The Jungle by Upton Sinclaire :: Essays Papers

The Jungle by Upton Sinclaire We can only know things with an experience for them by some means or other. We all know what we do, and we do not know what will happen. Our educated guesses failing at times and being glorified for justification's sake later. The family in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle depicts just this by every fiber of their hard working being. The qualities above present a perfected formula for real freedom. The gaining of knowledge and the failing or success that will happen to us. We can plan all we want, but freedom comes only to those who plan the luckiest. Take Jurgis (pronounced Yergis) for example. The strongest of the strong men in the world. He could stop a locomotive and beat John Henry in a fistfight. And why is this? He is strong, and his spirit is unconquerable. He'll just work harder if you give him more work. And what a commodity for his employers! Ever to continue along the drooling style of action, ever in the opposition of mother nature, and ever driven by the idea that he will be supporting his beloved family. To live a life in the youth of the 1900's, and in America, was the dream of so many people. To escape their tyrannical lands, the places their forefathers called home, to live in a place where it was known that every man was free and able to do his own thing, so long as he didn't hurt another. Free will, and no one could stop him for doing it. It would seem that a hard worker could go real far. In this time period such hopes were wasted on capitalism. The shammy American dream struck all those who sought to take residence in its comforting nest, and then thrust them out like so many chicks to learn to fly on their own in a harsh and unforgiving world. No man, on any account of strength could survive and live this dream, unless he was dishonest. Jurgis was an honest man, and so was his family of Lithuanians. Working harder every day for the same scraps of so many men. The work came, and only because Jurgis could prove his strength. 'Job' was the only word he really knew when coming to the stockyards, and so it was his nervous energy that made him get a job. Any discussion of The

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In the short story â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan, with the use of epiphany and turning points the reader is able to see the protagonist’s growth and change in personality throughout the story. The protagonist, Jing-Mei and her mother emigrated from China to the US, thus the family struggled in adapting to the new culture and lifestyle. Heavily influenced by the opportunities and hopes with a new life in US, Jing-Mei’s mother wanted Jing-Mei to become a prodigy like the other girls on television. Jing-Mei was determined and eager to prove to her mother she was a prodigy, and thereby had full confidence in herself. She believed â€Å"[her] mother and father would adore [her and she’d be] beyond reproach. † (pg4). As Jing-Mei’s mother quizzed Jing-Mei with countless questions and tests, Jing-Mei started getting frustrated by her mother’s disappointments and â€Å"something inside [her] began to die† (pg 5). But at the same time when she stood in front of the mirror â€Å"the girl staring back at [her] was angry, powerful. † (pg 5) and she saw â€Å"what seemed to be [a] prodigy inside of [her]† (pg 5). Jing-Mei’s mother then encouraged Jing-Mei to play piano and perform in a talent show. When Jing-Mei’s turn came, she was confident and thought â€Å"without a doubt, that the prodigy inside of [her] really did exist† (pg 7). However, as she started playing â€Å"[she] was surprised when [she] hit the first wrong note. And then hit another and another† (pg 7). In the end, Jing-Mei’s performance was nothing like she expected she â€Å"felt the shame of [her] mother and father as they sat stiffly through the rest of the show† (pg 7). After the talent show, Jing-Mei’s was devastated and decided she was never going to play piano anymore; she could never be the prodigy or daughter her mother wants her to be. As a consequence Jing-Mei starts to follow her own path, she â€Å"did not believe [that she] could be anything [she] wanted to be, [she] could only be [her]† (pg 9). She blamed most of her misery on her mother. This this significance change in attitude portrays profoundly how turning points in life alters a person’s perspective and persona. Short story â€Å"The Stolen Party† by Liliana Hecker similarly shows how turning points can change in the way a person view things and their initial personality. In â€Å"Stolen Party† the protagonist, Rosaura just like Jing-Mei had full confidence in herself. She believed she was invited to a party as a guest, she firmly declares â€Å"[she’s] been invited because Luciana is [her] friend† (pg 11). However, her mother, who is a maid for Luciana’s family warns Rosaura that Luciana â€Å"is not [her] friend† (pg 11) and that Rosaura is only recognized as the ‘maid’s daughter’. Her mother also advises Rosaura not to go the part because it’s a â€Å"rich people’s party† (pg 11). Rosaura disregards her mother and attends the party anyways. At the party, Rosaura is treated like a guest and asked to participate in the activities, she also received a delightful compliment from the magician. This made Rosaura proud and encouraged. When the party ended, Senora Ines were gaving out pink and blue bags to the the guests at the party. Roasaura expected Senora Ines to also hand her the goodie, but when it was her turn â€Å"Senora Ines didn't look in the pink bag. Nor did she look in the blue bag. Instead she rummaged in her purse. In her hand appeared two bills. † (pg 14). Rosaura has an epiphany, she realizes she wasn’t invited as a guest to the party, but rather as a servant to help out like a â€Å"[Senora Ines’] pet† (pg 14). Just like Jing-Mei, Rosaura’s perspective changes instantly. She suddenly understands what her mother has been trying to teach her and is now well aware of her position and social status, and so she â€Å"instinctively press herself against her mother’s body† (pg 14) for support. This shows the difference in her initial personality. In conclusion, in â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"The Stolen Party† the protagonist’s turning points and epiphanies play a significant role in the altering of their perspective and persona.

Egypt Unfinished Business

Egypt Unfinished Business Following a successive revolution in Tunisia where protesters forced the then president Ben Ali out of position, it seemed as what people called an Arab revolution. However, in perhaps the most unexpected development in the modern Egypt history, the Egyptians also decided to follow the road used by Tunisia to end the 29 years dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Egypt Unfinished Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On 25th January 2011, young protestors came to the streets in the wake to push Mubarak to announce his intention not to participate in the coming election and these protestors used the social media to organize a great number of people that culminated to the ever-larger nationwide protests (Sharp 2). On 28 January, thousands of protestors throughout the country were on the streets in what they called peaceful demonstrations where approximatly100, 000 protestors turne d up in Cairo alone (Sharp 2). After a few days, the government learnt the role of the media and internet during the protests and the magnitude of the protestors’ growth; they put limits all media including internet (Sharp 2). The government arrested Gael Ghonim, a young Google executive who created a Face book group Khaled, the main protestors’ social networking site (Sharp 10). The protests further continued until the resignation of Mubarak on February 11. However, the status in Egypt even after the resignation of Mubarak is not at rest. In the past few weeks there has been instability in Egypt as the citizens are not contempt with the army’s rule and the preparations for 28th November elections. In this paper, the focus is on the view and the role of the tactical media and the media activists in these protests. What do you think about tactical media and media activism in relation to Egypt protests? Rita Raley (1) describes tactical media as â€Å"interventio nal media art practices that engage and critique the dominant political and economic order.† The practitioners of this media engage in well crafted politics of disruption, intervention, and education. The tactical media practitioners use media away from the mainstream media. They spread information that is not in the mainstream news commonly referred as media activism (Rita 5). In addition, media activism involves the use of media and communication technology for social movement as well as the attempt to change media and communication policies (Rita 6).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tactical media and media activism featured highly during the Egypt protests. During the protest, it is evident through the attempts of the government to stem the media coverage of the protest. The recent protest is characterised by use of media activisms, which comes out throu gh the issues that caused the protests. As mentioned earlier the practitioners use political disruption. In this case, the protests are on the proposed principles of constitution, and the worry that the military would be shaped as a state within a state. In the January’s protests, the government blocked the internet access, traffic as well as SMS but this did very little. The protestors used mobile phones, social networks such as Face book, twitter and You tube to pas information, videos, images, and stories. They also used other web, third party apps, proxy websites, software, and VPN where this tactical media passed information that had little truth in Egypt and to rest of the world. Dotson A, 2011 in strategic social media J412 at the University of Oregon asserts that even long before the newscast reported of the protest in Egypt, people in New York new about it through social media and therefore social media played a great role during this protests. What Are The Roles Pla yed By Tactical Media And Media Activism In Egypt During Protests? The tactical media and media activism played a great role during the Egypt’s protests. First, the initial start of the protests started through the social media. People sent incitement information through the social media against the Mubarak’s rule and his failure to declare his stand not to participate in the next elections. Further, after the eruption of the protests the number grew larger due to communications through the social media. The protestors used mobile phones, Face book; You tube and twitter to pass information and this aggravated the situation in Cairo as well as in Egypt. This media was used to pass information from the ground that was more exaggerated in order to catch the attention of the World and therefore played a role in seeking sympathizers from other parts of the world. The media passed pictures and video of the inhuman acts by the riot police to the protestors, which called for t he nations like USA to intervene. The intervention of other nations to the situation in Egypt even made things worse as this media encouraged the protestors of the worldwide support. In addition, the use of social media gave the protestors the confidence to continue as it made them aware that they were not alone in this fight. They therefore, believed even if they suffer, they would not suffer alone. Thus, the media acted as a tool of encouragement.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Egypt Unfinished Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion Media and communication technology is of great importance to the world because it keeps the world in touch of the happenings as well as enlightening the people. Further, it used to unite the people for a common goal such as the fight against drug abuse, environmental conservation and HIV/AIDs control. However, it is dangerous if used for the long purpose as it causes a s table country to be ruined as for the case of Egypt. Rita , Raley. Tactical Media. New York. University of Minnesota. 2009. Print. Sharp, Jeremy. Egpyt: The January 25 Revolution and Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy, Washington DC, USA. Congressional Research Service. 2011. Print