Saturday, September 7, 2019
The Plama Membrane Essay Example for Free
The Plama Membrane Essay The plasma membrane exists in all living things for the simple reason that it serves vital functions without which the cell cannot survive.            The plasma membrane is composed primarily of a phospholipid bilayer which is made up of hydrophobic lipid â€Å"tails†that point inwards and hydrophilic phosphate â€Å"heads†that are positioned so that one layer is in contact with the extracellular fluid and the other with the cytosol. The membrane may thus be thought of as the cells â€Å"skin†enclosing and protecting the organelles and the nucleus. The cell (and its components) however, is not cut off from its environment because the plasma membrane is semipermeable, allowing specific substances necessary for the normal functioning of the cell to pass through. Also, embedded in the bilayer are proteins that assist the passage of substances that normally would not be able to pass through by simple diffusion. A good example would be the sodium-potassium pump (Krogh, 2003) which is responsible for the active transport of these ions. Both potassium and sodium need to move up their concentration gradients (into and out of the cell, respectively) and since both are ions that would be difficult to transport through the hydrophobic interior of the bilayer, such transport needs to be facilitated by the use of proteins that will serve as channels through which these ions can pass through. This therefore illustrates as well the regulatory functions of the plasma membrane in that it allows transport into and out of the cell in a selective manner (Postlethwait Hopson, 2006).            Proteins that lie on the surface of the plasma membrane also serve a role in facilitating communication between the cell and its environment, including other cells. Lymphocytes (white blood cells) for example, differentiate foreign cells from that of the body by recognizing antigens, surface-bound proteins that serve as identification for the lymphocyte to know whether the other cell is an invader that needs to be eliminated (Postlethwait Hopson, 2006).            Clearly, the plasma membrane serves critical roles in cellular function, not just in THE PLASMA MEMBRANE                                                                                                                                                   Page # 2 protecting the cell but as well as in transport, regulation and communication, and since, as Krogh (2003) has stated, â€Å"all life is made of cells†, it follows that life simply is not possible without the plasma membrane. References: Krogh, D. (2003). Biology: A Guide to the Natural World, 3rd ed. Companion Website. Retrieved Dec. 31, 2007, from http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_krogh_biology_3/ Postlethwait, J. H., Hopson, J. L. (2006). Modern Biology.                                          Texas: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Thatchers Britain Essay Example for Free
Thatchers Britain Essay The text that we have been studying in Drama is Willy Russells Blood Brothers. Willy Russell was born in Whiston, near Liverpool, England, in 1947. I believe that his upbringing that he had, and his social and economic circumstances greatly affected the writing of Blood Brothers. He was brought up in a poor area, in a poor family that was treated by the government very badly. We hot seated Willy Russell and found out a lot about him. We found out that he was the author of Blood Brothers and that his parents and how they behaved greatly influenced the play because of his working class background. We then went on to find out that he studied Literature at school and achieved an O level in the subject, the only grade that he achieved in schooling. He hated Thatchers Britain because he had strong views on the working classes attempts to gain access to middle-class culture, he believed that every person should be treated the same no matter what their financial state. He believed that Margaret Thatcher helped the rich and made life difficult for the poor. These views that he had greatly affected his writing because in every play that he wrote, the poor were displayed to be courageous and battling even though they were treated badly, and the rich to have the easy life with not a care in the world and look down on the lower class. The second task that helped us to understand the play more was when the workshop developed to the point where we were able to build the two different households. The first household that we had to build was the Johnston house. We had to think more about what we were going to put into the house because of the poor background that the family had. They couldnt be extravagant and had to have a cheap, rough looking sofa, a dirty unfashionable carpet and a big, old TV set. This really helped us to understand the economic issues that the Johnston family had by just letting our minds see what their home was like. You could instantly see that they couldnt afford much and the social affect of being a single mother with only one salary coming into the family really affected them. The theme that ran their lives was that of great poverty. When we built the Lyon family house, it was a completely different story. Big, long dining table, crystal glasses and even a piano in the corner! The Lyon family was obviously the rich family of the play and they could afford to splash out on things because they had money. Hot seating Mrs Johnston really helped me to understand what life was really like for her; she struggled as a mother and provider and felt unloved and unappreciated by her rowdy family. We asked her if she was proud of her home, she said yes because everything in it, she had paid for herself and that made her feel very proud, almost as if she had achieved something. When we sculpted the still images inside both the families, this helped us all to understand the relationships between the characters. In the Johnston image, all the children were close to each other and argued in a playful way showing affection and love towards on another. It was loud with excitement about the Reverend coming round for tea, and the weekly treat of Fish and Chips. Whereas in the Lyon house, the three members of the family were silent while eating their dinner and only spoke when they snapped at each other. The mother sat closer to the child and the father sat at the opposite end of the table, showing a greater more affectionate bond between the mother and son than between father and son. When thought tracking these still images, we were able to find out what the characters really thought about the situation that they were in. Nearly every member in the Johnston household was happy with their poverty-ridden life because they had love and trust. In the Lyons household there was a great divide between the family and the constant arguments and father working away had pushed a barrier between them all. They felt unable to love on another, they only felt anger. As you can see, the influences that Willy Russell had and his own beliefs really have affected this play. He has made the Johnston family that of a loving, courageous family that makes each moment of their life count. Contrastively, in the Lyon household, the author has portrayed the family of that of a over paid, worthless family that has more money than sense. After exploring the text in more depth than just reading it, I feel like I now know a lot more about it and really can understand the thought process that Willy Russell went through when he was writing it. I can clearly see the evidence that made him write the play like he has, and can easily pick out the influences he put into the play from his own life. From using role reversal on the scene were the two boys meet for the first time, I have gained an extra understanding of the relationship of the boys. From changing the mother to Mrs Lyons instead of Mrs Johnston really changed the whole scene greatly. The boys relationship when they first meet really expands; they meet and discover that they have the same birthday. For any young boy, meeting a person that has the same birthday as you is amazing, you feel connected to the person because birth is a special thing! When they become Blood Brothers you really feel the connection between the two and how strongly they are now feeling or their brother. In this scene there is a great show of contrast when Mickey teaches Eddie his new favourite word. It shows the great divide between the two classes due to Thatchers Britain. When Mrs Lyons come in and discovers the two boys, we improvised that she would become really angry with the boys for ever meeting. We decided that this was because she was petrified that Mr Lyons would find out about her never having a child. Next comes the character of Linda. When she discovers later on in the play that Eddie loves her even though she is married to Mickey, what were her feelings? This I what we set out to find out. By using the explorative strategy of Devil/Angel we were able to do this. We found out that she cared greatly for her husband Mickey, but wanted more than she had achieved in her life. She then thought that he only way she would be able to do this was by dating Eddie. We found that she was really very confused because she didnt know which man she wanted more. She had a house and children with Mickey, but wanted to live up to greater things with Eddie. I believe that she had these feelings because she thought that rich Eddie had the easy, carefree life of a rich person in 1980s Britain and she wouldnt have to worry anymore about her financial ways. Basically she wanted out of her poverty ridden life of being Mrs Johnston. At the end of the play, after the meeting between Linda and Mickey after she has been out to lunch with Eddie, we developed the feelings of Mickey as he travelled to the Lyon household. WE did this by using the explorative strategy of a conscience alley. We discovered that the main thoughts travelling trough Mickeys mind were those of hatred and a want for revenge towards Eddie because of the fact that he had cheated on him with his wife. We then continued to look at the scene when Eddie meets the enraged Mickey at his house. We marked out four important scenes, which we felt were turning points in the scene. These point were: 1. When Mickey first gets to the Lyon household 2. When he pulls out the gun on Eddie and asks him who has the power 3. When he reveals that the gun was actually a fake 4. When he pours his heart out to Eddie about the situation of him and his wife We chose these scene because they pitch the different aspects of the final scene, they have nearly all of the feelings of Mickey in them. Love towards Eddie, hatred, the want for revenge all of them. On further development, and turning the still images into a crime report. I personally discovered that the boys deep down really cared for each other and that neither of them wanted to hurt the other. When I wrote and performed my soliloquy of Linda, I really had to focus on the Angel/Devil exercise and the feelings that she had towards each character. I decided that she would be more devastated about the loss of her husband than that of her friend. I thought that she would blame Eddie and herself for Mickeys death because if they had never gone to lunch, Mickey would never have gone over to the Lyon household with the feelings that he did. I now feel that I fully understand the form and structure of Blood Brothers. It is a episodic comedy/tragedy that really shows you how tough it was to live as a working class in Thatchers Britain.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Communication in Teaching | Reflection
Communication in Teaching | Reflection Given what you have experienced during the first 21 hours of this study unit, reflect on an experience which involved communication, listening, group building or teamwork or conflict management skills (or any other skills covered in this part of the course) which occurred either during your personal secondary schooling or during your school observations throughout this year. Analyse and reflect upon this experience as explained in your course information sheets. The Value of Interpersonal relationships Interpersonal skills are important for human relationships to initiate, maintain and terminate one`s relationships. According to Johnson Johnson as cited in Johnson (2006) emphasis is made on the fact that â€Å"relationships are the key to your humanness, psychological health, personal identity, social, cognitive, and moral development, ability to cope with stress and adversity, self-actualization, educational and career productivity, and physical health.†On the other hand Johnson (2006) states that â€Å"it is only within constructive relationships that you may improve your interpersonal effectiveness and self-actualization.†(p. 25) Experiences are the most effective situations in life that help the individual to mature, learn and develop his/her personality. Every experience serves as a guideline so as not to repeat the same wrong encounters or methodologies that happened in the past. We must therefore work hard to acquire strong interpersonal skills which enable us to communicate and interact well with each other. Concrete Experience I will be discussing my personal experience with my pupils during secondary school in form three. I used to make part of a group of students in a church school who used to participate and help the school to organise fund raising activities. In the beginning of form three I was encouraged by my friends to be nominated for the students` council elections. Elections for the Council used to be held at the beginning of every scholastic year. Each class was asked to elect one representative for a two-year term. These elections were class-based and overseen by the Class Tutor. I was elected as one of the student council representative. My main tasks included promoting a greater environmental awareness. I was also responsible for the publication of leaflets regarding topics of interest in the school community, organising activities such as casual dress day in aid of charity and Christmas class decoration competition. We also used to organise fund raising activities to complement the school`s main annual fund raising event. The Council used to meet regularly once every month and this helped us to feel part of the school environment. Being members of the school council, together with the school administration we had the opportunity to set up the exams timetable for the half Yearly and Annual examinations. The teacher that used to monitor the students` council was very caring, helpful, understanding and down to earth. She used to encourage us to organise different activities for the benefit of the school. I was one of ten students from the secondary area. Our relationship was friendly and team oriented. We worked hard to reach targets and our criticism towards each other was always of a constructive nature. In fact we could freely discuss work related matters and find solutions to the difficult situations that arose from time to time. We were all hard workers, responsible for our actions and were capable to work well without supervision. As a team, we used to give feedback to the teacher who was responsible who helped us finalise our ideas about any particular activity. Before implementing a school activity every representative from each class used to discuss the matter with her classmates so as to ensure fairness with everyone. Furthermore, working with such a great team and with an understanding teacher was of utmost pleasure and satisfaction. We organised many other activities such as hot dog day, yogurt day and car wash day where parents contributed by bringing their cars to school on a Saturday morning and the students had to was h the cars. These activities were very instrumental in raising funds for the school. We also organised a play for Prize Day and decorated the school hall for that particular occasion. I also had to give a helping hand in the layout of the invites. I remember, Prize Day was held in March and we were awarded a prize for loyalty, teamwork and sense of responsibility. This was the result of the hard work and sense of commitment. We provided a good overall performance in our team and we built a good rapport with our teachers, assistant heads and the head of school. The school theatre needed continuous maintenance to be more welcoming for the students and the staff. So we tried our best to organise lots of activities to gain funds for this purpose. Unfortunately, this came to an end when the teacher responsible for our students` council was pregnant and she had to go on maternity leave. She was replaced by another teacher but things began to change very rapidly. The group started to disagree about lots of things being discussed as the teacher responsible was not doing her utmost to help us work for the school. I tried my best to get on well with everyone, however, difficult people tend to pose more challenging situations. The new teacher had difficult methods and ideas and her approach towards the school administration and staff was also different. Scheduled meetings used to be cancelled by the teacher in charge on a regular basis, due to other commitments, making it more difficult for us to communicate with each other. The fact that the entire group was bothered and cooperation was lacked it made me feel uneager to work and participate. I tried to do my very best to adapt to the situation. I decided to take action about the situation because the group was split due to disagreements. So I discussed the issue with the group and we agreed to talk to the new teacher about the problem. She tried to understand our concerns and provide a solution to our dilemma but it seemed that her ineffective management skills showed poor results. The school theatre remained in the same state as the school did not have enough funds to cover the costs for refurbishment. Reflection My own experience within the teams I worked for tended to have both positive and difficult times. These may be the result of the diversity of characters as well as the different approaches which one implements in order to tackle the various situations. In everyday life one comes across all types of circumstances and this also applied to me nonetheless. Looking at a glance at the beginning of my experience, when I was elected as a student council representative, I can tell that working with students and the teacher was a remarkable experience. This was because I could deal openly with all of them. Moreover, I was trained how to work within a group and to share ideas all for one aim. Later on, I was asked to organise and help out with the play for Prize Day. This was indeed a challenge for me because I had never organised anything of the sort that was so important for the school. It was my first experience. However, everyone was helpful and reliable and I learnt a lot of skills from different tasks. This was not an easy job and since I had to deal with other students and the school administration, it was difficult at times to handle their needs. Being part of a students` council made me feel responsible for the other students and one has to try his/her best to meet others` request in the best possible way. One could understand certain complaints raised by students whenever an activity was not very well met by the others. At the end, our group together with the teacher who was responsible for the Council tried to adapt according to the needs and priorities of the school. But as Council representatives we all worked hard to gain trust from students and the school administration and this made it possible for us to work hand in hand with them. We managed to build a good relationship. It is worth mentioning that we had strict rules to follow especially with regards to finance and we were very careful to choose certain activities that were educational and appealed to the school. We used to deal with these delicate situations in a calm atmosphere and we often tried to find out a win-win situation. The time spent working together was an amazing experience and our mutual support gave us a strong sense of unity. This helped us create a tranquil environment making it possible to increase productivity. Our effort was noted by the school administration and we were shown gratitude by being awarded a prize during the prize day. The goals we achieved and the positive feedback made us feel beneficial to the school and this gave us a great sense of satisfaction. However, this attitude changed completely when the teacher responsible for the students` council had to resign due to pregnancy. Another teacher came to replace her and since then things changed for the worse. Our work became more difficult since the new teacher was unfamiliar to our routine and we had to start from scratch explaining the whole process to her. We were encountering various arguments and although I never took sides certain unwanted behaviour left a negative impact on me. I was not used to working in such an environment and I could not concentrate in carrying out my tasks due to certain conflicts. The new teacher was not taking the council seriously. We met for a very few times and planned fewer activities than before. She created a sense of lack of collaboration and indifference within the group and the students used to spend more time arguing rather than working. The team was changing and I was not feeling part of them. I am quite a hard worker and I wanted to do my u tmost to overcome such a de-motivating situation. I did not want to hinder my sense of commitment as if I knew that I was capable of offering a better service. Our teacher was authoritarian and she did not accept suggestions from members of the team. In fact I was very surprised when she tried to understand our queries and was trying to do her best. However, nothing happened and our plans to modernise the school theatre remained unchanged as the school did not have enough funds for that type of refurbishment. The group split up and everyone ended working alone without any agreement. Skills Needed and Skills Reflected Upon The above description shows my first experience when being part of an effective group which came to an end. We had outstanding communication skills both verbally and non-verbally. Besides, our first teacher used to listen to our views and suggestions and this encouraged the participation of all concerned whilst the second teacher was indifferent to our ideas and lacked responsibility. The school administration seemed to have a sense of leadership yet it was always open to our suggestions each time a difficulty arose. The group was created with the aim of working for a common goal and we all managed to develop a positive attitude towards each other. This was accomplished since our main objective was to give our utmost. Participation, determination and enthusiasm were the ingredients that made the group functioning well. Bearing in mind the content level, the procedural level and the socio-affective level as priorities of our agenda, helped us to keep strong. Every day was a new challe nge for us and we never took each other for granted. The latter fostered respect among us. At first it was an effective group since goals were clarified and changed for the best of the group and everyone worked in a cooperative way. Communication was two – way, open and accurate expression of both ideas and feelings were empathised. Self-actualisation, innovation and interpersonal effectiveness were encouraged. (Comparison of Effective and Ineffective Groups-Lecture notes.) The strong sense of leadership skills could be felt as we worked and participated together to reach one goal and lots of activities were accomplished. It was important for us to establish clear goals and discuss with our superiors the issues related to our tasks. The relationships between us, the teacher and the school administration were a positive one. We were always welcome to bring forward our opinions, and our suggestions were respected even though they were not always applied. Furthermore, we really felt part of a team since our synergy was used wisely to enhance the smooth running of our s tudent council group. Thinking back, I now realise that although we used to negotiate well with the school administration, it would have been very relevant if we were offered some training during PSD lessons. Such sessions could have been targeted to tackle assertiveness as this would have been very helpful in the future and also to know how to deal with problems and with various characters where assertiveness was the order of the day. Therefore the skill to take unpopular decisions when these were really needed in order to be fair with the rest of the group members was of utmost importance. Unlike the beginning of the first group, when the first teacher in charge resigned and another teacher took over, the group communication became one-way and ideas were only expressed; feelings were suppressed or ignored (lecture notes.) In other words, I consider the group as ineffective. First and foremost our teacher was not open for discussions and she rarely held any meetings. This was a result of lack of communication. Personally I think that I have adequate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, although I still believe that there is always room for improvement especially in stressful situations. However, it was very difficult to reach a compromise within this team. Assertiveness was far away from reality. Our teacher’s leadership skills were very unproductive. As a result the team members were either passive or aggressive. She needed to organise herself and integrate us within one group since her system was drifting us apart each and every day, and eventually the g roup was split in two. An effective leader should possess the skill to inspire. Our teacher needed to be the person who should have encouraged us by sharing with us her enthusiasm towards a positive attitude. Unfortunately, synergy failed since she adopted a two ways and two measures attitude with regards to managing her students. It was her responsibility to support every member and create an honest and trustworthy environment. This would have improved our relationship, which would have in turn been possible to exchange ideas in order to identify and reach goals. Hard to admit, this change de-motivated me. The entire group was frustrated and adopted a different approach. Before it was more challenging and satisfying and I tried to do my best to adapt to the new situation. I decided to act on the new situation because the group was split due to disagreements. So I discussed the issue with the group and we had agreed to talk to the new teacher about the problem. In spite of these difficulties and apathy among the members I still tried to take action to re-unite the group. With regards to the unproductive attitude which was adapted by the new teacher and which led to unwanted circumstances, I feel that I still need to improve my self confidence when facing an unfair situation. Furthermore, our supervisor did not have the right skills to manage a group and to acknowledge our problems. She lacked assertiveness and she was not capable of addressing individuals. She could not delegate the right tasks to the right members and maintain collaboration t o raise funds for the school. At this point she should have held a meeting every month instead of cancelling meetings every time. It was essential to discuss and work on the positive issues and to improve negative ones as well as finding possible solutions to reach a consensus. Active listening which includes a psychological level by listening attentively to both verbal and non verbal content of another speaker and physical level were lacking in the approach adopted by the new teacher towards us. The physical level entails the word ‘SOLER’ (lecturer notes) S- Face the person SQUARELY, O- Adopt an OPEN position, L- Remember that it is possible at times to LEAN toward the other person, E- Maintaining good EYE-CONTACT, R- Try to be relatively RELAXED while engaging in these behaviours. (Lecture notes – Listening and Non-verbal attending: SOLER). Despite all the encounters with many people who may have different opinions and characters, I believe that one should still do his/her best in order to create a positive approach. Every individual should feel the need of contributing towards the creation of an enjoyable life within a community. This helps us reveal our identity and makes it much more possible to integrate healthily. Last but not least, although one may come across difficult people in life who restrain cooperation s/he should also keep in mind that these people are a minority. Mandela (2012) states that â€Å"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.†On the other hand Johnson (2006) emphasises that â€Å"to live is to communicate! All life communicates in some way. Communication is the foundation for all interpersonal relationships, and our daily lives are filled with one communication experience after another.†References Johnson, D. W. (2006). Reaching Out (ninth edition ed.). USA: Pearson International Edition. Sarah Bonello
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Tourette Syndrome Essay -- Disorders Medical Health Essays
Tourette Syndrome Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome is one of a number of tic disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence. The Tic Disorders can be distinguished from one another based on duration and variety of tics and the age at onset. Tourette’s Disorder has duration of more than 12 months. The estimated incidence of Tourette’s ranges widely but is probably four to five individuals per 10,000. It occurs two to three times more frequently in males. Undoubtedly, there are numbers of other students with symptoms who have not been diagnosed. When diagnosed and treated early, many of the associated learning, emotional, and social disabilities it produces can be lessened or dealt with more effectively. The goal of any program for a person with Tourette Syndrome is to assist the person in learning and interacting productively in school and society. Toruette Syndrome is a multiple tic disorder, with motor and vocal tics present, but not necessarily concurrently, which begins in childhood and is a lifelong condition that seems to change in its manifestations and intensity. The cause of Tourette Syndrome is unknown. The basic defect is thought to be a biochemical abnormality in the ganglia of the brain. Diagnosis 1. Age of onset before the age of 18, usually between 6-7 years of age 2. Rapid, recurrent, repetitive, purposeless, and involuntary motor movements affecting multiple groups of muscles. 3. Multiple vocal tics (gr...
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Womens Roles in the Military Essay -- Women in Military Essays
Women's Roles in the Military Before World War I, women assisted the military during wartime mainly as nurses and helpers. Some women, however, did become involved in battles. Molly Pitcher, a Revolutionary War water carrier, singlehandedly kept a cannon in action after a artillery crew had been disabled. During the Revolutionary and the Civil War, a few women disguised themselves as men and took part in hand-to-hand combat. The first enlisted women served in World War I as telephone and radio operators, translators, and clerks. But it was not until World War II that women became part of the regular military. Each service had its own women's corps commanded by female officers. The first of these units, the Women's Army Corps (WACs), enlisted 400,000 women during the war to work in jobs that freed men to fight. Following the war, the Women's Services Integration Act of 1948 established a permanent place for women in all branches of the military. But promotions for female officers were limited, and women were banned from ground combat jobs as well as from most Navy ships and Air Force aircraft. By the mid-1960s, about 70 percent of enlisted women worked in clerical and other office jobs. The Army and the other services at first resisted sending women to Vietnam fearing that they would notbe able to handle the stress of being in a war zone. But 7,500 military women, mainly nurses, eventually served in Vietnam. Several died in hostile action. When the all-volunteer military replaced the draft in 1973, the armed forces accelerated its recruitment of women. In 1977, a Department of Defense report clearly identified both the limitations and potential of female recruits at that time. *The average woman available to be recruited is smaller, weighs less, and is physically weaker than the vast majority of male recruits. She is also much brighter, better educated(a high school graduate), scores higher on the aptitude tests and is much less likely to become a disciplinary problem*. As the military modernized and weapons grew more sophisticated, education and technical skills became important. This development opened up more military jobs for women, including some combat-related jobs. For example, women became Army transport helicopter pilots and were assigned to nuclear missile sites. The rapid increase in military technology as well as changes in the whole concep... ... The General Accounting Office concluded in a hearing on May 8th 1999 that combat inclusion is the greatest impediment to women attaining higher military rank. Until qualified women are given access to assignments that are central to the militaries mission, they will be marginalized. Sexual harassment is a huge problem in the military today. Over 42 percent of all enlisted women say they have sexual harassed by they*re male colleges. There have been major scandals ranging from the rape of 3 women at Annapolis to General Wayne Regis getting court marshaled for his part in the sexual harassment of 7 women throughout his career. What do you think of when you look at Americas Armed services? When I began writing this paper I believed it was an equal opportunity employer that stands for the very basis of liberty and equality. Women are excluded from a number of jobs for no other reason than stereotyping, ideas of the inferiority of women in combat, and the chauvinistic thought of if their not there it wont happen. Remember none of the reason that I listed above would be sufficient for a government employer to legally close jobs to women so why is it different in our Armed Service?
Monday, September 2, 2019
Themes in White Noise by Don DeLillo Essay -- White Noise Don DeLillo
White Noise â€Å"The world†¦is crowded, not necessarily with occupants and not at all with memorable experiences, but with happenings; it is a ceaseless flow of seductive trivialities which invoke neither reflection, nor choice but instant participation.†(Oakeshott) The idea of the lacking of realness is one of the major themes carried out throughout the novel White Noise by Don DeLillo, especially through the device of the television. â€Å"For most people there are only two places in the world. Where they live and their TV set. If a thing happens on television, we have every right to find it fascinating, whatever it is.†(DeLillo 66) The television in the novel White Noise is portrayed almost as a character and plays a significant role in the lives of the individuals in the story. The TV set is always on in the house and emits a constant flow of words, sounds, and images into the home. McCarthy depicts the TV set itself as â€Å"both a piece of furniture in a room and a window to an imaged elsewhere, both a commodity and a way of looking at commodities.†(1) In other words, not only is the television an American commodity, it also gives rise to hundreds upon thousands of other â€Å"must-haves†. There is hardly a home in America lacking at least one television set, giving this mode of communication enormous influence ability. â€Å"The world has but one language, soon learned: the language of appetite.†(Oakeshott 41) In order to feed this appetite Americans especially, glue their eyes to the TV to see what new ways of living and new products are out there to make their lives better. The character, Jack Gladney shows this modern-day way of thinking when he goes shopping at the mall. After looking at the â€Å"mass and variety†of hi... ... nothing" since "there is no media in Iron City." (DeLillo 92) To the characters as well as to most of society, only the amount of coverage of the incident by the media brings the event into existence. It wouldn’t matter how many casualties how many lives ruined if the occurrences weren’t captured on film and plastered over every news station. â€Å"For most people, events are not ‘news’ unless they appear on television.†(Johnson 212) Once again this is seen when the refugees from the toxic cloud are upset that they only got fifty-two words on television, and not even on network news. â€Å"Are they telling us that it was insignificant†¦? Do they think this is just television? ... Don’t they know it’s real?†(DeLillo 162) Once again this concept that remains throughout the entire novel of distinguishing real from not real is brought up, and once again, is misunderstood.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
The Handsomest Drowned Man Close Reading Essay
Sha-Dasha Poe November 12, 2012 2nd Period Close Reading Essay Digging deep within The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World Gabriel Garcia Marquez intoduction of â€Å"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World†already questions the story just from the thought of the title. How can a drowned man be handsome is the main question. The title of the story itself portrays imagery, allegory and imagery. This handsome drowned man is the main character of this whole story. To start with, this story is full of sea imagery.The story starts off with children playing on a beach and notices something floating about in the sea. When the object eventually floats upun the shore, the children immediately starts to play with it. The object is described as a whale, a ship, and then a nasty sea monster. When Estebans body floated upon shore they removed the seaweed, jelly fish tentacles, and the remains of fish. We were told that he had the smell of the sea about him. The women of the town used a sa il to make him a shirt.The women also stated that if he were alive â€Å"he would have had so much authority that he could have drawn fish out of the sea by simply calling their names†. Later within the story, the women imagine â€Å"his soft pink sea lion hands†as he â€Å"stretched out like a sprem whale†. This drowned man is clearly known as an object of the sea. He comes from the sea in the beginning and eventually ends up back in the sea. The relationship of the drowned man to the sea initiates his role as a supernatural mythical creature that didn’t belong on earth as a human being.Furthermore, the author then goes to use allegory to represent the drowned man in comparison to something or someone else. The drowned man represents numerous mythical creatures and historical figures. First, the women of the village name him Esteban. At this very moment, Marquez has grabbed the readers attention as to who Esteban is and how did the villagers come about with this name. Esteban is another name for Estevanico which means a slave from the 1500’s who was suppose to be the first man born in africa to ever step foot in the mericas. Esteban became legendary in Latin America and was given a list of incredible skills. Marquez also stated that the younger women hoped that the drowned man was Lautaro. Lautaro was a military leader of the Native Americans. The handsomness and masculinaty of the drowned man inspires the young women that he is Lautaro. The representation of Esteban and Lautaro shows a hidden message of leaders in comparison to the drowned man. The author also used historical leaders to illustrate the meaning of the drowned man.Also, the author describes the town in the beginning as â€Å"twenty odd wooden houses that had stone courtyards with no flowers†. Throughout the story the women imagined that if the drowned man was alive, he would have put so much work into his land that springs would burst through and that he would have planted flowers along the cliff. At this point, we notice the contrast beteen the villagers and the drowned man. The drowned man brings much color and liveliness to the grey town of the villagers.The drowned man also brings the thought of springs and flowers to the village. As the woman began to prepare his funeral, they went to go get flowers from neighboring villages. They then told the other women about the drowned man and they too followed the villagers to bring flowers t the funeral. After the other women seen the drowned man, they also startede to admire him and went to seek more and more flowers. The flowers symbolize the ability of someone who’s great to seek out others to do something great.They also symbolize love and respect to those who once lived. In Conclusion, the author used three literary devices to explain and bring out hidden messages of the story to grasp the reader’s attention. This is a great way to keep readers interested in the sto ry’s theme/central message. At this point, we now know that Marquez likes for the reader to dig deep within to understand the essential thought of the story. He used a drowned man to bring out the greatness of a whole village and to change their whole aspect of life within their own village.
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