Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Essay -- Margaret Atwood Handmai

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Love of God replaces love of humanity in Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale. Offred’s recollections of her past life, especially of her husband, are ones filled with passion and happiness as she remembers his tenderness towards her. Much more emphasis is put on the physical human form in her memories; she often remembers lying with her husband while she wears little or no clothing. Appreciation of the human form is an essential component of loving humanity. Offred remembers the love she felt for her friends with whom she enjoyed spending time and conversing. When her friend is taken away, Offred spends much time mourning the loss of this person from her life. She also longs, throughout the novel, to be reunited with her husband. While she has not seen him in years, his memory lives strong in her mind, and she can often imagine him arriving at the Commander’s house and rescuing her. Her memories almost all revolve around human interaction because that i s what she cherished most and that is what society held to be most important. But that was before the religious revolution. The new era of government ushers in a time where humanity is meaningless and the world revolves around God. One example of this is the sex ritual that Offred has to undergo with the Commander. Sex is the ultimate expression of humanity, but she is forced into doing it without any sort of emotion. Furthermore, Offred’s needs as an individual are petty and insignificant throughout Atwood’s work. Offred is expected to keep qualms and concerns to herself and to obey the strict lifestyle laid out for her. Additionally, the human form is not something to be celebrated in this new world, but it is rather something to be... ...she did not die in the novel, she gave up her body for the continuation of mankind. What better martyr, I thought, than Jesus Christ himself. After much thought, I decided upon Giotto’s rendition of Christ on the cross from the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. I faced a major challenge in picking the paintings, apart from my utter lack of knowledge of art history. Each of these paintings was done with such precision and care that the artist likely loaded each one with symbolism and deeper meanings which would not be applicable to The Handmaid’s Tale. As an example of this, my friend who had studied Picasso’s â€Å"Guernica† launched into a lengthy description of what the painting meant, when I only used it for the image of war that it projects. Clearly many of these paintings carry baggage that is unwanted for my purposes, and this is a challenge that I face as the author. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Essay -- Margaret Atwood Handmai Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Love of God replaces love of humanity in Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale. Offred’s recollections of her past life, especially of her husband, are ones filled with passion and happiness as she remembers his tenderness towards her. Much more emphasis is put on the physical human form in her memories; she often remembers lying with her husband while she wears little or no clothing. Appreciation of the human form is an essential component of loving humanity. Offred remembers the love she felt for her friends with whom she enjoyed spending time and conversing. When her friend is taken away, Offred spends much time mourning the loss of this person from her life. She also longs, throughout the novel, to be reunited with her husband. While she has not seen him in years, his memory lives strong in her mind, and she can often imagine him arriving at the Commander’s house and rescuing her. Her memories almost all revolve around human interaction because that i s what she cherished most and that is what society held to be most important. But that was before the religious revolution. The new era of government ushers in a time where humanity is meaningless and the world revolves around God. One example of this is the sex ritual that Offred has to undergo with the Commander. Sex is the ultimate expression of humanity, but she is forced into doing it without any sort of emotion. Furthermore, Offred’s needs as an individual are petty and insignificant throughout Atwood’s work. Offred is expected to keep qualms and concerns to herself and to obey the strict lifestyle laid out for her. Additionally, the human form is not something to be celebrated in this new world, but it is rather something to be... ...she did not die in the novel, she gave up her body for the continuation of mankind. What better martyr, I thought, than Jesus Christ himself. After much thought, I decided upon Giotto’s rendition of Christ on the cross from the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. I faced a major challenge in picking the paintings, apart from my utter lack of knowledge of art history. Each of these paintings was done with such precision and care that the artist likely loaded each one with symbolism and deeper meanings which would not be applicable to The Handmaid’s Tale. As an example of this, my friend who had studied Picasso’s â€Å"Guernica† launched into a lengthy description of what the painting meant, when I only used it for the image of war that it projects. Clearly many of these paintings carry baggage that is unwanted for my purposes, and this is a challenge that I face as the author.

Positive Psychology and Depression

Positive Psychology in the Treatment of Major Depression Positive psychology is a strengths-oriented, positively focused approach to human behaviors and thoughts that is relatively recent to the overall field of psychology. Previous schools of thought had always focused on the abnormalities, weaknesses, and pathologies of people. Positive psychology is an exceptionally new branch of psychology and aims at making life more fulfilling, enjoyable, and happy instead of just tolerable; they wish to promote mental health and well-being instead of only treating disorders.This research paper will address the roles that hope, gratitude, forgiveness, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy play in one’s life, and how these characteristics can be utilized in a way to maximize one’s positive affect. One of the most common mood disorders is depression. Depression comes in many forms and there are also different depressive disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and dys thymic disorder. (NIMH, 2009) For the sake of this paper, major depression will be examined. Related article: Approaches to Promoting WellbeingSymptoms of a major depressive episode include feelings of sadness or unhappiness, irritability or frustration, loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, reduced sex drive, insomnia or excessive sleeping, changes in appetite, agitation or restlessness, angry outbursts, slowed thinking or speaking, fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy, trouble thinking or concentrating, frequent thoughts of death or dying including suicide, crying spells for no apparent reason, and unexplained physical problems such as pain (Mayo Clinic, 2012).One does not have to have every one of these symptoms, they must have at least five symptoms, they must persist for at least two weeks, symptoms cannot be caused due to drug or alcohol consumption, are not caused by bereavement or last longer than two months, and they must cause a significant amount of impairment in the person’s everyday life functioning (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Major depressive disorder has a lifetime prevalence rate of 11. 2 percent in young adults with 3. 3 percent of those cases deemed severe, and a twelve month prevalence rate of 6. percent in adults with 30. 4 percent of those cases diagnosed as severe. People ages eighteen to twenty-nine are seventy percent more likely to have experienced depression compared to those over the age of sixty, people between thirty to forty-four years old were 120 percent more likely, and forty-five to fifty-nine year olds were 100 percent more likely. Women are seventy percent more likely than their male counterparts to experience depression during their lifetime and whites are forty percent more likely than blacks to experience depression.Compared to 2 percent or less for most other disorders, major depression is quite common. (NIMH, 2009) Positive psychology interventions in cases of major depression focus on increasing positive emotions, positive experiences, subjective well-being, and beneficial engagements. This differs fro m traditional interventions by not focusing on the depressive, negative symptoms and instead trying to focus on the good aspects of one’s life. Positive psychologists do not ignore the fact that mental illnesses are abnormal and the fact that things do go wrong in peoples’ lives.Instead, they want to take a closer look at the good things that happen in peoples’ lives and what makes and keeps people content or happy. In one study, conducted by Seligman et al, positive psychotherapy exercises delivered through the internet were shown to relieve the symptoms of depression for a minimum of six months whereas traditional treatments lasted less than one week. In subjects suffering from severe depression, reduction in mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms was observed.It was also observed that subjects who had been suffering from major depressive disorder and underwent positive psychotherapy had a higher reduction in symptoms than those who underwent traditional treatme nts and those who underwent traditional treatments combined with medications. The hypothesis of this study stated that â€Å"depression can be treated effectively not only by reducing its negative symptoms, but also by directly and primarily building positive emotions, character strengths, and meaning. It is possible that directly building these positive resources may also buffer against their future reoccurrence. (Seligman et, al. , 2006) Logically, major depression would be well treated when using a positive psychology oriented approach. People who suffer from depression experience anhedonia – an inability to experience pleasure in activities which it is usually produced. They lack positive affect, show a lack of engagement in meaningful activities, lack of feeling of purpose, and lack of feeling of meaning. These people no longer find any interest in things such as sex, food, bonding with friends, favorite past times, and work. (Brynie, 2009) A study by Barnaby D.Dunn, pu blished in July of 2012 also found that people suffering from depression also do not experience anticipation or recognize positive emotions the way those unaffected do. (Dunn, 2012) The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anticipation as â€Å"1: b. the act of looking forward; especially: pleasurable expectation. 2: a mental attitude that influences a later response. †(Merriam-Webster, 2012) From this, it is understood that people suffering from depression, and therefore anhedonia, not only miss out on the pleasure normally experienced during enjoyable activities, they also do not even look forward to any of these pleasurable activities.It is as if they do not see the possibility of an experience producing positive outcomes. Positive psychology, on the other hand, is primarily focused on creating and building-upon positive emotions, helping people find meaning in their everyday lives, and promoting an overall increase in mental health. Positive psychology has its roots in self -efficacy, optimism, and hope. Self-efficacy is the belief that you have the skills and self-control necessary to achieve the goals you set for yourself.This is a learned way of thinking, predicted by previous successes, observing others with high levels of self-efficacy, the ability to imagine oneself achieving a successful outcome, verbal persuasion by other strong and trustworthy individuals, and ability to control negative emotions. Optimism is a person’s tendency to look at a situation from the best possible point of view, or too expect the best possible outcome in any given situation (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Optimism can be predicted by a childhood environment which provided safety, coherence, secure attachments, and there is also a genetic component to optimism.Television, however, is one of the main culprits in promoting pessimism – the opposite of optimism. The final main building block of positive psychology is hope. Hope is the combination of the belief that one can reach his or her goals and has the ability to find alternate routes to these goals should they be presented with adversity. (Snyder, 2011) Key steps and aspects of combating major depression with positive psychology were outlined by Seligman, Rashid, and Parks in their 2006 article.Since depression is associated with a lack of positive realizations in one’s life, clients were asked to take steps to help them recognize their signature strengths, ways to utilize these signature strengths, good things that happen to them every day, things and people in their lives that they are thankful for, and also to forgive others and themselves for past transgressions. To help clients recognize their signature strengths as well as help them to see the way they view themselves, clients were instructed to write stories describing what they believe to be their character strengths.The client and therapist discuss how apathy and the absence of positive emotions do nothing but maintain t he cycle of depressive episodes. Next, clients were instructed to take the VIA-IS strengths finding questionnaire and then use those results in an assignment stating how they could best utilize their strengths to improve their everyday lives. Afterwards, clients were to recall past situations in which they have successfully used their identified strengths to their advantage. Pleasure, engagement, and meaning as pathways to happiness are discussed during the client’s session and their role in overcoming depression is outlined.All of these steps help lead to the realization of the client that they have strengths that are unique to themselves, they have control over situations that happen to them, and they are not helpless. (Seligman, 2006) The next set of steps focuses mainly on engagement. Clients were asked to keep Blessings Journals in which they recorded at least three good things which happened to them each day. They are also encouraged to write about three bad things that have happened to them and to go into depth about their emotions surrounding these events and how the events influenced their depression.The therapist will inform the client of the ways in which retaining negative feelings such as anger and bitterness can compound the effects of depression and prevent recovery. Clients were encouraged to talk about negative experiences and vent about these experiences rather than ruminate on them. Clients were then to write at least one forgiveness letter. They describe an incident with a wrong-doing, the emotions experienced along with the event, and they also promise to forgive to transgressor; even if it was himself or herself. Seligman et al, 2006) Forgiveness is a freeing from a negative attachment to the source that has transgressed against a person. There is less desire to avoid the person or seek revenge, and an increase in positive feelings or actions towards the individual. There is a realistic assessment of the harm done, an acknowledgeme nt of the perpetrator’s responsibility, a cancelation of debt between the victim and perpetrator, and then a self-removal from the category of victim.Forgiveness is important in a person’s life because it helps to break the cycle of violence when one person is harmed and seeks revenge and then the initial transgressor seeks revenge as well which initiates and maintains said cycle of violence. When a person displays a willingness to forgive others, it is not only beneficial to that person, but also to all of the people surrounding said incident. It produces positive feelings as well as an inclination to also be forgiving in future situations. This is a form of positive role modeling between peers. Snyder, 2011) Another important step is expressing gratitude. Clients are encouraged to express their gratitude to someone they never properly or fully thanked either in person, through a letter, or via telephone conversation. (Miller, 2008) One way gratitude is experienced is when another individual acts in a way that is costly to himself or herself, provides value to the recipient, and was done intentionally. Another way gratitude can be experienced is when someone survives a catastrophic event, a threat to his or her health, or a dangerous situation.Gratitude is a highly valued character trait in many cultures due to its beneficial nature and tendency to increase a person’s tendency to perform altruistic tasks. Those who are high in gratitude are generally less concerned with material goods, more spiritual, more satisfied with life, and more empathetic. (Snyder, 2011) Using the concept of primary prevention, psychologists can help their clients to prevent depressive symptoms from occurring in the first place, or lessen the severity of depressive symptoms during the next depressive episode.Some positive psychology interventions in Seligman, Rashid, and Parks’ 2006 study that dealt with primary prevention were being more physically active, socializing with more people or more often with people who were already friends, engaging in meaningful work such as volunteering and helping the less fortunate, bonding more with loved ones and forming deeper connections, lowering expectations of oneself and others, and making one’s own happiness a priority.In the same study, Seligman and his fellow researchers randomly assigned six hundred volunteers to one of six intervention activities online. Five of these activities were from a more positive psychology focused list of exercises, and one was a placebo. The placebo exercise required participants to write down their earliest memories every night for a week which had only temporary effects on that group. The volunteers assigned to groups 1, 2, and 4 showed pointedly lower depressive symptoms and much higher levels of happiness when compared to the lacebo and two other control-like groups. The volunteers in the successful group also had result which lasted at least six mont hs whereas the people in the other groups had either no results, or results that were only fleeting. (Seligman et al, 2006) Group 1 was required to take the VIA-IS strengths questionnaire and then considers ways in which they could utilize their results to help them in their everyday lives. Group 2 had to write down at least three good things that had happened to them that day and why they thought these things had happened to them.Group 4 had to conduct a gratitude visit, much like the one previously mentioned, in which they composed a letter of thanks to someone who had positively impacted their life in some way, shape, or form but they had never fully thanked and then read said letter either in person or over the phone. The two control-like groups’ assignments were to take a strengths test questionnaire alone, or to write an essay about themselves in a moment when they were at their best. Seligman et al, 2006) These last findings show that the positive psychology activities used in the Seligman et al study can also be used as a form of secondary prevention. Secondary prevention addresses a problem after it has already appeared; just as these online participants were already showing signs of extreme depression. After participating in the three blessings per day exercise their depression scores went down showing that this exercise not only could help prevent depressive episode as previously shown, it could also lessen a depressive episode that had already begun.As a spin-off from this study a website, www. reflectivehappiness. com was created. This was a social website community centered on positive psychology. New exercises and interventions were posted each month, a book club was formed, a newsletter was published and sent out, and a discussion board dedicated to positive psychology. During the first month of operations, it was found that fifty of the site’s subscribers who took pretests for the Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depre ssion Scale, scored in the range that would qualify as extremely depressed.After completing the exercise involving recording three blessings each day for two weeks, the average score for this group of people dropped from 33. 9, to 16. 9. This showed that ninety-four percent of these people were less depressed and fell from the extremely depressed range to the mildly to moderately depressed range. This website is no longer functioning the same way, it has moved to a mobile network which only works on iPhones and now runs under the URL www. happiness. com. Another important part of positive psychology and the ability of a person to remain positive, optimistic, and hopeful is resiliency.Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity and to successfully adapt to the demands of stressful situations (Tugade et al, 2004). People who are seen as resilient are more likely to be described as self-efficacious, confident, and determined and can also be expected to generate a more posit ive self-talk, boost their self-image, and promote self-agency (Mak et al, 2011). All of these characteristics are those of someone with a very positive outlook on life as well as a positive view of themselves.These people show a much lower susceptibility to mental disorders and behavioral problems such as depression, anxiety, violence, and substance abuse (Lillehoj et al, 2004). People who are more resilient also show more optimism and a higher level of hope when thinking about the future. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that â€Å"positive emotions expand what an individual feels like doing at any given time. †(Snyder, 2011) This is referred to by Fredrickson as a broadening of one’s thought-action repertoire.Emotions such as joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love all have the ability to expand you potential action options. Joy can create more creative, playful behaviors while interest creates the desire to explore, expand, and experie nce new things. One of the most important in positive psychology is pride. Pride creates the desire to share good news and envision oneself doing even bigger and better things. The opposite happens in any life threatening situation; your thought-action choices narrow to provide a smaller list of options to try to conduct a speedy, potentially life-saving choice. Frederickson, 2001) This research proves that when a person is feeling depressed and are lacking the positive emotions described above, they do not have an expanded thought-action repertoire and therefore do not see all of the possible paths to their goals which, in turn, leads to feelings of hopelessness and a lack of self-efficacy. Other health benefits of promoting positive emotions are increased laughter, decreased heart disease, increased longevity, positive emotional disclosure, and overall increased psychological health.Laughter has been proven to be a cyclical cause and effect of positive emotions which in turn impro ves immune system functioning, and help maintain a stable positive emotional state. Elderly people who had been hospitalized for an incident involving heart disease and kept up a positive attitude had a much lower readmission rate than those who displayed a negative outlook. Also, people who tend to be more positive throughout their lives, participate in emotional disclosure, and upholding an optimistic and hopeful outlook have a propensity to live longer than those who did not.Positive emotions and an expanded thought-action repertoire not only help people emotionally avoid depression, they also help people to be more physically active and thus further avoid depressive symptoms. The reasons why exercise helps to alleviate depressive symptoms is not completely understood, but it is believed to happen on a few different levels. First of all, exercise is thought to release beneficial neurotransmitters and endorphins which are essentially ‘feel good’ chemicals for your bra in and body. These chemicals are thought to activate the opioid receptors in the brain creating feelings of happiness and optimism.Another way exercise is thought to help create positive emotions in those who exercise is by lowering certain chemicals released by the immune system which can also prolong depressive feelings. Finally, exercise increases body temperature which is thought to have a calming effect on individuals. The more direct, less scientific ways that exercise can help people avoid depression are by acting as a distraction from everyday life and taking a person’s mind off of things, increasing social interactions and therefore increasing positive interactions, and improving physical appearance and thus increasing confidence. Mayo Clinic, 2011) A study also found that speed walking for thirty five minutes per day for five days each week, or sixty minutes per day three times each week had a significant effect on decreasing depression. (Harvard Medical School, 200 9) All in all, having a positive outlook on life can be beneficial to one’s life in countless ways. The study of positive psychology helps people to take steps towards developing better skills to take advantage of their ability to think positively, act positively, and avoid or decrease their depression.Through a few very simple steps, such as gratitude letters, blessings journal keeping, and skills and strengths assessments, one can increase their sense of self efficacy, increase resilience, increase their sense of hope, and by doing this decrease major depressive symptoms. Works Cited: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed. , text rev. ). Washington, DC: Author. Anticipation. 2012. In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/anticipationBrynie, F. (2009). Depression and Anhedonia. Brain Sense. December 2009. Dunn, B. D. (2012). Helping Depressed Client s Reconnect to Positive Emotion Experience: Current Insights and Future Directions. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 19(4), 326-340. Frederickson, B. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. Harvard Medical School. (2009). Exercise and Depression. Retrieved from http://www. health. harvard. edu/newsweek/Exercise-and-Depression-report-excerpt. tm Lillehoj, C. , Trudeau, L. , Spoth, R. , & Wickrama, K. (2004). Internalizing, social competence, and substance initiation: influence of gender moderation and a preventive intervention. Substance Use & Misuse, 39(6), 963-991. Mak, W. S. , Ng, I. W. , & Wong, C. Y. (2011). Resilience: Enhancing well-being through the positive cognitive triad. Journal Of Counseling Psychology, 58(4), 610-617. doi:10. 1037/a0025195 Mayo Clinic staff. (2011, October 1). Depression and Anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms. Retrieved from http://www. mayo clinic. om/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043 Mayo Clinic staff. (2012, February 12). Symptoms. Depression (major depression). Retrieved from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=symptoms Miller, M. (2008, June 16). Positive Psychology Techniques for Depression. Retrieved from http://health. gather. com/viewArticle. action? articleId=281474977374787 National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Major Depressive Order Among Adults. (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. Optimism. 2012.In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/optimism Seligman, M. , Rashid, T. , Parks, A. (2006). Positive Psychotherapy. American Psychologist. November 2006, 774 – 788. Snyder, C. (2011). Positive psychology : the scientific and practical explorations of human strengths. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE. Tugade, M. Frederickson, B. Barrett, L. (2004). Psychologi cal Resilience and Positive Emotional Granularity: Examining the Benefits of Positive Emotions on Coping and Health. Coping & Health. 1161 – 1190.

Susan G. Mezey s Elusive Equality Women s Rights,...

In Elusive Equality: Women s Rights, Public Policy, and the Law, Susan G. Mezey touches several topics that highlight the trials and tribulations women have face over the year just to get one step closer to being considered â€Å"legally equaled† to a man. The author talks about the origin behind the discrimination of women rights using examples from multiply court cases and relates them to situations that women faced today such as women in the workplace, sexual harassment, abortion rights, and eliminating gender bias in education. The authors main point was to inform and stress the importance of seeking constitutional equality, and she used those topics as an example to where women were discriminated against and treated unfairly. She exemplified how such laws were used with sex-based classifications and that men and women were treated different but ironically the laws disadvantaged men more than women. Discussing the topic of women’s rights, the author exemplified many strengths and weakness throughout the book. One of the strengths of this book is the structure in which the author wrote it. Discussing a topic such as women’s rights can be pretty tricky because it is such a broad topic. I like that the author starts off with the legality matters of the subjects and takes it back to the early 1900s to explain how longevity of women discrimination and how long women rights advocates and other feminist movement had to fight in order for there to be equal opportunities for women.

The Benefits And Risks And Auditing Opportunities From...

Youcheng Wang Professor Mohamed Gomma ACCT 208 April 20, 2015 The IT Benefits Risks and Auditing Opportunities from Jacksonville Jaguars 1. Introduction The Jacksonville Jaguars National Football League (NFL) was one of the first major sporting organizations to take advantage of information technology tools to sale snacks and souvenirs in their stadium. From 1995 fans of Jacksonville Jaguars can use Spot Cards to buy drinks, snacks and team souvenirs. In other words, they needn’t to use cash and change to pay for these things. The reloadable Spot Cards, which contain an embedded electronic chip, operate manner similar to other smart cards such as Kinko’s Express Pay cards and many retail establishments including university student identification cards that are used for fee payment, meal and book purchases, and building access. Not only does the Spot Card offer benefits to fans in the stadium, but the use of IT also offers advantages to stadium vendors by providing better financial information when monitoring their business. Though SC offers improvement for the fans and vendors, those sales need assurance that the technology and related information produced is accurate and reliable. 2. Process of IT Payment in Jacksonville Jaguars The payment method of Spot Card at the stadium in 1995 is the first victory try in a major sports stadium. The stadium make the contracts with First Union Bank, (Which latterly was acquired by Wachovia Corporation and now is a part of Fargo

Character Analysis Of Abel Magwitch In Great Expectations

Abel Magwitch is a critical character from Great Expectations. He starts off as a frightening escaped convict, but as the novel goes on, it is revealed that he is Pip’s benefactor- causing Pip’s whole world to change. The ideal actor for the role of Magwitch is Ian Mckellen. Mckellen would be great in this film because he has experience playing characters that show great emotions. He can play someone violent and dangerous as well as someone caring and emotional. One film series, starring Mckellen, which has proven his ability to aspire in this role, is the X-Men franchise. In that string of movies, he plays Magneto, a powerful mutant with a rough childhood that sets him on the path to be a villain, but at times his tender side is shown.†¦show more content†¦Upon seeing this, Pip becomes silent, but secretly worried for his convict. However, Magwitch shows a great deal of strength physically and because he shows restraint. Magwitch does promise to kill Compeyson and get his revenge for being manipulated on several occasions by this man, but he shows resistance at the end because he knows that if he kills Compeyson, it will make things worse for him. Magwitch angrily tells the police, â€Å"’ Murder him? Worth my while,too, to murder him, when I can do worse and drag him back’† (Dickens 737). Everyone involved in this scene knows that Magwitch could kill Compeyson because he is so aggressive, but surprises them when he doesn’t. The biggest shock of all comes when, while being escorted back to the hulks by the police after the fight was broken up, Magwitch turns and admits to Joe that he was the one who stole the pie and liquor. In response, Joe tells him that it’s alright and that they wouldn’t want him to die of starvation no matter what he’s done. This causes Magwitch to weep a little because never been exposed to such kindness, showing a side of him that is foreign to the characters around him. Years later, when Magwitch comes back into the novel, he shows up on Pip’s doorstep and tells him that he is his benefactor. In this scene, Magwitch is so proud of himself that he doesn’t even notice that Pip is repulsedShow MoreRelatedUnderstanding the Plot of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens2205 Words   |  9 Pagesare related, structured, and how they depict change in the major characters. The majority of plots will follow some process of change in which the main characters are caught up in a conflict that is eventually resolved. The plot of a novel can be broken down in five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution (Wikipedia). The exposition usually occurs at the start of the story. Here is when the characters are first introduced and were we also learn about the setting of

National Parks a Double Edged Sword Free Essays

National Parks: A Double Edged Sword? Justin Pearly Environmental History Prof. Mark Bishop Newell Tuesday July 21, 2009 Pearly 1 Few places can match the sheer diversity of wildlife and culture that exists in the country’s national park system. Humans, with the future in mind, have â€Å"set aside† these beautiful sites of wonder and awe. We will write a custom essay sample on National Parks: a Double Edged Sword? or any similar topic only for you Order Now But at what cost? Do national parks end up being good and bad at the same time? Our national parks are a supposed to be a natural treasure. Here the unspoiled grandeur and beauty of nature can be appreciated in its most pristine form. However, the amount of people that are visiting these parks has risen to levels that threaten the very beauty and well-being of these paradises. Its now seems apparent that there is a price to pay for allowing humans into an area that did not have many humans before. To understand the present state of the nation’s parks, and ultimately their entire future, it is crucial to first look back at the past. The first national park was Yellowstone National Park. This sprawling park contains such amazing geological and biological sites that it had been considered a national park long before it was ever officially named one. Its combination of diverse wildlife, and geologic features such as, waterfalls, canyons, geysers, and hot springs made it obvious to any who had experienced it, that this was a place that should be preserved just the way it was. That was why in 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant made it officially the world’s first national park. The only problem being, it was a completely unique creation, the first of its kind. This means that all ground that they covered would be new. Due to inconsistencies with the way national parks were being governed, and the fact that there were was no central governing body for national parks Congress created a Pearly 2 National Park Service that would operate within jurisdiction of the Secretary of the interior. Signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916, the National Park Service Organic Act created the National Park Service which put the country’s national parks in its jurisdiction. Wendy Hart Beckman in her book entitled â€Å"National Parks in Crisis: Debating the Issues,† states that, â€Å"The Organic Act said the National Park Service’s purpose was to ‘promote and regulate the use of the†¦ national parks†¦ which purpose is to conserve scenery and the natural historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. † When trying to unravel the ethics and issues concerning the parks one must keep referring back to this original mission statement. The purpose of national parks is to enjoy the scenery and to leave it unchanged for future generations. However, this statement seems somewhat contradictory, when considering the fact that most national parks are areas that did not have native humans for much of their history. One of the first things to consider about this complex issue is: Why do people want to go there in the first place? Why is it important to them? The first and most obvious reason to let people into our national parks is for their own personal enjoyment. People derive a great deal of pleasure out of leaving their boring, monotonous urban and suburban lives behind even if it is for just a weekend, or merely an evening. People in cites often lead sedentary lifestyles, and need to get outside in a natural setting even if it is just to walk. Some people might even think the air in these preserves tastes fresher! People get a taste of what the earth was like before humans were there. These Pearly 3 can be places of relaxing or exercising. Have a you ever scaled a thousand foot mountain? Hiking can be quite exhilarating. Parents can, in effect, introduce the next generation of conservationists to these areas. Children that have grown up with these sites in their hearts will never forget how incredibly important they are. People becoming informed and interested in nature is one of the most important functions of a national park besides the preservation of the actual land itself. Even without any previous interactions with nature, or any history or knowledge of the place that you are going to you may find and enjoyment to be effortless. When people witness something with their own eyes, it is very different from looking at a picture, or reading about something in a textbook. There is a definitive advantage to experiencing things in person. Subtleties stand out. All five senses can be invoked. People who are not familiar with this kind of beauty are usually particularly awestruck. A memory is formed which is nearly impossible to erase or change (although one’s perspective of the event can change). Every time one person gets hooked on nature, that person will usually try to their share its grandeur with other people. People who appreciate that wonderful wilderness will then go out of their way to help conserve it. There is also a secondary effect in addition to making the individual feel good. Whether or not a reverence for nature existed before their encounters with these sacred sanctuaries does not matter at the point that people start to care about these wonderlands. All that matters then is that people who have visited and enjoyed themselves now feel like they have a vested interest in the parks. Now that they have traveled through the park, they feel the weight of responsibility for their actions. They also realize that everything they do, can produce an effect which, were they not there, never would have occurred. The more Pearly 4 aware and informed people are, the better the decisions they tend to make. There is even an organization called â€Å"Leave No Trace, Inc. † which tries to inform visitors of ways they can reduce the amount of impact on the ecosystem during visits. The group has even compiled a list of seven â€Å"principles† that can help people lessen their impact on the land. 1. Travel and camp on durable surfaces 2. Leave what you find 3. Plan ahead and prepare 4. Dispose of waste properly 5. Minimize campfire impacts 6. Respect Wildlife 7. Be considerate of other visitors While all these principles sound nice on paper, the amount that people adhere to them, and how effective they can be in reducing our footprint remains to be seen. When discussing the concept of â€Å"leaving not trace† one must begin to wonder about the impact of human travel. Even a foot-trail through a park is altering the natural landscape. The question of how much altering of the landscape is acceptable is not an easy one. It has led to intense debate for over a century. Roads are one of the most obvious signs of human interference. While providing a route for visitors to come and enjoy the parks, they also obscure the natural landscape. I think most would agree that a road cutting through even the most pristine wilderness takes Pearly 5 something away from it. So, the parks need people, and people need roads. Or do they? A rather extreme solution might be to restrict road building all together. Access to areas could be achieved by a more â€Å"green† method such a bicycles, or walking. There is also a major issue of dam building. Many a heated debate has occurred when discussing dam building. There are few things that alter the natural landscape like a dam. One would think that national parks would be free from man made structures such as dams. However this is not the case. For example in the 1930’s the federal Bureau of Reclamation proposed putting a dam in Dinosaur National Monument’s Echo Canyon. The purpose of this would be create a clean source of electricity using the power of the water flowing over the dam that would be built. While many of the locals upstream from the dam liked the prospect of water in their dry canyon, they would be flooding one of the greatest fossil sites of the Jurassic. Let’s consider the interaction between people and animals. This has been a long and curious story. With the intention of making the park safer for visitors, park staff have, in the past, killed animals that were deemed a nuisance. This includes predatory animals such as wolf or bear, but also includes herbivores such as the elk. And while it is no longer legal for anyone to kill these animals, we have accepted a very shaky truce with them. Humans entering parks are told specifically not to feed the animals. It is a warning that is not heeded as much as it needs to be. When wild animals are fed by humans they get conditioned to expect food from them. Therefore, they are more likely to come around humans hoping for food. This can be very dangerous! While wild animals can seem cute Pearly 6 and harmless they rarely are (harmless of course). Even something seemingly docile like a white-tailed deer can become aggressive and do severe damage, especially to an unsuspecting human. People frequently fail to realize that wild animals are just that; wild. Wild translates into unpredictable. I’m sure I could get more than a few circus performers to agree with me. The irony of this whole situation is the greatest asset to national parks also happens to be their greatest downfall, Humans, while having the potential to create on a monumental level, also have a similar capacity for destruction. Even more confusing is that fact that the opinions of people on both sides of these issue have well founded, and very convincing arguments. National parks are an important part of American history and need to be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Debate is good in the sense that any publicity is good publicity. As long as people feel strongly on both sides we are more likely to reach some sort of compromise. Pearly 7 Bibliography De Voto, Bernard. â€Å"Shall we let them ruin our national parks? † Saturday Evening Post, July 22, 1950. Chittenden, Hiram Martin. The Yellowstone National Park Beckman, Wendy Hart. National Parks in Crisis: Debating the Issues (Berkley Heights: Enslow, 2004) Wendy Hart Beckman, National Parks in Crisis: Debating the Issues (Berkley Heights: Enslow, 2004) Beckman 18, 19 Beckman 65-68 Beckman 19, 20 Beckman 14, 15, 53 How to cite National Parks: a Double Edged Sword?, Papers

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells free essay sample

The Invisible Man  by H. G. Wells is a science fiction classic written in 1897. The novel was first serialized in  Pearson’s Weekly  the same year it was published. Probably Wells’ third most well-known novel, after  War of the Worlds  and  The Time Machine,  The Invisible Man  is famous more for its protagonist that its story – the bandage-clad figure of Griffin, complete with trench coat, hat and sunglasses, has stuck far better in the public consciousness than Wells’ actual story has. Griffin was a medical student who changed fields to physics. He had been fascinated with the way things refracted and reflected light. He theorized that if an item was subjected to a certain compound, the item would change its refractive and reflective properties so it could no longer be seen. The physical properties of the item would not change its weight, shape, physical needs, etc. It only could not be seen. We will write a custom essay sample on The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The scientist uses himself as his first experimentation subject but fails to reverse the process. After his friend betrays him, Griffin decided to murder him and begins his own personal â€Å"reign of terror†. The story contains both external and internal conflict. In either case, both the protagonist and the antagonist is Griffin himself as he has made himself his own worst enemy. The external conflicts that Griffin causes are between Griffin and various members of the town as his invisibility is gradually discovered. People react with fear and then with terror as Griffin aggravate the situation by lashing out against people as soon as they figure him out. Griffin ultimately sees Kemp as an enemy although he had at first believed that Kemp would be both sympathetic and cooperative. The most important conflict is internal as Griffin himself struggles to live with his situation. He rationalizes his crimes rather than making any sane attempt to get people to understand his predicament. He uses force to get people to help him and goes from bad to worse in his attempts to replenish his research materials for experiments in reversing the process that rendered him invisible. There is no real depth of character. Griffin simply runs from place to place trying to survive by increasingly decadent methods. The climax occurs when Griffin returns to Kemps house intending to make an example of Kemp for having betrayed him. Kemp escapes out the window but is soon followed by Griffin who can see him although he cant see Griffin. The entire town is soon involved in the chase. The mood is generally distant as that of a newspaper reporting telling about a strange event. In the sections where Griffin is telling his own story, the tone is one of self-justification, lack of conscience, and even a certain amount of arrogance. Though he may have felt alone throughout his life, his isolation as a true invisible man takes a mental toll on him. If there is a lesson to be learned from this, it is to be careful what one wishes for. He did not stop to consider the negative aspects of being unseen. Perhaps if he had used his abilities for good, he would have had an easier adjustment to his new life. He could have even become a superhero. Instead he let his grudges and biases, his fears and paranoia, get the better of him. He did not foresee that he still would be vulnerable, which ultimately seals his fate. However, one could certainly tell that Wells is a master storyteller, and I find myself engrossed in the story for several chapters. Wells writes best in first person rather than the rambling reportage style employed here, and his attempts at comedy, mainly involving silly provincial accents, falls badly flat to a modern ear. The Invisible Man  is the ultimate story of an insane anti-hero, before insane anti-heroes became popular. Griffin himself becomes more and more pathetic as the story progress and from the comical start Wells moves away to a darker, subtle satire of small minds in small towns can be just as dangerous as any psychopath.