Cormac McCarthys The Road Essay Example for Free

Cormac McCarthys The Road Essay A novel entitled The Road sparks the image of a journey, not necessarily one concerning movement, but an experience, where by the time you reach the destination you have either witnessed something or come-by certain things which may affect you as a person, changed the way you think or possibly had an effect on your personal ethics. For example, a mental journey, whereby somebody lives through a certain period in their life and comes out the other end with a new perspective and attitude, like in J. D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye. Another type of journey is an actual physical one from A to B; at the destination in this type of journey one may feel a sense of achievement and arrive at B with scores of anecdotes and stories that can range from little events that make a good joke to events which may actually change you as a person. Writing about journeys like these is a genre of writing in its own right: Travel Writing, an example being John Steinbecks Travels with Charley. The third type of journey that I associate with the phrase The Road is the concept of being on an open road, simply going with no particular interest in where you may arrive, simply the journey itself has its importance. This may simply be on a whim or yearning for open road or maybe because of a need to travel, to not stop and just keep going and perhaps to get away from something, an example of this is the film Thelma and Louise. This is a key image in American Culture, not only featured in many novels and films but important simply because it represents a freedom to be who you want to be. The open road offers new horizons and the prospect to witness new and unexpected things. This idea represents the liberty and freedom found in America The way in which the protagonists travel in The Road is not the picture perfect, open road, free spirited adventure, they rarely travel on the actual road, to avoid being seen by others who may want their belongings and food. This was not a safe place. They could be seen from the road. The iconic concept of the open-ness and the freedom associated with it is no longer present in Cormac McCarthys America. The idea of the road being such a dangerous and deadly place and the paranoia of the man is installed firmly in the readers head by the fourth page, when it discusses the shopping trolley the man has in which he carries all his possessions, food, blankets and tarpaulin. On the handlebars of the trolley the man clamped a chrome motorcycle mirror that he used to watch the road behind him which shows that whoever is left in his world isnt to be trusted and its a fend for yourself environment with none of the trust and neighbourliness that America is famous for. In the post-apocalyptic world portrayed in The Road we see an utter breakdown in the sense of community and the love thy neighbour ethic for which America is renowned. In the book, the few people the man and child come across are treated with utter caution or are avoided altogether and people who need help are ignored. An example of this would be when they come across the man who has been hit by lightning and they dont help him. The son cries for his father to help the man, but he bluntly refuses and does nothing. This is an accurate account of how some people may react in todays world where help may not be given to the man by some people so as not involve themselves, but the good thing to do would, of course, be to seek medical help. Traditional American values would instruct that one do the good thing and aid the lightning struck man. Another good example of the lack of common ethics is when the stranger robs all their belongings and they run after him and not only get it back, but also take everything he has on him, including his clothes. The fact that the man and robber are prepared to leave the other to die of the cold and starvation, represents how McCarthys world has changed human nature and the love thy neighbour and do unto others only what you would want done to yourself ethics are left disregarded and one cares for no-one but themselves.. Im starving, man. Youd have done the same. You took everything. Come on man. Ill die. This proves my point that the people left will do anything to survive even if that worsens the chances of another individual. For me, the theme that is present throughout the book and had me contrasting McCarthys world to todays is the relationship between the father and son. The young child is, of course, dependent on his father for food, guidance and moral support like most children are today and this image is strong in America with the concept of a nuclear, wholesome family being very important. In the book, whilst the sense of community may have collapsed, the father-son relationship is very strong; they care for each other, keep each other company and the father brings the child up as best he can, but in Cormac McCarthys world nothing is left quite the same. What unsettled me was how freely the child spoke about their possible impending death and themes of a similar nature. The situation in which this child has been reared has left him matured beyond his years, an example showing this being when he asks his dad, You think we are going to die dont you? Were not going to die. Okay. The child is so unfazed by the topic and it strikes me as odd and proves how even something as simple as the carefree thoughts of a child have been distorted by the world and lifestyle of the people within the America McCarthy depicts. Within the story there are two scenes that are stuck in my mind because of their vividness and brutality. Firstly, when the father and son break into a house and find dismembered, burnt people locked in the basement, a man with his legs gone to the hip. These people are being held very much like poorly treated animals or cattle, probably to be eaten, because the people are so desperate for food they have resorted to what is one of the most taboo and strictly forbidden act in most societies, cannibalism. Also the setting of their incarceration is chilling and something only thought of in nightmares. Secondly, when the father and son come across the baby gutted and placed on the spit roast in preparation for a meal. America prides itself on the fact that its a free country. This phrase is thrown around a lot but it basically means that people there have a freedom to say and do what they want as long as it doesnt break the law. The people locked in the cellar certainly arent free and them being held captive shows how extreme people may have become out of starvation and desperation to survive disregarding their previously strong believe in freedom and equality. This is also interesting because it wouldnt be the first time slavery has been an issue in America. After the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which was passed in 1865, slavery was made illegal in America and equality reigns. The change was accepted after years of fighting and now America sees itself as a fair nation with racism and the plight of the black man as less of an issue, a good example being that the first black American President is going to be inaugurated January 20th of the coming year. Cormac McCarthys book portrays this ethic of us all being of the same level of importance being readily ignored by those in need to feed themselves and survive. In the news we often hear about anti-abortion lobbyists and pro-life rallies, especially in America. In Cormac McCarthys book the protagonists see a group of people travelling with impregnated women and then the man and son walk through the abandoned camp of these people and find a gutted baby on the spit-roast. If you put the two together the idea may strike you that women are being impregnated for the sole purpose of the meat theyll produce. In todays world this would be considered ungodly and unmentionable and not only brings up the topic of cannibalism but also the controversial theme of abortion which is utterly ignored in McCarthys world and the fact that it has gone beyond mere cannibalism but the actual production of babies for meat shows the pure desperation of some to survive and the ethical issue which is so very important today, ignored. In the scene the author refers to the baby itself very impersonally, as if its a piece of meat and nothing more. The author describes it as a human infant, headless, gutless and blackening on the spit, very brief and to the point much like one may have described it were it a common farm animal. If it werent for the human infant part it may well have been anything, the author does little to humanise the creature on the spit-roast. I think this may be simply to shield the reader and avoid the text being too explicit but also to show how this is largely commonplace in McCarthys world and that whilst shocking to the more good-willed protagonists, for some it is merely a case of survival. America is often referred to as the land of plenty, with its almost endless resources, especially of food. The poignant scene in which the father finds what could possibly be the last coke can on earth shows just how much has changed in McCarthys world and introduces the notion of how we take too much for granted. In the scene with the coke can the author describes drinks machinestilted on the floor, opened with pry bars. This shows the desperation of mankind for such objects like Coca Cola, which are integral to lifestyles in modern society and inexplicable to those who havent witnessed it. People now never think such ubiquitous items will run out. What makes the scene sadder is the fact that this iconic can which nowadays is seen in many pieces of pop-artwork, has hundreds if not thousands of adverts worldwide and is truly a universally recognized brand, isnt recognized by the child, showing how in McCarthys world this idea of a constant, ready supply of everything is simply no longer the case, especially with food. Throughout the book, punctuation is hardly used; with no speech marks and few commas and the father and son arent, at any point, referred to by name. I believe that this is to further the image that Cormac McCarthy is portraying; conveying the fact that the breakdown of society and nature is such that things like punctuation and the names of the characters, no longer are of any importance as there are more important things, survival for instance and by dropping things like the names it leaves the reader to focus more upon the father-son relationship and less on the more trivial details. The American Dream is the concept of everybody reaching his or her full potential and having the ability to fulfil their hearts desire, in the land of opportunity that America is famous for. People often immigrate to America to start a business or career in either the music industry or maybe acting. In the book rather than going to America in the hope of having it all, money, glamour, the sweet life, people are trying to leave because they have nothing. It shows how different this bleak world his and how everything has turned on its head. The phrase itself, American Dream was coined by James Truslow Adams in his book, published in 1931, called The Epic of America; in the book his definition for it is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone but in McCarthys world, for anyone surviving there is nothing left of the original values of America, the living are in some cases, hunted for food, their freedom compromised for fear and ultimately nothing remains as it was.

Evaluation of Mother-Women in Chopin’s The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening

Evaluation of Mother-Women in Chopin’s The Awakening In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (p.29) She was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them. The year before they had spent part of the summer with their grandmother Pontellier in Iberville. Feeling secure regarding their happiness and welfare, she did not miss them except with an occasional intense longing. Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her. (p. 40) Reading the above two passages it is clear that Mrs. Pontellier feels she is different from other mothers. She is not a "mother-woman". Those maternal beings are "angels" who "flutter" about and protect their children, even if they are in no danger. They are not flesh and blood women with lives of their own. Surely they must have begun life that way, but the passage claims that as they "minister" to their children they "grow wings and become angels. Mrs. Pontellier's use of words such as "minister", "angel" and "worship" must mean that she thinks of motherhood as a religion. While the description of these "mother-women" might imply that they are angelic and selfless, in reality their identity (and existence) depends upon their husband and children. They exist only in a familial context. Without their children they would be nothing. If their children are in no real danger, then the "mother-women" must imagine a threat in order to justify their existence. The use of the word "efface" i s strong and telling. It literally means "to remove the face". The reader gathers that neither Mrs. Pontellier nor Kate Chopin admires this type of woman. In order to be socially acceptable in Kate Chopin's time, one certainly needed a husband to have children. Neither of these passages directly refers to Mr. Pontellier. However, since Mrs. Pontellier is not a "mother-woman", the reader can assume that she does not therefore "worship" her husband.

Groups Act

The signs and symptoms which people can recognize physical abuse is series of unexplained falls or major injuries. Injuries and bruises at different stages of leaning On adults' body such as having bruising in unusual sites- inner arms, thighs. Seeing fingerprints, abrasions on the head or face deliberately several times. When someone in shy, insecure but didn't used to be but may be a sign of physical abuse. Neglect- Neglect is one of the most common abuses.It is when person failures to provide necessary care, assistance, guidance or attention to the helpless, defenseless adult that can cause or is reasonable likely to cause the person physical, mental and emotional harm or substantial damage and or loss of assets. Financial abuse- This is when a person involves stealing money of people, not allowing a victim to take part in any financial decisions, preventing the victim from having a job. The form of abuse tends to happen in relationships. Sexual abuse: This abuse can range from ra pe to inappropriate touching of the body.Happens when someone is forcing someone to do something sexual that they may not want to engage in but are forced to otherwise there will be consequences. Emotional or psychological abuse: Often happens when a person who is being abused may also be threatened n order to keep them silent as if there not they could tell others and be found out. The victim may be told it's ‘our little secret' or that they will lose their accommodation if they tell anyone what has happened as it is often not a good thing happening to them.Victims often have continuous put-downs and name-calling in front of others, which often causes humiliation and loss of self-respect and pride in themselves as they often start to believe them. Such actions can lead to horrible things happening such as mental health; self harm, suicide. (UP) explain factors that may lead to abusive situations There are a range of factors that could lead to abusive situations. People who ar e abused are people who have something different about them to other people as some people may not view this as normal.Most commonly this could be something like skin color or where you are from, there culture or religion but really anyone who is different from what is seen as ‘normal'. A physical or mental disability or health problems can make someone vulnerable as they may think its k to happen to them. For example a person with a mental disability may not be capable of making responsible decisions or themselves and may make things easier to be abused in some way.Elderly people are vulnerable to from being fraud form people who want money and are often the targets Of telemarketing scams and other crimes. Young people and children can be easily lead with social media etc, a child could meet a ‘friend' online and not realist that they are really a bad person such as a photocopied posing as a child and go to meet this ‘friend' and get sexually abused in that way. B ullying is when someone keeps doing or saying things to have power over another person.Some of the ways they bully other people are by: calling them names, saying or writing nasty things about them, leaving them out of activities, not talking to them, threatening them, making them feel uncomfortable or scared, taking or damaging their things, hitting or kicking them, or making them do things they don ‘t want to do. People who are a different culture, color, background, religion etc can be discriminated against them, this can often lead to bullying and psychologically abuse the victim by insulting, tormenting, excluding them because of there well being.This can lead the victim to self-abuse or it can end up with the abuser hectically abusing them to gain more power over them and feel bigger and better than them by hitting, slapping and beating their victims. Another thing about abuse is gender, gender is also a factor that could lead to abuse. Typically women are seen to be the weaker sex and can generally be overpowered by a man meaning they are vulnerable and a bigger target for abuse. Sexual Abuse in any age is when a person has sexual contact between an adult or older teen and a child.This type behavior, is often wrong but is used to gain power over the child, person etc. There are many types of sexual buses, some include physical contact or touching offenses. MI) assess the likely immediate effects of two different forms of abuse on the health and well-being of adults Effects of sexual abuse: If an adult is still in a relationship with someone and are being sexually abuse by someone else may then cause friction between them as they may not believe what's happening.They may also find it difficult watching sexual scenes on the television or in movies and may freak out at this because of what happened and may not know how to explain it. A woman may also feel signal pain due to forced sexual intercourse, this could last for quite a while and can be very uncomfortable for the woman as they may not want to face up to what's happened. For a man being abused outside a relationship they might find erections problems.When being touched they might feel guilt, fear, anger, disgust or other negative feelings as they may feel that its going to happen again. .Ã'Å¡Ã'Å¡Effects of Bullying: CLC The experience of being bullied can end up causing lasting damage to victims. And this isn't often seen on the outside but inside the person. The person isn't have to be physical abused but even Words and gestures are quite enough to have a long lasting effect. People often will start to view themselves as a less than desirable, incapable individual.The first things also is that it becomes more likely that a person will become increasingly susceptible to becoming depressed and/or angry and/or bitter. Being bullied teaches you that you are undesirable, that you are not safe in the world, and (that you are relatively powerless to defend yourself because peo ple may start to believe it. DEL]Some people who are being or have been bullied may tart to self-harm and may have suicidal thoughts and feelings because of how it makes them feel.The person may be so fed up with the bullying and feel so worthless that they do not see the point in living anymore. Self- harming may be away of the person releasing their anger and pain. In the long-term they may find it difficult interacting with other people in the fear of something hurtful being said to them and will find it difficult trusting other people as previous people haven't trusted them. They may also have an increased tendency of wanting to be alone as they may feel that they are at sees risk of being bullied by others around them.UP) outline key legislation and regulations which govern safeguarding adult work The Disability Discrimination Act- 1995 but was later updated in 2005- This act tired to aim to put an end to disability discrimination which is aimed at the disabled in any different situations they may face in every day life and defined what disability may be- physical and mental The Mental Capacity Act 2005- The main aim of this act is to try and give help and empowerment to the vulnerable people who are unable to make any decisions by themselves thou people helping them for many reasons such as they may be suffering from a mental illness.Within the act it states who is able to make the decisions for them and it also allows people to people to plan ahead if one day in the future they would lose the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. The people who are able to make their decisions on their behalf are family, doctors and social workers.CLIP C]The Human Rights Act- This Act applies to everyone and the law requires everyone to be able to have each Of the different rights within the act some are; the right to life, the redeem from slavery and forced labor, the right to a fair trial, the right to respect for private and family life, the freedom to ex press yourself, the right not to be discriminated against in respected of these rights and freedoms, the right to vote when over a certain age, the right to have an education and to be able to challenge public bodies over discrimination.The Health and Social Care Act 2008- This act aims to make the public health and social care system better by providing mesas re's that will try shrinking the amount of diseases that gets bread around and control it if there is an out break of disease Download this essay Print Save L]Safe Guarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006- C]This act was set up for people who work with children/ young people and also come into care with vulnerable individuals that need to be registered so they can have the care they require.DC The independent safeguarding authority to be able for deciding who shouldn't be allowed to be working with people that are vulnerable. Act applies to employed people and volunteers Candy there are lists to be taken out for those working with hillier and adults and checks must take place before an individual can work with the vulnerable as they may make them worse. AS: Outline working strategies and procedures used in Health and Social Care to reduce the risk of abuse.Recruitment of staff-Adults Barred List: This lists aimed at people who are banned from working with vulnerable adults for a number of reasons but the list is there to protect them. It then subdivides them into two categories- those who are automatically barred because they offer a ‘risk of threat' to the adults and those who offer a ‘very rabble risk of harm' and shouldn't be allowed near them. Employers and providers of services must check a person's status before employing them.This can be done by doing a CAR check of the person and making sure they provide the correct information about them. Organizational policies: This is Guidelines that are able to provide the basis on which organizations can develop their own policies to sort the type of company and people they are working with. It is important that the local and regional frameworks within the policies, strategies and procedures can be developed between agencies, so the protection of vulnerable adults is the best that it can be.Codes of practice for nursing and social: Professional codes for any types of practice require professionals to work to high standards in order for things to work the best that they can, and to be able to respect people using services as individuals and minimize the risk to them and harm that could promotional happen. The Nursing and Midwifery Council and the British Association of Social Workers produce such codes for their members, as does the regulatory body-the General Social Care Council.

Why Is Chemistry Important in Everyday Life

Have you ever wondered about the importance of chemistry in everyday life? You might ask yourself this question if youre studying chemistry. Finding an answer is one of the most common chemistry homework assignments. Heres a look at why chemistry matters: Why Chemistry Is Important Chemistry is important in everyday life because: Everything is made of chemicals. You are made of chemicals. So is your dog. So is your desk. So is the sun. Drugs are chemicals. Food is made from chemicals.Many of the changes you observe in the world around you are caused by chemical reactions. Examples include leaves changing colors, cooking food and getting yourself clean.Knowing some chemistry can help you make day-to-day decisions that affect your life. Can I mix these household chemicals? What are safe mosquito repellents? Will my bottled water expire? Can I mix types of motor oils for my vehicle?Understanding basic chemistry is essential for understanding the effects of chemicals on the environment. This information can be used to give plants the best nutrients to help them grow or to decide how to dispose of chemicals without poisoning the air or water supply.Chemistry concepts are important in other disciplines. Its key to cooking, biology, physics, and astronomy.Chemistry is fun! It can be used to make colors change, alter recipes, color flames, make things glow in the dark, or even make stuff explode. Many people study chemistry not because its a requirement for a class but because they are interested in using it to explore the world and to try science projects. As hobbies go, chemistry is inexpensive because home chemicals can be used to perform many interesting experiments.