Struggle Between Excellence and Mediocrity in The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead is a story of the struggle between men of greatness and men of mediocrity. An individualist to the core, Rand defines a man of greatness as one who is independent and uncompromising, one who derives his self-respect from his accomplishments and integrity rather than the approval of others. Rand defines a man of mediocrity, by contrast, as one who doesn't care about actually being competent and upright so long as he appears that way to others. Rand refers to these mediocre men as second-handers, because they get their self-respect second-hand, from the approval of those around them. In The Fountainhead, a man of greatness, Howard Roark, must struggle against these men of mediocrity, who either, like Peter Keating, pretend to greatness, or, like Ellsworth Toohey, seek to destroy greatness itself. As she chronicles the lives of these men, Rand refutes the idea that life sometimes requires a man to compromise, to soften his convictions when they are no longer accepted or convenient. By the end of the novel, it is the independent man of greatness that has emerged victorious and the compromising second-handers that lie fallen around him.
Still, Rand doesn't pretend that the success of the independent man comes quickly or easily. When the book begins, Peter Keating has just graduated with honors from the Stanton Institute of Technology, while Howard Roark has just been expelled from that same institute as a result of his refusal to compromise his artistic integrity by designing buildings that look like Tudor chapels or French opera houses. In the months that follow, Keating claws his way to the top of the prestigious Francon ...
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Ayn Rand’s, The Fountainhead is spearheaded by the struggle between individualism and collectivism in society. This struggle is personified by the individualist Howard Roark and the collectivist Ellsworth Toohey. Toohey’s true nature and objectives do not come immediately apparent, however his goals are fundamentally simple; to acquire as much power as possible.Unlike Wyand, Toohey does not have a prize that he aims to acquire, rather he aimlessly acquires power for its own sake, further setting up the idea that he is truly selfless and a man that could never of been.
Over forty years has passed since the United States inducted the last draftee through the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System is an independent agency of the United States, which gives the President the right or power to conscript men for military service. There have been different Acts passed by congress since 1917 that require men of various ages to register for service. Although, the name of each Act and the age requirements of the registries changed, the Acts were all similar in nature. They all gave the President the right to call men to war when he deemed necessary. In January 1973, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced the creation of the all-volunteer service, retracting the need for the draft (GAO.gov). Under current law, all men between the ages of 18-25 must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, however this information is used mostly for recruitment purposes and in case of any future crisis. There has been much controversy over this matter since the Vietnam War, when people started to realize the draft was unfair due to loopholes and draft exemptions making the draft unfair for working men. At one point in time the military draft may have been necessary, but today’s all-volunteer military has eliminated the need for a draft.
Society dictates that there will be those that follow and those that will lead the followers. Peter Keating is one that adheres to conformity; a man of little independent thought, a follower. Howard Roark, on the other hand, is a man aspiring to achieve a level of complete and utter independence from traditional principles. One telling passage occurs in a scene where Keating and Roark are discussing architecture.
The author’s purpose is to provide a more accurate account of the war with Mexico from 1846 – 1848. Mr. Eisenhower also attempts to give the reader a better understanding of the conflict between these two countries, which has been overshadowed by the Civil War, thirteen years later. John Eisenhower’s portrayal of the officers and politicians in this conflict is detailed and it highlights the early careers of many of our Civil War legends. The technology of warfare at this time is well depicted. The advances in American artillery such as the use of the grape shot over canister rounds, the superior d...
Kottler, A. J., (2010). On being a therapist. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Carl Rogers founded the Person-Centered Approach on the idea that client/therapist relationships can only be successful if the therapist’s attitude toward the client is being built on three core conditions: Congruence which is being real and authentic, Unconditional Positive Regard which is being accepting and nonjudgmental of the client, and Empathy which is sensing feelings as well as personal meanings clients are experiencing (Corsini & Wedding, 2008). Other concepts of the Person-Centered Approach include: importance of self-awareness, self- actualization and growth, belief that humans are self-determining ...
The Fountainhead centers on the main struggle between Roark vs. the world. Toohey is a part of the world—if not the representation of it. In supporting Keating’s career he is making the ideal man for a mindless society, a man who—by Rand’s definition—isn’t a man at all. Toohey uses the other mediocrities in order to destroy the integrity of greatness. This integrates with the anti-Roark campaign because it makes people not see the exceptionality of Roark’s work and causes them to call him an “egotist” or “ego-maniac.” Defiling greatness relates to many other themes in this book, two major ones being: logic vs. emotion and innovation vs. tradition. The Fountainhead may have been published in 1943, but its genius characters, themes and ideas are timeless and are very much applicable today.
Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (9th Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Howard Roark, the protagonist in the classical novel “The Fountainhead”, embodies the perfect man which the author Ayn Rand deemed the world lacked. Howard Roark is a self generated, independently thinking man who under no circumstances genuflected to the demands of society. Dominique Francon believes the world to be based upon collectivization, where the altruistic minds are praised to be the most appealing trait, which often leaves the self satisfying independent people such as Roark unsalaried. Francon has faith that Roark is a creator in the purest sense, never has he let the demands of society and the pressures of the speculators influence his beliefs. Dominique’s love for Howard, but hatred for the world is what drives her to destroy him. Dominique believes that the type of power that she and Howard possess is vital to society and by withholding it she is depriving the world what it needs to survive.
Chinese people might find naming their religion challenging as it is a mixture of “traditional religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism” (Corduan, 2012, p.388). The Chinese Popular Religion continues to evolve and change as the world around it changes and outside influences enter the Chinese culture (Corduan, 2012). Investigation of the Chinese Popular Religion includes its key features, practices, and influences, along with tis role in contemporary China, and how Christians can enhance their interactions.
...entation, or several, in which they choose to practice in their professional career. Psychoanalysis and Person-Centered Therapy are just two, out of over four hundred types, of counseling approaches in use today. The constructs and theories are extremely different, however, neither can be considered right nor wrong. They are simply based on different beliefs, assumptions and viewpoints of human development and their behavior. Although, however different and unique, there are still similarities between the two types of therapy approaches. Through case examples, such as the case of D and the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, the techniques and outcomes of different treatment approaches can be see in real life examples. Past research and writing support brings about contradictions, criticism and treatment outcomes to the theories and those who developed them.
Values, Morals, and Beliefs are components that play a role in an individual’s self-identity. The establishment of these components shape human nature, behavior, and the development of an individual’s purpose. The basis of these fundamentals has contributed to my desire to become a counselor. This paper will discuss my views of human nature, factors of behavior changes, goals of therapy, the roles of a therapist, and the counseling approaches that I chose to incorporate in a practice.
Carl Rogers developed person centered therapy, also known as client centered, non-directive or Rogerian therapy, in the 1930s. The person centered therapy, differs than other typical formal therapy, against directive and psychanalytic approach. Rogers believed that the therapy should take place where there is a close personal relationship between the client and the therapist. Rogers rejected the traditional hierarchical relationship between the client and therapist, and view the clients as equals by using the term “client” instead of “patient”. In person-centered therapy, the client determines the general direction of the therapy while the therapist ask informal clarifying question to promote client’s self-insight and self-understanding.
Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (ninth ed., pp. 291-301). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
El Nino is the warmer phase of ENSO. La Nina is the opposite. The impact of ENSO for North America results in increased precipitation along the Southern portion of North America and the west coast of Equatorial South America during the warm phase (El Nino). During the cool phase (La Nina) portion there is less precipitation in southern part of North America.