Modernism Versus Postmodernism

Modernism vs. Postmodernism Post-modernism follows and shares many of the same ideas as modernism. Though, at the same time, they differ in many ways. These distinctions can be seen in the two works of literature, â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller and â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† by David Mamet. â€Å"Death of a Salesman† represents the modernist literature. Modernism is a style of literature that came about after World War I in Europe. It emerged in the United States in the late 1920s. Modernism was the response to the commotion, which occurred during World War I.The narrator in the play is limited and omniscient; he or she observes the thoughts and actions of Willy, Biff, and other central characters in the story, a type of narration that was new to literature. Instead of writing literature objectively, many authors started to use a subjective writing style. Miller captures this in the character of Willy. The readers are able to see the world through th e eyes of this one character and what is going on inside of his head in many instances such as when he imagines seeing his brother and says â€Å"Ben, I’ve go to talk to you. †The idea of rejection of tradition but trying to find answers is one of the central themes throughout the play. The setting is captured around the American Dream. Willy, like the rest of men around him, only wish to have a perfect job to provide for a perfect family in a perfect home. Though, Willy’s job, family, and home are nowhere near perfect. Throughout the story, Willy struggles to live up to this materialistic society but is unable to and this is what leads to his downfall. Throughout the story he is looking for an answer, and he believes the answer is if he dies, his son, Biff, will be successful and rich.This leads to Willie’s death. Miller also shows the clear distinction between high and low popular culture. High culture, being the elite, and low culture, being the oneâ⠂¬â„¢s less well off. It is evident there are people who are better off than others in the play. Charlie is very well off and so is his son. Throughout the story, Willy collects money from him in order to support his family. He also tells him, â€Å"I offered you a job. You can make fifty dollars a week. And I won’t send you on the road† (Miller 96). There is a difference between Charlie and Willy’s well being, in that Charlie is able to provide jobs and Willy does not have a job.Modernism embraces the idea of a high culture. This is clearly evident because Willy is striving to become part of it. The idea of a low brawl is also evident, in which money is beauty. Because this play is subjective, and we see it through Willy’s eyes, money representing beauty and priority becomes a central idea throughout the play. In the play, it becomes evident that Willy does not know himself. Willy dies because of his inability to be happy and to be happy would mean he wo uld to know himself. Death of a Salesman also has a very ambiguous ending, which is another characteristic of modernist writing.It is left for the readers to identify and interpret that Willy has died and that not many people showed up to his funeral because he was not a well-liked person, even though he said he was. â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† represents postmodernism literature. Postmodernism emerged during the late years of WWII and started to appear more during the mid 1980s. Instead of having a grand narrative, postmodernism has many narratives. Post-modernists ideas had a large affect on economy, politics, and the way people. These aspects can be seen in the play through the idea of capitalism and consumption.In â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross,† the idea of consumption is wrong, which is contrary to â€Å"Death of a Salesman. † The want to make money leads to stealing, with Shelley breaking into the office and later becoming arrested for it. In the play, it is se en that money drives people to do crazy things and only leads to their downfall. Postmodernism proves to embrace the low culture, where the idea of elite, power, and money is not as important. Trying to make meaning becomes impossible and repressive and millions die in desire to create a great collective. Postmodernism is more accepting in regards to chaos.The idea of being okay in a world where there are no universal truths had become accepted. This can be seen in the play, because no characters are represented as true. They are living in a false world. This false world is made up of a false business with false leads and false people trying to sell them. When Shelly steals the leads, he is not doing anything different, because the leads are non-existent, imaginary properties that he stole to steal the money of other people, so in reality he is not stealing something of value and can relate to the rest of the characters.With this example, it is also seen that sympathy flows around. Mamet allows reader’s to like and relate to Shelley in some instances, like when he needs the money for his daughter, but at the same time Marnet allows us to dislike Shelley at some instances, because of his lying, scamming, and stealing. Our sympathy moves for different characters at different moments throughout the play, not only Shelley.

Mobile Phones Essay

Mobile phones have had such a large impact in our modern twenty-first century societies, that they have become part and parcel of our daily lives. Nowadays, it has become the norm in our towns and villages to see people who are busy tapping on their cell phones. Mobile phones have changed the way people communicate. These devices are carried anywhere people go because they are light and easy to carry around, such that everyone is constantly in touch with others. This is very different from when home and work telephones were the only means of communication. Nowadays, people can call each other using their mobile phones wherever they are as long as there is reception, regardless of the country they are in. This can be life-saving when emergency calls are needed, while also very useful to communicate with work colleagues, family and friends. Furthermore, mobile phones have also given birth to text messages, which are found to be more convenient than phone calls, because they can be answered at the receiver’s convenience without being disturbed. Read more:Â  Essay on Use of Mobile Phones by Students Smart phones are the latest kind of mobile devices, which have been available for only a couple of years. These phones continue to enhance our communication, mainly by using the internet for third party services, such as chatting and social networking sites. Moreover, these phones can be used for a multitude of other things, such that they are able to have the function of a computer, a music player, a camera, a video camera, a gaming console and a diary, among other uses. Mobile phones have also been of a disadvantage to their users. People in modern societies are often found to be addicted to their cell phones. They check if they have any new message over and over again, even when they are out with their friends or when they are on a date. Firstly, this obsession shows lack of manners because mobile phones are given more importance than the person in front of them. Secondly, this lack of priorities can often be dangerous, for example while driving. The latest smart phones could be very expensive. Even though there are a variety of affordable cell phones and smart phones, some people, most often youths, spend hundreds of Euros every year to buy the latest smart phone, although having only a small improvement over the previous one. Generally, this is a result of persuasive and costly advertising made by giant manufacturers. Furthermore, this has also been a common subject for bullying in schools. Mobile phones have obviously made people’s work and personal life much easier. As long as these are used with caution and moderation, cell phones do not have any particular negative impact on people’s lifestyle and health.

Speaker presentation response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speaker presentation response paper - Essay Example For instance, Mark Zuckerberg, the person who founded Facebook claims to have been inspired by his desire to communicate with people. Although the Facebook idea began as a small idea, Zuckerberg has become a global icon by simply following his passion (Dolbeck 1-2). Passion plays an important role when determining one’s career and future business, as success can never be achieved without contentment with what one is doing. Conceivably one more insight in the presentation that attracts attention is the inability of most people to realize their full potential because of low self-esteem. Irrefutably, one has to discover their inner ability to perform in any sector before they can achieve real success. One would argue that given the fact that the speaker makes quite some sense in their presentation, a number of issues such as the of winning contracts and tenders arise as controversial thus requiring more consideration. Whereas the speaker has encouraged investors to be cautious of the business environment, it is undeniable that modern business environment has become increasingly challenging making it difficult to begin businesses. For instance, small and medium enterprises often had to contend with the fact that large and well established multinational corporations such as Wal-Mart offer stiff competition. Indeed, many small and start up businesses have either been swallowed or simply failed to take root if established within the vicinity of these multinational corporations. Usually, prospective businesspersons must put into consideration their ability to win and implement contracts successfully before they fully commit to such business practices. This is majorly because various business ventures have unique challenges that their owners must fully understand in order to succeed. Moreover, the capital input is another crucial aspect in financing of start-up businesses. This is particularly so because while some ventures require small amounts of finances to st art, others require enormous capital input that might drain an individual hoping to establish a start-up. Whereas the speaker seems optimistic on the possibilities of small businesses to grow and make appreciable profits, starting too small makes such endeavors take longer time than necessary. This seemingly discourages many small investors to stay in the start up businesses until the break-even point. The speaker has controversially argued in support of success without prior exposure to a particular venture. This has been significantly true for iconic businesses such as Microsoft, Facebook, and Coca-Cola among others. People who had no prior experience in the respective fields started such corporations. However, modern business environment arguably dictate the need to have prior experience. It does not come by surprise that many business people have been employed in other related businesses at least at some point in their lifetime. Having prior experience makes a business investmen t more of a â€Å"shoot on target† than a â€Å"shoot in the dark.† Although prior experience seems to guarantee success, it hinders creative thinking on the other hand (Psychogios and Saso 4-12). The speaker discusses the need to have an idea of the business environment when thinking of investments. Having been a victim of deep financial losses in one of my business ventures, I can identify with his claim. The speaker

Influence of Technology on Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Influence of Technology on Society - Essay Example According to the paper findings the impacts of technology are both negative and positive. On the positive side, technology has make things easier in the way people do activities, keeps time, boosts production, and abridges communication, enhanced educational settings and enhanced health care. On the negative side, advancement in technology has made people lazy as most users of technology are so dependent on new advanced tools. The implication is that the laziness has led to reduced innovation, influenced the environment due to increased pollution that has adverse impacts on the Ozone layer resulting in global warming. Technology has also led to increasing risks to health as technology users spend less time on exercise. Regarding education, learners are now more dependent on computers and calculators to solve simple tasks, which mains that they cannot teach their brain to resolve easy tasks that makes them inactive in classrooms. However, the following are positive effects of technolo gy that have transformed lives.This discussion highlights that  advancements in technology have assisted businesses and companies save time and production expenses that have been a benefit to all enterprises as companies manage such improvements to gain competitive advantage.  Advancement in technology in health care and medicine has assisted in saving countless innocent lives. Human health sciences and medicine have improved significantly.

Discussion Paper on Utilitarian Theory and Duty Oriented Theory Essay

Discussion Paper on Utilitarian Theory and Duty Oriented Theory - Essay Example This rule is applied directly to a selection of particular actions under particular events (Mill). This implies that there are no fixed principles that can be established before the occurrence of any specific event, and that the particular action that works for the greater benefit of society should be the preferred method. Hence the judgment on what constitutes the ‘greater good’ is of extreme importance when following act utilitarianism. There can be counter arguments to the aforementioned notion because, while the majority’s verdict may satisfy everyone in the short run, it may have negative implications for everyone in the long run. This raises concerns over the guaranteed presence of someone shrewd enough to judge what constitutes the greater good of the society. Rule Utilitarianism:- Rule utilitarianism states that it is our duty to abide by rules designed for the greater total good and produce consequences better than those produced by any other rules. This doctrine is applied to a selection of a set of rules which are then used to determine what to do in particular situations. The primary argument of rule utilitarianism is that there should be pre established rules that define what constitutes the greater good. ... Duty Oriented Theories: Duty oriented theories fall under the category of nonconsequentalists theories. Nonconsequentalists believe that there can be rules to guide moral judgments independent of consequences. The underlying argument of these theories is that the means justify the ends rather than the other way round and if the moral conduct undertaken to achieve an acceptable consequence is incorrect than the entire act is incorrect. There are several theories that follow this school of thought. The divine command theory suggests that moral conduct is judged on the basis of the level of fulfillment of rules laid down by a higher authority. This is an extreme end of the nonconsequentalists theories that seeks to abandon control completely. Emanuel Kant was one of the key contributors to duty oriented ethics. Kant’s theory stems from his arguments about misconceptions about the purpose of life and what makes one happy. He argues that if the purpose of life was to achieve happin ess, we shall all seek gratification and pleasure and believe that it shall lead to happiness. But happiness is not within out power to achieve, and is at times, a matter of luck. He also suggests that if we are to avoid skepticism, our ethics should be rational, unconditional and universal. Kant believes that it is not important that the consequences be of our choice, but the thinking behind our choices. He argues that the only one kind of thing that is inherently good is good will. Kant proposed a categorical imperative that shall guide our moral behavior. The categorical imperative argues that One should act on only those maxims (rules of action)

The primary reason that America went to war against Britain in 1812 Essay

The primary reason that America went to war against Britain in 1812 - Essay Example However, tensions still remained between the two nations. The primary reason as to why James Madison declared war against Britain can be associated with differences in the high seas. In his congressional speech, Madison stated that cruisers from Britain violated the American flag. Besides, he accused the British of seizing persons sailing under the American flag (Haberle, 2003). This, he argued, was against the law that governs the relationships between nations. To Madison, the actions of the cruisers seemed to favor the British while the Americans continued to suffer. Madison also purported that the British had violated the sovereignty of the United States. Therefore, he sought support from congress. Factors that led to the declaration of the war can be associated with the decision of the British to drag American citizens in warships. Madison claimed that this exposed Americans to significant dangers while in their own country. The actions of the British to use American subjects in their battles triggered Madison to declare war. The British did not respect America as a sovereign country. As such, the war had to be fought to end British control of the United States (Haberle,

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Finance - Essay Example This is because when an employee cannot be understood, making good use of that employee will be hard (Arthur, pg 15). From my own perspective, communication skills play a very important role in moving the organization forward. It is through this quality that issues such as conflict, stress in the organization, and also good relationship between senior and junior employee can be managed. From the point of a new employee, it may be different. This is because individuals come from different background and what say to be a good communication skill may be different from their perspective. Problem solving skills, most employers currently are looking for employees who are motivated to handle challenges arising in the work place with little direction being offered to them. Such kind of people are able to know what kind of actions they are suppose to take when there are challenges or problems. For instance, employer don’t expect to tell their employees what to do when there is fire bre ak out but rather they expect employees to know that they need to take action to rescue the situation (Arthur, pg 24). In my own opinion, I think that having skills to solve problems is very important because it helps one to handle certain issues on their own. An advantage of this is that it helps an individual to think on solutions to the given problem. Loyalty, this is a key quality most employers do look for when hiring new employees. The issue of trust between employer and employee has to exist. Employers do not require employees who cannot be trusted while representing the organization. From the point of an employee, it may be challenging to be loyal due to conflict of interest. An employee may realize later on that the employer is dealing in illegal business such as drugs and so it may be hard on the part of the employee to be loyal (Arthur, pg 26). Competency, some occupations require skills in order to perform a task e.g. in accounting, and legal fields. When looking for a n ew employee, the employer must consider the job in offer and the level of competency of the new employee. For example if the job on offer is accounting job then the new employee must possess accounting knowledge from college, university. With this the new employee stands a chance in getting the job (Arthur, pg 30). This is a quality that must be considered in my own opinion. This is because when you hire a person who has a background of what he is expected to do, then I believe that the output of that employee will be high. Team player, most employers consider this quality because it plays a very important role in increasing productivity of the organization. This quality enhances the ability of people to work together towards achieving the organizations goal. From my perspective, team building is a factor that should not be overlooked while hiring a new employee. The aspect of having individuals working as a team normally increases their productivity and hence helps in working towar ds the organizations goal (Arthur, pg 34). To the new hiree, this will help him or her to get along with fellow employees in the organization. I think it should not be emphasized so much especially where we have a big company since other employees will take advantage over other fellow and they will not give all their input in the realization of the