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Abstract

This research focuses on Haruki Murakami’s fantasy fiction, Kafka on the Shore, that chronicles the adventurous and metaphysical journey of a fifteen-year-old boy Kafka Tamura who leaves his home and his father behind in search of his identity which was turned void as his mother and the sister deserted him in the early childhood. Another of the key protagonist in the novel, Nakata, is a strange character with a lapse of memory and a bizarre ability to talk with cats. This exemplary and perhaps experimental narrative takes us through the two unique and strange characters through two parallel courses of plot which ultimately collides and gracefully concludes the journey of both.

This project explores the Murakam-ish style of magic realism which is characterized by the amalgamation of time boundaries and dreams versus reality, within the context of Kafka’s and Nakata’s search for individual identity amidst the consumerist crowd which is characterized by the imprints of rich folklore and culture. But at present, it is intermingled with the hustle and bustle of contemporary urban life imposing their own dimensions of identity loss. This paper dissects the elements of magical realism and Lacanian surrealism employed in the text, in connection with the core theories of identity crisis and oedipal complex in the context of consumer society. The paper further explores the realms of identity formation, with respect to aforementioned two major protagonists and describes what turn of events ultimately led them to rediscover their identity before coming back to the real world they initially left behind.

Introduction

The term “magical realism” has been tossed around rather freely in recent times, especially since the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). A lot of contemporary scholars refused to use the term primarily because it was not well defined. Scholarly articles and collections such as Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community (1995) and Magic realism: Social Context and Discourse (1995) successfully created groundwork for forth coming generation by establishing an extensive reference. Magic realism, despite being heavily used in the contemporary international literature, was believed to have its roots in Latin America which was falsified through one of the basic tenets and asserted that it was rather universal in scope.

To define the concept, magic realism is a piece of literature or an art form characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion or mythical element into seemingly realistic fiction. Matthew Strecher defines magic realism as 'what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe.

As Rogers proposes, there are three main elements (or effects) characterized in magical realism which conveys the different worldview and those effects relate to the ways in which this world-view is different from the ‘objective’ view. In a text portraying magic realism: time is not linear, causality is subjective and the magical and the ordinary are one and the same. Some other perspectives on this style rather focus on the readers and their surroundings. As the editors L. P. Zamora & W. B Faris write: “Magical realism often facilitates the fusion, or coexistence, of possible worlds, spaces, systems that would be irreconcilable in other modes of fiction” (Lois Parkinson Zamora 5), the basic tenet of this technique involves assimilation of time differences, ambiguous boundaries between reality and dreams, and magical appearances of strange characters and events, which are abundantly present in Kafka on the Shore. In one of the essays presented in the afore-cited source, “textualization of the reader”, a process, according to Jon Thiem, whereby the boundaries between the readers’ and the characters’ worlds are magically erased”.

Most of the prominent writers in this genre have set their visionary tales in the third world locales where myth and folklore loom large over the cultural landscape (Gioia n.p.). In these tales, magic realism somehow blends into the literary landscape as its natural extension, and hence gets dissolved. One of the first noticeable evidence observed in The Kingdom of This World is Carpentier’s use of the literary form known as magical realism, which was actually a form adapted from Franz Roh’s European art aesthetic (Lois Parkinson Zamora 19). In the prologue of his The Kingdom of this World, Alejo Carpentier says: '[T]he Marvelous…does not depend on the notion that the marvelous is admirable because it is beautiful. Ugliness, deformity, all that is terrible can be marvelous. All that is strange is marvelous. Now then, I speak of the marvelous real when I refer to certain things that have occurred'. This indicates that the coinage and origin of this style is not a sole work of Carpentier, but also a number of his contemporaries such as Gabriel Garcia Ma?rquez. In Carpentier’s work, we witness the juxtaposition of magical realism with a literary rendering of Roh’s magical realism, where he refers to it as “lo maravilloso real”, meaning “the marvelous real”.

Surrealism began in the 20th century France when the few literary figures experimentally proposed the idea of constructing reality from the dreams. This notion is heavily influenced by the Freudian psychoanalysis, where the meaning is observed to be existent beyond what is real, more into the unconscious dimensions of reality. It is also considered to be an avant-garde movement in art and literature which expected to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images. With intent to liberate thought, language, and human experience from the oppressive boundaries of rationalism, surrealism took pace from (Mann n.p.). Founded by the poet André Breton in Paris in 1924, surrealism intended to be a revolutionary movement capable of unleashing the minds of the masses from the rational order of society. In this sense, the surrealism movement closely rhymes with the magical realism where the rational boundaries are dissolved rather unnoticeably.

In construction of identity, the notion of I and being aware of oneself plays a pivotal role. According to Jacques Lacan, an infant initially perceives itself as a partial organism unified with its mother. This consciousness is altered in the mirror stage when the infant sees its reflection in the mother’s eyes and recognizes itself as a whole being separated from her. Lacan suggested in his famous “Mirror Stage” (stade du miroir) theory that the structure of the Ego itself was constituted through a disjointed montage comprised of the infant’s identifications with alluring and threatening specular images of totality that reflected but contrasted sharply with her fragmented and uncoordinated body. It is thus useful to think of Lacanian psychoanalysis as assertive to many of the goals of surrealism. By asserting the lived realities of the drives, Lacan asserts that life is lived through the structures and logics of montage. Put differently, from a Lacanian perspective, reality is inherently surreal. With psychological realism being one branch of realism dealing with real life experiences deeply interrelated in the chamber of human consciousness, surrealism goes far beyond that, and hence sinking in the pool of the unconscious and sub-conscious augmenting the human hidden territory. The surrealists were particularly interested in the study and effects of dreams and hallucinations and also in the interpretation of the sleeping and working conditions on the threshold of the conscious mind. This phenomenon is beautifully employed in Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore.

Published in 2002, Kafka on the Shore written by novelist Haruki Murakami revolves around the story of Greek looking fate and prophecy. Murakami mostly uses the techniques of magical realism to assert the importance of individual identity in the social flow of modern civilization. In doing so, he explores several dimensions of identity that sprouted and is cultivated in the modern day Japan, especially in the aftermath of the World War II. The novel which is divided into forty-nine chapters drive through the two parallel plot lines originating in two different time and space which beautifully coincides towards the end. The odd-numbered chapters are first person narrated and tell the story of a fifteen-year-old boy named Kafka, who escapes his hometown in order to avoid the oedipal prophecy given by his father Koichi Tamura, a famous sculptor. Delivering the prophecy, the father tells that Kafka would be sleeping with his mother and sister. Kafka himself appears to be a determined and special natured boy who is lonely and ready to be released away from the society except with the companion of Crow – who is nothing but his imaginary friend or alter-ego, who advises him of becoming the toughest man in the world.

In a seemingly impossible mission, the self-proclaimed toughest fifteen-year-old boy Kafka, decides to leave everything behind to look for his mother and sister, whom he remembers well but had no clue about their whereabouts. In a spontaneous move, he travels to a city named Takamatsu and meets a young girl – Sakura on the way, who he thinks is his sister. With a deep interest in reading and books, he ends up living in a library with the help of a twenty two year old gay librarian Oshima. Kafka also meets Miss Saeki in the library, the owner of the establishment, who lost her lover at the age of fifteen years. Kafka assumes and believes that she could be his mother. In mysterious circumstances, his father back in the hometown is murdered, triggering a series of search operation for him. He then moves to a remote cottage owned by Oshima where he explores the timeless jungle meeting strange solders lost from the time of the Second World War.

Even numbered chapters narrated in a third person style, tells the story of Satoru Nakata, a boy injured in a mysterious accident during the Second World War. The accident happens to have severe impacts on the health and well-being of Nakata. He sustained mental deficiency and also resulted in strange characteristics where he is shown being able to talk to cats but strangely enough not being able to read or write. Nakata is presented in the novel after fifty years making his living as a cat-catcher. Through mysterious channels, he is shown to interact with Kafka, and even kills Kafka’s father who kidnaps cats, cuts their heads, and takes their souls to create his divine Flute. Once getting involved with this unusual twist, Nakata realizes that he has a mission to fulfil – a mission that demands exploration and extensive travel towards the location about which he has no single clue. This mission serendipitously leads him to Takamatsu with the help of a highway truck driver Hoshino. They work together to locate a mysterious object called Entrance Stone which transcends them all to a new world. At the end, Kafka is set free form the prophecy and he goes back home to resume his life, albeit as a rejuvenated young man.

Apart from the elements of magical realism (to be discussed in depth later), realist elements are also employed in the novel, though not in details. A mysterious event of the appearance of a metallic body in the sky during the period of the world war is presented in Nakata’s timeline where the small children are hiking into the jungle in search of edible mushrooms. The appearance of the strange object causes coma to sixteen of those students among whom Nakata is one. The war time report says:

'The following document, classified Top Secret by the U.S. Department of Defense, was released to the public in 1986 through the Freedom of Information Act. The document is now kept in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and can be accessed there'.

Murakami plays with caution while detailing these situations and as no names or towns are realistically mentioned, rather just a vague and scary description of war engulfed scene is portrayed. The scene is aptly explained through the words of Nakata’s teacher when studying mushrooms becomes a valuable lesson to be taught to the children, “So the children were encouraged to hunt for food wherever they could find it. The country was at war, after all, and food took priority over studying”.

As the novelist lays out the scene of war, hunger, homelessness, depravity and starvation, it is also indicated that Japan at the time was in a unique position escaping from the colonizers of Korea, China, and others while persistently moving forward under the shadow of American supremacy. All that while, Japan persisted strongly, without surrendering, and used all its power to transcend itself into the new era of industrialization while preserving its heritage and culture. Amidst this transformation from the historic culture center to the industrialized power center, Kafka’s story paints a portrait of contemporary society and its persona which is nothing less than surrealistic dream. The society which was pushed by effort to the new era while struggling and rediscovering itself in various forms inhibits the long engrained tradition of resilience and strength which is magically reflected in the characters and context of Kafka on the Shore.

The major plot line of Kafka on the Shore, at least the half of it, is driven through the oedipal complex, and is often expressed in the form of dreams. Dream has been used as the tool to represent the imaginative world which at times merges seamlessly and surrealistically with the realistic world throughout the novel. As the protagonist suffers from the temporal memory loss, possibly due to the traumatic experience faced earlier, Murakami employs this situation to inject dreamy and magical sequences which takes place in the dream and imagination rather than the factual history or actual happenings. On the other hand, the dreams rather are having influence on the real life. This creates a beautiful juxtaposition where dreams contribute in tracing and building the plot of the novel and hence makes it possible for the totally unrelated characters in different timeline to converse with each other magically. This magical connection, with the use of constructs of magical realism elucidates how the story is unfolded through dreams rather than planned actions. As Burroughs writes, magical thinking is 'a schizotypal personality disorder attributing to one's own actions something that has nothing to do with him or her and thus assuming that one has a greater influence over events than is actually the case' (Burroughs XV), this aspect of magical thinking seems to be well employed by Murakami throughout the novel.

In conjunction with the magical elements, surrealistic elements are illustrated in dreams, wet dreams in particular, as Kafka, a fifteen-year-boy, who is engulfed into puberty is haunted by sexual prophecy that resulted in getting involved with an incestuous acts. As with other similar Japanese literature, the flow becomes vague and readers often fail to know the demarcation between dreams and reality, making it a true example of magical realism. The dreams, no matter how vague and conspicuous they are, still drive the plot in order to satisfy the oedipal drive of the protagonist. Dreams are often a manifestation of repressed thoughts, bringing out the longings and desires of the hidden human mind. Magical realism thus portrays the personas and desires conjured within the hidden mind which could have had an influence by the history, culture and dialect of the local circumstances. Despite having such prominent dream sequences, it is ironic that Kafka denies having them: “I don't dream. Come to think of it, I haven't had any dreams in a long time”.

Dreams in this novel are of significant importance, with extraordinary power that surpasses the ‘normal’, and swings right through the unconscious of the dreamer, and while doing so, also goes beyond the magical thinking between the characters. Kafka, in one instance, says to himself:

You might dream about raping your sister, your mother. It's not something you can control. It's a power beyond you – and all you can do is accept it. You're afraid of imagination. And even more afraid of dreams. Afraid of the responsibility that begins in dreams. …. you can suppress imagination. But you can't suppress dreams.

As mentioned earlier, Oedipal prophecy is a driving force in this novel, so much so that Kafka thinks every young lady he meets is his sister, and every middle-aged woman as his mother. This prophecy is found to have manifested in the form of dreams as well. The response of Kafka to the prophecy is that he completely surrenders himself to it. Kafka in this way creates his own reality by fulfilling the prophecy, literally, as his father had said. From his father’s perspective, it is a tool to threaten and terrify his son about the future and keep him shadowed under his repressed control. However, while Kafka undergoes the dreamy life of this prophecy, he also makes a clear exit from it with life-changing revelation. The adventure he has through this magical realistic tunnel is something that transforms and frees himself from that eternal subjugation. With the help of Crow, he constructs a world in which he rebuilds not only his mother and sister, but at the end, his sense of identity as well.

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The chase for his mother and sister overlaps with the story of his meeting two ladies Miss Saeki and Sakura, and he makes them his tool of dreaming. Since they are the only two ladies he meets during his adventure, the identities he had preconceived in his mind about his mother and his sister are manifested in the form of Miss Saeki and Sakura. As Freud says, “the dream content does not, however, consist exclusively of scenes, but it also includes scattered fragments of visual images, conversations and even bits of unchanged thoughts”, this is also known as the dramatization of the dream.

Magical realism this artistic creation style produced under the big explosion of literature in Latin America in the 19th century, due to the economic oppression of the new imperialism. It is a style of fiction and shows a realistic view of the real world but adding some unreal and magical elements. Most of the authors use magical realism to reveal the issue of society in the real world. One of Juan Rulfo’s classic works, “Pedro Paramo” is a very successful magical realism book. The story mainly talks about one is the main character who named Juan Preciado to go to Comala to find his father — Pedro Paramo, and through the gossips of the other ghosts, Juan finds out that his father is a cruel and bad landlord. In this book, Ruflo organizes the World Building by the magical realism; the whole novel presents a world that has no boundary between living and death, and the time is no longer important. Through this kind of setting, Ruflo points out some social issue in the book, which likes landlordism and abuse of using power.

The major trait of magical realism in this book is timelessness, the plot sequence is not following the orders of the time and the images of Paramo is not directly use the word to express. In the book, the narration jumps from one character to another and changing one place to another, there has no time flow in this book. It seems like the plots lose the connection with each other, but the image of main character-Pedro Paramo is gradually clear through a “tangled” structure and a fragmented narrative. In this way of writing style, the readers find out that Pedro as a cruel, mean and selfish landlord. In the story, Paramo tricks Juan’s mother to marry him in order to become the richest man in Comala, and he gains power too. Pedro can do whatever he wants. He robs the property of the others, and calls out that “what law, Fulgor? From now on, we are the law”. From here, the reader can see that Paramo ignores the law and he even think that he is the person that can make the law. And from the author’s description, Paramo is a very selfish guy, he only cares about his own benefit, and not think about others. In Paramo’s mind, he thinks that he gains the power so he can seize everything as he wants. Moreover, in the middle of the story, Paramo’s father was inexplicably shot in the wedding of him and Susana, Paramo has no idea who is the murder and what direction of the gunshot came from, so he decides to kill everyone who participate in the wedding. From here, Ruflo emphasizes the Paramo’s brutal personality, he would rather kill all the people than let himself get hurt at all. Paramo always puts his own interests and safety first, and the lives of others are worthless in his eyes. Ruflo has a great skill to establish a destine character in order to show the cruel and badness of the landlord at that time of period. Paramo is a ghost in the novel but a real person in real life in Latin America, countless greedy, cruel and vicious feudal landowners like Paramo are the main cause of poverty and backwardness in the vast rural areas of Mexico. In addition, the structure of the story is disorderliness which reflects the in the real world the people’s lives were jumble under the oppression of powerful figures. Therefore, Ruflo uses magical realism to create a character just like Paramo to spotlight the social issue of landlordism.

Furthermore, Ruflo also uses magical realism to highlight the issue of abusing of power in society. Base on the traditional culture that originated in Latin America, the people believe in spirits and the supernatural, which is why Ruflo Creates a world where living people can communicate freely with the dead. In this setting, death is not the end, if dead people do not get forgiven from God, they will never get relief, then become the ghost wander in the earth. At this point the Father plays an important role in here, he has the right to decide who can go to heaven. In the story, Father Renteria is the only person that can forgive the soul of others for God, but he is a greedy and injustice, Father. For instance, on page 18 to 19, the one of Pedro’s son Miguel died of some accident, Father Renteria refuse to forgive the soul of Miguel for the first time. Because Miguel killed Father Renteria’s brother and even rape Renteria’s niece Ana before. But after Pedro Paramo meets Father Renteria and gives him a “gift” for the church, everything is changed. “he can afford to buy salvation… Lord, I throw myself at your feet to ask the justice or injustice that any of us may ask… For my part, I hope damn him to hell”. From this quote, the reader can know that Father Renteria thinks Miguel is desert to go down the hell, but Father still forgives him for the sake of money. In this point, Ruflo successfully creates a character that abusing his power just for self-interest. As we know, Father Renteria is respected by others and his a reputation just because he runs a church. And the money is necessary to keep the church service, if he loses the support of the rich, he will lose his reputation and social standing. That’s why Father Renteria gives forgiveness to Miguel for money. In his mind, and the church is more important than his family members. Therefore, in this way, we can tell Father Renteria is a selfish person and injustice father, who cares himself more than others. The reason that Ruflo creates this kind of character to emphasize the injustice and Corruptness of the church in the 20th Century. As we know, throughout history the church always got a lot of power, and the people really believe that the church can help them remove the iniquity. Once the church has supreme power, there will be some injustice and corruption. Therefore, magical realism helps Ruflo conveys that the social issue that exists in that time of period.

The purpose Ruflo uses the magical realism to emphasize the issue of society at that time is to get attention from the others, let more people know that inhumanity of the landlordism and corruptness of Church. The article “Magical Realism and Its European Essence” by Maryam Ebadi Asayesh and Mehmet Fikret Arargiic is mainly talking about the characteristic of magical realism and transformation and formation of magical realism in Europe. In this article, Asayesh and Arargiic mention that “Magical realism is presented between the World Wars and during the rise of modernism. After World War One, we collectively needed to create a new myth-maybe because it could help bind people together”. From this quote, Asayesh and Arargiic state out in the World war one, the magical realism can be another type of myth that brings the people together to think about the issue that exists in the world. As we know, there were too many social issues occurred in the World war one, like economy collapsed and poor living standard. Hence, it is significant to create a new myth to bind people together and let more people notice this kind of social issue. Myth is kind like a story that provides a certain value and norm in the society, just like “Adam and Eve” this myth teaches us never betray each other and stopping blame others. In the novel of “Pedro Paramo”, Ruflo also establishes a new “myth” to highlight that how the innocent people affected by the feudal imperialism and abuse of power; Donis and his sister are like another version of Adam and Eve, they both are brother and sister and they fall in love. In the novel, just because Donis and his sister fell in love with each other which is against the moral, so they cannot get Father Renteria’s forgiven. From the above analysis, we know that Father Renteria is an injustice and greedy person so we can assume that Father Renteria refuses to give forgiven to Donis and his sister because they are poor. If Donis and his sister are wealth people, Father Renteria might react in a different way. Because he can even forgive the person that killed his family member for money, so he definitely will forgive Donis and his sister if they are wealthy. From the above description, we can see that people in the town, if they do not have power and money, they will never get the forgiven from the father.

Moreover, Donis and his sister are the typical examples to show the living standard under the landlordism, Donis and his sister are ghosts who live in a room whose roof has half collapsed, and they have a very poor living standard. According to the book, when Juan stays in the house of Donis and his sister, they serve him just a cup of coffee and states that “it’s all we have. I’m sorry it’s so little. We’re so short of everything, so short...” (Ruflo 38). From this quote, the reader can really feel that they are living in a very harsh environment because of Pedro’s oppression to the farmer, they do not have any money to support their life. Ruflo uses Donis and his sister to represent the people that suffer the oppression of the landlord, and those ghosts in the town just like the homeless people in Latin America in history, they do not have any ability to fight landowner, and they even cannot get a happy life after they died, their lives are poor and sad forever. Therefore, Ruflo creates a new “myth” to help people understand the condition that people have at that time of era. People will pay more attention to these problems, and they will have a sense of self-reflection or resistance.

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In conclusion, Ruflo organizes the world building with magical realism and he uses Paramo, Father Renteria, Donis, and his sister to emphasize the social issue. Magical realism just is a technique to grabs the attention of the people, the goal is to reflect the reality and makes more people understand the social issue in the society that can truly impact the people. In another side, magic realism can consider as a kind of people's self-consciousness, because at that time of period the Latin American people realized that they had to fight against these issues, so they use this way to express their helplessness when they were oppressed by landlordism and abuse of power.

Works Cited

• Rulfo, Juan. Pedro Páramo. Austin :University of Texas Press, 2002. Print.
• Asayesh, M., & Arargü?, M. (2017). Magical Realism and its European Essence. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 6(2), 25-35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v6i2.847

In “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” Gabriel Márquez uses magic realism in the most effective way. Magic realism is the literary technique that applies fantasy to ordinary events. Márquez incorporates magical realism into “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” to show themes such as isolation, culture, and transformation. This story used magical realism in the most effective way because of the way it incorporated it into the plot.

In the story, children were playing on the beach and a dead man washed up on the shore. The children are having fun burying him, digging him up, and reburying him. The day is ordinary, but the man is not. He is big, giant, and handsome, unlike the men who live in the area. When the people of the town learn of the drowned man, they take in to a house. The village people name him Esteban. The women begin sewing clothes for the him knowing that nothing that the men own will fit in. “The tallest men’s holiday pants would not fit him, no the fattest ones’ Sunday shirts, nor the shoes of the one with the biggest feet. Fascinated by his huge size and his beauty, the women them decided to make him some pants…” (Márquez 91) This is magical realism because Esteban’s appearance and physical features are unrealistic and impossible.

Later on in the story, the women begin planning a funeral for the drowned man. One of the locals adopts the man as a relative. They mourn for him as if he was part of the family. The village people start to wonder what the town would have been like if Esteban lived there. Houses would have to be made larger and doorways taller in honor of Esteban. The villager’s reaction to Esteban emphasize the magical elements. That a dead man can have so much influence on a town of village people. The local community adopts the stranger as if he were their own.

“The Handsomest Drowned Man” incorporates magical realism into the story better than “The Youngest Doll.” In “The Handsomest Drowned Man,” it uses for lifelike things with little twists on them to make them fantasy. Such as using a man just making him giant. “When they had laid him on the floor they said he’d been taller than all other men because there was barely enough room of him in the house.” (Márquez 90) In “The Youngest Doll,” they use lifelike dolls that come to life to incorporate magical realism into the story. “The aunt had continued to increase the size of the doll so that their height and other measurements conformed to those of each of the girls.” (Ferré 82) This makes the story seems more unrealistic and that it is not incorporating magical realism into it as much.

Gabriel Márquez used magical realism in the most effective way through his story “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.” He incorporates magical realism into the story to show different themes such as isolation, culture, and transformation.

Works Cited

1. Márquez, Gabriel García. "Collected Stories." Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2014.
2. Bell-Villada, Gene H. "Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude: A Casebook." Oxford University Press, 2002.
3. Mellen, Joan. "Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Life." University Press of Mississippi, 2000.
4. Pelayo, Rubén. "Gabriel García Márquez: A Critical Companion." Greenwood Press, 2001.
5. González, Madeline Cámara, and Gonzalo Márquez Cristo. "Gabriel García Márquez and the Cinema." University of Texas Press, 2014.
6. Pelayo, Rubén. "Gabriel García Márquez: A Biography." Greenwood Press, 2004.
7. Martin, Gerald. "Gabriel García Márquez: A Life." Vintage, 2009.
8. Bloom, Harold. "Gabriel García Márquez." Chelsea House Publications, 2003.
9. Bell-Villada, Gene H. "Gabriel García Márquez: The Man and His Work." University of North Carolina Press, 1990.
10. McMurray, George R. "Gabriel García Márquez: A Study of the Short Fiction." Twayne Publishers, 1991.

There are a handful of logical approaches and techniques that human beings use to rationalize and understand situations we are not completely sure of. When placed in a situation in which we feel trauma or fear, our immediate reaction is to concoct a way to understand what is going on specifically to us. Though this is a common human reaction to uncertainty, we see children use this tactic more often than adults. One literary device commonly connected to children’s understanding of the unknown is magical realism. Magical realism is an approach that tells its stories from the perspective of people who live in our world and experience a different reality than the current one. In magical realism, the aspects that make it “magical” are not fictional, but what is actually being experienced by the present character; the magical and ordinary are one in the same. In the works The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz and See Under: Love by David Grossman, we see children use magical realism as a device to better understand the trauma and fear present in their young lives. Through magical realism, we are invited to see the world through the characters eyes in these works and understand how Schulz and Grossman use this approach to help children deal with distress.

In Schulz’ The Street of Crocodiles we are thrown into a dark world in which our narrator re-lives his childhood by telling stories of his experience growing up in an unstable household. Though we are to assume the narrator is much older during his retelling, the stories themselves are told through the eyes of him as a child, twisting imagination and reality. Through various short stories, The Street of Crocodiles tells the tale of a young boy growing up with his merchant family in the Polish city, Drogobych. Though the book explores a variety of shortcomings faced by the family, one of the main focuses is on the narrator’s father, Jacob. Jacob, meant to be the rock of the family, is very far from a strong father figure. Jacob is constantly dealing with mental illness throughout the entire novel, and through his struggle, we as an audience watch how his breakdown not only affects his mental state, but how his condition reflects upon his family as well. As we take the journey with our narrator we watch his family not only struggle with the fathers mental illness, but an unstable business, a city drowning in poverty and the irregular labeling of whom has power in the family.

Due to the fact that The Street of Crocodiles is told through a child’s vision, it allows magical realism to be present. Magical realism is used by the narrator to cope with the image of his father having a mental breakdown. We specifically see magical realism emerge in the short chapter “Birds”. The narrator’s father had been locked away in the attic for some time, secluded from the entire family. Jacob begins to import rare bird eggs to hatch and breed in his domain. He becomes obsessed with these birds and takes on the role as their master. His time spent in the attic begins to dominate his entire existence, and when he did come down from his “kingdom” he looked frail and sickly. It becomes so dominant in his life, that when the narrator describes finally going into the attic and seeing his father, he claims that his father had turned into a bird himself. “Occasionally forgetting himself, he would rise from his chair at table, wave his arms if they were wings, and emit a long-drawn-out bird’s call while his eyes misted over.” (50, Schulz) When the obsession had become too much the house maid, Adela, tried to put an end to the madness by freeing the birds in the attic by opening a window. It is at this point that the father’s transformation became full when he tried to fly out with his flock. “My father waving his arms in a panic, tried to life himself into the air with his feathered flock. Slowly, the winged cloud thinned until at last Adela remained on the battlefield, exhausted and out of breath, along with my father, who now, adopting a worried hangdog expression, was ready to accept complete defeat.” (50,Schulz) The narrator uses the vision of his father physically transforming to cope with the fact that he was losing his mind. Because he is seeing this as a child, there is an innocence and inability in being able to truly understand the severity of mental illness. Instead of seeing his father break down, playful images such as him transforming into a bird imprint his memories. This specific image may have been chosen due to the fact that birds are a symbol of “freedom” and “escape”. The narrator watching his father try to fight off this mental burden in hopes of escaping it can reflect why the child visualized his father becoming a bird. Schulz uses magical realism as a coping mechanism for a child who cannot fully grasp the erratic condition of his father.

In David Grossman’s novel See Under: Love, we are introduced to an Israeli boy named Momik whose parents and great uncle survived the holocaust concentration camps. Momik’s great uncle, Anshel Wasserman, was also a writer of a famous child book series called “The Children of the Heart”. Momik and Wasserman are introduced during Momik’s youth when Wasserman is sent to live with his family in his old age. “For him, the Holocaust was a laboratory gone mad, accelerating and intensifying human processes a hundredfold...” (50, Grossman) Due to the severe conditions of the holocaust, Wasserman is severely traumatized; He shares stories and experiences with Momik, leaving Momik not only frightened but intrigued as well. “And then my grandfather explained -in his language- that utopias are not for mortals. And that people are like flies, that the stories they are told must be like flypaper. Utopias are gold-covered paper, he said, and flypaper is covered in everything man secretes from his body and his life. Especially the suffering. And our hope is that its measure is the measure of man, and forgiveness.” (225, Grossman) Broken up into three sections, See Under: Love explores Momik’s experiences with Wasserman as a child and then a retelling of Wassserman’s experience in the camps through Momik’s vision, placing Wasserman in a Utopia.

Magical realism allows Momik to re-write the holocaust as a kind of fantasy in which good triumphs over evil. Grossman uses magical realism as a device to help Momik not only understand the terrors his great-uncle faced during his time in the camps, but as a tool to help him overcome his fear of the holocaust. Momik recreates his Great-Uncles experience, placing him in a world where death is non-existent and Wasserman is a hero, capable of taming the “Nazi beast”. Wasserman is held as a prisoner in the extermination camps where he is asking to be put to death in hopes of escaping the holocaust once and for all. We see Wasserman survive getting gassed and shot; both tactics used to exterminate during the holocaust are not capable of taking out Wasserman. Instead of granting his wish, Neigel, a Nazi commander, forces Wasserman to tell him stories; if he told a good enough story, his death wish would be granted. Due to Wasserman’s background as a children’s author, we see him tie in continued stories of his characters from “Children of the Heart”. Neigel, being a fan of the series written by Wasserman, becomes broken down by the horrific twists Wasserman puts on Nigel’s favorite childhood characters. Wasserman finds a way to break Neigel down by ruining his childhood fantasies and in-turn “tames the beast”. Neigel claims the tales don’t affect him, but he commits suicide; the captor loses the battle while the captured triumphs. Through his childish eyes, Neigel is imagined as turning into an actual beast to reflect Momiks understanding of how terrible the Nazi’s were. Creating this experience of the holocaust not only helps Momik overcome his fear of the holocaust, but also helps him understand his great uncles experience as well as gain a further understanding of where he comes from.

Schulz and Grossman both use magical realism through the eyes of children to get at underlying issues being faced in their lives. Though both authors use children as the outlet to express the “magic”, the reasoning behind its usage is different in the two works. In The Street of Crocodiles, Schulz using magical realism as a coping mechanism for the narrator. The trauma of watching a parent diminish not only physically, but mentally as well is agonizing. We see our main character envision his father transforming into actual animals as an explanation of his father’s state. Incapable of accepting his father’s downfall, he creates fictional images or actual situations to avoid the reality of his father’s illness. Schulz’ use of magical realism is used mainly to explain a child’s way of coping with something they do not want to accept. Grossman’s use of magical realism, though similar, has its differences. Momik uses magical realism as a better way to understand his family’s tragedies and rewrite history. The magical aspects in See Under: Love are through revision of Wasserman’s experience, over actual “magical” transformation. Though we do see Neigel turn into a “beast”, the overall magic here is in the fact that Momik creates an entire new experience for his great uncle, and tells it as if it is the truth about what he experienced. Momik uses magical realism to inform himself and understand another’s experience. Grossman uses this device to further educate, while Schulz uses it as a device to block something out.

“Reality is as thin as paper, and betrays with all its cracks its imitative character.” (63, Schulz) Magical realism twists the reality we know to help us further understand situations we are not completely sure of. Bruno Schulz’ The Street of Crocodiles and David Grossman’s See Under: Love use magical realism through the eyes of children to help their readers get a better understanding of what the characters are actually experiencing. Reality is obsolete, and the images and ideas the protagonists concoct are their realities, even if they seem fantastical to us. Because the works use children as the “creators”, it is easier for us to understand why the visions and situations are colorful and “magical”. By using magical realism, fear, uncertainty and unawareness are conquered.

Works Cited

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Grossman, David. See Under: love. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1989. Print. Schulz, Bruno. The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Throughout time there were many important documents from the declaration of independence to the constitution. One of the most important documents in the medieval England times is the Magna Carta. Magna Carta was a document that declared that all representatives can have a say in the government so that all the people have a say and King John wasn’t the all-powerful uncontrollable king. For King John to sign it wasn’t the smartest choice because he would be giving up all his power. He didn’t have much of a choice when his army and his people started to rebel back. His army and people decided that King John had too much power and control so they brought forth Magna Carta. The people then declared if he didn’t sign Magna Carta they wouldn’t allow the things he wanted such as waging the wars and raising the taxes. King John then had no choice but to sign the Bill.

Magna Carta had a strong influence both on the United States Constitution and on the constitutions of the various states. However, its influence was shaped by what the 1800’s Americans believed Magna Carta to be a sign of. Magna Carta was had wide beliefs to be the people’s rights against an overpower ruler, a legacy that caught American doubt of concentrated political power. In part because of this tradition, most of the state constitutions included declarations of rights intended to guarantee individual people a list of protection and immunities from the state government. The United States also brought in the Bill of Rights, in part, due to this political conviction. This not being their fault they had no choice and had to see it happen.

England had for some years owned land in France. The barons had provided the king with both money and men to defend this territory. Traditionally, the king had always consulted the barons before raising taxes and wanting more men for military service. This was all part of the Feudal System. So long as English kings were militarily successful, relations with the barons were good. But John was not very successful in his military campaigns. His constant wants and needs for more money and men angered the barons. By 1204, John had lost his land in northern France. In response to this, John introduced high taxes without asking the barons. This was against the feudal law and accepted custom. 1214 was a bad year for John for more reasons. Again, he took a hit with a big military defeat in an attempt to get back his old territory in northern France. He came back to London wanting more money from more taxes. This time the barons didn’t want to listen. They fought back against him. The barons took over London. However, they didn’t defeat King John entirely and by the spring of 1215, both sides were willing to discuss matters. No matter what King John tried to do he was not able to win back his kingdom ship. Magna Carta was the result of these all.

“Dark” and “light” were originally used as a metaphor by Christians to explain how people lived in the “dark” before Jesus came to the world to add “light” into people’s lives. Petrarch, an Italian scholar, used these terms of “dark” and “light” to illustrate learning, as opposed to how the Christian’s used the terms. Petrarch had the belief that the “light” was the Greek and Roman Empires, but once they were gone, Europe became “dark”. Since Petrarch’s theory of this time period being a “Dark Age”, other historians began to use the term “Dark Ages”. The “Dark Ages” were used by these historians to describe the fall of the Roman Empire and when knowledge and Roman culture was lost. From the choice of words in the term the “Dark Ages”, it caused people to have the perspective that this time period was just full of bad things. Other historians argued that the term “Dark Ages” was not the correct term for this period of time. This period of time from 400 AD to 1400 AD was argued whether it was a “Dark Age” or not. It can be proved through economy, government, and society that the “Dark Age” is not a correct term to be used.

Some historians make the argument that this time period was a “Dark Age” because of the fall of the Roman Empire and because of the rough spots during this time in history. These historians argue that this term is correct, but truthfully there are not many records from this period of time and a few of the records have been lost in history. Of the records kept, this time period can be proven not to be a “Dark Age”. Even though there were rough spots in culture when the society, politics, and economics were in a downfall, a lot of the problems caused the society to come up with new ways that improved the overall time period and future.

Magna Carta

The Magna Carta was a document that contained the rights for England’s citizens. This document originally failed in 1215 when the charter failed in his goals with the renewed Magna Carta, which caused a civil war to quickly break out. The Magna Carta was renewed later on in 1216, 1217, and 1225. After King John’s death in 1216, the throne was passed to his son, Henry III, who was nine years old at the time. Henry’s advisors and John’s successor, together, renewed the Magna Carta and removed some conditions that were not agreed upon by the public. This seemed to cause even more conflict. The Magna Carta had few downfalls that affected the king, citizens, law, and government system. The following issues all unfolded and arose after the renewed document of the Magna Carta in 1225. The Magna Carta did not stop the king from causing war without reason and it caused taxes to rise. These were important issues, but the Magna Carta established laws for everyone, and gave citizens the right to a fair trial which influenced the future laws.

Economy/ Government

The economy and government were tense because “No sheriff, constable, coroner or any other of our bailiffs is to hold pleas of our crown”. In simpler terms, nobody lower than the highest social class is allowed or able to rule with the crown. This law can be seen as unfair in many different ways. Since only certain ranked people can rule with the crown, this shows inequality and unfairness throughout the people. The discrimination towards the people can lower their self-esteem. Low self esteem is commonly known to lower work ethics, which negatively affects the economy by not as much work getting done, or the quality of the product is decreasing. The economy is affected in a bad way because there are not equal rights. Many other economies experienced inequality too, but England’s economy is negatively affected by inequality which sets it out differently than some other countries. Another way that this law can be seen as unfair is because the highest class that rules, does not usually interact with the citizens of the towns and spends most of their time with other higher classed people. By not interacting with the citizens of the towns, the King does not personally know the needs of the poor and other citizens of the town. This causes him to not be able to make the necessary changes in society. The government is affected by this because they cannot help their citizens as well as they would be able to if the government was ran by someone in the lower class who personally experiences what the citizens need. Some historians believe that this inequality and the designated Kings helps prove that this is a “Dark Age” because the government is not run the way it should and the economy suffers from it.

Even though some laws negatively affected the government, there were laws that helped the government, and influenced the future laws of the England government. For example, “The city of London is to have all its ancient liberties and customs. Moreover we wish and grant that all other cities and boroughs and vills and the barons of the Cinque Ports and all ports are to have all their liberties and free customs”. In other words, these cities had the freedom to make their own laws and customs. This influenced some of the law that are still placed today. Currently, states in the US have their own constitutions that allow them to decide some of their own laws to a certain extent. This law from the Magna Carta influenced and developed into the law that is intact now. This law that was a part of the Magna Carta helps prove that this time period was not a “Dark Age”. This law helps prove that a “Dark Age” is not a correct term because there was still some “light” like this law that helped influence and develop future laws.

There were some laws in the Magna Carta that affected the economy negatively, but there were also many laws that helped the economy. “If, however, the heir of such a person is under age, his lord is not to have custody of him and his land until he has taken homage from the heir, and after such an heir has been in custody, when he comes of age, namely at twenty-one years old, he is to have his inheritance without relief and without fine, saving that if, whilst under age, he is made a knight, his land will nonetheless remain in the custody of his lords until the aforesaid term”. In other words, if someone dies and the family member that inherited the land is below the age of twenty one, the government takes care of the land until that family member is of age. This law assists the economy because the government takes care of the land and puts it to good use that benefits the economy. The economy is benefitted by this because the government used the land for production. The land is taken care of well until the family member is old enough and mature enough to care for the land on their own. This law of the Magna Carta helps prove that the “Dark Ages” is not a correct term because this law shows “light” or good in this time period. This law shows “light” because the government takes care of their land for free until it can properly be cared for and it benefits the economy.

Society

A law that affects the King, along with the citizens negatively is, “Heirs are to be married without disparagement,”. The definition of disparagement is to marry someone who is not apart of the same social ranking. In clarification of this law: it is not acceptable for the King or any of his heirs to marry anyone lower in social ranking. This law negatively affects the King, his heirs and the common people. This negatively affected the King and his heirs because they are not allowed to marry anyone in a lower class, even if they fell in love with a lower class citizen. They King had only a few women to choose from to marry, a nearby country’s princess or a girl from a well- known, high ranking family. This negatively affected the King because they were usually prearranged marriages. This law also negatively affected the lower class women because they had no possible way of marrying into a more successful family. Considering that the royal family and the female citizens were negatively affected in society, some historians believe this is part of the “Dark Age” because the society was negatively affected.

A law that negatively affects the society is that they’re not “permitted to anyone to give his land to a religious house in such a way that he receives it back from such a house to hold, nor is it permitted to any religious house to accept the land of anyone in such a way that the land is restored to the person from whom it was received to hold. If anyone henceforth gives his land in such a way to any religious house and is convicted of the same, the gift is to be entirely quashed and such land is to revert to the lord of that fee”. In other words, this law forbids anyone from giving land to a church or religious house and forbids all religious houses from accepting the land. This negatively affects the citizens and religious society in many ways. If a man with land is too old, or not able to care for his land and does not have family, he cannot give his land to his religious house. This negatively affects the citizen because he is left with land that he is not able to care for. Churches or religious houses are affected by this law because they’re not able to accept this gift and acquire gifts from the land itself. The land instead of being put to use and cared for, it is left to waste. Some historians believe that this helps prove that it was a “Dark Age” since the citizens, religious society, and the economy was negatively affected.

Despite the fact that there were a few negative laws in the Magna Carta that affected society, it had many more laws that were beneficial to the society. For example, “a widow, after the death of her husband, is immediately and without any difficulty to have her marriage portion and her inheritance”. In other words, when a husband would pass away the wife would receive her inheritance from her husband and the estate from her marriage portion. This law from the Magna Carta influenced the future laws and is still in effect to this day. Nowadays, if the husband does not have a will against it, the wife and immediate family receives their share of the estate. This was an important law in the Magna Carta that proves this time period to not have the correct term of the “Dark Ages”. This term, the “Dark Ages”, does not fit this era of time because even though there were a few bad laws, this law influenced the future and helped develop laws that were beneficial to the society.

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Another important law that benefitted the citizens is that “No sheriff or bailiff of ours or of anyone else is to take anyone’s horses or carts to make carriage, unless he renders the payment customarily due, namely for a two-horse cart- ten pence per day, and for a three-horse cart- fourteen pence per day. No demesne cart belonging to any churchman or knight or any other lady (sic) is to be taken by our bailiffs, nor will we or our bailiffs or anyone else take someone else’s timber for a castle or any other of our business save by the will of he to whom the timber belongs”. In other words, sheriffs or bailiffs cannot take advantage of people by using their position within the law. This law influenced the future laws and is similar to some laws that are present today. Nowadays, people working within the law have their own rules that they have to follow so that they are not able to take advantage of others, and they are not allowed to take others belongings without a warrant. This law also proves that the “Dark Ages” is not a correct term for this time period. This term is not correct, because the whole time period was not “Dark”, there was still “Light” during this time that influenced the future.

Table of contents

Research methodologyMagnet
1. Magnetic field and field lines
Magnetic FieldMagnetic Lines of ForceMaglev technologyThe mechanics of maglev trainThe maglev trackStability:
2. Guidance
3. Evacuated tubes

This paper involves the design, hardware, technology, application and future uses of “Magnetic levitation trains.” The maglev transportation system is more stable, faster, efficient and economic. Maglev systems are currently in use for applications such as bearings, high- speed trains, and manufacturing. Maglev is a method of propulsion that uses magnetic levitation to propel vehicles with magnets rather than with wheels, axles, and bearings. With maglev, a vehicle is levitated a short distance away from a guideway using magnets to create both lift and thrust. In future, these High-speed maglev trains would give a huge competition to the aviation industry.

Research methodology

I have chosen a very trending topic which is, the “Magnetic Levitation Trains”.

My report is based on the basic information from the internet further adding on, research from the newspaper as well as from the websites which made my work easier. All the information was readily available which added further to my interest in doing the project with utmost sincerity and honesty. Therefore my work is a combination of primary and secondary data.

Maglev trains are the new technology which is a breakthrough for the world. Maglev or magnetic levitation is exactly how it sounds, which is the levitation of objects or vehicle. Unlike the conventional vehicles with tires for cars or rails for trains, the whole system is changed. In the maglev system, there is no contact between the roads and tires the object remains levitated hence traction and friction doesn’t come into the picture. Friction and traction play a major role deciding the speed of the vehicle, without those the speed considerably increases. Maglev trains don’t get affected by weather, unlike the conventional trains. Countries like India where most citizens travel through the train and having a huge area of land this idea of maglev needs to be introduced so that the time taken for travel can be incredibly reduced.

Magnet

A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. It attracts ferrous objects like pieces of iron, steel, nickel, and cobalt. These day’s magnets are made artificially in various shapes and sizes depending on their use. One of the most common magnets the bar magnet is a long, rectangular bar of uniform cross-section that attracts pieces of ferrous objects. The magnetic compass needle is also commonly used. The compass needle is a tiny magnet which is free to move horizontally on a pivot. One end of the compass needle points in the North direction and the other endpoints in the South direction. The end of a freely pivoted magnet will always point in the North-South direction. The end that points in the North are called the North Pole of the magnet and the end that points south is called the South Pole of the magnet. It has been proven by experiments that like magnetic poles repel each other whereas unlike poles attract each other.

Magnetic field and field lines

Magnetic Field

The space surrounding a magnet, in which magnetic force is exerted, is called a magnetic field. If a bar magnet is placed in such a field, it will experience magnetic forces.

Magnetic Lines of Force

When a small north magnetic pole is placed in the magnetic field created by a magnet, it will experience a force. The magnetic lines of force are the lines drawn in a magnetic field along which a north magnetic pole would move. The direction of a magnetic line of force at any point gives the direction of the magnetic force on a north pole placed at that point. Since the direction of the magnetic line of force is the direction of the force on the North Pole, so the magnetic lines of force always begin on the N-pole of a magnet and end on the S-pole of the magnet. A small magnetic compass when moved along a line of force always sets itself along the line tangential to it. So, a line drawn from the South Pole of the compass to its the North Pole indicates the direction of the magnetic field.

Maglev technology

This technology uses monorail track with linear motors, these trains move on special tracks rather than the mainstream conventional train tracks. They use very powerful electromagnets to reach higher velocities, they float about 1- 10 cms above the guideway on a magnetic field.These trains are propelled by the guideways. Once the train is pulled into the next section the magnetism switches so that the train is pulled on again. The electromagnets run the length of the guideway.

The mechanics of maglev train

Magnetic levitation trains operate through the use of electromagnets, which are magnets created by electric current. An electromagnet is defined as “a coil of insulated wire wound around an iron or steel cylinder”, and functions when current flows through the coil a magnetic field is produced. These electromagnets are used to lift the train above its track, as well as propel it forward.

There are three main types of Maglev trains:

1. 1. Electromagnetic suspension

It is the magnetic levitation of an object achieved by constantly altering the strength of a magnetic field produced by electromagnets using a feedback loop. In most cases, the levitation effect is mostly due to permanent magnets as they don't have any power dissipation, with electromagnets only used to stabilize the effect. In these kinds of fields, an unstable equilibrium condition exists. Although static fields cannot give stability, EMS works by continually altering the current sent to electromagnets to change the strength of the magnetic field and allows a stable levitation to occur. In EMS a feedback loop which continuously adjusts one or more electromagnets to correct the object's motion is used to cancel the instability. In this system, Electromagnets are attached to the train and also attached to the guideway track. They have ferromagnetic stators on the track and they help them to levitate the train. They have guidance magnets on the sides of the track they are laid complete along the track A computer is used to control the height of levitation of train they make us levitate about ( 1 – 15 cms ). The Max speed these trains could reach is about 438km/hr. They have an onboard battery power supply which gives a surplus amount of energy required to run a cabin.

1. 1. Electrodynamic suspension

Superconducting magnets are placed under the train. By this system, the train could levitate about 10 cm from the guideway. The magnetic field which helps the train to levitate is due to the using of superconducting magnets. The force in the track is created by an induced magnetic field in wires or conducting strips in the track.

In electrodynamic suspension (EDS), both the guideway and the train exert a magnetic field, and the train is levitated by the repulsive and attractive force between these magnetic fields. EDS systems have a major downside as well. At slow speeds, the current induced in these coils and the resultant magnetic flux is not large enough to support the weight of the train. For this reason, the train must have wheels or some other form of landing gear to support the train until it reaches a speed that can sustain levitation. Since a train may stop at any location, due to equipment problems, for instance, the entire track must be able to support both low-speed and high-speed operation. Another downside is that the EDS system naturally creates a field in the track in front and to the rear of the lift magnets, which acts against the magnets and creates a form of drag.

1. 1. Inductrack system

It is a suspension fail system, no power is required to activate magnets. The magnetic field is located below the car, they can generate enough force at low speeds (around 5 km/h) to levitate maglev train. In case of power failure cars slow down on their own safely, permanent magnets are arranged in an array which helps in the propulsion of the trains. They require either wheels or track segments that move for when the vehicle is stopped. Neither Inductrack nor the Superconducting EDS is able to levitate vehicles at a standstill, although Inductrack provides levitation down to a much lower speed, wheels are required for these systems. EMS systems are wheel-less.

The maglev track

The magnetized coil running along the track, called a guideway, repels the large magnets on the train's undercarriage, allowing the train to levitate between 0.39 and 3.93 inches (1 to 10 cm) above the guideway. Once the train is levitated, power is supplied to the coils within the guideway walls to create a unique system of magnetic fields that pull and push the train along the guideway. The electric current supplied to the coils in the guideway walls is constantly alternating to change the polarity of the magnetized coils. This change in polarity causes the magnetic field in front of the train to pull the vehicle forward, while the magnetic field behind the train adds more forward thrust. Maglev trains float on a cushion of air, eliminating friction. This lack of friction and the trains' aerodynamic designs allow these trains to reach unprecedented ground transportation speeds of more than 500 kmph, or twice as fast as Amtrak's fastest commuter train. In comparison, a Boeing-777 commercial airplane used for long-range flights can reach a top speed of about 905 kmph. Developers say that maglev trains will eventually link cities that are up to 1,609 km apart. At 500 km, you could travel from Paris to Rome in just over two hours.

Development of maglev trains:

There are different factors which are used in the development of maglev trains, these help in movement, stability, guidance etc of a train.

Propulsion:

Some EMS systems can provide both levitation and propulsion using an onboard linear motor. But some EDS systems are like they can levitate the train using the magnets on board but cannot propel it forward. As such, vehicles need some other technology for propulsion. A linear motor (propulsion coils) mounted in the track is one solution

Stability:

Any combination of static magnets cannot be in a stable equilibrium. Therefore a dynamic magnetic field is required to achieve stabilization. EMS systems rely on active electronic stabilization which constantly measures the bearing distance and adjust the electromagnet current accordingly. All EDS systems rely on changing magnetic fields creating electrical currents, and these can give passive stability. Because maglev vehicles essentially fly, stabilization of pitch, roll, and yaw is required by magnetic technology. In addition to the rotation, move forward and backward, sway (sideways motion) or heave (up and down motions) can be problematic with some technologies.

Guidance

Some systems use Null Current systems (also sometimes called Null Flux systems); they use a coil which is wound so that it enters two opposing, alternating fields so that the average flux in the loop is zero. When the vehicle is in the straight ahead position, no current flows, but if it moves off-line this creates a changing flux that generates a field that naturally pushes and pulls it back into line. This is the guidance system of maglev trains.

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Evacuated tubes

Some systems (notably the Swissmetro system) propose the use of (vactrain ) maglev train technology used in evacuated (airless) tubes, which is used to remove air drag. This has the potential to increase speed and efficiency greatly, as most of the energy for conventional maglev trains is lost due to aerodynamic drag. One potential risk for passengers of trains operating in evacuated tubes is that they could be exposed to the risk of cabin depressurization unless tunnel safety monitoring systems can repressurize the tube in the event of a train malfunction or accident.

Introduction: “A leader is the one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” by John C. Maxwell (C.Maxwell). Every leader has followers so that he can lead and show them the right direction to achieve the goals. Leadership is a common term that is easy to describe but can be difficult to implement. Leaders can be found everywhere including our families, among friends and within the community but to be a good leader, one need to possess certain characteristics.

Thesis statement: There is a very famous Indian leader who was not born as great but he made himself great through his hard works and struggles, and his name is Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi and in India he is famously known as “Bapu” or “Rastrapita”. Background: He was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat, India.

He was great freedom fighter who led India as a leader of the nationalism against British rule. His whole life story is a great inspiration for me. Some of the best qualities of Mahatma Gandhjii are he was a simple and peace-loving soul, inspiring, showing by doing and had faith in himself.

Topic sentence: Mahatma Gandhiji led a simple life. Evidence & citing: He helped people in need without expecting anything in return. He played an important role in fighting against the British rule and making India an independent nation. He encourages the people of India to fight for freedom and bring peace and harmony to the nation. Commentary: He himself was a peace loving human being and avoided any kind of violence. He did not believe in wars and conflicts as solutions. It is this quality that made Gandhiji successful.

Topic sentence: Gandhiji never told people to follow him or regard himself as a leader. He never intended to lead but he chose to follow. He followed the truth and what brought happiness to his people. His simplicity, self-confidence, truthfulness and empathetic nature made people admire him. Evidence & citing: The main reason why people are inspired by Gandhiji is his philosophy of non-violence. He used non-violence to free India from British. His manner of dressing shows his unwillingness to use foreign products. He always told the people to do their work on their own without depending on others. He tried to eradicate the evil existing at that time without touching them.

Topic sentence: Mahatma Gandhi’s life itself is a textbook. Evidence & citing: He never asked anyone to do anything, but showed everyone how to do it. He is also a true role model for the new generation since he was himself an ideal example for everything he spoke and taught. He inspires because his life still shows the most beautiful picture of love, peace, honesty and truth.

Topic sentence: Mohandas Gandhi was not a great orator and he didn’t have a very attractive physical looks, he lived a simple life but still he is considered as one of the greatest persons to have ever walked on earth. Evidence & citing: The reason is he always believed in himself. He believed that he has a great responsibility to free his country and he had complete faith in himself. He knew that he would play an important role in the freedom of India and so he did. Commentary: His faith in himself triggered the faith of millions of Indians in him.

From all leadership skill, I think having faith in himself was most important thing for his success. Even though he was thrown in to jail, beaten on roads and many people tried to kill him, he didn’t gave up, he kept on fighting, struggling and working hard, because he had faith in himself that one day he will free India from the rule of British and he succeeded in doing this. Conclusion paragraph: As seen from the essay, Mahatma Gandhi was a transformational leader because many times in throughout his life he had to unite people to do the things they stood for. He was a leader who leads by example and empowers his followers to make them feel better. Behavioral leadership theory best suit Mahatma Gandhi because he proved that leaders are made not born since by profession he was lawyer and later only he became a leader.

I follow democratic leadership style since to make a particular decision I discuss with my parents and friends. I also try to influence and encourage my friends and family to do what they love. While doing any group work like assignment or presentation I divide the work equally to each individual. So by following this style, it had helped me and my team members to perform better.

References

1. C.Maxwell, J. (n.d.). 10 Leadership Quotes. Retrieved May 8, 2019, from www.success.com: https://www.success.com/10-powerful-quotes-on-leadership/
2. History.com.Editors. (2010, July 30). Mahatma Gandhi. Retrieved May 8, 2019, from HISTORY: https://www.history.com/topics/india/mahatma-gandhi
3. Mishra, P. (2017, September 22). Gandhi Jayanti.Retrieved May 8, 2019, from www.mapsofindia.com: https://www-mapsofindia-com.cdn.ampproject.com
4. Winning essays of the Mahatma Gandhi competition. (2010, January 11). Retrieved May 8, 2019, from spectator.sme.sk: https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20034950/winning-essays-of-the-mahatma-gandhi-competition.html

Introduction

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Background

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing keyinformation that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Thesis statement

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

Topic sentence

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

Evidence & citing

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

Commentary

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Conclusion paragraph

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad aboutthe topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

The outbreak of the Haitian Revolution is too complex that to appoint a biggest impact is only restrictive. The first part of the “Haitian revolution” essay explores Voduo’s impact, followed by the consideration of the French Revolution and the extent of the impact of European ideas derivative from figures like Rousseau. Lastly followed by the consideration of alternative influences, such as the role of Kongo.

Indeed, colonial lawyer Moreau de Saint-Méry’s 1780s account of Haitian Vodou ceremonies, ritual practices to establish strategies of resistance to the ailing life in slave societies within a community, expresses its immense potential in posing a danger to colonists, ‘Nothing is more dangerous than this Vodou cult.’ Moreau’s derogatory colonist perspective of slave syncretism, ‘perhaps to allay the fears this mysterious Vodou cult causes... a show is made,’ conveys that even prior to the 1791 revolution outbreak, Voduo was already perceived as a, ‘potentially terrible weapon.’ Furthermore, Moreau alludes to the ceremonies to have malicious intent as a result of their ‘secrecy’ whilst it’s alternatively the colonists’ ignorance of the cult, reflecting the extent of their antithetical relationship with the enslaved people, as their knowledge is unreliably sourced by, ‘whites found spying,’ and their outsider interpretations of the enslaved peoples’ ‘sect’s secret practices’ rumoured to be, ‘not for amusement and pleasure but rather a school where weak minds give themselves over to a domination that in a thousand ways could prove to be fatal.’ To conclude, as the colonisers are ignoramus of Voduo it bred fear, providing the already consolidated community to produce intimidation, thus making an evident powerful influence in the outbreak of the Haitian revolution.

Undeniably, the French Revolution impacted the outbreak of the revolution. Although sharing the similarity of both revolutions being made up of several, ‘the separate struggles of groups – whites, free coloureds and slaves in Haiti produced a social and political complexity’ that France lacked, allowing them to succeed in a brief aristocratic revolt against the monarchy driven by peasant and popular insurrections, releasing a chance for a bourgeois revolution. This advantage resulted in the evolution of the Haitian Revolution coinciding with the constant interplay of the metropolitan revolution. It’s evident of the impact of Rousseau’s political theory, ‘The Social Contract,’ inspiration in Haiti through its influence on the political reform of the Declaration of Rights in 1789. His stimulus, ‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains,’ enabled the freemen of colour in Saint-Domingue inclusion in the political process as taxpaying men of property, in addition to ‘The Friends of the Blacks’ abolitionist society in Paris adopting their cause. Thus, the impact on the Haitian revolution was a new forum for free men of colour and established allies. Before the Revolution, racial equality provided rights to become a doctorslawyers, after 1789 granted access to political power essential for the outbreak of the Haitian revolution.

Kongo’s influence on the outbreak of the Haitian revolution is demonstrated by its population of imported slaves into Saint-Domingue within the decennium, in consequence of their civil wars, ‘Congos’ comprised of ‘60 percent of the slaves in North Province, where the revolution began, and about the same percentage in the south.’ They became so prevalent, ‘Congo,’ became a generic term for the slave insurgents rank and file. Further evidence of Kongolese influence can be seen in Haiti’s revolutionary ideology and Kongo’s political ideology of royalism’s influence, the motivation behind Kongo civil wars, which many of those imported had served in, and their attempts to create a positive movement to ameliorate society by amending the constitutional issues, determine who was King and the subsequent supremacies of the title. The Haitian revolutionaries were, ‘inveterate royalists,’ as a product of their African background, using Kongolese figure Macaya, late seventeenth century revolutionary leader’s royalism as an example, 'I am the subject of three kings: of the King of Congo, master of all the blacks; of the King of France who represents my father; of the King of Spain who represents my mother.” A conclusion can be drawn that the actions of the Haitian followers carrying royalist banners, referring to themselves gens du roi, and even demanding the restoration of the monarchy reflect their African background with, ‘as many as two-thirds of the slaves in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) on the eve of the revolution had been born, raised, and socialized in Africa.’ Therefore, the ideological orientation of the abundance of the slaves is crucial to note as, even if the majority of leaders were creoles including no immediate African background, they’d still be required to build a rapport with the followers by resonating with their ideology, a motivator on the outbreak of the revolution.

To recapitulate, it’s imperative to note the revolution was partly an aftershock of 1789 inspiration from French Revolution, the result of autonomous revolt of enslaved African peoples moved by their own principles of solidarity and resistance, the role of the Kongolese population and a multitude of further impacts.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Social media in Nonprofit Organizations
3. Conclusion

Introduction

Non-profit organizations play an important role in our society by providing goods and services to low-income communities when our government fails to do so. Yet it is not rare to find nonprofits facing a financial crisis and going out of business because of the lack of funding. Many nonprofits are primarily funded by fluctuating donations, government support and fundraising efforts. In this research paper I will be Analyzing Case Study 12: Volunteer and Donor recruitment on Social Media by Julia Read, Benjamin Bingle and Kenneth Meyer to explain how nonprofits are strategically using social media. Two basic questions that are asked during board meetings are: How can we promote our organization? Who can we ask for donations? In the recent years, nonprofits have looked to different methods to fund their campaign and continue their mission to support marginalized communities; social media has been one of these ways. “Social networking sites are mostly used for their viral ability to spread messages to users, consumers, and other organizations” (Brown, 2015). In the last decade social media marketing has revolutionized the way that businesses, companies and even nonprofits grow their brand. Social media has emerged in a huge way increasing awareness, engaging the community and mobilizing activities that will cultivate a relationship with influencers and potentially raise money. It is important that in this paper I explain the relevance of the Resource Dependence Theory which is “concerned with how organizational behavior is affected by external resources the organization utilizes, such as raw materials”. RDT contributes practically to creating an effective organization by allowing donors to understand the fiscality of the organizations’ environment. nonprofits seek an online presence to assist in building and maintaining their organization. Generally, speaking, social media has been used to channel primarily three organizational goals in the nonprofit sector: garner new volunteers, resource development and create a social change.

Social media in Nonprofit Organizations

As we know, Nonprofits struggle with attracting qualified volunteers because it can be a discouraging burden on board members. “In the past, it may have been time consuming and costly for an organization to reach various individuals. Now, organizations can communicate quickly and more frequently with the members, volunteers, and donors through social media” (Brown, 2015). Social media has been a great recruiting tool because of the different mediums that are used to market to advertise the nonprofits mission. It is crucial that nonprofit organizations understand the benefits of marketing how to use it effectively. According to the business dictionary Marketing is defined as the management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. In the case study Bill Perkins, the CEO of Hope Center believed that capitalizing on competitions and marketing his nonprofit by organizing an annual 5K and by displaying this on social media would in return attract interested individuals. Social media has a huge impact on who volunteers. The first step to gaining new volunteers is creating engaging and informative content that will connect with people who have a passion for your organization's objective. The center marketed themselves using selfie posting and small prizes that lead to a spike in social media connections and 2- way communication. At the end of the campaign the hope center staff noticed an increase in volunteers, although most were young people. Hope center should have established various forms of social media that would attract different demographic and social strata.

Nonprofits often encounter major complications when it comes to obtaining and managing financial resources to support the mission and purpose. It is common for organizations to partake in traditional fundraising, grant writing, endowments, annual campaigns, but as we know it is not always healthy to rely solely on the same donors, with the recruitment of volunteers. With the help of platforms such as, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram the donor recruitment have made it easier for members to ask for money. Included in these mediums are tool that have allowed for people to donate through online fundraising platform such as GoFundMe, the donation tags on Instagram and fundraising tag on Facebook where individuals can click on a cause that is significant to them. The Hope Center failed in creating an all-inclusive campaign that would include people from all backgrounds and ages. In return, organizations are often stagnant with donations. Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) notes that dependence on critical resources influences diverse actions and behavior of organizations. It effects the nonprofits behavior, performance and survival rates. “A core argument of the resource dependence theory is that organizations are unable to generate by themselves all the resources they need for survival but have to obtain and derive various types of resources from its environment” (Lam & Nie, 2019). So, in order to improve the nonprofits survival rates and grow their funding it is imperative that these nonprofits look to other forms of income. Since the individuals that are engaged in the social media competitions were young and did not have a stable income to be a regular Hope Center donor the income generated was very little to none. Although young adults are not able to be listed as regular donors’ they more inclined to donate to nonprofits that call for a social change

Social media has become an ingenious space when it comes cultivating digital social movements and supporting nonprofits. “Advocacy and social change practice have rapidly become linked with technology tools and Internet-based outreach” (GoldKind, 2015). One relevant reason the Hope Center did not perform how they speculated was because of their lack of promoting their mission and appealing to societies pathos. The case relied so much on the contest and rewards that they failed to advertise the purpose of their nonprofit and how they are benefiting the community. The people who participated obviously did not realize that they were trying to produce more than weekly competitions, they were trying to find donors and volunteers to help support their nonprofit organization. “Specifically, a newly established nonprofit which strives to increase its popularity among members of the public might want to focus on posting information messages online to attract public attention as their first step”. Nonprofits exist primarily to generate a social change, whether it to bring awareness or provide supplies for marginalized communities.

Conclusion

Social Media is taking over, there is no longer a need for flyer, card or poster, but a new demand on a promotional social media page. “Over 2.77 billion people are expected to be using social media by 2019 (up from 2.46 billion in 2017), meaning there’s no shortage of opportunities to find people who can support your cause through platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram” (Dopson, 2018). Resource Dependence Theory is essential for organizations to appreciate and implement a strategy that will cause leaders to add additional supply of funds by using differing ways to invite donors. After reviewing Case Study 12: Volunteer and Donor recruitment on Social Media I have concluded that in order to attract interested volunteers and donor who are willing to support the organization it is vital to create a social movements or campaigns through social media that will enhance readers understanding of the Hope centers purpose and strengthen their giving capacity and perhaps become regular volunteers if not donors. From research it is evident that social media may be the number 1 reason why nonprofits succeed or fail. We live in a time where people donate on social media, most donors and volunteers are accumulated from ads they see on platforms like Facebook and Instagram and if they relate to the mission of the nonprofit. A recommendation for the Hope Center is to create a campaign that will provide mindful information about your organization, especially with it being a moderately new foundation with the intention to grow their brand on social media.