These Greco-Roman Curses Were the Best Form of Ancient Revenge

These Greco-Roman Curses Were the Best Form of Ancient Revenge Imagine youve just discovered the one you love has been cheating on you with the laundry girl from down the block. Furious, you want to get your vengeance. But youre not going to sink so low as to kill that young tart, are you? No, youre going to ask the gods to do your work for you! Instead, head to the marketplace and have a scribe write down a curse on a tiny scrap of lead. He asks the powers above - or, as well see, below  - to jinx her bowels. Bury that scrap of lead - pierced with a nail to fix its power- on which the scribe wrote somewhere sacred, and youve achieved your revenge! These mysteriously magical leaden texts were called  defixiones, or curse tablets. On a  defixio,  one would  invoke a god or psychopomp (spirits who carried the message to the underworld) in order to influence an individual, group, or animal against their wills; thus, they’re called binding spells. As noted in The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion, the focus is not on torment or destruction ... but on laming and putting out of action. In fact, the way the text in defixiones  is set up is legal in nature, a contractual agreement between the gods invoked and the supplicant. Such formulae and phrasings were used in most of the defixiones, regardless of place of origin. These tablets appeared across the Greco-Roman world- and the places it conquered and influenced, from Syria to Britainfrom the Iron Age to the first few centuries A.D. More than 1500 of them have been discovered to date. Many of them have been at  religious locations where temples stood during Greek and Roman times. For example, at Bath in Roman Britain,  defixiones  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ were deposited in  the watery domains of Sulis Minerva, the protectress of that sanctuary; they were put there because the tablets requested for that goddess to  answer that request. The ones in Britain, especially Bath, mostly dealt with theft and were Romano-British cultural  hybridization at its finest; read more about that here. Other tablets would be placed in graves or pits, presumably because the supplicants were requesting help from infernal spirits or  powers residing in the underworld, like Persephone or Hecate; one would  imagine that, if a curse tablet requested physical harm or death on a person, a grave would be an ideal spot to put that  defixio. Perhaps most significantly, the  defixiones  proved to be some of the few examples we have of writing produced by non-elites in the Greco-Roman world.  They presented a contrast to the writings of many Roman historians that, rather than day-to-day concerns of love and life, concentrated on affairs of conquest and monumental inscriptions that only the rich could afford to set up. Just check out this insane tomb that Romes richest banker built for himself. Cursing Everyone and Everything When wishing for the gods to affect someone negatively in a  defixio, the supplicant might want any number of things, positive or negative, to happen. They could request that a rival be killed or fall sick, or that someone not fall in love with another person. As curse tablet expert Chris Faraone noted in Ancient Greek Love Magic,  these arent technically love spells, since they dont request that somebody fall head over heels for them; instead, it is designed to reduce the competition, by inhibiting the words, the actions, and even the sexual performance of a rival. Or, if a woman isnt into a guy, the supplicant requests that the beloveds movements be restricted so that shed love only him. Heres one example: Seize Euphemia and lead her to me, Theon, loving me with mad desire, and bind her with unloosable shackles, strong ones of adamantine, for the love of me, Theon, and do not allow her to eat, drink, obtain sleep, jest or laugh...Burn her limbs, live, female body, until she comes to me, and not disobeying me. If she holds another man in her embrace, let her cast him off, forget him, and  hate him; but let her feel affection for me... Another prime instance of creepy binding/erotic magic: Spirits of the underworld, I consecrate and hand over to you, if you have any power, Ticene of Carisius. Whatever she does, may it all turn out wrong. Spirits of the netherworld, I consecrate to you her limbs, her complexion, her figure, her head, her hair, her shadow, her brain, her forehead, her eyebrows, her mouth, her nose, her chin, her cheeks, her lips, her speech, her breath, her neck, her liver, her shoulders, her heart, her lungs, her intestines, her stomach, her arms, her fingers, her hands, her navel, her entrails, her thighs, her knees, her calves, her heels, her soles, her toes. Spirits of the netherworld, if I see her wasting away, I swear that I will be delighted to offer a sacrifice to you every year. People also utilized curse tablets to influence pretty much anything they wanted. In order to secure a win, a charioteer paid for inscribed tablets hat requested the gods ensure victory for their team and to destroy their enemies. Check out one that read: Bind the horses whose names and images/likeness on this implement I entrust to you: of the Red (team)... of the Blues. .. Bind their running, their power, their soul, their onrush, their speed. Take away their victory, entangle their feet, hinder them, hobble them, so that tomorrow morning in the hippodrome they are not able to run or walk about, or win or go out of the starting gates, or advance on the racecourse or track, but may they fall down with their drivers... The evidence for curse tablets isnt just archaeological. Literary sources suggest that Emperor Augustuss stepson, Germanicus, one of the most famous generals of his time, died because of poison and a curse; rumor had it that defixiones bearing his name, along evidence of other negative magics, were buried underneath his floorboards.

20 Clipped Forms and Their Place (If Any) in Formal Writing

20 Clipped Forms and Their Place (If Any) in Formal Writing 20 Clipped Forms and Their Place (If Any) in Formal Writing 20 Clipped Forms and Their Place (If Any) in Formal Writing By Mark Nichol Clipped forms, shortened abbreviations of words, have a checkered history. Some are acceptable in formal writing, and others aren’t. When writing in academic contexts, in business writing, or another formal environment, take note of the status of these common clipped forms: 1. Ad: In formal writing, the full form, advertisement, is usually employed. 2. Bra: This clipped form of brassiere, from the French word for â€Å"bodice† (its euphemistic meaning: â€Å"arm protector†), has supplanted the longer form in all but the most stiffly formal writing. 3. Burger: If ever a reference to this fast food staple makes its way into formal writing, the short form of hamburger is just as likely to appear as the long form. 4. Bus: Omnibus (Latin for â€Å"all†), a word for a horse-drawn public-transportation conveyance, gave the right of way to its short form around the time such vehicles became motorized. 5. Copter: The full form, helicopter, is best for formal writing. 6. Deli: Though this word has been in use for at least a half century, delicatessen, from the German word for â€Å"delicacies,† is best for formal usage. 7. Exam: Examination was clipped back in the late 1800s and has long since been used even in formal writing. 8. Flu: The short form of influenza (Italian for â€Å"influence,† from the medieval supposition that illness was the result of celestial perturbations) is several hundred years old and has long been acceptable even in formal medical texts. 9. Fridge: This term, unusual not only in that the full form, refrigerator, has been clipped at both ends but also in that the spelling has been altered to reflect the pronunciation, is suitable for informal writing only. 10. Gas: Gasoline is much more likely to appear in formal writing than its clipped form. 11. Gator: This clipped form of alligator, in spite of its nearly 200-year-old tenure in the English language, is considered slang. 12. Gym: Most formal references to a school building for athletic activities will use the full form, gymnasium, which many patrons might be amused to learn stems from the Greek word for â€Å"naked,† because athletes in ancient Greece trained and competed nude. Because Greek gymnasiums were centers of intellectual education as well, the full term is often used in Europe to refer to what might in the United States be called a preparatory school (which, by the way, has its own clipped form: â€Å"prep school†). 13. Memo: So pervasive is this clipped form of memorandum that many people may not even know its origins. (The full word ultimately derives from the Latin for â€Å"memory.†) 14. Movie: Even more taken for granted than memo is this diminutive form of â€Å"moving picture,† which, if you step back from it, may appear silly looking and juvenile. Formal writing often refers to the medium as film or cinema, but movie is also acceptable. 15. Phone: The original term, telephone, is still often used in formal writing, but the clipped form is just as likely to be used. 16. Plane: Plane has become as acceptable as airplane in formal writing. 17. Pro: Professional, the full form, is the preferred usage in formal contexts. 18. Quake: This clipped form of earthquake is, despite long usage, still considered informal. 19. Tie: The full form, necktie, is all but obsolete. (Perhaps the clothing accessory will be, too, before long.) 20. Typo: This slang for â€Å"typographical error† is over a century old but is still considered substandard usage. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?Social vs. Societalâ€Å"Least,† â€Å"Less,† â€Å"More,† and â€Å"Most†

Atheistic Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Atheistic Existentialism - Essay Example This in turn refers to the vast improvements achieved in agriculture, the sciences, the arts, and in almost all spheres of human life, in activities which contribute to the cultivation, betterment, and refinement of the individual person, and of societies in general. Modern culture therefore refers to the sum total of all human experiences and phenomena, starting with the period mentioned and continues up to the present time. Modern culture is the integrated system of learned behavior and actions, mediated by new technologies such as in telecommunications, the Internet, and others. Culture is produced from the creative, imaginative, inventive, and innovative ideas that people make during their time. Culture is primarily in two forms, that of physical things made by a group of people, called as artifacts, and secondly, the intangible culture made up of language, customs, traditions, religious beliefs, cultural practices, and a particular worldview. In particular, the intangible aspect s of culture can be evidenced by the prevailing or prevalent philosophy at a certain time, which in turn guides human thinking and behaviors. Relatedly, there are various or different types of life philosophies over the course of human existence. In this connection, this is the focus of this paper. The philosophy of existentialism is a fairly modern kind of world view, a product of the modern times. It can be traced to around the nineteenth century and clearly within the modern period in human history; its main tenet is the emphasis on the individual person. Discussion Existentialism is a philosophy which states that thinking begins with the individual. It is further claimed by existentialists that acting, feeling, and living are the true indicators of what it termed as an â€Å"existential attitude† which refers to a vague sense of disorientation and confusion, felt by people who are truly living in the real meaning of the word. This feeling of disorientation is experienced when an individual realizes he is living in a meaningless, absurd world. People have always asked since time immemorial what constitutes reality, because human existence is faced with doubts whether human existence is the reality or merely a reflection of it. This feeling of doubt was expressed succinctly by the famous Dutch philosopher, priest, and humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) with his utterance of â€Å"cogito ergo sum† or in the plain English language translated roughly as â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† Basically, existentialism advances the idea that it is the individual himself, and not society or religion, which determines and gives meaning to human existence. In other words, it is up to that individual, by his actions, how to live his life the way he wants, how it will turn out to be. This is quite a radical departure from previous life philosophies, because the sole responsibility is placed squarely on the person. Man acquires essence, once he acts on his thoughts, by using his free will (Sartre, 1947). Existentialism as a life philosophy ignores the basic question of whether there is really a God or not. It rather dwells on the capacity of Man to act by himself through his free will; that is Man himself is ultimately responsible for what happens, based on a doctrine of action. A God is seen by existentialists as a limitation or a hindrance to what Man can achieve (Webber, 2009). Conclusion Existentialism as

Elder abuse and death claims Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elder abuse and death claims - Assignment Example One of the most salient social themes that come out in the story is that of abuse and how extensive it can go without being disclosed or realised. Victims of abuse have, in many cases, been silenced or intimidated to silence especially if they are minors or physically challenged (Oliver and Charles, 2015: 135). Philips’ case is no exception as he received countless abuses but continued to be quiet for very many years. Impairment/disability according to Bennett (2012:194), are a risk factor that puts individuals at high chances of being abused. Individuals suffering from impairments and disabilities especially physical and mental paralysis are taken advantage of as they lack the capacity for self-dependence. Bonnano (2012: 738) argues that dependence on other people for social support is the reason that makes this group fall prey to abusers.Disabilities hinder one from acquiring skills that can help them to manage their lives especially in the financial aspect (Larkin, Shields and Anda, 2012: 267). They have to depend on family members and other people to help them sign or fill forms that relate to financial matters. It is at this time that the abusers take advantage to exploit and defraud the victims. Philips’s cerebral palsy situation does not just affect his physical well-being but also his physiological status. This has put him in a situation where he has to depend on them fully for all-around support. Physical as well as emotional abuse becomes almost inevitable (2012:194).

Student behaviour Essay Example for Free

Student behaviour Essay (This essay is written in a detailed manner. Students can be asked to summarise it in 250 words. Common usages which can be studied are given in italics. Alternative vocabulary is given in brackets. Teachers can encourage students to pay special attention to these words.) Poor student behaviour is a major problem faced by schools across the globe especially in the western world. This is due to (this can be attributed to) certain sociological and psychological problems that are encountered, while bringing up children. Both parents and teachers should play a responsible role in tackling (handling, solving, dealing with) this problem effectively. Parents today have too many responsibilities, other than (apart from) looking after the affairs of their families, which has resulted in children getting less attention and care. Parents need to inculcate (instill) good values in young children and discipline them at an early age, or else (if not) it would result in disruptive (unruly) behaviour at home and in school. In many instances, children are left alone in the company of television sets, computer screens and toys, and consequently, (as a consequence, as a result) they fail to develop (lack) interpersonal skills and human values, which they learn by interacting with their parents and siblings. Furthermore, parents provide them with many material comforts, which can sometimes (may) make them selfish and greedy. Children who come from such family backgrounds (would) often create many problems for teachers and their schoolmates. Parents should never shy away from (shirk their responsibility of) spending quality time with their children on a regular basis, which would help them to monitor their children’s behaviour and give suitable advice whenever there is a need. Another reason for problematic behaviour among children is that teachers lack effective training in dealing with children who have various behavioural and psychological inadequacies (problems). Children, who come from broken or problematic families, in order to ventilate their frustration, often create problems in schools, which can only be tackled by trained teachers or counsellors. Many teachers become defensive and show little tact when children show such behavioural abnormalities. Erratic handling of such problems can result in (lead to) aggravating the issue. I believe that this problem can be effectively addressed if parents and teachers are trained in scientific ways of dealing with children. Schools should appoint specially trained counsellors, who can assist teachers in dealing with problematic children. As mentioned above, both parents and teachers have a crucial role to play in normalising the behaviour of children in schools. Scientific ways of handling children with troublesome behaviour can go a long way in dealing with them efficiently.

Dantes Inferno: Dantes Journey Toward Enlightenment Essay -- Dantes

Dante's Inferno: Dante's Journey Toward Enlightenment While reading Dante’s Inferno I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the journey of the protagonist and the belief system of the Buddhist religion. Dante believed we must understand sin before we can reject it, and Buddha believed that before we can reject sin, we must suffer also. Examining these two tenets side by side makes the similarities undeniably apparent; they both seem to be purporting the message that there cannot be pain without pleasure, truth without dishonesty or enlightenment with suffering. Dante’s version of hell is based on that of Medieval Catholicism, which professes to be quite divergent from the Buddhist faith. Yet the similarities are actually quite prevalent when reviewed from an impartial perspective. The first resemblance I noticed between the two faiths was in regards to the Roman epic poet Virgil, who acts as Dante’s mentor and protector while accompanying him on his extraordinary journey through Hell. This immediately made me think of the spirit guides that Buddhists believe channel them towards salvation. Dante views Virgil as many Christians view God; as a father figure, from whom guidance, information, and forgiveness is actively sought. Dante refers to Virgil as "Master", "Guide", "Teacher", "Poet" in the beginning; yet he eventually begins to refer to Virgil as "Lord", implying that he sees Virgil not as a traditional father figure, but as a spiritually divine one. This is evidenced even further in Canto XXX, line 130 – end, in which Dante needs Virgil’s forgiveness, which suggests that his clemency bears some divine power of atonement. This Christian tendency to have a spirit guide take on the characteristics of a ruling de... ... the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering in Buddhism then, is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, to connote a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and subsequently attempts to remedy it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but is rather acknowledged as fleeting in that the pursuit of pleasure can only sustain what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. Works Cited [1] Carter, John Ross and Mahinda Palihawadana, trans. and ed. The Dhammapada. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987, verses 116-119. [2] Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. Notes Allen Mandelbaum and Gabriel Marruzzo. New York: Bantam Books, 1980

Data set

A sample is a subset or portion of a population. Sample should represent the population with fewer but sufficient number of items. One Population can have several samples with different sizes. A small portion or part taken from something whether it's a particular race, inhabitants, data, or items to show or to be the representative of the whole. Its significance to statistics are fairly similar to its original meaning. It is a slice of all of its characteristics. In researching and gatherings info it would be costly and very impractical to work on the whole rather than just a sampling of the whole. A New York newspaper reported the average gasoline prices in four metropolitan areas and used a bar chart to illustrate the differences. What type of statistics was shown? What activities did the newspaper use to make the report? I believed that descriptive statistics are shown in this example. This is used to describe basic features of the data in a study. They provide simple summaries ab out the sample and the measures. Together with simple graphics analysis, they form the basis of virtually every quantitative analysis of data.The statistics shown in this example were collecting data, margining the data, and presenting the data. This helps us to simplify large amounts of data in a sensible way by reducing large amounts of data. This is important to allow your data to be understood in a short period of time. 3. Research a management or marketing article/news/publication that writes about a topic founded on the use of statistics. Evaluate the information according to the following questions and directions. Determine whether the existing information is adequate or additional information is required to support the topic.In the article that I found the information is adequate and no additional Is the presentation of statistics misleading in the context of the topic? The article was to the point and the context was not misleading to the topic. Was statistics used only as numerical information or the framework for decision-making? The statistics were more of the frame work for decision making. By giving all the statistical data on preparing and strategy plan. Allowing the ability to utilize the statistical data. Ramekin, introduced to articulate discussions of sense-making, knowledge management and organizational learning, has much to offer discussion of statistical inference and decision analysis. I explore its value, particularly in its ability to help recognize which analytic and modeling methodologies are most likely to offer appropriate support in a given context. The framework also offers a further perspective on the relationship between scenario thinking and decision analysis in supporting decision makers. Was the information summarized in a useful and informative manner?The information was summarized in a useful and informative manner. It was well placed and gave more than enough information on the subject. We show that social scientists ofte n do not take full advantage of the information available in their statistical results and thus missed opportunities to present quantities that could shed the greatest light on their research questions. In this article we suggest an approach, built on the technique of statistical simulation, to extract the currently overlooked information and present it in a reader-friendly manner.More specifically, we show how to convert the raw results of any statistical procedure into expressions that conveys numerically precise estimates of the quantities of greatest substantive interest, and include reasonable measures of uncertainty about those estimates, and squired little specialized knowledge to understand. Analyze and draw your own observations/inferences/conclusions about the information presented based on information you have learned from this module. The statistical technique uses outlined below are very powerful analysis tools but they require a good statistical sample to be effective. These analysis techniques are not generally attempted on data sets with less than 20 wells. Statistically based water saturations give an interpretation of the apparent fluid content of a formation independent of Raw, ‘m' and volume of shale. An apparent total water saturation is derived as well as an apparent irreducible water saturation. This is a very powerful analysis tool but requires a good statistical sample of both wet and hydrocarbon bearing intervals to be most successful. This analysis is not generally attempted on data sets with less than 20 wells.PART II: CASE STUDY The topic that best catches my interest is E-Business and Wealth. Business conducted online is steadily growing as more companies are creating an online presence, while many new companies are popping up fully online. These e-businesses, like all business, must decide the best ways to generate wealth and value within their given parameters, namely the Internet, as opposed to physical dealings. And can i nvolve the ways that e-businesses generate wealth and value and how those ways differ from traditional businesses before the Internet boom.It can suggest whether or not e- businesses have any advantages or disadvantages and then suggest whether or not businesses without an Internet presence should make one. Surveying both large and small businesses from around the world will help this thesis earner an international, well-rounded perspective. Descriptive statistics aim to describe the prominent features within a collection of data quantitatively. It summarizes a collection of data as a description rather than using the data to learn about the field in which the data represents.Generally, descriptive statistics are always used, even when the main conclusions from the data's analysis are gained by use of inferential statistics. Inferential statistics is the given title of a process of gaining knowledge from a set of data that are subject to random change or variation. Such data sets wo uld render a descriptive statistic meaningless as the data changes in an unpredictable way. Therefore no knowledge would be gained about the subject that the data represents. The outcome to such a statistical method may be a prediction that can then be used to ensure practical action to be taken.I never before had really thought about statistics and really didn't know how important it was for businesses. Statistics is a branch of applied mathematics that collects and organizes data to interpret and predict future behavior or results. Almost every business uses statistics, including insurance, consumer products, retail, heuristically and even the federal government. Statistics are important for a number of reasons and can be used for various purposes. Research can be used to make decisions for marketing or financial allocations or deciding whether to consolidate or close the business.Gathering and analyzing the data to reach concrete conclusions about the current and future condition s that your business will face is paramount. Critical decisions need to be based on research because of the impact these decisions have on other people and other businesses. The government uses statistics to measure ongoing economic indicators that greatly affect business and industry. Companies can use statistics to measure market share and market potential, the percent of the market they hold in dollars, and the total amount of dollars and units sold in their industries.Statistics are a core component of marketing research techniques. Companies use marketing research agencies to conduct quantitative research with consumers to evaluate new and existing products. Statistics help companies develop sales forecasts one, two and even five years into the future. Companies can then modify or improve their products, ire additional sales reps and put the necessary resources in place to meet these targets. Sales forecasting statistics are also a useful tool in business and marketing plan dev elopment.Statistics help companies develop sales forecasts one, two and even five years into the future. Companies can then modify or improve their products, hire additional sales reps and put the necessary resources in place to meet these targets. Most all Of mankind's endeavors have a random factor. Statistics is a way of putting numbers to that randomness. Business and research statistics is relevant to most areas of he business world. Statistics is important to business analysis in the fields of manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, retail and in many others.Statistics can point out relationships. A careful review of data can reveal links between two variables, such as specific sales offers and changes in revenue or dissatisfied customers and products purchased. Statistics provide the means to measure and control production processes to minimize variations, which lead to error or waste, and ensure consistency throughout the process. This saves money by reducing the materi als used to make or remake reduces, as well as materials lost to overage and scrap, plus the cost of honoring warranties due to shipping defective products.

Difference between memory and knowledge Essay

Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience. It’s a very complex system and to understand it there have been many theories that attempt to explain it. In order to help me answer this question, I will look at the theorist JM Gardiner, along with other theorists such as Tulving, Mandler and Schacter in order to help me conclude if they are the same thing, inter-related or completely different. Tulving (1985), distinguished between two quite different recollective experiences: remembering, which is someone’s concrete awareness of oneself (autonoetic consciousness) in the past, which is driven by the prefrontal cortex, allows people to mentally represent past, present, and future experiences in a highly personal and subjective manner. And knowing, which is your abstract knowledge (noetic consciousness) of the past, which is the feeling that we know certain information and that the information is objective rather than subjective. Gardiner and colleagues (Gardiner & Java, 1990, 1993; Gardiner, Richardson-Klavhen, & Ramponi, 1997) developed a test in which participants are given a recognition task for a list of common words viewed earlier and classify each of the recognized items as something they remember (R response) or know (K response), was on the study list. Participants received detailed instructions so that their R responses and K responses reflect retrieval from episodic and semantic memory. For example, participants are told to make R responses to test items that they can consciously reexperience from the study list (e.g., participants make R responses to test items because in their mind’s eye, they consciously recollect seeing those words on the study list). In contrast, participants are told to make K responses to test items if they (a) are certain those were on the study list but (b) have no specific personal or contextual recollection of the items’ previous presentation. The use of this technique has shown that some independent variables (e.g., dividing attention at study) affect the frequency of R, but not K, responses, whereas other variables have the exact opposite influence. Memory of a personal life event may be categorized as a K response, which is  relatively impersonal and objective. A memory qualifies as a K response if people know a great deal about the details of a previous event but do not mentally reexperience the exact perceptual, contextual, and emotional details of the original event. Gardiner’s remember-know distinction maps are similar to that of Mandler’s (1980) distinction between recognition by retrieval and recognition by familiarity. Recognition by retrieval involves remembering an event as an event, including the personal, time and place context in which the event occurred; in contrast, recognition by familiarity involves a feeling that some event occurred in the past, in the absence of conscious recollection of that event. For Gardiner, Remember judgments reflect recognition by retrieval, while Know judgments reflect recognition by familiarity. An alternative framework is provided by Schacter’s (1987) distinction between explicit and implicit memory. The hippocampus is important in the formation of explicit memories. They involve the conscious recollection of an experience from the past. Due to the hippocampus not fully developing until about the age of 3, this explains why we can’t remember events prior to this, a condition known as infantile amnesia. The cerebellum seems important in the formation of implicit memories which are memory-based changes in behaviour that occur independent of, and in the classic case in the absence of, conscious recollection. Contexual information can be defined as information associated with memory which enables that memory to be distinguished from all others. Hewitt (1973) proposed a distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic context. A change in intinsic arises when some aspect of the target changes (ie the colour of their hair), whereas a change in extrinsic is the change in information accompanying the target (ie meeting someone in somewhere you wouldn’t expect them to be). In Gardiner’s case, remembering reflects explicit memory, while knowing reflects implicit memory. There are at least three varieties of recollective experience: firstly remembering which involves the conscious recollection of some past event, as an explicit expression of episodic memory; knowing which is the abstract  knowledge of that event, as an item in semantic memory; and feeling is the intuition that an event occurred in the past, as an implicit expression of episodic memory. So for example, semantic memory enables a man to know what the term birthday refers to and that he celebrated his last birthday by having dinner at a particular restaurant with his wife, whereas episodic memory allows that same man to reexperience from a personal and subjective point of view the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings that accompanied that dinner. Metamemory is our ability to know whether or not our memories contain a particular piece of information. An example might be failing to recall the capital of France (Paris) but knowing that you would recognise it if you saw it – this is an ability known as a feeling of knowing. These experiences are familiar to anyone who has ever taken a multiple-choice test. Sometimes, we choose a response because we remember the circumstances under which we learnt it. Or on other occasions, we choose a response because we just know the answer, it’s part of our knowledge about the world, and we don’t remember the circumstances under which we learned the answer. Tulving and Gardiner believe that remember and know judgments are based on retrieval from different memory systems: episodic and semantic memory, perhaps, or explicit and implicit memory. However, it could also be that â€Å"remember† and â€Å"know† are based on retrieval from a single memory system, and that the categories of remember, know, and so forth are substitutes for different levels of confidence associated with the recognition judgments. Both Tulving (1985) and Gardiner (1988) have rejected this interpretation, even though Tulving actually gathered evidence favouring it. Tulving’s subjects studied 36 words, and then made Yes/No recognition judgments, confidence ratings (on a 3 point scale), and Remember/Know ratings. The average confidence rating associated with Remember judgments was 2.74, while that of Know judgments was 2.08. However, Gardiner & Java (1990) argued that confidence ratings affect Remember/Know judgments. People may base their confidence ratings on their recollective experience, so that the two are not independent. In their 2nd  experiment, the subjects studied 60 items, 30 words and 30 non words, and then made Yes/No recognition judgments followed by Remember/Know ratings. The result was a double dissociation: more words received remember than know judgments, while the reverse was true for nonwords. In the 3rd experiment which was identical to the 2nd, except the people being tested classified recognized items into â€Å"Sure† and â€Å"Unsure† categories. This time there was no dissociation. Rajaram (1993) performed a similar pair of experiments, with similar results, and came to same conclusion. Substituting Sure/Unsure ratings for Remember/Know judgments got rid of the dissociations observed with Remember/Know, so both Gardiner and Java (1990) and Rajaram (1993) conclude that Remember/Know is not merely a substitute for confidence. Although the Remember/Know distinction is commonly interpreted in terms of different memory systems, it is suspected instead that these different memories reflect retrieval of different information from a single common store. Know judgments require retrieval only of information from a list, while remember judgments seem to require retrieval of information about spatiotemporal context, and you need to experience the event yourself. Knowing and remembering something are very similar, the definition of to know is to have fixed in the mind, recognize and have experience of, and the definition of remember is to retain in memory, to think of again. In order to know something it can be quite impersonal, general information about things such as the is the prime minister, this is the semantic memory, however in order to remember something you need to know specific details about the event such as going on holiday, you remember the sights and sounds and the feelings you experienced, this is the episodic memory. In order to remember you need to be able to retrieve information, remember an event as an event, whereas to know you need to just be familiar with it, have a feeling that some event may have occurred before. So to say there is a difference between knowing and remembering something is hard, there are clear cut differences as explained, however without one we couldn’t have the other, they are inter-related. It is all the same memory system in which we use to know or to remember something. It is the different  processes and different levels of experience or relation to you that makes them different. References †¢Gardiner, J.M., & Java, R.I. (1990). Recollective experience in word and nonword recognition. Memory & Cognition, 18, 23-30. †¢Memory and amnesia, 2nd edition, Alan J Parker, page 17-18,33, 36,116†¢Memory observed, remembering in natural contexts, 2nd edition, Ulric Neisser, Ira E. Hayman, jr. Page 109†¢Psychology powerpoint – Memory II – Lecture 3: Theories of Short and Long Term Memory, 2005, University of Glamorgan. †¢Rybash, John M.; Monaghan, Brynn E, Episodic and semantic contributions to older adults’ autobiographical recall, The Journal of General Psychology. 126 no1 (Jan. ’99) p. 85-96. †¢Schacter, D.L. (1987). Implicit memory: History and current status. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 501-518. †¢Tulving, E. (1972). Episodic and semantic memory. In E. Tulving & W. Donaldson (Eds.), Organization of memory (pp. 381-403). New York: Academic Press. †¢Tulving, E. (1985). Memory and consciousness. Canadian Psychology, 1-12. †¢Your Memory A user’s guide, Alan Baddeley, Page 13, 75-76,81,94-95,

Fight Club †Analysis

Fight Club – Analysis Free Online Research Papers Reading in-between the lines: An analysis of Fight Club A novel by Chuck Palahniuk A film directed by David Fincher You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. What happens first is you cant sleep. What happens then is theres a gun in your mouth. And what happens next is you meet Tyler Durden. Let me tell you about Tyler. He had a plan. In Tyler we trusted. Tyler says the things you own, end up owning you. Its only after youve lost everything that youre free to do anything. Fight Club represents that kind of freedom. First rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Tyler says self-improvement is masturbation. Tyler says self-destruction might be the answer. The novel Fight Club, by Jack Palahniuk was published in 1996 and released as a motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in October of 1999. Both the novel and motion picture proved to be very successful in their release to the public for one simple reason: Fight Club is a reflection of the suffering experienced by the Generation X male who feels trapped in a world of the grey-collar (or service) working-class, a world filled with materialism and distractions, a group of men raised in single-parent families often devoid of a male role-model, and a world where there is no great cause for the average North American male to fight for. Whether consciously, or subconsciously, the average Generation X male of modern society can relate to and understand Fight Club, which makes both the novel and motion picture such an important proclamation regarding the state of our modern culture. In Fight Club, we meet our main character who comes to us without a name. He can be referred to as Jack but his name is not important. He comes to us without a name because he represents any man, any one of those Generation X males living in our society at present. Jack is a thirty-year old man employed as a recall coordinator for a major automobile company. He lives in a condo that is furnished with all the comforts of modern society, namely mass-produced furnishings that can be found in the homes of millions across North America. Jack owns a car and has obtained a respectable wardrobe for himself over the course of time. Despite all of these things, Jack is not satisfied with his life. He feels unhappy, unfulfilled, and trapped in the depths of chronic insomnia. Jack asks his doctor for help with his insomnia and receives the response that if he wants to see real pain, he should attend some of the support groups at a local church. So Jack attends these support groups, in fact he st arts to attend them religiously using pseudonyms and pretending he belongs. Jack frequents groups for men with testicular cancer, groups for sufferers of brain parasites, and blood parasites among other groups for disease sufferers, and suddenly Jack finds he can sleep again. The support groups give Jack a sense of belonging, a sense of being important to others as he expresses on page 107 of the novel: This is why I loved the support groups so much. If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention. If this might be the last time they saw you, they really saw youPeople listened instead of just waiting for their turn to speak. And when they spoke, they werent telling you a story. When the two of you talked, you were building something, and afterward you were both different than before. It is implied that Jack feels frustrated with others in his life, feeling as if they are too caught up with their own preoccupations to truly care about how Jack feels, what is happening to him, and what he needs and wants in life. It is implied that the average Generation X male also feels this way and has difficulty coping in a society where people are too busy to listen. Jacks attendance at the support group meetings continues to fill one of the voids in his life until he meets the character of Marla Singer, who has begun to frequent all of the support group meetings, just as Jack does. Jack becomes enraged with the presence of Marla, as he sees her as a symbol of the lie he has been living and fears that through Marla, he will be exposed as a faker. Jack confronts Marla and they agree to share the meetings, by dividing them up between them. As long as Jack is not confronted with the sight of Marla he feels comfortable in continuing his attendance at the meetings, and carrying out the role of a person living at deaths door. During Jacks attendance at his weekly parasitic brain dysfunction group, he also discovers another way of dealing with some of his problems, through the use of guided meditation. During the meeting a member steps forward to lead the group on a journey of the mind, during which those participating are mentally lead through various coloured doors, which lead to a cave, which contains their power animal. This animal is a symbol of their personal power to overcome all obstacles they encounter in life. Jack discovers that his power animal is a penguin that offers Jack the verbal suggestion to slide. The fact that Jacks power animal is a penguin is actually extremely significant. Through analysis of the penguin, it is noted that penguins, though part of the bird species, cannot fly. Jack is part of the human species, yet he does not grasp what he can do. He feels restricted by his walls and has essentially made himself a cave to dwell in where the simple decisions of everyday life have bee n robbed from him. The penguin is also symbolic in that penguins are also very drone-like. There has always been the old joke that penguins appear as if they are wearing little black and white suits, which would symbolize the suit and tie environment that Jack works in each day, an environment that Jack feels to be stifling. The last important detail about the penguin is that penguins are content in their atmosphere and travel in flocks. They do not stray far from their homes and baby penguins stick close to their mothers. This is especially reflective of the life that Jack leads. Jack feels as if he is just one of the masses travelling in a flock and not thinking for himself. He also has issues with his upbringing, as it is later revealed that Jack was raised by his mother in a single-parent family, having been abandoned by his father at a young age. The next major event that occurs in Jacks life, although he is unaware of it at the time, is meeting Tyler Durden. It is interesting to note that the author seems to have carefully chosen the name of this character, as an analysis of the name Tyler Durden reveals that in antiquated English, Tyler means gatekeeper or house builder, and Durden has the root dour meaning hard, as in durable, both which are descriptive of his personality. Although the novel and motion picture do not project the same circumstances under which Jack and Tyler meet, it is most interestingly projected in the novel. Jack awakes on a beach in the summertime to find Tyler pulling driftwood out of the surf and dragging it to the beach, then implanting the logs in the sand, forming a semi-circle. Tyler asks Jack what time it is and draws a line in the sand with a stick. Tylers creation is explained in the novel (page 33) as follows: What Tyler had created was the shadow of a giant hand. Only now the fingers were Nosferatu-long and the thumb was too short, but he said how at exactly four-thirty the hand was perfect. The giant shadow hand was perfect for one minute, and for one perfect minute Tyler had sat in the palm of perfection hed created himselfOne minute was enough, Tyler said, a person had to work hard for it, but a minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection. This scene is especially important and foreshadows the future for Jack and Tyler. It is indicative of Tylers personality, and goal (that later surfaces) of achieving just a moment of what he considers to be perfection in society. The giant hand symbolizes the world, and Tyler sitting within the giant hand symbolizes his wish to control the future of the world for just one tiny perfect moment. Shortly following Jacks discovery of Tyler, he partakes on an extended business trip. Upon his return he discovers that his precious condominium containing all the comforts of home that he has grown to love dearly has been destroyed in an explosion. It is explained to Jack that the cause of the explosion is unknown, however it is suspected that the cause was a gas leak, and that there is nothing left of his personal possessions. Jack is forbidden to enter the condo unit, and is advised to find a place to stay. On his way out of the lobby of the building, Jack is approached by the doorman, whose words profoundly echo the current problems facing modern society with respect to our obsession with materialism (page 45/46): A lot of young people try to impress the world and buy too many things, the doorman said A lot of young people dont know what they really want. If you dont know what you really wantyou end up with a lot you dont. Tyler Durden later reveals to Jack that this is a problem of which he is especially concerned, a problem which he believes each person in society should become enlightened to, and work on correcting through the abandonment of material possessions. When Jack discovers he has lost his home and all his possessions he suddenly feels a sense that he is truly alone. He does not consider calling family, or staying in a hotel, but instead debates calling Marla Singer whom he barely knows, and then decides impulsively to call Tyler Durden. It is implied through this decision, that Jack is not close with any family that he may have and that he does not have any (or few) friends. Jack and Tyler agree to meet at a local bar to have a few drinks and discuss what has happened. Jack expresses his grief over the loss of his condo and all his belongings to which Tyler replies that it is a good thing that all of that baggage is gone, and that Jack is better off without all of his stuff. He explains (page 44): You buy furniture. You tell yourself this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple of years youre satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least youve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you are trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. Tyler is stating here that people in modern society have become so consumed with what they own and what they dont own (but wish they did), that they have lost track of what is really important in life. People have become obsessed with consumerism, forgetting that objects do not bring ultimate happiness, and you cannot take them with you when you die. Tyler is offering Jack the wisdom that it is actually a blessing that he is now free of all the distractions he has accumulated, so that he can now turn the focus onto himself, and what is really important in his life. At the end of the evening Jack and Tyler find themselves outside the bar and they discuss that Jack should stay with Tyler. Tyler suggests to Jack that asking to stay with him must have been his real motive for calling him. Once it is agreed upon that Jack will stay or live with Tyler, Tyler asks Jack for one favour. He asks Jack to hit him as hard as he can. Jack is shocked by Tylers request and asks why he would ever ask such a thing. Tyler explains to Jack that he has never been in a fight before, and listed his reasons (page 52) as: not wanting to die without any scarsbeing tired of watching only professionals fight, and wanting to know more about himself. Jack finally agrees to his request and they proceed to get into a physical brawl with each other, no holds barred. Eventually the bar closes; patrons come out and gather around to watch the fight. This is how Fight Club was born. Somehow Tyler and Jack had managed to leave an impression upon their fellow grey-collar brothers wh o had been watching them carry on, and came up with the idea that the sort of fighting that they had engaged in as an act of self-discovery, could be beneficial to others for the same reason. It was decided that Fight Club would be formed and meet periodically in the parking lot of the same bar where they had engaged in their first fight. Following this first fight Tyler and Jack fall exhausted and discuss what just occurred. Jack asks Tyler what it was that he had really been fighting during the brawl, to which Tyler replies my father. This is a very important underlying theme within Fight Club, the theme of Generation X males in modern society being raised more commonly in a single-parent family, often with their mother as their only role model. There is a sense of anger towards the father figure for abandoning the family, and even greater implications that men raised predominately by women have been forced to stifle their natural aggressive tendencies and take on a more unnatural, passive nature. This is supported by the need for characters in the novel/motion picture to engage in physical aggression through Fight Club as a release for these pent up feelings. Jack explains his own relationship with his father as follows (page 50/51): Me, I knew my dad for about six years, but I dont remember anything. My dad, he starts a new family in a new town about every six years. This isnt so much like a new family as its like he sets up a franchiseWhat you see at Fight Club is a generation of men raised by womenMy father never went to college so it was really important I go to college. After college, I called him long distance and said, now what? My dad didnt know. When I got a job and turned twenty- five, long distance, I said, now what? My dad didnt know so he said, get married. Im a thirty-year-old boy, and Im wondering if another woman is really the answer I need. It is especially important to note that Jack is analyzing himself in the above excerpt, acknowledging his lack of maturity, and that he would be most likely to look for a woman who would act as a mother-figure instead of a partner or mate. Jack is implying here that many men in his situation (raised in a single-parent family by their mother) instinctively look for someone to take care of them in a relationship, as they know only what their mother or female role-model has taught them, and are lacking the knowledge of what it means to be a man in a relationship, due to a lack of a male parental figure or role model. There is also an underlying idea in Fight Club that a male role model symbolizes God in a young mans formative years, and when abandoned by the male role model, the young man will develop a sense of being abandoned by God as well. This is described in Chapter 18 of the novel (page 140/141): If youre male and youre Christian and living in America, your father is your model for God. And if you never know your father, if your father bails out or dies or is never at home, what do you believe about God?What you end up doing is you spend your life searching for a father and God. What you have to consideris the possibility that God doesnt like you. Could be, God hates us. This is not the worst thing that can happen.We are Gods middle children, according to Tyler Durden, with no special place in history and no special attention. Unless we get Gods attention, we have no hope of damnation or redemption. It is an interesting theory that possibly the Generation X males lack of connection with God and religion could be due to a lack of the male parental figure in their lives. It is observable that these individuals may be feeling that they are the unwanted children, cast aside and neglected by all father figures in their lives, and this had lead them to a sense of hostility which manifests through the aggressive fighting they partake in at Fight Club meetings. Tyler Durden, self-proclaimed inventor of Fight Club soon decides to set a rule structure for their meetings so that they do not get out of hand. He sets the rules as follows (page 48/49): The first rule about Fight Club is you dont talk about Fight ClubThe second rule about Fight Club is you dont talk about Fight ClubThats the third rule in fight club, when someone says stop, or goes limp, even if hes just faking it, the fight is overOnly two guys to a fight. One fight at a time. They fight without shirts or shoes. The fights go on as long as they have to. Those are the other rules of Fight Club. It is interesting to note that the character of Tyler Durden is completely opposed to societal rules and regulations. Regardless of this, he sees a need for rules in his club, in order to prevent chaos from occurring, and people from getting injured beyond repair or killed. The Fight Club has been officially established now as a therapy session for grey-collar workers, which Tyler Durden believes cleanses it of negative, meaningless violent intentions. This Fight Club, now established as a group therapy session, soon replaces Jacks need to attend the other group sessions at the church. Fight Club has provided its members with a place to fight their fears, fears that they have been cheated and abandoned by their father and God, fears that they are not good enough, strong enough or smart enough, fears that they will never be able to understand why they feel so trapped in their lives and unsatisfied, and also the fear of being alone, of pain, of brutality, of defeat, of losing control, and of inevitable death. It has become an outlet for anger and fear, a rite of masculinity, and frees them temporarily from their enslavement by modern society. The more members realize all these things, the more they break the first and second rule of Fight Club, sharing the experience with more and more fellow brothers who feel just as they do. Fight Club soon moves to the basement of the bar, and eventually new, independent chapters surface across the city as more and more men become aware of what Fight Club can offer them. While Fight Club is developing and growing, Jack discovers that Tyler has entered into a sexual relationship with Marla whom he met at the support group meetings in the church. Jack discovers that Tyler has rescued Marla from an attempted suicide through the overdose of prescription medication (Marla had phoned the house that Jack and Tyler were currently sharing and Tyler had gone to her place to save her from herself). Jack becomes enraged when he discovers that Tyler and Marla are involved in a relationship. It is during this time that Jack has found some old magazines in the house, which use clever words to personify body parts such as I am Jills colon. Jack takes to describing his anger at Marla and Tylers relationship through the use of these clever analogies (page 59): I am Joes raging bile duct. I am Joes grinding teeth. I am Joes inflamed, flaring nostrils. I am Joes white knuckles. I am Joes Enraged, Inflamed Sense of Rejection. Jack takes to speaking about his feelings as if he is observing someone else, making them less personalized, and taking less responsibility for them. Marla also expresses feelings that she is having by stating them as if she is observing another person. This becomes clear when Tyler explains his rescue of Marla to Jack. When Marla tries to overdose, she calls the paramedics, and Tyler takes her out of her suite just before they arrive. As he is dragging her away, she is calling back to the paramedics, expressing her true feelings about herself (page 61): The girl is infectious human waste, and shes confused and afraid to commit to the wrong thing so she wont commit to anythingThe girl in 8G has no faith in herselfand shes worried that as she grows older shell have fewer and fewer options. In this description of Marlas feelings, it can be observed that the problems facing Generation X males are affecting females as well, who also feel a sense of insecurity, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction towards life. It is important to note that Marla is just as lonely and friendless as Jack, however the novel/motion picture does not address how females can deal with these emotions and problems, somehow minimizing their struggle. Jack continues to come to work each day as Fight Club progresses. He shows up at work, proudly displaying his wounds and scars that he has obtained through fighting, like a badge of honour. He sarcastically describes his personal progress that he is shoving in the faces of his co-workers as follows (page 64): Im saying HELLO to everybody at work. HELLO! Look at me. HELLO! I am so ZEN. This is BLOOD. This is NOTHING. Hello. Everything is nothing, and its so cool to be ENLIGHTENED. Like me. Here Jack is swelling with a sense of pride in his personal progress, at the same time showing a sense of bitterness towards his co-workers who do not understand the wonderful personal journey he is on, and are doing nothing to enlighten themselves. Jack also begins to send messages to his co-workers in the form of haikus (page 63/64/67): Worker bees can leave Without just one nest Flowers bloom and die Even drones fly away A bird can call the world home Wind brings butterflies or snow The queen is their slave Life is your career A stone wont notice These haikus symbolize different stages in Jacks progress. The first haiku is a message to his co-workers that they are not really trapped by their boring, unfulfilling careers (even though it may seem that way), and that they can choose to leave and change their lives if they want to. It is implied that if they choose this path, then their boss will become their slave instead of them being enslaved by their boss. The second haiku is a message that material possessions are unimportant, as the whole world is literally a home. It is also saying that living and being free is more important than the materialistic ideals and stifling careers they currently consider to be important. The third haiku is a statement that all beautiful and living things do eventually die, but those who are strong or stone-like will not be affected by the fear of inevitable death, and instead will embrace and understand it. As time passes, Jacks boss becomes more and more aware of what Jack has become involved in. His boss discovers the Rules of Fight Club that Jack has accidentally left in the photocopier at work, and confronts Jack about the matter. Jacks reaction to his boss discovery shows how he is becoming more and more influenced by the strong personality of Tyler Durden, as he reacts in a manner which is completely unlike the Jack he was before Fight Club (page 97): I say, it sounds like some dangerous psychotic killer wrote this, and this buttoned-down schizophrenic could probably go over the edge at any moment in the working day and stalk from office to office with an Armalite AR-180 carbine gas- operated semiautomaticThe guy, I say, is probably at home every night with a little rattail file, filing a cross into the tip of every one of his rounds. This way when he shows up to work one morning and pumps a round into his nagging, ineffectual, petty, whining, butt-sucking, candy-ass boss, that one round will split along the filed grooves and spread open the way a dumdum bullet flowers inside you to blow a bushel load of your stinking guts out In the above excerpt, Jack is again describing his feelings as if he were speaking about someone else; he creates a clever message to his boss that says leave me alone, or else. It is especially interesting that Jack refers to himself as a schizophrenic, which will be analyzed further later on. Here Jack is saying things to his boss that many men have dreamed of, but never dared. He is finding that he is becoming more and more empowered and caring less and less about societys rules and taboos. During this time Tyler has also begun to teach Jack the art of soap making. Jack and Tyler begin making soap from human fat that they have obtained from the discard bins of liposuction clinics and selling this primo soap to the upper class department stores in their city. Both Tyler and Jack find delight in selling rich women their fat asses back to them. Soap is a very important symbol in Fight Club, as Tyler explains that soap ultimately symbolizes heroism, and human sacrifice. This becomes known in the following excerpt (page 76/77/78): In ancient historyhuman sacrifices were made on a hill above a riverThe sacrifices were made and the bodies were burned on a pyreAfter hundreds of people were sacrificed and burneda thick white discharge crept from the alter, downhill to the riverRain fell on the burnt pyre year after year, and year after year people were burned, and the rain seeped through the wood ashes to become a solution of lye, and the lye combined with the fat of the sacrifices, and a thick white discharge of soap crept out from the base of the altar and crept downhill toward the riverWhere the soap fell into the riverafter a thousand years of killing people and rain, the ancient people found their clothes got cleaner if they washed them at that spotIt was right to kill those peopleYou have to seehow the first soap was made of heroesthink about animals in product testing. Think about the monkeys shot into space. Without their pain and sacrificewe would have nothing. Tyler shows how soap was obtained through the suffering and sacrifice of humanity and that this is ultimately how all human progress is obtained. He wants Jack to realize that even though this may be disturbing, it is a fact of life. As chapters of Fight Club have continued to spread across the city, Jack soon discovers that Tyler has an even bigger plan that will take members to a new level of therapy and personal enlightenment. Tyler has begun a new area of the club called Project Mayhem in which members of the club are assigned tasks and challenges through which they will obtain new knowledge of themselves. Members are assigned tasks such as starting a fight with a stranger and letting the stranger win. The goal of a task such as this is to spread the feeling of empowerment obtained through fighting to other individuals beyond Fight Club. Soon Project Mayhem has progressed even further, and Jack discovers that there are suddenly members on his front porch who have brought personal items as directed by Tyler and are willing to endure a three day waiting period without food, water or sleep in order to gain access to the house. Often Tyler shouts words of discouragement to the waiting member, telling them that th ey are too old, or too fat, or not what he is looking for. Tyler explains to Jack that he is testing these members and is considering them as applicants for the next phase of Project Mayhem. He explains the rationale for making them endure the three-day test as follows (page 129): This is how the Buddhist temples have tested applicants going back for bah-zillion yearsYou tell the applicant to go away, and if his resolve is so strong that he waits at the entrance without food or shelter or encouragement for three days, then and only then can he enter and begin training. Jack soon discovers that Tyler has installed army-style bunk beds in the basement of their house and is attempting to build his own personal army. As more and more applicants endure the test, they are given access to the house and begin training in Tylers army. These new space monkeys, (this is a reference to Tylers explanation of human sacrifice in the previously quoted excerpt) are given specific tasks such as cooking, soap making and cleaning, and begin to recite mantras which Tyler has taught them, almost as if they have been brainwashed (page 134): When I come home one space monkey is reading to the assembled space monkeys who sit covering the whole first floor. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile. Our culture has made us all the same. No one is truly white or black or rich anymore. We all want the same. Individually, we are nothing. Here Tyler has created a group mentality or cult way of thinking to bring all of the space monkeys residing in the house to the same degree of enlightenment. He is training them to think and feel the same, as well as work towards one common, collective goal. Like Fight Club, Project Mayhem also has similar, established rules which must be followed and also include complete and total trust in Tyler Durden, without question. This is similar to a religion in that there are established rules to be followed, however one should never question Gods intentions or actions, but trust completely and have faith. Project Mayhem soon begins to carry out acts of vandalism and disturbance throughout the city such as drawing a huge happy face on the side of a large building and lighting fire to the eyes to make them glow. Through these acts of vandalism the grey-collar space monkeys of Project Mayhem are delivering a message of defiance to society, stating that they no longer care about the establish ed rules and distractions, and now live by their own set of rules which are considered by most to be counter-culture. Tylers ultimate goal that he is trying to accomplish through Project Mayhem soon becomes apparent to Jack. He realizes that Tylers wish is to destroy all that society currently is and revert back to ancient times when the world had not yet discovered technology, money didnt exist, and material possessions were unimportant. Only the necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter were valued. Tyler reveals his goal to Jack as follows (page 125): Its Project Mayhem thats going to save the world. A cultural ice age. A prematurely induced dark age. Project Mayhem will free humanity to go dormant or into remission long enough for the Earth to recover. Imaginestalking elk past department store windows and stinking racks of beautiful rotting dresses and tuxedosyoull wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your lifeyoull climb up through the dripping forest canopy and the air will be so clean youll see tiny figures pounding corn and laying strips of venison in the empty car pool lane of an abandoned superhighway It is interesting that reverting back to a primitive hunter-gatherer sort of society is so attractive to Tyler and that he truly feels this to be the solution to all of lifes problems. It is implied that in modern society men do not have the means to act out their instinctive nature which is to hunt, gather, and reside without rules, completely free, and that this is what men subconsciously long for. As Project Mayhem progresses, Jack discovers that Tyler is suddenly present less and less and that Jack has begun to sleep more and more. He feels a sense of being out of the loop as far as Project Mayhem is concerned as he is involved less and less in what is occurring. Jack views Tylers absence as an act of abandonment on Tylers part and becomes bitter and angry towards Tyler. He realizes that Tylers absence has begun to affect him much in the same manner that his fathers abandonment has affected him in his life. Jack discovers a bunch of plane ticket stubs in a drawer in Tylers room and sets out on a quest to find Tyler, flying to each destination listed. In each city that Jack lands, he frequents all the local pubs and bars, only to discover to his horror that Fight Clubs have popped up all over these major cities. He speaks to the heads of each division that he comes across and is confused that they seem to know him, and often wink at him or refer to him as Tyler Durden. Jack be comes maddened in his obsession to find Tyler and to discover how he is linked to the new Fight Clubs that have surfaced across North America. In exhaustion one night, he lies down to sleep and awakens to find Tyler is there in his hotel room beside his bed. This is the scene in the novel/motion picture where Jack has a profound and important moment of clarity the moment when Jack realizes that he and Tyler are one and the same, and that Tyler is only a manifestation of Jacks frustrations in his life. Jack has invented Tyler because Tyler is everything that Jack wants to be, but isnt, and only Tyler has the means to accomplish what Jack really wants to change about society. This moment of clarity is explained as follows (page 167/168): Tyler said, Were not two separate men. Long story short, when youre awake, you have the control, and you can call yourself anything you want, but the second you fall asleep, I take over and you become Tyler Durden.This is a dream, Tyler is a projection. Hes a disassociative personality disorder. A psychogenic fugue state. Tyler Durden is my hallucination. It was previously noted that when Jack had the disturbing conversation with his boss upon the discovery of the Fight Club rules, Jack had referred to himself in the second-party as schizophrenic. It is as if Jack knew subconsciously all along that he was experiencing a mental crisis of sorts, but he did not clearly understand what was occurring or why. During this important conversation between Tyler and Jack it is also made clear that Tyler has discovered a way to accomplish his goal for the correction of societys flaws. Tyler has created through Project Mayhem an operation in which important financial buildings in strategic cities across North America have been wired with explosives, set to go off when the buildings are completely unoccupied. This has been strategically planned and is now operating solely in the hands of space monkeys. Tyler explains that the idea is to blow up all financial institutions so that the debt record will be erased and everyone can start from zero, compl etely freed. Jack becomes completely enraged with this plan, and sets out to stop it only to discover that things have progressed too far and it is too late. Jack decides that the only way to fix the problem now is to rid himself of Tyler Durden. In one of the last scenes, Jack attempts to explain to Marla what has been happening, and expresses his feelings regarding Tyler (page 174): I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage, his smarts. His nerve. Tyler is funny and charming and forceful and Independent, and men look up to him and expect him to change their world. Tyler is capable and free and I am not. It becomes apparent at this point that Jack does understand why he has created Tyler, but at the same time realizes that he cannot go on functioning under a split personality. In the final scene Jack has a gun in his hand and is standing at the top of a building, waiting for the great explosion that has been set to take place. He puts the gun in his mouth, and before pulling the trigger states (page 205) Im not killing myselfIm killing Tyler. In his final moment Jack does not seem to acknowledge the fact that by killing Tyler, he truly is killing himself as they are one and the same. Jack proceeds to pull the trigger in a symbol of final sacrifice for the good of all humanity, as in his final moment he seems to consider what he (or Tyler) has accomplished to be unjust and immoral. The ending is different in the novel than in the motion picture. In the novel, Jack dies and sits in heaven discussing with God what he has done, and how God and him disagree about humanity. In the motion picture Jack lives and succeeds in killing Tyler by blowing off the side of his face. Despite which ending is chosen, the final summary of Fight Club is that the Generation X males and females (as shown through the character of Marla) are dissatisfied, unhappy, confused and lost. Many people find that it is impossible to obtain a job or career where they are not part of the service industry (or grey-collar working class) in some way, shape or form. As societys priorities have become more and more materialistic and consumer-driven, people are finding themselves more and more distracted and alone with their possessions, rather than with others. Relationships fail because of an increase in the number of single-parent families, in which there is predominately only a mother to act as a role model men no longer know what it means to be a man, and how to act in a relationship. Women no longer understand how to treat men in a relationship and cannot relate to or understand the male species. There is no great war or depression for the current generation to fight for instead there is a great war of the spirit and the great depression has become peoples lives. What Fight Club shows is a break down of our modern culture and suggests that things can only be improved through drastic measures. It suggests that the answer might be to abandon all of the materialism and greed that has consumed our culture and resort back to the old days when everything was simple and things were only accomplished to meet the basic necessities for human survival. Perhaps now that so many members of Generation X have been witness to the wisdom offered between the lines of Fight Club, this will stick in the backs of their minds. Perhaps these people will not accomplish a better society through such drastic measures, but instead will invoke a slow, proactive change in society by realizing what the problems are, and embarking on their own journeys of self-discovery with the intention of living their lives only for that which truly mattershappiness. Research Papers on "Fight Club" - AnalysisThe Fifth HorsemanQuebec and CanadaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresWhere Wild and West MeetHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayPETSTEL analysis of India19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Definition and Examples of Organization in Composition

Definition and Examples of Organization in Composition In composition  and speech, the organization is the arrangement of ideas, incidents, evidence, or details in a perceptible order in a paragraph,  essay, or speech.  It is also known as the elements  arrangement  or  dispositio,  as in  classical rhetoric.  It was defined by  Aristotle in Metaphysics  as  the order of that which has parts, either according to place or  potentia  or form. As Diana Hacker wrote in Rules for Writers, Although paragraphs (and indeed whole essays) may be patterned in any number of ways, certain patterns of organization occur frequently, either alone or in combination: examples and illustrations, narration, description, process, comparison and contrast, analogy, cause and effect, classification and division, and definition. There is nothing particularly magical about these patterns (sometimes called methods of development). They simply reflect some of the ways in which we think.  (Diana Hacker, with Nancy I. Sommers, Thomas Robert Jehn, and Jane Rosenzweig, Rules for Writers with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates, Bedford/St. Martins, 2009) Choosing a Format Basically, the goal is to choose an organizational method  that enables your report, essay, presentation, or article to clearly convey your information and message to your audience. Your topic and message will dictate that. Are you trying to persuade, report findings, describe something, compare and contrast two things, instruct, or tell someones story? Figure out the thesis statement or message you want to get across- boil it down in one sentence if you can- and  what you aim to do will help you to choose your essays structure. If youre writing instructional text, youll want to go in chronological order. If youre reporting findings of an experiment or your conclusions after analyzing a text, youll start with your thesis statement and then support your ideas with evidence, explaining how you came to your conclusion. If youre telling someones story, you may have a chronological organization for much of the piece, but not necessarily right at the introduction. If youre writing a news story for a publication, you may need to work in reverse-pyramid style, which puts the most immediate information up top, giving people the gist of the story even if they read only one or two paragraphs. Theyll get more detail the further into the story they read. Outlines Even if you just sketch a rough outline on scratch paper with a topic list and arrows, making it will help the drafting of the paper go more smoothly. Putting a plan in place can also save you time later because youll be able to rearrange things even before you start writing. Having an outline doesnt mean things wont change as you go, but just having one can help ground you and give you a place to start. Dwight Macdonald wrote in The New York Times, [T]he  great basic principle of organization:  put everything on the same subject in the same place. I remember when an editor, Ralph Ingersoll I think, casually explained this trick of the trade to me, that my first reaction was obviously,  my second but why didnt it ever occur to me? and my third that it was one of those profound banalities everybody knows after theyve been told. (Rreview of Luce and His Empire,  in The New York Times Book Review, 1972. Rpt. in Discriminations: Essays and Afterthoughts, 1938–1974, by Dwight Macdonald. Viking Press, 1974) Introductions and Body Text Whatever you write, youll need a strong introduction. If your readers dont find something to hook their interest  in the first paragraph, all your research and effort into making your report wont achieve their goal of informing or persuading an audience. After the intro, then you get into the meat of your information. You wont necessarily write your intro first, even though your reader will see it first. Sometimes you need to start in the middle, just so youre not overwhelmed with a blank page for long. Start with the basics, the background, or boiling down your research- just to get going- and come back to writing the intro at the end. Writing the background often gives you an idea of how you want to do the intro, so you dont need to fret over it. Just get the words moving. Organizing Paragraphs  Structure Dont get too hung up on a particular formula for each paragraph, though. Stephen Wilbers wrote, Paragraphs range from tightly structured to loosely structured. Any scheme will do as long as the paragraph seems to hold together. Many paragraphs begin with a topic sentence or generalization, followed by a clarifying or limiting statement and one or more sentences of explanation or development. Some conclude with a resolution statement. Others delay the topic sentence until the end. Others have no topic sentence at all. Each paragraph should be designed to achieve its particular purpose. (Keys to Great Writing, Writers Digest Books, 2000) Conclusions Some pieces that you write may need a wrap-up type of conclusion- especially if youre out to persuade or present findings- where you give a quick summary of the high points of what youve just presented in detail. Shorter papers may not necessarily need this type of conclusion, as it will feel overly repetitive or belabored to the reader. Instead of a straight-out summary, you can come at it a bit differently  and discuss the significance of your topic, set up a sequel (talk about its potential in the future), or bring back the scene from the beginning with a little added twist, knowing what you know now, with the information presented in the article. Speeches Writing a speech or presentation is similar to writing a paper, but you may need a bit more bounce back to your main points- depending on the length of your presentation and the detail you plan to cover- to make sure that the crux of your information is solidified in the audience members mind. Speeches and presentations likely do need highlights in a summary conclusion, but none of the repetition need be long- just enough to make the message memorable.

4 Questions about autobiography, biography, diary and letter writing Essay

4 Questions about autobiography, biography, diary and letter writing - Essay Example This biography clearly brings out the man and his impact in the world, especially in terms of musical transformation (Guralnick, 2012). Autobiographies, on the other hand involve stories compiled about an individual’s life but written by those particular people (Jolly, 2013). These individuals narrate their life and times. The Autobiography of Malcolm  X  is a good example. This autography was first written in 1965 by Malcolm explaining his life since childhood, the death of his father to his life as a human rights activist (Malcolm, 2001). Delafield (2009) says that a diary is a record of events in someone’s’ life compiled in one document. Diaries may be compiled over a limited time period such as a year, week or even month. The author also notes that diaries are narrated by the specific subjects and are usually for those persons specifically as opposed to biographies, autobiographies or even letters (Delafield, 2009). Simply, diaries are daily journal of daily events, such as one’s thoughts, actions, moods or actions. Pepys’ diary is a valid example. This diary was kept from January 1660 and records his daily life for about ten years, his women, friends, and businesses. He also explains his insecurities, worries, and irritable relationship with his spouse (Pepys, 2010). Lastly, Delafield (2009) explains that letters are a form of communication that confidential, personal or private in nature. Letters are also defined as notes that are written to friends or families. Letters, as Delafield (2009) says must have a recipient. An emphasis on the Paston Letters would explain this. These letters entail a collection of notes that consist of the messages from the members of the Paston family. From the letters, one could easily trace the state papers and other vital documents that were compiled by that particular family (Gairdner, 2008). These letters were sent to various recipients who had an interest with the family. As seen in the