The country pleasures which John Donne mentioned Essay Example for Free

The country pleasures which John Donne mentioned Essay In Donnes poetry, individual desire operates on two levels: on one level, it is the desire which is born out of the lower self and seeks gratification in the pleasures of the senses. On another level desire is spiritual and it seeks to transcend the physical. The country pleasures which John Donne mentioned in The Good Morrow is an example of the physical pleasures which the poet seeks to satisfy in physical activities. However such kinds of pleasures are only mere illusions, that is, fancies. The desire to love is felt like an inner urge in the poet. It is a spiritual force which transcends the physical to meet at a higher level and brings about a unity of souls. His only desire was to be united with his beloved: If ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got, twas but a dream of thee. The strong urge of the desire to love is enacted effectively by the tone of the last two lines in the first stanza of The Good Morrow. The caesuras after see in line 6 of the first stanza and in line 7 of the first stanza enacts forcefully the inner urge which the poet feels. The desire starts in a dream to have a beauty and that desire is fulfilled majestically. The use of metaphysical conceits dominate the last two stanzas. The lovers see worlds of their own reflected in the pupils of each other. Here we can see that the desire is not sensual pleasure, rather it is the new horizon which love opens to the poet which are of significance. Hence, the desire is more of a spiritual nature. The emphasis throughout the second and third stanzas is on the soul rather than on the physical. It is the desire of a soul in quest of divine joy. Harmony and inner tranquillity can only be attained through a union of souls. In Holy Sonnets I, the poets desire for Divine grace is strongly articulated. He appeals to Gods mercy to save him before it is too late and he is eternally dead. 1 It is a prayer of a lost soul seeking divine grace to prevent it from damnation in the fire of hell. The poet realises his helplessness in the face of death. Only divine grace can help him to attain salvation. The sincerity of the prayer is evident throughout the sonnet. Man is a born sinner for he has been created weak. But with the help of the creator, man can strengthen his heart so that he does not fall an easy prey to the art of the arch deceiver who is our eternal foe (Ln. 11), that is, Satan. The desires for physical pleasures are but an illusion: And all my pleasures are like yesterday (Ln. 4). In this line the poets realisation of the fleeting pleasures of this physical world is articulated and at the same time it expresses a sense of regret and despair for having wasted ones life. The damage is almost irreparable, but reparable by the intervention of the divine grace. Hence the poets plea to God to repair (Ln.2) him, that is, to repair the damage which the poet has done to himself by committing sins. The word repair is loaded with meaning. Repair implies that damages have occurred and the reasons for these damages are sins. Desires can thus lead to sin and the individual is constantly being tempted. It is a test of character which the individual is undergoing in this terrestrial life and without the support of God, the poet will not be able to sustain himself for even one hour. The desire to be forgiven and the desire for divine grace is expressed with a lot of fervour. In sonnet 5, the poet once again expresses his desire for salvation. The same fervour and zeal is present as in Holy Sonnet I and the poet asks God to endow him with the capacity to weep so that he can drown his sins in tears. The overall desire in this sonnet is the desire for sincere repentance so that the poet can save his soul. There is the realisation that without divine grace, the poet will lose both his lower self as well as his higher self, that is, his soul. In A hymn to Christ, the poets desire is to be a born Christian again: and make me anew. The desire to be born again is like another chance to be given to sinners so that they can lead a life in conformity with the teachings of Christ, the saviour of humanity. It is the desire to attain an everlasting life. There is the realisation of lost innocence which the poet talks about in the imagery of a usurped town which has been ravished. In sonnet 7 Donne realises his need for repentance. He believes that his sins abound. The life that he has been living is full of sins. The poets urgent desire to be forgiven by God is expressed as: Teach me how to repent . The poet does not really know how to ask for forgiveness to God. In a sense he is waiting for divine inspiration to reach him. It is the thought of death that pushes Donne to seek divine forgiveness for all his past sins. By repenting the poet wants to seek abundance of [Gods] grace. Donne speaks directly to the lord: but let them sleep, Lord. Donne uses a very common religious metaphor in comparing death as a sleep before the end of time, when both good and bad people will be woken up to meet their eternal fate. Also, in this line, the speaker shifts the object of his apostrophe: hes now talking to God. 2 The last two lines introduce an important simile. Learning how to repent is like having the pardon for your sins sealed in blood. Donne conceives the pardon as an official document, the kind that would normally have a wax seal that serves as a kind of signature. But the simile is more complex than that. The speaker is saying that God really did seal his (the speakers) pardon with Gods own blood when He sent Jesus to die for the sins of humanity. The blood on the pardon is a metaphor for Christs blood. 3 So Donnes desire for forgiveness is a means he is seeking to go to heaven. In sonnet 14 the poet desires to start his life afresh. The metaphor of the usurped town is very symbolical in this sense. It is as if the poets soul has been captured by the enemy, who perhaps, is the Satan. The poet does not feel that is still in his own skin. He thinks himself to be a prisoner of his own soul as someone would be imprisoned in a usurped town. Though the sonnet contains many sexual metaphors like oerthrow me, and bend / Your force, ravish, and enthrall, the sonnet aims also at the new start of a spiritual life. The poet asks God to make me new. This is in a sense the inner self calling out to the poet that the way he has been living his life was not appropriate. He therefore needs spiritual renewal to be able to come closer to God. The metaphor or break that knot again is more as an apology and plea for forgiveness4 when an individual is forgiven by God he is like a new born child that has never ever committed sins. This is what the poet is seeking in this sonnet- to be as pure once again as a new born child. So, individual desire in Donnes poetry is more of a spiritual kind. Desire for the poet was not only sensual but rather more associated with God. He is trying in a sense to attain a very high level of spirituality in his life and desires salvation and the eternal bliss, which is paradise. The spiritual height that the poet wants to attain is due to his realization of his sins he committed all through his life. Now he needs to be cleansed. Bibliography.   John Donne poems: A Good-Morrow. Holy sonnets 1, 5, 7,14. Online resources.   http://wednesday1993. wordpress. com/2011/04/17/john-donnes-holy-sonnet-i-the-theology-of-grace/ http://www. shmoop. com/round-earths-imagined-corners-holy-sonnet-7/death-symbol. html   http://www. shmoop. com/round-earths-imagined-corners-holy-sonnet-7/repentance-pardon-symbol. html. http://www. shmoop.com/batter-my-heart-holy-sonnet-14/unhappy-engagement-affair-with-god-symbol. html 1 Quoted online from: http://wednesday1993. wordpress. com/2011/04/17/john-donnes-holy-sonnet-i-the-theology-of-grace/. 2 Quoted online from: http://www. shmoop. com/round-earths-imagined-corners-holy-sonnet-7/death-symbol. html 3Quoted online from: http://www. shmoop. com/round-earths-imagined-corners-holy-sonnet-7/repentance-pardon-symbol. html 4Quoted online from: http://www. shmoop. com/batter-my-heart-holy-sonnet-14/unhappy-engagement-affair-with-god-symbol. html.

Reflective Analysis of A Beautiful Mind

Reflective Analysis of A Beautiful Mind In my opinion, this movie was one of the best I have ever see. By far this is me saying a lot because I hate old movies. The way the director portrayed schizophrenia was wonderful. At the beginning of the movie I thought what he was seeing was real myself, and even his roommate that he thought he had. I really want to know where he really went when he thought he was getting chased by the Russians. The entire movie had me guessing as to what would happen from beginning end. I even started to think that his wife might have been part of his hallucinations too. It was very sad to see how his wife had to deal with him. I felt bad because I felt as though their relationship was one sided and she was putting in most of the effort. I would have liked to see more of his son; and how he viewed his dad knowing he had this disorder. It was nice to see in the end that he did give credit to his wife and I thought that was the best part of the movie. I understand that back then they did not have many options when it came down to medication. When I saw them using the insulin shock therapy I was very stunned. I dont know what insulin does to the body but when I saw him shaking and trembling I saw concerned. I was asking myself questions like how does this help him or what are the effects of using this treatment. I didnt understand how the insulin shock therapy would help him in any way; and I still dont know how it works. Although as I seen it did help him with his hallucinations along with the pills that he had to take. Although I would have liked it more if they showed the other options they had for medication.ÂÂ   I dont know if they used electro shock therapy but I would have loved to see how that procedure went. When it comes to schizophrenia those who have it may not all have the same type of schizophrenia. Such as, someone with schizophrenia could be delusional. This means that they have beliefs that can be proven wrong. For example, having super powers, being a famous person, or having friends that arent really there. Disorganized speech is another form of schizophrenia that someone could have. Someone who has disorganized speech may use words or sentences that dont make sense to others. Exhibiting strange behaviors is one more form of schizophrenia. This is harder to categorize because what may be strange to us may not be strange to them. Strange behavior may include acting in an odd or repetitive manor; like walking in circles, sitting perfectly still or being quiet for hours on end. Withdrawn and lifelessness is another form of schizophrenia. People who have this show no feelings or motivation, or they lack interest in normal daily activities. Since the symptoms for schizophrenia vary the amount of impact it has on a persons life can range from troublesome to dangerous. Everything can be affected from school, to work, to home etc. someone with schizophrenia could have a change in friends or isolate themselves; they could also have difficulty in school, sleep problems, or being very irritably. These types of change usually happen when the person is an adolescent. Once they become adults these symptoms could get worse and are harder to deal with. For example, having hallucinations and delusions are symptoms that can occur during adult hood. Disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, muscle immobility are also examples of symptoms that an adult with schizophrenia could have. All these symptoms can cause someone with schizophrenia to lose their job, it can impact their social life, make having relationships difficult. Life with schizophrenia makes it hard to function as a person and can lead to depression. Its also very hard on the family members who have to take care of the person. Schizophrenia takes up much time and effort for the families who have to help manage. Sadly, if the person with schizophrenia doesnt redraw from the family the family may redraw from them. If I knew that everything and everyone I knew didnt exist I think life would be hell. I really dont know how I would deal with this honestly. But if I had to explain it would probably be how the main character handled it. I would try to see who or what part of my life wasnt real. Once I found the unreal part of life I would try to either ignore it or find a way to deal with it. Depending if I had a wife or girlfriend at the time I dont think anti-depressant pills would be an option due to the erectile dysfunction. If I didnt have a wife or girlfriend that is the only way, I would consider those pills. I also think it would be harder to recognize whats real and what isnt real. I think I could live with someone suffering from schizophrenia depending on the symptom they have. If they were having hallucinations, then I could live with that due to the fact that I could help them realize whats real and what isnt. what I couldnt live with is the lifelessness symptom that someone with schizophrenia could have. I think this is the worst because if you cant communicate with the person it would be rather difficult to help them. Although that doesnt mean I wouldnt try to help them because I would be like I said it would be difficult. Do I think people with schizophrenia should be permanently hospitalized? Again I would say if depends on the symptoms they have and how bad they have it. In society today people with mental disorders are treated unfairly. Some people view them as monsters instead of treating them like humans. I am kind of the same way because sometimes when I see a person that I know has a mental disorder I feel uncomfortable towards them. Other times I feel bad for them because although I dont know how they are suffering I can understand what they could be going through.

Gender Language Acquisition And Language Use Psychology Essay

Gender Language Acquisition And Language Use Psychology Essay INTRODUCTION Over the last thirty years there has been a sharp increase of research on the differences between men and women, in particular the extent to which men and women use language differently. The purpose of this project is to identify the differences between male and female speech and how societys attitude towards gender has an impact on language acquisition and language use. Firstly this project will introduce the subject of sociolinguistics with a focus on stereotyping, language acquisition and the general differences in speech between males and females. Secondly, current opinions and attitudes will be discussed along with recent research that has been carried out examining if gender stereotyping exists and whether it has an impact on language acquisition and the way language is used. Lastly it will analyse findings from my own research of colour terms used by a sample of 10 children. Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society, and how society influences or affects the way in which language is used by individuals or groups (Crystal, 2008). Gender Difference is a branch of sociolinguistics that focuses on how males and females communicate and what differences there are between the two sexes. Over the last 20 years research has been conducted to try and answer such questions as Do women really talk more than men? Do men swear more than women? and Do women gossip more than men. The main differences identified between the way men and women communicate are: mens language is more dominant, aggressive, assertive, confident and forceful and womens language is submissive, cooperative, emotional and sincere (Pearson, 1985). Research has been carried out to examine whether these differences are due to biological or social factors. LITERATURE REVIEW Early research examining the relationship between gender and language was first carried out by Lakoff in 1975 and published in her book Language and Womans Place. Lakoff identified several factors that make womans language different to mens. Womens language contains more: Hedge phrases: sort of, it seems like; Polite forms: would you mindà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦; Tag questions: you are coming to dinner, arent you?; Standard English and tend to avoid using expletives. Lakoff stated that women are reluctant to force their views on another person which explains the use of hedge phrases. This view was supported by McMillan et al (1977). In relation to tag questions, Mulac Lundell (1986) found similar results with their research however studies by Dubois Crouch (1975) contradicts this as they found that men were more likely to use tag questions than women. Holmes (1984) also disagreed with Lakoffs suggestions of tag question and found that in most cases women used them to give the person being spoken to an opportunity to speak. Lakoffs research also found that women notice more detail than men causing women to be more perceptive; they notice things such as tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. She noted that women use a greater variety of descriptions when describing colours, (violet instead of purple or crimson rather than red. Glass (1992) carried out research to identify biological differences and found that in males the right hemisphere of the brain matures faster than the left where as the opposite occurs in females with the left hemisphere of the brain developing first. Therefore men are more adept at right hemisphere tasks such as solving mathematical problems while women are better with left hemisphere tasks such as developing language and vocabulary. Differences that arise due to social factors could be due to the fact that there is an element of sexism in language which instils gender stereotyping. Words that represent women or refer to women tend to have negative connotations (Romaine, 2008). If we look at the words that describe a single male (bachelor) and a single female (spinster), for many people the word bachelor would imply a young, single, professional male with prospects where as the word spinster would suggest a lonely, old female, yet they both mean the same for each gender. Nilsen (1977) carried out research using 500 dictionary words which had either male or female connotations. 385 were found to have male connotations compared to only 132 with female connotations. Nilsen looked at the words for negative connotations and found that the number of words with negative female connotations outweighed the number of male ones by 25%. There has been a lot of research examining whether the impact of gender stereotyping at an early age has had an influence in the use of language. Eisenberg et al (1985) found that parents will more often than not choose toys that are associated with their childs gender. Caldera (1989) looked at the type of toys children play with and the role they have in language development. He found that boys toys such as cars and trains have low levels of teaching and questioning and require little or no interaction with a parent. Boys will often mimic the sounds related to the toy (e.g. beep beep for a car or choo choo for a train) but the toy requires no conversation. In contrast, girls toys such as dolls and prams require a certain amount of role play that elicits constant verbal interaction with the toy with the child giving a step by step account of what will happen next (e.g. it is now time for your nap), which often leads to a parent becoming more involved making comments and questioning ( Caldera, 1989). By the end of a childs first year gender differences are already evident in the way they play and dress and the way adults interact and communicate with them. Parents will typically choose to dress a boy in blue or a girl in pink because that is what gender stereotyping dictates. Pearson Davilla (2001) found that baby boys are often described as strong, solid and independent where as baby girls are described as loving, cute and sweet thus reinforcing gender stereotypes. This type of gender stereotyping has also been found to occur in school textbooks with language often emphasising the ideas of males and females (Cameron, 2007). The use of terms like he, him and his, and men when referring to a person or people reinforces gender language with females made to look inferior to males. Males and females are typically represented in traditional gender roles with women as mothers and housewives, and men as professional breadwinners. Again women are portrayed in more submissive and inferior roles. This was more noticeable with reading schemes from the 1960s and 1970s. Males are also seen as having more opportunities than females as they are portrayed as being more adventurous and physically stronger than women. Females seem more caring and are seen as more interested in domestic matters taking a submissive role to allow male dominance. However Bradley (1981) and Weatherall (2002) have argued that there are no significant differences between male and female speech. METHODOLOGY In order to obtain comparable data I needed to ask a sample of children to look at a picture and give the name of each colour of a specific object within the picture. As this research was to be conducted during the Christmas season I used a sample of children who were attending a Christmas party. I devised a questionnaire which contained a colourful Christmas themed picture of Santa flying his sleigh along with five questions asking to name the colour of different objects within the picture (Appendix 1). The picture chosen had different shades of colour in order to allow a variety of answers for a particular object. The research was carried out on a small scale using a mixture of interpretive and positivist methods. A sample size of 10 children was used ranging from age 4 to 9 with an equal number of males and females to allow a more accurate comparison of data relating to gender. The children sampled were enjoying themselves at a Christmas party. Each child was sat down individually at a quiet table and asked to describe the colour of the various objects in each question. They were also asked their age. The time taken to answer the questions was an average of 4 minutes per child. FINDINGS I have analysed the findings for each question individually in order to compare the differences between genders. Q.1. What colour is Santas hat? In the picture, Santas hat is a standard red colour therefore it is not surprising that red was the answer given by 100% of the children. Q.2. What colour is the sky? The sky is a shade of blue which could be described as a light blue or sky blue. 80% of the boys gave the answer blue where as this answer was only given by 20% of the girls. Sky blue was the most popular answer which was given by 60% of the girls. Light blue was given by 20% of girls and 20% of boys. Q.3 What colour is Rudolph? Rudolph is a brown colour that could be described in a number of ways. 80% of boys answered brown compared to 40% of girls. Interestingly one girl (20%) gave the answer nutmeg while a second girl (20%) answered fawn and a third girl (20%) answering light brown. Fawn brown was also given by 20% of boys. Q.4. What colour is Rudolphs scarf? Rudolphs scarf is a dark shade of green. Green was the answer given by 80% of boys and 80% of girls. Only two other shades were given; moss green (20% boys) and sage (20% of girls). Q.5. What colour is Santas sleigh? Santas sleigh is red but it is a much darker shade of colour than his hat. Of the boys sampled, 80% gave the answer red with only one boy (20%) giving a different answer of burgundy. None of the girls gave the simple answer of red. 60% distinguished that is was a much darker red than Santas hat and therefore described it as dark red. One girl (20%) gave the answer maroon and another girl (20%) gave the answer burgundy. The table below shows the results along with each Childs gender and age: Response to Questions Child Gender Age Q.1 Q.2 Q.3 Q.4 Q.5 A M 8 Red Light Blue Fawn Brown Moss Green Burgundy B M 8 Red Blue Brown Green Red C M 9 Red Blue Brown Green Red D M 4 Red Blue Brown Green Red E M 7 Red Blue Brown Green Red F F 6 Red Sky Blue Nutmeg Sage Maroon G F 7 Red Light Blue Fawn Green Burgundy H F 5 Red Blue Brown Green Dark Red I F 6 Red Sky Blue Light Brown Green Dark Red J F 6 Red Sky Blue Brown Green Dark Red DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS The results show that females take more notice of details than males as the female children were more perceptive when looking at the picture and therefore gave a greater variety of colour descriptions. These results agree with Lakoffs research of Language and Womens Place. Lakoffs research was published more than thirty years ago and her specific claims about the way language is used by woman have been overturned as more recent research does not support them as the research was based on intuition. (Cameron, 2007). However, Lakoffs arguments that language-use, gender and power are all connected is still supported (Cameron, 2007). Individual differences may account for some of the variations in the results. Child A, a male child, gave colour terms of Red, Light Blue, Fawn Brown, Moss Green and Burgundy which suggests that other social factors besides gender stereotyping may have an influence. The way people use language is affected by the context of the situation they are in and to whom they are engaging in conversation with (Cameron, 2007). Holmes (1984) uses the analogy of a tightrope to explain: Women are obliged to walk a tightrope of impression management, continually demonstrating their professional competence while also making clear that they have not lost their femininity that they are not, for example, aggressive or uncaring (Cameron, 2007). Factors such as socio economic background, parent influence and other interests may have a direct effect on language acquisition and needs to be researched further. CONCLUSION The differences between males and females can be attributed to biological and social factors. Research by Glass (1992) shows that the brain develops differently in males and females which results in the two genders having a preference for tasks that are associated with that part of their brain that matures faster. Social factors such as gender stereotyping has a significant influence on language use as it helps to reinforce the roles that society dictates men and women should have. Gender stereotyping occurs from birth Females use language as a way to develop personal relationships where as men use language to assert independence and status. People adapt their language to different contexts therefore gender differences is a difficult area to study. Gender alone cannot account for differences in language use and as such other factors such as socio economic background, education and individual differences should be taken in to account. Much of the research carried out has identified what the differences are between male and female speech but with little suggestions as to why these differences occur. REFERENCE LIST Bradley, P. H. (1981) The Folk Linguistics of Womens Speech: An Empirical Examination. Communication Monographs. 48, pp73-90 Caldera, Y.M. (1989) Social interactions and play patterns of parents and toddlers with feminine, masculine and neutral toys. Child Development, 60, pp70-76. Cameron, D. (2007) The Myth of Mars and Venus. New York: Oxford University Press Crystal, David. (2003) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.298 Dubois, B. L., Crouch, I. (1975) The question of tag questions in womens speech: They dont really use more of them, do they? Language in Society, 4(3), pp.289-294. Eisenberg, A.R. et al (1985) Childrens Talk: Learning to use Language. New York: Norton. Glass, L. (1992) He Says, She Says. Closing the Communication Gap Between the Sexes. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons. Holmes, J. (1984) Hedging Your Bets and Sitting on the Fence: Some Evidence for Tag Questions as Support Structures. Te Reo, 27, pp.47-62. Lakoff, R. (1975) Language and Womans Place. New York: Harper Colophon Books. McMillan, J. R. et al (1977) Womens language: Uncertainty or interpersonal sensitivity and emotionality? Sex Roles, 3, pp.545-559. Mulac, A., Lundell, T. L. (1986) Linguistic contributors to the gender-linked language effect. Journal of Language Social Psychology, 5, pp.81-101. Nilsen, A. et al (1977)  Sexism and language. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, pp.161-179. Pearson, J. C. (1985) Gender and Communication. Iowa: W.N.C. Brown Publishers. Pearson, J. C., Davilla, R. (2001) The Gender Construct: Understanding Why Men and Women Communicate Differently. In Borisoff, D. Women and Men Communicating. Illinois: Waveland Press. Weatherall, A. (2002) Gender, Language and Discourse. London: Routledge

The Civilized and Self-Cultured Black Man Essay -- Narrative Life Fred

The Civilized and Self-Cultured Black Man In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself, Frederick Douglass faces the problem of detailing his transformation from slave to man in a manner which is acceptable to both his audience and his own authorial purpose. Douglass must walk the thin line between being powerful and being threatening to his white audience. He attempts to avoid becoming a threat by appropriating the image of a self-made man, as defined in William E. Channing's essay entitled "Self-Culture." Douglass constructs his manhood in terms of civilization, a tactic later employed by Ida B. Wells in her anti-lynching campaign. Although physical strength and the escape from civilization into the wilderness was an equally popular construction of manhood at the time, Douglass follows Channing's belief that true manhood is achieved through knowledge, the mastery of letters and cultivation of manners. This conception of masculinity centers around moral uprightness and self-control a s a means of suppressing passions and desires, the latter being something that most of Douglass' masters lacked. If civilization indicates manhood, then the brutal masters described in Narrative are not men at all. This reversal makes Douglass, the slave turned self-cultured man, a representation of true manhood. According to Channing, every man has the potential to be a great man. Through self-culture, and the resulting moral and intellectual growth, men can expand and live up their potentials, becoming ideal men. Channing understands moral sense as the suppression of passions and desires that are inherent in human nature, but are not good for soul. When a man looks into himself, he discovers...d... ... image of this civilized man is reinforced by Douglass' narrative voice which takes on the Harvard style tone, that sounds much like Channing's voice in "Self-Culture." This tactic may have been to support his use of Channing's ideas, but it also gave Douglass the unique position of speaking in the same style as his audience. This would perhaps be unexpected by his white Northern audience, but nevertheless reinforces Douglass' civility. By taking popular conceptions of civilization, self-control and literacy, and applying them to himself, Douglass invents in himself the representation of true manhood. Works Cited: Channing, William E. The Works of William E. Channing. Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1875. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1968.

Interpersonal Communication Problems Essay -- Communication Communicat

Interpersonal Communication Problems Over the telephone my boss gives me an instruction. I hear it, give my recognition, hang up then realize that I am not clear on exactly what it is that I am to do. Something about the proper way to add up my hours is the basic message, but the way she has explained it is not clear to me. Yet. As far as she is concerned, every word she spoke, that is, the way she described her instructions, was perfectly spelled out. She sits in her office confident that her explanation is clear, while I sit behind my desk like some detective trying to solve this great mystery. Although I understood every word she spoke, what she spoke does not register. No eureka bells are setting off. I have trouble decoding her words. I cannot apply the words she's "transmitted." I am experiencing communication problems. This happens all the time. As in the case just described, somewhere between her message and my reception of it, the meaning got lost. To the best of her knowledge, she has gone over a procedure that I have successfully grasped. But it remains unclear to me because I do not understand the way in which she is presenting it. To my boss, it is of course direct and sound, as it is from her mind that the words and thoughts are being emitted. However, as soon as they collided with my own thinking processes they lost complete lucidity. My faculties tell me she is talking but saying nothing sensible. Her faculties tell her her circular sentences are making sense. I periodically acknowledge what she is relaying. She keeps relaying. We are communicating. But are we really? Given this situation, one is led to consider whether it is possible that, that is, can it be that, true communication is impossible? After a... ...y did her presentation of the information pose a problem? Considering we should have understood each other by the virtue of the fact that we speak the same language, this should not have been the case. As a matter of fact, this case shows that even though we were using the same language I could not decipher her meaning. Her mind works in ways that mine does not. And if it is through our minds that we formulate information, then how can it be that what we are communicating will be received in its true form? No two minds work alike nor are their two beings which feel alike. Therefore, how can anyone know exactly what is being communicated? Each of us has a one-of-a-kind make-up. And though, yes, we do understand the use of words and their semantic properties, the fact that we even have to use words to effectively communicate alone makes true communication questionable.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527) lived in Florence, Italy. Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher, politician, writer and perhaps one among the chief founders of political science. Since Machiavelli was a renaissance man, he acted in the capacity of a diplomat, a political philosopher, a musician, a playwright, a poet and a Florentine Republic civil servant. This paper therefore takes to ascertain the extent to which Machiavelli would consider the political ideologies of Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt as feasible or meaningful. Thomas Paine Machiavelli would find the ideas of Paine’s political postulations in Common Sense agreeable to a larger extent. This is more so because; Paine (2006) perceives the government as a punisher, and this role being a derivative of the inherent wicked nature of man. To this effect, the government would act as the restrainer of human vices. The agreeableness with Machiavelli’s ideals is that this ideology marries well with Machiavelli’s postulations about the leader being able to move fast to quash political foes so as to consolidate power (Machiavelli, 1868). It is obvious that the means of extirpating the influence of a political enemy would be state’s instruments of coercion (Paine, 2000). Karl Marx In the same vein, Machiavelli would find the Marxist ideologies propounded by Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto agreeable since: through Karl Marx’s teachings on the Class Consciousness and Antagonism, Marx explains on how the political elite, the bourgeoisie, exploits by using the state instruments and state forces, the working class (the proletariat) with the two dominant aims of: consolidating political power and ensuring profit maximization from the proletariats (Marx and Engels, 1955). This well agrees with Machiavelli’s political ideology of â€Å"The ends justifying the means†- a maxim Karl Marx crafts to buttress his argument that a ruler must use all means possible to seize and consolidate power, the killing of foes and friends alike, being inclusive of these means. Adolph Hitler Similarly, some ideas propounded by Hitler in his writings, Mein Kampf would be acceptable before Karl Marx. Hitler (1986) is reported as having posited that since the masses are always trivial and less smart, a leader should be one who is calculating, not having qualms to employ propaganda on the masses to achieve a political feat. This still underscores Machiavelli’s idea of the ends justifying the means. Similarly, Machiavelli espouses deeply the use of trickery (propaganda) to maintain power. Hitler’s plans to create more room (Lebensraum) for Germans by entering treaties with UK and Russia as an artifice to help in the recapturing of the Germany’s lost tracts of land confirms Machiavelli’s ideas that a leader must be calculating and very cunning. The cunningness behind this proposed Russia, Germany and UK treaty is that the provision would ward off Germany from the exhaustion of fighting concurrently both in the East and West (Manheim and Hitler, 1969). Franklin D. Roosevelt To a larger extent, Roosevelt’s postulations that are revealed in his inaugural speech that saw his transition from a New York governor to the 32nd US president would be considered as antithetical towards Machiavelli’s. The concept of political morality and stark allusions to values pervade all the spectra of Roosevelt’s speech. Roosevelt is spurred on by morality while Machiavelli on the other hand, political expedience. The only point Machiavelli would accept Roosevelt’s propositions is the fact that Roosevelt saw the need of broad executive powers being vested on the head of the executive in order to allow the occupant of this office deal with an invading foreign foe (Polenberg, 2000). Machiavelli talks of all the instruments at the disposal of the ruler being used to quash ruthlessly an enemy. Conclusion Nevertheless, it is important to consider that although comparing one’s political philosophy to another for scholarly proposes may remain as expedient, yet, any political philosophy has the merit to exist in its own right, provided the philosophy in picture captures the true identity of the state. It is by this virtue that al these philosophies which were advanced by Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt were considered as legitimate in the eyes of respective citizens.

Nuclear Power Technology Essay

The discovery of nuclear power had brought mankind to one of its greatest success throughout history. Nuclear technology is considered as a â€Å"gift† from the Italian-American physicist, Enrico Fermi, who was given the title as the â€Å"new Promethean†, similar to the ancient Greek mythological figure. Extending this analogy, it was the Prometheans who gave the entire human race a type of fire within the atomic nucleus. Angelo related that on December 2, 1942 at the University of Chicago, Fermi and his team of scientists operated the first nuclear reactor ever built (1). Pioneering this experiment has started the new era of technology, in where the human race can harvest energy wisely and in a controlled manner within the atomic nucleus. Effects In the discussion of the effects of using nuclear power technology, it is only fair and proper to present both sides of the argument. The benefits of embarking on such projects will first be discussed. A major premise for the use of nuclear power will be that it is cheaper than alternative sources for the production of electricity bulk. In the past sixty years, humanity has seen the successful transformation of the atom from a military weapon to a vast source of electricity that benefits the public’s lives, powering everyday activities from using washing machines to surfing the Internet. Expansions in the use of advanced nuclear reactors for power generation had increased global convenience without emitting noxious chemicals such as carbon monoxide, the gas which endangers the Earth’s atmosphere. Thus, nuclear technology does not contribute to the increasing catastrophe of the greenhouse effect. On the other hand, no technology can completely escape the circumstances under which it was first developed, and nuclear power reactors cannot avoid some of the negative reaction aimed at the technology. Building a nuclear power plant always lead to the enormous amount of materials, land and energy needed to utilize the construction, so feeding a plant requires the mining of a large amount of uranium ore. Decommission of an aging power plant additionally requires large quantity of energy and materials. Also, during a power plant’s operation, the use of water needs to be in a large quantity for the cooling process of the plant itself, thus releasing great amount of heat waste. Short-Term Consequences It is undeniable that people benefit from the electricity generated by nuclear power plants to facilitate their everyday life. More and more, people are dependent on electricity that these plants have proven to bring. The widespread use of radioactive isotopes and X-rays is still benefiting the practice of medicine. Also, the use of such energy is already contributing to the decrease of the emission of noxious gases to the atmosphere, thus somehow preventing the pending disaster of the greenhouse effect. Believers in nuclear technology, to the degree that they recognize these hazards, dispute that nuclear technology carries advantages that more than give back for its intrinsic dangers. From a scientific perspective, when used wisely and carefully, the various forms of nuclear technology have and will provide great benefits. Long-Term Consequences Investment in the construction of well-contained nuclear power plants is very expensive on a first glance, but the long term advantage of humongous savings on electricity generation can potentially alleviate the current economic crisis that the world over is experiencing right now. Supporters of nuclear power contend that nuclear electricity offers the only realistic prospect of sustained economic growth once fossil fuels begin to run out or cause unacceptable environmental problems. On the flip side, using a large amount of resources for keeping a nuclear power plant alive can lead to environmental degradation in the long run. Likewise, the release of a great amount of heat waste disrupts nature as well as animals by this extreme thermal pollution. The continuous expansion of mankind through the use of nuclear technology to sustain global achievements might also increasingly leave a mark of disruptive wastes. Future Developments Human civilization is at an important crossroads with respect to nuclear technology. If people fail to use nuclear technology wisely, the magnificent accomplishments of the human race could easily crumble into radioactive dust. Current and future generations of humans can productively harness the energy locked deep within the atomic nucleus to achieve sustainable global civilization. A societal decision to harvest only the beneficial aspects of nuclear technology is also a manifestation of the ultimate good that can arise from the creative spirit of the human mind. In this context, nuclear technology might come to be viewed in the future as that uniquely powerful technology that serves as protector of Earth. Conclusion The discussion of nuclear power has been lengthy because of the potential importance of nuclear energy in controlling the atmospheric greenhouse. Nuclear power is out of Pandora’s Box: it offers enormous benefits; there are enormous risks. More than any kind of energy and type of technology we are using, nuclear technology is indeed the most influential force in this changing world. Integration of all technological aspects would be much difficult than any other kind of technology, thus there is a continuous seeking for its options and analyzing the consequences and benefits as well. Nuclear technology has brought confusing questions in which historians and experts made a remarkable debate. Would this modern technology lead the human race to a more sustainable economic growth; or does this clean and quite, yet extremely destructive power will consume the planet? There are a lot of questions that can not be answered accurately, but for the betterment of the entire human race as well as for our future generations, living with this extraordinary technology, if used in a contained and humane manner, would be the right decision to make. WORK CITED Angelo, Joseph. Nuclear Technology. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004.