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O'Brien wrote a heart-wrenching short story that describes the burdens that must be carried by men in service during war and even post-war. This story not only describes physical burdens, but also emotional ones that come from strong desires, broken-hearts, fear of reputation, and many painful experiences. The picture below accurately displays some of both forms of burdens that our soldiers must carry for us and our country.

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This plays takes us through the depressing life of a family who is trying to live the "American dream". All too often we see how these high expectations, especially from fathers/husbands lead to stress, pain, depression, and failure in many forms. In this particular play which demonstrates the effect of these dreams, the father/husband actually ends up taking his own life when his dream fails. Even though this is just in a fictional play, similar circumstances happen around us every day.

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Dominic Balli - American Dream (Official Music Video) (HD) [feat. Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D.)

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Dominic Balli's "American Dream (feat. Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D.)" from the album "American Dream". Album Release Date: July 26, 2011. Single Release Date: May 31, 2011.Get the single now at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/american-dream-feat-sonny/id436891111

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In Packer's short story titled "Brownies", she tells the story of a girl scout group made up of young African American girls who believe they are being discriminated against by the white girls in their camp. In the end, the girls learn that not only is the racism in the country against their race, but also from them to the "Caucasian" race. In America, it is almost the social norm to have separation from anyone who is not like you whether they're white, black, special needs, Christian, Muslim, etc. There is discrimination against everyone today, but it should not be that way. We are all brothers and sisters, and should love one another despite differences.

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In this short story written by Harlem writer Toni Bambara, Sylvia, a young African American girl learns a lesson on social injustice. A well-educated black woman takes it upon herself to give the local children a lesson on the cultural aspects of their present day life, which has even continued on to this day in some ways. Below is a summary of this piece of work, along with an analysis and background on the author.

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An Angry Young Woman

Meet Sylvia, the first person narrator of Toni Cade Bambara's short story, 'The Lesson.' Sylvia is around ten years old and lives in Harlem in the 1960s. She's black and pretty angry, but doesn't quite understand why she's angry or its connection to being black. But that's not to say she isn't intelligent. On the contrary, she's rather sharp, as shown throughout the story. In this lesson, discover what she learns during an important day in her life.

Who Was Toni Cade Bambara?

To better understand 'The Lesson,' it might be helpful to know a little about the author. Toni Cade Bambara spent the first ten years of her life in Harlem. She may have been a lot like Sylvia herself. She credits these years with having a profound effect on her writing. The descriptions of Harlem and the characters in the story are very realistic and vivid. The reader can imagine the smell of the city air, hear the traffic, and picture the characters.

Bambara wrote several film scripts, two novels, and several collections of short stories. 'The Lesson' first appeared in the collection Gorilla My Love (1972). Bambara died of colon cancer at the age of 56 in 1995. Some of her other published works are: The Black Woman: An Anthology (1970), Tales and Stories for Black Folks (1971), Sea Birds are Still Alive (1977), and The Salt Eaters (1980).

'The Lesson': Plot Summary

'The Lesson' takes place on a seemingly ordinary day in Harlem, probably in the 1960s. Sylvia, the narrator, and a small group of neighborhood children visit an F.A.O Schwartz toy store in another part of the city. Miss Moore, an educated black woman who frequently takes the neighborhood children on educational outings, accompanies them.

Sylvia makes it clear that she would much rather be doing anything else. The toy store seems like an unlikely place for a field trip, but Miss Moore has a point to make.

The children are shocked to see a $480 price tag on a paperweight. They don't know what it is, so Miss Moore explains, 'It's to weigh paper down so it won't scatter and make your desk untidy.'

Sylvia disparages the other children and tries to instigate them to misbehave, but they are more interested in a handcrafted toy sailboat for $1,195. At the end of the day, Miss Moore asks the children, 'Well, What did you think of F.A.O. Schwartz?'

'White folks crazy,' remarks one of the children. When Sylvia goes home that afternoon after being introduced to a lesson in social injustice and economic inequality, she feels unsettled.

'Miss Moore looks at me sorrowfully, I'm thinkin. And something weird is going on, I can feel it in my chest.' She and her cousin Sugar go off to play, but Sylvia has learned a fundamental life lesson.

A Narrator With an Attitude

As the first person narrator, Sylvia tells the story from her point of view. Sylvia has attitude. She sets the tone in the first sentence with her conversational tone and Harlem dialect. She hates Miss Moore. 'Miss Moore was her name,' Sylvia says, and the reader can almost hear the sarcasm in her tone. In a judgmental voice, Sylvia adds, 'This lady just moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup.'

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the lesson by toni cade bambara: summary

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analysis & theme - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara: Summary, Analysis & Theme - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Meet Sylvia, the first person narrator of Toni Cade Bambara's short story, 'The Lesson.' Sylvia is around ten years old and lives in Harlem in the 1960s. She's black and pretty angry, but doesn't quite understand why she's angry or its connection to being black. But that's not to say she isn't intelligent.

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In her short story, Alice Walker takes us through a time of change, especially in the black culture. This story shows us a family who has split- half of it clings to it's true heritage and history, and the other half keeps it as that- history. The latter half believes that as times change, all of culture should change with it and they try to keep the past in the past as history and are set on conforming to the new ages. Below is a clip of a short film that was done on Walker's story. Despite the claims of one half of this torn family, who is it that actually doesn't understand their heritage?

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Short clip from the film adaptation of the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker.

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Ellison tells the story of a young black man who is, by the instruction of his meek and wise grandfather,  internally seeking social equality. In wishing to protect himself and his family, the narrator maintains two identities: on the outside, he's the stereotypical slave, complying to the wishes of white men; on the inside he's bitter and resenting of his negative identity. Despite his bitterness and unfair treatment, the narrator succeeds in overcoming these negative feelings and earns a little more respect from the opposite race.

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In his poem, Hughes links himself to his ancestors, placing them in important historical, religious, and cultural sites all over the world. The connection to the world's ancient rivers has made his soul grow "deep like the rivers" that his ancestors were once around. The audio recording done by the author himself really adds meaning and understanding to the literary piece through his tone and style.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mFp40WJbsA

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L. Hughes' "Let America be America Again"

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L. Hughes' "Let America be America Again"

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Langston Hughes wrote this poem about someone who felt America was not living up to what it was said to be. Our country was supposed to be a safe haven for the people already living here and for all who immigrated to this country. Ever since people began coming over, this country has been as safe and as free as any other. This poem describes how many different people who have lived here have had their hopes and dreams let down.

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Glaspell's short story is much like her play "Trifles", but differs mostly in the perspective. In this short story we get a better view of the women's side of the investigation as they take us through their personal feelings and thoughts. By their "jury", we see in this story that, out of their compassion, the women declare Minnie Foster is not guilty, and perhaps they are right.

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"

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Gilman gives a fascinating description on the effects of S. Weir Mitchell's "rest cure" in her short story "The Yellow Wallpaper". Her story is so accurate, due to an experience much like the narrator's, and exposes the treatment of women by Mitchell and other physicians of her time, which, thankfully, greatly hurts their methods and business.

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Neurasthenia & The Culture of Nervous Exhaustion

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SILAS WEIR MITCHELL DEVELOPS AND PROMOTES THE REST CURE FOR NEURASTHENIA

A prominent Philadelphia physician and graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Silas Weir Mitchell, M.D., developed the rest cure for neurasthenia in the 1870s. His most prominent books were Wear and Tear, or Hints for the Overworked (1871), Injuries of Nerves and Their Consequences (1872), Fat and Blood (1877), and Doctor and Patient (1888).

As the most prominent U.S. physician in the treatment of neurasthenia, Dr. Mitchell was consulted by patients and their families throughout North America and Europe. His patients were a roll call of leaders of U.S. society.

Dr. Mitchell is most often associated with the rest cure for women. He admired active, intellectual women, and in later years when he was the preeminent specialist in neurasthenia, colleagues and friends would try to persuade him to take a new patient by extolling her intelligence and accomplishments.

SILAS WEIR MITCHELL AND CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN

Dr. Mitchell's reputation fell after the 1970s because of the revival of the semi-autobiographical short story " The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a writer, poet, and social reformer. The story became a standard part of the curriculum in U.S. cultural history, women's studies, and medical humanities. In the story, Gilman condemned the rest cure and by extension the harmful treatment of women by physicians, most of whom were men at the time. The woman in Gilman's story is prescribed a strict rest cure, during which she gradually becomes insane.

Recently, medical historian David Schuster has studied Mitchell's relationships with his women patients and concluded that his reputation has been unjustly damaged by Gilman's story and modern critiques based on it. Schuster studied years of letters between Mitchell and three of his prominent women patients: Amelia Gene Mason, Sarah Butler Wister, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Schuster concludes that Mitchell prescribed a strict rest cure for Gilman based on a reasonable interpretation of the description Gilman wrote for him of her state of mind and condition. Gilman later acknowledged that her life was unusually bleak and depressive at the time she wrote the description for Mitchell. In contrast, Mitchell prescribed different approaches for the other women, flexibly adjusting their treatments over the years and working with them to determine the best approaches.
Further Information:

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The Neurasthenia Rest Cure and Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell - Neurasthenia & The Culture of Nervous Exhaustion

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SILAS WEIR MITCHELL DEVELOPS AND PROMOTES THE REST CURE FOR NEURASTHENIA A prominent Philadelphia physician and graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Silas Weir Mitchell, M.D., developed the rest cure for neurasthenia in the 1870s. His most prominent books were Wear ... Continue reading →

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Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" In this play there are two groups investigating a murder and both look at the situation in different ways. While one group looks for physical evidence of who murdered Mr. Wright and why, the other group looks at the scene and tries to solve the mental and emotional case that was clearly at hand. It has been proven many times that when a person is held in captivity, even without physical torture, it hurts them psychologically, and can result in many problems. In some cases, victims have been known to become physically violent themselves. This article explains how torture is not always found in physical forms, but also in psychological when one is held captive, as Mrs. Wright had been.http://www.fairobserver.com/region/north_america/held-captivity-psychological-trauma-hostage/

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Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" In this play there are two groups investigating a murder and both look at the situation in different ways. While one group looks for physical evidence of who murdered Mr. Wright and why, the other group looks at the scene and tries to solve the mental and emotional case that was clearly at hand. It has been proven many times that when a person is held in captivity, even without physical torture, it hurts them psychologically, and can result in many problems. In some cases, victims have been known to become physically violent themselves. This article explains how torture is not always found in physical forms, but also in psychological when one is held captive, as Mrs. Wright had been.http://www.fairobserver.com/region/north_america/held-captivity-psychological-trauma-hostage/

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It is highly distressing when we see a hostage paraded in front of a camera by terrorists. The brutal murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and now the British hostage David Haines on September 13, followed a similar pattern to that of Daniel Pearl, a journalist who was murdered in 2002 in Pakistan. Following 9/11, Pearl was among the earliest of many Westerners to be butchered in the name of some terrorist group that believed it could influence the foreign policy of a given country.

At the point of their deaths, these four murdered people looked very similar in that they had minimum clothing on: Pearl wore a cheap tracksuit top, and Foley, Haines and Sotloff had the now familiar orange jumpsuits that are supposed to reflect those held in Guantanamo Bay. All four men had their hands restrained: Pearl in front and the other three behind their backs. In Pearl's case, a terrorist read out a script and then the heinous act took place. The other three had to read their own script prior to their tragic death.

In all four cases, the men appeared to show no emotion, almost as though they were going through another trial run. They had probably done this on numerous occasions, starting at a very basic level such as a mock execution.

The Trauma

In such instances, terrorists will burst into a cell and the kidnapped victim would be taken by surprise. The hostage would be blindfolded and dragged out while being kicked, punched and beaten as the captors take them to a location where their "faults" are read out - either being American or British, spying for Israel or some other trumped up charge. Then a weapon would be pointed at the captive or held to their head - the trigger pulled and the click of a hammer hitting a firing pin, but no rounds in the weapon. Such trauma would be beyond belief.

At that point, the prisoner would be dragged back to their cell. This mock execution would be repeated several times. Each time it happens, the hostage would think, "Here we go again." Then there would be slight changes introduced, depending on the political climate at the time, until the kidnappers feel the time is right.

It is highly distressing when we see a hostage paraded in front of a camera by terrorists. The brutal murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and now the British hostage David Haines on September 13, followed a similar pattern to that of Daniel Pearl, a journalist who was murdered in 2002 in Pakistan.

The "sentencing" statement would be dictated to the captive or they would have to read what someone else has written - probably having read it so many times that they know most of it by heart. Without realizing, the hostage will have rehearsed their own death. But apart from the mental anguish of that mock execution, there is more to the mental torment than most people are aware of.

Capture to Execution

The first phase any kidnapped victim has to endure is the initial capture. This would include rough handling, beating with fists or a weapon, and a blindfold or hood placed over the head to disorientate and block out some of their senses. Once in a safe area for the kidnappers, the victim would undergo a quick search to remove all of their possessions, most of which would be stolen.

The initial reaction of the new hostage would be confusion because of the sudden impact and unexpected violent nature as to what had just occurred, along with uncertainty as to what happens next. At some point, they would feel anger for allowing themselves to be placed in a vulnerable position. They would be in disbelief at what is happening to them, as some journalists undergo training for such a situation. This falls under the category of "shock of capture" and "dislocation of expectations" - in other words, "It will never happen to me." All victims undergo the same or similar feelings.

Once the captive is in their new location, one that may be temporary, they would start to be subjected to two types of pressure: self induced pressure and system induced pressure. Both types bring on mental demands and the slow realization that the desolation will start to take effect.

Self induced pressures are feelings that are brought on by the hostage - their own thoughts, feelings and actions. They would go through fear of the unknown and fear of being killed: Will anyone know they have been taken? Along with this, the hostage would go through fear of the environment such as hearing doors banging and keys jangling, as the prisoner would wonder if it is their turn to be killed, tortured or beaten.

There would be thoughts of escape but, if captured with others, there would be fear of retribution against those who remain behind. A difficult decision to make and, if those who are with them are close friends, it makes matters worse. Later, if held in captivity for a long period with other prisoners, those feelings would also exist.

If they are a leader of a team, then feelings of failure and/or guilt would start to gnaw at them - actions the leader took that had led them into that situation in the first place. Although they may not realize it, the chances are that in a lot of cases the operation to kidnap someone has been preplanned. They would feel guilty about any mistakes they had made. It would not matter how small or large they seemed, the leader or an individual would analyze every move that had put them in that situation.

In some cases, people have been taken prisoner by a criminal gang, either on purpose or because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Often, in situations such as these, captives would be "sold up the chain" to the highest bidder, which usually results in an unpleasant ending.

The Islamic State (IS), a jihadist group that has seized land in Iraq and Syria, recently said it would execute a British hostage who was captured. Haines, a Scot from Perth who was taken hostage in March 2013 while working for a French relief agency, was the latest victim of IS' brutality.

There would be mistrust, boredom and loneliness, which play major psychological roles. Depression and despair would set in very quickly, as you would not be in control of any of your actions. Your captors would ensure that. A need for constant alertness would add to the captive's distress, as they would attempt to stay one step in front of their captors.

System induced pressures are those that are placed upon a captive by their kidnappers. They will ensure the captive undergoes severe discipline and be punished for the slightest thing. This would be part of a conditioning phase, so the captive becomes reliant on those who are holding them prisoner.

Their diet would be small and disgusting and, if lucky, they would be fed on scraps. The guards get the better food and whatever is left, if any, would be fed to the prisoner. The effect would be starvation and illness, which would break down the will of the captive and result in drastic weight loss.

Confinement and enforced idleness would play a huge psychological factor, coupled with everything else that would leave the prisoner feeling as though they are losing the will to live. They would suffer from a lack of sleep due to hunger pains, desolation and torment of the mind - having no news of the outside world and no knowledge of what is being done to secure their release.

During the retake of Fallujah in 2004, US forces found three detainee centers in the Iraqi city. Below buildings, there was evidence of atrocities carried out by Islamists. In some cases, locations showed bloody handprints on walls and sand that had been used to clear up blood on the floor. Torture had been used, but it was unknown as to whether this was a source of retribution, sectarian-related or against Western hostages.

However, people like Nicholas Berg, Kenneth Bigley and Margaret Hassan would have been held in such places and tortured before their deaths. Photographs of Bigley were found at a location in Fallujah. Torture can be described in many forms, but it was clear that the hostages in these locations had undergone such severe brutality that is highly distressing.

A very sensitive issue is rape, involving both men and women. Female captives have a tendency to accept that this will happen to them, but males do not give it a second thought. If held in a collective group, it is not the act that tends to upset the unfortunate victim, but how they are treated by fellow prisoners when they return. There would be no hostage/captor bonding, as the terrorists would treat their prisoner like an animal, which detracts them from being looked upon as human beings.

There would be pressure on the captors, especially if they keep up with the press. News of a failed US rescue attempt - as with Foley - means they would know that Special Forces are attempting to locate the hostages and kill their captors. The problem with this type of hostage taker is that, should there be a rescue attempt, there is no guarantee of a positive outcome. If the kidnappers are threatened, they will not hesitate to kill hostages prior to fleeing.

Negotiating With Terrorists

At the recent NATO summit in Wales, US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to never enter discussions with terrorists, and ruled out paying ransom money for the release of a hostage. In the past, suspicion by some countries had led others to believe that ransoms had been paid to seek the release of a detainee. Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who was captured by terrorists in Iraq in 2005 and released a month later, was thought to have been freed after a ransom was paid.

The Islamic State (IS), a jihadist group that has seized land in Iraq and Syria, recently said it would execute a British hostage who was captured. Haines, a Scot from Perth who was taken hostage in March 2013 while working for a French relief agency, was the latest victim of IS' brutality. While Foley, Haines and Sotloff read out on "statements" that declared their executions were a result of US air strikes on IS targets, at this point, Britain has only supplied aid to refugees but is seen as an ally of Washington.

Let us also not forget that as well as those unfortunate Westerners who have been primitively and savagely murdered, there are others from different nationalities that have undergone the same fate: Abbas Medlej, a Lebanese soldier who was captured in August and beheaded by IS militants, and an Iraqi Kurd who was killed on August 28. IS has also carried out executions of Sunnis and Shiites, including Syrian and Iraqi soldiers.

The wife of Haines accused the British government of letting an innocent man die because they refused to pay a ransom. However, the monetary value is of no consequence. Rather, it is the demands that would need to be met in the future that is alarming. After all, if you give a child a sweet, it will only come back for more. If governments give in to terrorist organizations, groups such as IS would be bolstered and wreak further destruction. IS would not only demand more ransoms for funds, but it would also realize that its goals can be achieved in this manner. This is something the international community does not want to encourage and cannot afford to do so.

Indeed, it is an unfortunate set of circumstances for those who are held in captivity and murdered because of demands on a government that cannot be met. The grief, misery, pain and torment of those who are doomed to die and what they must go through are beyond a normal person's thoughts.

Since the murder of Haines, another British hostage has been selected to be killed by IS militants. Alan Henning from Manchester was captured by IS when it took the Syrian city of al-Dana in January 2014. It is almost certain that Henning will soon be paraded in front of a camera in an orange jumpsuit.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer's editorial policy. Alex Skopje / Shutterstock.com

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Held in Captivity: The Psychological Trauma of a Hostage - Fair Observer

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It is highly distressing when we see a hostage paraded in front of a camera by terrorists. The brutal murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and now the British hostage David Haines on September 13, followed a similar pattern to that of Daniel Pearl, a journalist who was murdered in 2002 in Pakistan.

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This short story about a young woman's experience growing up reminded me a lot of the song "Try" by Colbie Caillat. I wish this young lady and many others would hear more often from their mothers that they "Don't have to try so hard."

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Did you know... Research studies have actually suggested that "Happiness can break your heart". In Kate Chopin's story, the protagonist is already heartbroken from the loss of her husband, but the mix of joy, and later grief towards his return, actually stops her heart. The doctors called this "joy that kills", which could actually be true!

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Too much happiness can lead to a condition known as the "broken heart syndrome", a study published in the European Heart Journal claims.

The researchers analysed medical data from 1,750 patients registered in 25 collaborating centres across nine countries, who had suffered from takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTS), the other name for the disease. This rare syndrome is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart, which sees the left ventricle changing shape to resemble.

The name 'takotsubo' actually comes from Japanese and means 'octopus pot'. It is what the left ventricle starts to look like, with a round bottom and a narrow neck, when the patient develops the symptom.

It leads to chest pains and breathlessness, and in the worse cases, the patient can suffer from a heart attack and die.

Emotional trigger

Previous studies have suggested that the condition occurs after an intense negative emotion such as anger, grief, sadness or fear, which is why the syndrome has also received the name of "broken heart syndrome". However, this new study points out that happiness and great moments of joy can also be blamed.

Among the 1,750 patients assessed, researchers found an emotional cause to the syndrome in 485 cases. For a majority of them, it was emotional distress that was involved, but in 20 cases (4% of patients), patients developed the syndrome in a particularly joyful context, whether during a wedding, a part, or after the victory of the person's favourite sports team.

"We have shown that the triggers for TTS can be more varied than previously thought. A TTS patient is no longer the classic 'broken hearted' patient, and the disease can be preceded by positive emotions too. Clinicians should consider that patients who arrive in the emergency department with signs of heart attacks, such as chest pain and breathlessness, but after a happy event or emotion, could be suffering from TTS ," says Dr Jelena Ghadri, who co-authored the publication.

More research needed

The study also notes that 95 % patients with the syndrome, whether they had suffered from a tragic event or had just lived a happy moment, were women, and a majority were above 65 years old. For scientists, this is another confirmation that the syndrome occurs mostly in post-menopausal women.

However, much remains unknown about the condition. The reason why emotions can trigger it remains a mystery, although the scientists believe it can be explained by the complex relations that exist between the brain and the rest of the body.

"We believe that TTS is a classic example of an intertwined feedback mechanism, involving the psychological and/or physical stimuli, the brain and the cardiovascular system. Perhaps both happy and sad life events, while inherently distinct, share final common pathways in the central nervous system output, which ultimately lead to TCS," says Dr Templin.

With his team, he is currently putting this theory into practice by using functional MRI to study the different parts of the brain involved in emotional responses, and to uncover a potential link with the heart.

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Happiness can break your heart: Joy leads to rare heart condition 'takotsubo' syndrome

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Too much happiness can lead to a condition known as the "broken heart syndrome", a study published in the European Heart Journal claims. The researchers analysed medical data from 1,750 patients registered in 25 collaborating centres across nine countries, who had suffered from takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTS), the other name for the disease.