Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Second Meditation Essay - 845 Words

The Second Meditation The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt. --Renà © Descartes Le Discours de la Mà ©thode, I In the First Meditation, Descartes invites us to think skeptically. He entices us with familiar occasions of error, such as how the size of a distant tower can be mistaken. Next, an even more profound reflection on how dreams and reality are indistinguishable provides suitable justification to abandon all that he previously perceived as being truth. (18, 19) By discarding all familiarity and assumptions, Descartes hopes to eliminate all possible errors in locating new foundations of knowledge. An inescapable consequence of doubting senses and prior beliefs†¦show more content†¦He cannot say that God exists, because there remains the possibility that his thoughts are in fact originating from himself (in which case there would be no need for God). Since he has abandoned all notions of existence and certainty, which includes his own body and senses, is it possible that he himself does not exist? To think a thought is bound to existence by definition; one must exist first be fore having the ability to think. Even if an all-powerful deceiver made it so that I do not exist, it would generate a contradiction since I cannot think that I exists if I dont. (25) Thinking about existing requires existence as a prerequisite. Descartes has arrived at his first truly tangible and useful element of truth: that it is necessarily true that he exists. The next task that Descartes must consider is to define what he is, and in doing so be careful not to make assumptions. He cannot consider himself to be an animal, since that would require a definition of what an animal is. Such an examination is beyond the discussion. (25) Instead of making random guesses, Descartes begins to think about what came to mind when he considered what he was. (25, 26) The first thought that occurs to him is that he has a body - something that by definition has a determinable shape, defined location and that can occupy space. However, if an all-powerful deceiver is at work, then that whichShow MoreRelatedDescartes Second Meditation732 Words   |  3 PagesDescartes Second Meditation In Descartes’ Second Meditation the key philosophical idea of â€Å"I think, therefore I am† is introduced and thus begins a new age in western philosophy. Some of the arguments Descartes provide in order to support his claims are that in order to doubt anything, you must be able to think and if you think, you exist. Descartes brings up the point that there may be no physical world, along with that thought comes the doubt of anything else being real, which againRead MoreA Summary of Descartes Second Meditation1016 Words   |  5 PagesDescartes starts by doubting everything (â€Å"I will suppose then, that everything I see is spurious†) and thinks that anything which admits the slightest doubt must be false. He attempts to find something which he is unable to doubt and if he cannot he must conclude He contends that he is not able to doubt his existence. Even if there is a deceiving god who is constantly deceiving him about the world, he still must exist, as he must exist in order to be deceived. (â€Å"I am, I exist†). He then triesRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s The Second Meditation 980 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the Second Meditation, Rene Descartes begins to reevaluate everything he once thought to be true, due to our unreliable senses. He supports this statement by arguing that our senses often deceive us, that there is a separation between the mind and body and that reasoning should be the method of discovery. We typically use our senses to describe what an object is made up of. For example, if we are investigating a table, with our senses, we can tell by our vision that the table is there. WeRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy 1399 Words   |  6 Pagescouncillor and then as a court philosopher. Descartes book ‘Meditations on First Philosophy’ was first published in 1641. The edition used to write this essay was edited by John Cottingham and was published by the Cambridge University Press in 1996. Descartes was the first philosophy to be influenced by autonomy and physics and he also worked it all out for himself by not accepting the views of previous philosophers. Through the meditations, the meditator explores the ontological questions about beingRead MoreEssay on Altered States of Consciousness1003 Words   |  5 Pagesto relax. Your breathing becomes uneven, and your brain waves grow irregular. During the second stage, your brain waves occasionally shift from low aptitude, high frequency waves to high aptitude, low frequency waves. Your eyes then start to roll slowly back and forth. Thirty minutes into your sleep you enter stage three. In this stage, large-amplitude delta waves begin to sweep your brain about every second. Stage four is the deepest sleep a person gets into. Large regular delta waves occur aboutRead MoreThe Effects Of Meditation On The Mind And Body948 Words   |  4 Pagesalso have the ability to abolish such somatic pains with conscious efforts of mindfulness meditation on states of distress. Orme-Johnson, Schneider, Son, Nidich, and Cho (2006) hypothesized that transcendental meditation would have long-term effects on an individual’s physiological brain components responsible for pain management. The reduction of pain would be due to the reduction of distress through meditation that would also reduce the prefrontal cortex’s response to pain, and also a reduction ofRead MoreThe Four Noble Truths Of Buddhism760 Words   |  4 Pagesneither are we as humans. The second noble truth is the reason behind suffering which is a â€Å"craving† or (tanha). The Buddhists, like many believe that human beings are never truly satisfied. Most humans spend their whole lives trying to be successful but even when we do succeed there is still a void that we are trying to fill. Buddha believed that this â€Å"craving† comes from not knowing yourself. Buddha also believed that karma and rebirth are closely linked to the second noble truth. The third nobleRead MoreAnalysis Of Descartes s The Six Meditations 1272 Words   |  6 PagesThrough the six Meditations, Descartes comes to the conclusion that memories and dreams are deceptive and are not to be trusted. He discusses the existence of material objects, God, and himself. God exists and allows deception and Descartes’ ability to recognize that everything is false proves that he exists as well. He explains the difference between imagination and intellect, as well as the idea that the senses are deceptive and that knowledge comes from the mind and reason. Descartes’ belief inRead MoreRenà © Descartes and Thomas Hobbes Essay1497 Words   |  6 Pagesmaterialism. Recently, Cartesian Dualism, and dualism in general has fallen out of favor as materialism arose as a more plausible and explanatory theory regarding the interrelationships between body and mind. The translation Descartes’ writing in the Meditations is far more cryptic than Hobbes’ writing in the Leviathan. Making it far easier to see Hobbes’ claims. Hobbes provides a reasonable explanation against dualism in his objections to Descartes, and in his Leviathan, provides background upon his reasoningRead MoreA Common Problem Today For Adolescent Christians1573 Words   |  7 Pagesthe three main focuses are meditation, service, and worship. Through the application of these three spiritual disciplines, the main goal is to enter a deeper, more intimate relation with Christ and to be shaped into the image of Christ. The first spiritual discipline is meditation. According to WordNet, â€Å"meditation is the continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature (WordNet).† In the Bible, meditation is a way for the believer

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

How Does The Anxiety Manifest Itself - 1259 Words

1. Do you experience test anxiety (or do you know someone who does)? How does the anxiety manifest itself (physically, behaviorally, effectively)? I have never experienced test anxiety but I do know someone who has. A colleague of mine, attended a university where he was the only minority in his classes. My colleague was Black and the majority of his classmates were White. During his first semester, he experienced a cultural shock and felt out of place. My friend told me that his classmates and professors were nice and that he wasn’t treated unfairly or differently. However, due to the social and racial history of the U.S., my colleague went into every class believing that he had something to prove. I believe that the stereotypes of African Americans affected him greatly and he strove to prove them wrong. This burden that he carried, no one else in his classroom shared, (which is understandable because race affects those directly impacted by it more than those indirectly affec ted), caused him to have tremendous stress. Physically, my friend was always stressed out and tired. My colleague rarely got enough sleep which directly impacted his academic performance. My friend’s behavior changed as well. Previously, my friend had been easy going and gregarious but now he appeared agitated. Although he received passing marks on his test, he wasn’t performing at the level he should have. According to Katherine Ryan and Allison Ryan (Woolfolk, 2013, p. 247), the fear of confirming aShow MoreRelatedWhat Is Metaphysics? The Universal Definition Of Metaphysics1140 Words   |  5 Pagesand address the following ideas: how Heidegger ‘elaborates’ the question concerning the nothing, how he approaches the characterization of the nothing as the complete negation of the totality of beings, his concept of how the fundamental attunement of anxiety makes the nothing manifest, and his connection between the manifestation of nothing in anxiety and be ing as a whole. The first aspect we encounter in Heidegger’s excerpt of his meaning of metaphysics is how he ‘elaborates’ the question concerningRead MoreThe Dream Sequence From The Big Lebowski1432 Words   |  6 Pagesof female genitalia, but remains inaccessible due the fear of castration that comes with the confrontation of a woman s lack of a phallus. Thus, The Dude requires the fetishizing of bowling in order to access Maude and her symbolic meaning. The manifest content of the dream, the physical images of the dream, are highly overdetermined from an original source: multiple determination must be of importance in choosing what particular elements shall enter a dream (Freud 820). Each image seen in theRead MoreThe Types Of Anxieties, Learners May Face During Examinations1183 Words   |  5 PagesThe Types of Anxieties, Learners May Face During Examinations. Anxiety can be of many types. Be it language anxiety, test anxiety or even speech anxiety and social anxiety. Unfortunately this uncomfortable feeling is something that manifests in people all the time and especially at times when it would be best they are calm for a better outcome. This analysis of anxiety is based purely on test anxiety and how learners respond in exam conditions. It is because of this type of anxiety that studentsRead MoreEssay about Dreams Their Analysis1413 Words   |  6 Pageswas still near. I saw myself lay down under a tree. This tree was uniquely beautiful because of its thin twisting, almost fragile looking branches. The tree was unusual for it was bare, there were no leaves, nor was it green. The tree just stood by itself colored naked and bare for all to witness. The birds of summer seemed to favor this unique looking tree by gathering and sitting on its thin but strong branches. I laid under this tree looking up towards the birds feeling happy. I heard myself laughingRead MoreMy Girl, Vada Sultenfuss Models880 Words   |  4 PagesIn the movie My Girl, Vada Sultenfuss models the symptoms commonly used to diagnose Illness Anxiety Disorder. However, she does not possess this psychological abnormality. As portrayed in the film, Vada exhibits thoughts and behaviors that are not typical of an eleven year old girl. At first glance, she may seem mentally sick to the viewer. Upon further examination however, it is clear to see that is not the case. The odd behaviors modeled by this young child are actually a cry for attention, andRead MoreUnderstanding Social Phobia1569 Words   |  6 Pagesappraised suitably. Social Phobia can also be addressed as Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD); the scientific name for this disorder is ‘Anthropophobia’, which according to Right Diagnosis (2014) means an irrational fear of people or groups of people. The National Health Service (2014) describes Anthropophobia or Social Phobia as a tenacious fear of social situations and people; furthermore, the NHS credits Social Phobia to be the most common anxiety disorder. According to the International Classification ofRead MoreObsessive Compulsive Disorder ( Ocd )1679 Words   |  7 PagesHaving occasional intrusive thoughts that you just are unable to get rid of is in itself not as strange, as some people might assume. It is fact actually quite common and not abnormal. Many people believe they have obsessive-compulsive disorder because of symptoms they may share with the disorder. But more and more often, this disorder is being overused and misdiagnosed unnecessarily. The turning point that changes fr om normal to abnormal is when these thoughts cause distress and disruption in thatRead MoreEssay on Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga1256 Words   |  6 Pagesnervousness displayed within the female main characters of this novel. â€Å" Its bad enough, when a country gets colonised but when the people do as well! That’s the end, really, that’s the end. (Nervous Conditions,150). This quote stated by Nyasha addresses how colonialism and imperialism are not just cultural, political and economical, but psychological as well. It infiltrates the minds of the citizens and their very cultural existence. The women in this novel are faced with the choice of embracing the BritishRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Essay1660 Words   |  7 PagesGeneralized anxiety disorder or GAD is described as excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no logical reasons to justify it. Symptoms from this particular type of menta l disorder include over exaggerated worrying and anxiety, an unrealistic view of situations in everyday life, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, and more. Life becomes a constant state of worry and dread. Eventually, the anxiety overtakes the person s mindset so muchRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar Disorder977 Words   |  4 Pagesdevelop symptoms late in life. Bipolar disorder does run in families, but researchers have struggled to identify specific genetic factors that put people at risk. I feel that Bipolar disorder is extremely misunderstood. Many people use the term loosely. The people who suffer from this disorder are hurting and can’t control their feelings. My friend must pay over $400 a month for her prescriptions. She has insurance, but the insurance company does not cover that much of the medicine she takes.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Managing Human Resource Level of Attention

Question: Describe about the Managing Human Resource for the Level of Attention. Answer: Introduction Citing the reference obtained from the study of Boxall (2013), sustainability can be referred to as an efficient mean of meeting the current needs and demands of modern-day people without compromising the ability of future generation in achieving their individual requirements. Therefore, sustainability indicates developing suitable balance among the economic, social, and environmental factors from the short-term and long-term perspectives. The overall factor plays a central role in both the environmental and business management. By looking at the modern context of the world, it can usually be noted that needs and demands of the people are changing rapidly, as the contemporary societies have become more demanding than ever (Ehnert, Harry Zink, 2013). In the diverse context of contemporary community, human resource (HR) plays a pivotal role in coping up with the evolving requirements. With the help of the study formed by Ulrich et al. (2015), the roles played by the human resource management (HRM) are gaining increasing level of attention from multiple perspectives including the effort in developing sustainable business organizations. The precise study has indicated that sustainability itself refer to as one of the principles of HRM suggesting the HR managers designing their roles accordingly. Various factors associated with sustainability are accounted for affecting the organizational practices including the healthcare and HRM practices followed by the healthcare organizations like nursing care units or hospitals (Longoni, Golini Cagliano, 2014). Therefore, the HR roles and practices within a healthcare setting are always committed to improving the HRM models for constantly addressing the challenging requirements of the unconventional societies. Therefore, the following section of the report deals with the challenges faced by the healthcare organizations globall y with the aim of suggesting the recommended course of actions and key features associated with sustainable HRM operations. Recommended Course of Actions to improve Operations of HRM at the Hospital One of the recent studies formed by Paill et al. (2014) deals with the ultimate priorities of the leaders from different healthcare settings established globally. Among the many other priorities increasing patient satisfaction, enhancing user experience were ranked as the foremost objectives for the healthcare organizations followed by maintaining clinical quality and safety, cost reduction, and process improvement. Salaries and benefits for the employees and cost of different equipment are the biggest budget items for most of the hospitals, as these healthcare settings spend a major portion of their capital in these identified areas (Ardichvili, 2013). Considering the specific scenario, it is inevitable that the certain type of organizations experiences a considerable amount of financial challenges. The overall situation suggests human resource managers adopt a sustainable approach for responding adequately to the challenges and developing suitable solutions accordingly. Based on the study of Ehnert, Harry, and Zink (2014), HR professional involving the healthcare organizations must need to emerge forward by adopting best practices with the ability to fostering a culture insisting an increasing engagement from the employees. Additionally, the best practices must need to possess capabilities for improving performance and accountability. Therefore, the HR managers must need to form a superior link between the talent management practices and maintaining employee engagement and desired level of productivity. In order develop the excellent relationship between the essential areas of HRM operations and improving its overall implications, some useful recommendations are discussed below: Alignment of Organization-centric Goals One of the primary roles played by the HRM within a healthcare organization is based on ensuring the employees are highly informed about the key standards, aims, and objectives associated with the workplace (Kramar, 2014). Such criteria must need to be reflected in the performance of employees. As part of the process, the healthcare professionals and leaders must need to adopt most effective ways for communicating the changing elements to the employees through the goals and objectives of business. In order to achieve such process, the HR managers must need to have clear knowledge regarding the aims and expectations of the firm while monitoring the working performances of the healthcare professionals and staffs adequately. In this case, Boxall (2013) has mentioned such customer-centric approach is essentially especially in that situation when the organization is expecting a certain level of change. Career Progression and Employee Development HR professionals must need to play the responsibility provide proper training, learning, and development opportunities for supporting them to enhance their careers. As part of the process, an HR manager should ensure that all the employees have their access to the useful resources, information, and training materials required for achieving success through respective roles and performance (Dubois Dubois, 2012). The research conducted by Boxall (2013) also comes up with the fact that lack of career development opportunities and challenges in the job roles are one of the principal reasons driving the employees to leave organizations. Such identification is thoroughly applicable to a healthcare organization thereby making it necessary to implement various learning programs as the tool of retaining employees within the workforce. Ehnert and Harry (2012) argue learning and development programs become explicitly relevant for the employees when t hey can relate the implications of different organizational learning schemes supporting their individual performance. Thus, overall quality in serving the patients and treating the clients is enhanced due to the favourable impact of the proposed scenario. Core Competencies Core competencies are adequately expressed by the performance standards, which further support providing additional care to the patients (Jamali, El Dirani Harwood, 2015). The HRM operation within a hospital must need to be aligned in such manner that can cultivate these benchmarks or features in the roles adopted by each employee. The study originated by Ben, Dunphy, and Griffiths (2014) has critically prioritised the need of determining the ability of healthcare staffs and professionals by the HRM department for ensuring offering quality services and high level of care to the different patients. Through the application of the study, it is also acknowledged that competencies deal with the behavioural and professional approaches of the staffs for the accomplishment of their roles unlike the goals and objectives of the business describing their roles. Considering the particular description, it can be recommended that the core competencies of a healthcare organizati on must be defined clearly and consistently through the lifecycle of employees from all levels. Apart from the discussion related to the primary areas, some other areas associated with the roles of HRM should need to be included for ensuring the improvement of the operations in the context of healthcare organizations. The HR managers in a hospital must need to provide special attention to their roles from multiple perspectives, such as staffing and placement, legal research on healthcare, employee management, and decision-making (Florea, Cheung Herndon, 2013). From the context of staffing and placement, HRM must need to ensure staffing and placement of suitable and talented personnel to the workforce. Then again, HRM department should need to be responsible for extending the research regarding the rules and regulations governing the entire workplace as part of the healthcare system. Additionally, it is already determined that a healthcare facility always needs the skills and expertise from the qualified and reliable members for guaranteeing the adequate delivery of caring serv ices to the patients as well as reducing their complaints and hassles. It signifies HRM to provide special attention to the employee management programs. Lastly, HR department plays the responsibility of planning and decision-making, where the roles should not only confine to record keeping and legal auditing but also it requires managers to address the crucial concerns of employees (Ehnert Harry, 2012). The combination of these proposed approaches and procedures in the different areas of HRM roles can bring adequate improvement to the intended operations. Key Features of Building Sustainable HR Capability Due to the fast-paced requirements and demands of the contemporary business environment, one of the significant shifts can be observed in the evolution of roles and practices as part of HRM. The fundamental expansion of HRM charters from just personnel management to include the requirements to assist the organization growth and efficacy. The increasing demand for the HR roles has added extra dimension to the overall HR function to transform it into the strategic HRM (Benn, Dunphy Griffiths, 2014). Such expansion of roles and responsibilities of HRM mandate the enhancing organizational capabilities similar to the criteria of other primary departments of the business, such as finance, marketing, and operations. Due to such implications, sustainability has become an integral part of HRM roles and responsibilities for elevating the skills and capabilities of each manager. The sustainable HR capabilities can be measured or monitored by the inclusion of a specific level of features, which are discussed below: Sustainable Resource Management In the course of enhancing knowledge and core competencies, the valuable contribution of the human capital is one of the noteworthy factors (Ehnert, Harry Zink, 2014). The sustainability in HRM roles and capabilities depends on the ability to recognise the values of such factor driving the business to achieve a competitive position as dictated by the vision and mission statement of the organization. As part of the process, HRM in different occasions construct a knowledge-based society within the organization for building and enhancing employees into the ethical and talented professionals. Human Resource Management Employees play valuable roles in driving the vision, mission, and strategies of the organization on the path of success (Boxall 2013). Hence, the capability of an HR manager depends on gaining such understanding by considering some key strategic objectives and approaches. According to Jamali et al. (2015), the sustainability of the organizational performance relies greatly on analysing the success profiles supporting the establishment of business in the certain positions, such as determining the current and future requirements of HRM roles and responsibilities. Hence, HRM must need to explore and determine their positions in different situations of the business. Structure and Management System Based on the suggestion obtained from Florea, Cheung, and Herndon (2013), the basic structure of HRM consists of multiple divisions, such as resource committee, management committee, and strategic planning and decision-making committee. One of the superior roles of sustainable HRM practices is based on integrating all the concepts from each HR divisions to design a favourable outcome for the organization. The sustainable capability of HRM relies on controlling the impacts of each departmental role to contribute to the organizational development systems. Strategic Reformation Due to dynamic requirements in todays economic environment, HRM is responsible for devising programs and policies for controlling and monitoring the entire workforce. Such factor contributes to the increasing growth and prosperity of the organization. As part of the strategic formation phase, HR manager should need to prioritise the inclusion of time and information based strategies (Paill, et al. 2013). Kramer (2014) has identified that time management criteria included in the strategic formation allow the HR department to maintain flexible working hours for the employees while sharing jobs in critical times and allowing leaves during the special occasions. The same study also identifies that the participation of an information-based strategy in policy and guidelines provide necessary materials to the employees for supporting them adhering to the performance standards. Conclusion Since the dynamic nature and evolving concepts associated with sustainability, it is not easy to define the term in a specific manner. However, the information portrayed throughout the paper suggests sustainability from the context of HRM as the prominent mean for balancing the social, environmental, and economic factors associated with the business operations for the short and long-term perspective. In addition, the overall report richly outlines the knowledge regarding the sustainable HR practices, which is gaining crucial attention in the changing economic environment. Providing encourage to the employees through training and compensation, designing the overall HRM system by prioritising equity, wellbeing, and long-term sustainability within the working process, and maintaining the needs of internal and external communities are the principal HRM practices in modern business environment. Regardless of the industry or division, sustainable HRM subsidises offering long-term employmen t security while avoiding any disruptions and developing a benchmark social community. References Ardichvili, A. (2013). The role of HRD in CSR, sustainability, and ethics a relational model.Human Resource Development Review,12(4), 456-473. Benn, S., Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A. (2014).Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Boxall, P. (2013). Mutuality in the management of human resources: assessing the quality of alignment in employment relationships.Human Resource Management Journal,23(1), 3-17. Dubois, C. L., Dubois, D. A. (2012). Strategic HRM as social design for environmental sustainability in organization.Human Resource Management,51(6), 799-826. Ehnert, I., Harry, W. (2012). Recent developments and future prospects on sustainable human resource management: introduction to the special issue.Management revue, 221-238. Ehnert, I., Harry, W., Zink, K. J. (2014). Sustainability and HRM. InSustainability and Human Resource Management(pp. 3-32). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Ehnert, I., Harry, W., Zink, K. J. (Eds.). (2013).Sustainability and human resource management: Developing sustainable business organizations. Springer Science Business Media. Florea, L., Cheung, Y. H., Herndon, N. C. (2013). For all good reasons: Role of values in organizational sustainability.Journal of Business Ethics,114(3), 393-408. Jamali, D. R., El Dirani, A. M., Harwood, I. A. (2015). Exploring human resource management roles in corporate social responsibility: the CSR?HRM co?creation model.Business Ethics: A European Review,24(2), 125-143. Kramar, R. (2014). Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human resource management the next approach?.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(8), 1069-1089. Longoni, A., Golini, R., Cagliano, R. (2014). The role of New Forms of Work Organization in developing sustainability strategies in operations.International journal of production economics,147, 147-160. Paill, P., Chen, Y., Boiral, O., Jin, J. (2014). The impact of human resource management on environmental performance: An employee-level study.Journal of Business Ethics,121(3), 451-466. Ulrich, D., Dulebohn, J. H. (2015). Are we there yet? What's next for HR?.Human Resource Management Review,25(2), 188-204. Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Younger, J., Ulrich, M. (2012).Global HR competencies: Mastering competitive value from the outside-in. McGraw Hill Professional.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Symbols Of Holden Caufield Essays - Literary Realism,

Symbols Of Holden Caufield Symbolism of Holden Caulfield In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses many symbols to describe or characterize Holden Caulfield. For example, Holden uses the word ?phony? many times to describe other people, when in reality he himself is a phony. Another symbol that is used throughout the novel to characterize Holden is the hunting hat he had just purchased in New York City. The hat represents Holden's awkwardness; it does not fit in with the environment, nor does he. Throughout the novel, J.D. Salinger uses symbols to characterize Holden in a very unique way, and to get a better perception of the world in which he lives in. The root of Holden's problem is that he is desperate to find a missing link. Holden is desperately trying to escape avoid becoming a phony. He sees all these phonies around him; at the schools he goes to, at the theaters, people he doesn't even know,in the people he knows and people he reads about. For example, when Holden is at the train station waiting for the train to arrive he comments on his situation: ?..If I'm on a train at night, I can usually even read one of those dumb stories in a magazine without puking. You know. One of those stories with a lot of phony, lean-jawed guys named David in it, and a lot of of phony girls named Linda or Marcia, that are always lighting all the goddamn David's pipes for them...? (pg. 58) He figures the only way he is going to escape from becoming like that is to defy the rules and be as opposite from a phony as possible. At the same time, he has trouble being true to himself because he gets very lonely in the process. He keeps coming back to these phonies that he hates just because he needs some companionship. He cannot find the happy medium between phony and genuine Another plight that Holden is facing is that no one understands the problems he is experiencing. He has a way of putting up this front and making is seem as though everything is okay. One of the reasons why Holden took the time to call Mrs. Marrow or talk to the girls at the bar is because he is missing something in his life. For example, from the essay ?The Structure of The Catcher in the Rye? by Brian Way, ?Holden's excitement (from just arriving in New York City) is the excitement of the fantasist: he is embarking on a dream which is both universally adolescent, and built into a contemporary American mass-culture...? This is one of the reasons why he does so poorly in school, without even caring. When Holden talks with these people, he is trying to find or to satisfy the gap in his life. The problem is that he is lonely. Therefore, he is acting phony a lot of the time. He is seeking friendship and companionship or some connection with Ms. Marrow, the girls at the bar, or even the nuns. He wants out of his current life, and he feels he can do that by acting the way he does, and continues saying the things he says. He himself is a phony a lot of the time. He's always pretending to be someone he's not; therefore a phony. The hunting hat is a symbol of Holden's awkwardness. He is an original guy who doesn't really seem to fit in anywhere. The hat is the same way, he is in the city yet it is a hat for the country. When Holden first brought back the the hat to his dormitory, Ackley was in his room, and he decided to horse around a little bit so he didn't get bored. He pulled the peak of his hunting hat around to the front, then pulled it way down over his eyes, so he couldn't see a thing. Then he exclaimed to Ackley, ?I think I'm going blind...Mother darling, everything's getting so dark in here.? He may be trying to escape from himself, and find a new or better life. He wears the tip of his hunting hat going the opposite direction, just like he is