Gogol's The Overcoat: A Whisper of Change
At first glance of Nikolay Gogol's novel The Overcoat, one would only
see a short story about a poor man wishing to survive in a cruel world. However,
in looking further into the story, deep symbolism can be found. Gogol lived in
Russia during the rise of the communist party, and was a great dissident of
communism. He believed the inevitable end of a communist government was total
failure. He also criticized the other government of the world for failing to
aid Russia in its quest for a better system. Gogol used his creative mind and
his writing abilities to speak out against the evils of the Russian government.
He used symbolism to prove his points, and often risked exile by his own
government for expressing such radical views. Many different objects in The
Overcoat can be mirrored with the objects of true life. Everything from Akaky
Akakyevitch's coat, to his administrator is used by Gogol to symbolize the
situation of Russia during Gogol's time. In truth, the Russian government was
against the free-thinking man, and so was against Gogol.
Akaky himself is used as a symbol of the Russian people. The communists
were against any sort of free-thinking, and respected any man who performed his
duties without question. Akaky is described in the story as being a quiet,
hard-working man. He keeps mostly to himself, having very little to do with the
outside world. His entire life centers around his profession. Akaky's life
changes only after he buys his new overcoat. The overcoats in the story
symbolize different governments. Akaky's original "dressing jacket," is the
Russian government in power before communism took over. The government, like
the overcoat, once served its purpose, but is now worn thin and needs a
replacement. The original color of the coat cannot even be seen anymore. Each
time a tear appears in the coat, it is patched and forgotten, but the coat
eventually cannot be patched any longer. Akaky is extremely hesitant in buying
a new coat, claiming it would be too expensive. This compares to the hesitation
of the Russian population to switch to a new government. However, the coat no
longer serves its intended purpose, and Akaky is forced to either purchase a new
coat or freeze in the cold. Akaky's new coat symbolizes the establishment of
communism over the Russian pe...
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..., though the democratic nations are the enemies of
communist Russia during Gogol's life. The rumors of coninued sightings of the
ghost perhaps suggest Gogol's believe that some will not be satisfied under a
democratic rule.
Nikolay Gogol was able to escape exile from his country only by hiding
his opinions through the use of symbolism. No one will ever know the true
meanings put forth in The Overcoat, yet Gogol's general opinions can be
recognized. In a country so against the right of mankind to voice his opinions
freely, Gogol was able to successfully speak his mind by using his creativity
and his talents. Gogol's works paved the way for many other Russian authors who,
by using Gogol's actions as inspiration, now had the courage necessary for
fighting against the power of the majority. It is men like Gogol who shape the
nations of the world. His influence in Russian society could be compared to
many great authors who have influenced the people of the United States, such as
John Locke and Thomas Jefferson. Without writers such as these, the opinions of
the oppressed could never be made audible, and the desires for a greater future
could never become a reality.
“The United Nations estimates that as many as 5,000 women and girls worldwide were killed last year by family members” (Autumn, 2001). Crimes of ‘honor’ are acts of violence perpetuated typically against women who violate broader cultural standards against sexuality and marriage. When a woman violates the sexual or marital standards within a culture, her actions bring shame and dishonor and in order to eliminate the dishonor within the family, killing is the only way. “Honor killings focus on maintaining the sexual exclusiveness of women” (Barker et al, 1999). In most of the cases, honor killings are mostly present in cultures of the South Asian and Middle Eastern Islamic areas. Sadly, this culture is prevalent in some parts of the Indian society as well. “Offenses leading to ‘honor’ killings include leaving home without permission, rumors about premarital loss of virginity, accusations of flirting, and illegitimate sexual contact. These accusations also do not require the consent of the female in the act. Rape victims, for instance,...
Recently, a horrendous gang rape and murder case in India has caused many people to speak out against sex crimes. A female medical student was beaten with metal rods, raped, and then thrown from a moving bus by four men. In response, many people have called for stricter laws dealing with sexual violence. This has also lead to some focus on the sex trafficking aspect of sexual violence. In an article by the Editorial Board of the New York Times, issues of enforcement were brought to light by explaining that sex trafficking is growing in India because of extreme poverty, “a gender imbalance resulting from sex-selective abortion practices,” and “India’s affluence.” The writers of “Sex Trafficking in India” adequately argue that in order to solve the issue of sex trafficking there needs to be stricter enforcement of existing laws that deal with sex crimes by appealing to their intended audience through statistics, expert testimonies, cause and effect, and descriptive language.
In conclusion, the potential implications of the proposed research for practice is that if supplements are being used as a substitute for a healthy diet in today’s society due to a lack of understanding food labels. Investigate what the impacts of this are on health, if any and further education about food labelling may be necessary. The benefit of this understanding to the NHS is the possible reduction in chronic conditions related to nutrition. However the theory practice gap can only be eliminated by the implementation of evidence such as this study into practice. To implement this study to practice the researcher will need to understand, identify and overcome barriers to change (NICE, 2007).
Another controversial issue in America is the issue of gun control. The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. However, the extant of this right remains highly debated. In the past two decades, massive killing sprees and school shootings have given rise to debates about this issue. In the 1990s the prevalence of guns in our society has allowed these mass killings to occur, angering a majority of the Americans. Therefore, in the 1990s there was a massive public push for stricter gun control with the majority of 60 percent Americans thinking laws needed to be stricter (Figure 4). However, as state laws became stricter and shootings became more prevalent there was a push back on gun control in a few short
According to the Second Amendment in the Constitution, the citizens have the right to possess and bear arms. This is still a big issue in today 's society as we are in the 21st century the use of guns has changed significantly. The fact that crime has increased and that the right to own a handgun has been a hot issue have made many Americans question whether gun and crime are directly related. The issue of gun control, in an attempt to reduce crime rates in The United States has also been a topic of discussion that seems to have many people divided on the issue. Even though many people believe gun control violates the right to bear arms which is in the constitution, Americans know that more strict rules need to be put in place to because of
Have you ever been on a drive and became enthralled by the reminiscent stories of an elderly lady? We were driving around Salt Lake City with family looking at homes where my grandmother, Betty, lived as a child and early in her married life. She was engaged in reminiscing and shared many stories of her childhood and early married life. The interview was finished at her home. The information was written in note form. My grandmother is an 82-year-old Caucasian. Her third husband passed away a little more than a year ago. She was married to him for about fifteen years. She lives in her own home, built by her second husband, in Bountiful, Utah. Her youngest daughter, who is 42-years-old still lives at home with her. She is physically
The play begins with Macbeth being a benevolent person. Later in the play Macbeth began to kill when he was in battles and I believe this is where his inner turmoil began. King Duncan awarded Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor due to his loyalty and killing a high level conspirator to Scotland. The three witches who predicted Macbeth would be king gave him a lot more ambition to make this prediction come true. With this prediction hanging on his heart and the want to be more than he currently was, Macbeth realized that the completion of the prophecy may require scheme and murder on his part. Macbeth was still faithful and wanted to share everything with his wife.
A food label is a source of advertising a food product. Manufacturers try their best to make their product food label as attractive as possible, by using bright colours, bold text, food claims, and a lot of information. Too much information on a food label might have caused a lot of painful headaches for consumers; but it's all worth it, due to many health and nutrition problems. By law, manufacturers must abide by the standard code terms of what is put on their food label. By this, a food label must have no false claims or information, be in English and legible and easy to see. Also must contain a barcode, name of food, list of ingredients in descending order of weight, net weight, any additives in the food, country of origin, use of imported ingredients, name and address of manufacturer, date marking and nutrition panel if any claims are made.
of. When this issue is looked into in depth, it is a variety of things: unfair, brutal, repulsive, and more. Unfortunately, most women in India have been treated unfairly for longer than can be remembered. When it is boiled down, it comes down to one component: religion. To get a primary view of the problem, the following is an example of what goes on every day. A girl, probably in her twenties, was coming home from a movie on the bus. A group of six men then ganged up on her and brutally raped her (Singh, 2013). As stated, events such as these go on almost daily.
Daily, millions of people are perusing the grocery store, buying food for their families, completely unaware of what they are purchasing. A study on consumer research regarding food labels by the FDA found only a small percentage of people actually read the food labels and understand what they mean apart from only the calories and fat; ingredients are another story. “According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, about 61.5 percent reported using the nutrition facts panel when deciding to purchase food. Fewer people paid attention to the list of ingredients” (CNN Health). The FDA is aware that labeling could help reverse the acceleration we are seeing in heart diseases and obesity, but labeling does not help people to read the ingredients if they do not understand pseudonyms, and vitamins. “The surveys also revealed frequent misunderstanding of the meaning of the daily/value column that shows how each nutrient fits into a healthy diet, “(American journal Nutrition, WEB). Many different harmful ingredients are secretly hidden in labels and people skimming ov...
Social Justice enables individuals to become more empowered and self-aware. It gives individuals equal access and diminishes negative prejudices and stereotypes. The minority in society is oppressed by the dominant ones and social justice strives to diminish that. I am privileged and that allows me to obtain an education to help others. I am going to use this to help others gain the same privileges that I have and be able to build the future they want. Throughout middle school I would have friends that would be made fun of or denied entry to certain social groups, unless they were with me. Just because they had a different skin color or their culture was different they were not allowed to play tag on the playground. Associating negative stereotypes and prejudices, about cultures or ethnicity, to a young child is not okay. Only letting a child join a game of tag when a member of the dominant group is accompanying them is also not okay. This is a huge issue in society and not just when it comes to children, teaching children to become culturally competent and aware at a young age will lead to the decrease of this social issue. I strive to be culturally competent enough to have the ability to aid various individuals on their road to empowerment, safety, and self-healing. Educating myself is just the first step, joining the Social Work program will help me expand my field of knowledge. Through this, I will be enabled to become a better social worker and
You will realize that dog training basically builds a solid relationship between you and your dog. It establishes you as a pack leader. The time you spend together as a team, learning about each other, normally deepens your bond.
For many years, I ate whatever I wanted without regard to the nutritional value of the garbage I was putting in my mouth. About six years ago, at the age of 44, I found myself feeling fatigued all the time. I had no energy and couldn’t even walk around the mall without giving out of breath. I also started having a lot of aches and pains. Even though my blood pressure was in the normal range, my cholesterol levels were not. I am only five feet three inches tall, and at that point in time, I weighed 148 pounds. I felt like I was carrying around a ton of bricks. I decided to make a change and started making good, healthy decisions about what I was putting in my mouth. I gave up fried foods, over-processed foods (especially anything with trans fats), foods and liquids high in sugar, and paid special attention to my sodium intake. I started reading the food nutrition facts on everything that had one. Some people might say I became a fanatic about food labels, but I think it is essential to understand what you are putting in your mouth. Actually, it didn’t take long, I memorized the nutritional values of many of the food products I buy on a regular basis, Of course, if I’m interested in a new product, I still read the nutrition facts for that product. I stick to bak...
Today, more and more people pay attention to healthy lifestyle. People are not only concerned about whether you can eat, people are more concerned about whether you eat healthy. People attach so much importance in the diet of healthy, they understand the nutritional value of things is even more important. Only specific understanding of the nutritional value of food can only be a better choice for their own healthy living. But a lot of people for some very common nutritional value of foods often have a wrong understanding. I think that people in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle before, should pay attention to the nutritional value of different foods.
There are thousands of rapes in Pakistan every day. Most recent statistics show that between 1997 and 1988 the percentage of women arrested for Zina went up 3000% (Ashfaq). Hundreds of women per year spend time in prison for this same reas...