The article “In Defense of Liz Lemon” by Emily Nussbaum is an opinionated article on the character development of Liz Lemon from the popular tv series “30 Rock”. The article “Black Friday: Consumerism Minus Civilization” is an opinionated article on the holiday that has become Black Friday. Although the two articles are about completely different in content and tone and written on unrelated subjects, there are many similarities within the two shown through their passion and proof that things that were once good, don’t always remain so.…
“She handed over Nathaniel as if he was a piece of meat or a sack of potatoes, no regrets” (90).…
World War 2 wasn 't just a war, it was a wake-up call. The people of the world were confronted with the face of true evil, and had to accept the harsh reality that our fellow man can commit atrocities beyond comprehension. The events of the war not only cause us to gasp in horror, but also make us reflect on how such evil could originate in the first place. In order to understand how such a disaster could ever take place, one must take a deeper look at the human psych; this is the basis behind Griffin 's work, Our Secret. In this collection of stories and reflections, the author does not just focus on one key aspect of man’s nature. Our Secret is littered with a myriad of topics such as child upbringing, societal stereotypes, and psychological development. Some are evident at first glance, while for others it is necessary to read through Griffin’s work several times before you catch them. In a way, reading this essay was like solving the picture puzzles I used to love as a kid. You…
In Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Miranda’s world is turned upside down with one meteor strike. The meteor strikes the moon and the results are not what people expected; the moon now has moved closer to Earth. This causes many problems with the tides, electricity, gas, and many other things. Miranda’s brother, Matt, gets to come home from college which, Miranda is very excited about. But this may cause more problems. School lets all the kids out early which, troubles Miranda’s mom. Now she has to feed her kids three times a day instead of two. Miranda’s mom begins to eat less and less; She worries more and more. Some kids from Miranda’s swim team begin to swim in the pond because the pool closed. She becomes close with a boy named…
Irene Hunt Across Five Aprils is about a boy named Jethro Creighton who spectates the Civil War. First young Jethro feels as if the war is going to be exciting and “neat”. As time passed, Jethro faces the death of family and friends, and the hard choices that others make. The main character Jethro comes of age and goes through changes throughout the story…
I have chosen to write my annotated bibliography on “The Common Woman” poems by Judy Grahn. I will be focusing on the issue of the female stereotype along with sexism/misogyny. I chose this because each of the poems had a very strong message, but they all sounded like stories we had heard before. As a female, I feel like I am a natural feminist. These poems really stuck out to me because there is still people all around the world that feel that these portrayals of woman are in face “a common woman”. I am hoping to find analyses and research on these poems that tell me where each one got its story from. I am also hoping to find the reasons for writing these poems. What was her intention? In order to answer my questions, I will need to find…
Karen Horney defines a basic anxiety as insidiously increasing, all pervading feeling of being lonely and helpless in a hostile world” (Horney, 1937, p.89). When a child experiences basic anxiety they can develop self defense mechanisms. These self defense mechanisms can become very common throughout the child’s life. So common in fact, that they become a permanent part of one’s personality and become a neurotic need. Horney developed a list of ten neurotic needs that could be categorized into three neurotic trends: moving towards other people (the complaint personality), moving against other people (the aggressive personality) and movement away from other people (the detached personality) (Shultz & Shultz, 2013, p.164). An apparent connection can be drawn between Horney’s neurotic trends and Timothy Keller’s chapter “The Seduction of Success” in his book Counterfeit Gods. According to Keller, “a sign you may…
Born November 12, 1666 in England, Mary Astell was the first British feminist writer, nonfiction writer, essayist, and poet. Her published work consisted of argumentative issues about women's education, marriage, and political and religious philosophy. Specifically relating to the status of women, Astell thought about numerous controversial concerns of the era in her essays and pamphlets which were distributed anonymously to keep her identity a secret. Astell stood for her belief that women should not be obligated into marriage and helped the thought of a Protestant equivalent of a convent, where unmarried women could be able to devote themselves to education and religious responsibilities, in such pamphlets as "A Serious Proposal To The Ladies For The Advancement Of Their True And Greatest Interest" (1694) and "Some Reflections Upon Marriage" (1700). In addition to, Astell showed herself to be a perceptive critic of the social theories of, The Father of Liberalism, John Locke, in "Some Reflections Upon Marriage" and other writings, involving "The Christian Religion As Profess'd By A Daughter Of The Church Of England" (1705). Astell was a complicated figure whose approval of the monarchy and the Anglican Church is every now and then seen as contradictory to…
Gina, I truly enjoyed reading your post and your explanation of how Unintentional Obscurity occurs was very similar to mine. I believed that a metaphor for Unintended Obscurity, can be found in this old saying “its’ not what you say, but its ‘what the other person hears. I have witnessed two people listing to the same conversation interpret the information totally different. This often occurs especially in conversations were the subject is about race, money, time or dates; the line you often hear from the person that’s doing the talking is that’s not what I said. Furthermore, that why it’s important for readers to make sure they completely understand the information before deciding and for writers to be clear and precise as possible. The…
“Now that you have started reading this essay, you and I are now connected by a web of connections.” This is what Susan Griffin, author of “Our Secret”, a chapter taken from Griffin’s insightful book A Chorus of Stones, most likely would have declared. Griffin argues that, “all of us, especially all of us who read her essay - are part of a complex web of connections” (265). But how are people who do not even know each other connected? Griffin implies that people are part of a “larger matrix” and have a “common past” (265). The “common past” between people that Griffin asserts can be proved by examining the unique underlying comparisons and analogies she applies in the chapter. “Our Secret” is a collection of Griffin’s own life story and the life stories of others, including Heinrich Himmler, Heinz, a painter, a friend, Holocaust survivors, a homosexual man, and her sister. She even uses RNA and cells as analogies to indicate how even the materials that compose people have similar functions to people themselves. Although people may question how…
The strength and power that come from extroverts is all the more compelling, however, many people forget of the silent capability of introverts. Now it is time for introverts to take a stand against popular beliefs and quietly demonstrate to the world their abilities that have been cast aside. Instead of risk-taking thinkers being the center of attention, people who put in a large amount of thought will silently rise to the occasion. Although extroversion is the ideal in the western world, introverts also have their advantages, such as innovative and meticulous ability, in the work environment, and are, therefore, just as adept as extroverts in their abilities to rise to higher positions in the work force.…
In humanity’s understanding of the surrounding world, there are certain unalienable truths, or natural laws. Typically, these regard the essence of life and its intersection with humanity, with examples including the creation of new life, the permanence of death, and the inability of humans to defy physics and utilize magic. In literature, these laws offer a common topic of exploration, both in terms of what constitutes a universal truth and what happens when such a truth is rejected. Two examples of works that explore the latter theme are Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. Shelley tackles the subject of the life’s origin, when Victor…
At he beginning, she encounters the division of the world's insistence that "you must choose". However, her later realization that the world is full of souls "seeking connection through societies, clubs, and other groups" seems to indicate that people are not so vastly different. Although not all search to belong to a tribe specifically, people throughout all time and places yearn for a connection – a sense of belonging. She describes healing and universal fulfillment of people coming together and forming a community, full of common hopes and dreams. Yearning for relationships is human, and beautiful in the way we can strive towards a common purpose, stronger in unity than in individuality. That community evolves from a conglomerate of people sorting their own priorities and expectations as well as appreciating the input of others with more knowledge or different and unique…
The New Woman was conveyed through the artists illustrations beginning in the 1880’s and continuing through the years, ending in the 1920’s. These images such as the works titled, “What Are We Coming To”, “In a Twentieth Century Club”, “Picturesque America”, and “Women Bachelors In New York”, all conveyed this idea of a “New Woman”. The qualities that a New Woman must have included a woman who pursued the highest education and made effort to move up in the professional world. “She (the New Woman) also demonstrated new patterns of private life, from shopping in the new urban department stores, to riding bicycles, and playing golf.” (pg. 374) The artists attempted to create this perfect all around woman who’s lives closely resembled what the men of that time were doing. Such as in figure 6.8 titled “In a Twentieth Century Club” which shows women dressed in clothing which closely resembled that of a mans attire for that era, at leisure, socializing with other woman. This “club” looked very similar to a men’s drinking and eating club. “ Although role reversal still provides the humor, the women waitresses and patrons are physically attractive, while the women’s unladylike posture and clothing would have been viewed as shocking equally significant is the cross dressing entertainer.” (pg. 374) Not only did artists attempt to convey a way that the New Woman should act, but they also created this popular physical image of what one should look like such as the Gibson Girls pictured in image 6.9. Most all of the illustrations showed a white woman of the leisure class, however African American women still envisioned and strived to become a New African American Woman.…
Author Stud Terkel was a writer, who represented class conflicts in a deceptive style, allowing the facts and people he interviewed to speak for themselves. Previously, he acted on stage and television, hosted a radio program and compiled several books. In Miss U.S.A, Terkel writes the story of Emma Knight using irony. If the modeling agency would not have convinced Emma to join the beauty pageant, then she would not have gained more confidence in herself.…