Hope Focused Marriage Counseling Essay Example for Free

Hope Focused Marriage Counseling Essay Unlike other explorations insinuated in the context of research, marriage counseling has been one of the unspecialized fields emerged with theoretical assumptions and practice (Stuckert, 2003). This however, has been the challenge to psychologists and practitioners in defying the thought that marriage cannot be taken into research since its hypotheses and results of practice have been acclimated, nevertheless the volume available for study is accumulated. Everett L. Worthington Jr. , a psychology professor and the proponent of over 150 articles tackling issues on marriage, forgiveness and reconciliation was able to find standard procedures on how to keep marriages anchored on Christianity based marital therapy. More specifically, through the light of his year 1999 published book, Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling, couples are to be taken to a self rehabilitation which will give hope to individuals who are living in a room full of skeptic viewpoints about marriage and eventually open a realization that his substantial research shall lead them to a path where â€Å"miracles do happen in the real world. † (Worthington, 1999) Overview Marriage is a shadow of the relationship that we are expected to have with Jesus—permanent, loving, committed. (Eph 5:32) Everett L. Worthington begins his book with a verse in the bible which depicts the meaning of marriage in the most moral and Christian way thus giving a connotation that helping troubled couples is not an easy task. However, she points out the fact that the extent of healing relationships is through developing a character of Christ embodied in every individual’s personality and manifest such with one’s relationships to his or her social network as well (Worthington, 1999). Further, he stresses that when a relationship has Christ as vanguard, life will be inhabited with the verity of love, faith and hope and that then is the start of a bright thing. Strengths What makes his book amazing falls on the grounds of analytic and realistic situations as the core of the gist of the whole scenario. Initially introducing theories then later putting the theories into practice makes readers able to divulge their selves in the dimension that the author intends them to live with. His strategies (advices, so to speak) draws out a hysteria which will make readers know their respective state in life at first, hence, for having been given the momentum to realize what is happening in their lives, they will seek for answers on how to save them from their presumed agony. Further, his approaches through exercises which are efficient to exhibit (Worthington, 1999)—drawing fundamental values, the promotion of confession and forgiveness, communication intensification, aiding conflict resolution, alterations of the pattern of thinking, intimacy development, and the cementing of commitment—gives grandeur to the book as readers can implement these exercises with their partners or core groups. Realistically crafted, he gives marriage counseling a twist by inculcating his own experiences which gives conviction to the statements and recommendations written in his book. One fascinating fact on the book is its distinctiveness in course, since unlike other books on marriage counseling, typically establishing manuals which synonymously suggest divorce or annulment so as not to complicate the situation, this book thinks otherwise. Though the author admitted that is hard and rarely possible in the contemporary society—divorce is legal and other forms of law that allow couples to â€Å"live† without the need of marital rites—still, he fervently believes that the sacred matrimony must be preserved even if others no longer accept as true the tradition and the essence of spiritual intimacy. These ideas represented in the book will coin back the integrity, accountability, prudence and proper teaching among couples. Weaknesses â€Å"Hope-focused rather than problem-focused† (Worthington, 1999) this is the toweringly hopeful campaign of the author. Thus, because of globalization, cultural diversity and the differences of every individual, there may be some who may not appreciate the book for reasons that inhibit the issue on dissimilarity of character, viewpoint in life, tradition and environmental influences. It is evident that the target audiences of the book are Christians—although optimistic individuals would also be interested in reading the book—hence this leads us to a remorseful realization that it will not drive â€Å"naysayer† or a pessimist to read it. Still, fingers are crossed on the intent of the book, and that is to spread the thought that â€Å"change is possible† and in the long run, every couple will be given a new outlook on their marriage for the benefit of their family. Conclusions and further remarks The functions of the husband and the wife bear a multifaceted blueprint of expectations of the responses which are to come from one another. Hence as humans, challenges and trials are inevitable aspects in life and must therefore be taken with full accountability after having vowed under the sacred matrimony and under the blessing of the church. However, in the present era, where several factors influence every person’s character and personality, asking for help and intervention from one who truly understands the quintessence of love and marriage is a an ideal act to do (Stuckert, 2003). Communication mostly is the main problem of couples and Worthington is able to help by producing a masterpiece which, with confidence, he believes will save troubled marriages. Forgive. Reconcile. Change can happen if one will listen while the other speaks. References Stuckert, R. P. (2003). Role Perception and Marital Satisfaction. A Configurational Approach. Marriage and Family Living, 25(4), 415-419. Worthington, E. L. (1999). Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling: A Guide to Brief Therapy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Hatred Against Work Essay -- Employment, Slavery

Throughout history, mankind has worked. Work is a physical effort made towards a purpose. Work has been done in all aspects and forms. Whether it was working on a farm, picking crops or working in office, analyzing data, different forms of work are done. Due to work, our society is able to enjoy unimaginable luxuries and the economy thrives off such success. However, work has altered mankind. Because of work, we have become slaves in our own society. Not only do we work long hours during our job, but we even have to sacrifice our own free time to work on other work related tasks. Such views can be illustrated through the works of Antler, an American poet. His poems, Factories Are Boxcars Full of Jews and Written After Learning Slaves in Ancient Greece and Rome Had 115 Holidays a Year demonstrate my views of how negatively work affects us. Work has altered our sensibilities, making us almost animals. Antler, who mainly wrote on nature and factories, develops such anti-work themes in both of his poems. Through just the first stanzas of both poems, he illustrates his views. Workers are "brainwashed robotzombies", "crucified their whole lives"(Written 9/ Factories 26). Every year, the number of workers increase but the "cells of urban hives" remain the same (Factories 1). The human spirit is killed each year by work. Were not creating loving boys and girls, but rather " better murder weapon", all in hopes of a higher standard of living (Written 4). "Work is a curse", changing men into beast. It is work that led to the murder of 6 million Jews, contributing in some way to the death of our planet. What "difference [is there] between [workers] and Nazis", if what Nazis did to the Jews is what workers in "factories are doing to the ... ...ing through society. In hopes of higher standards of living, we fall into a life of work, becoming "socialization lobotomies"(Written 10). Each day, we follow the same routine as brain-dead machines , going to work in the morning and returning at night. Society is not creating better individuals but rather better workers. Antler is a nonconformist, who despises the notion of work and factories. His inspiration come through the forest and rivers, where he spends nearly two months every year in the wilderness. His poems, Factories Are Boxcars Full of Jews and Written After Learning Slaves in Ancient Greece and Rome Had 115 Holidays a Year reflect such negative views about work. Work is a dark pit, which if someone falls into, there's no getting out. Work has done nothing more than brought misery on our planet and create the largest scale of slavery in history.

How does she achieve this? Essay

   It also shows us that Robert is a rather independent character considering he went, against his families wishes, to very remote part of the world. He is also, quite clearly indicated by his language, an educated man with ambitions beyond that of a normal being. Shelley also demonstrates Roberts’s ability to be an emotional person, ‘Hopes fluctuate and spirits are often depressed’, this shows his ambition is almost unreachable but he doesn’t want to give in. Walton’s emotions are highlighted to the reader in his opening letters and then remembered later when we hear Frankenstein’s story; they are both very similar. When we reach the 4th letter, the Gothic theme of the novel becomes ever more present. The reader gets the first sense of foreboding with the vivid description of the monster, and then the portrayal of the mysterious stranger in the distance. Walton, the Captain, is pleased to assist Victor, for he seems to be the answer to his prayers expressed in letter two, the quotes ‘I desire the company of a man who could sympathise with me’ and ‘I bitterly feel the want of a friend’ show us that he feels alone and miserable and that Victor provides a release from his loneliness. At last he has a kindred spirit. Of course, the reader is now intrigued by Victor’s story; there interest is then satisfied by this quote, â€Å"You may easily perceive, Captain Walton, that I have suffered great and unparalleled misfortunes. I had determined at one time that the memory of these evils should die with me, but you have won me to alter my determination. † Shelley is setting up a number of her themes in this clever introduction. One of which is Walton’s intense desire for discovery and the unknown, so far so that he would risk his life. His fateful meeting with Victor also provides us with a slight respite from the depressive language he is using to describe his journey, he found the companion he had longed for. Before the reader hears Victor’s story, many questions are raised, for example; what was he pursuing before they found him? And was it the mysterious, gigantic creature Walton and his crew say the day before? All will be revealed when Walton tells him off the figure they saw a few days ago, with those words ‘a new life animated his decaying frame’. A great effect used by Mary Shelley in this novel is the use of a Chinese box narrative, a kind of narration with two or more persons telling their own story. It starts of with Walter, an explorer, writing to his sister. His ship gets stuck and he goes outside only to find Victor Frankenstein. Victor is in a bad way, dying in fact, and so tells Walton his story. Halfway through Victor’s narrative, he creates the creature, which comes in, and tells his account. Then Victor comes back to conclude his tale, and the book finishes with Walton summing up, adding his own opinions, and writing to his sister again. This gives us different perspectives on each character and an idea of how each character feels about one other. Mary Shelley also uses pathetic fallacy in the novel to emphasise the gothic theme, the fact Walton journeys towards the desolate and barren North Pole which has connotations of being a harsh and unwelcoming place. This is typical of the Gothic theme as it exploits the stereotype of an undesirable and horrendous place to be. The fact she uses words such as ‘rawness’ and ‘vast’ tells us that the weather is almost uninhabitable. This makes the reader feel sympathy for the ship and its crew. In chapter 5, Shelley uses pathetic fallacy once again by beginning the chapter with ‘It was on a dreary night in November’. The chapter is actually a monologue describing how Victor (after months of labour), has finally completed his creation. But when the moment comes to give it life, its hideous appearance repulses him. His decision is to rush to the next room and try to sleep, but his mind was troubled. He throws himself onto to his bed in an attempt to forget about the monstrosity. But his mind is plagued by nightmares about Elizabeth and his mother’s corpse. When he awakes, he discovers the monster leaning over him with a friendly but terrifying smile and quickly bolts out of the house. He spends the night pacing in his courtyard and when next morning comes he goes walking in the town of Ingolstadt. As he walks by the town inn, Victor runs into his friend Henry Clerval, who has just arrived to begin studying at the university. Ecstatic to see Henry, a breath of fresh air and a reminder of his family after so many months of isolation and ill health, the ecstasy increased by the feeling of friendship after his recent experience of terror. Although the thought of crossing paths with monster terrifies Victor, he brings Clerval back to his apartment. Victor enters first and is relieved to find no sign of the monster. But, weakened by months of work and shock at the horrific being he has created, he immediately falls ill with a nervous fever that lasts several months. Henry nurses him back to health and, when Victor has recovered, gives him a letter from Elizabeth that had arrived during his illness. In chapter 5, Shelley’s description implicates that the monster is a child trapped inside an ‘adults’ body. Victor rejects the monster as an animal might reject one of its litter. Victor describes the monster as ‘a demonical corpse to which i had so miserably given life’. The fact Victor hates ‘the wretch’ he has created makes the reader feel sympathy for the monster as he hasn’t choosing this life and all he wants is to be loved. Shelley uses many language techniques to create tension in her novel. Chapter five is a great example again. Before Victors ‘creation’ comes to life, Shelley describes it as a ‘lifeless thing. ‘ This gives the impression that the when the monster is brought to life it will be treated as nothing more when it is born, just an experiment rather than a person. Shelley also writes a long and extremely detailed description of the monster in chapter five, ‘his yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of lustrous black. and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriance’s only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes’ that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and his straight black lips. ‘ This description uses imagery to help create an image of monster inside the readers head which works to perfection as the reader is repulsed at the thought. In conclusion, many themes are often included in literature in order to provide more meaning and a better understanding for readers. But in Frankenstein Shelley conveys lots of different themes; some which are quite obvious and others that are more subtle. The novel also shows us how appearances are not always a clear representation of the person who’s underneath (the way the monster was judged solely by his looks). Also, the fact there are also many different narrative voices in the novel help the reader appeal to different characters, and also show how the character’s personalities evolve as the plot goes on. The fact the novel was written by a woman in a time when writing was almost solely dominated by men was enough but the fact it was such a huge success was down the way Shelley intrigued people and instilled fear. At the time it was written I personally feel that no-one would have been able to put it down. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Such a Beast Sexuality and Humanization in Dracula

Over the course of cinematic history, many filmmakers have attempted to recreate the chilling, unprecedented world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Arguably very few have succeeded, for the majority of directors tend to avoid the pervasive sexuality inherent in the novel. It is a difficult task to achieve, considering the blatant imagery surrounding sex and vampirism, such as the reproduction following a vampiric encounter and the phallocentric nature of the violence committed both by and against these creatures: penetration is involved in their hunting, and one must impale them with a stake in order to destroy them. Readers are thereby forced to admit that Dracula is, in fact, a highly eroticized piece of literature, though whether or not†¦show more content†¦The fact that Jonathan goes so willingly into the allurement suggests that perhaps there is not such a big difference between man and beast, human and demon. Following in this trend of vampiric seductiveness, the next part of Stoker’s novel to hint at carnality occurs during Lucy’s metamorphosis from a â€Å"so sweet lady† to a creature of â€Å"voluptuous wantonness† (Stoker 173; 187). Stoker creates an unmistakable boundary between the two Lucy’s: the one preceding Dracula’s arrival to London, and the one following her transformation into the Un-dead. He dedicates two full paragraphs to describing the stark contrast between the two identities, pointing out aspects of her appearance – her expressions and her lips, among other things – and actions that have become polar opposites in her personality. During life, Miss Lucy Westenra is consistently described as possessing â€Å"sweetness† and â€Å"purity† (Stoker 173). Once Count Dracula has infected her, however, she physically changes from the woman she was in life, with her eyes going from â€Å"pure, gentle or bs† to eyes that are â€Å"unclean and full of hell-fire† (Stoker 174). Stoker makes this distinction intrinsically clear in order to illustrate for his audience the vast differences between human and vampire. As a woman she was fair and good; her vampire alter-ego is cruel,Show MoreRelatedVampires : The Symbolism Of Horror In Dracula By Bram Stoker1180 Words   |  5 PagesVampires have been around for centuries, they represent the fear of many things such as sexuality, race, gender, etc. and above all, they stand for the fear of diseases. Vampires have once been the symbol of horror due to their terrific depictions and were described as a threat to the humanity. Throughout time, the image of vampire has changed dramatically from a monstrous, inhumanely creature that doesn’t belong to human society to such an attractive and adaptive figure that expresses more of the