The Character & Flick Webb Essay Example for Free

The Character Flick Webb Essay The poem is built around the character of Flick Webb. He is the one referred to as the ex-basketball player. Flick was once a basketball superstar in his county and a record setter. â€Å"In ’46, He bucketed three hundred ninety points, A county record still. †¦ I saw him rack up thirty eight or forty† (lines 14,15) . The narrator describes how well Flick played basketball that his record of 390 points for a season has not been surpassed. He was like Kobe Bryant who was averaging 31 points per game and at a time scored 52 against the Houston Rockets. (Kobe Bryant Bio 2007) Almost a decade after the glorious high school days, Flick was not able to continue his career as a basketball player. Instead he became a gasman at Berth’s Garage. â€Å"He never learned a trade, he just sells gas, Checks oil, and changes flats. † (lines 19,20) Although Updike did not make any judgment of Flick’s career as a gasman, whether his situation is good or bad, there were suggestions in the last three stanzas that Flick and the people in the community are not happy with what he has become. â€Å"Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette. Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball, Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates. † (lines 25-27) These lines suggest that Flick is still a bachelor and nowhere to go but a luncheonette; whiles away the time, not at all socializing. â€Å"Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods Beyond her face†. (lines 28,29) He must be attracted to Mae who is the owner of the luncheonette but is apprehensive probably because he has nothing to offer the lady. The Style Ex-Basketball Player is a narrative poem; it tells a story. The narrator is presumed to be the author who could have been a witness to the life of a once popular high school basketball player. The poem is set in free verse so that there is no pattern of measure in the lines and the stanzas. The first stanza has one line, the next has two, followed by five lines for the third and the rest of the stanzas have no pattern. Updike also has a style of leaving the line unfinished and is continued in the next stanza. Like the line â€Å"At Colonel McComsky Plaza. Berth’s Garage† (line 4) is in a separate stanza followed by â€Å"Is on the corner facing west, and there† (line 5). Updike’s style seems to pre-empt the idea before it comes in the next stanza allowing smoother flow of ideas. The style is effective because separating the line did not distort the message intended. Imagery â€Å"Poetry communicates experience and experience comes to us largely through the senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, and touching)†. (Reuben, p. 4) These are expressed through imagery. Updike used a lot of imagery in this poem. Irony was evident in the line, â€Å"Flick stands tall against the idiot pumps†. (line 7) Flick standing tall is contrasted to the idiot pumps. It is like saying Flick is proud because he rises above the idiots or he is better off than the other idiots. Updike wants to express how sad it is that the basketball career is over through the description of the location of Berth’s Garage, â€Å"Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off Before it has a chance to go two blocks. † (lines 2,3) He uses the line â€Å"cut off before it has a chance†. (line 2) This means the future of the basketball star was cut off before the man had the chance. Updike even makes a part appear as a puzzle when he described the â€Å"nostrils with two S’s and the eyes with an E and O† (lines 10,11) , and he simply means that it is an ESSO gas station. This also reveals the era of the poem because ESSO was most popular in this decade. â€Å"His hands were like wild birds† (line 18), refers to Flick’s quick hands when it comes to handling the basketball, but this is contrasted by the line â€Å"His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench† (line 23), which this time criticizes his unskilled hands when it comes to changing flat tires. The two contrasting lines talk about the same hands. This shows that Flick was just good at basketball and nothing else. Figurative Language Aside from the symbolisms and imagery, the use of personification is very effective. Personification is a figure of speech that â€Å"gives the attributes of a human being to an animal, on object or a concept†. (Reuben, p. 5) Personification is evident in the description of the gas pumps in Berth’s garage. Updike refers to the pumps as â€Å"idiot pumps† (line 7) as if the pumps have brains. It actually means that the pumps have to be guided by the gasman all the time. The pumps also have â€Å"their rubber elbows hanging loose and low. One’s nostrils are two S’s, and his eyes An E and O† (lines 10,11). The pumps have rubber elbows and have nostrils and eyes too. It can mean that the pumps are among Flick’s very few friends left. These are the only ones that can look up on him now that he has become a nobody. On the other hand, another phrase personifies the ball as loving, â€Å"the ball loved Flick† (line 16), referring to Flick’s expertise in shooting and dribbling the basketball. At Mae’s luncheonette, Flick looks beyond Mae’s face through the â€Å"applauding tiers of Necco Wafers, Nibs and Juju Beads†(lines 29,30) . The line up of wafers, nibs and beads were applauding means that Flick cannot even look directly towards the girl he likes. He does not have the confidence to talk to a girl; too shy and awkward to even look at her so that his attention drifts to the wafers and nibs at the background. The use of personification has been very effective in portraying Flick’s character as well as in contrasting the happy mood of the past and setting the melancholy mood of the present. Personifying the pumps, the ball, the tiers of wafers, nibs and beads added to the loneliness in Flick’s life, as if there is nobody else to give comfort to him but his pumps, his basketball and the wafers at the background of the luncheonette.

Freedom And The Constitution :: essays research papers

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. Freedom of expression is made up of the explicit rights of freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied right of association and belief contained in the First Amendment. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Court as applying to the entire federal government although it is only expressly applicable to Congress. Furthermore, the Court has interpreted the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one re ligion over another. It enforces the "separation of church and state. Some governmental activity related to religion has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. For example, providing bus transportation for parochial school students and the enforcement of "blue laws" is not prohibited. The free exercise clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a persons practice of their religion. The most basic component of freedom of expression is the right of freedom of speech. The right of freedom of speech allows an individual to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. The Supreme Court requires the government to provide substantial justification for the interference with the right of free speech if it attempts to regulate the content of the speech. A less stringent test is applied for content-neutral legislation. The Supreme Court has also recognized that the government may prohibit some speech that may cause a breach of the peace or cause violence. The right of free speech includes other mediums of expression that communicates a message. Despite popular misunderstanding the right of freedom of the press guaranteed by the first amendment is not very different from the right of freedom of speech. It allows an individual to express themselves through publication and dissemination. It is part of the constitutional protection of freedom of expression. It does not afford members of the media any special rights or privileges not afforded to citizens in general. The right to assemble allows people to gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. Freedom And The Constitution :: essays research papers The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. Freedom of expression is made up of the explicit rights of freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied right of association and belief contained in the First Amendment. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Court as applying to the entire federal government although it is only expressly applicable to Congress. Furthermore, the Court has interpreted the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one re ligion over another. It enforces the "separation of church and state. Some governmental activity related to religion has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. For example, providing bus transportation for parochial school students and the enforcement of "blue laws" is not prohibited. The free exercise clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a persons practice of their religion. The most basic component of freedom of expression is the right of freedom of speech. The right of freedom of speech allows an individual to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. The Supreme Court requires the government to provide substantial justification for the interference with the right of free speech if it attempts to regulate the content of the speech. A less stringent test is applied for content-neutral legislation. The Supreme Court has also recognized that the government may prohibit some speech that may cause a breach of the peace or cause violence. The right of free speech includes other mediums of expression that communicates a message. Despite popular misunderstanding the right of freedom of the press guaranteed by the first amendment is not very different from the right of freedom of speech. It allows an individual to express themselves through publication and dissemination. It is part of the constitutional protection of freedom of expression. It does not afford members of the media any special rights or privileges not afforded to citizens in general. The right to assemble allows people to gather for peaceful and lawful purposes.

Young Latina Mothers

Latina Recently, the Latino population in the US has become the largest ethnic group. According to the Census data, the Latino population grew by 58% from 1990 to 2000, whereas the total population grew by 13% in the same period (Skogrand, 2005). The number is estimated to be much larger but due to their undocumented status many Latino people did not participate during the 2000 census. The term â€Å"Latino† includes a wide variety of immigrant subgroups that speak Spanish, and encompasses a number of groups from Central and South Americas, with migrants from Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba being the largest, and â€Å"Latina† is the feminine form. Young Latino Mothers A research conducted by Berkowitz and Kahn (1995) titled, Sources of Support for Young Latina Mothers, highlighted the plight of young Latina mothers in the US and ways to address their problems. Due to high rates of immigration and fertility of young Latina women, which is twice compared to the rest of the US population, their numbers are growing rapidly. According Berkowitz and Kahn, many young mothers and their children are poor, and young mothers who raise their children independently bear the brunt of hardship compared to those who live with husbands or parents or other adults who are financially sound. However, neither getting married nor outside support to cushion the young mothers from poverty and other adverse affects. There is no single to pattern to describe Latina mothers as they are diverse; however, there are certain features each of the subgroups. Puerto Rican mothers are impoverished compared with other groups, remain single, live away from parents or relatives, and are welfare dependents. Cuban mothers are economically well off with low rates of welfare benefits. Central and South American mothers living patterns are similar to Anglos, though they are poorer to the Anglos. Young teenage mothers who raise the children on their own are found to be the most vulnerable. Teen mothers who live with their parents and relatives tend to remain in school and less likely to be poor. Married teen mothers are better off compared to single teen mothers who live with relatives or parents. However, married teen mothers are less likely to attend school than unmarried, resulting in lower education levels. Mothers who delayed their first births after the teen years had done well compared to parents who became teen mothers – they completed school and college. Social and cultural influences Acculturation and biculturalism, according to several researchers, influence the parenting style among young mothers. Acculturation is the process in which an individual acquires the skills required for life in a new environment. Hence, the impact of acculturation has altered traditional gender roles that resulted in women taking up employment, yet they fall into low income groups. Latinas who are less acculturated have traditional gender role beliefs, whereas more acculturated Latinas see more life choices (Latina Adolescent Health, 2007). Within the community, there are large cultural differences, however, there are commonalities within many Latino families. According to research the Latino families give importance to family, religion and gender roles. The importance of the family is the pervasive value in the Latino culture, extended family is essential. Both parenthood and partnerships are considered to be same as family affiliations are given importance. The main purpose of the marriage is to have children and the subsequent family life. Traditional roles play a critical role in reinforcing the gender roles: Machismo alludes to maleness or manliness and a man is expected to be physically strong, authority figure in the family who sustains the family. On the contrary, the role of the woman is complementary or Marianismo, who is self-sacrificing, religions and a homemaker. In Latino culture, motherhood for women is an important goal, apart from taking care of the elderly relatives and children. The importance of family and motherhood in the culture encourages young Latinas to become mothers during their teenage years. Due to high value for motherhood in Latino culture, young women do not see pregnancy negatively. Latino cultural traditions are found to be barriers to young women's ability to communicate openly with their partners. Some young women have babies with a hope that will bring attention from baby’s father, and later he will take up the responsibility of fatherhood; in Latino culture he is the sustainer of the family. They have the highest unmarried birthrate in the nation, over three times that of whites and Asians, and nearly one-and-a half times that of African-American women. Nearly half of the children of Latina mothers are born out of wedlock, and there is no sign lessening of the rate as there numbers are increasing rapidly. This is due to one of the traditional Hispanic values to have children and often. It is seen as a honorable thing for a young girl to have a baby, and it is difficult to persuade young single mothers to give up children for adoption. The tight-knit extended family assists unwed child rearing. Documenting fathers of illegitimate children is problematic as the impregnators of younger women are sometimes their uncles, boyfriend of the girl’s mother, older men who have a false notion that virgins are not capable of motherhood and who avoid sexually transmitted diseases.   Often, the mother’s family do not view see anything bad of these activities (Mac Donald, 2006). Although older men take advantage of younger women, the age difference between the mother and the father of an illegitimate is child is narrowing. An agency in California found that fathers as young as 13 to 14 years of age and it quite common to find an 18-year-old to have children with different girls, and boys feel getting a girl pregnant is peer approval thing. A large majority of fathers abandon their children and mothers, for a father may be already married or doing drugs or in prison. Though they know about the fathers’ whereabouts but do not know if they are working or in jail. The young women’s mothers are callous and overlook what is happening in their daughters’ lives, and the existing social milieu perpetuates the child-bearing activities. References Berkowitz, R. ; Kahn, J. (1995). Sources of support for young Latina mothers. Retrieved on June 19, 2007, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/cyp/xslatina.htm Latina Adolescent Health. (2007). Retrieved on June 19, 2007, from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/iag/latina.htm Mac Donald, H. (2006). Hispanic Family Values? Hispanic trending. Retrieved on June 19, 2007, from http://juantornoe.blogs.com/hispanictrending/2006/11/hispanic_family.html Skogrand, L. (2005). Understanding Latino families, implications for family education. Retrieved on June 19, 2007, from Utah State University, Extension Web site: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FR_Family_2005-02.pdf ; ;

Machiavelli Essay - 953 Words

The Prince MAJOR THEME Machiavelli had a true and abiding love for Florence. He wanted to make Florence great and also find himself a job, as he lost his when the Medici family came into power. He dedicated his book on political science, The Prince, to Lorenzo Medici in the hopes that Lorenzo would be impressed and offer him a job. However, Lorenzo ignored the book and Machiavelli. The Prince is a didactic examination of political power, how to achieve it, maintain it, and expand it. Machiavelli does not take into consideration what is morally right, or amoral, only what is useful and useless. The book is more like a technical manual, and technical manuals only state the facts. The book defines what turns a mere man into a great†¦show more content†¦As Isiah Berlin says in his essay, Machiavelli admired these heroes because they were high-minded, tough, and tough enough to use brutality against the few, to help the public good of the princedom. He especially admired Moses because he was worthy to talk to God. Moses had the opportunity to create a new civilization with the Israelites because they were being treated badly by the Pharoah. Therefore, Moses took advantage of their discontent with their new master and led them in a revolt. Eventually creating a new civilization. Machiavelli admired Moses because of his strength of character that carried him through the difficult trouble of gaining power. 3. Discuss Machiavelliamp;#8217;s opinions on the uses of cruelty to accomplish certain goals. The Prince is about the ways to achieve political power, with no preference for the way in which it is achieved. Machiavelli does not advocate unnecessary cruelty. His book is only about how to obtain and keep a princedom. Machiavelli believes that cruelty is sometimes necessary to aquire or/and keep political power. Machiavelli recognized that in the time he lived a political ruler would have to use cruelty, he writes, amp;#8220;The new prince, above all princes, cannot possibly avoid the name of cruelty;. He also states in Chapter VIII that cruelty may be useful sometimes in achieving certain ends, but it would bring no glory. 1. What doesShow MoreRelated Machiavelli Essay1597 Words   |  7 Pages quot;The term Machiavellian refers to someone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipledquot;(Goods 1998). Many scholars agree that this particular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attributed as being one of the brightest lights of the Italian Renaissance through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and political thought. His most famous work The Prince hasRead MoreThe Machiavelli And Machiavelli s The Prince2348 Words   |  10 PagesI have always found great interest in the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli and his ways of thinking; my eye was drawn to him long before I knew I would be studying at Colorado State and even before I had any interest in politics. It was from young man know as Tupac Shakur, and let me tell you it is great to finally understand who Machiavelli is and the things he has done for the outlook on politics after hearing about how much respect and praise he got from the iconic rapper of the 1990s. In this paperRead MorePrinciples Of Machiavelli1615 Words   |  7 PagesIn the 16th century Niccolo Machiavelli presented Lorenzo de Medici with his most prized possession, â€Å"The Prince†. At this time, it was custom to present the prince with your most prized possession, in order to gain their friendship. Machiavelli spent much time studying past rulers and wrote â€Å"The Prince† in which he describes how one acquires and maintains power. At the time, The Prince was not well accepted as it went perceived to go against the Catholic Church. However, today the prince has beenRead MoreMachiavelli as a Humanist1886 Words   |  8 Pageswho is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans. Niccolo’ Machiavelli can be thought of as a humanist. Although opinions on this differ greatly depending on whom you speak with. Machiavelli’s life consists of so many examples and lessons that he has learned throughout his life. Through my paper, I intend to examine his perception of morality based on his political writings and life experiences. Niccolo’ Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 and died in 1527. Although we do not knowRead MoreAnalysis Of Machiavelli774 Words   |  4 PagesChasity L Wireman Dr. Michael A. Lazarus HIS 102-W1: Western Civilization II 10/25/2017 There are many reasons why Machiavelli is widely considered the beginner of modern political thought, one of the many is he studied strictly the politicians, and businessmen. Machiavelli recognized the political playing field as a vile place only for the most dominating and cunning of political giants. One of Machiavelli’s most famous work, On Principalities, or known by the other title, The PrinceRead More Machiavelli Essay1438 Words   |  6 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the great political minds of the 15th century, accomplished what many mathematicians today only dream of, having one’s name used as an adjective. To be Machiavellian is to demonstrate characteristics of expediency, deceit, and cunning and as Machiavelli wrote in, The Prince, these are the qualities of a great leader. The Prince was published in 1531, creating great controversy with other political thinkers of the time. Machiavelli completely ignored theRead MoreThe Relat ionship Between Machiavelli And Machiavelli s The Prince1075 Words   |  5 Pagesand turmoil, philosophers are able to give their critiques on government and human nature as a whole. Socrates and Machiavelli, both philosophers in what it means to be a proper leader and the role of the people within a society, share contrasting views. Machiavelli, alive during the time of great political turmoil in Italy, is immortalized through his writings in The Prince. Machiavelli was able to use what the political shortcomings he witnesses during his time period as a guide to deciphering theRead MoreThe Prince, By Machiavelli1517 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Prince, Machiavelli doesn’t hesitate to recommend that a ruler employ conventionally immoral methods against his own subjects to maintain authority over them, but he does imply that whatever a ruler does should ultimately benefit the community. A Prince’s actions may be cruel, manipulative, or otherwise immoral, but they put him in the position to govern. On occasion, Machiavelli even suggests that gaining power through immoral acts is the best way to improve a community because immoralityRead MoreThe Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli1472 Words   |  6 PagesPrince by: Niccolo Machiavelli really tries and is successful at dividing politics and ethics to decipher the characteristics of a good and bad political/government ruling leader in this novel. In this reading, I seen 5 points that Machiavelli talked about, and those were: Free Will, Being Hated vs Goodwill, Virtue, A Good Military, and finally Human Nature. These are a necessity to the recipe that Machiavelli is making in this book. In the first few chapters of the book, Machiavelli begins to talkRead More Machiavelli And Plato Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pages Niccolio Machiavelli (Born May 3rd, 1469 amp;#8211; 1527 Florence, Italy.) His writings have been the source of dispute amongst scholars due to the ambiguity of his analogy of the amp;#8216;Nature of Politics; and the implication of morality. The Prince, has been criticised due to itamp;#8217;s seemingly amoral political suggestiveness, however after further scrutiny of other works such as The Discourses, one can argue that it was Machiavelliamp;#8217;s intention to infact imply a positive