It may be argued that one of the recurring themes in the fiction of Toni Morrison is the problem of emotional suffering. Indeed, a line of her characters endure a series of traumatic past experiences, the consequences...It may be argued that one of the recurring themes in the fiction of Toni Morrison is the problem of emotional suffering. Indeed, a line of her characters endure a series of traumatic past experiences, the consequences of which are strongly echoed in their present lives and often foreshadow their future. Thus, this article discusses some of the characteristic literary-fantastic manifestations of grief and grieving in Morrison's novels, seen as internal and external expressions of the protagonists' mental pain. First, the text outlines the major grief-generating conditions for Morrison's heroes in general, and then it focuses on the various modes in which their feelings of grief and grieving are communicated. Second, the study exposes the characters' psychological strife and the influence it exerts both on themselves and their surroundings. Third and last, the paper concludes with an attempt to establish some typical patterns of grief and grieving common to Morrison's fictional figures. In order to reflect a variety of grief-stricken individuals populating Morrison's world, the analysis examines a group of three female characters. Taken all together, the selected examples serve to exhibit the complexity of the problem in question, as well as to illustrate the different shades of human sorrow.展开更多
Purpose and Topic: A longer life expectancy is expected to rise continuously in all populations on all continents. Older parents are at risk of having to accompany their adult children through a severe illness, somet...Purpose and Topic: A longer life expectancy is expected to rise continuously in all populations on all continents. Older parents are at risk of having to accompany their adult children through a severe illness, sometimes even to their death. The present study investigates the experiences of being a parent to an adult child with a severe illness and what support was helpful during the child's period of illness. Method: A qualitative approach with in-depth interviews which were analyzed using content analysis. Results: The results showed that a common perception was that it is very special to have a child with a severe illness. The underlying elements of existential experience and the relationship both influenced the parents' conceptions of life and permeated the whole situation. There were four areas that the parents found important and influenced how they could manage the situation: having information, participation, strategies to cope with the situation, and support. Conclusions: Accompanying an adult child through a severe and potentially fatal disease in the context of a growing elderly population will become an increasingly frequent problem. So far there is limited research in this area and more research should be a high priority in the future.展开更多
This paper offers pragmatic religious approach to handling moments of grief. It examines the mechanism for coping with distress in Islam. Though inferences were drawn from the Muslim Scripture (i.e. the Glorious Qur...This paper offers pragmatic religious approach to handling moments of grief. It examines the mechanism for coping with distress in Islam. Though inferences were drawn from the Muslim Scripture (i.e. the Glorious Qur'an) and the experiences of the prophets of God, the paper posits that every human being in today's world experiences moments of grief that are similar to those experienced by those prophets and as such, strategies adopted by them could still be found useful in the contemporary times. The paper has six parts. The introduction forms part one and this is followed by an examination of the causes of distress. In part three, the different signs and manifestations of distress in individuals are discussed while part four looks at the conventional or scientific ways of coping with moments of grief. The section that follows critically discusses the lslamic paradigm for coping with moments of grief. Thereafter the conclusions were drawn and some recommendations were offered.展开更多
Within minutes of the earthquake that claimed tens of thousands of lives in southwest China,a local government official and his colleagues were out saving lives despite loss and sadness of their own Tens of thousands ...Within minutes of the earthquake that claimed tens of thousands of lives in southwest China,a local government official and his colleagues were out saving lives despite loss and sadness of their own Tens of thousands of lives were lost in the May 12 disaster.When others were in shock or grieving the loss of someone close to them,and as the country began to mourn,Wang Hongfa, Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau展开更多
The earthquake tragedy has united Chinese and foreigners alike The flag is flying at half mast on Tiananmen Square,the ultimate indication of a nation s pain.At 2:28 p.m.on May 19,exactly one week after the Sichuan ea...The earthquake tragedy has united Chinese and foreigners alike The flag is flying at half mast on Tiananmen Square,the ultimate indication of a nation s pain.At 2:28 p.m.on May 19,exactly one week after the Sichuan earthquake ripped open the ground and shattered the peaceful lives of millions,the people of China展开更多
文摘It may be argued that one of the recurring themes in the fiction of Toni Morrison is the problem of emotional suffering. Indeed, a line of her characters endure a series of traumatic past experiences, the consequences of which are strongly echoed in their present lives and often foreshadow their future. Thus, this article discusses some of the characteristic literary-fantastic manifestations of grief and grieving in Morrison's novels, seen as internal and external expressions of the protagonists' mental pain. First, the text outlines the major grief-generating conditions for Morrison's heroes in general, and then it focuses on the various modes in which their feelings of grief and grieving are communicated. Second, the study exposes the characters' psychological strife and the influence it exerts both on themselves and their surroundings. Third and last, the paper concludes with an attempt to establish some typical patterns of grief and grieving common to Morrison's fictional figures. In order to reflect a variety of grief-stricken individuals populating Morrison's world, the analysis examines a group of three female characters. Taken all together, the selected examples serve to exhibit the complexity of the problem in question, as well as to illustrate the different shades of human sorrow.
文摘Purpose and Topic: A longer life expectancy is expected to rise continuously in all populations on all continents. Older parents are at risk of having to accompany their adult children through a severe illness, sometimes even to their death. The present study investigates the experiences of being a parent to an adult child with a severe illness and what support was helpful during the child's period of illness. Method: A qualitative approach with in-depth interviews which were analyzed using content analysis. Results: The results showed that a common perception was that it is very special to have a child with a severe illness. The underlying elements of existential experience and the relationship both influenced the parents' conceptions of life and permeated the whole situation. There were four areas that the parents found important and influenced how they could manage the situation: having information, participation, strategies to cope with the situation, and support. Conclusions: Accompanying an adult child through a severe and potentially fatal disease in the context of a growing elderly population will become an increasingly frequent problem. So far there is limited research in this area and more research should be a high priority in the future.
文摘This paper offers pragmatic religious approach to handling moments of grief. It examines the mechanism for coping with distress in Islam. Though inferences were drawn from the Muslim Scripture (i.e. the Glorious Qur'an) and the experiences of the prophets of God, the paper posits that every human being in today's world experiences moments of grief that are similar to those experienced by those prophets and as such, strategies adopted by them could still be found useful in the contemporary times. The paper has six parts. The introduction forms part one and this is followed by an examination of the causes of distress. In part three, the different signs and manifestations of distress in individuals are discussed while part four looks at the conventional or scientific ways of coping with moments of grief. The section that follows critically discusses the lslamic paradigm for coping with moments of grief. Thereafter the conclusions were drawn and some recommendations were offered.
文摘Within minutes of the earthquake that claimed tens of thousands of lives in southwest China,a local government official and his colleagues were out saving lives despite loss and sadness of their own Tens of thousands of lives were lost in the May 12 disaster.When others were in shock or grieving the loss of someone close to them,and as the country began to mourn,Wang Hongfa, Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau
文摘The earthquake tragedy has united Chinese and foreigners alike The flag is flying at half mast on Tiananmen Square,the ultimate indication of a nation s pain.At 2:28 p.m.on May 19,exactly one week after the Sichuan earthquake ripped open the ground and shattered the peaceful lives of millions,the people of China