Friday, September 6, 2019
An Inconvenient Turth Essay Example for Free
An Inconvenient Turth Essay My reason for picking this topic is, because I would like to know more about global warming. What are the real danger`s that we are facing due to global warming? What can we do to stop the exceeding rapid rates of global warming? I would like to imform other about the new knowledge that I obtain on the subect of globle warming. Al Gore tell how people use to Think about global warming that the world was big enough and we would never have a problem. He also describes global warming as when the sun`s radiation comes in, in the form of light waves passing through earth atmosphere to heat the earth,and then it is re-radiated back into space in the form of infrared radiation, and some of the out going infrared radiation is trapped by the earth atmosphere and warms it. This thin layer of atmosphere is being thicken by all of the global warming pollution that`s being put up there. He speaks of Mr. Roger Revelle as the first person to propose measuring carbon dioxide in the earth`s atmosphere. After the first years of data he intuited what it meant for what was to come. He and a team of other designed the experiment in 1957 with the help of Mr. Charles David Keeling. they started sending these weather balloons up every day. The results of his measurements after only a few years it was startling. He drew the connections between the larger changes in our civilization, and this pattern that was now visible in the atmosphere of the entire plant, and then he projected into then future where this was headed unless we make some adjustments. Mount Kilimanjaro had icecaps 30 years ago. and now it has all melted. Mr. Lonnie Thompson, studies glaciers, and predicts there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro within the next decade. Its also is happening in Glacier National Park, and all around the world the ice is now gone. He mentions about CO2 and temperature, when there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer. He speak of this not so much as a political issue,but a moral issue. It is deeply unethical. He had a lots of faith in the democratic system that these finding would be compelling enough to cause a real change but they were n`t. He speak about when the oceans get warmer that cause stronger storms leading to a lots of big hurricanes and a all time record in the U.S. of tornado, and in Japan record set for typhoons. He contribute the changing of the season to global warming and changing nature plans. He also says that the burning of forests and brush fires causes more co2 to be pit into the air.what all of this means is our ability to a have a future to live in the earth. I really enjoy the movie The movie was very informing I got a better idea about what is happening around the world. I agree with Al Gore something must be done. It was amazing to me about how everything connect together like a domino effect. I picture in my mind how all these great mountains all around us is melting which is changing the temperature of the sea, which cause many of the world`s disaster by storms. Man is destroying himself. It makes me think can we go back where their was not a lots of invention that polluted our air. Can we truly find a solution to this mas, mass, mass, problem are have we went to far of no return. I think about the air we breathe and the water we drink. I remember only about 40 yrs.ago when I was ten years old, my grandmother showed me where I could drink out a spring it was so clean and beautiful and fresh tasting, I hate to think if I when back there to drink what kind of substance would be in that water now. Everything is being effected our food, the animal niches,and season is changing we can`t tell winter from fall or spring from summer and the insects can`t tell neither. If we have gone to far to stop all the problems, why not do, what we can do, to correct what we can, for the future of our life on the earth.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Case Study Research
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Case Study Research Introduction This work is to present the case study as a research approach, showing that its characterization is not an easy task, due mainly to its many different approaches and applications. It highlights its increasing importance as a research tool, exploring its origins, meanings and delineation as an investigation methodology. In order to demonstrate its application, it indicates its most common advantages and constraints, stressing the important role played by the researcher, who must be careful about generalizations, striving constantly for scientific rigor in the treatment of the subject. The case study method is considered a kind of qualitative analysis (GOODE, 1962) and has been considered, according to Yin (1994, p. 10): the weaker brother of the methods of Social Sciences. But despite the weaknesses and limitations, the case study has had widely use not only in social research, but also as a modality research, with applications in many other areas or in disciplines that has a strong orientation to legal practice and administration, besides being used for the preparation of theses and dissertations. The main objective of this work is to present the case study method as a research approach and to consider issues relevant for the conduct using this method, analyzing its advantages and disadvantages that should be considered in light of the kinds of problems and questions to be answered. Case study can accomplish many of the same goals as other methods. For example, the case study can be exploratory (create new knowledge), constructive (solve some problem), or confirmatory (test a hypothesis with empirical evidence). The case study can also use either a primary (the researcher collects the data) or secondary (the researcher uses someone elses data) approach. In the view of Yin, à ¢Ã ¢Ã¢â¬Å¡Ã ¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬Å"the case study represents an empirical research that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, and includes a method comprehensive, with the logic of planning, gathering and data analysis.à ¢Ã ¢Ã¢â¬Å¡Ã ¬Ã Can include both single case studies as multiple, as well as quantitative approaches and qualitative research. (Yin 1994 p.23), help us, he says, to understand and distinguish the case study method to other research strategies such as the historical method and in-depth interview, the experimental method and survey. The method often is presented as being more appropriate for exploratory research and particularly useful for hypothesis generation and this may have contributed to complicate the understanding of what the study method cases, how it is designed and conducted. (Yin, 1994) According to different authors, the case study has originated in medical research and psychological research, with analysis in detail of an individual case that explains the dynamics and pathology of a given disease. With this procedure it is assumed that one can acquire knowledge of the phenomenon studied from intense exploration of a single case. Besides the medical and psychological, it became a major methods of qualitative research in human and social sciences. Advantages and Disadvantages of Case Study Research Cast in a narrative format, descriptive case studies can make complex science and technology projects accessible and interesting to a non-scientist audience. The potential scope of the case study format is flexible and broad, ranging from brief descriptive summaries to long, detailed accounts. Using a storytelling approach, the evaluator may present the genesis of ideas, explore what happened and why, give an account of the human side of a project, explain goals, explore project dynamics, investigate particular phenomenon, and present outcomes in their complexity without being subject to the confines inherent in most other evaluation methods. The freedom to collect multiple kinds of information makes the case study method useful for exploring ideas and constructing theories about program or project dynamics. Despite its advantages, the case study method is traditionally considered to have several major limitations as an evaluation tool. Descriptive case studies are qualitative and unreliable. And, whether qualitative or quantitative, case studies typically relate to single projects, or, at best, small clusters of projects, such that their results usually cannot be generalized to the entire portfolio of projects. Noting that distinguished scholars frequently use case study as a method of analysis, Yin, in his landmark book on case studies, asks, If the case study method has serious weaknesses, why do investigators continue to use it? (Yin, 1994) Among the possible explanations Yin considers are that people are not trained in the use of other methods, or, for governmentally sponsored research, that the difficult permission procedures required for surveys and questionnaires have made their use a bureaucratically hazardous affair, leading researchers to the case study method, which is relatively unencumbered by restrictions and requirements. Identifying three types of case studies à ¢Ã ¢Ã¢â¬Å¡Ã ¬ descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory, Yin argues that the case study method qualifies as a serious research tool. He states, In general, case studies are the preferred strategy when how or why questions are being posed, when the investigator has little control over events, and when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life context. (Yin 1994 p.1) One of the biggest disadvantages to using the case study method has to do with external vs. internal validity. Using the case study method, the researcher often does not have control over certain variables and events and, therefore, cannot control them as the researcher could in a lab experiment Consequently, the researcher using the case study method must be content that his/her findings may only be applicable to similar cases. What the case study gains in internal validity, it loses in external validity. Construct validity is especially problematic in case study research. It has been a source of criticism because of potential investigator subjectivity. Yin proposed three remedies to counteract this: using multiple sources of evidence, establishing a chain of evidence, and having a draft case study report reviewed by key informants. Internal validity is a concern only in causal (explanatory) cases. This is usually a problem of inferences in case studies, and can be dealt with using pattern-matching, which has been described above. (Yin 1994) External validity deals with knowing whether the results are generalizable beyond the immediate case. Some of the criticism against case studies in this area relate to single-case studies. However, that criticism is directed at the statistical and not the analytical generalization that is the basis of case studies. Reliability is achieved in many ways in a case study. One of the most important methods is the development of the case study protocol. The secondary data is data previously gathered and recorded by other researchers. There are many advantages and disadvantages to using secondary data for research purposes. One of the most important advantages is the fact that a research can be built on previous research using required experience and knowledge. Moreover, secondary data are usually much cheaper than primary data and very often is freely provided. In addition to this, the collection of secondary data can be extremely rapid due to high-tech information accessibility and other media. However, the disadvantages of secondary data are equally very important and it must be gathered and used carefully. In most cases such data have been taken during past research with a specific target and this may not link with other research. Therefore, the circumstances under which secondary data have been created should be examined in detail; otherwise it has no value at all for further research (Zikmund, 2003). When a researcher uses this kind of data he/she should be aware of the time period these data refer to. Another disadvantage of secondary data is that researchers sometimes give different definitions for the same problem making the estimation of the final research result confusing. In addition, there can be many other difficulties when using secondary data. The researcher has to know extensive details about the process which has produced the data, such as the samples that have been used and whether the process has taken all the necessary into account. In many cases, adequate information is very difficult to be found or even impossible (Zikmund, 2003). Quantitative data also has advantages and disadvantages. A major advantage is that it is numerous and it is easily understood. Furthermore, the results are subjective. This means that if it is a result of a large sample, this result can be generally applied and it is scientific. Another great advantage is that quantitative data is considered as reliable. This means that if a researcher repeats research following the same process, he will find the same results. A major disadvantage of this kind of data is that they are narrow. In other words, it represents a reality without providing any explanation for the result. In a way, it gives picture of the symptoms and not the real problem. Qualitative data also has advantages and disadvantages. A major advantage is that produces more in-depth, comprehensive information. It emphasizes the importance of looking at variables in the natural setting in which they are found. Use subjective information and participant observation to describe the context, of natural setting, of the variables under consideration, as well as the interaction of different variables in context. A major disadvantage of this type of data is that the very subjectivity of the inquiry leads to difficulties in establishing the reliability and validity of the approaches and information. It is very difficult to prevent or detect researcher induced bias. Its scope is limited due to the in-depth, comprehensive data gathering approaches required. In conclusion this work presents some discussion of case study in terms of its advantages and disadvantages. Case studies are considered valuable in research as they enable researchers to examine data at depth analysis. As an alternative to quantitative or qualitative research, case studies can be a practical solution when a large sample population is difficult to gain. Although case studies have various advantages, in that they present data of real-life situations and they provide better understandings into the detailed behaviours of the topics of interest. The case study method, like all research methods, is more appropriate for some situations than others. When deciding to use this method of research, an investigator should keep in mind the dangers and criticisms that are usually made to the method in question and must take precautions and care necessary to avoid them or minimize their consequences. Nevertheless, the Case Study Method offers significant opportunities for the researcher; it may facilitate the study of many cases that wanted to be investigated. This method, as well as qualitative methods is useful when the phenomenon being studied is large and complex, where the body of knowledge is insufficient to support the proposition of causal questions, and where the phenomenon cannot be studied outside the context where it naturally occurs. The researcher must use the designated data gathering tools systematically and properly in collecting the evidence and need to define its object study, the type of research focus, control that the investigator has over actual issues, and the focus on contemporary phenomenon rather than historical and, from there, build a research process, limiting the universe to be studied. Throughout the design phase, researchers must ensure that the study is well constructed to ensure construct validity, internal validity, external validity, and reliability. A common point among several authors (GOODE, 1962 and Yin, 1994) is a recommendation for great care when the design phase, researchers must ensure that the study is well constructed to ensure construct validity, internal validity, external validity, and reliability. Like all research has advantages and limitations of its application, and deserves the care needed when the search for generalizations. Case study method has always been criticised for its lack of rigour and the tendency for a researcher to have a biased interpretation of the data. But despite the criticisms, weaknesses and limitations, the case study has had widely used in all areas. However, its importance is undeniable as an instrument research and the study should be located in academic discussion. External validity reflects whether or not findings are generalizable beyond the immediate case or cases; the more variations in places, people, and procedures a case study can withstand and still yield the same findings, the more external validity. Techniques such as cross-case examination and within-case examination along with literature review help ensure external validity. Reliability refers to the stability, accuracy, and precision of measurement. Exemplary case study design ensures that the procedures used are well documented and can be repeated with the same results over and over again.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Social Constructionism Theory An Analysis
Social Constructionism Theory An Analysis This short study discusses the theory of social constructionism, with special regard to its implications for social workers and how its use can help them to understand human behaviour. Social constructionism represents a sociological theory of knowledge that studies the development of various sociological phenomena in social contexts. The theory, simply put, questions widely held assumptions about inherent qualities of items, concepts, or issues, and instead brings attention to the dependence of such qualities upon the contingent rationale of our social sense. It helps us in realising that human perceptions of reality and the world, of things, concepts and ideas, are shaped by deliberate human choices and linguistic reinforcement, rather than by natural laws or divine intention. A social construct, the anchor of this theory, represents the artefact of a specific group. To illustrate, intangible words like talent or brilliance, which in the overwhelming majority of cases represent little else than greater effort or the achievement of proficiency, are imbued with special significance and then tagged on to specific people separate them from the hoi polloi, resulting in the alteration of perceptions and behaviour of the masses towards such individuals. To be hard working is to be commonplace, to be brilliant is to be extraordinary. And to be called brilliant is even better. Language, as is obvious, plays a key role in the development of social constructs. The origins of present day social constructionist theories go back to the writings of Immanuel Kant. Kant argued for the existence of a world that was independent of human minds, thus implying that humans should not assert that they created the world. This world, he said, is without structure and is not divided into things and facts. Structure is imposed on the world by perceiving it and thinking of it in specific ways, as also by the adoption of particular, (rather than other), sets of beliefs about it. Vivine Burr (2003, p 2) and other advocates of social constructionist theory put forth the view that knowledge of constructionism enables individuals to adopt critical attitudes towards their conventional lenses for perceiving and understanding the world and their own selves. It provides humans with fresh ways of assessing ideas and things that are otherwise considered to be commonplace and accepted without demur. Numerous things like money, newspapers or citizenship are socially constructed and would not obviously have existed in the absence of society. Each of them furthermore could have well been differently constructed. This essay analyses and critiques the use of social constructionism by social workers in the understanding human behaviour. Specific emphasis has been given to the role of constructionism use in analysing commonly held perceptions and attitudes towards mental disorders. The study is segregated into three sections that sequentially take up the use of social constructionism for social workers in understanding human behaviour, its relevance in understanding mental disorders, and its areas of ambiguity and possible misuse. The Use of Social Constructionism to Understand Human Behaviour Social workers have two fundamental objectives, namely, (a) the strengthening of the ability of individuals and groups to cope with the many difficulties and challenges they confront in life and (b) the bringing about of improvements in various social and environmental circumstances in order to improve the satisfaction of human needs; especially of people from underprivileged and oppressed social segments. Social workers plan and attempt their various interventions through their understanding of environmental circumstances, the various reasons for development of such conditions, and the client system. Such knowledge and the consequent adoption of theoretic approaches significantly influence the point, the tool, and the nature of social work intervention. It becomes evident that understanding of the reality of the client environment is crucial, both to social work theory and to its practice. Theories of classical empiricism assert that the truth about the world is established and is independent of the individual. Social constructionism conversely puts forth the viewpoint that such truth, far from being independent of individuals, actually depends upon their thoughts, perceptions and beliefs. Whilst empiricists state that reality cannot be known separately from our elucidation of it, social constructionism messages that reality is constructed socially, with language being critical for the interpretation and construction of commonly accepted reality. It encourages people to question the widely held perception that conventional and accepted knowledge has sprung from objective and impartial examination of the world. It is in this sense opposed to the positivist epistemology of traditional science and spurs thinking individuals to constantly question their assumptions about the appearance of their environment and its various components. Objectivists assert that individuals make discoveries and find out about the reality of the world through the construction and testing of hypotheses via the actions of neutral observers, even as constructionists debunk such assumptions, arguing that the interests and values of observers can never be separated from their observations and are thus bound to influence the final construction of common perceptions about world realities. Gergen (1985, p 270), states that generation of ideas of reality is initiated by social, rather than individual, processes and that the touted objective reality of the positivist approach is actually the result of various social construction processes that are influenced by historical, political, cultural and economic conditions. Berger and Luckmann, (1966), state that individuals experience the world to be an objective reality, comprising of persons and events that exist separately of individual perceptions. Payne (1997), additionally states that reality, according to social constructionism, can be stated to be the guidance of behaviour by individual perceptions of knowledge and reality. Individuals arrive at shared perceptions of reality through the sharing of their knowledge via different social processes that first organise such knowledge and thereafter establish it by making it objective. Social and individual activity thus becomes habitual with individuals sharing their assumptions about their perceptions of reality. People behave in line with social conventions that are based on such shared knowledge. These conventions are furthermore institutionalised because of the agreement of many people on such understandings on different aspects of society. Such realisations and accords thereafter become legitimi sed by processes that integrate these ideas about reality into ordered and believable systems. Language provides the means through which individuals make sense of their environment, classify persons and events, and interpret new experiences. The shared reality of everyday life by different individuals distinguishes it from individual realities, (like dreams). Language helps individuals in sharing their experiences and making it available to others. Such sharing of reality leads to institutionalisation and thereafter to habitual ways of working. Habitualism in turn makes the behaviour of different individuals predictable, facilitates joint activity and perpetuates social control mechanisms. Knowledge is as such institutionalised within sub-groups, or at social levels, and significantly influences the behaviour of people. Shakespeare famously used his felicity with language to construct an illusionary reality about Jewish greed that persisted for centuries and shaped the perceptions and behaviours of millions of people towards the community. With such knowledge of reality being essentially constructed, it can change over time and diverge across cultural groups that embrace different perceptions and beliefs about human nature and development. Considering that the norms, beliefs, values, traditions, attitudes and practices of different cultural groups vary from each other, the social construction of their knowledge is also likely to differ significantly. An understanding of this fundamental principle can help social workers in their realisation of the different perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of different individuals towards similar social phenomena or stimuli. Social constructionism helps social workers in adopting critical stances towards established assumptions that reinforce the interests of powerful and dominant social groups and assists them in realising that the world has come about because of historical processes of communication and negotiation between groups and individuals. Gergen (1985, p 266), states that people see the world through the eyes of their particular communities and cultures and respond accordingly. Established assumptions, understandings and behaviours of people are sustained by social, political, economic and moral institutions. Social workers should, through its application, be better able to understand the various dimensions of reality within such individual thoughts, perceptions and beliefs. Social workers, the writer feels, need to realise that social understanding is finally the combined result of various human understandings through the operation of circular processes, wherein individuals contribute to the construction of social meaning within social structures of societies through processes of institutionalisation and legitimisation. Societies consequently create conventions through the participation of individuals in their structures, which, in turn influences the behaviours of people. Spirals of constantly moving influences build and rebuild the conventions that people adopt and by which they live. Social constructionism allows social workers to question dominant structures of knowledge and understand the impact of culture and history. Social workers understand the requirements of humans by and large through the application of specific ideological, ethical, political and economic approaches. An understanding of social constructionism can help them in understanding the responses behind the actions of both dominant and vulnerable groups of society and decide upon the adoption of the best suited routes for bringing about social change. Social Constructionism and Mental Illness Much of modern societys perceptions about mental ailments are influenced by the medical and psychological models. These state that medical illnesses are real; they concern disturbances in thoughts, experiences, and emotions that can be serious enough to cause functional impairment in individuals. Such ailments make it difficult for individuals to sustain interpersonal relationships and conduct their jobs. They can also sometimes result in self destructive actions, including suicides. The more serious of such illnesses, like extreme depression and schizophrenia, can often be chronic and lead to serious disability. Social constructionism argues that such perceptions about mental ailments are caused by specifically constructed vocabularies of medical and psychological models, which are replete with elaborate terminologies for mental disorders and focused on deficits. Walker, (2006), states that vocabularies of medical and psychological models, including the concept of mental illness itself, are essentially social constructions. They are made up of terms that describe deficits and diseases and perceive human beings as things that can be examined, diagnosed and treated, much in the manner of machines. Such perceptions (a) lead to obsessions with compliance, (b) distinguish between normal and pathological states, (c) position practitioners as experts, and (d) represent clients as passive and obedient objects of treatment. Recommended treatments focus on elimination of symptoms, support established paternalistic roles, and are not focused on actual client needs. Social constructionism, the writer fe els, can help social workers in understanding the destructive illusions that have been created by existing medical and psychological models and deficit based language. Examined from the perspective of linguistics, reified categories like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are defined by clusters termed as symptoms; schizophrenia for example is concerned with the occurrence of audio hallucinations. Such terms have come about due to the creation of consensus among doctors and psychologists and persist because of convention. Mental illnesses are often described by such specialists in terms akin to physical ailments like diabetes, where individuals manage their lives with specific medications; these comparisons are used to explain the working of medications and to make diagnosis and recommended treatment for mental ailments acceptable to clients. Analogies like these however do appear to the writer to be forced and even trifling considering that discussions about thoughts and feelings of individuals concern their identities and not their bodies. Social workers need to understand that the vocabularies of medical and psychological models essentially position clinicians as the most suitable interpreters of client experiences. Even superficially docile terms like clinical or treatment plans establish contexts where clients are perceived to be abnormal or having pathologies, even as clinicians are established as authorities with abilities to perform interventions for assisting clients in overcoming their pathologies. With the power of definition lying with clinicians, the labelling of people as mentally ill pushes them to the borders of society and takes away from them their intrinsic rights and privileges. Social constructionism helps social workers in understanding that whilst political and human pressure has helped in eliminating the incarceration of the mentally ill in mental hospitals, the distinction created by vocabulary on mental illness leads to the movement of foci of power to clinicians and undermines efforts for self determination and community integration. Such medical and psychological vocabularies constitute obstacles to more inclusive mental health programmes and undermine social understanding of people with mental disorders. Gray Areas Social workers need to however recognise the gray areas that surround social constructionist theory. Dominelli (97) states that social workers are ironically likely to regulate the social construction of the children of poor families, with whom they work extensively, by giving credibility to the dominant, white, heterosexual, nuclear family model. The writer feels that the casual application of the theory for the debunking of each and every thing, including important issues like culture and community, can lead to confusion and dilute the focus of social workers. Race and religion, for example, are essentially social constructs of dominant power groups but that does not take away from the fact that they exist and are not expected to disappear because of critical analysis by social constructists. Wanton overdoing of social construction has often resulted in methodologically substandard work, wherein scholars have spent time in libraries, worked on some novels and then put forth findings that the common images and metaphors in them were social constructions with wide relational powers in the reality, which such novels attempted to represent. Roche and Barnes Holmes (2003) state that the strength of social constructivism is also its weakness; its deconstructive methods dissolve the solutions as well as the problems from which they emerge. Social constructions surround us and include diverse aspects like racism, child abuse, crime, and disease. The writer feels that these things do not become unreal because of their social construction; even though the dominance of construction processes may differ between each of them.Spending a great deal of time in showing that most things are social constructs can well be little other than wasted effort. The large body of doctors and psychologists are again unlikely to give up their vocabulary because constructionists do not believe in them. Conclusions It is evident from the preceding discussion that the ongoing debate and dialogue on social constructionism has facilitated a whole new way of looking at established and accepted realities. With regard to the theory and practice of social work, the use of constructionism can help social workers in understanding how dominant groups have for long institutionalised constructs like race, age, gender, and physical and mental disability to perpetuate models of oppression and discrimination. Students and practitioners of social work, whilst making use of this theory, will however do well to consider that excessive stress on constructionist language and downplaying of materiality may well be counterproductive and result not only in idle discourse but in superimposition of their socialised views on vulnerable social segments. Social workers who participate in what they feel are social constructs could also end up questioning the relevance of their work. They may thus have to battle with their being engaged in phony actions and be adversely affected by the creation of manipulative sensibilities. Social workers must try to ensure that the theory is used practically for widening their knowledge and clarifying different aspects of human behaviour, yet refrain from making it irrelevant and trivial.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
The Id, Ego and Superego in Lord of the Flies :: Lord Flies Essays
The Id, Ego and Superego in Lord of the Flies à à à à In viewing the various aspects of the island society in Golding's Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society, a converse perspective must also be considered. Golding's island of marooned youngsters then becomes a macrocosm, wherein the island represents the individual human and the various characters and symbols the elements of the human psyche. As such, Golding's world of children's morals and actions then becomes a survey of the human condition, both individually and collectively. à Almost textbook in their portrayal, the primary characters of Jack, Ralph and Piggy are then best interpreted as Freud's very concepts of id, ego and superego, respectively. As the id of the island, Jack's actions are the most blatantly driven by animalistic rapacious gratification needs. In discovering the thrill of the hunt, his pleasure drive is emphasized, purported by Freud to be the basic human need to be gratified. In much the same way, Golding's portrayal of a hunt as a rape, with the boys ravenously jumping atop the pig and brutalizing it, alludes to Freud's basis of the pleasure drive in the libido, the term serving a double Lntendre in its psychodynamic and physically sensual sense.à à Jack's unwillingness to acknowledge the conch as the source of centrality on the island and Ralph as the seat of power is consistent with the portrayal of his particular self-importance. Freud also linked the id to what he called the destructive drive, the aggressiveness of self-ruin. J ack's antithetical lack of compassion for nature, for others, and ultimately for himself is thoroughly evidenced in his needless hunting, his role in the brutal murders of Simon and Piggy, and finally in his burning of the entire island, even at the cost of his own life. à In much the same way, Piggy's demeanor and very character links him to the superego, the conscience factor in Freud's model of the psyche. Golding marks Piggy with the distinction of being more intellectually mature than the others, branding him with a connection to a higher authority: the outside world. It is because the superego is dependent on outside support that Piggy fares the worst out of the three major characters in the isolation of the island. Piggy is described as being more socially compatible with adults, and carries himself with a sense of rationale and purpose that often serves as Ralph's moral compass in crisis; although Ralph initially uses the conch to call the others, it is Piggy who possesses the knowledge to blow it as a signal despite his inability to do so.
Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Romeo and Juliet - Friar Laurence Essay -- Romeo Juliet
Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Romeo and Juliet - Friar Laurence Friar Laurence plays a most intriguing role in Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Romeo and Juliet. He is a priest, and a friend to Romeo. With the absence of Montague parental scenes, Friar Laurence also becomes like a surrogate father to Romeo. Romeo seeks him out to marry him and Juliet, obviously assuming that the friar would without parental permission. The friar greets him and addresses Romeo's past love. He even tells Romeo that he mistook what he felt for Rosaline as love when it was not, and therefore not be too haste, " They stumble that run fast" (2.2.94). Therefore, not only has Romeo discussed matters of the heart with the friar, but also the friar himself feels in the position to be able to speak with Romeo on a more personal level. Friar Laurence doubts Romeo's professed love to Juliet and compares it to what Romeo himself swore he felt for Rosaline, "Young men's love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes" (2.2.67-8). Bluntly, yet fatherly, he corrects Romeo's claim of love by saying (in reference to Rosaline), "For doting, not for loving, pupil mine" (2.2.82). Still, he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet without thinking twice. In fact, his greater preoccupation is not whether or not they truly do love each other, but how their love could end the feud between their families, as he states, "For this alliance may so happy prove/ To turn your households' rancour to pure love" (2.2.91-2). Friar Laurence also doubts Juliet's love for Romeo. Before she even enters the scene the Friar notes that moderate love is best because it does not overwhelm or become consumed by itself as a rash love would (2.5.10-15). Ironically enough Juliet enters the scene "somewhat fast" (... ...ave to face responsibility for his death. Thus, he leaves Juliet alone in a vault filled with dead ancestors, as well as recently dead Romeo and Paris, and she kills herself. This is not say that Friar Laurence does not feel responsible for Romeo and Juliet's deaths, he recounts his tale to the Prince and offer his life as a sacrifice if their deaths are his fault (5.3.228-68). In every step of deceiving Romeo and Juliet's parents, the government, and everyone who thought Juliet to be dead, Friar Laurence was attempting to: end a great feud between two families, help Juliet keep her marriage vows (by helping her out of marrying Paris), keeping Juliet alive, keeping Romeo safe from imprisonment or death, and ultimately, protecting the lovers' love from outside influences. He sees his acts as acts that are working for the greater good, and therefore they are just.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Hector Hugh Munro â⬠Tea Analysis Essay
The text under analysis is written by Hector Hugh Munro, better known by the pen name Saki, was a British writer, whose witty and sometimes macabre[] stories satirized Edwardian [] society and culture. He is considered to be a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. In this story we learn about a young man James Cushat-Prinkly. He decides to marry and his relatives approve this idea. They find marriageable girl named Joan Sebastable. However, he marries another girl, whose name is Rhoda Ellam. The text is written in 3rd person narration. There are both types of sentences ââ¬â simple and composite. Composite are used to show that the story is about people from high society. And shorts are used when the main character`s thoughts are described. The main character in this story is James Cushat-Prinkly. He is described indirectly as we know what kind of person he is through his behavior and through his thoughts. He does things as a person of his society should do. So, he thinks that he should marry but he is not so interested in it. We can see his point at it here: ââ¬Å"James Cushat-Prinkly was a young man who had always had a settled conviction that one of these days he would marry; up to the age of thirty-four he had done nothing to justify that conviction.â⬠He liked women but ââ¬Å"without singling outâ⬠. His lack of initiative shows us that he doesn`t really want to marry. His relatives really worry for this situation: ââ¬Å"His lack of initiative in this matter aroused a certain amount of impatience among the sentimentally-minded women-folk of his home circleâ⬠. His mother, sisters and others are presented as a collective body that is not satisfied by this state. The author calls James`s delay dilatory approach which is a very subtle irony. ââ¬Å"Married stateâ⬠is one more interesting thing. Munro calls marriage as ââ¬Å"married stateâ⬠using periphrasis to show that it was very delicate business for all of them. It is said that all his sisters and aunts regarded his approac h ââ¬Å"with a disapproval that was far from being inarticulateâ⬠. This is a litotes that creates an understatement. It identify them as people from high society that`s why bookish words are used. The following part of the sentence: ââ¬Å"His most innocent flirtations were watched with the straining eagernessâ⬠proves us that even his sisters were much more interested in his marriage. The author describes his sisters with the help of words: ââ¬Å"walk-beseeching dog-eyesâ⬠. He compares women with dogs who are very loyal and love their masters very much. With the help of metaphor Munroà displays women`s position in the society. ââ¬Å"Decent-souledâ⬠is an epithet that is employed to describe a noble person from high society. The author uses periphrasis again by calling James mortal. It creates the atmosphere of the high society again. The whole phrase ââ¬Å"pleading of several pairs of walk-beseeching dog-eyesâ⬠is a good example of periphrasis. The choice of words shows social order and conviction of people of that time. â â¬Å"Enamoured of some nice marriageable girlâ⬠is one more periphrasis for marriage. This word is avoided through the whole story as the characters really afraid to call it so. In this part of sentence: ââ¬Å"When his Uncle Jules departed this lifeâ⬠departed his life is an euphemism. The characters avoid even saying the word ââ¬Å"marriageâ⬠so they don`t pronounce such words like ââ¬Å"deadâ⬠or ââ¬Å"deathâ⬠. They avoid them too. ââ¬Å"Comfortable little legacyâ⬠is an epithet depicting us that he got rather good heritage but they talk about it in a modest way. ââ¬Å"Discovering someone to share it with himâ⬠ââ¬â it is one more periphrasis for marriage. Also here we see reasoning of marriage ââ¬â if someone has money why not to marry? In the next sentence we come across morphological repetition: ââ¬Å"The process of discovery was carriedâ⬠to accentuate again avoiding the word ââ¬Å"marriageâ⬠. We can notice that he plays passive role in this situation: ââ¬Å"The process of discovery was carried on more by the force of suggestion and the weight of public opinion than by any initiative of his ownâ⬠. He just goes with the streams. ââ¬Å"The weight of public opinionâ⬠which is a metonymy shows again th at he hasn`t got any initiative. ââ¬Å"A clear working majorityâ⬠is a periphrasis too that shows us that even he is grown up he still can`t take the decisions. After the future wife for James was chosen, marriage is started to be called so ââ¬â ââ¬Å"to whom he might propose marriageâ⬠. It means that there are no excuses for avoiding it as the choice is already taken. James is really afraid of ordinary way of life. We can see it here: ââ¬Å"the prescribed stages of congratulations, present-receiving, Norwegian or Mediterranean hotels, and eventual domesticity.â⬠It is the chronological order for life stages and he doesn`t like it at all. ââ¬Å"It was necessary however to ask the lady what she thought about the matterâ⬠ââ¬â through irony the author shows us that the question of marriage for James was like some business and also it seemed to him to be the solved problem. ââ¬Å"Individual effortâ⬠which is a metonymy accentuate one more time on his lack of initiative. It says tha t now he has to doà something. ââ¬Å"As the thing was going to be done he was glad to feel that he was going to get it settled and off his mind that afternoon.â⬠Again we come across periphrasis. Now thing means proposal. However, later he calls it by its name because submits it ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Proposing marriage, even to a nice girl like Joan, was a rather irksome businessâ⬠. He calls marriage and proposing it irksome business so he has some business-like attitude to it. The usage of the word ââ¬Å"preliminaryâ⬠proves his attitude as it refers to the business semantic field. Also while he was going to his future wife he thinks not about proposal ââ¬â ââ¬Å"He wondered what Minorca was really like as a place to stop in; in his mindââ¬â¢s eye it was an island in perpetual half-mourning, with black or white Minorca hens running all over it.â⬠It one more time shows that he is not interested in proposal at all. While he was thinking about that island ââ¬Å"His Mediterranean musings were interrupted by the sound of a clock striking the half-hour.â⬠His thoughts are called musings. The choice of bookish word is explained by his belonging to high society. We see the next very short sentence: ââ¬Å"Half past fourâ⬠. It is a detachment, elliptical sentence to show that the time for proposal is coming. That moment he felt unhappy: ââ¬Å"A frown of dissatisfaction settled on his face.â⬠It proves one more time how much he is not interested in that marriage. He imagines ho he would come to her place. Even now he doesn`t imagine the girl he thinks about place: ââ¬Å"He would arrive at the Sebastable mansion just at the hour of afternoon teaâ⬠. He compares her voice with sound of cups: ââ¬Å"her voice would tinkle pleasantlyâ⬠. The word tinkle is used only when we are talking about things but not people. Here it is used to show that all this tea ceremony was senseless for James. He is mad because of that typical for such occasions questions like: ââ¬Å"Is it one lump? I forgot. You do take milk, donââ¬â¢t you? Would you like some more hot water, if itââ¬â¢s too strong?â⬠The next paragraph opens with gradation: ââ¬Å"Cushat-Prinkly had read of such things in scores of novels, and hundreds of actual experiences had told him that they were true to life.â⬠It is kind of hopelessness. ââ¬Å"solemn afternoon hourâ⬠which is epithet makes the same effect. He calls question of women little. However, for him those questions are senseless. He would prefer women sitting on divan. Divan ââ¬â is Turkish borrowing. For him if is some kind of symbol of freedom from these ceremonies. ââ¬Å"Now, as he passed through a tangle of small streets that led indirectly to the elegant Mayfair terrace forà which he was bound, a horror at the idea of confronting Joan Sebastable at her tea-table seized on himâ⬠. In this sentence we can see that he doesn`t see distinct aim ââ¬â ââ¬Å"tangle of small streetsâ⬠. It is a metaphor. Also he thinks about place not about the woman whom he is going to meet there. We see it when he pay attention to it ââ¬â elegant Mayfair. The ceremony scares him so much: ââ¬Å"a horror at the idea of confronting Joan Sebastable at her tea-table seized on himâ⬠. The horror is metonymy here. However he got deliverance and he comes to Rhoda, to his remote cousin. He looks at her only from the business-like side. She doesn`t ask him a lot of questions about his tea and he pays attention on that contrast between her and other women: ââ¬Å"She made no other allusion to food, but talked amusingly and made her visitor talk amusingly too.â⬠The repetition of the word ââ¬Å"amusinglyâ⬠accentuate this contrast. ââ¬Å"Cushat-Prinkly found that he was enjoying an excellent tea without having to answer as many questions about it as a Minister for Agriculture might be called on to reply to during an outbreak of cattle plagueâ⬠. He compares these questions with questions to a Minister. So simile here show that he doesn`t want to answer them. Finally, he marries Rhoda. And we see that everything ends with tea ceremony again ââ¬â There was a pleasant tinkling note in her voice as she handed him a cup. ââ¬Å"You like it weaker than that, donââ¬â¢t you? Shall I put some more hot water to it? No?â⬠Climax in this story can be observed in the part when his sisters accept his cho ice. The message of the story is in the desire of James to lead another life not ordinary one. It makes us think about life itself, about the definition of happiness. It is some kind of image of happiness in society but the author makes us think that maybe we shouldn`t be the same as other. The story made me smiling and sad at the same moment. Smiling as it finishes a little bit ironically. He finally gets right that situation that he was afraid of. However, it also makes me sad as I begin to think about things that are told to make us happy but actually don`t. All the people are different and everyone need to find something suiting especially to him or to her.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Bhagavad Gita
Think of the phrase ââ¬Å"finding yourselfâ⬠. What does that truly mean? What makes it possible for a man to be able to find out who he himself is? Must we all be peaceful? Ghandi said, ââ¬Å"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. â⬠In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn the lesson of finding our inner selves (ââ¬Å"twinâ⬠) first before answering questions of others. According to the God Krishna, our desires are what cause our evil deeds, and in order for us to be free, we must control our desires. This can only be done through practice. Is peace what we all really want for ourselves in the end? First we must think of what peace is. It can be a state of harmony between people or groups or even a freedom from them, but it can also be known as freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession such as a state of tranquility or serenity. Is that what we want in lifeââ¬âto be able to not worry about the troubles in life and just be happy? Peace gives us a calm and relaxed state of mind that helps bring about that joy and happiness. Happiness is what we are all trying to achieve in life. We fight for what will help us and our loved ones because it makes everyone happy. If you were to find yourself first, then no one would have to worry about to helping others or putting people down in order to help themselves because everyone would be taking care of themselves first. This state of comfort is an amazing state, but we as humans are driven by our desires and emotions, so can we truly have peace? One emotion can lead to another, and Lord Krishna says that it will all end in ruin because our desires are what cause the evil actions we do. Our ââ¬Å"desire for pleasure and powerâ⬠are what lure us to the evil actions (2. 43). So if our desires are what get us in trouble and make us sin, how do we stop them? The only way to stop these wrong-doings is to control our desires. ââ¬Å"When a man gives up all desires that emerge from the mind, and rests contented the Self by the Self, he is called a man of firm wisdomâ⬠(2. 55). In other words, you have to drop your desires and not care about them in order to find yourself and be happy with how you are. Only when you get rid of all selfish thoughts will someone be able to renew themselves. He describes it almost as if itââ¬â¢s a rebirth. You do not think of the consequences, you just do it. If you let go of the expectations put upon us by society, there is no disappointment for yourself. Lord Krishna describes ââ¬Å"firm wisdomâ⬠as the ultimate level of peace. He thinks that this firm wisdom is what we as humans should try to strive for. We must abandon ââ¬Å"[A]ll desires born of [our] own selfish will, [and] a man should learn to restrain his unruly senses with his mindâ⬠(6. 24). The unruly senses he speaks of are the desires. He whose mind is untroubled by any misfortune, those craving for pleasures has disappeared, who is free from greed, fear, anger, who is unattached to all things who neither grieves nor rejoices if good or if bad things happenââ¬âthat man is a man of firm wisdomâ⬠(2. 56-57). This further explains what ââ¬Å"firm wisdomâ⬠is and makes you think of these traits as being almost God-like. Does God have this ââ¬Å"firm wisdomâ⬠Krishna speaks of? Lord Krishna says that the mind is stronger than the senses that cause the desire, so we know that we can overcome these desires. The only question to answer now is how we can accomplish that. As the saying goes, ââ¬Å"Practice makes perfectâ⬠, so this is the only way to control our desires. All of us think differently on the inside than the way we act on the outside. That is why we must learn to control our inner twin. Lord Krishna says, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the mind is restless and hard to master; but by constant practice and detachment it can be mastered in the endâ⬠(6. 35). It is as if you have to make it a ritual and constantly do it. For example, giving up something for lent you have to control and practice your desire of not doing or eating what you gave up. If you cheat, even just once, you break the cycle and make it harder for you not to do it again. Practice gives you a routine to follow, and once you do it for so long, it almost comes natural and then you have nothing more to worry about. At this point, you are at peace not only with yourself but also with the people around you. Lord Krishna says if you accomplish this overwhelming task of self-control, you can fully surrender yourself to him in devotion, and so become an ââ¬Å"advanced soul. â⬠An advanced soul is he who has accomplished the steps of finding himself and has firm wisdom. On the other hand the impious souls find other objects to worship. How do we determine who are the advanced or impious among us? Are we only ââ¬Å"advancedâ⬠if we believe in a certain god? However, we are striving to be God-like throughout our lives. Is there a point in striving for it if we know it cannot be done? In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn that in truth, finding God within us helps us find ourselves so this all helps find and keep the peace within us, which is what we want in the first place. Bhagavad Gita Think of the phrase ââ¬Å"finding yourselfâ⬠. What does that truly mean? What makes it possible for a man to be able to find out who he himself is? Must we all be peaceful? Ghandi said, ââ¬Å"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. â⬠In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn the lesson of finding our inner selves (ââ¬Å"twinâ⬠) first before answering questions of others. According to the God Krishna, our desires are what cause our evil deeds, and in order for us to be free, we must control our desires. This can only be done through practice. Is peace what we all really want for ourselves in the end? First we must think of what peace is. It can be a state of harmony between people or groups or even a freedom from them, but it can also be known as freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession such as a state of tranquility or serenity. Is that what we want in lifeââ¬âto be able to not worry about the troubles in life and just be happy? Peace gives us a calm and relaxed state of mind that helps bring about that joy and happiness. Happiness is what we are all trying to achieve in life. We fight for what will help us and our loved ones because it makes everyone happy. If you were to find yourself first, then no one would have to worry about to helping others or putting people down in order to help themselves because everyone would be taking care of themselves first. This state of comfort is an amazing state, but we as humans are driven by our desires and emotions, so can we truly have peace? One emotion can lead to another, and Lord Krishna says that it will all end in ruin because our desires are what cause the evil actions we do. Our ââ¬Å"desire for pleasure and powerâ⬠are what lure us to the evil actions (2. 43). So if our desires are what get us in trouble and make us sin, how do we stop them? The only way to stop these wrong-doings is to control our desires. ââ¬Å"When a man gives up all desires that emerge from the mind, and rests contented the Self by the Self, he is called a man of firm wisdomâ⬠(2. 55). In other words, you have to drop your desires and not care about them in order to find yourself and be happy with how you are. Only when you get rid of all selfish thoughts will someone be able to renew themselves. He describes it almost as if itââ¬â¢s a rebirth. You do not think of the consequences, you just do it. If you let go of the expectations put upon us by society, there is no disappointment for yourself. Lord Krishna describes ââ¬Å"firm wisdomâ⬠as the ultimate level of peace. He thinks that this firm wisdom is what we as humans should try to strive for. We must abandon ââ¬Å"[A]ll desires born of [our] own selfish will, [and] a man should learn to restrain his unruly senses with his mindâ⬠(6. 24). The unruly senses he speaks of are the desires. He whose mind is untroubled by any misfortune, those craving for pleasures has disappeared, who is free from greed, fear, anger, who is unattached to all things who neither grieves nor rejoices if good or if bad things happenââ¬âthat man is a man of firm wisdomâ⬠(2. 56-57). This further explains what ââ¬Å"firm wisdomâ⬠is and makes you think of these traits as being almost God-like. Does God have this ââ¬Å"firm wisdomâ⬠Krishna speaks of? Lord Krishna says that the mind is stronger than the senses that cause the desire, so we know that we can overcome these desires. The only question to answer now is how we can accomplish that. As the saying goes, ââ¬Å"Practice makes perfectâ⬠, so this is the only way to control our desires. All of us think differently on the inside than the way we act on the outside. That is why we must learn to control our inner twin. Lord Krishna says, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the mind is restless and hard to master; but by constant practice and detachment it can be mastered in the endâ⬠(6. 35). It is as if you have to make it a ritual and constantly do it. For example, giving up something for lent you have to control and practice your desire of not doing or eating what you gave up. If you cheat, even just once, you break the cycle and make it harder for you not to do it again. Practice gives you a routine to follow, and once you do it for so long, it almost comes natural and then you have nothing more to worry about. At this point, you are at peace not only with yourself but also with the people around you. Lord Krishna says if you accomplish this overwhelming task of self-control, you can fully surrender yourself to him in devotion, and so become an ââ¬Å"advanced soul. â⬠An advanced soul is he who has accomplished the steps of finding himself and has firm wisdom. On the other hand the impious souls find other objects to worship. How do we determine who are the advanced or impious among us? Are we only ââ¬Å"advancedâ⬠if we believe in a certain god? However, we are striving to be God-like throughout our lives. Is there a point in striving for it if we know it cannot be done? In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn that in truth, finding God within us helps us find ourselves so this all helps find and keep the peace within us, which is what we want in the first place.
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