The Existence of Pathos in Dante’s Inferno

Madeleine Calhoun First Year Seminar Professor Scheible 11/24/12 The Existence of Pathos in Dante’s Inferno The strength of emotions drives many unjustifiable actions of humanity. The human race is subjected to feelings of pity and compassion. Yet, when did we obtain these potentially harmful yet also helpful feelings? Why do we have these uncontrollable emotions? And what can these feelings possibly contribute to an individual, or a society? There is much contemplation about the roles that pity and co.uk/on-compassion-summary-and-response/">compassion, as well as other feelings play into life.Emotions are the basis of all interaction and relationship; they enable a certain level of trust throughout literature, which can also perceptibly be applicable in everyday existence. Dante’s Inferno, is an epic piece of literature that contains exemplary instances of the use of pity and compassion. Pity is the ability to sympathize for one’s situation, being able to look d own with reason and an equal understanding. Compassion is affection, and care that is distributed and usually reciprocated in a relationship.These emotions are used to create a foundation relationship and a basis of trust throughout the text between the characters, and the reader. These most basic human emotions, pity and compassion, are fundamental to a true human experience. They build a level of trust between Dante, the writer, and his reader. A necessity in all of literature is to establish a balance of trust between the narrator and the reader. Without this relationship, the reader will become disinterested, and it will be more difficult for him or her to make the vital connections with the characters.Just as Calhoun 2 Virgil guides Dante through hell; the poet guides the reader through the work of literature. According to Professor Joseph Luzzi at Bard College, Dante addressed the reader 20 times throughout the poem (Poetry and Knowledge in Inferno: Dante’s World Wide W eb). This aids in the establishment of participation, and creates a more intimate and interactive relationship with the reader. The ability to have a protagonist with these human feelings of compassion develops a more believable plotline and affirms the easily accessible bond with the reader.Dante accomplished this by creating a relatable main character, himself, who feels the same average emotions as every natural human. Should we pity those in hell? This question rattles the minds of those who read Dante’s Inferno. In this vernacular poem Dante is both the author and the main character. He is taking a journey through hell guided by Virgil. Many have no idea why Dante wants to visit hell. However, many infer that Dante used this book as a form of revenge for the society of Florence, from which he was exiled in 1301.Also, he used this book as an attempt to exert more superiority over his enemies. Along the way, Dante emphasizes on all of the terrible sights of disfigured sinn ers, and giant monsters. His wild and imaginative tour taught him the full understanding of sin, and the consequences of these acts of wrongdoing. Dante experiences pity and compassion many times throughout the text. He pities the many sinners who have been placed in hell, and his friendship with Virgil aids his travels. These indisputable emotions both helped and hindered him during his time in hell.Hell itself is an intimidating, unknown, and violent place. All of those who sin and die on earth are welcomed by the devil to hell. The architecture of hell is not Calhoun 3 designed to promote pity and compassion. Dante learns through his excursion that pity is not the appropriate response to the sinners. All of the sinners are aware of their situation; they have chosen their sin and hell is the consequence for their actions. Those in hell do not need to feel emotions for each other, because they are all in the same position, and their conditions have no permanent means to improve.The re is no place in the typical hell for compassion. This negatively affects Dante because he is a naturally merciful human, which may explain why he is merely visiting hell, and not a permanent member of the community. Dante came upon this realization the hard way because many times in hell he was admonishes for showing empathy. When the citizens of hell noticed Dante’s common affiliation with these emotions they viewed him as weak. This concept reinforces that Dante was placed at a disadvantage in this moment in hell. In this situation, Dante saw one of his loves, Francesca.This romantic event obviously stirred him with both compassion and pity. â€Å"So that for pity I swooned as if in death. And down I fell as a dead body falls† (Dante V. 140-142). Dante’s implicit human instinct drove his emotions towards mercy for his poor lover. His previous mode of affection towards Francesca was no longer welcomed, and he now sympathized for his woman, and the preceding l ust that they shared. These feelings should prove Dante a sincere mortal, are inhibit him in this situation. By comparing himself to a falling dead body, this may further be setting him on a similar Calhoun 4 omparative ground as those in hell. Dante may not realize how much hell is having an internal affect on him. This quote also displays Dante’s capacity to feel compassion for others, and he is instantly vulnerable to the maniacal tendencies of the sinners. He needs the compassion, and reassurance that he will not join the sinners in this cold alternate world. It is inevitable to recognize that fact that because Dante pities those in hell, his own position of morality should be questioned. In order to pity the sinners, would you have to understand them?Or, at the least, be able to reason with their sins? Possibly it is merely the violent darkness, and impending deathly gloom that impulsively convinces Dante that these sinners are in need of condolence. He struggles with th ese pities, for it is difficult to have any sort of involvement with this society of hell. Dante’s strong sense of moral indignation makes it difficult for him to see the truth behind sin. However, it is these realizations that convince him that he belongs, or hopes to belong in heaven, instead of hell.Perhaps the answer for those sinners in hell is that they do not posses this widely acknowledged, and ordinarily accepted trait of compassion. After all, in the modern day basic relationships and families are built off of the trust that is ensured by a certain degree of compassion. The ability to pity shows an individual’s mental capacity of care. Isn’t Dante just being a nice guy by feeling bad for those burning in hell? Pity and compassion may occasionally hinder Dante’s chances and position in hell; however, without these vital emotions, Dante would not have made it through alive.Dante admits it for himself in Canto II, that the compassion he is given pr ovides him with the strength, Calhoun 5 and power, to continue on with his travel through hell. Here, compassion is a positive emotion because it provides companionship, and allows for understanding. In this situation, Dante exudes his fear of hell. Beatrice, his other lover, and Virgil both console him, and show him the necessary compassion to inspire him to continue his journey. â€Å"Such in my failing strength, did I become. And so much courage poured into my heart†¦ Your words have made my heart So eager for the journey† Dante II. 130-131, 136-137). Here pity and compassion serve as a motivation, and help Dante develop throughout his sojourn in hell. He uses the word â€Å"eager† to display how much a small act of compassion can almost rejuvenate Dante of fear. This quote explicitly displays the positive effects of empathy. Dante learns that when controlled, these emotions can show who the true sinners are. These relationships with others prove to Dante that he is not as alone as he primarily stated in the beginning of the canto. These extrapolations from the text can show that pity is transmittable, and malleable.The feelings may come and go, yet they arrive at a convenient time for Dante’s incentive to proceed. Dante’s relationship with Virgil is the epitome of an example of compassion as a contagion. Virgil is not originally accustomed to being around these emotions, and he quickly learns that for this journey, as well as most others in life, pity and compassion are necessary. When Virgil notices Dante’s merciful nature, he first admonishes him for these feelings, but by the end, Virgil is taking part in the sequence of empathy. Calhoun 6 â€Å"He looked with care upon the ruin, Took though, chose a plan of action,Then opened out his arms and took me in them† (Dante XXIV. 22-24). In this situation, Virgil was taking Dante through bridges, and climbing up cliffs. These are dangerous tasks in hell, and Virgi l recognized this, then quickly after involuntarily reaches to embrace Dante, satisfying his need for compassion. Primarily in the plot Virgil is only Dante’s teacher; however, by the end of the poem, Virgil serves as more of a paternal or lord-like figure. He sees Dante as an equal for enduring the difficult circumstances of hell, and developing a thickness against the sinners.Any form of compassion that Dante receives from Virgil mitigates his negative experiences, and establishes a necessary basis of trust between the two. This relationship pushes them both further on their journey, because they know that they are not alone. Dante learns from his acquaintances with pity that not everyone deserves it, and as the plot progresses, Dante develops a sort of strength, and begins to have immunity against the sore sights in hell. This illustrates that pity and compassion have positive potential to help an individual, and can shift depending on the affects or consequences of the em otion.Opposing the internal pities that Dante holds in the text, he also cannot help but pity himself. Perhaps, this may be a reflection or effect from the compassion that he sees being given to others. The theory that Dante pities himself as well as the sinners could prove to be one of Dante’s mental rationalizations for the creation of Inferno. His Calhoun 7 experiences with these feelings exhibit the circuitous cycle of pity and compassion. First, Dante pities himself for being exiled; his solution then is to write the Inferno. His pity then shifts to the sinners in hell, and for this he eventually receives compassion from Virgil.In the end, Dante reached a stage of revenge in which pity had been alienated. This cycle of pity takes control of Dante, and puts him in an inferior position to the others in hell, or to his fellow writers on earth. Dante sympathizes for himself because ultimately it is him who understands his own feelings of remorse from being exiled from his ho me. This proof of pity places Dante at an even more comparable human level, because the average individual in humanity finds it easy to take pity on themselves. If Dante had not been exiled†¦ would he have put all of his enemies in hell?Would Inferno have even been written in the first place? Pity and compassion are necessary emotions in Inferno, as well as in actual existence. Understanding this pathos of Dante and his relationships with Virgil shows the reader the extent to which pity and compassion can affect an individual. These overcoming feelings are natural, and they can both help and hinder depending on the situation. They should not be held back because they teach the essentials of truth and trust, and good and evil. The relationships developed from compassion assist us everyday, without them the human race would be alone.If it were not for the pity that Dante had for others, and himself, we would have not been exposed to the necessary connections towards developing th e Inferno. However, the larger question that should be considered is†¦ where would human existence be without these emotions of pity and compassion? Calhoun 8 Works Cited Dante, Alighieri, Robert Hollander, and Jean Hollander. Inferno. New York: Doubleday, 2000. Print. Luzzi, Joseph. â€Å"Poetry & Knowledge in Inferno: Dante's World Wide Web. † Dante Inferno Symposium. Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson. Oct. -Nov. 2012. Lecture.

Industrial Relations Essay

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They try to get full co-operation of workers for achieving this objective. †¢ Government: The government plays an important role in establishing better industrial relations. Government passes various laws to protect the interest of both employers and employees. Causes of poor Industrial Relations †¢ An attitude of contempt towards the workers on the part of the management †¢ Inadequate fixation of wages or improper wage structure †¢ Indiscipline †¢ Unhealthy working conditions at the workplace †¢ Lack of human relations skills on the part of supervisors and managers †¢ Desire of workers for higher bonus, wages or daily allowances †¢ Desire of employers to pay as little as possible to its workers Cont.. †¢ Inadequate welfare facilities †¢ Dispute on sharing the gains of productivity †¢ Retrenchment, dismissal and lockouts by the management †¢ Strikes by the workers †¢ Inter-union rivals †¢ Mental inertia on the part of the management. Industrial Disputes Introduction ââ€" « conflicts, disorder or unrest arising between workers and employers on any ground ââ€" « Such disputes finally result in strikes, lockouts and mass refusal of employees to work, until resolved ââ€" « harm both parties employees and employers ââ€" « always against the interest of both employees and the  employers Principles assigned by courts for  judging the nature of disputes †¢ The dispute must affect large number of workmen †¢ The dispute should be taken up by the Industry Union †¢ The parties involved in dispute must have direct interest †¢ The consulted demand must become grievance †¢ Workmen can raise Industrial Dispute himself under Section 2A of Industrial Disputes Act -1947 Forms of Industrial Disputes †¢ The Industrial Dispute can arise in any of the  following form given below: ââ€" « Strike ââ€" « Lockout ââ€" « Gherao Strike †¢termination of work †¢refusal to work of any number of persons will result to a strike †¢if workers are going on mass casual leave under common  understanding this will also result in strike †¢the workmen on strike must be employed in an ‘industry’ which has not been closed down †¢the relationship of employers and employees continues even though in a state of suspension Lockout †¢ Section 2(1) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 defines â€Å"lockout† to mean the temporary closing of a place of employment or the suspension of work, †¢ Or, the refusal by an employers to continue to employ any number of persons employed by him, †¢ lockout, thus, is the counterpart of strike – the corresponding weapon the hands of employer to resist the collective demands of workmen or to enforce his terms †¢ the suspension of work as a disciplinary measure does not amount to lockout †¢ temporary suspension of work called lay-off is not lock-out Gherao †¢ Gherao means encirclement of the managers to  criminally intimidate him to accept the demands of  the workers. †¢ As per the oxford English Dictionary: ââ€" « Gherao means a protest in which workers prevent  employers leaving a place of work until demands are  met.

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Compare the yoga system prescribed in the Yoga Sutra to that Essay

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Analysis Of Claude Steeles Whistling Vivaldi

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The first major assignment that we did this semester was the paper on Robert Sapolskys Ego Boundaries, or the Fit of My Fathers Shirt. This assignment was unique in its nature, as it demanded us to deeply analyze each and every part of the text: summarize it, reflect upon the ideas of the text by explaining them, and finally exploring our own experiences with those ideas. Clearly, the assignments goal was to teach us the proper way to understand texts, and integrate ideas that are present in texts with our own lives. I have to admit that in the beginning I had no idea how to complete the assignment, but with the clear directions that were provided, I managed to do it. It was very surprising when I realized that the writing process for this paper was very mechanical and precise. Before this paper, I always thought that writing such complicated papers required a lot of imagination, which I thought I did not have. However, now I understand that all that I needed to do is to read the tex t thoroughly, brainstorm for ideas, and to formulate the final version of the paper based on my ideas and on drafts that I previously wrote. I felt a huge satisfaction and relief after completion of the assignment, because I have learnt a huge lesson for myself from this assignment and I was ready for this type of tasks in the future. However, as confident as I felt after completing the Sapolsky paper, I had never imagined that there were different approaches to writing these kinds of essays. One of the major tasks was to write an essay based on a very complicated book by Ervin Goffman The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. This book was intended for large audiences with no particular knowledge about the study of psychology. Nevertheless, the text was very difficult to analyze as it contained many complicated words, intricate sentence structure, and allusions to other works on similar topics. . I felt overwhelmed by reading long and complicated literature because I thought I needed to remember every single detail that I read. However I learned to highlight the main ideas as I read so that I could go back and find details if I needed to recall on them for my essay. Due to this technique, I improved my analytical skill tremendously and was able to extract the main ideas throughout the text, and combine them to w rite a decent essay. The primary difficulties I faced doing this task were the abundance of scientific terms and the overall difficulty of the text. In order to understand the text, I had to read it carefully, part by part, so that I could get the connection between the ideas in the text. By taking notes every time I encountered something interesting and provoking, I managed to construct the outline for the essay. Then, writing the essay itself became much easier since I had all the ideas on my notes. The only thing I had to do to finish the assignment was to assemble the notes and combine them in meaningful sentences and in correct order to provide the essay with a proper flow and preciseness. The course has offered a wide range of reading and writing techniques and styles, thus helping me formulate the notion of clear, rich, and focused writing. The essays and papers we wrote this semester helped me formulate my own writing process, with help of which I can comfortably and very efficiently write papers based on academic readings that the university classes offer. As far as I am concerned, I have become a much more attentive reader and a much better writer since I took this class. I have to admit that I was rather skeptical about what the class had to offer me, but now I understand how important it was for me to be a part of this class and had such a valuable experience. With the knowledge that I have acquired during this semester, I am very eager to start working on papers and essays regarding my own field of specialization. Understanding other peoples stories In his article Understanding Other People Stories Roger Schank discusses the challenges people encounter when trying to understand each other. According to Schank, people frequently do not understand what others tell them. It is easier to remember a notion or a belief if it is told in a form of a story. He presents a theory that all the information, experience and events we understand are incorporated in a story that that we remember and share with others. Schank states that understanding means to respond to the speakers stories with stories of listeners own memory. People learn from stories if they can relate it to something that they previously knew. Moreover, we truly understand a new story only if it made us reexamine our previous stories. Throughout the text author talks about different things that are important to know about understanding other peoples stories. There is an interesting point that the author describes is a selective listening. People hear only some parts of the stories they are told and tend to listen to the ones that interest them. The reason for that is that we care about topics that we can understand and relate to. We cannot think of about all the possible ramifications of something we are being told. So we pay attention to what interests us (Schank, 374). He presents a notion about index, which is a kind of symbol that helps people classify all the stories they have in the memory. Schank describes it as [a]n index is a juxtaposition of another persons beliefs, made evident by statements or actions, with ones own beliefs (Schank, 380). We use them to label some stories of beliefs that we had before in our system of values. Furthermore, the author describes the topic about the way people understand stories as that they do it by reflecting their own stories onto the speakers stories. Understanding process of other peoples stories involves identifying ourselves to our own memories. We can use our own stories to confirm the beliefs of others that were imposed on a particular object. An example of this is my recent conversation with my parents. Last time using Skype, we were talking about my new life at Berkeley. I told them my story of getting used to my new environment that involved the difficulties and obstacles that I struggled with during the first month. There were a lot of challenges; I told them that it is really hard to study abroad, and particularly at such a place as Berkeley. I have troubles with a lot of things ranging from studying unfamiliar subjects to living in the dorm. Interestingly, their response was recalling their own time when they were students in college as I am now. And what they told me is that everybody goes through this process that I am neither the first one nor the last one. The academic year will pass quickly before I even notice it. I just need to be patient and do my best to succeed in college. I found their answer interesting, since I could see the relation of it to the idea that people understand stories by reflecting their own stories. My parents reflected my story to their own experience when they were in college. They saw my story as a story about them as a Subject 5 from the text did. They found an index of studying at college is difficult time and that everyone goes through this process. As a result they just confirmed their previously held beliefs about hard time at university. This is an example of the process when people understand a story by recalling their own memories. Another interesting idea that the author highlights in the article is that people often misunderstand other peoples stories by relating their own experience to the new story. When the listener hears a new story he finds an old story from his memory, which he can use to relate it to. However, the idea is that we usually find only one principle to relate a story, because it is enough for us. That is why each person understands stories in a different way. A good example of that could be how I personally got confused when I was reading Robert Sapolskys Ego boundaries or the Fit of my Father Shirt. At first, I misunderstood the nitroglycerin bottle as the bottle containing the ashes of the authors father. This happened because of the word frailty, which I thought to be remains of his father, but having discussed this article in the class I realized that this was just a medicine that his father used to take. This misunderstanding happened because of my previous experiences with the word fr ailty. I related the context of the text as a story about people who hold ashes of their ancestors in a vase, since it is important and sacred remains of their loved ones. Because I initially knew a story about such people I just related it to the new story that I have read. My index was that people remember and honor deceased relatives in way of storing their ashes. I had a belief that people often keep the ashes of their ancestors after the death, so that they have some part of the deceased person to relate to him. Thus recalling a previously known story to understand a new one led me to misunderstanding the core context. This example proves the idea that people often misunderstand stories by reflecting their own meanings on it. To learn from the story you need to enhance the old story with details that you matched with a new one. Because people tend to understand other peoples stories mainly through reflecting the stories they previously knew, the question then arises: How do people get beyond this circle of understanding and learning new things? Schank answers this with a contradictory approach. He argues that it happens due to irregularity in understanding stories. By not fully understanding the story they learn something new easily since that piece of information gets stuck in their memories for a while when they identify the mistake afterwards., as he points this out, [w]e really only learn when the stories we hear relate to beliefs that we feel rather unsure of, ones that we are flirting with at the moment, so to speak. When we are wondering, consciously or unconsciously, about the truthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, then the evidence provided by others can be of some use (Schank, 388). Schank believes that people c an learn something new only when they ask questions and analyze their views. For example, in the Sapolskys article Ego boundaries or the Fit of my Father Shirt, the author describes the relationship with his father, and the way he thought about his father as a mentally ill person. He tries to use his previously known stories such as scientific knowledge of the disorders to explain the illness of his father. His index is that science can explain everything. He uses his understanding of mental disorder to examine the behavior of his father. As a result, Sapolsky considers his father as a scientific case not as a father. Using his scientific knowledge he tries to explain that his father had split brain disorder that led to vanishing of his ego boundaries. However, through the process, he realizes that he is not able to justify his previously believed thoughts about his father as a mentally ill patient, because the science could not answer all of the questions the author had. In the end he understands that the problem was not in the diagnosis, but in the attitude towards the problems he had with his father. Thus, he teaches himself a new story: by reexamining his previously held beliefs about an index that scientific approach can explain everything in the life. In the conclusion we can see that the process of understanding other peoples stories is complicated. Understanding involves such process as indexing, finding old stories to relate, and reflecting them to the new ones. We usually do it by relating our own stories to the new stories that we hear, but finding similar elements in our own story and the story being told is different to all people. Therefore, we learn from new stories if we rethink our previously held beliefs. The Role of Thefts in Theft The main topic in Joyce Carol Oatess Theft are the different kinds of thefts. Theft in the story appears to take both physical and intangible forms such as stealing pens, wallets, personalities, authority and reputation. Theft is a zero-sum game with no win-win outcome. That is a fundamental idea which lies throughout Oates story. Peoples vulnerabilities, bad habits and motivations of hatred are resembled through these thefts. The author presents several facts of theft to allow a reader to analyze motives of a thief, his/her psychology and consequences of such their acts. The main character, a college sophomore, Marya Knauer has a complex and ambiguous attitude towards theft. She perceives it as a weakness, which prevails over her sense of moral duty and voice of reason, but also as a tool that she believes can empower her. Her first stealing experience began with silly little shoplifting expeditions which insensibly rose into a sequence of spontaneous, rash and pointless thefts (143). Admittedly, stealing gave her a feeling of elation and triumph when she appropriated someones genuinely valuable possessions. It can be inferred that Marya clearly understood that her habit to steal was disgusting but she could not resist any opportunity to do so. It seems she sought excitement and a dose of adrenaline by getting involved in risky and morally unacceptable affairs. Moreover, Marya considered theft as an act of liberating herself when her personal life was constrained and dictated by others will, when she had had to submit to the routine schedule of Wilmas household and she was living her life as it were nothing more than an extension of theirs (142). Stealing made her feel free because she could transgress the bounds of decency, disregard rules, and neglect prohibitions without being caught and taken into accountability. She could hardly fight her impulse even though her euphoria lasted fraction of a second. For Marya stealing was a way of seeking revenge from people who tried to take advantage from her. She stole a pen from a professor who did not give her a good grade, because he lost some of her work during grading. Having put much effort in studying, she took everything too seriously what resulted in professor calling her rather grim as she was always thinking only about academics. The reaction to such rude remark was her lying about her mo ther serious illness and stealing the professors pen. Marya felt her pulses were beating hot, in triumphed for a way of defeating the professor for the words he said and for the grades he gave (158). Moreover, she did not feel guilty or ashamed because she believed that professor deserved this. She started using this pen signing her name repeatedly, hypnotically: Marya, Marya, Marya Knauer, Marya Marya Marya Knauer, a name that eventually seemed to have been signed by someone else, a stranger (159). She saw this act of stealing as triumph over the professor, who tried to hurt Maryas identity. Interestingly, theft takes on a more sophisticated form when it comes to reading. The reading she did acquired an aura, a value, a mysterious sort of enchantment (142). It was perceived as a forbidden fruit, something illicit, precious beyond estimation (142). Indeed, she could be completely immersed in reading, slipping out of her consciousness and into that of the writers (142). She found herself entirely absorbed into writers ideas and mentality as if her mind was led by an invisible hand, and that experience was electrifying and hypnotizing. It prompted her to conceive life as an ephemeral and to regard everything as superficial and trivial. Mere life was the husk, the actors performance, negligible in the long run (142). Reading as a process was equally elating and exciting as stealing but not criminal and risky. Maryas personality was splitting and she started losing authenticity while making her way through writers imagination, greedily reading every word as it was her own, tr eating every emotion, idea expressed and the plot itself as her own creation. Maryas addiction to reading can be expressed by absence of any intrigue in her personal life, which Oates describes as isolated, ascetic, and monotonous (143). Reading is treated as a one-sided relationship which she benefits from without giving anything back. When the book Marya read seemed to take life through her, she could get her emotions, which are usually experienced and nurtured through building relations with other people. The first theft that is depicted in the story happens with Marya, when her wallet with a month salary from part time job at university library and her favorite pen were stolen from her room in Maynard House. These incidents made Marya become anxious and angry, feeling unprotected before the real world. It ruined her previous impressions of the university life and made her very cautious and even distrustful for other students. Marya decided to isolate from the world by staying in her room all the time and reading every book she could find. (142). As a consequence she became a complete robot, having a derelict life, because she could not trust anyone in her dormitory anymore. Marys isolated living and unsocial behavior reflects her attitude towards friendship. She asserts that friendship is a waste of time on something ephemeral and not worthwhile (154). Marya is completely obsessed with studying; her energy is devoted to maintaining high grades. However, relationship with Imogene alters her perception of the friendship. It evolves from a friendly acquaintance to admiration, mutual benefit, envy, competition, ignorance and culminates in break up. Imogene is presented as a chameleon playing various roles in public, quickly adapting her behavior to changing circumstances, and changing her mood and attitudes frequently. Her inquisitive character and easygoing informality are seen by Marya as intrusion into her privacy, her secret isolation. Marya and Imogene become interdependent but they are not interested in the actual friendship. Maryas life changed drastically when she met Imogene Skillman. The first time when Imogene appeared in the dorm room, Marya was depressed and reduced the protection level from the world. Marya recognized from the first look that Imogene was somewhat unique person, not resembling other student on the campus. But Marya could not fully understand what Imogenes real personality was. After spending more time with Imogene, Marya still did not acknowledge that they are becoming friends. She always questioned herself if she appreciated Imogenes friendship and even accepted that she liked Prhyllis more (153). This girl majored in mathematics and lived next-door, and according to Maryas system of values of true friendship Philly was a best match as an appropriate company. In spite of Phyllis being more likeable friend, Marya could not stop thinking that she is more inclined towards Imogene. Marya is flattered by Imogenes attention; she accompanies her to coffee shop, meets with her friends trying to impress them. Marya cautiously succumbs to Imogenes admiration and tolerates flattery since she fears becoming dependent on her friendship, for dependency is equivalent to limited freedom. Her protest against Imogenes influence and domination is expressed in the intense concentration on her academic performance. She threw herself into work with more passion than before, eager to face challenges and vindicate that her intellectual achievements demonstrate her wealth, thus soft power (154). The difficulties in friendship that Marya and Imogene had with each other originate from different backgrounds they had before. First, Marya came from a poor family, where she had to obey restrictions and authority. On the contrary, Imogene being from a rich family had a nonchalant life with lots of freedom and opulence. The thefts that are illustrated in the story had a great influence on the development of the relationship between main characters. Thus, thefts caused Marya and Imogene to realize what true friendship is. However, Marya and Imogene have never become best friends, because Imogene, in contrast, had plans of her own about Marya. Imogene stole Maryas time by spending time in the coffee shops with her friends, stole characteristics of Maryas personality like mimicking in order to perform on stage, and rumored bad things about Maryas reputation. But when Marya realized that Imogene was using her for own purposes, she immediately felt deceived and angry. However, even though Marya understood Imogenes true intentions, she could not stop having relationships with Imogene. Marya discovered Imogenes true nature at the dinner in a sorority house where Marya was invited as a guest. When she heard that Imogene made Matthew write a paper on Chekhov for herself, Marya began suspecting the true Imogenes intentions and desires (163). Her suspicion grew up more when Marya knew about Imogenes cheating on her fiancà © with a stranger. Imogene did it on purpose to make Marya and Matthew jealous of her. After all these underprivileged activities of Imogene, Marya begins to realize that she has become Imogenes possession, a trophy displayed to her alleged admirers, just a decoration in her one-actor performance. Marya rethinks her concept of friendship writing that it is play-acting of an amateur type and a puzzle that demands too much of imagination (154). Maryas protest against Imogenes influence and domination is expressed in the stealing the earrings of Imogene the Aztec ones, the barbarian-princess ones (175). The author wittingly emphasizes the earrings design to show that they symbolize Imogenes social status, popularity and dominance on the campus. Stealing in this case epitomizes betrayal and presumably attempt to appropriate Imogenes privileges. Unlike Maryas previous inconsequential thefts this case has a major impact on both characters. She did it on purpose to get everyones attention to her, to show that Marya was stronger than all the disloyalties and intrigues against her. She even pierced her ears, risking infection and sickness, and showed everyone that she is truly a nut that cant be cracked (174). Marya felt triumphant, she did not fear being caught up and punished. In contrast, Marya had worn earrings everywhere, for everyone to see, to comment, and to admire and she had been amused at Imogenes shocked expression (17 6). That theft left no winner. Imogene and Maryas friendship was completely ruined. Both students driven by envy and competition have been contributing to gradual erosion of their relationship by covertly and sometimes explicitly stealing each others intangible possessions. Various thefts depicted in the story tell readers about the many different circumstances that Marya and Imogenes friendship had to go through. Marya Knauer is a vivid instance of a strong willed personality. Despite all of the hostile and embarrassing obstacles and actions towards her, she managed to overcome and keep the perfect record, so that to save her status and character unbroken. The effects of stereotype threats Whistling Vivaldi by Claude M. Steele is a thorough analysis of a concept known as identity contingency. According to Steele, contingencies are circumstances you have to deal with because of a given social identity. Identity contingencies from the authors perspective represent constraints, both formal and implicit, tied to social, ethnic, religious, gender or any other recognized identity (3). Identity contingencies negatively affect individuals since they deprive those prone to being stereotyped or discriminated of equal opportunities, and abilities. Steeles research interest in identity contingencies and the roles they play in peoples lives stems from his personal experience of segregation. He reflects on his childhood when he was a victim of racial order in the 1950s, which placed a number of restrictions tied to the identity, from housing and school segregation to employment discrimination (3). Those conditions made individuals feel their racial identities and deal with their neg ative implications in everyday life. Steele focuses his research on educational issues tied to identity contingencies and their influence on academic performance among minority college students. The author argues that identity contingencies and specifically stereotype threats negatively impact the intellectual abilities of students; moreover he encourages exploring and implementing solutions to alleviate the stress and underperformance in academic setting in order to help students succeed at university. The aim of the research is to prove the importance of identity contingencies and of understanding identity threat to personal and societal progress (Steele, p.15). Steele comes up with several general patterns of findings. The first is the role identity contingency have in shaping individual lives. The second suggests that their negative impact contributes to the most important social problems in society, thus undermining social integrity. Third is a general process by which stereotype threats interfere with a broad range of human functioning. Finally, they offer a set of solutions that can alleviate effects of the identity threats. At the forefront of Steeles analysis is a stereotype threat, a particular kind of identity contingency. He speculates that stereotype threat embodies a standard human predicament, powerful enough to constrain behavior simply by putting a threat in the air. It is a widespread phenomenon found in any given society and any potential identity group can become subjected to it. It can be applied to any situation to which stereotype is relevant. Thus, it follows members of the stereotyped group into these situations as a balloon over their heads (Steele, p. 5). The author asserts that it is hard to eradicate stereotype threats, though the pressure they impose on individuals can be eased. Stereotype threat is an intrinsic part of human interrelations, a tool used by individuals, driven by a basic instinct of competition. Unlike discrimination in its gross forms, stereotype threats are formed subconsciously to benefit privileges of one social group, competing for opportunity and decent life, at the expense of the other group. The correlation between identity contingency and intellectual performance, in particular academic, preoccupies Steele throughout his research. He sheds light on the issue of academic underperformance of students from underrepresented backgrounds. The problem he believes has repercussions at a nationwide level, even though people think they live in a racially fair and identity-fair society (212). He perceives it as a core American struggle, wherein institutions try to integrate themselves racially, ethnically, class-wise (Steele, p. 17). In his attempt to reveal what factors account for persistent academic struggles of minority students, Steele uses a concept known as observers actors perspective. The actors perspective emphasizes students characteristics, their intellectual luggage, aspirations, values, skills, and expectations. He accesses that the actors perspective can be essential in explaining underperformance since the observers perspective alone cannot provide the full pictur e of the problem. His research appeals to E. Jones and R. Nisbett concept of the difference between those two perspectives. They argued that the observers perspective is subject to bias because it stresses the things we can see, the actors traits and characteristics. But it deemphasizes these traits and characteristics which fall out of the observers literal and mental visual field, namely circumstances the actor responds to and the environment he has to adapt to. Steele believes that the actors perspective can offer a plausible explanation of the link between identity contingency and intellectual performance. The feedback he receives from minority students supports his view. Students noted the university environment, wherein their social status was subtly accentuated and social life which was organized by race, ethnicity, and social class. This organization led to a rather racially homogeneous teaching staff and faculty. As a result, their social networks were organized by race. They were also puzzle d by the fact that minority styles, interests and preferences were marginalized on campus (Steele, p. 19). Steele in his book presents several experiments conducted to demonstrate how stereotype threat indirectly affects behavior and interferes with physical or intellectual performance. Experiments he refers to, Michigan Athletic Aptitude Test and the one done at Princeton University, clearly show that the pressure stereotype threat is distracting enough to lead to individuals failure in particular task. The task in experiment measured the very trait and ability the group was stereotyped as lacking. Knowledge of the negative stereotypes relevance in the given situation made the assessed group fear that frustration on the task could be misinterpreted and seen as confirming the stereotype. Hence, any deviation in performance, whether mental or physical, or a false move could cause an individual to be reduced to the stereotype and treated accordingly. Steele admits that it is hard to prove that something abstract like stereotype threat can have a substantial effect on the individuals perform ance. Nonetheless, the research and experiments he undertakes supports his hypothesis of stereotype threats detrimental effect on individual performance. His research focus raises a number of thought-provoking questions about the ways stereotypes affect our intellectual functioning, stress reactions, and the tension that can exist between different groups. Moreover, he explores strategies that alleviate these effects in order to help solve societal problems (Steele, p. 13). Steele conducts an experiment to prove that academic achievement problem of minority students is not entirely due to skill and ability deficits. He contends that external factors and social and psychological aspects of academic experience can be powerful enough to directly or indirectly impair intellectual performance. Hence, the environment and status of a student can be an actual component of ability. Steele comes up with a stigmatization idea, an idea that a devalued social status can cause und

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk | The Outsider by Albert Camus

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk | The Outsider by Albert Camus In both Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and The Outsider by Albert Camus, the protagonist explores the significance of their existence. The two characters determine that everyone is destined to the same fate. The narrator says Its easy to cry when you realize everyone you love will reject you or die(Palahniuk, p8). Later on in the novel one understands why the narrator is unnamed, however for simplicity sake he is often referred to as Jack. Jack is right; were all privileged to the same ending. We all die, even better we all die alone. This is a philosophical outlook on life that is commonly referred to as The Absurd. Humanitys efforts to find meaning in the universe are waste because such a thing will ultimately fail. The philosophy concludes that this search for a meaning of life is a search that is humanly impossible and therefore absurd. The originally materialistic narrator in Fight Club, who remains unnamed throughout the novel, as well as the seemingly irrational French man Mers ault eventually believe whole heartily in the Absurd. Throughout both novels several examples of emerge which demonstrate their application of the Absurd. There are four commonalities in the books that offer the best illustration of this philosophy and how it applies to their lives; each commonality illustrates strange behaviour by the main characters. They challenge the reader to analyse whether or not their actions are appropriate or utterly ridiculous. Initially both protagonists are faced with a certain traumatic event; both react similarly to each other however their response is strikingly different than the average persons, they do not cry, they are not enraged because they live life completely in the present. Soon after, confronted with another odd situation, both Jack and Mersault do the strangest of things which infringe on the standard set of morals followed by most. But for a moment one wonders, why should they act any differently? Following these actions, the reader sees the most brutal consequence of their beliefs; the death and dismemberment of other characters making it clear that they do not care for the lives of others. Finally at the end of both novels, both protagonists have their epiphanies. They settle on an answer to a fundamental question, what is the significance of their life, and the lives of others? It is clear that this belief in the Absurd is what makes these novels so fascinating, it is what drove the plot, instigated character growth and lead them to an eventual peace. Jack and Mersault live life completely in the present. Their realization of lifes meaninglessness allows them to live free of remorse and guilt. They both accept their pasts and move on. Both men are confronted with an incident which would be detrimental to most. The men experience all things at face value, and so they are focused on the details of what is currently happening around them experiencing the even with a lack of forceful emotions. To most this looks like a distinct detachment from the traumatic event, and that the two men lack the understanding of basic human reaction. Within the novel Fight Club, Jack is first stuck living a materialist lifestyle. A life of mediocrity, Jack works as a product recall specialist, lives alone with his IKEA furniture and a wardrobe that was becoming very respectable. Eventually he is drawn towards a puzzling man named Tyler Durden whom he met on one of his many business trips. When arriving home from that very trip, Jack is welcomed by all his belongings scattered on the street. There had been an explosion inside his apartment. With no home and having lost all his possessions, Jack says: May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect. Deliver me, Tyler, from being perfect and complete (Palahniuk 31). Why did Jack appear completely void of emotion at a time like this? Imagine: youve lost almost everything you own, youre left with just the clothes on your back after living your life owning everything you need. You feel sad, you feel crushed, and you are overcome with emotions. Jack feels nothing of that sort. Oh, not my refrigerator, this was the extent of his emotions felt towards the event (Palahniuk 30). Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the implications of this event, Jack looks over his items which have been scattered on the sidewalk. To Jack this explosion had blasted [his] clever Njuranda coffee table in the shape of a lime green ying and an orange yang that fit together to make a circle, and ruined his Haparanda sofa group with the orange slip covers, designed by Erika Pekkari (Palahniuk 28). These kinds of details often fall to the back of ones mind when evaluating such disadvantageous occurrences. Yet Jack definitely does not waste his time pondering about the single fact that he has lost his belongings. In the first sentence of The Outsider, Mersault is notified that his mother has died. He receives the news through a telegram. The telegram simply says that that there will be a funeral tomorrow. As heart breaking as this news should be, Mersault gets straight to the logistics of attending the funeral. His first thought is the distance to which he must travel to attend the funeral. Fifty miles, he decides he can catch the two oclock bus and get there in the afternoon (Camus 9). He does end up catching the two oclock bus and does in fact attend the funeral, yet expresses none of the emotions which are expected in such a circumstance. Mersault sees the funeral as it is and nothing more. He takes note of the small things that happen without adding an opinion about it. When they sat down most of them looked at me and nodded awkwardly. Mersault lets the reader know of all the details that do not escape him. He notices that they had their lips all sucked into their toothless mouths and tha t they were all sitting opposite me round the caretaker (Camus 15). Mersault is giving insight into how he feels about the funeral, although his mind is not busy mourning over the loss of his mother. Instead he makes remarks such as: I was tired and I was hot under my dark clothes (Camus 20). One should not be thinking about much besides the loss of a loved one at a funeral. Mersault is simply uninterested in dwelling on this fact. Both Jack and Mersault have similar experiences in the beginning of the novels. A tragic loss of a loved one and the loss of a majority of ones belongings should invoke strong emotions in a person. Not for these two gentlemen, instead its revealed that they live their lives completely in the present. In their minds, the emotions of regular individuals are meaningless and therefore they would rather use their time to experience life through all of the sense. They both feel joy and frustration like every other human being. The difference is that their feelings are purely sensual. Absurdism is very closely related to existentialism and nihilism, this branch of philosophy was extensively explored during the 19th century because of the disaster that the humanity had experienced (the brutalities of both World Wars). According to David E. Cooper, existentialist and absurdist ethics claims that: (a) moral values are created rather than discovered, (b) moral responsibility is more extensive than usually assumed, and (c) moral life should not be a matter of following rules (Cooper 179). Inside these two novels, both main characters do apparently immoral things to seemingly innocent people, for little to no satisfaction. They often do these things because they realise that their actions are untimely rendered meaningless because of death. According to Mersault in The Outsider, his new found friend and neighbour Raymond and his requests are a good enough reason to do some of the bizarre things. Several days after his mothers funeral, Raymond confronts Mersault on his way upstairs. Raymond offers Wine and black pudding to Mersault in exchange for company. Realizing that joining Raymond would save him the task of cooking dinner, he accepts. This meal was not without a catch. Raymond had explained his current predicament with his mistress; he has a plan to teach this woman a lesson for being deceptive. However the first part of the plan involved writing a nasty letter that would lower her self esteem but Raymond felt that he could not fulfill this task and insisted that Mersault should help him out by writing the letter for him. Throughout Raymonds explanation, Mersault was fully aware of how both Raymond and his mistress felt. Despite his knowledge on how the letter may affect the girl, he writes it. He did [his] best to please Raymond because [he] had no reason to please him (Camus 36). This example goes to show that he does not follow the regular set of rules that accompany morals because with his realization that his actions are meaningless in the future he has acquired a new freedom. In the beginning of Jack and Tylers relationship right after Jack had lost his apartment and all of its contents, Tyler says, he could move in with him, but he would have to do him a favour. There, drunk in a bar Jack asks what this favour will be. Tyler replies I want you to hit me as hard as you can (Palahniuk 31). Apart from being the symbolic beginning of a fight club which the plot is centered on, this simple request will demonstrate how Jack acts knowing that his actions are indifferent to the world. Of course he hits him, why not? He rational is based on the fact that acting morally and doing what most would see as sensible is pointless. The words of Mersault from The Outsider could at this point fall straight from the mouth of Jack. Everybody was privileged. There were only privileged people (Camus 116). Mersault means that we are all facing the same privileged destiny, death, and that is was unavoidable. Jacks actions do not ultimately matter to anyone, so he does not follow the rules used by most of the population which make up the basics of morality. The novels present two characters who act immorally they both decide to do things despite how immoral the things seem. Neither character is unintelligent, for they in fact do take note of the details which are their lives. By definition act morally is what you should, however both protagonists come to the judgment that to follow these rules made up by society is pointless. In accepting the Absurd, the theme of authentic existence is common, both Mersault and Jack demonstrate that very authenticity by as ones self which does not always follow the basic moral codes. To accept the Absurd is to continue to live in spite of the fact that the search for a meaning of life is absurd. In accordance with a new level of freedom acquired from the acceptance that one is free from all duty, come the theme of authentic existence. Authentic living involves being true to oneself in most situations and living in accordance with ones values and beliefs (Linley 386). Living true to oneself often accompanies the notion that ones reason and rationale are correct. This might sound like the right ways to life ones life; however in both novels both Jack and Mersault give examples of how their application to this philosophy works out. They both demonstrate a lack or care for others lives and as a result emerge as self-centered. Despite the first two rules of fight club instigated by Tyler, new men are showing up each week to fight. One weekend Jack is taking part in one of his many fights within fight club, this time however, he does not stay in the realm of fighting. Once Jack has knocked out his newcomer opponent, he does not stop striking. After ruthlessly hammering his face with his bony knuckles, Jack continues with the knotted tight butt of [his] fist after [his] knuckles were raw from [the newcomers] teeth stuck through his lips (Palahniuk 88). Afterwards he discusses his thoughts with Tyler during breakfast the following morning. Jack admitted that his insomnia had returned and that he was in a mood to destroy something beautiful (Palahniuk 87). By dismembering the face of the angel face newcomer, Jack remained authentic to himself in the situation. After the irritation with his insomnia has been flattened out, Jack calmly removed himself from the situation. Not a single feeling is expresses towards the physical and emotional damage caused to the newcomer. Mersault also presents an example of how he lives accepting the Absurd. Mersault, Raymond, and Raymonds friend have an awkward confrontation with the Arabs who dislike Raymond. After the fact, Mersault wonders the same area alone. The raging heat of the sun had caused Mersault much discomfort and therefore he strolled towards the nearest shaded area which was the riverside. Unfortunately, one of the Arabs who he knew was potentially dangerous was there sitting in the shade. Mersault describes his severe discomfort, the same intense heat that he had experience at his mothers funeral had returned at his very moment. All the veins in his forehead were throbbing at once beneath the skin (Camus 59). At this point all Mersault wants is the shade in which the Arab stands. Gun drawn, Mersault approaches the Arab in preparation for self-defence. At that point All [he] could feel was the cymbals the sun was clashing against my forehead (Camus 60). The Arab pulls out his knife and lunges for hi m. Mersault shoots the man and is finally rewarded with his shade. He acted to fulfill his desire for shade but at the same time he knew by doing this he would have to kill another man to get it. Remaining authentic to himself and abiding by his logic he chose to approach the Arab instead of finding other shade. By living true to themselves, Mersault and Jack appear to have acted eccentrically however to them it was the right decision. To them, it was better to abandon the rules that society shapes and take complete control on their lives, this way their action and their existence remained authentic. Acting true to themselves, they move past their seemingly brutal actions and thoughts onto the next thing on their mind. In Jacks case he goes on to explain to Tyler that he not only wanted to destroy something beautiful but that he wanted to everything beautiful [hed] never have (Palahniuk, 88). For Mersault, he realizes that has acquired a certain fate by shooting the man, Mersault fire four more rounds into the body purely in disappointment. They both belittle the thoughts and feelings of others to nothing because of their philosophy on life. In the last moments of both novels, both protagonists realize that in fact they do accept and embrace the Absurd. The characters themselves do not know what they really believe in until the end, but the reader knows. In the beginning the reader picks up that these two men are strange to say the least. Then, as the novels progress, their behaviour begins to reflect the philosophy of Absurdism exclusively. The acknowledgement of their beliefs pours out at a weird yet wonderful time in their life. Mersault is arrested, incarcerated, and placed on trial for his murderous act. The jury is convinced that Mersault is a soulless monster because of the lack of emotion he showed at his mothers funeral. It seems as though his murder is not what is ultimately judged in court, his seeming lack of remorse or guilt is what the judge and jury assess to decide his fate. Ultimately Mersault is condemned to death by decapitation. In prison awaiting his execution he meets a chaplain. The Chaplain attempt to turn Mersault towards faith in his hours before death, but is ultimately shot down my Mersault. As the time passes Mersault grows tired of listening to the Chaplain. Then, for some reason, something explored inside of [him] (Camus 115). At the top of his voice Mersault tells him every reason why he was wrong about religion. Mersault brings tears to the eyes of the Chaplain because he insists that he has no time for God, and that one should. When he finds composure he finally comes to realiz e how he feels about the world. He says: It was as if that great rush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and, gazing up at the dark sky spangled with its signs and stars, for the first time, the first, I laid my heart open to the benign indifference of the universe (Camus 117). With this he finally recognizes the absurdity of the universe and humanities indifference to it. He becomes aware of the Absurd; he becomes aware that he has to create his own meaning in his life. Mersault is finally able to experience a subjective and intense meaning in the form of a peace brought about by this surrender to the benign indifference of the world.ÂÂ   When Jack finally figures out that Tyler is not a separate person but rather a separate personality, His mind spins out of control and he eventually ends up symbolically shooting himself not to kill himself but to kill Tyler. Jack ends up in a psychiatricÂÂ  hospital where he utters his final conclusion on the meaning of his life. Jack says: I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but Gods got this all wrong. We are not special. We are not crap or trash either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens. And God says, No, thats not right. Yeah. Well. Whatever. You cant teach God anything (Palahniuk 154). Just like Mersault, Jack also comes to the conclusion. He remarks that to consider God as real, and a leap of faith to believe that there is meaning beyond what a human can rationalize or prove as real, is ridiculous because you cannot question it or obtain a deeper understanding that whats written in religious books. Just as Mersault does, Jack grasps the concept that lifes meaning is only to exist. These narratives give meaningful insight into the meaninglessness that is The Absurd. Both novels comprise of character self discovery. I have addressed four specific types of experiences which apply to both novels that Due to its non-conformist nature, many readers struggle with Absurdism when they are first exposed to it. Indeed, it would be accurate to describe absurdism and absurdist fiction as an acquired taste. Conversely, this genre is a favourite among scholars because it lends itself so well to interpretation, discussion, and debate. Similarly, the moral of the story is generally not explicit, and the characters are often ambiguous in nature. Restate thesis.

How does Betchman portray the weakness of English Middle Classes in Ess

How does Betchman portray the weakness of English Middle Classes in Westminster Abbey? In the poem 'In Westminster Abbey' the poet (John Betchman) speaks in from the view of a lady living in the English middle classes in the period, in which the Second World War took place. The poet has set the poem in the head of the heart of England's church, Westminster Abbey. The poet narrates to the reads the feelings of this lady and her feelings of the war, but what the poet does in mainly stereotype all women in the English middle classes at the time. In the following I shall talk about how poet portrays the weakness of the English middle classes. The poem starts of with the lady talking to god and continues through out with this lady talking to god. The poet sustains a continues rhythm through out with a regular four beats in each line, for example 'LET me TAKE this OTHER glove OFF' , this technique retains the readers interest in the poem since the this technique has been used consistently through out the poem. An additional technique that the poet has used is couplets this is another method that stays persistent through the poem, for example in the first stanza lines two and four; 'Let me take this other glove off As the vox Humana swells And the beauteous fields of Eden Bask beneath the Abbey bells.' This is another example of the poet trying to keep the reader attracted to the poem through out, and keep a persistent flow. As one reads the poem they expected to realize that that the lady has a selfish attitude, this is shown in many aspects of the poem one of which is shown in the second stanza; 'Gracious Lord, OH BOMB THE GERMANS, Spare their women for thy sake, If that is not too ea... ...mpire, this I think the poet also narrates this fact in the third stanza; 'Keep our Empire undismembered Guide our forces by Thy Hand,' Here the lady is asking God keep the Empire united and to guide them to victory. In conclusion the poet portrays a major weakness of the English middle classes in the poem 'In Westminster Abbey', although they were wealthy, well educated for the time's standards and considered as of a superior status than others. One is led to believe that they lacked the understanding and wisdom that people generally have today, also they were selfish and ironic which have learnt from lines like 'Don't let anyone bomb me' and 'If that is not too easy'. I have made these statements from the assumption that the reader is led to believe that this poem is a stereotype and a generalized view or opinion of the English middle classes.

Child Abuse and the Importance of Belonging Discussed in David Pelzers

A Child Called "It" explores the traumatic story of child abuse and how the choices made by one person affects another’s sense of belonging. The story is only from one point of view as it’s a biography, written by the man who experienced trauma at such a tender age. David Pelzer, as a child, dealt with rejection daily and not only from his mother but classmates, teachers and ultimately his biggest enemy, himself. A Child Called "It", as the title denotes depreciation and an impersonal relationship between the audience and the text, begins the biography with a dark and solemn theme as there is no definition for ‘it’ therefore titling a book ‘a child called it’ gives the audience the idea that the child doesn’t exist, or as it tells further in the story, a child who is treated like he doesn’t exist. The author contrasts his mother in different contexts from when his ‘mom’ was a good, caring mum to when his ‘mother’ changed into the abusive stage. Mom and Mother are used throughout the text to show the audience the different emotions he had carried for her. Mom is more personal and informal but suggests a close relationship between the two as it is used in the chapters that he is reminiscing about when his mom was a normal, caring mom. Mother is used in the chapters he was abused in and suggests a more distant relationship due to the formal language structure. When ‘Mom’ was used, the emotions carried out towards her by David Pelzer were none other than belonging to her. When a child is told something so often they start to believe it. In this case, David Pelzer was ordered to say over and over again â€Å"I’m a bad boy, I’m a bad boy...† which psychologically brainwashed him to believe that he was. That every time he was physicall... ...ejected, surrounding him as he says ‘I had readymade excuses mother made for me’. The ending doesn’t end on a ‘happily ever after’ note but rather a dull and gloomy tone as it is set throughout the text. Sarcasm, contrast and similes are the main language features presented in the book to evoke disgust, torment and shock throughout the audience showing them either how she saw the abusive behaviours inflicted upon him or the brainwashed ‘excuses’ he learnt from his mother. Not belonging is the struggle in this text that didn’t get resolved by the ending making it a dark, gloomy tone and the language features used also evokes a dark feeling within the reader. A Child Called "It" truly explores the meaning of struggling with belonging due to other peoples actions rather than their own and provides appropriate use of imagery to emphasise the meaning of the biography.

The Old Man and the Sea Essay -- Essays Papers

The Old Man and the Sea In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway there are two characters who have a great friendship, the old man and the young boy. The old man has been fishing for many years and for the last eighty-four days has not caught a fish. Now the boy who looks up to him is not allowed to fish with him anymore. This boy looks up to the old man as a hero because the old man shows courage, perseverance, and respect. The old man shows courage just by going out all alone everyday and still fishing at his age. Although he showed the most courage when he had to fight the big fish. He could have let the fish go, by cutting the line, but instead the old man was willing to die trying to catch it. â€Å"He had seen many that weighed more than a thousand pounds... Now alone, and o...

Education and the Brain Essay

Given the emerging challenges surrounding the practice of education, many scholars and researchers are trying to establish a particular framework that is dedicated towards the enhancement of information and intensifying facilitation. With these processes, there is one important and vital determinant of this situation – the man’s brain. In the advent of new capabilities, focus is now related on discovering and creating opportunities that seeks to enhance the relationship between the brain and education. The article of Bruer offers a comprehensive insight about the strength and weaknesses of such field. Tracing from the past, he emphasized how the discipline has evolved from a mere scientific study to reaching out in the realm of child development and education. As individuals and groups try to unearth the processes involved, it branched out to several unique disciplines that correlate with the concept of education; namely cognitive psychology and neuroscience (Bruer, p. 3). Operating on this scheme, there are two ways in which this can be recognized namely (1) the period of synaptic elimination and (2) critical periods (Bruer, p. 3). In the first part, Bruer points out the relevance and relative link between neuroscience and education. In this process, he mentions that there are various brain activities that are stimulated by synapses that affect the way a child can cope with numerous functions that are expected for him/her to perform in a classroom setup (Bruer, p. 4). At the same time, the document made mention the importance of the experiment concerning critical periods. With numerous ways for this case to be applied, researchers have focused on the idea that these actions are vital in the early advancement of an individual. Bruer argues that â€Å"cultural variations in child rearing suggest that there are many equally successful way to provide the normal environment needed for brain development† (p. 5). The next section caters in looking into environments that are vital for a child’s advancement during the early stages of his/her life. It fosters the claim that stimulating and active surrounding does contribute to the overall capability of an individual to function accordingly with the desired objectives and goals of an institution. However, there is a lapse in neuroscience as it fails to include and elaborate on how such process can be vital in the overall goal of education and growth (Bruer, p. 7). This remains to be the missing link in trying to determine that guidance of the brain functions in classroom instruction and learning. On the other hand, Bruer cites the capability of creating a bridge that will enable the brain to relate its functions towards cognitive functions. In this process, there are two ways that such idea can be recognized. Bruer mentions that â€Å"the first connects educational practice with cognitive psychology, and the second connects cognitive psychology with brain science† (p. 7). In here he cites numerous advancements in technology and equipments available nowadays to help study and examine the progression of mental activity happening in an individual. Similarly, using the mind-brain interface, many researchers and scientists are able to conduct tests that can determine which part/areas are vital in particular function that are used and applied in the educational sector (Bruer, p. 8). In the last part, it seeks to elaborate these bridges by pointing out two viable approaches in dealing with it; namely (1) instruction to cognition and (2) cognition to neural activity. The first part looks into the way cognition has been used by educators and scientists to determine appropriate ways to enhance neural activities. At the same time, it focused on several studies and findings that try to relate these instances. In the second part, Bruer points out the use of â€Å"cognitive models and brain recording techniques to trace the neural circuitry involved in a skill like numerical comparison† (Bruer, p. 10). It is in here that they were able to find the connection between the two. In the end, the article argues that the brain can greatly affect the way individuals respond to the education. Therefore, future studies must guide researchers in addressing the loopholes in the current literatures. As the demands for educational policy continues to increase significantly in the practice, a good basis for such study can be made by relating to one important factor that shapes learning and development – the brain. It is in here that we can find appropriate strategies to increase competency and skill acquisition needed to make students dynamic and vibrant in practice. Work Cited Bruer, John T. Education and the Brain: A Bridge too Far in ‘Educational Researcher’ 26 no. 8 1997. accessed 12 November 2008. 4-16.

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Name: Soumya Prem Roll no: 20120119150 Uncertainty reduction theory – Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese This theory explains how communication is used to reduce the uncertainty among people when they meet each other for the first time. It is assumed that when strangers meet, their primary objective is to reduce uncertainty about the other person involved in the interaction. We always want to reduce the uncertainties about our surroundings and the people in it since being uncertain about anything is not a pleasant feeling to have.Berger proposed that there are 3 factors that influence whether people will want to work towards reducing uncertainties about a certain situation.1. Anticipation of future interaction – You will try to reduce uncertainties if you know there is a possibility of meeting this person again. Therefore, you are more likely to use uncertainty reduction behaviour when you meet someone at a party that you might be interested in.2. Incentive value – If this person is capable to doing something for you or against you even, then there are higher chances of yo u trying to reduce uncertainties.3. Deviance – If the person behaves oddly and shows some bizarre characteristics, you are likely to use uncertainty reduction. For example if you meet a new prospective client whom you have to meet in the future and could give your company a new project and has a strange fascination for the colour purple, you would be interested in communicating more to fit the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together to get to know who she really is. There are 3 ways to seek information from the other person-1. Passive Strategy – Observing someone without being observed2. Active Strategy – Asking a third party for more information3.Interactive Strategy – Obtaining information directly by asking questions and offering personal information about yourselfA demonstration of this can be seen in this scene from a very famous Hollywood movie ‘Hitch’ where Will Smith’s character tries to seek more information about Sara Melas at a bar where in he uses all the strategies mentioned above for interaction. Berger proposes a series of 8 axioms to explain the connection between uncertainty and eight key variables of relationship development which areVerbal communication -As the amount of verbal communication increases, the level of uncertainty decreases. As uncertainty decreases, the amount of verbal communication increases.Non verbal warmth – As nonverbal warmth increases, uncertainty levels decreases in a situation. In turn a decrease in uncertainty level will cause an increase in nonverbal warmth.Information seeking –When uncertainty is more, the tendency to seek information increases. As uncertainty decreases, information seeking behaviour decreases.Self disclosure – When uncertainty levels are high, the levels of intimacy in communication is less. As uncertainty reduces the level of intimacy increases.Reciprocity – Higher the uncertainty, higher the reciprocity. Lower the uncertain ty, lower the reciprocity.Similarity – Similarities between people decreases uncertainty, while dissimilarities increases uncertainty.Liking – Increase in uncertainty decreases liking and decrease in uncertainty increases liking.Shared networks – If there are shared networks among the two people like common friends then uncertainty is less and vice versa.Uncertainty reduction theory in movies – Meet the parentsMeeting someone for the first time can be a nerve racking experience for many. In this movie Greg is meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Jack, Pam’s father is overly protective of his daughter. He constantly mocks Greg’s choice of occupation as a nurse and makes him uncomfortable in a lot of situations with an intention to keep him away from his daughter. Greg tries to impress Jack from time to time but nothing seems to work in his favour because Jack does not show any liking towards him. Jack’s verbal ou tput, nonverbal cues and constant information seeking causes Greg to fear him.Consequently, there is never a stable interaction between Jack and Greg as there is a lot of uncertainty between them. Applications of Uncertainty Reduction theory In an article titled ‘Interactive Uncertainty Reduction Strategies and Verbal Affection in Computer-Mediated Communication’ published by Marjolijn L. Antheunis, Alexander P. Schouten, Patti M. Valkenburg and Jochen Peter, they investigated the language-based strategies that computer-mediated communication (CMC) users employ to reduce uncertainty in the absence of nonverbal cues.CMC condition had i. Higher levels of intimacy than face to face condition ii. More affection statements than face to face condition iii. There was no observed differences between text-only CMC and visual CMC condition In another article titled ‘The Acquaintanceship Process: An Examination of Uncertainty, Information Seeking, and Social Attraction durin g Initial Conversation’ published by William Douglas, the relationship between uncertainty reduction, information seeking, and liking during unstructured initial interaction was studied.Analyses showed that Significant linear and quadratic trends in the uncertainty scores. Global uncertainty-related to uncertainty about the specific person after interaction and the amount of uncertainty reduction that they achieved. Uncertainty and liking were inversely correlated both before and after interaction. Global uncertainty -predictive of amount of information seeking Specific uncertainty -unrelated to the frequency of both asking questions and disclosing. Critique point of viewIt can be argued that reducing uncertainty about the self and another in an initial encounter might not be an individual's primary concern. A more primary goal would be to maximize relational outcomes. It is not always necessary to reduce uncertainties for obtaining your incentive from the other person. Also a want for information rather than lack of information is what promotes information-seeking in initial encounters with other people. Also one of the axioms states that as the level of uncertainty reduces, liking increases.This may not be necessarily true since there can be a situation where in after communicating you come to realise that the other person possesses qualities that you are not fond of or comfortable about. In this case, there will not be an increase in liking rather there is a possibility of the opposite, i. e. a decrease in liking.Scholarly article sources: http://crx. sagepub. com/content/21/2/154. abstracthttp://crx. sagepub. com/content/early/2011/06/01/0093650211410420. abstractOther sources: http://www. wikipedia. org/http://wikis. lib. ncsu. edu/index. php/Uncertainty_Reduction_Theoryhttp://www. youtube. com/