Realism And Naturalism In 20th Century American Fiction Essays

Realism and Naturalism in 20th Century American Fiction American people and the authors among them were left disillusioned by the effects that World War I had on their society. America needed a literature that would explain what had happened and what was happening to their society. American writers turned to what is now known as modernism. The influence of 19th Century realism and naturalism and their truthful representation of American life and people was evident in post World War I modernism. This paper will try to prove this by presenting the basic ideas and of these literary genres, literary examples of each, and then make connections between the two literary movements. Realism and Modernism not only depicted American society after World War I accurately and unbiasedly, but also tried to find the solutions brought upon by the suffering created by the war (Elliott 705). The realistic movement of the late 19th century saw authors accurately depict life and its problems. Realists attempted to ?give a comprehensive picture of modern life? (Elliott 502) by presenting many walks of life. They did not try to give one view of life but instead attempted to show the different classes, manners, and stratification of life in America. Realists created this picture of America by combining a wide variety of ?details derived from observation and documentation? to ?approach the norm of experience? (Elliot 503). Along with this technique, realists compared the ?objective or absolute existence? in America to that of the ?universal truths, or observed facts of life? (Harvey 12). In other words, realists objectively looked at American society and pointed out the aspects that it had in common with the general truths of existence. This realistic movement evolved as a result of many changes and transitions in American culture. In the late 1800's, the United States was exp eriencing ?swift growth and change? (Bradley114) as a result of a changing economy, society, and culture because of an influx in the number of immigrants into America. Realists such as Henry James and William Dean Howells, two of the most prolific writers of the Nineteenth century, used typical realistic methods to create an accurate depiction of changing American life. William Dean Howells made his ?comic criticisms of society? (Bradley 114) by comparing American culture with those of other countries. In his ?comic? writings, Howells criticized American morality and ethics but still managed to accurately portray life as it happened. He attacked and attempted to resolve ?the moral difficulties of society by this rapid change? (Elliott 505). He believed that novels should ?should present life as it is, not as it might be? (American Literature Compton's). In the process of doing this, Howells demonstrated how life shaped the characters in his novels and their own motives and inspirati ons. By concentrating on these characters' strengths as opposed to creating a strong plot, he thematically wrote of how life was more good than evil and, in return, wanted his literature to inspire more good. On the other hand, Henry James judged the world from a perspective ?offered by society and history? (Bradley 704). He also separated himself from America to create an unbiased view of it as a ?spectator and analyst rather than recorder? (Spiller 169) of the American social structure. He wrote from a perspective that allowed him to contrast American society with that of Europe by contrasting the peoples' ideas. By contrasting social values and personal thought about America's view of America, he presented to the people the differing motivational factors that stimulated the different social classes (Bradley 1143). Overall, these writers managed to very formally portray America as it was while adding their own criticisms about it in an attempt to stimulate change. The naturalist movement slowly developed with most of the same ideals as those of the realists in that it attempted to find life's truths. In contrast, Naturalists, extreme realists, saw the corrupt side of life and how environment ?deprived individuals of responsibility? (Elliott 514). Literary naturalism invited writers to examine human beings objectively, as a ?scientist studies nature? (?Am. Lit.? Compton's). In portraying ugliness and cruelty, the authors refrained from preaching about them; rather they left readers to draw their own conclusions about the life they

One Word Can Mar Your Meaning

One Word Can Mar Your Meaning One Word Can Mar Your Meaning One Word Can Mar Your Meaning By Mark Nichol Each of the three sentences shown below contains a minor error that nevertheless muddles the intended meaning. The discussion following each example identifies the problem and sets up a resolving revision. 1. â€Å"Instead of focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party, she said that party leaders should focus on rebuilding the middle class.† This sentence implies that the person referred to opted to make the recommendation to party leaders in lieu of focusing on rebuilding the party; the action of focusing is erroneously assigned to her. What the writer meant to write is that the subject recommended that party leaders rebuild the middle class rather than the party. Omission of that after the attribution â€Å"she said† clarifies this meaning: â€Å"Instead of focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party, she said, party leaders should focus on rebuilding the middle class.† 2. â€Å"The project would cost $250 million to $300 million to build and receive a $400 million endowment upon opening.† According to this sentence, the project’s $250–$300 million budget would be used to build and receive an endowment. But two distinct facts are mentioned about the project: It would require $250–$300 million to build, and it would receive an additional $400 million as an endowment after completion of the building. To clearly state this meaning, the sentence’s parallel structure must be bolstered with a second use of would, between the conjunction and and the verb in the second clause: â€Å"The project would cost $250 million to $300 million to build and would receive a $400 million endowment upon opening.† 3. â€Å"If you’re interested in learning more about her work, the scholar who has delved most deeply into it is John Smith.† OK, this revision involves swapping in two words for one, but the mistake is as small and as easy to overlook as those in the examples above. This statement illustrates a subtle error known as a false conditional: The sentence is structured so that the identity of the most deeply delving scholar is contingent on your interest in learning more about someone else’s work; if you’re not interested, apparently, John Smith loses that distinction. By changing the way the sentence refers to your potential interest, this logical fallacy is erased: â€Å"In case you’re interested in learning more about her work, the scholar who has delved most deeply into it is John Smith.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire YouWhat Is a Doctor?

Sustainable management future Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Sustainable management future - Assignment Example It is a crucial aspect for marketers to understand the expectations and ethics within cultures that may influence their business transactions. An understanding of the cultural basis for ethical behavior in various countries may arm marketers with the necessary knowledge required in succeeding across the multi cultural businesses. Implementation of such knowledge with a clear sequence of managerial guidelines may actualize the value of such an understanding (Fisher, 2013, 2). In essence, culture is one of the factors that influence the ethics of a business. According to the Random House Dictionary, ethics refers to the rules of conduct that are identified in relation to a specific class of human actions for a specific culture, or group. Different cultures have different rules of conduct. The essence of this paper is to examine how different ethics and values can be reconciled when doing business across different cultures. Our goal is not to identify the ethical or unethical practices. Rather, the objective is to understand these variations and outline a way of how to reconcile them for effective performance. What is significant is that some cultures may view such practices with different levels of condemnation. This presents a problem for managers who are engaged in cross-cultural transactions. Such managers have to anticipate and manage such variations in an ethical behavior that is grounded on the cultural differences (Armstrong and Sweeney, 1994, 34). The purpose of this paper is to identity how different ethics and values can be reconciled when doing business across different cultures. Media today is awash with stories that highlight domestic and international unethical behaviors of managers. Such behavior may include bribery, illegal contributions, sale of defective products, hiding information and other vices. These incidences are a representation of personal or organizational misconduct and portray an ignorance or violation of an ethical framework. The

International Investments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Investments - Essay Example ne thing that makes Indian stock market as a good long term investment according to the article â€Å"Advantages for NRIS investing in the Indian Market† 2011, is that most of its stocks are correctly valued, returns of investment are excellent and its stock market is well regulated. In my observation, based on financial reports, India has a booming economy and is one of the emerging economies next to China. As such, confidence of investors is rising such that there are continuing interests from foreign multinationals on Indian companies. As compared to United States that is experiencing a slow economic growth; investors are losing interest of holding US dollars and therefore lessen interest in US investment. These investors now look for new investments in emerging countries like China, India and Brazil. India has advantage on this as the government continuously works on its deregulation and free market principles to attract investments. Because of the investors’ intere sts, the economy of India is expected to improve further and reach a high GDP figure of 10%, and economic growth will continue on years to come. Economic activities along this line are take-over, acquisitions and mergers and are spreading on iron and steel, spirits, manufacturing, auto parts, not just IT, and equity. Investment in the Indian debt securities, I believe, is a good investment because according to BSE (2011), the Indian debt market is one of the largest in Asia. Securities are issued by the government (central and state), public sector, other government bodies, financial institutions, banks and corporations. As such, the fixed income securities become one of the most attractive investment opportunities since it provides safety of investments, adequate liquidity, and flexibility in structuring a portfolio, easier monitoring, long term reliability and assured returns (India Debt Market, 2010). Fixed income securities may either be interest-bearing bonds, varied type of debt

Public Relations Strategy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Relations Strategy Paper - Essay Example These tools are designed as public outreach events, lasting five days to two weeks, aimed at encouraging students, teachers, and the general public to view the school as friendly. It will encourage contributions in different ways, to ensure the school gets a good reputation and see to it that the target group becomes interested in the events, with ideas shared to maximize the impact on the target group. In the general strategic plan, event planning is one of the most important tools, which in respect to public school would best take the form of a festival, ceremony, competition, convention or a party (Japheth, 2006 pg 5). This will be the duty of the School Board to decide the best event. However, it will be imperative to kindly note that whichever event they choose will follow criteria similar to all. After the board approves the budget for the event(s), dates and alternative dates will have to be set. It will also be a collective duty for the planners to select and reserve the event site, acquire permits from the necessary authorities, coordinate transportation and parking. Once the event has been decided upon by the Board, a theme or a motif for the event will have to be developed which will have a focus aimed at publicity. Should the event require speakers, arrangements for them as well as alternative speakers will be required. Also important is to coordinate location support, such as electricity and other utilities, arranging dcor, chairs, tables, tent, police, catering, toilets, parking and signage. This is not to forget event support and security, emergency, clean up as well as health care professionals who would attend to any fatalities. In order that all the involved parties in the event share a common mental picture of the event in question, a simple training will have to be organized by Fairfax to assist them in handling all the event pressure and work efficiently. Since it is a communication based event, a qualified coordinator, planner or an event manager will be necessary lest the event takes the wrong direction which might work against building good publicity e.g. an accident that goes unattended would tarnish the school's image as nave. Since the purpose for the event is to create a good publicity for the school, deadlines must be met. Press Conference Striving for good school publicity, a positive message must be considered. I would recommend a strong slogan such as: "Fairfax County Public School, the place to be", which would be captivating to everyone without sounding exaggerated. Press releases would be made from the school compounds, with students from all races seen smiling. It would also be important to show that the school has over 168,000 students enrolled, making it the largest public school system in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and in Virginia (Lucy McKenzie,2009). On the press conference, which would be held in the school, it would be a great idea to have the superintendent of schools hammer the sentiments that the school division is the largest in the nation, and also maintains the largest fleet of school buses in the United States (Lucy McKenzie, 2009) The best method for distributing press releases would be through snail mail, where a creative subject such as the slogan, "Fairfax County P

Reviewing The Heart Of Darkness And Apocalypse Now English Literature Essay

Reviewing The Heart Of Darkness And Apocalypse Now English Literature Essay The horrorthe horror, these were the words that echoed in my mind after experiencing Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and Francis Coppolas Apocalypse Now. Together, both pieces have several parallels; this is largely due to the fact that Coppolas Apocalypse Now is actually an adaptation of Heart of Darkness. While the films story mimics Conrads tale with its general plot points, there are also many differences. While the characters of both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now parallel one another in their natures, this is also where their distinct differences lie. The Accountant in Heart of Darkness is only one of the countless characters that are in Africa with absolutely no purpose; his attire is always kept at its best and it appears as though his only accomplishment was teaching an African woman to clean his garments, treating her as a servant. To parallel with The Accountant, in Apocalypse Now, Kilgore is also viewed as a purposeless character. Kilgores sole purpose is to surf, yet somehow he manages to avoid death and even injury in the most treacherous places, causing his focus on the war to be nonexistent. Marlow in Heart of Darkness and Captain Willard from Apocalypse Now both have this mission of finding Kurtz, the man known as god; the man known to be as hollow as a barrel; the man to be found. In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is the chief agent at the ivory companys Inner Station at Stanley Falls. This so known hallow man is much taken back by the power that he has over the natives, starting out in the Congo attempting to give the natives better lives, these people learn to worship his ways. Due to his good intentions of helping these natives, he becomes isolated from his own civilization and is left to be on his own; he begins to retreat into a state of brutality. This clearly epitomizes that the basic human nature of Heart of Darkness is usually drowned out by the light of society. We can also see here that civilization is only superficial, in the way that the natives were more civilized then Kurtz himself. Marlows relationship with Kurtz after finding him begins as a professional one, but as we see when the story unfolds, Marlow slowly begins to identify with Kurtz, and by the end of the book we can see that Kurtz is what Marlow could have been and that Marlow is what Kurtz used to be. The two men see themselves in one another, a hard but interesting thing t o experience. Within Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, the use of light and dark are both dazzling and unbelievable. The representation of light, dark black and white is embedded throughout the account of Heart of Darkness. In general, the symbolism of darkness usually implies evil or some type of mysterious unknown. Yet in the book we see that darkness is used as a symbol for truth, where the light is seen as a falsehood. The truth that Marlow discovers is within him, lying in the darkness. The truth was physically found for him in Congo which was known as the darkest spot on the map. With that specific example of how symbolism has been reversed, we also look into the light. The light comes from the civilization, also seen as a source of falsehood as well as being a form of dark business. The symbolism of white and black in Heart of Darkness is most apparent when it alludes to cultural and race; the white people being the lying, evil, civilized community, and the black natives being enlighten ed, good, and savages. The alternating lighting in many of the scenes of Apocalypse Now, specifically in the Do Lung scene symbolizes the insanity of the Vietnam War. Here we see that no one knows why they are really there, what is real, what is not, or where exactly the real evil is. Towards the end of the film, after Willard has killed Kurtz, we see Willard purposely placing half of his face in the shadow. This use of cinematography shows that he had united the two ideals; that of the military from which his mission spawned from the light, and the moral, yet uncompassionate ideal of Kurtz and the darkness of the jungle. Another comparison that can be made between the two is the fact that they both have rivers, not the physical part, but the symbolic importance of these rivers. In Heart of Darkness, the Congo River is essential to the plot of the story, and is also essential to the Europeans in general when dealing with Africa. The river was the only means of travel for the Europeans to be able to get into Africa. In regard to the light and dark aspect, the river did not allow of efficient movement upstream, reflecting on the difficulty in Marlows journey within himself, and this struggle that he faces toward obtaining the truth. On the other hand, Marlow was capable of moving easily downstream, making his return to civilization easier and basically effortless. In Apocalypse Now, the Hung River is where we turn towards truth, a struggle with the events escalating in their level of severity and confusion. This river brought only madness and was a path to enlightenment, with every path to enlightenment , sacrifices were made and there would always be pain to overcome. When it comes to noticing differences between the novel and the film, the most obvious one would have to come with the usage of drugs in Apocalypse Now. Heart of Darkness didnt have a hippie-surfer character that was always tripping on acid. It didnt have a man named Chef who wore a sailor shirt and smoked dope constantly. To me, the most surprising aspect of Apocalypse Now was that Lance, the surfer, survived throughout the entire ordeal, proving that during the release of the film, drugs were seen as good. I believe that Timothy Leary intended to use the film to explain how marijuana, shrooms and acid unlocked the key to immortality. This is probably the most apparent difference to me in the two, we see that Apocalypse Now was very interested in promoting to use of drugs while Heart of Darkness never went to that level. In addition to the rivers, and drug use, the idea of imperialism is only found in Heart of Darkness. The imperialism had a huge effect on the race relations in the novel; it is from this and also with civilizing the natives that the criminal neglect of the Company resides and is acceptable. The closest we get to anything like this is Apocalypse Now would be in the slaughter of the Vietnam Cong during the war. The ties between Conrads Heart of Darkness and Coppolas Apocalypse Now are unmistakable. From the Congo River in Africa to the Nung River in Vietnam, Conrads ideals are not lost. In both, the ideas of good versus evil and symbolism of whiteness and darkness are all apparent. While there are many similarities between the two, as discussed there are many differences, from the usage of drugs to the descriptions of rivers. Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now, from one came the other, there are two dont you see? Together, both pieces have countless parallels and we see that if it werent for the distinction of time, we would be unable to determine which came first. These parallels intrigue the reader or the viewer to want to engulf themselves into the depth of the other.

The Increased Racial Tension in the USA in the Years 1964-1970 :: Papers

The Increased Racial Tension in the USA in the Years 1964-1970 Slavery had been abolished in the USA in the 1860; blacks had continued to be treated as second-class citizens and to be denied their civil rights. Kennedy set up the civil rights act in 1964 that banned discrimination in public accommodations, in federally assisted programs and in employment. Also it gave federal government new power to enforce desegregation and prosecute voting right violations. In 1965 the voting rights act came along, this ended literacy tests for voting. It also allowed federal agents to monitor registration. These acts improved civil rights but many black Americans were still dissatisfied, they were still a class B citizen. Tension continued between the two races. After the Second World War, it was still clear that black Americans were still second class citizens. Truman tried to introduce some changes but he faced opposition from his own party and many of his ideas were dropped. In the early 50’s schools, only 16 states required their schools to be integrated. There were still problems with black Americans. The average income for a black family was half the amount of a white family’s. This was because blacks couldn’t get very good jobs e.g. fruit picking and car washing. Third of the black Americans were living below the poverty line. Black Americans still had unemployment, poor housing and poor schools. In 1963, Martin Luther King organised a campaign of marches and demonstrations that would ensure maximum media coverage. These demonstrations were broadcast across the USA and the world and many Americans were horrified at the brutality. During the campaign Martin Luther King was jailed, but the most important thing was that television viewers were able to see the outrageous treatment meted out to young demonstrations. Martin Luther King had a dream speech. For many blacks Americans the new laws were not being introduced fast enough. All the blacks wanted are to take what they thought was theirs by right and by force if worst comes to worst.

Going After Cacciato

Waking up from the American Dream in Going after Cacciato (Tim O'Brien) What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. (from Anthem for Doomed Youth, Wilfred Owen) Sassoon's epitaph â€Å"All Soldiers are dreamers† at the beginning of the novel functions as a signpost signaling the shape the novel will take. It does not merely deal with brutal horror, it is imagination. Reality and dream, fact and imagination are interwoven.The choice of Siegfried Sassoon suggests the Great War, the English experience of war, which can be compared to the American Vietnam experience, for it had the same impact: total disorientation and national trauma because of lost values. This novel then deals, in story and structure, with the war experience, but also with the US society's influence on that war through the ordinary soldier. The common grunt raised the question how to act proper ly in this horrible situation, in which he even did not know whether his presence was morally justified or not.Yet he concluded that, although he knew this war was just as insane as any other war, he should not run away from his duty. He stayed in the war, because of his personal obligations to society. Not out of idealism, but merely because his people expected him to. In novels dealing with Vietnam we often see veterans coming back into the American society (like in Caputo's Indian Country), but here we are confronted with the country itself. The novel Going after Cacciato deals with the journey to Paris an American soldier fantasizes about.It is November 1968 and Spec. Four Paul Berlin is in his observation tower in Quang Ngai, Vietnam, by the South China Sea, performing his tour of duty, which lasts 365 days for the common grunt, the foot soldier he is. He feels he has come to Nam in another way than soldiers had gone to the Second World War and to Korea. His lieutenant, Lt Cors on had been in Korea, and he was looking back to it with nostalgia: â€Å"In Korea, by God, the people liked us. Know what I mean? They liked us. Respect, that's what it was. And it was a decent war (†¦ The trouble's this: Nobody likes nobody. (p. 134) New were the blindness of war, the inertia, drugs were taking over, the creation of the new word â€Å"fragging†, i. e. killing a superiour officer It all illustrated this war was supposed to be different from those wars in which Paul Berlin's ancestors had fought, with in their mind the American dream. However, Vietnam was not different at all. Soldiers who enthousiastically started their participation in Vietnam, were as quickly traumatized by the killings, as any other soldiers. A war like any other war.Stories that began and ended without transition. No developing drama or tension or direction. No order. (p. 255) When Paul realizes this, the main question for him is how to determine his own place in it. As he does not know an anwer, the possibility, or rather the necessity of dreaming something else in the face of horror, is brought to Vietnam. He starts to think about Cacciato. This bloke fishes in the world's Great Lake Country where everybody says there is no fish. He dutifully goes through all the motions and all of a sudden het gets out, and Paul is intrigued.Paul's squad is sent to go after Cacciato. They are following the unmarked character and find him more and more almost a holy character, less defined as they go along. Finding him a friendly leader almost, they follow him. From soldier among soldiers, he develops into a friendly symbolical figure pointing the way. The seductiveness of Cacciato leads them on. He sheds his war implements. He is that annoying, different, seperate chap who bounces the ball, who nobody can trace and think of, who does not really exist, he has not even got a first name!Cacciato, that just fulfills. Going after Cacciato means â€Å"going after a dream† , following that dream, but it can also mean â€Å"going after to actually get that dream†. Time and time again there is this ambiguity of going on the hunt after Cacciato, or following the Italian on desertion; there is the choice between reality and dream for Paul. Cacciato, who nobody has actually seen, has hit upon an idea which his indeterminance made possible, and it speaks to the imagination. Paul goes after him, catches him, thus completing his mission, but lets Cacciato escape.Cacciato then leads them through the beautiful high country, through orderly Mandalay, normal Delhi, to a beheading in gruesome Tehran, all the way via Athens to Paris; the change of scenery symbolizes the hope Paul first feels, gradually turning into despair and total confusion. His experiences on the way show Paul that he cannot actually leave the war behind. â€Å"Can't get away from it,† Doc mumbled. â€Å"You try, you run like hell, but you just can't get away. † â€Å"It's the truth. † (p. 178) Arrived in Paris and having hugged, outbursts of rain and thunder presage the forthcoming difficulties.Reality soon makes the squad go and hunt down Cacciato again. Oscar, the streetwise Detroit black, insists on the Real Politik of getting Cacciato to save their own skins from punishment for desertion. They have to arrest Cacciato and abandon their dream, because society expects them to do so. â€Å"Oscar's right,† Doc said, and sighed. â€Å"You can't get away with this shit. the realities always cath you. † â€Å"But maybe. † â€Å"No maybes. Reality doesn't work that way. † (p. 275) Paul Berlin is not ready yet to stop Cacciato and lets him escape again. Choosing reality and turning his back on the dream are, however, close at hand.In the promotion scene Paul remembered himself answering questions to a committee that scared the living daylights out of him. â€Å"Why do we fight the war? † they asked him, but at the s ame time the committee told him the answer: â€Å"to win†. Very afraid, he repeated this and got the job. Paul then realizes society urges him to do as he is told, and not to think for himself, as society will do that for him. He has to conform and shut up. He knows this cannot be right, but on the other hand his fantasized run for Paris would have been an equally unhappy experience to him in reality.For fantasy it had been all along. His dream of going after the freedom and peace Cacciato led him to, had all been a dream within a dream. The latter dream was dreamt in order to avoid having to solve the dilemma of staying in or running away from the war. He finally woke up from that dream, for now he had found the answer: he had to go through it; trying to escape and fleeing from social obligations was not according to his background, his personality and his beliefs. â€Å"I fear what might be thought of me by those I love. I fear the loss of their respect.I fear the loss of my own reputation. Reputation, as read in the eyes of my father and mother, the people in my hometown, my friends. I fear being an outcast. † (p. 286) The novel is structured round three elements that are in accordance with the three different activities of Paul Berlin's conscience: reflection, imagination and memories; he is wondering how people die in the war, he thinks about going to Paris and he stands on guard. The killings of war and their stories are told non-chronologically, as if they happen at this very moment.Paul Berlin tries to get things straight, tries to get a chronological list of the men killed. He needs order, wants to keep it straight, but he has problems with this. The structure of the novel reflects the structure of any war: it is confusing and without order, sometimes a mess and going in different directions. The hero solves this problem by making up a story himself. It is a story in the third person, told as a reality, told almost as observed by an omni scient observer, who has no involvement; but at the same time we know they are Paul Berlin's imaginations.All of a sudden this woman comes up in the he-country of Vietnam; only in imagination a beautiful girl is possible there. By the end of the novel the reader knows that the squad never went after Cacciato any further than the hill, and that Paris only denoted the illusion of seeking the Far West. In reality they had always been in the Far East. The unlimited possiblities of the Imagination, as that of the United States and its American Dream as well, fail in the reality of the Vietnam War.Berlin, whose name points to the American commitment to saveguard freedom (by setting up the airbridge to the city of Berlin under siege of the Soviets in 1948) finds himself in a situation in which the values, ideals and intentions of the United States no longer have the absolute meaning they seemed to have in previous wars. In Paris, the heart of Western civilization, Paul Berlin lacked the co urage to free himself, even in his dreams, and reality took over: No question, it was all crazy from the start. None of the roads led to Paris. p. 203) He has to accept that he and his comrades would be the very deserters, who would flee from the original idea of the American Dream, that told them that the only way if you really wanted to overcome all problems is to keep on trying. Only Cacciato, who with his childish simplicity and innocence, with his optimism and his individual power embodies the mythical American loner, he frees himself from the society that tells him what to do. He is, however, lost, together with these values, in the Vietnam War.The American Dream had led young Americans into a place where they had no right to go. They were supposed to fight and defeat the Viet Cong to serve the American nation, but in this war, just like in any other, confusion and death were the real victors; the war served no American purpose at all. The lesson Paul learned from the Vietnam War was far from significant: â€Å"Don' never get shot†. â€Å"There it is,† said Eddie Lazzutti. â€Å"Never. Don' never get shot. † (p. 254) He might have learned that back home in the US as well.So in Vietnam this trail West was a fake one. In Fort Dodge you could build good solid houses, in the wilds of Wisconsin you fraternized with your father who told you, back there, to look for positive things in the war. In Nam, however, there is only the squad, and all of a sudden this â€Å"boom†, like in Billy Boy Watkins' story, the case of the grunt dying of fright. It is the ultimate war story, the story of Vietnam. So Paul starts dreaming his own dream, he rejects the American dream. He nevertheless does not reject reality.Like Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, he does not want to give in to the code of society, but does not want to be lured into the moral wilderness either. He wants to stay part of that society, although he knows its claims are based on air. â€Å"†¦ it is this social power, the threat of social consequences, that stops me from making a full and complete break. † (p. 286) However nasty the war may be, it is better to take part than to be isolated, so Paul Berlin ends his dream, in order to face reality. bibliography: Going after Cacciato (Tim O'Brien) Walking Point: American Narratives of Vietnam (Thomas Myers)

Elvis presley, version of Hound dog Essay Example

Elvis presley, version of Hound dog Essay Example Elvis presley, version of Hound dog Paper Elvis presley, version of Hound dog Paper As most of us know, Elvis Preserve, Hound Dog was one of his most famous singles, however there are many people that do not know of the original written by Willie Mae, Big Mamma Thornton. Why did Elvis have more commercial success with his version? Big Mamma Thorns version was released just four years before Elvis and was number one for seven weeks. Rather than it being recorded as a pop song, it was a blues/Ran single. The tonality of this version is dramatically telling of the introduction of blues music into the mainstream in the early asss. In the same ear of her release two major political events changed the history of the U. S and the world. Firstly the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) approved their European army. The organization, which Involved Great Brutal and the U. S. Was constructed to protect the freedom of the North Atlantic community against the Soviet union during the Cold war. The Cold war was a consequence of the Korean War. The second major event was Americas first use of the Hydrogen bomb in Antennae. Which was ordered to be developed by President Truman only a couple of years before. The old war effected citizens by putting restrictions on political views, such as communism. Thoughts of communism remained within secret groups as a result could lead to arrest or death. Also the restrictions affected all the arts, as there was lots of censorship, this militant way of life, meant that families at the time were very straight in their decisions and appearance. Only four years after World War two into the early years of the Cold War, the world experienced a dramatic Increase in population, 77 million babies were born from 1946-1964 in America alone. This was ladled The Baby Boom. This new generation of babies were the focus of marketing campaigns and business plans. It was around the same year of Hound dogs first release, that the color T. V was created, but many homes didnt own one. This could suggest that in this decade music and artists such as Big Momma Thornton could receive wider coverage across a bigger audience due to the accessibility. Many commercials between 1950-1960 did not feature the songs of popular musicians; it was more the nature and image created by the adverts that affected the audiences assign and musical taste. For example popular products that were advertised were cigarettes and hair products for men and cleaning and cooking products for women. You can see that the image of the typical man and women in these adverts, correlate with the popular musicians of that time such as Little Richard, Buddy holly and Elvis Presley. Elvis version of the song was sonically very different to the original and to recordings he had done previously, as well as the way he performed before. One of Elvis first television performances, on the Milton Berne Show in 1956 was deemed ere controversial due to the overtly sexual hip thrusts. This sexual performance was the first of Its kind, and with It being able to be viewed wealth the homes of conservative families, the impact it had on young teens was significant. Elvis was believed to named the first frontal of rock and roll, therefore creating a new era of music and fashion. As well as changing the style and performance of the song Elvis also changed and added some of the lyrics. The line, you anti never caught a rabbit and you anti no friend of mine, was added to the original. However the argument of track after seeing Freddie and The Bellboys perform it in L. A. Although theres speculation as to who wrote this lyric, Elvis did step in as a producer for this track and was known to change the line Well you said you was a high class which was repeated twice, to, Well you said you was a high class but that was Just a lie. How has Elvis version of hound dog had an impact on culture today? Firstly some may argue that Elvis was the creator of Rock n Roll. Although he wasnt the first to sing in his style, he popularized the style with this single, making it go to number one for eleven weeks which was a new record for its time. Elvis did manage to, however combine different musical genres and gave rockabilly a new sound. Elvis fused the country-western music of the South with the rhythm and blues of African Americans and the pop music that dictated the radio and recording industries. Others may say that his integration of genres, causing a new movement in music Just prior to the civil rights movement, may also be the reason for his great success.

Developments in transportation, rather than in manufacturing and agriculture, sparked American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century. Assess the validity of this statement.

Developments in transportation, rather than in manufacturing and agriculture, sparked American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century. Assess the validity of this statement. "Developments in transportation, rather than in manufacturing and agriculture, sparked American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century." is not accurate. While development in transportation played a fundamental role in America's growth, if it were not for developments in manufacturing and agriculture the new technology in transportation could not have successfully been completed. Without the raw materials, and the products which came out of the early US iron and steel industry, (which were all ultimately determined by the United States agricultural market), the transportation revolution could not have been carried out. Also, with the rapid growth of the agricultural markets, American economic growth boomed. All three factors, (transportation, agriculture and manufacturing) played an equal role in sparking the American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century.The cotton gin was just one of the few reasons in which the American economy grew at a rapid pace.English: "Eli Whitney," portrait of the inventor, ...Eli Whitney's intention in 1793 of the cotton gin, which separated raw cotton from seeds and other waste, caused the economy to boom, with the growth of southern farms. As the southern plantations who could keep up with this new boom in cotton got larger and larger, small farmers moved west. This migration of small farmers to the west caused a need for developments in transportation to link the nation. In turn, these developments in transportation caused a boom in economy. Therefore, both manufacturing inventions and transportation inventions caused the growth in economy.New inventions and capital investment led to the creation of new industries and economic growth. As transportation improved, new markets continuously opened. The steamboat made river traffic faster and cheaper, but development of railroads had an even greater effect, opening up immense areas of new territory for development. These new developments just opened up entrepreneurs...

Short Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Writing - Assignment Example Another reason I found this article interesting was that as a student I recognize that writing is an important element of communication, as well as scholastic and professional success; as such, I believe that it can benefit me as a writer and communicator to understand various sociolinguistic and rhetorical aspects of the English language. The study functioned by mapping a large segment of spoken English as a means of determining the emotional significance of the word usage. While the researchers had anticipated there would be an even distribution of language along negative, neutral, and positive parts of the spectrum, the research demonstrated that a disproportionate amount of the words fell near the positive end. The research is significant as it attests to prominent sociolinguistic elements. The researchers make the qualitative jump that the emphasis on positive word usage seems to be correlated with the development with the English language as one of utility. The researchers contend that as language is a fundamentally social activity the preponderance of positive words should come as limited surprise. Still, they also argue that while limited negative words were used when they were implemented they seemed to be in more meaningful contexts. From this perspective the researchers argue that there is seemingly a †˜don’t cry wolf’ effect in occurrence, wherein language users restrictively use negative language to communicate necessary and meaningful occurrence; conversely, it seems positive language can be implemented more in terms of a general expression of optimism. In conducting this specific study there were a number of methods that the researchers implemented. As it would be impossible to simply map the entire English language, it was examined in usage patterns as recorded from, â€Å"two decades of material from The New York Times, 18 months worth from Twitter, manuscripts from Google Books produced between 1520 and 2008 and

Comparison Between Ethnically Correct Dolls And Process of Ethnicity Essay

Comparison Between Ethnically Correct Dolls And Process of Ethnicity in England - Essay Example This essay declares that Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry is the main article in this report. In it, Elizabeth Chin examines issues of racism from a children’s perspective. The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England are the comparison article in this essay. In it, Sandra Wallman explores issues of social differentiation in urban England. She tries to expound on racism and ethnicity in relation to the English culture. This paper makes a conclusion that both articles are similar in various ways. A minor similarity can be observed in the structure of the headings. Both of them are composed of a main and a minor heading, which are separated by semicolons. The main headings both radiate the main topic covered in the articles, which is racism. The rest of the headings then illustrate the concerns of the articles. The two articles also have some differences: the first concerns the methodology in which information was obtained to write essays. In Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry, the author uses interviewing as the main mode of obtaining information, whereas referencing of other material is used for the same purpose in The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England. Elizabeth Chin personally visited her subjects at their home and obtained most of the information used to write the article firsthand. She interviewed the African American girls, Asia and Natalia while she co uld still observe their physical reactions and the dolls they possessed on a firsthand basis.