Feminist Critique of Tess of the DUrbervilles :: Essays Papers

Feminist Critique: Tess of the D'Urbervilles Tess of the D’Urbervilles November 19, 1999 Ellen Rooney presents us with a feminist perspective which addresses a few key conflicts in the story, offering qualification if not answers. Essentially, Rooney argues that: Hardy is unable to represent the meaning of the encounter in The Chase from Tess’s point of view because to present Tess as a speaking subject is to risk the possibility that she may appear as the subject of desire. Yet a figure with no potential as a desiring subject can only formally be said to refuse desire†¦Hardy is blocked in both directions. (466) According to Rooney, we do not hear from Tess in this instance, for if we were to, it would only reinforce the notion of â€Å"Tess the seductress.† Yet, in various versions, Tess is presented as a seductress. Even by her nature as a beautiful women, Hardy presents the reader mixed messages; should we see her as a willing seductress, or as a victim who must suffer because of her body’s e ffects on others? Rooney argues that Hardy never comes to a conclusion on this issue, but â€Å"enables Tess to give over [her body], utterly silenced and purified, not by Hardy’s failure to see that she might speak, but by his unflinching description of the inexorable forces that produce her as the seductive object of the discourses of man† (481). Rooney writes a capable piece of gender criticism, in that it is defined as â€Å"how women have been written.† Gender issues seem permeate the story and the author doesn’t take a definitive stand on them. Rooney attempts to examine what role Tess plays in the story, how her interactions with Alec and Angel Clare form her identity, and how she triumphs over her afflictions. Ironically, her biggest affliction is her natural beauty; it’s something men simply cannot pass up, and just by her looks, she becomes seductive. Rooney brings this point up, but much to her credit, does not unleash an attack on Hardy or men because of it. Often feminist critics bear the burden that they are out to â€Å"get† men, yet when there is an apt argument for doing so in Tess, Rooney refrains and simply addresses the issues. Overall, her article was quite helpful in addressing the most resonate conflict in the whole story.

Disabilities: Autism and Students Kimberly

There are many disabilities that students have that may impact their lives and education. These disabilities include intellectual disabilities, autism, severe disabilities and multiple disabilities. Although the exact causes of some of these disabilities are unknown, others have been identified. This paper will discuss what these disabilities are, their causes, their impact on student’s education, and curriculum areas necessary for these students. Definitions and Causes Intellectual disability (ID) used to be known as mental retardation.The terminology changed in 2010 when President Obama signed into law, Rosa’s Law (intellectual, 2011). Intellectual disability is defined according to IDEA as significantly sub average general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period (before age 18), that affects a child’s educational performance (intellectual, 2011). The most common causes of intellectual disabilities are; problems during development (chromosomal abnormalities, maternal illness and infections such as rubella and syphilis or drug and alcohol abuse).Genetic conditions can also cause intellectual disabilities because of abnormal genes that are inherited by parents, errors when genes combine or other reasons (intellectual, 2011). Some examples of genetic conditions are Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome and phenylketonuria (PKU) (intellectual, 2011). Problems at birth for instance a lack of oxygen during development, labor or birth can cause intellectual disabilities, just as diseases like whopping cough, measles or meningitis can (intellectual, 2011).There are also health issues like malnutrition, inadequate medical care or exposure to lead and mercury that can cause this disability (Intellectual, 2011). Autism used to be subtyped by one of four different disorders: autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not ot herwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger (What is, n. d. ). In May of 2013 the new DSM-5, merged all autism disorders into one umbrella diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (What is, n.d. ).Autism is defined as developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident by age three that adversely affects a child’s educational performance (What is, n. d. ). Other characteristics often associated with autism spectrum disorder are: engaging in repetitive activities, stereotyped movements, and resistance to environmental changes or changes in routine and unusual responses to sensory experiences (What is n. d. ).Autism has no one known cause and since it is a complex disorder with varying severity and symptoms, both genetics and environmental factors may play a part (Causes, n. d. ). Gene changes or mutations by themselves may be responsible for a small number of cases, but most cases seem to be caused by a combination of both gene problems and environmental factors (Causes, n. d. ). These factors include advanced parental age (both mother and father), maternal illness during pregnancy, environmental toxins and difficulties during birth (Causes, n.d. ).No reliable study has shown a link between autism spectrum disorder and the MMR vaccine (Causes, n. d. ). Severe disability is any disability that very significantly interferes physically, mentally, or emotionally with a student’s educational performance (McCabe, 2013). Multiple disabilities as defined by IDEA are simultaneous impairments which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in a special education program solely for one of the impairments (IDEAs, 2013).Examples are but not limited to: ID and blindness or ID and a physical impairment. The causes of severe and multiple disabilities are basically the same as the causes listed for the other disabilities covered in this paper: infection or disease s during pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy, genetic disorders, chromosomal abnormalities, poor brain development, problems during birth, environmental toxins, and diseases such as whopping cough or meningitis (Multiple, 2013).The impact of having an intellectual disability on education varies among these students as do their abilities vary. They may take longer to reach typical milestones like: walking, talking (some may not become verbal), and taking care of personal needs like dressing or eating independently, and it may also take longer learn in school (Multiple, 2013). In the past it was thought that students with severe disabilities could not learn and were put in programs that only provided basic care and safety (Downing & MacFarland, 2010).Research has shown that individuals with severe disabilities can learn given the opportunity to learn, through direct instruction and watching students without disabilities (Downing & MacFarland, 2010). There is a need for highly trained teachers to instruct students with severe disabilities. Studies suggest that these students learn best in general education classrooms and placement should be based on chronological age when appropriate (Downing & MacFarland, 2010).Students with severe disabilities not only need to learn to eat independently, dress themselves, take care of their bathroom needs (as much as possible) and other self-help tasks, they also need to increase communication, social and safety skills, they need to have access to the core curriculum to acquire academic skills in reading, writing and math (Downing & Mac- Farland, 2010). Later like in high school, students with disabilities need transition services to teach them life skills and skills that can be used for employment (Downing & MacFarland, 2010).The local school district states that they follow the policies and regulations of the Virginia Dept. Of Education (VDOE) which states that they follow the policies and regulations of the fe deral mandates like IDEA and NCLB. Local school districts are required to educate and supply services to severely disabled students in the least restrictive setting with non-disabled students where appropriate to the maximum extent possible (VA code 34. CFR 300. 119) (Special, n. d. ).The VDOE mandates that all local school districts develop an IEP for all students with disabilities who need special education services (IEP, n. d. ). Some of what the IEP should contain to ensure that necessary curriculum areas are addressed are: measureable annual goals, benchmarks or short term objectives both in academic areas and functional performance, special education related services, supplementary aids and services including transition services (IEP, n. d. ).Although the VDOE website does not lay out a specific curriculum plan just for students with severe disabilities, it does state that students with disabilities are to have access to the core curriculum just like non-disabled students (IEP , n. d. ). The face of the typical classroom is changing. Since the signing of NCLB, students with severe disabilities are to be educated with non-disabled where appropriate. Educators need to inform themselves as to what severe disabilities are and their causes. Knowing this information will help teachers better serve their students with disabilities.

All Quiet on the Western Front - 1272 Words

The book, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque can be identified with many themes. Whether the theme is loyalty to friends, the unbelievable suffering at the hands of other human beings, or the beauty of nature in contrast to the horrors of war, none of those are as fitting as the theme: betrayal by adults. The manipulation performed by a trusted schoolmaster, the awful treatment done by someone who is called a leader, and parents going along with what society thinks is right versus what their sons want, all are important factors that explain why betrayal by adults is the central idea of this story. In Remarque’s book, the main character, Paul Baà ¼mer and his comrades all have a bitter feeling towards their once†¦show more content†¦He hunted up another piss-a-bed... and quartered him with Tjaden.... Himmelstoss put these two so that one occupied the upper and the other the lower bunk. The man underneath of course had a vile time. The next night th ey were changed over and the lower one put on top so that he could retaliate. That was Himmelstoss’s system of self-education.† (page 45 and 46) This quote proves how terrible of a person Himmelstoss is indeed. What makes it even worse is that he is supposed to be the one pushing the soldiers to be better soldiers and discipline them in the right way. The way he does things, brings out the childish and vengeful sides of the men and that is not something that soldiers should feel for someone who is fighting for the same thing and is on their own squad. Himmelstoss’s actions are considered as betrayal because of the fact that he is supposed to be admired and respected by his comrades, because of his higher rank but instead is hated. Taking advantage of his rank and performing terrible acts, like what he did to Tjaden, only make the young soldiers hesitate to trust adults like him. Betrayal by adults is a common occurrence in Remarque’s story. This betrayal is the worst of all because of the fact that they are their parents. Parents are supposed to comfort their children, and also support them and be on their sides when making tough decisions. In All Quiet on the Western Front, this was not what happened. Deciding whetherShow MoreRelatedAll Quiet of the Western Front756 Words   |  3 PagesPlot Summary: All Quiet on the Western Front Written by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is the tale of a young man by the name of Paul. Paul who is nineteen years old gathers several of his friends from school and together they voluntarily join the army fighting for the Axis alliance. Before they are sent off into actual battle, they are faced with the brutal training camp. Along with this they face the cruelty of the life of a soldier. This made them question the reason forRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front700 Words   |  3 PagesThe greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a novel that depicted the hardships of a group of teenagers who enlisted in the German Army during World War 1. Enlisting right out of high school forced the teens to experience things they had never thought of. From the life of a soilder on the front line to troubles with home life, war had managed to once again destroy a group of teenagers. Throughout the novel, we saw the men of the Second CompanyRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1797 Words   |  8 PagesTitle: All Quiet on the Western Front Creator: Erich Maria Remarque Date of Publication: 1929 Class: War Novel Anecdotal Information about Author: -Erich Maria Remarque was conceived on 22 June 1898 into a working people family in the German city of Osnabrà ¼ck to Peter Franz Remark (b. 14 June 1867, Kaiserswerth) and Anna Maria (nà ©e Stallknecht; conceived 21 November 1871, Katernberg). -During World War I, Remarque was recruited into the armed force at 18 years old. On 12 June 1917, heRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front943 Words   |  4 Pages The book All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is about a group of 19 year old young men who are changed by the ways of war. There is paul: the main character; Tjaden: a tall, skinny locksmith, also the biggest eater; Albert Kropp: a lance-corporal and the clearest thinker; Muller: studious, intelligent, and likes school; Leer: has a preference for the girls from the prostitution houses and has a beard; Haie Westhus: a peat-digger, and big in size; Deterring: a peasant, he alwaysRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front2393 Words   |  10 PagesAll Quiet on the Western Front: Book Review Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front, actually fought in WWI (Remarque 297). Because of this, he was able to write this book with accurate depictions of the war. He writes how being in combat can really take a toll on a person and affect them in a negative way. He also writes of the pain and suffering that the soldiers must cope with that comes along with living in constant fear and danger. When looking at the title of theRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front2085 Words   |  9 PagesThis essay will consider the different effects created by Erich Maria Remarque in his novel All Quiet on the Western Front. As a writer, Remarque unknowingly left his novel open to readers with completely different perspectives, and to various forms of criticism. This undoubtedly meant that every single reader had been affected by the novel in many different ways which unfortunately for Remarque may have been an effect that he never intended. This essay is divided into 5 main sections. Firstly itRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1089 Words   |  5 Pages In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, human nature is the only abstract periphery between belligerent barbarism and justifiable violence. Through the insipid bombardments that rained shells over the Germans’ heads and noxious implementation of mustard gas, Remarque dexterously misleads the reader into believing that he fights in an apathetic war where all remnants of human nature and identity have been destroyed with the introduction of trench warfare. Through Paul Baumer’sRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1509 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to a single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front† (Remarque 296). Paul Baumer, the narrator of All Quiet on the Western Front, enlisted into the German army at a young age of nineteen with a group of friends from school. Kantorek, Paul’s teacher, â€Å"gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went, under his shepherding, to the District Commandant and volunteered† (RemarqueRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1129 Words   |  5 PagesIn Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, soldiers at the front have a better idea than civilians of the true n ature of war because they have experienced the war while civilians have only read about it or listened to government propaganda. Remarque is trying to tell us that only those who experience the war can understand how awful war truly is. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the main character Paul goes back to his home, the people he meets still think that the Germans are winningRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1790 Words   |  8 Pagessmell of cigar smoke, gunpowder, and dirt that filled the air. There was no nationalism; all Paul wanted was survival. World War I was supposed to be about nationalism and the propaganda forced upon the soldiers to feel superiority over other countries, but Paul helps to prove otherwise, as his story tells what is was like to be at the front, and how tough it was to be a soldier. â€Å"All Quiet on the Western Front† portrays war as it was actually experienced, replacing the romantic picture of glory and