Sunday, April 19, 2020
The theme that is brought up early in this play is fate and predestination Essay Example For Students
The theme that is brought up early in this play is fate and predestination Essay The theme that is brought up early in this play is fate and predestination. This was very much part of the Protestant belief at the time of Macbeth. Ones future was mapped out to a certain extent ultimately leading to salvation or damnation. In Macbeths case it was damnation and failure. This theme was displayed early in the play. Macbeth and Banquo have recently been in a tough battle with rebels and have won the victory for Scotland. Duncan rewards Macbeth for his courage by giving him the title Thane of Cawdor. This title previously belonged to one who was a most disloyal traitor so it seems Macbeth was destined to become one himself. But Duncan himself does not tell Macbeth. He is told by three witches he meets on the lonely moor. Macbeth is surprised to be told by the witches but even more so when they proclaim he will be King: We will write a custom essay on The theme that is brought up early in this play is fate and predestination specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Act 1 Scene 3 First Witch All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis Second Witch All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor Third Witch All hail Macbeth, that shall be King here after. However, certain issues must be raised. The question has to be asked à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã¢â¬Å" Are the witches predicting his future or are they trying to manipulate him into doing something he would regret? The witches may have been told by someone about Macbeth receiving the honour of being Thane of Cawdor before the information got to him. Macbeth was destined to fail as soon as he thought about being King. Thinking about being would have made him exercise thoughts about killing Duncan in order to be King more quickly. In those days it was believed that the Monarch was appointed by God and therefore any attempt to usurp the Monarch was sacrilegious. This is made clear to us when Duncans sons discover their father dead. McDuff says: Act 2 Scene 3 Confusion now hath made his masterpiece Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope The Lords appointed temple and stole thence The life othbuilding. McDuff says that the life of the Lords anointed temple has been stolen. He means that Duncan was the life of God and this life was stolen because he is dead. This shows a strong belief that Kings were appointed by God. This belief is called The Divine Rights of Monarchs and once again shows that Macbeth was destined to fail when he killed Duncan. Macbeths moral dilemma when considering murdering Duncan, and the religious terminology he uses illustrates how he knows that the act he is considering is immoral and that he will be punished accordingly. However he is still seduced by offers of greatness. He says: Act 1 Scene 7 But in these cases We still have judgement here that we but teach Bloody instructions, which being taught, return To plague thinventor Evenà though he will receive greatness for murdering Duncan, it will come back to haunt him or he might even be killed himself. This once again shows that Macbeth was destined to fail. It is obvious to us that Macbeth is attracted to the idea of murdering Duncan but he knows it is an evil act: Act 2 Scene 1 Nature seems deadà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ wicked dreamsà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecates offringà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ Withered murderà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ wolfà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ howlsà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ Tarquins Ravishing stridesà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ ghost All of these things represent evil and it shows what was going through Macbeths mind. Even still he contemplated murdering Duncan. This shows that he was once again destined to fail. .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 , .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .postImageUrl , .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 , .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:hover , .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:visited , .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:active { border:0!important; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:active , .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4 .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua56470838a8cb65cb3855bb23b1113a4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How effectively does Harper Lee present the children and growing up in To Kill A Mockingbird EssayThe murder of Duncan and the upsetting of the pre-ordained order is illustrated symbolically by the in incident with the owl and the falcon: Act 2 Scene 4 old man Tis unnatural, Even like the deed thats done on Tuesday last At a falcon tow ring in her pride of place Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed This is showing that the less powerful and important is killing the more powerful and important. It is a parallel to Macbeth killing Duncan. Macbeth usurped Duncans position and this is unnatural or wrong occurrence. Macbeth is defying the natural order and therefore defying God therefore he will be punished and this punishment will be failure. This manifestation of Gods will was central to the belief system of Low Church Christians in the early 17th Century, of which James I was one. This play serves as a warning to those wanting to kill the monarch at the time of the play. The Gunpowder Plot is referred to at the beginning of Act 2 Scene 3: Knock, knock. Whos there in thother devils name? Faith, heres an equivocator that could swear in both the Scales against either scale, who committed treason Enough for Gods sake, yet could not equivocate to Heaven. O, come in, equivocator. The Porter seems to be referring to the Jesuit father Garnet, who tried to save his life with his specious arguments but who was executed in 1606 for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot. He especially refers to the Jesuit priests equivocal oaths when he says for Gods sake. The plotters were condemned and this is parallel to Macbeth being condemned à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã¢â¬Å" his madness and suffering along with that of his wife are symbolic of the punishment awaiting the traitors. His punishment comes in several ways. Firstly he cannot sleep at night, secondly he keeps visualising the ghost of Banquo and thirdly and ultimately he himself is killed. James I defeating the plotters and Malcom and McDuff defeating Macbeth are examples of the theme good versus evil. If good were not to prevail then the whole socio-cultural fabric that underpinned 17th Century life would be destroyed making society unstable. This is proved in the years followingà the death of James I. His successor Charles I was impeached and he was eventually executed after the Civil War. Also the governments of the Interregnum and the Protectorate had failed.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Where the Red Fern Grows â⬠Book Summary and Review American Literature Essay (100 Level Course)
Where the Red Fern Grows ââ¬â Book Summary and Review American Literature Essay (100 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers Where the Red Fern Grows Book Summary and Review American Literature Essay (100 Level Course) The book Where the Red Fern Grows is about a boy, named Billy, who during the Depression. The year in which this story takes place is the 1930ââ¬â¢s. Billy really wanted dogs. He especially wanted coon dogs. He always wanted to hunt. His grandfather told something that made him think about earning his own money to save for coon dogs. No one knew, not even his family knew, that he was saving money, and doing so many jobs for coon dogs. Finally, when he saved enough money, he went to his grandfather and told him to order two coon dogs. Altogether the price was 40 dollars, he had enough money for both of them. He was really excited. He waited so long for his coon dogs to arrive. They finally came to a city, not far away from where he lived. He snuck out of his house, and went to the city to pick him up. He had to walk all the way to a railroad station. That was where the coon dogs were. He got them. They were only puppies. He then walked to a store to get his father and mother some things that they desperately needed, with the change that he had from buying the coons. On the way back home, he gave his puppies a bath in a waterfall. While he was drying them, he saw a tree that said Dan Ann. He then decided to name is puppies Old Dan and Little Ann. After he let them take a bath, he settled somewhere close by his house, and then his dogs and him went to sleep. He finally came home surprising all of his family. His family was worried sick about him. He showed all of them the puppies and they forgot about worrying about him. He showed the presents he got for his family and they were really happy. They loved him a lot. When he finally got his coon dogs he trained them too hunt coons. He started to train them ever since they were puppies with the help of his sisters. They became really good hunters and could track any coon that was in the woods. The story about his puppies spread around the town. Whenever he caught a coon he skinned and gave to his grandfather. His grandfather sold them at his store and Billy began to earn money again. In the story, Billy faces many challenges. He started to bet with people and he even competed in competition. He won the competition and got a pool of money. He loved his dogs very much. He thought he could have keep on doing bets and hunt coons for a long while. That was what he thought though. One night, Billy and his dogs were on a hunt. The dogs thought they smelled a coon. What they really smelled was a mountain lion. Old Dan and Little Ann started to fight the lion fiercely. They were becoming really beaten up. Billy finally killed the mountain lion. Then he found out that Old Dan was dead. The next day they buried Old Dan. Then Little Ann started to feel lonely. She didnââ¬â¢t eat was all worn out. One day, in the morning, she walked all the way where Old Dan was buried, and she died. Billy was really sad and his father buried Little Ann. Billy didnââ¬â¢t even want to hunt again. Since the great depression was happening, Billy and his family had to move because they werenââ¬â¢t doing so well through the dust bowl. Billy wanted to say good-bye to his dogs. When he finally got to where his dogs were, there was a red fern. The red fern indicated that the dogs were in heaven, and they were deeply in love with each other. He was really happy that the fern was there. He then had to move. Research Papers on Where the Red Fern Grows - Book Summary and Review American Literature Essay (100 Level Course)Book Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Spring and AutumnThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMind TravelWhere Wild and West MeetPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Error types of NNs and the role of L1 in SLA Essay
Error types of NNs and the role of L1 in SLA - Essay Example This research wouldnââ¬â¢t be possible without your participation and I am incredibly grateful for your help. Thanks to Dr.Maggie for helping us in preparing, editing and general guidance through the research and process. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it brings together the various theories and views and the research findings in the rules and functions in the second language learning (SLL), second, it shows the importance of the first language in learning second language. SLA as the name suggests is the study of second language acquisition. This definition has being refined by Dulay, Burt & Krashen (1982, pp10) SLA is ââ¬Å"the process of learning another language after the basic of the first have been acquired, starting at about five years of age and thereafterâ⬠. In order to define the error types it is first important to know what NNS is. A Non-Native Speaker (NNS) is a person who is learning a language other than his own. Any NNS belonging to any language can learn a foreign languageââ¬â¢s rules and laws of grammar and spelling. But he/she cannot learn the idioms, expressions and word pairings of the language because they cannot be described by the rules or laws of the foreign language or they might require the memorization of special-case rules. Regardless of the knowledge acquired by NNS of the grammatical rules, NNS continue to make a number of language errors. These are the error types of NNS. These errors include (Park et.al. 2008): Apart from the errors types of L1, there is a significant role played by L1 in acquiring L2 in SLA. According to Krashen (1982) when he talked about the role of first language L1 in second language acquisition SLA that ââ¬Å"the only major source of syntactic errors in adult second language performance was the performers first languageâ⬠. Some of the errors that arise are related to the interlingual errors. It occurs when the NNSââ¬â¢s L1 habits such as patterns or rules prevent the NNS
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Customer Service Satisfaction at the University of London Library Essay - 1
Customer Service Satisfaction at the University of London Library - Essay Example According to Quinn (2007) in recent times the educational community, generally and the library profession in particular have placed increasing emphasis on the service quality model. This model has customer satisfaction as its primary objective as traditional measures of academic library quality such as collection size becomes secondary. In assessing service quality the customer compares expectations about the service offered to actual experience with the service. Gap analysis is a tool that is used to identify the differences (gap) between what is expected and what is experienced. According to Berkowitz et al (1997, p.353) this type of analysis requires consumers to assess their expectations and experiences on dimensions of service quality as described in the table that follows. In the context of service quality and customer satisfaction, of importance, is the need to look at the service that the library provides in order to see how it can fulfil expectations. The role of the library is to provide resource materials for its customers. But, who exactly are these customers? They are students, administrators, faculty members and the general public. In terms of reliability the library must be able to provide the student with a book, journal or other resource material which will enable the completion of a required task. While the librarian is expected to provide the service in a timely manner, there is the need for the student to exercise some skills in how to access required materials to carry out his or her role. The librarian however, is available to provide some guidance but the student independence is of extreme importance in the development of worthwhile skills which will be required in the future.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Art Exhibit on Nature Essay Example for Free
Art Exhibit on Nature Essay The planet earth is the only known habitat for humankind. For millions of years, it served as the home to numerous living things such as animals, plants and people. More so, it has been a witness to many events that have shaped the course of world history. Because of this, it is suffice to say that our beloved Mother Earth has played a vital role in nourishing and sustaining the existence of humans. In return for all the benefits and nourishment that Mother Earth has provided to humans, human beings have showed their gratitude by expressing their appreciation and admiration for the beauty and splendor of nature. For centuries, human beings have captured the magnificence of the diversity and uniqueness of the environment which was shown using various art forms such as painting, sculptures, photography, architecture and many others. In line with this, throughout history, several art movements have emerged. There were the Classical, Renaissance, Baroque, Modernism and many others. The dominant and styles and themes differed in these art periods. However, there was one theme that has remained constant until the present day. This is known as landscape or nature art. This form of art is defined as the illustration of mountains, flora and fauna, bodies of water and the sky. More so, it is a celebration of the majestic beauty of nature. This trend in the art world has continued to persist throughout the ages. Aside from this, it has also evolved in terms of styles and techniques. Every part of the globe has developed their own approach on how to translate the beauty of nature into a canvas. Because of the variety in culture and tradition, nature and landscape artworks have surfaced as distinctive copies of the wonders of the environment. With this, nature had become a worldwide art phenomenon and these artworks have made nature a timeless masterpiece that will be forever treasured and recognized. On the other hand, due to changing times, the seemingly everlasting beauty of nature is apparently gradually diminishing. If before humans respected the significant role of Mother Earth in the cycle of life, nowadays, humans have abandoned their vital task of being the steward. Instead of taking care of the natural wonders of the world, humans have opted to obliterate it. This sudden change was caused by the desire to improve the ways of living of people. Initially, the intention may seem innocent and harmless but if one would look closely, traces of selfishness and greed can be uncovered. People wanted to advance the human race but at the expense of damaging the environment. Because of this, a drastic natural occurrence has been plaguing the contemporary society. This has claimed lives of many people and destroyed millions worth of properties. This phenomenon has been labeled as climate change or global warming. In the recent years, Mother Earth has been experiencing unusual changes such as the increase in temperature of the atmosphere, extinction of some animal and plant species, loss of land mass and many others. These alterations have posted an alarming threat to the existence of many living things. If humans would permit this condition to carry on, in time people would be left homeless and without any nourishment. To help intensify awareness on the present state of the environment, an art exhibit will be put up. This exhibit will showcase the nature artworks of American artist, Ansel Adams, French painter, Paul Cezanne, and a Japanese artisan named Hokusai. The objective of the exhibit is to help the viewers realize the importance and connection of nature with the existence of humans. More so, this nature-themed art exhibit will explore the various perceptions of artists on nature from different periods. It will demonstrate how people saw and appreciated the beauty of the environment during their respective eras. By incorporating artists from different continents such as North America, Europe and Asia, viewers will also be given a 360 degrees view of the worldââ¬â¢s most beautiful places. Hopefully, after they have seen the exhibit, the viewers will have a new-found respect on the beauty and vigor of Mother Earth. Ansel Adams is an American photographer who has mastered the artistry of capturing wonderful shots of landscapes in scenic places strewn all over the United States. Aside from being an artist, he was also a dedicated environmentalist ââ¬Å"who encouraged understanding of, and respect for, the natural environment. â⬠Even though he initially got noticed as a noted photographer in commercial photography, he excelled in the field of landscape photography (Notablebiographies. com). The black and white landscape photographs have become Adamsââ¬â¢ trademarks. Two of Adams most recognized photographs are the ââ¬Å"The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyomingâ⬠and ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËOld Faithfulââ¬â¢ geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyomingâ⬠(TheHistoryPlace. com). Adams was commissioned to take these pictures for the National Park Service in 1941. The photographs were intended to be used to make the ââ¬Å"photo mural for the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC. â⬠The main theme was focused on showcasing nature ââ¬Å"exemplified and protected in the U. S. National Parksâ⬠(U. S. National Archives and Records Administration). These two photographs have illustrated the grandiose and picturesque beauty of the mountain ranges and national parks in the US. Furthermore, he used his creativity to ââ¬Å"preserve the wilderness and one of the first to promote photography as an art formâ⬠(TheHistoryPlace. com). Paul Cezanne is considered as one of the masters of post-Impressionism. He is also well-known for pioneering an avant-garde movement then called cubism in the late 1800s. Because of his quirkiness and modern styles, Cezanne was misunderstood by the people. But this did not discourage him to advance his creativity. He ââ¬Å"grew out of Impressionism and eventually challenged all the conventional values of painting in the 19th century through its insistence on personal expression and on the integrity of the painting itself. â⬠Through these innovations, he was recognized as the ââ¬Å"father of modern paintingâ⬠(Pioch). But before Cezanne ventured into cubism, he created several simple yet exquisite landscape paintings that ââ¬Å"immortalized the Provencal countrysideâ⬠in France. In his two paintings, ââ¬Å"Etude: Paysage a Auversâ⬠(Study: Landscape at Auvers) and ââ¬Å"Jas de Buffanâ⬠(The Pool), Cezanne was able to depict nature as real as he can. These two oil paintings were generated in 1873 and 1876 respectively. For Cezanne, nature cannot be accurately duplicated in a canvas. He tried to link the natural and artistic worlds by showing his own perceptions about nature. In relation to this, most of his artworks are advised to be seen as a whole and not per part in order to fully appreciate their artistic essence (Pioch). Hokusai is a famous Japanese painter. Compared to the previous artists, his choice of material for painting is unconventional. Hokusai used wood as his canvas to celebrate the beauty of nature. A native of Edo, which is now called Tokyo, Hokusai is regarded as ââ¬Å"one of the outstanding figures of the Ukiyo-e or pictures of the floating world (everyday life), school of printmakingâ⬠(Pioch). In the ââ¬Å"The Breaking Wave Off Kanagawa or The Great Wave,â⬠Hokusai illustrated the splendor of the sea. Since Japan is surrounded by water, this painting has become the quintessential representation of Japanese aesthetics. This seascape painting with a Japanese natural landmark, Mt. Fuji, had represented the Asian geography. More so, it showed the combination of western and eastern influences with regards to art production. Moreover, this particular Japanese art have preserved its authenticity and oriental aesthetic by ââ¬Å"flattening the texture and using color surfaces as an element. â⬠On the other hand, this painting also showed how nature can be so powerful which was expressed on the giant which was on the verge of devouring the people aboard the two boasts (Andreas. com). Works Cited ââ¬Å"ANSEL ADAMS Biography. â⬠2007. Notablebiographies. com. 12 December 2008 http://www. notablebiographies. com/A-An/Adams-Ansel. html. ââ¬Å"Ansel Adams Photograph. â⬠n. d. U. S. National Archives and Records Administration. 12 December 2008 http://www. archives. gov/research/ansel-adams/. ââ¬Å"Best of Ansel Adams. â⬠1999. TheHistoryPlace. com. 12 December 2008 http://www. historyplace. com/unitedstates/adams/. ââ¬Å"Hokusai. â⬠2008. Andreas. com. 12 December 2008 http://www. andreas. com/hokusai. html. Pioch, Nicolas. ââ¬Å"Cezanne, Paul. â⬠19 September 2002. Webmuseum, Paris. 12 December 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/. Pioch, Nicolas. ââ¬Å"Cezanne, Paul: Landscapes. â⬠19 September 2002. Webmuseum, Paris. 12 December 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/land/. Pioch, Nicolas. ââ¬Å"Hokusai, Katsushika. â⬠19 September 2002. Webmuseum, Paris. 12 December 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/hokusai/.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
John B. Watson Essay -- Psychology, Behaviorism
John Broadus Watson was a famous American psychologist who lived between 1878 and 1958. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina to Pickens and Emma Watson and was the fourth of six children. The family was not well off financially and John did not have an easy childhood. In spite of the poverty that engulfed the family, Johnââ¬â¢s father turned into an alcoholic who cared less for his family. However, Emma, Johnââ¬â¢s mother was a devoted religious woman who struggled to take care of her children with less support from her husband. In 1891, Johnââ¬â¢s father left the family and disappeared after engaging in extra marital affairs with other women. The infidelity strained his marriage with Emma and the relationship with his children. After the disappearance of his father, John became unruly and confused due to the lack of full parental care of both parents. He became defiant at school and did not want to listen to advice from his teachers. He bullied fellow students and was involved in other antisocial behaviors which were quite unacceptable in the school environment, further more he became violent and even rebelled against his mother (Buckley, 1989). Watsonââ¬â¢s negative attitude towards education did not last forever and it changed after he was accepted to Furman University where he began his training at the age of sixteen in 1894. Johnââ¬â¢s life started to turn around with his enrollment and the help of his professor Gordon Moore. He later developed a positive attitude towards academic work since he realized that he could at least now contribute to the community regardless of the social class of his family. His academic performance was quite brilliant and he graduated from Furman University with a masterââ¬â¢s degree in 1899. He later enrolled at... ...ormation is introduced even if the previous pattern of behavior has been already established by reinforcement (Cherry, 2011). In conclusion, the theory of behaviorism is based on observable behaviors for easier quantification and data collection. Effective techniques such as behavior intervention and discrete trial training originate from this school of thought. The approaches are very essential in altering the maladaptive behaviors in adults and children (Cherry, 2011). Today, conditioning and the use of reward and punishment are used to help people learn accepted behavior and in other cases to help them stop problematic behavior (Coon & Mitterer, 2008). This has made behavior modification and training easy and possible. Therefore, Dr. John Watson played a tremendous role in the transition of psychology from the work of earlier scholars to the modern scholars.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Beauty by Jane Martin Essay
We live in a country where television and advertisement is designed to entice people into always wanting more than what they already have. This enticement is achieved by feeding into the human desire for happiness. Advertisers create persuasive campaigns that inundate the public with images of societies narrow interpretation of success and beauty. These images are then presented as a precondition to the happiness that human beings are searching for. When a personââ¬â¢s reality does not match this narrow image, the message sent through television and advertisements is that in order to be content people need to find a way to acquire it. As a result we live in a society where people are continuously longing for a happiness that can only be achieved through things that are fleeting and external, which creates feelings of discontentment In the satirical one-act play ââ¬Å"Beautyâ⬠by Jane Martin the two sole characters are Bethany and Carla. Their behavior demonstrates the affects of discontentment caused by the media. Despite the fact that both of these women are reasonably successful, they each want the things that they do no have that are present in each other. Carla is beautiful and wants to be smart and Bethany is smart and wants to be beautiful. Under normal circumstances the longing to have what someone else has, is usual either eventually abandoned or translates into negative emotions that are never acted on. However, due to the benefit of theatrics, these yearning become achievable because Bethany arrives at Carlaââ¬â¢s house armed with ââ¬Å"â⬠¦a goddamn genie and one more wish!â⬠(1108) The play is a microcosm of the discontentment in our society. This discontent is exhibited most effectively through Bethanyââ¬â¢s character since she was the one more willing take exaggerated measures to obtain what she wanted. Although, Carla similarly voiced some discontentment with her life, she was not willing to exchange her reality for someone elseââ¬â¢s. When we segregate each character and situation for examination, we are able to see how Martin purposefully crafts a story to effectively leave the audience thinking about the impact of discontentment in society. Carla is a symbol of the allure and illusion of beauty. She is a model the sociocultural standard of feminine beauty in society, however nothing about her is as it appears. Although she is a model, she is struggling. She is beautiful but her looks were altered by cosmetic surgery. Men were attracted to her but theà quality of the men is questionable. The fact that she is not smart is to deliberately create the stereotype of the dumb model. The mediaââ¬â¢s use of such unrealistic models like Carla and it makes it difficult for females to achieve any level of contentment with their physical appearance. Carla is the false god the media f orces women to compare themselves against. Her beauty is unattainable as it is the result of drastic measures. Yet, even if other women decide to go through those drastic measures they soon learn, like Carla, that it does not ultimately bring them happiness. When you examine Carla and Bethanyââ¬â¢s relationship, you can further see the emptiness in Carlaââ¬â¢s life. She describes Bethany as being one of the only female friends that she has. Reading the dialogue, even beyond the obvious points, there is so much about the friendship that is flawed. Bethany is not even aware that it is Carlaââ¬â¢s birthday and when made aware she only half-heartedly acknowledges it before she continues on with her conversation/purpose for being there. Bethany also shows no regard for the fact that Carla and is on the phone regardless of how many times Carla asks her to be quiet. When Carla does finish her telephone the two carry on separate monologues and their conversation only finds connection when Carla realizes that she is the topic. Carla even acknowledges that Bethany does not like her most of the time. Which forces the reader to question the extent to which Carla understands relationships like friendship. Interestingly, Martin chose to have Carla be somewhat modest and even somewhat self-deprecating regarding her attitude of toward herself and complimentary toward her less attractive friend. This choice is interesting in that we generally think of the beautiful girl in stories as being the morally corrupt one. In popular culture the most beautiful girl is generally depicted as the villain. Yet, Martin breaks from this traditional trajectory. On the other hand, Bethany is an almost villainous character. She is negative, admittedly jealous, self-absorbed, and single-minded in her motivations for things that are fleeting and superficial that she believes beauty gives. She is a successful accountant, a published author, and pretty. However, these things are not enough for her. It could be said that her attitude is an indictment on the fact that women forced to view themselves in terms of their looks. Carla is allowed in many ways to be more human than Bethany is because she no longer has to strive for betterà looks. An additional evaluation can also be done of the genie, which is symbolic of the world of advertising. He is a larger than life colorful character that represents the glamour and glitz of the advertising world. The offering of wishes represents the promises of advertisings. The fact that he is ââ¬Å"see-throughâ⬠(1106) is symbolic of the illusion and deception of advertisement. The whole concept of advertising is comparable to a mirage, which is a natural occurring optical illusion, yet even with the scientific explanation it is still an abstract experience that is a combination of desire and imagination. Advertising is just that, a mirage, a natural occurring illusion that comes into agreement with our desires and imagination. According to the Media Center for Literacy, ââ¬Å"advertising is the most powerful education tool in Americanâ⬠which explains why women are conditioned to view themselves this prism. Bethany was the type of person the advertisement agencies target. She was unhappy with herself, as well as someone willing to go to any length or pay any price to obtain the perfect image. The media works hard at creating a society that view themselves negatively and then they prey on the victims. Ultimately, Martin uses his play to force the audience to question ideas of beauty, happiness, and what it means to live a good life. The characters, Bethany and Carla, present us with different elements of society. Each yearns for something outside of themselves. However, the desire for beauty trumps the desire for other traits like intelligence and personal success to the extent that someone is willing to give up everything for it. WORKS CITED Kilbourne, Jean. Beautyâ⬠¦and the Beast of Advertising. 21 December 2012 . Martin, Jane. ââ¬Å"Beautyâ⬠Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Susan X. Day, RobertFunk, and Elizabeth McMahan. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2007. Print.
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