Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Philosophy of Education - Essay Example Teachers are asked to follow certain procedures or teach certain topics. There is readjustment in schools from admission criteria to the marking system. In such an environment it is natural to ask questions that deal with the content of education and not methods. What should be taught and who should decide it. Should it be the government, parents or the children themselves? The question that is discussed here is whether a child’s needs and interests should determine the syllabus. At first look this question looks a bit odd because it is based on the assumption that children are mature enough to guide their own education. But what looks as an assumption is actually a vague hint at the child-centered theories that exist in modern philosophy of education. These theories believe that any education that is not child-centered is not in fact education at all (Barrow, 116) I believe that a child’s needs, wants and interests shouldn’t determine the syllabus. But in this e ssay I will look at both sides of the issue. I will provide reasons behind this argument. There are many theorists who believe that the children shouldn’t be trained but instead they should be nourished. But I believe that both training and nourishment are required. Rousseau discovered that Children’s mental capabilities and ways of looking at things were quite distinct from those of adults. He said that people need to recognize that children were mentally different and unique. In his book Social Contract he said that all men are born free. I agree with Rousseau but don’t believe that a child is completely free from any restriction (Chandra, 90). Children may be unique but I don’t agree with Rousseau’s line of thinking. Even George Bernard Shaw said that this was ‘‘the most flagrant lie ever told by a sane man.'' I think that the child-centered theories have become extremist in their claims about children being able to decide right curr iculum for themselves. Earlier there was a dearth of philosophy of education. Now we can rest on the findings of Piaget and other researchers. But this opulence of literature on child education wasn’t always present. For a long time the only relevant theories came from a pragmatist philosopher called John Dewey. Dewey had a huge stature in United States and his personal influence led formation of tradition of philosophy of education influenced by his viewpoints. Their views are in sharp contrast to the subject-centered theories that existed before this new debate on education. Before this the education system was formed on the Christian belief of fallibility of man and his salvation through service of the God (Hastings, 587). Because of this thinking a child was an evil soul and hence it needed discipline in order to be saved from the sins. This view is completely different from the child-centered views who uphold that a child’s interest should be a beacon for his stud ent life. The Christian view of child needing authority was flawed for various reasons. It ignored two factors: the sinfulness and fallibility of those in authority, and the necessity for a mutual responsibility between teacher and pupil for the conduct of the educational process. This mutuality is necessary for proper communication. Child-centered theorists such as A.S. Neill believe that a child’s nature is intrinsically good. They believe that a child has an innate wisdom and realism (Neill, 200). Here we see diametrically opposite views on the innate quality of children. It is the adults who

Takata air bag Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Takata air bag - Case Study Example The airbag industry has been witnessed as one of the high growth industry worldwide. The rapidly developing market of airbag includes South America, South-East Asia, Eastern Europe, China and India (Prasad, 2015). Since 2009, various safety measures taken by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) has guided the automobile companies in the US to properly pass the side crash test which has further influenced the utilization of airbag safety equipment in the manufactured vehicles. The major manufacturers of the airbags within the global market include Autoliv, TRW, Delphi, Takata etc (Mattsson, 2015). Takata Corporation is a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer company which is one of the leading suppliers of vehicle airbag systems across the world. Apart from airbags the organization also deals in seatbelts, steering wheel system and child restraints system for a number of automobile companies. The organization was founded by Takezo Takada in 1933. Their major clients include Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Company and Nissan Motor Company. The organization has recorded annual revenue of approximately $4.5 billion by the end of 2014. Currently, the organization is recalling a large number of vehicles which as using Takata-made airbag system due to the recently found defective functions of the product. According to the current data the organization is recalling near about 34 million vehicles to replace their defected airbag system (Klayman, B. 2015). The vision statement of the organization defines their motivation towards the continuous development and innovation. The vision of the organization provides immense importance towards the preciousness of life while developing and designing any safety product (Takata Corporation. 2014). Situational analysis can be described as the collection of different methods that can be utilized by the management of different organizations to analyze their external

Teen Pregnancy Research Essay Example for Free

Teen Pregnancy Research Essay Social Construction of Teenage Pregnancy in the United States: Race, Class and Gender In the United States, an estimated forty five percent of all female teenagers have premarital sex. As a result, about forty percent of all female adolescents become pregnant at least once before age twenty; and about four-fifths of these pregnancies are unintended. Twenty percent of these female adolescents bear a child, and about half of them are unmarried (Lawson and Rhode, 2). In a society that associates age appropriate sexual behavior and marital status with the welfare of the family and community, this is a very alarming statistic to many. Throughout the past several decades American society has developed very strong, and many times mythical opinions about teenage pregnancy, the consequences it has on teen mothers, and the type of women contributing to these statistics. These mythical opinions consistently revolve around race, class and gender. Therefore, in this paper I will be examining the social constructions American society has developed about teenage pregnancy in relation to race, class, and gender as well as the misconceptions these social constructions lead to. It will be seen that societies views on teenage pregnancy often mask the understanding of the issue, and hinder the development of a solution. Teenage motherhood is an issue that has developed a very negative social construction in the United States. When this social construction is paired with that of racial minorities, the issue becomes even more daunting. While teenage pregnancy in general has attained a very negative stigmatization, the distress about minority groups, and especially African Americans, is expressed much more frequently and dramatically than that of their white counterparts. This has resulted in many misconceptions about the relationship between race and teenage motherhood as well as masked the understanding of the teenage motherhood trend versus aiding it. When examining the negative social constructions that have been created in the U. S. , that of African Americans cannot be ignored, especially in relation to teenage pregnancy. The African American community has been labeled as the sole proprietors of the teenage motherhood phenomenon. Black mothers under the age of twenty are paid much closer attention to than white mothers under age twenty. This is especially true when they are single. Black teenage mothers are assumed to be producing problematic children who contribute very little, if anything, to society. If one were to ask a majority of Americans their thoughts on African Americans and teenage pregnancy, they would be very similar to the thoughts of a man recorded on a radio talk show when he stated, â€Å"Black teen mothers children grow up in fatherless households with mothers who have few moral values and little control over their offspring. The boys join gangs; the girls stand a good chance of becoming teen mothers themselves†. This man’s opinion very clearly illustrates the negative association between blacks and early motherhood (Kaplan, xviii). The idea that African Americans are solely responsible for the teenage pregnancy phenomenon is highly influenced by the belief that black teenage mothers and fathers are morally unfit. Many believe them to have different moral values than those of non-minority teenagers of similar age. They are said to make their life decisions based on unmoral grounds and aspirations. This is a very inaccurate perception in many ways, however. When creating this presumption, many tend to look at the results of decisions made by young African American mothers, versus the environment influencing these decisions. In areas around the United States where teenage pregnancy is very common for African Americans, a number of social ills can be seen; unemployment, poor housing, gangs, drugs, and disrupted families are just to name a few (Kaplan, 19). Therefore, it is very important to recognize that the high number of teenage pregnancies seen in these areas is not simply a result of high African American demographics, and their so-called â€Å"unmoral values†. They are a result of the environmental conditions these African Americans are exposed to. One would see the same heightened percentages of white teenage pregnancies in a highly white demographic area, which was exposed to these same environmental and social ills. Another way in that the â€Å"morally unfit† argument is unreasonable, is in the fact that the majority of African American teenage mothers have the same life aspirations as their white peers. In a book written by Elaine Bell Kaplan, this very idea is explored in depth, through extensive interviews with black teenage mothers. In an interview with a mother named Diane, Kaplan asks Diane her reasoning for no longer being in a relationship with her babies father. She stated that, â€Å"He had a ghetto mentality. Hes the kind of person who likes a casual living style. I want to get as far away as possible from this life, even if it means giving up my son. My fantasy is to give him to his father, to get married, to live somewhere else, like in another state. To marry a professional, someone who has values and ideals like I have. Have more children, be a corporate attorney, have a big beautiful house, and a car. Have money. Have four children, all with my husband. Raise them and send them to college. Theres a real good sense of self-worth in that†(Kaplan, 95). The same could be said for many mothers Kaplan worked with throughout her study. These mothers were by no means morally unfit; they had simply made poor decisions, due to the environment in which they found themselves surrounded. The negative association between black women and teenage pregnancy does not exclusively revolve around teenage mothers, but the African American community as well. Many people believe that the black community condones teenage pregnancy. This could not be further from the truth. The black community shares the same expectations in regards to teenage pregnancy as any other community. In the eyes of the black community, and especially family members, teenage mothers are breaking three very essential social norms about motherhood and sexuality. The first being that, â€Å"Young women should certainly not have children until they reach adult status, and not before marriage† (Kaplan, 82). This social norm, which revolves around age, motherhood, and marriage, can be viewed many times as a silent, but mutual agreement within African American families. Mothers of teenage mothers often feel as though they were taught to follow these social norms as children, and therefore, these norms should be passed on and accepted by their children. In a statement by a mother in Kaplan’s book, this idea is very clearly demonstrated when the mother says, â€Å"You better not even discuss sex, let alone have it, with anyone until you get yourself married and talk about it to your husband. No man wants to marry soiled goods† (Kaplan, 81). This first social norm lights the pathway for the second, which is the idea that â€Å"sexually active unmarried girls become soiled goods†(Kaplan, 82). Throughout Kaplan’s study she found that African American mothers were embarrassed by the fact that their friends and coworkers knew their teenage daughter was sexually active. She was not only embarrassed for her daughter, but herself as well—she found it to be a big blow to her reputation. In another statement made by an African American mother whose teenage daughter was pregnant, it was stated that, â€Å"Only poor, ignorant, and mentally ill girls become pregnant at an early age. Nice girls dont† (Kaplan, 82). This quote clearly exemplifies that approval was the last thing experienced by black teenage mothers in regards to their pregnancy. The third, and final social norm African American families find to be broken by their daughters is â€Å"The notion that successful mothering means passing on social values to children† (Kaplan, 82). Black mothers view their daughter’s teenage pregnancy as an insult to their parenting abilities. They feel as though they failed at passing proper values onto their daughters, and view themselves and their daughters as moral failures. This is a very difficult aspect of the pregnancy for mothers to deal with, as it questions their definition of motherhood, and the views they have developed in regards to what motherhood entails. In many ways society has turned teenage pregnancy into a black and white issue. It is important to recognize, however, that teenage pregnancy is not simply an issue that revolves solely around race. And it most certainly does not lie completely in the hands of African Americans. The rates of young, white, single mothers have vastly increased in the United States in recent decades. (Lawson and Rhode, 89). Since 1988 young women have been giving birth at a much higher rate, regardless of their skin color (Luker, 7). Therefore, if teen pregnancy rates are rising in all racial communities, other factors contributing to this rise must be examined. This leads us to the next social construction revolving around teenage pregnancy: class. â€Å"It is true that young mothers tend to be poor women, it is much more meaningful to say that poor women tend to become young mothers† (Luker, 12). This statement is one that society has failed to truly grasp, and one that has lead to the social construction and belief that teenage pregnancy causes poverty. The idea that teenage poverty is an automatic sentence to poverty, and a contributing factor to poverty is one that is supported in the media, literature, and by society as a whole. In an article written by a social scientist named Lloyd Eby, it is expressed that â€Å"Teenage mothers and their children experience increased levels of depression, stress, and aggression; a decrease in some indicators for physical health; higher incidence of needing the services of mental health professionals, and other emotional and behavioral problems. All these effects are linked with lifetime poverty, poor achievement, susceptibility to suicide, likelihood of committing crimes and being arrested, and other pathologies† (Eby and Donovan, 44). Another author states that â€Å"Teenage pregnancy—the entry into parenthood of individuals who barely are beyond childhood themselves—is one of the most serious and complex problems facing the nation today†¦the birth of a child can usher in a dismal future of unemployment, poverty, family breakdown, emotional stress, dependency on public agencies, and health problems of mother and child† (Luker, 73). However, these indicators and symptoms of teenage pregnancy are ones that are also seen within impoverished communities that do not contain teenage mothers. They are symptoms that plague both communities containing poor teenage mothers and poor communities without teenage mothers, and cannot be pin pointed simply to the latter. Therefore, it can be seen that the concept above, which states that teenage mothers cause poverty should be viewed in a different way, as poverty is the true cause of teenage pregnancy. Eighty percent of teenage mothers come from poor backgrounds (Luker, 112). And, in order to understand the social construction mentioned above we must first examine and understand the reasons why such a large percent of these teenage mothers come from economically unstable backgrounds. The first major factor that can be explored is the fact that impoverished teens typically begin to have sexual intercourse at earlier stages in their lives. In addition to this fact, when they do start having sex they delay the use of effective contraceptives, and use them very inconsistently. This delayed and inconsistent use gives them many more opportunities to find themselves impregnated. All of these factors are ones that poor teenagers affluent peers tend to not take part in. They begin having sex at a later age, and when they begin to take part in sexual practices their use of effective contraceptives is much more consistent (Luker, 114). In addition to sexual practices, poor teens are at a disadvantage in terms of educational development and ambition. The majority of teenage mothers, before getting pregnant, show very few educational aspirations, and perform poorly in school. They come from much less affluent background than their counterparts, have lower scores on cognitive and ability tests, as well as have a long history of behavioral problems, truancy, and absenteeism. In other words these teens are young people who â€Å"were already experiencing difficulties in life on several fronts and who had little optimism about their futures† (Luker, 116). This separates poor mothers from their more affluent peers, as those who are more affluent tend to have higher career goals, better overall performance in school, consistent attendance and a greater sense of optimism about their futures. Not only do poor teenage mothers suffer from educational disadvantages, but their environment tends to influence them in a negative way. They live in poor areas, surrounded by few people who have any hope for their future. A teenager who lives in a poor area, surrounded by poor people, and who has no successful role models, is much more likely to find herself seventeen and having a baby than a more affluent teen living in the suburbs with successful parents. Affluent teens view pregnancy as an obstacle, whereas poor teens many times view teenage pregnancy as a normal stage in life. This clearly plays a crucial role in higher teenage birth rates within non-affluent communities. The evidence above clearly shows that circumstances the majority of poor young teenage mothers find themselves in are very bleak. These circumstances result in a higher percentage of teenage pregnancies within impoverished communities, and are ones that influence teenage mothers decision-making before conception. However, it is also important to examine the circumstances poor teen mothers encounter post pregnancy, in order to see that, while poverty is a large contributor to teenage pregnancy, the stresses it has on teen moms results in a vicious cycle of poverty, that they very seldomly escape. The centerpiece for the cycle of poverty teenage mothers find themselves in post pregnancy is education, or lack there of. It is important to recognize that critics of the theory I am examining would argue that teen mothers lack of education is the centerpiece of their argument as well. They believe mother’s lack of education is the attributing factor to the poverty seen throughout the nation, and would therefore state that teenage pregnancy is clearly the main cause of poverty. However, this is not necessarily the case. When teen moms are â€Å"faced with the demands of a baby and schoolwork, hey tend to drop out of high school; and teen mothers who have dropped out lose any educational chances they may have had, condemning themselves and their children to lives of disadvantage. But since the teens who become pregnant are discouraged and disadvantaged to begin with, and since the fact that they are living in bleak circumstances increased the likelihood that they will get pre gnant† the inference that their missed educational opportunities caused their poverty is incorrect (Luker, 116). Unfortunately, a majority of these young women would experience the same educational deficiencies whether they became pregnant or not. While a large majority of teenage mothers would struggle with their educational pursuits, regardless of if they became pregnant or not, it is still important to examine the specific ways in which teenage pregnancy effects the education of teenage mothers. As stated above, when teens become pregnant the stress they experience between motherhood and schoolwork is too much to handle. â€Å"Pregnancy is the most common cause of school dropout among adolescent girls in the United States†. (Luker, 119) And, once a student drop’s out of school, they find it very hard to go back and finish their degree (Luker, 119). Adolescents without a high school diploma find themselves with restricted job opportunities, unable to earn wages that will sufficiently support themselves and their child. They are trapped in the cycle of poverty, and the cycle is very hard to escape. It is very clear that the relationship between poverty and teenage pregnancy is very strong. While it would be very easy to assume that teenage pregnancy is the largest contributor to poverty, it is impossible to ignore the ways in which poverty influences young teens to become pregnant, and the role poverty plays in the lives of teenage mothers. By blaming teenage mothers for poverty we are masking the understanding we need to acquire in order to obtain a true insight into teenage pregnancy and teenage mothers. The third and final social construction I am examining is gender. As a society we have created the idea that in the majority of cases, women are meant to take inferior roles to men, and are here to please them. This idea has carried over into teenage pregnancy, and has had immense effects on teenage mothers before, during, and after their pregnancy. And in many cases has played a major part in why teenage mothers get pregnant in the first place. Not only does society create gender role expectations that confuse teenage mothers, but it also sends mixed messages about the roles teenage moms are supposed to play in their own life, as well as the life of their child. The first way in which teenage mothers are affected by traditional gender roles is in the fact that they fail to put themselves first in their relationships. They may have sex to please a man, and they may fail to use contraception because the man either objects or makes it difficult by complaining that contraception reduces his pleasure. Because of the way teenage girls have been influenced by outside sources, they many times read this as a way he is trying to solidify the relationship (Luker, 6). They see contraception as a barrier between them and their relationship, and therefore welcome the idea of not using it. Many teenager mothers have stated they purposely got pregnant in attempts to obtain a committed relationship. They fail to recognize they have as much control over their relationship as their partner, and instead of looking for some forms of control and assertiveness they simply seek acceptance and the feeling that they are wanted. These feelings are all associated with the idea that men are superior to them, and that women should seek the acceptance of a man more so than finding acceptance within herself (Luker, 4). Another concern within gender roles is that as a society we view young mothers as young women, we want them to be sensitive to the needs of others, committed to relationships and nurturing to the next generation. However, at the same time we want them to be careful, forward-thinking, attuned to the market, and prepared to invest in themselves and not others. This clash of ideas and messages causes a great deal of confusion in the lives of teenage mothers, and causes them to feel stuck between different sets of expectations and roles. In many ways it causes them to never feel satisfied with the role they are playing, and diminishes their chances of a brighter future (Luker, 6). Not only have we created gender role expectations for women that make teen pregnancy a much more difficult experience, but the gender roles we have created for men have made teen pregnancy a much more difficult experience as well. Women are given the responsibility of full-time care for their child, whether the male figure has involvement in their life or not. They are expected to deal with the daily stresses and issues that have been talked about above. Instead of assuming men should take these same responsibilities, we expect them not to play a large role, and have low expectations of their performance as teenage fathers. We quite simply let them off the hook. However, in order to aid teenage mothers in their daily hardships these expectations and gender roles need to be heightened for men. We cannot continue expecting them to fail at being acceptable fathers. In conclusion, we can see that race, class, and gender play large roles in the lives of teenage mothers, and influence their lives in many ways. The roles they play depend largely on the social constructions society chooses to accept, develop, and pursue. By looking past the traditional social constructions society has developed, the ones that we have seen are often misconstrued and misguided, we can obtain a true understanding of the lives of teenage mothers, and the causes of their lifestyles and decision making.

Queen Elizabeth I Essay Example for Free

Queen Elizabeth I Essay The play A Midsummer Nights Dream was written by William Shakespeare in 1594. From the theme and context of the play, I can conclude that it was probably written for a wedding. It would be similar to the epithalamion written at weddings at this time, but a more elaborate version. Many of the lines rhyme and it all has the feel of poetry: some beautiful and some seeming supernatural and spell-like. It canvasses all aspects of marriage through plot, characters and symbolism, touching on both light and dark areas. The tragic side is shown more through references that actually spelling it out; Pyramus and Thisby is one example of a union which ended in catastrophe. However, despite this, the main idea of marriage is perceived as harmonious; all is shown in a comic frame, with a humorous touch and a happy ending. This would be an appropriate feel for a wedding play because it gives the concept of marriage an idyllic feel, telling the newlyweds what they want to hear: that marriage is a good idea. If you search the play in depth, you will find that not only is it about the union of people in a marriage, but also about the unity of opposing forces in nature and bringing harmony from chaos. It is also, in an even broader sense, about the Elizabethan ideals about God and the universe. To clarify exactly what these ideals were and how A Midsummer Nights Dream defines them, I must start at the beginning with the story of Adam and Eve. Elizabethans believed in everything fitting into its natural place. After studying the sky, they thought the universe was made up of spheres, one containing the stars, one containing planets and so on. They thought the Earth was at the centre of the universe; the spheres they believed in were a way of dealing with the fact that different bodies in the sky moved in different ways. It was thought that these spheres made the world harmonious, but humans couldnt see the true beauty of it because of Adam and Eve. The legend goes that Eve was tempted by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This, apparently, caused the whole human race to fall from Gods grace. Now, the relevance of this to A Midsummer Nights Dream and the theme of marriage is that when this happened, it meant man kind could not the music of the spheres; they were only told by God that everything had its place. Even the evil in the world has a reason for being there. Humans cannot see quite how everything fits in because of their sin. They do not fully understand why some things happened because they cant see the big picture. This was illustrated by the Great Chain of Being. God came at the top of this chain, with angels under Him. Then came nature (represented by Oberon and Titania), people (shown in all the human characters), and below them animals, plants and rocks. Humans came between animals and Angels, a relationship personified by Bottom. He is a typical human, not very bright or beautiful, but just a normal working class person. He then has a link with both the animal and angel world; he is turned into an ass and he has a relationship with Titania. This establishes the link between animals, angles and humans, and also tells you about the human nature. They are always trying to find something greater that themselves (for example fairies or angels) but to the greater beings, they must look as animals do to us far beneath them and having little or no brains. Also exhibiting the same way of thinking was the fact that men came above women in the category of humans. If you were to sum up the play with one idea, this is the single idea addressed most eloquently. Many events in A Midsummer Nights Dream suggest the superiority of men, through the media of imagery, plot and characters, which will be tackled later. The Elizabethan idea of the cosmos is also addressed by the union of opposites connected with marriage. Their idea of the universe is that everything joins together perfectly and everything has its place. Things which may not seem to have a purpose will have been created by God for a reason; we just dont know what that is. The prime example is the joining of a man and a woman in marriage. It may seem to make more sense to join two women or two men, as these will have more in common, but this play is trying to say a little of both the male and female persona is needed to make the match united. They are like opposite forces, but marriage brings them together. It is as is they have only half of the qualities needed to bring harmony and they must be brought together in marriage to make a whole. The same is also being expressed through the union of other opposite forces. There are many contrasting pairs which link hand in hand in this play: night and day; sleeping and waking; supernatural and mortal; discord and harmony; passion and reason; and ultimately female and male. These pairs are all the exact opposite of each other; and yet Shakespeare is presenting the notion that we need each half of the pair to make the world harmonious.

Literary Critique Of Wise Blood English Literature Essay

Literary Critique Of Wise Blood English Literature Essay Flannery OConnor is known for her southern stories that explore the psychological and spiritual landscapes of the human soul (Meyer 363) as well as for her creation of characters that are alternately absurdly comic and tragic (366). Wise Blood, her first novel, demonstrates her artistic ability as a writer. In this novel, Flannery OConnor uses vivid descriptions, mimicry, and shocking violence to captivate her readers. Wise Blood is Flannery OConnors first novel. This novel follows the stories of two main characters, Hazel Motes and Enoch Emery. Hazel Motes is a preacher unlike the rest. He creates The Church Without Christ. He is on a quest to prove to himself and others that Jesus does not exist. Enoch Emery is an eighteen year old in search of success. He is also on a quest to follow his instincts which he terms Wise Blood. Both these characters come to shocking ends in the story. One technique that OConnor uses very well in this novel is vivid descriptions. For example, she describes Mrs. Wally Bee Hitchcock as a fat woman with pink collars and cuffs and pear-shaped legs that slanted off the train seat and didnt reach the floor (OConnor 3). OConnor presents a very vivid image of Mrs. Wally Bee Hitchcock in this sentence. The word fat can be opaque, including a variety of shapes. By using the imagery of a pear and the space between her legs and the floor, OConnor gives readers a clear and interesting image of the character. Another example of this excellent use of description is found in Hazel Motes imagination. He saw Jesus move from tree to tree in the back of his mind, a wild ragged figure motioning to him to turn around and come off into the dark where he was not sure of his footing, where he might be walking on the water and not know it and then suddenly know it and drown. (11). The image of Jesus as a wild man deep in the dark of a jungle trapping Hazel Motes into drowning shows that Hazel Motes feels at a great distance from Jesus, and that he is also afraid of Jesus and the unknown. This imagery gives readers an interesting and clear insight into Hazel Motes mind. OConnor also uses animal imagery throughout the novel. An example of this occurs when Hazel Motes sits down in a dining cart with three youngish women dressed like parrots. Their hands were resting on the table, red-speared at the tips (7). From this image the reader can determine that the women are wearing very colorful clothing accentuated by red nail polish on their fingers. The waiter is also described with animal imagery. He had greased black hair and a greased black look to his suit. He moved like a crow, darting from table to table (6). This presents a vivid image of the characters look and movement. Another excellent use of animal imagery is the description of Hazel Motes. He had a nose like a shrikes bill and a long vertical crease on either side of his mouth; His hair looked as if it had been permanently flattened under the heavy hat (3-4). Not only does this description convey to the reader Hazel Motes birdlike looks, it also works on a deeper level. Hazel Motes tries empty humans of their consciences (93-95), just as a shrike impales its victims. This image gives readers a detailed physical description of Hazel Motes while also giving insight into his personality. Again, OConnor uses this twofold animal imagery when describing Hazel Motes grandfather. His grandfather had been a circuit preacher, a waspish old man who had ridden over three countries with Jesus hidden in his head like a stinger (9-10). This description conveys the image of a severe looking man. It also indicates that Hazel Motes grandfather used Jesus as a weapon against people, just as a wasp uses its stinger as a weapon. Another example of OConnors use of twofold animal imagery is the character of Enoch Emery. He looked like a friendly hound dog with light mange (23). This imagery tells the reader that Enoch Emery is an amiable boy with an unkempt appearance. It also indicates that he follows his instincts rather than making choices based on rationality. Enoch Emory follows his wise blood (44) and allows it to rule his decisions, just as a hound dog follows the scent of the hunted. While OConnor makes great use of vivid descriptions, one of the more intriguing aspects of her novel is the use of mimicry. One example of this mimicry is Hazel Motes and his church. Hazel Motes mimics his grandfather and other evangelical preachers. Hazel Motes grandfather had a particular disrespect for him because his own face was repeated almost exactly in the childs and seemed to mock him (11). Not only does Hazel Motes look just like his grandfather, he preaches from the hood of his car (58), just like his grandfather did (10). Hazel Motes church, The Church Without Christ (58), preaches salvation without Jesus. In this way it mimics the churches of the evangelical preachers that preach that Jesus is the key to salvation. OConnor further develops this mimicry in a comical way through the characters of Hoover Shoats and Solace Layfield. Hoover Shoats tries to take over the Church Without Christ for monetary gain. He changes the name of the church to the Holy Church of Christ Without Christ. He also hires Solace Layfield as the True Prophet (94). Solace Layfield looks just like Hazel Motes, wears similar clothes, and drives a similar car (94). In this way, the Holy Church of Christ without Christ and Solace Layfield are a mimicry of Hazel Motes and the Church Without Christ. Another intriguing example of OConnors use of mimicry is the mummy. The mummy becomes the new Jesus for the Church Without Christ. Hazel Motes tells the people that his church needs a new Jesus. He tells them that it needs one thats all man, without blood to waste, and it needs one that dont look like any other man (80). Enoch Emery then steals the mummy from the museum to give to Hazel Motes as the new Jesus (97). The mummy was naked and a dried yellow color and his eyes were drawn almost shut as if a giant block of steel were falling down on top of him (56). As the new Jesus for Hazel Motes mock church, the shriveled up mummy mimics the resurrected Christ. This mimicry of Jesus is further developed in the portrayal of Sabbath Lily Hawks. Although the name Lily suggests purity, Sabbath Lily Hawks seduces Hazel Motes (10-11). When Enoch brings the mummy to Hazel Motes house, Sabbath Lily Hawks answers the door, takes the mummy, and cradles it. Her hands grew accustomed to the feel of his skin. Some of his hair had come undone and she brushed it back where it belonged, holding him in the crook of her arm and looking down into his squinched face. His mouth had been knocked a little to one side so that there was just a trace of a grin covering his terrified look. She began to rock him a little in her arm and a slight reflection of that same grin appeared on her own face (104). As Sabbath Lily Hawks holds and rocks the mummy, she mimics the Virgin Mary holding Jesus. These instances of inverse mimicry are both comical and grotesque and further absorb readers in the novel. While OConnors use of vivid descriptions and mimicry are intriguing, her use of violence to captivate readers is the most effective technique. When Enoch Emery takes Hazel Motes to see the mummy, he becomes so frightened that he forgets the address to Asa Hawks house. Hazel Motes throws a rock at him because of this. Enoch Emery turned his head and saw a drop of blood on the ground and as he looked at it, he thought it widened like a little spring. He sat straight up, frozen-skinned, and put his finger in it, and very faintly he could hear his blood beating, his secret bloodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Then he knew whatever was expected of him was only just the beginning (57). This violence is unexpected and effectively grabs the readers attention. This violent scene is also used as foreshadowing to further absorb readers into the novel. Another example of OConnors effective use of violence is when Hazel Motes murders Solace Layfield. Hazel Motes runs over Solace Layfield with his car. He then drove about twenty feet and stopped the car and then began to back it. He backed it over the bodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦A lot of blood was coming out of him and forming a puddle around his head (115). This instance of shocking violence is riveting and also gives the reader further insight into the character of Hazel Motes. Hazel Motes murders Solace Layfield in a final attempt to kill his own conscience. The fact that Solace Layfield is also a mimic of Hazel Motes emphasizes the fact that Hazel Motes is attempting to kill a part of himself, namely his conscience. Wise blood is filled with vivid descriptions, intriguing mimicry, and startling violence which effectively keeps readers absorbed in the novel. This novel certainly conveys Flannery OConnors ability to write artistically and effectively. For this reason, readers will certainly be drawn to read her other works.

Macbeth: Schizophrenic? Essay -- essays research papers

Macbeth’s tragic downfall into insanity could be modernly diagnosed as the mental disorder schizophrenia. Many of the actions carried out by Macbeth during the play lead the reader to believe that Macbeth is crazy. However, by today’s medical standards, Macbeth falls into several of the categories under the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as, "a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought, and conduct." In Act I Macbeth is very uneasy in his and Lady Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan. He says, â€Å"We shall proceed no further in this business. For he hath honored me of late.† (I.7.31-32) This is an unmistakable example of how Macbeth is not fully confident in his decisions. He feels guilt and anguish, as does Lady Macbeth, for she will not commit the murder herself, due to the fact that King Duncan looks too much like her father. At this point in the play, it is quite questionable as to weather either of the conspirators will consummate to the killings. Duncan’s death can be identified as the turning point of Macbeth’s sanity. This is when Macbeth starts to clearly display numerous symptoms of schizophrenia. O One of the most common symptoms of schizophrenia is the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Macbeth displays this characteristic as he speaks vehemently to an empty chair, which he believes is the ghost of his old friend Banquo, w ho he just recently had killed. He says, â€Å"Prithee, see there! behold! look! lo! how say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. If charnel-houses and our graves must send Those that we bury back, our monuments Shall be the maws of kites.† (III, 4) Macbeth is the only one to see the ghost, not even the audience is allowed by Shakespeare to see this apparition. After this, his mental stability begins to deteriorate throughout the course of the play. Guilt and obsession are also among the leading features associated with schizophrenia. After Macbeth is coaxed into killing Duncan, he is plagued by the blood, which he has spilt. However, he still manages to kill anyone who threatens his reign, even those who are very close to him. One could say that his obsession with maintaining his royal sta... ...s disorganized and fragmented, the ill person's speech is often muddled or unreasonable. Thought disorder is frequently accompanied by inappropriate emotional responses: which means words and mood do not appear in tune with each other. The result may be something like laughing when speaking of shady or frightening events. Early warning signs, such as Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, her irrational speech, and her loss of normal temperament were all reverberations of her mental instability. Extreme circumstances such as the ones presented in Macbeth are highly probable causes for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s development of schizophrenia. Their behavior, although seeming quite erratic and irrational, is quite common among patients with this disorder. The term â€Å"schizophrenic,† however, was not even brought to the public until 1911, by a Swiss psychologist, Eugen Bleuler, almost three decades after Shakespeare’s Macbeth was introduced to England. Citizens during the sixteen hundreds would have just thought Macbeth and his wife were insane and should be locked away. With today’s psychoanalytic sciences, though, it can be most likely predicted that schizophrenia was present in Macbeth.

The Meaning of Love in Shakespeares Othello Essay examples -- GCSE En

The Meaning of Love in Othello      Ã‚   The Bible says that 'all else is redundant without love', a most profound and relevant statement underlining the tragedy of Othello; in the absence of love, the Moor's fortunes plummet, so that he loses not only his respect and his posting but his life and that of his wife also. However, to truly understand the depth of this tragedy, it is essential to understand from where Othello, the protagonist, is coming before the arrival of his peripiteia, his falling out of love and into jealousy. It is therefore vital to understand the meaning of love in Othello, not only to fully portray Othello's fall from grace, but to understand many of the actions and views of the other characters in the play. It also enables the reader to understand what Shakespeare is trying to say about the world in general through his use of love. There are in Othello, as in life, many different types of love, with some characters displaying different sorts of love depending on with whom they are sharing their love. Probably the most obvious love is between Othello and Desdemona, characterised by their happiness to see each other after Othello's separation due to the storm: Othello: O my fair warrior! Desdemona: My dear Othello! Othello: ... O my soul's joy, If after every tempest come such calms May the winds blow till they have weakened death. The emphatic language and hugely powerful imagery (the calm after the storm, the winds blowing until they weaken death, the examples) employed by Othello, as well as the short exclamations on first seeing each other indicate a feeling of true delight to once again be in one another's presence. However, and this is evident in the extract above, Othello and Des... ...ty and Fortune.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from â€Å"The Noble Moor.† British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955. Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974. Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993. Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven