History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

History - Essay Example In this essay I will attempt an outline of five of the earliest religions that are known including those of Ancient Greece and India, the early Islamic religion and the early religious views of Africa. However, to begin I will examine the religious views of the early Chinese civilization. In fact, in the early Chinese civilization there are said to have existed three separate doctrines. These doctrines were Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The religions of Christianity and Islam are said not to have reached this region until the 7th century A.D. The ideas of Taoism are said to have originated in the 6th century B.C and were founded upon the thought of a man named Lao Tzu (although there are many who believe this man is purely a mythical figure). In reality, while Taoism can be viewed in terms of religious practice, it is essentially more of a system of philosophical thought. It is based on a few simple principles which include the belief that there is a kind of universal 'life-forc e' that is inherent in all things. Therefore, respecting and caring for all things is a vital element within this system, and individuals are duly encouraged not to use force but should rather be prepared to compromise and have faith in more natural forces. 2 Around a century later, Confucius (551-479 B.C) reacted somewhat against the teachings of Taoism and set about creating his own system that became known as Confucianism. Again, it can be argued that this system, while it is generally considered as a Religion of China, is in reality more focused on both political and social morality. Nevertheless, Confucianism was to become enormously influential, especially during the Han Dynasty that ruled from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D. In simple terms, this doctrine asserts that people should remain faithful to both their rulers and their Gods and that humbly carrying out their duties is the way to peace and happiness. Let us now move across the map and look at the religious views of Ancient Gr eece. In fact, the original motivation behind the religious views of the Ancient Greeks lay in a reaction against the 'gloomy' religion of Ancient Egypt. In addition, we find there is a fundamental difference between the religion of Greece and many others (including the above Religions of China) and that is the fact that it was not founded by any one figure and had neither sacred scriptures nor system of priestly hierarchies. The religious views of this country were in fact not limited to faith or belief but were rather focused on incorporating a positive practice into the quotidian life of its inhabitants. This is mainly due to the fact that the Greek gods were largely based on the image of man, and were little different with regards to character from man himself. For certain, the gods were seen as both stronger and more intelligent than mere mortals, but neither holy nor omnipotent. Therefore, man was regarded as their spiritual equal. 3 In particular, the people of Ancient Greece are said to have taken great joy in participating in the practice of looking into the future and thereby attempting to predict its outcome. For this reason the so-called 'oracles' were both much revered and respected. Of all the known oracles, the oracle known as Delphi was said to be the most revered of all. Delphi was in fact considered to be something of a 'center' for the earth and thus was consulted often with regards to matters of earthly significance. In fact, the

The Portrayal of Existentialism Within Becketts Play, Rockaby Essay Example for Free

The Portrayal of Existentialism Within Becketts Play, Rockaby Essay The Portrayal of Existentialism Within Beckett’s Play, Rockaby â€Å"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. † The words of Samuel Beckett, from his play Worstward Ho, written in 1983, echo the ideals and philosophies behind absurdist theatre and Existentialism. Created in the early 1950s, absurdist theatre rejects the conventional techniques of theatre in favour of strange and absurd conventions in order to create an impact and impression, and present the worldview of Existentialism to an audience through an artistic medium. Absurdism is influenced by the Existentialist worldview, especially the notion of human existence preceding any essence in life. Absurdist playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and Jean Genet, present a distorted view of humanity in their plays, through their own worldview which echoes the tenets of Existentialism. Samuel Beckett’s play, Rockaby, is one such play that incorporates non- ­? realist (absurd) theatre techniques to accentuate the existential worldview. Beckett effectively manipulates the Dramatic Languages and Elements of absurdist, non- ­? linear narrative, symbolism and voice, to demonstrate Existentialism through an artistic illustration of the worldview. Beckett effectively exploits the technique of absurdist, non- ­? linear narrative to accentuate the philosophy of Existentialism within Rockaby. One of the most common quotes used to explain Existentialism is â€Å"existence precedes essence. † This phrase can be translated into the notion of not knowing anything about the past or future, but just ‘being’ – existence comes before any meaning of life interpreted from knowledge of historic or future events. The technique of non- ­? linear narrative, used within Rockaby, expresses this belief perfectly in dramatic terms. Absurdist, Non- ­? linear narrative is utilised through the circular, repetitive nature of the script – a technique that highlights the existentialists’ view of life as meaningless and the repetitious passing of time waiting for death. Furthermore, this circular narrative provides no beginning or end, emphasising the existential belief of existence coming before any meaning of life, including both knowledge of history as well as future (beginning and end). The play begins with the word ‘more’. There is no context, no understanding of what has happened or is about to happen. The woman just appears, says ‘more’, then the play begins. This continues in each of the four sections, beginning with ‘more’, and ending with silence, broken only by the next ‘more’. This circular motion highlights the meaningless state of life, and the absurdity of living only to wait until death. The circular narrative is irregular in that it still develops and evolves, with the narrative progressing from sitting at a window, to drawing the blinds, to moving down the stairs, to waiting in the rocking chair for death, to dying. Though this does not perfectly follow a circular narrative, it still does highlight Existential belief: that life is meaningless, useless and absurd, that the only choice we have in a meaningless life is to exercise our minds, to understand our absurdity and therefore become responsible for our own existence. The play begins with the woman sitting at the window, searching the outside world for another like herself – another who can give her meaning and prove her existence. This action in itself is an exercise of her mind. However, her standards drop later in the play and her mental stimulation grows less, as she becomes content just to see movement within one of the windows opposite hers as proof of the existence of another life, and therefore creating meaning in her own life. Upon the realization it was ‘time she stopped’ this searching in vain, she closes the blind (a symbol of death) before descending – both literally and emotionally – to her rocking chair, where she sits and waits for death. Though the narrative is somewhat circular, it still conveys a story of the woman’s original searching for meaning, a realisation of her absurdity and isolation in a meaningless world, her acceptance of the absurdity, and her resolve to wait for death. Through this use of absurdist narrative, Beckett brings out the philosophy of Existentialism stronger than through any of the other dramatic techniques he incorporates. In a similar way, Samuel Beckett incorporates symbolism within Rockaby to effectively present the worldview of Existentialism to the audience. One of the most significant principles within Existentialism maintains the belief that life is meaningless, useless and absurd, and that humans live to die and evaporate into nothingness in an empty, meaningless universe. The focus subject in the play, ‘W’, and her actions, are used to convey this belief to the audience. One of the first, most obvious uses of symbolism is within the costume choices. Beckett’s [1984] notes on the play, as published in the ‘Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett,’ are very particular in describing what sort of gown should be worn: â€Å"Black lacy high- ­? necked†¦ Long sleeves. Jet sequins†¦ Incongruous headdress set with extravagant trimming to catch the light† – A funeral gown. This highlights the feeling of death and ending of life, a concept that is echoed throughout the play. The notion of ‘drawing down the blind’ is another symbol for death, according to Professor Eoin O’Brien [1986] who states, â€Å"A drawn blind is an old custom signifying death†. The last thing the woman does before sitting down in her rocking chair is â€Å"let down the blind,† therefore emphasising the morbid, meaningless ideals of life portrayed in absurdism and its existential foundations. The window is also use to create symbolism, as a representation of the woman’s search for another â€Å"one living soul†¦ like herself,† which alludes to the yearning for meaning, order and the finding of self- ­? value and self- ­? definition in the discovery of another life. Beckett echoes the implications of Bishop Berkeley’s words: â€Å"to be is to be perceived. † [Cited in Davis, R. : 1988] Berkeley is saying that life is nothing more or less than the state of being perceived. It is this existential purpose and meaning of life that the woman searches for. In searching for another living soul, she yearns to find meaning for herself, a search that is in vain, as she finds no one and is seen by no one. The woman’s life and act of living is further explored through the symbol of the rocking chair. The title, Rockaby, refers to a children’s lullaby, and, the original French name, Berceuse, translates to mean both ‘rocking chair’ and ‘lullaby’. In using this title, Beckett brings together two juxtaposed concepts: that of birth (in the sense of the Rockaby baby nursery rhyme) and death (the baby falling from the treetop). This is further explored in the use of the childlike demand for â€Å"more† coupled with the symbolic references to old age and death, through the costume and demeanor of the woman in the chair. Therefore, it is evident that Beckett incorporates many different symbolic references within his play to bring to the forefront the philosophy of Existentialism. Furthermore, Beckett utilises the techniques of voice to emphasise the absurdity within his play, Rockaby. â€Å"The Absurdists’ plays reflect†¦ that human beings have lost the ability to communicate. † [Crawford, A. , et al. , 2003] This is reflected in many of Beckett’s plays as the techniques of voice and language frequently carry a disjointed, nonsensical, empty tone that is characteristic of absurdism. This is no different in Rockaby, where the voice over, recounting the life of the woman in the chair, follows a very disjointed, yet rhythmic, pattern. This disjointedness echoes the concept of juxtaposing youth with frailty and old age. The simplicity and fragmentation of the voice creates a childlike sentiment, but the frailty of the voice maintains the notion of age and weakness. Rhythm in voice is also a frequently used technique in absurdist plays. The script of Rockaby follows a rigid ‘to and fro’ feeling, following the trance- ­? like state of the rocking chair and the dimetric flow of the lines, which are very verse like: â€Å"Time she // stopped Sitting at her // window Quiet at her // window Only // window Facing other // windows Only other // windows All // eyes All // sides High and // low Time she // stopped† The techniques of silence and pause within the voice are also widely used within absurdist theatre, and Rockaby is no exception. The voiceover used often pauses, adding stress and effect to the verse- ­? like lines. Silence is further incorporated in the break at the end of each ‘section’ of the play. The woman in the chair intermittently joins in with the last lines of each section: ‘time she stopped’, ‘living soul’ and ‘rock her off’. This leads to a silence, ended only by the woman’s demand for ‘more’, before the voice over continues the disjointed, rhythmic narrative. Each time the woman joins in with the narration, her voice grows weaker and more fragile, slowly diminishing until, at the end of the last section, she fails to join in, falling into darkness and death. Absurdism is even further explored in the voice through the way the voice over speaks in third person, yet is the woman’s own voice. This detaches the woman from the voice over, through the use of the word ‘she’, yet they are still one in mind, through sharing the same thoughts, feelings and intentions. Furthermore, voice represents the only proof of the woman’s existence; a point that is strongly related to absurdism and easily falls into line with Existentialism. Just as Berkeley said, â€Å"to be is to be perceived,† so too is voice the only object that ‘perceives’ the woman. There is no other ‘living soul’ that acknowledges her existence, therefore, the only way she can prove her existence is through the narration of her life from the voiceover: â€Å"Voice has become the woman’s own Berkeleyan observer, without whose surveillance any claim to existence would be invalidated. † [Brown, V. , 2005] Therefore, it is evident that the use of the dramatic language of voice has been effectively manipulated within Beckett’s play to create the appropriate absurdist impression, which demonstrates an effective portrayal of the existentialist understanding seen through the absurdist techniques. In his play, Rockaby, Samuel Beckett incorporates many different techniques of Absurd Theatre, which accentuates his worldview of Existentialism. The quintessential belief of Existentialism – existence recedes essence – is brought to the forefront of the audience’s attention through the use of the absurdist techniques of symbolism, voice, and non- ­? linear, absurdist narrative. Beckett effectively manipulates these Dramatic Languages to create a play that is not necessarily about Existentialism. Rather, it is a play that highlights the philosophy through the narrative, and silently conveys the principles and ideals of Existentialism, without directly referring to the philosophy itself. In this regard, Beckett has effectively communicated the philosophy of Existentialism to a contemporary audience through the manipulation of the Dramatic Languages. Bibliography: Beckett, S. , (1984) ‘Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett,’ London: Faber and Faber, p 273. Brown, V. (2005) ‘Yesterday’s Deformities: A Discussion of the Role of Memory and Discourse in the Plays of Samuel Beckett’ (Doctorate paper in Literature and Philosophy), University of South Africa. Crawford, A. , Hurst, C. , Lurgering, M. , Wimmer, C. , (2003), ‘Acting In Person And In Style in Australia,’ Macquarie Park: McGraw Hill Australia Pty Ltd. Hale, J. A. , ‘Perspective in Rockaby’ in Davis, R. J. and Butler, L. St J. , (Eds. ) ‘Make Sense Who May’: Essays on Samuel Beckett’s Later Works (Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe, 1988), p 74. O’Brien, E. , ‘The Beckett Country’ (Dublin: The Black Cat Press, 1986), pp 197,198 ‘Rockaby’, (2012), Wikipedia – the Free Encyclopedia, URL found: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rockaby (Last Accessed Saturday 27th October, 2012).

Harriet Beecher Stowe Biography

Harriet Beecher Stowe Biography Katie Rarick Multi-source Research-based Paper Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Beecher Stowe was born June 14, 1811. She was born into a large, famous family. Her siblings all became ministers, educators, or founders of an organization; but she believed her purpose in life was to write. Stowe started off not as successful as her siblings, but she stuck to her gut feeling and eventually created some of the greatest pieces of writings that opened the publics eyes towards slavery. What was it about Stowes writings that made slavery more aware to the nation? Stowe attended school at Sarah Pierces Litchfield Female Academy and Hartford Female Seminary, which was founded by her sister Catherine. At the Seminar is where she gained most of her writing talents. She spent many hours and nights writing essays. She was well prepared for her writing career from not only her schooling, but also the education and discipline she learned at home. She graduated when she was only 13. At her graduation, she had one of her essays read in which her father had no idea. When he had heard she had written it he was, to say the least, surprised and proud. She later married Calvin Stowe, who was nothing more than a college professor. She stated he was rich in Greek and Hebrew, Latin Arabic, alas rich in nothing else. This motivated Stowe to begin to do something with her writings. Her and her husband could not afford living on Calvins salary, therefore she began to write stories and publish them. Another huge influence was her attitude towards slavery and the wrong doings that she could not speak out about because she was a woman. They only way she could get her words out was to write about the issue that was bothering her and many others as well. She had a group of friends with the same beliefs as her and they began to create some writings together. Once she married Calvin, however, that was her final push to publish her works. Her writings were not only a source of income but also an educational source. Harriet Beecher Stowe was not only an author, but also an abolitionist. Stowe created over 30 pieces of work, with Uncle Toms Cabin being her greatest piece. (Impact of Uncle Toms Cabin, Slavery, and the Civil War). She wrote it in response to the Fugitive Slave Act. It showed readers the effects slavery had on families and people began to empathize with the characters in the story. It has been said that because of Stowes book, the Civil War began. No one knows if this is true or not, but President Lincoln once said to Stowe, so youre the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!. It wouldnt be a surprise if that was the case, because the book influenced people in the way of political and economic arguments about slavery. After the book was published, Stowe got many reviews that both applauded the book as well as stated it was inaccurate and not powerful enough. Some said the main character, Tom, wasnt forceful enough. They said it wasnt powerful enough to move slavery and that she was being one-sided about slavery. Those who praised the book, said it made slavery seem more realistic and opened peoples eyes to what slavery was doing. Stowe responded to the critics by writing The Key to Uncle Toms Cabin. It stated her sources of Uncle Toms Cabin, therefore people couldnt say her information was false or that she was being one-sided. Harriet Beecher Stowe became an international celebrity after the publication of Uncle Toms Cabin (Impact of Uncle Toms Cabin, Slavery, and the Civil War). She travelled to Britain to seal rights for another novel of hers, and while she was there people crowded around her on the streets. She was given a 26-page petition signed by British women all over the world who were wanting Americans to end slavery. She was also invited to anti-slavery marches and rallies and was asked to speak before many people. However, she didnt like to speak it public, so she stood back as her husband and brother spoke on her behalf. Queen Elizabeth wanted to meet her, but Harriet declined. Queen Elizabeth still gave Stowe and her sister a ride out of the city so they wouldnt get rushed by city people(Impact of Uncle Toms Cabin, Slavery, and the Civil War). Harriets second anti-slavery novel was less influential than Uncle Toms Cabin but still a good piece of work. Dred, A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp talks about abolition but doesnt have the outlook of an end to slavery (Harriet Beecher Stowe Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp Essay- Critical Essays). Stowe directed this novel towards people in the south, where she directed Uncle Toms Cabin to those of the north. She focused on legal aspects of slavery as while as plantation life to try to expose the wrong doings of the said system. When people criticized this book, they said Stowe wasnt as inspired as she was when she wrote her first anti-slavery novel. Some said Dred was not as sentimental but more realistic than Uncle Toms Cabin. There were also critics who said Dred was less successful because Stowe lost confidence in the abolition of slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowe made many powerful movements through her writings. She proved women can speak out and make a difference. She started many riots and rallies for slavery, which eventually leaded to abolition of slavery all together. Her contribution to literature and the world will forever be remembered. As Uncle Toms Cabin is read in six different languages and is used all around the world in history and literature classes. Harriet Beecher Stowe died July 1, 1896 at 86 years old (Harriet Beecher Stowes Life). She is still known all around the world today. There are museums, landmarks, and her works still exist and are used today. The house she wrote Uncle Toms Cabin in in Maine was bought by Bowdoin College and restored. The house she lived in for the final years of her life is restored and is now a museum. It keeps Stowes items and a research library as well! Harriet Beecher Stowe is still an important woman in history more than a century later! Stowe accomplished so much with a pen and her words. Women of her time couldnt publicly speak, so writing was the way women got their thoughts and ideas out to the world. It is incredible to imagine the world we would be in without a simple piece of work that a young woman from Litchfield, CT published. Uncle Toms Cabin was one of the main reasons people started speaking out about slavery. If her writings werent around, would somebody else have raised their voice? Would we still have slavery? Would the bloodiest war in American history have taken place? It is amazing what one piece of writing can do for the world. References (Harriet Beecher Stowes Life) (Harriet Beecher Stowe Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp Essay-Critical Essays) (Impact of Uncle Toms Cabin, Slavery, and the Civil War)

Film Censorship in the 21st Century Essay -- Essays Papers

Film Censorship in the 21st Century In the present day, Americans have had to realize what the word â€Å"freedom† means. Whether it is recognizing our freedom as American citizens and defending ourselves against a growing threat of terrorism, or protesting war as we attempt to protect another country’s plea for freedom, all Americans have looked closer at the definition of freedom. In this heightened age of freedom and evaluating our constitutional rights, it is interesting that censorship is still a controversial issue. Perhaps the most significant examples of censorship take place in the arts. While the First Amendment considers censorship illegal, there are many ways that censorship still occurs in visual art, theatre, television, and film. Perhaps film has the most organized system of censorship found in the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Chris Roth writes in his article â€Å"Three Decades of Film Censorship†¦right before your eyes†, that censorship by rating s is a serious First Amendment issue that deserves debate and action. The article poses many questions about the MPAA and the restrictions it places on director’s creativity. However, the most important issue it addresses is our freedom as American citizens to promote, protect, and view a diverse mosaic of ideas on screen. The censorship of film has been an issue since the Supreme Court made the notorious ruling on the case of Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial commission of Ohio on February 23, 1915. The case, which was initially about restricting commerce rather then freedom of speech, was brought to the Supreme Court after being rejected at the state level. In 1915, film censorship was done on the state level and The Mutual Fil... ...is a growing interest in freedom, there should also be a growing interest in film and the protection of the First Amendment. Works Cited De Grazia, Edward, and Roger K. Newman. Banned Films: Movies, Censors, and The First Amendment. New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1982. Jowett, Garth S. â€Å"A Capacity for Evil: The 1915 Supreme Court.† Controlling Hollywood: Censorship and Regulation in the Studio Era. Ed. Matthew Bernstein. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1999. (16-40). Roth, Chris. â€Å"Three Decades of Film Censorship†¦right before your eyes†. The Humanist. Vol. 60, No. 1. January/February 2000. Wyatt, Justin. â€Å"The Stigma of X: Adult Cinema and the Institution of the MPAA Ratings System.† Controlling Hollywood: Censorship and Regulation in the Studio Era. Ed. Matthew Bernstein. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1999. (238-264).

Camel Rider Story

Sometimes the characters in a story are trying to get away from something. In other stories they may be trying to find something. Are the characters in Camel Rider running away from something or trying to find something. Characters running away or trying to find something occurs in most stories. Camel rider combines both as each character is doing something different. There are 2 main characters in Camel rider, two boys, one called Adam who is from Australia and one called Walid who was sold as a slave by his parents then got abandoned.Many many stories have characters running away or trying to find something. The characters have reasons why they run away/find something. The characters in most stories run away since they’re scared or somebody is chasing them. Finding something would mean that the characters have some relation to it and it is important. The â€Å"something† could be someone or an object. Most stories there is a complication such as they’re lost, s eeking revenge, scared or afraid. Come on Walid! † I scream â€Å"we’ve got to get out of here† Adams quote from Camel rider. In this situation they are running away from a Gang. In Camel Rider Adam is trying to find Abudai and his dog Tara, Adam is lost but soon bumps into another kid called Walid who is lost and running away. They do not understand each other due to the fact they don’t know each others languages but join Adams journey to find Abudai. Overtime they get to know about each other.A gang soon attack them causing them to change from finding Abudai to running away. After hijacking a car they stop running away and continue finding Abudai. They go through obstacles and succeeded in finding Abudai. â€Å"we’re lost† I say to Walid. â€Å" I don’t know which way it is to Abudai from here† Adam is lost finding his way to Abudai but Walid helps him. Overall, I believe that the characters are trying to find something in thi s circumstance. They succeeded just like many other characters in many other stories.

Canon Yeomans Tale (Canterbury Tales) essays

Canon Yeoman's Tale (Canterbury Tales) essays In Chaucers Canterbury Tales, a Canon and his Yeoman have joined a man they see leave an inn. In this story, the Yeoman starts by telling the host of their occupation and attempts at alchemy. The story the Yeoman is about to tell focuses mainly on one occasion when a Canon had dealings with a priest. After explaining to their host the debt he is now in, the Yeoman tells of the various objects and equipment that they use in the practice of their craft, and against the wishes of his master, he begins his story. In part one of the Yeomans tale, he begins by telling the host a bit of his lifes past with the Canon. The Yeoman tells his host: For seven years I have lived with this Canon, and for all his wisdom Im no better off; I have lost all I owned, as a result, and, God knows, so have many others. (315) With these statements, the Yeoman is setting the opinion of his Canon before the story begins. As he continues in part one, the Yeoman explains that simply using words that sound strange and scholarly, the people instantly give them credit. With that, he names off many of the materials they use and how they use them, telling that each time it is tried they fail, and that some step in the experiment is always to blame. In the second part of the tale, the Yeoman speaks of a religious man, a canon, that would poison a whole town. For when he does business with anyone, he so winds himself up in cunning terms and speaks his words in such a sly manner, that unless the person is as much a devil as he, the canon soon makes a fool of him. (320) He then explains that not all canons are this way, but that his story is to show that those extremely sly and devilish ones should be rooted out. With this out of the way, he begins his story of a priest in London that was approached by a canon and asked to borrow some gold. With the promise of repayment on the thi ...