Mikhail Lermontov's protagonist, Grigory Pechorin, belongs to that group of literary characters known individually as the 'superfluous man.'; Generally an intelligent, educated individual, the superfluous man would appear to be one who has been either unjustly treated or outcast by society in general. The superfluous man attempts to find a place for himself in the world, but perhaps due to the combination of his talents, upbringing, personality and intelligence, continually finds himself on the outs with his peers.
If the above definition is accepted as valid, then Pechorin might appear to be the consummate superfluous man. From the outpouring of his tale of woe to Princess Mary, we may come to the conclusion that Pechorin has no concept of cause and effect, at least not as it applies to himself as the cause. Moreover, it becomes fairly apparent that he is of the belief that he is a victim of the world, which is more interesting, as one considers the culture of victimization that has become popular in recent years. Who has not heard the excuse, 'I did it because my (parents/state representative/dog) (harassed/bit/abused) me when I was a child.'; In my opinion, the growing interest in pop psychology and the related fields of social psychology and child psychology have greatly contributed to the decay of moral rectitude and the concept of taking responsibility for one's own actions.
The translator attributes Pechorin's capriciousness to the lack of employment for his gifts. I do not agree with that assessment, as it has been my experience that only those who have made up their minds to lack direction will be unable to find an activity that occupies their mind and appeals to them. One possible pursuit would be some form of art. Skill matters little, if the activity is pleasing. Cultural appreciation, gastronomical excess, or sexual exercise would all be suitable endeavors. We see that Pechorin certainly takes pleasure in the company of women, though in his own words, 'I must confess I don't really like strong-willed women,'; (111), the female sex does not hold an unbounded appeal for him. But his relationship with Vera, and his reaction to Maxim Maximych's inquiry about Bela clearly show that he is capable of feeling some emotion for others, although he refuses to expressing it. This is entirely Pech...
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...given all it needs to survive and learn intellectually, but no moral boundaries, will come to be greatly like a sociopathic personality. They will most likely be incapable of relating to others, save as far as they are themselves effected. They will not display anything near the level of enlightened self-interest that enables society. For all intents and purposes, they will be a sociopath, and due to the initial lack of guidance, they will be at best highly resistant to change, and at worst, totally irredeemable.
Pechorin is either a coward, in which case he should be pitied, if not despised for his unwillingness to change, or he is a sociopath, in which case he should be exterminated, without a spark of guilt or pity, for the benefit of society. He clearly does not fall into the sociopathic category, as his displays of emotion – faint though they are – prove. So he is a coward, unwilling to come to terms with himself.
Pechorin is not merely the superfluous man of the 19th century, but rather a mirror held up for all of humanity. His insensitivity, fear, and self-loathing reflect us still to this day.
...not function without an element of ruthlessness and a need to win. Could any capitalist be called a sociopath? In my opinion I believe that while this non-fiction novel does enlighten us to some degree on the nature and behaviors of sociopaths, it is not a myopic and in depth study worth putting any faith-based investments into. Also, it fails to answer a major and simple question: what does the future hold for these ‘monsters’? Will the population of sociopaths increase exponentially, until it is they who must destroy us for being the minority? Or are their numbers diminishing due to social awareness about this condition? Is sociopathy purely biological in nature or does this personality disorder also stem from personal experience or otherwise? In short, this book raises more questions that in answers, resulting in a disappointing and unfulfilled search for truth.
Mexican immigrants are misjudged for coming to the Unites States illegally and stealing jobs from American citizens. In the poem “So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans”, Jimmy Santiago Baca discusses the mistreatment that Americans have of immigrants and then explains the reality of the situation. Baca uses imagery, symbolism, diction, and tone to argue about the prejudices that Americans have of Mexican immigrants.
This quote, taken from the play Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez, well illustrates the ambivalence and hypocrisy Anglos have projected towards Mexicans for the last two centuries. Specifically, this quote refers to the United States government needing a "brown face" in the crowd at one of their meetings to showcase their supposed support and inclusion of Mexican-Americans in the U.S. However, it is more important that the "brown face" act American, or embody Anglo characteristics deemed to be more reputable and civilized. Valdez’s play showcases an important theme in Mexican-American history and still today which, as the title implies, is that Mexicans and Mexican Americans have been forced to sell, or disregard their culture, language, and ideals for Anglocized ones in order to become citizens of the United States. Moreoever, their presence in history has been romanticized or has gone unnoticed by American citizens. By examining the characters and dialogue in Valdez’s work Los Vendidos, along with complementary written and oral historical accounts, I will first describe the stereotypes and racism Mexican-Americans have endured both historically and presently. Secondly, I will detail how the Chicano’s struggle for equal rights in education, workforce, and politics, has been thwarted by the Anglo Americans’ desire to "mold" or "control" Chicano’s destiny in the United States and maintain them as second-class citizens. Finally, I will argue that even those of Mexican descent that have attempted to assimilate themselves into American culture still face an insurmountable task due to the racism that clouds the cultural len...
Cofer uses the rhetoric appeal of ethos to establish her authority to make the argument that Latina stereotypes are just myths. Growing ...
What would it be like to wake up everyday knowing you would get bullied, mistreated, and/or abused just because of where you were born? Discrimination still exists! “Discrimination remains and there is an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics, Latinos and Mexican-Americans, as one of the perceived symbols of that discrimination, the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence, nears completion. Instead of pulling together in these difficult times, we may see a greater polarization of attitudes” (Gibson). But why are hate crimes increasing towards Latin and Hispanic aliens and what types of discrimination are occurring against them? Understanding violence towards the Hispanic and Latin alien is divided into three main classes; the difference between legal and illegal aliens, the attacks and effects, and the point of view of different people towards aliens.
The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria, an essay written by Judith Ortiz Cofer, discusses the racial stereotypes Cofer struggles with as a Latin woman who travels across America. Throughout her life, Cofer discusses her interactions with people who falsely misjudge her as a Latin woman. Additionally, Cofer mentions other Hispanic women she has met in her life, who also suffer with racial assumptions. Although several people would disagree with Cofer and claim that she is taking racial remarks too seriously, racial stereotyping is a significant issue that should not be overlooked in our society. People should not base someone’s worth by their outward appearance or their ethnic background.
In conclusion, prejudices exist all throughout the world. Some are harmful and others are not. The prejudices held by some Caucasian Californians against Mexican immigrants like "stealing jobs" and holding them in lower regard than others is an example of a harmful prejudice. Some solutions to eliminate these prejudices are to teach parents to withhold their negative opinions from their children, convince the media to stop glorifying comedians who make racial jokes, and to encourage the entire group to learn more about the lives and culture of the Mexican immigrants.
Peoples ideal definitions of a sociopath often mislead them. A sociopath is classified as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.Sociopaths are not as uncommon as most people think Your average neighbor may even have the urge to kill and dismember bodies. This being said, not all sociopaths take the leap to murder and often keep their thoughts to themselves . Sociopaths have completely different personality traits and characteristics than the normal human being. They often have disregard for the rights of others, failure to feel remorse or guilt and even tendency to display violent behavior and emotional outbursts. Even with these obvious characteristics some people keep their sociopathic tendencies hidden in shame or guilt of these feelings, but the people that embrace their sociopathy are some of the most well known American serial killers to this day.
Some of the criteria that a sociopath is required to meet are the outright display of more than three symptoms of antisocial personality
Ralph Ellison speaks of a man who is “invisible” to the world around him because people fail to acknowledge his presence. The author of the piece draws from his own experience as an ignored man and creates a character that depicts the extreme characteristics of a man whom few stop to acknowledge. Ellison persuades his audience to sympathize with this violent man through the use of rhetorical appeal. Ethos and pathos are dominant in Ellison’s writing style. His audience is barely aware of the gentle encouragement calling them to focus on the “invisible” individuals around us. Ralph Ellison’s rhetoric in, “Prologue from The Invisible Man,” is effective when it argues that an individual with little or no identity will eventually resort to a life of aimless destruction and isolation.
The definition of a psychopath is a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. The label “psychopath” cannot be placed on a child who is developing emotionally, mentally, or physically. A child’s brain is finished developing way past their teenage years. Most of the time when a child would be considered a psychopath is parents did not teach their children proper respect and they lacked parenting skills. The child just repeated what they saw and knew and continued to do wrong things throughout their life because they didn’t know until it was too late.
As long as civilizations have been around, there has always been a group of oppressed people; today the crucial problem facing America happens to be the discrimination and oppression of Mexican immigrants. “Mexican Americans constitute the oldest Hispanic-origin population in the United States.”(57 Falcon) Today the population of Mexican’s in the United States is said to be about 10.9%, that’s about 34 million people according to the US Census Bureau in 2012. With this many people in the United States being of Mexican descent or origin, one would think that discrimination wouldn’t be a problem, however though the issue of Mexican immigrant oppression and discrimination has never been a more prevalent problem in the United States before now. As the need for resolve grows stronger with each movement and march, the examination of why these people are being discriminated against and oppressed becomes more crucial and important. Oppression and Anti-discrimination organizations such as the Freedom Socialist Organization believe that the problem of discrimination began when America conquered Mexican l...
The term sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience. The mind of a sociopath is a very intriguing place. The way they think and act is completely different compared to someone who is not a sociopath. Sociopaths generally suffer from antisocial personality disorder. Here is an inside look at sociopaths, how they think and behave, as well as some history on famous sociopaths that have left their mark in our world and why they do not qualify as psychopaths.
There is so much controversy about immigration in the United States. There are many perspectives about how Immigration is seen by White Americans. Some are more extreme than others. Even though the Unites States was founded by diversity and on the inclusion of immigrants, stereotypes presented by society drives White Americans to go to the extreme of deporting immigrants. The stereotypes that propel this idea of deportation are immigrants on welfare, crime done by immigrants, and how immigrants affect jobs. These stereotypes can be promoted from many different parts of society ranging from media outlets to the upper government of the United States.
Golyadkin’s extreme preoccupation with his own identity in society turns the world and individuals into mirrors wherein he would perceive himself. He cares most dearly not for people but what impressions they have towards him. Evidenced by the way he acts and feels around other people. In Golyadkin’s conversation with his doctor, the narrator describes the protagonist as having “spoken throughout with the utmost clarity, precision and assurance, weighing his words and relying on those calculated to produce the best effect.” (13) This showcases how Golyadkin is anxious over the impression he gives and not over giving the truth to his doctor. This goes similarly in many of his bizarre behaviors in society. For instance, Golyadkin would “change(d) his big notes into notes of smaller denominations, losing o...