Saturday, September 21, 2019
The Victorian Upward Mobility as Viewed by Three Novels Essay Example for Free
The Victorian Upward Mobility as Viewed by Three Novels Essay Victorian refers to the things and events that had developed during the period where Queen Victoria was the ruler of the British Empire. This era had been the prelude of  modern Europe. This is the time were people began to feel the need for urbanization. The people tend to move to the cities. They leaved their farms and took on the city life and its opportunities for a better living. Some had flocked to London and Manchester which had caused those cities to be densely populated. There had been a growing number of industries and many factories had been instituted in the London and other big cities in Britain. The poor people of the cities were displaced because their previous places had now been occupied by big industrial plants. The decreasing number of farm lands in Britain had caused the empire to depend heavily on the raw materials of the colony. The British Empire had further their grip in the colony causing large amount of conflicts with other imperialist like the French and the Spaniards. Some people had migrated to the colonies to explore and establish an improved living in wide farms; and also to supply the burgeoning need of the empire.            However, the Victorian era signifies a period of economic prosperity and industrial successes. There had also been a quick changes and developments in almost every field of knowledge. This is the time where Darwin, Marx and Freud had appeared. They had presented modern ideologies that seem to be altering and deviating with the old view of things. This occurrence had caused some historians to describe the Victorian era as a transition period towards modernity. This claim was proven by many factors. First, the power of the churches and other religious groups weakened. The people no longer derived their morality from the church; the people seemed to derive their morality from society-based standards. The people began to feel the connection between themselves and the society that they sought alliances with socio-civic groups. The period was also characterized as the golden age for democracy in Britain where people had felt the power of their voices and the freedom to express their sentiments to the state and to its policies. The abolition of slavery was the first indication of this.                        However, many scholars had preferred to describe the Victorian era as old fashioned and traditional. This may brought a lot of confusion because Victorian era is described as the prelude to modernity where harsh and radical changes had occurred. However, this is true to the early period of the era that many scholars had accounted that it was a period of harsh transition. The technology may have improved but the society seemed to be stagnant , and radical changes were not accepted at first. However, the development of the era had been accounted by many scholars as a struggle for both the society and the people. The people appeared to accept the technological development but were stiff on accepting the sociological and the political development.            Moreover, the capitalist view of life was never removed and capitalism was still the key player in terms of economic policies. However, even though capitalism had demolished the feudal lords and feudalism yet the bourgeoisies remained. Social stratifications were still common and many, during the Victorian era, had motives to further increasing their wealth and their status. This is the basis of why many scholars had argued that the Victorian era is old fashioned and traditional.            Moreover, the status of men was still higher than women. There were certain rights that where only entitled to the male and were prohibited to the women, example of this is the right to suffrage and the right to college education. However, one of the most significant revolutions that had occurred in the Victorian era is the high degree of activism which had caused the major changes to the society and to the Victorian period itself. Many of these activisms were women-driven and their tool was the pen and the paper.            Even though the early British society did not much recognized the work of women, many women still had ventured into writing. They had adopted male names to disguise themselves and in order that their work be sold and be read by the people seriously .This was the beginning of feminism. Few of these writers were Mary Ann Evans, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte and Jane Austen. Moreover, many of these works had fairly described the people and the setting of the Victorian period.             Mary Ann (Marian) Evans, more commonly known as George Eliot, had ventured into writing, after her marriage with a critic George Henry Lewes. She had become fond of realism and started her way on becoming a writer. This realism was very evident on her first novel, Adam Bede which appeared in 1859. She continued to write that the daughter of Queen Victoria – Princess Louise became an avid fan and admirer of her novels. However, one of the most controversial novels of George Eliot was the Felix Holt, the Radical which appeared in 1866. It was deemed as a social novel because it discussed the effect of the First Reform Act of 1832 to the electoral and electioneering processes. However, the novel did not only focus on the act, however it also discussed the struggles of the different classes of society to maintain or to better his economic stature.  This is commonly referred to as upward mobility and economic advancement. In Felix Holt, the Radical, Harold Transome was being compared and contrasted to Felix Holt. Felix Holt, even though a radical, wanted to live a life in modesty and poverty rather than a life of comfort. However, Harold Transome was a man who wanted material success and security. He wanted that the wealth and estate he had so long worked hard for will not be lose to obnoxious undertakings;  but he wanted to secure it and further increased it. Transome was a clear manifestation of a Victorian gentleman who wanted upward mobility. He decided to run to the elections to the parliament to get hold of a position that will secure his wealth and his estate. However, the electioneering of him and the other radicals was deeply criticized by Holt. The giving of beer to miners in exchanged of their votes was done by the Radicals; however Transome still had lose the election to Philip Debarry . Meanwhile, Felix was involved in pacifying a riot on Election Day and he had been jailed for an allege manslaughter. However, after the election, Debarry and Transome reconciled and had removed him from jail.            Moreover, on of the most common among female writers was a woman protagonist. In Felix Holt, the Radical, Esther, Reverend Lyons step daughter, was described to be a modest teacher with refined manners. At the opening of the novel, she antagonized Felix Holt and Felix appeared to despise her. However, as the novel progressed, Esther had seen the goodness of Felix Holt and she softened on him. This was the common characteristics of women in the Victorian period. They were passive and they prized themselves a lot. They were often ambitious and they often desire to marry men with higher social status than them. However, Eliot had been creative and was very effective in the concluding part of the novel. Even though Esther had discovered that she was the real heir to the Transome estate and she had a valid claim to the estate, and even though Harold Transome had been courting her and a life with him was a lot more comfortable than with Felix Holt yet she refused it all. She still chose Felix Holt to be her husband.            However, the novel had shown the different struggles that Esther had combated. Before Esther had chose Felix, the narrative immensely described the torments and the anguish that she had been feeling. It is vividly described that Esther like most common Victorian women had the tendency of favoring wealth and prosperity rather than real love. However, she chose to be happy. In this manner, George Eliot had shown the resistance of both Felix and Esther to the Victorian upward mobility.            Likewise, Charlotte Bronte was also an immense female writer during the Victorian period and she had written many successful novels that had been cherished by many generations. However, charlotte like Mary Ann Evans had also disguised her name in publishing her first novel, Jane Eyre in 1847 in the name of Currer Bell. However, Jane Eyre was a realist view of the nineteenth century Britain. It enormously portrayed the role that woman played in the Victorian period.            Jane Eyre was a proof to the claim of many scholars that the early Victorian period was still traditional and old fashioned. In Jane Eyre, the protagonist had described on how female education remained the constant and unchanging. It also described the fact that male superiority was still evident during that time and few privileges were given to women. The story started with a Cinderella-type plot wherein Jane was being maltreated by her evil cousins; however she managed to get away from them when she entered a boarding school for women which was also very common during that time. She had excelled in her subjects and she had become a teacher for two years in the school. Then, afterwards she became a governess and a tutor for a little girl named Adele. She had felled in love with the father of the girl who is Edward Rochester. Jane fell in love with Rochester not because of money but because of his intellect. The character of Jane was often compared and contrasted to the character of Miss Ingram. Miss Ingram was the rival of Jane with the love of Rochester. Miss Ingram was described in the novel as beautiful and had a high social stratum. Yet both Jane and Edward knew the financial ambitions of Miss Ingram. So Edward proposed to Jane and she accepted. However, at the marriage ceremony, Mr. Briggs interrupted. Edward and Jane could not marry each other because Edward was married to Bertha Mason. Bertha Mason was the psychotic who was incarcerated by Edward in the attic and whose noise disturbed Jane when she was a tutor to Adele.            However, Edward had married Bertha because of the same reason as Miss Ingram would like to marry him –money. This was the turning point of the novel and it this innately described the upward mobility that both would like to experienced. However, like Eliot, Bronte had positioned the protagonist to resist the urge of an upward mobility. In the ending, it was very evident that true love still prevailed. Even though Jane had been an heiress, she tried to seek Edward and had been reunited with him and had married each other.            However, Charles Dickens, a male writer had also contributed to the description of upward mobility in the Victorian period. In his novel, Great Expectations, in 1861 described a story filled with great expectations and surprises. Pip, the protagonist, was a person of humble beginnings who rose through the odds to better his social status. At a young age, he had accompanied Miss Havisham, a spinster, and was scorned by her adopted daughter, Estella. Due to the love that Pip felt for Estella, he had promised himself that he will become prosperous and rich to win her love. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, Pip had better his stature and had gained economic prosperity and upward mobility. However, when he came back for Estella, Estella had married Drummle. However, he soon discovered the identity of his benefactor and it was Magwitch, the convict he helped to escape when he was just young. He also had discovered that Magwitch was the real father of Estella. However, the convict, even helped by Pip, did not escape the authority. Yet in the end, Pip had resolved to part from his material accomplishments. He sought Estella and found happiness with her.            Moreover, the three novels had described vividly the setting of the Victorian period. Men and women during those times were status conscious and most wanted to marry in order to better his social position. However, in the three novels, the authors had clearly resisted the conventions of the upward mobility of the Victorian period. They had inclined their protagonist in pursuing happiness rather than material accomplishment. Works Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Courage Books, 1989. Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: BarnesNoble, 2000. Eliot, George. Felix Holt, the Radical. New York: Penguins, 1970.
Friday, September 20, 2019
A Critical Analysis Of Fast Food
A Critical Analysis Of Fast Food The paper is an essay a critical analysis of fast food. Both arguments for and against fast food are brought forth and thoroughly explained. A brief history of first food also constitutes part of this essay. It has been argued that change is as good as rest. The development of fast food was instigated by swift pace of life, the need to save time, energy, engaging in other activities other than cooking and spending time in the field and hectic schedule currently experience by the working human populations. Fast food is refers to those kinds of food that are prepared and ready to be eaten within the shortest time possible. Additionally, fast food constitute foodstuffs that are available for sale in restaurants and stores made up of ingredients that that can be preheated or precooked without any problem and served in a take away form (Egerton Bleidt 13). Fast foods are characterized by high fat content, high calories, high cholesterol, and quick, convenient and high sodium concentration. Similarly, it is inexpensive made from ingredients that are cheap such as fat meat and refined grains. These kinds of foods are not only available in restaurants but also in vending equipment as well as 24-hour expediency stores. According to Brown 1, U.S.A had the number of fast food restaurants about 14,000 followed by Japan which had approximately 4,000 restaurants. Globally, there are close to 11, 000 restaurants that serve fast food as at 2008. Additionally, close to 10 million people are served with fast food in the entire world in any given day. It is worth noting that although fast food has gain popularity, there are disadvantages as well as advantages of the same which thus forms the backbone of this paper. Examples of fast food include the following, sandwiches, hot dogs, pitas, fried chicken, French fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, hamburgers, fish and chips and ice cream to mention but a few (Egerton Bleidt 313). 2.0 History of fast food History of fast food can be linked to urbanization as well as the various activities done by certain persons within the community for instance soldiers, shepherds, hunters among others who were in need of foodstuffs that can be consumed very fast and of course far from homes. Historically, in the past men were born to work in the field while women were to spend most of their lives in activities associated with the kitchen which include cooking. When we consider family size, the work done by a woman for instance cooking for a family of 10 for a full year using the tradition way of chopping, grinding is nothing but slavery. For instance, in Mexico, those families that had no servant in their disposal, a woman could spend over five hours preparing dough and waking as early as 3:00am in the morning to prepared breakfast (Laudan 38). The need to change this scenario is attributed to development of fast food. In the wake of 20th century Italy enjoyed the first pasta made from a factory and canned tomatoes. Later, Japanese women were relieved from waking up early to prepared bread by simply buying bread baked in factories. Similarly, in Greece, barley was roasted so that it can be eaten straight or mixed with milk, water or butter. In Mexico and the Aztecs, they roasted and ground maize. Further development followed in coming up with fast food and eventually supermarkets opened their doors in Eastern Europe making people enjoyed convenience and reliability of ready made food. This is what was needed over this long period of time; food that was fast can be preserved, affordable and processed. 3.0 Arguments supporting fast food It is worth noting from the onset that there is a tussle between supporters and opponents of fast food. According to Laudan 34, those against the idea of fast food lack appreciation by demeaning the efforts of and home economists that have tried to come up with crops that have very high yield and recipes for our daily meals respectively. 3.1. Saves time The most notable argument brought forth in support of fast food is that it saves time as well as convenience. Considering the fact that the current society is characterized with hectic work schedule making individuals be very busy most of their times, no time is available for them to look for food (Egerton Bleidt 203). Hence, fast food comes in handy. It is worth noting that minimal time is spend by visiting those restaurant as customers are served quickly, the time that could be lost in waiting for other foods to be cooked or cooking at home can be used to do other things. Additionally, the traditional role of men working in the fields and women spending almost their entire life in cooking for their families has changed as they can engage in other activities that are profitable to the society. On the same note fast food save time in the context that one will not engage in all those activities of buying, cleaning such food stuffs, cooking as well as washing dishes. It is also true that when one gets home after a tiresome day thus very tired and bored, the efforts needed to cook can be substituted with having fast food which are considered God sent especially during such moments. 3.2 Saves money Similarly, fast foods are cheaper. This is because they are made from cheaper ingredients such as refined grains, meat with a lot of fat among others instead of ingredients that are expensive and nutritious such as vegetables, lean meat and fresh fruits. On the same note considering people who live alone, the expenses of cooking are much higher compared to when buying fast food. It has been noted that with as low as $5.0 one can get a fulfilling meal without undergoing the numerous hustle of acquiring the same. In addition taking the context of soldiers or those who engage in similar activities, a lot of money is saved when these individual carry processed fast food. One, they will not need energy to cook such food and if need be, energy consumption will be minimal as compared to energy needed to cook à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“slow foodà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢. The money save can be used elsewhere. 3.3 Health advantage Despite the fact that those opposing fast food claim that it results to various problems in human health, it is worth noting that fast foods have contributed to taller and individuals with higher life expectancy. When our ancestors are compared with the current generation, it is evident that we are better off in fighting diseases hence living longer this is thanks to better medication, health science as well as fast food stuffs (Egerton Bleidt 113). 3.4 Sharing and convenience It is evident that fast food are usually packed in away that it can be taken out of the restaurant and eaten from anywhere, be it in the car, office, at the bus station. Additionally, unlike other kinds of food, fast food comes with the absolute advantage of splitting and sharing between or even amongst individuals (Watson 32). On the same note, there are those individual who do not like eating in public places, in this case fast food comes in handy as it can be consumed from any point. On the same note, when one is in a rush, he or she does not need to find a parking space; similarly, one does not need to get out of the car especially during bad whether. 3.5 Provision of employment and revenue generation In the current society, job opportunities have proved to be scarce. The faster growth of this industry globally stands at bout 5% and in the case of India, it stands at 41%. This kind of growth has seen to it a number of individuals are absorbed in this industry easing the problem of unemployment and overdependence on those few individuals who are employed. It is worth noting that the industry provide job opportunities to a range of professionals such as chefs, accountants, drivers, bakers, human resource managers (Lee et al 84). In terms of revenue generation, U.S alone generated about $100 billion in 2000 up from around 6 billion dollars thirty years ago. This value hit $145 billion mark in 2006; this kind of money can be used in various areas of fostering economy of the country such as financial medical care, education building infrastructure and so on. 3.6 Reliability A study carried out asking why individuals bought fast food established that reliability of such kind of food is what propels them to buying them. Fast foods are easy to obtain, are in plenty, varied in nature and readily available. 3.7 Nutritional information Most of the fast food joints have adopted a culture of making available the information concerning nutrients of their food. It is worth mentioning that with such kind of information as well as a number food stuff variety, one has a chance to choose the best kind of food that suits him or her. According to Conway many fast food restaurants provide guideline on nutrition in their menu, and those menus have significantly changed to include various healthy food stuffs for instance salads (Lee et al 77). 3.8 Promoted agriculture Since the ingredients used in making fast5 food are either from plant or animal origin, the rapid development of the industry has tremendously increased the number of individuals who practice crop farming as well as livestock keeping. Considering the large number of chickens, fish, grain mattock and beef needed more and more persons have engaged themselves in agricultural activities with the aim of earning an income as they try to meet the demand of fast food market (Watson 43). It is worth noting that agricultural development and growth especially in third world countries provide a larger portion of the population with job opportunities. This in turn help cut down the escalating number of unemployed citizen in any given country. The economic multiplier effect of expansion in agriculture has resulted to a positive Gross Domestic Product of various countries. 4.0 Arguments against fast food Those individuals that strongly oppose the idea of fast food in most cases cite the health risk the food poses to human kind. They totally disagree with those points brought forth by those who are pro fast food saying that nothing comes first than human health. 4.1 Health issues It has been brought forth that fast foods are characterized by high fat content, high calories, high cholesterol, and quick, high sodium concentration and made from ingredients that are cheap such as fat meat and refined grains. All these pose a greater risk to human health. Prominent scholars and health professionals have linked too much eating of fast food with such health problems as obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disorders, and liver problems. 4.1.1 Heart attack Fast foods are prepared using Trans fat which is an artery-clogging fat. Food prepared using this fat includes French fries as well as chicken nuggets to mention but a few. When an individual takes this kind of food, there are very high chances of such an individual to have higher level of cholesterol which tremendously increases the risk of suffering from heart failures that can be fatal. 4.1.2 Increased high blood pressure As previously mention, fast food contains a good deal of sodium concentration, this aggravates the risk of high blood pressure. Higher concentration of sodium not only causes high blood pressure but also leads to a build up of fluid in those individuals affected by cirrhosis, heart problems as well as kidney disorders (Brennan Carpenter 510). 4.1.3 Obesity According to Wood 21 food such as cheeseburger do contain substantially larger amount of calories than what our body needs. Continual eating of such kind of food means that we accumulate a lot of calories in our body that are not useful leading to individuals being obese. This scenario is a perfect environment thus for a number of serious health problems as heart attack, cancer as well as diabetes. It is important to remember that this leads to other cost. In 2006 it was estimated that approximately $145 billion were spent in buying fast food, the amount coined to treating the problems associated with fast food did surpass the revenue generated. 4.1.4 Liver problem According to Doctor Ballantyne Christine of Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, frequent consumption of fast food leads to liver damage. Since the liver is responsible for purification/filtering of harmful substances as well as producing substances that help breakdown fats, when fast foods are consumed every now and then, the liver will be overloaded and damaged. This in turn leads to very serious health problems that can be fatal. 4.1.5 Stroke A study carried out by the University of Michigan established that those individuals who lived within a walking distance to a restaurant where fast food are sold have 13% chances of suffering from stroke. This is thus linked to the effects of obesity, high blood pressure and so on. 4.2 Addiction It has been documented that fast food is addictive. What this means is that individuals who are used to eating such foods cannot go for long without having a bit of such food. This is despite the fact of the health risk they are posing themselves to. Addiction is attributed to the fact that fast food high in calories, fats, salt and sugar usually reconfigure certain hormones in human body making the body yearn for more fast food (Brennan Carpenter 510). This leads to uncontrolled intake of such kind of foods making it more difficult for an individual to change their eating habits. 4.3 Higher chances of contamination Since fast food constitutes the type of foodstuffs that can be prepared within a very short time, some ingredients especially from plant origin have contaminants. The presence of these contaminants coupled with such cooking methods as frying and grilling do aggravate the problem of carcinogens as well as other kinds of contaminant which are deadly to human health. Additionally, the manner with which fast food are cooked leaves room for survival of microbes this is due to the fact that they are half-cooked. The presence of such microbes usually leads to a suffering from numerous diseases that when not properly and quickly treated lead to death. 4.4 Family bond The issue of fast food has been brought forth as another factor that jeopardizes family bond. This is because no or very minimal time is used in preparing food together, leave alone eating together. Young people are spending more of their time in having a meal with their fellow friends other than their family members (Schlosser 211). Psychologist hold that meal time is a family meeting where each and every member is in a position to share their thought, ideas, problems as well as feelings. This usually helps in strengthening the bond between and among family members. This is in jeopardy during this era of growth in fast food industries. 4.5 Lower nutritional content Fast food has been linked and it is a fact that most of them apart from pizza lack dietary fiber as well as essential micro-nutrients such as vitamin and minerals. It is worth mentioning that food that lack fiber brings with it a number of stomach complication such as constipation. In the same respect, fruit usually lack in this sort of diet. In addition fast food are not nutritionally balanced, this lack of essential nutrients leads to malnutrition to both adults and kids (Arsenault 5). 4.6 Environmental impact Although this can be disputed as mere statement with no facts, the impact of fast food when critically analyzed will leave one puzzled. According to the finding of New Community Project, approximately 15 pounds of grain and close to 2,500 gallons of water is used to come up with one pound of hamburger. Similarly considering the pace with which meat is consumed through fast food, more land will need to be created especially through deforestation to provide enough space to rising up castles, sheep and goats (Brennan Carpenter 507). What this mean is that our natural ecosystems will be interfered with in the long ran leading to serious consequences as species extinction, habitat destruction, global warming and many negative environmental impacts that do have serious and lethal consequences to human beings. Additionally, over reliance on animal food product will mean that both terrestrial and marine life will be overexploited to meet the ever increasing human demand on fast food (Schlosser 300). 4.7 Expensive Although previously it was stated that fast food is inexpensive, that was only true when considering an individual buying such kind of food Vis avis cooking at home. It is important to not that a family visiting or buying fast food once in a while is not that expensive, but when this is done more often, then the amount of money spent can be quite much more as compared to if the family could just buy the food in super market, take the time to prepared it and enjoy a dinner or lunch together as a family (Arsenault 12). Additionally, in fast food joints, even if the whole family goes there, the environment is not very conducive to ensure that each and every family members share their thought, feeling and ideas because the time to spend in such areas are always limited. 5.0 Dealing with the problem On the basis of the argument for and against fast food, it will only be rational if we seriously think and act properly. Proponents of fast food usually say those who that argue against fast food are misplaced, what they need to do is to advocate for high quality processed food. At present, what is needed is to develop a culture that is in line with fast processed food. The culture need to provide choices to individuals, ethos that does not intolerant. It is worth to note that this will create the kind of uniformity we need at the present (Laudan 39). It will be responsible if; Parents do not encourage their kids to frequently eat fast food as well as teaching them on how to eat healthy Parent should lead by example and encourage eating together at home Choosing healthy food with vegetables, less sodium, sugar and fat In cases where one is addicted to such kind of food, efforts should be made to help him/her out of the problem through the various available ways for instance seeing a nutritionist (Laudan 39) 6.0 Conclusion From the review of both arguments for and against fast food, it is very easy for one to advocate doing away with it. But further consideration can make one to on which side to take. Among the arguments brought forth by proponent of fast food include the following; fast food are cheap, convenient, reliable, Saves time, provide an opportunity of sharing, provision of employment and revenue generation among others. On the other hand, the various disadvantages that have been used to argue against fast food include the health concern of such food stuffs, the lower nutritional content, the negative impact it posses to the environment, higher chances of contamination there by increasing the risk of diseases, addiction, destruction or jeopardizing family bond to mention but a few. It is worth mentioning that the types of diseases or health hazard associated with fast food include but not limited to obesity, high blood pressure, liver problems, and heart problems/failure. From my point of view, I do not advocate for doing away with fast food due to its various disadvantages, I thus borrow from what Laudan, Rachel brought forth, that we should not fight the industry and bring it down to its knees but rather champion for further improvement of fast food that will bring out high quality and healthy food. This will indeed ensure that people consume healthy foods and at the same time cushioning those that depend on the industry for their daily bread from economic uncertainty of doing way with the sector.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Reality and Illusion in Shakespeares Hamlet - Appearance versus Realit
Appearance versus Reality in Hamlet      Appearance versus reality is one of the central themes of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The characters in the play assume roles for the purpose of concealment - Claudius, in reality a murderer and usurper, plays the roles of grieving brother and rightful king; the adulterous Gertrude plays the role of a 'most seeming-virtuous queen' when she is, in her son's view, a 'most pernicious woman'. Even Hamlet himself assumes the role of a madman in his attempt to establish the reality of his uncle's guilt.  In 1.2, the anxious Gertrude asks her son why he is taking the death of his father so personally...  Why seems it so particular with thee?  Hamlet indignantly asserts the sincerity of his grief....  Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not 'seems'. 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forc'd breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye Nor the dejected haviour of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, For they are actions that a man might play; But I have that within which passes show, These but the trappings and the suits of woe.  Here the prince may be implying that his mother's grief, unlike his own, is merely an appearance.  When the ghost of old Hamlet appears and reveals to his grieving son the horrific details of his death at the hands of his treacherous brother, the theme of appearance versus reality becomes firmly rooted in the plot as Hamlet is presented with a moral dilemma. If the ghost is in reality what he appears to be, then Claudius is merely an appearance, an arch-hypocrite. The king is not in re... ... A.C. Quote. Literary Companion to British Authors: William Shakespeare. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996. Danson, Lawrence. "Tragic Alphabet." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 65-86 Findlay, Alison. "Hamlet: A Document in Madness." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 189-205. Hopkins, Lisa. "Parison and the Impossible Comparison." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 153-164. Rose, Mark. "Reforming the Role." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 117-128 Wiggins, Martin. "Hamlet Within the Prince." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 209-226.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Anne Bradstreet :: essays research papers
Anne Bradstreet: American Poet      Anne Bradstreet is seen as a true poetic writer for the seventeenth century. She exhibits a strong Puritan voice and is one of the first notable poets to write English verse in the American colonies. Bradstreet’s work symbolizes both her Puritan and feminine ideals and appeals to a wide audience of readers. American Puritan culture was basically unstable, with various inchoate formations of social, political, and religious powers competing publicly. Her thoughts are usually on the reality surrounding her or images from the Bible. Bradstreet’s writing is that of her personal and Puritan life. Anne Bradstreet’s individualism lies in her choice of material rather than in her style.      Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 to Thomas and Dorothy Dudley in Northampton, England. Her father and a young man named Simon Bradstreet were chosen by the Earl of Lincoln as stewards to manage the Earl’s affairs. Anne, unlike many women of her time, was well educated and it is presumed that she had access to the Earl’s vast library during this time. The Earl’s residence was known for its romantic background and this proved true in 1628 when Anne and Simon married. She was only sixteen to his twenty-five years but they were known to have a happy marriage as evidenced in â€Å"To my Dear and Loving Husband†where Bradstreet laments, â€Å"If ever two were one, than surely we†(125). In 1630, the Dudley’s and the Bradstreet’s, along with other Puritans, sailed aboard the Arabella to settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony. These families journeyed to America as many Puritan settlers had before them, in the hopes of religi ous freedoms unattainable in England. In the colonies, Anne’s husband was frequently absent. Bradstreet still found time to write her poetry while raising her 8 children and carrying on the strenuous duties of colonial life.      Though Bradstreet accepted the tenets of Puritanism, anti-Puritan texts are found in her poetry in terms of religious doubts as in â€Å"Meditations†to her children where she speculates if the Scriptures are true or contrived. Anne Bradstreet also deviates from traditional Puritan writings of the time by composing poetry for pleasure and self expression as opposed to writings of preaching and teaching as was the standard. Bradstreet is not truly unorthodox in that she did not dissent from accepted beliefs and doctrine, but lived in an intensely religious, male dominated society which put many limitations on women and their roles.
Visions of Utopia in Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe :: Defoe Robinson Crusoe Essays
Visions of Utopia in Robinson Crusoe   "Daniel Defoe achieved literary immortality when, in April 1719, he published Robinson Crusoe" (Stockton 2321). It dared to challenge the political, social, and economic status quo of his time. By depicting the utopian environment in which was created in the absence of society, Defoe criticizes the political and economic aspect of England's society, but is also able to show the narrator's relationship with nature in a vivid account of the personal growth and development that took place while stranded in solitude. Crusoe becomes "the universal representative, the person, for whom every reader could substitute himself" (Coleridge 2318). "Thus, Defoe persuades us to see remote islands and the solitude of the human soul. By believing fixedly in the solidity of the plot and its earthiness, he has subdued every other element to his design and has roped a whole universe into harmony" (Woolf 2303). A common theme often portrayed in literature is the individual vs. society. In the beginning of Robinson Crusoe , the narrator deals with, not society, but his family's views on how he was bound to fail in life if his parents' expectations of him taking the family business were not met. However, Defoe's novel was somewhat autobiographical. "What Defoe wrote was intimately connected with the sort of life he led, with the friends and enemies he made, and with the interests of natural to a merchant and a Dissenter" (Sutherland 2). These similarities are seen throughout the novel. "My father...gave me serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design," says Crusoe (Defoe 8-9) . Like Crusoe, Defoe also rebelled against his parents. Unlike Crusoe, however, Defoe printed many essays and papers that rebelled against the government and society, just as Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, did in England by depicting society languishing in social malaise (Marowski 231). It were these writings that eventually got Defoe charged with libel and imprisoned (DIScovering Authors). In Defoe's life it was the ministry that his father wanted him to pursue (Sutherland 2), but, instead, Defoe chose to become a tradesman (DIScovering Biography). The depth of the relationship between Crusoe and his parents in the book was specifically not elaborated upon because his parent's become symbolic not only of all parents, but of society. In keeping this ambiguous relationship, Defoe is able to make Crusoe's abrupt exodus much more believable and, thus, more humane.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Red Badge of Courage Essay
â€Å"The central thrust of the Red Badge of Courage is directed towards the puncturing of Henry Fleming’s youthful range of illusions. †â€Å"Our inescapable conclusion concerning Red Badge of Courage is that Fleming is as deluded as the novel ends as he is when he first joins the Union Forces. †Which of the above assessments of the development of Henry Fleming’s character do you feel comes closest to the truth? In your answer you should Consider the arguments for and against accepting the question’s assertions; Bring to bear knowledge of external critical opinion on the issue; Look at contextual aspects of the novel in relation to the topic under consideration. ANSWER I feel that both these arguments show strong opinions and though both show a critical view of Henry Fleming, they are opposing views. The first statement seems to come closest to the truth in that the narrator uses irony to mock and deride Henry yet at the same time he feels a certain affinity with him also. Statement two is a conclusion but not inescapable as Henry, although still deluded, is not as deluded as he was at the time he joined the Union Army. In choosing statement one to be the truer of the two I have come to the conclusion that the narrator is being used as a figure who mocks Henry’s egotism and self deception on one hand then shows sympathy on the other. Stephen Crane uses the narrator to tell the story from a third party point of view and therefore can use this to get his points across. This use of third parties belies Crane’s own experiences of death and mutilation both in his private life with the death of his siblings and in the stories, pictures and photographs he has seen whilst researching the book. It is possible, Stephen Crane had read General Ulysses S Grant’s memoirs and also â€Å"Battles and Leaders of the Civil War†, which was a very popular and factual compendium of four books at the time and he no doubt saw Mathew B Brady’s photographs of the Civil War in these also. The novel is a naturalistic human- interest story but Crane uses the experiences of ordinary soldiers who fought during the Civil War to get the feel of how young men were forever changed by their experiences. Crane cleverly uses contrasts to show how Henry feels at differing times, using monster images to show how active an imagination Henry has, for example to describe a column of men, â€Å"two serpents crawling from the cavern of night†. Crane also uses nature and colour to show contrasts, with constant references to how the sky looks and the fact that â€Å"Mother Nature†still goes on regardless of anything that puny men can do to themselves, for example â€Å"a river, amber tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the army’s feet, and at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eye-like gleam of hostile campfires†¦ †Phrases like â€Å"A fair field holding life. †¦ It would die if its timid eyes were compelled to see blood†and â€Å"He conceived nature to be a woman with a deep aversion to tragedy†all show Henry’s wonderment at the fact that nature can carry on despite what happens, and at times the narrator sometimes unfairly mocks Henry for this. As the story develops and we see how Henry deals with the harsh realities of war the use of symbols becomes more developed, with Henry seeing the darker sides to war and death. This is when, I feel, the narrator becomes sympathetic to Henry as he tries to reconcile himself with the terrible things he has seen and done. The narrator give the most sympathy to Henry when he gets lost in the woods and finds a dead man, â€Å"horror-stricken by the sight of a thing†and again when he meets up with Jim Conklin and watches as he dies. Paradoxically he mocks when Henry’s thoughts turn to death and the hope that he â€Å"would be understood†in the afterlife. When Henry celebrates victory too soon and then runs away and when Henry leaves the tattered man to die despite staying with Jim whilst he died. After Henry returns to his own camp and Wilson tends his wound he gets very defensive if anyone mentions his absence or his wound, to the point of him thinking of blackmailing Wilson with the return of his letters and the narrator here shows how Henry is feeling superior yet benevolent, thinking himself the better for not being able to conjure up a scathing remark and how his self justification makes him pompous, devious and condescending. Henrys illusions are punctured again when after bravely fighting, he hears the veterans laughing at him, which only provokes him to further prove his own worth on the battlefield. His perception of the battle is now coloured by the â€Å"brotherhood of battle. †The second claim, is wrong in that Henry is not as deluded as he was, he has fought his demons and come out on the other side, not perfect, but able to realise that he has done dreadful things and he will have to live with them. Crane uses this discovery of self to great aplomb as he makes Henry question himself in the final chapter. Henry has a totally selfish and biased view of the world at the start, which slowly unravels as the story goes on. Crane uses the narrator to give us an insight into Henry’s mind by verbalising his thoughts and giving the narrators view of his actions. This in turn helps us to see the turmoil that Henry faces both within fighting the war and within himself. He turns out to despise his early blusterings and convinces himself that he has matured fully. Although this is not true, he has matured to some extent by being able to see the flaws in his character. Henry still romanticises himself and his surroundings but his personal battle between his consious fear and his desire to become a hero has been won. When Henry joined up he believed that he would become a great hero and that he would win great battles, he of course had never even seen a battle except those that went on in his head. He boasts and brags, to himself, about how brave he is going to be yet he turns and runs once the realities of the fighting become apparent. Through his experiences he slowly comes to terms with the fact that war is bloody and cruel And when his friend shows weakness he stores the information to use at a later date – something he later cannot do. To justify all that he has done he thinks †it had been necessary for him to swallow swords that he might have a better throat for grapes. Fate had, in truth been kind to him. †And to justify leaving the tattered man â€Å"he exclaimed that its importance in the aftertime would be great to him if it even succeeded in hindering the workings of his egotism. †Critics of Stephen Crane have both blasted this story as utter rubbish and Crane’s usage of the third party narrator as him trying to write a biography. General McClurg, when this book was published blasted it as blatant lies. His soldiers would never act like that in such a base manner. McClurg himself fought in the Civil War but being a general was not of course in the front lines of the battle. Many of the men who were, swore that they had fought with Stephen Crane even though he was not born until after the Civil War had ended. Such was the reality of the story to those people. The people who thought that this story was an analogy for Stephen Crane’s life based this assumption on these claims, so therefore, Stephen Crane must know of the battle mindset. Personally I think that Crane had heard so many stories of the war he could picture himself there and could imagine how a young boy would feel going through these experiences. Rather like modern stories penned by writers for television and films. I believe that Crane has shown himself to be a psychological realist in writing this piece and that each reader takes from it what they want in relation to their own experiences and knowledge. Perhaps this was a biographical piece and Crane used Henry to show his own delusions. On discussion of this piece, both within a classroom setting and using discussion groups on computer, I have read and heard many differing views of Henry. These views vary depending on the critic’s age. Many young people see him as egotistical, judgemental and self absorbed whilst mature students see him as just like most teenagers, too young to be able to see the big picture. Henry may be deluded but like most people once maturity sets in delusions become lessened as experience is gained. In conclusion I feel that statement 1 is true because the story develops many internal storylines one of which is the puncturing of Henry Fleming’s youthful range of illusions, of which he has many. Statement 2 on the other hand seems true because Henry is deluded to a certain extent. This is one definite statement with no real detail behind it, the author of it seems to be assuming that Henry can not or will not change.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Factors behind the development and Internationalization of Capital Markets Essay
Financial markets especially the stock market has considerably developed in the past few decades. Several factors have been seen to have aided in their growth and development globally. It has also increased cross-border capital movement, tight links amongst the financial market. The most important element of global market has been increased stock exchange. This paper is therefore aimed at finding the factors which have led to the development and Internationalization of stock exchange facility. Questions to be investigated Objectively, the paper is to disclose the possible factors affecting the Development and internationalization of the capital markets. It is therefore worth notice that these questions has to be addressed: What are the factors that favor the development of international markets?, What are the hindrances in the achievement of fast development of international capital markets? And how do these factors that affect the development of international capital markets affect the domestic markets? Factors influencing the Stock market development and internationalization A least two possible views exists on how economic fundamentals may influence domestic stock market and internationalization. One of the views is that better institutional and macroeconomic environments spur more developed domestic stock markets hence reduces the need to of the use of international markets. The second part of it is behind a number of recent papers on internationalization, this has no longer been an international finance research topic. With regard to this view, it has been found that poor domestic environments prompt firms and investors to use international markets more intensively. In this, the poor domestic environment has been is considered as one of the main reasons for capital flight and greater use by domestic residents of all types of financial services offered internationally (Collier et al, 1999). This also applies to the services offered by the stock markets, where firms may want to escape a poor domestic system with weak institutions. The recent papers done on where international marketers are considered to be more attractive to the firms from poor institutional environments, this is because they offer better protection to investors. As a result, according to this view poor domestic markets lead to worse domestic development. What comes out clearly in this view is the assumption that even firms from poor domestic environments can choose to go international and will wan to internationalize even more especially if they are located in a country with poor institutional environment and weak capital markets. A second view is based on the fact that a better domestic environment in creases the attractiveness of assets to investors. The markets offer larger amounts of external financing, higher liquidity and lower cost of capital when the firm’s host country improves. Under this view, macroeconomics and institutional factors determine the relative willingness of domestic and international investors to supply financing to firms. Investors in international markets may however reward a better environment more than investors in domestic markets do. If thee be an access to the international markets, then better fundamentals will also be available hence it leas to more use of capital markets. Moreover, with liquidity agglomerating in one market, a process of improved fundamentals and increased internalization may have negative effects on the domestic markets, providing international markets with greater advantage. For this reason, there are arguments for both the positive and negative impact on internationalization in those fundamentals that help to develop the local markets. References Collier, Hoeffler, and Pattilo, (1999); Determinants of Capital flight
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