The Importance of Being Victorian Oscar Wilde Essay Example

The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde Essay The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde â€Å"The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility† (Wilde 14). As a brilliant writer of the 1800’s, Oscar Wilde devoted the majority of his works towards unveiling the harsh truths of the Victorian society. Leading a life of deception himself, he chose to showcase his distastes for the social injustice he saw around him with unrestrained humor. Being the first playwright to include homosexual innuendos, uplift women, and mock present social norms, it was surprising to find how widely accepted his production became. Reviews praised his use of witty dialogue and comedic characters, creating the most enduring play of the Victorian Era. In â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,† Oscar Wilde utilizes his personal experiences to unmask the social conventions of the British Aristocracy during the late 1800’s. Oscar Wilde’s life was far from conventional. Born under the irregular name Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde on October 16th, 1854, he grew up in a â€Å"richly eccentric† family (Woodcock 9). His father, Sir William Wilde, was an esteemed aural doctor for the Victorian upper-class who was â€Å"appointed medical advisor to the Irish Census of 1841† by the young age of twenty-eight (Gately). Wilde’s mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, often referred to as Lady Wilde, was an Irish nationalist who believed herself to be a revolutionary. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She wrote poetry under the pen name â€Å"Speranza,† for a weekly Irish newspaper, The Nation, and organized several gatherings for artists to converse upon intellectual topics (Harris 3). Between the two of his parents, Wilde was introduced to a wide array of artists, intellectuals, and doctors from around the world. These ideas helped Wilde to learn to value witty and intellectual conversation, which he illuminates throughout â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest. † Wilde was provided with the advantage to attain a superior education. Winning several awards at Portora Royal School, he was already considered a profound scholar before attending college at Trinity and Magdalen in Oxford (Pearson 18). At these schools, Wilde began a lifelong adoration of the classics, which would later influence his subsequent writing (Harris 17). Under the influence of three professors, John Ruskin, Walter Pater, and Frank Mahaffy, Wilde was transformed into a capital gentleman who dressed in unorthodox clothing and constantly questioned the Victorian norms (Harris 24). Ruskin inspired Wilde’s imagination and aristocratic soul with â€Å"his prose† style and romantic writing (Harris 28). Pater, Wilde contends, â€Å"taught me the highest form of art: the austerity of beauty† (Harris 28). His emphasis in the arts also urged Wilde to live for pleasure and experiment with â€Å"the instrument of speech,† which later helped him form witty dialogue in his plays (Harris 28). Mahaffy took him on trips to Italy and Greece, inspired his love for the Greek language, and challenged him to look at the repressive ethics around them (Harris 27, Pearson 34). Without the guidance and encouragement of these professors, Wilde may not have evolved into the humorous and esteemed writer seen today. Wilde entered into the celebrity limelight through his intellect and irregular lifestyle. To make himself memorable, he wore eccentric clothing and sported flowers and lilies with each of his outfits. He traveled and lectured to increase his fame in Britain and abroad (Pearson 38). Listeners proclaimed, â€Å"[he] was without exception the most brilliant talker I have ever come across, the most ready, the most witty, the most audacious†¦ Nobody could pretend to outshine him† (Pearson 170). As his reputation blossomed, he began to court celebrities and book triumphant tours. On one of these tours, Wilde met his wife Constance Lloyd, for better or for worse (Harris 52). They settled down together, became respectable parents, and had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. Consequently, this all changed dramatically in 1891 when he met Lord Alfred Douglas and entered into a homosexual relationship with him outside of his marriage (Gately). Bored by the convention of his married life at home, Wilde would often escape to a second town home with Douglas and openly share a relationship with him (Small 25). His secret, doppelganger lifestyle, intellectual background, and experiences with Victorian Britain all come together in his comedy to showcase Wilde’s criticisms for the British aristocracy. In the West End of London, Wilde’s ,â€Å"The Importance of Being Ernest,† premiered during a time of transition. Around him, many social, religious, political, and economic doctrines were evolving. Prior performances at the George Alexander’s St. James Theater, for example, never dared to mock the standards of society (Raby xi). It was considered a major foul to scoff the aristocracy, but Wilde was not afraid to jeopardize their support. On February 14th, 1894, â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest,† made its debut and quickly rose to a success, running eighty-six more times thereafter (Gately). As a farce, his humorous play exaggerated physical action such as slapstick, absurdity, and improbability, to surprise the audience with unexpected events and restore genuine comedy to the stage (Bloom 35-39). As an Irish Protestant outsider to London, Wilde was popularly accepted by the upper class of London, even as they laughed about themselves. His three major sources of comedy: social criticism of the upper and middle class, homosexuality, and epigrams and puns; made the play a brilliant success (Mazer). Wilde’s play reveals several implications about this Victorian upper class. Algernon Moncrieff, a wealthy bachelor who pretends to have a brother named â€Å"Bumbry† to escape from the city, is always looking for excitement as a result of his boredom with the conventions (Wilde 15). Concerned with personal satisfaction and appearance, Algernon represents the visual ideals of the upper class and always dresses in stylish and dandy attire. Although he outwardly embodies them, internally, he actually goes against the etiquette of the upper class, creating a paradox. Wilde reveals through Algernon’s character that Victorian values of duty and virtue are repressive to the human spirit (Raby 59). John Worthing, on the other hand, is a justice of the peace, guardian of Cecily, and owner of a respectable country estate. As a result of his position, he is a product of his social standing and therefore, abides by rules (Bloom 38). He is accepted by the upper class for his fortune and appropriate manners, which have a higher value than the lifestyle Algernon leads. Although both men lead a secret life unknown to society, Wilde implies that society â€Å"cares about substance but instead reveres trial and triviality† (Raby 82). Similar to Wilde’s personal life, his male protagonists lead secret lives. In writing a play about truth, â€Å"surfaces [and] labels assume a special ignifigance† (Raby 52). John Worthing refers to himself as â€Å"Jack† in the country and â€Å"Ernest† when he travels to the city for fun (Wilde 15). Algernon, Jack’s friend, also reveals that he created an imaginary friend named â€Å"Bunbury† to visit whenever he desires to leave the city and later on pretends to be Jack’s wicked brother â€Å"Ernest† when he visits his country estate (Wilde 15). Both of these characters parallel to Wilde’s personal character– living as a married man with a homosexual double life. As a Victorian ideal, â€Å"earnestness† means to have great devotion to virtue and duty, standing for sincerity and seriousness (Raby 51). Wilde instead contradicts these implications and turns it’s conservative meaning upside down by making the name stand for deception: a mode by which his characters can escape from the hassles of their everyday lives and responsibilities. Therefore, Wilde is implying that living a conventional lifestyle is formulaic and dull. In order to liven things up, one must seek a fictitious counter-identity, similar to the clandestine one Wilde holds with Lord Alfred Douglas. To the aristocrats, appearance was crucial and style much more important than substance. While a person could lead a secret life, carry on affair within a marriage or have children outside of wed lock, society would look the other way as long as the appearance of propriety was always maintained (Bloom 43). For this reason, Wilde questions whether the more important or serious issues of the day are overlooked in favor of small talk about style and gossip. Gwendolen states, â€Å"In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing† (Wilde 86). Her mother, Lady Bracknell also believes Algernon is a perfect husband for the same reasons. â€Å"What more can one desire,† she questions, â€Å"Algernon is an†¦ ostentatiously, eligible man. He has nothing, but he looks everything† (Wilde 95). In a society where image is everything, Algernon is certainly a perfect surface image of a husband. Throughout the first act, marriages in Victorian England become a central theme. To Wilde, marriages were an institution, characterized by hypocrisy and greed to achieve status within society (Small 109). Following suit, when Algernon’s house servant, Lane, informs him that wine in married households is never superior in quality, Algernon responds, â€Å"Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that? † and Lane responds that his own was â€Å"in consequence of a misunderstanding† (Wilde 7). The humor continues when Algernon discovers that Jack has come to the city to propose to Gwendolen Fairfax, a wealthy debutante. He believed his friend had â€Å"come up for pleasure? [†¦] I call that business† (Wilde 8). Like Wilde, Algernon believes that once marriage occurs, flirtation and the passion of love all fade away because women do not marry men they are interested in, they marry men for financial security and status (Pearson 175). During a time period where marriage was considered a serious matter, Wilde used absurdity through his characters to humor his conservative, upper-class audience to unveil his true opinions of marriage. In Act II, Wilde introduces us to the repression of sexual desires of the Victorian society. Confined to a country estate, Cecily Cardew is infatuated by sin and wickedness. Being raised far from social life in the city and sexual temptations, Cecily seeks escape by allowing her imagination to run wild in her diary entries. In her society, young women did not know of sex and adults would always speak of it in metaphoric terms in order to protect them. As Mrs. Prism continually tries to teach Cecily German in her studies, Cecily is unable to focus and chooses to live vicariously through her fantasies. Wilde utilizes her character to showcase to his audience that the repression of our innate sexual desires leads to more of a curiosity in them (Bloom 135). Mrs. Prism, her tutor, continually tries to get Cecily to recite her German; however, she finds it plain and redundant. Dreaming of the man she believes Ernest to be is more fascinating to the youthful mind of Cecily. Education sought to promote the status quo during this time period so that young people would learn not to question the society in which they live. By satirizing this, Wilde shows his upper-class audience that imposing rules upon people hinders the personal spirit and can sometimes have the opposite effect upon people. These suffocating norms were so repressive that Wilde creates episodes in which his characters lead secret lives and craft false impressions of who they really are. Algernon and Jack both create personas to escape from their lives and neglect their duties. Wilde unveils their alternative lives within the first act and allows them to continue until the final act to represent his own life of deceit as a homosexual (Bloom 31). Rejecting their responsibilities, Algernon and Jack pursue pleasure and eventually find themselves desiring marriage. Realizing that this will end their secret lives of passion they comment, â€Å"[y]ou won’t be able to run down to the country quite so often as you used to, dear Algy,† and â€Å"[y]ou won’t be able to disappear to London quite so frequently as your wicked custom was† (Wilde 80). If either of these characters were to get married, their spontaneity would diminish and freedom removed because society requires married couples to follow certain conservative standards. These standards would hold Algernon and Jack back from having lives filled with happiness, just as Wilde’s was with his wife, Constance Lloyd. There is an evident gulf between the upper and middle classes in â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest. † Intermarrying was not permitted between classes because families sought to keep their status within the bloodline (Woodcock 166). If such an act were to occur, the family would be tainted in the eyes of society. Conservative, strong, powerful, arrogant, and ruthless, Lady Augusta Bracknell represents the negativity within the upper class. She firmly believes that the lower and middle classes should never be educated or taught to think or question the world in which they live. If they were to obtain power through knowledge, the playing field between classes would be eliminated and the prominence of the upper class questionable (Bloom 31). Education was not designed so that the upper class would be able to think, it was designed to teach them how to mindlessly following convention (Bourke 47). Lady Bracknell explains this explicitly when she states, â€Å"[t]he whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever† (Wilde 67). Wilde speaks his own mind on the matter through her words. He believes as she does that education is meaningless unless the mind is allowed to be free and capable of studying for the purpose of intellect, not social customs. Living in a society full of restrictions and order, Wilde sought an escape from his life of structure and duty. Dictated to live a life full of appearances, Wilde was forced to marry for security, live pure and plainly, repress sexual desires, and dress fashionably. With so many rules to abide by, it’s no wonder Wilde had a difficult time being genuinely happy in life. As the false world he lived in continued to sicken him, he found an escape route through writing â€Å"The Importance of Being Ernest† and his secret relationship with Douglas. If it had not been for Wilde’s background with classic literature and humor, he may have never dared to exploit the faults of Victorian England. Characters like Algernon and Jack provide resemble himself in many ways and reveal subsurface themes about defying the norms of society. Overall, Oscar Wilde’s background and use of humor within â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† allowed him to express the deficiencies of the upper class in Victorian England. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Print. Bourke, Joanna. Working-class Cultures in Britain: 1890-1960: Gender, Class and Ethnicity. London: Routledge, 2003. Print. Gately, Nicole. Biography: Oscar Wilde. 12 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. Harris, Frank, and Bernard Shaw. Oscar Wilde. Michigan State UP, 1959. Print. Mazer, Carey M. Wilde, Society, and Society Drama. Peoples Light and Theatre Company, June 1993. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. . Pearson, Hesketh. Oscar Wilde: His Life and Wit. New York: Harper Bros. , 1946. Print. Raby, Peter. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Readers Companion. New York: Twayne, 1995. Print. Small, Ian. Oscar Wilde: Recent Research. Greensboro: English Lit. Trans. , Univ. of North Carolina, 2000. Print. Wild e, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Lexington, KY: Filiquarian P, 2007. Print. Woodcock, George. The Paradox of Oscar Wilde. New York: Macmillan, 1950. Print.

Ceramic Masks essays

Ceramic Masks essays Since the earliest times masks have played an important role in the culture of Africa. Masks have varied in appearance and function. Many masks are associated with religious ceremonies, myth, dance, rituals or are concerned with spirits of the dead, rites, or even curing sickness. The mask has been used by the Africans mainly to solve major human and social problems. When a man wears a mask his identity is hidden and the expression on the mask projects a new identity. If the features on the mask are unnatural such as an abstract from an animal, it will make the mask emit a more effective and dramatic identity. Because the person is wearing a mask the human identity is hidden so the viewer is unsettled, this causes the man wearing the mask to be strange or unpredictable, this leads the viewer to become fascinated so the masked man can deceive the viewer. Masks representing harmful spirits were often used to keep a required balance of power. This type of mask was often associated with secret societies, especially in Africa, which has the greatest variety of masks on Earth. In ancient Egypt priests used masks to represent gods. Masks were also placed upon the face of mummies to keep alive the appearance of the deceased after death or to give a boost to him and his image. Masks use different facial features such as idealizing human features, frightening features, animal features and naturalistic features to give a deeper meaning to what the mask is meant to express. Masks were often used as a form of ranking in villages, for example a mighty warrior who is known to have a lot of strength would be presented with a mask that would describe this type of strength (e.g. a wolfs mask) whereas the villages leader would have a distinct mask that no one else has, as a symbol of his power and status in the elite, e.g. (an eagles mask). Masks may also be used to help identify the members of a village or tri ...

Your 100 Fan Club

Your 100 Fan Club The older I get, the more simplified I seem to want my life. Thats why I toned FundsforWriters down over the years from four newsletters, to three, to two. . . and now one, just like I started years ago. More time to write. More time to enjoy myself while writing. I love losing myself in a story. But marketing, publishing, and so on tend to distract us and rob us of the joy. At  a recent conference speaker, I spoke to writers about corralling all the to-do things on their plates and learning how to focus on writing. I suggested they do what Im doing. . . write for their most avid 100 fans. You know who those are. They are the ones who review, who respond to your blog, who converse with you on Facebook, who like your Instagram posts. They dont just say they love your work, but they talk it, naming characters and plot points that resonated with them. Why just 100? Because those are your concentrated dose of energy. You have a better feel for what they like. Since theyve contacted you somehow, you feel a few degrees closer to them. You owe them more, and in turn, they deliver back with reviews, emails, and that oh-so-precious word-of-mouth to others about you and your stories. Simply your writing. Write the stories that you think your top 100 will love. Dont have 100? If you keep making an appearance in person, on social media, in writing guest posts on blogs, that 100 will materialize. If you keep writing and quit banking on one book. If you keep reminding the few you have in a newsletter who you are (avoiding saying BUY MY BOOK), that 100 will happen. Who doesnt feel warm and cozy having 100 fans? And that number grows faster the more you cater to that tribe. Theyll practically spread the word for you.

Answer the Questions HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Answer the Questions HR - Essay Example e need to make fresh employees informed about work practices and timely completion of assigned jobs or tasks that in turn could lead to intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. I would advise newly recruited and selected group of personnel about effective time management and successful completion of jobs assigned per day to each individual worker. Indeed, the first useful advice will be about minimum wastage of business hours in unnecessary discussions and informal chit chat with co-workers and peers within organisational premises. This would surely enable employees to pay greater attention to assigned business jobs and their timely completion. In fact, i would suggest workers to have informal and casual meetings during lunch or tea time so that workers could get information about their colleagues that would help in building relationships. As a result, this will foster unity and harmony among workers in the same organisation as well as reduce work overload as all assigned jobs are submitted in-time. The second advice will be to avoid spending time on unnecessary field work and travelling for business purposes. For example, some workers do not correctly sch edule their out-of-office jobs and thus waste many business hours for fewer jobs at hand, which later cause delay in timely delivery of all work requirements and productivity reduces. The third advice will be about preparing daily timetable for all tasks at hand so that workers could prioritise what tasks are to be finished first and what could be delayed because of minimal importance. 3. It is extremely important to investigate accidents thoroughly if an organisation is to put preventative measures in place to ensure that a similar accident does not occur in the workplace. Investigations help to establish the cause of the accident and to put measures in place to stop a repeat performance. What should be included in an investigation? The investigation process should be comprehensive in nature thereby covering all

Osteoporosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Osteoporosis - Essay Example Osteoporosis is a major concern in US where over 10 million people suffer of this disease while another 18 million are at a risk of developing Osteoporosis. Most of those diagnosed and at risk of Osteoporosis are women especially those past the menopause stage. Moreover, research shows that people from certain ethnic background such as Asian and whites are at greater risk of getting Osteoporosis. This paper focuses on the causes pathophysiology, clinical features, para clinic finding, Treatment, and Prognosis of osteoporosis. Causes or Etiology   The major cause of osteoporosis is imbalance between the bone formation and bone resorption processes. This occurs if the body fails to develop adequate new bones or if too much of the formed boned becomes reabsorbed. For adequate formation of the bones, sufficient amounts of calcium and phosphorous must be taken. Actually, the body reabsorbs some of the calcium from the bones, which is used for other body processes such as invigorating fu nction of organs such as brain heart, and other organs (Lane S3-S5). Therefore lack of enough calcium in the diet result in insufficient bone and bone tissue production. Moreover, the bones produced are weaker, fragile, and brittle and break easily. The inadequate calcium absorption is also attributed to shortage of hormones such as estrogen in women and androgen in men. After menopause, estrogen levels reduce and risk of osteoporosis increase. Other cause of osteoporosis include inadequate intake of calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorous. Moreover, age related body changes, lack of weight-bearing exercises, and overuse of corticosteroids, disuse of muscles, genetic disorders, and problem associated with the thyroid gland increase chances of osteoporosis. Other known cause of osteoporosis include use of some medication that may cause rapid bone resorption or prevent calcium reabsorption (Lane S6-S9; Atik, Uslu and Eksioglu 25-27). Pathophysiology Pathophysiology of osteoporosis entails intrinsic bone fragility and frequent injuries. Injuries result from minor to major falls, falling to the side, poor postural reflexes and reduce soft tissues that are required for bone padding. Bone fragility is attributable to composite geometry, reduction in bone mass density, and change in quality of bone content, reduced collagen cross-links, and severed microarchitecture connections (Bartl and Frisch 144-149). Clinical Features In the initial stages, Osteoporosis may exhibit no symptoms. However, it later causes dull pain in the bones and other body parts, especially along the muscles. Other common symptoms include pain in the lower back as well as pain on the neck. As the disease progresses, the casualty may experience sharp and sudden pains especially when doing activities that strain bones and muscles. Other symptoms include one and muscle tenderness. Moreover, persons with osteoporosis easily get fractures on the neck, wrist, hip, and other bones even from minor falls. Sp inal compression occurs easily resulting in dowager’s hump (Atik, Uslu and Eksioglu 25-27; Bartl and Frisch 153-158). Para Clinic Finding Some of the test and exams for osteoporosis include bone mineral density testing which is often done with DEXA scan used to diagnose bine loss, predict risk of bone fractures, and determine the effectiveness of osteoporosis medication. A spine or hip x-ray is used to detect fractures

One Cannot Escape Big Brother Essay Example for Free

One Cannot Escape Big Brother Essay In 1984, by George Orwell, society is portrayed as having lost all traces of individuality, creative thought, and love and humanity. This â€Å"Negative Utopia† depicts the possibility of the future despair of the human race whilst warning readers of the dangers of totalitarianism. The overlying mood in 1984 is the bleakness of the future of the human race. The main character though, Winston Smith, is caught in this society that is dedicated to conformity with a mind full of intelligence, individuality, and rebellious thoughts. Winston is targeted by the government from the beginning because of his continual thoughtcrime as well as his rebellious actions with Julia. However, in a society as bleak and desolate as Orwell has depicted, Winston’s actions against the Party and Big Brother were essentially futile. Throughout the novel, Winston believes that though society forces him to conform on the outside, he can still fight the system with his thoughts and by being with Julia in secret. He believes that his own individuality reveals that there is at least a small sliver of hope for humanity, but this is not so. Syme even questions Winston, How could you have a slogan like freedom is slavery when the concept of freedom has been abolished? (pg.47). There is so much moral decay within the Party, Winston is wasting his breath and energy by trying to bring down Big Brother; it is too great, and he is too small, despite how intelligent he may be. In Orwell’s fiction society, there is no hope, no potential light for the future. Society is too far gone, as shown through aspects of life such as telescreens, Hate Week, the Hate Song, and Newspeak. The government has molded the people of Oceania’s minds into the ideal citizen: unfeeling, lacking any creative thought, love, or uniqueness. The citizens who slip by and do possess these qualities will be vaporized at some point and Winston knows this throughout the novel. Yet he still believes that in some way, he may be of help to the Brotherhood, even though he is not even sure of its existence. One thing that separated the government of 1984 from any modern day government is that when someone was a traitor, or made some attempt to overthrow the government, they were not punished, but rather â€Å"cured†. In the novel, O’Brian, who is a symbol Big Brother, states, â€Å"We are not content with negative obedience, nor even with the most abject submission. When finally you surrender to us, it must be of your own free will. We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us: so long as he resists us we never destroy him. We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him. We burn all evil and all illusion out of him; we bring him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul. We make him one of ourselves before we kill him.† (pg. 318) This portrays how Big Brother essentially ensures its own success by turning their enemies into supporters of their cause rather than persecuting them. Winston had no chance to take down Big Brother because when he was caught, he would not even become a legacy, or a shining light for others to follow suit; he would become nonexistent, a changed man who would be taught to love Big Brother. By not voicing his true opinions about the Party, Winston would have continued to know the truth behind it. However, because he did, O’Brian and other Party members â€Å"cured† him, and molded his mind into what they wished it to be. By going against Big Brother, Winston became a clay mold of the ideal fascist citizen. Winston had no chance of being happy in the world set by Orwell. He was too intelligent to go through life without questioning Big Brother, and the irony exists in the fact that that was ultimately his intellectual demise. However, if Winston had just lived in acceptance of the fact that society was so horribly corrupt, and turned away from the atrocities of civilization, he would have been much better off. He would not have been tortured, he would not have had to experience the betrayal of O’Brian, and he would not have gained then lost Julia. In today’s world, it is perhaps better to have loved and lost; but in Orwell’s 1984, one never truly gained anything because Big Brother was always watching. Orwell says in the novel, â€Å"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever† (pg 271). No amount of rebellion could possibly stop this metaphorical boot from crushing humanity. Winston could have saved himself from a lifetime of even more hurt and despair if he had just kept to himself and turned away from the evils of Big Brother. After all, the slogan â€Å"Big Brother is watching you† (pg 2) was not just a saying for the people of Oceania: it was a sad truth. Thus, Winston would have been much more fortunate given the circumstances if he had not gone against the Party.

A Jewish Reading of Milton Essay example -- Biography Biographies Essa

A Jewish Reading of Milton John Milton produced some of the most memorable Christian texts in English literature. Central pieces of Milton’s work, including Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes, specifically allude to stories that Judaism and Christianity hold in common. Historically, the anti-monarchical regime Milton supported, under the leadership of Cromwell, informally allowed Jews back into England in 1655 after Edward I exiled them in 1290 (Trepp 151). Additionally, seventeenth-century British Christians looked increasingly to Jewish texts to understand their own religion (e.g. Robert Ainsworth and John Seldon), with Hebraic studies from German scholarship and Latin translations of Jewish texts entering during the interregnum (Biberman 141-42; Werman 25). Thus, critics have wondered how much of an appreciation (or lack thereof) Milton had for Jewish tradition, and how his famous texts speak to Jewish readers. This readership refers not merely to religiously or ethnically Jewish readers but to a literary approach; just as a critic may apply a feminist or Marxist approach, one may also apply questions about treatment or marginalization of Jews, or related attitudes in a text (without being Jewish, feminist, Marxist, etc.). A Jewish reading of Milton reveals that although he held intolerant views toward Jews, his explicit citations and implicit agreements with Jewish Scriptural interpretation, as well as stylistic relations to Jewish commentary, demonstrate appreciable esteem for Hebraic thought. Critics have typically focused on the debate over the extent of Milton’s access to primary sources or whether he used translations and secondary information from Christian Hebraists. Adams, Conklin, Mendelsohn, a... ...nd Law in Paradise Lost. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1994. Steinsaltz, Adin. The Essential Talmud. Trans. Chaya Galai. New York: Basic, 1976. Trepp, Leo. A History of the Jewish Experience. Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 2001. Weiss-Rosmarin, Trude. Judaism and Christianity. Middle Village, NY: Jonathan David, 1997. Werman, Golda. Milton and Midrash. Washington, DC: Catholic U of America P, 1995. Notes 1 Despite the temptation, Flannagan wisely avoids a strong philo-Hebraic reading here, interpreting the praise of â€Å"proto-Christian† art merely as an example of religious superiority over the Greeks and not artistic superiority (footnote 103). Milton continuously uses Greek styles in his work, even citing Aristotle as his guide in writing Samson Agonistes (see â€Å"Of that sort of Dramatic Poem which is call’d Tragedy,† a preface to Samson Agonistes, 799-800).

What is the narrators and others attitude to `jazz?` How is that attitude modified in the course of the study?

The narrator's attitude toward jazz is one of ambivalence, but the attentive reader will understand that it is a form of wilful ambivalence in that the narrator has seemingly made a quiet but definite break with anything that might be considered â€Å"pop† culture and more specifically, black culture or African American culture. The theme of music is a very important theme in the story because it, loosely, represents the human soul.Sonny, the musician and drug-addict, eventually expresses a deep and personal odyssey through the idiom of jazz and the narrator, during the story's climax is able to embrace this â€Å"new† form of expression, and in doing so, embraces not only the aspects of suffering which his brother painfully reminded him of and from which he tried to hide, but to these same aspects of wounding and â€Å"blues† which exist in the narrator himself.The parallel between the story's theme and the central symbol of music that shapes the story is that t he narrator's awareness that the same racial and cultural aspects of American society that have contributed to Sonny's blues have also inspired, within himself, a blues. This realization becomes clear subtly over the course of the story the same way that a musical theme develops over the course of a song, especially an improvised (or partially improvised) song. The closing lines of the story state the story's theme in nearly explicit terms: Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life.But that life contained so many others[†¦ ] beautiful because it wasn't hurried and it was no longer a lament† (Sonny's Blues). By embracing jazz, the narrator embraces his brother's soul and his own heritage and finds not only a blues but a repressed joy as well. 2. What role do social mobility and class play in the struggle between the narrator and Sonny? A key role due primarily to the narrator, who teaches math, viewing himself as â€Å"normal† as well-adjusted while all the while experiencing and inner-turmoil of how to relate to his troublesome brother. Social mobility plays the central role of irony in the story.it is a relatively simple premise: that the character who has embraced â€Å"normal† society views the character who has not as â€Å"fringe† as â€Å"affected† and as a troublemaker, but in actuality, it is the â€Å"normal† character who has become troubled and affected. The entire ironic premise of the story is predicated on the idea that the narrator may be an â€Å"Uncle Tom† whereas his brother, Sonny, is an outsider, but it is actually the case that the narrator is not an Uncle Tom, but is simply pursuing his soul just as his brother is not an outsider, by design, but an outsider because he is a true artist.3. What in the family's history act as an ominous prophesy in the futures of the characters? The narrator's father failed to protect his own brother from dying. Because of this, the narrator's mot her instills within the narrator a deep sense of obligation to his younger brother. The idea is that the narrator, even at his most estranged from Sonny, still feels an obligation to him, and to his mother due to the events of his father's past.In this way, the story shows how family history adn oral history can play as large a role in the culturization of African Americans as the so-called establishment. In the long run, the narrator's ties to the establishment give out long before his sense of obligation to his family. 4. How does Harlem-its streets, its people-act as background for this story? Harlem is a microcosm of African American culture and it is portrayed positively in the story although this positivism may not be obvious to some readers on their first reading of the story.The use of the Harlem setting as a counterpoint â€Å"white† society is way of showing the reader that the same divisions between one type of culture and the other exist within the narrator himsel f; that is his crisis. By setting the story in Harlem, it is tantamount to setting the narrator in a direct confrontation with his own culture, a culture which he seemingly does not value or truly understand and one which is in many ways set against the culture he tries to be a part of on a daily basis. 5. The climax of this story involves music and listening to music.How well does Baldwin convey in words what is essentially an aural and non-intellectual experience? Baldwin succeeds with great ability because of his method of venturing into an internal monologue during the climax. By using this technique, he allows the reader to follow thought by thought with the narrator's developing understanding of his brother's â€Å"soul† as it speaks to him through the music. Consequently, the reader reaches the fruition of that understanding and that moment of connection at the same time as the narrator, so the harmony of realization is, in itself, like music.6. In the Bible, Cain asks the Lord, `Am I my brothers keeper? ` How does this story imply an answer? â€Å"Sonny's Blues† makes an ironic turn on this Biblical phrase. In other words, though the narrator believes that he must function as Sonny's â€Å"keeper† because Sonny is troubled and also because of his mother's geas, in actuality, the narrator is no less troubled than Sonny and, in fact, may be less gifted and therefore more prone to losing his own self-identity.Both Sonny's drug and legal problems and the narrator's identity crises present real-world and profound obstacles which have arisen at least partially due to cultural factors of race and social standing. In the final analysis, the story demonstrates that each person is each person's â€Å"keeper† on an equal footing although sometimes immediate circumstances and prejudices allow one person to put himself â€Å"above† another in relation to altruism or helping out one's â€Å"brother. â€Å"

Describe the effects of the Blitz on everyday life in Britain Essay

At 4:56pm on 7 September 1940, the air raid sirens wailed as the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe launched a massive raid on London.Over 350 bombers flew across the Channel from airfields in France and dropped 300 tonnes of bombs all over Britain. This caused a lot of problems for the people of Britain. The aim of the Blitz was to break the morale of the British people by destroying their homes, their source of transport and industry. In London the docks were attacked regularly and across Britain the Luftwaffe also tried to hit railway lines and junctions, power stations and ports. People’s daily routines were also ruined. Because of the lack of availability of food, the Government were forced to ration the small amounts of food that was left in the whole of the UK, which left very many people with virtually nothing. Bacon 6oz, cheese 4oz, dried milk 4 pints a week and dried eggs 12 every eight weeks. This is just a small fraction of what the government had to ration. In the morning queue would be everywhere and anyone would stand in one queue just to see what was selling. Hopefully it was food. The government took a number of steps to try and protect people. They ordered a total blackout at night to make sure that none of the bombers could see them. All windows would have to be covered by thick black curtains; street and vehicle lights were shielded of dimmer. It was known as an offence if light was shown, because even the smallest amount of light could tell the Germans were to bomb. Every night an inspector would come and make sure that each house was covered up properly and if it was not, a fine would be issued and the owners would fix the problem. Everyone was also given a gas mask in case the Germans were to drop a gas bomb anywhere. Throughout the whole time, 31% of the population got no sleep at all, 32% got less than 4 hours and a mere 22% got 4-6 hours sleep. This caused a lot of problems for people who were working. Workers were falling asleep at their stations and even more were fired because they kept on arriving late to work. However, the people who did make it to work, never gave up they were determined to carry on. Shopkeepers covered their smashed windows with plywood and put up notices saying ‘business and usual’, to show that nothing had stopped them from running their lives. Transport was still running, even though there was a lot less. Postmen and milkmen marched through the rubble to make their deliveries, Clergymen held regular services in bombed churches, bomb sites were used as pen-air concerts and dances and many theatres, music halls and cinemas stayed open throughout the whole war. Even though people were moving on with their lives, over 1.4 million people had lost their homes and many had their friends killed or badly injured by the Blitz. This drove many people to theft. They would break into bombed factories and steal whatever they thought would have a value for money. They would then sell these items on for as much as they could and use that money to buy food if they could find it. If anyone was caught, the punishment was death. Even though there were two million Anderson shelters produced in the early years of the First World War, many people had no shelters to stay in while the bombs were taking place. Many people moved in with family and friends where as others went to underground stations and stayed in the tunnels all night. They would stop the trains and the escalators from running so that people could sleep down there without any injuries. These tunnels gave the population the encouragement that they needed. Many people got a lot of sleep down there and even more were getting used to the bombs. However, the government were scared that people might not come back up again, because they were too scared, and tried to stop them, but each night up to 60,000 would demand to go down into the tunnels for protection. In the end the government gave up. So the Salvation Army and the Women’s Voluntary Service ran shuttle services of buns and drinks from station to station to keep them alive. Others would stay at home and hide in a Morrison’s shelter that was attached to the dining room table, or even hide under the stairs because they were designed to carry a heavy weight. Day after day, night after night, so many fire services fought to control the many fires that were going on. Not including the regular fire services, there were 60,000 volunteers in the Auxiliary fire service. Many were on duty for two days in a row and had very little chance to get some sleep. Fire fighters were under constant heat and falling buildings, not to mention the falling bombs the surrounded them. They ran out of water quick because the bombs would hit the main pipe lines. There were also not enough fire trucks so people would have to run to the fire and hope to God that there was a water supply nearby. As people were pulling together and relying on themselves more, community sprit had increased so much throughout the whole of the Blitz. People went straight into action as soon as they heard the bombs going off. People helped the ambulances and the fire department. The heavy rescue squad used ropes and chains to clear away the rubble and then doctors and nurses would then run in and pull people out. To sum up, many people’s lives had been ruined. Loss of family and friend, the loss of their homes, but people really did turn things around. The community really did join together to stick through the whole problem.

All About Robert Frost essays

All About Robert Frost essays Robert Frost Frost, Robert (1874-1963), became the most popular American poet of his time. He won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943. In 1960, Congress voted Frost a gold medal "in recognition of his poetry, which has enriched the culture of the United States and the philosophy of the world." Frost's public career reached a climax in January 1961, when he recited his poem "The Gift Outright" at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. His life. Robert Lee Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874. After the death of his father in 1885, his family moved back to New England, the original family home. Frost briefly attended Dartmouth and Harvard colleges but did not earn a degree. In the early 1890's, he worked in New England as a farmer, an editor, and a schoolteacher, absorbing the materials that were to form the themes of many of his most famous poems. In 1912, he moved briefly to England where his poetry was well-received and where he met poets William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound. His first volume of poetry, A Boy's Will, appeared in 1913. His final collection, In the Clearing, appeared in 1962. His poems. Frost's poetry is identified with New England, particularly Vermont and New Hampshire. Frost found inspiration for many of his finest poems in the region's landscapes, folkways, and speech mannerisms. His poetry is noted for its plain language, conventional poetic forms, and graceful style. He was deeply influenced by classical poets, especially Horace. Many of Frost's earliest poems are as richly developed as his later ones. Frost is sometimes praised for being a direct and straightforward writer. While he is never obscure, he cannot always be read easily. His effects, even at their simplest, depend upon a certain slyness for which the reader must be prepared. In "Precaution," Frost wrote: I never dared be radical when young ...

Betrayal In The Kite Runner English Literature Essay

Betrayal In The Kite Runner English Literature Essay In this essay I pretend to demonstrate what is betray, in both books it presents a long variety of examples of betrayal, as we know betray is something that had exist in all over the world also is considered as a sin, most of the people had been betrayed more than one time in their lives, but anyone can tell or express their feelings when they feel betrayed, the only way that people can express that feeling is writing, Khaled Hosseini and Ian McEwan show us in their books how betray is presented in the characters. I had read both books and I love them because present us a lot of themes that I feel related with them, but the most important theme that interest me is betray because most of people had suffered one single act of betray. I can compare these two books because both have similarities and can compare to in real life, in a real context. Also these two books showed us how people betray their closest friends or families. The most important think that I am going to present is the cultural differences between Amir and Bryony and why is the main purpose of acting like that and the Redemption of their acts. The first time when Amir Commit betrays is when he saw Assef raping Hassan when Amir won the Kites contest because Hassan denied giving up the kite blue of Amir to Assef; when Assef was ripping Hassan he said â€Å"A loyal Hazara, loyal as a dog†. (The kite runner pages 71-78)1. With this quote I try to explain how betray is clearly present because he betray his confidence, Amir should try to do something to help Hassan and stop that act of insanity. Also Amir felt that he deserved because Amir comes from and high social class because their cultural differences are so strong, because Amir’s and Hassan’s father is the same but he made love with the servant but Amir is a Pashtu and Hassan is a Hazara. The Kite Runner pages 71-78)1 In Atonement Briony betrays her sister, because Briony saw her sister having sex in the library with Robbie à ¢â‚¬Å"When she took another few steps she saw then, dark shapes in the furthest corner. Though they were immobile, her immediately understanding was that she had interrupted an attack, a hand-to-hand fight. The scene was so entirely a realization of her worst fears that she sensed that her overanxious imagination had projected the figures onto the packed spines of books. This illusion, or hope of one, was dispelled as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. No one moved. Briony stared past Robbie’s shoulder into terrified eyes of her sister.† (Atonement page 116)2 , but when the twin’s carrot head escaped to their home, Briony was looking for them and suddenly saw that Lola was being raped by an unknown person, Briony think that Robbie did it because she thought that he was a sexual maniac because she had read the letter that Robbie sent to her sister. Briony betrays her sister because she told to the police that Robbie tried to rape Lola, suddenly Briony showed them the letter that Robbie wrote to Cecilia. Briony never realized that she destroyed two lives (Cecilia and Robbie Lives). Here I tried to explain in both books how families can betray their relatives and destroy a life, also these two books have are related in the same way of betrayal why I said this well, because Briony and Amir had betrayed in one purpose; to feel secure of themselves and demonstrate who is in charge or demonstrate that they are not weak.

Substance abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Substance abuse - Research Paper Example It shall also discuss how substance abuse can be solved using various social controls. Finally, this study shall also explain the potential social or economic benefits which may result if the recommended changes were to be implemented. This study is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of substance abuse as it applies in the workplace. Discussion According to the World Health Organization (2011), substance abuse â€Å"refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs†. Use of psychoactive substances can lead to dependence syndrome which includes various behavioral, cognitive, and physiological symptoms apparent with the persistent use of the substance. Aside from these symptoms, the user has a persistent need to use the substance and a difficulty in controlling the use of the drug even with the appearance of negative consequences (WHO, 2011). Moreover, after repeated use, there is a tolerance developed for the substance and the failure to use it often causes symptoms of physical withdrawal. Such symptoms manifest with unfavorable outcomes for the user. Depending on the drug or â€Å"substance† of choice, substance abuse can have both positive and negative effects on one’s physiology and psychopathy. First and foremost tobacco brings about feelings of pleasure; it improves performance, and it helps in weight control. It also reduces feelings of hunger and depression (Daly, 2011). However, the nicotine content of cigarettes is addictive; moreover, cigarette smoke causes health hazards like lung cancer, heart disease, peptic ulcer disease, and eventually for some, strokes. Another substance, alcohol serves as a â€Å"pick me up† for many users (Daly, 2011). However, it is actually a depressant as it decreases inhibitions, reduces muscle control, and slurs speech. Excessive use of this substance is likely to cause liver failure, heart disease, and cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, and the stomach (Daly, 2011). Drugs and similar substances cause various effects on the user. Marijuana, for example, creates feelings of pleasure and relaxation; however it can also cause impaired coordination and memory (Daly, 2011). Cocaine causes pleasure and increases one’s alertness; however, it can also lead to paranoia, heart attacks, as well as brain, kidney, and heart damage. Heroin causes feelings of drowsiness, pleasure, and reduced breathing rate; however, abuse of the drug can cause death and trigger complications with the use of dirty needles, complications like destruction of the heart valves, abdominal cramps, confusion, and sweating (Daly, 2011). Methamphetamine is a stimulant and increases alertness, reduces appetite, and increases one’s pleasure; however abuse of the drug can cause heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes. Long term effects include hallucinations, weight loss, and heart damage (Daly, 2 011). Other drugs like Ecstasy are stimulants which allow users to participate in all night parties. For some users, it also serves to improve their mood. These substances create various effects on users, and with the abuse of these drugs, the users would likely feel euphoric. The danger is seen with stopping their use which can cause the manifestation of withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are often difficult to hide in the