Despite this, Descartes argued that the faculties could not be a reliable source of information, since they occasionally provided false information. Additionally, since the actuality of suggestions based on sense is typically probabilistic, the recommendations are improbable premises when they are used as arguments. In this paper, I will clarify Descartes claim that knowledge obtained solely through sensations cannot be believed and that the basis of all knowledge is instead what he claims to be.
In his final and widely read book, Passions of the Soul, Descartes describes how various bodily movements cause commotions and interests to emerge in the spirit. He begins by outlining a few objective truths regarding the relationship between the mind and body. The complete psyche is present throughout the body and in all its components, but the pineal organ, a small organ at the center of the brain, serves as its primary location (Descartes, 1649). On what he means by the entire brain in the entire body and the entire in every one of its parts, Descartes is not entirely clear (Descartes, 1649). However, in Descartes day, this was not a particularly inventive way to illustrate the connection between the spirit and the body. The main issue was that a human body needs the heart to be truly humana living human body as opposed to a corpse. Given Descartes illogical use of this expression, it becomes difficult to believe that he did so in the same way as his contemporaries.
Descartes continues, adding that all feelings depend on the nerves, which emerge as tiny filaments enclosed in tube-like films from the brain to the bodys outermost extremities. The creature spirits are the extremely fine materials these filaments skim (Descartes, 1649). This enables the strands to move freely, causing even the slightest movement anywhere in the body to result in growth in the area of the brain where the fiber is linked. Hence, strictly speaking, when a toe is struck, the pain only affects the mind, not the foot.
The human mind has intricate patterns and complicated ways of working. Finally, he discovered that describing one in terms of the other was impossible. The fact that the two could be defined independently of one another was sufficient for Descartes to treat them as separate things because he described a substance as something that does not depend on anything else for its existence.
References
Descartes, R. (1649). Part I. About the passions in general, and incidentally about the entire nature of man. In S. H. Voss (transl.) The passions of the soul (pp.18-49). Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Christopher Marlow, the greatest dramatist of the 16th century. He proved his talent as a great dramatist and poet and had imprinted his ability as a literary figure. Though he was very popular as a dramatist than a poet, one can see that his poems were rich in the content as well as in their presentation. One of the best examples of his poetic genius lies in his poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love , written in rural background, best suits the poetic type of the period. The poem has the feature of the age that it portrays wit and talent; the outstanding feature of 16th-century people. Though the poem was published after his death, it helped much in maintaining Marlows memory alive in his readers.
The Passionate Shepherd To His Love is poem that was written in rural setting which is believed to be originated with Theocritus in Greece during the third century B.C. The life of shepherds is symbolical of warmth and elegance. The theme of the poem also brings out a passionate love. The contentment, innocence, and romantic love are the common feature of the pastoral tradition or the poem written in the rural background and in this poem one can enjoy such a real-life situation. The calm and peaceful life of the shepherds, contrasted with the city life with worries and issues have been depicted in the poem. The speaker in the poem is a shepherd who proposes to a woman by giving many promises to win her love. He invites his beloved with passion, Come live with me, and be my love (Marlow, line 1). The passionate in the title of the poem itself is suggestive of its theme that the shepherds love is purely physical. The reader understands that his love and promises are only imaginary which he can never attain or provide in his real life. The poem is static in the sense that it brings no history or future. The poem shows a calm nature during the month of May in a countryside where many shepherds enjoy themselves with their pair. Here a shepherd feels love while he enjoys the beauty of the nature. His material love makes him proposing the woman to live with him. The shepherd giving many promises to his pair to get her love which he cannot ever do actually in his life. He is not bothered about the future while he offers many promises. He is not sure whether he is capable of giving all these guarantees but he cannot do because he is not ready to marry her. Readers do not hear the woman as she hides behind the curtain of his desire and the overt sexuality has expressed in different lines of the poem. It is evident when the shepherd invites his beloved to make love in, Valleys, groves, hills and fields, / Woods, or steep mountains (Marlow, line 3-5).
Marlow draws the picture of an idealized nature in his poem The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, Poet uses idealized world as a unique theme in his poem. The narrator uses the tone which reveals excessive passion, eagerness, wanting and absolutely fanciful. He avoids hardships and sufferings. The lover tries to offer an idealized and simplified world of imagination. Through the character of the shepherd the poet explores the idea that in the world of imagination there are no responsibilities and the shepherd visualizes the lovers will watch other shepherds feed their flocks. Here the reader can see the shepherd never show his willingness to feed on his flocks. In the last stanza the shepherd offers his last opportunity to ensure the deal and forces her for sexual enjoyment. Normally the life of a shepherd is filled with handwork and suffering. Here the shepherd expresses his willingness to dance and sings with his lady love. Poet expresses shepherds promise through the following lines, The shepherd swains shall dance and sing / for thy delight each May morning. (Marlow, pp. 21-22). The shepherd is not conscious about feeding his wife. A kind of escapism from the trials and tribulations of earthly life can see these lines. The phrase bed of roses hints at the presence of thorns which makes disturbance for the couple.
The poet has resorted to carpe diem or seize the day, which allows people to enjoy without the worries of the future. The poem is thematically simple and one gets the picture of a rural setting with the joy of a springtime love. One of the notable features regarding the poem is that it deviates from the traditional pastoral poems/poems written in rural backgrounds which portray shepherds in isolation, engaging in romantic love; here one can see material love with the insertion of a woman into the scene and their lovemaking in the background of flocks and peacefulness of country life. Idealized nature, as the other theme of the poem reveals the mentality of the shepherd as his only intention is to enjoy physical pleasure. Static as the other theme of the poem refers to life without the worries over the future. To conclude, one can infer that Marlows poem is thematically rich though simple in presentation.
There are many books for children on the market, so it is extremely important for parents to find the best editions. To do this, it is necessary to form the correct rules for distinguishing real masterpieces. This essay will defend the argument that the childrens book Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch meets the most important criteria for text quality.
Specifically, the mentioned book corresponds to the target audience (8-year-old child) and has appropriate language, engaging illustrations, proper structure, notes for caregivers, an interesting plot, and an appealing cover.
Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch is a story about the desire of Sam, a young child, to catch the giant fish. Through the story, Sam invents exciting solutions in his pursuit of catching the perch (Hoffman, 2018). Although the story is full of funny scenes, it delivers the serious message of being persistent in all the beginnings.
In general, the content corresponds to the experiences of an 8-year-child. The colorful illustrations are created by Nick Patton, an engaged illustrator who has his own podcast. The most remarkable part of the illustrations is Sams various facial expressions. The language of the story strikes a balance between the complexity of meaning and easy wording that will allow my child to read it. The storys structure is logical and flows from point A to point B.
In addition, some notes on backmatter explain how caregivers should present this story to children. The plot will definitely interest children because it evokes new dreams and aspirations. Finally, the cover with smiling Sam, his faithful dog Jock and the giant perch creates a scene that will not get lost on the bookshelf (Figure 1). This art symbolizes the Never Give Up rule through the composition of elements and the angle of depiction.
To conclude, Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch is a new book for children of all ages. It will be interesting to read this story for children and parents so that it may unite family members about the dreams of Sam, the main character in the story. As evaluation criteria, this essay described seven qualities of the best books for children. This book satisfies all the qualities which make it ideal for family reading.
Reference
Hoffman, P. J. (2018). Sam and the seven-pound perch. Luminare Press.
Scandinavian mythology, also known as Norse mythology refers to the pre-Christian religious beliefs of the Scandinavian people. The Scandinavian mythology originated from North-Germanic people and shows light into the ancient German mythology. This involves myths about ancient heroes, gods and goddesses, animals and also the creation and destruction of the universe.
It was developed over a period of many years and was transmitted and altered by medieval Christian historians. This mythology has a strong influence on modern literature and culture of the people.
Scandinavian mythologies are heroic stories of strength and war. Myths serve the purpose of being explanatory, esthetic or allegorical. It includes myths that explain the beginning of nature, man, the sun and planets, etc and also about the different customs. Esthetic myths deal with beauty and heroism and have a lot of interesting stories. Allegorical myths convey a moral. (The New Students Reference Work/Mythology).
So it is very important to preserve some of the works that help us understand the culture and lifestyle of certain parts of the world and its development into the present world. It is both socially and intellectually important and helps us understand certain values. Norse mythology is the best-preserved source that includes Germanic paganism, Anglo-Saxon and continental varieties. Myth exists in various forms and has regional variations and is considered as valuable information that should be preserved. (Myth, Poetry and Norse Religion).
Unfortunately, most of the best books are out of print and the only way left is to preserve the important ones we have.
Edda
It is believed that around the year 1220, a scholar from Iceland, Snorri Sturluson created the famous work Edda. It is also known as Prose Edda and is an Old Norse language script. Edda is one of the most important works done on the old Scandinavian religion. Eddic poetry is rhythmic and alliterative, resembling old English poetry or mythical, about heroic legend. It also includes patriotic works, related to contemporary history. Some of the stories in the Edda are dated several hundred years before the book was written. This shows that most of the stories were orally transmitted and preserved.
In order to understand Norse religion, literature and history, we have to have a fair idea of the stories and poetry works. Edda mainly represents how Norse poets perceived myth and their god Odinn and has a great influence on their cultural heritage. (Myth, Poetry and Norse Religion).
The mythologies have highly influenced literature, culture and modern fiction. Being one of the most important sources of information about Scandinavian mythology, the Edda by Snorri is an inevitable work.
Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson
There is also Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson who believed that the Pre Christian deities were men and women and not devils. This deals with the history of Norwegian kings that began with legendary materials in Ynglinga Saga and then moves to early medieval Scandinavian history. (Snorri Sturluson).
It is believed that Snorri is known for inculcating the theory that mythological gods first started as human war leaders and kings on their funeral sites. Later these dead kinds or leaders were called whenever the soldiers went to war, or faced any major difficulties. Thus from a human status, these kings assumed godly status. It is also believed that instead of the wars being fought between humans, they were fought between the king gods, and it is as though one god had defecated the other in battle.
Poetic Edda, By Lee M. Hollander
Poetic Edda or Elder Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems and is an important source of Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends. It is a collection of poems from Icelandic medieval manuscript Codex Regius. It includes poems about the construction and destruction of the universe, about gods, legends about heroes and heroines etc. Poetic Edda was written about 50 years after the Edda. It is a collection of 29 poems, 11 about German deities and the rest about legends. Most of the poems have a pre-Christian context. This poem remains an important source and is the closest we can get to the pre-Christian world. It tells us what pre-Christian religion actually was and how it worked. [Gods and worshippers] So Poetic Edda is another work that needs to be preserved.
Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, by H. R. Ellis Davidson
This is an excellent book written in the year 1964 that includes some of the Scandinavian mythologies. It has some of the most interesting stories, involving different creatures and mythical characters.
One of the most interesting stories revolves around a mighty tree at the center of the earth, called Yggdrasill, which had its branches stretched over heaven and earth.
The tree made the link connecting the different worlds. It deals with the creation of the universe, the different worlds, gods and their roles etc. the stories are mythical and very interesting. It teaches about wisdom and power, about love and sacrifice. It is an important work that needs to be passed on to the future generations.
Viking age Iceland, by Jesse L Byock
A Viking refers to Scandinavian explorers, warriors, merchants and pirates who raided and colonized parts of Europe. The period of expansion of the Vikings is called the Viking age and makes up a major part of the history of Scandinavia, Britain, Ireland and Europe in general.
The author is the Director of Norse Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Viking age Iceland is an engaging, multi-disciplinary work that relates to historic facts and insights into the popular sagas. This book will be interesting for the general reader as well as the specialist. It throws light into the society and culture and helps the reader understand the lifestyle of the people. The different illustrative maps are another fine feature of this book.
History before Christianity
Vikings did not write down their history before they were converted to Christianity. Their historical stories were passed on to generations, orally. These epic poems or sagas were about the famous kings and lords and their deeds. We have lost many of these sagas because not all were written down. Also, many of the original works were altered to suit Christian beliefs. If these works were preserved, it would have given us deeper knowledge and understanding of the different customs and practices that existed. About the people who ruled and the exact records of what happened and when. The original work would have been more accurate and reliable.
Different Languages and Culture
Indo-European culture gave rise to several languages, out of which roughly only 140 are presently preserved. Since the people were illiterate and did not preserve these languages in written form, we have lost most of these languages and cultures. Nearly half of todays world population speaks an Indo-European language. It remains the most important problem of historical linguistics and also affects archeology and history as well. Even though it looks impossible to construct a language of the past, with no evidence about it, linguists have been able to reconstruct some of the languages. This is done by examining word roots shared by the existing languages. In this way, much of the language and culture can be reconstructed from shared words roots. (Myers).
In order to know more of the culture and lifestyle of the people and to frame their history, knowledge of their language is inevitable. If we can reconstruct these, it will be a turning point in the study of their culture and will be a highly useful source of information. So if a book existed on the language or if it can be reconstructed, it would be very useful.
Records that were Destroyed During Natural Calamities
Some of the natural calamities like floods, volcanoes, tidal quakes, etc have wiped out the culture that existed long back. Since most of the works were orally transmitted and the written works were limited and had very few copies, the sources once lost could not be taken back. Due to these reasons, we have lost many important works that would have been very helpful in understanding the culture, religion etc of the people.
Conclusion
In order to understand Scandinavian mythology, it is important to go through the different sources of these mythologies. Some of the works are not copied anymore and the only work remaining should be preserved to preserve the culture and literature. The little mythological data that is available could also be linked to the legends of heroes and kings, as well as celestial creatures. Clannish tribes and kings possessed high significance which is evident from available materials. It is probable that most legendary figured did live at that time and historians who studied Scandinavian mythology did make honest attempts to sieve facts from myths.
It is widely believed that the modern influence of these myths and legends do occur and many rituals that are done are based on such earlier and old-world legends about kings, soldiers and folklores.
One of the main aspects is that due to utter destruction of many works of yore, only few works are available which has been detailed above. The main difficulties facing historians has been to sift fact from fiction since they have been robustly interweaved by mythology and thus is really challenging. Moreover, the documents and books left unscathed need to be well gleaned to offer a glance at ancient Scandinavian mythology.
To determine the features of a literary work, it is essential to consider the events taking place in it and the features of the main characters and their character. This essay will identify the features of some of the characters in Handling the Undead by John Lindqvist (2010). The heterogeneity of the novels protagonists, as well as the presence of children as actors in events, allows the reader to observe different viewpoints and reactions regarding horrible situations in the book.
The Important Role of Children
In the book Handling the Undead, children present their attitude to the main events, reliving the dead people. It is important to stress that characters such as Flora and Maja especially react to terrible events, viewing them as something interesting but horrible (Lindqvist, 2010). This fact underlines the vital role of children in the novel as a broadcast of a fresh, unusual perception of events.
Different Reactions and Their Motivations in Novel
The protagonists of the novel treat their events differently. For example, position David is his desire for change, to avoid social stagnation, and to move on to new experiences (Lindqvist, 2010, p. 207). On the other hand, Flora expresses deep concern and fear about what is happening. I feel standard about different types of reactions. However, I am more sympathetic toward Floras and Davids opinions, and I think that changes should exist but not in the way of undead, reliving people.
Debates or Suggestions among Ethicists, Researchers, and Media
A key theme in the novels debate between researchers and ethicists in attachment two is the application of unique research methods of relieving people to handle them. For example, the reporter and Lennart Hallberg discuss the possibility of existence and evidence of the nourishment of the reliving. According to Lindqvist (2010), reporter: how is it possible to exist without nourishment? (p. 224). Therefore, a key topic of discussion among these people is the study of possible ways to obtain data on the ability of the reliving people to exist.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize that Handling the Undead is not only an example of the horror genre but allows the reader to appreciate what is happening from different perspectives. This effect is achieved by having novel characters with different life values and views. A significant amount of debate and controversy throughout the work allows you to look at scary events and undead people from different angles to make certain conclusions.
Reference
Lindqvist, J. A. (2010). Handling the undead. The Text Publishing Company.
The Giving Tree is a timeless story relevant to childrens lives as it teaches the importance of kindness, generosity, and selflessness. The book explores the theme of building self-esteem by highlighting the happiness of giving to others. The main idea is centered around a little boys relationship with a tree, with the tree continuously giving the boy all he wants during his life. (Silverstein 17). The conflicts in the book come from the trees desire to make the boy happy, even if it means giving up everything it has. The books setting is a natural environment, and it connects to the story by emphasizing the interconnectedness between humans and nature. The book also presents ideas for children to consider, such as the value of giving and the significance of taking care of the environment. The lessons in the book are represented through the trees selflessness, and the book promotes diversity by showing that kindness and generosity are universal values.
Characters
The book only has two main characters, the young boy and the tree, but they both represent different stages of life. The book does not necessarily explore cultural diversity, but it does showcase the diversity of human emotions and the impact of relationships on individuals. Both the boy and the tree display physical, emotional, and personality traits that children can identify themselves with and relate to.
Illustrations
The illustrations in the book are simple and black and white, but they effectively capture the emotions and actions of the characters. The illustrations are true to life, and they add to the books enjoyment by providing visual aids to support the text. The illustrations appropriately match the words on the page, and they do not contain any stereotypes. The books illustrations represent the setting, and they impact the storys ambiance by conveying the characters emotional journey.
General Considerations
The Giving Tree is a book that can be read enthusiastically because of its heartwarming story and universal message. Children can be involved in the book by discussing the themes and characters, as well as participating in activities that encourage kindness and generosity. The book can be expanded into other areas of the curriculum, such as science and environmental studies. The book contains developmentally appropriate vocabulary, and it also utilizes literary devices such as repetition and personification. Overall, The Giving Tree is a quality childrens book that effectively teaches valuable life lessons through an engaging story and relatable characters.
Work Cited
Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. Harper Collins, 2014, Web.
Childhood is the period which is meaningful for every person because it is the start of a life-long journey. In his Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe concentrates on many controversial social issues. Moreover, the childhood theme is also masterfully described in the novel as the key point for understanding the persons actions and the peculiarities of their further lives.
Thus, Daniel Defoe reveals all the worst features of the worlds reality and discovers all the hidden details of the persons souls in the work. He also accentuates the seriousness of the harmful surrounding which a child can undergo in his life and its influence.
The effects of childhood follow persons during their whole lives. Furthermore, people have the opportunity to observe the peculiarities of childrens everyday life as the part of the society anywhere.
To discuss the peculiarities of describing the concept of childhood in the novel, it is necessary to focus on the actual substance of childhood as it is and on the impacts of childhood on the life of the main heroine of the novel. Thus, in his novel the author presents the notion of childhood as a stand point to watch the heroines destiny and present her further development into a young lady with her own hidden psychological troubles.
Defoe opens his novel as a really strict narration that derives conclusion right away saying that Moll is going to continue her mothers destiny, as well. This is what life did to her: born in dreadful conditions, not having an opportunity to meet mother ever, and raised by gypsies, Moll is not as bad as she could have become.
The peculiarities of Molls situation make her act as a grown-up. This situation can be considered as typical for that period. It was the eighteenth century the time of nobilities, good manners, and dismissal of poor from any worthy life sphere.
Moreover, women could not have any rights except being a seamstress, if she wanted to work. Therefore, a girl who could possibly get to that atmosphere was doomed to lead a very modest life when she is a grown-up. A boy, however, had slightly more chances to achieve success and work.
Those children who were growing without their parents treatment in streets began to act and behave as grown-ups in order to survive in dangerous surroundings. They did not know that childhood as it could be with the parents care and without the needs to work since the age of eight as Moll worked.
However, those children who were born in rich families had the opportunity to enjoy all the pleasures of living with parents, even in spite of the fact that they were brought up by nurses. Thus, the memories about her childhood followed Moll during her life. That is why she tried to do all possible to pay much attention to her own child.
In some of the situations Moll states, I was greatly perplexed about my little boy. It was death to me to part with the child (Defoe 77). And furthermore, If I was but sure my little baby would be carefully looked to, and have justice done it (Defoe 107).
It is important that those people who bring up children have an extreme influence on their lives. Thus, the nurse Moll lived with was a very good example to follow. And, maybe, due to such a nondurable experience Moll turned out to have her own children ultimately.
The nurse is described as the following, &she bred up the children she took with a great deal of art, as well as with a great deal of care& [she provided her children with] a plain diet, coarse lodging, and mean clothes&we were brought up as mannerly and as genteelly as if we had been at the dancing-school (Defoe 8).
It is necessary to mention that although Moll is presented to very harsh conditions throughout her childhood, Defoe still brings in an element of an invisible helping hand as if supporting the idea that there is an angel that every child has.
Nevertheless, the theme of abandoned children can be observed on many pages of the novel. In Defoes novel childhood is depicted as the period for the fight for better conditions for life. Thus, Moll often meets beggars on her way.
They are described as dark shadows of Londons streets. There are charity programs for such children in society; the authorities try to influence their lives. However, who would like to be a subject of charity? A child raised in conditions of condescension is likely to grow up having no respect for him. Is it possible to avoid the life of purposeless people, miserable drunkards, thieves, criminals, or murderers?
Daniel Defoe depicts childhood in the darkest colors that could ever be. He accentuates that Moll Flanders tried to escape her destiny, but she could not. Moll, being the central figure, makes the reader sympathize with her troubles, though at the same time wonder how in the world she could make it to a relatively good future.
Yet, she had a chance. And there are a number of such children who became unhappy and sad adults because they did not have a chance to change their life.
In his novel Defoe also reveals the theme of childrens aloneness. It is rather difficult to survive in the world where people have no support and understanding of their relatives and friends. What is the destiny for an orphan?
A child cannot possibly grow up as a rich and self-conscious personality. No one is ever able to have a rich inner world without friends or anyone to rely on. Streets and bands create the conditions for growing up as a severe and rough personality. This is, unfortunately, a side effect of self-sufficiency.
Being independent takes effort. A person faces challenges and life makes him bend down to earth, whereas some stand up back straight and some break. When speaking about simple survival, it is hard to consider decent childhood conditions for fostering main virtues.
And so, Moll was presented to the following being: &even before I was capable either of understanding my case or how to amend& [she was] brought into a course of life which was not only scandalous in itself, but which in its ordinary course tended to the swift destruction both of soul and body (Defoe 1).
Childhood can be thought of as the most essential part for fostering ideals and habits in a child. Moll in Moll Flanders is the splendid representation what poor childhood conditions may lead to. Completely disoriented and lost in her life, Moll is an example of what can possibly happen to a child who finds him in the same milieu.
The struggle between the individual and the society is one of the main themes in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. During the whole discussion, the author tries to create a contradiction between one person and the society from different angles. Still, there is one peculiar aspect that should be pointed at.
Medora Manson, Agathon Carver, Emerson Sillerton, and Ned Winsett are the bohemian characters who make cameo appearances in the novel The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. The main idea of such appearances is to show the differences in the society.
The time discussed in the novel is characterized by the sharp differences between different countries, layers of population, etc. To show the difference between Europe and America the author inserts an aunt, Medora Manson, who took Ellen to Europe when she was a child. Being brought up in another country her return to America helps to see the difference in views.
Reading the novel, it is possible to notice that in most cases the similar class is shown. There is no lower class or the middle one. Still, the appearance of the journalist, Ned Winsett, who is from a different social circle, is important. This part in the novel helps a reader to get the whole situation in the society. Much attention is paid to discussion of one particular class of people who depict one social circle.
However, it is important to make sure that the reader understands the time which is considered and can see the whole picture (Bloom 169). The appearance of these several characters helps the reader to get the necessary information and draw appropriate conclusions.
These small scenes are the only ones which are created for making a contradiction between classes and people as the structures. In other cases a person is confronted to the whole society. Whartons representation of the demi-monde gives us a very partial vision of the city which ignores the very real existence of underclasses.
The author wanted to show the confrontation of people of one and the same class, to present the differences which exist in the society at one and the same level. The presence of the different classes could lead to misunderstanding of the theme in the novel. However, the author needed to present the time he depicts to make sure the reader can understand the whole picture.
The bohemian characters that make cameo appearances are important in this way. However, the main idea the author wanted to present is the problems which existed in one social circle.
The struggle of one person against the whole society is exactly what the problem is and the author of the text could underline this problem only by means of presenting only one society. The ignorance of the underclasses is intentional as those classes are not necessary in presenting the conflict the author depicts.
Reading the novel, it is possible to understand the great difference between American and European societies. American society is too conservative. People in that society cannot understand how it is possible to run away from a husband, how it is possible to have such a scandal reputation as Ellen Olenska has and still appear in the society, lead a normal life and express personal point of view, dissatisfaction with a husband and his decision.
The difference of the European and American societies may be seen through Ellen Olenska and May Welland. These two women are brought up in different societies and they have absolutely different modes of behavior. Ellen Olenska has decided to leave her husband and how has a love affair with another man, who has a wife.
If Ellen Olenska got to know that her husband has a lover should would leave without thinking of the consequences. However, May Welland a wife of that man acts absolutely different. Family is everything for her and she is ready to protect her family using all possible means.
Being aware of the husbands betrayal, May Welland does not leave the country looking for protection, she does all possible to convince Ellen Olenska that she is pregnant and she is to leave. Then, when she understands that her husband is about to leave her, she says him about her pregnancy (Wharton 305). A man in that society cannot leave a woman with a child alone.
That is why, he stays. The difference in behavior, points of view and the consideration of life are obvious. American society reflected through the main characters May Welland and Newland Archer is confronted to the European one presented by Ellen Olenska and her husband Polish Count Olenski, a European nobleman. The difference in vision of the family is obvious.
Americans respect the institution of a family and do all possible to conserve their relationships, while Europeans do not treat family as something sacred. That is why they have problems, scandals, etc. The social, cultural and other differences may be followed through the relation to the family by the characters mentioned above.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2005. Print.
Wharton, Edith. The Age of Innocence. New York: Forgotten Books, 2010. Print.
Horrible Histories: Awesome Egyptians Scholastic Books, 1993, is considered to be a selection of historical issues concentrating on unusual, trivial, or gory events. The historical genre of the books makes the work to be informative being written in a simple understandable language. Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite, the authors of the work, strived to reflect the peculiarities of Egyptian history in the most adaptive manner. The text can be characterized through its informative style written in the form of interesting and interconnected stories.
Linguistic Features
The section devoted to Phascinating Pharaohs is disclosed through such linguistic features as informative manner and language peculiarities. It is necessary to underline the fact that informative manner of text presentation is demonstrated through historical involvement of the reader into Egyptian ancient period of development. The text covers the peculiarities of Pharaohs times and the rules of appropriate behavior and moral standards within the society. The authors demonstrated the facts through specialized terminology and language being presented in a simplified and understandable form. The usage of proper names and dates within the storyline is a bright characteristic of historical genre in writing. It is necessary to stress that the book is not filled with facts but discloses the detailed information through descriptive linguistic manner. The period of ancient Egyptian development is disclosed on the basis of leaders achievements, conquers, peasants descriptions. It is interesting to note that the book is written in a simplified manner being illustrated with maps and photos of ancient leaders. Such linguistic characteristic adds functionality to the data presented by the authors making the histories informative and instructive.
Inference from the Text
Ancient Egypt experienced the epoch of kings and queens, pharaohs and warship leaders, living in accordance with strictly regulated standards developed in the society. The authors demonstrate the atmosphere of that period as the time with fixed norms and rules. Everything was dependant on the leaders decision, behavior and actions.
Evidence to support Inference
It is necessary to underline the fact that the author brightly illustrated the period of pharaohs heading in ancient Egypt; the explanation of kings duties allows the reader to understand the level of seriousness of norms and standards established for the representatives of ruling class. Thus, How to become a king discloses the steps of obligations for a king whose position depends on the family status. The author disclosed strong dependence of the state on its king. It is necessary to underline the fact that the identification of the king as a god is perceived as the higher power embodied in one person. Strong regulations were concentrated around religious aspects and higher rate of power which Egyptian king had.
The authors Inference
Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite disclosed the inference, that modern person with modern mentality and world look can hardly become an Egyptian leader because of our vision and perception of norms and regulations in the society. If you dons, then the sun wont rise and the world will end (Deary, & Hepplewhite, 1993). It is necessary to underline the fact that the authors strive to compare modern generation with the ancient one disclosing various tricky situations and offering the reader to select the most appropriate way. Current perceptions of a man and the ancient one are completely different; the authors managed to illustrate bright comparison of a king with the God, being the higher power in religion in all times. So, the basic inference the authors strived to reflect is concentrated on the coincidences and links between ancient leaders and current governing power.
Rewriting Manner
The possibility of rewriting the text under analysis is dependant on the linguistic manner of its presentation. Simple words can be substituted with specialized jargon and historical terms in order to make the text more professional.
The first passage beginning with The most awesome sight that you can see in Egypt is the pyramids& can be disclosed in the form of the tale, rejecting the elements of informative character and historical involvement. In this case the authors could avoid the instructional manner demonstrating no comparison of modern and ancient times indirectly. The histories are aimed at audience being slightly skilled in history of ancient world; so, the authors showed an attempt to make the text more involving and functional. The inference is predominantly expressed through different types of rhetoric questions and statements being thought-provoking and making the reader switch to imagination. In case of this method reject, the storyline will change the inference completely and will demonstrate strictly the flow of historical events in ancient Egypt. The emotionality and expressiveness of the text are connected with provoking manner of its presentations. In case of making the histories filled with the facts, the text will sound more formal and neutral for the reader with the complete change of the authors inference (Deary, & Hepplewhite, 1993).
References
Deary, T. and Hepplewhite, P. (1993). Horrible Histories: Awesome Egyptians. Scholastic Hippo. 12-15 p
Li-Young Lees The Gift, Robert Haydens Those Winter Sundays, and Eric Chocks Poem for My Father all center on the poets fathers and contain a belated recognition and thanks for all their fathers have done for them. Each of these poems focuses on a theme: love, in the first, devotion in the second and obligation in the third, but all acknowledge the continuity between generations as the poets prepare to take on their responsibilities as parents and spouses.
In The Gift Li-Young Lee distracts his wife with a story while he removes a splinter from her hand, just as his father long ago told him a story to keep his attention off the pain. The boy looks into his fathers face as the reader assumes the wife does during the operation. The poet addresses the reader, saying that if the reader had witnessed his fathers removal of the splinter he would have thought he was planting something in the boys hand, something that led to his performing the same operation on his wife for which she will reward him, as he did his father, with a kiss.
The continuity of the action stretches further than from the boy to the man. Lee describes how each generation performs the same unselfish acts of love and care for those who depend on them. That is the theme of the poem and it is strengthened by each descriptive word and phrase. His fathers lovely face, meaning the beloved face, is the face of the man who nurtures and protects him; a well of dark water describes the voice, deep, strange in that it speaks out of a life unknown to the boy and yet that voice is familiar and, like a well, life-sustaining. These are the images that cancel out the sharp, life-threatening splinter and the even sharper blade used to remove it, wielded by hands that are the source of tenderness, skill and discipline. The splinter is likened to a silver tear, a tiny fire, antithetical yet connected by his pain. It is this experience that has taught him to empathize with his wifes pain and so prepared him to help her by extracting the splinter as painlessly as his father would have. In that way he, too, is able to remove the threat and to save her from having to face her death, no matter how minor the threat of that may be, so that she may remain mindful of her life with him.
As the anonymous commentator from Art and Culture says, in this poem we see the concentric circles that ripple outward from unconditional, familial love, a love that only reveals itself in time and through deep reflection. It seems as though the poet is saying that love is what binds us together and creates the continuity between generations, and surfaces only in those small but clearly remembered gifts such as taking a splinter out of a small boys palm.
Linda Sue Grimes, in her analysis of Robert Haydens Those Winter Sundays, makes the same point when she says that none of us understands the sacrifices our parents make for us while they are making them. They only become clear much later in life when we ourselves are parents or spouses. The narrator in this poem recalls a routine event from his childhood and endows it with almost religious significance, a ritual, an office to be performed every Sunday morning for no reason other than for love and duty. Just as no one thanks the priest who offers communion so his fathers efforts went unnoticed, or at least did not register consciously. Yet as he thinks back to those blue black cold mornings he recognizes the sacrifice made by the man who got up in the cold, put on cold clothes and endured the cold in order to make the house warm for his family. That coldness is echoed by the boys indifference toward his father and by the austere and lonely duties performed by his father. In the end, though, those banked fires are warmed by the blaze of that good mans love who uncomplainingly shouldered his responsibilities and, more than that, polished his sons good shoes so that he would enter the Lords day suitably dressed.
Grimes regards this poem as near-perfect. Her only concern is with the line Fearing the chronic angers of that house which has been taken to mean that the father was abusive. To her the line signifies not parental abuse but that these are angers that belong to the house; perhaps the house has leaky, noisy pipes, broken windows, dilapidated furniture, rodent infestation, an abusive landlord. The chronic angers may also tie in with the religious undertones of the poem, referring to the tribulations of the world outside filtering into the cold house, only to be dispelled by the father performing his offices.
At the end, like Lee, Hayden asks himself why it took him so long to appreciate all that his father had done for him. What did I know, he asks himself twice in succession, which suggests that he now knows that he himself has to accept new duties that must be performed unselfishly, lovingly and without fail.
Eric Chocks Poem for My Father likens a fathers work to that of a poet. His fathers stone wall is built with the same reflective care as he devotes to his poems, fitting stones the way Chock fits words to create a wall of dreams around the house. The stone wall, furthermore, is not just a wall but it is constructed of the fathers distant memories that are associated with the black rocks, their shape and heft, yet those memories are governed by something far more immediate and important: his son. When he thinks of his son he takes a thick slice of stone / and pounds it into the ground to make the corner of the wall. His son, as symbolized by the rock, does not slip into place like other, perfect rocks. There are misunderstandings caused by the fact that these two men are separated by years, experience and generations. To the poet his fathers thoughts are prehistoric, lava chips, flint, like the tools used by long-ago people. His father works in and through stone while the poet uses words. His fathers memories are most vivid when he recalls a time thirty years / before he thought of me. What connects them is their craftsmanship, or their esthetic, which overcomes all other differences just as love does in Lees poem and devotion in Haydens.
Rhoda J. Yen reads the poem as an analogy to the poets fathers efforts to build a wall around the house with his careful endeavors to make the son fulfill his dreams (85) and in a sense that is true but only in the most indirect sense. It is the son who must fulfill the dream. At the start of the poem he lies dreaming and in that dream his father expresses his hope that the son will one day write a book. He knows his father thinks writing is a waste of time, and that he thinks so because he has worked hard all his life so that his son can lie in the house, dreaming. Yet the father, too, has dreams although they are of the past, not the future. Long ago he loved fishing and beautiful women and, as Yen points out, fishing holds a special place in Chocks poetry (84). It may be an activity which father and son feel equally passionately about, and women may be another. It is the poets task to connect with his father and all his ancestors, so important in Chinese and Chinese-American cultures. The father has done his duty and continues to work toward giving his son a good start in life but he can only influence the poet indirectly because he does not understand his sons dreams. It is the relative simplicity , or perhaps the concreteness, of his fathers goals that spurs the poet on not only to dream but to put those dreams into writing, eventually to write that book that will allow him to marry, which is why he says I cannot wake until I bring the fish and the girl home, because when he achieves that he will be ready to take his place in the unbroken chain of generations.
In all three poems hands occupy a prominent place among the images. A fathers hands heal, punish, toil, create fire, catch fish, caress a womans hair, fit stones into a solid wall around a house built by his own hands. Above all, a fathers hands protect his children and take on a great symbolic significance since poets, generally, are less handy. More importantly, fathers teach their sons; but sons who grow up to be poets must teach all. This is why these three poems have more than just a literary value; they, too, are a measure of tenderness which instill a sense of responsibility in their readers.
Works Cited
Anonymous. Art and Culture. Web.
Grimes, Linda Sue. Haydens Those Winter Sundays: A Nearly Perfect Poem. Suite 101.com. Web.