Building A Fence Around August English Literature Essay

Building A Fence Around August English Literature Essay Family life of the 1950’s was different from any other time in America’s history. Many soldiers returned home from war and married young, in hopes to create simpler lives for their families. For so many, this was the white American Dream. For African Americans, this dream was much harder to attain. For Troy Maxson, the tragic hero in August Wilson’s Fences, this was no exception. In her essay, â€Å"Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson’s Fences† Susan Koprince notes that for Troy, â€Å"the American dreamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦turned into a prolonged nightmare† (1104). Racism, segregation, and poverty ran amuck and many blacks found it difficult to find success in this white man’s world. However, at the heart of all of Wilson’s classic and timeless works, are what he refers to as â€Å"the Big Themes†, â€Å"love, honor, duty, [and] betrayal† (Miles, 1096). These universal themes are integral and allow readers to understand the plight that black families in the fifties had to endure, in order to get by. Troy Maxson, above all else, takes to heart his duties as a sole provider for his family. However, Troy often finds himself torn between a desire for more personal liberties in his own life and a sense of commitment to care for his family. These duties to his family are not without fault. Although Troy is a wonderful financial provider for the family, he still feels he does not need to show affection to any of his children. This rings particularly true for his youngest son, Cory. While they work to erect a fence around their yard, Cory asks his father, â€Å"‘How come you ain’t never liked me?'† Troy, furious at this inquiry, tells Cory, â€Å"‘it’s my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Not cause I like you! Cause you my son'† (Wilson, 1049-50). As breadwinner for the family, Troy necessitates himself to deliver food and shelter, but he makes it clear to Cory, as sole provider, that is all he is required to give. Furthermore, Troy’s remarks show readers just how defeated he is of the never-ending task of caring for his family. Troy, however, is not the only member of the household that has an obligation to the family. After Troy confesses to Rose about his affair and the child that Alberta is carrying, Rose chides, â€Å"‘I gave everything I had to try and erase the doubt that you wasn’t the finest man in the world†¦Cause you was my husband'† (1067). These remarks allow readers to grasp the role Rose undertakes as Troy’s loving and faithful wife. Harry J. Elam Jr. notes in his essay, â€Å"August Wilson† that, â€Å"Troy’s adulteryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ propels Rose, to reassess her situation, to gain a greater self-awareness, to change (1102). Rose is a powerful representative of steadfast loyalty; she remains committed to Troy and her duties to hi m, despite his unfaithfulness to her. Even as she undertakes the role of caring for Troy’s lovechild, Rose evokes a powerful sense of sympathy from readers. Despite the infidelity, Rose decides to stay with Troy for the sake of the family. This act additionally solidifies her duty as a wife and mother. In the argument with Rose, following his confession, Troy exclaims that he has spent his whole life trying to live a â€Å"‘decent†¦cleanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦hardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦useful life'† (Wilson, 1066). This remark illustrates how Troy has always been the provider of the home they shared for many years, even though the affair may have only recently started. It appears to readers that through this comment, Troy justifies his own reasons for the infidelity. In his essay â€Å"Fiery Fences,† Clive Barnes remarks how Troy eventually â€Å"sees himself as a man fenced in with responsibilities† (1085). Ironically, the fence Troy erects around his home, i mprisons him from achieving the independence he so desperately craves.

How far was Maragaret Thatcher to blame for her downfall Essay

How far was Maragaret Thatcher to blame for her downfall - Essay Example The concept of collective development through Globalization was a new concept for the British public at that time. Unemployment, Privatization of the public companies and the revised tax system were the main areas were the British public differenced with Mrs. Thatcher which ultimately resulted in her ouster from the prime minister ship. Now the â€Å"Thatcherism† and its importance were recognized by the British public more than ever. Mrs. Thatcher was fortunate enough to witness all such changes in attitudes of the British public against her and her policies. Most of her economic, social and political policies were still debated. Though her policies succeeded in reducing inflation and budget expenditures the people of Britain suffered lot of indirect tax increases, social inequalities and unemployment during her services in the prime minister’s office. â€Å"Even as the rest of Europe toyed with socialism and state ownership, she set about privatizing the nationalized industries, which had been hitherto sacrosanct, no matter how inefficient. It worked. British Airways, an embarrassingly slovenly national carrier that very seldom showed a profit, was privatized and transformed into one of the worlds best and most profitable airlines†1 â€Å"When Margaret Thatcher took office, there were 3 million private shareholders; when she left, there were almost 11 and a half million. The tabloid newspapers latched onto this and joined their broadsheet cousins in publishing alongside the racing columns share market information and news. The popularity of privatization increased as each industry was floated on the stock exchange. When the gas industry was launched, the shares were oversubscribed by 500 percent†2 . â€Å"Before 1987 several key industries and public utilities had been transferred to private ownership, including th e telephone system, the ports, British Gas, Thatcher believed in reduced involvement

Discussing Linguistics Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussing Linguistics Issues - Assignment Example â€Å"Phatic Communication† refers to everyday small talk. It may consist of repeatedly and trite phrases. However, it is impossible to live without any phatic communication throughout the day regardless of how clichà ©d it appears to be. It may be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal communications would include " hi" and "hello", small talk about weather, sports and politics, while non-verbal communications would consist of waving to a friend at the bus stop or ending a business deal with a firm handshake. In the cyber world, chat rooms are a perfect example of phatic communications. Phatic communications are usually devoid of any facts or figures or useful information, but it helps an individual, to a great extent, to socialize with ease and to remain in touch with one's colleagues, friends, family members without putting any pressure to be informative on him or her (Michael Pollick) Meaning of a word refers to a feature common to all scenarios. That means a word would carrying all meanings, which would be appropriate socially, culturally and also conforms to reality. However, the true and complete meaning of a word is only understood when used while socializing with other people. However, there is never one meaning of the word. Different people use a word differently, in different situations. "Social Meaning" refers to the meaning of a word that is most commonly used. A word may have many meanings but there might be few or one that is most frequently used by people while communicating and socializing with other people this is the "social meaning" of the word. (Bloch, Trager,1942)

Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and the Media - Lesbians on TV :: Media Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Lesbians on TV: Illusion of Progress   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When television first appeared back in the 1940's, times were very different.   What we would consider completely normal today would have seemed quite taboo just a few decades ago. For example, in 1953, Lucille Ball was not allowed to say the word "pregnant" while she was expecting baby Ricky and it wasn't until the 1960's show Bewitched, that we saw a married couple actually sharing the same bed.   Considering how conservative the television networks were back then, it is not hard to deduce that something as controversial as homosexuality would be far from discussed or portrayed at any level.   It was only in 1973 that television premiered its first homosexual character.   Over the next three decades the emergence of gay and lesbian characters in television has increased and decreased as the times have changed. Due to the resurgence of conservatism that came back in the early 1980's, homosexual topics were again reduc ed to a minimum.   Since that time though, as many people can see, there has been a rise of gay and lesbian characters on television. One might think after a first glance at the previous sentence that there has been progress among gay and lesbian communities to have a fair representation in the media.   However, if one looks hard at the circumstances surrounding their portrayal, many people may start to believe that if there has been any progress then it has been quite minimal.   In the 1990's there has been what is called a "normalized movement"(Warner 41).   This so-called movement has permeated into all aspects of the Gay and Lesbian movement's agenda.   It has become increasingly clear in the realms of the media such as television, movies and magazines.   The major objective for the proponents of this movement is to make the homosexual seem "normal."   This would be done by not focusing on the sexual nature of the homosexual.   Since their sexual behavior is considered deviant by society, any outward expression of it will be looked down upon.   So, it has been the goal of some leaders of the movement as well as those who control the media outlets to separate the identity and sexuality of the homosexual as far as possible.

Effects of video games on children Essay

Although video games can increase aggressive behavior, they can improve memory and logistical thinking, as well as teach perseverance. Over the course of the last few decades video games have been integrated into the lives of our children. Video games are very appealing to children of all ages, and even to some adults. There is a variety of video games out there, and they range from educational to very violent. Because of this diverse selection of video games, there is a wide range of positive and negative side effects that these games can have on children. Because a large percentage of our children’s time is spent playing video games, there has been a lot of research in recent years on the positive and negative effects these games have on them. â€Å"Among elementary and middle-school populations, girls play for an average of about 5. 5 hours/week and boys average 13 hours/week,† (Gentile, D. A. 2004). Teenagers also spend a time playing video games. According to Media Analysis Laboratory (1998),†Eighty percent of teens said they played at least occasionally and the average amount of time spent gaming for the sample was 5 hours per week† (para. 19). Video game play has become not only a leisurely pastime for children, but for families also. When parents are not involved in some of their game play the outcome can become a little scary. Children who play video games with their families have a more pro-social attitude compared to their counterparts who play alone. Children who are less social or somewhat anti-social tend to develop aggressive tendancies when spending long hours gaming alone especially when violent video games are involved. Video games have been shown to increase aggressive behavior in some children. Neubert, S. P. (2004) said, â€Å"Individuals high in hostility are more likely to become aggressive when exposed to violent video games. † â€Å"Games in which the only positive outcome is the violent demise of enemies reinforces anti-social behavior. Violent video games desensitize people to aggression,† (Neubert, S. P. , 2004). According to a study done by Douglas A. Gentile. References Media Analysis Laboratory (1998). Video game culture: Leisure and play preferences of B. C. teens. Retrieved from http://www. media-awareness. ca In-Text Citation 1. [Insert the paraphrased material] (Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B. C. , 1998). 2. The Media Analysis Laboratory (1998) website [Insert the paraphrased material]. 3. , â€Å"[Insert the quotation]† (para. 19).

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Essay on The Educational Benefits of Video Games - 1300 Words

The Educational Benefits of Video Games The repetition of the statement claiming that video games do not help children in their educational enterprises is unfair. There have been numerous studies conducted providing evidence that children gain structural knowledge while engaging in video game play (Pillay 2002). Certainly, different styles of video games may produce different results. It is important for us to understand the different benefits from the various styles of games. Because students play a wide variety of games, they may have a repertoire of schemas with different information (Pillay 2002). Visual Skills A majority of the studies conducted discussed results regarding visual skills. The appreciation of visual†¦show more content†¦They compared them to student who played 10 hours of non-action video game. On all visual skills tests, action video gamers scored better than non-action video gamers (Chudler 2003). The experiments at the University of Rochester brought forth very promising information for the support of video gaming. In the May 29 issue of Nature, people who play action video games process visual information more quickly. They can track 30% more objects than non game players (Roach 2003). Boosting visual scores can improve dramatically after just 10 hours of playing action games (Cohen 2003). Thinking and Learning Skills Video games can be used as instructional tools as well. They have positive elements and add value; they create a micro world of their own. The players act based on natural tendencies towards learning. Therefore, learning occurs while playing (Rosas et al., 2003). Simulation, adventure, and role playing games are another type of video game that produces positive results in skill levels (Morgan 2003). Simulations games are widely used in training various areas: 1. Colleges and institutions use them for educational purposes. 2. 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