Masai Mara is Kenya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Masai Mara is Kenya - Essay Example The climate here is gentle, rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. Rain, when it falls almost always chooses the late afternoon or night. Between July and October, when the great wildebeest migration is in the Mara, the sensation is unparalleled. This spectacular expanse of open grassland covers around 1520 sq km in the south-west corner of Kenya. The Masai Mara lies about 270 km from Nairobi and takes about 5 hours by road. There are scheduled flights, twice daily from Wilson Airport Nairobi, which take about 40 - 45 minutes. The first sight of this natural wonderland is breathtaking. Here the great herds of shuffling elephants browse among the rich tree-studded grasslands with an occasional sighting of a solitary and ill-tempered rhino. Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, topi-an antelope not found in other major parks and eland and many more species of plains' game offer a rich choice of food for the dominant predators; lion, leopard and cheetah which hunt in this pristine wilderness. In the Mara river, hippo submerge at the approach of a vehicle only to surface seconds later to snort and grumble their displeasure. Seemingly drowsy crocodile sunbathe on the river banks, mouth agape, waiting with subtle cunning for prey at which to strike with lightning swiftness. But this richness of fauna, this profusion of winged beauty and the untouched fragility of the landscape, are all subordinate to the Mara's foremost attraction, the march of the wildebeest. Each year, far south in the great vastness of the Serengeti, the wildebeest raise their dignified but quaint heads, sniff the air and, as if by one accord, start the long trek to the Kenya border and the Masai Mara. After exhausting the grazing in Tanzania's northern Serengeti a large number of wildebeest and zebra enter the Masai Mara. Around the end of June drawn by the sweet grass raised by the long rains of April and May. It is estimated that more than half a million wildebeest enter the Mara and are joined by another 100,000 from the Loita Hills east of the Mara Driving in the midst of these great herds is an unimaginable experience. Whilst the eyes feast on the spectacle, the air carries the smells, the dust and the sounds of hundreds of thousands of animals. This migration of the wild beas ts has been considered as the seventh New Wonder of the World. Wildebeests may have been making the trek for millions of years, coping with disease, drought and predators. "It's one of the great wonders in terms of animal migrations," says oceanographer Sylvia Earle. "It's just over the top." The wildebeests do bring balance to this fragile ecosystem, made up of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. They are the heart and soul of the Great Migration - the key to survival on the vast plains. "Without the migration, it's harder to conceive Serengeti-Mara being what it is today," Hirji said. "Everything else survives within that migration - the predators and so on the vegetation." The journey is quite literally the circle of life. It happens year-round, a 700-mile trek, finely tuned to the region's rainy seasons. The herds follow the rain. "Serengeti-Mara ecosystems [are] considered to be perhaps the last of the

Compare and contrast of two images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare and contrast of two images - Essay Example On the other hand, the Greeks are one of the first to gain civilization in society. They have been known to excel in a lot of fields especially art. Greek goddesses, epics, sculptures and even establishment in Greece also tell a lot about their culture. These are general examples of how Greeks and Egyptians exceled and contributed in terms of historical preferences. For more specific examples, the following paragraphs will talk about the Painted low relief of Princess Nefret-iabet in Old Kingdom, Giza, c.2570 BC. and the Relief of seated goddess in Parthenon, East Frieze, Classical Greece, c. 447-438 BC. Naturalism which is defined as â€Å"an even more accurate picture of realism† (Abrams, 1) is evident in the low relief of Princess Nefret-iabet. This relief made in painted in limestone slab stela, depicts a relative degree of naturalism. Involvement of depiction of actual life form’s art form is necessary. The low relief of Princess Nefret-iabet is a detailed modellin g of the Egyptian princess seating on a chair is like an actual representation of a life as a princess in Egypt. The relief showcases the detailed hair of the princess, wide eyes while wearing an also detailed leopard print dress. This depicts existence of elegance and glamour, and to add to this are her combs, perfumes, and other properties made of brass and gold. Even the chair she sits on is made of gold with apparent an animal- like structure. The Princess’ body is very slim in representation. The details of her hair are exquisite and so is that of her fingers. The linings used in this relief are very delicate to look at, and the images are very lightly embossed in the limestone. Although, abstraction may also be seen in terms of showing only half of the princess’s face and figure, cut parts of unidentified object above the princess and other parts not shown in the relief. Abstraction is the purposeful act of hiding other parts of a subject in art, to highlight oth er features (Abstraction). But through further research, a more complete version of the relief of the princess was seen in full. More of her properties are seen in the full slab in her tomb, including images of her eyelids, birds, balance scales and other materials. This aspect could also be related to the placing of objects in relation to its distance from the princess. The princess being placed on the left faces a set of property she has, arranged in accordance to its purpose. For example, the first compartment appears to be all of her needs for beautification, second shelf looks like vases or forms of pottery, and the objects under the shelf are like gold statuettes. This relief somehow tells us a story of what life there is in Giza, during c.2570 BC. The women of Ancient Egypt are supposed to have a significant role in society unlike most early civilizations. Women played a big role in unification of Hierakonpolis, Abydos and proofs of which are statuettes and art forms in museu ms. This contribution is said to have built various alliances and bridged the gap between peoples. With this contribution, women are considered important in society as supported by the Egyptian thinking of â€Å"philosophical dualism† wherein relationship of god and priestess is compared and somehow patterned in the same way in the relationship of king and royal women. This on the other hand, does not necessarily mean that the Ancient Egypt had a bilineal society, and

NAFTA Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NAFTA Case Study - Essay Example Nevertheless, this was required if Magma was to survive in the new business climate. In particular with the reduction in tariffs in the Mexican auto sector, how should Magma respond? To being with there are problems and opportunities. How should Magma respond to the problems is a good first question. The problem for its managers is that although there are very low wage employees available there, the Mexican infrastructure and business climate is not easy to work with. Plus, the employees may not cost much, but you get what you pay for (in some respects)—many are not highly skilled. The question facing Magma’s managers is whether it should follow many of the other manufacturers to Mexico. In some ways, this is not such a big problem. The sort of problems Magma foresees in Mexico are not so different than problems facing its competitors and its customers. Everyone is going to have the same limitations. All companies are going to invest in Mexico, but very few are going to jump in with both feet first. Magma should take a cautious approach and should especially review the history of Volkswagen starting up its factory in Mexico. Magma can’t avoi d having zero presence in Mexico, but it should not immediately put all its eggs in one basket. Shifting a small part of its business to Mexico during a trial period would provide managers with more information on which to base a later decision. Going it slow in the beginning is important, but Mexico offers a lot of opportunities to Magma. If predictions hold up, a lot of car manufacturing is going to be done in Mexico in the next few years. While there are a lot of initial problems, none of them are all that structural. The fact that employees are not skilled is a temporary one as is the problem of low-grade steel. It will take time for the market to adjust, but it will adjust, and Mexico will become more competitive. The

Someone Special Essay Example for Free

Someone Special Essay Those who truly know us for who we really are; are the people that have the most influence in our lives, such as our parents. In my case it is my mother who has greatly impacted my life. She has stood beside me through thick and thin. I know that as long as she is here on this earth, she will stand beside me to love and support me unconditionally as she has done all these years. It is because of her that I am the person I am today. Behind my choices, character, my values, and behind me, proudly stands my mother. All throughout my childhood I have been closer to my mom than I am to my father. She has been an amazing friend to me, but an even better parental figure. Laying down the rules for me and establishing boundaries when needed. It is the love and respect I have for my mother that I am cautious of the choices I make. I cherish her approval and fear of her disappointment. I feel confident that all the life lesions she has taught me and the advice she gives me, will continue to shape my standards and values in life. My mother raised my brother and I the way my grandmother raised her. I have been taught that honesty, integrity, hard work, and respect should be constituted into daily living, and to get what we want in life, we have to earn it. Read more:  Who is your admired person essay Although I wasn’t brought up in a life of splendor, I acknowledge that I live a comfortable lifestyle due to the hard work and effort my mother put into her life. Her perseverance is an example I want to follow. Coming from a large family with very little education and financial resources, she moved away from home with one goal in mind, and that was to make a better way of life for us. And that she did. With that, she was able to provide my brother and I the luxuries that others didn’t have. For that I am extremely grateful for. Now that I am old enough to understand that my mother was able to overcome adversity, and accomplish everything she has, inspires my every day to make myself a better person. I greatly admire her strength and strong will, and I am extremely proud to be her son. And in my mother’s words, one of her favorite quotes is: â€Å"we only get one chance to live our lives, so it is up to us to take what we have and move forward in life. Our future is not set in stone; we create the path of our own destiny.†

clockwork orange Essay -- essays research papers fc

â€Å"A man who cannot choose ceases to be a man.†Ã¢â‚¬â€Anthony Burgess   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Clockwork Orange is a novel about moral choice and free will. Alex’s story shows what happens when an individual’s right to choose is robbed for the good of society. The first and last chapters place Alex in more or less the same physical situation but his ability to exercise free will leads him to diametrically opposite choices—good versus evil. The phrase, â€Å"what’s it going to be then, eh?,† echoes throughout the book; only at the end of the novel is the moral metamorphosis complete and Alex is finally able to answer the question, and by doing so affirms his freedom of choice. The capacity to choose freely is the attribute that distinguishes humans from robots; thus the possibility of true and heartfelt redemption remains open even to the most hardened criminal. A Clockwork Orange is a parable that reflects the Christian concept of sin followed by redemption. Alex’s final and free choice of the good, by leaving beh ind the violence he had embraced in his youth, brings him to a higher moral level than the forced docility of his conditioning, which severed his ability to choose and grow up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question, â€Å"what’s it going to be then, eh,† is asked at the beginning of each section of the novel. In the first and third part it is asked by Alex, but in the second part it is asked by the prison chaplain. The answer does not come until the end of the novel when Alex grows up and exercises his ability to choose. He progresses to become a responsible and discriminating individual, escaping the clockwork that binds the rest of society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Clockwork Orange opens with Alex and his buddies outside the Korova Milkbar deciding what they were going to do for the evening. Alex acts on his impulses to do evil. He is driven by cause and effect relationships. When Alex wants something, he simply goes out and gets it. If he needs money, he steals it; if he wants to let out his aggression, he beats people up; if he wants sex, he rapes; if his ‘droogs’ do not listen to him, he teaches them a lesson. He feels no remorse when stealing, raping or murdering innocent victims. Man possesses potential for both good and evil. Alex’s decision cannot be blamed on any outside factor, it is simply something from within that drives him to lea... ...ion â€Å"what’s it going to be then, eh,?† repeats throughout the novel and shows Alex as a different individual every time. It should be noted that the government’s conditioning did nothing to change Alex’s mentality. Burgess portrayed Alex as an extremely evil character on purpose to show that each individual is in charge of his destiny. The character was still an emerging human being that had to go through a moral metamorphosis. Alex, the clockwork figure, was impelled towards evil but transformed into a useful member of society, on account of his free will to choose good. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"O My Brothers.† Davis, Todd F. & Womack, Kenneth. College Literature; Spring 2002. Vol 29. Issue 2. pg 18-19 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Bog or God.† Craig, Roger. ANQ Fall 2003. Vol 16. Issue 4. pg 51 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Clockwork Orange.† Wallich, Paul. IEEE Spectrum. July 2003. Vol 40. Issue 7. pg 42 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Clockwork Orange.† Ingersoll, Earl. Explicator. Fall 1986. Vol 45. Issue 1. pg 60 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Clockwork Orange.† Coleman, Julian. Explicator. Fall 1983 Vol 42. Issue 1. pg 62

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

The only constant is change. It is inevitable that every person throughout their life will transform in some way—for good or for bad. Changing for the better usually starts with a selfish, egotistic person who is trying to be less interested in him/herself, and more interested in others. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, this type of transformation is easily recognized. â€Å"When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness~Joseph Campbell. McMurphy parellels the previous quote by Joseph Campbell, and by examining his actions and relationships, the reader is able to see that he is transformed from an originally selfish man into a self-less hero. Randal Patrick McMurphy is introduced as an extremely selfish man who will do anything to benefit his own personal gain. This is evidently displayed through the description of his past actions, and also through the w ay he treats the other patients on the ward. Motivated by self-interest throughout his life, McMurphy’s past can not only be labeled as that of a criminal, but of an egotistical criminal who completely disregards the feelings of others repeatedly. â€Å"McMurry, Randle Patrick. Committed by the state from Pendleton Farm for Correction. For diagnosis and possible treatment. Thirty-five years old. Never married. Distinguished Service Cross in Korea, for leading an escape from a Communist prison camp. A dishonorable discharge, afterward, for insubordination. Followed by a history of street brawls and barroom fights and a series of arrests for Drunkenness, Assault and Battery, Disturbing the Peace, repeated gambling, and one arrest—for Rape. † (Kesey 44) The charges that Randall proudly displays while he is introducing himself manifests that his character is irresponsible on account of his behaviour for Drunkenness, violent—shown through Assault and Battery charges, and deranged which is evident in his arrest for Rape. Each of these characteristics that make up his criminal personality can be associated with that of an extremely selfish and negligent man. Furthermore, McMurphy displays his mercenariness when it comes to his repetitive gambling. Not only was McMurphy charged for this in the past, but his disregard for the rules and his lack of sensitivity for the well being of others allow him to continue to gamble with the patients in the Oregon asylum. McMurphy is constantly hassling the patients to gamble with him on subjects such as poker, the Chief lifting the control panel, and McMurphy driving Big Nurse insane—with the knowledge that he is going to win. Many of the patients in the ward are in debt because of McMurphy. â€Å"How much did you lose, Bruce? Mr. Sefelt? Mr. Scanlon? I think you all have some idea what your personal losses were, but do you know what his total winnings came to, according to deposits he has made at Funds? Almost three hundred dollars. † (222) Treating his fellow patients like this and disregarding the consequences that they will face due to his gambling, McMurphy show’s the reader that he is only there to benefit himself. The once selfish personality that McMurphy heavily displays in the beginning of the novel is starting to undergo change. The fishing trip that McMurphy plans for the patients is a distinct event where the reader is able to see a transformation because he shows characteristics of his selfish side, but also of his new self-less personality. Before going on the fishing trip, McMurphy cheated the other patient’s by charging them too much money. â€Å"Seventy dollars? So? I thought you told the patients you’d need to collect a hundred dollars plus ten of your own to finance the trip Mr. McMurphy. † (197) Big Nurse questions McMurphy until it is completely obvious that he was making money off of taking the patients on this trip. Contrasted to this act however, while on the boat McMurphy helps each of the men to act for, and stand up for themselves. He teaches them to laugh, fish, and act like a man even though they have been suppressed from their ability to do so with Big Nurse. â€Å"They could sense a change that most of us were only suspecting; these weren’t the same bunch of weak-knees from a nuthouse that they’d watched take their insults on the dock this morning. (215) McMurphy set aside his time to help these men because he could tell they needed to learn for themselves—it was only then that they would be able to stick up to Big Nurse. He is becoming more and more aware of the responsibility he has on teaching and leading the men. Another event where both sides of Macks’ (McMurphys’) personalities are displayed is thro ugh the simple action that he takes by standing up to the Nurse. Cheswick takes great pride in McMurphy’s actions and starts to follow them. However, when McMurphy finds out he is committed, he completely disregards the importance of his status, nd stops helping Cheswick— who commits suicide right after he says â€Å"I do wish something mighta been done though.. † (151) After this incident, McMurphy’s rebellious nature goes from self-interest to devotion of helping the other inmates, and he enshrines himself in being an example for them so that nobody ever gets hurt like Cheswick did. Once McMurphy realizes how important the power and responsibility that he has put on himself is, the transformation from a self-interested criminal into a respected hero was complete. He dedicates his time, and well-being to aid the others patients who could not do so for themselves. McMurphy was their hero. In the showers one day, George—a germophobe—was having a tough time with the black boys and could not defend himself. In seeing this, McMurphy stepped in: â€Å"I said that’s enough, buddy† (229) McMurphy repeatedly argued, and fought with the boys’ until he was taken away by aides of the Disturbed ward. The punishment: Electroshock Therapy. In this situation, McMurphy was not previously aware of the consequences, but still gave himself to helping another. Following this incident, McMurphy is well aware of the consequences he would face—but still made a conscious decision to do all that he is able to for his friends. A hero is considered to be a man noted for nobility and courage; especially one who has risked his life. McMurphy is a hero; a martyr; a figure of Christ. After Billy had slit his throat due to the tyrannous power of the Nurse, McMurphy attacked her. Knowing full well that this action would result in a lobotomy, he did it anyways for Billy and the others on the ward. Even though he sacrificed his own life, he stood against oppressive powers and displayed to the others his bravery and loyalty. â€Å"We couldn’t stop him because we were the ones making him do it. It wasn’t the nurse that was forcing him, it was our need that was making him push himself†¦ It was us that had been making him go on for weeks, keeping him standing long after his feet and legs had given out, weeks of making him wink and grin and laugh and go on with his act long after his humour had been parched dry between two electrodes. (267) Easily compared to Christ, McMurphy acted as a saviour and saint to his fellow men. His death was dignified, and it was for other people. A truly heroic transformation was completed throughout McMurphy’s commitance at the Oregon State Asylum. He started out as a self-involved criminal who was treating the fellow patients poorly, and slowly became more herioc as he showed signs of helping the men, mixed with his old self ish ways. Ending off, Randal P. By examining his actions and relationships, McMurphy is finally seend as a man who sacrificed himself for a greater cause; he evolved into a hero. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a Classic American novel that is filled with correlating events that portray women as monsters through misogynistic actions and language. Throughout time, society advocated that man was the dominate role that was in charge in almost every aspect, while women stayed at home and were inferior figures. However, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest shows how society acts misogynistic, or shows hatred towards women, when there is a reversal of these stereotypical gender roles; women are instantly depicted as monsters and uniformly terrifying. McMurphy’s actions in the ward, Kesey establishing women as over-oppressive, and women being portrayed as terrifying figures all illustrate how society acts misogynistic when there is a reversal in the roles of men and women. The man figure thrives off being dominant and in control, and when that power is threatened or not in place, male figures instantly bash the women society. McMurphy’s actions towards the nurse, such as disrespecting the nurse, indicate misogynistic qualities as it signifies women do not deserve respect. When McMurphy is enrolled in the hospital, Nurse Ratched has a set of rules set forth that everyone is to comply to so they can become healthy. However, McMurphy being the misogynistic character that he is, starts a war between the nurse and himself as he finds the rules overbearing. McMurphy then shows a hatred of women as he disrespects the nurse and fails to comply to the rules she set in place. He begins by being loud and obnoxious and disrupting the peace in the ward, and when the nurse asks him to quiet down he only becomes more difficult by showing his naked body. The nurse goes to confront him about being loud and â€Å"McMurphy steps out of the latrine door right in front of her holding that towel around his hips† (86). The nurse states that he cannot run around the ward revealing his body, but only laughs in her face and gets a kick out of her being uncomfortable. By lacking the wherewithal to comply to such simple rules that were established by the women work force reveals a sense of misogyny in the novel. He is not only disrespecting and establishing his hatred for the nurse and the women in the hospital, he is teaching the other patients that it is okay to have a hate for women. When McMurphy is forced to attend the meetings that are meant to help each patient get problems off their chest, he states that â€Å"she’s a bitch and a buzzard and a ball cutter† (54) for bringing up Harding’s issues with his wife. Nurse Ratched sees that the issues that Harding experiences with is wife are part of the reason why he is wrapped up in a mental ward, and McMurphy only uses misogynistic language to describe the nurse. McMurphy continues to show his misogynistic characteristics has he disobeys the rules of the ward at a higher level; he physically harms another patient. When McMurphy is trying to be restrained for fighting he only â€Å"drove a fist square in the center of the white, starched chest† (237) of the aide that worked for the nurse. The fight in the shower only further signifies the hatred of women that McMurphy had. He decided to disrupt the peace in the ward and not only make the life difficult for the nurse but difficult for her workers. Kesey strengths the idea of misogyny as he establishes the nurse and other female characters, such as the nurse, as over-oppressive figures who emasculate the male characters. The purpose of the ward is to enable patients to receive treatment that will help them get better so they can function in society. However, Kesey implies that women are merely characters who are detrimental to the male’s as they castrate them. For instance, Chief Bromden’s mother is portrayed as this overbearing character who turned his father into a weak alcoholic from a big strong chief. The chief’s father was a big man and married a women from Dallas, and he signifies that the emasculating began as his mother made them take on her last name, Bromden. The Chief proceeds to portray his mother as an emasculator as he states, â€Å"my mother made him to little to fight any more and he gave up† when the government was trying to take away his tribe and land (188). Thus, a sense of hatred is brought forth as the Chief is stating that women will turn you form a big, strong man into a weak alcoholic, just as his mother did to his father. Similarly, Billy Bibbit’s mother will not let him develop sexually and treats him as an infant to be watched over by the nurse. When Billy goes and has sex with Candy, the prostitute, he gains this sense of manhood and dominance. However, the nurse is portrayed as an emasculator as she threatens to tell Billy’s mother that he has had sex; ultimately taking away the manhood he briefly gained. The nurse states, â€Å"Mrs. Bibbit’s always been so proud of your decision. I know she has. This is going to disturb her terribly. You know how she is when she gets disturbed, Billy; you know how ill the poor women can become† (271). Scared of loosing his mother’s love Billy’s voice â€Å"scraped the white, bare walls of the seclusion room† and he â€Å"lifted his chin so he was shouting at the moon of light in the ceiling† (271). After Billy commits suicide over the situation, and everyone suggests that the nurse is the reason Billy killed himself. Thus, the idea of misogyny is further noticeable in the text as Kesey is applying that women are these over bearing individuals that strip men of their manhood. Within in the novel, Kesey illustrates the demeanor of the women character as terrifying and almost monster like. This creates a misogynistic undertone within the text as women are not being portrayed as a nurturing figure, they are these terrifying people that the men are afraid of. Right away the image of the nurse is depicted as this huge monster like an image that punishes for any wrong doing. In the beginning of the novel the aides of the nurse are slacking from their job, and as the nurse sees them mumbling together in a group Chief Bromden indicates that she is going to â€Å"tear the black bastards limb from limb† and that she â€Å"blows up bigger and bigger, as big as a tractor† (5). The nurse is being portrayed as this beast like figure that takes on this hideous form whenever she is unhappy with people and their actions. Fundamentally, there is a misogynistic setting being set forth as the Chief is indicating that a women in power, such as the nurse, takes on these hideous qualities. Rather then being depicted as upset or annoyed with the aides, any nurturing and loving qualities are instantly stripped as she is described as a creature. In a sense women being terrifying figures is further evident as Harding, a patient in the ward, proclaims, â€Å"We are victims or matriarchy here, my friend, and that doctor is just as helpless as we are. He knows all Ratched has to do is pick up that phone you see sitting at her elbow and call the supervisor and mention, oh, say, that the doctor seems to be making a great number of requisitions for Demerol† (56). Ultimately the Nurse is being portrayed as this terrifying figure that must be obeyed, and when disobeyed she can have it so you are addicted to the strongest drugs possible. A misogynistic undertone is being established as it is evident that Kesey is attempting to insinuate that women in the text are centralized on having complete and utter control rather then on helping patients get better. Another character that underlings the misogynic undertone in the novel is Billy Bibbit’s mother; she is a terrifying figure in the eyes of Billy. Billy has dreams of going to college and looking for a wife, however, when he brings these topics up with his mother â€Å"she only tickled him with the fluff and laughed at such foolishness† (254). Thus, women are being presented as these terrifying figures that will not let you escape from their grasp. They want to have complete control so they can always establish the rules. Society is based of the status quo of men and women; men love being in control over the women and dictating the rules of a society. However, when a women seizes power in a particular culture there can be a sense of misogyny that is established. Such examples of McMurphy’s barbaric actions in the ward, Kesey establishing women as controlling figure, and women being noted as feared all underline misogynistic qualities that a society takes on when males are upset with a women in power. These qualities all are detrimental to the women society; they are not being illustrated as caring and loving, they are presented as people who create a struggle for everyone else. Just as the society of the mental ward has a hatred for Nurse Ratched, they take on these qualities in attempt to force her to leave, so they can be set free from her grasp. They want a new leader for the ward and by being misogynistic they believe that it will cause the nurse to leave as no one wants to live hated in a society. Furthermore, the ward acts with misogyny as they strive to tire the nurse out from all the stress being created so that she will eventually break down and give up her position. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a tale of rebellion against the obvious authority cloaked within the walls of an insane asylum and redemption through it. The setting is one played out many times before in various hero stories. A man enters a foreign place, meets oppressed indigenous people, decides to help them see the light, and gives his life for the greater good. In this case the protagonist is not the narrator, but rather McMurphy, a con-man and gambler who fixes his way out of hard labor and into a seemingly cushy hospital setting. Little does he realize he just signed his freedom away to Gestapo dressed as nurses. From the moment he steps into the hospital his freedom is questioned. The nurses acting as dictators, especially Nurse Ratched, try to take complete control of every patient, of every aspect, and the more one struggles the harder their life becomes. For McMurphy what is a challenge to established sanction in the beginning, becomes a fight for the freedom of all patients in the end. The power of the nurses dictatorship runs in three themes throughout the book; false diagnoses of illness, women emasculating men, and social destruction of natural impulses and drives. The emasculation of men is a theme found through out the entire novel. Not only are the men weakened through embarrassment, but also destroyed through castration. Seeing the men gathered for their talks with the nurses was just one of the many ways the men were destroyed emotionally. Bromden himself commented on this torture of patience which in a sense took their balls. The struggle there is not against just one woman but an entire system. A matriarchy set up with easily controllable subordinates to Ratched and watchdogs who are the men full of anger working underneath her. This power struggle is not an unknown phenomenon to the men there as most of the patients have had controlling women in their lives before. One great example of this is the mother of the narrator who is a woman that took control just as the women of the hospital. Bromdens mother turned his father into an alcoholic weakling and even made him take her last name further weakening the chief. Another example came later in the novel when McMurphy commissioned a prostitute to sleep with Billy. This form of therapy did seem to help him recover, however Nurse Ratched threatened to tell his mother because of which he committed suicide. This idea of suicide was not the only one as another of the patients castrated himself and others commented that all a man had to do was wait a bit. Moving further into the oppression of men we step into the realms of the destruction of impulse. The novel makes a strong distinction between the natural and the mechanical. Bromden, being a man of the land and the son of a Native American chief, is the embodiment of nature trapped within social confines. He is born free as he hunts with his father as a child until the government buys out the land and so starts his battle to regain his place in nature. The hospital and the staff are all seen as agents of the unnatural. The staff is described as consisting of mechanical parts and the hospital it self has is a machine at the control of Ratched. Bromden goes on to describe a fog machine that is used to fill the hospital and cloud the vision of the patients. This of course is symbolic for the clouding of judgment and in effect the manipulation of sanity as a mind unable to see clearly will not be one to make sound decisions. McMurphy’s entrance into the hospital is a representation of natural impulse and raw sexuality clashing directly with the mechanical. As he walks in he laughs and Bromden comments how that is the first real laugh he has heard in long time. Later in the novel McMurphy brags about his conquests of a young girl which led to his incarceration adding to social constraints presented in the story. As the novel nears end McMurphy does free many of the patients which symbolizes the return to the natural and a weakening of authoritative grip when they walk out of the hospital. This however, is directly tied in to him loosing his mind via lobotomy. This brings the final theme for the subjugation of freedom found within the story; false diagnosis. Sometime before McMurphy ever stepped foot in the asylum there was a rebel before him. Though this man did not seem to challenge the system as harshly as McMurphy he was not a roll over either. He did, however question the process which is evident from his inquiry to the medication he was taking. He was treated via intense electro shock therapy and lobotomy from which he lost his ability to reason, his fighting spirit, and indeed his personality. The man became a human cow for which he was later released and praised as cured by Nurse Ratched. This was an erroneous diagnosis as the man was perhaps as healthy as most. The issue was brought up in the novel stating that a man of sound mind questions, however it is insane to do so at the challenge of authority as majority rules. The case was very much the same for McMurphy. When he rebelled he was not seen as a man rebelling but a patient loosing a grip on reality. Though, it is unclear whether Nurse Ratchet really saw it that way, it would seem that she was too concerned with having absolute control to care for the peoples well being. This in turned caused to the patients treated inhumanly within the hospital and leant to the fear of leaving. What happened in the hospital was tragic and in many ways analogous to a dictatorship of a nation. When a dictator has absolute control of a country the people must have a fear instilled in them in order to remain in control. This is how the hospital operated with Ratched unchallenged based on the fear of what she may do to the men there. This was the case until McMurphy showed them to live out side the confines of a mental prison of fear.

What Makes an Act Sexually Perverse

UWI Maurice Layne 620008086LecturerSimeon Mohansingh. CoursePhilosophy of sex and Love. | What makes an act sexually perverse? | | In a recent discussion, the subject of perversion was raised; the question was asked what makes an individual a pervert, or what kinds of acts could be considered perverted? The answers received were numerous to say the least. My first response was paedophilia which I still hold firm to; what follows are a few of the other answers; Bestiality; Homosexuality; Necrophilia; Oral sex (which was hotly debated); and Sexual sado-masochism.The list could continue but let us use this list and ask the question in another way; what makes these acts sexually perverse? What do we mean when we say something is sexually perverse? Is it divergence from what is sexually natural or a departing from what is considered standard morality? If so, what is natural? Who defines morality? The question of sexual perversion is of no little importance, for a start the question raises a number of interesting philosophical issues. Moreover, the issue is not solely of academic interest.Many have been, and many still are, stigmatised by the label ‘sexual pervert'. For them the issue of whether their actions justify this epithet may have a profound effect on their lives. Our purposes here are to simply attempt an answer to the question. We should note, at the start, that the notion of sexual perversion is not a simple descriptive concept. To call someone a pervert is not like calling them a Doctor or a Teacher. It is to denigrate their moral status in some way. Sexual perversion, therefore, is a concept, part of whose content is to carry a negative moral evaluation.The Oxford Dictionaries defines the verb pervert as to alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended; or to lead (someone) away from what is considered right, natural, or acceptable; and it defines the noun pervert as a person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable. (â€Å"pervert†. Oxford Dictionaries. 2010) Since sexual perversion is a morally negative concept, it might be thought that one could define it simply as a ‘morally wrong sexual act'.In a similar way, one might attempt a definition of ‘murder’ as a morally wrong human killing. This, however, will not do. The simple reason is that there are many morally wrong sexual acts of a very ‘straight’ kind which, all can agree, are not perversions. For example, an ordinary sexual act may be done by one of the partners in a way that is unkind, deceitful, inconsiderate or cruel, and so morally wrong. Rape and adultery may be examples of this. One would not, on this account, want to call such acts perversions. Though there are some persons who do view rape as a perversion. ) One of the things that makes it hard to get a grip on the concept of perversion (its intension) is that there is strong d isagreement even over its extension. People disagree, for example, over whether homosexuality and masturbation are perversions. Still, let us start with a look at the extension of the concept. Genital sexual activity is of many kinds. The following is a list of categories; these are not necessarily exclusive; no doubt they are not exhaustive either.I give the acts in what seems (to me) to be roughly decreasing in order of ‘naturalness’ (in traditional terms). Heterosexual intercourse in the missionary position (straight sex). Heterosexual intercourse in other positions. Oral sex (cunnilingus, fellatio). Masturbation. Homosexuality. Group sex. Anal sex (buggery, sodomy), heterosexual or homosexual. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. Frotteurism. Sexual sadism and/or masochism. Paedophilia. Fetishism. Transvestism. Zoophilia (bestiality). Urophilia Necrophilia. Coprophilia.We can be safe in saying that it is highly unlikely that any two people would produce exactly the same orderi ng, my assumption is that there would be general agreement on the rough ordering, at least as to whether something was near the top, middle or end. Where perversion begins on the list is much more contentious, however. Sexual conservatives often draw the line after the first instance. More ‘open minded’ people might draw the line after say group sex. The items listed after group sex may get in on nearly everyone’s list.So what should count as a perversion, and why? Let us start with what is perhaps the best known account of perversion in the contemporary philosophical literature, that of Nagel. I start with it, not because it is close to the truth (I think that it is a long way from this), but because it illustrates clearly a central shortcoming that will keep recurring. â€Å"Nagel proposes that sexual interactions in which each person responds with sexual arousal to noticing the sexual arousal of the other person exhibit the psychology that is natural to human sexuality.In such an encounter, each person becomes aware of himself or herself and the other person as both the subject and the object of their joint sexual experiences. Perverted sexual encounters or events would be those in which this mutual recognition of arousal is absent, and in which a person remains fully a subject of the sexual experience or fully an object. Perversion, then, is a departure from or a truncation of a psychologically â€Å"complete† pattern of arousal and consciousness. † (Soble and Power 2008, 13) It is difficult to do full justice to Nagel’s account in a few words.But for present purposes, let’s hope the following will suffice. According to Nagel, a sexual act is not perverted when it involves two (or maybe more) people; each is sexually aroused by [the other]; each is sexually aroused by [the other's being sexually aroused]; each is sexually aroused by [the other's being sexually aroused by the other's being sexually aroused]; a nd maybe so on ad infinitum. Any other sexual act is perverted. Now, one problem with Nagel's account is that it draws the line in a very strange place.Homosexuality, sadomasochism and paedophilia may all be non-perverted if done in the right way; whilst masturbation, rape and even straight sex of a very bored kind – e. g. , by a prostitute, or an uptown wife who during the act of coitus is thinking of travelling to Manhattan for ‘black Friday’ as perverted. Granted, any division is going to be contentious, but this classification is just too counter-intuitive: no one (unless in the grip of Nagel’s account) would divide things up in this way?The more important failing of Nagel's account is that if this is what sexual perversion is, there is absolutely no reason why perversion should be a morally loaded concept. There is nothing in itself immoral about being aroused by someone who is not them self aroused. Maybe it is more exciting, more complete, or fulfil ling, if they are; but it is hardly wrong if they are not. A more plausible and, in fact, more common account of perversion is that perverted acts are those that are unnatural. This is not a bad start, but it does not get us very far until we have said what ‘natural’ is to be taken to mean here.For the notion of naturalness is a very slippery one indeed. What, then, is the natural in this context? â€Å"Natural sexual acts, to provide merely a broad definition, are those acts that either flow naturally from human sexual nature, or at least do not frustrate or counteract sexual tendencies that flow naturally from human sexual desire. † (Soble and Power 2008, 11) An obvious suggestion is that what is natural is what happens in nature. But such a suggestion would rob the notion of perversion of all content. People are, after all, part of nature. Hence, nothing they do is unnatural in this sense.A fortiori there would be no perversions. It makes a bit more sense to s uppose that the natural is what happens in non human nature. This would draw the line in a very odd place, however. It makes paedophilia, masturbation, homosexuality, and bestiality (or at least intercourse with a different species) natural, while at the same time making straight sex unnatural. Given that then one might want to redefine what straight sex equates to in non human animals. Another suggestion as to what ‘unnatural’ means here is simply unusual (abnormal) in the statistical sense. Goldman 1977) It should be noted that the frequencies of various sexual practices like, homosexuality and paedophilia vary from society to society. Hence, perversion, on this account, becomes a socially relative concept. With ‘natural’ interpreted in this way, the definition of perversion has two major problems. Perversion does not seem to be linked to statistics in the way it requires. If bestiality became very common, for example, it would not cease to be a perversio n. There would just be more perverts around.More importantly, there is no reason why something that is unusual statistically should be morally bad; merely consider heroism, having an IQ of 200 or higher or being able to make love for 3. 5 hours without a break. In the context of the definition of perversion, Donald Levy takes an unnatural act to be one that denies someone a basic human good, such as life, health, control of mind or body, or the capacity to know or love (without providing some other basic human good in compensation). (Velasquez 2010, 454) This account at least has the advantage that it becomes clear why perversion is morally wrong.Its failings are rather different. According to this, virtually nothing that is traditionally counted as perversion is a perversion. None of homosexuality, buggery, sadomasochism would seem to fall into this category. Moreover, those sexual acts that involve the individual alone (masturbation, fetishism, transvestism, bestiality and necroph ilia) would not seem to require the actor to deny anyone including him or herself anything. We noted a certain amount of flexibility as to what one might classify as a perversion, but this flexibility hardly extends to ruling out paradigm cases wholesale.It would seem that for Levy Paedophilia and Rape would be the only activities that could or would count as sexual perversion. Another suggestion, as to what ‘natural' means in the context of perversion is this. It is often said that biological processes have some well-defined goal or function. What is natural is using the process for that function; what is unnatural is using it for something else. That this suggestion is on the right lines is supported by the following considerations. We speak of things other than sexual acts as being perverted.For example, we speak of someone perverting the course of justice. In such a case, it is clear that what this amounts to is the person using the judicial process for something other tha n its proper end. Thus, perversion in general is using something for other than its proper end as a matter of fact, as stated earlier this is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb ‘to pervert' and sexual perversion, in particular, is using sex for something other than its proper end. Were doing well so far right? But what exactly is the proper end of sex?A common view, most strongly represented in traditional Catholic pronouncements, has it that the function of sex is reproduction. â€Å"Based upon a comparison of the sexuality of humans and the sexuality of lower animals (mammals, in particular), Aquinas concludes that what is natural in human sexuality is the impulse to engage in heterosexual coitus. Heterosexual coitus is the mechanism designed by the Christian God to insure the preservation of animal species, including humans, and hence engaging in this activity is the primary natural expression of human sexual nature.Further, this God designed each of the pa rts of the human body to carry out specific functions, and on Aquinas’s view God designed the male penis to implant sperm into the female’s vagina for the purpose of effecting procreation. It follows, for Aquinas that depositing the sperm elsewhere than inside a human female’s vagina is unnatural: it is a violation of God’s design, contrary to the nature of things as established by God. For this reason alone, on Aquinas’s view, such activities are immoral, a grave offense to the sagacious plan of the Almighty. (Soble and Power 2008, 12) Reproduction here is interpreted as conception. Therefore, any sexual act that cannot result in conception is a perversion which clearly draws the line very high up on the list. † If this view is right, the orthodox Catholic Church has drawn the correct conclusions concerning masturbation and homosexuality; contraception, too, makes sex perverted. But the definition also makes many sorts of straight sex perver ted: sex for an infertile male known to be infertile; sex for a woman after menopause or a hysterectomy; sex during the so called ‘safe period' of a woman’s menstrual cycle.It would appear that orthodox Catholic thinking has not been consistent in these areas, since it does not condemn such acts; though some of the church fathers such as Augustine did in a roundabout way. â€Å"Sexual intercourse with lower animals (bestiality), sexual activity with members of one’s own sex (homosexuality), and masturbation, for Aquinas, are unnatural sexual acts and are immoral exactly for that reason. If they are committed intentionally, according to one’s will, they deliberately disrupt the natural order of the world as created by God and which God commanded to be respected†¦In none of these activities is there any possibility of procreation, and the sexual and other organs are used, or misused, for purposes other than that for which they were designed. Although A quinas does not say so explicitly, but only hints in this direction, it follows from his philosophy of sexuality that fellatio, even when engaged in by heterosexuals, is also perverted and morally wrong. At least in those cases in which orgasm occurs by means of this act, the sperm is not being placed where it should be placed and procreation is therefore not possible.If the penis entering the vagina is the paradigmatic natural act, then any other combination of anatomical connections will be unnatural and hence immoral; for example, the penis, mouth, or fingers entering the anus. Note that Aquinas’s criterion of the natural that the sexual act must be procreative in form, and hence must involve a penis inserted into a vagina, makes no mention of human psychology. Aquinas’s line of thought yields an anatomical criterion of natural and perverted sex that refers only to bodily organs and what they might accomplish physiologically and to where they are, or are not, put in relation to each other. (Soble and Power 2008, 12-13) If this is the case what is the rationale for the clitoris being positioned the way it is? At any rate, any account of perversion according to which straight sex between a loving couple at the tender age of 60 years, who have been happily married for over 40 years, is a perversion, in my humble opinion must be wrong. It is plausible to suppose that what makes this account of perversion wrong is its identification of reproduction with conception. There is, after all, a lot more to reproduction than conception. In particular, there is gestation, birth, the rearing and education of children, and so on.And sex may have important biological functions in these areas too. To begin with, a secure family is usually reckoned to be important in the upbringing of children. And one factor making for a secure family is a happy and fulfilling sexual life between the adult partners. Hence, a function of sex could be for two people each to give the other pleasure. In this case, only those forms of sexual activity that involve just one person could be perverted. More generally, a stable and functioning society is necessary for the reproduction of people. An important role of sex might be to help people to live together and cooperate.And who knows what sexual practices might serve that end? Without a lot more socio-biological research, it is highly unlikely near an impossibility to say what constitutes a perversion on this account probably very little.