Essay Sample on The Glass Menagerie The Characters’ Perspectives of Reality

Essay Sample on The Glass Menagerie The Characters’ Perspectives of Reality In Tennessee Williams’s play The Glass Menagerie, the characters’ perspectives of reality are mixed with those of appearance. Amanda, the mother, tries to make the lives of her children perfect, but in doing so, only causes them grief and anguish. Amanda still lives in the past and sees no reason why her two children should live anything but perfect lives. However, her children, Laura, a crippled and unsociable girl; and Tom, an ambitious young man, believe they should be able to choose their own paths of life. William conveys the theme that several people feel a need to set unreasonable standards for those they love. Amanda’s unwillingness to see Laura for what she really is causes her to make expectations for Laura that are out of her reach, and forces Tom to escape his family so that he no longer feels the pressure of being good enough for his mother. Amanda sets goals of unreachable status for her children and will not see them for what they really are. Amanda sees no reason why her children should not be perfect and forces her upon visitors, by saying â€Å"It’s rare for a girl as sweet an’ pretty as Laura to be domestic! But Laura is, thank heaven, not only pretty but also very domestic† (Williams 14). Amanda distorts her mind in a way that makes Laura’s vices invisible. She believes Laura should have every chance at life that she once had as a young woman and tries to block out all of her inabilities. Amanda believes that if her children failed in life, then she is a failure as a person. She is not able to â€Å"accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented† (Truman). Amanda feels the need to control her children’s’ lives, not recognizing their own capability for survival. She has preconceived notions of how her family should live and will not stop in her to quest to find them happiness. Amanda can not find happiness in the life she has lead, instead depends on Tom and Laura to â€Å"bring her the happiness that her husband failed to give her† (www.pinkmonkey.com). Amanda does not fully understand the needs of her children, only focuses on their faults. She refuses to accept that Laura is different, forcing her into uncomfortable and awkward situations, that cause them both stress. Amanda’s expectations of Laura cause her to lead a life filled with loneliness and a lack of self-respect. Laura’s glass animals are very delicate, and a slight pressure can make the â€Å"glass break so easily. No matter how careful you are† (Williams 19). Laura’s fascination in plants and animals becomes a world of adventure in her mind, a world of dreams, a world of disappointments. Laura’s love for rare glass specimens is also a love for herself, being that Laura is a rare specimen in a world of perfection that her mother has created. Laura’s memories of her childhood and previous encounter with Tom have been twisted into a bizarre fantasy, making it clear â€Å"that her memories are really illusions† (Lumley 61). Laura has a distorted image of herself, resulting in a lack of self-confidence. This trait leads Laura to become quiet and mysterious and misunderstood in public. She begins to lose all base with reality, almost encounter ing the edge of insanity. However, once Laura is able to break through the barrier of social nervousness and inexperience, she begins to â€Å"love the light† (Williams 18). The glass unicorn is a representation of Laura; and in certain conditions, both objects can begin to gleam. Laura begins to shine through the tests she has been put through and for a few moments, is accepted by the outside world. Amanda’s frustration and nagging begins to wear on Tom, eventually causing him to break all ties with his mother. Amanda wants to give Tom â€Å"the chance to lead a normal life† (Truman) but in doing so, increases Tom’s desire to start a life of his own. Tom is contradicted in his dreams of exploration and adventure and his devotion to his sister. He believes that casting Laura into the cold world outside of the Wingfield household is cruel, and attempts to convince Amanda that she is not fit for a normal life. Tom’s dreams of escape come with a price. He is not able to leave â€Å"his coffin without removing one nail† (Williams 7). Tom’s departure causes despair and tension in the house. In order to escape this situation, Tom must see Amanda and Laura as their true selves and be able to cut all ties with them. Amanda’s unfulfilled life causes her to nag her children constantly, which in turn, creates a daughter with little self-confidence and knowledge of the outside world and a son who can not decide what is more important to him- his family or his dreams. This relates to all of us, having had to make a decision between two objects that are close to our hearts. In the 1963 movie Tom Jones, directed by Tony Richardson and starring Albert Finney, the main character Tom, cannot decide on whether a life of mischief and lust or one filled with love is right for him. Combined with the pressures that his uncle, Squire Allworthy, force upon him, Tom goes through many adventures before deciding what life means to him.

A Profile of Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos

A Profile of Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos Alexius Comnenus, also known as  Alexios Komnenos, is perhaps best known for seizing the throne from Nicephorus III and founding the Comnenus dynasty. As emperor, Alexius stabilized the government of the empire. He was also Emperor during the First Crusade. Alexius is the subject of a biography by his learned daughter, Anna Comnena. Occupations: EmperorCrusade WitnessMilitary Leader Places of Residence and Influence: Byzantium (Eastern Rome) Important Dates: Born: 1048Crowned: April 4, 1081Died: Aug. 15, 1118 About Alexius Comnenus Alexius was the third son of John Comnenus and a nephew of Emperor Isaac I. From 1068 to 1081, during the reigns of Romanus IV, Michael VII, and Nicephorus III, he served in the military; then, with the help of his brother Isaac, his mother Anna Dalassena, and his powerful in-laws the Ducas family, he seized the throne from Nicephorus III. For more than half a century the empire had suffered from ineffective or short-lived leaders. Alexius was able to drive the Italian Normans from western Greece, defeat Turkic nomads whod been invading the Balkans, and halt the encroachment of the Seljuq Turks. He also negotiated agreements with Sulayman ibn Qutalmà ¯sh of Konya and other Muslim leaders on the empires eastern border. At home he strengthened the central authority and built up military and naval forces, thus increasing imperial strength in portions of Anatolia (Turkey) and the Mediterranean. These actions helped stabilize Byzantium, but other policies would cause difficulties for his reign. Alexius made concessions to powerful landed magnates which would serve to weaken the authority of himself and future emperors. Although he maintained the traditional imperial role of protecting the Eastern Orthodox Church and repressed heresy, he also seized funds from the Church when necessary, and would be called to account for these actions by the ecclesiastical authorities. Alexius is well known for appealing to Pope Urban II for help in driving the Turks from Byzantine territory. The resulting influx of Crusaders would plague him for years to come.

Obligations of Nurses Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obligations of Nurses - Coursework Example Nurses are bestowed with the diverse needs of taking care of patients and handle their needs of physical support in a professional way so that the health needs of the same could be met. Based on the level of their education nurses are able to deliver better healthcare services to the patients. In the healthcare organization the responsibilities of doctors and nurses are different based on their own professional needs both are able to meet with their roles in a more effective manner (National Association for Healthcare Quality, 2011). The ranges of the diverse complexes that are evident within the system are identified to be having a certain amount of implication within the domain of having conflicts of ideas. These conflicts could lead to develop the effectiveness of the system so that the chances of complications could be reduced. Additionally, this has also been noted that as there are a number of nurses who are providing services there can be a conflict of ideas that may lead to chances and issues associated with the standard of services that are being provided.

Personality and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality and Leadership - Essay Example The present research has identified that leadership solves the complex problem and issue of how to control and organize the collective effort. It involves putting people in order so that they can perform a common goal or duty. Effective leadership ensures that institutions are able to achieve their goal and visions while keeping in line with their mission. Leadership ensures organization effectiveness and efficiency. Because of good leadership organization such as universities, hospitals, corporations, governments, and armies are able to thrive. The success in organizations as a result of leadership boosts the psychological and financial well-being of people. The main objective of leadership is to ensure that people collectively achieve common goal and aspirations. It is a tool that ensures group and individuals thrive and survive. Leadership involves keeping things in order whenever they go astray. It involves motivating and encouraging people to work towards the common or set objec tives. It entails maintaining and building of teams which are effective. It does this by encouraging people to work towards a common objective and goal. It discourages selfishness and ensures collective benefits and achievements. Leadership encourages corrective responsibility of a team as people are encouraged to work as a team. It ensures people are watching each other’s back. People are able to seek guidance and assistance from others because of the team spirit caused by leadership. When misused, leadership becomes a tool of destruction. Leaders use the authority they have to push for their personal intentions and objectives. Leadership gives few people authority who can use the chance to dictate and ruin other people’s lives. Leadership only involves pursuing the objectives and intentions of the few people who have the leadership roles. It promotes laziness as people act upon instructions and supervision. With leadership, people get used to being pushed. It makes p eople depend on other people’s effort in order to get something done.

Novel Compared to Movie Adaptation Essay Example for Free

Novel Compared to Movie Adaptation Essay Film adaptation or movie adaptation has been a widespread practice in cinematic tradition around the world. Majority of such adaptations are made from fictions, primarily novels. Some of the other popular sources include autobiography, plays, scriptures and comic books. When a novel is adapted for movies, there are certain techniques deployed to give it a cinematic appeal. Inventing new characters and altering scenes fall into the category of primary adaptation techniques. Sometimes it is also noticed that an insignificant character in the novel is given a prominent part to play in the film. Novels with exteriority and physically dynamic structures are most commonly adapted for filming. Thus, modern novels with their intricate literary devices (such as stream-of-consciousness, internal monologues, etc. ) are difficult to make fit for movies. While changes are mandatory due to time constraints and nature of the medium, extreme care must be taken so that the original essence of the novel is not compromised. However, one school of thought argues that the director should treat the film separately from the novel as both are completely different works of art. Accurate arrangement of a novel at the time of filming is virtually impossible since both speak different literary languages. Contrary to this perspective, another school of thought steadfastly believes that the film must retain either the thematic or the aesthetic sense of its source. Changes should only be made wherever necessary. This doctrine lays more emphasis on the faithful reproduction of the source content. This article is going to make a comparative analysis between Fannie Hurst’s Imitation of Life and its cinematic adaptation of the same title directed by Douglas Sirk. One of the cardinal aspects of movie adaptation that every director must keep in mind involves the risk of taking the viewers away from the fiction: â€Å"It has been argued that these displays of technique and artifice make it difficult to respond affectively to art since they create distance between the fiction and the viewer. † (Sirk et al. 207) Cinema is quintessentially a self-reflexive form of art having a vast scope of expression. This freedom, if used discreetly and masterfully, may make an ordinary source look splendid. The novel Imitation of Life focuses not just on the crude nature of racism in America in the beginning of the twentieth century, but also, and perhaps on a more serious note, holds in view the limitations of the new women. Peola, one of the main female characters in the novel, represents the tragic predicament of being â€Å"neither black nor white yet both†. (Hurst et al. xxv) Her persistent struggle to live without black identity makes her suffer from the inconsolable loss of her mother. At the same time, Bea also gets entangled between career, romance and motherhood. She has to give up love and care for her daughter Jessie to pursue her career. The two sets of mother-daughter relationships portrayed in the novel, Bea-Jessie and Delilah-Peola, imply a subtle message which Hurst seeks to convey in the novel: a woman can’t â€Å"have it all†. (Hurst et al. xxv) The movie by Douglas Sirk does not deviate from the main plot of the novel to a great extent. Characters and conclusions in both cases are same, but the background is changed in the movie to suit the nature of time it depicted. It might be noted that the novel was written in 1933 whereas the movie was released in 1959. The identities of Lora and Annie as widowed single mothers are kept intact in the sense that Bea and Delilah are also shown as widowed single mothers in Hurst’s novel Imitation of Life. The cinematic counterparts of Jessie and Peola are Suzie and Sarah respectively. Lora’s fiance Steve is an adaptation of the character of Frank Flake in Imitation of Life. The movie Imitation of Life, as observed by Andrew Sarris in Film Culture, is characterized by an apparent notion of impossibility which Sarah wants to achieve – white skin. (Handzo 1997) If one attempts to make a comparative analysis between the movie and the novel, the element that comes to the fore is the introductory part. Sirk Douglas does without the elaborateness of Fannie Hurst in narrating the backdrop of Lora’s previous life when she was married. In the beginning of the novel, Bea is shown as a spinster who marries Benjamin Pullman. The subsequent chains of events that lead to Bea’s struggle for survival with an infant daughter are excluded from the movie. It opens with Lora’s soaring ambition of becoming a Broadway star – a curtain raiser which is followed by three social scenes the filmmaker conjures: â€Å"women and work, race relations, star mythology†. (Sirk et al. 27) In this sense, the movie mirrors the content of the novel in a threefold manner. To quote Sirk, â€Å"The mirror is the imitation of life. What is interesting about a mirror is that it does not show yourself as you are, it shows you your own opposite. † (Sirk et al. 3) As far as cinematic approach is concerned, the abrupt opening may be attributed to time constraints as well. However, the movie diverts from the novel in one critical aspect. While Bea pursues a successful career of businesswoman, Lora takes a different course altogether. Unlike the world of literature, the world of showbiz uniquely demands dynamism of action and hence, the characterization is justified per se. Another argument that can be cited with regards to the altered career path of the main protagonist of the movie is the shifting social climate in the times it was released. It was difficult for the filmmaker to envision his heroine as the owner of pancake restaurants. Moreover, during that phase many Afro-American actors were striving to put behind the stereotyped roles of household attendants. So changes in the storyline are especially reflected in the characterization of Annie. In addition to being a motherly figure of affection and care, she is also the source of wisdom in Lora’s household. (Richard 2008) Both the novel and the film adaptation share a striking resemblance in themes of romance. At the end of the novel, a triangular love develops between Bea, Flake and Jessie. Similarly, the movie also projects similar storyline where Suzie in her teenage is enamored by Steve who is Lora’s fiance. This modernist woman’s picture has been a source of much controversy in both the novel and the movie. It has given rise to a lot of feminist speculations regarding the ordeals faced by single working mothers in male dominant societies. The melodramatic imagination of the filmmaker goes beyond the confines of the novel. The cinematic experience of Imitation of Life presents a spectrum of diverse interpretations which are not fully realized in the novel. It can be stated without an iota of doubt that the freedom of expression in any moving medium is utilized to its fullest potential by the director, all within the permissive limits of the reel world. Works cited Hurst, Fannie, and Daniel Itzkovitz. Imitation of Life. Durham: Duke University Press, 2004. Sirk, Douglas, and Lucy Fischer. Imitation of Life: Douglas Sirk, Director. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press, 1991. Handzo, Stephen. â€Å"Intimations of Lifelessness. † bright lights film journal 18 (1997) Richard, Cicely A. â€Å"Film Analysis: Imitation of Life. † suite101. com. May 26, 2008. 7 March 2009 http://classic-film-dramas. suite101. com/article. cfm/film_analysis_imitation_of_life

Medias Influence Essay -- The Role and Influence of Mass Media

You do it without even knowing. Everyday you are influenced by the media, when you wake up, one of the first things you will do, and I speak from experience because I do it my self, you will look at your mobile phone, turn the TV on, turn the sleeper timer on your radio or check your emails. It doesn't seem like much but already straight away in your lives you're being influenced. After that it doesn't stop. you go to the kitchen and get some food, and I can almost be 100% sure when I say that there will be a product in that kitchen of yours that has been or is endorsed by a well known celebrity. Which again just shows another way in which the media influence us? I carried out a bit of background research before I did this essay, and this statement is backed up by what I found. I found that 87% of people I asked have brought something because of celebrity endorsement. 100% of people owned some products that had been endorsed, be it makeup, cooking equipment, shoes/clothes whatever. Of all these people they said that t...

Democratic Government and Monarchy

Democratic Government and Monarchy The types of system of government Democracy and Monarchy are different from each other. The actual founder of the modern democracy was John Locke, who argued with Thomas Hobbes, the one who believed that one person king or queen should rule. Government has been an issue throughout time. Many different governments have been established, demolished and replaced over the time, but the question is which one is better?In democracy they give the people more freedom, and more voice to choose what is best for them, however in absolute power the ruler gets to choose what is good for the people or not. It’s becoming hard to decide the type of government system is best suitable for the society we live in. Monarchy and democracy both have advantages, and disadvantages, indeed; government is never established without them. Let’s first look at Monarchy. Monarchy is a system of government ruled by king or queen. People follow the throne; members of t he ruling family.The ruler decides, and gets to choose the best for country. Otherwise, there are some punishments given to the people. The system of monarchy is been established in many places throughout the time in different places. One of the big places is England where this system is still accepted even in this postmodern twenty first century. England has had good and bad kings, queens and both. One of the kings that England had was by the name of Henry the VIII, who comes in the bad category of the rulers.Henry the VIII was a good king, however his secretive, acquisitive, and untrusting qualities lead to downfall. He went against the church in order to execute one of the sixth wives â€Å"Anne Boleyn† for not producing a male heir to his throne. When Henry VIII died his only son Henry IX succeeded him. When his son died, Henry the VIII’s first daughter Mary, ascended the throne. She was raised as a catholic and was intent to make the entire country of Catholic, an d then she earned the title of â€Å"Bloody Mary†. Elizabeth succeeded her, and she was one of the good rulers that England had.Elizabeth was a beloved queen to England and ruled for forty four years. There are some advantages and disadvantages of Monarchy. History is witness that monarchy came out ahead of democracy, however the economists call it â€Å"time Preference†. The best advantage of having a monarchy is that there is always someone higher up than the peoples elected Representative like the prime minister. The monarch has no political preference so is balanced and is able to guide the PM in running the country. Let’s pretend that king or queen is so fair that everything in the country runs smoothly.Then not only government, but also society would be willing to have monarchy in that country. And if king and queen govern so cruelly, then the citizens would be unhappy to live in that country and there will be revolutionary war or civil war that ruin prosp erity of the country like how this happened in Nepal from 1996 to 2006. The problem with any hereditary absolute ruler is the possibility of too much power in the hands of a person unsuitable for maintaining it. History is witnessed with examples. The great roman emperor Augustus was succeeded by the likes of Caligula and Nero.The warrior king Edward I followed by the useless Edward II. The list goes on. It was great if the monarch was a ‘good' king or queen. But if you had an incompetent tyrant on your hands it could be disastrous. Also, an advantage is that less people in charge means less arguing, and it becomes easy to take action, instead of wasting time. Now let’s start with democratic system. The other government system is Democracy, is a form of government in which people freely elect their representatives to govern them. In democratic countries, what majority wants is established.The good example of the Democratic government is Rome in early renaissance. Rome h ad the best democratic government at this time. The element of that system of government can be found in United States. The veto system used today by the president of the United States was also used in Rome’s democratic system. As we can see from the government used in the United States today, where all people have right to say in the issues of country, is better for all and much better than a monarchy. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of democratic government.The democratic system can be established for changes in government without violence. In a democratic system, authority can be transferred from one leader to another by the jurisdiction of citizens of the country determines their ruling authority. This makes the ruling authority grateful to the citizen, and this serves as their motivation of freedom towards citizen, which maintains peace. The most important advantage of the democracy is that by claiming the leader citizens gain a sense of participation in the e lections to choose their government.Citizens of the country feel free to voice their opinions in the process of choosing the authoritarian, and this gives rise to a feeling of nationalism in their mind. Disadvantages In a democratic nation, people have all the right to elect their leader, however mostly people do not vote due to the lack of knowledge the political scenario in their country, and this results making people wrong choices. The leaders rule for a short period of time, and this results them to focus on winning the election rather than working of their people.Every form of government system is guaranteed to have some drawbacks. There are different views about both political systems. Whether a government system is democratic or monarchy, they both serve the same purpose that is run its country. Their similarities, advantages, and disadvantages have to be evaluated carefully in order to have a good conclusion. Both governments are considerable on both sides. When Thomas Hobb es looked out of his window, he saw the entire bad things that could happen in a democratic government and he decided to believe that there should be an absolute power.On the other hand, John Locke saw the society in a good way and he believed that society should have more rights than they do. Two philosophers are so good in their work yet so opposite their beliefs helped to decide the criteria of society. World is coming into a new era, and countries with monarchy type of government are hard to establish, however it’s not impossible to see this system. It depends on the society we are living in and the type of government will establish which fits within the society, and this concludes that both Democratic and monarchy system of government are efficient.