Chaucers Retraction in The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's Retraction in The Canterbury Tales Chaucer's ability to characterize people from all walks of life in explicit detail, as is so wonderfully displayed in The Canterbury Tales, is just one factor that allowed him to be known as one of history's finest literary artists. At the end of a career that would be considered by most artists as an extremely successful one, what could have caused Chaucer to apologize for any of the works which defined literary success? In "Chaucer's Retraction," which appears at the end of The Canterbury Tales (Norton 311), Chaucer not only apologizes for several of his secular works, he also goes so far as to revoke them, and ask for forgiveness for such works which "tended toward sin" (313), as he puts it. Such an extreme action seems to be somewhat irrational. Some believe that Chaucer, nearing the end of his earthly life, was preparing himself for God's judgment in the afterlife. If, by means of his writings, he was guilty of some grave sin, which would keep him from the eternal bliss of heave n, such a retraction might be considered justifiable. Furthermore, the concept of being tormented in the depths of hell for all eternity could easily persuade any person, especially on his deathbed, to renounce all past actions, good or bad. Maybe it is better to be safe than to be sorry, forever. While it is impossible to truly discern Chaucer's reasoning, assuming him to be the actual author of this passage, a closer examination of the "offending" text, as well as a look at some of the social and religious influences of the time period, might give us a clue as to why such a gifted poet would take this position. The dominant theme of the pilgrimage in The Canterbury Tales illustrates one obvious religious... ...xed with molten lead, brass and other kinds of metal; immense worms with poisonous teeth gnawed at some; others were fastened on by one on stakes with fiery thorns. The torturers tore them with their nails, flogged them with dreadful scourges, and lacerated them in dreadful agonies [The Monk of Evesham's Vision, 1197] (qtd. in Speed 4). When facing the end of one's life, the notion of spending all eternity in such a place would surely make even the most avid non-believer think twice. A true believer in Christianity might very well think that it is much better to be safe, than to be sorry forever. Works Cited "Chaucer's Retraction." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Seventh Edition. Volume1. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 2000. Speed, Peter, ed. Those Who Prayed, An Anthology of Medieval Sources. New York: Italica Press, 1997.

Anna Karenina - The Complex Character of Constantine Dmitrich Levin Ess

Anna Karenina - The Complex Character of Constantine Dmitrich Levin    In the novel Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy, both major and minor characters played important roles through out the story. One protagonist, Constantine Dmitrich Levin, caught my interest as being a compassionate, moral character. Constantine Dmitrich Levin is a complex character whose direct and indirect characterization emphasizes a search for balance. Constantine Dmitrich Levin, often called Levin or Constantine, later Kostya by Kitty, is a farmer in eighteenth century Russia. He enjoys his work and avoids the city at all costs. He is madly in love with Princess Catherine Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya, normally called Kitty, but she rejects him in hoping that Count Alexey Kirilich Vronsky, normally named Vronsky, a man who has shown great interest in her, will propose marriage. Both are discarded but reconcile their feelings and eventually marry.       The novel Anna Karenina directly depicts Levin as a strongly built, honest worker, who dislikes the immoral views of the aristocracy. Levin enjoys his choice of work in the fields and begins to trust the peasants who assist him in his farming duties. He believes that working outside the cities provide a more noble lifestyle. Levin considers peasants to be more independent that those in urban areas and considers the peasants more morally correct.       Seeing the waiters busy over washing up the crockery and setting in order their plates and wine-glasses, seeing their calm and cheerful faces, Levin felt an unexpected sense of relief as though he had come out of a stuffy room into the fresh air (Tolstoy, 695, part 6, chapter 28).    Work p... ...her; he wishes the peasants to control their lives with self-interests, not by the interests of the government because the general welfare may not benefit the peasants or him.       Of the two protagonists of the novel, Anna Karenin and Constantine Levin, Levin is the one I admire most. Directly depicted as an honest, moral man, Levin is well liked among people he meets and does not try to escape to a fantasy world as Anna did. The novel goes in-depth by indirectly depicting him to be a philosophical thinker and an atheist, who is torn apart by his beliefs. The manner Tolstoy describes Levin is appealing, for I admire all of the qualities he possesses and that is why I chose him for my character of study. By using both direct and indirect characterizations, Tolstoy aimed to depict Levin as the role model for Russians in the eighteenth century.

Personality Disorders

Compare and Contrast Types of Personality Disorders Written Assignment 5: Compare and Contrast Types of Personality Disorders and Identifying the Three Clusters into Which Most Personality Disorders are Grouped By: Keturah Albright Abnormal Psychology HDV-284074-01X-10FA2 Professor/ Instructor: Jonathan Gibralter Compare and Contrast Types of Personality Disorders Personality disorder is defined as, gradual development of inflexible and distorted personality and behavioral patterns that result in persistently maladaptive ways of perceiving, thinking about, and relating to the world. p. 431Butcher, James N. ) It is important to understand the meaning of personality disorder, in order to properly diagnosing a person. Society tends to place this label on individuals who they feel display characteristics resembling a â€Å"personality disorder’. There are three clusters in which personality disorders are placed in. Cluster A: Consists of paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal person ality disorders. People with these disorders often seem odd or eccentric, with unusual behavior ranging from distrust and suspicious to social detachment.Cluster B: Includes histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial, and borderline personality disorders. Individuals with these disorders share a tendency to be dramatic, emotional, and erratic. Cluster C: Includes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. In Contrast to the other two clusters, people with these disorders often show anxiety and fearlessness. (p 342, Butcher, James N. ) There are some ways in which these three clusters of personality disorders can be compared.All three clusters have personality disorders that would have the person to focus on the needs of themselves and no one else, their needs come first and for most and they may feel justified by their actions. Most of these individuals are said to suffer from, â€Å"chronic interpersonal difficulties and problems with one’s identity or s ense of self. †(p. 341, Butcher, James N. )All three clusters of personality disorders tend to have individuals who lack the ability to function normally in society on a consistent basis.All three clusters mentally have a great false sense of reality that causes them to act in a defensive/protective manner. As well as most of the clusters have symptomatic impulsive behavior. Commonly all three clusters can be treated with some type of therapy. There are also contrasting behavior that defines the different clusters. Cluster A: Feels as though others are mistreating them or taking advantage of them, while Cluster B: bring about physical harm to others with no remorse.Cluster C: Has a need for others to take a lead role in there life for major things, while Cluster B: Seeks to exploit others. Also, Cluster A: Has odd believes and magical thinking that they take confidence in, and Cluster B: Has a fear of being left alone to fend for themselves. In all there are things that can be compared and contrasted with Clusters: A, B, and C, but the main thing to understand is that all of them are real personality disorders that with the proper guidance can be managed with some type of therapy (and depending on the severity, medication as well).Personality disorders if not properly diagnosed could cause great harm to the individual as well as the society in which they live. Reference Butcher, James N. , Mineka, Susan and Hooley, Jill M. (2010). Abnormal Psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon Abnormal Psychology, DVD 105, CDL Course 284074 http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/294307 [pic][pic][pic]

Media/Medical and Science Ethics

The rapid advancement in technology made humans so fearsome about the dangers it brings them—most especially of the danger that will cause their extinction. It is not mere computer or cellular phone that advances. Today, genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR) make that constant fear to knock on the feet of human race more frequent than ever. Dr. Ralph Merkle, in his essay entitled Nanotechnology: It’s a Small, Small, Small, Small World (2000), pleasantly drew a future that is happily gains from the various benefits of nanotechnology in almost all areas from which life greatly depends. He said that nanotechnology is being pushed through towards an objective. That is to â€Å"make almost every manufactured product faster, lighter, stronger, smarter, safer, and cleaner.† He even enumerated benefits that nanotechnology may provide humanity especially on transportation, atom computers, military applications, solar energy, and medical uses. Dr. Merkle has laid down very good arguments. He will surely make good impressions to whoever reads his essay. Dr. Merkle, who became scientific in describing when and in what manner humans will use nanotechnology, is indeed an ethical engineer and inventor. He became solely after to whatever nanotechnology can give humans to improve their everyday living. But all the benefits he said in his essay are also the weaknesses of his arguments and he was not able to draw more sentences to defend them. Though Dr. Merkle missed to include in his essay the dangers at par with the benefits of nanotechnology, Dr. Bill Joy provided them is his essay. Dr. Joy, in his essay The Future Doesn’t Need Us (2000), materialized and defined that fear. In lieu with the fast-paced technological advancement, he overshadowed a future dominated either by elites that uses GNR as a machinery to eliminate the masses or by egoistic individuals who work hard to aim vested interests or by the robots themselves with the powerful wit as much as that of a human being. Dr. Joy constructed such plausible reality in a logical structure, discussing how and what did technological advancements play in human community for the past centuries. Indeed, he showed how dangers go in parallel with the advantages and benefits of technology. He, however, like any other individual, has all the reason to be fearsome about the technological advancements vis-à  -vis GNR. History tells the world how did the arrangement of atoms forming a huge atomic bomb become so destructive—removes geographical and topographical places and killed thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is just one of the grave mass deaths and destructions that shook the whole world until now. History also tells us how technological advancements on medicines permitted the rise of new medicines aimed to secure individuals from the former medicines. It is, Dr. Joy points out, in the hands of the â€Å"wrong people† that such potential dangers are permitted to happen and may do â€Å"mishandling, abuse, and accidents† to recur over and over again. Each of the two essays could be said as complement to the other; however, this accompaniment discloses another significant issue: Which of the two needs more importance, the duties or consequences of technology? The abovementioned question now asks further question, who among the two makes a better point? Dr. Merkle is pushing through the duties technology provides humans—the duty of improving everyday life through manufactured products that were equipped with more efficiency, while Dr. Joy stresses on the consequences that make technology endanger life—the pros and the cons of technology and how it contributes to human’s extinction in the near future. For instance, the medical application of nanotechnology will lead to a better medical treatment of illness, Dr. Merkle said. The assurance, however, that it will lead to a better, and perhaps safer, treatment is blurry. The creation of anti-antibiotics will testify to such inadequacy. Another example would be the military uses of nanotechnology to create better and more effective weapons. A country which has strong weapons to use during wars will, of course, able to claim the victory. Nanotechnology will be of great help in creating such weapons. However, if the opportunity to use nanotechnology– to arrange atoms in a way creating weapons—were given and used for mass destructions by, to what Dr. Joy pertains, â€Å"bad people,† we will witness on this part the disadvantage. Whether the phenomenon is an unseen/unpredicted occurrence or a willfully-done event, the raison d'à ªtre remains: to every duty of technology there is a parallel consequence. Too bad that when the consequence is bad and/or destructive, it cost us million lives and million-worth assets to vanished in split seconds, or it costs our daily living to be gradually ruined everyday. Whether duty or consequence deserves more regard, some would still think if we are to coexist with technology harmoniously or end up victims of it, like Dr. Joy thought of. But still, like what Dr. Merkle tells us, â€Å"a lot would depend on when we start.† As technology and knowledge rapidly changes, man has become wiser than ever. But the question to both Dr. Merkle and Dr. Joy also bothers even ordinary individuals, where are we headed as human race given that we are placed in now highly technological world? Dr. Joy tells that many things greatly depends on humans—that is if we will still be driven by societal transformation, progress, and well-being. If not, â€Å"progress will be somewhat bittersweet.† True enough, humans coexists in a one world. To clearly define the duties technology should and at the same time eliminating, or the least expense, minimizing, the dangers it may give us, molecular manufacturing (as part of the nanotechnology) â€Å"requires the coordinated efforts of many people in many years,† as what Dr. Merkle said. At the end of the day, the challenge to us is more likely to be as particular as how to protect life; improving it is perhaps a higher task that awaits us.      

Achilles & Hector Essay

The art in the vase painting in Harvard’s collection depicts an anguish-stricken King Priam pleading to a triumphant and irreverent Achilles for the return of the already desecrated body of his son, the Crown Prince of Troy, Hector. The artist of the vase painting wants to illustrate an image of nullifying status, even more so, it characterized a reversal of stature — a King kneeling and pleading to a common warrior and the body of a prince dishonored. In Book 24 of Homer’s Iliad, it narrated the weeping King Priam virtually throwing himself at Achilles’ feet beseeching the latter to release the body of his dead son. In the text, it did not state however, that the body of Hector was in the same room as King Priam and Achilles. It is noteworthy to mention at this point however that the primary reason that Hector is dead is because Achilles avenged the death of Patroclus whom Hector killed mistaking him for Achilles. Moreover, in Book 22 of the narrative, Achilles threatened Hector of the situation he will be in if he suffered death in Achilles’ hands, to wit, â€Å"dogs and vultures shall work their will upon yourself†. Achilles’ grief for the death of Patroclus has fueled his wrath towards Hector and that as an ultimate insult to Hector’s person, Achilles have left the body untended outside his tent to make good on his word of â€Å"dogs and vultures shall eat you utterly up†. Furthermore, the text speaks of Achilles â€Å"taking it [Hector’s body] to a place where Priam should not see it†. In the vase painting, we see Hector’s body below Achilles, who is holding a knife and apparently eating raw meat with blood dripping from the knife’s blade unto the dead body below. This scene can be gleaned from a prior heated exchange of words between Achilles and Hector. In Book 22 of the Iliad, Hector in his last breath spoke: â€Å"I beg you, Achilles, by your own soul and by your parents, do not allow the dogs to mutilate my body. By the Greek ships, accept the gold and bronze ransom my father and mother will give you and send my body back home to be burned in honor by the Trojans and their wives†. To which Achilles angrily uttered: â€Å"Don’t whine to me about my parents, You dog! I wish my stomach would let me cut off your flesh in strips and eat it raw for what you’ve done to me. There is no one and no way to keep the dogs off your head, not even if they bring ten or twenty ransoms, pile them up here and promise more not even if Dardanian Priam weighs your body out in gold, not even then will your mother ever get to mourn you laid out on a bier. † The vase painting seems to draw out from this war of words between Achilles and Hector and displays the aftermath and the realization of Achilles’ enraged threats. It depicted also an arrogant Achilles eating meat over a dead body — an act way beyond being rational. Whereas in the text, upon hearing Priam’s heart-wrenching plea, Achilles displayed empathy and even went as far as telling Priam that he, Achilles himself, is also in sorrow for the death of Patroclus and showed endearing sentiment when he mentioned that Priam reminded him of his own father. Moreover, in the text, Achilles even admired Priam for his candor in going defenseless and alone amidst the enemy’s lair. One of the major themes of Homer’s Iliad deals with revenge, reparation, and compensation. In portraying Priam’s plea to Achilles, the vase painting essentially captured these three themes. Achilles’ disrespect for Hector’s body speaks of revenge. Achilles, blinded by deep sorrow, did what he thought would best vindicate Patroclus. Hector’s legs were bound at the ankles as in the ultimate act of deliverance, Achilles dragged Hector’s lifeless body around the tomb of Patroclus. Hector’s death itself is the reparation for the death of Patroclus — the proverbial â€Å"an eye for an eye†. Whereas, Priam’s ransom is the compensation for and in exchange for the possession of Hector’s body. Works Cited Homer, and Stanley Lombardo. Iliad. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 1997. Wilson, D. F. Ransom, Revenge and Heroic Identity in the Iliad. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Cultural Perspectives in Education Essay

The word ‘Culture’ refers to civilization or human activity. It can also refer to universal human capability to categorize skills, and to train and convey them characteristically. Therefore, one can say that Culture evolves over a period of time in response to adaptive challenges. What activities are carried out, who should participate, why they are valued and the rules of interaction are coded into the cultural models. There are different ways to educate, express or reveal knowledge to a student. The student’s education very much depends upon the teacher’s philosophy of education. This philosophical point of view appears to be true that could bring a negative influence in the classroom, no matter what syllabus is designed for the student. The students possess different qualities and beliefs that teachers should realize and learn to adapt to in the classroom. If teachers are not able to go beyond the boundaries of social class, religion, race, creed, gender, sex, disability or cultural background, then the focus of the students will also turn heavily upon differences and the classification of students as special needs or underachiever, thus building insensitive pre-expectations toward students in the classroom. â€Å"The primary goal of education is to show students different points of view and encourage them to evaluate their own beliefs. The teacher should help the students to appreciate how one’s observations and interpretations are influenced by social identity and background†. Chang, H. (1993). Students should be allowed to feel free to voice an opinion and empowered to defend it. A student is able to focus on and enjoy learning more when the school and classroom make him feel safe-comfortable with himself and with his surrounding. The learning situation should be made culturally neutral by keeping in mind the potential barriers and obstacles that each student may have. Taking this into account Marda Steffey (2001) suggests a four point motivational framework for culturally open teaching: 1. Establishing inclusion—norms, procedures, and structures woven together to form a learning context in which all learners and teachers feel respected by and connected to one another. 2. Developing attitude—â€Å"norms, procedures and structures that create through relevance and choice a favorable disposition among learners and teachers toward the learning experience or learning goal. 3. Enhancing meaning—norms, procedures, and structures that expand, refine, or increase the complexity of what is learned in a way that matters to learners, includes their values and purposes, and contributes to a critical consciousness. 4. Engendering competence—norms, procedures, and structures that create an understanding for learners of how they are or can be effective in learning something of personal value†. (Nawang, 1999) The main idea of the four points is that when student and teachers find themselves submerged in a unique world of the classroom, the interaction of culture is invaluable for the success of the learning process. Solomon, B. B. (1991). Teacher should recognize any biases or stereotypes in the class room, â€Å"by treating each student as an individual, and respect each student for whom he or she is. Amend any language practices or examples that exclude or degrade any group, should be aware of how students feel about the cultural climate in the classroom†. (Woolbright, 1989) A productive education must start with an awareness of these issues and some basic schemes for overcoming them. Although a variety of teachings can be fruitful, it seems especially cooperative to offer an atmosphere where students can easily hold an open discussion rather than class session in which a correct answer is required. True open discussion will send a message of authority between equal students who have something substantial to add to a common endeavor. Sharing the facts and principles of one’s discipline with students is very important as that helps to prepare an environment of comfort, trust and joint respect. Therefore, such an environment makes it possible for people to exchange ideas and thoughts on complex and often terrifying issues. It opens a way for students to carry out a common ground of joint practices and respect which can bind students together and at the same time make it easier for them to understand and observe many differences. The teacher should not only establish a content of diversity but a procedure that creates and demonstrate appreciation of diversity. It is important to keep in mind that students always observe and learn their teachers’ behavior as well as their expressions. The classroom environment not only represent the fundamental value of appreciation of diversity of cultures nevertheless it also capitulate great rewards in terms of vital thinking skills, especially the aptitude to value sophisticated multiple point of views on complex rational and ethical issues. The school or college should recognize all of the various types of diversities, whether it is cultural or not. Students should understand when they go their classroom that they will be interacting with many different types of students from all walks all of life. Levinson, B. A. , and Holland, D. (1996). They should understand that they are all in this facility for a reason and that it doesn’t matter what they look like or what language they speak, they need to cooperate to make their class environment more conducive to learning. It is very unfortunate to say that not much improvement in this has been made around the world except few countries, while in rest there is still school and colleges where cultural factors are given preferences. Every discipline is influenced by the inequity of power that exists across racial and cultural groups, between genders, and among other socially created classes of difference. In spite of advances in race and cultural relations, gender equality, and religious tolerance, significant documented differences continues to exist around the world. In order to gain a true moderate education, school administration should honor diversity of cultures. It should recognize holidays of other ethnicities and always study new and interesting ways of life. The students of the respective schools and colleges should â€Å"love learning about other cultures and how they interact with one another†. (Harold, 2006) The students should be allowed to do arts and projects that are representatives of other cultures and take great pride in the fact that they now have knowledge of their brothers and sisters around the world. Educators have a responsibility to assist the people who are privileged enough to be students in becoming aware of the inequalities around them. Therefore, each educator should work to infuse each class with the diverse voices that contributed to the knowledge base of the discipline. References Chang, H. (1993) Affirming Children’s Roots: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Early Care and Education: California Tomorrow. Hodgkinson, Harold L. (2006) Education in Social and Cultural Perspectives: Prentice-Hall Levinson, B. A. , and Holland, D. (1996). The cultural production of the educated person: An introduction. In B. A. Levinson, D. Foley, and D. Holland (Eds. ), Albany: SUNY Press. Phuntsog, Nawang. Magic of culturally responsive pedagogy: In search of the Genie’s lamp in multicultural education. Teacher Education Quarterly, Summer 1999 Solomon, B. B. (1991) Impediments to Teaching a Culturally Diverse Undergraduate Population: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. Woolbright, C. (Ed. ). (1989) Valuing Diversity on Campus: A Multicultural Approach. Bloomington, Ind. : Association of College Unions-International.

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Bronte Jane Eyre

The situation when Jane in locked in the Red Room occurs because she has retaliated against John Reed hitting her and the fact that she is being punished for doing so. The mere fact that she is being locked in the Red Room can already accumulate sympathy within the reader because she is seemingly being very unfairly punished whereas her cousin John has attacked her already and managed to escape any punishment whatsoever. However in the events leading up to being locked in the room, the reader could not feel sympathy for Jane Eyre as she did in a way bring the punishment upon herself for attacking Mr. Reed in the first place. If she has not retaliated she would have not been locked in the room. Most readers however probably do feel sympathy for her as she was acting more in self-defence. She was also unfairly spoken too as they were dragging her to the room itself as they say things like ‘she's like a mad cat' and do not seem to be letting her give an explanation at all for her ac tions, and only listening to what John had too say. They make sure that she knows her place by telling her that ‘You are under obligation to Mrs. Reed' and that she is ‘less than a servant'. These are not kind words and the reader will probably feel sympathetic as she is being treated as a worthless object. The room that she is sent too is a dark and unpleasant place with memories of the dead Mr. Reed. For a child of Jane's young age it would seemingly be very distressing for her, and with the added experience of her seemingly seeing a ‘ghost' of some kind, it would be a terrible experience. Even if the reader has not felt sympathy for Jane before this incident they would surely feel so now, as she is in a distressing situation alone. When Jane first screams out for help from someone it does seem as though people are coming too help her as Bessie and Abbot come to open the door and ask her what is wrong and what has made her cry for help.