Religious hypocrisy in Dublin and Nationalism

Initially published in 1914, Dublin collects 15 short stories all Written by James Joyce. Virtually all the stories carry a bulky reflection of the middle class life encounters in the beginning years of the 20th century in Ireland around Dublin. Coincidentally, around this time Ireland was undergoing intensive process of nationalism awareness.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Religious hypocrisy in Dublin and Nationalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, the process of searching for a common national identity was at the peak. Various ideas coupled with influences afflicted the much-needed balance between culture and history. It is in these contexts that perhaps the Joyce’s perceptions of epiphany: a period within which some certain characters become illuminated, forms an essential trait of all the short stories contained in Dublin. The initial stories in the larger extent reflect child ren protagonists. The latter stories, however, progress to address stories of gradually older people indicative of transitory stages of life: childhood, adolescence and later maturity. It is argued in the paper that stage of life of an individual is a key determiner of an individual’s perceptions of nationalism. The concern of this paper is, however, on children protagonist stories: The Encounter and The Sisters. National symbols are significant for young people to ape from in pursuits of inculcation of nationalism spirit. However, reading The Sisters, from Dublin creates a different impression. In fact, The Sisters present tantalizing mysteries. As Benstock argues, the priest is in near state of mind breakdown as he is in the verge of losing the faith that he proclaimed in the church (32). In this context, it stands out significant to argue that church give rise to a dangerous corrosive force. The short story provides a literary comparison of father Flynn and a boy whose nam e is widely not mentioned. The priest, having being relieved of the noble tasks of priesthood, acts as the mentor of the boy. The story onsets initiates by reflections of flashbacks of a boy who attempts to come into terms with illness and demise of father Flynn. As Norris puts it, borrowing from the â€Å"flashbacks and memories scattered through the story, Father Flynn is shown to have been an intellectual priest strong religious vocation, but unable to cope with the mundane daily routine of being a parish priest – which finally led to his collapse† (Norris Suspicious readings of Joyce’s Dubliners 12). The boy, being the narrator of the story, is an admirer of farther Flynn and closely profiled his traits and advices. However, the boy later feels immense pity coupled with guilt for not having checked on him as his days neared to end.Advertising Looking for research paper on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OF F Learn More From the child’s environment, father Flynn is depicted in the short story as a hero and a likely vessel for propulsion of positive qualities of a real nationalist. Nevertheless in the adulthood environment: which is concealed from the narrator, father Flynn emerges as a complete failure. As Benstock reckons, â€Å"his death is regarded with relief†¦ considered to have been a miserable example from which the boy must be preserved† (33). His death consequently, widely curtails the extension and imitation of destructive influences to the society: erosion of religious values coupled with lose of faith. The boy contemplates the word â€Å"gnomon† in relation to â€Å"paralysis† and â€Å"simony†. This depicts the story as reflective of priesthood approaches of the East from which father Flynn defers. In this context, â€Å"gnomon† stands out as, not just a symbol erosion of faith, but also forecast that young people und er mentorship of people like father Flynn are likely to have Eastern influences (Norris Suspicious readings of Joyce’s Dubliners 104). Joyce, despite being born in a strong Christian religious catholic family remained as a pessimist of religious hypocrisy. Through The Sisters, it is perhaps evident that Joyce advocates the replacement of religious values as they relate to the determination of peoples role models by liberal and intellectual mentors. This being the way forward to achievement of a subtle state of nationalism widely sort by Ireland in the early twentieth century. Joyce extended the theme of religious battles to The Encounters from The Sisters. Somewhat similar to The Sisters, The Encounters† is also narrated a by a boy. The boy and his friend go to seek adventure in the shores. The boy claims, â€Å"The mimic warfare of the evening became at last as wearisome to me as the routine of school in the morning because I wanted real adventures to happen to myself . But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad† (Bloom 38). In this context, the story brings into the lime light the people’s perception about external influences in the definition of their nationalism with what Ireland was battling. The larger concern of the short story is based on a trip. Through the trip, the boy encounters numerous social events. Although he is at an early phase of his life, he can come into terms with some of the situations that involved segregation and subdivision of the national population into distinct groups. As a way of exemplification, some boys â€Å"are mistaken for Protestants by local children† (Norris Dubliners: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism 258).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Religious hypocrisy in Dublin and Nationalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The boy narrator also ap preciates that he notices that some children were enormously poor and â€Å"ragged†. Arguably, church retained hypocrisy by the fact that they acerbated the perception that by belonging to a differing religious denomination makes people different from their counterparts, yet they live in one nation. The feeling of oneness is also from another dimension impaired by the economic and social disparities in The Encounter. While religious leaders in The Sisters are depicted as being insubordinate influences to young people, in The Encounters, on the other hand, old people who are supposed to act as the mentors of young people are pinpointed as being a real source of counterfeit influences. When the boy and his friend Mahoney decides to go exploring Dublin and fails to get anything funny they encounter an old man. As the story unfolds, the old man is an ideal sexual pervert. The man exposes enormous sexual fantasies to the boy who does not know that such things existed. As a repercu ssion, the boy gets so frightened. â€Å"At one point, the man excuses himself, and it is implied that he touches himself before returning to the boys† (Norris Dubliners: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism 301). However, there is no explicit textual proof provided to deduce that the man engages in masturbation. This perhaps extends the Joyce’s use of the gnomon as evidenced in many of her short stories. In conclusion, Joyce’s short stories that utilize the children protagonists give the feeling that old people serve within the society as corrupt influences to the young people. Those who are supposed to mentor them introduce religious prejudices, hypocrisy and undue social behavior to children at an early age. Dublin tales present a society struggling to establish a harmonizing environment for religious differences like protestant and catholic violence, blazing Irish poverty and other discriminatory perceptions. Arguably, these constitute substantial impedim ents to perceptions of nationalism by the virtue that they erode the spirit of national unity. Works Cited Benstock, Bernard. â€Å"The Sisters and the Critics.† James Joyce Quarterly 4.1(1966): 32–35. Print. Bloom, Harold. James Joyce’s Dubliners. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Print.Advertising Looking for research paper on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Norris, Margot. Dubliners: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. New York: Norton, 2006. Print. Norris, Margot. Suspicious readings of Joyce’s Dubliners. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania press, 2003. Print. This research paper on Religious hypocrisy in Dublin and Nationalism was written and submitted by user Vermin to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

25 Synonyms for Sign and Symbol

25 Synonyms for Sign and Symbol 25 Synonyms for â€Å"Sign† and â€Å"Symbol† 25 Synonyms for â€Å"Sign† and â€Å"Symbol† By Mark Nichol Various words referring to pictorial representations of objects or ideas often have precise connotations. Here are many words conveying subtle shades of meaning about signs and symbols. 1. Attribute: an object, especially in representational art, signifying a person or place, or authority (also, a characteristic or quality or a word describing a quality) 2. Badge: a sign symbolizing achievement, authority, or membership 3. Cachet: a seal used to denote official approval, or an indication of prestigious approval (plus additional meanings, including â€Å"prestige†) 4. Coat of arms: a heraldic symbol or combination of symbols, or one or more symbols serving a similar function (also, a garment on which such symbols are employed) 5. Cognizance: a distinguishing sign (plus additional meanings) 6. Colophon: a printer’s or publisher’s symbol (also, an inscription providing information about the production of a publication) 7. Crest: see â€Å"coat of arms† (plus additional meanings) 8. Cryptograph (and cryptogram): a sign with hidden meaning or significance (also, a coded message) 9. Device: a heraldic symbol (plus additional meanings) 10. Emblem: a symbol associated with a particular thing or concept 11. Ensign: a sign of authority, or a sign or a flag (also, a military rank or someone holding that rank) 12. Hallmark: a mark signifying approval or authenticity (also, a distinguishing feature or trait) 13. Homologation: official approval or confirmation 14. Icon: a symbolic image 15. Impresa: a heraldic symbol 16. Imprimatur: approval, license, or sanction, or a mark thereof 17. Insignia: a sign of authority, honor, or rank 18. Logo (also logograph and logogram): a statement or symbol of identification, or a motto 19. Monogram: an identifying sign often consisting of conjoined initials 20. Pictograph: a symbol in a pictorial system of communication 21. Rune: a particular type of alphabetical character later associated with magic (plus additional meanings) 22. Stamp: a distinctive character, indication, or mark, or a lasting impression (also, the act of stamping or the device used for stamping, as well as a piece of paper fastened to another object as proof of payment) 23. Token: an expression, sign, or symbol (also, among other meanings, a characteristic, or a keepsake) 24. Totem: an object or symbol representing kinship 25. Trademark: a word or other symbol applying to a product or service (also, a distinguishing feature) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical Words8 Proofreading Tips And TechniquesMood vs. Tense

Psychological development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Psychological development - Assignment Example As the reproductive organs grow, the individuals begin to explore their sexuality. A very common result of this is heightened self-awareness. Some adolescents tend to compare their pattern of development with that of others that leads them to self-consciousness whereas others who exhibit perfect growing signs like height develop self-confidence. Adolescents become aware that the changes in their physique that they are noticing are also witnessed by people around them. Such changes include increase of height, and change of voice etc. In their attempt to grow ideally during the puberty, many adolescents experiment with their looks by changing their hairstyles. Since the adolescents are looks-conscious during this stage, such physical changes as acne and increased body odor can cause embarrassment in the adolescents. Gynecomastia is another commonly occurring condition in boys during puberty which is very embarrassing for them. They might not want to socialize with their friends in such condition and some even become isolated. Such boys avoid swimming and are shy of taking their shirts off in public places. The depression experienced during puberty can form mental scars for a