Aristotelian Conventions of Tragedy in King Lear and Brave New World Essay - 1

Aristotelian Conventions of Tragedy in King Lear and Brave New World - Essay Example Aristotelian conventions such as a characterized Recognition of Self, and Suffering, both of which work to together to give tragic drama much of its emotional impact, are found to be driving forces in these master works. King Lear and Savage John, respectively, reveal their statuses as tragic heroes through their belated recognition of their own self-awareness and the suffering they undergo in order to reach that self-recognition. In this essay, both Shakespeare’s King Lear and Huxley’s Savage John will be analyzed in terms of these two Aristotelian conventions of tragedy in order to show how both Lear and John represent tragic heroes in some of literature’s best forms. Both King Lear and Brave New World follow the Aristotelian convention of Recognition of Self. In Aristotle’s formulation, this requires that heroes undergo some suffering that leads to a cathartic sense of self-awareness derived from the pain of suffering (20). Aristotle claims that a man m ust realize the (internal) root of his own downfall before he can become a tragic hero. King Lear gains this self-awareness as he wanders the heath with his Fool. He realizes the role he has played in his own downfall and it causes his descent into madness. Lear returns to sanity and to wisdom by realizing that his arrogance has led him both to accept the flattery of others and to overestimate his own power. He remarks upon this in a lament that â€Å"they told me I was everything; ‘tis a lie, -- I am not ague-proof† (1001). He later displays this growing self-awareness as he shakes hands with Gloucester but says that first he must wipe his hand because it â€Å"smells of mortality† (1001). Through a realization that his own power is limited, Lear is able to reassess his life and the loyalty of others, but not before the war breaks out across his former kingdom by those fighting to right the wrongs largely brought on because of his arrogance. Similarly, in Brave New World, John comes to realize his own limitations, partly because of his ongoing struggle to maintain a separation from the new world he confronts. At the end of his story, as he decides to go live by himself, he tells his friend Helmholtz, â€Å"I ate civilization†¦ it poisoned me; I was defiled. And then†¦ I ate my own wickedness† (241). In this admission, he shows that he was unable to resist society’s hold upon him due to something inside his own heart. While he continues throughout the story to try to purify himself, in the end, like Lear, he fails in his effort to overcome the world that he himself has had a hand in creating through a refusal to understand himself earlier in the story. Both King Lear and Brave New World also deal with the Aristotelian convention of Suffering. Aristotle argues that suffering is constituted in destructive or painful action that brings about death, wounds, or agony (21). For King Lear his suffering is brought on by his unjust treatment of Cordelia in the beginning of the play. This action is parallel by the way his cruel older daughters, Goneril and Regan, treat him after he has given them their portion of his holdings and power. He recognizes

The History Of Wizard Of Oz Film Studies Essay

The History Of Wizard Of Oz Film Studies Essay This essay is based on a mass media product from the past. The media product is a film titled The Wizard of Oz (1939). I have researched my media product and I will be critically analysing it in the essay; When wa it made? Where was it made? Why was it made, (what was its function)? Who made it (artists, producers, media companies and institutions)? Who was it made for (who was the commissioner/client/intended audience)? How was it made (what materials, processes and technologies were used in its production and distribution)? How was it received (how did contemporary critics, com+mentators or audiences respond to the product) Research the historical context in which the media product was produced. Research how the media product is remembered or regarded today. describe how it was read when it was produced and examine how those readings are different today. The Wizard of Oz (1939) is based on a novel by Lyman Frank Baum called The wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). It is a musical that tells the story of a young girl from Kansas who enters a magical fantasy world called Oz, where she meets a group of friends and experiences a variety of exciting adventures. L. Frank Baum was an American author of childrens books, well recognized for writing The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. Before the creation of The Wizard of Oz (1939), earlier series and films and were constructed; The Wizard of Oz (1908), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910), Scarecrow in Oz (1910), and The Land of Oz (1910), The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914), The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914), His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914/15), The Wizard of Oz (1921), The Wizard of Oz (1925). The Wizard of Oz (1939) was influenced by the success of Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was filmed using Technicolor and showed that films adapted from popular childrens stories and fairytale legends could be successful, this inspired (MGM Studios) Metro Goldwyn Mayer to produce its own fictional movie. The Wizard of Oz was a box office success and a major hit with audience and critics. It was the second biggest grossing film in year 1939, after Gone with the Wind (which was first), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (third), Jesse James (fourth), and Mr Smith Goes to Washington (placed at fifth). The film was MGMs most expensive production up to that time; but its initial release failed to recoup the studios investment and the film did not make a profit. However, subsequent re-releases made up for that as the popularity of the movie increased in intensity. Additionally, the popularity and acceptance of the film also increased after it was on-screen for the first time in year 1956 on the CBS Network. An estimate of 45 Million viewers watched the airing of the first television broadcast and since then The Wizard of Oz has aired on television numerously wining an even larger audience. At present, a number of the films famous lines, including and Toto, Ive a feeling were not in Kansas anymore and Theres no place like home are familiar to todays generation. The Wizard of Oz (1939) was made and filmed in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City, California, United States of America. It was released on the 12th of August 1939. The film was produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM Studios), and directed by Mervyn LeRoy, Victor Fleming and King Vidor. Screenplay was written by Edgar Allan Woolf, Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson. Main characters in the film include; Dorothy (Judy Garland), Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), Tzeke/Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) and the tin man (Jack Haley). All of the featured actors and actresses that starred in the film had a prosperous and successful career. This is the film that they have become best known for and in some cases the only film they are remembered for. In year 1989, The Wizard of Oz was selected by the United States of America Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Wizard of Oz was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture but lost to the civil war epic Gone with the Wind (1939). It was undoubtedly the most amazingly productive and dynamic year in Hollywood history. The Wizard of Oz won two Academy Awards. One for best musical scoring with Herbert Arlen (having been responsible for the background music) and the other award was for best song with Harold Arlen (music) and Edgar Yipsel Harburg (lyrics) for the song Over the Rainbow which became one of Judy Garlands signature hits. Judy Garlands profession was taken to the limelight after featuring in The Wizard of Oz. She received an Honorary Academy Award for her outstanding performance as a screen juvenile. Judy had just finished the successful hit films Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) and Babes in Arms (1939). The Wizard Of Oz (1939) is amongst early colour films. The film was recorded in black and white and in colour. The black and white scenes in the film were actually filmed on a sepia tone and the colour scenes were filmed using vivid Technicolor, a relatively new film process at the time. The process of using Technicolor to created coloured vivid images, involves the merging of two or more single strips of exposed film tinted with special dyes. Technicolor is the technology behind the classic colour films like  Gone With the Wind  (1939),  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), An American in Paris  (1951) etc. In the film, scenes that require different colour sequence had to be created practically. Created shots involved matte paintings for backgrounds and painting items or things to create a different colour sequence e.g. four separate horses were tinted for the horse of a different colour sequence. Furthermore, the cost of making the film was placed above $2, 000,000 (whic h is approximately and roughly $47,000,000  at present) almost three times the cost of an average film at the time.   MGM Studios initially placed the cost of the film at over $500,000 below the cost of the movie. (And they anticipated the cost to be around 1, 300,000 (below the cost of the movies The Wizard of Oz (1939) was released just as the Second World War commenced (began in 1939 and ended in 1945). At that time, the world had fell into chaos as Germany had taken over Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland. As a result of the actions of Germany, commotion and confusion was around the world. At the same time, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios released a film that embraces kindness, charity, friendship and love. The wizard of Oz was dedicated to the young, and the young in heart and is aimed at audiences of all ages all over the world. In Rotten Tomatoes, The Wizard of Oz has an average rating of 9.2/10. An absolute masterpiece whose ground breaking visuals and deft storytelling are still every bit as resonant, The Wizard of Oz is a must-see film for young and old. Today, the wizard of Oz is remembered as one of Hollywood timeless movie classics. Its popularity has only continued to grow, inspiring an overabundance of songs and artwork. CONCLUSION The Wizard of Oz (1939) has become a true cinema classic, one that resonates with hope and love every time and today it remains one of the most beloved works of cinema, embraced by audiences of all ages throughout the world. actor

Change in Life from Antebellum to the New Deal Essay -- essays researc

Modern America can be considered one of the world’s economic and industrial leaders. This didn’t happen instantaneously. It was a long process that took centuries to occur from when America was first colonized by England. America started slow and far behind England and other European countries in the technology race but a diverse culture and the work ethic of American people all helped to push this country forward. From antebellum America in the 19th century, to the Progressive Era in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and finally to the New Deal period in the 20th century, many changes occurred as millions of people lives were affected greatly during this time. Throughout these eras in U.S. history, there was a general improvement in the lives of most Americans from the progression of economic life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the antebellum period, the United States was a predominantly pre-industrial society. There were very few factories open at this time. Most of the factory workers were from rural and village cultures. These jobs usually required no skill or knowledge and were quite simple to learn. Working conditions in factories were at its worst with extremely low pay, long workdays, and dangerous conditions. Most workers remained as farmers and artisans. They devoted their lives to their work and were skilled at their jobs. Artisans usually worked closely with agrarians to make different products. Farmers worked the fields, growing crops and raising livestock. Their work would occasionally become easier from new tools made by artisans. Women during this time were housewives. They were doing everything at home. They took care of the children, the house, and the food for the family. Sometimes, life demanded that they work the fields with their husbands. Most women did not have jobs outside the home but a small number did work outside in factory jobs. There was a great influx of immigrants at this time. Many of them worked at factories, usually taking the lowest paying positions available. Their different cultures and work habits often caused many problems because they were not accustomed to the American customs. Most of the immigrants chose to settle in American cities, where most jobs were located. As a result, the cities became extremely crowded. Housing in cities became a major problem from the large number of immigrants. Most ... ...evel administrative positions due to various New Deal agencies and programs. Not many reform programs were intended for women. Most of their benefits came indirectly from programs targeted at men. From the three eras of America, antebellum, Progressive, and New Deal, there seems to be a general increase in quality of life in the workplace and outside. Although there were also many inhumane things that happened, such as the growth of monopolies which prevented many small businesses to fail, the overall improvement of life is still evident. From the antebellum period, when Americans were having trouble finding jobs and many jobs were taken by immigrants, to the New Deal, when Americans have their rights protected and secured by the government, the quality of life has improved. Especially through the efforts of the Progressives and their reforms and Roosevelt and his New Deal, the American worker has never had more security in their life than ever before. Because of the security of their jobs and wages, the number of people that can live relatively comfortably have increased since the last 19th century. Therefore, in general, most people did improve their lives during these perio ds.

Holden Caulfield Character Examination Essay

Character Examination Holden Caulfield is a figment of author J.D Salinger’s imagination, Holden is the exception to all rules, and the rule to all exceptions. He is in an unclassifiable category, and his physical traits give no clue on how to enravel this enigmatic young man. Holden is caring but cold, timid yet bold, passive but aggressive; these are three of perhaps hundreds of antonyms describing his psyche. Holden is the protagonist in J.D Salinger’s only acclaimed novel The Catcher in the Rye. The story centers around the adolescence of this rebel with and without a cause’s life. It is narrated from the point of view of a cynic, with most secondary characters being valueless, trite yuppies with little integrity or worth. Holden’s internal voyage is triggered by his expulsion from Pencey, a boarding school in upstate New York. Holden Caulfield is a tall, solidly built teenager. Holden has short dirty blond hair which he wears in a crew cut. He has a pale complexion and has a tendency of getting red in the face. Salinger does not concentrate on the physical traits of his protagonist but rather he thoroughly describes all facets of his psyche. What struck me as odd about Salinger’s style is that with many secondary and supporting characters in the novel, he paints a very detailed physical analysis from head to toe. Perhaps Salinger made this decision in order to show the reader the complexity of Holden as a human, and that while supporting characters can be brought into the story by external traits, Holden’s complex character transcends mere physical description. Holden Caulfield is a cynic by nature and is a self proclaimed judge of others. Holden has no respect for other people’s positive traits, and he adamantly believes that people put on a faà §ade, play a part and have no self worth or moral barometer. It can be said that Holden is a bipolar character, for example; Holden is naà ¯ve yet cynical simultaneously. One might say that it is impossible to be naà ¯ve and cynical at the same time but with Holden it is evident on a regular basis. Holden is definitely cynical, Holden makes impetuous accusations and rash generalizations of people and often he is mistaken in  his judgment because he shows no form of acceptance to the positive value of the human spirit. Holden is also naà ¯ve, not in the pure sense of the word but Holden is naà ¯ve of himself and his thoughts. Holden has strong deep-rooted beliefs of the world being against him and the world being out to get him, but he is mistaken. Holden Caulfield radical belief of his own beliefs makes him naà ¯ve and gullible. The sad part of Holden’s terrible attitude towards life, is that to some extent he himself is a fraud, by becoming an arrogant disbeliever of human worth, he is, in his mind justifying his own mistakes an d moral flaws. Holden has feelings of insecurity and a fear of loneliness and alienation, his fear plays a large role in his actions during his time in Manhattan. From the moment of his departure from Pencey, Holden was trying to call his old girlfriends; at first he called his old friend Jane Gallagher. After striking out, he was lonely and his way of dealing with his rejection was hopping from bar to bar and from nightclub to nightclub. After Holden recovered from his misadventure with Jane, he called another acquaintance named Sally. Sally and Holden ended up meeting up for a matinee, but Holden, spotted a lunt (phony) and it made him wreck the date. Holden is fickle and impatient, this is exemplified by his hopping from hangout to hangout at night in New York. Holden would make potentially dangerous decisions on impulse. He was not methodical or prudent at all, his impulsiveness could be labeled as recklessness. An example of the dangers of his impetuousness is when after a tough night, he hired a prostitute from the elevator man, Maurice. Holden didn’t even think about the consequences of his actions and in the end Holden was in a dangerous situation with Maurice. Holden Caulfield’s secondary characteristics are what make the plot of the novel so interesting to the reader. Holden Caulfield is a truly fascinating character. In writing this essay, the complexity and the inconsistency of his character traits became more and more evident to me. Holden is a great example of many negative qualities often associated with teenagers such as, impulsiveness, recklessness and various other negative traits not affiliated with teenagers such as cynicism, and a lack of faith. Holden is the most intriguing character I  have encountered in my literary experience. In two years from now when rereading Salinger’s novel The Catcher In The Rye, I wonder how my thoughts and opinions of Holden Caulfield will change. With further insight to Holden’s complex character, I may well appreciate him more and more.

Character Traits of Frair Lawerance Essay

In the play Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is one of the characters with an amazing personality. Friar Lawrence character is shown as trustworthy, friendly, and a helpful man. The first trait of Friar Lawrence’s personality is him being honest and trustworthy. When talking to Romeo Friar Lawrence says â€Å"But come, young waverer, come, go with me. In one respect I’ll thy assistant be† (A.2.3.96-97). By telling this to Romeo Friar Lawrence is telling him that he can be trusted to marry him to Juliet. Also Romeo and Juliet believe he will keep their marriage a secret, that why they trust him. Friar Lawrence could have told both the Montague’s and the Capulet’s that their children are getting married to each other. Instead Friar had kept his word, and not saying anything because he thought maybe the two households would become closer. â€Å"For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your household’s rancor to pure love†(A.2.3.98-99). Everyone trusts Friar with their secretes, by confessing to him†. This is another way Shakespeare shows that Friar is very trusted. Friar Lawrence is also a friendly man. He is friendly because he cares about Romeo and Juliet’s problems. He is a friend to Romeo because he talks to him daily. In one conversation with Romeo Friar says â€Å"I’ll give thee armor to keep off that word, adversity’s sweet milk. Philosophy, to comfort thee, though art banished† (A.3.3.57-59). This shows that Friar Lawrence is a friend because he tries to comfort Romeo. He also says he will protect him. By comforting and protecting Romeo Friar shows the quality of a good friend. Friar is also a helpful man when Romeo comes to Friar in a desperate need to marry; he helps him by marrying Romeo to Juliet. â€Å"Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast†. Friar Lawrence attempts to tell Romeo to take his decision carefully. Also when Juliet had no one else was left to save Juliet form getting married to Paris. Friar Lawrence was the one who helped Juliet, when she comes to see him, by making a scheme to fake her death so she will not need to marry Paris.