Thursday, October 31, 2019

A review and literary assessment of the short story Everyday Use by Research Paper

A review and literary assessment of the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Research Paper Example They ended up shining a light for generations of readers. The work that this paper aims to review is one of those papers that were done by one of today’s greatest writers and tells a very intriguing and provocative story in a sublet way. IT presents certain details when needed but also leaves out things in order to provoke the mind to stir and create a mental picture of the scene that the story projects. It gives snippets of information that is just enough to let the readers imagination wonder. The story’s characters are also presented in such a way that the details of their personality and persona are revealed through their conversations and back stories without losing focus of the actual story’s timeline. The story in its self is also very engaging and the reader is glued to the next word of the next phrase of the next word while looking to have it unfold before the reader’s very eyes. The reader is left to anticipate and watch as the story unfolds. For this story in particular, the issues that are played out are done in a very classy manner and that the characters in themselves are able to tell a story for and of themselves while still able to have participation to the story as a whole. This paper aims to review and analyze Alice Walker’s story. Essentially, the main time line of the story occurs in less than a day, however it does go into several flashbacks. The story is told by a mother who initially describes her life, her former relationship with one daughter and her current relationship with another daughter. You don’t get a sense of who is speaking, or what the story is about until you are a paragraph or two into the story. This maybe considered a technique to keep the reader interested in toe story as a whole. Through the initial part of the story, you get a glimpse of what life was like at the time the story was set. You also get a look at how the mother’s children view her as well as a visualization o f how they transitioned to the current life they live through the mention of a fire in their former home. The initial part of the story also sets the pace and the mood for the rest of the story since the mood was a bit toned down but slowly exposes details as the story goes on. There was not really any big revelations regarding detail in the story until the later parts when her daughter cam to visit and exposed that she changed her name. The story depicts a much simpler time and place where the main character decides on many occasions not to trouble herself with too many details and not to fuss over trivial things. It also shows a kind of family bond that may be different from what most people know, but it is strong. Most of the story telling and narrating is one sided but the main character does provide us insight on the other characters of the story like her daughters, what they say to her, what they may think of her, as well as their descriptions and reactions to certain things. If reading in the sense of looking at the activities described in the story, it may seem like a rather mundane or shallow tale but if you dive deep into what the story is telling you, or what it is describing, or when it is set or even who the characters are, then you will be surprised to find a gold mine of information and rich depth. Although the story does not explicitly say this, the story is also about issues regarding African-Americans at the time they were trying to identify themselves. Although there were no directly mentioned

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Film Assignment Essay Example for Free

Film Assignment Essay For this assignment, I chose the 1996 movie â€Å"A Time to Kill† is applying Carl Roger’s Model of Argument. The film is based on the novel of the same title by John Grisham that tells the story of finding justice amidst the racial bigotry of the South. It is the story about a black man, Carl Lee Hailey, who killed the men who raped and mauled his 10-year old daughter Tonya and is looking at a death sentence should he be found guilty of murder in court in a town where racial prejudice continues to abound. It is through the efforts of his defense lawyer, Jake Brigance that Carl Lee was acquitted and released (McConnnaghuey and Jackson 1996). At first glance, a debate is very likely to ensue. Some would say Carl Lee is guilty because he broke the law by murdering the suspects. The latter had been arrested and should have been given their day in court and let the law take its course. They believe that revenge was Carl Lee’s motive for taking matters in his own hands and that the death penalty is appropriate because of what he did, consistent to the adage, â€Å"the punishment must fit the crime. † Legally, Carl Lee is indeed guilty and the jury appears to be leaning towards that decision. However, looking at it from the other side, there are others, as personified by Jake, who believe Carl Lee did the right thing though it was very drastic. While it may be true that Carl Lee was legally guilty, this does not immediately mean he is morally wrong. In the latter part of the film, Jake won the case because he was able to find common ground, not only with the jury, but also to the audience. He took their attention away from Carl Lee and his act and instead focused it somewhere else on the actual victim Tonya. Jake did this by taking everyone on a â€Å"journey† inside Carl Lee’s mind, putting themselves in his place, retracing his road to perdition on the day his daughter came to him battered and bleeding to the time he killed the suspects. He closed the â€Å"journey† by telling the jury to now â€Å"imagine she were white. † This is the common ground Jake successfully established. The â€Å"secret† behind it was Jake is able to make the jury shed off any racial bias they may have by getting them to empathize with Carl Lee. The result was instead of looking at a black man seeking redress for the attack on his daughter, but just a father who is merely looking out for his daughter. It can be inferred that everyone on the jury would have done the same thing if the victim had been their own child. They also know how biased the justice system is in town and that black people never get a fair trial but in this case, Jake succeeded in making them see it from a different perspective. It is certain that everyone knows justice is not always found in the courtroom, especially in this town and there are times when doing the right thing means breaking the law because the law is not perfect as it is administered by a racially prejudiced society. What was substituted here is a deeper sense of justice that is common to all, rooted in religious beliefs. In other words, people like Carl Lee are guided by their personal morals that are very fundamental where it becomes easy to discern right from wrong. All in all, the film shows a demonstration on how the Rogerian Model is applied as â€Å"common ground† was established with the audience by the performers in the film through the use of empathy to establish this common ground. Bibliography A Time to Kill. Directed by Joel Schumacher. Performed by Matthew McConnnaghuey and Samuel L. Jackson. 1996.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls Health And Social Care Essay

Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls Health And Social Care Essay Review of literature is a systemic search of a published work to gain information about a research topic (Polit and Hungler, 2011). Conducting a review of literature is challenging and an enlightening experience. The review of literature was based on extensive survey of books, journals, and international nursing indicates. A review of literature relevant to the study was under taken which helped the investigator to develop deep into the problem and gain information on what has been in the past. An extensive review of literature was done by the investigator to lay a broad foundation for the study. For the purpose of logical sequence the chapter was divided in two parts. 2.1 PART I: Reviews related to reproductive health among adolescent girls. 2.2 PART II: Reviews related to effectiveness of adolescent to adolescent approach on reproductive health. 2.1 PART I : Reviews related to reproductive health among adolescent girls. Mc Call-hosenfeld JS et al., (2012) conducted an experimental study in Pennsylvania; they investigated the impact of individual on womens are receipt of a comprehensive panel of preventive services in a region that includes both urban and rural communities. Outcome variables were a screening and vaccination index blood pressure , lipid panel, sexually transmitted infections or individual level variables includes predisposing factors, enabling and need based measures. The investigator found that overall use of preventive services, were low individual variability in womens receipt of counseling services is largely explained by psychological factors and seeing an gynecologist. . Fengy et al., (2012) conducted a cross sectional survey of 17,016 adolescent girls and young aged 15-24 yrs old in both rural and urban Asian cites, China, through interview and computer assisted self interview for sensitive questions. To identify the predictors perception of homosexuality. The 40% of adolescent and young adults who hold a positive view of homosexuality for both males and females. Preferred origin of movies, videos, self identified sexual orientation, sexual and reproductive health knowledge, family values, gender role and attitude towards premarital sex. The most common and important predictors for a respondents perception of homosexuality were his/her knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Shelia G et al., (2012) conducted a experimental study regarding features of physical and sexual development of reproductive behavior among adolescent girls at Russia. In this assessment the adolescent reproductive behavior identification and the factors affecting was made in female adolescents age 14-19yr [randomly formed via continuous selection] information of the state of their health their attitudes towards child bearing and their risky habits have been evaluated. High frequency of menstrual irregularities, 24.7% delayed formation of the bone pelvis, 25.2% the prevalence of chronic external genital diseases were found. Iliyasuz et al., (2012) conducted a qualitative study regarding sexual and reproductive health communication between mothers and their adolescent daughters in North India Assam. The investigator employed structured interviews and groups to investigate reproductive health communication practices among 108 mothers and daughters transcript were analyzed using the grounded theory approach .A total of 136 mother reported discussing reproductive issues with their daughters. The majority of daughters acquire reproductive health education from their mothers; parents were more likely to discuss marriage, menstruation, premarital sex, STI infections and sex education need to be empowered with knowledge and skills to improve the scope and quality of home -based reproductive health education. Palke VD et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding impact of sex education on knowledge and attitude of adolescent school children in Bihar. Reproductive capability is now in earlier age, but the subject of adolescent sexuality in most societies, there is a wide spread ignorance about risks are unprotected sex problems among adolescent girls. Unfortunately need of sex education is not perceived and fulfilled in India especially in rural areas. The present study was conducted to assess the need and demonstrate the impact of sex education among adolescent school children, by analyzing pre and post intervention questionnaire and there was a significant increase in knowledge about sexuality , menstrual hygiene. Sexually transmitted disease, it has significant impact on knowledge of adolescent school children. Ezekwere et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding sex education, sex information, sex practices, among adolescent girls in Nigeria. A total 304 girls selected by multi-stage sampling technique studied primary and subsequent sources of sexuality information, mainly the by the media, peers, families and schools, found that mostly they were not involved in provision of early sexual initiation and un protected sex was common among them. The study highlights the need to create a awareness at earlier stage of adolescent period sexual education of adolescent girls through parents and teachers had to be initiated. Wong LP et al., (2011) conducted a large cross sectional study regarding attitude towards dysmenorrheal impact and treatment seeking, among 1,295 adolescent girls (13-19 yrs) from 16 public secondary schools in rural districts of Malaysia. Dysmenorrhea was reported in 76.0% of the participants multivariate analysis shows that being in upper secondary levels was the strongest predictor for poor concentration, absenteeism and poor school grade due to dysmenorrheal is a normal cycle and only 14.8% sought medical treatment , education should be extended to parents and school peer leaders to address the reproductive health needs of adolescents. Lazarus JV et al., (2011) conducted a quasi experimental study regarding reproductive health awareness programme to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior. Reproductive health data was collected from the students aged (11 16 yrs) by using a picture and group discussion. In total 313 questionnaire has distributed, and the mean score in the pretest knowledge was 5.9 and 6.8 in post test score was p (0.003), which increased significantly t=4.5, p=0.000. The attitude mean score in pre test was 4.3 in post test was 6.8 which shows the increased significant. The mean behavior pretest score which showed a significant p =0.019. Hence the intervention significantly improved the adolescent reproductive health knowledge attitude. BiscoFreudenthal J et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding creating community awareness of reproductive tract infections including STD infections. The aim of this study was thus to explore people perception treatment seeking behavior and understanding of information about RTI/STD. Qualitative contact analysis was employed for the data analysis. The major findings was that the most common treatment seeking behavior was taking self medication. Shyness of genital examination, negative attitudes towards dirty diseases. The main media sources of RTI/STI information were radio, TV and other access to health information was more difficult. Health education messages should be more accessible in rural areas. Van Rossem et al., (2011) conducted the survey to evaluate the reach and impact of social marketing and reproductive health communication campaigns (selected radio and television programs) regarding family planning and HIV/AIDS in Zambia. The results evidenced that the reproductive health and social marketing Campaigns in Zambia reached a large portion of the population and had a significant impact. The results suggested that future reproductive health communication campaigns that invest in radio programming may be more effective than those investing in television programming and future campaigns should seek to increase their impact among women. Portillo et al., (2011) conducted a cross sectional study regarding sexual and reproductive health among adolescent girls at High school in Spanish. The study focused to determine the extent of information about preventing sexually transmitted diseases, knowledge and use of contraceptive methods. It includes 641 students who agreed to complete the questionnaire by school. 84.5% students know at least one contraceptive method 84%, It is necessary to establish or strengthen information programme on sexual health for adolescent. Fehr KR et al., (2011) conducted a study to assess the knowledge and use of Folic acid in women of reproductive age Folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects 50%, women of reproductive age group should be aware of the importance of the folic acid and neural tube defects. They used terms such as Folic acid knowledge and Folic acid awareness to search articles published, women were although knowledge levels were associated with education and health care professionals magazines and news papers, radio, TV, as common sources of information, and this knowledge will allow them to make informed decisions about Folic acid among women. Mc Call JS et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding preventive counseling among reproductive aged women. Preventive health intervention often occur less frequently among rural women compared to urban is an important feature of comprehensive preventive health care provisions .Data were collected by telephone survey during 2004-2005 participants aged 18-45 yrs in the central Pennsylvanias. The study assessed the independent contribution of counseling for smoking ,alcohol, drug use, birth control ,nutrition, physical activity. Most women do not receive recommended preventive counseling, while rural women are less likely than urban women to receive counseling educating rural health care providers about the need for preventive counseling. Jousha et al., (2011) narrated on condom negotiation and experience among sexually active young women in New south wales, Austraila by using feminist narrative approach. Ten womens stories were collected via online interviews. The findings revealed that none of the women initiated or negotiated use of the male condom promotion relies on the r4coginition of the gender factors that impede young womens condom negotiation and use. Strategies that overcome gender dynamics and empower women to negotiate condom use have the ability to promote condom use among this group. Lawan et al., (2010) conducted a study regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in Gujarat .This study examined the knowledge and practices of adolescent school in around menstruation and menstrual hygiene .Data was collected quantitatively and analyzed using pre experimental study, the study findings showed that majority had fair knowledge of menstruation, although deficient in specific knowledge areas, most of them used sanitary pads as absorbent during their last menses, changed menstrual dressings about 1-5 times per day and improving access of the adolescent to reproductive health needs. Sivagami, et al., (2010) conducted a qualitative study on community perception and treatment seeking behaviour regarding reproductive tract infections including sexually transmitted infections in Lao by using fourteen focus group discussion and 20 in depth interviews. It held among 76 women and 56 men. The major finding was that both male and female participants had a variety of misconceptions about the causes and symptoms of RTI/STIs and their cure and a reluctance to seek health care. The main reasons for not going to health facilities were fear of social discrimination or shyness. They suggested strengthening health education and promotion through interventions at the community level to improve the quality of RTI/STI management. Minto et al., (2010) reviewed the efficacy of HIV/STI behavioral intervention and identified factors associated with intervention efficacy for American African females in the United states by using meta- analysis from 37 relevant studies. The results showed that behavioral intervention had a significant impact on reduction in HIV/STI risk sex behavioral. They concluded as behavioral interventions were efficacious in preventing HIV and STIs among African American females. They suggested that conducting more research to examine the potential contribution of prevention strategies that attend to community level and to improve communication between RTI/STI patients and clinicians. Thakor HG et al., (2010) conducted a STIs prevalence study on knowledge and practices related to STIs and HIV among 125 sex workers in an urban area of Gujarat, India. 85-90% were aware about various symptoms / diseases transmitted by unsafe sexual practice in male and female. 23.4% took treatment from health worker for such problems; 87.9% were aware that consistent use of condom could protect them from HIV infections and 2.6% reported for non treatment of STD.58% were not aware about behavoural changes needed to reduce the risk. 2.2 PART II: Review related to effectiveness of adolescent to adolescent approach on reproductive health. Denison JA et al.,(2012) conducted a quasi experimental study on peer education make a difference an evaluation of HIV prevention in youth-led model trained volunteer peer educators age (18-25 yrs) in school, to teach HIV prevention and Reproductive health. This evaluation programme effects on students HIV knowledge, attitude and behaviors of adolescent girls by using a non randomized quasi experimental design among 2133 students had significantly higher levels of knowledge regarding HIV p 0kanlawon FA et al., (2011) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of peer education in a secondary school regarding reproductive health among adolescent girls in Karnataka. The study employed pre and post test intervention quasi experimental design, The experimental group was the adolescence girls to give peer education programme for 6 months pre and post test data in the experimental and control groups were compared and analyzed. The knowledge of reproductive health issues was p Drummond P et al., (2011) conducted a study by using peer education to increase the sexual health knowledge among West African refugees in Western Australia. Ten bilingual west African peer educators conducted a 3 hours workshop on sexual health for small groups of western African refugees (n = 58) who recently settled in Perth , western Australia .There were significant increases in the participants knowledge on sexually transmitted infections and HIV , their spread and the measures to protect against infection. They Concluded that the peer education approach was successful in assisting new and emerging community to work effectively on sexual health topics generally considered as taboos or too sensitive to discuss. Stephenson. J et al., (2010) assessed the effectiveness of school-based peer-led sex education among 9,000 pupils aged 13-14 years at England. Schools were randomized to either peer-led sex education (intervention) or to continue their usual teacher-led sex education (control). Peer educators, aged 16-17 years, were trained to deliver three 1-hour classroom sessions of sex education to 13- to 14 years old pupils from the same schools. The study findings concluded that compared with conventional school sex education at age 13-14 years, this form of peer-led sex education was very effective associated with change in teenage STDs, it merits consideration within broader teenage STDs prevention strategies.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Death of Socrates :: Ancient Greece Greek History

The Death of Socrates "Crito, you and other people who claimed to be friends to Socrates are all useless! How could you have been so cowardly, or lazy, or stingy, as to allow you 'friend' to die? Surely, with a little courage, energy, and money, you could have saved him." Those are strong accusations coming from someone who obviously did not know Socrates as well as his other students or me. Although, I expected that people would react this way to my actions, or lack of actions, regarding Socrates death. For Socrates, being executed was the only option available to him. Of course we, his friends, could have helped him to escape, but what would that prove? It would only go against everything that Socrates has taught us. It would also defy everything that Socrates stood for in life. Escaping punishment, would have been an unjust and cowardly act for him. Disobeying the law would set a bad example for his fellow citizens. In addition, it would ruin his reputation for being just and following the laws of the government. Socrates believed that, although he was wrongfully accused, he was given a fair trial through the eyes of the law. The fact that he was given a fair trial means that he was given a fair punishment. If this punishment is not carried out, justice will not be served. Escaping punishment would cause a conflict between his teachings and his actions. This would eradicate the moral reputation that Socrates had built for himself throughout his life. The question he would have asked himself would have been, "What kind of example would I be setting if I dishonored my own teachings?" He saw his punishment as a contract between he and the government, and he firmly believed that agreements should not be broken. This is the same government that allowed him to live life as he chose, so why harm an institution that benefited him? The Death of Socrates :: Ancient Greece Greek History The Death of Socrates "Crito, you and other people who claimed to be friends to Socrates are all useless! How could you have been so cowardly, or lazy, or stingy, as to allow you 'friend' to die? Surely, with a little courage, energy, and money, you could have saved him." Those are strong accusations coming from someone who obviously did not know Socrates as well as his other students or me. Although, I expected that people would react this way to my actions, or lack of actions, regarding Socrates death. For Socrates, being executed was the only option available to him. Of course we, his friends, could have helped him to escape, but what would that prove? It would only go against everything that Socrates has taught us. It would also defy everything that Socrates stood for in life. Escaping punishment, would have been an unjust and cowardly act for him. Disobeying the law would set a bad example for his fellow citizens. In addition, it would ruin his reputation for being just and following the laws of the government. Socrates believed that, although he was wrongfully accused, he was given a fair trial through the eyes of the law. The fact that he was given a fair trial means that he was given a fair punishment. If this punishment is not carried out, justice will not be served. Escaping punishment would cause a conflict between his teachings and his actions. This would eradicate the moral reputation that Socrates had built for himself throughout his life. The question he would have asked himself would have been, "What kind of example would I be setting if I dishonored my own teachings?" He saw his punishment as a contract between he and the government, and he firmly believed that agreements should not be broken. This is the same government that allowed him to live life as he chose, so why harm an institution that benefited him?

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Hidden Guilt Abolishes Selfhood Essay

Those who keep their sins and feelings to themselves cause themselves only anguish and despair. In The Scarlet Letter, a romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a young man who achieved fame in England as a theologian and then immigrated to America. In a moment of weakness, he and Hester Prynne, a young, beautiful, married woman whose husband is away in Europe, become lovers. Although he will not confess it publicly, Dimmesdale is the father of her child; also, he deals with the guilt by tormenting himself physically and psychologically, developing a heart condition in the process. Dimmesdale is an intelligent and emotional man, and his sermons are thus masterpieces of eloquence and persuasiveness. His commitments to his congregation are in constant conflict with his feelings of sinfulness and need to confess. He lives behind a false self for many years while unknowingly living beside Hester’s husband, finally his true self appears and he is redeemed of his sins as he admits them publicly. Selfhood can be achieved when a hypocritical persona is rejected and the true self consistently emerges. Dimmesdale is shown as the protagonist of the romance through Hawthorne’s use of characterization, conflict, by showing the transformation of Dimmesdale, and by showing that Roger Chillingworth and Dimmesdale’s own guilt oppose him. Hawthorne uses characterization throughout The Scarlet Letter to show Dimmesdale as the protagonist. The Scarlet Letter is a story of characters that have to live and deal with the effects of sin in different ways; of these characters, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is the character portrayed as the most inadequate. Despite this portrayal Dimmesdale was a stronger character than given credit for, his unbelievable amount of control in his way of handling his burdens displays his great sense of strength and intellect; although, he is very intelligent, his faults mask his dignity, Dimmesdale is aware that he is covering up his true self but hides these feelings to keep his reputation of being a pious, dutiful minister. His shortcomings and distress throughout the narrative conceal his pride, â€Å"Dimmesdale clearly suffers from an excess of self. His weakness and suffering throughout most of the romance, as I suggested earlier, have  tended to blur for some readers the fact of his p ride, which, like his scarlet letter, lies beneath and gives special form to his mask of saintliness† (Martin 124). He is first characterized as a nervous and sensitive individual, despite his outer appearance, inside Dimmesdale is a very stable, strong person. Hawthorne states that he showed nervous sensibility and a great willpower, â€Å"His eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession†¦expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint† (Hawthorne 51). While this seems to give Dimmesdale great strength, it is also his largest flaw; moreover, his body refuses to do what his heart says is right. Dimmesdale instructs Hester to reveal the truth, but when she refuses he does not have the determination to confess himself. Therefore, his sin becomes even larger than hers, because while hers is an exposed sin. He continues to lie to himself and his followers by keeping his secret hidden, so his is a concealed sin, while Hester wears her sin openly on her bosom. Here Hawthorne shows us just how strong Dimmesdale actually is, by allowing him to hide his sin and bear the weight of it, he creates an extremely interesting and tremendously strong character; further, the scaffold is the place that Dimmesdale shows the amount of pain and self-loathing he is truly capable of concealing. Dimmesdale denies the fact that he is associated with Hester, and also that he is the father of Pearl multiple times, particularly during those crucial scaffold scenes. During those long seven years he made no move to lessen her load or his own. Seven years prior, Hester stood in this place and took the punishment for both of them while he quietly stood aside and led people to believe that he also condemned her. During the first scaffold scene Dimmesdale interrogates Hester, his purpose was to find out who the father of her daughter was, Dimmesdale pretended as if he had never spoken to Hester before, as did Hester. Dimmesdale acknowledges their relationship later on in the narrative, but at this time he must seem as if he does not know her because if the magistrates of Boston knew of their relationship, Dimmesdale would be treated with the same rejection as Hester. During the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale has had all that he can bear and lets out a yell that draws the attention o f fellow villagers, â€Å"Without any effort of  his will, or power to restrain himself, he shrieked aloud† (108). He curses himself for his silence and cowardice. Also in the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale denies Hester and Pearl again when Pearl asks him to stand with herself and Hester during the day in public, â€Å"Wilt thou stand here with mother and me to-morrow noontide?† Dimmesdale responded, â€Å"Nay, not so, my little Pearl!† (111). Finally the last time Dimmesdale stood on the scaffold he accepted Hester and admitted that he was indeed the father of Pearl, â€Å"The law we [himself and Hester] broke!- the sin here so awfully revealed!† (181). During the third scaffold scene the true sign of strength is revealed, to admit he is wrong takes strength, but the way that he held in his sin thus committing two, one of the original sin, and two of the concealment, then confessing after years of frustrating cowardice takes a stronger man. Dimmesdale is also characterized as a very hypocritical being. He has the town believe that he is a pious, dedicated minister, when in actuality he has sinned greatly, â€Å"But Dim mesdale’s burden keeps him on a level with the lowest. His congregation worships him; their adoration intensifies his guilty anguish; and his suffering heightens his fervor† (Male 334). He is not brave enough to publicly admit his sins until the end of the narrative; moreover, he lives years hiding his secret of adultery. The only people who know his secret before he publicly condemns himself are Hester, Pearl, and Chillingworth. He suffers from this secret every day and night, he punishes himself physically and tortures himself mentally, as well as being tortured mentally and physically by Chillingworth, â€Å"Dimmesdale suffers worlds of penance; but, since he is not willing to sacrifice the public image of himself, it is penance without penitence. He knows that the morality of this colony calls for sin and iniquity to be exposed in the broad light of noonday, that confession is here a public matter† (Martin 124). It takes Dimmesdale three trips to the scaffold for him to be able to reveal to the public that he is the father of Pearl and that he had hidden his sin for many years. His demise was from the drain of his will, which was worn and lacking. Dimmesdale was not courageous in his actions in the story but strong; he was able to carry the burdens, frustration, and pain throughout his life. Whether he was good, brave, or right in what he did is to remain unseen but the fact that he was strong is certain. Rev. Dimmesdale is proven to be the protagonist of the narrative also by conflict, he proves to be a sinner against man, against God and most importantly against himself because he has committed adultery with Hester. His sinning against himself, for which he ultimately paid the price of death, proved to be more harmful and more destructive than this sin of the flesh, and his sin against God. Dimmesdale’s internal conflict causes him more anguish and discontent than any external conflict throughout the romance. His internal feelings of sin and his late night attempts to redeem himself on the scaffold are more of a mockery of ignominy than actual ignominy, â€Å"So long as they are covert, the minister’s gestures are but a mockery of penance, and his cloistral flagellations, fasts, and vigils are unavailing† (Male 334). Dimmesdale is not ignorant, he is very well educated, as Hawthorne states, â€Å"†¦Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale; a young clergyman who had come from o ne of the great English universities, bringing all the learning of the age into our wild forestland. His eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession.† (Hawthorne 72). This man’s morals had, until the adultery, been high. He is very spiritual because on top of being of the Puritan faith, he is a minister of the word of God. Throughout most of the novel, Rev. Dimmesdale is forced to hide his guilt of being Hester’s partner in sin, when in reality, he is not being forced by anyone, but himself, for he is the one who chooses not to reveal his secret to the town. Dimmesdale has a concealed sin that is eating at him. He just doesn’t have the courage to admit his wrongs. He seems to be a coward during these seven years of living with guilt. There is a scene in chapter three where Dimmesdale states, â€Å"Hester Prynne†¦If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow -sinner and fellow- sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he we re to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life? What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him-yea compel him as it were-to add hypocrisy to sin?† (73). In this scene it is almost as if we see Dimmesdale speaking as a hypocrite. Dimmesdale portrays himself very ironically; he is a very well respected reverend and  yet, has, for the last seven years, worked on preaching the word of God, especially while he urges the congregation to confess openly to repent unto God. While, in reality, Dimmesdale is the one who needs a clean conscious. He feels like he needs to confess not only to the town but also too himself. Halfway through the novel Dimmesdale has yet to reveal the truth, which, so far, has been devouring him, physically and mentally. Since this good reverend is so spiritual, he cannot reveal his truths to the town so simply. He is of the Puritan faith and being a follower of that, the sin of adultery is a very grand sin; additionally, the whole town would look down on him as if he were a hypocrite, which in fact, he is, but his sin of adultery in that town would have been scoffed at just as Hester’s has. The reverend is v ery well liked by the townsfolk, â€Å"They fancied him the mouthpiece of Heaven’s messages of wisdom, rebuke, and love. In their eyes, the very ground on which he trod was sanctified.† (139). He has been living without revealing his true self for seven years, and it was hard for him, mentally and physically. Mentally, his whole body shuts down because he cannot take it anymore, even though he does not give in to confess yet. He has become emaciated because he has let the sin against himself churn inside and on the outside he has spent many nights whipping himself. Perhaps this is a sign for him to feel he has punished himself, as God would have punished him, if he were on Earth. One day while Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are talking about medicinal plants that Chillingworth found on an old grave that had no tombstone or marking whatsoever, Chillingworth says to Dimmesdale, â€Å"†¦They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime.† (129). It’s as if Chillingworth can tell that Rev. Dimmesdale is hiding something, something that could be the c ause of his health depleting. Chillingworth then states that, â€Å"Then why not reveal them here?† (129). Chillingworth knows, he simply knows that there is something else, something that Dimmesdale has not yet come forth to tell him. Dimmesdale, in chapter twelve, is finally realizing that it could be a better thing to disclose his secret to the town. He has become so weak that he has even thought about his own death; moreover, he has walked to the scaffold and climbed up as if he wants to proclaim something, and yet, it is nighttime and the whole town is resting. Some are at the deathbed of the ailing governor who has just died.  They do not notice him. As Hester and Pearl walk by, Dimmesdale tells them, â€Å"Come up hither, Hester, thou and little Pearl†¦Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up hither once again, and we will stand all three together!† (148) Dimmesdale has obviously been thinking that he wants to reveal himself, he is struggling with internal conflict yet again, but his choice of the hour tells the reader that he cannot confess in t he day, not yet. Pearl herself knows or at least feels that this is right, that the three of them together is a match, because she says, â€Å"Wilt thou stand here with Mother and me, tomorrow noontide?† (148). But Dimmesdale refuses, â€Å"Not so, my child. I shall, indeed, stand with thy mother and thee one other day, but not tomorrow† (148-149). Dimmesdale is coming close to speaking, but he does not. He reveals his truths to the town after he has preached his finest sermon and after the town is holding him so very high on a pedestal. Dimmesdale says to the town, â€Å"†¦ye, that have loved me!-ye that have deemed me holy!-behold me here, the one sinner of the world! At last!-at last!-I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (237). Now that Dimmesdale has confessed his secret, he can die. He has admitted to being the father of Hester Prynne’s child, Pearl, and his poor corpse, which is so deathly, can rest in peace now. His mind is well aware that it can live on knowing that the truth is out but his body is so battered that it cannot go on living. Dimmesdale has sinned against God, and more importantly against himself. Yes, he has not lived a true life because for seven years he has lived in denial of his sin. It did prove to be more harmful in the end, since he died on the scaffold while standing next to his fellow-sinner Hester. He knew that he needed to reveal himself but in his Puritan ways, it was hard to confess. The irony he portrays and the hypocrisy that he lives is such a grand sin in itself, he lived looking his sin in the face every single day, because he was a minister and not only would have to answer to the townsfolk after he had admitted but he had to face God everyday; his character has perhaps the central struggle in this novel, for he has the struggle within, and the struggle portrayed outwardly to the town, and Hester; in addition, he is definitely a very dramatic character in this novel, for Hawthorne stated, â€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred.† (242). When Hawthorne made  this quote in reference to Rev. Dimmesdale, he meant many things, he said that he should â€Å"be true† and â€Å"†¦show freely to the world,† because Dimmesdale should have showed his true feelings about Hester, and his feelings that he kept hidden for seven years about the adultery then, h e would have much more relief. When Hawthorne says â€Å"†¦if not your worst†¦whereby the worst may be inferred,† he is saying that if you cannot at least get out the worst trait that you have been indicted of, you should try to get a point across that would aid in the finding of that worst trait. By this quote, it appears that Hawthorne thought that if Dimmesdale had only confessed earlier, he had the opportunities, he could have admitted his sins each time he was at the scaffold, then he would have saved himself from all the torment he had put himself through; additionally, it appears that Hawthorne meant that the town, itself, would still have scoffed but wouldn’t have remembered the sin of adultery as much now, as back then when Hester got accused as well. Dimmesdale is shown at the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter by being opposed by his own conscience and by Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth opposes Dimmesdale in the sense that, he knows that Dimmesdale has repressed sin; and, he desires to find out what that sin is, â€Å"This man, pure as they deem him,- all spiritual as he seems,- hath inherited a strong animal nature from his father or his mother. Let us dig a little farther in the direction of this vein!† (94). Dimmesdale thought that he had a friendly relationship with Chillingworth, â€Å"He therefore still kept up a familiar intercourse with him, daily receiving the old physician in his study; or visiting the laboratory, and, for recreation’s sake, watching the process by which weeds were converted into drugs of potency† (95), but in actuality Chillingworth was torturing Dimmesdale without Dimmesdale knowing it. Chillingworth constantly tortured Dimmesdale physically and mentally. Chillingworth is always giving the minister drugs that he makes with weeds. Many times the physician acquires these weeds from the town cemetery, these weeds are also characterized as, â€Å"unsightly,† â€Å"ugly† or, â€Å"dark and tangled,† this suggests that the medicine that Dimmesdale is taking is venomous. Chillingworth is generally characterized as an evil person, and many of the actions he takes suggest that he represents the devil; moreover, he even notices this  similarity in himself, â€Å"I have already told thee what I am! A fiend!† (158). Chillingworth is given the name â€Å"The Black Man† by Pearl, this clearly shows that he is representative of the devil. Dimmesdale is also shown as the protagonist through his opposition to his own conscience, he opposes himself in many ways. Dimmesdale’s true self which he reveals at the end of the narrative is the protagonist when compared to his true self throughout the rest of the narrative. His true self during the majority of the narrative is a man who has sinner and refuses to publicly admit it. During this time he privately hurts himself and damages his mind and his body. Although, that the end of the romance, he repents and is able to die. He was not able to die until he disclosed his secret because without divulging his sin he would not be close enough to God, and he believed that he would not be in Heaven after his death. Dimmesdale ultimately was transformed from a man too timid to share his sin publicly, to one who proclaims to the entire town that he is the father of the illegitimate child whose mother has been accepting his sin for years. He was too coy to publicly come form as Pearl’s father that he went to the scaffold in the dead of night to â€Å"repent,† although this action was more a mockery of penance than actual ignominy, â€Å"No eye could see him†¦Why then had he come hither? Was it but the mockery of penitence? A mockery indeed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (107). Dimmesdale was changed from the apprehensive, seemingly pious and innocent minister to the man that proclaimed his sin openly, â€Å"The new man is really Arthur Dimmesdale. Having achieved individuation in the forest, he now returns to join the procession only to rise above it† (Male 341). Hawthorne shows Dimmesdale’s complete transformation through characterization and conflict, Dimmesdale could only die a fter he redeemed himself through ignominy. Thus, Arthur Dimmesdale is established as the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows this through characterization, internal and external conflict, transformation, and Dimmesdale’s opposition of Roger Chillingworth and his own conscience. Those who keep their sins and feelings to themselves cause themselves only anguish and despair, Arthur Dimmesdale did this  throughout the majority of The Scarlet Letter, he internalized his feelings and sins and was not able to express them until the final scaffold scene when he threw himself at the mercy of God as he died with a clear conscience. Sense of self can be attained when a deceitful facade is rejected and the true self steadily materializes.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

African Americans and the Media Essay

African Americans are subject to stereotypes as if these stereotypes classify us as the type of people we are. Television shows tend to portray African Americans as loud, aggressive, violent, unfashionable and lacking etiquette. Examples of this are liberal shows such as â€Å"The Boondocks† and â€Å"Family Guy†. Both shows glorify behaviors that would make society assume African Americans are ‘Ghetto’. â€Å"Family Guy† and â€Å"The Boondocks† mock stereotypes of African Americans in a way that I find humorous but some viewers might find offensive. â€Å"The Boondocks† is a show that demonstrates the ignorance within our society particularly with African Americans. It revolves around a young African American family from Chicago, Illinois who move to a fictional suburban Woodcrest. The main characters are Huey Freeman, a 10-year-old boy who is candid and autonomous; Riley Freeman, an 8-year-old boy who idolizes Hip Hop culture and considers himself a gangster and Robert Freeman also referred to Granddad who is the overly abusive parent who just wants to enjoy his retirement. The Freemans represent a typical African American family from an urban area. Even though the intent is to highlight the negatives in black communities I can relate to the content and its characters. I do agree with the stereotypes of the characters but I can see how it may send out the wrong message about African Americans as people. Riley Freeman for instance is a prime example of how the media portrays African Americans as loud, aggressive, violent, and unfashionable. He wears oversized clothes, has cornrows, and is very vulgar. Throughout the series, Riley constantly refers to others as â€Å"N*ggas†, â€Å"Hoes† and other derogatory terms. His grandfather, Robert Freeman, sometimes does not approve of Riley’s actions so he enforces his rules with violence. African American parents are usually mocked for using corporal punishment towards their kids as a form of discipline. In season 1 episode 4 of â€Å"The Boondocks†, they refer to something called â€Å"a n*gga moment†. According to the show, â€Å"a n*gga moment† is â€Å"A moment where ignorance overwhelms the mind of an otherwise logical Negro male causing them to act in an illogical, self-destructive manner. I. E. , like a n*gga. † They are trying to say that black people cannot avoid altercations by any means because that’s who they are. A white man is shown bumping into a black male. The white male walks away because he says he is white while the black male tries to antagonize him to escalate the situation. This implies that white people can be civilized while black people are violent. â€Å"Family Guy† is the kind of show that’s mocks everybody but it shows how people can purely associate actions with African Americans. In season 7 episode 5 of â€Å"Family Guy†, Peter Griffin is shown working as a secretary at a firm. He is wearing long acrylic nails and his body language is in lack of a better term ‘ghetto’. Peter gets a phone call from a person by the name of Laronda, he then says â€Å"Hey Laronda. No I have four people on hold but I can talk. † Peter is a white male but I made an inference from the use of the name Laronda, the acrylic nails and him being unproductive at work that they are stereotyping African American female receptionist. This shows how influential media portrayal can be. African Americans are misrepresented by shows such as â€Å"Family Guy† and â€Å"The Boondocks† which portrays them, as people who do not have decorum, who are boisterous and have bad grammar by associating them with actions that would make society perceive them in that manner. The media & television constantly reinforce these images. The media conditions the mind to think a certain way and people give into it without thinking for themselves.