Thursday, January 30, 2020

Of Mice and Men - Essay - Lonely Characters Discussion Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Essay Lonely Characters Discussion Essay In the opening chapter of Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck immediately introduces the theme of loneliness and the reality of men living very temporary lives with no real direction. Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life that not even the strongest can avoid. Throughout the story, readers discover many sources of loneliness and isolation. Candy is an old ranch worker who lost his hand a few years back while working. He is a lonely man who owns an old, smelly, disabled dog that can hardly walk. This really was his only companion. In the end his dog was shot. Candys life was heading in the isolation direction even further. The quote on page 59 Spose I went in with you guys. Thats three hundred and fifty bucks Id put in. Howd that be? This was his effort to try and join in with George and Lennies dream ranch. Crooks is a black Negro Stable Buck who wears glasses and has a busted back. He is an extremely lonely man and probably the loneliest in the novel due to his complexion. He is treated by the others in a rude manner and is left sitting in his little room helpless with an uncomfortable bed which makes his back worse. The quote on page 67-68 You got no right to come into my room. This heres my room. Nobody got any right in here but me. This is how he reacted to the treatment he was getting, but in the end he was quiet a nice guy to know. Curleys Wife is a very lonely woman who wears red mules, has red fingernails, full rouged lips and hair rolled in clusters. She has no name throughout the entire book to reinforce how insignificant a person she is. Her life with her husband was nothing to do with loving each other because she didnt even like Curley because he was not a nice bloke. The quote on page 87 Coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes tells us that her ambition was to become an actor. In the end she ended up being murdered by Lennie after trying to become his friend. George and Lennie, although unhappy at times, are not lonely, because they share a very close bond with each other, and have traveled together ever since Lennies Aunt Clara died. The only thing that seems to keep them working for next to nothing is the thought of owning their own ranch someday. In the final chapter Lennie states triumphantly on page 103 An I got you. We got each other, thats what, that gives a hoot in hell about us. In the end George felt he had to shoot Lennie himself, so that he would die instantly, rather than suffer as Curley killed him slowly and painfully. Lennies murder was Georges final act of friendship. But it also ended their long friendship and now George would be lonely as he traveled around from job to job. In conclusion the loneliest people in this story are Crooks, Candy and Curleys Wife. The friendship between George and Lennie was a strong bond all throughout the story, but it all ended when tragically George shot Lennie because he could no longer protect him any further.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The Light-dark Metaphor in Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Essay

Throughout his narrative in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Charlie Marlow characterizes events, ideas, and locations that he encounters in terms of light or darkness. Embedded in Marlow's parlance is an ongoing metaphor equating light with knowledge and civility and darkness with mystery and savagery. When he begins his narrative, Marlow equates light and, therefore, civility, with reality, believing it to be a tangible expression of man's natural state. Similarly, Marlow uses darkness to depict savagery as a vice having absconded with nature. But as he proceeds deeper into the heart of the African jungle and begins to understand savagery as a primitive form of civilization and, therefore, a reflection on his own reality, the metaphor shifts, until the narrator raises his head at the end of the novel to discover that the Thames seemed to 'lead into the heart of an immense darkness.'' The alteration of the light-dark metaphor corresponds with Marlow's cognizance that t he only 'reality', 'truth', or 'light' about civilization is that it is, regardless of appearances, unreal, absurd, and shrouded in 'darkness'. Marlow uses the contrast between darkness and light to underscore the schism between the seemingly disparate realms of civility and savagery, repeatedly associating light with knowledge and truth; darkness with mystery and deceptive evil. When Marlow realizes that his aunt's acquaintances had misrepresented him to the Chief of the Inner Station, Marlow states, 'Light dawned upon me', as if to explicitly associate light with knowledge or cognizance. It is significant then, that Marlow later associates light with civilization. He describes the knights-errant who went out from the Thames to conquer... ... October 2002. Available: http://www.lawrence.edu/~johnson/heart. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness, New York: Dover, 1990. Hayes, Dorsha. "Heart of Darkness: An Aspect of the Shadow," Spring (1956): 43-47.. Levenson, Michael. "The Value of Facts in the Heart of Darkness." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 40 (1985):351-80. McLynn, Frank. Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa. New York: Carol & Gey, 1992. Mellard, James. "Myth and Archetype in Heart of Darkness," Tennessee Studies in Literature 13 (1968): 1-15. Rosmarin, Adena. "Darkening the Reader: Reader Response Criticism and Heart of Darkness." Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. New York: St. Martin's, 1989. Watt, Ian. Conrad in the Nineteenth Century. San Diego: U. of California P, 1979. 168-200, 249-53.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Explain how you can promote inclusion Essay

I teach on a one to one basis but if i was working in a classroom environment I would promote inclusion in the classroom by using various methods. These include Partnering different abilities of learners so they can learn from each other and all have a chance to get to know each other/work with each other. Asking different members of the classroom to give their opinions so all have the opportunity to contribute. Forming groups and varying the learners chosen to form these groups. Asking learners to be respectful of each others opinions and respecting when another member of the class or the teacher are speaking and not interrupting Encouraging open discussion and incorporating everyone into the discussions. Whether I am teaching in a group environment or one to one I would promote inclusion by using language that doesn’t discriminate, resources that reflects diversity and ensuring that I always remember that all students are different and I need to adapt to meet the need of each learner. It is also important to give the students the opportunity to give feedback on my teaching methods and content, thereby making them feel empowered within their learning environment. All learners will bring different skills and experiences with them to enhance the learning environment. Completing an individual learning plan for all learners makes it possible to adjust the course content to suit the individual learner. Implementing equality and diversity in the learning environment creates a happy and rewarding learning experience where learners will complete their learning with the confidence and qualifications to proceed further into life, work or education. Where required, a referral for internal or external help and support may be necessary.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Unitary Executive Theory and the Imperial Presidency

To what extent can presidential power be restricted by Congress? Some believe the president holds broad power, citing this passage from Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. And from Section 3: [H]e shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States. The view that the president holds total control over the executive branch is called the unitary executive theory. Unitary Executive Theory Under the George W. Bush administrations interpretation of the unitary executive theory, the president has authority over members of the executive branch. He functions as a CEO or Commander-in-Chief, and his power is restricted only by the U.S. Constitution as interpreted by the judiciary. Congress can hold the president accountable only by censure, impeachment or constitutional amendment. Legislation restricting the executive branch has no power. Imperial Presidency Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. wrote The Imperial Presidency  in 1973,  a groundbreaking history of presidential power centering on an extensive critique of President Richard Nixon. New editions were published in 1989, 1998 and 2004, incorporating later administrations. Although they originally had different meanings, the terms imperial presidency and unitary executive theory are now used interchangeably, although the former has more negative connotations. Short History President George W. Bushs attempt to obtain increased wartime powers represented a troubling challenge to American civil liberties, but the challenge is not unprecedented: The Sedition Act of 1798 was selectively enforced by the Adams administration against newspaper writers who supported Thomas Jefferson, his challenger in the 1800 election.The very first landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1803,  Marbury v. Madison, established the power of the judiciary by resolving a separation-of-powers dispute between the president and Congress.President Andrew Jackson openly defied a Supreme Court ruling—the first, last, and only time that any U.S. president has done so—in Worcester v. Georgia  in  1832.  President Abraham Lincoln took on unprecedented wartime powers and violated multiple civil liberties on a large scale during the American Civil War,  including due process rights for U.S. citizens.During the first Red Scare following World War I, President Woodrow Wilson suppressed free speech, deported immigrants based on their political beliefs and ordered massive unconstitutional raids. His policies were so draconian that they inspire d protesters to form the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920.During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order calling for the forced internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, as well as forced surveillance, ID cards and occasional relocation for immigrants from other perceived hostile nations.President Richard Nixon openly used executive branch law enforcement agencies to attack his political opponents and, in the case of Watergate, to actively cover up his supporters criminal activities.Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all actively pursued expanded presidential powers. One particularly stunning example was President Clintons claim that sitting presidents are immune from lawsuits, a position the Supreme Court rejected in  Clinton v. Jones  in 1997.   Independent Counsel Congress passed several laws restricting the power of the executive branch after Nixons imperial presidency. Among these was the Independent Counsel Act which allows an employee of the Department of Justice, and thereby technically the executive branch, to operate outside the presidents authority when conducting investigations of the president or other executive branch officials. The Supreme Court found the Act to be constitutional in Morrison v. Olson  in 1988.   Line-Item Veto Although the concepts of the unitary executive and the imperial presidency are most often associated with Republicans, President Bill Clinton also worked to expand presidential powers. Most notable was his successful attempt to convince Congress to pass the Line-Item Veto Act of 1996, which allows the president to selectively veto specific parts of a bill without vetoing the entire bill. The Supreme Court struck down the Act in Clinton v. City of New York in 1998.   Presidential Signing Statements The presidential signing statement is similar to the line-item veto in that it allows a president to sign a bill while also specifying which parts of the bill he actually intends to enforce. Only 75 signing statements had ever been issued until the time of the Reagan administration. President Andrew Jackson issued only one.  Presidents Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and Clinton issued a total of 247 signing statements.President George W. Bush alone issued more than 130 signing statements, which tended to be more sweeping in scope than those of his predecessors.President Barack Obama issued 36 signing statements, even though he indicated in 2007 that he disapproved of this tool and would not overuse it.President Donald Trump had issued more than 40 signing statements through 2019. Possible Use of Torture The most controversial of President George W. Bushs signing statements was attached to an anti-torture bill drafted by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona): The executive branch shall construe (the McCain Detainee Amendment) in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch ... which will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President ... of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks.