Comparing Merchant’sThe Death of Nature and Thomas’ Man and the Natural

Comparing Merchant’sThe Death of Nature and Thomas’ Man and the Natural World    The works of Carolyn Merchant and Keith Thomas pertain to the same subject matter and even to the same time period. Nevertheless, in comparing their interpretations of the evidence and the presentation of their arguments concerning the history of mankind’s relationship with nature in Tudor and Stuart England through the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions, we find that they are quite different. Merchant presents us with a rather one-sided, retrospective attack on science as the root of all environmental evil, while Thomas offers a relatively neutral, prospective look at how the people of this time reacted to the changing views of nature and what, exactly, caused these views to change. The theme running through Merchant’s book, The Death of Nature, is one of pessimism toward science. Her main argument is that the root of today’s environmental problems can be found in the early modern period, an era in which, Merchant says, nature was robbed by science of its right to life and spirit and became, effectively, a machine. According to Merchant, in the early 16th century with the rise of modern science and technology, mankind’s view of nature as a living being changed and nature became a machine to be dominated, dismantled and its secrets discovered, no matter what the cost. Of the many examples Merchant uses to illustrate her point, none seems so warranted as that of Sir Francis Bacon, the father of modern science. We follow Bacon through Merchant’s book as one of the ringleaders of the movement to mechanize and de-spiritualize nature. "The Baconian method," says Merchant, "advocated power over nature through manual manipulation, technology, and... ...covery, he does imply that, with new theological interpretations raising moral standards and with new scientific discovery, nature was, so to speak, given back some of its rights as a living organism. While Thomas and Merchant argue different sides of the same coin, the two authors do agree on one thing: that, like the lyrics of a popular rock song, "video killed the radio star," something new seems to have "killed" the organic view of nature in the early modern period. But while Merchant stops there, pessimistically asserting that we have not moved beyond the "death of nature," Thomas believes that science, as opposed to being merely an enemy of nature, actually resuscitated it, saving it from the earlier, anthropocentric view of Tudor and Stuart England. Works Cited Merchant, Carolyn. The Death of Nature, Thomas, Keith. Man and the Natural World.

Personal Responsibilty

Everyone needs to be willing to accept the responsibility for their own actions and held accountable them. First, if a student wants to be successful in college, by him showing up to class on time every week, and paying close attention to the lectures is the first step to gain success. If he sits towards the front of the class, and sit up straight. These are some of the best ways to stay alert and follow along with the instructor, receive the information they are giving. Second, reading the course syllabus and the weekly assignments is another great way to obtain the information you will be learning.If you are a student that is easily distracted, then finding a quiet place to read is a good way to retain the information your learning. The student might need to be well rested before picking up their textbook. Oftentimes, students may fall asleep once they start reading. If they have difficulty retaining information, they may want to read aloud, reread the statement, or imagine themsel ves in the situation. It is a good way to understand what it is they are reading. Finally, good time management and discipline is essential to being a successful college student.For some students, having a to-do list, calendar, or planner. Sitting down with an agenda will considerably decrease study time. It gives the student a visual on what needs to be completed and manages time better. You can focus on what you are going to get accomplish instead of thinking about the other ten assignments that must be completed. In conclusion, it is the student's personal responsibility to attend class, pay attention, and study. These are some of the key fundamentals of becoming a successful student. These few basic fundamentals will help an individual learn from kindergarten through well beyond college.Preparing yourself to receive information will almost always be one of the many keys in becoming a successful college student. References http://www. Goodness. Com/quotes/tag/personal-responsibil ity This is a hanging indent. To keep the hanging indent format, triple click your mouse on this line of text and replace the information with your reference entry. You can use the Reference and Citation Examples (Center for Writing Excellence>Tutorials and Guides>Reference and Citation Examples) to help format your source information into a reference entry. The reference page always begins on the top of the next page after the conclusion. Personal Responsibilty Thesis Statement and Informal Outline WorksheetIn this course, you will write a 700- to 1,400-word Personal Responsibility Essay, due in Week Five, which includes the following:Definition of personal responsibility and what it means to you. Explain the relationship between personal responsibility and college success. Include a preliminary plan to practice personal responsibility in your education.This week, using the Center for Writing Excellence resources, provide the thesis statement and informal outline for your Personal Responsibility Essay assignment, due in Week Five.Thesis Statement: Personal responsibility is defined as taking responsibility for your actions and accepting the consequences of those actions because taking responsibility for your actions means you do not try to blame others for you not being able to finish school or your goals. Also, accepting the consequences of our actions teaches us to be more mindful of our choices and we can react to our mistakes. Even thou gh blaming others for our failures is easy because we are more likely to feel better about the situation if someone else has to face the consequences.Informal Outline: Personal Responsibility: Your Fault or Mine? Introduction: What is personal responsibility? How do you define it? Everybody has a different opinion when it comes to personal responsibility and how its defined. I define it as owning up to my actions and taking the consequences for those actions. II. Taking responsibility for your actions in every situation. A. When we take responsibility for our actions we admit that we made a mistake and we try to correct that mistake.B. Take responsibility by making sure that when we make a mistake, we learn from that mistake, and try not to do the same thing again. 1. Example: You write a paper at the last minute and get a bad grade because you rushed through the paper. By making that bad grade, you learn to not procrastinate and take more time to do you  assignment III. Accepting the consequences means we have to face the music (so to speak) and deal with whatever the outcome from our mistake. A. When accepting the consequences, we must be mindful that the result of our mistake can either be negative or positive, depending on the situation. 1. If we do not take time to work on our class assignment, then we receive a bad grade and the result is negative.B. Consequences are the defining factor in our daily lives because we make every decision based on whether or not the decision is good or bad for us. IV. Blaming others for our failures is very easy because if we blame someone else, then we will not have to face the consequences. A. If someone makes a mistake, it is so easy to blame others and let them take the blame. 1. In school, it is so easy to blame the instructor for the bad grade, rather than taking responsibility for not doing the work. B. Do not let others take the blame, instead own up and face the consequences.

Salinger s The Rye - 1527 Words

Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D Salinger, it follows 17-year-old Holden Caulfield throughout the days following his expulsion from Pencey Prep. The book dives into Holden’s unstable mind as he recounts his story from a rest home, often feeling confused, lost and mad at the world. This underlining theme of teenage angst has become very popular and finds itself in various works of modern day media such as the television show the Fosters. The Fosters follows the story of a similarly troubled but headstrong Callie Jacobs and her journey with her new foster family. These two works of teenage angst share many similarities and differences, especially between Holden and Callie in ways such as how they alienate themselves, their views on the adult world and their want to protect innocence. Throughout Salinger’s novel, Holden is often found alienating himself from society as a form of protection against rejection. This act of self-alienation causes Holden to frequent ly feel lonely and depressed. He yearns for companionship however; his desire causes him to feel immense pain at the slightest form of rejection. For instance, when Holden decided to spend sometime alone New York, before Christmas break, â€Å"the first thing [he] did when [he] got off Penn Station, [he] went into [a] phone booth†¦ [he] thought of giving Jane Gallagher’s mother a buzz †¦ but [he] didn’t feel like it† (Salinger 66). Holden stops himself from calling Jane because he didn’t want to get hurt by theShow MoreRelatedCriticism Of Salinger s The Rye1382 Words   |  6 PagesCRITICISM Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye has been into continuous dispute and controversy since its publication in 1951. Some critics think that Salinger s narrative of the human plight is engrossing and enlightening, yet incredibly depressing. The leading character, Holden Caulfield, serves as the basis for critical discussion due to his psychological conflict. Salinger s portrayal of Holden, which encloses incidents of dejection, nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, andRead MoreAnalysis Of Salinger s The Rye 1334 Words   |  6 PagesBlake Broussard Yoshiyama 3 A.P. English 3 29 September 2015 The Catcher in the Rye, published in 1951 by J.D. Salinger, has been banned multiple times worldwide because of much controversy surrounding the book’s depiction of underage sex, drinking, profanity, and tobacco use. However, Catcher should be taught in American high schools because the book includes many controversial subjects surrounding teenagers, including depression, suicide, social isolation, and teenage angst, all ofRead MoreSummary Of Salinger s The Rye 2149 Words   |  9 Pagesdanger and risk that constantly encompasses them in our society today. Children are subjected to this world and once they are exposed to the corruption it is difficult to maintain the innocence that they once embodied. In J.D. Salinger’s â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† there is an evident need and desire to preserve a sense of innocence among the characters in a world that lacks innocence. Holden Caulfield, the main character in Salinger’s novel, is a force that tri es to promote the idea of innocence and attemptsRead MoreSalinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1303 Words   |  6 PagesIrving Howe, a literary and social critic said, â€Å"The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable† (BrainyQuote). The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J.D. Salinger tells of a very important part Holden Caulfield s life. Holden, a 17 year old from New York, writes about the events that follow him flunking out of Pencey Prep School. Holden is very critical of everyone around him, except the small group of people that he protects with his life. He cherishes the youth childrenRead MoreSummary Of Salinger s The Rye 1395 Words   |  6 PagesCatcher in the Rye was written by J.D Salinger in 1951, at a time when American values had forced an entire generation of kids to conform to the standards set by a society that strongly castigated diversity. It stirred up a lot of controversy and criticism because it discussed taboo topics such a s adolescent sexuality and rebelling against societal norms. After World War II, America had become extremely prosperous due to it’s industrial advancement, but the growth of the economy also came with strictRead MoreSalinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1310 Words   |  6 Pagesthings. Technology has advanced tremendously since the 50’s, when Holden was a teenager. Cell phones, laptops, apple watches, flat screen TV’s, electric cars, and so much more exist now. However, there are a few aspects of life that are timeless. Even today, teens struggle with relationships, the quest to find out who they truly are, and the pressure to be the best at everything they do. I believe that The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger is relevant because in today’s society the younger generationRead MoreD. Salinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1872 Words   |  8 Pages J. D. Salinger s novel is often called, . . . the forbidden fruit in the garden of literature (The Catch er 116). J. D. Salinger is a writer from the 1950s, a time where literature has questioned the ideas of traditions placed in a community. Through his life and through his characters Holden Caulfield and Phoebe Caulfield in the 1950s realistic fictional bildungsroman The Catcher in the Rye, the postmodernist author J. D. Salinger focuses on the theme of self isolation in society in orderRead MoreJ.b. Salinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1319 Words   |  6 PagesJ.D. Salinger’s Use of Symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger is well known for his works. His most famous being The Catcher in the Rye. Two other of his famous works include Nine stories and Franny and Zooey. J.D Salinger is also well known for his sense of humor that he includes inside of his books. The Catcher in the Rye has become an essential work to be studied in academic literature and its course of study. This book entails many uses of symbolism throughout theRead MoreF. Salinger s The Catcher Of The Rye1121 Words   |  5 Pagesin English-speaking countries, J.D Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye deals with Holden Caulfield’s past trauma which is the triggering factor in his depression, anxiety and alienation. Holden tells an unnamed person what has happened in the three days prior to his mental breakdown. Through Holden’s relatable characteristics and Salinger’s narrative treatment, the book continues to engage audiences across generations. The way that Salinger writes gives the audience a very personal and insightful lookRead MoreAnalysis Of Salinger s The Catcher Rye 3756 Words   |  16 PagesSummer Reading-TASIS 2014 Rising 9th Grade Mainstream English The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Fahrenheit 541 by Ray Bradbury Please write a typed or handwritten response (200 words each in the language relevant to your course) to each of the following prompts on each of the works assigned for the course(s) you will be taking in 2014-2015: The Catcher in the Rye Initial Understanding: What are your thoughts and questions about the story? You might reflect upon characters, their