AP by John Updike

Introduction The world of literature is the source of new ideas, thoughts and inspirations. The authors make us think over our life. Undoubtedly, everyone has the right to have their own opinion and the literature encourages us being open-minded and independent in our judgments. The novel AP by John Updike is one of the works, which has a rather simple plot but involves the important message to the public.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on AP by John Updike specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of this essay is to summarize the plot of AP by John Updike and to discuss the main idea of the novel. The Summary of the Plot The plot of the novel unfolds at the grocery shop AP, where a young man Sammy works. He is the main character and the narrator of the story, which happened to him in the work place. Sammy is only 19 years old and, in contrast to the most of population, he has rather rebellious views on th e American consumerism. At the same time, people, whom he observes every day at the shop, are, obviously, the bright examples of the consumer society influence. Besides, Lengel, a manager of the store, plays an important role in the plot of the novel. He is the conservative and strict man, who considers any person’s behavior, which is different from the behavior of the majority, as an inadmissible. One day, three girls in bathing suits enter the shop. Sammy becomes charmed by them. While watching they are shopping at the store, he is examining their bodies. His sexual dreams do not leave his mind. However, we get to know that he is rather cynical about the two of the girls. It seems like they have failed his evaluation and cannot compete with the third one, whose appearance he considers as perfect. In his thoughts, he calls her Queenie. It seems like she is a leader among the three friends. The confrontation occurs when the manager of the store criticizes the girls for their look and indicates to their bathing suits with reproof. The girls have to leave the store. Sammy feels himself hurt and disgusted. In a fit of temper, he leaves the job. The Discussion The consumer society is, undoubtedly, the main theme of the novel by John Updike. The author shows how much people are concerned about the satisfaction of their desires. He emphasizes that the customers at the shop are willing to buy the snacks rather than the food staff necessary for living.Advertising Looking for research paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They, essentially, spend their money on nothing. The character of Sammy is far more complicated as it seems at the first glance. Although, ironically, he is driven by his physical desires as the customers do, he feels an inner rejection of the commonly accepted way of life as well as of the hypocrisy and conservatism of the manager. Sammy rebels against the consume r society when he leaves his job. The controversy is obvious in the plot of the novel. On the one hand, the main character feels rejection of the consumerism, and, on the other hand, he scrutinizes the figures of the girls from the consumer standpoint. I guess the main idea of the novel is not only the shame on the primitive values of the consumer society but also, and maybe even more importantly, the shame on the conventionalism and non-acceptance of the views different from the ones, which are spread in the society. The author blames the society for the hypocrisy and the duplicity. The ambiguity can be noticed in the attitude and behavior of the manager of the store. He upbraids the girls for their immodest look but is eager to facilitate the sales at his store at the same time. It becomes clear that he is a part of the consumer society as well but, in contrast to Sammy, his strict and conventional views do not allow him being open-minded and flexible. The theme of human body also takes the central place in the novel. I think the author tries to show that people like a manager Lengel are cared about the look, which the others have, much more than about their inner nature. They forget about the spiritual side of the world. The themes of the consumer society and the human body are closely interconnected. The sexy figures of the girls and the attitude of Sammy to them symbolically represent the temptations of the modern world. The question is how much the figures of these girls are different from the plenty of the snacks and other trifles offered at the store in the opinion of Sammy. Conclusion In order to sum up all above mentioned, it should be said that the novel AP by John Updike depicts the reality of the modern society. The theme of consumerism takes the central place in the plot of the novel. The main character rebels against the hypocrisy and duplicity of the modern society. At the same time, he is tempted by it as well.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on AP by John Updike specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The author emphasizes the ambiguity of the attitude of many people nowadays. On the one hand, they stand up for the modesty as well as for the certain model of behavior and are eager to enjoy the pleasures of the consumer society, on the other hand. This research paper on AP by John Updike was written and submitted by user Madeline Robbins to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Ganglion Cells essays

Ganglion Cells essays Light is changed into sight by converting light into electrical stimuli. These electrical impulses are sent from the retina to the brain and are interpreted as images. The retina is membrane lines the inside wall of the eye which consists of 5 main cells: photoreceptors (rods The ganglion cell collects the electrical messages concerning the visual signal from the two layers of nerve cells preceding it in the retinal wiring scheme. The ganglion cell represents the ultimate signaller to the brain for retinal information. Ganglion cells transmit signals (via electrical pathways) to the brain, with a small amount of calcium flow into the cell. Ganglion cells are larger on average than most preceding retinal interneurons and have large diameter axons capable of passing the electrical signal to the retinal recipient areas of the brain many millimeters or centimeters distant from the retina. The optic nerve collects all the axons of the ganglion cells and this bundle of more than a million fibers (in humans) then passes information to the next relay station in the brain for sorting and integrating into further information processing channels. There are many different varieties of ganglion cells which can be classified based on form, number of sublayers in the stratification levels in the inner plexiform layer, cell body and dendritic tree size. For example the large ganglion cells, with open radiate branching patterns, process fast, transient impulse trains and in all vertebrate retinas are concerned with motion detection and alerting the animal to threatening, moving visual imagery. While small bushy ganglion cell types are concerned with processing small stationa ...

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 21

Business Ethics - Essay Example Therefore, the Civil False Claims Act of 1986 strengthened the government’s course of pursuing the legal claims against its fraudulent contractors. The study highlights a review of the act and the argumentative approach that would solve the litigants’ quest to drop the law’s stringent measures. The clauses of the Civil False Claims Act commonly called the Whistle-blowers act establishes that the federal government has the mandate to pursue a lawsuit against any of its contractors whenever there is a suspicious case concerning fraud. Secondly, the act’s clauses indicate that employees or any other interested parties have the legal mandate to implicate any fraudulent firm working for the government at an individual capacity. Since the government contracts different firms for the delivery of different products and services that eventually affect the majority population, it is apparent that the act is a controllable to curb any fraudulent acts from the contracted parties. According to research, the government has been involved in 20% of the lawsuits filed against its fraudulent contractors. It is known that 80% of the cases are pursued by the whistleblowers until the court’s final jurisdiction. It is critical for the government to understand that cases of fraud w ould not cease with the firms remaining contented of the lack of probability that the federal government would intervene and pursue any cases presented by a relator. The fact that the qui tam lawsuits are expensive to pursue as an individual, the government should change the act’s clauses and include a government unit that would act as a recipient to all whistleblowers with the aim of identifying the evidence of cases. Secondly, the changes should develop a fund for the individual whistle-blowers to use in their pursuit in the fraud cases holding to the knowledge that the intentions are meant to yield revenue after the recovery of the damages.

Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Logistics - Essay Example Defined as "the management of product and information flows from original source to final customer in a manner which adds value to the external customer," (Baudin 2005, p. 5) logistics represents a key bundle of resources that can be applied successfully to the task of providing best net value for the customer (see Appendix table 1). Following Naylor (2002), the first is that of the logistics concept itself, and the proposition that it represents a comprehensive process that is of strategic importance as well as boundary-spanning in terms of significance. Second, global logistics systems provide unique and meaningful opportunities to create customer value. Third, a number of contemporary tools and approaches validate and facilitate the effectiveness of logistics to the task of value creation. Fourth, logistics is well positioned to take advantage of the new strategic management process. In fact, there is considerable justification to think of logistics as one of the key strategic sys tems responsible for providing certain customer-valued products and services. Intermediaries are often defined as a third party logistics which means â€Å"the use of an outside company to perform all or part pf a firm’s materials management and product destinations function† (Simchi-Levi et al 2008, p. 249). The main benefits of the intermediaries are (1) lower total cost (through logistics improvements), (2) faster response to changing volume needs (through the closer location), and (3) faster provision of technical consulting help (Stroh, 2006). They have also implemented the process changes enhancing value to be delivered to the customer and reducing sacrifice. Similarly, manufacturing decisions that appear to reduce cost may in fact be unwise from a global system perspective. Product in long runs or delaying a switchover may reduce efficiencies and unit costs. As a result, revenue can be lost owing to the

The Theory of Music Universality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Theory of Music Universality - Essay Example Its ability to communicate has been as revered as it has been suspect, and its rich social and ritualistic associations have added layers of meanings that can only be expressed in musical terms, and not in terms of words or images. Aaron Copland in his "How We Listen" says that music can be listened to and enjoyed in three different planes: the sensual, the expressive and the solely musical. The listening experience for a particular piece of music is evaluated on all these planes simultaneously, but to understand the effects of music it is necessary that we at least outline these levels separately. The sensual plane is the absorption of the sheer pleasure that music affords, the elevated mood it evokes, and the escape from the mundanities of life it makes possible. The expressive plane, on the other hand, talks to the listener, but does not have a concrete message to convey, it conveys broad senses of emotion: "..... serenity or exuberance, regret or triumph, fury or delight. It expresses each of these moods, and many others, in a numberless variety of subtle shadings and differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there exists no adequate word in any language".The third plane is where the listener is aware of the musical form, where the harmony, the melody, the rhythm, and the tonal color are consciously appreciated: the listener knows about the notes and the structure of the written music, the composer's style and thought process and can evaluate the rendition of all this by the performers. All theories of music through time have talked about the sensual, expressive or the solely musical planes in one way or the other. To understand how the perceptions on music have changed down the years, we need to examine the various thought processes of philosophers, and the conclusions they arrived at, tracing a historical outline from the Greek times, to the Baroque era and down to the present. Not much factual evidence of Greek music has survived, but an understanding of the ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and his student Aristotle, Pythagoras and Plotinus go a long way in answering a lot of queries on the views held about music in those times. Of note is the fact that music then was more of a part of people's lives than it is today, and hence the comments made by the thinkers of those times have to be understood in the appropriate context. For all our musical and philosophical sophistication, it seems that the Greeks 'lived' their music far more deeply than we do ours. Difficult though it may be for us to think of music as the kind of thing capable of revealing important fundamental truths about the world, for the ancient Greeks there seems to have been little doubt. And for good reason: their world was, after all, a fundamentally musical one. (Bowman, 1998)

Relationship Between Knowledge and Social Change

Relationship Between Knowledge and Social Change How are Changes in Knowledge Connected to Social Change? Introduction Knowledge and society have a reciprocal relationship. Religious and scientific ideas bring changes to the social order, likewise changes in society help to shape knowledge. This has been most evident since the time of the Enlightenment. From earliest times philosophers had concerned themselves with questions about God and about the human condition, what are sometimes called timeless truths. Sociology, on the other hand was more contextual and historical in that theorists were concerned with the historical emergence of all aspects of human social life. Sociology emerged through the conditions of modernity, which began in Europe in the 17th Century but later spread to become worldwide. The new scientific view questioned previously held ways of knowing and thinking about the world. Religious doctrine and teachings that had been seen as authoritative and objective truths which dictated the way most people lived their lives were called into question by advances in science. At the same time modernity engendered huge technological and social change that led to a break with what had gone before. The French revolution, and in England, the Industrial revolution, which dramatically changed the face of the social world, were decisive elements in the emergence of a theory of society that was distinct from other branches of philosophy (Giddens, 2001). The revolution was based on notions of individual freedom and human rights; it shook the social and political foundations of France and had repercussions across Europe. It also contained within it economic consequences that destroyed the foundations of feudal society. It questioned the idealized and inward looking existence of philosophy (see Morrison, 1995). Historical development’s impact on philosophy was most evident in Hegel’s work which had profound implications for the development of social theory. Hegel took the view that the revolution had not just influenced the way philosophy saw itself; it fundamentally changed the way philosophers dealt with reality and history. History and the social order had been seen as fixed, the revolution changed that and Hegel observed that as one form of social and political existence ended so another took its place.. Hegel viewed the individual as a subject within history and history as developmental and thus liberative. This was the first time that history and humanity’s role within it had been recognised as an ongoing and changing process. Other 19th century thinkers sought to understand the changing world in which they lived. Knowledge and Social Science Auguste Comte is sometimes called the founder of sociology as he coined the term. Comte was influenced by the way scientists investigated the physical world and he sought to create a science of society which would explain the social world in a similar manner. He believed that the scientific method allowed us to uncover universal laws. Comte’s thinking developed into what is known as positivism. This holds that science should be concerned with observable facts thus knowledge about society had to be based on empirical evidence i.e. observation and experiment (Callincos). Comte was followed by Durkheim who also took the view that social life should be studied in the same way that scientists studied the physical world. He and other positivists believed that social facts about the world could be established through the collection of statistical data. In this way sociologists could study cause and effect in society. For Durkheim sociology was about the discovery of social facts, sociologists should study aspects of life that shape individuals such as religion and economics. Because social change is so rapid the modern world presents us with difficulties that affect our lifestyles and cause human beings to feel unsettled. Durkheim described this process as anomie, a feeling of despair that was a result of modern life. The ideas of Karl Marx contrast with those of Comte and Durkheim who were interested in the structure of society.He also sought to explain the changes that were taking place in society. Marx said that the philosophers had only interpreted the world when it needed to be changed. Drawing on Hegel’s idea of the development of history Marx developed what he called a materialist conception of history (Morris, 1995). Social change, he argued is not the result of ideas, but of economic processes. Historical development is the result of class conflict. Religion was a false ideology that upheld the interests of the ruling class and kept the working classes in submission. Max Weber also wanted to understand social change but was critical of some of Marx’s views. Weber believed that ideas and values were just as important as economic processes and he felt that sociology should focus on action not structure (Haralambos and Holborn, 2000). Weber maintained that capitalism was not si mply the result of class conflict, what he termed the ‘spirit;’ of capitalism was the result of a particular view of the world. He maintained that capitalism was the direct result of a particular religious view of the world, that of Calvinism. They worked hard[1]because that was what God wanted and this resulted in the accumulation of capital. Their success was, for them, a sign of God’s grace. Thus, for Weber, rather than study society as a set of social facts, we need to try to understand the meanings that human beings give to their actions. This brought about a continuing divide in sociology between positivism and interpretavism, social structure versus human action. Those who follow an interpretative view of studying society argue that no causal explanation of human behaviour is possible without some understanding of the meanings that individuals give to their actions (Haralambos and Holborn, 2000).[2] Weber believed that human action was creative whereas Dur kheim believed that our actions were limited by social structures. Later Developments Marx, Durkheim and Weber, are known as the founding fathers of sociology who although divided in their accounts of society all sought to make sense of the changing societies that they lived in (Morrison, 1995). Their thought influenced later sociologists. Functionalism developed out of Durkheim’s thinking. Its most prominent thinkers are the American sociologists Robert Merton and Talcott Parsons. Functionalism holds that society is a system whose various parts work together and this produces social solidarity and cohesion (Giddens, 2001).[3] Thus functionalists examined the institutions of society, the family and education to show how they worked in the development of society and promoted social cohesion. Marx’s thinking developed largely through conflict theories. Inherent in Marx’s thought was the idea that one set of people in society were in conflict with another (the class divide) this has been most obvious in the development of feminist theories. Feminists such as Walby (1990) have used Marx’s analysis of class in the analysis of the rise of patriarchy and the struggle between the sexes. These relationships are characterised by the fact that one group has power and authority while another does not. Weber’s thought has been seen as important to the development of symbolic interactionism as found in the work of George Herbert Mead an American anthropologist. This view holds that individuals have an image of themselves that is reinforced by their interactions with others. Phenomenology is a further development of interactionism but it goes further than interactionists in that they focus solely on the subjective aspects of social life. The ideas of the founding fathers have been termed ‘grand theories’ but with the demise of modernity the idea that history is progressive has been called into question. Society is not a seamless whole but plural and diverse, it has thus been described as post-modern (Lyotard, 1989). Postmodernists argue that objective knowledge of the world is not possible because knowledge reflects the interests of its producers. Michel Foucault (1975) was a French sociologist who argued that knowledge was a result of the power relations that exist in society. Power works through discourse[4] and shapes our attitudes towards sexuality, crime and criminals and madness. Foucault, through his ‘archeology’ of knowledge[5] Foucault argued that what we understand of say mental illness or sexuality is a result of social development. Conclusion Clearly knowledge and social change are very closely linked. The immense changes in society over the past three hundred years have resulted in philosophers and social scientists attempting to understand the world, why things happen the way they do, why we do what we do. They also look at the development of social institutions, and in Foucault’s case[6] the development of knowledge itself through discourse. The emergence of sociology is directly related to social change and sociologists attempts to understand such changes have resulted in the production of knowledge. At the same time new knowledge about the world we live in helps to facilitate social change, e.g. feminist perspectives have resulted in huge changes in women’s status in today’s society. Bibliography Callinicos, A 1999 Social Theory New York, New York University Press Foucault, M 1991 (1975) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison Harmondsworth, Penguin Giddens, 2001 4th ed. Sociology Cambridge, Polity Haralambos and Holborn 2000 Sociology: Themes and Perspectives Collins, London Morrison, K 1995 Marx, Durkheim, Weber: Formations of Modern Social Thought 1 Footnotes [1] What Weber termed the Protestant work ethic [2] See page 972 [3] See page 17 [4] The way we talk and think about a subject An approach which tries to make sense of what we know and how we know it by digging into the past [5] [6] And also Khun’s with his ideas about paradigms or models of acceptable knowledge which change over time. Thus changing views about mental health, childbirth and parenting.

Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Falling Water’s plans all came about when the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright was born, Jun 8, 1867. Frank was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935. At his death in 1959, he had built more than 400 buildings. Wright’s most famous house was designed and built for the Pittsburgh Kaufman family, for a weekend retreat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The natural wonder Fallingwater is recognized as architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s most acclaimed and famous works. In 1991, a poll of members of the American Institute of Architects voted Wright’s Fallinwater the best all-time work of American Architecture. Fallingwater opened a new chapter in American architecture and Wright became the first and foremost architect of houses. Fallingwater is known for its simplicity. This is not a skyscraper, it is a home situated in a remote section of Western Pennsylvania, in Ohiopyle, (or called Bear Run). In a talk to the Tallies Fellowship Frank Lloyd Wright said of the house; â€Å"Fallingwater is a great blessing - one of the great blessings to be experienced here on earth. I think nothing yet ever equaled the coordination, sympathetic expression of the great principle of repose where forest and stream and rock and all the elements of structure are combined so quietly that really you listen not to any noise wha tsoever although the music of the stream is there. But you listen to Fallingwater the way you listen to the quiet country.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935. The design of the house promotes a harmony between man and nature, so that the buildings, walls and structures within the house are extensions of the exterior world. Fallingwater was designed for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh; the founders of a prominent department store in the city called Kaufmann’s. Construction on the project began in 1936 and was completed in 1939. Wright concentrated in on the Bear Run location because he knew of a waterfall in the area that the family loved to go visit all the time. In designing the house, Wright mimicked the natural pattern of rock ledges over the waterfall and cantilevered the house over the falls in a series of concrete ledges, anchored to masonry walls made of the same sandstone as the rock ledges. This view just described, is perhaps the most famous of all. The house hovers right over the rushing mountain stream in perfect harmony. The house extends 30 feet in he ight above the ledges, although strong horizontal lines and low ceilings help maintain an overall sheltering feeling.