“Brown girl, brownstones” by Paule Marshall Essay

Plot summary The prose fiction Brown girl, brownstones by Paule Marshall, is a bildungsroman with autobiographical elements, tracking the life and experiences of the main protagonist, Selina Boyce and the family and friends in her life. Marshall uses various elements and techniques in the prose, to bring about different themes, characteristics and aspects in her novel. The text is set mainly in the 1930’s Brooklyn, New York, at a community of brownstone houses occupied by the Bajan immigrants. Though there are various perspectives of other personas in the prose, Marshall uses a third person narrative to show the first person perspective of Selina. The story begins with Selina at ten years old and continues until she is no longer a minor. It shows the theme of identity as Selina is trying to find who she is amongst members in her family. â€Å"But they have taken no photographs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  was one of the first time Selina’s loneliness can be seen in the text. She is jealous of the fact her parents took photographs of the family before the death of her infant brother, yet took no keepsakes of hers. Then it goes on to where Marshall is a very descriptive narrator, using a cinematic effect in her story telling. The scenes shift continuously to suggest simultaneous action which produces a dramatic effect that helps to build conflict and suspense. She also uses devices and diction to bring about various themes and symbolic elements in her text. She uses the technique of epigraph to start each chapter, it is a type of foreshadowing, hinting of what will happen throughout the chapter. It also helps to characterize individuals in the story. Contrast is also a reoccurring technique in the text, as characters such as Silla and Deighton, Ina and Selina, have contradictory personalities. There is also contradiction in the symbols and diction in the text. Words such as ‘winter’ and ‘Sun’, ‘darkness’ and ‘light’, are contradictory symbols referring to the characteristics of individuals such as Selina’s parents in the text. The write r involves the use of the Bajan dialect as well as English, as if trying to incorporate the reader in the culture of Barbados and also add credibility and realism to the story. It suggests pride in the Bajan culture. The author uses various figurative devices in the text. There is a heavy focus on the use of personification and architectural imagery. Symbolism is evident in the prose; using colors such as red to represent romance and sexual relationships; and white, and  brownstones to represent upward mobility, status and unattainable goals. Land in the text is also symbolic of independence and opportunity. The use of conflict, such as; mother-daughter, husband-wife, black-white, is brought out by the symbols and conflicting elements in the prose. It shows the destruction in relationships, and accentuates climatic moments, such as when Deighton, used the money Silla stole from him, or when Silena told the whole Bajan association, she’d tricked them. Marshall uses devices such as; imagery, epigraph, motif, foreshadowing, pathetic fallacy and biblical allusion, to show racism, identity, women in society, family, deceit, and various other themes in the prose fiction. The denouement, begins with Silena recognizing who she is and making final decisions for herself. After all her trials and lost relationships, she finally covers her identity, accepting who she has become, the trials she is yet to face and the people in her past who has made her who she is today. Especially her mother, whom she had always fought against. Rational The life of Deighton Boyce, was the subject chosen for the poem between many view Deighton as a problem in the text Brown girl, brownstones, giving him no sympathy. The poem was intended to convey sympathy for Deighton. His life in the poem is specifically intriguing as though he causes many shifts in characteristics of others in the text, his own life is not emphasized. The poem will hopefully give an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the issues of Deighton death, and his life. Mocking Jay I saw a song bird fight a bird of prey, Beautiful-ugly, he was, filled with sorrow, was she. Night and day, He sang a tune of love and wonder, She sang back of vicis and plunder, I tried to save that mocking Jay, But the night stole him away. Where are you my mocking Jay? Trapped in the tomb of brown stones? Your young are calling, where are you? Won’t you fight the snow away? Don’t you hear the light’s moans? Has she trapped him too? No longer perched on your window silla They’ve clipped your wings You’ve destroyed their prison The flock screams their Bajan banter Fly away home my mocking Jay Swim home my song bird But, mocking Jay’s never dive†¦ I’ll send a new light your way†¦ For you to see through winter’s clock†¦ To save your flock†¦ To blind your eyes†¦ And save you from the dark†¦ Shattered tunes of my broken song bird Remember your prayers Eulogy. The sad broken memory. The life you ran away. Dead like marrow staining the asphalt. Staining corals a sea away. Songs long dead, I’ll sing them to you. I’ll pray your tarnished soul away. Deighton, my mocking Jay. Analysis The poem â€Å"mocking Jay†, is a kind of stanzaic elegy, in tribute to a character in the prose text â€Å"Brown girl, Brownstones†. The poet uses the mimicking bird, mocking jay, to represent the character Deighton in the prose text. Not only do mocking jays have a gift in music, which was one of the professional genres Deighton attempted, but they repeat everything sung to them in a mocking manner. Deighton, like these birds, reflects a mocking version of the negatives surround him; from using the money his wife stole from him, to purchase frivolous gifts to spite her; to changing his course of study every time he is confronted with racism or barriers. Deighton also  has the dream like (surreal), and fun loving attributes common to these birds. The poem comprises of four sestets, a couplet a single line and a septet. The stanza formation, is quite symbolic. The first stanza is the first of the four sestets. At the end of each sentence in this sestet is a comma. This represents the fact that this relatively pleasant chapter in his life is not yet complete, it won’t end in a ‘happy ever after’. It is as if to say that the beginning of their relationship was an unfinished dream. The second sestet ends in a question within, as if questioning the relationship, not understanding the change in the relationship and in Silla. The third sestet ends without punctuation is representative to all the times Deighton and the audience were waiting to see Silla’s response to sightings behavior. The final sestet concludes with â€Å"structured-chaotic† punctuation, of when Silla’s revenge unfolds it was chaotic in the circumstances of deportation, but structured in that it was her plan all along. Combining with the lack of punctuation, the couplet of stanza five signifies hi s never ending pain. It symbolizes that, as the lack of punctuation prevents the sentence from truly being complete, his pain and suffering will not end even in the afterlife. The single line consists of one word â€Å"Eulogy†, this refers to the speech given at a funeral or a recollection of the past doings of an individual after he is dead. This word being the shortest stanza, represents the lack of quality and memorabilia Deighton has left behind with his children. The final stanza a sestet can be tied to the biblical representation of the day God rested. The number seven represents the change that occurs after an accomplished cycle. Deighton, accomplices all he could so the last stanza represents his death the final rest he accomplished after his life cycle. The poem has a steady rhythms. Though not all stanzas have a structured rhyme scheme, the poem still flows as if it does. It is like the steady yet unusual flow of life, just as the poem is a depiction of Dighton’s life as was repre sented in the prose fiction. The first stanza contains a set of rhyming couplets, repeating the first rhyme in the last stanza (an â€Å"a, a b, b a, a† format). The last rhyme however is a forced rhyme, this is there to show that leaving the omnipresence was not something the Jay wanted, but was what was forced on him. The second stanza consists of alternate rhymes that emphasize the questioning in this stanza, that he is running alternate scenarios in his mind as to why the wife who used to love him hates him so  much now. The fourth sestet has the last rhyme, â€Å"clock† and â€Å"flock†. This symbolizes that the time he has left with his children is limited as his death is nearing. The rest of the poem is rhyming going parallel to the pores fiction as explanations are revealed in the story, the confusion and rhyming stops. The poem commences with the omnipresent narrator giving a visual imagery of the meeting between two contradicting birds. The â€Å"song bird† represents something happy, passive and peaceful, while â€Å"bird of prey† represents something sly, dominating and warlike. The story continues with oxymoronic inverted syntaxes of line two, that helps to emphasize that the creatures have contradicting personas and that their union could never last as it was based on confusion. Just as in the prose fiction, Silla thought she could turn Deighton into someone he wasn’t, and failed. The diction used in the first stanza such as; â€Å"vicis†, â€Å"Jay† and â€Å"Night†, aid in displaying the theme of conflict in relationships. ‘Vicis’ is the Latin word for change, in reference to the context it highlights Silla’s need to change her husband’s persona and fight to create a life for them that he never wanted. The capitalization diff words such as Jay and Night, personify these nonhuman objects, in the case of the Jay it helps to emphasize this being a character trait of Deighton, while the Night highlights Silla’s character as bright cold and heartless, but at that time seeming beautiful and peaceful . Lines three and four of the first stanza also help to concretize the theme of contradictory persons in relationships, displayed in the first stanza. Stanza two is a rhetorical question sestet, it constantly asks questions the ‘Jay’ is obviously unable to answer, and these are symbolic of the time where the relationship between Silla and Deighton was confusing. He didn’t know where she stood, whether still in love with him or hating h for the injustice she believes he did to their son, the first line emphasizes this. It follows with a reference to the brownstone house Silla spent a majority of the text fighting to obtain. The use of diction such as â€Å"prison†, â€Å"brown†, and â€Å"stones† was a slight pun as a Jay would find a house made of stones a prison, and juxtaposed with the text, it can be said that Deighton saw the house his wife fought so much for was like a prison to him, and a symbol of his failures in his relationships and providing for his family. Line two is the first and only mention of their children in the poem. This is symbolic as it shows that not only did Deighton not spend enough time  with them and focused more on himself, but he also failed as a father in that he couldn’t protect them from the â€Å"snow† which is a personified symbolism of his wife. The personification of the ‘light’, at the end of the stanza references all the happiness and innocence still in the family. When the persona asks about the moaning light that ‘she’ has trapped it means that he was unable to prevent the happiness and life from leaving their family, this aids in uncovering the themes of failing one’s family and loosing things that are important. The third stanza has the most textual allusions, the stanza opens with a pun, â€Å"window silla†. As a bird a sill is somewhere you can rest, be at peace like a home, in this means Deighton no longer feels at home in the browns stones. Silla is also the name of his wife so it can mean that he is also no longer feeling happy in his marriage, as shown in the text queen he began going you the house form his mistress in the nights. â€Å"They’ve clipped your wings† line two of the stanza refers to when he almost got his arm amputated due to his indolence. This is symbolic as it is a physical representative and slight foreshadowing of how his time was ending. The next line refers to the song they sang to him at the wedding. The ‘f’’, ‘s’, ‘th’ and ‘b’ fricative and plosive so funds of the fourth line in the third stanza, emphasizes the running and the drama happening in that scene of the text. The ‘swim home’ in the last line of that stanza references the Caribbean since Islands in the Caribbean are surrounded by water. The last sestet refers to the last actions before Deighton’s death. It starts with a pun, on Deighton’s childhood, as he dived for the coins white men through at him, and also an allusion to him diving to his death. The ‘new light’ is symbolic for Deighton’s religious period, where the movement of the new light helped him to finally discover himself, though completely swiping his personality. ‘winter’s clock’ is symbolic for Deighton’s attempts at going back in time to rectify the problems mainly caused by his relationship with his wife. The couplet, single line and septet, is after his death. People have pained cries due to morning Deighton’s death. The mansion of Prayers refer to his newfound beliefs and Eulogy is the speech given at a funeral. The final stanza is technically the omnipresence’s eulogy for Deighton, though it shows that he is not someone people will remember with respect. It speaks of how he could have had a life if he’d made different choices. It gives an image of his death at sea, and  its connection to his past in the Caribbean. It then shows the general sadness surrounding his death, and accentuates the theme of death in the text. The poem changes from a tone of observation, to unease, to sadness. Hopefully bringing out an overall sympathy for the persona. Though it is not a total rhyming poem, it still has a flowing rhythms that showcases the life cycle of Deighton, as shown in the text. Conclusion The text Brown girl, brownstones, is an excellent depiction of women and men in immigrant communities. Most persons generally sympathize with the women of these communities, however this poem has hopefully garnered a positive response to men in these communities, and those shown in the text. This may help persons to recognize that women were not the only ones with problems in the text. The blame for these conflicts also, should not be solely the fault of males like Deighton, in the prose, but equally shared between each individual, and characters in the prose fiction.

Solutions: Self-esteem and Professional Sports Events

Solutions The Mayor of a large city was given a free membership in an exclusive golf club by people who have received several city contracts. He also accepted gifts from organizations that have not done business with the City but might in the future. The gifts ranged from $200 tickets to professional sports events to designer watches and jewelry. The Mayor of the city actions are self-serving. , for he is receiving all the benefits.The greater good is not being served here because small businesses may not be able to pay the Mayor for city contracts. Because of this, outside organizations are benefiting with city jobs, causing small businesses in the city to go out of business. It may also cause taxes to increase and loss of city jobs. The Mayor is abusing his office by not putting his cititizens needs before his own. Locke would agree with me, he would say that the Mayor has a responsibility to his people.He would also say that the people have the right to choose a different Mayor wh o would put there need before his own. A college instructor is pursuing her doctorate in night school. To gain extra time for her own studies, she gives her students the same lectures, the same assignments, and the same examinations semester after semester without the slightest effort to improve them. The college instructor is just serving herself. She is not fillful her duties to her students, she finds it easier to keep repeat the same material semester after semester.She is not teaching her students with updated material, when they enter the work force they will be ill prepared to compete with others. Locke would agree that the students have the right to expect their instructor to take as much time and effort in their lessons as she does in her own work. Todd and Edna have been married for three years. They have had serious personal problems. Edna is a heavy drinker, and Todd cannot keep a job. Also, they have bickered and fought constantly since their marriage.Deciding that the way to overcome their problems is to have a child, they stop practicing birth control, and Edna becomes pregnant. To raise a child is difficult even when you are prepared. But to have a child to fix a marriage is wrong. You put a lot of pressure of the child, and when things go wrong, you will start to blame and resent the child. Which in turn will cause the child to have a low self –esteem and then the child will be taught how to make poor decisions. That s if Edna is lucky to have a healthy baby. Her heavy drinking could have negative ramification such as fetal syndrome and other birth defects. Babies are very expensive and Todd not be able to keep a job is just going to increase the bickering and arguing. So, there is no greater good in this scenario, It does no good for Edna and Todd to care for a child that may have defects because the Edna’s drinking. It does no good for the child to have to deal with two parents who make poor decisions.

5 Points of Oedipus Rex Essay

Five Important Points of â€Å"On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex† †¢ Oedipus Rex attempt to justify the ways of God to man by: 1. â€Å"Proving† that we get what we deserve. An example is how Oedipus treated Creon badly, so the gods punished him. 2. Oedipus Rex is â€Å"a tragedy of destiny†, the play â€Å"proves that man has no freewill and is controlled by gods. 3. Sophocles was â€Å"a pure artist†, so he is not interested in justifying the gods, and Oedipus Rex was merely an exciting play. †¢ Oedipus did horrible things unknowingly, if they did it knowingly, readers won’t feel pity. The tragic hero must have a big moral flaw. †¢ A significant difference between Sophocles and Aeschylus is that Sophocles thinks that fate is unconditional, and can not be avoided. Oedipus tries to avoid the oracle given about him that he will sleep with his mother and kill his father, but in the end, it still happens. Aeschylus’ thinking is that fate could be avoided. According to him, the oracle given to Laius was avoidable: â€Å"Do not beget a child; for if you do, that child will kill you.† †¢ Oedipus blinded himself to cut himself off from contact with humanity. If he suicides, he would meet his parents in the next world. He blinded himself because he could not face the living or the dead. †¢ Oedipus Rex is a play about human greatness. Oedipus fell from his high position to the lowest of the low, and he still has the strength to accept and endure it. His inner strength is virtuous, because he pursues truth at whatever personal cost.

Euripides’ play “Medea” Essay

The characters of Euripides’ play Medea require to be viewed from a variety of perspectives. To say that the only characters that deserve the audience’s sympathy are the children is not totally correct. As far as the plot is concerned the children are no doubt the innocent victims of this conflict between Medea and Jason, however there are other characters that also deserve our sympathy. Also to vaguely state that ‘everyone else gets what they deserve’ requires further analysis of the extent to which their ultimate fate is justified. Some critics say that Medea is a mad woman driven by her lack of control of her emotions. Throughout the play this description of her had proven to be true, however this does not mean we do not feel at all sympathetic towards her. If the audience can look at the world through her perspective, then it would not be surprising to see why she is so uncontrollably driven by her fury and passion. As a foreign princess, a wife, a mother and a woman, the humiliation and pain that had been bought upon her is all too overwhelming. ‘She will not eat; she lies collapsed in agony, dissolving the long hours in tears.’ The pain and suffering that Medea experienced deserve the audience’s sympathy. Another source of sympathy that we should feel for Medea comes from her role as a mother. As she decides to kill her own children, her mind becomes torn apart by inner conflict as a mother and as the emotion driven beast. There are many evidence throughout the play that shows her sense of maternal devotion. ‘That you once loved them, that of your body they were born. For one short day forget your children; afterwards weep: though you kill them, they were your beloved sons. Life has been cruel to me.’ From the above quote, the audience is able to see that Medea is not completely cold blooded. Her love towards her children and the inevitable pain of killing them with her bare hands is somewhat tragic and in deserving of sympathy. At the conclusion of the play I would disagree that all the characters deserved the ending they were given. Firstly one has to define and clarify the meaning of justice and justify the extent to which justice was served out to each character. King Creon and his daughter Glauce have committed no  crime and yet they die the most horrendous deaths. It can be concluded that we may not only feel sympathetic towards the children, but also towards Medea for all the misfortunes and tragic events that happen to her. We should also feel sympathetic towards her because of her role as a loving mother. We are shown that justice is not served out to those who most deserve it, and that harsh ends come to those who are innocent, hence the world of Medea and her rampage of revenge. References: Euripides, Medea

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 13

Sociology - Essay Example Looking at the daily newspaper and the stories of violence between white Australians and Lebanese-Australians or violence perpetuated against Indian students in Victoria, one senses that racism is an ever-present aspect of the social condition here in Australia. Seeking to explore social stratification and racism through my personal experiences working in this country, the following will discuss this concept with relation to major sociological theories. Following this I will apply the issue of social stratification to modern Australian society and conclude with an overview of the major issues discussed. What have been my experiences with racism here in Australia? Have there been positive aspects about race here? What emotions and symbols are associated with my racial experiences in this country? How has this impacted your life? What could have happened differently and what would I change about race in this country? These questions and many more will be explored in relation to my anal ysis of racism and social stratification in Australia. I now turn to an analysis of social stratification through an exploration of the major sociological theories (Shaefer, 1998: 254-266) Functionalism, one of oldest theoretical perspectives within sociology, focuses on the individual within society and seeks to apply scientific method to the social world. Furthermore, Functionalists argue that society is in fact an organ and espouse what is described as the organic unity of society. Thus, social systems exist for Functionalists because institutions themselves serve a variety of purposes (re: functions). Social systems are homeostatic and work to maintain equilibrium. Equilibrium is achieved, according to this theory, through socialization, where members of society are taught basic values and norms of society. Social control mechanisms – also known as sanctions – help maintain social equilibrium and keep individuals within the social unit in check.

Mastring Management 4330 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mastring Management 4330 - Essay Example Chet fails to do advance daily planning, leading to reliance on memory. This wastes time in relation to trying to remember each and every single detail that fits in the daily schedule of discharging managerial duties. Only one accomplishment list should be made for effective and efficient time management (Watson and Idinopulos 126). However, this is not observed in the case. Another violated time management principle in the case is the failure to prioritize tasks. Chet wants to address all issues that are brought to his attention. He even tries to address issues that he cannot resolve. Other violated principles include the principles of setting deadlines, reserving personal time when on is not accessible, and listing long term objectives (Watson and Idinopulos 127). Chet’s level of stress can be attributed to organizational problems in his place of work. Managers need to maintain constant communication and functional relations among themselves. However, plan managers in the case operate as single entities and do not have time for each other. Constant communication and discussions regarding organizational operations and performance are essential in ensuring managerial coherence. Since this aspect is lacking in the organization, Chet’s stress levels build up. The organization is made up of a number of firms. Chet is required to work across these firms from time to time. Transfers between firms leaves Chet stressed, especially due to the fact that shelving of ideas occurs in the process of transferring Chet between firms (Watson and Idinopulos 152). The structure of the organization does not account for Chet’s absence in any given firm. Personal productivity in the workplace is highly influenced by individual personality and character. Chet’s personality significantly influences his performance in the workplace, and subsequently exacerbates his stress level. Chet is ignorant of external elements that do not relate to

If the research budget is limited, there is no need to conduct Essay

If the research budget is limited, there is no need to conduct marketing research - Essay Example This essay discusses that as marketing research is important in the successful promotion of the products/service of an organisation, it must be given due consideration. It is inevitable for an organization to allot a separate budget for marketing research. Undoubtedly, an organisation that desires to thrive in the field can never say excuse for having not enough funds. As far as an organisation is concerned, market research is conducted not only for learning purpose but also for flawless decision making process. It is on the basis of the information gathered through research an organization decides whether or not to make changes in the existing product line. To illustrate, a well conducted research would propose multiple options for introducing new product line or entering into new markets. Apart from obtaining new customers, more importance must be given for retaining the existing customers. Long term loyalty and relationship between the organisation and the customers are not just d eveloped on a single day. They are the result of strenuous efforts made by the organisation by closely understanding the needs and preferences of the customers. Moreover, the data collected through market research can help marketers to make decision on product quality or services expansion. It may result in introducing more innovative product or redesigning the marketing strategy. Similarly, the potential problems associated with launching a new product can also be identified through marketing research. If the probable difficulties are known in advance, firms can take steps to address them on time. The research conducted after a product launch will help the firm to determine further steps. According to Malhotra & Dash (2009, p.45), Marketing research helps an organisation to know the demographics and psychographics of customers. It reveals the number of persons who buy the products, why they buy, when they buy, the frequency of their buying, and the sources of their buying; and it a lso includes the social status and the regional location of the customers (ibid). As market research bring out information regarding age, sex, population, buying behavior, and location, firms can easily determine whether to change their market segments or business destinations to more favorable ones. In the absence of such a study, taking flawless decisions is unlikely. Marketing research is one of the best ways of knowing the strategies of competitors, their identity, marketing network, scale of focus and many more. It is important for a business firm to observe how its rivals carry out business as it evaluates its own progress or loss. By imitating the competitors on an equal scale, one can retaliate on the same manner as the competitors do. These actions would help the firm not only to improve the product quality but also to obtain prospective customers for the organisation. Marketing research can sometimes be used as an evaluation tool which may help in making comparative studie s so that the organization can track its own progress over a period of time. In addition, in some occasions marketing research helps to explore what went wrong. For example, Johnson & Johnson Company probed into the poisoning of their capsules