Escape from reality Essay Example for Free

Escape from reality Essay Why do the Poor Relation and Walter Mitty choose to escape from reality in the way they do? How successful are they? Michael, in the Poor Relations story, escapes from his reality and lives in life where he has no regrets and where everything has happened the way he wanted it to. Walter Mitty on the other hand escapes into a reality where he is not a shy, incompetent man, but a hero in many aspects of life. In this world of his he is respected and brave. Michael seems to be an escapist because it is a better life and he can forget about his poverty; Walter does it to seem a better man in his own eyes and to get away from his bossy, inconsiderate wife. Michael lives in the 19th century where poverty is rife in England and does not have a job, L. 38 on pretence of going to business, L. 44 I get through the day. We learn he is unbusiness-like. We can see how he is poor as he names prices showing he worries over having too little money, For example on L. 45 of one and threepence. On the other hand Walter Mitty lives in the 1940s where he has a home and car and does not feel poverty and does not starve. He has a home and wife and a puppy. Buying things is not such a problem, L. 91 weekly trips to town. He seems to live the life of the post-war USA The American Dream of prosperity and ownership. This shows us that men of their type can exist regardless of time and place. Michael does not have many friends, and this is mentioned many times, L. 56 I am avoided, l 60 I am not an attractive companion. He tells us that he is odd and failed to find a place and was superfluous in L. 106 and 107. He has one friend in the world, Little Frank, his nephew who is still a child. They are very similar in the way that they are forgotten in a crowd, L. 64. In L. 76 it shows that Frank will probably grow up in the same way Michael has and have a peculiar position in the family. With Walter Mitty the author never mentions that he does not have any friends but he seems to be very shy when talking to other people. For example when he is talking to the parking lot attendant he uses monosyllabic words showing that he does not talk to people regularly and seems ill at ease when forced to communicate. Michael was very un-business like and trustworthy in his early youth and made many mistakes; for this reason he is living in a life of pretence where he has not made the mistakes and everything has worked out for the best. Mitty does not tell us much about his past although we can see that his wife is very domineering over him and does not let him do anything for himself. For example when he is trying to remember what she has told him to buy on L. 90 it says she had told him twice, and then later in L. 160 she asks him Did you get the puppy biscuits? We gain an impression that she is continually checking up on him, allowing him no chance to act independently. Michael seems more aware that he does live in a different life as he can describe his regular routine to his family. Mitty seems to be slipping into daydreams all the time, but they are never the same and he just feels that he is thinking, line 161. His daydreams provide variety, whereas Michaels provide the stability of routine. Michael would probably not want to change his life, as he seems quite content. It would be very hard for him to change his life now, as he says in his letter to Little Frank in line 108 I failed to find my place in this great assembly. He has not found his goal in life and he says I am better off out of it, L. 109. It would be very hard for Michael to change as he lives in poverty in a nineteenth century where progress is slow to come. In the last paragraph of the story a member of the family asks him about the castle in a grave, kind voice. This shows that the family is listening to him and maybe what he said actually touched them and they will be kinder to him in the future. Perhaps it is too late to change towards him, but his sacrifice will be rewarded in the future. Walter Mitty has other options in twentieth century USA, and perhaps with his final words to his wife, Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking L. 162, he might be changing to a new future. Michael describes four dreams he has. The first two were with Christiana and John Spatter showing how they struck by him and did not abandon him. With Christiana it is very romantic and she devotes herself to him in L. 218 My dear Michael, I have given you my heart and I have pledged to be your wife. With John he says Now, my good friend, let there, under these friendly circumstances, be a right understanding between us. In these two dreams he amends the pasts so he can go on living in his head without the feeling of regret. The other two daydreams are about his life and his average daydreams about his grandchildren and going to the theatre. These are not described in detail and are only to give a brief outline of his thoughts and the way he has coped in his years of poverty. His dreams are pieces of misty idealism, romantic worlds. Walter Mittys daydreams are very detailed and are often triggered by something. For example his second dream was triggered when his wife tells him to go and see Dr Renshaw. From this he starts to dream where Dr Renshaw is a world class surgeon in L. 66 Renshaw said nervously If you would take over Mitty and Mitty saves the day in lines 39 69. Mitty has many dreams throughout the day, all about different things but all in which he is a key character and the hero. During the story he has five dreams where he is a Commander of a Navy hydroplane, a world class surgeon, a firearms expert, a Captain and a brave prisoner about to be shot. He uses the correct jargon even if he does not know what the real words are he makes up ones that are similar and they fit in well. He uses his own idiolect in his daydreams such as sounds like pocketa, which is in a lot of the dreams. He has very detailed thinking and thinks like a novelist in the way he imagines things. He is an omniscient narrator in the way he knows everything, e. g. in the first daydream he knows what the crew says. He seems to get his knowledge from films and maybe from books. The main genre is crime and action. Michaels dreams seem to be although less detailed, more realistic as we can imagine this happening, him sitting down watching his grandchildren playing. Compared with Mitty who is a hero in nearly every aspect of his life this makes it less realistic, as we cant imagine him being all these different people. Mittys dreams are more vivid as they are much more detailed with all the jargon and argot that he uses, and we see them almost as excerpts from popular action films.

The Scepter or Staff Essay -- Analysis, Odysseus

I would argue the scepter and staff are metaphors for defined authority, a representation of the rule of law and Guardianship of public weal. Furthermore, I would argue that not all sectors are made equal, nor do all bearers process and equal position of ascendancy, ability to compel obedience, or Dominion. For instance Agamemnon’s royal scepter represents an authority that has come down to him from Zeus through several generations of Argive kings, meaning divine right, and heritage. They are tools of distinction, imparting a special honor, and denoting superiority of character on the individual who wields it. Both the scepter and staff are embodiments of authority, approved and legitimated by the Gods. The scepter and staff bestow Godlike powers on mortals, imparting providence in men over earthly affairs. The scepter grants authority and legitimizes the carrier’s influence. The scepter or staff first appears in scroll 1 line [14], "moreover he bore in his hand the scepter of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant’s wreath.† The term â€Å"moreover† stresses a crucial aspect of the priest campaign, the scepter of Apollo. Here the scepter is a substitution for the authority of Apollo. An authority worthy of high respect, subsidizes the actions of Khryses. This authority is not a function of royal lineage, superior military or tactical excellence, but a consequence or reward for devotion. Khryses bore Apollo's scepter indicating the approval of the divine, and enduing the priest with the Gods authority. In scroll 1 line [20] the appearance of Khryses before the Danaans in scroll 1 line [20] is initially marked by their respect for the priest and his request. Most Achaeans recognized the authority that the priest wielded, and thou... ... believe the scepter or staff, as a representation of authority is very well suited to the song. These objects are referred to as imperishable, which is definitely associated with the gods. In the Iliad the manner in which the sector is used further demonstrates the divine authority implied by. This authority encompasses the ideas of honor, glory, distinction, and most importantly power. I believe that we also get to see the various ways in which one might find such authority in their hand. There is the authority passed down through generations in power, the authority due to a connection and devotion to the gods, the authority earned through military prowess, and the authority accrued through intellectual distinction. No matter the manner in which the holder of the staff or scepter has obtained to their authority the gods are the ultimate source of this authority.

Increase and Decrease in Social Capital Essay

The definition of ‘social capital’ is easiest to define when looking at both words separately. Essentially, the ‘capital’ is the breadth, number and subsequent advantages of ‘social’ bonds. As sociologist John Fielding puts it, â€Å"Its central thesis can be summed up in two words: relationships matter.† (Field, J (2008). Social Capital. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. 1). These relationships may manifest themselves in numerous social contexts, such as in work, family, academic endeavors and so on. Regardless of context, the benefits that Fielding alludes to, and what really ‘matters’, are the accumulative efforts of social groups and the advantages they hold over individual labour. Social capital is especially applicable to our online social networks, and this essay will be analysing cases that support or reject the statement: ‘The internet has been linked both to increases and decreases in social capital’ (Elliso n & Steinfield, 2007). Despite existing since the 1960s, the level of integration within society that the Internet maintains now has only been achieved within the last decade. The flourish of social networking sites that make the Internet such a pivotal tool in our interactions with one another began around the turn of the millennia. Since the inception of sites like MySpace in 2003, the concept of a website where users may display their details and interact with one another has been capitalised on. These networks, often establishing themselves in the form of blogs paved the way to what are now fast becoming our online identities. The emergence of Facebook is exemplary of how online interaction has grown into a social institute. ‘Created in 2004, by 2007 Facebook was reported to have more than 21 million registered member generating 1.6 billion page views each day‘ (Needham & Company, 2007). It is clear from Facebook’s purpose that the avenues of social capital are fortified and strength ened by online social networks. The widespread use of Facebook has revolutionised many aspects of social interaction. Event organization for example, is now almost reliant on Facebook for it’s success. Facebook’s usage has reached such frequency from the population that it is now an eligible and required source of investigation for crime.  The positive effects from this are outlined in the statement ‘Social Capital has been linked to a variety of positive social outcomes, such as better public health, lower crime rates, and more efficient financial markets (Adler & Kwon, 2002). At its core, Facebook exists to support networks of friends (initially college students), and in this sense it promotes social capital by enabling distance-independent communication. Despite these obvious virtues of Facebook however, there is some opposition to the idea that it promotes social capital. Donath and Boyd (2004) argue that social network websites do not promote social capital and societal bonds. Instead, they merely sustain weak, superficial bonds due to the ease and facile nature of online interactions. Examples of this are ‘liking’ friend’s photos, liking status’ and playing games with other Facebook friends. Bargh and McKenna (2004) argues that ‘Internet use distracts from face-to-face time with others, which might diminish an individual’s social capital’. However, it appears this thesis received criticism from Wellman, Haase and Witte who believe that ‘online interactions may supplement or replace in-person interactions, mitigating any loss from the time spent online’. These statements pronounce information on the rocketing popularity of social networking and how it has become the first choice of communication. Another factor to consider is online shopping. EBay is an online auction website where users can bid on items that other users are selling, users can contact each other about the product they are bidding/buying, this is considered a weak connection. EBay has over 14 million active users has is increasingly growing, one would consider that this increases their social capital, an arguments to support this statement is that EBay is a professional business and has rules and regulations to follow if you are a user, these guidelines also state that you should ‘contact the intellectual property owner with any questions before listing’ which encourages and promotes contacting another seller before, during and after you have purchased their product. Harrison (1998) suggested that it is possible to build social capital in the short term and that this is also known as capacity building EBay stems relationships on the Internet by having your favoured users option, this helps you to revisit any company or professional individual you liked shopping with and gives you the opportunity to view other items they have for sale which would increase one’s individual social capital. However,  Kotha et. Al. (2004), denies this and leads on to say ‘customer and relationship services provide a competitive edge for ecommerce traders. These two communicational factors were found to be more beneficial in creating a long term competitive edge than web site usability and product selection, which may provide short term gain but will not create social capital with the user or give them an emotional connection with the brand or product’ (Kotha, S., Rajgopal, S., Venkatachalam, M., (2004) The role of online buying experience as a competitive advantage: evidence from Third Party ratings for ecommerce firms, The Journal of Business, 77) It has also become clear when researching Social Capital that people argue that you cannot measure the increase in Social Capital, it has been argued that ‘without measurement, change cannot be determined’ (Suna, B. (2011). Building Social Capital. http://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/building.html.). Also, according to Putnam (1993), ‘social capital is largely determined by historical factors; it can thus not be enhanced in the short term’. Putnam’s view is also fully supported by Schmidt (2000) and Uslaner and Dekker (2001). They considered social capital as a by-product of other social activities. This intends that websites such as EBay decrease social capital because there is only a short amount of contact with other people. To support this, EBay’s purpose is for buying, selling and bidding. Once a user has bought a product, the probability that they will never get in contact with that user again is very high due to no face-to-face interaction, which makes it hard to build a relationship for some people. The outcome of this is not being able to maintain or create a strong bond between the two, thus decreasing Social Capital. The last factor to consider is News on the Internet. Having news on the Internet is a great way to increase Social Capital. Norris, (2001) argued that ‘the hope that the Internet would be especially useful in encouraging many people to join political discussions has not been realized’. Norris debates that the Internet is has allowed readers to comment on articles and even start discussions about the article they are reading, but not everyone takes advantage of this option. Discussions help build bonds within people who post comments because they are either support ing or arguing about the information at hand. This does not necessarily mean they are building strong bonds, but a connection is made  between many people that could not happen before the News was posted on the Internet. A following point is that the Internet is always accessible. Modern mobile phones now all have access to the Internet, therefore there is nothing stopping individuals obtaining the news. Smartphones have taken this one step further and created an application to access the news for free. Applications make it simpler for individuals to read the news, email articles to friends and express their opinion with the comment option. Smart phones have given individuals the access to enjoy news wherever they are. During these modern times, Law enforcements have taken to updating the news via social networks. Updating social networks spread to a wider audience of readers, keeps readers aware of what is happening in the news and gives the opportunity for individuals to ask questions and in some cases help. This helps increase Social Capital, serious and local news can be discussed between readers and in some cases solve problems. For example, injecting the media sources with information of a missing person spreads the acknowledgment and creates more wide spread enforcements, which is shown in the following statement . ‘Subsequent researchers (Best & Dautrich, 2003; Kavanaugh, Reese, Carroll, & Rosson, 2005; Kobayashi, Ikeda, & Miyata, 2006; Rà ¤sà ¤nen & Kouvo, 2007) found that online communications have a positive effect on individuals’ social trust and participation in community life’ (Valenzuela, S., Park, N. and Kee, K. F. (2009), Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students’ Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participatio n; Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication) Overall, all these factors help increase social capital, because they are creating strong bonds between different people, most of who wasn’t aware of others existence. Alternatively, News on the Internet can also decrease social capital. This is because there is again, no face-to-face interaction with other people, therefore making it hard to build relationships and bonds. Discussions can also lead to arguments on the Internet, the lack of face-to-face interaction gives some readers the confidence to vocalise opinions they would not necessarily vocalise when in physical contact with someone. The Internet for a lot of individuals is seen as a shield of protection, and a small percentage of people can voice hateful words on the Internet and no action can be taken. This decreases an individual’s Social Capital, because people would not want to create bonds  with others with view on the Internet. In conclusion, the Internet has been linked to both increase and decrease Social Capital in numerous ways. Social Networking has increased Social Capital by creating bonds between individuals with a variety of positive social aspects, maintaining old friendships and whilst enabling new ones. However, Social Networking also decreases Social Capital due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, and it is also argued that Social Networks ‘merely sustain weak, superficial bonds due to the ease and facile nature of online interactions’ (Donath and Boyd, 2004). Online shopping platforms have also increased Social Capital, EBay forces users to contact each other to ask about products they are selling, users bid/buy products and are sometimes in competition with other users to win the item. This creates bonds between users even though they are weak. The decrease of Social Capital on EBay is the point of no face-to-face interaction, and after the transition is completed, there is no need for you to contact that user again, so this is an example of short term Social Capital. The last point discussed was News on the Internet, the increase of Social Capital in the news is the point of everyone being able to comment or discuss news stories. Alternatively, the decreasing affect of the news on the Internet is also an invitation for arguments and hurtful opinions. References: Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook â€Å"friends:† Social Capital and college students’ use of social networking sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1. (2005). What is Social Capital and how might it be used in Scotland’s schools? Available: http://www.ces.ed.ac.uk/PDF%20Files/Brief036.pdf.). (Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007) ‘The benefits of Facebook â€Å"friends:† Social Capital and college students’ use of online social network sites). Donath, J., & Boyd, D. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71–82. Kotha, S., Rajgopal, S., Venkatachalam, M., (2004) The role of online buying experience as a competitive advantage: evidence from ThirdParty ratings for ecommerce firms, The Journal of Business, 77(S2), pp. 109-13. Dekker, P & Uslaner, E (2001). Social Capital and Participation in Everyday Life. London & New York: Routledge. Kilpatrick, S. Falk, I. Harrison, L (1998). Learning in rural communities: a rapid economic change. Australia: Centre of Research and Learning in Regional Australia Best, S., & Dautrich, K. (2003). Reinvigorating democracy: Generating social capital and political participation on the Internet. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Nashville, TN. Kavanaugh, A., Reese, D., Carroll, J., & Rosson, M. (2005). Weak ties in networked communities. Information Society, 21, 119–131. Kobayashi, T., Ikeda, K. i., & Miyata, K. (2006). Social capital online: Collective use of the Internet and reciprocity as lubricants of democracy. Information, Communication & Society, 9, 582–611. Rà ¤sà ¤nen, P., & Kouvo, A. (2007). Linked or divided by the web Internet use and sociability in four European countries Communication & Society, 10, 219–241. Websites: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html

The Controversy on Eugenics in the American Culture Essay

Heredity improvement by genetic control. Why would people want to control heredity? What exactly is genetic control? These are some things that people have been questioning for decades. Eugenics can not be ignored because it is suddenly coming up everywhere. People are experimenting and taking huge risks not to their knowledge. At one point in time it was said that eugenics could change the world for the better. That is how some people could look at it, and others frightened that it would change the entire universe. Early in the twentieth century science had to deal with the conditions that improve the inborn qualities of a race. Eugenesists not only wanted to improve the well-being of others, but enclose to fewer races and†¦show more content†¦The Boston Globe also found, in a call in telephone poll, that 49% supported sterilization of the mentally ill. Other people feel that eugenics is what will in plain terms, make the world a better place. Its been said that using a eug enics program will rid people of future diseases, and other illnesses. That is why many think that using this procedure is good for all, but in fact it comes along with many hidden deformities and abnormalities. Some people believe that improving genetic control is a commendable idea, but others think that it seems a little immoral to try to change something, that in the long run is better left alone. This is where the arguments against eugenics programs come in. Government power over private citizens lives does not usually go over well. US state run programs have had problems with some sterilizations that were not for good eugenic reasons.(Reilly, S.)Women were being sterilized so they were not able to conceive. Government programs have made mistakes and have suffered from some corruption. It has not always been known to which traits were genetically influenced. Some people feel that there have been some sterilizations done that have not contributed to improving genetic stock. There is still no knowledge of which genes influence particular traits. A concern that has crossed many minds is that many traits may be influenced by pleitropic genes. Which means that selecting a beneficial trait could alsoShow MoreRelatedEugenics: Improving The Human Race? Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pagesoffspring is called eugenics. It is better understood as the process of selective breeding can improve human society. The term eugenics is from the greek, meaning â€Å"well-born†. The idea of eugenics is to have a society be abundant with many wanted traits, during a movement called the melting pot where people tried to solve their problems with the use of technology. Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development, is the book in which Sir Francis Galton first mentioned the term eugenics. 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