“Temperamentally, I am an individualist. Professionally, I am a writer, and my books emphasize the importance of personal relationships and the private life, for I believe in them” - E. M. Forster, Two Cheers For Democracy In his works, notably Howards End, E.M. Forster focuses a great deal on personal relationships as the basis of connecting with others. Forster is passionately interested in human nature and private life. In his exploration it is only logical to think that he pondered the significance of personal relationships. The well know epigraph of “only connect” comes from Howards End spoken by Margaret revealing her belief that everyone must connect with each other creating relationships. Forster, having the same opinion of connecting with others strategically manipulates the story of Howards End to analyze relationships. Two of the relationships in Howards End are beneficial to the theme: The marriage of Henry Wilcox and Margaret Schlegel and the coupling of Leonard Bast and Helen Schlegel. Throughout Howards End Forster highlights the tension between the Wilcoxes and the Schlegels, the practical and the spiritual, the pragmatic and the fantastical, the masculine and the feminine. However, both of these opposing sides settle in the marriage of Henry and Margaret. Henry Wilcox represents the imperialistic upper class of Britain and like all the members of the Wilcox family is practical and pragmatic
Fairy tales tell us that once upon a time a girl met a boy; they fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Reality is not that simple. Long-term relationships force couples to get to know each other, involve themselves in each others’ worlds, fight through the hard times, and eventually develop deeper connections as noted through distinctive stages of Knapp’s relationship model. Although I have dated the same person for over two years, our communication through relationship stages makes it seem as though I am now dating a different person than the one I met years ago. Following dissolution and subsequent repair, I realize the most exhilarating of roller coaster rides develop through sets of ups and downs, much like the
There are several factors that come into play here. There may be an issue with the individuals communication needs, it can be difficult to establish a relationship and maintain it if your communication needs cannot be met. I have worked in a setting where a blind Service User has cohabited with a mute
1.1 Key principles of relationship theories - Stage theories in general describe how we go through distinct stages as we develop. Thus, rather than gradually changing, we typically make sudden shifts to different plateaus of perception and behaviour.
The world around us is immense. It is filled with extraordinary individuals, places and experiences. The bonds we form are ceaseless. Every relationship that is formed is one that we would like to experience over and over. Relationships in the world vary from one individual to another but, it is a solid connection that we as a people want to shape in our lives. The different connections that are formed, shape our identity and the identity of who we will become in the coming future. A relationship is a way in which two or more objects, people or concepts are connected. To me a relationship can mean many things but one way that I believe every relationship has is beauty. A way where objects, concepts and people can connect is beautiful because it Is new.
Family relationships and society play fundamental roles in how a child grows and makes their own choices. How they are seen and treated by society can influence how the child acts. From how they are raised, to what values and morals they are taught will determine the child’s reactions to obstacles that come up in life. I will be discussing some major events in the book that stood out to me as to why two men who basically grew up on the same block, ended up on very different paths.
One’s individuality and freedom are questioned when it does not conform to society’s ideals. This is often demonstrated in real life, as well as in popular literary pieces.
Many characters in Howards End experience the death drive laid out in Bennett and Royle’s uncanny chapter. This is the idea that ‘everyone, at some level […] is driven by a desire to die.’ It is as though we are on a monotonous march towards death. Henry Wilcox is a prime example of the death drive. Towards the finish of the novel, Henry, Helen and Margaret move in to Howard’s End and Henry’s health fails. He becomes ‘pitiably tired’ with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Reality comes to Henry at a late stage in his life and the effect it has on him is rooted firmly in reality as well as the uncanny. This fatigue causes Henry to drain himself, to be that one step closer towards death on his life long march.
It is often stressed to be yourself, no matter what it takes. But what if setting yourself apart could potentially put others in danger? In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the individual is demonstrated to be threatening to society through numerous situations. The main character of the book, Victor, does not consider the effects his actions have on others until it is too late to fix his mistakes. Additionally, Walton endangers his crew for his own glorification while trying to travel farther north than anyone else. Through these selfish actions, both characters put other people in harm’s way in order to further their careers and fulfill their personal goals. Furthermore, the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau exhibits negative qualities associated with focusing on yourself as an individual, such as narcissism. Because of the consequences and unfavorable traits illustrated by these books, society should be considered as more important than the individual.
(Forster 181). As a sister looking out for what’s best, I understand that this announcement of his proposal may come as a shock and Helen suggests he does not really truly love her. Helen fears that Margaret will start to be like Mrs. Wilcox and become “gruffer, more downright, and inclined to patronize the more foolish virgin” (Forster 160). Here, we see the true feelings of Helen as she becomes disconnected with her sister and feels anger towards her sister’s fiancé, Henry. Helen punishes her sister by disconnecting herself from Margaret’s life and moving far away; out of sight, out of mind. Unsatisfied with the way things were left after telling Helen about the engagement and their continuous arguments on the subject, Margaret asks to meet up at Howard’s End where they start reminiscing about all the strong family bonding experiences they had years ago. By talking and laughing about the good old days, the sisters were able to reunite and rebuild that family connection they had lost. It is evident in this realistic example between to loving sisters’ causes family bonds and connections to forever remain. Although they may be damaged due to disagreements, these close relationships can never be broke. John Colmer mentions in his critique, “Marriage and Personal Relationships in Forster’s Fiction, that, “Personal relationships triumph between the two Schelgel sisters,
Eric Mack’s essay “In Defense of Individualism” provides a basic outlook of individualistic personalities and interactions that are prevalent throughout society. Mack gives definitions of different theories in individualism, breaking the encompassing thought
During a lecture in 1907, William James said "the philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly means. It is only partly got from books; it is our individual way of just seeing and feeling the total push and pressure of the cosmos" (Bartlett 546) Individuality has been a prevalent theme in every type of literature for quite some time. Whether it is a character discovering his/her individuality or the author expressing his, literature is full of distinctness. The term individuality changes meaning with each person it meets. That is what makes the dynamic word so great. Throughout particular works read this
There has been some recent argument against the current understanding of the place of relationships in psychotherapy. While most theories argue that relationships are important or even essential to good mental health, other theorists claim that the way relationships are conceptualized in these theories is insufficient (Slife & Wiggins, 2009). Most of these theories conceptualize the individuals first, and then talk about the way these individuals relate. Relationships are often understood as two or more independent self-contained individuals interacting (Slife & Wiggins, 2009). An alternative way to look at relationships is offered by relational psychoanalysts and other theorists, though again it should be noted that
To create positive relationships, you need to set an example by using effective communication skills when dealing with others. This includes when both initiating conversation and responding to it. Positive relationships, meaning beneficial relationships for both children and adults, open lines of communication in all areas. Effective communication with both children and adults create a bond and therefore a positive relationship which results in the person responding in the way you would like them to. Without effective communication, relationships can break down and misunderstandings can occur leading for poor communication and a progressively worse atmosphere. Poor levels of communication and unhappiness at work between two colleagues can show in front of children and set a precedent for behaviour. Children are still learning appropriate ways to behave and therefore copy behaviour that they see, treating others accordingly.
What does marriage mean? By definition, marriage is “the legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife” (Webster’s Dictionary). Most people claim that they want their marriage to last a lifetime. Because over half of all marriages in the United States end in a divorce, most people lack the understanding of what it takes to stay married. I believe that couples should become more aware of the commitment that they are making when they enter into marriage.
In this world, to live a life, everybody needs someone to always be there by their side. It is not possible to stay alone and be happy at the same time. We can lower our pain by sharing it, or increase our happiness if we can share our happiness with others. People stand with us, share our feelings, bond with us and become a part of our life. We can’t imagine the life without the people who matter the most to us. Some we meet with the needs, some meet with destiny and some stays from the very first day of our life. These connections and commitment of being there make relationships. There is different steps, ways and views of every relation. Trust, love and respect are three different ways to show the importance of our relationship.