Views on Poetry and Other Art Forms in Emersons The Poet :: Emerson Poet Essays

Views on Poetry and Other Art Forms in Emerson's The Poet Emerson's "The Poet: An Essay," is packed with statements, and ideas that contradict each other in many ways. His use of lofty language and ego driven ideals are built to confuse the average reader and are clearly not meant for the purpose of entertainment. As a reader, I found the text to be confusing and unfounded in its theories about man's connection with nature. Firstly, Emerson starts right off by throwing a wrench in his own works. His description of admirers of fine art and sculpture is nothing more than a generalization. One cannot make such sweeping statements about a group of people. There are always exceptions to the rule. I am sure that many admirers of fine art know a lot about the subject and have very good reasons for liking what they do. Not only does Emerson slam the artistic elite, but his whole essay is an embodiment of the ideals he is trying to dispel in these first few sentences. Emerson treats poetry in the exact same manner in which he scoffs at in the beginning of the essay. The author feels that The "true poet" is our closest connection with nature. I am very sure that there are people who admire paintings of a fine nature scene, and they surely feel that it is our closest connection with nature. Words are not the only way to express oneself in a connecting way with nature. This brings me to another sweeping generalization that Emerson makes in the body of this essay. He actually makes the statement that words to a song are not poetry in a sense. Being a musician, I strongly disagree with such a statement. Song lyrics can be just as touching as any other type of poetry. In fact, this type of poetry has another added bonus besides the words. This is called music! Music itself can even stand alone in painting a very vibrant picture of nature with no words at all. This is more of an accomplishment, because the author is not allowed to use words in his sound painting. Music that describes nature without the use of language is still using symbolism to convey the connection between man and nature. The difference is that a violin might symbolize the wind instead of a bunch of words.

Out of This Furnace Essay

Out of This Furnace is a historical fiction that was written by Thomas Bell in 1941 and describes the life of immigrant workers in America. Bell grew up in Braddock in Pennsylvania, a mill town that was typical of many of the industrialized areas in America at that time. His novel reflects the hardships his family faced as they struggled to survive in the â€Å"new country† and he utilizes the medium of a fictional story to challenge the capitalist ideals of the government of that period through the trials and tribulations of his immigrant steelworkers. The book focuses on the lives of four individuals and describes how the four individual characters; Kracha, Mike, Mary and Dobie’s lives change as a direct consequence of changes which occurred in general for America immigrants between the mid 1800s and 1920s. Through encompassing the life experiences of four generations, Bell is able to provide the reader with insights into the way in which these individual’s lifestyles and beliefs became more liberal. Alongside this the story of the development of the labor unions is staged and the reader gains impressions into how these unions were viewed and approached by the people they were designed to help. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life. For many people America, during the economic and evolution of the mid 1800s, represented a country of hope and dreams, a place that could provide them with great opportunities and better economic prospects. As a result of this many European immigrants, many without skills, left their countries of origin in order to work in the many factors and steel mills. Whilst jobs were in abundance the work was hard, laborious and very poorly paid. The Slovaks of Thomas Bell’s Out of this Furnace are representative of these immigrants. The first of the three generations described within the story is Djuro Kracha, a Slovak peasant (p. 3) who left behind his nation of birth in the hope of ending the poverty and oppression he suffered there. Kracha initially works on the railroad before landing a job in a Dubrik mill through a friend. The descriptions of the work he endured provides the reader with the impression that employment at the mill was dangerous, arduous and relentless. The hours of work were long and tiredness of the employees often led to accidents thus evidenced by the death of Dubik’s best friend George who is killed as a blast furnace explodes. Whilst such accidents were typical on a daily basis in the mills of America but no actions were taken to improve safety or the working conditions of the employees in the mill. In Bell’s book, Kracha eventually terminates his employment at the mill in order to become a butcher. This however, does not make his situation any easier and he inevitably turns to alcohol as many immigrants of the time did. The scenes described by Bell in the novel are not limited to the workers themselves but also point out the environmental damage the industrialization created: â€Å"The mills had filled in the shore line for miles up and down the river, destroying trees, obliterating little streams and the pebbly beaches where as recently as the turn of the century campers had set up tents in summer, burying the clean earth under tons of cinder and molten slag. The banks no longer sloped naturally to the water\’s edge but dropped vertically, twenty-foot walls of cold slag pierced at intervals with steaming outlets and marked by dribbling stains. (Bell 153) The second major character within the novel is Mike Dobrejcak, another Slovak immigrant who came to America whilst still in his teens and married Kracha’s daughter, Mary. Although still aspiring and yearning for the American Dream, Mike is a second-generation immigrant who is more aware of the politics of the US and the potential of his vote during election periods. One of the significant themes of Bell’s book is that of the lack of republican form of government for all the people. The countries decisions were made to benefit the financial and business interests of the few. Many of the mill workers did not vote and, for those that did, their input made very little difference. This is reflected in Bell’s description of the division of power: â€Å"There are men in that mill who were born here, whose fathers and grandfathers were born here. They know more English than you’ll ever learn. And what good is their vote doing them? They have to work in the mill and eat dirt like any greenhorn. Let me tell you, I’ve been in America enough to know that it’s run just like any other country. In Europe your emperors and grand dukes own everything and over here it’s your millionaires and your trusts. They run the country to suit themselves, and don’t think they’re going to let you interfere every few years with your miserable vote. Get that into your head. Your vote means nothing. The company man always wins. If he isn’t a company man to start with, he becomes one afterward; the millionaires see to that. (Bell 66-67) Workers were not encouraged to vote, and if they decided to vote, they were strongly encouraged to vote for the politicians the company endorsed, â€Å"Mike had registered as a Republican, anything else would have been suicidal, but had determined to vote for Eugene Debs, the Socialist. He knew the risk. Should he be found out, and that the company had ways of learning how a man had voted nobody in Braddock doubted. e would be fired†. (Bell 189-190). Through Bell’s description of Mike’s opinions, it becomes clear that whilst the workers wanted progress, their view of how this would be achieved contradicted that of the capitalists. The capitalists aimed for generation of wealth and industrialization whilst the workers simply wanted a better way of life and greater equality. Such conflicting aspirations cause a number of disputes between the two representative groups. Mike unfortunately is killed during an accident at work and the story progresses onto describing, through Mary, the reality of families attempting to survive and support themselves after the death of their partners in the mill. The final part of the novel concerns a character called Dobie, the son of Mike and Mary. Dobie’s life and experiences differ greatly from Mikes as he matures during a period of policy reforms and changes. The Unions have become more prominent and workers rights and working conditions have improved. Dobie himself has become a symbol for these changes as he becomes a Union leader and campaigns tirelessly to gain the rights his father and grandfather were denied. Dobie’s stories depict how the mill workers in the US eventually overcame the capitalists and achieve political freedom: â€Å"It was the way you thought and felt about certain things. About freedom of speech and the equality of men and the importance of having one law — the same law — for rich and poor, for the people you liked and the people you didn’t like. About the right of every man to live his life as he thought best, his right to defend it if anyone tried to change it and his right to change it himself if he decided he liked some other way of living better. About the uses to which wealth and power could honorably be put, and about honor itself, honor, integrity, self-respect, the whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it that determined for a man which things he couldn’t say or do under any circumstances, not for all the money there was, not even to help his side win. (Bell 411). Dobie’s story in Out of This Furnace took place during a crucial time in America’s history that, through the creation of a number of legal acts, allowed unions to establish themselves. The first of these, The National Industrial Recovery Act paved the way for psychological acceptance of the concept of union negotiations and bargaining. Dobie confirms this by mentioning that the act removed the fear of unionization that had previously been established by the company and gave the men the confidence to fight for their rights. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) is also of significance in the novel. Through establishing the AFL in Braddock, Dobie was able to cement the concept of a group formed to protect their rights and such groups inevitably allowed for mass strikes and movements. This was further enhanced by the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) which was formed to represent specific industries such as the Steel Workers Organizing Committee. Unlike the AFL, the CIO, explicitly represented unskilled workers and were able to run campaigns that yielded significant results. One example of this during this period in history was the rubber workers in Akron, Ohio who staged a strike on the job in 1936. 70 workers were initially sacked as a result of their actions but this led to a further strike of 1400 workers. Unable to sustain operations the managing company, Goodyear, was forced to negotiate with the workers and changes to hours of work and payment terms were ultimately agreed. One of the most significant acts of this period was the Wagner Act that created the National Relations Board. This board provided the workers with the rights to select their own union representatives and therefore create a fair, unbiased representation for their rights. These legal Acts and the events they sparked allowed much improvement for workers and, although the road to their acceptance and implementation was long and arduous, by the end of the 1930s 1/3 workers belonged to a union and were able to freely and fairly fight for fair pay and working conditions. Out of this Furnace is not simply a story of three generations of mill workers; it is also a reflection of Americanization and the development of political rights for the immigrant workers in America. Within the novel, each generations development and success was related to the previous generation’s failures and learning. As time progresses the mill workers gain a better understanding of American culture and its politics and the domino effect of family generations.

The Latency Impact the Digital Citizenship and Educational Opportunities - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2009 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Citizenship Essay Did you like this example? Equity is defined as being opened or unbiased (Monroe 1). In legal terms, since the ancient time, it means everyone has equal opportunities to work, study, live and thrive. So what does it mean in the Information Age, the century in which the Internet, computer, and smartphone play an essential role? If the technical operations were so substantial, then people who know or use that technology have more advantages than people who do not. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Latency Impact the Digital Citizenship and Educational Opportunities" essay for you Create order Though the Internet is essential for the exercise of the rights that associated with the digital citizenships (cyber market, trade, political and online information), the geographic and racial differences were the major obstacle. Digital citizenship includes more meaningful than political involvement, but also success opportunity. Online activities related to wellness, education, housing, government services. However, not many minor races and low-income people have the opportunities to access or use the Internet frequently, especially in isolated and rural communities. Therefore, created the invisible gap between the Black-Americans and White-American when it comes to using and profiting from the technological opportunities. This essay is the closer look into each separate fields to give the final overview of the problem and propose the necessary change to narrow the gap in the new century. In a current statement, the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce) concluded that the United States of America is swiftly adopting the mobile technologies. This rapid transformation described by the NTIA is technically replacing the old patterns of Internet usage, allowing more people to enter into the Information Age. However, exceeding the liability and simple connectivity, is what this change in Internet access may cause. Moreover, there is three big question: how does it impact on the digital citizenship? Does it open the more convenient network? Alternatively, is this change mark the warning in the lack of Internet access forms? In the research of Caroline J. Robert, the professor at Department of Political science at the University of Iowa he stated: The data available from the Pew Research center in 2014 indicated that more than 70% Black-American and minor races group with the income less than $30.000 owned at least a smartphone and use it online. While only 60% of their White peers use or access the internet via smartphone. Is this mean the there are no ethnic inequalities in Internet access? Let take a closer look at the case. Because of the small form and portability, smartphones provide the more convenient Internet access. A user can easily access the Internet from the outside door, while he/she is traveling or even at work. It is more continuous use than home access. However, the Internet can access anywhere, anytime does not mean it has an overwhelming speed, but indeed, it is much slower than the average computer. It is obvious when we compare the size and parts of a computer and a smartphone. The fastest 4G LTE, most usual smartphone Internet access is 5 megabyte per second. It is nothing when compared with 60 gigabyte per second on the regular cable internet access- 1 gigabyte equals 1024 megabytes-(Lynn 1). Further, the lower income individuals tend to pay cheap plan with limited access time and data. As we know, the average Internet bill for a good connection is about one to two hundred. Also, because the majority of minor communities is low-income people, they need to take more affordable plans. Also, these inexpensive plans have a higher chance of disruption due to the reservation for more expensive plans with more friendly experiment. The slow speed on the wireless connection is often causing the latency in downloading, uploading or searching for information, which leads to the disadvantages of online connection and dwelling the interest in using the Internet of the users. Also, it causes the troubles to practice digital citizenship which is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use. Simultaneously, it also limited the opportunities to succeed and deprive of those community in term of academic usage. For example, The research took place in Missouris State University in 2014 showed the students who have high G.P.A. were more familiar with technology and educational programs. The majority of students which has high G.P.A are white and Asian ethnic compared with the students who have less than 2.5 G.P.A are Black and Minor races. It is not a coincidence when most of the research shows that the Black-communities have more inferior quality of education and science due to the lack of capital resources (money) in preparation for an academic career. In the other study conducted at the same time at Chicago University by the Chicago University Department of Science, a statistic revealed that only 30% of the Black students own a personal computer or have connection continually with the Internet, though the requirement of the school was one computer for one student, while that number was 75% of the White students. (Harris Poll 4) Computer especially personal laptop is an indispensable tool in the college life. It means the students have a portable workstation which mean they can work anywhere at least they have an internet connection. They will have more control over their work and the time it takes. It is not doubted that smartphone has higher portability than a laptop, but the small screen, the touch keyboard, and slow data transition make it less valuable in term of the workforce than a laptop. Subsequently, there are not many digital devices that support the smartphone connection. So if a student wants to present his or her research with a smartphone, he or she needs to transfer it into another type of connection and then transfers it to the projector. Also, unfortunately, that type of transition can cause the extremely high latency and data corruption which can kill the whole research data, and ruin the presentation. Further, we can not deny the benefit of the school library with the computer and interne t equipment. However, that is the limited number, a few hundred, when compared with the vast number, more than thousand of students who attended the school. Even if the school afford computers for all of the students, there will be a higher chance of online insecurity likely happen when a student forgets to log out after using, and also high maintenance fee. The lower percentage of students own a personal computer proved that the lack of personal computer increases the struggle in the educational field and reduce the opportunity to succeed between ethnic indications. Black students understand the general science computation, graphs, translation, plus charts, but they did not have any sufficient skills for more advanced science courses. These lack of abilities of Black students might explain some of the reasons behind the low percentage of higher education in Black Communities. Black Americans received 8.1% of the associate degrees and only 6% of the bachelors degrees in the past decade. On the other hand, Black females received 5.4% of the bachelors degrees in the life sciences, 5.6% of the bachelors degrees in mathematics, and 4.7% of the bachelors degrees in the physical sciences (Atwater, Mary Monroe 3). Further, there is a possibility that the teacher acknowledges Black race as less intelligent or as not as other races. It is not en tirely about bias and ethics. It is about how a majority of the students of that race perform. Frequently, most of the Black Students did excellent at their high school, in term of G.P.A, but they did not participate in any technology science especially the courses that relate to computer and Internet usage. As a personal experiment, I used to see a Black Student who should be at the top of my class but being put down by physics classes. They know that the higher science courses will low down their G.P.A, also low their chance to get into college. Besides, they do not have adequate capital resources, so they tried to avoid the science sources, but when they get into college, and the high tech science courses become the requirement rather than a selective one, they immediately feel being overwhelmed because they lack experiment with the educational programs or tech in the past. There are still the Black students who regardless the technology and capital obstacles still complete the doctoral degree with a decent grade. However, that is a small portion of the whole picture. The p rocess which took them to get a doctoral degree was much harder than usual. Also, the equality in degree accomplishment did not happen. Research on academic-based inequalities has demonstrated that concentrated poverty and segregation affect individual outcomes in education. Additionally, the lack of Internet broadband grew a concentration in the Black America community. The study case, conducted by Chicago University, revealed an not new but unbelievable context: only 52% of the rural population have internet access, and 68% of the urban population has an Internet connection.(NTIA, 2014). More common sense than the high smartphone user or the lack of a personal computer in the college, the lack of Internet access significantly eliminates both social and psychological development of a group or individual. Without internet access, people tend to isolate themselves. Their knowledge and information only limit around their community. The employment opportunities and the market for their production will be narrowed as well as the profit. For instance, if a man/woman wants to find a job, he or she can only submit his or he r resume to the local company or sometimes, in town stores. They are indeed, low-income jobs. Nationwide, the whites in all cities, they use the Internet at much higher rates in cities where the most population has access to the Internet. While African-American neighborhood characteristics live in the rural region, have influenced Internet use, result in the lack of central internet at home and living places. It is crucial to guide that portion of the population to join the digital access. Blacks are ignored the important to have their home computer. While technically, they can use the old traditional technique to transfer and receive information, but they will always slower and get behind the speed of the online connection. In final conclusion, we are now having the answer to the previous questions. Though smartphone Internet access is enabling more people to have access to the digital information, in the long term, it will cause the saturation and slow down of technology usage due to the obstacles in utility, and the lack of supported technologies, plus the latency in connection. One can hope that as the Digital Age move forward with the vast production and regulation of the technology devices, the Black-Americans will have more choice when selecting their trustee Internet access. The further the Digital Age goes, the more critical the Internet, and technology become. Digital problems are not easy to fix problems just because people do not have the essential access to the digital information; indeed, they are the critical issues because the shortage of connecting the Internet creates illiteracy with innovation (Horton 3), which is so universal at the 21st century. Even if there is anyone can live with out high tech devices, the life of that person will fall below the life quality standard. How can a minority of the population slow down the entire elevation of their society? That is unacceptable. In the meantime, the people will not wait for the price of technologies to get less expensive. Black-American urgently needs a program that can show them the start and their direction to go along with other technologically advanced races in the development of human civilization. They will not have time to wait, so the possible solution is to utilize everything they have from many sources. Luckily, Blue Tech companies, technology companies which are on the top of their field, have any special program to make their tech more affordable with the low-income and minor races communities. For example, Apple and Microsoft have Tech foundation to support young minor college student with their pieces of equipment for the advance in the educational path. Though these devices are not the newest and fastest one, they still better than having nothing.