I Am a Ponarvian
Some of you have already scoured the dictionary in vain for a definition of the word "Ponarvian." One of my greatest ambitions is to get this word safely into Websters where it belongs. Until that happy time, the following definition will have to do:
PONARV (PO narv) n. [acronym] A project of no apparent redeeming value. Hence, Ponarvian: one who pursues such projects.
It is my contention that not some, but MOST of the greatest human triumphs in art, science, and technology have their root in the humble ponarv. All ponarvians, whatever their age, are children who simply like to play. If you ask them to justify their behavior, they will be unable to do so, or will provide what can only be described as a playful response. Basically, they just can't help it. They like to play.
Throughout history, all great ponarvians have been surrounded by suffocating masses of anti-ponarvians. The anti-ponarvian is a gloomy person who divides the world into work and play, and who sees play as a regrettable lapse in the vital and unceasing pursuit of work. They define work as an activity which leads DIRECTLY to something valuable, and the only things they value are those things like food and shelter which enable them to survive long enough to procreate and produce more workers. To an anti-ponarvian, play is like sleep, a biological necessity which interferes with work and should therefore be minimized. They love to recite the fable of the grasshopper and the ant but never stop to consider that this story was written by an ant. They are the early birds: up at the crack of dawn, catching worms.
Poets and pure mathematicians are ponarvians by definition. Mathematicians are sometimes forgiven by the anti-ponarvian masses because the equations they drop to one side in their foolish pursuit of elegant theorems and pleasing symmetries can be used to build factories which produce canons which can then be used to level factories (canons and factories are "useful"). But poets are eternally damned in the eyes of the anti-ponarvians because, after all, there is no money to made in poetry.
It is one of nature's greatest ironies that these very poets and mathematicians so despised by the anti-ponarvians, these idle dreamers and crackpot inventors, are the very source of all the gadgetry and innovation which anti-ponarvians hold in such high esteem.
Perhaps some of the cranks are not just average cranks and are, instead, modern day Herschel 's and Avery 's; the ideas of some of Kahn 's cranks are simply victimized by “obvious,” and “self-evident,” presently prevailing theories that are guided by “mistaken assumptions,” (Sacks, 153) and will be discovered to be wrong—just as “Newtonian optics and Lockean sensationalism,” (Sacks, 153) were—to make room for the more fundamentally profound and correct theories revolutionized by the cranks—in same same way that Louis Verrey 's theories on perception were lent credence after several decades of rejection and oppression. Or, perhaps, parts of ideas purposed by cranks could actually shed some light on potential discoveries, even if an idea as a whole is flawed—much like the way through which a series of antiquated cranks ' ideas eventually evolved into sound, scientific discovery when molded properly by scientists in Miller 's essay. It is worth taking into consideration the prospect that that which is professed to be known is actually just another stage of failure waiting to be overturned by the revolutionary theories of those identified as cranks, or more scientifically consistent theories extracted from their more radical theories. Then again, maybe I am just a crank in the
As the speaker hunts with his father, he has learned to meditate. When the speaker grows older, he can “spend whole mornings in the bush, … [his] senses riveted on the changing patterns of light, colour, form, and sound in the forest” (4). Meditation strengthens his connection with the nature and merely sitting in the bush satisfies him. Meanwhile, his children follow the culture of instant pleasure. On Christmas morning, the children at first “thoroughly [explore] the possibilities of [the] new [toys]” (7), but their level of satisfaction drops rapidly and by lunch time, “[they] were off playing with the empty boxes” (7). Their behaviour suggests that the culture of consumption heavily influences them and the many material goods can only entertain them for half a day. This creates a contrast with the speaker’s meditation and implies that people nowadays only focuses on
In Theodore Isaac Rubin’s essay, “Competition and Happiness”, he summits about how in today’s society its always the battle eat or be eaten. Therefore our parents always tried to get us involved at an early age to help with our self-development, well being, and health. Since our culture has made us believe that competition brings out the best of us. Yet, it simultaneously brings out a stressful, isolating, and paranoid ambiance at a very young age. I agree with Rubin’s notion since the use of our time and energy is determined by competition and limits our happiness because it weakens our sense of identity.
Desert Solitaire aims to draw attention to the activities of a man voluntarily isolated in nature. It seeks to identify the strife that Abbey faces with modern day human’s treatment of his nature. As such, the argument that Abbey poses in one his earlier chapters Rocks is, that the Modern Day man is destructive and cannot be trusted to preserve nature as is.
playing God. The balance of nature is put to the ultimate test as a man by the
“And the Band Played On” was an HBO movie that illustrated the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s. The movie touched on subjects concerning the reaction of the gay community, the heterosexual community, and the medical community. It showed not only the research in AIDS, but also the way that the US government dealt with it. The movie expressed the consequences the gay community suffered, the plight of the medical community in researching the disease, and the issue of government response to it.
My perception of our world is that racism exists everywhere, even in the land of liberty, America. I am aware of the fact that there is racism against not only blacks, but also whites, Asians, along with people from all other ethnicities. I believe racism is deplorable in any form. Therefore I do my best not to be racist in any way.
The lawmakers of today make laws and they don’t think about the decisions they make from both perspectives. They may say it’s all right to own a handgun but they may have different intentions than the user has on how and why they need one. The owner may need one for their protection but the lawmaker may think it’s for hunting or something other than it causing violence. To ensure these guns are not being used for violence the law needs to make a set of rules and regulations on the conditions of guns. How to use them/abuse them need to be the number one law. It should state guns are not intended to be used for violence of no kind. The law need to enforce the laws they make to ensure proper safety it would eliminate half of the gun violence.
Positivist Explanation – When reviewing the textbook in chapter 9, explains positivist or “essential” observation of outing in the direction of the world. Looking at the history of sexual abuse, it is a disorder that can be fixed with proper treatment.
As a whole positivism is based on scientific understandings of crime and criminality, there is an assumption that that is a distinct difference between what is classified as the ‘normal’ and what is classified as the ‘deviant’ and these differences are studied to try and figure out what causes deviant or criminal behaviour in some people but not in others. The positivist approach contends that behaviour is pre-determined and that this behaviour is influenced by biological or psychological factors. A large psychological factor is that of personality, as shown by the work of Hans Eysenck. In Eysenck Personality Theory, there are three dimensions to personality that influence whether or not a person engages in criminal or deviant behaviour, the first dimension is weather an individual is more introverted or extroverted, the second dimension is weather an individual is more neurotic or ...
Peer pressure is described as the influence one may feel from an individual or group to do something that he/she may not otherwise consider doing. Is it really difficult to be unique, and stand out from the crowd? Many adolescents have difficulties straying from the so called rebellious teen stage. This is because their emotions run high. Teens think of the consequences of being rejected by their peers, such as embarrassment and shame. These two negative emotions instantly set in the minds of teens. As a result, they become subject to such pressures seen throughout their community and schools. Although peer pressure is not always negative; it is, however, mostly perceived as a negative option of influence. Positive influences between peers are rarely talked upon or praised. Adolescents become acquainted with sex, drugs, fashion, relationships and so on. Many are pressured into such things from the company or friends they keep. Peer pressure has a vast amount of influence from the desire to be accepted, popularity and image and through the media.
Peer Pressure is influence from members of one's peer group to do a certain action, make a choice, or change their opinion. In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell is pressured by the people of Lower Burma through the killing of the Indian man and through British imperialism. My own friends were peer pressured which transpired into negative consequences. Finally almost all of the Teen Court cases I personally have dealt with have involved peer pressure. People believe that they must conform to society in order to find their niche, but it is only needed to be original and yourself to fit in society.
After hearing the quote I thought about what I did in my life to fit in, and realized that what a person wears, buys, or listens to, doesn't create who a person is. Peer pressure throws out the thought of being who you want to be; peer pressure is more reminiscent of "be like everybody else."
Peer pressure is very common with teenagers now a days, being with group of friends for teenagers make them feel belong. Belongingness that they seek, to feel good about themselves and also to cope up with the trend that the society is feeding them. Being “cool” is what the teenagers want to be, they want to be famous to be idolize by their fellow teenagers. In that state of mentality, they do all odds to be famous or to be cool they try different things to stay cool. Others also try to fit in with their peer groups so that they are influenced to do things that they do not want to do to be belong to the group. Also if a teenager is rejected it can lead to hurting
Peer pressure is probably one of the biggest issuses in high school, as a teen its likely you’ve experienced the effect of peer influence in a number of different areas sometimes teens may have to dress a certain way and act a certain way or they will not be accepted. Peer influence is not necessarily a bad thing we are all influenced by our peers both negatively and positively at any age. Teens are sometimes pressured into doing things they don’t want to do may be that they have to bully someone or fight it could be any little thing and sometimes it take a big toll on that person who is being pressured to do these things to fit in. peer pressure can effect some people for the rest of their lives in many different ways.