A Clockwork Orange †Literary Response Essay Example for Free

A Clockwork Orange – Literary Response Essay Nadine Gordimer, South African writer and Nobel Prize winner, said that penetrating fiction doesn’t give answers, it invites questions. This quote is accurately reflected in Anthony Burgess’ novel, A Clockwork Orange, in which many questions and moral values are explored. Burgess strongly believed that humans’ ability of choice is the only factor distinguishing us between animals or machines. The two most predominant recurring themes of and questions relating to the novel involve ‘good vs evil’, and ‘fate and free will’. The novel begins with the words: â€Å"what’s it going to be then, eh? †, through which Burgess poses a literal question that ultimately leads to choice, and is always asked before determining one’s fate. This question introduces all three parts of the novel, as well as the final chapter. The repetition emphasises the symmetrical and symbolic structure of the book. It also echoes one of the aforementioned explored themes: fate and free will. The novel concludes with Alex finally deciding ‘what it’s going to be’, by him consciously deciding to discard his previous violent and ‘evil’ habits. Society and religion recur frequently in A Clockwork Orange, and each hold similar views and opinions concerning choice and good vs. evil. In Part 1, Chapter 4, Alex wonders why ‘evil’ is analysed and goodness is not only universally strived for, but accepted as the norm: â€Å"They don’t go into the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop? Badness is of the self, the one, the you or me on our oddy knockies and that self is made by old Bog or God and is his great pride and radosty. But the not-self cannot have the bad, meaning they of the government and the judges and the schools cannot allow the bad because they cannot allow the self. † Here, Alex refers to society and authority as the ‘not-self’. He believes that people are born ‘evil’, and suggests that conditioning human-kind to be ‘good’ removes individualism. The passage concludes with Alex saying, â€Å"I do what I do because I like to do†, which is almost animalistic in the sense that his action depends solely on desire, impulse and instinct. In Part 2, Chapter 3, the questioning of fate and free will is asked yet again, from the perspective of Christianity. The chaplain refers to the Reclamation Treatment a physiologically imposed behavioural modification that would render the incapability of performing ‘evil deeds’ which Alex is to undergo. He asks Alex if God wants goodness or the choice of goodness. (â€Å"Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him? It is interesting that the questioning of free will is articulated by the novel’s religious figure, and that this time, it does not come from Alex himself, but is rather asked of him. The chaplain wonders if good acts are morally valueless if performed without free will, and if forced benevolence is in fact more evil than sin itself. Although he rhetorically directs this to Alex, he is essentially asking the reader’s opinion, because it is indicated in previous chapters that Alex disagrees with the conditioning of ‘goodness’. The question is left open-ended and unresolved for the reader to interpret. Thus, rather than being didactic, ‘penetrating fiction’ does solicit more questions than it answers. It allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, rather than enforcing a particular point of view. In A Clockwork Orange, this is true in a number of ways (as demonstrated), but most powerfully in terms of the constantly revisited themes; good vs. evil, and fate and free will.

Womens Athletic Organizations :: Pro Con Essays

Pro's and Con's of Women's Athletic Organizations being Incorporated by Men's Athletic Organizations When the American Basketball League (ABL) started up, I was one of the wide-eyed young athletes who dreamed of playing in it when I grew up. I had always had lots of women role models as athletes, but this gave me something that I could aspire to do with my life. These women were playing basketball as a career. My parents took me to games to see the New England Blizzard and the Columbus Quest play. One time we stayed in the same hotel as the Columbus team, and they all came out of their rooms and talked to me and autographed a program for me. That summer that Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) initiated by the National Basketball Association (NBA). I was adamantly against the WNBA from the moment I heard its name. Take the men's league and stick 'women' in front of it, and you had the WNBA. The WNBA wasn't even playing basketball during the right time. No one should have a basketball season during the summer. Of course, they couldn't play during the winter because then th ey would be interfering with the men's games. The NBA couldn't let women's games draw support away from the men's games. In my thirteen-year-old eyes, the ABL was a league made for women by former female players. It had female coaches and it was the true basketball league that would give women an equal chance. The WNBA was thought up as a novelty by fat white men in business suits who thought that with the NBA's backing and money, they could do just about anything. So why not let women play basketball and see how it went over? In retrospect, I can see that neither of my opinions on the two leagues was exactly correct. However, I still resent the NBA-supported WNBA for breaking the first women's basketball league that had a real chance of surviving. I resent it more because I know that the WNBA did have a better chance of competing in the business world of professional sports because they did have support from the men's league. The WNBA would get more sponsors than the ABL would, and it could afford to not make a profit for a few years with the financial support from the NBA. I can also see that with my height and lack of natural athletic ability there was no way I would have ever made it into either league.

Chicken Wings

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Canada. When left untreated, it can lead to painful physiological problems and sterility defects. Despite being in decline for many years, rates of chlamydia infection have risen steadily since 1997. These rising rates show that people are not using safer sex methods on a consistent basis. This STI is transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, and can also be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth.Chlamydia exists as one of many issues concerning safe sex across Canada. In terms of unprotected or unsafe sex, it is important for people to test for Chlamydia. It is known as the ‘silent disease', because more than 50 percent of infected males and 70 percent of infected females have no symptoms and are unaware of their condition. Physiological effects usually begin to appear two to six weeks after infection, but it can take longer. If the STI is left untreated, beginning symptoms include : Women Men -A vaginal discharge-A discharge from the penis A burning sensation when urinating-A burning sensation when urinating -Vaginal bleeding between periods or after intercourse-Pain and/or swelling in the testicles -Pain in the lower abdomen-Pain in the lower abdomen If the STI is still not treated after initial symptoms, long-term effects for both sexes may include Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which is irritated skin in the pelvic region, and also a decrease in fertility rates. Even without symptoms, however, chlamydia can be transmitted and can lead to serious health problems and sterility, especially in women.Anyone at risk should therefore be tested. Support Services Health Canada's Sexual Health and Sexually Transmitted Infections Section provides national leadership and coordination through programs that develop and support surveillance and targeted research studies. Working with provincial and territorial governments, non-governmental organizations and health ca re providers, the Section develops evidence-based national standards and policies, promotes the exchange of information and engages in prevention and promotion activities.Additional Info: Minimizing RiskFollowing these suggestions may help you to protect yourself from contracting chlamydia: Learn about safer sex methods. Make informed decisions. Talk to your partner(s) about their STI status and the use of protection. Correct use of condoms reduces the risk of acquiring chlamydia and other STIs. Get tested for chlamydia if you are sexually active. If you are diagnosed and treated for chlamydia, be sure to follow your health care provider's treatment and follow-up recommendations.If infected, you should abstain from sex until both you and your sexual partner(s) have completed your antibiotic treatment. You can easily be reinfected if your partner is not treated as well. It is important that you or someone from your public health department notify any of your sexual partners who may h ave been put at risk of infection. They will also need to be tested and possibly treated.

History, Names, and Role of Dogs in Japanese Culture

The Japanese word for dog is inu. You can write inu in either hiragana or kanji, but since the kanji character for dog is quite simple, try learning how to write it in kanji. Typical Japanese dogs include Akita, Tosa, and Shiba breeds. The onomatopoeic phrase for a dogs bark is wan-wan. In Japan, the dog is believed to have been domesticated as early as the Jomon period (10,000 B.C.). White dogs are thought to be especially auspicious and often appear in folk tales (such as Hanasaka jiisan). In the Edo period, Tokugawa Tsuneyoshi, the fifth shogun and an ardent Buddhist, ordered the protection of all animals, especially dogs. His regulations concerning dogs were so extreme that he was ridiculed as the Inu Shogun. A more recent story is the tale of Hachiko, the chuuken or faithful dog from the 1920s. Hachiko met his master at Shibuya station at the end of every workday. Even after his master died one day at work, Hachiko continued to wait at the station for 10 years. He became a popular symbol of devotion. After his death, Hachikos body was put in a museum, and there is a bronze statue of him in front of Shibuya station. Critical phrases referring to inu are as common in Japan as they are in the West. Inujini, to die like dog, is to die meaninglessly. To call someone a dog is to accuse him or her of being a spy or dupe. Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru or when the dog walks, it runs across a stick is a common saying, meaning that when you walk outside, you could possibly meet with an unexpected fortune. Kobanashi: Ji no Yomenu Inu Here is a kobanashi (funny story) titled Ji no Yomenu Inu, or The Dog That Can’t Read.† Inu no daikiraina otoko ga, tomodachi ni kikimashita.†Naa, inu ga itemo heiki de tooreru houhou wa nai darou ka.†Ã¢â‚¬ Soitsu wa, kantanna koto sa.Te no hira ni tora to iu ji o kaite oite, inu ga itara soitsu o miseru n da.Suruto inu wa okkanagatte nigeru kara.†Ã¢â‚¬ Fumu fumu. Soitsu wa, yoi koto o kiita.†Otoko wa sassoku, te no hira ni tora to iu ji o kaite dekakemashita.Shibaraku iku to, mukou kara ookina inu ga yatte kimasu.Yoshi, sassoku tameshite yarou.Otoko wa te no hira o, inu no mae ni tsukidashimashita.Suruto inu wa isshun bikkuri shita monono, ookina kuchi o akete sono te o gaburi to kandan desu. Tsugi no hi, te o kamareta otoko ga tomodachi ni monku o iimashita.†Yai, oame no iu youni, te ni tora to iu ji o kaite inu ni meseta ga, hore kono youni, kuitsukarete shimatta wa.†Suruto tomodachi wa, kou iimashita.†Yare yare, sore wa fuun na koto da. Osoraku sono inu wa, ji no yomenu inu darou.† Grammar In the above story, â€Å"fumu fumu,† â€Å"yoshi,† and â€Å"yare yare† are Japanese interjections. â€Å"Fumu fumu† can be translated as, â€Å"Hmm,† or, â€Å"I see.† â€Å"Yare yare,† describes a sigh of relief. Here are some examples. Yoshi, sore ni kimeta: OK, I am sold on that idea!Yoshi, hikiukeyou: All right, I will take it on.Yare yare, yatto tsuita: Well, here we are at last.Yare yare, kore de tasukatta: Hallelujah! We are safe at last.