Indifference to Anxiety in Cranes The Open Boat Essay example -- Open

Indifference to Anxiety in Crane's The Open Boat   Ã‚   In recent years, critical response to Stephen Crane's The Open Boat has shifted dramatically, focusing less on the tale's philosophical agendas than on its epistemological implications. The story no longer stands as merely a naturalistic depiction of nature's monumental indifference or as simply an existential affirmation of fife's absurdity. Instead, we have slowly come to realize a new level of the text, one that, according to Donna Gerstenberger, explores "man's limited capacities for knowing reality" (557). Gerstenberger's conclusion that the tale "may be best viewed as a story with an epistemological emphasis, one which constantly reminds its reader of the impossibility of man's knowing anything, even that which he experiences" (560), is further developed by Thomas L. Kent: If we insist that the text be interpreted naturalistically, if we insist, that the text must have some sort of overarching meaning --- even a meaning that shows the universe to be existentially absurd --- we place ourselves in the same boat as the deluded castaways [who "felt that, they could then be interpreters"]. On both the narrative and extra-textual levels, the subject of "The Open Boat" is epistemology, and the text suggests that meaning in the universe is secondary to man's ability to preceive [sic] it. (264)    Building upon the insights of Gerstenberger, Kent and others, l hope to show bow the structure of "The Open Boat" creates an epistemological dilemma, moving the reader from a position of epistemological indifference to a state of epistemological anxiety. Four key moments in the story create this shift from indifference to anxiety: first, in Section 1, the opening sentence... ...st way allowing us to know what it is they are now interpreters of, Crane highlights more than our own inability to achieve interpretation, to gain access to knowledge. Rather, he has placed us in such a position that we must shed our casual indifference to our epistemological failures and embrace, unwillingly perhaps, the anxiety that will attend all of our efforts to "read" life's impenetrable meanings.    WORKS CITED Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." The University of Virginia Edition of the Works of Stephen Crane: Volume V, Tales of Adventure. Ed. Fredson Bowers. Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1970. Gerstenberger, Donna. "'The Open Boat': An Additional Perspective." Modern Fiction Studies 17 (1971-72):557-561. Kent, Thomas L "The Problem of Knowledge in'The Open Boat'and 'The Blu Hotel." American Literary Realism 14 (1981): 262-268.      

Shades of Black

Keziah Knights 01/24/11 English 102 Dr. Gavin â€Å"Shades of Black† -Mary Mebane â€Å"Shades of Black† is an excerpt from Mary Mebane’s first autobiographical volume. In it, Mebane writes about the different types of black and the depictions of them in society. More specifically, how women of color are viewed and treated. Views of black woman have changed since the civil rights movement. From the 1950s to the 1970s, the views of black beauty have changed from one of reverence to one of disgust. Many different problems and obstacles present themselves to woman of color. Mebane writes about the ways in which black black girls and lighter skin African American girls were treated and viewed. Mebane stated, â€Å"by the twentieth century, really black skin on a woman was considered ugly†(Mebane 239). During the early 1900s, black woman were not really desired. At one point, they were though. Around the civil rights movement, black men considered black woman beautiful. As Mebane mentions, there is no definite date for the shift from beautiful to ugly, but it is undeniable that a shift did occur. This shift from desired to no desire could be referred to as the black consciousness movement. Between the 1960s and the 1970s, darker skin woman were not looked at much. Instead, black men chased after lighter skin woman and woman of a different decent. Woman of a darker shade faced a new problem. They were already part of the minority, now they were placed even lower. Because of their color, darker women had difficulty finding partners as well as jobs. In order to be recognized, darker women had to either befriend a light skin â€Å"beauty†, or turn to sex. According to Mebane and others, sexual acts were the only advantage a black woman had in getting ahead. Because they were no longer considered beautiful, black women were only good for sex. In regards to having a career, or even a job, black women actually had to have skill. Since they were not very appealing to the eye, darker skin women had to be appealing on paper. Training was the only way in which a darker shade of African American woman could land a job. She had to be trained better than the lighter skin women in order to be hired. Sometimes, training was hard to receive since they were not very wealthy. If darker skin women were able to receive training, they were not treated fairly because of their color. Therefore, black black women had to fight through in order to get enough training. African American woman faced a lot of problems in society during the twentieth century. Although they were once thought of as beautiful, for most of their lives their color took away from what they could have been capable of. Lighter skin African American women were not as burdened by their color as black black woman. Being educated, finding a partner, and landing a job were amongst some of the problems darker skinned women faced between the civil rights movement and the black consciousness movement. Again, there is no definite point of change, but there is no denying that there was a shift and unfortunately it wasn’t a positive one.

Intellectual and cultural life of colonial Mexico Essay

Mexico is a land whose history is as rich and diverse as its people. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards to Mexico the natives enjoy great progress and technology. They’ve printed books, made paper and pigments, painted murals and manuscripts, cultivated crops, made structures and lavish designs in architecture that some historians say even outdates that of Egypt, engaged in medical practice and planted botanical crops. However with the invasion of the Spanish Empire that happened between the year 1521 to 1600 the natives who posses such technologies were suppressed by the Colonialist. Various indigenous groups disappeared since the Spaniards pushed to promote Catholicism in the country in their attempt to eliminate anything that links the people from their â€Å"Pagan past†. They also brought with them superior technology from Europe which hindered the progress of technologies that they have developed before. The diversity and development of Native Mexico is shown as manuscripts of maps of the different areas in Mexico are found in â€Å"the six Relaciones Geograficas maps†. The rich text combines native and European colorants a clear manifestation of their rich technology even before the colonialist came to the country. The inhabitants of Mexico today can be classified into two groups, the Indigenous Peoples who lived before the 14th century and the Immigration people who arrived with the Spanish conquest. The former, which are the indigenous peoples are the Toltec, Omeca, Zapotec, Maya, Aztec, Huichol, Purapecha, Tarahumara and etc. The later on the other hand are a mix of different cultures due to the wave of migration brought about by the Spanish Conquerors. For us to fully understand the impact that colonization has brought to the natives, we need to discuss their culture and practices in terms of social stratification, culture, religion and economy prior to the coming of the Spaniards. Native Mexico Mexico was the site of some of the earliest and most advanced civilizations in the western hemisphere. Its human history began with the aboriginal people we call American Indians or Amerids. Archeological records date back to older than that civilization of Egypt. They were scattered groups of nomadic hunters. The Amerids then became diverse and divided into sub classes differentiating in culture, legend and practices. These are the Toltec, Maya, Omeca, Zapotec, Aztec, Purapecha, Huichol, Tarahumara and etc. Clash of cultural minorities happened and led to the fall of different empires. When the Spaniards came to Mexico the Maya and Aztec groups where predominant in the region. Their economy greatly relies on agriculture and herding. It was a society divide into three classes: slave, commoner and nobility. However, far different from that of the Spaniard, the slaves can buy their freedom and when he manages to escape from his master and makes his was safely to the royal palace he is then given immediate freedom. Social mobility was also practiced by all the classes regardless of race as long as one has enough money and resources to do so. With regards to religion, they have numerous Gods. In Aztec society in particular, their gods are Uitzilopochtli (sun god), Tlaloc (rain god), Coyolxauhqui (moon goddess), and Quetzalcoatl (inventor of writing and the calendar and also associated with the planet Venus and with resurrection) . Animal and human sacrifices were also made to honor warriors during the war and for religious ceremonies. Prisoners were also sacrificed for less important rituals. The Spaniards found the ritual horrendous since it involves human sacrifices which are against Catholic faith. The ritual would take place on top of a pyramid where the human sacrifice is placed on a convex stone and the priest would reap their hearts out using a knife (Almanac, 2005). As of press time, the modern Aztecs people number for over a million and are the largest aboriginal group in the country. Most of them are farmers who have no access to education and most are illiterate.