Masculine Bravado in Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar...

What is it to be a man? Masculinity is defined and characterized differently across cultures and time – there is no â€Å"global† standard. In some cultures, being a man may mean being comfortable with both your masculine and feminine sides or it could suggest being â€Å"tough† and not letting your feelings show at all. Manliness can be demonstrated in some cultures by providing for a family through work, and in others, it might mean scoring the winning goal in a championship game. It is not an easy thing to define an entire gender based on the arbitrary set of ever-changing social and cultural norms, but somehow- it still happens. Trying to define one’s own masculinity and live up to its standards is a tough and grueling task that many men†¦show more content†¦Nevertheless, with both in the sales industry, it’s easy for them to turn on that charismatic charm and sell not only their ideals, but â€Å"themselves in the form of their winnin g personalities† (Cardullo 29). Stanley Kowalski is the typical hyper-masculine example of a man in the late 1940’s to early 1950’s. He is described by his sister-in-law as an â€Å"ape† (Williams 121), he is abusive towards his wife, and he is the breadwinner of the family- he literally brings home the meat and throws it at his wife to catch and cook. Masculinity itself is not a character flaw, but when expressed with such ferocity it can become a crutch and unflattering. Stanley displays his manliness in several different ways throughout the play, something that the author Tennessee Williams did on purpose to reflect on the societal norms of the time and to do so in a questioning manner. The manliness that Stanley has is not one that is kept tamed and unleashed in appropriate moments, but is a type that is constantly wanting people to know that he is â€Å"the king† (Williams 138) of his home and family. By asserting his dominance, Stanley is show ing how masculinity can be a force that drives one to do absurd things in order to keep up a faà §ade. Willy Loman’s disposition is not as boisterous as Streetcar’s anti-hero, Stanley, but is instead more internal and self-reflective. His views of masculinity arise from the

Social Justice Issues - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1195 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/04/08 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Social Justice Essay Did you like this example? Anyone may say that the force is unfair and unjust. Yet, who is actually ready to accept the consequences for going against the unjust law? Is breaking the law worth the penalty? The government is the one to determine whether the law is fair but what if the people think its not? should we protest the force? Civil rights leader like Henry David Thoreau, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. represented very different philosophies. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Social Justice Issues" essay for you Create order Thoreau and King shared the same civil disobedience ideology. King Look forward to the time when blacks and whites would sit down together at the table of brotherhood words taken from his I Have a Dream speech made in Washington in 1963. Malcolm X was interested So I cite these various revolutions, brothers, and sisters to show you that you dont have a peaceful revolution (552). They differed on the use of violence to achieve their goals and they differed on the roles of whites in the civil rights movement. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau was the way of educating people on why they should not go for the ideal regime. Thoreaus job in this message that it constitutes our responsibility to put off the inadequate administration, as said by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence insisted that it is our duty to throw off an unsatisfactory government. The reading talks about Thoreaus polar viewpoint towards unjust authorities. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience touches about why people of why people choose not to do anything about a government they are unhappy with. The reading is an excellent way or educating people on they should not settle for a less than perfect government. Henry David Thoreau outlines a utopian society in which each individual would be responsible for governing himself. His opposition to a centralized government is an effort to disassociate with the American government, which at the time were supporting slavery and unjustly invading Me xico. Thoreau argues that individual should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences and that they have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice. Message in the Grassroots is a speech which was written to persuade the black people of America to put their differences aside and unite against the American racist hypocritical culture and defend themselves, so they can stay in America by forming a black nation. Evidence of this is when he states, forget our differences and come together and, he calls the black people the same family, he then says that they need to defend our own people right here in this country. This shows that Malcolm X has a strong opinion that the black people need to stick together and have a united front in front of the oppressing white man. However, the whole speech is very emotive and touching and creates great imagery. The Message to Grassroots, by Malcolm X, g Initially it was the verify he was a black man and he was Muslim, but more so than that he was a part of American History, Black History. After reading his speech he could be viewed as an Anti- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In making this statement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former a movement for the betterment and equal and/or civil rights for Blacks, and then for the rest for the rest of the nation. However, Malcolm X saw this plight as cowardice and a sure recipe of disaster. In the speech, Message to Grassroots, X makes the point that a revolution is an event the takes place with bloodshed. It is not possible for a nation of any kind to fight for rights or revolution without bloodshed, so in this instinct, the non-violence social movement held no residence in really changing the treatment of blacks in America, based on X speech. In the opening of the speech makes a case that now is a call for action, when X states: We all agree tonight; all of the speakers have agreed that American has a serious problem. Not only does American have a very serious problem, but our people have a very serious problem. The message being sent grabs the attention of the audience immediately due to the word order. The consistency use of the word problem gets the audience engaged wondering what the problem at hand is, it opens or alert the persuades that it is more to come that would be a new uh huh moment. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. had a common purpose for African Americans; justice and equality. Illustrated through their speeches and letters, Malcolm Xs Message to the Grass Roots and Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. The two did not share techniques or ideas. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time. The Letter from Birmingham Jail discusses the great injustices happening toward the black community in Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for radical justice and equality, King uses ethical appeals. Although not being from Birmingham he said he need to be there because of the many injustices whites do toward black people. Martin Luther King Jr.s Justification on defying unjust laws is talked about in his letter and how King cites conscience as a guide to obeying just laws and defying unjust laws, in the same way, Thoreau wrote in On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Apart from Kings added religious beliefs, Thoreau and King shared the same ideas concerning civil disobedience and the way in which one should deal with just and unjust laws, although they demonstrated their viewpoints indifferent. Social justice is defined as justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Social justice has always been an engaging topic, there so much history that goes with it. Hearing those two words I automatically think to get as close to equal in the given situation. In American society, there is a big sense of individualism and focusing on what makes us happy and just focusing on ourselves for the most part. Although self-care is not a problem I believe that people should be more willing to speak more on social injustices. If you have a voice you should use it because no one wants to fight a battle alone. I believe speaking about problems is the only way to resolve them instead of tossing them under the rug. We allow too much to go undiscussed. We live in a society in which people desensitize themselves to atrocities going on in the world if they are not personally affected. By living in the United States, we have been given resources such as the internet and social media to spread awareness of situations going on in other countries and even in the United States to be a voice for the people who are not allowed or are too afraid to speak up. With all tools and internet outlets given to us, we could definitely start using those for change.

Critical Analysis of Wilfred Owens poem Arms and the Boy

Eng 432 Outline Critical Analysis of Wilfred Owens poem Arms and the Boy I. Introduction: 1. Introducing what is going to be discussed in the paper (analysis of Arms and the Boy , its relation to one of Owens poem). 2. Thesis Statement : Wilfred Owens poem Arms and the Boy can be discussed to represent the horror of war. II. Body: 1. Owen was a soldier and a modern poet who was known as anti-war poet. A. A summary of Owens poetry in general . B. His representation of the horror of war in his poems. 2. Arms and the Boy is about an inexperienced young soldier who went to war. 3. Analysis of the poem. A. Analysis of the first stanza. B. Analysis of the second stanza. C. Analysis of the third stanza. 4. Poetic techniques that are used†¦show more content†¦These bullets are sharp and can cut as the torment of the grief and death. In the last stanza, the speaker is talking about the boys teeth, who is happy, as they are for eating an apple. However, these teeth are not weapons and he has no claws underneath his fingers. Also, God would not give him talons at heels and antlers which mean that God would not help him. So, the speaker says here that this boy is not like animals which have talons and antlers to help them kill their prey and in fighting with other animals. This stanza perhaps is showing that God is against wars and wars are a man-made catastrophe. If God wanted the soldiers to be homicidal, He would give them claws, talons, or antlers. Let the boy try along this bayoLet the boy try along this bayonet-blade Owen used, in this poem, an alliteration to add emphasis to the poem and the image it presents. The phrases like bayonet-blade, blind, blunt bullet and famishing for flesh have alliterations of the letter b and f which create an effect on the ears. The letter b is pronounced harshly to emphasize the cruelty of these weapons which is used to kill. Also, the letter f is pronounced harshly, but it is used to emphasize the heartlessness and inhumanity of having such thoughts by the boy. These alliterations give greater significant in regard to the exact image. Also, there is a use ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Comparison of World War I Poetry2088 Words   |  9 Pagesfundamental ideas and values towards our society. In this essay, I will discuss the issue of the War Poetry during the Great War along with comparing and contrasting two talented renowned poets; Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) and Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967). We tend to focus on the definition of War Poetry as poems that concentrated on the subject of war, which are written during a war that seems to have a noticeable influence on the poet . The crucial focus here is one war in particular: namely the First

Criticacal Thinking and Problem Solving Decision Making

Question: Describe about the Criticacal Thinking and Problem Solving for Decision Making. Answer: As a social work student, throughout this session, I have learned to appreciate the peaceful, yet exhilarating moment when dealing with various cases of social problems. Since I was a young boy, I had the passion of becoming a community counsellor and at the same time serve as a community resource mobilizer. To achieve these, I needed to have excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills. However, towards the end of my high school, I almost gave up on my pursuit of this career path as most of my friends had discouraged me that critical thinking was a very difficult and complicated field and that those who pursued this course in most cases ended up being hard liners as they argued on every issue. Nonetheless, my studies in critical thinking and problem solving this session have left me with a completely different notion about this field. My lecturer, Dr Angelina Zubac has proved to be a very resourceful person. I have always been a thinker, but all along the session, my critical analysis skills have greatly been sharpened. Through the study of Prospect Theory, I learned how to choose between two alternative risky situations where I learned that when presented with two situations that are risky in nature, I should choose the one that will give me more benefits in terms of financial gain or that situation that will save me from incurring losses (Boyd Fales, 1983). Moreover, I studied another theory that can help me in problem solving whenever faced by a difficult situation; Expected Utility Theory, which I learned that it is premised on the assumption that when faced with a situation that has an uncertain outcome; I should focus on a solution that at the end will satisfy my need (Langer Colton, 1994). Through a workshop organised in week 2 of my study, I had a chance to listen to several problems and to taste my problem solving and critical thinking skills. I was involved in a dialogue with Susan, one of my group members. Through the dialogue, I was able to observe how she presented her issues and gave my views. This I had learned was a process to help enhance my critical thinking skills through listening to and analysing other peoples issues. To retain the information I had acquired during presentations, I recorded all the activities including dialogue and presentations using my smartphone. Furthermore, to enhance my critical thinking skills, I read on-line materials such as essays, research papers, publications and proposals by various world known authors on critical thinking such as Plato. For instance, Platos writing on the Allegory of the Cave was really fascinating and sharpened my analysis of situations from a critical point of view (Kennison, 2006). I discovered that to be a good decision maker, I have to compromise as this will enable me achieve the objective of either the organisation or management. In whatever decision I make, I ought to ensure that there is no conflict with other peoples decision and to achieve this, I must always strike a compromise (Frederick, 2005). Moreover, there must be rationality in my decisions. Oral presentations and debates enhanced my communication skills and reduced the anxiety I have always had during presentations. I learned that a good decision maker ought to embrace high self-efficacy skills such as being courageous, active, competent and optimistic. It also entails having high self-esteem and employing the use of high social integration skills (Paternoster Pogarsky, 2009). These skills were further sharpened through practical learning experiences such as debating, presentations in workshops and in the classroom. Through watching videos, my decision making skills were further enhanced. I have always assumed the responsibility of leadership throughout all stages of my study. For instance, I served as a class prefect and school captain respectively at primary school and secondary school. When I joined the university, I really had the desire to continue and to advance this passion. It was therefore my goal to serve as a student leader at the university. To achieve this goal, I needed to acquire good leadership skills which I have learned requires good decision making and critical thinking skill (Lipman, 1987). This was surely the right class session for me. Despite the constraints I faced such as a tight work schedule, anxiety during class presentations and during debates and lack of a smart phone, I managed to acquire the skills. Through help from my family, I was able to afford a smart phone which I used to record presentations for future review and to access online learning information on decision making and critical thinking skills. The session has really been of help to me as my leadership skills have been enhanced. I learned that a good leader ought to possess decision making skills such as influencing and persuading skills, appreciating other peoples views, how to agree and disagree amicably and how to present my views (Profetto-McGrath, 2005). Today using the acquired skills, I can gladly vie for the leadership position. The leadership skills acquired are not only of great help in my university student leadership position but will also help me in my community service and in my future life leadership roles. Based on the knowledge I have I acquired I believe I am ready to take up my roles as a community mobilizer and as a social worker since my decision making and critical thinking skills have been sharpened. By taking up these roles, my skills will be sharpened even more as I will have a chance to exercise my learned skills and to face on-field challenges and devise ways to overcome the challenges. My passion in decision making having been awakened and will see me read further on similar topics to expand my knowledge beyond limits. Furthermore, having acquired leadership skills throughout the session, I believe I am ready to take up leadership responsibilities at the university and later even try the field of leadership at the national level. References Langer, G. M., Colton, A. B. (1994). Reflective Decision Making: The Cornerstone of School Reform. Journal of Staff Development, 15(1), 2-7. Boud, D. (2001). Using journal writing to enhance reflective practice. New directions for adult and continuing education, 2001(90), 9-18. Frederick, S. (2005). Cognitive reflection and decision making. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(4), 25-42. Paternoster, R., Pogarsky, G. (2009). Rational choice, agency and thoughtfully reflective decision making: The short and long-term consequences of making good choices. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 25(2), 103-127. Lipman, M. (1987). Critical thinking: What can it be?. Analytic Teaching, 8(1). Profetto-McGrath, J. (2005). Critical thinking and evidence-based practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 21(6), 364-371. Kennison, M. M. (2006). The evaluation of students' reflective writing for evidence of critical thinking. Nursing Education Perspectives, 27(5), 269-273. Boyd, E. M., Fales, A. W. (1983). Reflective learning key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), 99-117.