Bright Lights, Big City

You’ve never really been the best student, or the best at anything for that matter; other than drifting like a leaf in the wind. It’s not like you haven’t tried, it’s just that things never seem to work out for you, so you’ve decided it’s best not to try at all, as the result of your actions seems to always be the same old pattern no matter what you try. But it isn’t your fault, it couldn’t be considering the hand you were dealt. A diagnosis of Obsessive - Compulsive disorder and an innate need to impress people coupled with clinical depression and social anxiety keeps you unable to strive for what you want, and not being satisfied with what you have. Not to mention your childhood which should be a whole new disorder all together; who knew two people with chronic personality disorders paired with years of opium abuse didn’t mix? Regardless you just keep trudging through life, never looking forward but not letting yourself be stuck in the past either, forever drifting along your own stream of consciousness.

Anyways, back to the matter of school. It’s 7am now and you have exams at 9am and 1:10pm respectively, both of which make up a large portion of your semester grade, and neither of which you have prepared for in the slightest. You were always told that school is the most important years of your life and that how hard you try in school will determine your path in life. But what about personal development? You’ve not even been alive for two decades yet and you already see the deconstruction of students under the pressures of school; everyone enters with their own personality and dreams, yet they all leave the same shapeless mass with “plans” where their dreams once stood. Nevertheless, you feel an ever growing sting in the back of your throat, not necessarily about the exams but about your choices in general. What if by fighting the typical structure of society you’re alienating yourself before you even had the chance to succeed? Either way none of that matters now, you’re legs are already carrying you out the door and down the stairs, to your first exam.

Mr. Elliot or Mr. Smelliot?? Sorry it's late...

Jane Austen’s Persuasion depicts the everyday happenings of a wealthy elite family who inhabit England during the early nineteenth century, a society which is severely segmented in accordance to wealth and social stature rather than personal merit or character. The most glaring example of such segregation based of social status can be seen through comparing the perspectives of characters within the novel, as well as how they are perceived by their peers. Mr. Elliot, for example, becomes renowned for both his social status and his ability to charm anyone who crosses his path; however as the story progresses his true character proves to be in stark contrast to his facade. Mr. Elliot is representative of society’s ideal and his perspective on social relations exemplifies the split between social classes, stating that “good company requires only birth, education, and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice” (Austen 98). Mr. Elliot is an advocate of dismissing the merits of education and personal achievement in favor of associating with those within the same social standing. Conversely, Anne argues that “my idea of good company, Mr. Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company” (Austen 98). Unlike most of her family as well as her mentor Lady Russell, Anne does not share the sentiment that the division of social classes is a necessity, but rather chooses to converse with those whose company she enjoys such as Mrs. Clay and Mrs. Smith. Prejudice against those of lower social stature is a theme throughout the book, as even Lady Russell who is stated as being of genuine character misjudges the intentions of Mr. Elliot and Mrs. Clay, claiming that the “satisfaction in Mr. Elliot outweighed all the plague of Mrs. Clay” (Austen 96). Lady Russell is quick to invalidate Anne’s friendship with Mrs. Clay while promoting relations with Mr. Elliot based on social status alone, disregarding Mrs. Clay’s loyalty as a friend and Mr. Elliot’s fiendish nature. Ultimately, Jane Austen’s depiction of English society through Persuasion mirrors the increasingly segmented hierarchy in Europe during the nineteenth century, and satirizes this sentiment by contrasting high class with low character and vice versa.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1997. Print.

In modern society, the general public has become accustom to hearing about tragedies and travesties alike through mediums such as television, radio, and ofcourse the Internet. However, no one ever suspects that such malice will ever penetrate their own secluded existence, despite the fact that in reality such incidents are a constant threat to a person's welbeing. Thus, when people are confronted with an incident which mirrors their own familiar lifestyles, such as that depicted in Joyce Oates' short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, fear is instinctively distilled in the reader. This phenomena can best be explained through Walter Sullivan's observation that "horror resides in the transformation of what we know best, the intimate and comfortable details of our lives made suddenly threatening" (Wegs 99). Oates' tale depicts a young teenage girl named Connie who falls prey to a scheming older predator, who uses charisma and brovado to gain information about Connie, which he then uses to track her every move.
Connie is the American ideal of what a young teenage girl is supposedly expected to strive for in terms of social standing, and she comes to believe that “real value lies in beauty” (Wegs 101). This deviation from a healthy mantality and self image causes Connie to stray away from her morals which were poorly instilled in her by her mother who Connie wishes "was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over" (Oates 1). Once again Connie's less than stellar outlook on life can be derived from the neglect that she feels from her father who showed little in his daughter, instead he "didn’t bother talking to them much" (Oates 1). The misguidance and neglect that Connie experienced from those around her decided her fate, as she would come to believe in romantic fantasies rather than real life dangers, which would allow Arnold Friend to push his way in to her life.
The effectiveness of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? in chilling readers to the core can be attributed to how relatable the tale of Connie's demise is, and how applicable the situation is to modern society. It is not uncommon for teenagers to grow up without the guidance of their parents, even when the parents aren't physically absent, and as a result it is not a stretch to believe that a young girl could be manipulated in to giving her own life in exchange for her family's safety, as Connie comes to realize in the short story. Overall, Oates' tale brings to light the dangers of teenage suspectability to outside influence, and the importance of a strong guiding force in the lives of the youthful.

Works Cited
Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” New Brunswick:
Rutgers University Press, 2002. Print.

Wegs, Joyce M. “’Don’t You Know Who I Am?’: The Grotesque in Oate’s ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’” Journal of Narrative Technique 5, 1995. Print.