The Concept Of Spirituality Sociology Essay

The Concept Of Spirituality Sociology Essay That Religion has both a positive and negative effect on human behaviour is widely accepted (Batson, Scoenrade and Ventis, 1993; Paloutzian and Park, 2005; Zinnbauer and Pargament, 2005). Psychology has an important role in understanding the basis of belief, experience and behaviour, (Emmons and Paloutzian, 2003), which suggests that how it is taught and how power is apportioned should be carefully considered particularly if, as suggested, religions are authoritative spiritual traditions. Despite clear importance and contradictory effect on human behaviour religion remained a fringe research area for the first seventy five years of the 21st Century and furthermore it was nonexistent in the research activity of Psychology between 1930 and 1960 (Emmons and Paloutzian, 2003; Gorsuch, 1988). A suggestion for the non evolution of the study of religion suggests that the emerging new science wanted to distance itself from its philosophical fathers and their occasional radical theories about religion, in all its forms were not necessarily compatible with the modernist scientific paradigm that was emerging (Gorsuch, 1988; Hood, Hill and Spika, 2009). In addition Emmons and Paloutzian, (2003) commented on their tendency to avoid taboo subjects. Despite the fact that religion was ignored by psychologists, societys changing attitude towards religion has been cited as having occurred concurrently with two historical events. Durkheim date claimed that both the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution which also marked the rise of democracy and personal freedom, instigated the breaking down of the social classes which governed religion thus leading to the new society questioning of blind faith, (cited in Pals, 1996). The hippie era which emerged in the 1960s opened up new possibilities to a rebellious youth that initiated a societal turn to new age thoughts. Roberts (2004) suggested this to be a secularisation in the evolution of religion, since the pre-industrial age had been a period when religion was regulated by governing bodies, whilst the industrial era featured a religious comparison with other organisation and finally the post industrial era marked identification as spiritual rather than religious. The post indust rial age also marked the establishment of religion as a personalise system of meaning which suggests this was the beginning of a transformation of religiousness; however, the scientific establishment had not transformed its views of religion and spirituality. McPhillips (2002) considers this return to spirituality in the form of new age and religion as a reaction by society to secularisation and a societal search for re-enchantment which has been lost through individualism. However spirituality is still being viewed from the western perspective and does not explain the transformation of what is practiced. Furthermore it also assumes that eastern religions which are newly practiced in the west retain the same original meaning and are expressed and practiced the same as by the original practitioners. When the study of religion did re-merge in the 1960s with a new group of researchers their prime interest was prejudiced behaviour rather than religious behaviour it marked the rise of th e measurement paradigm which became the main method of study of religion. Problems do exist with the study of religions and spirituality. Gorsuch, (1988) suggested research in religion is at high risk of personal distortion. The lack of development demonstrates that the study of Religion has been socially managed, which indicates that politics are a factor, implying that the study remains in the realm of imperialism despite the general consciousness moving on as suggested by Durkheim (date cited in Pals, 1996). The effect of a personal agenda is again indicated through the resistance to the addition of spirituality within the title of APA division 36 psychology of religion (div 36). Its rejection is not based on empirical evidence but rather a claim that spirituality is fashionable (APA div 36, 2005) and has not amassed the same large body of evidence that its religious counterpart has done and therefore did not duly desire any credit. However, the western concept of religion marginalises spirituality, which includes much older eastern religions but again without empirical evidence (Dubuisson, 2003). The fashionable term new age, which is often the banner under which spirituality is defined has in response to this emerging negative view, moved away from the use of new age according to Lewis, (1992) who further suggests that no new label should be found. A move away from the new age concept however could have both positive and negative effects on the study since it will allow the integration into spirituality of suitable forms of belief and experience however without the label they are difficult to locate . Interestingly Humanist psychology Div 32 puts a far greater emphasis on spirituality and bifurcates it from the supernatural, which it claims is the domain of religion (Elkin, 2001). Another key factor which needs to be considered when studying religion is a participants susceptibility to answer questions according to societal expectations or norms that is not only in relation to practices but also regarding personal experiences, (Batson, Scoenrade and Ventis, 1993). The study of religion became mainstream within psychology by the 1980s which was marked by a plethora of books being published however spirituality didnt emerge in mainstream research or in the title of any published books until the year 2005. Furthermore, Lewis (1992) suggests the overall consciousness of the general public has altered and this change has escaped the attention of psychologists who find it easier to conduct inventories within defined groups rather than addressing the general alteration of spiritual commo nsense ideas. This general change in the consciousness has led to a crossover of the distinction of what is practiced such as following a traditional religion and practicing yoga. Without taking this change into account inventories are flawed. However what one person defines and argues to be rational could be another persons irrationality, (Gorsuch, 1988) which is particularly important when considering these scales since the subjectivity of rationality is particularly true due to the complex nature of religion and spirituality. Furthermore as cited in Gorsuch, (1988) Colins (1986) suggests that a neutral objectivity of religion is difficult particularly since neutrality for some religions is regarded as being anti-religious. A further issue is that experience is also subjective and ill defined, (Hood, Hill and Spika, 2009). For some individuals it is considered to be out there and tangible whilst for others experience includes what actually occurs within the mind, (Reber and Reber, 2001). Gadamer defines being experienced as radically undogmatic The man knows that all foresight is limited and all plans uncertain. In him is realised the true value of experience. Further experience is defined as, openness to new experience and symbolic of a search for new knowledge lack of expectation of having attained ultimate knowledge. (Gadamer, Weinsheimer and Marshall, 1989 p351) In the past twenty five years the study of Religion has flourished (Emmons and Paloutzian, 2003) and is often added as a defining variable in much empirical research, (Gorsuch, 1988). This is true particularly in relations to mental and physical wellbeing as Emmons and Paloutzian, (2003) suggest the applied areas of clinical, counselling and health have taken the lead in the study of links with religion which has instigated a move forward in the understanding of the importance of religious and spiritual behaviour in relation to physical and mental health. However the study of religion in relation to social psychology is relatively new (Emmons and Paloutzian, 2003) since little is known about why or how people are religious or spiritual or about the criteria by which their choices are made and as a result the understanding of experience has not improved per se. The experimental approach assumes that social situations are always objective and concepts such as Religion, and religiousness are out-there waiting to be measured with religion as the umbrella term. Spirituality, which is considered more as an individual quest, is marginalised and considered to be associated in some unknown way to religion but it is far too subjective to be studied scientifically. Critical social psychologists however, suggest social constructs are always subjective even when a person is mindlessly acting according to stereotypical societal norms and heuristics, furthermore it is their claim that social norms have been purposefully created and are evolving throughout history (Stainton-Rodgers, 2003). Formalised religion requires group cohesion and cannot exist without society (Pals, 1996), and it was Freud (1927) who suggested that the individual is the enemy of society since society flourishes when individuals suppress their personal wishes which further indicates why spirituality is marginalised within traditional religions. The individual pursuit of religion is further criticised by the suggestion that the quest for spirituality outside the framework of religion is motivated by narcissism, (Hood, Hill and Spika, 2009) however, the humanist approach considers the innate core of religion to be the spiritual experience which is dressed up in the language and symbols of a culture or belief system (Elkins, 2001). Experimental researchers further claims that personality, attitudes and identities are stable and discourse is a true reflection of them. Even though a database search reveals more than 1000 papers relating to religion, it is rarely the focal point of the studies and often only one item measurement is used, (Gorsuch, 1988) which doesnt take religion seriously and rarely features in a review of the literature thereby suggesting even more un-quantifed research is available. Using ,the method of questionnaires the measurement paradigm created 125 inventories, (Hill and Hood, 1999) to define and classify religious aspects and activities with a view to understanding religion and spirituality more fully, however much confusion still remains and the number of different inventories furthers this confusion. Rather than consolidating existing research, researchers have devised new inventories instead of adapting old ones which suggests that each paper is based on a different definition of religion, (Emmons and Paloutzian, 2003) therefore due to a lack of consensus there is an excessive amount of data available but virtually no theories have been formulated. Hill, (2005) suggests that no new scales should be created until greater clarity is understood. This range of scales has increased an understanding of conventional western religious behaviour, however an understanding of spirituality and experience can only have decreased since it is more subjective in natur e and when taking into account it more ancient origins. Zinnbauer and Pargament, (2005) observe that spirituality encompasses not only religiousness but also many other concepts of spirituality both formal and informal. What can be established from this lack of consensus is that an ultimate consensus is necessary or at least as Emmons and Paloutzian, (2003) suggests a minimum consensus however parameters maybe easier to establish. Further criticism that inventories have received is due to their narrow understanding of what religions experience entails, that they do not recognise unconventional practise which have been categorised as new age despite many such as Buddhism and Hinduism including yoga having much more ancient origins, not taking into account cultural differences or supernatural experiences which questionnaires cannot adequately measure. Belzen and Hood, (2006) have suggested a move away from the measurement paradigm. A new framework has been proposed the multilevel inte rdisciplinary paradigm which incorporates all levels of research from all domains, and promotes the acceptance of all data and for non reductive assumptions to be made, (Emmons and Paloutzian, 2003). The theory behind this research stems from critical social psychology which considers concepts such as Religion, Gender and Sexuality as socially situated, which Faucault, (1971) suggested has been constructed by society through the use of regulations and technologies of the self which are used to self regulate. Durkheim (cited in Pals, 1996) in relation to society, called it mechanical Solidarity. This discursive approach was used by Edley and Whetherell, (1997) who explored the socially situated construction of masculinity. Through analysis a repertoire emerged of the new man however a reference point remained of traditional values also in the discourse suggesting them to be the master and slave while constructing their identity. James (cited in Stainton-Rodgers, 2003) suggested the self to be made up of the I self as knower and the Me self as known however another construct of the self, the inter-subjective self (Stainton-Rodgers, 2003) doesnt divide the self quite as simply as Ja mes, but incorporates what Mead (1927) called the reflective self. It considers the self to be subject to inter-subjectivity, made from the following elements; reflectivity (reflective on their own behaviours), connectedness (interrelated to others and society), intentionality (purposeful and strategic), being-in-the-world (constantly influenced socially and contextually) or as James suggested a dynamic flow of consciousness that is constantly being changed moment by moment. This dynamic self was explored in the transcripts of Diana Princess of Wales interview by Abel and Stokoe, (2001) who found she constructed an inner true self and outer royal self which were reconciled as an ambassador for the people however she constructed two selves in very different ways suggesting that the experimental inventory method of questionnaires cannot fully capture the nature of identity. Not only has the identity of self been deconstructed by critical psychologists but also the concepts used for membership categorisation such as religion, sexuality and gender, masculinity and feminism. Many suggest that the study of Religion and Spirituality is incompatible with the scientific method (Bateson, Schonrade and Ventis, 1993) however both incorporate the study of identity which critical psychologists also suggest is incompatible with the experimental method (Stainton-Rodgers, 2003) a first step however is to employ that which has been lacking to date, namely a universal unde rstanding of both religion and spirituality by either definition or set parameters. A discursive discussion of the definition and distinctions between religion and spirituality originated when, Starbuck (1899), defined spirituality as an instinct, whereas James (1902) considered religion in relation to pragmatics and defined religion and spirituality as institutional and personal religion respectively. Maslow (1976) the Humanist introduced similar descriptions, those being organised religion and personal spirituality however his approach suggested an innate human need rather than free will of behaviour. Maslow further considered spirituality to be naturalistic rather than super natural which is in contrast to the psychology of religion that regards spirituality as being focused on the un-measurable supernatural. A major feature of traditional religion is the following of teachings and a moral code however different forms of spirituality also have an intrinsic learning system (Lewis, 1992). Hall, (1904) considered religion more as a moral code and the facilitation of education of the young. Cognitive developmental research has suggested that children in keeping with Piagets stage theory have a concrete understanding of religion but not until the teenage years and more importantly, if ever, do humans develop an abstract symbolic understanding of religion, (Gorsuch, 1988) though there is very little research. In 1912 Leuba found 48 different definitions of religion (cited in Batson, Schoenrade and Ventis, 1993) with the diversity of religion and spirituality therefore it is not surprising that no single definition is in existence. Zinnbauer and Pargament, (2005) reviewed several definitions and call the situation a flux over meaning. In debate over the construction of spirituality Pargaments defines spirituality as Sacred (1999a 1999b) with Emmons and Crumpler, (1999) differentiating sacralisation as both an internal and external sanctification the internal being the transformation of persons to become holy and pure and external sanctification as that of places, people and objects with the emphasis still being placed on god and religion. McPhillips, (2002) considers the sacred to have been created due to a need for enchantment however it is still based on western practices. Furthermore, this taps into the gender debate since religion predominates with sacred masculinity of God, Jesus, Mohamed, Buddha, for example whereas spirituality incorporates that of a feminine energy, sacred goddess, or a divine mother. Lee (2000) who considered spirituality in relation to feminism cited Ferguson, (1995) who claimed women are alienated by a masculine dominated religion which however suggests that all religions and spirituali ty are engendered. However as Lee (2000) suggests when spirituality is considered within the feminine domain there is a susceptibility of merely reiterating the gender division rather than creating a rebalance. Spirituality however generally refers to both genders, Hinduism has both gods and goddesses and Buddhism refers to the un-gendered Buddha within. Stifoss-Hanssen, (1999) considered focusing spirituality on sacred to be more subjective than necessary and related more to an individuals personal definition of their religion rather than a general explanation implying that what is deemed sacred to one person, is not necessarily sacred to another. Stifoss-Hansen, (1999) claimed that Pargament, (1999) uses general terms intentionally to eliminate forms of spirituality which entirely exclude religion. Having disregarded the concept of sacred Stifoss-Hanssen (1999) argued spirituality as existential and related to meaning, placing spirituality as the more global term. Zinnbauer in, Zi nnbauer and Pargament, (2005) agreed with the global difference however defined and differentiated the search for the sacred by religion being within a traditional framework. However Pargament in the same paper remained with religion but considers spirituality as the search for the sacred and religion as a search for the significance in ways to sacred. Batson, Schoenrade and Ventis, (1993) proposed different definitions for function and substance. This split in the definition of function and substance implies that by defining and distinguishing between religion and spirituality an ideological dilemma exists between its use and content. Further examples of possible ideological dilemmas appear in Zinnbauer and Pargament, (2005) which they refer to as the rise of opposite and polarisation. The rise of spirituality (Hill et al, 2000; Zinnbauer and Pargament, 2005) religion is being described as substantive, static, institutional, objective, belief-based and bad and opposed to spirituality which is conceived as functional, dynamic, personal, subjective, experience-based and good. However this viewpoint maintains the imperialist, westernised concept of religion and spirituality as spirituality didnt necessarily rise, rather the scientific study of religion finally recognised spiritualities prior construction. Dubussion (2003) claims reli gion is a western invented concept, which influences the way religion is defined by constructing western religions as true and thus marginalising eastern religions which do not conform to the western ideal. Wulff (1997) suggested that what had occurred was a change of reference to religion from a verb to a noun. Religion has been defined by Reber and Reber, (2001) an institutionalised system of belief or traditional pattern of ritual and ceremony and is considered to have been devised due to the innate need to understand the human condition. This definition draws on the suggestion that religion is a belief based doctrine and implies any doctrine not only traditional western religious but any form of doctrine should be considered a religion, so a distinction between western Religion and Eastern spirituality is not suitable since many forms of spirituality also contain doctrines. Reber and Rebers, (2001) definition further conceives religion as a function of a meaning system which pla ces religion as a function of essentialism (Paloutzian and Park, 2005). Stifoss-Hanssen, (1999), however considers spirituality a function of a meaning system. Robert (2004) claimed the emerging American return to religion and the emergence of the new age is based on a new search for personal meaning rather than a general, implied and instructed societal meaning system which suggests that not all cultures are at the same evolutionary point with regard to understanding religion and spirituality. James (1902) highlighted the importance of context to meaning and suggested that experience rather than institution should be studied since institutions are a product of experience whereby suggesting a spiritual focus on substance rather than function. Furthermore Zinnbauer and Pargament, (2005) revised the possible distinction to religion as being reduced to its static function and spirituality as dynamic. However a search for meaning (function) does not indicate that the use of religion giv es meaning (substance) or what is eventually accomplished by experience is meaning. It may simply be that meaning is the idea that draws some participants in (function) and their experience (Substance) is something else or vice versa depending on the individual. Furthermore there is no evidence that the sole function of religion or spirituality is for the purpose of meaning or that as the Humanists assume, there is a need for meaning. Following on from the meaning system, Lewis (1992) suggests spirituality as a social and individual transformation however the transformation of both society and the individual may not solely have a spiritual basis since one may be affected by the other. Furthermore no one single model of transcendent reality can be chosen to define spirituality, (Reich, 2000) although transcendent reality can be defined as one concept which explains the experience of spirituality. In the UK the research on eastern spirituality is conducted by (BPS subsection) transpersonal psychology which draws on the humanistic aspects of the debate. Both transformation and transcendence focuses on the individual, which is another factor that often emerges in debate which could be considered as just one aspect of spirituality. Transpersonal psychology does however also incorporate the self help and mind, body and spirit concept which incorporates a how to concept which can still be considered a doctrine that would draw aspects of it closer to religion as opposed to spirituality. Furthermore religious experience could be suggested to also incorporate personal transformation (Lewis, 1992) this adds to the argument that both religion and spirituality have a learning focus. Other concepts emerge however within the debate connectedness (Emmons et al, 2003; Hill and Pargament, 2005; Paloutzian and Park, 2005; Pargament, 1999a; Reich, 2000; Stifoss-Hanssen,1999) is a major concept used to construct spirituality (Keisling et al, 2006; Knight, 2002; Lee, 2000; 2007; Lee and Marshall, 2002; Person, 2002) although what is connected is not so clear cut. Reich, (2000) suggested the connection to be to others, nature and a higher being whereas Lee (2000) found that participants in feminist spirituality constructed connectedness as to the feminine goddess however by connecting to the feminine it doesnt discriminate the possibility of other connectedness or claim that this form of spirituality was for everybody. There is also some use of oneness which is constructed as collective of many different forms. Lee and Marshall (2002) further propose links between spiritual oneness and popular cultures such as the rave scene of the 80s and DIY culture whereby lack of need for personal gain is constructed as spiritual enough however many other popular activities can be linked such as the sporting zone (Douillard, 2001) gifts such as music, writing and art which are often considered to occur with a connection to something else are often called a muse. The concept of religious instinct, that Paloutzian and Park, (2005) constructed as a compulsion, Lee and Marshall, (2002) suggest is the spiritual construction of instinct as a different kind of knowing which uses the vehicular body not just the mind and further as a way of connecting the body and mind and an initiation of transcendence and accessing embodied knowledge and connection to a universal energy (Lee and Marshall, 2002). Hinduism is a particularly good example of this construction together with its incorporation of yoga, as well as meditation within spirituality. Elkin, (2001) also claimed one of the characteristics of spirituality is a mysterious energy, Reich, (2000) called it a higher being and points out that in religion the higher being is god. Dubussion (2003) suggested everything religious to be defined as cosmographic formations which suggests connections through cosmic alignment. Traditional and non-traditional Religions are much better concepts in order to distinguish traditional western religion from spiritual religion such as, new age and eastern religions and spirituality could be defined as experience whether religious, non religious or spiritual. Emerging factors of religion and spirituality rather than a definition are as follows; finding or receiving meaning, religious institution and spiritual self, belief system, doctrine, teaching system and moral code, experience is more closely aligned with being spiritual, and behaviours being distinguished as religious or spiritual. Emerging interpretative repertoires specific to spirituality are as follows; transcendence, transformation, connectedness, instinct, embodied knowledge, higher energy or being rather than specifically a god. There is a dearth of research into spirituality, which is holding back its acceptance as being equal to Religion in research. The discursive debate of interpretative repertoires does not however explain their usage and construction. Engler, (2005) claimed constructionist commentary in the form of discursive discussion of spirituality is weak but plentiful but adds little to the understanding and constructionist research in the form of discursive analysis is strong but in short supply. What is required is strong constructionist work, which considers how spirituality is constructed, however to ignore Religion when considering spirituality is not beneficial. A discursive analysis of the experiences of spirituality is required considering how people construct their spiritual identity and the identity of spirituality. This study has considered the constructive qualities of religion and spirituality, which have emerged from the literature and has found key themes of gender, power and being or doing. Religion is strongly influenced by following a doctrine and by doing religion putting faith in a powerful higher being whereas spirituality is described more by being spiritual and connected and the power coming from within however contradictions in research into mind body and spirit literature also suggests a doing rather than being activity which perhaps is what is confusing the meaning of what spirituality entails. This research will explore what is the nature of spirituality and factors affecting it through discursive analysis of semi-structured interviews with those practicing a particular form of non-institutionalised, non-organised earth based spiritual activities. Research questions/aims: Exploring the meaning of spirituality, and the possible relation to gender and power and how participants construct their identity as a spiritual being. Contrasting peoples experiences of spirituality with psychological research into religious experience and body, mind and spirit. Bring a new perspective to the study of spiritual experience and exploring possible difference between being and doing spirituality.

“As For Me and My House” by Sinclair Ross Essay

Isolation and depression are constant throughout â€Å"As For Me and My House not only in the storyline, but in character development as well. Sinclair Ross creates believable characters by using the climate and weather as a way to emphasize their feelings and emotions. Depression and isolation are the obvious themes that emerge but through out the story a want for more is evident. It is not merely a desire for material possessions but more the desire for an emotional void to be filled. Mrs. Bentley displays strong feelings of the need for material belongings but it is only a mask to hide the love that is lacking in her life. Through the material things she believes she can close the gap between her and her husband. Ross uses the weather and climate to construct characters that his audience can relate to. Both Mr. And Mrs. Bentley have the same characteristics, but the ways in which they are displayed differ. The Bentleys live on the parries where the climate is very dry, and Ross uses the dryness of the land to accentuate what is found in them. They are comparable because the dry weather affects many parts of daily life, and their dryness is a hindrance to each other’s lives. When the weather is dry it affects all parts of life, and it affects the moral of all involved. At church Mrs. Bentley notices that the people are not listening to what the preacher is saying but rather: † they were listening to the wind†, when they listened it was as â€Å"if they were trying to read the sky†(58). The dryness that is felt in the weather is only a reflection of what Mrs. Bentley feels on the inside. Physically she is dry because she is unable to have children. This puts a damper on her spirit because she thinks that if she could have her husbands’ baby he would l ove her and give her the respect that she needs and deserves. She believes that in time she could convince herself that her husbands and Judith’s baby would be hers: â€Å"that in time his son would become my son too†(214). Her dryness can also be perceived in the way she does not see herself as important. She believes that without Philip she is nothing: â€Å"if I lost Philip what would there be ahead of me?†(212). Her failure to see the worth that she possesses brings out the dryness because she cannot fathom that she can accomplish anything on her own. Mr. Bentleys’ entire character can be seen as dry, and even the simplest parts of him are dry. His actions towards everybody, especially his wife, are cold and hurtful, and he does not allow anybody the  chance to get close to him. The way in which he is grown is like that of a cactus, with out much care and thrives in a dry environment. He has thorns to keep anybody from getting close to him, and he does not needs little love to survive. He withdraws from his wife at every chance he gets especially when they are at home alone. He uses his study as a shelter, and the door as a barricade so he does not have to deal with anything but himself. When Mrs. Bentley tries to make him open his door and allow her to be a part of his life he shuns her: â€Å"‘You’d be better with the door open, getting a little breeze’ I ventured, but he sipped his coffee and said ‘I like it shut'†(63). He is dry in the way he talks to the people, and this makes it hard to relate to him. The way he presents his sermons on Sunday mornings have no emotions put in them they are only words coming out since he has no interest in what he is doing. The relationship that the Bentleys have is extremely dry and no matter how hard Mrs. Bentley tries there is nothing she can do to make it better. From the time the couple arrives in Horizon the strain on their marriage is obvious, so Mrs. Bentley is always trying to make Philip as happy as possible. When there is extra money she does not spend it on herself or even on the things that the house needs but instead she spends it on paints for Philip: â€Å"ten dollars toward the horse – our little budget will have to stand it one way or another anyway, so I might as well start out with a flourish of magnanimity – and the other fifteen will go to paints†(106). She hopes that if Philip had something to paint with again he would get out of the mood that he has been in for so long. The Bentley face isolation in a number of ways. They are isolated because they live on the prairies where they land is so vast, and they feel that they do not fit in anywhere. They keep moving from town to town with no real difference being made in the their lives: â€Å"his sermons become tedious, he hasn’t the interest of the community at heart, I turn out to be a snob and trouble maker. Eventually they make it clear to us. We crate our furniture again and go†(14). From their past experiences they do not see a point in trying to make themselves liked by the community because in the end nobody cares about them. Mrs. Bentley is isolated because she does not fit in with the community members. The people are pretending to be something they are not and they have to put up false fronts as a shield to their true selves. This not only isolates Mrs. Bentley from others but from her self because she feels the need to â€Å"erect a false front of [her] own†(13). When she pretends to be something she is not, even if it is to protect her self, it only brings her further away from her true self. Even though they face isolation from others around them it does not bring them closer together. Although they have been married for twelve years they are still like strangers to each other. In Mrs. Bentleys eyes it is all her fault that her and her husband are not close to each other, and she is constantly trying to make herself be an important part in Philips life. At times she feels that she is getting closer to him, but at other times she feels that everything she has done has been done in vain,  "sometimes I feel it a kind of triumph, the way I won myself in his life despite him; but other times I see his eyes frustrated, slipping past me, a spent, disillusioned stillness in them, and I’m not so sure†(44). Mrs. Bentley cannot figure out whom she is if she feels that her husband does not know her and what she stands for. The only thing that she wants is for her husband to be able to share their lives together, and she wants her joys to make him happy as well. Mrs. Bentley does not allow the isolation to conquer her life like it does her husband. The isolation that Philip feels has been with him since he was a boy, and he treated his unwed mother similarly to the way he treats his wife: â€Å"he recoiled from her with a sense of grievance and contempt†(40). From the beginning of his life he always thought there was something better for him that was just out of reach, and when he was a boy it was his father whom he idolized, â€Å"his father all this time belonged to the escape world of his imagination, and his mother to the drab†(41). Unlike his wife it is his choice to be alone. He pretends that he does not need the affection that she does, but he is unwilling to give her what she wants and needs. He cuts himself off from the world by retreating to his art, and through his art he is able to further isolate everybody else by not sharing it. When his wife tries to share his work he becomes angry and even more distant from her, he turns the situation against her: â€Å"I don’t speak well enough for myself. That’s right isn’t it?  You have to put a word in for me – impress them – let them see that your small town preacher husband has more to him than they can see on the surface†(117). Through his selfishness and insecurities he isolates himself in a way that nobody can reach him. Ross creates drastic seasons making it extremely cold in the winter and when it is dry out it is incredibly dry. Mrs. Bentley shows how drastic she can be when she is trying to save one thousand dollars; every thought is spent thinking about it. She is determined to save the money not only to get out of town, but to save her relationship with her husband as well. She realizes that the ‘Horizons’ that they have been living in have destroyed the good man that lies beneath the preacher that she sees everyday. If they could only get out of the town and the life that they are leading the true Philip would emerge, the Philip who is free: â€Å"It makes the thousand dollars important again. If he can draw like that when he’s all shriveled up inside with the guilt of his hypocrisy, what won’t he do when he’s free of it as, able to respect himself again†(183). During the hard times of cold or drought there is relief to free them from their pain temporarily. When it finally rains after months of with out it, it does not just rains but rather it storms. They had wanted rain for so long, but when it finally comes it is not what they thought it was going to be: â€Å"the eaves already flooding over. We stood in the door way with some of the splashes on our faces†(155). The relief that the rain does not last long, and like the brief relief of the rain, Ross uses secondary characters to relieve the Bentleys of their pain. Steve comes into their lives and helps release some of the strain on their marriage, but like the rain he brings more than originally thought with him. At first it seemed like he would bridge the gap between them, but during his stay he ends up separating them even more. Philip has longed for a child of his own, but he turns Steve into a competition between him and his wife. This in turns makes Mrs. Bentley feel awful about herself when Steve would rather be with her: â€Å"It makes me feel a little uneasy, the way we get along so well together. I have a guilty feeling that our companionship is rapidly becoming a conspiracy†(95). Mrs. Bentley believes that change would be good for their  relationship, but in reality it has done more harm than good. With the incorporation of the weather and climate to character development the characters become more realistic. Ross is able to create characters that are believable when he presents their personalities similar to the setting he is using. Through the use of isolation the reader has more empathy towards the family and the hardships that they have faced. Not only does the theme of depression become vivid because of the Bentleys, but also because the time in which it is set is during the depression. The yearning that is had for material things is typical of the time, but for the Bentleys it means much more. The lack of concrete possessions is amplified by the lack of emotional wealth. The well written novel enables the reader to have sympathy towards all characters involved in this work.

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The Sierra Club s Political Program Essay - 1425 Words

The bulk of The Sierra Club’s stances and viewpoints are rife with notions that display the liberal agenda of the organization. Environmentalism and the changes needed to be made to support it are none other than liberal perspectives. As, conservatives, such as blue collar workers and oil companies, are afraid and threatened by new legislation to protect the environment. So naturally, the conservatives oppose such changes in order to continue their operations and not succumb to new environmental measures. This idea is found within the erstwhile Grand Canyon Campaign, in which The Sierra Club compromised with the Bureau of Reclamation in order to save the Grand Canyon from flooding. Though, the bureau still got their power in terms of coal power plants. However, the liberal agenda can be identified most apparently within the various acts of legislation the pushed through to get passed. â€Å"The Sierra Club’s political program is dedicated to electing clean air, clean w ater and climate action champions at all levels of government† (Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia 2016). These Acts dealing with air, water, and other subjects like endangered species, has led to various implementation of regulation within society. The idea of regulations are more liberal as they trust in the government to help take action with these acts rather than a conservatism view in which they believe the government should not be so intrusive. However, despite The Sierra Clubs political spectrum, it isShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Ansel Adams On The Conservation Movement4007 Words   |  17 PagesNational Parks are deeply indebted to the American photographer Ansel Adams. Through his masterful photography, he turned Yosemite National Park into an American icon. 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Environmentalists for example are interested in the urban planning aspects of anti-sprawlRead MoreSpain - A country i would like to visit1771 Words   |  8 Pagesin Spain, let s put it that way.† – Frank Lampard â€Å"In the last 1,000 years, the Arabs have translated as many books as Spain translates in just one year.† – Larry Elder   â€Å"It s like a dream to come to Spain and stay for a couple of years and get somebody to teach me Spanish music.† - Lenny Kravitz Table of contents Introduction ___ 3 Country Geography - Climate ___ 4 History - Money - Population _____ _ 5 Political – Famous PeopleRead MoreThe Events Of World War II1285 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica. The men of the Tenth Mountain Division were essential in developing and revolutionizing the recreational ski industry in America. Bill Pennington states, â€Å"The 10th Mountain Division connections are everywhere in American skiing, whether it s at Vail Mountain, founded by Sgt. Pete Seibert, of the 10th Mountain Division, or in Vermont, home to the 10th Division veteran Cliff Taylor, the Pied Piper of the short-skis-for-beginners revolution more than 40 years ago† (28). The men of the TenthRead More The Impact of Global Warming on Human Health Essay1988 Words   |  8 Pagesproportion, and use them to stir up skepticism.(60) These oil companies quietly fund groups that sound like environmental organizations but are actually used to further their cause. They also pay scientists to try and fool the public. One example is Dr. S. Fred Singer who has received somewhere around 165,000 dollars from companies including Exxon, Shell, UNOCAL, ARCO, and Sun Oil (Berger 62). Unfortunately there is a long list of organizations, publications, think tanks, and even so called scientistsRead MoreCentral Land Issues Of The United States1592 Words   |  7 Pageshave also been used over the past years. 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Breaking it down, general environments refer to the demographic characteristics, general behavior, attitudesRead More The Environmental Lobby and Voting Trends in the United States5545 Words   |  23 Pagesnational trends that impact and influence the environmental lobby’s ability to achieve favorable electoral results, and the manner in which the lobby has responded to those trends. Overall, the American public is receptive to environmentalism, but the political realm is crowded with many competing interests, and the environmental lobby has not yet found a reliable means of influencing electoral politics for the benefit of its policy preferences. Republican Voters The majority of all Republicans supportRead More The Cuban Revolution and the Triumph of Women in Cuba Essay2996 Words   |  12 PagesFidel Castro and the M-26-7 successfully seized power of Cuba’s government in 1959, after years of fighting. The M-26-7’s nationalist movement was able to knock the corrupt leader, Fulgencio Batista, out of power, and in 1961 Castro deemed the revolution to be officially of a Marxist nature. Throughout his 40-year stay as president, Castro has not allowed his revolution to stall, but rather he has allowed it to progress and adapt as he has seen fit. In relation with Castro’s revolution in Cuba has