Assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Assignments - Assignment Example Therefore, involves fallacy of equivocation that encourages equality of parties. From the two argument presented by the pair, Zhou is self-centred as he tries to evade paying taxes by opposing government tax policy despite being wealthy enough to pay the taxes that can be distributed indirectly to help those who are poor to ensure equal distribution of wealth . However, despite existence of tax policy, there exist get-outs where wealth people go free without paying taxes hence measures such as follow up should be implemented to ensure everyone pays tax to facilitate the fallacy of equivocation. Third passage in the pair (Crittenden and Mirza) argument involves why American public school should shape up? Therefore, involves fallacy of slippery slope that is contradicted by the evidences provided by Mirza by providing an incidence of Continents such as Europe and Asia by displaying good student performance compared to students in America. Additionally, this can be evidenced by the history of industrialization where Europe became industrialized before

English paper Essay Example for Free

English paper Essay Will Durant, a U. S author and historian, writes, â€Å"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. † This means that all the knowledge people once had is misleading to what the truth really is. Similarly, in Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† and Frederick Douglass’s â€Å"Learning to Read and Write† a painful process of gaining knowledge through all the ignorance is described. Plato describes a prisoner going on a journey to gain knowledge that is behind him, after he was stuck staring at a wall of shadows his whole life. He goes back to tell the other prisoners of his discoveries and they want to kill him. Douglass is a slave who learns to read and write, going through stages to achieve each step. As he begins gaining knowledge he finds the truth about slavery which startles him. Socrates’ idea that gaining knowledge is a difficult journey to undertake because by doing so it changes the way people see the world, as proven by Douglass’ experiences. In Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, Socrates illustrates a metaphorical story about attaining knowledge. He describes a cave with men who are chained, prisoners of the cave. They face a wall; that is all they can see because they cannot move their heads. They cannot even look behind them to see a walkway and a fire. As a person passes on the walkway, a shadow is projected onto the wall in front of the prisoners; this is all they know. Only the shadows are what is real to them because it’s all they have ever known. Socrates says, â€Å"How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? † (Plato 479). The main point is that people cannot understand anything except what is being projected right in front of them. Socrates’ point is that society has a limited understanding of knowledge, and is ignorant about what is beyond the surroundings. To acquire knowledge of the truth beyond the cave, one prisoner is freed. As his eyes adjust to the light, he starts to see the real objects from the images that are projected onto the wall. He understands how the shadows were a false truth and just an illusion and he feels bad for the other prisoners still stuck in the cave. He understands that they are not seeing the truth. Socrates states, â€Å"What he saw before was an illusion†. So the  prisoner returns to tell the others about his knew knowledge, but they couldn’t understand what they were being told. The other prisoners will not accept the knowledge the escapee has learned and my even put him to death. But the chained prisoners don’t understand that the whole world outside the cave is more real than the false illusions, or the shadows being projected onto the walls. Society doesn’t want to accept knew knowledge; people often resist changing what they know. Socrates’ prisoner goes through stages or the process of knowledge, which is also shown in Douglass. In the allegory, when the prisoner first leaves the cave he stares at the sun and cannot see; it takes time to get accustomed to the brightness. Socrates describes, â€Å"And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves† (Plato 480). In time the prisoner will begin to understand the â€Å"realities† (Plato 480) that he is facing by going through the stages. This is shown in Douglass as well. Douglass is first taught to read by Mistress Hugh, but then she refuses to teach him. So Douglass turns to kids that he makes friends with to finish teaching him to read. Douglass Sates, â€Å"The light broke in upon me by degrees† (Douglass 73); in other words, education is being achieved in stages. This is like the prisoner going through a process of gaining knowledge. Once Douglass is introduced to reading, he teaches himself to write by tricking the white boys into helping him learn. The process endured outside the cave by the prisoner- or the process endured by Douglass- will be â€Å"tedious† (Douglass 74), and take time, but steps must be taken to gain any knowledge. The process of gaining knowledge can be painful; Socrates idea of pain by being enlightened is played out in Douglass. When the prisoner is in a cave he is comfortable with the shadows on the wall and his surroundings, but if the prisoner is freed he will feel pain: â€Å"And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take refuge in the objects of visions which he can see† (Plato 480). The new knowledge that he will gain is so different than what he is used to. This can be seen likewise in Douglass as well. When Douglass learns to read he learns the truth of slavery which â€Å"tormented† (Douglass 71) him. He writes, â€Å"It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but no ladder upon which to get out† This is similar to the prisoner leaving the cave. He understands slavery and his rights are taken away, they ways that they are taken from their homes and made into nothing is so cruelly wrong. This causes him great pain; the only thing he has to look forward to is the hope of being freed. Because becoming enlightened is a painful process, many will resist or challenge what they believe, as illustrated by Socrates and Douglass. After the prisoner goes on his journey of being enlightened, he goes back to the cave to tell his friends what he has learned, but they reject him. Socrates says, â€Å"If any one tried to lose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch he offender, and they would put him to death† (Plato 482). The other prisoners think he is being â€Å"ridiculous† (Plato 481) and want to put him to death for his story about life outside the cave. They don’t understand that they are the ones trapped in ignorance and the freed prisoner is telling them the truth. This also plays out in Douglass. Mistress Hugh began by being a caring lady and teaching Douglass how to read, but slavery soon made a big impact on her. â€Å"I have had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension† ( Douglass 70). The violence she projected toward Douglass when snatching the paper from him shows the resistance she now has toward him being educated. Many will resist being enlightened because society doesn’t like to change what they already know. While society tends to resist enlightenment, those who are enlightened cannot return to their former ignorance, and pities others who are stuck there; which is shown in Plato and Douglass. When the prisoner went on his journey after being freed from the cave he learned all about the false notions he was living in the cave. Socrates says, â€Å"And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? † (Plato 481). The prisoner feels bad for the others because they are trapped in ignorance and cannot see the truth like he has. This is also shown in Douglass.

Importance Of Self Knowledge In Understanding The Self

Importance Of Self Knowledge In Understanding The Self There has been an abundance of literature surrounding the importance of self-esteem in developing a greater understanding of the self. The present paper introduces an alternative perspective on the self which incorporates important features of previous perspectives and shares many theories with them. The functions of self-knowledge, however, are highlighted and rather than the drive for self-esteem this paper argues for the need of self-knowledge in acquiring a more elaborate understanding of the self. According to Neisser (1988) there are several types of self knowledge, the ecological self, the interpersonal self, the extended self, the private self and the conceptual self. Each self operates in unison with the other, with each exhibiting fundamental importance, however, this paper concentrates on the extended self and how a persons life narrative identity can affect various aspects of the individual including interpersonal relations, self-presentations and the need to belong thus leading to a more clarified idea of the self. The extended self, is the self as it was in the past and as we expect it to be in the future, distinguished primarily on the basis of memory (Neisser, 1988). Belk (1988; cited in Ahuvia, 2005) uses the terms self, sense of self, and identity to describe how an individual subjectively distinguishes who he or she is. Belk refuses to accept any definition of the self that can relate consistently across individuals and cultures because according to him what comprises the self is a personal appraisal that differs among people and across time. Self-knowledge The extended self Bluck (2003; cited in Conway, 2005, p. 596) claimed A stable, integrated, self with a confirmatory past that yields a consistent and rich life story constitutes a self that is able to operate effectively, achieve goals, and relate to others in productive ways. According to such a perspective, memories and stories of an individuals life experiences thus affect various aspects of life and develop other features of the self. Interest in the past enhances as the child starts to grasp the social relevance of autobiographical recollection, for example, its ability for developing and continuing relationships beyond the here and now. The main adaptive purpose of memory is perhaps that it allows for the making of permanent interpersonal relations, and therefore to a great extent strengthens the unity of individual groups (Neisser, 1988). The findings of Swann and Predmore (1985) suggest that relationships provide stability to the private self. In their study partners in a relationship activel y helped people sustain a stable consistent view of themselves by working to discredit contrary evidence. Having a long term, stable relationship is thus a potentially powerful source of self concept stability. Also Tice and Baumeister (2001) claim that the human mind is devised for interpersonal relations and that developing and sustaining interpersonal relationships is a key function of the human being. With the individuals memory and narrative identity contributing to such relations the extended self becomes more and more significant as we grow older. According to Negele Habermas (2009), Life narratives are manifestations of the subjective representation of ones life course. They interpret a life through explicit statements on the narrators identity and self-concept as well as by selecting specific personal experiences to be included in the narrative. (p. 1). Along with this view, McAdams (2006) claims a persons life story offers a life with a general sense of unity and reason. There are many different views on the importance of life stories and memories in relation to the self but there seems to be an overall standpoint that such stories allow people a way to explain who they are, how they came to be and where they believe their lives may be going (Bruner, 1990), which are all essential questions to be tackled in the quest for self clarification. Research by McLean and Thorne (2003) concentrate on what constituted self-defining memories of 19-year olds regarding their experience of relationships. Results showed that memories of parents were more inclined to highlight issues relating to separation however self-defining memories of friends highlighted closeness and romantic relationships. Therefore, memories of teenage years are often of occasions in which identity creation is at its greatest, a period that Arnett (2000) labelled emerging adulthood. Many theorists including Habermas Bluck (2000) suggest that this period, in which identity formation is at its peak, entails the development of a more distinguished and integrated knowledge of their own self. Singer and Salovey (1993) suggest that each person creates self-concepts from the information enclosed in the life experiences they choose to share. As they do so, they expand a remarkable source of knowledge, including knowledge about their individual capabilities, accomplishments, desires, values, and aims. This creation of the self-concept does not come about by chance; the information is precise, original, and inspired to each person. Disparity in the c ontent and order of self-knowledge portrays crucial variations among individuals in social histories, insights, and behaviour. It is from this knowledge that self-images materialize, which are defined as mental ideas of the self regarding the past, present, and future ambitions and make up part of the conceptual self (Conway, 2005). The main argument throughout this paper is that human memory is a key element of the self and there has been much research carried out supporting the notion that memory can be reconstructive in order to support current aspects of the self, e.g., Loftus (1993), Loftus Ketcham (1994). According to Conway (2005) this is done in order to make memory coherent with an individuals present goals, self-images, and self-beliefs. Therefore, memory and key features of the self shape a system in which, regarding healthy persons, ideas about, and knowledge of, the self are verified and sustained by memories of particular incidents. According to Neisser (1988) what information we remember is dependent on what we currently believe along with what has been stored. What we recall and what we decide to share with others is crucial as it influences others perception of us. This can be related to our need to belong and studies such as Tice (1992) and Schlenker, Dlugolecki, Doherty (1994) suggest that p eople use self-presentations to uphold a certain identity, and how they portray themselves to others determines how they end up viewing themselves. Jones, Rhodewalt, Berglas, and Skelton (1981) provided a biased scanning model suggesting that certain behaviours cause people to scan their memories for certain kinds of information, and these scans can leave a biased example of ones own behaviour in memory, thereby determining how the person thinks of himself or herself. McLean et al. (2007) claimed that To witness the construction of situated stories is to understand the dynamic development of the self. Indeed, sharing stories is the mechanism through which people become selves. (p. 275). This final quote sums up the argument of the paper in that the self can never fully be appreciated without the memories and experiences with which it is defined. Conclusion The argument presented in this paper introduces the importance of self knowledge and in particular the extended self in developing a greater understanding of the self. While incorporating other theorists views, self knowledge is emphasized in that it can shape and is inter-related with various other aspects of the self. Autobiographical memories and life stories of the extended self affects interpersonal relations, which in turn can affect an individuals need to belong and self presentations or vice versa and so on, thus, is at the heart of the discovery of the self. As stated in the introduction, the view portrayed in the present paper is similar to that of Belks, that the self cannot simply be viewed through components which are universal. Self knowledge and specifically an individuals extended self is a vital contributor to a greater understanding of the self, one that is completely unique to the person and thus defines the self through their own personal life stories and experien ces. This does not mean to deny the important contribution of self-esteem and a variety of other components in understanding the self but merely addresses the significance of another perspective which incorporates the contribution of self-knowledge in the construction and perception of the self.

sphere critique Essay -- essays research papers

Sphere   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sphere is an interesting story about a group of scientists from different disciplines who are brought to a super-secret underwater site where the U. S. Navy has discovered a mysterious, glowing sphere. Although the movie was very interesting, a lot of scientific facts, it was just too long and there were parts of the film where I found myself yawning. I give the movie a thumb up for being the movie my teacher chose to show the class. Although the movie was directed by Barry Levinson and starred Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson it would not be a movie I would pick off the shelf and rent for my own interest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychologist Norman Goodman is summoned to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to provide trauma-assistance in what he believes to be a plane crash. When he arrives he is informed that a ship laying fibre optic cables between Honolulu and Sydney had come across an unknown object 1000 feet under the ocean. The navy using SLS side looking sonar was able to detect an aerodynamic fin longer than a football field and longer than any known wingspan. Also using the fusel lodge extra high resolution SLS bottom scan they figured out that the spacecraft was buried under 8 yards of quarrel. Knowing that the pacific quarrel grows at a rate of an inch a year they were able to calculate that the spacecraft crashed about 300 years ago. Also there is a low level hum that the sonar can pick up.    ...

Mary Shelley’s classic novel Essay

The second narrator we come to is Victor, who is also the central character in the novel. To begin with, Victor is adored by almost everyone: his parents; his siblings; the servants (Justine) and his teachers. For example, he makes this quote about his parents: â€Å"I was their plaything, their idol, and something better-their child†¦ † Even Walton describes him, as a â€Å"Celestial Spirit† who has â€Å"never-failing power of judgement† it is obvious that he is loved. The reader knows that this particular quote is only half true, as Victor has made some very poor judgements in the past. The reader can interpret this to achieve and open minded view of Victor and shows the imperfections and limitations of Walton. For example he must have very poor judgement to be able to describe Victor thus. The reader feels ambivalent to Victor. He is portrayed as a typical Byronic hero, a tragic, brooding hero whose personality traits make him great and powerful but also lead to his destruction. Walton describes his as † a noble creature in his better days, being even now in wreck so attractive and amiable†. He has a â€Å"thirst for knowledge† with a child’s blindness†-a dangerous combination. This is also a trait, which we see in Walton. Whilst he is buried in his work he neglects everything else, leading him to become isolated. Victor is partially aware of his faults or else unable to admit them. His ambition and passion for glory seem to be his own worst enemies. This idea is re-enforced by the quote â€Å"when younger, I believed myself destined for some great enterprise†¦ † he then goes on to describe his passion whilst creating the monster and his â€Å"senseless curiosity. † However, he still blames others for his downfall. He like Walton sees himself as a victim, the implication being that he swears to â€Å"pursue the demon, which caused this misery†. This he says without realising it was him who caused the monster to act as such. He seems to feel that fate was inevitable but he hypocritically believes Walton can change his by warning him against ambition. Although he blames the monster for his downfall, Victor alternately blames himself for the deaths of William and Justine. He also seems to believe in destiny and divine judgement, yet has no guilt over grave robbing to create his monster and believes him destined for happiness even though he has sinned. This leads us to believe that Victor is full of self-contradiction. Our feelings alter towards Victor throughout the novel. From chapter five onwards we see him as a lonely spirit, plagued by sorrow and remorse. This creates pity and in keeping the monster a secret, tension. Yet, when we meet the monster, we realise that Victor has not faced up to his responsibilities and we dislike and feel critical of him. Towards the end of the novel we dislike and pity both of them. Victor is portrayed as a typical Byronic hero right until his death. His tragic demise is very Romantic, the quote â€Å"I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed† as he parts from the world implies that he has the Romantic hope that some may succeed in ambition where he has failed. He cannot abandon his noble character, even in the face of death. Towards the middle of the novel, the monster relates his story and becomes the third narrator. Constructed from parts of corpses, Victor achieves the impossible by bringing him to life. Victor describes his appearance as such: â€Å"his yellow skin scarcely covered the muscles and arteries beneath; his lustrous black hair; teeth of pearly whiteness; watery eyes; shrivelled complexion; and straight black lips. † This description of his gruesome appearance fills the reader with both disgust and pity. His physical strength is greatly enhanced, subsequently making him invulnerable to anything but a violent death. This is how he is able to survive the dreadful conditions of the North Pole. Fitting in with his monstrous appearance, Shelley uses satanic imagery to depict the creature’s emotions, for instance, he says, â€Å"I bore a hell within me. † Victor also calls him â€Å"demon† and â€Å"devil† at various points in the novel. This emotive language describing the monster implies that he is an evil and demonic character who deserves to be hunted and feared. He seems to enjoy the murders of William and Justine, as if it justifies in some way, Victor’s neglect and hatred of him. He is only satisfied when he reduces Victor to complete despair, the same level as himself. Evidence of this is when Frankenstein has sworn to hunt the monster, he quotes â€Å"I am satisfied: miserable wretch! You have determined to live and I am satisfied. † His merciless killing of Clerval is the consequence of Victor’s destruction of his half finished female companion. He seeks to destroy Victor emotionally and mentally, rather than physically at first. This massacre of Frankenstein’s family and his fury are the result of the creature’s loneliness and rejection. He begins life as an innocent creature; a theory held by many philosophers at the time the novel was written, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He influenced the young Mary Shelley in his novel Emile. His natural attraction to humans and child-like wonder at the world around him excites our attention and evokes sympathy as we realise he is just like an innocent child struggling through the world alone. This great appreciation of nature, society and literature is evidence that the Romantic Movement influenced Shelley’s writing too. We see goodness in him when he collects wood for the DeLacey’s and saves a girl from drowning. The DeLacy family call him the â€Å"good spirit†, a total contrast from the imagery Shelley first describes him with. Our sympathy is again evoked with his desire for friendship and the prejudice he suffers from. The barrier between the monster and humans is ugliness, and the way in which Shelley writes reminds the reader of how cruel we ourselves are and makes us feel guilty. In being blind, DeLacy can accept him for who he is, but when this dream is shattered; Victor is his only hope at fulfilling his demand for a companion, subsequently providing justice, which Victor denies. The way he is mistreated turns him from an innocent creature into a vindictive, bloodthirsty monster. The three narrators are described by each other in great detail to help us understand more clearly their personalities and their characters. As the novel deals with some rather fantastical, disturbing ideas, it is understandably difficult to comprehend. However, the use of three narrators helps the reader to understand the complex ideas and breaks the novel down into sections which helps us to appreciate the complicated time and structure. It also shows us a more open-minded view of the characters. We see things from one perspective that we would not see from another, and therefore are able to independently have an opinion of the characters. Although I found the language and structure of the novel hard to comprehend, I did enjoy reading the novel and it has influenced the way in which I view the world, and brought awareness against ambition and isolation.

Frankenstein1 essays

Frankenstein1 essays Mary Shelleys Frankenstein has been hailed as one of the best horror stories ever. The title, Frankenstein, is the last name of the creator of the infamous Frankensteins monster, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. His is a story of the great pain suffered by Frankenstein and his monster and peoples misunderstanding of the poor creature. All his efforts to find a companion are useless, as society shuns him for his horrid figure. Although the story is told by Dr. Frankenstein through Robert Walton, an arctic explorer, the antagonist seems to be his monster. Despite his gruesome appearance, this being composed of various cadaver parts starts out as a compassionate creature longing for companionship and curious of how he came to be. He desperately tries to befriend members of society, but utterly fails at each attempt. His appearance earns him no sympathy, but loathing from his creator and townspeople alike. For example, after secretly living with a poor family for more than a year, he decides to approach the father, a blind old man. The creature reasons that since the old man cannot see him, he will not be repulsed by the monsters form, thus providing companionship for the creature. As the two talk, the old man responds to the plight of the stranger. However, the monsters wish for friendship does not come true for the old mans children return home to find their blind father with a gigantic monster. The old m ans son attacks the monster, but instead of killing the boy, he runs away, overcome by despair and anguish. The creature decides to request Frankenstein make a female version of himself. Frankenstein refuses at first, saying that creating another might destroy mankind, but the monster says to him: You are in the wrong, and instead of threatening, I am content to reason with you. I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to piec...