Theme Of Memory Essay Example for Free

Theme Of Memory Essay In the poem Remembrance the narrator has tried to forget the memory of her past lover. She didnt try to forget him because someone new had come into her life, but instead she had to try and forget him because the memory of him was driving her to her death! He was the one love of her life, no later light has lightened up my heaven, with his death her golden dreams perished. The anguish of that blow brought her despair, she wanted to die. She had a burning wish to hasten to the tomb with him. This is why she doesnt want to dwell too long or languish on the fact that they were severed at last by times all-severing wave. The anguish that this contemplation would cause would be enough to possibly drive her to suicide. In the poem Break, Break, Break the narrator is deeply distressed by the loss of a close friend. He reflects on the memory of his friend but is unable to express in his words his grief. He longs for both the return of his friend and the ability to express himself, And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me. Tennyson is bitter that the fishermans boy and the sailor lad can go on with their lives as they are unaffected by grief, but he remembers his friend and his life stands still. The intervening verses in the poem contrast the way in which life goes on around him, untouched and unconcerned by his loss. These two poems are similar in the way that the poets are both reflecting on the memory of a loved one who has died. But they also contrast in the way that Bronte has come to terms with the fact that although she will keep the memory of her loved one forever, she knows that she cannot dwell on it and must move on with her life. But Tennyson hasnt come to terms with the fact that he must move on, he hates that other people lives can go on, but his cant as he cant express his grief in words. The last two lines of the poem, But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me. Give grounds for hope that he has come to terms with being unable to say what he deeply feels, but the reader is never told whether this allowed him to move on. Bronte was the middle on of three famous sisters (Charlotte and Anne). She also had a brother, Branwell. The family lived an isolated life on the Yorkshire moors private and reclusive. This isolation, the closeness of the sisters and their brother, and the wild beauty of their surroundings influenced and inspired them. They lived innmensely imaginative lives, creating fantasy worlds, Gondal and Angria for which they wrote stories and poems, Remembrance is one of these poems. This Historical context allows the reader to learn that Bronte wasnt actually writing this poem based on the memory of her loved one; instead she based it on the fictional memory of someone from her fantasy worlds. This really puts a spin on the poem and it allows the reader to see just how amazing Bronte was as a poet, that she could write such powerful words which werent even based on a true memory! In contrast, Tennysons poem is based on a real memory, the death of his friend. While Tennyson was at Cambridge he met Arthur Hallam, who was to become his closest friend. Hallams death, whilst travelling abroad, was a most devastating blow to Tennyson. This loss was the trigger for many of his most significant poems and Break, Break, Break could arguably be one of these poems. Even though Brontes heartfelt poem is based on a fictional memory, this doesnt make it superior to Break, Break, Break, in fact it is hard to contrast the superiority of these two poems as they are different to each other in many ways, the poets each have a different style of writing and a different way of expressing their thoughts, or in Tennysons case, trying to overcome the difficulty of expressing his grief. Both poets have used poetic features to display their memories in their words. These poems are similar in the fact that the poets have chosen to express their memories in the form of a lyrical poem. Remembrance can also be called a lament as Bronte is reflecting on the memory of the death of her loved one, and it is written in eight for line verses. This poem has a clearly defined structure and it lets the reader see that Bronte had no problem in expressing her feelings on her imaginative memory. Her memory didnt have to be real to allow her to convey the emotion which she knew her character would be feeling, she used empathy and wrote her poem through the feelings of her fictional character. Break, Break, Break is a short, sad lyrical poem. It represents a brief but important moment in time for the poet and demonstrates a circularity of form by beginning and ending with despair, as represented by the remorseless breaking of the sea on cold gray stones in verse one and again on the c rags in verse four. Each stanza consists of four lines, the first and last verses opening with the same words. The tone of Remembrance is at first questioning, then doubting, then certain and then passionately resolved. In the first two stanzas, Bronte questions not her love for her loved one but the fact that has she forgotten to love him? She has moved on and now when she is alone, her thoughts no longer hover on the place where her loved one is buried, she no longer thinks of love now. It has been fifteen years since he died and now the memory of him has come back to her, even after all this time, after all the change and suffering. Bronte doubts her memories after fifteen years and with time she has forgotten her loved one. But she says, forgive if I forget thee, she justifies why she has moved on, other desires and other hopes beset me but she says they dont lessen her love for him. Bronte was certain that all her lifes happiness was gone, no second morn has ever shone for me she knew no happiness without her love. All her happiness came from her love being alive and now that he is dead, all her lifes bliss is in the grave with him. But she goes on to say that when grief did not kill her, she realised she could function and carry on without the aid of joy. In the last two stanzas, Bronte is resolved. She controlled her despair and decided to get on with her life. Repetition of the words dare not shows her true feelings could threaten her life. It is made clear that she has not forgotten her love, but instead chooses to not think about him as she knows that if she thinks of him, it could bring about her death. Throughout the whole poem, the mood is one of despair and grief as although she has chosen to move on with her life, the fact that her loved one is dead will always remain with her until she dies. The tone of Break, Break, Break is a dejected, bitter one. Tennyson regrets the loss of his close friend. There is also a cynical tone in the reference to young people like the fishermans boy and how he shouts with his sister at play and the sailor lad, who sings in his boat on the bay. Their lives are untroubled and they havent tasted loss. Its all right for them says Tennyson implying that their time will come. Tennyson is bitter that his friend was snatched away; he is angry that no one else seems to feel his loss or is of no comfort to him. No one else shares his memories of his friend. It would seem that he wants other people to feel the way he does, to feel dejected and realise that for now there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Dejection and deep inner unhappiness suggests a mood of despair, and the last two lines could be interpreted as meaning that the poet is ready to accept the reality of his situation. The rhyme scheme throughout Remembrance is regular, its ABAB, CDCD etc. It has the regular beat of a hymn, with the emphasis tending to fall at the beginning and half way through each line. Since it has the regular beat of a hymn, we could assume it is like a funeral hymn as Bronte is thinking of her memory of her love for one who is dead. In Break, Break, Break the lines beginning in the first and last stanza with their regular rhythm and repetition, echo the relentless pounding of waves on a stony beach. The simple metre in the other lines conveys the slowness of time and the graveness of the poets situation. The rhyme scheme is ABCB and full rhymes are used, suggesting the poet has tight control of the memory of his friend. In Remembrance there is a great deal of repetition cold, severed, forget, hopes, my lifes bliss to emphasize the effect the memory of death has on the speaker. The bird metaphor in stanza two reflects the flightiness and the inconstancy of the human thought, this also includes memories, so is this why the poet, over the period of time, hasnt remembered the memory of her loved one? The change in tense in the second half of the poem heralds a change of thought and tone and answers the query raised. She does remember, only too well. Fifteen wile Decembers have not succeeded in dulling the rapturous pain of memory. The hard, unfeeling words of the first half of the poem, expressing the coldness of grief, give way in the second half to softer, hymn-like words such as bliss, golden, cherished. These words inject the poem with a passion, which reflects the depth of her emotions when she allows herself the luxury of remembrance. The title and opening line, Break, Break, Break with its repetition and pauses, echoes the crash of the waves on the shore, but the words could have other meanings in the circumstances, such as being a reference to the poets own heart that is broken over the memory of his friends death. Alliteration is used to describe the stately ships passing on their way to their haven beyond the hill. The distraction f such a splendid sight brings on reaction from Tennyson and he returns to his inner distress. The circular pattern brings the poet back to where he started, staring at the waves breaking on the crags. The choice of this word and the use of cold and grey in verse one, conveys the misery of the occasion and makes an appeal to the senses of seeing, hearing and feeling, bringing the reader into the world of the poet. I loved both these poems for different reasons. I loved Remembrance for the fact that Bronte is writing this poem based on a fictional memory. It amazes me that she can have such emotion and passion for someone who has died but never really lived. It shows that she has mastered the control of empathy. I feel that as the reader I can relate to the speakers emotions portrayed in the poem, as we will all eventually experience or suffer loss of some kind in our lives. This thought then provokes the question, is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? I also love Break, Break, Break as Tennyson reveals why he has been described as the saddest of all English poets. I can appreciate this poem as the blunt, unadorned statements made in the poem show how drab, colourless and meaningless Tennysons life has become. I love the way the lasting image of this poem is the cold relentlessness of a grey sea and although an example of pathetic fallacy, it is one that stays with me.

Volunteering: Contribution to the Community Essay -- Community Service

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead Volunteerism, in its conceptual form, includes the individual or collective efforts of willing individuals, known as volunteers, to act in ways which work toward the betterment of oneself, other individuals, communities, and/or society. This definition remains subjective in its ambiguity regarding the meaning of betterment, as well as in the sense that the means to bettering oneself may be in direct opposition to the means necessary to better another individual or society. Despite the subjectivity of this definition, this general description of volunteerism is necessary for communication within the same framework and reference in this discussion. In our Christian language, we may prefer to call volunteering, serving. Service moves from mere physical motions to human action (Wuthnow 1991: 45). Service incorporates all aspects of our humanity, instead of just the physical need at hand. Love, justice, compassion, action, presence, and understanding embody the cultural framework of Christian service, to which this human action refers. Service goes a step further than volunteering one's free afternoon to dish out food at a local soup kitchen; it sits down and eats with the homeless and shares in their experiences. The general volunteer trend in the United States is one in which an individual volunteers his/her time, services, or funds. As Newsweek's article "Powell's New War" demonstrates, most Americans perceive volunteering as: an act in which one must do something and nice gesture which has benefits. Though this observation is a generalization, rarely do Americans view voluntee... ...l as in the method to accomplish it. One connection however, is their similar quest for creating a framework of support in which persons can feel valued and needed. The idea of accompaniment reflects a similar notion of the mentoring relationship found in Powell's model of volunteerism. The difference, however is that mentors take on a parental role, while the goal of accompaniment is to stay away from any sign of paternalism. Works Cited Aaker, Jerry. Partners With The Poor, New York: Friendship Press, 1993. Alter, Jonathan. "Powell's New War." Newsweek 28 April 1997: 27­37. Chambers, Robert. Rural Development: Putting the Last First. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1983. Ohrt, Wallace. Accidental Missionaries. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1991. Wuthnow, Robert. Acts of Compassion. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991.

Use of Nasdat in Burgess’ a Clockwork Orange

Use of nasdat in Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange â€Å"And, my brothers, it was real satisfaction to me to waltz-left two three, right two three-and carve left cheeky and right cheeky, so that like two curtains of blood seemed to pour out at the same time, one on either side of his fat filthy oily snout in the winter starlight. † –Alex, A Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange is set in a futuristic city in a time, not too far off in the future. In this futuristic society, normal citizens have fallen into complacency and are oblivious to the growth of a violent youth culture.Alex, the narrator and protagonist of the story, is a teenage boy who speaks in a contrived slang called nadsat. Nasdat is a contrived language that incorporates elements of Russian and Cockney English. The use of language in the novel helps illustrate and set the scene as Alex leads a small gang of peers, friends and fellow criminals – Dim, Pete, and Georgie – through the streets, robbing, beating men, raping women and committing random acts of violence.Alex is the sole narrator of A Clockwork Orange. Every word on the page is his, and as readers, we experience his world through the scenes he describes and the experiences, suffering and pleasure he encounters. The function of nadsat in A Clockwork Orange, are many. Most immediately, the use of unusual language forces the reader to actively think about and use the language of the book. Because nasdat isn’t common-place, readers must pay attention to and force understanding of the words on the page.The act of comprehending and understanding the language as it is written prevents readers from making judgments about the characters. In this way, nadsat insulates us from many of the harsh and violent realities in the book, allowing us to develop a rapport with Alex and ultimately grow sympathy for the character. To better understand why the language in A Clockwork Orange draws the reader to empathize with the main character, it is important to understand how nasdat was developed and also how it works as a tool to draw the reader in.The most daunting task to most readers of this novel is the introduction of a foreign yet eerily common seeming language. A general understanding of the influence, pronunciation and meaning of many of the words in nasdat can ease the reader into a pleasurable understanding of the novel. Nasdat is heavily influenced by Russian, usually taking a word from Russian and anglicizing it, but retaining some form of the original pronunciation. For example, chelloveck means fellow or person in Nadsat as well as in Russian word, chelovyek.The following sentence shows some of the other influences at work as well. â€Å"I read this with care, my brothers, slurping away at the old chai, cup after tass after chasha, crunching my lomticks of black toast dipped in jammiwam and eggiweg. † Translated loosely, the sentence above shows Alex drinking m any cups of tea, and eating slices of toast and jam with eggs. To dive in deeper, a general understanding of the words is necessary. Chai is the Russian word for tea, but there are also parallels with the English slang word char.Tass is a word which is based on the French and German words for cup (tasse and Tasse) and chasha has origins in the Russian words for teacup (chashka) and a poetical word for a large cup (chasha). Lomtick reflects the Russian lomtik meaning slice. Both jammiwam and eggiweg are made-up, childish renditions of the words jam and egg. The introduction of these words will invariably cause a first time reader of A Clockwork Orange to have problems following the action of the book and may also cause frustration.This fact distances the reader from what is happening, which helps to produce a number of effects on the reader. One of these effects is a well placed discomfort that at not being able to understand what is being said by Alex. The feeling is similar to trav elling in a foreign country and not being able to understand the native language. The reader, much like the traveler doesn’t know whether what is being said is friendly, hostile, threatening or otherwise. Interestingly enough, the language is still intelligible even though it does slow the reader and force them to interpret Burgess’ intention.The difference between using a completely foreign language and one that is even slightly understandable is that nadsat is, for the most part, a form of slang, describing things for which there is already a word in English, but in a different way. As a linguist, Burgess was all too aware that slang can date rather quickly – words like daddy-o, groovy or radical which could root a book or character in a particular time unless it was being employed deliberately for humorous effect.By making up a new type of slang, Burgess could ensure that the book transcended the time in which it was written and is still all too relevant now, and probably will be in the future. The nasdat language also plays another important role in distinguishing who among the characters is a ‘teen' and who is not. As Alex explains to F. Alexander; â€Å"Oh, that,† I said, â€Å"is what we call nadsat talk. All the teens use that, sir. † Furthermore then, people who are not teens, such as Alex's parents, P. R. Deltoid, the prison chaplain and Joe (the lodger), speak normally and do not use the nadsat.The transformation from one characters use of nasdat is at the end of the story when Alex meets his old ‘droog' Pete, and his wife. The contrast between the speech of Alex, who is still using the nadsat, and Pete, who is now speaking normally, coupled with Georgina's (Pete's wife) amusement at Alex's speech creates a colourful picture showing the contrast between the nadsat and the eloquence of Pete's speech. Another feature of the story is that the narration of the book is in the first person narrative, and the way in which Alex addresses the readers, quite often with the words ‘O my brothers,' makes the story being told more personal.His use of first person seems to center the story specifically for the reader. Therefore, it makes the reader feel like Alex is speaking directly to him/her and that they are in receipt of an amazing story which is only being told to a chosen few. This use of language is incongruous to the use of the nadsat because, although Burgess is making the reader feel part of a select group with the informal wording of the narrative and the directness of the way Alex addresses the reader, we are also left feeling out in the cold because of the unfamiliar understanding of the nadsat.Another effect of language is that the violence in the book is partially veiled, making it seem less shocking. As Burgess himself explained; â€Å"to tolchock a chelloveck in the kishkas does not sound as bad as booting a man in the guts. † (Cite) Covering up of the violence usi ng artificial language works because throughout the course of the story readers have to be thinking about what words such as yarbles (testicles), britva (razor) and oozy (chain) mean. The language veil leaves Burgess free to have Alex do what he wants without the reader judging him so harshly.By disconnecting the emotive response to the words from their meaning, nadsat creates a cushioning layer between the acts of violence and how the reader understands these acts. The forced interpretation causes a delay in the mind of the reader as he/she stops to figure out what the â€Å"replaced† word means to the story. Burgess' smokescreen use of the language was intentional in order to shield the reader from the extreme violence and cause him/her to build a rapport with the main character, further building empathy. Works Cited Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York. W. W. Norton & Company, 1986. Print

Disorders in Hawethornes The Birthmark Essay - 1019 Words

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"The Birthmark† you find a couple fairly prevalent disorders. Although psychology was as of yet not existence, Hawthorne describes them quite well. Alymer suffered from an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, while his actions caused Georgiana to develop a body dysmorphic disorder. Both of which attributed to the eventual demise of Georgiana. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alymer is an older scientist who marries a beautiful woman much younger then himself. Even though Alymer finds his young bride beautiful, he still says that she is â€Å"marked.† Upon Georgiana’s left cheek is a birthmark. The birthmark is small, red, and in the shape of a hand. Alymer believes that this mark takes away from her beauty;†¦show more content†¦That could be attributed to Hawthorne’s background, and the era in which this story was written. Other qualities which he exhibits are perfectionism, excessive devotion to work, and miserliness toward others. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alymer first shows his perfectionism when he tells Georgiana that she quot;came so nearly perfect,† and calls the birthmark, a â€Å"visible mark of earthly imperfection.† (Hawthorne 306) He wishes to have the perfect wife. And Georgiana is young and beautiful. But she has her birthmark which disturbs Alymer greatly. After giving the liquid to his wife, Alymer exclaims, â€Å"[ . . . ] You are perfect!† (Hawthorne 316) Another sign that he was a perfectionist was the fact he kept such a detailed record of his work over the years. It is not the fact that the books themselves exist, but that Alymer was not truly satisfied with his work: â€Å"[. . .] she could not [help] but observe that his most splendid successes were almost invariably failures, if compared with the ideal at which he aimed. His brightest diamonds were the merest pebbles, [ . . . ].† (Hawthorne 313) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The second attribute of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder that Alymer displays is excessive working. Since he is such a perfectionist in his science, it’s obvious that he spends the majority of his time in his lab. This doesn’t leave much time for a social life. Because Alymer is preoccupied with work, this causes him to be miserly toward