Michael Arlen Ode to Thanksgiving Essay Example for Free

Michael Arlen Ode to Thanksgiving Essay Consider the participants, the merrymakers: men and women (also children) who have survived passably well throughout the years, mainly as a result of living at considerable distances from their dear parents and beloved siblings, who on this feast of feasts must apparently forgather (as if beckoned by an aberrant fairy godmother), usually by circuitous routes, through heavy traffic, at a common meeting place, where the very moods, distempers, and obtrusive personal habits that have kept them all happily apart since adulthood are then and there encouraged to slowly ferment beneath the corn husks, and gradually rise with the aid of the terrible wine, and finally burst forth out of control under the stimulus of the cranberry jelly! No, it is a mockery of holiday. For instance: Thank you, O Lord, for what we are about to receive. This is surely not a gala concept. There are no presents, unless one counts Aunt Bertha’s sweet rolls a present, which no one does. There is precious little in the way of costumery: miniature plastic turkeys and those witless Pilgrim hats. There is no sex. Indeed, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year (a fact known to everybody) when all thoughts of sex completely vanish, evaporating from apartments, houses, condominiums, and mobile homes like steam from a bathroom mirror. Consider also the nowhereness of the time of year: the last week or so in November. It is obviously not yet winter: winter, with its death-dealing blizzards and its girls in tiny skirts pirouetting on the ice. On the other hand, it is certainly not much use to anyone as fall: no golden leaves or Oktoberfests, and so forth. Instead, it is a no-man’s land between the seasons. In the cold and sobersides northern half of the country, it is a vaguely unsettling interregnum of long, mournful walks beneath leafless trees: the long, mournful walks following the midday repast with the dread nevitability of pie following turkey, and the leafless trees looming or standing about like eyesores, and the ground either as hard as iron or slightly mushy, and the light snow a lways beginning to fall when one is halfway to the old green gate—flecks of cold, watery stuff plopping between neck and collar, for the reason that, it being not yet winter, one has forgotten or not chosen to bring along a muffler. It is a corollary to the long, mournful Thanksgiving walk that the absence of this muffler is quickly noticed and that four weeks or so later, at Christmastime, instead of the Sony Betamax one had secretly hoped the children might have chipped in to purchase, one receives another muffler: by then the thirty-third. Thirty-three mufflers! Some walk! Of course, things are more fun in the warm and loony southern part of the country . No snow there of any kind. No need of mufflers. Also, no long, mournful walks, because in the warm and loony southern part of the country everybody drives. So everybody drives over to Uncle Jasper’s house to watch the Cougars play the Gators, a not entirely unimportant conflict which will determine whether the Gators get a Bowl bid or must take another postseason exhibition tour of North Korea. But no sooner do the Cougars kick off (an astonishing end-over-end squiggly thing that floats lazily above the arena before plummeting down toward K. C. McCoy and catching him on the helmet) than Auntie Em starts hustling turkey. Soon Cousin May is slamming around the bowls and platters, and Cousin Bernice is oohing and ahing about all the fixin’s, and Uncle Bob is making low, insincere sounds of appreciation: â€Å"Yummy, yummy—Auntie Em, Ill have me some more of these delicious yams! † Delicious yams? Uncle Bob’s eyes roll wildly in his head, Billy Joe Quaglino throws his long bomb in the middle of Grandpa Morris saying grace, Grandpa Morris speaking so low nobody can hear him, which is just as well, since he is reciting what he can remember of his last union contract. And then, just as J. B. Speedy) Snood begins his ninety-two-yard punt return, Auntie Em starts dealing everyone second helpings of her famous stuffing, as if she were pushing a controlled substance, which is well might be, since there are no easily recognizable ingredients visible to the naked eye. Consider for a moment the Thanksgiving me al itself. It has become a sort of refuge for endangered species of starch: cauliflower, turnips, pumpkin, mince (whatever â€Å"mince† is), those blessed yams. Bowls of luridly colored yams, with no taste at all, lying torpid under a lava flow of marshmallow! And then the sacred turkey. One might as well try to construct a holiday repast around a fish—say, a nice piece of haddock. After all, turkey tastes very similar to haddock; same consistency, same quite remarkable absence of flavor. But then, if the Thanksgiving piece de resistance were a nice piece of boiled haddock instead of turkey, there wouldnt be all that fun for Dad when Mom hands him the sterling-silver , bone-handled carving set (a wedding present from her parents and not sharpened since) and then everyone sits around pretending not to watch while he saws and tears away at the bird as if he were trying to burrow his way into or out of some grotesque, fowllike prison. What of the good side to Thanksgiving, you ask. There is always a good side to everything. Not to Thanksgiving. There is only a bad side and then a worse side. For instance, Grandmother’s best linen tablecloth is a bad side: the fact that it is produced each year, in the manner of a red flag being produced before a bull, and then is always spilled upon by whichever child is doing poorest at school that term and so is in need of greatest reassurance. Thus, â€Å"Oh, my God, Veronica, you just spilled grape juice [or plum wine or tar] on Grandmother’s best linen tablecloth! † But now comes worse. For at this point Cousin Bill, the one who lost all Cousin Edwina’s money on the car dealership three years ago and has apparently been drinking steadily since Halloween, bizarrely chooses to say: â€Å"Seems to me those old glasses are always falling over. † To which Auntie Meg is heard to add: â€Å"Somehow I don’t remember receivin’ any of those old glasses. † To which Uncle Fred replies: â€Å"That’s because you and George decided to go on vacation to Hawaii the summer Grandpa Sam was dying. † Now Grandmother is sobbing, though not so uncontrollably that she can refrain from murmuring: â€Å"I think that volcano painting I threw away by mistake got sent me from Hawaii, heaven knows why. But the gods are merciful, even the Pilgrim-hatted god of corn husks and soggy stuffing, and there is an end to everything, even to Thanksgiving. Indeed, there is a grandeur to the feelings of finality and doom which usually settle on a house after the Thanksgiving celebration is over, for with the completion of Thanksgiving Day the year itself has been properly terminated: shot through the cranium with a high-velocity candied yam. At this calendrical nadir, all energy on the planet has gone, all fun has fled, all the terrible wine has been drunk. But then, overnight, life once again begins to stir, emerging, even by the next morning, in the form of Japanese window displays and Taiwanese Christmas lighting, from the primeval ooze of the nation’s department stores. Thus, a new year dawns, bringing with it immediate and cheering possibilities of extended consumer debt, office-party flirtations, good—or, at least, mediocre—wine, and visions of Supersaver excursion fares to Montego Bay. It is worth noting, perhaps, that this true new years always starts with the same mute, powerful mythic ceremony: the surreptitious tossing out, in the early morning, of all those horrid aluminum-foil packages of yams and cauliflowers nd stuffing and red, gummy cranberry substance which have been squeezed into the refrigerator as if a reenactment of the siege of Paris were shortly expected. Soon afterward, the phoenix of Christmas can be observed as it slowly rises, beating its drumsticks, once again goggle-eyed with hope and unrealistic expectations.

Improving Cyberspace :: essays research papers fc

Improving Cyberspace Thesis: Though governments cannot physically regulate the Internet, cyberspace needs regulations to prevent illegal activity, the destruction of morals, and child access to pornography. I. Introduction. II. Illegal activity online costs America millions and hurts our economy. A. It is impossible for our government to physically regulate cyberspace. 1. One government cannot regulate the Internet by itself. 2. The basic design of the Internet prohibits censorship. B. It is possible for America to censor the Internet. 1. All sites in America receive their address from the government. 2. The government could destroy the address for inappropriate material. 3. Existing federal laws regulate BBS's from inappropriate material. III. Censoring the Internet would establish moral standards. A. Pornography online is more harsh than any other media. 1. The material out there is highly perverse and sickening. 2. Some is not only illegal, but focuses on children. B. Many industries face problems from illegal activity online. 1. Floods of copyrighted material are illegally published online. 2. Innocent fans face problems for being good fans. IV. Online pornography is easily and illegally accessible to minors. A. In Michigan, anyone can access anything in cyberspace for free. 1. Mich-Net offers most of Michigan access with a local call. 2. The new Communications Decency Act could terminate Mich-net. B. BBS's offer callers access to adult material illegally. 1. Most BBS operators don't require proof of age. 2. Calls to BBS's are undetectable to a child's parents. V. Conclusion. "People don't inadvertently tune into alt.sex.pedophile while driving to a Sunday picnic with Aunt Gwendolyn" (Huber). For some reason, many people believe this philosophy and therefore think the Internet and other online areas should not be subject to censorship. The truth is, however, that computerized networks like the Internet are in desperate need of regulations. People can say, do, or create anything they wish, and as America has proved in the past, this type of situation just doesn't work. Though governments cannot physically regulate the Internet, cyberspace needs regulations to prevent illegal activity, the destruction of morals, and child access to pornography. First, censoring the online community would ease the tension on the computer software industry. Since the creation of the first computer networks, people have been exchanging data back and forth, but eventually people stopped transferring text, and started sending binaries, otherwise known as computer programs. Users like the idea; why would someone buy two software packages when they could buy one and trade for a copy of another with a friend? This philosophy has cost the computer industry millions, and companies like Microsoft have simply given up. Laws exist against exchanging computer software; violators face up to a $200,000 fine and/or five years imprisonment, but these laws are simply unenforced. Most businesses are violators as well.

The Tell-Tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart In his narrative poem The Tell-Tale heart, Edgar Allen Poe tells the story of an insane madman who is in love with an old man’s eye. The story begins with the madman telling us how he loves the old man but wants to kill him because of his eye. The old man’s eye is like none other and resembles a vulture’s eye. And Poe instills his poem with the same despair experienced by the narrator by using characteristics that are typical of gothic literature such as, High Emotion, Mysterious Atmosphere’s, and Spooky Visions. One gothic element that Poe uses throughout The Tell-Tale Heart is high emotion.This is first apparent when the old man heard someone in the room. The old man sprung up terrified and said â€Å"Who is there? † alert as can be the old man stayed up and put out a terrified groan. The horrific groan of the old man contributes to the high emotion feel of the story. The other gothic element Poe uses throughout The Tell-Tale H eart is a mysterious atmosphere. This was first noticeable when the madman crept into the old man’s room and said â€Å"The room was black as pitch with thick darkness† And within the room the madman had to carry with him a lantern to see clearly.The pitch black room certainly contributes to the mysterious feel of the story. The fact that the old man is asleep and lives in a creepy place makes the story have a mysterious atmosphere. More Gothic elements Poe uses throughout The Tell-Tale Heart are Omens, Portents, and Visions that the mad man haves. These first appeared at the beginning when the mad man said: â€Å"I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and rid myself of the eye forever. † The mad man was having vision of killing the old man.The mad man started hearing a loud unbearable ringing in his ears after he buried the body under the floor and the cops came in. All of these examples certainly contribute the omens, portents, and visions occurrin g in this narrative. Tell-Tale Heart is a classic story about a mad man who stalks and kills someone because of his eye. The madman was so in love with this eye that he would be willing to take the life of an innocent old man. Deep down inside the madman’s conscious wouldn’t let him live.The madman thought everything was going to be okay but the only person that wouldn’t let him go on was himself. As the cops where talking he got an annoying ring in his head and it wouldn’t stop until he came clean. It is not surprising that this narrative poem ends on such an unhappy note, because Poe places that tone throughout the poem. By using things that are typical of gothic literature like High emotion, Mysterious Atmospheres, and Crazy Visions, Poe creates a poem that is wrapped in Mystery. The Tell-Tale Heart The Tell-Tale Heart In his narrative poem The Tell-Tale heart, Edgar Allen Poe tells the story of an insane madman who is in love with an old man’s eye. The story begins with the madman telling us how he loves the old man but wants to kill him because of his eye. The old man’s eye is like none other and resembles a vulture’s eye. And Poe instills his poem with the same despair experienced by the narrator by using characteristics that are typical of gothic literature such as, High Emotion, Mysterious Atmosphere’s, and Spooky Visions. One gothic element that Poe uses throughout The Tell-Tale Heart is high emotion.This is first apparent when the old man heard someone in the room. The old man sprung up terrified and said â€Å"Who is there? † alert as can be the old man stayed up and put out a terrified groan. The horrific groan of the old man contributes to the high emotion feel of the story. The other gothic element Poe uses throughout The Tell-Tale H eart is a mysterious atmosphere. This was first noticeable when the madman crept into the old man’s room and said â€Å"The room was black as pitch with thick darkness† And within the room the madman had to carry with him a lantern to see clearly.The pitch black room certainly contributes to the mysterious feel of the story. The fact that the old man is asleep and lives in a creepy place makes the story have a mysterious atmosphere. More Gothic elements Poe uses throughout The Tell-Tale Heart are Omens, Portents, and Visions that the mad man haves. These first appeared at the beginning when the mad man said: â€Å"I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and rid myself of the eye forever. † The mad man was having vision of killing the old man.The mad man started hearing a loud unbearable ringing in his ears after he buried the body under the floor and the cops came in. All of these examples certainly contribute the omens, portents, and visions occurrin g in this narrative. Tell-Tale Heart is a classic story about a mad man who stalks and kills someone because of his eye. The madman was so in love with this eye that he would be willing to take the life of an innocent old man. Deep down inside the madman’s conscious wouldn’t let him live.The madman thought everything was going to be okay but the only person that wouldn’t let him go on was himself. As the cops where talking he got an annoying ring in his head and it wouldn’t stop until he came clean. It is not surprising that this narrative poem ends on such an unhappy note, because Poe places that tone throughout the poem. By using things that are typical of gothic literature like High emotion, Mysterious Atmospheres, and Crazy Visions, Poe creates a poem that is wrapped in Mystery.

Ethnocentrism Is A Basic Attitude Expressing The Belief...

ETHNOCENTRISM Ethnocentrism is a basic attitude expressing the belief that one?s own ethnic group or one?s own culture is superior to other ethnic groups or cultures, and that one?s cultural standards can be applied in a universal manner. The term was first used by the American sociologist William Graham Sumner (1840?1910) to describe the view that one?s own culture can be considered central, while other cultures or religious traditions are reduced to a less prominent role. Ethnocentrism is closely related to other attitudinal indicators for racism, xenophobia, prejudice, mental closure, and, more generally, an authoritarian personality structure. Ethnocentrism is widely used in research on social and political attitudes because it proves to be a very powerful and easily identifiable attitude that can be measured in a valid manner with a limited number of variables. Although ethnocentric prejudice can be directed toward one specific outsider group, empirical research reveals that usually ethnocent rism is generalized toward all outsider groups. Although ethnocentrism is closely related to racism, it can be distinguished from racism because it does not involve necessarily a negative vision toward other races. Any culturally distinct outsider group (whether the distinction involves language, religion, color, or descent) can be targeted by ethnocentric attitudes. In practice, European researchers often tend to avoid using the term?racism?because they are reluctant to apply theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Woodrow Wilson High School1311 Words   |  6 PagesLife within a group that tends to be over looked or down played at times can be quite deadly. Throughout life, many different groups, categories, cultures, and identities will take the toll of action while one is responding either to you or about you. 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