One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich English Literature Essay

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich English Literature Essay One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a gripping, insightful description of a reality that may now seem inconceivable to us, so distant from our perception of human rights and individual freedom. It reveals the awful labor and concentration camps that emerged in Europe throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The novel displays a disgraceful period in Russian history and a psychological examination of the vital survival methods in such circumstances. The novel consists of a single day in January 1951 through the eyes of the protagonist, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, who is in the eighth year of a total of ten-year sentence. The Russian culture raises the novel through the creation of a very insipid setting on which Ivan Denisovichs daily routine is realistically outlined. In this essay I will be explaining how the novel serves as a means to comprehend the Russian culture it was built upon. The characters, themes, and plot are all linked with the Russian cultural background. The central theme is the oppression the characters are confronted with on a daily basis. Consequently, the plot also incorporates oppression such as ill treatment from the superior. The tempo of the plot is monotonous and the Russian culture sets a raw and cold tone. The camp and dreadful labor hours imposed by the soviet government slows down the characters time, causing the plot, which is exclusively Ivans style and routine, to be tedious. The prison camps integrate traits of Russian sternness, controlling military workforce, poor facilities, and deprived living conditions all of which harm Ivan. The Soviet wardens abuse the prisoners for their own advantage and their power-driven ego. Ivans controlling surroundings both harm and agonize him as an individual. Principal examples of cultural influences are the mindsets of the protagonist. Culture has an impact on the relatively enervated behavior of the protagonist by establishing boundaries that cripple their inner desires. Ivans conduct during his sentence in the Siberian work camp reveals the culture from which he was raised. He is modest, cooperative, eager and skillful at all times. He is not violent or dishonest towards others, rather he recognizes his fate hoping to be liberated, surviving day by day. The Russian culture at the time, a state in which the masses were controlled and where life felt repetitive, shapes the foundation of Ivans way of being. The culture has a great impact on the conduct of the protagonist, causing him to fall in line and obey to the oppressors requests.   Russian culture in that era was awfully harsh and it was concerned with restraining and controlling its nation.  A quote expressing the essence of a strong mentality to get through the day; The ones that dont make it are those who lick other mens leftovers, those who count on the doctors to pull  them through, and those who squeal on their buddies.  [2]  An illustration of the harsh conditions the prisoners had to endure is when they were ordered to construct a power station, although it was exceptionally cold and the mortar used for bricklaying would freeze if not applied rapidly. Regulations stated that the men would only be excused if the temperature dropped below -41 °C. The suffering faced by the zeks were things such as the severity of the weather, their inadequate clothing and their food which consisted of black bread, porridge and water-based cabbage soup. They were also persecuted by the guards, who are fixated on enforcing insignificant regulations. However, Solzh enitsyn reminds us that the guards attitude stems primarily from their own bitterness at the firm conditions and at the callous discipline imposed upon them. If any of the prisoners succeeded in escaping, the guards accountable would be enforced to take their places in the camp.   The novel is a literary work in which food in association with culture is a major part of the setting. Observation of a cultures behavior towards food and during mealtimes supplies significant insight into the cultures nature. Eating is a fairly animalistic part of humanity as well as the center for social gathering. Due to its scarcity, food is the utmost motivator for the prisoners. A quote illustrating the importance of food to the prisoners; Apart from sleep, the only time a prisoner lives for himself is ten minutes in the morning at breakfast, five minutes over dinner, and five at supper.  [3]  Ã‚   In prison life there is vast evidence of social influence and customs on the manner the prisoners dine. Social influence can be identified in the manner in which higher-ranking and harder-working prisoners obtain more food. The quantity of food consumed is a good indicator of class within the prisoners. Those of higher status obtain portions with more calories, while the majority gets soup consisting mostly of water. A representation of social customs is when the protagonist is unable to eat with his hat still on. Although he is uncomfortably cold without it on, his Russian upbringing stops him from covering his head while eating. Another example is when the old veteran takes a portion of cloth and uses it as a place-mat while he eats his meals. Their habits were made before they became prisoners, when they still lived in their Soviet state of origin. The novel  is to some extent, Solzhenitsyn relating to his own experiences when as a captain in the Soviet army, he was arrested in 1945 for making offensive remarks about Stalin and spent the next eight years in different camps. The closing time of his captivity took place in a camp for political prisoners in Kazakhstan, which is generally considered to be the setting for the novel. It was one of the first novels of the post-Stalin age to express to an international distribution the knowledge of political imprisonment and oppression under the rà ©gime. Solzhenitsyn never criticizes the Communist system in the novel; if he would have done so, the novel would have certainly been banned. He purely offers a description of what life was like in the camps, but in the long run his prose was to prove as harmful to the system as any intensification of political expression. After reading, one is left in no doubt with the horror of the life in Siberias camps, and also with the authors perso nal judgment of the condition of the land of his birth during that period. It lets you partake in the struggle of men to survive the awful rigors of nature and the cruelty of the system that describes their conditions of life. Classic Russian  literature incorporates certain essential characteristics of the soviet culture. During a period when the  Soviet Union was under the leadership of  Joseph Stalin, it was intricate to write novels that expressed the social climate. The cultural climate in the  Soviet Union  at this time was rough; conveying your opinion was often not only tricky, but risky. Forced  labor camps  came about and innocent citizens were put in jail for political and social crimes that they usually did not commit. Another regular characteristic of classic Russian literature was that authors tended to make the reader experience as if they were within the thoughts of the protagonist. Although the novel  is written in third person, the readers feels as if they are seeing and experiencing the protagonists day through his eyes. In conclusion, our cultural environment influences both our personality and our development as a human being. The novel shows us that even in our most desperate moments, when our environment forces us to strip away our identity and individuality, our social customs and cultural influences still take place. An individual who is brought up in a culture with customs that would be considered extreme by others will have unlike values from a society who was never exposed to such things. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, their social customs is what allows them to keep stable and sane as an individual in such harsh circumstances influenced by the Russian culture. The novel presents a horrible yet significant period in Russian history where cultural influence plays a significant role in which the characters utilize day by day.

Epilepsy: Seizure and Accurate Time Adjustment Essay

â€Å"Epilepsy is a nervous system disorder that produces sudden, intense bursts of electrical activity in the brain. This abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures, which may briefly upset a person’s muscle control, movement, speech, vision, or awareness.† My definition of Epilepsy is pretty much the same; however, I would not have used the word briefly as it makes it sound so short lived. Seizures can last anywhere from a few seconds up to a few minutes. To get an accurate time adjustment use this comparison, for every second you are in a seizure you are killing many times the brain cells than if you were not. Add into this equation that the lack of oxygen to brain while in a seizure also increases the rate of brain cell death. Every second now feels like an hour. Then figure in that if it is a Grand-mal seizure where every second of convulsion is physically compared to 30 minutes of intense aerobic exercise, now you can begin to get somewhat of an idea. To get an even better picture let me explain what happens after the seizure. Disorientation: not knowing where you are when you come out of a seizure. Sometimes not knowing who you are or anyone else around are. No concept of what day or time it is. Physically: After having a Grand-mal seizure you are physically drained and tired. After getting the strength to get moving again, you now have a major migraine headache which lasts for about another day, and it gets worse with every eye movement. Having one seizure does not an Epileptic make. An Epileptic has many reoccurring seizures. There are many other ways to have seizure for example head injuries; other illnesses may also cause seizures like high fevers. These seizures normally will not happen again after the illness or injury has been taken care of and has gone away. â€Å"In the US, more than 2.3 million people are affected by seizures, and an estimated 3% of the population (about 7.2 million people) will experience at least one seizure during their lifetime. (This does not count the 5% of children who have seizures caused by fevers.) It affects all age groups. About 14% of epilepsy patients are under 15 years old and 24% are over 64,  with 62% being between those ages. Every year between 25,000 and 40,000 American children have a first seizure that is unrelated to a fever. Epilepsy is decreasing in childhood but increasing in the elderly, probably because of mild strokes and cardiac arrest.† Some children with Epilepsy actually grow out of it as they enter adult hood or shortly after. Many people with Epilepsy can be treated with drugs or other form of treatment and can go on with little to no change in their lives. Unfortunately, there are others who have seizures for no apparent reason and are so sporadic that they cannot be controlled, and the best you can hope for is some relief. Those who have their Epilepsy under control can get a drivers license as long as they are seizure free for 1 year. This used to be 6 months but has gone up. Epilepsy is all about fear. Fear of what others will think, fear of what you will do when having a seizure. Fear of killing others if you do go and get a drivers license. I mean, can you imagine waking up from a seizure and finding that you drove your truck through a school yard. â€Å"NEW YORK, May 24 (Reuters Health) – Media stories about the brain disorder epilepsy are often inaccurate and contribute to age-old stereotypes of patients as possessed and violent, researchers report. â€Å"Persistent myths about epilepsy, such as the ancient belief that it is a demonic disorder, can result in discrimination, emotional difficulties, and reluctance to seek effective treatment,† explain Dr. Gregory L. Krauss from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues. These images may be shameful to the 2.3 million patients who suffer from epilepsy. Further, they can encourage bystanders to respond incorrectly to seizures, the researchers report in the May issue of Neurology. For example, two thirds of Americans would try to free a person’s tongue during a seizure despite recommendations that such an attempt could be dangerous to both the bystander and the patient. â€Å" This example is a good one to show how fear completely overtakes the actual thinking process. It is impossible for anyone to swallow their tongue, it is attached to the lower part your mouth. But this is usually the first thing that someone with little more calm than the others standing around would think. Having seizures when you are at school also brings around many other stereo types like â€Å"That boy must be on drugs†, hey I was but they weren’t working. Or how about this one on school report cards, â€Å"Your child does not pay attention in class!† or how about being labeled the class clown because you are â€Å"purposely seeking attention by throwing yourself on the floor and acting retarded.† Children having Epileptic seizures are ridiculed through out their school. Seizures like Grand-mal can cause one to lose control of their bladder and bowels. A 4 or 5 year old having seizures would then be weird for having them and a baby for having an accident in their pants. Bibliography Medical Encyclopedia, MSN Health  ©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. May 3, 2002 – http://content.health.msn.com/content/healthwise/74/18511.htm Healthwise, Incorporated, P.O. Box 1989, Boise, ID 83701 Saveon Epilepsy.com – http://www.sav-onepilepsy.com/savonhealth/savonmain/centers.aspx?condition=Epilepsy&cat=0&catID=1&subCat=Overview&subCatID=3 Neurology Channel, â€Å"Media Stories Perpetuate Epilepsy Myths† Author Suzanne Rostler – http://www.neurologychannel.com/NeurologyWorld/media.shtml iv Raymond D. Sears, II – Epileptic, Author of â€Å"Go Get the Dirty Laundry.†

The Book By Daron Acemoglu And James A. Robinson Why...

The book by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty discusses theories that explain the differences in standards of living and incomes among rich countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and poorer countries in regions of South Asia and Central America. The basic theme of the book is that nations fail because of political institutions, rather than geography, culture, or economic policies. Acemoglu and Robinson theorize that political institutions can be divided into two types: extractive institutions where small groups of people take advantage of the population, and inclusive institutions when large groups of people are included in decisions made by the†¦show more content†¦Although extractive institutions can experience growth, the growth cannot be continuous without what the authors call creative destruction. Inside is a great contrast between nations, whether by the United States and Mexico, North and South Korea, or the comparison between Bill Gates and Carlos Slim. By doing this, the book keeps the reader engaged by jumping back and forth and showing the significant differences between the countries, or people, being compared. The points are explained well through the history with the rise and fall of the Romans to the rise of China out of nowhere. The focus on the changes is one of the strengths shown in Why Nations Fail. The book goes into detail about how one simple detail can trigger massive changes, such as in the 14th century during the Bubonic Plague. By discussing these differences, it is easy to show how fragile infrastructures of nations are and how little it takes to shift them. Another big thing that Acemoglu and Robinson discuss is how countries shift from one institution to another. These switches often occur during a revolution. One of the biggest determinants is whether the revolution is narrow based or broad based. The French Revolution of 1789 is a good example of broad based revolution. Why Nations Fail argues that the development of the Napoleonic regime is because of the original broad-based nature of the French revolution. It is hard to make this claim, however, due to the almost century that passed

The Pit And The Pendulum By Edgar Allan Poe - 852 Words

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is a well known American author whose works continue to influence literature today. His difficult life was impactful on his writing. He is mostly known for his dark writings, but he was also a talented adventure author. Poe’s past and the influence it had on his writing makes him an interesting author to research. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† as well as â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† are two of Poe’s well known short stories. â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† is written in a way that makes the reader feel as if he is a part of the story. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is an extremely suspenseful story that keeps the reader intrigued. Edgar Allan Poe’s life illustrates that personal struggles can transform into great literature. His†¦show more content†¦Growing up Poe was involved in many activities such as boxing, leaping, and Poe’s favorite, swimming. He was an outstanding swimmer. Poe once swam six miles, aga inst the tide, in the Jordan River (Silverman n. pag.). Poe was not only an amazing athlete, but he was also fluent in Latin and French. He practiced these languages and sports at the local private academies he attended (Silverman n. pag.). In Richmond, Virginia, Edgar was raised to be a business man, but he had other dreams in mind. In 1826, Edgar started college at the University of Virginia, where he began accumulating debt. He excelled in his classes, but that was short lived due to the fact that John Allan had sent him to school with only a third of the money he needed. He struggled to survive, burning his own furniture to keep him warm at night (Poemuseum.org n. pag.). Before leaving for college, he had engaged to Elmira Royster. Elmira’s father did not approve of their relationship because of their young age (Silverman n. pag.). Being the overprotective father he was, Elmira’s father disposed of the letters Poe wrote to her. Poe traveled home to see his fiancà © only to find out someone else had stolen her heart. He was devastated, but Poe decided not to give up on life, but rather to accomplish the goals he had set before him. Poe was threatened with jail time due to his $2,000 debt, therefore in