Nations and States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nations and States - Essay Example With Europe as its epicentre, nationalism was mooted as the collective geo-political representation of a race (ethnicity) of people. Another feature of most modern nation-states is their capitalist orientation, although it was less pronounced in the 19th century. (Cottam & Cottam, 2001) The modern state is defined by a few key characteristics: contiguous territory, salaried bureaucrats, common administration, representative government, etc. It is fair to claim that this model of governance has prevailed ever since its development in the mid-19th century. While the French Revolution was the initial spark which promoted the idea of nationalism, the concept has evolved and adapted in the ensuing decades. But one clear marker of the modern nation-state is its resolute opposition to traditional forms of authority. At the same time some nationalisms have followed an authoritarian path. Usually, this is witnessed in countries where religious conservatism is prevalent. (Gilbert & Helleiner, 1999) Another defining feature of nation-states is the shared bonds of language and culture among citizens. New technologies of communication have somewhat helped in consolidating national identities. But the challenge of many nation-states today is in accommodating diversity of thought, language and culture in political discourse. Political scientists talk of in and out groups with reference to national minorities. There has been a painful history of conflict as fledgling nations were developing their national identity. The conflict between Muslims and Greeks & Jews and Christians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey), are cases in point. The strife between Han Chinese and the Manchu ethic group is another painful episode of nation formation. In Western Europe, the widespread ostracism of Jews was a major problem. (Ersoy et. al, 2010) The tragic event of the holocaust goes on to show how ethnic conflict can escalate in magnitude.

Discuss the role of repetition and habit in Proust's 'Combray' in Essay

Discuss the role of repetition and habit in Proust's 'Combray' in relation to another novel - Essay Example The early twentieth century saw a determined effort, on the part of the European intelligentsia, to exclude the masses from culture. In England this movement has become known as modernism.’ In this era the modernist writers initiated the trend of depicting the darker or the true picture of life i.e. the brutality and harshness of life. Some of the major thematic concerns of modernist literature include self identity, the relationship of an individual with his history or past and projection of an individual’s inner conflict i.e. the tug of war between the conscious and the sub-conscious mind. In order to be able to do justice to these themes modernist writers makes use of various aspects of human nature such as habit and repetition to highlight these themes in their works. 2. Combray by Proust The novel is in first person narrative. This first section of the novel ‘The Way by Swann's’ is a walk down the memory lane where the protagonist tells the readers abo ut his childhood days in Combray and the people that surrounded him and the manner in which the absence or presence affected him and made him the man he has become. A lot of major themes and characters are introduced to the readers in this first part of the novel. This part of the novel basically focuses on the people surrounding the protagonist and the manner in which those people influence him and ultimately result in making him the man or individual that he becomes. 2.1. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce   This novel is also depicted in first person narrative and just like the former novel it is also a journey of self discovery where the protagonist states the story of his life and the circumstances of his life that made him an individual rather than a replica of his father. The novel is about a boy named Stephen who is surrounded by the people of the modern world who are struggling to bring about a change however they are still unable to do so as their bon ds with their heritage and old norms are very strong. However through this novel Joyce reiterates his point of view that in order to bring about a change one has to start struggling on an individual level first. Moreover a human being has the capacity to make impossible possible. 3. Repetition and Habit Repetition and habit are two aspects of human psychology that project monotony of human life. similarly in modern literature the writers use these themes not only to reflect on the inner turmoil of human mind where it is trying to free itself from the shackles of the stereotypical norms but also help in explaining the role of stream of consciousness and its impact on human life in the modern novels. Writers like Proust and James Joyce are observed to be using repetition and habit in their individual unique manner of depiction. In both the novels In Search of Lost Time the Way by Swann's by Proust and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce  it is observed that writer s use repetition and habit as a tool to reflect upon the confused state of human mind where human existence is like a pendulum and he oscillates between the old norms of the society which are drilled in him since the day he was born and the new trends which he desire to follow to become a modern man. 4. Proust’s writing Technique In Combray Proust’s depiction of habit and repetition is evident in the manner he