A Letter to Boethius

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Andrew Bannor

A Letter To Boethius

Where do I begin my friend? I have read your work, "The Consolation of

Philosophy", and by my own accord, along with the overwhelming opinion of others I

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have spoken with, I write to inquire and clarify a point that was made during your

conversation in the fifth book of your work. In this book you focus firstly, and I believe

all too briefly on the subject of chance; accepting Lady Philosophy's astute definition of

chance, "an event produced by random motion without any casual nexus" page 116, you

then allow her to move into her explanation of chance and it's non-existence. The rest of

this final book, and indeed the majority of book V itself, is then concentrated on the

argument between man's free will and God's supreme foreknowledge, concerning how

they interact and co-exist, if indeed that is the case.

You both speak in terms of Providence, "…God has set up a plan for the

multitude of events. When this plan is thought of as in the purity of God's understanding,

it is called Providence.", page 104, and how it differs from Fate in the respect just

mentioned surrounding God's "pure understanding". It is within Providence, along side

the classifications Lady Philosophy makes regarding levels of knowledge, page 10,

and the explanations thereof that I see a hole, as it were, in this particular logical

argument she makes.

In more then one instance our kind Lady presents open doors to the opposition of

her own reason. In these instances I determined an argument for the existence of Chance,

and by it's existence then thus explaining the presence of God's Providence and supreme

foreknowledge coupled with mankind's free-will and ability to make choices.

As I read, I deduced that you had in fact made up your mind about chance before

you even had the need to inquire of Our Lady concerning its existence. Throughout the

"Consolation", you had referred to known things that either exist or have had a

personification attributed to them, Fortune comes to mind as an example as well as

Providence, by capitalizing them as proper nouns and speaking of them as people.

However once you came across the theme of chance, you neglected to do either of these

things, and this tells me you were already set in your belief of chance's absence in the

world and the workings of both God and men. With the combination of these next few

points I will begin to show you the reason behind my thinking, and explain why Chance

does exist.

On page 16, Our Lady lays out the dividers between depths and types of

knowledge, when addressing man's free-will. From least to greatest; sense-perception,

imagination, and reason and intelligence, are the groups there listed. Quite simply the

meanings of these types of knowledge are self-explanatory. Sense-perception allows

information to be gathered through the senses, even the most basic creature have this

ability. Imagination takes sense perception a step further and allows basic animal

instincts concerning the sense perception, such as, something sharp would hurt if one

touched it. Here we come to the most easily debated grouping of two depths of attaining

knowledge; reason and intelligence and the difference between the two. As far as the

definition of either of these goes I have simplified them to this; reason is the ability to

know everything but the grand 'Why?', and intelligence is the addition of that knowledge

to reason.

With this basic framework in place, I have chosen to look at two points Our

Lady makes one supporting the other in its conviction and both supporting the apparent

existence of Chance. "Reason belongs only to the human race, just as intelligence

belongs only to divinity", quoth Lady Philosophy on page 10. This is not to say that

reason does not belong to divinity, because reason is a component of intelligence, but to

say that no other creature on earth can rise to the level of knowledge defined by that

which is reason. However this passage does indicate that intelligence is not for man, and

only his Creator, and by prior definition of intelligence I conclude that man cannot

possibly comprehend the Lord's grand Providence, or God's great 'Why?'.

Our Lady previously said something exactly to just this extent on page 17.

"The point of greatest importance here is this the superior manner of knowledge includes

the inferior, but it is quite impossible for the inferior to rise to the superior." This

statement is further evidence to my conviction, and she continues to say even more about

man's state in comparison to God's that finalize my argument in this respect. "…But

intelligence as though looking down from above, first perceives form and then

distinguishes all things that are under it, but in such a way that it comprehends the form

itself which could not be known to any other." Upon interpretation and examination of

this passage I made the connection between man's perspective of not only himself but the

universe, and God's infinite perspective over all things. Man as part of God's creation

cannot step aside or step back and look 'down' on the grand picture, but God can. Think

of this in terms of a mirror, even as we would stand in front of one, and even if we are

surrounded on all sides by them, we can only view part of our bodies at one time, due to

our the way in which we were created. However, because of the separation of reason and

intelligence when concerning man and God, I also believe that this limited perspective

applies to not only physical abilities but mental capabilities as well.

Follow my argument here friend, and see if I have gone awry. If it is true, and

there has been no evidence otherwise, that man cannot fully understand God's supreme

plan, and only divinity is one with 'intelligence', then is not every seemingly logical,

reasonable, and rational move we make as men indeed Chance? As part of God's picture

and within the bounds of that picture everything we do has both rhyme and reason for

ourselves as far as motive. However, in the grand scheme we know not of what God's

final Providence is, or in fact the truest reason why we have made our actions. Our Lady,

on page 117, used a story of buried gold as an example of chance and how neither the

man who buried it, nor the man who unexpectedly discovered it while tilling his field,

knew of the other's actions. Drawing from this example, it would be safe to say the man

who discovered the gold would count this as a stroke of serendipity, where as the man

who buried it would view it as bad Fortune. However once the discussion turns as to why

God let the man in the field find the other man's gold we are at a loss. Because even as

the smallest stone cast into the ocean can be the beginning of a massive title wave, such is

any one event to what could be in God's Providence. Perhaps this man was in debt, and

badly needed this money to buy his freedom, or perhaps this is part of a much greater

scale. What if this man, being a Godly and generous man, gave the gold to someone more

needy then himself, as only God knew he would? What if that person in turn used it to

feed his children which he would not have been able to do otherwise , one of whom

would arise later in life to be a great and noble king? How could have the man who first

found the gold have possibly known his generosity would give rise to a king, and by

God's plan he was able to give more then what would have normally been possible?

I tell you he could not. And thus, though in everyday occurrence we logically and

reasonably act and move in a way that would promote rational thought, we being inside

of God's Providence cannot comprehend what the final destination of His work will be,

and so what other term then Chance can be used to describe our actions. It is only to God

that some seemingly unconnected events that occur are made sense of in His plan. We

dare not question, we dare not ponder exactly why such things happen, whether it be

from your suffering, to unexpected virtue that befall the wicked, because Chance is all we

can call it while God will call it Providence.

Your friend in Thought,

Andrewthius.

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Gulliver's travels

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Lemuel Gulliver The narrator and protagonist of the story, who seems to be insane to the plain eye because of his vivid descriptions of his travels.

James Bates A British surgeon who takes Gulliver to be his apprentice after graduating from Cambridge.

Mary Burton Gulliver Gulliver's wife, whom he pays no attention and shows no emotional attachment to her, even when he returns from his travels.

Don Pedro de Mendez A Portuguese captain who drags Gulliver back to Europe after being booted from the land of the Houyhnhnms.

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Abraham Pannell The commander or captain of the ship on which Gulliver first sails, the Swallow. (The ship that sunk and stranded him with the Lilliputians.)

The Emperor the ruler of Lilliput, fewer than six inches tall, but never fails to impress Gulliver with his comedian but sinister ways.

Lilliput (Setting #1) This is the first place that Gulliver stumbled upon, that includes the Lilliputians who discovered him and tied him down with tiny strings, only to later discover his potential as a weapon in war and later decipher his death for urinating on the queen.

Brobdingnag (Setting #) His second destination, roughly two months after Lilliput, he lands in the land of the giants. Gulliver was very frightened by all the large animals and people, but is captured by a farmer and used purely for entertainment. Later, an eagle picks up his cage and drops him into the sea.

Laputa (Setting #) Gulliver winds up there after being attacked by pirates, ends up in Laputa, where a floating island inhabited by theoreticians and academics oppresses the land below, named Balnibarbi.

Plot Outline

Gullivers Travels tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver, an Englishman trained as a surgeon who sets sail when his business takes a downward plunge. The first-person narrative that shows no sign of self-reflection or any emotional response, Gulliver tells the adventures that he encounters on these travels.

Gullivers adventure in Lilliput begins when he wakes up after his shipwreck to find himself tied down by tiny threads and talked about by the Lilliputian captors who are in total awe of him but protective of the kingdom. They don't think twice about using violence towards Gulliver, though their arrows are no more than little pinpricks. They are friendly, risking famine in their land by feeding Gulliver, who consumes more food than a thousand Lilliputians combined. Gulliver is taken into the city by a huge wagon the Lilliputians have specially built. He is taken to the emperor, who is entertained by Gulliver, just as Gulliver adores the attention of royalty. Eventually Gulliver becomes a resource, used by the army in its war against the people of Blefuscu, whom the Lilliputians hate for differences concerning the right way to crack eggs. But things change when Gulliver is convicted of putting out a fire in the royal palace with his urine, and he is condemned to be shot in the eyes with poisoned arrows. The emperor eventually lets him go and he goes to Blefuscu, where he is able to repair a raft he finds and finally set sail to go back to England.

After staying in England with his wife and family for two months, Gulliver sets off on his next sea voyage, which takes him to the land of giants called Brobdingnag. A farmer discovers him and treats him as an animal, keeping him for amusement and entertainment. The farmer eventually sells Gulliver to the queen, who makes him a diversion and is entertained by his musical talents. Social life is easy for Gulliver after his discovery by the court, but not particularly enjoyable. Gulliver is often disgusted by the Brobdingnagians, whose ordinary flaws are many times magnified because of their huge size. He is uneasy by the ignorance of the people here, especially when even the king knows nothing about politics. More unsettling findings on Brobdingnag come in the form of various animals that endanger his life. Even Brobdingnagian insects leave slimy trails on his food that make eating difficult. On a trip to the frontier, accompanying the royal couple, Gulliver leaves Brobdingnag when his cage is picked up by an eagle and dropped into the ocean.

Next, Gulliver sets sail again and, after an attack by pirates, ends up in Laputa, where a floating island inhabited by theoreticians and academicians oppresses the land below, called Balnibarbi. The research done in Laputa and in Balnibarbi is totally impractical. Taking a short trip to Glubbdubdrib, Gulliver is able to witness the conjuring up of figures from history, such as Julius Caesar and other military leaders. He finds them much less impressive than in books. When visiting the Luggnaggians and the Struldbrugs, the latter of which are immortals who prove that age does not bring wisdom, he is able to sail from Japan back to England.

On his fourth journey, Gulliver sets out as captain of the ship, but after the mutiny of his crew and a long confinement in his cabin, he arrives in another unknown land. This land is populated by Houyhnhnms, horses who rule the land, and by Yahoos, brutish humanlike creatures who serve the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver sets about learning their language, and when he can speak the language well enough he narrates his voyages to them and explains the constitution of England. He is treated with courtesy and kindness by the horses and is enlightened by his many conversations with them and by his exposure to their noble culture. He wants to stay with the Houyhnhnms, but his bared body reveals to the horses that he is very much like a Yahoo, and therefore he is banned. Gulliver is grief stricken but of course agrees to leave. He fashions a canoe and makes his way to a nearby island, where a Portuguese ship captain who treats him well picks him up. Gulliver then concludes his narrative with a claim that the lands he has visited belong by rights to England, as her colonies, even though he questions the whole idea of colonialism.

Lilliputians (Symbol #1) They symbolize humankind's excessive pride in its own small existence. Jonathan Swift fully intends the insincerity of representing the tiniest race existing by Gulliver as by far the most arrogant and self-righteous, both collectively and individually. There is surely no character more obnoxious in all of Gulliver's travels than the lethal Skyresh. There is more backstabbing and conspiracy in Lilliput than anywhere else, and more of the pettiness of small minds that see themselves to be grand. All in all, the Lilliputians symbolize misplaced human pride, and point out Gulliver's inability to diagnose it correctly.

England (Symbol #) As the site of his father's disappointingly small estate and Gulliver's failing business, England seems to symbolize insufficiency or failure, at least in the financial sense that by the way matters most to Gulliver. England is where Gulliver's wife and family live, but they are hardly mentioned. Yet the author chooses to have Gulliver return home after each of his four journeys instead of just having him continue on one long trip to four different places, so that England is kept constantly in the picture and given an unspoken importance.

Style Jonathan Swift's style relies heavily on his vocabulary to describe the many places to his audience. He also likes to bring the idea of fantasies and imagination into his work. He uses tools such as clothing, size of individual, and continuous distress to display his themes.

Themes The symbol of might vs. right occurs. It continuously poses the question of whether physical power or moral righteousness should be the governing factor in social life. Gulliver experiences both might and right as he travels to different places and the tables are always turning.

Quotations

1. "He said, he knew no Reason, why those who entertain Opinions prejudicial to the Public, should be obliged to change, or should not be obliged to conceal them. And, as it was Tyranny in any Government to require the first, so it was Weakness not to enforce the second." Gulliver

. "My little Friend Grildrig. . . . I cannot but conclude the Bulk of your Natives, to be the most pernicious Race of little odious Vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth." Gulliver

. "My Father had a small Estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the Third of five Sons. . . . I was bound Apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent Surgeon in London … my Father now and then sending me small Sums of Money. . . . When I left Mr. Bates, I went down to my Father; where, by the Assistance of him and my Uncle John . . . I got Forty Pounds, and a Promise of Thirty Pounds a Year." Gulliver

4. "They go on Shore to rob and plunder; they see an harmless People, are entertained with Kindness, they give the Country a new Name, they take formal Possession of it for the King, they set up a rotten Plank or a Stone for a Memorial, they murder two or three Dozen of the Natives, bring away a Couple more by Force for a Sample, return home, and get their Pardon. Here commences a New Dominion acquired with a Title by Divine Right . . . the Earth reeking with the Blood of its Inhabitants." -Gulliver

Swift, Jonathan. Gullivers Travels. New York Barnes & Noble, Inc., 00.

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How is the notion of 'Retreating from the global' explored in the movie 'The Castle'?

If you order your research paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on How is the notion of 'Retreating from the global' explored in the movie 'The Castle'?. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality How is the notion of 'Retreating from the global' explored in the movie 'The Castle'? paper right on time.

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The Castle directed by Rob Sitch (17)

In a local community, north of Melbourne, residents struggle to retain their homes with the ever-increasing pressure of globalisation and economic rationalism.

Globalisation looms in the form of the airport and the need to extend to make way for bigger, longer and more runways to stay abreast of increasing economic demands of the global marketplace, eventuating in the compulsory acquisition of private property.

The Castle highlights the repercussions of globalisation on family life and the local, but also upon the residents of the community both collectively and as individuals. We find that globalisation threatened to integrate people into a global community. This would have seen to the erosion of their traditions and principles to one global culture, which in effect would mean the community's loss of identity.

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Through a strong sense of community and history/tradition, ignorance of the global force, idealised notions of 'normalcy', links to 'the house' and 'the land' and family values, the Kerrigan family were able to retain their 'local' ideals, and thus retreat from the global.

The strong Australian spirit of mateship and barracking for the underdog, come across as major themes, as the Kerrigans and their neighbours come together unwilling to accept the changes and vacate their properties (and as such are resisting global change). Consequently, a real sense of community is expressed throughout the story.

The first dose was administered when Farouk came knocking on the door on the morn that Darryl (Kerrigan) and the residents of Coolaroo were served notice that their houses were to be compulsorily acquired to allow for the extension of the airport to which they lived adjacent. Darryl answered the door and was confronted with Farouk's plea to read the letter which he did not understand "read this to me?", acceptingly, he does so. Again, the sense of community is expressed when we find Darryl's concern for others outweigh his concern for himself and he disappears to check on his elderly neighbour Jack. The strength of the bond is made blatant later when Darryl offers to pay for Jack's share in legal expenses and furthermore to take him in, in the event that they should have to move. Through this, we see that Coolaroo is a very close knit community where everyone knows each other. This is given emphasis in the later gate stealing incident, where we find that Sergeant Mick knows Darryl and breathes warning to him about his actions instead of charging him and even suggesting he "put them round the back".

We find that people in such a community, tend to stick together and stick to the people they know such as Dennis Denuto. Dennis is a small time conveyancing lawyer who knows little about litigation and is clueless in the realm of Constitutional Law. Despite this, Darryl seeks his help in his dilemma, constantly bringing light to his previous battle with Wayne (the oldest of the Kerrigan sons) and supposedly winning in getting 'only' fifteen years and of course "trying his best".

Family values are clearly manifested throughout the story. First, early in Dale's narration where he states that "Dad's the backbone in this family. And if Dad's the backbone, then Mum's all the other bones". As the story unfolds, we see the importance of Darryl's role as the head of this close knit family of honest battlers and maintaining principle in the household (such as, the rule for the television to be turned down whilst eating). He is found to be a simple optimist and philosopher who is constantly full of praise and makes everyone in the family feel important and worthwhile.

Along the way the Kerrigans visit their favourite holiday spot 'Bonnie Doon', which turns out to be a stark landscape with a lake in the middle with high voltage power lines running across it. The whole family comes along, including Tracey's new husband Con, which acts to re-emphasize the loving bond and unity within the family in spite of adversity (i.e. Wayne in jail and the fight for the house).

A quality that cannot overlooked of the Kerrigan family, is their sense of history and tradition. The most obvious portrayal of this, is Darryl's prized 'Pool Room', which contains a collection of everything of significance to him over time, from photographs to beer mugs and the kids' childhood crafts to Trace's Sunshine TAFE diploma in hairdressing. It also emphasised more subtly in the importance of events such as 'Fathers' Day' and the traditional family viewing of 'Hey Hey it's Saturday' which comes second only to 'The Best of Hey, Hey it's Saturday'.

There are constant links to 'the house' and 'the land'. For the Kerrigans, their quarter acre block is much "more than just a house, it is a home". Their family home is full of memories and rich in resonant echoes of their past and emotional ties that no amount of money or compensation can replace. It is this belief that breathes life into the philosophy that 'a mans home is his castle and more important than "a driveway".

With the unfinished extensions, the house proves to be a constant project, and boasts many 'improvements' such as the fake chimney and plastic veranda ornament which Darryl believes "adds a little Victoriana charm". The children's old cubbyhouse-proposed-granny-flat-turned-dog-house also shows that Darryl is very resourceful.

Bonnie Doon is also seen to have a 'sacred link', the house built with their own hands, with the use of a kit home that "idea's man" Steve bought over the Trading Post.

It is needless to say that the Kerrigans are quite ignorant of the Global force, which is revealed in their incorrect real estate values. Their home adjoins a runway of a main airport which Darryl believes will be useful in the event that the family may choose to travel, and sits beneath high voltage powerlines which he believes are a "constant reminder of man's ability to create electricity". This is further expressed in the deluded comment that "the house is nearly worth as much as when we bought it".

Really, they seem to have an obscure sense of monetary value. Darryl constantly remarks "you could sell that" to all of Sal's tacky crafts, and when the valuer visits the Kerrigan house, they were very welcoming and Darryl took the liberty in showing him around the house, pointing out such things that would ordinarily lower the value of the property in the belief that they would add to its value.

The Kerrigan family have an idealised notion of 'normalcy', finding pleasure in digging holes and even more so in digging holes and filling them with water. Steve's life revolves around the Trading Post. Darryl prides in his son's little gadgets and inventions, dubbing him the 'ideas man'. They deem Wayne's 15 year jail sentence for armed robbery 'normal' and admire Trace's intelligence, being "the only one in the Kerrigan family to receive a tertiary education" in having a diploma in hairdressing at Sunshine TAFE.

Globalisation is the notion of universal truths, in that they are held simultaneously as local and worldwide (global) truths; provided by the erosion of traditional boundaries and borders catalysed by the globalisation of communications. As time and distance are collapsed into the immediate and local, knowledge can be seen as at once global and local, freed from but still limited by the laws of time.

The global force poses a threat on the local by internal and/or external means. In the case of The Castle, the local was threatened on both levels. Internally, the main threat was the concept of change. The world must and can only move forward. Although, the family's values are very much grounded in the local sense, they desire success. This is made clear in the eventual expansion of Darryl's tow truck business; here, we see the family taking a step 'forward'. This concept is also seen similarly in the case of lawyer Dennis Denuto who also desires success. Ultimately, he leaves his small office, buys himself a photocopying machine (that never breaks down), a BMW convertible and places a golden plaque at the entrance of his office, inscribed with the words 'as seen on TV'. (To a small extent) Councils, commercial enterprise and the government play key roles as external threats to the local. These forces are presented in the form the air link consortium, who wishes to expand the airport so that more goods can come into the country.

The global force is very much directed by the powerful corporate and governmental sectors, which dictate and influence much of our lives. However, as shown by the Kerrigan family, by maintaining certain aspects of the 'local' community, one is able to retain their 'local' ideals and thus retreat from the global.Please note that this sample paper on How is the notion of 'Retreating from the global' explored in the movie 'The Castle'? is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on How is the notion of 'Retreating from the global' explored in the movie 'The Castle'?, we are here to assist you. Your persuasive essay on How is the notion of 'Retreating from the global' explored in the movie 'The Castle'? will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.

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How has sociology enhanced our understanding of Mental Illness?

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How has sociology enhanced our understanding of Mental Illness?

Sociology has had many effects on medicine over recent years. Medicine historically was seen as being down to scientific knowledge and that illness was caused by certain bodily problems. In regards to mental health, for many years it was treated as illness that was due to personality of the individual. Sociology helped to show that mental illness is not down to the individual's mental state entirely but can be affected by the social surroundings. On this basis it ruled out, many of the traditional views that up until than had been based around the biomedical model. Sociology has also enabled us to look into the reasons why mental illness occurs and means available for the treatment of the illness. This essay will look at theses three areas and try and show in what way sociology has given a better understanding of them today.

Doctors have drawn up the Bio-medical model and it is the model that all western medicine is based on. The five assumptions that it centres around have in recent time been subject to much scepticism and criticism. It is clear to most sociologists that the model is not representative of all modern illness and therefore it lacks and that it is a very narrow approach to all kinds of illness be it physical or mental. The model fails to take into account much of what surrounds mental health problems. By using the model to categorise all health issues it means that mental health has to be put under one of the five assumptions and is therefore treated accordingly. It fails to take into account what it is that might cause mental deterioration. Also much of the model is based on old stereotypical ideal, which have come under scrutiny from feminist who argue that the model takes away much of the traditional roles particularly in childbirth which was taken in as a medical condition thus changing the way in which undertaken. By using the basis of the bio-model many mental illness have been placed under the umbrella of a clinical illness and so therefore enabling them to be treated under a medial condition. As Tyrer and Steinberg say ' in a model making era there can be a risk to identify clinical entities prematurely and this may lead a person into difficulties' . This is the case with the bio-medical when it comes to mental illness. The bio-medical model scientific basis can claim superiority over alternative forms of healing. Because of the scientific basis of the model it can push out other traditional or modern form of treatment. The can relate directly to they way in which the patient is treated in regard to their illness. If the person is treated for a mental illness that a doctor has diagnosed according to the symptoms and treats using drugs and as a mental illness then they are using the medical model. If the doctor looks a t the surroundings of the individual and tries to see what has caused this mental imbalance then that is a total different approach. This is what sociology has done to show what the inadequacies are caused by the bio-medical model. It has looked beyond the lines with which diagnosis reached and looked for other symptoms in a persons life that could have caused the problem 'as the bulk of 'mental illness' has no proven bodily cause.' So by saying that there is no biological explanation for many mental illnesses then it does not seem that should be treated as if they fitted into the model.

Over history mental illness has been stereotyped to mean certain things. Going along way back it was said to have been a singe of the devil and other supernatural possessions and was stigmatised against due to this. Only until fairly recently has some of this stigma been taken away. Women have always statistically been more prone to mental related illness. This gendered view was seen due to people believing that women were weaker than men. In Freud's study in 1885 on psychoanalysis in Paris this is clear. He believed that this only affected women so all his research was done using female patients and so the results were entirely one sided. Sociology has opened up a new side into the study of the causes of mental illness. It has looked into the social reasons behind it. There are many social reasons why someone might suffer from mental illnesses. People now recognise that it can be caused through the direct result of other actions such as child abuse, divorce, motherhood and financial stress. All these circumstances and more can result in the mental illness of some kind. Economic pressures are a common cause of several illnesses namely schizophrenia that had much higher occurrences in poorer areas, this study was done in Chicago in the 10's. There are several reasons for illness being more common in poorer areas, one being the 'drift' affect which is loss of earning through poor health which results in the health deterioration more as there is no financial support. And those in higher have a better standard of living so are less likely to be faced with the same kind of social stress. Pilgrim and Rogers say that there is definite correlation between the two 'it can be demonstrated unequivocally that social stress is correlated with social class.' This is related to Marist critique of the bio-medical model as it a direct consequence of capitalism that a class in more susceptible to contract illness through a direct result of their economic status. Also they think that the medical profession is run by the educated upper class whose interest it is to keep the lower classes happy as they make up the workforce needed for the growth of the economy.

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Sociology has helped change many of the ideas surrounding the treatment and the cure of the problem of mental illness. Prevention is better then cure so it more worthwhile for health agencies to try and prevent the increase in the number of people who suffer. This is very hard in the case of mental illness as is it often near impossible to predict in a person. Social welfare in areas of poverty to give people support when going through problems can try and catch the problem before it develops into a full-grown mental illness. There have been some efforts made by the medical profession to try and prevent illnesses in general including mental health by setting up health promotion clinics around areas that are prone to certain types of illness. Recently we have seen the decrease in the believe that hospitals and technological medicine and the rise in the primary health care due to the medical profession basing much of their finding on technology and the bio-model and also in biographical and holistic medicine. In recent times there has been an increase in the number of patients that have been diagnosed with a mental illness and not the other way round as you might expect with the advances made in medical knowledge. This may not be due to the more cases but the fact that more people are willing to accept that they suffer from a mental illness and will approach their doctor more openly especially in men. So statistically there might not be singe that strategies for cure and prevention don't show a decrees.

Sociology has played a key role in the development into the study of mental health it clearly shows that there is a problem with the bio-model in regarded to the treatment of mental health and due to it has been phased out over the years no longer be at the forefront of modern medicine when it comes to these problems. It s inadequacy to be flexible to patients that do not fit within its five 'assumptions' are the reason for this. Likewise is the causation of the mental illness. Only as recently as two hundred years ago people believed that women had smaller brains than men and it was due to this that were susceptible to contract mental conditions. Women have been particularly affected through history by mental illness due to gendered approach that was made towards medicine in particular this area. This gendered view and the fact that more men are suffering from mental illnesses now than ever shows the shift in these believes. Sociology has helped bring this understanding about that it is caused as much by social surrounding and situation as anything. And finally the strategies that have been used to cure, care and prevent these illnesses are based around these findings so cure is shifting towards the social environment rather than the drugs being given. This makes treatment for ill patients far more relaxing and easer to get through than being put in a institution and left there until they are deemed better by doctors. And without this study into the illnesses by sociologist and other social sciences the medical profession might not have made the step forward in the treatment for mentally ill patients.

Bibliography

Tyrer, P & Steinberg, D rd Ed (1) Models for Mental Disorder J Wiley & Sons

Pilgrim, D & Rogers, A (1) A Sociology of Mental Health Illness Open University Press

Nettleton, S (001) The Sociology of Health & Illness Polity

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Smeagel

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just asking her did she know your next class. Then she said 'Well why don't you call her and find out? Here's the number. She won't mind you calling.' She was very adamant about me calling you so I thought I would give it a try."

I looked at my mother. She laughed, shook her head, and jokingly proclaimed, "I present Erin Queen of all Queens. The heart thief with just one glance without a word spoken." I laughed too.

Anthony said, "Why are you laughing?" He sounded real nervous so.

"Oh I was just thinking about how much Ty wants me to get a boyfriend. She is always giving out my number."

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"Ok. I got a little nervous when you laughed. I thought it was something I said. But anyway how are you doing?"

" I am fine. Enough small talk," I decided to stir some things up a little. "I am going to cut to the chase. Are you calling me because you want a relationship, because you want to be my friend, or because you think you have a chance to get in my drawers?"

"I-I don't know. I mean friends and then from there we can see where it leads. You seem nice and real easy on the eyes but that doesn't mean you are girlfriend material. Anyone can bare the title of boyfriend and girlfriend but that doesn't mean relationship wise they are."

"Oh really? That's a pretty damn good answer. Ok then we can talk and then we will see where it leads."

Anthony and I talked for about four hours about our lives, things we like to do and what not. At the end of the conversation he told me he wanted me to be his girlfriend but only when I am ready to be and not just 'cause he was asking.

"Ok. I will think about it," I said.

"Whenever your rea-"

"Ok I'll be your girlfriend but for now and only for a little while we keep it to ourselves. I don't need any drama."

"I was thinking the same exact thing."

"Well I guess I will see you tomorrow Anthony."

"I guess I will Erin Deijhanique Bell."

I laughed, "Bye…pumpkin."

He laughed even harder, "Ok my little pop tart."

We both laughed for about two minutes straight and really said goodbye but of course with a few chuckles.

I felt pretty good after the phone conversation. I rarely went out or dated anyone but something about Anthony intrigued me. I mean he has all the qualities. He meets all of my first priority standards. So I was feeling pretty sure of myself. After writing a song for about five minutes I went to bed with Anthony on my mind.

A few weeks has gone by since I have talked to my sperm donor. He usually would've called by now. Maybe I really got through to him this time. Then again he just may be out with the next broad wasting his life away.

Well, as for Anthony and I we kept it secret for about three weeks and a few days, then it started spreading that we liked each other and then it went to someone spotting us at the movies holding hands. I finally told Anthony we need to tell our closest, and most dearest loud mouth friends we had so they could spread the news. Well of course you know who I told, Ty. I made sure to through in that little extra "…. And don't tell anyone. Keep it on the low." That gets her every time. She was so excited and what not. Saying she couldn't believe that I didn't tell her and that we kept it hush for so long blah, blah. I told Drea the second day we were going together but she didn't tell a soul and never mentioned it around Ty. To keep the air clear I gave her the heads up and told her to be prepared to have Ty call her and tell her about Anthony and me. Of course Drea would act surprised and get all excited with Ty.

School was great, life was great I didn't have a care in the world. That is until October th. It was a Friday and some close friends, Anthony and I were all over at my house watching some scary movie marathons on TV the day before Halloween. We are all eating popcorn, playing games, and reminiscing when the doorbell rang. I got up to answer the door and Anthony grabbed my hand, "Who is that?"

"I don't know. Want to come with me?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

I opened the door and guess who it was? It was my sperm donor himself. Out of all the times I had seen him pop up he never looked like this. Something wasn't right I could feel it. Anthony squeezed my hand letting me know he felt the same way. He finally looks up at me and then at Anthony. He opens his mouth real slow. "Hey sweetie, Erin….." he whispered and trailed off with the rest of his words.

I let him in the house. He didn't want to sit down so he stood shifting from foot to foot. Anthony still holding my hand firmly broke the silence. "Hello sir. I am Anthony."

"Yeah that's nice. What? You her nigga or somethin?" my father said with a new raspy voice. A raspy like he had been crying.

Anthony looked at me and then at him and before he could say a word I asked, "What do you want with us now? Is it money? Cause we aint got none."

"Naw I am over here to talk to you." He stated coyly

"About?"

"I am sorry Erin for being a punk ass father to you baby. I never meant to hurt you. I just wasn't ready and wasn't man enough to step it up," he reaches in his coat and pulls out a gun and points it to his head. "I guess I will never be man enough. All these broads and females I dun run in and out of didn't mean a damn thing. No matter how bad I did them I just moved on. With your mother it's different. I could never just leave her alone. Never could just keep on moving."

I finally said, "What are going to do with the gun?"

"I am going to do what I need to. Before I do anything I want to finish talking to you. Please don't cut me off again." He was serious and while talking using hand expressions with the gun in his hand. Waving it around like a flag on the fourth of July. After endless rambling he finally proclaimed, "Erin I wish I could a been more to you than I am or ever was. I will never be a real man. I really do love you. You're my baby girl, sweetie. Now I may not go to heaven but I will be going where I need to be. I love you and don't let anyone tell

you that you cant do or be anything. When you have my grandbaby by this young man here you teach him who he is. Don't let him be like your dad. Tell your mother that she was truly and forever will be my heart. I love you both."

Bam! Over just like that. I watched it in full action. For me it was in complete slow motion. He said, "I love you both," and pulled the trigger. I saw him slowly pull the trigger. Watched the bullet lodge into his temple and splatter blood like a rock hitting water. Watched his already lifeless eyes go blank. Go blank as if the went white. His hand went down, body went limp, and his lifeless body dropped to the floor. I was crying before because truth was not his forte, but tonight he told me what I believe to be true. I swear it seemed like an eternity standing there looking at him. Dead.

Anthony was all choked up when my father expressed himself the way he did. He was still holding my hand, I think. Our other friends rushed in and I heard screams and whimpers but didn't realize them. I didn't realize they were there until the Ambulance came. Moms was home by the time the Ambulance came. She cried and cried and I don't think so much for her but for me. My mother was talking to me and I was looking dead at her and didn't hear a thing she was saying. I just stared reenacting every stitch, every second, and every pulsating moment of that night.

As time went by I began to forgive myself. It took about two years to do it but I did it. I blamed myself for leading my father into a death so unrighteous. I finally realized that I was a freshman in college taking my singing to another level, with plenty of people to support me. To hell with self-pity. Anthony, Drea, Ty, Marcus, and Moms helped me realize that love is unconditional. They all stood by my side through thick and thin. Through this new revelation, I woke up one day and said out loud "I am Erin Deijhanique Bell not Joseph Bell. I am not at fault and a new life is ahead. No more crying! No more blaming!" I marched my ass into the shower, through some clothes on and went to the mall just to get out. I went by myself to prove to myself that I needed to worry about me. I only needed me and I could only change now and not the past. So I bought a new outfit with my money, change clothes at the mall, and went and picked up everybody one by one and spent some undepressing time with each of them especially Anthony, my fianc.

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Working With Nature - Neighbor Rosicky

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Finding Happiness Through Working With Nature

The 10's were a period of reflection for many Americans; an era of depression that forced many people to step back and re-evaluate the society in which they lived. After decades of moving away from agrarian America to a more urban, mechanized nation, widespread economic collapse served as the impetus to question this new way of life. What were the consequences of leaving behind agricultural life? How did the technological advances in the workplace distance man from his land and subsequently affect his performance and fulfillment in life? In both Willa Cather's Neighbor Rosicky and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath we find depression era characters struggling with nature, work, and the relation between the two. Both tales present a compelling case that the further man strays from the natural world, the worse his life becomes.

Neighbor Rosicky is a heartwarming story about a Czech immigrant, raised in the country, unable to find happiness in the city. Anton Rosicky had the typical life of an urban resident at the turn of the century. He was an immigrant who was a skilled tailor by trade and who moved from city to city to find work. Despite taking regular advantage of cultural opportunities only cities can offer, Rosicky learned one Fourth of July that the city just wasn't for him, "the lower part of New York was empty… the emptiness was intense… those blank buildings, without the stream of life pouring through them, were like empty jails."

New York's business and financial district, referenced by, "the lower part of Manhattan," only seemed to exist for work; when a holiday such as the Fourth of July came along it ceased to function. Rosicky goes on when he says, "this was the trouble with big cities; they built you in from the earth itself, cemented you away from any contact with the ground. You lived in an unnatural world, like the fish in an aquarium, who were probably much more comfortable than they ever were in the sea."

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This is the paradox of progress that Cather has us ponder. Cities, byproducts of work and economic progress, ultimately have taken us away from our natural world. Cement, steel and iron have replaced soil, seeds and foliage in a new, unnatural ecosystem. In Neighbor Rosicky, the relationship between work and "real work" comes down to the contrast between cities and the agrarian/natural life. Cather makes this case throughout the short story with frequent references to the urban/rural relationship. In each case that she makes, happiness is not found in a city, but in the country.

For example, Cather writes, "in the country, if you had a mean neighbor, you could keep off his land and make him keep off yours. But in the city, all the foulness and misery and brutality of your neighbors was part of your life. The worst things he had come upon in his journey through the world were human, depraved and poisonous specimen of man." This scathing indictment of urban life also highlights another of Cather's points; the concept of owning land. Earlier in the tale she wrote, "to be a landless man was to be a wage-earner, a slave, all your life; to have nothing, to be nothing."

Wage-earners, the type of urban workers that are ultimately taken from nature, are pitied by Cather. She casts those who work in the city as being part of a destructive cycle and that the only way to break the cycle is to find true happiness in the country. The Rosickys, Doctor Ed, and all the country folk within the story are, deep down, good, content individuals. The only person in the story who seemed out of place was Rosicky's daughter-in-law, Polly. Raised in the city and a former bookkeeper, Polly was having trouble adjusting to life in the country. It took the goodness of her father-in-law to realize her life would be ultimately more fulfilled there; "Polly remembered that hour long afterwards; it had been like an awakening to her. It seemed to her that she had never learned so much about life from anything as from old Rosicky's hand. It brought her to herself."

To Cather, true work takes place in the natural world. She is worried that the advent of technology and increasing urbanization of America will fundamentally change its character. The new mechanized work is unnatural and ultimately bad for the human psyche. Cather's case is summed up when she writes, "the worst they could do on the farm was better than the best they would likely be able to do in the city."

The selections from Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath offer an equally persuasive argument that economic and social progress was really moving humanity backward. The three chapters, with the Dust Bowl and the subsequent 'Okie' migration serving as a backdrop, paint a bleak yet hopeful picture of humanity. Just like Neighbor Rosicky, goodness, and ultimately happiness, is found in people closer to nature and forms of natural, agricultural work. All that is wrong with man is found in those that have become wealthy off the new sort of work that, in Steinbeck's view, has brought them financial gain at the expense of others. The 'shitheels,' further removed from the land than others, are further removed from happiness and fulfillment as well.

This is illustrated in this passage from chapter 15, "and these two, going to California; going to sit in the lobby of the Beverly-Wilshire hotel and watch people they envy go by… he with his worried eyes and she thinking how the sun will dry her skin… but the worried eyes are never calm, and the pouting mouth is never glad." Steinbeck casts their worries against the troubles of the migrating poor, and in doing so, shows that financial success as a result of unnatural work leaves one unhappy and pathetic.

The entire story takes place on Route 66, the endless highway that was at times full of despair and misery, but overall a hopeful road that would offer a pot of gold at the end of its rainbow. Route 66 seems unnatural, with its ribbons of concrete and cement carrying motorized vehicles across the plains. In many ways it was, as represented by those who were doing unnatural work, like a tire salesman. Taking people further away from nature seemed to harden them and destroy any sense of goodwill. This is seen in Chapter 1 when Steinbeck writes, "take it or leave it. I ain't in business for my health. I'm here-a-sellin'tires. I ain't givin' 'em away. I can't help what happens to you, I got to think what happens to me."

In this passage, Steinbeck critiques the way the new economy has changed the way people interacted with each other. A more compassionate, altruistic, agrarian society was quickly transforming into a capitalist system that put the individual first at whatever cost to society. Work and labor was the foundation of society, but it was being changed in a way that increasingly made it unnatural. In turn, individuals adapted in a way that often meant being cruel to others to save oneself.

A society turning heartless as a result of the changing economic conditions is contrasted multiple times in The Grapes of Wrath by examples of people close to the land, nature, and what it is to be good. One such example comes near the end of Chapter 15, when a poor migrant family comes into a roadside diner and asks for food. A rural image of a family taken away from nature is painted, "the boys in overalls and nothing else, ragged patched overalls. Their hair was light, and it stood up evenly all over their heads, for it had been roached. Their faces were streaked with dust. They went directly to the mud puddle under the hose and dug their toes into the mud." This impoverished family arrived at the diner and were eventually taken care of by the generosity of strangers. The sympathetic waitress, after basically giving away candy to the children, watched them go back into their car. "They leaped like chipmunks over the front seat and onto the top of the load, and they burrowed back out of sight like chipmunks." Steinbeck's comparison of the boys to chipmunks is telling us, in a direct way, that these were good people, close to nature, drastically affected by unnatural causes.

Both Cather and Steinbeck yearn for the days of old, when a day's work revolved around working the land on one's farm. The authors don't see progress as moving forward, but moving to a place where we will all unknowingly lose something, like the "fish in an aquarium." Both tales show the transformation of work in America not only affected people's pocketbooks, but also the way we treated one another. Neighbor Rosicky and The Grapes of Wrath do an admirable job of making the case that true happiness is to be found in nature, working in an agricultural setting. Whether it was Anton Rosicky or farmers forced to move from their land in Oklahoma, all dreamed of one day owning and working their own land.

In both narratives, the relationship between nature and work complements each other. True work is to be found in nature, and when both are present, one can be truly satisfied. Rosicky is a sterling example of a man who, through working with nature, got it right, "nothing could be more right for a man who had helped to do the work of great cities and had always longed for the open country and had got to it at last. Rosicky's life seemed to him complete and beautiful."

Please note that this sample paper on Working With Nature - Neighbor Rosicky is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on Working With Nature - Neighbor Rosicky, we are here to assist you. Your cheap college papers on Working With Nature - Neighbor Rosicky will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.

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General Strain Theory; An Examination of School Violence

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This paper investigates the issue of school violence in low-economic urban areas as it pertains to general strain theory. Recent school shootings such as the incident at Columbine High School, although traumatic, are relatively infrequent when compared to national statistics of urban school violence. Psychoanalytic and personality theories best explain school massacres, which are beyond the scope of this paper.

An increase in the severity of school violence over the past few years is due to the socialization of guns into urban culture. Research supports evidence that schools located in low-economic urban areas generate weapon-related violence (Sheley, McGee, & Wright, 15; Metropolitan Life Insurance, 1; Ringwalt, Messerschmidt, Graham & Collins, 1; Gottfredson and Gottfredson, 185). Agnew (1) suggests that, "high-crime communities are more likely to select and retain strained individuals, produce strain and foster criminal responses to strain" (p. 17). An increased level of violence in urban schools is a reflection of neighborhood violence. The cycle of fear created by violence socializes many young males to carry guns for either protection or to increase self-esteem.

Agnews (1) general strain theory explains possible relationships between school violence and socioeconomic stressors. Principles of general strain theory include discrepancy between immediate or future goals and methods to achieve these goals. This discrepancy may be due to blocked opportunities or inadequate skills and abilities. Constant exposure to adverse situations (e.g., drive by shootings, fear of victimization) creates tension, especially in adolescents who cannot escape the stressors of low-income neighborhoods and negative family environments. Finally, the loss of positively valued stimuli, such as the loss of a girlfriend, death of a loved one, or loss of self-esteem can result in anomic behaviors.

There are two paths that bring guns into the hands of adolescents. Youth are either legally socialized into gun ownership by parents or illegally socialized by family, peers, and gang members. The Rochester Youth Development Study (OJJDP, 001) is a ten-year longitudinal study of the development of delinquent behavior and the relationship of increased gun violence. The study compared boys who owned guns for protection (n= 40) with boys who owned guns for sport (n= 7). Sixty-seven percent of the boys who owned guns for protection reported involvement in street crimes, 55% reported gang related activities, and % reported selling drugs. Those boys who owned guns for sport had no statistical differences in crime than those boys who did not have access to guns. Those boys who own guns for socially approved reasons (such as hunting or target shooting) do not increase the risk of violent crime in the general population. Youths who are socialized in to illegal gun ownership on the street, increase the risk that those guns will be used for criminal activities. This street socialization into illegal gun ownership correlates with living in impoverished inner-city communities in which economic survival depends on illegal activity.

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General strain theory explains the increase of violence as more males from low-income neighborhoods turn to gangs and drug trafficking for economic sustenance. Increased incidences of gang related activity in urban neighborhoods contributes to adolescent attitudes that poverty is escaped through illegal activities (OJJDP, 001). Urban youths find themselves inundated by a culture that stresses economic success; however, they lack legitimate means to prosperity. A common characteristic among young males in low-economic communities is to achieve status or respect by displaying material possession and demonstrating a tough demeanor. Individuals who lack material possessions may take them from others, or "campaign for respect" by verbally and physically abusing others (Agnew, 1).

Youths not directly involved in gang related activities are indirectly affected by the need to carry guns for fear of criminal victimization. Blumstein (14) posits a "diffusion" hypothesis to explain the cycle of fear perpetuated by the drug culture. Juveniles involved in drug trafficking carry guns for self-protection. In turn, other young people acquire guns to protect themselves from drug-involved gun carrying youths. This fear that young people experience is not a feeling that they can simply disregard when they enter school grounds. Thus, the culture of fear, which originates in urban communities, disseminates into schools. The Louis Harris Poll (1) showed that 5% of children age 6-1 fear that their lives will end in gun violence. Youths who interpret school environments as antagonistic and dangerous react by carrying guns to school for self-protection.

The majority of school violence may be related to problems of interpersonal conflicts. Mazerolle, Burton, and Cullen (000) studied the relationship between exposure to strain, anger, and delinquent behavior in relation to violence, drug use, and school-related deviance. They reported that strain had a direct effect on adolescent violence, but was not directly related to drug use or school-related deviance. This theory coincides with a report by Block and Block (15) that found that in Chicago only % of gang shootings were drug related. Instead, the majority of gang shootings relate to "assaultive behavior, gang rivalries, or reactions to status threats" (p. 8-). This research relates to Agnew's third tenet of strain theory, which states that deviance producing strain involves loss of positively valued stimuli. Agnew referred to examples of strain such as the loss of a loved one (Agnew, 1). However, the loss of ones self-esteem or "losing face" can be equally traumatic to young people (Anderson, 14; Elliot, 14). Guns are a powerful method to ensure respect and compliance from other youth. The result is that school disputes, previously settled by fist fighting, now have the potential to end in gun violence.

General strain theory states that crime is a function of disjuncture between valued cultural ends and legitimate means. As a result, individuals in low-economic urban areas have reacted by creating illegal alternatives to escape poverty. Attitudes that illegal activities are the only way to escape poverty have filtered down to youths and schools, either directly by drug activity or indirectly by fear of victimization. Agnew's general strain theory explains the problems that create disjuncture; however the solutions are deeply rooted in changing cultural practices of racial discrimination.

References

Agnew, R. (1). A general strain theory of community differences in crime rates. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 6(), 1-15.

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