Shunning

The stories told by Berganza in Cervantes’s The Dogs Colloquy are not intrinsically misanthropic, but rather employ a theme of self-reflection. The constant shunning of “backbiting” as well as the stories themselves encourage a lesson on self-reflection rather than a simple hatred towards humanity. The way Scipio repeatedly reminds Berganza to avoid “backbiting” is one such indication that their views of humanity are not strictly negative. Throughout the tale Scipio reminds Berganza not to…

Mental Illness The issue of mental health resonates among all cultures worldwide. Each one of these cultures has their own ideas and ways of treating people with mental health issues. Some decide to treat them harshly, sending them away or shunning them for being different from the majority of the population. Others realize that mental illness is a real problem that shouldn’t be ignored and work together to provide support people that are affected by a mental health problem. Mental health has…

On the contrary, critics argue that funding of space exploration has some drawbacks. Most people believe that NASA’s activities consume too much taxpayer money from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The public also believes that NASA’s $17.647 billion budget on space technology is not being justified neither does it reap any benefits. However, this is a completely false allegation. NASA’s projects do not require a lot of funding as people think. According to Piantadosi (2012), “NASA’s large federal and…

once the distributor double-crossed Disney in his attempt to air Oswald the Lucky Rabbit; Due to terms of contract and having hired most of Disney’s animators on board with the project, M.J. Winkle was able to produce the series at a lower cost, shunning Disney away from his own creation. Just as he did at the closing of his first animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram, Disney steered separately and continued moving forward. The experienced failures in his endeavors were not defeats, rather necessary…

Phoenix Jackson, the main character in A Worn Path by Eudora Welty (1940), was an elderly woman with more determination than someone half her age. She is a woman living up to her first name! She is on a mission, and she will not allow anything to stand in her way. In this short story, we see a similarity between the mythological bird, the phoenix, and Phoenix Jackson. Throughout multiple obstacles in Phoenix’s passageway to her destination, her strength, resistance, and spirit persisted beyond…

The Scarlet letter Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, the Scarlet Letter, conveys the theme that as people actions change so does others perspective of them, the character Hester’s scarlet letter “A” doesn’t just stand as a symbol by itself but as a symbol of Hester’s identity; as her actions change so does the towns thought on the scarlet letter as they do not recognize her scarlet letter as a sign of sin and adultery, but as a symbol of being able. What was meant to shame and disown Hester in…

A utopia is meant to be the perfect place, and the country of the kind is exactly that, for no one ever so much as commits a violent act against another. Yet, in punishing the protagonist for killing another individual the society has created a fate worse than death. Further, the society collectively shuns the protagonist, actively participating in a violent act to preserve the society. Yet, the protagonist feels empowered by his crimes that distance him away from society, despite his deep…

Men and women today are bombarded with messages from the media concerning their gender roles. The stereotypes it portrays of men: masculinity and women: femininity can cause a great discomfort to both groups. With the media perpetuating these stereotypes, it becomes more of a problem as men and women are put down and have to face the obligations to conform to them. The gender roles that our society create put unnecessary pressure on young men to express male roles and force young women to embody…

The play “A Raisin in the Sun” has always intrigued my interest because of its theme: in order to achieve their dreams, people must accept themselves, the circumstances they’re in, and their family who support them, rather than focusing on the money they don’t have as a way to get what they want. Instead of already being middle-class, the Youngers want that American family lifestyle that is promised to all who live as American citizens. It is an ongoing subject of unfulfilled dreams that the…

Younger people may know him as Sam Seaborn on the popular television show The West Wing, or the eloquently speaking, super fit, Chris Traeger from the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. People over forty however, will most likely know him as a former heartthrob from the eighties that swept the women off their feet in movies like The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire. They will also however, remember him as the focal point in a leaked tape, who's outcomes nearly ruined his life and career. The actor…