Essay about Notes from Underground - 1148 Words

One word that has come to represent the mid-18th century Enlightenment movement is â€Å"Reason†. The French philosophes believed that reason could provide critical, informed, scientific solutions to social issues and problems, and essentially improve the human condition. Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground is one of the most famous anti-Enlightenment novels for its rejection of these very notions. Through this novel he showed what he believed were gaps in the idea that the mind could be freed from ignorance through the application of reason, and the rejection of the idea that humankind could achieve a utopian existence as a result. The story revolves around the thoughts and rants of an unnamed character that we shall†¦show more content†¦These statements suggests that men are not rational by nature, and it is the ability to exert one’s own free will, to be able â€Å"to live†¦ at our own sweet foolish will,† that is more valued. Man’s freedom of choice should not be controlled by anything – even reason. Despite his unpleasant attitude, the Underground Man does crave attention from others and wants to be respected for his intelligence and knowledge. However, he is completely unable to interact with people normally, a characteristic that is perhaps best illustrated through his experiences with the officer who casually pushes him aside one night when the Underground Man is looking for a fight (48). He tries to bring himself to challenge the officer, but lacks the â€Å"moral courage† to do so because he is convinced that if anyone were to witness him protesting and speaking â€Å"literary Russian,† they would â€Å"misunderstand and jeer at [him]† (49). He becomes obsessed with the idea of confronting the officer, dedicating â€Å"several years† (49) to â€Å"gather[ing] information† about him, even taking a pay advance to buy clothing that he believes will make him and the officer seem â€Å"on an equal footing in the eyes of high society† (5 2). Instigating a conflict is the only way that the Underground Man knows how to somehow participate in life, and regardless of whether or not the interaction he has is a negative one, it’s something. Though itShow MoreRelatedNotes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky1616 Words   |  7 Pagesof the human soul in many of his works, one in particular is Notes from the Underground; which was published in 1864. Notes from the Underground, had a great influence in the 20th century; the novel takes a man’s inability to communicate with society and uses it to teach readers about the importance of other humans in our daily lives and how that affects the way we think, live, and learn. Although the narrator has alienated himself from society, Dostoyevsky uses his knowledge of diction, style, grammarRead MoreNotes From The Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky577 Words   |  2 PagesThe Underground Man is alone because he has chosen to be; he is hyper-conscious, meaning he is too aware and over analyses everything – his biggest worries are petty compared to what is going around him. As a society, we worry so much about ourselves and our own persona, we sometimes become paranoid. A perfect example is given when the Underground Man is on the verge of having dinner with his old comrades and he notices a stain on his trousers â€Å"The worst of it was that on the knee of my trousersRead More The Pathological Protagonist of Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground2598 Words   |  11 PagesThe Pathological Protagonist of Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground Dostoevsky’s vision of the world is violent and his characters tortured; it is no wonder that many have viewed his work as prophetic of the 20th century. However, though Dostoevsky, in his unflinching portrayal of depravity, gives the Devil some of his best arguments, the Gospel often triumphs. Ivan Karamazov is at least offered the possibility of repentance when kissed by his saintly brother Alyosha. Raskolnikov, the nihilisticRead More Notes from Underground: Binding Limits Essay1521 Words   |  7 PagesIn Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground, the underground man struggles between two beliefs. The first acknowledges that his fictional existence is predetermined, subject to his author’s conduct. The second opposes that, insisting the underground man can only live in an undetermined world that extols free will, situating it within the human. For a remedy, the underground man turns to writing, hoping to probe into this duality and to not reject any truth that c omes forth, horrifying or not. ThroughRead More Freedom in Dostoevskys Notes from Underground Essay1818 Words   |  8 PagesFreedom in Dostoevskys Notes from Underground In Dostoevskys Notes from Underground, the Underground Man proposes a radically different conception of free action from that of Kant. While Kant thinks that an agent is not acting freely unless he acts for some reason, the Underground Man seems to take the opposite stance: the only way to be truly autonomous is to reject this notion of freedom, and to affirm ones right to act for no reason. I will argue that the Underground Mans notion of freedomRead MoreDostoyevsky ‘Notes from Underground’ Critique Essay1586 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Notes from Underground† was published in 1864 as a feature presentation of his first 1860 issue â€Å"The Epoch†. â€Å"Notes from Underground† was written by the author during a time when he faced many challenges in his life. Dostoyevsky faced failure in the publishing of his first journal â€Å"Time†, his financial position was becoming weaker and embarrassing. Moreover, his wife was dying and his conservati sm was eroded leading to a decline in his popularity with the liberal reading Russians and consequentlyRead More Socially Constructed Reality and Meaning in Notes from Underground1884 Words   |  8 PagesSocially Constructed Reality and Meaning in Notes from Underground Just as the hands in M.C. Escher’s â€Å"Drawing Hands† both create and are created by each other, the identity of man and society are mutually interdependent. According to the model described in The Sacred Canopy, Peter Berger believes that man externalizes or creates a social reality that is in turn objectified, or accepted by him as real. This sociological model creates a useful framework for understanding the narrator’s rejection Read MoreVoltaire s Candide And Dostoyevsky s Notes From Underground1870 Words   |  8 Pagesworks created to provide emphasis to the importance of moderation, two philosophers in particular, Voltaire and Dostoyevsky, have conceivably accomplished the most exemplary job of delivering evidence in Voltaire’s Candide and Dostoyevsky’s Notes From Underground. Each use the two concepts of reasoning and currency in different ways to express the importance of moderation. In contemporary society, daring to ask a pertinent question on a social platform is feasibly one of the most daunting tasks oneRead More Comparing Power and Freedom in Invisible Man and Notes From Underground3295 Words   |  14 Pagesand Notes From Underground      Ã‚  Ã‚   The quest for power is an endless one for humanity.   Countless tales of greed, strife, and triumph stem from this common ambition.   Similarly, men universally seek freedom, a privilege entitling an individual to make independent decisions and express personal opinion.   Exploration of the connection between these two abstract concepts remains a topic of interest, especially in the works of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man and Fyodor Dostoevskys Notes From UndergroundRead More The Prostitute In Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, and The Meek One1416 Words   |  6 PagesThe Prostitute In Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, and The Meek One The prostitute is a curious fixture of Victorian era literature. In the works of William Thackeray and Samuel Richardson it was almost clichà © for the heroine to end up in a house of prostitution and then to transcend that situation in a show of proper Victorian morals. Having seen many young women forced by extreme poverty to take up the trade of a loose woman, Fyodor Dostoevsky, a petit-bourgeois fallen

Analysis Of The Movie The Smarted Guys - 1584 Words

Ethics Paper OBHR 330 Jayson Havill The history of Enron is described in detail in the film â€Å"The Smarted Guys in the Room†. According to the film, Enron was founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985, functioning originally as a producer and supplier of natural gas. Enron built and operated power plants and pipelines all over the United States. The company’s wealth expanded quickly due to marketing, promotional strategies and stock price. One of the important aspects noted in the film was Lay’s relationship with the Bush family. This will be described in detail later on and becomes a crucial piece of information during the California energy scandal. Enron’s traders were involved in a scandal early on in the company’s history involving the misappropriation of money and oil betting, this became known as the Valhalla scandal. Lay encouraged traders to continue these activities until the company was near bankrupt and finally the top traders involved were fired and convicted. When Jeffrey Skilling was hired, the company started using mark-to-market accounting which allowed the company to record potential profits and giving the appearance that the company is extremely profitable even when it isn’t. Enron continuously created deals and new projects to increase potential profits for the company and never actually making any money in the process. Skilling’s best idea was to turn Enron into a stock market for natural gas. Enron began to move towards trade of energy rather

Criminal Law and Process

Question: David, a 20 year old schizophrenic who was prescribed medication for his condition by his doctor, was married to Josephine for a period of two years. Within the last 9 months David became a weekly binge drinker and in his alcoholic state became very violent towards Josephine. On their wedding anniversary David had planned to spend a quiet evening at home with Josephine and cooked a special meal for the occasion. David had a few drinks whilst cooking the meal and waiting for Josephine. She arrived home some 2 hours late and the meal was ruined. David became very irate, failed to take his medication and confronted Josephine as to her lateness. She plucked up enough courage to tell David that she no longer loved him because he was a madman, that she had a new lover, Len, who she had been seeing for the last 6 months and would be leaving David within a week. David flew into a rage and hit Josephine on the head and chest with a poker, killing her. He is charged with the murder of Josephine. Consider what defences, if any, may be available to David, explaining in your answer the burdens and standards of proof and the respective functions of the judge and jury in dealing with the issues arising in this case. Answer: Brief Facts: David was a schizophrenic who was undergoing medication for his condition. After his marriage, he had become a binge drinker and became very violent towards Josephine. On the day of their wedding anniversary, he had prepared lunch, but Josephine confessed her feelings for Len that day. He was drunk on that day and in a fit of rage, he killed his wife. David is charged with the murder of Josephine. Issue: Based on the facts stated above, the question that arises here is whether David has any defenses available and the burden and standard of proof available. The role of judge and jury and their respective functions in this case. In this case, the Department of Forensic Mental Health Professionals has to conduct an appropriate test for establishing his insanity[1]. The testimony of the forensic department needs to be testified by the Jury. However, the Jury cannot prove the accuser's criminal responsibility. In the same way, the medical practitioners do not have the authority to decide whether the defendant committed the murder or not. Relevant Rules and Procedures: In all crimes, the defense of insanity is available. According to section 2 of the Trial of Lunatics Act, 1883, the jury can declare the defendant to be insane and pass a special verdict that "not guilty because of insanity[2]." This provided habitual admittance to secure a place somewhere to live in. A lifetime institutionalization was granted in cases where the Jury declares the defendant insane. In all instances of murder, the detention is always announced at the discretion of the Judge. This is stated in Section 5 of the Criminal Procedure ( Insanity) Act, 1964. In addition to other defenses, the defense of insanity is unique and can be raised by the judge and prosecution. This is the most frequent defense that is available to the defendant who is guilty of murder. To avoid the plea of guilt, they find a solution in establishing insanity. The defense of insanity is the most common defense, and it has lost its importance in the recent times since the death penalty is abolished[3]. The defense of insanity can be availed only at the following three points: Insanity before examination. Not fit to appeal. Insanity at the time when the offense was committed. The Home Secretary has the authority to arrest the defendant if he is insane at the time when the proceeding was about to start against him. The defendant can be detained and sent to the mental hospital. The offender's state of mind requires an approval of at least two medical practitioners[4]. The Judge or the prosecution defense can raise questions related to the unfitness to plead for the defendant. Section four of the Criminal Procedure Act 1964 (Insanity), states that unique adjudicators are established to decide whether the accused is not fit to plead or not. The decision of the Jury is based on the balance of probabilities. If any of the six things that happened and that was not in the control of the appellant, then the Jury can declare the defendant unfit to plead. The six probabilities are: Understanding of the charges Making a decision whether to appeal responsible or not. Using his power to challenge jurors. Instructing the counsel and solicitors. Following the proceedings of the course. Providing evidence for his defense[5]. The second Jury will establish the actus reus of the crime if the defendant is found not to be fit to plead. If the defendant did not consign the actus reus then that will be the end of that issue, or if the Jury is of the estimation that actus reus was committed, then the Judge can make an order under Section 5 of the Criminal Procedural Act (Insanity) 1964. In the case of R v. Pritchard[6], the defendant was hard of hearing and silent. The Jury held that since the defendant was deaf and dumb at the time of pleading, therefore, there are no means of communicating the details of the trial to the defendant. Hence, the Jury did not hold him guilty due to insanity. The MNaghten Rules[7] are applied to cases where the question of insanity is to be determined at the time of the offense. It must be established that the defendant was suffering from any of the following diseases at the time of the offense: A defect in the power of interpretation. The fault should be caused due to the ailment of the mind. The fault should be of such nature that the defendant did not know what he was doing or if he did not know that act he committed was wrong. In the case of R v. Burgess[8], the claimant was charged with murder because she smashed a bottle over a womans head and then hit her video recorder while she was sleeping. She defended herself stating that she was sleepwalking while she did this and could not recollect any of the events the next morning. Her claim was supported by medical evidence submitted by the medical department. Lord Lane held that we accept that sleep is a normal condition, but the evidence in the instant case indicates that sleepwalking, and particularly violence in the sleep, is not normal[9]. Every accused is presumed to be sane by law and answerable for his actions unless the reverse is proved. This means the onus or the burden of proof lies on the defendant to prove that he was not sane at the time when he committed the crime. In England, the balance of probabilities does the determination whereby the defendant has the onus to prove his insanity. The Human Rights Act of 1998 integrates the European Convention on Human Rights into English law. According to the given section, everyone who is charged with the offense of murder is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty[10]. The Criminal Procedure Act (Insanity) 1991 deals with the function of the jury about insanity. Section one of the Act has explicitly stated the responsibilities of the Jury, that a Jury shall not return a special verdict that "the accused is not guilty because of insanity." The law gives power to the Jury to decide where two medical practitioners are in conflict to determine insanity of a person. Therefore, the Jury has exclusive authority to decide a case than deals with insanity based on the facts and circumstances of the case[11]. Application: In the given case study, David can also defend himself on the ground that he was insane at the time when he killed Josephine. As it was already stated that David was a schizophrenic and was undergoing medication for his condition, therefore, it will be easy for David to prove that he was insane and not in his control at the time of killing his wife. The Jury will decide insanity of David. He will go through a medical test to determine his level of insanity. The Jury will have the sole responsibility to establish his insanity. In case of any conflict, the Jury will exercise his discretionary power and decide the matter based on the facts and circumstances of Davids case. The Jury will determine Davids insanity by applying the balance of probabilities analysis. At the time when David killed his wife, he was drunk and that time he did not have the power to understand that what might be the probable outcome of his action. He was not in a position to decide whether he was supposed to plead guilty or not. Additionally, he did not have the power or the right to challenge the jurors. The burden of proof lies in the hand of David. David has the onus of proving that he is insane. The general rule of law considers everyone innocent and sane, so the burden of proof lies in the hand of David to proof that he is insane. The Jury has to exercise his discretionary power to take decision and consider whether the defenses produced by David are valid or not. Conclusion: The determination based on insanity is criticized on many factors. The first reason this faces criticisms is medical irrelevance. In many cases of insanity, it was noted that the doctors often rely on obsolete methods of determining insanity. They do not use reliable method for determination of insanity. Other reasons why this test is criticized is because of ineffectiveness and scope of the determination[12]. Reference List: Arnell P, Law Across Borders (Routledge 2012) Ashworth A, Zedner L and Tomlin P, Prevention And The Limits Of The Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2013) Ashworth, Andrew, and Jeremy Horder.Principles of criminal law. Oxford University Press, 2013. Clark D, Comparative Law And Society (Edward Elgar 2012) Duff A, The Constitution Of The Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2013) Hall D, Criminal Law And Procedure (Delmar 2011) Herring, Jonathan.Criminal law: text, cases, and materials. Oxford University Press, USA, 2014. Mrazek, Patricia Beezley, and C. Henry Kempe, eds.Sexually Abused Children Their Families. Elsevier, 2014. R vPritchard(1836) 7 C. P. 303 Schmid E, Taking Economic, Social And Cultural Rights Seriously In International Criminal Law SeredynÃÅ' ska I, Insider Dealing And Criminal Law (Springer 2012) Sliedregt E and Vasiliev S, Pluralism In International Criminal Law Stephen, James Fitzjames.A history of the criminal law of England. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Psychoanalytic Criticism Example Essay Example

Psychoanalytic Criticism Example Paper Mliterary criticism, the reasoned consideration of literary works and issues. It applies, as a term, to any argumentation about literature, whether or not specific works are analyzed. Platos cautions against the risky consequences of poetic inspiration in general in his Republic are thus often taken as the earliest important example of literary criticism. More strictly construed, the term covers only what has been called practical criticism, the interpretation of meaning and the Judgment of quality. Criticism in this narrow sense can be distinguished not only from aesthetics (the philosophy of artistic value) but also from other matters that may concern New Criticism New Criticism emphasizes explication, or close reading, of the work itself. It rejects old historicisms attention to biographical and sociological matters. Instead, the objective determination as to how a piece works can be found through close focus and analysis, rather than through extraneous and erudite special nowledge. It has long been the pervasive and standard approach to literature in college and high school curricula. New Criticism, incorporating Formalism, examines the relationships between a texts ideas and its form, between what a text says and the way it says it. New Critics may find tension, irony, or paradox in this relation, but they usually resolve it into unity and coherence of meaning (Biddle 100). New Criticism attempts to be a science of literature, with a technical vocabulary, some of which we all had to learn in Junior high school English classes (third-person, denoument, etc. . Working with patterns of sound, imagery, narrative structure, point of view, and other techniques discernible on close reading of the text, they seek to determine the function and appropriateness of these to the self-contained work. New Critics, especially American ones in the 1940s and 1950s, attacked the standard notion of expressive realism, the romantic fallacy that literature is the efflux of a noble soul, that for example love pours out onto the page in 14 iambic pentameter lines rhyming ABABCD etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychoanalytic Criticism Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Psychoanalytic Criticism Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Psychoanalytic Criticism Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The goal then is not the pursuit of sincerity or authenticity, but subtlety, unity, and integrityand these are properties of the text, ot the author. The work is not the authors; it was detached at birth. The authors intentions are neither available nor desirable (nor even to be taken at face value when supposedly found in direct statements by authors). Meaning exists on the page. Thus, New Critics insist that the meaning of a text is intrinsic and should not be confused with the authors intentions nor the works affective dimension (its impressionistic effects on the reader). The intentional fallacy is when one confuses the meaning of a work with the authors purported intention (expressed in letters, iaries, interviews, for example). The affective fallacy is the erroneous practice of interpreting texts according to the psychological or emotional responses of readers, confusing the text with its results. To do New Critical reading, ask yourself, How does this piece work? Look for complexities in the text: paradoxes, ironies, ambiguities. CriticismArchetypal criticism argues that archetypes determine the form and function of literary works, that a texts meaning is shaped by cultural and psychological myths. Archetypes are the unknowable basic forms personified or oncretized in recurring images, symbols, or patterns which may include motifs such as the quest or the heavenly ascent, recognizable character types such as the trickster or the hero, symbols such as the apple or snake, or images such as crucifixion (as in King Kong, or Bride of Frankenstein)all laden with meaning already when employed in a particular work. Archetypal criticism gets its impetus from psychologist Carl Jung, who postulated that humankind has a collective unconscious, a kind of universal psyche, which is manifested in dreams and myths and which harbors themes and images that we all inherit. Literature, therefore, imitates not the world but rather the total dream of humankind. Jung called mythology the textbook of the archetypes (qtd. in Walker 17). Archetypal critics find New Criticism too atomistic in ignoring intertextual elements and in approaching the text as if it existed in a vacuum. After all, we recognize story patterns and symbolic associations at least from other texts we have read, if not innately; we know how to form assumptions and expectations from encounters with black hats, springtime settings, evil stepmothers, and so forth. So surely meaning cannot exist solely on the age of a work, nor can that work be treated as an independent entity. Archetypal images and story patterns encourage readers (and viewers of films and advertisements) to participate ritualistically in basic beliefs, fears, and anxieties of their age. These archetypal features not only constitute the intelligibility of the text but also tap into a level of desires and anxieties of humankind. [Whereas Freudian, Lacanian, and other schools of psychological criticism operate within a linguistic paradigm regarding the unconscious, the Jungian approach to myth emphasizes the notion of image (Walker 3). Psychoanalytic Criticism Psychoanalytic criticism adopts the methods of reading employed by Freud and later theorists to interpret texts. It argues that literary texts, like dreams, express the secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author, that a literary work is a manifestation of the authors own neuroses. One may psychoanalyze a particular character within a literary work, but it is usually assumed that all such characters are projections of the authors psyche. one interesting facet of this approach is that it validates the importance of literature, as it is built on a literary key for the decoding. Freud himself wrote, The dream-thoughts which we first come across as we proceed with our analysis often strike us by the unusual form in which they are expressed; they are not clothed in the prosaic language usually employed by our thoughts, but are on the contrary represented symbolically by means of similes and metaphors, in images resembling those of poetic speech (26). Like psychoanalysis itself, this critical endeavor seeks evidence of unresolved emotions, psychological conflicts, guilts, ambivalences, and so forth within what may well be a disunified literary work. The authors own childhood raumas, family life, sexual conflicts, fixations, and such will be traceable within the behavior of the characters in the literary work. But psychological material will be expressed indirectly, disguised, or encoded (as in dreams) through principles such as symbolism (the repressed object represented in disguise), condensation (several located onto another image by means of association). Despite the importance of the author here, psychoanalytic criticism is similar to New Criticism in not concerning itself with what the author intended. But what the author never intended (that is, epressed) is sought.