Analysis Of A Modern China Family English Literature Essay

Analysis Of A Modern China Family English Literature Essay Pa Chins Family is a historical, semi-autobiographical narrative of the hardships endured by the members of an aristocratic family during the massive transformation in Chinese social and political order that took place during the early 20th century. The central conflict that is embodied in the novel is the inability of the individuals portrayed in the narrative to move past the often oppressive traditional social constructs that prevent them from moving forward in light of the new revolutionary paradigm that was sweeping the country. Three brothers, Chueh-hui, Chueh-min and Chueh-hsin, are the central figures in this narrative, and the struggle to balance the responsibilities imposed upon them by the traditional order and their desire for radical change defines the essential subject matter of the novel. These conflicting desires tear them apart and force them to either adapt or be left in the past. The work embodies the voice of a nation that was steeped in contradiction, and demonstrates throughout its passages strong underlying themes of societal disillusionment and unrest. By offering a unique insight into the most personal aspects of life during this tumultuous period of Chinese history, Family offers the historian a critical perspective on the psychological underpinnings of a society undergoing fundamental changes in structure. The increasingly pronounced dichotomy between old and new is critical to the understanding of the narrative in this story. This is represented at numerous avenues, but is revealed most blatantly in a sequence where Chueh-huis ponders upon his grandfathers sleeping body and through careful analysis comes to the realization that the old man ultimately represents not his grandfather, but an entire generation and that he himself was similarly the representative of his own generation. Reflecting further upon this observation leads him to the conclusion that they could never see eye-to-eye. (Chin 64). This conclusion is important, and foreshadows the inability of China to reconcile the two radically divergent world-views; there would be an ultimate clash between traditionalism and socialist progressivism that tears apart not only the country, but all the bonds that are held within. This antagonism between the old and the new similarly crosses historical lines, with historical texts demonstrating a fundamental disconnect between the traditional constructs that served as the guidance of Chinas actions on the world stage for generations and a powerful need for reform that threatened to sweep away these traditional systems. In Madame Sun Yat-Sens public address concerning the political left, she opens with the following: if China is to survive as an independent country in the modern struggle of nations, her semi- feudal conditions of life must be fundamentally changed and a modern state created to replace the medieval system which has existed for more than a thousand years. This task needs to be done by the method of revolution (Cheng Lestz 267). Statements such as these reflect a growing animosity towards traditional social constructs, in this instance painting them as medieval. This attitude is indicative of an unwillingness to compromise with the past in order to move forward it must be burned away to make room for the new. Critically, it must be recognized that the ultimate impetus of this rebellion was not reform for the sake of general development or even reform for the purpose of furthering China as a nation, but as a means to catch up with the West. Here we see a marked transformation; China is no longer the smirking, dominant nation who expects Western nations to cow-tow to the whim of the Emperor, but a third-rate nation with a collapsing political system that is forced to play catch-up to the burgeoning Western powers. A palpable sense of inferiority can be observed when reading political material originating from this period, permeating all layers of Chinese society. The New Life movement can be seen as an extension of this pathological national insecurity; it is an attempt to emulate the West. In Madame Chiangs address on the matter, she states that Each nation, according to its lights, has sought to find a way out of stagnation into normalcy. Italy has its fascism, Germany its Nazism and America its New Deal (Cheng Lestz 295). This can be interpreted as indicative of Chinas interests to pursue the developmental patterns of the West; in the psyche of the Chinese they can no longer carve their own path in history only hope to follow the path of the West without losing the essential Chinese spirit, which is largely based on Confucian values. This attempt to reconcile the past with the present parallels many of the hardships endured by the brothers in Family. An interesting aspect of the story is the employment of the third-person narrative in order to divulge the various characters in the story in a setting where there is clearly a great degree of confusion regarding social and moral normality. By nature of this form of narration, we are sometimes limited in the psychological motivations and inner feelings of many of the characters in the novel. This is an important plot device in some instances; we do not learn anything of Master Kaos innermost thoughts until just before his death, at which point he is revealed to be a man of a good nature who holds only the best intentions for his family. In the narrative, three promising young women are ultimately destroyed by the family: Ming-feng, Jui-cheuh and Mei. This serves not only as the reason for Cheui-huis decision to abandon his family and, by extension, the traditionalist teachings of Master Kao, but a statement of the way in which traditional Chinese society exploits women in such a manner as to deprive from them the will to live. Despite the seeming lack of regard for their welfare, loss of the women is felt acutely by all members of the family, considerably more so in comparison to Master Kao, where after his passing the major concern is the dividing of his wealth and assets (Chin 295-296). This belies the fact that there was little love for the harsh Master amongst these closest to him; the love is a fascade, like all things in the traditional life. The death of Jui-cheuh was especially hard on Cheuh-hui, who felt that the baby was an enemy who had taken his beloved, then went so far as to blame the entire social order and, by extension, his own conformity to the traditional order, for having made him so weak as to be unable to save the two women that he loved: What had taken his wife away was something else. It was the entire social system, with its moral code its superstitions. He had borne them for years while they stole his youth, his happiness, his future, the two women he had loved most In the world. They were too heavy a burden; he wanted to shake them off; he struggled (Chin 309). Throughout the novel we are confronted with a Cheuh-hui that is deeply troubled by his inner hatreds and insecurities; here it is manifested in a way that is blatant to the reader and presented in a way as to make the deep-seated societal dysfunction that is the underlying theme of the novel explicit in a dramatic fashion. In Family, the brothers are ultimately driven apart, with Cheuh-hui leaving in disgust of the events that had taken place, and unable to reconcile with the past. Similar changes had also taken hold of the other brothers, whom had turned against the family either in fact or in spirit with a deep chasm growing between the siblings with the elapse of time only narrowly being reconciled by last-minute efforts to make peace with one another. Examples of such attempts include Master Kaos assertions that Cheuh-hui was a good child (Chin 289) and Cheuh-hui promising Cheuh-hsin that not only would he write, but that they would surely see one another again in the future. It is a hopeful yet sad parting, with each of the brothers attempting to make good with one another in the recognition of the fact that they have all been forced to endure extreme hardship. Family is the biography of a China that cannot reconcile with itself through any means other than destruction of the old. As Cheuh-hui is forced to endure the loss of everything that he has cherished in his life in order to break free of the traditional order that has bound him to a life that is filled with sorrow and anger, China is also forced to contend with a similar situation . Change does not and cannot come as a compromise, such as Chiangs New Life movement, but as a radical communist insurrection that simply erases the past and sews the seeds of a new future. While some of his brothers may be more willing to accept the family even in the face of its inevitable destruction, Cheuh-hui embraces the uncertain future; he recognizes that he can only move forward if he does not look back.

Rohypnol Essay example -- essays research papers fc

ROHYPNOL By Jenet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rohypnol is a drug commonly known as the date rape drug. According to the article â€Å"Drug-Facilitated Date Rape,† by Erica Weir, Rohypnol is not a legal drug in the United States or Canada but it is legal in 62 countries in Europe, Africa, Latin American and the Middle East. It is one of the most commonly used sleeping pill or anti-anxiety drug (Benzodiazepine) in these countries. People can get Rohypnol by prescription. Its main function is to depress the central nervous system. Rohypnol is given t some patients before surgeries because it lowers blood pressure and that reduces bleeding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A pharmaceutical firm known as Hoffmann-La Roche in the 1970s first developed Rohypnol. It was sold first to Switzerland as a sleeping pill in 1975. It was known to have fewer side effects than barbiturates until some scientists did more studies on the drug and found out that it has many of the same harmful side effects as barbiturates. It was also found to be very dangerous. Abuse of Rohypnol began in the 1970s in Europe at parties. Then in the mid 1990s, high school and college students began abusing it in the U.S. They are using them at dance clubs and raves. U.S. banned Rohypnol in 19997. In an article called â€Å"Rohypnol: Profile of the â€Å"date-rape drug† by Dominick A. Labianca, it was stated that Rohypnol is not sanctioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a sedative hypnotic drug and is therefore neither produced nor marketed legally in the United States. People could face prison f caught with the drug. It also became illegal for peo ple to bring the drug as travelers into the U.S. for their personal use. Even though U.S. banned the drug, Rohypnol has become widespread throughout the U.S. because people struggle or mail the rug into the country and distribute it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rohypnol has many street names. Some are circles, forget me pill, la rocha, Mexican Valium, mind eraser, R-2, roofies, roche, and roaches. This drug is not very expensive and it can be easily found. According to the article called â€Å"Rohypnol, The Date Rape Drug,† by Richard H. Schwartz and Andrea B. Weaver, tablets wholesale for about $ 1.00 and retail for about $ 4.00-$5.00 each. High school and college students use it because they think that if it is legal in other countries then it must not b... ... when they passed out. Drugs are always going to be around but we need to keep on educating people and helping those who need help to quit their addiction. I have heard many abusers of drugs say that they want to quit but they do not know how or where to go to get the help that they need. We need more commercials on TV and more signs in schools so that people know where to go to get help or to remind them that what they are doing is harming them and others greatly. Bibliography Blachford, Stacey L. and Kristine Krapp, eds. Drugs, eds. Drugs and Controlled   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Substances: Information for Students. USA: Gale Group Inc., 2003. Dervarics, Charles. â€Å"Washington Update: New Bill Targets Date-Rape Drugs.† Black   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Issues in Higher Education. 13 (1996): 5 Labianca, Dominick A. â€Å"Rohypnol: Profile of the ‘Date-Rape Drug† Journal of Chemical   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education. 75 (1998): 719. Schwartz, Richard H. â€Å"Rohypnol, the Date Rape Drug.† Clinical Pediatrics. 37 (1998):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  321. Weir, Erica. â€Å"Drug-Facilitated Date Rape.† Candadian Medical Association. 165 (2001):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  80

The constitution 1850-1861

There were many causes for the separation of the union. Many people argue that the Constitution, which was a symbol of the national unity, contributed to its division. This is true in some ways, but it did not happen immediately. Many events, such as the passing of the Fugitive Slave and Kentucky-Nebraska Acts, gradually built up the tension between North and South, until the union collapsed. Even though the Compromise of 1850 was meant to solve the crisis, it only created more tension between the north and south.The main purposes of the compromise were to admit California into the union as a free state, and divide the Mexican Cession into two territories – Utah and New Mexico. The slavery issue in these states was do be decided by popular sovereignty. The compromise also proved for a Fugitive Slave Law, and banned the slave trade in the District of Columbia. The Fugitive Slave Law, which was part of the compromise, also caused a lot of controversy. The main purpose of the law was to allow the capture and return of slaves that escaped into the northern states back to their original owners.Special commissioners were authorized to arrest the escapees. Even if the captured person was a free black, they were still denied the right of a fair trial. Anyone who opposed the arrest of a slave was to be punished. The Southerners were not entirely favorable to the law, because they were forced to loose California. The North also reacted negatively to the enforcement of the new law. Many people like Ralph Waldo Emerson said that the Fugitive Slave Law was in a way contradictory to the Constitution itself. He said that it is considered a crime to enslave a man in Africa, while it is also â€Å"high crime and misdemeanor, punishable with fine and imprisonment, to resist the reenslaving a man on the coast of America† (Emerson).Another example of this would be the President James Buchanan's fourth annual message to congress. Buchanan did not want the southern sta tes to secede. However he did not want to use armed forces to stop them either. Buchanan argued that the Congress had no power to stop a state from withdrawing from the union. He said â€Å"that no such power has been delegated to congress† (Buchanan). The Kansas-Nebraska bill was another good example. The bill proposed that the Nebraska territory was to be divided into Kansas and Nebraska territories. The settlers would then decide whether slavery should be allowed. Southern slave owners favored this bill because it removed the boundaries set by the Missouri Compromise.The southerners were  in a way â€Å"forcing slavery down the throat of the freesoliers† in Kansas. The law outraged northern Democrats, and this created even more tension. Though not the only reason, disputes over the meaning of the Constitution played a big role leading up to the Civil War. What was once established to unite the nation now lead to its separation.

Free Essays on Dr Seuss

Hearing whos! and holding triple sling jiggers Dr. Seuss has captured the interest and hearts of countless children. But today, since your kindergarten years, have you read the books that entertained and taught you as a child? If so there is probably a little confusion. Not in the simple lyrical composure of his books, but in the themes. Some of these themes are not child oriented as you would think. Throughout Seuss’s 48 books, you find cynical and critical opinion of society and its progress. Dr. Seuss incorporates political, environmental, and cultural ideals into several stories that are passed as childhood easy readers to little children from parents. Such a thing could be thought as a form of childhood brain washing. Divine Right and Monarchy take an insult in the 1950 story â€Å"Yertle the Turtle†. Where a power crazed turtle who oversees the pond in Sala-ma-Sond wants his throne higher (Seuss, 2). So that he may see the entire world. Turtle upon turtle climbed each other’s back to raise the throne above the pond and high as the trees. As his throne becomes higher on the backs of his loyal turtle subjects he views the whole world and surroundings. But the flaw is that the turtle on the bottom is under so much pressure, and due to over extension, when this little turtle burps, the entire tower falls. The king who was the highest, falls the furthest, and into the mud. From that day forth he was considered the king of mud (Seuss, 1-28). On the point of over extension and power hungry rulers who must see everything and have it under their control, we view the monarchies and dictatorships of today and past. Governments where vanity and power disregard the needs of the people. In the p ursuit of self beautification peoples’ needs are ignored and power lust is the disease eating the empire. An empire once strong, now hurting for the sake of a king whom is not worried about those who support the kingdom. Furthermore a sinister v... Free Essays on Dr Seuss Free Essays on Dr Seuss Hearing whos! and holding triple sling jiggers Dr. Seuss has captured the interest and hearts of countless children. But today, since your kindergarten years, have you read the books that entertained and taught you as a child? If so there is probably a little confusion. Not in the simple lyrical composure of his books, but in the themes. Some of these themes are not child oriented as you would think. Throughout Seuss’s 48 books, you find cynical and critical opinion of society and its progress. Dr. Seuss incorporates political, environmental, and cultural ideals into several stories that are passed as childhood easy readers to little children from parents. Such a thing could be thought as a form of childhood brain washing. Divine Right and Monarchy take an insult in the 1950 story â€Å"Yertle the Turtle†. Where a power crazed turtle who oversees the pond in Sala-ma-Sond wants his throne higher (Seuss, 2). So that he may see the entire world. Turtle upon turtle climbed each other’s back to raise the throne above the pond and high as the trees. As his throne becomes higher on the backs of his loyal turtle subjects he views the whole world and surroundings. But the flaw is that the turtle on the bottom is under so much pressure, and due to over extension, when this little turtle burps, the entire tower falls. The king who was the highest, falls the furthest, and into the mud. From that day forth he was considered the king of mud (Seuss, 1-28). On the point of over extension and power hungry rulers who must see everything and have it under their control, we view the monarchies and dictatorships of today and past. Governments where vanity and power disregard the needs of the people. In the p ursuit of self beautification peoples’ needs are ignored and power lust is the disease eating the empire. An empire once strong, now hurting for the sake of a king whom is not worried about those who support the kingdom. Furthermore a sinister v...

Contractions

Contractions Contractions Contractions By Sharon The apostrophe is a possessive kind of punctuation mark, but its also used in another way. When we leave something out of a word or phrase, the apostrophe marks the place where it was left out. We use this in everyday speech without even thinking about it. Put another way, apostrophes are used to show contractions. Here are six types of contractions we use every day: Verbs where not is shortened: arent; cant; couldnt; dont; doesnt; hasnt; havent; isnt; wasnt; werent; wont; wouldnt Pronouns where will is shortened: Ill; youll; hell; shell; theyll. This is also used when speaking with names: Dougll be home soon Contractions of the verb to be: Im, youre; whos; hes; shes; its; were; theyre Contractions of the verb to have: Ive; hes; youve; theyve Contractions with would or had: Id; shed, hed; wed; youd; theyd Lets for let us Common Confusions There are four common cases where it is easy to get confused. Its has an apostrophe when it stands for it is; when it is possessive, the correct form is its Whos stands for who is or who has; the possessive is whose Youre stands for you are; the possessive is your Theyre stands for they are; the possessive is their Of course, we use the apostrophe for other contractions as well. If you have ever said: I shouldntve done that, then you already know how to use the apostrophe. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterDisappointed + PrepositionWords That Begin with Q

College Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

College Admission - Essay Example So at the ripe age of six, I began with what would become a life-long pursuit of trying to be the best soccer player I could be. I tried my luck at baseball one year but found it too unexciting and dry. I also tried a year of football in order to meet my father’s wish for me to become as good a football player as he was, but it just was not meant to be. Soccer, it was! And I remember the awkwardness of stumbling onto the field as a young child. But I persevered and showed up for every practice determined to be the best player I could be. My parents have been super supportive of my soccer career and have taken me to those ungodly 8 am games to sometimes traveling hours to play in a tournament. One can say we made it a family affair. After many years of playing for our local recreational league I decided to try out for my high school soccer team. I was pretty confident knowing I would make a great addition to the team. After all I have been playing soccer longer than most of my team mates trying out. However what I did not count on was my lack of preparation. I had spent most of summer that year at home playing a lot of video games and hanging out with friends while my friends were preparing for soccer tryouts. My Dad strongly encouraged me to join the cross country team so I would be conditioned and get in shape for tryouts but I ignored his advice. So there I was again, staring at the list. How could this have happened? In the words of Abraham Lincoln, â€Å"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure†. I can assure you that I was not content with my failure that day. Success for me is defined as preparation, commitment and motivation to achieve my goals. I hope to apply this valuable lesson to my college experience. I know there will be successes as well as a few failures but as long as I remember that there is always something to be learned by both. May be I will not

Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discussion Board - Essay Example r-related theft, internet fraud (in relation to credit card transaction and payment security), as well as operating the business in an environment where risky decision-making is kept to a minimum. To ensure minimal risk, the organization will implement a series of employee-targeted training seminars which will highlight the expectations of the company in relation to its policies on honesty and integrity, with a stern listing of potential disciplinary actions for failure to work in an ethical manner. For instance, these policies and procedures will be well-documented within an employee handbook, which will be distributed to each and every new hire at OASOGB. The costs of producing this handbook are minimal, however the gains received by protecting the organization from theft, or lawsuits pending due to employee grievances for unfair labor policies, will completely satisfy the companys legal obligations to generate policies which clearly define the firms stand on employee integrity. Further associated with risk management will be the companys firm recognition of the competitive environment in which Old American Special Occasion Gift Baskets will attempt to thrive. Having previously identified (in the letter to the investor) that the organization will be undertaking a significant marketing initiative, the organization will conduct a thorough SWOT analysis to identify a series of potential strengths and opportunities available to the start-up firm, while also illustrating potential competitor threats and company-related weaknesses needing additional leadership attention. For instance, in order to maintain a competitive edge, OASOGB must be routinely aware of the marketing activities of other competitive entities and attempt to combat any marketing which appears to be taking our local market share away from OASOGB. This will involve the creation of a marketing analysis division at the company, which will consist of a small team of professionals who are actively