F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby - 3894 Words

F. Scott Fitzgerald is known to be one of the most influential writers of America. He is known to have perfectly captured the essence of the â€Å"Jazz Age† and written one of the greatest novels, also known as The Great Gatsby. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896 where he attended St. Paul’s academy. There, he published his first composed piece on the school newsprint. Later, he attended Princeton, where he wrote musicals; due to struggling with his grades, Fitzgerald dropped out and joined the army. Fitzgerald moved to New York in 1919 and released his novel a year later. Immediately, his novel was a bestseller, from which he rose to fame. In 1957, he moved to Paris for inspiration, where he published The Great Gatsby. As†¦show more content†¦He threw flashy and extravagant parties only trying to catch the attention of Daisy, a former lover. Fitzgerald then describes â€Å"Valley of Ashes†, a deserted and dull area which represents the poor. It seems that the poor are disrespected and do not like living in the Valley of Ashes. In fact, Myrtle ends up dying when she tries escaping which shows that the poor are stuck there, not by choice, and cannot get out. This is parallel to their financial status, since there was a huge financial gap between the upper class and the lower class. The Great Gatsby is also set in New York City, which represents â€Å"the American Dream†, a significant topic in this novel. New York is known as a melting pot of people hoping to pursue different aspirations and dreams from all over the country, and even the world. Both Gatsby and Nick are from the Midwest who hoped to make it big at one point of their lives. One of the most important factors of the setting is that it is set in the 1920’s. Americans in this time period were known to have a superfluous amount of wealth. Americans had extra money and spent it on consumer goods, mostly cars. Time was revolutionizing; wom en were officially given their right during the 1920’s. They felt freer than ever before, both emotionally and sexually. However, the most important part of this time period was when there was a â€Å"cultural civil war† (The Roaring Twenties. History.com. AE

The Tragedy Of Hamlet As A Literary Criticism Written By...

Analytical Essay Assignment The drama, â€Å"Hamlet belongs to the genre of the revenge tragedy†. In â€Å"Hamlet’s Dull Revenge†, which is a literary criticism written by Rene Girard, the author explores the relationship between revenge and catharsis? This revenge tragedy play focusses on Hamlet’s ability to delay achieving revenge for his father’s death, and suggests that his delays are not external or circumstantial, but rather internal. The author examines the reader’s frustrations about Hamlet’s delay to avenge his father’s death, and since violence and his need for revenge is what motivates Hamlet to perform certain actions in this play, it could be argued that these two actions has sealed his destiny for the future. The fact that Hamlet believed that Claudius killed his father, a violent act , and he waited to seek revenge affirms that Shakespeare believed, that in order to perform revenge, the aggressor must first beli eve in the guilt of his or her intended victim, thereby establishing a cause for carrying out the appropriate form of justice. Revenge is often a violent response or anger or injury against someone. Violence is the root cause of revenge that has impacted much of Hamlet’s life and has also robbed him of his integrity. After Hamlet’s father is killed, he falls into s deep depression and appears to grow mad. Then, Hamlet develops a scheme to find out if his uncle, Claudius is really guilty of murdering his father, the king. Seemingly, Claudius fails theShow MoreRelatedCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 PagesConsciousness of the Proletariat and Towards a Methodology of the Problem of Organisation which were both written specially for this collection during a period of enforced leisure. They, too, are based on already existing occasional pieces. Although they have now been partly revised, no systematic attempt has been made. to remove the traces of the particular circumstances in which they were written. In some cases a radical recasting of an essay would have meant destroying what I regard as its inner

What Makes an Act Sexually Perverse Free Essays

UWI Maurice Layne 620008086LecturerSimeon Mohansingh. CoursePhilosophy of sex and Love. | What makes an act sexually perverse? | | In a recent discussion, the subject of perversion was raised; the question was asked what makes an individual a pervert, or what kinds of acts could be considered perverted? The answers received were numerous to say the least. We will write a custom essay sample on What Makes an Act Sexually Perverse or any similar topic only for you Order Now My first response was paedophilia which I still hold firm to; what follows are a few of the other answers; Bestiality; Homosexuality; Necrophilia; Oral sex (which was hotly debated); and Sexual sado-masochism. The list could continue but let us use this list and ask the question in another way; what makes these acts sexually perverse? What do we mean when we say something is sexually perverse? Is it divergence from what is sexually natural or a departing from what is considered standard morality? If so, what is natural? Who defines morality? The question of sexual perversion is of no little importance, for a start the question raises a number of interesting philosophical issues. Moreover, the issue is not solely of academic interest. Many have been, and many still are, stigmatised by the label ‘sexual pervert’. For them the issue of whether their actions justify this epithet may have a profound effect on their lives. Our purposes here are to simply attempt an answer to the question. We should note, at the start, that the notion of sexual perversion is not a simple descriptive concept. To call someone a pervert is not like calling them a Doctor or a Teacher. It is to denigrate their moral status in some way. Sexual perversion, therefore, is a concept, part of whose content is to carry a negative moral evaluation. The Oxford Dictionaries defines the verb pervert as to alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended; or to lead (someone) away from what is considered right, natural, or acceptable; and it defines the noun pervert as a person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable. (â€Å"pervert†. Oxford Dictionaries. 2010) Since sexual perversion is a morally negative concept, it might be thought that one could define it simply as a ‘morally wrong sexual act’. In a similar way, one might attempt a definition of ‘murder’ as a morally wrong human killing. This, however, will not do. The simple reason is that there are many morally wrong sexual acts of a very ‘straight’ kind which, all can agree, are not perversions. For example, an ordinary sexual act may be done by one of the partners in a way that is unkind, deceitful, inconsiderate or cruel, and so morally wrong. Rape and adultery may be examples of this. One would not, on this account, want to call such acts perversions. Though there are some persons who do view rape as a perversion. ) One of the things that makes it hard to get a grip on the concept of perversion (its intension) is that there is strong disagreement even over its extension. People disagree, for example, over whether homosexuality and masturbation are perversions. Still, let us start with a look at the extension of the concept. Genital sexual activity is of many kinds. The following is a list of categories; these are not necessarily exclusive; no doubt they are not exhaustive either. I give the acts in what seems (to me) to be roughly decreasing in order of ‘naturalness’ (in traditional terms). Heterosexual intercourse in the missionary position (straight sex). Heterosexual intercourse in other positions. Oral sex (cunnilingus, fellatio). Masturbation. Homosexuality. Group sex. Anal sex (buggery, sodomy), heterosexual or homosexual. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. Frotteurism. Sexual sadism and/or masochism. Paedophilia. Fetishism. Transvestism. Zoophilia (bestiality). Urophilia Necrophilia. Coprophilia. We can be safe in saying that it is highly unlikely that any two people would produce exactly the same ordering, my assumption is that there would be general agreement on the rough ordering, at least as to whether something was near the top, middle or end. Where perversion begins on the list is much more contentious, however. Sexual conservatives often draw the line after the first instance. More ‘open minded’ people might draw the line after say group sex. The items listed after group sex may get in on nearly everyone’s list. So what should count as a perversion, and why? Let us start with what is perhaps the best known account of perversion in the contemporary philosophical literature, that of Nagel. I start with it, not because it is close to the truth (I think that it is a long way from this), but because it illustrates clearly a central shortcoming that will keep recurring. â€Å"Nagel proposes that sexual interactions in which each person responds with sexual arousal to noticing the sexual arousal of the other person exhibit the psychology that is natural to human sexuality. In such an encounter, each person becomes aware of himself or herself and the other person as both the subject and the object of their joint sexual experiences. Perverted sexual encounters or events would be those in which this mutual recognition of arousal is absent, and in which a person remains fully a subject of the sexual experience or fully an object. Perversion, then, is a departure from or a truncation of a psychologically â€Å"complete† pattern of arousal and consciousness. † (Soble and Power 2008, 13) It is difficult to do full justice to Nagel’s account in a few words. But for present purposes, let’s hope the following will suffice. According to Nagel, a sexual act is not perverted when it involves two (or maybe more) people; each is sexually aroused by [the other]; each is sexually aroused by [the other’s being sexually aroused]; each is sexually aroused by [the other’s being sexually aroused by the other’s being sexually aroused]; and maybe so on ad infinitum. Any other sexual act is perverted. Now, one problem with Nagel’s account is that it draws the line in a very strange place. Homosexuality, sadomasochism and paedophilia may all be non-perverted if done in the right way; whilst masturbation, rape and even straight sex of a very bored kind – e. g. , by a prostitute, or an uptown wife who during the act of coitus is thinking of travelling to Manhattan for ‘black Friday’ as perverted. Granted, any division is going to be contentious, but this classification is just too counter-intuitive: no one (unless in the grip of Nagel’s account) would divide things up in this way? The more important failing of Nagel’s account is that if this is what sexual perversion is, there is absolutely no reason why perversion should be a morally loaded concept. There is nothing in itself immoral about being aroused by someone who is not them self aroused. Maybe it is more exciting, more complete, or fulfilling, if they are; but it is hardly wrong if they are not. A more plausible and, in fact, more common account of perversion is that perverted acts are those that are unnatural. This is not a bad start, but it does not get us very far until we have said what ‘natural’ is to be taken to mean here. For the notion of naturalness is a very slippery one indeed. What, then, is the natural in this context? â€Å"Natural sexual acts, to provide merely a broad definition, are those acts that either flow naturally from human sexual nature, or at least do not frustrate or counteract sexual tendencies that flow naturally from human sexual desire. † (Soble and Power 2008, 11) An obvious suggestion is that what is natural is what happens in nature. But such a suggestion would rob the notion of perversion of all content. People are, after all, part of nature. Hence, nothing they do is unnatural in this sense. A fortiori there would be no perversions. It makes a bit more sense to suppose that the natural is what happens in non human nature. This would draw the line in a very odd place, however. It makes paedophilia, masturbation, homosexuality, and bestiality (or at least intercourse with a different species) natural, while at the same time making straight sex unnatural. Given that then one might want to redefine what straight sex equates to in non human animals. Another suggestion as to what ‘unnatural’ means here is simply unusual (abnormal) in the statistical sense. Goldman 1977) It should be noted that the frequencies of various sexual practices like, homosexuality and paedophilia vary from society to society. Hence, perversion, on this account, becomes a socially relative concept. With ‘natural’ interpreted in this way, the definition of perversion has two major problems. Perversion does not seem to be linked to statistics in the way it requires. If bestialit y became very common, for example, it would not cease to be a perversion. There would just be more perverts around. More importantly, there is no reason why something that is unusual statistically should be morally bad; merely consider heroism, having an IQ of 200 or higher or being able to make love for 3. 5 hours without a break. In the context of the definition of perversion, Donald Levy takes an unnatural act to be one that denies someone a basic human good, such as life, health, control of mind or body, or the capacity to know or love (without providing some other basic human good in compensation). (Velasquez 2010, 454) This account at least has the advantage that it becomes clear why perversion is morally wrong. Its failings are rather different. According to this, virtually nothing that is traditionally counted as perversion is a perversion. None of homosexuality, buggery, sadomasochism would seem to fall into this category. Moreover, those sexual acts that involve the individual alone (masturbation, fetishism, transvestism, bestiality and necrophilia) would not seem to require the actor to deny anyone including him or herself anything. We noted a certain amount of flexibility as to what one might classify as a perversion, but this flexibility hardly extends to ruling out paradigm cases wholesale. It would seem that for Levy Paedophilia and Rape would be the only activities that could or would count as sexual perversion. Another suggestion, as to what ‘natural’ means in the context of perversion is this. It is often said that biological processes have some well-defined goal or function. What is natural is using the process for that function; what is unnatural is using it for something else. That this suggestion is on the right lines is supported by the following considerations. We speak of things other than sexual acts as being perverted. For example, we speak of someone perverting the course of justice. In such a case, it is clear that what this amounts to is the person using the judicial process for something other than its proper end. Thus, perversion in general is using something for other than its proper end as a matter of fact, as stated earlier this is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb ‘to pervert’ and sexual perversion, in particular, is using sex for something other than its proper end. Were doing well so far right? But what exactly is the proper end of sex? A common view, most strongly represented in traditional Catholic pronouncements, has it that the function of sex is reproduction. â€Å"Based upon a comparison of the sexuality of humans and the sexuality of lower animals (mammals, in particular), Aquinas concludes that what is natural in human sexuality is the impulse to engage in heterosexual coitus. Heterosexual coitus is the mechanism designed by the Christian God to insure the preservation of animal species, including humans, and hence engaging in this activity is the primary natural expression of human sexual nature. Further, this God designed each of the parts of the human body to carry out specific functions, and on Aquinas’s view God designed the male penis to implant sperm into the female’s vagina for the purpose of effecting procreation. It follows, for Aquinas that depositing the sperm elsewhere than inside a human female’s vagina is unnatural: it is a violation of God’s design, contrary to the nature of things as established by God. For this reason alone, on Aquinas’s view, such activities are immoral, a grave offense to the sagacious plan of the Almighty. (Soble and Power 2008, 12) Reproduction here is interpreted as conception. Therefore, any sexual act that cannot result in conception is a perversion which clearly draws the line very high up on the list. † If this view is right, the orthodox Catholic Church has drawn the correct conclusions concerning masturbation and homosexuality; contraception, too, makes sex perverted. But the definition also makes many sorts of straight sex perverted: sex for an infertile male known to be infertile; sex for a woman after menopause or a hysterectomy; sex during the so called ‘safe period’ of a woman’s menstrual cycle. It would appear that orthodox Catholic thinking has not been consistent in these areas, since it does not condemn such acts; though some of the church fathers such as Augustine did in a roundabout way. â€Å"Sexual intercourse with lower animals (bestiality), sexual activity with members of one’s own sex (homosexuality), and masturbation, for Aquinas, are unnatural sexual acts and are immoral exactly for that reason. If they are committed intentionally, according to one’s will, they deliberately disrupt the natural order of the world as created by God and which God commanded to be respected†¦ In none of these activities is there any possibility of procreation, and the sexual and other organs are used, or misused, for purposes other than that for which they were designed. Although Aquinas does not say so explicitly, but only hints in this direction, it follows from his philosophy of sexuality that fellatio, even when engaged in by heterosexuals, is also perverted and morally wrong. At least in those cases in which orgasm occurs by means of this act, the sperm is not being placed where it should be placed and procreation is therefore not possible. If the penis entering the vagina is the paradigmatic natural act, then any other combination of anatomical connections will be unnatural and hence immoral; for example, the penis, mouth, or fingers entering the anus. Note that Aquinas’s criterion of the natural that the sexual act must be procreative in form, and hence must involve a penis inserted into a vagina, makes no mention of human psychology. Aquinas’s line of thought yields an anatomical criterion of natural and perverted sex that refers only to bodily organs and what they might accomplish physiologically and to where they are, or are not, put in relation to each other. (Soble and Power 2008, 12-13) If this is the case what is the rationale for the clitoris being positioned the way it is? At any rate, any account of perversion according to which straight sex between a loving couple at the tender age of 60 years, who have been happily married for over 40 years, is a perversion, in my humble opinion must be wrong . It is plausible to suppose that what makes this account of perversion wrong is its identification of reproduction with conception. There is, after all, a lot more to reproduction than conception. In particular, there is gestation, birth, the rearing and education of children, and so on. And sex may have important biological functions in these areas too. To begin with, a secure family is usually reckoned to be important in the upbringing of children. And one factor making for a secure family is a happy and fulfilling sexual life between the adult partners. Hence, a function of sex could be for two people each to give the other pleasure. In this case, only those forms of sexual activity that involve just one person could be perverted. More generally, a stable and functioning society is necessary for the reproduction of people. An important role of sex might be to help people to live together and cooperate. And who knows what sexual practices might serve that end? Without a lot more socio-biological research, it is highly unlikely near an impossibility to say what constitutes a perversion on this account probably very little. 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Edgar Allan Poes Work Essay Example For Students

Edgar Allan Poes Work Essay Edgar Allan Poes work is known throughout the world. He was born in1809 in Boston. When Poe was still an infant his father left him and then hismother died. Poe was adopted by Jon Allan. Then Edgar Allan Poe wasEducated in Europe. Poe attendant college for while, but Jon Allan stoppedPaying for his college education because Poe had to many gambling depts. Then Poe joined to the army in 1827 he wasnt successful in the army though. Then Poe moved back to the United States and wrote stories in Baltimore. Poe was married to Virginia in 1836. Eleven years later Virginia dies of anIllness, Poe was very disturbed. In 1849 Poe died. Poe was known as theFather of Gothic Horror. Readers of Poes work especially the short stories will find among manySimilarities. When analyzing the short stories, readers will find theseSimilarities by considering the story elements: charters, setting, plot, mood,Subject of matter, and point of view. The characters in Poes stories share similarities. Often a character isDriven by their emotions. In the Tell Tale Heart the unidentified narratorBecomes so obsessed with his emotions regarding the old mans eye that heWas driven to murder. In the Cask of Amontillado Montessori is totallyControlled by his overpowering feeling that he and his family name had beenInsulted. In the Pit and the Pendulum the unknown narrator is being drivenBy his emotions to survive and to get out of the pit. It seems Poes charactersAre driven by their emotions. Another similarity a reader will notice is that usually male characters leftUnidentified for example in The Pit and the Pendulum the entire story isNarrated by a man who is certainly unnamed, but is also vague regarding hisPerson. In this story he is basically the only character. In The Fall of theHouse of Usher the narrator who is the central character among only twoOther characters remain nameless and vague as well. The characters in PoesStories are enigmatic, mysterious, and often unidentified. Poes settings share several similarities. Often a story will take place in aDark confined space. For example The Pit and the Pendulum is an areaWhere it is a small closed and unidentified. Also in The Cask ofAmontillado it is in the catacombs mostly nowhere else. Also the settings inPoes work are often vague, unknown, or far away. For example The Pit andThe Pendulum is very unclear it is set in what appears to be an undergroundPit during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, but it remain dark andMysterious. Also, the style itself is merky and difficult summing to reflectThat very darkness and unclearness of the setting. The selection revealed theAbove similarities of Poes settings. Poes technique for plot elements shows similarities. Madness, murder,Revenge, horror, and bizarre situations that seem to abruptly end our plotThemes that weave their way through many of Poes stories. For example inThe Cask of a Amontillado Montessori is seeking revenge to FortunateInsulting Montessori and his family. Also in The Tell Tale Heart the narratorKills an old man because of the appearance of the old mans eye which is aBizarre situation. Another example is The Pit and the Pendulum itContained horror and many bizarre situations. The mood in Poes stories is rather sinister. Poes work containsMelancholy, sinister objects, and dark and gloomy moods. For example ThePit and the Pendulum is dark and gloomy and has many sinister objects likeThe pit, the pendulum, and the hot walls coming together. The Tell TaleHeart is full of melancholy because a young man goes insane and commitsMurder because of the appearance of an old mans eye. Mostly all of PoesWork has a sinister mood in it. .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 , .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .postImageUrl , .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 , .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:hover , .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:visited , .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:active { border:0!important; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:active , .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83 .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udfc38e466c710e52d59b2c6f46059d83:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Eating Healthy EssayThe subject of matter often contains death, murder, and revenge. ForExample in The Cask of a Amontillado Montessori murders FortunateBecause he insulted Montessori. The point of view is usually always firstPerson and the narrator is the antagonist. For example is The Tell TaleHeart the narrator is in first person and is the antagonist because he murdersSomeone. In conclusion, Edgar A. Poe is a very interesting man who is knownThroughout the world for his work. Poes stories are good in variety, butMostly all of them are evil or have a sad or bizarre ending. Poes is known asThe father of gothic horror. Poe is a very talented writer who has