The Scarlet Letter-Analysis Essays - English-language Films

The Scarlet Letter-Analysis The Scarlet Letter - Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne's background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden (Biographical Note VII). He received a job at the Salem Custom House only to lose it three years later and be forced to write again to support his family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year later (IX). It was only intended to be a long short story, but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed (Introduction XVI). Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled The Custom House to extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel (XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is Hawthorne's rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the S! alem witch trials (Biographical Note VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general (VII). Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal soapbox for Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to death (Hawthorne 51). Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the author's interest in the dark side (Introduction VIII). Unlike the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne confronted reality, rather than evading it (VII). Likewise, The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a subject that caused much scandal when it w! as first published (XV). The book revolves around sin and punishment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on optimistic themes (VII). This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways. First of all, every scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. In the first scene, everyone in the town is gathered in the market place because Hester is being questioned about the identity of the father of her child ( Hawthorne 52). In her arms is the product of her sin, Pearl, a three month old baby who is experiencing life outside the prison for the first time (53). Dimmesdale is standing beside the scaffold because he is Hester's pastor and it is his job to convince her to repent and reveal the father's name (65). A short time later, Chillingworth unexpectedly shows up within the crowd of people who are watching Hester after he is released from his two year captivity by the Indians (61). In the second scene, Dimmesdale is standing on top of the scaffold alone in the middle of the night (152). He sees Hester and Pearl walk through the market place on their way back from Governor Winthrop's bedside (157). When Dimmesdale recognizes them and tells them to join him, they walk up the steps to stand by his side (158). Chillingworth appears later standing beside the scaffold, staring at Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale walks to the steps of the scaffold in front of the whole town after his Election day sermon (263). He tells Hester and Pearl to join him yet again on the scaffold (264). Chillingworth then runs through the crowd and tries to stop Dimmesdale from reaching the top of the scaffold, the one place where he can't reach him (265). Another way in which the scenes are united is how each illustrates the immediate, delayed, and prolonged effects

Free Essays on Case Study Analysis

Case Study Analysis Janice is Chief of Research and Development and she is also John’s boss. John is Janice’s assistant. Janice is highly paid and John is underpaid. John is attempting to impress everyone with his new software package while Janice is just covering herself for not completing the project her boss assigned to her. John, Janice and ultimately Janice’s boss are affected by Janice’s decision. John will be affected because he is hoping to receive a promotion and a raise as a result of his creation. Janice will either receive praise from her boss from a job well done or possibly criticism for having her assistant complete an assignment that was given to her. Janice’s decision is definitely an ethical one because it is based on right and wrong. Specifically, it’s based on Janice’s definition of right and wrong. On one hand she needs to fulfill her obligation to her manager and turn in a software package that will address the company concerns. On the other hand, she has an employee that has worked hard and deserves credit for what he has done. Taking credit for his idea would be wrong in the eyes of most observers but Janice has to weigh the ramifications of not completing her assignment with the idea of taking credit for someone else’s work. Janice has the first and most obvious decision to make. She needs to decide if she should take credit for work that is not her own. If John will not go along with the idea of her taking credit for his work she has another decision to make about punishing him by lowering his evaluations and possibly firing him. John’s issue is different in that he can go along and get the promotion and raise he wants but no credit for the work he did. . John has to decide if he wants credit for his work or if he wants a guaranteed raise and promotion by letting Janice take the credit. According to Kant’s categorical imperative an act is ethical only if it remai... Free Essays on Case Study Analysis Free Essays on Case Study Analysis Case Study Analysis Janice is Chief of Research and Development and she is also John’s boss. John is Janice’s assistant. Janice is highly paid and John is underpaid. John is attempting to impress everyone with his new software package while Janice is just covering herself for not completing the project her boss assigned to her. John, Janice and ultimately Janice’s boss are affected by Janice’s decision. John will be affected because he is hoping to receive a promotion and a raise as a result of his creation. Janice will either receive praise from her boss from a job well done or possibly criticism for having her assistant complete an assignment that was given to her. Janice’s decision is definitely an ethical one because it is based on right and wrong. Specifically, it’s based on Janice’s definition of right and wrong. On one hand she needs to fulfill her obligation to her manager and turn in a software package that will address the company concerns. On the other hand, she has an employee that has worked hard and deserves credit for what he has done. Taking credit for his idea would be wrong in the eyes of most observers but Janice has to weigh the ramifications of not completing her assignment with the idea of taking credit for someone else’s work. Janice has the first and most obvious decision to make. She needs to decide if she should take credit for work that is not her own. If John will not go along with the idea of her taking credit for his work she has another decision to make about punishing him by lowering his evaluations and possibly firing him. John’s issue is different in that he can go along and get the promotion and raise he wants but no credit for the work he did. . John has to decide if he wants credit for his work or if he wants a guaranteed raise and promotion by letting Janice take the credit. According to Kant’s categorical imperative an act is ethical only if it remai...

Funny Quotes About Women

Funny Quotes About Women Women are not easy to understand, at least according to the famous authors, poets,  entertainers, and comedians who have written on the nature of women. None of them claim to fully fathom the female mind. Find out what they really think of these  funny quotes about women - some written by men, some by women. Read wisecracks about a womans nature that make most women exclaim, Whats all the fuss about? But men say, How true, how true! Will Rogers There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works. Robert Heinlein Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Nancy Reagan A woman is like a tea bag. She only knows her strength when put in hot water. Sigmund Freud Despite my thirty years of research into the woman soul, I have not yet been able to answer the great question that has never been answered: What does a woman want? Margaret Mead I do not believe in using women in  combat  because females are too fierce. Aristotle If women didnt exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. James Thurber I hate women because they always know where things are. Malcolm de Chazal A woman knows how to keep quiet when she is in the right, whereas a man when he is in the right, will keep on talking. Freya Stark The great and almost only comfort about being a woman is that one can always pretend to be more stupid than one is and no one is surprised. Gloria Steinem Someone once asked me why women dont gamble as much as men do and I gave the commonsensical reply that we dont have as much money. That was a true but incomplete answer. In fact, womens total instinct for gambling is satisfied by marriage. Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry. Dave Barry Scientists now believe that the primary biological function of breasts is to make men stupid. Joseph Conrad Being a woman is a terribly difficult task since it consists principally in dealing with men. Ogden Nash I have an idea that the phrase weaker sex was coined by some woman to disarm some man she was preparing to overwhelm. Virginia Woolf For most of history, Anonymous was a woman. Charlotte Whitton Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult. Chris Rock There are only three things women need in life: food, water, and compliments. Mae West Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere. Mike Vanatta Woman arent confusing. Theyre a Sudoku-Jenga puzzle surrounded by Rubiks cubes strapped to a terrorist screaming at you in another language. Ann Landers Women complain about sex more often than men. Their gripes fall into two major categories: (1) Not Enough. (2) Too Much. Harry Haenigsen Feminine intuition is a fiction and a fraud. It is nonsensical, illogical, emotional, ridiculous and practically foolproo..

Gun Control Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gun Control Paper - Essay Example Would the "home of the brave" be a better place with a stricter gun policy Indeed, all we have to do is watch the news to know our country could use a few new gun laws. It seems that every day there are shootings all over the news in all regions in the United States. While some regions are more prone to gun violence than others, this is not acceptable for an entire nation to be victim to a weapon- especially if that weapon is legal. The United States certainly has an excess of gunfire amid its streets and alleys and compare that to England. As the administration has seen very recently, the English are much safer in their country than Americans are here. The Second Amendment has always given us the right to bear arms, and it's perhaps the most upheld Amendment. It is now that Englands's gun laws can be seen as truly beneficial. It has come time to take action; United States gun laws are antiquated. After witnessing the positive progress in England, the United States must follow suit a nd amend the Constitution and it must ban guns to reduce the level of violence England has, for the past ten years, become a much safer counter, largely because of successful gun laws. In 1996, England's gun policy grew much fiercer with the introduction of several new laws that resulted in the banning of handguns in March of 1998 (Gun Control Alliance). It simply took England to go through one school shooting before they realized the danger of handguns. Following the establishment of these laws, crime shootings have continuously dropped (Gun Control Alliance). Though England still carries a surplus of air guns, with which crime is still possible, violent shootings have drastically lowered. Though perhaps it is not possible to promote such restricting laws in the United States right away, the English example can be followed as one that, if adopted in the United States, will gradual make American society safer. Contrary to England, the United States has had a cultural obsession with guns that continues to this day. In the United States are popular not only on TV, but as collector's items, video game symbols, and on the streets as a power icon. Replica guns are just as realistic in appearance as their real counterparts (Gun Culture). In America, the gun is not simply a tool, but an item reflecting our culture. However disturbing this might seem, no policy can erase this from an entire generation's mind that have lived their entire lives with the acceptance of guns. A change in policy can, however, make the United States a safer place in the long run. The Second Amendment has always given Americans the right to bear arms: "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" (The United States Constitution). From the English Common Law of 1689, to the early days of nationhood, to the present day the American Second Amendment has been nearly inviolable. To successfully enact a new gun policy, the Constitution has to be changed, so that there can be no Constitutional challenge to a new law. In order to have a gun policy akin to the English, drastic changes must take place. Procedure There are countless ways to introduce new laws into

The God of the Bible is very much like old Eli in 1 Samuel-always Essay

The God of the Bible is very much like old Eli in 1 Samuel-always nagging his children but not really controlling them - Essay Example He allows them to eat all fruits of the trees in the garden with exception to the tree in the middle of the garden; The Tree of Knowledge, â€Å"And the Lord commanded the man ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil for when you eat it you will surely die.’ [Sic]† (Genesis 2:16-17). Despite this, man eats the fruit after being persuaded to do so by the serpent: God being Omni-conscious knew that Eve would be tempted by the serpent and did not take control of Eve to stop her from eating the apple, but rather let her choose her path even after emphasising on the importance of avoiding the apple. In Exodus, God calls Moses up into Mount Sinai to deliver to him The Ten Commandments. God then commands Moses to tell people of Israel that they are not to worship idols or build altars in the name of these idols, â€Å"And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.† [Sic] (Exodus 20:22-23). During his stay in the mountain, the Israelites soon lost hope in Moses and thought he died up there. Their faith in God soon weakened and they asked Aaron, who was left in charge, to make them a god that they could see as they have lost faith in Moses and his God. Aaron complies and asks them to strip themselves of the jewellery they have and give it to him so that he may make a god for them. â€Å"And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of yo ur daughters, and bring [them] unto me. And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. [Sic]† (Exodus 32:2-4). God was well aware of what

The Telangana Rebellion Essay Example for Free

The Telangana Rebellion Essay The Telangana Rebellion was a  peasant revolt  which was later supported by the  Communists. It took place in the former  princely state  of Hyderabad between 1946 and 1951. This was led by the  Communist Party of India. [5] The revolt began in the  Nalgonda district  and quickly spread to the  Warangal  and  Bidar  districts. Peasant farmers and labourers revolted against the local  feudal  landlords (jagirdars  and  deshmukhs) and later against the  Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII. The initial aims were to do away with illegal and excessive exploitation meted out by these feudal lords in the name of  bonded labour  (Vetti Chakiri). The most strident demand was for all debts of the peasants to be written off. [6][7] Among the well-known individuals at the forefront of the movement were leaders like  Anabheri Prabhakar Rao, Bathini Mogilaiah Goud,  Doddi Komraiah,  Bandi Yadagiri,  Suddala Hanumanthu,  Acharya Konda Lakshman Bapuji,  Chakalli Iylamma,Komaram Bheem,  Puchalapalli Sundaraiah,  Makineni Basavapunaiah,  Chandra Rajeswara Rao,  Raavi Narayana Reddy, Bommagani Dharma Biksham,Arjula Ramana Reddy, the  Urdu  poet  Makhdoom Mohiuddin,  Hassan Nasir,  Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy,  Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy,  Mallu Swarajyam,  Arutla Ramchandra Reddy  and his wife  Arutla Kamala Bai. The violent phase of the movement ended after the central government sent in the army. Starting in 1951, the CPI shifted to a more moderate strategy of seeking to bring communism to India within the constraints of Indian democracy. [10] In 1937,  Time magazine  said  Hyderabad state  was the richest native state in India. Budget allocations to Telangana are generally less than 1/3 of the total Andhra Pradesh budget. There are allegations that in most years, funds allocated to Telangana were never spent. Telangana JAC leaders say that only 20% of the total Government employees, less than 10% of employees in the secretariat, and less than 5% of department heads in the Andhra Pradesh government are from Telangana.None of these allegations were proved wrong by the  Sri Krishna Committee  due to lack of data, and its choice to compare regions. Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They feel that separation is the best solution. Srikrishna Committee report The Srikrishna committee on Telangana submitted its report in two volumes to the Home Ministry of India on 30 December 2010. In an all-party meeting on 6 January 2011, the Home ministry made the 505-page Srikrishna committee report public. Section 9-3 (page 440) of the report[69]discusses six solutions. The Committee announced that they were recommending keeping the State united, and advised constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region through the creation of a statutorily-empowered Telangana Regional Council. Telangana leaders say the best option from the Sri Krishna committee report is the formation of separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They plan to pressure the Central government to zero in on this option as the only workable one. The MP also lashed out at Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhar Rao, and alleged that KCR was misusing the Telangana sentiment to get all prominent posts for his family members and people belonging to the upper caste. In the name of Telangana, KCR and his family members joined the Congress party and occupied all posts without giving a chance to weaker sections, The  2G spectrum scam  involved officials in the government of India illegally undercharging  mobile telephony  companies for  frequency allocation  licenses, which they would use to create  2G  subscriptions for  cell phones. According to a report submitted by the  Comptroller and Auditor Generalbased on money collected from  2G  licenses, the loss to the exchequer was  176,379  crore  (US$38. 27 billion). The issuing of the 2G licenses occurred in 2008, but the scam came to public notice when the  Indian Income Tax Department  investigated political lobbyist  Niira Radia  and the  Supreme Court of India  took  Subramaniam Swamys complaints on record ? 2G licenses issued to private telecom players at throwaway prices in 2008 ? CAG: Spectrum scam has cost the government  Rs. 1. 76 lakh crore ? CAG: Rules and procedures flouted while issuing licenses CHEAP TELECOM LICENSES *   Entry fee for spectrum licenses in 2008 pegged at 2001 prices *   Mobile subscriber base had shot up to 350 million in 2008 from 4 million in 2001 NO PROCEDURES FOLLOWED * Rules changed after the game had begun * Cut-off date for applications advanced by a week * Licenses issued on a first-come-first-served basis * No proper auction process followed, no bids invited Raja ignored advice of TRAI, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry * TRAI had recommended auctioning of spectrum at market rates Politicians involved * A. Raja, the Ex-Minister of Communications and Information Technology  who was the minister when the controversial second round of spectrum allocations took place. Mr. Raja, an MP of the  Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam  from the  Nilgiris  constituency, was forced to resign following the public outcry. * Arun Shourie, th e minister for Telecom during 2003 in the previous BJP regime. It was Arun Shourie who introduced the controversial technology neutral Unified Access(both Basic amp; Celluler) Services License, which allowed fixed line operators who had paid much lower license fees to offer mobile phone services, at first in the limited WLL mode (Wireless local loop) and later, following an out of court settlement between mobile operators and the BJP govt, full mobility. This gave an advantage to players like Reliance and Tata Teleservices who managed to get mobile spectrum without paying the hefty fees that earlier operators like  BPL Mobile  had paid. Pramod Mahajan, the minister for Telecom between 1999 and 2003. Mr. Mahajan was the minister when the BJP Government took the controversial decision to shift from a license fee based regime to a revenue sharing model which was roundly condemned both by political parties and by economic experts. [4]  The  Comptroller and Auditor General  also filed adverse reports citing a loss of over  64,000  crore  (US$13. 89 billion)  caused by this decision. The crux of  A. Rajas defence is that he was following a policy of 2G allocations put in place by the BJP and it ould be unfair to levy prices based on 3G spectrum to 2G licenses. Pramod Mahajan, who was seen to be friendly with various corporate houses, had been brought in to replace  Jagmohan  as Telecom minister just days before the decision was announced. The houses and offices of the bureaucrat were recently raided by the  Central Bureau of Investigation  as part of their investigations. R K Chandolia, private secretary of Raja during UPA-I when the licences were awarded. He was an  Indian Economic Service  officer of the 1984 batch cadre. When Raja became the Telecom Minister once again in UPA-II, Chandolia had been promoted to the Joint Secretary rank. Raja re-designated him Economic Adviser, that gave him the charge of all important policy-related work. Chandolia interacted with all the licensees. It is said that it was Chandolia who, from DDG-access services A K Srivastavas room, had handed out letters of intent to representatives of various companies. [8] The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday night arrested Dynamix Balwas group managing director Shahid Usman Balwa in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam. Season 3 was under the leadership of Lalit Modi , however Season 4 is going to be under the leadership of Chirayu Amin. He has already promised a bigger and better IPL and has promised to run it in a transparent manner. This year there was a lot of allegation of match fixing . BCCI and its pet Indian Premier League came under Income Tax raids. IPL Season 4 is going to have 10 teams , 74 matches and 45 days of action. No player can play more than 14 matches . This rule is laid to prevent player burnout. Sony / World Sport Group has won the rights for 10 years at Rs 8,700 crore (US$ 1. 94 billion) For IPL 4 , BCCI has asked MSM to pay Rs. 190 crores extra. This extra amount is to compensate for the increase in number of matches. The extra money will be paid for the 14 matches in a pro rate basis. Mahela Jayawardene  has been appointed captain of the new IPL  franchise  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Kochi. The 33-year-old former Sri Lankan captain was purchased by the Team Kochi for a whopping $1. 5 million at the player auction last month. Until last year for the previous 3 seasons of IndianPremier  League, he was part of the Kings XI Punjab  franchise. The  2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the  XIX  Commonwealth Games, were held in  Delhi,  India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71  Commonwealth nations and dependencies  competed in 21 sports and 272 events. It was the largest international  multi-sport event  to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the  Asian Games  in  1951  and  1982. The  opening  and closing ceremonies were held at the  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in Asia after  Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia  in  1998. The official mascot of the Games was  Shera  and the official song of the Games, Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto, was composed by celebrated Indian  musician  A.R. Rahman. Initially,  several concerns and controversies  surfaced before the start of the Games. Despite these concerns, all member nations of the  Commonwealth of Nations  participated in the event, except  Fiji, which is suspended from the Commonwealth, andTokelau, which didnt send a team. A widely-praised  opening ceremony  helped improve the image of the Games. [2][3]  The concerns raised during the buildup to the Games proved largely unfounded as most events progressed smoothly. The final  medal tally  was led by  Australia. The host nation India gave its  strongest performance yet  to emerge second, while  England  placed third. The day after the conclusion of the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special investigation committee to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement that had marred the buildup to the Games. [4][5] India  won 101 medals in total, including 38 Gold medals, enabling it to finish the Games at second position behind  Australia  and just ahead of  England. For the first time in the history of the Games India won over 100 medals in total.

inferno :: essays research papers

Is there still time...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alakhai, at the young age of 27, is a very respected and very wealthy stock broker. He has a loving wife and 2 kids which he truly adores. He met his wife five years ago when he was in his last year of college. She fell completely head over heals for him the minute she met him. At first she was a little hesitant to marry him when he asked because he really did not believe in God, and she was a devout Christian. She told him that before he married her, he had to go to church and Sunday school for two month. Well after about five weeks he had a â€Å"spiritual breakthrough.† He, realizing she would never marry him if he was not a Christian, accepted Christ when the invitation is given at the end of the Sunday school course. She was thrilled, and they were married four months later. He now lives each day saying that he is a Christian and pretending to be, but if you were able to look into his soul, you would find a heart completely cold to the Word. Then one d ay he awakes in a dark forest surrounded by nothing but trees. After a few hours, he hears a voice coming from the what seems to be every direction....   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hello Alakhai. My name is Surealla. I am here to take you on a journey in the hope that you will see the Truth. Please do not ask questions, for we do not have much time. We must go before it is too late.† As I look before me, a young girl appears, dressed in a white robe and caring a book. Upon further observation I see that the book is actually the Bible. â€Å"Please take my hand and follow me. I want to show you something.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we walked, it seemed like the woods were growing thicker and darker. I could smell a very faint odor that resembled that of a wet dog. As I looked ahead of me, I saw a very large door. It looked very heavy to open. It was clearly black, but it seemed to have some red tint to it. As we moved closer to it, I could see that the door was covered in...in blood? At that point I turned to run away, and behind me was a sight so frightening that I almost fainted.

Not sure if this is good or not

The novel ‘Runner' shows us how much Charlie cares about the people in his life. Discuss In the novel ‘Runner' written by Robert Newton, we see that Charlie has a very caring nature, and will do almost anything for the people who are important to him. Charlie generally is always willing to do anything for those he cares for, as an example, even though he does go against his Ma's will and starts to works for Squishy, he does it so he can achieve a better life for his family, to give Ma and Jack a nicer way of living.Charlie really cares about the Redmond and after he makes a lot of money when e wins the Ballard mile running race he shares it with them. He offers as much of his winnings as Mr. Redmond wants to take, so that he is financially better off. Charlie really means it because when he was talking to Mr. Redmond after he had won the race, ‘It anti Just the running', Mr. Redmond. Yea done so much fear us, I don't know where we'd be without yea. The reason he sai d that is because The Redmond had given so much to the Foeman family, and were always willing to help them out, Charlie offers the money, because he feels like it is an appropriate gesture to show his appreciation. This proves Charlie cares about the Redmond, as much as they care about him. Charlie and Nostrils' are on a liquor run when the cross Barlow and his mates, Barlow soon begins to beat Nostrils', and Charlie runs away to safety.Charlie wants to help his friend out, but he felt paralyses, like he couldn't physically move because he was so afraid, and ashamed of leaving him there by himself. He said ‘Far worse than fear, it was shame that paralyses me. ‘ Because Charlie cares for Nostrils so much, he is upset and regretting his decision of leaving Nostrils to fight for himself. The regret e has shows that he does truly care about Nostrils because it is shown how bad he feels for the mistake he made.When Charlie goes to the bakery that Alice works at and her father owns, to collect the taxes, he sees that there are Just people in the same situation he and his family in. When they can't afford to pay, Charlie decides he will because he knows what it is like to struggle. ‘The two words kept repeating themselves. ‘Something good'†¦ ‘Something good† Charlie pays the three pounds the Cornball's owe from his own pocket because he knew what it was like to be desperate, and it was the best thing he loud do for people in a needy situation.It shows that Charlie is caring, because he was doing something so kind for people he barely knew, but he understood their situation, and could tell it was the right thing to do. Charlie is a truly caring person, who was consistently kind and loyal to those who were important to him. It is shown that he did almost anything to be caring towards others, but when he was in a situation where he has afraid, he froze. Charlie went to great lengths to fix what he had done wrong, and did not stop until he felt like he had fully achieved that.

Family Unit in the Grapes of Wrath Essay

I dedicate this humble work to those whose blood runs in my veins; to my dearly loved parents and to: my dearest sisters all fundamental B.A student all my delighted and respected English teachers all those who will read this modest research paper ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I’m foremost grateful to my supervisor Dr. YASSINE Rachida whose guidance and continual encouragement have efficaciously helped towards the fulfillment of this modest research paper. I would like also to thank deeply whose efforts in class room opened my eyes and inspired the idea and the subject of this research paper, namely: Mr. ELHAMRI Rachid. I would like as well to express my deep feelings of gratitude to my little precious family that supported me to achieve where I am today and still supporting me to the fullest, bearing in mind my treasured friends for their ongoing moral support. Finally, my thanks are devoted to all the students of the department of English at Ibn Zohr University for their appreciated suggestions while this research was under preparation. INTRODUCTION: As most of critics refer to it, The Grapes of Wrath is a master piece written by john Steinbeck, a great American writer who wrote some of the best American stories ever. This novel tells the story of the Joads, an example of what happened to families that lived in Oklahoma during the 1930s. Because of drought, dust storms, and the death of crops, the landowners had to kick the farmers off from their lands. In order to live, thousands of people moved westward and left their homes deserted for new chances of life. On their way to California, they faced many difficulties; some of them lost family members because of starvation and tiredness, and some women brought new born babies to life, and some children stole food from other’s camps in order to eat and feed their dying families. When people reached California  with big dreams, ambitions and aspirations, they found out that it was not as they expected, life is harder there if not saying worst than the one they already live, crowds of poor, hungry and unemployed people staying in government camps waiting for salvation or even death, hopes and dreams were broken, many decided to go back and die in their home towns. Despite some of them had a chance to work, the wages were too low to feed a family of more than eight members. At that point in time, working class people were considered as slaves and pigs for the rich class, their struggles against the current is described by Steinbeck as a â€Å"turtle crossing the road†. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck tells us what kind of struggle the Joads confronted during their journey to live an ordinary life or more, a better one. In this Research paper I’m going to focus my attention on the concept of â€Å"family† itself and the strong union between the members of the Joads as the main drive that kept them going and fighting against all odds for their freedom and right of life thanks to â€Å"Ma† the strong, sturdy woman who is the moral center of family. This last point is what stroke me and motivated this research paper’s choice of topic, therefore my aim is to inspect first of all the importance of family in our day of age and how does individualism affects its unity and brings it down, then secondly, I will show you the example of this family unit through the work of John Steinbeck; The Grapes of Wrath by revealing everything that helped to keep the them bonded and united through the whole way to California and when they rea ched it. PART I: Family vs. Individualism Family in the light of individualism became more complicated and more separated than ever. In the last few centuries western families were characterized by the strength of their unity that ties them together and keep them close to each other as one vital entity that functions properly in the society, but with the rise of the ideology of individualism, family members started to break up from the usual structure and start a whole different one that is based on new principles, norms and a whole new ideas about the concept of family. The aim of this chapter is to discuss; Firstly, the distinction between collectivism and individualism with taking into consideration family as a model of collectivism, secondly to make difference  between traditional and new modern family structure in the western societies. Finally, to show how individualism affects in a negative way the unity that bonds western families. 1- Family and individualism The family institution is essentially the most important part in our society. Without the family, our society would not be able to function the way it is supposed to. Thus, how can we define the word â€Å"family†? The definitions of family are as diverse as families themselves and the situations they are found in. I shall then begin with defining this concept in a more general way. Family is the basic social unit because it represents people living together by ties of blood, marriage or adaptation, thus representing a single household. According to sociology, the family has the primary function of reproducing society; biologically, socially, or both. Furthermore, there are various structures of a family based on the relationship shared between parents and their children. Therefore, different types of family can be distinguished from the nature of this relationship, such as patrifocal family, where the family consists of a father and his child, Matrifocal Family, where the fam ily consists of a mother and her child. Consanguineal family is one which consists of the mother, the child and other people, mainly belonging to the family of the mother1. In most societies, Family is the principal institution for the socialization of children. And this institution might be based on the traditional concept of family or on the new version of it; each one of them has its own principles and characteristics which I’m going to show in detail later in the next following section. In addition to that, Family is considered as the best example of the idea of collectivism which some few cultures are still characterized by. In contrast, there is an opposing concept which is totally different from it which is the concept of individualism that means the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses the moral worth of the individual2. Hofstede explains it by asserting that in the individualist cultures people are autonomous and independent from their in-groups; they give priority to their  personal goals over the goals of their in-groups, they behave primarily on the basis of their attitudes rather than the norms of their in-groups, and exchange theory adequately predicts their social behavior3. In other words, individualists believe in one’s own interests, goals, freedom and independence and according to the German sociologist Ulrich Beck individualism has become the social structure of the era we are living in today. Life of individuals is characterized by choice where in previous generations no such choices existed. he clarified this by saying that the â€Å"Maintenance of the family link is no longer a matter of course but a freely chosen act. In the situation following a divorce, kinship is worked out anew in accordance with the laws of choice and personal inclination†4. Nowadays, in western societies many families has became totally modernized, In other words, they are infected by the individualistic ideology that keeps children away from their parents and helps to destroy the family unit that we really need in this day and age exactly as it used to be very essential centuries ago, for example, in the 20 th century precisely in the age of the great depression, family unit was a very important characteristic in the lifestyle of western families in order to maintain survival and endurance through the worst economic â€Å"Family†. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 25 Jun 2012. Web. 28 JUN 2012. . 2 â€Å"individualism†. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica., 2012. Web. 28 Jun. 2012 . 3 Greet Hofstede, Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations, 2nd ed. (Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2001), p. 909 4 Beck Ulrich and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim, Individualization (London: Sage, 2001), p. 96  crisis of all time. Now the question is which one is characterized by unity, the traditional family or the new modern one? 2- Traditional vs. New Modern family At the present time, the traditional family structure no longer exists in the modern western world. It’s not surprising that the modern family structure has substituted it instead. In this section of my research paper, I’m going to focus on the differences between these two contradictory family structures by highlighting three major characteristics (the size, the head of the family and the discipline) In order to show in which one the concept of â€Å"unity† appears most. Let’s begin with the size. The Size is one main feature in comparing the two structures; hence, traditional families appear to be larger than modern families. Usually they are more than ten members in their families, whereas modern families have only three to four members. Also Traditional families always live with their relatives and have a lot of children in one big house, which is the reason why they are big families. Concerning their work, Most of traditional families are farmers. They can work at their farms and fields; consequently, they don’t employ additional farmers in order of saving money. In contrast, modern families don’t need anyone to help them in their work because they work in the office. They only have one or two children and don’t live with their relatives; this last difference affects modern families because they will not be acquainted with their relatives, as traditional families do. They only meet them on special occasions, such as birthdays and New Year. For example, children will not get used to their grandparents because they only meet them in few times per year. They will not respect them as much as they should have. Another difference between traditional families and modern families is the head of family. Men are always head of traditional families. Women usually take care of children at home, whereas men work outside. Women and children must listen and follow whatever men tell them, they should obey him and do whate ver it was demanded to be done. Men have the power to order members of their families to do everything, even if they don’t like to do. Modern families don’t have the head of family because women and men are considered to be equal. Both women and men work outside. They share ideas with each other. Women and children don’t obey the men’s orders if they think their orders aren’t correct. Women and children can decide by themselves. For example, women work outside, as men do. When she comes home,  she doesn’t do the house work alone because she needs her husband to help her in doing it. The last difference is discipline. Traditional families have many rules that are respected by all the members of the family. Most parents of traditional families are strict because they have a lot of children to look after. It is only women who take care of children at home, so they need to have a lot of rules to control them. On the other hand, modern families have few rules to control their children. Parents of modern families work outside. They don’t have enough time to take care of their children, so they don’t have time to make rules also. Instead they hire someone to look after their children while they’re working outside. This difference actually affects modern families because their children will always make problems to gain attention from their parents. For example, children don’t go to school because they want their parents to ask them why they do this. They want their parents to talk to them. Through these three important differences, we can notice the development of family system from the past until now and it’s only confirming the idea that states: â€Å"when societies change, families also change and both good and bad things change†. We can also notice that traditional families are more collective and social so that we can sense the aspect of unity in it, whereas modern families are more individualistic and independent and it lacks family unity in all its aspects. But the other question is how this individualistic attitude affects the family unit? 3- The effect of Individualism on the family unit Much has been said about the family and the future of family in the so-called postmodern world we are living in today. As it was said before Individualism has become the social structure of this present era; Life of individuals is characterized by two major features: the first one is the moral appreciation of individualism and the second one is the opportunity and capability to choose. These two main characteristics were rarely found in the previous generations. Talking about the previous generations for example before and during the great depression era, all families were mainly traditional because they living all together in one place as one entity; Grandfather and Grandmother with the children of their  children in one big house probably with a farm and some corn fields or at least a vast land to work on later, the idea here is that, the group had control over the individual in everything. Nowadays, the individualistic attitudes affected the concept of â€Å"family† by leading it to a gradual change in its structure and the principles it was built on. Individualists or as they call themselves modernists today tend to have a unique way of thinking and a special way in looking to things and life in general. They also have their own way of looking to â€Å"family† as a social institution. But their selfish attitudes prevented them to see to what extent they affect it negatively, Etzioni argues that the surge in individual rights conflicts with the needs of community. He added that Individualism would destruct vital institutions such as family and neighborhood, and thereby create misery5. in other words this effect begins when certain members – especially grown children – of the same family when they become aware of their own preferences and abilities to have a better life as an independent unity in the society to which they belong. This certain beginning leads to the ultimate break up from the original family then from the society into another atmosphere of living life with new ways of thinking about the whole social institutions particularly the one of â€Å"family†. During the great depression era, families needed to be united and gathered as one body, any break up in that unity led to the collapse of the entire family. My aim behind this general study of family in the shadow of individualism is to illustrate how important family unit in the novel of the grapes of wrath is. I shall make this clearer in the second part where I’m going to focus deeply on the concept of family in this novel in which Steinbeck portrays the value of being united in the era of The Great Depression. In the previous part, I discussed generally the concept of Family and the one of individualism. I discussed as well the difference between the traditional and the modern structure of family. Afterwards, I examined how individualism can affect the traditional family and how it tries to modify its structure in order to modernize it. However, the traditional family remains the best structure in all circumstances, because it keeps family members as one group as we will see in the novel of John Steinbeck; The Grapes of Wrath. The Family is the key of survival in this Nobel Prize winner masterpiece. Without each other, the Joads would have no way of coping with the loss of their land or of getting to California. Family is the one weapon that the Joads have against the cold, bitter world around them. They, along with many other migrant workers, learn that they are stronger and safer when they stay with each other as one unit and when they reach out to other families in order of creating a sense of community. Therefore, my research paper topic will be developed efficiently by giving answers to these following questions: Who are the Joads? What is The Great Depression and what is its effect on the Joads? How did they survive? Is it their strong unit of family or because of some other reasons? These questions and more are going to be answered in this chapter in details to show how family unit is important for the Joads in the era of the great depression as a reaction against the crisis and the greediness of the upper class of the 1930s. 1. Introducing The Joads Before dealing in details with the â€Å"family unit† itself in this novel, we should first get acquainted with a traditional family that survived thanks to their strong unity, it’s The Joads family. In this section I’m going to introduce all the family members who played a great role  of maintaining and keeping the whole family as one unit through their journey to California. So, who are the Joads? The Joads is a family of twelve members from deferent generations; Tom Joad, Ma Joad, Pa Joad, rose of Sharon and her husband Connie, Grandma Joad, Grandpa Joad, Al Joad, Noah Joad, Uncle John, Ruthie Joad, and Winfield Joad. Let me first introduce the ones who kept the family as one unit: Tom Joad: The book’s central character, and Ma and Pa Joad’s preferred son. Tom is goodnatured and thoughtful man. Even though he murdered a man and has been separated from his family for four years, he does not waste his time with regrets. He lives fully for the present moment, which enables him to be a great source of vitality for the Joad family. A wise guide and fierce protector, Tom exhibits a moral certainty throughout the novel that imbues him with strength and resolve: he earns the awed respect of his family members as well as the workers he later organizes into unions. Ma Joad: The mother of the Joad family. Ma is introduced as a woman who knowingly and gladly fulfills her role as â€Å"the citadel of the family.† She is the healer of the family’s ills and the arbiter of its arguments, and her ability to perform these tasks grows as the novel progresses. Pa Joad: Ma Joad’s husband and Tom’s father. Pa Joad is an Oklahoma tenant farmer who has been evicted from his farm. A plainspoken, good-hearted man, Pa directs the effort to take the family to California. Once there, unable to find work and increasingly desperate, Pa finds himself looking to Ma Joad for strength and leadership, though he sometimes feels ashamed of his weaker position. Rose of Sharon: The oldest of Ma and Pa Joad’s daughters, and Connie’s wife. An impractical and romantic young woman, Rose of Sharon begins the journey to California pregnant with her first child. She and Connie have grand notions of making a life for themselves in a city. The harsh realities of migrant life soon disabuse Rose of Sharon of these ideas, however. Her husband abandons her, and her child is born dead. By the end of the novel, she matures  considerably, and possesses, the reader learns with surprise, something of her mother’s indomitable spirit and grace. Grandpa Joad: Tom Joad’s grandfather. The founder of the Joad farm, Grandpa is now old and infirm. Once possessed of a cruel and violent temper, Grandpa’s wickedness is now limited almost exclusively to his tongue. Grandma Joad: Granma is a pious Christian, who loves casting hellfire and damnation in her husband’s direction. Her health deteriorates quickly after Grandpa’s death; she dies just after the family reaches California. Al Joad: Tom’s younger brother, a sixteen-year-old boy obsessed with cars and girls. Al is vain and arrogant but an extremely competent mechanic, and his expertise proves vital in bringing the Joads, as well as the Wilsons, to California. When he falls in love with a girl named Agnes Wainwright at a cotton plantation where they are working, he decides to stay with her rather than leaving with his family. Uncle John: Tom’s uncle, who, years ago, refused to fetch a doctor for his pregnant wife when she complained of stomach pains. He has never forgiven himself for her death, and he often dwells heavily on the negligence he considers a sin. Ruthie Joad: The second and younger Joad daughter. Winfield Joad: At the age of ten, Winfield is the youngest of the Joad children. Ma worries for his well-being, fearing that without a proper home he will grow up to be wild and rootless. Two characters left the family because of their selfish dreams and their individualistic attitude; they represent in my own interpretation the individual type that does not believe in the ideology of the strength of the traditional family, they simply give up their role among their family by trying to find their own happiness without the help of any one. They are: 12 Connie: Rose of Sharon’s husband, an unrealistic dreamer who abandons the Joads after they reach California. Noah Joad: Tom’s older brother. He leaves his family behind at a stream near the California border, telling Tom that he feels his parents do not love him as much as they love the other children. There’s also one other character who accompanied the Joads through their way to California; Jim Casy: A former preacher who gave up his duty out of a belief that all human experience is holy. He’s the moral voice of the novel, Casy articulates many of its most important themes, among them the sanctity  of the people and the essential unity of all mankind. Therefore, we feel that Jim is almost a member of the Joads6. This brief introduction of the Joads family paints in our minds a wonderful image of a perfect family unit, also through reading the story, we feel like they can’t never be separated, even if some of their family members ran away and others died, they seem to be related deeply to each other; for example, through the whole journey uncle john still blames himself for letting his wife die because of his negligence, another example of their strong relationships to each other is when they reached California, they all kept wishing if grandma and grandpa were still alive to see it. Now, what’s the cause that made some members of the Joads ran away and leave their family and made others die? 2. The Great Depression and its effect on the Joads family In the story of The Grapes of Wrath, the Joads were Going west on Route 66 towards California, on their way, they encountered many barriers and difficulties, the worst one was the death of two family members; along the road, Grandpa died and was buried in a camp 6 SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Grapes of Wrath.† SparkNotes LLC. 2007. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/grapesofwrath/characters.html (accessed June 26, 2012).  where they stopped for a while, Also Grandma died close to the California state line, and both Noah and Connie split from the family and ran away. The remaining members, led by Ma, realized they have no choice but to go on, as there is nothing remaining for them in Oklahoma. In other words, the cause that made them leave their home is the same one that affected them and caused to some of them death and others to run away; it’s The Great Depression and all the sorrows it brought to the American families. The Great Depression era was an awfully challenging period for the American  family, the effects of The Great Depression, both during and after, seriously impacted the structure, finances, and employment of the American family unit. What was known as â€Å"The Dust Bowl† pushed thousands of immigrants to leave their homes to other states, especially California State, and made them obliged to find a humble job with an average wage to live a simple life and survive during the economic crisis that broke their life to pieces by causing more starvation, poverty and death7. The Joads are one of the thousands of victims in the Great Depression era. First of all, they had to leave their home and the whole state of Oklahoma to the state of California because of the dust that transformed their farms from fruitful fields to dust yards, as a result of that, food was very hard for poor people to get so that they had to fight for it, in addition to that, jobs became extremely scarce and the land owners had to push out the tenants farmer from their lands, this is what exactly happened to the Joads, the responsible authorities obliged them to leave their land and home town, therefore, they sold what they’ve already got, and bought an old decrepit truck which they are going to use as their transportation on their way to California, the second effect of what happened in the great depression was on family itself; a traditional family are known by its strong union and unity, exactly like the Joads family, but what happened in that disappointing era has split many families and destroyed their unity, only strong ones survived but with many losses and sacrifices; The Joads finally gathered after the return of their son Tom from the penitentiary,  they already decided to leave Oklahoma, on their way to California, they faced many troubles, and they witnessed their family fall apart many times  because of the bitter realty and the cold hearted people they encountered during their trip, grandpa died of old age and also grandma died of sickness by feeling sorry for her old poor husband who didn’t want to leave to California in the first place, he decided not to go there in the last minutes while they were packing their needs and getting ready to leave. Feeling abandoned by the family, Noah left also the family as Connie did for their selfish dreams and aspirations. By reaching California, the Joads became shocked and disappointed by the reality of the place they’ve sacrificed everything they got to be in it. The situation there is just the same as the one in Oklahoma if not saying it’s worse than Oklahoma. Finally, after a long while and through many impediments, The Joads reached California with numerous dreams and ambitions, but they faced the unforeseen and witnessed the unexpected; the realty tells a different story and the ideal golden California was just a fantasy, the hand bell that brought them there worth nothing at all, but did they lost their hope of living a happy life as a happy family? Did they give up all their dreams and aspirations? These questions have answers in the last section of this Part. 3. The unity and the strength of the Joads In his novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck portrays the theme of Joads’ strength through their unity in order to comment on the relationship between the dissolution of individual families and the unification of migrant people. Steinbeck also aims to prove to us that the unity of the traditional family is the only motivation that drove the rest of the Joads to California and helped them to stand in front of any obstacle that they faced in their quest to a better life. 15 â€Å"The family became a unit [†¦] Pa was the head of the family now.†8 The use of the past tense in this quote tells us that Pa was taking control of the family. As It is always known, the father is the head of the traditional family, but what is really striking in this novel is that pa became so weak  to take control over it, so Ma Joad, the pillar of the Joads took his place and led the family towards California for a better life by making the right decisions and reacting against anyone who attempts to break the family apart. Before the journey, Ma Joad was just one voice among many in making group decisions. As the novel progresses, she becomes more dominant. She decides when they will stop or go on9. Ma Joad was described by Steinbeck as the â€Å"citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken† (100), she seems to be the source of hope to all the members of the family, if it wasn’t for her, the rest of the family would never reach a s far as they got, even though some members lost their hope and became overwhelmed by despair, Ma’s determination encouraged and motivated them to carry on also she taught them to never give up and never be away from the family. The nature of her relationship to other members of the family differs from one to another. Her favorite one is her relationship to her desired and beloved son; The arrival of Tom also revived the unity of family, she lost him once when he was in prison, then she became so happy when he got paroled and came in the appropriate time to move with his family to California. By the end of the story she accepted his loss for the sake of the rest of the family, she was so afraid that cops would take him back to jail then she let him run away with a broken heart. For Ma Joad, family is everything, from the beginning of the story until the end, all what she cared about was the unity of her family. ‘We got nothing’, now,’ Pa said †¦ ‘Seems our life is over and done!’ ‘No it ain’t, ‘ Ma smiled. ‘it ain’t, Pa. An’ that’s one more thing a woman knows. Women. I noticed that. Man, he lives in jerks – baby born, an’ a man dies, an’ that’s a jerk.Women, it’s all one flow, li ke a stream, little eddies, little waterfalls, but the river, it goes right on. Women looks at it like that. We ain’t gonna die out. People is goin’ on-changin’ a little, maybe, but goin’ right on!† (577) She saw her family falling down but she acted rapidly and pulled it up before it touched the ground. She consistently proves to be the novel’s strongest supporter of family and togetherness. In other words, when we first met Ma Joad, she was a strong woman. When we saw her in the very last chapter, she was the same strong woman. We didn’t think it possible, but her strength only grows throughout the course of the novel. In fact, her initial strength is transformed into a different one. We can’t really pinpoint exactly what is this new kind of strength, but we know it’s the one who kept the rest of the family together until the end. Furthermore Steinbeck presents Ma Joad’s growing power as a source of communal strength sheltering human dignity from the antisocial effects of individualism 10. On their way to California the family continued to meet obstacle after obstacle, it seems like Pa Joad did not quite know how to keep it together. But Ma Joad knew how to do it. Thanks to her strength again, and when they reached California Ma Joad was the only one who didn’t feel shocked, because she knew it from the beginning before no one else did, her only objective is to keep the family together, she told them that all what matters is that they are together and no one can separate them from each other, her belief in this unity is so pure and strong, and that’s what made her so special as a women belonging to a traditional family. In this part, I dealt with many aspects in treating the concept of family in the respected work of John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath†, the essential step to understand how he dealt with it in his novel is firstly to introduce all the members of the joads one by one and understand their roles in this work, secondly it’s important to deal with the concept of family by discussing how the great depression affected it and showing an example of a strong family that resisted that impact by being so strong and focusing on the family unit such as the Joads Family, then finally, I dealt with showing you the source of strength of the Joads: the fountain of wisdom and  knowledge and the center of strength Ma Joad. CONCLUSION: In drawing conclusions for this study, I shall start summarizing what was said since the first page of my research paper beginning with the first part in which I emphasized the most important institution in our society which family that is also the main issue of this paper. I started by defining it along with another challenging concept which is individualism that affected negatively the family institution and made it lose its traditional values and acquire new modern thoughts and opinions about family in general. This prelude to the main issue of my research paper is made necessarily to help understanding these two different concepts before dealing with their appearances in the novel of Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath in which I concentrated on the theme of â€Å"family unit†. In the second part, I developed this theme in details by introducing first of all the main characters of this story in order to understand each one’s role in the changing of events, and then I talked briefly about the Great Depression era by acknowledging it and showing its strong effect on the traditional family structure. Then finally I discussed the center and source of strength that helped the Joads to get through their problematic journey and achieve their destination without falling apart when they faced the bitter truth and after making many sacrifices that hurt every one of them especially Ma Joad, the pillar of the Joad family. Taking seriously what was going on during that depressed era and how did this family survived, is really what we need to do in our days of age, in other words, families must be united if they want to survive and live life properly. REFERENCES: Bibliography: Beck Ulrich and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim, Individualization. London: Sage, 2001. Cederstorm, Lorelei. The great mother in the Grapes of Wrath. Canada: Brandon University, 1993. Etzioni, Amitai. The spirit of community: The reinvention of American society. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Hofstede, Greet. Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2001. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Modern Library, 1939. Steinbeck, John and Harold Bloom, ed. The Grapes of Wrath â€Å"Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations†. Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. Webliography: â€Å"Family†. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 25 Jun 2012. Web. 24 JUN 2012. . â€Å"Individualism†. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica., 2012. Web. 24 Jun. 2012 . Shmoop Editorial Team. â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath†Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Jun. 2012. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Grapes of Wrath.† SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2007. Web. 26 Jun. 2012.

Free Essays on African Art

Djennà ©, the oldest known city in sub-Saharan Africa is situated on the floodlands of the Niger and Bani rivers, 354 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of Timbuktu. Founded by merchants around 800 AD (near the site of an older city dating from 250BC), Djennà © flourished as a meeting place for traders from the deserts of Sudan and the tropical forests of Guinea. Captured by the Songhai emperor Sonni 'Ali in 1468, it developed into Mali’s most important trading center during the 16th century. The city thrived because of its direct connection by river with Timbuktu and from its situation at the head of trade routes leading to gold and salt mines. Between 1591 and 1780, Djennà © was controlled by Moroccan kings and during these years its markets further expanded, featuring products from throughout the vast regions of North and Central Africa. In 1861 the city was conquered by the Tukulor emperor al-Hajj 'Umar and was then occupied by the French in 1893. Thereafter, its commerci al functions were taken over by the town of Mopti, which is situated at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers, 90 kilometers to the northeast. Djennà © is now an agricultural trade center, of diminished importance, with several beautiful examples of Muslim architecture, including its Great Mosque. In addition to its commercial importance, Djennà ©, was also known as a center of Islamic learning and pilgrimage, attracting students and pilgrims from all over West Africa. The large market square of Djennà © is dominated by its Great Mosque. Tradition has it that the first mosque was built in 1240 by the sultan Koi Kunboro, who converted to Islam and turned his palace into a mosque. Very little is known about the appearance of the first mosque, but it was considered too sumptuous by Sheikh Amadou, the ruler of Djennà © in the early nineteenth century. The Sheikh built a second mosque in the 1830’s and allowed the first one to fall into disrepair. The present mosque... Free Essays on African Art Free Essays on African Art AFRICAN ART The traditional art of Africa plays a major part in the African society. Most ceremonies and activities (such as singing, dancing, storytelling, ect.) can not function without visual art. It can also be used as an implement and insignia of rank or prestige, or have a religious significance.African art consists mainly of sculptures, paintings, fetishes, masks, figures, and decorative objects. Sculptures are considered to be the greatest achievement for African art. A majority of the sculptures are done in wood but are also made of metal, stone, terra-cotta, mud, beadwork, ivory, and other materials. It is found in many parts of Africa but mainly in western and central Africa. Many ancient rock paintings have been found in Southern and Eastern Africa. These paintings are believed to be attributed to the SAN (Bushman) people. Masks and fetishes are often used to scare off bad things such as evil spirits, witches or ghosts. They are also used to bring about a desired end-break a bad habit, improve ones love life, or kill a natural or supernatural enemy. There are three basic themes of African art. The first is the dualism between bush and village. African tribes wear masks and headresses: the male is represented by the elephant, the most powerful of bush creatures and the female is delicately coiffed to express refinement and civilization. The second theme of African art is the problematic relationships between the sexes.African tribes use art as a therapeutic device to deal with the problems and issues dealing with the relations between the sexes. The third theme is the struggle to control natural or supernatural forces to achieve a desired end. African tribes often use masks in ceremonies (called Gelede) to please and honor the forces. For each region in Africa,there is a different style of art. The western Sudanic Region have ma... Free Essays on African Art Djennà ©, the oldest known city in sub-Saharan Africa is situated on the floodlands of the Niger and Bani rivers, 354 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of Timbuktu. Founded by merchants around 800 AD (near the site of an older city dating from 250BC), Djennà © flourished as a meeting place for traders from the deserts of Sudan and the tropical forests of Guinea. Captured by the Songhai emperor Sonni 'Ali in 1468, it developed into Mali’s most important trading center during the 16th century. The city thrived because of its direct connection by river with Timbuktu and from its situation at the head of trade routes leading to gold and salt mines. Between 1591 and 1780, Djennà © was controlled by Moroccan kings and during these years its markets further expanded, featuring products from throughout the vast regions of North and Central Africa. In 1861 the city was conquered by the Tukulor emperor al-Hajj 'Umar and was then occupied by the French in 1893. Thereafter, its commerci al functions were taken over by the town of Mopti, which is situated at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers, 90 kilometers to the northeast. Djennà © is now an agricultural trade center, of diminished importance, with several beautiful examples of Muslim architecture, including its Great Mosque. In addition to its commercial importance, Djennà ©, was also known as a center of Islamic learning and pilgrimage, attracting students and pilgrims from all over West Africa. The large market square of Djennà © is dominated by its Great Mosque. Tradition has it that the first mosque was built in 1240 by the sultan Koi Kunboro, who converted to Islam and turned his palace into a mosque. Very little is known about the appearance of the first mosque, but it was considered too sumptuous by Sheikh Amadou, the ruler of Djennà © in the early nineteenth century. The Sheikh built a second mosque in the 1830’s and allowed the first one to fall into disrepair. The present mosque...

Barbados Essays - Barbados, Portuguese Colonization Of The Americas

Barbados Barbados is a small country located in the Caribbean Sea. The capital is Bridgetown with a population of about 8,789. The head of state of Barbados is Queen Elizabeth II and she is represented by General Dame Nita Barrow. The total population of the country is around 252,000. The main language is English and the predominant religion is Christianity. Their date of independence was November 30, 1966. Barbados is the eastern most Caribbean Island. It is about 200 miles North-North East of Trinidad and about 100 miles East- South East of St. Lucia. It is the second smallest country in the Western Hemisphere. The major urban centers in the area include Bridgetown, Speightstown, Oistins, and Holetown. The land is mainly flat except for a series of ridges that rise up to about 1,000 feet and then falling towards the sea. The climate of the region consists of tropical temperatures influenced by the Northeast trade winds. The average annual temperature is approximately 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The daily temperatures rarely get above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The dry season is cool, while the wet season is slightly warmer. The main rains come during the months of July, August, September, October, and November. The annual average rainfall is 40 inches in the coastal areas and 90 inches in the central areas. The net migration into Barbados is 4.82 per 1000. The annual growth rate is 0.4%, which is one of the lowest in the world. The annual birthrate is 15.45 per 1000, and the annual deathrate is 8.27 per 1000. Barbados ranks fourth in the World in population density with the overall density being 1526 per square mile. The whole island is inhabited, leaving no sparsely populated areas. The main race is Negro, which is about 92% of the population. The remainder of the population is consists of Whites (3.8%), Mulattoes (3.8%), and East Indians (0.4%). About 70% of the population is Anglican. The other 30% belong to various denominations such as Moravian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic. Barbados was once under British control from 1624. Its House of Assembly, which began in 1639, is the third oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. By the time Britain left in 1966, the island was completely English in culture. The British influence is still seen today in quaint pubs, cricket games on the village greens, and in the common law. Barbados' government is British Parliament. The queen is the head of state and she is represented by the governor general. The governor general appoints an advisory council. The executive authority is the Prime Minister who is Owen Seymour Arthur which came into power on September 6, 1994. The Deputy Prime Minister is Billie Miller who also came into power on September 6, 1994. The democratic government works well in the country. They have had three general elections and one smooth transfer of power from the Democratic Labor Party to the Barbados Labor Party. Barbados carries on trade with other Caribbean nations and does have diplomatic relations with Cuba. Their closest relations are with the United Stated, and the United Kingdom. Barbados joined the United Nations is 1966. The economy of Barbados is one of the 35 upper middle-income countries of the world. They have a free-market economy, but the dominant sector is private. Their economy is based on sugar and tourism, but the government has encouraged a policy of diversification in order to achieve a more stable nation. They also depend on a light manufacturing industry. Their monetary unit is the Barbados dollar. The coins are made in 1, 5, 10, and 25 cents. The paper money is made in 1, 5, 10, 20, and 100 dollar bills. One U.S. dollar is equal to 2.01 Barbados dollar (1975). About 60% of the land is cropland. The agriculture industry employs 7.4% of the labor force and contributes about 8.7% to the Gross Domestic Product. Sugarcane makes up over half the acreage. Bananas are also grown, but only on a limited scale. Sea island cotton is also grown. All of the farmers are required by regulations to plant at least 12% of their arable land with some food crop. Barbados' natural resources include petroleum, fishing, and natural gas. The fishing industry employs about 2,500 people and 500 small boats. Their are no natural forests in the country. Manufacturing contributes about 11.2% to the GDP. Manufacturing and mining employ about 18.9% of the labor force. The majority of the industrial establishments are engaged in some form of sugar processing. Sugar is the principal export. The principal imports include machinery, motor vehicles, lumber, and

Science Meets Real Life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Science Meets Real Life - Assignment Example In order to fulfill this step, I must try to turn on the light switch again and see if it is really broken. If it really seems so, then I must go to the back of the house and try to turn on another light switch there. The next sequence of events will then depend on whether this second light switch makes the light come on or not. Then, if this second switch does not work either, the next thing to do is to look for the same pattern in the neighborhood. If all the houses have their lights off, then there must be a power cut, and this specific part is the development of the theory, which is the third step. If there is at least one house with a light on, then there is no regularity in the phenomenon that involves switches that are not working. I then look around the neighborhood and notice that all of the houses near my house already have their lights turned off. Just because this is so does not give me a reason to conclude that there is indeed a power cut because everyone might just simply be asleep because it is almost midnight and most of the neighbors are elderly people. Then I notice one neighbor’s house with the lights on, and so I have then discarded the idea or theory that there is a power cut. I then have to look for another possible regularity, which is However, after giving up on the regularities, I have theorized that it is only my house that has a problem. Since my daughters are not at home now as I left them with a relative a week ago, then I am sure that it is not they who are playing this very annoying practical joke with me – especially since I believe they are too young to be able to do that. I then proceed to the next step, prediction. After eliminating the possibility of a power cut, my daughters playing a prank on me, and other incredible possibilities like a UFO interfering with my lights or a possible terrorist attack, I