Death Speech- a Streetcar Named Desire Essay Example

Death Speech- a Streetcar Named Desire Paper Blanche’s death speech plays a vital role in the development of the play â€Å"A Streetcar named Desire†. In the monologue the tension between Blanche and Stella comes to a zenith as Blanch explodes with rage as she expresses her jealousy-driven feelings to Stella. In doing so Blanche reveals much more, including her unstable mental state, her emotional reaction to the lost of Belle Reve, and most importantly her preoccupation with the theme of death. One of the roles of this excerpt is to provide the background towards understanding Blanche, and the justifications for her mental state and actions. It is evident that in the past she belonged to a higher class where extravagance was common. But when her family in Belle Reve gradually died off, not only did she have to experience the pain of losing her loved ones, but she was also left with no money or financial aid to keep the estate and ultimately was forced to let it go. Blanche defends herself by figuratively saying that the grim reaper put up his tent right on her doorstep and that is how â€Å"it slipped through my (Blanche’s) fingers†. We will write a custom essay sample on Death Speech- a Streetcar Named Desire specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Death Speech- a Streetcar Named Desire specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Death Speech- a Streetcar Named Desire specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She even goes on to accuse Stella of dealing with the crisis by â€Å"ignoring† it and moving on, hence leaving Blanche to deal with an unbearable burden. This is most obvious when she rhetorically asks Stella, â€Å"I let the place go?† This quote aids in leading the audience to perceive that it was Stella that let the estate go by not trying to help the situation. To accentuate her point Blanche brings up the irony of her being â€Å"at the bed when they (her family) cried out hold me† while condemning Stella for being â€Å"In bed with your (Stella) Polak.† During the speech there are numerous indications that prove Blanche was deeply hurt by her experience at Belle Reve. Firstly, the seemingly unnecessary long explanation in itself demonstrates the importance of Belle Reve to Blanche. Secondly, the frustration and anger she expresses with Stella highlights the importance of their home to her. Throughout the piece Blanche repeats words and phrases many times underlining her fury. For example, at the beginning she says, â€Å"I, I, I†, in the middle she utters â€Å"I saw,  Saw! Saw!† and in the end cries â€Å"I let the place go!, I let the place go?† Thirdly, it seems as if Blanche is accusing Stella of blaming her for losing Belle Reve when in the book Stella simply asks about what happened. This becomes clear when Blanche reproaches Stella by telling her: â€Å"And you sit there telling me with your eyes that I let the place go† and â€Å"Yes accuse me! Sit and stare at me thinking I let the place go!† This sort of presumptuous attitude and thinking influences the reader to assume that Blanche is unable to let go. In addition when Blanche says â€Å"I took the blows in my face and body†¦Farther, Margret, Mother†¦had to be burnt like rubbish† she is also directly conveying her agony. It is clear that Tennessee Williams carefully crafted this specific speech to introduce the theme of death, of which is recurrent in the course of the play. He makes sure to describe the devastation of having to deal with death through Blanche. â€Å"Funerals are quiet but deaths- not always†, â€Å"Sometimes they even cry out to you, ‘Don’t let me go’†, â€Å"Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out ‘Hold me’ you would never suspect there was a struggle for breath and breathing†, and â€Å"Why the Grim Reaper set up his tent on our doorstep† are some quotes that specifically and profoundly relate to the subject of Death. After reading these quotes and knowing that Tennessee Williams suffered from hypochondria (a cynical fear of death and diseases), one could decipher that Blanche’s mindset in this case is almost an emulation of the playwright himself. Due to the structure of the speech one could infer that the body language of Blanche goes from grief to anger to resentment and conclusively to disgust as she ends with that derogatory word â€Å"Polak†. As you can see Williams cleverly structures this one speech to portray and provide lots of valuable information about Blanche’s current state and past life; this in turn foreshadows her inner and external conflicts as the book progresses.

A Perennial Burden to the Conscience essays

A Perennial Burden to the Conscience essays When the Dreyfus case is ended, and nobody knows when that will be, there will be a relief to mankind all the world over- The General Advertiser of New South Wales, Australia, 19 August 1899 (Prisoners of honor-Dreyfus affair, David Levering Lewis). Never in the history of humanity, did a case of treason have such a profound impact on the entire state, from the government to the youngest child. The Affair penetrated, slowly but steadily, the conscience of the people not only in France but worldwide. Not only did it affect the government of France and its Army, but it also influenced the intellect and the religious framework, organizations and societies, as well as the ordinary citizens and the so-called little Frenchmen. Laffair split families, societies, organizations, friendships and the people in two tabors: The Dreyfussards those who were on the side of Captain Dreyfus and anti Dreyfussards those in favor of anti-Semitism. The Dreyfus Affair and its aftermath were remembered long after the case itself was officially closed. The Dreyfus Affair actually started in the second half of September 1894, when a letter containing some secret information about the French Army was brought at the Statistical Section of the French War Office. The letter called bordereau was stolen from the waste paper basket of the German Military Attach von Schwartzkopfen. It contained a list of notes on the new artillery weapons and a Firing Manual. The officers of the General Staff were convinced that a probationer officer could have written it, since only they could have such a variety of information. Among these officers, Alfred Dreyfus was the only Jew and had a bad report. After a brief interview by Major the Marquis du Paty de Clam, he was accused of high treason and arrested a few minutes past nine oclock in the morning of October 15th, 1894. He was secretly kept in prison and inte...

Branch of Buddishm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Branch of Buddishm - Essay Example Through the meditation a person becomes one with himself, with his body and with the subconscious. Zen developed in China in 6th century and became a main Buddhism school during the reign of Song dynasty, with many monks travelling from Japan to China to study. Then, these monks established Zen in Japan, where it had a great impact on Japanese culture. It is believed that Zen is originated from the disciples of Buddha, the patriarchs, with Indian monk Bodhidharma, the â€Å"wall-gazing Brahmin† and Huineng, an illiterate peasant from China being responsible for establishing founding principles of Zen. The Indian monk is a legendary personality; there are not so many historic accounts of him documented. A century after his death his biography was written where it was stated that he was original follower of Mahayana Buddhism, who traveled to China to get converts. However, he did not have much success, but instead received much persecution. Finally, he got two disciples, one of which furthered Zen Buddhism. Bodhidharma became knows in Japan as Daruma. Legends tell us about Daruma’s long hours of meditation, sometime having his back to the rest of the world and facing the wall. He was training his disciples in the art of meditation as well. There is a very popular toy in Japan – the Daruma doll. It is believed to bring good luck, safety and wealth. The doll has no legs and its base is round, which helps it to always maintain upright position, after being tipped. Unlike other branches of Buddhism, Zen does not promote reincarnation, rather, when meditating, it suggests basing the meditation on individual life’s experience. In Zen anyone can reach Nirvana, the state of enlightment: those who adhere to Buddhism wholeheartedly as well as common people. What needed is to practice meditation, and follow personal spiritual experience and intuition; one should also be calm and not to be affected by such strong emotions as hatred, passion or van ity. It is believed that enlightment can be passed on directly from one person to another. Nature is considered divine. Holy Sutras are put in the back burner in this branch, with the main writings being the story of Huineng, an illiterate young man who became a disciple of Bodhidharma (Daruma), and the later – the 6th patriarch of Zen. One of the central terms of Buddhism is atman. This is the name for â€Å"ego†, â€Å"self†, â€Å"soul†. Atman is a philosophical term, meaning a Higher Self. In Buddhism it is similar to Buddha-nature, of which everyone has a part. There are several aspects of it. Atman is infinite, eternal, non-born and timeless. We are only witnesses to the existence. Everything that is happening in the world around us is happening in the Atman as well. There is completeness, nothing is lacking. Atman means becoming one with the Divine. In Zen, Atman means merging with the nature, the world that surrounds us. Zen Buddhism has its centr al element in awareness and mindfulness. Being mindful and aware of one’s actions and feelings adds meaning to all the activities, helps to concentrate better and to find insight. Zen’s philosophy gives freedom, which comes from connection between personal experience of uniting with the universe, as well as seeing connections with the world around. It teaches its followers to experience all things in life anew each time, to rid one’s mind of the stereotypes about oneself, to make one’s mind â€Å"empty†. It suggest to live â€Å"

Final Project For Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Project For Marketing - Essay Example It is of utmost importance to "know" the product that one wishes to sell (Marketing Yourself Assignment, pg 4) so that an effective and clear image of it can be shown easily to the potential employers and buyers. In this case, the product that is up for sale to the market is myself. How to demonstrate that I know myself as a product means that I must carry out an introspective and reflective analysis of my own capabilities and skills, and come to recognize what it is about me as product that will encourage or discourage potential employers to purchase me. The best way to delineate these positives and negatives about myself as a product is to make use of the SWOT analysis. The acronym SWOT stands for strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (Renault & Schultz, n.p); a major use of this tool is to expose the positive aspects of an organization and "potential problems" (Renault & Schultz, n.p). ... In terms of my educational strengths, I have completed my education up to an undergraduate level, and I have excelled in many extracurricular activities. Moving onto my weaknesses as a product, at times I can be inflexible about changing the course of project, I often try to establish myself in the most authoritative position in any business venture, and lastly I do not have a significant amount of work experience. Using the SWOT analysis like this will allow me the opportunity to brainstorm and ponder on what I am as a product and where I can go with my strengths and weaknesses (Renault & Schultz, n.p). Moving onto objectives, it is important to state what my purpose as a product is to achieve. As stated earlier, my aim as a product is to be part of an advertisement agency. Once I have stated my aim, I have to uncover what my target market is. Khan mentions that the target market is that part of the market that a company will provide services to (Khan, pg 60). There are two factors that should be considered when carrying out market targeting; the attractiveness of the market segment, and the "capability" of the company itself (Khan, pg 60). This means that I will have to supply my services to that part of the market that seems most attractive to me in terms of entry barriers, possibility of high growth rate, price sensitivity and size of that part, and so on, and in accordance with my current brand image and technological capabilities (Khan, pg 61). Once I have completed my market targeting, I have to advance to positioning; Khan defines this as the " art of creating the mental shelf space, which your company and its

Effective communication skills are essential when facilitating Essay - 1

Effective communication skills are essential when facilitating learning in clinecal practice - Essay Example Centuries ago, while the science of medical care was in its technical evolution stage, the prime area of reference was only the administration of health care. However, in today’s world, where the scientific world has come of age in its standing vis-à  -vis disease care and prevention, subsidiary issues have emerged that are considered to be of prime importance in the domain of health care. The changes in society and life all around the world have brought about considerable changes in the lifestyles of humanity. Similarly, the profession of health care has seen its development through the ages, and many additional factors like communication skills’ concerns need to be understood better. Fine concludes by admitting, â€Å"At the end of all of the medical, legal, and ethical argument, it is most important to remember that no matter how certain any of us may be of our analysis, decisions near the end of life should never be easy. We must remind ourselves that true wisdom comes with the acknowledgment of uncertainty and admitting that we cannot know all there is to know† (2005). So, for a researcher to have worked in this discipline and to admit that there is a very thin line to cross, one can surely make conclusions about the complexity of the scenario. The issues of professionalism and communication skills are very simple here. Firstly, how can a clinician be ever certain of the fact that the patient is knowledgeable about the treatment? The concept is that the person is beyond cure for that specific practitioner with his precise knowledge. The person might well be treatable in diverse circumstances by a different person. Secondly, the communication concerns do put many questions when the conscious decision of taking one’s life is being asked about. This never an easy decision to make. And finally, whoever is the adversary in this case would be liable to make a final decision about the case, on the pretexts mentioned above. A similar instance is

Macbeth: The Vaulting Ambition

Macbeth: The Vaulting Ambition Shakespeares Macbeth is considered to be one of the best plays ever written. It is set in Scotland in the medieval times, around the 11th century. The play focuses on the psychological effects performed on the main character Macbeth. Macbeth shows us how dramatically his representation changes. Macbeth at the beginning is a highly respected and well-known war-hero. However the seed of change is planted when he meets the three evil witches who predict his future of becoming the king of Scotland. This sudden event makes Macbeth ambitious and he kills Duncan, the current king. Macbeths vaulting ambition rapidly accelerates but he becomes careless which leads to his death. Macbeth starts as a normal noble man who has feelings, friends, a wife and he is a war-hero. As time and tragic events elapse, his time as a ruthless killer begins. As soon as he meets the witches and learns of his future as king, he falls for Lady Macbeths charm and begins to plot and to think of murder. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical (1.3.9) (Macbeth Ambition Quotes Page 1, 2, 3, 4) After the witches predict that Macbeth will become king, he thinks of murder, even though the witches had not said anything about murder. This brings to question whether the witches are to blame or that the thought of murder had always been there. MACBETH [Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else oerleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.(1.4.4) (Macbeth Ambition Quotes Page 1, 2, 3, 4) When Malcolm is proclaimed to be the heir to the throne of Scotland, Macbeth sets aside his morality. He knows that killing Duncan to become king is wrong, which is why he doesnt want any light to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦see my black and deep desires. MACBETH [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself And falls on the other. (1.7.1) (Macbeth Ambition Quotes Page 1, 2, 3, 4) Macbeth realises that his vaulting ambition is all that motivates him to murder Duncan. To him this is not enough to kill a king, which is why after this speech he decides not to go through with it. But of course we know that Lady Macbeth convinces him to murder Duncan later on. When he is set in front of Duncan at his bedside, Lady Macbeth convinces him to realise that this is the only way. However in doing this evil deed it had made the townspeople suspicious of the other 2 heirs who ran away as they thought they would be next. This meant that Macbeth had to kill Malcolm who was next in line for the iron throne. At this point Macbeths experiences a series of breakdowns as he begins to lose his mind and his human dignity. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth falls into the trap of a murderous rage. He believed that this would clear his name, but it only made it worse. Each person he kills results in another. With each kill Macbeth loses his feelings of right and wrong. Macbeths principles are soon deteriorated to nothing as his killings become numerous. MACBETH [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] For mine own good All causes shall give way. I am in blood Steppd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go oer. (3.4.24) (Macbeth Ambition Quotes Page 1, 2, 3, 4) After going on his killing spree, Macbeth suggests that once a man has killed for gain, it is impossible to stop. Macbeth at this point is willing to do anything in order to help himself as he finds it easier to kill. Macbeth believes that hes got to look out for himself. After killing Banquo and confronting his ghost, Macbeth breaks down for the last time. At this point Macbeths last shred of his morals are gone. Lady Macbeth sudden dies and he shows no remorse. Instead of stopping his killing spree he orders Macduffs family to be killed. Macbeth at this point has lost complete control as he starts to believe only in the witches prophecy and visions and that he cannot be killed by any man, giving him a false sense of security. He then plans to send assassins to the castle of Macduff which is in England in order to kill his family. On his way to confront and murder Macduff, Macbeth kills a young soldier without question as he does not care. Here he has nothing but become a cold blooded killer. Near the end of the play, and Macbeths killing spree, his transformation is complete as he loses all of his human thoughts and feelings. Macbeth changes from a man of honour to a man of fear and anger as he loses his ability to make decisions and his morality. In conclusion I believe that this play explores the tragic demise of a good man because of his vaulting ambition because we can see how corrupt a good person can become if one is twisted by the evil supernatural. This is shown through how forces become so powerful over Macbeth that they confuse him and force him into making drastic decisions that change his mind. He has tyrant qualities in the last stages of the play, but the power overwhelms him to succeed and condone these evil deeds. He once was a noble man who has now become a vulnerable and weak target for the desire for power. As a highly respected war-hero to become a cold-blooded killer we can see how the effect of power and his vaulting ambition to become king can lead to the tragic demise of a good man. Word Count = 970

The Russian Peasant in Pre-Revolutionary Times Essay -- Russian Histor

The Russian Peasant in Pre-Revolutionary Times Russia in the late 19th and early 20th century was riddled with social and economic hardships throughout the countryside and inner cities. The Russian peasant was faced with widespread poverty and poor living conditions throughout their entire life. The economic situation and the living conditions drove the peasants and working class to rebel and begin the Russian revolution that would change the face of the country and impact the world forever. The peasants were the lowest ranking social group in Russia. Some peasants owned tracks of land that they farmed, while others worked nobles’ land for money and food. Peasants had literally no rights under czarist rule. The nobles bought and sold the peasants as needed. The women usually cooked the food, while the men served the nobles and all of their guests. The peasants ate only a few basic foods, which consisted mainly of dark bread, porridge, cereal, or meal boiled in water. Peasant families who owned land normally owned strip farms. In strip farming, tracks of land were divided up into different parcels. Each peasant family in a village had control over a certain number of parcels and they could farm it as necessary. This type of farming was ineffective because the different tracks of land were spread about, sometimes at a distance of miles. This resulted in peasants wasting time â€Å"needless journeys-to-work, consumed land in boundary furrows and headlands, resulted in fields that were too remote to cultivate properly and prevented innovation† (Pallot, 276). This also created tension between neighbors in disputes over confusing land boundaries. Peasants being forced to live together in small villages also increased the risk of... ... scare that swept the world in response to communist Russia. - Edelman, Robert. Proletarian Peasants. New York: Cornell University Press, 1987. - Dunn, Stephen and Ethel Dunn. The Peasants of Central Russia. Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc., 1967 - Worobec, Christine D. Peasant Russia. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1995. - Inkeles, Alex. Social Change in Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968. - Geiger, Kent. The Family in Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968. - Pallot, Judith. â€Å"Imagining the rational landscape in late imperial Russia.† Journal of Historical Geography, 26, 2 (2000): 273-291. Links: http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2163/bolintro.html http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/1169/history/revolut.html http://www.historychannel.com