Subtle Spirituality biblical allusions in Ross Gays Thank You - Literature Essay Samples

â€Å"Thank You† by Ross Gay is a concise and powerful poem, in which the poet deftly weaves together Christian themes and Biblical allusions to craft an elaborate ode to the Old Testament. The poem alludes to Biblical passages and stories such as the Song of Ascents and Absalom’s rebellion against King David. Through subtle word and form choices, as well as deliberate allusions to certain passages of the Bible, â€Å"Thank You† is a nod to the Book of Psalms and, in the tradition of that book, offers readers advice about how best to live a spiritual, gratitude-driven life. Written in the second person, Thank You describes a nighttime scene in which â€Å"you† are standing alone, â€Å"half naked / and barefoot† (1-2). The earth speaks to you, whispering that everything earthly will soon come to an end. The poem’s speaker offers you directives: when this happens, do not be angry or scared. Instead, observe everything around you and be grateful for it all. The poem ends with the lines, â€Å"Say only, thank you. / Thank you.† (13-14). The poem uses simple, mostly monosyllabic words, free verse, and repetition to create this lush and moving scene. The poem is saturated with Biblical allusions, some of which are more overt than others. â€Å"Garden† may be the most obvious example when the speaker lists things the reader should do, they write, â€Å"Walk / through the garden’s dormant splendor† (11-12). â€Å"Garden,† of course, may remind readers of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis. Other p laces in the poem, Gay uses imagery that further develops the parallels between the poem’s setting and a garden, like â€Å"in the frosty grass† (2) and â€Å"watch the cloud / ascending from your lips† (10-11). The presence of the earth’s voice also reminds readers of the role God played in Eden an entity that watched over and policed the garden, speaking to its residents. â€Å"Dust† is another Biblical word Gay uses, which further develops the comparison to Eden. The line â€Å"all you love will turn to dust† (5) may remind readers of another line from Genesis: when God delineates Adam and Eve’s punishment, he says, â€Å"By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return† (â€Å"Genesis 3:19†). Because Gay uses â€Å"garden† and â€Å"dust† in tandem, the parallels between Eden and the setting of â €Å"Thank You† are clear. Gay also references the Bible in more subtle ways, and many of his remaining allusions can be traced to stories about King David in the book 2 Samuel. Early in the book, David had been parading through Jerusalem wearing a linen ephod, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as â€Å"A Jewish priestly vestment, without sleeves† (â€Å"Ephod†). Michal, the daughter of Saul, criticized this behavior, lamenting, â€Å"‘How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’† (2 Samuel 6:20). â€Å"Half naked† appears in the first line of â€Å"Thank You.† â€Å"Half naked,† uncommon a phrase as it may be, could be overlooked as a mere coincidence, were it not for the continued parallels between â€Å"Thank You† and 2 Samuel. Later in the book, Absalom, one of David’s sons, develops a conspiracy against the king, and David must flee Jerusalem with the rest of his family and followers. The group wandered to Mount Olive, where they â€Å"ascended† the slopes, barefoot, weeping, and with their faces covered (2 Samuel 15:30). â€Å"Thank You† does not explicitly mention weeping, but it does say the addressee of the poem is â€Å"barefoot† (2), and the speaker orders the reader not to â€Å"take cover† (9). The question, then, is why would Gay choose to reference this specific Biblical story in so many ways? For one thing, Gay attempts to characterize the addressee as vulnerable and shameful. Notice that â€Å"Thank You† does not allude to parts of the Bible in which David is portrayed as noble or particularly powerful; instead, it chooses passages that show him in various states of shame, vulnerability, and humbleness. This is to say that the poem’s addressee is also small, naked, barefooted, and insignificant against the earth’s moaning the poem’s overall message is, after all, that the earth’s spirit is a force so powerful that humans can do nothing against it but give thanks. Additionally, in the Bible, going barefoot may be a sign of reverence, indicating that one is walking on sacred ground. In the poem’s second mention of barefootedness, the speaker says to â€Å"curl your toes / in the grass† (9-10). Here, the addressee is making a direct, physical connection with the earth. Tampering that connection with something as irreverent a s shoes would be a disgrace. Finally, it is telling that this comparison, between addressee and David, likens the reader to a king. This may convey to readers that we are no inferior to David, nor to any king or person in power. The earth does not pick and choose to whom it applies its laws; we are all destined for dust, royalty or not. By establishing that the addressee of the poem is in a vulnerable state, Gay gives himself grounds to offer readers advice. This advice is delivered in a form that may remind readers of still another section of the Bible: the Book of Psalms. Psalms, one of five poetical books in the Bible (â€Å"The Poetical Books†), is comprised of â€Å"sacred songs, or sacred poems meant to be sung† (Britannica). According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, the psalms, especially the Song of Ascents, â€Å"are characterized by brevity, by a key-word, by epanaphora (i.e. repetition), and by their epigrammatic style† (Easton). Compare that definition to the structure of â€Å"Thank You.† The poem certainly uses repetition, namely with the phrase â€Å"thank you,† which is used three times, including in the title. The Oxford English Dictionary defines an epigram as â€Å"a short poem ending in a witty or ingenious turn of thought, to which the rest of the composi tion is intended to lead up† (â€Å"Epigram†). â€Å"Thank You† certainly has a turn: in lines 13 and 14, the poem’s lines shorten abruptly, and it is the first place where the poet repeats the same phrase in quick succession. The poem has 14 lines, like a sonnet, so it is also reasonable to assume this turn may in fact be a volta. The parallels between the structure of â€Å"Thank You† and the Book of Psalms do not end there. The poem resembles an English sonnet (although not in meter or rhyme scheme). The English word ‘sonnet’ is derived from the Middle French sonet, which meant â€Å"song or sung melody† (â€Å"Sonnet†). â€Å"Sonorous,† a word Gay uses in line 3, is derived from this same French root. Remember that the psalms were sacred songs written to be sung aloud, and that, since the Reformation, the psalms have been turned into hymns to be sung in church services (Britannica). Gay’s intentional use of form and word choice is another nod to this Biblical book. Also, it should be noted that Gay structures his poem in groups of three. When directing readers of what not to do, the speaker lists three forbidden actions: â€Å"do not / raise your fist. Do not raise / your small voice against it. And do not / take cover† (6-9). Then, when telling readers what to do instead, he does the same thing: â€Å"curl your toes / into the grass, watch the cloud / ascending from your lips. Walk / through the garden’s dormant splendor† (9-12). Finally, he uses the poem’s key phrase, â€Å"thank you,† three times. In Christian tradition, three is an important number, from the three wise men to the Trinity. Gay’s deliberate use of this number is still another parallel between â€Å"Thank You† and the Bible. Finally, consider the content of the poem. This is a poet telling readers how they should live; it is a guideline, or a set of rules. This poem could be read as a guideline for how to worship. The psalms hav e been described in a similar way. â€Å"Luke believed the psalms to be a source of guidance,† writes Encyclopedia Britannica. One may consider the Book of Psalms to be the rulebook of the Bible that informs readers of the best ways to worship and live just as â€Å"Thank You† does. Clearly, there are parallels between â€Å"Thank You† and both the Book of Psalms and 2 Samuel. However, it is important to be able to connect these nods and references with one another; otherwise, they can all be chalked up to mere coincidences. The connector between these two books is King David, who wrote four of the 150 psalms (â€Å"Book of Psalms†). The portion of the Book in which David’s psalms appears is called the Song of Ascents, a collection of 14 psalms with roots in early Judaism. Gay uses â€Å"ascent† in â€Å"Thank You,† writing, â€Å"watch the cloud / ascending from your lips† (10-11). Remember, too, that the English Standard Version of the Bible uses â€Å"ascent† to describe David’s journey up Mount Olive during Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15:30). Every word of â€Å"Thank You† is intentional, and many of them can direct readers to very specific and deliberately chosen passages from the Bible . David’s psalms and â€Å"Thank You† also share similar themes: in Psalm 131, David writes, â€Å"I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself† (Psalms 131:1). This is similar to Gay’s message, which is that some things are much too great for humans to comprehend. Gay tells readers that we are no different from King David in this way; we are all humans, insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe, and startlingly tiny when faced with something as massive and powerful as the earth or God. We, these small and vulnerable creatures, need guidance, which both the psalms and Gay are able to provide. Gay offers readers this advice in a subtle way, perhaps so as to not deter non-religious folks from enjoying the poem. This is not a poem about God; it is a poem about being human, and the fears and uncertainties and insecurities that are inherent symptoms of that condition. Borrowing the form and content of the Bible allows Thank You to read as a beautiful, witty, and compelling guide for how readers can best live their lives. Works Cited â€Å"2 Samuel 6:20.† BibleHub, biblehub.com/2_samuel/6-20.htm. â€Å"2 Samuel 15:30.† BibleHub, biblehub.com/2_samuel/15-30.htm. â€Å"Book of Psalms.† BibleStudies.org, www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Psalms/Book%20of%20Psalms.html. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. â€Å"Psalms.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 2 Sept. 2011, www.britannica.com/topic/Psalms. Easton, M. G., and David E. Graves. The New Easton Bible Dictionary: a Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Theology, and Literature. Electronic Christian Media, 2016. â€Å"Ephod.† Oxford English Dictionary, www.oed.com/view/Entry/63223?redirectedFrom=ephod#eid. â€Å"Epigram.† Oxford English Dictionary, www.oed.com/view/Entry/63369rskey=bVSULCresult=1isAdvanced=false# eid. Gay, Ross. â€Å"Thank You by Ross Gay.† Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/92120/thank-you-587653381d670. â€Å"Genesis 3:19.† BibleHub, biblehub.com/genesis/3-19.htm. â€Å"The Poetical Books,† Bible.org, bible.org/seriespage/poetical-books. â€Å"Psalms 131:1.† BibleHub, biblehub.com/psalms/131-1.htm. â€Å"Sonnet.† Oxford English Dictionary, www.oed.com/view/Entry/184622?rskey=cNIWr0result=1isAdvanced=false# eid.

The Effects Of Sexual Activity On Young Adolescents

The transition from childhood to adulthood is a critical period in which young adolescents have the opportunity to make decisions based on their own judgments away from parental influence. The development towards adulthood for teenagers poses a wide range of risky and harmful actions that constitute a threat to their well-being. These behaviors may impact their well-being in a negative way both physically and emotionally depending on what decisions they choose to make. Sexual activity may not itself be a risky behavior, but to young adolescents engaging in this activity may present serious consequences to their health and well-being. Having sex as a teen introduces a world of emotional, financial and moral problems. Sexual activity is often times a decision made to satisfy their temptations immediately. When considering one of Mohandas Gandhi’s seven deadly social sins, pleasure without conscience, a factor that plays a huge role is instant satisfaction of temptations. Making the decision to have sex as a young adolescent gratifies the desires of teenagers without having in mind the repercussions that could follow. Teenagers choose to indulge in sexual activity at young age without thinking about: contracting a sexually transmitted disease from their partner, becoming a teen mother or father, needing to finish an education while trying to parent a child, and/or financial stability for the mother and the child. Pleasure without conscious decisions, especially regarding havingShow MoreRelatedThe Dangers Of Early Sexual Activities848 Words   |  4 Pageseducate young teen students about the dangers of early sexual activities and how to help prevent teen pregnancies, STD’s, and other associated issues resulting from having sex. 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These new programs teach that abstinence is the best method for avoiding sexually transmittedRead MoreDoes Watching Sex On Television Influence Teens Sexual Activity?912 Words   |  4 PagesRachael Parker February 4, 2016 Dr. Tony Atwater Theory and Research MCM 450 Does Watching Sex on Television Influence Teens’ Sexual Activity? In today’s society, what teenage boy or girl really finds it easy to talk to their parents about sex? Take a moment and think about it in biblical terms. Many people say the same thing which is, â€Å"wait for marriage.† in other words, we cannot say very many teens can even enjoy talking about such a sensitive topic at all. In actuality, they probablyRead MoreDating Violence And Its Effects On Society1383 Words   |  6 Pagesform of abuse. Violence within a dating relationships has its negative effects on all people regardless of their age, race, or gender. It is safe to say dating violence crosses all racial, economic and social lines. Granting, one generally views it as being extremely detrimental when the violence occurs within an adolescent relationship. This could in part be due to the fact that the perception many people hold is that young people probably should not even be partaking in â€Å"serious relationships†

Why Don t They Get It Essay - 1083 Words

When anyone thinks about their job we each have a list of people that we simply to not get and don’t like to deal with. In the end whether we like to acknowledge it or not we feel a negative disposition and even enmity for certain people. People are different and as much as we like everyone to be like ourselves that is not the case but the likelihood that we each have similar fears about hurting people and miscommunication.We are constantly communication with each other especially in the workplace with bosses, employees and co-workers. It does not matter how well you know the person communication can be difficult. Many time the words â€Å"How does his tone sound in the e-mail?†, â€Å"Did they really mean to say that?† or â€Å"Why don’t they get it?† and much more. One of the biggest roots of communication issues is our culture. Our culture is how we view and try to decipher any problems in our lives and how we speak to people and communicate with those around us. The first intercultural communication issue that I have in my workplace is a co-worker and myself have a very large communication gap. His English is not that well and it causes major communication issues. For example, we recently went on a delivery to a new client and he wanted to bring the items on a â€Å"borrowed† shopping cart. I tried to explain to him that it is a new client and it is not a good look for us. But instead he chose to go his route and ignored me which made me very frustrated. The second interculturalShow MoreRelatedWhy You Don t Get An A1044 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"You don’t get an A, you earn an A.† says every teacher that I have ever had. It has come to my attention that they speak the truth. You put in the hard work and receive the grade with whatever your effort results in. How to earn the A can be exaggerated. 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Consumer Behavior Pearson Higher Education â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Consumer Behavior Pearson Higher Education? Answer: Introduction: The evolution observed in context of business environment has been characterized by the majority of influence on business performance being derived from customer behaviour and perception of brands. The element of service quality has become a major priority for customers to recognize the effectiveness of value proposition facilitated by organizations. The retail sector is expanding at exponential rates with the increasing opportunities for foreign direct investments being observed in many international markets. The customer base targeted by the retail sector is inclusive of a wider share of population in any given market with the major dependency on groceries and apparel. Therefore, the perception of service quality by customers in the retail sector could be apprehended as a major influence on performance of companies in the sector (Albert Merunka, 2013). The following research proposal aims to illustrate the outline for a research activity that would resolve the impact of perceived quality on preferences of customers in the retail sector. The essential highlights that can be observed in this business research proposal include a justification for the selected research topic and derive research questions that would be relevant to the context of the research issue (Ballantine Au Yeung, 2015). Furthermore, the proposal also provides a comprehensive review of the research methodology that could be implemented for resolving the research questions before reaching on a feasible conclusion. Research questions: The significance of research questions could be ascertained in a research activity as the major determinants of research objectives that would account as viable contributors to the research methodology. Research questions act as the guiding benchmarks for identifying relevant literature rather than engaging in confusion due to the diversity of aspects related to perception of service quality and customer choices. The following research questions could be presented within the context of the research activity: How is retail service quality measured? The justification for this question can be observed in the outcomes for identifying the impact of the dimensions of service quality such as reliability, empathy, tangibles, assurance and responsiveness which are profoundly observed in retail sector (Dijk, Antonides Schillewaert, 2014). Approaches for resolution of this question could lead to identification of the different scales used for determining service quality in the retail sector thereby obtaining a credible impression of its impact on consumers perception of service quality. What is the effect of the stores image on perception of service quality? The validity for this question could be provided on the grounds of identification of the functional and psychological implications of the image of a store on the choices of customers. The role of store image as a notable contributor to the positioning of a brand in the market can also be accounted as a relevant influence on customer choices (Fall Diallo et al., 2013). Therefore, this research question can provide a comprehensive impression of the impact of functional features in a store on the perception of the service quality by customers thereby leading to effects on customer choices. How could the perception of service quality be related to customer behaviour? The justification of the question could be provided on the grounds of the opportunity to resolve the primary research objective of identifying the relation between service quality perception and customer choices (Viktoria Rampl Kenning, 2014). The approach for addressing the research question could provide viable insights into the diverse theoretical perspectives related to marketing and consumer behaviour. It would also contribute to the recognition of various functions such as mental, emotional and physical activities that are utilized by customers for selecting, using and disposal of a product (Joy et al., 2014). The variety of products in the retail sector alongside the increasing competitiveness is responsible for profound complexities for customers to base their purchase decisions. Therefore, the identification of factors influencing customer behaviour and the relevance of service quality perception could be helpful for resolving the research objective. Research methodology: The research methodology can be described as the collective term that comprises of the various approaches required for conducting a research activity. The process of research design is implemented for developing the research methodology which is responsible for providing a systematic design for resolution of the research problem. The research design relies on the evaluation of research problem to select the appropriate methodology for the research activity (Rani, 2014). However, some of the essential highlights that could be included in a research design refer to definition of the population for the research activity, sampling, data collection and methods for data analysis. The population for a specific research activity could be identified in the combination of people or objects that share a similar characteristic and can provide reasonable information pertaining to the research activity. It is also essential to consider the specific sections of the target population which can be accessed by the researcher and is generally subject to the concerns of region, state or country. In the case of the concerned research activity, the population includes the retail sector customers in Australia (Kaswengi Diallo, 2015). However, the researcher could have access only to a specific part of the population due to limitations of research costs or other restraints. Furthermore, it can be clearly anticipated that all members of the population could not be adequately aware of the concepts pertaining to the research issue which creates the need for a sample design. The sample could be defined as a subset of the accessible population which comprises of people or objects that share a similar characteristic and can be accounted as credible participants in the research activity. The most commonly observed classifications of sampling include probability and non-probability sampling. Probability sampling can be defined in scenarios when every member of the population has a probability of being included in the sample (Nenycz?Thiel Romaniuk, 2014). On the other hand, non-probability sampling is reliant on the selection of participants according to a specific precedent. The distinct methods that can be categorized under probability sampling refer to random sampling, systematic sampling and stratified sampling. Non probability sampling methods include judgment sampling, snowball sampling and quota sampling. The sampling method that would be most suitable for this research activity could be stratified sampling which assists the researchers in creating another subset within the selected population with a specific category (Pearson, 2016). The stratified sample that can be presented in this business research proposal would include retail sector customers in Australia at Myers (Solomon, 2014). Data collection: The integral aspect of every research activity is to collect accurate and adequate amount of data that could be used for addressing the research questions comprehensively. Data collection has always been a formidable setback in the case of research due to the inadequacy of data. The different approaches and methods implemented for collection of data could be classified into two broad sections referred to as primary data collection and secondary data collection. Secondary data collection for the research activity would be derived from the literary sources, journal publications and research studies related to measures for perception of service quality and the factors influencing customer behaviour (Rosenbaum-Elliott, Percy Pervan, 2015). The impact of the primary data collection is considered crucial for a research activity as it provides insights into practical or real-time data acquired from the field. Primary data collection could be realized through different methods such as inter views or surveys. Surveys could be conducted through delivering questionnaires, observation, telephonic interviews or scheduling and the researcher could select an appropriate method depending on the sample size, access and available resources (Severi Ling, 2013). The business research proposal would prefer to recommend the method of survey through questionnaires ( Appendix I) that would be distributed to customers at the retail stores of Myers. The method of conducting a survey through delivering the questionnaire through mail to customers could also be adopted by the researchers (Rindell, Strandvik Wiln, 2014). Despite the advantages of primary data collection methods, the pitfalls such as inadequate response rate or the inappropriate design of questionnaire could be reflective of consequences for the final research outcome. Data analysis method would be deductive in nature that would involve the interpretation of the research outcomes in terms of the most influential factors on customer behaviour. Since the questionnaire would involve open ended questions related to the different aspects of store image that affect the customers perception of service quality, it is imperative to apply the deductive approach for analysis. The use of secondary data in the analysis would be crucial in the analysis process owing to the support of theoretical contexts in the deduction process. The analysis process would utilize graphical representation of the close ended questions in order to provide a visual illustration of the research findings (Schiffman et al., 2013). The understanding of the demographic details of the participants from the close ended questions would assist in determining the psychological and functional aspects of the retail store image which appeal to specific customer groups based on age or gender. Research plan: The research plan could be outlined in the form of the distinct activities involved in the research and the time required for completion of each task. The following Gantt chart would provide a viable interpretation of the research plan. Activity Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Selection of Topic Identification of research problem Formulate research objectives Literature review Selection of population and sample Primary data collection Data analysis Findings and recommendations Final formatting and submission Conclusion It is also essential to include the ethical precedents and limitations of the research activity in the research methodology. The researcher should not include any questions in the survey questionnaire that demand personal information or make the participant uncomfortable in answering the questions. Another prominent ethical concern that should be addressed by the researcher refers to preserving the confidentiality of the data furbished by participants. 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