A Higher Judgment Outside Humanity essays

A Higher Judgment Outside Humanity essays As we see the innocence of Clarissas character tragically lost, Samuel Richardson displays the destruction caused by youthful fancy and parental oppression. Through Clarissas death, the reader is left with an overwhelming feeling towards Clarissas virtue as the epitome of goodness that Richardson wishes us to revere for its constancy. However, because of the self-willed nature of her untimely demise, the text sheds light to the inhumanity of bearing such ideological thoughts and regimented way of life in reality. What remains evident throughout the novel is that because of her overwhelming desire to be virtuous, Clarissa alienates herself from the judgments of society, is alienated and estranged from her family, is disembodied from her own humanity. What we find is that Clarissas death does not stand necessarily as social commentary against the injustices of the world, but rather as evidence of Clarissas inability to reconcile her personal beliefs and the laws of the world, her imag ined existence and compromises necessary in order to survive. From its onset, the narrative sets up Clarissa as an obedient daughter, a social wonder and joy in terms of her virtues. Her primary and only disobedience against paternal law is when she is asked to compromise her values and marry an unintelligent man whom she has no love for, Solmes, to increase the material and titular gain for her family. Up until this point, Clarissa, in her arguments and letters, seems to value the will of her father above all else; that she submits to the necessity of patriarchal authority and filial duty bound in the government of the community. However, when asked to marry Solmes, Clarissa finds her fathers judgment lacking in comparison to her own standard of morals-which are divined from the Bible, from God Himself; and by rejecting her familys pleas, Clarissa alienates and disengages herself from their judgments, from the ...

Canis Major Facts and Description

Canis Major Facts and Description In ancient times, people saw all kinds of gods, goddesses, heroes, and fantastical animals in the patterns of stars in the night sky. They told legends about those figures, tales that not only taught the sky, but contained teachable moments for listeners. So it was with a little pattern of stars called Canis Major. The name literally means Greater Dog in Latin, although the Romans werent the first to see and name this constellation. In the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iran and Iraq, people saw the mighty hunter in the sky, with a small arrow aimed at his heart - that arrow was Canis Major. The brightest star in our night sky, Sirius, was thought to be part of that arrow. Later on, the Greeks called this same pattern by the name Laelaps, who was a special dog who was said to be an incredibly swift runner. He was given as a gift by the god Zeus to his lover, Europa. Later on, this same dog became the faithful companion of Orion, one of his treasured hunting dogs. Scoping out Canis Major Today, we simply see a nice dog up there, and Sirius is the gem at his throat. Sirius is also called Alpha Canis Majoris, meaning its the alpha star (the brightest) in the constellation. Although the ancients had no way of knowing this, Sirius is also one of the closest stars to us, at 8.3 light-years. Its a double star, with a smaller, dimmer companion. Some claim to be able to see Sirius B (also known as the Pup) with the naked eye, and it can definitely be seen through a telescope. Canis Major is relatively easy to spot in the sky during the months that its up. It trails south-eastward of Orion, the Hunter, frolicking at his feet. It has several bright stars that delineate the legs, tail, and head of the dog. The constellation itself is set against the backdrop of the Milky Way, which looks like a band of light stretching across the sky. Searching the Deeps of Canis Major If you like to scan the sky using binoculars or a small telescope, check out the bright star Adhara, which is actually a double star. Its at the end of the dogs back legs. One of its stars is a bright blue-white color, and it has a dim companion. Also, check out the Milky Way itself. Youll notice many, many stars in the background. Next, look around for some open star clusters, such as M41. It has about a hundred stars, including some red giants and some white dwarfs. Open clusters contain stars that were all born together and continue to travel through the galaxy as a cluster. In a few hundred thousand to a million years, theyll wander off on their own separate paths through the galaxy. M41s stars will probably stick together as a group  for a few hundred million years before the cluster dissipates. There is also at least one nebula in Canis Major, called Thors Helmet. It is what astronomers call an emission nebula. Its gases are being heated by radiation from nearby hot stars, and that causes the gases to emit or glow. Sirius Rising Back in the days when people werent so dependent on calendars and watches and smartphones and other gadgets to help us tell time or date, the sky was a handy calendrical stand-in. People noticed that certain sets of stars were high in the sky during each season. For ancient people who depended on farming or hunting to feed themselves, knowing when the season for planting or hunting was about to occur was important. In fact, it was literally a case of life and death. The ancient Egyptians always watched for the rising of Sirius just about the same time as the Sun, and that indicated the beginning of their year. It also coincided with the yearly flooding of the Nile. Sediments from the river would get spread out along the banks and fields near the river, and that made them fertile for planting. Since it happened during the hottest time of summer, and Sirius was often called the Dog Star, thats where the term dog days of summer originates.