Advertisement
Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys: Origin and Meaning of This Popular Phrase
Introduction:
Have you ever found yourself sighing, muttering, "Not my circus, not my monkeys"? This pithy phrase, seemingly ubiquitous in modern conversation, perfectly encapsulates a feeling of detachment from a chaotic situation that isn't your responsibility. But where did this clever expression originate? This post delves into the fascinating history and evolution of "not my circus, not my monkeys," exploring its etymology, its meaning, and its cultural impact. We'll uncover its surprising origins and how it’s become a modern-day mantra for navigating overwhelming situations. Prepare to be enlightened and perhaps even empowered to adopt this helpful phrase into your own vocabulary!
Chapter 1: Tracing the Roots – The Elusive Origin
Pinpointing the precise origin of "not my circus, not my monkeys" proves surprisingly difficult. Unlike many common phrases with traceable historical roots, this one lacks a definitive, documented birthplace. This absence of a clear origin story adds to its intrigue and perhaps contributes to its widespread appeal. While no single person or event can be definitively credited with its creation, we can explore several contributing factors that likely shaped its emergence.
One strong theory suggests its origin lies in the inherent human tendency to distance oneself from problems that seem insurmountable or outside one’s control. The imagery of a circus – a chaotic, bustling spectacle – coupled with the playful yet somewhat unruly nature of monkeys, perfectly captures this sentiment. The phrase acts as a metaphorical shield, allowing individuals to mentally detach from stressful situations that they cannot directly influence.
Another possible influence stems from the growing popularity of self-help and mindfulness techniques in recent decades. The phrase aligns with principles of setting boundaries, focusing on personal well-being, and avoiding unnecessary stress. In this context, it’s a practical strategy for managing overwhelm in a busy and often demanding world.
Chapter 2: The Power of Metaphor – Understanding the Phrase's Meaning
The phrase's power lies in its vivid imagery. The mental picture it evokes is instantly relatable: a chaotic circus overflowing with activity, and mischievous monkeys causing all sorts of pandemonium. This imagery effectively communicates a sense of overwhelming chaos and a feeling of being an outside observer.
"Not my circus" signifies a lack of responsibility or involvement in a particular situation. It suggests that the speaker is not directly connected to the problem and therefore doesn't feel obligated to intervene or solve it. "Not my monkeys" further emphasizes this detachment by highlighting the uncontrollable nature of the chaos. The monkeys, in this metaphorical sense, represent the unpredictable elements, the problems, and the people involved in the situation that are beyond the speaker's control.
Chapter 3: The Phrase in Modern Usage and Culture
"Not my circus, not my monkeys" has transcended its likely obscure beginnings to become a widely used expression across various languages and cultures. Its popularity is a testament to its universality and its ability to resonate with individuals navigating complex situations in their personal and professional lives.
It's frequently used on social media, in online forums, and in everyday conversations. Its informal and relatable tone makes it easily accessible and widely understood. The phrase provides a lighthearted yet effective way to express a sense of detachment and boundary-setting, particularly in situations where intervention might be futile or even detrimental.
Chapter 4: The Ethical Considerations – When to Use (and Not Use) the Phrase
While the phrase offers a helpful coping mechanism for managing stress, it's essential to be mindful of its ethical implications. Using "not my circus, not my monkeys" as a blanket excuse to ignore problems, particularly those involving harm or injustice, is irresponsible. The phrase is most effectively employed when setting healthy boundaries in situations where involvement would be unproductive or harmful to one's own well-being. It should not be used to justify apathy or inaction in situations requiring intervention or support.
Article Outline: Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys
I. Introduction: Hooking the reader with the phrase's popularity and the mystery surrounding its origin.
II. Tracing the Roots: Exploring potential origins and influences, highlighting the lack of a definitive source.
III. The Power of Metaphor: Analyzing the imagery and meaning of the phrase, explaining its effective communication of detachment.
IV. Modern Usage and Culture: Discussing the phrase's widespread adoption and its role in online and offline communication.
V. Ethical Considerations: Addressing the responsible use of the phrase and when it's inappropriate to employ it.
VI. Conclusion: Summarizing the journey from unknown origins to modern-day popularity, emphasizing the phrase's continuing relevance.
(Detailed explanation of each point is provided above in the main article body.)
FAQs:
1. Is there a definitive origin for the phrase "Not my circus, not my monkeys"? No, its origin remains elusive, adding to its intrigue.
2. What is the intended meaning of the phrase? It expresses detachment from a chaotic situation beyond one's control.
3. Where is the phrase most commonly used? Online forums, social media, and everyday conversations.
4. What is the imagery used in the phrase, and why is it effective? The circus and monkeys create a vivid picture of chaos and uncontrollability.
5. Are there similar expressions in other languages? While a direct translation isn't always available, similar sentiments exist in many cultures.
6. Is it always appropriate to use this phrase? No, it shouldn't be used to justify apathy in situations requiring intervention.
7. How can this phrase be used effectively? To set healthy boundaries and manage stress in overwhelming situations.
8. What are the ethical considerations related to this phrase? Avoid using it to ignore problems that require attention or action.
9. Could this phrase become outdated? Its adaptability and relatable nature suggest continued relevance for the foreseeable future.
Related Articles:
1. The Psychology of Detachment: Explores the mental strategies people use to cope with overwhelming situations.
2. Setting Boundaries in Toxic Relationships: Discusses effective communication and self-preservation techniques.
3. Mindfulness and Stress Management Techniques: Offers practical strategies for managing stress and anxiety.
4. The Art of Saying No: Provides guidance on assertive communication and boundary-setting.
5. Coping Mechanisms for Overwhelm: A collection of strategies for managing stress and maintaining well-being.
6. The Power of Positive Self-Talk: Explores the impact of positive self-perception on stress management.
7. Understanding Emotional Exhaustion: Provides insights into burnout and strategies for recovery.
8. The Importance of Self-Care: Highlights the necessity of prioritizing personal well-being.
9. Effective Communication Skills for Conflict Resolution: Offers practical tips for resolving disagreements constructively.
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys Lance Gibbs, 2017-06-21 The name of the game in business is to deliver an exceptional customer experience to consumers and clients. But if a company's employee experience is subpar, the customer's experience will also suffer. Lance Gibbs, an authority on business process management, understands this important, often-overlooked connection, and he has powerful solutions for improving the workers' side of the equation. Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys shines a light on the in-house issues that negatively affect a company's efficiency and profits. Gibbs provides essential strategies for granting employees the systems, authority, and considerations they need to best perform the work they do. His 7 Pillars of Employee Experience help executives and business owners focus on internal repairs that will enhance employee/customer interactions, from granting workers authorization for action to establishing a platform that integrates the perspectives of everyone, no matter where they are on the corporate ladder. Investing in your workforce is a must. Businesses that treat their workers with apathy are doomed to disappoint their customers. The tools and practical methods provided in Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys will increase employee engagement and effectiveness and strengthen the key component of a transformative customer experience. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Toxic Parents Survival Guide Bryn Collins, 2018-10-09 If you or someone you love grew up with an emotionally unavailable, narcissistic, or selfish parent, you probably struggle with residual feelings of anger, abandonment, loneliness, or shame. For anyone who endured a nightmare or a wasteland instead of a nurturing childhood, The Toxic Parents Survival Guide will offer you the clinical insights and the day-to-day tools so you can break the chains of toxicity that bind you in a mess you didn't create. Psychologist Bryn Collins pulls back the layers to explore the very complicated relationship with an emotionally unavailable parent. Whether they were unavailable because of addiction, mental illness, or being overly controlling or an iceberg, this imminently practical book will help validate your frustration and emotional struggles, help you set clear boundaries, and learn how to un-mesh yourself and move forward to a place of strength and peace without any guilt. Using case studies, quizzes, and jargon-free concepts, Collins profiles the most common types of toxic parents and offers the tactics and tools you need to change and break free of these painful associations. Your wounds can be healed and you can move forward. The Toxic Parents Survival Guide will help you find different ways of dealing with your parents' painful legacy so that you don't suffer and don't pass along emotional unavailability to the next generation or your current relationships. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Boundary Boss Terri Cole, MSW, LCSW, 2021-04-20 Break Free From Over-Functioning, Over-Delivering, People-Pleasing, and Ignoring Your Own Needs So You Can Finally Live the Life You Deserve! Most of us were never taught how to effectively express our preferences, desires or deal-breakers. Instead, we hide our feelings behind passive-aggressive behavior, deny our own truths, or push our emotions down until we get depressed or so frustrated that we explode, potentially destroying hard-won trust and relationships. The most successful and satisfied people on the planet have one thing in common: the ability to create and communicate clear, healthy boundaries. This ability is, hands down, the biggest game changer when it comes to creating a healthy, happy, self-determined life. In Boundary Boss, psychotherapist Terri Cole reveals a specific set of skills that can help you stop abandoning yourself for the sake of others (without guilt or drama) and get empowered to consciously take control of every aspect of your emotional, spiritual, physical, personal, and professional life. Since becoming a Boundary Boss is a process, Cole also offers actionable strategies, scripts, and techniques that can be used in the moment, whenever you need them. You will learn: • How to recognize when your boundaries have been violated and what to do next • How your unique “Boundary Blueprint” is unconsciously driving your boundary behaviors, and strategies to redesign it • Powerful boundary scripts so in the moment you will know what to say • How to manage “Boundary Destroyers”—including emotional manipulators, narcissists, and other toxic personalities • Where you fall on the spectrum of codependency and how to create healthy, balanced relationships This book is for women who are exhausted from over-giving, overdoing, and even over-feeling. If you’re getting it all done but at the expense of yourself, give yourself the gift of Boundary Boss. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Chinese Astrology: 2016 Year of the Fire Monkey Donna Stellhorn, 2015-12-31 What does 2016, Chinese Year of the Monkey have in store for you? Will your family prosper? We all wonder about the future. This book is a comprehensive guide to what is coming up for you in 2016. Chinese Astrologer, Feng Shui Expert, and Author Donna Stellhorn's popular annual series of predictions and Feng Shui cures is now in its sixth year. She does the research and offers the most useful insights into the things you can do to change your luck in the areas of love, money, career and much more. Her instructions are based on thousand-year-old traditions and are easy to follow once you are aware of them. And they work! You can increase your good fortune, your good luck potential, and attract what you want into your life. Chinese Astrology 2016, Year of the Fire Monkey includes predictions for each Chinese Zodiac sign in the areas of: * Finding new love or supporting your existing relationship * Financial opportunities and career/job prospects * Home and family (as well as tips for increasing fertility energy) * Energy surrounding legal matters and education * You and your family's protection and safety, and much more! You'll have access to this comprehensive information, right at your fingertips! In Chinese Astrology 2016: Year of the Fire Monkey you will find more than just predictions. You'll find easy-to-follow guidelines to help you work with specific Feng Shui Cures for each individual Chinese Zodiac Sign. This book also contains: * Mercury Retrograde dates and tips * Solar and Lunar Eclipse dates and information * 2016 Flying Star predictions * How best to celebrate Chinese New Year, February 8, 2016, to bring in luck, love and prosperity energy This is the best book you will find that reveals forecasts for every aspect of your life in the coming year 2016. Chinese Astrology: 2016 Year of the Fire Monkey will be your invaluable tool on the way to reaching the next level of personal success and fulfillment. Author Donna Stellhorn has included two special bonus sections in her book. First, the bonus chapter on the 144 compatibility combinations in Chinese astrology can help you find out who you click with; and then you can discover tips about the best things to do when you want a relationship with someone to work out. Another chapter explores how to work with gemstones and crystals, and offers instructions on how to energetically clear gemstones and crystals. You can use this information to make the crystals and gemstones you already own more powerful and more effective. And there's an excellent excerpt from her book, Feng Shui Form, about how to use Feng Shui to enhance positive energy in your bedroom. Imagine yourself a year from now...you're at a party, talking to some people you've just met. They are frustrated and worried about their jobs, their relationships, and whether or not they will have the money they need in the future. You listen, but you're not sure what to say to them, because inside, you feel very happy and very blessed. Why? Because a year ago you took the time to review what was ahead for you. You took some simple steps to improve your situation. You took action to create positive luck for yourself and your loved ones. Now you are in a whole new place in your life. And it feels good! Get your copy of Chinese Astrology 2016, Year of the Fire Monkey now, and make the most of this opportunity to get ahead in your life! |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Colonizing Animals Jonathan Saha, 2021-11-11 A pathbreaking history of British imperialism in Myanmar from the early nineteenth century to 1942 populated by animals. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: My Life Among the Indians Joaquin Miller, 1892 |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Books Are Weapons Siobahn Doucette, 2018-03-07 Much attention has been given to the role of intellectual dissidents, labor, and religion in the historic overthrow of communism in Poland during the 1980s. Books Are Weapons presents the first English-language study of that which connected them—the press. Siobhan Doucette provides a comprehensive examination of the Polish opposition’s independent, often underground, press and its crucial role in the events leading to the historic Round Table and popular elections of 1989. While other studies have emphasized the role that the Solidarity movement played in bringing about civil society in 1980-1981, Doucette instead argues that the independent press was the essential binding element in the establishment of a true civil society during the mid- to late 1980s. Based on a thorough investigation of underground publications and interviews with important activists of the period from 1976 to 1989, Doucette shows how the independent press, rooted in the long Polish tradition of well-organized resistance to foreign occupation, reshaped this tradition to embrace nonviolent civil resistance while creating a network that evolved from a small group of dissidents into a broad opposition movement with cross-national ties and millions of sympathizers. It was the galvanizing force in the resistance to communism and the rebuilding of Poland’s democratic society. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) Suzanne Collins, 2020-05-19 Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Sophie's World Jostein Gaarder, 2007-03-20 A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Welfare of Performing Animals David A. H. Wilson, 2015-02-20 This timely book describes and analyses a neglected area of the history of concern for animal welfare, discussing the ends and means of the capture, transport, housing and training of performing animals, as well as the role of pressure groups, politics, the press and vested interests. It examines primary source material of considerable interdisciplinary interest, and addresses the influence of scientific and veterinary opinion and the effectiveness of proposals for supervisory legislation, noting the current international status and characteristics of present-day practice within the commercial sector. Animal performance has a long history, and at the beginning of the twentieth century this aspect of popular entertainment became the subject not just of a major public controversy but also of prolonged British parliamentary attention to animal welfare. Following an assessment of the use of trained animals in the more distant historical past, the book charts the emergence of criticism and analyses the arguments and evidence used by the opponents and proponents in Britain from the early twentieth century to the present, noting comparable events in the United States and elsewhere. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: My Family and Other Animals Gerald Durrell, 2011-04-07 'What we all need,' said Larry, 'is sunshine . . . a country where we can grow.' 'Yes, dear, that would be nice,' agreed Mother, not really listening. 'I had a letter from George this morning - he says Corfu's wonderful. Why don't we pack up and go to Greece?' 'Very well, dear, if you like,' said Mother unguardedly. Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island of Corfu. But the Durrells find that, reluctantly, they must share their various villas with a menagerie of local fauna - among them scorpions, geckos, toads, bats and butterflies. Recounted with immense humour and charm My Family and Other Animals is a wonderful account of a rare, magical childhood. 'Durrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities' Sunday Telegraph |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Curious George H. A. Rey, Margret Rey, Hans Augusto Rey, 2014 George and his friend Steve eat all of the honeycomb Betsy was going to use for her report on bees, so they build a beehive to make more. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Your Inner Fish Neil Shubin, 2008-01-15 The paleontologist and professor of anatomy who co-discovered Tiktaalik, the “fish with hands,” tells a “compelling scientific adventure story that will change forever how you understand what it means to be human” (Oliver Sacks). By examining fossils and DNA, he shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our heads are organized like long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genomes look and function like those of worms and bacteria. Your Inner Fish makes us look at ourselves and our world in an illuminating new light. This is science writing at its finest—enlightening, accessible and told with irresistible enthusiasm. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Summer for the Gods Edward J Larson, 2020-06-16 The Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Scopes Trial and the battle over evolution and creation in America's schools In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the twentieth century's most contentious courtroom dramas, pitting William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes, represented by Clarence Darrow and the ACLU, in a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education. That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day-in cities and states throughout the country. Edward Larson's classic Summer for the Gods -- winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History -- is the single most authoritative account of this pivotal event. An afterword assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution, and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Homo Deus (Tamil) Yuval Noah Harari, 2023-07-14 “மனிதர்கள் கடவுளரைக் கண்டுபிடித்தபோது வரலாறு தொடங்கியது. மனிதர்களே கடவுளராக மாறும்போது வரலாறு முடிவுக்கு வந்துவிடும்.” - யுவால் நோவா ஹராரி ஹோமோ சேப்பியன்ஸ் ஹோமோ டியஸாக (லத்தீன் மொழியில் ‘டியஸ்’ என்றால் கடவுள்; ஹோமோ டியஸ் என்றால் மனிதக் கடவுள்) மாறிக் கொண்டிருக்கின்றன இந்நேரத்தில், நமக்கு நாமே எத்தகைய தலைவிதிகளை நிர்ணயித்துக் கொள்ளப் போகிறோம்? பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் முதன்மை ஆற்றலான இயற்கைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்புச் செயல்முறையின் இடத்தைச் செயற்கைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்புச் செயல்முறை எடுத்துக் கொள்ளும்போது மனிதகுலத்தின் எதிர்காலம் எவ்வாறு மாறும்? நம்முடைய விருப்பங்களையும் அரசியல் தேர்ந்தெடுப்புகளையும் பற்றி நம்மைவிட அதிகமாக கூகுளும் முகநூலும் தெரிந்து வைத்திருக்கும்போது ஜனநாயகத்தின் நிலைமை என்னவாகும்? கணினிகள் மனிதர்களின் வேலைகளைப் பறித்துக் கொண்டு, ‘பயனற்ற வர்க்கம்’ என்ற ஒரு புதிய, மிகப் ப வர்க்கத்தைத் தோற்றுவிக்கும்போது, அரசின் மானிய உதவியோடு வாழும் மக்களை உள்ளடக்கிய நாடுகளுக்கு என்ன நேரும்? நம்முடைய சொந்த அழிவு சக்திகளிடமிருந்து இந்த மென்மையான உலகத்தையும் ஒட்டுமொத்த மனிதகுலத்தையும் நாம் எவ்வாறு பாதுகாப்போம்? நம்மை அதிர வைக்கின்றன இது போன்ற பல கேள்விகளை நம்மை நோக்கி ஏவி, சுவாரசியமாகவும் சிந்தனையைத் தூண்டும் விதத்திலும் அவற்றுக்கு இந்நூலில் விடை காண முயற்சித்துள்ளார் பேராசிரியர் ஹராரி. 21ம் நூற்றாண்டைச் செதுக்கி வடிவமைக்கக்கூடிய இனிய கனவுகளையும் கொடுங்கனவுகளையும் பற்றிய ஒரு வெள்ளோட்டத்தை ஹோமோ டியஸ் எனும் இந்நூல் நமக்குக் கொடுக்கிறது. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman, 1986 Examines the effects of television culture on how we conduct our public affairs and how entertainment values corrupt the way we think. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Monkey with a Tool Belt Chris Monroe, 2013-11-01 Inspiration for the Netflix series Chico Bon Bon! Whether you need a beebersaw or a chisel, Chico Bon Bon's your monkey. He can build or fix just about anything—from a dock for the ducks to a clock for the Clucks, even a small roller coaster for local chipmunks. But will his tools and his sharp wit save him when an organ grinder sets his sights on making Chico a circus star? Chris Monroe's quirky hero and detailed illustrations will absorb readers in an entertaining adventure that shows there is an inventive way out of every problem—if you have the right tools. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idoms and Phrasal Verbs Richard A. Spears, 2006-02-03 Learn the language of Nebraska . . .and 49 other states With more entries than any other reference of its kind,McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs shows you how American English is spoken today. You will find commonly used phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions, proverbial expressions, and clichés. The dictionary contains more than 24,000 entries, each defined and followed by one or two example sentences. It also includes a Phrase-Finder Index with more than 60,000 entries. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Circus in flux CircusDanceFestival, Tim Behren, Jenny Patschovsky, 2022-07-01 In den letzten fünfzig Jahren hat der Zirkus einen bemerkenswerten Wandel erlebt. Progressive Zirkusformen haben sich international als Zeitgenössischer Zirkus eine neue Position innerhalb der Gesellschaft erobert. Das Arbeitsbuch widmet sich dieser noch jungen Zirkusform und präsentiert Analysen, Interviews, Kommentare, umfangreiches Fotomaterial und künstlerische Positionen internationaler und deutscher Zirkuskünstlerinnen und -künstler. Mit der zusätzlichen Sondereinlage des VOICES Magazins Re-thinking objects taucht das Buch tief in den aktuellen zirkusästhetischen Diskurs über neue Materialismen ein und nimmt außerdem die Verbindungen zum zeitgenössischen Tanz auf. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver, 2009-10-13 New York Times Bestseller • Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize • An Oprah's Book Club Selection “Powerful . . . [Kingsolver] has with infinitely steady hands worked the prickly threads of religion, politics, race, sin and redemption into a thing of terrible beauty.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review The Poisonwood Bible, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, established Barbara Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, it is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in Africa. The story is told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters—the teenaged Rachel; adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Many Worlds in One Alex Vilenkin, 2007-07-10 A Leading Figure in the Development of the New Cosmology Explains What It All Means Among his peers, Alex Vilenkin is regarded as one of the most imaginative and creative cosmologists of our time. His contributions to our current understanding of the universe include a number of novel ideas, two of which—eternal cosmic inflation and the quantum creation of the universe from nothing—have provided a scientific foundation for the possible existence of multiple universes. With this book—his first for the general reader—Vilenkin joins another select group: the handful of first-rank scientists who are equally adept at explaining their work to nonspecialists. With engaging, well-paced storytelling, a droll sense of humor, and a generous sprinkling of helpful cartoons, he conjures up a bizarre and fascinating new worldview that—to paraphrase Niels Bohr—just might be crazy enough to be true. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Humorous Poetry of the English Language, from Chaucer to Saxe James Parton, 1884 |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Calamity in Kent John Rowland, 2016-04 Originally published in 1950 by Herbert Jenkins. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Speaking in Tongues Ella Frances Sanders, 2016-09-01 Ever feel like you are pedalling in the choucroute? Been caught with your beard in the mailbox again? Or maybe you just wish everyone would stop ironing your head? Speaking in Tongues brings the weird, wonderful and surprising nuanced beauty of language to life with over fifty gorgeous watercolour and ink illustrations. Here you will find the perfect romantic expression, such as the Spanish tu eres mi media naranja, or 'you are the love of my life, my soulmate', and the bizarre, including dancing bears and broken pots, feeding donkeys sponge cake, a head full of crickets, and clouds and radishes. All encourage new ways of thinking about the world around us, and breathe magnificent life into the everyday. These phrases from across the world are ageless and endlessly enchanting, passed down through generations. Now they are yours. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Noise, Water, Meat Douglas Kahn, 2001-08-24 An examination of the role of sound in twentieth-century arts. This interdisciplinary history and theory of sound in the arts reads the twentieth century by listening to it—to the emphatic and exceptional sounds of modernism and those on the cusp of postmodernism, recorded sound, noise, silence, the fluid sounds of immersion and dripping, and the meat voices of viruses, screams, and bestial cries. Focusing on Europe in the first half of the century and the United States in the postwar years, Douglas Kahn explores aural activities in literature, music, visual arts, theater, and film. Placing aurality at the center of the history of the arts, he revisits key artistic questions, listening to the sounds that drown out the politics and poetics that generated them. Artists discussed include Antonin Artaud, George Brecht, William Burroughs, John Cage, Sergei Eisenstein, Fluxus, Allan Kaprow, Michael McClure, Yoko Ono, Jackson Pollock, Luigi Russolo, and Dziga Vertov. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The 10 Best-ever Depression Management Techniques Margaret Wehrenberg, 2011-02-15 A strategy-filled handbook to understand, manage, and conquer your depression, modeled after its best-selling counterpart on anxiety. Why is depression one of the most pervasive of all mental health complaints? What makes the lethargy, mental rumination, loss of concentration, unassuageable negativity, and feelings of inadequacy so stubbornly resistant to treatment and so hard to shake off? What can you do to alleviate your symptoms and move in the direction of full recovery? In order to answer these questions, Margaret Wehrenberg explains, you must first understand your brain. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience research presented in a reader-friendly way, Wehrenberg skillfully describes what happens in the brain of a depression sufferer and what specific techniques can be used to alter brain activity and control its range of disabling symptoms. Containing practical, take-charge tips from a seasoned clinician, this book presents the ten most effective strategies for moving from lethargy into action, taking charge of your brain, and breaking free from depression to find hope and happiness. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: A History of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and Art Thomas Wright, 1865 |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. Judy Blume, 2001-04 Margaret Simon has a lot of things to think about--making friends in a new school, boys and dances and parties, growing physically normal and choosing a religion. With sensitivity and humor, Judy Blume has captured the joys, fears, and uncertainties that surround a girl approaching adolescence.--Publishers Weekly. Great Stone Face Award winner. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Animal that Therefore I Am Jacques Derrida, 2008 The Animal That Therefore I Am is the long-awaited translation of the complete text of Jacques Derrida's ten-hour address to the 1997 Cérisy conference entitled The Autobiographical Animal, the third of four such colloquia on his work. The book was assembled posthumously on the basis of two published sections, one written and recorded session, and one informal recorded session. The book is at once an affectionate look back over the multiple roles played by animals in Derrida's work and a profound philosophical investigation and critique of the relegation of animal life that takes place as a result of the distinction--dating from Descartes--between man as thinking animal and every other living species. That starts with the very fact of the line of separation drawn between the human and the millions of other species that are reduced to a single the animal. Derrida finds that distinction, or versions of it, surfacing in thinkers as far apart as Descartes, Kant, Heidegger, Lacan, and Levinas, and he dedicates extended analyses to the question in the work of each of them. The book's autobiographical theme intersects with its philosophical analysis through the figures of looking and nakedness, staged in terms of Derrida's experience when his cat follows him into the bathroom in the morning. In a classic deconstructive reversal, Derrida asks what this animal sees and thinks when it sees this naked man. Yet the experiences of nakedness and shame also lead all the way back into the mythologies of man's dominion over the beasts and trace a history of how man has systematically displaced onto the animal his own failings or bêtises. The Animal That Therefore I Am is at times a militant plea and indictment regarding, especially, the modern industrialized treatment of animals. However, Derrida cannot subscribe to a simplistic version of animal rights that fails to follow through, in all its implications, the questions and definitions of life to which he returned in much of his later work. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey Kenneth H. Blanchard, William Oncken, Hal Burrows, 2000-11-29 The latest addition to the very successful one-minute manager series cuts to the very essence of management. A monkey is a problem to be solved, and the message of the book is don't take on other peoples' problems--Put the monkey back on the shoulders where it belongs. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Curious George Race Day (CGTV Reader) H. A. Rey, 2010-09-06 Curious George is helping Professor Wiseman train for a race, but she thinks running is boring. Can George find a way to show her that running is fun before the big race? |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Proofreading, Revising & Editing Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day Brady Smith, 2017 In this eBook, you'll learn the principles of grammar and how to manipulate your words until they're just right. Strengthen your revising and editing skills and become a clear and consistent writer. -- |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Inquiries Into Human Faculty and Its Development Francis Galton, 2020-07-28 Reproduction of the original: Inquiries Into Human Faculty and Its Development by Francis Galton |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern, 2011-09-13 #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Two starcrossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in the spellbinding novel that captured the world's imagination. • Part love story, part fable ... defies both genres and expectations. —The Boston Globe The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Food of the Gods Terence McKenna, 1999 Reissued because of the current interest in Ecstasy, this is McKenna's extraordinary quest to discover the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He wonders why we are so fascinated by altered states of consciousness, do they reveal something about our origins as human beings and our place in nature? |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: A House is Not a Home , 1959 |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Volume 7 Edward 1737-1794 Gibbon, 2022-10-27 This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: Human Zoos Musée du quai Branly, 2011 Human Zoos offers a fascinating, sobering and macabre tour of man's exploitation of man--that is, Western man's exploitation of non-Western men and women--as recorded throughout the early history of photography, from the 1860s to the 1930s and the invention of humane exhibiting of nonwhite persons. Freak shows, the circuses of Buffalo Bill and P.T. Barnum and European colonial exhibitions provided the occasions for most of these images, several of which were incorporated into posters, postcards and other ephemera, designed with an improbable jauntiness. Human Zoos traces the evolution of such paradigmatic conceptions as specimen, savage and native for the designation of peoples as various as Native Americans, Asians and Africans from all corners of the continent. As horrific and compelling as it is brilliantly researched and compiled, this volume unflinchingly surveys the very recent history of the West's arrogant abuse of those deemed to fall outside its brutal terms of civilization. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Great Monkey Trial Lyon Sprague De Camp, 1968 An account of the trial of public school teacher John Thomas Scopes for teaching the theory of evolution in class 'held in July 1925, in Dayton, Tennessee.' -- Library Journal. |
| not my circus not my monkeys origin: The Billboard Book of Top 40 R & B and Hip-hop Hits Joel Whitburn, 2006 Back in the days of Louis Jordan and Bullmoose Jackson and His Buffalo Bearcats, swing, and World War II,Billboardmagazine started keeping tabs on the best-sellers in record stores in New York City’s Harlem. That Harlem Hit Parade chart of 1942, the starting point of this book, wasBillboard’s first accounting of the growing interest in the music that would come to be known as R&B. Today, more than sixty years later, Billboard is proud to present the first edition of The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits, packed with complete, authoritative chart information on the most popular songs and artists, including everyone from the Nat King Cole Trio to Ray Charles to Mary J. Blige to Jay-Z. Great for music fans, record collectors, industry professionals, and trivia lovers, this book will answer questions, resolve arguments, and inspire new ideas. • Capitalizes on one of W-G’s top-selling titles, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits— more than 50,000 copies sold of the 7th edition! • Complete history of Top 40 R&B and hip-hop hits, covering 62 years • 300 pictures of top recording artists • Author Joel Whitburn is the leading authority on charted music |
