Looking Forward and Backward

Looking Forward and Backward As I write this on the final day of the year, I cannot help but think back at how much my life has changed in just twelve months. It has, by far, been the most exciting year of my life to say the least. Last year, I sat with my mom in my house, watching the ball drop on my television, sweating because there is not winter in Southwest Florida. Now, I sit, bundled in three layers of pajamas resembling a plaid-colored icicle, on the fourth floor of next house, overlooking the frozen Charles River, viewing a skyline of a city I call genuinely like calling home. In a quick recap of what I consider the highlight reel, here are the ten moments that I probably will never forget that happened in the unique year of 2017: 1. Getting into MIT. I will never forget when I refreshed the page, and the page changed from the normal message to one that read something along the lines of, “The decisions are ready.” My heart skipped a beat, and my mom was in the kitchen. We were talking when I saw that it changed, and I stopped and read the first line. I started screaming on the top of my lungs that I was in! 2. Arriving at CPW and getting escorted to the second floor of the student center, where I saw Petey. I remember staring at him from my seat and thinking, “Whoah, the guy from the blogs and College Confidential is real, and he’s bald!” Now he is my boss and will be reading this. 3. Spending the last moments up to the AP Statistics exam whipping and dabbing to imaginary music, mind you in-sync with one another, with my two closest friends, Ruth and Gina. 4. Saying goodbye to my mom and sister after driving up the whole eastern United States and realizing, standing in my room on the sixth floor of Maseeh, “Oh Crap, I’m alone now. Now what?” 5. Being told that I actually didn’t exist. Apparently, after a few weeks of Interphase EDGE, a decent amount of people did not think I was a student in the program, and I was used as a fictional character in one of the communications sections. I was told later that day by my roommate that I didn’t actually exist. Definitely a first in my life! 6. Getting chosen as a blogger! This was definitely a cool one. I was on a Six Flags trip with my Interphase EDGE group, and I had just gotten off the Superman ride. I was walking back to the pavilion to meet my other friends, and I got an email saying, “You got the gig!” It has proven to be a really fun job that I enjoy that I never would have imagined coming here I would have. 7. Shooting a bottle-rocket 200 feet in the air and somehow managing to not break all of the eggs that were stuffed in as payload. I did the Discover Aerospace pre-orientation program, and my group and I decided we would just put half of dozen eggs in a barely functioning rocket. Somehow, on launch day, the thing went flying up in the air, and we all stood in disbelief. Although some of our eggstronauts had to meet their maker, two, if I remember right, survived the flight. #TeamBulgaria 8. Having to run around a table in 8.02 to demonstrate understanding of magnetic fields produced by moving charges. Yeah, it was odd! I did not wake up that morning thinking I was going to be an electron today, but I was and survived to tell the tale of table 3’s ultra-powerful magnetic field. 9. Experiencing the true definition of zero friction on an iced over sidewalk, resulting in myself meeting the ground on a street corner in Kendall in front of a packed restaurant. It was even made better by the fact that during my ever so graceful fall to the ground, my wallet flew out of pocket closer to the restaurant, so I had to get even closer to my audience to retrieve it. 10. Walking over the Harvard Bridge in 2 degree temperatures with a real feel of -15 degrees. Just don’t do this one. Highly not recommended. The Qdoba on the other side made it worth it though. And with all that being said, I cannot wait to see what’s in store for next year. My whole life, I never really made a resolution for New Years. I always kind of brushed it off. However, this year, as I waited for my brownies to bake in the oven for my New Year’s party of one (campus is very empty and my mom just flew home from visiting for Christmas), I compiled a list of eight resolutions/goals that I have for the upcoming year that I am striving to complete: 1. Going to office hours. I didn’t go to office hours first semester, but I know that I will be in the upcoming one. Next semester I will be taking a lot of classes where all the material is completely new, and I want to start taking advantage of this resource when I need the help. 2. Get involved with the Cambridge/Boston community. There are a lot of afterschool programs at local high schools that I would like to help out in, and I am in the midst of contacting some for next semester. 3. Starting research in the Department of Physics. I really want to get into something Astrophysics related at the moment, and I am currently looking into finding a new UROP to work with in the coming semester and over the summer. 4. Get involved as a Teaching Assistant of some sort. In high school, I really loved tutoring and the idea of helping people learn, and I am currently on the hunt for a way that I can make myself useful in ways that I can be for people who are struggling. 5. Secure a position in a Global Teaching Lab for IAP 2019. I really want to see Europe and there are some Global Education Programs that head over there for 3-4 weeks in January. I have never been out of the United States before, so it would be something new. 6. Ride every MBTA Commuter Rail at least once to explore a new location that I have never been before. I want to see Gloucester and also take one into Providence, Rhode Island! 7. Get a picture with Tim the Beaver. I have yet to get a picture with Tim, and I’ve been on this campus for over six months now. It is not fair. I must find Tim. 8. Learn how to walk better on ice. Simple enough I hope. Post Tagged #8.02 Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism #Course 8 - Physics #FPOP #GTL (Global Teaching Labs) #Interphase EDGE #Pi Day

Officer Selection And Training Process - 872 Words

Officer Selection and Training Process CJS/210 Martin Hewlett February 1st, 2015 Each and every state has many different police agencies within the cities, these agencies have a specific selection and training process in order to be recruited and considered a full time employee. Now we know that not all are alike in every single way as there are little things here and there that may change a tad. For the most part all the major training and requirements are the similar nationwide. In order to become a police officer you must go through a very rigorous recruitment and selection process. The minimum requirements to be recruited include but are not limited to twenty one years of age, valid driver’s license, and no prior felony convictions. All candidates must be able to pass a written and medical exam, interview, physical agility test, and psychological screening. Although not in every case there are police departments which now require certain educational standards. Most of the time it is simply a high school diploma however now they are moving forward to in clude college credits. Although education may not assist the officer in all aspects of his or her job, it may increase an officer’s knowledge of legal issues. Legal knowledge is integral to the job of a police officer. (Grant Terry, 2008) Now the selection process takes place once someone has been recruited, in most cases a candidate must go through an extensive selection process just to be hired. The selectionShow MoreRelatedEmployee Recruitment and Selection1244 Words   |  5 PagesEmployee Recruitment and Selection David Custer, Tim Grady, Perfecto Luna, Tiffany Servatius, Cinde Vongprachanh HRM/531 Human Capital Management November 14, 2012 Thomas (Skip) Wilkins Employee Recruitment and Selection Employee recruitment and selection has become increasingly challenging in today’s organizational environments. Intense competition among employers demand that organizations continuallyRead MoreCommunity Training Case Study1217 Words   |  5 Pagesplaced under arrest the parent will be notified by the School Resource Officer after law enforcement arrives at the school. Potential Solutions Proper SRO training will increase the use of positive behavior intervention Keep track of data and the number of disciplinary measures that get students referred to the criminal justice system based on gender, and race. Limit arrests at school and the use of restraints, mace, tasers, and handcuffs. Make all infractions and consequences clear in the studentRead MoreMandatory Minimum State Standards For Selection Standards926 Words   |  4 PagesThe first step in consideration of law enforcement selection, is recruitment and Conser (1978) explained mandated minimum state standards for selection dates back to the early 1950 s; albeit the actual reinforcement of established selection standards emphasized to the states until 1975, when The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations found police selection standards lacking (Conser, 1978). This lead to enacting legislation, employing the development of state commission councils of policingRead MorePolice737 Words   |  3 PagesBecoming a Police Officer Keisha Elliott CJA/214 May/114/2012 Jeremy Leach Elliott Becoming a Police Officer The act of communicating is a universal practice shared and used by all human beings. It is so universal that it holds true to many different definitions of its meaning. 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There are requirements in order to be recruited and employed by any policing agency. In addition to the highly competitive and rigorous application process to become selected as an officer of the law, there are training programs, continued education programs, and otherRead More Purpose And History Of SWAT Essay1677 Words   |  7 Pagespolice unit trained to execute dangerous and specific operations that basic and even intermediate police training is not intended to handle. Commonly, many assume from knowledge gained from TV and movies about SWAT. These assumptions are often skewed because what happens on real missions is not always as entertaining as what is seen on the silver screen. The history, purpose, requirements, training, equipment, and tactics used during missions are all se parate and important aspects in understanding SWAT

Hamlet Liberation In Death Analysis - 1098 Words

Liberation in Death: Hamlet’s Existential Struggle in Hamlet What is the meaning of life? Who am I? What is my purpose? These are open existential inquiries that both modern and ancient philosophers have yet to answer certainly. Unquestionably, the philosophy of existentialism is an interesting theory and psychological phenomenon. Existentialism is a philosophy promulgated in the 20th century that holds that every person exists first and his nature, or essence, comes about later through the manner by which he chooses to live his life. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main protagonist, Hamlet, grapples with many existential questions, seeking truth and understanding as he progresses in his knowledge and ideas of morales and mortality.†¦show more content†¦Although Hamlet feels that it is apropos to take action, he is dispirited by the obligation of his title. It was the prince’s role during the Elizabethan era to abide by the king’s laws, obedie nt to their will. Despite the fact that Claudius was made king after Hamlet’s father died, Claudius is still the ruler of the land. As a result, it is Hamlet’s duty to comply with the King. Shakespeare reveals to readers that in the introduction of Hamlet as an existential character, he voices existential thoughts, but does not act on them. Progressing through the play, Hamlet continually experiences existential thoughts, as Hamlet’s logic and sanity slowly unravel scene by scene, revealing snippets of Hamlet’s emotion and feeling. As Hamlet’s thoughts actions become increasingly erratic and his inability to cope with his father’s death worsen, Hamlet dives deeper into the realm of existentialism. As he is continually provoked by others telling him to cope with his father’s death, he utters, â€Å"Now I am alone. O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! (2.2. 48).† Hamlet reaches his pinnacle of despondency; he begins to lose h ope. As Hamlet delves deeper into the story of his father’s murder and the correlation of Claudius and the murder, his actions become more wild. Contemplating death and the immorality of the world, Hamlet then utters his famous speech â€Å"To bee or not to be†¦ To die to sleep†¦ That makes calamity of soShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet - Ophelia s Struggle And Madness1088 Words   |  5 Pages1 Pregnant with Madness— Ophelia’s Struggle and Madness in Hamlet Yi-Chi Chen Intergrams 11.2(2011): http://benz.nchu.edu.tw/~intergrams/intergrams/112/112-cyc.pdf ISSN: 1683-4186 Abstract Madness in Hamlet is one of the crucial themes for Shakespeare to depict the chaotic turbulence in the Hamlet family and the court of Denmark. 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Mice of Men Essay Free Essays

By Golda Bhebhe. â€Å"Of Mice and Men. † In the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck we are introduced to two main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small. We will write a custom essay sample on Mice of Men Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now These men are close friends who travel together looking for employment in America in the 1930s. Lennie is quite a simple guy who sometimes gets into trouble. Steinbeck uses a range of writing techniques to portray Lennie and we are left at the end feeling very sad that he has had to die. When we first meet Lennie and George we immediately notice that George is the leader and Lennie is slower and seems to await instructions. George is described as a small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong feature. It also moves on to say that every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. The author creates a very masculine attractive imagine of George by making him look put together and neat with very chiselled bone structure which in society has always been considered very handsome. On the other hand Lennie is described as a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders. This creates a very unattractive look for the character because he seems to be coming of slightly a large untidy man who doesn’t seem to take pride in the way he looks. When the two men first walk into the brush George is leading the way and Lennie is carefully following him. They were walking in single file down the path, and even in the open Lennie stayed behind George. This shows that Lennie is very dependent on George in the way that a child would be. The two men soon move into the wider world of the ranch and here we see how other people react to Lennie. Steinbeck evokes sympathy for Lennie when he shows the way other people react to him. The ranch workers at the start are very inquisitive and some even envious of Lennie George’s relationship. Some are slightly intimidated by Lennie because he is a big guy but they don’t know that he really a child at heart could never hurt anyone intentionally. One of the workers who are especially intimidated by Lennie is Curley. Curley is the boss’s son. He is a thin young man with brown face, with brown eyes and head of tightly curled hair. Curley seems to be intimidated by Lennie because of his large size and him being a small man feels the need to look down on him to make himself feel like a â€Å"big guy† because he knows Lennie can’t do anything because he is in the position of power. â€Å"Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at’em because he aint a big guy. † This shows that Curley has always been jealous of bigger men. So he finds pleasure in bullying Lennie because usually it’s the other way round. How to cite Mice of Men Essay, Essay examples

MEDEA Essay Paper Example For Students

MEDEA Essay Paper A monologue from the play by Euripides NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Plays of Euripides in English, vol. ii. Trans. Shelley Dean Milman. London: J.M. Dent Sons, 1922. MEDEA: O my sons!My sons! ye have a city and a houseWhere, leaving hapless me behind, withoutA mother ye for ever shall reside.But I to other realms an exile go,Ere any help from you I could derive,Or see you blest; the hymeneal pomp,The bride, the genial couch, for you adorn,And in these hands the kindled torch sustain.How wretched am I through my own perverseness!You, O my sons, I then in vain have nurtured,In vain have toiled, and, wasted with fatigue,Suffered the pregnant matrons grievous throes.On you, in my afflictions, many hopesI founded erst: that ye with pious careWould foster my old age, and on the bierExtend me after deathmuch envied lotOf mortals; but these pleasing anxious thoughtsAre vanished now; for, losing you, a lifeOf bitterness and anguish shall I lead.But as for you, my sons, with those dear eyesFated no more your mother to behold,Hence are ye hastening to a world unknown.Why do ye gaze on me with such a lookOf tenderness, or wherefore smile? for theseAre your l ast smiles. Ah wretched, wretched me!What shall I do? My resolution fails.Sparkling with joy now I their looks have seen,My friends, I can no more. To those past schemesI bid adieu, and with me from this landMy children will convey. Why should I causeA twofold portion of distress to fallOn my own head, that I may grieve the sireBy punishing his sons? This shall not be:Such counsels I dismiss. But in my purposeWhat means this change? Can I prefer derision,And with impunity permit the foeTo scape? My utmost courage I must rouse:For the suggestion of these tender thoughtsProceeds from an enervate heart. My sons,Enter the regal mansion. As for thoseWho deem that to be present were unholyWhile I the destined victims offer up,Let them see to it. This uplifted armShall never shrink. Alas! alas! my soulCommit not such a deed. Unhappy woman,Desist and spare thy children; we will liveTogether, they in foreign realms shall cheerThy exile. No, by those avenging fiendsWho dwell with Pluto in th e realms beneath,This shall not be, nor will I ever leaveMy sons to be insulted by their foes.They certainly must die; since then they must,I bore and I will slay them: tis a deedResolved on, nor my purpose will I change.Full well I know that now the royal brideWears on her head the magic diadem,And in the variegated robe expires:But, hurried on by fate, I tread a pathOf utter wretchedness, and them will plungeInto one yet more wretched. To my sonsFain would I say: O stretch forth your right handsYe children, for your mother to embrace.O dearest hands, ye lips to me most dear,Engaging features and ingenuous looks,May ye be blest, but in another world;For by the treacherous conduct of your sireAre ye bereft of all this earth bestowed.Farewell, sweet kissestender limbs, farewell!And fragrant breath! I never more can bearTo look on you, my children. My afflictionsHave conquered me; I now am well awareWhat crimes I venture on: but rage, the causeOf woes most grievous to the human race,O ver my better reason hath prevailed.

The role of the Inspector in

The role of the Inspector in- An Inspector Calls Essay Discuss the role of the Inspector in the play. How does Priestley use him? Comment on the way the Inspector varies his treatment of the characters. An Inspector Calls is a play with many social and political messages. J. B. Priestley believed a great deal in socialism and he used several of his plays to try and influence people to be Socialist as well. It was written in a time when Britain was ruled by a Labour government and socialist policies were seen as the way forward. It was a popular way of thinking at that time so Priestleyquot;s aim for the play was probably to teach the unconvinced. We will write a custom essay on The role of the Inspector in- An Inspector Calls specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The Inspector in J. B. Priestleyquot;s quot;An Inspector Callsquot; is one of the most thought-provoking and mysterious characters that modern day literature has yet produced. It is this mysterious element that contributes greatly to making him a very interesting character and one that may be perceived in many ways. The audience does not find a great deal out about the Inspector and nothing is explicitly told to us; we are given hints and clues from the way he acts and what he says and are forced to piece these together to form our own ideas about his identity and his intentions. In this way, Priestley has asked his audience to act as a judge and to reach personal conclusions about him. The role of the Inspector is one of many levels. In terms of how he is used in the basic structure of the play, he is there to move the play along in that he encourages the characters to tell their stories. If there was not the revelation that he was not a real Police Inspector, he would only be considered as a narrator and not play a big part in the play. Because it transpired that he was an impostor of sorts, further questions are asked by the audience and different insights have become likely and it is clear that the Inspector is in the play for many reasons. The play is set in the house of the Birling family. As soon as the curtains open, it is clear that the family is wealthy because there is high quality furniture and decoration in the house in which the play is set. The family use their house as a status symbol and have decorated it in a way so as to reflect their wealth. We learn this from the quot;few imposing but tasteless picturesquot; which will probably have been chosen because they were expensive, not because they were liked. These pictures also tell us that the Birlings are proud of their wealth and think themselves to be very important but lack the good taste which is present in those who are socially superior to them. The house is described as being quot;substantial and comfortable and old-fashioned, but not cosy and homelike. quot; This setting suggests that the family are uncomfortable with each other and therefore suggests problems. They speak to each other in a fairly relaxed manner, despite the attempts from Mrs. Birling to enforce a more formal atmosphere by correcting her family whenever they make minor errors in table manners. The champagne shows that family are joined to celebrate. Gerald is a guest at the house and so the family are all well-behaved and pleasant to one another but there are several hints that this is for show and there are problems which are being ignored. Mrs. Birling treats Eric and Sheila as if they are two small children even though Sheila is engaged to Gerald and so is a young woman. This is shown when Sheila refers to Eric as quot;squiffyquot; and Mrs. Birling scolds her by saying quot;What and expression, Sheila! Really the things you girls pick up these days! quot; This also shows the difference between the generations; Sheila is younger and so does not act in the same way that her mother thinks women should act. It also suggests that she is reluctant to let her children grow up because once they reach a certain age they would move away and she would live with just her husband, a prospect that she seems unlikely to look forward to. Although the audience is unaware of any problems she and Birling may have, we are given a hint later when she tells Sheila that quot;When youquot;re married youquot;ll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. Youquot;ll have to get used to that, just as I had. quot; This suggests that their relationship is not very close. Later, Eric says that he sees some of Birlingquot;s quot;respectable friendsquot; with quot;fat old tarts round the townquot;. Birlingquot;s reaction to this is angry and he clearly does not want any further mention of that topic. From this reaction, it is possible to conclude that Birling might also go to prostitutes, as that sort of behaviour was fairly common amongst upper middle-class men at that time. There is a suggestion that Gerald had an affair because Sheila says to him quot;all last summer. you never came near mequot;. There is also a hint at Ericquot;s drinking problem, because even at dinner Sheila notices that he is quot;squiffy. quot; He later acts uneasily when Gerald and his father are joking with him about the possibility of him having quot;been up to somethingquot; and he says that he does not quot;think itquot;s very funny. quot; The audience knows that the joke was harmless and might wonder what Eric has to worry about. As soon as the Inspector enters the stage, the lighting becomes brighter and any shadows would be eliminated. This effect is to show that they can no longer hide and that the Inspector will bring everything to light. This indeed does happen and all of the problems that have been hinted at previously are brought out, plus some others. The war would have been an even sadder issue in 1947 when the play was first shown than it is now, and one which would have made people feel uneasy and would have provoked a lot of emotions and a lot of bad memories. This means that when Birling spoke about it in his speech, the audience would suspect that the play was about to become darker because such a distressing topic would not be mentioned if something bad was not going to happen. This is an example of dramatic irony because the play was written in 1947 so the audience knew that there were two world wars about to happen, but the characters did not. The Inspector seems to already know of the incidents that the family tell him. When Eric and Sheila find out what their parents and Gerald contributed to the demise of Eva, they are shocked: quot;Well I think itquot;s a damn shame. quot; The Inspector reacts quite contrarily to this and stays perfectly calm and shows no surprise at what is being said which suggests that he is waiting for their confessions. Sheila notices this and says quot;We hardly ever told him anything he didnquot;t know. quot; The characters cannot hide the truth from the Inspector because he appears to know it already. In this way, he is similar to a conscience. An Inspector investing a crime would want to find out all he could and look for evidence and so forth, but the Birlings have not committed a crime punishable by law. Therefore, the only way for the Inspector to avenge Eva Smith was to make the people in question feel guilty. The Birling parents will not accept any blame and just try to justify what they have done by saying quot;The girl had been causing trouble in the works,quot; and quot;it wasnquot;t I who had turned her out of her employment which probably began it all. quot; Eric and Sheila, however, show a lot of remorse and are quick to take responsibility for their actions; Sheila admits that she had no excuse for doing what she did, she was just quot;in a bad temper. quot; This to show that there is hope for the future and that ideas are changing; the younger generation are more supportive of Socialism and the idea of helping others and not just thinking of oneself. Priestley uses the play as an example of what can happen if we are ignorant to the feelings of others as this was an issue that he cared a lot about and one that recurred in several of his other plays. Just before the Inspector leaves he turns the blame onto the whole of society by mentioning that the problem did not lie with just Eva Smith and one particular family, but it was the quot;millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us intertwined with our lives. quot; This was said near to the end so that it would not be an idea forgotten, but one that might play on the minds of the audience long after they left the theatre. Priestley intended to make his audience think about how they may be hurting people and to make them feel guilty for what they may have done in the past and the Inspector is a useful medium for Priestleyquot;s beliefs to be spoken through. The Inspector is described as speaking quot;carefully, weightilyquot;. On stage, this would give the Inspector an air of power and importance. He acts in a fairly dominant way and he often has times when he gives Arthur Birling no respect at all, such as when he says quot;Donquot;t stammer and yammer at me again, man. quot; Because the Inspector treats Arthur in this way even though he knows he is quot;still on the Benchquot; it implies that he treats people the same no matter what their position is. Birling often seems intimidated by the Inspector and often accepts the disrespect he is given even though it would annoy him because he is very used to being given respect as he was quot;an alderman for years and a Lord Mayor two years ago. quot; Becau se Birling does not know what to do when he is treated in this way, it suggests that he is a weak person. .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 , .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .postImageUrl , .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 , .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:hover , .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:visited , .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:active { border:0!important; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:active , .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82 .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue170b34113f6204a8fe1775ca3196e82:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Comparision of dicvised peice and another sun EssayIt is ironic that a character who believes very strongly that one should only be responsible for oneself is also a character who does not seem to be able to fend for himself. The Inspector questions Birling about why he fired the girl for asking for more money. This shows further lack of respect from the Inspector and also shows that he cares about individuals. Birling was quot;surprisedquot; at being questioned, so it seems that what he says is usually accepted as correct. His surprise could also be because of exactly what the Inspector was questioning. Birling says that it is his quot;duty to keep labour costs downquot; which indicates that he does not think of each worker as a person and cares a great deal about money. The fact that he did not recognise the name Eva Smith even though she was someone he dealt with directly and a worker who stood out, further shows that he does not think of his employees as people. To him they are nameless and have no individuality. This would make a lot of the audience angry as this is a very Capitalist view. Some of the audience might also feel an affinity with Eva in that they may have also been treated in a similar manner. The Inspector pretends to share Birlingquot;s attitudes to class by saying quot;like a lot of these young women who get into various kinds of trouble. quot; This encourages Birling to talk to him because he sees him as somebody who will not oppose him. This implies that the Inspector knows how Birling thinks even though he has apparently only known him for a short while. The Inspector recognises early on that Sheila is more morally sound than her father as she points out that quot;these girls arenquot;t cheap labour theyquot;re people. quot; When she says quot;So Iquot;m really responsible? quot; she shows that she can admit when she is wrong. The Inspector probably thinks more highly of her than Arthur because of this, but he still speaks quot;sternlyquot; to her as he does to the other characters. This proves that he does not forgive easily. Once the line of questioning turns to Gerald, the Inspector is more friendly to Sheila. He understands that she would want to hear about Geraldquot;s affair with Eva Smith and ensures that she stays by arguing that if she left then and heard no more she would quot;feel shequot;s entirely to blame. quot; At first, when the Inspector refuses to show Gerald the photograph of the girl, Gerald is quot;showing annoyance. quot; He tries to be authoritative towards the Inspector, possibly to impress his future wife and in-laws. The Inspector will not be ordered to do anything. For example, when Gerald tells the Inspector that hequot;s quot;Getting a bit heavy-handed,quot; the Inspector calmly dismisses his comment by saying quot;Possibly. But if youquot;re easy with me, Iquot;m easy with you. quot; When Gerald tells his story, he is questioned mainly by Sheila who is angry with Gerald for betraying her. The Inspector treats Gerald with neither fondness nor contempt. He observes that quot;he at least had some affection for her and made her happy for a time. quot; Mrs. Birling is not present for the majority of the questioning, so she is unfamiliar to the Inspectorquot;s abruptness. She describes him as quot;a trifle impertinentquot;. She, like Arthur Birling, seems to be used to receiving nothing but respect. This is because she is of a high-middle class. The Inspector treats the characters with the same disregard as they gave Eva Smith. Mrs. Birling becomes increasingly annoyed at how the Inspector treats her. This is shown when the Inspector says, quot;Youquot;re not telling me the truthquot;, and she replies quot;I beg your pardon! quot; She seems horrified by the way she reacts that somebody could speak in that way to a lady of her class. Like her husband, Mrs. Birling refuses to accept any responsibility for the death of Eva Smith. Protective of her family, she does not criticise any of them either, but turns all of the blame onto the unidentified man: the father of Evaquot;s child. She very happily says that the man should be quot;dealt with very severelyquot; and made to quot;confess in public his responsibility,quot; oblivious to what most of the audience would have realised; that Eric was the father. This is another example of irony. She believes that the man must be someone who is working-class and has not been brought up properly because he was a drunk and guilty of theft. Eric seems to see the Inspector as the strong father figure that is missing from his life. He said that Birling was quot;not the kind of father a chap could go to when hequot;s in troublequot; so he is obviously not close to him. When his father talks about his quot;public school and Varsity lifequot;, Eric seems embarrassed and says to Birling quot;Well, we donquot;t need to tell the Inspector anything about that, do we? quot; Eric is just as quick as Sheila to give the Socialist alternatives to what Birling was saying about the workers, and tells him that he would quot;have let her stay. quot; Eric is slow in telling his story and he only answers the questions that he is asked and he only gives away a little information at a time. This shows that he is reluctant for the others to know about his problems. The Inspector is fairly gentle when he questions Eric because he is clearly very upset and guilt-ridden. The Inspector notices this even though Birling does not and when he asks for a drink, he allows him one with the explanation that quot;He needs a drink now just to see him through. quot; The Birling parents represent the older people who follow the dated Edwardian ideas. Arthur Birling is a rich businessman who thinks very highly of himself, even though he is often wrong. Arthurquot;s family respect him and listen intently to his ideas that quot;there isnquot;t a chance of warquot; and the Titanic is quot;unsinkable. quot; As the play was written in 1947 and set in 1912, this is an example of dramatic irony and the audience would know that Arthur was very wrong in his opinions and might even think him to be stupid. When he says quot;the way some of these cranks talk and write now, youquot;d think everybody has to look after everybody elsequot;, he explicitly says that he is strongly Capitalist and is narrow minded. Priestley wanted the audience to have a low opinion of Birling because he was discouraging his Capitalist politics and trying to show people like Birling to be at fault. Each of the Birlings and Gerald have done things to Eva that were wrong. However, Sheila and Eric are very regretful and seem to have learnt from their mistakes and immediately become more likeable and seem less at fault. The Inspector implies that the Birling parents and Gerald Croft are the ones more at fault because their Edwardian ideas about class and Capitalism do not change. Priestley and the Inspector think that quot;Public men have responsibilities as well as privilegesquot; which suggests that Priestley thinks that those who forget their responsibilities also cause social problems. Mrs. Birling makes more references to class than Birling. It is possible that Arthur is slightly embarrassed by the fact that his wife is his quot;social superior. quot; This is apparent near the beginning of the play when Birling compliments his own meal and Mrs. Birling tells him that he is quot;not supposed to say such things. quot; The Inspector says in his final speech quot;We are responsible for each other. if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish. quot; This is an implication that he is criticising those who do not learn, not those who have acted that way in the past. Therefore, Priestley and the Inspector think that the people at fault are those that employ and hold on to thoughts that one should think only of oneself. After the Inspector leaves, the characters begin to speculate whether or not he was a real Police Inspector. Each of them believe his manner to have been inappropriate. Birling points out fairly early on in the play that he is quot;officiousquot;, but the audience are unlikely to actually strongly question his identity simply because they are not given time to because the action is constant throughout the play, with many twists and revelations. Although the audience and the characters realise towards the end of the play that he definitely was not a real Police Inspector, Priestley does not explain who or what he was. .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 , .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .postImageUrl , .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 , .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:hover , .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:visited , .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:active { border:0!important; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:active , .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65 .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u158742f00ebc65e7ddde2cd49ba0dd65:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Brave New World And 1984 EssayEven the most observant of watchers or readers is likely to find no clues as to what the Inspector could have been, so Priestleyquot;s aim was to leave this matter a complete mystery. This tactic could have been to ensure that his viewers continued to think about the story and hence would also have to think about the issues of Socialism and this is something which he was desperate to do. Although nobody could ever know for sure what the Inspector was, there have been many theories. One is that he had travelled from the future to avenge Eva Smith. People may have thought this because the Inspector knew before it happened that the girl would drink disinfectant and kill herself. The Inspector does get justice for Eva in a way because he makes the family feel worse than any real Inspector could. The Inspector called himself quot;Goole,quot; which could be a pun on the word quot;ghoulquot; which is defined as quot;a person interested in morbid or disgusting things. quot; This could be considered true of the Inspector if he was indeed a person from another time who investigated different peoplesquot; deaths. In terms of Priestley conveying his message that we are quot;members of one bodyquot;, it is unimportant whether or not the Inspector was real nor if there was one girl or several girls. That is likely to be clear to those who watch the play as they will realise that the important issue is that the family and society has been told what could happen when they disregard the need to think of others, but some of the characters in the play forget what they have been taught because the Inspector was not real and they are not going to be involved in a public scandal. Because the Birling parents and Gerald end the play as oblivious to the needs of others as they began it, they are shown to be small-minded. It is only Sheila and Eric who learn from their experience and realise that him not being an Inspector changes nothing because the quot;girlquot;s still deadquot;. When Sheila says quot;he inspected us all rightquot; she shows maturity which is not reflected in her parents. I think the mystery surrounding the Inspector makes a big difference to the story because it gives it a distinguishing feature that would have been missing if this twist was not included. The play is written in a style whereby there are twists and revelations whenever the story gets comfortable for the watcher; Priestley wants there to be changes in the pace of the play and in the story so that the audiencequot;s concentration will not decline. This could happen because there are no changes to the setting of the play and there are not many characters or subplots. Priestley may have also included the twist because makes the tale more interesting and this would encourage more people to go and watch it. By leaving questions unanswered, Priestley is inviting his audience to think about the play. Because the Inspector was not real does not make any difference to the guilt that the characters and society as a whole should be feeling at the end of the play. People who watch the play should still learn a lesson from it. We expect all of the characters to admit to their faults and to learn from what the Inspector teaches them because we have been conditioned to look for the well-worn formula whereby bad characters convert to good characters because a third character has helped them to recognise their flaws. This formula is most recognisable in Charles Dickensquot; A Christmas Carol. Surprisingly, this is not the case in An Inspector Calls. After the Inspector is found to have been a fake, the Birling parents and Gerald remain unaffected by the nightquot;s events. Sheila points out that Birling doesnquot;t quot;seem to have learnt anything. quot; Once they realise that there will be quot;no scandalquot; They try to turn a blind eye to the problems that have been identified. They ignore Ericquot;s drinking problem and make little further mention of the fact that he stole a great deal of money from the family business. They ignore these problems because they are only interested in how they will look to other people. If nobody knows about their problems, they need not address them. This is proven when Birling says that there is a quot;difference between a lot of stuff like this coming out in private and a downright public scandal. quot; When Birling says to Sheila quot;youquot;d better ask Gerald for that ring you gave back to himquot;, he again shows that he is happy to forget what has happened because he is ignoring the fact that Gerald had still had an affair with another woman whilst he was in a strong relationship with Sheila. Mrs. Birling makes several comments to prove that she agrees with her husband, such as saying that once her children had slept off their tiredness quot;theyquot;ll be as amused as we are. quot; Gerald is just as bad as Mr. and Mrs. Birling because he says quot;Everythingquot;s all right nowquot; which proves that he believes that the Inspector not being real negates the fact that he has been unfaithful. Sheila proves herself intelligent throughout the play. She is quick to notice that the Inspector knows an awful lot about the family. We know that she notices his great knowledge because just after she is questioned about how she lost the girl her job at Milwards, she says: quot;I hate to think how much he knows that we donquot;t know yet. quot; She has changed her attitude about how to treat people and is disgusted that her parents have not done the same: quot;itquot;s you two who are being childish trying not to face the facts. quot; Eric behaves much the same as Sheila. He seems to have respect for her because he does not directly argue with his parents about the way they are acting but instead supports Sheila in what she says by saying quot;Sheilaquot;s right,quot; and quot;I agree with Sheila. quot; He and Sheila are both there to give us hope for the future; the younger generation have better attitudes and can improve society. As the Inspector said, children are quot;more impressionable. quot; The Inspector leaves the family and the audience feeling awkward because he uses a lot of emotive language such as nd he speaks with real passion. In this speech he, and therefore Priestley, try to make people understand just how serious problems can get when we do not realise that quot;We are responsible for each other. quot; This speech gives an opposite message to that which Birling gave whereby he said that quot;a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own. quot; It was at that point where the Inspector entered, as if to prove him wrong. In his speech, the Inspector makes reference to the forthcoming war with the idea that if people do not learn that quot;We are members of one body. then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish. quot; This is a very powerful statement and it would seem that the Inspector is implying that the war was sent to punish people for not working together, and at the same time forcing them to do so. The war did break down barriers between classes and people had to all work for the country, not for personal gain, so what the Inspector spoke of was accurate. I think Priestley used the idea of war to convey his message because it was a major issue when the play was written and everyone would have suffered from it and would care greatly about it. The play finishes with a telephone call from the police saying that quot;A girl has just died. after swallowing some disinfectantquot; and a real Inspector will question the family. This is an unexpected twist. The fake Inspector was there to punish them on a moral level and to try and make them feel guilty enough to change their behaviour. This was accomplished with Eric and Sheila, but not with the others. The only thing that they would be affected by was a quot;public scandal,quot; and the real Inspector would ensure that that is what they would get. Without this twist, it would seem that the Birling parents and Gerald would escape unpunished. One must conclude that the Inspectorquot;s main purpose is to teach. In the context of the play, he told the characters what had happened to a particular girl because they had each been guilty of selfishness. In regards to the whole of society, he voiced Priestleyquot;s opinions that we cannot make any progress if we do not work together. In my opinion, those watching or reading the play today would not gain as much from the story in regards to the moral teachings because most have now accepted the advantages of Socialism over Capitalism and so do not have as much to learn on the arguments of this issue as the audiences of 1947. In regards to the question of what the Inspector actually was, I personally feel that there is not enough evidence given for even a strong, fact-supported theory to be produced to answer the question, let alone an infallible answer.

The Many Faces of La Llorona Essays

The Many Faces of La Llorona Essays The Many Faces of La Llorona Paper The Many Faces of La Llorona Paper La Llorona, the Crying Woman, is a tale of endless versions told over the centuries by an endless array of anonymous storytellers to scare curious children into doing as they are told. The literary form of orality, though fluid and dynamic, is in this case the force behind the cohesion of the contents of the various versions of this Chicano legend. I shall show that the different contents found in the multiple versions of La Llorona are of the same form, and further, that the variations depend on the locale of settled Chicano populations. In truth, the farther away a distinct Chicano population is from its cultural heritage, the more opaque and sinister the mystic tale of La Llorona is told within that local population. Let us look back to the beginning, the time of Hernando Cortes during Spains conquest over the Aztec tribes of Mexico. This is where the tale of the Crying Woman was said to have begun (La Llorona 79). In this ancient history, La Llorona is part of a holy trinity, mirroring the Christian faith. According to Gloria Anzaldua, All three are mediators: Guadalupe, the virgin mother who has not abandoned us, la Chingada (Malinche), the raped mother whom we have abandoned [Malinche is the basis for many of the La Llorona versions], and la Llorona, the mother who seeks her lost children and is a combination of the other two (3047). We see at the time of the tales birth that the Crying Woman is seen as a mother to the Aztec people and she is crying for her children being lost to the Spaniards and their religion. Here at the origin, amid the still pure Aztec culture, La Llorona is a figure of compassion and respect: not a story to scare children. Though the shortest of the versions, La Llorona in Mexico still has some of the compassion and culture of the long ago displaced Aztec civilization. It reads simply, At night, in the wind, a womans voice was heard. Oh my children, we are now lost! Sometimes she said, Oh my children, where shall I take you? (La Llorona 79). The oral form between this version and the original Aztec version has changed little in content. Both still speak of a sad mother crying for her lost children. However, the meaning between the two has changed. Where the ancient version sees a mother goddess crying for a lost culture, the Mexico version tells of a family in dire straits, lost within the howling winds of the cold night. Time has carried the Mexico version away from its Aztec culture. As a result, the meaning of La Llorona has changed for this group of the Chicano population. In La Llorona in Texas, the contents of the tale have changed drastically from the previous two accounts. In this version, a vaquero [cowboy] sees a haunting vision of the wailing woman near a river. He is terrified of the apparition, and in his terrified state yells at the ghost as he draws his pistol, Now Im going to kill you (La Llorona 80). There is no longer any mention of the children she is known to be crying for in the other versions. Instead, we have a man afraid of a woman, which is a stark contrast to the macho culture of Chicano men. As the Chicano culture moves farther away from its roots, both in distance and time, the more poisoned the tale becomes to its listeners. Even farther away from their ancestral lands than the Chicano populations of Texas are those of California. Within this version, La Llorona in California, the tale has taken on a dark and horrible tone. No longer is the Crying Woman a holy mother, no longer is she a mother with lost children in the ebony night, nor is she just a wandering ghost along a lonely river. Now she has become the stuff of childrens nightmares. One part of the tale goes, She told Him [God] that†¦she had thrown one [her child] down the toilet†¦another had been thrown into the sea†¦and that she had thrown the other one into†¦a river (La Llorona 79). We now are told to see her as a murderous beast that has drowned her own children: a far cry from the noble goddess of the Aztecs known for her compassion. Even more, we are told that she does this deed so to continue her wild life of sin, not wanting to be tied down by children (La Llorona 79). In interviews with two different people of Chicano culture, I found yet two more variations of the tale. In the first interview, with Ofelia Chavez, I was told that the tale of La Llorona was revealed to her by her mother as the story of a weeping mother whose children had died when rossing the Rio Grande River. It is a parable teaching of the dangers of crossing the border. In the second interview conducted with Sallie Babb, La Llorona was the story of a ghostly woman wandering the night in search of children. Babb related to me that as a little girl, her mother would tell her and her siblings not to go out after dark or La Llorona would snatch them away forever. Chavez is from West Texas an d Babb is from the border area of the Rio Grande River. Even with that slight distance between them, the tales that each heard vary in their contents in extreme ways. When asked, neither of them knew of La Llorona as a tale of a compassionate mother-goddess crying for her lost people from the days of the mighty Aztec Empire. As the Chicano culture is separated from its past, it loses respect for itself. Walter Ong has said, †¦oral societies live very much in a present which keeps itself in equilibrium or homeostasis by sloughing off memories which no longer have present relevance (Orality and Literacy 46). So it may be that although the oral literatures may change, it may not necessarily be a detrimental act. Like La Llorona in the view of Chavez, it is a story told to teach of the hazards of the borderlands. Ong also points out, When generations pass and the object or institution referred to by the archaic word is no longer part of present, lived experience, though the word has been retained, its meaning is commonly altered or simply vanishes (Orality and Literacy 47). In other words, when a people forget their roots, they change, or even lose, the oral interpretations handed down from storyteller to storyteller. The result is a loss of self for that people. They have no history that can be recalled to remind them of what they were and how great they were, and more importantly, what they are capable of becoming now. If you cut off the roots of any plant, then it will die. It is the same way with cultures. It is fact that the various versions of La Llorona arise from the distances in both time and miles. But why do these changes occur? It may be that as population groups from one culture amalgamate into the culture of another (i. e. Mexican into American), the smaller population tends to be suppressed by the larger dominant culture. As a result, the smaller population group is either forced unwillingly into blending their oral literature with the opinions of the dominant culture in order to survive in a foreign land, giving up their tales to the past to be lost forever, or adapting the stories to better teach the next generation lessons of life in a changing world. This is why the form of oral literature is so important to who we are as a people and as individuals. How can we know who we are and where we are going if we dont know where we come from? Personally, I cherish the stories my grandfathers would tell of my ancestors and how I came to be a cornucopia of Cherokee, French, German and English heritages that today define who I am in this world. Without orality in literature, I could not possibly with any truth say I know who I am and where Im going. It is a lesson for all of us. Word Count: 1480 Anzaldua, Gloria. from Borderlands/La Frontera. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Gen. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 3042-3065. Babb, Sallie. Personal interview. Testerment, Charles A. 23 September 1998. Chavez, Ofelia. Personal interview. Testerment, Charles A. 16 September 1998. La Llorona. Hispanic American Literature: An Anthology. Ed. Rodolfo Cortina. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group, 1998. 79-80. Ong, Walter. Some Psychodynamics of Orality. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. New Y ork: Methven, 1982. 30-77.