Christianity vs. Entrapment in OConnor Wise Blood Essay -- OConnor W

Christianity vs. Entrapment in O'Connor's Wise Blood      Ã‚  Ã‚   In "The Cage of Matter: The World as Zoo in Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood," William Rodney Allen addresses the "reverse evolution" of Enoch Emery and the "inverted quest for salvation" of Hazel Motes, suggesting a parallel between the two main characters of O'Connor's novel which reinforces its theme of the utter hopelessness of those who reject or mock Christ. Allen shows that O'Connor describes the spiritually devoid characters in her book in animal-like terms, equating faithless humans with soulless animals. The essay further asserts that O'Connor uses the zoo as a metaphor for a physical world that entraps those without spirituality. Indeed, the novel shows a world of madness, seemingly empty of values and without meaning, which becomes a prison for those who can find no enlightenment. However, O'Connor herself once stated that "Wise Blood is a very hopeful book." This statement, along with the fact of her devout Catholicism, illuminates O'Connor's theme of Christia nity as a prerequisite for enlightenment and deli...

Cultural identity Essay

According to Bloch, the ultrasocial and communicative nature of the human species makes the desire for a unique sense of belonging a deep-seated need. Identification with a particular community, whether it is a distinct cultural identity or a subculture of socio-political beliefs helps fulfill this need. This is not to say the desire for cultural identity rests on the same psychological drive or libidinal charge that powers fashion or gestation. It is important to distinguish that need from these desires, as cultures are not mere surface properties distinguished only by flavor and aesthetics, instead they arise naturally from the unique properties of the geography that spawn them. Archaeologist Paul Bidwell notes that the success of many empires such as those of the Roman Empire quite possibly has more to do with their ability to accommodate diverging cultures. Areas which were successfully Romanized such as southern Britannia were won over by inviting the ruling classes to dinner, while Celtic chiefs disinterested in Roman culture were never successfully incorporated into the pre-modern proto-melting pot that was the Roman Empire. In essence, Bidwell asserts that the Roman Empire’s assimilation policy rested entirely on a principle of minimizing the amount of intervention necessary to secure imperial interests such as the food supply provided by Egyptian agriculture, limiting their actions entirely to structured forms of co-optation: legislation, taxes and the requisitioning of goods. Bloch concurs, noting that when an empire begins to disrupt the social fabric of a culture, that trouble begins. This is not unlike the present state of the â€Å"accidental empire† of the United States, which as a melting pot (or salad bowl, depending on who you ask) is remarkably tolerant of other cultures to the extent that it does not threaten the status quo. Globalization permits the fulfillment of the desire for individual cultural belonging by making all sorts of cultural identities permissible by amplifying their importance in relation to an American past that had previously been subject to the hegemony of European culture. Because cultural diversity is now more relevant to the economic and political concerns of the United States, they are now considered more relevant to individuals by making the range of identity expression more permissible. If the United States is the Roman Empire, then it has now begun to realize that it is no longer practical to keep the cultures of Celts and Egyptians at arm’s length. For example, European culture’s relationship with the United States resembles that of the relationship between Greek culture to the Roman Empire, while many other cultures stand in for the Celts which are largely held up as valuable assets to be accommodated into a global economy that has been enabled by digital telecommunications technologies. Jerry Mander argues that whatever criticisms can be leveled against free trade agreements and other means by which nation states and transnational corporations exert commercial and political hegemony, these acts are merely external homogenization processes, and as such, a truly efficient and successful homogenization of culture relies on the ever expanding range of communication technologies such as TV and the Internet. Global telecommunications are in essence, internal homogenization forces that â€Å"speak directly into the minds of people everywhere, imprinting them with a unified pattern of thought, a unified set of imagery and ideas, a single framework of understanding for how life should be lived, thus carrying the homogenization and commodification mandate directly inside the brain. † For example, Todd Gitlin argues that the increasing influence of Hollywood on the international film market have essentially rewritten the parameters by which filmmakers produce their films, effectively washing away the paradigms of filmmaking that are unique to various cultures as well as reengineering local tastes. Gitlin does not suggest that differences in cultural content have been eradicated, but rather, the models and designs of American entertainment have become the most far-flung, successful and consequential. However, Soraj Hongladarom does defend the idea that digital telecommunications do not necessarily erode notions of local culture, presenting an example in which one thrives in spite of globalizing effects of such. In an examination of Thai based newsgroup culture, he notes that the Internet replicates the heterogeneity of local cultures using it, rather than subsuming them into one homogenous whole. Hongladarom thus concludes that what the Internet does, is create an â€Å"umbrella culture† under which disparate cultures can communicate: â€Å"Thai attitudes toward the CMC technologies, especially the Internet, seem to show that the technologies only serve as a means that makes communication possible, communication which would take place anyway in some other form if not on the Internet †¦ Cyberspace mirrors real space, and vice versa. † Works Cited Bidwell, Paul. Roman Forts in Britain. Wiltshire: English Heritage, 2007. Gitlin, Todd. Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives. New York: Henry Holy and Company, 2002. Hongladarom, Soraj. â€Å"Global Culture, Local Cultures and the Internet: The Thai Example. †C. Ess and F. Sudweeks (eds). Proceedings Cultural Attitudes Towards Communication and Technology ’98, University of Sydney, Australia, 231-245. Retrieved May 6, 2008 at: http://www. it. murdoch. edu. au/~sudweeks/catac98/pdf/19_hongladarom. pdf Mander, Jerry. â€Å"The Homogenization of Global Consciousness: Media, Telecommunications and Culture. † Lapis Magazine. Retrieved on May 6, 2006 from: http://www. lapismagazine. org/index. php? option=com_content&task=view&id=120&Itemid=2

Critical Analysis: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay

In this love story written by Zora Neale Hurston, we find out that the main character, Janie saw her life as a great tree filled with many trials and tribulations. â€Å"Their eyes were watching God† was written from a woman’s point of view to tell the story of a woman desperately searching for true love and fulfilment. Janie Crawford grew up with her grandmother who forced her to marry at the age of seventeen to ensure a better life for herself. Logan Killicks was an established potato farmer and he was more than twice Janie’s age. He used her for slavery but Janie refused to accept this lifestyle. See more: how to write a critical analysis essay step by step One day she met a tall handsome man name Joe Starks and ran off with him to Florida. There he established and became the mayor of a small town called Eatonville. This relationship was one of possession and power and Janie was denied any interaction with others in the town. Janie was his trophy wife; she was only allowed to work in their store until Joe became sick and died. Janie then met and fell in love with a young man called Tea Cake. He loved her and took her on picnics, hunting, fishing and dancing. Both, Tea Cake and Janie worked together on the â€Å"muck†, on a field picking crops. On a tragic trip to the Everglades, a hurricane came and Tea Cake was bitten by a wild dog while trying to save Janie and contracted rabies. In his last few months, Tea Cake began to lose his mind and tried to kill Janie so she was forced to take his life. No one could replace Tea Cake, so after his death Janie returned to Eatonville to work in her store. When she returned, people assumed that Tea Cake had run off with her money, but Janie did not care because finally she had experienced true love. The purpose of this book is to tell the story of a woman’s search for true love. In her pursuit of love, she experienced relationships based on confinement and possession, persons who only saw her as a slave and a trophy wife. All Janie ever wanted was someone to love and appreciate her as an individual and as an equal. Eventually, this was achieved when she met Tea Cake. The writer uses many techniques to engage and capture her audience’s interest on this journey of true love, independence and fulfilment. Throughout the novel, the writer uses an ironic tone. After Janie’s first relationship as a slave she found herself in another controlling relationship with Joe Starks unintentionally. Although Tea Cake allowed Janie her freedom at first once competition presented itself he took on a possessive and controlling role also, â€Å"Tea Cake had a brainstorm. Before the week was over he had whipped Janie. Not because her behaviour justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. † It was also ironic that at Joe’s funeral she was not sad or hopeless as the wife would normally be, but instead she felt strong and free, â€Å"Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist†. Hurston also used dialect to make the story and characters more real to the reader. Words such as ‘wuz’, ‘dat’, ‘mah’, ‘dey’ and wid showed the culture and spirit of the characters and made the story believable. Once I was comfortable reading the dialect, it was easy relating to the characters as their emotions were evident based on their unique expressions. Hurston’s use of figurative language was remarkable where she brilliantly used a metaphor to describe Janie’s life. â€Å"Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered. Things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches. These words describe the ups and downs in Janie’s life, the things she did and those she wished she could have done. Dawn represents the new things she experienced and the brighter days that she had to look toward and doom were the trials and sad times in life that she faced. This created a summary of everything Janie faced in life for the reader and was effective in relating to the character and her feelings. Hurston used imagery to characterize and distinguish between men and women in. She compares the dreams of men to ships. She says â€Å"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. † She then goes on to say â€Å"Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly. She believes men and women dream differently. Men set their sights on things they will most likely never accomplish. If they fail, they pack their bags and forget about it, they don’t keep striving to achieve it. Women on the other hand have their sights set on dreams that are realistic and they don’t just wait for their ship to dock, they â€Å"act and do things accordingly†. This idea is represented with all three relationships Janie has in the novel. First she marries Logan, with the hope that her dreams of love and prosperity can be fulfilled. Unfortunately this did not work. Then Janine marries Joe Starks, but feels no real love for him. Then Janne meets Tea Cake. He fulfills her dream of love, and is the only person that makes that dream come true for her. The most prevalent theme presented in the novel is love and friendship. Tea Cake loves Janie and wants her to be happy. He’s the only one who gives Janie the freedom to be who she is, not who someone wanted her to be. All of Janie’s life she was hidden behind a mask that only was taken off with Tea Cake’s love. â€Å"He drifted into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place. † After Tea Cake’s death, Janie did not feel alone. Tea Cake had given so much love to Janie that would last her whole life. â€Å"He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Tea Cake’s death freed Janie for her searching was finally complete. The writer also uses the flashback method, she begins the story with the end of Janie’s journey, when she is back at home and then tells her friend Phoebe her life’s story leading up to her returning home. This was an effective technique because it showed the process and struggle some endure during the pursuit of happiness. Overall the writer was effective in achieving her purpose. Hurston gives her readers the tools to understanding Janie’s motivation with meaningful patterns of metaphors and symbols that deliberately guide readers through Janie’s experiences. The novel invoked many feelings, such as sympathy and concern for the way she was treated, and sadness and struggle this intelligent beautiful woman had to endure. In short, Janie struggles, Janie submits, Janie silences herself, but Janie grows. By the end of the story, I, as a reader, am her best friend Pheoby, sitting on that porch with her and listening her to tale. I understand her insecurities, I feel her pain, and I am able to share in her joy as she was able to experience true happiness and find fulfilment. This novel is so relevant to society because it sends a strong message to women who are still victims of battered relationships, women who feel weak and are struggling to make a failing situation work. This novel serves as empowerment, showing us that we should not be afraid to pursue other relationships if the current one doesn’t bring the happiness that is desired. It teaches that life is a journey filled with ups and downs, but it is up to us to determine our happiness as Janie did. Also it cautions us to be careful with whom we choose to love.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Essay Example

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Essay Example The Unbearable Lightness of Being Paper The Unbearable Lightness of Being Paper The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a film set in 1968 Prague, is a story of a love triangle between three main characters: Tomas, Teresa, and Sabina. Tomas and Sabina have always had a sort of love between one another as they have been making love quite some time, while Tomas also has Teresa, whom he meets on a trip out of town, and soon marries. The couples battle this love for one another, knowing that there is something deeper within this love triangle. Tomas, a surgeon living in Prague, is a persistent womanizer, unable to resist his unending stream of meaningless sexual flings with multiple and yet anonymous women. Tomas has his way with women, and having such good looks, he doesn’t have a hard time getting their attention and convincing them to take off their clothes. Tomas doesn’t have a desire or tendency to change throughout the film. There are points that Tomas gives the suggests that he is going to put away his womanizing ways and be with Teresa, the one who he is married to, yet in the end, he still has the two women, Teresa and Sabina. Tomas is happy with his sexual flings with Sabina and his unending love with Teresa. Teresa, characterizing herself as weak, is in love with Tomas. She doesn’t condemn Tomas for his adultery once they are married, even though she knows it is going on. She looks to Tomas as stronger than her, and Teresa envies what Tomas has with these women. Teresa makes the statement that she wants to understand what Tomas feels when he is making love to other women. Teresa changes continuously through the course of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, as she is forced to recognize the impossibility of her youthful dreams. Teresa comes to admire her adversary Sabina and feels Sabinas powerful sensuality; although she knows Sabina is Tomass beloved mistress. Just as Tomas must question his lightness, Teresa must also question her heaviness. Sabina, in contrast, represents extreme lightness of being. Faced with the ugliness and kitsch early in life, from her fathers repressive masculine home to the oppressive art styles pressed at her art school, Sabina declares war on the ugly and unoriginal through her paintings and lifestyle. The love affair Tomas and Sabina share is due to their mutual lightness. Teresa draws the attention from the moment she steps on the scene. Teresa is a unique character who only loves Tomas. Tomas is completely betraying the commitment made with Teresa through marriage as he chooses to continue in sexual acts with Sabina. One can sympathize with Teresa and her desire to be the only thing Tomas wants. Teresa dreams that Tomas drags her into a room as he is making love with Sabina and forces her to watch. Though Teresa suggests that this is what she wants, it is apparent she doesn’t really. Teresa only wants Tomas to want her completely and not desire other women. Tomas, as the womanizer, battles with the desire to be with Sabina, but to still love Teresa. It is apparent that Tomas truly loves and cares for Teresa, and this can be a redeeming characteristic, but the idea that he is not willing to let go of Sabina completely for his wife is a let-down. It is interesting how these characters, though so far apart, come together in the end. Teresa and Tomas have an emotional bond while Sabina and Tomas only have a physical bond. Tomas and Sabina do not share the same bond emotionally that Teresa and Tomas share. Tomas can only have sex with a woman and then leave, but when Teresa comes to Tomas’ house, she sleeps over. Tomas obviously has let his guard from women down at this point because the feelings he feels for Teresa are more than just sexual desires. Whereas, when Tomas and Sabina participate in sexual acts, the bowler hat plays a key role. Without the hat, Tomas and Sabina don’t engage in sex. The scene when Tomas visits Sabina at her house and goes to leave, but turns around to see Sabina with the hat on which instantly makes him want to be with her, proves the connection is through the erotic toys and not true love. A connection between Teresa and Sabina begins when Teresa visits Sabina for her photo shoot. Near the end of the shoot there is a physical bond between Teresa and Sabina, when they are both naked playing around with one another. When Teresa enters Sabina’s home, she knows that there are sexual things going on between Sabina and Tomas, and when she sees the unmade bed, it is at that point very clear to her. Sabina and Teresa share a physical touch during this scene that really defines the love triangle. Though Tomas, Sabina, and Teresa never interact as a group, their interactions play on one another. Teresa knows that Tomas is sexually active with other women and Sabina is suspected. This interaction between Tomas and Sabina affects the marriage between Teresa and Tomas as they try to have a marriage based on one another, but can’t since Tomas is looking outside of the marriage for sexual desires. When Teresa and Tomas pick out the puppy together, this puppy is a representation of their marriage together. They have a living thing bonding them together, such as children. This puppy is important in the relationship between Tomas and Teresa throughout the film, and in the end we see the death of the puppy and how that simple thing brings Tomas and Teresa together. Teresa and Tomas are married, Tomas and Sabina are lovers, and a slight relationship between Teresa and Sabina is addressed. This is interesting how three people can carry on such an intense relationship and not have extreme jealousy over one another. Teresa is the most interesting character in this film. Teresa knows the true meaning of life and she understands the beauty in life. Teresa connects with her photography in a way that reveals the essence and beauty behind everyday life. When Teresa takes pictures at the invasion, the pictures are of what is going on. Each individual photo has a purpose and a deep meaning other than the invasion. Teresa knows that she loves Tomas, but she learns that she can’t depend on him completely, that is why she leaves and returns home. Teresa says that she is a burden on Tomas and just a heavy weight on him. She sees how free and light Tomas takes his life, and she knows she is not that way. Teresa cherishes the simple things in life, such as her photography. Teresa falls instantly in love with Tomas because he is reading a novel when he enters the cafe. Growing up with a vulgar mother and in a town where no one reads, Teresa sees the book as a symbol or a way that she can recognize and relate with Tomas in a way that she can’t anyone else. The book remains their point of connection, as they name their dog, their only mutual possession and responsibility, after a character in the book Teresa was reading the first day they were together. Teresa notices the small things and cherishes it all. Teresa looks at life as something much more worthy than Tomas, who cherishes women and who he is going to get to take off their clothes next. Teresa catches an eye in the film and keeps the audience interested in her the entire time. The audience can relate to her feelings in a way that is more difficult to do so with Tomas and Sabina. Teresa is the most appealing character and views life as worthy and cherished other than disposable and worthless. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a film of a very intense love triangle between three characters in Prague, is filled with symbols of love, adultery, and emotion. The film is a discussion of lightness versus heaviness and which role each character has against the other. The sexuality in the film is never too much because without it the film would be meaningless and serve no purpose. Though sometimes the audience doesn’t understand the purpose of the sex in any given scene, there is deeper meaning behind it.

Northern Arizona NAU Admissions and Acceptance Rate

Northern Arizona NAU Admissions and Acceptance Rate With an acceptance rate of 78  percent, Northern Arizona University (NAU) is generally accessible to most. Students, in order to apply, will need to submit an application (which can be completed online) and official high school transcripts. While the school is test-optional, students interested in scholarship opportunities may be required to submit SAT or ACT scores. For complete guidelines and instructions, be sure to visit Northern Arizonas website, or get in touch with an admissions counselor. Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2016) Northern Arizona University Acceptance Rate: 78%GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for NAU AdmissionsNorthern Arizona University Has Test-Optional AdmissionsBig Sky Conference SAT score comparisonSAT comparison for Arizona collegesACT comparison for Arizona collegesBig Sky Conference ACT score comparison Northern Arizona University Description Founded in 1899, Northern Arizona University is a large public university whose 738-acre campus is located in  Flagstaff, Arizona, and the school also has many satellite campuses. NAU  can boast that it is closer to the Grand Canyon than any other university. Students come from 50 states and 70 countries, and they can choose from 91 undergraduate degree programs and 60 graduate degree programs offered through the universitys seven colleges. Education and business are both extremely popular among undergraduates. The university has a 18 to 1  student/faculty ratio  and an average class size of 28. In athletics, the NAU Lumberjacks compete in the NCAA Division I  Big Sky Conference. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 30,361  (26,500 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 41% Male / 59% Female81% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17) Tuition and Fees: $10,764 (in-state); $24,144 (out-of-state)Books: $1,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $9,872Other Expenses: $4,850Total Cost: $26,486 (in-state); $39,866 (out-of-state) Northern Arizona University Financial Aid (2015  - 16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 92%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 86%Loans: 52%Average Amount of AidGrants: $9,222Loans: $6,122 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Business Administration, Criminology, Elementary Education, Liberal Arts, Management, Nursing, Psychology, Special EducationWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 76%4-Year Graduation Rate: 36%6-Year Graduation Rate: 53% Intercollegiate Athletics Mens Sports: basketball, cross country, football, tennis, track fieldWomens Sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track field, volleyball Data Source National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Northern Arizona University, You May Also Like These Schools Arizona State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Arizona: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Oregon: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Nevada Los Angeles: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Southern California: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphColorado State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of New Mexico: ProfileSan Diego State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCSU Long Beach: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphWashington State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 16

Business - Essay Example There are many things wrong with the IT department throughout the company. Because, the company acquired many other companies during the 1990s, the company lost touch with the IT department. Because, prior too now the company lacked a Chief Information Officer (CIO) the company has had a haphazard IT department. The current position of the IT department is the possible cause of lost revenue the company has been faced with. Only after Horizon 2000 was implemented was it discovered that it is almost impossible for someone in Detroit, Michigan to adequately receive information from someone working for the company in Taiwan. If the company cannot adequately, and efficiently share information throughout the company, the company will begin to lose revenue. The company loses revenue through the loss of accounts. The company loses accounts, because orders are being shipped untimely. Only when the company begins to implement a new Information Technology department will the company began to prosper again. The competitors have an advantage over the company, because the competitors have their IT departments organized. The competitors do not necessarily have more accounts than MDCM; but the competitors do have an advantage over the company; because, these companies are able to share information on a timely basis. Because, the competitors can share information on a timely basis, the competitors are able to fill customers’ orders in a timely manner. If MDCM were able to fill customer orders in a timely manner, MDCM may have an advantage over the competitors. When MDCM lost those four counts within 12 months, the company not only lost revenue, but the company lost these accounts competitors. When Max McMullen as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MDCM in 2000 he discovered some of the sales staff were competing against each other for the same account, MDCM, Inc. Information technology strategy synchronization, (4). This is why him McMullen decided to implement Horizon

Advertising in the 21st century unit 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising in the 21st century unit 8 - Essay Example This kind of media can help to pull in peoples imaginations. This is the best way to enable people interact intellectually with the services being offered, hence there is likelihood Emirates Airline Services will be in top of mind when customers require flight services. However, unlike television, the radio is just background noise heard while at work or when driving. It is also expensive as compared to media such as the internet. Thirdly, Emirates Airline use company publications. The publications include newsletters and magazines. Unlike other forms of media, which have risen in prices, publications are within the scope of affordability. They have permanence unlike the television, and radio and enable people to refer to the advert when confirming company phone numbers or even a website. The advert must be good and attractive to capture people’s attention. It is also available to smaller number of people. Fourthly, the company uses the internet as a form of advertisement. Use of search engine advertising using the organization’s website has grown rapidly. It is the fastest growing sector in the advertising industry. Potential customers visit search engine in search of different products and services on organization’s websites. In using this form of media, Emirates Airline will be able to operate 24 hours and 7days a week. Internet reaches customers worldwide. Organization’s internet adverts remain for quite sometime without change. To amend organization site and advert is simple and faster. However online marketing is not free as an organization may imagine. The cost of software, hardware, web site design, online distribution costs and maintenance is costly. The most effective media used by Emirates Airline is advertising using the internet. The advert is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Further, their customers are worldwide and internet makes it possible to access them. Furthermore, internet