Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair How does Milton Essay Example for Free

Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair How does Milton Essay Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ is not only an exploration of classical events detailed in the Bible, but also a development of them. A dangerous feat, considering the dominant hold that religion had on 17th century England, Milton’s epic poem dares to stray away from the literally believed stories of the Bible and delves into the unexplained and unknown. This is most apparent with his focus on Hell and its sovereign Satan, as these two focal points of Book One are, for the most part, unreferenced in the Bible. However, without any previous scriptural guidelines or knowledge to follow, Milton was granted free reign to develop the character of Satan as he wished, and this lead to him being used in a number of ways. As an epic poem, Paradise Lost requires the presence of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a character of noble stature or greatness who experiences a downfall as a result of their own mistakes or flaws. This interpretation of the dramatic role demonstrates Milton’s inability to place God in this position as it would be seen as heresy, and as a result, he could not feature as the focal character of the poem. Therefore Milton required the use of a fallible character to act as the protagonist, so he cast Satan in this position. In satisfying the role of the tragic hero and protagonist in his poem, Milton resultantly had to equip Satan with the necessary tools to fulfil his function as the poems hero. This is seen in the hyperbolic descriptions of his character and attributes as Satan had ‘unconquerable Will’ and ‘courage never to submit or yield. ’ Like the heroes of epics before him, Satan is displayed as possessing characteristics that elevate his nature above the rest of the poems characters, and it is these traits that put him in a position to oppose God. So Milton uses Book One and Satan to establish his protagonist and primary focus of the poem, and although this choice seems insignificant in the grand scheme of the poem, it acts as the stage for the rest of Satan’s acts. Milton’s use of Satan as the elevated hero gives his poem, and more specifically the divine conflict he portrays, more credibility. This is because Milton’s heroic portrayal of Satan elevates him, in the reader’s eyes, to become a threatening opponent to God. Milton’s intention to use Satan in this way is exacerbated when it is considered that Satan in fact translates to ‘the adversary’ in Hebrew. As Sir Walter Raleigh argued ‘His very situation as the fearless antagonist of Omnipotence makes him either a fool or a hero, and Milton is far indeed from permitting us to think him a fool. ’ Raleigh’s argument is justified when the contextual elements are considered, as during the 17th century, religion was an unavoidable feature of everyone’s lives and God was seen as an unquestionable power, which resulted in many fearing him. Therefore, if Milton were to focus his poem on the confrontation and usurp of God’s rule, then he needed a strong character to lead the opposition. Milton’s desire to use Satan in this way is expressed through the character’s own admissions, as Satan, during his numerous speeches not only compares himself to God, but questions his power altogether. Satan states his plan to ‘deifie this power’ as he and his army are ‘in arms not worse, in foresight much advanc’t. ’ This clearly contradicts two believed truths of the time: that of God’s omnipotence and also his omniscience. This is because Satan believes that the army he has assembled before him, comprised of fallen angels, is sufficient to dethrone God and that now, God no longer has surprise in his favour. This suggestion is more subtle than the first but; I believe it conveys a more important point. In Satan’s mind, the only reason that he was initially defeated was due to the fact that he was unaware of the capabilities of God, but now he has experienced the ‘tyranny of Heav’n. ’ In doing this, Milton indirectly challenges the omniscience that was thought to be held by God, as he portrays Satan as having knowledge that exceeds God. Despite this opposition, Milton is careful to ensure he makes Satan fallible, to avoid any heretic readings of his poem. This is achieved through another pivotal feature of a tragic hero, their hubris. This is excessive pride or ambition that ultimately leads to the downfall of the hero. This pride, which is evident throughout the text, clouds Satan’s previous heroic claims and demonstrates to the reader that Satan is in fact not capable of challenging God effectively. This is exemplified on the very first page of the poem, as Satan ‘trusted to have equal’d the most High. ’ Here Milton uses a subtle paradox to convey the flaws in Satan’s character, as it is a logical impossibility to equal what is most high. In doing this, the reader is given the sense that Satan’s pursuit of retribution is futile, and this invokes pathos. This is because Milton’s use of dramatic irony preludes to Satan’s downfall in the poem. It also appears that Satan is somewhat aware of this flaw as well as he is described as ‘Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair. ’ The concept that Satan is attempting to conceal his disappointment and ‘despair’ is an inherently human characteristic, and this once again demands pity from the reader. This use of Satan as an object of pity allows Milton to introduce human characteristics to his epic poem, which is a difficulty when it is considered that his setting is beyond human realms. This is an important element for his poem to contain, as it is a necessary measure to engage the reader. So another use of Satan by Milton is to represent and resultantly associate with human characteristics, in an attempt to emotionally engage his reader. By portraying Satan as the most human character in Book One, Milton is able to use him as a vehicle to represent contextual issues. During the 17th century, the monarchy had a firm grip on politics and power, but Milton’s own beliefs and loyalties lay with Cromwell and the republican movement. This political ideology is represented clearly in Satan’s speeches, as he frequently refers to the oppressive nature of heaven. As demonstrated previously, Satan already believed in the ‘tyranny of Heav’n’ and these tyrannous actions are demonstrated by Milton. ‘That Glory never shall his wrath or might/ Extort from me’ is one reference to this idea, and it alludes to the role of the monarchy at the time. This is by suggesting that those with power use it to extort and corrupt. When considered in the context of the time, this can be interpreted as a criticism of the English monarchy, which had to be conveyed subtly in order to avoid treason. So as demonstrated, the use and functions of Satan are not limited to that of the ‘Arch-Enemy. ’ Through his elaborate descriptions, but subtle hints, Milton is able to set-up the epic battle between God and Satan, and in doing this in Book One he is able to effectively engage the reader in his epic poem.

The Characters, Setting, and Symbols of Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Co

     Ã‚  Ã‚   Beyond the shield of civilization and into the depths of a primitive, untamed frontier lies the true face of the human soul. It is in the midst of this savagery and unrelenting danger that mankind confronts the brooding nature of his inner self.   Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, is the story of one man's insight into life as he embarks on a voyage to the edges of the world. Here, he meets the bitter, yet enlightening forces that eventually shape his outlook on life and his own individuality. Conrad’s portrayal of the characters, setting, and symbols, allow the reader to reflect on the true nature of man. The two main characters in Heart of Darkness, Marlow and Kurtz are used to show the true nature of man, that is, the capacity for good and evil within humanity. The central character is a thirty two year old sailor, Charlie Marlow. Marlow is the primary narrator in the novel, therefore his thought’s, opinions, experiences and revelations, shape the entire novels themes and the value system put forward. Marlow illustrates how forces of light and darkness serve to weave the human soul together; thus, essentially how good and evil are reflected in an individual. This is particularly important regarding the construction of Marlow, who is essentially a biased narrator, and a product of his European upbringing. An example is his inability to deal with the dying natives at the â€Å"grove of death†, offering a native a biscuit as an apparent kind gesture. Yet this is only due to him not being confronted with situations like this previously where his own values, and the whole p remise behind colonialism, the exploitation is revealed. The patriarchial views of women he displays also outline the background of Marlow and the a... ...o man can live on the island without becoming a brutal savage. Inside his heart lies the raw evil of untamed lifestyle" (Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation).    Works Cited "The Congo" Created December 07, 1995. Web. 23 February 2007. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print. "The Fear" Created December 07, 1995. Web. 9 February 2007. "Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation of the darkness inherent in men's souls" "The Perfect Native" Created December 07, 1995. Web. 12 February 2007. "The Setting" Created December 07, 1995. Web. 12 February 2007.    Works Consulted Goonetilleke, D.C.R.A. "Heart of Darkness: Overview." Literature Resources from Gale. Gale, 1994. Web. 18 February 2007. Loe, Thomas. "Heart of Darkness: Overview." Literature Resources from Gale. Gale, 1991. Web. 12 February 2007.

Abraham Maslow †Hierarchy of Needs Essay

Abraham Maslow is a well-known psychologist for his theory on human motivation, specifically the Hierarchy of needs theory, and for his work with monkeys. Maslow’s theory can also be defined as â€Å"intensity at a task†. This means that greater the motivation, the more constant and intense one will perform s specific task. The basis behind this theory is the knowledge that all behaviour is goal driven, meaning one will do tasks according to what they obtain after the task is complete. Maslow has been a very inspirational figure in personality theories. The Hierarchy of Needs theory has four different levels before one comes to full self-actualizing. These levels are, in order, the psychological needs, safety, love and care and esteem needs. The psychological needs are those one needs to survive, such as food, water, oxygen, shelter and more. Then comes the need for safety and protection for one’s family’ these needs include safe shelter, security, protection from both mental and physical damage, and others. Thirdly is the need for love and care, which is the need for affection, friends and relationships in general. Lastly, the esteem needs. These needs are those that one gets from him or herself. There are two types, low self esteem and a high self esteem. The low self esteem needs include wanting the respect of others, status, fame, recognition and even dominance. The high self-esteem need is to have respect for yourself; this is the higher of the two self-esteems because self-respect is harder to loose than the resp ect of others. See more:  Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Self-actualization is to have all of the needs fulfilled and to be settled with a good job. According to Maslow, a person who is fully self-actualized, have the following character traits. According to his research, e stated that self-actualizers tend to be reality centred, meaning these people can distinguish between what is fake and dishonest from what is real and true. They were problem centred; people treated life’s difficulties as problems demanding solutions, the need for privacy and they were independent of culture and relied on their own experiences and judgments; they were, in the best sense, non conformists. Those who were self-actualized had democratic values; open to ethnic and individual variety, social interest and they enjoyed having intimate personal relationships with a few close friends. Maslow recorded these findings by observing a group of historical figures, which included Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Ghandi, Albert Einstein and others. In his findings, he also stated that self-actualizers have a pacifist sense of humour, which means they would rather tell jokes about themselves or at the world in general rather than at others. These people accepted people for who they were; they didn’t try to change them to what they thought each person should be like and they prefer being themselves than being pretentious or artificial. With all these high-quality traits, there were some flaws with the self-actualizers studied by Maslow. These flaws were that the subjects that were being tested on suffered from anxiety and guilt. Some of them were absentminded, overly kind and, lastly, they had unexpected moments of ruthlessness and a loss of humour. All of these findings of Maslow have created a basic understanding of what things are necessities to humans and which are not. For example, in the 1960’s, this was most important to those who were looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. This theory helped them look for a path to lead their life to success. Maslow’s theory was also inspirational to Mihalyi Csikeszentmihalyi and Douglas McGregor. Mihalyi Csikeszentmihalyi continued Maslow’s concept of â€Å"flow.† This theory helped Douglas McGregor to make his theory of Theory X and Theory Y by being a building block. Without Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, these two people may not have come up with the idea/theory that they did. It is said that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs follows the life cycle of humans. The first stage, psychological needs is a newborn baby’s needs, safety comes as the baby begins to crawl and walk, the social aspect come in when the baby is a toddler, they seek attention by doing something that no one has seen before and amazes the audience. The fourth need, esteem or ego, comes when humans are teenagers; this means when humans are concerned with respect  and popularity and only some humans go on to self-actualizing. Maslow’s theory being related to the development of human’s helps for humans to realize how his theory really does work and how it intertwines with the development of humans. Another way that Maslow’s was inspirational was, for example, the reason why humans wake up in the morning and what motivates us to do so. Maslow’s theory states that by accomplishing goals, people motivate themselves to do even more. When a person is on the rise of success or promotion or an increase in business profits, they are excited and they motivate themselves to get up in the morning and to do more to get more excitement. Lastly, Maslow’s theory was a great importance to education. His theory applies to education because if the teacher wants to maximize the effectiveness of teaching programs around the schools and individual classrooms, the administrators must consider what the children want first. If the students feel that the workload is extremely heavy, then administration staff and teachers should take this into account and either lower the workload or give longer due dates for the students to finish their work. This gives the students encouragement to do their work as they realize the teacher has taken our problem into consideration and has given us what we asked for. Those teachers who know their students needs use this theory and are successful teachers. Both the administration and student body like these teachers; administration is happy that students are doing their work mostly on time and the student body like the teacher because he/she cooperates and listens to what they have to say. Thus Maslow’s theory has had an impact on the teaching styles of teachers in order to cope with the students. In conclusion, Maslow’s theory is inspirational not only to teachings but also to everyday life. His theory helped everyone in society to realize basic needs of life and to spend their money and time where it is most needed and worry about the luxuries after the necessities are complete. Without this inspirational theory created by Maslow, people around the world may not know what the basic needs of life are. For example, the third world  countries and first world countries would have even less in common than what they do today. At least today they have the same basic needs, maybe without this theory even this would be different. Therefore, Abraham Maslow as an inspirational psychologist who has lead us to the right way of spending money and time. Works Cited Abraham Maslow: Understanding Human Motivation 17 Oct 2003 Boeree, Dr. C. George. Abraham Maslow. 16 Oct 2003 Hoffman, Edward. The Right To Be Human. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, 1988. House of Essays: Abraham Maslow http://www.houseofessays.com/viewpaper/9245.html Nancy Benson, Sharon Crosier, Linda Parker. Maslow’s Motivation Theory And Its Application To Education. 16 Oct. 2003

Child Abuse and Neglect Essay example - 2770 Words

Child abuse is the intentional omission of care by a parent or guardian that can cause a child to be hurt, maimed, or even killed. Child abuse can be either physical, mental, emotional or sexual. Because of child abuse, Caprice Ried will never do the things that a normal four-year old does. She will never play on a playground, or go to a sleepover, and never go to school. All of this was taken away from her at such a young age, when she died of child abuse. The foster parents, Patricia Coker, and her mother Betty Coker have been charged with second degree murder for Caprice’s death. Caprice went without food for days. She was also tied to a chair and beaten with a stick until she couldn’t walk. Several days later, she was found†¦show more content†¦With more than 6.6 million children under the age of 18 living in alcoholic households, and an additional number of children living in households where parents have problems with illicit drugs, a significant number of children in this country are being raised by addicted parents. Child maltreatment has become a national epidemic. More than one million children are confirmed each year as victims of child abuse and neglect by state child protective service agencies. Every day at least three children die as a result of abuse or neglect. State child welfare records indicate that substance abuse is one of the top two problems exhibited by families in 81% of the reported cases. Recent research on the connection between alcohol or drug problems and child maltreatment clearly indicates a connection between the two problems. Among confirmed cases of child maltreatment, 40% involve the use of alcohol or other drugs. This suggests that of the 1.2 million confirmed victims of child maltreatment, and estimated 480,000 children are mistreated each year by a caretaker with alcohol or other drug problems. Additionally, research suggests that alcohol and other drug problems are factors in a majority of cases of emotional abuse and neglect. In fact, neglect is the major reason that children are removed from a home in which parents have alcohol or other drug problems. ChildrenShow MoreRelatedChild Abuse and Neglect1653 Words   |  7 Pages Child Abuse and Neglect Child abuse, or child maltreatment, is an act by a parent or caretaker that results in or allows the child to be subjected to death, physical injury, sexual assault, or emotional harm. Emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse are all different forms of child abuse. Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse might be the most visible, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse and neglect, also leave deep, lastingRead MoreChild Abuse And Neglect704 Words   |  3 Pagesexperience this feeling, not just for a second, but throughout their childhood. Neglect is child abuse, as well as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Child abuse is awful because it causes the child to feel worthless, to lose trust, and to have serious psychological problems early on in life. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse. The parent or caregiver fails to provide basic needs for the child. Neglected children are constantly being told that they are worthless orRead MoreChild Neglect : Neglect As A Form Of Child Abuse2216 Words   |  9 PagesChild Abuse: Neglect Has The Community Done Enough To Reduce Cases Of Neglect As A Form Of Child Abuse? 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I will try to cover in this paper the subject of child abuse, its definitionsRead MoreChild Abuse And Neglect Of A Child817 Words   |  4 PagesC hild Abuse and Neglect The meaning of child abuse is the mistreatment of a child in the form of injury, sexual abuse, neglect or exploitation. The signs of possible child abuse include, but are not limited to sudden behavior change, untreated medical issues, difficulties in school, lack of adult attention, the child makes excuses to stay away from home. Parents can also show signs such as showing little interest in the child, blaming the child for the child’s problems. The parent could ask theRead More Child Abuse and Neglect814 Words   |  4 Pages Child Abuse Child abuse and neglect is frightfully high. As a country this is unacceptable. We need to come up with better ways to fight this â€Å"disease† before we destroy our children, our future. An estimated 903,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2001, according to national data released by the Department of Health and Human Services. The statistics indicate that about 12.4 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect, a rate comparable to the previousRead More Child Abuse and Neglect1102 Words   |  5 Pageswhat effects abuse can have on a child? The effects abuse can have on a child is very serious. Children can obtain serious problems from child abuse. They can develop social problems, depression, and anxiety. There are four types of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Physical abuse can injure a child severely. Domestic Violence is a worldwide problem and affects the health and well-being of those open to it. Children that are exposed to physical abuse are at risk