of society still remains as a grim reminder of the past. In twenty years, the human race would have taken a great leap forward in technology, but would have evolved slowly as a society. As long as there humans on earth, there will be always misunderstanding.

The Five Steps of Grief - 1131 Words

Grief is a process that involves five important steps to correctly deal with a painful situation or the loss of someone important in ones life. In the famous play â€Å"Hamlet† written by William Shakespeare a young boy is forced into the grieving process when his father dies. The audience can see him go through all five step, and also can see how the ones around him also go through the process. To overcome grief effectively all five steps must be experienced but not in any particular order and through the stories the readers can see how each character deals with grief differently but eventually all reach acceptance. Lorraine Hansberry, writes about a family is all waiting for the arrival of their deceased father’s life insurance check in the†¦show more content†¦9). It is normal way people show how they feel about the situation and is a response appropriate to griefing. People to often think that depression needs to be fixed and cured but it is not that easy a nd one needs to go through the normal sadness to begin the next step. Beneatha in The Raisin in The Sun states that she believes she is nothing(451). She thinks that her life will never amount to anything important because she is going through the stage depression. This may seem dramatic but it is normal in the grieving process. Bargaining is next step in the process and in involves many â€Å"what if† statements. It may be pleading for god to give back what you lost. Many people believe that if only they did something different they could have saved their love one or not had to grief. The authors of â€Å"Complicated Grief and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Humans’ response to Death of Pets/Animals† write about how bargaining to an extreme can cause grief and make people believe that the incident may be their fault when it truly wasn’t (par. 8). Grief makes people try to bargain, they believe if only they could go back and change something everything would be better. Ruth in â€Å"The Raisin in The Sun† says she wishes walter would not fight her, she can not control him though.(408) She wishes this because she wants the situation to stop and believes by bargainingShow MoreRelatedFive Stages of Grief1541 Words   |  7 PagesGrief is an emotion that we have which is ve ry complex and often misunderstood. Unfortunately, grief is something that we all will experience in our lives at one time or another. We will all experience loss in our lives. The stages of grief are the same whether it be through the death of a loved one, divorce, or some other loss. There are five stages of grief. It is said that if we get stuck in one of the stages, the process of grieving is not complete, and cannot be complete. 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