Holden Caulfield Character Examination Essay Example for Free

Holden Caulfield Character Examination Essay Character Examination Holden Caulfield is a figment of author J.D Salingers imagination, Holden is the exception to all rules, and the rule to all exceptions. He is in an unclassifiable category, and his physical traits give no clue on how to enravel this enigmatic young man. Holden is caring but cold, timid yet bold, passive but aggressive; these are three of perhaps hundreds of antonyms describing his psyche. Holden is the protagonist in J.D Salingers only acclaimed novel The Catcher in the Rye. The story centers around the adolescence of this rebel with and without a causes life. It is narrated from the point of view of a cynic, with most secondary characters being valueless, trite yuppies with little integrity or worth. Holdens internal voyage is triggered by his expulsion from Pencey, a boarding school in upstate New York. Holden Caulfield is a tall, solidly built teenager. Holden has short dirty blond hair which he wears in a crew cut. He has a pale complexion and has a tendency of getting red in the face. Salinger does not concentrate on the physical traits of his protagonist but rather he thoroughly describes all facets of his psyche. What struck me as odd about Salingers style is that with many secondary and supporting characters in the novel, he paints a very detailed physical analysis from head to toe. Perhaps Salinger made this decision in order to show the reader the complexity of Holden as a human, and that while supporting characters can be brought into the story by external traits, Holdens complex character transcends mere physical description. Holden Caulfield is a cynic by nature and is a self proclaimed judge of others. Holden has no respect for other peoples positive traits, and he adamantly believes that people put on a faà §ade, play a part and have no self worth or moral barometer. It can be said that Holden is a bipolar character, for example; Holden is naà ¯ve yet cynical simultaneously. One might say that it is impossible to be naà ¯ve and cynical at the same time but with Holden it is evident on a regular basis. Holden is definitely cynical, Holden makes impetuous accusations and rash generalizations of people and often he is mistaken in  his judgment because he shows no form of acceptance to the positive value of the human spirit. Holden is also naà ¯ve, not in the pure sense of the word but Holden is naà ¯ve of himself and his thoughts. Holden has strong deep-rooted beliefs of the world being against him and the world being out to get him, but he is mistaken. Holden Caulfield radical belief of his own beliefs makes him naà ¯ve and gullible. The sad part of Holdens terrible attitude towards life, is that to some extent he himself is a fraud, by becoming an arrogant disbeliever of human worth, he is, in his mind justifying his own mistakes and moral flaws. Holden has feelings of insecurity and a fear of loneliness and alienation, his fear plays a large role in his actions during his time in Manhattan. From the moment of his departure from Pencey, Holden was trying to call his old girlfriends; at first he called his old friend Jane Gallagher. After striking out, he was lonely and his way of dealing with his rejection was hopping from bar to bar and from nightclub to nightclub. After Holden recovered from his misadventure with Jane, he called another acquaintance named Sally. Sally and Holden ended up meeting up for a matinee, but Holden, spotted a lunt (phony) and it made him wreck the date. Holden is fickle and impatient, this is exemplified by his hopping from hangout to hangout at night in New York. Holden would make potentially dangerous decisions on impulse. He was not methodical or prudent at all, his impulsiveness could be labeled as recklessness. An example of the dangers of his impetuousness is when after a tough night, he hired a prostitute from the elevator man, Maurice. Holden didnt even think about the consequences of his actions and in the end Holden was in a dangerous situation with Maurice. Holden Caulfields secondary characteristics are what make the plot of the novel so interesting to the reader. Holden Caulfield is a truly fascinating character. In writing this essay, the complexity and the inconsistency of his character traits became more and more evident to me. Holden is a great example of many negative qualities often associated with teenagers such as, impulsiveness, recklessness and various other negative traits not affiliated with teenagers such as cynicism, and a lack of faith. Holden is the most intriguing character I  have encountered in my literary experience. In two years from now when rereading Salingers novel The Catcher In The Rye, I wonder how my thoughts and opinions of Holden Caulfield will change. With further insight to Holdens complex character, I may well appreciate him more and more.

The Shooting An Elephant

The Shooting An Elephant The narrator, the autobiographical author, at once faces reality the most but also acts as a puppet within the script that is his life. He sees the manipulation of each side of the native people and the conquerors of Burma, himself being a police officer, someone who should be clear cut right and wrong and the law and yet the murkiness of what is the real truth. The largest irony being the elephant in the room being that he sees he should not kill the elephant and yet feels has to and vacillates in his logic to this conclusion and even once a decision made can see the several interpretations of what is the truth and yet he knows the truth and the truth is that the native people used the eiron, the elephant, to manipulate him to kill the elephant which was really based on him not wanting them to laugh at him or humiliation. He deceives himself into believing this when at any time he could take control of the situation. The townspeople believe they are manipulating the narrator but the narrators sees that he is being manipulated and yet allows it to happen anyway being carried away with mob rule. The townspeople feel a lack of control of their own destiny similar to the fate of the elephant and yet also feed upon the elephant which is the British control in a enabling situation for all. But is it not really the police officer who manipulates them by asking for elephant rifle knowing that they will assume he wishes to shoot the elephant. So the police officer narrator has created his own conflict by lack of control of a situation because he feels he has no control. The audience I assume to be the reader and the reader is fooled to think this is a story merely about an incident of a wild elephant yet foreshadowing of the narrator leads to believe is a story about the fall of the British Empire yet is really the fall of an individual and his beliefs about the greater good and lack of control of his own life. The death of the elephant is brought on by even the audience of the reader as once the elephant falls his suffering is unbearable and instead of wishing a recovery for the elephant even the audience wishes a more peaceful death. The story is about the individual and yet still about the whole of the circumstances of British rule but also really about us all as audience. Audience assumes an outside witness, an outside entity that has no control, just as the native townspeople feel they have no control, and just as the British rulers with the police officer representing that in this story feels he also has no control. So are we all audience? To make any decision even no decision is a decision and the feeling of lack of control or will seems the overriding feeling of all involved in the story, yet the purpose of the story is to instigate change and to right wrongs, yet why was a wrong done at all. The audience is helpless but only helpless because of being an audience instead of a participant. I believe that to be the real theme of the story. Overcoming a sense of helplessness while following what is believed a preset of ideas and codes of conduct and seeing that no decision is a decision. Things do not merely happen on their own. We are all players in the play that is our life and that of all people. The greatest irony of Orwells Shooting an Elephant is that the many have no control or that there is control. It is the collapse of truth, a collapse of justification, and a self examination of motivation that will overcome the irony of the entire sad sad situation. Central to Orwells short story is the elephant in the room, so large, so unspoken, yet still there no matter what happens. In Shooting an Elephant Orwell brilliantly writes a story rich in irony and symbolism like a crystal or kernel of information sparkling with many facets depending on the viewpoint of who is looking at it. To the narrator, the autobiographical George Orwell as is obvious from the beginning, the elephant symbolizes the British Empire and right in paragraph two he foreshadows with stuck between hatred of empire served and rage against evil spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible which identifies the inner rage and conflicting ideas within the thoughts of the narrator made physical by the elephant. The elephant represents his feelings towards the British Empire, toward the feeling that he is merely a puppet. So at an individual level of feelings of doing what is expected of him to save face always and a greater level as a part of the machine that a s a whole is the British Empire. As the narrator approaches the elephant his feelings vacillates between feeling he should not shoot the elephant and that he has to shoot the elephant and is really shown by the weather of the day for weather is always symbolic in a story. The muddy land that takes over and the cloud, stuffy morning at the beginning of the rains which also symbolizes the elephant apparently content and silent eating the grasses yet caught in the mud beneath his feet. The narrator believing he does not need to kill the elephant and the mud making his choice or blaming his choice on the mud and the will of the mob. It is as if stepping in mud where you step to go forward and are pulled in as if by no choice and you break free as you step forward and yet are drawn right back into the mud. It is the mud that is the narrators reason for not going closer to elephant and testing its temperament. It is the mud that the native townsperson sunk into a hole of mud. As the time to shoot the elephant and just after the narrator shoots the elephant the parallel of the symbol of the elephant to the British Empire becomes more apparent and more direct after several change in logic patterns of no he does not have to kill the elephant and yes he does have to kill the elephant. In paragraph Orwell writes, And it was at this moment, as I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hollowness, the guilty of the white mans dominion in the East. Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the unarmed native crowd seemingly the leading actor of the piece; but in reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind. I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib. For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the natives, and so in every crisis he has got to do what the natives expect of him. He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it. I had got to shoot the elephant. To the townspeople the elephant also symbolizes the British Empire but in an immediate way it symbolizes their hunger and the elephant was food but also a symbol of their hunger to have freedom, freedom that the elephant in the room symbolized the British Empire. The attitudes of accepting what is seems prevalent of the townspeople in an ambivalence as to where the elephant went, where he was, and where he was going, and what he did, and yet, once the elephant rifle was sent for, a new sense of importance and destiny and change took over the townspeople as they followed the narrator and crowds grew to see the shooting of the elephant as seen in paragraph five: They had not shown much interest in the elephant when he was merely ravaging their homes, but it was different now that he was going to be shot. It was a bit of fun to them, as it would be to an English crowd; besides they wanted the meet. In paragraph 11 when the first shot is fired at the elephant, head the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd. In paragraph twelve it was obvious that the elephant would never rise again, but he was not dead. Yet the Burmans were already racing past the narrator across the mud to the elephant and in paragraph 13 it state Burmans were bringing dash and baskets even before I left, and I was told they had stripped his body almost to the bones by the afternoon. Showing the hunger of the people, the restlessness, the interest when the empire is toppled. So the immediate symbolism of the elephant to the people is food and hunger but the real symbolism is power and self determination and that makes the elephant the British Empire. Vivid imagery of all the senses paint a picture in the mind of the reader of George Orwells A Hanging in a way that appears effortless detailed description of what was perhaps a half hour of time filled with imagery that is symbolic in nature and analysis. The opening description of the morning layered with the imagery of the dog running around the yard and the puddle the prisoner had stepped around The first sentence of the story opens with a vivid picture of the morning, It was Burma, a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light like yellow tin foil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard. This foreshadows sickly human condition of the second sentence, We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages. And continuing on to give dimensions and sparse furnishing of plank bed and pot of drinking water of death row. The totality of the picture of degradation like a zoo with prisoners on display out in the open stripped down of their humanity and treated like animals. What appears interesting is that no one is given a name so it is a timeless tale of any man and anyones reaction. The only one given a name was Francis who is the head jailer whom the superintendent of the jail prodding gravel with a stick, the army doctor telling Francis that the prisoner ought to have been dead by this time and complain that not ready yet. Quite early in the story the dog appears and is throughout the story. The imagery of the dog so full of life and running around full of love and friendship, acceptance and noise runs around all the proceedings full of glee. It sees all humans and loves them and goes for the prisoner to lick his face. As a reader and as the narrator transfers feeling and emotion to the dog of living in that moment happy to be alive. But the dog runs futilely around during the execution symbolizing life and human connection. Only the dog appears to whimper and answer the call or chant of the prisoner in his last moments which the author describes not as a religious plea to the gods, not as a please help me, but simply as the tolling of a bell as if only the dog hears the bell and responds like Pavlovs dogs instinct and ritual have made the humans desensitized to the killings and only the dog can admit feelings. The dog is contained before the execution and when set free afterwards goes to the hung man to sniff him and is the somber shock stillness and whimpering of the shock and horror of killing another life full of life for what reason the dog knows not just as the reader and the narrator knows not. So we can not feel , so feelings are transferred upon the dog. An important imagery foreshadowed with the description of the morning of rains was the puddle. The puddle also seemed a transferring of mood of the entire story to self analysis of what am I really doing here and why from the narrator. The puddle yes is from the rain of the morning but perhaps a reflection of life, a puddle in the life of an ocean of a man, the waters of life, representing perhaps the shortness of a life so a puddle. The puddle is noticed because the condemned man steps around the puddle and the narrator sees that as such a truly human and alive moment but til that moment I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man. When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle, I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide.(note again water imagery) So the rational act of thinking and living and analyzing to avoid the puddle stood for the struggling for freedom, a time to react and avoid something si mple, a conscious awareness of surroundings and the futility of it all. That in two minutes, with a sudden snap, one of us would be gone one mind less, one world less which seems a play on words one mind less mindless, one world less worthless/worldless so the mindless making of a worldless with one life less and no one is noticing. After the execution the dog sobered and conscious of having misbehaved itself, slipped after them. And the prisoners ate their breakfast like any other morning. And a Eurasian boy approaches the narrator stating do you know, sir, our friend, when he heard his appeal had been dismissed, he pissed on the floor of his cell. From fright. As an opening line to make people laugh followed by the statement take one of my cigarettes, sir, do you not admire my new silver case and states its price as if beauty and enjoyment of life can be sold. As if to reinforce the imagery in case the reader did not get the sickening return to normal and laugh at anothers grief and death, the only one with a name, Francis, the jailer, tells of horrific cases where the doctor was obliged to go beneath the gallows and pull the prisoners legs to ensure decease. Most disagreeable. Would not want to do any dirty work since it was noted that the executioner was actually another convict so again distancing themselves from the taking of the life of another human being and making it dehumanized. And again as if we did not get the dehumanizing nature of the environment laughing and whisky all within one hundred yards of the hung man A powerful letter in response to an age old excuse of give it time meaning never done in a way that answers each and every accusation of the white religious leaders of the south. The central idea seems to be that the time is NOW and in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And the belief that we are all one people caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. It is a letter of good and of good and justice for all to live as one with steps of non violence towards this stated clearly and honestly and statements backed up by historic leaders of faith and American presidents throughout history as well as going over the history of the suppression of people of African descent throughout the history of the United States and put with detailed empathy of how do you tell a small child she can not go to an amusement park or answer a small boy the quest ion of why do white people hate black people and the simple facts that as a black man travelling across the country denied a place to sleep, denied a place to drink, to eat and makes a very human picture of the realities of this discrimination and moral arguments of why this is wrong. Several religious leaders throughout time were quoted and several presidents reinforcing Kings statements that justice too long delayed is justice denied. And the truth that individuals may see the moral light and give up unjust posture but as Reinhold Niebuhr reminded us, groups are more immoral than individuals and the only way to fight injustice is with love and passive resistance. The condescending views of the middle of the roaders with shallow acceptance of people of good will is almost worse for their lukewarm acceptance only lacks conviction in a shallow way. Socrates search for truth and saying what was right and early Christians and Jews in their trials for truth and acceptance allies his work with those of early prophets. Martin Luther King Jr. tells of his own struggles within his own people as he struggles to be the peacemaker between though who have cowed down through centuries of abuse to a quiet acceptance that that is the way things are and the militant black power movement of Elijah Muhammads Muslim movement calling for violence and race wars and to show all his brown, yellow, black, red and white brothers that we are all one and what hurts one, hurts us all. His persuasive essay is flawlessly crafted and brilliant. The tone is precise, neither angry nor bitter nor demanding but simply factual, yet very firm and brilliantly written. It is shown that his patience, faith and love of all humankind will not be broken. No violence on the part of his movement which shows the violent nature of those whose hearts he is trying to change, to force to change to follow laws of the constitution and the supreme court guaranteeing equal rights for all and invariable rights to pursue life and happiness. His an swer to being called an extremist is Was Jesus an extremist? and quoted the bible of Jesus words Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. Showing how the persecution of those in his movement is like persecuting Christ. The hypocrisy and conformity of the religious leaders and people of the south is shown in black and white. The judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century Telling how the youth of the country are dishearten with disgust and disappointment of the church But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned tho ugh we may be, our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America. The decisive hour is now for the Church to be truly Godly or to live in hollowness. Martin Luther King Jr. even answers the praise of the peaceful nature of the Birmingham police and detailed listings of brutalities and anything but peaceful but notes that publicly when there are others they go through the appearances of appearing peaceful. The use of language easily understood by the simplest man makes his arguments easy to follow., The structure of the letter addressing one by one the points of the letter of religious white southern leaders makes it easy for them to follow each of his answers to their premises. The style of writing is that of an enlightened and deeply religious and loving man who desires to leave in peace with all his brothers as one. The tone is very professional and factual, trying not to be inflammatory or exaggerated but simply the truth with moments of windows into the despair and injustices his people have faced for centuries. His statements that those in power never want to give up power willingly that it is up to the oppressed to show the inequalities that exist and demand to be treated with justice and dignity. The human quality of emotion backing in faith and history and morality all played a role in determining that the time is now, that waiting for the right time is never. Kings control of rhetoric and emotion is that of a master deeply intellectual and deeply right making it quite easy to follow his premises. King persuasive at all times even when appearing to merely state the facts. He is a master at the craft of the persuasive essay by bringing the reader to the conclusions himself of what King wants the reader to see. King is scientific by sticking to the facts like a lawyer setting precedent throughout the sands of time about similar injustices of a people. It was inspiring and powerful and left the reader feeling that they would be a complete idiot not to agree with King. The three texts of Orwells Shooting an Elephant and The Hanging along with Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail are three powerful and disturbing pieces of literature documenting the injustice, the pain and the conflicting emotions of a time of civil unrest and change. Orwell appears to write essays that may be taking as fiction but really are autobiographical. King of course is not making any metaphors except to explain his cause in a simple direct and persuasive essay way. The fight is his own and he is an active participant in the fight. Orwell is more of an outsider, an audience, someone who is in the drama but feels no control beyond observations but feels drawn to speak of injustice. So both authors are trying to write to right a wrong, King being far more clear in what he wants and how he sees the world tracing it back throughout time in the history of religion and the history of the United States and great evils and injustices overcome throughout time. He is de finitely a man of action and leadership fearless, clear headed and in complete control of his emotions and his logic in his judgement and in his quest for what is right. He is definitely a black and white argument and one can clearly see the great wrong being enacted in society in that time and place. Orwell is far more grey and overlapping viewpoints and agendas that in reality is what life is a series of grey that is not always so clear until looked back at. He also seems driven to write about the wrongs he witnesses in society but also writes in a more literary way of literature that sometimes is unclear whether based on historical fiction or true autobiographical writing of events. I believe they were based on experiences he lived through and the guilt he felt of these incidents, the part he played in an injustice, the guilt he felt of not being strong enough to stand sure and say what he meant either by the mass mentality of the crowd and what he felt they wanted to avoid humiliation or laughter or just to have that moment of being powerful and important in the case of Shooting an Elephant. The Hanging was more of a true dispair of seeing an equally as docile small man hung as he was of the peacefully eating grass elephant he shot that had a long and labored death of sufferi ng. In Shooting an Elephant he was the authority in charge and he could have changed the destiny of that helpless animal and felt great guilt at doing what he had done. In The Hanging there was nothing he could have done except question the way things were and why. He did not have information on why the small peaceful man should be hung but he did have observations of the nature of life and the clinging to life and a life ripped out and cut short right in the prime of life and did any man have that right to do that to another man. All three essays are civil injustices of oppressed people of a people with a master who were objectified and treated second best or unimportant and of a people not content to be served injustice any more. Orwell saw his part in their oppression and felt tremendous guilt and lack of control as a puppet on a string who does the will of the people and he even states how tyranny of the white man does nothing but lose freedom. The iron fist is so rigid it has no choice and the fear of a united uprising made those in power there to do the will of what the native people wanted to keep the peace. The guilt Orwell felt is clear and murky at the same time a conflicting of memory and remembered feelings of the time and the hindsight that maturity can give that you realize you did not really know things as clearly as you thought you did and the sadness that the dying elephant is the sadness of the dying British empire and the order and infrastructure was quite high with British control and now he can see perhaps they were not initially better off, but still he knew the people of Burma needed to be self determined, needed freedom. In The Hanging the issue is more of does anyone have the right to take the life of another, does anyone have the right to take the waters of life of a man and make him a puddle cut short his life in his prime and that argument could be applicable to many times and places. In this essay Orwell allows himself to question more clearly and to allow emotion which he transfers upon the dog in the essay as the dog is full of life and sees all people as people, prisoner and guard alike as men and perhaps what Orwell really wants is to have all men be equal and not be in place to judge another or pass the judgment of others for something he had no information about any wrong. Again a very grey argument but clearly more black and white than Shooting an Elephant

Essay --

â€Å" Many risks come along with big bonuses† The burst of the housing bubble in the US caused the collapse of financial institutions and the bailed out of banks by governmental institutions resulting in the 2008 financial crisis. One of these banks was the Royal Bank of Scotland who ran out of money. Bankers were blamed for acting out of self-interest and making risky decisions. These failures will be analysed in this essay by giving answer to the following question: â€Å"How did agency theory contributed to the 2007 financial crisis?† Introductory, agency theory discusses the relationship in which one party, the principal, delegates work to another, the agent (Eisenhardt, 1989). The core idea behind agency theory is to through contracting align the interest of shareholders (principal) with that of the managers (agents) in order to maximize shareholders value. Thus, the decision-making is being separated from the party who bears the risk; therefore, problems can arise. Firstly, the principal cannot verify whether the agent has behaved appropriately (the agent and principal have partly di...

The Mogul Tale and the Little Theater in Haymarket Essay -- Mogul Tale

The Mogul Tale and the Little Theater in Haymarket The Little Theater in Haymarket was one of the more prominent venues in London during the latter half of the 18th century. Built and opened in 1720, the â€Å"Little† Theater, so it was called to distinguish it from the larger King’s opera house located nearby, was originally designated as a playhouse for French performers.2 Its proprietor John Potter obtained permission for its construction from the Lord Chamberlain Thomas Pelham with the help of the influential Duke of Montagu.1 True to its name the Little Theater’s original measurements were 48 feet wide and 136 feet long. It was reported to be at least three stories, with a basement, a gallery and several small shops in the front of the building.1 The seating arrangement, like most theaters during this time, consisted of long benches with no backs.2 Because of this the Little Theater could seat anywhere from 600 to almost 1500 patrons.1 Performance during the hot summer months required that their be a ventilation system to allow fresh air into the theater.2 Unlike other theaters in London, the Little Theater was not adorned with elaborately painted ceilings or walls.2 The Little Theater would undergo many changes during its hundred years as an entertainment venue, including three remodeling projects between 1739 and 1760 and an almost complete rebuilding in 1767.1 To better understand the success of the Little Theater, an overview of the summer theatrical seasons that began in the Restoration period is necessary. Before the Interregnum period in England, theaters in London operated nearly year round, and did not specify the â€Å"summer season† as a separate part of the theatrical year.1 When Charles II reinstate... ... lost some of its popularity due to some tensions between the members of the company that had affected performance.1 Colman decided to separate himself altogether from the Haymarket Company, and in 1820 the Little Theater was abandoned for the company’s new location at what is now the present day Theatre Royal, Haymarket. The last performance held at the Little Theater was on October 14, 1820.1    Notes 1. Burling, William J. Summer Theatre in London, 1661-1820, and the Rise of the Haymarket Theater. (New Jersey: Associated University Press, 2000), 21-215.    2. Hogan, Charles Beecher. The London Stage, 1776-1800: A Critical Introduction. (Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1968), xliii, xlvii.    3. Stephen, Leslie and Sidney Lee, eds. The Dictionary of National Biography. (London: Oxford University Press, 1921), 424.

Backpacking: A Different Way Of Camping Essay -- essays research pape

Backpacking: A Different Way of Camping What is camping? To most people, it is perceived as a time to pack up the car, drive to local camp grounds, and spend the weekend in the great outdoors. It is a time to frolic with family and friends around a campfire, singing songs, playing games, and roasting marshmallows while listening to ghost stories that can only be heard while camping. However, to the avid backpacker, camping takes on a different perspective. While experiencing the great outdoors is very similar to car camping, backpacking is very different in many respects. Preparation for backpacking and car camping and the locales where one can set up camp are very different. In either case, experiencing the great outdoors and its natural beauty cannot be surpassed. With car camping the only real limitation is one's vehicle. A person is limited to the vehicle's capacity to carry or tow. For example, a camper will bring a stove, a twelve man tent, two coolers of meat and potatoes, five gallons of water, and maybe tow a camper. On the other hand, when backpacking, the circumstances are very different. One is limited to his or her own capabilities: the amount of weight that can be carried, endurance levels, just to name a few. Provisions must be carefully measured. If overloaded, it can affect performance while hiking to one's destination, but if not enough provisions are carried it, will impact how long one can last out in the wilderness. The equipment must be minute in size...

Dreaming of Time Travel Essay

The reading â€Å"Dreaming of Time Travel† discusses applications of time machine, whether time travel is possible and how time travel can be explained in terms of physics and quantum mechanics. The author highlights such issues as meeting yourself in the past, time as fourth dimension, many-world theory, self-consistency, concepts of wormhole and star trek. It is a matter of fact that human imagination has been always captured by opportunities of time travel as it would give an excellent opportunity to see own past and perspectives for future. Science is interested in time travels the most as it would help to solve historical and scientific conflicts and controversial points. Of course, if people had time machine, they would definitely visit twenty-third century to look for technological advances and to find effective ways of cancer treatment. Nevertheless, time travels may change the past and, consequently, future would be changed as well. You may seven slip out of existence as a result of change. It would be possible to kill Hitler preventing, in such a way, World War II and save millions of innocent deaths. People would be able to participate in historical events shaping them. Moreover, it would be possible to meet historical figures as, for example, Buddha, Moses, Cleopatra or Shakespeare. Actually, there is no limitation of possibilities. Time travel makes people feel free to move around the world, but they may be helpless as they are not acquainted with cosmic order. Nowadays the issue of time travel has become a matter of interest for physicists, not only for fiction writers. For example, when Wells wrote his famous â€Å"The time Machine† many believed that it was impossible to travel through time and space. It is Einstein’s Universe that makes time travel possible and understandable. Therefore, many physicists are actively investigation time travel to the past. In his ideas Einstein uses the concept of time as fourth dimension. This idea is used to show that time can be measured by moving and stationary observers. Therefore, Einstein argues that our universe is four-dimensional. The idea of many-world theory is also very interesting as it offers radical alternative of viewing our world. Many-world theory is based primarily on quantum mechanics developed in the beginning of the 20th century. Quantum mechanics was used to explain the behavior of molecules, atoms and other micro-particles. Quantum mechanics proved that particles had wave nature. It is assumed that people won’t change the pass if they travel because they are a part of it. However, Einstein viewed it as paradox. Therefore, the concept of self-consistency was introduced to explain the possibility of historical changes. It seems that self-consistency is rather controversial to the common sense of free choice and free will. Therefore, time travelers are likely to be constrained being deprived of essential human ability. For example, David Lewis argues that free will never allows people to do logically impossible things. Four-dimensional world doesn’t change as it is viewed as fixed sculpture. Time-travel stories are also based on self-consistency system. In time travel the particles have world line meaning that there is a circle with no ends. Such particles are called jinn. They are claimed to arrive by wizardry as in Aladdin’s story. Often fiction literature involves scientific investigation of time travel. For example, â€Å"Star Trek† fiction encourages further time-travel investigation from scientific perspective. It stresses that it is possible to use warp-drive to ravel in past. Fiction often stimulates scientific thinking. Physicists are the most interested in time travel as they want to test the boundaries and opportunities of physical laws, as well as to patent a time machine. The author concludes that time travel seems so strange for people simple because they aren’t accustomed to meet time travelers in our everyday life. If people meet them everyday, they won’t be surprised. If time travel can occur in principle, scientists will receive new insights about the universal order. Works Cited Gott, J. Richard. Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 3-32.

American Women

Human sexuality can be seen as the way human beings experience their sexuality and express it. This results from their individual awareness as indicated by their biological sex and how they respond to erotic experiences. Human sexuality has however appeared as a thorny issue with many societies either ignoring to talk about it or shying away of the whole topic of sexuality. Due to the negative impacts that have resulted from this behavior, governments have come up with policies that are aimed at addressing human sexuality related problems.The increase in the number of HIV/AIDS victims in the world has triggered the discussion amount human sexuality. Research indicates that women are mo vulnerable to contracting venereal diseases including HIV/AIDS. Efforts to minimize the spread of the diseases have not actually succeeded as expected. The most neglected groups of people in matters of human sexuality in America includes single women and women in cohabiting relationships. The fear to c ontract to avoid unexpected pregnancies has led to masturbation with others engaging in homosexuality.This paper examines single motherhood, cohabitation, STD’s, masturbation and sexual preferences among American women. According to a research carried out by Lindberg L. D and Singh S, single American women exceed eighteen million in number. Statistics further reveal that in the age bracket of women between 19 and 45 are single. Ninety percent of these single ladies â€Å"are sexually experienced†. Shockingly, 22 percent of the single women and 2 percent of the married engage in sex with more than one partners.Over 50% of single American women get pregnant unintentionally. For those single women, getting health insurance is more difficulty for them as compared to the married. This indicates that single American women greatly indulge in sex. Despite all these findings â€Å"reproductive health care needs† of American women has not been upgraded to cater for the in creased needs. Furthermore, the American society lacks appropriate counseling services. The government effort to discourage single women to abstain and wait until the time they get married has proved to be futile.It has therefore been realized that proper policies to address the issue are yet to be put in place. Single women have been ignored in matters of sexual behaviors and the needs for quality reproductive health care. As a result these single women are at risk of contracting STD’s and AIDS, having unplanned pregnancies and births (Knox & Schacht 2009, pg. 279). Impermanence of marriage has made cohabiting to be one of the marriage alternatives. Research indicates that over nine percent of those women cohabiting have more than one sex partners.This is very shocking because the same women who are cohabiting rarely get health insurance in America. They are however better of as compared to the single women since in terms of accessibility to important services. This is howev er a short term alternative since soon or later, the cohabiting couples will separate and once again lead a single life. It is therefore important to note that cohabiting American women become single at different periods of their life.Increase in the number of single women has led to rise in cohabitation. This has been triggered by impermanence of unions that include marriage and cohabitation. Kail and Cavanaugh 2008, pg. 408 argue out that cohabitation has increased over ten times over the last 30 years. Statistics show that in 1970, only 523,000 people cohabited as compared to the year 2000 when a whooping five and a half million American were reported to cohabit. Most of them cohabited to facilitate sexual convenience and at the same time sharing expenses.Such couples have no intention of establishing a long lasting relationship and their goal is not marrying. The others engage in cohabitation to try whether marriage can work for them. The other group of cohabitors purely uses co habitation as a substitute to marriage. This has been highly reported in older women and men as compared to the other two previously mentioned which are highly practiced by young adults (Kail and Cavanaugh 2008, pg. 408). One of the major problems affecting women in America is the issue of STD’s including HIV.Women reproductive health has been given adequate attention in America however single women have been side looked. The danger of ignoring reproductive health services to single women has been reflected by the increase in the number of unplanned births and sexually transmitted diseases that include HIV. This is because their sexual relationships are unstable. According to O'Leary and Jemmott 1995, pg. 14, most of the women who live to the south of United States contract HIV through heterosexual transmission. This has been high among minority groups.In a report printed in the Jet magazine April 2008, pg, 53 indicated that over 50% of African American teenage women were suf fering from a sexually transmitted disease as compared to the white and teenage girls of Mexican origin with less than 20% of them who have at least one STD. The report indicated that there was poor communication between the teenage girls and the other members of the society on sexuality issues. Education on STDs was identified as one of the best methods of reversing the trend of STD infection.Early testing was also said to reduce the risk of spreading these diseases. Research indicates that most of the American women underestimate the risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. This was confirmed by the research carried out by American medical women’s association in 1994 which indicated that 73% of all American women aged between 16 and 60 years strongly believe that they are safe from sexually transmitted diseases. This research further indicated that 67% of American women have no idea of other STDs apart from AIDS.33% of them have no idea about AIDS. Over 67% of the total engages in unsafe sex and less than 33% of them believe monogamy can reduce the risk of spreading HIV/AIDS ( O'Leary & Jemmott 1995, pg. 14). Greenberg, Bruess, and Conklin 2010, pg 475-477 found out that 40% of American women masturbate. This includes 45% of American married women. This was found to be directly proportional to the practice of vaginal sex, oral sex and anal sex among American women implying that those women who widely engage in virginal sex, oral sex and anal sex are great funs of masturbation.Wingood and DiClemente 2002, pg. 55 identified two main reasons why women masturbate. In their research, 63% of American women admitted that masturbation was a way of relieving sexual tension while 42% did it to acquire physical pleasure (Wingood and DiClemente pg. 55). Researchers have confirmed that masturbation does not cause any disease, infertility or dysfunction and this has encouraged many people to practice it as an alternative to sex. This practi ce has been influenced by a change in American culture in which sex was believed to be for procreation only, not for pleasure.Majority of then engage in sex for pleasure and whenever a partner is not readily available, women prefer to masturbate. This has led to a drastic increase in the demand for abortion among American women. It is a clear indication that sex is not only for procreation but largely for pleasure. This practice is mostly common among those people who are not deeply entrenched in religious practices as most of American religions view masturbation as unreligious practice. Though masturbation has not been associated with major physical problems many women have been reported to suffer from Psychological problems as a result of masturbation.Littleton & Engebretson 2002, pg. 339 pointed out that the media has largely influenced American women on the way they view their sexuality. This has been directly translated to their mode of dressing and their use of grooming produc ts. Sexual preference among American women can be viewed in three perspectives; sexual identity, sexual behaviors and sexual desires. Peplau and Garnets, 2002, pg. 333 are of the opinion that American women have a high erotic plasticity. In their argument, they pointed out that women have diverse forms of attraction with each other.They also noted that women sexual preference is highly affected by culture and social forces. This is because social identities and social institutions are provided and shaped by the society. All newly introduced practices may be accepted or rejected and either way, the women are mostly affected. Homosexuality was not exposed in American society. This has however changed with more women and men coming in the open to declare their sexual orientation as either being lesbians or homosexuals.Majority of American women are heterosexuals however â€Å"statistics indicate that heterosexual women face greater danger than heterosexual men in casual sex†. St atistics indicate that the number of lesbians in America is on the rise and this has raised many questions in regard to gay and lesbian marriages. Religious groups especially the majority Christian groups in America have expressed their concern about this trend however research indicates that homosexuality is slowly being accepted in American society. With the rise in the number of lesbians, bisexuality is also spreading its roots in America.Sexual preference has however faced a great challenge due to the increase in sexual dysfunction among American women. It is very important to realize that Sexual dysfunction is posing a great threat to sexuality has been highly reported among American women. The main causes have been cited as; depression, long term stress, negative attitude towards pregnancy especially for single women, increased demand to be a new mother, problems associated with women’s negative body image, culture and religious inclination and emotional distress. Other causes include physical conditions and hormonal causes.Conclusion Single mothers should be involved in policy formulations and implementation especially on matters that involve human sexuality. Neglecting them will create a gap that will impact negatively on their lives and the lives of entire American society. Cohabiting couples should be educated on the dangers of engaging in such relationship. This trend , if not checked may destroy the family which is the basic social institution. Sexual preferences should not be used to justify discrimination especially when it comes to heath care services and health care insurance covers.Masturbation should not only be viewed in terms of how safe it is. The focus should be directed to its negative psychological effects. Since most women issues have been ignore and the issue of human sexuality has been ignore for a long time, a thorough research should be conducted to establish the impact of single motherhood and cohabitation on sexual prefere nces. Scientific and psychological evidence concerning masturbation should be established in order to establish whether masturbation can be used to fight HIV/AIDS without negatively affecting the those who practice it.References Jet magazine; Apr 2008; Why African-American Teenage Girls Are Infected With STDs At higher rates 14 – Page 53, Vol. 113, Johnson Publishing Company Jerrold S. Greenberg, Clint E. Bruess, Sarah C. Conklin. (2010). Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality Jones & Bartlett Learning Knox, D. , Schacht, C. (2009). Choices in Relationships: An Introduction to Marriage and the Family. Cengage Learning Littleton, L. Y. , Engebretson, J. (2002). Maternal, neonatal, and women's health nursing. Cengage LearningNEW YORK MAGAZINE. What are the risks to heterosexuals? 23 Mar 1987, Vol. 20, No. 12 New York Media, LLC. O'Leary, A. , Jemmott, L. S. , (1995). Women at risk: issues in the primary prevention of AIDS Springer Peplau,L. A. , Garnets, L. D. (2002). Wome n's Sexualities: New Perspectives on Sexual Orientation and Gender. Wiley-Blackwell Robert V. Kail, John C. Cavanaugh. (2008). Human Development: A Life-Span View. Cengage Learning Wingood, G. M. , DiClemente, R. J. , (2002). Handbook of women's sexual and reproductive health. Springer