ShakespeareS Much Ado About Nothing Essays - English-language Films

Shakespeare'S Much Ado About Nothing Figuratively speaking, there are several ears propped to a door, eavesdropping on a conversation pivotal to Shakespeares comedy, Much Ado About Nothing; a story about love; real, new and pretended, that began before the messenger arrives with his news. Two very different couples cling to each other or push one another away during five acts of masked balls, sighing under balconies, hysterics, a make-shift death and resurrection, attempts to compose poetry and finally, a feast. The lovers of Messina: innocent Hero, fiery Beatrice and their gallant knights, weak Claudio and comic Benedict stumble through abundant trickery, taking very different paths to reach the same goal: a happily-ever-after ending. Hero, though one of the main characters of the play is a silent presence for the entire First and Second Acts, given a voice only when others speak about or for her. She is first introduced not by name, but as the daughter of Signior Leonato, described by Claudio as a modest young lady and the sweetest lady I ever laid mine eyes upon. Hero is described by everyone as beautiful, kind and gentle. Always she was the dutiful daughter. When her father, Leonato, instructs Hero that she must consent to a wedding proposal by Don Pedro, a man she barely knows, she happily agrees. Leonato says, Daughter remember that I told you. If the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know the answer. In truth, Hero and her father realize later, she had not conceded to marrying Don Pedro, but Claudio. Her willingness to transport her hand from one man to another shows that it is not in her own interests that she acts, shows that her happiness is not as important as her fathers will. Claudio can declare victory, the wedding is confirmed, Hero is to be married and still she says nothing; content to be spoken for by Beatrice. Speak cousin, or, if you cannot, stop his mouth with a kiss and let him not speak either. says Beatrice. Hero is the victim in this play, the loser in a situation she was not a part of, the target of anger directed at her father and fianc?. Don John, the only clear villain in the play, sought to upset Leonato and cheapen Claudios prize. Hero was the most virtuous amongst the characters but is horribly slandered of being promiscuous on her own wedding in front of everyone she knew. The man that was to be her husband shouted accusations to which she could not defend herself because she was a woman and always suspected of being false. Yet, despite the horror of this wedding ceremony and worse, being scorned by her father whom she had always sought to please, because of those empty words, when told by her father to do so, she happily married her cruel accuser. The exact opposite of Hero in every way is Beatrice, her rambunctious cousin. Beatrice lives in Leonatos house and shares a room with Hero. While her cousin is the image of an innocent maiden, Beatrice has many of the characteristics of men and qualities that most other women did not have. While Hero was quiet for most of the play, Beatrice dominates most conversations. She appears to be a strong woman and is radically independent, swearing she will never get married in a time when marriage was the most important and consequential aspect of a womans life. Well niece, said Leonatos brother. I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband. To which she replied, Not till God make men of some other metal than Earth. These two very different cousins are very close and more like sisters. Beatrice describes Hero, much like a everyone else does, as a quiet, sweet girl. She appears to be the older cousin and certainly the wisest. Beatrice is very protective of her cousin. After Heros abortive when she was declared a rotten orange by the misguided Claudio, Beatrice remained true to her cousin, unlike her rash uncle. Beatrice declared in certainty that her cousin had been wronged. Claudio is the gallant soldier just arrived from the wars in which he had distinguished himself. He can be considered both one

The glass menagerie essays

The glass menagerie essays How sympathetic is the portrayal of Amanda? Are we meant to admire her for holding her family together under very difficult circumstances or to condemn her for her destructive illusions? A well-cooked meal has lots of delicate flavors that have to be held in the mouth for appreciation. So chew your food and give your salivary glands a chance to function! As a mother, Amanda advises her kids what she knows best. Just like every mother, she tries her best to raise her kids into great adults. Although she is sometimes a little harsh, what mother isnt? Amanda might have destructive illusions at some point but she shouldnt be condemned for it. Every mother lives in different generation, raises their children differently, and comes from different environments. Growing up, different mothers come from different generations. In the early 1900s, mothers learned to raise their children in a manner where they have to respect and speak when told to. In the 2000s, mothers are now more lenient to their childrens behaviors and actions; some more than others. Amanda plays a more sympathetic part in the family. She raises her kids to a state where the son can say such things as, I havent enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it. Its you that makes me rush through meals with your hawk like attention to every bite a take. Sickening - spoils my appetite - all this discussion of animals secretion salivary glands mastication! Mothers in the new generation would not tolerate that behavior. Raising a child isnt easy. Many mothers let go of their child when they are born because the fret of not raising their child properly and being named a disgraceful mother. Amanda tries to raise her children in a way where the daughter Laura would be able to have plenty of gentlemen callers and where the son woul...

Critique assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critique - Assignment Example In this context, it is clear that the model has solemn faults when used as a cognitive and psychosocial explanation of religious faith, but to some extent, it has strong points to be noted. The Stages of Faith and moral development model is characterized by Fowler’s designation of faith. He defines it as â€Å"worldwide quality of human being meaning making†. It describes the fundamental meaning-making process utilized by all individuals regardless of their beliefs. To the author, faith occurs as persons place individual loyalty and trust in or many â€Å"centers of value† such as money, religion, power, and family The model of development suggests that this structure remains uniform in spite of whether individuals are side with a spiritual or unspiritual centre of value (  Fowler 67). As a result, the faith development model centers at the psychological issues that make possible the operation of faith but does not address any detailed faith content; that is, t he specific faith beliefs and values of a given religion. The use of a structural technique by Fowler to systematize the faith developmental phases and how he defines faith are challenging in a manner. Being a structural theory, most readers assume that faith development clarify in a consistent way across hierarchical, universal, and irreversible stages. According to psychological research, development entails much more variability and a rigid stage as theory is inadequate in its capability to confine diversity and richness of religious development. Further, critics differ with the logic behind Fowler’s elimination of sacred content from the development stages of faith. The exclusion was based on the concept that faith entails trust and loyalty to centre of value and has no need of intellectual accord to any definite assertions. One scholar by the name of Jones T.P (20040 criticized this element of Fowler by arguing that Christianity involves trust and loyalty in Jesus Christ . As a centre of value, yet at the same time, it is a â€Å"content-requisite faith† that is base on recognition of certain beliefs like the existence of God, Jesus’ resurrection from the departed, and Jesus as the son of God and messiah. Agreeing to other contents and beliefs apart from Christian principles is regarded as idolatry. The weakness of Fowler’s description of faith as a worldwide construct detach from religious context is that it is contrary to faith’s definition of content requisite spiritual groups (  Fowler 70). 3 strong points of James Fowler’s theory Concrete operational thinking This is a strong idea developed in the first stage of Fowler’s theory. Affectively, the decree of oedipal factors or their immersions in latency are vital accompanying factors. In the middle of transition from one stage to another is a child’s growing concern to basically know how things are and to make clear personally the foundations of differences between what is factual and what solely seems to be. The birth of imagination This is a strong point in the first stage of Fowler’s theory. He puts forward the ability to grasp and unify the experience-world in influential images as illustrated in

WorkBrain Corp- A case in exit stratgy Research Paper

WorkBrain Corp- A case in exit stratgy - Research Paper Example The company is doing fairly well being a private entity. The company has cash in abundance, over $10 million and can easily operate within its realm. Moreover the current investors of the company are happy with the position of the firm in the market and are willing to even invest more if need arises. No investor of the company has expressed any desire to withdraw its investment. These are positive signs for the company and if it wishes to expand then the best alternate is to use cash from current investors who trusted in the vision of the company before it came into existence. Going public may mean new investors with a different vision that might not be in compliance with the current investors. Saying all this now is the perfect time to go public. Going public would mean more customers for the company. At the moment WorkBrain has to convince its clients that it is financially solvent and in a good position to provide services to them. As the customers cannot see the financial positio n of a private company they hesitate to get the work done from them. If WorkBrain goes public then all the financial details will be present for the customers to see and approach the company for their services. The company will benefit tremendously as it would be able to make clients and customers in much larger numbers. Keeping in mind how solvent the company is, it is the best time for WorkBrain to go public and make more customers (Bilimoria, 2007). The best option for the company would be to go with TSX listing. The reason for this is that TSX in future would be more viable. Compared to NASDAQ, TSX has a small-cap market with more some to medium term service providers and financial institutions. WorkBrain perfectly fits in their category. NASDAQ is more prestigious and has a larger clientele in terms of revenues. It would be fair to say that if WorkBrain needs to go with NASDAQ it would have to come up with a revenue margin of around $75 million. The reason for the company to go public is that it makes it financial statement visible in the market so that potential customers would know how solvent the company is. Going public gives them a chance to come out in the open and make more customers. Acquisition is a completely different proposition. It deals with selling a part of the company or rather a share of profit with someone who is ready in buying a part of business. Normally the rate at which an acquirer buys part of the business is a much bigger rate because of the goodwill attached with the firm. As WorkBrain has done tremendously well showing consistent profit since it emergence, the takeover would have to pay a lot of money for the acquisition. But there is no need of selling part or whole of the business when the firm is making sufficient profits and it is predicted that the company will only look to grow more in the coming years (Arnold, 2008). There might be other alternates that the company might look at. Bank loan is one of them but it comes wit h a cost. A high interest rate has to be paid whenever a company takes a loan from the bank. The biggest advantage of a loan is that the current owners will get to keep the possession of the firm without selling any part of the business to an investor or by going public in the stock exchange. The current owners will get to make the decisions just the way they now do as they will have the control of the firm. Lack of ability to pay in time may get the business into trouble and if

Role of women in times of social change

Role of women in times of social change From a passive housewife to an active member of society in times of social change, where are our women heading? So, what influenced the women in our society to change? With smiles on their faces and freshly cooked meals on the tables, they used to wait for their husbands to come back home from work. Their ambitions were centred on the marriage, fulfilment of the role of a proud housewife and devoted mother and the economic security that their husbands, the breadwinners, have provided them. But, in the past fifteen years, a womans path from an obeying housewife to an emancipated, independent and active member of society has been both, a cause and a reflection of social change in the UK. Feminine mystique Looking back to the past decade, there has been significant influences from the Womens Liberation Movement that has tackled the traditional gender roles. America has not only brought the drive to invent the clever labour saving devices designed to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it has, also, introduced Betty Friedans book, The Feminine Mystique to our British ladies. In this feminist classic of 1963 Friedan claimed: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The women who grow up wanting to be just a housewife are in as much danger as the millions who walked to their own death in concentration camps (Friedan in Fermaglich,2006,p.58). Her strong views of the womens position in society have caused historians to charge her with carelessness, insensitivity and exaggeration. However, nobody could stop the raising assertiveness of women who claimed that the labour saving virtues of modern household technology were countered by an expansion of maternal duties and more exacting levels of cleanliness. As feminists point out, for women of the 1950s in general, happiness was defined by a stereotyped view of the womans role as a homemaker and consequently, many women experienced social isolation. Women were expected to give up work once married and magazines such as Woman portrayed the image of a perfect housewife as the social norm1  [0]  . These high, and often impossible expectations are some of the causes that make the depressed housewife one of the more frequent visitors to the councillors office1  [1]  . Challenging the traditional values With growing female dissatisfaction and frustration, the rise of feminism is quite understandable as many women have begun to question their image of domesticity in the sixties. The teenagers, in particular, have challenged their, rather prescribed roles and as the young girls have developed into women, they promoted more liberal attitudes. The rising female resilience towards social constrains have resulted in a union of British feminist movements. With their aim to promote equality between the genders, at the first National Womens Liberation Conference held in 1970, they assertively demanded equal pay, free contraception and abortion on request, equal educational and job opportunities as well as free twenty-four-hour childcare  [10]  . Betty Friedan had set up the National Organisation of Women in 1966The success of feminism in bringing about the legal changes cannot be denied. In the past decade, the passing of the Abortion Act 1967, Divorce Reform Act 1969 and Equal Pay Act 1970  [11]  have made the women the main beneficiaries. However, the feminist conference and the four iconic demands took place after the government legislated in favour of women. This proves that some social injustices are still affecting women which are beyond the scope of legislation. These belong to the world of embedded prejudice among women as well as men. Even with their significant achievements, feminists still struggle to change the principal attitude at large we are still witnessing social and moral restraints that many women, particularly single mothers, spinsters and divorcees face  [12]  . Education was another useful tool by which girls expectations were manipulated. The universal secondary education and the expansion of universities in the 1960s facilitated admissions of women to higher education, but women felt frustrated that better jobs were still going to men even with their equal qualification  [13]  . Therefore, the emancipated, middle class girls have promoted the feminism as they benefited the most from the campaigns for equal rights. However, women from the lower classes have seen feminism as nothing more than the obsession of the middle class  [14]  as they did not feel the direct affects of the feminists urge for womens liberation. Girls work girls shop! Still, the most encouraging trend indicating the change in the society is that more women are working outside their homes. Nevertheless, researchers take 1961 as the critical point when, for the first time, it was the married women who dominated among the female workforce. As the figures have been steadily rising since then, historians and sociologists predict that we are heading in a way where by 1980 two thirds of all women at work will be married  [15]  . The reasons and impacts of this trend cannot be ignored. While many women view work as an escape from the loneliness of their homes, the families where both parents are in work benefit from an increase in consumer power. With an extra income, there are opportunities for a holiday or purchase of a car  [16]  . Therefore, the higher standard of living is an inspiration for married women to work  [17]  and also, a persuasive argument for their husbands to accept the new trend. This change has largely transformed the old fashioned attitude of the 1950s where working women are portrayed as a threat by depriving men of their jobs  [18]  . Combined with the increased family income and low figures of unemployment, new attitudes systematically led to a general increase in consumerism. Nevertheless, if all the reinforcement of feminism and the recent change in the law have caused Britain to go girlie, female natural affinities are not to be overseen. The fact is girls shop!  [19]  . Feminist propagandaThe new, liberating fashion for young women, mini skirts and see-through blouses, welcomed the beginning of the buy-and-throw-away consumer culture as we know it today. Even after the feminists criticised the new styles as a reinforcement of the new female stereotypes, relatively cheap clothes as designed by Biba have helped to create the concept of shopping as a leisure activity which has spread from young women to society at large  [20]  . Apart from fashion, the challenging attitudes of the younger generation had an impact on society in many ways. Teenage girls embraced feminism as it complied with the rebellious nature of the youth culture who were urged not to accept tamely what they were told, but to make their own judgements  [21]  . This presents the biggest threat to the future of the old fashioned, traditionalist Britain and if by looking at our offspring we can draw predictions about our future, the feminists are the ones to celebrate. Equal Pay fact or a myth? Families with both spouses in work contributed to an economic emancipation of society and allowed women to gain a degree of independence. But, less encouraging is that, in every occupation, employers restricted women to particular kinds of work, where they must accept low skilled and inferior jobs  [22]  . But, towards the end of the sixties, as the female workforce grew and women became generally more liberated, there was a growing attitude that discrimination was wrong  [23]  . This injustice has inspired over eight hundred women, sewing machinists at Fords Dagenham factory to surprise the country with their strike for equal pay in 1968. Even after the striking women agreed to 92% of male wages, their actions, the support of the first female Secretary of State, Barbara Castle, and the urging of the feminists, have publicly highlighted the existence of the discrimination of women in the sixties. This has subsequently led to the reform and the passing of the Equal Pay Act in 1970  [24]  . For most women, the feminists ideas about female fulfilment was alien and unrealistic, therefore, the majority regarded it as a movement of the affluent middle class  [25]  . But the sewing machinists proved that the there has been a change of attitudes in general as women from all social classes wanted better and more equal roles in the society. Having afternoon tea with the Secretary of State women of DagenhamBut, five years after the changes have been made in the law, employers discrimination still leaves the gender gap  [26]  . The types of jobs that traditionally belong to women, such as nursing, remain less paid than the ones dominated by men. The evidence of inequality between the genders is in brutally honest statistics in the past ten years the salaries of women increased less rapidly on average than those of men. Today, average earnings of women is just a little more than half of those of men  [27]  . However, the life stories of Yvonne Pope, the first women Air Traffic Controller in 1960 who has also earlier this year became the first women pilot and Annie Nightingale, the first woman on Radio One inspire many girls. Even while the debate about the principle equal pay for equal work continues, these women, pioneers in the world of male employment give optimism to many young girls. Working mothers, the pill, abortion on request: Is modern society exterminating us? The defenders of a traditional, patriarchal family have made the link between the recent fall in birth rates and increases in female employment. Their accusing finger points to a direct causal effect of the women in work which subsequently strengthens the beliefs that women belong at home. This attitude is still embedded in society, although a report in 1963 denied any correlation between the two. Still, many women, even today, feel guilty when applying for jobs  [28]  . While Penelope Mortimer and Margaret Drabble wrote articles in which they supported the traditionalist views by glorifying the position of women as mothers, feminists questioned the belief that women could only be fulfilled through motherhood  [29]  . They also campaigned for the right to family planning measures and the first effective contraception pill has undoubtedly become the feature of the decade. Even after officially going on sale in 1961, the turning point was in 1969  [30]  when it became an available choice to all women regardless of their marital status. The feminists eight year long battle to make the pill available to everyone proves how effortful it was to change the traditional attitudes towards motherhood and sex. The Pill was largely criticized by many, but probably the most disputed of the sixties reforms is the Abortion Act 1967  [31]  . Even though it was illegal in the early sixties, the expensive West End clinics performed thousands of abortions a year. At the other end of the social scale, horrific back-street abortions with coat-hangers and unofficially trained clinicians were the main cause of avoidable maternal death  [32]  . Even so, abortion is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church who asserts how all life is sacred  [33]  and not even all feminists agreed with it  [34]  . However, the passing of the Abortion Act is, after all, a powerful indicator of the extent to which women had become more emancipated. Decline in birth ratesVoluntary child bearing and the increase in divorce rates as a consequence of the passing of the Divorce Reform Act 1969 have all had a transforming effect on domestic life, the idea of home, and all the roles and functions of womanhood  [35]  . These play the important factors in producing smaller families as does increased family affluence which have made people choose their priorities with care. Even the modern architecture reinforces the trend towards smaller families new houses are designed for families with only two or three children  [36]  . So, where are our women heading? When analysing social change, it is important to stress the diversity in aspirations of British women. Whether that is as a housewife or as a career woman, some are free to choose their lifestyle, but others are still constrained by the attitudes and norms of the society they live in. The changes in government policy extended womens choices, but it remains to be seen if they have achieved the right balance between work and family. However, it is the social as well as economic circumstances which unavoidably leave some women more equal than others. In the future these issues will need to be addressed if women are to overcome the discrimination that still exists3  [7]  . However, the promotion of equality between the genders by the younger generations indicate, not a revolution, but a slow evolution of a womens role in British society.

Sylvia Plath: A Search for Self :: Biography Biographies Essays

Sylvia Plath: A Search for Self      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The collective body of Sylvia Plath's poetry demonstrates definitively her mastery of her craft. Plath has been criticized for her overtly autobiographical work and her suicidal pessimism, however, close study reveals that her poetry transcends categorization and has a voice uniquely her own. As Katha Pollit concluded in a 1982 Nation review, "by the time she came to write her last seventy or eighty poems, there was no other voice like hers on earth" (Wagner 1). In works such as "Lady Lazarus," "Daddy," and "Morning Song," Plath relates her own painfully experiences in the form of dramatic monologues using a persona who eventually triumphs over adversity by regaining the self that had been lost before the struggle of the poem.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Plath, the narrator of "Lady Lazarus" has "the great and terrible gift of being reborn . . . she is the Phoenix, the libertarian spirit" (Wagner 71). In compact three-line stanzas, the speaker sardonically comments on her unique ability and its implications. Her tone demonstrates her boredom towards the attention paid to her by "the peanut-crunching crowd." Unlike the Biblical Lazarus who is called forth from the grave by Jesus, Lady Lazarus is able to resurrect herself and so avoids the polarities of God and Lucifer. Neither of these figures is able to exact punishment for the atrocities that man heaps on man, so the speaker transfigures herself by reducing her body to ashes and reviving her life through flame. As Leonard Sanazaro points out, "This willfulness to arise and devour humankind in the form of a self-fulfilled deity points up the impotence of the traditional concepts of good and evil" (Wagner 90) Lady Lazarus transcends these boundaries.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The imagery used throughout the poem is associated with the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis in concentration camps during World War II. Plath addresses the inhumanity of the situation, using such phrases as "A cake of soap,/A wedding ring,/A gold filling" to represent a human being. Plath also alludes to the medical experimentation that was practiced by the Nazi doctors. Plath has often been criticized for relating her hardships to that of the Jews. After all, she grew up in a relatively stable and affluent home and received an excellent education; her suffering was in her mind. Plath said specifically that her poems had come:

Black Dog by Penelope Lively Essay

Brenda Case is a mid-age housewife with personal problems. The English modern short story â€Å"Black Dog†, written by Penelope Lively, portrays Mrs. Case as being a frustrated woman with a peculiar manner, besides this she has difficulties to adapt within the society’s norms. This is probably because Brenda Case is going through the largest crisis in her life; the mid-life crisis. This gives Brenda some difficult factors to deal with. She is going through this emotional state of doubt and anxiety, realizing that her life is halfway over. Through the whole story Brenda is searching or her own sincere character, but has trouble finding it. As a defence mechanism, she supersedes all of her feelings. Was this the life she really would have wanted? The Black Dog symbolizes her â€Å"shadow life†. We’re situated in a suburb of England; the Case family is a regular middleclass family. Mrs. Case, who is the principle character, is a housewife and her husband, John, makes the money. Their life is characterized by the static tedious daily routine; her doing the shopping and him attending the Job. One day Brenda starts seeing a large Black Dog lying in their front yard. She constantly has a fear that the dog is going to eat her, basically paranoia of the wild animal. However, Mr. Case cannot see the dog. He even asks all the neighbours, but they haven’t seen the dog either. The colour of the dog should illustrate bad omen and negativity, but was this really signifying bad omen or was all this commotion simply caused by Brenda’s alter ego or her introverted state? As mentioned the dog symbolizes Brenda’s shadow life; the psychological term of the life that she could have had or if you live in the shadow of someone else. Mrs. Case obviously did not have a dream of becoming a housewife but she first realized her own character now. Perhaps she was pressurized from outside influences on what to do. This is also shown when Brenda follows the guidance from her two well turned- out daughters; they advice her to go on vacation and redecorate the house. However, when this made no progress they send her to the doctor’s office. All these recommendations are not helping Mrs. Case crisis, she finds out that facing the problem was the right solution for her. She understands that the Black Dog will be there all the time until she faces the real problem, her mid-life crisis. I would assume answering the question of â€Å"What is valuable in life? † and â€Å"What is the meaning of life? † would be a difficult task. The vagueness of the query is inherent in the word â€Å"meaning† and â€Å"value†, which opens the question to many interpretations. Some would use theological or spiritual explanations, where others would use scientific theories or philosophical arguments. The power of the words means different things to different people. Clearly Mrs. Brenda Case has gone through a her ageing children; all of a sudden she did not have to take care of her kids any longer. We can conclude that most outside influences have noting to do with your real self. You need to find your own sincere meaning of what life is and what goals you may have got. Some say a mid-life crisis also is the beginning of individuation and a process of self-actualization that continues on to death. But what is a mid-life crisis? Is it the physical changes associated with ageing or the changing of spousal relationship? Is it the death of parents or the children becoming adults? Perhaps it is the menopause for women and work issues for men? I guess a crisis through mid-life would involve reflections on what the individual has done up to that point often associated with feelings that not enough was accomplished. Maybe Brenda had the convincing that she one day would be successful accountant manager, instead she became a housewife wearing a pinafore. At the end of the story John Case suddenly see some footsteps of the dog, but what is causing his hallucination? A large question remains unanswered.