Julius Caesar Concession Free Essays

Julius Caesar Concession Essay Marcus Brutus was a noble man. He was loyal to himself and never did anything wrong without believing that what he was doing was right. Even though killing Julius Caesar was wicked and evil, when he did it, he had all the right intentions. We will write a custom essay sample on Julius Caesar Concession or any similar topic only for you Order Now Up to his very last breath, he thought that he was saving the people of Rome from an unjust ruler. He never wanted anything bad to come from it. He thought that he could bring peace to Rome Marcus Brutus, however, was very easily deceived. As long as someone told him that doing something would bring good, he would do it. This allowed Cassius to quite easily trick Marcus Brutus into doing what he wanted him to do. And being as sneaky as Cassius was he was able to pretty easily blame it on Marcus Brutus. The fact that he could be so easily tricked made him a prime target for Cassius to do the dirty work and share the blame. It can be argues that since he was so easily manipulated that you can’t really tell how good of a person he was. But since his intentions were so noble, that he was a truly honest, noble man. Unlike the other conspirators who chose to take place in the assassination of Caesar, Marcus Brutus did it to help his people. All of the others only took place in the assassination due to jealousy and dissatisfaction. And for Marcus Brutus, it was a big sacrifice to him as well, seeing that he and Caesar were good friends. And that that proves just how noble his intentions were. That he would kill his own friend if it meant that others could be safe. Even his enemies (Mark Antony and Octavius Caesar) respected him for the honest man that they knew that he was. He did evil things, that that did not make him an evil man. It’s like the old saying: â€Å"It’s the thought that counts† Works Cited Shakespeare, William Julius Caesar. How to cite Julius Caesar Concession, Papers

A Country Club Romance by Derek Walcott and Two Old Black Menace comparison Essay Example For Students

A Country Club Romance by Derek Walcott and Two Old Black Menace comparison Essay The two poems, which Im going to compare and contrast are written by Caribbean poets in the late 20th Century and are mainly focused on changing from one culture to the other. A Country Club Romance by Derek Walcott is about a white culture colliding into a black culture. However, Two Old Black Menà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ focuses on a black culture clashing into a white culture. Both of the poems are very ambiguous that use their language, form and structure to make their points clear. For example, as Grace Nichols starts off her poem the readers are confused and baffled. But as the poem gradually develops the point made becomes clear and obvious. Both poems are about love in some form, but they portray it very differently. While Derek Walcott tells of a woman who killed herself for love, Grace Nichols talks about two men in a park who are constantly telling each other that changing cultures can have terrible consequences. For example, in Two Old Black Menà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in the last sentence it reads, And the sun was traded long ago This quote tells us that in the Caribbean, the sun is always shining on you, but in England this does not happen. Many people associate the English weather with rain so this is how the two countries are viewed differently. The quote is basically telling us that the Caribbean weather was traded for the English weather, which included more job opportunities and better lifestyle. These two poems equally contain push and pull factors considering their past and lifestyle. For example, in Two Old Black Menà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in the third stanza it reads, O its easy to rainbow the past The men may have felt that they did not want to emigrate but had no choice, bearing in mind their quality of life and that is why they feel divided. This kind of situation would no doubt create some feelings of pain and hurt. It also sounds like they had brought everything to England apart from their culture and the precious sun. They have been divided and they feel that they can never fully fit into the English way of life and society. The way Grace Nichols fills the past with colours shows what it means to her as a Caribbean woman living in a different society and also in a different culture. However, in A Country Club Romance Derek Walcott used a pull factor when the white woman is brought to the Caribbean for its wonderful weather and sunshine. These two poems also differentiate in many ways. For example in A Country Club Romance Walcott has used tennis as the main theme. This creates a desired effect on us and is known as an extended metaphor. It makes us as readers relate the poem to the theme used which results in clear understanding. They married and lay down like Slazengers The use of simile used here, which describes similarities between rackets and humans,  makes this poem more active and imaginative. Walcotts use of imagery for this specific quote makes the poem far more related to tennis. The tennis net is like barrier separating the couple and their culture, one could not cross it as the rules of the game will be broken and game will end, this imagery is similar to their relationship and Walcott uses this theme to show the couples relationship. The imagery Grace Nichols has used in the following quote has an incredible effect on our sense of sight. It makes us vision the past and think of it as evil, or immortal. .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 , .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .postImageUrl , .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 , .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:hover , .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:visited , .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:active { border:0!important; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:active , .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3 .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4f99de7a84f5bd4c6d97f65c03dc5dc3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Poetry of Seamus Heaney Essayghost memories of desire This quote also creates a pleasant meaning, which is like an old part of their life coming back to remind them about their culture and lifestyle its also just like a ghost haunting them about their past. The two men are reminiscing the past and filling it with colours as though they are trying to bring the image to life. However, Derek Walcott suddenly horrifies his readers halfway through the poem, And slapped her this creates a brilliant effect on us making us as readers see a different side to him. He had slapped her because of her actions as she started to become alcoholic. This is a very emotive and shocking image. But however we can interpret this image quite differently and relate it to tennis the theme he had used throughout the poem. since your so damn frisky, answer this backhand I believe that Derek Walcott and Grace Nichols express their thoughts and feelings about living in discomfort, but having roots in another culture. I think both writers were successful in the way they expressed the other cultures, from the use of description and detail and the use of ways to describe their feelings throughout the poems. The poems are well written in a way that everyone could understand what the poems meanings are. For example, the way Walcott has written his poem, which ends up disturbing, adds to the overall effect it has on us. Walcott brings forward to our attention that two lovers having different cultures would occasionally end up separated. The poem is narrated by an obsessive lover, who considers his love as an image to the society. She cannot be with him because she is different she comes from a different culture. Obviously she is an upper class citizen and he is not, therefore they cannot be together in the public eye. Furthermore, these two poets show that racism works both ways. For example, the way Walcott emphasizes the white womans desperate needs for love, adds to our attention that the culture she is put in will be different from her own. The white woman is ostracized from the rest of the society. However, Nichols strategic structure and language gives us the impression as readers that different cultures will be met. For example, the two Caribbean men are clashed  into white society and are ignored because of it from the rest of the community. Overall, both poems show how love is not an everlasting thing and that there are always moments when it hits problems. In its extreme, love can sometimes lead to death, as shown in A Country Club Romance. However both poems, in my view, have similarities within the text, as they are both are very ambiguous. In my view this shows how uncertain love can be, as it is normally never what is expected of it. Racism still functions in todays world and many people are harassed, threatened and even beaten because of it. We need to work together as a society and tackle this sickening problem before it spreads out quickly like a virus. I believe these two poems have not addressed how we should tackle racism and the worst we could do is to isolate other cultures from our own.

A History of Immigration essays

A History of Immigration essays Bernard A. Weisberg refers in his articles title to the United States as a Nation of Immigrants rather than a unique, ancient grounded nation. As Joe R. Feagin states in his Racial and Ethnic Relations textbook: Immigration in the United States is its foundation, its uniqueness and its great strength. Weisberg particularly emphasizes this idea because some American people, especially of white-dominant ethnicity, have forgotten that. This is the base of a present day controversy that discusses whether the united States should give up its immigration status due to economic and political causes, actually originated since the first immigrant wave set on North American shore. According to our Western Civilization history, the first people to emigrate from Europe and colonized this North American land were the English, the Colonization migration of the XVII century. Some years after the first settlers arrived, the first British mass exodus landed from the Mayflower, approximately 155,000 in number, mostly as indentured servants, contracted for a specific term of years. Some Scottish and Irish-Scottish peoples came along with them, approximately 12,000 a year. The English government instituted later migrations to the British colonies. If not purposely driven out from their country, British people escaped from political and religious persecution towards such groups which included the Quakers, Sabbatarians, Anti-Sabbatarians, some Anabaptists, some independent, some Jews and a few Roman Catholics, as well as the German Mennonites (ancestors of the Amish) and other 225,000 colonists and the French Calvinists called Huguenots. The following biggest wave of migration was the one in which 84,500 chained Africans slaves were sent to the colonies to work on the land. The first joint-stock companies, formed by merchants under the law of James I, settled in Jamestown and this wa...

The Catholic Inquisition Essays

The Catholic Inquisition Essays The Catholic Inquisition Essay The Catholic Inquisition Essay The Catholic Inquisition is best defined as a crusade by the church to rid the world of heretics. However, the scope under which these measures were carried out is a testament to the power that the Catholic Church exercised over both the ruling class (kings, lords, and other nobles) in addition to the lay people and commoners. Prior to the 1 lath century, the nobles had increasingly dictated church affairs, as they were making secular choices for bishops. This was important for the nobles to do because a bishop would often be the governmental administrator for a town, in edition to the spiritual leader. However, the papacy began to chafe at this external interference, and more so this external exertion of power. Thus, a spirit of reform came about, spearheaded by Pope Gregory VI. He laid out assertions of power that were to be uniform across the Catholic world, with such edicts as: The Pope alone would appoint or depose bishops The Pope alone would have his feet kissed by princes The Pope alone could depose emperors None of the Popes Judgments could be overturned, except by he himself No one could Judge the Pope The Popes decisions were Infallible With such sweeping powers, plus the supposed moral high-ground, the Church now sat as equal If not greater to any monarchy. As time went on, these powers evolved Into a formal court known as the Inquisition which would serve as the means to exercise these powers against enemies of the Church. In the beginning of the 13th century, these courts could try those accused of being heretics. The accusers did not have to face the victim, thus leaving room for abuses and false accusations. Also, a confession or a denial could equally result In punishment; with the former resulting In a flogging or confiscation of property and he latter resulting In torture and/or death. The true Insight Into the relationship between the church and society Is that no other Institution, regardless of Influence or power, could have carried out such a nefarious means of accomplishing Its objectives. Only the church, with the supposed backing of God, could commit such travesties and not be overthrown. However, both nobles and commoners, In constant fear of delve consequences, had no choice but to submit and obey. The Popes decisions were infallible sat as equal if not greater to any monarchy. As time went on, these powers evolved into a formal court known as the Inquisition abuses and false accusations. Also, a confession or a denial could equally result in punishment; with the former resulting in a flogging or confiscation of property and the latter resulting in torture and/or death. The true insight into the relationship between the church and society is that no other institution, regardless of influence or power, could have carried out such a nefarious means of accomplishing its objectives. Only the church, with the supposed backing of commoners, in constant fear of divine consequences, had no choice but to submit

Familial Genetic Testing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Familial Genetic Testing Assignment - Essay Example Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for occurrence of type 1 diabetes. Even though the exact causes are not yet known, many factors that relates to biological body structure or to a person’s external environment have been associated with risks of type 1 diabetes. Genetic factors to type 1 diabetes relates to HLA genes in the body. The genes form complexes among themselves and help the body’s immune system to distinguish between body’s proteins and foreign proteins to the body. The immune system then destroys foreign proteins. Certain complexes of these genes however fail to distinguish the proteins and leads to destruction of insulin. The percentage of type 1 diabetes incidences that result from the genetic factor is however low because only five percent of people with the gene complexes suffers from the complication (Genetic Home Reference 1). Probability of suffering from the complication, based on genes also supports the theory of genetic cause. This is because a person whose close relative suffers from type 1 diabetes has a six percent chance of being a victim while a person who does not have a close relative suffering from the complication has as low as 0.05 percent of being a victim (National Health Services 1). Other factors such as â€Å"viral infections, nutritional exposures, perinatal factors, childhood growth† among other environmental factors have been associated with the disease as moderators (Eisenbarth 267). Major symptoms of the type 1 diabetes are a feeling of itchiness around genital areas, impaired vision, muscle pain, and skin infection. Based on the role of genes and environmental factors, genetic factors account for a significant percentage of the symptoms than environmental factors. This is because of the secondary scope of environmental factors to the symptoms. Urine test and blood test exist for confirming diagnosis based on observed symptoms. There is no curative treatment for type

Digital Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Digital Communication - Research Paper Example Digital communication is the transfer or transmission of data from point to another and it is generally encoded digitally and this form of communication was first emerged in 1920's but its presence was there since the establishment of general communication. Since its emergence new technologies have been seen in the world. Basically the history of digital communication revolves around the three basic networks, i.e. computer, telephone and Cable TV. T1 similarly, emerged in 1960's during the digital upheaval in the roots of the U.S telephone network. But now it is used irresistible for data broadcasting. It is due to the telephone companies that T1 exists in this world. Due to the continuous improvements in technology of Digital communication, new communication systems emerged as some of the major today's digital communication systems includes GSM, iDEN, CDMA and others. In general this research paper includes the history of digital communication and T1 and the main components included in this report is the description of digital communication and T1, its application. This report explains and emphasizes how different people contributed in this field and brought new revolutions and new technologies and how it is being used in the present situation. Digital CommunicaDigital Communication Digital Communication is also known as data transmission in which the data is physically transferred through a communication channel, i.e. point-to- point or point-to-multipoint. The data transmitted during this communication process are electro-magnetic signals such as microwave signals, electrical voltage signals or infra-red signals, while copper wires, optical fibers, wireless communication, storage media are the most common communication channels used. When data is being transmitted, it mostly uses digital messages which are originated from mostly a computer or a keyboard. Digital communication or data transmission is a sub field from data communications, and also has a strong background with telecommunications and electrical engineering. T1 T1 is also known as DS1, is a T-carrier signaling scheme which was developed by Bell Labs and is mainly used to transmit voice and data between different devices. It is mostly used in telecommunication departments in North America and Japan. T1 is defined as a mean that carries multiple voice and involves data conversion in a single line in a full duplex (transmission method that involves that transmits and receive the information at the same time) synchronous data transmission technique where the data is transmitted at an aggregate speed of 1.544 Mbps. The T1 circuit is made up of twenty four 8 bit channel, in whicj each cannel comprises of 64 kbits/s carrier circuits. History of Digital Communication Digital communication has been used since the advent of communication, when data was transmitted through non-electrical means such as optical and mechanical. The

Chronotopic Identity In Invisible Man English Literature Essay

Chronotopic Identity In Invisible Man English Literature Essay Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man is a novel of deliverance from darkness to light, a resequencer of cognitive awareness and differential patterns of conformity. It rejects imitation, deeming it as nothing more than a form of limitation, a burden hampering the doctrine of artistic creation. The novel appeals to the indirect participation of its readers in determining the mechanisms which constitute a collective conscience, a moral voice which communicates for us and through us. The author commits to his duality as a mainstream educated, patriotic American insider and his often frustrating position as a repressed minority, a victim persecution, the racial outsider. His status has the potential to propagate a significant amount of perceptual liberation as he is granted insight, unrestricted access into both fundamental facets of the American cultural construct. Ellison is an outspoken denouncer of extremism in all of its forms and manners of content, placing great emphasis on accurate depictions and justifiable service control, banishing impulses or other manifestations of emotion which tend to either embellish or diminish the narrative. The novel functions by utilizing a strong internal voice attempting to claim the spoils of jazz and random materialization of captured imagination. Generating the narrative voice is not however an entirely independent endeavor as Ellison must preoccupy himself with exhibitions of intent that mark familiarity in terms of style, character development and literary form. He manages to capture random synchronicities in the fabric of language and tame them under the banner of intention and literary design. Language is thus able to ascend to a tier where it is no longer restricted to simply expressing ideas; it begins to generate independent thought, become the forger of identity as an instrument of both creation and deception. From this standpoint, one is almost obligated to view Ellisons writing as an act of patriotism and national pride. But he is by no means a celebrator of the founding fathers or other such bribers of destiny. He bows to the common man, the carrier of tradition and the giver of love and enlightening humanity. Powerful men are perceived as the enemies of equality and freedom inside the American experiment. This pseudo-communist view and manner of interpreting deeds, individuals and events will trigger an internal conflict inside the mind of Ellison himself who viewed communism as a corrupt and bankrupt ideology and treated it as such, indirectly of course through his portrayal of the Brotherhood in Invisible Man. The perception of Afro-Americans is modulated to encompass not only their immediate predicaments, but also the trigger-elements of their past that had obstructed their development as a group and as individuals. Slavery is the key element inside a shameful national battlefield whose remnants still included segregation, unwarranted racial presuppositions and a lack of equal opportunity and respect. Yet Ellison does not let rage or Black Nationalism get the better of him. His solution for mending the hearts and minds of all parties involved is based on love, tolerance, affirmative action, exploring the elements that unite us rather than embracing those which have the capacity to tear our shared humanity asunder. Ellison is one of Americas gatekeepers of moral history. His influence on the Afro-American novel and the American novel as a whole may have hastened the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. He carried inside his writing the intellectual turmoil of his generation and set the standard for a new moral and artistic comprehension of 1960s America. His objective was not to portray a coherent image of individual identity, or of black identity but the identity of the American rainbow, the melting pot of intimidating complexity. His verbal flow and communicative fortitude served as a release valve for the creative energies of his countrymen. The great American writer acknowledged Faulkner, Melville or Hawthorne but above all he paid homage to the almost sacred pieces of paper (the Constitution and the Bill of Rights) which had dictated the moral imperatives shaping the beautiful destiny of his beloved America. His patriotism was not uncommon for an individual living in 1940s and 50s Ameri ca; what was oddly inspiring however was the fact that he managed to unreservedly love a country that had at times rejected and humiliated him because of the color of his skin. Invisible Man is a novel of trust and belief in the ideals for which America stands. Had it not been for Ellisons patriotism and trust in Americas pledge of liberty and justice for all his novel would never have been written; because despite his faà §ade of irony and pessimism Ralph Waldo Ellison is a true believer that change will come, that he himself can make a difference through his work and generous humanity. The novelists responsibility and debt to society cannot be overlooked or ignored towards the realm of perdition. Both form and content must coexist and serve the authors creative infrastructure, a convergence hub where literature and democracy become intertwined creating not only mentally endowed characters but also intelligent, opinionated citizens/readers who have the courage and mental clarity t o change society for the better. Imagination does not run its course individually and independently. In Invisible Man for example it responds to the needs and compensative prerequisites of American life. This complex and immensely creative subroutine of the human mind governs the flux of the yet undiscovered or under-discovered recoils of fate, regulates preoccupations of solitude fills in the blanks of our existence as all true creation begins with imagination and if we seek to better ourselves we must first envisage it with our minds inner eye. The protagonist in Invisible Man is meant to become the perfect American citizen but he is still in beta testing. A more congealed version is set to surface after the author has fully experimented with his test dummy and exhausted all potential behavioral simulations generated by his mental resourcefulness. The final version of the character should be very astute in reflecting not just destiny or possibility but also Americas variations and complexity, referring here of cou rse to its cultural heritage, racial, gender and class interactions. Invisible Man must not be approached solely based on its intrinsic value. Like any work of art its dedicated objective is to move, transport or transform even abstract concepts such as democracy or perceptions of freedom. Ellison was well aware of this reality and also mentally converged on the topic of control by the artist versus the readership over the resulting cultural product: the work of art begins to pulsate with those meanings, emotions, ideas brought to it by its audience, and over which the artist has but limited control (Ellison qtd. in Callahan 1995:94). After setting in motion multiple perspectives dealing with creation as an act of control, he attempts a power play through which the author must fully detach himself from his work, set all personal subjectivity aside and become his own personal appraisal specialist by taking on the role of the reader who must objectively assess a work in progress. This creative method is deeply rooted in imagination, and the ability to i mmerse oneself inside a fundamentally different role caresses the realm of empathic intelligence, setting about to comprehend the hidden truths behind socially assigned roles and adaptive, intellectual democracy. The rampant success of Invisible Man ignited a vast whirlwind of undignified criticism and unwarranted, feeble justifications. The fact that the book was well ahead of its time concerning matters of race, gender or social affiliation caught the attention of many critics of that time who were unfortunately locked inside a limited mindset, unable to comprehend a visionary such as Ralph Ellison. They interpreted the defiance of norms, categories and labeling as nothing less than literary, social and cultural heresy. The random, free-flowing, fluid literary style Ellison had perfected from his adaptations of jazz was also deemed precarious, seen as lacking in consistency and proper planning. The writer justly and calmly defended his novel, explaining, justifying and clarifying all issues related to his novel regardless of time constraints or argumentative relevance. His eloquence and patience as well as his ability to enhance predictions partaking in an astonishing pre-revelation of the American collective eventually earned him the praise, respect and recognition he most undoubtedly deserves. The novel comes as a response to a creative higher calling, a repayment of spiritual debt, a brave statement of honor and dignity. Ellisons working notes and letters have rendered clarification relevant to the conceptual and structural apparatus behind Invisible Man. The first part of the Working Notes analyses not only the causes of invisibility but also its subsequent manifestations and the impact it has on all parties involved. He uncovers two main sources of invisibility which are strongly rooted in the American cultural paradigm. The first generative element of invisibility is human nature itself. Man is instinctually pre-programed or pre-conditioned to interpret all physical, mental or spiritual differences as signs of inferiority and potential threats. This unfortunate reality enforces unnecessary clustering and segregation, separation and even conflict. Invisibility is not only a prerogative of race, gender or religious orientation. Individuals have often found themselves in a state of conflict or just ignorance because of trivial differentiations such as being from another city, speaking with a slightly different accent or supporting a different sports team. The conclusion is that no matter how small or big the differences, people are more than willing to surrender their personal identity to that of their respective arbitrary collective. They incapacitate themselves from seeing members of the rival faction as fellow, kindred beings and embrace a path of antagonism and dismal competition. The second factor of invisibility would be what Ellison identified in his notes as the great formlessness of Negro life. Cultural values here are highly volatile and exposed to a continuous stream of transformation and evolution. Afro-Americans are also subjected to often debilitating and diverse hardships from which only powerful individuals emerge with their personality, identity and sanity intact. Therefore it is difficult to create a stable, visible version of oneself inside a shifting and diverse ethnic universe whose objective is to heap disorientation rather than provide a marginally functi onal moral compass. The issue of compromise has largely gone unseen in the novel. On the surface it is a concept or deliberate lack of action which leads to a passive resolution of conflicts. Taking a more in-depth look however reveals that compromise merely postpones a brutal reaction or conflict. This method leads to the accumulation of tension, an overwhelming increase in the parameters of rage and self-loathing. Compromise draws its energy not from wisdom but from weakness because the truly powerful do not compromise they just make merciful enlightened concessions from time to time. The unnamed hero in Invisible Man joins the Brotherhood and later serves its nefarious plans not out conviction but out of necessity. This ruthless left wing organization which is nothing more than a literary expression of the real life Communist Party uses the main character as he allows himself to be manipulated. He catches rare glimpses of what goes on behind the curtain but he refuses to see and acknowledge the truth . And herein lurks his predicament: the truth cannot and will not set him free, not the weakened version of himself anyway. The truth always reaches everyone no matter how strong or elaborate the deception might be, yet it is always meant for those who have the power to accept it. Weakness and compromise can also lead to the dissolution of family values. The protagonists sexual indiscretions with a married woman are overlooked by her husband in the interest of politics. The fact that there is no vindication for this dastardly act confirms that our character is indeed for all intents and purposes invisible and also that modern day society is severely dehumanizing as under the false and frail mask of a pseudo-enlightenment a man is forced to himself find, accept and provide justification for adultery and sentimental betrayal. Devising his female characters spawned a great deal of compromise for Ellison himself. Most women in the novel are depicted as prostitutes or secret agents of deception and misrepresentation. Mary Rambo is the only positive female character in the novel, a nurturer, a benefactor for the protagonist, a mother figure. Despite all her qualities however she can never be a true partner for the invisible man as she utterly lacks eroticism or passion. She cant complete him; she can only tend to a limited amount of wounds. From Ellisons Working Notes we are made aware of what could have been the unnamed characters significant other. Sadly enough she never made the roster. Louise was envisaged as seductive, charming the flagship of American ideals of freedom, democracy and fertility. Her relative perfection sort of defeats the purpose of the whole novel. The main character must be assaulted, tested and prodded from all directions. His hardships are transformative, motivating, the defining ini tiators of his true identity. Give him love and redemption and you might end up with a Garfield-type character, too lazy and unwilling to seek transformative confrontation. So sadly enough we ended up with good old Sybil, Ellisons little compromise, who happens to have a bad case of jungle fever and whom the main character regards as nothing more than an obstacle and possibly a source of non-essential information. The end of the novel commandeers a corpus of interactive integrity where Ellison appeals to both novice and specialized readers. He reveals the representative voice of his narrative, a raft of hope carrying with it the encoded pride of our shared humanity: Being invisible and without substance, a disembodied voice as it were, what else could I do? What else but try to tell you what was really happening when your eyes were looking through? And it is this which frightens me: Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you? (Ellison, 1995:581) 1.3. Ralph Ellison: Between Addiction and Tradition Ralph Ellison underscores the linkages and connections between Afro-American Culture and mainstream American culture, based on a hope of potential synergy, choosing to disregard arbitrary bonds of restrictive servitude. The limitations to his method are very few as he manages to create new worth through the exploration of the infinite possibilities conferred by folk tradition, jazz or the tales of old. He promotes his narrative as a stable and truthful presence in the discontinuous, swiftly changing and diverse American culture. His body of work expresses a blues-like absurdity in accepting a personal desire to defy limitations, seeking not simply a portrayal of tradition, but a translation, a decryption of its wider, more precise meanings. Ellisons blues attest to the agony of life and the distinct possibility of overcoming all adversity through sheer wealth of spirit and desire to carry on by using pain as a catalyst rather than succumb to its destructive charms. Several essays in Shadow and Act call attention to the purpose of folklore and its inner workings, as they strive to preserve the repeated situations that had once formulated the existence of a well-defined group of individuals, capturing the beauty of thoughts and emotions. The wisdom and spiritual wealth of a group, its symbols, icons and heraldic legacy and ultimately its desire to live long and prosper, generated according to Ellison, an essential truth which captured the spirit of all blacks. Folk symbols can utterly annihilate time through their simplicity, and an entire culture can revolve around a raw image, a universal rhythm. When addressing the black experience Ellison is a firm believer that folklore confirms the Negros willingness to trust his own experience, his own sensibilities rather than to permit their oppressors and masters to decide these fundamental things for them. Folklore therefore becomes not only a source of cohesive identity but a resource for freedom as w ell. Black American folklore functions as an integral part of American and Western culture. Ellison recognizes the merits of a black tradition in confronting new American and global issues, by extracting from life new and profound definitions of joy. Black culture makes wide use of characters who represent folk cultural archetypes functioning inside a wider context of strategic symbology, representing various forms of art, music, religion or folk poetry. In Invisible Man the characters provide contrast and conflict with the lost nature of the invisible narrator who hovers above the storyline observing and sometimes triggering events which consolidate the narrative drive. The slave woman appearing in the prologue is meant to confirm centuries of victimization and hardships, and announce a propulsion towards embracing and understanding freedom. The grandfather who appears several times throughout the novel is a toxic character. He embodies the ambiguity of the past, a monument of bitterness and spiritual limitation which can have potentially crippling and debilitating consequences. The old mans gregarious survival strategy of allowing the so called self-destructive nature of the white man to run its course confirms a false and contagious grasp of what is real and functional. His yessing strategy worthy of the great Napoleon himself has nearly fatal repercussions for his grandson who adopts the strategy of his elder not out of belief but out of confusion and desperation. From a cultural point of view Invisible Man only has two characters who encompass both folk and contemporary black tradition: Trueblood and Mary. Jim Trueblood is on a very basic level an expectant father, a family man, a maker and supporter of life. Yet he is also a rapist, a pedophile and a performer of adultery and incest. The sins of this father cannot be justified through oniric dementia. His heinous act does not prevent him from finding redemption through music: I looks up and sees the stars and I starts singing. He also reaches a very dangerous Popeye the Sailor type conclusion, an empty statement that allows justification for just about anything I aint nobody but myself. Putting aside the repugnant nature of this character one cant help notice that he is deeply rooted in tradition; his humor, storytelling and manner of speaking exemplify the turmoil of his ethnic, racial and social legacy. Trueblood is also a part of Western tradition. He acknowledges his weakness and the sins of the flesh and in his twisted way he tries to be a family man: Im a man and man dont leave his family. From a psychological standpoint, Truebl ood is part of the Western tradition of incest entering the realm of Freudian psychoanalysis and dream interpretation. Mary Rambo is the only character in Invisible Man whom Ellison depicts in a positive manner. All other women are either prostitutes, crazy, sexually deviant, manipulative or lack a moral compass. Mary however is a kind, nurturing individual with a tremendous potential to eliminate the pain and suffering of those around her. She benefits from a robust humanity deeply anchored in the beauty and common sense of folk wisdom and time honored traditions. This female character manages to perfectly integrate into the crazy life of the metropolis without abandoning her individual complexity. She is never tainted by what festers around her and remains true to her pure and genuine calling. Ellison is able to comprehend both the splendor and the horrific nature of black culture. He uses language for example as a verbal facilitator for the most noble of human thoughts. The rich language of the South, the blooming spoken word of the North, the joyful verbal flow of 50s Harlem are all pitted against the ability of language to manipulate, to control, to create riots and inspire fear. Folk traditions, associated with other mechanisms of human comprehension, invite both the writer and the reader into the intimate life of blacks in America, allowing us to discover and observe them in celebration or tribulation, gripped by bliss alongside family and friends or in their darkest hour of need. Ellison employs cultural tradition without overusing external connections. His dramatic recoil is often based on a system of illusions which in the end exposes the betrayal of blackness while at the same time expounding a traumatic treatment of folk values. Folklore does not exist for its own sake. Its governing principle is to override futility within the confines of strict thematic structuralisation and dramatic undertones. Ellisons conceptual apparatus overpowers outdated representations of the southern folk community deeming them obsolete and leaning towards a more pre-individual approach to the matter at hand. He accomplishes an in-depth look into the mind of the individual or their respective collective. His characters are by no means nonsentimental or monosentimental, exploring previously untapped levels of the Afro-American psyche, reaching a point of cognitive no return. This tinkering about with both collective and individual representations of black society is done with flair and a great deal of humor and irony and herein lies the intrinsic value of Invisible Man. He makes the exploration of personal and group identity appear simple, natural and free flowing. Ellison has a very firm grip on the obvious and strives to implement cultural representations bearing in mind the potential of folklore to bring forth both enlightenment and spiritual unease. His intention is not to call down the proverbial thunder on the established order of perception as he is by no means a revolutionary writer. The milestone he sets out to complete is simply to interconnect Western symbols and mythology with black culture and folk wisdom in the hope of understanding and accepting the rules that govern this particular paradigm. Ellisons connection to the West, the systemic support in Invisible Man, offer an almost mathematical precision between creative consistency and cultural pronouncements. Larry Neal credited Ellison with a broad spectrum of theoretical sense, an intimidating corpus of knowledge regarding the explosive tensions underlying the Black mans presence in the United States. (Neal, 1968:9) Invisible Man resonates as a powerful pledge which is fully committed towards grasping the depths and complicated splendors that forge the definition of blackness. Ellison appears hungry to exploit the functions and dedicated objectives of language. He is not burdened by his cultural responsibility, but rather he views it as a method of release, embracing a higher calling of both a universal writer and a black writer. His hunger for definitions, the study of mannerisms and collective deductions stake their claim on a narrative that is offered with apparent ease and an almost godlike understanding of the black condition. There is music and ease behind his equanimous imagination and desire to embrace the noesis of his forefathers. A clinical presupposition would therefore entail an absolute independence inside the creative laws which define his conceptual apparatus. His examination of blackness though perfectly expounded and formulated is not without precedence. William Faulkner laid t he foundation for Ellison through a manifold of emblematic devices and astonishing accomplishments in capturing the proverbial zeitgeist of the South. Although Faulkner asserts himself as the deepest of the southerners, a larger than life communicator through symbols, Ellisons work should not be misconstrued as imitation or worse, as being written from an anxiety of influence. Ralph Ellison is an adequately developed writer, one profoundly original writer who is able to provide us with fresh new insight into Afro-American culture. His tree of literary knowledge casts a large enough shadow enabling him implement a black focus that gathers success in its encounters with an audience immensely appreciative of his creative undertakings. Ultimately Ralph Ellison produces a genuine and stimulating complexity when it comes to writing based on Afro-American culture and folk traditions. He commandeers cryptic messaging, appearing almost intoxicated with the power of his own written word and duty towards creative instruments of mental debt and depth. Folk tradition for Ellison is not proliferated as an end in itself, the author is severely self-conscious and bewildered by the overwhelming merits of simple traditions that have stood the test of time and enabled their carriers to maintain a coherent sense of identity. True folk forms provide us with a celebration of life, a righteous use of the flexible service instruments which fuel hope in the name of tradition, a proud remembrance of the past that is bound to secure the future. 1.4 Chronotopic Identity in Invisible Man Mikhail Bakhtins systemic apparatus of emblematic devices comprises cognitive depths which function beyond arbitrary boundaries of simple cultural relevance. Therefore applying Bakhtinian mechanisms of comprehension to Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man is a fully warranted undertaking encompassing both structure and a stern analysis of desirable and justified content. Bakhtins conceptual framework can be held accountable for altering cultural realms outside its borders of encounter, supplementing external ideas, improving and completing them. All disseminated elements are interconnected, lacking in explicit manifestation, adhering to implicit introduction and dialogic confrontation. Bakhtin asserts that no work of literature can exist as a separate, independent entity. Any literary text is in a state of flux, maintaining communication with other literary voices or streams. The influence can reside in imitation, modular transformation or adaptation, or even rejection which is nothing more than a reversal of method. A text is always informed by other texts and at the same time it has the duty to inform its readership. The connection between two texts is by no means constrictive or parasitic in nature. Its symbiotic orientation capitalizes on interdisciplinary dialogue and voice structure, honoring social complexity and linguistic wealth: The internal stratification of language is a prerequisite for the novel. The novel orchestrates all its themes, the totality of the world of objects and ideas depicted and expressed in it, by means of the social diversity of speech types and by the differing individual voices that flourish under such conditions. The links and interrelations lead to the novels heteroglossia and dialogization. (Bakhtin, 1981: 263) Identity formation, cultural memory and religion are paramount in the understanding of blacks and whites not as mere individuals but as complex, interconnected cultural entities. Bakhtins approach is atemporal and universal, allowing us to not only see or understand Afro-American culture but also to expand its deeper meanings, adapt and improve our own culture, enable a positive cross-cultural contamination by upgrading our shared humanity and collective heritage. Certain Bakthinian matters of interest such as power and control, materialism, (re)structured social and ethnic relations, dialogism, spatial and temporal paradigms provide the necessary competence to outline patterns of relevant functionality in Invisible Man. Ralph Ellisons displays a considerable amount of dialogic audacity as a method of integrating social strategies in his novel. His principles are governed by mental alacrity and argumentative observations which often foster resentment and playful overtones of deceptive chaos. Ellison and Bakhtin possess a dedicated, shared infrastructure, a common ground where their variations in discourse can become intertwined and intervene in the establishment of philosophical augmentations and consistent power structures. The boundaries between the two become nothing more than non-cohesive, penetrable conventions which allow transcendent voices to define the desires of randomly assigned trust and determination. Envisioning Invisible Man as a Bakhtinian novel one cant help but detect the ubiquitous Carnivalesque elements of perception which generate and govern the social environment. The Carnival entails a state of absolute liberation and subsequently a state of pseudo-anarchy, capricious libertinism and equality. It exists outside political, economic and social restrictions, suspending the status quo, living up to ideals of randomness and improvisation. It is a festival which celebrates the annihilation of individual hierarchies and the dismemberment of forged and unjust equilibriums. There is little room for political ambitions or extravagant portrayal of mediocre deeds. The Carnivaleque is a counter reaction to those abusive systems which strive to acquire our humanity with thirty pieces of our own silver. Another essential Bakhtinian concept that is of great importance to Invisible Man is that of the chronotope. Time-space describes the dual matrix behind the emergence of Ellisons novel, understanding both history and the topos on which it occurs. Ralph Ellison bends time to his liking offering nonlinear and often simultaneous projections engaging the readers attention and selective intelligence, inviting him to experience: [A] slightly different sense of time, youre never quite on the beat. Sometimes youre ahead and sometimes behind. Instead of the swift and imperceptible flowing of time, you are aware of its nodes, those points where time stands still or from which it leaps ahead. And you slip into the breaks and look around. (Ellison, 1995:8) This enigmatic passage distorts the accepted perception of time, offering a multilayered temporal construct which seeks to achieve transference of control while at the same time generating a climate of insecure reclusiveness and underprivileged substantiations of unclear history. The chronotopes initial manifestation in Invisible Man is done through the use of the fictional present. We are informed with great equanimity and familiarity that the narrator dwells in a coal cellar which is designed as a cocoon of self-banishment, an in-between world, a self -imposed Purgatory from which he can be emerge a new man, ready to confront his previous oppressors and the flawed systems that had spawned them. Time here contracts fissuring the containment of common meanings, creating a brave new nexus of darkened topography and supporting a cronosphere of intimidating and deliberate variation. The chronotope is the fulfiller of tradition, an astute element/method which defines our sense of community and social history. According to Mikhail Bakhtin, The chronotope is where the knots of narrative are tied and untied []. Time becomes, in effect, palpable and visible; the chronotope makes narrative events concrete, makes them take on flesh, causes blood to flow in their veins []. Thus the chronotope, functioning as the primary means for materializing time in space, emerges as a center for concretizing representation, as a force giving body to the entire novel. All the novels abstract elements philosophical and social generalizations, ideas, analyses of cause and effect gravitate towards the chronotope and through it take on flesh and blood, permitting the imaging power of art to do its work. (Bakhtin, 1981, 250) Time and space are inextricably intertwined with respect to the fundamental acknowledgement of uni