The Bottled Leopard Essay Example

The Bottled Leopard Essay Within the inner recess of man’s subconscious is a leopard bottled and contained by morals and the social order. However, from time to time the cork pops, and the leopard emerges and is seen, wild as ever. An example of this is described by Patrick Goldstein in the article â€Å"Violence Sneaks into Punk Scene†. This article describes the atypical activities of the youth, who seize the opportunity to un-bottle the leopard. Three perspectives of violence had been postulated to explain human behavior regarding violence in general. In this regard, a synthesis and an amalgamation of the three perspectives discussed are necessary to completely and entirely elucidate the atypical behavior demonstrated by these specific individuals.Three perspectives on violence were written by Sigmund Freud, John Dollard and David Riesman. Sigmund Freud, in his perspective, said that man has an inherent desire for aggression which is to be seen as part of man’s instinctive endowment an d which he uses to assert himself in his environment. John Dollard, on the other hand, relates violence with age, saying that the more mature man becomes, the greater the inhibition and thus the lesser violence is perpetrated in response to instigation. Lastly, David Riesman views the individual as part of a group, a social being, and as an isolate and desolate creature. Man is therefore under the influence of the needs of the group where he belongs, each of which he knows either directly or indirectly. He therefore seeks to act in conformity with the goals of this group whether or not these people are present. All in all, these perspectives apparently point to the fact, that though the reasons may be different, given the right stimulus, man loses all the calm and charm brought about by morals and social order.The discrepancies of the forms of these stimuli are amazing. In the article, the only stimulus the boys needed was the opportunity, created by there being together in a club i n which a certain kind of dance (slam) whose â€Å"object is to knock each other down† took place. This then ends up in fights, injuries, and vandalism. Since their objective in this activity is to â€Å"knock† others down, it also implies that this activity causes feelings of anger and consequently creates channels for the un-bottling of the leopard. Some, however, just reach out and hurt others for reason unknown and there are also those who inflict injuries on themselves.In Sigmund Freud’s perspective on violence, he challenges the ideal picture of modern man in a civil society. He declares that inside man, the â€Å"desire for aggression has to be reckoned as part of their instinctual endowment†. He refers to the aggression as an â€Å"endowment†, as a result, pointing to an asset which man uses to assert him and dominate the environment. These facts of aggression, he claims, can not be disputed by anyone â€Å"in the face of evidence in his o wn life and in history†. Indeed, further evidence of this is seen in Goldstein’s article, where it is said: â€Å"The senseless violence, vandalism and even mutilation at some area rock clubs reads like reports from a war zone.† Freud therefore asserts that the leopard is inherent in man and that â€Å"when those forces in the mind which inhibit it cease to operate, it manifests itself spontaneously†. These forces of inhibition vary among morals, shame, and disgust shown by the people whom he feels the need to be liked by. These forces act as a leash and in the absence of which, order and tranquility quickly gives way to aggression and anarchy.Freud further declares that though this aggression awaits temptation or provocation. It also asserts itself in situations in which the intended aim â€Å"might as well have been achieved by milder measures.† This is shown in Goldstein’s article by a fan who says: â€Å"’All they want to do is fi ght. And next time I’m gonna be ready to give ‘em one’†. In this case, the fan here carries this aggression which he wishes to express because of some form of provocation. He does not however consider that in retaliating, he becomes part of them and becomes a nuisance to others, just as he feels now. A milder option would be simply to avoid the dancers and carry out activities away from them. After all, there are those others in the audience who â€Å"dance in a loose circle around the action†. This way he does not disturb others and does not become part of them.While Freud’s theories explain man’s inhumanity to man, it does not explain the self inflicted injuries and torture expressed in the article: â€Å"†¦ a couple of girls carved X’s into their arms with broken glass†. Man does not assert himself with self affliction; he in fact needs the body to assert himself. Freud’s theory, however, did not cover this behavior. The animosity between the demands of instinct and the restrictions of civilization makes Freuds views on man’s aggressive or destructive instincts particularly complex. In part this is because impulses of hatred, anger and aggression are, from Freud’s perspective, rooted in self-preservation. In Freud’s vision of man and society, violence is deemed as the basis of our existence on two levels; the violence in the uninhibited instinct and the violence which our culture practices against one another. Without at least some amount of compulsion and at least an equal amount of restraint in the gratification of impulses, harmony can neither be achieved nor maintained.The perspective of John Dollard gives further insight into the forces of inhibition expressed by Freud. Dollard declares that this inhibition is greater in adults â€Å"resulting from several sources of instigation†. The adult, having being exposed over time to various opportunities or ins tigations for aggression, has now programmed his response to that which is more generally acceptable in the society. His response is therefore not dependent on the instigation but on what holds in his environment. That’s what makes him acceptable in his society. The adolescent, on the other hand, who is less exposed and has less knowledge of the society to which the adult is exposed, resorts to aggression against frustrating forces, as expressed in the article thus: â€Å"†¦ these idiots kept punching us in the back. Finally I got fed up and started hitting these guys, even though they were bigger than me†. At this point the young man was focused on aggression. He does not even consider the size of the people, which he would have done under normal circumstances as he expressed in saying â€Å"†¦ even though they were bigger than me.† However in becoming mature, the youth would learn that which is acceptable in the society and respond accordingly.John D ollard’s perspective, however, still does not capture the self afflicted torture expressed in the article. This cannot be captured in other part of â€Å"the predominant behavior symptoms of adolescence† which he refers to as â€Å"substitute response for those goal-responses which suffer interference†. For self afflicted torture cannot be a substitute response for interference as it lacks a goal. John Dollard elucidates the need for acceptance inherent in man.David Riesman declares, in his perspective of violence, that peer-group, reinforced by the mass media, and the relaxation of older patterns of discipline in children gives rise to what he called â€Å"other-directed† character in which â€Å"contemporaries are the source of direction for the individual – either those known to him or those with whom he is indirectly acquainted, through friends and through the mass media†.   Dependence on these is planted early in life due to continuou s exposure to these influences. He further explains that the goals towards which the other-directed person strives shift with guidance from the source, permitting a close behavioral conformity â€Å"through an exceptional sensitivity to the actions and wishes of others† and â€Å"not through drill in behavior itself, as in tradition-directed character†.This perspective of the situation is the most compelling as it explains the group action of the boys, which shows the other-directed behavior. This is expressed in the article where violence is blamed on â€Å"†¦ organized Huntington Beach-area punk gangs who make a practice of pummeling each other and slam dancing at area clubs.† The perspective therefore takes violence beyond just the individual but to the individual as a part of a group and his need to be accepted in the group. The individual therefore does not act independently, rather, it strives to synchronize with the group. Also like non-other, this p erspective explains the action of those who inflict injuries on themselves as reported in the article where a girl â€Å"broke a bunch of beer bottles in the sink and ran her hands through the glass† and â€Å"girls carved X’s into their arms with broken glass†. In all these cases, people acted in an other-directed manner driven by the â€Å"need for approval and direction from others† which is now the â€Å"chief source of direction and chief area of sensitivity†. Thus, even when alone, the other-directed person conforms to the â€Å"others† and seeks acceptance.Beside the bottled leopard is the need in man to be accepted. Man carries this as a social being. This drives man to violence and thus un-bottles the leopard when the group to which he wishes to synchronize with is violent. It can, however, cause a stronger hold on the leopard if the group is not violent. Nonetheless, there are still selected situations wherein the leopard emerges, bringing surprise to all even the man himself. Notably, man should always remember that how much he knows himself determines how often will this occur.;;

3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers

3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol Phrases that provide additional information in a sentence are often haphazardly situated within that sentence in such a way that the reader might be confused about what the modifying phrase refers to, or at best must reread the sentence to confirm that he or she has comprehended the correct meaning. Here are three sentences that benefit from relocation of a modifying phrase. 1. After twenty-seven years of marriage, I can only imagine how shocking your wife’s revelation must have been for you. Because the subject I immediately follows the modifying phrase â€Å"after twenty-seven years of marriage,† the erroneous implication is that the fact that the writer has been married to someone for that long enables him or her to imagine how shocking the revelation of the other person’s wife must have been for that person. (Here, only is an intensifier, making the meaning of the phrase â€Å"I can only imagine† akin to â€Å"I can well imagine,† rather than a diminisher, as in â€Å"I only have a few minutes to talk†- which should, technically, read, â€Å"I have only a few minutes to talk.†) However, the point is that that the other person and his or her wife have been married for a long time, and because of that fact, the wife’s revelation is shocking. To make this point clear, the sentence should begin with the subject and continue to shocking (the adjective that is the key word, and thus the fulcrum, of the sentence) before the modifying phrase is inserted as a parenthetical: â€Å"I can only imagine how shocking, after twenty-seven years of marriage, your wife’s revelation must have been for you.† 2. The project could require another two billion dollars to finish construction and ensure safety, which is about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Because safety immediately precedes the final phrase of this sentence, the statement describes safety as being a certain proportion of the country’s gross domestic product- obviously an error, because common sense tells the reader that the phrase about the GDP refers to the dollar amount, not to an intangible quality. To unambiguously represent that connection, the parenthetical reference to the dollar amount should appear immediately after the figure: â€Å"The project could require another two billion dollars- about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product- to finish construction and ensure safety.† 3. Smith’s company is unusual because it doesn’t pay any of its workers in exchange for stock equity. As written, this sentence suggests that Smith’s company is rare among businesses in that it doesn’t provide compensation to its employees with the understanding that the workers will offer his company stock equity in return; presumably, it has some other, unusual arrangement with the people who staff the company. This nonsensical impression is eliminated by changing the focus from what his company doesn’t do to what it does do and reversing the references to stock equity and pay, along with rewording the latter reference: â€Å"Smith’s company is unusual because it offers its workers stock equity in lieu of a salary.† (The modifying phrase â€Å"in lieu of a salary† could also be inserted parenthetically after because.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with HeartBest Websites to Learn EnglishWord Count and Book Length

Rhetoric and stereotype essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rhetoric and stereotype - Essay Example 216), which is dangerous, because our perception influences our attitude and behavior towards people. â€Å"Certainly, no one objects to generalizations as long as they stay at that level and are grounded in palpable fact. Who would deny that there are categories such as rebellious teenagers, reserved Englishmen, or excitable Latinos, even though exceptions abound (Kreyche, 1996, p. 98)† not unless off course, if they are used negatively. For example, calling someone a senior citizen because you would like to impress his/her old-agedness connoting physical and mental unfitness, or comparing someone to a politician because you perceived him/her to be liar, manipulator and power hunger are negative stereotypes. Stereotyping is dangerous when it is predetermined in pursuit of one’s vested interest. This is especially so if stereotype is consciously used for political persecution. The most common example today is stereotyping Muslims as terrorists, which news facts would tell that this stereotype justify military attack against Muslim nations. Another one is using stereotype to deny one group of their basic right to equal treatment and equal opportunity. For example, a gay teacher may be stereotyped as child molester or a sex pervert that may cause a hiring board to deny him employment even if he is educationally qualified or worse he is an easy target of these accusations. From a different viewpoint, stereotype in fact tells us the level of our understanding of people’s behavior, actions, and choices, which in another way tells also who we are – in effect by stereotyping other people, we are also stereotyping ourselves. For example, stereotyping tattooed persons as drug addicts only reveals our ignorance of art or of self-expression; stereotyping a feminist to be man-hater only reveals our ignorance of feminism; stereotyping a senior citizen to be mentally and physically weak only reveals our ignorance of the wisdom that comes with age; or stereotyping

Career Exploration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Career Exploration - Assignment Example The Keirsey temperament test consists of the personality questionnaire which is designed to help the people to understand their skills and abilities. The Keirsey temperament sorter is the kind of test which allow the people to recognize their abilities, skills and kind of nature they embrace for their career. According to the Keirsey temperament test, there are four types of temperament which the people cleave to as a type of their career; these temperaments include the Artisans, Guardians, Idealists and the Rationales. The Artisans are the type of people who can be stimulating, directive and can have the impact over others and the surroundings, they are manipulating and influential. The category of artisans includes the roles like operators and the promoters. Guardians are the type of people who are the organized and the concrete and are concerned with their duty and responsibility. The greater strength of the Guardians is their ability of logistic findings. These people can be the best administrator. Idealists are the people with the great passion of seeking their own identity and are the empathetic. Their strength is the diplomatic behavior and they focus on the personal growth. The category includes the mentors like teachers and the advocates. Rationals are the people of strategic skills, they are the objective people and mostly they are finding the self control. The category includes the engineers and the coordinators. (Butler, A. C. 1990) The above four temperaments are described by Keirsey who called them as the character types. The four temperaments are further divided into sixteen character types which are assessed through the scale of the skills and nature of the person. According to the question based assessment, my temperament is idealist. The idealists can be enjoying the role of mentors and the advocates. These people are the inspiring and are passionate to develop their own skills and abilities. They seek the

World History Essay Example for Free

World History Essay Two civilizations have been hailed as being important to the history of the world and are usually referred to as the cradle of mankind. These are the Mesopotamia and the Ancient Egypt. The development of the city states of Mesopotamia and the stability of the ancient Egypt has been seen driven by geographic factors. Indeed the origin of these civilizations is almost similar; however due to geography, they differ in a number of factors both in the development and in their stability. It is this geographic aspect of their differences that will be the focus of this paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both these civilizations owe their origin to the presence of important water mass, their people survived on the abundant resources that the rivers provided.   Egyptian civilization would have been non existent had there not been a river Nile. It is this river that owes the survival of the livelihood of the Egyptians and a culture that was carried forth from one generation to another. Mesopotamia city states on the other hand were supported by two rivers. Indeed Mesopotamia is a Greek word that means ‘the land between two rivers’, these are Tigris and Euphrates lying in what is currently referred to as Iraq. Inadvertently, it is important to mention that similarities can be drawn on how these two civilizations were able to survive. Parallels can be drawn on the flooding patterns of the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates. River Nile used to flood once in a year bringing with it huge deposits of rich silt, leaving the surrounding areas well irrigated, â€Å"when the waters receded, they left behind deposits of black silt that were rich with vitamins and minerals.† (M. Solodky , 2006, 5) Euphrates and Tigris had similar behaviors only that they were largely unpredictable leaving dead trails and destroyed crops in their wake. The rich soil and well irrigated banks were viable for farming and agriculture. This attracted huge number of settlements and villages and small towns began cropping up along the banks (Waddel,l 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     One difference that can be discerned in the nature of these two civilizations between Egypt and the city states of Mesopotamia lie in the population dispersion. In Mesopotamia, settlement was around the two rivers meaning that it was highly clustered compared to the highly dispersed settlement along the Nile stretch. The growth of the Egyptian civilization was facilitated by the ease of transportation along the river Nile thus expanding the civilization’s influence (David, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The development of the Mesopotamia civilization was greatly inhibited by one geographic factor, lacking in the advantage that the Egyptian civilization had.   Egypt had natural geographic barriers that acted as a natural line of defense allowing the civilization to thrive in isolation. The Mesopotamia city states lacked in this and they lived in constant collision with others, â€Å"the geographical features of Mesopotamia contributed to lack of stability, as there was no natural barrier to protect the city states from outside invaders.† (Deborah Preston, 2006, 11). The Mesopotamia city states could hence not stand for long and they fell under constant attack from the neighbors. On the other hand, the ancient Egyptian civilization was able to thrive well as there was no competition and the population was dispersed evenly, the existing villages and the small towns â€Å"had approximately equal access to the river and did not have to compete among themselves for water as their contemporaries in Mesopotamia were forced to do.† (Douglas Emily, 2004, 65). Trade was well coordinated and facilitated by the immense harbors along the Nile, a stark contrast to Mesopotamia.   These two civilizations though similar in their economic activities and their reliance on the rivers had different geographic characteristics that would either ensure or derail their survival (á ¸ ¤agai Gershoni, 2000). References Douglas J Brewer, Emily Teeter (2004) Egypt and the Egyptians. Cambridge   Ã‚   University Press, 2004 Solodky (2006). The Technology of Ancient Egypt. The Rosen Publishing Group, Deborah Vess, Preston Jones (2006). AP World History (REA) The Best Test Prep for the AP World History: The Best Preparation for the AP World History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Exam. Research Education Assoc. David Christian (2004). Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. University of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   California Press. a. Waddell (2003) Egyptian Civilization Its Sumerian Origin and Real Chronology. Kessinger Publishing. á ¸ ¤agai Erlikh, I. Gershoni (2000). The Nile: Histories, Cultures, Myths. Lynne Rienner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishers.

The Puritans - Creating the Perfect God Fearing Society Essay -- Ameri

The Puritans - Creating the Perfect God Fearing Society The Puritans dream was to create a model society for the rest of Christendom. Their goal was to make a society in every way connected to god. Every aspect of their lives, from political status and employment to even recreation and dress, was taken into account in order to live a more pious life. But to really understand what the aspirations of the puritans were, we must first understand their beliefs. â€Å"Their goal was absolute purity; to live with out sin in a sinful world was to them the supreme challenge in life. They were derisively called Puritans because they sought to purify the Church of England of the popish and antichristian stuff with which they believed the simplicity of the primitive Christian church had been encrusted.† The Puritans believed that man’s only purpose in life was â€Å"to glorify God on earth and, if he were especially fortunate, to continue the good work in Heaven.† For the puritans, to glorify god meant keeping him in mind at all times, working to the best of their ability at whatever job god had fated them to do, and following a strict moral code based on the bible. â€Å"Every act and thought was either a glorification of god or its opposite.† Thus, leading a pious life in the form of working hard, praying, and churchgoing, was considered paying homage to God. Through all of these things, the most important was to be mindful of God at all times. Pride, complacency, and gratification of the senses could not be permitted if they captured the place in the mind reserved for the Almighty. This does not mean, however, (as many people have believed) that the Puritans did not allow themselves to be comfortable and happy. First of all, the Purita... ... influential enough to prevent Winthrop’s reelection as governor in sixteen thirty-six. The next year he returned to office and had her tried for heresy. Even though she displayed remarkable knowledge of theology, she still defied clergy, and was eventually banished for sedition. Williams and Hutchinson were only a few of the growing number of colonists who were discontented with the Puritan government. The Puritans dreamed of creating the perfect god fearing society as a model for the entire Christian world. They did everything in their power to keep this dream alive. They created strict laws, and enforced them vigorously all in the name of God. But it was destined to fail because of the growing political liberty in England and the numerous advancements during the age of enlightenment, which eventually came into direct conflict with established Puritan beliefs.

Consorcio comes to America

The goal of Be American is the understanding of the reality of the immigrant life, which is filled with the difficulty of getting past the cultural barrier, and of getting acquainted with a new land's idea of ignorance and literacy. Consorcio has a big problem: he wants to become an American. He soon finds out that the times and events will not agree with him. Consorcio comes to America and soon realizes the hard work involved in getting a better life in America. Right away, the reader is greeted with the problem of Consorcio's illiteracy.The story starts immediately with â€Å"it was not Consorcio's fault†, referring to his inability no read or write English and his native dialect. Consorcio has to deal with his own ignorance, which showed in many little ways—he breaks plates because he only knew coconut shells and wooden utensils, sleeps on top of the sheets, does not want to eat bread and butter. Consorcio is typical of most immigrant peasants who came to America for a â€Å"better life†, knowing little but the provincial life full of farm work. Still, Consorcio is intent on becoming American, even buying books to hasten himself along his Americanization.But when he asks his cousin how long he would have to wait, Consorcio is unpleasantly surprised when he discovers from his cousin that he needs to wait five years to become American. A year later, when his cousin visits him, Consorcio no longer has his books. He has sold them because he is unable to read, with no way to learn. Consorcio is now working as a baker's assistant. Consorcio is still intent on becoming American, though. When his cousin suggests a free night school, he agrees to change his job so he can study.Two years later his cousin returns to find Consorcio gone, with an untraceable address. But soon Consorcio sends his cousin boxes of fruit and produce of the company he works for. Consorcio's and the cousin meet again after two years later, in Los Angeles. Consorcio is disa ppointed. He has no job, hasn't finished school, and has become aware that he could not obtain American citizenship. More than two years later the cousin starts to receive letters (Consorcio has finally become literate). Consorcio starts to see the resolution of his dream of Americanization in his literacy.Consorcio becomes American in a different way from what he has been desiring all the years of his stay in America. Consorcio begins a publication defending the rights of American and immigrant workers. Because of his activist literature, Consorcio experiences jail. Here we see that in spite of ongoing contradictions, Consorcio was, in a way, able to control his situation. For want of his American ideal, Consorcio fights with his words. He becomes American in this way, not officially, but in the American way of fighting for the ideal of liberty.This is what America is all about—at least this is what we understand from the cousin—and he did what so many before him did, and that is fight for justice, and equality. Then war comes, and Consorcio's â€Å"crusade† ends. Fifteen years after arriving on America, Consorcio dies. The (anti)climax comes with Consorcio's death. Before his death, as his cousin says, he has become American in his own right. Still, he never really experiences the â€Å"good life† promised by America, and dies with the embers of his dream.