Theodore Roethke Biography free essay sample

Theodore Roethke: Impact on Literature There are many influential aspects of life such as a persons childhood, family, or career just to name a few. What makes these effects so influential is their impact on everyday habits and important decisions people have to make. Poets are no exception to this same idea. In fact, the events that affect the poets life can be seen through his or her writings. Theodore Roethke, a twentieth century poet, is a great example of this concept. Along with many other influences, one could argue that the three most influential aspects of the life and time of Theodore Roethke were his childhood greenhouse, his physical and mental health, and the literary period during which he wrote. Theodore Roethke was born in Saginaw, Michigan where his parents owned a local greenhouse along with his uncle (Seager 6). He began to teach at various schools such as Harvard and Lafayette College, but once the Great Depression came he was forced to leave them behind (71). Roethke was hospitalized for what would be a reoccurring mental illness. In 1923, his father died of cancer and around the same time his uncle committed suicide. He went on to marry Beatrice OConnell in 1953 and ten years later in 1963, he suffered from a fatal heart attack and died (104). During the last years of his life he composed 61 award-winning, new poems that are still fairly popular to this day (87). The greenhouse of Roethkes childhood would prove to have a substantial impact on his writings later on in life. He wrote in his poetry, the greenhouse is my symbol for the whole of life, a womb, a heaven-on-earth(Kramer 22). Among his earlier poems, the most interesting and more noticed are those which evoke his childhood, his life as the son of a florist (Carruth 25). Babette Deutsch stated, His work gains from the fact that his childhood was intimately bound up with the life of a Michigan greenhouse, which, physically and otherwise, was to afford the material for some of his est lyrics (165). What she is trying to say is that the majority of Roethkes inspiration and ideas for his poetry came from his greenhouse in Michigan. Deutsch goes on to name some titles of works that show influence of the greenhouse like Root Cellar, Flower Dump, and Moss Gathering. In Roethkes poem The Waking, there seems to have been a transformation from his easy going, nature-loving philosophy into an almost musical format which could be considered soothing. This poem is a short reflection on both living and learning, and is one of the finest villanelles in English. As the biographer Alan Seager quotes, Roethke wrote, I can sense the moods of nature almost instinctively When I get alone under an open sky Im tremendously exalted and a thousand vivid ideas and sweet visions flood my consciousness (55). In order to reflect on living and learning, he uses nature as a tool because of how well he can relate and how relationships between nature and life help people see the hidden messages in a different way. For example, in The Waking, his advice is to relax and enjoy nature, not to strive too hard like the lowly worm who pointlessly climbs the winding stair and not to become too worried about living or learning (Cone). Also, he implies that the truly important knowledge will come just as easily as the trees change with the seasons (Turner). Along with that, he used a complex vision of the greenhouse poems and his great ability to humanize the details and moods of nature, as symbols of large truths about all of life, which is important to his poetic accomplishments (Carruth 168-169). Poems published in The Lost Son and Other Poems, show themes in which his imagination returned to the Saginaw greenhouse and found there images of the dank, ugly and incredible forces which are the fundamentals of life as he stated. A greenhouse is the country of Roethkes childhood, the inevitable place of his return. This world under glass where, as a boy, small among the the lovely diminutives, he grubbed, weeded, pruned, transplanted, is bound in with his family, for whom it was, presumably, an economic as well as a physical center of gravity (Kunitz 177). He speaks of this greenhouse with love and its invincible Becoming. He believed in natures green force and stretching and reaching of plants (Kunitz 178). For example in his poem Cuttings, he stated: This urge, wrestle, resurrection of dry sticks, Cut stems struggling to put down feet, What saint strained so much, Rose on such lopped limbs to a new life? (Roethke, Cuttings) Kunitz is not stating that Roethkes greenhouse world is rosy, innocent, optimistic, or anything along those lines. Instead Kunitz claims it swarms with malevolent forces, or in other words wicked and evil things. It is a place of scums, mildews, and smuts; of slug-soft stems; of obscenely lolling forms; a place of moist and rank. What a congress of stinks! It is engulfing, and horribly fecund (Kunitz 177). Roethkes earlier poems were about groping roots, straining tendrils, the turmoil of growth in a steamy greenhouse. From this Roethke passed to a consideration of all primitive life, the dark life of a weed and m innow at the bottom of a woodland pond, and the equally dark life of children (Carruth 198). In complete contrast to the previous argument that Roethkes writing about nature is dark and evil, in Requiem for Gods Gardener, the criticism says that Roethkes outlook on nature is that of beauty and not evil. Carruth states that Roethkes best poems about nature were created with his great imaginative powers, as well as using other sources like Taoism, Amerindian poetry, Mother Goose, and mostly things he invented himself. He was also a birdwatcher, an excellent one, and his professional knowledge of flowers is said to have begun within his fathers greenhouses. In the poem All Morning he brings together the minute felicities of songbirds, even their cutenesses, the things we depreciate on greeting cards, and does it so unaffectedly that suddenly we realize he has touched the elemental force of the universe (Carruth 199). He writes of natures larger aspects, such as movements of waters and mountains, which contradicts his previous nature poems that rely on small, detailed features like plant roots, and parts of leaves. When he writes about mountains and waters, he evokes a sense of cosmic restlessness or in other words, natures constant motion.

This is a reflection paper for... free essay sample

This is a reflection paper for Self-Psychology class, Spring Quarter taught by Dr. Lane Gerber.For this paper, Alina Olaru and Michael Gonzales are working together and they have chosen to write about Ordinary People, a psychological movie. This movie has had a tremendous impact on us, and after watching it and discussing it, we had concluded that the story unfolded in the movie is a very representative example for the field of psychology and especially psychotherapy.Alina:Ordinary People is the story of a family of four once, now of three (Conrad, Calvin and Beth) and focuses mainly on the three of them after the accident and the way they deal with the pain and recovery after the loss. The film presents a family that has turned into separate individuals living in the same house and who cannot communicate their pain positively. The familys inability to communicate their problems and to work together as a system lead them down to a path where they each felt an individual breakdown and eventually one as a family. We will write a custom essay sample on This is a reflection paper for or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Conrad shows serious signs of depression and PTSD and he has trouble sleeping, presenting on and off nightmares of trauma. His overall life and activities it has been affected tremendously by this trauma and he doesnt show any signs of recovering. Conrad is the identified patient of the Jarrett s family and he is the youngest son of the family. He returns home after four months of hospitalizing after a serious suicide attempt. Because the novel focuses on two different people, there are several conflicts throughout the novel that are specific to those individuals. The central question in Conrads story is whether he will be able to recover after his suicide attempt. As Dr. Berger points out, half the people who attempt suicide will try to do it again at some point in their lives. The inclusion of Karens suicide towards the end of the novel is a way of reminding the reader that Conrad may not have recovered completely even when he seems to be getting better; after all, Karen seemed to be doing well when Conrad met her for a Coke earlier in the novel.Another important part of this story is if Calvin (father) and Beth (mother) can recover and work their problems together. Their conflict is fundamentally around the communications problems between them. My understanding is that Calvin believes that their problems can be solved through communications and through talks and expressing feelings, while Beth doesnt seem to explore much of the past instead she wants to move on with her life. The mother who represents the perfectionism, wants everything to appear to be normal. She thinks Conrad s suicide attempt wanted to hurt her, and she doesnt know how to deal with it and how to really show affection to him. She seems to have lost this part of herself and doesnt want to make efforts to regain her parenthood skills.The movie in general unfolds the story of Conrad whom deals with

Franchthi Cave on the Mediterranean Sea

Franchthi Cave on the Mediterranean Sea Franchthi Cave is a very large cave, overlooking what is now a small inlet off the Aegean Sea in the southeastern Argolid region of Greece, near the modern town of Koiladha. The cave is the epitome of every archaeologists dreama site constantly occupied for thousands of years, with wonderful preservation of bones and seeds throughout. First occupied during the early Upper Paleolithic sometime between 37,000 and 30,000 years ago, Franchthi Cave was the site of human occupation, pretty much consistently up until about the final Neolithic Period about 3000 BC. Franchthi Cave and the Early Upper Paleolithic Franchthis deposits measured over 11 meters (36 feet) in thickness. The oldest layers (Stratum P-R in two trenches) belong to the Upper Paleolithic. A recent reanalysis and new dates on the oldest three levels was reported in the journal Antiquity in late 2011. Stratum R (40-150 cm thick), lower part is Aurignacian, upper part Gravettian, 28,000-37,000 cal BPStratum Q (5-9 cm), volcanic tephra representing ash from the Campanian Ignimbrite, Aurignacian lithic materials, rabbit and cat bones, 33,400-40,300 cal BP-Stratum P (1.5-2 meters thick), undistinguished lithic industry, poorly-preserved mammal bone, 34,000-41,000 cal BP The Campanian Ignimbrite (CI Event) is a volcanic tephra thought to have occurred from an eruption in the Phlegraean Fields of Italy which occurred ~39,000-40,000 years before the present (cal BP). Noted in many Aurignacian sites across Europe, notably at Kostenki. Shells of Dentalium spp, Cyclope neritea and Homolopoma sanguineum were were recovered from all three UP levels; some appear to be perforated. Calibrated dates on the shell (with consideration for the marine effect) are in roughly the correct chronostratigraphic sequence but vary between ca 28,440-43,700 years before the present (cal BP). See Douka et al for additional information. Significance of Franchthi Cave There are many reasons why Franchthi Cave is an important site; three of them are the length and period of occupation, the quality of preservation of the seed and bone assemblages, and the fact that it was excavated in modern times. Length and period of occupation. The site was occupied, more or less continuously, for about 25,000 years, during which time came the invention of agriculture and pastoralism. What that means is that changes that were wrought by these phenomenal leaps in human understanding can be traced at one place, by examining differences between different layers. Quality of preservation. In most of the layers excavated at Franchthi cave, remnants of animals and plants in the form of bone, shell, seed, and pollen were preserved. These kinds of artifacts have provided researchers with a wealth of information concerning diet and the course of domestication. Modern excavation techniques. Franchthi cave was excavated in the late 1960s and early 1970s, by the Universities of Indiana and Pennsylvania and the American School in Classical Studies at Athens. These researchers paid attention to stratigraphic layers, and kept much of the faunal and floral materials that would have been ignored or thrown aw ay in earlier times. Franchthi Cave was excavated under the direction of T.W. Jacobsen of Indiana University, between 1967 and 1979. Investigations since then have concentrated on the millions of artifacts recovered during the excavations. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Upper Paleolithic, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Deith MR, and Shackleton JC. 1988. The contribution of shells to site interpretation: Approaches to shell material from Franchthi Cave. In: Bintlinff JL, Davidson DA, and Grant EG, editors. Conceptual Issues in Environmental Archaeology. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press. p 49-58. Douka K, Perles C, Valladas H, Vanhaeren M, and Hedges REM. 2011. Franchthi Cave revisited: the age of the Aurignacian in south-eastern Europe. Antiquity 85(330):1131-1150. Jacobsen T. 1981. Franchthi Cave and the beginnings of settled village life in Greece. Hesperia 50:1-16. Shackleton JC. 1988. Marine molluscan remains from Franchthi Cave. Excavations at Franchthi Cave, Greece. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Shackleton JC, and van Andel TH. 1986. Prehistoric shore environments, shellfish availability, and shellfish gathering at Franchthi, Greece. Geoarchaeology 1(2):127-143. Stiner MC, and Munro ND. 2011. On the evolution of diet and landscape during the Upper Paleolithic through Mesolithic at Franchthi Cave (Peloponnese, Greece). Journal of Human Evolution 60(5):618-636.

Lord Of The Flies Play Essays - English-language Films, Films

Lord Of The Flies Play Essays - English-language Films, Films Lord Of The Flies Play 29/1/00 M3 Lord of the Files( Review) The theatre version of Lord of the Flies based on the novel by William Golding and adapted by Nigel Williams are now being presented in the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, London. Tickets cost about 7.00. This review is comparing the book and how Nigel Williams adapted it. The theatre version of Lord of the Flies is very good. Interesting and always in the climax. The actors are not little kids and there are not lots of them. There are only 8 actors. Some of the actors take 2 or 3 roles. The adult actors acted like a bunch of kids, which was very effective. The way the stage is set out was terrific, the moves around and about on the stage were really planned out well. The stage is a wrecked plane broken in to 2 parts. Actors used up all the stage. See diagram. For example when it is the mountain scene the fire on top of the shelter is lit up and the movable part is facing towards us with the highest point towards the audience. When simon is running down the mountain the movable parts were facing with the lowest point towards us so that it creates a downhill effect. Piggy was a very good actor. The person who took the role of piggy really sounded like piggy.(cockney accent). Some of Piggys lines were cut out and the way the Piggy died was totally different. Ralph was played by a good actor. The actor was really active, hyper, and was very childlike. He was serious and sometimes fun like in the book. Jack was not what I expected. The entrance of the choir was very good but Jacks voice was just to high pitched and annoying. If Jack were a bit more serious and manly he would have been the perfect actor. Jack sounded too childish. Simon was a very good actor. He was interesting. I taught that the actor had the potential to be like Ralph but because he plays Simon he doesnt talk that much. The way he did was very good and interesting. The others chased him so that he is going up the mountain but then he gets killed. They move the movable parts and the body slides down for jack to take off stage. Overall the play was very good just as the book. Bu if youre lazy and dont like reading this is highly recommended. But still it is recommended to every one ages 13 - as old as the oldest person in the world. Bibliography the Play Production in the lyric theater in london

International Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International Relations - Research Paper Example Intergovernmental organizations are formed to address specific issues such as security, trade, the welfare of refugees and children, environmental conservation and management and food safety. These intergovernmental organizations engage nation-states to reach agreements, treaties and protocols that bind and which are crucial to solving some of the issues that characterize international relations. Multi-national corporations are large, wealthy, and it is impossible to deny their influence on the international stage. Multi-national corporations play a controversial role in many aspects of the foreign policy of nation-states, but their participation is considered good politics and business. Multinational corporations create many opportunities for employment and the huge profits they make increase the wealth of nations. Non-governmental organizations actively participate in international activities that are common to many nation-states. Non-governmental organizations tackle a variety of issues that include poverty, human rights, gun control and provision of education. Non-governmental organizations that address human right issues operate across nation-states and which focus on protecting human rights. Intergovernmental organizations, multi-national corporations, and non-governmental organizations have enhanced their influence in international activities, and it is impossible to ignore their participation blatantly. These three act as the thread that connects the nation-states of the world together.

Coursework in Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coursework in Economics - Essay Example given that the price remains constant, the demand curve may shift upwards or downward, some of the reasons why the demand curve shifts include a change in future price expectations, consumers may opt to purchase more today to avoid high prices in the future or purchase less to purchase at low prices in the future, (Hardwick (2002)). The following table shows an example of downward shift and upward shift in demand: From the above diagram assuming that demand curve 0 is the original demand curve, a downward shift in the demand curve will shift the demand curve to demand curve 1 while an upward shift will shift the demand curve to demand curve 2. A shift in supply curve occurs when the quantity supplied increases or decreases given that the price remains constant, the supply curve may shift upwards or downward, (Hardwick (2002)). The following table shows a downward and upward shift in supply: From the above diagram assuming that supply curve 0 is the original demand curve, a downward shift in the supply curve will shift the supply curve to supply curve 2 while an upward shift will shift the supply curve to supply curve 1. Own price elasticity of demand refers to the percentage change in quantity demanded when the price is increased by one percent. Therefore it is calculated by dividing the percentage change in the quantity demanded by the percentage change in price level. For a normal good own price elasticity of demand is negative. (Walter (2000)) Own price elasticity of supply refers to the percentage change in quantity supplied when the price is increased by one percent. Therefore it is calculated by dividing the percentage change in the quantity supplied by the percentage change in price level. (Walter (2000)) The price of oil is determined by the supply and the demand of oil in the world. Some of the major producers include Iran, Iraq and Kuwait. From the oil price chart it is evident that the fluctuations in oil prices has been as a result of war and

Pizza - Marketing Essay Example for Free

Pizza Marketing Essay 2. Summary: a. Overall Score i. With this Competitive Profile Matrix, a couple of conclusions can be made. Firstly, when comparing Pizza Hut to its competitors, it can be seen that Pizza Hut had a higher score than Papa John’s but scored lower than Dominos. This shows that overall Pizza Hut is doing better than Papa John’s in terms of identifying strengths and working with weaknesses. When looking at Dominos, however, it shows that Dominos is a lot better at turning these success factors into strengths rather than weaknesses. b. Weights ii. When focusing on weights alone, however, some other conclusions can be drawn and also differ in outcomes when looking at the overall score. The most important things we identified in the pizza industry are product quality, price competitiveness, and advertising. As a group we weighted product quality and price equally with advertising being the second most important thing. For comparison, it can be seen that Domino’s takes the cake when dealing with product quality, price competitiveness, and advertising especially in the recent years as they have re-launched and revamped their entire recipe and product quality, advertising, marketing, and offering great pricing that are mostly the best deals around. They have owned up to the past disappointments and issues and have completely redone itself entirely for the consumers. By using quality ingredients and constructing their marketing to where the consumers drive their commercials and advertising they have definitely surpassed the other surviving pizza chains. Pizza Hut and Papa John’s comes in a close second to product quality as they are fresh and quality products. Pizza Hut ranks higher than Papa John’s for price competitiveness because as a group we see more Dominos and Pizza Hut deals versus seeing any type of Papa John’s coupons. Also, Papa John’s is priced fairly higher than either Pizza Hut or Dominos. Advertising, however, proves a minor weakness for Pizza Hut as very rarely do you see Pizza Hut commercials in comparison to Dominos and Pap Johns. c. Strengths iii. Pizza Hut is the leader in global expansion and correctly identifies its target market. The company will want to keep this apart of their strengths to keep up and always be a step ahead in these aspects. This will then ensure accessibility which is an important factor for generating revenues and thus creating a loyal customer base. d. Concerns iv. Some areas that Pizza Hut was rated lower than the other two competitors besides the ones addressed above is the organic foods factor. Many people want organic pizzas and the only chain coming close is Papa John’s which uses quality ingredients, some of which either local or organic. Although it does not seem like a huge deal in the present, eventually more and more consumers will be looking for this and have nowhere to turn but the company who falls close to the mark.