...Tragedy serves as a pivotal intersection where the natural vulnerability of humans manifests into a defining flaw, allowing protagonists to either transcend their flaws through resilience and redemption or succumb to them. Beginning with the most timeless example of them all, Odysseus took his wealth, treasure, and glory for granted, costing him the life of his crew, but gaining a chance at redemption. After the destruction of his ship and his crew, Odysseus stayed “Sitting, still, weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home” (Homer 157). Despite his heroic stature and cunning intellect, Odysseus is humbled by the harsh realities of his own mortality, shedding tears of remorse and anguish for the lives lost under his command. In this moment of profound...
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...in the Life of a Slave Girl, Terry McMillan’s The End and Maya Angelou’s Willie are significant literary pieces to discuss. It is important to consider factors such as historical, socio-political and cultural climate because these factors contribute and influence an author’s point of view as well as each author’s unique voice and message depending on the time period. Harriet A. Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is a slave narrative. The literary conventions of the slave narrative define the work. Slave narratives echo biblical stories that often reflect persecuted groups attempting to escape to freedom. Jacobs’s piece details her struggle to escape her master from sexual abuse. Vivanco (2003), “The process from sin to rebirth in spiritual autobiographies is paralleled by the process from slavery to freedom in slave narratives. Slaves experience a change from chattel, enduring suffering, to man or woman living in the Promised Land, the North,” (para. 5). Further distinction of the slave narrative is how authors shape the story, often chronologically. Slave narratives illustrate an author’s personal experience though many share common themes of extreme violence/abuse and racial prejudice. Slave narratives are essentially autobiography, which offer an author’s own experience for readers to find meaning. Jacobs’s female voice sheds light on issues affecting slave women; sexual abuse and losing children to death or slave trade particularly. Jacobs’s narrative is a prime...
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...Maryland in Talbot County. Enduring the struggles and hardships living as a slave he would eventually escape and become a leader of the abolitionist movement. “Without a struggle The power of an education on reading and writing would soon lead him to a life of freedom. In the 1800’s the Dorchester County Courthouse was a place where slave auctions were held and where I choose to read chapters one and seven from his book, “Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave.” Knowing of slave auctions that took place here gave me more insight on what I was reading about. While I read the courthouse was very quiet at times and seeing big time lawyers, police officers, and plaintiffs of black and white race walking by, was a very different scenario than it was back then. I could only imagine the chaos that took place here and how horrible it would have been to witness segregation and humans being sold at these slave auctions. As I read, one of the passages that I was very saddened by was how the infants of slaves were separated from their mothers so they would focus on work and only work. Only seeing his mother four or five times in his life he never really knew her as a mother. Never seeing her in daylight she would take a walking journey of twelve miles to where he lived and laid with him till he fell asleep. She had to be gone by the rise of the sun to be on the field or a penalty of a whipping. I as a mother could not imagine my child being taken from...
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...If someone told you the story of a man who left his life full of fortunes to become one with nature, what would your opinion of him be? Would you think that he’s brave? Reckless? Jon Krakauer in his non-fiction story, Into the Wild tells the journey of a young man by the name of Chris McCandless. Chris, after enduring a childhood where he was given everything in the world besides a loving household decided to leave everything behind, burn and donate all of his money and walk into the brisk wilderness of Alaska’s Denali area after hitchhiking around the continent a couple of years prior. Krakauer is impartial enough to let the reader form their own opinion of McCandless, even though his own opinions slip in at some points. Krakauer uses negative...
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...Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë has been around for more than 150 years with schools around the nation still studying this work of art. It is a novel that has ““...less to do with the conflict of great forces that typifies great works of literature, and more to do with the subtle irritation of a delayed resolution to its most important episode.” (Thornton). With the opportunity to stand the test of time, the novel by Brontë is now on the goodreads list of popular merit books. However, not all books can withstand the test of time. Jodi Picoult’s novel My Sister’s Keeper may not be as fortunate as Jane Eyre in terms of literary merit because it lacks the certain aspects such as maturity in themes and writing style, deeper analytic meanings, and...
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...including her sister Charlotte, disapproved, regarding it as fundamentally immoral, especially in the creation of the central character, the brutal Heathcliff. However, viewed at a distance of some 150 years, the novel can be seen for what it truly is, a work of flawed genius which continues to attract strongly despite its age. Emily set what was to be her sole novel in and around her beloved moors creating, in Cathy, a character as wilful as herself. However the reader acquainted but not familiar with the narrative, is often surprised by how little actual description of the natural environment is extant within its pages though ‘metaphors drawn from nature provide much of the book's descriptive language’. Simply expressed, it is the author’s own vicarious resonance with the land, expressed via her frequent use of what Ruskin termed ‘pathetic fallacy’ that gives the intensity of the connective between the central protagonists and the land in which they are imbedded, even beyond life itself. The plot concerns the family of the Earnshaws, owners of the eponymous ‘Wuthering Heights’, where the surly urchin, Heathcliff, is brought by the father of the household who has found him abandoned in Liverpool, and who describes him ‘as dark almost as if it came from the devil’ for ‘when Mr. Earnshaw first brings the child home, the child is an “it” not a “he”’. From the first, he is Cathy, the daughter’s favourite, as he is her father’s, and the thorn in the flesh of the heir, Hindley. Both...
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...Experience: Design Approach to Human-centered Jodi L. Forlizzi Submitted to the Department of Design, College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design in Interaction Design Abstract My thesis attempts to understand experience as it is relevant to interaction design. Based on the work of John Dewey, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, and Richard Carlson, I identify two types of experience in user–product interactions: satisfying experiences and rich experiences. A satisfying experience is a process–driven act that is performed in a successful manner. A rich experience has a sense of immersive continuity and interaction, which may be made up of a series of satisfying experiences. Based on this definition, I identify a set of design principles with which to create products that evoke rich experiences. These principles are intended to encourage designers to think about how to create user–product interactions that suggest values and communicate meanings that enrich the quality of life. Narrative plays a key role in these design principles. Our series of life experiences form a narrative; the values that designers impart in an object form a narrative which is elaborated...
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...SECRET LANGUAGE of • HOW LEADERS INSPIRE ACTION THROUGH NARRATIVE The LEADERSHIP STEPHEN DENNING John Wiley & Sons, Inc. More Praise for The Secret Language of Leadership “Out of the morass of strategies leaders are given to transform organizations, Denning plucks a powerful one—storytelling— and shows how and why it works.” —Dorothy Leonard, William J. Abernathy Professor of Business, Emerita, Harvard Business School, and author, Deep Smarts: How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom “The Secret Language of Leadership shows why narrative intelligence is central to transformational leadership and how to harness its power.” —Carol Pearson, director, James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland, and coauthor, The Hero and the Outlaw “The Secret Language of Leadership is not only the best analysis I have seen of how and why leaders succeed or fail, it’s highly readable, as well as downright practical. It should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in engaging a company with big ideas who understands that leaders live and die by the quality of what they say.” —Richard Stone, story analytics master, i.d.e.a.s “A primary role of leaders is to create and maintain meaning for their organizations. Denning clearly demonstrates that meaningmaking comes from stories well told.” —Thomas Davenport, President’s Distinguished Professor of I.T. and Management, Babson College, and author, The Attention Economy “Steve...
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...Hispanic and Latino Spiritual Paper ENG/301 December 14, 2015 Hispanic and Latino Spiritual Paper I have a better comprehension and appreciation of the Hispanic and Latino culture, after reading the material this week. This culture has their way of communicating with one another. Within the Hispanic and Latino cultures we repeatedly see magic, religion, faith and tradition play big parts in their lives. In this essay, I will discuss four of the stories that I feel show how these elements play a part in their day to day lives. I have chosen four pieces, “Curving Woman,” by Alejandro Morales, “Seven Long Times,” by Piri Thomas, “Tales Told under the Mango Tree, “ by Judith Ortiz Cofer and last but not least, “The Kite,” by Ed Vega. Religion, Faith, Tradition, and Magic As I stated the Hispanic and Latino cultures rely on religion, faith, traditions and magic. I saw this in the writing, “The Curing Woman” by Alejandro Morales. This story is about Mr.Benidorm, the man of the house, impregnated a servant, and had a daughter. Once the servant's time had been served, she requested to take her daughter, Marcelina, with her. Mrs.Benidorm refused the Marcelina to go with her mother. “She had grown to love Marcelina and besides, the child was a reminder to her husband of his sins of infidelity.” (Morales, 1986). This nine-year-old girl spent the next four years with Mr. and Mrs. Benidorm and never seeing her mother during this time. Then at thirteen years...
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...In Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, James Loewen, writer and sociology professor, details the way in which high school curriculums are distorting reality. He focuses heavily on the Pilgrims and the first European settlers of America. He gives copious details about the factual history of Plymouth Rock and compares it to the innocuous fables of the history textbooks. The consolidated, America-can-do-no-wrong revisions of Social Study curriculums give students an incomplete and misinformed historical perspective. To say that the American history textbooks are misrepresentative would be a gross understatement. In an attempt to promote unquestioning nationalism, history books have robbed students of the most valuable aspect of learning about America’s past, the means to not repeat the folly of our progenitors. Loewen presents his thesis with effective elegance: “Whether one deems our present society wondrous or awful or both, history reveals how we arrived at this point. Understanding...
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...Mark Upchurch English 255 Professor Kalauli 3/6/2014 A Painting for the Mind Juliet Kono effectively conveys the devastation, horror, and depravity in Japan circa 1940 to 1950 through her unwavering sense of staying true to the imagery and setting of Japan during World War II as well as post war Japan. By effectively telling the story through the eyes of the protagonist Hi-Chan, she allows the reader to personalize not only with the main character but the setting that surrounds the main character as well. The continual turmoil and conflict that the protagonist undergoes contrast the underlying theme (the path to enlightenment) of the novel and remains consistent from beginning to end. There is no question that the author’s effectiveness in delivering the elements of fiction in her novel Anshu: Dark Sorrow creates in the reader’s mind a vivid portrait of the time and place the main character Hi-Chan was living in. By effectively conveying the setting of the novel, the persistent use of conflict with the protagonist, establishing a first person point of view, and the use of effective characterization, Juliet Kono is able to paint within the readers mind the thoughts and emotions within Hi-Chan as well as the world around her. By descriptively establishing the setting in Hawaii at the beginning of the novel, Juliet Kono allows the reader to assume a more peaceful and serene time when Hi-Chan was youthful and care-free on an island of abundant beauty, freedom, and most...
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...truth. Basically, it is similar to being told an unbelievable story by a stranger, but in reality no one really knows if it is true or false. In the academic context the word “myth,” in contrast, is considered as an ancient narrative that attempts to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions such as: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we end up here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? What are the consequences of our behavior (Leonard & McClure, 2004)? After considering the definition in my textbooks and course materials, my meaning of a myth would be a hard to believe story that we are uncertain how authentic it is that is usually told either inspire or warn people. The most well-known mythological topics across various cultures are continuity and stability to a culture, guidelines for and explain the purpose of living, justify a culture’s actions, clarify the unexplained, and offer role models. Similar or universal themes of myths are addressed far and wide by diverse cultures because humans need to know and understand where they came from, why the world exists, and what their purpose in life is. The differences are from the cultural responses to the various questions and need for answers (Rosenberg, 2006). Some individuals believe that mankind was created by God while others believe that it was created...
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...individual. This activity has focused on developing the abilities and attitudes of individuals. Dissimilar personal traits and characteristics can help or impede a person's leadership effectiveness and require courteous for developing leadership competencies. Some assumed that a leader could act authentically through responsibility, reactions to uncertainty, and creativity. Others believed that authentic leadership is essentially more about how the leaders define their own role within an individual. In my point of view, a leader can study from others’ experiences and being genuine and authentic, but not by imitation of someone else. A leader constantly can be describe through their real life story and reframing their life stories to recognize who they were at their fundamental. In doing so, they discovered the purpose of their leadership and absorbed that being authentic made them more effective. Authentic leaders are defined as people of highest integrity, loyal to enduring organizations. Leaders who have a deep sense of purpose and are true to there core values, ability to motivate. Things that authentic leaders do on a regular basis are; 1. They voice their truth. They being clear, being truthful and being authentic and would never reveal themselves by using words that are not aligned with who they are. 2. They lead from the heart. They are not scared to show their weakness. They honestly care about other people and spend their days emerging the people around...
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...astonish literary critiques today. It amazes me how three writers with such unique qualities all seem to stitch together the same ideas about the “American Identity.” Whitman chooses to see sex as an empowerment on our human race. While Edwards argues that God’s love inspires a fruitful outlook on a trivial life, Melville has no spiritual views and instead ignites his own reasoning to form his perceptions. Whitman’s theory of an American identity rests on an interpretation of sexual reproduction within our humanity. Children of Adam gives our lives true purpose and sheds light on the importance of love and procreation. After reading his poetry, it resurrected a thought I had during our class discussions. We live an endless paradox where life cannot hope to exist without death, good without evil, day without night, and so on. “The oath of procreation I have sworn, my Adamic and fresh daughters, The greed that eats me day and night with hungry gnaw, till I saturate what shall produce boys to fill my place when I am through” (p.2208). Compared to our vast universe, a human being may seem insignificant, yet we hold the key to restoration and preservation of our societal life cycle. Whitman’s poems paralleled the bible when he referred to God’s love for Adam and Eve that was so great, it drove to their creation for his Garden of Eden. “Ages and ages, returning at intervals, Undestroy’d, wandering immortal, Lusty phallic, with the potent original loins, perfectly sweet, I chanter...
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...PREFACE Adam Jefferson, a divine manifest of Adam Smith's materialism and Thomas Jefferson's idealism, is our troubled modern day hero. He awoke in the middle of his life - broke and lost. A serial entrepreneur, his life was a never-ending quest for material success. At age 38, as Joseph Campbell forewarned humanity, Adam had "climbed the ladder of success, only to realize it was propped up against the wrong wall." Alone, with nothing else to lose, Adam Jefferson climbed down off of the ladder and searched for the wall of his future. This led him on a 100-day odyssey to start the ascent of his new life, an epic journey which called him across the world discussing today's challenges and opportunities with the great minds of our past - Carl Jung, Mary Parker-Follett, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Albert Einstein, and many others. An act of their collective genius and magical combustion, a psychological and sociological theory for sustainability and success was formed. Like all heroic quests, Adam ended where he had begun. Prior to his expedition, Adam had an unforgettable encounter with one of the great minds of the 20th century. One freezing, early morning on January 17, 2009, Adam Jefferson met the famed Harvard psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They walked the beach in Winthrop for hours, discussing morality and the questions one ponders in the solitude of despair. They exchange woes - "You tell me yours, and I will tell you mine."...
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