I Cant Stop Raving :: Personal Narratives Music Essays

I Can't Stop Raving It was our Friday night ritual. After school, after work, after the rest of the world started to slow to a halt, we would just be getting started. With our veins pumping nothing but caffeine and sugar, we'd shed our daytime clothes for neon in-your-face t-shirts and nylon pants big enough to hold a compact car. Following the directions on the backs of purple and blue high-gloss fliers, we'd pack the back of a heavily modified Honda Accord and set out in search of music, longing for the sounds of a bass beat. We were young, we were energetic, and we were obsessed. We were party kids. On any given weekend, we would drive anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to find the best rave. Sometimes we would end up in a warehouse in downtown Atlanta, sometimes in an oversized barn in southern Georgia, and one time even in a large field somewhere in Alabama. But even when the location changed, the scene never did. When we arrived, there would always be a menagerie of brightly colored Hondas, Acuras, and Mitsubishis in the parking lot, and a long line of other party kids waiting outside the venue. The bass usually penetrated the walls, shaking the night outside, and teasing us as we waited to make our way inside. It was midnight, and our night would be just beginning. It was like entering something out of a hazy midnight dream. The rooms were always completely dark, broken only on occasion by the flashing of strobe lights and lasers. Ravers wore glow-in-the-dark accessories and carried glow sticks that would fly through the darkness like maniacal lightning bugs, while smoke machines would obscure all details with large quantities of gray mist. It was all very disorienting; sight became a secondary sense, our ears took over our awareness, and we were left at the mercy of the DJ. In this underground (as in: not completely legit) subculture, the DJ was our Pied Piper. We traveled to hear him spin, and his music put all of us party kids under a spell. On the dance floor the music was so loud, and the bass so intense, they were tangible. Everything else in the world subsided when the throbbing sound waves entered our bones and lifted us away. Bodies packed onto the floor would pulse in tune, unconsciously, lifted by the sounds like spirits in a primal dance.

A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. † Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. † (O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! † (O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children† (O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. † (O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,† O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. † (O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. † Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. † (O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! † (O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children† (O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. † (O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,† O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. † (O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. † Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. † (O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! † (O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children† (O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. † (O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,† O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. † (O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it.

An Introduction to Medical Anthropology

Medical anthropology is a field of anthropology focused  on the relationship between health, illness, and culture. Beliefs and practices about health vary across different cultures and are influenced by social, religious, political, historical, and economic factors. Medical anthropologists use anthropological theories and methods to generate unique insights into how different cultural groups around the world experience, interpret, and respond to questions of health, illness, and wellness. Medical anthropologists study a wide array of topics. Specific questions include: How does a particular culture define health or illness?How might a diagnosis or condition be interpreted by different cultures?What are the roles of doctors, shamans, or alternative health practitioners?Why do certain groups experience better or worse health outcomes, or higher prevalence of certain diseases?What is the connect between health, happiness, and stress?How are different conditions stigmatized or even celebrated in specific cultural contexts? In addition, medical anthropologists study the factors that affect or are affected by the distribution of illness, and are also closely attuned to questions of inequality, power, and health. History of the Field Medical anthropology emerged as a formal area of study in the mid-20th  century. Its roots are in cultural anthropology, and it extends that subfield’s focus on social and cultural worlds to topics relating specifically to health, illness, and wellness. Like cultural anthropologists, medical anthropologists typically use ethnography – or ethnographic methods – to conduct research and gather data. Ethnography is a qualitative research method that involves full immersion in the community being studied. The ethnographer (i.e., the anthropologist) lives, works, and observes daily life in this distinctive cultural space, which is called the field site. Medical anthropology grew increasingly important after World War II, when anthropologists began to formalize the process of applying ethnographic methods and theories to questions of health around the world. This was a time of widespread international development and humanitarian efforts aimed at bringing modern technologies and resources to countries in the global South. Anthropologists proved particularly useful for health-based initiatives, using their unique skills of cultural analysis to help develop programs tailored to local practices and belief systems. Specific campaigns focused on sanitation, infectious disease control, and nutrition. Key Concepts and Methods Medical anthropology’s approach to ethnography has changed since the field’s early days, thanks in large part to the growth of globalization and the emergence of new communication technologies. While the popular image of anthropologists involves living in remote villages in far-off lands, contemporary anthropologists conduct research in a variety of field sites ranging from urban centers to rural hamlets, and even in social media communities. Some also incorporate quantitative data into their ethnographic work. Some anthropologists now design multi-sited studies, for which they conduct ethnographic fieldwork in different field sites. These might include comparative studies of health care in rural versus urban spaces in the same country, or combine traditional in-person fieldwork living in a particular place with digital research of social media communities. Some anthropologists even work in multiple countries around the world for a single project. Together, these new possibilities for fieldwork and field sites have broadened the scope of anthropological research, enabling scholars to better study life in a globalized world. Medical anthropologists use their evolving methodologies to examine key concepts, including: Health disparities: the differences in the distribution of health outcomes or disease prevalence across groupsGlobal health: the study of health across the globeEthnomedicine:  the comparative study of traditional medicine practices in different culturesCultural relativism:  the theory that all cultures must be considered on their own terms, not as superior or inferior to others. What Do Medical Anthropologists Study? Medical anthropologists work to solve a variety of problems. For instance, some researchers focus on health equity and health disparities, trying to explain why certain communities have better or worse health outcomes than others. Others might ask how a particular health condition, such as Alzheimer’s or schizophrenia, is experienced in localized contexts around the globe. Medical anthropologists can be divided into two general groups: academic and applied. Academic medical anthropologists work within university systems, specializing  in research, writing, and/or teaching. In contrast, applied medical anthropologists often work outside of university settings. They can be found in hospitals, medical schools, public health programs, and in nonprofit or international non-governmental organizations. While academic anthropologists often have more open-ended research agendas, applied practitioners are typically part of a team trying to solve or generate insights into a specific problem or question. Today, key research areas include  medical technologies, genetics and genomics, bioethics, disability studies, health tourism, gender-based violence, infectious disease  outbreaks, substance abuse, and more. Ethical Considerations Both academic and applied anthropologists face similar ethical considerations, which are typically overseen by their universities, funders, or other governing organizations. Institutional review boards were established in the U.S. in the 1970s to ensure ethical compliance for research involving human subjects, which includes most ethnographic projects. Key ethical considerations for medical anthropologists are: Informed consent:  ensuring that research subjects are aware of any risks and consent to participate in the study.Privacy: protecting participants health status, image or likeness, and private information  Confidentiality:  protecting the anonymity (if desired) of a research subject, often by using pseudonymous names for participants and field site locations Medical Anthropology Today The most well-known anthropologist today is Paul Farmer. A physician and an anthropologist, Dr. Farmer teaches at Harvard University and has received widespread acclaim for his work in global health. Other key figures in medical anthropology include Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Arthur Kleinman, Margaret Lock, Byron Good, and Rayna Rapp. The Society for Medical Anthropology is the primary professional organization for medical anthropologists in North America, and is affiliated with the American Anthropological Association. There are scholarly journals devoted solely to medical anthropology, such as Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Medical Anthropology, and the online journal  Medicine Anthropology Theory.  Somatosphere.net  is a popular blog focusing on medical anthropology and related disciplines.  Ã‚   Medical Anthropology Key Takeaways Medical anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the relationship between health, illness, and culture.Medical anthropologists can be divided into two key fields: applied and academic.While medical anthropologists study a wide range of issues and topics, key concepts include health disparities, global health, medical technologies, and bioethics. Sources â€Å"American Anthropological Association Statement on Ethnography and Institutional Review Boards.† American Anthropological Association, 2004.Crossman, Ashley. â€Å"What is Ethnography? What It Is and How To Do It.† ThoughtCo, 2017.Petryna, Adriana. â€Å"Health: Anthropological Aspects.† International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition. Elsevier, 2015.Rivkin-Rish, Michele. â€Å"Medical Anthropology.† Oxford Bibliographies, 2014.â€Å"What is Medical Anthropology?† Society for Medical Anthropology.