The Role Guilt Plays in Franz Kafkas The Trial Essay -- European Lite

What is guilt? Is Josef K. guilty? What is he guilty of? All of these questions come to mind when you read The Trial by Franz Kafka, but they are not easily answered. The question of guilt is a theme that runs through the entire novel, and it serves to enlighten the reader as to what, I believe, Kafka is trying to say. So what is Kafka trying to say? If one looks at the opening sentence, in the light of the rest of the novel, I believe that it helps to clue us into Kafka's message. The fact that K. believes he has not done "anything truly wrong" (3) harkens back to the question of guilt. So because K. feels he is not fully guilty of anything, why is he hounded by the law? This is where the main theme of the book comes into play in my opinion. Kafka wants us to recognize, with the help of the opening sentence, that K. has done something wrong: he has lived an unexamined life dominated by routine, normalcy, and other people. This is what K. is guilty of. Is living an unexamined life "truly wrong?" I think that Kafka is arguing that it is wrong because by leading that type of life one is merely walking through life blind and not reaching our full potential. The first inkling of the fact that K. lives his life with blinders on, focused merely on the day to day, is his lack of recognition about a number of things. He does not know if he might have committed some minor infraction for which he is now being arrested. He does not realize that the guards are men that work at the bank with him. Later on his way to the court for the first time he makes the realization that he noticed something he normally would not have. All these things point to the fact that K. just goes about his business and day to day affairs with out care for his su... ...comes quite evident. Kafka is calling for all of humanity to stand up and take control of their own lives. Through self-examination, Kafka believes, that we can come to terms with some personal truth that gives this life meaning. For years people have looked to worldly and spiritual vehicles to find meaning, Kafka is urging that we instead turn inside to within and find something in our own humanity that gives this life meaning. Much like Goethe, Kafka believes our free will is what makes us human, and the exercise of free will is what makes or lives truly meaningful. So, do not rely on the whims of the governing or even the church; make your own decisions. Kafka urges to decide every day how you are going to live your life and then do it because you never know when the Day of Judgment may come. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. The Trial. New York: Schocken Books, 1998.

Portrayal of Marriage in Wuthering Heights and Scarlet Letter Essay exa

â€Å"The convention of marriage is portrayed as a force which is detrimental to characters achieving their desires† Set in the North of England, the convention of marriage is prominent in Victorian society. This is shown as very detrimental to many characters in Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s ‘Wuthering Heights’ leading to marriages in which, neither the bride nor groom know each other well enough to spend their lives together, causing a breakdown of their relationship and pain for surrounding characters. Brontà « shows that, without love, a marriage is unable to function and prevents those involved from achieving their desires. In ‘Scarlet Letter’, Nathaniel Hawthorne proves to the reader that an unfortunate marriage can lead to adultery, revenge and unhappiness, caused by traditional conventionality. Catherine’s marriage to Edgar Linton is motivated by her desires to advance socially causing severe emotional damage for herself, Linton and of course, Heathcliff, who feels total adoration towards her. The force of conventionality is shown by Brontà « here, as although Catherine is so powerfully in love with Heathcliff and has such intense feelings towards him, she marries Linton instead, with whom she shares nothing like the love and connection that she has with Heathcliff. Brontà « not only shows here the faults within Catherine’s character but also the problems within society at the time, that money and status are most important in finding a husband. Heathcliff views this marriage as betrayal, bringing out the worst in his character as he dedicates his life to planning revenge. By denying herself union with Heathcliff she causes herself and Heathcliff deep emotional pain. The convention in Victorian society of marriage being a way of advancing socially ... ...as an obligation, where you were unable to choose your husband or had to choose for financial stability rather than love and companionship. The Church at the time of the setting was highly condemnatory against sin, most particularly in this case where a woman betrays the contract of marriage as men were seen as the most important and respect worthy in a marriage with women treated as second class citizens. In conclusion, one can see that in both novels the idea that the convention of marriage can cause many problems and can overall be detrimental to characters achieving their desires as in Wuthering Heights we see the torment of characters whom the marriage has caused pain and we also see the damaging effects of marriage in The Scarlet Letter as we see Hester’s love life shatter as she breaks the bond of marriage that was so sacred in the 17th century by adultery.

The Breakfast Club Essay -- essays research papers

A Misleading Exterior In the film, The Breakfast Club (1985), John Bender, the slovenly rebel at Shermer High School in Chicago, is serving a Saturday detention with four very different students. Right from the beginning, Bender exhibits the qualities of a destructive and thoughtless criminal, i.e., he taunts everyone else in order to hide his personal inadequacies. Whenever Bender is questioned by his peers about a personal issue, or whenever he cannot provide a clear answer to a question, he—albeit defensively— responds in a facetious and irritated manner. Bender demonstrated this when Andrew Clark, the â€Å"sporto†, told him that he did not count, and that â€Å"if [he] disappeared forever it wouldn’t make any difference.† Distraught from Andrew’s blunt comment, Bender sarcastically retorted, â€Å"Well, I’ll just run right out and join the wrestling team...† As time goes on, Bender slowly sheds his rough attitude and starts opening up his true s elf to the other students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first, Bender is a crude ruffian, who no one respects, particularly Mr. Richard Vernon, the disciplinarian at the high school. When all of the students arrive in the library for their detention, Bender—showing no respect for Vernon’s rules—is the first to communicate with the rest of them. Bender continually proposes tempting, yet unlawful things to do. However, the other students, who dislike Bender, refuse to listen. As soon as Mr. Vernon leaves the gives the students an essay...

Why Homework Is Bad

For decades, teachers have delegated homework to students. The purpose of homework is to discover if students understand the material well enough to complete an assignment on their own. Yet, is homework really helping kids or hurting them? From teachers’ point of view, homework is helpful to get an idea of how well students understand the material. On the other hand, from the parents’ and students’ point of view, homework is extremely stressful and time-consuming. I believe that homework doesn’t help students and may actually be hurting them.First, homework isn't helping kids as they rarely have time to get outside and be active. Without time to get outside and exercise, more and more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD and obesity. They don’t get to have fun and let out energy so when they are at school for seven hours a day they have a harder time concentrating. This has become a growing problem with middle and high school students as many schools have taken out physical education from the school schedule.When kids get home, they won’t have time for exercise if they have hours of homework waiting for them. Second, kids are only kids once and need time to do what they want. They need creative outlets for their personal interests, like music, drama, and sports. If kids have no time to do what they want, are they going to be happy? Of course not! If they aren't happy, will they try their best in school? Doubtful. When tired kids get overwhelmed with work, they block out or miss important information in the classroom.Then, they don’t have what they need to know for their homework and what about that test next week in Spanish class? Are they going to get a good grade on that? No! Not completing homework has a domino effect. When the teacher explains tonight's homework and stressed kids don’t get it, let’s just say, â€Å"It’s going to be a very long night! † Kids can get so upset over home work; it doesn’t only affect the child but also the parents. Wouldn’t life be so much easier without homework? A third reason that homework doesn’t help is that children are growing and need more sleep.Now that homework has become a huge part of a child's night, it is still being done late into the night. Most kids are getting less than seven hours of sleep. If kids don't get a good night’s sleep, how do parents and teachers expect them to do their best in school? When kids are tired, they are more likely to get overwhelmed and stressed. If exhausted, do you think their work is going to be quality? No! Doing poorly on homework impacts kids’ grades. Homework has become something that children stress over every night. Let’s put it this way, homework is not helping.It is causing more kids to get diagnosed with ADHD and obesity since they don’t have the time to just get outside and play in the bright, sunny outdoors . Because they have ho mework piling up, they have less time to just be kids and do what they want. Also, kids don’t get enough sleep with so much homework every night! Think about what life would be like without homework. The world would be a better place and kids would be doing so much better in school. Have you ever thought about the fact that children spend most of their day doing school related things? Does homework still seem like a good idea? ?

The Uncommon Soldier

U. S. Women’s History 10/19/12 An Uncommon Soldier: Fighting for the â€Å"Home† Front Throughout the passage of time, in order to make sense of the world and justify established ideologies, man has put forth disproportionate effort into defining what is deemed by the masses as acceptable and appropriate. With the formation of these social life requirements, it goes without saying there will be outliers who do not fit this man-created construct, either by innate or self-realized characteristics. This social restraint is undoubtedly the source of much emotional turmoil and unrest.Here is where Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s story begins. As a white, American woman born in the 1800’s, Wakeman’s scope of â€Å"acceptable† life directions was very limited, and much can be said about how she dealt with the obstacles created by the aforementioned social constraints. Wakeman’s decision to leave home, and assume the characteristics of a man, was more out of a sense of familial duty than an outward expression of suppressed sexual identity. In order to better understand Sarah’s motivation one must first analyze her childhood and the environmental factors which molded her.Born on January 16, 1843, in what would become Afton, New York, to Harvey and Emily Wakeman, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman was the eldest of 9 children, seven of whom were female. To Harvey and Emily’s dismay, Sarah and her two siblings that followed were all female, which was less than to be desired during the era. Sarah was nearly nine years old before Emily was able to give Harvey a son (Burgess, 101). At that time, children were expected to begin helping the parents by contributing as soon as there was work compatible and â€Å"appropriate† for their age and gender.This is how Sarah’s transformation was necessitated. To understand these driving forces in more depth, one must take a look at the role Sarah played in her home life. Sarah†™s dad, Harvey, found the easiest way to support his family, as many did during this time, was through agriculture. The amount of work required to be successful in that endeavor during that time period, far exceeded the capabilities of one man. Since they were in the north, the possibility of slave labor was nonexistent, so as was customary of most family farms from the period, Harvey attempted to create an army of his own metaphorical laves, his children. With her innate familial duty and lack of male siblings, Sarah had no choice but to step up. While the letters do not technically say that she played a large role in what would have been considered male gendered labor, Burgess as well as other historians, are left to speculate based upon her communications with her father, â€Å"†¦ Rosetta’s high level of interest in her father’s farming, her knowledge of the details of the family farm, and her desire to own her own farm after the war are evidence that she se rved as her father’s farmhand,† (Burgess, 9).This knowledge and desire were attributes associated with being male and not seen as traits a woman could or should possess. Working the farm alongside her father had more life-altering implications than can be determined without further dissection. While most professions today are not gendered, farm work is still connotated to be in the male domain, as the work is strenuous and more physically demanding than most. If 150 years later, even after the advent of modern technology, it is still considered to be a gendered role, one can only imagine the psychological toll this upbringing played on her identity (Chambers, 10/19/12).After years of transitioning between her societal gender role and the gender role made necessary by her family, the delineation became less distinct. The manual labor sculpted Sarah, instilling in her a â€Å"man’s† work ethic, as well as diminishing the strength of her more feminine qualiti es, while amplifying those characteristics associated with the male gender (Chambers, 10/19/12). Her transformation into a man was a process that began there as a child, doing what was necessary to help her family. This established precedent of doing what is necessary sets the stage for her future endeavors.One major benefit of having a female child, during this period, was that once the girl was of age and could be married off, usually around their early teens, they were no longer the financial burden of the family. â€Å"At 19 years of age, Rosetta appeared to have no prospects for marriage, which would have relieved the family of her care,† (Burgess, 9). As the eldest child, with the most responsibility, she understood better than her siblings how her not getting married off was detrimental to the advancement of her family.By the time she had reached this point in her life, her brother Robert was old enough to start working the land alongside Harvey, filling the void Sarah had been filling her entire life. Around the same time that Sarah began to lose her utility at home, Harvey brought the family into some financial turmoil with a hefty debt. After having filled the role as a major contributor and gaining the sense of fatherly duty in caring for the family, Sarah arrived at an impasse.In her mind, the family was still financially dependent upon her, yet â€Å"†¦ her farm work would have been of limited value in paying her father’s debt, and her work as a domestic could not have paid enough to substantially assist her family,† (Burgess, 9). The ways in which she had previously been aiding her family were no longer sufficient. It was at this point in Sarah’s life that she made the conscious decision to go against the confines of society, which would ultimately lead to both her demise as well as her post-mortem fame.Her decision to assume the gender role of a man was a thoroughly calculated one, â€Å"Rosetta realized that on e of the only ways open to finding an honorable position that paid enough for her to assist her indebted family was by dressing and acting the part of a man,† (Burgess, 9). This transition was not the leap it would have been for most women put into her situation, as she had been unknowingly preparing for this her entire life. With her newly realized gender, she would be able to remove her burden from the family, and further benefit them by providing a means to alleviate her father’s debt.Sarah took on a male role with the purpose of finding a job that paid a man’s salary, for it was only as a man that she would be able to make a significant difference. When she first left home in August of 1862, she began working at a coal barge doing manual labor. Similarly to the work she did with Harvey, the job was very physically taxing and further strengthened her work ethic. If Sarah had set out to become a man with any intention other than to support her family then she w ould have most likely stayed there where she was earning enough to be self-sufficient.However her goal was not to become a man, but to do her part for her family. As a result of that, when she was given the opportunity to make a significant difference, at sever personal risk, for her family, she took it. This opportunity presented itself when soldiers from the 153rd Regiment recruited her. â€Å"The $152. 00 bounty offered to enlistees in the 153rd was over a year’s wages to even the ‘male’ Rosetta,† (Burgess, 10). Had Sarah not decided to go out and find work as a man, there would have been no chance of her earning that kind of money, especially not all at once.In addition to the initial lump sum, as a soldier she could guarantee a steady flow of money to her family. In fact she even said, â€Å"I am getting 13 dollars per month, I will send part of it home to you,† which shows that she is doing all possible to keep money going to her family. Witho ut the motivation to earn for her family, there would have been no benefits to her enlisting. More proof that Sarah took on the male role to provide for her family appear in her letters.Many of the letter she sent to her family contained money intended for the family, â€Å"When I send you money I want you to lay it out for the family,† (6/5/1863, Burgess, 31). This clearly shows the money she sent back was for the purpose of supporting the family. It also indicates that she was not sending them money for any reason but benefitting the family. She strongly expresses that point by specifically allocating the funds in several of her letters. In modern times, most people who trade gender roles do it for reasons of sexual expression, whereas Sarah was not sexually confused.This is evidenced most strongly by her relationship with Alfonzo Stewart. Alfonzo Stewart was a ranch hand that worked with Harvey on the farm. Their relationship, if one did truly exist, would have been kept s ecret as he was 25 years older (Chambers, 10/19/12). This is another contrast, between 19th century and 21st century America, because of the fact that a 25 year age difference today is not unheard of, whereas Sarah and Alfonzo’s relationship would have been prohibited. More evidence suggesting Sarah’s heterosexual nature is presented in her letter home on the 19th of June, 1863.While this is not the first letter bringing up Alfonzo, it is the first one that emphasizes her emotional investment in him. It is in this letter than she refers to him by a nickname. She writes,â€Å" †¦ let me know all about farming and how long do you intend to keep Fony, (June 19, 1863, Burgess, 32). While this does not directly prove that there was a sexual relationship taking place, it does suggest that there was, at very least, a strong enough closeness to have special names for each other. The pet name is not the extent of the evidence supporting this claim.In a previous letter, Sa rah mentions Alfonzo in a flirting manner stating, â€Å"Tell me all about Alfonzo. Tell him that I can make the best soldier than he would,† (June 5, 1863, Burgess, 32). This is a prime example of primitive flirting as Sarah’s intent was to tease Alfonzo, and ensure that she was still in his thoughts. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman is the truest definition of a hero. She did whatever it took, and sacrificed everything to take care of her family. Having no brothers old enough to work the field, Sarah began playing the part of a man by working alongside her father on their farm.From that time on, her characteristics only developed more to fit the male role. When she turned 19 she was forced to make the biggest decision, her own identity. She chose to leave home, as a man, to find work to support her family. Contrary to the ideologies behind gender-crossing today, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s transformation was not to express suppressed sexual identity, but rather to ensure she would be able to provide for her family and continue her role as a parental figure.

Describe the Fluid-Mosaic Model of a Plasma Membrane

Describe the fluid-mosaic model of a plasma membrane. Discuss the role of the membrane in the movement of materials through it by each of the following processes: a. Active transport b. Passive transport The plasma membrane is a semi permeable barrier that separates the inside of the cell from the outside environment. The plasma membrane is made up of carbohydrates, cholesterol, proteins, and a lipid bilayer, or double layer of lipids. The plasma membrane may be known as a fluid mosaic model where the membrane is a fluid structure with various proteins embedded in or attached to the bilayer of phospholipids.The plasma membrane possesses hydrophilic tails and hydrophobic tails, which may be referred to as amphiphilic. There are various ways that materials may pass through the membrane. Movement across the membrane may be classified into two different categories, passive transport and active transport. Passive transport does not require energy to occur. During passive transport the mol ecules will move from a place of high concentration to a place of low concentration.In other words, the molecules are moving down their concentration gradient. A concentration gradient is the increase or decrease in the density of a chemical substance in an area. The three types of passive transport are diffusion, osmosis, and facilitated diffusion. Diffusion is the tendency for molecules of any substance to spread out into the available space. The plasma membrane is semi permeable so diffusion across the plasma membrane may only occur with a few substances such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and alcohol.Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane. When osmosis occurs in the plasma membrane the molecules will move from hypotonic to hypertonic. Facilitated Diffusion is polar molecules and ions impeded by the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane diffusing passively with the help of transport proteins that span the membrane. The transport protein, aquaporins, will allow for water to diffuse passively. There are other transport proteins, such as glucose umps, that aid with the movement of materials. Active transport is movement across the membrane that does require energy to occur. ATP will supply the energy for active transport. During active transport, molecules will move from places of low concentration to places of high concentration. Active transport requires energy because it must transport the molecules against their concentration gradient. There are four different subdivisions of active transport, primary, secondary, endocytosis, and exocytosis.Primary active will manifest in the form of certain transport proteins that require energy to function, such as the sodium-potassium pump. Secondary active transport is another subdivision of active transport. During secondary active transport molecules may move by symtransport, which is particles moving in the same direction, or antitransport, which is particles moving in the opposite dire ction. Primary and secondary active transport is utilized for small particles to be transported across the plasma membrane.Endocytosis is the cellular uptake of macromolecules and particulate substances by localized regions of the plasma membrane that surround the substance and pinch off to form an intracellular vesicle. Endocytosis is for materials that may be entering the cell. Endocytosis may be completed by phagocytosis, pinocytosis, and receptor-mediated endocytosis. Phagocytosis is a cell engulfing a particle by wrapping pseudopodia around it and packaging it within a membrane-enclosed sac to be digested. Pinocytosis is a cell â€Å"gulping† droplets of extracellular fluid into tiny vesicles.Receptor-mediated endocytosis is the movement of specific molecules into a cell by the inward budding of membranous vesicles containing proteins with receptor sites specific to the molecules being taken in. Receptor-mediated endocytosis is accomplished with the help of hormones. Exo cytosis is the cellular secretion of macromolecules by the fusion of vesicles with the plasma membrane. Exocytosis is for materials that may be exiting the cell. Exocytosis may also be referred to as secretion or excretion. Secretion is the expulsion of digestive enzymes while excretion is the expulsion of waste.

Aftermath – creative writing

BANG! I woke. I opened my eyes but was unable to see. The dust had settled like concrete boulders into the corners of my eyes! Everything was deadly still. The wind fiercely gave a shout. A black cloud stood dominating the demolished town. I moved my hands to wipe my irritated eyes, boulders, brickwork, broken furniture and complete devastation stood before me. A ray of light appeared through cracks of the rubble. The boulders took on features like monsters and ogres – making my chest tighten with fear. I vociferated for help. No one was around. I was scared: Petrified. I managed to pull my achy bones out from the debris, the pain was horrific. I could feel the cold misty wind stroke my face. In the far distance I could hear low voices that became louder and louder: hysterical screams. I attempted to crawl my way towards the noise – in hope for help. Shards of glass dug into the palms of my hands. Warm blood trickled down my knees, my throat tightened with the dirty dense dust. I could taste the fear. Behind me I heard a crackle. I turned. The flames of fire danced before my eyes. The heat scorched my face like the hottest sauna could. The smoke was a ferocious lion ready to pounce. I moved as quickly as I could, using all the energy I had. Slowly crawling like a young baby. I felt hopeless: disconsolate! The further I crawled the louder the low voices became. It was a horrendous atmosphere! The town had become a tragedy! Buildings around me had collapsed surrounded with sneaky smoke, brickwork and furniture were slowly burning away, the air was thick full of unknown flumes, why wasn't anyone around? What had happened? No building stood tall, burnt out office work scattered the debris, ashes and litter played in the wind. My body filled with just one emotion: anxiety. Cars around me were smashed and strangled with fire. I watched in dismay. Crashing noises appeared. Brickwork collapsed- followed with a speechless smash. More rubble fell with bold broken bang! Screaming voices emerged. I crawled towards the screams. I was able to hear sirens wailing in the faint distance carried by the wind. I began to see flashing lights though the dark debris. There was only one word to describe it: hope. Suddenly I glimpsed with the squint of the eye. The site of panicked people was ahead of me. My heart skipped a beat. I shouted, â€Å"Hello, can you hear me†. No one replied. â€Å"Can you hear me?† I screamed. I waited. I listened. A young lady ran over to me. â€Å"Its okay, you're safe now,† announced the lady. â€Å"What's happened? What's happened?† I repeated. She didn't answer. She grabbed my arm and wrapped it round her neck giving me support. We approached the flashing lights. Countless amounts of ambulances and fire engines appeared. Hundreds of people were gathered staring at the ruined town. Many people were hysterically screaming and crying. Dead bodies were covered with white cloths. I became speechless. Tears ran down my face. â€Å"Its over, you survived†, quietly explained the young lady. I took a big breath. I closed my eyes. I thought. One word repeated through my head: lucky.