Themes Of Isolation Research Articles

The Human Condition and Nature’s Reflection in 'The Minister's Black Veil'

This research delves into the intricate connection that exists between the human condition and the reflection of nature. Through a nearby investigation of the text, this examination intends to reveal how Hawthorne complicatedly winds around together components of imagery and story to depict hidden presences - a figurative investigation of the intricacies of human life and its collaboration with the regular world. The narrative delves into the depths of individual consciousness while simultaneously reflecting the sublime beauty and mystery of nature, drawing on themes of isolation, morality, and societal norms. This study sheds light on the larger cultural and philosophical implications of the narrative by contrasting Hawthorne's portrayal with Wordsworth's philosophical perspectives on human existence and nature."

A Psychoanalytical Study of the Gothic Marine Locales in Herman Melville's Moby Dick

This research uncovers the Gothic elements interwoven with the Sublime in the maritime context of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". Using Freud's psychoanalytical frameworks, the study examines the novel's sublime aspects and the psychological depths they signify. It draws on Lacan's and Burke's theories on the conscious and unconscious mind and the contrast between the beautiful and the sublime. These elements suggest deeper insights into Melville's psyche, with characters like Ishmael reflecting his narrative. The conclusion posits "Moby Dick" as an intricate interlacing of Gothic and sea-faring motifs that penetrate the human psyche, set against the ocean's expanse. The narrative aboard the Pequod encapsulates the collective human psyche, presenting a tableau of collective yearnings, fears, and fixations. The enigmatic Moby Dick stands as a symbol of nature's grandeur and humanity's relentless pursuit of the unfathomable, with otherworldly occurrences enhancing the story's spectral quality. The story's heart lies in the psychological journey, mainly through Ahab's quixotic quest for the whale, a metaphor for the human penchant for chasing the unreachable. The narrative is laden with symbolism, with the whale as the centerpiece of nature's wonder and the human quest for meaning. The plot navigates through moral ambiguities and deceit, providing depth to its characters. Themes of isolation and desolation are woven into the dangerous yet mesmerizing whaling backdrop, rendering a narrative rich in complexity and allure.

Crossing an Impossible Threshold

In this article we, both playwright and performer, look at the play Fish at the Bottom of the Sea and its unique exploratory process. We articulate an exchange between circus, sound, and theatre, and examine the larger understanding evoked by an experiential point of view rather than one attached to the identity of any particular discipline. The article alternates between our two voices and includes videos and excerpts from the play to capture the inter- and transdisciplinary nature of our project. Our co-writing approach mirrors our collaborative and interdisciplinary process. As this iteration of the play was generated during the pandemic, the article explores how the play’s themes of isolation and loss are reflected in our collective experience and our need for connection. Further, we explore how both the form and content of this work was impacted by the pandemic. Our paper is organized around three central themes: exploring liminal space and the desire to cross an impossible threshold; embodying states of matter and moving through stages of grief; seeking virtuosity in performance.

Traces of War in Virginia Woolf's Night and Day

Katherine Mansfield's review of Virginia Woolf's Night and Day (1919) has dominated criticism of the novel and contributed to its critical neglect, but Mansfield's belief that the novel ignores the First World War has never been challenged. The present essay identifies the novel's oblique references to the war and to combat. It considers the novel's status as a historical novel: its awareness that the pre-war era is irretrievably lost, and its creation of situational ironies for its characters. It considers the themes of isolation, insulation, and near-obliviousness, and the awareness of sounds at the edge of consciousness, as symptomatic of the novel's war-time moment.

Space, place and nonplace in Pere Joan’s Passatger en trànsit (1984): forging the Iberian comic in post-dictatorial Barcelona

ABSTRACT Building on growing interest in the development of the ninth art in Spain, this article returns to a foundational work by creator Pere Joan that encapsulates Barcelona’s role in forging the post-dictatorial Iberian comic. Beyond carrying out a close reading of the eponymous comic contained in Passatger en trànsit, it is important also to elucidate the cultural forces shaping post-dictatorial comics in Spain: from the languages of publication, to the legacies of visual style, the relationship between comics and prose literature, and the reemergence of Barcelona as a putative center of the comics industry. Published by Norma Editorial in 1984, the hardback volume arguably reflected the growing expansion of the Catalan-language cultural market specifically and the progressive linguistic diversification of the Iberian comics market in general. The theme, story and comics form of the visual tale – “Passatger en trànsit”, which was adapted from English science fiction writer Barrington J. Bayley’s earlier short story “Man in Transit” – establish a number of the hallmark traits of Pere Joan’s subsequent work: such as contemplative mood; themes of isolation, alienation, interiority and travel; and his characteristic use of landscape panels in page design. The comic’s spatial aesthetics also connects with notions of space, place and nonplace that were receiving renewed attention in 1980s Barcelona.

Distance education under duress: a case study of exchange students’ experience with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Korea

COVID-19 caused universities around the world to transition overnight to some type of remote learning or online format. The way this occurred, though necessary, was a departure from the standards and norms of traditional distance education and was a drastic change for the majority of faculty and students who had no prior experience with remote, blended, or online learning. This case study was conducted in the Republic of Korea with 15 international exchange students who found themselves forced to take distance education courses on an empty campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Themes of isolation and loneliness, diverse learning experiences, little-to-no social interaction, teaching, cognitive, or social presence emerged from the interviews. In this paper, we discuss our findings and the implications for future research and practice.

A Qualitative Exploration of Women’s Experiences of Living With Chronic Vulvar Dermatoses

BackgroundMany vulvar dermatoses (VDs) are chronic and cannot be “cured,” thus affected women must learn to live with the impact of the disease, and its treatment, on their quality of life. AimTo qualitatively investigate the impact of VDs on women’s quality of life through firsthand accounts. Methods12 women, 7 with lichen sclerosus and 5 with erosive vulvovaginal lichen planus recruited from a vulvar disease clinic participated in in-depth, exploratory interviews. Scripts were analyzed by applying a thematic network. The following steps were used: (1) coding the text, (2) development of descriptive themes, and (3) generation of thematic networks. OutcomesThe main outcome explored was the narrative experiences of women living with VDs. ResultsA global theme of suffering emerged. Themes associated with this suffering were organized under the themes of isolation, interference, and grieving. Women felt isolated because they felt unable to talk about their suffering; experienced a lack of external validation and support; and felt different as individuals, women, and sexual beings. Most women expressed negative views of their genitalia. Women spoke of the VDs, and its management, as interfering with thoughts, activities, and sex life. Symptoms were described as all-encompassing. Women spoke about limiting and/or avoiding daily activities and, in particular, sexual activities. Women described diminished sexual pleasure and experienced loss in their intimate relationships. Women described an ongoing grieving process; anger and sadness over the loss of their former healthy self; the burden of ongoing treatment; and attempts to cope and accept their current condition. Clinical implicationsThe findings suggest that assessment of women with VDs should include a detailed history of the impact of the VDs on women’s psychological and sexual health. Strengths and LimitationsA strength of this study is that we openly explored the lived experiences of women who had been clinically diagnosed with vulvar lichen sclerosus and erosive vulvovaginal lichen planus. A limitation is that the findings may not represent the experience of women living with VDs who do not wish to discuss their VDs or who are undiagnosed, untreated, and/or treated by other health-care providers. ConclusionsWomen described profound impact of VDs on psychological and sexual health.Sadownik LA, Koert E, Maher C, et al. A Qualitative Exploration of Women’s Experiences of Living With Chronic Vulvar Dermatoses. J Sex Med 2020;17:1740–1750.

Exploring the experience of mainstream education: Perspectives from pupils in alternative provision schooling with social, emotional or mental health difficulties

This study explores the lived experience of mainstream education, as reported by three 13- to 14-year-old pupils with social, emotional or mental health difficulties (SEMHD), who currently attend alternative provision schooling (APS). Taking a qualitative epistemological approach, the methodology chosen for this study was an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The results of this IPA suggest that the transition from primary to, and through, secondary education, is a significant and inherently social process in which bullying and violence feature significantly. Furthermore, themes of isolation and desperation reflected SEMHD pupils’ maladaptive coping mechanisms during periods of change and instability. The findings have important implications for the way that educational transitions are managed for pupils with SEMHD.

Parent-perceived isolation and barriers to psychosocial support: a qualitative study to investigate how peer support might help parents of burn-injured children.

Introduction:Burn injuries can be traumatic and distressing for the affected child and family, with a prolonged period of recovery. This research explores parents’ experiences of support following their child’s injury and their thoughts on peer support specifically.Methods:Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents/caregivers, a mean of three years after their child’s injury, either face-to-face or remotely. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis.Results:Analysis produced four themes and 11 sub-themes. These described parents’ experiences of loss, change, isolation and access to psychosocial support. This paper focuses on themes of isolation and parents’ access to psychosocial support.Discussion:Findings indicate that parents access psychosocial support following their child’s injury and often find it helpful; however, there is a prevailing sense of isolation. Parents often seek information online and find that this is lacking. Many parents reported that peer support would be valuable to them, particularly the sharing of experiential knowledge.Conclusion:An online resource may be beneficial for parents, but further research is needed to confirm the exploratory data gained to date, ensuring that any resource developed would meet the identified needs of parents.

Positioning Self in “figured worlds”: Using Poetic Inquiry to Theorize Transnational Experiences in Education

This study explores the process of using Holland et al. (Identity and agency in cultural worlds, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1998) “figured worlds” identity and agency theory to explore two scholars’ transnational experiences. Using poetic inquiry as a data analysis tool, this study seeks to (re)position how identity work is theorized and analyzed across broader contexts. Data collection consisted of online discussions, reflective journals, and biographical artifacts to better contextualize our discussions. These co-constructed discussions were transcribed and analyzed using poetic inquiry to better capture and articulate experiential themes of isolation, vulnerability, adaptation, and survival. This study serves three purposes (1) how both authors analyzed, interpreted and theorized our childhood experiences crossing borders using Holland et al. (Identity and agency in cultural worlds, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1998) “figured worlds” theory, (2) how poetic inquiry was used to capture the isolation, vulnerability, adaptation, and survival of one author’s experiences, and (3) how this type of reflexivity explicitly in/transforms theoretical approaches to deconstructing cultural identity and agency in a myriad of contexts, notably teacher education.

The Blue Years: An Ethnography of a Prison Archive

This article is an ethnographic account of an archive of prison letters written by three generations of female kin. Based on long-term ethnographic research in rural New Mexico, it describes the context in which the letters were written, as well as the desires, preoccupations, and practices that transformed them into an archive. I have placed a particular focus on how dislocation and connection manifest in the letters and shape the kinds of narratives the archive tells. Themes of isolation, loss, and memory are explored within the wider context of colonial history and the acceleration of the carceral state. This article seeks to integrate these registers analytically, while elucidating the role of archiving for a subject’s present life.

What's eating the internet? Content and perceived harm of pro-eating disorder websites

The internet is a popular tool for information dissemination and community building, serving many purposes from social networking to support seeking. However, there may be a downside to using some online support communities. For individuals with eating disorders (EDs), it is possible that certain online communities may reinforce the negative social aspects that encourage these disorders, rather than positive aspects that would facilitate treatment and recovery. Previous research identified several linguistic themes present on pro-eating disorder websites in an attempt to better understand the web-based conversation in the pro-eating disorder movement. We hypothesized that differences in theme presentation may predict changes in perceived harm. The present study sought to understand the perceived harm, and presentation patterns of pro-eating disorder (Pro-ED) website content. We replicated and extended previous research by having laypersons code these websites’ content using previously identified linguistic themes and rate perceived harm. Our data replicate and extend the previous research by finding the same associations between co-occurring themes, and investigating associated perceived harm. We found that themes of Sacrifice, Control, Deceit, and Solidarity were associated with the highest perceived harm scores. In addition, we suggest an initial conceptualization of the “Eating Disorder Lifestyle”, and its associations with the themes of Isolation, Success, and Solidarity. This research may provide clinicians with information to better understand the potential influence these sites have on eating disorders.

Agnes Under the Big Top, a tall tale (review)

Reviewed by: Agnes Under the Big Top, a tall tale Mark Seamon Agnes Under the Big Top, a tall tale. Written and directed by Aditi Brennan Kapil. Mixed Blood Theatre, Minneapolis. 4 March 2011. The world premiere of Aditi Brennan Kapil's superb drama offered a timely reflection on the immigrant experience in the United States. Selected in 2008 as a National Endowment for the Arts' Distinguished New Play Development Project, Agnes Under the Big Top, a tall tale continued the mission of Mixed Blood Theatre: "a professional, multi-racial company [that] promotes cultural pluralism and individual equality through artistic excellence, using theater to address artificial barriers that keep people from succeeding in American society." Kapil, a playwright, actor, and director of Bulgarian and Indian descent and a resident artist at Mixed Blood for seventeen years, re-imagined the American "melting pot" as a kind of cultural spectacular, an enormous big top housing people of diverse backgrounds who must perform "tricks"—including lying to loved ones, retreating into silence, and committing fraud—in order to survive. Through effective design, expert acting, and careful attention to voice, Kapil upended romanticized notions of America as a nation of immigrants by scrutinizing the losses, failures, and coping mechanisms of recent immigrants. Agnes wove together seminal experiences in the lives of four American newcomers. Shipkov (Nathaniel Fuller), a former circus ringmaster, and his wife Roza (Virginia Burke) are Bulgarian immigrants in their forties. He drives a subway train, while she provides in-home care for the aging Ella (Linda Kelsey), a bedridden woman suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis. Agnes (Shá Cage), a Liberian immigrant in her thirties, is also Ella's home-care worker. Agnes has been recently diagnosed with Click for larger view View full resolution Busker (Nick Demeris), Roza (Virginia Burke), and Shipkov (Nathaniel Fuller) in Agnes Under the Big Top, a tall tale. (Photo: Rich Ryan.) [End Page 640] Click for larger view View full resolution Agnes (Shá Cage) with Busker (Nick Demeris) in Agnes Under the Big Top, a tall tale. (Photo: Rich Ryan.) terminal cancer and has only weeks to live. Happy (Ankit Dogra), a young man in his twenties from India, works on the subway as Shipkov's trainee. An anonymous Busker (Nick Demeris) moves freely through time and space playing multiple roles, including a musician in whom Agnes confides, a silent Bulgarian clown whom Roza conjures, a pot-smoking Indian friend of Happy's, and a bird who speaks and listens to Agnes, Roza, and Ella. While not all of the characters' paths intersect, they are dramaturgically connected through themes of isolation, alienation, loss, and an unusual attention to sound, voice, and silence. Scenic designer Andrea Heilman, lighting designer Jeff Bartlett, and sound designer Katharine Horowitz created an intimate yet fragmented mise en scène for Kapil's tale of immigration. Greeted by recorded subway sounds, horizontal flashes of light suggesting train movement, and the live rhythms of a charismatic busker, the audience embarked on a theatrical journey between, across, and about barriers. Variously bright, dim, quiet, cacophonous, tranquil, and bustling, the dynamic environment served as a fitting representation for the confusion and challenges expressed in the diverse voices (and silences) of Kapil's characters. In addition to the sonic landscape of the train, Kapil further used the sounds of foreign language, vocal outbursts, and even deafening silence to illustrate the interpersonal consequences for Shipkov and Roza as they pursued economic opportunity in America. They remained physically separated throughout the production until Roza, in a shocking act of boldness, boarded Shipkov's train to confront him about her apparent inability or unwillingness to assimilate. She unleashed a jarring tirade in broken English that made plain her profound sense of loss of community, culture, family, and self. Burke's masterfully imperfect vocal delivery reached shouting levels to compensate for the whizzing sounds of passing subway trains. Fuller's frustrated, disbelieving facial expressions were at once hidden and revealed as train lights quickly flashed by and then vanished. The depth and hollowness of the subway tracks, coupled with fast-moving lights and piercing train sounds, emphasized the deep emotional expanse separating Roza and Shipkov within the tumult of their...

The Privatization of Community: The Legacy of Collectivism in the Post-Socialist Literature of Eastern Germany

The socialist system in the GDR sought to integrate all citizens into a social collective and to promote collective identity. With the collapse of the socialist system and the absorption of the former GDR into the FRG, citizens were confronted with the challenge to adapt to the entirely different conditions of a free market economy. This paper investigates the ways in which the literature of the post-unification period registers the disorientation created by the loss of collective identity and seeks to re-imagine community after the collapse of socialism. Using Zygmunt Bauman's and Anthony Giddens's social theory of modernity as a frame, the paper notes the themes of isolation, commodification, and the breakdown of human relationships in post-1990 works by Hensel, Königsdorf, Maron, Gröschner, Sparschuh, and Schulze, and identifies these as constituting a critique of 'liquid modernity'. It then looks at the exploration of post-socialist forms of community in Burmeister's Unter dem Namen Norma (1994).

Between Diagnosis and Death

While analyzing the transcripts of interviews with cancer survivors and writing up her findings, the first author found herself suffering from a writer's block of sorts. She was stuck, unable to move forward, encircled by a cloud of voices. Some voices came from the empirical data of the study, others emerged out of her private personal experiences, and one materialized from somewhere altogether more mysterious, urging her to bring the two together. This performance text aims to evoke that struggle to grapple with the many ‘ghosts’ that haunt our research (Doucet, 2008), while also working through the challenge of telling a ‘true’ cancer story (Park-Fuller, 2008). Interviews with 26 members of Gilda's Club of Greater Toronto (a meeting place for people affected by cancer) served as the data that was analyzed utilizing narrative analysis. Excerpts from the interviews were woven together to create the lines spoken by the character of the father. Three additional speaking parts were created—the daughter, the ghost, and the narrator—to help explore themes of isolation, navigation, and reflexivity. Thus, this is a story about feeling lost as a person living with cancer. But it is also a story about feeling lost as a researcher. Ultimately, it is the story of individuals struggling to make the pieces of their lives fit together, struggling to make their way forward, without always knowing how to do either.

Female Survivors of Violence and Abuse

Two hundred and eighty-six female survivors of violence and abuse were surveyed about their major regrets of action and inaction following the experience of violence. Two factor analyses, with varimax rotation, were conducted on the questionnaire data to identify recurrent themes underlying survivors' regrets. The factor analysis of regrettable actions yielded three factors centering on themes of isolation and alienation. Factor analyses of regrets about inaction, or failure to act, yielded four factors centering on themes of insufficient action for self-care and self-protection, and reluctance to seek a change of venue and identity. These factors accounted for a significant percentage of the total variance. Qualitative data derived from 32 in-depth interviews provided further confirmation of the presence of these same themes. As hypothesized, the number of regrets of inaction far exceeded those of action. Implications of the findings are discussed with respect to the changing role of professionals working with women's experience of violence.

Pathways to Service for Older Persons

As services for older persons continue to shift from hospital and nursing home care to greater reliance on support for care at home, the need to understand the ways older persons obtain services becomes more important. This study examines the use of home-delivered meals as a case study to gain insight into the process of service use from the recipients' point of view. It explores the research question: What are the pathways by which older persons acquire home delivered meals? Narrative analyses of structured and unstructured questions asked of thirty frail older persons suggested that the process of acquiring home delivered meals was accompanied by patterns of adjustment in shifting between independence and dependence in managing loss of physical function, and themes of isolation, loss, and abandonment. The results provide insights for social workers in providing the support needed for the role transition that service acceptance symbolizes for older adults.

The Influence of Middle Level Interdisciplinary Teaming on Teacher Isolation: A Case Study

AbstractThis study was conducted during an entire school year in a middle school with grades six through eight and explored the influence of interdisciplinary teaming on feelings of isolation and collegiality among teachers on teams. Using methods associated with long-term field studies, researchers observed and interviewed teachers on three interdisciplinary case study teams. The personal isolation frequently experienced by teachers was nonexistent by early in the school year; however, other themes of isolation emerged. Inter-team isolation and subject matter isolation concerned teachers who were case study team members. Implications for teacher decision making, for novice teacher development, and for administrative support of teaming are discussed.