Innocence and Experience in Joyce, Kincaid, and Frost

It is certainly evident that life and experience occurs, and eliminates or changes the quality of human innocence. Of course, this is perfectly normal. However, frequently those undergoing such a process, can often feel suffering, loss, and perhaps confusion. This is definitely a part of human evolution. Within our text, the reading of the three pieces by Joyce, Kincaid, and Frost, all serve to illustrate this phenomenon.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Innocence and Experience in Joyce, Kincaid, and Frost specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More â€Å"Araby† is a coming of age tale of a young Irish Catholic boy, living in early twentieth century Dublin. Clearly, at the start of the story, the young man is an idealist. Author James Joyce describes his protagonist whose disappointments prompt him to unexpected reaction. â€Å"My eyes were often full of tears (I could not tell why) and at times a flood from my hear t seemed to pour itself out into my bosom.† (Joyce) As the story is narrated by the boy now grown, the loss of innocence through remembered experience is doubly poignant and ironic. Looking back, the narrator speaks of himself as growing up in one of the worst parts of a then very blighted city. Tantamount here also is the boy’s feeling that his religion is empty, ritualistic, with no real and true care for his Maker and the rest of humanity. However, when the boy next falls in love with the sister of a friend, â€Å"Mangan†, he briefly experiences a form of renewal. Nevertheless, he is doomed to be disappointed as his view of love is one based on piety and unrealistic romance. He does not get the girl. He mourns thus, â€Å"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derived by vanity, (Joyce ) Finally, the last vestiges of his innocence are purged through his actual experience of visiting the Arabian bazaar and realizing that it is very d ifferent from what he’d formerly perceived. Dark, sinister, seductive, and highly commercialized, Araby epitomizes for the narrator, the real and experienced state of the world. Next, in Jamaica Kincaid’s one-sentence short story entitled â€Å"Girl†, the loss of innocence through experience is delivered to the daughter by her mother, who provides her with a litany of advice. Although the mother’s speech to her daughter seems motivated by love and she provides her child with information she believes the girl will need in order to survive as a women in the Western Caribbean world, it is nonetheless a loss of innocence gained via the mother’s diatribe. Although the mother gives the girl what she believes to be helpful information on all from chores to life and love, she displays a strong lack of confidence in the child.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Lea rn More The parent starts with telling her offspring, she should â€Å"Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don’t walk barehead in the hot sun.† (Kincaid ) Mother then proceeds to slight the girl’s very character by telling her, â€Å"on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are bent on becoming.† (Kincaid ) The young lady appears to respond minimally, both in her defense and to acquire additional information. The daughter claims, â€Å"but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school.† Therefore, at the end of the mother’s lengthy statement, the youngster is presumed to have left behind her childhood, and prepared to enter the adult world. Finally, prominent twentieth century American poet Robert Frost touches on innocence, experience, and choice in his verse, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. He claimed that the poem was originally written when he and a close friend came upon two similar paths in the woods, and were in a quandary as to which way to go. The poem appears to promote the wish that they could explore both paths and would possibly do so, if they could, but that reality would probably not permit that series of events. Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. (Frost 149) Lastly, the final point made by Frost is that his choice dictates his loss of innocence and subsequent reality. He speaks of a later time in which he will recall:Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Innocence and Experience in Joyce, Kincaid, and Frost specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (Frost 149) Of course, it isnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t clear what kind of difference occurred, and whether or not, it was either positive or negative, but just experienced. Therefore, the choice precluded another experience, a type of loss. Works Cited Abcarian, Richard, Samuel Cohen and Marvin Klotz, eds. Literature: The Human Experience. Bedford Saint Martin’s 10th edition This essay on Innocence and Experience in Joyce, Kincaid, and Frost was written and submitted by user SallyFloyd 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. You can donate your paper here.

Habits and Traits of Millipedes, Class Diplopoda

Habits and Traits of Millipedes, Class Diplopoda The common name millipede literally means thousand legs. Millipedes can have a lot of legs, but not nearly as many as their name suggests. If you compost your organic waste or spend any time gardening, youre bound to find a millipede or two curled up in the soil. All About Millipedes Like insects and spiders, millipedes belong to the phylum Arthropoda. This is where the similarities end, however, as millipedes belong to their own class- the class Diplopoda. Millipedes move slowly on their short legs, which are designed to help them push their way through the soil and vegetative litter. Their legs remain in line with their bodies, and number two pairs per body segment. Only the first three body segments- those of the thorax- have single pairs of legs. Centipedes, in contrast, have single pairs of legs on every body segment. Millipede bodies are elongate and usually cylindrical. Flat-backed millipedes, as you might guess, appear flatter than other worm-shaped cousins. Youll need to look closely to see a millipedes short antennae. Theyre nocturnal creatures that live mostly in the soil and have poor sight when they can see at all. The Millipede Diet Millipedes feed on decaying plant matter, functioning as decomposers in the ecosystem. A few millipede species may be carnivorous as well. Newly hatched millipedes must ingest microbes to help them digest plant matter. They introduce these necessary partners into their systems by feeding on fungi in the soil, or by eating their own feces. The Millipede Life Cycle Mated female millipedes lay their eggs in the soil. Some species lay eggs singly, while others deposit them in clusters. Depending on the type of millipede, the female may lay anywhere from a few dozen to several thousand eggs in her lifetime. Millipedes undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Once the young millipedes hatch, they stay within the underground nest until theyve molted at least once. With each molt, the millipede gains more body segments and more legs. It may take many months for them to achieve adulthood. Special Adaptations and Defenses of Millipedes When threatened, millipedes often curl into a tight ball or spiral in the soil. Though they cannot bite, many millipedes do emit poisonous or foul-smelling compounds through their skin. In some cases, these substances may burn or sting, and may even discolor your skin temporarily if you handle one. Some of the brightly colored millipedes secrete cyanide compounds. Large, tropical millipedes can even shoot a noxious compound several feet at their attackers eyes.

The Ideal Method of Studying Textbook Material Essay

The Ideal Method of Studying Textbook Material - Essay Example After repeated pairings, the conditioned stimulus (the tone) was enough on its own to elicit the conditioned response. However, when the tone was repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (food), the conditioned response (salivation) became progressively weaker and eventually disappeared altogether, a process called extinction. Classical conditioning can best be described as associative learning. The simplest form of classical conditioning is what Aristotle would have called the law of contiguity, which states that: "When two things commonly occur together, the appearance of one will bring the other to mind." ("Classical Conditioning") Similarly, John B. Watson, an early American psychologist, presented an 11-month old child, Albert, with a loud, frightening bang and a rat at the same time. After being subjected to six or seven repetitions of this paired stimulus over the period of a week, the child became afraid of the rat although he had not been afraid of it before being subjected to the pairings. ... Thorndike formed this theory while observing the behavior of cats trying to escape from homemade puzzle boxes. When the cats were first placed in the boxes, they took a long time to escape. With experience, however, successful responses occurred more frequently. This enabled the cats to escape in less time over successive trials. In his Law of Effect, Thorndike theorized that successful responses were "stamped in" by experience and thus occurred more frequently while unsuccessful responses were "stamped out" and subsequently occurred less frequently. In simple terms, what he learned is that some consequences strengthen behavior while some weaken behavior and that learning occurs through trial and error. Learning strategies involve techniques ranging from improving memory by association to better studying by behavior modification. Examples of behavior modification that have proven helpful and aid in learning are: Eliminate the environmental cues that interfere with studying. Set aside study time and adhere to the schedule. Reward yourself for starting on time or penalize yourself for starting late. Visualize the consequences of not studying, such as failing an exam. Beware of avoidance mechanisms. Beware of preparation overkill. The main ideas are to avoid procrastination and to practice discipline. Memory Memory is one of the most important concepts in learning. If you cannot remember anything, no learning can take place. A distinction is often made between short-term and long-term memory. Short term memory is brief and transient. Sort of like when you look up a phone number in the phone book to make a call. You remember it long enough to make the call but you do not recall it later. Your short-term memory holds a small

Basic linguistic topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Basic linguistic topics - Essay Example his disciple cannot be overemphasized as it will help parents to better understand the language learning capacity of their ward, as well as know how to help their children attain their maximum potential in the early developing stages. Stork and Widdowson (1997) assert that the two contributing factors for child language acquisition are an â€Å"innate potential† for acquisition of any language and a â€Å"linguistic environment† (Rahimpour 2). In addition to these two factors there are several other elements, which come into play and that work throughout the different developmental stages of a child’s language acquisition process. In order to understand this process properly one must understand each individual milestone, which works together and ultimately enables the child to communicate to his or her environment with a language. The aim of this paper is to recognize and analyse the major milestones in child language acquisition. However, before getting into the stages of child language acquisition it is important to understand theories that describe the ability as well as linguistic capability of children. In the words of Noam Chomsky, â€Å"nobody is taught language,† which implies that parents do not hold the credit for their children learning a particular language, and furthermore, they â€Å"cannot prevent the child from learning it† either (Fromkin, Rodman and Hyams 394). However, researchers have remained perplexed as to how children form questions, negate sentences, use â€Å"pronouns appropriately† as well as understand countless sentences they have â€Å"never heard† even before they are able to â€Å"add small numbers or tie their shoes† (394). But, in depth study and analysis in this same matter has led the researchers to come up with many different theories that relate to language acquisition. The major theories include â€Å"behaviorism, nativism, social cogn ition theory and social interactionism,† where each theory is different from the other yet no one

Answer three question from each chapter Assignment

Answer three question from each chapter - Assignment Example Slaves and their conditions, over the period of time improved and they enjoyed relatively better liberty as compared to others in terms of their working conditions as well as other benefits. 1) Over the period of time, the wars between British and France strengthened the relationship between the Americans and Britain. As a result of these wars, American traders got the opportunity to trade and expand their commercial base while at the same allowed Americans to basically gather against British forces too. The subsequent implementation of different laws such as Stamp Duty Act created enough resistance for the British forces in the region. Two of the most important terms of the peace of Paris were that the British recognized American independence and withdrew all the royal forces. Victories of the Clark as well as the Spanish victories against British forces gave much leverage to America to get as much as it can because Britain at that time had very little choice. One of the major problem which was not resolves was the fact that British forces returned East and West Florida to Spain whereas some of the terms of the treaty were ambiguous too thus leaving few things as

The evolution and adaptation of infanticide and siblicide

The evolution and adaptation of infanticide and siblicide INTRODUCTION LIFE HISTORY The term life history describes an organisms strategy of allocating time and energy between growth, reproduction and survival (Levin 2009; Bergon, Townsend and Harper 2008). Life history traits make up an organisms life history and include growth patterns, size at birth, size and age at sexual maturity, the number, size and sex ratio of offspring, parental care and length of life (Levin 2009; Bergon, Townsend and Harper 2008). The effect of finite resource availability on organisms for potential investment into growth, reproduction, and survival, is to set limits on life history traits, often referred to as trade-offs (Levin 2009; Bergon, Townsend and Harper 2008; Cotgreave and Forseth 2008). If an organism commits more time and energy into one specific life history trait, it will come at a cost, a reduction of time and energy that may have been available to one or more other life history traits (Levin 2009; Bergon, Townsend and Harper 2008). An example of this often observed in rela tion to reproductive strategies (Forbes and Mock 2000). Many reproductive strategies have evolved but are always subject to tradeoffs; it is a case of quantity versus quality (Forbes and Mock 2000). Life history traits respond like any other phenotypic trait to natural selection and therefore represent adaptations that have been made by organisms to their environments (Levin 2009; Cotgreave and Forseth 2008). The question; Offspring are difficult to produce and are a critical determinate of fitness. So how does siblicide and infanticide evolve as a life history strategy and are they adaptive? SIBLICIDE The demise of an individual as a result of another directly related individuals actions is referred to as siblicide (Anderson 1995; Godfray and Harper 1990; Anderson 1989). Siblicide may transpire among siblings or be brought about by the actions of parents (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Anderson 1995). Siblicide has been documented occurring in plants, fish, insects and mammals but has been best observed in avians (Holcomb 2001; Mock and Parker 1997). There are many hypotheses surrounding siblicide and why it occurs (Godfray and Harper 1990). Siblicide may take place as a direct form of assault on another sibling through physical attacks or expulsion from the nest, or may transpire indirectly in the form of exclusion from food by competition which results in starvation (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008). There are two forms of siblicide known as obligate and facultative siblicide (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Anderson 1995; Anderson 1988). The Brood Reduction hypothesis best supports facultative siblicide as an adaptive reproductive strategy that benefits both parents and surviving offspring in response to the event of unpredictable resource shortages (Forbes and Mock 2000; Mock and Parker 1997). The strategy is to hatch as many offspring as would normally be expected if conditions were optimal (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Forbes and Mock 2000; Anderson 1995). In the event that environmental conditions are severe and the resources available are unable to meet the demands for all of the offspring to survive, sibling rivalry ensues and is anticipated to become fatal resulting in brood reduction (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Forbes and Mock 2000; Mock and Parker 1997). The reduction in brood size will then allow the parents to successfully raise the remaining nestlings (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Forbes and Mock 2000; Godfray and Harper 1990). Blue-footed boobies are well known for facultative siblicide (Anderson 1995; Anderson 19 88). They are capable of laying between one and four eggs, the average clutch size though is usually two (Anderson 1995). When resources are plentiful all of the chicks are hatched, and fledge, however, should resources be scarce, the first hatched chick will dispatch the younger siblings (Anderson 1995). Obligate siblicide is the occurrence of siblicide regardless of resource abundance (Anderson 1989). Parents regularly produce more offspring than they can successfully fledge and it is the case that one the first born nestling will eliminate the second nestling soon after hatching (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Forbes and Mock 2000; Anderson 1989). The hypothesis that best supports obligate siblicide is the Insurance Egg hypothesis (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Forbes and Mock 2000; Anderson 1989). The Insurance Egg hypothesis is the theory that parents actually produce a second egg specifically as a backup, in the event that the first egg fails or succumbs to predation (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Forbes and Mock 2000; Anderson 1989). The cost of the second egg is essentially less to the parents than the benefit of producing that insurance egg should the first egg fail (Forbes and Mock 2000; Anderson 1989). This overproduction is an adaptive response to the insecurity of offspring survival or v iability (Forbes and Mock 2000; Anderson 1989. In general, very few species of bird commit obligate siblicide (Anderson 1989). The masked boobies and brown boobies are two obligately siblicidal species (Anderson 1995; Anderson 1989). Blue-footed boobies, masked boobies and brown boobies all utilize the same life history trait of asynchronous hatching (Anderson 1995; Anderson 1988). There are differences however, between the asynchronous hatching times as a result of facultative or obligative siblicide (Anderson 1995; Anderson 1988). The length of asynchronous hatching is shorter in the blue-footed boobies than the masked or brown boobies, mainly due to the form of siblicide (Anderson 1988). The effect of asynchronous hatching on the nestlings is conferred in age, size and hierarchy of the first hatched nestling over the second or third nestling and therefore, the offspring hatched first has the competitive advantage over the later hatched offspring as a result (Anderson 1988). In regard to facultative siblicide, this manipulation by the parents in staggering hatching times can be viewed as a strategy to counteract the uncertainty of resource availability by bestowing the competitive advantage on the first hatched nestling should brood reduction become necessary in the event of a shortage of resources (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Anderson 1988). In regard to obligative siblicide, the first hatched chick will inevitably commit siblicide and therefore the advantages of being first born come into play (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Anderson 1989). INFANTICIDE The term infanticide can be described as the killing of dependent offspring by individuals belonging to the same species (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988). Infanticide is not limited to the killing of unweaned offspring, it can occur during the reproductive cycle, for example re-absorption of the embryo or abortion, and can be committed by females and males as well as offspring or other members within the social group (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008). Infanticide has been observed in mammals, including several primate species and lions (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988; Packer and Pusey 1983). The act of infanticide is an adaptive behaviour strategy to enhance individual fitness (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Agrell and Wolff 1998; Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988; Packer and Pusey 1983). Infanticide of unrelated infants committed by males due to reproductive competition is supported by the sexual selection hypothesis (Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Borries et al. 1999; Agrell a nd Wolff 1998; Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988). Under this hypothesis, infanticidal males secure mating opportunities and increase their chance of siring infants and therefore gain a reproductive advantage and increase fitness (Borries et al. 1999). African lions (Panthera leo) and hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus) both live in groups consisting of one dominant male and a number of females (Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988). The residence time of the dominant male is usually short, approximately two years (Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988). Infanticide occurs as a consequence of a group takeover, one male gaining control of anothers group (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004). As a result of short term dominance status of males in these instances, it is to the advantage of the usurping male to dispatch of infants within the group so he can take full advantage of the females reproductive career (Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Borries et al. 1999). Both female langurs and lions share a common life history trait, they are almost always ready to resume sexual activity and begin reproducing after the loss of their unweaned infant; much earlier than they otherwise would if they still had care of their dependant offspring (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004). There is evidence to show that female primates and lions swiftly revert to estrus after the loss of their unweaned infant (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Borries et al. 1999; Packer and Pusey 1983). Whilst females are lactating, they are effectively unresponsive to further reproduction (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Packer and Pusey 1983). Therefore, the act of infanticide and the quick return of estrus as a result, ensures the females bear infants to the usurper much sooner than if the females had surviving infants (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Borries et al. 1999; Agrell and Wolff 1998). Infanticide is undoubtedly a major disadvantage for female reproductive success even though it may well be an adaptive behavioural strategy for male reproductive success (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Packer and Pusey 1983). As such females have developed counter strategies in an attempt to decrease their reproductive losses as a result of infanticidal males after a takeover has occurred (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Agrell and Wolff 1998; Packer and Pusey 1983). Research into these behavioural strategies has revealed a range of different tactics employed by females in an effort to rescue their infants from almost certain death (Hausfater and Hrdy 2008; Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Agrell and Wolff 1998; Packer and Pusey 1983). Some of the strategies employed may include leaving the group, sometimes in the company of the deposed male, aggressively defending the infant from attacks by the new male, repeatedly mating with the new male to confuse paternity of already pregnant females at the time of takeover, pseudo-estrus of already pregnant females or in some cases, the termination of an early pregnancy to avoid the inevitable (Agrell and Wolff 1998; Packer and Pusey 1983). CONCLUSION How and why siblicide and infanticide life history strategies have evolved has been the subject of great debate for many years. The results of studies conducted provide quite a lot of evidence in support of the different theories for both siblicide and infanticide being adaptive life history strategies (Kappeler and van Schaik 2004; Forbes and Mock 2000; Borries et al. 1999; Mock and Parker 1997; Agrell and Wolff 1998; Hiraiwa-Hasegawa 1988). In consideration of siblicide, studies conducted provide evidence in support of theories that facultative siblicide has evolved in response to the unreliability of resources and, obligate siblicide has evolved due to the uncertainty of survival or viability of offspring. Where infanticide is concerned, evidence favours the theory that evolution of this life history strategy is predominately an adaptive male behavioural strategy to increase reproductive success in response to short term dominant male status within groups. The act of infanticide i ncreases the males chance of successfully siring offspring while they hold the dominant male status. In response, females have evolved counter-strategies to reduce the impact of infanticide on their reproductive success. In conclusion and in consideration of the evidence available, both siblicide and infanticide life history strategies are adaptive even though they seem to be contradictory to the success of reproduction.

An investigation into the heat of combustion of five alcohols :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

Alcohols : An investigation into the heat of combustion of five alcohols Planning ======== Introduction ------------ I am trying to determine the heat of combustion for the first five alcohols, which are; ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol and hexanol. I am trying to determine whether the amount of Carbon atoms on the molecule affects the heat energy given out by the molecule when burned. I believe that as the size of the molecule increases and the chain of carbons grows longer, then the heat energy given out will increase. I think that this is because when the molecule bonds are broken then they take in energy and then when the bonds are being made they give out energy. In a large molecule, more bonds are made so more energy is given out. Apparatus ---------  · Clamp stand  · Clamp  · Copper calorimeter  · Spirit burner  · Matches  · Thermometer  · Ruler  · Metal safety tray  · Top pan balance (digital scales)  · Measuring cylinder Method ------ I will need to collect all of the above apparatus and then put it together like in the diagram below. I will weigh the alcohol I will be burning and then put it under the copper calorimeter. I will use a measuring cylinder to measure out 100cm3 into the copper calorimeter. I will light my Flame, which will be 5cm under the calorimeter. I will use my thermometer to determine the temperature and then go up to 60 °c because that is how much I will change the temperature by. When the water has risen to 60 °c I will then put the lid on the spirit burner to extinguish the flame and then I will weigh the spirit burner again. By taking the new weight from the original weight I can then work out how much of the alcohol has been used. I will then repeat this experiment another four times with the other alcohols until I have done all five. I will repeat this twice to gain another set of results so I can compare them and identify trends and patterns consistent in both sets of results. How I will make my experiment a fair test ----------------------------------------- There is not really that much I can do to help make this experiment a fair test but I will; cool the copper calorimeter completely down by running it under cold water for a few minutes so that the water doesn't get warmed up by being in contact with it. I will also make sure that I have 100cm3 of water each time in the calorimeter. The temperature will always go up to 60 ° each time as well. I will also keep the height of the calorimeter at 5cm each time.