The Wilderness in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, Mary Austin’s Land of Li

The Wilderness in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, Mary Austin’s Land of Little Rain, and Gary Snyder’s The Practice of the Wild Journeys into the wilderness test far more than the physical boundaries of the human traveler. Twentieth century wilderness authors move beyond the traditional travel-tour approach where nature is an external diversion from everyday life. Instead, nature becomes a catalyst for knowing our internal wilderness and our universal connections to all living things. In Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, Mary Austin’s Land of Little Rain, and Gary Snyder’s The Practice of the Wild, â€Å"nature† mirrors each narrator: what the narrators ultimately discover in the wilderness reflects what needs they bring to it. Their points of view, expectations, and awareness all determine their experiences of the wild and â€Å"self.† Ultimately, however, each work reveals that the experience of nature need not be restricted only to â€Å"self-discovery,† but may well expand to an understanding of the spiritual â€Å"family self.† Atwood’s psychological novel describes the return journey by its narrator from a self-centered, urban existence to the Canadian wilderness of her youth, where she finds the meaning of family and her role in it. Though not overtly psychological, Mary Austin’s intense devotion to the life and people of her desert community suggests these have become replacements for her own, unsuccessful attempts at conventional family life. Finally, Gary Snyder’s kinship with nature exemplifies a life integrated in all aspects—a union that merges the practical, psychological, and spiritual into what may be called the â€Å"cosmic† family. Birth of Family Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing describes the heroine/narrator’s phy... ...our experiences: the progress of our consciousness. This progress resolves issues of the self and one’s individual past, heals our psychic pain, and releases us from powerlessness and fear. By accepting the wilderness in ourselves we will understand the wilderness in each other and our connectedness. Nature functions as catalyst, as guide, as test, as teacher. Then opening the spiritual window to grace, we ultimately realize the possibility of being fully human. References Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing (New York: Fawcett Crest, 1972). Austin, Mary. Stories from the Country of Lost Borders. Ed. Marjorie Pryse (New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1987). Pryse, Marjorie. "Introduction" to Stories from the Country of Lost Borders by Mary Austin. (New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1987). Snyder, Gary. The Practice of the Wild (San Francisco: North Point Press, 1990).

Alleviating Urban Blight

Alleviating Urban Blight Mariah Beatty-Adams Kent School of Social Work University of Louisville Urban Blight in Louisville Louisville is known for internationally for the annual derby, that the upper-class and wealthy attend as a group for recreation, and entertainment. It is a time that economically, that the city is in its element. Millions of dollars are spent on derby paraphernalia, horse paraphernalia and alcohol for the masses. The city is becomes a city that never sleeps. Patrons of the derby are attracted to the large three malls, the hustle and vibrancy of the â€Å"hipster† mini- town of Bardstown Rd. and are seen at all the touristic options throughout town; especially those that are directly related to our city’s most prized possession, Muhammad Ali. Although patrons are excited to learn about Muhammad’s hometown, no one frequents past 9th street, an area that is infamously known for crime, and drugs. West Louisville is an area of the city that is kn own for not only crime that is birth from the area, but also falling victim to urban blight, similar to other urban and inner city areas of large cities nationally and globally.According to the US Census, out of more than 5000 properties in the five neighborhoods that make up West Louisville, 22. 1% of the homes are vacant or abandoned. An area that used to thrive with African American businesses, and industrial powerhouses that were less than environmentally friendly, has fell victim to the counter- productive action of urban renewal. There are only a slew of fast food restaurants, and an even larger number of liquor stores; unfortunately leading to the area become a food desert.An area where residents cannot acquire the ideal nutrients that are set by the FDA that every person should digest to remain healthy and active. However minorities are often limited to processed package foods, due to their only being one grocery store in the area. The only businesses there are seen in the a rea are barbershops, beauty salons, payday loan businesses, and a handful of makeshift retail stores. Leaving several residents without means for an income, becoming even more impoverished. Out of the 61,251 people inhabiting West Louisville, on average 13. 4% are unemployed.This doesn’t take account the several workers who are underemployed, struggling to make ends meet in an area that is not known for upward mobility. A change must be brought to the area that does not have a negative impact on the inhabitants, but a solution that will bring in a sense of promise and change the lives of the people who live in the constant fear that their local government has truly forgot about. In the year of 1957, Louisville constituents voted on a $5 million urban renewal project. Urban renewal refers to the public efforts to bring life into the aging and decaying inner cities across that nation.The term was heavily used and introduced to cities following World War II. Unfortunately the pa th to urban renewal is too destroy what is deemed destructive. Several businesses and public housing homes were tore down leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves and business owners on the streets with their dreams in stride. Instead of working with already strong foundations and beautiful architecture, these pieces of history were demolished, destroying the sense of community with the debris caused by destruction.Thrown up in the place of these businesses and homes, were new pieces of architecture, still leaving the cause of West Louisville’s blight unharmed. Ethical Analysis and Ideologies of Current Solution Urban renewal in Louisville embraces the private good over the well-being of the public. Similar to the theory presented in the analysis titled The Economics and Ethics of Private Property by Hans-Hermann Hoppe, where he goes even far as to describe in great detail the fallacies of the public good.Results of the destruction caused by urban renewal have shadows o f the historical ideologies that our nation’s closed mind, white superiority foundation. Ideologies such as Individualism, Independence and the Protestant Work Ethic. Where the results have left the residents of the community on their own(individualism) The protestant work ethic is founded on the vision of wealth. â€Å"Hard work and wealth are signs of personal and moral worth† unfortunately minorities the west end work hard and have no wealth, nor anything to show for their work efforts. Those who are poor are considered as not having a proper or sufficient work ethic and are often considered inferior†. (Enoch,2012) When constituents are living in poverty and are feeling forgotten, you have not worried about those who are affected, or an ends to a mean. Nor did the urban renewal ordinance use funds to access the source of urban blight or the lack of income in the community. Unemployment and lack of economy of the area are the crooks behind the hundreds of desol ate and abandoned homes all over the West end.Non- profit organizations, such as the Metropolitan Housing Coalition, struggle to combat urban decay; yet have not found viable and visual solutions to the social issue. Proposed Solution To combat the social issue of urban decay, we must educate the residents of the area, many residents who are unhappy with their environment; yet have not been given the voice to help create and foster change in their own community. For change to be truly progressive, the need for change must be truly felt by those who are affected.Education is a key source of change. We must hear and allow residents to speak up on the changes that they want to be seen, the problem with social issues are that the activists are often times people who are not living in the environment that they work to change. We have no idea what changes are truly needed from residents, and they may be unaware that the changes that they need to live are in fact available or tangible. Wit h a united need for change, activists and groups such as MHC, need to work with residents to establish a sense of community.Areas throughout the west end and their inhabitants are often portrayed in the news and media as enemies, several people who grew up in neighboring areas are seen slain, both victims of death and self-hate. If we are working for the same change, how would that be tangible without a sense of unity? To establish education and also a sense of community, there needs to be monthly West End hall meetings, where Advisory boards from each of the five neighborhoods in West Louisville speak amongst each other and activists on the changes that need to be seen and together produce a set of actions to complete the changes needed.Also establish classes in simple do-it- yourself projects that could be done in abandoned homes to rebuild them together, and also throw park clean up parties to get rid of the trash and debris that are in the park and renovate parks that are deemed desolate. To get youth involved establish youth advisory boards, similar to Pact in Action, to speak on the changes they would see and provide the youth with the resources and voice needed for their educational career and changes. To nd the downward mobility that has only been available to several of the residents. Also coordinate neighborhood block parties and barbeques so it can be a sense of community that could not only be felt but seen by residents. To reestablish a flow of economy in the neighborhoods, and reduce the money going to fast food restaurants and liquor stores; have communities and neighborhoods raise money to purchase abandoned pieces of land that are full of garbage and debris, and turn them into a community garden.It would slowly but surely put an end to the food desert that the West has grown to be and reestablish healthy habits within the community. Every weekend there could be an organized farmer market between the neighborhoods where residents could sell the food they hand grew, and supplement a form of income in the several homes that are in need. Possibly establishing a shopping district, similar to the ones that were owned by African Americans in the 50’s and 60’s, to give residents a steady means of income.Instead of selling and advertising areas such as downtown, and east Louisville as business gems, sell west Louisville to possible business prospects by stating the cheap rent rates and the vast number of available lots and homes that can be â€Å"flipped†, instead of spending a fortune on new buildings and offices. Establish a working relationship with business prospects and the community to introduce prospective employees. Working relationships should be facilitated by the Council for a compassionate city, the mayor’s office, and also the governor’s office.The governor could benefit by acquiring skills and knowledge to produce the same action plans in cities in the state that are also victims o f white flight and urban blight. To efficiently reduce and hopefully alleviate the social issue. Several people who have lived in the city of Louisville have not ventured past 9th street. I believe it is due to the 7th street connector and 9th street connector or â€Å"Great Wall of Louisville† as I affectionately refer to it. Which is constructed I’m sure was constructed at a time where city ordinances were processed to segregate African Americans from white neighborhoods and areas.As a suggestion from Louisville Mag, this construction needs to be demolished similar to the homes and businesses of the impoverished to allow the West End community and the other areas to not only allow economic growth but a sense of community that can lead to resources in the renovation of west Louisville. However in its opposite it is proposed that there is a connection from the water front and connectors from the west end. Possibly leading to shopping districts to the west end. Also pro vide access with two lane roads and to businesses. Ethical Analysis of Proposed Solution/ TheoryThese actions adopt both deontological theories and Rawlsian liberalism. Deontological theories believe that you do not harm individuals especially minorities; and is about moral obligations. Meaning it is based on the community as a whole and will not allow an individual to fall underneath the economical cracks. According to Rawlsian Liberalism, each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others. (the Liberty Principle) Meaning every person should have the right to healthy food, and the basic necessities for living.Families in the area currently have a high rate of unemployment, and can’t acquire the things they need on the lack of income, or no income they have. With these plans the conditions of both will improve, may not be the first day but one day. Work Cited 1. moss, J. (2013, march 13). West of ninth. Louis ville Magazine, Retrieved from http://loumag. epubxp. com/i/111400/30 2. Stemle, C. (2013, march 13) So close, but so far. Louisville Magazine, retrieved from http://loumag. epubxp. com 3. Jimenez, J. (2011). Social policy and social change. Long Beach: Sage publications.

Growth and Value †Two Sides of the Same Coin - 1056 Words

- â€Å"The central principle of investment is to go contrary to the general opinion on the grounds that if everyone agreed about its merit, the investment is inevitably too dear, and therefore unattractive.† – John Maynard Keynes Many money managers feel they must distinguish themselves as either â€Å"growth† or â€Å"value† investors. While an apparently benign distinction, this simple act can have unintended consequences. This article will address conventional definitions of growth and value and then look to the market oracles for a dose of worldly wisdom. Value investing: The strategy of selecting stocks that trade for less than their intrinsic values. Value investors actively seek stocks of companies that they believe the market has†¦show more content†¦So, when is it appropriate to distinguish between growth and value? Another very famous investor, Peter Lynch, pioneered a hybrid of growth and value investing with what is now commonly referred to as a growth at a reasonable price (GARP) strategy. Here we see that the two approaches can be synthesized in the way Buffett describes. Successful growth investing, which more often than not will bring with it longer holding periods, requires two distinct elements: 1) The business must have a legitimate long-term competitive advantage. 2) The business most possess the ability to grow earnings on a long-term basis. Conversely, to be successful in the long term, it is incumbent upon the value investor to sell average companies (Like company B) when the market price approaches or exceeds fair value. All investors need to pay attention to the price they pay for equities. Companies that hold large competitive advantages and exhibit steady growth can be poor growth propositions if they are â€Å"priced to perfection† just as ‘value propositions’ must incorporate a significant disparity between price and discerned value. All investments: growth, value or other, should be bought with a Margin of Safety. Conclusion: The stock market may be likened to the field of horse racing. Most punters are focused on picking the best horse in the race. The error here is in assuming that the best horse comes with the best odds. QuiteShow MoreRelatedThe Growth Of A Country s Economy By David Hume And Adam Smith Essay1701 Words   |  7 Pagesevaluate the overall performance of a country’s economy, it has been widely examined and analyzed by economists throughout history. 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Comparative Criminal Justice System Essay - 2183 Words

Unit 4 Written Assignment: By: Alysia Pietrangelo Professor CJ509: Comparative Criminal Justice Systems September 1, 2011 With so many different cultural and historical perspectives, it can change the way the criminal justice system works. Two types of criminal justice systems in which bring a lot of historical and cultural perspective include Iraq and Italy. Both countries also have legal tradition in which help in the way the criminal justice system works. In addition, both politics and legal issues can also cause the criminal justice system to change. However, the answer to the question relies on how this all does play in to the criminal justice systems for both Iraq and Italy. Beginning with Iraq, there was many†¦show more content†¦The different types of crime which happen in an Islamic country depend on the cruel and unusual punishment. Hudad crimes (apostasy, revolt against the ruler, theft, highway robbery, adultery, slander and drinking alcohol) carry mandatory penalties such as the amputation of the hands and feet, flogging and even death. Quesas crimes (murder, voluntary and i nvoluntary killing, and intentional and unintentional physical injury) involve sanctions of retaliation or compensation for the victim or his/her family. If any other offenses have been committed and there is not a penalty, they are in the category of Ta’azir and the judge is then given the discretion to determine the penalty of such offenses (Bassiouni, 1982). Since many in Iraq feel the vote for some position are fixed during elections, Iraqis can be punished for speaking out. If someone does they themselves and their families are at a great risk of being persecuted, since they are not loyal to the government or Saddam Hussein. Therefore, the political roles do influence how the criminal system works in Iraq. 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Nativism and The Ku Klux Klan Coursework Example

Essays on Nativism and The Ku Klux Klan Coursework The paper "Nativism and The Ku Klux Klan" is an amazing example of coursework on social science. Racial and religious prejudice and anti-Semantic propaganda characterized America in the 1920s. Newspapers and pamphlets distributed across schools and the public fueled the itinerary of supporters of the anti-immigration movement. The Sacco-Vanzetti Case, involving two Italian immigrants, aroused considerable deliberation among the American populace, and the world at large. The prosecution settled on the extremism of the two anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolemeo Vanzetti. Conservatives were against liberals, socialists, and radical groups from Europe who protested against the electrocution of the anarchists. Although it was later substantiated through ballistics reports that Sacco was guilty, the prejudgment surrounding the case was palpable. The symbolic importance of the case exposed the nature of the rotten American society.   The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), with a membership base of around five million, had a nativist, white-supremacist philosophy that furthered the tension experienced in 1920’s America. A profit-making scheme by two Atlanta entrepreneurs supported the activities of the KKK group through the provision of the required regalia. The group proposed Americanism, meaning that there was a widespread disregard for Blacks, Catholics, aliens, and even women. Their agenda to restore the nation’s lost limpidness appealed to the wider populace in several ways, although they were led by unethical and distrustful leaders whose sole aim was to make money. Their use of guerilla tactics such as threats and lynchings spread far to the masses and the political scene. In March 1925, KKK collapsed unexpectedly, especially after details of their political incorrectness emerged. Its activities were suppressed until the 1950s during the civil-rights activism period when it reemerged.

Neonaticide free essay sample

For a woman to destroy the fruit of her womb would seem like an ultimate violation of the natural order. But every year, hundreds of women commit neonaticide: they kill their newborns or just let them die. Most neonaticides remain undiscovered , but every once in a while a janitor follows a trail of blood to a tiny body in a trash bin, or a woman faints and doctors find the remains of a placenta inside of her. The day you are born is the day you are most likely to be the victim of homicide. This cheerless statistic holds true whether you live in South Africa or any other part of the world. The perpetrator will almost certainly be your mother. Research has shown that she will most likely be under 25, unmarried, still living at home or in poor circumstances, either still at school or unemployed, emotionally immature and astonishingly secretive. We will write a custom essay sample on Neonaticide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She has carried you to full term without telling a soul of your existence. And somehow the parents with whom she resides never suspect she is with child. Until of course it becomes obvious. Now that you are born, it’s not depression or psychosis that moves her to murder you. Mental illness rarely plays a part in this sort of killing. Nor is she overwhelmed by the feeling that life is simply too harsh for such a defenseless little creature for whom she cares a great deal. There is rarely great violence in the manner that she kills you, her new born child. She may simply abandon you to the elements. The only intense feeling she has is the desire to see you gone. She may even deny that you exist at all. This is the profile of neonaticide, the murder of a newborn in its first 24 hours of life, and a form of infanticide peculiar to industrialized countries. Two cases have riveted the public recently. Last November, Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson, 18 year old college sweethearts, delivered their baby in a motel room and according to prosecutors, killed him and left his body in a dumpster. They will go on trial for murder next year and, if convicted, could be sentenced to death. In June, another 18 year old, Melissa Drexler, arrived at her high school prom, locked herself in a bathroom stall, gave birth to a boy and left him dead in a garbage can. Everyone knows what happened next; she touched herself up and returned to the dance floor. In September a grand jury indicted her for murder. How could they do it? Nothing melts the heart like a helpless baby. Even a biologists cold calculations tell us that nurturing an offspring that carries our genes is the whole point of our existence. Neonaticide, many think, could be only a product of pathology. The psychiatrists uncover childhood trauma. The defense lawyers argue temporary psychosis. The experts blame a throwaway society, permissive sex education and, of course, rock lyrics. But its hard to maintain that neonaticide is an illness when we learn that it has been practiced throughout history. And that neonaticidal women do not commonly show signs of psycopathology. Some argue that those who kill infants in the first twenty-four hours of the child’s life usually commit the act without any premeditation, acting in a state of impulsive panic and, as such, are no threat to society, making imprisonment unwarranted. Studies have shown that only 70 percent of mothers were charged with homocide and 30 percent were charged with unlawful disposal of a body. At the end of the day a human life was taken and this amounts to murder. You cant quibble over a more serious or a less serious charge, murder is murder! 30 years behind bars is fair but parenting classes and councelling can never justify the death of an innocent baby. I firmly believe that killing a baby is an immoral act, and we often express our outrage by calling it a sickness. But normal human motives are not always moral, and neonaticide does not have to be a product of malfunctioning neural circuitry or a dysfunctional upbringing. We can try to understand what would lead a mother to kill her newborn, remembering that to understand may help prevent further cases.

Oedipus Rex Essays (1338 words) - Greek Mythology, Vocal Music

Oedipus Rex At the start of the play, the city of Thebes is wasting away under a plague that leaves its fields and women barren. Oedipus, king of Thebes, has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the house of Apollo to ask the oracle how to put an end to the plague. Creon returns, bearing good news: once the killer of the previous king, Laius, is found, Thebes will be cured of the plague (Laius was Jocasta's husband before she married Oedipus). Hearing this, Oedipus swears he will find the murderer and banish him. He asks Creon some questions: where was Laius murdered? did anyone see the crime? how many men killed him? Creon answers: Laius was killed outside the city by a group of robbers, and the only witness was a shepherd who still lives nearby. Hearing this, Oedipus asks the people of Thebes if any of them know any information about the king's death. The Chorus (representing the people of Thebes) suggests that Oedipus consult Teiresias, the blind prophet. Oedipus tells them that he has alre ady sent for Teiresias. When Teiresias arrives, he seems reluctant to answer Oedipus's questions, warning him that he does not want to know the answers. Oedipus threatens him with death, and finally Teiresias tells him that Oedipus himself is the killer, and that his marriage is a sinful union. Oedipus takes this as an insult and jumps to the conclusion that Creon paid Teiresias to say these things. He also mocks Teiresias, telling him that he is no prophet; a prophet should have been able to answer the Sphinx's riddle, but Oedipus himself was the only one who could. Teiresias counters that although he has no sight, Oedipus is the one who is blind to the truth. He asks him whose son he is and reminds him of the curse on his parents' heads. He tells him that he will leave Thebes in shame. Furious, Oedipus dismisses him, and Teiresias goes, repeating, as he does, that Laius's killer is right here before him ? a man who is his father's killer and his mother's husband, a man who came seeing but will leave in bl indness. Creon enters, asking the people around him if it is true that Oedipus slanderously accused him. The Chorus tries to mediate, but Oedipus appears and charges Creon with treason. The men fight until Jocasta, Oedipus's wife, arrives. They explain the nature of their argument to Jocasta, who begs Oedipus to believe Creon. The Chorus also begs Oedipus to be open-minded, and Oedipus unwillingly relents and allows Creon to go. Jocasta asks Oedipus why he is so upset and he tells her what Teiresias prophesied. Jocasta comforts him by telling him that there is no truth in oracles or prophets, and she has proof. Long ago an oracle told Laius that his own son would kill him, and as a result he and Jocasta gave their infant son to a shepherd to leave out on a hillside to die with a pin through its ankles. Yet Laius was killed by robbers, not by his own son, proof that the oracle was wrong. But something about her story troubles Oedipus; she said that Laius was killed at a place where three roads meet, and this reminds Oedipus of an incident from his past, when he killed a stranger at a place where three roads met. He asks her to describe Laius, and her description matches his memory. Yet Jocasta tells him that the only eyewitness to Laius's death swore that five robbers killed him. Oedipus summons this witness. While they wait for the man to arrive, Jocasta asks Oedipus why he seems so troubled. Oedipus tells her the story of his past. Once when he was young, a man he met told him that he was not his father's son. He asked his parents about it, and they denied it. Still it troubled him, and he eventually went to an oracle to ask. The oracle told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. This so frightened Oedipus that he left his hometown and never returned. On his journeys, he came across a haughty man at a crossroads and