Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis and James Baldwins Sonnys Blues Essa

There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis† illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them. Gregor Samsa, a hard working salesman providing for his family in need, has sacrifice his own freedom for the sake of the survival of his family. As a provider, his family is expecting him to work, be successful, and bring home the wealth. Although Gregor doesn’t enjoy his tedious job in the slightest, he still agrees to do it. This is more influenced by his father’s debt rather than his own morals. â€Å"If it weren’t for my parents, I would have quit long ago, I would have gone to the boss and told him off† (Kafka 2). This shows that he is a frustrated individual. Gregor is someone who would likely hold in his own personal feelings to preserve the family name. A night of nightmares later, Gregor awakes to see his many little legs flailing about. He isn’t initially shocked by this horrid transformation and however terrible it looks to him, his primary focus is how is he going to get to work? In spite of everything, he is still in the mindset of w orking no matter what the cost. After all, he doesn’t want to lose the tr... ...development of your identity. Gregor, the family man, tried as hard as he can to be there for his family. His family is everything he has got and this is his identity. While Sonny, the trouble kid turned musician, abandoned his family’s suggestions and went his own way by keeping true to himself and being dedicative to a specific goal. Both of these characters are polar opposites in a sense that one follows his family and the other does not. But, both characters were forced into difficult situations and both have experienced some sort of sacrifice. Works Cited Mendoza, Ramon G. The Human Vermin: Kafka's Metaphor for Extreme Alienation. N.p.: Salem Press, n.d. Literary Reference Database. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Murray, Donald C. James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues': Complicated and Simple. N.p.: Newberry College, n.d. Literary Reference Database. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

Character biography Tom: the glass menagerie

Tom can be described as a tortured soul, living with his mother and bachelors sister in a cramped apartment in SST Louis. From a young age, Tom is forced into the role of being the man of the house as his father abandons the family. One can say that this is the cause of Tom's deep resentment towards his life. He has to work long hours in a warehouse to pay the bills and take care of his nagging mother and sister.Tom's true dreams are to become a writer and he writes poetry in his spare time, this is what eventually gets him fired from his Job. Tom has complex relationships with both his family members. Although he always fights with his mother, we see that he does love her. Maybe so much that he can't stand her. Tom is softer towards his sister Laura, whom although is older, does not act like it. Tom finds himself trapped in an apartment and in a life he does not want.He finds an escape by going to the movies in which he lives vicariously through. In the movies he finds the adventure , thrill and excitement that his own life Is lacking In. We see Tom's selfishness when he doesn't pay for the electricity bill but instead uses the money for his own escape. Tom is torn between his loyalty to himself, his life, hopes and dreams; and his loyalty to his family, his own flesh and blood. In the end he Is loyal to himself, Just like his father.Tom almost uses the abandonment of his father as an excuse to do the same as if it is a genetic thing. Tom Is a complex and 3-delusional character In that he Isn't wholly good or wholly bad either, like all human beings. He truly does care for his family and especially his sister as he feels guilt and remorse for leaving her. But he also realizes that he will never truly experience life If he stays and neither will they. Therefore though his departure maybe he does not only set himself free, but his family as well.

A Short Note On Cause And Effect Essay - 1266 Words

Louijuste 1 Sheluna Louijuste Professor Orsini Cause Effect Essay April 16, 2016 My Name is Petty Krueger My sister, Jennifer, first attempted to assassinate me when I was a newborn. She crept into my room and shoved a lemon slice into my mouth. It split my lip, and startled me awake. When my mother heard the commotion, she quickly came into the room and separated us, saving my life. Even though this event happened before I could even remember it, I still make sure to bring it up every argument between Jennifer and I. Why am I so petty? After reading the article on Frank Sulloway’s research, I realized I am petty because I was a laterborn. As the youngest of 5, finding a niche in the family was very hard for me. But because I am a laterborn, I am â€Å"more open to experience [...] in finding an unoccupied niche (Boynton 73). † This is true, because I have managed to find an unconventional coupe in the family. As the petty child, I tend to stand out from my other siblings. My older honorary firstborn of a sister Jennifer was the smart one. Even though I was my class valedictorian, an honor student and won a scholarship, she still somehow manages to hold the family title as the smart kid. My oldest sister Estephania is a honorary laterborn, stealing the role of the ‘youngest’ from me. There is this stereotype that being the youngest means we are supposed to be the irresponsible and reckless. But that isn’t me. My oldest sister is constantly in trouble and needs some form ofShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming : Causes, Effects And Remedies1748 Words   |  7 Pages Home About Us Publish Your Essay Content Quality Guidelines Disclaimer Privacy Policy Contact Us 1309 Words Essay on Global Warming: Causes, Effects and Remedies by Vishal Global warming is the greatest challenge facing our planet. It is, in fact, the increase in the temperature of the earth’s neon- surface air. It is one of the most current and widely discussed factors. 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Synthesis And Secretion And Dendritic Spine Morphology

Calcium controls many neuronal functions, such as neurotransmitter synthesis and secretion and dendritic spine morphology. The role of CaMKKÃŽ ² is probably best characterised in the brain. CaMKKÃŽ ² and CaMKKÃŽ ± are both highly expressed in the brain (Anderson et al. 1996), and have been shown to be important in the formation of memory and neuronal plasticity (Wayman et al. 2008). In addition, studies show the CaMK cascade is essential for axon and dendrite elongation in cortical neurons (Ageta-Ishihara et al. 2009; Davare et al. 2009), as well as synaptogenesis in hippocampal neurons (Saneyoshi et al. 2008). The CaMK cascade is known to regulate cAMP response-element binding protein (CREB) dependent transcriptional activity in vivo, which is important for hippocampal long term memory formation (Lonze and Ginty. 2002). Global CaMKKÃŽ ²-/- mice generated by Peters et al were found to have male specific impaired spatial memory formation secondary to reduced spatial-training induced CREB activation, as well as impaired long term memory for the social transmission of food preferences secondary to the lack of late long term potentiation at the hippocampal area CA1 synapses (Peters et al. 2003; Mizuno et al. 2007). No difference was found in other types of hippocampus dependent long term memory, including contextual fear memory and passive avoidance, compared to wild-type mice suggesting that the formation of these long term memory types do not require the activation of CREB by CaMKKÃŽ ².

The Sentencing Policies For Crimes - 1357 Words

When America changed the sentencing policies for crimes, primarily drug crimes, in America, the effect this change would have in the poor communities were impossible to imagine. The policies which were changed to get tougher on drug crimes on the federal level followed with mass incarceration in the prison system. This was especially true with young African American males in largely poor communities. So these policies not only created a mass incarceration but also racially targeted certain race in America. These procedures which were created to protect the community and the streets actually did nothing but drive a wedge in the relationships between those same communities, law enforcement, and policy makers. The war on drugs was what caused an increase of arrests and people going to prison. The incarceration boom in the early 1970’s, where African American’s, mostly young men, were twice as likely to get arrested for drug crimes as were a white male. However, when the sentencing standards changed on the federal level to mandatory sentencing, a black male was now four times more likely to get arrest on drug crimes than a white male (Clear, 2007). These changes were made to attempt to make the streets and the communities safer from drugs. What the law and policy makers were unaware of was how these changes would bring about widespread incarceration of young black adults, which would disrupt the families of these offenders, mainly in the inner cities of America. One ofShow MoreRelatedThe Sentencing Policy And The Criminal Justice System1065 Words   |  5 Pagesjustice policies and laws that demonstrate how the policy has been informed by the theories that have been covered this semester. Many connections are not explicit but offer great detail in offering information based on the given topics. The current criminal justice policy that I’ve chosen was the sentencing policy. 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Exemplar Free Essays

INVESTIGATING THE ECOLOGICAL NICHE OF THE CRAB USING A FAIR TEST INTRODUCTION: The ecological niche of the crab Hemigrapsus edwardsi. The crab is a member of the Crustacea phylum and is in the family Grapsidae. This crab species is found only in New Zealand on rocky shores. We will write a custom essay sample on Exemplar or any similar topic only for you Order Now The rocky shore, where the crabs studied in this investigation were found is quite exposed. There is a large rock platform that provides small crevices and small rocks which help to protect them from wave action and predators. There are also sea lettuce, and other algae growing on parts of the rocks. The crab has many adaptations that allow it to live on the rocky shore including: †¢ grey/black colour for camouflage †¢ food detection structures (antennae on its head and hairs on the mouth parts to sense chemicals in the sea water) †¢ 4 pairs of legs with muscles that allow it to move sideways, as well as forwards and backwards †¢ behavioural adaptations such as scuttling under rocks when the tide goes out or to avoid predators †¢ freezing when being attacked (we noticed this when we touched some of them on their backs). This might confuse predators. †¢ gills for gas exchange. The rock pools provide a micro-climate where the temperature and salinity of the water will change, depending on the weather. If it was a really hot day, the rock pools will get warmer, more water will evaporate and the salinity will increase. The crab would have to be adapted to cope with these changes in salinity, otherwise, as the concentration of salt in the water around it changes, it will gain or loose mass due to osmosis. Through the process of osmoregulation, the crab is able to maintain a constant water balance in its body, but to do so requires energy and this could be measured by an increase in the respiration rate. This is what I am going to investigate. Aim: To determine whether the respiratory rate of the crab changes in different salinities. Hypothesis: The respiratory rate of the crab will increase as the salinity changes away from â€Å"normal† salinity. METHOD Thirty crabs of similar size, were collected from the rocky shore. The salinity was varied by diluting the 200% conc. seawater provided in to five different concentrations. The volume of the solutions was 200mL each. The concentrations were 150%, 125%, 100%, 75%, 50% conc. Water with 100% concentration is equivalent to the concentration of normal seawater. Sixty-five mL of the 150% solution was poured into a petri dish. The petri dish had a thin layer of stones in the base to recreate the natural environment of the crabs. One crab was put into this petri dish and left for five minutes to allow them to adjust to the conditions. The petri dishes were floated on a water bath which was set at 180C. The water bath was placed in the room where the light intensity was the same for all petri dishes. An indirect method of estimating respiration was used. This was to count the number of currents seen on the surface of the water. I assumed that a higher number of currents indicated a higher respiration rate. A little bit of carmine red was sprinkled onto the solution in the petri dish in order to see the movement of water more clearly. The crabs were left in the petri dishes for five minutes before counting the respiratory currents. The respiratory currents were counted for 30 seconds. This amount was doubled to give the rate per minute. 5 more trials with different crabs were done at each concentration. Each time a fresh 65 mL of solution was added. The results were recorded and the rates per minute were averaged. This process was repeated for the 4 remaining concentrations and the results for these were averaged. Results: Average respiratory rate of the crab in different concentrations of seawater. | |% concentration of the water (100% = normal sea water) | | |50 |75 |100 |125 |150 | |Average number of respiratory | | | | | | |currents per minute |7. 2 |6. 75 |6. 00 |7. 50 |12. 42 | Average respiratory rate of the crab in different seawater concentrations. Statistical analysis of results: The graph of the results suggests that there is a significant relationship between the concentration of the seawater and the respiratory rate of the crabs. This is confirmed by the r2 value of 0. 9642, which indicates that 96% of the variation in the results is explained by the change in seawater concentration. Conclusion: The respiratory rate of the crab, as measured by respiratory currents, increased when the concentration of the seawater either increased or decreased from the 100% conc. (normal seawater). Discussion: This investigation was carried out to determine whether respiratory rates of the crab increased as the salinity was changed from normal levels. The crab is a euryhaline organism that lives on the rocky shore, often in rock pools. Because of the tidal movements of water, the salinity of the crab’s environment fluctuates. To maintain homeostasis, the crab osmoregulates. This means it actively controls the salinity levels inside its body. As the seawater concentration increased or decreased from the concentration of normal seawater (100% conc. ) the respiration rate increased. This is because the crab is most comfortable at the concentration of normal seawater. As osmoregulation involves the active transport of ions, it requires energy to adjust to higher or lower seawater concentrations than 100% seawater. As the salinity of the crab’s environment increases or decreases from the salinity of normal seawater it requires more energy in order to osmoregulate. So in order to obtain that energy, it needs more oxygen and its respiration rate increases. This is necessary for the crab as it must deal with a range of salinity as the tidal pools dry out. If the concentration of the water is greater than that of the crab’s internal environment, it will go through osmosis. Although the crab has an exoskeleton, water can still leave its body through the space around its joints and gills. Evaluation: Initially I found that there were several problems with my investigation. The most significant one was that the crabs were out of their natural environment which made them more fidgety. Some of mine even attempted to escape from the petri dishes during the trials. This clearly shows that they were unsettled and perhaps not responding as they usually would. If they decided to stay inside the petri dish, they stayed close to the edge and moved away from the movement of people around them. I moved my investigation to a more secluded position and screened them off with a cover so that were not able to see what was around them. I also lined the petri dish with a thin layer of stones to attempt to somewhat recreate the natural environment. This change made the crabs calmer and produced a more natural response. The counting of actual respiration itself was difficult as it was a humid day and the carmine red seemed to be congealing before being placed in the water. Perhaps in humid conditions chalk dust or very fine sand would have been more suitable but these were not available where I was carrying out the investigation. Where the crabs were sampled from may have biased the outcome of the results as the position in the tidal zone might influence the levels of salinity that they were accustomed to. Most of my animals appeared to be female, this may also have biased my results. Further investigations would need to be carried out to determine if sex or original location influences crab respiration rate. Despite these limitations my results show that the increase in respiratory rates can be explained by the changing concentration of the seawater. ———————– INTRODUCTION ECOLOGICAL NICHE AIM HYPOTHESIS Explains aspects of the ecological niche that are related to the investigation. Hypothesis linked to ecological niche. VARIABLE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE CONTROLLED VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE Controlled variables A valid range of the Independent variable Controlled variables Dependent variables Sufficient data PROCESSED DATA [pic] STATISTICAL ANALYSIS CONCLUSION Sufficient data that is appropriately and accurately processed to show relevant pattern. (raw data is in log book) Workable method outlined Sufficient data that is appropriately and accurately processed to show relevant pattern. (raw data is in log book) Statistical analysis of the validity of the conclusion A valid conclusion that is justified by the data and relates to the hypothesis DISCUSSION EVALUATION Critical evaluation through analysis of the validity of the investigation Critical evaluation – limitations discussed and changes made to the method justified in relation to validity of investigation Discussion of results related to niche Significance of findings in relation to the ecological niche How to cite Exemplar, Papers

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay Example For Students

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay Theodore DreiserTheAmericanDreamCourtney ConnorsEnglish III CPMr. BreslinThrough the social criticism of Theodore Dreiser, the plight of the poor is compared against the actions of the rich. In both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Dreiser presents characters who are driven by ignorance and in ability to withstand the pressures of the shallow American yearning for money, success, fashion dreams about which Dreiser himself was indeed an authority (W.A. Swanberg 254). Throughout his career, Dreiser wrote for a variety of periodicals in order to earn enough money to support himself. His success there lead him to write novels, which in turn guided his path to fame and fortune. Mirroring the life and ambition of Dreiser, the characters in An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie demonstrate the same goals and hopes for their lives. Like Dreiser, both Clyde and Carrie came from modest roots. In American society at the turn of the century, however, it is money that ultimately makes the man. As a result, both characters spend their lives working their way into this mold, even at the cost of compromising themselves. Within the book An American Tragedy, a poor boy is working his way up to become known. In his society, a name is known for the amount of money its holder makes. His actions in and out of work reflect what his social life of popularity will become. He strives for richness and a life of prosperity, but it is not always what he wants. His choices with love have to be that of wealth and success or he is dishonored. This character, Clyde, takes a series of miscellaneous jobs to help him succeed. His first high paying job was as a bell hop in a hotel frequented by the rich. From there he went on to work at the shirt factory owned by his extremely wealthy uncle, Uncle Griffiths. Beginning in the wash rooms, Clyde eventually worked his way into a managerial position keeping tab of the payroll. While at the shirt collar factory Clyde engages in a relationship with Roberta, one of the workers under his charge. Clyde then falls in love with Sondra, a woman of the upper class. Not long after, he discovers that Roberta is pregnant. Rather than jeopardize his own rise into the upper class, Clyde must find a way to get rid of Roberta. His only thoughts are that of murder, but he lacks the courage to do it himself. Instead, he leaves her to drown after their boat overturns during an outing. Clyde is caught and then imprisoned, given the death penalty. In Sister Carrie, Carrie Meeber is a young woman travel ing from her country home to the city to live with her sister. Upon arriving, she is fascinated by the fast and flashy city lifestyle. Carrie soon discovers, however, that it is only the wealthy who can enjoy this side of city living. Rather than work as a lowly employee in a shoe factory, Carrie allows Drouet, a rich man who is drawn to her inexperience, to support her. Soon thereafter, however, Carrie meets Hurstwood, a similarly wealthy man who, without her knowing, is already married. Hurstwood falls in love with Carrie and, in an attempt to convince her to run away with him, steals a large sum of money from his workplace and runs off, taking her with himHurstwood ends up returning the money and the couple eventually move to New York. There Hurstwood is unable to find work and Carrie grows increasingly unhappy with their lack of money and incognito state. Carrie then pursues work in the theater as an actress, becoming a celebrity almost overnight. As Carrie catapults into fame a nd fortune she forgets Hurstwood, which in turn leads him to suicide at the novels end. What both novels portray is the pursuit of the American Dream at the turn of the century. The idea behind the American Dream concept is that, through hard work and moral goodness, anyone can rise from poverty into riches. If they can do it, so can I. Dreisers characters, however, are not completely moral and reliant on hard work to gain their success. In this society the ends justify the means. Carrie, for