Mass-elite theorists and subcultures Free Essays

Academic writing is usually best when it takes a dispassionate attitude to its subject; when it reviews the several contesting scholarly opinions around a question, before judging the value of each of them. But sometimes a writer is given a question that allows him to write destructive criticism, and to champion the merits of one argument only. This present question is such a question. We will write a custom essay sample on Mass-elite theorists and subcultures or any similar topic only for you Order Now If one takes a supercilious attitude towards it then he might expel it at once by arguing that neither Matthew Arnold nor F. R. Leavis – men who sought the promotion of culture through the study of high literature and the reform of education – would have descended at all to study the subcultures of Goths and Trekkers. These groups have produced no serious literature and they have done little to reform education. And so one can easily cement such a fierce attitude into a strong essay – though one that would sadly be very short and unmarkable! If instant dismissal is not appropriate, then a writer who has studied Arnold’s and Leavis’s definitions of culture can argue ceaselessly that neither man would have thought Goths and Trekkers a positive development for culture. A short statement about definition. There are of course manifold definitions of culture. Many recent writers define culture in terms of mass-culture, within which all groups and subcultures belong. If culture is defined like this then Goths and Trekkers are both part of culture and can be said to expand culture by pushing it wider and making it more diverse. Arguments like this are possible; but they are not possible for our present question. In this essay one has to measure these groups against the definitions of Leavis and Arnold only; and leave aside the merits of any modern definitions. Let us then examine the definition of Leavis and Arnold. Matthew Arnold famously defined culture as to ‘†¦ know the best that has been said and thought in the world’. Someone who is cultured has learnt to perceive beauty, perfection, truth and justice through literature and art. In Culture and Anarchy and Essays in Criticism Arnold argues that culture is centered upon education: thus the expansion of culture is possible only if it is accompanied by an equal expansion of education. So: somebody who is highly cultured is also highly educated. F.R.  Leavis had a very similar definition of culture. Leavis argued even more explicitly than Arnold that there is an unbreakable bond between knowledge of the humanities and the acquisition of culture. As G. Steiner says ‘The commanding axiom in Leavis’s life-work is the conviction that there is a close relation between a man’s capacity to respond to art and his general fitness for humane existence.’ Despite the esoteric sound of these words they do say something vital about culture. The key word is humane. Someone who has studied great works of literature tends to have better judgment and is kinder to his fellow man than people who have not. Leavis says ‘†¦ thinking about cultural and social matters ought to be done by minds of some real literary education, and done in an intellectual climate formed by a vital literacy culture’. In short: a healthy culture and society depends upon a large number of its citizens studying and thinking about the classics. Leavis famously defined these arguments in his controversial Richmond Lecture – should we say polemic? – against C. P. Snow. The lecture is Leavis’s proposal for the future of culture in England. Leavis wanted a small, economically weaker England that would be highly literate and cultured — instead of a huge commercialized and capitalistic society that would be less literate. Thus we see in Leavis, as in Arnold, a definition of culture as a society that knows intimately great works of art. According to this definition, any group that progresses culture must go beyond the culture that has gone before. Do Goths and Trekkers then add to what we can learn from Homer, Shakespeare and the Bible? (This is a fair question if measured by the definition above). The answer must be no. The Goth and Trekker subcultures have not produced one serious piece of literature or music; even if one stretches Star Trek into some definition of art, the movies and show are not the invention of Trekkers, but the object of their devotion. Goths claim to have a passion for literature; but this passion has not created any literature of their own. Likewise – even though it is not one of their aims – neither of these groups has done anything to reform education or our universities. We cannot study Goth culture from its literature, because there is not any. But we can examine some of the statements of Goth members to see whether there is any sign of culture as defined by Leavis and Arnold. The following article called ‘A Short Treatise on Goth subculture’ is taken from the internet. The author, Chameleon, says that Goths are defined by ‘a morbid sense of humor’, ‘appreciation of the darker side of life’, ‘tolerance of lifestyles considered weird by the masses’ and an ‘apolitical attitude towards society’. Rus Haslage, the President of the International Federation of Trekkers, says that the philosophy of trekkers is that ‘†¦everyone is different, and it is those differences that make us special. And, it is those differences that make meshing our sparks even more beneficial to us all.’ In both these statements the common feature is vagueness of meaning and purpose. Goths and Trekkers feel some solidarity with each other in their interest in the ways of the Goth or Star Trek; but there is no clear or precise thought about the identity and purpose of these groups. To be fair to each group neither claims to add to the wisdom that the great works of literature and art that the West has accumulated; but, if we judge this admission of non-achievement strictly according to the definition of Leavis and Arnold, then the existence of such groups has either no effect or a regressive effect upon culture. Bibliography Books: P. Hodkins,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goth: Identity, Style and Subculture M. Arnold,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Culture and Anarchy M.Arnold,  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essays in Criticism H. Jenkins III, Star Trek Rerun, Reread, Rewritten: Fan Writing as Textual Poaching F.R. Leavis,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Mass Civilization and Minority Culture, (1930) F.R. Leavis,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Nor Shall My Sword: Discourses on Pluralism, Compassion and Social Hope (1972) G. Steiner,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Language and Silence, Faber and Faber, 1967 Websites: www.iftcommand.com www.religioustolerance.org How to cite Mass-elite theorists and subcultures, Essay examples

Beautiful Boy Application free essay sample

He kept experimenting with more drugs and finally Crystal Meth. To be honest I think that he may have never developed the full capacity for formal reasoning. He also had a lot of different environmental and cultural influences that had a huge impact on him. Certain things would lead him towards the path of drugs, and he couldn’t reason to himself differently. â€Å"Now I am in my own program to recover from my addiction to [Nic’s addiction]† (p. 305). I feel like that is a good example of how â€Å"logical† his reasoning really is. 2. Apply the concepts of Erikson Theory to Nic’s Development. At age 4 Nic’s parents got divorced. That was during the Preschool stage, where the conflict is Initiative vs. Guilt. In this stage children need to begin asserting control and power over their environment. Nic was doing well in this stage and the school age stage as well. We will write a custom essay sample on Beautiful Boy Application or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His grades well good, he had friends and was active and involved in sports. His father thought that Nic was coping well because he was doing so well in school and playing sports. â€Å"Nic was excelling in school and I could have been happier. (30) However related to Preschool stage – Nic was able to control his grades, and his activities therefore he was about to successfully show his power. However, at age 12 Nic’s father found pot in Nic’s back pack. This is the adolescence stage where the conflict is Identity vs. Role Confusion. This is where teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self. Well Nic was not successful and true to himself because by the age 18 he had experimented with many other drugs and was on looking towards Crystal Meth. At this point, he has lost his true identity and is going off track. Going into his Young Adulthood he was already strong on Meth. He became more and more into the drug; everyday losing more of himself and hurting his family. The vicious cycle never seemed to end. 3. Apply Family Systems theory to the Sheff family. What concepts are evident in their interactions? â€Å"We are dysfunctional†¦Im not sure if I know any functional families, if functional means a family without difficult times and members who dont have a full range of problems. (14) The Sheff family was dysfunctional, but also considering all the challenged and obstacles they went through with Nic that can cause a strain, which would certainly not result in normal functional family. And I would have to agree with David – I don’t know if I know any â€Å"functional families. † Nic certainly was the most difficult member in the family. Calls to the hospitals and long nights wondering if Nic was OK are things his dad became very familiar with. When Nic was on the street, his dad would drive around looking for him, hoping to find him and get him help. That would cause strain on any family. His father tried to instill family roles and family rules and boundaries; however Nic would always end up on his own path –Crystal Meth. The family roles were very unclear. Did anybody even really know the real Nic? (probably not) Also, there was really never any consistency in the family. I mean the father would try his best but things always would get off track when it came to Nic and Meth. What was consistent was the â€Å"typical behaviors† and â€Å"the way it is† that the family became accustom too. Nic’s lie, stealing, and using. To me it seemed like the family was slowly disconnecting. Families are systems of interconnected and interdependent individuals; none can be understood when isolated from the family. â€Å"(pp) 4. What characteristics of resilience do you see in Nic? * He valued learning and he had excelled at writing. * I believe that he did have positive relationships with caring adults when he was in the right state of mind. * He also d id have problem solving skills. â€Å"Now I am in my own program to recover from my addiction to [Nic’s addiction]† (p. 305). He did not always make the best choice but when not on meth he could. * He did like to help others – especially his family when he was on the right path.

Dehumanization of the Jewish People in Night free essay sample

In Elie Wiesel’s Night, imagery is employed to show the dehumanization of the Jewish people by the Nazis as the Jews develop the â€Å"survival of the fittest† mentality, and as Eliezer looses the ability to express emotions. Wiesel uses imagery of the Jews’ â€Å"survival of the fittest† mentality to show the dehumanization of the Jews who are forced to endure treacherous conditions in the concentration camps. The enslaved Jews experience the worst forms of inhumane treatment. Pushed beyond their ability to deal with the oppressing starvation, cold, disease, exhaustion, and cruelty, the Jews lose their sanity and morality. Thus, Wiesel refers to the Jews as, â€Å"wild beasts of prey with animal hatred in their eyes; an extraordinary vitality had seized them, sharpening their teeth and nails. Men threw themselves on top of each other, stamping on each other, biting each other (Pg. 5 old book)†. This alteration of the Jews’ morality and character can only be credited to the dehumanization that they receive, not to the weakness of their spirit. We will write a custom essay sample on Dehumanization of the Jewish People in Night or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The flock of hungry men clawing for food represents the selfish, animal-like, survival of the fittest mentality that replaces their normal human behavior. The Nazis purposely fail to provide the Jews with sufficient provisions, and as a result, the Jews are reduced to behave like beasts. The Jews, who once resolved that the only way to survive was to help one another, have since resolved that it is every-man-for-himself. Their wish to fulfill the needs that had been deprived from them is so strong, that they are even willing to go as far as to fight one another, to the death, for a small ration of bread. This selfish attitude of the Jews is even reflected by their young when their â€Å"sons abandoned their father’s remains without a tear. † (Pg. 87 old book) Rabbi Eliahous son feels that his father is growing weak. Therefore, he believes that the end is near for his father and he wants to detach him in order to get rid of the burden; he wants to free himself from a burden which could lower his own chances of survival. This supreme act of selfishness, as said before, can only be accredited to the dehumanization from the Nazis, rather than the naive young boy. Even though it is inhumane, this selfish behavior seems to be the only way to survive when confronted with such extreme conditions that the Jews were made to endure. Wiesel also uses imagery, of Eliezer loosing the ability to express motion, to show the dehumanization of Eliezer and the other Jews who are led to undergo drastic emotional changes. Unfortunately, the Jews suffer tremendous difficulties in the concentration camps. The torture that the enslaved Jews experience has obvious physical effects, but it also has mental changes on them. The events that have taken place at the concentration camps has shaken Eliezer so much, that at the sight of his stricken father, he replies, â€Å"My father had just been struck, before my eyes, and I had not flickered an eyelid. I had looked on and said nothing. † (Pg. 37 old book) After the Kapo beats his father to the ground for asking permission to use the bathroom, Elieizer is surprised at himself because he is incapable of doing so much as lifting a finger or saying anything in his fathers defense. Like the other Jews, he is dehumanized with his main concern becoming self-preservation. Thus, Eliezer looses his compassion for others, including his father. When his father dies due to dysentery, Eliezer states, â€Å"I did not weep and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears. † (Pg 106 old book) Eliezer, who has faced many trials and tribulations, is not saddened by the death of his own father. The frequent deaths in the camps had numbed his feelings and stripped him of the ability to express emotion, which is a characteristic distinguishable by humans. Deprived of his emotions, Eliezer seems less of a human, and more of a beast. The tenderhearted boy, who once wept while praying, cannot shed a tear over his father’s dead body; he changes a good deal throughout the story, becoming hardhearted. The lessening of his humanity to a selfish beastly spirit, wanting to live only for himself, demonstrates the dehumanization of the Jews. They learn to save their lives at any cost, even in the face of death inflicted on a parent. Wiesel employs the use of horrid images of the Jews, developing the selfish, beastly â€Å"survival of the fittest† mentality, and of Eliezer loosing his ability to express emotions due to the trauma he experiences in his time at the camps, to show the dehumanization of the Jewish people by the Nazis.

Free Essays on Pearl Of The Scarlet Letter

Pearl, the living symbol of Hester’s sin of adultery is a very complex character. She is present in almost every scene with Hester, rarely by her side. However her character remains somewhat in the shadows at all times. She is difficult to understand, she is passionate and wild, and she does not obey any rules but those she wishes to. Her moods seem to change quickly, at times she seems as if she were put on earth to torment her mother for her acts of adultery. At other times she is sweet and loving of her mother. Pearl is said to â€Å"react according to her particular feeling of the moment† possibly paralleling the passion of her mother and Dimmesdale. Hester describes Pearl as a â€Å" face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice† I do not know if she sees Pearl as evil or possessed or rather just as wild and free. The people of the village sometimes refer to her in comparison to the devil, for she throws rocks at their children, says crazy things and had an awful temper. The townspeople also look down upon Pearl because she is a child of sin, the product of adultery and they outcast her as much as Hester. Although many people see an evil in Pearl God and nature seem to see something different. Pearl is described as beautiful and intelligent. She plays happily as most children do with much physical grace. She seems to fit perfectly in the forest where her wildness can run free; her nature is at one in the woods. As she runs, the light that her mother so desperately seeks follows her, shining upon her. The light may be a sign from God that the child is not tarnished for her mother’s sins, that she is good and pure although she may seem like a savage. Pearl becomes more human in the last chapters of the book. She has a yearning for Dimmesdale to acknowledge she and her mother in public, showing that she cares about him to some extent. This hypothesis is proven in the final chapter when she kisses Dimme... Free Essays on Pearl Of The Scarlet Letter Free Essays on Pearl Of The Scarlet Letter Pearl, the living symbol of Hester’s sin of adultery is a very complex character. She is present in almost every scene with Hester, rarely by her side. However her character remains somewhat in the shadows at all times. She is difficult to understand, she is passionate and wild, and she does not obey any rules but those she wishes to. Her moods seem to change quickly, at times she seems as if she were put on earth to torment her mother for her acts of adultery. At other times she is sweet and loving of her mother. Pearl is said to â€Å"react according to her particular feeling of the moment† possibly paralleling the passion of her mother and Dimmesdale. Hester describes Pearl as a â€Å" face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice† I do not know if she sees Pearl as evil or possessed or rather just as wild and free. The people of the village sometimes refer to her in comparison to the devil, for she throws rocks at their children, says crazy things and had an awful temper. The townspeople also look down upon Pearl because she is a child of sin, the product of adultery and they outcast her as much as Hester. Although many people see an evil in Pearl God and nature seem to see something different. Pearl is described as beautiful and intelligent. She plays happily as most children do with much physical grace. She seems to fit perfectly in the forest where her wildness can run free; her nature is at one in the woods. As she runs, the light that her mother so desperately seeks follows her, shining upon her. The light may be a sign from God that the child is not tarnished for her mother’s sins, that she is good and pure although she may seem like a savage. Pearl becomes more human in the last chapters of the book. She has a yearning for Dimmesdale to acknowledge she and her mother in public, showing that she cares about him to some extent. This hypothesis is proven in the final chapter when she kisses Dimme...

How to Distinguish Female Lobsters From Males

How to Distinguish Female Lobsters From Males Want to know the sex of a lobster you have caught or are about to eat? Here are several ways to tell: Lobster Anatomy Lobsters have feathery appendages called swimmerets, or pleopods, underneath their tails. These swimmerets help a lobster swim and are also where a female lobster  (sometimes called a hen)  carries her eggs. Swimmerets also can clue you in to the sex of a lobster. The first pair of swimmerets (the pair closest to the head) just behind the walking legs point up toward the head. They are thin, feathery, and soft on a female  but hard and bony on a male. Also, the female has a rectangular shield between her second pair of walking legs, which she uses to store sperm after mating with a male. This is where the male inserts those hard swimmerets during mating, releasing sperm that the female stores. When its time to release her eggs, they flow past the sperm and are fertilized. The female stores these eggs under her abdomen (tail) for 10 to 11 months.   Because they carry eggs, females tend to have a wider tail than males. Females carrying fertilized eggs arent usually harvested, but inside a female lobster you might find unfertilized eggs, or roe. They are green when fresh and bright red after the lobster is cooked. (They are also called coral because of the color.) These can be eaten.  Females can carry up to 80,000 eggs at one time.   Courting Ritual Despite their ferocious appearance, lobsters have a complex courtship ritual that is often described as touching.  Males and females mate after the female molts. The males live in caves or dens, and as her molting time draws near, a female visits the dens and wafts a pheromone toward the male via her urine, which is released from openings near her antennae. The male energetically beats his swimmerets. Over a few days, the female approaches the den and checks out the male. They eventually initiate a mock boxing match and the female enters the den. During molting the female is vulnerable- she is very soft and takes at least half an hour to be able to stand- so the male protects her. At this point the male rolls the female over onto her back and transfers the sperm packet, or spermatophore, to the females seminal receptacle. The female holds her eggs until she is ready to fertilize them.   Spiny Lobster Sexing Spiny lobsters (rock lobsters) are usually sold as tails, rather than live, so you might not get a chance to try out your lobster sexing skills at a market that sells spiny lobsters.  However, these lobsters also can be sexed using the swimmerets on the underside of their tails.   In females, the swimmerets on one side might overlap those on the other. You might also see a dark patch, where the spermatophore is located at the base of her last pair of walking legs. They might also have claw-shaped pincers at the end of their fifth pair of walking legs that help hold the eggs.  Roe mmight be found inside whole spiny lobsters. Sources: Lobsters, Gulf of Maine Research Institute Lobster 101: Reproduction and Life Cycle, Maine Lobstermens Community AllianceHow to Determine the Sex of Regulated Invertebrates, State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources Lobster Biology, The Lobster Conservancy

The Causes and Impact of the Mfecane in South Africa Essay

The Causes and Impact of the Mfecane in South Africa - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Mfecane took place as a result of nation-building that was aggressively done by the Zulu lead by Shaka and the Ndebele of Mzilikazi. Mfecane is sometimes referred to as the war of wondering and it accompanied the rise of the Zulu people. The war was highly concentrated at Drakensberg Mountains, along the river Limpopo, and between the Kalahari Desert. This paper illustrates that there were geographical barriers that made people unable to expand towards the west-eastern part, contributing to a rise in population hence people engaged in war in order to secure land. Indian Ocean waters and the Drakensberg Mountains were the key geographical features that complicated the lives of people living in this region. Mfecane was caused by the war between the tribes of Mthethwa and Ndwandwe who were expanding their territories at the expenses of their neighbors who were weak. These led to warfare that became frequent and severe as people fought for l and. The increased inequality that was witnessed between communities and environmental crisis led to competition for natural resources and trade on South Africa leading to violent struggles for survival. There was a shortage of land and many people at that time migrated to that area because it was fertile and convenient for farming activities. The high population growth caused a lot of population pressure lead to various tribal expansions, which led to the emergence of unity amongst the Bantus that occupied that place. During the 18th century, there was the presence of the Portuguese at the east coast of Delagoa who participated in long-distance trade. There was a rise in the desire to control the trade amongst people who were in the region and as a result, the Nguni tribe launched attacks to other communities with an aim of controlling the trade. The Portuguese, on the other hand, wanted to carry out the trade with groups that were organized and had powerful leaders. The creation o f Zulu state displaced hundreds of people who fled in different directions in order to establish themselves. The Zulu nation was rapidly rising during that time, and its effect was the presence of the intensification of Mfecane war by the Shaka even though Mfecane war began way before Shaka was officially inaugurated as the chief of the Zulu. Shaka’s leadership later intensified the war because of his zealous interest in wars, and he was able to defeat other tribes. The idea of having a growing domain of terror was touted by speculators who wanted imperial military backing in order to secure future land. Cape Whites were expanded at the end of the 1st century because the whites wanted more land at the eastern side, and their expansion created a shortage of land while the population was increasing hence worsening the land issue. The three powerful groups that emerged and rose up at that time fighting each other; Zwide group was responsible for sparking the war with its rivals Sobhuza, and later Ndwandwe joined the war. Most communities had at that time spread at the countryside and moved across the frontier, dividing themselves to settle in concentrated places. Americans introduced corn through the Portuguese in Mozambique, and this significantly contributed to the communities’ settlement in the region. This is because corn ensured there was plenty of food as compared to indigenous grasses thus it was able to sustain a larger population. At the end of 18th century, the possibility of people moving from the region became limited, and the shortage of land was experienced.  Most Bantu farmers in the region had reached the margins of arable land that was at the edge of Kalahari Desert; it was also difficult to access water from this region.

Design description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Design description - Essay Example A spanner or wrench is a hand tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects such as nuts and bolts. The figures below show the designs and the explanations thereunder. In the original design shown in the above diagrams, the design is shown in figure 1 (a) and the stress distribution in figure 1 (b). Stress is concentrated around the grip edges, and at the ring end of the wrench. There is also concentration of von misses stress along the axis of the wrench. From the figure 1 (b), the red color shows regions that are heavily stressed whereas the blue color indicates regions with minimal stress. From the summary at the top left the same figure indicates the extent to which the von misses stresses are distributed within the wrench body. In the modified design, shown in the diagram above, the over stressing of the same region is eliminated. Stress is redistributed and is only excess at the collar of the wrench. In this design, stress has been managed well and is uniform almost throughout the entire figure. The contours show the von misses stress