The Three Canons of Invention and the Near-death Experience Essay

Invention is the division of rhetoric that rhetors use to find arguments. The three approaches to invention are kairos, stasis theory, and the topic method. I am going to apply them here to support my belief in the near-death experience. When speaking to an audience, I must use kairos. I have to take into consideration what information is relevant to my audience. From there I can develop a persuasive argument on the near-death experience. Here I will give some examples of the points I need to make when arguing from a kairotic stance. First, I have to realize there will be some skeptics in the audience. I will address them by assuring that there is no pattern in who has near-death experiences. People from different backgrounds have had them, no matter their culture or belief system, religion, race or education. These people have not necessarily lived a "good" or "bad" life according to their society's standards. This information should convince the audience that anyone is vulnerable to a near-death experience. Another way I can persuade the audience is by sharing true accounts from people who have experienced near-death experiences. An even better approach would be to bring in some of these people. The information may be more believable coming straight from the ones who had these experiences. Stasis theory consists of a set of questions that will help me, as the rhetor, understand where differences lie between my audience and myself. Conjecture is the first stasis. The near-death experience does exist. It was introduced in The Bible. Saint Paul claimed that he was taken from his broken body up to Heaven. He later returned to his repaired body. These two aspects are practical, while th... ...es the greater and lesser impacts of near-death experiences. Leaving the body for an impossible period of time (more than a day) is greater than the norm. Seeing a flash of light, or something else occurring while in the body is lesser than the norm. The final step of this method includes the possible and the impossible. Near-death experiences may prove the possibility of life after death. It is impossible to choose to have a near-death experience. In the future it will be possible to know what causes near-death experiences. The three canons of invention and the way in which I applied the near-death experience to them should have persuaded my audience to believe me. One commonplace that relates to this issue is, "I almost died and went to Heaven." This slogan goes to say that people have believed in the near-death experience for quite some time.

Descriptive VS. Narrative, You Decide Essay

Many think that narrative and descriptive styles of writing are one in the same, but they are not. Although they complement each other for a complete story; you can successfully write using one style without the other. The authors Connell, C.M. & Sole, K. define narrative writing as, â€Å"Narration is storytelling from the perspective of a narrator, and the story may be true, false, imaginary, or a combination.† (2013, chapter 6.3). When you tell a story you want your readers to experience it through your words as if they were there when it happened. Connell, C.M. & Sole, K. define descriptive writing as, â€Å"Description is a pattern of writing that can be defined as painting pictures with words.† (2013, chapter 6.4). A descriptive story leaves no detail unrevealed and appeals to all of your senses. When comparing Maya Angelou’s descriptive poem â€Å"Caged Bird† and Judy Brady’s narrative essay â€Å"I Want a Wife†, it is clear that there many similarities and differences between the two styles of writing. However, because Maya Angelou’s poem has descriptive language that appeals to your five senses, specific detail descriptions and uses figurative language to compare the unfamiliar with something more familiar it makes it a superior piece of literature. In the narrative style essay written by Judy Brady (1971), â€Å"I Want a Wife†, she uses out right sarcasm and exaggeration with a slight humorous tone. This demonstrates her stance on the unrealistic demands that were placed on women in that era. She starts off her essay stating â€Å"I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not al-together incidentally, I am a mother† (1971). As if being a wife and a mother was almost an undesirable task to bear in life. I suppose that in the 1900 century it pretty much was to an extent. The way Brady goes on to list the expected duties of her wife, makes her sound more like a servant than anything else. She even mentions her wife performing things like party catering, financially supporting the family and goes so far as to say, â€Å"I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of scene† (1971). Brady’s narrative essay uses a block arrangement structure, with a priority style order. Brady (1971) begins her story by stating, â€Å"Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one  evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?† then she proceeds with an exaggerated list of tasks for her wife to fulfill. From the wife working full time, to caring for her and her children, cooking, cleaning, counseling, playing, pleasing, catering parties, shopping, planning and entertaining, all while Brady just goes to school and lives a carefree and extremely selfish life. In the descriptive poem â€Å"Caged Bird†, written by Maya Angelou in 1983, she uses her talent of vivid and eloquent writing to express her stance on being African-American and living in the United States during segregation and the Civil Rights movement. Although she never actually mentions race in her poem the metaphors that she uses makes it clearly evident. Angelou starts her poem talking about a free bird and his arrogance referring to the Caucasian race. According to Angelou (1983) in â€Å"Caged Bird†, she starts off with a free bird riding the wind’s back, and he’s floating as long as the current will take him; when he â€Å"dips his wing in the orange sun rays† and has the audacity to c laim the sky. Now when she goes on to her second stanza; she speaks about the African-American race as the caged bird. She writes, â€Å"But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his trout to sing† (1983). In Angelou’s poem, she uses a dramatic order in a point-by-point type structure to describe experiences she witnessed as an African-American person living in America. One way that the descriptive is different from the narrative writing is figurative language. Figurative language is the comparison of something unfamiliar to something familiar in order to paint a clear picture. â€Å"Cages Bird† (1983) has a clear example of this in the second stanza, which says, â€Å"But a bird that stalks  down his narrow cage  can seldom see through  his bars of rage  his wings are clipped and  his feet are tied  so he opens his throat to sing.† From this quote, you can see that the bird stalks down his narrow cage like a prisoner in a cell and the bird can seldom see through his bars of rage also  refers to a prisoner in a cell. Much like how slaves were imprisoned on the plantations in the south. On the other hand, the narrative essay â€Å"I Want a Wife† does not rely on fugitive language; instead it just uses concrete language without the extra detail that appeals to the five senses. Another way descriptive writing is different from narrative writing is the use of specific detail description. It is clearly visible in the fourth stanza of â€Å"Caged Bird†. Angelou (1983) writes, â€Å"The free bird thinks of another breeze  and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees   and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn   and he names the sky his own.†   In her description of the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worm on the dawn bright lawn. However, in â€Å"I Want a Wife† Brady (1971) merely writes, but without detail. Instead she says, â€Å"I want a wife who is a  good nurturing attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc.†Ã‚  As you see Brady doesn’t use specific detail in her writing just simple concrete words. Another highlight to Angelou’s writing style was her use of alliteration; which is defined in Essentials for College Writing as â€Å"repetition of initial consonants in words in a series† Connell, C.M. & Sole, K. (2013). An example of her alliteration would be, â€Å"The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees  and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn   and he names the sky his own.  But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams   his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream   his wings are cl ipped and his feet are tied   so he opens his throat to sing. The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn and he names the caged bird sky his own. But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams  his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. You see it in the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and in his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream† (1983). With Angelou’s careful selection of words you can almost feel the pain and despair of the caged bird; as well as see the free bird floating through the air in the warm orange sunlight. Although Brady also uses alliteration she uses mostly the same words which are â€Å"I Want a Wife Who Will† (1971). Then she follows with naming a chore of some kind but mostly cooking or cleaning. In conclusion, when considering which of the two forms of literature was superior to the other, not just for personal preference. I would have to deem the descriptive style of Angelou’s writing to be a better overall polished piece of work. Not only does it provide extensive language to portray its message with detail to the most important parts of its story. Like bringing the characters to life and shining light on important social issues, but also submitting a few subtle details in the technique used to compose the text. Like alliteration and metaphors so that parts of her short poem stick out and stay with you more so than others. I believe the more magnificent and detailed the picture is that your words paint, the more impact it will have on its audience. This is something that she was well aware of, so the way Maya Angelou selected her words helped to give her audience a sense of pathos. It also helped to shine light once again on the views and opinions she felt so strong ly about in society.

DuPont’s Divestiture of Conoco

DuPont began life in 1802, as a gunpowder manufacturer supplying the US Army under President Thomas Jefferson. The company had a long tradition of technological innovations in business and it continues to serve worldwide markets including food and nutrition; health care; agriculture; fashion and apparel; home and construction; and electronics. Among some of its inventions are nylon stockings invented in 1939, Teflon for pans, Kevlar for bullet-proof vests, stainmaster for carpets, the synthetic fabric lycra, and Dacron for clothing. In 1999 the company held a portfolio of 2000 trademarks and brands. DuPont was the 15th largest company in the US with its 1998 revenue reaching $45. 1 billion. The company operated 200 manufacturing and processing facilities in 65 countries with 98,000 employees worldwide. Conoco began in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Co. , one of the first petroleum marketers in the West. The company has made it through plenty of tough and challenging times from the stock market crashing just a month after Conoco took its stock public, to overseas expansion, to the oil crisis of the 19070’s. Then in 1981 a simple proposal by Canada's Dome Petroleum about acquiring a Conoco subsidiary, Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas left the company wide open. In order to assure an adequate supply of petroleum products to use as chemical feed stocks, DuPont bought Conoco on Sept. 30, 1981. Conoco became a wholly owned DuPont subsidiary in the largest merger ever at that time, costing DuPont $7. 8 billion. As a subsidiary of DuPont, Conoco became a major, integrated, global energy company operating in 40 countries worldwide. The company was involved in both downstream and upstream activities like exploring for, developing, refining, marketing, transporting, and selling crude oil and natural gas. In 1998, Conoco ranked 8th in worldwide production of petroleum liquids by US companies, 11th in natural gas production, and 8th in refining throughput. In 1997 both DuPont and Conoco planned to pursue new corporate strategies: DuPont wanted to transform into a life sciences company focused more on biotechnology and less on petrochemicals, and Conoco desired financial independence to make significant foreign asset investments. While part of DuPont, Conoco doubled its value between 1986 and 1996, and realigned its assets. By late 1998, DuPont divested Conoco in a two-step process. First it would sell a minority stake in Conoco through an IPO otherwise known as an IPO carve-out. Then it would execute a spin-off and sell the rest of its ownership interest in the subsidiary at a later time. Under the split-off, DuPont shareholders would be given the opportunity to exchange their DuPont shares for shares in Conoco at a predetermined ratio of 2. 5 to 1. Participation in the exchange rate would be completely voluntary. On October 22, 1998 the Conoco IPO netted $4. 4 billion for 30% of Conoco culminating in the largest IPO in history. Then on August 9, 1999 the swap of DuPont stock for Conoco stock was finalized. DuPont secured about $21 billion in after tax value through the IPO and stock swap. I think DuPont’s two-stage divestiture worked the best because the company was able to make the transaction tax-free at both the corporate and personal levels. This basically means that DuPont sold off shares of Conoco in two separate stages. The company avoided the corporate capital gains tax by structuring the deal as a primary offering, which is the first of issuance of stock for public sale from a private company. Under this approach Conoco would sell new shares to the public and use the money from the offering to pay down an equivalent amount of its debt. If a second offering had been used, DuPont would directly sell a portion of its Conoco shares for cash, possibly creating a capital gains tax liability for itself if the sale proceeds exceeded its tax basis in the shares. The primary public offering of 25% of Conoco by DuPont was also good for shareholders because it met the objectives of maximizing shareholder value and it also allowed Conoco to capitalize on different investment opportunities for energy companies going on at the time. In order to make the second stage completely tax free DuPont had to satisfy a number of IRS rules and regulations. These rules stated that DuPont had to control Conoco immediately before the split-off, meaning that it had to control at least 80% of Conoco’s stock. In addition the split had to be motivated by a valid business purpose. Also DuPont had to get rid of all Conoco stock so it would not have any control over the company after the deal was completed. Conoco had to be recapitalized or reorganized into two classes of common stock. Class A stock that carried one vote each, issued to the public and Class B stock with five votes each, retained by DuPont for later disbursement to DuPont shareholders in the exchange offer. Prior to the IPO, Conoco would have to issue a $7. 5 billion promissory note to DuPont as a dividend. The payment would be tax free to both parties because at the time DuPont owned all of Conoco. Conoco would in turn, use the proceeds to pay back part of the note and other intercompany notes with DuPont. While I do agree with the Chief Operating Officer that a 100% IP of Conoco would raise a significant amount of cash to use in our core business growth internationally, allowing us to expand our global operations. I think the equity care-out was the best choice for DuPont to do instead of a complete 100% IPO. The reason I say that is because the deal still allowed DuPont to raise some capital but it also allowed DuPont to retain firm control of the subsidiary before, selling the remaining shares in a tax-free spin-off at a later date. A 1998 working paper from Pennsylvania State University examined 83 equity carve-outs done between 1981 and 1990, and found that carved-out companies had significantly higher revenue and asset growth, higher earnings, and higher capital spending than the industry average during the first three years after the carve-out–achievements, the authors say, that are a direct result of 80 percent of the deals tying executive compensation to the share price of the carved-out company at the time it goes public. â€Å"It's a way of providing a stronger incentive for subsidiary executives to perform,† says James A. Miles, one of the authors of the study, along with Heather Hulburt and J. Randall Woolridge. Parent companies also benefit from a carve-out. The Penn State study, in fact, found that these companies had a higher return on assets in the first year after the carve-out. And a similar study by J. P. Morgan & Co. , which examined 101 carve-outs between 1986 and 1997, documented that, on average, the share price of the parent rose between 3 and 4 percent in the 90 days following the announcement of a carve-out. The company’s ownership of Conoco has added great marketing and purchasing clout to DuPont’s operations just like the Executive VP for Research and Development and Product Development suggests, but again I don’t think that owning a majority share would benefit the company like getting rid of all ownership would do. The decision to retain majority ownership, however, may limit the upside to the deal. The J. P. Morgan study found a distinct difference in the share price performance of carve-outs that later became spin-offs and carve-outs that did not. In the case of 12 carve-out companies in which the parent announced there would be a later spin-off, the share price of the carve-out performed 11 percent above the market 18 months after the initial public offering. The shares of all other carve-outs–those without an announced spin-off later–actually underperformed the market by 3 percent. In closing I think DuPont did the right thing when they decided to go through with a two-stage divestiture of Conoco. I think they got the most bang for their buck by doing the deal this way. DuPont was able to net $4. 4 billion for 30% of Conoco resulting in the largest IPO in U. S. history. DuPont was also able to spin-off the rest of their shares of Conoco and secured about $21 billion in after tax value through the IPO and a stock swap. I think this was the best move because both companies were looking to go in different directions. DuPont wanted to transform into a life sciences company focused more on biotechnology and less on petrochemicals, and Conoco desired financial independence to make significant foreign asset investments.References: 1. England, Robert Stow. (1999). How companies are unlocking value by carving out pieces of their business.† CFO Magazine, March 1999, Retrieved April 2011, from http://www.spinoffadvisors.com/articles/cfomagazine0399.htm 2. Conoco Phillips Web Site. Retrieved April 2011, from http://www.conocophillips.com/EN/about/who_we_are/history/conoco/Pages/index.aspx3. Chemical Online. (1998, May 11). Chemical Online.   DuPont Announces Plans to Divest its Conoco Energy Operations. Retrieved April 2011, from http://www.chemicalonline.com/article.mvc/DuPont-Announces-Plans- to-Divest-its-Conoco-E-0001. 4. Ohio University. DuPont spins off Conoco: Good Move for Conoco Retrieved April 2011, from   http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~rm663596/esp/case.htm

Free Essays on Generational Differences

In the early 20th century, a married woman’s leisure was almost non-existing. They were very confined to their tenement because of household chores, cooking, cleaning, and child care; sometimes they had boarders or did laundry in their homes also. They spent a lot of time decorating their homes because that’s where they spent most of their time. Many of them might get some time to socialize with other women during their chores, mostly talking about gossip, hardly any real fun. Married women had no resources for leisure. Their husbands spent what they wanted before turning the rest over to the household. The women received no spending money. Of the rare times that the whole family decided to do something together it usually didn’t cost little to nothing. On those rare times it usually wound up just being more work for the mother. On the other hand, working-class girls loved their leisure time and felt that is was a right, especially those born in America. The most common places where working-class girls went for leisure was dancehalls, cheap theaters, amusement parks, picnic grounds and in the streets. Socializing in the street was the easiest form of leisure because it was free and there was little supervision. The apartments were very small and the there was no privacy, so the streets were filled with working class people. Social clubs had a big following also. They seemed to be primarily social and were called ‘pleasure clubs’ to differentiate from serious clubs or benefit aid societies. The women got a chance to gossip and they usually held a dance after their meetings. The working class women were very concerned with the clothes they wore when going out. Sometimes they would go with out food or walk home from work just to save enough money to afford nice clothes so they can go out. The changes in labor were one main reason that the change between generations became so evident. Young women had more ... Free Essays on Generational Differences Free Essays on Generational Differences In the early 20th century, a married woman’s leisure was almost non-existing. They were very confined to their tenement because of household chores, cooking, cleaning, and child care; sometimes they had boarders or did laundry in their homes also. They spent a lot of time decorating their homes because that’s where they spent most of their time. Many of them might get some time to socialize with other women during their chores, mostly talking about gossip, hardly any real fun. Married women had no resources for leisure. Their husbands spent what they wanted before turning the rest over to the household. The women received no spending money. Of the rare times that the whole family decided to do something together it usually didn’t cost little to nothing. On those rare times it usually wound up just being more work for the mother. On the other hand, working-class girls loved their leisure time and felt that is was a right, especially those born in America. The most common places where working-class girls went for leisure was dancehalls, cheap theaters, amusement parks, picnic grounds and in the streets. Socializing in the street was the easiest form of leisure because it was free and there was little supervision. The apartments were very small and the there was no privacy, so the streets were filled with working class people. Social clubs had a big following also. They seemed to be primarily social and were called ‘pleasure clubs’ to differentiate from serious clubs or benefit aid societies. The women got a chance to gossip and they usually held a dance after their meetings. The working class women were very concerned with the clothes they wore when going out. Sometimes they would go with out food or walk home from work just to save enough money to afford nice clothes so they can go out. The changes in labor were one main reason that the change between generations became so evident. Young women had more ...

20 Quotes That Help You See the Telltale Signs of Falling in Love

20 Quotes That Help You See the Telltale Signs of Falling in Love I have come across many a friend, who looked at me with dreamy eyes, while she said, I have fallen in love. Frankly it is amusing to observe the behavior of a hopelessly lovesick friend. The first blush of love can be quite charming. Many friends who have fallen in love display the common symptoms: absentmindedness, lack of appetite, spurts of euphoria, and of course the compulsive need to hug a pillow. Edmund SpenserAll for love and nothing for reward.Mignon McLaughlinA  successful marriage  requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.Charles Hanson TowneI need the starshine of your heavenly eyes, after the days great sun.Jorge Luis BorgesTo fall in love is to create a religion that has a fallible god.Connie Brockway,  The Bridal SeasonNo one ever fell in love gracefully.Richard BachIf you love something, set it free; if it comes back its yours, if it doesnt, it never was. Why Do We Fall in Love? A Scientific Perspective to the Mysteries of the Heart Love is a potent emotion. It affects the physical and mental state of wellbeing. The phrase smitten by love accurately describes those who have fallen in love. If you were to clinically examine the root cause of falling in love, it would filter down to one basic fact: preservation of human species. Love is nothing but your happy hormones going on overdrive when you find someone attractive. The attraction could be based on physical attributes, personality, or sexual tension. It could even be your current emotional state that makes you drawn towards another person. Rebound love relationships are an example of emotional distress causing love affairs. Sometimes, environmental conditions could trigger a feeling of falling in love. Watching a romantic movie with a person, being in close proximity with another for prolonged periods, or being with a person in a desolate location could trigger feelings of love.Scientific explanations notwithstanding, love is the glue that holds this world together. As Sean Connery said, Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile. Leo BuscagliaLove withers with predictability; its very essence is surprise and amazement. To make love a prisoner of the mundane is to take its passion and lose it forever.E. A. Bucchianeri,  Brushstrokes of a GadflyFalling in love is very real, but I used to shake my head when people talked  about soul mates, poor deluded individuals grasping at some supernatural ideal not intended for mortals but sounded pretty  in a poetry book. Then, we met, and everything changed, the cynic has become the converted, the sceptic, an ardent zealot.Anouk AimeeSome pray to marry the man they love, my prayer will somewhat vary: I humbly pray to heaven above that I love the man I marry.Sigmund RombergA love song is just a caress set to  music.Peace PilgrimPure love is a willingness to give without a thought of receiving anything in return.Alicia BarnhartTrue love  never dies for it is lust that fades away. Love bonds for a lifetime but lust just pushes away.Eric FrommTo love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person.Helen RowlandFalling in love consists merely in uncorking the imagination and bottling the common sense.Elbert HubbardLove grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.William ShakespeareAs soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words. Elvis Presley put it best in this classic love song, Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I cant help falling in love with you. It is true that while we can choose those whom we talk to and whom we like, we cannot choose those whom who we love. Here are a few quotes about falling in love. Sara PaddisonYou’ll discover that real love is millions of miles past falling in love with anyone or anything. When you make that one effort to feel compassion instead of blame or self-blame, the heart opens again and continues opening.Isaac BashevisSometimes love is stronger than a mans convictions.D. H. LawrenceI am in love - and, my God, its the greatest thing that can happen to a man. I tell you, find a woman you can fall in love with. Do it. Let yourself fall in love, if you havent done so already. You are wasting your life.Ursula K. LeGuinLove doesnt just sit there like a stone; it has to be made - like bread, remade all the time, made new.

The Democratic Party will take control of the House of Representatives Essay

The Democratic Party will take control of the House of Representatives in the 2014 election - Essay Example eelection of the Democrats four years ago came with the infamous Obamacare which was introduced by president Obama during his campaign and later made it a policy and a health care law. Through this, the government has kept the hope on its re-election come 2014 election. In a recent speech given by President Obama, it was evident that he was willing to continue supporting Americans who wanted to keep their health plans. Conversely, the recent debate pertaining to healthcare has narrowed the perceived advantages that Democratic candidates have always held over their opponents (Bernstein Para 1). In fact, some Americans have argued that the health-care law’s flubs have collaborated with the government shut down to render harsh verdict to the concerned individuals and cities in the United States. Similarly, a number of people have rubbished the current House of Representatives arguing that they do not do anything much except sending bills to the Senate and watching them as they st ruggle to keep the government stable (Bernstein Para 6). According to a representative of the Republicans, the Obamacare is argued to be the defining issue in determining whether the Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in the elections due to be held in one year from now or not. In fact, the main controversy revolves around the president’s signature legislative in relation to administrative fumbles. Of importance to note is that, the midterm elections scheduled to be held one year from now are meant to shape how ambitious his legislative agenda can realistically be worked upon for the remaining time the Democrat might continue holding the office, the congressional investigations he might have faced and more so the changes that his presidency will have taken (O’Keefe and Kane Para 10). In this regard, it has been argued that the Democrats must require an average of I7 seats in order to retain control of the House of Representatives. Currently, the

Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, how does the theme Thesis

Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, how does the theme of politics function in the novel - Thesis Example The direct mentioning of politics is first found in the beginning of the novel, when Tomas and Tereza discuss the possibility of immigrating to Switzerland after the entry of Soviet army to Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Tomas is seen to have received an offer for a job from the Swiss hospital, and Tereza urges him to leave Czechoslovakia, despite his initial misgivings about the feasibility of such a step (Kundera 26-28). The novel’s depiction of the character’s reaction to Soviet occupation is telling; Tereza spends a lot of time in the street, filming possible abuses of Soviet troops on camera, and even getting arrested by the Soviet officer, while Tomas contemplates the emigration to Switzerland. It is inferred that Czechs received the news of Soviet troops’ entry to their country with both fear and ridicule: while the citizens of Prague clearly felt indignation over the effective arrest of Dubcek and other reformist leaders of Czechoslovak CP, they are at th e same time fearful of the possible consequences of rebellious attitude. Even while the streets are decorated with â€Å"thousands of hand-painted bearing ironic texts† sharply critical of Brezhnev and Soviet army (Kundera 28), and Kundera remarks that the atmosphere in the city was that of â€Å"a drunken carnival of hate† (28). ... e is described in the symbolic tones: he is portrayed as a â€Å"devastated† man, â€Å"stuttering and gasping for breath†, and Kundera compares his state of mind to that of Czechoslovakia in general, observing that henceforth, the country would â€Å"gasp for air like Alexander Dubcek† (Kundera 28). This might indicate that Kundera and his characters viewed the defeat of the Prague Spring as a beginning of the â€Å"workaday humiliation† (28) for their country. Nonetheless, Tomas and Tereza did not live for too much time in Zurich. Tereza’s inability to live through the life abroad and her feeling of the burden she was for Tomas in the new circumstances made her decide to return to Prague, despite the continuing presence of foreign troops there (Kundera 31). This event shook Tomas greatly. He found out that he missed Tereza and, despite his reluctance, Tomas decided to follow her and return to Prague. His dialogue with Genevan doctor reveals that T omas believed that, even though this decision is a hard one, given the political circumstances, he should make it (Kundera 35). While Tomas returns to Czechoslovakia, he sees â€Å"columns of Russian tanks† (Kundera 36), and actually hesitates, mulling over whether his decision to return to Prague is totally justified. However, he still feels compassion for Tereza and cannot bear that she should live in Prague alone, while he resides in Zurich, and so he returns and meets Tereza in their flat, while seemingly losing all enthusiasm about his return (Kundera 36). The second important allusion to political problems in the novel is found in the beginning of Part 2 (â€Å"Soul and Body†), when the author presents an account of early life of Tereza. He mentions that Tereza’s father, â€Å"the most manly of men† (Kundera 45), was