Alcoholism as the Plot Builder of Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned Essay Example for Free

Alcoholism as the Plot Builder of Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned Essay To echo Fitzgerald’s postulation of Antony Patch’s messed up life, â€Å"†¦As winter approached it seemed that a sort of madness seized upon Anthony. He awoke in the morning so nervous that Gloria could feel him trembling in the bed before he could muster enough vitality to stumble into the pantry for a drink. He was intolerable now except under the influence of liquor, and as he seemed to decay and coarsen under her eyes, Glorias soul and body shrank away from himCITATION Fit02 p 111 l 1033 (Fitzgerald, 2002, p. 111)† This is a depiction of a desperate man’s life that has turned to alcohol after experiencing multiple frustrations in life all through his adulthood and a wife who is drawn away from him for this reason. How Antony Patch’s character is molded and developed in the novel is just but a reflection of the messed lives of many uber-rich adults who were lucky enough to be born in rich families but ended up blowing up lifetime opportunities in wasteful escapades of lavish spending during the excessive drinking and partying Jazz Era of the 1920s. Ideally, The Beautiful and Damned is about Anthony Patch who is married Gloria Gilbert and they are hypnotized with the party life. They lead an extravagant life where they enjoy throwing and attending parties which eventually develops to a habit of drinking o a daily basis. Such was the life of Anthony Patch who had mastered the art of laziness leading a valueless life only eager for his grandfather to pass on so as to inherit his multimillion fortunes .Patch’s drinking habits were picked while at school in Princeton where his initial life was tied around books but due to peer influence channeled through his schoolmates who thought of him as being dull and a hopeless romantic, he besought to drinking just like the rest of his peers and vowed to explore the world and party using his family fortune. At some point in life, Anthony Patch is enrolled into Camp Hooker during the war years but he proves to be mentally disoriented as he spends his days in the camp getting drunk and t o cap it all picked up a mistress. Though the move of enrolled into Camp Hooker is considered as a patriotic one, his friends at the camp are another worthless lot who gratify and support his drinking tendencies by indulging in the same with him. His drinking trysts make him a favorite among his camp buddies for he is treated respect for the incessant parties he throws while at camp thus putting to light contemptibility and stupidity of his friends CITATION Mau22 l 1033 (Maunsell, 1922). Patch then meets Gloria Gilbert who beauty is impeccable and he is quickly swept off is feet as he vows to pursue his romantic desires to his life’s death with Gloria. Gloria herself is a replica of Antony for her dogma is satisfaction of worldly pleasures as she selflessly puts it herself, â€Å"If I wanted anything, Id take it I cant be bothered resisting things I want†¦ (Fitzgerald, 2002, p. 235)† It is with the same creed that she detests her husband’s inability to continuously sustain her lavish and innumerable cocktails. Just like everyone else, this couple turns to alcoholism to camouflage their life frustrations to the extent that Anthony cannot do without a taste of the bottle described in Gloria’s own words, â€Å"Oh no, he doesn’t show it anymore unless he can hardly stand up, and  he talks alright till he gets excited. He talks much  better than he does when he’s sober. But he’s been sitting here all day drinking- except for the time it took him to walk the corner for a newspaper†¦ (Fitzgerald, 2002, p. 398)† This entry at towards the end of the novel shows how despicable and dependable Antony patch’s life has been on alcohol after missing out on his grandfather’s fortune and the same being directed towards a servant. Perhaps, Patch’s party and drinking habits were fueled by the fact that he was heir to a rich empire built by his rather strict disciplinarian grandfather who gave no room to unvalued morals. An event where he walks into one of Gloria and Antony’s raucous wild party at their apartment is a representation of his disgust and vilification for irresponsible behavior. His body language and events that transpire after this speaks volumes about his disciplinary antics; at the party, he stares at a white-faced Antony with disgust and in disbelief and utters five denouncing words to the young man in front of him, â€Å"†¦Well go back to Suttleworth..(Fitzgerald, 2002, p. 235)† The mood in the mood is all somber, both Gloria and Patch are frightened by Cross Patch’s presence but he silently walks out of the room after his works. Repercussions that follow are that gets disinherited of his grandfather’s fortune and it is directed towards a servant. They co ntest the decision after his grandfather’s passing but it only makes them more miserable as they entrenched deeper into alcoholism to drown their sorrows. The Damned and beautiful closes as tragic story of an individual who had it all but wasted the opportunity through lavish parties and alcoholism to end up in a wheel chair by age thirty three. References   Fitzgerald, F. S. (2002). The Beautiful and The Damned . New York : Simon Schuster . Maunsell, F. L. (1922, March 5). Latest Works of Fiction: The Beautiful and The Damned . Retrieved October 11, 2014, from The New York Times : http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/12/24/specials/fitzgerald-damned.html Source document

Gender Differences In Aspects Of English Language Use

Gender Differences In Aspects Of English Language Use Language is largely influenced by socialization, shaped by conditioning and constant reinforcement. When parents speak to children they address boys and girls in different ways. In general, girls are treated more gently and spoken to more softly. Boys are encouraged to play roughly, to make a noise and to be expressive, but not to cry. Girls are encouraged to be less rowdy and may cry but not shout. They are discouraged from expressing anger. For boys, behavioural expectations are reinforced with expressions like You throw like a girl, and Big boys dont cry. As children develop, these differences begin to show more clearly in language. They become part of the communication style that is there for life. According to Mayor, B (1996, page 64), as they mature girls and boys increasingly differentiate their language use to reflect their gender roles. Girls use more indirect language than boys, and are more likely to modify their speech styles in varying contexts. Studies of childrens play behaviour demonstrate that boys are competitive and confrontational, and concentrate on the physical world, whereas girls are indirect, collaborative and are interested in motives and feelings. (Maybin, 1996 page 19). Generally speaking, boys and men are assertive, independent and objective. Girls and women are submissive, dependent and subjective. Of course, there is a wide range of communication styles and practices within each gender group, with most men and women using various conversation styles depending on the purpose and context, and also whether they are in single sex groups. In mixed company women usually talk less than men, and are more polite. They are less competitive and try to bring others into the conversation. This could be because women are brought up to be deferential to men. They are more hesitant and indirect, use more tag questions (isnt it? dont you think?), more polite forms (could you possibly?) and generally weaker vocabulary (words like lovely and Oh dear). (Maybin, 1996 page 19). Men on the other hand, interrupt more and give less feedback and support. In situations that require formal conversation, such as at conferences, business meetings, or other mixed-gender gatherings, men tend to initiate more of the interaction. Those who talk most are perceived to be leaders. (Coates, 1998, p.469). Amongst themselves, women tend to talk more. They show more concern for the relational aspects of conversation. In exclusively male groups, men tend to focus more on activities than on conversation (Coates, 1998, p.216). Of course, these are generalised descriptions of behaviour, and both sexes are able to modify their styles depending on the context. Maybin (1996, page 19) quotes a study of courtroom language in which high-status, expert female witnesses used masculine speaking styles, whilst lower status male witnesses used female style features. Dr. John Gray (author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus) says that women communicate for different reasons than men do. When men talk about problems, they are looking for solutions, whereas when women discuss problems they are sharing their feelings, because they find this therapeutic. In this context what women would like from men is empathy, and not solutions. The table on the following page shows clear differences in communication styles between men and women. Men Women They try to solve problems and troubles They try to match troubles by relating similar negative experiences They have a more analytical approach to problems They have a more emotional approach to problems They are less likely to ask for help. They try to figure things out on their own They are more likely to ask for help and accept it They are more task-oriented (i.e., What is everyone going to do?) They are more maintenance-oriented (i.e., Is everyone all right?) They appear less intuitive and less aware of details They appear more intuitive and more aware of details They have more difficulty in expressing intimate feelings They have less difficulty in expressing intimate feelings They are more apt to yell, shout and swear to release anger They are more apt to cry to release anger They talk more about what they did, where they went and less about relationships with others They talk more about how they feel and more about relationships with others They tend to take verbal rejection less personally They tend to take verbal rejection more personally (Glass, L. (1995) page 49). English has a natural gender, unlike many other languages. (Of course, it was not always so; before 1154, Old English nouns still used the Anglo-Saxon derived genders. (Bryson, B, 1990, page 49)). This means that words like woman, cow, ewe, are feminine because of their biological sex. In the same way, bull, boy and tomcat are masculine. This natural gender refers only to animals and not to objects. Historically, certain professions acquired genders: doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers, architects and ministers were invariably male. Nurses, nannies and typists tended to be female. Nowadays, all of these professions are correctly gender-free. There are also words with male endings such as chairman, postman and fireman, which now have alternatives: chairperson, postal worker and fire-fighter. Regarding creative writing, women authors have tended to be under represented in most selections of literary texts. Writers such as the Brontà « sisters and Mary Anne Evans had to adopt male noms de plume (respectively Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, and George Elliot) even to get published. Apart from this gender based discrimination, there is also a strong feeling amongst many writers that the written, literary language itself was for so long a male preserve, that woman writers need their own idiom. In Thomas Hardys Far from the Madding Crowd, the heroine Bathsheba explains that It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs (Quoted in Menham, R. 1995, page 136). Menham also quotes from Virginia Wolf, who appeals for a new kind of writing that will take the natural shape of a womans thought without crushing or distorting it. In A room of Ones Own she says that the resources of the English language would be much put to t he stretch, and whole flights of words would need to wing their way illegitimately into existence in order for female sensibility to be adequately explored. She also associates maleness with a sterile rationalism and the aims of control and regulation, and femaleness with a fertile indiscipline, spontaneity, plenitude, a creative irrationalism. (Menham, R (1995) page 137). Referring to the work of French theorist Hà ©là ¨ne Cixous, Menham feels that her celebration of womans writing effects a great historical reversal of the traditional strengths and weaknesses of male and female language-use. It gives a positive value to precisely those qualities that men have always derogated in women: hysteria, lack of force, sensitivity. (Menham, R (1995) page 138.) In conclusion, there is no doubt that there are differences in English language use, both in speech and writing, based on gender. Most of these seem to be as a result of socialisation from an early age. The different, traditional gender roles and expectations coloured the way children were raised and educated, and in many respects these influences are still in place. Hopefully, as modern societies eliminate the largely artificial stereotypes of gender based roles and behaviours, we will all be able to experience, and articulate, the full panoply of human emotional and intellectual experience, regardless of gender.

Finding the Good Life in Symposium Essay -- Philosophy essays

Finding the  Good Life in Symposium There are many different interpretations of what the good life truly is. Individualists believe that the good life is pleasing oneself, while utilitarians believe that the good life is acting for the good of the rest of society. Philosophers, too, have their own interpretation. Plato alludes to the philosopher's good life when he uses the phrase "my greatest pleasure." The inherent subjectivity of the word "my" tells the reader that philosophical conversation may not necessarily be everyone's greatest pleasure. "After all, my greatest pleasure comes from philosophical conversation, even if I'm only a listener, whether or not I think it will be to my advantage. All other talk, especially the talk of rich businessmen like you, bores me to tears, and I'm sorry for you and your friends because you think your affairs are important when really they're totally trivial" (Symposium 173C-D). The casual observer may believe that these lines, spoken by Apollodorus, are trite, offering little more than some humor to begin Symposium. However, a well-learned reader will read between the lines and quickly realize that, embedded within the words of the passage lies a plethora of ideas that are integral to the work as a whole. The two primary ideas which stem from the preceding passage are the philosopher's view of the good life and the very different lives that philosophers lead. There are many different interpretations of what the good life truly is. Individualists believe that the good life is pleasing oneself, while utilitarians believe that the good life is acting for the good of the rest of society. Philosophers, too, have their own interpretation. Plato alludes to the philosopher's good life ... ... not only to listen to the ideas of others, but to make a judgment about those ideas after they have been heard. In offering the judgment of the philospher's good life being the best one, Plato enticed his readers to attend his academy, one goal of his book. The ultimate idea of the passage, and indeed the book as a whole, is to for one to keep an open mind to hear the opinions of others, and for one to divulge one's own opinions for the betterment of society. After these opinions have been heard, thought through, and fully realized, individuals have the capacity to make decisions for the good of themselves and those around them. When these intellectual, spiritual decisions are made correctly, human beings can begin to live the good life. Works Cited: Plato. Symposium. Trans. Alexander Nehemas & Paul Woodruff. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1989. Finding the Good Life in Symposium Essay -- Philosophy essays Finding the  Good Life in Symposium There are many different interpretations of what the good life truly is. Individualists believe that the good life is pleasing oneself, while utilitarians believe that the good life is acting for the good of the rest of society. Philosophers, too, have their own interpretation. Plato alludes to the philosopher's good life when he uses the phrase "my greatest pleasure." The inherent subjectivity of the word "my" tells the reader that philosophical conversation may not necessarily be everyone's greatest pleasure. "After all, my greatest pleasure comes from philosophical conversation, even if I'm only a listener, whether or not I think it will be to my advantage. All other talk, especially the talk of rich businessmen like you, bores me to tears, and I'm sorry for you and your friends because you think your affairs are important when really they're totally trivial" (Symposium 173C-D). The casual observer may believe that these lines, spoken by Apollodorus, are trite, offering little more than some humor to begin Symposium. However, a well-learned reader will read between the lines and quickly realize that, embedded within the words of the passage lies a plethora of ideas that are integral to the work as a whole. The two primary ideas which stem from the preceding passage are the philosopher's view of the good life and the very different lives that philosophers lead. There are many different interpretations of what the good life truly is. Individualists believe that the good life is pleasing oneself, while utilitarians believe that the good life is acting for the good of the rest of society. Philosophers, too, have their own interpretation. Plato alludes to the philosopher's good life ... ... not only to listen to the ideas of others, but to make a judgment about those ideas after they have been heard. In offering the judgment of the philospher's good life being the best one, Plato enticed his readers to attend his academy, one goal of his book. The ultimate idea of the passage, and indeed the book as a whole, is to for one to keep an open mind to hear the opinions of others, and for one to divulge one's own opinions for the betterment of society. After these opinions have been heard, thought through, and fully realized, individuals have the capacity to make decisions for the good of themselves and those around them. When these intellectual, spiritual decisions are made correctly, human beings can begin to live the good life. Works Cited: Plato. Symposium. Trans. Alexander Nehemas & Paul Woodruff. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1989.

Faulkner’s Relationship with his Daughter in the Film, William Faulkner

Faulkner’s Relationship with his Daughter in the Film, William Faulkner: A Life on Paper William Faulkner: A Life on Paper presents Faulkner as a struggling writer, father, and human being. He was moody, a periodic alcoholic, often in debt, affected in manner, and seemingly unable to make and retain significant relationships. Yet despite his apparent failings as a man (or perhaps because of them), Faulkner is perhaps the most successful and influential American literary artist of the 20th-century. Faulkner paved the way for many women writers to take up their pens and continue his literary quest into humankind’s psyche and the truth of our existence. His fathering of the many writers we will be reading this semester was a significant one; however, I am unsure if Jill Faulkner Sommers is able to forgive her father for his apparent neglect of fathering his true daughter. It is a commonly supposed that geniuses are able to produce their masterpieces because they are geniuses - because they do not act according to the customary social expectations of â€Å"average† human beings. They ...

The Depiction of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Chrysanthemums

The Depiction of Women in "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck Identical twins have the same genes that make both of them look, think, and feel the same. Their likes and dislikes are the same; for instance, when one likes yellow, the other will like yellow. However, their fortunes are different; for instance, when one dies, the other will not die. Similarly, in literature, different authors have created a twin character in different eras. It is as if a second twin sister was born forty years after the first one was born. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman ( 1892) and "The Chrysanthemums," written by John Steinbeck (1938), both stories are similar in characterization and setting. They differ, however, in their points of view and the symbolism. Each actual symbol is different, but its meaning is the same. Although they differ in many different ways, both show that being trapped inside an isolated house and having a limited life under a husband's control leads to a miserable ending of a woman's life. While Gilman uses a lonely, big house where her main character stays for three months, Steinbeck creates a small farmhouse where Elisa lives and works. This definitely addresses their loneliness and isolation. Elisa works in her flower garden in which she plants chrysanthemums bigger than anyone does in the Salinas Valley. She works alone in her small garden that is surrounded with a "wire fence" to protect from "cattle and dogs and chickens" (Steinbeck 503). She lives in a small farmhouse that is far away from other houses, which makes her feel as if she is isolated from her society. Steinbeck sets the Salinas Valley as if it is also isola... ...eir messages of the stories are the same. So now, just think about why they have many similar thoughts toward women. Works Cited Charter, Ann, and Samuel Charters, eds. Literature and its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003. Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Literature and its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 3 rd ed.Ed. Ann Charter and SamuelCharter. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003. 502 - 510. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Literature and its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 3 rd ed. Ed. Ann Charter and Samuel Charter. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003. 182- 193. Gilbert, Sandra M., and Gubar, Susan. "A Feminist Reading of Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper." Charters and Charters 564- 566.

German Philosophers Essay

My paper is about Kant’s ideas of progression which shall focus on a study of his works such as â€Å"Idea for a Universal History† and his most famous work â€Å"What is Enlightenment? † as basis for analysis. This paper also explains the opposing views of Mendelssohn from Kant’s ideas of progression. It will compare Mendelssohn’s idea of enlightenment from that of Kant. His contribution to the emancipation of Jews will be discussed too. I will include also some ideas from other philosophers like Nietzsche on The Genealogy of Morality and Hegel on the philosophy of history. The opposing views of Mendelssohn on progression are also discussed pointing his views on secularization and enlightenment in relation to Kant’s views. A little will be discussed on Kant’s Perpetual Peace essay pointing it on a philosophical manner. Other philosopher such as Nietzsche’s views on morality using his work On the Genealogy of Morality shall be discussed in relation with Kant’s two ways of distinguishing judgments (ethical and aesthetic theory). Introduction The primary objective of this paper is to discuss Kant’s historical theory of progression. The first approach in understanding his ideas is to touch in his historical philosophy. Since the system used for reconstructing Kant’s philosophical history is critical it results to unsatisfactory remarks thus the use of a horizontal approach is necessary. A more general issue of philosophical matters will usually submerge using the historical philosophy approach. This approach is helpful in understanding the dialogue between contemporaries because it particular criticizes the idea of progression. The Kant’s theory of progression involves a strong case of particular criticism addressing these objections: (i) the rejection of the idea of progression due to religion’s being secularized; (ii) that his ideas on progression are chronologically unfair because this try to mean that the earlier generation gets a raw deal; (iii) that progression delivers the species into endless unsatisfaction; (iv) that progression adds to a harmful homogenization which may eliminate traditional values and practices (McCloughan 2003). The ways of judgment as distinguished by Kant such as the priori judgment and the posteriori judgment; the former judgment explains that something is known a priori if it is neither derived from nor testable by sense experience while the latter judgments is derived from or is testable by experience. These judgment means that we have no certain knowledge about experience, and according to Kant, he believed that we had such knowledge thus we ask the question: â€Å"How are synthetic a priori judgment? † On the other hand, in Mendelssohn’s mind, aesthetics in relationship to Kant’s theory of aesthetic is closely interrelated with psychology (Kant 1983). I. What is progress? â€Å"Progress† is a broad term that is believed to be an act of rejection throughout history by human communities of their attitude. However, an increasing number of intellectuals believe that the methods and spirit of science must be applied to all fields. Because of this belief, the idea of progress came to include a concept of social and moral progress. It was stated that the cumulative improvement in human knowledge and power that had been brought about in the physical sciences could also be brought about in the organization of human society and its character if only these barriers against the employment of rational methods in morals, religion, and politics could be eradicated (McCloughan 2003). In pre-modern Western culture, the idea of progress challenged the thought that the golden age of humankind devised in the past and that the aging of the Earth involves decay for it and analogous to the aging of individual living organisms. Moreover, the idea of progress implies a trend to history and time that contrasts sharply with the cyclical conceptions of time and of history that is dominant in ancient history. Finally, the idea of progress implies an activist role for humans in defining their well-being and in causing it, in the present and for the future (McCloughan 2003). II. Kant’s idea of progression and his ways of judgment According to Kant, humanity, as whole, was gradually progressing towards enlightenment that there is a progression that expresses the idea of the history of humankind. Moreover, it is directing towards a goal, which led to the development of shifting interpretations of this abstract notion. Kant stresses the unplanned character of the development of history, which is more likely to go after on its way to a cosmopolitan world order. ‘Progress’ toward the commencement of perpetual peace will be unpredictable and painful because while the process is undergoing, progress will adopt a more regular pace. Progress would also take the form of a more balanced development of human capacities. Both at the national and international levels, spontaneous antagonism will not only holds up the process of development, but also ensures that such development as has taken place has failed to put attention to the all-important moral dimension (Kant 1983). Progression would be the universal history of all humanity and it is very comprehensive that often takes the case with traditional universal histories, the future as well as the past. Nevertheless, progression is more than just a collection of all facts falling under the intersection of the concepts ‘human’ and ‘history’. According to Kant, this would amount to what he calls an ‘aggregate’, a mere ‘distributive unity’, and would fail to satisfy reason’s demand for ‘systematic’ or ‘collective unity’ (Kant 1983). When human beings emerge from his self-incurred minority, it is called Enlightenment that is, on a public level, the application of one’s own understanding, improvement without the help of another individual. Kant asserted that it is the freedom of thought and all individuals can attain this freedom indiscriminately. While I agree that enlightenment transcends economic class and race, freedom of thought but it cannot practically be extended to everyone (Kant 1983). Furthermore, in Kant’s words, progress may be associated with human reason and talks about how things are presented to us. Human understanding is only concerned of how it works but it not concern with the foundations. In Kant’s mind, however, neither sciences nor philosophy must answer to those questions, since this separate their innate capacities. Nevertheless, this does not mean that it is less worthwhile to answer questions on one side because he said that we could not construct any serious progress in physics, for example, while we argue over the issue of whether it is logically consistent to talk about laws of nature. However, it does mean that whatever we are doing we are in an important respect, stopping to do philosophy. If this is correct, then there is no chance of achieving progress in philosophy by adopting a paradigm that helps achieve progress, but only by making it cease to be philosophy (Kant 1983). Kant saw the problem of knowledge was on the issue of how to connect the† is† of sense experience with the â€Å"must† of necessary and universal truth. First, we distinguish analytic from synthetic judgments. An analytic judgment can be ascertained by looking on the truth of such judgment which can be know by an analysis of the subject while a synthetic judgment can be ascertained by looking at the truth of such a statement which cannot be known through an analysis of the subject (McCloughan 2003). Philosophers before Kant stated that an analytic judgment was known a priori while the synthetic judgment was known a posteriori. The former were always and necessarily true but true only about the meaning and relation of words not about the world while the latter judgment was about the world but they could only be contingent or probable truths. Kant believed that we have no certain knowledge about experience and we had such knowledge. As a solution, he further adds that experience provides the content and the mind provides the structures that determine the way in which the content will be organized and understood (McCloughan 2003). III. Kant on the issue of morality Kant says in a moral sphere that he has denied knowledge to make room for faith because he believe that moral law cannot be justified by reason it can only be obeyed on its own sake. According to Kant’s ethical theory, which rests on the concept of duty, a good person acts out of duty not because he fears punishment but because it his duty. The categorical imperative states that a person should act in such a way that it are possible for one to will that the maxim of ones action should become a universal law (Kant 1983). On the other hand, according to Kant’s aesthetic theory, which holds that judgment, give beauty to something, although they rest on feeling, but have valid claims although these are mere statements of taste or of opinion. This concept involves a judgment, which are on purpose for example, when a person judges something to be beautiful there is harmony of the experienced object with mental structure (Kant 1983). IV. Mendelssohn’s Views Mendelssohn believed that destiny should be divided into two separate categories. The first is the personal, private, and intellectual destiny of man; and the second was the destiny as a citizen of a state or a public, duty-oriented destiny. In an enlightened society according to him, the need for culture is ideally eliminated and substituted by the virtues of Enlightenment (Mendelssohn 1983). Moreover, another important truth about the Enlightenment thinking is the possession of knowledge through experience and observation, education, and self-probing on an intellectual and spiritual level. Moreover, by fulfilling these quests shall lead you to the path of Enlightenment. The idea of Mendelssohn on Enlightenment has distinguished the destiny of man through his roles as both a citizen of a state and between the role of a human to morality, religion, and personal philosophy. He discovers that this distinction is necessary because he believes that the personal interests of man as a human can do conflict with the interests of public man. According to him, the ideals of Enlightenment should be limited in their availability to man when it is in the best interest of the state and they should not meddle with work ethics or motivations, as they are necessary to the functioning of society (Mendelssohn 1983). V. Mendelssohn’s contribution to Jewish thought and secularization Mendelssohn’s principal contribution to Jewish thought concerns a declaration of inconsistency while he supports the abolition of excommunication while remaining loyal to biblical law, and is willing to overlook such coercion. In Mendelssohn’s reply, â€Å"Jerusalem Or On Religious Power and Judaism† which was one of the first works in German to plead for freedom of conscience in religious matters, separates church and state, and the civil rights for the Jews. According to him, both states and church have as their final goals the promotion of human happiness. The state is permitted to enforce specific actions, whereas the church’s task is to convince its followers of their religious and ethical duties through persuasion alone (Mendelssohn 1983). Mendelssohn replied to the question of the continued authority of Jewish law, and said that the ceremonial law originating from the Hebrew Bible is binding solely on the Jewish people and Judaism is a religion of revealed legislation but not of revealed beliefs. He further said that the existence and unity of God, the reality of divine providence, and the immortality of the soul should be declared on the grounds of natural reason, not miracles or supernatural revelation. Mendelssohn was concerned with freedom inside one religion as well as freedom of religion for minority communities but he is still confirming the continued authority of Jewish law. He argued that by identifying the church and state in biblical Israel should end with the destruction of the ancient association of states and laws that preserve the universal principles of Jewish faith against errors into idolatry and polytheism. Until God arranges another indubitable supernatural revelation to the Jewish people, these laws will not lose their force to replace that of Mount Sinai. However, loyalty to the Jewish law does not prevent the Jews from expecting the legitimate duties of citizenship in an enlightened society (Mendelssohn 1983). Mendelssohn was seen as a forebear of the conflicting trends of German Jewry but Kant as well as Hegel viewed his synthesis of philosophical theism and traditional religious observance as outdated. Nevertheless, he was revered by the Enlighteners for having moved from the ghetto to modern society without abandoning the Jewish tradition or the Jewish people. However, Mendelssohn was criticized for having paved the way to the loss of Jewish distinctiveness and, therefore, to assimilation. In retrospect, his thought and life can be seen to have posed some of the fundamental issues of Jewish religious survival in secular, liberal society (Mendelssohn 1983).

Do something that I have never done before Essay

hen I heard that the professor asked us to do something that we have never done before, I got excited at the moment. It made me feel like I got a good reason and opportunity to try something special. I took something really crazy such as skydiving or boarding into my consideration in the first. Afterward, a flash of idea came upon while I was talking about cooking with my friend; I wanted to cook lobster, a live lobster. I watched a famous TV show named â€Å"Take home chef† before, which is a show that basically teaching people how to cook. I watched one episode that was teaching people how to cook a live lobster. I dimly remember that the whole procedure to cope with live lobster was quite challenged for me. First of all, I have rarely cooked. Furthermore, I have never purposely taken any live of any creature before! After making the decision, I started to search information and some videos, which show people how to deal with live lobster, and also some recipes for cooking lobster cuisine. I chose the backed way to make my first lobster dish, which seemed easy but not as boring as the one just simply steam it. And in general, there are three ways to kill lobster. First, freeze it to death; second, boil it; the last, do bloodletting until it die. I picked the most friendly and the fastest way for the beginner, which is boiling. To get live lobster, my friend and I went to Redondo Pier. In that pier, you can get all kinds of fresh seafood that people come to their mind. I saw approximately twenty to thirty lobsters lively swinging their claws and legs in the pool; suddenly, somehow I felt a bit guilty and scary I would kill these lives in person later. Having both nervousness and excitement, we drove back home and got ready to be a lobster killer for the very first time in my life. When I took of the lobsters from the bag, they were still moving their claws and legs. â€Å"Don’t you really dare to kill me by your own hand? † I felt the lobsters were trying to deliver this warming with their staring eyes. I was afraid that I would be gripped by its claws so that I didn’t dare to cut the ties that bound its claws. I directly put them into the boiled water. The first few minutes, the lobsters were still moving. I suddenly thought of the recipe says that lobster doesn’t feel pain and will be dead in ten seconds; however, it may keep moving because of  muscle spasms. This made me feel more creepy while seeing them moving and gradually stopping in the boiled pot. After around five minutes, I pulled it from the water and submerged it into ice water to cool it. Then, here came another tough part: splitting its head from the body and then cutting the body into two pieces. I carefully follow the instruction from the recipe to cut the lobsters from the top to the base of its tails. I felt accomplishment when I successfully split them into pieces. Afterward, I spread butter, pepper and lemon juice on it; and the last step was put them into the oven. After waiting nervously for eighteen minutes, an aromatic backed lobster cuisine came out. This was my very first time to cook all by myself, and the tough thing was that I had to deal with the lobsters, which were still alive. Though the procedure was a bit hard for me as a beginner of cook, I still enjoyed this experience. Above all, I had a delicious lobster cuisine for a dinner, and got a great accomplishment for that.