Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est"

College Classwork: Communications 2 Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est"

The title of this poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, simultaneously intrigues and draws in the reader to decipher its meaning. If the reader is fortunate enough to understand Latin, he is aware that it means “it is sweet and fitting.” If that same reader is also blessed by being a scholar; being a war historian; being a war veteran; having family that were war veterans or historians that he is close to; or if the reader is a senior citizen (only because this generation is extremely knowledgeable about much of their era) would he likely know the rest of this phrase. Taken alone, “it is sweet and fitting,” might have connotative meanings. Phrasing the title in the Latin language gives images of scholars, physicians, government, or military. “Carpe Diem (seize the day),” “Veni Vidi Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered),” “E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one),” and “et cetera (and other things),” are phrases that many Americans who do not speak Latin readily are familiar with.

The reader’s eyes flow through the first four lines in a state of ambiguity. The setting might be indoors or out as sludge is underfoot and might accumulate in a stone cottage or concrete bunker. As the reader begins to ingest lines 4-8, he gets a clear picture of military men marching with boots, struggling to get away from the battle as stated in line 8, “Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.”

Lines 9 - 17 change in diction from sympathy for the marching men to serious action and surprise as these lines begin with a mustard gas cloud and scrambling among the men to protect themselves from it with masks. All but one has secured coverage and the further lines in this section portray the gruesome physical symptoms of a man contaminated and melting. The first person narrative Owen uses creates a persona to tell the tale. This man is in the group and one of these trudging men who witnessed the scene. Owen creates, through this persona, a disturbing visual in lines 18 – 24 as the men toss this gassed body into the wagon, relaying the fleshly mutations as they appear. The tone of this poem deepens darkly throughout these center lines with one of the milder examples of this description of gas on flesh in line 23, “Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud.”

The conclusion in lines 25 – 28 warns those who spin heroic war tales to young people for the purpose of instilling “it is sweet and fitting to die for your country” to curb their enthusiasm in the telling with reality and even calling “Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori” an outright lie as if he (as a child) was also lied to in this way. The heartbreak of this inner child brought on by the realization that a trusted adult had spun a lie resonates concretely in the tone of the conclusion.

Works Cited

Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est" The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th Edition Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 802-853. Print.

Actors and Actresses

College Classwork: Intro to Sociology Actors and Actresses

Are we all actors and actresses? How do we act in everyday life?

 

 

 

Of course, we are conditioned early on by family, friends, and then school to present ourselves in certain ways at various times of our lives. The saying "he wears different hats" comes to mind and the visuals of, for instance, the dress of mall walkers, church goers, businessmen, or baseball players speaks volumes. We wear costumes in this society and costumes throughout history predispose a society to "act" or fall into dramaturgy. Impression management (attempting to manage the impression others have of you), front and back stage presence (what the audience sees and our true beliefs and feelings respectively), embarrassment, and face saving work (attempts to back pedal and "fix the error), all fall into step with styles of performance. So, do we believe that all interaction is solely for the gain of our status in life? Do we then conclude that all achieved status earned is based on how well that individual learned how to "act" in societal situations? I suppose every different category of Sociologist will give a percentage based slant, but it does lay a foundation.

Stephanie Haile

Societal Change

College Classwork: Intro to Sociology Chapter 4

What are the most important reasons for societal change?

One important ways societies change, is when they grow from hunter/gatherer (wandering and spending the main portion of your energy and time on food gathering) to agricultural (population moves less, begin to build more permanent structures, and grow because there is more available food) to industrial (manufacturing based factory style society) to post-industrial (service-information-technology based) societies. Some of the reasons for change are the structures that provide for patterned relationships change the "norm" in any particular society, like, family, economy, political, legal, and educational systems in a society. These five being social facts, if any of the idea of the institution changes (this would take time), then that given society would then change in response. In addition to the stated reasons for societal changes, I believe to that we are living in a time in America where the communication "norm" is shifting. Fifteen or so years ago, the language spoken in America was known to all as English. Now, a mix of Spanish and English has become the norm even on household and grocery products. During the late 1980's and early 1990's, I remember seeing French as the secondary language on instructions, bottles of cleaner, diapers, packages of socks, etc. here in America. I would also add that a major reason for structural societal change has to be based on the awareness factor of the individuals in that society, to then relate in the conformed manner to the dictates of the rules of that society. As you do something, it becomes second nature or the term "doing it in your sleep" comes to mind. Well, I believe that as a society does ... then teaches what it does to the new ones ... it may begin to leave out the "why", causing the new ones to lose some of their reasoning skills.

 

Example story: One day a mother and daughter were preparing dinner. The mother takes the roast out of the refrigerator to cook for the nightly meal. She begins by slicing off the end of the roast, placing it in a roasting pan, sprinkling spices, and placing it in the oven. The daughter watches and asks "Mom, how come you cut off the end?" The mother stops and stares at her daughter and says "Well, it is how grandma always did it." So, they called grandma to see why she always did it. The Grandma said “the pan I had would never fit the full roast so I had to cut the end off to make it fit into the pan." Sometimes knowing "why" things are done the way they are, effects whether or not we continue doing them.

Stephanie Haile

College Classwork - Ethnocentrism or Cultural Relativism

College Classwork: Intro to Sociology Ethnocentrism or Cultural Relativism

 

Which one do you think we should practice in America - Ethnocentrism or cultural relativism? Ethnocentrism's principle is that an individual’s cultural group or ethnicity is centrally important and that all other groups are viewed as they relate to the individuals own.  This comparative relation serves to define each ethnic group’s cultural identity and all other groups are scaled and labeled with reference to one's own group.

 

 

Cultural relativism's principle is individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood based on and in terms of that persons own culture. Since no global standard of morality exists, there is no right to judge another society's customs. No right or wrong, right or wrong is culture specific. I think a sprinkle of both is happening in America already. I believe many groups view other peoples through a lens of their own based on group activities, values, and beliefs like in Ethnocentrism. Although, I believe the whole "American ideals concept "globally is leaning more towards seeing America on the cultural relativism perspective.  Americans are said to be seen through the American lens in terms of American culture. Both Ethnocentrism or Cultural Relativism have a place in society views and research.

Stephanie Haile

American Values Blog

College Classwork: Intro to Sociology

 

What are the most important American values in your everyday life? Explain your choices.

 

 

The most influential American values seen throughout the country (i.e. family, generosity, education, freedom, etc.) have come to change meaning throughout the "coming of America." Just in my life many of the set American ways and values from my childhood are no longer the norm. These are heavily changing times that I am certain will be documented by study in history. Education is the most important American value in my book, but speaking of books, where you get this education has been increasingly important. History especially I see as being very significant as to where your information comes from. I have had the opportunity to read several American History books. The span of time for the books published was 50 years; all of these books covered the Revolutionary War and the Civil War (of course) and also the eras of WW1 and WW2. I found the discrepancies to be varied and wide at times on crucial truths. I found that the more sources I accessed, the greater an understanding I gained. Knowledge truly is power.

Stephanie Haile

American Sociological Association Code of Ethics

College Classwork: Intro to Sociology Chapters 2 and 3

 

Why is it so important for sociologists to honor the code of ethics published by the American Sociological Association when doing research?

The code of ethics published by the American Sociological Association lists general principles and ethical standards for professional sociologists. The ASA's code of ethics should be used as guidelines for professional activities on a day to day basis for guidance on issues sociologists may face in their profession. Professional competence; integrity; professional and scientific responsibility; respect for people’s rights, dignity, and diversity; and social responsibility are the core general principles listed in the ASA's code and like all successful organization, clubs, groups, states, countries, and institutions, there needs to be an adhered to set of rules, guidelines, and consequences. Especially when conducting research, rules are important to follow so that other scientists may then pick up where the first has left off or even duplicate the research for their own purpose or outcome variables. These rules ensure sociologists are accountable for their research, to gain a level of public and professional trust, and for integrity. The code also houses rules and procedures for investigation, filing, and resolution of complaints on unethical conduct.

 

Stephanie Haile

Six Steps of Social Research

College Classwork: Intro to Sociology Chapters 1 and 2 Six Steps of Social Research

 

What are the six steps of social research? Explain why we have to follow the steps step-by-step in social research.

 After first deciding what topic you want to find out more about, there are more steps to get you toward an answer.

Step 2: Reviewing the literature to gain a better understanding of the topic for research.

Step 3: Ask what do I want to prove or disprove? Forming a Hypothesis is step 3.

Step 4: Data collection is fairly self-explanatory. Collecting the data wanted for the research you are doing now - this is the important part.

Step 5: Analyzing the results of your research to make sense of it all is the next step. Making graphs, charts, or grids gains a visual perspective.

Step 6: Publish and share your research, findings, and procedure to allow others the ability to possibly duplicate your findings or to continue your research in another direction or where you left off.

Following steps, order and pattern out each theory we try to gain a deeper understanding of. As Sociologists, we need to follow a stable formula each time we carry through on a hypothesis to conclude our research. Research must be recorded, being able to duplicate steps, so patterns may emerge.

 

Stephanie Haile

College Classwork Intro

I wanted to catalog my work from Brevard Community College and the University of Central Florida. This blog will be an ongoing College Classwork holding tank or dumping ground for my work as a student as computers freeze and zip drives get lost.

My main goal as a student is to improve my writing and communication skills. This blog will remind me of my early attempts and steer me toward adjustments needed in my College Classwork.

I am currently close to an AA planning to continue to UCF.

Stephanie Haile