Trials and Tribulation Essay Example for Free

Trials and Tribulation Essay Wisdom is something that you gain with age, something that you gain with maturity, but that’s not always the case, as we noticed with King Lear and Morrie Schwartz. Both from different worlds, Lear and Morrie both acquire knowledge differently, but at the same time, acquire it similarly. Lear was an attention seeking king who wanted everyone to love him and show it and neglected him family, whereas Morrie was the opposite and cared about family and love. Morrie didn’t like the way society was heading, and thought that the world was being brainwashed, whereas King Lear cared about society, especially because he was head of the hierarchy being the king. Lear was afraid of death and wanted to live the life of a king forever, comparative to Morrie who welcomed death with open arms and thought of death as natural. They may seem as complete opposites, they underwent their trials and tribulations differently but came out of it with the same knowledge and wisdom but they realized it at a later age, when it seemed too late. King Lear was afraid of death and intended to end his life as a king, whereas Schwartz accepted death and was happy that his life was coming to a close. Morrie was quoted as saying Oh yes, you strip away all that stuff and you focus on the essentials. When you realize you are going to die, you see everything much differentlyLearn how to die, and you learn how to live† (Tuesdays with Morrie page 83). What Morrie is saying is that since he knows he’s going to die soon, he can enjoy life more and be more peaceful, he also enjoys being able to have a lot of time to say goodbye, rather than dying tragically or all too suddenly. At the start, Lear was afraid but after going through so much and acquiring a lot of wisdom and knowledge he finally decides to accept death. Let me wipe it first, it smells of mortality. (Act 4, Scene 6 125-126). This quote exemplifies his new thought process of death as Gloucester attempts to kiss Lear’s hand. At the end both Lear and Schwartz acquire wisdom and knowledge through death, even though Lear was reluctant to die at the beginning. Morrie was a very opinionated gentleman about life itself, especially about society. He always stated that society was being brainwashed, as we see in this quote Do you know how they brainwash people? They repeat something over and over again. And thats what we do in this country. Owning things is good. More money is good. More  property is good. More commercialism is goodWe repeat it-and have it repeated to us-over and over until nobody bothers to even think other wise (Tuesdays with Morrie page 124).† Throughout the book, Morrie always had an issue with society saying that it was filled with propaganda about things that don’t matter like money or houses or jobs. Rather, he’d wish the world was more filled with love and friendship. On the other end of the spectrum we have King Lear, where he only cared for himself and no one else . He was a very selfish man, top of the hierarchy and did everything possible to stay on top. The things he did as a king was sometimes mind blowing as he once asked that All I ask is that you provide me with a hundred knights for my own entourage. Ill keep only the title of king(Act 1, Scene 2- 136-138).† This quote shows how little he cares about his kingdom, as even with a war impending from France, he takes 100 knights for himself just to show off his status. Only near the end of his life did he realize how terribly he treated not only his family, but society itself and wishes that he were a better king. Once again near the end of their lives do they acquire wisdom and knowledge, but this time through society and how it plays out. King Lear once again had to go through hardship to find knowledge whereas Schwartz already knew and spoke about this topic openly throughout his later years. Morrie Schwartz thought very highly of love to a point where he’d rather die than live a life without love. â€Å"If you dont have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you dont have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said Love each other or perish(page 91)† Morrie grew up as a kid without much love from his family, so as he grew up he understood the importance of love. He realized that people need and crave love and coming from past experience he understands the meaning of love and emphasizes it strongly throughout his later years. King Lear believed that as a king, everyone should bow down to him and love him. He believed that to get somewhere in life, you should beg and show affection to the king, which is exactly what he enforced onto his kids. Tell me, my daughters, Since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state Which of you shall we say doth love us most That we our largest bounty may extend Where nature doth with merit challenge?(Act 2, Scene 2, 47-53)†. King Lear made his daughters fight tooth and nail for the throne but little did he  know that secretly they were concocting a plan to divide the kingdom in two and run him out, all because he showed no love and neglected his daughters for the throne. Morrie came to terms with love near the end of his life but nonetheless he received and gave love equally, whereas King Lear had to learn it the hard way, through death. Nonetheless they both end up appreciating their families and acquire knowledge and wisdom. At the beginning of each novel, King Lear and Morrie Schwartz had different views on life. Lear didn’t show any love, cared about his status in society and was afraid of death. Comparatively Schwartz was a loveable guy, was disgusted by society and he accepted death with open arms. But after going through life changing events, Lear turned into the exact opposite, where he started loving his family and friends, started caring for society and started to accept death with open arms, just like Morrie. So in the end both characters come from different worlds, both reunited by a single goal, even though they didn’t go through the same vigorous path, it was quite similar. The main goal was to acquire knowledge and wisdom, and they for sure attained their goals.

Werner Heisenberg :: essays research papers

Werner Heisenberg One cannot fully appreciate the work of Werner Heisenberg unless one examines his contributions in the context of the time in which he lived. Werner Karl Heisenberg was born in Wuerzburg, Germany, on December 5, 1901, and grew up in academic surroundings, in a household devoted to the humanities. His father was a professor at the University of Munich and undoubtedly greatly influenced young Werner, who was a student at the Maximilian Gymnasium. Heisenberg had the opportunity to work with many of the top physicists in the world including Niels Bohr and Max Born. Like many of the top physicists of the time Heisenberg received his doctorate at an early age. In Heisenberg's case he received it at the young age of twenty three. Heisenberg was not just a researcher. He was also a professor and author. During his career he taught at many prestigious universities, including the Universities of Leipzig, Goettingen, and Berlin. He also wrote many important books including, Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory, Cosmic Radiation, Physics and Philosophy, and Introduction to the Unified Theory of Elementary Particles. In 1932 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in Quantum Mechanics. With the Nazi's in power, and World War two on the horizon it was inevitable that his German heritage would play a crucial role in his career. Before Germany's blitzkrieg on Poland Heisenberg decided to make one final visit of his friends in the West. Many tried to convince him to stay and accept a professorship at Columbia, but Heisenberg declined. He felt that it was his duty to preserve the foundation of science in Germany during the war. He also believed that by staying in Germany during the war, he could help individual German scientists. In fact, he did offer jobs to Jewish scientists when they were fired from their posts at other universities. As time passed, Heisenberg found that he was powerless to protect his friends. Heisenberg himself was personally attacked, and his appointment at the University of Munich was blocked. For over a year Heisenberg was attacked in the SS newspaper, which referred to him as a "white Jew." The attack became so threatening that Heisenberg's mother, who had a slight connection to Himmler's family, wrote to Himmler's mother asking Himmler to intercede. Himmler personally cleared Heisenberg of the charges leveled against him a year later, but he was told to study science and avoid discussing scientists. The strain of the investigation surely affected Heisenberg's creativity. During the war Heisenberg worked on the German A-bomb project along with a number of other German scientists.

Analysis of Sociologically Relevant Film: Forrest Gump Essay

â€Å"The world will never be the same once you’ve seen it through the eyes of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Forrest Gump: a film chronicling the life of a mentally challenged man present during three of the most distinctive and dynamic decades in American history. While on the surface lies a heartwarming and inspirational story, the underlying narrative tends to explore progression of American society while depoliticizing history. Throughout the film Forrest is directly involved in major events of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, yet he never shows any initiative of his own. What is the filmmaker trying to insinuate? Sociological analysis An understanding of Forrest’s background in an important and characterizing element in the film. Disadvantaged by a terrible spine condition and a low IQ, Forrest struggles through childhood in small-minded Greenbow, Alabama. Due to his mental disabilities, Forrest becomes the victim of academic discrimination, which his mother fights desperately to resolve. â€Å"He might be a bit on the slow side, but my boy Forrest is going to get the same opportunities as everyone else,† she stated to the principal of Greenbow County Central School. â€Å"He’s not going to some special school to learn to how to re-tread tires.† (Gump 1995) Forrest’s mother was determined. Taking advantage of this, the principal coerced Forrest’s mother into trading a sexual favor for enrollment in school. In addition to these unsettling events, Forrest finds himself tormented and isolated by neighborhood children and townspeople who seem incapable of treating him with any thing but reproach and disdain. Forrest was also an active part of many important events, including protests lead by George Wallace against desegregation, the Vietnam War, the Ping Pong Diplomacy period, anti-war activism lead by Abbie Hoffman, Black Panther Party meetings, and the Watergate scandal. It would be reasonable to say that being part of such important events and would make him vulnerable to the social forces of the times, yet his lack of critical thought as a result of low intelligence seemed to indicate the complete opposite– he remained wholly oblivious and ignorant of their significance. During George Wallace’s â€Å"Stand in the Schoolhouse Door† protest, Forrest stands curiously in the background, more interested in his surroundings rather than the actual protest. During the Vietnam War, Forrest never questions the morality or the agenda of the U.S. government, and receives the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts. His entire experience during the Vietnam War can be summed up into one conversation between him and the Drill Sergeant: â€Å"Gump! What’s your sole purpose in this Army?† â€Å"To do whatever you tell me, Drill Sergeant!† (Gump 1995) Still, the most dismaying portion of impassive responses glorified in this film can be contributed to Forrest’s careless involvement in the anti-Vietnam War rally lead by Abbie Hoffman. He was entirely clueless as to the purpose of the anti-war movements. His view of Abbie Hoffman’s role? â€Å"There was this man, giving a little talk†¦ And every time he said th e â€Å"F† word, people, for some reason, well, they’d cheer.† Though the focus of the film is directed towards Forrest Gump, the effects of social forces are most often expressed and implied through Jenny Curran. Forrest’s generally unobservant nature contrasts harshly with Jenny’s forthright and independent character. Without Jenny, we would have a collectively unrealistic and uncertain portrayal of many occurrences that contributed to the structure of today’s society. Unlike Forrest, Jenny was consciously and intentionally involved in the counterculture movements of the 60’s, as she is seen trailing the countryside with fellow â€Å"hippies,† participating in anti-war movements, and secretly involving herself in Black Panther Party meetings. Before Jenny sets off on what turns out to be downward spiral towards debasement, she speaks to Forrest of her motives. â€Å"†¦I want to reach people on a personal level. I want to be able to say things, just one-to-one.† (Gump 1995) However, Jenny’s plans for a better society are brought to a staggering halt when Jenny develops a fatal disease stemming from precarious drug use. Conclusion Although Tom Hanks (Star in Forrest Gump) affirms that the film was â€Å"non-political and thus non-judgmental,† the previous examples show implications otherwise. Though the film does take a stand against disability discrimination by shedding some light on the difficulties that accompany being handicap during a callous time in American history, it’s motives were generally ambiguous and unclear. Based on the filmmakers unattractive outlook on counterculturalism, his lack of discretion when touching on issues like desegregation and independence, as well as his insensitive approach to the deaths of activists, we can arrive at the following conclusion: the harrowing experiences exposed in this film can be easily discarded as something warranted only by devoted individuals who attempt to foster humanity.

Traditional Learning and Adult Learning - 1205 Words

Learning environments that effectively meet the needs of adult students build upon the wealth of knowledge in the classroom, are student-driven, and have direct application to the problems of the adults everyday life. In this essay, I will reflect upon a traditional learning experience that I experienced as an early college student. Additionally, using Knowles theory of adult learning, I will consider how the experience could have been adapted. Traditional Learning Context As a 17 year old in the mid 1990s, I enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a private religious college in central Virginia. The college was traditional in almost every way, from the way coursework was organized to the ways in which classroom activities†¦show more content†¦His views that favored blaming mothers for sexual orientation identity may have been challenged by members of the class that did not experience coddling or over-identification with their mothers. It was fairly widely known that professional helping organizations no longer endorsed Freuds position on sexual orientation identity. Social role Knowles also asserted that adults learning occurs because adults are ready to learn; the circumstances of their lives makes learning relevant (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007). At this point in my life, I was coming to terms with my sexual orientation identity. Because I was not getting a balanced view on LGBT identity at the college, I spent a great deal of time at the public library reading about sexual minority communities. This is perhaps part of the reason why the lecture was memorable in an otherwise uninteresting course. Learning about this issue had immediacy for me because it was relevant to my life. Though the classroom did not offer me a place to grapple with these issues, my learning continued nevertheless. The instructors lack of a balanced position made me seek other sources of knowledge. Application Knowledge is not gathered and stored for a later time. In order to be a useful learning experience, there must be an immediate need. Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2007) noted that, in Knowles adult learningShow MoreRelatedEssay on Adult Learning is Different from Traditional Learning982 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Merriam, Caffarella Baumgartner, (2007), andragogy is a European concept meaning â€Å"the art and science of helping adults learn†. (p. 84) It is based on six of different assumptions about the adult learner (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007, p. 84). Andragogy is important for not only the adult learner, but the adult educator as well. 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