In the Lake of the Woods essays

In the Lake of the Woods essays In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien is a novel that shows the way the Vietnam War still holds a grip on the American psyche and some of the reasons why this is so. The novel illuminates issues that ar reflected in other literature, both fictional and non-fictional, regarding the war and its effect on those who had to fight it. The My Lai massacre is not representative of American actions in the war, but it does hold a particular place in the effect that war had on those at home, a pubic that was horrified at some of the things being done in its name. This contributed both to the end of the war and to the unfortunate way many returning veterans were treated by an unforgiving public. The story centers on John Wade, who has run for the U.S. Senate and who has lost because of the revelation that he participated in the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. This is a secret he has hidden from his wifethe loss of trust is a key theme in this novel. Wade himself was trusted with a gun and a uniform and betrayed both by his actions. His wife trusted him, and he betrayed that trust by not telling her of his past. He has betrayed himself by hiding this issue as well, for the fact that it has been his secret has prevented him from receiving the atonement he needs in order to forgive himself. Because of his inability to come to terms with his crime, he commits that crime once again. The novel is presented in an interesting way by trying to explain the disappearance of John Wade and his wife, Kathy. Several different hypotheses are offered, but the plausible one is that John killed his wife and then went off into the woods to look for her, perhaps not remembering that he has killed her, perhaps trying only to get away. When he kills Kathy, he is reliving the My Lai massacre that has ruined his life. He also hides the fact of this new crime much as he hid his inv...

Intrinsic vs. Inherent

Intrinsic vs. Inherent Intrinsic vs. Inherent Intrinsic vs. Inherent By Maeve Maddox A reader wants guidelines for the use of these two words: I’ve read every explanation I can find but I’m still trying to clarify how to best choose the appropriate context in which to use the word intrinsic versus inherent.† The adjectives inherent and intrinsic are synonyms. Both convey the idea of an inborn, essential aspect of something, an element that exists within a person or thing because of its very nature. A web search indicates that inherent is used more frequently than intrinsic, bringing up twice as many hits for inherent (79,500,000) as for intrinsic (40,800,000). Both words are found in discussions of rights, but â€Å"inherent rights† is more common with 415,000 search results than â€Å"intrinsic rights† with 35,300. Here are typical uses: The Government of Canada recognizes the inherent right of self-government as an existing Aboriginal right under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.   Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care. There is no such thing as an inherent right to health care. Today, family planning is almost universally recognized as an intrinsic right. Students must recognize that nobody has an inherent right to an advanced education. Inherent comes from a Latin verb that means, â€Å"to stick in† or â€Å"adhere to.† â€Å"An inherent characteristic† is one that is embedded in the thing that possesses it. Intrinsic comes from a Latin word meaning â€Å"inwards.† â€Å"An intrinsic characteristic† is something that belongs to the thing itself. Like the reader who posed the question, I feel that there is a subtle difference between the two, but cannot postulate a clear distinction. In many contexts they do seem to be interchangeable, but not in all. I’m more likely to talk about the â€Å"intrinsic value† of a thing than its â€Å"inherent value,† but I’d say with the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights that â€Å"Every human being has the inherent right to life.† This pair of words may have more precise meanings in a scientific context, but in general usage, the choice seems to rest with the speaker. If in doubt, perhaps you’d find one of the following a better choice for your purpose than either intrinsic or inherent: innate immanent built-in in-dwelling inborn ingrained deep-rooted essential fundamental basic structural organic natural instinctive instinctual congenital native inbred connate deep-seated indelible ineradicable integral 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowThe Difference Between "will" and "shall"Proverb vs. Adage