... and life itself. Emerson's "metonymy," I argue, figures a more empirical, if not ecological, way of thinking about writing and writing about thinking. In this way, "metonymy" names or anticipates that sort of "radical empiricism" that emerges later in the philosophy of William James, a blending of science and metaphysics, matter and mind, that critics such as Steven Meyer and Joan Richardson have linked back ... , too well pleased with their ulterior to value much their primary meaning. Every new object so seen gives a shock of agreeable surprise. (17) We are back, it would seem, in the p...

• Word Count: 9971
• Approx Pages: 40
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... upon silence, imagination, and its environment. John Keats= AOde on a Grecian Urn@ describes his effort to connect with the immobility of a sculpture. The Grecian urn is a piece of history that exists outside of time in the human world. In the speaker's thoughts, he creates an interesting contradiction for the human figures carved on the urn ... to identify the people on the urn and the urn will never be able to answer his questions. He attempts to put the puzzle of the pictures together but at the end he fails. When he says AWill silent be; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, c...

• Word Count: 821
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... is away studying and making the monster. One letter that Elizabeth writes Victor says "I must say also a few words to you, my dear cousin, of little darling William. I wish you could see him; he is very tall of his age, with sweet laughing blue eyes, dark lashes, and curling hair. When he smiles, two little dimples appear on each cheek, which are rosy ... way we want and can see that Freud's terms can definitely fit in with each of the Romantic poets. However, the reason I feel that Keats, Browning, and Blake weren't as accepting of Freudian interpretations is because I think that each ...

• Word Count: 1965
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... think that commencement speeches ought to be exciting and motivational. I must admit that is what I was expecting when I began reading David Foster Wallace's speech delivered at the commencement ceremony of the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon University. The greatness of this speech in my opinion is not its cheering moments, but it's "aha" moments. David Foster Wallace brings his audience through well-reasoned ... reality, the options that one has, the things that are in and around one that represent objects of choice. This is an insightful, "aha" moment. Realizing ones' options gives on...

• Word Count: 952
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... came back for another year and they had a summer athletics program for the students to participate. Gene's thoughts showed that Finny didn't think much of the athletics, "He was disgusted with that summer's athletic program-a little tennis, some swimming, clumsy softball, badminton," (Knowles 35). ... what was going on outside of Devon and the stress from the classrooms. Eventually, Finny thought of a game called blitz ball which used a medicine ball. The term blitz ball had some meaning with the war because a few students suggested it. Even though the name had a meaning to the war and ...

• Word Count: 833
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... brought up in recent memory is change. The word change can encompass many different ideals and notions. Change can simply be defined as a transformation. However what becomes an interesting matter of discussion is how a change can come about. Furthermore, what does change really mean? How is it that language becomes the direct reason for alteration? As well as, has change become ... mean: suppose it rains today." (Wittgenstein, 192) If we look closely at this example, Wittgenstein claims that certain words within a sentence can possibly lead too an entirely different understanding of wh...

• Word Count: 1804
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... throughout Anthem restricts and limits the viewpoint that men have on women. The restrictions on the individual in Anthem are advanced to such an extreme that the members of this society are robbed of personal decision-making processes. The people do not get to choose their career, for the teachers tell them "dare not choose in your minds the work ... 19) and what has been engraved into their minds is that these actions which they cannot think or do are "base and evil" (Rand 17). The people of this society are literally handicapped in way as to not have their own independent intelligence...

• Word Count: 590
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Should freedom of speech be limited? That is a tough question to answer. If it was limited all ideas that threatened somebody's way of thought would be suppressed. On one hand, it would really hinder evolution because new ideas would not make it into public view. New ideas are ... limited and everyone is forced into an easy-to-control unit. There is happiness in that. Those people never experienced all of the emotions involved in free speech, so they found happiness in their small conformist lives. Humans can find happiness in no matter how we live our lives. That brings truth to ... the o...

• Word Count: 326
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... , using techniques that they have mastered to capture and convert certain elements of their imagination. Each poem allows the mind to scan a broad range of topics within ones imagination to discover its definition. Experienced poets, such as Sylvia Plath and William Blake, use a variety of the elements of writing to stimulate ones imagination as can be analysed through their work, Blake's "London" ... relayed to the overall theme of pollution adding to the sinister tone, through the use of imagery. For example, images indicating pollution are strikingly evident in the draft of this poem...

• Word Count: 963
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Some might consider silence to be a lack of communication; however, silence can be an extremely powerful form of communication. What cannot be expressed in speech can be expressed through body language. Silence can be defined as not having any noise at all. Silence can help portray certain things that may be odd. For example, in & ... noise; stillness. As stated by ethmonline.com, silence is "muteness, state of being silent," from Old French silence "state of being silent; absence of sound," from Latin selenium "a being silent," from silent, present participle of silence "be quiet or still," ...

• Word Count: 957
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• Grade Level: High School

... me behold Author: William Shakespeare During William Shakespeare's That time of year thou may'st in me behold, life and its youthful passion faces depletion symbolized by an autumn day. A time in the author's life is observed when few yellow leaves or none at all because of the decaying breeze ... there are many ways in which Shakespeare provides the reader with vivid pictures and clear understanding of what the meaning of the piece is. Symbolism is a major literary convention used consistently. For instance, the symbol of the tree, weathered on a cold, autumn day represents the writer ...

• Word Count: 640
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• Grade Level: High School

William Wordsworth In William Wordsworth's poems, "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" and "She Was a Phantom of Delight," the theme of memory is used as a powerful and creative force. In "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth recalls a time five years ago when he took a trip to the Abbey. Through his words he is able to convey the emotion and beauty of the Abbey ... with a soft inland murmur," (lines 1-4, page 47). With one glance at the sight before him, William Wordsworth has again been hypnotized by the presence of the Abbey. He talks about the time that ...

• Word Count: 625
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• Grade Level: High School

William James submits to us the notion that "personal religious experience has its root and centre in mystical states of consciousness. - Stating that mystical states of consciousness must have the characteristics of ineffability, Noetic quality, transiency, and passivity , James ascribes four marks to mystical states of consciousness, clearly defining them from our normal state of consciousness (what James calls "rational consciousness -). These four ... this problem is to compare this issue to the ineffability of mystical states of consciousness. While it is true that these states of consci...

• Word Count: 1491
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... willingness to learn. Eleanor was energetic at most times. Discomfort, bad weather, and pregnancy did not stop her from doing what she wants. William the Marshal thought of Eleanor as a kind and generous person. When William was captured by the lords of Aquitaine, Eleanor herself paid his ransom. As a reward for his bravery, Eleanor appointed him as the knight- at- arms for the children ... . He thought of her as a hostess because she was hospitable to others and made them feel welcome. Eleanor was clam and controlled, even when it is with her children. Eleanor's description of herself w...

• Word Count: 375
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... of the Flies," by William Golding, depicts an adventurous story of boys stranded on a desert island fending for themselves and trying to maintain a sense of civilization in hopes of being rescued quickly. As the boys try to adapt to the island, fear quickly settles in for the littluns believe to have seen a beast. The beast becomes a major obstacle to maintaining civilization of ... others that the beast could "maybe [be] only [them]" (Golding 89). Simon points out the possibility of the boys being the beast, meaning that the beast is the darkness that is inside each and every human bein...

• Word Count: 1076
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... relevant (CR, p. 36). Deaf-mutes, unlike animals can have a reasonable and meaningful conversation and madmen can still have some relevance in their speech. With his definitions, Descartes is able to weed out animals and include all types of humans, no matter what their disability or hindrance. I personally agree with Descartes in that only humans are able to effectively have a reasonable conversation ... standing in his view. All in all, Descartes" Letter to the Marquess of Newcastle is a reasonable and almost thorough examination of what truly is a thinking creature. His definitions o...

• Word Count: 1300
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... foundations of mathematics, he also wanted to use logic to clarify issues in philosophy. He is also remembered for his emphasis upon the importance of logical form for the resolution of many related philosophical problems. Russell was awarded the Order of Merit in 1949. He also received the Nobel Prize for ... Literature in 1950. During the 1950s and1960s, Russell and inspiration to large numbers of idealistic youth and a result of his continued anti- ... material needs, who is only concerned with food for the body excluding food for the mind. A good point that we all should value, bec...

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... inquire about people being inherently good or evil. William Golding writing Lord of the Flies proved that people or inherently good or evil by creating a scenario when human beings are but in their native habitat and having to rely on themselves to live. Crash landing on a deserted island, a plane for of children and the pilot make there home on ... rescued. Ralph a fair haired handsome young man is appointed leader by the other kids. This causes a conflict between Ralph and Jack. Jack also wanted to be leader of the "tribe" but nobody wanted him to be leader. Jack already being the leade...

• Word Count: 372
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... . This can lead to the brooding contemplation of ethics, the absurdity of life, and the burden of choice. For generations, literary writers have set their characters between the burden of discovering meaning in their lives, and the inevitability of their mortality. William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark, recounts the tragic acts of retribution, and vacillation in the wake of the King of Denmark's murder. The character Hamlet has ... menacing thoughts while witnessing the deceptive actions of others as they attempt to suppress the justice that, according ... ...

• Word Count: 1258
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... recording personal changes from day to day. However, there does exist a mindful process of selection and structuring of thoughts taking place, even if the writer is not fully aware of it. When Alice James, the youngest sister of the famous Henry the novelist, and William the psychologist, started journaling, she was 40 years old. She was a sick shut-in, suffering from breast cancer and mental ... and events, and, increasingly towards the end, recorded a retrospective view of her life. Much of her diary is a record of her interest in political and social issues and her extensive reading....

• Word Count: 2383
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... a loop. As I read this story the first time I thought how strange, but as I read it again and again I started pick up bits and pieces of what the author was trying to convey. When I first began reading the story I believed Mrs. Mallard to be an older woman. I thought this because we ... Did she feel that her life meant nothing? We find out the answers to these questions as we read on. Mrs. Mallard is given the news of her husbands" death from her sister, Josephine. She reacts just as anyone else would, she weeps immediately, and is stricken with grief. She falls ... 's perspective. Kate...

• Word Count: 721
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... The poem I chose to write about is William Wordsworth's "Ode : Intimations of immortality from Recollections of early Childhood" .The poem is about a man that is explaining his enlightenment in his mortality. He explains himself recalling how life is for a child and for a ... him so to make himself feel better he imagines a child dancing and singing around him, he imagines the sounds of wind and echoes and it lets us in on how much he dwelling on his thoughts of mortality and the fact that he has come to realize in death he will leave these earthly things behind never ... because he s...

• Word Count: 1413
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• Grade Level: High School

... rely on rational thought and introspection. The formal beginning of psychology has been set in the year 1879, when William Wundt established the first psych lab in Leipzig, Germany. His aim was to study the building blocks of the mind. Wundt founded the school of psychology known as structuralism. Structuralism argues that the mind consists of three basic elements: sensations, feelings, and images. ... Wundt believed psychology was the study of conscious experience, which broke down into ... two parts: objective sensations and subjective feelings. At about the same time Wundt was establ...

• Word Count: 410
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... there battle against what they feel is evil. Brady is greeted into the town of Hillsboro by a parade of practically the whole town singing "Give Me That Old Time Religion-. He is lead to a stage and begins to give a speech, during his speech Brady makes this remark " If man believes he is descended from the beast, ... he must remain a beast. As the young wolf turns upon the old, the innocent ones corrupted in disperances of salvation will turn upon their father and this will become a ... People-. This clearly states that what Brady believes the people believe because they truly feel he...

• Word Count: 765
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• Grade Level: High School

... that exists today. We hear some positive and equally negative opinions about it. However, if are to make a personal judgment about the philosophy of healthy mindedness, then we have to look further than to William James" The Varieties of Religious Experience which defines healthy-mindedness and also gives his viewpoints on it and from which we can make our own. To understand James ... , a general definition of healthy-mindedness is needed. From the readings, it seems that people who practice healthy minded religion are optimists who focus on the ... incapacity for prolonged suffering" a...

• Word Count: 652
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