Some say that people never change. They may be right, but no one really knows. What people do know is that every living person has one thing in common, something that will never change. Everyone will die, there’s no way around it. Every “new” and “old” generation will succumb to the same ghastly fate. The differences in the “old” generation and “new” generation sometimes collide in life.
The contrast between generations in James Joyce’s “The Dead” is similar to the contrast in the generations today. The “baby boomer” generation is the old fashioned generation preoccupied with hospitality and tradition, where as, “generation x” is the new generation, preoccupied with knowledge and intellect. The “old” generation that James Joyce writes about is a generation of “humanity, of hospitality, of kindly humour…”(pg 127).
The qualities of this generation seem to be fading away. The older generation mentions that they no longer know of any singers that were as good as those of the present time. The old generation is to be remembered with “…pride and affection…”(pg 127).
The memories of the old will never die and will always be cherished. The old generation is good at keeping in touch with their past. They are proud of their heritage, one of which they mention is their good old Irish hospitality. The qualities of the past are qualities of passion and humanity, differing greatly from the qualities of the new generation. What these people lack, the new generation thrives on, which is knowledge. The newer generation is said to be “hypereducated”(pg 118).
The Essay on Critical Thinking Can Be Described As A Quality Of Good
Critical thinking can be described as a quality of good thinking processes and as one of the types of thinking. Critical thinking is concerned with evaluation of general ideas, processes, experiences or objects. Critical thinking is an integral part of everyday life of the students. This type of thinking develops such skills in students as know how and when to question, how to recognize when more ...
This generation is preoccupied with the search for knowledge. The new generation is educated and knows things that the older generation has no concept of, which was evident several times during Gabriel’s speech at the dinner table. Gabriel’s aunt did not understand what Gabriel speech was about, but she still smiled and was hospitable which corresponds with the qualities of her generation. The newer generation is always tormented with thought. They are constantly thinking of what some one else is thinking, or some one else is feeling. Gabriel is distraught when he tries to understand his wife and why she is upset.
When he finds out what the problem is, he finds out he was wrong and he doesn’t know everything, although he sometimes thinks so. The newer generation tries to better themselves through knowledge, but sometimes fails because of the lack of passion and the qualities of the older generation. The generations in “The Dead” differ because what one has, the other lacks. The older generation overflows with generosity, compassion, and hospitality, lacking knowledge. The newer generation is growing in knowledge and education, but fails to express the love and nationalism that the older generation displays. The gap in generations is a common way of life that is evident between generations today. The generations are linked only in that they will experience the love and loss of individuals they interact with..
