Women in Harry Crewss A Feast of Snakes Essay -- Literary Analysis

It is known by many that, in regards to literature coming out of the South, female characters traditionally do not receive as much attention or detail as their male counterparts. Harry Crews does not, as one might say, â€Å"stray far from the path† of male dominated prose. However, this is not to say that there are only few women present in his writing, in fact quite the contrary. Women are not only present in Crews’s work, they are vividly entwined with the experiences and fiery outcomes of his male protagonist’s journeys; and A Feast of Snakes is no different. In â€Å"Having a Hard Time of it: Women in the Novels of Harry Crews,† an essay written by Elise S. Lake, Lake examines that even though some may interpret Crews as using women strictly in disrespectful or obscene ways for the advancement of his male characters, that â€Å"sheer variety disputes the notion that Crews stereotypes women narrowly† (84). We see a multitude of angles and p ersonalities in A Feast of Snakes alone, including: Lottie Mae and Beeder acting as an empathy release valve; the abused wife, Elfie; the ultimate cheerleader/ catalyst, Berenice; and finally the vicious sexual icons Hard Candy and Susan Gender. Probably the two utmost, one dimensional characters in A Feast of Snakes are Hard Candy Sweet and Susan Gender. These two are present in the story solely to be viewed as sexual icons. In the essay â€Å"Crews’s Women,† by Patricia V. Beatty, Beatty examines that â€Å"they are empty and vacuous, like Barbie dolls run wild. The men in A Feast of Snakes do not really perceive them as threats, but only as convenient sexual objects† (119). Their ways of making love are aggressive and, in Hard Candy’s case, is compared to the roughness of playing football. Even within ... ...nd abused wife, Elfie, but in the adjacent corner we find empathy in Lottie Mae and Beeder making sure the story does not become too one sided. At the same time we see Hard Candy and Susan Gender keeping the Southern plot moving with sex and a little violence. Elise S. Lake explains in â€Å"Having a Hard Time of it: Women in the Novels of Harry Crews† that â€Å"for most of Crews’s characters, hopes are unrealized, goals are unattained. Success is illusory, and self-determination is elusive for both men and women† (93). Being a Southern writer himself, Crews’s work is inevitably going to have some questionable views regarding the opposite gender, race, and class. This is what Southern Masculinity is. And to be able to plunge head first into a not-so-obvious aspect of this kind of writing and somehow come out smelling like roses; it is no easy task to say the least.

The Effects of Creatine on Athletes Bodies Essay -- Drugs Steroids Sp

The Effects of Creatine on Athletes' Bodies From a very early age sports are introduced upon both young boys and girls. Although it begins with sportsmanship and teamwork, it begins to evolve into new objectives when these young athletes enter high school. In fact, high school sports are vastly different. Your mind is trained to obliterate the opponent and win at all costs. This mentality can often lead many young athletes to turn to supplements to assist in muscle building. The most common supplement in use currently is Creatine. While athletic departments and sports nutrition stores claim that it is harmless, why do so many high school athletes end up with severe muscular and pulmonary damage? The answer has yet to be clearly defined, but we do know of some side effects which can lead to both positive and negative results in the continued use of this supplement. In order to understand what effects could result of creatine use, we must first explore what exactly creatine does in our body. Creatine is an amino acid which acts as a building block in the construction of proteins in the body. Muscle cells take the creatine and store it as energy for future use in the body. During intense exercise, phosphocreatine is broken down to creatine and phosphate, which is used to regenerate ATP. The remaining creatine in storage in the muscle cells may also increase the regeneration rate of energy after intense exercise. This serves as an extra boost of energy for young athletes. Currently, scientific studies indicate that creatine will boost an athletes maximum performance level by 5-8%. There is also evidence that leads sports nutritionists to believe that creatine can boost total energy output by 5-15%. At this point, it seems... ...ct, but I have yet to hear of any drug that can add almost forty pounds of muscle in a month without posing severe health risks. Currently, there are not any proven clinical studies that show side effects as drastic as what I have personally witnessed. According to the American College Of Sports Science, the only proven side effect of creatine is future weight gain of a substantial amount after an athlete has stopped using the supplement. Unfortunately, the true negative effects will not be fully understood until many years on down the road. In the meantime, parents and athletes alike need to take a stance against the use of dietary supplements at the high school level. Sources 1. Kreider, Richard P. (PhD), Creatine, the next ergogenic supplement? www.sportsci.org 2. American College Of Sports Medicine, Summary on Creatine supplement. www.iahsaa.org

Symbols and Symbolism in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay -- Heart Dar

Use of Symbolism in Heart of Darkness       Joseph Conrad played a major role in the development of the twentieth-century novel.   Many devices that Conrad applied for the first time to his novels gained wide usage in the literary period he helped to create.   Perhaps the most effective of his pioneering techniques was his application of symbolism in his novels.   In Heart of Darkness, Conrad's symbolism plays a dominant role in the advancement of themes in the novel.   These themes are revealed not through plot, but instead through the symbolic characters and elements present in the narrative.   Joseph Conrad's use of symbolism in his portrayal of the Africans, the Company, and Kurtz in Heart of Darkness illustrates the value of had work and self-restraint.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The format of Heart of Darkness is a narrative of the ship captain Charlie Marlow's experiences in the Congo Free State, told to companions on a ship moored at the mouth of the Thames River, southeast of London.   As the vast majority of the text is the story told by Marlow, the reader is intimately acquainted with Marlow‚s opinions and judgments throughout his first-person account.   Thus the relationships between Marlow and other characters in the novel are of greater importance than the characters themselves.   The actions that Marlow takes notice of are used chiefly to serve a symbolic purpose rather than to advance the plot.   The flow of the novel itself is rough and illogical at times, as Marlow's chain of thought is not entirely chronological.   This is one stylistic technique that other authors of the twentieth century, particularly James Joyce and William Faulkner, would make greater use of in their literature (Jericho 23).      Ã‚  Ã‚   The first of the ma... ...ction is not as important as the effects of that action, a world that would be exploited in the years to come.    Works Cited: Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer, 1902. Signet Classic, New York 1997. Jericho, Jeremy, Tessa Krailing Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness Barron's 1985.    Works Consulted: Adelman, Gary. Heart of Darkness: Search for the Unconscious. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1987. Fothergill, Anthony. Open Guides to Literature: Heart of Darkness. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1989. Glassman, Peter J. Language and Being: Joseph Conrad and the Literature of the Personality. New York and London: Columbia: University Press, 1976. Tindall, W.Y. "The Duty of Marlow." In Conrad's Heart of Darkness and the Critics. Ed. Bruce Harkness. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company Inc., 1968.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell

In both â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† by Richard Connell, the authors write to emphasize the sanctity of life through the conflicts endured by their main characters both implicitly and explicitly. Both stories deal with the topic of the taking of human life.â€Å"The Lottery† implicitly delves into the thought processes and ritual of a society where the taking of a life is ceremonial. However, the reader is left to wonder the purpose of this seemingly ageless tradition. â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† on the other hand, is much more sinister in nature.Human life is also taken in a systematic way, with rules that must be followed, but also a chance that the target may earn his freedom. In this explicit way, the reader fully comprehends the evil surrounding the Game and is confounded by killing as a means of entertainment.What first struck me as I read both stories was the similarity in the development of the charact ers. Both stories had an executioner and a victim that were seemingly interchangeable. In â€Å"The Lottery,† Mr. Summers was the presider of the ceremony and he fulfilled his duties with an aloofness that gave the reader a false sense of security throughout the story.The crowd encircled him. He knew one would die; in fact he himself was not exempt. Yet, he wistfully remembered a time when the Lottery had more pomp and pageantry. General Zaroff in, â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† also felt a longing for a time when the Game was more exciting.He had a crowd of contestants in his training area that he scorned for lack of skill and wisdom. Mr. Summers and the crowd felt the same way about Mrs. Hutchinson, who was so lackadaisical about the Lottery that she was late.In a matter of life and death for her family her excuse for being tardy was a sink full of dirty dishes. In â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† Rainsford is also quite flippant about his situation and about ta king lives as he brags to his associate about his hunting exploits.Rainsford dismisses the fear he is surrounded with upon the mention of dangerous waters. In this way, both authors exhibit their theme of the importance of the sanctity of life in the reactions of both victims, Mrs. Hutchinson and Rainsford when they realize that their lives are the ones in peril unexpectedly.When Rainsford finds himself washed up on what the other sailors called â€Å"ship trap island† the reader hears gun shots and the author creates a further sense of foreboding as he introduces Rainsford to General Zaroff. No detail is left unnoticed by the reader as the butler Ivan opens the door and Rainsford is met at gunpoint.At first Rainsford is impressed and flattered by the General who recognizes the expert hunter. Soon, however, the finery of Zaroff’s compound is negated by the savagery of the Game he describes and nonchalantly intends for Rainsford to approve of and participate.Conversely, the warm springtime setting of â€Å"The Lottery† is misleading. In modern society a lottery is a much sought after prize. People choose to play and pray to be selected for vast sums of money.However, in this story there is an undercurrent of caution and masked fear in the crowd as they take their turn to draw slips of paper. â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† is much more of a thrill ride for the reader as we hide with Rainsford in the tree as he is purposefully hunted in the Game.We cheer for him as he eludes General Zaroff and changes his mind about hunting as a sport. Ironically, Rainsford can now empathize with his quarry after becoming the hunted himself. The same cannot be said of â€Å"The Lottery. †Mrs. Hutchinson’s change in demeanor is heart breaking. With her outbursts and contention that the Lottery had been run unfairly, the reader realizes that her life is soon coming to an end. The irony of her situation is that she claims to have forgotten a ll about the Lottery earlier that morning.Now  she fights to challenge its outcome and the reader is left to wonder why people of this town die at the hands of the Lottery in the first place. Though their style of writing is completely different, in both â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† by Richard Connell, the authors engage their readers into battling along with their main characters for their very lives. We challenge the seemingly pointless rituals of the Game and Lottery. Inevitably we agree with the authors that lives are not to be toyed with by an unfeeling society.

Perceptual Errors

1) Prototypes:- Usually according to the group or profession you belong to, you are assumed to have certain characteristics, whether you have them or not. In our organisation, we have a team manager who has an impression of being unapproachable and unfriendly, only because of his position. Due to this reason none of the employees approach him for help, even though it might hurt productivity. Since a few colleagues and myself have a habit of observing people’s behaviour, we knew all this fear is baseless. We didn’t hesitate in asking him for help and he was very pleasant and found solutions to our problems and made us very comfortable while he was at it. So, in my opinion to reduce this kind of a perceptual error, its advisable to remember principle on similarity. Wherein, its not necessary that people from similar background are similar in nature. We should always see a person as a separate individual. 2) Horn Effect:- According to this effect/error, when a person is found to have an undesirable trait, he is automatically assumed that all his traits must be undesirable, which may or may not be true. To explain with an example, I have a colleague in my office who is precise and sticks to the point when having a conversation with a customer. Once one such matter was escalated considering that he sounded rude to the customer. And though he was cleared after been given some advice, because of that one event he is always considered to be deficient in other necessary traits, where he actually is pretty good. Inspite of his being very disciplined, it was assumed that he was late in his project, when the fact was the opposite! In such a case, I think the person has to make an effort to clear such a generality. Also the appraiser should take into consideration all the facts of the person’s behaviour and progress, rather than assuming that he will be wrong always. 3) Hallo Effect:- This effect is similar to horn effect, the only difference being that here the person is assumed to have all positive traits because of one desired trait. We have just such an example in our team, where one of the executives had scored the best in the first quarter. This led to a general assumption that she is good at all necessary statistics, which was not the case. This employee has a habit of coming later from breaks, of not going by rules and generally escaping slights due to favouritism. This also affects the morale of the people who work hard but their effort is not recognised. But when she was given the responsibility of helping with the KRO’s of the few newer executives, she couldn’t handle it and this led to waste of time and overall poor performance. This could have been avoided if there was unbiasedness and proper checking done related to the statistics of the person rather than assuming she would be good at everything. 4) Primacy Effect:- This is an error in perception when a person tends to base somebody’s judgement depending on the first impression of that person. For instance, in our organisation we have a new team leader join in to handle our team. Now since this guy was a little timid initially and because it was a new rols and place for him, most of the people in the office didn’t take him seriously. To add to it some of his mannerisms were a little girlish, which led to most of the office crowd calling him ‘gay’. Presently, after knowing him more, even if people are not pulling his leg about being gay, he still not given his due respect. Anything that goes beyond his control in terms of disciplinary issues, he is blamed for saying that he doesn’t have a proper hold on his team! I think the best way to reduce such an error in an organisation would be to observe the person in question over a period of time, unbiasedly, and then form an opinion about him. Its not necessary that first impressions are always the last impressions. 5) Recency Effect:- This is an effect where you form an opinion on a person based on what was last observed about him or what was the last thing he spoke which stood out, in a positive or a negative way. In my office, we have a team leader who is highly work-oriented and keeps to himself. I had an impression that he never talks to anyone other than work, which is a good thing, but I always founds it a little too technical or unfeeling. But recently I had to change my opinion. The same person had supported me to get holidays because of my bad health, when I’d not even asked for any support. Though he still is the same, but that last gesture of his changed my entire opinion of him. Ideally, here is a case of both primacy error and then recency error. Though not all effects could be errors, necessarily. The vital thing is we should not judge others based on one single point be it initial impression or latest impression. We need to keep our minds open about the person. 6) Selective Perception:- We tend to perceive things according to our beliefs or interests in this kind of a perceptual error. We may note only that what we like, to suit our own needs. For instance, there is a colleague of mine who never used to talk to me before. But since I’ve started my MBA, she’s been talking and asking me all sort of information about it. It is a topic of her interest. But she wouldn’t talk on any other matter. Here I feel, she perceives selectively, only according to what she wants. In an organisation, it is better for anyone to avoid such an error, because you loose out on lot of potential growth, of self and others. We need to notice and make use of all talents of an employee. 7) Contrast Effect:- We need to be very alert when making decisions that we are not making that decision based on anything observed in contrast to the situation or the person that we are observing. Because such an error could make us go wrong when selecting right people. I can explain this error by mistake that I’d done where I was supposed to monitor the two new members who was supposed to join the team. Now from both these girls one appeared very childish and rather loud as compared to the other one who was a quiet soul and who looked professional and competent. And I formed my opinion that the louder character was not very mature in handling some KRO’s and achieving them consistently. Which later I realised, was a completely wrong opinion of her. She not only was quite disciplined and organised, she was more lively and kept things light when work became too serious. The other girl, was rather in her own world and least motivated. Effect like this when you have two contrasts in front of you could be difficult to detect, but if you observe each person and compare their performance and behaviour to the standard norm, you would be more accurate. 8) Projection Error:- This is a kind of error when you project your attributes and traits or emotions onto others. Here the person maybe completely different from you, but because we may not have noticed that we might assume the other person also to be like us. We have a member in our team who always talks about team bonding and team strength. I too believe that a team is strong and succeeds more often if it works together towards the same goal. I did an error of assuming that this person will also think the same and share the responsibilities and duties of a project equally. All the work was delegated accordingly and everyone was expected to do their bit. But to my surprise that person was all talks and no show! He not only did pass on thatr work to another member of the team, his ways also brought discontent amongnst the members and divided the group further. I realised that I’d thought of him being like me and giving his 100% to whatever he does. But that was not the case sadly. If I would have recognised that earlier I would’ve corrected myself and given him work accordingly.

Athenian democracy similar to American democracy Essay

Our country was called a democracy when we still had millions of slaves. Our nation today is called a democracy when millions of citizens never exercise their right to vote, a few hundred party leaders select our national political candidates, and only those who have million-dollar treasuries can run for political office with a reasonable chance of winning. Latin American military dictatorships are called democracies. South Vietnam with a single candidate for president during the Vietnam War was called a democracy. The word democracy comes from two Greek words: a noun, demos which means †people† and a verb, kratein, which means †to rule,† Its basic meaning is †government by the people† or â€Å"rule by the ruled.† Ideas were expressed directly through the Assembly, which consisted of all male citizens over 18 years of age and who were willing to attend the sessions held about every 10 days. There was no system of representation calling for long campaigns and expensive elections. If you lived in the country you had to get up at the crack of dawn in order to get to the meeting place of the Assembly, a rocky hillside within the city gates. The police chased all the loafers off the Angora, a kind of public park, in order to encourage good attendance. Anyone who had powerful enough lungs to make himself heard by 6000 or more voters could speak to the Assembly. Of course, if you were a well-known and respected leader your chances of being listened to were greater. Whatever this Assembly decided by vote was the law of the land. Athens, both the city and its surrounding countryside was divided into 10 electoral districts called †tribes.† These districts were further divided into precincts or †demes† which had some limited self-government in the rural areas. Each precinct named candidates over 30 years of age for the Council of 500. From these candidates 50 were chosen by lot for each tribe to serve as members of the Council of 500 for a year’ The final choice by lot was one of the most democratic devices imaginable and reduced the danger of political skullduggery. There was no danger that the Council could turn into a private preserve for the wealthy or influential as modern government bodies have a tendency to do, because members served only one year: no man  could be a member two years in a row; and no one could serve more than twice in his lifetime. Just imagine what our legislatures and Congress would be like if we had rules like that.

The Last Supper by Leonardo Davinci

The Last Supper by Leonardo Ad Vinci The renaissance marked a point in time in which it was the most advanced society had ever been. The renaissance sparked a revolution in art. Artwork became more realistic. Although religious topics continued to be a dominant subject matter, artists used linear perspective, greater facial expressions, and three-dimensional techniques to make paintings more realistic. The Last Supper by Leonardo Ad Vinci, created during the Renaissance, exhibits many of those values from that period, including the portrayal of religious subjects and the use of a realistic style and respective.Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy (â€Å"Louvre†). Leonardo father was 25 and his name was San Piper and his mother was a peasant named Catering. After Leonardo birth, his father took custody and his mother went on and married someone else. Leonardo had ended up with a total of 17 half brothers and sisters (â€Å"Leonardo Ad Vinci Paintings†). He had access to many scholarly texts while growing up. He also grew up amidst Vine's long tradition of art (â€Å"Renaissance†). At the age of 15, Leonardo became an apprentice at Andrea del Overreach in Florence.Even though he was an apprentice, he was better than his master. In 1477, he left his apprenticeship and opened his own shop(â€Å"Renaissance†). Looking to make some money, he entered the service of the Duke Ludicrous Sports and duchess Beatrice detest of Milan in 1482. He spent 17 years in their service, painting, sculpting, and designing weapons, buildings, and machinery. During those years his artistic and scientific achievements peaked. While in the service of the Duke and the Duchess, he studied nature, aviation, thematic, and engineering, including designing the churches and fortresses.He also designed weapons, including tanks and submarines. In addition, he studied anatomy, producing many sketches of the human form. He was interested in so many things, that he usually didn't finish what he started. One exception to this is The Last Supper (â€Å"Renaissance†). In 1495, the Duke commissioned him to paint The Last Supper (â€Å"Leonardo Ad Vine's Life†). The painting is fairly big, measuring about xx Ft. It is a mural, which meaner it was painted directly on a wall. This mural was painted on a dining hall in a monastery in Milan, Italy (â€Å"Louvre†).He drew upon his skills as an inventor and decided to paint it on a dry wall rather than on wet plaster. This meaner that the painting is not a true fresco. A fresco requires the artist to work on the painting continuously until it is done. He instead used geese to seal the wall to give him more time to work on the project and not have to do so continuously. He preserved the painting with tempera, but his method did not work well. The painting began deteriorating soon after it was completed (â€Å"Louvre†).The painting, which took Leonardo three years to com plete, represents the scene of Jesus' last supper with his apostles as described in the Bible. At the supper, he told his apostles that one of them would betray him. The faces of the individuals in the painting exhibit their realistic emotions in response to this announcement. Each of the apostles react differently. Some were surprised and some look upset. The first group on the left consists of Bartholomew, James and Andrew. They are all surprised. The next group includes Judas, Simon, and John.In one hand Judas is holding the bag f silver that he received for betraying Jesus and in his other hand, he is reaching for a piece of bread which represents Chrism's body in the Bible. In the Bible Jesus said that the first man to share bread with him would betray him. Simon is holding a knife which foreshadows the incident when he chopped of a man's ear defending Jesus. John the one that looks like a women, appears to be fainting. The third group is made up of Thomas, James, and Phillip w ho all appear shocked.The fourth group consists of Matthew, Jude, and Simon who seem to be discussing the matter. The Last Supper uses perspective for a three-dimensional effect. Leonardo used one point perspective. This perspective involves all parallel lines converging in one place called the vanishing point. This method makes the picture proportional and places emphasis on the object at the vanishing point(Rival 2). Jesus' face is at the center of the vanishing point representing his importance. Additionally, the painting uses balance, grouping the apostles in four equal groups of three with Jesus in the middle.There were also three windows. Three represents the holy trinity (â€Å"Leonardo Ad Vine's Life†). Leonardo representation of The Last Supper differed from earlier portrayals of the meal in a number of ways. Earlier depictions did not include Judas in the group. He was always off to the side. In Leonardo version, he is including in the group, but placed in a shadow. Earlier paintings also put halos around the apostles heads, but Leonardo chose to make it more realistic and left the halos off.Finally, the perspective of Leonardo version improved on the odd looking perspectives used in earlier paintings such as the painting by Disco in which it looks as if the table is on its side. Leonardo The Last Supper is a good example of a Renaissance piece of art because it shows many Renaissance values like portrayal of religious subjects and the use of a realistic style and perspective. The painting is three-dimensional and the figures show realistic emotions. All the subtle secrets you can see in the painting are very fascinating. The Renaissance has been one of the most interesting and smartest times in mankind.