Literature

Pride is the main theme of The Rape of the Lock and is closely connected to the follies of beau monde that esteem semblances Pope satirizes the irrational materialism of bourgeois values that objectify the human beings by giving primacy to surface over substance. Pope reveals that the central concerns of womanhood at least for women of Belindas class, are social ones. Womans joy in gilded Chariots indicates an obsession with pomp and superficial splendour, while love for Ombre, suggests frivolity. The erotic charge of this social world prompts another central concern the protection of chastity. These women, who value above all the prospect of marrying to advantage, promote themselves and manipulate their suitors. Pope makes it clear that these women are not conducting themselves on the basis of abstract moral principles, but are governed by an elaborate social mechanismof which Slyphs cut a fitting caricature. Through the use of the sylphs Pope managed to point out satirically womans excessive fondness for rank and pomp. And if they could have their way, they would maintain it even after their death.

Popes style is heroic but the invocation, the proposition of the subject, the descriptions, the moralizing sides, the speeches and the battle are practically the only structural features modeled on the epic. The mock-epic or mock-heroic is a form of satire that adapts the sophisticated heroic style of classical epic poem to trivial subject. Mock-heroic exhibits belittlement and aggrandizement. The genre originated in the classical times with an anonymous parody of Homers Iliad and was honed to a fine art in the late 17th and early 18th century Neoclassical period. One epic element of the poem is the involvement of capricious divinities in the lives of mortals. All of the following classical conventions appear in Popes poem the ambiguous dream-warning that goes unheeded prayers that answered only in parts, or with the different outcome than anticipated mischievous plotting by deities to exacerbate situations on earth. A second mock-heroic element is the descriptions of games and altercations in terms of warfare. First the card game, then the cutting of the lock, and finally the scuffle at the end, are all described with the high drama attending serious battles. Pope displays his creative genius in the dexterity with which he makes every element of the scene correspond to the recognizable epic convention. He turns everyday objectsa petticoat, a curl, a pair of scissors, and a hairpininto armor and weapons, and the allegory reflects on their real social significance in new and interesting ways. In the poem every element of contemporary scene conjures up some image from epic tradition or the classical world view. The great battles of epics become bouts of gambling and flirtatious tiffs. Greek and Roman Gods are converted into a relatively undifferentiated army of basically ineffectual sprites. The Baron, of course, is the most significant to those who worship at the altar of Belindas beauty. The ritual sacrifices that he performs in the pre-drawn hours are another mock-heroic element, mimicking the epic tradition of sacrificing to the gods before an important battle of journey. Clearly the poets purpose is neither to ridicule the heroic genre nor to provide a humorous parallel to all principal ingredients of the epic, but to diminish the affair of the lock of the hair. Pope relates into medieval theory of humor where the excess of one determines ones nature. By comparing Belindas radiance to solar radiance, he makes fun of her vanity and her pretensions.

Pope introduces the machinery of the poemthe supernatural powers that watch over Belinda are meant to mimic the gods of the Greek and the Roman traditions. Great scope for description was given by the fact that the Rosicrucian identified their sylphs, gnomes, nymphs, and salamanders at once with the pagan deities and with the Gothic fairies of the Middle Ages. While Pope found in the Rosicrucian doctrine many hints which he could develop, however, the supernatural agents of The Rape of the Lock are essentially his own creation. The creation of the sylphs allowed Popes imagination as much wider scope than before. The epic poets task of arousing admiration was particularly associated with the supernatural machinery of the poem. Pope increased the length of the poem from two cantos to five and added further allusions to the epic as the visit of the Cave of Spleen (parodying the epic visit to the underworld), the game of Ombre (parodying the heroic games), the adorning of Belinda (which parallels the arming of Achilles), and the extensive machinery of the Aerial and the sylphs. Ariel is the head of the spirits guarding Belinda. Ariel has a premonition that some calamity is in wait for Belinda. Thus to protect her, Ariel assigns different functions to the spirits under his control.In spite of all the careful vigilance of the spirits, the lock is raped. The spirits fail to do anything. The episode of Umberiel visiting the cave of Spleen gives an opportunity to the poet to satirize the evil nature and affectation of the leaders and gentleman of his society. It also serves the action of the poem, for Belinda becomes alternatively angry and sad as Umbriel empties the bag of passions and the vial of sorrows over her head. There is no finer gem than this in all the lighter treasures of English fancy. In the ultimate analysis Popes machinery remains a sure proof of his artistic excellence.

Innovative Minds Dont Think Alike and Youre Bored But Your Brain is Tuned In are two articles that talk about the human mindits capacity (or incapacity) to think outside of the box and the ironic effect that boredom do to our brains. The first article Innovative Minds Dont Think Alike by Janet Rae-Dupree talks about the curse of knowledge. The curse of knowledge is the term used to describe losing ones creativity. The curse of knowledge happens because the more people get smart at one thing, the less creative they become in the same field. Knowing this kind of information is valuable because it can prevent us from becoming the very same people that the author has described in her article, people create products that are only appreciated by them (the creators), like the large, 52-button remote that can only be operated by the design engineer. The article makes a lot of sense it provides information that would have not been noticed by common people had they not read the article.

Like the previous article, the next article, Youre Bored But Your Brain is Tuned In, is also about the human mind, specifically when the mind is bored or at its default state.  Knowing this information provides some kind of comic relief for our bored minds as it cites interesting facts about our brains and the paradox of it being active even if we are bored. Knowing this would also change our perception of boredom. Now, boredom would not just look like virtual nothingness but a legitimate state of mind.

War has always been one of the many harrowing and horrendous experiences of mankind and those soldiers who have underwent the horrors are also known to still have effects on them even after the war has long ended. But even if this is the case, nations still regale their subordinates with tall tales regarding the war and it does not matter if there can sometimes be no known logic behind its cause what matters is who wins and who receives all the wars glorious bounty. As such, different experiences regarding the war have been recorded by historians, written by novelists and imagined by literary figures in trying to put into words a war which has been experienced as most horrible by those who have fought for it.

In the poems of Emerson, Hardy, Owen and Tennyson, the different faces of war has been painted and it all shares the same face that of something which is not liked at all and which is not good at all. Emerson has regaled that soldiers go out to the front to willingly die because it is war Hardy points out that sometimes, men have to do the most atrocious and illogical of things to other men, even those they have never met and kill them because they are enemies and because it is war Owen narrates that men die and suffer horribly and it is accepted and there is nothing to be done about it because it is war and lastly, Tennyson writes that men who are deep in fear march on forward with a brave facade because they have to because it is war. Thus, what the four poets are trying to point out are the various aspects of war and that it is foolish, illogical, horrendous and a farce.

In the end, though the four have presented various depictions of the aspects of war, there is one poet that stands out among the others and this is Thomas Hardy in his poem, The Man He Killed. The persona of Hardys poem is powerful and left an impact since the scene painted before a readers eyes is something which can be a typical and common scene and yet it holds so much truth why should a man kill another man who has not done him any wrong and who he has not even met just for wars sake Though war is supposedly something which a nation seriously engages in when they are already involved, it still does not make sense to have people killed on the pretence of being enemies.

The multiplicity of the multifaceted themes in Hamlet by William Shakespeare has been itself a theme of many scholarly discussions over the centuries. Among its many aspects, the existential Hamlet with its focus on the human existence, life, death and life beyond death is perhaps the basic one that first catches our attention. When a heinous crime like murder or betrayal is committed, the natural and the moral order are disrupted the balance of life is shaken. The results that may emanate from it in the form of a cycle of crimes, natural and psychological disorders and paralysis are essentially disastrous. In such cases, the life destroyed wrongly and untimely suffers in afterlife and brings a death-in-life existence for those who were close to him on earth. The maddening emotions of revenge and remorse predominate then over the living ones and lead them to the unnaturalness of mind and action. Hamlet having from the very start murder and death, a restless apparition, a dying and degenerating soul, incest and revenge and remorse perhaps exemplifies this better than any other work of art.

From the very start, Hamlet is pale, gloomy and unhappy that is in contrast to the dazzle of the court. He likes to be alone and his lonely words unveil his mental suffering more vibrantly O, that this too too solid flesh would melt,Thaw and resolve itself into a dewOr that Everlasting had not fixdHis canon gainst self-slaughter O God O GodHow weary, stale, flat and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of the worldFie ont ah fie . . .(I, ii. 129) It seems that Hamlet has lost the sense of life and more significantly, of lifes significance. He has been so blinded by his misery that he is unable to see the light in life. It is true that he has reasons for his this mental state-first his fathers death and secondly his utter disgust at his mothers second marriage revealed in his soliloquywithin a monthEre yet the salt of most unrighteous tearsHad left the flushing in her galled eyes,She married.(I. ii. 153)Hamlet feels intense pain at his fathers death and agony at his mothers quick forgetfulness(Knight 18). To Hamlet, his mothers move is surely infidelity and as Claudius, the king and her husband, is the brother of the late king, Hamlets father, his mothers second marriage is an incest. Hamlets agony is unbearable his father has been murdered and his mother has been dishonored forever by her act of marriage.

Hamlet sees his dead fathers apparition and talks to it. His pain is deepened by the secrets of death(Knight 18) from the restless apparition I could a tale unfold whose lightest wordwould harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood.(I, v, 15) Then he gets the hidden fact that his fathers murderer is now the king and is also the husband to his mother. Hamlets mental agony is finally and horribly intensified. Hamlet could have only recovered from the appalling mental state he presently in to the normal one if he were able to forget about his father. He could also have forgiven his mother then. But the fact that the murderer is on Denmarks throne constantly reminds him of the devilish crime. Hence forgetfulness is impossible. The irony of the Ghosts parting words are terrible(Knight 19)Adieu, Adieu Hamlet, remember me. (I. v. 91) This has a phenomenal influence on Hamlets mind and Hamlet realizes that he has been trapped by the fate and repeats Now to my wordIt is Adieu, Adieu Hamlet remember me.I have sworn t. and keeps his oath throughout the play. Life has lost meaning for Hamlet who has again lost the sense of purpose. But to Hamlet comes the command of a grave act-revenge. He is now determined to avenge his fathers murder and punish the murderer.

The disease of the longing for revenge spreads fast on Hamlets mind and soon his soul is infected. There is now only one thing that can save his soul-his love for Ophelia. He hath, my lord, of late made many tendersOf his affection to me(I, iii, 99), Ophelia admits to Polonius. But unfortunately he is also deprived of it. Ophelia deserts him, when he needs her, in obedience to Polonius command. The result is pathetic on Hamlets part as if he is mad, As if he had been loosed out of HellTo speak of horrors(II. i. 77) Now his extreme melancholia(Knight 22) leads him to abnormal behaviors. He becomes more and more cynical. His psychological disintegration is now apparent as the thought of foulness is to him the basis of lile(Knight 22)For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog(II. ii. 183).

Hamlets horror at the fact of death and disgust at life are the outward expressions of his sick soul. In his case, the illness is deeper than his loss of Ophelia, his mothers incest or his fathers death. It is not that Hamlet does not avenge his fathers murder due to his lack of courage or his hatred for bloodshed. One reason behind this is that his wits diseases(iii.ii.341)his will is paralysed and confused. Analyzing himself inwardly, Hamlet now curses and hates himself for he realizes his lack of passion(Knight 23). He hates himself the more for his futile self-hatred. He is now ambiguous to himself. Now Hamlet considers his past love for Ophelia as childish. To him, love is not anything different from sex and sex is not from uncleanliness. Being sick of the world, of man, of love (Knight 25) Hamlet denies finally the significance of humanity. His mental destruction is a speedy process. He becomes cruel to Ophelia and his mother. He finds a diabolical pleasure in tormenting the king by the murder of Gonzago and when he finds the king conscience-stricken at prayer, takes a devilish joy in the thought of preserving his life for a more damning death. It may also be his paralysed will and thoughts for which he could not kill. But he kills Polonius in error. It has been argued by many critics that death is truly the theme of Hamlet, for, besides the apparent deaths-Polonius and Ophelia die and the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are arranged by Hamlet, most significantly there is the spiritual death of Hamlet. So Hamlet focuses in his soliloquy on the terrors of an after life. But death is only one of the many themes of the play. Hamlet who oscillates between the principle of good that is love and that of evil which is loathing and cruelty (Knight 29) is only a physical representation of the inner struggle of human beings. The theme of the totality of human existence from life, death to something beyond is profoundly touched by the play.  

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Stranger are two readings that bring about the main themes of Survival and Absurd by featuring weather in the settings consequences of events as they happen. The book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is an important reading in the history of Russian literature during Krushchev Era. Russian Literature often highlights the theme of suffering. Alexander Solzhenitsyn tries to highlight the prevailing dehumanizing conditions during Stalin reign in his book and at the face of it highlights the dehumanizing conditions of the prison camps and the lengthy hours of labor that the prisoners amount to generate, to keep themselves largely occupied. The special camps worked hand-in-glove with hard weather conditions which worsen the situations of the prison inmates. Likewise, Albert Camus The Stranger displays weather as a significant part of his book making the arguments of crime present by the protagonist fall in the Theatre of Absurd.  As an example, the motif of sun is a recurring symbol in both the books. In Solzhenitsyns One Day in the Life of Evan Denisovich, Sukhov tries to pre-occupy himself by working hard like his other brethrens in the camp. The sun highlights not only the immense work load shoulder to them under it but it also played a part of displaying time in the book. Despite severe weather conditions the prisoners are only allowed to wear limited clothes and made to work for longer hours, keeping them in dire straits. They warm only their hands because the leather boots held near the fire with will melt and steam. One of the interesting points in Solzhenitsyns book is that escape or scheming of escape from the camps by the prisoners is never mentioned. The mere thought of escape from Siberia seems intangible because of the way it has been described in context with the novel to the readers. Siberian prisons were located in the frost biting cold of minus forty degree Celsius where the political prisoners were kept with no heating facility moreover with limited clothes to wear. The prison compound was surrounded by a thick blanket of snow and treeless plains thus, making it a Devils Island of north. Although Sukhov who is a shrewd and daring peasant finds peace in bricklaying in the subzero weather until the night befalls. The weather in itself is a metaphor for prison thus, keeping all the prisoners caged in the frightful temperature. In her article Chloe Bolan stated how Tundra region serves as a quintessential prison where hunger and cold are on the look out for human bodies as their prey. Ironically, the place which Sukhov calls home is free from excruciating cold and he takes out leisure time for himself. The harsh weather condition not only adds to the misery of the inmates of the special camps but it also corresponds to the theme of Survival in the novel. Limited supply of food and indomitable sub-zero degree cold maintain the decorum of the prison. The camps inmates are punished by Volkovoi with stripping off their shirts in the sub-zero cold making them fall prey of the cold weather. Another example of such dehumanizing condition is that the prison inmates should remove their hats in subfreezing cold when passing guards. The prison protocols are laid in such a way that it keeps the inmates at bay and wholly work hand-in-glove during Stalin reign.
 
In Camus The Stranger when Meursault is tried in court for stabbing an Arab, he is asked for the reason behind his action to which Meursault answers that he never intended to kill the Arab but it happened only because of sun (Camus, The Stranger, p.102-103). The sun struck Meursaults eye, reflecting off the Arabs knife.On further revelation he says how the sun burnt his cheeks and aggravated his move to kill the Arab. It was burning, which I could not stand anymore, that made me move forward (Camus, The Stranger, p.58-59). On one hand sun intensifies Meursaults action to kill the Arab that he fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness (Camus, The Stranger, p.59). The courtroom laughs at his reply brings the banality of expression to the world. Thus, Sun as a motif sharpens the Absurd in Camus The Stranger. The blinding Sun highlights the Meursaults inability to control his emotions. Here Sun is contemplated as our natural response to the stimuli thus keeping in tact the Absurd content. Camus highlights how strong is our desire for meaning that we tend to dismiss out of hand the idea that there is none to be found. In another incident where Meursault is told by the nurse how weather affects the human body. The nurse addresses to Meursault that if he goes too slowly, he will risk his life getting a sunstroke but he paces up fast, he will work up a sweat and catch a chill inside (Camus, The Stranger, p.17). The consequence of heat is anticpated.  It affects the human body despite the speed one is travelling. To this Meursault replies She was right. There was no way out (Camus, The Stranger, p.17). Even when the protagonists mother dies, the readers are introduced to the theme of Absurd in The Stranger. Camus writes, Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I dont know. I had a telegram from the home Mother passed away. funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely. That doesnt mean anything. It may have been yesterday (Camus, The Stranger, p.9). Robert Champigny sees Meursaults killing of his mothersymbolical, that he has not made a public sacrifice before the idol of the mother.He has killed the myth of the mother within himself (Camus, The Stranger, p.75).
 
Solzhenitsyns One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich gives its reader an account of hardships faced by human beings and the strength of human spirit to endure it whether its Tartars punishment to Sukhov to draw water from well in -27 degrees or the rooted faith in God which makes him endure all the harshness. On the other hand, Camus The Stranger shows no rational meaning or order of life therefore, conforming to the Theatre of Absurd. The protagonist Meursault seems like an outsider to society which seeks to find meaning to every feat. The trial is absurd because Camus highlights societys attempt in drawing out meaning from Meursaults action. Everyone except Meursault have their own reason behind Meursaults action but none of them can be correct. When Meursault approaches the inevitable state of dying, he says the following well, so Im going to die. Sooner than other people will, obviously...deep down I know perfectly will that it doesnt much matter whether you die at thirty or at seventy, since in either case other men and women will naturally go in living (Camus, The Stranger, p.114). Meursault here exhibits to us the true notion behind existence and living.

 Both the novels highlight the theme of absurdity and fallible human conditions with the backdrop of weather as a sub-text. Whether it is Sukhov or Meursault both are pliabele by the weather conditions thus, corresponding to the plot. Hence, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Stranger truly reflect different human conditions and ones own rationale to cope with it therefore, attributing to the genre of existentialism in the latter.

Strange and Sad Working on Christmas
I remember with nostalgia the only Christmas of its kind. It is one of bitter sweet experience that happened in 2007 when I was working with Care Childrens Home and the director had promised to take us to Hawaii for the Christmas holiday. Care Childrens Home is a non governmental organization in Chicago that serves the poor children in that area. As an employee, it is worthy noting that my roles as teacher got me a bigger opportunity to offer my service to the organization. We all worked hard to ensure that everything was right in terms of fulfilling the wishes and expectations of the poor children as well as meeting the objectives of the organization. All of us were anxious to go to Hawaii for the end of year get together party. The organization is located in the rural and somehow, that was my last year with the organization. Sam, one of the children in the Home, had been rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery involving his perforated ulcers and paralysis. Everything became even worse when the doctor overtly expressed his fears when he said, let us hope for the best.., things are tough.

Christmas was approaching and my thoughts as a young man kept hovering on the gifts I could possibly give the children as the only way to bid them bye (Whitaker, 2005). They had in so many ways touched my heart. Apparently, I thought about very special, homemade gifts, composite of practical necessities. I thought about Sam and pitied him for what he was going through. He had been in the Home for six years and at the age of twelve, it was too early for him to suffer a paralysis. His conditions deteriorated and everybody became concerned and unhappy. The depression was suffocating.

The Director had to be factual. She announced to us that This year, there would be no Christmas holiday and the planned trip to Hawaii had been cancelled. Actually, the cancellation of the trip was based o the argument that the get together party was meant fro the whole Care Childrens Home. The remorsefulness in her heart was noticeable and the whole atmosphere became somber. Sam had been unable to eat, play or sleep and the doctors were forced to put him on strong painkillers to at least ease his pain.

At first I was humiliated at the fact that there was no holiday for me but later on realized that the Care Childrens Home was more like a family and whatever affected Sam, affected everybody including other children (Whitaker, 2005). Worse still, knowing that Sam was going to die, left me more desperate, prompting me to forget about Christmas and holidays and then concentrate on doing my best to the children in the home. That was the hardest of times of the organization. It made the whole Christmas strange and painful.

Both staff and the children assembled on the eve of Christmas and we had some kind of Christmas tree dedicated to Sam. As the celebration began and continued, the director maintained her silence. She looked remorseful and her silence scared but we all knew she missed Sam. She had adopted him as her own bloody son. She therefore felt for him. What was meant to be a celebration of happiness was then overtaken by lack of warmth and the coldness in our hearts. I retreated to my room and cried out to God that He may just spare Sam. Later on I remembered the child who had died early in the year in the same home. This time round, the whole organization was brought together by Sam. I forgot about my family and wanted to in the Childrens Home joining my hands in praying, wishing well and doing everything for Sam. As a teacher, I spent every minute watching about the children

Everyone gave gifts cards to Sam although in absentia. The director, whom the children called mama something that extended to we members f the staff, gave a unique gift. It was just the gift card but marked Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday. I wondered why the director had to mark the card that way and I asked her why do it that way. After a long silence, she called everyones attention and told us that she from seeing Sam in the hospital and she is afraid, we may lose him. That was the reason she thought of celebrating Sams birthday on a Christmas day.

It later emerged from the records that Sam was born on January 3rd. Irrespective of all these I felt that we were shortchanging Sam of one holiday even if his future was unpredictable. However, the gifts were sent out of love and we all had to be thankful. On the eve of Christmas day, I remembered the procedures that were followed in the decoration of Christmas tree. As children, we were obviously isolated from the process. I could remember the impatient and eager anticipation of the moments when my parents could ring the small brass bell that hung on the tree to allow us to get to the room. This was not the case. We spent our eve commemorating the good time we have had At Care Childrens Home.

On Christmas day, the director led us in taking the children to Sunday school and it was there that I learnt that there was more to Christmas than presents and feasting. I learnt about Santa Claus story in a more kids version and accepted that the Gods greatest gift for me on Christmas was my self. It was amazing to see every child dedicating their prayers to Sam. This made us stronger and gave us some peace of mind during this difficult time. But the magic of my childhood image of Christmas could not be lost. Somehow, I was reminded of how Christmas was when I was a child. The message of the day remained to hope for a better tomorrow for Sam irrespective of the situation.

It was my different Christmas altogether. In the evening of Christmas day, things seemed to move from worse to worst. There were no lights and we spent the evening in the dark. The news came that Sam had succumbed to the pain. He had died on the Christmas day. I kept myself in the house because nothing had been the same all day and throughout the season. The darkness briefly suspended me and my thoughts into decades of silent and breathless future that peered down into the unknown. I thought about my life and the possibility that I may also die. I thought about Sam and I missed him more painfully.

I retreated to corridors leading to the common room and cried out my heart for Sam. Life was futile. I cried like a little child. It was shortly that lights came back .The director, who had hitherto been strong and seemed happier, called us together and embraced each on of us on her chest something that was unusual of her. She then reminded us that we are a family irrespective of our diversity and Sam had brought us closer to each other. She regretted that the conditions of Sam had made our Christmas bitter but promised that once the funeral is over, we will as a family go to Hawaii

Every Christmas that followed even up-to-date always rekindle the thoughts of this black Christmas. With a flurry of activities, the joys and celebration that have accompanied every Christmas brings back the sad memories of that dark Christmas that stole my happiness. But at least, I spent it working for the poor.

There are many different forms of literature, but perhaps most famous and most loved of the many kinds is poetry. Compared to other forms of literature like short stories and novels, poetry has been famous dating back to the time of Ancient Greece until now, wherein even poems are converted into modern songs. The wonderful thing about poetry is that not only would the readers be able to imagine the images conjured by the carefully selected words, but the lines in poems would also appeal to the hearing of a person as it involves rhyme and rhythm. After all, poetry is both sights and soundssights being the images imagined by a reader and sounds being the playful or melodramatic onslaught of words. These sights and sounds are both evident in Lisa Parkers Snapping Beans, Mary Olivers Answer, and Glenis Redmonds Naming. But more important than these images and sounds are the lessons or messages that the poems want to show the readers. In this case, the three poems showcase the relationship that each speaker has for the other character mentioned in the poem, and this relationship brings out the unquestionable truth regarding the poems real message, which is admiration for what the other  character has in life.

In the poem Snapping Beans, the usual problem of a student who is at lost over a new culture and new life is portrayed. The speaker comes home from school for a vacation I was home for the weekend  from school, from the North (Parker, lines 4-5). The descriptions of the surrounding seem to suggest that the home is located in the countryside as the sun rose, pushing its pink spikes  through the slant of cornstalks (7-8). The main issue that the poem presents is the dishonesty of the student as his or her grandmother wants to know his or her school life, and though the student wants to tell the real things that happen in school and the feelings that he or she has about them, he or she opted not to.

That about summarizes the poem of Parker, but the theme of the poem exists in the relationship that the student has for his or her grandmother. The student is in conflict of whether informing the grandmother about the reality of things concerning life and school such as the evening star was a planet  that my friends wore nose rings and wrote poetry  About sex, about alcoholism, about Buddha (29-31). Although the student wants to let the grandmother to know his or her real predicament in school, in the end, he or she refuses to tell her to save the grandmothers innocence. This is mainly what the student admires regarding the grandmotherher innocence and ability to be carefree regarding the world as a whole and life at large. The grandmothers main past time is to listen to nature in the countryside while snapping beans, and the student more or less wants this lifestyle as well as he or she feels homesick for the simple life that the grandmother has or is out of place in such a strange world he or she does not truly want and belong to
I wanted to tell her
about the nights I cried into the familiar
heartsick panels of the quilt she made me,
wishing myself home on the evening star. (25-28)

The great yearning of wanting to be home by the student is expressed in these lines that he or she even criesan imagery that presents tremendous longing within the student.

Yet, the grandmothers situation of being at home while the student is in the progressive city is not entirely what he or she admires about the grandmother instead, it is the grandmothers ability to see through things like seeing through the student that even if he or she said that he or she was doing fine in school. The grandmother makes an ominous remark about how funny things are when things blow loose like that (43) which could just mean that the student might suddenly explode one day and his or her feelings of misery might take over him or her entirely.

On the other hand, in Glenis Redmonds Naming, a misunderstanding happens between a mother and the child over the naming of a flower. The speaker who is also the child tries to explain to the mother about the Forsythia, but the mother tells the child that they call it Yellow Bell and the other word is too hard (Redmond, line 3). This naming of the same flower is what causes the conflict as the child uses a more complicated term most likely learned from school and the mother uses a much simpler term most likely learned from their community. The speaker goes on about the differences that the two words cause to both of them with the mother being able to look back on her life caused by the mention of the flower and the child being able to appreciate the simplicity of life brought on by the mention of the simpler term for the flower. The term used for the flower causes conflict, and the fact that the younger person uses a more complex term manifests that he or she has an education while the mother is more used to the simpler and non-complex things provided by her being uneducated or just not knowing a lot of technical things. As how the speaker describes it, the foreign words anguish hisher mothers tongue (16).

Compared to the poem by Parker, Naming by Redmond is more open with the feelings that the speaker has for the mother. The young childs affections towards the mother are shown in the simple confusion over the name of a flower and yet, the child expresses the admiration that he or she has for the mother Her folklore lessons unfold like the bush that inspires (5). While the child may be educated with all the technical and complex terms such as the name of the flower, he or she yearns for the simple things that the mother has like the folklore lessons. On a deeper analysis, such lessons can point to the mother belonging to a close-knit community that could have shared folklores together. Thus, the child wants such relationships which the mother had experienced before.

There are other things which the child further admires concerning the mother, which also further proves the yearning for a relationship with other people that he or she wants her looking back always carries me like a river forward.  The balm of her history flows from the heart without tire (10-11). The childs reference to looking back and the history of the mother being something which carries himherforward and like a balm is an indicator that the child thinks highly of the mother and the mothers past. This past is what he or she admires and what he or she wants to have, though it is expressed in a subtle way Her simple words heal and light me gently higher (17).

In Mary Olivers poem, Answers, the same sentiments are expressed as that of the poems of Parker and Redmond. The speaker in the third poem seems be a person to have advanced in the ways of the world, and this persona recalls his or her time with the grandmother who has encouraged him or her with such ways.  The poem features the wide gap between the grandmother and the grandchild like the lines of the grandmother being uneducated with faulty grammar and how there is such confusion within her (Oliver, lines 5-15). The grandchild meanwhile is the one who is supposedly educated with his or her books and music and circling philosophies and with the lofty career that the grandmother even encouraged (8-12). Yet, even if the grandchild and the grandmother are very different from one another, the grandchild still envies the grandmother while the grandmother is very much supportive of the grandchild and even cools... hisher wild sauces (15-16).

The student in Olivers Answers also has the same situation in Snapping Beans. The student has changed because of what he or she has experienced but he or she still relies on the grandmother to comfort and console him or her. This is because the student yearns for what the grandmother hasthat of the innocence and naivet with her being termed as uneducated (5). As with the child in Naming, the student in Answers is also more open about his or her emotions concerning the affection and admiration that he or she has for the grandmother If I envy anyone it must be  My grandmother in a long ago (1-2). The envy that the student feels is for the simple life that the grandmother has and for the innocence that she has. As with the student of Snapping Beans, the desire to just have a simple life that is devoid of complications is wanted by the student in Answers.

In conclusion, the three poems revolve around the young children or students and the relationship that they have with their elders. The young ones are supposedly the smarter ones with their education and yet, they are not that happy compared to their eldersthe young ones even yearn for what the elders have in their simple situationwhich is uncomplicated freedom. All three poems give out a lesson on how things are with the young and the ability to not be contented with who they are, what they have, and what they are undergoing through. Although the elders seem ignorant of things, it does not mean that they are unhappy. Naming, Answers, and Snapping Beans give out an invaluable lesson in life which is about how the young admire and desire the simple life of the oldproving that a fast-paced life is not the gateway to happinessit is contentment with what a person has that truly matters in the end.

Communication is a means by which people talk, write and understand each other.  We must speak or write our thoughts and articulate our feelings to others in the same way that we must listen or read them to understand what they want us to know and feel.  Communication must always be a two-way thing. Language is a medium of Communication.  Its use and misuse may lead to offense, misunderstanding, insult and exchange of harshness.

Oftentimes, when we do not exercise caution we tend to say things that we do not mean.  When we speak before we think, trouble comes.  This is when communication becomes miscommunication and understanding becomes misunderstanding.  Instead of clarity we sow confusion and when we are not careful we may offend without our intending to.

For us to really, really communicate must carefully choose what we say and write.  The basic rule would be to have the best intentions and use the appropriate and the kindest words no matter how angry one is, how funny a situation is, how complicated the explanation to be made is.  It is also to ones good interest if he stays away from using inappropriate or unacceptable words and phrases.  According to Edward Skidelsky, inappropriate or unacceptable is the modern version of improper and indecent and the more exact terms of coarse, tactless, vulgar and lewd.  Some words must be taken out of ones vocabulary as they are both offensive and abusive, like fucking whore or bitch.

As our villages had become global communities, we are faced with the challenges of relating to people who think and talk differently from us.  We now live in a world where our neighbor is a complete cultural stranger to us.  We are confronted not only with what is decent but also with what is proper.  We must be aware of the cultural diversity around us and it is imperative for us to adopt a culturally sensitive language that would foster amity instead of enmity.  It is unfortunate that certain words can be taken out of context and construed as a slur.  This was the case of David Howard, the District Public Advocate in Washington DC.  The word niggardly, a Middle English word for miser, cost him his job.  He was talking of funding and was not being racial at all.

It is admirable that the students of West Grand School District had taken the lead in self-policing.  They would not tolerate inappropriate language like cursing, swearing, negative words and slurs on gender, religion, disability, race, ethnicity and gender orientation among their ranks.

Unsuitable language must be dropped from ones vocabulary totally and may only be used on certain circumstances that strongly justify their use.  In a classroom, where students are taught grammar, literature, social studies, law, medical sciences, they may occasionally meet these words that are inappropriate in social, formal or casual conversations, but in class discussions they have to be used for acquiring knowledge or for learning purposes.  If there are words that may substitute for an unsuitable one and just as adequately and accurately serve the purpose, then this appropriate one must be used.  Instead of fucking  sexual intercourse or sexual relations may be substituted for medical and sociological studies. Whore and bitch were used by early English and American poets in their literary masterpieces and it is necessary to use the words as they were used to fully appreciate the poets works.

Language is as essential to our daily life as much as food is.  Like food there are those that we stay away from for various reasons like health, economic, gastronomic and even religious practices.  These are not forced upon us and generally left to us to do as we see and think fit.  The use of Language, or more accurately the choice from a lot is also incumbent on us.

What news How much more important to know what that is which was never old (Thoreau 3). Mr. Henry David Thoreaus used this exclamation to remind people that there is more to life than what we know and experience. Thoreaus tries to make people understand the reasons why he left all the good life in the city to go and live in the wilderness. He claims that
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived (1)
Thoreaus notes that if only people could live a simple life without the complications of civilization would then they find time to figure out the purpose of life. He uses metaphor and imagery when he refers life as the chopping and raging sea of civilized life. He uses this metaphor as an indicator of the hardships he encountered in the world as he tried to cope with the numerous activities involved. He points the negative impacts the media has brought on people without their notice. He goes ahead and analyses all the life demeaning scenes experienced in the streets on daily basis.

One man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter (2).

Thoreau uses rhetorical devices to bring out a clear picture of his theme in Why I Went to the Woods. He wanted people to be able to interpreate and understand the meaning of life from the natural way like the ancient way of life of the Spartans. The Spartans worried only for the important aspects of life that is the basic needs, love and security for one another.

Credit cards have many advantages.  They can be used for the purchase of a product online, use in case of emergency, replaces the use of cash, can be used outside the country, and immediate purchase of any goods, products and services.  However, for those who do not know how to handle credit cards they may experience a lot of hardship and suffering.  Use of credit card may lead to large amount of consumer debts or the debt that is incurred primarily for the purchase of consumer goods rather than for investment.  According to Liz Puliam Weston, about 48 of credit card holders owe less than 1,000 in credit card debt. (Weston, The Truth About Credit Card Debt, 2)  The problem with consumer debt is that 36 of those who owe more than 10,000 have household income which is less than 50,000 while 13 of those who owe more than 10,000 have household incomes under 30,000.

Credit cards can be evil.  For those who have credit cards but do not know how to properly manage them, paying for the credit card bills can be disastrous.  Many customers nowadays think that the business of credit card lending is one of the most vilified businesses. (Michael Hiltzik 2) This research offers an explanation by presenting several arguments to explain why a credit card can be an evil to many cardholders.

II. First Major Supporting Point - Credit card encourages consumer greed which is the condition where the consumers want to spend more for items that they do not actually need.

Ordinarily, consumers who do not have credit card will not spend more than he can buy since his cash may not be sufficient for the additional purchases.  However, when the consumers are carrying credit cards they may become greedy and want to buy more.

A. Minor Support - Credit cards encourage the credit cardholder to overspend which is confirmed in a study conducted by Dunn  Bradstreet which found that people spend 12-18 more when using credit cards than when using cash. (Andrew Beattie 2)
Consumers spend more when they have credit cards because there is a natural tendency for the shopper to overpay for a particular item.

In contrast, however, shoppers who only carry cash cannot overpay for any particular item because he only carries enough to pay for a product that he desires to purchase.

B. Minor Support - Consumers overspend because when they have credit cards they are tempted to buy more products than they actually need or want.

In contrast, a person who does not have credit card will only purchase products that he can afford to pay at the time.

C. Minor Support - Credit cards encourage consumer greed.

When consumers have the capacity to take a product or item home they will do so even if eventually they will realize that they do not need the product or item.

III. Second Major Supporting Point - Credit card companies encourage consumers to buy more but leave them to pay their bills on their own.

A. Minor Support

A proof is the application form given by credit card companies to those who wish to have their own credit cards containing the terms and conditions for the use of credit card which is written in fine print. (Liz Puliam Weston, Credit Card Companies Evil Tricks, 3)

Credit card companies do not even take the initiative to explain to their clients how they are being billed and charged for the items they purchased.  Liz Puliam Weston, Credit Card Companies Evil Tricks, 3)

Consequently, it is common among many card holders to overlook the terms and conditions.  Oftentimes the cardholders fail to notice these terms and conditions until it is too late.

B. Minor Support
Credit card companies do not even bother to explain the interest rates, finance charges and late charges in the billing statement.

Instead, credit card companies launch massive campaign enticing the buyers to get their credit cards because of low interest rates.

B.1. Secondary Minor Support

There is no explanation about interest rate, finance charges and late charges.

For example, a cardholder who is a first time user of a credit needs to how much how the interest rates he will be paying so that he may make the decision on whether to continue the use of credit card or not.

B.2. Secondary Minor Support

There is no explanation as to the portion of the money paid by their customers that go to the principal and the portion that goes to the payment of interest.

For example, interest rates, late charges and finance charges are concepts which every client has the right to know.

IV. Third Major Supporting Point - Payment of credit card debts may cause financial hardship for the consumer

A. Minor Support

The credit card company may file a case against him to recover the unpaid obligation and blacklist him from the company.

This could be harmful for the financial reputation of the credit cardholder.

A.1. Secondary Minor Support

At the time cardholders realize their mistake it will be too late since a lawsuit has already been filed against them.

Any person against whom a case has been filed even if it is subsequently settled will forever have a bad credit record.  In case, the credit cardholder applies for another credit card in other companies, this record will come up and shall form part of his evaluation.

In addition, the credit card holder may also be denied his application for a car or housing loan with any Bank because of his negative credit record.

A.2. Secondary Minor Support

Even if the credit card companies do not file a case against the credit cardholder the act of blacklisting him also affects his credit standing in the community.

B. Minor Support

The credit cardholder may eventually realize that he has expended more money paying for the interest rather than the principal.

Credit cards are here to stay.  Despite the complaints against the practices of many credit card companies, they will continue to do business.  They will still attract the young professionals.  With the growth of Internet Technology use of credit cards will remain as the major tools for transacting online.

The card holders are therefore advised the following
a) Use cash when purchasing.
b) Use credit cards only in case of extreme emergency.
c) Keep the receipts every time credit card is used and determine how much has been used for the billing cycle.
d) Read the terms and conditions in the application form and billing cycle carefully.
e) Limit the use of credit card to purchases which the card holder can afford to pay on the due date.
f) Payment during the due date should not be limited to the total amount due but the entire outstanding balance.

Literary theory started as soon as literature started developing several centuries ago. According to the recorded history of literature, the Greeks were the first group of people to come up with literary theories. They are the first group to have had criticism of literature in the history of mankind. In the English literature history, literary theory started much later compared to the Greeks literature. It started with the Renaissance. The first theories included the defense of poesy and the Romans theories which emphasized on the content of the literature. This was followed by the Russian Formalism and the New Criticism which started in America. The New Criticism was an English literary school of thought which had a believe that the form and the meaning could not be separated. Later, the hermeneutics school of thought emerged in the literary theory.

The hermeneutics theorist believe in the interpretation of the literature in order to construct what the literature means and that all the parts of the text have to be understood so as to understand the text. This led to the emergence of the structuralism in the 1960s. Structuralism brought about a lot of change in the field of literary criticism and theory. It mainly focuses on language and the structures in the text. It applies linguistics in the study of the text and literature. After the structuralism, emerged the theory of post structuralism which was based on the weaknesses of structuralism (Siddique, Para 1).

Structuralism
This literary theory was developed in the 1960s and was developed according to Ferdinand de Saussure ideas. Saussure had a structural view of language from which structuralism was developed. He developed the ideas of langue and parole. He believed that langue form the structure of the language while parole was clearly seen in the speech. He expressed his ideas in 1916 in his famous book which was known as Course in General Linguistics. His study was based on the study of signs and the way they are used and therefore he called his ideas literature semiotics. He proposed two parts of a sign - that is a signifier which is the sound form of the sign or what is recorded in writing and a signified which is the concept form of the sign. According to his suggestions, the relationship between the two parts of sign is arbitrary. This suggestion has been supported unanimously since signifier and signified are not fundamentally or naturally related. He believed that language is a summation of different signs which have arbitrary relationship. Therefore, the binary opposition relationship of the signs is what gives the meaning. The different in signs in every sentence gives the sentence a meaning. The syntax of words in a sentence or any form of literature gives it a meaning. Therefore, he suggested that a structure of signifying signs makes up a language (McBride, Para 1).

The ideas about signs developed by Saussure revolutionized the understanding of language and were adopted by many scholars of the 20th century not only in literature but also in other disciplines such as science of mathematics and psychology. Structuralism school of thought was developed by the French scholars in the mid 20th century based on the concepts of sign proposed by Saussure. The school of thoughts main attention is how the meaning of a literature is developed. Those who believe in structuralism focus on the structure of the language, the community as well as the psyche rather than focusing on how conscious the author is. It is a theory that looks at how a literature text develops the meaning but not the meaning of the text itself. One structuralist analysis of a text looks at how the arrangements of linguistic structures create unity in a text and the other tries to interpret how the structures and literary forms determine the meaning of a language (Siddique, Para 8).

Structuralism maintains that the meaning can be obtained from the literary text. The meaning is in a language of system of signs and stresses the significance of the text in developing the meaning. By the relationship between signs in a language being arbitrary and only binary, opposition indicates that what another sign in the text is not which leads development of a meaning. Therefore, structuralism suggests that the meaning of the text is within the text and not beyond. The text meaning is determinable and determinate. The language in the text constructs the meaning of the text which means that diachronic study is not necessary in the understanding of the text. However, this criticism suggests that synchronic study of a text is essential in the understanding of the text. The paroles as suggested by Saussure represent the text while the langue is the meaning of the text which is developed from the structures.

According to Newton, structuralism emphasize on a system that make literature into something that is possible and looks at the consideration of author or the history of the text as insignificant in developing the meaning of the text. He suggests that the main aim of literary theories should be explaining how the meaning of the text is developed and not the meaning of the text (Newton, p 83).  Murfin and Ray suggest that literary work has changed its name to text as a result of structuralism. This has been due to its focus on the text and not on the author. Both the reader and the author have internalized codes which are used to express the authors work and the reader can easily decode them to develop the meaning. Therefore, the meaning expressed on the text is not a private experience of the author but is as a result of mutual systems of significance (Murfin and Ray, p 300).  

However, structuralism is not without weaknesses. It has been criticized by some scholars who developed post structuralism. Post structuralism criticized structuralism towards the end of the 20th century by rejecting the theories claim to scientific analysis as well as meaning of a text being determinate and determinable. The primary weakness of the theory is the way it takes language. It does not take it as an individual expression. The theory also has a questionable way in which it conceptualize the relationships between individual members of the community and the communities. The theory attacks language at the most critical point, that is where the linguistic is produced and the actual writing and reading. Critics of structuralism believe that moving away from these ideology moves the language to communication. Structuralism has also been criticized for ignoring dialogue nature of language while focusing on langue. For that reason, Eagleton agued that structuralism has tried to replace the religion of science with ideologies that are as effectual but it has failed. Criticisms of structuralism lead to the development of post structuralism (Eagleton, p 93).

Post structuralism
Post structuralism is ideologies that were developed after structuralism in the 1970s as a reaction against the ideologies of structuralism. It is also centered on the text but does not differentiate the world from the text. Those who believe in post structuralism argue that there is a binary opposition. However, it differs from the previous criticism by suggesting that a signified can have several signifiers. According to post structuralism, there exist binary opposition but they transform and eventually become fluid. Therefore, there is some existence of fluidity between texts which was not suggested by structuralism. This fluidity between text has been referred to as inter textuality by post structuralists.

Post structuralism opposes the structuralist suggestion of possible determinate knowledge. They suggest that words may have many meanings and may lead to propagation of the wrong meaning. Therefore there is a possibility of the text contradicting their structural account as well as their intended meaning. In other words, signifiers can not be absolutely differentiated from signified and a signifier may have several signified. A signified can be seen as a signifier thus forming a long chain which may be unending. The signifiers seem to be intermingling with the signified, text with text and text with the world creating some fluidity. This contradicts the believe by structuralist that meaning is determinate although it is contained in the text. Moreover, post structuralism opposes the rejection of diachronic study of a literature by structuralism.

Deconstructionism is an extension of post structuralism philosophy which supports pluralism of meaning. It believes that meaning is indeterminate and therefore it must be plural. It gives room for varying interpretation of the same literally text. The two theories focus on the reader as where he is viewed as the locus of the competing and contradiction dialogue. Post structuralists argue that any text is a mixture of preexisting texts. The rise of post structuralism school of thought has led to the development of various theories on literature such as feminism, deconstruction in Yale and post modernism among others.

Comparison of structuralism and post structuralism
Structuralism and post structuralism have several differences as well as similarities. Both schools of thought share a common concern on signs and the usefulness of sign systems in the development of meaning. The contribution of both theories in knowledge of literature and culture is unimaginable. Many philosophers in the modern world view post structuralism as a rebellion against the previous theory. However, it is evident that post structuralism is based on the weaknesses of structuralism which did not address comprehensively all the issues. Structuralism is more logical although it focuses on the text. This is because the meaning of the text is derived from observation of the structures and reason.

The main difference in the ideologies of the post structuralism and structuralism is on the philosophical approach of the post structural theory. It suggests that every detail of the text can be questioned which includes the linguistics. The approach is also emotional as compared to structuralism and is more related to the post modernism school of thought. It has been viewed as being born out of the humanism and the structuralism criticisms where the ideas in the previous thoughts were adopted and adapted. It reflects on the structuralism focus on the text while paying less emphasis on the message as well as the liberal humanist approach which focused on the author (Siddique, Para 11).

Scholars who believe in post structuralism ideologies argue that it is historical and believe that structuralism is descriptive. This is based on differences which were proposed by Saussure that study of a test can be diachronic which is historical or synchronic which is descriptive. Therefore, post structuralism gives room for diachronic study while structuralism suggests synchronic as the only study method. Post structuralism focus on the history of the text in the development of the meaning while structuralism argues that the meaning of the text can only be developed from structures of the language in the text. In other words, structuralism focus on the text while post structuralism focus on the reader and his ability to understand the concepts of the culture and the changes in those concepts in order to develop a meaning. Structuralism focus on the meaning of the text as developed by the author but not the meaning as it is developed within the present cultural concepts. However, it is difficult to determine the exact uncertainty distance that exists between the two criticisms because philosophers really dont declare whether they are post structuralists. It has been observed that scholars who were considered structuralists have over the years done works which make them notable post structuralists (Klages, Para 2).

It is clear that post structuralism and structuralism are different schools of thought in literary theory. Structuralism focuses on the structures in the text and their importance in the development of the meaning while post structuralism is based on the weaknesses of structuralism. However, both have had a great contribution in the evolution of literary theory.