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Fostering emotional and social intelligence
Evaluate the role of early childhood development in relation to emotional intelligence
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Finding Oneself in Family and Friends
Many people can agree that adolescence can be some of the most nasty, gruesome years of a boy's life due. While this may be true, this stage in a boy's life is the one in which he finds out who he truly is. Some people can find who they are with little to no outside influence, others, such as Joe Coutts in The Round House by Louise Erdrich, take almost a whole community to shape who they are.
The Round House is a book heavily influenced by Erdrich’s early childhood and upbringing. From a young age, Erdrich lived on an Indian reservation in North Dakota while being raised by a "German American father who was a teacher at Wahpeton Indian School. Her mother, who also worked for the school, was an Ojibwe,
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or Chippewa, of the Turtle Mountain Band" (Constantakis). Erdrich is very adverse in Native American culture; this is very apparent in her novel. "Erdrich also infuses her writing with echoes of traditional Native American stories. Storytelling is an important part of The Round House (2012), for which Erdrich won the National Book Award" (Constantakis). She infuses these stories into the book by utilizing the character Mooshum, a 112 year old grandfather who talks in his sleep. His stories talk about the hardship when the United States government was fundamentally trying to kill off the Native Americans by reducing their food source, the buffalo, and moving them onto small reservations, via the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 and 1871. There was a hero in these stories that would then go out on an adventure to find food to feed his tribe. Joe is able to find his true identity in this book with the help of the people around him. Some of these people include his friends and his parents. Before Joe finds out that his mother has been raped, he seems to have a more innocent standing, but almost immediately after, you see him start to change dramatically as a person. He starts to grow up very quickly in a short period of time. He takes a stand of wanting to defend his mother, regardless of what his father Bazil says. Joe's group of loyal friends Cappy, Zack, and Angus, also have a great amount to do with Joe's character development. They support Joe through this hard time and they also try and help him when he goes to find who attacked his mother. “'We are never so poor that we cannot bless another human being are we? So it is that every evil, whether moral or material, results in good. You’ll see'” (Erdrich 252). Joe matures greatly from the lessons of Father Travis, the reservations priest, he realizes that he has to find the silver lining in these hard times, he learns that all malicious acts have a good consequence in some way. In The Round House, Joe’s father, Bazil, is a very important figure in his life; from him he learns a great deal about how to be a man.
In one scene, during the ongoing investigation of Joe's mother, Geraldine, Bazil brings home a stack of legal folders from work, He and Joe go through a huge process of reading through these files, looking for anyone who maybe sound like a culprit of a rape. While Bazil does let Joe take part in this, he is still very wary and does not want to spoil Joe's innocence by introducing him to vile material. Bazil warns Joe that he must not act on any of this information and let the law handle it. Joe’s curiosity overcomes him and he goes to investigate against his father's wishes. “He sat down across from me and I looked into his eyes. I was sure he would explain the incident and tell me just how and why I’d been mistaken. I was sure he’d say, as grownups were supposed to, that ghosts did not exist” (81). It is easy to relate to Joe in this instance because every child at some point in their life gets frustrated at their parents when they “always have to be right." Erdrich makes sure that the reader takes note of how old this main character is with uses of quotes like this and other things such as the way he acts around his adolescent friends. Furthermore, this quote shows that Joe knows his father very well, so well in fact that he can already predict what he will say to him in reaction to Joe’s claim of seeing a …show more content…
ghost. Throughout the novel Joe develops as a character exponentially, there is a time when he feels that he must reconcile with god and convert to the Catholic Church.
He comes to Father Travis, the towns priest, seeking to learn more about religion and become confirmed by the end of the summer. Religion plays a huge part in shaping Joe's identity. “The only thing that God can do, and does all the time, is to draw good from any evil situation” (242). Father Travis instills this idea into Joe’s mind as a way to help him overcome the horrible tragedy that is brought upon his family. Joe is able to find a silver lining in the unpleasant situation that is his life while his mother's rapist is on the loose. He will find that his parents grow stronger and closer because of this. Father Travis is able to help Joe find his way. “'In order to purify yourself, you have to understand yourself', Father Travis went on. 'Everything out in the world is also in you. Good, bad, evil, perfection, death, everything. So we study our souls.'” (248) The Father explains to Joe that he is made of all the elements of mankind, he just needs to know how to control the sinful ones. Father Travis also explains to Joe the importance of selflessness. “'We are never so poor that we cannot bless another human being are we? So it is that every evil, whether moral or material, results in good. you’ll see'” (252). The father once again brings up the topic that all Evil results in
Good. Life experiences shape who you are, in the case of Joe, his mothers rape caused him to grow up quite a bit in a short span of time. "I stood there in the shadowed doorway thinking with my tears. Yes, tears can be thoughts, why not?" (107) Joe has to learn to live temporarily without his mother as she recovers from her attack. Joe matures greatly during this time. "We passed over in a sweep of sorrow that would persist into our small forever. We just keep going" (143). Joe has to deal with his mothers reclusiveness as well as his father being standoffish. He learns to fend more for himself and to learn to deal with his own problems. Life experiences shape who you are; in the case of Joe, his mother's attack caused him to grow up a great deal in such a brief span of time, only one summer in fact. It takes a lot to shape a young man: his friends, his family, those around him and the environment he lives in. We see these changes take place throughout Erdrich's The Round House.
In the essay, “Changing the World One Boy at a Time” written by Mark Honigsbaum, boys are lost or they are in crisis. These boys have troubles in their everyday life. The author illustrates that boys need a mature male adult to help them guide to the right path. To convey his message, Honigsbaum explains that these boys have psychological issues. He then states that the event, where they receive a psychological test, reveals a boy’s personality. Lastly, he argues that to make the right decision, a boy needs the guidance of a mentor. He presents those arguments with the use of statistics, expert opinion, rhetorical questions, anecdotes and comparison.
Ann Rinaldi has written many books for young teenagers, she is an Award winning author who writes stories of American history and makes them become real to the readers. She has written many other books such as A Break with Charity, A Ride into Morning, and Cast two Shadows, etc. She was born in New York City on August 27, 1934. In 1979, at the age of 45, she finished her first book.
Every single person on earth has gone through the stage of middle childhood in their lives; it is inevitable. This stage is an important time in an individual’s life as it provides them the opportunity to experience new challenges and to make new friends and relationships. Middle childhood is a time of slow yet steady growth of a person in the aspects of physical, mental, and emotional development. In the movie The Sandlot, the young boys show visible signs of school-age development which include the concept of self-esteem, showing interests in the opposite sex, and overcoming challenges. While there are many other things that imply development in school-age children, these three topics are the most prominent in the film.
Through the comparisons Hurston uses of Joe to God, it portrays the godlike power he has. When people from all over the town come for the lamp lighting ceremony, Joe starts making a speech when Hurston writes, "And when Ah touch de match tuh dat lamp wick let de light penetrate inside of yuh, and let it shine, let it shine. Brother Davis, lead us in a word uh prayer" (p. 45). This quote illustrates how just like God created the world and made light through his words so to Joe creates the first lamp for his town and mimics god's actions. Additionally, it later on says “Jesus the light of the world” which is direct reference to Jesus and light when referring to Joe. As a result of this, the towns people feel they need to react to Joe as if he is a godlike figure by bending over every which way so they can listen to him. The townspeople are all gossiping about Joe when Hurston writes,"He had a bow-down command in his face, and every step he took made the thing more tangible" (p. 47). "Speakin' of winds, he's de wind and we'se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows" (p. 49). Because of the way Joe acts towards his town, subsequently they feel that he is in charge of every move and feel obligated to “bow down” to Joe. When the townspeople listen to Joe, it makes them feel as if he is a godlike figure who has complete power and
Joe is the complete opposite of Spunk in which he is looked at as a cowardly man who does not stand up for himself. Even though Joe is aware his wife is having an affair with Spunk, he is too afraid to confront either Spunk or Lena. This makes him to seem weak for the villagers and somewhat of an easy target. When Joe enters, he nervously orders a drink while the townspeople smirk and wink at one another because of what they had just witnessed. They mock his presence because they know he will not retaliate. Elijah then turns to Joe and says “Say, Joe, how’s everything up yo‘ way? How’s yo’ wife?” Elijah and all the men, as well as Joe, knew that she had just passed with Spunk moments ago. The villagers are testing Joes pride, they think he is not capable of retaliating. Joe nervously reveals that he has a plan to get Lena back, and pulls a razor blade out of his pocket. Elijah then tells him, “Talkin‘ like a man, Joe. Course that’s yo’ fambly affairs, but Ah like to see grit in anybody.” He continues to stir the pot by working him up and testing his power. Correspondingly, he and the villagers know Joe doesn’t stand a chance against Spunk. Elijah was verbally able to make Joe act outside of his usual nature. When Joe goes off to find Lena and Spunk, he acts courageously rather than cowardly. This shows how if a person’s pride is tested he will act on emotions that don’t normally exist. Spunk symbolizes aggression, but the actions that take place as a result of his behavior also create aggression in others, like Joe, who gets into a fight with him and then dies over Lena. The men continue to gossip about the situation when they suddenly hear a gunshot in the distance. When Spunk comes back to explain what has happened the men know that it was Elijah’s words that sparked this avoidable
Erdrich writes about different part of Anishinaabeg culture because her mother was Ojibwe and her father was German American (“Louise Erdrich”). While Erdrich was growing up she heard many stories about Ojibwe culture. According to the Encyclopedia of World Biographies, “rich oral tradition of Ojibwe storytelling has been part of Erdrich’s life since childhood. “Listening to her families stories has in some ways been her most significant literary influence (“Louise Erdrich”). Since she grew up with these themes, she integrates them into her work to tell her readers what she believes is important in understanding life.
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
Shel Silverstein is the author of a book of poems called Light in the Attic. And out of the tens of poems that Silverstein features in this book, “Monster’s I’ve Met” is one of them. The poem, like all the poems in the book, is for an audience of younger children. Several of the poems that he has written in the book are considered as silly to kids, as they are supposed to be. But, a majority of the poems contain themes that promote behavior that is not encouraged in children. Specifically to “Monster’s I’ve met”, the theme that Silverstein displays in the poem influences parents and teachers to challenge that children cannot be able to read the poem. Through the various components of the poem, Shel Silverstein introduces the concept of monsters and uses it to depict the narrator’s thoughts as disturbing with his unusual interest in them.
Joe later discovers that his arms and legs have been amputated. The story shifts into a memory of Kareen, his girlfriend from before the war. He also remembers his best friend Bill Harper, who was killed during the war. Later he finds that he has no face at all. He compares his condition to that of being inside the womb: “It was like a full grown man suddenly being stuffed back into his mother’s body… That was exactly like the womb…” (Trumbo, 107). He continues to contemplate suicide several times, reasoning that this is not really living. Coming to terms with his state, Joe realizes that he will not be able to differentiate night and day, or whether he is asleep or awake. This is interwoven with memories of his family, friends, and coworkers.
Adolescence is the stage in life when you are no longer a child, but not yet an adult. There are many things that still need to be explored, learned and conquered. In the film Thirteen, the main character, Tracy Freeland, is just entering adolescence. While trying to conquer Erikson’s theory of Identity vs. Role confusion, Tracy is affected by many influences, including family and friends that hinder her development. Many concepts from what we have learned in class can be applied to this character from identity development, to depression, to adolescent sexuality and more. In this film Tracy is a prime example of an adolescent and much of what I have learned this year can be applied to her character.
Joe Gargery is one of the most compassionate characters in the novel Great Expectations. Throughout the first couple of chapters, Joe shows his first act of compassion towards Pip. “Joe and I being fellow-sufferers, and having confidences as such, Joe imparted a confidence to me,…”(Dickens pg. 7-8). After our protagonist, Pip, has been out of his
The Red Room is a chilling tale of the quest of a brave man to come
The Red Room by H.G. Wells This essay will be based on gothic techniques that H.G Wells used and will also explain how gothic features can be identified in a play. The gothic elements in ‘The Red Room’ are used frequently but often in a very subtle way. One key gothic element of the story lies in the way Wells wrote. Firstly his style is old- fashioned and formal, for example he uses phrases such as, ‘eight and twenty years,’ this technique suggests that the play was written at the start of the nineteenth century.
The novella, The Body, written by Stephen King is quintessential for portraying the overarching coming of age theme, however within this theme a more specific theme of innocence vs. experience is present. This theme can be seen within the book’s plot, symbols, and Chris Chamber’s character. Taking a look at the historical time period of when this novella was written, and taking a look at the biographical history of Stephen King himself helps the reader to understand why this particular approach to the theme was chosen. The novella itself travels with four young boys as they begin their journey in search of a dead body, and along the way they not only discover the cruelty of the real world, but they also face the cruelty that can be see within
Joe's actions are those of a true gentleman. For example, Joe defends Mrs. Joe from Orlick even though he is scared of Orlick himself: "What could the wretched Joe do now...but stand up to his journeyman...so, without so much as pulling off their singed and burnt aprons, they went at one another, like two giants" (773). Joe is intimidated by Orlick and by Joe defending Mrs. Joe from Orlick shows that Joe has courageousness. Joe is a benevolent person by stepping up to Orlick to help Mrs. Joe. In addition, Joe pays off Pip's debts and Pip finds "a receipt for which they had been paid off" (899). Joe paying off Pip's debts shows he is a helpful and caring person. Joe is being considerate by helping Pip become debt-free. It is ironic that Joe helps Pip because Pip hasn't been a considerate person to Joe but he helps Pip regardless.