the "code hero" in A Farewell to Arms, and Atticus as a hero in To Kill A Mockingbird

An analysis of the Hemingway "code hero" in A Farewell to Arms, and considering Atticus as a hero in To Kill A Mockingbird.

The idea of heroism is often explored in literature. The works of Ernest Hemingway, including the novel A Farewell to Arms, feature “code heroes” adhering to a specific set of ideals despite great pain and difficulty. Heroes in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrate courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. In both cases, the heroes adhere to their ideals depsite enormous challenges.

The Hemingway “code hero” demonstrates composure and adheres to his or her ideals even while facing the harsh realities of the world. A code hero understands the reality of “nada” (nothingness) that is the core of Hemingway’s writing; the essence of nada is that life has no purpose or meaning. The lack of purpose and meaning that is key to nada also means that human lives are dictated by chance. As part of his or her understanding of nada, a Hemingway code hero has no religion or belief in an afterlife, instead living fully while alive. Code heroes experience meaningless losses that serve to emphasize the random nature of nada. Rather than despair at his or her knowledge of nada, however, a Hemingway code hero seeks pleasure and happiness, living his or her life while alive. A code hero’s efforts are eventually rendered meaningless by death, the culmination of the forces of nada. Hemingway code heroes maintain dignity and self-control under pressure.

Catherine Barkley, the female lead of A Farewell to Arms, demonstrates many of the qualities of a Hemingway code hero. Catherine seeks pleasure and gratification following the death of her fiancée; she begins her relationship with Frederic Henry well before the two are well acquainted. Catherine has no religious beliefs, claiming instead that Henry is her religion. Catherine has experienced great loss, giving her an understanding of the concept of nada and motivating her to actively seek gratification and pleasure in life. Her death reflects the inevitable victory of nada over the code hero; before she dies, she says that the world has “broken” her, reflecting that her pursuit of her ideals has been crushed by the forces of nada. Catherine’s pursuit of pleasure and happiness despite an overwhelming specter of death demonstrate the key qualities of a Hemingway code hero.

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, heroes fight in support of their beliefs and demonstrate courage in the face of enormous adversity. The heroes in To Kill A Mockingbird accept and support the maligned members of society. These heroes firmly believe in egalitarianism, viewing no person as superior to any other regardless of class, race, or gender. Harper Lee’s heroes recognize and understand the faults of humanity and the faults of the world; rather than accept these faults, however, the characters work to eradicate them and improve the world. Even when their attempts to improve the world are opposed, these heroes continue to work to better the ills of society and humanity.

Atticus Finch exemplifies the ideals of heroism in To Kill A Mockingbird. He takes on the case of Tom Robinson despite knowing that he has no chance of winning in an effort to give Tom the best outcome possible; Atticus also accepts the maligned Boo Radley, helping others learn to do the same. Even as he receives death threats, Atticus continues with Tom Robinson’s case, knowing that it is a moral imperative for him. Atticus recognizes the faults of humanity and society but maintains an egalitarian view, reflecting the equality and egalitarianism of Harper Lee’s heroes. He uses this egalitarian view as his basis for working towards an improved world; Atticus works in support of his ideals of justice and equality.

Literature often discusses the topic of heroism. Ernest Hemingway uses code heroes, heroes who followed a courageous set of ideals despite the constant specter of death. Harper Lee’s heroes fight for their beliefs and ideals, including justice and equality, even when their ideals are rejected by mainstream society. In both A Farewell to Arms and To Kill A Mockingbird, the heroes persevere despite enormous challenges.

Synthesizers

A term paper about the basics of music synthesis.

Modern synthesizers are able to produce sounds identical to those of real instruments using computers. Synthesizers produce sound by electronically imitating sound waves; more advanced sounds are produced by manipulations of these basic sound waves. Synthesizers are used frequently in modern music.

The fundamentals underlying sound synthesis are based in acoustics, the science of sound. Sound is a wave produced by vibrating objects that transfer this wave to the air around them; sound is most frequently represented as a wave known as a waveform that shows the changes in air pressure over time (Rothstein). Objects that produce recognizable pitches vibrate predominantly on a single plane; vibrations on many planes produce interference between vibrations that results in noise without a pitch (“Sound”). Synthesizers imitate the natural vibration of objects with electrical waveforms that are identical to the sound the synthesizer is attempting to produce. The resulting vibrations are made audible by increasing the amplitude of the sine wave (Rothstein). Synthesizers that only produce individual tones have simple waveforms identical to sine curves; synthesizers that are more complex have more complex waveforms reflecting the multiple frequencies of the sounds they produce (“Sound”) The complex waveform of sounds with multiple frequencies is a graph of the results of interference between the waveforms of the frequencies (“Sound”).

Most sounds are combinations of a fundamental tone and multiple overtones; each instrument has a unique set of overtones that gives it its timbre, or unique sound “color”, which allows for distinction between different instruments (Rothstein). In sounds with no distinct musical pitch, such as the crash of a cymbal, these overtones are generally unrelated to the fundamental tone (“Sound”). In “musical” sounds, these overtones are integral multiples of the fundamental tone; the first overtone is twice the fundamental, the second is three times the fundamental, and so on (United). The relationship between overtones is logarithmic, meaning that the difference in frequency between overtones increases with the overtones (Rothstein). Synthesizers often do not sound like the instrument they are designed to because while they easily produce the fundamental tone, they do not accurately reproduce the overtones of that instrument. Simple synthesizers produce only the fundamental tone, giving a recognizable synthesized sound; more advanced synthesizers utilize overtones as well, allowing for a greater range of musical sounds.

One common method of synthesis involving multiple frequencies is additive synthesis, in which overtones are added over the fundamental tone, creating a complex waveform similar to actual musical instruments from a sinusoidal waveform (“Sound”). Another common method, subtractive synthesis, is the opposite of additive synthesis, in which sounds are filtered from a wide array of sounds to produce the desired fundamental and overtones; the waveform in this type of synthesis transitions from incredibly complex to less complex (“Sound”). Another digital music method often perceived as synthesis is sampling, in which the waveforms of acoustic samples of sound are digitally altered; as the sounds are not artificially produced, however, it is not true synthesis (Rothstein). Many recently developed synthesizers attempt to produce waveforms of sound by emulating how the sound is naturally produced; these synthesizers create complex representations of real objects digitally and use the resulting data to produce a waveform (“Sound”).

Digital synthesis is based on the scientific principles of sound. Synthesizers emulate acoustically produced sound by producing electrical signals with identical waveforms. Advanced synthesizing methods involving overtones enable the digital production of a wide range of musical sounds. The versatility of synthesizers enables their widespread use in modern music.

Sources:

Rothstein, Joseph. MIDI: A comprehensive introduction. Madison, WI: A-R Editions, 1995.

“Sound synthesis tutorial”. University of Salford. 28 Apr 2010. .

“Synthesizers”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 29 Apr 2010. .

United States. General Services Administration. "Overtone." Federal Standard 1037c.  Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, n.d. Web. 2 May 2010.  fs-1037c.htm>.

Sexism speech

A speech written for an English assignment.

While the women’s rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s are viewed as the end of gender inequality in the United States, sexism remains a powerful force in American society. While women now constitute the majority of the workforce, we still earn, on average, roughly eighty percent of what men earn. Gender inequality is not, however, restricted to the workplace; our society is filled with negative stereotypes of women and negative attitudes towards women. 

Negative portrayals of women have become ingrained in our minds and culture and affect the way many girls and women view themselves. Advertisements and the media in general constantly portray women as materialistic and argumentative, leading many girls and women to believe that they must embrace these traits to become “real” women. Advertising implies or even openly demonstrates that women are only good for their physical appearance; this idea is always seen in obvious advertising sectors, such as cosmetics and clothing, but can also be found in nearly every area of advertising that targets women. Rarely does an advertisement depict a woman in a traditional male role; this gender segregation enforces the underlying sexism of American society and discourages women from entering male-dominated fields such as math and science. The association of negative qualities with women affects men negatively as well; men are discouraged, through advertising and social pressure, to ignore the “feminine” ideals of “proper dress”, “hygiene”, and “intelligence”. For males, eschewing traditionally “feminine” qualities is celebrated; if a female, however, fails to conform to these qualities, her womanhood is instantly questioned or denied.

Women are pressured by the media and by society to conform to a set of “feminine” behaviors and ideals, which are more often than not the result of social construction rather than actual qualities of women. Women, according to the media, should have one of two body types; an impossibly thin waist in an exaggerated hourglass figure, or an impossibly thin body overall that borders on malnutrition. In addition to a perfectly successful full-time job, the ideal American woman should have perfect mental and physical health, a perfect family with perfect children, and a perfectly clean house. Women are also expected to serve as “goals” for men, whether sexually or romantically. Society’s emphasis on unrealistic ideals for women often leads to body image issues and eating disorders when women try to conform to those impossible ideals.

Despite its widespread negative effects, the media’s portrayal of women, whether negative or impossibly perfect, is widely accepted in American society. Often, this is because this portrayal reinforces traditional sexism and allows men to maintain social dominance when women are increasingly powerful within society. It is the duty of our generation to overcome these prejudices towards women and create a society that respects and accepts women; by toppling the established order of male social dominance and female inferiority, we will come one step closer to truly ending gender discrimination.