Conscious Conscience - Literature Essay Samples

The past acts as a tabernacle for experiences and memories. The past not only lives in Henry but also makes up Henry’s very nature. Henry is his past. Life’s faded memories shape choices. Author Jamie Ford builds the relationship between experience and conscience through Henry, his protagonist, in his novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Henry reflects on his experiences—with Keiko and with his father during the evacuation—before making difficult decisions. Henry’s experiences instruct his conscience. Experiencing Keiko’s humanity forces Henry not only to accept but also to cherish Japanese culture. Henry’s acceptance and love of Japanese culture portrays a transformation of conscience. At the novel’s start, Henry partakes in the American prejudice against Japanese. The prejudice manifests itself when Henry’s childhood antagonist, Chaz Preston, jeers at Henry: â€Å" ‘Oh, that’s right, you Japs don’t salute American flags, do you?’ Henry wasn’t sure which was worse, being picked on for being Chinese, or being accused of being a Jap† (17). Henry’s prejudice reflects the era’s American prejudice and origin; it stems from ignorance. Never encountering a Japanese until Keiko allows Henry to alienate the Japanese and unconsciously further the prejudice. After spending only one day with Keiko, Henry’s opinion metamorphoses. Keiko, and by extension her Japanese culture, transitions from alien to fam iliar for Henry. Henry’s feelings for Japanese culture allow him to establish connections with the Japanese residents of Nihonmachi. These physical and metaphysical connections require an indisputable recognition of humanity, a humanity that renders defending basic rights and respects essential. The connections that Henry establishes force his conscience to defend the Japanese culture of Nihonmachi. When he sabotages his father’s meeting with Mr. Preston, Henry reconciles his actions by reflecting on his experience with the Japanese people: â€Å"He’d never disobeyed his father so blatantly. But he had to. He had seen the fires in Nihonmachi and people burning their prized possessions . . . He needed to find Keiko† (90). Ford nurtures conscience’s transformation—inspired by experience—by creating new divisions between Henry and his father and opening the doors of Japanese culture to Henry. Henry’s priorities have changed; his m alnourished experience and intimacy with his father weaken the patristic bond. As a result of the weak bond, Henry’s conscience faces no challenge or remorse. Contrastingly, Henry’s connections with Keiko, her family, and the Japanese-American population of Nihonmachi are fresh and intimate. These experiences compel Henry’s conscience to act in favor of Japanese-Americans. Henry furthers his inclusivity with the Japanese culture when he assumes a Japanese identity to gain entrance into Camp Minidoka. Henry considers the situation: â€Å"For once in his life, there was a benefit to Caucasian people thinking that he was one of them—that he was Japanese† (226). Allowing this view, Henry not only accepts Japanese culture, but also appropriates it. Henry ventures beyond his connection with Nihonmachi and connects himself as analogous to the rest of Japanese America. Henry’s experience with Keiko makes the strong connection to Japanese-American cu lture possible. Similarly, Henry’s consistent defense of Nihonmachi and the Japanese culture makes the record’s presence at the hotel, along with other remnants of Japanese culture, possible. Henry, his conscience guarding Nihonmachi’s culture, delivers the caveat for traveling to China; his father must impede the sale of the Panama Hotel. Henry learns much earlier that the hotel doubles as a refuge for Nihonmachi’s cultural remnants. Henry negotiates: â€Å"I’ll go, but only on this condition . . . if you can prevent the sale, I will do as you wish, I will go and finish my schooling in China . . . don’t thank me, I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing it for me, for the girl, the one you hated so much† Henry didn’t know quite why. Or did he? The hotel was a living, breathing memory for him. (251) In stopping the sale of the Panama Hotel, Henry preserves the record and his connection to Japantown for decades. All of Henry’s childhood experiences contribute to the pinnacle of Henry’s character and conscience transformation. Henry moves from disdaining the Japanese to finally self-proclaiming himself as Japanese: â€Å" ‘Yes! I’m Japanese.’ Henry bobbed his head. ‘Of course I am’ † (64). Henry’s conscience alters his attitude about the Japanese dramatically. Henry loves Japanese-American culture because Keiko is Japanese-American. Ford further validates experience’s power in forming the conscience through Henry’s love for Keiko and the physical choices that love impels him to make. Henry’s love for Keiko pushes him to make choices that express that love, despite the conflicts those choices may create. This connection between the emotions elicited by Henry’s romantic experiences with Keiko and Henry’s risky choices emerges at the novel’s beginning. Henry meets Keiko at Kobe Park after curfew. Keiko, unable to burn her family’s photos, requests that Henry keep them safe. Henry, more than willing to help Keiko, agrees after reflecting on his experiences and his feelings for Keiko: â€Å"Henry remembered the horrible scene in Japantown that afternoon, the photographer from the Ochi-Studio—visibly shaken. ‘I can hide them in my room. Do you have more?’ . . . Keiko hugged Henry for a brief moment. He found himself hugging her back. His hand touche d her hair. She was warmer than Henry had imagined† (95-96). Henry, aware of the danger that comes with abetting Keiko and her family, chooses to hide Keiko’s photos and commits a crime in doing so. His love transcends law’s arbitrary fetters and rests among palpable truths. Henry’s conscience, after connecting the pain of the Japanese people to the pain of Keiko, instructs Henry to help Keiko. Henry cannot bear to think of Keiko, a girl he loves, as a girl who must undergo the same emotional trauma experienced by the photographer in Japantown. Similarly, Henry makes conscientious choices influenced by his love for Keiko, aware that they may create familial conflicts. Henry returns to his Canton Alley apartment after shopping for Keiko’s birthday. When he walks into his house, he sees that his father has discovered Keiko’s photos. At the climax of this quarrel, Henry’s father throws Keiko’s photos out the window. The images of Keiko and her family falling to the earth flash across Henry’s mind. Henry expresses his love for Keiko: He turned to his father. â€Å"I’m leaving to get her photos. I told her I’d keep them for her—just until she gets back.† His father pointed to the door â€Å"If you walk out that door you are no longer part of this family. You are not part of us anymore. Not a part of me.† Henry didn’t even hesitate. He touched the doorknob feeling the brass cold and hard in his hand. â€Å"I am what you made me, Father.† He opened the heavy door. (185) Henry separates himself from his father and family and binds himself to Keiko and her family—a Chinese boy in a Japanese family, analogous to the way that Henry grafts and nurtures his Ume tree—a Chinese tree in a Japanese Park. Henry makes this decision thoughtfully—he is conscientious: his senses are heightened and he perceives much. His mind notes the cold brass and the weight of the door. The weight of the door represents the gravity of Henry’s choice. Henry’s conscience urges him to make a life-changing decision. Ford culminates the idea that one’s experience instructs the conscience by depicting the reconciliation between Henry and his son. Henry’s experience with his own father makes him conscious of how he carries on a relationship with Marty, his own son. Henry makes the connection between his behavior and his father’s: â€Å"[H]e was his father’s son, and he could be equally stubborn . . . His father was a horrible communicator. After all the time he’d rebelled against his father’s wishes and his father’s ways, Henry hated the fact that he wasn’t that different form him at all—not where it mattered anyway† (209). Henry, aware of his father’s faults, realizes his own. The faults in the relationship between Henry and his father are the same faults in the relationship between Henry and Marty. This reflection moves Henry to work toward mending the problem: â€Å"Henry hated being compared with his own father. In Ma rty’s eyes, the plum hadn’t fallen far form the tree . . . that’s what I’ve taught by my example, Henry thought, realizing that having Marty help him in the basement might ease more than the physical burden† (84). Henry wants a good relationship with his son. Henry’s conscience, longing for good experiences with Marty, urges him to act on experience. The past that lives within Henry lives within humanity. Henry’s struggle to reconcile the past by conscientiously shaping the future mirrors the struggle of every man. Conscience does not act alone in molding outcomes; it needs an acolyte. Just as the conscience instructs the hands and mouth, something must instruct the conscience. Experience speaks to conscience.

The Effects of Snapchat A Personal Experience Paper - 1100 Words

The Effects of Snapchat: A Personal Experience Paper (Essay Sample) Content: Students Name:Institutions Name:Course Name:Submission Date:The Effects of Snapchat: A Personal ExperienceTechnology has changed the way the world conducts business and also the way people interact. With the advancement in technology, no longer is time and distance a hindrance to communication. The Internet has helped to break down these barriers and connect people of diverse cultures across the globe to interact both in social and commercial contexts. With social media platforms such Facebook, Whatsapp, Linked-in, Skype and Snapchat, people sharing interests have been connected across continents. In essence, social media is the new frontier of communication in our current time and as technology changes, it should be expected that newer platforms will come about (Information Resources Management Association 11). Choosing not to use the platforms tantamount to effective isolation from the rest of the world that has embraced itwhich involves a significant number of peop le. Therefore, in spite of its limitations, social media is still a formidable tool for modern day networking (Information Resources Management Association 11). In this discourse, I shall therefore, examine how the use of SnapChat has affected me. I look at both the positive and the negative effects of using this social media platform. In conclusion, I give some recommendations that fellow users could take into account to maximize the positive aspects of the social media platform and the measures to take to minimize its negative effects. The Positive Effects of SnapChat Snapchat is a free mobile phone application that is used to share photos and videos. Whatever photos or videos that are shared disappear in less than 10 seconds. According to Bayera et al., Snapchat is an excellent innovation that can stimulate creative playfulness between friends and family members thereby helping them to share the glimpses of the big and small events of their daily lives (5). I find this social med ia platform quite convenient when it comes to catching up and connecting with my friends. With the app, I am able to keep tabs on what my friends are doing and get a feeling of where they are. Snapchat enables me to hear the hellos of my friends in the morning, the first thing when I turn on my phone. It gets my days on a jolly groove most of the time. My fianc, aware of my preoccupation with stuff am engaged in at a particular moment, is fond of sending me reminders: she takes videos of herself reminding me of where I need to go either with her or by myself. Snapshots can also help you find your way in case you have lost direction in an unfamiliar location. Once visiting a friend in Boston, I lost my way and I sent him photos of where I was; the pictures of buildings that I presumed could be landmarks. It so happened that I was in their neighborhood and seeing the photos that I sent him, he was able to locate me. Between call and more Snapshot communications, we were able to meet shortly later. With Snapshot, I was also able to consult with my brother once when he went to Paris on vacation. I needed shoes and had sent him some money to facilitate the purchase but when he went to a shoe shop, he could not get his mind to make a pick of what he thought would satisfy me. He sent me a couple pairs of shoes that he thought were exotic and when I needed a second look I sent him a message requesting him to resend. In this way, he was able to buy me what I would have bought for myself if I were I with him in Paris. The other positive thing about using the app is that it does not consume the space on my phone as compared to other social media platforms such as Whatsapp. For example, when a picture is opened in Whatsapp it is directly downloaded to the phones memory; therefore, the more you preview photos the less your phone memory becomes. This is not the case with Snapchat. This is because the photos and videos that I receive are deleted soon after I have opened t hem; I therefore have the same amount of memory as before I received the picture on my device. In this way, Snapchat encourages its users to share as many pictures as possible. The Negative Effects of SnapChatWhat scares me most about SnapChat is the illusion that it creates in the sense that all the information that is shared through the platform disappears within a short period of time. This impression is solidified by the fact that the sender is notified if the receiver takes a screen shot of any photos that is sent. There are, however, hacks who can allow one to take a screen shot and even save a video without the sender getting any notification (Bayera et al. 19). Before, I was a fun of sending love messages to my ex- fianc. Well, I never went to the crazy extent of taking nude photos of myself, which I consider uncouth anywhere. However, the messages we exchanged were quite intimate and I would not want unconcerned people to ever get hold of it. Worse still, I live in the fear that my ex could have stored that information and can one day choose to use it to spoil the current relationship that I am having. This fear is reinforced by Poltash (6) who asserts that social media is neither ephemeral nor private. He argues that anything we email, post and/or text can actually end up anywhere and that anything one does on the social media can actually last forever. I am now very careful when sharing any information on Snapchat, whatever the intention of the communication. As a future job seeker, I am careful to post videos or photos that that best portray my image as a responsible human being. Another thing that I find worrisome about the Snapchat is the requirement that the user must agree to grant the apps administrators the access of their personal address book. This enables the administrators to upload that personal information into their servers. The users, therefore, give away the private contact information about their family and friends withou...