ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock and Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal are witty satirical works written in the 18th-century-Britain to highlight various issues that were affecting society at the time. During this period, humor, and reason pervaded literature in different ways, especially in the form of Juvenalian and Horatian satires to debunk the moral corruption and perfunctory follies that characterized British society during the neoclassical era. Writers sought to satirically highlight the many societal shortcomings by ridiculing the generally accepted standards of thought to expose hypocrisy. This paper compares two enlightenment satires – Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock and Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal. Summary Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is a satirical poem on a small incident in an attempt to merge social happenings with heroic tales of gods and goddesses. The poem borrows much from Greek mythology whereby the theft of a lock of hair mirrors the abduction of Helen of Troy or Sparta. Belinda, the protagonist, has two locks of hair and one of her suitors, Baron, is determined to steal one (Pope), and this incident shapes the entire plotline of the satire. Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal is a satirical narrative suggesting ways that impoverished Irish could solve their economic problems by selling their babies to the rich to be used as food. Swift sought to mock the hardhearted attitudes towards the poor in society and generally the punitive British policies toward the Irish. Comparison In both The Rape of the Lock and Modest Proposal, the writers use irony to satirize and mock the socio-political attitudes and values in British society in the 18th century. Swift puts forward a modest proposal that would see the impoverished Irish sell their babies as food to the affluent as a way of dealing with their economic woes. Swift says, “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout”. Of course, Swift did not wish the rich to cannibalize one-year-olds, but he wanted to highlight the blasé character that defined society at the time and provoke people to awaken to the suffering of the poor. The rich tended to view the poor as commodities, which explains why Swift chose to use this form of satire to address this problem. Similarly, in The Rape of the Lock, Pope seeks to satirize the vanity and pettiness of two individuals in society. The poem is divided into cantos with each comparing the superficial bickering between two persons to the epic supernatural world of gods. Pope places the significance of classical Greek mythology epics, such as Homer’s Iliad and Helen of Troy on social standing and vanity to mock the characters’ mindsets and individuals in the Brit
In the poem, which existed mainly in the oral tradition and then written by Arab scholars, attention is paid to several features of the traditions and history of both Mali and all of West Africa. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali tells the story of Sunjata Keita, who “led Mande resistance and created the kingdom of Mali during the first half of the thirteenth century” (Iliffe 2007, 52). The state was located in the West of Sub-Saharan Africa and, according to historians, was ruled by the real king Sunjata from 1235 to 1255 (Niane 2006). The story focuses on the unification of the disparate chiefdoms of Mande and the decline of Ghana, as well as the development of trade routes. The spread of Islamic culture and religion, along with the existence of traditional African beliefs, is also the theme of the story. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, Mali was already officially an Islamic state (Iliffe 2007). Thus, the narrative unfolds in the background of complex cultural, social, and political events of that time. To analyze how the poem reflects the features of the society in Mali and West Africa, it is necessary to consider the plot briefly. The story begins with Maghan Kon Fatta, the king of the small Mali state, receiving a prophecy from hunters who arrived from foreign lands. They say that the man will have an excellent son, but only from an ugly woman. Several years later, the hunters again came to the Maghan Kon Fatta to tell about the buffalo they killed in the lands of Do. As a reward, at the behest of the mysterious old woman, they chose “Sogolon Kedjou, or Sogolon Kondouto, because she is a hunchback” (Niane 2006, 8). The king already had a beautiful wife and son at that time, but, remembering the prophecy, he married Sogolon Kedjou. Soon the woman gave birth to a son; however, the expectations of the king were not fulfilled since he “had nothing of the great beauty of his father” (Niane 2006, 15). Sogolon Kedjou became pregnant again, but a girl was born, which, nevertheless, did not dissuade Maghan Kon Fatta of the truthfulness of the prophecy. Despite his disappointment with his son Sundiata, the king appointed him as his heir. However, after Maghan Kon Fatta’s death, the council passed power to his first son and wife, who began plotting against Sundiata. All changed one day when Sundiata, crawling on his four limbs before, “picked up the iron bar without any effort and stood it up vertically” (Niane 2006, 20-21). The boy became stronger and began to pose a threat to the reigning queen and prince. Maghan Kon Fatta’s first wife tried to destroy Sundiata, then Sogolon Kedjou decided to leave Mali with him. In his exile, the boy serves various kings, earning their trust and support. However, during this time, his homeland was oppressed by Soumaoro Kanté. With the support of the allies, Sundiata liberates his country, defeating the invader and establishing independence and peace in Mali. The narrator notes that rulers like Sundiata are “feared because they hav
Introduction In the literature of every country or culture, there exist many different genres and styles. As one of the most diverse nations in the world, the United States of America is known for its culturally rich literature that can be subdivided into a variety of fields and streams. Not all of them are well-known and commonly discussed, but the vast majority of them are interesting to explore and study. The focus of this paper is Southern literature that is also known as the literature of the American South. While it seems that the name of this style in literature is very telling of what it represents, the phenomenon of Southern literature is deep and fascinating just like the community from which it originates. Southern literature is focused on the exploration of unique stories and characters of the American South, as well as its different cultures, social groups, worldviews, and ways of communication (“Southern Literature”). Some of the most common themes that can be found in Southern literature are dedicated to the dominant religion practiced in this region – Christianity, the ethnic communities that inhabit it, class division of the Southern society that defined the development of its population, and the importance of community, unity, togetherness, and familial ties. In this paper, Southern literature will be discussed using such stories as At the Cadian Ball by Kate Chopin, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor, and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. These works
Of all satirical plays with a dystopian streak, The Pain and the Itch is, perhaps, the hardest to adapt into a staged performance. Even though the work itself was designed to be seen in a theater instead of perceived as a reading material, it is too complicated to pull off – the success of the play hinges not only on the talent of the actors, but also on the atmosphere created with the help of clever use of light and shadow, the design of decorations, the use of props and the costumes, as well on the playwright’s ability to deliver the main idea of the story in a cohesive and convincing manner. It was only by putting each and every element mentioned above into its place that Norris’s play finally turned out such a huge success as a staged performance. First, the actors should be credited for their amazing job. Each actor’s delivery of his/her role was pitch perfect; they nailed down the essence of the consumerist attitudes within a typical middle-class American family. Hadid Kelly was, perhaps, one of the best-portrayed characters of all in the play, representing a delightful contrast to the typical American family. However, the impression would have been incomplete without the decorations and setting. The set clearly exaggerated the traditional American middle-class family, not to the point where it would seem grotesque, but well enough for the audience to have a good laugh at the ridiculous social standards and the tendency for an average American citizen to follow these standards blindly. The lighting was very bright, with a very clean set representing a typical home-sweet-home environment, where everything is in its place. While the lighting could have been dimmed somewhat do hint at the issues within the family, the overall impression is very good. The elements of the setting contrasted sharply with the chaotic nature of the relationships between the family members and the lack of understanding between them, thereof. Finally, the play itself has clearly provided some food for thoughts. The clever dialogue between the family members as Norris portrayed it is obviously the key factor in the play’s success. However, the way in which the actors communicate, the despair that their careless conversations capture, and the unique manner in which the actors put the emphasis on the words and phrases that, quite honestly, would have been passed unnoticed by the public otherwise, is truly fascinating. For example, the way Clay says, “I just don’t want it to seem like a big deal” (The Pain and the Itch Act One) allows reading a number of innuendoes into his words, including his increasingly deteriorating relationships with his wife. Although the legitimacy of some of the choices regarding the decorations and the lighting may be questioned, the overall impression made by the staged version of the play is very good. The actors delivered stellar performances, nailing down their roles with impeccable accuracy, th
Written by William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying is a masterpiece addressing different societal issues that were pertinent in 1930s and have even persisted to contemporary times. This story is intriguing given the numerous numbers of narrators involved, each upholding different views from the others. To some extent, each character is pursuing his/her ambitions and does not seem to care about the rest. Nevertheless, even though dead, Addie Bundren stands out in this story. She determines, controls, and directs the entire story. All events result from her, if not so, they revolve around her. Her perspective determines the novels structure and most of the themes of the story. Addie Bundren Addie dies shortly after the story starts; however, the short period she appears in the play and her dead body directs the structure of the story setting themes in place. From the short stint that Addie appears in the play, it is evident that she is a strong-willed and well-informed woman whose only shortcoming is disillusionment. She is unloving and unfaithful mother too. She does not love her husband; children, save for Jewel; and her surrounding. Her unfaithfulness comes out clearly when she cheats on her husband, sleeps with Whitefield; a local church minister, and bears Jewel out of wedlock. She clearly points out her disinterest in life by saying, “the reason for living is to get ready to stay dead a long time” (Faulkner 46). This caps her character. Someone whose purpose of living is to prepare for death cannot be interested in anything and this describes Addie. Nevertheless, as aforementioned, Addie’s perspective determines and dictates the plot and most themes of this story. Addie’s Perspective in Plot and Themes of the Story Addie’s perspective toward life that, the purpose of living is to prepare for the long time one spends in death, coupled with the fact that she does not love her environs makes her request to be buried in Jefferson; the land of her ‘people’. The journey towards Jefferson is the storyline of this story. The bigger part of the plot and structure of this story revolves around this journey. If Addie had not asked to be buried in Jefferson, the story would end soon after she dies. However, the story carries fifty-nine sections most of them revolving around the journey to the town of Jefferson. In this journey, many events unfold that are core to this story. The motives of all the Bundrens come out because of this journey. For instance, Jewel’s love for Addie comes out as he takes care of her dead mother including rescuing her corpse from being swept away by water and burnt by fire. Darl’s caring character comes out for he wants to fulfill his mother’s will. On the other side, Anse’s selfishness stands out for he only wants to go to Jefferson to get some false teeth whilst Cash and Vardaman want to get phonograph and toy train respectively. On her part, Dewey wants to abort and the only way she can do this is being on journey for she would me
In Asia, Japan was the first country to exhibit a marked positive growth after the damage caused to the nation following the world war (Stephenson 2009). This was followed by a similar trend in four other Asian nations during the 1960’s. The countries namely; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea began a rapid trend that was marked by rapid economic growth and industrialization. The main driving force behind this trend was a shift of focus driven by availability of cheap labor, to export led growth (Stephenson 2009). As a result of this export led growth the west including America and other western developed nations began to consume as many of the toys and clothes that came with Made in Asia labels (Stephenson 2009). This process saw the countries amass huge foreign exchange reserves and develop huge trade surpluses in the west. This plan by the nations appears to have been similar to the initial idea of the Japanese. The Japanese had decided to develop manufacturing prowess by exploiting the large amount of cheap labor in the country (Stephenson 2009). The approach to focus on low end consumer products has been used by numerous Asian countries to increase national wealth. As wealth increases the trend implies shifting to begin the inclusion of higher end products (Stephenson 2009). A good example of this is the Taiwanese economy that supports the nation of about 23 million. The country is home to some very reputable producers of high tech computer and electrical products. In addition to increased manufacturing the nations citizens have also began to play a role in the international arena being the initiators of companies such as Yahoo and You Tube (Stephenson 2009). One of the major drivers in these East Asian countries was education which these governments put education in a very strategic position (Mok 63). The governments focused on creating opportunities for education to raise the education standards of its citizens. It is a common belief in these governments that only through educational advancement can they keep pace with social and economic change (Mok 63). During the 90’s this accelerated economic growth saw a major slump owing to economic recession in the region seriously affecting the Asian tigers (Rai122). The main reason this recession had such a major effect in these developing nations is due to the fact economic growth had caused the export market to be over valued. As a result the recession saw the number of bad debts rise dangerously due to a large number of companies going into debt (Rai 122). In the same 90’s era India was fortunate enough to see the unification of two like minded leaders begin their occupation of the prime minister and finance minister office (Wong 66). The Prime minister, Rao and the new finance minister Manmohan Singh can easily be quoted to be the champions of economic reform in India. Among the major reforms brought about by this team was an almost 80% elimination of licenses for industry. In one move this freed the Indian business community from the chains of the ‘ License raj’. Although this period was marked by economic chaos, India go
Sims defines functional conflict as disagreements that arise in an organization resulting in positive impacts not only on business but also on all stakeholders (246). The parties affected by the conflict reach a compromised position that ends in a win-win situation. According to Sims, functional conflict promotes analytical thinking (246). The affected parties work together to identify alternative solutions to a current stalemate. Sims alleges, “Functional conflict helps in diffusing tension among the members of a group” (247). Individuals get an opportunity to express themselves freely and share their concerns, thus minimizing anxiety. On the other hand, dysfunctional conflict refers to squabbles that arise in an organization, which results in one party benefiting at the expense of others. Increased employee turnover, high tension, distrust, and augmented dissatisfaction are some features that characterize dysfunctional conflict. According to Liu et al., dysfunctional conflict is costly to business as it kills employee motivation and reduces customer satisfaction (225). Moreover, an organization drifts away from its goals because leaders engage in a supremacy battle, thus diverting their attention from organizational mission and vision. The conflict affecting Synergon and Beauchamp companies is dysfunctional. The leadership of Synergon is taking advantage of the business’s financial strength to dominate the operations of Beauchamp (Cliffe 32). It does not consider the interests of the employees, customers, and suppliers of Beauchamp Company. The decision to shut down the cafeteria and do away with the bonus plan does not consider the interests of the employees who work hard to ensure the success of Beauchamp. The bureaucracy in the provision of consumer credit is meant to benefit Synergon at the expense of customers. Source of the Conflict According to Spaho, task conflict arises when “two parties are unable to move forward on a task due to differing needs, behaviors or attitudes” (107). The conflict can be over organizational policies and procedures, modes of executing projects, or resource allocation. Limbare identifies three components of task conflict, which are cognitive, behavioral, and affective (175). The cognitive component entails disagreements between parties due to discrepancies in objectives, interests, and needs. The behavioral component arises when one party meddles with the aims or goals of another. The affective component is due to negative emotions such as resentment, anger, and aggression. The conflict between Synergon and Beauchamp is due to task issues. The leadership of the two companies does not agree on v
Introduction Leadership is developed through integration of peoples’ experiences through different forums and relationships. Life consists of different circumstances which demand that people are guided towards the right directions and things that are beneficial (Wall, 2007). The thin line that exists between right and wrong sometimes brings confusion on whether fate should left to take its course or people purpose to modify events to their advantage. Interactions that people have in their relationships provide the right platform for expression of talent and leadership particularly in solving problems and conflict resolution. Synergy is required in integration of leaders and followers towards a workable relationship. This paper investigates conditions, relationships and qualities that are important in leadership. Synthesis and synergy The task of leadership is a mystery. Leaders’ actions and words can change the life of another person either positively or negatively. Leaders are not omnipotent and their actions may appear inconsequential on the surface but end up having an impact on a person’s life directly or indirectly. The journey of life is a mystery that incorporates different intersections that synergistically influences change (Malloch& Porter-O’Grady, 2007).
Any kind of crisis experience is complex and has a rich phenomenology and structure. The complexity of managing people who have faced or are facing crises is reflected in the fact that professionals involved in working with crisis survivors must be highly qualified due to the requirements imposed on them under these conditions. Sexual violence is one of the most dangerous and difficult situations in which a person can find him or herself because it always means psychological violence. The victims of sexual assault are diverse and can be both women and men, children and the elderly; therefore, specialists must be skilled in working with individuals of different ages, sexes, backgrounds, and worldviews. This paper aims to examine the behaviors of people who have experienced sexual assault, consider the recommended strategies for combating this crisis, and evaluate their effectiveness. Background Information The sexual abuse of a person at any age brings psychological suffering as well as multiple problems. Moreover, the consequences of harassment or abuse can be extremely varied and unpredictable. This form of a crisis can have devastating long-term effects on the victim, including the emergence of behavioral problems and low self-esteem (Kanel, 2014). Sexual assault has no boundaries, and many psychologists and researchers today emphasize that this type of violence has reached epidemic proportions. In particular, the statistics of violence against children suggest that one in every four girls under the age of 18 has been subjected to sexual violence at least once in her life, along with one in every six underage boys. The prevalence of social media networks and their active use by minors has also contributed to another tragic fact: One in every five children has suffered from harassment by other Internet users (Regehr, Alaggia, Dennis, Pitts, & Saini, 2013). The significance of the situation lies in the fact that almost 70% of sexual abuse victims are under 17 years old. Statistics have also revealed one significant trend: Almost 85% of prisoners were victims of sexual abuse as children. The minors’ case is made even more challenging to combat because they tend to be victimized by the people they trust the most (e.g., family members, close friends, family friends). The complexity of such cases is that children are not likely to talk about the actions performed towards them, meaning that the actual statistics might be even worse (Regehr et al., 2013). Moreover, even though a child might not always recognize which actions are illegal or inappropriate, such conduct almost always affects the minor’s psychological health. The consequences of such crises can be reflected later and leave a lasting negative impact for decades. More than 58% of females have experienced sexual harassment or attack regarding cases of violence against women. Almost all of the women in this category have gone through several forms of violence at the same time (e.g., sexual, physical, psychological) (Sullivan Everstine & Everstine, 2013). Most importantly, alm