Hesters Isolation and Alienation in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Hester's Isolation and Alienation in The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorn's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmsdale have committed adultery, an unacceptable sin during the Puritan times. As a result of their sin, a child is born, whom the mother names Pearl. Out of her own free will Hester has to face major punishments. She has to serve many months in prison, stand on the scaffold for three hours under public scrutiny, and attach a scarlet letter, "A" on her chest every day as long as she remained in the town of Boston. The letter "A" was to identify Hester Prynne as an adulteress and as an immoral human being. "Thus the young and the pure would be taught to look at her, with the letter flaming on her chest", also "as the figure, the body and the reality of sin"(73). Holding on to sin can lead to alienation and isolation. One reason Hester was alienated was her refusal to identify the other adulterer. When Hester is released from prison and stood upon the scaffold, she was asked to reveal the name of whom she committed the sin with. Having a heart blinded by love Hester choose to stay in the town and wear the scarlet letter "A" instead of revealing the other adulterer. She faced society only to protect and be close to the man she still loved. The "impulsive and passionate nature" (54), which to Hester seemed pure and natural had to be faced under humiliation alone, without the partner of sin. It seemed as though she was paying not only her own consequence, but that of her lovers as well. Saying so herself while standing on the scaffold "I might face his agony as well as mine!" (64). Now taking on all blame she has given "up all her individuality. Now she would become the "general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman's frailty and sinful passion" (73). After the sin had been revealed Hester never again felt she was accepted by society. It seemed to her as though "every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those whom she came in contact,

American domestic life after World War II Essay

Assess some of the important changes to take place in American domestic life after World War II. This essay will deal with the following changes which took place in American domestic life after World War II; the growth in population and mobility, suburbanization, the consequences of suburbanization in the cities, the role of women in the post-war years and the status of African Americans. The Second World War brought suffering, destruction and devastation in Europe and to the rest of the world. Ironically, America, for her relatively less sacrifices, gained an unprecedented growth in the economy which manifested in booming industries in all spheres of America. In the first two decades after the war, America was transformed on such a scale that the rest of the economic powers could not match her in many decades to come. The American economy had grown during World War II, but it grew even stronger after the War. The American Gross National Product (GNP) increased from $200 billion in 1940 to $300 billion in 1950 but it reached$ 500 billion in 19601. The advances in technological development during the war have been transferred to manufacturing cars, televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and several other domestic gadgets. As the economy was growing, so the wages increased which meant that new products were made and sold constantly. Television became a major part of America’s daily life, which not only provided the entertainment but it also exposed the people to advertisements and commercials. The unsuspecting public was buying all kind of devices available whether they were necessary or not. Advertising managers realised the power of commercials and huge financial gains therefore concentrated on improving their art of enticing the public. Computer technology had replaced the large and slow machines so the economy prospered rapidly. The result was the American middle class moved up the ladder and became upper middle class and some of the working class stepped up towards middle class. In contrast, African Americans and the poor white population stayed at the bottom of the pile and were not given the same opportunities to share the fruit of the prosperity. The birth-rate increased during the war but it peaked after the war. The population increased by 19 million in the 1940s, which was over twice the rise in the 1930s and later jumped up to 29 million in the 1950s. Although the rising birth rate was the main reason for the population growth, so the advancement in curing the illnesses meant that the death rate decreased. Therefore the average life expectancy for whites was 70 years and for blacks 642. As the population grew the people started moving towards the Pacific states more quickly than the other parts of America. The cities in Southwest grew more rapidly, for example Houston, Albuquerque, Tucson, and Phoenix. Los Angeles replaced Philadelphia as the third largest city, and California took over New York as America’s most populous state. In the 1950s the white middle class population moved out of crowded cities to the suburban areas. They moved to suburban areas to buy their own homes with gardens and garages. The building industry met the growing demand of new and better housing at faster rate than ever. The houses were built by developers such as William Levitt on a massive scale which were cheap, simple but comfortable. However, many American did not like the new housing developments and labelled them,’ugly boxes arranged in circles’ especially the architect profession. Architectural critic Lewis Mumford described such suburbs as: ‘a multitude of uniform, unidentifiable houses, lined up inflexibly, at uniform distances, on uniform roads, in treeless communal wasteland, inhabited by people of the same class, the same income, the same wage group’.3 The ownership of these houses was helped along through Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) who provided the loans on easy terms. The other factor was the availability of cars; people no longer depended on public transport. Car production increased from 2 million in 1946 to 8 million in 1955. The government began to build the highways on a large scale and linked them with different parts of the country. In June 1956, Congress authorised $32 billion to build new highways. By creating 56,000 miles of highways, federal government helped industry and commerce to move outside the cities4. The justification was that it would not only make people’s journeys easier it would also make the evacuation quicker in the event of nuclear war. Whatever the motivation was businesses began to realise where their future lay, so they began to move their businesses to suburbs. New shopping centres were built all over the country with entertainment, leisure and sports facilities. As a result, employment was brought to the door step and so people no longer travelled to cities to spend their money. Instead people from cities came to suburban areas to spend their dollars. The black people, the other minorities, and the poor section of the white population shopped in their localities where quality was decreasing and prices were increasing. For these ever growing mobile customers the franchise system was established. The first franchise right was bought from a fast-food establishment by a young entrepreneur Ray Kroc, and then gradually the franchise system became a prominent pattern in the country. While the Levitt development was satisfying one section of the community, the rest of the building industry started to cater for a wider range of income groups. These housing developments included shopping centres, schools, and churches. The private builders were proving to be successful in providing housing for American’s suburban families. Soon, all over the country the pattern was repeated as moderate-income families settled for inexpensive prefabricated dwellings in the fringes of the cities. These were in part for the war veterans helped by FHA and VA, but these facilities were not available to black war veterans. The wealthier population chose architect-designed houses in suburbia. However, again this development was mainly for the white population and was not available to blacks. This meant that segregation and discrimination was systematically continued and deepened the division between two races. The white population was moving out of crowded cities to better housing and a cleaner environment, and blacks were moving into the cities where the living standard was low, but factory work and other manual jobs were available to them. The result was that as the white population declined in the cities the black population increased. Other minorities such as Hispanics and Native Americans did not share in the benefits of the American Dream and like black people were treated as second-class citizens. On the surface, cities were losing out to suburban areas as the races shifted. Indeed, some fundamental changes were taking place underneath; the American social fabric was changing with equal speed. The gap was not only widening between the living standards of white people, it was becoming more prominent between cultures but it was ignored in the daze of prosperity. The building industry was helped by several Congressional laws to build the new houses in suburban areas. By 1972 some 11 million families owned their own houses with the help of the FHA. 22 million people had improved their properties with the aid of the VA in owner-occupied units. Some people were paying fewer for their mortgages on their new houses than they would have paid in rent for their rooms in the city. The FHA reinforced the racial segregation policy by refusing to assist the racially mixed cities to build new houses or improve the old ones. According to an administrator, ‘[it is] a conservative business operation rather than a programme of providing housing for all social groups on an equal bases’5. Consequently, the black population was not only deprived from better housing they were losing out from all the other facilities; good healthcare, recreational facilities, and better shopping facilities. The impact of the firms and white population moving out from the cities to suburban areas was that jobs and tax revenue were no longer available to improve the urban areas. In addition, the older and larger manufacturing firms were making losses and declining while tailor-made factories in suburban areas were growing and extending and creating new jobs. The blacks were expecting that their sacrifices during the war would be recognised and acknowledged by sharing in the economic boom, but instead they were overlooked once again. After the war women were expected to return to their traditional roles, whereas during the war they took over the jobs of servicemen and adjusted to their new roles comfortably. However, on their return from the War, men were given their jobs back and the women reluctantly retreated to their homes. Some women carried on working and others got married, stayed at home and looked after their children. Although women adjusted to their shifting roles, doubts and questions were beginning to surface. Women were again pulled back into the job market during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The labour saving devices in the home gave women freedom to work outside the home. Women also found it necessary to work in order to secure their newly defined identity. The number of working women doubled between 1940 and 1960. Prior to the Second World War, the majority of employed married woman came from a lower income family, but in the post-war women from middle class joined in as the first group tailored off. During the 1950s and 1960s, the women contributed 15 to 25 percent to their household income6. Women increased their white-collar jobs at a faster rate than men during the 1970s, but by the end of the decade they were still at the bottom of wage scale. It is a fact that after World War II, in the first two decades the United States economy grew at such a scale that it has changed American society and its standing in the world as a superpower. The wealth generated in those post-war years had been used in the development of the country’s infrastructure. The advances in living standards, schools, research, training for engineers and scientists and improved farming techniques as well as the network of highways meant that America was transformed. The technological advances were not limited to provide consumer goods; they also made the American military machine the most advanced force in the world. America won the space race, but it failed to include its black race in their astronomical and earthly achievements. However, the scale of its economic and technological achievements was matched by the disruption in the social fabric of the nation as its inequalities and injustices were magnified. The implications of the divisions created by this skewed economic growth will have its effects in the centuries to come, in racial tension, in domestic crime and social trends, and internationally as American culture is adopted as an aspiration for a globalise and consumer-centric world. Bibliography Books Chafe, W.H. The Unfinished Journey: America since World War II. Fourth Edition (Oxford University Press 1999). Issel, W. The Contemporary United States: Social Change in the United States 1945-1983 (London Macmillan Publishers LTD1985). Winkler, A.M. Modern America: United States from World War II to the Present. (New York Harper & Row Publishers 1985). Boyer, P.at al. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People. Concise 4th edition (Boston, 2002). Brogan, H. The Penguin History of the USA. New edition (London Penguin 2001) 1 A.M.Winkler, Modern America: United States from World War 11 to present.p.82. 2 Ibid.,p.84 3 W. H. Chafe. The Unfinished Journey: America since World War II. p.117. 4W. Issel. The Contemporary United States: Social change in the United States. p. 92. 5 W. Issel. The Contemporary United States: Social change in the United States. P. 90. 6 A.M. Winkler. Modern America: United States from World War 11 to the Present. p.78.

The Ambiguity of Shakespeares Ambiguous Hamlet - 1894 Words

Ambiguity of Hamlet In Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy Hamlet, the reader finds ambiguity of one type and another here and there throughout the play. The protagonist himself is an especially ambiguous character is his own rite. Harold Bloom in the Introduction to Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet expounds on the ambiguity and mysterious conduct of the hero during the final act: When Horatio responds that Claudius will hear shortly from, presumably that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been executed, Hamlet rather ambiguously [my italics] makes what might be read as a final vow of revenge: It will be short. The interim is mine. And a man’s life’s no more than to say â€Å"one.† (2)†¦show more content†¦His first soliloquy illustrates the hero’s idealism by emphasizing the worthlessness of the corrupt world and the frailty of women, but gives no specific direction to his own life: â€Å"O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!† The first soliloquy ends with the arrival of Horatio, the hero’s closest friend (â€Å"Horatio, thou art een as just a man / As eer my conversation coped withal.†), and Marcellus, who escort the prince to the ramparts of Elsinore to view the ghost of Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, which they have seen. At one a.m. the ghost, ironically a sinner suffering in Purgatory (West 110), reveals to the protagonist the extent of the evil within Elsinore – the â€Å"human truth† (Abrams 467). The ghost says that King Hamlet was murdered by Claudius, who had a relationship with Gertrude prior to the murder; the ghost requests revenge by Hamlet: â€Å"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.† Hamlet swears to do it even though he is uncertain of the ghost’s origin. Philip Edwards’ â€Å"The Ghost: Messenger from a Higher Court of Values?† presents the ambiguity present in the agency of the ghost when he relegates punishment to the king but reserves it from his wife (67). Gunnar Boklund, in â€Å"Judgment in Hamlet,† explains that â€Å"the nature of the GhostShow MoreRelatedHamlet Character Analysis995 Words   |  4 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are many events and characters that are ambiguous to the audience. They are interpreted in several ways as there are different view points on why a character decided to act like they did. Such examples in the play are Hamlet’s use of language is equivocal as he u ses his words to confuse and insult other characters in the play. Moreover, the decisions that Hamlet makes to delay Claudius’ murder in the play can be interpreted to have various explanations. Hamlet’sRead MoreHamlets Loss of Faith1323 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationships. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, murders Hamlet’s father to inherit the crown of Denmark and the love of Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Throughout the play there are six soliloquies that reveal the character of Hamlet and others. In more than any other Shakespearean play, the audience is painted a better picture of Hamlet’s mind. Shakespeare questions the social and Christian institutions in the face of tragedy with the usage of several ambiguous phrases. ThroughRead MoreEssay on Crawling Inside the Mind of Shakespeares Hamlet1712 Words   |  7 PagesCrawling Inside the Mind of Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of the dramatic action of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet is within the head of the main character, Hamlet.  Ã‚   His wordplay represents the amazing, contradictory, unsettled, mocking, nature of his mind, as it is torn by disappointment and positive love, as Hamlet seeks both acceptance and punishment, action and stillness, and wishes for consummation and annihilation. He can be abruptly silent or vicious; he is capable of wild laughter and tears, andRead MoreHamlet as a Living Death in the Midst of Life in Hamlet by Wlliam Shakespeare1924 Words   |  8 PagesHamlet as a Living Death in the Midst of Life in Hamlet by Wlliam Shakespeare In claiming that Hamlet is a living death in the midst of life, Knight depicts Hamlet as a character who is entirely a corrupting force in the lives of others, rather than a morally superior character attempting to orchestrate justice. In that Hamlet is secluded and absolutely isolated from those who experience life, Knight condemns Hamlet to the title of being an emotionless element of malevolenceRead More Significance of the Ghost to William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1580 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Ghost to William Shakespeares Hamlet In Shakespeares Hamlet, the ghost plays a key role in influencing the destinies of the other characters. The ghost is important to the play as it symbolizes both fate and catalyses the plot. It also brings the play into the revenge tragedy genre, which allows foreshadowing to occur and helps the audience, both Elizabethan and contemporary to better understand the play and appreciate it. The late King Hamlet is forced to roamRead MoreEssay on Irony in Hamlet1749 Words   |  7 PagesIrony in Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will discuss the issue of irony in Hamlet by dealing with the problems that arise as a result of Hamlets attempt to avenge his fathers death. One of the central problems is the clash between Hamlets overpowering need to believe in the ghost of his father, who is the authoritative figure in his life, and the awareness that he lacks empirical knowledge of the truth. In trying to achieve this knowledge, Hamlet sets out on a mixed mission of accusation,Read MoreThe Antic Disposition in Hamlet1645 Words   |  7 PagesThe character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name is one of the more complex and interesting characters in the western canon – in attempting to take revenge on his uncle Claudius for his alleged murder of Hamlet’s father, the young prince feigns insanity in order to get the man’s guard down and keep him off balance until finding the right time to strike. However, the question remains – by th e end of the play, just how much is Hamlet pretending to be insane? Is it really an actRead MoreEssay about Suicide in William Shakespeares Hamlet2962 Words   |  12 PagesSuicide in William Shakespeares Hamlet In two of his soliloquies, Hamlet questions whether life is worth living. With characteristic ambiguity and indecision, he wavers as he considers both the Christian and the classical perspectives on suicide. Much of the debate surrounding Shakespeare’s treatment of suicide in Hamlet develops from interpretations of those soliloquies. Focusing primarily on his most famous soliloquy at the start of act three, much critical debate has arisen over the subjectRead More Ambiguity, Inconsistency and Uncertainty in Othello Essay example1269 Words   |  6 PagesAmbiguity, Inconsistency and Uncertainty in Othello  Ã‚   The Bard of Avon has in his tragedy Othello a true masterpiece, but not one without flaws. It contains blemishes, imperfections, and minor negative features which detract in lesser ways from the overall evaluation of the play. H. S. Wilson in his book of literary criticism, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, addresses the arbitrariness and inconsistency in the play: Though the action moves in a single line, with none of theRead MoreProblems in the Revenge Tragedy: William Shakespeares Hamlet2646 Words   |  11 Pages Shakespeares Hamlet presents the generic elements found in Renaissance revenge tragedies (Revenge Tragedy). However, although Hamlet is a revenge tragedy by definition, Shakespeare complicates the basic revenge plot by creating three revenge plots out of one. By adding significant innovations, Shakespeare creates three concentric rings of revenge (Frye 90), depicting an indecisive protagonist who is an intellectual rather than a physical hero, an ambiguous ghost, and several problematic aspects

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay - 1192 Words

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein The creature of the novel Frankenstein is intelligent, naà ¯ve, powerful and frightening. He seeks vengeance, kills three people, and haunts his creator to the end of his (Frankenstein’s) days. Why? What inspired and what enraged the creature so much so that he felt this was the only path to pursue? When we first meet the creature (truly meet him, that is), he shows his intelligence through speech. One must certainly expect him to be a drooling, dumb and violent creature, but he is, in fact, quite the opposite. He is violent, yes, but he does not show his violent physical side unless provoked to anger. More often than not the creature is full of self pity, cursing his existence and his creator for†¦show more content†¦Another circumstance strengthened and confirmed these feelings. Soon after my arrival in the hovel, I discovered some papers in the pocket of the dress which I had taken from your laboratory†¦ It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. (117) From this statement by the creature it can be seen that the papers he discovers and the book Paradise Lost are linked to each other, in a way. The key line that proves this is, of course, â€Å"another circumstance strengthened and confirmed these feelings.† After discovering and reading the papers, it was strengthened and confirmed in his mind that he is, indeed, far more like Lucifer than he is like Adam. This strange link in his mind to Satan (and, to a lesser degree he still links himself to Adam as well) could very well be another reason why he told Frankenstein to make another creature (a female creature) for him to pass his days with. The line to be considered as proof of this thought is found on page 117, where the creature states, â€Å"Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred.† After this, the creature describes the melancholy, sadness and bitterness he felt toward his own situation and to his creator (a very much repeated theme throughout the novel) as he passed his time watching the family that lived nearby. However, soonShow MoreRelatedMary Shelleys Frankenstein1689 Words   |  7 PagesGreat Expectations Fathers and Son, Frankenstein. The novel I have chosen to discuss is Frankenstein. Written in 1818 by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein is classified as a gothic novel, however, Shelly uses both realist and non-realist techniques. I will be looking at her reasons for writing the novel and what influenced her, as well as the realist and non-realist techniques used. I will be looking at some of the contemporary social issues that affected Shelley’s life at the time she wrote her novelRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein1179 Words   |  5 Pagesbecome determined to perfect at what they do. They eventually become tragically doomed through creating their own individual moral codes by struggling with their internal battles within their minds. Mary Shelley presents us the first persona of a romantic hero through Victor Frankenstein in her book Frankenstein. Shelley fabricates Victor as the main narrator throughout the book, along with Captain Walton and the creature, which Victor creates. Another hero during the Romant ic era is the Ancient MarinerRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Feminism1429 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Youshock Prof. Matthew Gerber HIST 1012 10/19/18 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Feminism before it was mainstream? Writing a paper on the topic of Frankenstein days before Halloween might give you the wrong idea- lets clear something up straight away Frankenstein is the doctor not the monster and the monster doesn’t have a name (which we later learn is mildly important to the story). You see, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is arguably a story of creation, murder, love, and learning amongst manyRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay929 Words   |  4 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein The characterization of Victor’s creature, the monster, in the movie although somewhat dramatically different from Mary Shelley’s portrayal in the novel Frankenstein also had its similarities. Shelley’s views of the monster were to make him seem like a human being, while the movie made the monster out to be a hideous creation. The creature’s appearance and personality are two aspects that differ between the novel and movie while his intellectual and tender sidesRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1312 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein In order to illustrate the main theme of her novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, Mary Shelly draws strongly on the myth of Prometheus, as the subtitle The Modern Prometheus indicates. Maurice Hindle, in his critical study of the novel, suggests, â€Å"the primary theme of Frankenstein is what happens to human sympathies and relationships when men seek obsessively to satisfy their Promethean longings to â€Å"conquer the unknown† - supposedly in the service of their fellow-humans†. ThisRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1622 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley didn’t know when she began it that her â€Å"ghost story† would become an enduring part of classic literature. Frankenstein is an admirable work simply for its captivating plot. To the careful reader, however, Shelley’s tale offers complex insights into human experience. The reader identifies with all of the major characters and is left to heed or ignore the cautions that their situations provide. Shelley uses the second person narrativeRead MoreEssay on Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1643 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein In 1818 a novel was written that tingled people’s minds and thrilled literary critics alike. Frankenstein was an instant success and sold more copies than any book had before. The immediate success of the book can be attributed to the spine-tingling horror of the plot, and the strong embedded ethical message. Although her name did not come originally attached to the text, Mary Shelley had written a masterpiece that would live on for centuries. Read MoreEvil in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1462 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein is very much a commentary on the Enlightenment and its failure to tame the human condition through reason. The human condition can be defined as the unique features which mold a human being. The creature is undoubtedly a victim of this predicament. He grapples with the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, and the awareness of the inescapability of death. These qualities and his ceaseless stalking of hisRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pages Mary Shelley wrote the book Frankenstein sometime in the 1810s. She was born in London in 1797 (Biography). Her mother was an author of prime literary stock who was trying to encourage women to pursue their ideas and strive to earn the status as equals. The Scientific and Industrial Revolutions that were taking place around Mary Shelley certainly influ enced her while she was writing the book. The creation of machines and experiments at the time made people wonder what the limit of human technologyRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay846 Words   |  4 Pages Shelley’s Frankenstein does an excellent job at demonstrating the ideas and accomplishments of the enlightenment period. Shelly expresses these ideas and thoughts through the character of Victor Frankenstein who is an aspiring scientist seeking an intellectual challenge. Victor Frankenstein live s his hometown of Geneva and leaves in quest of a valued education in Ingolstadt. When Victor arrives at college he is lonely and finds himself in a new world in which he lives by himself. He than meets

The Nsa Spying Is A Major Issue - 1077 Words

Technology is in everything we do from using our home refrigerator, washer, cell phone, car, and computers. When using certain devices you could potentially pass information out to others pertaining to your personal private information. This information could be bank account and credit card numbers, pins, and or passwords. We unconsciously don’t even realize that we could be sharing this information. We give out information that is randomly requested when we walk into a dentist office or doctor’s office, the local liquor store, or when we are using social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Google. This is all collected, stored, and tracked by the NSA, and what is our government is doing with it is unknown. In today’s world NSA†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The way we’ve explained it to the American people,† he said, â€Å"has gotten them so riled up that nobody told them the facts about the program and the controls that go around it.â €  (Sanger, NY Times) General Alexander explained that the NSA does not research where it isn’t necessary. He said that the NSA only keeps surveillance where it thinks is necessary to defend against attacks and/or security breaches. The Domestic Surveillance Directorate branch of the NSA states that their mission is to collect, process, and store U.S. citizen data for the good of the Nation. The DS is trying to protect U.S. citizens’ information from aliens and terrorists. Their motto is â€Å"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear† which implies that the DS is only collecting information that is beneficial to the security of the Nation and it’s citizens. To further protect the citizens of the United States, the government has funded the building of the $1.5 Billion dollar Utah Data Center. This is the center for a majority of the NSA tracking data. During an interview with the national security expert, Buck Sexton, Sexton stated that à ¢â‚¬Å"NSA derived data has officially been used in a criminal prosecution† (The Blaze). Sexton believes that the NSA, as bad as it may seem in the eyes of the public, has helped prosecute criminals and ward of acts of terrorism in the nation. To represent the sideShow MoreRelatedThe Legality of the NSA Essay1043 Words   |  5 PagesAfter the disclosures by Edward Snowden turned a critical eye to the NSA many people questioned the legality of the acts. The NSA claimed that their work was legal and had prevented many terrorist plots. However, evidence of only four plots was ever found. Even if the acts were founded in law, they still angered large numbers of citizens. Many citizens do not care if the spying is legal, believing that it is morally wrong. Government surveillance organizations have grown to be extremely powerfulRead More1984 Research Paper On 1984 Essay1026 Words   |  5 Pagesof happiness would be demolished. The government should not be able to spy on its citizens because it is a major invasion of privacy, people become fearful of the government, and is a large violation of the rights citizens are permitted. To begin, the government spying its citizens is a major invasion of privacy. The government has plenty of ways to assure citizen’s freedom without spying on them. People are not being granted their true freedom if they are constantly being monitored. The UnitedRead MoreThe National Security Agency ( Nsa ) Is An Intelligence Organization Created By The United States1461 Words   |  6 Pagesand stability of the United States, and spying is nothing new to the world. With the advancement of technology, we are now able to stay connected with each other, while having a plethora of information at our fingertips. This is phenomenal, but dangerous. With the increasing amount of stored data online and the speed at which said data can be transferred, one can only worry that maybe were sharing a little TOO much information. The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence organization createdRead MoreAnalysis Of The Documentary Citizenfour An Hbo Documentary, Directed By Lau ra Poitras1109 Words   |  5 Pagesgovernment spying after the events of 9/11. The NSA or National Security Agency denied accusations of spying on Americans for years. It was’t until 2013 when ex-NSA worker, Edward Snowden, released secret information entailing the real activities of the NSA, involving access to virtually any American’s private life. In Citizenfour, an HBO documentary, directed by Laura Poitras, Edward Snowden contacts Laura under code name, Citizenfour, to share his knowledge on the truth behind government spying. LauraRead MoreAnalysis of Defense Intelligence Agency999 Words   |  4 Pagestry to evaluate DIA’s role in US national security in present condition of massive budget deficits and increased congressional oversight, plus the intelligence capabilities of the Regional Combatant Commanders and the individual services like CIA and NSA. According to one source, after September 11, 2001, intelligence budget grew more. But now we are in another cycle of budget cut again. It is said President Obama proposed the budget amount of $52.6 billion for fiscal year 2013 to fund the NationalRead MoreEthical Issue In Information Systems Essay898 Words   |  4 Pagestablets are public communication. When people type on the keyboard to those devices they need to realize they are putting information into a device. So if a person decides they want to type in strong remarks on particular subjects or comment about an issue; they need to realize it will be visible upon others. There are powerful overhead corporations which looks into people information even if they do not think so. According to (DARPAs Information Awareness Office., 2003), due to terrorism, the InformationRead MoreEthics of Wiretapping1104 Words   |  5 Pagesis not violation of personal liberties and is immoral for the NSA to have access data when your average citizen is not a threat. Not completely following this law pertaining to wiretapping deviates from the natural check and balance system of the federal government. The failure to procure a warrant when wiretapping violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, and provokes media criticism. The National Security Administration (NSA) and other government agencies are required to wiretap only withRead MoreThe Politics of Spying Essay1177 Words   |  5 Pagesessay will consider the politics of spying. It will discuss examples of espionage as well as its necessity. The paper will also debate upon whether spying is an invasion of privacy and there for rights, or not. The essay begins by defining espionage. It offers examples of espionage and how it has been used by different countries in the past as well as how it is increasingly used today on a global scale. The paper concludes by offering the authors comments on spying as well as confirming or disconfirmingRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus Rex 1705 Words   |  7 PagesSnowden is a United States citizen and former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA). Snowden leaked information about the NSA to the media in 2013 and is now in Russia where he was recently granted three years of asylum. The NSA uses cryptology and others forms of information gathering to enable various networks to make advantageous decisions for the Nation and our allies under all circumstances. The NSA operates undetected by civilians, and uses global monitoring so broadly defined that itRead MoreThe Government Places Emphasis On Freedom1382 Words   |  6 Pagesour country’s documents and beliefs, the NSA (National Security Agency) tramples what took years of bloodshed and development to circumvent its citizen’s privacy through surveillance. According to internetworldstats, 13% of American citizens don’t use the internet, meaning that 87% of our population is at risk of surveillance. Therefore, the US Governm ent should tighten laws to restrict or stop NSA surveillance on the public. Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, is a hero in the eyes of many

The Pursuit of Happyness Free Essays

â€Å"The Pursuit of Happyness† The movie it’s about a man called Christopher Gardner that lives with his wife and son in a small apartment. They have a low budget and are going thru a very difficult time economically and it could come to a point where they can lose everything and even get apart. This man invested the family savings in this kind of machines called â€Å"Bone Density scanner’’ thinking he was going to invest and earned a lot of money to maintain his family. We will write a custom essay sample on The Pursuit of Happyness or any similar topic only for you Order Now They thought it was going to be a great result, but it turned out the opposite way. In life not everything that seems bright as gold. The Gardner family where trying to survive the most that they can. While the days were passing it was getting worst and worst. Chris Gardner has big dreams for him and his family but it doesn’t seem to come together for him. This financial thing that were going on suddenly breaks the family starting with troubles in the relationship with his wife that leaves him and his son and moves to New York. His wife wanted to take their son with her because she said that every children should be with their mom, but Christopher said that it’s very true, but he said that he could take better care of him than her because his used to it. After that he loses his wife, lost his bank account, and credit cards. He was searching for jobs all over but he couldn’t find anything, until finally he decided to do an stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter, competing for one career for six months with getting any salary at all with twenty other candidates for that position and only one of them was going to get the job. He was doing the best he could to fight for what he wanted. He was being a father and a mother at the same time it was not easy as it seemed to be. Meanwhile, they were homeless and he was going thru all the difficulties with his son Christopher Jr. Even thou they were struggling Chris was determined to make it and not giving up, in another words with the little that they had they were trying to survive. What it seemed impossible turned possible because after all the hard work and the difficult times that they were going thru, all that turned out to be a wonderful result for their lives because he finally got the job, from all twenty candidates he got to be the chosen one. Chris and his son’s lives change from the darkness past to a brightness present. In conclusion, this movie it’s amazing and great. It inspired me a lot because it teach me that no matter what are you going thru or what you face in life there’s nothing impossible and giving up is not an option. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what it matters it’s how many times you stand up and keep moving forward. Life could give you so many challenges, but it’s up to you how you decided to face it and deal with it and besides that it’s the result that you are going to obtain. These words of the movie â€Å"Don’t ever let somebody tell you†¦You can’t do something† â€Å"You got a dream†¦ you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you, you can’t do it. If you want something go get it. Period† they inspired me a lot because you can’t let anyone bring you down and tell you that you’re a nobody and that you can’t do anything just because they haven’t gotten what they wanted or their dreams come true. We have to stand up, be strong, and demonstrate that we are better than them and that we could do anything that step in our ways without the help of anybody. I leave with this saying â€Å"What it looks impossible for man, it’s possible for God†. How to cite The Pursuit of Happyness, Papers The Pursuit of Happyness Free Essays Social stereotypes and Happiness The Pursuit of Happyness 11/21/2012 Instructor: Prof. Kristin Little Author: Tareq Naseer Alsamarh Social stereotypes and happiness The story of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino portrays a family who struggles with finding enough money to pay taxes and afford living expenses. The movie takes a place in San Francisco during the 80s. We will write a custom essay sample on The Pursuit of Happyness or any similar topic only for you Order Now The two main characters are the father Chris Gardner and his son Christopher, Will Smith and Jaden Smith respectively. Gardner tries to support his family. But every time he attempts to make things better, they always end up worse. Gardner in the story wonders on â€Å"how to be happy? † He earns his money by selling the bone density scanners; however, those scanners do not make enough money for him, and sometimes he finds it hard to even sell a single scanner. So he ends up with his son living on the street after his wife, Linda, goes to New York. The movie delivers a message of pursuing happiness and the impact of social stereotypes through many scenes that show how personality, fatherhood, family, home and homelessness affect on the degree of happiness. Gardner in the movie has a nice personality that makes people treat him with respect. When Gardner walks on the street and looks at people, he thinks that all of them are happy. He then starts thinking that if he cultivates  this happiness and provides the best to his family, he would have a better life. Chris says â€Å"I still remember that moment, they all looked so damn happy to me, why couldn’t I look like that† (Pursuit). This is a stereotype in social judgment that Gardner thinks about the people around Dean Witter Company because he generalizes that all people are happy near that company. Gardner decides to get a job in Dean Witter. During the meeting for his internship, Gardner was not wearing formal clothes. They ask their colleague about Chris’s clothes, and how Gardner usually dresses. He, the manager, replies that Gardner is always neat and wears a tie and a pant. Wearing formal and clean clothes gives people who see Gardner a good impression about him. Gardner has a great personality that shows how his qualities give him the ability to easily get along with others. Specifically, Chris’s personality –confidence, aspiration and hope– has a significant impact on his life that gives him the opportunity to achieve the happiness he wants. Having those qualities have a significant impact on someone’s happiness in a positive way. People think that Gardner is happy because in the outside, he smiles. Even though when he is not happy, people ask him â€Å"How are you? † he replies â€Å"I am fine. Everything is okay. † When Gardner goes to sell his scanners, he thinks that people smile because they are satisfied in their life. People ask for help from others who are more educated, and those who have more experience in their lives. Gardner asks the director of Dean Witter about what he does because he looks happy and rich; and Gardner wants to know the secret so he can get what he wants. Here, where Gardner’s life turns after deciding to become a Stockbroker. One of the most touching speeches and scenes in the movie that shows how fathers advise their children is when Chris goes with his son, Christopher, to a basketball court. During that time, while the son plays, the father looks at him and says: â€Å"I wanted to be a good basketball player but it did not go as I want it. † Christopher then feels unhappy, discouraged, throwing the basketball with anger and sadness in his face. Then the father says, â€Å"Do not ever let somebody tell you that you cannot do something, not even me. Alright? You got a dream, you got to protect it. If you want something, go get it, period† (The Pursuit of Happyness). The message tells us that there are people who will discourage us from achieving something that they cannot or could not achieve. The scene here is a father giving serious advice to his son that he can carry along with his life to fight for his own dreams and pursue what he wants. Like mothers, fathers have a lot of practical advice to give and say to their children. In another perspective, fatherhood for Gardner is like a job for him. Because he loses his wife, he needs to provide joy, fun and help for his son Christopher which is not an easy job to do. Those fathers, who spend more time with their children, have a better life than others who spend most of their time working and gaining money. However, being a father as a single parent like Chris gives him the enthusiasm to do his best and replace his wife’s role to have a better life with his son. Yet, this decreases the happiness that Gardner possesses. According to Scott Coltrane, a sociologist at the University of California, points out that â€Å"Father’s style of parenting has changed too. Fathers are beginning to look more like mothers† (qtd. in Cullen and Grossman). Before Linda leaves the family, she works double shifts to make more money to afford the living expenses and to help her husband. So Chris is the one who takes more care of their son than the mother, Linda. Gardner seems to be happier being close to his son. There are many scenes in the movie that show how Gardner and Christopher are happy of being together. Nonetheless, there is only one scene that Christopher not even misses his mother; instead he asks â€Å"did mom leave because of me? (The Pursuit of Happyness). This indicates that Gardner does a great job of being a single parent that makes his son, not remembering his mother. For fathers, home is a place where they can rest, study, work and play; and for children, a home is a place where they can sleep and feel warm and safe. During the movie, Chris and his son never stay at the same place where they can sleep and rest. The son says to his da d â€Å"I am tired, I want to go home,† and the father replies â€Å"I know son, I know† (Pursuit). This scene is a heart-breaking. Even though that Chris and his son have been kicked from their apartment and then from a hotel and end up in a bathroom then to a homeless shelter, he never gives up. Instead, it makes him work harder and take every opportunity he finds to provide the best to him and to his son. In San Francisco, they have shelters for homeless people where they can sleep for a night. Chris and Christopher go to the Shelter before 5 p. m or they will not have a place to sleep. Here becomes a problem which means that San Francisco lacks of providing enough homes and funds for homeless people. On the other hand, many homeless in San Francisco do not go to shelters. They consider it a dirty and unsafe place to sleep in. A chronicle staff writer, Kevin Fagan writes, â€Å"For many regular inhabitants, shelters are a warm place to sleep, a solid meal to eat and a chance to meet with friends† (Fagan). Yet, the homeless who refuse to go say that everything is not in a safe place is stolen. In a relation to the movie, Gardner and his son, when they get into a shelter to sleep, they have their own room which means that they are in a safe place. Their bags and clothes are under their sight, so it is hard to be stolen from them. Nevertheless, going to a shelter does not raise Gardner’s happiness but it is, at least, a place where they can sleep which is better than to be on the street or in an underground restroom. San Francisco, where the movie takes place, has a high rate of homelessness. Because the city does not have a comprehensive plan to cover all the expenses of homeless people, they reside on the streets. â€Å"The only solution is getting the homeless into a supportive housing and counseling to cure the joblessness,† Philippe Bourgois addresses (qtd. in Fagan). In the movie, many homeless go to shelters to get a room to sleep. Nevertheless, only few of them get into the shelters because there are not enough rooms for all of them. Chris and his son have to catch the bus to be able to arrive at the right time to get into one of the shelters or they would end up on the street. The reason is because Gardner and other people do not have jobs to cover their homes expenses and taxes. Those shelters are free but only provide a short term solution. If the San Francisco government keeps doing that, the problem will never be solved unless they find a better and comprehensive solution to solve homelessness and joblessness. The movie in general shows that the happiest people are the rich ones, and the poor people have hard time living their lives. Money equals happiness is not the message of the movie. Instead, it shows two principles that could provide and increase the degree of happiness: having a nice personality and being a part of a family plays a significant role in someone’s happiness. In addition, having a well-being relationship with people and getting a job to make enough money to live is also called happiness for some people. Gardner says when he gets the job at Dean-Witter â€Å"This part of life is called happiness† (Pursuit). He says that because he can now take care of himself and his son to have a better and more secure life. Works Cited Cullen, Takeuchi, and Lev Grossman. â€Å"Fatherhood 2. 0. † Time. com. 4 Oct. 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. Fagan, Kevin. â€Å"Shame of the City. † SFGate. 2-3 Dec. 2003. Web. 19 Nov. 2012 http://www. sfgate. com/news/article/SHAME-OF-THE-CITY-THE-BEST-INTENTIONS-The-2547229. php#photo-2685180 The pursuit of happyness. Dir. Garbiel Muccino. Perf. Will Smith, and  Jaden Smith. Columbia Pictures, 2006. Film. http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668449,00. html How to cite The Pursuit of Happyness, Essay examples

Medieval vs Renaissance Corruption in the Church. Essay Example For Students

Medieval vs Renaissance: Corruption in the Church. Essay The Medieval times and the Renaissance each had their separate views of humanism. The Renaissance rejected all beliefs and ideas that the Medieval times had developed. Medieval times thought that the human body and individualism were sinful while Renaissance thinkers said that individualism should be glorified. The main complaints made against the church were corruption and hypocrisy within the clergy. These complaints reflected the Renaissance ideas of individualism in that the clergy thought that it was k to use explore the attributes of the human mind. Individual power and accomplishment was enjoyed and seen as good. Members of the Catholic clergy were financially, politically and socially corrupt. The abuses of clerical power and privileges by the clergy spanned all parts of their daily lives. The daily lives of the Catholic clergy were filled with intemperance and overindulgence. Their financial, political and social corruptions made it practically impossible to serve their positions truly. In essence, the clergy almost wasnt even really clergy at all. They were Just ordinary people in religious clothing. Perhaps the most interesting of the clerical corruptions are the social ones. It has already been addressed that the vow of poverty had been broken in half, smashed and ground into the dirt. People were refused a stately funeral and sometimes denied burial on account of their poverty level (Rogers pig 380). The status of their vow of chastity was in even worse condition. The clergys social corruption was that it was too social. Clerics focused more on their public status than on their congregations which goes back to the Renaissance idea of individual glory. They openly drank, owned private property, slept in, slept around and pretty much ignored their religious obligations. Medieval beliefs about the human body were that the flesh is sinful and should not be seen or touched. The clergy obviously thought differently about the human body and leaned more towards the Renaissance ideas. The political issues of the clergy were seated in their lust for power and money and their variety of privileges. The sale of church offices had a lot to do with the political corruption. Important, as well as insignificant offices were offered up to the highest bidders. Once the Jobs had been filled, the appointees created more new offices to sell for profit. The practice of creating new offices as a fund-raiser is most documented with the popes. Alexander VI created eighty previously non-existent offices, each going for a price of about 19,000 dollars apiece. Julius II and Leo X created similar numbers of offices, which would run at about the same prices. Alexander also had a soft spot for his friends children. For them he arranged significant marriages and named one a cardinal. The clergy was notorious for sucking money out of the people any way they could. They were known to have sold false relics to unsuspecting believers, passing animal difficult because clergy often served as local officials, including those in charge of collecting taxes. However, it was blatantly obvious that the cash was going to the clergy, who were becoming worldlier by the day. Even the papacy, the highest representative of Gods church on Earth, had become almost mortally corrupted. Pope Clement Vics luxurious court and gorgeous retinue were those of a secular prince, not a prince of the church. Another grievance that eventually became a driving force behind the Reformation, was the sale of indulgences. Priests are authorized to absolve a confessor from the guilt and punishment of sins in hell, but not from earthly penance. If all penances are not performed, the balance would have to be paid in purgatory, a kind of temporary hell. The indulgence began to replace prayer, pilgrimage and alms as penance to escape a short piece of their term in purgatory