3/26/2020 0 Comments “Faerie Queen Book II†& “In Cold Blood’s†Perception of Morality EssayMorality has come to be a term to serve a relative purpose. Relative in the sense that the appreciation of the term morality has more often than not depended on the circumstances and what people may view or perceive to be moral. The two literary works subject of this paper are: Faerie Queen Book II by Edmund Spenser and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It is worth noting that these two literary works are of different nature and subject. Still like all literary works and like all things that include human actions and involve human events. The object of morality though not emphatically stressed is being presented. The object of morality although not the main subject in any literary work can be examined. Through the series of acts that transpire throughout the story and the manner in which the author has decided to present them. The two literary works subject of this paper are independent of each other. One is contemporary while the other is a story from older times. A lot of differences can be gleaned upon careful examination of these two literary works. The most important difference however that this paper will seek to address is their difference in their presentation of morality and the kind of morality presented. In The “Faerie Queen Book II†the object and presentation of morality deals more with morality in the form of a quest. It presents morality involved in one’s quest he takes in life. Particularly on how one can rise above the occasion or on how one is able to succeed. The object of morality in the “Faerie Queen Book II†is more evident in the decision making of its protagonists. The literary work “In Cold Blood†has a different object and method of presentation of morality. In this literary work the main object of morality is the sanctity and value of life and the consequences of taking life away from someone. To be more specific it deals with morality in a setting where a crime of murder has been committed. This paper will proceed to compare the object and presentation of morality for both literary works. Through such comparison this paper will be able to discuss the representation of morality in both literary works. Representation of Morality will always be an integral part of any literary work (Thesis Statement). Faerie Queen Book II This literary masterpiece focuses on Book II of a series of VI books written by Edmund Spenser. Book II deals mostly on the quests and adventures of one of the main protagonists Guyon and the side stories of different characters like Arthur. This paper will not proceed to summarize the said book. Instead the parts where morality has been represented will be highlighted. This is in keeping with the very purpose of this paper. There are several verses in which the presentation of morality can be gleaned:            “But if that careless hevens,†(quoth she) “despise            The doome of just revenge, and take delight            To see sad pageaunts of mens miseries,            As bownd by them to live in lives despight;            Yet can they not warne death from wretched right.            Come, then; come soone; come sweetest death, to me,            And take away this long lent loathed light:            Sharpe be thy wounds, but sweete the medicines be,            That long captivated soules from weary thraldome free.            (Page 267, The Faerie Queene Book II, Edmund Spenser) The verse as cited above depicts the kind of representation of morality the “Faerie Queen Book II†shows us. As earlier contended the morality in this book is presented through the decisions made by the characters in such book. Here we can clearly see the casual surrender of one’s fate. A decision to surrender one’s fate represents the kind of morality this book wants to come across. Morality is represented through this decision making in which one surrenders to death. This representation of morality may not be acceptable to us since surrendering to death has never been moral. Still, the book tries to justify the same through showing us the difficult circumstances such character is in. The concept of virtue in this book is surrendered to the heavens. Morality in this book was not clearly defined or presented. It does not provide whether one act prove to be moral or not. It allows the decision of morality be adjudged by its readers. Throughout the book which follows the quest of Guyon and other characters like Arthur. The representation of morality is made through their acts, decisions and emotions on the events that transpire in their journey. Morality here is presented through stimulating the audience or readers leaving them to decide whether one act was moral or not. In Cold Blood “In Cold Blood†is a story of murder committed by Dick and Perry and their eventual attempt to escape justice through leaving. The morality presented in this literary work is one of more serious tone. The morality, as presented in this book is the sanctity of human life and the consequences one must take when they decide to take away life or in more common terms: commit murder. Murder for a long time is a concept that can easily be considered as an immoral act and it is indeed an immoral act. Unlike “Faerie Queen Book II†In cold blood is more factual in tone. The manner of its presentation is through a series of events that transpired. It is the more common contemporary type of story telling. The presentation of morality has been embedded in the way the story was told. Unlike the “Faerie Queen Book II†what is moral and what is not moral is more clearly depicted in this story. If in the “Faerie Queen Book II†morality was vague and one left to be adjudged by the readers. The contrary applies to the literary work “In Cold Bloodâ€. The latter book specifically provides that a murder was committed and that it was immoral, it was wrong and it was a crime punishable by law. Clear indications were made as to the presentation of morality. This can be clearly seen through the statements made in the book: “Feeling wouldn’t run half so high if this had happened to anyone except the Clutters. Anyone less admired. Prosperous. Secure. But that family represented everything people hereabouts really value and respect, and that such a thing could happen to them – well, it’s like being told there is no God. It makes life seem pointless. I don’t think people are so much frightened as they are deeply depressed.†(In Cold Blood, Truman Capote) As clearly gleaned from the words of the book cited above a more definite and specific feeling of morality is expressed in this book. The representation of morality is much more obvious and emphasized that that of the “Faerie Queen Book IIâ€. The morality in taking away life was not only for the murder. There was also an instance where the morality of taking the life of the murderers was mentioned: “Dewey had watched them die, for he had been among the twenty-odd witnesses invited to the ceremony. He had never attended an execution, and when on the midnight past he entered the cold warehouse, the scenery had surprised him: he had anticipated a setting of suitable dignity, not this bleakly lighted cavern cluttered with lumber and other debris. But the gallows itself, with its two pale nooses attached to a crossbeam, was imposing enough; and so, in an unexpected style, was the hangman, who cast a long shadow from his perch on the platform at the top of the wooden instrument’s thirteen steps.†(In Cold Blood, Truman Capote) Though the morality of taking the lives of the murderers was evident not even a place of suitable dignity was presented. Clearly defining what is moral and what is not. Conclusion In conclusion, in any literary work a sense of representation of morality is and will always be deemed written. The representation of morality may differ through it object and representation. Still as long as human acts are involved, as long as we deal with the event of one person’s life, morality will always be an object of any literary work. To date presentation of morality is relative for every literary work. Still, though seemingly impossible. A day may come when the relativity of the presentation of morality will be erased and a basic standard of morality just for everyone can be shared by all. Works Cited Spenser’s Faerie Queene Book II, Edited by Thomas J, Wise, Pictured by Walter Crane In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
0 Comments
Adolescents, or teenagers, use drugs (prescription and illegal) and alcohol for many of the same reasons as adults. Most notably, the pleasure or euphoric feeling associated with use and as an escape from the stress and pressure of a situation or of life in general. Many students have even started using prescription drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin. This paper will discuss the relationship between substance abuse or addiction and teenagers, and the affects this causes on their developing brain. In addition, information will be provided concerning how a healthy spiritual development can affect the likelihood of teen use, abuse, or addiction to drugs and alcohol. Finally, the national and local prevalence of adolescent addiction, and news coverage of adolescents and drug-related incidents in Knoxville, TN will be examined. Adolescent Substance Abuse and Addiction Alcohol. Alcohol seems to be the initial exposure to abuse and addiction among teenagers, particularly due to the fact that it is legal and more readily available than other substances. The Adolescent Health Facts (2012), which stated that 20% of high school students drank alcohol for the first time before the age of 13 in 2011. Furthermore, 40% of teens who drank, obtained alcohol through someone giving it to them. According to Feldman (2014), drinking, over a period of time, can lead to tolerance and diminished positive effects associated with consumption, which in turn leads to an increase in quantity of alcohol consumption in order to achieve those positive effects. Whether adolescents drink throughout the day or in binges, alcohol use becomes habitual for some teens and can lead to physical and psychological addiction when the habit cannot be controlled. According to Toor (2014), the majority of people, when asked, would state that marijuana is the gateway drug. Although, through his research, he found that “…teens who abused alcohol are twice as likely to abuse prescription opiate drugs, than those who only used marijuanaâ€. Legal and illegal drugs. The use of legal and illegal drugs is increasingly problematic in adolescence. According to Feldman (2014), drug use and abuse among teenagers has become quite common, for instance “…one in 15 high school seniors smokes marijuana on a daily or near-daily basisâ€. The Adolescent Health Facts (2012) stated that in 2011, 40% of high school teens had used marijuana one or more times in their lives. In addition, from 2009 to 2010, 6% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 had used pain reliever for nonmedical reasons. Factors related to adolescent drug use include the use of drugs by celebrities and famous “role models†and peer pressure, but the newest reason for drug use is to enhance academic achievements (Feldman, 2014). Students are using prescription drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin to increase focus and ability to study while enabling them to do so for long periods of time. Unfortunately, most legal and illegal drugs teenagers are using are highly addictive and can result in biological and psychological dependence (Feldman, 2014). Affects the Developing Brain of Adolescent Biological addiction to drugs causes physical, and possibly lasting, changes in the nervous system (Feldman, 2014). Uppers, such as amphetamines and cocaine, stimulate the central nervous system causing an increase in the chemical and electrical activity in the brain (Martin, 2014). The desired effects of these drugs is a product of the release of neurotransmitter called norepinephrine and epinephrine. The depletion and imbalance of theses neurotransmitters cause both physical and psychological problems. Downers, such as painkillers, sedatives, and alcohol, slow down the overall functioning of the central nervous system. The initial response to downers is similar to that of uppers, due to the lowering of inhibitions, but long term the drugs depress the central nervous system and cause negative side effects including impaired judgment and memory problems (Martin, 2014). Effects of Spiritual Development Spirituality has a place not only in the prevention of but also the treatment of substance abuse and addiction. According to Roehlkepartian et al. (2006), spiritual development is closely related to substance abuse and other mental health problems. Furthermore, spirituality is central to the genesis, course, and treatment of substance abuse. Miller et al. (2000) (as cited in Roelkepartian et al., 2006), stated that the essential spiritual contribution to mental illness, including substance abuse, has great magnitude in reference to protective qualities and spiritual devotion. Furthermore, this protective quality of spirituality against substance abuse suggests that treatments that draw one closer to a spiritual stance of living or a spiritual truth may be helpful in ensuring abstinence or aiding in recovery. Drug-related News and Prevalence in East Tennessee According to Lakin (2011), the warning heard by teenagers since before kindergarten just do not work. Juanita Boring, health-care coordinator at the Juvenile Detention Center in Knoxville stated, some adolescents start using drugs as early as 8 years old, starting with marijuana and graduating to prescription drugs over time. She goes on to say that most can name major pill brands like they would the days of the week. Will, a 17 year old inmate stated that fun turns into desperation fast, and trying pills offered by a friend turns into breaking into homes to make money for pills. The Adolescent Health Facts (2012) stated that the prevalence of substance abuse in Tennessee was even with the overall national results with regard to the percentage of high school students that drank alcohol before the age of 13 and high school students that obtained their alcohol by someone giving it to them, and the percentage of 12 to 17 year olds who had used painkillers for nonmedical reasons from 2009 to 2010. There was a 2% decrease from the national percentage of high school students that had used marijuana at least once during their lifetime. Conclusion In conclusion, alcohol and drug abuse and/or addiction during adolescence has physical consequences and can be altered by positive spiritual development during that time. The relationship between teenagers and substance abuse is not much different from that of an adult. Fundamentally the positive and negative effects are the same. The impact of drugs and alcohol on the brain is a biological addiction in which there are changes to the central nervous system which leads to a necessity of the drug in order to maintain normalcy. Prevalence of substance abuse nationally and on a local level in East Tennessee is fairly equal, meaning there is much room for improvement. Future research relating to early childhood warnings with a spiritual context would be useful in developing updated programs and literature for awareness and deterrence. References Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the life span (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Lakin, M. (2011, November 1). Generation oxy: Pills attract, addict teens. Knoxnews,com. Retrieved from http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/01/generation-oxy/ Salmaan Toor. (2014, February 11). Alcohol is the gateway drug, and we don’t seem to care. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.tfcknoxville.com/1/post/2014/02/alcohol-isthe-gateway-drug-and-we-dont-seem-to-care.html Roehlkepartain, E. C., King, P. E., Wagener, L., & Benson, P. L. (2006). The handbook of spiritual development in childhood and adolescence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Health. Adolescent Health Facts. (2012). Substance abuse data for Tennessee. Retrieved from http://www.tfcknoxville.com/1/post/2014/02/alcohol-is-the-gateway-drug-and-we-dontseem-to-care.html
The fast paced, ever changing, and volatile business climate of today affects the ability of multinational companies such as Hewlett-Packard to sustain a competitive advantage. In 2002 the company conducted a controversial acquisition of Compaq which led to lay-offs, infighting, and impacted their ability to implement structural changes. Hewlett-Packard is a widely respected company known for executing continuous improvement throughout all levels of the company. However, the challenge all companies face is the ability to implement and sustain intervention programs over a period of time to the degree that the changes become part of the organization’s functions. Thus, the strategies and framework Hewlett-Packard used to institutionalize intervention programs throughout its history will be examined.
Institutionalization Process Institutionalization is embedding change processes brought on by effective interventions to an organization’s functioning for a prescribed period of time. Moreover the process of institutionalization consists of socialization, commitment, reward allocation, diffusion, and sensing and calibration. They are the by-products of two dimensions: organization characteristics (such as congruence and unionization) and intervention characteristics (goal specificity and programmability). When Hewlett-Packard (HP) acquired Compaq in 2002, the combination of these two dimensions produced the institutionalization processes. According to Cummings and Worley (2009), there are five factors of the institutionalization process (socialization, commitment, reward allocation, diffusion, and sensing and calibration) that determine long-term implementation of interventions. In other words, the degree to which these fa... ...ist organizations must maintain constant vigilance over environmental forces such as the economy and internal forces such as employee actions and behaviors that undermine the change process (Cummings & Worley, 2009). Conclusion Change strategies are part of every organization’s design. In order for an organization to have success with implementing persistent change all or the majority of institutionalization factors outlined must be present. The most compelling aspect of Hewlett-Packard’s interventions was emphasis on targeting the level of change at both the organization and department level. Finally, the aggressive structural changes Hewlett-Packard initiated during the course of its existence reflects the strategic planning and risk associated with sustaining a competitive advantage in the highly volatile information technology industry. Spiritual Views in Emerson's The Poet
Transcendental, and therefore pantheist, views run fluidly throughout Emerson's texts, especially as he attempts to define his image of the perfect poet in his essay, The Poet. He continually uses religious terms to express his feelings, but warps these terms to fit his own unique spirituality. This technique somewhat helps to define his specific religious views which mirror the view of transcendentalism and pantheism. Emerson's ideal poet is a pantheist who can express the symbols of the world through words. Emerson begins the essay by explaining that many people are taught "rules and particulars" to decide what is good art, and therefore deem themselves worthy critics although they have no feeling for art in their soul. He states that intellectual men, perhaps the cold Unitarians from which he broke away, theologians, and modern 'poets' do not acknowledge a relationship between the physical world and the mind and then praises the "highest minds" (such as Swedenborg, Plato and Heraclitus) who instead examine everything to its fullest manifold meaning. I find it interesting that in the lines "We were put into our bodies, as fire is put into a pan" and we are "but children of the fire, made of it, and only the same divinity transmuted, and at two or three removes, when we know least about it" that Emerson compares human souls to fire. Heraclitus believed that fire was the essence of everything, similar to Anaximander's concept of 'apeiron.' Emerson here shows his pantheistic view that we have all come from the same divine 'stuff,' and being "two or three removes" away from its Godly source, we are unable on a basic level to fully comprehend it. This is also remin... ...his ideal poet, and in doing shows that he feels the "poet is representative," both in using words as representative symbols and as a representative of life itself. The ideal poet becomes a portrait of a man incredibly close to nature, and therefore close to Emerson's view of God. The poet is a spiritual man who transcends our man made reality through introspection into the abyss of 'God's Reality,' bringing back with him carefully sculpted words for man-kind's consumption in an effort to help man-kind better understand life and the world in which it is lived. Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "The Poet." The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1. Third Ed. Paul Lauter, et al., eds. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 1646-1661. The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ed. Brooks Atkinson. New York: Modern Library, 1950. Spiritual Views in Emerson's The Poet Essay -- Emerson Poet Essays Spiritual Views in Emerson's The Poet Transcendental, and therefore pantheist, views run fluidly throughout Emerson's texts, especially as he attempts to define his image of the perfect poet in his essay, The Poet. He continually uses religious terms to express his feelings, but warps these terms to fit his own unique spirituality. This technique somewhat helps to define his specific religious views which mirror the view of transcendentalism and pantheism. Emerson's ideal poet is a pantheist who can express the symbols of the world through words. Emerson begins the essay by explaining that many people are taught "rules and particulars" to decide what is good art, and therefore deem themselves worthy critics although they have no feeling for art in their soul. He states that intellectual men, perhaps the cold Unitarians from which he broke away, theologians, and modern 'poets' do not acknowledge a relationship between the physical world and the mind and then praises the "highest minds" (such as Swedenborg, Plato and Heraclitus) who instead examine everything to its fullest manifold meaning. I find it interesting that in the lines "We were put into our bodies, as fire is put into a pan" and we are "but children of the fire, made of it, and only the same divinity transmuted, and at two or three removes, when we know least about it" that Emerson compares human souls to fire. Heraclitus believed that fire was the essence of everything, similar to Anaximander's concept of 'apeiron.' Emerson here shows his pantheistic view that we have all come from the same divine 'stuff,' and being "two or three removes" away from its Godly source, we are unable on a basic level to fully comprehend it. This is also remin... ...his ideal poet, and in doing shows that he feels the "poet is representative," both in using words as representative symbols and as a representative of life itself. The ideal poet becomes a portrait of a man incredibly close to nature, and therefore close to Emerson's view of God. The poet is a spiritual man who transcends our man made reality through introspection into the abyss of 'God's Reality,' bringing back with him carefully sculpted words for man-kind's consumption in an effort to help man-kind better understand life and the world in which it is lived. Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "The Poet." The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1. Third Ed. Paul Lauter, et al., eds. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 1646-1661. The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ed. Brooks Atkinson. New York: Modern Library, 1950. |