Playing God in Shelleys Frankenstein Essay - 1202 Words

For as long as science has existed to satisfy mans appetite for knowledge and exploration, there have been people with the belief that science is none other than mans attempt to play God. The 19th century was a time of enlightenment where philosophical thought began and mans concern to better himself in a psychological form developed. During this time of enlightenment and exploration however, the standards of Christianity and ethical thought challenged science and its moral reasoning. Despite the large progress in society, the churchs vast power led the people to fear science. However the churchs fear was not just for the salvation of their church, but that science would disprove the proof of God and take Gods place in†¦show more content†¦However, in Victors role as God he is so enthralled with the thought of bringing life to a lifeless corpse that he ignores the moral affects that his creation will have on society. He wants so badly to understand, and potentially prevent, the mortality of man that he never thinks there may be a reason we cant create life or live forever. He thinks nothing to altering a system that has existed in the world since the inception of life. It is not until after he completes his experiment, he can only begin to understand some of the consequences. In discussing the shock of his creation Victor states, how can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pain and care I had endeavoured to form?(34). Much like with the current stem cell and genetics research ethical questions being raised, there are a lot of things to consider when one begins messing with the complexity of life. Life itself is complex beyond our understanding; relatively little is known today about its inner-workings. Therefore, it can be nothing better than irresponsible to create life from death, when you dont understand what is already alive. The admittance of his disappointment in his work causes one to question why he would create such a monstrous creature that would obviously not fit into society. The most obvious explanation would be that he is so overpowered with the possibility of his own death, that he hopes to gain the knowledge ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Playing God in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1917 Words   |  8 Pages     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What differentiates Mary Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein from the majority of horror novels are the very real and timeless themes it explores.   The overriding theme of the novel - scientific investigation without consideration of morality and responsibility is still an important topic in today’s world.   â€Å"Perhaps the reality of cloning and genetic engineering makes this theme more relevant today than when Frankenstein was first published†(Patterson). This theme, along with the more subtleRead More Playing God in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay5215 Words   |  21 PagesAristotle defines the tragic hero as a man of high social status who invites the gods to punish him through overbearing pride and/or presumption – hubris. It would be simple to assign the label of hubristic tragic hero to Victor Frankenstein, but such assignment of a label would be an oversimplification. The gods in Greek drama punish, albeit harshly, in an outright manner. The tragic figure is aware that the gods have forsaken him, and he resigns to live his life under the demands of retributionRead MoreEssay about The Reasons for Victor Frankensteins Emotional Turmoil1140 Words   |  5 Pages10. Explore the basis for this turmoil and Mary Shelley’s portrayal of Victor’s state of mind. In this Essay I shall explore the reasons for Victor Frankenstein’s emotional turmoil in chapters 9 and 10 and look at how some events in Mary Shelley’s life mirrors some events in the book. I will also look at a few of the themes running through Frankenstein. Such as religion, parenting, hate, revenge, guilt and compassion. At the time that Frankenstein was published most people still believed the genesisRead MoreBiblical Analysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein 1376 Words   |  6 Pages16 November 2015 Biblical Analysis: Frankenstein Frankenstein by Mary Shelley often refers to the bible on a number of occasions. However, it is worth noting that many references used by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein can often be identified in Genesis. Much like Genesis, the story of Frankenstein is a viable creation story. The book of Genesis first explains the creation of man and woman, and also recounts the fall of humanity. Unlike Genesis, Frankenstein begins with the fall of humanity, leadingRead MoreFrankenstein by Mary Shelley1093 Words   |  4 Pagesbase for Mary Shelleys tale Frankenstein. On the other hand, J. Michael Bishops, essay Enemies of Promise   on the other hand promotes and boast sciences achievements. However, Mary Shelley presents her point of view subtly yet very dramatically, which is much more effective than that of J. Michael Bishop. The dramatic story Shelley creates becomes a part of the reader, therefore holding the readers attention. Shelleys essay is less concrete therefore wont bore the reade r. Shelleys essay is alsoRead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley902 Words   |  4 PagesMary Shelley’s life was constantly enveloped in tragedy and scandal, so it is no surprise that a despairing work of gothic science fiction would result form an ill-fated, tortured soul like Shelley. From the very beginning of her life, Shelley experienced great misfortune with the passing of her mother. Later on, three of her four children died in their infancy, and her husband drowned off the shore of Tuscany. It would not be hard to believe that it was this series of burdensome life events thatRead MoreAnalysis of the Creation Scene from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 Film Version912 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of the Creation Scene from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 Film Version One of the key themes in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ is human arrogance. Frankenstein’s curiosity leads him to play the role of God. In a way Frankenstein is responsible for the monster and has ultimately become a father figure to the monster. Frankenstein abandoning the monster leads up to it turning evil and looking for revenge. Therefore, parenting is another themeRead More Themes of Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1421 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel Frankenstein. The themes that are explored in Frankenstein are relevant to today’s modern world. Shelley challenges readers by endorsing and confronting attitudes and values in her text through the events, circumstances and outcomes that take place in the novel, thus causing the reader to reflect upon their own lives and in turn the society around them. Shelley raises in her text an issue that is on the forefront of discussion in the modern world, that of man taking the place of God and theRead MoreThe Value And Knowledge Of Literature818 Words   |  4 Pagesknowledge gain to the majority, is one of the most well-known and highly acclaimed novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Analysis of biased nature and lack of multiple perspective analyses are problematic enough to depreciate the value of Frankenstein as innovative literature to low level horror story. It’s not a obvious social problem but a direct hit to the knowledge of Frankenstein’s millions of readers. Frankenstein is a fine example confronting a majority of its readers that are only able to analyzeRead MoreThe Monster’s Birth in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay727 Words   |  3 Pages In the Romantic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the selection in chapter five recounting the birth of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster plays a vital role in explaining the relationship between the doctor and his creation. Shelley’s use of literary contrast and Gothic diction eloquently set the scene of Frankenstein’s hard work and ambition coming to life, only to transform his way of thinking about the world forever with its first breath. In this specific chapter, Victors scientific obsession

Temple of Heaven Free Essays

The layout and architecture of the Temple of Heaven is filled with symbolism. According to symbolic tradition, Heaven is round and the earth is square. Therefore, all of the buildings in the temple complex are round in shape, while their retaining walls and the axis are square. We will write a custom essay sample on Temple of Heaven or any similar topic only for you Order Now The surrounding walls of the complex also reflect these traditions. The southern side of the wall is square and the northern is round. The emperor would enter the temple complex from the south and this would symbolize his transition from earth to heaven. The glazed roof tiles of the major buildings in the temple complex are blue, symbolizing heaven. Other buildings have green or yellow roof tiles. The green tiles represent Buddhism and the yellow represent the emperor. Only imperial or imperial sanctioned buildings were allowed the colored tile roofs. The building was built without a single nail. The beams, pillars, and rafters were built in such a way that the weight of the building holds the structure together. The hall has 28 pillars which symbolize the 28 constellations. In the center of the hall are four pillars known as the Dragon Well Pillars. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is surrounded by a square surrounding wall. On the east and west sides of the hall are two halls which was where the gods of the sun, the moon, the stars, thunder, and lighting were prayed to. These halls now exhibit the musical instruments played during the ceremonies at the Temple of Heaven. A round building with a single-gabled roof topped with a gilded ball, the Imperial Vault of Heaven is located directly south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It was first built in 1530 and rebuilt in 1752 by Emperor Qianlong. Its design is similar to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, but on a much smaller scale. It is built on a single tiered marble base. The vault housed the tablet of the Emperor of Heaven and the emperor’s ancestral tablets. These tablets were prayed to and offered offerings and were used as a symbolic representation of the emperor’s ancestors. The surrounding wall around the Imperial Vault of Heaven is commonly referred to as the Echo Wall. Because of the way it was built, if a person standing on one side, facing the wall and whispers towards it, a person on the opposite side can hear it clearly. Directly in front of the Imperial Vault of Heaven is what is known as the Triple Sound Stone. If a person stands on the first stone and speaks towards the vault, his words will echo once. If he stands on the second stone, his words will echo twice. If he stands on the third stone, his words will echo three times. It is quite remarkable and absolutely true. Circular Mound Altar: South of the Imperial Vault of Heaven lies the Circular Mound Alter. Originally built in 1530 by Emperor Jiajing, it was rebuilt in 1740 by Emperor Qianlong. The altar is a three tiered plinth made entirely of white marble. It is here that the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties offered sacrifices to heaven annually on the winter solstice. The ceremony was meant to thank heaven and ensure that the next year would be prosperous. The numbers of stones which make up each tier are in multiples of nine, which is a prevailing theme at the Temple of Heaven and in fact, all imperial sites. In Daoism, even numbers represent women and odd numbers represent men. The highest odd number is nine and it is representative of the emperor. In the center of the top terrace is a round stone known as the Heaven’s Heart Stone. Usage Since the emperor of China was considered the Son of Heaven, he was responsible for administer earthly matters on behalf of heaven. He did this by offering sacrifices to heaven. Twice a year, the emperor, along with thousands of eunuchs, ministers, and princes would proceed to the Temple of Heaven. The emperor would fast in the Hall of Abstinence located near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests for several days. He would live in the complex during the ceremonies. The entire country relied on the emperor for good harvests and weather. The ceremonies were prepared for months in advance and it was believed that it had to be perfectly performed because the smallest mistake would be a bad omen for the coming year. If there was a year of flooding or famine, the people would believe that the emperor had fallen out of favor with heaven, so it was of extreme importance for the emperor to ensure everything went perfectly. Outside of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the emperor would personally use oxen to plow a few rows to symbolize the first plowing and planting of the season. At the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the emperor would pray to the Emperor of Heaven and his ancestors, and on the Circular Mount altar, he would pray to heaven for a year of good weather and luck. All of these rituals ensured that the emperor and the empire would be prosperous. Currant Usage For centuries, no commoner was allowed to look inside the Temple of Heaven. Today it is open to the public and has become a beautiful park that is as popular with locals as with tourists. The complex is very large and the areas around the temples are large and filled with ancient cypress trees. Locals will arrive early in the morning to perform taichi, play badminton, chess, or dance, play music, or sing with their friends. The temple complex has a real community feel to it and it is a wonderful place to mingle with locals and see firsthand what locals do in their free time. Built as a place of worship, the temple is different from any other imperial structures. There are two parts in the temple zone. The outer wall of the temple zone is 6,416 meters in length while the inner wall 3,292 meters long. The architecture of the temple represents two themes: in the heaven and on the earth. The 6 meters high walls of the temple constitute a semi- circle in the north and a semi- rectangle in the south. This special layout illustrates an important belief in ancient China that the heaven is round and the earth rectangular. The northern section of the wall is high while the south is low, which means that the heaven is higher and superior to earth. All the essential architecture of the temple were built along a north – south central axis and are linked by a bridge called Danbi. The four main structures from the south to the north are the Circular Mound later (Huang Yuan Qiu Tan), the Imperial Heavenly Vault (Huang Qiong Yu), the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (Qi Nian Dian), and the Hall of Imperial Zenith (Huang Qi Dian). Other interesting places in the park include the Hall of Abstinence, the Dressing Platform and the Nine Dragon Cypress. How to cite Temple of Heaven, Papers

Battle of Dunkirk-success or disaster free essay sample

Was the battle of Dunkirk a triumph or success? A question with no simple answer and probably a question we will never know the true answer to. In the 70 plus years since the battle, a variety of medias, for example textbooks, diary logs and newspaper articles have continued to influence peoples different interpretations on whether or not the events at Dunkirk deserve to be remembered as a triumph or in fact a failure for Britain and its people. In the month of May 1940, Hitlers army was winning against France, despite Britain sending over 300,000 troops to help them out. Most of the allied forces had been surrounded and trapped by the fast-advancing German Army onto the beaches around Dunkirk. Despite countless severe casualties the British troops could not retreat as their escape routes were all blocked; they were sitting targets for the Germans. At this point there was a real danger that the entire British Army could be wiped out before the War had really got under way. On 27 May the British government, now led by Churchill, put into action a plan called ‘Operation Dynamo’. The plan was to evacuate all the troops to Britain by ship. On the end of the ninth day a total of 338,226 soldiers had been rescued from the beaches in an assembly of around 800 different boats; yachts, fishing boats and small ships were just a few that were privately owned and sacrificed from the people back at home. â€Å"The escape captured the minds and hearts of the British people at a time when it looked probable that we too would soon be invaded. † Source B1. The people of Britain really were becoming united and proud to Be British; although they were down they were not out. Dunkirk was called a â€Å"miracle† by Winston Churchill and how Britain were still up, back and ready to fight another day many see as a triumph in itself. An example of this is Source B2, a cartoon by British artist David Low, published in the London Newspaper on the 8th of June 1940. The cartoon shows the great range of boats sent by the people back home to rescue the soldiers from the coast, sacrificing their livelihood to do their bit for the war effort. British people gained massive amounts of pride from seeing this and even though their chances were questionable, they were, as the cartoon caption says, ready to ‘fight another day’. This type of cartoon was put in the newspaper to raise morale. The battle of Dunkirk was hugely important as it allowed the allies to keep a considerable military force which later went on to become part of the allies advance during the D-day landings. Opinions on the success of Dunkirk strongly rely on what you believe to be true and what you see as being for the use of propaganda. Despite British casualties amounting to 68,000, a massive 338,336 men, 71 heavy guns and 595 vehicles were rescued, Source B3. Britain’s navy and RAF, which shot down three German planes for every British plane lost, remained intact showing how powerful and effective they both were in helping the British Expeditionary Force. At this point British morale was sky high, mainly due to the image portrayed by the newspapers. On 31st of May the battle of Dunkirk had reached front page of the British Newspaper, The Daily Express. â€Å"TENS OF THOUSANDS SAFELY HOME ALREADY†,† Many more coming by day and night†, â€Å"unbeatable†. The propaganda used immediately in the headline shows it was a miracle to get the British and their allies evacuated off the beaches, heavily under-attack by the German. Mentioning all the kind of ships that took part in the evacuation highlights that Churchill’s statement about the involvement of the civilians had had an impact. Source B5. In every battle there will always be actions to criticize and in the battle of Dunkirk’s case there was understandably a fair few. Yet Anthony Eden, a senior army officer and later British Prime Minister wrote in his book of World War II memoirs about his surprise when visiting camps of returned BEF troops, Source B6. He expects the soldiers to be depressed and feeling defeated as there â€Å"was enough to criticize. † â€Å"Our infantry had no armour to support them; even its equipment had revealed some woeful shortages. But the mood of the officers and men showed none of this. † This raises the question of whether things would have been different had the BEF measured the Germans in weaponry. Even the brigades that had suffered the heaviest casualties were as confident as the more fortunate comrades. But as said in the June 4th speech by Winston Churchill, â€Å"Wars are not won by evacuations, but there was a victory inside this deliverance for which we must rejoice. † Many people since Dunkirk have taken the view that it should be remembered as a success. An example of people with this mindset is Ben Walsh, a history teacher and author who wrote a GCSE history textbook called Essential Modern War History in 2003, writing about the importance of Dunkirk. However his ideas were contradicted by Josh Brooman the author of the history GCSE textbook `Global War’, who said the Germans either killed, wounded or took prisoner of 70,000 people leaving the survivors with no choice but to escape anyway they could , consequently abandoning 2,500 big guns, 90,000 rifles and 64,000 vehicles. (Source B9). Ben Walsh labelled Winston Churchill as a powerful leader who could unite the country behind him. But surprisingly, Josh Brooman’s source B9 stated Winston Churchill the prime minister of Britain at the time referred to the evacuation of Dunkirk as â€Å"the greatest military defeat in centuries† in private. To many people, this admission said a lot for the reality of British success. A different cartoon, from an Italian, titled The triumphant English retreat’’ was published just after the Dunkirk evacuation. (Source B11). The image showed a Lion with a British flag retreating from a soldier, presumably German. As Lions are known to be strong, fearless animals that don’t flee when in danger it was shocking to see the Lion running away from a lone-standing soldier. This shone light on the fact that the English have lost all their power against the opposition and retreated, giving reason to believe that Dunkirk was indeed a disaster, contradicting David Low who stated they were back victoriously. In contrary to the newspaper propaganda about the evacuation taking place in Dunkirk was an interview for a BBC project to capture memories of key events during the war, by Ivan Daunt, a soldier evacuated from Dunkirk. 2004, Source B1 5. It tells the story of the traumatic experiences soldiers faced in short, yet powerful words. The British Army was caught by surprise and very unprepared. In such a short time they were close to having no ammunition at all as it was nothing compared to how well equipped the Germans were. There were even soldiers that hadn’t been properly trained before being sent to war, emphasizing just how unprepared they were. They were amateurs. Ivan Daunt, a war veteran himself even stated, â€Å"They were prepared for war and we weren’t. † Although this is not fact, how the soldiers were suffering with food shortages and paralyzed with fear, source B15 shows the sincere truth of how the British felt about their own army. A known positive attribute of the British Army was positive they were and how much the soldiers were prepared to do for their country. Source B13 shows how badly this wasn’t reciprocated. Even though the naval officers helped hugely in evacuating people including the injured, the bodies of dead soldiers were left to rot on the beaches. The French photograph was taken in early June 1940. The dead soldiers, who sacrificed their lives for the safety of their country and other soldiers, were seen as no good to the nation were treated as unneeded clutter and denied the chance to be taken back to their families. By doing this, it proves to younger boys who intend on joining the army that they will be treated with no respect after losing their life fighting for the nation. In addition to the body remains, the picture also shows the war tanks that had been abandoned, wasting the limited sources they had. This has proved Dunkirk’s evacuation has reason to be remembered as a disaster. The advancing German Army trapped the British and French armies on the beaches around Dunkirk. This has been proven by source B10 written by John Harris, a historian writing about Dunkirk in a book about great military battles `The Storms of War’ written in 1988. The source states clearly that 5000 men were ordered to be evacuated, yet on return with a swollen amount of 20000, there was still a queue of a thousand waiting to be evacuated. Some of the men that were trying to climb to safety on the boats made it more traumatic as they were numb with shock and were suffering from hunger and insomnia. Many fell to their deaths upon trying to get on the boat and dozens of horses were abandoned on the sands in addition to the thousands of weapons. The battle of Dunkirk can be seen as both a triumph and a failure; it will never be possible to say the answer is just one or the other. It can be seen as a triumph by the fact the British and French survived, which is a triumph in itself, as by seeing the predicament they were facing, it was likely they were going to lose. They were able to turn the tables and save hundreds of thousands of men. On the other hand, nearly half of those were French so the question of British triumph alone isn’t as remarkable. But still, day after day Britain lived to fight again and although a war is not won by evacuation, it still is a very important point. By my own knowledge I come to the conclusion that the Battle of Dunkirk should be remembered as a triumph for Britain and its people. It was a military disaster no doubt but at the end of it all on the 4th of June 1940 the British people were left standing proud. Although this was most likely down to the use of propaganda, in my eyes a country that has been through torturous weeks at a battle that looked certain to defeat them and can come out the other side, united and full of people proud of their country, is the true winner.

Titanic Summary free essay sample

Titanic Summary Titanic is a flawlessly crafted film that includes both a dramatic lavishing romance and the historical story of the sinking of the Titanic. It stars both the elegant star, Kate Winslet and the gorgeous Leonardo DiCaprio in a fictional romance that begins between a rich girl and a poor boy who meet on the voyage of the unsinkable ship, Titanic. It is narrated by an old woman known as Rose who claims to be a survivor of the Titanic and tells her experience on the Titanic to a group of treasure hunters, who are in search of a rare diamond in the Titanics remains. She tells about her unexpected encounter with a young, unwealthy artist named Jack Dawson who she falls madly in love with. This causes much drama for Rose and her family though because she had an arranged marriage to a conceited man named Cal. Jack sees the true Rose hidden behind the upper class snob. We will write a custom essay sample on Titanic Summary or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The two fall madly in love and plan to stay happily together. They never imagined such a devastating misfortune to happen on this indestructible ship and how it would change their lives forever. Nothing on Earth Can Come Between Them Purpose of Movie Titanic was produce in 1997 by director James Cameron. The producer and directors purpose of this film was to bring the Titanic back to life. They wanted to recreate this Mother of all Shipwrecks for viewers to get a taste of what it was like the be aboard this huge vessel from its beginning to its last few minutes afloat. This tragic film was meant to show viewers how life can be unpredictable. You can never tell what fate lies ahead. Relevance to Me Titanic is relevant to me in numerous ways. Just as the movie has a heart-breaking isaster, I too, in life, encounter misfortunate events that come my way. For instance, when my great grandfather passed, it was a very unexpected life changing event that took place in both my family and my life. I was on a student ambassador trip traveling throughout Europe when I got an abrupt phone call from my mother explaining to me what had happened. It was not an occurrence that I could prepare for or predict to happen. If it were so, I would have not went to Europe, and would have been able to support my family and friends after this misfortune occurred. Titanic relates to my point of view because I assume most, or if not all passengers that were shown in this film, knew what fate lied before them, they would have never boarded the ship. Not only can I relate to this tragic film, but probably others, if not everyone, can find one unpredictable event that took place in there lives. Overall, I am a huge fan of this movie. My opinion is this inspiring film has strong acting, outstanding effects, and one of the most captivating, irresistible love and historical stories ever created into a film. It is known as one of the top movies of all time and

Tennis Essay Sample

Tennis Essay SampleHave you ever dreamed of writing a tennis essay but cannot find the right essay or research paper? If so, then take a look at the following tennis essay sample.In this essay sample, you will be asked to write about a particular tournament in your life. The objective is to highlight the parts that would be most helpful to your own game. You will also be asked to do an analysis of the event to determine which parts contributed to the success of your tennis career. The main purpose is to motivate yourself to write a good essay.Begin by deciding on what portion of your life to focus on. For example, if you played tennis as a child, you might want to write about your child or teen years. It would be best to focus on your youth because of the passion involved in this sport. Additionally, you can start your youth by discussing your love for the sport. Remember that this sport is truly meant to be enjoyed!In this tennis essay sample, you are to start with your tennis talen t. So, start off by telling your story. This should include when and where you discovered your talent, who was teaching you the game, who gave you advice, and how did you prepare for each match?For this tennis essay sample, you should talk about your thoughts when you first discovered your talent. What did you learn? Where did you want to go with your future in tennis?After discussing these things, you can continue by discussing the major influences in your life that helped you attain your potential. You can highlight the advantages and disadvantages that tennis had on your life. In addition, you can also talk about the biggest obstacles you faced as well as the ways you overcame these obstacles.After discussing your talent, you should discuss some of the talents that came from your tennis. Write about the tournaments that you participated in. Make sure to mention the things that made you excel. Also, write about the factors that made you practice or play harder each time, what tenn is books and videos have influenced you, and the tennis practices that kept you motivated.This tennis essay sample is designed to motivate students to start writing. You can focus on your own passions and challenges and write about the experiences that propelled you to greatness. Moreover, you can write about the areas that you want to improve on, read about things that influenced you, and bring new ideas to the table.

Do you aspire to live a stress-free life You might want to reconsider.

Do you aspire to live a stress-free life You might want to reconsider. STRESS. Just the word brings on a quickening of my heartbeat, a tightening in my chest and upper back, and a narrowing of my brow. These are the signs of stress for me. When my stress level gets really high, I might feel a pulse in my left temple that is alarmingly out of my control. Stress is not a comforting or comfortable feeling, and when experienced on an ongoing basis can literally kill. But is stress inherently a bad thing? It turns out it’s not. Stress raises our levels of cortisol and adrenaline, hormones that prepare us for reacting under an imminent threat. This response is useful not just for escaping from a physical attack, but also for handling non-life-threatening challenges that come our way. For instance, I am historically a high performer on standardized tests. I have pulled scores that surprise me as being significantly higher than my practice test scores. Believe me, I felt plenty of stress when I took the SAT, the LSAT, and the New York Bar Exam. It was stress that made me focus intensely, work fast, and think more clearly than I ever would under everyday conditions. I feel stress every time I give a presentation or even write a blog article. Stress has helped me in multiple job interviews. Stress somehow got me, as a 13-year-old gymnast, to earn a medal in my â€Å"worst† event (vault) at the New Jersey State Championship – and to win the competition in my age group. Stress pushes me to perform. I never thought I would say this, but†¦ I would not want to give up my stress! However, since there are inarguably negative health effects to persistent stress, it’s worth looking at how to take a break from stressful episodes. I think this is where things like exercise and meditation come in. If I did not have my daily yoga and swimming practice, I might never get a break from my anxiety-ridden daily life. Hugs help too (they release oxytocin, which helps our heart cells regenerate). Psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., in a TED Talk, noted that how we manage stress is key to how harmful or helpful it is. If someone views stress positively, that person is likely â€Å"to be less stressed-out, less anxious and more confident.† Stress can help us with solving problems, tackling challenges, and bouncing back from failure. Not only that, but if someone views stress as helpful, their physical response actually changes! In particular, their blood vessels do not constrict, but instead stayed relaxed. That difference, compounded over time, could easily be the distinguishing factor between an early heart attack and living into old age. McGonigal recommends that we become aware of our negative thinking, so that we avoid defaulting to drama and jumping to unsupported conclusions. The support of friends, family, and colleagues can be key in this process. I historically have viewed some of my stress as positive and other as negative. My commitment now is to spin it to positive as frequently as possible so I can live a long and stress-managed (not stress-free) existence. Do you experience stress as a positive or negative influence in your life? What techniques do you find useful for managing stress? Please share below! [This article was inspired by John H. Ostdick’s article, â€Å"The Upside to Stress,† published in the May 2014 issue of Success Magazine.]

Definition and Examples of Narratives in Writing

Definition and Examples of Narratives in Writing The definition of narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story, and it is one of four classical rhetorical modes or ways that writers use to present information. The others include an exposition, which explains and analyzes an idea or set of ideas; an argument, which attempts to persuade the reader to a particular point of view; and a description, a written form of a visual experience. Key Takeaways: Narrative Definition A narrative is a form of writing that tells a story.  Narratives can be essays, fairy tales, movies, and jokes.  Narratives have five elements: plot, setting, character, conflict, and theme.  Writers use narrator style, chronological order, a point of view, and other strategies to tell a story. Telling stories is an ancient art that started long before humans invented writing. People tell stories when they gossip, tell jokes, or reminisce about the past. Written forms of narration include most forms of writing: personal essays, fairy tales, short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, autobiographies, histories, even news stories have a narrative. Narratives may be a sequence of events in chronological order or an imagined tale with flashbacks or multiple timelines. Narrative Elements Every narrative has five elements that define and shape the narrative: plot, setting, character, conflict, and theme. These elements are rarely stated in a story; they are revealed to the readers in the story in subtle or not-so-subtle ways, but the writer needs to understand the elements to assemble her story. Heres an example from The Martian, a novel by Andy Weir that was made into a film: The plot is the thread of events that occur in a story. Weirs plot is about a man who gets accidentally abandoned on the surface of Mars.The setting is the location of the events in time and place. The Martian is set on Mars in the not-too-distant future.The characters are the people in the story who drive the plot, are impacted by the plot, or may even be bystanders to the plot. The characters in The Martian include Mark Watney, his shipmates, the people at NASA resolving the issue, and even his parents who are only mentioned in the story but still are impacted by the situation and in turn impact Marks decisions.The conflict is the problem that is being resolved. Plots need a moment of tension, which involves some difficulty that requires resolution. The conflict in The Martian is that Watney needs to figure out how to survive and eventually leave the planets surface.Most important and least explicit is the theme. What is the moral of the story? What does the writer intend the reade r to understand? There are arguably several themes in The Martian: the ability of humans to overcome problems, the stodginess of bureaucrats, the willingness of scientists to overcome political differences, the dangers of space travel, and the power of flexibility as a scientific method. Setting Tone and Mood In addition to structural elements, narratives have several styles that help move the plot along or serve to involve the reader. Writers define space and time in a descriptive narrative, and how they choose to define those characteristics can convey a specific mood or tone. For example, chronological choices can affect the readers impressions. Past events always occur in strict chronological order, but writers can choose to mix that up, show events out of sequence, or the same event several times experienced by different characters or described by different narrators. In Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquezs novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the same few hours are experienced in sequence from the viewpoint of several different characters. Garcà ­a Mrquez uses that to illustrate the peculiar almost magical inability of the townspeople to stop a murder they know is going to happen. The choice of a narrator is another way that writers set the tone of a piece. Is the narrator someone who experienced the events as a participant, or one who witnessed the events but wasnt an active participant? Is that narrator an omniscient undefined person who knows everything about the plot including its ending, or is he confused and uncertain about the events underway? Is the narrator a reliable witness or lying to themselves or the reader? In the novel Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, the reader is forced to constantly revise her opinion as to the honesty and guilt of the husband Nick and his missing wife. In Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the narrator is Humbert Humbert, a pedophile who constantly justifies his actions despite the damage that Nabokov illustrates hes doing. Point of View Establishing a point of view for a narrator allows the writer to filter the events through a particular character. The most common point of view in fiction is the omniscient (all-knowing) narrator who has access to all the thoughts and experiences of each of her characters. Omniscient narrators are almost always written in the third person and do not usually have a role in the storyline. The Harry Potter novels, for example, are all written in third person; that narrator knows everything about everybody but is unknown to us. The other extreme is a story with a first-person point of view in which the narrator is a character within that story, relating events as they see them and with no visibility into other character motivations. Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre is an example of this: Jane relates her experiences of the mysterious Mr. Rochester to us directly, not revealing the full explanation until Reader, I married him. Points of view can also be effectively shifted throughout a piece- in her novel Keys to the Street, Ruth Rendell used limited third-person narratives from the point of view of five different characters, enabling the reader to assemble a coherent whole out of what first appears to be unrelated stories.   Other Strategies Writers also use the grammatical strategies of tense (past, present, future), person (first person, second person, third person), number (singular, plural) and voice (active, passive). Writing in the present tense is unsettling- the narrators have no idea what will happen next- while past tense can build in some foreshadowing. Many recent novels use the present tense, including The Martian. A writer sometimes personalizes the narrator of a story as a specific person for a specific purpose: The narrator can only see and report on what happens to him or her. In Moby Dick, the entire story is told by the narrator Ishmael, who relates the tragedy of the mad Captain Ahab, and is situated as the moral center. E.B. White, writing columns in 1935s New Yorker magazine, often used the plural or editorial we to add a humorous universality and a slow pace to his writing. The barber was cutting our hair, and our eyes were closed- as they are so likely to be... Deep in a world of our own, we heard, from far away, a voice saying goodbye. It was a customer of the shop, leaving. Goodbye, he said to the barbers. Goodbye, echoed the barbers. And without ever returning to consciousness, or opening our eyes, or thinking, we joined in. Goodbye, we said, before we could catch ourselves.- E.B. White Sadness of Parting. In contrast, sportswriter Roger Angell (Whites stepson) epitomizes sports writing, with a quick, active voice, and straight chronological snap: In September 1986, during an unmomentous Giants-Braves game out at Candlestick Park, Bob Brenly, playing third base for San Francisco, made an error on a routine ground ball in the top of the fourth inning. Four batters later, he kicked away another chance and then, scrambling after the ball, threw wildly past home in an attempt to nail a runner there: two errors on the same play. A few moments after that, he managed another boot, thus becoming only the fourth player since the turn of the century to rack up four errors in one inning.- Roger Angell. La Vida.