Healing Innocence - Literature Essay Samples

In J.D. Salingers Nine Stories, the author forces his readers to think and reflect, and to avoid simply taking any story at its face value. This is exemplified by the Zen koan he places at the very beginning of the book. Though we are never actually meant to solve the mystery behind every story (just as we arent meant to solve the koan), we can certainly make observations and explore the rich ideas set before us. For one, Salinger juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the corruption of adulthood, creating a powerful recurring theme in Nine Stories. In this manner, he elucidates the sad reality that the world in which we live is a breeding ground for the corrosiveness of adult preoccupations (such as war, material possessions, and racism), a corrosiveness that eats away at the purity and innocence of childhood. Perfect Day for Bananafish starts off in the world of materialism, consumerism, and sex. The first scene depicts 97 New York advertising men staying in a hotel where a girl wearing a Saks blouse is reading a magazine article titled Sex is Fun-or Hell. Within moments, war is introduced: we learn from the girls phone conversation that her husband, Seymour Glass, was a soldier in World War II and suffered extensive psychological damage; he was hospitalized and released, but the girls mother remarks that Seymour would drive with funny business around the trees (5) and still may completely lose control of himself at any time (6). We are subsequently introduced to Sybil Carpenter, a young girl whose family is staying at the same hotel. Seymour tells Sybil a story about bananafish (very likely a reflection upon his own past experiences in WWII), saying that They lead a very tragic lifethey swim into a hole where theres a lot of bananas. Theyre very ordinary-looking fish when they swim in. But once they get in, they behave like pigstheyre so fat they cant get out of the hole again (15-16). Seymour himself is the bananafish in this story: upon entering th e abyss of war, he witnessed the animalistic savagery of men (and probably had to take part in this savagery himself), and now realizes that he has seen and done too much to ever be able to escape from that experience. Sybil, young though she may be, is already showing signs of adulthood. When she learns that Seymour allowed Sharon Lipschutz to sit with him on the piano seat, she declares that he should have pushed Sharon off of the seat. She also asks Seymour whether he likes Sharon, and after he says that he does, she immediately falls silent. This silence confirms that, like any female adult, Sybil is envious that another female is receiving attention from her male companion. Shortly thereafter, Seymour returns to his room, retrieves his gun, and shoots himself. This final act of desperation seems to spring from his realization that the war has taken a part of him-his innocence-and that he can never be the same again. It is also possible that he realizes that his young friend Syb il is, in a way, beginning to lose her innocence as well. These inevitable and irreversible losses prove too overwhelming for Seymour, precipitating his untimely demise. In Connecticut, Uncle Wiggly also deals with corruption-and particularly the corruption caused by materialistic desire. Eloise is obviously well-to-do-she sports a camels-hair coat and employs a maid-but even with these material possessions at her disposal, she is still unhappy: There isnt one damn pillow in this house that I can stand (23). She has a markedly condescending attitude towards the black maid, and accuses her of being lazy: Shes sitting on her big, black butt (22). All of this tension seems to stem from the fact that Eloise is dissatisfied with her marriage: her husband is a pretentious man whom she probably married only because he was rich. Her true love was a good-humored soldier named Walt who always made her laugh, but he was killed in the war. Over time, Walt became idealized in her mind as the o ne perfect companion for her-the perfect companion she would never be able to have. This reality haunts Eloise, and she tries to escape her pain by chain-smoking and drinking herself into oblivion.Eloise even develops animosity towards her own daughter, Ramona, whom she constantly critiques, ordering her to stand up straighter and not scratch herself. It is possible that this profound sense of discontentment is the consequence of Ramonas physical flaw-she has heavily impaired vision-but it is more likely attributed to the fact that Ramona has an imaginary friend. That night, when she sees Ramona sleeping on the edge of her bed (in an effort to leave room for her imaginary friend), Eloise, in a half-drunken rage, forces her daughter to sleep in the center of the bed and effectively destroys Ramonas fantasy. After some thought, Eloise realizes what she has done: she has stolen away the innocence of her child. When she tearfully pleads to Mary Jane, I was a nice girl, wasnt I? Eloise e ssentially admits that she has been corrupted by her material surroundings: her clothes, her home, and her alcohol. She knows that she is unhappy with her life, and she knows that she forced this unhappiness upon her daughter, thereby taking away her innocence. Down at the Dinghy also focuses on the scourge of materialism, but the corruption in this story is the direct result of racism. Sandra, one of the household maids, says to Mrs. Snell about their bosss son Lionel: Only, it drives ya loony, the way that kid goes pussyfootin all around the houseI mean ya gotta weigh every word ya say around him (75). Sandra then proceeds to make an anti-Semitic remark: Hes gonna have a nose just like the father (76). Lionel has been known to run away and hide whenever he is in distress since the age of two-and-a-half, for reasons ranging from finding out that there is a worm in his friends thermos bottle to being told that he stinks. He has now run away again, and his mother Boo Boo finds him hi ding in his fathers dinghy. Boo Boo pretends that she is an admiral and tries to come into the dinghy with Lionel, but he refuses to let her in, explaining simply that nobody can come in (84). When Boo Boo threatens to throw his keychain into the lake but finally gives it to him, Lionel breaks down into tears. He reveals the secret which has been bothering him so much: Sandra-told Mrs. Smell-that Daddys a big sloppy-kike (86). Boo Boo comforts her son and races him home, thereby helping him to win. It seems as if Lionel has lost his innocence after witnessing anti-Semitism firsthand. However, since he doesnt really know what exactly a kike is, he is not affected to the degree he might have been were he older; he merely perceives the negative associations of the word in Sandras tone of voice. The situation is further ameliorated by Boo Boo, who helps heal this wound, taking Lionels mind back to a place of childhood innocence and freeing him from the burden of what he has heard. Boo B oo essentially restores Lionel to his former self, helping him retain his previous innocence. In Salingers Nine Stories there is a constant juxtaposition of adult corruption and childhood innocence. In Sybil Carpenters case, her adult feelings of envy arise independently of Seymours own loss of innocence, while Ramonas innocence is taken away by her corrupted mother. Quite the opposite situation occurs between Lionel and Boo Boo: Lionel is on the verge of losing his innocence, but his mother helps pull him back by taking his mind away from the corruption and returning him to the childhood realm of innocence. Perhaps Salinger is suggesting that although adult corruption may be powerful in its destructiveness, childhood innocence can be even more powerful, and can prevail in its ability to heal and rebuild.

Analysis Of Parmenides Poem On Nature - 992 Words

In Parmenides’ poem â€Å"On Nature†, he argues that all things must meet three criteria to be classified as possessing ‘isness’, or having qualities that constitute existence. In order for anything to exist, the object must have no genesis or perishing, no change, and no qualitative distinction. In this paper, I will argue that Anaxagoras provides the best objection to Parmenides’ argument compared to both Empedocles and Democritus because he addresses more of the criteria put forth by Parmenides. Empedocles’ argument against Parmenides addresses genesis and perishing as well as change. He claims â€Å"there is no creation of substance in any one of mortal existences, nor any end in execrable death† (fr. 4). The passage suggests that which exists can have no beginning or end. Since the material explainers exist, they have no genesis or perishing. Also, objects remain â€Å"unmoved (because) they follow the cyclic process† of con tinual exchange (fr. 9, ll. 11). The fragment suggests that continuous movement equates to the absence of movement because if something is constant it remains unchanged. Anaxagoras proposes a response to Parmenides that addresses genesis and perishing, change, and qualitative distinctions. The response centers on eternal seeds that act as the building blocks for all objects. The seeds fit the criteria of having no genesis or perishing because they are eternal and therefore possess no beginning or end. He also presents the idea of the Mind which isShow MoreRelatedAristotle s Views On Metaphysics And Cosmology1481 Words   |  6 PagesParmenides, although generally ascribed the position of a monist, offers arguments through his poem that are not so clearly of monist persuasion and at times, creates a whole host of possible meanings. His views on metaphysics and cosmology seem to differ from his predecessor Heraclitus’ doctrine of flux, believing instead that all is continuousl y one and unchanging, maintaining that beings are what exist and non-beings cannot exist through the acknowledgement that what is existent cannot be createdRead MoreParmenides and Heraclitus5510 Words   |  23 PagesThis paper looks at two Greek philosophers, Heraclitus, and Parmenides. It examines their different theories as to how the universe was created, understanding of the universe, way of truth, way of opinion and the third way. The author explains that Parmenides, who came after Heraclitus, addressed part of his writings as a refutation of Heraclitus? views. He objected both to Heraclitus? view of the universe and how Heraclitus felt people could gain knowledge of it. From the Paper: WhileRead MorePhilosophy And Science Of The Same Breath2132 Words   |  9 Pagesquite an expert in the arts.† This praise is echoed in nearly every account of Democritus’ abilities, and he was well respected even among those who disagreed with his ideas. Democritus is reported by Diogenes Laertius to have written some 70+ books, poems, treatises and such, none of which survive except in references to their arguments. The most frequent commenter on the writings and ideas of Democritus is Aristotle, who seemed to consider him a prominent philosopher and somewhat of a rival in theRead MoreBroken Family3761 Words   |  16 Pagesliterature, epistemology, justice, virtue, politics, education, family, militarism Notable ideas: Theory of Forms, Platonic idealism, Platonic realism, hyperuranion, metaxy, khà ´ra Influenced by: Socrates, Homer, Hesiod, Aristophanes, Aesop, Protagoras, Parmenides, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Orphism Influenced: Most of subsequent western philosophy, including Aristotle, Augustine, Neoplatonism, Cicero, Plutarch, Stoicism, Anselm, Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes, Leibniz, Mill, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche

The Birth of Blues, Jazz, and Rock free essay sample

This was important to the slave who were accustomed to dancing and singing to the beat of African drumming which emphasized rhythm over harmony. Drums were outlawed by the plantation owners so slaves often substituted clapping or slapping their bodies to establish a rhythmic pulse. The black churches of the south used music to enhance their worship services. Even today, black church services traditionally extend many hours into the afternoon and sometimes resemble a community talent show with congregation members performing all sorts of energetic music.During WWW many southern A-Ass brought the blues to northern cities specially Chicago. The AAA population grew from 40,000 in 1 910 to 240,000 in 1930. Many left the plantations to flee from discrimination and to seek better paying jobs in the northern factories. From 1940-1950 220,000 southern African-Americans fled from the southern plantations to Chicago with nearly half coming from the Mississippi Delta region. Muddy Waters (McKinley Northfield) Singing in church l was a good Baptist and got all my moaning and trembling going on for me right out of church. First guitar at 13 Sold last family horse for $15 Gave grandmother half and order a Stella guitar from Sears and Roebuck for $2. 0 1943 moved to Chicago to make a start in the music business. Wanted to leave Had older blacks believing that they could not make it away from the plantations. 1944 Bought first electric guitar from Leo Fender. Muddy Waters Im Your Hooch Choice Man Stepparents I Just Want To Make Love To You Howling Wolf (Chester Burnett) Muddy Waters Rival at Chess records of Chicago Willie Dixon songwriter and talent scout. Wrote songs for Waters and Wolf. Lived on plantation in Mississippi.Decided to imitate the widening style of white singer Jimmy Rogers but never quite mastered the technique. Ended up sounding like someone howling and hence the name stuck. Howling Wolf Backdoor Man Killing Floor The Lemon Song Led Zeppelin Bob Diddled (Lass McDaniel) Moved to Chicago with family and started playing music in the streets at 15 Singed with Chess records in 1955 Distinctive vocal sound with fast quivering vibrato. Bob Diddled Im A Man Who Do You Love Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) Blues harpist took 1 962 hit Booker T and the MGM Green Onions Help Me Rock and Roll was African American euphemism for intercourse. Chuck Berry Brick house, tree lined street in middle-class SST. Louis. Family ivied a block from church and musical roots originated in the church service. Chuck Berry Roll Over Beethoven Rock and Roll Music Johnny B. Goode Back in the USA Decca vs.. Sun Signed Bill Haley and the Comets Shake Rattle and Roll Rock Around the Clock (appeared in 1955 movie Blackboard Jungle) See You Later Alligator Much more restrained style on stage as opposed to Elvis. In a jab at Elvis he said that a lot depends on the entertainer and how he controls the crowd.The music is stimulating enough without creating additional excitement. Its worth mentioning that Elvis was a young handsome hip swivel while Haley as a pudgy, balding and 32 years old. During the same time Decca discovered Charles Holly, a skinny teenager with thick horn rimmed glasses from Lubbock Texas. Buddy Holly was greatly influenced by country music especially bluegrass and western music pulling inspiration from artist such as Hank Snow and Hank Williams. By 16 Buddy had started to consider making a career in country western music.That changed in 1 955 when Elvis arrived in Lubbock for an performance at the Cotton Club. Holly and his friend Bob Montgomery drove Elvis around town and spent that evening with him at the concert Buddy was surprised hat Elvis was normal and said he was really a nice guy. The next day Holly and his group backed Elvis at the grand opening of a Pontiac dealership. After that weekend, Buddy started singing Elvis songs. His friends said his was on an Elvis kick and it started to shape the new rock and roll sound Of Buddy Holly.Buddys big clam to fame releases were: Peggy Sue Thatll be the Day party Doll In a moment of insanity Sam Phillips accepted a 35,000 offer from RCA Victor for the exclusive rights to Elvis contract and all of his recorded materials. Phillips said he need the money to get out of a real bind. He claimed not to e broke but said it was just a real struggle to get buy. By 1956 there were over 600 TV stations and 37 million televisions in American homes. Television was dominated by three networks, BBC, CBS, and NBC which incidentally was owned by RCA Victor. Sing television RCA started mass marketing Elvis. They started capitalizing Elvis good looks with appearances on variety shows such as the Tommy and Jimmy Dorset Stage Show This show came on right before the Honeymooners and competed with another variety show, the Perry Com Hour. Rascals scheduled appearances on The Milton Berne Show and The Steve Allen Show. By the end of that year, De Sullivan, who earlier had condemned Elvis as unfit for a family audience, agreed to pay the popular new star $50. 00 for three appearances on his show. At the time the De Sullivan was one of the two most popular programs in America. Sullivan feared protest from his usual viewers and ordered that Elvis be filmed from the waist up hiding the highly suggestive pelvic gyrations. This is one of the most legendary moments in television history with nearly 54 million viewers, nearly 83 percent of the television audience. Elvis hit the top of the charts during the following weeks tit music performed on the television performances.Charts such as: Love Me Tender Hound Dog Dont be Cruel All Shook LCP last two written by black artist Otis Blackwell who also wrote Great Balls of Fire for Jerry Lee Lewis. His promoter Colonel Thomas Parker turned Elvis into an unbelievable marketing success. REACTIONS TO LAVISHING Some adult quotes 47,48. 49. 50 (2) Colonel Parker responded by having Elvis perform on the Steve Allen show with tuxedo tails and white tie. No guitar, no movement, and a hound dog trained to simply sit and look droopy. The changed Elvis appealed even more and went on to boost record sales.By the end of his career his sold over 250 million records. In the history of recorded music only Being Crosby neared Elviss record with around 200 million. Oddly enough, Elvis started to receive all sorts of awards. QUOTE 50 (3) Dick Clark and the Teen Market 1959 left rock and roll without many of its main stars. Elvis was in the army (and not singing) Buddy Holly killed, Little Richard joined a fundamentalist religious sect and Chuck Berry was in jail. Two young entrepreneurs Dick Clark and Don Kirsches started promoting the Philadelphia sound through photogenic, well groomed Italian teen pop stars.Dick Clark Syracuse University advertising and radio American Band Stand Quote 56 Philadelphia Stars Fabian Frankie Valor Bobby Darwin Johnny Mathis Quotes on: 54 (4) Late 50 Little Richard turned to the church Jerry Lee Lewis gravitated toward country music Chuck Berry Was put in jail Buddy Holly killed in a plane crash Elvis Presley in the army Dick Clark Quotes 55 (5) FOLK MUSIC Dylan Songs of Protest Civil Rights Issues Youths in college wanted music different from the bubble gum Kirsches music. Singers like Pete Seeker and Woody Guthrie traveled the country side singing songs about real people .Woody Guthrie said after writing his song This Land is Your Land, I sing the songs of the people that do all of the little jobs and the mean and dirty work in the world and of their wants and their hopes and their plans for a decent life. Protest singers like Seeker and Guthrie fell in to disrepute when senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin pursued Communist sympathizers. He openly accused public figures of Communist tendencies creating a hysterical atmosphere throughout the nation. The senator criticized politically minded entertainers like Seeker and Guthrie who eventually became blackballed by he networks and recording industry.Most real folk singers like Dylan and Joan Bake focused on the message their music carried rather than the all mighty dollar. The folk band followed with groups like Loving Spoonful, mimicking the sounds of Dylan but these folk bands often concentrated on topics other than protest. Newsweek described it as healthy, cheap, moral folk music is whats happening at this moment in the dissonant echo chamber of pop music. THE BRITISH INVASION February 7 1 964 Kennedy Airport Outside on the covered rooftop. Incidences more teenage girls. Fought screaming girls from the airport to the hotel.Found three in the bathtub. Check in under their parents name. They were all four worried that they would not be accepted in America. De Sullivan witnessed the return of the Beetles to London and said this reminded of the same mass hysteria that characterized the Elvis Presley days. He contacted the manager Brian Epstein and booked the Beetles for three appearances on the De Sullivan show for under 20,000 dollars. 728 teens packed the studio 50,000 battled for tickets 73 million people/60% of the viewing audience. Not always clean cut. War ended with nothing to do but join gangs.Had trouble finishing high school and did not know what to do without the structure of the draft. Dave Clark of the Dave Clark 5 said that if the government had not stopped the draft, there would have been no Beetles. Moods and the Rockers, Beetles were Rockers, tight pants, pointed boots. Hair greased back riding motorcycles. Moods Modernist were nice clothes, short hair, danced and took pills. Liked to ride scooter. They would sometimes spend an entire weeks Of clothing on a single outfit. They were Englands lowest common denominators. Not only were they young, they were lower class young.Most Moods were lower-class scum with enough money to by himself Sunday best. Skiffs Mix of Dixieland jazz and country blues. Beetles emerged from this skiffs style. The Quarrymen, Johnny and the Moods, the Silver Beetles. Poor fame lies, Second coming of the beetles. Seattle Their hotel room was barricaded by barbed wire and sawhorses. The mayhem was so great after the performance that they had to cover the four musicians with blankets, place them on a stretcher and carry them through the crowd to a Red Cross ambulance. By the end Of 1 965 they had made more that 56 million in concert proceedsDuring 1 964 British rock bands sold more than 76 million dollars worth of records in the U. S. Several other groups followed suit and began making stabs at the American market. Gerry and the Pacemakers debuted on the E. S. Show in 1965. The Hollies proved to be a long lasting British band. The group was started by Graham Nash and singer-guitarist Allan Clark. They named their band after Buddy Holly and worshipped Buddys music. Herman s Hermits fronted by Peter None and later added musicians Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones who later performed in Led Zeppelin. Loons Dave Clark Five posed the biggest threat to the dominance of the Beetles. Within five days of their De Sullivan appearance they were household names and had five records on the charts at once. Inspired by Little Richard, fats Domino and Elvis. They like the beetles Hard days Night released a movie entitled Catch us If You Can Monkeys Two American producers created a prefab version of the Beetles Placed add in Hollywood trade papers for four insane boys age 17-21 for acting roles in new IV series.Interviewed nearly 450 applicants including folk rock singer Stephen Stills and mass murderer Charles Manson. They ended up with Robert Michael Enemies, Mackey Dolmen, Peter Thrones and David Jones. Don Kerosene now president of music at Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems TV Stiff and untalented. Song writers like Carol King, Neil Sedans and of the other Kirsches originals teamed up with Neil Diamond and wrote the songs for the monkeys. Carols King and Neil Diamond would also sing background with studio musicians such as Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, and James Burton. 00 million viewers once a week. 5000 letters per day 20 million worth of Monkeys junk. One of the members said, we are selling a product, the monkeys. Poster proclaiming the monkeys are coming. Preview records to 6000 disc jockeys. They even included several no-no-no choruses to substitute for the Beetles Time magazine commented, less than a year ago a Wiley team of promoters ran the Beetles through a Xerox machine and came up with the Monkeys STONES Recalled Keith Richards, I I get on this train one morning and theres Mice and under his arm he has four or five albums.Chuck Berry, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Mutual passion for R B. Their first efforts was a small skiffs band with no drummer doing Waters, Berry R. Most of their earlier recordings were covers of Chicago R B artist like Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Bob Diddled. Andrew Lolled became manager of the Stones in May of 1963. Created a raunchy, crude offensive image that contrasted sharply with the Beetles. While on a British television show Lolled cleaned up the group. Put them in suits.. You have to make some compromises sounding like Epstein did with the Beetles.He immediately changed his strategy and manufactured an opposite. Lied about their ages so they would have more appeal to teenagers. Two Quotes. 120 Dean Martin had them on a show and slammed them. First tour of U. S. Motorcade 600 in 15000 hall. Second tour. De was unbelievable Quote 121 122 The WHO They were designed after the Moods. Roger Dallier said if anything, when first discovered we were similar to the Stones. Birth of Mouton Berry Gorky was the father of Mouton Productions. Gorky was a man inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther King.His music empire reflected the progress of the civil rights movement. Based in Detroit, Gorky used techniques used found on the factory assembly lines. Having individuals who could do very specific jobs in training his new talent, they would literally walk in the building as one person and exit the other end in a transformed state. Mouton became the first African-American owned label that consistently and successfully groomed, packaged, marketed, and sold the music of African- American youths to the white American masses.Mouton use sophisticated arrangements and instrumentation. Gorky was a produced and songwriter. In 1 959 Gorky borrowed $800 from his family and rented an eight-room house in Detroit and founded the Mouton Record Company. Friends and colleagues discourage Gorky from attempts to record and distribute records. Suggested he just develop and record artist. In 1960 Gorky co-wrote and distributed Shop Around by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles which toped the charts and established Mouton as an important independent company.Continued to capitalize on the girl-craze. Matadors Primes Perimeters Marvels Four Aims Miracles Temptations Us primes Marionettes Four TOPS Stevenson Morris Steve Wonder Marionettes: Mr. . Postman Martha and the Vandals: Heat Wave Dancing in the Streets Mouton was a very strong backer of Martin Luther Kings total program. Gorky felt that their job in Detroit was to make blacks aware of their culture, of the problems and some of the ways out of the problems. 1964 Hired Maxine Powell who operated a finishing school. Powell claimed the singers were raw.