Compare the ways ‘Old Man, Old Man’ and ‘Warning’ Deal with the theme of old age Essay

The U.A. Fanthorpe poem, ‘Old Man, Old Man’ and J Joseph’s ‘Warning’, deal with the theme of old age in very contrasting ways. Both deal with similar issues, yet come out with very different views. The first thing we see in both poems is the immediate tone portrayed. ‘Old Man, Old Man’, starts talking of someone who â€Å"lives in a world of small recalcitrant / Things in bottles, with tacky labels†, while ‘Warning’ begins with the colourful image that â€Å"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple / With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me†. Purple and red tend to suggest a vivid and lurid tone, and the immediate contrast between the two sets the character in â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† as being reclusive and isolated, living in his own confined world, while in â€Å"Warning† we see the author looking forward to old age, seeing it a time for enjoyment of life. â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† continues to explain to the reader how old age brings deterioration and isolation to people, talking of how â€Å"small things distress† and having his hands â€Å"shamble among clues†, implying that old age brings more constraint and misery to a person, while we see that in ‘Warning’ the coming of old age will give the author an excuse to break society’s constraints, such as dressing strangely and wasting money on â€Å"brandy and summer gloves†¦and say we’ve no money for butter†. A strong sense of bitterness and melancholy is created in ‘Old Man, Old Man’ as the author describes a regimented, authoritarian past world, which has gradually worsened into a narrow, emotionless one. The man is seen to be upset by small incidents, have a deteriorating sense of humour and vision, and, despite his age, is still attempting to impose order on his world with his â€Å"timetabled cigarette†. The man’s previous interests are belittled by using sarcastic phrases such as â€Å"Lord once of shed, garage and garden†, showing us that this man used to only be able to control his environment, and now he has â€Å"lost the hammer†, he cannot even do this. The traditional view of eccentricity is portrayed in both poems, however, Joseph also adds an element of freedom, showing her rebellion against taste and sobriety. Her excitement is shown in the language with the excessive use of the word â€Å"and† as well as the enjamberment, which stress the enthusiasm she has, and showing her to be breaking free of the rules of language in the same way she will break free from the rules of society. Further rebellion is shown as she talks of running her â€Å"stick along the public railings† and â€Å"learn to spit†. Sprawling sentences such as â€Å"You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat / And eat three pounds of sausages at a go† portray her excitement, as well as anticipation. Use of words such as â€Å"I†, and â€Å"shall† give a sense of force and individuality. Both poems have a similar structure, as they move from past to present in their tense. In â€Å"Old Man, Old Man†, we see a move to the present as Fanthorpe writes â€Å"Now television has no power to arouse – / Your surliness; your wife could replace on the walls / Those picture of disinherited children†. This not only suggests the man has rage pent up inside, but also poses the question as to why the children have been disinherited their father’s love. The description continues as Fanthorpe says â€Å"Now you ramble / In your talk†¦fretting / At how to find your way†. We see here that the man is slipping into a loss of control, and a change of personality. In contrast to this, we see â€Å"Warning† describing a present of constraints while she remains in the â€Å"sobriety of†¦youth†. Joseph describes to us the way in which â€Å"Now we must have clothes that keep us dry / And pay our rent and not swear in the street†. The word â€Å"must† shows a lack of freedom and constraint in present existence. This verse is designed as a contrast to the previous verse, which had concentrated on the promises of old age. A sense of restraint is portrayed as Joseph lists all the constraints she has in her life. While ‘Old Man, Old Man’ had showed a deterioration from a more happy existence to a worthless one, ‘Warning’ tends to show one that has begun with constraint and will end with happiness and freedom. In the final verses of ‘Old Man, Old Man’, we see a turning points, where the daughter (and author) intervenes, showing that he has literally and metaphorically lost his way in the world with the phrase â€Å"Where is Drury Lane?† In the final verse, we see a slight raise of the grim tone, as we can see Fanthorpe prefers her father in this softer, less threatening manner, as the two have become more equal in terms of power. This is shown with the phrase â€Å"I love / Your helplessness† and â€Å"Let me find your hammer. Let me / Walk with you to Drury Lane†. This marks a point in the poem where the theme is now the relationship with the daughter and father rather than just the father. In a similar way, ‘Warning’ changes in it’s theme towards the end, but not for the same tone. We see in the final verse Joseph’s confidence wane slightly, as she says â€Å"Maybe I out to practise a little now†¦So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised / When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple†. This provides a relatively quiet ending, almost an anticlimax, to a colourful, liberated poem, as the tone becomes more restrained and the drive of her dream starts to lose pace. Circularity is also shown as the first and last lines of the poem both talk of wearing purple. In conclusion, both poems take different views in addressing old age, and even though some elements in structure are similar, both contain inherently different views, as â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† is a melancholy remainder of the deterioration the old go through, while â€Å"Warning† shows a more bright outlook, explaining the opportunities and liberation that will follow with the coming of old age. This may be to do with the fact that in â€Å"Old Man, Old Man†, Fanthorpe describes what she has previously seen, while in â€Å"Warning† Joseph is merely hypothesising what life may be like in the future.

Sex Education in primary schools Research Proposal

Sex Education in primary schools - Research Proposal Example Many think that giving them sex education in school will help them understand the dangers of sex before they are ready and help them abstain from sex. Children are not capable of understanding sex at such an early age and therefore it gives them a license to have sex if they are not already doing so. The truth is that when children have free sex information available to them and they receive condoms and other contraception methods they will want to experiment and have sex early. This is not a good thing. There are three main reasons for this: 1) Without being taught about ethics and responsibility, kids will see this education as a green light to do whatever they want; 2) It should be more the responsibility of parents to discuss this with their kids rather than teachers who may or may not know the students very well; 3) Sexual education is not one-size-fits all—people should be taught according to their maturity. Where do children get their information about sex? In todays world they are getting it from their teachers in most elementary, secondary and high schools. With the Internet and other methods of information that children have access to they are able to find just about anything they want easily. The question then is why should they have access to sex education? They are very young and the more information they receive the more they will want to try sex early. There education should be commensurate with their ability to take responsibility for their actions. In this case, there is a big gap between the two. There are several sides to this debate. Much of it comes from parents. Many parents think that all children should be taught abstinence which means that children are told to abstain from sex before marriage. Kim and Rector report that according to a 2005 study those children who took a vow to abstain from sex when they were adolescents are the least likely to engage in sexual intercourse as teenagers (74). This is a very

Criminal Justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Criminal Justice - Assignment Example When she was trying to help her, people came following the screams of the injured girl. The boy managed to lay the blame of the attack on Getrude and she had no defense due to her shyness. Soon, everyone believed it was her who attacked the girl and was labeled a â€Å"vampire† while other labeled her a â€Å"monster†. At first, it was very hard on her as she sat all alone feeling very hated and ashamed of her reputation. However, after some time, her attitude changed when she saw that people treated her with fear and she started developing a feeling of authority and importance. She later accepted the labels she was given and did her best to exceed the expectations of all her peers by being angry for no reason, hedonistic, impulsive and lacking self-control. She made it clear that anyone who wronged her will suffer the outcome. The labels she got, combined with the lack of family support and peer support when she was very vulnerable, propelled her to become unruly and

Victoria Secret store in Geneva Switzerland Term Paper - 1

Victoria Secret store in Geneva Switzerland - Term Paper Example From this paper it is clear that Victorias Secret products are purchased mostly through retail stores, online, and through the Victorias Secret catalog. Victorias secret has more than 1000 branches in its home country, the US, and for a long time it was engaged in domestic business due to the large size of its home country. Internationalization has recently appeared in the countrys agenda for sustainable development and has ventured into markets in London, Canada and the UAE. Its absence in the European market and the lack of affordable and sexy night wear in the same market develops into an opportunity for Victorias secret to develop a niche there which will be analyzed in this proposal. According to the paper Victorias secret was founded in Stanford by Roy Raymond in 1977. He took the opportunity of changing underwear into fashion and was largely successful. His shop gradually expanded into 6 stores and was finally sold to Limited Brands for US $ 4 million. Growth with Limited Brands was unprecedented and the company diversified its business portfolio to include swimming suits, dresses, jeans, shoes and beauty products. Currently the business consists of 3 different segments which include Victorias secrets stores, Victorias secrets direct (online and catalogue) and Victorias secrets beauty. It has become one of the largest lingerie retailers in the US and a store is present in almost every large shopping mall. It is time to expand its horizons and change its strategy from market saturation to discovering and penetrating new markets. Since markets in Asia and Europe are already being researched upon, opening of a store in Geneva is currently under study. Switzerland is a country with a population of 7.5 million and has one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world. The disposable income among citizens makes it a particularly attractive market for American brands.  

Examining the Sustainable Procurement Practices in the Public Sector - Assignment

Examining the Sustainable Procurement Practices in the Public Sector - A Case of ARAMCO (Saudi Arabia) - Assignment Example The given data is relevant to the study. Through an extensive literature, the choice criteria ensured only data relevant to the study was used. The data is also representative of the field of study. It has dissected the procurement practices of ARAMCO and examined the factors responsible for the success and failure of sustainable procurement in a very analytical and exhaustive form. Sense has been created through comparison of several studies and internal consistency has been maintained. Following the large array of databases I had to chose from, I will agree that the data is accurate and my arguments are also profound based on the large array of literature used. The data is accurate considering the fact that this is a secondary research and many of the sources reviewed are peer reviewed. The information given is very systematic and shows the chronology of events. It is divided into two sections, with section one discussing the sustainability of procurement by ARAMCO. The second part being addressed is the alternative source of energy which include solar and wind energy. The intension are full filled through exhaustive examination and dissection of the topic. The beginning of the study is captivating where a clear background is given using a study that was done by other researchers. The end of the study is conclusive where solution and recommendations are made to the problems. In carrying out the research, an extensive research was carried out and the collected data was analyzed in order to come up with new and conclusive ideas based on the research question and synthesis of the identified data. The paper is fluent with no errors in grammar nor style hence enhancing the reader’s understanding. The report also flows in a chronological way from the beginning to the end with a clear guidance on the process and the end

World Literature Paper 2(B) - IB English HL Essay

World Literature Paper 2(B) - IB English HL - Essay Example The plot of the story revolves around the life stories of these two prisoners, Luis Molina, a homosexual, and Valentin Arregui, a political prisoner. Molina was guilty of some pedophilia, for having sex relations with a young boy. Valentin on the other hand was jailed and mercilessly tortured for supporting the Marxist movement. How each prisoner dealt with their fate in prison also varies in perspective. While Valentin was wary on how to change the world and win the cause their movement is fighting for, Molina found escape by narrating lines from an old favourite movie, Her Real Glory, which his prison mate identified as a Nazi Propaganda film. But Molina for her part was not mindful of the political color of the film; he fantasized on the emotional drama of the lovers in her story, mimicking selected acts of the lady lover. Not long after, a friendship bond develops between the prisoners accepting the fact that they only have each other to cling to, each the protector and helper of the other. They are trapped in prison cell where circumstances ease out the differences between their ideals and forge understanding, acceptance and emotional attachment. Later Molina got out of prison on parole while Valentin was left behind to be tortured. On the day Molina left the prison cell, he gave in to Valentin’s plea for him to call his comrades and deliver his message. The story ended with Molina’s death while carrying out favor for his prison mate, while Valentin was in the infirmary after being tortured to death. Then the prison mates joined in the surreal each still being wary of what had happened to each other. This assignment will explore the creative aspect of the plot particularly on how the Molina’s narration of the movie within the movie, the dialogues and voices affected the audience imagination. Such vivid description of the characters and acts

Culture of Madness Essay Example for Free

Culture of Madness Essay Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that enables individuals to engage in unruly behavior. It is a mental disorder that makes individuals deviate from social norms. In the years between 1920s and 1950s, schizophrenia was a general condition that was manifested by emotional disharmony and impacted negatively on the abilities of the white people with regard to thinking and feeling. Research article authors of psychiatric journals described schizophrenia patients as native-born-Americans of white European ancestry. Such patients were termed by psychiatric authors as harmless and instead needed psychotherapeutic care. In 1960s, schizophrenia was described as illness manifested by rage. Research articles asserted that it was a condition that afflicted the Negro men who were hostile and aggressive. These Negroes protested for their civil rights. The protests were organized by black power, black panthers, nation of Islam or other activist group. I disagree with the view that schizophrenia has got popular cultural expression. It is merely a mental disorder that is not influenced by either race or culture. According to Metzl in 1960s, schizophrenia patients were the Negro men, who were described as aggressive and hostile. In the real sense, the black Americans who were oppressed were not hostile neither did they act ragely. They raised their voices to be heard by Americans for a change of lifestyle, from oppression to freedom. In so doing, the black Americans were fighting for their rights as equal human beings since they wanted to be treated with equality. As discussed by Metzl, schizophrenia was associated with racism, thus biased. It was considered to be a disease of the black Americans since they expressed their feelings due to pressure exerted on them. They were out to fight for the state of affairs between the Americans and the Black Americans. Schizophrenia is feared in the current moment. Schizophrenia patients can act unruly in a given surrounding. These patients act to satisfy only their desires not considering the effect of their deeds on other people. They can behave in a way that interferes with other people’s daily life. For example, if the illness drives them to violent behavior, other people will leave what they were doing and deal with them first. Any activity that they engage in, they do it with all their strength and thus can be destructive and fierce. b) According to psychiatrists, schizophrenia is a biological mental illness expressed through defined symptoms like delusions whereby the patient thinks of invisibilities and acts according to his/her thoughts. It is also expressed through hallucinations where by the patient builds castles in the air and imagines that it is real life. The patients as well have disorganized speech whereby they mix issues which do not relate at all. They express catatonic behavior which is a disorganized behavior in a given environment, for instance relieving oneself in the open. Such symptoms are manifested in ways that are specific to the surrounding, assumptions and values of the schizophrenic individual. For instance, a schizophrenic individual can behave unruly in the midst of other people. He can violently attack a group of people for no good reason and cause alarm. This is because the patient is not able to control him/herself due to lack of mental coordination. He/she thus attracts attention of people who may be in the middle of serious events. A schizophrenic patient usually makes undesired assumptions particularly in a group of people. Whenever they see other people talk or laugh, they always think that they are being laughed at because of their condition. They can therefore attack them and end up harming them for no reason. Some usually assume that it’s their duty to perform any role anywhere. For example, some schizophrenic patients assume that it is their duty to clean every environment they are in. They therefore end up collecting wastes everywhere they go. Most schizophrenic patients think that a group of people behave in a certain manner to hurt them or because they want to go against their wishes intentionally. They are in a condition which cannot allow them to reason with the surrounding. They instead act negatively. For example, if a schizophrenic patient is always violent, the people around him and who knows his/her condition may decide to tie him or her with some ropes or lock the person in a house for some time. If he or she happens to see some people hold such ropes in another incident, he/she may try to get hold of the ropes as he/she thinks that he/she will still be tied up. On the contrary, this may not be case. As a matter of fact, the ropes might be for a different purpose. c) Symptoms of schizophrenia can be harmless if at all the assumptions; values and norms in the current setting are changed. This can only be achieved if there is freedom in all aspects of life of schizophrenic individuals. For instance, it can be assumed that, if one is talking to himself or herself, he or she is probably talking to the ancestors and should be allowed to do so. It can as well be assumed that if one behaves unruly, he/she is expressing some burning issues within him/herself. Therefore, with this kind of assumptions, nobody would criticize schizophrenic individuals and subsequently, they would have all the freedom they require to express themselves. Schizophrenia cannot cause any distress if the patients are given freedom of speech. For example, a schizophrenic person should not be shut down if he mixes ideas in a discussion. He should be understood the way he is and given time to express himself. In so doing, he will not feel neglected or weak in one way or another. Some may behave in a schizophrenic manner out of a bad experience they have had before. For example, one can become schizophrenic after a divorce or death of his/her partner. Within this context, such people need understanding and a shoulder to lean on so as to counteract the effects of what they are going through. Schizophrenic’s behavior should be termed normal in a surrounding so as not to cause distress. For example, some religions like Islam allow wife battery. Therefore when wife battery cases are encountered in a family with a schizophrenic husband, they are considered to be normal behavior. 2. Conceptual Tools Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1987). â€Å"The Notion of Witchcraft explains Unfortunate Events,† Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande. Oxford: Clarendon Press. a) Constitution is in the making of man. It entails a set of laws or norms that are involved in structuring, creating and defining limits of power or authority possessed by government. A constitution is used to give states identify since all states that have got constitutions are referred to as constitutional states. In the context of phenomena, constitution is the process of using a category to create or come up with knowledge or perceptions about something. A description is very different from constitution in that whereas a description is the concerned with defining an item, constitution is creation of ideas, thoughts or shapes. Constitution is used to define the structuring or production process of anything. In the context of culture, the outcome of culture or that which is attributed to culture is considered as a product of the constitution process. On the other hand, definition of the meaning of culture and what it entails is termed as description. A distinction between constitution and description is realized in the description of witchcraft within the Zande community by Evans-Pritchard, 1987. The physiological state of a person that is linked to witchcraft is a mere description of the activity. On the other hand, a constitution is what will yield or be generated from witchcraft. Witchcraft from the wording itself is a mere description of some kind of psychic acts. However, constitution is what is synthesized from this act or from the notion itself. The reason why Evans-Pritchard has made this distinction is to show reality in the light of witchcraft within the Zande community. The Azande are so glued into linking everything with witchcraft; therefore, the writer tries to show distinction between reality and witchcraft by giving an elaborate distinction between description and constitution of categories. This way, he tries to change the notion of Azande from thinking that every mysterious thing that happens is due to witchcraft. In the context of reality and the internal knower, symbols and language are used to describe culture. The shift towards seeing categories as generative is seen through activities which are as a result of certain categories. A category is composed of certain elements with some common characteristics. It is the common characteristics that enable the categories to become active and achieve a certain goal. In the Zande community for example, witchcraft has been described as a psychic act. On the other hand, it has been solely associated with constituting unfortunate events among men. The objective description in this case is that witchcraft is associated with one’s physiological state. Evans-Pritchard believes that the physiological state used to describe witchcraft is nothing more than a passage of food through the small intestines. It is this objective definition of witchcraft that seems to be embedded in the shift of witchcraft from an objective description to a generative category. The generative nature of witchcraft is seen in its role to explain occurrence of unfortunate events as well as in regulating the conduct of people. b) The shift from describing to being generative lies in the fact that, description is the initial process used to come up with a category. Once a certain category of people or items is formed, they are used to generate and produce an intended outcome. Alternatively, they are linked to the generation of certain results. This way, the change in framework from descriptive to generative is enhanced. When this framework changes, explaining the history of a category shifts as well. This occurs in that, instead of giving the history of a category with respect to description, the generated outcome of the category is used to explain its history. In the Zande community, witchcraft is attributed to physiological factors. Consequently, it is associated with generating mysterious negative effects on man. However, with time, the association of categories such as witchcraft, with mysterious negativity derives a different meaning and there is need to shift the explanation. In the Zande community, witchcraft is considered to be generative in every aspect of the Azandes’ lives. Each and every mysterious occurrence in the lives of the Zande community is considered to be linked to witchcraft. Several claims are made with regard to witchcraft. For instance, among the Azandes, when blight attack groundnuts in the field, this is attributed to witchcraft. Also, if women tirelessly bail water from a pool and only manage to draw a few minuscule fish, witchcraft is said to be responsible for this mysterious occurrence. If a wife, contrary to other days, is unresponsive and gloomy, it is said that witchcraft is the cause. Evans-Pritchard has compared the occurrence of misfortunes in the Zande community to the occurrence of misfortunes among the African people. He has gone further to show that the Azande attribute witchcraft to a chain of causation for conditions which when looked at closely, relate a person to natural occurrences. Therefore, if the occurrence of events were to be understood in a more realistic manner, the explanation of generative categories would have to change. Evans-Pritchard has showed how this would be done. In all those circumstances where witchcraft was seen as the cause of misfortunes, it was during that particular moment that witchcraft was seen as the cause of the misfortune. This is perceived to mean that witchcraft is not solely responsible for every kind of bad luck. Therefore, the explanation would shift from a generalized understanding to a more specific one. Witchcraft, according to the people of Azande, is used to explain the occurrence of coincidence which causes harm to man. c) The shift from description to seeing categories as generative provides a way to think about rationality, irrationality or their interrelation. To examine this, the paper will look at the belief held by the people on what and who is associated with witchcraft. From a rationale point of view, this is just a timeless category without any basis or governing principle. The community of Zande can be termed as an irrational group because of the way they attribute witchcraft to occurrences which, a normal and ordinary person would attribute to natural calamity or mere coincidence. The Azande did not practice any rationality in as far as existence of phenomena is concerned. They do not believe in the existence of phenomena, much less mystical causation. They hold the view that witchcraft is the cause for that which happens mysteriously. The irrationality of the Azande is manifested by the fact that they cannot accept that things can occur through mere coincidence. They have used witchcraft to explain the occurrence of mysterious events. This is irrational of them as there are no facts to back up their ideology. The mere fact that witchcraft is a psychic act could also mean that it is attributed to some positive occurrences. However, this is not so as only the negative aspect of occurrences is linked to witchcraft. On the other hand, the Azande have applied some rationale in as far as why some things do happen. For example, the Azande are very much aware that termites eat up the support of a granary thus can fall or collapse at any moment. This is a show that the Azande think rationally. However, irrationality comes in when they relate witchcraft to the collapse of a granary in the presence of people. The Azande do apply rational thinking to explain occurrences but when a negative outcome is impacted on man, this is linked to witchcraft despite the fact that it may not necessarily be the case. This is the interrelation between rationality and irrationality within the category of witchcraft among the Azande.