Wieland Analysis Essay Example for Free

Wieland Analysis Essay Throughout this course, we have read many selections that were directly related to Puritanism. Just as well, they have often come in the form of a captivity narrative or gothic novel. In this case, â€Å"Wieland† by Charles Brockden Brown, is written in the format of a gothic novel, and similarly seems to reject Puritan ideals. It is a gothic novel in the sense that it follows the typical storyline of a young, honorable woman having her virtue threatened. It involves many supernatural events and is also thought to be ultimately resolved by a supernatural event. Most importantly, it brings about the threat of religion. Brown aims to expose the dangers of believing to strictly in Puritanism, and furthermore any religion for that matter. It’s the idea that any religion can lead to religious frenzy and that no human virtue is safe from corruption. One can witness these concepts by simply examining the _________ of characters Henry Pleyel, Clara Wieland, and Theodore Wieland also known as Wieland. Henry Pleyel intro. Hears voices telling him that lover is dead but more importantly â€Å"hears† things that cause him to question clara’s virtue. â€Å"In vain you dwelt upon incidents of which you only could be conscious; incidents that occurred on occasions on which none beside your own family were witnesses. In vain was your discourse characterized by peculiarities inimitable of sentiment and language. My conviction was effected only by an accumulation of the same tokens. I yielded not but to evidence which took away the power to withhold my faith† (Brown 154). In this part, Henry recounts an event in where he supposedly heard Clara submit to Carwin. He argues that he knows it couldn’t of been anyone other than Clara because she spoke only of things that only she or one close to her family could know, and that her discourse was particularly her own, down to the language used. It was clearly her. No other being could know how to sound like her or know the things she did. The fact that Henry relies solely on his senses and leaves no room for the possibility of supernatural occurrences comes back to this idea of American Enlightenment. Clara Wieland constantly antagonized by voices but cannot make sense of them. Play on her senses, does not know what to trust. â€Å"The interval was too brief to artificially measured, between the utterance of these words, and my scrutiny directed to the quarter to whence they came. Yet if a human being had been there, could he fail to have been visible? Which of my senses was the prey of a fatal illusion? The shock which the sound produced was still felt in every part of my frame. The sound therefore, could not but be a genuine commotion. But that I heard it, was not more true than that the being who uttered it was stationed at my right ear; yet my attendant was invisible†(Brown 97-98). Explanation. Tie to thesis. Theodore Wieland is the worst case scenario. Seems the most normal and able to rationalize up until the point where he viciously murders his family and claims to be carrying out an act of god. â€Å"I thank thee, my father, for thy bounty; that thou didst not ask a less sacrifice than this; that thou placedst me in a condition to testify my submission to thy will! What have I withheld which it was thy pleasure to exact? Now may I, with dauntless and erect eye, claim my reward, since I have given thee thy treasure of my soul† (Brown 188). Explanation. Tie to thesis. Brown keeps swinging the pendulum back and forth between supernatural and human explanations for events and by the end of the novel, even when the mystery is technically cleared up, there are still several things left unknown or murky. The complete Enlightenment reliance upon reason can be misleading, and in some cases, even dangerous.

Behaviorism Theory Essay -- Psychology, Watson, Skinne, Locke

A learning, or behavioral theory, in terms of human development, follows the view that the focus of psychology should be behavior, the way we act. A behaviorist places value on attributes that one can see and therefore study, as opposed to the invisible attributes, such as thinking, feeling, and other brain activity that occurs without one even knowing (Craig & Dunn, 2010, p. 14). There are three important modern behavior or learning theorists: Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, and B. F. Skinner. However, as stated by William Crain John Locke was the â€Å"Father of environmentalism and learning theory†, although Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner were his â€Å"heirs† (Crain, 2011 p.3). To some, the behaviorist theories may seem limiting or incomprehensive, but one can see that all of the major theories play a role in our understanding of development. British philosopher John Locke developed theories in late seventeenth century that a child has no built-in beliefs or understanding of concepts until the child has experienced these things for themselves. He asserted in his writing that through observation of children’s behavior, children are like an empty, unfurnished room that one can select the furnishings for, especially in early years when children are most susceptible to suggestion and input (Crain, 2011). Locke believed that environment was a critical factor in development, but also saw that the way one gives a child input affects behavior as well. Crain, (2011) noted that Locke felt that a child’s good health was important to facilitate, and that beyond that, adults should help reinforce children’s behavior through reward and punishment. More than two hundred years later, B.F. Skinner saw the importance of reward and punishment as he studied oper... ...tson’s later innovations was to remove or de-condition fears, by very slowly introducing the feared object in a slow, incremental, and safe manner until the object no longer evokes a fearful response (Crain, 2011). All of these behavioral/learning theorists have made huge progress in understanding the psychology of human development through a rigid set of principles, through research, observation, and behavior modification experiments. One may be put off by the unyielding denial of cognitive processes in behavior and the relationship to development. To be sure, many theories and theorists have made progress in bridging the gap between behavior and environment only theories, and cognitive theories. One should not lose sight that all of these major theorists have made valuable contributions to our views of human development, including these unwavering behaviorists.

My reaction to Dante’s Inferno Essay

While I was looking back through all the freewrites I had written about Dante’s The Divine Comedy I realized how much I had really progressed in my understanding of the poem itself, and in doing so had really been given a whole new view on religion and spirituality. The freewrite that showed this growth to me the most was the second one we had written after reading Canto’s III and IV. I had a rather strong reaction to the ideas presented to me within those sections that dealt with the concept of Limbo. That reaction brought on somewhat of a domino effect, bringing up even larger issues for me that had to do with my views on Christianity and the assumptions I made about it. Through further reading and class discussions I was able to start looking The Divine Comedy with a whole new angle, allowing me to grasp Dante’s message of being responsible for your actions so that you can be in control of your own fate. Limbo was making little sense to me. I could not comprehend how God could let these worthy souls, especially Virgil, not go up to heaven just because of certain technicalities that were beyond their control, such as not living in a time of Christianity or living in a culture that was not Christian. Or being held up because of something as small as not being baptised. It seemed so arbitrary to me that God could get so hung up on these details and punish those souls by not permitting them to go to heaven even though they seemed to deserve it. I am really not religious at all, and I have a lot of my own views about the afterlife and God. Realizing that my values are probably different than the average Christian, I adopted what I think of as the â€Å"normal† Christian view when I go into anything that deals with religion. That view, to be simplistic about it, is that we go through life, and when we die, God either rewards or punishes us for the life we led by sending us to heaven or hell. So when I began reading The Divine Comedy, I was trying to apply that overly simplistic view to the poem, and it led to a lot of confusion for me. I had to overcome my assumption that God was the judgemental ruler and determiner of all things and realize that Dante wants us to understand that we have all the control over our fate because we have the power to choose right from wrong in any situation. In this poem, it’s a matter of making the right  decisions and doing the right things to lead a life of God, or its choosing to do the wrong thing, therefore giving your self a hellish existence. Dante gives us the idea that God is eternally forgiving and accepting of us. Therefore the people we see suffering so horribly all throughout the Inferno have made the decision to be there. None of them ever ask to get out. They are quite literally still choosing to be in hell because they refuse to see the evil in their decisions. You can’t feel sorry for any of them because of this. It gives it a certain level of deservidness when you read of all the tortures going on in the Inferno. That I think really explains the idea of contrapasso. You get what you deserve. This is seen in every level of hell, it is what the Inferno is based upon, it is the physical punishment that fits the sin. Like in the seventh circle, for example, tyrants and murderers are immersed in a boiling river of blood. Or in the first ring of the ninth circle, traitors are immersed in ice with their heads bent down. Dante feels that they chose to sin, and now they are paying for it. They choose to be there by not recognizing their responsibility to do the right thing. I think it is really hard for anyone to read about the suffering in hell and not feel some sympathy for those who are going through it, whether they are choosing it or not. I think it should be understood that Dante was not being literal about it all. Contrapasso is something that I think is supposed to be somewhat amusing to think about and can create some gratifying mental images for one’s imagination, but to have people actually suffering I think it feels a bit harsh. Hell in The Divine Comedy I think is mainly used for allegorical purposes, and contrapasso accomplishes that. He was writing a poem, an entertaining one at that, and I highly doubt he was trying to show us what the afterlife was really like. What I do think he was trying to do was tell us that we have the power to choose right from wrong, and based upon that we can decide our own fate. I feel that anyone can find some solice in that idea, whether you are Christian or not. Limbo is still probably the hardest concept for me to accept, but I do know that before I just thought it was really unjust of God to hold back  worthy people, whereas now I understand that it is really a bit more complicated then that. Based on how every other level of hell works in The Divine Comedy, I might say that God really doesn’t have much to do with keeping them there, it has more to do with them keeping themselves there. Or perhaps Limbo is just an exception to that rule. It’s hard to say. But by realizing how simplistic I thought the â€Å"normal† Christian view was, I think I’ve gained a lot in understanding that the views of Christianity can be seen in a multitude of ways. It would certainly be unfair of me to continue to assume I know how anyone, Christian or not, views the afterlife and God.

King s Speech By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - 999 Words

â€Å"I Have a Dream† one of the most popular speeches in history was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African American preacher. He directs his speech to two main groups of people. The first group being those listening to the speech, and the second being those who are just around the area where he is delivering his speech. King’s speech is focusing on the civil rights of the African American citizens. He talks about how poorly the other people have treated them. He uses historical documentation to back up his points. King’s main concern is that if all men are created equally, then why are men of color being treated differently. His main purpose in writing and delivering this speech is to change the thoughts people have developed about African Americans. He appeals to emotions as well as logic, and uses some appeal to his credibility as a writer and speaker. King also utilizes his personal experiences to help with his emotional approach to this speech. K ing is very good at capturing the audiences’ attention through emotional appeal. He makes sure to talk about the poor treatment people of color have had to deal with. â€Å"One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.† (King). He uses this time span to put into perspective how long African Americans have been waiting to finally be free from treatment such as, segregation and discrimination. He uses analogies to help his audienceShow MoreRelatedDr. Martin Luther King Jr s Speech970 Words   |  4 Pages What makes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech so important till this day? It’s ability to still move people. Dr. King Jr. was one of the best speakers of his time during the Civil Rights Movement. He wrote many distinguished works, two of them being his I Have a Dream Speech and his letter, Letters from Birmingham. Letters from Birmingham Jail was written from jail after he was shortly arrested for attempting to share his views with clergymen on this racial injustice. Dr. King delivered his I HaveRead MoreObservations On The s I Have A Dream Speech By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.881 Words   |  4 Pageshappened 5 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream Speech on the Washington Mall 47 years ago, and Mother Teresa was born a century ago. Monday: Katrina; Tuesday: I Have a Dream; Today: Mother Teresa After spending a great deal of time on and devoting a good deal of space to the two previous subjects in this series on recent anniversaries, 2005 s devastating Hurricane Katrina and the world-changing 1963 I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I had looked forwardRead MoreAnalysis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have A Dream Speech619 Words   |  3 Pages28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time to an audience of more than 200,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In his, â€Å"I have a dream† speech, King addressed his encouragement of white and black people working together to achieve racial peace and harmony. He especially wanted to teach the young blacks that equality could be gained through the use of non-violence. The main reason King used nonviolenceRead Moreâ€Å"a Comparison of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’S ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech and ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’†.1444 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Comparison of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’†. 9% Similarity Born in Atlanta Georgia in 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., conceivably lived as one of the greatest social and religious leaders in a country where a group of its citizens had to endure excruciating conditions of disenfranchisement, inferiority and degradation of a second class citizenship by reasons of race, color or origin. In effort to condemn allRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have A Dream Speech915 Words   |  4 Pages Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech to the thousands of African Americans who had marched on Washington, D.C. at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The date of the speech was August 28, 1963, but it is one that will live for generations. Of course his purpose was to convince his audience on several fronts: he sought to persuade the black community to stand up for the rights afforded them under the Constitution, and he also sought to Read MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream Speech1480 Words   |  6 PagesMovement, Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream speech was broadcasted across the nation and heard by millions of Americans on August 28, 1963. Throughout the decades, many have promoted the importance of racial equality in America. Leaders such as William J. Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush have contributed to modern social movements by, doing as Dr. King himself, giving speeches to varying audiences concerning the issue of racial inequality. Above all, Martin Luther King Jr made the strongestRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr Essay1299 Words   |  6 PagesWhy was Martin Luther King Jr. such an inspiration to African Americans in America? Martin Luther King Jr. was an American minister, Civil Rights leader, and activist who had a strong belief in nonviolent protests (history.com; Martin Luther King Jr.). He was the leader behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington which were eventually effective and a law was passed to end racial discrimination (history.com; Martin Luther King Jr.). On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested forRead MorePurpose of Education Essay669 Words   |  3 PagesSynthesis Essay: The Purpose of Education Everyday we go to school to receive our education, but what is the purpose of education? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, â€Å"The Purpose of Education† and Frank O’Connor’s short story, â€Å"Christmas Morning,† both discuss what is the purpose of education. The purpose of education is to acknowledge not only one’s intelligence, but also one’s character, provide one with the ability to make decisions and achieve their goals. One of the purposes of educationRead MoreI Have A Dream Speech Analysis847 Words   |  4 Pagesfights for her country. In the speech I Have a Dream, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was influencing people to go and protest to get their rights and in the speech A Eulogy for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy influences people to change and do as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The last two people were speaking to influence people. They made a change, they did something and hope something will change. First, the speech I Have a Dream By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is a famous black rightsRead MoreEssay on The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.1244 Words   |  5 Pagesworld. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to Alberta and Martin Luther King. Alberta Williams King was born September 13, 1904 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Luther King, Sr. was born December 19, 1899 in Stockbridge, Georgia. Martins dad was a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother was a school teacher. His siblings were Christine King Farris born September 11, 1927, and Alfred Daniel Williams King born July 30, 1930. Martin was the middle child. Martin Luther King