Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Poststructuralism Paper Essay Example for Free
Poststructuralism Paper Essay What is post-structuralism? How did come about and who started it? How can it be used as a strategy? It cannot be defined without a reference to Ferdinand de Saussere. He is considered as the â€Å"creator of the modern theory of structuralism (UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003, p.1).† He was responsible for what was said to have started the entire post-structuralist movement, A Course in General Linguistics. He did not actually write it; his students, Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye simply compiled and edited it for publication (UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003, p.1). Saussere considers language as a â€Å"system of signs that evolves constantly, in which particular words hold no meaning (UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003, p.2).†Words do not have definition on their own; they need to be involved in a kind of structure wherein together with other words, they begin to make sense. Moreover, he believes that every idea or object has a sign (UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003, p.2.), which in turn, has two other parts. A sign has a signifier, which refers to what a word originally looks or sounds like, while the signified refers to what is represented. The connection of the two is unpredictable; it is always fluctuating. This premise is basically the foundation of what is known as post-structuralism.            Post-structuralism actually started in the 1960s in France (James, n.d., p.1). It is considered both as a critical theory (Henderson and Brown, 1997, p.1), and an interdisciplinary movement (Jones, n.d., p.1) which includes other fields as well like the â€Å"deconstruction of Jacques Derrida, the late criticism of Roland Barthes, and the psychoanalytic revisionism of Jacques Lacan (Henderson and Brown, 1997, p.1)†just to name a few. Post-structuralism has been discussed alongside postmodernism, but Peters (1999) was quick to differentiate the two: â€Å"Poststructuralism takes as it theoretical object structuralism, whereas postmodernism takes as its theoretical object modernism(p.1). The key word in determining its definition is structure. Post-structuralism develops a new body of knowledge apart from the pre-established structures. It claims that the formation of knowledge then may no longer hold now. There is no such thing as an established truth; what was considered true then, might be dubious now. Peters (1999) adds, â€Å"Poststructuralism, then, can be interpreted as a specifically philosophical response to the alleged scientific status of structuralism to its status as a mega-paradigm for the social sciences and as a movement which, under the inspiration of Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and others, sought to decenter the structures, systematicity and scientific status of structuralism, to critique its underlying metaphysics and to extend it a number of different directions, while at the same time preserving central elements of structuralism’s critique of the humanist subject (p.1).†One of the people famous for their contribution in post-structuralism is Frenchman Michel Foucault. Although he is considered as a philosopher, his work is not confined to a particular body of knowledge. Throughout his career, his works covered a range of topics, which included â€Å"sexuality, madness, illness and knowledge (UXL Newsmakers, 2005, p.1).† He is also associated with new historicism, which Henderson and Brown (1997) considers as â€Å"history as a species of narrative with gaps or ruptures between epistemes modes of thought and ways of knowing that characterize a given historical moment (p.1).† He is not interested with history per se; rather, he is more interested in how events become part of history and what made it possible for them to be part of history. Needham (1995) writes, â€Å"he believes that human nature, instinct, and other intrinsic underpinnings of mankind are not fixed; humans are conditioned through discourse: how we talk, how we formulate knowledge, and who we look to for knowledge. No universal certainties exist; justice, sexuality, insanity, morality all knowledge is a construction of discourse (p.1).† Overall, Foucault forces us to think out of the box. For him there is no such thing as truth; the structure which developed our notion of truth should be analyzed. Because there is no one stable structure that holds, all that we know is influx all the time and it is better to focus on how these ideas are formed rather than being preoccupied with the ideas themselves. Because of his post-structuralist ideals, many feminists are turning to him to further their cause. His ideals help them challenge what was then regarded as true about women in patriarchal discourses. One of the women who have been regarded for her feminist efforts is Mary McLeod Bethune. Unlike Foucault, she is not an intellectual. Smith (1996) calls her â€Å"essentially an activist (p.1),†and rightfully so. Her works is not even limited to women, though she pushes for their opportunities to. All her life she has fought for the rights of her fellow African-Americans, and released the literary work My Last Will and Testament which is one of the most influential African-American literature out there. She dared to push the envelope for her race, and defied the odds to help her race â€Å"maintain racial dignity (Smith, 1996, p.105).† S he made sure African-American girls can also be educated like their fair-skinned counterparts. She opened a school for girls in 1904, which became the Bethune-Cookman College (Smith, 1996, p.106). At first glance, she may not seem to be a post-structuralist, but she is. Instead of conforming to the existing structures available to her race that operate in society, she tried to create new possibilities. That is a move that is post-structuralist, indeed.            Post-structuralism as a strategy is simple; all that needs to be done is to challenge the existing premises by trying to get to the root of the very same premises. In a post-structuralist sense, the normative condition is taken as such, but not considered stable or fixed. It is like one of the possible scenarios, not the only one. In essence, post-structuralism defines the possibility of many other structures, any of which are neither true or false. From the examples established by Michel Foucault and Mary McLeod Bethune, one must not be satisfied with what is out there. There should always be a need to ask important questions and look for other solutions. The status quo is no longer; the possibilities are endless. References Henderson, G. E., Brown, C. (1997). Glossary of Literary Theory. University of Toronto English Library. Jones, R. (n.d). Post-structuralism. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from www.philosopher.org.uk/poststr.htm. Needham, A. (1995). Foucaltphobia-philosopher Michel Foucault. Whole Earth Review, n.v.,1. Peters, M. (1999). Post-structuralism and education. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from www.ffst.hr/ENCYCLOPAEDIA/poststructuralism.htm. Smith, E. M. (1996). Mary McLeod Bethune’s â€Å"Last Will and Testament:†A Legacy for Race Vindication. The Journal of Negro History, 81 (1/4), 105-122. UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography (2003). UXL Newsmakers (2005).
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Doctor-Assisted Suicide Essay -- Euthanasia Essays
Doctor-Assisted Suicide      Suicide is the act or instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally especially if that person is of sound mind. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing individuals who are hopelessly sick or injured for reasons of mercy. Doctor-assisted suicide is a term used to describe the act of a doctor or physician providing direct or indirect means of assisting someone in taking their own life. There are 2 types of euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is withholding life-sustaining treatment either before or after it has been initiated. Active euthanasia is "taking steps to end your life, as in suicide, handling the action yourself" (Humphry 20). It is an explicit act such as writing a lethal prescription or a directly injecting a lethal dose. Approximately 30,000 Americans kill themselves every year. This means that the rate of suicide is about 11.0 per 100,000 people. This rate is just the average, and it varies greatly among sexes and races. The suicide r ate for males is 19.8, but the rate for females is 3.8. This difference in rates appears deceptive because females are 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than males. Males are just more effective in their methods. White Americans have a higher rate of suicide than any other ethnic group. It is believed that homosexuals have a much greater rate than heterosexuals, but this is difficult to research because many homosexuals hide their sexual orientation from fear of persecution. The terminally ill are most closely associated with the doctor-assisted suicide issue. Many in this group argue that once all medical care has failed, then one has the right to hasten death to avoid pain and suffering. If a person is going to inevitably die from a painful disease, then that person should have the right to decide when, where, and how death comes.      There are many ways for one to commit suicide. The 2 major types are self-inflicted and assisted. Despite the popular issue of legalizing doctor-assisted suicide, most suicides remain self-inflicted. Zeinert describes the statistics:           According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS),           the majority of those who commit suicide do so by shooting                themselves. In fact, the latest statistics available from the                NCHS show that 59 percent of all suicides were committed   ... ...ks Cited Cohen, Adam. "Showdown for Doctor Death." Time 7 Dec. 1998.      2 Nov. 2001 <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/dom/981207/      nation.showdown_for_doc2a.html>. Greenhouse, Linda. "Justices Uphold Laws Banning Assisted Suicide." The New York Times on the Web 27 June 1997. 30 Oct. 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/07/20/reviews/scotus-suicide.html>. "High Court Rejects Constitutional Right To Doctor-Assisted Suicide." American Civil Liberties Union News 26 June 1997. 30 Oct. 2001 <http://www.aclu.org/news/n062697g.html>. Humphry, Derek. Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and     Assisted Suicide for the Dying. Eugene: The Hemlock Society, 1991. Katz, Stephen R. "Doctor Assisted Suicide-a Bad Oxymoron and a Bad Idea." Connecticut Post 27 Apr. 1998. 30 Oct. 2001 <http://pages.prodigy.com/DOCTORINFORM/suicide.html>. Torr, James, ed. Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven P, 2000. Uhlmann, Michael, ed. Last Rights? Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Debated. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1998. Zeinert, Karen. Suicide: Tragic Choice. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers, 1999.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road Essay
Life can be cruel. In most cases, it squeezes the hell out of us. Nevertheless, the challenge is to come out unscathed. But do we always achieve this? And if so, what do we get out of every excruciating pain we have to endure?            The road to recovery has so many twists and turns. It is a test of strength but more so of faith. It is about believing in something we do not even see. The kind of person we become out of life’s most ultimate test defines who we are.            How many of us could actually say that living life is a breeze? Who have not known pain? Who can claim that life was pure pleasure? Who has never cried a tear?            All of us have been tested by time at one time or the other. We have been bitten by its pangs a couple of times over. We have been bloodied at countless instances. We have cried a pail full of tears.            Yet, we continue to breathe. The sun sets and rises every single day of our lives. We battle it out today for tomorrow has a challenge of its own. We have to gain as much strength as we have lost or if possible, much greater. This is all because pain will not die at the end of day. Most probably, it will wake up the same morning we open our eyes from sleep. Throughout the course of our life’s struggle we do not usually travel alone. Someone keeps us company. Even just for a while, we journey life’s path with a companion. It makes the burden a lot easier and even more meaningful. We are reminded that life after all is about building relationships that sees us through the most trying of times. Life gives us people to guide and accompany us as we thread down the road. Sometimes they live long enough to witness our feat. But usually they do not. Nevertheless, they serve their purpose. They provide comfort whenever we are afraid. They wipe our tears dry and lull us to sleep to regain lost strength. They give us hope in the most miserable of circumstances. They teach us to see another day as a chance to turn things around.            When every one else have left, who do we turn to? When the material wealth we have is none, how can we move on? When fate turns against us, what is the chance for survival? When it seems to be the world versus one man, is success hiding beneath the clouds of doubt? Whenever life robs us of our possessions, may we find comfort in knowing that we have not lost it all. Our family will remain to be the wealth exclusively our own. Neither fate nor circumstance can take it away from us. It is something ours, and ours alone.            A father’s love can be the only thing that can make us possibly walk another mile. It could ease the pain in our hearts knowing that someone is guiding us through. Whenever doubt seems to restrict every movement we make, let us be reminded that our father’s strength runs through our veins.            The story about a father and a son is not uncommon for many of us. Universal as a literary theme is its message. It transcends age, culture, race and tradition. It speaks a language known by all. It is something that lives and outlives generations and beyond.            A father and son’s story is about strength. It is about keeping tears from falling even if you just wanted to succumb and cry. It is about learning to be a man as fate continues to challenge his ability to remain brave and undefeated. Nothing can be more painful than seeing death happen right through our very eyes. Nothing can be more frightening than the thought that the next victim could possibly be me. Nothing can be more frustrating than realizing that tomorrow will just be like any other day of violence and death. Nothing can be much harder than believing that things happen for a reason.            How can we possibly live when life on earth seems to be empty, both literally and figuratively? We all know that it would not always be a bed of roses. But why does it seem to be usually a bed of thorns? How much pain can a man endure? What is the real essence of suffering?            Cormac McCarthy’s novel entitled The Road, is dedicated to his son, John Francis McCarthy. The novel a finalist of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction and a recipient of both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Pulitzer Price for fiction unfolds the journey of a man and a boy across a post – apocalyptic panorama. The background signifies what was left after a great cataclysm made existence on this earth almost unheard of (McCarthy, 2006). Whoever said that life must go on may not know of a lot about surviving death. Whenever we witness death, it feels like a part of us has also stopped breathing. It leaves us numb and unaware that the world around us continues to run its course. Life must go on indeed. This statement must be true after all. No matter how hard and how unimaginable it may seem we are all compelled to do it just the same. We cannot pause for a moment and recollect our lost selves before anything else. Time passes by and once lost, it can never be regained. Sometimes, we just got to keep on moving no matter what. Move on and go on and trust that life may lead us to rest right when we need it the most. Death should remind us that life is lived just once. We may not be able to control what lies on the bend of the road, but we still have to thread it, nevertheless. Death reminds us that we have to give meaning to our existence. This is the challenge we all have to face. In the dark tunnel of death, life is the light at the end of it. It may be seen as a symbol of a cycle. Every end can be the start of something new. For every chapter of life that has been told precedes another story yet to unfold. This is but the cycle of life. It is a never ending story about life and death. More importantly, it is a challenge of living a life of worth to make death as important. For death could mean something only if the life lost left a void. There may be times when giving up is all too tempting. Enduring the most painful events of life is really too exhausting. These are the moments when we beg of death. These are the times when life appears to be worthless. We are sometimes too consumed by pain that we seem to believe that life is hell on earth. Life does not come without pain.  Every once in a while or sometimes a little too often pain is thrown on our way. Whenever it does, it reminds us that we are very much alive. It makes us feel so human. It makes things so real. The sweetness of pain lies on our ability to bear its bitterness. Even so, life may not really be all about pain and suffering. We can surely get some sweetness from it when we squeeze it dry. There is some kind of balance in the world we live in. Goodness surely lies on some corner. It may take time and a lot of effort in between, but it is there as it has always been. The most challenging of all circumstances teaches a lesson or two. Things happen not to make man resolve into thinking that life is a crazy game of pessimism. While there is ruthlessness, there is goodness. Goodness comes in the most unexpected of packages. It comes during the most unanticipated of times. It comes when we have almost given up. It comes at just the right moment to remind us that it was worth it to hold on. Holding on is oftentimes the only thing left to do. It may not be the most logical but it could possibly be the most practical. Some people come into our lives and quietly go but they leave us a message that speaks so clear and sound. It is from strangers that we gain the wisdom we would not have otherwise known. And this could be the beauty of life. That after all the pain, we may be able to smile again. Just when we thought that we can never know life to be kind, someone teaches us the value of optimism. When gravity seems to pull us down while trying to hold on with all our might, a helping hand extends for the taking. Just when we get so near the end of our rope, let us find comfort that someone is at the other end to take over.   They pull us through when we might have lost all the strength that is left. They are once a stranger we crossed paths with. But before the road takes us to yet another bend, each other are no more strangers. For that walk we shared has left some of the most important lessons we can never forget. Life is hard but we are tougher. It can take away everything but we can always leave some bit of hope deep inside our hearts. We may not have anymore tears left to cry. We may be left with broken bones and battered ego. But if we continue to struggle along the road and combat every imaginable obstacle there is, we can still be hailed victors of the finest kind. May we not lose hope on the promise of yet another sunrise no matter how painful life has made known itself to man. Life takes on a whole new meaning when it is lived not for thy self. A life lived in this way is noble in all the ways that matter. References BBC.co.uk. (2007, April 17). Novelist McCarthy wins Pulitzer. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6563291.stm Chabon, M. The New York Review of Books. (2007, February 15). After the Apocalypse. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19856. Conlon, M. Reuters. (2007, June 5). Writer Cormac McCarthy confides in Oprah Winfrey. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0526436120070605?pageNumber=1. Empire. (2007, April 2). John Hillcoat Hits The Road An adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20573. Guardian.co.uk. (2007, October 30). Civilisation ends with a shutdown of human concern. Are we there already? Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2201594,00.html. Jones, M. (2006). On the Lost Highway. Newsweek. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://services.newsweek.com//search.aspx?offset=0&pageSize=10&sortField=pu bdatetime&sortDirection=descending&mode=summary&q=on+the+lost+highway &site-search-submit.x=33&site-search-submit.y=7 Keller, J. (2007). Oprah’s selection a real shocker; Winfrey, McCarthy strange bookfellows. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1246151131.html?dids=12461 51131:1246151131&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+29 %2C+2007&author=Julia+Keller&pub=Chicago+Tribune&edition=&startpage=1 &desc=Oprah%27s+selection+a+real+shocker+. Kennedy, W. (2001). Left Behind. The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/books/review/Kennedy.t.html?ex=1189396800&en=6d113b5a5cbaf19b&ei=5070 McCarthy, C. (2006). The Road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. National Book Critics Circle. (2006). NBCC Awards Finalists. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.bookcritics.org/?go=finalists
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Doc on Terra - 626 Words
Running head: DOCUMENTARIES ON TERRORISM Documentaries on Terrorism by Donna Browne A Paper Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for CJ 212 Heroism Saint Thomas Aquinas Collage Fall 2011 How is Terrorism Financed Introduction As we live is this world we are faced with all types of diversities. However the main diversity that the world has been facing is terrorism. Within the last decade, terrorism has hit the United States hard. Before the last ten years, The United States have seen signs and acts of terrorism. Before September 11, The United States law enforcements and security forces where not on the same sheet of music of getting information or sharing†¦show more content†¦At least, that was the impression it gave, even if it was illegal and causes the braking of some laws. This documentary clearly shows that the amendments rights where broken. This was done by tapping into phone calls and getting access to everyone’s personal life. There were a lot of civilians where not in agreement with being spied on by the Government. The president at the time, made it seem like he was doing his job and that was what he needed to do to protect the citizens of United States. The documentary showed proof that the CIA was using cell phones companies to tap into citizen’s phones lines and getting banking information from casino’s when people are on vacation such as Vegas. This was not only illegal, but was not constitutional. Laws were broken and no agency wanted to take responsibility for their actions. Conclusion A lot has changed over the past years when it comes to the government agencies. The governments are working together, sharing critical information, not worried about the fame and are more concern about the welfare of the citizens. However, terrorism well never stop because someone will always have motives as long as The United States are a super power country. 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