The Impossibility in the Quest for Adventure Essay Example for Free

The Impossibility in the Quest for Adventure Essay Growing up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, James Joyce experienced the hardships plaguing Irish society first-hand. Born just forty years after the Great Famine, he frequently heard about the mass suffering that killed over a million of the Irish people. This suffering continued even decades later as his family lived in dire poverty and constant struggle. To escape such harsh and stifling conditions, Joyce spent much of his youth wandering the streets of Dublin. As a result, many of his struggles and realizations mirror the struggles and realizations of the characters in his short stories. In Eveline and A Little Cloud, Joyce emphasizes the futility he found in the quest for adventure in order to escape reality. In his short story Eveline, Joyce illustrates the impossibility of escaping from the harsh realities of a difficult home situation and an abusive father. Joyce describes how even though Eveline was nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her fathers violence(33). However, not only is she physically in danger but she is also emotionally suffocated by her difficult and restricted life. For example, she has to give all of her wages to her father, keep the house together, and watch over her two younger siblings. This suffocation exists throughout the story, through the image of the dusty cretonne. Joyce describes how Eveline would [lean] her head against the window curtain, inhaling the odor of the dusty cretonne(35). Symbolically, Eveline is suffocated by her feelings of nostalgia and obligation to stay home and fulfill her domestic duties. She thinks about running off with her lover Frank to Buenos Ayres to escape this stifled environment and make her happier and more fulfilled. At the same time, however, she constantly struggles with the idea of leaving home. Joyce emphasizes the impossibility of escape throughout the story as Eveline [weighs] each side of the questions(32). She notes that on one hand, leaving home would mean she would leave the people she had known her whole life and would also prevent her fulfilling the promise she had made to her dead mother to stay. She also worried about what people would say if she ran away with Frank. However, only a few sentences later, she expresses her desire to travel to a distant unknown country where she would be married and where people would treat her with respect(33). Evelines conflict climaxes at the end of the story when she cant bring herself to board the ship to Buenos Ayres with Frank. Joyce describes how all the seas of the world tumbled about her heart and how Frank would drown her(36). Just as the dusty cretonne of her home situation is suffocating, Evelines quest for adventure and escape from that situation make her feel as if she is drowning. In both cases she emblematically cannot breathe. In the end, her nostalgia, promise to her mother, and her fear of the unknown that prevent her from fulfilling her quest for adventure and relieving her from her everyday struggles. Little Chandler in Joyces short story A Little Cloud has a similar epiphany. He too is lured to the quest for adventure but eventually realizes the futility in his pursuit. His desire to escape from the ordinariness of his life is first seen when he meets with his old friend Ignatius Gallaher who has traveled the world and become a successful journalist. As Gallaher talks about his experiences, Little Chandler reflects on what stood in his way of becoming what he wanted to be in life-a poet. He comments that he was sure that he could do something better than his friend had ever done, or could ever do yet he questions what stood in his way. After he returns home he thinks more about Gallehers adventures and compares them to what he sees as his dull existence. For example, as he looks at a picture of his wife he notes that the composure of [her] eyes irritated and repelled him. He also notices that they had no passion, especially when compared to the rich Jewesses that Gallaher had described so vividly. Little Chandler noted how their dark, oriental eyes were so full of passion and asked himself why had he married the eyes in the photograph?(81). At this point, Little Chandlers desire for adventure is seen most clearly. He asks himself could he not escape from his little house? Was it too late for him to try to live bravely like Gallaher?(81). As he holds his child in his arms his question is answered; he realizes that his quest is hopeless. As the child cries, the poems that Little Chandler had been reading become less and less auditable. The poems, written by a romantic Irish poet, seem to represent the possibility for Little Chandler to escape. As the childs cries take over the poetry, reality also takes over the possibility of adventure and escape for Little Chandler. He now realizes that he is in fact a prisoner for life(82).

Female Deception in Aristophanes Essays -- Aristophanes Women Thesmoph

Female Deception in Aristophanes The sly, deceptive nature of women in Ancient Greece is a prominent theme in the comic plays of Aristophanes. Like many other Grecian writers, his depiction of crimes committed by women slanders their reputation and reinforces the negative female stereotypes of the times. Yet when one looks at the issue through the eyes of the female characters in his plays, women’s deception appears to be not only natural, but even praiseworthy for its reliability and aide in leadership, and is relatively insubstantial compared to the crimes committed by men. In particular, his two plays Women at the Thesmophoria and Assemblywomen show that female attitudes about deception were varied depending on the crime, and that if a woman’s deception was for a good cause it was pardoned in the eyes of her fellow matrons. In Women at the Thesmophoria, a Kinsman of Euripides disguises himself as a woman and sneaks into the festival of the Thesmophoria in order to defend the tragic poet, who the women want to kill because he slanders them in his plays. In her speech against him at the festival, Mika complains that he calls them â€Å"lover-bangers, nymphos, wine-oglers, disloyal, chattery, unwholesome, the bane of men’s lives† (lines 431-432). On the one hand, these women do not deny the charges Euripides brings against them but seem only to want to continue getting away with them without being caught, ironically giving proof to their deceptive nature. In lines 384-396 the female Herald actually admits that these types of crimes do occur in the household. However, the women’s acceptance of them varies. While they defend the practice of baby-swapping, they denounce women who betray lovers, elderly women who steal youn... ...n of deceit in women by no means lessens the restrictions on gender roles and norms in Ancient Greek society, it suggests that women’s opinions on deception were much more tolerant if the circumstances behind the deceit made it excusable. Women seem to view their own deception as innate, useful in certain situations, and insignificant compared to the vulgar, selfish acts of men. The combination of these female attitudes with those of the male characters gives women’s deceit both positive as well as negative connotations. Whether a male comedian’s perception of women’s attitudes about deceit reflects actual female opinion or not is still to be contested, but even by poking fun at women’s ability to rule Aristophanes is giving the Athenian women some voice about their own deceptive characteristics and creates a more well-rounded look at female deception as a whole.

Video Games Cause Violence

Video Games Cause Violence Video game violence is an increasing problem in today’s youth with violence as one of the most popular themes. Games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty are among the most popular games and have been scientifically proven to have a major effect on teens. Many people try to argue that there is a difference in the effects between genders, however it has been proven wrong. Video games have the same effects as other forms of entertainment but do not get attacked like video games because the other forms are much larger than video games and have a much wider audience. Violence in video games is a rising problem in the United States, causing teens to have less self-control and more emotional disturbances, requiring more attention from parents and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Background Violent video games are gaining popularity around the world and are causing more and more problems among teen violence. Seventy-seven percent of people between ages 14 and 18 who took place in a survey reported that they play fighting or shooting games sixty-seven percent of the total time that they play games. Rashawn Blanchard, author of â€Å"Video Games Do Not Cause Violence†, stated â€Å"violence in video games simply helps players find release from the frustrations in their daily lives. † The survey also supported this with most people saying that it is just a game and that they play it to release their anger on something fake that cannot hurt anyone in the real world. They say it all depends on the person though; everyone is different and react to things differently. Younger players would be more influenced by the games, while older players would know what is fake and real. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates all the games that are sold to the public. The ESRB rates the games among the content in the games, whether it is a learning games to teach younger kids or a game that you are a person working for the mob, killing people and earning cash to go pay a prostitute. Some people say that the ESRB needs to be stricter to stop younger players from playing more mature games, while others say the ESRB needs to be less strict because if the kid wants it the parents are most likely going to get it for them to make them happy. The ESRB gives parents the ability to make decisions about the video games they choose for their families through the age and content ratings depending on the action in the game and what it allows you to do. One incident was on April 20, 1999, in the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. When the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead. Klebold and Harris seemed to spend their time doing normal teenager activities. They worked together in a local pizza parlor, liked to play Doom (a computer game) in the afternoons, and worried about finding a date to the prom. For all outward appearances, the boys looked like normal teenagers. Looking back, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris obviously weren't your average teenagers (Rosenburg). It is hard to tell if someone is being affected by video games until they tell someone or act out their plan that that has been influenced by the violent games. Another incident happened in Germany when Tim Kretschmer dressed himself in black commando suit and opened fire at random at the Albertville-Realschule school in South Germany, killing nine students and three teachers, before fleeing the scene. He would later shoot another person near a psychiatric hospital, before hijacking a car and forcing the driver to take him to the nearby town of Wendlingen. Police eventually tracked him down and shot him dead, but not before a gunfight that claimed the lives of two more passers-by, and wounded two police officers. Germany's already strict gun laws are being examined in the wake of this shooting, while politicians cluck about violence in the media and look at videogames as a possible cause. The country already has a reputation for banning outright any games that offend their censors, and a lot of material fails to (legally) make it to German gamers without heavy edits. This latest murder spree is not going to help matters at all (Sterling). This type of actions could eventually spread to the United States and make it hard for game makers to make a violent game and cause them to lose prophet and go bankrupt having a small toll on the economy. The Effects of the Games Violent video games are significantly associated with: increased aggressive behavior, thoughts and also cause increased physiological arousal and decreased pro-social behavior (Anderson). At the Indiana University School of Medicine, researchers say that brain scans of kids who played a violent video game showed an increase in emotional arousal and a corresponding decrease of activity in brain areas involved in self-control, inhibition, and attention. However what was not clear was what the MRI images indicate a lingering–or worse- permanent effect on the child’s brain, and what the effects longer playing times might have (Kalning). All of which are negative effects. Evidence form brain scans in another test seem to support a connection between playing video games and activation of regions of the brain associated with aggression (Kierkegaard). In the test that Kristin Kalning observed, 44 teens were split into two groups with one group playing â€Å"Need for Speed: Underground† (non-violent) and the other group playing â€Å"Medal of Honor: Frontlines† (violent). The scans showed a negative effect on the teens who played â€Å"Medal of Honor: Frontlines† for 30 minutes. The same effect was not present for the teens who played â€Å"Need for Speed: Underground†. In some cases the high levels of violent video game exposure have been linked to delinquency, fighting at school, and violent criminal behavior (Anderson), which would also support what happened at Columbine High School and in Germany. After visiting the Video Gamers Voters website I found many facts such as: Sixty-seven percent of American heads of households play computer and video games, which would allow these types of players to have more access to weapons. However people at the age old enough to be head of household would know what is right and what is wrong and would have less chances to do something bad. The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years. With the average age being that high, it might lead to problems with the ESRB restricting younger players from playing more violent games and not damage the industry. Eighty-six percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents' permission when renting or buying games, and 91 percent say their parents are present when they buy games. With the parents approving the games there would be less chances for a young player to play games over the age limit. Thirty-six percent of American parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together. With the parents participating in the games with the children there would be more guidance for the children to prevent the violent behaviors and the parents could also explain the different things that might happen in the game. Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (31%) than boys age 17 or younger (20%). Which leads to PC Magazine saying that women have receive less effects than men, however they are not as likely to play a violent video game reducing the amount of violent video games sold. In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999. With a wider audience playing video games more people will understand the effects of the games and will work to prevent it. Forty-nine percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. With the online play it can not be controlled to what other people do or say to each other, maybe causing other players to get angry and want to release on something else. 97 percent of the people that participated in a survey at Pasco High School stated that they played online most of the time that they played video games exposing them to more uncontrollable violent behavior. After conducting a survey among 57 peers at Pasco High School, I found that 11 of those 57 did not play video games at all. 1 percent of the males that participated in the survey did not play video games. 75 percent of the males surveyed played violent video games with 71 percent playing them most, if not all, of the time. Among the ones that played the violent video games, 100 percent of their parents approved the games and bought the games for them. 31 percent of the females surveyed do not play video games. 53 percent o f the females that play video games play violent ones. The females that played the violent games played them most of the time, with all their parents approving. How to Solve the Problem One way of solving the problem is for the ESRB to become stricter. Most of the gamers do not want this to happen and think it should be less strict allowing them to play the games that they want to play. However with all the crimes committed by younger people being blamed on video games the ESRB might not have a choice and be forced to raise the age limits for the more violent games. Another is for parents to control the games the kids play and not allow them to play the more vulgar games. Parents should not only know what the games are they should know what is in the games to see if they approve the games. If the parents just don’t care about the games the kids have more chances of being effected by the games and become more violent, making it partially the parents fault for not supervising their kids and allowing them to play the games. Another very unlikely thing to do is for the players to not play nearly as long as they normally would. This would reduce the effects on the players and still allow them to play. With the kids not playing as long it would allow them to do other things such as homework or go outside and play giving them exercise, however it is not something that the players want because most are addicted to the games. Any of these would drastically reduce the violent behavior and most likely reduce other problems in society. Violence in video games is a mounting problem in our society and needs to be stopped. In order for things to change everyone needs do their part to solve the problem and stick to what they choose. Once this is done the society will be much better.

Analysis Of Framed Sanford Levinson s The Current State...

In the book Framed Sanford Levinson discussed the current state of government and the Constitution. He discusses many aspects of the Constitution, including all of its flaws, offering solutions to fix these, and even suggesting that we are overdue for a new one. Levinson begins his argument with discussing aspects of Government that did not work and the only way a solution can be made is with awareness that the issue even exists. When Sanford Levinson was writing this book the 2012 campaign was happening. With the campaign occurring this means there are going to be new policies being made, propositions are being proposed, and many changes can be made with all of these new decisions being made. With all of these new decisions being discussed Levinson brings up many that have occurred in the past dues to disagreements, such as the brief government shut down due to irreconcilable differences between Newt Gingrich and President Clinton and near shut down in 2011 due to a last-minute comp romise Between President Obama and John Boehner. He also brings up many of Americans opinions on the government and many of the different branches of government. For example he brings up the SP analysis that â€Å"reflects the widespread view that the American political system has become profoundly dysfunctional,† as well as the statistics that show only twelve percent of American public approve of the Congress, and also noting that, taken from a poll, eighty-one percent were dissatisfied with how