Crooks Essay Example for Free

Crooks Essay Crooks as the biggest victim on the ranch discuss Monday 24th October 2011 In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ Steinbeck presents Crooks, the black stable-buck as the biggest victim on the ranch because of his race. Crooks is also the most damaged person, emotionally and physically. He has a crooked back and has begun to mimic the cruel and violent behaviour of the other men on the ranch. The impact of his loneliness also makes him push people away, leaving him even more lonely and segregated. The other men exclude Crooks because he is black. He is not allowed to go into the bunkhouse with all the white men because they are racist and follow the racist behaviour of segregation. It is clear that Steinbeck is critisising wider society through his description of Crooks. Crooks has his own room ‘had his bunk in the harness room’ he lives alone and is no more important than the animals symbolised by the nearness to the animals. He is alone all the time and gets lonely but never admits it because he is too proud. Steinbeck show’s the irony of Candy saying ‘must be nice to have a room all to your self’. When Lennie comes in to his room, Crooks has right to ask him to leave but instead acts as though he didn’t want Lennie to stay. He says – ‘come on in and set a while†¦long as you wont get out and leave me alone. ’ The ellipsis’ show his hesitation after he admitted he wants the company he realizes and changed it around to say he wants to be alone. This is so Crooks can maintain his pride and his dignity. He his so lonely that he admits to Lennie – ‘just a guy talking to another guy doesn’t matter if he understands. ’ This tells us Crooks is happy talking to Lennie even though Lennie does not understand most of the things Crooks is saying. It is the company and the talking to another human that matters to him. Steinbeck also adds that Crooks ‘reads a lot’. Steinbeck implies that even though Crooks is treated badly he could be the most educated worker on the ranch has a better understanding of things than most of the other men and is wiser because he is older and has seen more things. Also he has a ‘Californian Civil Code’ book, because he has this book and reads it often he knows a lot about the laws of discrimination in different areas. He is interested in is rights as a black man unfortunately, despite his knowledge Crooks is unable to change anything. Slim is the only man who treats Crooks sympathetically. He respects Crooks more and talks to him some times. Slim is ‘kind’ and ‘is a good listener’ but Slim and Crooks are the opposite- Slim is respected and has power whereas Crooks is disrespected and beaten by the men because of the colour of his skin. Slim is a ‘tall man’ who is ‘capable of killing a fly on the wheelers butt without touching the mule’ but Crooks was just a ‘stable buck, nigger with a ‘crooked back’. Through this contrast, Steinbeck provokes pathos about Crooks’ life. Ironically, even Slim is effected by the hardship on the ranch casually drowns four pups. Steinbeck depicts Crooks as the most physically damaged person on the ranch. One of the reasons for this is that the white men beat Crooks, just because he was black. The boss uses Crooks to let his anger out – ‘the boss gives him hell when he’s mad. ’ Even though the boss hired Crooks to do a job he beats him when he is angry, this shows Crooks is of a low status on the ranch and that he matters the least. The men are also very cruel to Crooks when they say ‘ Jesus we had fun. They are referring to a time when they beat Crooks. This is very cruel he had no way of defending himself by fighting back because he has a crooked back and is much weaker he also has no one on his side. What is more brutal is that they did it just for pleasure this suggests that the ranch is corrupting everyone. Steinbeck warns us of the consequences of brutality in the wider world. Furthermore the cruelty Crooks faces made him cruel to Lennie when he says – ‘I don’t blame the guy you travel with for keeping you outta sight. ’ and ‘what if he don’t come back. Crooks wants to frighten Lennie and is clearly jealous of the companionship he has with George. When ‘Crooks face lightened with pleasure in his torture’ it shows that Crooks has learnt from the other men how to be cruel. This is also another way he has been damaged emotionally by the ranch because most of the men become cruel and it is a violent world where only the fittest will survive. Crooks wishes that he could have what George and Lennie have so he gets dragged in to the dream against his better judgment – ‘Never a god dammed one of em gets it just like hea ven. Here is Crooks talks about men trying to get land for themselves. He does not believe in God because his life has been so bad that there cannot be a God but he still equates land with heaven. Crooks is lonely and has a room to himself on the ranch and in it there were ‘hung broken harness strips in process of being mended, strips of new leather. ’ Ironically ’Being a stable buck he was more permanent than other men’ His permanency does not give him status he is all alone and unlike the bunk house where games are played in the evenings his room is filled with work objects so he would not get much time to relax or rest. Also in his room is ‘a range of medicine bottles for himself and the horses. ’ This is another example of him being no more important that the animals and also part of the discrimination against him. Steinbeck depicts Crooks as a victim by the description of his physical appearance. – ‘His body was bent over to the left by his Crooked spine’ His lean face was lined with deep wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were paler than his face. ’ His body is bent over because a horse has kicked him on the ranch so the ranch damages him physically. His lined face shows the evidence of the brutality of the ranch, he is older and weaker because of the hard work he has done and his thin, pain-tightened lips show the pain he is in. yet he still has to work everyday and he tries to soothe the pain by repeatedly applying liniment to his back. This reminds us of his pain – ‘he poured his liniment into his pink palmed hand. ’ Although Crooks is damaged by the ranch and has no status, he is a very proud, dignified man who wants people to respect the few rights he has, ‘you got no right to come in here’ he said to Lennie because his room was the only thing people has respect. He has read about black rights, he is interested in what rights he could have in other places. Although Crooks had the right to ban Candy and Lennie from his room the desire for company overrode this. He was happy to have the company of the two men, ‘well, why’n’t you kick ‘em out? ’ ‘I di’nt care much’. Steinbeck makes us sympathise with Crooks as he is presented as the biggest victim on the ranch because he is damaged mentally, physically and emotionally. Steinbeck also makes us sympathise with Crooks because he is lonely and how he is lonely from the isolation from the other men.

Introductory paragraph Essay Example for Free

Introductory paragraph Essay There are several weak points in the introductory paragraph. First, the opening sentence refering to humankind’s god-given ability to make choices is too general as a discussion point for decision-making in college. Second, the writer fails to establish coherence in his introduction. For instance, the ideas jump drastically from the â€Å"God-given ability to make choices† to the fact that â€Å"one is faced with a multiplicity of choices† without establishing why the writer thinks that decision-making is â€Å"one of the most splendid – and incommodious – things about the condition of being human. † Thus, the first line could even be ommitted from the introduction as it does not help construct the writer’s thesis in any way. Likewise, the paragraph suffers from too much excitement due to the writer’s fondness for exclamation points. It would also be better if the writer used much simpler words and refrained from using words such as â€Å"ad infinitum† which might not be understood by his or her readers. Lastly, the introduction sounds like a marketing spiel for University with the writer drawing hasty conclusions such as â€Å"I chose university and I could not be happier. † It also has the effect of concluding the essay at the introductory part, making the reader feel disinterested in the â€Å"rewards† that the writer wants to illustrate. On the other hand, this introduction also has its strengths. Aside from the opening line, the rest of the ideas are clearly developed; the writer is able to establish the â€Å"multiplicity of choices† from a simple choice of gum flavor to one’s lifestyle. The writer’s informal style could also be engaging for the characteristics of its audience—young, newly-graduated or about to graduate from high school—as they could identify with the language. Exercise 3 Introductory Paragraph for Assignment 2 Life after high school can be a rude awakening for those of us who have never made a decision beyond what clothes to wear for school or what food to eat at lunchbreak. For the first time, we have to make decisions that would affect our lives seriously, such as which degree to pursue and which university could give us at least a chance at success after we graduate from it. For the first time we have to be careful about the choices we make and to make serious plans about the goals that we have. It is a time to take stock of our capacities and our limitations, to consider parental and societal expectations of ourselves, and to be able to compare these with the right university we wish to attend. It is inevitable—at least for those of us who want to have that degree and to claim our spot in the world after that—although it can be frightening for us to leave the world we have known in high school behind in order to grow as adults and productive individuals. Thus, it is not surprising that choosing choosing which university to attend is one of the most difficult decisions an individual has to make in his or her lifetime.

History Of South Africa

History Of South Africa South Africa was settled by the Dutch in 1652 as an ending point for ships on their way to the East Indies. The Dutch first settled the area that was to be Cape Town and with time expanded across the entire tip of southern Africa. Fruit and vegetables were grown here to battle the problem of scurvy aboard passing ships. South Africa changed hands and became a British colony, after the Napoleonic wars in 1815. Most of the Dutch went north to escape from the English. Here they developed tribe- a well known community, and over the period of time they migrated South from Central Africa. Overt there a war resulted between the Dutch Boers and the Zulus, a powerful tribe led by Shaka. The Boers won and created an Afrikaner state in the north. In 1899 there were the Boer Wars as a result of the English trying to capture this Afrikaner state. In 1910 South Africa became a union which is a coalition between the English and Afrikaner states. In 1960 South Africa became independence from British rule and became a republic. During the 90s, with the release of Nelson Mandela- president, South Africa went through an amazing transformation. South Africa (Africas southernmost nation) is also Africas largest and most developed economy. Today South Africa produces high-tech equipment and is a world leader in the output of gold and diamonds. Johannesburg and its satellite cities are home to more than 8 million people and generate 9 percent of all economic activity in Africa. In the 21st century, South Africa is a democratic country representing all its diverse people-often called the rainbow nation. Today South Africa is making up for decades of social disruption and lost education, but high unemployment and the AIDS epidemic threaten economic progress. NELSON MENDELAS CONTRIBUTION Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 and served aspresident of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. South Africa was a troubled nation for a long time and things are not perfect yet, but he fought hard for victory. Years after he started his journey, he became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Nelson Mandelas political path started from 1944 when he and 5 comrades organized the African National Congress Youth League. He was appointed league president and in 1952 he was elected as national volunteer-in-chief of the ANCs Defiance Campaign, a civil disobedience campaign against discriminatory legislation. And this was the start of his resistance against apartheid aws. The following years were marked with Mandelas arrestment, banned and imprisoned accompanied with contributions to the freedom struggle. In the year 1959 Mandela and 155 members of the ANC were arrested. Mandela went underground leading his army to bring freedom and peace back to all South Africans. After 17 months he was arrested and sent to Robin Island which is the most notorious prison in South Africa, on a life sentence. Nelson Mandela established teaching community at Robben Island even when he was in prison and he never gave up his struggle. Finally the rest of the world began to see the sheer wrongness. The government was left with no choice but it had to freed Mandela and other people. Nelson then formed the first multi-racial government in South Africa and due to this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and became President. After this he changed the country and freed a nation. Between 1960 and 1994 as a president, Mandela organized the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights and to keep an eye on political violations committed by both supporters and opponents of apartheid. He introduced large number of social and economic programs to improve the standard of living of black people of South Africa. In 1996 Mandela presided over the enactment of a new South African constitution, which established a strong central government based on majority rule. Through this it was made possible to prohibit discrimination against minorities, including whites. In the year 1998, it was his 80th birthday and Mandela wed the politician and humanitarian Graca Machel who was the widow of the former president of Mozambique. The next year, Nelson finally retired from politics at the end of his first term as president. Nelson Mandela will be remembered always for his humility, empathy, leadership power and strong efforts towards South African liberation. CULTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA The South Africa culture is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Culture in South Africa is about as diverse as it can come. The black South African still has a large number of rural inhabitants who lead largely poor lives. Though cultural traditions survive most strongly among black South African, aspects of traditional culture have declined as the black South African have become increasingly urbanised and westernised. Urban black South Africans, generally, speak English or Afrikaans in addition to their native languages. Some smaller but significant groups of blacks also speak Khoisan languages. Some of them are speakers of the endangered languages most of whom belong to the KhoiSan family, that receive no official status. The life style of members of middle class, who are predominantly white, is very similar in many respects to that of people found in Western Europe, North America and Australasia. Some of them often study and work abroad for a great experience to the world market. Indian South Africans are very particular about their heritage, languages and religious beliefs, being Christian, Hindu or Muslim and speaking English, with Indian languages like Hindi, Telugu, Tamil or Gujarati. South Africa is a multi-cultural society and defining distinct subgroups by skin colour. The mixture and joining in South Africas urban areas, along with the suppression of traditional cultures during the apartheid years which shows that the old ways of life are vanishing but traditional black cultures is still prevailing across the country. Marriage customs and taboos differ across the different groups but the majority of the traditions are based on the beliefs in a mannish divinity, inherited spirits, and paranormal forces. Generally, polygamy (a marriage which includes more than two partners) is accepted and lobolo (dowry) is usually paid. Zulu is one of the strongest surviving black cultures and massed Zulu singing at Inkatha Freedom Party demonstrations is a powerful expression of this ancient culture. The Xhosa also have a strong presence; they are known as the red people because of the red-dyed clothing worn by most adults. The Ndebele are a related group, who live in the north-western corner of what is now Mpumalanga in strikingly painted houses. The distinct culture of the Afrikaners has developed in a deliberate isolation, which saw them wandering around with cows and the Bible while 19th-century Europe experimented with democracy and liberalism. Till today, rural communities are revolving around the conservative Dutch Reformed Churches, however Afrikaner redneck is extremely far from a tautology. Apart from the Afrikaners, most of the European South Africans are of British extraction. The British generally tend to have the dominance over the business and financial sectors. There is also a large and prominent Jewish population and a significant Indian population. Though South Africa is a home to a great diversity of cultures, most were suppressed during the apartheid years when day-to-day practice of traditional and contemporary cultures was ignored, and destroyed. In the society, one can be jailed for owning a politically incorrect painting, serious art was forced underground and blandness ruled in the galleries and theatres. SOCIETY SOCIAL STRATIFICATION Classes and Castes Foundation of Cape Town was done in 1652. There were various indicators of racial unfairness. Slaves were of mixed parentage, they rated high than Africans. Since three centuries the system of racism slowly attained a legal status in society. In that process, class and economic status of darker people confined as lower. Despite of racism these people obtained a formal education and a European-style middle class cultural and economic identity as merchants, farmers, colonial civil servants, clerks, teachers, and clergy also many prominent leaders were born including Nelson Mandela. Symbols of Social Stratification Before colonialism, the aristocratic chiefs symbolized their authority by wearing special animal-skin clothing, ornaments, and the power of military equipments, by functioning of chiefly courts and assemblies and they were also entitled by custom to display, mobilize, and increase their wealth by acquisition of many wives and large herds of cattle. Inkhatha march served as a status symbol, with fine horses, pioneer wagons, and horse-drawn carts giving way to imported luxury automobiles. POLITICAL LIFE Government African communities were based on the hereditary period of rule, in which the senior son of the highest or great wife of a chief succeeded his father. Whereas succession was not straightforward, and brothers, older sons of other wives, and widows all competes for power. A decade later, Afrikaner emigrants from the Cape ( voortrekkers ), established the independent republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, ruled by an elected president and a popular assembly called a volksraad . Leadership and Political Officials Democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela was one of the most admired political figures in the world. There are nine provinces, each with a premier selected by the local ruling party and provincial ministerial executives. Social Problems and Control Legacy problems amount to a social crisis. Unrepresentative government and repressive racial regulations created mistrust of the law among the black majority. Unemployment is rapidly increasing since 1994 which leads to highest crime rates. The education and health care facilities are failing. The established black townships are tapped under unemployment, crime, and insecurity, including drug dealings, alcoholism, rape, domestic violence, and child abuse. Military Activity The South African Defense Force was notorious for its unstable intervention in the civil war in Angola in the mid-1970s. After 1994, the army has renamed by South African National Defense Force (SANDF). It achieved progress toward racial integration under the command of recently promoted black officers drawn from the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe, and the military budget experienced reductions that have limits ability of the SANDF to respond military emergencies. Major military venture since 1994 leads of an invasion force to save Lesothos elected government which was poorly planned and executed. Peacekeeping missions were doubted by high rates of HIV infection. SOCIAL WELFARE AND CHANGE PROGRAMS Land restitution and reform, judicial reform, pro-employee labor regulations, welfare grants, free primary schooling, pre-natal and natal medical care, tough penalties for crimes and child abuse, and high taxes and social spending are all part of the ruling partys efforts to address the social crisis. These problems have been difficult to deal with because only 30% of the population contributes to national revenue and because poverty is widespread and deeply rooted. This effort has been made more difficult by restrictions on the level of deficit spending the government can afford without deterring local and foreign investment. An extreme level of social spending, however, has eased social tension and unrest and helped stabilize the democratic transformation. SOCIALIZATION Infant Care Baby care is traditionally the sphere of mothers, grandmothers, and older sisters in all communities. Among the social problems affecting these communities prevalence of early teenage pregnancy. Many white middle-class families have part/full-time servants who assist with child care, including the care of infants. The employment of servants to rear children exposes children to adult caregivers of other cultures and allows unskilled women to support their own absent children. Child Rearing and Education Primary context of family is for the socialization of the young. The African extended family system provides a range of adult caregivers and role models for children within the kinship network. African families have shown elasticity as a socializing agency, but repression and poverty have damaged family structure among the poor. Middle-class families of all races socialize their children in the manner of suburban Europeans. Today a unified system of formal Western schooling includes the entire population, but the damage done by the previous educational structure has been difficult to overcome. Schools in black areas have few resources, and educational privilege still exists in the wealthier formerly white suburbs. Expensive private academies and schools maintained by the relatively wealthy Jewish community are among the countrys best. Rates of functional illiteracy remain high. Higher Education There are more than twenty universities and numerous technical training institutes which are of varying quality and many of them are nominated as black ethnic universities under apartheid have continued to experience political disturbances and financial crises. Now racially mixed universities are also experiencing financial difficulties in the face of a declining pool of qualified entrants as well as slow rate of economic growth. RELIGION Religious Beliefs South Africa is a deeply religious country with high rates of participation in religious life. The population is tremendously Christian with only very small Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu minorities. Other important denominations include Roman Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Anglicans. Indigenous Black African religion centered on veneration of and guidance from the ancestors, belief in various minor spirits, spiritual modes of healing, and seasonal agricultural rites. The drinking of cereal beer and the ritual slaughter of livestock accompanied the many occasions for family and communal ritual feasting such as births, initiation, marriage, and funerals. Religious Practitioners Indigenous African religious practitioners included herbalists and diviners who attended to the spiritual needs and maladies of both individuals and communities. In some cases their clairvoyant powers were employed by chiefs for advice and prophesy. Historically, Christian missionaries and traditional diviners have been enemies, but this has not prevented the dramatic growth of hybrid Afro-Christian churches, religious movements, prophetism, and spiritual healing alongside mainstream Christianity. Other important religions include Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism. For the Afrikaners, the Dutch Reformed Church has provided a spiritual and organizational foundation for their nationalist cultural politics and ideology. Rituals and Holy Places All religions and ethnic sub national groups have founded shrines to their tradition where momentous events have occurred, their leaders are buried, or miracles are believed to have happened. The grave of Sheikh Omar, for example, a seventeenth-century leader of resistance to Dutch rule in the East Indies who was transported to the Cape and became an early leader of the Malay community, is sacred to Cape Muslims. Afrikaners regard the site of the Battle of Blood River (Ncome) in 1838 as sacred because their leader Andries Pretorius made a covenant with their God promising perpetual devotion if victory over the vastly more numerous Zulu army were achieved. The long intergroup conflict over the land itself has led to the sacralization of many sites that are well remembered and frequently visited by a great many South Africans of all backgrounds. Death and the Afterlife In addition to the beliefs in the soul and afterlife of the varying world religions in South Africa, continued belief in and consultation with family ancestors remains strong among Black Africans. People at a Zulu market Zulu is the largest South African language group, with about nine million speakers, but it does not represent a dominant ethnic grouping. Formal communal graveyards, not a feature of pre-colonial African culture, have since become a focus of ancestral veneration and rootedness in the land. Disused graves and ancestral shrines have most recently figured in the land restitution claims of expropriated African communities lacking formal deeds of title to their former homes. THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN INDIA AND SOUTH AFRICA India and South Africa share history and festivals which reminds of the heritage. They both are richly diverse countries. The people in India and South Africa are majority of dark skin. Indians and South Africans like spicy food. The Poverty rate of South Africa and India is almost the same. Animal life also similar in both the countries, where elephant and monkey are the two most common animas among India and South Africa. Jungles are also there in both the countries with the similar landscape. Indian weather and South African weather is hot. Both Indians and Africans were slave by the outsiders. India and South Africa both are rich by their culture. Both India and South Africa are still developing. India and South Africa has geniuses who know every thing in their field. India has a national holiday on 2nd October for celebrating the great mans birthday is also a significant day in South Africa. Both India and South Africa are seen as the backward places by some of the countries.

Plagues And Diseases Essay -- essays research papers fc

Plagues and Diseases Plague. A word that has struck fear in the hearts of man since the earliest of times. It has also lead to some of the greatest historical events and stories of our time. The ancient cities of Rome and Athens, in their downfall, were finished off by pestilence. The Bubonic Plague, also known as The Black Death, devastated Europe in the 14th century, starting a new age. The great warrior Ivan the Terrible was stricken with disease, and driven mad. During the "exploration" of the new world, Cortes's greatest ally against the Aztecs was smallpox. Napoleon's Grand Army was defeated by the Russians, and typhus. Queen Victoria spread hemophilia to her heirs, leading to the illness of the only son of Czar Nicholas, and the fall of monarchy in Russia.1 All the events are horrible in every way, but have struck a chord with people around the world. Perhaps it is our inherent morbid curiosity. So, the question is, if these events happened once, why can't they happen again? Let us take a look at the most horrible, so far, of the plagues: The Black Death. It took Europe by storm from approximately 1345 to 1361. It would also make small comebacks throughout the next 400 years, but never like it did the first time. It also reached into Africa, China, Russia, and the Scandinavian countries. It was truly a worldwide pandemic. But, it has a secondary effect that not many people are aware of. The colonies of Greenland, settled by the Vikings, were stricken by the plague and they soon disappeared. It is known that these colonies kept in contact with "Vinland", which was near New Foundland, in Canada. The Vikings had already discovered North America! But, alas, with these colonies all dead, Greenland was forgotten, and not discovered again until 1585.2 It is estimated that the plague took 24 million lives, about a quarter of the European population. This may seem incredulous to people today, but it happened. During those times, where there were humans, there were black rats. And where there are rats, there are fleas. And where there were fleas, there was the plague. Bubonic plague, and also pneumonic plague, were everywhere. France, Italy, Russia, England, you name it. When a village was infected, people fled, most likely taking the plague with them to the next village.3 One ca... ...n't, but it sure does sound good. I hope to have entertained you through this paper, and given you something to chew on for a few weeks. And I have just one more thought. When people think of the end of the world, they think of a big mushroom cloud destroying everyone in a pillar of light. But, I just don't see that. I see something less spectacular. When the end comes, it won't be with a bang. No one will see it coming. An army of the smallest soldiers will attack us from the inside out. One-billionth of our size, and they'll beat us. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Abel, Ernest L. America's Top 25 Killers. Hillside, N.J.: Enslow Publishers Inc., 1991 2. Archer, Jules. Epidemic! New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1977. 3. Berger, Melvin. Disease Detectives. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1978. 4. Cartwright, Fred F. Disease and History. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1972. 5. Guerrilla Warfare. "Time: Frontiers of Medicine." Vol. 148, No.4, Pg. 58-62. 6. McNeill, William H. Plagues and Peoples. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1976.

Introduction to Romanticism Essay -- essays research papers

For many years, this period and these writers were known as the American Renaissance, a coin termed by F.O. Matthiessen in his book of that name in 1941. This book set the parameters of how to read and connect these writers until relatively recently, when its limitations, especially in terms of defining the "canon" of literary giants and what made them (all male) "giants" have been recognized and challenged. However, the term is still useful to some degree. It is a misnomer, if one thinks of the period as a time of rebirth of some earlier literary greatness, as the European Renaissance, because there was nothing to be "reborn." The great writers of this period, roughly 1840-1865 although more particularly 1850-1855, marked the first maturing of American letters. It was a Renaissance in the sense of a flowering, excitement over human possibilities, and a high regard for individual ego. It was definitely and even defiantly American, as these writers strugg led to understand what "American" could possibly mean, especially in terms of a literature which was distinctively American and not British. Their inability to resolve this struggle--and it was even more a personal one than a nationalistic one, for it questioned their identity and place in society--did much to fire them creatively. However, we will call this American romanticism, though it shares many characteristics with British romanticism. It flourished in the glow of Wordsworth's poetic encounter with nature and himself in The Prelude, Coleridge's literary theories about the reconciliation of opposites, the romantic posturings and irony of Byron, the lush imagery of Keats, and the transcendental lyricism of Shelley, even the Gothicism of Mary Shelley and the Bronte sisters. Growing from the rhetoric of salvation, guilt, and providential visions of Puritanism, the wilderness reaches of this continent, and the fiery rhetoric of freedom and equality, though, the American brand of romanticism developed its own character, especially as these writers tried self-consciously to be new and original. The glory years were 1850-1855. What was it in American culture and British influences that led to the incredible flowering of masterpieces in this era: Emerson's Representative Men, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, Melville's Moby-Dick and Pierre,... ...arative contact, but they are useful and important ones. Perhaps we will risk some confusion here and certainly we will have to neglect some biographical context as we "mix and match" writers. But we will be able to focus on those ideas which united (and even divided) them that makes us able to call them all "romantics." After we have read a work, we will "revive" it in discussions of later topics, taking the different perspective, for there must a certain arbitrariness in "assigning" a work to only one theme. Great and complex works must not be limited like that! So rather than progressing through time and historical/biographical contexts, we will keep circling recursively (as Emerson says we must), seeing how the different works and writers explore the major aspects of romantic thought and art. Our base is necessarily Emerson, the literary giant of his time in America, for better or worse. Though his writing is often difficult to read, it was, in fact, the match that lit all of the creative fires of his time. He put his pen on all of the sensitive spots in the American creative psyche; Whitman was not the only one to "boil."

Evolving of Characters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay

Evolving of Characters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen creates a unique environment which allows her characters to evolve and to transform. One of the characters, Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, faces challenges that impact her decisive demeanor. Likewise, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth’s love interest, confronts many obstacles which come against his character as well. Through several key experiences, both Elizabeth and Darcy undergo internal transformations – Elizabeth’s quick judgments become humbleness while Darcy’s arrogance is replaced with humility. Early in the novel, Elizabeth is quick to judge and criticize others. Elizabeth rapidly judges Wickham, a military man of Darcy’s acquaintance, as an upstanding gentleman. Mingling falsehoods with truth, Wickham misleads Elizabeth to believe not only lies about Darcy but also disadvantages he himself suffered (76). Perceiving his words as truth by the sole authority of his countenance (178), Elizabeth’s quick judgment allows her to unwisely trust in Wickham’s â€Å"amiable† character (77). Elizabeth also does not hesitate to criticize Darcy for his rude and proud demeanor. After Elizabeth hears Darcy speaking of her â€Å"tolerable† features to Bingley (15), Darcy’s good friend and owner of an estate located in the same shire as that of the Bennets, Elizabeth passes judgment on Darcy by gossiping â€Å"with great spirit among her friends,† recounting the story of his description of her beauty (15-16). Criticizing Darcy furt her, Elizabeth expresses how his arrogant demeanor offends her, proclaiming â€Å"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.† (24) Elizabeth is also quick to judge Bin... ...rous to please.† (224). Additionally, Darcy’s humility allows him to help Wickham and Lydia, Elizabeth’s youngest sister who elopes with Wickham. Before his transformation, even the pronunciation of the name Wickham and the silliness of Lydia would have kept Darcy as far as possible from either (172, 175). Because of his newfound humility, however, Darcy takes upon himself all the â€Å"trouble and mortification† of locating Wickham and Lydia and bribing the former into marrying the latter (277). Changing from their former selves to embrace new identities, Darcy and Elizabeth learn to look past arrogance and criticalness to gentler ways of approaching both people and circumstances. They transform. And although Elizabeth’s shortcomings reside in her mind and Darcy’s in his money, both lose sight of their prideful and prejudiced natures to embrace humility.

Improper and unethical behavior Essay

Analysis of How Improper & Unethical behavior can be avoided in the Workplace In any workplace there will always be rules and regulations regarding that need to be followed. These rules and regulations usually require employees to observe proper behavior, wear the proper attire, and act professionally, among others. However, more often than not, there will be times that an employee is distracted from his or her work and he or she eventually ends up doing things that are not-related to work or things are unethical. These improper and unethical behaviors may include arriving late for work, chatting with co-employees, boisterously laughing out loud, falling asleep while working, insubordination, accessing prohibited files, using company money, leaving the workplace without notifying the direct superior, and fighting with co-employees, among many others. These â€Å"sins† at work usually have a corresponding warning or penalty. While these behaviors are common in almost any workplace, there are a lot of ways to avoid them. First, a worker or an employee must always focus on his or her task. He or she should completely understand the reasons why he or she is working there and his or her goals. Secondly, a worker or employee should provide himself or herself with reasons not to be distracted from his or her work. In other words, he or she should keep himself or herself busy so that he or she does not end up doing other things that could result in his or her inefficiency in work. Moreover, the worker or employee should not be the one to initiate any non-work related activity and instead be the one to prevent such things from happening. While doing so may earn the ire of other workers who do not always adhere to the rules and regulations, this will prevent him or her from being reprimanded or penalized. In this connection, a worker or employee should have the initiative of setting a good example to other employees. Since most companies usually hand out rewards or give recognitions to the best employees in a month, a worker or employee who behaves properly and works efficiently has a good chance of receiving this award and, in effect, he or she would motivate his or her co-employees to follow his example. In addition, a worker or employee should always see to it that he or she â€Å"keeps his or her eyes on the prize. † Meaning to say, while at work, an employee or worker should focus on the rewards he or she would receive if he or she maintains a good track record while also keeping in mind the consequences if he or she fails to accomplish his or her tasks. In short, this means that he or she should use the possible rewards as a form of motivation for him or her to work harder and use the possible punishments also as a way for him or her to avoid committing mistakes such as displaying unethical and improper behavior. Furthermore, the worker or employee should also know his or her place at work and respect the proper authorities and co-employees so that he or she would also earn their respect. Giving proper respect includes greeting co-employees properly, especially during the first time you see them in the morning, as well as calling them by their proper names, and also, obeying orders from a superior. Basically, the bottom line is that for any worker or employee to avoid improper or unethical behavior, he or she should completely focus on his or her task to avoid being distracted, religiously follow the rules and regulations in the workplace, and motivate or inspire himself or herself to achieve his or her personal goals.