Founding Fathers Of Sociology

Sociology can be defined as the scientific study of society and human behavior. It tries to acquire knowledge about society, and about how the humans making up these societies interact with each other. Auguste Comte was the first true father of sociology. He was the person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. Other sociologist who can also be called the founding fathers of sociology include Weber, Marx, Engels and Durkheim. In this essay I will be looking at where these sociologists came from and the theories they came up with.Auguste Comte was a French social thinker and was the first person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. He wanted to establish a science of society as a new discipline. He modeled sociological study around natural science and wanted to discover the laws of society. He aimed to study society through Social statics, which is the study of order and stability and Social dynamics, which is the study of social change. He wants to answer the question o f how one plans for change. One should think about in advance where you want to go and how to get there from here.One should be future oriented and goal oriented, achieving goals by optimal means. Social planning is designed to enhance social functioning by either changing the structural relations among people or providing a tangible support than enables an individual to cope with or overcome a social problem. It is necessary to plan in order to reduce uncertainty and enhance accountability. It also increases the potential for participation. Comte says that the process of change involves three stages; The future state, where the change has occurred.The present state, this is where we are in relation to where we want to get to and it is the period of planning and initiating the desired change. The last stage is the transition state, and asks the question of how we get from where we are to where we want to be. Comte’s idea for sociological study was based on the concept that so cieties evolve through three intellectual stages. These are the Theological stage, which involves the belief in the supernatural, the metaphysical stage, which is the transition stage and the positivistic stage which involves scientific thinking.After the third stage is reached, true understanding of the working of society becomes possible. Social disorder such as crime would be diminished and eventually stop when society’s cogs and wheels are established. Another founding father of sociology is Max Weber. He was a German sociologist. His central focus was on the process of rationalization. He has a middle class protestant background. He defined sociology as the scientific study of human action. Social action is human conduct oriented toward others and based on social meaning given to that conduct.It involves other human beings and is based on intentions and ideas of individuals. It must understand the subjective meaning behind people’s actions and this makes sociology fundamentally different from natural sciences. Weber calls such understanding â€Å"verstehen†, which is the investigator’s attempt to understand human action by viewing the cause of the action through the actor’s eyes rather than his own. The theory became known as Interactionism. Weber focuses on social actions of individuals and says that society cannot think or act, only individuals can.There is an opposition to positivism. The subject matter of sociology is unique and it cannot be studied with principles/methods of natural sciences. It requires verstehen. Another founding father is Karl Marx. He was born on May 5, 1818 in the German city of Trier. His family was Jewish, but he later converted to Protestantism in 1824 in order to avoid anti-Semitic laws and persecution. Marx was forced to go to London in 1849, but he did not work alone. He had help of Friedrich Engels who had on his own developed a very similar theory of economic determinism.Although the id eas later acquired the term â€Å"Marxism†, it must always be remembered that Marx did not come up with them entirely on his own. Engels was also important for Marx in a financial sense. Poverty weighed heavily on Marx and his family. Karl Marx focuses on conflict and inequality. Conflict is a fact of life in society. There is conflict between various social groups derived from a conflict of interest which brings inequality. Power and resources are unevenly distributed in society. Such inequality is maintained by naked coercion or manipulation of norms and values. Marx was interested in a particular type of conflict.This was class conflict or conflict between classes. He says, â€Å" The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle†. Production is a key concept in Marxism. It is the production of material goods and services in society and is the most important human activity. Production is carried out in the context of cooperation between h uman beings. Out of productive activity, human beings organize themselves, establish relations with each other and form a society. Thus change through improves technology of production also implies a change in social relations.Processes of production have given rise to inequality between human beings because production has been carried out by means of exploitation of the majority of the population by a few. Classes are social units based on their relation to the means of production. The means used to produce goods and services example: land, factories, tools, machinery, raw materials etc. The dominant class are the minority who own means of production and the subordinate class are the majority who don’t. Production is carried out by exploitation of one class by the other and this leads to class conflict.Bourgeoisie vs Proletariat. All societies go through stages in history and are destined to reach the communist stage. The communist mode only is not based on class exploitatio n. Communism realizes classless society where no one dominates one another. Marx’s dichotomy of society. Society is divided into two levels: The base/infrastructure (economic) and the superstructure (non-economic sphere). According to Marx the superstructure plays significant role in society. Example: the state. Common view: The state is neutral institution representing the interest of all citizens and society as a whole.Marx’s view: the executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole â€Å"bourgeoisie† (the owners of production). Example: The state. The interest of the state coincide with those of the dominant class. Apparatuses of the state are used to protect capitalists’ interests against worker’s rebellion. There is a contrast with Durkheim. Durkheim says that norms and values of society produce social integration and harmony (social solidarity). Marx says that these norms and values are ideologies which suppress people’s opposition and resistance (which may look like harmony or consensus to Durkheim). Founding Fathers of Sociology Sociology can be defined as the scientific study of society and human behavior. It tries to acquire knowledge about society, and about how the humans making up these societies interact with each other. Auguste Comte was the first true father of sociology. He was the person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. Other sociologist who can also be called the founding fathers of sociology include Weber, Marx, Engels and Durkheim. In this essay I will be looking at where these sociologists came from and the theories they came up with.Auguste Comte was a French social thinker and was the first person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. He wanted to establish a science of society as a new discipline. He modeled sociological study around natural science and wanted to discover the laws of society. He aimed to study society through Social statics, which is the study of order and stability and Social dynamics, which is the study of social change. He wants to answer the question o f how one plans for change. One should think about in advance where you want to go and how to get there from here.One should be future oriented and goal oriented, achieving goals by optimal means. Social planning is designed to enhance social functioning by either changing the structural relations among people or providing a tangible support than enables an individual to cope with or overcome a social problem. It is necessary to plan in order to reduce uncertainty and enhance accountability. It also increases the potential for participation. Comte says that the process of change involves three stages; The future state, where the change has occurred.The present state, this is where we are in relation to where we want to get to and it is the period of planning and initiating the desired change. The last stage is the transition state, and asks the question of how we get from where we are to where we want to be. Comte’s idea for sociological study was based on the concept that so cieties evolve through three intellectual stages. These are the Theological stage, which involves the belief in the supernatural, the metaphysical stage, which is the transition stage and the positivistic stage which involves scientific thinking.After the third stage is reached, true understanding of the working of society becomes possible. Social disorder such as crime would be diminished and eventually stop when society’s cogs and wheels are established. Another founding father of sociology is Max Weber. He was a German sociologist. His central focus was on the process of rationalization. He has a middle class protestant background. He defined sociology as the scientific study of human action. Social action is human conduct oriented toward others and based on social meaning given to that conduct.It involves other human beings and is based on intentions and ideas of individuals. It must understand the subjective meaning behind people’s actions and this makes sociology fundamentally different from natural sciences. Weber calls such understanding â€Å"verstehen†, which is the investigator’s attempt to understand human action by viewing the cause of the action through the actor’s eyes rather than his own. The theory became known as Interactionism. Weber focuses on social actions of individuals and says that society cannot think or act, only individuals can.There is an opposition to positivism. The subject matter of sociology is unique and it cannot be studied with principles/methods of natural sciences. It requires verstehen. Another founding father is Karl Marx. He was born on May 5, 1818 in the German city of Trier. His family was Jewish, but he later converted to Protestantism in 1824 in order to avoid anti-Semitic laws and persecution. Marx was forced to go to London in 1849, but he did not work alone. He had help of Friedrich Engels who had on his own developed a very similar theory of economic determinism.Although the id eas later acquired the term â€Å"Marxism†, it must always be remembered that Marx did not come up with them entirely on his own. Engels was also important for Marx in a financial sense. Poverty weighed heavily on Marx and his family. Karl Marx focuses on conflict and inequality. Conflict is a fact of life in society. There is conflict between various social groups derived from a conflict of interest which brings inequality. Power and resources are unevenly distributed in society. Such inequality is maintained by naked coercion or manipulation of norms and values. Marx was interested in a particular type of conflict.This was class conflict or conflict between classes. He says, â€Å" The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle†. Production is a key concept in Marxism. It is the production of material goods and services in society and is the most important human activity. Production is carried out in the context of cooperation between h uman beings. Out of productive activity, human beings organize themselves, establish relations with each other and form a society. Thus change through improves technology of production also implies a change in social relations.Processes of production have given rise to inequality between human beings because production has been carried out by means of exploitation of the majority of the population by a few. Classes are social units based on their relation to the means of production. The means used to produce goods and services example: land, factories, tools, machinery, raw materials etc. The dominant class are the minority who own means of production and the subordinate class are the majority who don’t. Production is carried out by exploitation of one class by the other and this leads to class conflict.Bourgeoisie vs Proletariat. All societies go through stages in history and are destined to reach the communist stage. The communist mode only is not based on class exploitatio n. Communism realizes classless society where no one dominates one another. Marx’s dichotomy of society. Society is divided into two levels: The base/infrastructure (economic) and the superstructure (non-economic sphere). According to Marx the superstructure plays significant role in society. Example: the state. Common view: The state is neutral institution representing the interest of all citizens and society as a whole.Marx’s view: the executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole â€Å"bourgeoisie† (the owners of production). Example: The state. The interest of the state coincide with those of the dominant class. Apparatuses of the state are used to protect capitalists’ interests against worker’s rebellion. There is a contrast with Durkheim. Durkheim says that norms and values of society produce social integration and harmony (social solidarity). Marx says that these norms and values are ideologies which suppress people’s opposition and resistance (which may look like harmony or consensus to Durkheim).

Using Spanish Infinitives as Nouns

Using Spanish Infinitives as Nouns The infinitive is the most basic of the verb forms. Unlike the conjugated verb forms- the ones used most often in speech- an infinitive standing alone says nothing about how many people or things are performing the verbs action or when. In Spanish, the infinitive is the verb form that appears in dictionaries. The infinitive always has one of three endings: -ar, -er or -ir. Standing alone, the infinitive is usually translated to English as to followed by the verb. For example, ver is usually translated as to see, hablar as to speak. But as we shall soon see, in sentences the Spanish infinitive can be translated a number of ways. Fast Facts Infinitives often function as singular masculine nouns.As nouns, infinitives can act as subjects or predicates of sentences as well as objects of verbs and prepositions.The most common translations of infinitives as nouns to English are to verb and verb -ing. Infinitives Can Fill Most Roles of Nouns In this lesson, we look at instances where the infinitive functions as a noun.  When used as a noun, the Spanish infinitive is always masculine and almost always singular. Like other nouns, it can be the subject of a sentence, a predicate nominative (usually a noun that follows a form of to be or ser) or the object of a verb or preposition. The infinitive noun sometimes retains the characteristics of a verb; it sometimes is modified by an adverb rather than an adjective and can sometimes have objects. It is often translated into the English gerund (the -ing form of the verb). Infinitives used as nouns are always masculine and singular. Some infinitives can become nouns in their own right when they are made plural, however. For example, seres humanos (from ser, to be) refers to human beings. Here are some examples of the infinitive being used as a noun: As a subject: Nadar es el mejor remedio para el dolor de espalda. (Swimming is the best remedy for a backache.)As a subject: Es prohibido botar basura. (Dumping garbage is prohibited. Note that in Spanish, unlike English, it isnt unusual for the subject to follow the verb.)As a subject: Beber puede conducir a la intoxicacià ³n e incluso a la muerte. (Drinking can lead to poisoning and even death.)As a subject: No me gusta cocinar. (I dont like to cook. Literally, the sentence would be translated as cooking doesnt please me.)As a predicate nominative: La vida es un abrir y cerrar de los ojos. (Life is an opening and closing of the eyes.As a predicate nominative: La intimidad es un hablar honesto y profundo de lo que se siente y se piensa. (Intimacy is speaking sincerely and deeply about what one feels and thinks.)As the object of a verb: Yo preferirà ­a salir. (I would prefer to leave.)As the object of a verb: Odio estudiar algo que creo que no necesito. (I hate studying something I believe I dont need.) As the object of a verb: Te vi andar entre los rboles. (I saw you walking among the trees.)As the object of a preposition: Pienso de salir contigo. (Im thinking about leaving with you.)As the object of a preposition: Ten moderation en el comer o el beber. (Show moderation in eating or drinking.)As the object of a preposition: Al entrar al Sistema de Salud, usted y su empresa recibirn enormes beneficios. (Upon entering the Health System, you and your business will receive great benefits.) Using the Definite Article El With Infinitives As you may notice, the definite article el is not consistently used with the noun infinitive. Although there are no hard and fast rules, here are some guidelines. A very common way of using el is as part of the contraction al, for a el. It typically as the meaning of on or upon meaning at the time of: Al encontrar a mis padres biolà ³gicos logrà © una estabilidad. (I found some stability upon finding my biological parents.)El is usually used when the infinitive is modified by an adjective or a phrase acting as an adjective: El respirar rpido puede ser causado por varios desordenes. (Rapid breathing can be caused by various disorders.)The article is option in many situations, but when it is used it may give the sentence a more personal or informal sound.

Will the New SAT Close the Education Gap

Will the New SAT Close the Education Gap SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Big changes are coming to the SAT this year, and the impact that they will have on students is a topic of fierce debate. Will they provide a leg up to students who are put at a disadvantage by the current test format? Or will they make disparities between the scores of high and low-income students even more pronounced? In this article, I'll go over both sides of the argument and provide my own take on how the changes to the SAT will affect the education gap. What Is the Education Gap, and How Does It Relate to the New SAT? When we talk about the â€Å"education gap," we mean that disparities in income (and race, as a related factor) continue to mirror disparities in access to educational opportunities and overall quality of education for students.Many people have argued that tests like the SAT only serve to widen this gap between poor and wealthy students.It has been proven time and again that higher parental income correlates with higher SAT scores. In making these new changes to the SAT, the College Board aims to combat this issue by creating a test that puts students on an equal playing field regardless of income. The most significant changes that will take place on the new SAT include: the elimination of Sentence Completion questions in the Reading section a shift in focus on the Math section with less geometry questions and more questions dealing with algebra, fractions, and trigonometry grammar questions in the Writing section that reference larger passages rather than individual sentences. There will also be questions on the Reading section that ask students to interpret data in charts and graphs.Overall, questions will be more directly related to real-life scenarios and less confusingly worded. Some with a more cynical view of the changes say that while this is the College Board’s public rationale behind changing the test, its real reason is business-related.Since the ACT is now more popular than the SAT, the College Board is changing the SAT to align more closely with the ACT so that it can reclaim its standardized testing market share.While the College Board says that their changes will combat the education gap by testing what students actually learn in schools and making the test less â€Å"puzzle-like†, some people think that it will either exacerbate existing problems or change nothing about the current system. In the next section, I’ll go over the arguments presented by both sides. My alternate plan for the new SAT: change tactics completely and make the test so puzzle-like that it's actually just a giant jigsaw puzzle. You only get a perfect score if you can finish the puzzle without flipping over the table in frustration because all the sky pieces look the same. Will the New SAT Close the Education Gap? There are valid arguments from each camp on this, and we won't know for sure who is correct until the new SAT has been out for a few years. I'll present both sets of ideas so you can get an idea of the logic behind each point of view. Theory 1: Yes, It Will Close the Education Gap Some people (such as spokespeople for the College Board) argue that the new SAT will remedy many problems that plagued the old testing format. Onemajor difference is that students won’t have to face Sentence Completion questions, which test obscure vocabulary words that students with from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to know. The elimination of these questions might allow underprivileged students who have a great deal of potential to score higher on the test. The new version of the SAT will focus on knowledge of the nuances in meaning of more common vocabulary words in the context of larger passages. Arguably, this is a more logical way of testing vocabulary when considering what students will need to know to be prepared for college academics and careers. The College Board is also partnering up with Khan Academy to offer free SAT prep services.They argue that this will allow low-income students to gain access to some of the same advantages that were once only available to wealthy students.They have also streamlined the process for obtaining fee waivers for low-income students. The College Board will provide four automatic college application fee waivers for students who were eligible for fee waivers on the test. The new test will also incorporate questions that are founded in real life scenarios and contain less confusing wording.The new SAT focuses on questions in context rather than in isolation (which is why reading and writing are now all passage-based).This means that students without preexisting knowledge of specific grammar rules or vocabulary words might have the potential to succeed on the test if they can infer wisely from the context of a question. This new formatting also means that there are less learnable â€Å"tricks† on the test that could trip up students who don’t have the opportunity to use test prep services. Students who aren’t familiar with the format of SAT questions will be put at less of a disadvantage.The more predictable content on the new test in the form of specifically outlined passage subject matter will give students a better idea of what to expect even if they haven’t been able to prepare extensively for the test. Yeah! No education gap! Party! Theory 2: No, It Won't Solve the Problem of the Education Gap (and Might Make It Worse) Others have argued that the new SAT will exacerbate existing problems with the test and widen the education gap.The College Board says that the new SAT will level the playing field by testing what students actually learn in schools, but this new testing format could make existing differences in high school quality all the more obvious in score results. The purpose of the SAT is to provide a common metric to measure student academic ability apart from the subjective determinations of each high school.If the new SAT tests what students have learned in school more directly, won’t that just lead to more disadvantages for low-income students who attend poorly resourced public high schools? Although questions on the new SAT will focus more on interpreting meaning in context rather than vocabulary and grammar skills in isolation, this probably won’t eliminate an advantage for wealthier students who attended better high schools.These students’ inference skills and knowledge of how to interpret arguments and words in context will be better developed through a higher quality education.Also, the fact that the new essay asks students to analyze the author’s argument rather than formulate their own opinions means that low income students might be put at more of a disadvantage if they haven’t been given proper instruction on how to read analytically in their high school classes. Even though the SAT will now offer fee waivers to all low-income students and is partnering up with Khan Academy to offer free test prep for all students, this doesn’t mean that wealthy students will lose their advantages.The fact that free test prep is being offered means that it's still possible to prepare for the test.With the new test, a market for specialized test prep services that are more individually tailored and more expensive will continue to exist. Wealthy students will still have the potential to access advanced test preparation services and potentially be able to improve their scores more drastically than students who only have access to free materials. All this could potentially lead to increased inequality in the college admissions process as a result of greater differences in scores. Low-income students may be put at an increased disadvantage on the new test due to a lower quality education overall, creating even greater class divisions in terms of access to higher education and career opportunities. I don't know what this guy is so upset about; he gets to wear a silly hat while we all sit here contemplating the flaws in the American educational system (presumably while either hatless or wearing comparatively boring and joyless hats). SMH. Conclusion Now that we’ve heard both sides, what’s the verdict?It’s hard to tell because we don’t have reliable score data on the new SAT yet. In my opinion, there are compelling arguments made by both sides of the debate.I think that the changes to the SAT will have a minimal impact on the education gap that currently exists between high and low-income students.It’s great that the College Board is committing to offering free prep services and fee waivers for low-income students, but as long as it’s possible to prep for the test, there will be a market for prep services that cost more and provide better results. It is reasonable to argue that making the test more straightforwardcould help put lower income students at less of a disadvantage, but sometimes I have to wonder if this is a case of a â€Å"race to the bottom† in the standardized testing market. The SAT is trying to compete with the ACT to offer the "fairest" testing model, but in doing so they may be compromising the test's value as an assessment of academic ability. Since it’s too hard to actually improve the quality of the educational system, companies are creating less challenging tests to make everyone feel better about these basic inequalities. Students who go to good high schools and come from wealthier backgrounds will most likely earn higher scores on the SAT regardless of how unbiased the format of the test is. It’s possible that everyone will get slightly higher scores on the new SAT, but the income gap will remain the same. Until we commit to combating the root of the problem - poorly funded high schools with overwhelmedteachers- on a large scale, I don’t see the education gap changing much,regardless of the introduction of the new SAT. What's Next? Wondering what your SAT scores might mean for your future? Check out this article that goes into detail on whether SAT scores can predict success. What do your SAT scores say about you? Find out what your SAT scores actually measure. Are you unsure of whether you should take the new SAT or the ACT this upcoming year? Read more about which students should take which test. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Las Vegas, Nevada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Las Vegas, Nevada - Essay Example Las Vegas, Nevada ranks among the pioneer regions to embrace technological developments. This is because Las Vegas has always been a busy city famed for its earlier role in the entertainment industry. Investor’s focus on Vegas to initiate innovations that is marketable to populations living within the popular culture. This has resulted in unprecedented introduction of new technology to all groups of people. Kelion (1) highlights â€Å"Waterproof smartphone coatings, diet-aiding armbands and a social network that warns drivers of the latest police speed-traps were all on show†. Researchers have continually focused on Vegas to draw new statistics about the impact and spread of technological innovations. Population increase has also provided a viable market for technological goods that has since transformed the social interactions of the populations through facilitation of communication, speeding, and access to information. The technology scene receives support from the co mmunity who utilise it and provide the demand required for the re- production of technological devices. The advertisement industry entails the creation of awareness on new and old products in the market. Following the influx of non-native people, increased birth rates and advanced technology, advertisement strategies are more dynamic and practical. This is because there are many products in the market that offer similar values hence the need to inform the buyers of their existence and utility values. Advertisement in Vegas is fragmented and dynamic (Simich 2). They utilize technological innovations such as the internet, audio and visual channels as well as use of billboards and cards. The music industry has been vibrant in advertisement. This is because, the population comprises of many young people. The rap and rock music genres form the background music of many adverts. These aim at capturing the attention of the entire population because

Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article Analysis - Essay Example However, the restrictions have provoked a major reaction from a number of lawmakers and cruise industry players. They argue that the new measure will increase costs for vacationers and the Alaska people who rely on sea vessels for their livelihood (Eliperin, 2012). For many years, huge ships have combusted heavy fuels ( fuels which contain 2,000 times or more sulfur as the diesel utilized by locomotives, trucks, small marine vessels, and construction equipment). The new regulation dictates that large ships reduce the sulfur content of their fuel to 1 percent in August 2012 from the present 2.7%. They arealsorequired to reduce they sullphure content in their fuel to 0.1% by 2015 (Eliperin, 2012; Walker, 2012). The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) indicates that the new regulation will prevent between 12,000 every year and at least 31,000 deaths by 2030, with the benefits offsetting the costs by 95 to 1. In other words, the new standards will reduce emissions from ships and assist in safeguarding the cities and port communities hundreds of miles away from the coast (Eliperin, 2012). The vehicle and the container shipping industries have agreed to meet the new standards but several firms have indicated that the fuel costs may rise by 25 percent. It is important to note that the playersin these industries do not spend as much time as the cruise industry players within the 200-mile zone. It is hard to estimate how much the cleaner fuel will cost because its availability is not certain. It is estimated by EPA that when fully implemented, the program will come with additional costs to shipping (about $18 for every 20-foot container) and passenger cruise tickets (an additional $7 per day). On the other hand, cruise analysts suggest that it can add as much as $19.46 per day to the passenger cruise ticket. The costs of goods in Alaska are set to increase and thuswill affect the economy Alaska.

Write about short fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Write about short fiction - Essay Example In many ways, this adds to the subject of self-identity echoed by other writers as well. The story is written by Jhumpa Lahiri who is an Indian American author. She has been an experience writer from debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies and won the 2000 Pulitzer Fiction Prize. Her reputation and experience has not been hidden in her work of Hell-Heaven as a short story. Hell-Heaven talks about the struggles of living in the America with a Bengali culture. The struggle is shown in this short story from the characters Pranab Kaku and Usha. They both make decisions that make them prefer one culture over the other. Jhumpa Lahiri in her book Hell-Heaven explores geographies of intimacy and the manner in which various spaces control intimacies, re-form intergenerational intimacies and disrupt traditional narratives of intimacy. The author specifically focuses on second-generation immigrants of Bengali, detailing the unique challenges or experiences they encounter from a banished sense of the â€Å"familiar† intimacy of their motherland and the similar narratives of advances with which their fathers struggled. The woman in this short story is fundamentally responsible for depicting the boundaries of the old and new geographies of intimacy. This is a story that looks at simple human emotions like loneliness, jealousy, love and describes how various individuals change drastically over time due to geographical. The title is taken from this paragraph from the story Hell-Heaven: â€Å"He used to be so different. I don’t understand how a person can change so suddenly it’s just hel l-heaven† (p, 112). In Hell-Heaven, Pranab Chakraborty, is an MIT graduate student, Boston is considering returning to his motherland in Calcutta because of being homesickness. Through this thought, one can argue that despite the many privileges that these individuals in the Diaspora may have,

Is Willy Loman An Effective Protagonist English Literature Essay

Is Willy Loman An Effective Protagonist English Literature Essay Willy Loman represents an effective protagonist in Death of Salesman as he is an ordinary working class man in keeping with the domestic aspects of tragedy. He possesses many anti heroic qualities by not fulfilling the American dream and glamorising the past when he believes he was successful. Yet in reality he was even a failure then, which demonstrates that he is not the classical tragic hero of high status. A quality which is common throughout all tragic protagonists is hubris. Willy has immense pride, arrogantly thinking he is better than he really is and believing that success can come without hard work. His hubristic aspect is, in effect, his fatal flaw because Willys obsession with being well liked emphasises his superficial pursuit of the American dream, which helps bring up themes like materialism, as a modern audience will recognise. However, Willy fails to become an effective protagonist in a tragic sense as he does not reach an epiphany, instead, settling for suicide. The first aspect of a modern domestic tragedy is the fact it centres on ordinary people. This is done in Death of a Salesman which contrasts with Othello that depicts Othello who is of noble class. Willy is a father and a husband who is head of the family and therefore he does have some responsibility and power over the people around him. Millers aim with his plot may be to reach closer to the audience, thereby showing how anyones fall from grace can be tragic. Also Miller could have chosen the name Willy Loman as the name Loman is similar to low man reflecting Willys true status. Willy Loman is an anti hero which is as you might expect as a protagonist in a modern domestic tragedy. The audience would strive to be everything he is not, for example, his constant reminiscing of the good old days which were not that good as he had to borrow money to have a decent wage. What makes him even more of an anti-hero is the denial that he is really a failure. However, this could possibly make him an increasingly effective protagonist because his anti heroic qualities make him less perfect and therefore more realistic as a character. Conversely, Biffs discovery of Willys affair, which leads to his loss of ambition and respect. You fake! You phony little fake! You fake! is reinforced by the repetition to show Biffs anger. Here Willys actions damage Biff emphasising again his anti heroic qualities. Hubris is typical of protagonists in tragedy and makes Willy Lomans character more dramatically effective. Willys hubris is shown when he dismisses Bernard Bernard dont be a pest! (to his boys) What an anaemic! because he believes that his sons are better than Bernard, instilling arrogance and his hubristic pride into them, shown through the stage direction. Excessive pride is evident in Willys attitude towards jobs, where he turns down a job offer from Charley I dont want your goddam job! . His hubris accentuates the climax of the play as he could have accepted a job that would have guaranteed relative safety of income. The resulting loss of sympathy from the audience heightens the tragic elements of the play. In Act two Willys denial that he was responsible for Biffs giving up with his future What are you trying to do, blame it on me? If a boy lays down is that my fault? is emphasised in the repeated rhetorical questions. The denial shows an excessive pride as he will not admit to being responsible for Biff flunking maths and thus destroying his future. Psychological elements shown in Willys character reflect the modern aspects of tragedy. These signs of mental unease are shown as early as Act 1 I suddenly couldnt drive anymore. The car kept going off on to the shoulder, yknow? indicating that Willy is perhaps struggling to cope with reality. Miller allows the viewers to gain a greater insight into Willys mind which makes him more effective as a protagonist because you can understand to a better extent the reasoning behind his actions. The whole play takes places during the final two days of Willys life, split between flashbacks of the past which increasingly leave him unable to distinguish between past and present. His inability to distinguish past from present adds another dimension to his character which is a more modern characteristic of tragedy, dealing with insecurity and mental breakdown. All of this is shown in the form, effectively demonstrating the downfall of his character. Most of the play revolves around constructs of t he past in his mind which are portrayed as Eden like. The flashbacks represent Willy trying to recreate the past when he believed he was successful. Willys Eden is centred on his time with Biff and Happy in their younger years as he tries to cling to times when his son respected him like Biff in act 2 when I take off my helmet, that touchdown is for you, rather than the present when they are at odds. Another example is when Willy recalls Ben because he views him as a success, highlighting his refusal to face the present and the truth that he has not achieved the American dream. Willy Lomans fatal flaws are in part his hubris and it also his pursuit of the American dream. His idea of the American dream is the root of the problem, believing that you have to be well liked in order to be successful, as he describes Dave Singleman Cause what could be more satisfying than . . . to go at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities . . . and be remembered and loved. However, he may have been well known but Willy misses out the point that he still had to work until he died, highlighting that being well liked is not what the American dream is about. As he dismisses Bernard for being a nerd it shows that Willy thinks you can be successful without working hard. Whilst you could argue that Willy is to blame for his hubris, the reverse side is that society is the villain in the play, making him what he is. Miller shows this theme for example when the Lomans need a new fridge Once in my life I would like to own something outright before its broken! whic h can explain Willys seemingly misguided pursuit of the American dream in the form of materialistic values. Yet because it is broken like many other items it could be a metaphor for the misplaced confidence of Willy in materialism as it lets him down, much like the aspirations for his sons. Miller creates an effective protagonist by connecting him with other aspects in society that are relevant in America at the time. Typical of many protagonists in tragedy is the reaching of a point of revelation. Willy does not reach this as he instead settles for suicide worth more dead than alive. Yet the realisation may not be from Willy but the audience in their perception of the American dream and how it can have disastrous effects on people. Despite not reaching any degree of self truth, his life insurance policy would in his eyes compensate Linda for his affair and he would gain the respect of Biff. Catharsis, it could be said is not experienced by the audience up until the requiem. Charleys speech Nobody dast blame this man. You dont understand for a salesman, there is no rock bottom to life highlights that the pressure of a salesman would have contributed to Willys downfall. It helps induce pity from the audience as it removes blame from Willy. Charley continues to give the audience reason to pity Willy No man only needs a salary which draws attention to the fact that materialistic values cannot sustain a man. Happy reinforces the catharsis as he is inspired by Willys death. However this catharsis could be undermined due to Lindas comment It seems to me that youre just on another trip hinting that the insurance money for Biff may not be put to good use. The recurrence of the flute music symbolically represents Willys misguided pursuit of the American dream. This could mean that the catharsis is not as effective as the world is not cleansed and is just as it was at the start o f the play. From an audiences perspective they could possibly think that Willy is an ineffective tragic hero because it was his own fault that he was not successful. He failed to understand the American dream, in the process hindering his own sons future. The anti heroic features of Willy could serve on their own as a reason the audience lose sympathy for him and possibly deem him ineffective as a tragic hero. However, on the other hand, society could be viewed as the villain of the play because it gives the audience reason to understand his character, thus making Willy an effective protagonist. Willy Loman could be considered an effective tragic protagonist because of his hubris and fatal flaw typical of a tragic hero. Likewise, the psychological aspects introduced to the plot draw attention to the modern characteristics of modern domestic tragedy.