History of Love Essay

The fear of losing something, whether it is one’s own life, the lives of love ones, or memories, is what drives many of the things people do. The characters in The History of Love are from different generations and have gone through different experiences but they all strive to sustain love, avoid death, stave off misery, and find a bearable truth in the sometimes unbearable reality of living. They are linked together through the theme of survival. Through different methods, they seek to physically survive and keep their love for others alive. To begin with, Bird attempts to help his sister and mother physically survive when the world ends. Bird believes that the world will end by a flood. He goes around the neighborhood looking for â€Å"things that people have thrown away with the garbage† and â€Å"Styrofoam because it floats† to build an ark (151). Bird believes that with the ark, his mother and Alma â€Å"don’t have to worry† about survival when the flood comes (204). Secondly, Alma Singer demonstrates a strong desire to physically survive and preserve her memories and connection with her deceased father by taking interest in surviving in the wilderness and reading The History of Love. When she discovers that her father loved the outdoors, Alma decides to become an expert at surviving in the wilderness in order to keep her memory of her father alive and maintain a connection with him. She learns survival skills by purchasing and closely reading a book called Edible Plants and Flowers in North America, memorizing the Universal Edibility Test, and practicing assembling her father’s tent in record time so that she can survive in places like the Peruvian Andes â€Å"like [her] father† (42). In addition, her memories of her father become more† faint, unclear, and distant† as each year passes and it does not help that her mother threw away most of his belongings (190). She turns to the book, The History of Love, hoping to â€Å"find out something true about [her] father, and the things he would have wanted to tell [her] if he hadn’t died† (181). Alma tries to keep her love and memories for her father alive by find meaning out of the passions and belongings of her father. In contrast to Alma, Charlotte Singer survives and continues her love for her husband by creating a world that focuses on her memoires and feelings for her husband, David. She survives by never falling out of love with him and keeping her love as alive â€Å"as the summer they first met† (45). She holds on to her memories and love for her husband by following sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti’s idea that in order to â€Å"paint a leaf, you have to sacrifice the whole landscape† (45). In attempt to â€Å"hold on to a certain feeling†, Charlotte insulates herself with memories of her life with David by building a world out of them where â€Å"she [knew] how to survive in, even if no one else could† (181). As a result, she â€Å"sacrificed the world† and her connection with her children and other people (46). Similar to Charlotte, Leo’s unwavering love for Alma Mereminsky allows him to physically survive the Holocaust in Europe. With the Nazi invasion of Slonim, Leo was forced into a constant state of running and hiding. In order to survive, he hid in â€Å"trees, cracks, cellars, and holes† and lived in forests, subsiding on â€Å"anything he could put in [his] mouth† such as bugs, worms, and unclean water from puddles (12, 226). During the winter, he would hide in potato cellars for warmth and eat raw rat meat. Despite these horrible experiences, Leo’s deep love for Alma M. and his hope to reunite with her motivated Leo to want to live â€Å"very badly† and ultimately enabled him to survive the Holocaust (226). Just as Leo used the writing of The History of Love to help him survive his separation from Alma M. during his youth, at the end of his life he uses writing once again to help him survive. Leo uses writing and imagination to survive loss and loneliness. At the end of his life, he writes Words for Everything, his life story. He uses this creative process as a way to cope with the separation and loss of his parents, siblings, â€Å"the only woman [he] ever wanted to love†, son, time, and childhood home, among many other things (168). Leo also uses his imagination to survive loneliness. During his childhood he used imagination to cope with being â€Å"different than others† and later in his life, he uses it to create a friend, Bruno. Bruno, Leo’s â€Å"old faithful† is revealed to be â€Å"the friend that [he] didn’t have† and â€Å"the greatest character [he] ever wrote†, based on his childhood friend who was killed in Slonim during the Holocaust (6, 249). Bruno, someone Leo â€Å"invented so [he] could live,† was resurrected in his imagination to compensate for his inability to relate to the world and assuage his own loneliness (167). Leo uses writing and imagination to survive in different stages of his life. For the characters of The History of Love, there are different contexts and methods for survival. For Bird, it is important that his mother and sister physically survive the flood that he believes is coming. To Alma Singer, her obsession with physical survival in the wilderness stems from her attempt to keep her connection, memories, and love for her father alive. Simultaneously, Charlotte closes herself from the world so that she can preserve her love and memories of her deceased husband. Bird, Alma S., and Charlotte’s connection and methods for survival all underline Leo’s journey of survival. In the early part of his life, Leo uses his love for Alma Mereminsky to physically stay alive during the Holocaust. At the end of his life, he uses writing and imagination to survive separation, loss, and loneliness. Each character has their own story but they are connected through a strong will for their own survival and the survival of their loved ones and irreplaceable love and memories of them.

Cbt (Skinner) vs. Psychotherapy (Freud)

Evan Hall ECPY 421 CBT (Skinner) vs. Psychotherapy (Freud) Introduction. Freud, being the â€Å"father† of psychology, has had an impact on the development of almost every other theory to fallow his own Psychotherapy. This is primarily because most recognizable psychological theorists began their training under some form of Psychotherapy. B. F. Skinner was one of the many theorists affected by Freud and his theories. However, even though Skinner originally studied Psychotherapy he eventually decided to stray from Freudian theory and develop his of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.Being derived from Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy shares some ideas but has many differences. Both theories deal with altering the thoughts and behaviors of clients but on different levels and in different ways. Differences. Freud’s theory of Psychotherapy focuses solely on the unconscious mind and works to help the client to acquire some insight on their unconscious beliefs and behavi ors. Measurement of the unconscious mind can be difficult considering its questionable existence.However, Freud was convinced that the unconscious mind was an imperative part of people’s lives and greatly effects their behavior and mental health. Freud’s therapeutic technique was for the therapist to be a blank slate and have absolutely no effect on the client. The client was then allowed to free associate, verbally expressing anything and everything that came to mind. It was Freud’s belief that everything expressed was an important clue to attaining the insight needed to relieve the problems which were troubling the client.Freud also believed that nothing said or done by the client was unintentional or a mistake. Freud believed that these â€Å"Freudian slips† were actually the unconscious mind, or the Id, breaking through the barriers created by the Ego and Superego. Freud believed that these barriers were created to control the impulses of the unconsci ous thereby protecting the individual from the morals of the surrounding society and vice versa. Freud’s technique was non-confrontational in that the therapist provided no guidance to the client. The therapist would only ask the client to consider the ossible hidden meanings to their trail of thought they had verbally expressed during their free association. (Dilman, 1988) Skinner on the other hand, considered the mind to be a â€Å"black box† and believed it was impossible to be measured or even considered when analyzing human behavior. Even though Skinner started off under Psychotherapy, he developed his theory of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy without any consideration of the unconscious mind. Skinner believed that all human behavior was learned and that the thought process involved in enacting the behavior could be conditioned.Skinner’s theory involved the use of the Skinner box. In the Skinner box either a rat or a pigeon was trained to perform a specific be havior in order to receive a food reward. Skinner used the food as reinforcement to promote the repetition of a specific behavior. Skinner created this form of operant conditioning after fallowing Pavlov’s studies in operant conditioning. Skinner believed that the unconscious mind was irrelevant when attempting to understand human behavior because all behaviors are learned using conscious cognition, which has no place in the unconscious mind.Skinner believed that all people are born as blank slates and that they are shaped and molded by the environment they live in. (Gelso & Fretz, 2001) Similarities. There are very few similarities in the specifics of Freud and Skinner’s theories. The goal of Freud’s theory is for the client to gain insight on their unconscious impulses and behaviors so that the client may bring their unconscious behaviors into their conscious mind, allowing them to control or edit those behaviors to their liking.Skinner also attempts to alter human behavior, although in a more direct manner. Both of the theories focus on the past experiences of the clients. Freud believed that all unconscious behaviors and impulses are primal and imprinted in our brains at birth, but they are only malleable during the first five years of life. Skinner also focused on the clients past and how they may have been taught to behave through operant conditioning. Both theories end goal consist of altering or repressing undesired behaviors.Psychotherapy uses the acquiring of insight to allow the client to observe their unconscious behaviors bringing them into their conscious thoughts so that they may edit or suppress those behaviors. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy used the techniques of reinforcement and extinction to either promote or discourage specific behaviors. (Gelso & Fretz, 2001) Skinner’s Theory in Depth. Skinner’s main theory of reinforcement is based in the behavioral approach where the theorists focus mainly on the overt behaviors of people and how they can be measured to some stimulus in our environment.An individual’s personality develops mostly in response to how they are reinforced or punished for responding to their environments. Due to ethical restrictions Skinner was not able to fully test operant conditioning with his Skinner box on humans, but he claimed that rats and pigeons would suffice because they share the same elemental processes as humans. This could be considered a weakness of Skinner’s theory because one may argue that humans may have similar elemental processes they also have much more developed cognitive processes that vastly exceed the limitations of rats and pigeons.One of the strengths of Skinner’s reinforcement theory is its effectiveness on young children. Most parents today still use a system of rewards and punishment to condition their children’s behavior, reinforcing the good behavior and discouraging the bad. Today’s jobs also use a sy stem of rewards and punishment to condition employees to follow the rules the company seeks to enforce. If an employee follows the rules and displays the appropriate behavior, they could be rewarded with a pay raise, a promotion, or positive acknowledgement.If an employee doesn’t follow the rules they could be reprimanded with negative feedback, demotions, or cut hours for part time employees. Another weakness of Skinners reinforcement theory is its inability to be applied in most forms of therapy. It’s difficult for a therapist to manipulate a client’s behavior with a system of rewards and punishments simply because the therapist can’t be around the client at all times. Reinforcement theory is best used in a self-regulated system of rewards and punishment. However, without some sort of external monitoring there is no certainty to the reinforcement.A final strength of the reinforcement theory is its usefulness in behavioral modification when dealing with individuals with behavioral issues. Whether a therapist or parent is dealing with an unruly young child or a rebellious and troubled teen, Skinner’s reinforcement theory can be used to edit ones behaviors to promote the desired and discourage the undesired. (Toates, 2009) Conclusion. Even though Freud could be considered the â€Å"father† of psychology, his old theory of Psychotherapy has had at least some effect on almost all of the theories to follow his own.Skinner’s theory of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and reinforcement is no exception when considering Freud’s influence. However, it would seem that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychotherapy are on opposite ends of the therapy spectrum. Though the two theories do share some similarities, they have a vast amount of differences. Although Skinners theory of reinforcement is still used to help modify the behaviors of individuals with behavioral issues or the behaviors of younger children or young tee ns, it has many limits.Skinners reinforcement theory has little application in a therapist-client relationship because of time constraints and other physical limitations. Reinforcement theory also has limitations when considering experiments with human subjects. The theory could be seen as unethical and inhumane because it goal is to manipulate and shape the behaviors of people while ignoring their emotions and opinions. However, even with these limitations people still use Skinners reinforcement theory when molding the behaviors of their children to fit the values and rules of the environment they will be growing up in.

Short Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Essays - Essay Example Realising this, activists and several organizations publicised various messages attracting people to places like the Tahrir square. Social media played a role in shaping opinions, empowerment, influencing change and mobilization of people. Undeniably, a flurry of tweets and Facebook posts spiked to force downfall of President Mubarak. In essence, social media helped sway public attitude and reaction. Facebook acted as a place to vent out the hatred and outrage for the long-term oppression and economic instability. The government effort to end different social media sites backfired resulting into even more protests. The press and newcomers got wind of the antagonism bringing into light more foot soldiers. More people became active and attempted to find out more information about the protests. Activists used particular events to attract attention from different people. For example, the death of Khaled Said who had been brutally beaten by police became a focal point of protesters. Over 500,000 people viewed his YouTube video while 470,000 joined a Facebook page formulated on the same (Patrut & Patrut, 2014). From this perspective, social media promoted shared values and interests hence prompting protests. The Darwinian style of development believes in the survival for special populations as depicted in Weimar republic. Arguably, the Weimar government comprised of people with different interests. In as much as several reasons can support their actions, apparently each party strived to maintain its comfort. Notably, the right and left wing of the Weimar Government pressured the leaders promoting many problems such as hyperinflation. Many conditions made Darwinian theory evident in the Weimar leadership style. For example, noble families found it difficult to be ruled by army leaders who were from the lower class. On the other hand, army leaders also had different views regarding Weimar government including

Three Ways That Create Value for a Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Three Ways That Create Value for a Firm - Essay Example It is not merely identifying a product but as Durkin (1997) states innovative firms make investments in knowledge to develop new products which give them a monopoly in the international market. The second contention is on the resource-based theory (RBT) of the firm where rare and valuable resources give it a sustainable competitive advantage (Peteraf & Wernerfelt cited by Bowman & Ambrosini, 2000) while the third approach states that firms should be able to seize opportunities faster than other firms and gain value. The first approach pertains to product and industry innovation while the third concentrates on strategy innovation. The knowledge development in the first approach again would imply investments in resources – technical or human. Hence, all three approaches are not independent of each other although each has its own distinctive features. The positional approach is also based on Porter’s theory of five competitive forces which determine the firm’s profitability and attractiveness (Porter, 1985). The journal does not specify whether the industry and value of such firms relate to competitiveness in their own nation or the nation where products have been marketed. Pharmaceutical industries operate globally and hence this aspect is not clear whereas Porter insists that competitiveness and productivity pertain to national productivity, which should enhance the value of the firm in the nation in which it operates (Davies & Ellis, 2000). Resources can be defined as anything that gives advantage or disadvantage to the firm. (Mills et al, 2003). The support theory of Johnson et al (2005) divides the resources as threshold resources and unique resources, where threshold resource satisfies customer’s minimum requirements and unique resources contribute to competitive advantage and make it difficult for the competitor to copy the value. A successful business needs to secure the resources according to Scott et al (2005) which the journal specifies

Environmental Auditing Strategy Proposal for Household Waste Recycling Assignment

Environmental Auditing Strategy Proposal for Household Waste Recycling Centres - Assignment Example This incorporates employing various strategies, which embraces recycling of the available used resources. The strategies employed are more effective when they are cost cutting and conservative. Introduction Household waste recycling involves recovering useful materials, such as metals, glass, plastic and paper from trash and used to make new products thus reducing the amount of raw materials required. This helps in waste prevention; that is designing products to reduce the level of waste that is thrown away later hence making the resulting waste less toxic. Therefore, an environmental auditing strategy enables the client to adopt a cost effective and proportional to environment management. The environment audit process provides a substantial reduction in risk and improves compliance records. It is also used by the audit company in provision of data so that corporate headquarters and client’s company respond to environmental targets and pressures its resources appropriately (Be nita, 2008). Proper management of environmental issues is significant to the success of the client’s company. Therefore, if household waste is properly, a project can derive substantial benefits through enhanced corporate reputation, improved efficiency and risk reduction. If there is ignorance, or ineffective management of environmental issues brings about adverse publicity, wasted money and also prosecution by the authority, as a result of abuse of opportunities. Environment audit includes mitigating your organization’s reputation and legal risks, reducing operational inefficiencies, achieving the certification required and improving the environmental performance of your organization. It also incorporates risk mitigation. Audits carried out in the environment act as an appropriate risk management tool in assessing compliance with legislating the environment hence, assisting your organization in avoiding risk of prosecution by the authority, and fines arising from pot ential environmental breaches. This is normally true in those circumstances where there exist hazardous polluting industries in the surrounding. Conducting an environmental audit will help in reassuring the client’s company and ensure that it is living up to the environmental standards. Environmental issues are both complex and varied and hence, for effective management it will need a combination of an effective, practical, understanding and an environmental technical expertise of the processes, practices and plans relates with the environment, economic and social factors. Therefore, environmental auditing is a form of environmental assessment and is a vital tool in determining and benchmarking environmental performances and risks. It is necessarily undertaken as part of risk management process, hence able to help the client in examining their current operations associated with environmental aspects, as well as taking note of the future trends so that they exploit them effect ively. The overall aim of the study was to provide a clear view of how a city can meet the requirements of the waste option of its plan and hence, there should be a development of waste management plan. Research question/solution The proposal examines whether the audit company has a segregation procedure, employee awareness of the procedure used, and analysis of records regarding the

Should Newspapers Shut Down Their Presses (responses) Assignment

Should Newspapers Shut Down Their Presses (responses) - Assignment Example I think that the youth around the world would rather have access to news when they want it. Unlike Fahri’s viewpoint that we will have to worry about all media organizations, I think with the increase of digital media, there will actually be more media outlets instead of less. Post Two: I think that Farhi’s argument that printing news is adaptable but only if papers printed all of the time. By the time news hits the press, it is all over the web. By the next day when it hits the newsstands, it is old news, actually making it less efficient. What is the point of calling it news if it is old? I disagree that it will affect all news sources. I am siding with Shirky in the fact that newspapers are old and the wave of the digital world are increasing. There are now more opportunities to share news online. People that are growing older are starting to dabble in using technology so while newspapers will not phase out completely because some still like to hold that paper in their hands and read it, they will find that what they are really interested in can be found online and even local news that is relevant even in small towns can be found on social media sites. Post Three: I feel like that there has to be at least one side to every argument. However, being a student learning about journalism and being young at that, I think we have to acknowledge and embrace change. What happened to radio? More people are listening to satellite radio or stations that provide specific music. Traditional radio phased out. Newspapers will do the same. There might be a few that hang around for the sake of people who like to hold a newspaper but with reading devices such as the Nook or Kindle, you can read the digital versions immediately. Everything that we need to know can be found through the Internet. I am with Shirky on the fact that newspapers will not adapt but instead society will adapt without newspapers.

Analysis Of The Film Training Day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis Of The Film Training Day - Essay Example Jake takes the marijuana, but Alonzo tells him later on that it was laced with PCP. This event provides a perfect set up for ensuing scenes. From this action, for example, Alonzo would later threaten to kill Jake for refusing to participate in one of his illicit crimes boasting that the blood tests from Jake’s corpse would reveal the presence of PCP, and thus discredit Jake. In the next instance too, Jake spots and subdues attackers who are sexually assaulting a certain high school girl called Letty while Alonzo simply watches. Alonzo orders Letty to leave instead of recording a statement at the police station, telling a shocked Jake that street justice had been served since the two perpetrators had lost their drugs and money, and would inevitably be dealt with by Letty’s vengeful cousins. Alonzo does well to prime Jake and the audience for what is yet to come (the ‘bigger’ crimes) and attempts to tune Jake’s mind so that in the consequent ‘errands’, Jake would be okay with the corrupt dealings. As we see in the later stages of the film, taking crime money from criminals instead of handing it in as evidence was street justice in Alonzo’s perspective, and it is this point of view that he tries to instill in Jake in the incident with Letty. In the third circumstance, Alonzo meets a group of elite police officers, otherwise known as ‘The Three Wise Men’. They tell Alonzo to leave the town since it had come to their knowledge that Alonzo owed money to the Russian Mafia which put his life at risk.