Modern variations of the Panopticon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modern variations of the Panopticon - Essay Example Bentham’s idea is that a panopticon, where the observed internalizes the presence of an unseen observer, enforces those rules via a psychological self-policing on the part of the observed. The panopticon prison, where prisoners are always within view of an observer hidden in a tower that sees all, is a very good representation of Bentham’s ideal panopticon. It is an examination of the ideas on the panopticon as it is applied in some paired relationships, exploring how checks and balances come into play in them, so that the two sides in effect are forced to play according to the rules. In effect, in this dyad relationship, the panopticon becomes a two-way mechanism, with implications that are particular to the parties in the pairing. This paper demonstrates this via a discussion of the Internet as a reciprocal modern panopticon. The internet fosters an arena where the observed follows the rules imposed on them by the law and by the authorities, and where the authorities, in their turn as ordinary users, are likewise compelled to follow the rules, and to make sure that the rules do not go too far in infringing on their personal rights under the law (Foucault 228). This first part of the essay talks about the writer's understanding of Foucault's Panopticon as a disciplinary power mechanism. The heart of the panopticon is the internalization of a power mechanism on the part of the observed, in a system designed in such a way that the observed knows that he is perennially being watched, and where the observer is forever hidden from view from the observed. This can be a paired process with both parties being observer and observed for each other. That is, the panopticon also a situation where two sides play mutual roles at the same time. In this sense it is reciprocal system that enforces the rules of the game via its very mechanism. The means of enforcement is the observed internalizing the rules, and acting in such a way as to enforce the rules, and to make the system self-perpetuating and stable. In a two-way system both have to play the role of the observed, and both internalize the rules (Foucault 228). In other words, the panopticon as a disciplinary power mechanism instills in the both parties the very rules of the game, and makes it in the best interest of both, in a way, to follow the rules without being told. What affects one affects the other in equal measure. The mechanism has within it the power to enforce. The knowledge that one is being watched at all times forces the observed to act in ways that do not violate the rules, or else face the consequences of the violation. It is self-perpetuating and becomes more effective the more it is internalized too. This is because both parties, as the observed, by internalizing the rules and the idea that he is being perpetually watched, go into themselves and look into all areas of their lives: thoughts, behavior - and seek compliance with the rules in all of those dimensions of his life. Both censor each other and are forced to follow the law as the observed, and as the observers enforcing the law (Foucault 226-228). In pairs where observation is reciprocal, the two parties balance each other's

Use of Attics in Literature Essay -- Attic Upper Room

The Phenomenology of Space--Attic Memories and Secrets Since Gilbert and Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic, critics have assumed that attics house madwomen. But they use that concept as a metaphor for their thesis, that women writers were isolated and treated with approbation. In most literature, attics are dark, dusty, seldom-visited storage areas, like that of the Tulliver house in The Mill on the Floss--a "great attic under the old high-pitched roof," with "worm-eaten floors," "worm-eaten shelves," and "dark rafters festooned with cobwebs"--a place thought to be "weird and ghostly." Attics do not house humans (not even mad ones) they warehouse artifacts that carry personal and familial history--often a history that has been suppressed. And that history is what makes attics interesting. -------- Washington—Contractors installing ductwork in an attic found a suitcase containing the skeleton of a baby who apparently died more than 20 years ago. [The police spokesman] said the blue suitcase appeared to be more than 30 years old. The skeleton which was wrapped in cloth, "appears to have been there quite a long time, in excess of 20 years," Eaves said. Police estimated that the baby was 1 or 2 months old at death. The house was built in 1928 and was occupied by the same family until the mid-1990s. The last of four elderly sisters who lived there died in 1995 at the age of 102, and the house was sold five years ago Houston Chronicle, Wednesday, February 17, 2001 In Suzanne Berne's A Perfect Arrangement (Chapel Hill: Algonquin Press, 2001), a pragmatic architect says "Attics are wasted space," but the family maid, with far more insight into human beings, responds, as I would: "Not psychologicall... ... Random House, 1936. ––– Go Down, Moses. George, Elizabeth. In Pursuit of a Proper Sinner. New York: Bamtam, 1999. Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic : The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979. Kesey, Ken. Sometimes a Great Notion. New York: Viking, 1964. Porter, Katherine Anne. The Collected Stories of Kathering Anne Porter. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, l979. Shelley, Mary.Frankenstein. Ed. Marilyn Buller.London: William Pickering, 1993. Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Collected Stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1982. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Ed. Philip van Doren Stern. New York: Paul S. Eriksson, 1964. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray; For Love of the King. London: Routledge/Thoemmes Press, 1993.

Informal Essay

I received an education from elementary school through college in Shanghai, China. As Shanghai is an international city, its education authorities greatly value the importance of English learning and English is thus one of the mandatory subjects taught beginning in elementary school. Chinese students can score high marks and even outscore native English speakers on tests such as the GRE and GMAT, but on writing sections, Chinese students’ performance lags far behind the average. Why does this happen?What should be the proper teaching strategy in an ESL/EFL writing classroom? This paper shares my perspectives on English writing, teaching, and learning, based on my own experiences. My English writing classes started in middle school. Before that, my English classes mostly emphasized the teaching of vocabulary and grammar. However, even though I was now a middle school student, English writing was still not treated as an important part of English learning. There was no separate E nglish writing class.Once or twice every month, my English teacher would give us a 40-minute English writing lecture. The ironic thing is, as I see it today, this lecture was still more of a reading class than a writing class, because most of the time my teacher would assign us a certain amount of reading, ask us to underline the sentences we thought were â€Å"good† and write them into our notebooks. Although I agree that reading is the foundation of writing, I disapprove of this way of teaching writing.In my second year of middle school, teachers started to â€Å"formally† teach writing. We would be given certain simple topics to write about such as â€Å"The most unforgettable thing in your life† or â€Å"My family†. To begin the writing task, my teacher would first read several examples and carefully help the class analyze why each composition was excellent and explain what we should be aware of when writing about this topic. Another thing worth menti oning is that these examples were usually assigned as rote learning.The only criteria for a composition included length, absence of spelling or grammar mistakes, and the use of new vocabulary. As we can see, the content of the compositions was completely overlooked; instead, grammar and vocabulary alone still played the key roles in our writing education. Limiting the scope of this paper, I will not continue on with a summary of my high school and college English writing education, because I believe these early xperiences already suffice to represent the usual methods of teaching writing in China. Today, whenever I reflect on my past learning experiences in writing, I meet with some difficult emotions. I can say I am a skilled writer in my native language, but I still lack confidence in English writing. I feel I am a victim of English education in China because I always have a hard time outputting what is in my mind with decent English. Whenever that difficulty arises, I feel awful, as if I am linguistically and cognitively deficient.Also, having been educated for so long in China, where repeatedly writing model compositions is the fundamental approach in improving writing, another weakness of my writing is its lack of creativity and critical thinking. My thoughts are restricted into a limited space and I am just accustomed to recalling whatever is already filed in my repertoire of writing expressions, drawn from those model compositions. One year ago, I enrolled in a GRE writing course in Shanghai to prepare for my GRE test in which the only materials handed out were two books.One was a 28-page book with all kinds of model sentences this organization had arranged in a list, and the second was a thick book covering all the likely topics (about 130 topics in all) to be tested in the GRE writing section with sample compositions. Although the instructor offered some insightful writing skills, the implication was obvious to everyone—for those unable to writ e a composition themselves, just repeat the sample sentences and compositions; hopefully, the topic you are tested on happens to be the one you have learned by rote.Having undergone these frustrations and confusions in English writing, I realized that good English writing skills do not come from popular writing instruction books, no matter how appealing the titles—whether â€Å"Learn to Write in 10 Minutes,† or â€Å"Be a Writing King,† one cannot develop into a skilled writer by simply memorizing the tips they offer or memorizing the sentences they list. You can never become a skilled writer by only recalling sample compositions, or even by focusing only on correct grammar and spelling.From my own experience, I do benefit from reading books and newspapers written by native English speakers and recording the brilliant sentences or ideas from these resources. This might be the only aspect of the Chinese English education system I applaud, and I still keep this ha bit today. However, it should never be the sole method of learning. The second strategy I recommend to ESL writing students is to reject whatever appears first in their mind when searching for writing resources, because this might also be another’s first choice.Seven out of ten students might choose Marie Curie for the topic â€Å"Female Scientists;† erase the thought of Marie Curie and instead choose Ada Byron or Rosalind Franklin. You need to think carefully in order to make your compositions outstanding from others’ and leave your readers with a lasting impression. In my opinion, not everyone can produce the superior sentences or command the vast vocabulary of Mark Twain, but we can certainly distinguish ourselves by our content.Having practiced English writing for several years, I think the two most salient differences from my Chinese writing style and English writing style are the writing tone and the method of organizing a composition. Chinese writing styl es are typically reserved while American styles are more often straightforward. Chinese people pursue collectivism while Americans value individualism. To most Chinese, maintaining harmonious interpersonal relationships is vitally important.Moreover, the Chinese government exerts invisible power over people through words, so people are cautious in expressing their opinions in order to avoid unnecessary trouble. As a result, My Chinese writing style is relatively more tactful than my English writing. I tend to call for the collective good in the last sentence of my Chinese compositions. In contrast, when I write in English, I prefer to express my voice without worrying about breaking harmony with others because I know individual rights are highly recognized in Western society.The second difference between my Chinese writing and English writing is the method of organizing compositions. The basic English composition structure follows the pattern of introduction-body-conclusion while th e Chinese structure is characterized as beginning-following-turning-concluding, which is the same as the Japanese style. The turning section is expected to be surprising, and the whole composition reaches its climax at this point. This also is related to what I have mentioned above—collectivism and individualism.When writing in Chinese, I like to make my writing beautiful, lively and ornate for my readers. In other words, I feel I have responsibility for my readers and hope they will regard reading my writings as an enjoyment. However, when writing in English, all I think about is how to make my ideas clear to my readers. From my personal experiences of learning and writing in English, I can see what an influential role culture plays in writing in a second language. My students might come from different cultural backgrounds and hold different beliefs.These all have a great influence over both what they write and how they write. As an ESL instructor, I think my job is not simp ly to teach them to comply with the Western way of writing and tell them to reject their original ways of writing. Instead, I think what is valuable for ESL instructors to know is how to guide our students toward writing truly excellent compositions. Their writing must be clear enough to be appreciated by the Western world, but should also maintain the cultural characteristics of their native language writing, because multiculturalism enriches our writing, bringing it color and vibrancy.

Essay Impacts Of An Energy Plan - 945 Words

Impacts of an Energy Plan Juanita Stanberry SCI/275 Suzette Mackenzie March 26, 2015 My dearest great-great grand-children: The finding of this letter explaining the best option for a long-term energy sustainability plan is no accident, and if you have opened a time capsule as directed, this letter is one hundred years old and the year is two thousand and fifteen (2015). The nation’s current energy situation is in bad shape. We have nearly depleted the planets resources of fossil fuels that are non-renewable. Energy4Me.org defines nonrenewable resources as are energy sources like petroleum, propane, natural gas, coal and nuclear power. These resources have taken millions of years to produce and cannot rejuvenate in shorter lengths†¦show more content†¦Human health is personally affected, and it creates serious risks for all other organisms too. The ways that I have been personally affected by the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels is by the emissions of different gases into the atmosphere and having breathed them in over the last eighty-five years. I have contracted asthma and chronic bronchitis from the poor air quality. I have developed a sustainability plan that I believe will continue to flourish productively for the remainder of our generation. I am holding on to the hope that by the very time the following family generations have arrived, there will be an efficient renewable energy resource to replace my nonrenewable energy resource and maintain necessary sustainability. I plan to use natural gas as the primary form of energy because it is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. In this year of two thousand and fifteen, there are many renewable resources to choose from and utilize, but at the moment they are not efficient enough to produce the amount of energy necessary in conjunction with low consumer cost to proficiently run the entire city. The natural gas produces more than enough power to maintain the city so that now we can sell our extra energy to other communities instead of purchasing it from them. 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