...Stevenson Core Fall 2014 Sabrina Kenney October 24, 2014 Who We Are and What We Make of Ourselves Existentialism and Humanism was first introduced as a public lecture at the club Maintenant in Paris in October 1945, at the end of WWII. Paris had just been freed of Nazi occupation, and French people were trying to rebuild their destroyed nation. Citizens, leaders, and philosophers were questioning the foundations of society and reexamining the meaning of morality. The horrors of the concentration camps and the atom bomb had just been brought to the surface. Evidence of the human capacity for evil and destruction was everywhere. Jean-Paul Sartre, like many other philosophers at the time, wrote his own essay, Existentialism, in an attempt to answer these moral and ethical questions about human nature and free will. Sartre is correct to say that people are free and must choose their own path in life, but also contradicts himself and fails to appreciate people’s diversity. Sartre begins his essay in a very confusing way. He brings the reader into a very complicated argument over the meaning of Existentialism. He says that the word has lost its meaning and needs to be redefined, “…by this time the word has been so stretched and has taken on so broad a meaning, it no longer means anything at all” (343). Sartre begins clarifying existentialism by focusing on the individual. He says, “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself” (345). Here Sartre explains how human beings...
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...Life Shapes Who We Are Are we weak or strong? The question gets brought up in a video about Will Smith “Your words and thoughts have physical power - Will Smith”. In this video he talks about how people can make themselves strong or weak. I agree with Will Smith, coming from a rough upbringing which included; alcoholism, drug addictions, and abuse. I made choices in my life that changed me forever. We do decide our fate, you may not know it, but we do make ourselves strong or weak. I became an alcoholic and drug addict. First I dropped out of school in the 7th grade, and then I moved out of my mom’s house at the age of 15. I had a boyfriend who was eight years older than me. I felt untouchable; I was the youngest of all my friends who had her own apartment and a boyfriend who could buy us beer. That lasted about six years, until we split up. I had to move back home with my mom. Where I didn’t have anything, no education, no job and I was all alone. At this point, I was still in my “poor me” phase. I read a story called, “Tyranny of Weakness,” which reminded me of this time in my life. “The most aggressive, the strongest people we know are the weak ones. They are people who want someone else to take care of them and have somehow managed to convince those around them that they are too sick, too weak, too helpless, and too incompetent to do anything for themselves.” (LeShan) That was me! I wanted everyone to feel sorry for me. Here I was this young girl who had her life stripped...
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...Since the accomplishment of our nation's advantage of technology and wealth of freedom, an invisible undermine is taking for granted to our next generation. "U.S students are mediocre academically. That's not pleasant to acknowledge, but it's been documented in international competitions for years. To cite but one example, thirty-four nations participated in the 1999 Trends in International Math and Science study(TIMSS) competitions. U.S students scored nineteenth in math, behind Singapore, Korea, Japan, Canada, and even behind Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Latvia. And they did only slightly better in science, scoring eighteenth. The problem is not confined to math and science. The deficiencies of U.S students in Geography and English-- their native language!--are legendary. What could cause such embarrassing deficiencies?"(P.147 Ruggiero). During this globalization era keep our successive in the position of competence and strengthen stage to the environment of competitive worldwide is emerged. High school dropout rate and high school student entering college with inadequate skills, both issues have its sub-issues. Many questions has been asked and inclined to blame on the regime of education, school administrators and teachers. To compensate the situation, government and school administrators, parent- teacher, and students are the vital components. Government enhanced common core and invest enormous amount of funding into education to suite the need of educational success either...
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...Who Should We Blame for Sin? Cransheka Emery This paper was prepared for British Literature, Instructor: Thomas Bullington. Literary Work Analyzed John Milton’s Paradise Lost That day I oft remember, when from sleep I first awak’t, and found myself repos’d Under a shade on flow’rs, much wondering where And what I was, whence thither brought, and how. Not distant far from thence a murmuring sound Of waters issu’d from a Cave and spread Into a liquid Plain, then stood unmov’d Pure as th’ expanse of Heav’n; I thither went With unexperienc’t thought, and laid me down On the green bank, to look into the clear Smooth Lake, that to me seem’d another Sky. As I bent down to look, just opposite, A Shape within the wat’ry gleam appear’d Lending to look on me, I started back, I started back, but pleas’d I soon return’d, Pleas’d it return’d as soon with answering looks Of sympathy and love; there I had fixt— Mine eyes till now, and pin’d with vain desire, Had not a voice thus warn’d me, What thou seest, What there thou seest fair Creature is thyself, With thee it came and goes; Who Should We Blame For Sin? Unexperienc’t Thought The passage surrounding Eve’s awakening does indeed raise many questions about how we form our own identity as moral creatures. From a psychological standpoint, I will attempt to interpret Eve’s “unexperienc’t thought”...
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...to define who we are.’ Context 4, Sample B This sample uses the prompt to show understanding of the text, brings knowledge of various texts to the discussion and shows good control in the writing. Bruce Dawe suggests in the introduction to his anthology of poetry, that ‘Each of us is both a private person and a public person.’ Despite this simple truth, our personal sense of identity and individuality is under serious threat from two entirely separate, though equally negative entities, alienation and conformity. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye struggles to find a sense of belonging in a world that he feels is increasingly demanding conformity, resulting in his self-imposed isolation and lack of genuine sense of self. As a young person, about to embrace a largely foreign world, it is imperative for myself and other young people to find a balance between our own individuality and the concession we choose to make in regards to our individuality when seeking connections or relationships with others. Everyone must realise that while we are each unique, we are also members of the human species, sharing universal characteristics and experiences. Therefore, the relationships we have with others will inherently help determine much of who we are. Only once we have made these realisations can we begin to gain a coherent understanding of the functioning of society and avoid Holden’s predetermined fate of loneliness. From birth, we are assigned...
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...The Things in Life Make Us Who We Eng090 December 11, 2012 The Things in Life Make Us Who We Are Everyone has had a day to day struggle, but the things in life make us who we are. We, the people, should use our experiences as lessons learned. First, we shall overcome any hurdles put in our paths. On the other hand, I look at my life as motivation, to strive to become the best person I can be. Finally, the things in my life: the struggles, my outlook, and the future are only shaping me into that impeccable person I am becoming. Every person has gone through adversity. Initally, it is up to you to determine your fate. Next, overcoming being out on my own at the age of eighteen was my biggest challenge. It is like I went from being a child to having to grow up overnight. Then, I had to learn to fend for myself and learn to be strong and independent. After all, I had already become a mother. I had my first child coming right out of high school, and I was a hard head. Again, the things in life make us who we are. I had a responsibility now. All in all, I had had ups and downs as a single mother when it came to jobs and housing to support my family. I had no one to run to or confide in, all I had were my babies and myself. I had to learn to do what it takes. I overcame many challenges that a normal teenager would yet to see. My whole outlook on life changed maybe just a year ago. As well, from the relationships to family, it made me want to work even harder. I had a family...
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...Context Prompt: Our relationships with others help us to define who we are. Our identity is what we perceive ourselves to be as well as how others view us. One’s identity is therefore an essential element in defining themselves. For that reason, it is especially important that we are comfortable with our identity. As individuals, people have unique characteristics and personalities as well as belonging to groups that influence such factors as their lives go on. Although great emphasis is put on creating ones identity alone, a number of factors such as ones appearance, society, environment, religion and race can shape our identities thus help us to define who we are. It is also believed that our genetic makeup has a large role in determining who we are. Our identity can be considerably shaped by our appearance. Physical appearance is the first, and often most important, and most lasting impression others get of us. Society will create different assumptions about others based on simple factors such as ones fashion and ones physical qualities. As a result, many will adjust their identities to be accepted by society. For example, people tailoring their personal appearance to fit what they want others to see them as. An individual who dresses very formally is likely to want others to view them as high class or wealthy. Although, factors such as height and skin colour cannot be so easily altered and depends on ones genetics. The effects of appearance on our identity can be...
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...“Who said we all have to Talk alike,” by Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, “A child in Prison camp,” by Shiyuze Takashima, and the “Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare all share common examples of discrimination. Discrimination is the cause of hundreds of problems in our society and causes large amounts of damage to people’s lives. But I believe that Neffie from “Who said we all have to talk alike” reacted the most reasonably to this discrimination presented against her than every other character in these stories because she was kind and caring despite what happened to her, she kept her emotions in check , and she persevered through her troubles. The kindness and the care that Neffie showed towards everyone despite what they did to her shows...
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...Most Merciful Assignment No 5: Write a position paper on "We do not admire a person who makes us understand" Or "We admire a person who makes us more confused" Your paper should have at least 1000 words and you should use at least 20 citations from the available academic literature. It may be an essay, an anecdote, an article or some other form of writing. Try to write in simple legible and correct English language. Position Paper: Also called an argument essay. The purpose of a position paper or argument essay is to explain both sides of a controversy and then argue for one side over the other. A position paper or argument essay explains both sides and discusses why one is stronger or better than the other. Answer: TOPIC: We Admire Those People Who Makes Us More Confused “Confusing movies are an integral part of the movie-going experience in general. Without them, everything would make sense and be predictable, and what fun would that be?” 1Malcolm Mathews, 2007.Some of us being human used to admire those people more who make us understand, but what if everything is clear in your mind and no fun to find out new things beyond your boundaries and what if everything is known and process of learning which gives self-confidence and self-aspiration lacks. So, for exploration of new things, ongoing process of learning and development, gaining sense of pride after goal accomplishment, so people who makes us confused is more admirable to a man for developing and discovering...
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...“We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print…We lived in the gaps between the stories.” Discuss the writers’ exploration of female passivity. William Shakespeare, Margaret Atwood and Alfred Tennyson all present female passivity as a deep-rooted, normalised concept that is engrained into the framework of relationships, society and government. Whilst this is seen to remain from the 1600s all the way to the 1980s, there are subtle differences in the portrayal of, attempted reasoning behind and methods used to enforce this passivity, highlighted through analysis of language, structure and context. The writers symbolically use setting to explore links between different aspects of female passivity. Tennyson links public and private spaces and their promotion of female passivity to illustrate societal as well as psychological and domestic examples of passivity. In Mariana, the “rusted” and “crusted” atmosphere of decay is representative of Mariana’s psychological deterioration and the stagnant “blacken’d waters” and “moated grange” act as an obstruction to her integration with the outside patriarchal world. This reflects the wider Victorian attitude regarding the home as “the centre of virtue and the proper life for women” and brings to light the impact that passivity in the greater context of society has on the role she plays in her private relationship. This idea of external influences is echoed much less figuratively...
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..."Knowing who we are, and finding a way to tell ourselves”: Carol Ann Duffy's Revision of Masculinist Representations of Female Identity. By Claire McEwen ‘Carol Ann Duffy is one of the freshest and bravest talents to emerge in British poetry — any poetry — for years', writes Eavan Boland (Duffy, 1994, cover). This courage is manifest in Duffy’s ability and desire to revise masculinist representations of female identity and her engagement with feminine discourse, a concept which, as Sara Mills points out: has moved away from viewing women as simply an oppressed group, as victims of male domination, and has tried to formulate ways of analysing power as it manifests itself and as it is resisted in the relations of everyday life. (p.78) It is these aspects of Duffy's work that I wish to address here by examining the ways in which she subverts masculinist assumptions and discourses in the following ways: by giving voice to previously marginalised or silenced figures, by re-presenting stereotypes and power relations, through comic reappropriation of myth and by re-writing the canonical love poem. The problematic nature of representation itself, its subjectivity and unreliability, is a central concern of Duffy's poetry. Much of her work is written in the form of dramatic monologue which serves to demonstrate the fundamental inadequacy of language to re-present by undermining the readers' expectations of traditional discourses. By using characters' voices rather than her own...
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...TOK “Knowledge gives us a sense of who we are.” To what extent is this true in the Human Sciences and Ethics? Socrates once said, “To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge” [1]. In similar vein, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know” [1]. A great Indian master, Nisargadatta Maharaj once quoted, “To know what you are, you must first investigate and know what you are not” [2]. What were Socrates, Emerson, Nisargadatta hinting at? Is there any such thing as ‘knowledge’ and if so, can this knowledge ever give us a sense of who we are? Is there one concrete sense of ‘who we are’ that persists all throughout our lives or is our sense of identity a montage of ever-changing psychological and behavioral dynamics? Is the knower even capable of using ways of knowing to grasp a sense of who he/she is? If so, which way of knowing is more trustworthy and which area of knowledge should these ways of knowing be applied to, to get a better sense of who one is? Human sciences provides a sense of how we behave in the social context but not a sense of who we are at a personal level while Natural sciences while Thesis (….) I will be limiting my areas of knowledge to Human Sciences and Natural Sciences. Human Sciences, Psychology in particular, does attempt to answer questions about why and how people think, feel, and behave as they do. In a sense, it does attempt to give humans a ‘sense of how they behave’...
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...TOK “Knowledge gives us a sense of who we are.” To what extent is this true in the Human Sciences and Ethics? Socrates once said, “To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge” [1]. In similar vein, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know” [1]. A great Indian master, Nisargadatta Maharaj once quoted, “To know what you are, you must first investigate and know what you are not” [2]. What were Socrates, Emerson, Nisargadatta hinting at? Is there any such thing as ‘knowledge’ and if so, can this knowledge ever give us a sense of who we are? Is there one concrete sense of ‘who we are’ that persists all throughout our lives or is our sense of identity a montage of ever-changing psychological and behavioral dynamics? Is the knower even capable of using ways of knowing to grasp a sense of who he/she is? If so, which way of knowing is more trustworthy and which area of knowledge should these ways of knowing be applied to, to get a better sense of who one is? Human sciences provides a sense of how we behave in the social context but not a sense of who we are at a personal level while Natural sciences while Thesis (….) I will be limiting my areas of knowledge to Human Sciences and Natural Sciences. Human Sciences, Psychology in particular, does attempt to answer questions about why and how people think, feel, and behave as they do. In a sense, it does attempt to give humans a ‘sense of how they behave’...
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...“What do we say to the client who still insists on having a “native speaker” English teacher?” An analysis of the prejudices surrounding non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) and the obstacles for fostering cooperation between NNESTs and native English speaker teachers (NESTs) in ESL courses in Indonesia. Word count 2997 The spread of English across the globe in recent years had led to English being taught by many more NNESTs, a shift which has produced as many inconsistencies as it has benefits for both students and the teachers themselves. This paper will examine the types, level and origins of discrimination faced by NNESTs in the EF franchise of English language schools in Indonesia of which the author has 10 years’ experience working in. It will also assess the obstacles which hinder cooperation between NESTs and NNESTs within this context. The number of NNESTs is now at an all time high worldwide, fuelled by the rapid growth in the popularity of English language learning (Graddol 2006). Canagarajah (2005) estimates that NNESTs account for 80% of all English teachers, across both non-English and English speaking countries. Issues surrounding how NNESTs are viewed have become a hot topic for ESL school’s directors of studies, ESL students, parents of students (who want the best for their children, at the best price of course), NESTs and NNESTs (of themselves and each other) and not least the academics who write about the relative merits and demerits of each...
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