Plato Thought on Education Essay Example for Free

Plato Thought on Education Essay â€Å"The object of education is to turn the eye which the soul already possesses to the light. The whole function of education is not to put knowledge into the soul, but to bring out the best things that are latent in the soul, and to do so by directing it to the right objects. The problem of education, then, is to give it the right surrounding. † (Plato) In the fifth century B. C. E Plato was born into an aristocratic Greek family. As a youngster his intention was to be engaged in politics. However in his twenties his thoughts were change after coming into the circle of Socrates, who was to be the lasting influence on his thought. Hence, following the execution of Socrates on accusations of the corruption of youth Plato abandoned direct involvement in politics and turned to writing and education. Plato was well known for his works which were all written in the form of dialogues. In the Republic, written about 385 B. C. E and in the Laws, his last work, on which he was still at work at the end of his life Plato addresses childhood in the context of education. Plato saw education as â€Å"the one great thing†, no scheme of human life was so important to him, since he rejected birth as a criterion for distributing the function of education. He believes that the aim of education was the harmonious development of human personality with the central purpose was to produce the right type of individualities in the state. Therefore, Plato saw the state primarily as an educational entity. His scheme of education was greatly influenced by Spartan system of education. In the Spartan system the family had no control over the education of its members. The state was controlling all aspects of education. In the Republic, Plato devotes much attention to the education of the child as a future citizen. He believes that the child belongs to the state and its education is the responsibility of the state in addition education must be compulsory for all. Furthermore, Plato was not concerned with training children for a trade but rather with giving them an education in virtue, which is to produce a keen desire to become a perfect citizen who knows how to rule and be ruled in turn. Education was seen as the correct channelling of pains and pleasures, aiming at establishing a nature in which goodness of character has been well and truly established so as to breed a familiarity with reason, since Plato saw reason as mans true nature, therefore it has to be nurtured from childhood by irrational means. In Plato views education was to begin before birth therefore he recommends that the care of the soul and body of the child begin with prescribed walks for the pregnant woman before birth. For the first two years of life children should be kept well wrapped up, even though they should be taken to the country or on visits. Also, they should be carried until they are old enough to stand on their own to prevent subjecting their limbs to too much pressure. This was necessary since the main importance of movement lies in its influence on the early development of a well-balanced soul and the cultivation of the body is mainly for the souls sake. Another aspect of education was the formation of character. Plato saw storytelling as the main tool in the development of character. Since stories should provide models for children to imitate, seeing that as ideas taken in at an early age become indelibly fixed. Moreover storytelling must begin at an earlier age than physical training. Physical training may take two or three years, during which nothing else can be done; since weariness and sleep are unfavourable to study. Physical training was vital as the exercises were an important test of character. Additionally a childs character will also be formed while he or she plays Plato attached much importance to childrens games. Even though the sexes are to be separated at the age of six, he believes that children are to be brought together for games. Teachers must provide children with miniature tools of the different trades, so that they can use the childrens games to channel their pleasures and desires toward the activities they will engage in when they are adults. However, children and adults should not imitate base characters when playing or acting, for fear of forming a habit that will become second nature. In addition to storytelling and play, reading, writing, music and arithmetic were an integral part of Platos educational system. Beginning at the age of ten a child is required to spend three years on reading, writing, and the poets, and another three learning the lyre. Then they would study elementary mathematics up to the age of seventeen or eighteen. He thought that all of this was to be done with as little compulsion as possible in, order to for them to learn enough to fight a war and run a house and administer a state (Republic, bk.7, 535-541). This period of education could not be extend or curtail neither by the child nor father either out of enthusiasm or distaste. Children were expected to work on their letters until they are able to read and write, but any whose natural abilities have not developed sufficiently by the end of the prescribed time to make them into quick or polished performers should not be pressed. Enforced exercise does no harm to the body, but enforced learning will not stay in the mind (Laws, bk. 7, 536). Plato also felt the necessity of moral education. The members of a society should learn that they are the members of one society and that they should live in the spirit of harmony and co-operation. Plato realizes that the better way of imparting moral instructions, is the sanction of supernatural authority. Plato also believes with conviction that a nation cannot be strong unless it believes in God. Certainly, Platos views on education have significantly influenced educational thought to this day and have become the basis of many educational policies His system of education includes instructions for the training of body, mind and soul. Plato also believed that an ideal state, embodying the highest and best capabilities of human social life, can really be achieved, if the right people are put in charge. Since the key to the success of the whole is the wisdom of the rulers who make decisions for the entire city, His view of philosophy as an educational activity and of education as the development of reason, the responsibility of which lies squarely with the state, is still a living educational challenge.

Web Advertising :: essays research papers

These days, you can’t sell a product or service without marketing it to the masses. And there’s no better place to start than on the web. Internet advertising is a gold mine with virtually every company in America represented. But with so many online competitors, advertisers must use special techniques and technologies to get the word out. The key to beating your competitors is by maximizing cost efficiency. The way to achieve this is by utilizing all the web has to offer for little or no money before spending on expensive technology. The first, probably the least expensive and most effective way to market your company online is by setting up enormous amounts of links to your site. For example, the Prairie State Bank in Marengo, Illinois is it’s local park district, the chamber of commerce, the state of Illinois, as well as weather sites, map sites, and online auto dealerships. So a man interested in buying a car online could click on the link to the bank to figure out the finances. (Dysart) Second, you must get listed on search engines. Many web surfers use Yahoo, Alta Vista and Excite every day to find specific information quickly. Because these engines have the incredible power to direct thousands of surfers, online companies are paying an arm and a leg to have their link be among the first links listed by the search engines. (Dysart) Third, you have to market kids who will eventually be potential customers. Many online companies directed toward adults offer children’s games and other services. The First National Bank of Milton, Illinois offers kids a homework helper and has links to toy stores and video game sites. (Dysart) Fourth, you can easily assure your credibility to prospective customers by creating a newsletter. In most cases the reader would sign up for a monthly e-mail from the company about any new business. This makes the reader feel like they’re important customers and boosts sales. (Dysart) Fifth, you must offer coupons. This technique works just as well off the net as it does on and should not be overlooked. They can be given to the customer via e-mail and printed out from their home or office computers. This makes the customer more likely to go to your site before checking out the competition. (Dysart) Sixth, nothing is more valuable than word-of-mouth. Your company’s web site isn’t complete without a â€Å"recommend this site to a friend† button.

Importance of Vocational Education Essay

Vocational education (education based on occupation or employment) (also known as vocational education and training or VET) is education that prepares people for specific trades, crafts and careers at various levels from a trade, a craft, technician, or a professional position in engineering, accountancy, nursing, medicine, architecture, pharmacy, law etc. Craft vocations are usually based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation. It is sometimes referred to as technical education as the trainee directly develops expertise in a particular group of techniques. In the UK some higher technician engineering positions that require 4-5 year apprenticeship require academic study to HNC / HND or higher City & Guilds level. Vocational education may be classified as teaching procedural knowledge. This can be contrasted with declarative knowledge, as used in education in a usually broader scientific field, which might concentrate on theory and abstract conceptual knowledge, characteristic of tertiary education. Vocational education can be at the secondary, post-secondary level, further education level and can interact with the apprenticeship system. Increasingly, vocational education can be recognised in terms of recognition of prior learning and partial academic credit towards tertiary education (e. g. , at a university) as credit; however, it is rarely considered in its own form to fall under the traditional definition of higher education. Vocational education is related to the age-old apprenticeship system of learning. Apprenticeships are designed for many levels of work from manual trades to high knowledge work. However, as the labor market becomes more specialized and economies demand higher levels of skill, governments and businesses are increasingly investing in the future of vocational education through publicly funded training organizations and subsidized apprenticeship or traineeship initiatives for businesses. At the post-secondary level vocational education is typically provided by an institute of technology, university, or by a local community college. Vocational education has diversified over the 20th century and now exists in industries such as retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services and cosmetics, as well as in the traditional crafts and cottage industries.

How Flame Test Colors Are Produced

Understanding Si Clauses in French

Si clauses or conditionals produce conditional sentences, with one clause stating a condition or possibility and a second clause naming a result produced by that condition. In English, such sentences are called if/then constructions. The French si, of course, means if in English. There is no equivalent for then per se in French conditional sentences. There are different types of si clauses, but they all have two things in common: The English result clause might be preceded by then, but there is no equivalent word preceding the French result clause. Si tu conduis, je paierai. If you drive, (then) Ill pay. The clauses can be in one of two orders: Either the  si clause is followed by the result clause, or the result clause is followed by the  si clause. Both work as long as the verb forms are paired correctly and si  is placed in front of the condition. Je paierai si tu conduis. Ill pay if you drive. Types of Si  Clauses Si  clauses are divided into types based on the likeliness of what is stated in the result clause: what does, will, would, or would have happened if....The first verb form listed for each type names the condition upon which the result depends; the result is indicated by the second verb form. First conditional: Likely / Potentiel   Present or present perfect present, future  or imperativeSecond conditional: Unlikely / Irrà ©el du prà ©sent Imperfect conditionalThird conditional: Impossible / Irrà ©el du passà © Pluperfect conditional perfect  Ã‚   These verb pairings are very specific: for example, in the second conditional, you can only use the imperfect in the si clause and the conditional in the result clause. Memorizing these pairings is probably the most difficult part of si clauses. Its important to memorize  the rules concerning the sequence of tenses. The term conditional here refers to the condition being named; it does not mean that the conditional mood is necessarily used in the conditional sentence. As shown above, the conditional mood is not used in the first conditional, and even in the second and third conditional, the conditional mood does not name the condition, but rather the result. First Conditional The first conditional refers to an if-then clause that names a likely situation and the result dependent upon it: something that happens or will happen if something else happens. The term conditional here refers to the condition being named; it does not mean that the  conditional mood  is necessarily used in the conditional sentence.  The conditional mood is not used in the first conditional. The first conditional is formed with the  present tense  or  present perfect  in the  si  clause, and one of three verb forms—present,  future, or  imperative—in the result clause.   Present Present This construction is used for things that happen regularly. The  si  in these sentences could probably be replaced by  quand  (when) with little or no difference in meaning. Sil pleut, nous ne sortons pas. / Nous ne sortons pas sil pleut. If it rains, we dont go out. / We dont go out if it rains.Si je ne veux pas lire, je regarde la tà ©là ©. / Je regarde la tà ©là © si je ne veux pas lire. If I dont want to read, I watch TV. / I watch TV if I dont want to read. Present Future The present future construction is used for events that are likely to occur. The present tense follows  si; it is the situation that is required before the other action will take place. Si jai  le temps, je le ferai. / Je le ferai si jai le temps. If I have time, I will do it. / I will do it if I have time.Si tu à ©tudies, tu rà ©ussiras à   lexamen. / Tu rà ©ussiras à   lexamen si tu à ©tudies. If you study, you will pass the test. / Youll pass the test if you study. Present Imperative This construction is used to give an order, assuming that the condition is met. The present tense follows  si; it is the situation that is required before the other action becomes a command. Si tu peux, viens me voir. / Viens me voir si tu peux. If you can, come see me. / Come see me if you can. (If you cant, then dont worry about it.)Si  vous  avez  de  largent,  payez  la facture. / Payez la facture si  vous  avez  de  largent. If you have money, pay the bill. / Pay the bill if you have money. (If you dont have any money, someone else will take care of it.) Passà © composà © Present, Future, or Imperative Si  clauses may also use the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  followed by the present, future, or imperative. These constructions are basically the same as above; the difference is that the condition is in the present perfect rather than the simple present. Si tu as fini, tu peux partir. / Tu peux partir si tu as fini. If you have finished, you can leave.Si tu nas pas fini, tu me le diras. / Tu me le diras si tu nas pas fini. If you havent finished, [you will] tell me.Si tu nas pas fini, dis-le-moi. / Dis-le-moi si tu nas pas fini. If you havent finished, tell me. Second Conditional   The second conditional* expresses something that is contrary to present fact or unlikely to occur: something that would  happen,  if something else happened. The term conditional here refers to the condition being named, not the  conditional mood. In the second conditional, the conditional mood is not used to name the condition itself, but rather the result. For the second conditional, use  si  Ã‚  imperfect  (stating the condition)   conditional  (stating what would happen). Si javais le temps, je le ferais. / Je le ferais si javais le temps. If I had time, I would do it. / I would do it if I had time. (Fact: I dont have time, but if I did [contrary to  fact], I would do it.)Si tu à ©tudiais,  tu  rà ©ussirais à  Ã‚  lexamen. / Tu rà ©ussirais à  Ã‚  lexamen  si  tu  Ãƒ ©tudiais. If you studied, you would pass the test. / You would pass the test if you studied. (Fact: You dont study, but if you did [unlikely to occur], you would pass the test.) Si  elle  vous  voyait,  elle  vous  aiderait./ Elle  vous  aiderait  si  elle  vous  voyait. If she saw you, she would help you. / She would help you if she saw you. (Fact: She doesnt see you so she isnt helping you [but if you get her attention, she will].) Third Conditional The third conditional* is a conditional sentence that expresses a hypothetical situation that is contrary to past fact: something that would have happened if something else had happened. The term conditional here refers to the condition being named, not the  conditional mood. In the third conditional, the conditional mood is not used to name the condition itself, but rather the result. To form the third conditional, use  si  Ã‚  pluperfect  (to explain what would have had to occur)   conditional perfect  (what would have been possible). Si javais eu le temps, je laurais fait. / Je laurais fait si javais eu le temps. If I had had time, I would have done it. / I would have done it if I had had time. (Fact: I didnt have time, so I didnt do it.)Si tu  avais  Ãƒ ©tudià ©,  tu  aurais  rà ©ussi à  Ã‚  lexamen. / Tu  aurais  rà ©ussi à  Ã‚  lexamen  si  tu  avais  Ãƒ ©tudià ©. If you had studied, you would have passed the test. / You would have passed the test if you had studied. (Fact: You didnt study, so you didnt pass the test.)Si  elle  vous  avait  vu,  elle  vous  aurait  aidà ©. / Elle  vous  aurait  aidà © si  elle  vous  avait  vu. If she had seen you, she would have helped you. / She would have helped you if she had seen you. (Fact: She didnt see you, so she didnt help you.) Literary Third Conditional In  literary  or other very formal French, both verbs in the pluperfect conditional perfect construction are replaced by the  second form of the conditional perfect. Si jeusse eu le temps, je leusse fait. / Je leusse fait si jeusse eu le temps. If I had had time, I would have done it.Si vous eussiez à ©tudià ©, vous eussiez rà ©ussi à   lexamen. / Vous eussiez rà ©ussi à   lexamen si vous eussiez à ©tudià ©. If you had studied, you would have passed the test.

Love, Loss, And Betrayal Essay - 1407 Words

Love, Loss, and Betrayal I can feel myself slipping, falling into the dark abyss. My mind whirls as I listen to a cacophony of noise rush around me. Then I feel the frigid water envelope me and it stings like knives burrowing their way into my skin, piercing every inch of me. I try to breath but the water clogs my throat and threatens to drown me. Then it all stops and I feel the sunlight filter through the icy water and brush my fingertips. As if it is telling me that I will be alright. This is what I felt like when my heart got broken by the person I believed to be my true love. The dark abyss is depression and the drowning is the waterfall of tears. While the knives are the pain you feel, and the noise is the sound of your heart shattering into a million pieces as you read the text that tells you it’s all over. But the sunlight is your family and friends coming to comfort you and to tell you that everything will be alright. This essay is my story of how I found love, lost that love, and was bet rayed by a friend. It all started my Freshman year, second semester in the library. I always sat at the back table because it was quiet place to study. There was also an older girl, Hailey who was from the alternative school who had to sit at my table. One day while I was reading a book and she was drawing this guy just strolled right over with this cocky smile and sat down right next to me. I was taken aback by his gesture but then I realized he was not sitting there toShow MoreRelatedLove, Loss, And Betrayal Essay1299 Words   |  6 PagesLove, Loss, and Betrayal I can feel myself slipping, falling into the dark abyss. My mind whirls as I listen to a cacophony of noise around me. Then I feel the frigid water envelope me and it stings like knives burrowing their way into my skin, piercing every inch of me. I try to breath, but the water clogs my throat and threatens to drown me. 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Both themes lie at the heart of Sir Thomas Wyatt’s love poems. In his poem, the reader sees what is absent in the Renaissance idea of courtly love and thus this essay will attempt to explore the ways the theme of betrayal and infidelity are portrayed in contrast to courtly love and how women usually cause these actions. Betrayal is a common theme oftenRead MoreHavisham- Carol Ann Duffy680 Words   |  3 PagesDickens most memorable characters, Miss Havisham. Jilted at the alter by her one true love, Dickens portrayed Havisham as an old spinster, her life wasted away trying to gain revenge on all men. Through her dramatic monologue Havisham, Duffy gives the disturbed old woman a voice to express her feelings about her wasted life. One of the themes that I found fascinating in this poem was the idea that a moment of betrayal can destroy a persons life and identity. After introducing her lover as â€Å"beloved sweetheartRead More Addicted To Love Essay1217 Words   |  5 Pages Addicted to Love In Gottfried Von Strassburg’s retelling of the ancient romance, Tristan, love’s portrayal as a psychological disease is considerable. For Rivalin and Blancheflor, Tristan and Isolde, and also King Mark, the affliction causes them to act in a way that they would normally shun. Love changes the perspective on life of those who become intoxicated by its power; whether it’s shared as a couple or entirely unreciprocated, the lust to attain and secure its presence is consuming. Love’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1735 Words   |  7 Pageswell as his sanity. Inevitably, one major problem is the trouble discerning whether Hamlet truly loves Ophelia or if the love is a continued theatric in his act of madness. However, it is my argument that Hamlet truly did love Ophelia and the chain of unfortunate events occurring throughout the play caused a disconnect between Prince Hamlet and reality, thus preventing him from truly acting out his love for Ophelia in fullness. Several events occurred in the play that prevented Hamlet and Ophelia’sRead MoreThe God Of Nightmares By Paula Fox981 Words   |  4 Pagesand the source of all moral obligations. Losing our innocence is about experiences from the rebellion against God by ourselves or others that cause our spirit to be broken or wounded. In, â€Å"The God of Nightmares†, by Paula Fox we will analysis the loss of innocence and the world of faith destroyed, thus embodying the God of nightmares. Faith is a belief, confidence or trust in a person, object, religion, idea or view. The story opens with Helen’s mother having faith that her husband, whom leftRead MoreTheme Of Betrayal In Hamlet1610 Words   |  7 Pagesbetrayed through some who you thought loved you. A betrayal is an act of disloyalty and it is violating someones trust. In the play Hamlet by using William Shakespeare, betrayal is a reoccurring action among many characters. This play indicates the target audience unique types of betrayal that is imaginable, from a husband betraying his wife, a boyfriend betraying his lady friend and a mother betraying the son and father. These moves of betrayal hurt the human beings that are most loved and breakRead MoreThe Consequences Of Characters In William Shakespeares Hamlet1011 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet, overcome with feelings of anger and grief, embarks on a mission to kill Claudius, his uncle and successor to the Danish throne, whom he believes killed the D anish patriarch. Emotionally damaged by his father’s death and betrayed by those he loves, Hamlet becomes overwhelmed with anguish and sorrow, rendering him unable to demonstrate kindness or compassion toward others. As a first example, Hamlet, consumed by anger after the end of his romance with Ophelia, fails to realize Polonius may haveRead MoreLoss Of Innocence In Lives Of Saints And The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe Theme, Loss of Innocence in Lives of The Saints and The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nighttime Loss of Innocence, can be depicted as the coming of age for a character where he/she goes through multiple experiences in life which cause them to lose their innocence. The two characters, Vittorio from Lives of The Saints and Christopher from The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime, both go through a journey which concludes with their loss of innocence. Primarily, both protagonists

Banana Yoshimoto comparative essay free essay sample

Banana Yoshimoto effectively portrays various common themes and motifs in both â€Å"Helix† and â€Å"Newlywed†, in revealing the subconscious state of mind of the respective protagonists. Although the storylines are quite different, we get the feeling that many themes and strategies such as isolation, incredible poetic effect, and the recurring use of a helper figure used to develop the characters, are relatively interchangeable. These literary patterns allow for the protagonists to both escape the shallowness that plagues them, and bring to light the deeper meaning behind their subconscious (now conscious) struggles, especially those relating to their true feelings for their personal companions. Isolation is a recurring theme that is a catalyst for the subconscious state causing the climactic epiphanies within the protagonists of both stories. This is comparably portrayed through the blatant representation of shallow urban relationships. In â€Å"Helix†, we witness this theme of shallowness through the personal thoughts of the protagonist at the beginning of the story. In a moment of reflection, the protagonist exclaims, I feel as if my heart will stop beating, because once I know that much about a woman, it can never work out between us. (Helix, 651) Alluding to his lover, this theme of shallowness is difficult to ignore as the narrator is transparently portraying his ability to write off a relationship on incredibly superficial grounds. In â€Å"Newlywed† however, Banana uses the same approach in order to portray this theme of isolation, yet goes to quite an extreme to illustrate her character’s subconscious thoughts. The transformation from bum to beauty is a symbolic element of the story, and is supposed to confuse both the narrator and the reader at first, but it soon becomes clear that there is a deeper philosophical meaning to this odd occurrence. This bizarre intervention, in what seemed to be quite an ordinary context, rapidly changes the pacing and evolution of the story itself. At first, the narrator is unsure of himself, which ultimately leads the reader to question the reliability of his story: â€Å"I tried convincing myself that this was nothing more than a drunken nightmare. That’s what it was, an ugly duckling dream, a transformation from bum to beauty.† (Newlywed, 5) The isolation that surrounds the protagonists of Newlywed and Helix both physically and emotionally is what ultimately leads to the epiphanies that expose the underlying feelings towards their companions. Whether it is an empty train cabin, or the deserted city of Tokyo, Yoshimoto definitely seeks to portray the feeling of seclusion in order to emphasize the revelations that expose the protagonists’ true emotions. Another common aspect in both â€Å"Helix† and â€Å"Newlywed† is Yoshimoto’s use of poetic language and literary symbolism in order to develop both her characters and the story with greater depth. Despite that fact that many of the descriptions that she gives on behalf of the narrator are purely physical, and extremely shallow, it is an important aspect of both stories, as it helps lead to the dramatic changes that occur within the protagonists. In â€Å"Newlywed† for example, when the beautiful woman on the train asks the narrator about his wife, the first description that he gives, is purely physical: â€Å"She’s short, and slender, and has long hair. And her eyes are real narrow, so she looks like she’s smiling, even when she’s angry.† (Newlywed, 6) These superficial descriptions may be attributed to the fact that the narrator was in a â€Å"drunken state†, yet clearly depict him as a man that is not madly in love with his wife. By contrast, the poetic imaging in â€Å"Helix† reveals a man that is clearly in love with his girlfriend. Even near the beginning of the story, when he is expressing his feelings of uncertainty toward his relationship, he still gives this poetic illustration of his girlfriend: â€Å"She was like an evening moon, her white light almost swallowed by the gradations of pale blue sky.† (Helix, 651) This beautiful poetic image of his girlfriend is surprising to the reader, as he had just explained that he was having difficulty overcoming her idiosyncrasies. This dramatization brings the reader to the realization that the protagonist’s stream of consciousness narration is very unpredictable, yet will ultimately lead to his ability to expose his true feelings as the story develops. The author clearly likes to represent this feeling of indecision with poetic illustration as it is used several times in both stories. In â€Å"Newlywed†, the narrator vividly describes his mixed feelings toward his wife, Atsuko, during the peak of his epiphany-like experience: â€Å"For me, the beautiful, all-encompassing web spun by this creature is at once so polluted, yet so pure that I feel compelled to grab on to it. I am terrified by it but find myself unable to hide from it. At some point I have been caught up in the magical power she has.† (Newlywed, 16) Banana doesn’t strictly limit her poetic language to the story’s character development; she also uses it to depict specific moods in order to contextualize certain situations that shake up the intensity of the story itself. Coincidentally, in both â€Å"Helix† and â€Å"Newlywed†, the feeling of isolation is commonly portrayed throughout both stories with the unique use of grandiose language. This allows the protagonists to avoid any outside distractions that would interfere with the personal situations that they have to deal with. Tokyo is described as being a ghost town at the beginning of â€Å"Helix†, for example. â€Å"There was not a soul on the dark streets, save the autumn wind. I encountered this emptiness at every moonlit corner I turned†. (Helix, 651) Clearly unusual in a city like Tokyo, Yoshimoto is almost desperately taking this context to the extreme in an attempt to add an element of absurdity to the situation, and maintain a clear line of focus on the protagonist and his continuous train of thought. In â€Å"Newlywed†, she uses the same strategic language to create a context of solitude in order isolate the protagonist: â€Å"I looked around to see if anyone else had witnessed this amazing transformation, but the passengers in the neighboring cars seemed miles away, in a totally different space, separated by a transparent wall, all looking just as tired as they had moments before, indifferent to my surprise.† (Newlywed, 4) The language that Yoshimoto uses is not only unique, but allows the reader to fully contextualize themselves within the story, and fully comprehend the conscious and unconscious struggles within each story’s protagonist. The use of helper figures is another way that the author both challenges and exposes the protagonists. The most evident helper figure from both stories is the seemingly god-like character that transformed from a homeless man to a beautiful woman in â€Å"Newlywed†. The interpretation of this symbolic figure is entirely left to the reader’s imagination, yet its crucial role in the storyline and to the protagonist’s character development is indisputable. This peculiar intervention is a clear example of how far Yoshimoto is willing to go to force her characters to express their thoughts. At first, it is difficult to process what the narrator is depicting; yet as the story develops, we quickly learn that this character has a specific purpose to act as catalyst to the protagonist’s epiphany-like reflection about his life, specifically in relation to marriage. After opening up to this woman about his life, he explains how he felt about what he had experienced on the train that night: â€Å"Deep inside, I felt timid, even scared, not about my own drunkenness or fear that my mind was playing tricks on me, but the more basic sensation of encountering something much larger than myself, and feeling immeasurably small and insignificant by comparison†. (Newlywed, 12) From this, the reader is able to see that this man is clearly having a life changing experience that is allowing him to re-evaluate the major aspects of his life, including his relationship. This helper figure to the protagonist allowed him to bring out the subconscious struggles that seemed to weigh on him throughout the story. On the other hand, â€Å"Helix† presents multiple helper figures, some seeming as random and arbitrary as that of â€Å"Newlywed† and similarly allows the protagonist to truthfully evaluate and ultimately expose how he feels about the woman that he loves. The first helper figure that seems to startle the narrator does not take the form of a person, but rather a situational mind-cleansing seminar that his girlfriend brings to the table. She explains, â€Å"I guess that’s the chance you take if you go to one of these sessions. You might even end up forgetting things that seemed really important to you, things you don’t want to forget†. (Helix, 652) This seminar quickly becomes a euphemism for breaking up in the mind of the narrator, and his response, â€Å"don’t go†, unconsciously shows his fear of losing her. This ultimately shifts the dynamic of the story as he had previously inferred his desire to break up with his girlfriend at the beginning of the story. Yoshimoto also inserts a random explosion near the end of â€Å"Helix† as the lovers discuss their love for each other. Much like most of the random events that present themselves in her stories, there is a deeper meaning below what we see at the surface. This strange intervention that causes people to â€Å"[poor] into the [empty] streets from every doorway† (Helix, 654) encapsulates the unpredictability that is portrayed throughout the story, and through the narrator’s stream of consciousness narration. This ultimately leads the story to end on a note of misunderstanding and confusion surrounding the protagonist’s comparison of love to the helix of a strand of DNA. The interventions are not only incorporated to reveal and expose the true feelings of each protagonist, but also change the dynamic of each story and help maintain a feeling of unpredictability toward the narratives themselves, as well as the unreliability of the protagonists.