The Mad Girls Coming to Terms with Sylvia Plath

The Mad Girls Coming to Terms with Sylvia Plath Writing about Sylvia Plathâ€"as a girl who wants to be a writer, who struggles with mental illness, who sees big things for herselfâ€"isn’t so unique. It’s trite, done to death, a cliché.   But I will write about it anyway, just like I will continue reading Sylvia Plath even though men will judge me for reading silly sad books, and I will get an “I am” tattoo, even though my friends think it’s a corny cliché. I’m 26, not so far removed from childhood. But looking back now, I can see things that I never knew were there.   I can see I was a depressive and anxious childâ€"full of mood swings and panic attacks and irrational fears of toilets flushing and drowning in the pool and of any sound during the night. Of what could happen to my parents when I couldn’t hear them talking. Of the faces in the wood paneling. This general state of fear led to something more in adolescence: social anxiety and general anxiety and depression and PTSD. I, like many girls in 8th and 9th grade, struggled with my sexuality and with suicidal thoughts and with my history of abuse, all while I was still adjusting to having grown boobs. My family, in the grand scheme of things, was very supportive of mental health and mental health treatment; I was far from the only one suffering from these issues in my family. But I was terrified of therapists: I was afraid they would tell me I was irreparably broken, that my sexuality was wrong, that I was actually going to kill myself, that I could never succeed. This was only bolstered by my experience with family therapy, in a shitty office in downtown Baltimore that overwhelmingly smelled like pee. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. So I tried to self soothe and to repress, primarily by avoiding my problems or anything unsettling. I refused to read books with a “sad” ending, lest they convince me I might be depressed. I refused to read anything remotely sexual, as I wanted to avoid the issue for as long as possible. I buried myself in school work and Gilmore Girls and Live Journal and Harry Potter cosplay. I avoided making friends with anyone outside my family and dreamed, and planned, and schemed to get out of my small town. As I went through high school, I got better. Or maybe not better, but better at dealing with my problems. I knew what would set me off and what wouldn’t. I knew friends were helpful and I actually made some. I knew when I needed to leave a situation and what to do when I was panicking. But I still wouldn’t read or talk about my depression, and I got so good at hiding it that my family no longer knew it was there. I kept it that way. To me, it seemed, like I was the only one with this problemâ€"with anxiety and depression that seemed to form my brain, rather than temporality inhabit it. It was me and this scared me. I was convinced that a therapist couldn’t fix it. During college, I thought it was over, that my time with anxiety and depression, my lifelong companions, was over. As I entered unhealthy relationships and developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and connected my entire self worth to my grade point average, I thought I was better. I didn’t realize that my bad relationships and obsession with grades were results of my low self-worth. I didn’t know that alcohol was my coping mechanism, as it had been for many of my family members before me. But I wasn’t so scared of killing myself anymore, and my sexuality was no longer a point of anxiety. I could read sad books and talk about my feelings. I had great friends, best friends, some of whom I haven’t talked to since freshman year and others who will one day be in my wedding. I told them about my fears and my sadness, and my childhood. But I still didn’t think there were many people like me. People whose brain seemed to have a mind of its own, operating   separately from one’s consciousness. It wasn’t until my 2nd   year of graduate school in South Carolina that I read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I had long ago dispensed with the idea that sad books are bad, but the cultural connotations of Plath kept me away. A friend told me that reading Plath was a cry for help, a sign of major depression. In my favorite show, Gilmore Girls, Plath had become a kind of signpost for the crazy: Rory shouldn’t write her essay about her, Rory shouldn’t talk about her. It hadn’t yet occurred to me that Plath was far from the only novelist who had committed suicide: that alongside Plath there was Virginia Woolf and Anne Sexton, Jack London and Ernest Hemingway, David Foster Wallace and Hunter Thompson. And even though the deaths of these authors were often discussed, their names hadn’t become a cultural stand-in for suicidal tendencies. Certainly because of her gender and her age and the rumors spread by Ted Hughes and the subject of The Bell Jar, Plath had been defined by her de ath. But in the midst of a depressive episode, brought on my romantic travails and thesis deadlines and the prospect of leaving a place, where I had once again found great friends, I wandered into the Barnes and Noble on campus. I would sometimes pop in and buy a few books, even if the selection was scarce. I needed a pick-me-up, so I purchased The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I had clearly let go of my sad book ban. The next day was Saturday, and even though I should have been working on my thesis or reading books for school, I laid in my bed until noon reading Sylvia. I loved Esther. I loved her ambition and her love of writing and her admission of her issues. I also loved the way her despair and her anxiety had a mind of their own. I even loved the description of the mental hospital. By this point, I was in therapy. I had never been in a mental hospital myself, but I had visited enough family and friends there to know it wasn’t the place of Esther Greenwood. I realized my friends were wrong. Reading Plath was enjoyable, but more than that, it made me feel less alone: I wasn’t the only with crazy ambition and a brain with a mind of its own. I’ve since read Ariel and Johnny Panic and her journals, and have started Volume 1 of her letters (not the bikini cover, mind you). I still love Sylvia, even though I have long since started taking medication and am hovering farther from depression tha n I ever have. And maybe this is proof: Maybe reading Sylvia Plath is a cry for help, only meant for us mad girls. That’s ok, because there sure are a lot of us.

Explain The Up-Ward Unemployment Trend In The World Using A Theory - 825 Words

Explain The Up-Ward Unemployment Trend In The World Using A Theory (Term Paper Sample) Content: NameProfessorUnemploymentIntroductionThe Global unemployment rate was expected to rise from 5.7 to about 5.8 percent this year. This represents 3.4 million increases in the number of people that are jobless. Overall, the number of unemployed people in 2017 was expected to stand at 201 million globally(International Labor Office, 26).This has been the trend since the 2008 global recession, and that unemployment has been a significant challenge in most countries(Navarro,2012).As per the International Labour Report(ILO), there has been a significant rise in the rate of unemployment in most European countries and that economic crisis the US faced has had a big impact as far as unemployment is concerned. To solve the unemployment, the cause must be established. Therefore, what is the cause of unemployment in the Globe?There is considerable theoretical based debate regarding the causes, consequences as well as the possible solutions as far as unemployment problem is concern ed. Both the classical and the neoclassical economics see market mechanisms as reliable ways of solving the unemployment problem. They are against interventions such as unionization, wage laws and such like regulations because they believe that such efforts hinder hiring of people. Keynisians economics notes that unemployment is cyclical and recommends government engineered interventions such as financial stimuli, expansion of the monetary policies and funding of job creation by the government. But according to the Marxists, causes and solution to unemployment problem require the World to abolish Capitalism embrace either socialism or communism.How Marxist explains the cause and upward trend of unemployment in the GlobeAccording to Karl Marx explanations on economics, the capitalist investments can be grouped into two: one that hires workers and the other that rents/ buy the means of production such as raw materials and machines (Myers,223).Today, with continued growth in capitalism , there have emerged processes that have contributed to the reduction of that part that is responsible for hiring workers. One of the factors is competition. Competition results in a concentration whereby two large or small companies merge into one single large company. Such a company enjoys economies of scale. It means that large amounts of company's capital are only operated by just a few workers (Myers, 206).Given that to be the case, most workers will lose their jobs. Nowadays the incidences of companies merging are common and whenever it happens the guaranteed result is that there are always layoffs. Given that this is true, Karl Marxi explanation of capitalism as the cause of unemployment makes sense in today's World in that it results in the competition which causes companies to effect changes that see workers getting laid-off.Karl Marx, who is most often given credit for giving socialism struggle a scientific basis, also argued that capitalism needs unemployment in that "the workings of capitalist production for profit creates unemployment, even in the best of economic times"(Matthews, 543).His theory notes that capitalists are in constant competition amongst themselves with the aim of creating huge profits. So, great productivity driven by competition is another factor. To achieve this, each capitalist strives to lower the costs mainly striving to increase labor productivity. To a large extent, this is true. In the present times, the capitalist has come up with different strategies to ensure that they make even larger profits which will make them stay ahead in the competition that they are always in. One of the key strategies that help them to achieve their goals is by switching variable capital for fixed capital (replacing human labor with machines (Matthews, 493).There is growing desire to increase production and cut down the cost of production. To affect this, most companies/organization/institution replaces human labor with the machine in that the y help cut down production cost and at the same time increase productivity. That simply means they will make more profits. Therefore, the capitalist will have created a pool of jobless workers who they can hire when the economy is good and fire when there is crisis. Also, they will have the power to control wages. They can get cheap labor which goes a long way in maximizing profits. Capitalist has created and enjoyed such a situation.Other economic explanationThere are other explanations regarding causes of unemployment. These are structural, cyclical, technological and seasoned employment (OpenStax Economics, 160).Structural unemployment occurs due to the existence of a mismatch between what a job requires and the skills that people available posses. This is blamed on geographical and occupational labor mobility. Also,lack of investment into training and equipping the unemployed with relevant skills. Technological reasons also exist in that production-enhancing technology causes la yoffs and create une...

Multinational Companies and Their Social Responsibilities...

CHAPTER TWO 2.0 AN OVERVIEW OF SHELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY IN NIGERIA 2.1 Introduction This chapter will provide basic knowledge of Shell Nigeria Oil Company and its operation in Nigeria, in particular regarding its ethics, performance, social involvement, contribution to national income and its contribution to keeping the environment green. Since the Rio Conference of 1992 the code of conduct for all extractive industries including crude oil mining companies has underlined the following principles that should be respected in doing business: i. Social and economic development of host communities ii. Provision of basic social services iii. Regard for Human Rights iv. Good governance and civil society involvement. There have also been some†¦show more content†¦They want the protection of the ecosystem and biodiversity of indigenous and local community territories; iv. They want the revenue sharing formula based on derivation revived at 50 percent to derivation, 35 percent to distributable common pool and 15 percent to the central government; v. They want Shell and the Nigerian government to adopt policies that will recognize indigenous communities as rightful owners in the crude oil business; vi. They want Shell to clean up their environment after many years of ecological devastation and comply with all international standards. Shell environmental legacy and community relations’ efforts deserve priority attention. What is however involved is the totality of the existence of the communities and their environment, their farmland, economic development, education health, water management, spirituality and cultural heritage – which are daily being threatened. 2.2 Introduction and Discussion of Theories and Models from the Literature In this section we would look at the Royal Dutch Shell Oil company operations worldwide and in particular the Nigeria operations from several different angles. We will look at how Shell Nigeria operations can impact upon the three stakeholders; The CEO of Shell, an investor and a local Shell employee. Then we would look at this wicked problem with the oil spill in the Niger delta. Shell is a global group of

journeyhod Journey into Hell in Joseph Conrads Heart...

The Journey into Hell in Heart of Darkness In Joseph Conrads novel, Heart of Darkness the environment is often symbolic as well as literal. The novel contains both the frame narrator, an anonymous member of the Nellie, representing the dominant society, and more importantly the primary narrator, Marlow, who too, is a product of the dominant society. For the novels narrator, Marlow, the journey up the Congo River to the heart of darkness is reminiscent of Guidos journey into hell in Dantes Inferno, with these literary allusion always present, through forms of intense imagery. The landscape takes on a hellish nature and the wilderness is personified. Death is omnipresent and this is reflected in the death imagery used†¦show more content†¦Darkness is used throughout the novel to symbolize savagery, death and the unknown. Marlows observation is reinforced when London is described as a brooding gloom. In thisinstance the physical description of the city serves to reinforce Marlows theory, and refute the earlier judgments of the frame narrator. Marlow tells of his quest for employment, that is, an unnamed city in Brussels, the sepulchral city that he visits to sign his contract. Conrad uses much death imagery to describe the physical appearance of the city. He describes it: as having the appearance of a well kept alley in a cemetery. Marlow travels to the dead centre of the city. He observes grass sprouting between the stones just as grass sprouts between tombstones. This environmental imagery is symbolic of the hypocrisy that Marlow Witnesses, the exploitation that forms the basis of the company and the universality of death. All three interpretations of the applicability of the imagery are reasonable however, the death imagery also links to Marlows apprehension. Marlow says that he felt as if he had been let into some conspiracy. The death imagery associated with this, the first leg of Marlows journey on his way to his farthest point of navigation and culminating point of (his) experience is appropriate as it relates stro ngly to

Bel Canto Opera Essay - 2271 Words

Opera in the Romantic Period was a time when opera changed drastically, especially in the country of Italy. The recognition of singers as being important, almost irreplaceable, in the art of â€Å"bel canto† opera changed the idea of a vocalist in opera forever. A singer’s voice was prized and Italian composers, like Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini wrote operas and works to showcase the voice, it’s color, range and agility. These Italian composers were moving away from the normal style of composition of the time, and the composer Rossini, who set the stage for many other followers. Many of the operas written during this time are still performed today and are highly acclaimed. For the most part, before Italy became a main player, France†¦show more content†¦No longer was the orchestra the main component to listen to when attending an opera. Librettists and composers worked extremely close to get the right feel for arias and other pieces in the stor y. Bel Canto was a form of singing that was pretty much defined by three Italian composers: Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. These three composers had huge success in Italy and their operas are still being performed to this day. These captivating operas like Il barbiere di Sivilglia, Lucia di lammermoor, and Norma are three of the most popular and challenging operas that singers can be involved in. These three composers really set the stage for the rise of Italian opera. Rossini is probably the most popular composer of this era. His works are many and are extremely popular. Rossini was born in Pesaro in 1792 and on December15th, 1815 when he was only twenty-three years old, he signed a contract to write an opera for a theater in Rome (Weaver, 11). His childhood friend, Gertrude Righetti Giorgi, premiered as Rosina in Rossin’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, on opening night for the Nobile Teatro di Torre Argentina (Weaver, 19). 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James Flynn s Creation Of The Flynn Effect - 925 Words

Alfred Adams Ms. D Psychology 3/15/16 Chapter 10 Intelligence Essay Intelligence is defined as the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. We can measure a person’s intelligence by assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes using numerical scores. Psychologists are currently still arguing whether intelligence is inherited or acquired. Nature is focuses more on genetics and hormones while. Nurture, on the other hand, focuses on external factors that have an influence on individuals. Regarding the intelligence debate in Psychology, the most important factor is nurture/environment. One piece of evidence that supports nurture in this debate is James Flynn’s creation of the Flynn†¦show more content†¦Hunt tested a tutored human enrichment program. This allowed caregivers to play language fostering games with the children. The results were successful showing infants being able to name over 50 objects and body parts. Hunt concluded that â€Å"environmental conditions can depress cognitive development.† This also occurs in many education systems around the world. Students are not cared for by under qualified teachers, destroying their chances of being more intelligent individuals. A third piece of evidence that supports nurture as being a more important factor of intelligence in this debate is racial groups differing in their average intelligence score. Around WWII more IQ tests were being given due to soldiers in the United States applying to serve their country. African Americans scored lower (typical Black scores below 85% of Whites) on the se tests containing vocabulary, reading, and mathematics. Test given to the soldiers around this time were extremely biased to Western-European culture. This shows that the black-white test gap is not related to nature entirely. When black and white children attend same schools the gap begins to shrink, proving that environment is a huge factor regarding intelligence. It shrinks when they have the same wealth and income. â€Å"When black or mixed-race children are raised in white rather than black homes, their preadolescent test scores rise dramatically.† (NewYorkTimes). There is too much evidence to prove the reasoning for

Motorola turns to project portfolio management free essay sample

What are some of the challenges Motorola faces as a business? Why is project management so critical at this company? Challenges: How to better manage its systems and its projects to lower operating costs. Why : a. Project management will be more competitive by entering a ruthless and constant evolving sector (Smartphone) and being more efficient on coordinating its IT (Multinational firm) b. Project management will be more cost efficient by coping with the economic downturn (by saving money and increasing efficiency) and it will better coordinate 1800 IS and 1500 IS employees for 1000 projects per year (avoiding redundant working) 2. What features of HP PPM were most useful to Motorola? Help managers to compare projects â€Å"Centralized source of other critical information such as the amount of investment dollars used by a process and the priorities of business requests coming through Motorola’s system† O? Quick and easy access to data O? Perform analysis O? What-if scenario planning tool O? Reduction of cost structure by 40% O? Reduction of IT support costs by 25% 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Motorola turns to project portfolio management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What management, organization, and technology factors had to be addressed before Motorola could implement and successfully use HP PPM? Before Motorola could implement and successfully use HP PPM, they have tackled factors in different fields such as: 2 Before HP PPM After HP PPM Management Eliminate â€Å"redundant silos of activity † to cut costs and increase productivity Manage many workers more easily and leading to efficiency(save time) Organization Prioritize resource usage Help managers compare proposals, projects and operation activities against budget an resource capacity levels Technology Automate processes, lower operating costs Quick and easy access with a centralized source of information 4. Evaluate the business impact of adopting HP PPM at Motorola. The business impact of adopting HP PPM at Motorola: O? Reduce cost by 40% O? 150% ROI O? IT support costs decreased by 25% Which responds to Motorola’s expectations Use a search engine to search for â€Å"IT portfolio management software† or â€Å"IT project management software† and find a competing offering to HP PPM. Then answer the following questions: 1. What makes this solution different from HP PPM? Solution: IBM Rational Focal Point The differences lies on: O? Software : Operating systems supported: Linux, Solaris (Sun microsystems), Windows family which leads to be compatible with all operating system O? Focuses on the market: Integrate enterprise architecture plans and project execution into portfolio management Which ensures enterprise and project-level decisions are aligned with financial and market needs 2. What types of companies is this solution best geared towards? 2 Most likely in the private sector: Non-limited companies and For-profit corporation 3. Find a case study of this solution in action. Did the company described in the case realize similar benefits to Motorola? For example: Direct-sales Multinationals Features: O? Direct-sales (Market- and business-driven product and portfolio management) O? Customer centered (collecting data for market research) O? Important board (project-level decisions, aligned with financial and market needs) O? Stock corporation( modeling financial and market impacts) Similar benefits: O? Development portfolio analysis process O? Fast O? Obtain more information