John Steinbecks “The Chrysanthemums” Essay -- Steinbeck Chrysanthemum

John Steinbeck's â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" shows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa's feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck's strong and somewhat manly description of Elisa while working in the garden, gives the distinct impression that she is not as weak as a stereotypical housewife would be. He writes that "Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with." As evidenced by this excerpt you can see that she has covered up her hair with a "man's hat" and has thrown an apron over her dress in attempts to cover up her femininity. This apron also takes on a similar role as a man's tool belt as he works the land. This initial description lends to the notion that Elisa wants to be stronger as a woman, to stand beyond the stereotype of a housewife. Other phrases used by Steinbeck fu rther the above points. The author mentions that her face was "handsome," her work with the scissors was "over-powerful," and her fingers "destroyed such pests." This description shows an inner strength that Elisa possesses; yet she is unable to bring this out. She also hints to the reader that she would like to take on more masculine responsibilities after her husband Henry comments on the size and beauty of her chrysanthemums. He says that he wishes she'd work out in the orchard and "raise some apples that big." She reacts to this by saying "Maybe I could do it too. I've got a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow.† All of these de... ...sion of Steinbeck's short story, Steinbeck has her fall right back into the rut she so despised. She comes back to reality and "turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old woman."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elisa’s inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of her working in the garden, the conversation she has with the â€Å"Fixer-Guy†, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck offers an array of different details concerning the character of Elisa Allen. The main detail being that she is a strong woman on the inside although she seems to struggle in showing it throughout the story. Because of the "Pot Fixer," she is able to act, although for a short time, like that strong woman. Steinbeck unfortunately brings Elisa full-circle, back to where she started. She notices on the way to dinner her chrysanthemum sprouts at the roadside. This, along with her husband’s hesitation to allow her curiosity, puts her back where she started, canceling her emergence. One must ask after reading this short story if Elisa will continue this discontented lifestyle. Or will she be able to blossom beautifully for good, as do her chrysanthemums?

Evaluative Analysis of Interview Essay -- Sociology, Social Workers

This essay is going to analyse and evaluate an interview between a service user (actor) and a social worker (myself) in regards to the use of communication skills and the theoretical framework that underpins those skills. Firstly, the essay is going to look into definitions of communication skills and secondly we will analyse the interview interaction and relevant communication theories. According to Trevithick (2005, p 116) ‘good communication skills, particularly listening and interviewing skills lie at the heart of social work practice’. Barker (2003, p83, cited in Trevithick 2005, p 116) defines communication as ‘the verbal and non verbal exchange of information, including all the ways in which knowledge is transmitted and received’. Moreover, the National Occupational Standards for Social Work (NOSSW, 2002) stipulate that communication skills are an essential requirement for social work practice / social workers. Wilson et al (2008, p297) further argue that effective communication is underpinned by fundamental skills such as ‘the ability to demonstrate empathy, respect and authenticity’. Looking at the above evidence, it could be argued that effective communication/ communication skills is an essential social work tool. This essay is now going to analyse relevant communication skills that were /could be used in the intervie w assessment/ exercise. Trevithick, (2005, p144-145) argue that interview preparation is essential in order to identify the needs and / or expectations of all parties involved. Prior to the interview I was given a scenario which described in detail the background of a service user, Michelle, and the issues that needed to be addressed. Michele’s girlfriend, Charlie had suffered a stroke and was recovering ... ...ace’. Egan (2010, p131) argues that empathic response can be very comforting when accompanied of body language which Egan (2010) refers to as ‘visibly tuning in’. Furthermore, Wilson et al (2008, p298) argue that in order to become emotionally attuned the interviewer should pay close attention to the service user’s verbal and body language. The final part of the interview focused on Egan’s second stage: ‘The preferred picture’. In this stage, the ‘counsellor helps clients to explore and chose possibilities for a better future’. Egan (2010, p75). It could be argued that due to time constraints we could not explore this stage in depth although we managed to identify and focus on one of Michelle’s main concern. Michelle said that she was worried about their future in terms of finances and how they would cope if Charlie was not able to go back to work in the future.

The Rio Olympics 2016

Maxwell Britton October 11, 2012 Anth 210 Writing Assignment 1 Olympics Games 2016 The excitement that the city of Rio experimented upon the announcement of hosting the 2016 Olympic games appears to have been short lived. The descent of excitement began once drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter. The government responded by heightening the crackdown on the city slums of the favelas. As a result many of the favelas in Rio are now under police control (Jazeera).The questions we are now asked is if the coming Olympics provided the motive for the increased importance that have been placed on controlling drug trafficking while also disguising as a strategy and justification to clean up the favelas of Rio? Or are the Olympics irrelevant and merely a beneficiary of the crackdown? It seems to me that the upcoming events in which the city of Rio have been presented with have become overwhelming. The Olympics are a very sacred event to host and having the honor to do such is a major r esponsibility (Watson).With this I do believe that the Olympics are the primary motive for the government’s actions. The Olympics routinely bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the host city and this is something that the city of Rio wants to take advantage of in showing off their city to the world (Watson). This is why I believe the government has decided to intensify their police presence in the favelas as a tactic to clean up and make their city more appealing.The outcome of this has left thousands of individuals killed or imprisoned by the government. The favelas are where the majority of drug trafficking takes place as many times they are controlled and run by the gangs. As a solution the military police have gone in and taken over, resulting in thousands of deaths. It’s reported by the Human Rights Watch that the police of Rio and Sao Paolo have killed over 11,000 people since 2003.When a reporter discussed these findings by the Human Rights Watch with the head of Rio security; Jose Beltrame, the findings weren’t denied and instead attributed to the difficulties faced by the police of Rio. However, when asked about the Human Rights Activists who claim there are additional killings by the police he was quick to respond. According to Beltrame these reports are always similar and are preconceived opinions that are not based on reason, as they don’t understand the reality of Rio.The actuality, he explains, is there are areas in Rio that are dominated by criminal gangs equipped with assault rifles that the police are facing (Jazeera). Although it’s too difficult to determine which side is right, it is clear that too many lives are being taken. In conclusion I think it’s a positive thing for the city to put effort into controlling drug trafficking and also something that has been long due. However, it appears that many innocent individuals are being affected by these government actions and in some cases even been killed.I think the government needs to take a strong look at the approach they have taken and determine if this is benefiting their city in the long run or it is a short-term solution for the Olympics. Bibliography Jazeera, Al. â€Å"Rio: Olympic City. † Aljazeera . Fault Lines , 01/2010. Web. 12 Oct 2012. . Watson, Connie. â€Å"Can roughed-up Rio be ready for the 2016 Olympics?. † CBSnews. N. p. , 08/2012. Web. 12 Oct 2012. .

Framework Essay to Edward Said’s Essay

In any part in the world, there is no place to be but home. Home is a place where we feel safe and take refuge. But how we’ll feel if this is taken away from us? The essay by Edward Said, â€Å"States†, narrates the story of about his country, Palestine, and the struggle of his country men. He also shares the passion for his homeland which we can relate to. â€Å"States† exemplify the experiences and perceptions of how important a home is to a common Palestinian. Our country is a big part of our self. As we are born, we are destined to become a part of it. It became part of our identity. Things that we grew up with meant something to us. We usually treasure things that became part of our lives. Even unconsciously, we take hold of it. Home brings us memories, memories that we want to hold on up to our last breath. It plays a big role to our development, as a child and as a person fully. Home is part of ourselves which became a foundation of who we are today. To be away from home makes us feel empty or incomplete in a sense. This is experienced by people who are exiled from their own homeland. Exiles are treated as aliens and feel shame to one’s pride. Exile is a miserable thing. Nothing can be so embarrassing than to be taken away from home. It saddens a person to feel a stranger to his own country. One is not only deprived of the social rights but as well as the freedom. As described in the essay of Edward Said an exile is referred as â€Å"present absentees† where to their homeland, they are vanished and as for the host country they are viewed as aliens. However, having troubles cannot stop a person from his will. In spite of the intense conflict between the Palestine-Israel, one cannot take away the momentum of an important occasion like wedding. Circumstances like these were illustrated in the text. A person in the middle of crisis stays positive and hopeful. Palestinians, which travel from time to time for because of occupation and safety, became used to these. One’s true happiness is in the state of thinking. He can stay happy despite of his terrible condition. Said also shares his experiences from his youth and what he knew from his country. One sad part also is the stability of the land, suppression from your own land. One is deprived of being free on his own country. Children cannot play outside without parents worrying their safety. To a place where he grew up and know to be his home became an odd place. I believe that home is very important in any living thing. It doesn’t only provide us shelter but is also a part of our personal development. It helps us build our confidence through the feeling of security. A home is like a mother to us which provides us what we need to sustain living. Our nourishment as a child is fed by the things that happen around us. These things shape the character of a person. Home builds a person’s character. Home is the environment which we live in and has an impact on our lives. To take something away from us bring us the feeling of being incomplete. We are already attached to it. Without the home that we used to be, somehow we feel lost. One feels the sense of belongingness on it. A person learns from his surrounding. We must know how to appreciate what we have considering we live in a democratic and secured country. Home is a place that nourished us when we are young. And as we became old, there is nowhere else we would want to go but home.

Analysis of Staged of Transformational Learning and Their Roles

Analysis of Staged of Transformational Learning and Their Roles Transformational learning is a deep form of learning. Whenever there is a change or problem in your life; such as having a child or going back to school, you go through a learning phase with hard trials. The outcome has a big impact on your life and in the end you will have grown as a person. Upon reading I discovered that there are 7 phases of transformational learning: Dilemma, self-assessment, important evaluation of beliefs, realization that others have similar dilemma, exploring a process, creating a plan of action and finally, reintegration. In July 2007 I found out I was pregnant. I was 20 years old and still hadn’t graduated high school. I was shocked, nervous but mostly excited and realized had to take a long hard look at my life and the life I wanted my child to have. From the day I found out about my pregnancy I started planning and thinking of our future. I enrolled in night classes to get my High School Diploma and also started to get our house in order for a baby. I think I even read every pregnancy book ever published. I had to change everything about my life; my eating habits, my education, my home, relationships and my social habits. Some things were hard to change but in my heart I knew it would be best for my child. I got through all the obstacles standing in my way and by the time my son arrived, I had organized my life for the two of us. I graduated high school when my son was 3 months old, and it was a great feeling. Mezirow’s 7 stages of transformational learning defiantly applied to this huge transformation in my life. I believe the 2 most important stages were self-assessment and formulating a plan of action. I had to look at every aspect of my life and decide what needed changing and what didn’t. Once I decided what needed to change I had to come up with a plan on how to change it to make a better life for my child as well as myself. One huge change was obtaining my high school diploma. I had to call around to the local school districts and find one that offered adult night classes to finish up the credits I needed to graduate. Once I found the school I had to go for one semester. I had my son the last few weeks of class, but continued to go; I ended up finishing and graduating. I devised a plan and stuck to it because I knew how important it was for my family. We are defiantly in a good place now, my son is 3 years old and I am glad I stayed focused and driven to create an adeq uate environment for him to grow up in, he is my world.

Classic Hollywood Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Classic Hollywood Cinema - Essay Example This essay prompts readers to revise Bordwells contention in a certain way. Movies have an emotional appeal that transcend gender, because these movies both demonstrate the second-class status of women in society, although Citizen Kane (1941) has shown womens subtle struggles in fighting their patriarchal society. In Citizen Kane (1941) and Shane (1953), men are the more powerful and stronger gender than women. Through a subjective camera, Welles makes the audience feel that they are breaking and entering a mans innermost property, with the â€Å"No Trespassing† sign framing the psychological intrusion into Kanes most-prized property, the Xanadu estate. Welles combines camera tilt with lap dissolves to shoot the high gate and focus on the large steel â€Å"K† sign on top of the gate. This sign stands for Kanes perception of himself as a human being and a â€Å"man,† where he is superior to his women and the people around him. In Shane, Joe (Van Heflin) and Shane work together on the ranch. They swing their axes together, as if in the harmony of brotherhood and masculinity. Their control over their environment also indicates their control over society. Through alternating shots, Stevens depicts the strength of men in the physical and psychological sense. Shane further demo nstrates the patriarchal culture of the setting through the rough-and-tumble way that men resolve their conflicts. During this time, law and order do not concretely exist yet, because America is in its â€Å"becoming† stage. The West is divided, where ranchers and homesteaders, or â€Å"squatters† as ranchers call them, are in conflict over property rights. They cannot resolve their land dispute over rational discussion, since they hate to give concessions to each other. They desire a zero-sum game, where one wins and other loses. This kind of thinking is a facet of realism, where anarchy drives

Hummer, BMW, and Corolla's Brand Personalities Coursework - 2

Hummer, BMW, and Corolla's Brand Personalities - Coursework Example Hummer has a rugged image but to enhance their sales, they decided to change the brand personality to attract the youth and the women. Corolla has a dull image but is keen to give up its conservative approach which projects nothing except dependability. BMW gives rise to feelings of sophistication and yearning and hence is preferred by the wealthy and those who seek importance. It is hence recommended that brand owners should first segment their target market and try to understand the needs of their segment. This would help them design the features as per their requirement and hence would be more appealing to the customers. At the same time, the same brand can appeal to more than one segment and this can be done by appealing to their self-concept.Products and services today are imbued with personality characteristics and are recognized through these characteristics both by the consumers and the marketers. Marketers are trying to project an image of the brand that matches the personal ity of the individual consumer. They try to use marketing material such as advertisements and phrases so that the brand has an emotional appeal to the consumer. This becomes necessary because to buy a product the consumer must have an awareness of the brand. The brand would catch the consumer’s attention if he finds some similarities with his own requirements and personality. This led to the concept of brand personality which has been described by Aaker as a specific mix of human traits that are attributed to a particular brand.   Within a sector, different products and marketers apply different strategies to attract the right customer. Each product has its own specifications and hence they target a particular segment. Thus, the personality of the brand that is projected to the target segment must have similar characteristics and emotional appeal. This paper evaluates how three different automobile manufacturers project their brands to attract the right segment to enhance t heir sales. Online academic journals and some useful websites have been used to study the concept of brand personality in the automobile sector.