Nature is such a beautiful place Essay Example for Free

Nature is such a beautiful place Essay Life is getting hard and expensive as the years are passing by. The prices on food, and other utility prices are going up. People have school, work and a family to look out for and do not have the time to enjoy the simple things in life that earth has to offer which is nature. In the essay of â€Å"An entrance to the Woods† Wendell Berry. He admits to living such a fast paste of life that is hard to come back down to the ground and enjoy what is in front of him. People pass by things so quickly and don’t pay attention that they fail to appreciate them. Once a person slows down, they could see what surrounds them. Nature is a good way to find yourself because it is easy to escape from the influence society has. Nature has away of taking away the things that are stressing us and giving away a chance to become refreshed. â€Å" In the middle of the afternoon I left off being busy at work, and drove sixty or seventy miles an hour, hardly aware of the country I was passing through, because on the freeway one does not have to be. The landscape has been subdued so that one may drive over it as seventy miles per hour without any concession whatsoever to one’s whereabouts. One might as well be flying. Though one is Kentucky one is not experiencing Kentucky. One is experiencing the highway, which might be in nearly any hill country east of the Mississippi.† (Berry, 88) During berry’s time in the woods, he writes â€Å"A man enters and leaves the world naked. And it is only nakedor nearly so that he can enter and leave the wilderness. If he walks, that is; and if he doesn’t walk it can hardly be said that he has entered. He can bring only what he can carry the little that it takes to replace for a few hours or a few days an animal’s fur and teeth and claws and functioning instincts. And comparison to the usual traveler with his dependence on machines and highways and restaurant and motelson the economy and the government, in shortthe man who walks into the wilderness is naked indeed. He leaves behind his work, his household, his duties, his comfortseven, if he comes alone, his words. He  immerses himself in what he is not. It a kind of death.† (Berry, 90) We came to this world naked, and that is how we should enter and leave the wilderness. If we walk using our feet and explore the wilderness that’s how we can say that we entered the wilderness. The little that we bring to survive, it is gone in a few hours or days. An animal uses its fur, teeth and animal instincts to survive versus a traveler that needs machines, highways and restaurants and motels. To be in the wilderness one has to leave behind the work, the household, duties and comforts and even his words. One has get out of its comfort zone, and use your own abilities to survive the wilderness. It is like taking a risk of death. Wendell Berry own experience where he is up and left civilization. The work setting to enter a nature environment devoted to being self efficient on nature. Berry loved and respected nature, he wanted to develop his appreciation further, as he wanted it to evolve and understand for it. He wanted to know how nature worked, and learn it’s reason for being. Berry’s goal was met through this act and it was gratifying experience to escape from moderation and become organic. Berry realizes the purpose of the trip, but the connection to nature cannot replace to connection to man. In the essay of â€Å" Why I went to the woods† by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau tried to produce his own crops, to live from the labor of his own hands, and to get rid of all the complicating things that distracted him from life’s true meaning by living in the woods. †Thoreau wanted time to read, write, and think. He wanted to make time for nature. And he wanted to test himself, to see just how much he could simplify his life, to determine how much time he could save to do what he really wanted to do with every minute of everyday†( Thoreau, 700) Thoreau mentions that he wants to live a deliberately life. To live deliberately means to take care and think of everything that you do in life, and not to do anything just for the heck of it. Everything that we do has to have a purpose and a meaning, and that is not a waste of time. â€Å"slow down rather than to speed up, to saver a few things fully rather than sample many things fleeting, and have time to decide what, in the long run of his short  life, matters most and why.† (Thoreau, 700) â€Å" I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essentials fact of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not live I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to proactive resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner and reduce it to its lowest terms, and if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it and publish its meanness to the world, or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.† ( Thoreau, 701) By living in the woods he will be living a simple life away from civilization and to see his strength and weakness. By not being accustomed to that type of lifestyle he might die. When all hope is gone he realizes there are many things he have not tried. The simplest things in life could be and mean much more. Life is precious.

Materialist View of the Mind-body Problem Analysis

Materialist View of the Mind-body Problem Analysis Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the materialist view of the mind-body problem. The mind-body problem within the study of consciousness is exactly as it sounds – the difficulty with connecting the mind with the body. The mind is about mental processes, consciousness and thoughts, and the body is about the physical aspect of the brain (McLeod, 2007). This problem is known as the explanatory gap and there are many theories which attempt to understand the extent of this gap. One theory which is very popular amongst current researchers is materialism. This approach is the idea that consciousness can be completely explained by physical matter and leaves no room for the ‘non-physical’ mind (Blackmore, 2010). Materialists believe that it is only our brain functions that are important and not our subjective experiences, otherwise described as ‘matter over mind’. The opposing approach to materialism is dualism, which is the idea that our mind is more than just our brain, a.k.a. ‘mind over matter’ (â€Å"Dualism,† 2014) . However, there are very few dualists today. Most philosophers nowadays are materialists, although it cannot be denied that materialism is also not without its flaws (Blackmore, 2010). There are two main versions of materialism. One is eliminative materialism which proposes that subjective experiences do not exist and that by knowing enough about biology and the nervous system, we can also understand consciousness and therefore, it can be completely explained by neuroscience (Blackmore, 2010). The other version is reductive materialism which suggests that our mental states are identical to our physical states of the brain, meaning that subjective experiences do exist but they are not distinguishable from physical processes in the brain (Churchland, 1988). Materialism denies that it is our conscious decisions that cause us to act the way we do and instead believes that it is physical causes (Blackmore, 2010). There are strengths and weaknesses of materialism. Searle (2000) believes it is very outdated and does not explain what consciousness is, but neither does dualism and by rejecting one, it does not mean adopting the other. One strength of materialism is that it avoids the problem of dualism which is that consciousness and physical matter are thought of as two separate substances, meaning that the interaction between them cannot be explained. Materialists argue that if our minds are the same as our brains and not two separate substances, then there is no need to explain how one causes the other. For dualism to be correct, the interaction between the two substances would have to work both ways, meaning that any change in consciousness must be accompanied by a change in the brain, and any change in the brain must also be accompanied by a change in consciousness. However, the latter is not true which suggests that dualism does not work (Blackmore, 2010). Materialists believe that consciousness is identical to brain states. However, according to Leibniz’s law, if two entities are to be identical, they must have the same properties (Blackman, 2008). For materialism to be correct, all properties of the brain would also have to be properties of consciousness, which is not true as mental states have properties that brain states do not, such as subjective experiences. Materialism believes that our subjective experiences cannot be studied in an objective way as they are not a physical entity and non-entities cannot be studied by science (Blackman, 2008). However, Searle (2000) argues that they can. He believes that by asking people about their subjective experiences, for example, how it feels to experience pain, that we can study this objectively. One weakness of materialism is that it ignores the aspect of how it feels to be conscious by denying that subjective experiences exist or that they are not distinctive from functions in the brain (Blackmore, 2010). Patterns of brain activation cannot explain how it feels to be conscious and aware of experiences. Miller et al. (2009) demonstrated how we cannot tell what someone is experiencing by looking at images of their brain activation. This was shown by strong individual differences in patterns of brain activation amongst participants while they were all doing the same memory task. Materialists believe that by doing the same memory task, all participants are experiencing the same thing and therefore the patterns of their brain activation should all be the same. However, as this is not the case, it provides evidence that eliminative materialism does not work and that subjective experiences do exist as participants must have had different experiences from one another even though they were doing the same task. This also suggests that reductive materialism cannot work as the variation within participants shows that our subjective experiences must not be identical to our brain states. Nagel (1974) explains how subjective experiences are such a crucial aspect of being conscious by comparing humans to bats. We could never know what it would really be like to be a bat because we could never share the same subjective experiences as them. Even if we were magically transformed into a bat, we would still have our own memories and intelligence, meaning we would not have the same experience that normal bats do (Blackmore, 2010). He makes the point that in order to even begin to form an idea of what it is like to be a bat (or even another person) we must adopt their point of view. The same applies to Searle’s argument about pain – it seems impossible that anyone would ever be able to have the same experience of someone else’s mental state as their perceptions of the same experience could be entirely different (Churchland, 1988). This stresses how important subjective experiences are as we all have our own different viewpoints meaning that we experience things differently and therefore these experiences cannot be understood from looking at a brain scan. This also suggests why materialism is not the answer to the mind-body problem. However, it also argues against Searle’s theory that subjective experiences can be studied objectively as, even after asking about them, we still do not know exactly what it is like to experience it ourselves. Materialisms main strength is that it proposes that consciousness is not different from the brain, meaning that how one causes the other does not have to be explained and therefore, eliminates the problem of the explanatory gap. However, this can also be viewed as a major weakness of the theory the two cannot be identical as our mental states have properties that our brain states do not share. Materialism does not sufficiently account for the role of our subjective experiences in consciousness. It either completely eliminates their role or it claims that they are simply the same as our physical brain states. References All About Philosophy. (2014). Dualism. Retrieved from http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/dualism.htm Blackman, R. (2008). Churchland, Matter and Consciousness. Retrieved from: http://reidblackman.com/pdf/reidBlackman.churchland.pdf Blackmore, S. (2010). Consciousness: An introduction. 2nd edition. Routledge. Churchland, P, M. (1988). Matter and Consciousness. Revised edition. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. McLeod, S. A. (2007). Mind Body Debate. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/mindbodydebate.html Miller, M.B., Donovan, C. L., Sokol-Hessner, P., German, E., Van Horn, J.D., Wolford, G.L. (2009). Unique and persistent individual patterns of brain activity across different memory retrieval tasks. NeuroImage, 48, 625-635. Nagel, T. (1974). What is it like to be a bat? The Philosophical Review, 83(4), 435-450. Searle, J. (2000). Consciousness. Annual Reviews of Neuroscience, 23, 557 – 578.

Language Follows Evolution of Jackson and Trewe Relationship Parallelin

Language Follows Evolution of Jackson and Trewe Relationship Paralleling the Colonization to Post-Colonial Movement in Pantomime The play opens on the edge of a cliff; anything can happen. Derek Walcott, a playwright from the Caribbean, lives his own life on the edge of a cliff. Walcott’s family placed strong emphasis on education and ancestry. His inherent duality, European and African, mirrors that of post-colonialism (Gilbert 131). It is this duality that Walcott tries to reconcile in his work, drawing on his experiences in the theatre and in the Caribbean (King 260). In Pantomime, Walcott employs the versatility of language to describe the evolving relationship between main characters Harry Trewe and Jackson Philip paralleling the colonization to post-colonial movement and comes to a tentative reconciliation. Walcott sets the stage for numerous parallelisms by naming his play Pantomime. A pantomime is a traditional British Christmas entertainment that features stock characters in costume who sing, dance and perform skits. The tradition dates back to the 16th century, stemming from Commedia dell’ Arte, which included farce-like elements and masquerade. Ironically, the general premise of a pantomime, the characters speak the same language but do not seem to understand each other, echoes that of Walcott’s Pantomime. Trewe’s pantomime is based on wordless storytelling versus Jackson’s background as a Calypsonian, which deals with improvisation of words based on a given topic. Also, Elaine Savory suggests that Walcott may have chosen this form because the two men feel most comfortable exploring life from behind a mask, like those one might find in a pantomime (227). Already, their background hinders their communication and ... ...he Caribbean. NY: State U of NY Press, 2000. Juneja, Renu. â€Å"Derek Walcott.† Post-Colonial English Drama: Commonwealth Drama Since 1960. Bruce King, ed. NY: St. Martin’s Press Inc., 1992. King, Bruce. Derek Walcott: A Caribbean Life. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Savory, Elaine. â€Å"Art and Macho Attitudes: The Case of Walcott.† Postcolonial Literatures: Achebe, Ngugi, Desai, Walcott. Michael Parker and Roger Starkey, eds. London: Macmillan Press LTD, 1995. Savory, Elaine. â€Å"Registering Connection: Masking and Gender Issues in Caribbean Theatre.† (Post)Colonial Stages: Critical & Creative Views on Drama, Theatre & Performance. Helen Gilbert, ed. UK: Dangaroo Press, 1999. Thieme, John. Derek Walcott, Contemporary World Writers. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1999. Walcott, Derek. â€Å"Pantomime.† Postcolonial Plays: An Anthology. Helen Gilbert, ed. NY: Routledge, 2001.

Media and Violence Essay -- Social Issues, Aggression

Introduction In this essay I will be analysing whether less visual violence within the media would mean less violence on the streets. Firstly, I will be questioning whether there is a connection between the viewing of media violence and actual acting upon it. To do this I will analyse the usefulness of the different methods used to approach such as complex issue. To illustrate this I will use examples of different media forms that seem to have been a catalyst for acts of violence. I will then attempt to come to a conclusion on whether less media violence could mean less acts of violence. Define Firstly, to begin to analyse the media effects of violence one must define the term violence. The fact that there are several different levels of violence means that it will be difficult to define (Gauntlett, 2001). For example using abusive language can been seen as an act of violent and aggression to some, but to others may not view it as actual violence as there has not been any form of physical contact. A researcher will also have to look at the context in which the act of violence is acted upon, for example a pillow fight and punching some are both forms of aggression, yet they are interpreted differently (Boyle, 2005). One way violence can be defined is an act when an individual intentionally uses aggressive behaviour physically or mentally to creates fear and harm upon others. The media usually displays most acts of violence using a variety of mediums and different forms. In the 21st century there has been a technology boom whereby new and more complexes forms of media have emerged. There has been an increase in immersion and interaction amongst mediums such as the video game, television and mobile phones. For example, by usin... ...luencing crime such as gross structural inequality, poverty, consumer culture and youth alienation (Gauntlett, 2001). To pin point the media as the root cause of streets crime prevents society from dealing with the real issue. To conclude, even if the media had stopped or limited crime being presented, crime would still exist in one form or another. The media is a powerful to for creating aware of crimes but can also cause irrational fear which could then lead to alienation of a particular group. It could then be questioned if the media should limit the amount of crime shown, however in this post modern era technology has become so advanced that visual crime will always be accessible. Therefore, it cannot be said that less crime in the media would mean less crime on the street as there is no rational link between the two and visual crime will always be present.

Differing Views On Reconstruction :: American America History

Differing Views On Reconstruction By 1866, several distinct positions on Reconstruction emerged. These were divided into three opposing camps: Conservatives (democrats), Moderates, and Radicals. The Conservatives believed the South should be readmitted into the Union as soon as possible, but the Radicals and Moderates believed there should be consequences for succeeding. The question of what those consequences should be separated Radical from Moderate. The answer to this question was as related to how important each side believed it was to enfranchise African Americans into this country (socially, politically, economically, and culturally) as it was in exacting an appropriate punishment for the treasonous South. Although the two Republican factions disagreed on several aspects of Reconstruction policy, they both understood that the Conservative approach to Reconstruction could never be enacted. The Conservatives lead by President Johnson, believed in a rapid readmission, into the Union, for the defeated Southern states. Johnson's stipulations were solely that the states ratify the 13th Amendment, and repudiate Confederate war debt (thus making it null and void). A second more controversial measure to the democrat's plan for rapid reconstruction was the issuing of pardons to former Confederate officials, landowners, and generals. As a direct result of these pardons, former plantation owners' land was returned. The goal of the Conservatives during Reconstruction was obviously to return the South to the social, political, and economic structure of the antebellum period. The Conservative plans for reconstruction allowed the former Confederate leadership, which led the South to war to regain high ranking political positions. This made the Republicans fearful that the South would eventually move down the path of war with the Union. Furthermore, it also proved to the South that there were no consequences for succession. This was unacceptable to both Moderates and Radicals. In their eyes the South had committed treason and should have to suffer the consequences. However, Johnson never tried any of the Confederate leaders on charges of treason. The obvious answer to why the Conservatives wanted to enact this policy were because they were the ones guilty of succession. This was their way of protecting their self-interests. Before the war, Conservatives dominated Southern politics. After Southern succession they made up the majority of the Confederate government. However, the less than obvious answer was that they saw preserving the status quo antebellum as the only way to allow the Southern economy to one-day flourish. Considering that many conservatives were former slaveholders they enjoyed some vested interest in preserving the system. Differing Views On Reconstruction :: American America History Differing Views On Reconstruction By 1866, several distinct positions on Reconstruction emerged. These were divided into three opposing camps: Conservatives (democrats), Moderates, and Radicals. The Conservatives believed the South should be readmitted into the Union as soon as possible, but the Radicals and Moderates believed there should be consequences for succeeding. The question of what those consequences should be separated Radical from Moderate. The answer to this question was as related to how important each side believed it was to enfranchise African Americans into this country (socially, politically, economically, and culturally) as it was in exacting an appropriate punishment for the treasonous South. Although the two Republican factions disagreed on several aspects of Reconstruction policy, they both understood that the Conservative approach to Reconstruction could never be enacted. The Conservatives lead by President Johnson, believed in a rapid readmission, into the Union, for the defeated Southern states. Johnson's stipulations were solely that the states ratify the 13th Amendment, and repudiate Confederate war debt (thus making it null and void). A second more controversial measure to the democrat's plan for rapid reconstruction was the issuing of pardons to former Confederate officials, landowners, and generals. As a direct result of these pardons, former plantation owners' land was returned. The goal of the Conservatives during Reconstruction was obviously to return the South to the social, political, and economic structure of the antebellum period. The Conservative plans for reconstruction allowed the former Confederate leadership, which led the South to war to regain high ranking political positions. This made the Republicans fearful that the South would eventually move down the path of war with the Union. Furthermore, it also proved to the South that there were no consequences for succession. This was unacceptable to both Moderates and Radicals. In their eyes the South had committed treason and should have to suffer the consequences. However, Johnson never tried any of the Confederate leaders on charges of treason. The obvious answer to why the Conservatives wanted to enact this policy were because they were the ones guilty of succession. This was their way of protecting their self-interests. Before the war, Conservatives dominated Southern politics. After Southern succession they made up the majority of the Confederate government. However, the less than obvious answer was that they saw preserving the status quo antebellum as the only way to allow the Southern economy to one-day flourish. Considering that many conservatives were former slaveholders they enjoyed some vested interest in preserving the system.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Playing Computer Games

l Attention Grabber When I was young, my dad bought a computer for my brother and I. I was very excited because I never had a real computer before. My brother and I tried to figure out how to use the computer. After we figured out, my brother started to installed the computer games. Eventually, my brother and I were attracted to the computer games but is it a boon or a bane? It depend on us. lI Introductory Remarks Everyone in this room has at least one computer at home. And everyone here must have played computer games before.After you will know some interesting facts about playing computer games. III Reveal Topic I would like to talk about some of the advantages and disadvantages of playing computer games. IV Preview Computer games help in releasing stress while we are having fun. However, they also have negative effects on us too. [ Let me start with the advantages of playing computer games ] Body I Computer games can release out stress A. They provides us to have fun -When we ae very bored,tired or stressed. Computer games are a good source of enjoyment. We have fun playing computer games because they give us time to be with our friends. It is a great opportunity to socialize. -We can chat with our friends and relax with them. We have more energy for other work. [ Computer games not only help us to release our stress but they also let us learn something new ] II Computer games serve a range of educational functions A. Encourage different ways of learning, imagination, creativity and exploration. -Simulation games could be uses as means of preparing learners for the world of work. Help pupils to develop key learning skills such as cognitive process, logical thinking and independent decision making. -treat a variety of disorders and disabilities. [ Now, let me tell you the negative effects of playing too much computer games ] III Playing too much computer games can cause negative effects on our health and wasting our time A. Negative effects to our health -Lo oking at the computer screens without resting the eyes for long period of time, will spoil our eyesight. -less exercise. B. Waste our time Some people get hooked on to computer games too much that they tend to lose interest in other more important things like studies. -Students neglect their studies. -Cost money every time you play. Conlusion I Summary Of Main Point In conclusion, playing computer games it help us to release our stress and make new friends. But when we play too much of computer games it cause negative effects to us. II Concluding Remarks If we know how to manage our time, we will get the pleasures and benefit of playing computer games.

The beach, the place I come to when I finish the day

The beach, the place I come to when I finish the day†¦. It's the perfect place to relax after the pressure of working at a Caribbean bar. Everyday I come to the beach and sit around, it allows me to cool off from work and think about how bad or good my day has been. The beach is always empty at this time and is perfectly located, right outside my house. Stretching a mile in either direction there is plenty of room for people to go who want to be alone, who want time to gather their thoughts and work out what has actually happened to day nd what hasn't. It's also the time when you usually realise you forgot to do something, that's basically why I come here. As I look off down the beach I see the island as night approaches, in the distance the lights of hotels come on, the occasional car lights, the boats in the harbour turn their lights on and the lone cruise ship coming in lit up like a Christmas tree. The sunsets in the distance falling slowly behind the vast spread of water and already high in the sky the moon begins it's over watch. The beach, now cast in a reddish old light begins to cool off from the hot day and the sea, sparkling in the fading light rolls quietly in. The palm trees behind, mostly in shadows sway in the gentle breeze. The occasional bird fly's in to roost and the night creatures come out. On the beach a small crab dashes from hole to hole in search of food and like an opaque blob a jellyfish patiently waits for the sea to return. By now the beach is quiet, only the relaxing sounds remain, the sea as it sloshes up the beach the breeze as it gently blows through the alms, the birds calling their night calls and the nocturnal animals announcing that they are awake. I feel much more relaxed and cooled off now, it like someone has lifted all the weight of the days work off my shoulders allowing me to slouch here and do nothing. I start to play with the sand as a sit and stare out to see, I feel the grains running though my fingers like dry water, the coolness of the sand also helps to relax me. Also the cool breeze coming in from the sea seems to refresh me from the typical Caribbean heat. As I look around and consider going in another crag sidesteps in front of me, its legs sounding like small pebbles as the hit the sand, I smile as it randomly changes direction as though it were lost on to him is a vast desert like beach. Sitting here, alone makes me feel like nothing matters, that however bad things can get there is peace you just need to know where to find it and I have, here. Sighing I get up and plod back into my house, thinking of the horror awaiting me at the bar tomorrow.