The Tragic Lives Of Michael Corleone And John The Savage Though The E

The Tragic Lives Of Michael Corleone And John The Savage: Though The Eyes Of Joseph Campbell Brendan Tyo 10/8/01 People in literature, theater, and real life can all be viewed as tragic heroes. In order to fully understand this effect, one must observe what a man named Joseph Campbell calls the hero circle. This circle consists of specific significant stops in the hero's journey. John the Savage of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Michael Corleone of The Godfather, both fit into Mr. Campbell's model of a heroic journey. John and Michael Corleone share similar heroic lives at their special births, small battles, and boon stages of their journeys. Both John and Corleone are born with a certain kind of power as a result of their detachment from the world that they can never fully know. John has a certain unique kind of power as son of the Director of the very society that alienates him. John shows his surprise when he discovers the truth about his father, He came in at once . . . fell on his knees in front of the Director, and said in a clear voice: 'My father' (Huxley 151). The combination of the Director as his father and his birth as a member of the savage community spark John's detachment from the London society. Corleone's desire to break away from the family's crime business is always overcome by his birth into it. On J. Geoff Malta's The Godfather internet fan page, Corleone is quoted as saying, Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in (Malta 3). This illustrates the merciless undertow of the family's organized crime business. Corleone's birth into the family continues to plague him until the very end of his j ourney. Both John and Corleone's births served as starting points for their tragic stories. While John's lack of choice of destiny detaches him from the London society, Corleone's lack of desire and passion for his occupation alienates him from the society of the family business. Though Corleone is discontent with the concrete outcomes of his birth, John is also an outsider as a result of his own. While John and Corleone both had similar births, they also faced comparable small battles in their journeys. John and Corleone both face the death of family members as tests or small battles in their journeys. John deals with the painful loss of his mother when Linda passes away. Huxley illustrates John's devastation in Chapter 14, 'Quick, quick!' He caught her by the sleeve, dragged her after him. 'Quick! Something's happened. I've killed her.' . . . The Savage stood for a moment in frozen silence, then fell on his knees beside the bed and, covering his face with his hands, sobbed uncontrollably (Huxley 206). John's actions show how traumatic Linda's death is to him, challenging him to continue his life as a tragic hero. Corleone faces the near death of his loving father after an assassination attempt. A scene analysis of The Godfather describes Corleone's tragedy and what followed, When his father is shot though, Michael takes revenge on the people who did it and becomes part of the Mafia lifestyle. When his older brother is murdered, Michael ascends to become the boss of the family, and proves to be more ruthless than his father and brother combined (Glass 1). Corleone's experiences challenge him to make a difficult choice between reason and revenge. Both John and Corleone's encounters with death serve as catalysts in becoming tragic heroes. The heroes find death testing their love and loyalty to their families. Also, each of them go through small, but difficult battles to recover from their losses including emotional breakdown for John and uncontrollable aggression for Corleone. Though John and Corleone deal with like obstacles, they also both meet similar ends to their heroic lives. In the end of each of John and Corleone's journeys, death functions as their boons. John's death is the only way he can get away from the society that plagued him. Huxley describes John's end: That evening the swarm of helicopters that came buzzing across the Hog's Back . . . 'Savage!' called the first arrivals, as they alighted from their machine. 'Mr. Savage!' (Huxley 259).

Definition of Armature - Art History Glossary

Definition of Armature - Art History Glossary (noun) - In art, an armature is an underlying, unseen, supporting component (usually of wood or metal) for something else. Armatures are useful in sculpture, lost-wax casting (to help make the initial model three-dimensional) and even stop-motion animation puppets. Think of the chicken wire frame upon which plaster or papier mache strips are affixed in a sculpture, to get a mental visual. An even more dramatic example, designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, is the iron armature inside Frà ©dà ©ric Auguste Bartholdis Statue of Liberty. Pronunciation arm ·a ·chur Common Misspellings amature, armeture Examples When this armature has been fixed, the artificer begins to take some fine earth, beaten together with horse dung and hair, as I said, and carefully lays a very thin coating all over which he allows to dry, and so on time after time with other coatings, always allowing each to dry until the figure becomes covered with earth raised to the thickness of half a span at the most. - Vasari on Technique (1907 trans.); pp. 160-161.

Poetry essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Poetry - Essay Example Standing in the direct line of poet-critics from Philip Sydney to T.S Eliot, he hoped that literature would rise and take up the place of religion offering consolation and sustenance to man. His short poem â€Å"Dover Beach† reflects his melancholic temperament and his dismay at the retreating tide of religious faith. He extols humanity to hold fast to one another because the world is a deceptive and dangerous place, the darkness of which needs moral and spiritual enlightenment to guide people through. The poem begins with tempting description of the night-scene from the Dover Beach. The sea is described as calm, the tide full, â€Å"the moon lies fair upon the straits†, the distant lights on the French coast come on and off, the vast cliffs of England stand â€Å"glimmering†, the bay is tranquil, and the night air is sweet. The speaker invites the other to come to the window and witness the alluring scene. The poem is in the form of a talk, and there is an inevitable presence of a listener. The speaker is airing his thoughts and feelings to an intimate ‘other’ present with him. The seventh line in the first stanza of the poem marks the transition in the speaker’s mood. From the alluring description of the outside view and the invitation to share the beautiful moment with him at the window, he swiftly moves to the melancholic aspect of the repetitive sound of the waves gathering and flinging back the pebbles from the shore on their coming and retreating. He calls this â€Å"the grating roar of pebbles†. The noise is disturbing in its recurring pattern of â€Å"Begin, and cease, and then again begin†. The slow and â€Å"tremulous cadence† of the waves bring to the poet â€Å"the external note of sadness in†. Arnold uses poetic techniques like inversion to heighten the impact of his words. In the last lines of the first stanza the inversion in â€Å"with tremulous cadence slow† works wonders bringing home the

According to Give me liberty by Eric foner, explain why he thinks the Essay

According to Give me liberty by Eric foner, explain why he thinks the Civil Rights Movement challenged the very idea of freedom - Essay Example Foner (95) asserts that freedom at the time meant; being equal to the white race or not being enslaved. This freedom is contrasted with the other kinds of freedoms such as the freedom of speech, movement, among others that are already guaranteed by the American Constitution. Since the idea of freedom is narrowly focused, the author moves on to detail that even after the slaves are freed, they might still not have equal access to opportunities in life. In this case, the pursuit of freedom would change form so as to respond to the new realities. Then the focus would be on freedom with respect to economic power, or even freedom with respect to employee rights (Foner 100). According to the Foner (45), these changing social conditions are primarily responsible for the change in the meaning of freedom. They keep shifting its boundaries so that in the end, the idea of freedom is extremely amorphous. The author believes that instead of asking for freedom, civil rights activists were better off demanding liberties. This could have made their pursuit more focused and could have resulted in greater gains (Foner

A Filmic Analysis of Hamlet Essay Example for Free

A Filmic Analysis of Hamlet Essay Shakespeare’s Hamlet inspired many film directors to adapt the play onto the big screen. In Kenneth Branagh’s version, he takes on the challenge of both directing the film and portraying Hamlet. In Marco Zeferelli’s edition, celebrated actor Mel Gibson stars as Hamlet. The directors use different aspects of cinematography and mise-en-scene to depict distinctive interpretations of the famous â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy. Branagh interprets the scene as a contemplation of Hamlet’s decision whether to kill himself or Claudius, whereas Zeferelli construes the scene as a deliberation of life, death, and the afterlife. Branagh uses props, varied camera angles, and thoughtful acting to describe the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy as a brooding decision haunting Hamlet of action versus inaction. Branagh begins the soliloquy facing a two-way mirror, with Polonius and Claudius hidden behind it. The audience sees Hamlet staring directly at himself, while also facing the concealed men behind the mirror. This personifies the idea that Hamlet is hesitant about taking action against his own life or taking the life of Claudius: â€Å"Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / And, by opposing end them† (3. 1. 65-68). The camera angle consists of a medium close-up on the intense concentration of Branagh’s face, expressing the critical contemplation of his life and Claudius’s. Later in the soliloquy, Hamlet uncovers a bodkin, pointing the weapon towards the two-way mirror in a manifestation of action versus inaction. The lighting of the scene highlights Branagh’s face and disposition with explicit detail, leaving no question to the viewer about his intent on either killing himself or Claudius. However, Branagh neglects to analyze Hamlet’s actual contemplation of death itself. Zeferelli focuses on Hamlet’s reflection of death as an experience and also the ambiguity of the afterlife. Mel Gibson recites the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy in a royal tomb where his father is buried. The morbid setting suggests a theme of death. The low-key lighting emphasizes an ominous quality associated with Hamlet’s musing of the afterlife. Gibson meticulously edges through the graves, using composed speech to reflect upon his life and the life of his father: â€Å"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause. There’s the respect / That makes calamity of so long life† (3. 1. 74-77). Hamlet believes that the hardships of life become resolute through death. The turmoil of human affairs perishes along with an individual’s life. Gibson’s acting and disposition suggest that he thinks death is more appealing than life. His ponderings are not a question of action and revenge but a question of the actual prospects of death and what comes after death. The setting in a tomb highlights this as well as Gibson keenly looking up towards heaven during the soliloquy. Although the two directors interpret the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy differently, similarities exist between the two scenes. The acting of Branagh and Gibson both reflect deep contemplation; Branagh being more concerted and Gibson being more reflective. Both actors use Shakespeare’s words very thoughtfully and precisely, and keep their voices in a soft but convincing monotone. The camera angles of the scenes are also similar with the shot situated intently on the actors’ faces, either focused in a fixed position on Branagh to represent great credence or zooming in slowly on Gibson’s face to represent a more reflective quality. Both directors do an exceptional job conveying the message that their cinematographic and acting choices suggest. The â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy is interpreted in many different ways, but Branagh and Zeferelli artfully choose one aspect of the scene to focus on.

Alice Walkers In Love and Trouble Essay examples -- Alice Walker Love

Alice Walker's In Love and Trouble Stories from In Love and Trouble, like other Alice Walker’s works, are the portrayal of black women. I would interpret the term â€Å"black women† as women who have gone through all sorts of hardship and struggles, but not all women in the world or only those with black skin. I strongly argue that Walker’s characters are better represented as women who suffer the way African American women do, than as women with black skin. I will justify my argument by referring to specific examples from two short stories in the book, namely Roselily and Everyday Use. The characters in In Love and Trouble are not represented by all women because not all women carry as many burdens as the characters in the book. One group of women excluded is the white. As Clenora points out African-American women suffer from â€Å"a tripartite form of oppression- racism, classism, and sexism† (192). All black women in the book have to bear the triple burden. Living in a white-dominant society, they are oppressed by the white. Their race also leads to their poverty. Being in a male-dominant society, they are abused by their husbands who are themselves abused by the white. â€Å"These women [are] simply defeated in one way or another by the external circumstances of their lives† (Washington 89-90). In Roselily, Roselily is also a victim of the triple burden. Although there is no direct description of how she is oppressed by the white, it is implied: â€Å"She can imagine God, a small black boy [my emphasis], timidly pulling the preacher’s coattail† (4). In Roseliliy’s imagination, God has black skin, which is a sharp contrast to the traditional white God image in the Western world. The black God image shows her ques... ...tudies.† Phylon 49.1 (Spring-Summer 1992): 33-41. Christian, Barbara T. Introduction. Everyday Use. By Walker Alice. New Jersey: Rutgers U, 1994. 3-17. Clenora, Hudson Weems. â€Å"The Tripartite Plight of African-American Women as Reflected in the Novels of Hurston and Walker.† Journal of Black Studies 20.2 (December 1989): 192-207. Hui, Fung-mei, Sandra. â€Å"Race and Gender in the Works of Maxine Hong Kingston, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.† Diss. U of Hong Kong, 2004. Walker Alice. In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women. Florida: Harcourt, 1995. Washington, Mary Helen. â€Å"An Essay on Alice Walker.† Everyday Use. Ed. Christian, Barbara T. New Jersey: Rutgers U, 1994. 85-103. Weston, Ruth D. â€Å"Who Touches This Touches a Woman: The Naked Self in Alice Walker.† Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Ed. Dieke, Ikenna. London: Greenwood, 1999. 153-61. Alice Walker's In Love and Trouble Essay examples -- Alice Walker Love Alice Walker's In Love and Trouble Stories from In Love and Trouble, like other Alice Walker’s works, are the portrayal of black women. I would interpret the term â€Å"black women† as women who have gone through all sorts of hardship and struggles, but not all women in the world or only those with black skin. I strongly argue that Walker’s characters are better represented as women who suffer the way African American women do, than as women with black skin. I will justify my argument by referring to specific examples from two short stories in the book, namely Roselily and Everyday Use. The characters in In Love and Trouble are not represented by all women because not all women carry as many burdens as the characters in the book. One group of women excluded is the white. As Clenora points out African-American women suffer from â€Å"a tripartite form of oppression- racism, classism, and sexism† (192). All black women in the book have to bear the triple burden. Living in a white-dominant society, they are oppressed by the white. Their race also leads to their poverty. Being in a male-dominant society, they are abused by their husbands who are themselves abused by the white. â€Å"These women [are] simply defeated in one way or another by the external circumstances of their lives† (Washington 89-90). In Roselily, Roselily is also a victim of the triple burden. Although there is no direct description of how she is oppressed by the white, it is implied: â€Å"She can imagine God, a small black boy [my emphasis], timidly pulling the preacher’s coattail† (4). In Roseliliy’s imagination, God has black skin, which is a sharp contrast to the traditional white God image in the Western world. The black God image shows her ques... ...tudies.† Phylon 49.1 (Spring-Summer 1992): 33-41. Christian, Barbara T. Introduction. Everyday Use. By Walker Alice. New Jersey: Rutgers U, 1994. 3-17. Clenora, Hudson Weems. â€Å"The Tripartite Plight of African-American Women as Reflected in the Novels of Hurston and Walker.† Journal of Black Studies 20.2 (December 1989): 192-207. Hui, Fung-mei, Sandra. â€Å"Race and Gender in the Works of Maxine Hong Kingston, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.† Diss. U of Hong Kong, 2004. Walker Alice. In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women. Florida: Harcourt, 1995. Washington, Mary Helen. â€Å"An Essay on Alice Walker.† Everyday Use. Ed. Christian, Barbara T. New Jersey: Rutgers U, 1994. 85-103. Weston, Ruth D. â€Å"Who Touches This Touches a Woman: The Naked Self in Alice Walker.† Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Ed. Dieke, Ikenna. London: Greenwood, 1999. 153-61.

Culture of Australia Essay

The question of identity is always a difficult one for those living in a culture or group, yet belonging to another. This difficulty frequently remains in the mind of most immigrants, especially the second generations who were born in a country other than their parents. Younger generations feel as if they are forced to change to fit the social standards despite previous culture or group. Furthermore those who wish to adopt a new identity of a group or culture haven’t yet been fully accepted by original members due to their former identity. Living with a different culture to our roots can lead to changes in our lives. Migrating to Australia has affected a lot of authors from Alice Pung’s vignettes of ‘Growing up Asian in Australia’. Michelle Law displays her exclusion from the Australian culture by preparing ‘exotic lunches’ with her mother, as well as her ‘hairless’ Chinese body compared to the school girls. Being seen as a distinct outsider to the Australian culture can influence one to change their way of life to fit in and form friendships. Sunil an Indian schoolboy was faced with the choice of constantly being bullied over his differences or adapting to the community by altering his name to Neil. Changing for others an lose your place in your original identity and culture. After visiting Hong Kong, Michelle momentarily feels identical to her surroundings with her Chinese ethnicity. After mispronouncing words when ordering at a Cantonese Mc Donald’s, Michelle comes to realise that she feels just as excluded in Hong Kong as she did in Australia. This sense of displacement caused by multiple cultures can question Michelle’s judgement, â€Å"Am I more Asian or more Australian? † The feeling of not fitting in can lead us to changes in our life to fit social standards despite our previous culture or way of life. Alice Pung addresses the idea of multiculturalism in her novel ‘Unpolished Gem’. Two of the themes in this novel where she portrays her culture are through personal identity and the impact of the past. A major influence on Alice’s identity was when she was a young child and her grandmother would tell her stories about events that occurred in Cambodia. In Alice’s teenage years, her beloved grandmother has a stroke, developed disabilities and eventually had passed away. It is around this time where serious psychological problems occur for Alice. This almost forces her into a mental state in which she knows she does not fit in with the Australian culture. She believed she had to do everything she could to change that otherwise Alice knew she would break down mentally. Alice was forced to attempt to fit the social standards of Australia. The actions of adopting a new identity by putting yourself into a different group can lead to not only the new group not fully accepting you but also your original group will see you as a totally different person. At the age of 13 I played basketball for the under 14s side. We were all very close and had formed great friendships throughout the season. The following season I was asked to play above my age group. Without thinking twice I accepted what I thought was a great opportunity. A few days pasted and it was the day of my first training session with the older group. Throughout the 2 hours of training I did not enjoy myself at all. No one would pass me the ball and it was as if they didn’t want me there. To be honest I didn’t want to be there neither. I decided to return to my own age group and play with my old friend. At the next training session with my original team I realized the same thing was happening, no one would pass me the ball or even acknowledge that I was on the court. It turns out I had changed as a person and found myself caught between the two teams. The moral of that experience was by trying to fit in with a new group I found that I had lost my original identity and forgot where I belong. There are a variety of scenarios that result in us trying to change. Whether it is a result of a different culture or even past experiences. People also feel as if they are forced upon change, and even if you find yourself with a new identity or culture, you may not be fully accepted by original members of that group or culture. The power of a group however is often the cause of losing our individual identity. In conclusion the question remains of whether Change of an identity is right or wrong?