The Development of the Hero in Little Women Essay -- Louisa May Alcott

  Louisa May Alcott furnishes a probing look at the hero through recognition of how the imaginary hero of romantic fiction is not always the ideal while bringing the reader to see the heroic in the everyday lives of four young women with the primary emphasis falling on Jo. In the chapter, "Castles in the Air," as each of the characters envisions the distant future (ten years hence anyway), Jo remarks, "I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle-- something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all some day" (Alcott 133). As the book progresses, many references are made to show the shallowness that has begun to be associated with the heroic. ". . . Laurie heroically shut his eyes . . ." (Alcott 264). "Fred is not my model hero" (Alcott 294). Finally, Jo focuses the conflict in recognizing the heroic when she reaches the point of realizing that she "preferred imaginary heroes to real ones, because when tired of them, the former could be shut up in the tin kitchen till called for, and the latter were less manageable" (Alcott 298). With Jo March, Alcott presents a modern young woman in a day when women were very much relegated to a specific role within the home. From the opening pages of the book, Jo exhibits a unique strength of character that refuses to be molded to the traditional form. She longs to be a boy, primarily because of the opportunities available to the male in society. However, taking her unusual family upbringing and applying it to Jo's determination to be different creates an individual who is heroic in her strength and courage to stand out in society and her ability to share that quality with othe... ...he wife and mother. Rather, she insists that she will carry her share and help in the earning of the home as a condition of marriage (Alcott 438).    Jo's journey to the heroic ultimately leads her to a role where her life is spent in giving herself to others, shaping them to be themselves while still maintaining proper place in the grand scheme of things. Through her characterization, a hero is fully developed as one with the strength of character that allows one to be uniquely different while seeking always to help others in the journey of life by placing them ahead of oneself. Jo's heroic act that will not be forgotten after she's dead, only a dream as a young lady, is realized through the lives she touches and the future generations she ultimately affects.    Works Cited Alcott, Louisa. Little Women. Intro. Ann Douglas. NY: Signet Classic, 1983.

Five reasons for pursuing higher education Essay

There are many reasons or purposes behind pursuing higher education, but these may change depending on each individual student. However many distinct reasons there may be, the majority of them can be grouped into five broad categories. The first of these categories relates to money, the second is the transmission of culture and history, the third has to do with esteem or social class, fourth comes education for the benefit of democracy, and last is entertainment or personal enjoyment. Almost everybody has a â€Å"dream job†, one where they do some kind of interesting work and get paid lots for it. This is one of the reasons why a person would consider going beyond high school, and pursuing higher education; so they can get that â€Å"dream job†. With degrees and Ph.D.s comes money, along with wider opportunities for the future, and less physical work. Of course, the three aforementioned traits do not always apply, but in the majority of cases they do. In learning more about your world, you can absorb some history, and in the process keep your culture alive. Culture and traditions can only survive if they are passed down from generation to generation. By studying history, you can also learn from the mistakes of those who came before you, and ensure that you do not repeat those mistakes. Good examples of this are failed strategies used in war; you would definitely not want to repeat those. Some people go for degrees because they think it earns them power, respect, and esteem. Certain socialites feel that if you do not have a Ph.D., you are not worth anything, not even a bit of their time. The third reason to pursue higher education is to appease swine like this. If you want to become one of the social elite, college is necessary. No matter how hard you try to deny it, the majority of people are dolts. In order to ensure a healthy democracy, you need well educated people to vote on modern issues. It is pretty obvious that if we had a bunch of easily duped idiots voting on important matters, for example the election of a president, liberty all around the world could be threatened. What would happen if a complete moron were to be put in charge of a world superpower?  Perhaps there would be a series of unjust wars, a few signings of acts destroying privacy, some crimes against humanity, and unnecessary bloodshed; all in the name of patriotism and freedom, an obvious lie. It is important that people know their rights, how their government works, and where to draw the line. Most importantly, they need to know the difference between right and wrong in relation to the entire world, not just their little nook. It is possible that some people enjoy education because it expands their minds, they may see it as entertainment. This is reason enough to enroll yourself in classes. If something beneficial to everybody is what you enjoy taking part in, by all means, go ahead and do it. How does Philosophy fit into these five categories? Philosophy, although mostly boring, can be interesting at some times – which leads it to be entertaining. This class could be taken by people who enjoy learning how to better understand the workings of the human mind and/or religion. For theists, Philosophy could reinforce their faith in God, making them feel all good inside, or it could lead them to question their absurd religions, grow a pair, and stop using the church as a crutch – a tie or win situation, respectively. Once they give up their silly beliefs, they could also drop the prejudices that come with them and allow everybody to be treated equally. The less prejudiced people there are voting in this country, the better, this would lead to a stronger government with more freedom for all. In conclusion, there are five purposes for education; money, history, respect, better governments, and entertainment. Philosophy fits snugly into the entertainment and governmental categories.

Correlation Between White Males And Females - 1723 Words

3.7. One-Sample t-Test Fallout Rate To determine if there was a difference in fallout rates between white males and females by race as well as other nonwhite males, a set of one-sample t-tests was used. Table 6 presents a comparison of white males to females by race and nonwhite males. For females, the test indicated that the white males’ (20.28) fallout rate was sig-nificantly lower than fallout rates for Black females (M = 21.84, SD = 0.85), t(4) = 4.12, p =.015, d = 0.82 and significantly greater white females (M = 18.87, SD = .075), t(4) =-4.19, p = .014, d = -.84, but was not signifi-cantly different from Hispanic females (M = 21.28, SD = 1.23), t(4) = 1.82, p = .143, d = 0.36; Native American females (M = 22.56, SD = 3.74), t(4) = 1.37, p = .244, d = 0.27; and Asian females (M = 21, SD = 1.22), t(4) = 1.32, p = .258, d = 0.26. For males, the test indicated that white males’ fallout rate was significantly less than fallout rates for Black males (M = 22.86, SD = .099), t(4) = 5.85, p =.004, d = 1.1 7; Hispanic males (M = 22.25, SD = 1.14), t(4) = 3.86, p = .018, d = 0.77; but was not significantly different from Native American males (M = 24.16, SD = 3.99), t(4) = 2.18, p = .095, d = 0.44 and Asian males (M = 21.57, SD = 1.30), t(4) = 2.21 p =.091, d = 0.44. 4. Conclusion The purpose of this study was to examine whether women’s experience mortgage credit after the 2008 housing crisis. Origination, denial, and fallout rates were produced from HMDA data and falloutShow MoreRelatedSports Media And Body Image1235 Words   |  5 Pageswomen, as well as the correlation between sports media and women’s body image. The goal of this article was to provide more conclusive research regarding the correlation between disordered eating in college-aged women and media, particularly sports media. 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