The Paths We Choose Essay -- John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men

To take someone’s life; is it truly wrong? This is not that simple of a question, because every time a life is taken it isn’t out of cold blood. Sometimes it is just the opposite of that thought. The portrayal of George and Carlson in the book Of Mice and Men is of life takers. They differ by moral standings; the bonds they share with the character is life they take, and how take that character's life affects them. While George takes a life out of mercy, Carlson did what he thought was necessary. They made the same decision for different reasons and different understandings of why it had to be done. George is hot tempered older brother figure to Lennie who is a big and gentle but deadly guy; on the other hand, Carlson is a ranch hand with no really close connections. George was asked by Aunt Clara to promise to take care of Lennie. He sees Lennie as a kid brother that doesn’t know any better; George is life bound to Lennie, not just thought the promise he made, but George’s own love for him. When Lennie is sad to calm him down, he invented a story of a ranch with bunnies with the promise that they leave, and go there when they are old. He cares for Lennie so much he starts to believe his own story; Skip town leaves jobs just for Lennie sake. Carlson is a selfish man. If something no longer has a use, he gets rid of it â€Å"that dog was a great sheep dog in it prime† is something Candy would have said to Carlson. If something has no value there’s no need for it to exist anymore. Basically Carlson cutting himself off from others, so he won't get attach ed to them once they are no longer usefully. He will shed them like a snake shad’s skin, but while it may soun... ...f a question, because every time a life is taken it isn’t out of cold blood. As we see with George, your moral character may say that it’s wrong, but if it’s a family member, your brother, your sister, even your best friend who was in trouble, and a group was after them, and there was no other choice: they’re going to die if the group got to them; they were going to be torched. Like Clarkson, we also understand the means of necessity; if something doesn’t work you throw it out, or in his case, kill it. For George taking a life is hard, even harder when the life you’re taking is closer to you, and to put that responsibility in someone else hand is cruel to those you care for .Carlson has no problem with taking life; it is not he doesn’t care about life, just to him it is necessary for life to be taken, and the outcome is not different no matter who pulls the trigger.

Emotionally Focused Therapy Essay

To love and be loved in return is essential for an individual’s happiness. In accordance with many other aspects of life, marital status as been linked to influencing ones life in a positive way; making it happier (Stack, Eshleman, 527). The problem with this is that not all marriages stay healthy and good. With divorce rates raging from 40%-50% in the United States, there ends up being a gap in the happiness of many (Marriage and Divorce, 1). One path that some pairs choose is couples therapy. Unfortunately, generalized couples therapy can be tricky in the way that there is not enough empirical data and it proves difficult for a therapist to know what to do, when to do it, or how to do it properly. As Greenman and Johnson point out, â€Å"Research done in the past 30 years would suggest that between 25%-30% of couples who receive therapy do not demonstrate significant improvement and that there are substantial rates of relapse (close to 40%) among those who do† (Greenman, Johnson, 46). This being said, they continue on to talk about an exception to this rule. It is an experiential-humanistic, systemic intervention that has plenty of empirical support and linked evidence between client outcome and the therapy process. This intervention is called Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT). To introduce this type of therapy is it important to know about Attachment Theory. This theory was developed in great part by a British psychiatrist named John Bowlby in the 1950’s (Peterson, 258). This theory has since been studied vigorously using the Strange Situation technique, which measures infant-parent attachment. It will observe infants reactions to their mothers leaving, and also to their return. What has been found is that children at a very young age develop one of three possible attachment styles. The first of the possibilities is to become securely attached. This is the case for around 70% of children (Peterson, 258). When the mother leaves the room, the infants will become upset, but upon her return the infant will reach out in  some positive way including smiling, touching, or speaking to the mother. The second outcome is known as Avoidant (about 20%) (Peterson, 258). In this case, the child will not become upset when the mother leaves, or will the child show enthusiasm when the mother returns. The third possibility is called Ambivalent (about 20%) (Peterson, 258). These children will cry when their mother leaves, and will not be comforted when she returns. In some cases, the child will actually punish the mother for leaving in the first place. These different outcomes have been linked directly to how a mother interacts with her infant. If the mother is affectionate and caring, the children will often develop secure attachments. On the other hand, if the mother is rejecting and judgmental, this could result in the child being ambivalent or avoidant (Peterson, 258). The importance of Attachment Theory is the fact that data shows these attachments, developed in infancy, can stay with an individual throughout the rest of their lives. Avoidant and ambivalent children often grow up to be less sociable than securely attached children. Once these children grow into adulthood, their attachment stops being to their parents or caregivers and are replaced by romantic partners (Peterson, 50). It is common that someone who grew up being avoidant or ambivalent may find it hard to express their basic emotional needs to another individual. It is also common that marital problems can come down to a lack of positive communication. Being critical, defensive or stonewalling, which is often the case with people unable to express themselves, can absolutely effect a marriage negatively (Stack, Eshleman, 528). If a married couple find they are struggling through their marriage, it could be possible that one or both of them were not securely attached in infancy. This is where Emotionally-Focused Therapy can aid significantly to a couple. With around 40% of children growing up either avoidant or ambivalently attached, it is not surprising that divorce rates are as high as they are (Peterson, 260). In addition, with standard couples therapy not being as successful as one would hope, Emotionally-Focused Therapy is a refreshing, and supported way to get the help many couples may need. Peterson defines EFT as, â€Å"An approach for troubled couples based on attachment theory that  directly teaches a more-flexible approach to the expression and satisfaction of needs† (Peterson, 272). The goal of this technique is to be able to send and receive accurate affective messages with their partner which helps each of them achieve the comfort and connection they desire. This therapy is separated into 3 stages, with different sets of therapeutic goals for each. The first stage of EFT is called Cycle De-Escalation (Greenman, Johnson, 47) . This is where the couple can identify the main difficulties in their marriage and begin to understand their problem-cycle. This can often include loneliness, dejection or the fear that that can be associated with not being close and connected to their spouse. This is often when attachment styles are most notable. The second stage involves two main ideas being, Withdrawer Re-engagement and Blamer Softening (Greenman, Johnson, 47). This is a very important stage because it involves restructuring the way the couple interact with each other. The therapist will use many different methods including reflections, enactments, and empathetic restatements to guide the conversation. It is also important in this stage that the individuals turn to one another and portray their true affect. The therapist will help to teach them to control their body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice when speaking to each other. After stage two, the couple should be able to provide and ask for comfort from their partner, coming from a place of vulnerability (Greenman, Johnson, 47). In the third stage the therapist will act as a facilitator. The couple will be redirected and asked about major longstanding conflicts they had. They can then incorporate their new way of interacting with each other into their problem cycle, successfully minimizing it (Greenman, Johnson, 48). This form of therapy is important in showing individuals, who may not have ever expressed themselves thoroughly, that it is okay to recognize their need for emotional closeness. It is also important that they are aware of their avoidance toward speaking vulnerably. Once individuals can obtain a safe haven in their relationship and participate in problem solving effectively, most couples have reported a significantly higher satisfaction with themselves and in their marriage (Greenman, Johnson, 50). When learning about Attachment Theory, some may find themselves in the avoidant or ambivalent categories. This can be daunting, due to the fact that these attachments stay with us throughout our lives. It is discouraging to look into the future and assume you will still not be able to express yourself to your loved ones, and all of this because we did not become securely attached in infancy? This hardly seems fair. Emotionally-Focused Therapy gives an opportunity to those, who perhaps have never been in a secure relationship, to express themselves securely. It allows them the opportunity to build on their relationships in a healthy, productive way. Also allowing them the weight lifting feeling of being vulnerable, heard, and responded to with positivity. Work Cited: Greenman, P., & Johnson, S. (2013). Process Research on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for Couples: Linking Theory to Practice. Family Process, 52, 46-61. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=552d7eaa-fd7a-47e1-85e2-1e0eeb60ec88@sessionmgr115&vid=3&hid=110 Marriage and Divorce. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/ Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stack, S., & Eshleman, R. (1998). Marital Status and Happiness: A 17-Nation Study. Journal of Marriage and Family, 60(2), 527-538. (Stack, Eshleman, 527)

Frankenstein Media Coursework Essay

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus was Mary Shelley’s own Prodigy and one of the greatest novels known in literature; some claim it was the first science fiction novel of any type which blends gothic horror and romance and reveals the terrifying consequences of playing God. It all began in the summer of 1816 at the famed Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva where Lord Byron had challenged Mary Shelley to write a ghost story which would later become precursor of science fiction ‘Frankenstein’. She completed the novel in 1817 and the first edition was published in 1818. The novel was written in the ‘Romanticism Period’ which was an artistic intellectual movement which used strong emotion, imagination and freedom within. Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ is undoubtedly one of the most literary triumphs of this period. While a prisoner of war the director James Whale learned to write stage plays and that is how his talent first became known to him. This talent eventually led him to Hollywood in the 1930’s along with the play ‘Journeys End’. One of the best horror movies James Whale directed was ‘Frankenstein’ aspects of him being socially different (him being a homosexual) were detected in this film for example the rejection of the monster could reflect him being rejected in society. The 1920’s and 30’s saw ‘The Great Depression’ and ‘The Golden Age of Hollywood’. The Great Depression A. K. A The Wall Street Crash happened in October 1929. The debts of Hollywood tripled to $410 million dollars due to The Depression. The kind of movies that Hollywood produce during The Depression changed due to the public mood, more cynical characters were created to reflect a sense of despair e. g. gangsters and prostitutes. Public pressure disallowed pre-martial sex, immoral and criminal activity to be shown this was the reason why scenes from the Frankenstein film were cut due to public pressure and the risk of boycotting from the public. Kenneth Branagh was born on 10th December and is the best known Shakespeare interpreter of the 20th century and is an icon as he could direct and act, this led him to win 2 Baftas and 1 Emmy. Many ideas could have triggered the idea for Branagh’s ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’. One of these ideas was the science breakthrough cloning: In 1997 on 22nd February the first ever cell was created and claimed life. The fighting of other countries carried on and many innocent lives were lost, this could have encouraged Branagh making a film with the idea of bringing people back from the dead and being able to play god. ‘Media Products of their time’ are innovations which may adapt people’s lives, society, politics, culture, religion, moral and philosophical ideas within their time. For me to analyse whether or not the films are ‘Media Products of their time’ I will look at the techniques they use and whether or not they reflect the society, law, censorship, technology, morals and politics etc. of their time.