Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Analysis

Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Analysis Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot is a play both funny to watch and to read. Yet, the feeling that one walks away with in the end is not one of amusement, but that of slight discomfort. Upon closer inspection, one begins to notice tragic qualities neatly hidden but subconsciously blatant. One also sees the play labelled as a tragicomedy. In an attempt to further explore this issue, I explored the research question: Is Waiting for Godot a tragedy or comedy? To what end do these elements contribute to the play? In order to answer this research question, an in-depth analysis of the various themes present in the play was carried out. Aspects of the play that contributed to each theme were singled out and their respective comedic and tragic elements compared by examining their roles and contribution to the theme. The investigation also extends itself into interpreting the authors beliefs and purposes, namely Luckys speech, to study the tragic or comedic notes. Through my investigation I concluded that there are more tragic than comedic elements in Waiting for Godot, but more accurately, Beckett veils the tragedy of his play behind humour, and uses the comedy to heighten the tragic elements. In Waiting for Godot, a tragicomedy in two acts by Samuel Beckett, two characters unconsciously express the sombre emptiness in life by comical means. At face value it is funny and light-hearted, yet a second glance at the hidden metaphoric and symbolic devices reveals a forbidden garden blooming with tragedy. The two genres complement one another, humour creating tragedy, tragedy creating humour. Indeed, it is this peculiar pairing that qualifies the play both in essence and as a pun: a tragicomedy. At a superficial glance, the play seems full of un-humanlike action and harbours an inane sense of humour. The intended message of the motif is unclear and many of the characters are left hidden in darkness amidst a vast complexion of dialect that is comical at the surface. This hints at the notion that a thin blanket of obvious comedy is utilised to disguise the ultimate tragedy present at heart. This tragedy is carried forth via a splattering of motifs, such as time, meaning and existe nce, and God. By exploring this relationship, a cohesive understanding of the comical and tragic elements becomes possible, allowing us to decipher the roles they play in the play. As such, will elucidate that Waiting for Godot does contain more elements of tragedy, and their significance and meaning are far greater than any of this plays comedic value. II. Analysis In order to investigate both the comedic and tragic elements, an understanding of how they are used in conjunction is necessary. In other words, we must first understand what a tragicomedy entails. By definition, a tragicomedy is a dramatic work incorporating both tragic and comic elements. However, this denotation does little more than restate what we already know. In actuality, the meaning of a tragicomedy has morphed over time. It was initially coin by Plautus, a Roman dramatist in the 2nd century B.C.E. as a play in which gods and men, masters and slaves reverse the roles traditionally assigned to them, gods and heroes acting in comic burlesque and slaves adopting tragic dignity. Then during the Renaissance, tragicomedy became a genre of play that mixed tragic elements into drama that was mainly comic. With the advent of realism later in the 19th century, tragicomedy underwent yet another revision. Whilst still mixing the two elements, comic interludes now highlighted the ironic counterpoints inherent in a play, making the tragedy seem even more devastating. In this way, it can be said tragicomedy is a more meaningful and serious existence than traditional tragedy. Lastly, modern tragicomedy is sometimes used synonymously with Absurdist drama, which suggest that laughter is the only response left to man when he is faced with the tragic emptiness and meaninglessness of existence. The last two classifications are the most relevant explanations and I believe them to be identical to Becketts understanding of tragicomedy when he labelled his play as such during his translation. Certainly, there is comic interlude such as the discussion that occurs between Vladimir and Estragon in Act II during Pozzos cries for help We should ask him for the bone first. Then if he refuses well leave him there (p89), which highlights the tragic state that Pozzo is in through their comically serious bout about whether or not to help him and certainly there too is an exploration of the emptiness and meaninglessness of existence, which is fundamentally the underlying theme of the entire play. A bleak and tragic tone permeates the atmosphere at the beginning of the play. The stage is empty aside from a bare tree and two ragged tramps, Estragon and Vladimir. The very start of the play begins with the narrative, Estragon, sitting on a low mound, is trying to take off his boot. He pulls at it with both hands, panting. He gives up, exhausted, rests, tries again. As before. (p2). Immediately after, Estragon, who gives up yet again, speaks the famous words Nothing to be done, arguably the defining mode of the entire play. The surrounding circumstances of the characters emanate an alien disconnection to the world and leave the audience utterly perplexed and bewildered by the seemingly nonexistent motive of the characters. The tragic elements are seen in the circumstances of the characters, their physical disabilities, their lost sense of time and utmost futility, their doomed existence where à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nothing happens and nothing can be done,à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  and the empty stage while the comic elements revolve around the games the characters invent, their interactions with each other, and the vaudevillian routines. Vladimir and Estragon are portrayed as homeless tramps devoid of purpose, as strongly supported by their paralysis, Well, shall we go? Yes, lets go. They do not move. In much the same way, other characters, such as Pozzo and Lucky, are characterized too as directionless pairs, symbolized by their deafness and muteness in Act II Pozzo is blind(p87). From simply examining the characters, we can see that they, like all human beings, have the potential to become better characters with better common sense. Our definition of normal and expected human behaviour may just as well be non-applicable to the setting of the play, hence the usage of better is questionable. Our expected definition of tragedy may be a derivation of our own experiences. When someone falls into a situation that, as a result of societal conformation, causes us to develop certain emotions, we feel for their loss or misfortune. However, the context of Waiting for Godot places us in a realm so undesirable, because undernea th the initial intentional comedy lies a dimension of tragedy that we cannot clearly relate to, defining itself as delusional even to the point of becoming disturbing. The inane dialogue and personalities of the plays subjects sets a situation so capricious that the limits of analysis must be broadened to accept such ideas of human behaviour before it is possible to understand Becketts message and embrace the idea that one can be so unresponsive to an apparently interminable wait. By capitalizing on the fixed perspectives of the audience, their actions become an absurd comedy that contributes to the tragic tone of the entire play. The unchanging Nothing to be done (p2) reinforces helplessness and utter desperation in lieu of the protagonists. Their physical disabilities are the tragic circumstances that baffles the audience and while making us laugh, shows us the meaninglessness of their existence , such as Vladimirs bladder problems, hinted at when advancing with short, stiff strides, legs wide apart (p2), and Estragons struggles with his feet, disturbed rest, and abuse by individuals he has no memory of, spending the night in a ditch and claims that they beat me, where they is never identified Such dialogue can be labelled as tragic as their own distinct personalities and personal problems lead to the original, main point that comedy merely shrouds the tragedy. An excellent example of such a scenario can be seen on (p85) when Vladimir and Estragon spontaneously break out into unanimous, unprecedented argument and mark each other with insults such as Ceremonious ape! and Punctilious Pig! After the banter, They embrace. They separate. (p86). While at the surface this scene may be deemed comedic due to the spontaneous outburst, if we bring ourselves to look past this, we see that it is tragic when they reconcile. The tragedy exists in their relationship. They both agree that each would be better off alone, as Estragon says You piss better when Im not there. (p64) and Vladimir replies, I missed youand at the same time I was happy. (p64). Despite this, they continue to stay together, not knowing why. Because of this, it can be said that it is tragic how Vladimir and Estragon have no control over themselves nor the external factors affecting them. What is even more tragic is the futility of their wait. The fact that Godot does not ever arrive and that nothing is achieved with the evident passing of time as symbolized on (p62) by the statement that The tree has four or five leaves define the seemingly meaninglessness of their goal. This idea of eternally unproductive progress proves to display a tragic image in the minds of the audience. Right after this scene is another just as tragic at heart. Estragon begins by questioning, What do we do now? (p86) to which Vladimir responds We could do our exercises (p86). This is followed by a series of exaggerated actions and comically tires Estragon out after a simple hop Thats enough, Im tired. (p86). This once again shows their inability to do what they want, an idea that is visited once more at the end of the play on (p109) when Vladimir questions, Well? Shall we go? to which Estragon responds, Yes, lets go. but both do not move. This inability to accomplish such simple actions can be deemed tragic , and questions the purpose of their existence. We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression we exist? (p77). Note that Estragon uses the word impression, implying that they are aware of the meaninglessness and futility of their wait. Something must happen yet nothing must happen when waiting and Beckett skilfully achieves this balance. It is not only the general act of waiting that is tragic, but also the things Estragon and Vladimir do during their wait that is tragic. True to the essence of the play, many of the comical actions are paired with tragedy. The two insult each other and then reconcile. Vermin! Abortion!Now lets make up!(p85) and is quite amusing, except that we once again overlook the tragedy: throwing insults at each other because they have nothing to do. Vladimir loses his sense of time, a recurring motif, after having regained a bit of it Youre sure you saw me, you wont come and tell me tomorrow that you never saw me! (p106) and Was I long asleep? I dont know. (p107). His uncertainty is humorous, but the same uncertainty creates a sense of disarray. What this multitude of examples signify is mankinds inexhaustible search for meaning, to which Beckett believes leads nowhere but tragedy, and that comedy, imbued with tragedy, is tragedy itself. Through this, human life, its meaning and existence, as displayed in Waiting for Go dot, concludes in tragedy. Vladimir and Estragon are not the only characters used to express tragedy. Another pair exists, and they play just as crucial a role as the others. Pozzo and Lucky are portrayed in such a way that it is hard to imagine that Lucky was once Pozzos mentor, and is now treated like a slave. Masters and slave reversed the roles traditionally assigned to them. He is depicted as the most intellectually vacuous character, yet it is suggested that he has a past which hints at the fact that Lucky can think, recite, and sing, strongly reinforced by his lengthy, confusing, and almost nonsensical speech: Given the existenceunfinished (p45-47). However, I find it doubtful that Beckett would dedicate so much text into a speech if its sole purpose was to confuse. Luckys speech reveals that he must have spent many hours exploring the deplorable human situation. By meticulously breaking down Luckys outburst, one will see that, just as Beckett has hidden tragedy inside comedy, there is a deeper meaning concealed within the speech and its purpose is not solely comedic. Reasonably speaking, Luckys speech during the play appears completely disoriented, a chaotic mass of incoherent language, given the short amount of time the audience has to process each clause. But going past this comical veil of nonsense, a spectacular construction put together as meticulously as the play itself materializes. The speech has three distinct parts. The first part of the monologue begins by assuming the existence of a God as a given and then describing him. Removing extra phrases, we get roughly with white beardoutside time without extension wholoves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknownare plunged in tormentin firewhose firewill fire firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm (p45) God is described as a paradoxical fatherly figure always present regardless of time, whom may be affectionate, but at the same time states that if it is, many are excluded. That those beings are sent into hell, symbolizing earth, into fire, whose fire w ill destroy the blue and calm vault of the sky (firmament), which is a contrast between peace and human suffering. Then there too is the mention of divine apathia, divine athambia, and divine aphasia. Divine refers to God. Apathia is apathy and means the absence of passion, emotion, or excitement. Athambia is imperturbability, to be incapable of being upset or agitated and not easily excited, and aphasia is an inability to vocalize. These three Greek words serve three purposes. The first is that they have characterized the impuissance of Christianity as a modern religion. God is apathetic: he does not intervene. God is imperturbable: he has never been reached by living humans. And God is aphasic: he has never spoken, even to prove his very own existence. In this sense, Lucky, who in this case represents the literary embodiment of Beckett, is rejecting the existence of a God, by stating that even if he did exist, he has abandoned us, leaving only despair. The three words also serve as Becketts view on what the direction society as a whole is headed towards. That we are gradually becoming wrapped in apathy: we do not seek out others; wrapped in athambia: others are unable to reach us; and wrapped in aphasia: there is no more voice, with the advent of Internet and social communications/networking. Finally, the three words describe Luckys deterioration. It expresses, in turn, his lack of emotion, followed by an oblivious awareness of his surroundings, and lastly, when we next meet him, his voice. This perhaps, serves as a metaphor for the decline in the human quality, alarming and appalling. It would appear then, that this first part of Luckys speech hides a dreary and tragic tone underneath the torrent of disorientated words. The second part of his speech becomes increasingly difficult to decipher. There are many more interruptions and repetition of phrasing, obscuring the message. This perhaps may be on purpose, as Beckett could be expressing the repetitiveness of life and its lack of meaning. Condensing recurring phrases and removing interruptions, I get and considering what is more that as a result of the labours left unfinishedthe labours of menestablished beyond all doubtthat manwastes and pinesin spite of..the practice of sportsof all sortsconcurrentlytime will tellfades awaythe death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per headno matter whatthe facts are there (p45-46) The message here says that, to add onto the absence of God as previously stated (hence labours unfinished), it is confirmed, without a doubt, that man is in a state of decline, despite technological advancements (labours of men) and physical exercise (practice of sports). Bishop Berkeleys death marked the begi nning of this fall. With all this happening at once, only time will tell when we will eventually fade away. Lucky attempts in his speech to bring back Berkeleys harmonization of God and science, but ends up doing the opposite. By associating each head with one inch four ounce, it quantifies life and hence devalues humans, slowly reducing us to an execrable state. It becomes apparent that the comedy of Luckys speed is only a cover up, the real message is an appalling and tragic commentary on human progress. The increased entropy in Luckys speech is reflective of his life. He was once very intellectual and had great mental capacity, but just like man, has degraded. This third and final part of his speech can only be described as chaotic and anxious, building up towards a climax. and considering what is much more grave that in the light of the labours lostin the plains in the mountains by the seas by the riversrunning firethe great cold the great darkthe earth abode of stonesI resume the skull fading the flames the tears the stonesthe skull the skull the skull the skullalas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skullthe stonesso calmunfinished (p46-47) These ideas explain that as a result of this decline (labours lost), grave consequences appear, in the plains, mountains, seas, and rivers. Running fire symbolizes widespread chaos, followed by cold desolate despair, alone. The earth becomes reduced to stones, and skulls, representing the death of men, wastes away. Chaos tears through the earth, and death is rampant. As God has abandoned men, left them unfinished, death continues on earth, and there is calm because unfinished. He is cut off with unfinished as his last word, referring to the incomplete speech and shrinking of mankind. With the conclusion of the final part of Luckys speech, it becomes apparent that while it indeed fulfills its role as amusing humour, the true meaning is cataclysmic, and the fact that we are laughing at it is dramatically ironic. Luckys speech has much to do with time, with good reason. The play contains a series of events where time seems to be moving at a crawl, if at all. It is something much more complicated than it may seem. On the surface, time is a numerical in which growth is measured. On a much deeper level, time can be very difficult to define. Throughout the play, the main concept of what time really is, is examined. In the context of what has happened or what will happen, time can be classified as good or bad. In Waiting for Godot, the stress of waiting makes time drag. If time is what growth is measured by, if nothing changes, did time really pass? Within the play, we await change, waiting for Godot. However in reality, things change as a constant, where we do not realize we are waiting. It is only when change is slow to come when we realize that we are in a state of inaction. It is during this realization that brings a source of pain to the individual. Vladimir and Estragon constantly strive to be spontaneous and dynamic in order to ensure change, but always come to the inevitable realization that they were waiting. Characteristic of the play, we often hear them say Lets go. We cant. Why not? Were waiting for Godot. It is comical how Estragon seems to forget their purpose, and is constantly reminded, but more importantly, this shows their sudden realization of their anticipation of change. Yet Godot himself never appears in the play. His identity is irrelevant, what is important is the act of waiting for someone or something that never arrives. He is the essence of change and a final solution. The repetition of his name impresses upon the audience the same feeling of anticipation. It is tragic as the play concludes that Godot never does show up, demonstrating that the two acts are but a slice of a cycle, or of two mirrors reflecting endlessly. The end of the play can be matched to the beginning. Nothing has changed, little character development is made and what little changes that have occurred have reverted back to original, such as Vladimirs epiphany in which he proclaims: Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! p(91) and coerces the audience into thinking that perhaps, finally, some semblance of development will appear. Alas, the powerful soliloquy reaches an anticlimax, interrupted by the constant change of topic inherent in the play. Time appears to be circular , as opposed to linear. The latter has broken down, because events do not develop into progress and change. The boy returns bearing identical messages, Godot never comes and tomorrow never seems to arrive. Vladimir mentions that time has stopped (p37). Estragon and Vladimir, during their finite existence, are moving relentlessly towards a presumably unobtainable event. It is like an asymptotic curve, always getting closer to a value, but never reaching it. Estragon expresses this tragic fate of uneventful repetitive existence as he exclaims, Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, its awful! (p43). The realization that there will never be an end to the waiting is evidence for their contemplation of suicide, as Estragon says, What about hanging ourselves? (p12). Once the audience has grasped this, a plethora of ideas emerge. Some are linked to other themes in the play, such as the meaningless in waiting, because it stops time and progress, whilst the repetition of the setting emphasizes the repetition of life. Thus as we have seen, while the play maintains a humorous shell, as it progresses, the audience begins to feel sympathetic. The time that Vladimir and Estragon spent together was comedic, but after peeling apart this shell and revealing to us their consciousness, devoid of time, we will find naught but woeful anguish. VI. Conclusion The comedy present in Waiting for Godot turns into tragedy at the instance the audience understands the helplessness of Vladimir and Estragon. Unhappiness is one of the funniest things we as humans see, but at the same time, it is despairing. The way Pozzo treats Lucky is hilarious, to both the reader and audience. Lucky is constantly jerked around by his rope and this exaggerated action creates humour, but at the same time, we overlook the cruelty that is so obviously implied. It is tragic how we so readily accepted this treatment, and as the play continues, laugh at it even more. This signifies a part of Becketts view of human nature, that it is not until it becomes personal do we start caring about the tragic tones and implications. Comedy has been suppressed by the tragic elements. The play becomes a tragedy imbued with tragedies. The small, easily noticed tragic happenings contribute to a greater, deeper despair. Such as Estragon suggesting death as an escape. It is sad to see one suggest such a thing, yet it is also funny because of the nonchalant light-hearted way he suggests it, as well as the conversation that ensues. The two tramps engage in meaningless, pointless activity to pass the time, waiting for something that never comes. This absurdity is a fundamental source of tragedy. However, what is really tragic is that in the end, they are unable to make a decision, to live or die and as a result of this hesitation, are forever frozen in progress. This essentially shows their paralysis of time and continuity. Didi and Gogo are stuck, day in day out, waiting for Godot to no avail. This act of waiting is the very thing Beckett is trying to portray. It is only during lapses in action, where we are waiting, th at we begin to realize the meaninglessness of what we are doing. An overwhelming sense of despair washes over the audience in this moment of realization, and all sense of humour is gone. All that is left is a mixture of anxiety, confusion, and hopelessness.

american gods :: essays research papers

American Gods There was silence as they crossed the bridge. "Who did kill those men?" she asked. "You wouldn’t believe me if I told you." "I would." She sounded angry now. He wondered if bringing the wine to the dinner had been a wise idea. Life was certainly not a cabernet right now. "It’s not easy to believe." "I," she told him, "can believe anything. You have no idea what I can believe." "Really?" "I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren’t true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they’re true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen-I believe that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone’s ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we’ll all be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind’s destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it’s aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there’s a cat in a box somewhere who’s alive and dead at the same time (although if they don’t ever open the box to feed it it’ll eventuall y just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself.

Sociology and Social Sciences

The traditional social sciences which have been developed as part of the totality of learning in the West have been brought over to Asia. It is now becoming increasingly evident that the validity of such social sciences, whether in the realm of research theory or of action policy, can no longer be accepted uncritically. An appreciation of what is valid or invalid, applicable or inapplicable, is therefore imperative.Such analysis is necessary not only as an academic venture; social change is basic to the Asian aspiration for modernization and the need is urgent for such change to be directed towards the achievement of what may well be Asian as distinguished from non-Asian goals. CULTURE The problem is clear and present. The Asian academic world, until now, has been staffed with many scholars whose training has been, for the most part, in Western universities and institutions. At the same time, the political and intellectual leadership in the larger life of its society is held to a sig nificant degree of Western-trained leaders.The orientation of many of these leaders has been conditioned by the predominantly Western culture. Trained to think in Western terms through the medium of Western languages, some are experiencing a reawakening to the reality of their situation. Asian intellectuals are undergoing an agonizing period of soul-searching. Their system of values, developed through years of training in, and broad exposure to, Western philosophies, is being shattered by a realization that these values may not be suitable to the Asian environment.Recently, Professor Ruben Santos-Cuyugan of the University of the Philippines expressed misgivings about the movement towards the unification of all knowledge, including the assumption of â€Å"universal categories of culture† and the universality of value judgment. This movement, according to him, makes the social scientist evade one of his fundamental responsibilities which is â€Å"to examine the ways by which h is science and thought, indeed his very perceptions, are rooted in the matrix of his own culture† (Santos-Cuyugan 1967). POLITICSIn the meantime, in the realm of politics, the postwar leaders of Asia have discovered that independence has not automatically ushered in the Utopia. Thus, they are not seeking the nature and structure of government that will best meet their needs, the political philosophies their peoples should embrace or adopt, and the policies that will bring about the good society by their indigenous standards and values. A starting point is the fact that with a few exceptions, the developing countries of Asia profess belief in freedom and human rights, the rule of law and constitutional government.These concepts and maxims are manifested in their constitutions. However, in spite of guarantees enshrined in their constitutions, these countries find it difficult to achieve real constitutional democracy. For the constitutions of the West have, in many cases, been tr ansplanted to Asian soil without the historical experience that nurtured them in the West, where they were the products of a long period of evolution and development. Democracy implies mass participation by the people in the political process.But if the people are not sufficiently educated in the processes of democracy, or have not sufficiently imbibed its spirit, how can it flourish? In fact, one wonders whether or not the structure of government of the Philippines, patterned as it is after the outlined in the American Constitution, is not really a hindrance to, rather than an instrument for, national development. In any case, it has become quite clear that Western-style democracy has to be modified so as to satisfy the urgent Asian desire for economic progress and social justice.Liberty, as this term is used in the West, has mainly the negative connotation of freedom from arbitrary restraint. In the Asian setting, it must be given a positive content; governments have to assume a g reater responsibility for providing opportunities for the growth and self-realization of citizens. In the same manner, â€Å"justice† has had mainly a political connotation in the West, where it is usually associated with law and social behavior. In Asia, if political justice were not integrally related to economic justice, it would be almost peripheral to the real problems.In so far as Asians are concerned, economic justice is the more relevant concept because it touches the heart of the existing social order. In this sense, it is associated with the eradication of poverty and the alleviation of human suffering. Another qualification should be made. There is so much lip-service to the concept of â€Å"rule of law† in many Asian societies. By this, people are supposed to be guided by certain legal precepts in their social relations. However, in the Philippine experience, despite the fact that most Filipinos are professed and vocal adherents of the â€Å"rule of law.â € They do not find difficulty in transgressing legal rules because in the business of everyday living, non-legal rules oftentimes command greater obedience than legal ones, especially when values such as family and kinship ties are involved. This is part of the explanation of such phenomenon as nepotism. Which is certainly frowned upon by the formal laws of society, but which is carried out in practice by almost everyone in political authority. Finally, bureaucracy, as an institution, is in external forms and manifestations similar to its prototype in the West.The same formal methods of recruitment, of organizational charts, of job descriptions, etc. , are utilized. But the ethos that animates Asian bureaucracy is obviously quite different from what animates Western bureaucracy. ECONOMICS The discipline of economics fives many illustrations of the limits of applicability of Western concepts, values and methods. The most evident at the moment is the emergence of new branches of st udy, such as development economics, and of a more socio-psychological approach to the study of economic systems than Keynesian economics allowed at an earlier period.Thus even in the West, there is a growing recognition (e. g. , Hagen 1962), that if economic growth is to occur, a country’s cultural patterns must be such as to produce â€Å"high need-achievement† directed towards â€Å"clusters of followers† once innovations are made. In fact, to achieve substantial economic development, it is suggested that the number of individuals with the entrepreneurial-motivational complex, and particularly with high achievement drives, will have to be significantly increased.Again, many Western economists have been laboring under the assumption of conventional analysis that the missing elements in developing societies are modern technical knowledge, capital, specially trained manpower, and a sound plan for using capital, manpower and technical knowledge. Once these element s were made available, they assumed, progress will automatically ensue. The international economic policy of the Western nations have therefore generally been geared towards providing these missing elements, with perhaps the strongest bias being in the provision of capital as the principal agent of development.The view is still widespread that if Asian countries can only obtain, through their own efforts or through foreign assistance, as sufficient amount of capital, they would be able to â€Å"finish the job† of development. The truth is that investment, whether public or private is subject to the risks, uncertainties and eccentricities of the poor public administration. Since development is a process, it is subject at every stage to how effectively the government can execute its plans.Moreover, it is now clear that traditional marginal analysis, however useful it may be as a basis for the understanding of advanced economics, can be very misleading for underdeveloped ones. W hen such factors as population growth and technological progress are made an integral part of analysis, instead of being left out altogether as in traditional equilibrium theory, out analysis can lead to policy conclusions exactly the reverse of what orthodox equilibrium theory might suggest.Even with the emergence in the West of development economics as a new field for the study of developing countries, certain biases continue to show. An example is the fact that in the West, economic development as a goal has been reckoned almost exclusively in terms of increases in annual national income. The corollary problem of income distribution has been merely glossed over. This is a serious omission because of the existing wide disparities in incomes among the peoples of the developing nations. This is illustrated in Philippine society.For this society may be likened to a social pyramid with an acute apex and a very broad base. At the apex is a very small segment of society, the rich and th e very rich; at the base are the broad masses of those who are poor and very poor. The constellation of power in our society has traditionally consisted of the hacendero-politico class at the apex of the social pyramid, which held sway over the lives of human beings. More recently, a new industrial class has appeared to increase their numerically few but historically powerful ranks.The elite class enjoys the benefits of modern technology and the affluence that it makes possible while the vast mass of the population lives close to the subsistence level. There is this a distressing and ever-widening gap in the process to goods and services. It is clear, therefore, that to be relevant to the realities of the Asian situation, economic development should not be reckoned only in terms of annual rates of economic growth, or of doubling national incomes in a decade.It should be vitally concerned with promoting economic justice, in spreading more widely the benefits of economic progress, and in continuously opening up new opportunities to an ever-widening circle of entrepreneurs and investors in the developing countries. In short, the achievement of economic democracy has to be a primordial goal, alongside the acceleration of the growth process. SOCIOLOGY In the realm of rural sociology, many practical limits to Western social research concepts and methods have been actually discovered in the Philippines. Methods and TechniquesTo begin with, planning a research project on the Western pattern is often not warranted by the amount and quality of available resources. There is, for instance, the problem of shortage of local professional social researchers compounded by the attitude which rural folks have for those social researchers. In the West, its rural folks are used to extension workers, welfare-agency volunteers, missionaries and the like. On the other hand, Philippine researchers and interviewers have been looked upon as philanthropists, as some sort of Rockefeller o f Ford Foundation representatives ready to give out material aid (Feliciano 1965).The establishment of concepts and definitions has not been easy. Social research is built around a framework which requires certain concepts such as household, family, literacy, religion, cooperation, and the like. But a research group, led by Professor Gloria D. Feliciano of the University of the Philippines, has recently concluded that in diagnostic studies wherein these concepts need to be stated in more refined or precise terms, an adaptation is necessary to avoid getting inaccurate data (Feliciano 1965).The term â€Å"religious affiliation. † For instance, has a connotation in the Philippines different from that in the West, where individualism and not â€Å"familism† prevails. In the West, it implies not only membership of an individual in a religious group. But usually religious preferences as well. In the Philippines, where close family and community ties are predominant, religiou s affiliation becomes a family or community matter. Hence, the term does not necessarily imply the religious preference of the individual.Another example mention by a Philippine research group has to do with family types: In this country (Philippines), one may not find a simple or nuclear family defined and interpreted according to Western standards. For, although it may appear simple nuclear structurally, functionally it usually partakes of the character of the extended type. Studies in recent years have exploded the myth that structurally the Filipino family is of the extended type. Rather, they showed that although the majority of the nuclear families live apart from one another, this did not deter them from helping one another in times of need or crisis.  (Castillo 1963 and Feliciano 1964, cited in Feliciano 1965).In reporting one of his studies, a Filipino researcher expounded on the problem he encountered in regard to the concept of cooperation: In the West, where this term gave rise to cooperatives, one usually thinks of it in terms of a disciplined, highly ordered code of behavior, de-emphasized family loyalties, rigid business principles, and a high degree of rationalized behavior. In short, the term has come to be associated with individual independence.In the Philippines, however, where the practice is deeply rooted in familiar or family ties, it is a matter of interdependence among indivuals. (Provinse 1960, cited in Feliciano 1965). Finally, insofar as the concept of literacy is concerned, a further refinement of sub-types is needed in the Philippines. It has been discovered that very often one encounters people who could literally read and write but who do not fully understand what they read or write.Role of Women, Role of Education In another report, Professor Gelia T.  Castillo, a pioneer rural research scholar in the Philippines, has found it necessary to reexamine the role of women in the development scheme (Castillo 1964). Her findings s howed such strong female influence in family and farm decision-making that for purposes of development work, it would be more fruitful to classify the Filipino woman in the rural scene as an active initiator, legitimizer, and decision-maker in her own right, rather than just a person who plays a mere supportive role to her husband, her father, or her barrio.A closer examination of the role of education has likewise been suggested because, while it is a potent instrument for effecting change in agricultural production, education acquires a different dimension when it â€Å"rules out mud on educated hands. † This view has been corroborated by another rural researcher, Professor Juan F. Jamias (1967). Who has an interesting explanation for the effectiveness of the â€Å"verbal culture† (education, research and extension) in increasing agricultural productivity in the Philippines.He states that the agricultural college degree in the Philippines has been â€Å"white-collar ized. † He cites data on the employment distribution of graduates of the College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines, which show that except for 8 percent engaged in farming, all the rest may be classified as white-collar workers. A later and more comprehensive survey revealed that only 1. 3 percent were actually engaged in private farming or business. Most of the graduates were actively involved in teaching and extension work. There are other examples of generalization that need closer scrutiny.In community leadership, does youth versus age necessarily mean change versus status quo? Is the mutual self-help circle, often regarded as an existing resource for cohesive community action, coterminous with the village unit of operations? The problem of concepts and definitions aside, the Feliciano research group has found out, too, that Western scientific sampling techniques are quite difficult to apply because, oftentimes, sampling universes such as geographic, or politic al subdivision lines are not definitely established.Furthermore, in many places, the basic socio-economic structure of the occupational groups, ethnic and religious groups, and types of land-use and land ownership have not been objectively defined. Raw Materials from Research in Action Programs The traditional social research method, which has come down to us from the West, calls for empirical evidence to support existing ideas. Our experience shows that rural research theory in the Philippines, in fact, being enriched by various experiences in research in action programs.The findings of Professor Gelia Castillo show that the researcher in action setting â€Å"has a unique advantage in obtaining substantive and methodological insights while actually participating in real life events which are part of the process of bringing about change. † At times, she says the problem which defies any design except the kind which involves a faithful description of down-to-earth happenings, is the most fertile source of insights. Examples to support this view have been cited.In the Philippines, many extension workers have claimed that most of the researches done are not practical and economically feasible under village conditions (From The Innovator, 1965). In the Philippines, experience, new theories in rural sociology are arising from empirical evidence. And the existing facts and data gathered are quite interesting because they are the results of pioneer efforts, empirically identified with their meanings laid bare rather than assumed by the conceptualizer. Truly, the agents of change in rural Philippines are breaking virgin ground. Knowing One’s AudienceAs we have said, in effecting directed social change, Western social scientists have focused their attention on knowing one’s audience. Even in the voluminous literature on diffusion studies in the United States, rarely have investigators addressed themselves to the nature of the innovation and the cha racter of the carriers of change. Among the advocates of change, there is an unchallenged assumption that the change being introduced is good, that the change agent is effective and that, therefore, the farmer who refuses to accept the innovation is irrational (Castillo). To be sure, the audience should be known.Who is the Asian farmer, for instance, whose ways are sought to be changed? This is an extremely important question. Again, one should know his audience in order to evaluate his data. It has been found that the reliability of farmers’ responses depends upon the respondent’s image of the researcher or interviewer and their expectations from the project. The Role of the Change Agent Be that as it may, to understand the subsistence farmer’s response or lack of response to the innovations sought to be introduced, the innovation itself must be proved, and the role of the change agent fully studied.On the latter point, one of the findings is that oftentimes a change agency is as rigid as the farmers it seeks to change. A former consultant has been quoted as saying that â€Å"the problems of development exist just as much in the organization charged with instituting change schemes as they do in the populace they are trying to change. † (Kumata 1960) To other findings have come out of the Philippine experiments. One is that a change agent can hardly expect to be effective unless his roles is accepted by his clientele.Rapport with the villagers, therefore, becomes a key factor. The other is that the agent of change in the Philippines should have a versatility unmatched by his counterpart in the West. The enormity and diversity of problem situations he comes to grips with require an interdisciplinary thinking, especially when he is the only social scientist within a radius of many kilometers. He should not be just a rural sociologist or an agricultural economist but a social scientist with expert preparation in his own discipline.He n eeds sophistication in social theory, mastery of research methodology, adequate comprehension of bureaucracy and political behavior, and intensive exposure to the world of village action, administration and policy. Towards a Theory for Developing Asian Nations It is of the highest priority that the teachers and practitioners in the social sciences in Asia emancipate themselves from the value-bias of Western concepts and postulates of reasoning. There is need for escaping the universalizing that characterizes much of the social sciences as they have developed in Western academic circles.Asian social scientists should undergo a truly creative engagement with their own culture and society, making use, in the process, of frameworks that provide standards of relevance to the experiences and aspirations of their own people. It should be constantly borne in the mind that there are limits to the applicability of Western concepts, values and method to Asian realities. It is important therefo re, that organized efforts be undertaken to compile and codify the vast amount of scattered data on particular subjects of social research in the different countries which are to be found in research offices and libraries of universities.With a commitment to intellectual efforts with a decidedly Asian value base, more genuine works of scholarships in the social sciences should come out of the academic world. With the growing data from field works and social sciences which enable d us to verify the referents of concepts in our respective countries, we may usefully embark on the ambitious project of setting up a theory for the developing Asian nations, and in the process, hopefully, understand ourselves.

Public Awareness and Human Disease - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 635 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/09/11 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Public Awareness and Human Diseases University of Phoenix (Axia) Instructor Lauretta Nester By Crystal Blair July 05, 2010 Everywhere a person looks, and everywhere a person’s eye can see, there are people struggling with being overweight or obese. Every year more and more people are diagnosed as being overweight or obese. For a person to be overweight is very common and most people know someone who is experiencing it or is experiencing being overweight themselves. The lack of knowledge people must have on the severe risks a body undergoes from being overweight or obese is harmful. More people should be educated on the foods they intake and the lack of exercise, and what all the harmful affects it has on the body. Obesity is a serious disease that can easily be avoided. Obesity can be fought by simply eating healthy and staying active. In America today, almost one person out of every three are considered to be obese https://www. mayoclinic. com. This statistic does not include how many people are overweight and heading towards obesity. This disease is one that can target anybody anywhere. Although becoming obese can happen to anyone, it seems to hit the hardest in lower income families. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Public Awareness and Human Disease" essay for you Create order In some cases there is genetic reasoning behind being obese. The main reason, or cause, that a person becomes obese is because the calorie intake consumed is greater than the body would burn on a normal day. The body stores the extra energy that it did not need to use, into fat. To put it in another way, food is energy for our bodies. If a person consumes 3500 Calories in a day and the body only needed to use 2000 calories of energy, it will be turned into fat that is stored in various places of the body. There are so many health risk factors associated with the disease obesity. To name a few risk factors in association with obesity there is high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis, and severe depression. A person who is obese is ten times more likely to develop diabetes. High levels of sugar in a diabetic’s blood damages tissues and can also cause liver damage. Cardiovascular trauma is likely in obese individuals. The heart has to work overtime to send blood to all the tissue which can lead to congestive heart failure. High cholesterol can lead to heart disease and hardening of the arteries. Obesity also interferes with breathing and can cause sleep apnea, which is when a person suddenly stops breathing in the middle of the night. Arthritis is caused because the joints are not built to hold so much weight and they break down. Depression is a very common on amongst obese people. They have low self esteems and find it hard to meet new friends and try new things. The risk factors for the disease obesity can absolutely be controlled. The answer is to eat healthy in healthy portions and become more active on a daily basis. A person needs to make themselves get up and go do something active. The couch and the television is an obese person’s worst enemy. It is very easy to sit in front of the television all day, getting no exercise, and simply eating out of boredom. This packs on the pounds, and it happens fast. It can sometimes be very difficult to know how to eat healthy. It does not have to be boring. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less fatty foods like potato chips and cookies. The next simple step is to do something active every day. It could be going for a walk or riding your bike, go for a swim in the pool. There are many activities to choose from so pick one that you like and have fun with it.