Rettelse af engelsk stil:)

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Close to the Water’s Edge

Throughout the short story “ Close to the Water’s Edge”, we follow the main character, “Harvard”, celebrating his nineteenth birthday and the fact that he is becoming a man. He is celebrating his birthday, at a fancy restaurant, along with his mother and his stepfather, the millionaire. The mother keeps talking about, how proud she is of her son, who is getting A’s at Harvard. But all he thinks about during the during the dinner, is the only person he loves, his late grandmother. She means a great deal to him. She took care of “Harvard”, when his parents got divorced. Furthermore he thinks of the time, when his grandmother full fills her dream, to see the ocean. But her dream shatters when she realises that the ocean is not as she expected. After the dinner “Harvard” drives down the beach, to “wash” away the memory of his birthday. This act nearly kills “Harvard”. But he manage to get out of the water and while he lies naked on the beach sand, the only thing he can think of, is how he can get a normal life.


The theme in this story has something to do with accepting yourself as you are. Lots of people has difficulties with their family, because they want you to be someone your not. This is also the case in the short story “Close to the Water’s Edge”.
The short story “ Close to the Water’s Edge”, is told by a third-person narrator this is based on that the narrator refers to “Harvard” as he. Furthermore the focus is based on the main character, “Harvard’s” actions and state of mind. The story takes places in a seaside town in Florida, United States of America.
The main character of the short story is “Harvard”. We never hear about his real name, the reason why he is called “Harvard”, is that he is going to Harvard University. He is a young, nineteen, man who feels very alienated by the world. This is based on that we never hear about any friends or girlfriends, which is very “normal” to have in this age. This makes “Harvard” a very unusual teenager, the only thing that is on his mind is, how he can please his mother. “Harvard” is a real swot in school, maybe he feels that this is his only “getaway” from the life in split that he is living. “Harvard” is apparently gay, this is clearly seen in this passage:
“It is a pink cake, the pinkest cake the young man ever has seen…”
This is a directly clue to “Harvard’s” sexual tendency. As aforementioned, “Harvard” is very split between his sexual tendency and the way the world looks at him. In the story’s first couple of lines it says:
“He stays out on the beach and through his shades watches the bathers…”
This passage gives one the impression that he is some kind of a predator, lurking at his next prey. But that is not the true, he is alone with his “problem”, he has no one to talk to. His mother ignores his “problem”, she only want to talk about the good thing, “Harvard’s” grades. His mother, a pig farmer’s daughter, is a small woman with a hot temper. The most important thing to her is money and glory.
“You play your cards right and this could all be yours someday.”
This undoubtedly show how sly she is. The only reason why she married the millionaire, was so that some day her son, “Harvard”, will inherit his fortune. I get the impression that she is trying to live her life through her son. She want him to do all the things she never did, such as going to Harvard University. But she also seem very proud of her son:
“No, I won’t be hushed up this time” He’s top of the class, and he’s nineteen years old today!”
This shows how proud she is of her son, but maybe it is just a false feeling of joy she is showing him, to cover up her disappointment about him being gay. But in the end it is her own fault that “Harvard” ended up being a fag. I think that, “Harvard”, as a little child has been very attached to his, very, dominating mother and he has not been strong enough to detach from his mother’s grab. So seen from a psychological view, she has legitimate “Harvard” in developing a feminine attitude to men, just because she could not let go of him.
“Harvard’s” stepfather, Robert the millionaire, is an ordinary-looking man with the whitest teeth money can buy. He does not like queers like “Harvard”:
“…and to not having queers in the military!”
This statement clearly show that the stepfather is homophobic and he does not like the person that “Harvard” is deep down inside. Furthermore he also seem to be very proud of the fact that he was a real stud, when he was young:
“…when I was in your age I had a different woman every weekend.”
He utters this statement while they are eating at the fancy restaurant, Leonardo’s. He knows that “Harvard” is gay, but still, he keep yakking about his achievements, only with the purpose to hurt and humiliate “Harvard”. But Robert’s relationship with “Harvard’s” mom is shallow, I have the impression that they don not love each other, they are only together to use one another.
“Harvard’s” grandmother has a great significance to the story. She is the only one “Harvard” has ever loved. When “Harvard’s” parents got divorced, she was the one that took care of him.
“Not a day has passed when he has not felt her absence.”
This thought crosses his mind while, he is on his way to the ocean that his grandmother loved so much. He is trying to do what his grandmother never did, live for no one but himself. When his grandmother was young, she drove to the ocean along with her husband. But he told her that she had one hour to walk by the water’s edge, if she was not back within that hour, he would leave without her. She decides to drive back with him, but she has been regretting it the rest of her life:
“…if she had to live again, she would never have climbed back into that car.”
She tells this to “Harvard” to make him realise that he shall only do what he want to do, not what other people wants him to do.
The part of the story, where lobster is trying to escape but waiter traps it, is actually very symbolic. The lobster’s escape is symbol of “Harvard’s” wish to get away from dinner, but he cannot do this, he feels that he is trap by his mother’s grab.
The end of the story where “Harvard” drives in rage away from the dinner, down to the beach to wash the evening off is also symbolic. But the most symbolic thing is when the waves are knocking him into the water. Water is normal used as a sign of rebirth, and this is also the water’s function in this case. After “Harvard” has fought against the waves and is back on the shore, he realises that he have to start living the life he want to live. Another symbolic thing is the fact that the tide has taken his clothes. This means that “Harvard” is totally naked, he is an unspoiled human being, ready to begin his life.
The author’s, Claire Keegan, purpose with this story, must be to throw light on the difficulties young people are exposed to in order to find out who they really are.




C)
I do not think that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt a child. We have to think about what is best for the child. Of course may adults experiment with their own life, but we cannot allow then to experiment with adopting children. Furthermore I also think that it is a child’s right to have both a mom and a dad. This right cannot be forsaken.
Just because we have accepted a law so gay and lesbian couples can marry, does it not mean that they have the same rights to have kids, as “normal” people do. It is also against the word of God. God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Adam. It is God’s intention that we shall marry one from the opposite sex.

Translation
The significance on sleeps ability to remember is surprisingly important shows new research. Mans memory is build-up in stages. First you collect knowledge about the subject – for instance by reading – but when you move on to do other things, the knowledge starts to faint. While you are sleeping a part of the lost knowledge is temporally re-created. The last stage is reached the next day, when you are trying to recall what it is you have read. If you had a good night of sleep, the brain remembers new knowledge better than if your sleep was inadequate. From this information the conclusion is obvious: A good night of sleeps has a huge effect on the memory.