The Second Contribution
The Emperor’s New Clothes by Vilhelm Pedersen
Clothes makes the man
When I tell you to visualize Superman, Batman or any superhero, what immediately comes to mind? You may think that it’s their powers set them apart, but really, it’s their outfits that make them each so uniquely memorable.
Despite you might say that it is his powers that make him superman, it is his suit that tells everyone who he is. Simply put, I am talking about projecting your identity through your external appearances. As a student of communication and social sciences, I understand that the way you project yourself is how others perceive you as a company or an individual.
You know that old saying? Don’t judge a book by its covers? Throw that saying away! Because whether we like it or not and whether its right or wrong, people do judge based on appearances. It’s a sad but true fact of the world we live in. An example, if you were a millionaire, and one day, out of boredom, you decide to dress up like a beggar. When you a take a stroll in the park, would people see you as a millionaire or a beggar?
Whether it is the first date or that very important job interview, most people would firstly consider what they would wear on that occasion. Why? Because we know, if we were to employ someone, or get involved with them romantically, we would first think about how they have impressed us. We can’t control our DNA, so we can’t control our facial features, and unless you are rich enough for plastic surgery. The one thing we can control is the way we look and carry ourselves. And that’s the key to a good impression, because it’s pretty much impossible to impress upon others your good character, your amazing personality or whatever traits you might possess all within the first few minutes of meeting someone new, so indeed we must leave it up to our appearances to make a good first impression.
Most of the time, before we even open our mouths, our appearances have already communicated what we are really like to those around us. I am sure most of us here have seen a person walk pass and without even so much as a “Hello!”, you’ve already decided what kind of character that this person might have. If he dress formally, you would conclude that he were a business man. If he were in black, he is obviously a goth.
Put yourself in this situation. Imagine you are a person who is generally clean and neat, and on way to an important meeting, you have somehow managed wrinkle your suit and get stains on it. When meeting your prospective client, and he sees that mess. Do you think he would believe that your are responsible and capable enough to handle his account seeing as how you are not even capable of taking care of yourself. Despite how capable you are, if you are perceived otherwise, you have already lost the account. And the tool to manipulate this perception, is… well, you are wearing it right now as you sit there reading this.
The way you project yourself is what makes or breaks you. However, while this effects how other people perceive you, you must not forget, that the very first person who sees you every day, is actually yourself. Perception of one self, believe it or not, can also be largely impacted by what you see on yourself. You’d say, confidence is supposed to be an intrinsic emotion, but most of the time, it is built by extrinsic appearances. That is why women would spend their hard-earned salary for branded clothes and to get their hair done in the newest fashion. And these days, the same can be said for many guys. By wearing something good or attractive, it makes us believe that we are as good and attractive. But sometimes it works as a form of reinforcement for an existing feeling. An example, ever wake up one morning, feeling lousy, so you grab any clothes you can find and put it on, and then go out. Then, when you are out of the house, you suddenly feel self-conscious about how you look. You wonder when someone would suddenly jump out and exclaim “Have you no fashion sense?”, and this ends up effecting your mood and how you feel about yourself throughout the day.
Generally, you come to believe something by what you see. Despite the fact that I have used clothes in each of my examples, what I am saying is definitely not limited by just clothes. It encompasses a large variety of things that could project your identity, be it your car or accessories. And of course, it is false that perception of a person is solely based on appearance, but to gain better understanding of a person requires time, but if you don’t have a good impression of a person in the first place, would you even bother to stay back and gain that “better understanding”.
So, what I suggest to you all is this, the only way for you to be seen as confident and comfortable as who you are is to always make sure you present yourself as such not just to others but also to yourself, turn that projection into a belief and it will definitely take you places. An English writer, Robert Oxton Bolton once said, “A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses. It is an idea that possesses the mind.” When you believe you are as good or attractive as that person in the mirror, you will be.
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The Third Contribution
The Pharos of Alexandria by Martin Heemskerck
Passion, the indistinguishable flame
One day, I was asked what I considered timelessly beautiful. At that very instance, I could not answer as thoughts of what might represent or be timeless beauty rushed through my head were simply too many. I stood there dumbfounded. I’ve actually never considered this before. So, I had only one obvious option, and that was to ask my ever knowledgeable friends… and the answers I received included material or physical things like diamonds, the migration of birds, a book, a tree and a smile. Some others offered answers of intangible things, such as knowledge and life itself. None of them particularly appealed to me, though I do believe that a smile is beautiful…after all, when I smile, I am stunning!
One answer, given to me by my father, caught my attention, and it was… passion. Intrigued, I then asked him to explain why. He said that passion is a love for something that is so strong that people are willing to sacrifice time, effort, blood, sweat and tears for it. He believed that there is no such thing as a material/physical timeless beauty, because beautiful people grow old(even with plastic surgery) beautiful works by one man can be destroyed by another, the beauty of this very planet is currently at stake of being destroyed by its very own inhabitants pollutions. Passion, however, is an indistinguishable flame that can lead people to do extraordinary things. So why is passion timelessly beautiful? The reason is that passion lives in everyone. As long as we are capable of loving, we are capable of passion, and we will be capable of accomplishing the impossible.
Then I said, if passion only exists as we do, does that not mean that when the human race has (touch wood) come to extinction, passion will also no longer exist as well, how does that make it timelessly beautiful? Then my father calmly replied “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, there is only beauty when there are beholders”. Which is to say, if the human race were to become extinct tomorrow, nothing would continue to be beautiful for there is no-one left to see it as such.
Proof of the beauty of passion can be seen, back when the prophets of the various religions continued to spread their teachings and fulfill their holy missions despite the sufferings and pains inflicted by those that opposed them. Their teachings which they had fought so hard for has brought enlightenment into the lives of those back then who had been ignorant, selfish and unwilling to advance. The revolutions that was made back then by these teachings, allows us to be who we are today.
Passion, in literature and women, drove Shakespeare to create the wonderful stories and poems that children study in classrooms from generation to generation, making English literature the way it is today. Martin Luther King passionately fought against racial segregation in America and indeed, the impact it has can be clearly be seen today, with a newly elected first African American President, Barack Obama. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder are both blind, but even with these limitations, they have created music that touched the hearts of thousands, and are both now well-respected figures of music history who paved the way music is now.
Driving may be to us, merely a form of transportation to take us from point A to B. But the passion in driving was what drove Michael Schumacher, the 7 times Grand Prix champion, to be the best driver in World, going through vigorous training and risking his life each time he set out on the track. And in doing so, brought the technology of cars to new heights. In 1997, much closer to home, 2 men, from the sunny country of Malaysia braved the icy weathers of Mount Everest with their lives at stake, representing Malaysia to be the first South East Asian country to place a flag on top of the world’s highest peak.
The recent Olympic games is perhaps the greatest display of the beauty of passion, athletes dedicating every minute and every breath living and practicing their sport years before the game not just to entertain the world, but also to push beyond the physical human limitations and set new world records. The flawless coordination for the opening and closing ceremonies were also proof of how passionately the volunteers practiced their performances months before the games, they all did so in order that their country could stand proud and tall in the eyes of the world.
These are, my friends, the power and beauty of passion. But of course, it is true that extreme passion has led to the loss and scarring of many lives. After all, it is as the French writer, Voltaire Zadig, once said, “Passions are the winds which fill the sails of the human vessel; it may sink it; but without the winds of passion a person cannot make his way.” But I say, people have used the winds to navigate to their destinations many times before, so why not the winds of passion?
I believe that the wonders that has been brought to us by the passionate people who I have mentioned before, and those like them, far outweighs the dread that has been brought by the misdirected. Therefore, before I end, I would like to say, a diamond cannot be beautiful unless the diamond cutter is passionate about what he does, a book cannot be beautiful if the writer cannot write with passion, a tree cannot grow if there is no one left to be passionate enough to protect it and let it grow. Life itself is not beautiful, but when you choose to live your life with a passion for goodness and the betterment of the world, then your life shall be timelessly beautiful. You are after all the true beholder of the life you lead.
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The Fourth Contribution
Crossroads
My bags were packed placed in from of the door way but I can’t seem to leave this place, how could I? Its home, filled with so many memories and dreams. It is suppose to be the house my children will grow up in, a house for my husband and children to come home to. Why did he have to go ruin it? Why? Why? Is that women more attractive than I am? Was there something in our marriage that went wrong? Have I not been a good wife? How could he cheat on me!
So many things were going through my mind, I’m so confused, should I leave him? Should I stay? What should I do? I stood there staring at the door, just trying to convince myself to step out of that door and never turn back but I just can’t, not yet. I still can remember, as if it was just yesterday he brought me to my favorite restaurant Le Bernardin where we had our first date, he had lobster and I had salmon. After eating dinner we were just talking about our day at work over a cup of coffee that’s when he looked me in the eyes got down on one knee
‘You are the woman of my dreams and I have been a fool not to have done this sooner’ he said and then pulled out a ring ‘Emily I love you with all my heart and I will love you till the day I die. Will you marry me?’ he said
I was so shocked by his sudden proposal,
‘Yes! Yes Matthew yes! I will marry you’. I screamed immediately
Just thinking about it still makes me smile. How did just merely 5 years of marriage lead to this.
I should have knew, there were so many signs, late night meetings, frequent business trips, client meetings and other excuses he uses to answer my questions. Why did I ignored them? On that day he was so shocked when I caught him kissing that other woman at the island diner, I bet he didn’t suspect me to go there since it was in the other side of town, and I wouldn’t have if Amy from the bookstore hasn’t suggested its famous waffles. I was so furious when I saw him kissing that woman; I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to go over to yell at him, slap him or do something but I didn’t. I just went over there and looked him in the eye then walked away. He didn’t even come after me to explain. He just let me go. Then just comes home and pretend it never happened! I should have slapped him.
‘Sigh. What am I suppose to do now? Where am I suppose to go?’ I said out loud.
I looked at my bags by the door way they were ready to get out of this place but my heart is not ready to leave.
‘Cuckoo, cuckoo’ the clock rang, it has strike 5, I did not notice that I have been sitting here for hours. I feel so confused, so lost and alone what should I do? I felt tears rolling down my cheeks; I let them flow for I have made my decision. I gather up my courage wiped my tears away and thought to myself ‘this is the last time I would ever shed tears for this man, he does not deserve my tears’
‘I’ll figure something out, I don’t need him’ I said to myself
Then picked up my bags open the door and I stepped out. Then got into my car I took one last glance of the house thinking about all those my sweet memories then leaving it all behind together with my past. Then taking one deep breath I stepped on the accelerator and drive off never looking back.
~ Valerie
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The Fifth Contribution
New Harmony by Robert Owen
The Possibility of Utopia
In my honest humble opinion, Utopia is possible.
The focus that you have in your post are all about the government, and the kinds of practice they impose, are merely like policies.
In order to, as you say,share health, harmony, and happiness together. I believe unity is the answer. Not peace. For unity is true, while peace can be false.
However, not in one so called policy in which a government wants to impose…instead, make it a practice by the people.
In my perspective as a organizational communicator, we believe that policies are merely one part of the entire picture…that’s why, if a policy is to be implemented, focus must be put on those that are the recipients of these policies and executes them,not just the policy itself. Efforts will have to be put into educating and training them in a way they would stand united when the organization is put to a test, or in this context of a nation.
Based on an individual level, people in general are different, this can be visibly obvious. But I am sure you all realize that the things that you are exposed to throughout your lifetime, be it your parents, friends, culture, education and experience forms the belief and philosophies you have in life are what makes each us different. And in my opinion, the kinds of things that we are exposed to these days are dominated by those are negative in nature, valueing money more than life, self interest more than making the interest of others as our own interest. We are selfish and materialistic only because that is the way people have acted throughtout history, and because we continously see these values. But the opposite is very possible,and I have met many people like that.
So say for example, we were to start now, to value virtues, to value the interest of others, to value God’s teachings, perhaps in a thousand years, when it has finally becomes a norm, would that not make Utopia more possible. The way society is today is due to prolonged practice, skewed, but have done these things for a long time. So, I ask…if back then, the practice are skewed to the other side, would Utopia not be the logical outcome?
I stated that efforts must be placed in educating the people,I do not mean just schools, we obviously know that most religions are already teaching these values, but if this education were to start since the day a baby was born, dare you say, that this baby would not grow up to be a well rounded virtuous individual? Place it in a larger context, if all were taught in this way to share,tolerate differences and unite in diversity,you will see why I say that Utopia is possible…it just takes time.
Communism or any of the other practices brought up for that matter, failed, because they tried to change the country and how it runs. But the people still had their own existing values and beliefs that either differs or outright opposes their own government’s, no one was truly united in that sense. I belief it is not the policy but the practice by the people that is going to make Utopia possible. It will take everyone of us.
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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the most famous poems written during the medieval period. This infamous essay by Geoffrey Chaucer was written in year 1387 to 1400, and it is a poem that depicts the journey of a group of pilgrims who traveled together to Canterbury for religious reasons. The Canterbury Tales is a reflection of the time and period in which Chaucer lived as many of the characteristics of the political and sociological status at the time was reflected in the poem. Hence, the best approach to study this text would be using the historical/biographical criticism.
Historical/Biographical criticism is an approach to study literature by understanding the time in which the author lived, and also the author’s life. Historical/Biographical critics believed that in order for an individual to truly understand the work of an author, one must first understand the background of the author as the work would be a reflection of the author’s life and times (Kautzman, 2005). Therefore, The Canterbury Tales is a reflection of Chaucer’s life and times in which he wrote the poem.
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London to a wealthy family of merchants. (Online- Literature, 2009). He became well-known as a poet for he made a crucial contribution to the English literature by writing his work in English rather than using Latin, which was famous during that period of time (Online-Literature, 2009). Chaucer was born in the period of time where many significant events had occurred. In examples, the 100 years war between the two royals of the French throne and the black plague which had hit England and had taken many lives.
In 1359 to 1360, Chaucer went to war with France under the army of King Edward III (Online-Literature, 2009). This shows that Chaucer was once in the army, and so he may thinks highly of the position as it was shown in the poem. “There was a KNIGHT, a most distinguished man.” (Chaucer). Other than that, because Chaucer had served in the army before, he made the knight in the poem seemed honorable, wise and humble. “And though so much distinguished, he was wise. And in his bearing modest as a maid…He never yet a boorish thing had said.” (Chaucer). This shows that the poem was a reflection of the author’s life as a soldier in the army.
During the medieval period, Feudalism was practiced where there are social hierarchies among men. God has the highest importance, followed by kings and royals, nobles, artists and peasants. This political status was reflected in the poem through character of the rich woman from BATH city. She was a rich widow as it was mentioned in the poem. “Her kerchiefs were finely woven ground; I dared have sworn they weight a good ten pound.” (Chaucer). This woman from BATH city might have been noble and that her status is high among the others. This made the people afraid of her and dare not cross her path; for fear that they might infuriate her as it was shown in the poem. “In all the parish not a dame dared stir, towards the altar steps in front of her. And if indeed they did, so wrath was she. As to be put out of charity.” (Chaucer). This shows that the social hierarchy system that was shown in the poem was a reflection on the political condition during the period of time in which Chaucer lived.
Religion played a huge part in the sociological context in which this poem was written and things that were happened during the period of time were usually defined by the church and God. As this poem is about a group of pilgrims who journeyed all the way to Canterbury to offer their blessings to saints, it reflected the society during the time in which they place high importance on religion as it was during the medieval times. “And palmers long to seek the stranger strands. Of far off saints, hallowed in sundry lands, and especially from every shire’s end. In England down to Canterbury they wend. To seek the holy blissful martyr, quick in giving help to them when they were sick.” (Chaucer).
Out of the nine characters that were mentioned in the poem, there were two nuns, three priests and a monk. This is a reflection of Chaucer’s time as religion was given high importance as most of the people in the society had religious occupations as portrayed in the poem. Other than that, religious places were often mentioned in the poem that it mirrored the high status of Christianity during Chaucer’s time period. In example, “And she had thrice been to Jerusalem…St James of Compostella and Cologne.” (Chaucer).
The monk that was mentioned in the poem was different than other religious leaders as he hunts for meats for many of the other religion leaders do not. This might have been a reflection to the time in which Chaucer lived that some individuals within the society had begun to change from the expectations of the society. People began to slowly rebel against the idea of the church and it was shown through the monk as he hunts animals, which most monks do not. He tends to think more modernly than the minds of others as Chaucer has portrayed it, “He let go by the things of yesterday, and took modern world’s more spacious way.” (Chaucer). Therefore, it is a reflection during the time of Chaucer in which some individuals might have started to think differently than the conservative minds of the others and the expectations of the church which might have lead to the reformation period.
The stereotyping of women as weak and vulnerable in the poem was also reflection in Chaucer’s time of life. During the medieval period, men were often seen as the muscular and strong while women were often portrayed as weak and vulnerable. This was shown in the poem when Chaucer described all men in the poem as strong and tough. In example, the knight was portrayed as honest and skillful. “Truth, honor, generousness and courtesy. He had done nobly in his sovereign’s war, and ridden in battle, no man more.” (Chaucer). This squire was also depicted as a man who is strong. “In stature he was of a moderate length, with wonderful agility and strength.” (Chaucer). While the males were depict as muscular and strong, Chaucer portrayed the women in the poem to be gentle and weak as how he portrayed the nuns in the poem. “She use to weep if she saw but a mouse, caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding.” (Chaucer). Therefore, stereotyping of women in the poem was a reflection of the status of women in the society in which the time Chaucer lived.
In conclusion, historical/biographical criticism is the best approach to study and analyze The Canterbury Tales as it is a poem that reflects the political and sociological status during the medieval period.
~ Li Ann
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Over the years, many individuals have fought passionately to change laws that they felt were unjust. The most famous among them was Martin Luther King Jr. King was born in Atlanta, to a long line of Baptist ministers. His father was a leading minister in Atlanta and his family is one of the most prominent black families in the South. King has faced much criticism throughout his career, but he has never succumbed to them. Therefore, his strategy of civil disobedience and his philosophy of non-violent resistance made him one of the most influential Americans to ever live.
On December 1955, King led a group of people to boycott the Montgomery bus services, when Rosa Parks, a colored woman refused to give up her seat to a white person. Due to this incident, an organization called the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed. King was elected as head of this organization. He fought hard on this issue with non-violent protests and this lasted a year. At 1965, the Supreme Court finally declared Alabama’s segregation law unconstitutional and Montgomery buses were desegregated (Carson 15). Therefore, because of his actions, there was no longer any racial discrimination in Montgomery.
Other than that, King also plays a huge part on the social discrimination in Birmingham, when all public parks and facilities were closed to keep them from being integrated. King was put to prison due to his protests, and in his cell, he wrote a letter to expose the moral failings of white ministers in Birmingham. He state that the entire world belongs to God, and there can be no separation of church and state, or society and church. As a result of his efforts, the nation was galvanized to change the system of segregation and racial proscription that had reigned since Civil War (Matthew 80).
In 1967, King led a march on Washington where 25,000 white and black people railed in support of the civil rights bill that was pending on Congress. Near the end of the protests, at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, he delivered a speech called “I Have a Dream.” (Seattle Times 46). This speech is about how he dreams of a society in which people were not judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. This march and his speech led the civil rights protests to be spread throughout the nation, and his goal of equal rights to all African-American has been accomplished.
King has also plays a part in stopping the war in Vietnam, when he announced his opposition of American involvement in the war, and called for negotiations with the National Liberation Font (Carson et al 7). He requested them to immediately stop the bombings in North Vietnam, but was advised by the government officials instead to remain quiet on this issue and to just focus on the civil rights. However, King did not succumb to them, and continues to approach this issue. King fought so hard to stop the American involvement in the war that in April 1967, he led thousands of demonstrators on an anti-war march to the United Nations. Although the Vietnam War only ended five years after his death, many people believed that it is because of him, who fought hard on this issue, that a peace treaty declaring the independent nations of South and North Vietnam was signed.
Apart from that, King did not only change the course of American history, and bring fundamental changes in relationships to the African-Americans and whites, but he had also made many contributions to the world around him. For instance, he was almost single-handedly responsible for a major change in American public opinion where justice is concerned. He fights for justice in the idiom of evangelical religion, and whoever denies his appeal, would means that they deny the faith he is proclaiming. Therefore, he was able to transform religious fervor into social action, and was also able to convert the religiosity of people into a passion for justice.
Therefore, Martin Luther King Jr. is definitely an influential person as he had plays such important role in the social change in America. To this day, Martin Luther King Jr. will remain as a symbol of the African-American struggle for civil rights, and his method of non-violence actions will always be used as an example in war and protests.
~ Li Ann
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The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre Dumas is a story about the life of Edmond Dantes, a young and innocent man that was falsely accused and convicted for the offence of being a traitor to his country and was sentenced to life imprisonment on an island known as the Chateau d’If. In prison, Edmond met an abbe who imparted him with the knowledge of his imprisonment and he made him realized that it was his friends and the crown prosecutor that have betrayed him and confined him to prison. Thus, he began to feel vengeful towards the three men that were responsible for his incarceration. Through the revenge plan, Edmond has slowly changed from a nice, honest and kind man to a mad and cruel beast, as he become obsessed in seeking vengeance towards those that has done him wrong and caused his sufferings and pains. This story by Alexandre Dumas tells that revenge is a fruitless effort and it can poison the character of one very good man.
Edmond Dantes was firstly portrayed as a kind, honest and loving man in the beginning of the story. He loves his father unconditionally, respects his employer and adores his fiancée, Mercedes. These could be seen in the story when Edmond declined his employer’s offer to dine together because he was anxious to see both his father and his fiancée. “Please Monsieur Morrel, I beg you to excuse me, but the first thing I must do is to visit my father” (12). “I must beg you once more to forgive me, but after that first visit, there is another that is no less important to me” (13). Other than that, Dantes was also a very kind man as he even tried to think of nice and good things of Caderousse, a man whom he very much dislikes, and it could be seen in the story when he said, “There’s a fellow who says one thing, and thinks another. “No matter. He is a neighbor who has helped us in the past, so let him in” (18). According to SparkNotes, Dantes was naturally intelligent and a man of few opinion (2). All of these show that Dantes has a good nature in himself, and that he was well loved and respected in the beginning of the story.
Dantes undergoes a great change after he escaped from the prison. He became a different person and had gained a new appearance that reflected on his new personality and feelings. “The knowledge that he had acquired gave a look of intelligent self-confidence to his face” (214). Other than that, Dantes has also obtained a new appearance that reflects his anger towards the world and the society. “His eyebrows arched under a single, pensive line and his eyes themselves were imprinted with deep sadness, behind which from time to time could be seen dark flashes of misanthropy and hatred” (214). Dantes has become very obsessed in revenging his injustice that it was also being portrayed by his new look. “In addition, having been constantly in darkness or half-light, his eyes had acquired remarkable ability of seeing in the dark, like those of wolves and hyenas” (214). This quote from the story shows that Dantes has changed both physically, and mentally. It also tells that Edmond is angry and frustrated with the events that have occurred in his life and that he is so full of hatred and anger and wants nothing but to revenge.
As the story develops, Edmond Dantes became possessed in revenging. He began secluding himself from society and other human beings, except for those that were involved in his revenge plan. According to SparkNotes, “Edmond Dantes moves through the world like an outsider, disconnected from any human community and was only interested in carrying out his mission of revenge” (11). This shows that Edmond no longer has the ability of the capability to feel any emotions. He has become cold and emotionless due to the mental and physical torture he had faced in the 14 years of imprisonment at Chateau d’If. Edmond Dantes was so possessed in revenging over the wrongs that was committed against him that he became very irrational and used the treasure of Monte Cristo in his plan of revenge, although the abbe told him to spend it for his own enjoyment and not to use it for revengeful purposes, as he has already endured too much pain. “Hasten to Monte Cristo, take advantage of our fortune, enjoy it- you have suffered enough” (191). Dantes has become foolish and unreasonable because instead of spending the treasure wisely and for a better cause, he uses it only for his purpose of revenge. This could be seen when he spent a lot of money in buying unnecessary possessions, such as a shipping company, houses in France and Rome, wealthy carriages, horses and many more. “In Rome, you spent fifty thousand piastres in furnishing and apartment for yourself” (465). Through Dantes, it shows that revenge can change the true good nature of one man.
Edmond Dantes has also become very cruel and heartless as the story progress. Initially, Edmond planned to only seek revenge on the three men that had committed wrongs against him. However, as he goes along with his plan, he began to seek revenge on the family members of the man that had committed fault against him as well. An example of this would be on Monsieur de Villefort’s family. Monsieur de Villefort was the crown prosecutor who did wrong on Dantes by sentencing him to 14 years of imprisonment for a crime hat he did not commit. Dantes began to murder his family members by indicating to Madame de Villefort that the medicine would work as a poison, as he knows that she would easily be influenced. “Just remember one thing: in small doses this is a cure, in large ones, a poison. One drop may restore life, as you have seen; five or six would certainly kill, and all the more frightfully because, if dissolved into a glass of wine, they would not alter the taste in the slightest. But I must stop, Madame, or I shall seem to be giving you advice” (596). Dantes did not only commit these inhumane crimes on the Villefort’s, but also on the family members of Danglar’s and the de Morcef’s as well. This shows that Dantes has changed into someone cruel and heartless due to the obsession of wanting to revenge.
Towards the end of the story, Dantes began to realize that the things that he had done and the plan to seek revenge which he had spend so much time and money on was useless and effortless. It did nothing to him but to cause him more pain and misery. He realized that he was not at all happier after committing the revenge, but had made him more depressed and angry with his life so much that he felt he could no longer be happy. This can be seen from the story when he said, “What is happening to me is what happens to people who are wounded in a dream: they look at their wound and they feel it but they could not remember how it was caused” (1195). According to SparkNotes, “Dantes only managed to forgive the people who have committed the wrongs against him is when he realized that he had done wrong in killing many people, even those who had not committed any wrong against him”. From it also, Dantes realized that he had changed and had become a different person. Dantes became more depressed when he began to wonder if the ingenious plan for revenge he had has brought him nothing but madness in his life. “I cannot accept this idea, because it would drive me mad” (1195). This shows that Dantes had finally realized that there is no point in revenging towards the people that has done him wrong and he should instead live his life happily after all the ordeal that he has faced.
In the end, Edmond Dantes realized and understood that he had made some mistakes in choosing to revenge instead of enjoying his life and be happy. He finally chose to forgive the people that have done him wrong and to forget about the past. He realized that he was happier and much lighter without burden when he chose to forgive them. Edmond then gave up all the fortune that he had and the remaining of the treasure of Monte Cristo to Maximilien, the only guy whom he really trusted and his fiancée, Valentine. Edmond then managed to find love again with Haydee, and decided that it would be the best if he moves on with his life and live happily humanly again. In conclusion, through this story, Dantes shows that seeking vengeance is effortless and it can change the nature of one good man. Dantes also revealed that it would be much better for one to forgive and forget rather than to seek revenge and be unhappy and depressed.
~ Li Ann
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Over the years, social scientists had been an important role in the study and understanding of human behavior. One of the famous social scientists is Max Weber, who is also an economist and a political scientist. Weber was born in Germany to a lawyer who was active in politics. He studied at Universities of Heidelburg and Strassburg which are both located in Germany where he majored in law, history, economics and philosophy. Weber’s work and his establishment of the understanding of sociology had made him one of the most prominent scientists in sociology.
Max Weber has contributed many to the world of sociology. One of his accomplishments is the infamous essay “The Protestantism and the Spirit of Capitalism”. In the essay, Weber tried to link the connection between Protestantism and capitalism. During the Renaissance period, Catholics influences were great that everything was defined by the church as an act of God. Catholic priests would have sales of indulgences, in which it requires offerings of food and clothing from the people, in hopes that their sins would be forgiven. These made many social scientists believed that capitalism started by the Catholics and during the Renaissance period, because the rich will always remain as the rich, while the poor will never get rich. Weber then argued and he tried to explain that the work ethics of the Protestants which is the system of “work-and-save” is exactly what gave rise to the world of capitalism (Max Weber, n.d.).
In 1909, Weber wrote a book known as the “Economy and Society” which he contributed his ideas of economics on the dual roles of idealism and materialism. This book has made Weber committed most of his time to study on China, India and ancient Judaism. After the book was published, Weber continued teaching and one of his famous lectures on “Universal Economic History” became famous and was published profusely by his students as lecture notes and it was later known as the “General Economic History”.
Max Weber is an important scientist to sociology because he made three new astonishing claims. He first claimed that “direct knowledge of facts is not possible” (Studio4Learning, 2008). According to Weber, this is because in a society, individual views a subject based on their own interpretation and opinion. Weber’s second claim was that the only way to study and analyze human behavior is to use ideal types which are descriptive features to define of a social group (Studio4Learning, 2008). His third and final claim was that “sociology should concern itself with how the individual function within the social setting” because as individuals have different interpretation, studying them individually would help understand how an individual perform in a society (Studioe4Learning, 2008).
In conclusion, Max Weber is definitely an important social scientist to the world of sociology and he was named as the founder of modern sociology. Weber will always be remembered as an influential social scientist and his theories will always be used and applied in the study of sociology.
~ Li Ann
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Posted by jamesesz on March 24, 2009
Lee Li Ann
0807c68948
English 4U
Mr. Benjamin Murray
March 24, 2009
Unit 2: Critical Analysis of Pride and Prejudice
The Secret of Mr. Darcy
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a novel that mainly depicts the love story between both the lead characters in the novel, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy’s love towards Elizabeth was portrayed by Jane Austen in the novel as the only source of interest emitted by Darcy towards other women. It was clearly showed that Darcy had only feelings for Elizabeth Bennet, for he ignored Miss Caroline Bingley’s affection towards him. However, the character of Mr. Darcy is largely misinterpreted by the readers, for Mr. Darcy is actually gay and is attracted to other characters of the same sex in the novel. Therefore, Mr. Darcy is homosexual and has affection towards Mr. Bingley and Mr. Wickham, while he only chooses to marry Elizabeth for she was the only female acquaintance of him that exerted masculinity.
Mr. Darcy is actually homosexual as it was portrayed in the novel through his affection towards Mr. Bingley. Darcy had feelings towards Bingley and it can be seen at the beginning of the novel at the Meryton ball. Darcy was given his first description in the novel as an egotistical man; “he was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world.” (Austen 7). In truth, Darcy wasn’t arrogant; he was just simply annoyed that many women at the ball had set eyes on Bingley and is afraid that Bingley might in return, find a woman in which he is attracted to. In order to hide his true affection towards Bingley, he refused to socialize during the ball and had secluded himself from the crowd that night; “declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room.” (Austen 7). Other evidence that can be seen at the Meryton ball to verify that Darcy is homosexual is when Bingley insisted on Darcy to dance, for there were many girls present at the ball. Darcy merely replied that he hated the thought of dancing with any of the ladies at the ball, and that it would be a torment to him, and it was shown in the novel, “I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it…there is not another woman in the room, whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.” (Austen 7). Other evidence that suggested Darcy is homosexual is when he admitted to Elizabeth Bennet that he was a part of the reason that the relationship between Bingley and Jane did not work out; “I had detached Mr. Bingley from your sister.” (Austen 150). This shows that Darcy had admitted that he deliberately made Bingley left Netherfield, to stop him from seeing Jane further. This is because he was actually afraid that the relationship between Bingley and Jane Bennet might develop further, for there was already a talk about marriage between the two of them. As soon as Darcy got to know from Sir William Lucas that Bingley intended to marry Jane, as it was shown in the novel, “by Sir William Lucas’s accidental information, that Bingley’s affections to your sister had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage. He spoke of it as a certain event.” (Austen 151). This made Darcy terrified, for he love Bingley and had decided that it was time to pull him out of Netherfield and took him back to London. Other than that, Darcy himself had hinted about his sexual orientation at the Meryton ball when he said that “she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” (Austen 7). This shows that Darcy had hinted his sexual orientation by stating that Elizabeth is not handsome enough to tempt him. Therefore, Mr. Darcy is homosexual for he is certainly attracted to Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Darcy also has affection towards Mr. Wickham. His affection towards Wickham started when he was a child. As Wickham is the godson of his late father, they were both raised together, and they spent time together when they were young as it was stated by Wickham in the novel; “We were born in the same parish, within the same park, the greatest part of our youths was passed together; inmates of the same house, sharing the same amusement, objects of the same parental care.” (Austen 61). This shows that Darcy had developed his affection towards Wickham since young for they were childhood friends. The suppose reason of Darcy’s resentment towards Wickham is that he had once tried to elope with his sister, Georgiana Darcy. In truth, Darcy was angry of Wickham for he had rejected his love, and had decided to elope with his sister instead. Georgiana soon realized her brother’s feelings for Wickham, and decided to stop the elopement for she loved her brother too much to elope with the man he loved; “unable to support the idea of grieving and offending a brother whom she almost looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to me.” (Austen 155). This shows that Georgiana decided to put a stop to her relationship with Wickham for she knows it would be devastating for her brother, who had loved Wickham dearly. Other than that, another evidence in the novel that strongly suggested Darcy’s affections towards Wickham can be seen when they both bumped into each other on the street. Darcy turned red in the face while Wickham turned white as it was portrayed in the novel, “both changed color, one looked white, the other red.” (Austen 55). Darcy turned red in the face for he blushed when he saw Wickham on the street, and that he still has feelings for him. However, Wickham turned pale white when he encountered Darcy. This is because he was terrified of Darcy, as he had already learned of his affection towards him through the unsuccessful elopement with Georgiana Darcy. Darcy, seeing the change of color in Wickham’s face, made him realized that Wickham still had not come to love him. Therefore, in a fit of anger and to hide his embarrassment, he rode away quickly and this clearly showed that Darcy is indeed in love with Wickham but was rejected by him.
As the story unfolds, Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet gradually got married and lived happily together. However, Darcy’s sexual orientation had not changed after marrying Elizabeth. In fact, he married Elizabeth only because he could not receive any love from both Bingley and Wickham, and Elizabeth was the next best thing. The reason he chose to marry Elizabeth was also because she was the only woman in his acquaintances that exhibited most masculinity. Elizabeth Bennet is fairly different than the other women in the novel. In the novel, Caroline Bingley mentioned about what a woman should have in order to be a true woman; “A woman must have thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages to deserve the world…she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.” (Austen 29). Elizabeth then claimed that she had never seen such a woman before in her life. This is shown in the novel when she said, “I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance.” (Austen 29). This showed that Elizabeth does not exhibit nor possess any femininity and this had attracted Darcy. Other than that, the moment where Darcy was captivated by Elizabeth was when she walked into the dinning room at Netherfield, looking wild and dirty for she had walked to Netherfield, through fields, and puddles of mud. This attracted Darcy and it was shown in the novel when Caroline Bingley said that Darcy’s admiration of Elizabeth’s fine eyes may altered after that incident, but he replied that he adored it more, “Not at all, they were brightened by the exercise.” (Austen 26). This shows that Darcy was only captivated by Elizabeth because of her exhibition of masculinity. Therefore, Darcy is still attracted to the people of the same sex and he only married Elizabeth Bennet for she was the only female acquaintance of him that are different than other women.
In conclusion, Fitzwilliam Darcy is definitely homosexual for he had displayed affection to both close male acquaintances of his, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Wickham. His love and affection for Wickham since childhood was rejected by him greatly that it made Darcy angry and embarrassed to see him again. Darcy’s feelings for Bingley however, remained unknown by Bingley for he had given up hope to be with him as he is already with Jane, and this led Darcy to pursue Elizabeth Bennet in which her portrayal of masculinity attracted Darcy.
~ Li Ann
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