Parables of a Violent World Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Parables of a Violent World - Article Example Writers such as William Vollmann and others help to accomplish this important goal. McMurphy, the hero of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is a quintessential individualist. He marches to the beat of his own drum and follows his own direction in life. He refuses to follow orders and seeks out pleasure. He has an irrepressible charm that works on nearly everyone around him. He is also a natural leader in his own way. But McMurphy is not approved of. He is too individualistic and non-conformist. Although he seems American in his self-reliance, in the course of the novel he runs into serious problems from a new, more materialistic, mechanical, conformist America, represented by the institution. The job of the institution, of the anesthetizing culture that currently surrounds us in America, is to repress the irrepressible. Too many outbursts, too many adventures, are bad for business, the institution says. It locks away and neutralizes people like McMurphy who don't fit in properly and h ave no desire to do so (Kesey). This is important to understand in light of what we saw after September 11. After the terrorist attacks there was a call to arms, and also, subsequently, a call to uniformity and conformity. We were asked to march to the beat of the same drum. The president ordered us into Iraq and we were supposed to obey. Those who disagreed had their patriotism questioned. In the administration itself, we saw how people were fired for disagreeing with the president. Times have changed since then. A cultural lull has descended on the country as politics have begun to calm down. Now we have access to endless entertainment much of which is not unlike having a lobotomy. The rise of excessive celebrity culture has been representative of the last few years. Everywhere you look celebrities pose in photographs and behave outrageously on television. There is no content to their actions. In a sense, they are simply a culture anesthetic, designed to lull us into complacency, just as the drugs in Kesey's mental hospital lull the patients into a stupor. The question we must ask ourselves, faced with all of this, is how best to respond? From time immemorial, it has been writers who take a stand against injustice and cultural complacency. Through their work, they skilfully satirize and pick apart the wrongs of the status quo and show us a better way to live. They celebrate the best of what is America and condemn the worst. We can see this in action in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. What we need more than ever, is skillful writers to take on the twin challenges of today: terror and celebrity. One of the writers who is moving in this direction is clearly William Vollmann. This wholly original American writer has been as prolific as the culture in turning out new work. Every year he seems to publish a new book. One of his most stupendous achievements is Rising Up and Rising Down, a multi-volume set of books which studies the role of violence in our world. He re the novelist is leaving behind the fiction in order to pursue social and historical research (Vollmann). We need our writers in this day and age to be grounded in reality. As such, this set of books is a magnificent achievement. Vollmann's work is multifarious, but there are a few elements which can be explored in a simple manner.

Statement of purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Statement of purpose - Essay Example The fact that one day I lost my best friend after a technical error due to lack of knowledge makes me even want to learn more. In his memory, I will provide basic training to all the unskilled workers in the oil field on safety. My desire to become a petroleum engineer is so that I can offer more than just cleaning and dusting the electric panels. I sincerely dont wish to do that for the rest of my life. The opportunity to join the program will equip me with knowledge to work dynamically constantly applying the latest knowledge and technology. This will ensure that there is a reduction of coast, effectiveness and time management. I fully understand the dedication and efforts that the course demands. I am willing to go the further step of doing my own research on the content learnt in class and their applications. The institution offers the best facilities and professors well experienced in teaching and practice application of engineering principals in the mining field. A chance to study from the best produces great minds. Successful products are not necessarily the first on the market but are the first to appeal to us emotionally. A chance to study at the institution will be highly appreciated and reciprocated by hard work, total cooperation and compliance to instructions and academic excellence in the course work. I am looking forward to be transformed and apply the ingenuity in me to solve problems in the petroleum industry in an ingenious