The Glass Menagerie As A Modern Drama And Tragedy

The Glass Menagerie as a Modern Drama and Tragedy The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is classified as a modern drama and a modern tragedy. Modern drama plays are characterized by â€Å"social and cultural changes of America† and focus on more realistic matters. The characteristics of a modern drama allow for deeper characterization and understanding of the characters, and even lead to a more real and relatable lesson learned (Ableman). A play that falls under the category of a modern tragedy is one that appeals to the emotions of the reader. When something in the play appears to be sad or upsetting, it makes whoever is watching or reading it feel pity and in turn makes the audience sad themselves. Modern tragedies are geared to â€Å"mainly focus upon the life of the common people† and their struggles (Xd). The Glass Menagerie exhibits some of the specific qualities of both a modern drama and a modern tragedy through its various literary elements. The theme of th e hardship and difficulty of accepting reality, the motif of abandonment and the symbolism of blue roses and the glass unicorn, exemplify the certain qualities that allow a play to be characterized as a modern drama and a modern tragedy. The theme of the hardship of accepting reality in The Glass Menagerie is seen in the thin grasp that Laura has on reality itself. This is an effect of her shyness and her incapability to interact with other people. Her mother, Amanda, described an incident involving Laura as: And sheShow MoreRelated Essay on Stagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie1196 Words   |  5 PagesDesire and Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Stagnant Lives of Blanche DuBois and Amanda Wingfield  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of Williams significant characters are pathetic victims--of time, of their own passions, of immutable circumstance (Gantz 110). This assessment of Tennessee Williams plays proves true when one looks closely at the characters of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Their lives run closely parallel to one another in their respective dramas. They rejectRead More Comparing The Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Willliams2909 Words   |  12 PagesThe Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Willliams In Tennessee Williamss drama The Glass Menagerie the setting and dramatization in the play are used to convey each member of the familys hopes, desperations, and fears. He uses symbols throughout the story to add a deeper meaning and give his characters a sense of mystery. Also, though maybe inadvertently, The Glass Menagerie actually parallels the people and events in Tennessee Willliamss life. The setting in this drama playsRead MoreThe Truth in Perception:an Exploration of The Glass Menagerie2276 Words   |  10 Pagesdifferentiated by each individual experience. Within The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, the ideas of overwhelming truth, individual perceptions, and the flaws of humanity are all explored. Through the various characters, with a specific focus on Tom’s narration, Williams argues that the truth is only a subjective idea that is created through the perceptions of humankind, molded through humanity’s flaws. One of the greatest arguments in The Glass Menagerie is the concept that all human beings are imperfect;Read MoreEssay about Fences by August Wilson1876 Words   |  8 Pagesendures the hardships in her life. Took what life offered her in the way of being a woman, get her strength from her religious faith and give the best of whats in her. She holds on to her husband with both hands until the time of his demise. The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature, the conflict between illusion and reality. The struggle between the love of freedom and the love of family. If there is a signature character type that marks Tennessee Williamss dramatic work, it is undeniablyRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pagesexplain how the suffering brought upon others by the figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of comparable quality. Avoid mere plot summary. An American Tragedy Light in August Anna Karenina Long Day’s Journey into the Night Antigone Lord Jim Beloved Macbeth Crime and Punishment Medea Death of a Salesman Moby-Dick Ethan Frome Oedipus Rex Faust Phedre Fences RagtimeRead MoreEssay about The Power of Angels in America2546 Words   |  11 Pagesthus requiring the supplemental -style. Rogoff is not sure what a gay play...might be. In truth, this is no easy question, and there are no easy answers to it. Are the plays of Tennessee Williams, such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie gay plays, since the author was gay? Or do only his later works qualify as gay plays, as they focused specifically on gay material? Are any of the plays of William Shakespeare gay plays, for that matter? Or is this an appellation reserved forRead MoreMany Elements of Tragedy in Streetcar Names Desire by Tennessee Williams2554 Words   |  11 Pagesawarded four Oscars. It is a stage play with elements of tragedy. The play opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York City on December 3, 1947. The producer of the play Charles Feldman sold the production to the Warner Bros. The play was written by Tennessee Williams. Williams is co nsidered the greatest Southern playwright and one of the greatest playwrights in the history of American Drama. Williams first play was ‘The Glass Menagerie† it was produced in 1945. Williams plays have been adaptedRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 PagesEssays: Second Series (1844) H. D. Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden (1854) â€Å"Civil Disobedience† (1849) Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845) Editor of The Dial (1840-42) High Romanticism Whitman and Dickinson: Romantic Modern Poets 1. Both passionate in expressing emotions 2. Unconventional in poetic forms and images Walt Whitman (1819-1892) - Leaves of Grass (1855, 1856, 1860, 1867, 1871, 1876, 1881, 1889, 1891-2) Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) - Slant rhymesRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 PagesKundera associates it with the birth of the novel during the days of Rabelais and Cervantes, and considers the Italian Boccaccio as â€Å"the great precursor.† Quoting the Mexican writer Octavio Paz, Kundera avows that humor is â€Å"the great invention of the modern spirit,† and â€Å"that it renders ambiguous everything that it touches.† He also believes that â€Å"religion and humor are incompatible.† And he writes: â€Å"Humor: the divine flash that reveals the world in its moral ambiguity and man in his profound incompetence

Smell a faint bit of smoke Free Essays

Living room. A narrow hallway in the living room went to small winding Steps that took you to a great room on the second floor of the house, this is where my kids had their bedrooms. The house was surrounded with the most amazing yard. We will write a custom essay sample on Smell a faint bit of smoke or any similar topic only for you Order Now The white picket fence enclosed a grape arbor, as old as the house, and underneath the grapes there were two small rope swings attached to the arbor for my kids. Outside the fence was a large orchard filled with apples, pears and plums: and a lovely garden that I planted each summer with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, blueberries and raspberries. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. We were getting ready for the long weekend, and my brother was coming down from Portland to celebrate my sisters birthday. The day started as a typical late summer morning. The sun was shining high in the sky, the birds were busy in the grapes and was busy in the kitchen. My son was in the large claw foot tub playing pirate ships with soap bars and my daughter was on the computer in the living room playing her favorite game. It was a lovely morning. With the warm breeze blowing through the open doors and windows I could smell a faint bit of smoke, but that was not unusual. Our house was tucked in between many mint farmers. They would harvest the mint in the late summer, then burn the fields afterwards for pest and weed control. In the kitchen I heard a car come down the gravel driveway honking loudly. It was too soon for my brother to arrive, so I went outside to see what was happening. Before even stopping he pointed at the roof and yelled, â€Å"Your house is on fire! † â€Å"Your house is on fire-get the hose! † popped into high gear and grabbed the garden hose, turned the faucet on the outside spigot and handed it to the stranger and went inside to grab my children. Once I new they were outside safer went back inside the house to call the fire department. New wasn’t in eminent danger because the flames looked very small from the ground and they were high above on the roof at the other end Of the house. After calling, I went back outside and realized more people had arrived. Many more, some offering help and others just staring. Could hear some of them say ‘Nathan a shame, this historic house is on fire. † That was when I felt my first twinge offer and anger at the same time. The fire department came after what seemed like a lifetime. They were so very positive, â€Å"Don’t worry Miss, this can be stopped easily. Those reassuring words put me at ease. A stranger asked if would like to go down the street and use her phone to call anyone and let them know what was going on. She also offered up a t-shirt for my naked son. As I sat in this strange car, I felt as if time was going backwards. The clock tick-tock ever so slow. She took me back to my burning house to wait for my mom. As walked up towards the flames, my husband gave me the bad news that they couldn’t stop the fire safely. One of the firemen had fallen, caught his leg in the narrow stairway and was injured so they made the determination of safety. My heart sunk back into my stomach. The fire chief started asking me where important things were in the house. As we spoke to him, he would describe the area to someone inside via handheld radios: â€Å"Photo Album, left window†, one yelled. â€Å"Purse, wallet, right window† another called out. And items were flying into the yard through the windows. The crew worked hard to save what they could for our family. They Were so brave to sacrifice through the smoke and heat. I stood there shaking and watching the fire grow bigger and bigger. Soon the beautiful summer day was surrounded by so much noise; people talking, owes going, emergency vehicles coming and going. And the stench had taken the beautiful smells of late summer morning and turned it into something that is etched in my brain for eternity. A smell of wet clothes, burning wire, smoldering wood and melting plastic. A smell like no other. I watched the whole house burn to the ground. My biggest fear came to life right in front of me. Right in front of many people. The time didn’t pass slow that afternoon, I finally sat down as the flames were starting to diminish, people were leaving and darkness was settling the fields around me. Not a tear came down my face that day. I was numb. I stood in the drive way and looked at the mess, wet wood, ashes, burnt mattress, my daughters rocking horse sideways charred in the back yard. At that moment, standing there, staring at the mess I realized we lost most of our belongings. Day to day things you don’t think about, such as hairbrush, toothpaste, shoes, underwear, deodorant, dishes, bread, coffee, milk and snacks. I realized all my belongings, the material things were gone. I had lost everything in all the sparks that flew into once blue sky. But somehow, even though the flames took everything, had not lost what was truly important. How to cite Smell a faint bit of smoke, Papers

The Wave How Ben Ross’ Experiment Was Successful Essay Example

The Wave: How Ben Ross’ Experiment Was Successful Paper Ben Ross wants to show his students how Hitler could control Germany without people stopping him and also why people said that they didn’t know what happened during World War II. That is why he decides to make an experiment. I will explain how this experiment was successful. Hitler built a totalitarian movement from which he was the leader. First, it is important to know that Hitler was elected by German population and consequently he became the Head of Germany legally. Germany was not in good health and Hitler promised a better world and people believed him. Hitler recruited new members for his party who obeyed him totally until he controlled everybody all around him. Ben Ross begins his experiment a little bit as Hitler did during the World War II. First, he shows his students that with discipline we can have all what we want to. The success is not due to knowledge but to obedience to rules. If students have discipline, the world is better. In addition, he introduces a position with the body. His students look like all the same physically. After that Ben Ross does some exercises with his students. He wants first the students to organize themselves and secondly wants to put the students on the same level. He does not wish any loser any more. The students become robots and act militarily. We can say that Ben Ross introduces obedience. Obedience is the fact of obeying to an authority. Indeed there is a hierarchy. Here Ben Ross is the leader of his class as Hitler was the leader of Germany. Ben Ross is legally the teacher of his class, so he is legally a kind of leader for the class. The students accept that Ben becomes their leader and that is why they obey him. Ben Ross controls their mind and consequently he controls their actions. Next Ben Ross gives a name â€Å"the wave† to the class. The students are not themselves any more but the wave. In addition the wave has a salute. Ben Ross puts a mark on the wave. The wave members are not equal to the no-members. They are superior. The members must also recruit new members. Everybody must join the wave otherwise people who refuse to join it are expelled. Furthermore Ben Ross distributes member cards. Obedience is introduced and the wave becomes a totalitarian movement. The wave has good effects on the students. We will write a custom essay sample on The Wave: How Ben Ross’ Experiment Was Successful specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Wave: How Ben Ross’ Experiment Was Successful specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Wave: How Ben Ross’ Experiment Was Successful specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer These ones feel that a power is born in the class and that the class forms a group, not only a students’ class. Now the students do their homework to be able to answer Ben Ross questions. They consider each other as equal and there are not any losers any more. The wave has nevertheless bad effects. The students become robots. They do not think anymore on their own and it is dangerous because they can act without thinking. They do actions just because they are asked to do them. Soon the wave begins to work without Ben giving orders. The students organise meetings between wave members or they do propaganda without Ben asking them to do it. The wave becomes a conformist group. Conformism is when all members of a group are equal. Nobody gives orders. The members just imitate what the other members do Contrary to obedience, people choose their actions; they do not just obey. They feel responsible for what they do. If I analyse Ben Ross’ strategy, I notice that the students react exactly as Germans during the World War II and also exactly like people who are submitted to obedience or like people who belong to a conformist group. Ben Ross wants to show his students how Germans’ life was when Hitler was the leader of Germany and his experiment was a great success. Ben Ross succeeds in being a leader as Hitler was and the students react like Nazis. By this experiment the students learn a lot about History but not only. It is also a good life experiment. Namely, after that, the students will be able not to be controlled by other people and they will be careful of always thinking on their own. As far as I am concerned I think that this experiment is useful to understand History but it can also be very dangerous because you do not think on your own anymore and consequently you can be led to do horrible actions.

Performance Based Pay for Teachers

Performance Based Pay for Teachers Performance-based pay for teachers, or merit pay, is a trending educational topic. Teachers pay, in general, is often highly debated. Performance-based pay ties teaching components such as standardized test scores and teacher evaluations to a salary schedule. Performance-based pay originated from a corporate model that bases a teachers salary on job performance. Higher performing teachers receive more compensation, while lower performing teachers receive less. The Denver, Colorado school district may have the most successful performance-based pay program in the nation. The program, called ProComp, is seen as a national model for performance-based pay. ProComp was designed to impact critical issues such as student achievement, teacher retention, and teacher recruitment positively. The program has been credited with boosting those areas, but it does have its critics. Performance-based pay will likely continue to increase in popularity over the next decade. Like any educational reform issue, there are two sides to the argument. Here, we examine the pros and cons of performance-based pay for teachers. Pros Motivates Teachers to Make Improvements in the Classroom Performance-based pay systems offer teachers a reward based on meeting set performance measures typically tied to student performance. These measures are based on educational research and are a set of best practices intended to boost overall student outcomes. Many of the best teachers are already doing a lot of these things in their classrooms. With performance-based pay, they may be asked to take it a little above what they normally do, or it may motivate low performing teachers to get their acts together to receive their bonus. Provides Teachers With the Opportunity to Receive a Higher Salary People typically do not become teachers because of the salary. But, it doesnt mean that they do not want or need more money. Sadly, a relatively large number of teachers across the country are picking up a second job to keep their family afloat financially. Performance-based pay not only provides teachers with an option to make more money but also motivates them to meet targeted objectives while doing so. It is a win, win situation both for the teacher and their students. The teacher makes more money, and in turn, their students get a better education. Invites Competition Thus Raising Student Performance Performance-based pay creates competition among teachers. The better their students perform, the more money theyll receive. Higher outcomes translate to higher pay. Teachers are often competitive by nature. They want their fellow teachers to be successful. But, they also want to be more successful then them. Healthy competition pushes teachers to become better, which in turn boost student learning. Everyone wins when the best teachers work hard to stay at the top, and mediocre teachers work hard to improve enough to be considered one the best. Allows Bad Teachers to Be Removed Easier Many performance-based pay systems include components which enable principals to terminate teachers who continuously fail to meet goals and objectives. Most teacher unions adamantly opposed performance-based pay because of this element. Standard teacher contracts make it difficult to terminate employment, but a performance-based pay contract makes it easier to remove a bad teacher. Teachers who are unable to get the job done are replaced by another teacher who may be able to get things on track. Aids in Teacher Recruitment and Retention Performance-based pay can be an attractive incentive especially for young teachers who have a lot to offer. The opportunity for higher pay is often too compelling to pass up. To passionate teachers, the extra work is worth the higher salary. Also, schools offering performance-based compensation typically have no problems attracting top teaching talent. The pool is usually bottomless, so they can get quality teachers from the beginning. They also keep their good teachers. The best teachers are easy to retain because they are well respected and likely will not receive a higher salary elsewhere. Cons Encourages Teachers to Teach to Standardized Tests A large part of the performance-based pay objectives rests in standardized test scores. Teachers across the nation are already feeling the pressure to abandon creativity and originality and instead to teach to the tests. Attaching an increase in pay only amplifies that situation. Standardized testing is all the rage in public education, and performance-based pay just adds fuel to the fire. Teachers skip once celebrated teachable moments. They neglect valuable life lessons and have essentially become robots all in the name of passing a single test on a single day during the school year. Can Potentially Be Costly to the District School districts across the United States are already strapped for cash. Teachers on a performance-based contract receive a base salary. They receive a â€Å"bonus† for meeting specific objectives and goals. This â€Å"bonus† money can add up quickly. The Denver Public School District in Colorado was able to start ProComp thanks to voters who approved a tax increase that allowed them to fund the incentive program. It would have been impossible to fund the program without the revenue generated from the tax increase. School districts would find it exceedingly difficult to maintain the funds necessary to run a performance-based pay program without additional funding. Dilutes a Teacher’s Overall Value Most teachers offer much more than just the ability to meet learning objectives or goals. Teaching should be about more than just a test score. Ideally, teachers should be rewarded for the size of the impact they make and for making a difference in the lives of their students. Sometimes those qualities go unrecognized and unrewarded. Teachers have a powerful influence on their students, yet theyre relegated to ensuring that their students are going to pass a test. It skews the real value of a teacher when you only base the job they are doing on meeting student performance objectives.   Fails to Consider Factors Beyond a Teacher’s Control There are many factors beyond a teacher’s control that influence student performance just as much or more than any teacher will. Factors such as lack of parental involvement, poverty, and learning disabilities offer real hindrances to learning. They are nearly impossible to overcome. The reality is that teachers who sacrifice to pour into the lives of these students are often seen as bad teachers because their students do not meet the level of proficiency that their peers do. The truth is that many of these teachers are doing a far superior job than their peers who teach at an affluent school. Sometimes they fail to receive the same rewards for their hard work. Can Potentially Harm High-Risk Areas Every school is not the same. Every student is not the same. Why would a teacher want to teach in a school surrounded by poverty and have the cards stacked against them, when they can teach in an affluent school and have immediate success? A performance-based pay system would keep many of the best teachers from pursuing jobs in those high-risk areas because of nearly impossible odds to meet the performance measures needed to make it worth the while.

The Warring States Period of Ancient China

The Warring States Period of Ancient China The Warring States period in Ancient Chinese historywhich followed the period known as Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C.) during the  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Chou (Zhou) Dynastyran from about 475-221 B.C. It was a period of violence and chaos during which the philosopher Sun-Tzu is said to have lived and culture to have flourished. Seven States of China There were about seven states of China during the Warring States period, including Yen, which was not one of the contending states, and 6 that were: ChIChuChinWeiHanChao Two of these states, the Chin and Chu, came to dominate, and in 223, the Chin defeated the Chu, establishing the first unified Chinese state two years later. During the Spring and Autumn period, which preceded the Warring States, warfare was feudal and reliant on the war chariot. During the Warring Period, military campaigns were directed by the states who fitted out their soldiers with individual weapons. Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica and The Oxford Companion to Military History. Examples During the Warring States Period, but elsewhere in the world, Alexander the Great conquered his enormous Hellenistic Greek empire, Rome came to dominate Italy, and Buddhism spread to China.

Is Bill Gates Correct in the view that foreign aid truly matters Essay

Is Bill Gates Correct in the view that foreign aid truly matters - Essay Example agencies value the life of a single American at more than a few million dollars).2 Gates blames the media for negative publicity on matters concerning foreign aid, he refers to one British newspaper that gave its readers the impression that foreign aid is just but a waste of resources. In one of their articles, it was written that more than half of British voters advocated for slashes in overseas aid money. He viewed this as a distortion of the actual truth of what goes on in countries that receive aid. As much as Gates knows that no program comes without its flaws, he has opted to look at the positive aspect of aid. He goes on to add that foreign aid is just but a tool in the fight against disease and poverty. Developed countries need to make certain changes in their policies like opening up their markets and cutting agronomic subsidisations. The developing countries also have a role to play in this, they need to allocate more money to health matters and progress for their own folks . In Gate’s view, it effectively saves and improves lives.4 ‘By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world.’ Bill Gates. Through his foundation, the Gates Foundation, they invent vaccines that help to improve the health of children and in turn lighten the burden on the countries’ healthcare and social system. Having healthier children apart from the life factor is beneficial in that it allows children to grow physically and mentally and they become productive adults in future. Gates and his wife Melinda, have opted to focus on agriculture and healthcare because these are the two fields that they have more of a hands on familiarity. These are also the two fields that lay a foundation for long-term economic evolution. The belief that foreign aid is a large portion of rich countries’ annual budget is a misguided notion. A substantial number of

Politics Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Politics Coursework - Essay Example One area of international law that has been consistently difficult to gain acceptance, enforcement and compliance with its agreed standards has been that of human rights. Although a clear international statement of human rights has been enshrined for over half a century within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed by the United Nations in 1948, there remains a relativist undercurrent with respect to how various governments interpret and apply human rights standards. Since 9/11, the concept of human rights has become even more nebulous as states that had been the leading champions of international human rights have begun to compromise their commitment to such ideals in deference to their national security. This paper will discuss the importance and limitations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It will trace the history of the Declaration, discuss how it has been interpreted and applied over the decades since its adoption, and consider the ways in which modern global issues pose challenges to its spirit and premise. The difficulty of achieving uniform global human rights protections, particularly in an era heavily influenced by basic security and defense concerns, vividly illustrates the more general challenge of enforcing international law among sovereign states. The UnivPost War Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the earliest, and arguably most important, achievements of the United Nations. It very much reflects the international revulsion that came in the wake of the atrocities of World War II. The experience of the holocaust was a wakeup call, whereby the people of the world became keenly aware of what humans are capable of doing to one another. In a sense, the holocaust represented the rock bottom consequence of previous failures of the international community to come together in the spirit of promoting peace and human rights. Thus, an atmosphere of atonement and a desire to correct the obvious failures of prior international law to protect the most basic human dignities permeated the effort to implement the Declaration. Such post war attitudes clearly echo throughout the Declaration, particularly in the preamble. In fact, the very first two clauses of the preamble directly refer to the barbarity of which humans had been proven capable: "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world . . . Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people" (Anonymous, 2006, para. 2 and 3). Without a doubt, the framers of the Declaration clearly sought to address the atrocities of the holocaust head on. According to the American Ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey D. Feltman, "The drafters of the Declaration were able to draw inspira tion from heroic efforts in the post-war period to assert the primacy of human rights and the dignity of individuals" (Ambassador Feltman speaks at the 56th anniversary, 2006, para. 3). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was far more than a reaction to a particularly dark