Afrocentric vs. Eurocentric Worldviews :: Afrocentrism Eurocentrism Essays

The Afrocentric, or African-centered, worldview is very different from the Eurocentric, or Europe-centered, worldview. Afrocentrism is centered around the beliefs that: . The highest value of life lies in the interpersonal relationships between men; . One gains knowledge through symbolic imagery and rhythm; . One should live in harmony with nature; . There is a oneness between humans and nature; . The survival of the group holds the utmost importance; . Men should appropriately utilize the materials around them; . One's self is complementary to others; . Change occurs in a natural, evolutionary cycle; . Spirituality and inner divinities hold the most significance; . There are a plethora of deities to worship; . Cooperation, collective responsibility, and interdependence are the key values to which all should strive to achieve; . All men are considered to: be equal, share a common bond, and be a part of the group; . The Afrocentric worldview is a circular one, in which all events are tied together with one another. The Eurocentric worldview is centered around the beliefs that: . The highest value of life lies in the object, or in the acquisition of the object; . One gains knowledge through counting and measuring; . One should control and dominate nature; . There is a dichotomy, or separateness, between nature and humans; . The survival of the fittest holds the utmost importance; . Men should have an unlimited exploitation of the materials around them; . One's self is distinct from others; . Change occurs to meet the immediate objectives, and is quite arbitrary; . A distant, impersonal god holds the most significance; Afrocentric vs. Eurocentric Worldviews :: Afrocentrism Eurocentrism Essays The Afrocentric, or African-centered, worldview is very different from the Eurocentric, or Europe-centered, worldview. Afrocentrism is centered around the beliefs that: . The highest value of life lies in the interpersonal relationships between men; . One gains knowledge through symbolic imagery and rhythm; . One should live in harmony with nature; . There is a oneness between humans and nature; . The survival of the group holds the utmost importance; . Men should appropriately utilize the materials around them; . One's self is complementary to others; . Change occurs in a natural, evolutionary cycle; . Spirituality and inner divinities hold the most significance; . There are a plethora of deities to worship; . Cooperation, collective responsibility, and interdependence are the key values to which all should strive to achieve; . All men are considered to: be equal, share a common bond, and be a part of the group; . The Afrocentric worldview is a circular one, in which all events are tied together with one another. The Eurocentric worldview is centered around the beliefs that: . The highest value of life lies in the object, or in the acquisition of the object; . One gains knowledge through counting and measuring; . One should control and dominate nature; . There is a dichotomy, or separateness, between nature and humans; . The survival of the fittest holds the utmost importance; . Men should have an unlimited exploitation of the materials around them; . One's self is distinct from others; . Change occurs to meet the immediate objectives, and is quite arbitrary; . A distant, impersonal god holds the most significance;

Presocratic Philosophy Essay

Although Aristotle’s statement is too slight to serve as a sure foundation for judgment, it seems more likely that Thales was arguing for the broader presence of life forces in the world than most people imagined, rather than that the real in its totality is alive. Anaximander Thales’ younger contemporary from Miletus, Anaximander, born toward the end of the seventh century B. C. E. , found the explanatory principle of things in what he called ‘‘the apeiron,’’ a word that might be translated as ‘‘the indefinite,’’ ‘‘the boundless,’’ or both. This opens up the possibility that the apeiron is both immeasurably large in its temporal and physical extent and also qualitatively indefinite in that it is without measurable inner boundaries. The apeiron is further described, according to Aristotle, as being ‘‘without beginning,’’ ‘‘surrounding all things,’’ ‘‘steering all things,’’ ‘‘divine,’’ ‘‘immortal,’’ and ‘‘indestructible. ’’Some have inferred that Anaximander’s barely concealed purpose was Western philosophy’s first attempt at demythologization. Equally striking is Anaximander’s description of the universe as a closed, concentric system, the outer spheres of which, by their everlasting motion, account for the stability of our earth, a drum-shaped body held everlastingly in a state of equipoise at the center. Whatever the inadequacy in certain details (the stars are placed nearer to the earth than the moon), with Anaximander the science of cosmological speculation took a giant step forward. As far as life on earth is concerned, Anaximander offered another striking hypothesis. The first living things, according to him, were ‘‘born in moisture, enclosed in thorny barks’’ (like sea urchins), and ‘‘as their age increased, they came forth onto the drier part’’ (as phrased by Aetius [first to second century C. E. ]). Pythagoras Although we know that Pythagoras was a historical figure, it is difficult to determine exactly what Pythagoras himself taught. He wrote nothing, and the ideas of other members of the community were attributed to him as a sign of respect and as a way of lending weight to the ideas. Plato and Aristotle rarely assign ideas to Pythagoras himself, although Pythagorean ideas seem to have influenced Plato’s philosophy. Pythagoreans asserted that number is the first principle of all things. They were the first systematic developers of mathematics in the West and discovered that natural events could be described in mathematical terms, especially as ratios. To the Pythagoreans, the â€Å"principle of number† accounted for everything. Number was a real thing. Somehow, numbers existed in space, not just as mental constructs. According to Pythagorean doctrine, the entire universe is an ordered whole consisting of harmonies of contrasting elements. The Greek for â€Å"ordered whole† is cosmos. The Pythagoreans were the first philosophers to use the term cosmos to refer to the universe in this way. The â€Å"celestial music of the spheres† is the hauntingly beautiful phrase the Pythagoreans coined to describe the sound of the heavens as they rotate according to cosmic number and harmony. Xenophanes A fourth Ionian philosopher, Xenophanes of Colophon, born around 580 B. C. E. , s the first we know of to overtly attack the anthropomorphism of popular religious belief, in a series of brilliant reductio ad absurdum arguments. His own view has been understood, ever since Aristotle, as pantheistic. Xenophanes was also the first philosopher we know of to ask what degree of knowledge is attainable. In B34 we read: ‘‘the clear and certain truth no man has seen, nor will there be anyone who knows about the gods and what I say about all things. ’’ Several ancient critics took this to be an indication of Xenophanes’ total scepticism. On this basis of moderate empiricism and scepticism, Xenophanes offered a number of opinions of varying plausibility about the natural world, one of which—a strong, evolutionary interpretation of the discovery on various islands of fossils of marine animals—is enough to constitute a major claim to fame in natural philosophy and ranks with his other significant steps in epistemology (the theory of knowledge dealing with what we know, how we know it, and how reliable our knowledge is), logic (the study of rational inquiry and argumentation), and natural theology (the attempt to understand God from natural knowledge). Heraclitus One of the most important and enigmatic of the Presocratics, Heraclitus (fl . 500 b. c. e. , d. 510–480 b. c. e. ), said that ignorance is bound to result when we try to understand the cosmos when we do not even comprehend the basic structure of the human psyche (soul) and its relationship to the Logos. The complex Greek word logos is intriguing. It could and at times did mean all of the following: â€Å"intelligence,† â€Å"speech,† â€Å"discourse,† â€Å"thought,† â€Å"reason,† â€Å"word,† â€Å"meaning,† â€Å"study of,† â€Å"the record of,† â€Å"the science of,† â€Å"the fundamental principles of,† â€Å"the basic principles and procedures of a particular discipline,† â€Å"those features of a thing that make it intelligible to us,† and â€Å"the rationale for a thing. † The Heraclitean capital L Logos is like God, only without the anthropomorphizing (humanizing) of the earlier philosophers and poets who attributed human qualities to the gods. According to Heraclitus’s impersonal view of God, the Logos is a process, not an entity. As such, the Logos is unconcerned with individuals and human affairs, in much the same way that gravity affects us but is unconcerned with us. More radically yet, Heraclitus asserted that even though things appear to remain the same, â€Å"Change alone is unchanging. † Traditionally, it has been held that Heraclitus went so far as to claim that everything is always changing all the time. But whether he really meant that everything is always changing, or that individual things are held together by energy (change), remains unclear. Anaximenes Anaximander’s younger contemporary, Anaximenes, who lived during the sixth century B. C. E. appears to revert to a prior and less sophisticated vision in claiming that the earth, far from being a drum-shaped body held in equipoise at the center, is flat and ‘‘rides on,’’ supported by air. The same might be said of his contention that the basic, ‘‘divine’’ principle of things was not some indefinite entity but something very much part of our experience; namely, air. Anaximenes’ view would also no doubt have seemed to be corroborated by the fact that the universe, commonly understood as a living thing and hence needing a soul to vivify it, possessed in air that very ‘‘breath’’ that for most Greeks constituted the essence of such a soul. Parmenides Parmenides of Elea (fift h century b. c. e. ) radically transformed the early philosophers’ interest in cosmology, the study of the universe as a rationally ordered system (cosmos), into ontology, the study of being. By common agreement he was the giant among the pre-Socratics. According to Parmenides, none of his predecessors adequately accounted for the process by which the one basic stuff of the cosmos changes into the many individual things we experience every day. In his search for a solution to the problem of â€Å"the one and the many,† Parmenides turned to a reasoned analysis of the process of change itself. According to Parmenides, all sensations occur in the realm of appearance. This means that reality cannot be apprehended by the senses. Change and variety (the many) are only appearances; they are not real. If this is true, then our most commonly held beliefs about reality are mere opinions. The senses cannot recognize â€Å"what is,† much less can they discover—observe—it, ever. In other words, whatever we see, touch, taste, hear, or smell is not real, does not exist. Perhaps most unsettling of all, Parmenides â€Å"solved† the problem of the appearance of change by concluding—in direct opposition to Heraclitus’s insistence that everything is always changing—that the very concept of change is self-contradictory. What we think of as change is merely an illusion. The logic runs as follows: â€Å"Change† equals transformation into something else. When a thing becomes â€Å"something else,† it becomes what it is not. But since it is impossible for â€Å"nothing† (what is not) to exist, there is no â€Å"nothing† into which the old thing can disappear. (There is no â€Å"no place† for the thing to go into. ) Therefore, change cannot occur. Empedocles posited, against Parmenides, change and plurality as features of reality, but affirmed the eternality of anything that is real; the sphere-like nature of the real when looked at as a totality and the fact that the real is a plenum, containing no ‘‘nothingness’’ or ‘‘emptiness’’. Anaxagoras likewise posited change, plurality, and divisibility as features of reality, yet also affirmed the eternality of the real (understood by him as an eternally existent ‘‘mixture’’ of the ‘‘seeds’’ of the things currently constituting the world, rather than the eternal combinings and recombinings, according to certain ratios of admixture, of four eternally existent ‘‘roots’’ or elemental masses). Leucippus Leucippus of Miletus (c. fi ft h century b. c. e. ) and Democritus of Abdera (c. 460–370 b. . e. ) argued that reality consists entirely of empty space and ultimately simple entities that combine to form objects. T is materialistic view is known as atomism. Leucippus is credited with being the originator of atomism and Democritus with developing it. Rather than reject Parmenides’ assertion that change is an illusion, Leucippus argued that reality consists of many discrete â€Å"ones ,† or beings. Zeno Zeno, who was born early in the fifth century B. C. E. , was a friend and pupil of Parmenides. In his famous paradoxes he attempted to show by a series of reductio ad absurdum arguments, of which the best known is perhaps that of Achilles and the tortoise, the self-contradictory consequences of maintaining that there is a real plurality of things or that motion or place are real. The prima facie brilliance of many of the arguments continues to impress people, though it soon becomes clear that the paradoxes turn largely on the failure or unwillingness of Zeno, like so many Pythagoreans of the day, to distinguish between the concepts of physical and geometrical space. Zeno’s way of constructing the problem makes it seem that his primary object is to defame pluralists by attacking the logical possibility of explaining how there can be motion in the world. Gorgias Gorgias has achieved fame for the stress he laid upon the art of persuasion (‘‘rhetoric’’), although whether he wrote the baffling On What Is Not as a serious piece of persuasive reasoning or as some sort of spoof of the Eleatic philosophy of Parmenides and others remains disputed. Its basic, and remarkable, claim is prima facie, that nothing in fact is (exists /is the case [esti] or is knowable or conceivable. Any exiguous plausibility that the arguments supporting this claim possess turns on our overlooking Gorgias’s failure, witting or unwitting, to distinguish carefully between knowing and thinking, along with his various uses of the verb ‘‘to be. ’’ If the failure was witting, the document can be seen as a skillful device for the spotting of fallacies as part of training in rhetoric and basic reasoning. If it was unwitting, Gorgias still emerges as what he was claimed to be—a deft rhetorical wordsmith on any topic proposed to him. Protagoras Perhaps the greatest of the Sophists was Protagoras of Abdera (481– 411 b. c. e. ). Protagoras was an archetypal Sophist: an active traveler and first-rate observer of other cultures who noted that although there are a variety of customs and beliefs, each culture believes unquestioningly that its own ways are right—and roundly condemns (or at least criticizes) views that differ from its own. Based on his observations and travels, Protagoras concluded that morals are nothing more than the social traditions, or mores, of a society or group. The details of Protagoras’s beliefs remain disputed. When he said, for example, that ‘‘anthropos [humanity] is a/the measure for all things, of things that are, that they are, and of things that are not, that they are not,’’ it is unclear whether he is talking about one person or the sum total of persons; about ‘‘a’’ measure or ‘‘the’’ measure (there is no definite article in Greek); or about existence or states of affairs or both. The Platonic reading in the Theaetetus, which takes ‘‘anthropos’’ as generic and ‘‘measure’’ as exclusive, led to the assertion that the logical consequence was total (and absurd) relativism. ______________________________ References: The Columbia History of Western Philosophy. Richard H. Popkin. Columbia University Press. 1999. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. 7th ed. Douglas J. Soccio. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2010.

A Tale of Two Cities Essay

Does strong devotion overpower the will of a good heart? Ernest Defarge, a character in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, is no more than a puppet to his wife. Though he does not like the idea of killing innocent people just because they are aristocrats, he refuses to speak up due to fear of confrontation with his wife. Due to his background and life as a slave, Defarge, like many other revolutionaries, dislikes the aristocracy, and has some desire to get revenge. However, he does not truly want these desires to build to the extent that the revolution got to. Ernest Defarge is a man with a good heat, driven to be a catalyst to the revolutionary acts by his strong devotion to the two things he cares about most: his country, and his wife. Paragraph 1: Though many may not see it behind all the terrible things he has done, Ernest Defarge really does have a good heart. Ernest Defarge shows compassion my comforting Gaspard, saying, â€Å"Be a brave man, my Gaspard! It is better for the poor little plaything to die so, than to live. It has died in a moment without pain. Could it have lived an hour as happily?† Defarge didn’t have to make an effort to help him out, but he does. This random act of kindness shows that he does in fact have a good side to him. After the child is run over, the Marquis throws a coin out of the carriage, thinking he can pay for the child’s life, and in return he is â€Å"suddenly disturbed by a coin flying into his carriage†. In this action of throwing the coin back, which is believed to be done by Monsieur Defarge, shows his dislike to the aristocracy, and foreshadows the fact that he will take a stand against it for the good of his country and its people. Monsieur Defarge’s personality differentiates from this sense of kindness when he barks orders at the revolutionaries such as, â€Å"Patriots and friends, we are ready! The Bastille!† (214). In opposition to his good heart, Defarge is also the leader of the Revolution. In this part of the book, he, and his fellow revolutionaries, destroy The Bastille, and everything else that happens to be in their path. This completely contradicts the compassion shown from Ernest Defarge earlier in the book, but also shows that there may be something behind his madness. Monsieur Defarge also happens to be an old servant to Dr. Manette, and cares deeply for him, but when it comes to choosing between helping the Doctor, or helping his country, Defarge’s great devotion to France towers over his feelings towards Manette. Do the square thingy with this quote * â€Å"†¦In a hole in the chimney, where a stone has been worked out and replaced, I find a written paper. This is that written paper. I have made it my business to examine some specimens of the writing of Doctor Manette. This is the writing of Doctor Manette. I confide this paper, in the writing of Doctor Manette, to the hands of the President.† This note he found, is of Manette â€Å"(add quote where he condems darnay)† Even though he deeply cared for Manette, he would do anything, literally anything, to help the people of his country. He believes that sentencing Darnay to death is the right thing to do for France, and since he believes that, he will do everything in his power to make it happen. Defarge knew how bad this would hurt Doctor Manette, since Darnay was the Doctor’s son-in-law, but it was his and his wife’s duty to kill all aristocrats, therefore he couldn’t show and mercy. Defarge would even hurt a friend, in order to do what he thinks will help his country. Paragraph 4:  Even though it is kind of hard to see at first, Madame Defarge seems to have a great deal of power over her husband. â€Å"As to thee†, pursued madame, implacably, addressing her husband, â€Å"if if depended on thee-which, happily, it does not, thou wouldst rescue this man even now† Even though Monsieur Defarge wants to help Charles Darnay, she wouldn’t allow it. He wanted to help out the Manette’s and save Darnay, but after the revolutionaries were informed on what the Evermond’s did to Madame Defarge’s family, he was the only one who wanted to show mercy. Due to the fear of confrontation with his wife, he doesn’t speak of saving Darnay again. Ernest Defarge, from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is portrayed as a great leader to the revolutionaries, but in reality, he is merely a puppet, with Madame Defarge as his puppeteer. Devotion can be a strong thing, sometimes so strong that it can lock up the kindness of a good heart, and throw away the key. A Tale Of Two Cities Essay We learn that the Signal man has seen very disturbing events such as the train crash and the bride dying and what is more troubling is that he seen it coming, throughout the story we see how the signal man opens up to the narrator on how he is troubled and is emphasizing how he saw a ghost but the narrator starts to doubt his new friends mind and starts to have a very patronizing attitude towards the signal man. Throughout the story the fear is spreading. Dickens also uses tactile imagery â€Å"Frozen finger tracing out my spine† and also Dickens uses olfactory imagery â€Å"an earthly deadly smell†. The relationship between the narrator and the signal man is one of trust as the signal man opens up to him on their second meeting â€Å"do the signal man and the narrator linked in some way? Dickens has made the story raise some doubts about the afterlife and fate. However Bram Stoker famed for his book â€Å"Dracula† has created a short story that is much like ‘The Signal Man† but has a different approach to the horror genre for the first few pages are a little bit of a mysterious â€Å"Dracula’s Guest† is full of suspense the title alone raises the expectation for the reader as it does not give away the plot but creates a feeling of intrigue making the reader want to read on, this is a clever ploy Stoker has used and it was also a popular theme to use as in the middle ages and Victorian era the legends of vampires have been popular among the people of Britain and Ireland and perhaps the world. The short story contains many dark themes that create mystery and also adds to the mounting tension that is created by the title â€Å"Dracula’s Guest† Bram who is Known for his Dark stories that contain major supernaturalist elements such as Mythism and oppressive that are including as the novel â€Å"The Lair of the White Worm†, Bram creates the prefect atmosphere for the short story and for the century as the Victorian era had a thing for vampirism stories. The story begins in Munich the weather is idyllic â€Å"The sun was shining brightly on Munich, and the air was full of the joyousness of the early summer† is the weather too idyllic? Bram cleverly opens the story this way to lull the reader into a sense of false security a very smart move I think personally, but that all ends when â€Å"still holding his hand on the handle of the carriage door† is used which is very arousing and causes a lot of interest, He also uses personification † a shiver in the north wind† adds more dramatic effect so does the use of alliteration â€Å"Sudden Storm† but the line â€Å"But I am sure you will not be late, here he smiled and added for you know what night is it† mysterious what is the night in question? And why is it so important? The 1st paragraph creates a sense of importance for the night and adds to the mystery and we then learn the reason the maitre and coachman fears the night and also we learn the name â€Å"Walpurgis Nacht† which translated from German means â€Å"Night of Evil† this term is very important to Catholics this is the first relation to religion, later on we here â€Å"Walpurgis nacht! â€Å", Stoker uses the language barrier and the fail to understand adds to the suspense and surreal aspect, later the weather changes to â€Å"dark clouds drifted rapidly across the sky† the atmosphere changes to a sinister dull mood. Again the language barrier is there and the personification has the desired effect â€Å"the storm of snow he comes before long time† also the dialogue become vague and broken creating more tension here vampirism applied ‘mouths red with blood†, we see that the protagonist seems to doubt his sanity a lot like Dickens character â€Å"The Signal Man† it seems he also is succumbing to his fear â€Å"Paroxysm of the fear- white face perspiring, trembling† Bram Stoker’s technique second to none he uses detailed descriptions for his characters and settings and his use of the language devices such as metaphors â€Å"glistening white carpet† and his alliteration â€Å"Sudden Storm† and lastly repetition â€Å"Walpurgis nacht†. Each writer Dickens and Stoker uses different methods to create a spine-chilling effect on the reader each could even be masters of horror and suspense, all the aspects that the gothic genre needs to be successful and â€Å"The Signal Man† and â€Å"Dracula’s Guest† where very successful in that age and successful today in the study of literature . In conclusion after close analysis of both stories I have seen that both stories are great for maintaining tension and use techniques such as alliteration, pathetic fallacy and are good to create confusion among the readers. This wining combination gives the story a kick and keeps the reader engrossed in the story. I believe that stoker is perfect for building suspense and tension while Dickens plays on the reader’s emotion by lulling them into a sense of security and then confuses them and then plays on their confusion. Gavin Teggart Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section. A Tale of Two Cities Essay Throughout well-known stories, authors tend to develop memorable characters in order to enhance the plot; although they may not always be portrayed in the most considerate manner. In Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities, he also uses such characters. First, Lucie’s role of over dramatic damsel in distress. Second, Miss Pross’ participation as the over protective mother figure. And third, Mme. Defarge as the bloodthirsty crazed villain. Through these characters, Dickens portrays women in the three most stereotypical demeanors: weak and fragile, a worrisome mother and a psychotic wife. Throughout the novel, Lucie is a feeble girl who cannot stand up to the hardships of life. â€Å"Perfectly still and silent, and not even fallen back in her chair, she sat under his hand, utterly insensible; with her eyes fixed upon him and with that last expression looking as if it were carved or branded in to her forehead† (Dickens 25). This is Lucie’s reaction to the news from Mr. Lorry that her father, presumed to be dead, has been found alive after spending eighteen years in the Bastille. Instead of a normal reaction of tears and joy, she is simply so stunned that she cannot even move; her expression of shock and fear is frozen upon her face. She reacts very similarly when she goes to meet  her father for the first time. Dickens writes, â€Å"Mr. Lorry got his arm securely round the daughter’s waist, and held that she was sinking†¦ ‘I am afraid of it’ she answered, shuddering. ‘Of it? What?’ ‘I mean of him. Of my father’ † (36). Of course it would be intimidating for her to meet her father for the first time in her life but she is on the verge of fainting a second time just from thinking about her father. She also does not even see him as human referring to him as â€Å"it†, not even wanting to approach her father. Finally, when her husband is taken away to prison, again she displays weakness, â€Å"As he went out at the prisoners’ door, she turned laid her head lovingly on her father’s breast, tried to speak to him and fell at his feet† (324). Yes it horrible to have her husband sentenced to death and is taken away to prison. But, she has a 6 year old daughter, she cannot give in to self-pity and weakness, it is the time for her to be strong not only for herself but for her daughter as well. It is important for her to see her mother strong and able to be there for her, but when she faints, her hope falls alongside her mother’s body. It seems Lucie has never had to really fight or be strong for anything in her life before. She acts like she always needs to rely upon someone else; she is very dependant upon others. Miss Pross’ role in the novel, although not very large, was nonetheless very important, especially for Lucie. Miss Pross was the mother figure in Lucie’s life, always caring for her and always nurturing her. When Lucie faints at the mention of her father, it is Miss Pross who is the first to her side: â€Å" ‘Why, look at you all!’ bawled this figure, addressing the inn servants. ‘Why don’t you go and fetch things, instead of standing there staring at me?†¦if you don’t bring smelling salts, cold water, and vinegar, quick, I  will’ † (26). She quickly takes charge of the situation and gives out orders in the same urgency as if it was her own daughter. It is also always Lucie for whom she is most concerned about: â€Å" ‘O me, O me! All is lost!’ cried she, wringing her hands. ‘What is to be told to Ladybird? He doesn’t know me, and is making shoes!’ † (187). Dr. Manette has a relapse and is no longer coherent. Miss Pross’ first concern is not restoring Dr. Manette back to health, but what the impact of seeing her father like this will do to Lucie. Finally, Miss Pross demonstrates her love for Lucie because she is willing to lay down her life for Lucie: â€Å" ‘I am a Briton,’ said Miss Pross, ‘I am desperate. I don’t care an English twopence for myself. I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my ladybird’ † (356). This demonstrates Miss Pross’ love for Lucie, risking her life in the hope that her sacrifice will keep Lucie safe. Miss Pross means well and is always looking out for Lucie and would do anything for her. However at times her actions are a bit eccentric. Finally, there is Mme Defarge, a very angry and vengeful woman. Mme Defarge takes it upon herself to make a register of all the nobility whom she proclaims as enemies to the revolution: â€Å" ‘Knitted in her own stiches and her own symbols, it will always be as plain to her as the sun. Confide in Madame Defarge. It would be easier for the weakest poltroon that lives, to erase himself from existence, than to erase one letter of his name of crimes from the knitted register of Madame Defarge’ † (166). This is M. Defarge explaining his wife’s register to others of the revolution, and saying that any who make it onto the register; will meet certain death. Not only does she register all  nobility in her knitting, but Mme Defarge also makes a point to remember the faces of anyone who is an enemy to the revolution: â€Å" ‘His appearance; is it known?’ ‘Age, about forty years; height, about five feet nine; black hair; complexion dark; generally, rather handsome visage; eyes dark, face thin, long and sallow; nose aquiline, but not straight, having a peculiar inclination towards the left cheek’†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœIt is a portrait!’ said madame, laughing. ‘He shall be registered to-morrow’ † (171). Just from this short description, Mme Defarge already has a mental image of this man and even commits it to her memory. Finally, once she decides to kill someone, she will stop at nothing to kill them: â€Å" ‘I have been in the streets from the first, nothing has stopped me, I will tear you to pieces, but I will have you from that door’ † (356). This is Mme Defarge when she is confronting Miss Pross, telling her that she has been fighting in the streets for the revolution since day one, and nothing will keep her from killing Lucie as well. Mme Defarge’s rage and thirst for blood did greatly help the revolution. However, it became something that ultimately consumed her and turned her in to what she set out to destroy in the first place. It is through these characters that Dickens portrays women very unjustly. Lucie as delicate and flimsy, not being able to handle life’s hardships. Miss Pross as the overprotective mother, sometimes taking her job to the extreme. Mme Defarge as the crazed wife, always full of anger and violence. Even though women display these qualities from time to time, is it really fair to say that these traits define their whole character.

Adult essay

Introduction There are some people who graduate from high school and go directly to work, and there are others who go directly to college after high school. Jack was one of many people that went directly to work after high school. He felt like going to school was a waste of time. After working in the factory for four years he was promoted to a manager. Jack felt like he was on top of the world. Ten years after being promoted, he learned that the factory was about to close down. Now Jack was about to lose everything†¦ his job, his house, and his car.What would he to do now. Jack is not the only person to have lost his job. Many people every day lose their job and have no idea what to do next. They may lose their job due to the business closing down because of bankruptcy, or because the job is relocating overseas. There are also some people who simply just want a change of employment as well as career path. There are many of people going to college for their own personal reasons. They may have been fired, laid off, or just wanted to do something other than what they were already doing career wise.Adults who receive more life experience before going to college are known as adult learners. Most adult learners find it hard to adjust to college classes, after having been in the working environment! Kenner and Weinerman explains that working before college may affect a student’s critical foundations. While dealing with adult learners, an instructor may have a harder time planning assignments for adult learners. The college instructor may need to receive knowledge about their adult learning students’ background to understand how to assign their assignment.Also by knowing the background of the adult learner, the instructor can better know which persons might need extra help and which students may not. People can have fun while learning. Some people can learn different and new things about life through skills learned, as well as used when playing video games. It had been shown that people have learned just by playing games. Learning from playing video games can increase a person actives and engagement. â€Å"One of the advantages of using certain types of computer game in education is their ability, for many learners, to engender engagement and motivation, which contributes to effective learning.Adult Learning Kenner’s and Weinerman’s report says organizational development is necessary to help an employee gain more knowledge in their job field. They both say that Knowles discussed the four different stages of adult learning. The four stages are: †¢A. self directed, taking responsibility for their own actions, and resisting having information arbitrarily imposed on them. †¢B. an extensive depth of experience, which serves as a critical component in the foundation of their self identity. †¢C. being ready to learn.As most adult learners return to college voluntarily, they are likely to actively engage i n the learning process. †¢D. being task motivated. Adult students returning to college attend for a specific goal and the primary component of their motivational drive tends to be internal† (Knowles, 1984). The veterans have it harder than other adult learners. Veterans who may have been in active duty during war time have seen more things than the average person has seen. Most veterans can’t separate the difference from military life, school life, and life in general, after they’ve been in active duty in the military.Tacit theory, informal theory, and formal theory, are three of the ways that a person can design their own learning, stated by Schraw and Moshman (1995). The in classroom studies is a form of tacit and in formal theory. As of formal theory, the method of study is very hardly use of study, from the article of Kenner and Weinerman (Spring 2011). Game Engagement Theory It been said that video games can help a person in the learning experience in l ife. Researchers and practitioners in the field of game-based learning often assume that computer games are intrinsically motivational for most, if not all, people (e. . , Oblinger, 2004; Prensky, 2001). The U. K. is planning to make learning fun by using the video games from the report of Whitton. â€Å"The factors that the theory describes are the following: †¢1. A challenge that requires skill to achieve with an attainable goal and know rules †¢2. Complete absorption in the activity †¢3. Clear goals †¢4. Immediate feedback †¢5. Concentration on the task in hand †¢6. A sense of control, lacking the sense of worry about losing control †¢7. Loss of self-consciousness †¢8. Transformation of time† (Whitton 2011).There are two types of theories dealing with a basic model of learning games. The two theories are flow theories and the theory of androgogy. Flow theories are a part of the component. It types of engagement that can be engage in a level of the state of flow, from Csikszentmihalyi (1992). The means of having a different style of learn of a younger learner is known as the theory of androgogy. Conclusion In conclusion, adult learners have a hard time get back into, as well as adjusting to, the school environment than the traditional college students.When a person has been working numerous years and then decides to return to the school environment, it often is more difficult to adjust to forming a new train of thought. An adult learner may get so used to doing the things a certain way while in the working environment that they lose the ability for critical thinking. Learning can be fun sometimes. A person can learn also from playing video games. Some people may learn one thing while others learn something completely different from the same video game. Reflection I am an adult learner and can relate to what has been posted as well as what I have read.At times it is hard for me to get all my assignment in on time , but I am trying the best that I can. Sometimes it’s hard for me to understand what the instructor is asking me to do and what is required in the assignment for the week. Its major articles in my life they will have me pull from my studies. Things like working (need to make money to pay bills and to survive), family (need to give and receive family support in life), and other personally business. Life from adult living is hard, but to add going to school is harder on somebody like me.With the time I have in my life, I don’t have the time to sit in a classroom setting so I went a different route and taking online classing. I do agree that some things can be learned by games and some things can’t. It shows the basics about how life can or can’t be and how life should or shouldn’t be. Over all learning can be fun at times even that it may be applied to video games. REFERENCES Cari Kenner and Jason Weinerman (Spring 2011). Adult Learning Theory: appli cations to non-traditional college students. www. crla. net Nicola Whitton1 (2011). Game Engagement Theory and Adult Learning. www. sagepub. com/journalsPermissions. nav

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