Passing Essays - Harlem Renaissance, American Literature, Passing

Passing By Nella Larsen Sexual and Racial Tension in Larsen's Passing Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield are the two main characters in Nella Larsen's Passing. We do not learn about the both of them by seeing or hearing the story from a neutral point of view. Rather, we are subject to envision the entire novel from behind the eyes of only one of these characters, Irene. At first, forcing the reader to suspend themselves in only one of these two complex minds may seem like a biased action on the part of the author. However, as we read further into the book, we soon discover that the limited third-person view is necessary to bring both of these figures to life. This is because Irene's perspective thrives off of Clare. Despite the fact that each have heavily contrasting personalities. Irene's vivid but seemingly painful descriptions of Clare only augment the racial and sexual tension that exists between them. From the very first page of the book, it is clear that Irene Redfield's personality clashes with Clare Kendry's. The moment Irene spies the second letter Clare has sent her, dressed up in "Italian paper...out of place and alien" (Larsen 9), it is obvious that there are many differences between these two young women. As the book progresses further, we soon learn more and more why Irene's feelings of resentment towards Clare are justifiable. Growing up, Clare had "never been exactly one of the group" (Larsen 20) and always wanted more out of life. Her desires and light skin eventually landed her in the "other world," passing off as white. Irene finds especially shocking how Clare could just drop her entire heritage like a brick and live with someone who considers African-Americans "black scrimy devils" (Larsen 40). Here we see the first signs of racial and sexual tension that exists between the two women. Irene is upset at Clare not only for completely denying and neglecting her own race, but also for letting herself be drawn to a man who does not appreciate her for who she is. Although Irene sometimes passes herself as white for certain perks in life, such as eating in fancy restaurants or associating with high class people, she still has kept most of her African-American ties in tact by marrying a upper class black man. There is sexual tension existing at this point as well. Sex is a forbidden and terrifying thing for young ladies who are passing. In Clare's case, there is fear. Fear that a black child may be conceived and her secret may be revealed. For Irene, sex is risky. She has set up such a perfect lifestyle with her husband and two kids that another child could threaten to ruin that. As the story continues, we see a roller coaster relationship forming between Clare and Irene. At various points in the book, they are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. However, one omnipresent theme remains throughout the story: the fact that Irene is constantly drawn back to Clare, regardless of what shenanigans she pulls. After her first incident with Clare, Irene vows that "[she] is through with Clare Kendry" (Larsen 31). Yet, it is not too far down the road when Irene once again finds herself drawn back to Clare. And like clockwork, she once again finds herself mortified by Clare's behavior, this time for supposedly having an affair with her husband. There is an obvious reason why Irene is constantly drawn back to Clare. She is sexually attracted and fascinated by her. Every time she talks about Clare, it is in a vivid and almost seductive way. The sexual attraction also goes both ways. Clare longs to return to her roots as a black person and stop living a life of secrecy. She expresses this desire through her allure towards Irene. The hints of sexual tension existing between these two women are peppered throughout the novel: "looking at the woman before her, Irene Redfield had a sudden inexplicable onrush of affectionate feeling..." (Larsen 65), "Clare's ivory face was what it always was, beautiful and caressing..." (Larsen 92). Clare's husband finally confronts her for being black. Even then, Irene is the last one to hold onto Clare before she falls out of a window and kills herself. Although Irene would admit that she only held Clare's arm to resist her freeing herself of her husband, I believe that Irene was attracted to her in an unconscious way and her first instinct was to protect Clare's safety. Thus, there is a

Time Values for Access SQL in Delphi

Format Date/Time Values for Access SQL in Delphi Ever get the awful Parameter object is improperly defined. Inconsistent or incomplete information was provided JET error? Heres how to rectify the situation. When you need to create a SQL query against ​an Access database where a date (or a date time) value is used you need to make sure the correct formatting is used. For example, in a SQL query: SELECT * FROM TBL WHERE DateField 10/12/2008 you want to get all the records from the table named TBL where a general date field DateField equals 10/12/2008. Is the line above clear? Is that December, 10 or October, 12? Luckily, we are pretty sure the year in the query is 2008. Should the date part of the query be specified as MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY or maybe YYYYMMDD? And do regional settings play a role here? MS Access, Jet, Date Time Formatting When using Access and JET (dbGo - ADO Delphi controls) the formatting of the SQL for the date field should *always* be: #YYYY-MM-DD# Anything else might work in limited testing but can often lead to unexpected results or errors on the users machine. Heres a custom Delphi function you can use to format a date value for the Access SQL query. function DateForSQL(const date : TDate) : string;var   Ã‚  y, m, d : word; begin   Ã‚  DecodeDate(date, y, m, d) ;   Ã‚  result : Format(#%.*d-%.*d-%.*d#,[4, y, 2, m, 2, d]) ; end; For January 29, 1973 the function will return the string #1973-01-29#. Access SQL Date Time Format? As for the date and time formatting, the general format is: #yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS# This is: #year-month-daySPACEhour:minute:second# As soon as you construct a valid date time string for the SQL using the above general format and try it using any of Delphis dataset components as TADOQuery, you will receive the awful Parameter object is improperly defined. Inconsistent or incomplete information was provided error at run-time! The problem with the format above is in the : character - as it is used for parameters in parametrized Delphi queries. As in ... WHERE DateField :dateValue - here dateValue is a parameter and the : is used to mark it. One way to fix the error is to use another format for date/time (replace : with .): #yyyy-mm-dd HH.MM.SS# And heres a custom Delphi function to return a string from a date time value you can use when constructing SQL queries for Access where you need to search for a date-time value: function DateTimeForSQL(const dateTime : TDateTime) : string;var   Ã‚  y, m, d : word;   Ã‚  hour, min, sec, msec : word; begin   Ã‚  DecodeDate(dateTime, y, m, d) ;   Ã‚  DecodeTime(dateTime, hour, min, sec, msec) ;   Ã‚  result : Format(#%.*d-%.*d-%.*d %.*d.%.*d.%.*d#,[4, y, 2, m, 2, d, 2, hour, 2, min, 2, sec]) ; end; The format looks weird but will result in the correctly formatted date time string value to be used in SQL queries! Heres a shorter version using the FormatDateTime routine: function DateTimeForSQL(const dateTime : TDateTime) : string;begin   Ã‚  result : FormatDateTime(#yyyy-mm-dd hh.nn.ss#, dateTime) ; end;

The Patients Rights While Providing Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The Patients Rights While Providing Care - Essay Example the primary challenge in my practice arises from the fact that the capacity to consent is yet from being tested, and the benefits and risks have been illustrated. In this case, capacity refers to the ability to use and understand information to make a sound decision and communicate any decision made to the respective caregivers. A voluntary consent simply the decision to either consent or not to consent to treatment and must be made by the person themselves and must never be influenced by pressure from medical staff, family and friends. Whereas informed consent is where the patient has to be issued with all the pertinent information in terms of what the treatment is all about including the benefits and the risks attached beside whether there are reasonable option interventions and whatever will occur if such a treatment is not executed or delayed. Valid consent is also determined by capacity in which a nurse must be able to determine that capability of the patient to give a consent t hat means they understand the information is given to them and they can utilize such information to make a rational and informed decision. In case an adult has the capacity to make a voluntary and informed decision to consent or refuse a particular treatment or examination, the law requires that such a decision must be honoured even if the refusal would collapse into death or death of the unborn. On the other hand, where a patient has no capacity to make a decision about their treatment, the nurse examining them can advance and give the treatment if they believe it is in the patient best interests.

Why People Should Pay for Plastic Bags Research Paper

Why People Should Pay for Plastic Bags - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that a number of countries all over the world has already banned the use of plastic bags or provided that people should pay for them in stores. Among these countries are Australia, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, India, Israel, Malaysia, Hong Kong and others. In the United States, it is only cities and counties that outlawed the use of plastic bags. In September 2014, California imposed a ban on plastic bags. It is difficult to predict the outcomes of a plastic bag tax in the United States. However, the experience of other countries that implemented this tax or even banned the use of plastic bags is promising. For example, Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax in 2002, and since that year, the amount of plastic bag litter in the country gas reduced by ninety-five percent. In 2008, China introduced a total ban on ultra-thin plastic bags and a tax on plastic bags, and since that year, the use of plastic bags in the country has reduced, wh ich means that the amount of plastic bags litter has also decreased. This paper makes a conclusion that the modern state of the environment as well as the threats imposed by plastic bags on it and on public health suggest that the use of plastic bags should be limited, and one of the ways to decrease the use is to make people pay for plastic bags in stores. Experience of a range of countries in the world and cities and counties in the United States shows that a plastic bag fee really works and helps improve the situation with environmental pollution.

English essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

English - Essay Example hat women have less physical ability and strength then men, of course those arguing with this pre-conceived notion are discounting the physical strength necessary to hold a child through gestation and give birth to that child after this. While many studies have indeed shown that generally women have less muscular development than men this does not by default cause them to be â€Å"weaker.† In fact according to one report; â€Å"statistics reveal that women live longer and are more resistant to many diseases† (Womens Rights 1). Socially it has often been the case in many societies both throughout the West and in the East that women are relegated to caring for the home. While this was acceptable when hunting and gathering as well as tribal approaches to life were necessary we live in a drastically changed world. Men no longer need to hunt or gather and while they still occasionally war so do women. Technological advances have become part of the great equalizer between men and women. In the military women are preforming far greater roles with regards to active duties. One example is Specialist Jamiell Goforth, who won the 2007 Forces Command Soldier of the Year competition at Fort Bragg, N.C (Administrator 1). There are more examples of other active duty women however, the point is made that in many formerly off limits areas for women they are in fact succeeding. In conclusion it seems clear that women are in fact not only able to succeed where men do, but are. By winning the ability to choose what they want with their lives they are in fact taking their role as equal humans with males and improving our society as a result. By increasing their roles, and winning previously male dominated sports and more they are gaining the additional freedom and truly becoming equal. Women are equal, now it is up to our society to understand that. The home is a springboard not a nursery, women are equal. FORSCOM Soldier of the Year Is Combat Medic." Militarywomen.org. N.p., 2010.

The Problems With The American Anti Intellectualism Movement Politics Essay

The Problems With The American Anti Intellectualism Movement Politics Essay The anti-intellectualism movement facing America today is a problem with far-reaching implications. There is currently a revival of this movement in American political life. Anti-intellectualism is defined as the opposition to or hostility towards intellectuals, or to an intellectual view or approach (Merriam Webster). The anti-intellectualism movement is characterized by the contempt for advanced education, the liberal arts, and science. Anti-intellectualism in the political sphere has founded itself on contempt for intellectuals, claiming that they are elites who are committed to ideological playfulness rather than practical application. However, it seems that toying with past and present ideas is necessary to engender the most effective political policies. Anti-intellectualism is a result of a failing education system, the integration of church into state, and the ease with which political pundits can drive the media. Currently, anti-intellectualism is spreading like a plague thro ugh the American political landscape. We as citizens can inoculate this disease through a complete overhaul of the US education system. An improvement to the educational system could occur with increased liberal arts integration into primary, secondary, and university education curriculums. In addition to the education system, the general American public needs to be edified about the basic American democratic tenant of separation of church and state. Furthermore, implementing more regulation on political pundits and demagogues in the media is necessary for the progression and success of politics in America. Anti-intellectualism seems to promote the attitude that knowledge which is not profitable has no value and is not worth learning knowledge for knowledges sake (DeFilippis, The Oklahoma Daily) is of little importance in anti-intellectualism. However, knowledge for knowledges sake (liberal arts education) could prove to be very beneficial in politics. Neither primary nor secondary schools consider the liberal arts a priority, and at the level of university education, students are expected to declare majors that funnel them into profitable jobs a very small percentage of university students are encouraged to engage in the liberal arts. Our current education system will eventually lead us to be alienated from one another because people will only be educated in their particular profession. Liberal arts education, because it educates the whole individual, gives citizens an understanding of why their particular profession contributes to the whole. Therefore, all people will be able to see why all jobs are important. Liberal arts education encourages knowledge of many subjects. It would seem that knowledge of many subjects would be most effective in impacting political ideas since politics incorporates so many facets of life. Liberal arts education infuses students with knowledge of the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the US. Having historical and philosophical knowledge of America is fundamental to making informed political choices that best reflect what was intended for this country- we would not want to collapse into what our founding fathers escaped from. Liberal arts education would create more informed and progressive voters and politicians because they would be acquainted with a broad scope of policies that have not worked in the past; this would allow us as an electorate body to spring into the future by creating new ideas and better political policies. Furthermore, people educated in the liberal arts who have developed ordered intellects seem n ecessary in politics since these people are more educated in a variety of issues that affect a variety of people. As a result, those educated in the liberal arts will have the ability to understand and undertake issues that apply to many persons (the entire American populous), and not just one group. Liberal arts education promotes the progression of the individual mind which in effect promotes the progression of the collective mind which then positively affects the electorate and the decisions they make in the face of new problems. Furthermore, with the emergence and further development of the globalized world, American citizens need to be educated on global issues now more than ever in order for America to be a respected nation and one that can pride itself on having substantial knowledge of nations we interact with the most. We are only a respected country insomuch as other countries respect us, but we are currently looked upon unfavorably in the world market. Americas main competitors and closest partners in the world are very committed to education with liberal arts based curriculums- if we expect to be a competitor in the world market, it would be in our best interest to implement a stronger liberal arts education system. Liberal arts education would give people the knowledge necessary to understand the foundation of America and our position as a nation relative to other countries. In addition, liberal arts education would give us a better understanding of the global political issues America faces because we would have knowledge of global problems and how these problems evolved. One of the main tenets the founding fathers implemented in America was the separation of church and state; the fact that religious values and principles are gaining importance in political rhetoric is inconsistent with this basic American democratic tenet. The anti-intellectualism movement caters to folksy type Americans who are generally committed to tradition and faith. This integration of religion into American politics is aided by the anti-rationalism component of anti-intellectualism which is characterized by relying on faith rather than rational ideas to formulate the best political infrastructure for society. This relegates us to the level of animals; our rational faculty is something that constitutes us as humans, so it seems odd that we would want to denounce such a faculty. America is a secular nation, and as a result, religion should not have a place in the political sphere nor in the realm of education. This anti-intellectualism movement favors faith; as a result, evoluti on theories are considered controversial, and creation theories find a place for themselves in the US education system. Schools are supplementing textbooks with creation theories as an alternative to evolution. This contradicts the basic tenet of the separation of church and state and the secularism of America. Creation theories should not have a place in our nations public schools, and implementing such values in education steers young minds away from the basic principles of America. In addition, the anti-intellectualism movement has managed to bring Barack Obamas religious affiliation to the forefront of our political discourse. This should be a non-issue- America is a secular nation and therefore, politicians religious affiliations should be of no consequence to our political forums. Liberal arts education would teach people about the basic tenets of America and it would reaffirm the history and philosophical reasons behind the separation of church and state and why it is so vita l to this country. As a result, commitments to faith would not enter the political realm because citizens would understand that they have no place in American politics. Lastly, there needs to be more regulation on political pundits and demagoguery in American politics. The ease with which political pundits can spew political rhetoric and gain a respectable following is an indication of the anti-intellectualism problem we are facing in America. Political pundits in mainstream media have no substantial ideas to propose- they are quick to complain about current presidents and politicians, yet they never really propose solutions; they merely champion principles. However, principles are not enough to carry a nation in the political arena- policies are necessary, and implementing policies requires intellectual people. In essence, politics are constituted by policies and policies are constituted by ideas; as a result, ideas are fundamental to politics. Ideas are things which we come to know through rational, intellectual thought- we have to toy with ideas from the past and ideas for the future in order to come up with creative, effective political policies . Having a broad scope of knowledge makes coming up with new, creative ideas easier. If people are educated in the liberal arts, they will have this broad scope of knowledge which will help them come up with new and improved political ideas. Anti-intellectualism seems to contradict what politics really are- one must engage in intellectual discourse in order to achieve effective political policies. The political pundits and politicians most involved in the anti-intellectualism movement often cite the founding fathers and the constitution in order to support their political rhetoric this has implicit contradictions. This is because America was founded by intellectuals- the leaders were the intellectuals (Hofstadter, 145). If the intention of the founding fathers at the inception of America was to place intellectuals at the helm, anti-intellectualism seems contrary to their intentions. Glenn Beck is a perfect example of a political pundit and a demagogue. He plays the side of the common people, yet he makes millions of dollars a year for his talk show- he is not a common person. The trend we are seeing in America is the attainment of good jobs via bachelors degrees and more recently the move towards advanced degrees for any hopes of advancement. Yet someone like Glenn Beck, who is not university educated, has a very powerful, high-paying job engaging in controversial political d iscourse citing religion and the founding fathers. People idolize Glenn Beck and obtain their political ideas from him, and while he is not university-educated and is making millions of dollars a year, those who champion him the most have to make it in this world via their merit. Furthermore, Glenn Beck is skewing what is fundamental to America- one of his hot topics, religion, is NOT fundamental to America- the separation of church and state is fundamental to America. The only thing we have as citizens to represent ourselves and our ideas is our vote; it should be the most informed, intellectual, reliable vote possible. It is critical that we feel confident in our own education and in our own intellectual capacities and not rely on someone else to tell us what is important. The demagoguery that people such as Glenn Beck participate in would be a non-issue if people were liberal arts educated. This is because the false fears that Glenn Beck incites in people would collapse if people had their own knowledge of current issues and the liberal arts backgrounds which would enable them to think for themselves. People fail to realize the absurdity behind his rhetoric because of their lack of education. Anti-intellectualism will eventually lead to the destruction of the American democratic state and the ideals to which democracy is committed. The anti-intellectualism movement needs to be destroyed, otherwise our weak political structure will continue to fail, and America will continue to endure the bad reputation it has gained in the world market. It is most likely no coincidence that the peak of the political anti-intellectualism movement is at a time in which we have an abundance of political policy crises. We will gain respect as a country and as a competitor in the world if we rid ourselves of this anti-intellectualism movement. Liberal arts education can cure our problem by giving citizens a broad scope of knowledge which would allow us to make informed and thoughtful political decisions rather than relying on the ill-advised rhetoric spouted by anti-intellectuals. Liberal arts education would also afford us the knowledge of what basic tenets shape the American political infras tructure.

Brave New World: Helplessness Essay -- Brave New World

Brave New World: Helplessness How can one distinguish happiness from unhappiness if unhappiness is never experienced? It's the bad that makes the good look good, but if you don't know the good from the bad, you'll settle for what you're given. Can people judge their feelings without a basis or underlying "rubric" to follow? Such rudimentary guidelines are established through the maturation process and continue to fluctuate as one grows wiser with a vaster array of experiences. Aldous Huxley creates a utopia filled with happiness, but this is merely a facade to a world which is incomplete and quite empty since the essential "experiences" are replaced with "conditioning." Perhaps this fantasy world was distinctly composed to be a harbinger of our future. An analysis of an "exclusive utopia" designed to heed the present world from becoming desensitized to freedom and individualism and to warn against the danger of an overly progressive scientific and technological society. Huxley commences his story at the source of such world control -- the hatchery. Governed by mottoes of "Community, Identity, and Stability," the "brave new world" he creates is "conditioned" from the start. The test tube babies undergo precise tests, dietary supplements, and encouragement to "produce" the defined castes of "individuals." The central action arises when Bernard Marx, an alpha plus psychologist, becomes continually irritated at the boredom and incompleteness of this highly regulated life. Through his independent thinking he becomes frustrated and feels alone. Such feelings Marx shares with his close friend Helmholtz Watson, who was advantageously decanted in his "test tubular stages" and therefore has an ... ...domination. the Bokanovsky Process, in which one egg is "budded" into hundreds and thousands making a shocking number of "twins" and then the decanting process, the actual birth form the test tube, and finally, the social conditioning processes in which people are "formed" by means of shocks, sirens, and other unpleasant devices to certain stimuli so that they will always evoke certain intrinsic feelings toward those stimuli. The idea of such a "precision-made" society to accomplish work and live in happiness and virtue leaves no room for "imperfection." Such imperfections as Marx, Watson, and the savage however are no threat to the society as apparent in the novel since they are swallowed by the system-- if nobody listens to their ideas, talking does no good. Such automatic suppression of the "rebels" leaves the reader with a frigid feeling of helplessness.