Essay on Corruption of the Family and Society in Kafkas Metamorphosis

Corruption of the Family and Society Exposed in Metamorphosis Franz Kafka's existentialistic perspective on the meaning of life (or rather, the lack thereof), is clearly portrayed through Gregor Samsa in Metamorphosis. Kafka's belief that there is no meaning to life nor any reason to hold an optimistic outlook towards life, is a dominant force in the story. The author is able to create conflict by portraying Gregor as being the complete opposite of his own personal beliefs: Kafka's almost paradoxical belief that, though there is no meaning to life, the individual can create one for himself, is entirely missed by Gregor. Kafka's weighty emphasis on individualism and the corruption that society and the familial infrastructure represent is demonstrated through Gregor's interactions with the members of his own family and those of society. This leads to the development of Gregor Samsa as more than a sympathetic character, and makes Metamorphosis a novella of fantastical, fable-like proportions, complete with a moral and a superficially happy ending. Kafka's Metamorphosis was written in 1912, in the midst of a German cultural, social, and economic metamorphosis. Industrialization had reached Germany, and changed the mindset of the people. The increasing number of factorial jobs available, the numbing shifts and schedules, . . . - all this came with industrialization, and it was to this that Kafka was writing in protest. Through Gregor, Kafka demonstrates the dehumanization that industrialization was bringing to Germany, to the extent that there was little to no difference between humans and animals. By turning Gregor's physical being into an unnamed and abhorrent bug, Kafka emphasizes the similarities between th... ... followed by a period of "vacant and peaceful meditation" (Kafka, 127), in which he reflects with new insight his past life, and, while in the process of making tentative plans for the future, dies a peaceful death. Gregor's death, followed so closely by his dawning comprehension of individuality, closes the story to a full and complete circle, which began with his physical transformation into a bug and ended with his humanization. Kafka uses Gregor Samsa as almost a fable-istic character, as if to warn his reader "Don't be like Gregor! Follow your own paths or die a death like a dung bug!" Kafka's emphasis on individualism and how the corruption that society and familial infrastructure affects a human being develops this story into one with moralistic consequences for the reader, persuading him to review his own priorities and to reset them accordingly.

Could or should psychology be called a science? Essay

The advantages of calling psychology a science are huge. It allows us to state that it contains objective facts, correct our mistakes and build on previous discoveries. However many refute giving psychology the tile of ‘a science’ believing that humans are far too complex in their processes to be explained in generalised terms. The key assumptions of ‘science’ are; Invariance, in science a set of laws don’t change, Determinism, meaning that everything can be explained using these laws and that there is a reason for everything and finally Operationalism, trusting in an objective and accurate set of measured variables. Many psychologists believe that these key principals conflict with those of human cognitions; which are often complex and seem to fail to follow any set rules of nature. People inevitably change over time; this fact challenges the principal of ‘Invariance’ from the scientific point of view. However there is a difference in changes found on behaviour and those found in ‘laws’. For example trends of music have changed with time and culture, but the underlying psychological cognitions behind those changes haven’t been altered; group pressure still remains. Science asserts that one set of rules can apply for everyone; determinism. However a psychologist would state that its very founding principals of the ‘psyche’ means that people follow many different sets of rules and cannot be forced into one category due to differing levels of cognitions. This might be challenged be saying that science chooses to follow a set of rules that are as simple as they can be, but that psychology might have to have a more complex set of rules in order to appreciate human differences. An analogy used to support this is that, â€Å"In spelling ‘I’ before ‘E’ doesn’t always work, but the more complex rule of ‘I’ before ‘E’ except after ‘C’ does. † Finally the challenge to the idea of ‘operationalism’ comes form the fact that many psychologists believe that you can’t observe and measure thoughts and feelings directly, as they are internal. However science might say that you can infer the thoughts and feelings of a person from their external behaviour. Many psychologists would state that ‘psychologies inability to predict human behaviour could be taken as proof that psychology isn’t a science because science works on the principals that if you observe something enough times you will be able to understand it and predict what will happen in the future. ‘ Science however, began like psychology; without all the answers and indeed even modern medical science cannot predict all the answers e. g. Modern medicinal science doesn’t know how to cure cancer because they don’t know how it will react to different drugs. We would demand a far more complex analysis from a psychologist than we would from other scientists. We might ask a psychologist what a human will do, this question could be considered as broad as asking a physicist what will happen to a specific drop of water in the ocean. There are a great deal of variables influencing human behaviour, therefore making it unrealistic to expect that people’s behaviour could be predicted from observing just one or two variables, similarly in physics; the behaviour of particles can’t be predicted due to the fact that not all of the determinants of the particles behaviour can be observed at once. Psychology cannot be discounted as a science just due to the fact that we don’t know the cause of something. As a psychologist you should appreciate the fact that humans have an inability to know everything and just because we don’t know the cause it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. If psychology were a science there would be some key issues that would need sorting before people accepted its status. The knowledge gained through psychological research might be mis-used. Given to those in political or economic power psychological research could mean that humans have an inability to defend themselves against certain ideas that were being forced upon them. If psychology became a science then humans would have to be tested upon to gain more accurate results and to create complex laws about them. These experiments might be unethical, for example we have seen the research that Milgram did, however even though it was controversial the participants agreed that they were unharmed and that they were glad to have participated. There would also be strict ethical guidelines should humans be tested on. Many psychologists believe that the reason psychology shouldn’t be a science is due to the mysterious and uncertain nature of it. The fact that we don’t understand ‘love’ might make it seem more magical and exciting, something that appeals to human nature. The advantages to understanding something like love would mean that we could prevent areas such as divorce, break up and heartbreak, causing a less painful world for humans. The complexity of areas of psychology, such as love and hate, means that inevitably the mystery and human mis-understanding surrounding such phenomena would be unlikely to be removed.

Globalisation Leads to the Homogenization of Cultures

After World War II, some ambitious leaders advocated the establishment of an effective mechanism to stabilize the world order. One of the ways to maintain the international order is to prevent the disintegration of the world economy (Seitz, 1995, p. 26). Under such a background, the World Trade Organization (WTO) was founded, and then accelerated the development of economic globalization. As there is an inseparable relationship between economy and culture, the more the trend of economic globalization accelerates, the faster the trend of various culture globalization blends (Seitz, 1995, p. 7). Collisions between various cultures may have different consequences. Some scholars think that the long-term results of culture clash might lead to homogenization of cultures, which means people become the same as the dominant culture, such as sharing the same education structures, music, beliefs, and consumer values (Berry, 2008, p. 328). This essay will examine the degree to which globalizatio n assimilates the cultures in different ethnical groups. Culture is constantly changing and developmental, which is influenced by two factors, the natural environment and the social environment.The natural environment with a limited and gradual impact on culture is relatively stable. Social changes are the most direct and frequent factor leading to the changes in trends or conditions. For example, the West Indies, which under the colonial rule of European for a long time, and the religions and values were both effected by dominative groups that means mainstream cultures (Berry, 2008, p. 330). In the time of peace, investing or trading with different countries, touring or studying in various places, can manifest the phenomenon of cultural transmission.With the deepening of economic globalization, these activities become more frequent, different cultures also have a higher and deeper level of mutual contacts. Therefore, a complex situation might be formed, which means there is likely to form four possible consequences, assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization (Berry, 2008, p. 332). One of the possibilities is that the cultural homogenization might be formed owing to the expansion of globalization (Berry, 2008, p. 332).The phenomenon refers to one culture, which is under the penetration of another culture, and then gradually lost its original characteristics to assimilate to the dominant culture. Assimilative culture often seems as an advanced culture or a strong culture; conversely, another culture that is assimilated by the advantaged one might be called a backward culture or a weak culture. An example can be seen in this case, the Soviet Union, which was one of the largest and most powerful nation states, and played a significant role in the movement of globalization.The language, social structure, religious values and economic policies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (which were merged by Soviet Union) were highly influenced and dominated by Russian cultural features. However, nearly 15 years later, the politics, culture and economy of Estonia resurged (Berry, 2008, pp. 332-333). It can be said that globalization leads to the cultural homogenization to some extent. Even if under the rule of the powerful nation, the indigenous culture might still be back after the independence.Another possibility is the integration of different cultures, which is a diversified phenomenon by participating fully into the dominant society that may lead to some shared values and features, while keeping their own distinctive cultures (Berry, 2008, p. 332). For example, McDonald's, which is one of the most successful international food service organizations, has fully realized that it is essential to adapt to the local cultures and obtain understanding and recognition of local consumers to survive in foreign markets (Peng, 2009, p. 19).In particular, McDonald’s in China has promoted special Chicken Nuggets and Chinese rice catering to local dietary habits of consumers. It seems that the taste of the food in McDonald’s is nearly the same around the world, no matter in America, Spain or China. The difference is the various cultures in different countries. McDonald's will introduce new products in some certain areas according to different national consumer taste, preference and legal, religious and local habits of customs (Watson, 2000, p. 125-132). What is more, this phenomenon enriches the connotation of the culture, and increases the diversity of people's consumer choice.Integration of cultures might be the most beneficial to the improvement of countries. The combination of two different societies is likely to create a new culture, which may absorb the advantages of traditional culture and foreign cultures, thus it will bring the innovation and development of societies. The last two possibilities that exist in the process of globalization are called separation and marginalization. Separation means that the non-dominant groups retain their original conditions and refuse to converge with other dominant cultures.Marginalization refers to a process of being outside the dominant society and meanwhile losing their own cultures (Berry, 2008, p. 332). There is an example that comes from a survey about immigrant youth, which was conducted by Berry, Phinney, Sam and Veder in 2006. There is 7997 adolescents (5366 immigrant youth and 2631 national youth respectively) in this survey, the statistics indicated that 975 adolescents showed a strong sense of consciousness to support their own ethnic group by using their own ethnic language fluently, keeping in touch with ethnic peers, and holding a high ethnic identity.These behaviours reflect that the adolescents are not likely to involve into the major society, as they hold an attitude separate to the dominant culture (Berry, 2008, p. 334). On the contrary, the other 973 youth who were in the status of marginalization showed low ethnic identity, low fluency in ethnic language, and fewer contacts with the national peers. However, they endorsed the acculturation attitudes of assimilation, marginalization and separation, which were contradictory.Although these youth tend to join into the dominant society, they lack some necessary abilities to communicate with dominative people (Berry, 2008, p. 335). It might be said that they are lost in the two or more different societies, a certain direction could be effective so that they can feel a sense of presence. In conclusion, according to Berry (2008), globalization may have four possible consequences: assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization. These four outcomes are likely to influence the process of societies between different countries.Social change and development may not lead to the destruction of ethnic or local culture completely. Even when the different cultures integrate, new culture also can retain features of traditional or ethnic culture to a certain degree. But, these changes do not imply the assimilation of cultures influenced by globalization to a great extent. Conversely, as time goes on, cultural differences between various ethnic groups will be gradually reduced, but will not disappear. Therefore, globalization may bring homogenization to cultures to a small extent, but the non-dominative cultures still might be preserved.

First cause essays

First cause essays There are many different Cosmological arguments for the existence of God. People for many years now have been trying to distinguish if God was a matter of faith or if there are reasons to back up his existence. I have looked at all four Cosmological arguments and the argument that best fit my beliefs and reasoning was the first cause argument. The First cause argument not only has reasons to back up it opinions but also has traditional faith in it, which I believe is why it is the most well known argument. Our society at the present is filled with mostly the baby-boomer generation which are set in there ways and do not want to be told to think differently. Our textbook elucidates what most people who believe in God articulate when asked how they believe the world/god was created, Well, things just didnt pop up out of nothing. Someone, a pretty powerful Someone, had to cause the universe to come into existence. You just cant have causes going back forever. God must have made the world. Nothing else makes sense (Pojman, 101). The quote that was just presented sums up how people that believe in God believe in faith, and how first cause argument takes peoples faiths and is putting reason to it. The first cause argument gives explanation to how humans are not self-caused, only others cause change so something else (God) caused me. Since there cannot be an infinite number of causes something had to be the first (i.e. God). With this being said God then has to be the only uncaused first cause. (Pojman 102) Something has to be the cause of everything, which means God, is unchallengeable. The most plausible objection to the first cause argument is that if God was self-caused then he goes against the first cause theory that someone else has to cause something in order for change. By needing someone else to cause me or others around me we have to look back at our ...

Editing Essay

Editing Essay Editing Essay After youve finished the revision process, you still have one more step to do. Whereas the writer focuses on ideas and structure in the revision process, the editing process involves checking for errors in grammar, spelling, and word choice. An essay full of errors is unlikely to inspire confidence in readers, so check your draft carefully. The following tips will help you as you move through the editing process. Editing Essay Tips Again, put your essay aside for a day after you complete the revision process. At this point, youve gotten used to seeing the same errors, and you may not be able correct as many. Be aware of your habitual mistakes. Do you constantly get marked down for commas? Have teachers commented on your poor spelling? Think about past errors and make a commitment to correct them. Use the editing process more than once, since it will take time and effort to find every error. Move through the essay slowly and point to each word as you read so you dont speed through the essay too quickly: Place a ruler under each line so your eye doesnt wander ahead. Reading your work aloud can help you to catch many mistakes, especially word choice errors. Trust your instinctsif you have a feeling something isnt right, take a closer look or ask a teacher or workshop partner for advice. Learn grammatical rules so you know how to both find and correct errors. Having a good grammar handbook can make a world of difference. Use a computer. However, dont overly rely on grammar and spell checks to catch every error. A computer can in fact be wrong sometimes, so dont let your program automatically change words or structure. Workshop your essay with another student. A peer editing toolkit, which is enormously helpful for guiding these workshops, appears on the University of Buffalos Writing Strategies Web site. Last but not least, check for typing errors. These include incorrect margins, inappropriate font sizes, and strange spacing. Editing Essay Service If you need help with editing or writing your essay, you may confidently use our professional services. We employ the best essay writers and editors who can write a perfect essay for you or make your own writing flawless! We deliver well-written and thoroughly-edited essays without delay. We are able to help with any assignment within the shortest deadlines! Popular posts: Help Editing Essay Editing Editorial Essay Topics Editing Essay Editing Essay Online

90s vs. 2000s

Both decades are different in that the 1990’s had less technology, kids were well behaved and it was a more peaceful time; the 2000’s now have all kinds of technology, everyone has to have the newest phone or computer, a lot of kids are brats who want the newest video games and there’s a lot of security at places like airports because of so many terrorist attacks. The technology difference from both decades is huge, because all there was back then was vhs, cassette, and standard cable with 50 channels or so, a couple different types of cellular phones, dial up computers and so on. With technology today, everyone has a cell phone, most people have some type of computer or lap top, there are blu ray and DVD players, either cable or satellite television with high definition, smart phones with touch screens, high speed broadband, and cars that can tell someone when there veering onto a side lane. Next is a big difference which is how different children act whether it is to adults, each other, or in public. In the 1990’s most kids had parents who were physically able to play with them; kids were creative and found so many different games or activities to do’ they were respectful to whomever they came into contact with because they were raised well. Now when looking at most children they either are crying in public with their parents screaming at them, playing on their parents’ phone or tablet, prefer to stay in the house to play video games online, and most parents don’t play with their kids anymore because they are either too hung up on their laptop or too tired from being fat. Finally going back to the 90’s everyone felt safer or not worried about some kind of terrorist attack like people do now. Back then airports didn’t need so much security; people didn’t have to worry about a crazy person shoot up a movie theatre or mall. Now on weekends certain malls require teens under age 18 to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 because of gang violence over the years. These decades differences are very different, but are only a few contrasts between the two decades. The music and social era between these two decades is another difference. In the 90’s was an era that was mainly dominated by rock and booming hip hop music industry. This music was brought on to people with baggy or tight fitted clothing. People would walk around with their cassette players jamming out to their new favorite artist. Now in the 2000’s people mainly listen to their iPods or phones because it’s easiest to acquire music that way via wireless connection from the Internet. They also listen to rap or pop because everyone is about what’s mainstream and popular. People like to wear tighter and shorter fitting clothing now because that’s also what the popular fashion is. People in the 90’s communicated through telephone or just drove or walked to each other’s house to talk or do something. Now people rely on texting each other to find out where they are located and what they want to do rather than going to each other’s house, or calling because it’s not the same type of communication; a lot has changed. Technology and music has definitely made a huge impact on how people socialize and act. Overall I think the 90’s was a great era filled with a lot of memories and seeing a lot of changes happens. It was great being able to also grow up into the 2000’s because that was when technology really started to grow and so much was happening with the world. The advantages and disadvantages of growing up in each era are very different mainly because of all the changes, but a lot of them were good and some were bad. References The 1990’s. (2013). History of the 90’s. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/1990s The 2000’s. (2012). Americas best history – U. S. Timeline 2000’s. Retrieved from http://americasbesthistory. com/abhtimeline2000. html

Relationship between job satisfaction and individual performance Essay

Relationship between job satisfaction and individual performance - Essay Example Admittedly, the relation between job satisfaction and productivity is a matter that is difficult to verify because there are a large number of factors that influence the level of job satisfaction. Some of these factors are not changeable and personal in nature, while some are job related, and some are controlled by the management or employer. So, it is not possible to control all these factors in a single empirical study. Hence, as Mudor and Tooksoon (2011) point out, no study is able to conclusively prove that job satisfaction leads to better performance as no study can prove that it conclusively controlled all factors leading to job satisfaction. However, there are people like Caird (cited in Hall;Jones, 2008) who believe that it is impossible to expect quality output from workers in environments where workers are stressed out, and forced to compete for benefits. At this juncture, it seems useful to analyze the various factors that influence the level of job satisfaction. Some fact ors, which are personal in nature, are sex, number of department, time on job, level and range of intelligence, level of education, age, attitude, and other traits of personality. The factors that are inherent in job are type of work, skill required for the work, occupational status, size of the plant, and geography. Some other factors which are usually controlled by the employer are salary, fringe benefits, co-workers, downward communication, working conditions, responsibility, supervision, wages, and opportunities for advancement. From the long list, it becomes evident that no empirical study is ever likely to claim to have proved the relation. Despite the still existing confusion regarding job satisfaction and productivity, the Science Daily dated 20 July 2011 reports that the workers who approach their work with energy, dedication and care are more open to accepting new information and are more productive. In addition, the article points out that if resources are available to ma ke the employees do their job with enthusiasm and joy, they tend to focus and work hard (â€Å"Work Engagement†). The most common reasons put forward by those who believe job satisfaction is positively linked to productivity are as follows. Firstly, everyone wants to keep what is valuable. In other words, if they find something valuable in their work or workplace, they tend to retain it. The second point is that everyone wants to destroy what hurts them. Admittedly, one who is forced to work harder and harder may try to rebel, one who does not enjoy the workplace environment may try to take leaves, and one who is not satisfied with the remuneration may not be that careful about the quality of the product or service. Yet another claim in this direction is that creativity works only in minds which are peaceful. One who is worried about a lot of job related issues may not be able to think constructively or to come up with novel ideas. There are more general arguments in this dir ection. For example, it is claimed that no one will quit if the work is fun for them, and that only happiness can bring the best out of people. Evidently, in service-intensive fields like hospitality, mere commonsense is enough to perceive that the employees who are aggrieved and dissatisfied are highly prone to forgetting the tenets of hospitality. However, in order to substantiate or negate this claim, it is necessary to look into the studies by scholars. Nna (2011) conducted a study among