The Quagmire of Love and Marriage in Smiths White Teeth - Literature Essay Samples

Zadie Smith’s novel White Teeth depicts the relationship between love and marriage in a manner that contrasts from Western expectations. Set in the United Kingdom, the story primarily follows the relationship of Archibald and Clara as compared with the relationship of Samad Miah and Alsana. In many ways, these relationships would not be uncommon to Westerners, but in at least as many respects, these same relationships come to defy certain conventions that Western tradition imposes on the ideal marriage—in Britain’s case, a couple that embodies British national identity. Archibald and Clara represent a couple that, in large part, defies Western, conventional expectations of the ideal marriage simply by being an interracial couple in the first place. Archie is a White man who marries a Jamaican woman, and for that matter, she is toothless when he meets her. In this way, they challenge conventional aesthetics that Westerners are likely to associate with the idea of marriage, which are the surface details; however, a great deal of deeper challenges remain to also serve as a commentary on the differences between their marriage and those proposed by Western perspective. One aspect of both marriages at which Western ideology cringes is the vast age differences involved. Archibald is forty-seven when he meets Clara who is nineteen, and this is the sort of age difference that makes Western society uncomfortable. Deeper still, though, is the fact that they appear to have met by chance, which is in keeping with a significant motif used in the text. Western presuppositions about the ideal marriage, that which coincides with the model of British national identity, attributes this profoundly abstract and immeasurable notion of fate to those who are in love. The idea is that the ideal, budding relationship is fostered out of a love so powerful that it transcends both time and circumstance to ultimately bring two soul mates together, and while the text does hint at Archie’s consideration of this possibility when he meets Clara, the pervasive motif of chance makes a significant showing as well and may even be read as overpowering the likelihood of fate as the reader continues due to how often chance appears. As a matter of fact, the description of their, perhaps, chance meeting is described more as one of chance than of fate. Archie merely ponders the likelihood of it having been fate thereafter, but with fate comes a connotation of certainty that is absent in their meeting. If it were fate, some might argue that they should recognize the moment and appraise it accurately, but Archie and Clara are uncertain of how to classify the experience. The description of their meeting reads: A dark line would now be drawn underneath the whole incident, underneath the whole sorry day, had something not happened that led to the transformation of Archie Jones in every particular that a man can be transformed; and not due to any particular effort on his part, but by means of the entirely random, adventitious collision of one person with another. Something happened by accident. That accident was Clara Bowden. (Smith 56) The long and short of the narration depicts their encounter as an accident. On the b asis of principle, the Western model of marriage suggests that an accident is not ideal but, rather, an unconventional precursor to marriage, and the result is that Westerners would likely view this as the more likely marriage to fail in comparison to one in which lovers claimed to be drawn by fate. Samad and Alsana can be observed to extrapolate just as many challenges to Western conventions of the British model of marriage. In fact, it is worth noting that the British model would be that of a White couple as opposed to a Bangladeshi, immigrant couple. In addition to this, as has been mentioned, Samad and Alsana have a comparable age difference to that of Archie and Clara. In many of the aforementioned, superficial and aesthetic ways, Samad and Alsana fail to meet the rigidly conservative parameters of Western expectations of marriage. In addition to these superficial upsets, Samad and Alsana’s relationship also serves to create several deeper challenges to the aforementioned, Western conventions just like Archie and Clara’s relationship. The institution of marriage, as conceptualized by Western tradition, is meant to perpetuate the true love that was initially fated. Satisfaction with the resultant relationship, in fact, is supposed to magically be automatic, but of course, the Iqbal marriage holds no such delusions of grandeur. Samad explains to Archie his reasoning behind marrying Alsana, and it is more akin to reconciliation with midlife crisis than the Western idea of love. â€Å"Look at me,† Samad tells Archie, â€Å"Marrying Alsana has given me this new lease on living, you understand? She opens up for me the new possibilities. She’s so young, so vital—like a breath of fresh air† (Smith 34). For Samad, Alsana fills a personal void and even enables him to adjust his o wn view of self to a more comfortable one. He holds this conversation with Archie, in fact, with an advisory tone as if to suggest that Archie should be taking to heart the idea that a wife should be whatever a man needs to feel the way he needs to feel to keep living. Similarly at a much later point in the novel, Alsana disillusions Clara of the romantic notions of marriage. Her description can actually be argued as an even less romantic perspective than Samad’s, perhaps more cynical. Her explanation to Clara is that they essentially spend too much time deliberately deluding themselves, trying not to examine their husbands too closely for fear of ruining some modicum of mystique still manifesting in their marriages, but Alsana goes further to explain that, at some point, that which is problematic must be examined up close: â€Å"So look at it—no, dearie, it must be done—look at it close up. Look at what is left. Samad has one hand; says he wants to find God but the fact is God’s given him the slip; and he has been in that curry house for two years already, serving up stringy goat to the whiteys who don’t know any better, and Archibald—well, look at the thing close up †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith 174-5) This demo nstrates an even more cynical view. Alsana’s perspective on marriage, relative to hers and Clara’s, is simply that their husbands are utterly undesirable and that there is nothing worth praising. When she trails off at the end of the quote, she pauses to allow Clara to envision what is problematic about Archie before she finishes, saying, â€Å"†¦ folds paper for a living, dear Jesus† (Smith 175). The problem that arises from comparing these relationships to those that ideally fit the British model of marriage or, more generally, fit Western conventions regarding the ideal marriage is that love is unquantifiable and, perhaps, even unrealistic in the sense that it is a much more uncommon sight than one might expect. The fact that national conceptualization of marriage constructs a model that is not commonly seen means that, of course, the model challenges itself. This is likely one of Smith’s points in writing White Teeth. Relationships are spawned haphazardly throughout the book, even across history, and one of the few constants in observing the depicted relationships is that they do not fit the model. People are conventionally mismatched, which applies not just to marriages but all relationships (e.g. that of Chalfens and Bowdens or of Archie and Samad). The chance occurrences of so many of these relationships also speaks to how unlikely Smith suggests it may be for We stern tradition’s template for love and marriage to be fulfilled because no relationship in the text brings it to fruition. Even the Chalfens themselves serve as more of a fringe rendering of the British model of marriage due to their bizarre, collective independence. Marriage and love are not shown to be mutually exclusive in the text, nor does Smith imply that one is natural precursor to the other. The novel attacks the Western, traditional expectation that love be the principle on which a marriage is based, and it also attacks the notion that marriage is likely to perpetuate or generate that love after the fact. The question of love and marriage, therefore, irrevocably pits tradition against realism such that the two cannot coincide, and examining this phenomenon leads the reader to presume that their inability to coincide may actually be a natural truth. Traditional, Western expectations of love and marriage assert certain ideas about the abstract concept and its corresponding institution that suggest there is an inexorable correlation, yet Smith’s depictions of marriage brazenly chip away at tradition on the basis that there is a time and place for idealism but that asserting romanticized ideas as truth is little more than misleadingâ €”a collection of socially constructed falsehoods.

Policy Paradox The Art Of Political Decision Making

Amanda Thys Policy Paradox Assessment Part #2 MPA 226 May 6, 2015 amanda.thys@gmail.com This paper represents original work written by Amanda Thys. Overall Claims in Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making In Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making (Stone, 2011), the author uses two versions of the political world (the polis and the market) to highlight the paradoxes in political action while also showing the ineffectiveness of many political theoretical frameworks. Stone describes the market as being comprised of individuals who pursue their own personal welfare through their interactions with others; rationality rules in this theoretical construct and people’s decisions can be easily deduced based on what will most benefit them. In contrast to the rational model of politics outlined in the market, Stone asserts that true politics is far more complex. Voters and politicians in the polis are not always well-informed on an issue. They do not always make decisions that would be considered â€Å"rational† and most highly benefitting themselves. They have loyalties and compassion for others an d their decisions are based on a number of social interactions with other groups and individuals. For me, the biggest claim that Stone makes throughout the book is that other political models are too simplistic in describing the political environment and the human interaction that takes place within it. In chapter after chapter in the Policy ParadoxShow MoreRelatedDiminished Education : A Dimensional Analysis1437 Words   |  6 PagesDiminished Education Leads To Chronic Unemployment A Dimensional Analysis Public policy affects the lives of citizens’ every day and their pleas for policy reform is prompting political decisions-makers to reexamine how they shape policies socially, domestically and internationally. 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Why Do People Like to Communicate with Social Networks free essay sample

Social networks are very relevant nowadays. Billions of minutes per day people spend for communication with each other in the social networks, such as Facebook, My Space, Twitter and many others. They radically changed the nature of people’s communication. Social networks have motivated people to seek more and more friends; however, it is not the amount that goes into quality. Sustainable and responsible friendship between the people turned into sharing photos and writing short messages. People in social networks flaunt their lives and post only their most eloquent phrases and images. In fact, they show their pseudo personality which means they simulate the openness and transparency of their lives. Despite all the shortcomings of social networks, there are many advantages and a lot of people cannot imagine their existence without virtual communication. There are three main reasons why people like to communicate and spend a lot of time in social networks, such as group discussions and solving problems, opportunity to interact with people with the similar interests and those who are close, and availability of sheer number of people for interaction. One reason for using social media is group discussions and solving problems. Very often there are situations when people need someones advice to solve their problems. Nowadays, people do not need to think anymore whom to call for inquiring advice and to find who is competent in a particular problem. Social media is the perfect platform for discussion of a specific topic at the same time with lots of individuals. People create special online groups for discussing any issue without restrictions. For example, people may discuss what to cook for dinner or better where to go on vacation. Also, in the world there are many people who have serious illnesses and need urgent financial assistance. In social networks they have a good ability to quickly distribute requests for help. Virtual networks can be very useful and can provide real help because the more people know about the trouble the more likely to find help. In addition to group discussions and solving problems, social media give the opportunity to interact with those who have similar interests and with people who are close. One major advantage of social networks is that everyone can find people who will share similar thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. The main purpose of these networks is a group of users by interests and hobbies. Even someone with very unusual interests and hobbies can find people close to him in spirit. These sites are providing users with all the possible ways to interact with each other, such as videos, chats, pictures, music, and blogs. Every user can create his audience of friends and strangers that associate them in common interests. Also, with social networks people are closer to their friends or relatives who live far away and cannot meet each other often in the real world. They also help find old friends, forgotten loves, or even their soul mate. While some people choose social media’s communication because of the opportunity to interact with those who have similar interests and with people who are close to them, others believe that availability of sheer number of people for interaction is a more important reason. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet American Life Project, social networking has grown faster and changed more than any other internet activity. Pew Research first started their research in 2005. They asked how many internet users were active in the social media. Only 8% of internet users used social media to communicate, which was only 5% of all adults. According to their research taken in 2013, 67% of adults use social networking sites. It is hard to believe that these statistics jumped just in eight years. In social networks, people can meet someone from any corner of the world where there is internet which was not possible before the advent of social networks. There are those who insist that social networks cause people to spend less time on face to face communication. Because of the social networks, people forget how to communicate face to face which is very important for human development. Also, unlike in virtual communication, through personal interaction one can easily see the mood of the interlocutor or his natural reaction to what was said. Social networks cannot substitute real life with its open arms, smiles, firm handshakes, and kisses. Nowadays, people feel more comfortable when they hide behind the internet’s wall. However, social media make it possible for socially isolated or shy people to connect with others and make friends. According to readingeagle. com, â€Å"A lot of people feel the sites are replacing face to face interaction, but they are just an addition. And for some, they are wonderful addition,† Dr. Timothy O’Boyle said. Thanks to social media they do not feel lonely, even despite all the shortcomings, social networks are the only option for them to communicate with outside world. To summarize, surprisingly the shortcomings of these services are nothing like the reverse side of their merits. So, everyone knows that social networks are a convenient platform for versatile communication. However, many are so immersed in these communications that they do not notice anything around. All day long they sit out on their favorite sites and constantly scan the pages of friends and exchange messages with them. Work and study at the same time often go by the wayside because they are much less interesting than the ability to follow the friend’s lives. In principle, the possibility of acquisition of dependence is only one minus of social networking. On elimination, their other shortcomings are actively working teams of experienced developers. Thus, the rational use of social networks will not bring to users of virtual communication anything except good.

Simple magic things Review Essay Example

Simple magic things Review Paper Essay on Simple magic things Since flatmate hoisted Fry me to the monthly trek to a favorite bookstore is transformed into a little holiday. I feel a gentle thrill to the little orange paperback book, the reading of which allows to stretch the pleasure. In contrast, for example, the electrons that literally swallowed in one night. So what happened to the simply magical things, a paper version of which, as it turned out, it was all sold out. I had to download and eagerly grasp the meaning of the laptop screen, which, of course, a few spoil the overall impression Simple magic things. another story about how spends his weekdays Sir Max. Despite the fact that this time the action takes place without unplanned Humgat walks in, he was not allowed to miss devoted people Henha in trying to please Freshly ruler bestowed Max once outlandish little animals and a full complement of at least strange ladies in the best traditions of the Arabian Nights. Nevertheless, at the background of this outrage, more like a day of open doors in the Sanctuary of Mad, there is room for philosophical discussions of Max with the Grand Master of the Order of Water Crow, which to some extent are scheduled the way for its further development and determine the direction for the other characters, to whose fates puts his hand Max. Back impossible instead of us always comes back somebody else reflects Ande Pu, who dreams of escape from Echo, and finally received the long-awaited opportunity. Doubt and fear changes in routines pursues not only Ande but Melamori that can n ot We will write a custom essay sample on Simple magic things Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Simple magic things Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Simple magic things Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer to decide on what to give up everything and go to Arvaroh beloved. All their questions Max has a simple answer. There is no reason for worrying, because, first of all, when fate has any plans, she finds the means to make us act according to its script, and secondly, that would be with us did not happen, thats right . The archetype of the Explorer, that somehow can be traced in all the novels Fry appears in this book. Lois Pondohva puts it bluntly: Do you, you know, a real mania set free all those who turned up under the arm, so much you were born, nothing has changed In this regard, Max the conductor, which is capable of not only travel between worlds, but also a certain way influence the fate of the people around him, escorting them in critical moments of life and helping to resolve the internal contradictions.

Gulf of Tonkin essays

Gulf of Tonkin essays Was President Johnson's decision for retaliatory acts against North Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incidents justified? Or an even better question to ask is, did both incidents ever really happen? To answer these questions its necessary to look at some of the historical background of the region. For much of Vietnam's history it has been under foreign rule, primarily by the Chinese. In 1860, France began its domination of the area and had, by the late 19th century, had several colonies in a number of regions around the Gulf of Tonkin. During WWII, the Japanese government took control of much of the area and set up a puppet regime that was eventually forced out by the Vietnamese at the end of 1945. After WWII and until 1955, France fought hard to regain their former territories in the region, their effort was wasted. The French were finally defeated at Dien Bien Phu on the 8th of May 1954 by the communist general Vo Nguyen Giap. The communist regime set up its headquarters in Hanoi under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. Many North Vietnamese left the country and fled south where the self-proclaimed president, Ngo Dinh Diem had formed the Republic of Vietnam. In the 1950's, the United States began to send troops to Vietnam, during the following 25-year period; the war would c reate some of the strongest tensions in US history. Almost 3 million US men and women were sent thousands of miles to fight for what was a questionable cause. In total, it is estimated that over 2 million people on both sides were killed. On August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese patrol boats attack the American destroyer U.S.S. Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin ten miles off the coast of North Vietnam. They fire three torpedoes and machine-guns, with no resulting causalities. U.S. Navy fighters from the carrier Ticonderoga, attack the patrol boats, sinking one and damaging the other two. At the White House, it is Sunday morning (twelve hours b...

Political Science Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Political Science - Term Paper Example term â€Å"juridification† has arisen as a means of describing the practice whereby prior determination of precedence leads the judiciary in a direction that they would otherwise not follow. Although the term itself seems to imply a type of negative connotation; this should not be understood to be the case in all cases. Rather juridification is merely the outgrowth of an established, historically contiguous and stable judiciary that can have the advantage upon drawing upon a wealth of precedent and prior determinations in order to form an opinion. Likewise, the term itself can also be viewed in a negative connotation as the outgrowth and development of law oftentimes leads down a tightly confined path whereby the judiciary is predisposed to determinations that are seemingly unchangeable and non-elastic with the needs of society; merely based on prior precedent that has stood the test of time. As such, this brief essay will consider this term as well as attempt to determine whe ther the outgrowth and development of law during the course of the 20th century has been a net positive or a net negative for the judiciary and the public. As a function of this, the specific case Liebeck v. McDonalds Restaurants will be analyzed. Although juridification can have a positive effect on creating a channeling effect for precedence to determine the means by which certain cases should be decided; thereby making the job of the judiciary somewhat simpler, the downside to this is the fact that the full original intent of the law cannot be applied in such a way as to create a clear definition of intent based upon a blank slate of logic and information associated with a particular case. As a result, the continuing outpouring of case law, determinations, and judgments throughout the history of the judiciary in this country has served to create a highly complex and storied representation of precedent that only helps to further define and hedge in the understanding of juridification

Services Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Services Marketing - Assignment Example 4). The organization, Esquires Coffee House, deals with coffee products and it is the only franchised coffee house in New Zealand with more than 40 stores (Esquires Coffee House, â€Å"About Us†). Service provided Service is an intangible offering to the customers with little or no transfer of physical products to the customers. Esquires Coffee House provides services to its customers by serving coffee made from 100% fair-trade organic beans (Esquires Coffee House, â€Å"About Us†). The company makes high quality coffee making it available across the globe with standardized service as well as in stylish and comfortable outlets attracting more customers. The symbol of the coffee house makes its intangible products tangible to the customers. USP of the service USP stands for Unique selling proposition and for Esquires Coffee House, USP lies on its coffee beans. The coffee beans are obtained from fair-trade organic coffee along with the latest technology used by the organi zation and every item is made out from topmost and fresh ingredients. As customers enjoy the coffee they can earn loyalty dollars and hence enjoy the reward by FairShare card adding to its USP (Esquires Coffee House-a, â€Å"FairShare†). ... Coffee houses tend to follow the service process including people as its service which takes places directly with the customers. The service process in Esquire’s coffee houses is as follows Figure 1: Service Blueprint of Coffee shops Service as system Esquire’s coffee houses aims to deliver its customers with the best coffee beans available and it is done through effective operations of the beans. The selection of beans is important in the process of making coffee perfect. The operation teams make sure that the best and organic beans are used to make coffee. The marketing department has made use of all the promotional strategy to create and generate awareness among the customers. The customers in the coffee house are served within few minutes after place the order and it can be said that the delivery process is an advantage to the firm. Service management trinity model The service trinity model talks about the three functional areas, marketing, human resource and operat ions (Blythe & Zimmerman, p.158). Operations includes the people, the facilities such as the ambience of the coffee house in Esquire’s coffee houses and the equipment such as the latest technology that is being used by the coffee house to bring out the best quality coffee beans for the customers which is highly invisible to the customers. The operation service also includes marketing but it also highlights components such as advertisements, billing, sales and others that takes place in Esquire’s coffee houses to create awareness. The human resources should be able to recruit and train the people to fit them in the operations and marketing areas. Services marketing environment PESTEL Analysis Political: The political condition of New Zealand is at par with the