Animal Rights and the Dominant Worldview toward Animals Essay

Our world today is becoming less and less aware of the pain and suffering being inflicted on animals. In outcome, animals are becoming even more and more tarred in society. Humans have and is continuing to handle animals as if they are some kind of material goods. This is considered as being immoral, as animals have their own lives, and they think, have feelings, can feel pain, require love, have families, and everything else that humans possess. The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The Declaration sets out â€Å"a common standard of achievement† for all people and all nations. Even so the nation have pledged to recognize this declaration, still many people throughout the†¦show more content†¦He believes that animals were no more than â€Å"complicated biological robots† (BCC 3). Ilana Mercer holds the same worldview as Descartes, but has different arguments. She argues similarly that there are no rights for animals and that â€Å"unlike human beings, animals by their nature are not moral agents. They possess no free will, no capacity to tell right from wrong, and cannot reflect on their actions, while they often act quite wonderfully their motions are merely a matter of conditioning† (2). To support Mercer, Cargile quotes, â€Å"a human has as much right to eat meat as a hawk or a fox does† (James 13). He considers that it is quite natural to eat animals and use animal products and that we have no moral qualms about doing so (James 13). Neil Schulman also holds a dominant worldview and asserts that the ‘animal rights’ movement is relying upon a logical fallacy which is based on commonly restricted premises. The first premise is that â€Å"human beings are no different from other animals, with no divine or elevated nature which makes us distinct† (1) Second, human beings are â€Å"ethically bound not to use other animals for their own selfish purposes† (1) He completely goes against these arguments and directly states that animal rights do not exist in any case (1). Lee, who also holds a dominant worldview prolongs that animals do notShow MoreRelatedEssay on Animal Rights across the World1911 Words   |  8 Pagesand suffering being inflicted on animals. As the outcome, animals are becoming even further tarred in society. Humans have and are continuing to handle animals as if they are some kind of material goods. This is considered as being immoral, as animals have their own lives, and they think, have feelings, can feel pain, require love, happiness, and everything else that humans have. As for human rights, it’s always uncertain. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was adopted by the GeneralRead MoreEssay on ANIMAL RIGHTS790 Words   |  4 PagesAnimals have their own rights as do to humans and we should respect that and give them the same respect we give each other. Animals deserve to be given those same basic rights as humans. All humans are considered equal and ethical principles and legal statutes should protect the rights of animals to live according to their own nature and remain free from exploitation. This paper is going to argue that animals deserve to have the same rights as humans and therefore, we don’t have the right to killRead MoreSlavery And Its Effects On African Americans990 Words   |  4 Pagesmasters their resistance to their brutal treatment and unjust situation being enslaved. Sometimes the enslaved displayed an act being dumbfounded or remedial so they could prolong performing their duties which exemplified another means of resistance towards their masters (About.com, 2016). The African Americans that joined the military forces saved their pay to go and buy their children or wives back if they were sold during that enslavement period or during the enslavement period to reunite their familiesRead MoreMoby Dick : The Age Of Ecological Crisis3655 Words   |  15 Pagesonly recently begun to receive critical attention for its environmental themes and content, whereas the environmental movement has long celebrated his contemporaries Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau for their innumerable contributions towards developing an American literary tradition of environmentally centered writings (Schulz 97). Perhaps one of the earliest champions of the novel, however, was Leo Marx who, in his 1964 landmark work The Machine in the Garden, lauded Melville for hisRead MoreEssay on Creation of the World3047 Words   |  13 Pagesworld may be ordered. Myths provide the living backdrop on which people may act. In the Christian societies of Europe and America th e â€Å"origin myth† that defines the divine order that Christians should follow is laid out largely in Genesis, and the worldview expounded within it in some sense provides the baseline from which â€Å"scientific† alternatives must deviate, at least within the Europe and America. In Genesis, the world, created wholly by God, is described by a divine order composed of a seriesRead MoreGod Is The Only True God2223 Words   |  9 PagesEveryone’s definition of their worldview is different. An area that is a part of someone’s worldview is their view of God. But first, does a God exist? Yes, there is a God that exists. God is not in a body like humans are, but He was able to come to Earth as a human being. I would have to describe Him as a being that is much different than anything we experience in the physical world. God is omnipresent; He is omniscient and omnipotent. God’s nature is loving, caring, and forgiving. Because I believeRead MoreRousseaus Discourse On Inequality1770 Words   |  8 PagesOrigins of Inequality, the true foundations of political bodies, the reciprocal rights of their members, and a thousand other familiar questions that are as important as they are ill understood.† (Rousseau, Preface lviii) In identifying the origin of inequality, it is important to see man at the beginning. If one strips man of artificial faculties, they see an animal that is less strong and agile than other wild animals, but the most advantageously organized of all. Self-preservation is his major careRead MoreEssay about Compact Flourescent Lamp and the Environment3703 Words   |  15 PagesEnvironment Abstract Technological advances have come a long way since the incandescent light bulb. Today, the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) is the most energy efficient light bulb on the market. In the beginning, consumers had resistance toward the CFL. With governmental support in establishing energy-efficient lighting programs, the CFL have been able to stay in the market and improve throughout the years. Introduction With the advances in technology today, we are able to produceRead MoreWho’s Afraid of Charles Darwin?: Debating Feminism and Evolutionary Theory2639 Words   |  11 Pagesconclusions but there continues to be unending variations. Griet Vandermassen the author of Who’s Afraid of Charles Darwin?: Debating Feminism and Evolutionary Theory seeks to draw feminists attention towards science as a new source of information to help understand women’s roles and to reinforce women’s rights to equality. She outlines her intentions and her reasons for the book and follows it with an exhaustive argument. Comparing her work to other feminist viewpoints especially views from other womenRead MoreEssay about Ethnography: Ainu2155 Words   |  9 PagesEthnography: Ainu Worldview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Ainu, Japan’s native aboriginal people, are very much an isolated people, living now only in the northern island of Japan, Hokkaido. They number, as of a 1984 survey, 24,381, continuing a rise from a low point in the mid nineteenth century due to forced labor and disease, and have largely left their old ways and integrated into standard Japanese society, though even the majority of those still reside in Hokkaido. The animistic religion of the Ainu is firmly

An Understanding About Autism And Schizophrenia Essay

You may think that autism is a disorder that was recently discovered. Yet, it has been around for decades, it is only now that there is more knowledge about the condition. There are documented researches, articles, and journals that come across different aspects of autism. Recently I have decided to do my own investigation because I too have a brother who is autistic. I have noticed that this condition is interpreted as a whole but there are more categories that fall into it. My goal in this paper is to give you more of an understanding about autism along with its history, characteristics, and experiences from others. Historical Context Since the early nineteenth century, Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist was the first to use the term autism to identify schizophrenic patients. Autism and schizophrenia correlated in the minds of doctors and psychologists for many years until they started differentiating them. A German scientist named Hans Asperger describes a milder form of autism now known as Asperger s Syndrome (Sole-Smith). The cases he reported were all boys who were highly intelligent but had trouble with social interactions and specific obsessive interests (Sole-Smith). The word autism is rooted from the Greek word aulos, describing people who are socially impaired with an emotional barrier. According to Autism,† Gale states, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2012, about 1 in 68 out of 1,000 children were diagnosed withShow MoreRelatedThe Myth Of Mental Illness750 Words   |  3 PagesMarquiel Dodson 12/10/15 Psychology 201 Dr. Streeter Final Exam I enjoyed every bit of this Introduction to Psychology class. I put together many things about myself and my own life that I didn’t notice before. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I have a much better understanding of the reasons of behavior that is around me every day. During this semester in Psychology 201 one very interesting thing we covered was The Myth of Mental Illness by Thomas Szasz. In this bookRead MoreInformational Essay on Autism598 Words   |  3 PagesAutism About 1 percent of the world population has autism spectrum disorder. (CDC, 2014) Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a spectrum disorder that effects individuals differently. Autism is a serious and lifelong developmental disability. On its own, autism is not a learning disability or a mental health problem. To go further back into history, autism was first recognized in the early years of the 20th century byRead MoreAutism : The Rise Of Autism962 Words   |  4 Pages Autism awareness Parents try their best to keep their children from getting hurt or sick, but no matter how hard they try, sometimes something will always go wrong. We cannot avoid all uncertainties; Autism is among one of these uncertainties that parents try their best to avoid. According to the center for disease control One out of every one hundred and fifty children are born with autism each year in America, that is one percent of American children with autism, eighty percent of which are maleRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Autism ) Essay1739 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1943 a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner wrote about a group of children who were apathetic to their family members and made odd and repetitive movements. A year later, Hans Asperger observed similar behavior in another group of children, also noting a lack of understanding of social conventions (Lai, 2014). These two observations would be the beginning of a disorder known as the Autism Spectrum Disorder. This developmental di sorder, characterized by a range of deficits in different areas, isRead MoreThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, places autism in a more1000 Words   |  4 PagesDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, places autism in a more extensive diagnostic bracket called autism spectrum disorder. This encompasses a range of autism-related disorders that vary in severity. It is one of the most severe, chronic, behavioral disorders of childhood. Swiss psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler referred to autistic disorder as an unusual way of thinking among people with schizophrenia. A more in-depth explanation of autistic thinking is the propensity to viewRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder1493 Words   |  6 Pagesobsessive compulsive disorder and many more. Diagnosing autism does not include medical test but instead a team of physiologists and physicians observe the child during an autism-specific behavior evaluations and in some cases gen etic testing is needed. The exact cause of autism is still unknown although there are many factors that play a role in it for example mother’s weight, teratogens and genetics. There is prenatal diagnosis of autism known as chromosomal microarray (CMA), the technology detectsRead MoreProblems Surrounding Schizophrenia1497 Words   |  6 PagesProblems Surrounding Schizophrenia Believe it or not, schizophrenia is a serious mental problem that has been around for much longer than most people tend to think. Most professionals are certain that schizophrenia is a disease process that takes place within the brain and that the disease is, in fact, influenced greatly by certain life experiences(Anderson 80). The one significant problem surrounding schizophrenia is that no one is absolutely positive as to what causes schizophrenia and of how itRead MoreThe Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Adhd )816 Words   |  4 Pageson the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, Sensory Processing Disorder, or Central Auditory Processing Disorder. These children wanted to make a video to tell teachers about how their brain works. It makes clear that not all students learn alike. A teacher may think that a child is misbehaving if the child is leaning back and forth on their chair, but little do they know that i s how they concentrate. Learning about AutismRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )1042 Words   |  5 PagesAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neural development disorders characterized by patterns of demeanor. This disorder causes difficulties with social, communication and behavior challenges. There are developmental resources that help identify children with ASD at a very early age. 1 in every 88th child will be diagnosed with this disorder. On average, boys are five times more predisposed to have autism than girls. There is no scientific test can be used to test out someone who willRead MoreA Brief History of Autism Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesThe term autism was first used by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1908. He used it to describe one of his patients that had schizophrenia. He used it to describe his patient who had withdrawn into his own world. The pioneers of the study of ASDs were Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. They both worked separately and studied different children. In their research, both of their studies showed that the children that they were studying showed similar characteristics. Both Kanner’s and Asperger’s children had

Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society Free Essays

Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society Larry Anderson INF103 Instructor Geathers November 21, 2011 â€Å"The goal of many computer scientists since the mid-20th century has been to create a computer that could perform logical operations. †(Bowles, 2010, 9. 2). We will write a custom essay sample on Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society or any similar topic only for you Order Now The journey to achieving this is called Artificial Intelligence, which is considered to be the branch of computer science that is focused on creating machines that engage in human behavior, and intelligence. â€Å"The term Artificial Intelligence was first coined at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956 by John McCarthy. † (McCorduck, 2004, 2. ). â€Å"The Dartmouth conference paved the way for examining the use of computers to process symbols, the need for new languages and the role of computers for theorem proving instead of focusing on hardware that simulated intelligence. †(Krishnamoorthy Rajeev, 1996, 9. 1). Even though this name was coined in 1956, we saw artificial intelligence 15 years earlier when the electronic computer was created in 1941. Artificial Intelligence is an exciting subject that will only get better with time, allowing humans to do things that were never thought to be reality, until the last few decades. In this paper, I will be telling you about the four main studies of artificial intelligence and their importance to our society, as well as how they are affecting our everyday lives. These four studies are expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics. Mostly all artificial intelligences can be categorized under these four studies. Not only are these technologies making life easier, they are making life more enjoyable for all societies. The first study of artificial intelligence I will talk about is expert systems. Expert systems are computer programs that contain large amounts of information in a certain field. These programs use this large amount of information to solve problems that normally would require human intelligence. The great thing about expert systems is that they can process information, in seconds, which would take humans days. Every expert system is made up of two parts: knowledge, and reasoning. â€Å"The knowledge base of the expert systems contains both factual and heuristic knowledge. †(Engelmore Feigenbaum, 1993, 1. 2). The knowledge is the information, while the reasoning is the problem solving aspect of the expert system. One common, but powerful paradigm involves chaining of if-then rules to form a line of reasoning. †(Engelmore Feigenbaum, 1993, 1. 2). For example, if you have these symptoms, then you must have a head cold. Expert systems are affecting our everyday lives by diagnosing illnesses, and predicting the weather. â€Å"One of the first systems was a computer that could perform a medical diagnosis. † (Bowles, 2010, 9. 2). A doctor can e nter symptoms into a computer, and then process a few questions for the doctor; after answering the questions the computer will make a diagnosis of the patient. This is very useful to doctors because now they can see more patients, and give promising diagnosis efficiently. The second way expert systems are affecting our lives is by predicting the weather. Meteorologists are using these systems to help predict hurricanes and tornadoes. This is very helpful to society, giving people more evacuation time during major storms. The second study of artificial intelligence is Natural Language, which is considered human language. â€Å"Natural language processing programs use artificial intelligence to allow a user to communicate with a computer in the user’s natural language. (Poole Mackworth, 2010, 12. 6). The computer can both understand and respond to commands given in human language. The two biggest hurdles in this study are phonetic knowledge, and pragmatic knowledge. Phonetic knowledge concerns how words are realized, and how words are realized as sounds. Pragmatic Knowledge has to do with how sentences are used in different contexts and how that affects sentence interpretation. Even with the tough barriers of language, and the meaning of words computer specialists are producing helpful natural language processing programs to better society. When was the last time you made a customer service call? Natural language is affecting you when you call a customer service number, and an automated voice tells you to say a command. â€Å"Voice-recognition systems are now handling night and weekend toll-free directory assistance calls for big corporations. † (Poole Mackworth, 2010, 12. 6). For example if you need to check your balance for a cell phone bill, a voice-recognition system can assist, without the need of a human. This allows the human customer service representatives to help customers with more complex questions. Another way natural language is being used is with Google’s real time translation application. With this application you can take snapshots of things in a different language with your phone and it will translate the words into your language in seconds. This can be useful when you are traveling in different countries, needing directions, or when you are selecting from a menu in a different language. â€Å"A neural network is, in essence, an attempt to simulate the brain. Neural network theory revolves around the idea that certain key properties of biological neurons can be extracted and applied to simulations, thus creating a simulated, and very much simplified brain. †(Reingold Nightingale, 4. 1). The first important thing to understand is that artificial neural networks are an attempt to recreate the computing potential of the brain. However, no one has ever simulated anything as complex as an actual brain which makes it very difficult to finish the whole project. Credit card fraud is very big in the present day, because many people are not using cash; instead they are using credit cards and debit cards to make transactions. â€Å"Nearly 400,000 transactions per day are of fraudulent charges. † (Brause Langsdorf, 1). Neural Networks are being used to detect fraud transactions with the principal of pattern recognition. Every time a credit card user uses their card there is a pattern of transaction. Neural network software uses information such as how much money a person makes, type of transactions made, and how frequent certain transactions are made to predict fraud. â€Å"Neural network based fraud detection is based totally on the human brain working principal. As the human brain learns through past experience and uses its knowledge or experience in making the decision in daily life problem the same technique is applied with the credit card fraud detection technology. † (Patidar Sharma 2. ). The last study of artificial intelligence I will be talking about is robotics. Robots are physical agents that perform tasks by manipulating the physical world. â€Å"They perform tasks which are idealizations or extensions of human capabilities. †(Selig, 1992, 1. 1). Robots have four characteristics; sensing, movement, energy, and intelligence. First off, a robot must sense its surroundings us ing light, touch, and pressure sensors. Secondly a robot must have movement; a robot needs to move around in its in environment, whether or not the whole robot moves, or just parts. Thirdly, a robot needs power to function properly, this energy could be solar, electrical, or battery powered. Last, it must have some kind of intelligence, such as software from a programmer in order to operate. Actual robots might seem like far off science fiction, but that is not the case robots have been affecting our everyday life for years. One of the biggest uses for robots today is in the automotive industry. Over the past few decades robots have completely changed the automobile industry in many ways. Even though the use of robots has also led to many workers losing their jobs, it is very cost effective. The robots are used for welding, painting, drilling, sanding, cutting, and moving tasks in manufacturing plants. The robots have improved this industry with a job efficiency that couldn’t be duplicated by humans. These robots have made assembly lines and factories safer by handling jobs that are too dangerous and too difficult for workers to perform. Another great way that robots are working in society’s favor is by cleaning up toxic and contaminated areas that would otherwise be harmful to humans. The biggest reason that robots are able to do these jobs is that they can be easily shielded against hazardous environments and are easily replaceable, unlike humans. Robots are used to clean up nuclear waste or clean ammunition, and landmines all over the world. Robots are also an asset to the military because they can detect and diffuse bombs in a combat zone. These robots are saving lives every day because they are able to go into situations that are life threating to humans and get the job done. The studies of expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics are just in their early stages of advancements, but are already showing important promising characteristics for the future of mankind. We already see these advancements being put to the test by making medical diagnosis, predicting weather, voice automated services, catching transaction fraud, building automobiles, and cleaning up hazardous wastes. There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence is already affecting society in ways that were never imagined decades ago. Technology will continue to explode into the next few decades, excelling in Artificial Intelligence, how we embrace the advances, will define us as a society. Resources: Bowles, Mark, D. (2010). Introduction to Computer Literacy. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. McCorduck, P. (2004). Machines Who Think. Natick, MA. AK Peters, Ltd. Krishnamoorthy, C. , Rajeev, S. (1996). Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems for Engineers. CRC Press. Englemore, R. Feigenbaum, E. (1993). Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence. WTEC Hyper-Librarian. Poole, D. Mackworth, A. 2010). Artificial Intelligence Foundations of Computational Agents. Cambridge University Press. Reingold, E. Nightingale, J. Artificial Intelligence Tutorial Review. http://www. psych. utoronto. ca/users/reingold/courses/ai/ai. html Brause, R. Langsdorf. Neural Data Mining for Credit Card Fraud Detection. J. W. Goethe-University. Frankfurt, Germany. Patidar, R. Sharma, L. (2011). International Journal of Soft Comput ing and Engineering. Jaipur, India. Selig, J. (1992). Introductory Robotics. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall International. How to cite Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society, Papers

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner free essay sample

A narrative analysis of the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This paper discusses the style of the poem, as well as its intended audience and meaning. Examples from the text are given. Samuel Taylor Coleridges The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a poem that on one level appears to be a simple narrative, but in truth it is more complex because there are two levels of narrative taking place. The first of these is the long story told by the Mariner, but in the present of the poem there is also the fact that the Mariner is telling this story to one of the guests at a wedding. It is apparent from the first that the Mariner has some reason for selecting this particular individual for telling this story, and the effect this story has on the Wedding Guest becomes the means for extending the moral of the tale to a more general audience and to a more general idea of life. We will write a custom essay sample on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Up Country essays

Up Country essays In his novel Up Country, Alden R. Carter writes about how hard life is for children in the adolescent era by portraying the actions off Carl Staggers, a teenager surviving his mothers alcoholism and his car radio thief ring gone to disarray. Carl is a tragic hero who rambles through this time period by trying to make things right. He is also accompanied by characters close to him as the novel progresses. Carl is a young man with great hopes and dreams to become an electrical engineer. The problem is that he and his mother are deeply in debt, and Veronica Staggers, Carls mother, is an alcoholic who is brought home by the cops almost every week. Carl has the bright idea to use an opportunity that arose to earn money to go to a good technical college and earn a degree in electrical engineering. In this little opportunity, Carl repairs stolen stereos that he receives from his partner in crime, changes the serial number, and places the stereo into a company box for resale. Although this seems like the perfect crime, something goes terribly wrong with his admirable plan and Carl gets busted for the radios along with all of the other juveniles helping him. Ironically he was busted for the car audio equipment because of his mother who was thrown in a detox center for her alcohol abuse. Therefore, Carl was sent up country to stay with his aunt, uncle, and cousin whom he hasnt seen for a little over eight years. Thats when all of the trouble starts, including a run in with the local redneck bully and his girlfriend. On a good note while staying with his secondary family, he meets a wonderful country girl with whom he ultimately stays with instead of going back to live with his mother, who cleans her self up and moves on with her life. Carl is sentenced to public work and is basically let off easy on the condition that he ...

Analysis of Good Country People by Flannery OConnor

Analysis of Good Country People by Flannery OConnor Good Country People by Flannery OConnor (1925–1964) is a story, in part, about the dangers of mistaking platitudes for original insights. The story, first published in 1955, presents three characters whose lives are governed by the platitudes they embrace or reject: Mrs. Hopewell, who speaks almost exclusively in cheerful clichà ©sHulga (Joy), Mrs. Hopewells daughter, who defines herself solely in opposition to her mothers platitudesA Bible salesman, who turns the clichà ©d beliefs of the unsuspecting mother and daughter against them Mrs. Hopewell Early in the story, OConnor demonstrates that Mrs. Hopewells life is governed by upbeat but empty sayings: Nothing is perfect. This was one of Mrs. Hopewells favorite sayings. Another was: that is life! And still another, the most important, was: well, other people have their opinions too. She would make these statements [†¦] as if no one held them but her [†¦] Her statements are so vague and obvious as to be almost meaningless, except, perhaps, to convey an overall philosophy of resignation. That she fails to recognize these as clichà ©s suggest how little time she spends reflecting on her own beliefs. The character of Mrs. Freeman provides an echo chamber for Mrs. Hopewells statements, thereby emphasizing their lack of substance. OConnor writes: When Mrs. Hopewell said to Mrs. Freeman that life was like that, Mrs. Freeman would say, I always said so myself. Nothing had been arrived at by anyone that had not first been arrived at by her. We are told that Mrs. Hopewell liked to tell people certain things about the Freemans - that the daughters are two of the finest girls she knows and that the family is good country people. The truth is that Mrs. Hopewell hired the Freemans because they were the only applicants for the job. The man who served as their reference openly told Mrs. Hopewell that Mrs. Freeman was the nosiest woman ever to walk the earth. But Mrs. Hopewell continues to call them good country people because she wants to believe they are. She almost seems to think that repeating the phrase will make it true. Just as Mrs. Hopewell seems to want to reshape the Freemans in the image of her favorite platitudes, she also seems to want to reshape her daughter. When she looks at Hulga, she thinks, There was nothing wrong with her face that a pleasant expression wouldnt help. She tells Hulga that a smile never hurt anyone and that people who looked on the bright side of things would be beautiful even if they were not, which could be insulting. Mrs. Hopewell views her daughter entirely in terms of clichà ©s, which seems guaranteed to make her daughter reject them. Hulga-Joy Mrs. Hopewells greatest platitude is perhaps her daughters name, Joy. Joy is grumpy, cynical and utterly joyless. To spite her mother, she legally changes her name to Hulga, partly because she thinks it sounds ugly. But just as Mrs. Hopewell continually repeats other sayings, she insists on calling her daughter Joy even after her name is changed, as if saying it will make it true. Hulga cant stand her mothers platitudes. When the Bible salesman is sitting in their parlor, Hulga tells her mother, Get rid of the salt of the earth [†¦] and lets eat. When her mother instead turns down the heat under the vegetables and returns to the parlor to continue singing the virtues of real genuine folks way out in the country, Hulga can be heard groaning from the kitchen. Hulga makes it clear that if it werent for her heart condition, she would be far from these red hills and good country people. She would be in a university lecturing to people who knew what she was talking about. Yet she rejects one clichà © – good country people – in favor of one that sounds superior but is equally trite – people who knew what she was talking about. Hulga likes to imagine herself as being above her mothers platitudes, but she reacts so systematically against her mothers beliefs that her atheism, her Ph.D. in philosophy and her bitter outlook begin to seem as thoughtless and trite as her mothers sayings. The Bible Salesman Both the mother and the daughter are so convinced of the superiority of their perspectives that they dont recognize theyre being duped by the Bible salesman. Good country people is meant to be flattering, but its a condescending phrase. It implies that the speaker, Mrs. Hopewell, somehow has the authority to judge whether someone is good country people or, to use her word, trash. It also implies that the people being labeled this way are somehow simpler and less sophisticated than Mrs. Hopewell. When the Bible salesman arrives, he is a living example of Mrs. Hopewells sayings. He uses a cheerful voice, makes jokes, and has a pleasant laugh. In short, hes everything Mrs. Hopewell advises Hulga to be. When he sees that hes losing her interest, he says, People like you dont like to fool with country people like me! Hes hit her in her weak spot. Its as if hes accused her of not living up to her own cherished platitudes, and she overcompensates with a flood of clichà ©s and an invitation to dinner. Why! she cried, good country people are the salt of the earth! Besides, we all have different ways of doing, it takes all kinds of make the world go round. Thats life! The salesman reads Hulga as easily as he reads Mrs. Hopewell, and he feeds her the clichà ©s she wants to hear, saying that he likes girls that wear glasses and that Im not like these people that a serious thought dont ever enter their heads. Hulga is as condescending toward the salesman as her mother is. She imagines that she can give him a deeper understanding of life because [t]rue genius [†¦] can get an idea across even to an inferior mind. In the barn, when the salesman demands that she tell him she loves him, Hulga feels pity, calling him poor baby and saying, Its just as well you dont understand. But later, faced with the evil of his actions, she falls back on her mothers clichà ©s. Arent you, she asks him, just good country people? She never valued the good part of country people, but like her mother, she assumed the phrase meant simple. He responds with his own clichà ©d tirade. I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasnt born yesterday and I know where Im going! His certainty mirrors - and therefore calls into question - Mrs. Hopewells and Hulgas.

Reading Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reading Log - Essay Example Pickpockets are individuals who are skilled in stealing other people’s sweat. The actions of these individuals are immoral, since they are not in harmony with the laws of ethics that governs relationship of individuals in the society. They vigorously take what does not belong to them, and considers it as theirs. The protagonist in the film Pickpocket is a young a man named Michael. His perceptions towards crime are that individuals possessing high intellectual capacities should not be held accountable for their doings. He takes this theory into practice by snatching wallets from individuals. In the beginning, Michael encounters difficulty in his pick pocketing tendencies as he is constantly arrested by police officers. Moreover, life is unfair to him because he lacks the knack to live luxuriously. He is ashamed of visiting his sick mother in the hospital. Instead, he resorts to develop a love interests on a woman he clearly knows he can not date. The situation gets worse when even the apartment he resides in depicts his deteriorating financial status (Cunneen, 2004, p.73). However, his continuous practice and intelligence in pick pocketing exalts him to a status where he changes his life style. He develops a sense of fashion in his dressing and becomes mildly mannered. These traits make it impossible for outside individuals, and even neighbors to group him as a pickpocket. Michael’s first encounter as a pickpocket was when he stole money from a lady’s handbag at a Paris racetrack. He was propelled to become a mastermind in pickpocket by his own compulsion. The story ends when Michael is torn between making choices. He is locked up in a cell, and the only person who pays him a visit, is his mother. His freedom of choosing between his mother and his habits are limited in the end because he lacks the freedom of choosing, since he is sentenced to prison (Cunneen, 2004, p.71). L’ Argent (â€Å"Money†)