The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Tooles, A...

The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Tooles, A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole unleashes a compelling criticism of modern society in the principal work he produced in his short lifetime, A Confederacy of Dunces. Using masterfully crafted comedy, Toole actually strengthens his disparaging position on the modern world. Boisterously and unabashedly opinionated, Ignatius Reilly, the principal character of this novel, colors the narrative with a poignant humor that simultaneously evokes both laughter and pity from readers. Near the beginning of the story, his mothers financial difficulties suddenly force Ignatius to leave the womb-like security of his bedroom and seek employment, making him abandon his project of writing a†¦show more content†¦A definition of grotesque becomes necessary to fully understand the role that it plays in heightening the novels satire. In A Handbook to Literature, William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman describe grotesque as being applied to anything having the qualities of grotesque art: bizarre, incongruous, ugly, u nnatural, fantastic, abnormal...The interest in the grotesque is usually considered an outgrowth of interest in the irrational, distrust of any cosmic order, and frustration at humankinds lot in the universe (240-41). Thus, the grotesque, because of its association with the helpless cynicism of man in his world, is an ideal technique to employ when embarking upon criticism of contemporary society. However, to most successfully use the grotesque, especially in a humorous work such as Tooles, the author must present a norm from which to deviate, creating a more potent conflict between opposites. Michael Kline elaborates on this in his analysis of A Confederacy of Dunces: ...the grotesque cannot be absolute in order to produce humor. While it can be strange, it must also contrast with some attempted unity to which we compare its divergence (284). Toole understands this rule of effective conflict, and he presents two disparate levels of grotesque in his A Confederacy of Dunces. A reader detects the incongruity that exists within Ignatius himself, while also identifying the more observable conflict between Ignatius and modern society.

Learning in Consumer Behavior Coursework Example

Essays on Learning in Consumer Behavior Coursework The paper "Learning in Consumer Behavior" is a brilliant example of coursework on marketing. Consumer behavior is considered the process leading to the acquisition of products, experiences, and services aimed at satisfying certain individual needs (Solomon 1994). Form previous readings I deduce that consumer behavior revolves around the understanding of why, when, where, how, how often, how much, use or dispose of goods, services or experience. This reflects that consumer behavior is influenced by several factors categorized as the consumer’s culture, psychological factors, the decision-making process, and the consumer behavior outcomes as the cultural environment (Kardes, Kardes, Cronley, Cronley, Cline Cline 2010). Experience from my course work underlines external factors such as money or the purchasing power as determinants of the decisions that consumers make as well as their motivation to purchase or experience a service.Reflection on the First AssignmentReflecting from the first assignment’s experience, I find the issue of consumer behavior rather complex because of the factors that need to be understood in order to be able to predict and ascertain the behavior of a consumer. In my first assignment, I focused on bringing to forth the relevance of consumer behavior in the context of the entire process of marketing goods or services to consumers. I learned that marketers targeting to manipulate or exploit consumer behaviors apply knowledge on consumer behavior. Although it was easy to understand how marketers study and apply consumer behavior in developing marketing strategies or campaigns, I fail to connect the definition of consumer behavior provided by some scholars with the practical application of the concept. For example, Solomon (1994) defines consumer behavior as a process through which consumers access goods and services, purchase or experience in a move to meet their needs. On the contrary, I am pushed to believe that focus on the drive or motivation to purchase or experience service provides a better perspective in understanding the issue of consumer behavior. I tried to elucidate the manner in which companies or individuals charged with the responsibility of ensuring goods and services provided get the right reception in the market by focusing on the mix applied in marketing campaigns.From the assignment, I conducted an extensive review of various scholarly materials read in this course, out of which I deduced that evaluation of consumer behavior takes a central stage when strategizing a marketing campaign. I applied different examples to explain how a proper understanding of targeted consumers’ behavior may greatly influence the ability of a company to market its products to such consumers. Consumer purchase decision is bolstered by the ability of a given product or service to measure up to the money value invested by the buyer.

Boxing should be outlawed Free Essays

We know that every individual is really inclined in sports. Some people are into sports because they want to see themselves being physically fit and it is a form of their hobby, too. But how about if the sport an individual engages involves intense physical contact that can cause him injury or disability instead of being physically fit? This kind of sport may pertain to boxing because it instigates a lot of physical pain and injury after the fight. We will write a custom essay sample on Boxing should be outlawed or any similar topic only for you Order Now Boxing is one of the phenomenal sports nowadays. Most individuals, young and old, really like to watch boxing especially if one of the opponents are their favorite boxer. Several individuals world widely are even encouraged to join boxing because it motivates them to become physically fit. Boxing also gives them an opportunity to experience quality life through the big prizes they receive from the fight and it maybe the chance that they will be recognized world widely; thus, for those individuals who like boxing very much consider it as an art and a sport where you try to predict the next move of your opponent. Moreover, boxing is sometimes called as â€Å"the manly art of self-defense† and it is a kind of sport in which the two opponents try to punch each other with the use of gloves at the same time try to avoid the opponents’ punches. But in spite of its popularity and advantages, many claimed that boxing is not a sport but a â€Å"barbaric† act because it inflicts too much physical pain and it is compared into cockfighting or dueling. Boxing is almost the same with dueling because the participants make an agreement to commit acts upon themselves that can also be considered crimes in different venues. Several advocates believed and debated that boxing must be banned. What are the grounds then of these advocates that they want boxing to be banned or outlawed? For sure, these advocates have reasonable and valid reasons why they want boxing to be outlawed. One article written by Oscar Avelar Bernstein refuted that boxing is not a sport. He said that boxing is come from the Roman Empire which society is full of violence and where gladiator fights are practiced. And there is no doubt why boxing involves barbaric and violent acts because it speaks of where it comes from. To witness a weaker opponent who is being crushed by a stronger opponent and will definitely lead to a bloody fight may be a good ground to banned boxing (see Oscar Avelar Bernstein. â€Å"Boxing is Not a Sport! †). Boxing motivates the audiences, especially the young audiences, to become violent. What the children observed during the fight surely registers on their minds and have the tendency to imitate those punches and become violent. Boxing should be outlawed because it can cause severe injuries, disability or sometimes death if the weaker opponent cannot longer bear the pain caused by the blows that are released by the stronger opponent. Though boxing instigates discipline and a lot of advantages yet it cannot compensate the pain and physical damages which your body receives from the fight. Reference 1. Oscar Avelar Bernstein. â€Å"Boxing is Not a Sport! † http://class. csueastbay. edu/english/real/REAL96/Solos/boxing. html How to cite Boxing should be outlawed, Papers

Smoking And Tobacco Essay Example For Students

Smoking And Tobacco Essay TobaccoTobacco comes from the tobacco plant, nicotiana tobacum. Leaves of the plant may be smoked, inhaled in form of snuff, or chewed. Tobacco smoke contains about 4000 chemicals. Many of them (nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide) are very harmful.Effects of SmokingNicotine is a stimulant (substance that speeds up body activities) which increases the heartbeat and raises blood pressure. Nicotine causes the arteries to narrow, which places stress on the circulatory system. Cigarette smoke contains many tiny particles. When they form a sticky brown substance called tobacco tar. Tar builds up in the lungs of a smoker.Carbon Monoxide is a poisonous gas in cigarette smoke. When inhaled, it replaces some of the oxygen that is carried by red blood cells. This makes the heart work harder.Smoking and the Circulatory SystemSmokers are most likely to die of heart disease. Smoking is linked to the formation of blood clots in the arteries. If blood supply to heart is interrupted, a stroke occurs.Smoking and The Respiratory SystemSmoking slows the cilia (tiny hair-like projections) in the nasal passages down. Poisonous substances are then able to spread over the linings of the air passages. Smokers are more prone to the following upper respiratory problems:ColdsPneumoniaChronic BronchitisEmphysemaLung CancerCancer of the Mouth, Larynx and Esophagus, Bladder, and Kidneys