...Analysis of The Cathedral In the short story Cathedral by Raymond Carver, Carver uses the narrator's doubtful tone and 1st person point of view in order to portray how prejudice and bias is a result of false assumptions based on common stereotypes about the blind. The story ironically shows how the blind man, Robert, is readily open to new experiences and ideas while the narrator, a man who has all of his senses is largely limited by his ways of thinking. In a way, Carver forces the reader to infer that blindness isn’t always a result of physiology, but sometimes a result of one's ignorant perceptions. The narrator is blessed with the ability to see, however, he learns by the end of the story that he will never be able to see through the eyes of a blind man. The first few paragraphs of the story are essential because it quickly sets the mood for what the narrator's attitude and character will be like for a large portion of the story. Carver uses first person to display the narrator's feeling of bigotry and to ultimately show the change of feeling he has towards Robert by the end of the story. Carver’s first sentence of the story is already foretelling of the narrators bias towards the blind man. It reads, “This blind man, an old friend of my wife’s, he was on his way to spend the night. His wife had died.” By having to state that the man is blind, rather than just an old friend, the narrator is already revealing that he holds a prejudice against the blind. At the beginning...
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...Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction This research project serves as culmination to the problem involving the restoration of the Basilica. It seeks to summarize, explain and synthesize several highlights of the topic in dialogue with the assigned texts and other readings; it will force additional research and reflections as an instrument for clarifying, defining and augmenting the author’s understanding of the major issues addressed by the proposal. The scope of the study embraces a solution that will lead the restoration of the Basilica to realities and treat the problems involving its reestablishment. Being a national heritage and considered to be one of the first Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines, it is our objective to restore a historical edifice and preserve its cultural legacy and customs. On October 15, 2013, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook Bohol at approximately 8:00 in the morning. It caused millions of worth of casualties, hundreds of families devastated, destroyed numerous properties and damaged many historical landmarks and churches, including the Basilica de Sto. Nino. The earthquake crushed most of the belfry and façade; walls and frescoes are cracked, leaving the church in verge of total wreckage. To prevent an entire loss, propositions involving the repair and rebuilding of the damaged areas are to be provided as well as redesigning of the structure’s stability will furnish its constancy to be able to withstand future disastrous...
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...The spaces, while sacred are also violated numerous times and in some instances by the people who have held them sacred. In the beginning of the movie we see Romero in the church full of people celebrating his promotion to Archbishop, specifically the president elect, and some from the military. Later we see the same people turning on the Church and blaming it for the deaths and turmoil. Additionally, the occupation of the church by the National Guard is an excellent example of a violation of the sacred space. The National Guard repeatedly demonstrates their disrespect for the Church as the movie progresses by overtaking the church building and utilizing the space as a barracks. They desecrate the tabernacle and use force against Romero. Finally, we see the ultimate violation of the sacred space when Romero is murdered while celebrating the eucharist inside his church. With all of the hate and anger in the community, the congregation’s members and clergy remain strong and repeatedly join together to reclaim their church and re-establish the sacredness. Romero is the best example of the reclamation with his continued insistence to enter the church and celebrate the eucharist after the oppression of the National Guard. His success comes when the people of his congregation (the members of the community) join with him. The show of faith and belief leaves a lasting impact on the military and they allow Romero and the people to pass without further harm. Romero leads the congregation...
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...Cathedral It is an ongoing problem that people are narrow-minded and have preconceptions. It does no one good and is an obstacle in your everyday life. By closing your eyes, the other senses, like feeling, hearing and smelling, tune in and take over. A lot can be learned from these senses and new truths can be unrevealed. In the short story Cathedral, the main character stops his prejudices and sees a new truth. The short story Cathedral takes place in the 1990s in a married couple’s house in New York, America. The narrator of the story is the husband. The short story is told as from a first persons point of view. The narrator introduces both his wife and their guest, the blind man. The only information we get about the husband comes from his actions and thoughts. They let us know how he thinks a blind man should act “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind man moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs.” From these thoughts we learn about the narrator’s prejudice and preconceptions. The husband has a lack of sympathy for their guest who is blind and has lost his wife. Through most of the story, the narrator refers to Robert as “the blind man”. This indicates that the narrator don’t see him as a normal human being, but only as a disabled man. Robert, the blind man, is in his late 40s. He is muscular, bald, has a beard and is spiffy. To much regret for the husband, Robert doesn’t wear sunglasses “But he didn’t use...
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...direction of what you want to see and the image instantaneously appears. The inner, invisible, intangible characteristics require more than receptors and neurons to visualize. Thought and personal investment are required in the visualization of the intangible. In “Cathedral”, Raymond Carver suggests blindness is often an affliction of the heart and soul and not the eyes. Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is a short story about a husband’s journey to enlightenment. A longtime friend of the wife comes to visit after the death of his wife. The wife meets the blind man, Robert, ten years prior while looking for a summer job. She becomes his assistant. The wife reads briefs, reports, and helps organize the blind man’s office. Over the years the wife and blind man keep in touch; corresponding by sending audio tapes through the mail (Carver). The visit from the blind man is not something the husband is excited about. He remains disconnected from the conversation most of the evening. When the wife falls to sleep, the husband is forced to engage with the blind man. With the persistence of the blind man, the husband engages in a conversation about cathedrals. It is through the process of describing the cathedrals to the blind man that the life of the...
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...Inside The Cathedral In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, Carver touches on a personal experience. Carver and his wife were going to have a house guest, a man that his wife had worked with ten years ago over the summer in Seattle. Carver’s wife had stayed in touch with this man, Robert, over the years. The visit was bittersweet, though Robert was going to be reunited with a long-time friend; it was under the conditions that his wife had passed way. He’d come to Connecticut to visit his late-wife’s family and stay with the Carvers. There was one catch, however. Robert was completely blind and this made Raymond carver extremely uneasy, saying that “a wink and a nod are the same to a blind man.” Raymond’s taking on the situation; catering to a blind man; was very socially ignorant. Admittedly so, he said “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.” (Carver, lines :_). Raymond also offered to take the “blind man” bowling, which is truly a sad, if not just cynical image to bear. Raymond’s wife was extremely nervous to be accommodating to the Robert as well, but it was an excitable nervousness. She longed to be reunited with him, to share stories and catch up, but this was also a man her husband had never met; she could sense the tinge of jealousy and irritation in the air around her husband. She was...
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...Alvin Veras Safia Ahmad English 108-OP95(1) 27 November 2015 Analysis of Cathedral by Raymond Carver In “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, it is about two men who are blind, one physically and the other psychologically. Carver uses a narrator who is a faux naif narrating his story about his life. The narrator’s wife has an old blind friend named, Robert. The story is about transcendence where although the unnamed narrator can physically see things, he lacks the wisdom and potential to see the greatness in other aspects of life that one could be limited due to physical factors. The narrator is given a gift of seeing a cathedral through the eyes of a blind man as his character develops from being psychologically blind to being able to see life from a different perspective. To understand the meaning of “Cathedral,” it is helpful first to analyze the author’s style of writing. Carver uses the first-person point of view to allow the audience to see the narrator’s thought process and reasoning. With the use of this style of writing, Carver can convey the narrator’s bigotry based on his stereotype and lack of knowledge towards a blind person. The narrow-mindedness of the narrator is apparent on how he refers to his wife’s close friend as just a blind man “a blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver 266). He was displeased when he found out that the blind man was coming for a visit. In addition, this gives the audience the opportunity to see into...
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...Geronimo, Ronich Eleanor M. BSTM 3B Environmental Conservation PAMARAWAN We had an orientation last March 12, Tuesday on our supposed time for our subject Tourism Impacts and Sustainability to discuss about Mangrove Planting. This activity was held on Pamarawan Island which is still part of City of Malolos. They also let us know about the call time and venue for meet up before going to the terminal. The call time is 5:30 in the morning in Malolos Cathedral, but because I already know how to go there and it is along the way, I asked if it is okay not to go to Malolos Cathedral. It’s better for me not to, because it would be hassle for me and also to save time. Unexpectedly, our section 3B is not yet on the Cathedral. Though they are also late, I didn’t make it to arrive on time and reach them. When they drifted, that’s the time I already came and I had reach nothing but the other community from Pamarawan. So they left me but they advised me to ride a boat separately. I have no choice but to wait for the boat to fill the other passengers to reach 20. While I’m waiting, I’ve seen another Student from Tourism riding a tricycle. When I saw him, I started smiling and it makes me to cheer up, because I have a companion on being late. I talk to him immediately for me not to feel bored and uncomfortable. He’s easy to get along with and I enjoyed talking to him, it helps me not to feel that it has a long trip. By the way, he’s a student from BSTM 1-C but I forgot his name. We...
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...http://www.novelguide.com/MurderintheCathedral/themeanalysis.html Murder in the Cathedral: Theme Analysis Theme Analysis In its assessment of Eliot's importance to modern English literature, A Literary History of England (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967; ed. Albert C. Baugh) argues that a shift from despair to hope-a change from "the 'inert resignation' of those who breathe the small, dry air of modern spiritual emptiness" to something more positive and potentially transcendent-can first be detected in Eliot's "Ash-Wednesday" (1930), "of which the theme is the search for peace found in humble and quiet submission to God's Will" (p. 1587). This theme, clearly an expression of the Anglo-Catholicism Eliot embraced during his life, appears again throughout Murder in the Cathedral. It informs and breathes through the entire text of the play, as the commentary above has demonstrated. In Murder in the Cathedral, the "inert resignation" of modern life manifests itself in the Chorus' refusal to embrace transcendence: the women of Canterbury are content to go on "living and partly living." As they state, even imploringly to Becket, on several occasions, they "do not wish anything to happen." They do not want the wheel of God's pattern to begin turning. As do all moderns in Eliot's estimation, they "fear the injustice of men less than the justice of God." They are not ready to live, as Becket was, "out of time." Yet, through Becket as he portrays him, Eliot forcefully argues...
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...Introduction The task of leadership is not one of superiority or dictating by any means; it is rather a form of the humble servitude of those whom the leader is positioned to guide. A quality leader takes his or her position with the utmost responsibility to provide access for the masses to express their concerns, and hopefully respond in a justifiable manner that allows for the most favorable outcome for the largest portion of the ‘followers’. Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” President Abraham Lincoln, and President John F. Kennedy all had characteristics of great leadership. The University Code of Integrity is also one of the examples showing the importance of integrity for a fair leader to embrace in his or her duties. It is with the use of these examples that I plan to...
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...Museum Paper The work of art I chose is “The Calling of Apostles Peter and Andrew.” This work of art was started in 1308 and ended in 1311 by Duccio di Buoninsegna. It is an oil on panel painting and is currently located at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. This work of art depicts a religious view while having a proto-renaissance style. This work of art is significant because it shows a sense of a belief. The belief of Peter and Andrew towards Jesus. The work of art has subtle details that tell a short story. When I look at this painting I look at the features of Jesus’s clothing, the rock Jesus stands upon, the boat that the men stand in, the fish net, and the gesture Jesus gives to Andrew and Peter. Firstly, to me, the boat symbolizes instability as it can sway from side to side giving an idea that the two men’s faith is not yet decided in a manner of speaking. The rock Jesus stand upon shows strength and stability within him; his faith. Jesus beckoning symbolizes a calling to him while saying that if they do then it will be fulfilling or rewarding due to the fishing net being full. Jesus’s clothing also symbolizes two different things. Firstly, the red coloring of his outfit symbolizes his passion in faith. The purple coloring of his outfit symbolizes his status in royalty. Buoninsegna also paints one of the men in a reddish color to possibly indicate his passion. There are also several small designs around the head of Jesus which could indicate a sort...
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...How does Golding establish the mood in the first 3 chapters of the novel? Introduction Willam Golding creates an evil mood in Lord Of The Flies. But how does he do it? He does it in 3 main ways. Read on to find out more. Chapter 1 In chapter 1, Golding introduces the novel's major characters as well as its theme: that evil, as a destructive force in men, society and civilization, is in all of us. To illustrate this theme, Golding uses several motifs: civilization vs savegery, human nature vs animal nature, technology vs nature, and the intellegent vs the physical. As the characters interact with each other and their environment, so do the forces they represent. By making the characters interact with these forces, it allows Golding the opportunity to compare and contrast between both forces and characters. The novel opens with a description of “the long scar smashed into the jungle”. This signifies to the audience that the plane has crashed on an island without civilization. It also makes the forces contrast between each other (technology vs nature). This is a persuasive technique used by Golding to make the audience want to read more. Ralph is elected as leader for superficial reasons. He is a a charming, handsome boy who appears to be in charge because of his use of the conch, which functions for him at the moment of his election as a symbol of authority. Although it was Piggy's quick thinking to use the conch to summon the others, hampered by asthma, he must allow...
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...While reading the story Cathedral by Raymond Carver, I found a few different kinds of language and communication. As human beings, we have trouble with communicating, understanding what someone else is trying to tell us, or expressing ourselves from time to time. This can be very misleading and can sometimes cause a problem without trying to. Cathedral is trying to tell us that there are different ways of communicating and that there are different languages other than actually speaking. Trying to put yourself in someone else's position can change your perspective. In the beginning of the story, the narrator's wife is expecting a visit from an old friend named Robert that she used to work with, whom is blind. The narrator (husband) is not happy about it at all and does not give a valid reason for it, even though the wife recently attempted suicide, he does not think about how the blind man's visit may help her; "I was not enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me."(Carver 34). He has a hard time...
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...Virgin and Child Enthroned Giotto di Bondone This Virgin and Child Enthroned is dated from 1305-1310, and is from Florence, Italy. It is made of tempera and gold on a wood panel. The piece uses hieratic scale making the Virgin and Child much larger than the surrounding saints and religious figures. It also enthrones images and has a flat, gold background. Giotto was one of the first artists to use 3D beings, and shows this in his piece. He shows the subjects as full, plainly draped bulky bodies in a habit real space. The 3D Mary is colossal and over-whelms her slender Gothic throne where figures peer through openings and halos overlap faces. Giotto uses a contrast of light to achieve a sense of volume in his figures and gives them a slight smokiness. This piece is clearly influenced by Cimabue’s Virgin Enthroned, and both pieces are very similar in style and technique. Virgin and Child Enthroned Duccio di Buoninsegna Duccio’s Virgin and Child Enthroned was commissioned in 1285, and is found in Florence, Italy. It is made of the typical material of European art, Tempera, along with gold on a wood panel. Duccio painted this large altarpiece for the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. It uses hierarchical scale to show a monumental Virgin and Child on an elaborate throne, flanked by angels. The figural composition foregrounds gracefulness of pose and gesture. He uses a color scheme rich is pastels. The drapery models the figure into convincing forms and falls into...
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...David Macaulay: Cathedral This film is an animated documentary about the building of a fictitious Catholic cathedral in 13th century France. Based on the book by David Macaulay, "Cathedral" references the real cathedrals of today, looks at the challenges of building such huge structures, given the available technology of the time, explains why they were of such importance to medieval life, and how they remain so today, 700 years later. Whenever I travel, I adore visiting cathedrals, when though I am not religious. Much of the film consists of cartoons, which I though was an interesting way to talk about such historical buildings. It's an interesting look at the incredible engineering skills and craftsmanship that went into the construction of France's famous Gothic cathedrals. "Even to our eyes, which have seen towering skyscrapers, indoor stadiums, jumbo jets and space shuttles, Gothic cathedrals still inspire awe," Macaulay says. I thought this was such an interesting way to think about why these buildings are so awe-inspiring, even though we have became so used to these things. And even more incredible than the fact that these buildings are still standing, they are still being used for their original purpose. Cathedral combines current film footage of the structures--including Notre-Dame de Paris, Chartres, Bourges and Amiens--with animated sequences illustrating how such buildings were erected. I found the animation to be a fun way to talk about these buildings, and...
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