Allegory and Idealism in Michael Crichton's Jurassic

Allegory and Idealism in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park And The Lost World

This paper presents a detailed discussion on the use of allegory and idealism in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World. The writer draws several examples from the story to illustrate the use of allegory and then discusses its effectiveness. There were three sources used to complete this paper.

In many literary works the authors use methods that might be considered metaphoric to make their point. In the case of science fiction the author is given a lot of freedom to use things such as metaphors and allegory characters to present an underlying message to the readers. The ability to use allegory in science fiction is strengthened and enhanced because of the very nature of the genre. Aliens, monsters and man made creatures often grace the stories, allowing the allegory effect to be utilized.

Before one can…… [Read More]

Allegory Rites of Passage the

Crossing to that desk, these artifacts seemed to say, required both submission and opposition, and both of them in extreme degrees.

Before that could even be attempted, however, the observer was met by the young man springing up from behind the third desk in the room, the one that sat only five or six feet back from the doorway and the tinted plate glass. This man was younger; certainly younger than the officer seated behind his right shoulder and younger than anyone ought to be before earning the medals and taking the pictures situated behind him to his left. He was unblemished, cheerful, and welcoming. The observer began to be replaced by a more active self, no longer simply viewing the scene and people before him, but ushered into active participation as a soft flow of patter and wisdom flowed from the young man in uniform.

Seats were taken, beverages…… [Read More]

Carroll Shakespeare Allegory as a

But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'ho in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" (Carroll, 8) Carroll uses Alice's experiences as a means to persuading his readers to demand similar questions of themselves.

At this juncture, we are unclear on Carroll's motives in altering Alice's perspective. However, as she descends deeper into onderland, she finds this knowledge is invaluable for recognizing its inherent absurdity and disorder. These are features which may be said to apply to the 'real world' from which Alice has descended, but it is only with the shift in perspective that each allegory in his narrative allows that she may actually recognized the absurdity of the society she had accepted.

Alice's revelations are in the area of self-awareness whereas Shakespeare navigates us through the revelations produced in the confusion of love and courtship. The messy situation which is produced in…… [Read More]

Plato -- Meno Allegory of the

Butler agrees that a person has to find his or her own state of goodness (32). To go along with what society agrees with or counts as good doesn't mean anything to Plato; majority has opinion but not knowledge. To begin, Goodness itself is related to the Form of the Good. The Form, in a Socratic sense, is what we rely on to categorize the variety of examples of Goodness. This can be understood in terms of judging a recipe contest. f someone were to win a prize for a green bean casserole, another wins a prize for a chocolate cake, and another wins a prize for their barbecue chicken, what do these things have in common? They all won prizes at the same recipe contest, and they were all categorized as good. but, what is good? How do we judge good? The fact that they are all categorized as…… [Read More]

Plato's Cave Allegory Offers a

Similarly, the analogy can be made with anyone who continues to live an unhealthy lifestyle or pursue bad relationships.

The image of the light is a strong one in Plato's cave story. Light symbolizes knowledge, power, and information. Light symbolizes the truth. The word "enlightenment" refers to the person who sees the light, who sees the truth. Discovering the source of light proves that the shadows are merely illusions -- the effect of light bouncing off concrete objects. The awareness that reality is an illusion is a liberating but frightful experience. For many people, enlightenment creates too much pain. Enlightenment forces genuine lifestyle changes. Using Plato's analogy, enlightenment means leaving the comfortable and familiar world of the cave.

One of the key moments in Plato's allegory of the cave is when the individual must choose whether or not to return. Socrates rightly assumes that there is great risk in returning…… [Read More]

Plato Descartes Allegory of the

He pursues this by beginning to doubt of everything, even his own existence. He presents his reestablishment of reality as a series of proofs, like proving a mathematical formula.

hat is the first conclusion he reaches in this search? hat is the second?

Descartes first finding is that he exists because he is a thinking being, hence his famous statement: 'I think, therefore I am.' The second is that his mind is distinct from his body, that his mind stands apart from what he perceives with is senses.

Descartes - the Melted ax

In the discussion of the melted wax, how do we "know" the wax candle at the start? hat happens when the candle melts?

e know the wax by its properties, yet as the wax changes and melts, it changes its physical properties.

How do we know the melted wax is the same wax as the candle was?…… [Read More]

Plato Descartes Allegory of the

He performs his search through the use of four tools or steps: accepting as true only what can be proven by facts, division of every question into manageable parts, beginning with simple issues and moving to the more complex and ultimately, the review of the facts frequently enough to maintain the whole argument.

D- What is the first conclusion he reaches in this search? What is the second?

In his search, Descartes first reaches the conclusion that the body is the first "substance" that exists- in other words, the individual is the first step of all that exists. This assertion is tempered by the second conclusion that God does exist and that God is the basis of the "solid" things that exist.

3. Descartes - the Melted Wax

A- in the discussion of the melted wax, how do we "know" the wax candle at the start? What happens when the…… [Read More]

Plato's Cave and Political Speech Plato's Allegory

Plato's Cave And Political Speech

Plato's allegory of the cave is applicable to many situations and events and has been used to comment on the political state of unions throughout the history of time. The most recent and tragic event of the assassination attempt of Gabrielle Giffords, amongst others, brought to light the ignorance of controversial politician Sara Palin. In articles by Mort osenblum and Cathy Lynn Grossman following the shooting of Giffords, a call for action against Palin and mindless calls for violence is analyzed.

osenblum points out Giffords political stance on several issues, which often differ from the popular view and opinion of Arizonan politicians. osenblum notes the irony of two of Giffords' political priorities, "sensible gun control and public healthcare for the mentally fragile" (osenblum 2011). It is a lack of support on both these issues that led to Giffords' shooting by Jared Loughner. Giffords attack my…… [Read More]

Cave Allegory

Socrates 469-399 B.C.E

Of the major philosophical works that describe Socrates and various aspects of his philosophy, one of the most intriguing is Plato's The Republic. Although this work was not actually authored by Socrates, he is the main character in it and, through the writings of his student Plato, a number of his philosophical concepts were advanced and gained credence with posterity. This work depicts Socrates going through numerous phases of life and offers plenty of philosophical musings that enlighten readers about his philosophy. However, other than some of his notions regarding the tenets of good and the Socratic method he regularly employed and which is still utilized within certain educational (and perhaps legal) settings today, the ideas that he disseminated that are perhaps the most characteristic of his philosophy are that of the philosopher kings/philosopher rulers and the Allegory of the Cave.

In some respects, it is virtually…… [Read More]

Plato Apology Allegory and Ethical

They have done so ever since he made them public, and while a lot of things about society have changed, the fundamental truth of how society handles its problems, its differences, and its dissenters have not.

The conclusions that Plato reached in his works have held up because they are honest and true. They also hold because human nature has not really changed very much since Plato's time (Nails, 2006). Technology and many other things have likely advanced far beyond what Plato could have imagined during his lifetime, but the intrinsic nature of the human beings who create that technology has stayed the same, and it appears as though it will continue to do so. This is a large part of what makes Plato's musings so valuable to philosophers and others. Would Socrates be persecuted today? It depends on exactly what he did based on the laws that are available…… [Read More]

Enlightenment vs Ignorance

Plato's Cave Allegory

The allegorical account presented by Plato in the form of "The Cave" is very informative and educating if assessed and looked at from the proper perspective. The author of this report is to look at the movements and reactions of the mobile person in the cave. Plato is obviously making a point about life and how best to experience and learn from it. The author of this report shall give a quick summary of the movements of the man and what occurs around him and what changes greatly when his gaze is removed from the wall. While opinions and interpretations of this allegory may vary, the overall message Plato was trying to communicate is pretty clear.

Before getting into the analysis of what precisely Plato was trying to say through the cave allegory, it should be first be summarized what precisely happened and was explained so that…… [Read More]

Plato Cave the Sociological Implications of Plato's

Plato Cave

The Sociological Implications of Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Social enlightenment is an abstract concept indeed, and one that is tied closely to collective ways of understanding and perceiving complex cultural dimensions such are hierarchies, forms of governance and variances of individual economic burden. However, our understanding of this abstract concept may be enhanced by Plato's well-known "Allegory of the Cave." Comprising Chapter VII of Plato's critically important The Republic, the allegory examines the experience of socially-imposed ignorance and the consequences of enlightenment. In doing so, it offers an extremely compelling discussion on the human condition that is remarkable in its relevance to our lives today. Namely, the allegory forces us to examine our conceptions of awareness and to reflect on that which we truly know as opposed to that which we believe we know. Indeed, the most compelling aspect of the Plato allegory is the degree to…… [Read More]

Epic Book The Republic by Plato Specifically

epic book "The epublic" by Plato. Specifically it will discuss the "Allegory of the Cave" contained in the book and relate it to the background logic you brought to this class and establish whether or not this class has affected your background logic. If so how, and if not, why not? The allegory of the cave may be Plato's most famous allegory from his work "The epublic" and it is still a viable source of logic in today's world. However, I do not agree with all of Plato's logic, and my logic has not changed since taking this class -- in fact, the class has simply helped cement my own background logic in my mind even further.

After reading "The Allegory of the Cave" and attempting to understand Plato's logic and philosophy, I feel my background logic seems intact. Before I enrolled in this class, my logic was basically "If…… [Read More]

Plato's Cave vs The Matrix

In essence this means that humanity lives in a state of illusion that has been technologically constructed by an intelligence that provides people with an illusionary reality. In the film it appears that humanity is being kept in a state of illusion in order to be used as an energy source.

We can relate the scenario in the Matrix to the cave allegory in that the entire world has become trapped in a highly technologized ' cave' where mankind exists in a false and dreamlike state, completely unaware of the actual reality of their imprisonment.

However, there are a few people who are aware of the "shadows" that exist outside the cave. There are a number of human beings who have become aware of the "forms" or the true and horrific reality of their world and the true nature of human existence. Under the leadership of the mysterious Morpheus, they…… [Read More]

Plato's Republic and the Little Prince

Plato and the Little Prince

Plato's Allegory of the Cave and the Little Prince of Antoine de Saint Exuprey

Plato's Allegory of the Cave in Book Seven of The Republic portrays a world in darkness, the darkness of a cavern. Individuals in the darkness of the cavern of the lived texture of reality, of a daily existence of neckties and golf as Antoine de Saint Exuprey might say, sit around a burning fire. This image represents human beings the world. The fire the human beings gaze at is the fire of the enlightenment the philosophers of humanity, are seeking, often in vain. Occasionally, the humans at the fire catch glimpses of a higher form of reality upon the walls of the cave in the form of shadows. The shadows, which represent how most human beings see reality, are really only dimly filtered versions of the true nature of the forms,…… [Read More]

Leading Organization Leading an Organization

He sees a lack of honesty being a major detriment not to just the character of a company but to its operations as well.

In one of the most interesting areas of the interview, Mr. Huang discusses how he goes through the interview process at Nvidia. What he's looking for is a person passionate about what they are doing, sees the vision of where the company is going, and also is resilient to adversity enough to survive in a rapidly changing environment. He sees these three elements as absolutely essential to a person excelling in their role. His comment that he loves to hear that people love doing the work they are being considered for, that they have an innate passion for it. From the conversation with the interviewer it is clear he hires based on the skill level of the applicant, the fascination or passion they have with the…… [Read More]

Rickshaw -- Lao She Lao She's Rickshaw

rickshaw -- Lao She

LAO SHE'S RCKSHAW:

AN ALLEGORY FOR THE PLGHT OF CHNA

N THE 1930'S

n the introduction to Lao She's novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu, first published in serial form between September of 1936 and May of 1937, the translator relates that Lao She's message in his previous works had explored "the conservatism of the traditionally educated. . . (and) their blindness to the necessity to modernize China. . . (with) the Chinese as the obstacle to progress," yet in Rickshaw, Lao She focuses on "the self-centeredness of the Chinese which he calls ndividualism. . . (being) their crucial failing" (viii). The main character in the novel, Hsiang Tzu, a rickshaw puller, appears to be the "personification of this great flaw," namely individualism. Thus, Hsiang Tzu "is not a victim of a sick society but one of its representatives, a specimen of a malady that must be cured"…… [Read More]

Pilgrims Progress

STYLE OF RITING AND TEACHING METHODS IN PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

Teaching and preaching have always been considered cornerstones of Christian beliefs. For devout Christians, teaching others about various things of value is what their entire religion is based upon as Gospel of Matthew mentions that Jesus is believed to have instructed his disciples to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the orld" (Matthew 28: 19-20). Teaching has thus been considered an important part of religious beliefs and it is one responsibility that Christians must shoulder. For this prominent Christian figures with authority over the subject have also upheld the responsibility of teaching. Saint Augustine for example maintained that it was…… [Read More]

Amadou Hampate Ba's Cultural and

" (Pettersson, 2006) Oral and written verbal art languages are both used for the purpose of information communication as well as information presentation with the reader and listener receiving an invitation to consider the information.

The Narrative & the Symbolic

The work of Abiola Irele (2001) entitled: "The African Imagination: Literature in Africa & the lack Diaspora" states that Hampate a "...incorporates the essential feature of the oral narrative at significant points in his work in order to reflect their appropriateness to situations and for special effects. Their conjunction with the narrative procedures sanctioned by the Western model thus enlarges their scope and give them an unusual resonance. At the same time, although he writes with conscious reference to this Western model, he does not feel so constrained by the framework of its conventions that he is unable to go beyond its limitations. His departures from the established codes of…… [Read More]

Plato and Descartes and Plato

" He also confirmed to himself that God was the origin of his thought, and therefore because his thoughts were real, God must also be real.

3. Descartes -- Senses and Knowledge

When we went outside as a class, part of Descartes ideas was visible in our observations. All the students had a different perception of the external world. Some focused on certain people and certain objects, which were not seen in the same exact way as another student. This shows that the human mind sees a unique version of what our senses tell us is reality. Reality, might however, escape the limitations of the human mind. For instance, a particular relation to a person and an object, this case a tree, might be seen as being a certain way in my mind but a much different way in another student's mind. Each person's unique experience, through the perception of…… [Read More]

Stylistic Elements of Art Jan

Clara Peeters "Still Life with Flowers, Goblet, Dried Fruit and Pretzels" is a far more humble scene. However, the warm light the title objects are bathed in suggests great significance is given to these objects by the owner and the users of these everyday things. The Brueghel and Rubins painting tells the story of the painting for the viewer, but Peeters' leaves it an open question why the warm bowl of fruit has been assembled, why the handmade pretzels have been positioned with such care. Perhaps it is a festival day, that is why the best goblet is set out for the viewer's perusal and fresh flowers have been cut and arranged to delight the eye.

The viewer engages with the work, rather than marvels at the meaning or the masterpieces set before him or her, as if he or she has been invited into the artist's home and asked…… [Read More]

Nietzsche Defining Truth Perhaps One

But even many devout believers in America today state that we all worship the same God, and thus participate in the same 'truth' regardless of our affiliation. Even atheists validate the feeling of believers and state that although science is factually true, the human mind and faith has its own truth that can emotionally and psychologically move mountains. In other words, there are different kinds of truths -- truths that can be proven with a scientific experiment and emotional truths that are subjective in nature (like true love and true friendship).

Of course, some philosophers suggested that different types of truths have more solid truth claims than others, even in the past. But few people have radically questioned the ability to know the truth on every level as much as we do today. In fact, maybe the word 'truth' is not a good word for what we are seeking, when…… [Read More]

Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra the

Similarly, Zarathustra's time in the mountains offered him wisdom, knowledge that he needed to share with others; thus he resolved to "go under" (Nietzsche 10), and share the truth with the unenlightened 'herd.' Much of society is founded on this central tenet of education being a central good, and indeed everyday interaction seems to be predicated on the assumption that ignorance is potentially harmful. For example, many alcoholics are ignorant of their condition, and this ignorance causes physical and emotional harm. It would seem as though friends who know someone with alcoholism (and who, furthermore, know some truth that the alcoholic does not, namely, that alcoholism is harmful) have a moral obligation to try and educate that person in an effort to curb his or her drinking. To not do so would be to betray one's social role as a friend, and ignore one's moral responsibility implied by that role.…… [Read More]

Psychology Degree Does Mean Something

Thus, studying psychology is morally and intellectually improving. Psychology is so all encompassing as a field of study that it makes a person's mind more flexible. In psychology classes, a student must learn about analysis from a qualitative, even literary approach, as encompassed in the words of Sigmund Freud and William James. In other psychology classes, a student must understand how to interpret an Excel spreadsheet used in a research study to prove the efficacy of a particular antidepressant drug. Or, he or she must understand a more scientific and neurological approach to the human brain than more humanistic approaches to psychology might suggest in other classes. All of these different approaches are integral to modern psychology. A psychology major must be fluent in the liberal arts, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, and so he or she will be able to apply many approaches to solving problems in…… [Read More]

Lady in the Water the 2006 Major

Lady in the ater, the 2006 major motion picture by writer/director/actor Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan that make it a quintessential allegory. The names of the major characters in the film (such as Story and Healer) obviously represent the ideas, as well as the virtues, that they are named after. Further contributing to this theme in the film is the fact that this movie is based upon a children's story. An immense body of literature exists that demonstrates that several children's stories, and several elements in such tales, are allegorical and representative of ideas that may be too advanced for an author to directly address in literature for young people (Luthra 2009. As such, the two principle rhetorical devices that Shyamalan employs to deliver his own messages in Lady in the ater is symbolism and the unique role he gives to each of his characters, who represent various symbolic concepts. Collectively, the…… [Read More]

Society We All Live Within Societies and

Society

We all live within societies and we are the consistency of the society. As families and as individuals, we play roles and responsibilities that when combined point towards a given trend and charters of a larger group, hence the society.

An ideal society is one that constitutes people with similar life patterns which are mutual and beneficial to each member of that particular group. The infiltration of people with divergent interests interferes with the consistency of that society hence should be deterred by whatever means possible.

The Oxford Dictionary (2012), refers to a society as "The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community." The society is also defined "The community of people living in a particular region and having shared customs, laws, and organizations."

More often than not, the term society is confused with family, it is worth noting that the family is just…… [Read More]

John Dryden Was One of the Most

John Dryden was one of the most important literary figures in the 17th century because he excelled in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Dryden was a master of many literary techniques, most particularly the extended metaphor. His poem "Absalom and Achitophel" is a political satire which deals with the then-current political situation in England in a most sly and intelligent way. The piece is an historical allegory wherein the author uses historical events to explore the deeper meaning behind more recent events that have shaped is own society. The rebellion of Absalom against King David is used to parallel the various plots to take over the throne of England through the Exclusion Crisis, the Popish Plot, and the Monmouth Rebellion. Dryden uses the relative safety of the allegory to make a scathing remark about the politics of his country and to subtly recommend ways in which the country could be strengthened…… [Read More]

Absolute Truth

Absolute Truth in the Philosophical orks of Plato and Friedrich Nietzsche

The development of human civilization is a social movement that gave way for humans to further explore everything about the world they live in. Philosophers, in their pursuit for knowledge about humans and human understanding, had written discourses about the nature of human knowledge, and how humanity had come to possess this quality. More specifically, philosophers attempted to explain human understanding and knowledge through the concept of 'absolute truth,' which serves as the catalyst for knowledge to develop within an individual. Plato and Friedrich Nietzsche are two famous philosophers who have written philosophical discourses discussing the concept of Absolute Truth as the primary factor that influences and develops human knowledge. Influenced by their social experiences during the period and society they had lived in (Plato during the 5th century and Nietzsche, 19th century), both philosophers subsists to different interpretations…… [Read More]

Nietzsche & Plato Response Do

But this sense of a death of nationalism, or one's personal belief is different than Nietzsche's statement because no ideology has kind of hold Christianity did upon the world when Nietzsche wrote in 19th century Europe.

Response 2

Do you think we reached a point where we no longer need God?

On one hand, it is possible to see humanity's ability to engage in scientific discovery as proof of the glory of rationality as opposed to following the 'herd' of faith. But science can also confirm that human beings are not very important in the grand scheme of things, unlike most religions which are concerned with human choice and fate. Darwin's discovery that humans are descendents of primates, Mendel's realization that a great deal of our behavior is determined by our genes, even the discovery that the universe does not revolve around the earth shows us that much of our…… [Read More]

Major Themes in European Literature

contemplated an individual's relationship with his or her environment. In Oedipus Rex and Antigone, Sophocles explores the relationship an individual has with the world and society. In each of these plays, Sophocles juxtaposes divinity and humanity and investigates the role of each within Theban society as well as looks into conflicts that arise when the laws of man conflict with divine laws. Through their narratives, Oedipus Rex and Antigone posit man is intended to serve others, including gods, and that they do not exist to be self-serving.

Oedipus Rex revolves around an eponymous anti-hero who by saving the city of Thebes from a Sphinx inadvertently and simultaneously brought forth a plague upon it. By defeating the Sphinx, Oedipus secured his place upon the Theban throne and as such was not only responsible for ensuring laws were abided, but was also responsible for protecting Thebes' citizens. Because of the plague that…… [Read More]

Compare and Contrast Aristotle and Plato

Plato & Aristotle

The author of this brief report has been asked to compare and contrast the theories of knowledge, otherwise known as epistemology, that are present in the works of Plato and Aristotle. The works of Plato that will be covered include Divided Line, the Allegory of the Cave and the Sun. When it comes to Aristotle, the items that will be covered include the ten categories and the significance of substance. The relevant text in question will be Classics of Philosophy as authored by Pojman and Vaughn. While there are some strong similarities between the works and authors cited above, there are also some distinct differences between them.

When it comes to the Divided Line, Plato is writing out a dialog that occurs between Glaucon and Socrates. It is important to note that this work immediately follows the Analogy of the Sun and the Analogy of the Cave…… [Read More]

Plato's Republic One of the

Somebody establishes them according to an already existing set of values. What happens when these values are not shared by everyone? Can people actually agree upon an universal concept of beauty based solely on reason? These are some of the issues which the philosopher tries to analyze.

3. An important metaphor that Socrates uses in order to convey his ideas regarding the concept of good is the one of the sun. The action of illumination which the sun performs is not only physical but spiritual as well. Since the sun is the very source of knowldge and the instrument which guides people towards the truth, the sun becomes a metaphor for the "good" as well. Therefore there is a close connection between knowledge and ethics, the main link being the truth. The sun (through its generating the light) is the main tool that the eye uses in order to perceive…… [Read More]

Beowulf as a Hero Lesson

Your answer should be at least five sentences long.

The Legend of Arthur

Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 9 of 16

Journal Exercise 1.7A: Honor and Loyalty

1. Consider how Arthur's actions and personality agree with or challenge your definition of honor. Write a few sentences comparing your definition (from Journal 1.6A) with Arthur's actions and personality.

2. Write a brief paragraph explaining the importance or unimportance of loyalty in being honorable.

Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 10 of 16

Journal Exercise 1.7B: Combining Sentences

Complete the Practice Activity on page 202 of your text. After completing this activity, read over your Essay Assessment or another journal activity you've completed.

* Identify three passages that could be improved by combining two or more sentences with coordinating or subordinating conjunctions. Below the practice activity in your journal, write the original passages and the revised sentences you've created.

* Be sure to…… [Read More]

Plato it Seems That From

This may be true, but only to a limited extent. If human experience is limited, then so is the acquired knowledge and truth can not exist partially only. On the one hand. On the other hand, it is safe to say that unlimited experience is impossible at least empirically (419a).

Therefore, truth might be based on experience but experience is not enough. The fact that people are chained to the wall is a metaphor which suggests the fact that human perceptions are influenced and shaped by the environment we live in through its customs, beliefs and values. It becomes obvious how difficult it is to have a free mind. Returning to the issue of experience, we may have a person breaking free from the chain and thus being able to move around the cave.

Now he can see the statues and the fire and with the use of reason he…… [Read More]

Allegorical Components in Rip Van

He might have received his wish but that wish cost him 20 years.

In "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne allows us to look at the frail nature of man through Brown's curious nature. He wants to know what is happening in the woods and does not stop to think of the unintended consequences. He does not know what to think when he stumbles upon the scene in the forest. The sight of respectable citizens partaking in a satanic ritual makes Brown feel "overburdened with the heavy sickness of his heart" (Hawthorne 594). He looses faith in man and, subsequently, faith in God, wondering if there was a "heaven above him" (594). He vows to "stand firm against the devil" (294) despite everything but the knowledge of his wife in the forest proves to be more than he can bear. Hawthorne utilizes the aspect of change to demonstrate the fragile human psyche.…… [Read More]

Mixed Company by C Rucker

He wants to honor his dead wife, so he takes the dog along with him just as she did. This is perhaps the only gesture the father makes toward the dog. Throughout the poem, it appears as if the father is indifferent to the dog, if anything at all.

The paradox we encounter in the poem is if a dog can actually suffer from grief with the ultimate question resting on the notion of animals missing human beings. The most ironic aspect of this poem is how the dog appears to be suffering more than the father is. The poet does not go into the father's suffering at all, except to say that he refuses counseling. The meaning and primary idea behind the poem is that all creatures suffer loss whether or not they can express it in ways that humans might be able to understand. It took death for…… [Read More]

French Colonialism in Western Africa

By the second night, a group of men had mutinied and attempted to kill the officers and destroy the raft, and by the third day, "those whom death had spared in the disastrous night […] fell upon the dead bodies with which the raft was covered, and cut off pieces, which some instantly devoured" (Savigny & Correard 192). Ultimately, the survivors were reduced to throwing the wounded overboard, and only after they had been reduced to fifteen men, "almost naked; their bodies and faces disfigured by the scorching beams of the sun," were they finally rescued by the Argus, which had set sail six days earlier to search for the raft and the wreck of the Medusa (Savigny & Correard 203).

Theodore Gericault's the Raft of the Medusa captures the moment on the 17th of July when the Argus first became visible to the survivors, and his choice to reflect…… [Read More]

National Beauty Contests Emerge in

Even during the golden years of the beauty contest between the wars there were unresolved problems with the nature and purpose of such competitions:

There remained elements of discomfort and tension, only superficially palliated by the scientific discourse, patriotic rhetoric and philanthropic gestures of the contest's organisers. These tensions would be released again in the 1970s when a new generation of feminists added discrimination on the grounds of race and disability, together with a more unequivocal rejection of standardised and homogenised ideals of the body and beauty, to the critique of their forebears.

Yet this phenomenon can be seen as consistent with the change in the status of the beauty contest, from a celebration of values that were of universal appeal (even reflecting ideals of national identity) to a tawdry matter of selling sex. y the 1980s and 1990s such contests were experiencing a decline in entrants, with young women…… [Read More]

Post Office

Post Office -- an Allegory of Hindu Righteousness and the Relationship of All Things

"The Post Office" is a deceptively simply play that reflects the author Rabindranath Tagore's Hindu belief that that God can be found in all things and that all of humanity and divinity are essentially united. This is embodied in the life of the ailing main protagonist Amal, who finds spiritual awakening by seeking vicarious solace in the lives of others. Ultimately, Amal's example of personal purity and service to others provides an example to the great Raja or leader of how all individuals should live their lives, in a state of awareness of how they are connected to others. Amal's personal tale of sickness, healing and awakening comes to illustrate the progress of all human spirits in the tale of Amal. Amal's individuality is washed clean by his holiness of mind and spirit, despite the apparent…… [Read More]

West There Are Three Major Religions That

West

There are three major religions that have established themselves in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; and of the three, only Buddhism is not indigenous to China. Buddhism found its way to China along the Silk oad, brought by missionaries from India. For centuries, the three religions have co-existed with many Chinese adopting elements of each in their daily lives. Whatever similarities, or symbiotic elements each contains, the three religions have also competed with each other for prominence and prestige within Chinese society. At different times each has been the dominant religion, fully supported by the Imperial Court, however, Buddhism, since it's incorporation into Chinese society, has viewed itself as the superior religion. While most Buddhists are completely comfortable with the idea of other religious ideals in society, and even embrace certain aspects of them, they still feel that Buddhism is superior. One piece of Chinese literature, generally accepted as…… [Read More]

Post Colonial India and South Asian Identity

Post Colonial India and South Asian Identity

"Pakistan is often perceived as merely one of those far-away places that serve as breeding grounds for extremism and violence," yet this is not a clear image of the truth (Perner 23). Pakistan is in the midst of an internal conflict, with those who want to embrace globalism and those fighting to get rid of it for a misguided view of life before international influence. In many ways, Hamid's novel Moth Smoke is much different than other post-colonial literature in the idea that the west is not entirely responsible for the divides in cultural identity in regional politics. Rather, the west simply brought with it new tools to help distinguish those with access to the elite social circles and those without. Still, Hamid does show some positive benefits from a globalized identity in the image of a much stronger female role within an…… [Read More]

War of the Worlds by

By relating to how individuals were accustomed to using violence in order to put across their thinking ever since the beginning of time, Freud wanted Einstein and the whole world to understand that people were predisposed to using violence in spite of the fact that they lobbied with regard to how violence is wrong. Not only did Freud believe that people were prone to violence because of their barbaric nature, as he also believed that "killing an enemy satisfied an instinctual inclination" (Freud). It is practically as if Freud considered that people were even capable to kill someone as long as they believed that they would put an end to a serious threat by doing so.

Question 3

"The ar of the orlds" is meant to stand as an allegory for imperialism, taking into account that it describes aliens in a totalitarian way and emphasizes their ultimate defeat as their…… [Read More]

Power Relations and Battle of the Sexes in Naomi by Junichiro Tanizki

Power Relations in Junichiro Tanizaki's Naomi

The most powerful and lasting contributions to the literature of a given era are invariably penned by bold thinkers struggling to comprehend the ever changing world in which they live. Spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Japanese Meiji Restoration period, which was propelled by the fusion of industrialized economy and estern culture, and personified by the authorial brilliance of authors such as Jun'ichir? Tanizaki, shaped and inspired a momentous political and social transformation within one of the world's most ancient civilzations. The toppling of previously infallible Shoguns and the sudden distribution of democratic ideals across boundaries of gender and class forced many traditional Japanese to recalibrate their worldview instantly, and the result is a wealth of material, including novels, plays and works of critical nonfiction, all of which focuses intently on the crumbling conventions of age-old gender roles. ith the external…… [Read More]

Charles Fort's We Do Not Fear the

Charles Fort's We do not Fear the Father and Louise Edrich's the Lady in the Pink Mustang, what are the metaphors, similes and allegories in these two poems? How do they enhance the meaning of the poem?

A pink car signifies that she wants to be a girly-girly with a simple life, but the car, proud, and different. The car is a mustang, which is a wild, fast, and promiscuous creature. "The sun goes down for hours, taking more of her along than the night leaves with her," reflects the kind of empty work that she does during the night, and that she only belongs to herself in the day time when she is not performing. "It is what she must face every time she is touched, the body disposable as cups." Could the girl in the pink mustang be a stripper, a showgirl, or a prostitute? Regardless, she feels…… [Read More]

Dante Aligheri Dante's Purgatorio Dante's Divine Comedy

Dante Aligheri

Dante's Purgatorio

Dante's Divine Comedy depicts three possibilities of life after death: Inferno, or Hell, where the unsaved spend eternity, Purgatorio or Purgery, where the saved who still have some sins to account for go, and finally Paradiso, or Paradise, the final destiny of the faithful. The Canto's of each possibility are told through the viewpoint of Dante and Virgil, who make the journey together. The discussion that follows is focused on the insights and meaning derived from the two artists' journey through Purgatorio.

The Spiritual Meaning of Purgatorio

The main, spiritual meaning of Purgatorio focuses on the fact that it is a transitory state between the death of the body and the spirit's ascendance to heaven. In contrast to Inferno, the souls doing penance here have the hope of its end and of their final admission into paradise. The atmosphere in this place also substantiates the feeling…… [Read More]

Rappaccini's Daughter Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rappacinni's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne [...] what the story is about, along with some other interpretations of the meaning of the story. Many different interpretations of this story exist, however, the one that seems to make the most sense is the underlying story of the father and daughter, and how their relationship alters as Beatrice grows older. The father is so immersed in his scientific study that he has ignored his daughter's growing up, but he understands her needs as a woman, and tries to supply them the only way he knows how - with a lover immune to her poison. It is the ultimate love of a father, to create the "perfect" man for his daughter.

Rappacinni's Daughter

Rappacinni's Daughter" is a complex and magical story, and so, it has been interpreted in many different ways. There are many who believe Hawthorne wrote the story as a religious allegory,…… [Read More]

Dasein Is Time Itself Not

One allegory from Zhuangzi that can be quite powerful for the social sciences is the one which describes Zhuangzi dreaming that he was a butterfly. When he awakens, he's himself (the human Zhuangzi), however, he doesn't know if he was the butterfly now, dreaming that it was Zhuangzi or himself, who had just dreamed of Zhuangzi. This is an important allegory for the social sciences as it explains the mutability of experience and existence and the power of social conditioning. Social conditioning dictates that it is of course the first way: Zhuangzi was simply having a dream and then he awoken. But this allegory suggests the opposite and posits that the idea in which individuals interpret reality is not necessarily the way in which things occur. This allegory speaks to the importance of considering other perspectives of interpretation, because quite often, there's no way for the individual to know which…… [Read More]

Collapsing Certainties Theme of Collapsing Uncertainties the

Collapsing Certainties

Theme of Collapsing Uncertainties

The Collapsing Birth Rate in the Developed orld

Human beings perceive events, individuals, and objects in different manners in relation to the circumstances and understanding. This is vital towards the development of concept of reality with the aim of continuous leadership, caring, and forms of goodness. This is an indication that human beings believe in whatever they see and purport to be ideal thus generation of meaning and form of understanding or knowledge for the purposes of guidance and leadership. Various personalities have focused on the examination of the concept of collapsing uncertainties. Some of these personalities include Timothy Eves, Plato, and Sartre. Sartre focuses on the examination of the concept of hell or the world of darkness through integration of the No Exit play. This is ideal for effective understanding and development of the forms of goodness in relation to reality and knowledge.…… [Read More]

Waking Life and Plato's Republic Richard Linklater's

aking Life and Plato's Republic

Richard Linklater's 2001 film aking Life explores the nature of reality and its relationship to dreaming, and in particular the way in which the worlds of dreaming and reality intersect and cloud each other. At one point, as the main character essentially walks through his dreams, interacting with a variety of characters engaged in philosophical discussion, he comes upon a man playing ukulele who espouses and interpretation of dreaming very similar to Plato's allegory of the cave in his Republic. The ukulele-playing man describes the notion of lucid dreaming as a means of truly "living," and his description of lucid dreaming can be interpreted as the enactment of the goal in Plato's allegory. By comparing the scene with the ukulele-playing man in aking Life with Plato's allegory of the cave in The Republic, it will be possible to see how the former reinterprets the latter…… [Read More]

Classical Myths in Children's Writing's

He stated that, "I mean printed works produced ostensibly to give children spontaneous pleasure and not primarily to teach them, nor solely to make them good, nor to keep them profitably quiet." (Darton 1932/1982:1) So here the quest is for the capture and promotion of children's imagination through stories and fables that please as well as enlighten. There is always the fallout that once a child learns to love to read he or she will read many more things with greater enthusiasm than before.

The children's literature genres developed in Mesopotamia and in Egypt over a roughly 1,500-year period - proverbs, fables, animal stories, debates, myths, instructions (wisdom literature), adventure and magic tales, school stories, hymns and poems - pass down to the Hebrews and the Greeks. The Old Testament owes much to both Mesopotamian and Egyptian literature (Adams 2004:230)

One can see that, as stated previously, children's literature is…… [Read More]

Plato's Cave and the Ghetto

Just as their problems are caused by humans, their problems can also be solved by humans. This fact is exemplified by the existence of politics, where people learn to befriend and utilize people who would otherwise do them harm. Skill at politics, as Shorris noted, is what distinguished the rich from the poor: "Rich people know…how to negotiate instead of using force. They know how to use politics to get along, to get power. (5).

The Return to the Cave

In the third section of the allegory, Socrates speculates on what would happen if this former prisoner were to return to the cave. Having seen the light, he will have been happy for his edification and piteous of those stuck in the cave, believing their lives dark and ignorant. If he were to return to the cave, he would not be as content as he was when he was previously…… [Read More]

Deuteronomy Chapter 10 According to

" Therefore, Spero says, there is the fifth requirement, calling the reader to keep the commandments and statutes. Spero explains: "where the reverence and love are weak, the actual observance of the commandments, with its evocation of the Presence of God, can strengthen these elemental emotions. Thus, the function of the practical commandments is both expressive and impressive" (p. 155).

The book of Deuteronomy, and specifically its tenth chapter, has multiple meanings and may be interpreted differently, depending on one's approach. But it is clear that the chapter speaks to us, to the community of faith today. Even in his secular interpretation, Nelson (2003) tried to link the book to values we consider important today (the system of checks and balances or democracy). But the book has a theological message, which is as relevant today as it was for Israelites thousands of years ago, as explained well by Tanner (2001).…… [Read More]

Presentation of Reason in the Work of Dryden and Swift

Reason in the faith and satire of Dryden and Swift

The neoclassical age in which both John Dryden and Jonathan Swift penned their most noteworthy prose is often also called 'The Age of Reason.' However, although this valorization of reason and rationality may be a fair characterization of much of the Age of human Enlightenment, Dryden and Swift do not deploy nor valorize reason in the same fashion. For Dryden, reason is the key to humanity's connection with the divine and political freedom. In Swift's social and religious satires, however, human confidence in its rationality is just as absurd as overconfidence in human religious political and social institutions to create just and fair societies.

Dryden's religious poem "Religio Laici" begins with a definition of reason as the most perfect mode of the ultimate human understanding of the divine. Dryden writes, "as the borrow'd beams of moon and stars./To lonely, weary,…… [Read More]

Platos Myth Of The Cave and Technology Today

In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato depicts a world where prisoners are held in a cave for their entire life (Cohen). The puppeteers cast shadows on the wall of the cave, and the prisoners see the shadows as reality. Upon breaking free from the cave, the prisoners come to the realisation that their entire existence has been a lie. They discover how others have controlled their life. This allegory has a great deal of relevance today, particularly in the age of technology. Today's human beings can be likened to the prisoners. Technology controls us -- from television to computers, phones, and cars, technology does everything for us. In spite of its advantages, it distracts us from the truth; it blinds us to the inherent dangers. Even when outside the cave, we can see how technology easily hides the truth from us. This paper discusses how the internet, computers, and…… [Read More]

Myth of the Cave ' Why

Existentialism takes the human subject -- the holistic human, and the internal conditions as the basis and start of the conceptual way of explaining life. Taking idealism From Descartes, Kant, and Hegel, then building upon it, existentialist thinkers strip away the external and look at questions that surround human existence, and the conditions of that existence, rather than hypothesizing or dreaming of different forms of being. Thus, the inward philosophical emotions, angst, dread, self-doubt, self-esteem, etc. are experiences of the historical process, and the process of learning and moving through "existence" into a less fragile, more concrete, way of self-actualization. The existentialist concept of freedom is the manner in which internal values are set and interact with external historical trends. ather than humans being primarily rational, they make decisions when and if they find meaning (Solomon)

Existentialism asserts that people actually make decisions based solely on the meaning to them…… [Read More]

Romantic Monster The Human Within

Yet, we also see that he still does not understand the true origin of the beast -- the human within. The fact that he dies before he is successful, yet the monster obviously goes off to end his own fate, indicates that the evil both originated, and eventually died with him -- the true source from which it sprang.

Victor Hugo's Hunchback: An Illustrative Device

In Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame, there exists a strikingly similar theme -- if different in form. Although it is definitely true that Hugo's famous Quasimodo is a bit more innocuous than the Frankenstein monster, he nonetheless evokes a certain horror if only in appearance. Yet, much like in Shelley's work, Hugo brings out the monster that is human nature within the other character's interactions, motivations, and actions in the story.

There is little question that Hugo fully intended Quasimodo to evoke horror in…… [Read More]

Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining

Lizard

ho Had the Habit of Dining on His ives"

"the Story of the Lizard ho Had the Habit of Dining on His ives"

Eduardo Galeano

"The Story of the Lizard ho Had the Habit of Dining on His ives" seems to be a short, simple, strange story at first. But if a person looks into Eduardo Galeano's biography, the story makes much more sense and seems to say a lot more than just lizard-eats-women/woman-eats-lizard. The story actually says a lot about "be careful what you wish for," "what goes around comes around," the relationships between men and women, and political symbolism about South America. Maybe even most important is the theme of "rich against poor" because of Galeano's background and Marxist political beliefs.

Analysis

Eduardo Galeano

Analysis of a short story is sometimes helped by studying the author, so this analysis will begin with a look at Eduardo Galeano.…… [Read More]

Man or a Mouse Victims

This responsibility -- using knowledge to actualize others, is a predominant theme in much of Plato's works that resonates directly with contemporary pedagogical theory.

The Allegory itself is written as a fictional dialog between Plato's teacher Socrates and Plato's brother Glaucon. In the allegory of the cave, the reader, whom Plato assumes is also a philosopher on a path towards enlightenment, is treated to a play within a play. There is a dark cave, cavernous and damp. Individuals (prisoners) have been chained in this chasm since birth so that they are able to move in a way that they can only look at the wall in front of them; otherwise they are immobile. "Conceive them as having their legs and necks fettered from childhood, so that they remain in the same spot, able to look forward only, and prevented by the fetters from turning their heads" (vii: 515). There is…… [Read More]

Jesus a Glimpse of the

He describes how he dines with the members of Antipas' court, "thus maintaining the table-fellowship connection of Mark and Daniel," (Freyne 98). Therefore, the account of government practices which can be validated by other reliable sources show the New Testament as presenting clear and reliable sources for the historical validity of the figure of Jesus. Thus, modern researchers have found great truths and reliable correlations between the figure of Jesus and the occurrences of government within the ancient world.

The Biblical cannon also present more specified elements of correlation, such as Jesus' relationship with John the Baptist. John was a reliable historical figure, whose existence has long been assumed as historically accurate and backed up with sources verifying his locations and actions during and before the time of Jesus. In fact, the beginning of Jesus' ministry was heavily defined by his relationship with John the Baptist. Very little was recorded…… [Read More]

Robert Frost as a Poet

He is now content and grateful for his decision, remarking, "and that has made all the difference" (Frost 20). The body of the poem, therefore, allows readers insight into the narrators mind as he or she makes this decision, as he or she realizes that this moment will never again return. Readers are made to feel that they are actually with the narrator as he or she makes his decision by the rhyme scheme of the poem, which is abaab for most lines, and periodic assonance, sound techniques that quickly carry the reader from verse to verse. Finally, at the end of the poem, both the reader and the narrator understand the symbolism in the poem, that the fork in the road is a symbol for a major life decision and the road less traveled by is the less popular and most original decision, the one that will make "all…… [Read More]