Preview

Changing Places - How Zapp Morris and Philip Swallow's Life Changed

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4869 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Changing Places - How Zapp Morris and Philip Swallow's Life Changed
Table of Contents

Table of Contents 1
1 Morris Zapp 2 1.1 Morris Zapp at the beginning of ‘Changing places’ 2 1.2 Morris Zapp’s first few weeks in England 3 1.3 The rest of Morris Zapp’s stay in England 6
2. Philip Swallow 9 2.1 Philip Swallow at the beginning of ‘Changing places’ 9 2.2 Philip Swallow’s first few weeks in England 10 2.3 The rest of Philip Swallow’s stay in America 13
3 Literature 16

1 Morris Zapp

1.1 Morris Zapp at the beginning of ‘Changing places’

At the beginning of the novel Morris Zapp is extremely self-confident even arrogant, sarcastic, vain and feels superior when it comes to his work. He has a certain killer instinct that allows him to get what he wants and is a highly successful Professor at the Euphoric State University, whose career began very early as he already started publishing articles when he was still in graduate school. (Cf. Lodge 1975, p. 15)

‘Zapp was the man who had published articles in PMLA while still in graduate school; who, enviably offered his first job by Euphoric State, had stuck out for twice the going salary, and got it; who had published five fiendishly clever books (four of them on Jane Austen) by the time he was thirty and achieved the rank of a full professor at the same precocious age.’ (Lodge 1975, p. 15)

Though because of his great achievements when it comes to his career he has no aim anymore and is in a way depressed and also starts questioning the meaning of his life, as he feels that he has achieved everything he could achieve already. (Ibis p. 43f)

He could only significantly increase his salary either by moving to some god-awful place in Texas or the Mid-West where no one in his right mind would go for a thousand dollars a day, or by switching to administration, looking for a college Presidents job somewhere, which in the present state of the nation’s campuses was a through ticket to an early grave. At the age of forty, in short, Morris

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    was, his feeling of satisfaction inspired him to reflect on the path that got him to this point…

    • 3934 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vocation of Eloquence

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “Let us suppose that some intelligent man has been chasing status symbols all his life, until suddenly the bottom falls out of his world and he sees no reason for going on. He can’t make his solid gold Cadillac represent his success or his reputation or his sexual potency anymore: now it seem to him only absurd and a little pathetic. No psychiatrist or clergyman can do him any good, because his state of mind is neither sick nor sinful: he’s wrestling with his angel. He discovers immediately that he wants more education, and he wants in the same way that a starving man wants food. But he wants education of a particular kind. His intelligence and emotions may be quite well be in fine shape. It’s his imagination that’s been staved and fed on shadows, and its education in that that he specifically wants and needs.”…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Adam Corolla Usc Lecture

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of the basic tenets of life is that greater opportunities will appear to individuals that actively pursue and know how to recognize them. Since the majority of us do not have the luxury of being born into wealth or power, the choices that we make ultimately shape our successes in life. Adam Carolla begins by using examples to highlight the concepts of consistency and residual income. He explains that it is easier and more useful to understand how to sell something and continue selling it again and again as opposed to figuring out how to simply make a large amount of money. As a student that had performed poorly in high school, he worked a variety of jobs including carpet cleaner and boxing trainer before entering the media industry. Lacking a career support system, Carolla explains that it took him a long time to discover his path. The significance that he takes away from this lesson is the importance of “shooting for the stars” and finding a job that you can enjoy doing as a (pure) living.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Counselors as Companions

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As a result of the relationship that Steve had with his counselor, he has learned that sometimes the goals we set for ourselves may be unattainable. However, just because a goal needs to be modified a little, it doesn’t make it any less spectacular…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    High parental expectations: were put on him: “the ambition to succeed was instilled in me.” Having idealised his family (a “fine” one), he followed what they told and showed him, and from early age, worked in all his spare time, after school and during vacations as he took on his parents’ motto, “Keep busy; always have something constructive to do.” This continued in adult age when he kept busy and endeavouring to go up the ladder of professional success. Through his hard working he became director of a large bank. As his family was quite community-oriented, so was he, and he also became director of several civic organisations.…

    • 3046 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    He has faced adversity and has furthered his self knowledge. He is constantly testing himself by giving himself these tasks and overcoming them.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He explains that musicians and chess players spend about ten years practicing their craft to become the best at what they do. I believe this is the background for all successful people. If you are born into a rich and powerful family it is possible that you are handed down all the success. There is another reason why it runs in families, I believe that those people are shown from a very early age all the hours of work and dedication it takes to become wealthy and powerful therefor they have a better understanding…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The main character is very happy with his job in the beginning of the novel as we…

    • 2363 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zaroff reveals his ingenuity by being extremely smart and having excellent predictions and planning, with being able to have, "invested heavily…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William K. Zinsser (b. 1922), American critic and writer, was born in New York and educated at Princeton. A former columnist for Look and Life, he has been on the faculty of Yale University since 1970. His books include Pop Goes America (1966), The Lunacy Boom(1970), On Writing Well (1980), and Writing with a Word Processor(1983).…

    • 1405 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Michael Kors

    • 2089 Words
    • 9 Pages

    He had two aims as a child, to be a movie star or a fashion designer. He describes himself…

    • 2089 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    In basic human nature, people thrive and succeed off of their ambition. Simply put, ambition is the drive within individuals to work hard for a desired achievement. Although there are many types of ambition, work-related endeavors can corrupt the minds of anyone. When work becomes more important than experiencing the physical joys in life, people often become isolated and obsess over their ambition. Similarly, in the short story “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets,” Tom’s obsessive ambition that has taken over suddenly threatens his life. His willingness to do anything to wane his ever present ambition results in overwhelming regret and fear of his choices. In the short story “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets,” Jack Finney uses Tom to portray that when man allows ambition and obsession to take over, regret and fear of one’s decision becomes prevalent, and results in a transformation to…

    • 2219 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    During his childhood they brought trophies home for achievements which made him even more eager to be successful. His siblings still had social lives unlike him. When they had time to be out with their friends, he would be in the house studying. Neither his mom nor dad went to college. His mom graduated high school and got a typing job but lost it due to the lack of English. His father was promised to be able to further his education, but it never happened.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout Connell’s short story General Zaroff displays his intelligence and experience in hunting. The first thing that shows the reader that he is intelligent is the location of his island;; Zaroff has rightly chosen the island as a trap for the sailors who come to the island after their ship crashes into the rocks and making them his prey.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    worked extremely hard to make his money, and when he finally reaches the top his…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays