Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man Essay Example for Free

Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man Essay For this assignment, you will be analyzing two more short stories, â€Å"Battle Royal† (which is the first chapter in Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man) and â€Å"The Birthmark.† As you read, reflect on the ways each depicts characters that are deemed socially unacceptable because of their outward appearances. Please write a comparison/contrast essay of 1000 words or more discussing the questions below. Remember to begin your paper with an engaging introduction and clear thesis statement, develop each point in the body of your paper using examples and quotes from the stories, and conclude your paper with a restatement of your thesis and closing remarks. Also, be sure to maintain your credibility by including in-text citations and a reference list correctly formatted in APA style. Setting: Describe the settings of both pieces and identify how the eras in which they take place—with their distinct societal attitudes and customs—affect the main characters? Characters: â€Å"Battle Royal:† Discuss the young man and his grandfather. Why do we never learn the young man’s name? What do the grandfather’s dying words reveal about him? â€Å"The Birthmark:† Describe the main characters: Aylmer, Georgiana and Aminadab. What is important to each? Point of View: In which point of view (first- or third-person) is each piece told? If the point of view in â€Å"Battle Royal† was changed, would it have made the story more effective, or less so? Symbolism: â€Å"Battle Royal:† Analyze the deeper meaning of the following: the â€Å"battle royal† itself, the naked blonde, and the young man’s dream at the end of the story. â€Å"The Birthmark:† What does Georgiana’s birthmark signify, first to her and then to Aylmer? What does alchemy represent in the story? Themes: What are the main themes/messages of each piece? What, in other words, do you think the authors, Ralph Ellison and Nathaniel Hawthorne, are trying to communicate about life and human nature in their respective stories? Fear: What role does fear play in both pieces? Discrimination: Both stories address physical appearance, specifically one’s  skin, and the way people may discriminate against others because of external characteristics they deem inferior. Compare and contrast how discrimination and prejudice are presented in â€Å"Battle Royal† and â€Å"The Birthmark.† Final Thoughts: Author Tim O’Brien wrote, Thats what fiction is for. Its for getting at the truth when the truth isnt sufficient for the truth. Talk about how literature might give us â€Å"truer† insights into the human experience by appealing to our senses, emotions and empathy. Describe a situation in which you or someone you know may have been discriminated against because of appearance, gender, race or another attribute. What did the experience teach you? Please submit your assignment.

Parental Involvement in Adolescents Peer Relationships :: essays research papers

PARENTS' DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN ADOLESCENTS' PEER RELATIONSHIPS One of the ways in which parents play a critical role in their sons' and daughters' social development is by encouraging their interactions with other youth; in this way parents provide opportunities for girls and boys to develop social cognitive and relationship formation skills (Ladd, Profilet, & Hart, 1992). According to the model of parenting processes proposed by Parke and colleagues, parental influences on girls' and boys' peer relationships operate through two pathways: indirect socialization and direct involvement (Parke & Buriel, 1998). Models of indirect socialization, such as attachment and social learning perspectives, suggest that parents influence their children's peer interactions indirectly, through the more general influence of parent-child relationship experiences on children's social development and peer competence (e.g., Elicker, Englund, & Sroufe, 1992; MacDonald & Parke, 1984). Parents who are characterized as warm and accepting parents, for example, tend to hav e children who are more socially competent with peers (MacDonald & Parke, 1984). The focus of recent research, and of this investigation, is the second pathway, parents' direct efforts to guide their offspring's peer relationships, such as when they supervise peer interactions, engineer opportunities for their children to spend time with peers, and generally manage children's social lives (Ladd et al., 1992; Parke & Buriel, 1998). Studies of young children's peer relationships indicate that children benefit from more frequent and more positive interactions with peers and higher levels of social acceptance when parents are involved in those relationships (Bhavnagri & Parke, 1991; Ladd & Goiter, 1988; Lollis, Ross, & Tate, 1992). Considerably less is known about parents' direct involvement in adolescents' peer relationships. The nature of parents' involvement in their children's social relationships may differ dramatically across developmental periods. For example, during early childhood parents directly intervene in and supervise children's peer interactions, whereas in middle childhood, parents may use a less intrusive approach such as encouraging friendships and monitoring social activities (Rubin & Sloman, 1984). With the exception of the literature on the connections between parental monitoring and deviant peer influences (e.g., Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989; Steinberg, 1986), we know little about parents' direct role in adolescents' friendship and peer relationships (for exceptions, see recent conference proceedings, McCoy, 1996; Mounts & McCoy, 1999). The first goal of this investigation was to describe and compare mothers' versus fathers' direct involvement in adolescents' peer relationships. Our choice of measures was guided by Parke and colleagues' model of parenting (Parke & Buriel, 1998), which describes parents' direct involvement as encompassing a variety of roles including instructional activities (e. Parental Involvement in Adolescents' Peer Relationships :: essays research papers PARENTS' DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN ADOLESCENTS' PEER RELATIONSHIPS One of the ways in which parents play a critical role in their sons' and daughters' social development is by encouraging their interactions with other youth; in this way parents provide opportunities for girls and boys to develop social cognitive and relationship formation skills (Ladd, Profilet, & Hart, 1992). According to the model of parenting processes proposed by Parke and colleagues, parental influences on girls' and boys' peer relationships operate through two pathways: indirect socialization and direct involvement (Parke & Buriel, 1998). Models of indirect socialization, such as attachment and social learning perspectives, suggest that parents influence their children's peer interactions indirectly, through the more general influence of parent-child relationship experiences on children's social development and peer competence (e.g., Elicker, Englund, & Sroufe, 1992; MacDonald & Parke, 1984). Parents who are characterized as warm and accepting parents, for example, tend to hav e children who are more socially competent with peers (MacDonald & Parke, 1984). The focus of recent research, and of this investigation, is the second pathway, parents' direct efforts to guide their offspring's peer relationships, such as when they supervise peer interactions, engineer opportunities for their children to spend time with peers, and generally manage children's social lives (Ladd et al., 1992; Parke & Buriel, 1998). Studies of young children's peer relationships indicate that children benefit from more frequent and more positive interactions with peers and higher levels of social acceptance when parents are involved in those relationships (Bhavnagri & Parke, 1991; Ladd & Goiter, 1988; Lollis, Ross, & Tate, 1992). Considerably less is known about parents' direct involvement in adolescents' peer relationships. The nature of parents' involvement in their children's social relationships may differ dramatically across developmental periods. For example, during early childhood parents directly intervene in and supervise children's peer interactions, whereas in middle childhood, parents may use a less intrusive approach such as encouraging friendships and monitoring social activities (Rubin & Sloman, 1984). With the exception of the literature on the connections between parental monitoring and deviant peer influences (e.g., Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989; Steinberg, 1986), we know little about parents' direct role in adolescents' friendship and peer relationships (for exceptions, see recent conference proceedings, McCoy, 1996; Mounts & McCoy, 1999). The first goal of this investigation was to describe and compare mothers' versus fathers' direct involvement in adolescents' peer relationships. Our choice of measures was guided by Parke and colleagues' model of parenting (Parke & Buriel, 1998), which describes parents' direct involvement as encompassing a variety of roles including instructional activities (e.

Metaphor: exam[les of using Essay

A metaphor is the use of something familiar to understand something less familiar. For instance, if a news report says â€Å"unemployment went down this month,† the familiar feeling of â€Å"going down† helps everyone to understand that the number of people looking for work has reduced. Metaphors are more common than many people think. If you look up the origin of almost any word in the dictionary, you will find a metaphor if you go back far enough. Some psychologists suggest that all of our thinking comes from metaphors, based on how our senses allow us to perceive everyday experiences. In this activity, you will use what you have learned about perception and the embodied mind to make discoveries about how you think. Please answer in complete sentences. Part 1 1. Which of your everyday physical experiences tell you that this hand isn’t actually holding a cloud? How did you learn that clouds are too far away to touch? (5 points) 2. What is the principle of perception that supports the idea that your brain expects that the puff of white between the fingers is a cloud; that is much farther away than the hand? (5 points) 3. Imagine that you are in the scene shown here. You are on a beach, looking out. In the two-track mind model, what are two examples of what the brain is doing on the unconscious level, and what are two examples of what the brain is doing on the conscious level? (10 points) Part 2 1. Think of the concept of leadership. a. What picture comes to your mind when you think, â€Å"leadership†? (3 points) b. What past experiences have you had that make you think of this? (3 points) c. How did your perceptual set and two-track mind contribute to these experiences? (4 points) 2. Think of the concept of unjust. a. What picture comes to your mind when you think, â€Å"unjust†? (3 points) b. What past experiences have you had that make you think of this? (3 points) c. How did your perceptual set and two-track mind contribute to these experiences? (4 points) 3. Think of any concept you have learned about from experience, one where you remember a particular event in your life that helped you learn what this concept meant. a. What picture comes to your mind when you think of that concept? (3 points) b. What past experiences have you had that give you this picture? (3 points) c. How did your perceptual set and two-track mind contribute to these experiences?

Women in Sappho and Gilgamesh - 1967 Words

Women in Sappho and Gilgamesh Works of literature are cultural reflections of the time and place in which they were created. At the times of the creation of the poems of Sappho and the Epic of Gilgamesh, women were primarily seen and little heard, unless they happened to be one of the ancient deities of that culture. Women were wives and mothers of children and their position in society was based on subservience to the patriarchy who were in charge in all things. Although women could achieve some power in the community, and several women were able to obtain political power, it was usually only possible through the alliances that they made through their marriages, such as if they married a powerful man who then died. In both Sapphos work and The Epic of Gilgamesh the women characters which are marginally empowered and instead have to submit to will and authority of the men who control every aspect of their lives. Both types illustrate how women are meant to suffer at the hands of men, how women compare themselves to men, and finally how there is no place for an autonomous woman in the cultures in which these women live and how they might ache to escape. In the ancient world, there were laws and traditions which helped keep women in the communities completely subordinate to men. The Epic of Gilgamesh reflects this in the discussion of the eponymous character taking advantage of young women on their wedding nights. Gilgamesh has not been a king who has done right by hisShow MoreRelatedThe Nature Of Love And Relationships Across The Many Works We Studied For This Course1942 Words   |  8 Pageswere written. For example, Sappho wrote extensively about same-sex romantic love between women. â€Å"What is still unclear is what same-sex romantic or erotic love between women may have implied in Sappho s culture. What we do know is that there was not widespread fear and persecution of homosexuals in antiquity† (Hare). Sappho wrote in Poem 94, â€Å"I simply want to be dead. Weeping she left me with many tears and said this: Oh how badly things have turned out for us. Sappho, I swear, against my willRead MoreHistory 101 Study Guid e Essay1782 Words   |  8 PagesWhat are the triangular indentations used for the script of the Sumerians called?[pic] Cuneiform[pic] Who was Gilgamesh, and which city did he rule?[pic] Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk. His reputation inspired the Epic of Gilgamesh/5th king of Uruk(2500 BC), reigned 126 yrs/lugal â€Å"big man†(leader) wealthy young man, warrior [pic]Which technologies were used by the earliest Western civilizations? [pic] Stone, wood, leather, and fibers[pic]/ 1st appearance of tools (bone, woodRead MoreQuestion and Correct Answer7042 Words   |  29 Pagesto create?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: |   Ã‚   Larger and more lightweight bronze pieces | Correct Answer: |   Ã‚   Larger and more lightweight bronze pieces | | | | | ï‚ · Question 3 2 out of 2 points | | | What classic struggle do Gilgamesh and Enkidu represent?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: |   Ã‚   Nature versus civilization | Correct Answer: |   Ã‚   Nature versus civilization | | | | | ï‚ · Question 4 2 out of 2 points | | | What is the Persian Zoroasters greatest contributionRead MoreCatal Hyuk2725 Words   |  11 PagesLascaux Cave Paintings Neolithic Revolution Agricultural Revolution MAP: Olduvai Gorge Neander Valley Catal Huyluk Lascaux CHAPTER TWO: Early Societies in SW Asia and Indo-European Migrations IDENTITIES: The Epic of Gilgamesh Sargon of Akkad Hammurabi’s Codes/Laws Stele Assyrians Economic Specialization Stratified Patriarchal Society Elite, Commoner, Dependent, Slave Cuneiform Moses Polytheism Cross-Cultural Interaction Cross-Cultural