Walden como ponto de chegada da reflexão sobre modernidade em América / Walden as the arrival point for the reflection on modernity in America

Resumo: Monteiro Lobato participou de forma ativa do processo de modernização pelo qual o Brasil passou nas décadas iniciais do século XX. O escritor vivenciou a modernidade sentindo o abalo nas estruturas referenciais que davam aos indivíduos estabilidade no mundo social. Ele experienciou, assim como seus contemporâneos, as profundas transformações pelas quais a sociedade passava e, a partir disso, buscou por meio da literatura e de suas outras atividades cumprir o papel de crítico dessas experiências, reagindo, portanto, ao “turbilhão de permanente desintegração e mudança” (BERMAN, 2007, p. 24), que, a nosso ver, figura-se como uma maneira de caracterizar a modernidade. Compreende-se, então, que um estudo sobre a obra de Monteiro Lobato deve incluir a discussão sobre a modernização e a modernidade. Escolhe-se, para tanto, América, obra desse autor que de forma mais explícita e constante discute essa temática. O presente artigo objetiva, assim, analisar uma das formas pelas quais a modernidade se vê representada nessa obra, a saber, através do diálogo que ela estabelece com a obra Walden, do escritor norte-americano Henry David Thoreau, pensada aqui como ponto de chegada para a reflexão sobre a modernidade em América.Palavras-chave: Monteiro Lobato; América; Henry David Thoreau; Walden; modernidade.Abstract: Monteiro Lobato actively participated in the modernization process that Brazil went through in the early decades of the 20th century. The writer experienced modernity feeling the shock in the referential structures that gave individuals stability in the social world. He experienced, as did his contemporaries, the profound transformations that society was going through and, from there, he sought through literature and his other activities to fulfill the role of critic of these experiences, reacting, therefore, to the “turmoil of permanent disintegration and change” (BERMAN, 2007, p.24), which, in our view, appears as a way of characterizing modernity. It is understood, then, that a study on the work of Monteiro Lobato must include the discussion on modernization and modernity. To this end, America is chosen, as the work of this author that more explicitly and constantly discusses these themes. This article aims, therefore, to analyze one of the ways in which modernity is represented in this work, namely, through the dialogue it establishes with the work of Walden, by the American writer Henry David Thoreau, thought here as a point of arrival for reflection on modernity in America.Keywords: Monteiro Lobato; América; Henry David Thoreau; Walden; modernity.

Przedstawienia grzybów psychoaktywnych w ewidencji archeologicznej i ich interpretacje

There has been a debate regarding substances that cause altered states of consciousness (especially those of a psychedelic nature) that have been intrinsically linked to man since the dawn of time. The question of the beginning of the crystallization of human consciousness intrigues today’s researchers. American writer and ethnobotanist Terence McKenna tangled with such ideas, indeed one of his thoughts contributes to many controversial opinions and theories presented in this work. The stoned ape theory considers psilocybin, the active substance of entheogenic mushrooms, as an element that played an important role in the process of human evolution and contributed to the acceleration of human consciousness. The author of a title theory believes that psychoactive mushrooms, which might have been components of our ancestors’ diet, could also contributed to the development of language and religion. In this paper, an attempt will be made to subject the title theory to criticism with particular discussion of archaeological evidence.

Nnedi Okorafor: Trajectories of an African Futurism

This article presents an analysis of the new category of Africanfuturism coined by the Nigerian American writer (or Naijamerican, as she defines herself) Nnedi Okorafor in 2019, after years of questions about the limits that the category of Afrofuturism has put over the receptions of her works. Okorafor felt the urgency to open this new horizon to better insist on the importance of stories and narratives profoundly rooted in the African continent, thus abandoning the Western models and canons of science fiction and creating new ways of looking towards the far future. Through the analysis of Okorafor’s novels (Who Fears Death?, Lagoon and Binti), interviews and posts on her blog, the article explores the potentialities of Okorafor’s speculative fiction to deal with technologies, traditions, cultures, social transformations, and how these issues inform a future Africa that could possibly be an entirely new world, in which the concept of ‘West’ and ‘colonialism’ do not have any meaning.

Storytelling in business—How to increase customer engagement

Storytelling, as a marketing innovation, is the market communication tool that allows present the facts in a coherent and attractive way so as to stand out from the competition and more effectively influence the consumer’s imagination and engagement. It can be concluded that the history of storytelling itself dates back to the beginnings of mankind, when humans started to transfer knowledge from generation to generation. The chapter indicates that storytelling evokes emotions in customers, and these in turn affect commitment and action. The most important and primary elements of storytelling include superior message, conflict, characters (the archetypes) and plot. Each good story can be based on a few important points, which are well described by the concept proposed by American writer Joseph Campbell. In addition, the chapter also presents examples of sources of inspiration for storytelling. Among them, it is worth mentioning, for example: history of the company’s founder or president, the beginnings of the company, employees’ stories or milestones (successes or failures). The last part presents two case studies of the use of storytelling by enterprises. These are examples from the Polish market regarding the use of storytelling in employee recruitment and customer engagement.

DESTROYING THE STEROTYPES OF THE EVERYDAY: YOUNG GENERATION’S CHALLENGE (THE NOVEL «ON THE COME UP» BY ANGIE THOMAS)

The collapse of traditional values caused by the dramatic changes of the last decades of the 20th century greatly affected all spheres of life and art including literature. The newest multi-media, various networks, etc. have led to the growing gap between people who are locked down in different forms of self-isolation and mundane practices. Everyday reality as it is presented in the novel «On the Come Up» by the young African American writer Angie Thomas reminds of the continuation of the struggle with racism and discrimination – in spite of the transformations that have taken place in US social and political life. The 16-year- protagonist of the novel challenges the stereotypes, phobias and prejudice and is on the way to success as a rapper whose song «On the Come Up» becomes her creed in life and inspires hope.

METAPHORICAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF SUBJECTIVE TIME (ON «MY PRETTY PONY» BY S. KING)

Рассматриваются формы метафорического осмысления субъективного времени в рассказе современного американского писателя Стивена Кинга «Мой милый пони». Время сравнивается с маленьким своевольным животным, над которым человек должен держать контроль. В диалоге старика с внуком прослеживаются следующие характеристики субъективно переживаемого времени: текучесть, судьбоносность, необратимость, неподконтрольность и неумолимость. Дед формулирует смысложизненные ориентиры, которых должен придерживаться его маленький собеседник, в виде житейских метафорически выраженных инструкций. Общий вывод, вытекающий из повествования, сводится к призыву воспринимать отведенное нам время как подарок. The paper deals with conceptualization of subjective time in the story «My pretty pony» by a modern American writer Stephen King. Time is compared with a small self-willed animal to be controlled. In the dialogue of an old man and his grandson we can see the following features of subjective time: fluidity, fatefulness, inconvertibility, uncontrol-lability, implacability. The granddad formulates philosophical principles his grandson must follow in the form of earthbound metaphorical instructions. The idea of the narrative may be interpreted as the appeal to perceive time given to us as a gift.

A Postcolonial Reading of Frank McCourt

Post-colonialism, as an academic discipline, analyzes, explains, and responds to the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism. The Irish American writer Frank McCourt won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1996 memoir Angela’s Ashes, a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. Later in 1999, he authored ‘Tis, which continues the narrative of his life, picking up from the end of Angela’s Ashes and detailing his life after he returned to New York. Being mostly analyzed within the framework of personal growth or feminism, Frank McCourt’s memoir, therefore, has been regarded as a motivational life story. Within the postcolonial context, however, his memoir can be interpreted from a quite different perspective. Although Ireland has never been a colony of America, certain critical concepts from post-colonialism can be applied to the exploration of the identity formation of Frank McCourt.

Parallels between foreign and Georgian works at shool

The most important skill that adults acwuire while attending school is that ability to read.That is why one of the priorities of education should be to promote literacy at the beginning stage.Still in the process of forming human capabilities, the adolescent should be able to gain deep access to reading, comprehension, writing of mood and orally.Constant changes in society, wgich pose a new challenge to people, have necessitated the acwuisition of new knowledge, so the methods and technologies that will be tailored to this demand are constantly changing. For the lesson, we have selected American writer Richard Bach’s “Seagull named Jonathan Livingstine” and Goderdzi Chokheli’s “Castsavala”. Conducting this lesson is not only about promoting literacy, but also about making a great contribution to the upbringing of the next generation and the formation of the moral side throug fiction.We used 9 activities in the lesson and enjoied the positive results mentioned in the article.

Trait-Based Origins of Creativity

Chapter 2 provides an overview of scientific findings on correlations between each of the Big Five dimensions and creativity. The author notes that we can’t know everything about artist personality or the intricacies of artistic process, but that does not mean we can’t know anything. The research has been done, and the job, now, is to sift through it, identify what’s known, and craft a general portrait. A generic artist personality profile is outlined. The author presents a contrast between the average scientist and the average artist. From there, the author focuses on the trait-based roots of creativity, including detailed discussion of the exact Big Five profiles of two accomplished creatives: Kuwaiti painter Shurooq Amin and American writer Walter Kirn.

Roxane Gay’s An Untamed State: A Caribbean Rhizomatic Novel Reflecting the New Transmodern Paradigm

This article explores Haitian American writer Roxane Gay’s An Untamed State (2014) as a novel that represents our intricate and rhizomatic transmodern era. In order to prove this contention, it focuses on the novel’s amalgamation of different literary genres and modes from previous cultural paradigms—namely, the postmodern fairy-tale retelling and the social realist novel—with Euro-American as well as Haitian/Caribbean literary and sociocultural elements. The result of this mélange is a complex narrative of multiple interconnections that offers a nuanced portrait of new millennium Haitian diasporas and locals, and that most especially, recuperates subaltern Haitian voices so as to denounce the “untamed state” of the country. The article concludes by arguing that Gay’s hybrid and relational text effaces an either/or episteme which, although considerably used in Western and postcolonial theories for a while, has now become obsolete and inoperative in such a globalised and entangled world.