Joyces treatment of Epiphanies Essay Example for Free

Joyces treatment of Epiphanies Essay Explore Joyces treatment of Epiphanies in some of the stories you have studied. In literally every of story of Joyce studied so far we could discover one or more epiphanies. This term is generally used as a description of any sudden moments of understanding or sense of revelation. Joyce himself once described them as sudden spiritual manifestations, whether in the vulgarity of speech or gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself. I will try to fathom these epiphanies and Joyces use of them in the following. The story I am going to start with is An Encounter, which happens to be at an early stage of Joyces chronological order in Dubliners childhood. It mainly deals with a bunch of younger school boys, who live a rather sheltered childhood in catholic Dublin, reading stories about the Wild West, playing Indian fights, and having parents who go to eight-oclock mass every morning. Inspired by the stories read in their Wild West booklets, Leo Dillon, Mahony and the narrator decide to have their own little adventure and plan a day out of school, playing truant and going to see the so called Pigeon House at the other end of Dublin. However, in the next morning they are starting their journey without Leo Dillon. Mahony freely comments: Come along. I knew Fattyd funk it. When the two boys, after a long voyage, still havent arrived at their destination, they agree to give up their initial plan and just to rest some time on a bench in a field. After a few calm minutes Mahony and the Narrator discover an older man approaching at the far end of the field, shabbily dressed and walking with one hand upon his hip and a stick in the other hand. Having arrived at the bench with the two young boys on it, he wishes a good-day and starts to talk about the weather. Suggesting the boys that the happiest time of ones life was undoubtedly ones schoolboy days, the bores Mahony and the narrator, who nevertheless keep silent. In the following, the old man talks, mainly to the narrator, about literature and, from there, changes the subject to totties. He expresses a very liberal point of view about young peoples lives Every boy, he said, has a little sweetheart. Silence follows a long monologue of the old man about young girls and other things the speaker admits not actually to understands, which implies us that it could be about sexual allusions as the two boys are still quite young. The man stands up and walks to the near end of the field. Arrived there, he does something that wakes Mahonys interest: I say! Look what he is doing and a bit later I say Hes a queer old josser which suggests us that the man might be, excited by two little boys, masturbating just a few meters away from them. Some minutes later, he comes back and again starts a monologue, but it seems he has forgotten his recent liberalism: In language influenced by sadism he states that school boys should be whipped and whipped again, especially if they told lies about their sweethearts, he would give them such a whipping as no boy ever got in this world. Calmly, the narrator departs, obviously worried by behaviour and stories of the old man, and joins Mahony who has gone away, into the field, earlier. Together they leave the place. Back to the epiphanies: the first one we can find is apparently the moment when Mahony finds the old man masturbating only a few meters off. No matter if the boys actually know what he is doing, it is definitely a so called sudden spiritual manifestation: they know that what the man is doing there is strange for them, and it abruptly changes the way they look at him. Although there is no physical threat for them at that moment, Mahony and the speaker feel worried and confused, and one of them even runs away after having seen this. Although directly related to the old mans behaviour linked to the first epiphany, we can find another one when he is back and talking again: the way he speaks and his opinions have changed so drastically that there must be another strange awakening in the speakers mind. We feel reminded of a definition of an epiphany mentioned earlier: It is a sudden spiritual manifestation in the vulgarity of speech and gesture. The third and last epiphany, I suggest, might be found at the very end of the story, when the boys are just about to leave, to finish their day off and start the journey back home: they now realize that they have really find out what their adventure was like: they have met a sexually sick bloke instead of having an exciting day in Dublin, visiting a sight and enjoying themselves. A second example for Joyces treatment of epiphanies could be the short story After the Race. Unlike An Encounter it deals with adolescence, and tells about what happens on a particular evening in paralysed Dublin. Four young people return to Dublin. They have just taken part in a car race, and have won the second place. The group is made up of a French man, a French-Canadian, a Hungarian and Doyle, a Dubliner. Through Doyle, Joyce shows the ambitions and aspirations of middle class Dublin. His father was a butcher, but had been fortunate enough to secure some police contracts and had become rich enough to be referred to as the merchant prince. The father has plans for his son Doyle is first sent to Cambridge, to study, where he first encounters international upper class lifestyle, not the one he knows from Dublin. Studies do not particularly interest him, and he returns to Dublin. Doyle could be called a typical rich son, and he is highly interested in music and motoring. He got to know a member of the racing team, and is now elated to be entering Dublin in the teams company. That evenings Dinner is a matter that causes great excitement in Doyles family, as it shows father and mother that the ir son has arrived arrived in the world of jet-set and international playboys, as they think. However, Joyce doesnt reject to admit that Dublin wasnt actually a metropolis as it seemed to be then: That night the city wore the mask of a capital. The company of the young men is heady. They talk loudly and gaily. And when they stroll along Stephens Green, people on the road make way for them. I think Joyce wants to imply here how much the odour of wealth and internationality are worshipped in Dublin another allusion on the paralysis he finds in Dublin in those times. They team makes its way to a yacht, where the go on celebrating themselves happily. The party continues with game where money is staked Doyle loses heavily, but who cares on such a night? The party ends up with the Hungarian, who unlike Doyle realized that this isnt his world, retired from the game, announcing Daybreak, gentlemen! In this story, we find another way of use of epiphanies: Joyce keeps it until the very end until he uses the epiphany with the Hungarian reminding the team that it is time to wake up and face the realities of a normal day. This shows Doyle that the last twelve hours were just an illusion and that he cant actually cope with the standard of these international jet-setters. He has lost far more money than he can afford and has to realize that he is just a Dubliner and that Dublin hasnt got its place in a line-up of the international capitals. Joyces use of the epiphany is remarkable, as it wasnt to the very end of the story that he effectively used it. For the whole time, Joyce left Jimmy Doyle and us in the imagination that the Dubliner could actually cope with his colleagues until he abruptly drops him out of his dream world. So far we could discover quite a different use of epiphanies in two of Joyces stories: used three times in An Encounter, opening different point of views for the boys of the day and of the old man, Joyce uses, in contrast, only one epiphany in After the Race, which in itself, however, is much sharper and more abrupt. While in After the race the epiphany is used at the very end only, they are spread wider in An Encounter. Both stories epiphanies have in common that they actually always are memorable phases of the persons minds themselves, or in Joyces words, these sudden spiritual manifestations I mentioned before.

A Simple Proposal Essay -- essays research papers

A SIMPLE PROPOSAL   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Major League Baseball has probably some of the most exciting players in sports today. Players such as Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter make watching baseball fun. But there are some people in Major League Baseball that I have forgotten who display probably more talent than those 3 combined. The people that I am talking about, are the umpires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You might be shocked when I say that but believe me, they are great athletes. Can you imagine working in the same conditions they do? To do this, you would need to be able to stand up to managers kicking dirt at you as well as dealing with players arguing at you for calls you have made that should have no controversy over. Working an entire season does wear d...

Nutrition Information on Food Labels †a Waste of Time and Money?

NUTRITION INFORMATION ON FOOD LABELS – A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY? Nutrition information on food labels is very useful and helpful for consumers; it is not a waste of time. In this essay I will write about the history of food labelling and later I will concentrate on consumers who should read food labels and those consumers who read the food labels. After that, I will focus on the importance and the advantages that information on food labels have. In the last part, I will write about problems that customers have when reading instructions on food labels. Food labels came legally to life in 1906. Everything started in the USA because the Food and Drug Act said that â€Å"food labelling is needed to protect consumers from economic harm to reducing consumer’s risk of chronic disease†. In 1993, the Nutrition Labelling and Education Act (NLEA) required mandatory food labelling on most products excluding coffee, spices, raw foods and take away foods. Regulations apply mostly to processed and packaged foods and require specific information on food labels like: name of the food, list of nutrients (fat, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fibre, proteins, vitamins A and C, some minerals, calories and Kilo calories), the name and address of the manufacturer, the place of origin, serving sizes, expiry date, nutrient content claims, health claims and information about Recommended Daily Intake (RDA) of nutrients while consuming 2000 calories. In the European Union, legislation on food labelling wants to protect, inform and help society to make knowledgeable choices. Every manufacturer should provide the required information to ensure that consumers will be satisfied when buying their products. Food labelling regulations help the consumer to buy safer food. People are more confident when choosing products if they know what a particular product consists of. Nowadays most of the nutritional labels are very advanced and show detailed information about each nutrient and ingredient. Consumers read the labels mostly to improve their intake in good nutrients (proteins, fibre, good fat, vitamins and minerals) and minimize intake of unhealthy nutrients (saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol) that a particular product contains. Those who experience cardiovascular problems, are overweight and obese or have type 2 Diabetes should read nutrition labels very carefully to avoid high intake of nutrients which are significant risk in causing or worsening the illness. Consumers who are allergic to certain foods use nutrition labels to find information about the ingredients that they must not to eat. The most common allergic foods are: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans. Some of the above foods may cause instant death or digestive problems like celiac disease or lactose intolerance. Also, the elderly people should read the labels to meet their dietary requirements, which differ from other age groups. Pregnant women should control their Vitamin A intake derived from animal organs and increase their intake in folic acid. Vegetarian and vegan groups will find nutritional labels very useful particularly about the proteins and ingredients derived from animals. Another group of consumer reads information on food labels for personal reasons, for instance to exclude genetically modified foods or religious reasons. Research findings in different countries show that significant amounts of consumers use nutrition information on food labels. Surveys done in the United Kingdom have shown that 58% of those interviewed use nutrition labels. Those people recognize their diet as an important part in their lives. 17% use the labels for nutritional advice. Another study in America has shown that society is interested in nutrition food labels and use them while shopping or at home. The research showed that people with more than high school education are more likely to read the labels. In Canada consumers with small financial income, the elderly and less educated were less likely to use and understand nutrition labels. In Australia and New Zealand, 34% of consumers read the nutrition food labels. Significant groups of parents with young children usually use food labels to check the information about fat and sugar intake. Another advantage of nutrition information on food labels is that consumers look at the labels when buying unknown food products (for example from different parts of the world). It allows people to try exotic and extraordinary cuisines. Nutrition labels are guides to healthy eating and improving diet in beneficial nutrients. They help to avoid bad nutrients and remove bad products from our diets. For instance, manufacturers must inform on food labels that the product contains hydrogenated fat which is more harmful than animal fat. Nutrition food labels draw our attention to healthiness. In America, surveys demonstrated that consumers compare food products to purchase the ones with lower fat and sodium amounts. Information on food labels positively influences consumers that would like to prevent cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Those consumers choose low fat and low sugar products. There has been found a connection between reading the labels and losing weight. In other words, people are more aware of what they eat and make their decisions consciously. Scientists from two American Universities estimated that â€Å"the total monetary benefit of decrease in body weight was $63 to $ 166 billion over a 20-year period of the costs of the NLEA†. Food labels also help to reduce deficiency in certain nutrients. For example costumers who lack iron or fibre in their diet can easily choose food which is high in those nutrients while reading information on the back of the packaging. Legislation on food labels has brought another benefit for consumers. Manufacturers have to follow the rules and cannot wrongly label products. The Food Standards Agency in America is responsible to protect customers against dishonest manufacturers. Retailers must label their product appropriately and must describe it correctly. Labelling food is not only good for consumers but also for manufacturers. They recognized that the more information they show on the labels the better product will sell. It is a great deal for consumers who can find out more details about new products. There is a campaign running around the world called â€Å"5 a day†. With these words health organisations try to convince consumers to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Manufacturers and retailers in the UK joined the program and present the information on their food labels. The Information draws consumer awareness and helps them to realize that eating more fruits and vegetables will reduce the risk of certain diseases like cardiovascular disease. Apart from regular nutrition information on food labels on the back of the packaging, manufacturers present some coloured, highlighted instructions in the front of the packaging. This message is much easier for customers to understand than the directions from the back of the product. Usually the information shows the amount in grams per 1 serving and the percentage of daily intake of the nutrient (calories, fat, sugar, protein, sodium / salt). On the other hand, nutrition information on food labels needs some improvements. Food labels should all look the same and equally present the same list of nutrients with the same percentages and amounts. It will be easier for the consumer to memorise one kind of label. Unfortunately, every manufacturer labels their products differently. Consumers do not have time to spend hours in a food store. For example, a co-op retailer in the UK presents its own labels which describe â€Å"high, medium and low† to help consumers to choose healthier products and understand the label more. In fact, industry organisations see it as misleading information considering that these labels could be problematic to sell for example â€Å"fat† in food which is indeed very beneficial to maintain balanced diet. The next problem is that the consumers lack an understanding of the function of different nutrients presented on the labels. The European Heart Network found out that consumers widely read nutrition food labels but do not fully understand them. Often, amounts of nutrients require calculations and consumers do not have enough knowledge about the different nutrients that are important in their diets. The Public Health Nutrition journal informed that converting information from grams to grams per serving size caused difficulties. Nutrition labels should respond to consumer needs and give clear and simple instructions. In conclusion, nutrition information on food labels is not a waste of money. The idea of presenting this information is great because it helps customers to see what packaged food contains and choose the best product that suits them. The information on food labels gives instructions for people who are allergic and have food intolerances. It is also a guide for the consumer on how to start or maintain eating a balanced diet and how to avoid unhealthy and harmful nutrients. However, nutrition information on food labels still needs improvement to enable better public understanding and this is an area that needs to be addressed. References: 1. Angela Shine, Seamus O’Reily, Kathleen O’Sullivan (1997) â€Å"Consumer use of nutrition labels†. British Food Journal, Vol:99, Iss:8, p: 290-296 2. Carolyn D. Berdanier†¦ [et al. ], (2002), â€Å"Handbook of nutrition and food†, California, CRC Press. 3. European Public Health Alliance, (2005) â€Å"Food labelling in the EU: purposes, principles and challenges† URL: http://www. epha. org/a/2006 4. Food and Drug Administration, (2011) â€Å"Food allergies: What you need to know†, URL: http://www. fda. gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311. htm 5. Food Standards Agency, 2010, â€Å"Understanding labelling rules, URL: http://www. food. gov. uk/foodlabelling/ull/ 6. Food Standards Australia, New Zealand (2011), â€Å"Labelling of food†. URL: http://www. foodstandards. gov. au/consumerinformation/labellingoffood/ 7. Gill Cowburn, Lynn Stockley (2005). â€Å"Consumer understanding and use of nutrition labelling: a systematic review†, Public Health Nutrition, vol:16. Pg: 695-708 8. Hawkes Corrina (2004), â€Å"Nutrition Labels and health claims: the global regulatory environment†, Geneva, World Health Organization. 9. Howard Moskowitz, Michele Reisner, Jonhn Ben Lawlor and Rosires Deliza, (2009), â€Å"Packaging Reasearch and Food Porduct Design and Development†, Iowa, Wiley-Blackwell A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Publication. 10. Labels and Labelling Data and Consultancy Services Ltd, (1984), â€Å"Guide to food labelling, Part 2 Claims and misleading descriptions† â€Å"Labels-Law and Legislation – England† 11. M. L. Neuhouser, A,R Kristal, R. E. Patterson (1999), â€Å"Use of food nutrition labels is associated with lower fat intake†Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Vol:99, issue 1, pg: 45-53. 12. National Health Service, 2009, â€Å"Buy healthier food†. URL: http://www. nhs. uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/readingfoodlabels. aspx 13. Nayga, R. M. , Lipinski, D. and Savur, N. (1998), Consumers' Use of Nutritional Labels While Food Shopping and At Home. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 32:  106–120. doi:  10. 1111/j. 1745-6606. 1998. tb00402. x 14. Stephen Havas, Jerianne Heimendinger (1995), â€Å"5 a day for better health-nine community research projects to increase fruit and vegetable consumption†, Public Health Reports, vol:110, issue:1, pg:68-79. 15. Variyam, Jayachandran N. and Cawley, John, Nutrition Labels and Obesity (January 2006). NBER Working Paper Series, Vol. w11956, pp. 16. Variyam, J. N. (2008), Do nutrition labels improve dietary outcomes?. Health Economics, 17:  695–708. doi:  10. 1002/hec. 1287 17. Vernal S. Packard, Jr (1976) â€Å"Processed Foods and the Consumer. Additives, Labelling, Standards and Nutrition†. Ontario, Burns ; MacEachern Limited.

True Love in The Merchant of Venice Essay - 1130 Words

True Love in The Merchant of Venice Among the various themes presented in the Merchant of Venice the most important is the nature of true love. The casket plot helps illustrate the theme. Through a variety of suitors the descriptions of the caskets, Shakespeare shows the reader how different people view true love. He also shows what is most important to the suitors and in some cases it is not true love, but material things and outward appearance. The first suitor who tries to win Portias hand is the Prince of Morocco. When he first arrives in Belmont, the reader can see how arrogant the prince is, He says, The best regarded virgins of our clilme/ hath loved it too...†¦show more content†¦The scroll warns, all that glitters is not gold... (2.7,66) and that wealth is not the most important thing. The Prince, having shallow reasoning only wanted to marry Portia because of her wealth. He leaves, having promised, as all the suitors had, to remain celibate if he should pick the wrong casket. Portia then awaits the next suitor who will try to win her hand in marriage. The Prince of Arragon, the next suitor to try his hand at choosing the correct casket, is not much better than the previous. As his name suggests, the Prince is quite arrogant and vain. When he reads the inscription on the gold casket, he comments that the many men are most likely those who ...choose by showe...(2.9,27). He says he will not choose the gold casket because he is not like everyone else; he is better than the others are. He looks at he inscription on the silver casket: who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves (2,9,37). After reading this he assumes that he deserves the best and chooses the silver casket. The Prince opens the casket and finds a picture of a fool and a scroll that read, with one fools head I came to woo/But I go away with two.(2.9, 78- 79). He received nothing, but a fools head, which is all that he deserved due to his cocky, self-involved attitude. 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