Dickens a Christmas Carol and Priestley’s Essay

By bragging about his knighthood and talking about his strong capitalist views; â€Å"A man has to make his own way,† â€Å"community and all that nonsense,† Birling makes himself unpopular to the audience which is Preistley’s intension when Birling talks about the â€Å"Titanic being absolutely unsinkable,† and the fact that, â€Å"nobody wants war,† this creates dramatic irony as the audience know that the Titanic would sink on its maiden voyage, there would be two world wars, depression and strikes however, the characters don’t know this and in this case they don’t know that Birling is completely wrong in what he is saying. All of this creates a negative diction in which Priestley creates this wealthy, prosperous almost perfect family that looks splendid but is the opposite as they are ignorant and the lowest of low, especially to Priestley who strongly disagrees with their capitalist views. Birling can be compared to scrooge in â€Å"A Christmas carol,† as they both are prosperous, both don’t play a part in their community and they are both set up by Dickens and Priestly to be unsympathetic by using the same techniques like negative diction and them both being ignorant. In the opening scene we also learn about Birling’s family; his wife Sybil Birling who plays little part in the opening act, his son Eric who seems shy and close to being drunk, his â€Å"pretty† daughter Sheila who â€Å"is very pleased with life,† and her light hearted conversation shows she is youthful and enthusiastic. There is also one visitor present, Sheila’s fianci Gerald who is, â€Å"attractive,† and â€Å"the easy well-bred young man-about-town. † His father owns a large business; Crofts Limited and when making his speech, Birling says that, â€Å"we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together,† which means that Birling being the man we now know him to be, sees his daughters engagement as a clear opportunity for a business deal. However things seem unstable between Sheila and Gerald when she mentions, â€Å"last summer,† in a â€Å"half playful, half serious,† tone. Priestly does this to show that although they look perfect, they all obviously have problems creates unease in the atmosphere and causes conflict and anxiety. The Inspectors arrival instantly adds tension as the lighting is changed on stage to be, â€Å"brighter and harder,† which signals a change of mood in the play and also seems to add menace to the Birling family. Priestley describes the Inspector to be man who; â€Å"creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. † This tells the audience that this character is important and the fact that he speaks, â€Å"carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard of the person he addresses before actually speaking,† also gives the impression that he knows, hopefully as well as the audience, how ignorant and wrong the family is. The inspector speaks to each of them: â€Å"gravely,† â€Å"dryly,† â€Å"slowly,† â€Å"steadily,† â€Å"plainly,† â€Å"coolly,† â€Å"with authority,† â€Å"massively,† and â€Å"sharply,† which builds up a moralising tone. From this early stage Priestley presents him as a judge and jury of the family’s wrong doings and almost a philosopher and social observer rather than a policeman. For example â€Å"it’s my duty to ask questions,† and in the case of Eva Smith, â€Å"what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide,† comments like these would be out of place being said by a police man. In â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† Dickens voiced his opinions through different characters, in â€Å"An Inspector Calls,† Priestley voices his socialist views through the Inspector when he describes Eva Smith by; using the repetition of no; â€Å"No work, no money,† listing; â€Å"few friends, lonely, half starved,† and emotive language. He also uses biblical reference similar to Dickens, â€Å"we are members of one body,† which is part of a communion prayer which means that we are all equal in the sight of God and that he sees no class barriers. Another example is, â€Å"fire and blood and anguish,† which is a biblical reference to hell and links to World War 1 which Priestley fought in. Also like Dickens he unites the speaker and the audience by using the plural, personal pronoun, â€Å"we,† which emphasises his positive views on the idea of community. The Inspector, referring to Eva Smith says, â€Å"There are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in every city and big town in the country,† â€Å"If there weren’t, the factories and warehouses wouldn’t know where to look for cheap labour,† this is a general social point Priestley is making as well as the fact that there is no clear dividing line between different elements of society, for example, Gerald says, â€Å"we’re respectable citizens not criminals! † to which the Inspector replies, â€Å"Sometimes there isn’t as much difference as you think. † This brings out Priestley’s positive views on the community, that we are all responsible for each other, that we are all part of humanity and we need to share our problems. Also like Dickens’ â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† Priestley gives the Inspector the role of mystic, all knowing power; Shelia notices this when she says to him â€Å"I don’t understand you. † This can be linked to Ouspensky’s theory that existence is a cycle of lives, which we can only escape from if we change them with the help of a gifted or extraordinary person; in this case that person is the Inspector. Through the whole play the Inspector rids the Birling family of their respectability as the audience feel, with the persuasive techniques of the Inspector, that not only are they on trial but the whole of the people in their advantaged social position for treating people like Eva Smith badly; â€Å"Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges,† the antithesis in this emphasises Priestley’s just spoken message. Before the Inspector leaves he makes a powerful, prophet like speech, which summarises the play’s philosophy; â€Å"We don’t live alone,† and â€Å"We are responsible for each other;† a biblical message, shows Priestley’s sense for community and the antithesis of â€Å"if men will not learn that lesson they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. † represents the two World Wars to come as the play is set in 1912 and it was performed in 1945, to tell the audience that we haven’t learnt anything. The Inspectors speech is very compelling and is used to voice Priestley’s views to the audience. The repetition of â€Å"we,† is a persuasive technique that he uses as well as Dickens’ to captivate the audience and to make them realise that it also involves them. There is a huge difference in the older and younger generations of the family to the reaction of Eva smith. The eldest, for example Mr Birling is not nearly as effect by the story as Shelia who reacts emotionally. She also readily agrees that she has behaved badly and is prepared to admit her faults. She also is keen to change her behaviour; â€Å"I’ll never, never do it again. † Her brother Eric is also anxious to change his ways for the future and is deeply sorry for what he did, together they are also ashamed of their parents; Eric says to his mother, â€Å"You don’t understand anything. You never did. You never even tried. † She and her husband however are less remorseful, Birling in particular as he refuses to take any responsibility for Eva Smith’s death and seems to be more concerned about the money Eric stole from him than Eric’s treatment to Eva Smith. He is also concerned about keeping his ever so important social status when he says to his wife that, â€Å"It isn’t going to do us much good,† and, â€Å"The press might easily take it up,† this shows how ignorant he is and that he represents Priestley’s disgust of capitalist businessmen who are only interested in making money. From this it is clear that it is left up to the younger generation to learn from their mistakes and to change the future to which the Inspector adds, â€Å"They’re more impressionable. † Priestley makes crucial parts of the play more dramatic by using tension; before the Inspector arrives there is a slight unease as Sheila brought up, â€Å"last summer,† to Gerald, which tells us that something already isn’t quite right in the family, there is also irony as Gerald jokingly suggests that, â€Å"Eric has been up to something,† Eric is not amused and uncomfortable at this remark, Gerald insists it’s a â€Å"joke,† but we later find out he has been up to something. The Inspector enters straight after this and again there is more tension built up by him questioning Birling and Sheila but even more so when he begins to question Gerald who reveals that he was with Eva Smith â€Å"last summer,† the act then ends as the Inspector enters and says, â€Å"Well? † This leaves the audience in huge suspense and anticipating what will happen next. After questioning Gerald and Mrs Birling, which adds even more tension when she says that the boy who got Eva Smith pregnant should be, â€Å"compelled to confess in public,† not realising that this boy was her own son Eric, who enters after the Inspector tells her who the boy is. There is huge anxiety and stress now as the inspector has interrogated them all, he leaves with a compelling speech and after this the tension fades away as the family question the Inspectors presence. Was he an Inspector? Was Eva Smith real? They all start to relax apart from the youngest who are ashamed of their behaviour, the eldest seem to be, â€Å"amused,† and the word, â€Å"joke,† reappears, to which straight away the telephone rings, a moments silence creates worry and large amounts of anxiety build up. As Birling tells his family a police Inspector is on his way they all â€Å"stare guiltily and dumbfounded† as the curtain falls. Ending the play here would leave the play open for the audience to make their own decision on what would happen next again this would add tension. Priestley’s intention when adding tension at crucial parts in the play is to make them more memorable and for the audience to really think about the characters involved. It also highlights his message that he is trying to get across; we should all live as a community and see each other as equals. â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† and â€Å"An Inspector Calls,† are similar as they both contain the supernatural and the idea of fate. â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† involves ghosts and spirits, which give us the message that if we do not change our ways for the better we will be punished. This is also true for, â€Å"An Inspector Calls,† as it has a philosophical theme that society needs to change, however, the supernatural is only hinted at as the characters suspect that the Inspector wasn’t real and they have no proof that he was. The Inspector had a moralising almost prophet like presence similar to the spirits. Priestley’s play follows Ouspensky’s theory, as the Inspector is the extraordinary person who changes the lives of the Birling household. Even though Dickens did not know this theory it can be compared to it, as his novel is based on a very similar theme. In, â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† the gifted or extraordinary people who change lives are the spirits. Both texts also follow the concept that in our lives there are significant moments we make which can lead to disaster or salvation; in â€Å"An Inspector Calls,† the Inspector analyses these moments and tries to make the characters see where they have gone wrong. In, â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† Scrooge sees his past present and future and realises that he too has made the wrong decisions in life and plans to change them. The Characters in both stories can also be compared for their similarities; there are the villains; Scrooge and Birling, who are written to be disliked. Both are ignorant, arrogant and have no sense of community that both authors are for. They both symbolise the capitalist businessmen who turn a blind eye to everyone else. In both narratives there are also the victims of the villains behaviour and actions; Tiny Tim and Eva Smith. These characters symbolise the poor; Eva Smith represents the lives of many women of that time. We learn that even though she has been hard done to, she still has the highest morals; she didn’t accept the stolen money that Eric offered her and reclined his offer of marriage, as he didn’t love her. Preistly writes her this way to show that these women are not bad people and that they should not be judged on their social class. Tiny Tim symbolises the poor in, â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† as he creates sympathy for the reader; he is ill and still tries to enjoy life. In both texts, the victims die as part of the villain cruel and unjust behaviour. Both also have a theme of repentance; Eric and Shelia are deeply sorry and ashamed of how they behaved and plan to change their ways if possible. Marley also carries this theme of regret when he comes and warns Scrooge to alter. Each of these characters represents the authors beliefs that we should change become a stronger community and disregard each other’s differences. In both texts there are differences, the obvious being that one is a novel and one is a play. This variation effects how the messages are conveyed; â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† shows the message clearly, and goes into more detail about characters emotions. â€Å"An Inspector Calls,† illustrates the message in a less obvious way and leaves the audience thinking more about its message. The characters emotions can only really be displayed when acting which would give the audience a much clearer image. The more realistic of the two is, â€Å"An Inspector Calls,† because it contains less of the supernatural which makes it easier to believe. â€Å"A Christmas Carol,† could be called a fairytale, as the idea of ghosts and spirits is very unrealistic. Scrooge changes his attitudes through out the novel and is a totally different person from the beginning to the end. This can be said for the younger members of the Birling family; Sheila and Eric both feel wrong and guilty. They too, plan to change how they behave and act. Nevertheless, Mr Birling and Mrs Birling show no signs of changing their capitalist beliefs and they don’t plan to act any differently than before.

“Trifles”

Angel Parrett Professor Muller English 106/ Drama Essay 15 May 2006 Drama Essay Trifles Trifles, Susan Glaspell’s play written in 1916, reveal concerns of women living in a male dominated society. Glaspell communicates the role that women were expected to play in late 19th century society and the harm that can come of it to women, as well as men. The feminist agenda of Trifles was made obvious, in order to portray the lives of all women who live oppressed under male domination. John and Minnie Wright are two main characters who are never seen; however provide the incident for the play.In this play women are against men, Minnie against her husband, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters against their husband’s, as well as men in general. The men are arrogant and insensitive, while the women are sympathetic, as well as understanding and forgive Minnie for the murder of her husband. Trifles clearly addresses gender issues, emphasizing the oppression of women who lose their identity aft er marriage. This is depicted in the interactions between Mrs. Hale, the male characters, and Mrs. Peters. The play takes place in Mr. and Mrs. Wright’s abandon farm house, which is located down a hollow out of view from the road (1006).The setting is lonely and cold, which signifies Minnie Wright’s feelings (lonely) and describes John Wright’s character (cold). Mrs. Hale, the Wright’s neighbor states, â€Å"I’ve never liked this place. Maybe because it’s down in a hollow and you don’t see the road† (1006). This leads the reader to believe that Minnie was lonely and isolated. Mrs. Hale also states, â€Å"†¦. he was a hard man, just to pass the time of day with him (shivers). Like a raw wind that gets to the bone. † This statement was describing a character trait of Mr. Wright; he was thought of as cold.Again Mrs. Hale makes another statement in regards to Mrs. Wright’s surroundings saying, â€Å"It never see med a very cheerful place† (1003). All of these statements speak of how unpleasant Minnie’s surroundings were and signify oppression. Mrs. Hale goes on throughout the play remembering Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster, who she was before her marriage to John Wright. For example she states â€Å"I heard she used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. † (1004). Glaspell uses past tense when describing Minnie’s character prior to marriage. Glaspell also compares Minnie to a bird, something that is carefree.This is stated by Mrs. Hale, â€Å"†¦. she was kind of like a bird herself – real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and –fluttery. How she did change. † (1006). This statement signifies Minnie’s character prior to her marriage and states that she did change after marriage. The description of Minnie’s character prior to her marriage is positive; the ch ange after marriage has a negative connotation. Again Glaspell uses past tense when describing Minnie in a positive light.Toward the end of the play Mrs. Hale is still remembering how happy Mrs. Wright was as Minnie Foster, prior to marriage. She states to Mrs. Peters, â€Å"I wish you’d seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang. † (1008). Glaspell uses vivid description such as the white dress and blue ribbons to paint a picture of how happy Mrs. Wright was before marriage. The color white signifies purity and brightness, it is a happy color. Both colors white and blue are used in our countries flag, which symbolizes freedom. The change in Minnie did not occur until she was married. She was no longer seen as bright and happy. Her happiness changed to loneliness. She lived in isolation on a farm down in a hollow out of site.It is obvious that Mrs. Hale was sensitive to Mrs. Wright’s character. Mrs. Hale knew Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster. Knowing Minnie before marriage made her transformation from Minnie Foster to Mrs. Wright very noticeable to Mrs. Hale. However the male characters in the play had no recognition of any change in Mrs. Wright’s character. The male’s arrogance and insensitive attitudes toward women hinder their ability to gather evidence that ties Mrs. Wright to the murder of her husband. At the beginning of the play Mr. Hale acknowledges the males attitudes toward women without knowing. For example he states, â€Å"†¦.I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John. † (1001). This clearly signifies the male’s insensitivity to women. This statement that Mr. Hale made referring to John and how he does not care what his wife wanted or did not want does not even trigger the question, how was Mrs. Wright treated by her husband? Women were clearly not has important as the men. The men disregard women’s opinions and don’t give a thought to women’s needs or wants. Mr. Hale was speaking of John, Mrs. Wright’s dead husband in the above example; however Mr. Hale also expresses his insensitivity and arrogant attitude toward women.Mr. Hale states, â€Å"Well women are used to worrying over trifles. † (1003). Trifles something that is small, of no consequence, this is how Mr. Hale thinks of women. The things women are concerned with are of no importance, they are petty. This is an obvious illustration of the men’s arrogant and insensitive attitudes toward women. Mr. Hale was not the only male character who demonstrated arrogance and insensitivity toward women. The Sheriff who was investigating Mr. Wright’s murder also demonstrated arrogance and insensitivity, hindering his ability to tie Mrs. Wright to the murder.The sheriff states, â€Å"Held for murder and worrying about preserves. † (1003). This signifies how he feels that women worry ov er trifles, as stated by Mr. Hale. He insinuates that even when a woman is put in a very hard situation, she only worries over little insignificant things that are of no importance. It does not occur to the sheriff that Mrs. Wright would be worrying about the outcome of her future. This demonstrates his arrogance as well as his insensitivity. The county attorney who is also investigating the murder of Mrs. Wright’s husband adds to the male’s arrogant and insensitive attitudes.Toward the end of the play the county attorney states, â€Å"For that matter a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. †(1008). This statement contributes to the arrogant, insensitive male attitudes toward women. Again the men feel that they are the only ones of importance. This demonstrates male domination in the relation between husband and wife. Women no longer have their own identity after marriage; they are identified by their husband’s. Glaspell also uses the titles of the characters to portray this. All of the male characters in the play are identified by first and last name or career itle, (John Wright or Sheriff etc. ) which stresses importance. The women are identified by their husband’s last name only, except for Minnie (Minnie Foster) when Mrs. Hale is remembering her before marriage.Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife has accepted her identity loss and taken on her husband’s as her own. Throughout the play she only identifies with her husband, which demonstrates that she no longer has her own identity. During the scene when the men are going through Mrs. Wright’s kitchen cabinets and criticizing her domestic skills, Mrs. Hale defends Mrs. Wright. However Mrs. Peters agrees with the men. Mrs. Peters states, â€Å"Of course it’s no more than their duty. † This is one of the first scenes in which Mrs. Peters demonstrates that she has given up her own identity and taken on her husband’s, the sheriff. Th e men including, the sheriff, Mrs. Peters husband, are suppose to be investigating Mr. Wright’s murder, instead they are concerned with domestics. It is wrong for the men to be criticizing Mrs. Wright over things that don’t pertain to the investigation. The men are not doing their duty, which is to be investigating the murder; they are more concerned with the facts pertaining to Mrs. Wright being a good homemaker.Because of their insensitivity toward women, they do not even give a thought as to why the house was in disarray, which would have given them the evidence they needed to prove Mrs. Wright did murder her husband, because she was oppressed. Mrs. Hale acknowledges that the men are not doing their duty, however Mrs. Peters fails to see this. During the investigation Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find a half finished quilt that Mrs. Wright was making. This was a key piece of evidence due to the way she was piecing it together; she was knotting it, just like the knot in the rope that was used to choke the life out of Mr. Wright.However the sheriff just made a sarcastic comment toward the quilt, which all the men laughed at. Mrs. Hale was upset at the criticism, however Mrs. Peters stated, â€Å"Of course they’ve got awful important things on their minds. † (1005). Again Mrs. Peters defends her husband, the sheriff, not realizing if he were doing his job he would take everything in the home seriously. Due to his arrogant and insensitive attitude he passes up a crucial part of evidence. His doe s not even question that the quilt would link Mrs. Wright to the murder.His mentality when he sees Mrs. Hale and Peters looking at the quilt to see how Mrs. Wright was going to piece it together is that they are women worrying over trifles. Mrs. Peters has become so accepting of being less important than her husband, that she does not take any offense to how he views women. It is as if she views men thinking less of women, their duty. Toward the end of the play Mrs. Peters is brought to the realization that she has accepted her husband’s identity and no longer has her own. She describes Mrs. Wright’s life as stillness, subdued with no future advancement.In conversation with Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters states, â€Å"I know what stillness is. † (1008). Here she is recognizing that Mrs. Wright was oppressed, living dominated by Mr. Wright. However she goes on to say â€Å"I know what stillness is. The law has got to punish crime, Mrs. Hale. † (1008). This demonstrates that she does acknowledge the life Mrs. Wright was living, however she still defends her husbands identity, rather than her own as an oppressed women living under male domination. Despite her feelings she still tries to reinforce the identity of her husband the sheriff, which society has cast on women. It does not occur to Mrs. Peters until the end of the play the she is only thought of as the sheriff’s wife, not a person with her o wn identity.The county attorney states â€Å"for that matter a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters? † Mrs. Peters replies â€Å"Not – just that way. † (1008). She did not have much of a reply regarding the county attorney’s question. This signifies that the realization was just brought to her attention, she was so accepting of males arrogant and insensitive attitudes toward women, that she did not realize that her own identity had been lost. The title, Trifles reflects how men viewed women in the late 19th century. Women were viewed as something small, unimportant, and of no consequence.This arrogant and insensitive attitude caused the men of the play to be clueless in their investigation of Mr. Wright’s murder. The women discovered the clues of the murder among what the men looked at as insignificant, women’s work. The feminist strategy was not only used to portray women who live under male do mination and oppression, but also as a message from women to men. It is a call for women to use their perceived powerlessness as a tool to manipulate the system, and a warning to men that a system where one segment of the population dominates and oppresses another cannot and will not be tolerated forever (hongik).Glaspell successfully portrayed the message. We have come a long way since the late 19th century in regards to the way men view women. Gender roles have definitely under gone major transformations. Unlike Mrs. Wright women no longer have to lose their own identity after marriage. Women are accepted for their own identity and are expected to have their own identity even after marriage. These gender roles are becoming more and more encouraged with every generation. We are all now free like the bird Glaspell compares Minnie Foster to before her marriage; we can have opportunities that are adventurous and the boundaries are wide. â€Å"Trifles† Angel Parrett Professor Muller English 106/ Drama Essay 15 May 2006 Drama Essay Trifles Trifles, Susan Glaspell’s play written in 1916, reveal concerns of women living in a male dominated society. Glaspell communicates the role that women were expected to play in late 19th century society and the harm that can come of it to women, as well as men. The feminist agenda of Trifles was made obvious, in order to portray the lives of all women who live oppressed under male domination. John and Minnie Wright are two main characters who are never seen; however provide the incident for the play.In this play women are against men, Minnie against her husband, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters against their husband’s, as well as men in general. The men are arrogant and insensitive, while the women are sympathetic, as well as understanding and forgive Minnie for the murder of her husband. Trifles clearly addresses gender issues, emphasizing the oppression of women who lose their identity aft er marriage. This is depicted in the interactions between Mrs. Hale, the male characters, and Mrs. Peters. The play takes place in Mr. and Mrs. Wright’s abandon farm house, which is located down a hollow out of view from the road (1006).The setting is lonely and cold, which signifies Minnie Wright’s feelings (lonely) and describes John Wright’s character (cold). Mrs. Hale, the Wright’s neighbor states, â€Å"I’ve never liked this place. Maybe because it’s down in a hollow and you don’t see the road† (1006). This leads the reader to believe that Minnie was lonely and isolated. Mrs. Hale also states, â€Å"†¦. he was a hard man, just to pass the time of day with him (shivers). Like a raw wind that gets to the bone. † This statement was describing a character trait of Mr. Wright; he was thought of as cold.Again Mrs. Hale makes another statement in regards to Mrs. Wright’s surroundings saying, â€Å"It never see med a very cheerful place† (1003). All of these statements speak of how unpleasant Minnie’s surroundings were and signify oppression. Mrs. Hale goes on throughout the play remembering Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster, who she was before her marriage to John Wright. For example she states â€Å"I heard she used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. † (1004). Glaspell uses past tense when describing Minnie’s character prior to marriage. Glaspell also compares Minnie to a bird, something that is carefree.This is stated by Mrs. Hale, â€Å"†¦. she was kind of like a bird herself – real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and –fluttery. How she did change. † (1006). This statement signifies Minnie’s character prior to her marriage and states that she did change after marriage. The description of Minnie’s character prior to her marriage is positive; the ch ange after marriage has a negative connotation. Again Glaspell uses past tense when describing Minnie in a positive light.Toward the end of the play Mrs. Hale is still remembering how happy Mrs. Wright was as Minnie Foster, prior to marriage. She states to Mrs. Peters, â€Å"I wish you’d seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang. † (1008). Glaspell uses vivid description such as the white dress and blue ribbons to paint a picture of how happy Mrs. Wright was before marriage. The color white signifies purity and brightness, it is a happy color. Both colors white and blue are used in our countries flag, which symbolizes freedom. The change in Minnie did not occur until she was married. She was no longer seen as bright and happy. Her happiness changed to loneliness. She lived in isolation on a farm down in a hollow out of site.It is obvious that Mrs. Hale was sensitive to Mrs. Wright’s character. Mrs. Hale knew Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster. Knowing Minnie before marriage made her transformation from Minnie Foster to Mrs. Wright very noticeable to Mrs. Hale. However the male characters in the play had no recognition of any change in Mrs. Wright’s character. The male’s arrogance and insensitive attitudes toward women hinder their ability to gather evidence that ties Mrs. Wright to the murder of her husband. At the beginning of the play Mr. Hale acknowledges the males attitudes toward women without knowing. For example he states, â€Å"†¦.I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John. † (1001). This clearly signifies the male’s insensitivity to women. This statement that Mr. Hale made referring to John and how he does not care what his wife wanted or did not want does not even trigger the question, how was Mrs. Wright treated by her husband? Women were clearly not has important as the men. The men disregard women’s opinions and don’t give a thought to women’s needs or wants. Mr. Hale was speaking of John, Mrs. Wright’s dead husband in the above example; however Mr. Hale also expresses his insensitivity and arrogant attitude toward women.Mr. Hale states, â€Å"Well women are used to worrying over trifles. † (1003). Trifles something that is small, of no consequence, this is how Mr. Hale thinks of women. The things women are concerned with are of no importance, they are petty. This is an obvious illustration of the men’s arrogant and insensitive attitudes toward women. Mr. Hale was not the only male character who demonstrated arrogance and insensitivity toward women. The Sheriff who was investigating Mr. Wright’s murder also demonstrated arrogance and insensitivity, hindering his ability to tie Mrs. Wright to the murder.The sheriff states, â€Å"Held for murder and worrying about preserves. † (1003). This signifies how he feels that women worry ov er trifles, as stated by Mr. Hale. He insinuates that even when a woman is put in a very hard situation, she only worries over little insignificant things that are of no importance. It does not occur to the sheriff that Mrs. Wright would be worrying about the outcome of her future. This demonstrates his arrogance as well as his insensitivity. The county attorney who is also investigating the murder of Mrs. Wright’s husband adds to the male’s arrogant and insensitive attitudes.Toward the end of the play the county attorney states, â€Å"For that matter a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. †(1008). This statement contributes to the arrogant, insensitive male attitudes toward women. Again the men feel that they are the only ones of importance. This demonstrates male domination in the relation between husband and wife. Women no longer have their own identity after marriage; they are identified by their husband’s. Glaspell also uses the titles of the characters to portray this. All of the male characters in the play are identified by first and last name or career itle, (John Wright or Sheriff etc. ) which stresses importance. The women are identified by their husband’s last name only, except for Minnie (Minnie Foster) when Mrs. Hale is remembering her before marriage.Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife has accepted her identity loss and taken on her husband’s as her own. Throughout the play she only identifies with her husband, which demonstrates that she no longer has her own identity. During the scene when the men are going through Mrs. Wright’s kitchen cabinets and criticizing her domestic skills, Mrs. Hale defends Mrs. Wright. However Mrs. Peters agrees with the men. Mrs. Peters states, â€Å"Of course it’s no more than their duty. † This is one of the first scenes in which Mrs. Peters demonstrates that she has given up her own identity and taken on her husband’s, the sheriff. Th e men including, the sheriff, Mrs. Peters husband, are suppose to be investigating Mr. Wright’s murder, instead they are concerned with domestics. It is wrong for the men to be criticizing Mrs. Wright over things that don’t pertain to the investigation. The men are not doing their duty, which is to be investigating the murder; they are more concerned with the facts pertaining to Mrs. Wright being a good homemaker.Because of their insensitivity toward women, they do not even give a thought as to why the house was in disarray, which would have given them the evidence they needed to prove Mrs. Wright did murder her husband, because she was oppressed. Mrs. Hale acknowledges that the men are not doing their duty, however Mrs. Peters fails to see this. During the investigation Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find a half finished quilt that Mrs. Wright was making. This was a key piece of evidence due to the way she was piecing it together; she was knotting it, just like the knot in the rope that was used to choke the life out of Mr. Wright.However the sheriff just made a sarcastic comment toward the quilt, which all the men laughed at. Mrs. Hale was upset at the criticism, however Mrs. Peters stated, â€Å"Of course they’ve got awful important things on their minds. † (1005). Again Mrs. Peters defends her husband, the sheriff, not realizing if he were doing his job he would take everything in the home seriously. Due to his arrogant and insensitive attitude he passes up a crucial part of evidence. His doe s not even question that the quilt would link Mrs. Wright to the murder.His mentality when he sees Mrs. Hale and Peters looking at the quilt to see how Mrs. Wright was going to piece it together is that they are women worrying over trifles. Mrs. Peters has become so accepting of being less important than her husband, that she does not take any offense to how he views women. It is as if she views men thinking less of women, their duty. Toward the end of the play Mrs. Peters is brought to the realization that she has accepted her husband’s identity and no longer has her own. She describes Mrs. Wright’s life as stillness, subdued with no future advancement.In conversation with Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters states, â€Å"I know what stillness is. † (1008). Here she is recognizing that Mrs. Wright was oppressed, living dominated by Mr. Wright. However she goes on to say â€Å"I know what stillness is. The law has got to punish crime, Mrs. Hale. † (1008). This demonstrates that she does acknowledge the life Mrs. Wright was living, however she still defends her husbands identity, rather than her own as an oppressed women living under male domination. Despite her feelings she still tries to reinforce the identity of her husband the sheriff, which society has cast on women. It does not occur to Mrs. Peters until the end of the play the she is only thought of as the sheriff’s wife, not a person with her o wn identity.The county attorney states â€Å"for that matter a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters? † Mrs. Peters replies â€Å"Not – just that way. † (1008). She did not have much of a reply regarding the county attorney’s question. This signifies that the realization was just brought to her attention, she was so accepting of males arrogant and insensitive attitudes toward women, that she did not realize that her own identity had been lost. The title, Trifles reflects how men viewed women in the late 19th century. Women were viewed as something small, unimportant, and of no consequence.This arrogant and insensitive attitude caused the men of the play to be clueless in their investigation of Mr. Wright’s murder. The women discovered the clues of the murder among what the men looked at as insignificant, women’s work. The feminist strategy was not only used to portray women who live under male do mination and oppression, but also as a message from women to men. It is a call for women to use their perceived powerlessness as a tool to manipulate the system, and a warning to men that a system where one segment of the population dominates and oppresses another cannot and will not be tolerated forever (hongik).Glaspell successfully portrayed the message. We have come a long way since the late 19th century in regards to the way men view women. Gender roles have definitely under gone major transformations. Unlike Mrs. Wright women no longer have to lose their own identity after marriage. Women are accepted for their own identity and are expected to have their own identity even after marriage. These gender roles are becoming more and more encouraged with every generation. We are all now free like the bird Glaspell compares Minnie Foster to before her marriage; we can have opportunities that are adventurous and the boundaries are wide.

Exploring Dramatic Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exploring Dramatic Arts - Essay Example Dr Vivian is stern at most times with her students. For example, when one of her students ask for a deadline extension of an essay due to the demise of her grandmother, Dr Vivian responded in a very unsympathetic way: â€Å"Do what you will, but the paper is due when it is due† (Edson, â€Å"Think Tank: About Life, Death and the Pause That Separates Them†). Little did she realize that her unconforming attitude would later cause her own distress. Another character is Susie Monahan, a registered nurse who took care of Dr Vivian during her last moments. Her role in the play is just as important as the other major characters in a sense that she subtly revealed the main message of the play, that is, to realize that intellect is just part of being a human, and that there are other things that should not be discounted: kindness, love, and care. Other character like Jason, who was a former student of Dr Vivian, can be labelled as a non-biological offspring of Dr Vivien. As her former student, Jason absorbed so much of the resounding principles of Dr Vivian for intellect and education. Jason turns out to be a significant element in the play that induces Dr Vivian to recognize her mistakes as an individual and as a teacher. Jason sees Dr Vivian as nothing but a sick body when he yelled to Susie, â€Å"She's Research! â€Å" (Cohen, â€Å"Margaret Edison’s Wit: An Audience Guide†). Jason made Dr Vivian realize that being human needs not just wit or knowledge but also things that are simple; real. The play Wit written by Margaret Edson affords me a whole new understanding of life. It introduces me to what is more important: things that are more important than intellect, fame or money. After reading the play, I realized that every person who walks this world should preclude himself or herself from taking a step outside of reality. Dr Vivian escaped from reality when she entirely bent all her focus to literature and on becoming the best scholar in her field; and started to stay away from normalcy. She lost the common human trait of sympathy and compassion. She developed the thought that every person can live a single existence and that there is no such thing as a multi-faceted life. Later she understood that, intellect or wit is just a portion of one’s being. It should not override other essential things that make a human being a human being. While it is also beneficial to be knowledgeable about your chosen field, it should not come at the expense of your existential truth. Personally, I would say Dr Vivian, the lead character of the play Wit, and I are very much alike. I always believe in the gain you can get out of sharpening your knowledge on a particular field of knowledge. Like Dr Vivian, I relatively developed a personality that is averse to living a life that embraces minimalism. I would say that one can be more useful if he or she knows a lot of things; and even when it comes to the most sensitive and confro nting issues of life, like death, superior intellect and deep grasp of the philosophical notions of life will simply let death pass by without causing any distress or anxiety. Nevertheless, Dr Vivian and I also have characteristics that, I would say, are not similar. Dr Bearing, because of her concentration to knowledge and intellect, she failed to recognize other aspects of her being. She only values her brain, which for her, is her most important organ. She displays unfeeling and stubborn behaviour to the people surrounding her. I have not gone this far. While Dr Vivian and I are very mu

Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership - Term Paper Example He has enough self-esteem in that he believes in his ideas and capabilities. For example, he is able to stick to his decisions, without letting others overpower him. He is extremely intelligent in understanding situations and acting accordingly. For example, he quickly understands conflicts and reaches the best solution. However, he is not extraverted. This enables him to maintain a distance between him and employees. For example, he does not attend parties that employees throw at their homes. He has enough conscientiousness. He is very considerate toward ethical and legal issues of a situation. For example, he always pays salaries in time. Bob is not open to experience. He is shy of trying new things. For example, he sticks to his technique of communicating face-to-face with employees rather than trying video conferencing. Trait Theory- Manager 2 (Ronald) Ronald is deficient in integrity in that he does not bother about sticking to principles. For example, he is in a relationship wi th a female coworker, when workplace relationships are prohibited in the company. He lacks self-esteem because he does not care about how others judge him. For example, he was caught dating on site, but showed no regrets, and continued dating. However, he is extremely intelligent in understanding the nature of problems. ... For example, he has been charged due to having involved in gender discrimination. He is open to experience. He is imaginative, and is not concerned about what people think of him. For example, he tries new ways of conflict resolution rather than sticking to older ones. Acquired Needs Theory- Manager 1 Bob shows his need to become authoritative, powerful, and influential. For example, he wants to make his voice heard in front of opposition, and wants to be given value. He is very much achievement oriented. He seeks to achieve his goals through hard work and endurance. He looks forward to upward progress in his job. For example, he becomes happy when he accomplishes a milestone within deadline. Bob also needs affiliation in that he tries to develop friendly work relations, despite being an introvert. He urges to keep workplace environment happy. For example, he regularly calls all employees individually to himself, listens to their work and family problems, and tries to solve them. Acq uired Needs Theory- Manager 2 Ronald is power-oriented. He shows his need to be powerful by taking charge of teams. He shows authority while resolving conflicts. For example, once resolving a conflict between two parties, he presented his solution, and forced the parties to accept it. However, he does not seem to be focused on achievement. He does not seem to wish for upward progress. For example, he does not care about deadlines, and is often asking for new ones from the customers. He, also, does not need affiliation. He does not try to foster healthy relationships with labor. Although he is an extravert, yet he is not very liked among lower class workers, like canteen boys and sweepers. For example, he is often found yelling at the peon. Summary:

A Historical Analysis of Ibne Sinas Life and Contributions to Modern Essay

A Historical Analysis of Ibne Sinas Life and Contributions to Modern Science - Essay Example As a physical, Avicenna is well-known for his book the Canon (al-Qanun fi’l-Tibb). This book had played a crucial role in pre-modern medical education in both Europe and in Medieval Islamic Empire. Also Avicenna’s philosophical book â€Å"summa the Cure† (al-Shifa’) was also influential in European scholasticism. It is believed that â€Å"Summa the Cure† once heavily influenced the famous western philosopher Thomas Aquinas. As a philosopher, Avicenna’s success lies in the fact that he had been able to find out an interrelation between one’s belief in God and man’s existential being. So, Avicenna can be assumed to be the foremost Islamic philosophic thinker. The theoretical space that he provides for God as the Essential Being necessarily builds up the groundwork for his â€Å"theories of the soul, intellect and cosmos† (Goodman 43). Indeed, he successfully articulated that God is necessarily the foundation or origin of al l the tangible and intangible existence of this universe. Avicenna, the famous Muslim philosopher and physician, was born in a village named Qishlak Afshona in Uzbekistan (which was then called Bukhara) in 980 AD. His mother Setareh was a traditional housewife fro Bukhara and his father, Abdullah was a well-honored Islamic scholar who came to Bukhara from Balkh which was a famous city of the Samanid Empire.

Concert Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Concert Report - Assignment Example The other being a concert of eccentric performances in a place by the name of Jamming & Apos,: Java in Vienna. Both of the genres of music were new to me but I had an open mind to the experiences. To deeply understand and enjoy music, we must learn to appreciate other genres as well, since music is intertwined. For this music report, I would like to particularly focus on the musical pieces that intrigued me, and the overall experience (Medearis 134). The classical concert involved a sophisticated performance from a number of instruments, which represented different types of music. The atmosphere of the concert was very intense, probably since the concert was housed in a performance hall that could be approximately to the size of a living room, with the capacity to house a maximum seating of approximately 80 people. The chamber performances had two separate parts, having an intermission of approximately 15 minutes apart. There was a group of artists who sat in a uniform manner by the size of the instruments. This group was known as the Washington Symphony. In addition to this, there was an orchestra that was mainly formed by a group of older individuals, wearing black outfits. The beginning of the concert was colorful and rich as two pieces, by the violin and the cello were featured. The two pieces presented an aspect of magnificent darkness since the steady tempo and continuo bass was maintained in the whole piece. The cello, which was more pronounced, gave most of the melodies. At the time the harmonies seemed very piercing to my ear. For an individual with limited knowledge in musical melodies and harmonies, the unusual combination would have been difficult to digest. I personally interpreted the melodies to be carriers of emotion, which was intercepted with sudden burst of anger from the bass which made the piece exciting. There was also a piece that sounded like a love song, it was slow and smooth. I found

Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Social Theory Essay

Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Social Theory - Essay Example The key points of this analysis are the medical background and history of the patient, the psychological and sociological factors affecting her and her health, and finally how the patient and those psychological and sociological factors fit into a larger theoretical and policy framework. About the Patient In the interests of maintaining confidentiality and respecting patient privacy, I will be referring to this patient as Mrs. X. Due to her rapidly deteriorating mental and physical condition, Mrs. X's residential care home was no longer capable of providing the nursing services she required, and she was subsequently transferred into the mental health ward. Mrs. X has vascular dementia or Alzheimer's disease and has been declared legally incompetent to make her own medical decisions. In addition, she is prone to mild absence seizures, causing disorientation and occasional falls, though they do not induce unconsciousness. She is receiving phenytoin to treat the seizures. Mrs. X's behavioural issues have progressively worsened to the point that she requires full care and constant monitoring. She will wander the halls of the ward at night screaming. Her husband believes that many of her mental issues are related to her lack of sleep, which does make her agitated and irritable during the day. She has difficulty communicating her needs, as she is completely non-verbal. This factor alone is greatly complicating her nursing care. Other complicating factors in Mrs. X's care are her dislike for the staff to attempt personal hygiene or care needs, and her refusal to comply with treatment regimens. For example, she was found to be refusing her medication by hiding pills in her mouth, and had to be switched to liquid suspensions. Psychological and Sociological Factors It is difficult to assess Mrs. X's psychological condition exactly, due to her dementia and non-verbal state; however, it is safe to say that she is clearly unhappy with the current situation. Th is is a concern, as a patient's psychological state is often directly related to their ability to heal when hurt or to keep themselves healthy in the first place (Gross, 2007). Even on the first layer of the Whitehead-Dahlgren model of psychological influences, her physical state of being, most effects on Mrs. X are strongly negative (Marks & Evans, 2005). She often seems unaware of her surroundings, becoming lost within the building, which is a traumatising event for her. This most often occurs at night when she wanders. Her sleeplessness is due to severe insomnia, a condition that further damages her poor psychological state. She is helpless to do anything for herself, unable even to eat, drink, or use the toilet without help. Even in her mentally compromised state, this level of dependence on others causes her a significant amount of distress. This is evidenced by her dislike mentioned earlier for staff members trying to attend to her personal care. She is in pain due to arthriti s and frequent constipation, which also negatively impacts her psychological well-being. On the second layer and third layers, her lifestyle factors and social networks, the situation is equally as poor (Marks & Evans, 2005). She upsets the other patients by screaming and yelling, with the result that she has very little positive social contact with them. She

Analysis of Bay Coasts Housing and Rental Research Paper

Analysis of Bay Coasts Housing and Rental - Research Paper Example Another house no. 20 of 11 years old claimed rental return of 5% though the house price is not very high but the rent charged is comparatively higher in comparison with house number 99. The house has AC fitted .In comparison with house number 99 the location of this house is excellent within half a kilometer of the railway station. House number 8 that is ownership house claims a higher rental ratio because it is also located very close to railway station. The house is made of timber but the condition is good and tough. It is 42 years old. There is no other special feature in this house. House no18 is located far from the rail or bus stand. It is 16 year old. The rental return ratio of the house is 6.6.This house should have claimed higher rent for but for the poor maintenance could not get. House no.21 is old with 220 square meter area priced at $437000 only but the rent charged is comparatively higher to yield 5.8% return on rent. This house is also located very close to bus stand and therefore claimed higher rent. The overall best feature of these high RRR fetching house is the location near the railway station or bus stand or the shopping center or all. Maintenance is also a factor to determine higher rent and RRR. House no.94 and 89 both have 170 sq m area of space claiming very high price of $1213000 and $1274000 but get the lowest RRR. House number 94 is new but no 89 is 38 years old. The house no. 94 provides AC but in poor condition. It has a bay view and is very close to the bus stand and the shopping center. It is built of bricks and new. The rent claimed is very low because it is poorly maintained. Good maintenance can be helpful in getting high rent. The house no.89 is non-AC, poorly maintained but with very good street image of 10 and situated near the shopping center. The rent received is very low. They badly require maintenance to boost up the image and confidence of people to pay more. The highest rent $740 claimed by house no.115 yielded RRR of 2.3% only which is quite lower compared to that of house no.1 of

Race, ethnicity, gender identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Race, ethnicity, gender identity - Essay Example large number of Asian and Hispanic immigrants migrating to the American sub continent, which is perceived as an alternative avenue of economic attainment, has led to an emergence of an ethnic economy. Besides, the availability of cheap labor and better knowhow at substantially lower prices has led the companies to hire people from every corner of the world. Also the jobs that were initially considered as a â€Å"man’s domain† no longer exist. Companies today do not shy away from hiring the fairer sex in areas where men were given more prudence, as talent is what counts in this fast paced world. The gender gap too has narrowed leading to a culturally diverse work environment. However, this has brought along with it several far reaching repercussions. In a bid to hire cheap and efficient labor several companies today, are increasingly hiring people from all corners of the world, sometimes replacing foreigners in place of the indigenous workforce. This, in turn has led to discrimination on various grounds including gender, ethnicity and race. In spite of the fact that the work environment is increasingly becoming culturally diverse, many organizations still look for the heterosexual male worker usually belonging to the culturally dominant group, as an able candidate for the job. The rest of the work force, who do not conform to the said definition, are subjected to discrimination on various grounds, including age (senior citizens), gender, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, as well as physical disability. In the United States and several other developed countries, there exists widespread discrimination against women especially of the African American descent. They are often subjected to restricted occupations and their occupational mobility is seldom high as regards their positions or levels in the organization. This could be attributed to the popular perceptions about their competence, among their white counterparts, which apparently isn’t too encouraging.

IB Biology Substrate Specificity of Digestive Enzymes Planning Essay

IB Biology Substrate Specificity of Digestive Enzymes Planning Investigation - Essay Example There are two proposed mechanisms by which enzymes specificity can be put forward, 1) Lock and key model; where substrate act as key for enzyme as lock or in other words enzyme possess specific grooves where only specific substrate can be fixed 2) Induced fix model; where enzyme creates site for substrate when it comes in contact with it. In the given experiment we will investigate the substrate specificity of enzyme amylase towards its substrate Starch. We will also investigate the effect of various physical parameters like temperature, pH, enzyme concentration etc. 3. Hypothesis: Amylase has absolute specificity toward starch and will not act on any other polysaccharides. Similarly rate of conversion of starch to glucose is highly influenced by various factors like temperature, enzyme concentration and pH. The tubes were arranged and 5ml of Starch, Cellulose and glycogen solution was added to them and incubated at 37C in water bath for 2-3min to allow the temperature of solution reach to 37C (water bath was switch on before experiment was started and was at set temperature). Tubes were observed for red to brick red color indicating liberation of glucose. Appropriate blanks were kept to validate overall experimental procedure that includes Starch solution without amylase, tubes without starch or substrate etc. Development of red color indicates activity of Amylase and thus generation of glucose. 7. Control variables: Temperature: Test tubes were arranged as mentioned earlier and 5ml of starch solution was added to them. Three different temperatures were used in this experiment. The water baths were set at 20C, 37C and 45C. When the substrate attained the temperature, 1ml of saliva was added to each tube and further incubated for 15min. After incubation few drops of benedict's reagents were added to each and further incubated for 5 min. Color development was observed as above and noted.

Stagnant Democracy Essay Example for Free

Stagnant Democracy Essay Democracy, whether in its early or current state, needs constant improvement even if it is a government system that is highly respectful of its constituents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Henry David Thoreau lived at a time when democracy was finally being recognized as oppressive in itself because the governing system was becoming stagnant.   The laws that citizens had to abide to were being criticized because of the injustice its system was already imposing on other races like Mexicans and Negroes.   Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson have simply seen that the legal system has become inefficient if not a means for oppression because of its taxes and treatment of others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Society needs persons like Thoreau and Emerson because they are people who are able to see and declare the evils of society.   Only when declarations such as those made by them are given attention can any government or system improve.   It is upon reflection of their ideas when true great men can enact changes that would be able to improve an always imperfect society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Thoreau and Emerson, even if they can be deemed as rebellious, do represent the traditional Western or American values because what they espoused in their writings were still democratic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thoreau, although he hints on individualism and disadvantages of the political system in his suggestions for civil disobedience, is merely applying his very rational beliefs and principles.   He is merely promoting a different concept that will be actually for the good of his community.   His suggestion for a non-violent revolution is democratic in itself because it is peaceful. Thoreau believes that every man has the power to enact change in his society even if he is not part of a majority. He says that a vote may be an act of one to show his agreement or dissent on certain issues but this is not enough to really change what is wrong in society.   He sees the exercise of voting as not enough.   To be true to one’s self would be to express fully what one is against to†¦ such as the way he has been stubborn (and consequently punished) in his non-payment of certain taxes.   He believes in the government because it can organize communities peacefully but insists that a political body can only be truly successful if it respects the individual.   In this way, he is actually espousing the very basic principle of democracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He may seem rebellious when he attacks the government for imposing the taxes for Christianity but the basic formulations of his principles are very Christian. He believes that he is able to give back his spiritual obligations in other ways which are more useful to society.   His writings are testimony of his own contribution to the community he belongs to.   He insists that taxes are merely oppressive when people blindly pay it while they can share their skills and talents in other forms that will serve the community just as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emerson is also representative of the liberal American or Western values because he is able to find the freedom of speech to attack the problems of the society.   The theme of self-reliance is not selfish but civic because it upholds the dignity of an individual which in turn can contribute better to society.   He believes that the society during his time is already in need of a wake up call because of its reliance on conformity and consistency. He saw that men were becoming cowards to express what is fair and just because of the need to adapt to the opinions of other who are simply obeying the laws blindly.   He sees that most people are already trapped into making very wrong decisions because of the fear that people will attack their views and actions because of what they had done in the past. According to Emerson, people who are not able to rely on their instincts with regard to what is right and wrong because they are always concerned on how society will react to them become prisoners of their cowardice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emerson may seem like a heretic when he attacks the hypocritical expression of faith many Church leaders were making but his views are basically Christ-centered.   His idea that the Church has become overbearing because of its strict adherence to religious laws is true.   Morality, for Emerson, is to look inside one’s self and find the truth and what is ultimately good for the individual and the others who surround him.   He believes that God provided each and every one of us with the instinct to know what is correct or wrong and that too much reliance on Church teachings can lead one to further mistakes simply for the sake of conformity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thomas and Emerson are highly for democracy and God but the way they have expressed themselves can seem rebellious to those who insist in following unjust laws.   As Martin Luther King Jr. has expressed in his own writings, laws that disregard the higher morals it supposedly adheres to are ineffective and disobedience to these is simply necessary. In fact, King is correct in establishing that disobedience is actually democratic and spiritual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Democracy may have established laws that protect the security of many but it is still imperfect.   Individuals like Thoreau and Emerson are truly important to help this political system improve and correct itself.

Language and Mind Essay Example for Free

Language and Mind Essay 1. Which of the following statements about parameters is FALSE? a. They specify the limits on possible differences between languages b. They do not belong to Universal Grammar # c. Their values must be â€Å"set† on the basis of experience 2. From the viewpoint of the principles-and-parameters theory, the process of language acquisition consists of: a. Setting the choice for each parameter that fits the language that is being acquired # b. Storing words and sentences in memory c. Learning the order in which words occur in sentences 3. If some property X is true for all languages, we can conclude that: a. X may be a property that all and only languages have (i.e. a language-unique universal) # b. X must be a general property of all cognitive systems c. X is determined by the universal human articulatory apparatus 4. The fact that young infants do not forget about objects that they have seen after these objects have been taken away is called: a. object shift b. habituation c. object permanence # 5. Consider the following two question sentences: i. When did the boy say he fell out of the tree? ii. When did the boy say how he fell out of the tree? The first question is ambiguous because: a. It is not clearly formulated b. It has two different underlying deep structures # c. It has one sentence embedded in another sentence 6. The statement: perception is ahead of production means that: a. Children can articulate words before they can recognize and understand them b. Children can recognize and understand words and sentences that they cannot yet properly produce themselves# c. Children’s visual abilities are better than their auditory abilities 7. The special way in which parents speak to young infants is called a. Telegraphic speech b. Motherese or parentese# c. Recursion 8. The ‘Critical Period’ that is relevant for first and second language acquisition a. That is correct # b. That is incorrect because it is only relevant for first language acquisition c. That is incorrect because it is only relevant for second language acquisition 9. Genie’s success in acquiring English turned out to be very limited. The greatest problem she had was: a. Learning words b. Understanding what people said to her c. Forming utterances with syntactic structure # 10. Genies case provides important support for: a. The critical period hypothesis # b. The role of ‘motherese’ in language acquisition c. The Poverty of stimulus argument for innateness 11. Imagine the following scenario: Some Japanese people come to Mexico to do business. None of them speaks Spanish, and none of their Mexican partners speaks Japanese. There is no other language that these two groups have in common. Therefore, they have to develop a kind of ‘auxiliary communication system’ that can fit this special circumstance. This system is most likely to be a: a. creole b. pidgin # c. English 12. According to Derek Bickerton a creole language is created by: a. adults who are forced to communicate with each other over a long period of time without having a shared language b. people who need to have a secret language c. children whose linguistic input consists of a pidgin spoken in their community # 13. The fact that children are apparently capable of producing a creole language which has grammatical properties that are not present in the pidgin input can be used as evidence for: a. The view that children have innate knowledge of language structure # b. The view that pidgin languages have hidden grammatical structure c. The view that children are born with blank slate minds 14. For a universal to count as an argument for the IH, which of the following three conditions is NOT necessary: a. The universal must be true of languages only b. We cannot explain the universal in any other way c. The universals must be about the syntax of language# 15. Which of the following is NOT a property of creole languages? a. Creole languages have a very simplified grammar # b. Creole languages have been acquired as first languages c. Creole languages have a fully developed grammar 16. Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. Sign languages differ from spoken languages in being based on visual signals rather than on sound b. Sign languages have emerged spontaneously (i.e. they are not man-made or artificial) just like spoken languages c. Sign languages are fundamentally different from spoken languages in that all signs are necessarily iconic # 17. The existence of sign languages, being fully equivalent in all relevant respects to spoken languages, supports the innateness hypothesis because: a. Both types of languages are processed in totally different brain regions b. Both types of languages depend on the innate principles of the auditory or visual system c. Even though the perceptual modality (audition versus vision) is so different from the spoken language modality, the same kind of grammatical structures are present in both types of languages # 18. The stages that children, who acquire a sign language, go through (after they start babbling) are: a. The same as the stages we see in the acquisition of spoken languages # b. Different in that deaf children skip the two word stage c. Different in that deaf children never get to the point that they form full sentences 19. In the case of Nicaraguan Sign Language, the youngest children changed the unstructured signing of their older peers into a structured language. This is analogous to: a. changing a pidgin into a creole # b. changing a creole into a pidgin c. changing a spoken language into a sign language 20. A simplified form of human communication used by people with no common language is a(n): a. Pidgin language # b. Creole language c. Artificial language 21. Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. All pidgin languages have the same grammar b. All pidgin languages have very simple grammars # c. All pidgin languages have fully developed grammars 22. Which of the following statements is TRUE a. Children can acquire only one languages at the same time b. There are no fixed stages in the acquisition of sign languages c. Foreign language learning after puberty in general leads to imperfect language abilities # 23. The argument that the input that children receive is not rich enough to explain the rich knowledge that they end up with is called: a. The argument from universals b. The argument from stages c. The poverty of the stimulus argument # 24. Evidence for categorical perception in young infants comes from: a. Habituation studies # b. Diary studies c. Longitudinal studies 25. In which stage of language acquisition would children most likely produce a sentence such as â€Å"mommy want milky†? a. Holophrastic stage b. Two word-stage c. Telegraphic stage #

Political Views on Slavery in the US

Political Views on Slavery in the US Mark Dawod Political Compromise DBQ Economics, politics, and society played the biggest roles when it came to making the compromise of slavery agonizingly difficult for the north and south. Economics played its role when it came to making compromise between the two opposing  forces difficult. For one, the Souths society depended on slavery to make their economy prosper,  it was basically the foundation to their entire economy. So much so that they resented a free society (Doc 6). Herald, who was quoted in the New York Tribune in 1856 stated, Free society! We sicken at the name, in which he would go on bashing the north along with their greasy mechanics and filthy operatives. The purpose of this article was to show the Souths hatred toward a society without slaves, which is reliable because without those men laboring in their fields, they would all be living in poverty. Although the Norths economy was prospering and catching up, it was nothing compared to the Souths economy, ranked number four worldwide. During the Second Great Awakening, antislavery movements became more and more common, which angered the South. The Declaration of the National Anti-Slavery Conventio n (Doc 2) wanted to abolish slavery, saying that all laws allowing slavery would therefore be null in void before God. Their purpose for writing this report being that slavery was morally wrong, and therefore it should be terminated once and for all, also since this was written by a small group of people for all to read, I think it was fairly accurate concerning their true beliefs on slavery. This was something the South surely would not have agreed with, however, the Resolution of the Pinckney Committee (Doc 3) was more likely approved by them as it was more like their mindset. Pinckneys Committees Resolution was to keep any further action against slavery from taking place, basically they did not want any more petitions, memorials, propositions, etc. relating to slavery. This documents audience, being the house of representatives, and Pinckneys background with South Carolina, makes this document biased because he was likely a slave owner himself. Differing political views also made compromise difficult. For example, the imbalance of states would lead to angry southerners, or northerners, and cause much more devastating occurrences, for instance, Bleeding Kansas. Popular Sovereignty was strongly supported by the South, and when it was declared that Kansas would not be a slave state, Southerners resented and went ahead making their own legislature in the state, which eventually led to the death of many persons who inhabited Kansas. This wasnt the only time the South resented the federal government. Senator Henry Clay of South Carolina, in his speech to the Senate (Doc 1), argues that South Carolina has the right to defeat certain laws it deems unconstitutional. Since South Carolina believed so heavily in states rights, and that their audience was the Senate, it was likely very biased to support their motives in keeping their slaves and not being absurdly taxed. In Daniel Websters speech to the Senate (Doc 4), he attempts to spe ak as an American, he sides with the south when it came to the North not fully fulfilling their constitutional duties because they refused to follow the Fugitive Slave Act. He also went on to describe how it would be morally impossible to separate the north and south. Since Daniel Webster took the side of both forces, and had the point of view of an American citizen, this source can be considered reliable in viewing the situation from both halves of the country. In Abraham Lincolns speech at Alton, Illinois (Doc 7) he attempts to defend politicians describing how northern politicians and officiers shouldnt be blamed for this difficulty regarding the issue of slavery, but this same power that operates in the minds of these men, is also all around them, in books, religions, and morals. One of these books being Uncle Toms Cabin. Society and the differing beliefs among the common people also played a big role in making compromise difficult, Uncle Toms Cabin, a true story about a slaves experience in the South sparked a major outbreak in antislavery believers, their motives to end slavery suddenly became stronger. The Dred Scott decision also had differing views, for example, the Northern abolitionists saw this as a conspiracy, being that the South had set this up to forever keep slavery in their society as these African American men had no constitutional rights as they were not even citizens, not only that, but they were considered white mans property. The South, however, applauded this Supreme Court decision, as once and for all-or so they thought-they would be able to keep their slaves. Depicted in the illustration in Document 5, Sumner is being attacked by Brooks for verbally attacking Democrats, who the south despised. The purpose of this illustration was likely to depict how the South would result to suc h childish actions to get what they desired. Brooks wasnt just applauded by the South, he was praised, which would make this illustration a reliable forefront to the Souths internal motives. This difficulty in compromising between two differing forces can also relate back to Britains control over the colonists. They wanted, by any means, to tax the colonists as they thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted since the colonies basically belonged to them. This connects back to the issue of slavery and coming to a compromise because each side tried to make it so that they had control and keep what they desired, they would even come to such desperate actions such as starting battles and hitting one another with canes, just as the colonists kept moving west of the proclamation line and the british soldiers being given the right live in any colonists house. Both situations would also eventually lead to a war, required to make peace.

Personal Narrative - Football...and Musicals? :: Personal Narrative Essays

My Love of Football...and Musicals? I am first in my class, an all-state football player, weigh 220 pounds, and can lift up small cars, yet I have a secret which I have kept hidden for years. It rages within me, yearning to break free and reveal itself in both shame and splendor. I can contain it no longer. I must shed my inhibitions and proclaim aloud, "So help me God, I love musicals!" Until now, only my family and those who have had the experience of calling my house in the midst of one of my renditions of the confrontation scene between Javert and Valjean from Les Misérables knew about my passion for musical theater. For years I have endured ridicule from my sisters and their friends who have overheard me belting out the lyrics to "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof while in the shower. Ever since my first musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, seven years ago, I have been obsessed with the telling of stories through melody and verse. My heart leaps when I see that Phantom of the Opera is coming to the local theater, or when Guys and Dolls is appearing on television at one in the morning. Music is the most beautiful and powerful way to relate emotion. Thus, the entire structure of a story is enhanced by presenting action and dialogue through song. The topic of a story can deal with anything from religion, such as in Godspell, to a ravenous man-eating plant (Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors), but no matter which, music brings to life a storyline and places a production forever in one's head by providing a harmony to be continually associated with it. Musicals also provide me with an emotional outlet. When enthralled by a member of the opposite sex, I am wont to burst into a performance of "Maria" from West Side Story. After an exhaustive football practice, my lips chant "I'm Free" from the rock opera Tommy; and at my desk, feeling haughty after getting the highest grade on a calculus test, I sing quietly, "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," from The Pirates of Penzance. I can delve into the recesses of my mind and produce a piece fitting for any occasion, and I take pride in this ability. While preparing this confession, a less musically inclined friend of mine happened upon a rough draft of the revelation.

Oprah Winfrey :: essays research papers

On January 29. 1954 Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to unwed teenage parents in Kosciusko, Mississippi. For the first six years of her life her grandmother raised her on a Mississippi farm. While in her grandmother’s care she was taught to read at a very early age. This grew into a love of reading that she still has today. At the age of six her mother, Vernita Lee, decided that she could care for her daughter and Oprah was sent to live with her mother in Milwaukee. From the age of six to thirteen, Oprah stayed with her mother. During this time a cousin raped her when she was nine years old and later she was molested by a male friend of her mother’s and by an uncle. She never told anyone about the abuse that she was suffering. Instead, she held her angry and pain inside and she rebelled. She repeatedly ran away and got into trouble. She was sent to live with her father Vernon Winfrey in Nashville when she was thirteen. Her father helped her with discipline. He encouraged Oprah to do her best. Oprah’s father helped her turn her life around. Oprah has spoken of his requirement that she read a book each week and completes a book report on the book. At the age of nineteen Oprah landed her first job as a reporter for a radio station in Nashville. Later she entered Tennessee State University to study radio and television broadcasting. In 1976 Oprah Winfrey moved to Baltimore where she hosted a TV show called People Are Talking. The show was a hit and Winfrey stayed for eight years. In 1986 Oprah started the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah has been honored with the most prestigious awards in broadcasting including the George Foster Peabody individual Achievement award in 1996 and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences lifetime Achievement award in 1998. In June 1998,