'Carrying the fire' : Cormac McCarthy's moral philosophy
- Authors: Davies, Christopher
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: McCarthy, Cormac, 1933- -- Criticism and interpretation American fiction -- 20th century -- Moral and ethical aspects American fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2217 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002260
- Description: In this thesis, I argue that the question of ethics, despite claims to the contrary, is a central concern in Cormac McCarthy’s fiction. My principal contention, in this regard, is that an approach that is not reliant on conventional systems of meaning is needed if one is to engage effectively with the moral value of this writer’s oeuvre. In devising such an approach, I draw heavily on the ‘immoralist’ writings of Friedrich Nietzsche. The first chapter of the study contends that good and evil, terms central to conventional morality, do not occupy easily definable positions in McCarthy’s work. In the second chapter, the emphasis falls on the way in which language and myth’s mediation of reality informs choice. The final chapter focuses on the post-apocalyptic setting of The Road, in which normative systems of value are completely absent. It argues that, despite this absence, McCarthy presents a compassionate ethic that is able to find purchase in the harsh world depicted in the novel. Finally, then, this study argues that McCarthy’s latest novel, The Road, requires a reconsideration of the critical claim that his work is nihilistic and that it negates moral value.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Davies, Christopher
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: McCarthy, Cormac, 1933- -- Criticism and interpretation American fiction -- 20th century -- Moral and ethical aspects American fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2217 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002260
- Description: In this thesis, I argue that the question of ethics, despite claims to the contrary, is a central concern in Cormac McCarthy’s fiction. My principal contention, in this regard, is that an approach that is not reliant on conventional systems of meaning is needed if one is to engage effectively with the moral value of this writer’s oeuvre. In devising such an approach, I draw heavily on the ‘immoralist’ writings of Friedrich Nietzsche. The first chapter of the study contends that good and evil, terms central to conventional morality, do not occupy easily definable positions in McCarthy’s work. In the second chapter, the emphasis falls on the way in which language and myth’s mediation of reality informs choice. The final chapter focuses on the post-apocalyptic setting of The Road, in which normative systems of value are completely absent. It argues that, despite this absence, McCarthy presents a compassionate ethic that is able to find purchase in the harsh world depicted in the novel. Finally, then, this study argues that McCarthy’s latest novel, The Road, requires a reconsideration of the critical claim that his work is nihilistic and that it negates moral value.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An investigation into knowledge and change in a Grade 9 environmental research project
- Authors: Webber, Susan Marion
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Activity programs -- South Africa Environmental education -- Evaluation -- South Africa Environmental education -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Sustainable development -- Evaluation -- South Africa Sustainable development -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Active learning -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1597 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003479
- Description: This study considers a Grade 9 Integrated Environmental Research Project which was implemented as a vehicle to induce knowledge-based change in learners. It was noted that change did not occur as hoped, and this study was undertaken to review the Grade 9 Project in order to improve it and to probe the apparent gap between knowledge and action. The study generated evidence on the learning processes within the project. This revealed a number of contradictions and tensions which limit change initiatives within the local environment. Notable here was a contradictory mandate between undertaking a research-based change project and responding to the rubric of assessment which was not linked to the research done. It was found that faced with this dual mandate, learners chose to focus on the assessment-laden mandate as this was the ultimate agenda that would reap the reward within the traditional school environment. The study examines the gap between knowledge and practice to probe ways in which to close this gap in the context of an environmental research assignment. The outcome is a recommendation that we as the project designers review the evidence of tensions and contradictions revealed in the study to reflect on the underlying purpose of the project and reshape it in light of recent literature on the challenges of social learning and change.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Webber, Susan Marion
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Activity programs -- South Africa Environmental education -- Evaluation -- South Africa Environmental education -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Sustainable development -- Evaluation -- South Africa Sustainable development -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa Active learning -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1597 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003479
- Description: This study considers a Grade 9 Integrated Environmental Research Project which was implemented as a vehicle to induce knowledge-based change in learners. It was noted that change did not occur as hoped, and this study was undertaken to review the Grade 9 Project in order to improve it and to probe the apparent gap between knowledge and action. The study generated evidence on the learning processes within the project. This revealed a number of contradictions and tensions which limit change initiatives within the local environment. Notable here was a contradictory mandate between undertaking a research-based change project and responding to the rubric of assessment which was not linked to the research done. It was found that faced with this dual mandate, learners chose to focus on the assessment-laden mandate as this was the ultimate agenda that would reap the reward within the traditional school environment. The study examines the gap between knowledge and practice to probe ways in which to close this gap in the context of an environmental research assignment. The outcome is a recommendation that we as the project designers review the evidence of tensions and contradictions revealed in the study to reflect on the underlying purpose of the project and reshape it in light of recent literature on the challenges of social learning and change.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Consumer perceptions of private label brands: an Eastern Cape university-aged analysis
- Authors: Mpofu, Bukhosi Dumoluhle
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: House brands -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Young consumers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1167 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002783
- Description: This research investigates the consumer perceptions of private label brands amongst the university aged consumers from selected Eastern Cape universities. The research also aimed to ascertain whether or not generation Y consumers are aware of the existence of private labels, whether price, quality, advertising, packaging, reference groups and demographic variables influenced generation Y purchasing behavior of private label brands. To achieve these objectives, the research made use of the simple random technique to gather the primary data via the use of an online structured questionnaire. The sample population selected where the students in the Eastern Cape Province Universities (Rhodes and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Universities) who reside off-campus. The assumption was that students who reside off-campus are more aware of private labels as they carry out shopping more than those that reside on campus and generally would have more disposable income and the reason that two different universities have been chosen is to provide a broad base of student opinions, covering varying cultural and income backgrounds, thus allowing for unbiased, valuable research. After pre-tests were conducted the questionnaire was made available online to easy the distribution of the questionnaire and allow for a greater response rate. Descriptive and inferential statistics where used to analyze the results of the questionnaire. The results showed that consumers are generally aware of private label brands and have at least seen them being advertised. Furthermore, the results showed that consumers purchase groceries based on price, quality and convenience of location of the grocery stores .The results indicate that Generation Y consumers are indeed a significant part of the consumer population and that they represent a confident, self reliant, optimistic and positive generation and are verbally and visually more sophisticated, creating a whole new language through digital media and that Generation Y consumers are generally aware of the existence of private labels. The results also indicate that Generation Y consumers strongly agreed that they purchase groceries based on price and quality, meaning price and quality are very influential when purchasing groceries and that the packaging of, generally, all private label brands was not attractive hence a conclusion was made that packaging of private labeled products does not influence Generation Y’s purchasing behaviour of private labels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mpofu, Bukhosi Dumoluhle
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: House brands -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Young consumers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1167 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002783
- Description: This research investigates the consumer perceptions of private label brands amongst the university aged consumers from selected Eastern Cape universities. The research also aimed to ascertain whether or not generation Y consumers are aware of the existence of private labels, whether price, quality, advertising, packaging, reference groups and demographic variables influenced generation Y purchasing behavior of private label brands. To achieve these objectives, the research made use of the simple random technique to gather the primary data via the use of an online structured questionnaire. The sample population selected where the students in the Eastern Cape Province Universities (Rhodes and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Universities) who reside off-campus. The assumption was that students who reside off-campus are more aware of private labels as they carry out shopping more than those that reside on campus and generally would have more disposable income and the reason that two different universities have been chosen is to provide a broad base of student opinions, covering varying cultural and income backgrounds, thus allowing for unbiased, valuable research. After pre-tests were conducted the questionnaire was made available online to easy the distribution of the questionnaire and allow for a greater response rate. Descriptive and inferential statistics where used to analyze the results of the questionnaire. The results showed that consumers are generally aware of private label brands and have at least seen them being advertised. Furthermore, the results showed that consumers purchase groceries based on price, quality and convenience of location of the grocery stores .The results indicate that Generation Y consumers are indeed a significant part of the consumer population and that they represent a confident, self reliant, optimistic and positive generation and are verbally and visually more sophisticated, creating a whole new language through digital media and that Generation Y consumers are generally aware of the existence of private labels. The results also indicate that Generation Y consumers strongly agreed that they purchase groceries based on price and quality, meaning price and quality are very influential when purchasing groceries and that the packaging of, generally, all private label brands was not attractive hence a conclusion was made that packaging of private labeled products does not influence Generation Y’s purchasing behaviour of private labels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen's "The little mermaid" and the ways in which stereotypes of women are subverted or sustained in selected works
- Authors: Mostert, Linda Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8451 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1371 , English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Description: According to Lewis Seifert, “Fairy tales are obsessed with femininity … These narratives are concerned above all else with defining what makes women different from men and, more precisely, what is and is not acceptable feminine behaviour” (1996: 175). This study, then, will demonstrate how certain patriarchal ideas associated with fairy tales are disseminated when fairy tale elements are reworked in film, visual art and the novel. The aim of this project, more specifically, is to show how certain stereotypical representations of women endure in works that could be read as feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Stereotypical representations of women are numerous and may include: depicting females as fitting neatly into what is often called the virgin/whore or Madonna/whore binary opposition; depicting women as being caring and kind, but also passive, submissive and weak; and depicting older women as being sexually unattractive and evil (Goodwin and Fiske 2001:358; Sullivan 2010: 4). It must be said that the list of stereotypes relating to women given here is far from exhaustive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mostert, Linda Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8451 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1371 , English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Description: According to Lewis Seifert, “Fairy tales are obsessed with femininity … These narratives are concerned above all else with defining what makes women different from men and, more precisely, what is and is not acceptable feminine behaviour” (1996: 175). This study, then, will demonstrate how certain patriarchal ideas associated with fairy tales are disseminated when fairy tale elements are reworked in film, visual art and the novel. The aim of this project, more specifically, is to show how certain stereotypical representations of women endure in works that could be read as feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Stereotypical representations of women are numerous and may include: depicting females as fitting neatly into what is often called the virgin/whore or Madonna/whore binary opposition; depicting women as being caring and kind, but also passive, submissive and weak; and depicting older women as being sexually unattractive and evil (Goodwin and Fiske 2001:358; Sullivan 2010: 4). It must be said that the list of stereotypes relating to women given here is far from exhaustive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The effectiveness of livestock guarding dogs for livestock production and conservation in Namibia
- Authors: Potgieter, Gail Christine
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Livestock protection dogs -- Namibia , Herding dogs -- Namibia , Livestock -- Predators of -- Control -- Namibia , Livestock -- Losses -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10680 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1666 , Livestock protection dogs -- Namibia , Herding dogs -- Namibia , Livestock -- Predators of -- Control -- Namibia , Livestock -- Losses -- Namibia
- Description: The use of livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) to mitigate farmer-predator conflict in Namibia was evaluated. As farmer-predator conflict has two sides, LGDs were evaluated in terms of livestock production and conservation. The main objectives in terms of livestock production were to document: 1) the perceived ability of LGDs to reduce livestock losses in a cost-effective manner; 2) the farmers’ satisfaction with LGD performance; and 3) factors influencing LGD behaviour. The main objectives in terms of conservation were to record: 1) predator killing by farmers relative to LGD introduction; 2) direct impacts of LGDs on target (damage-causing) species; and 3) the impact of LGDs on non-target species. This evaluation was conducted on LGDs bred by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and placed on farms in Namibia. The data were collected during face-to-face interviews with farmers using LGDs. Historical data from the CCF programme were used in conjunction with a complete survey of the farmers in the CCF LGD programme during 2009-2010. In terms of livestock production, 91 percent of the LGDs (n = 65) eliminated or reduced livestock losses. Subsequently, 73 percent of the farmers perceived their LGDs as economically beneficial, although a cost-benefit analysis showed that only 59 percent of the LGDs were cost-effective. Farmers were generally satisfied with the performance of their LGDs. However, farmer satisfaction was more closely linked to good LGD behaviour than the perceived reduction in livestock losses. The most commonly-reported LGD behavioural problems (n = 195) were staying at home rather than accompanying the livestock (21 percent) and chasing wildlife (19 percent). LGD staying home behaviour was linked to a lack of care on subsistence farms, as high quality dog food was not consistently provided. Care for LGDs declined with LGD age on subsistence, but not commercial, farms. In terms of conservation, predator-killing farmers killed fewer individuals in the year since LGD introduction than previously; this result was only significant for black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas. However, 37 LGDs killed jackals, nine killed baboons Papio ursinus, three killed caracals Caracal caracal and one killed a cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (n = 83). Farmers and LGDs combined killed significantly more jackals in the survey year than the same farmers (n = 36) killed before LGD introduction. Conversely, five farmers killed 3.2 ± 2.01 cheetahs each in the year before LGD introduction, whereas LGDs and these farmers combined killed only 0.2 ± 0.2 cheetahs per farm in the survey year. Only 16 LGDs (n = 83) killed non-target species. The high LGD success rate in terms of livestock production was facilitated by livestock husbandry practices in the study area. In terms of conservation, LGDs were more beneficial for apex predators than for mesopredators and had a minor impact on non-target species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Potgieter, Gail Christine
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Livestock protection dogs -- Namibia , Herding dogs -- Namibia , Livestock -- Predators of -- Control -- Namibia , Livestock -- Losses -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10680 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1666 , Livestock protection dogs -- Namibia , Herding dogs -- Namibia , Livestock -- Predators of -- Control -- Namibia , Livestock -- Losses -- Namibia
- Description: The use of livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) to mitigate farmer-predator conflict in Namibia was evaluated. As farmer-predator conflict has two sides, LGDs were evaluated in terms of livestock production and conservation. The main objectives in terms of livestock production were to document: 1) the perceived ability of LGDs to reduce livestock losses in a cost-effective manner; 2) the farmers’ satisfaction with LGD performance; and 3) factors influencing LGD behaviour. The main objectives in terms of conservation were to record: 1) predator killing by farmers relative to LGD introduction; 2) direct impacts of LGDs on target (damage-causing) species; and 3) the impact of LGDs on non-target species. This evaluation was conducted on LGDs bred by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and placed on farms in Namibia. The data were collected during face-to-face interviews with farmers using LGDs. Historical data from the CCF programme were used in conjunction with a complete survey of the farmers in the CCF LGD programme during 2009-2010. In terms of livestock production, 91 percent of the LGDs (n = 65) eliminated or reduced livestock losses. Subsequently, 73 percent of the farmers perceived their LGDs as economically beneficial, although a cost-benefit analysis showed that only 59 percent of the LGDs were cost-effective. Farmers were generally satisfied with the performance of their LGDs. However, farmer satisfaction was more closely linked to good LGD behaviour than the perceived reduction in livestock losses. The most commonly-reported LGD behavioural problems (n = 195) were staying at home rather than accompanying the livestock (21 percent) and chasing wildlife (19 percent). LGD staying home behaviour was linked to a lack of care on subsistence farms, as high quality dog food was not consistently provided. Care for LGDs declined with LGD age on subsistence, but not commercial, farms. In terms of conservation, predator-killing farmers killed fewer individuals in the year since LGD introduction than previously; this result was only significant for black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas. However, 37 LGDs killed jackals, nine killed baboons Papio ursinus, three killed caracals Caracal caracal and one killed a cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (n = 83). Farmers and LGDs combined killed significantly more jackals in the survey year than the same farmers (n = 36) killed before LGD introduction. Conversely, five farmers killed 3.2 ± 2.01 cheetahs each in the year before LGD introduction, whereas LGDs and these farmers combined killed only 0.2 ± 0.2 cheetahs per farm in the survey year. Only 16 LGDs (n = 83) killed non-target species. The high LGD success rate in terms of livestock production was facilitated by livestock husbandry practices in the study area. In terms of conservation, LGDs were more beneficial for apex predators than for mesopredators and had a minor impact on non-target species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
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