Friday, January 24, 2020
Conflict in the Twilight :: history
Conflict in the Twilight When has war ever been fair, just or necessary? Yet, we all wage wars. In my opinion all wars are a result of the breakdown of the rules of society which leads to the polarization of sensibility and reason. The root cause of the problem is usually trivial compared to the consequential disaster. No reason can warrant the taking of precious innocent lives; yet wars take place despite the wisdom and the best efforts of the human race, almost as if they are preordained. I don’t believe they are preordained, but they are certainly bred. As we are taught right from wrong each one of us builds an ideology based on teachings and experiences. This ideology, which is ideally meant to make one a better human being, becomes the reason for conflict when one is rigid and applies one’s standards onto others. As soon as the first bullet is fired both sides are on a roller coaster and they live off a mixture of ego, righteousness, comradeship, strategies, victories, setbacks and revenge. The situation grows to obsession and desperation and soon the gloves are off - the nastier the better. During WW II the British were fighting the war as gentlemen but British parliamentarian, Mr. R. T. Bower, said, â€Å"when you are fighting for your life against a ruthless opponent you cannot be governed by Queensberry rules†- the code that governs boxing. Speaking about the government policy of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain he is claimed to have said â€Å"The government would rather lose the war under Queensberry rules than do anything unbecoming to an absolutely perfect gentleman†. â€Å"That kind of thing will not do†he said. Soon after Winston Churchill took over as Prime Minister the policy changed and covert operations were executed to set Europe ablaze by sabotage, assassinations and a host of other irregular warfare. It has happened in every war and on every side. In the twilight the right and the wrong look similar, such are the times that we live in. The ‘A’ bomb was invented and immediately used. It may have brought an end to the war but the Japanese people have yet to recover from the psychological trauma of the event. They shun violence and their constitution forbids them to send their troops out of Japan, not even for the United Nations, except, recently, as peace keepers. Their constitution was written for them by the Americans after the war but even after all these years of economic development, which has made them an economic super power, they are not willing to change that provision in their constitution.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Master Harold and the Boys Essay
â€Å"Master Harold††¦and the boys, by the white South African playwright Athol Fugard, is a naturalistic play set in a Tea Room in Port Elizabeth on a rainy day in 1950. Two black servants, Sam and Willie, and their white master’s son Hally (‘Master Harold’), have deep conversations about the good time they had together when Hally was young. In the beginning of the play, Sam and Willie, practice their dancing techniques and talk about an upcoming dance contest. Fugard has created first impressions of situation and characters in the opening of the play by using set design, stage directions, duologue as well as speech and tone. The opening of the play is interpreted as being up to Hally’s first entry. Firstly, the unprofessional and for the audience surprisingly casual and light-hearted situation is created by Fugard’s choice of set design, stage directions and duologue. Secondly, Sam and Willie’s relationship is proven of unequal status, yet intimate and deep, by the difference in speech and tone, and by the choice of topics in the duologue. Finally, initial perceptions of a childish and rude Willie and an intelligent and experienced Sam are constructed through mostly speech and tone. The unprofessional impression of the Tea Room and the carefree and easy going ambiance is created by set design and stage directions, and duologue. Firstly, the amateurish impression of the business is created by the blackboard on which an untrained hand has chalked up the prices of the items, and by the few sad ferns in pots in the room. Furthermore, the fact that Fugard has chosen to clear all tables to one side, suggests that the business is not doing well, because the Tea Room is not likely to be expecting any customers. Secondly, the audience notices immediately that the mood in the room is casual, by letting Willie start off with singing a song as he mops down the floor. This strong mood is then reinforced when Willie suddenly gets up and starts dancing, Sam eagerly encouraging and correcting Willie’s dance technique. The audience must have been surprised by this casual situation, because one must not forget that at the time of the performance, around 1982, apartheid in South Africa was considerably further developed than the setting of the play. The fact that two black men, obviously workers, are without supervision of a white person and that they are enjoying themselves during work must have raised a sense of unease from the spectators, unsure how to react. The relationship between Sam and Willie is profound, yet Sam seems to have a higher status compared to Willie, as suggested by Fugard’s choice of topic of conversation and by the contrast between the terms of address and physical position. To begin with, the way in which both men communicate is very informal. Willie uses plenty of swear words, like â€Å"fuckin’ whore†or â€Å"bitch†, whereas Sam uses a higher register, but is still joking around with Willie (â€Å"How’s your pillow with the quickstep?†). This use of language suggests that both men feel at ease and that they have known each other for a very long time already. A sense of intimate relationship is also created by the topics of conversation. Willie is very open with Sam about his relationship with Hilda Samuels, as when he talks about the problems buying food for their baby of which he isn’t even sure it is his son (â€Å"Only his hair looks like me.†); he shows no hesitation to discuss the matter with Sam. Sam even knows that Willie often beats up his girlfriend, suggesting that they have been living alongside for a long time. The audience realises that it is watching an intimate conversation, which makes them attentive, curious and involved in the discussion. Secondly, Sam’s higher social position is suggested by the contrast between the way Sam addresses Willie and vice versa, almost like a teacher-student relation. Sam suggests improvements for Willie’s dance technique, as â€Å"Don’t look down!†or â€Å"But you’re too stiff!†, as well as how he could be more successful in his relationships with girlfriends (â€Å"You hit her too much.†) and Willie reacts willingly to take up the advice. Also, Sam demonstrates the dance as it should be, suggesting that Sam is more experienced. Lastly, a subtle but symbolic detail is the physical positioning of Sam and Willie at the very beginning of the play: Willie is mopping down the floor on his knees, working, while Sam is flicking through a comic book, standing, and obviously not working. Fugard has visualised their relationship by the contrast between kneeling and sitting, and working and relaxing, and this can in fact be applied to the entire rest of the play. Sam is portrayed as a confident, intelligent and experienced character through his speech and tone. The way Sam guides Willie through the learning process of the quickstep, and even demonstrates a much more accomplished dance than Willie, indicates he is a skillful dancer himself. Fugard has made the audience feel sympathy towards Sam, as he encourages Willie, â€Å"Look happy, Willie! Relax Willie!†, although Willie is a hopeless dancer. Fugard represents Willie’s character as slightly vulnerable, unexperienced, and as a bad lover through his reactions to Sam’s teasing, the difficulties he has with learning the quickstep and through his description of his relationship with girlfriends. Willie is very quickly frustrated by Sam’s advice, like â€Å"Yesterday I’m not straight †¦ today I’m too stiff!†and â€Å"I try hard because it is hard.†. Willie’s incapability to cope with Sam’s teasing once even results in a small brawl between the two of them: â€Å"It’s finish between us.†Furthermore, Willie is clearly a bad love partner, confirmed when he describes his girlfriend as a â€Å"whore†and a â€Å"bitch†, but which is, quite ironically, provoked by himself hitting his girlfriend every once in a while. This, together with his vulgar choice of language, results in an aversion from the audience to Willie. To conclude, Fugard has managed to create strong first impressions in the opening of the play in terms of situation and characters. He has used set design, stage directions and duologue to create an unprofessional and casual ambience. In terms of characters, Fugard has succeeded in associating strong characteristic features to Sam and Willie, both intimate friends, yet separated in a way by an intellectual line.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Brave New World Critical Analysis - 755 Words
Miriam Flagg AP Literature and Composition Aug. 29, 2017 Analysis of â€Å"Brave New World†Brave New World is a novel by Aldous Huxley. It takes place in the dystopian future where people are grown in batches and no one is given birth to. From there, they are conditioned to be perfect citizens in what is now considered a perfect civilization. Because of the way this society is, there is almost no room for outsiders. Those who don’t cooperate with society are exiled to an island. However, this isn’t the only way in which characters in the novel are exiled. One of the main characters, John, is exiled in a way starkly different from that of Bernard and Helmholtz. John is disgusted by what he perceives as the backwards morals of this society. He†¦show more content†¦After his arrest, Bernard and Helmholtz are both exiled to an island, while John is forced to stay in the place he has come to despise, permanently. This is the second time John felt exiled. He is forced to stay against his will and will never leave. This eventually led to him fleeing to a lighthouse in an attempt to rid himself of the evil he sees. The third, and final time John â€Å"exiles†himself is in the lighthouse he now accommodates. John uses the lighthouse to try to purify himself through starvation, vomiting, and whipping. This eventually draws people to him, as they have never seen anything like it. Lenina eventually finds him, and tries to talk to John. In response, he hits her, which starts an orgy, which John becomes a part of. Once John realizes what he has done, consumed by guilt and grief, he hangs himself in the lighthouse â€Å"Just under the crown of the arch dangled a pair of feet†. (Huxley 259) This is the third and final time he is â€Å"exiled†. John is truly an outsider, from the beginning to the end. He grew up hearing about where his mother was from, and once realizing what it was truly like, he came to hate it. 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