...Joyce Samantha B. Gula Introduction / Summary of Postmodernism Postmodernism is the belief that: (1) Most theoretical concepts are defined by their role in the conjectured theoretical network. (A subset are 'operationally' defined by a fairly direct tie to observations.) (2) The theoretical network is incomplete. (3) It follows that theoretical concepts are 'open', or what logicians call 'partially interpreted'. Research continues precisely because they are open; the research task is to 'close' them, although never completely. The current Postmodern belief is that a correct description of Reality is impossible. This extreme skepticism, of which Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn are particularly famous, assumes that; a) All truth is limited, approximate, and is constantly evolving (Nietzsche, Kuhn, Popper). b) No theory can ever be proved true - we can only show that a theory is false (Popper). c) No theory can ever explain all things consistently (Godel's incompleteness theorem). d) There is always a separation between our mind & ideas of things and the thing in itself (Kant). e) Physical reality is not deterministic (Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, Bohr). f) Science concepts are mental constructs (logical positivism, Mach, Carnap). g) Metaphysics is empty of content. h) Thus absolute and certain truth that explains all things is unobtainable. As Taborsky writes of Postmodern philosophy; .. the Mediated concept...
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...“Postmodernism is a way of thinking that is reflected both in the ways texts are composed and in their exploration of challenging ideas.” Everything that is around us makes up our world and our life. It is reality, until someone asks, “Are we the players or the puppets of our lives? Or are we both?” and it is such questioning of assumed certainty that characterizes postmodernism. The Matrix is a film directed by the Wachowski Brothers in 1999 portraying the rebellion of a group of people against an artificial reality that has imprisoned their mind while A Beautiful Mind directed by Ron Howard is a 2001 film that describes a man’s journey to accept the real world and ignore the imaginary one he created in his mind. Despite their contrasting nature, both texts are able to reflect postmodernist understanding through their composition and their exploration of the challenging idea of relative truth. Through this, it demonstrates that postmodernism is a way of thinking portrayed in the forms, features and structures of texts. The life that we live today is what we consider to be reality, but this is a relative truth for what proof is there that our world is real or fake? Such a concept is emphasized upon by the Wachowskis in the Matrix in which it presents a portrayal of the possibility of our world being in fact, a simulation. During the film, references are made to external sources such as Jean Baudrillard’s book of Simulcra and Simulation and Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams in...
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...Christian Response to Postmodernism in the Twenty-first Century Today, a new insidious trend is blazing its way through the twenty-first century church. In the name/guise of keeping Christianity relevant in today's culture, many churches are opening the door to a doctrine/belief system that undermines the infallibility of the Bible. Today, we will discuss postmodernism and its effects on the church. We will also discuss what Christians can do to counter its effect/attack in the spread of the gospel. The term postmodernism, has been applied to many areas such as literature, philosophy, fiction, architecture, art and so on. It is mainly our response to what is considered concrete data (scientific or objective) about the world around us. Postmodernism suggests that something is reality not only because humanity generally understands it to be so but rather that reality is built upon personal interpretation as the mind attempts to process information only in relation to that particular individual's sense of reality. What this translates to is that postmodernism allows each individual to create his or her own reality based on what their mind considers to be right for them. As a result of its definition, postmodernism feeds on the premise that there are no absolute truths. It seeks to invalidate the arguments/explanations of whole groups of people in different cultures, traditions and races and instead propagates that truth is relative to each individual. Postmodernism is fueled by today's...
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...Born Again The short story “Born Again” was written by Anne Billson. It was written in 1993. It is a postmodern story. Postmodernism is a term that describes the movement in arts, literature, culture, etc., that was an extension of modernism. Postmodernism involved the break with the norms and ideals of the modernism. In postmodernism you often include the perception of common truths. Postmodernism is a very hard term to define, since it is so abstract. Born Again is a story filled with action. It is filled with violence, but in the same way it is kind of ironic and satirical. Born Again is a story about a woman named Nancy Loughlin, who lives and works in the city of London. She is very career-minded. It seems like/that she has a very important position in an international firm of some sort. The reason you could think it is international, is because of her appointment with “the Belgians”. She is a single woman and it does not appear that she has any family. She is very fixated about her health. She does not allow her self to do drugs, have sex, and smoke cigarettes or anything related. The introduction however, implies that she might have a past that involved these vices. Even though she cares about her health, she still allows her self a glass of wine, and her urge of the famous Fudge Tub is very excessive. In the text Nancy is pregnant, but she has not been sleeping with anyone for some years. She then gets in trouble with a quite extreme Christian organisation...
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...terribly wrong. They all want to go to Greasy Lake to unwind before going home. Things seem to start to go wrong when they can’t find their keys. They meet a shady character that they get in a fight with. At the end of the fight, they almost kill the guy and almost rape his girlfriend. During all of this happening another car comes to the lake and all three of the boys run in different directions. Two of them run into the woods while the third one jumps into the lake. While the third boy, who is also the narrator, comes across a dead body in the lake. After a little while, all three of the boys make it back to the shore of the lake and observe the damage to the car that was damaged. They have trouble finding their keys but do find them. They then head to home and examine their lives. Walker, M. (March 1994) Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” and the Moral Failure of Postmodernism Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” and the Moral Failure of Postmodernism is contemporary fiction. Greasy...
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...future of British housing, since it avoids the logical conclusion that public housing for the poor will be neglected in this type of privatized housing scheme. In this manner, Thatcher’s unscientific view of the “majority” is actually denying the problem of the working poor in England, which is one of the dangers of post-modernist views of the world in the context of political biases: “To postmodernists, science in all its branches is an ideological product embedded in a particular cultural context” (Murphy et al. 62). In this manner, Thatcher is literally denying the fact of dire living conditions for the poor, since she is selectively avoiding a “materialist:” view of social conditions in her country. Latour’s (2004) argument against postmodernism is certainly valid in terms of the non-scientific methods of critical thinking used by individuals that seek greater power and social dominance at the cost of omitting reality. Finally, postmodernist tend to confirm the view that the so-called "science” of modernism is an extension of a rigid historical guideline for evaluating the social conditions of a modern civilization. Foucault’s (1984) support of post-modernism is defined along the lines of scientific development through the “Enlightenment” era, which has, he claims, set limitations on the way that science can confirm a modern society. More so, Foucault (1984) argument for post-modernism attempts to explore the social and cultural conditions of 20th century life, which make the...
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...Postmodernism and family diversity: * Diversity fragmentation: * Increasingly fragmented * More a collection of subcultures than a single culture shared by all * Different ethnic and youth subcultures sexual preferences, social movements * Rapid social change * New technology, and electronic media have dissolved old barriers of time and space, transformed our patterns of work and leisure and accelerated the pace of change. * One effect of this rapid social change is to make life less predictable Individualism thesis * Giddens and Beck: * Argue that class gender and family are losing importance * Traditional roles prevented choice in life courses * Post modern society – no longer any fixed roles to follow – ‘disembedded’ from traditional family life * Beck (1992): ‘do it yourself biography’ * Giddens (1992) greater choice and equality 1. Contraception-sex and intimacy-replaced reproduction as reason for relationships 2. Women are independent – greater opportunities and feminism * Basis of marriage and family has changed, external factors no longer keep people together * ‘the pure relationship’ * no longer based on laws norms values or tradition – relationships now based on choice * exists to satisfy each partners needs * same sex partners: Siddens idea that s/s couples are able to redefine the family * the negotiated family: * Ulrich Beck (1992) * Beck argues we now live in a ‘risk...
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...Dying Spirits: Conditions for the survival of Igbo Masquerade Tradition in a Post Modern Era. A paper presented at the third edition of the monthly lecture series of Mbari Literary Society, Owerri, Imo State Nigeria. 1st August 2009. Greetings to my veritable ancestors. Greetings to the progenies and prodigies whose unequalled prodigy and genius produced this sacred art that is now singing an extinction dirge. All the Ancestral Spirits hovering unackno-wledged around this atmosphere, accept my unworthy salutations. Ndi Mbari Ibem, Welunu Ekene m, Onye m kporo ya kpoba ibe ya Onye na nke ya, onye na nke ya Nke onye chiri ya zere. If at the end of this intellectual discourse, the contents of this paper are merely seen as mere academic exercises, it would have failed. This point is made at the background of our realization that it is only practical dialectics that would save the African Viz a Viz. Igbo cosmology in its mortal struggle with the nihilating forces of globalization. By practical dialectics we mean a dialectics whose spine and pedagogy will bother on practice rather than theory. The guest lecturers of the first and second editions of this lecture series dwelt on topics that bothered on the preservation of our cultural heritage and language respectively. This paper shall not depart from that line. The difficulty in presenting this type of lecture is that a topic which hitherto is not discussed amongst women, particularly those that have not attained the...
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...the outside, she will present as strong and confident. During the poem, she is still concerned about public opinion. This is evident when she says “does my haughtiness offend you?” ( Angelou, M. 1978 ).In general, we the people, do not like to be judged or be different. We tend to conform to society’s expectations and rules. This poem illustrates how strong a person can be. It tells the story that a person can overcome pain, criticism and past experiences. It tells us in the end, that a person’s will power cannot be defeated. A 2. The one aspect that most interested me was when she wrote about how she would, “ still I’ll rise”. While reading this, it immediately made me think of Jesus. He is my saviour and he rose again from the dead. This is so strong and powerful. I love how she sees each day as a new beginning. I interpreted the paragraph, “ J ust like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I’ll rise .” (Angelou, M. 1978) as meaning that each dayis a new...
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...EVIDENCE THAT THE NUCLEAR FAMILY IS NOT DEAD -MCGLONE – found that unemployment, poverty, community care for the elderly and increasing numbers of young people living at home longer, means that there is a need to family mutual support systems. –nuclear families feel a strong sense of obligation towards extended family in times of family crises. -FINCH –found that in working class are areas, the extended family is still common. Her study pf the East End of London found that adults often live only a few streets away from their close relatives and partners- visit regularly- especially if they have daughters. -MASON (1993)- study of Greater Manchester found that over 90% of the sample had given or received financial help from relatives and almost 60% shared a household with an adult relative other than their parents at some point in their lives. The term MODIFIED EXTENDED FAMILY is used to show how the nuclear family and individuals still have ties to extended kin. EVIDENCE THAT THE NUCLEAR FAMILY IS NOT DEAD -MCGLONE – found that unemployment, poverty, community care for the elderly and increasing numbers of young people living at home longer, means that there is a need to family mutual support systems. –nuclear families feel a strong sense of obligation towards extended family in times of family crises. -FINCH –found that in working class are areas, the extended family is still common. Her study pf the East End of London found that adults often live only a few streets away...
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...perspectives on how people perceived the “optimal style of living.” Some believed everyone strived to be rich and were able to live in coexistence. These perspectives were further broken in down in “The Death of a Salesman.” Immigrants entered through the gates of Ellis Island throwing away their home country’s established social hierarchies and caste systems. With high hopes, they created schemas of the elite population versus the poor population. Though, through passing generations, they are only met with disappointment. They cling onto the possibility that life will become normal again and remain in a constant cycle of false hope. These multiple realities have been a common plot device between most works of American modernism and postmodernism. Ironically, it is the people outside of America who are initially affected by the American Dream, specifically third world countries. The younger generations of American have been asked, “Why did your parents/grandparents immigrate to this country?” Their response is almost always, “To escape and live a...
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...l men are rapists and that's all they are. (Marilyn French) Feminist criminology contains many branches. Liberal, radical, Marxist, and socialist feminism are widely recognized, although other "strands" exist such as postmodernism and ecofeminism. Most feminist criminology involves critiques about how women offenders have been ignored, distorted, or stereotyped within traditional criminology, but there is no shortage of separate theories and modifications of existing theories. Almost all women criminologists or criminologists of women who examine gender and crime have addressed the "gender ratio" problem (why women are less likely, and men more likely, to commit crime). Others study the generalizability problem (whether traditional male theories can modified to explain female offending). Most feminists are quick to point out where stereotypical thinking and theoretical dead ends exist, although the main problem complained about in most criminology is the simple fact that gender matters and should not be ignored. Liberal feminism operates within the existing social structures to draw attention to women's issues, promote women's rights, increase women's opportunities, and transform women's roles in society. Radical feminism looks at how women came to occupy subservient roles in the first place, what male power consists of, and how societies themselves can be transformed. Marxist feminism ties patriarchy or male privilege into the economic structure of capitalism, as when female...
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... Arthur. The Crucible. New York; the Penguin Group, 2003. Time Period and Literary Movement Written in the 1950s, The Crucible fits into the time period of the postmodernism literary movement. This movement started in the 1940s around the second World War and the Cold war, and is still continuing today. Miller uses these events to relate to his playwriting. Postmodern literary pieces are characterized skepticism or loss of faith, paranoia, irony, and playful or absurd text. Paranoia is shown when Miller explains how "The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom"(7). Due to the paranoia during the Salem Witch Trials, innocent people were accused of witchcraft. Irony can be observed when Abigail states that it's "a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it's God's work I do", as she is sinning by compelling others to lie about witchcraft in Salem. Skepticism is shown when Betty can't be woken up, leading others to think "the Devil is in her you will witness some frightful wonders in this room"(41). Despite having some similarities, The Crucible deviates from other works of the postmodern era. "Postmodernism," Writers History. Writers History, 2008. Web. 2 Nov. 2015 Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York; the Penguin Group, 2003. Characters John Proctor is the main character and...
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...‘Society has now entered a new postmodern age and we need new theories to understand to understand it.’ Assess this view. Sociologists all agree there is something called Modernity and Post Modernity-where they differ is which one they think society currently is. Theories such as feminism, Marxism, and functionalism are structural and believe society influences the individual. Whilst theories like post modernism and interactionism are non-structural and believe that the individual influences society. There are major changes that have occurred in society recently such as: the growing impact of new technology and the media, and new social and political movements (based on gender, environmental concerns and so on). What is being questioned is the nature, cause and effect of these changes which have different theories for explanation. The first argument is that the changes are so profound they represent a major shift from the modern century of the last two centuries, to a new post modern society. The second argument is that recent changes have been significant but they are still a part of modern society- just an intensification of the existing features of a modern society. The second argument is seemingly more valid, especially in terms of science and trying to prove post modernism. For post modernism argues that nothing can be proved to be true and take on a relativism method also supporting interpretivism. if this is the case the theory itself cannot be proven to be true hence...
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...MODERN BRITISH LITERATURE (c. 1900 to 1950) READING LIST Please note that there are two lists below. The first is the full list with the core readings in bold; the second is the core list separated out. You are responsible for all core readings and may incorporate readings from the full list into your tailored list. Unless otherwise noted, selections separated by commas indicate all works students should know. A. FICTION Beckett, Samuel. One of the following: Murphy, Watt, Molloy Bennett, Arnold. Clayhanger Bowen, Elizabeth. The Heat of the Day Butler, Samuel. The Way of All Flesh Chesterton, G.K. The Man Who Was Thursday Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness AND one of: Lord Jim, The Secret Agent, Nostromo, Under Western Eyes Ford, Ford Madox. The Good Soldier Forster, E. M. Howards End, A Passage to India (plus the essays “What I Believe” and “The Challenge of Our Times” in Two Cheers for Democracy) Galsworthy, John. The Man of Property Greene, Graham. One of: Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World Joyce, James. Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses Kipling, Rudyard. Kim Lawrence, D. H. Two of: Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, The Rainbow, The Plumed Serpent Lewis, Wyndham. Tarr, manifestos in BLAST 1 Mansfield, Katherine. “Prelude,” “At the Bay,” “The Garden Party,” “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” (in Collected Stories) Orwell, George. 1984 (or Aldous Huxley, Brave New World) Wells, H. G. One of the...
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