WinningWriters.com Dedicated to Helping Writers Improve Their Craft

WinningWriters.com Dedicated to Helping Writers Improve Their Craft WinningWriters.com focuses on helping independent and freelance writers, and it provides information and advice to help writers of all levels. The wide range of topics the site addresses is truly impressive; topics range from writing advice to legal resources and every subject matter in between (including topics such as self-publishing resources, writing for social change, and spotting scam literary agents).If you sign up for their newsletter, you can get Winning Writers list of The Best Free Literary Contests delivered directly to your inbox. Editor Jendi Reiter sends messages with information, updates, deadline changes, rule changes, and insights about more than 200 free poetry and prose contests on the 15th of every month along with four quarterly special announcements. Any writer interested in pursuing contests (and potentially earning prize money) should sign up for this newsletter, because Jendi digests the pertinent information about each contests rules and summarizes them in easy-to-understand language. She also gives her perspective about what kind of piece will likely win the contest, which is valuable advice that can save you time and help you to custom tailor your submissions and increase your chances in the contest. The contests Ive discovered on there are for credible publications with really exciting themes. The other members of my monthly Writing Group were thrilled when I shared this information with them, because many of them spend vast amounts of time researching contests in addition to writing their entries, and they were simultaneously excited and relieved to discover that Jendi Reiter has done most of the legwork for them! This resource saves you from having to scroll through online search results searching for contests; the editors at Winning Writers have done all the research and investigating for you, so you can easily glance at the contests and see which ones spark your interest and match your writing style. If you are hesitant about g iving out your email address (although they promise they will not share your email address or information with outside companies), you can access past issues of the newsletter on the site, but you risk missing opportunities for contests with shorter lead times.Under Whats New, the site features an extensive and continually updated list of Writing and Poetry contests, and they include prize and deadline information along with external links to each contest website for more detailed information. Based on the high standards and ethics exhibited throughout the rest of the site, interested writers and poets can confidently submit to the contest and publications featured here.One of the aspects of Winning Writers that I found most impressive and informative is their list of contests and publications that writers should avoid because they are not reputable, are vanity publishers, or are money-making schemes that will charge you to publish your work and will not improve your resume or portf olio (and may even possibly tarnish your resume). Most writers are passionate about their work, and that passion sometimes translates into a desperate need to see our work in print, which can lead to bad decisions such as paying to publish something youve spent weeks crafting. In addition to the list of organizations/contests to avoid, the site provides details on why they recommend avoiding certain organizations or contests. That additional information is quite useful for understanding the darker sides of the writing industry and learning how to spot some of the companies that try to exploit writers. The list and the explanations are valid and genuine. The fact that Winning Writers dedicated the time and resources to compile this list made me feel that they care about writers and the integrity of the writing industry. Red flags that the site warns about include anthologies that require poets or writers to purchase a copy of the anthology to get published, contests or publications t hat require you to relinquish too many of your intellectual property rights (which may prevent you from shopping the piece around or publishing it somewhere legitimate), and contests that include high non-refundable entry fees along with a fine print clause reserving the right to cancel the contest if they do not receive enough entries. In addition to this list and informative explanation, there is an extensive list of additional topics and external resources that can help prevent writers from being exploited when trying to get published.The Resources section of Winning Writers is elaborate, with at least forty-eight subheadings to choose from within this section. For writers interested in learning more about reputable publishing houses that publish books, journals, and magazines, the Publishers section provides two pages of quality options. The recommended publishers are listed in alphabetical order, and each listing is followed by a brief synopsis that summarizes the publishers sp ecialty and/or niche and what kind of writers might be interested in submitting for publication with them, along with a hyperlink that will take you to the publishers website if you want to find out more. Out of the seventy-two publishing houses listed, I was only familiar with three, so once again, Winning Writers has done most of the legwork for you in vetting these smaller entities.In the Resources section under the Books heading and Essential Tools subheading, I came across Bruce Holland Rogers article Ten Tips for Psychological Survival in Writing, which should be required reading for all writers, aspiring writers, poets, and aspiring poets. While many of the items within the Resources section provide summaries and links to outside sites if you want to read the entire essay or piece, this piece is printed in full on the site, which suggests that perhaps the people at Winning Writers also believe that Rogers Ten Tips for Psychological Survival in Writing contains essential infor mation for any and all writers. I urge you to head to the site and read it, or you can pick up a copy of Bruce Holland Rogers book Word Work: Surviving and Thriving As a Writer, which this essay is excerpted from.The Winning Writers website doesnt just provide resources and information about where to submit your writing for prizes and publication; they also host four contests (with substantial prizes) of their own:The Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, which accepts all styles and themes of poetryThe Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction Essay Contest, which accepts all styles and themes of both fiction and non-fictionThe North Street Book Prize, which accepts submissions of self-published booksWergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee), which accepts submissions of humorous poems.The site includes detailed descriptions of previous prize winners, including excerpts of the winning work. This is beneficial both for the winning writers, because it gives them exposure and publicity in addition to their prizes, and for future submitters, because it provides ample information about what sort of entries the judges consider prize worthy.If you dont have time to dig through previous contest winners to glean tips about how to write a winning essay, Arthur Powers, one of the judges of the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction Essay Contest, wrote an article that reveals what he looks for in an award-winning essay. He is mindful that writing is subjective and everyone has a unique style, so in his advice he mentions multiple times that he doesnt want to influence anyones essay. However, he provides solid, useful tips about how to craft an essay that speaks to a contest judge.If you are interested in learning more about the judging process for poetry submissions, Ellaraine Lockie, one of the judges of the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, provides an in-depth interview with Jendi Reiter, in which she describes what aspects she considers when judging entries for the poet ry contest.If you are the author of a self-published book, you should absolutely consult Jendi Reiter and Ellen LaFleches article explaining what they look for when judging submissions for the North Street Book Prize. Reiter and LaFleche go into exquisite detail about how they select their favorites for this contest. They even include recommendations of their favorite books in every genre, so writers interested in submitting can conceptualize what sort of stories resonate with them. This kind of information is invaluable when entering contests â€" especially when first prize is $3,000!Another benefit of the Winning Writers newsletter is Critique Corner, where an editor (usually Jendi Reiter, who is also the vice president, or Tracy Koretsky) critiques a poem submission and provides advice about how to improve the poem, along with ideas regarding possible submission outlets. Reiter provides insightful comments about the poems and frequently compares them to popular or well-known poem s of similar genres. She is a beautiful and skilled writer, and even when providing suggestions for how to improve the poems, she does so with grace and compassion, and you can tell that her suggestions for change are because she truly wants to help the poet make the poem the best that it can possibly be. Winning Writers is no longer adding new critiques to its Critique Corner, but the existing critiques will remain online indefinitely.In addition to having their own staff of editors and contest judges, Winning Writers combs through the Internet and finds valuable articles with pertinent information to share with their readers. The links to outside resources are rich with advice for writers. Creative nonfiction writer Megan Galbraith tackles a frequent source of writers block for many creative nonfiction writers in her article Thats Not How I Remember It: Creative Nonfiction and the Art of Dealing with Doubters.The WinningWriters.com website should be a bookmarked tab in any aspirin g or established writers web browser. The site is dedicated to helping writers improve their craft, and the articles, tips, and resources on the site will guide all writers and poets aspiring to improve their crafts, and it may help you to get published or win a contest along the way.

Rendering Meaning Through the Mind-Body Connection The Importance of the Physical, and its Relation to Identity, in the Subjective Reality of To the Lighthouse - Literature Essay Samples

In her novel To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf lavishly constructs the individual â€Å"realities† of multiple characters though a narration of their thoughts, impressions, perceptions, doubts, and the silent, self-questioning processes underlying the surface of human behavior. As a result, reality in the book exists only as it is perceived. There is no finite, singular definition of â€Å"right,† â€Å"true,† or â€Å"actual,† only a collection of distinct moments and experiences skillfully woven together to craft the rich tapestry of the novel’s interior. There is a sense that characters feel in To the Lighthouse, not that they actively live as in a traditional narrative. They are not defined by externals, or by oppositional categories of personality, unequivocally good or bad, altruistic or selfish, intelligent or simple. Because they are subject to the ambiguity, nuance and caprice of another’s interpretation, which itself varies along a continuum of mood and impulse, characters are not determinant, empirically â€Å"identifiable† forms. The mind, therefore, is the source of all-forward motion in To the Lighthouse, the guiding narrative agent. It exists both within and outside the confines of the novel, the purveyor of the subjective reality in which the â€Å"action† occurs, but also a character in its own right. If we regard the author as the ultimate puppeteer, and view the world of the book as an extension of her string-work (i.e. creative process), â€Å"the mind† is recast as the critical subject of her artistic experiment to craft a literature of consciousness. According to the The Norton Anthology of English Literature, in its introduction to 20th Century literary modernism, Virginia Woolf’s new focus was to be â€Å"an ordinary mind on an ordinary day. The life that mattered most would now be a mental life†¦Some version of an interior flow of thought becomes the main modern ist access to ‘character.’† This structuring of a subjective reality, the careful arranging and layering of â€Å"reflections, momentary impressions, disjunctive bits of recall and half-memory,† is the primary artistic endeavor of To the Lighthouse.However, therein lies the interesting paradox of Woolf’s â€Å"modernist† tour-de-force. If, indeed, the only life worth understanding, the only questions or concerns of any real consequence, are mental, or rooted in subjective experiences, why do the characters in To the Lighthouse yearn to connect to elements of their physical world, maintaining an awareness of themselves in relation to the corporeal? Why does Lily Briscoe, one of the main characters (or more aptly, viewpoints) through which the novel is filtered, suddenly realize towards the conclusion of the novel that â€Å"It was one body’s feeling, not one’s mind†¦To want and not to have sent all up her body a hardness, a hollowness, a strain? Moments later, Lily criticizes the very activity of consciousness she has been engaging throughout: It had seemed so safe, thinking of her [Mrs. Ramsay]. Ghost, air, nothingness, a thing you could play with easily and safely at any time of dayand then suddenly [Lily] put her hand out and wrung her heart thus†¦Suddenly [her surroundings] became like curves and arabesques flourishing round a centre of complete emptiness†¦for the whole world seemed to have dissolved in this early morning hour into a pool of thought. Although ostensibly contradictory, this shift in attention from the internal self to the external environment is actually in keeping with the novel’s pursuit of a subjective reality, its exaltation of the â€Å"mental life.† If such a reality is one formed from within rather than from without, and varies according to whomever is tasked with the challenge of assigning meaning to the chaos of feeling, â€Å"what† someth ing â€Å"is† in a subjective reality is more a definition of the perceiver than of the object being perceived. Therefore, the greater purpose or reward to this effort must be the acquisition of an acute sense of self. To this end, the most profound meaning and understanding is gleaned from incongruity. The realization that people and places, although unchanged in the objective sense, impress upon us in a radically different way, is the foundation of any fully-formed, mature identity. The physical, therefore, stands as a crucial point of reference to mark this difference, to recognize and measure the changes in one’s own character. One can see this process most clearly at play with James Ramsay, and his connections to both his father and the titular Lighthouse, and with Lily Briscoe and her profound link to the memory of Mrs. Ramsay. A comparative study of these two relationships will reveal the ostensibly contradictory, but nonetheless important—even necessar y—ways in which the physical begets and then continuously fuels the subjective experience. A fixture of the â€Å"material† world in the most traditional, unambiguous sense, the Lighthouse is an example of how the physical both pervades and foundationally supports the novel’s subjective reality. As a youth, James Ramsay, his unbridled spirit of adventure, his vast, lively imagination, are captivated by the Lighthouse, mythic in its allure. The opening lines of the text immediately establish his desire to visit the Lighthouse as a major premise or focus of the book’s â€Å"narrative of consciousness.† It will be the axle around which many of the characters’ internal debates and emotional struggles revolve:Yes, of course it’s fine tomorrow,† Mrs. Ramsay assures her son, â€Å"to whom these words conveyed and extraordinary joy, as if it were settled, the expedition were bound to take place, and the wonder to which he had looked fo rward, for years and years it seemed, was, after a night’s darkness and a day’s sail, within touch.Opposing forces who attempt to thwart the dream, the destined mission, are the closest figures to villains the novel presents. James’ father, Mr. Ramsay, is preeminent in this capacity. His rigid, mechanical pragmatism is so implacable it its attempt to inappropriately regulate—rather than attend to or encourage—the realm of childhood fantasy, that the cruelty borders on tyranny. As a consequence, James loathes his father and the oppression exacted by his strident belief in his own â€Å"accuracy of judgment.† After all, â€Å"what [Mr. Ramsay] said was true. It was always true. He was incapable of untruth; never tampered with a fact; never altered a disagreeable word to suit the pleasure or convenience of any mortal being, least of all his children.† James’ consciousness boldly, in stark, unapologetic honesty and mature languag e, reveals the severity of his animosity towards Mr. Ramsay:Had there been an axe handy, or a poker, any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father’s breast and killed him†¦James would have seized it. Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr. Ramsay excited in his children’s breasts by his mere presence. Clearly, both the Lighthouse and Mr. Ramsay, especially Mr. Ramsay’s attitude towards the Lighthouse mission, were the two major formative influences on young James Ramsay. Together, they captured the essence of James’ childhood, encapsulating his fantasies and his disdain for the pragmatic. To put another way, the perceived relationship between the Lighthouse and Mr. Ramsay was James’ unique â€Å"version† of the first major psychological conflict faced by any child, that fearful moment when the child is forced to urgently defend (or ultimately renegotiate) the illogic of his playful imagination against an invading, dulling à ¢â‚¬Å"real-world† mentality. Above all else, however, the Lighthouse and Mr. Ramsay were simply powerful physical presences that aroused in James strong urges, disturbing feelings, and profound impressions. They served as the puzzle board onto which James could piece together his redefinition of the concrete forms once he reconciled them with his interiority. The process of inviting the objective into the subjective, reworking the disparate elements together, and then casting the result back into the external from within, is an exercise in identity-making. It is an organic, live exercise that will inevitably be called up again as time passes, circumstances change with age, and notions of identity require renegotiation to remain meaningful. James faces this challenge when presented with the Lighthouse, his father, and their relation to each other, later in the novel. The second half of To the Lighthouse takes place about ten years since the close of the first â€Å"narrativeà ¢â‚¬  section (â€Å"The Window†). Life has changed along the picturesque Scottish seashore (the book’s primary setting): war has descended upon Europe, the characters have aged, some have died (namely Mrs. Ramsay), and some have left to explore worlds beyond the Ramsay’s estate. James is now a young man, no longer caught in the rapture of an idealizing, boundless and spirited imagination. He still has his Lighthouse; nature has not eroded it into oblivion, mankind has not razed it to the ground. Ironically, the â€Å"action† of the second half of the novel focuses on the realization, finally, of the voyage to the Lighthouse James had been cruelly denied as a child. It is a wish-fulfillment come too late, however, as this unchanged physical structure no longer resembles the image of James’ childhood, no longer resonates in a familiar way. He observes: The Lighthouse was [in his childhood] a silvery, misty-looking tower with a yellow eye, that open ed suddenly, and softly in the evening. Now†¦he could see the white-washed rocks; the tower, stark and straight; he could see that it was barred with black and white; he could see window in it; he could even see washing spread on the rocks to dry. So that was the Lighthouse, was it?Despite the disappointing, sobering transformation of impression that has resulted from the passage of time, from the shift between childhood naivetà © and adult-like realism, James acknowledges his earlier perception â€Å"was also the Lighthouse.† In the subjective reality of Woolf’s novel, both images, although oppositional, coexist seamlessly. Their relationship of â€Å"harmonious contradiction† serves a unifying purpose. Together, these disjointed fragments define the greater â€Å"whole† of James’ adult self-concept. Further emphasizing and contributing to the â€Å"refreshed,† mature identity that James is realizing for himself, his consciousness ( and thus the most accurate reflection or statement of his interiority) reveals strikingly new impressions and opinions about his father. James continues to view his father as a figure of oppression, against whom he must steadfastly commit to â€Å"carry out the greatest compact – to resist [Mr. Ramsay’s] tyranny to the death.† The figurative language of blades and knives (e.g. when contemplating his father, James articulates an eagerness to â€Å"strike him to the heart†) persists, thematically linking the boy of the past with the young man of the present. However, the older James differs from his younger incarnation in that he allows himself the option of entertaining an alternative, more generous and rational view of his father’s harshness. He reasons:It was not him, the old man reading, whom he wanted to kill, but it was the thing that descended on him—without his knowing it, perhaps: that fierce sudden black-winged harpy, with its talon s and its beak all cold and hard, that struck and struck at you (he could feel the beak on his bare legs, where it had struck when he was a child) and then made off, and there he was again an old man, very sad, reading his book. That he would kill†¦ Children often invest the tangible, that which is readily knowable, with unequivocal veracity. They feel no need to search beyond the immediate surface in order to arrive at an answer or conclusion that fits neatly within the parameters of their limited worldview. For James to demonstrate such an intimate (though perhaps nascent) understanding of human nature, for him to recognize his father as being somehow outside the elusive, powerful forces dictating behavior, are acts that indicate maturity of identity. More so, this moment of recognition epitomizes the reward, the completion of the rather exceptional aim inherent to life within a subjective reality. James has successfully used his external environment to trigger the activity o f his interior consciousness. His interpretations, informed by his unique personhood, are projected as finite definitions of the â€Å"real world.† But the only world of any value to James is the world of his impressions; within this context, the subjective is of supreme importance, and becomes objective and empirical. Therefore, both the Lighthouse and Mr. Ramsay, their concrete presences in James’ life, are the catalysts for the significant experiences and inner monologue by which he structures his subjective reality. By the end of To the Lighthouse, James Ramsay gains an awareness of himself, and a wise understanding of the differences his mature person has endured. However, without the function of core physical elements to awaken feeling, and to measure or illustrate the changes of a developing identity, the transformative, character-building process of the subjective reality would never occur. Lily Briscoe encounters this very obstacle, this kind of temporary abey ance of consciousness. Her struggles to arrive at a complete, well-defined sense of self later in her adult life, clearly reinforce the importance of the physical even within the â€Å"mental† sphere of the subjective reality.As a consequence of the emotional and literal distance provided by separation of space and the passage of time, Lily Briscoe, at the start of the second half of To the Lighthouse, demonstrates a very weak, fragile and tenuous self-concept. Lily has come back to the Ramsay’s seaside home an older, slightly sadder woman, overcome by a vacancy of feeling she cannot comprehend. Once so â€Å"mentally† expressive, once so â€Å"articulate† by the fluidity and conviction of her thoughts, Lily now finds that clarity of consciousness escapes her: What does it mean?—a catchword that was caught up from some book, fitting her thought loosely, for she could not, this first morning with the Ramsays, contract her feelings, could only make a phrase resound to cover the blankness of her mind until these vapours had shrunk. For really, what did she feel come back all these years†¦? Nothing, nothing—nothing that she could express at all.Questions of relative meaning and personal purpose elude Lily. She feels bereft, yet cannot access the source of her longing, cannot isolate the beguiling feelings causing her such discomfort. Without the ability to â€Å"contract her feelings† and provide order and substance to her confusion, to her fragments of thought (the â€Å"blankness of her mind†), Lily feels incomplete. Without the facility of expression, Lily is fundamentally unanchored. Her capacity to engage in the process of crafting and existing in a subjective reality has been arrested; as a result, she has lost her sense of self.An important question thus emerges: why, at this late point, does Lily stumble, caught at an impasse between mental sensation and meaning, between emotion and understandin g? The reason behind Lily’s disconnect clearly illustrates the crucial function of the physical in any subjective reality, especially with regard to the cultivation and strengthening of identity. She has lost her footing within the framework of the novel precisely because she cannot forge an attachment to her surroundings. Immediately upon her return, the changed environment registers with Lily, and triggers feelings of confusion and alienation from the familiar. Acutely aware of her troubled relationship with external fixtures, Lily muses: The house, the place, the morning all seemed strangers to her. She had no attachment here, she felt, no relations with it, anything might happen, and whatever did happen, a step outside, a voice calling†¦was a question, as if the link that usually bound things together had been cut†¦Without the ability to recognize the elements of her former surroundings, assume them into the tapestry of her subjective interpretation, and then re connect in a unifying way, Lily feels estranged from the environment of her past. More importantly, however, unlike James Ramsay, who still has the presence of both the Lighthouse and his father to stir him viscerally, and to stand as guideposts tracking the changes in his character, Lily is missing her equivalent â€Å"beacon† in the form of Mrs. Ramsay. For Lily, Mrs. Ramsay had been such a powerful influence, the challenging figure at the forefront of her thoughts, because Lily identified in the older woman a certain essence that resonated with her artist’s sensibility. Lily’s main personal challenge throughout the course of To the Lighthouse, the goal underlying and shaping her subjective experience, was the completion of a painting. This picture, a portrait of Mrs. Ramsay and of the seaside landscape, when finished, would become the realization of Lily’s â€Å"vision,† a celebration of her achieving a satisfactory sense of unity with the outs ide world. The completion of the painting would be the defining moment of her character. In Mrs. Ramsay, Lily saw a woman already in possession of the qualities she hoped to access through her work; namely, the ability to render permanent the small instances that collectively comprise life: But what a power was in the human soul!That woman sitting there writing under the rock resolved everything into simplicity; made these angers, irritations fall off like old rags; she brought together this and that and then this, and so made out of that miserable silliness and spite†¦something†¦and there it stayed in the mind affecting one almost like a work of art.In this way, Lily projected onto the blank canvas of Mrs. Ramsay her own need to preserve the ephemeral components of life through her art, â€Å"to make of the moment something permanent.† She further reflects: In the midst of chaos there was shape; this eternal passing and flowing (of intangible thought)†¦was s truck into stability. Life stands still here, Mrs. Ramsay said. â€Å"Mrs. Ramsay! Mrs. Ramsay† she repeated. She owed it all to her. At this point in the novel, however, Mrs. Ramsay has died. Her concrete presence, the currency she supplied to the transactions between mood and thought within a subjective reality, has disappeared into the ether of Lily’s vague memories. Without a physical form to lend shape to these recollections, or to stand as a marker of contrast by which to redefine her past perceptions, Lily is floating aimlessly within a void of her own identity. I would now like to return to the passage that originally precipitated my investigation:It had seemed so safe, thinking of her [Mrs. Ramsay]. Ghost, air, nothingness, a thing you could play with easily and safely at any time of dayand then suddenly [Lily] put her hand out and wrung her heart thus†¦Suddenly[her surroundings]became like curves and arabesques flourishing round a centre of complete emp tiness†¦for the whole world seemed to have dissolved in this early morning hour into a pool of thought. In this agonizing, moving moment, Lily is struggling to reconcile within her mind something irrevocably outside herself, outside her intellectual reach. She is up against the permanence of the life cycle, of death, which are corporeal inevitabilities. â€Å"Mrs. Ramsay!† she calls out in desperation, a futile endeavor because she will never find her response. And she is crying for a response, for confirmation, for the comfort of knowing and feeling the existence of humanity around her. By demanding an organic, somatic reaction, Lily is trying to supply herself with that palpable source of both inspiration and incongruity the physical world has removed. And it is not until she lowers the myth of Mrs. Ramsay to the rank of the material mundane, so that she too â€Å"became part of ordinary experience, was on level with the chair, with the table,† that Lily regain s the clarity and intensity of her active thought-process: â€Å"Her mood was coming back to her†¦so full her mind was of what she was thinking, of what she was seeing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In the end, the painting that had been the launching pad for countless impressions and internal deliberations within Lily, reaches fruition with a single, impulsive bodily act. This is a stunning turn, for it essentially celebrates the supremacy of the physical by undermining (or simply negating) the years of exhaustive mental activity that preceded the picture’s culmination. With a quick stroke of the hand, with a line drawn abruptly fragmenting the meticulously-crafted background landscape, Lily is able to proclaim, â€Å"I have had my vision.† Therefore, it is only when Lily feels once again connected to the concrete, grounding elements of her subjective reality, that she achieves completeness of self. Although deeply rooted in the realm of consciousness, concerned with the mindâ €™s ability to rework the intangibility of feeling, the ambiguity of impression, into a knowable reality, To the Lighthouse paradoxically remains under the persistent, weighty influence of the material world. Rather than be a statement solely on how the only life that matters is the one felt, not the one lived, where the experience of the mind takes precedence over the functions of the body, where mental fulfillment is valued over corporeal satisfaction, To the Lighthouse also isolates and emphasizes the physical as a key component in the grander scheme of a subjective reality. Like a crucial element in a complex formula, a person’s â€Å"actual,† tactile connection to his immediate setting is the basis from which perceptions are formed, and the agent through which they are reinforced.Because signification in a subjective framework is the product of the complex, unique interiority of the signifier, engaging the â€Å"mental milieu† is truly an exercise in id entity-building. And without a concrete guidepost by which to track the changes in one’s character, without a source of pronounced incongruity to serve as the point of entrà ©e into the renegotiation of identity, the strength of a mature self-concept is vulnerable to the intangibility of feeling. As evidenced by the solid self-concept portrayed by James Ramsay in the second half of the novel, as opposed to the tenuous, fragile, confused notion of identity tormenting Lily Briscoe, a notion that requires further reconfiguration in the absence of an accessible, concrete frame of reference, physical elements are integral to the formation of a firm sense of self. If intimate familiarity with the nuances of one’s own personhood is the goal, the â€Å"pay-off,† to the pursuit of a subjective reality, connection to the physical is essential not only to the book and the life of its characters, but also to the overall concept of humanity the novel, the art form, wishes t o mirror.

Motivation Techniques Used By Managers - 1091 Words

Motivation is used by managers in companies to encourage its employees to perform to the best of their abilities. The motivation techniques used in the first summer are quite different than those of the second. The workers were motivated in the first summer due to the Expectancy Theory as well as the Four-Drive Theory. In the first summer, workers quite enjoyed working for Joe and put great effort and time into landscaping customers’ yards. The â€Å"E-to-P expectancy† (McShane, Steen Tasa, 2014, p.119) is used by Joe. This expectancy is based on the workers’ belief that he/she can successfully complete the task required. In the first summer, Joe taught all new workers how to use the lawn equipment and was present at the job site aiding†¦show more content†¦This means, motivation techniques based on human need of emotion, bonding, and learning. â€Å"Drive to Bond† (McShane, Steen Tasa, 2014, p.116) is one out of the four theories Joe used in the first summer. The theory states that the forming of social relationships with coworkers as well as with the manager increases motivation within the company. It is clearly shown in the case that the workers all have a well established relationship with each other. They are able to communicate with each other to disting uish tasks, as well as eat and make jokes together during lunch and/or brakes. This desire to bond and create groups motivates workers to cooperate and feel confident in the environment in which they work. Another upside to the bond the workers have is that their joking and talking does not interfere with their work. The working habits and atmosphere in the second summer were quite different from the first. The new supervisors needed better motivation techniques to encourage the workers to perform well. First and foremost, it is clear the new supervisors do not have sufficient leading skills. They lacked communication with the employees and seemed to flaunt their authority. The supervisors needed to improve their â€Å"Drive to comprehend† (McShane, Steen Tasa, 2014, p.116-117). This drive enables the worker to fully understand what is happening in the environment around them. Most of the time, the new employees were forced to

Odysseus Heroism in The Odyssey Essay - 584 Words

Being a legitimate hero is not all about having the extraordinary supernatural powers commonly seen on television. Heroes are people who aid others, often putting themselves at risk to do so. They made the decision to fight, not necessarily physically, for their values. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, should be considered a hero. He put his own life in jeopardy to protect his men from the supernatural threats that they faced throughout their journey. Odysseus should be regarded as a hero because he is brave, clever, and cautious. Odysseus shows his heroism through his bravery. When Circe turned his men into swine, Odysseus confronted her: I drew my sharpened sword and in one bound held it against her throat(Circe, the†¦show more content†¦My name is Nohbdy(The Cyclops lines 312-315). Odysseus astuteness is apparent in this situation because he refused to reveal his identity to Polyphemus while he was vulnerable. His decision prevented the other Cyclops from coming to aid of Polyphemus. By precluding this beforehand, he demonstrated his heroic quality of wiliness. The ingenuity established by these actions personifies Odysseus as a hero. Furthermore, Odysseus reveals his cautious qualities that verify his heroism. In Sea Perils and Defeat, Odysseus does not notify his men about the Sirens: Odysseus decides to tell the men only of Circes warnings about the Sirens(narration). Odysseus noticeably gave forethought to this action because he knew his men would be fearful, and that it would interfere with their goal. His judgment forestalled his men from trying to avoid Scylla, as the anxiety of facing Scylla may have overwhelmed them, therefore, saving them from annihilation. Correspondingly, Odysseus shows his circumspect behavior in The Challenge: Odysseus took his time, turning the bow, tapping it, every inch(lines 1359-1360). This instance reflects Odysseus value of prudence; he made sure that the bow was in suitable condition for him to make an accurate shot. Placing importance on his discretion, Odysseus displays his heroic characteristics. Odysseus alertness in these situations validates his heroism. Confidence,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey1533 Words   |  7 Pagesbeginning, Homer shows his intention for themes of The Odyssey to be applicable in the modern age and essentially â€Å"sing for our time† (I, 12). Homer’s epic provides the ideal reflection upon the very definition of heroism because it details the strenuous journey of Odysseus, a crafty hero whose key priority is to return home to his family. As one of the most prominent themes, The Odyssey carries forth the idea of heroism through the portrayal of Odysseus, and establishes a connection with the real worldRead MoreThe Iliad And The Odyssey1317 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout The Iliad and The Odyssey, both Achilles and Odysseus go through intense acts of heroism, internal and external hardships, and fluctuations in confidence. During the epic, The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, has to endure many hardships which show. He has to show tremendous amounts of heroism and confidenc e just to keep his crew and himself alive. He has to rival and face many gods that despise him along with many humans. This theme can also be reflected from Homer’s The Iliad,Read MoreAnalysis Of The Odyssey 1313 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"establish peace, gentleness, and justice† (Narayan 1972: 63) in the world. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus has an uncontrollable â€Å"fighting spirit† (Homer 1996: 227) that too often ends in misfortune. Despite these great differences, these two characters have one thing in common: they are widely regarded as heroes in their religion. This is just one of many distinctions between the two epics. In The Odyssey, the afterlife consists of â€Å"the shambling, shiftless dead† (Homer 1996: 251) while in TheRead MoreOdyssey Fully Embodies the Greek Idea of Heroism1087 Words   |  4 Pagesqualities that Greeks perceived as valuable in men. Odysseus, a prime example as the protagonist of The Odyssey, fully emb odies the Greek idea of heroism, using his physical skill, as well as his clever mind to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. From escaping the Cyclops’ lair to facing the suitors in Ithaca, Odysseus chooses to use strategy over brute force often in The Odyssey and sets a precedent for future heroes of Western epics. While Odysseus has physical strength on his side, he often exercisesRead MoreThe Odyssey And Sundiat An Epic Of Old Mali1328 Words   |  6 PagesHeroism is defined as the qualities or attributes of a hero or heroine. (Google). Destiny is defined as something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune. The predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events. (Google). Finally A journey is defined as an act of traveling from one place to another. (Google). While analyzing these two great epics I came across many similarities between the two main characters. In both epics The OdysseyRead More Comparing Two Heros - Beowulf and Odysseus Essays618 Words   |  3 PagesComparing Two Heros - Beowulf and Odysseus Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context. Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leaderRead MoreThe Between Greek And Greek Society1318 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the Hellenistic World 336-30 B.C.E. there were many forms of heroism. How would you define heroism? What does a true hero consist of? A hero is a common and quite simple term, but is not always easy to define within a character. A hero according to Roman and Greek Society is someone who stands up for their country and fights for their beliefs. Normally a hero is someone who everyone looks up to. Heroes show tremendous amounts of courage and desire to fight for one s country. Arete, knownRead MoreHeroism In Oedipus The King And The Odyssey1132 Words   |  5 PagesDr. Dutch October 17 Heroism in Oedipus the King and The Odyssey Life is filled with a multitude of challenges and obstacles; in this case, life is often defined in relation to the ability if an individual to overcome and defeat such things. Aspects of heroism are evident in the situations and events that arise in the life of someone. This essay dives into the element of heroism that is evident is the stories: Oedipus the King and The Odyssey. Oedipus the King and The Odyssey share a multitude ofRead MoreAn Epic Poem The Odyssey 1611 Words   |  7 PagesThe Odyssey, an epic poem written by Greek poet Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, a war hero and king of Ithaca, as he went on a journey to return home from Troy ten years after the Trojan War. On his journey, he was confronted by various monsters, including the one-eyed Cyclops, and faced the loss of his men and his ship. Not to mention, when he returned to his land, he also had to defeat the suitors who had overrun his home and were trying to court his wife, Penelope. Homer not only tells usRead MoreExamples Of Archetypes In The Odyssey1291 Words   |  6 PagesArchetypes in The Odyssey All humans have ideals and patterns in common. Humans from a thousand years ago and humans in modern times have archetypes. Archetypes are characters, actions, or situations that are repeated in all human life. Archetypes are found in myths, legends, dreams, films, music, literature and several other forms of entertainment. In fact, The Odyssey, a prominent piece of writing, contains many archetypes. The Odyssey is a 3,000 year-old epic written by Homer in Ancient Greece

Themes of Identity and Heritage in White Teeth - 1152 Words

Themes of Identity and Heritage in White Teeth A suicidal man with no place in the world, an African American woman who wants to get away from her own mother, and a Bengali man who is conflicted with himself and his culture; these characters make the basis for almost all events in Zadie Smith’s novel, White Teeth. The story of White Teeth takes place in a diverse London between the periods of 1974 and 1992, beginning with Archie Jones attempt at suicide. Archie and his long time friend Samad and their families must cope with their internal struggles and solve their external conflicts with each other throughout the novel. Through this process roots and relationships are discovered. In White Teeth, Smith includes a variety of themes, revealed using a wide range of different literary devices. One of the most crucial themes in the book is the repetition of the theme, identity and heritage. Identity and heritage are a crucial part of how the book’s story unravels. Smith reveals this theme using a multitude of literary el ements, which include the use of setting, imagery, characterization, and more. Some devices are used more than others, and others even barely. The most essential ways Smith uses these devices to convey the theme of identity and heritage is through the use of allegory, symbolism, and characterization. With allegory, we will first start with Samad. Samad plays an important role in conveying allegory, and a mixture of hidden themes, just based on how his thoughtsShow MoreRelatedWhen The Emperor Was Divine Leads The Reader Through The Journey Of One Family1678 Words   |  7 PagesOtsuka brings to light the persecution of Japanese-Americans through her use of symbols prominent throughout the book. Some of the most important being the symbol of stains, their family dog, and horses. Each has a double-meaning pointing towards the theme of widespread racism. Racism that led many Japanese-Americans into believing that they were guilty. Stains are the predominant symbol in the very beginning of the novel. By definition, stains are things that are not removed easily. Early in the novelRead MoreLiterary Analysis of â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†800 Words   |  4 Pagesstory is how the white middle class viewed and treated people from different races in the 1960s. The story is an example of irony, redemption as well as a struggle of identity among the characters. The main characters in OConnors story are Julian an aspiring writer, who works as a typewriter salesmen, and his mother who is a low-middle class racist white woman who has strong views about thvxe African-American race. Both Julian and his mother are great depictions of the white mindsets of racialRead More The Oppression of Colonized India Illustrated in Arundhati Roy’s Novel The God of Small Things1505 Words   |  7 Pagestheir own cultural traditions that lead to much of the tragedy; however it can be argued that the underly ing theme within the novel is one of a people oppressed by the colonization of India by England, and how a society already consumed with prejudices based on class (or caste, as the Indian would refer to it) and colour begins to turn on itself, and devalues its own people, culture and heritage. The Kochamma family lives, works and plays together. They do not however communicate with each otherRead More The Influence of Religion in Phillis Wheatleys Life Essay1458 Words   |  6 Pagesthe auction searching for younger, more capable slaves (Weidt 9). Among those chosen, they picked a cheaply priced girl, estimated by her missing front teeth to be about seven or eight years old (Weidt 7). She was also chosen because Susanna felt sorry for her, probably because she was so emaciated (Weidt 9). Because the little girl had no identity, as it was left behind in West Africa, the Wheatleys needed to name her. Like all slave owners, they gave the young girl their last name (Weidt 10). HerRead MoreJames Weldon Johnson s The Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man And Nella Larsen s Passing3489 Words   |  14 PagesThe Theme of Passing, Racial Prejudice and Internalized Racism in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Nella Larsen’s Passin g The concept of racial passing refers to the occurrence in which an individual is able to transcend racial boundaries. During the Harlem Renaissance, the term â€Å"passing† meant to signify mixed race individuals who were light skinned enough to pass as white and mingle freely within white society, almost completely undetected. This was significantRead MoreBlack Naturalism and Toni Morrison: the Journey Away from Self-Love in the Bluest Eye8144 Words   |  33 Pagesnot. In The Street Lutie Johnson fights the ghetto with a determination that can only be called heroic; her tragedy is that she loses her battle against her surroundings, but her triumph consists of her willingness to break the boundaries that both white and black society had created for African American women in the 1940s. In Toni Cade Bambara s The Lesson, though Silvia is deeply affected by Miss Moore s lesson of where we are is who we are, she remains undaunted and vows ain t nobody gonnaRead MoreEssay on Hon g Kong Post-colonial Cinema4693 Words   |  19 Pagesextent its Chinese identity and its connection to its Motherland, while at the same time, has frequent contact with the Western world, politically, economically, and culturally. Hong Kong’s unique position has made the city a vibrant international metropolis that acts as a bridge between East and West. Yet after it was returned to China in 1997, this former British colony has been constantly reassessing its British past, struggling to find its new position and redefining its identity. The quest forRead MoreGender And Gender Roles : The Black Boys2966 Words   |  12 PagesEach texts depict gender and identity as an outcome of hierarchy, patriarchy and sexuality, readers are able to associate one’s identity as a social construct. Nurse Ratched’s aids the ‘Black Boys’ portray the negative perception that blacks are inferior to white people in society. This delineates American society at which the novel was written due to ongoing racism despite the American Civil Rights Movement. The Black boys carry out her requests by arranging sadistic beatings on the inmates, theyRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesLiterary Analysis ï â„¢ Literary Themes Coming Of Age ïÅ'‡ August 19, 2012 ïÅ'„ lite_admin Coming Of Age https://literacle.com/literary-themes-coming-of-age/ Most scholars agree on a standard definition of the coming-of-age narrative: the coming-of-age narrative: Simply put, it follows the development of a child or adolescent into adulthood. The roots of this narrative theme can be traced back to the bildungsroman, or â€Å"formation novel.† Late 18th-centuryRead MoreDescriptive Analysis6093 Words   |  25 Pageshe did. Alice Adams’s story â€Å"Truth or Consequences† presents the essence of narration and description—an adult recounting a specific yet universal childhood experience. A frame story that mixes details of the past and present, it subtly embodies themes opposing stereotyping that are common among all of the readings in this section of the text. THE WRITING The writing assignments that conclude this section ask students to experiment with these strategies in their own essays. As students plan their

Providing Anesthesia For Lung Transplantation - 1538 Words

Providing anesthesia for lung transplantation (LT) is considered by many to be a major feat in cardiothoracic anesthesia. Some say it involves the most complex manipulation of cardiothoracic physiology, especially when cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is not used. There are many indications for end-stage pulmonary disease, from obstructive lung disease to pulmonary vascular disease. Traditionally, ventilation strategies for this population included tidal volumes of 8-12ml/kg to prevent atelectasis and zero PEEP to prevent a shunt of blood flow (Slinger, 2012). This strategy proved to cause harm during the periorperative period. Research now indicates that a reduction in tidal volume with added PEEP not only decreases atelectasis, but it also reduces pulmonary inflammatory response (Coppola, Froio, Chuimello 2014). These patients already have a decreased respiratory reserve, therefore inducing an inflammatory mediated response with ventilation settings can be detrimental and should be av oided at all costs by the nurse anesthetist. It is imperative for the nurse anesthetist understand the necessity of lung protective ventilation strategies in LT. Patient Assessment Lung transplantation surgery is often unpredictable and emergent. Therefore, the preoperative workup of transplant recipients must be thoroughly performed in advance with appropriate updating of clinical data and investigations whilst on the waiting list. If the patient has been on the waiting list for an extendedShow MoreRelatedProtective Ventilation And Lung Transplantation Surgery1602 Words   |  7 PagesVentilation in Lung Transplantation Surgery Providing anesthesia for lung transplantation (LT) is considered by many to be a major feat in cardiothoracic anesthesia. Some say it involves the most complex manipulation of cardiothoracic physiology, especially when cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is not used. Indications for LT include 4 primary diagnostic groupings of end-stage pulmonary disease: (1) obstructive lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); (2) restrictive lung disease (idiopathic

A Simple Trick for Admission Essay Writing Exposed

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