Psychological Critical Perspective Essay Example for Free

Psychological Critical Perspective Essay The utilization of a psychological critical perspective in literature entails the utilization of a specific psychological perspective to be used in the assessment of the various elements within the text as they are related to both the author and the intended audience of the work. Bernard Paris (1997) states that the use of psychology in the analysis of a literary text enables us â€Å"to understand the behavior of characters in literature from the past, to enter into their feelings, and to enrich our knowledge of ourselves and others through an understanding of their inner conflicts and relationships† (p. xii). In line with this, what follows is a psychological analysis of the representations of life and death in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Susan Glaspell’s Trifles. Within Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, the psychological representation of death is evident in the representation of the sphinx. The sphinx, as a mythical creature, represents perplexity and death. In its many versions, the sphinx may be said to be a representation of perplexity in its employment of riddles in its interaction with human beings. Furthermore, it may be said to be a representation f death since it is depicted as a creature that brings death [or at least bad luck or misfortune] to those who cannot solve its riddles. In Greek mythology and drama, this creature is depicted as a beast with a feminine gender. Though generally regarded as an unhappy monster, the sphinx also serves as a symbol of femininity, power and confusion. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, one may infer that in Greek tragedy, sufferings and tribulations are intertwined with the hero’s existence. To a certain extent, one may say that in the case of Oedipus Rex, the sphinx defines the existence of Oedipus; his ‘being a hero’, so to speak. The same holds true for the sphinx. In other words, the hero and the villain define each others’ being. Note for example that within the text itself, Oedipus’ existence is intertwined with the Sphinx in the sense that the Sphinx and hero are twin-born. In terms of its monstrosity, the sphinx is depicted in many ways. These depictions are as follows. In Oedipus Rex, she is depicted as a singing sphinx that has permitted the oversight of dark secrets as well as a winged maiden with crooked talons who sang darkly. Oedipus’ incapacity to discern both the oracle at Delphi and the true nature of the sphinx and its closeness to himself present us with a rather different view about human nature and the ancient Greeks’ belief in fate. The sphinx reminds us of two things. First, it reminds us of our inability to fully know ourselves because of human nature’s enigmatic character. Second, it poses significant questions with regards to human freedom and our capacity for choice. In other words, it toys on the idea whether freedom and choice are mere illusions that human beings would like to think that they possess when in fact, they do not. Within this context, life and death are represented within Oedipus Rex in such a way that it places emphasis on the difficulty of discerning the conditions of life. Such a difficulty is mirrored in the portrayal of the Sphinx as well as the Sphinx’s relation with the hero of the text. As opposed to this, Susan Glaspell portrays life and death differently in Trifles. Trifles recounts the tragedy that occurs within marriage during instances wherein there is an absence of homosocial dimensions in a woman’s life. Within the text, life and death are represented in such a way that they are made to be seen within the context of a masculine gaze. The reason for this lies in the subjectivity of the portrayal of both freedom and objectivity within the text. Consider for example the case of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter who both tried to conceal the evidence of Minnie’s crime. One might note that such a decision mirrors a certain amount of freedom on both characters’ part. Both characters may be said to possess freedom in the negative sense that they may choose to omit specific information that they have however the subjectivity of this freedom is evident if one considers that the psychological reason for omitting such an information may be traced to their embeddedness within a masculine point of view that requires them to maintain the existence of order within their immediate surroundings. Life and death, within Trifles, may be said to be determined by a patriarchal point of view. Such a point of view, however continuously contradicts the feminists perspective as can be seen in the controversies that arose as a result of Minnie’s death. References Bernard, P. (1997). Imagined Human Beings: A Psychological Approach to Character and Conflict in Literature. New York: NYU P. Glaspell, S. (2003). Trifles. Np: Thomson Wadsworth. Sophocles (1991). Oedipus the King: Oedipus Rex. Trans. George Young. London: Dover.

death penalty :: essays research papers

Almost 18 years ago an innocent wife and mother to two, named Sarah Bryne, received a call by her husband’s old college roommate. He explained to her that he and his wife were staying at a secluded motel near her work and were only staying for the weekend. She left work early to go and meet him and his wife. When she arrived he was alone. Once she was inside and the door closed he raped her. After raping her he stuffed her inside a small trunk, put the trunk in the back seat of his car and drove away. She made a help me sign in red lipstick and slid it through the trunk. Many motorists saw this plea and called the police. But before they could catch up he stopped on a secluded farm road, ripped her out of the trunk, strangled her with a necktie, broke her neck, and then finally finished the torture by stabbing her 14 times. He then put her mangled body back in the trunk and drove home to his wife and kids (1). There is only one offence in the state of Washington that you can receive the death penalty for and that is aggravated murder in the first degree. To receive this punishment one must plan out his act and in committing the crime commit an aggravating circumstance (3). Stabbing + raping + breaking a neck + strangulation all add up to an aggravated circumstance. It’s for people like this that we have instituted the death penalty. The death penalty is a just punishment, but like any system it does have some flaws. Although the death penalty does not work too well as a general deterrent it does work as a specific deterrent. Specific deterrent means that the penalty is keeping the offender from re-offending (2). Studies show that those who commit murder, if given the chance, re-offend. But some may wonder, isn’t life in prison keeping them from committing the crime again? The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation states that â€Å"the leading cause of death among prison inmates is murder by other inmates. A murderer serving a life sentence has no reason at all to refrain from killing other inmates or guards, or from hiring other criminals outside of prison to kill those who helped convict them.† But on the other hand the death penalty offers the opposite effect when it comes to general deterrence.

Cell Phones are a Necessity of Life Essay

Cell phones are not an advanced gadget on the scene. It was developed in 1947 in the form of a car mobile phone. The hypothesis of cellular phone was produced by Bell Laboratories with the permission of FCC (Federal Communication Commission), and had everything to do with broadcasting and sending a radio or television message out over the airwaves. There was a scientist who gave a advanced shape to the same accessory. Dr Martin Cooper, a former general manager in Motorola, made the basic call on a portable cell phone in nineteen seventy-three. The premier ever cell phone was very ample and bulky. It resembled a radio frequency accessory. The weight of Motorola’s introductory cell phone was 2 pounds. Presently, the structure of cell phones has evolved to match the style and comfort of the user. It is uncomplicated to tailor cell phones by choosing its features and functions for one’s comfort. There are phone covers that change the face and design of the contraption. Various accessories are available such as car chargers, belt clips, phone covers, data cables and etc. Cell phones emerged as a apparatus of luxury, but presently it plays a much bigger and considerable role. One can gather wireless Internet service through your cell phone, with web and email capability. A cell phone with a mini web browser can relief retrieve web emails and chat while you are on the move. A extraordinary kind of browser is used for surfing the net on a small cell phone screen. If internet use is a must, make sure that when buying a cell phone you make the choice for graphic browser capability instead of a text-based browser. In addition, if you think you will browse the wireless Internet often, you may desire to consider buying a cell phone with a larger than average display size. There are International websites that allow sending mails, without having a computer. All you need is a basic GPRS enabled mobile phone and you can access your mail on your cell phone anytime and anywhere. It seems that cell phones have become a bed-side essential for us today. It is no longer a device of entertainment. From local weather forecast in the morning to your  loved ones valuable night messages, it keeps you connected all the time. With cell phones becoming a gadget with all the modern technology, its theft is growing across the world. In a survey in the UK, a cell phone is stolen every three minutes. In the United States, the statistics are very analogous. By keeping a note on the IMES identification that each phone has, you can trace a phone. This is quite the tedious process. The IMES code is individual to each cell phone and when you lose your phone, you can refer the code to your network provider as well as handset provider and trace back the cell phone, or at least block the applications in the phone. The person who stole the cell phone can’t use it after the IMES code is blocked. Cell phones have become a very popular consumer electronic product. With the availability of internet connection, cell phone as broaden even deeper its options of uses. You must also note that GPS capability is a life saver for tracking cell phone users who are in emergency situations. Cell phone usage has become a necessity of life. People cannot live without their cell phone. What was once considered a luxury item in the early days, cell phones are a must have item at every waking moment.

Civil War Union Pension Records Family History Research

Civil War pension applications and pension files at the National Archives are available for Union soldiers, widows and children who applied for a federal pension based on their Civil War service. The resulting Civil War pension records often contain family information useful for genealogy research. Record Type: Civil War Union pension files Location: United States Time Period: 1861–1934 Best For: Identifying battles in which the soldier served and individuals he served with. Obtaining proof of marriage in a Widows Pension file. Obtaining proof of birth in the case of minor children. Possible identification of the slave owner in the pension file of a former slave. Sometimes tracing a veteran back to prior residences.   What are Civil War Union Pension Files? Most (but not all) Union army soldiers or their widows or minor children later applied for a pension from the U.S. government. In some cases, a dependent father or mother applied for a pension based on the service of a deceased son. Following the Civil War, pensions were initially granted under the General Law enacted on 22 July 1861 in an effort to recruit volunteers, and later expanded on 14 July 1862 as An Act to Grant Pensions, which provided pensions for soldiers with war-related disabilities, and for widows, children under sixteen years of age, and dependent relatives of soldiers who died in military service. On 27 June 1890, Congress passed the Disability Act of 1890 which extended pension benefits to veterans who could prove at least 90 days of service in the Civil War (with honorable discharge) and a disability not caused by vicious habits, even if unrelated to the war. This 1890 Act also provided pensions to widows and dependents of deceased veterans, even if the cause of death was unrelated to the war. In 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order granting pensions to any veteran over the age of sixty-two years. In 1907 and 1912 Congress passed Acts granting pensions to veterans over the age of sixty-two years, based on the time of service.br/>   What Can You Learn From a Civil War Pension Record? A pension file will typically contain more information about what the soldier did during the war than the Compiled Military Service Record, and may contain medical information if he lived for a number of years following the war. The pension files of widows and children can be especially rich in genealogical content because the widow had to provide proof of marriage in order to receive a pension on behalf of her deceased husbands service. Applications on behalf of the soldiers minor children had to supply both proof of the soldiers marriage and proof of the childrens birth. Thus, these files often include supporting documents such as marriage records, birth records, death records, affidavits, depositions of witnesses, and pages from family bibles.   How Do I Know if My Ancestor Applied for a Pension? Civil War federal (Union) pension files are indexed by NARA microfilm publication T288, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 which can also be searched online for free at FamilySearch (United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861–1934). A second index created from NARA microfilm publication T289, Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861–1917, is available online as the Civil War and Later Veterans Pension Index, 1861-1917 on Fold3.com (subscription). If Fold3 is not available to you, then the index is also available on FamilySearch for free, but only as an index—you will not be able to view the digitized copies of the original index cards. The two indexes sometimes contain slightly different information, so it is good practice to check both.   Where Can I Access Civil War (Union) Pension Files? Military pension application files based on Federal (not State or Confederate) service between 1775 and 1903 (before World War I) are held by the National Archives. A complete copy (up to 100 pages) of a Union pension file can be ordered from the National Archives using NATF Form 85 or online (select NATF 85D). The fee, including shipping and handling, is $80.00, and you can expect to wait anywhere from 6 weeks to four months to receive the file. If you want a copy more quickly and cant visit the Archives yourself, the the National Capital Area Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists can help you locate someone you can hire to retrieve the record for you. Depending on the size of the file and the genealogist this may be not only faster, but also no more expensive than ordering from NARA. Fold3.com, in conjunction with FamilySearch, is in the process of digitizing and indexing all 1,280,000 Civil War and Later Widows Pension Files in the series. This collection as of June 2016 is only about 11% complete, but will eventually encompass approved pension case files of widows and other dependents of soldiers submitted between 1861 and 1934 and sailors between 1910 and 1934. The files are arranged numerically by certificate number and are being digitized in order from lowest to highest. A subscription is required to view the digitized Widows Pensions on Fold3.com. A free index to the collection can also be searched on FamilySearch, but the digitized copies are only available on Fold3.com. Original files are located at the National Archives in Record Group 15, Records of the Veterans Administration.   Arrangement of Civil War (Union) Pension Files A soldier’s complete pension file may consist of one or more of these separate pension types. Each type will have its own number and prefix identifying the type. The complete file is arranged under the last number assigned by the pension office. SO (Soldiers Original) - When a solider applied for a pension, his application was assigned a number and designated as SO, for Soldiers Original or Survivors Original. If a soldiers pension application was rejected, the file will still appear under the SO number. SC (Soldiers Certificate) - Once a pension was granted, the application was moved into a new file and was assigned a certificate number identified with the prefix SC, for Soldier’s Certificate. The original application number became void. WO (Widows Original) - Similar to a soldiers pension application, but designated WO, for Widows Original. If the widow was applying to continue her deceased husbands previously approved pension benefits, her application then became a part of the soldiers file. If a widows pension application was rejected, the file will still appear under the WO number. WC (Widows Certificate) - Once a widows pension was granted, a certificate number was issued and designated as WC, for Widow’ s Certificate. The entire file, including the original soldiers application and certificate (if applicable) was then moved into the Widows file under the new certificate number. Widows files also include the applications of minor child and dependent parents. C XC (Certificate Files) - Beginning in the 20th century the system was consolidated. New pension applications were given a permanent certificate C number. Old files created prior to the change were transferred (X) to the C pension series and were designated with an XC number to denote the transfer to the new system. The last number used by the pension office is generally the number under which the entire pension file is located today. If you cant locate a file under the expected number, there are a few cases where it may be found under a previous number. Be sure to record all numbers found on the index card!   Anatomy of a Civil War (Union) Pension File A handy booklet titled Orders, Instructions, and Regulations Governing the Pension Bureau (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1915), available in digitized format for free at Internet Archive, provides an overview of the Pension Bureaus operations as well as an explanation of the the pension application process, describing what types of evidence were required and why for each application. The booklet also explains what documents were to be included in each application and how they should be arranged, based on the different classes of claims and the acts under which they were filed. Additional instructional resources can also be found on Internet Archive, such as Instructions and Forms to be Observed in Applying for Navy Pensions under the Act of July 14, 1862 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1862). Further details on the various pension acts can be found in an report by Claudia Linares titled The Civil War Pension Law, published by the Center for Population Economics at the University of Chicago. The website Understanding Civil War Pensions also provides an excellent background on the various pension laws affecting Civil War veterans and their widows and dependents.